What is the best day spa in the Queenstown area in New Zealand?

I'm going to Queenstown soon for a holiday, and I'd like to know which day spa's are around and if anyone has any recommendations.

Where can I find an affordable day spa in New Jersey thats good to celebrate a sweet 16 wit a group of freinds?

I want to spend a spa day with about 10 of my friends, but i can't seem to find any spas with group spa packages of affordable prices. If you could recommend any that would be great!

If you think Napa Valley is the only wine country to see in California, think again. When it comes to spectacular wine growing regions, California’s cup truly runneth over.

For wine lovers living or visiting the Los Angeles, Ventura or Santa Barbara areas, a trip to the wine growing areas of Santa Barbara Country will not disappoint, where you’ll find spectacular Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, as well as some Rhone and Italian varietals which are gaining popularity. You’ll also find yourself exploring the same vineyards and tasting rooms in which the characters in the movie “Sideways” found themselves.

If visiting from the Los Angeles area, it’s advisable to stay the night. Your choices for lodging range from the upscale Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara, with rooms starting at $475 per night, to the affordable Best Western Big America Hotel and Suites in Santa Maria, where you can get a room beginning at just under $100. Or, if you’d like to stay in the motel where Miles and Jack from “Sideways” stayed, you might like the Days Inn Buellton-Solvang, which begins at $110 per night on the weekends and around $60 during the week. The Days-Inn Buellton-Solvang is located two miles from Solvang, which is bill
Thornton Winery, Elite Land Tours, Palm Springs, California

ed as the “Danish Capital of the USA,” and a half mile from the Hitching Post II restaurant, also featured in the movie “Sideways” and home to some of the best steaks you’ll ever eat.

There is, of course, no way you can visit all the wineries in Santa Barbara County in one weekend, there are just way too many. You might want to choose one of the wine producing areas or appellations in Santa Barbara County and visit as many wineries as you can in those areas. These areas and appellations include Santa Maria Valley, Los Alamos Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Rita Hills. Some of the major wineries in Santa Barbara County include Andrew Murray, Byron and Fess Parker.

One thing to remember is that just because you don’t recognize a label does not mean you shouldn’t visit the winery. Many of the wineries in Santa Barbara County (or even Napa Valley, for that matter) don’t distribute their wines to the major supermarkets or wine shops. You may only find them at the winery, a handful of wine stores or select restaurants. Of course, if you find a wine you like (and you will), many of the wineries have websites where you can order the wine to be shipped to you. A couple wineries you may not have heard about, but definitely should visit are Cottonwood Canyon and Kenneth Volk, up near Santa Maria. Both have friendly tasting rooms and outstanding Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Cottonwood Canyon does charge a tasting fee, while Kenneth Volk gives 5 tastes for free.

You might also wish to visit the wineries which were featured in “Sideways.” These wineries include Fess Parker, Firestone, Kalyra, Foxen and Sanford.

If you find yourself with limited time, you can also visit one of the many shops in the area where you can sample wines from many different wineries from one tasting room. Often times these shops include wines from wineries without tasting rooms of their own. Grand Avenue in Los Olivos has several of these tasting rooms, so if you can’t make it to the wineries themselves you’ll still be able to taste the best Santa Barbara County has to offer.

Whenever taking wine tasting tours in California it’s always wise to appoint a designated drive, and remember to eat and drinking plenty of water during the day.

Shari Hearn

As millions of baby boomers reach retirement age and U.S. health care costs soar, Mexican nursing home managers expect more American seniors to head south in coming years.

Mexico's proximity to the USA, low labor costs and warm climate make it attractive, although residents caution that quality of care varies greatly in an industry that is just getting off the ground there.

Here's more:

After Jean Douglas turned 70, she realized she couldn't take care of herself anymore. Her knees were giving out, and winters in Bandon, Oregon, were getting harder to bear alone.  Douglas was shocked by the high cost and impersonal care at assisted living facilities near her home. After searching the Internet for other options, she joined a small but steadily growing number of Americans who are moving across the border to nursing homes in Mexico, where the sun is bright and the living is cheap.

For $1,300 a month--a quarter of what an average nursing home costs in Oregon--Douglas gets a studio apartment, three meals a day, laundry and cleaning service, and 24-hour care from an attentive staff, many of whom speak English. She wakes up every morning next to a glimmering mountain lake, and the average annual high temperature is a toasty 79 degrees.  "It is paradise," says Douglas, 74. "If you need help living or coping, this is the place to be. I don't know that there is such a thing back (in the USA), and certainly not for this amount of money."

An estimated 40,000 to 80,000 American retirees already live in Mexico, many of them in enclaves such as San Miguel de Allende or the Chapala area, says David Warner, a University of Texas public affairs professor who has studied the phenomenon. There are no reliable data on how many are living in nursing homes, but at least five such facilities are on Lake Chapala.

"You can barely afford t
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o live in the United States anymore," said Harry Kislevitz, 78, of New York City. A stroke victim, he moved to a convalescent home on the lake's shore two years ago and credits the staff with helping him recover his speech and ability to walk.  "Here you see the birds, you smell the air, and it's delicious," Kislevitz said. "You feel like living."

Many expatriates are Americans or Europeans who retired here years ago and are now becoming more frail. Others are not quite ready for a nursing home but are exploring options such as in-home health care services, which can provide Mexican nurses at a fraction of U.S. prices.

Retirement homes are relatively new in Mexico, where the aging seniors usually live with family. There is little government regulation. Some places have suddenly gone bankrupt, forcing American residents to move. Some Mexican homes have rough edges, such as peeling paint or frayed sofas, that would turn off many Americans.

"I don't think they're for everyone," said Thomas Kessler, whose mother suffers from manic depression and lives at a home in Ajijic. "But basically, they've kept our family finances from falling off a cliff."

Residents such as Richard Slater say they are happy in Mexico. Slater came to Lake Chapala four years ago and now lives in his own cottage at the Casa de Ancianos, surrounded by purple bougainvillea and pomegranate trees.

He has plenty of room for his two dogs and has a little patio that he shares with three other American residents. He gets 24-hour nursing care and three meals a day, cooked in a homey kitchen and served in a sun-washed dining room. His cottage has a living room, bedroom, kitchenette, bathroom and a walk-in closet.

For this Slater pays $550 a month, less than one-tenth of the going rate back home in Las Vegas. For another $140 a year, he gets full medical coverage from the Mexican government, including all his medicine and insulin for diabetes.

"This would all cost me a fortune in the United States," said Slater, a 65-year-old retired headwaiter.

On a recent afternoon, lunch at the Casa de Ancianos consisted of vegetable soup, beet salad, Spanish rice, baked dogfish stuffed with peppers, garlic bread and a choice of four cakes and two Jell-O salads. Slater's neighbor doesn't like Mexican food, so a nursing home employee cooks whatever she wants on a stove beside her bed.

Like many retirees, Slater has satellite television, so he doesn't miss any American news or programs. When he wants to see a movie or go shopping downtown, the taxi ride is only $2 or $3. Guadalajara, a culturally rich city of four million people, is just 30 miles away.

For medical care, Slater relies on the Mexican Social Security Institute, or IMSS, which runs clinics and hospitals nationwide and allows foreigners to enroll in its program even if they never worked in Mexico or paid taxes to support the system. He recently had gallbladder surgery in an IMSS hospital in Guadalajara, and he paid nothing.

Many of the nursing home employees speak English, and so does Slater's doctor.

The Casa de Ancianos began accepting foreigners in 2000 as part of an effort to raise extra money, director Marlene Dunham said. It built the cottages especially for the Americans and uses the income received from them to subsidize the costs of the 20 Mexican residents at the home.

The program was so successful that the nursing home has plans for 12 more cottages, a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi and a gazebo with picnic area. The nursing home now advertises on the Internet and through pamphlets distributed in town. Some U.S. companies have also begun investing in assisted living facilities in Mexico, said Larry Minnix, president of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, which represents 5,800 nursing homes and related services.

However, Minnix cautioned that lax government regulation poses dangers at smaller homes.

"It's the same danger you have of going across the border looking for cheap medications," Minnix said. "If you don't know what you're getting, and you're not getting it from people you trust, then you've got an accident waiting to happen."

Since many nursing homes are run out of private homes, regulation by state health departments is often spotty. Managers such as Beverly Ward of Casa Nostra and Maura Funes of El Paraiso, both in Ajijic, said that Mexican officials inspect them only once a year, unlike U.S. inspectors, who may visit a home several times a year.

The U.S. Embassy said it had no record of complaints against Mexican nursing homes, but some residents in the Lake Chapala area reported bad experiences at now-defunct homes.

The first home that Jean Douglas lived in after she moved from Oregon was staffed by "gossips and thieves," she said. It went out of business.  Irene Chiara of Los Angeles also lived in a home that was shut down by Jalisco state authorities.

"It was filthy, and the food was very bad. It was all made in the microwave," she said.

Some Mexican managers also underestimate the costs and difficulty of running a retirement home. Two hotels turned into assisted living facilities, The Spa in San Miguel de Allende and The Melville in the Pacific Coast city of Mazatlán, recently abandoned the business, their managers said.

"It was very expensive to run it," said Luis Terán, manager of The Melville.  Some managers said they were especially selective when admitting foreign residents, to make sure they'll be able to pay. Medicare, Medicaid, the Department of Veterans Affairs and most U.S. insurance companies will not cover care or medicine as long as patients are outside the USA.

Some American residents said they had doubts about the quality of Mexican medical facilities and would go back to the USA if they became seriously ill. Jim May, 74, a resident of the Casa de Ancianos, said he recently decided to move to Texas to be closer to Veterans Affairs hospitals.

The language barrier can be daunting, and Mexican food can be very different, some residents said.

Some residents said they miss home and find it hard to make friends with Mexican residents. "It's a very nice place, but it's lonesome," said Polly Coull, 99, of Seminole, Fla., a resident at Alicia's Convalescent Nursing Home in Ajijic.

Mexican entrepreneurs are doing their best to prepare for a tide of Americans.  In the Baja Peninsula town of Ensenada, the Residencia Lourdes opened in 2003, offering care for patients with Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia. The towns around Lake Chapala have at least five small retirement homes. Most of them opened in the last five years and house from one to 25 foreigners.  The largest, Alicia's Convalescent Nursing Home, consists of four renovated homes, one of them specializing in stroke victims and another for Alzheimer's patients. Prices range from $1,000 to $1,500 a month and include everything except medicine and adult diapers. The rooms are outfitted in Mexican style, with murals, hand-carved beds, arched ceilings lined with brick and individual patios.

In other American enclaves, in-home healthcare services have sprung up to serve the retirees. In Rosarito, just south of the U.S. border, INCARE provides nursing aides to retirees starting at $8.33 an hour, less than half the cost of the same service in nearby San Diego.

Developers of independent living facilities for seniors are also beginning to look to Mexico. A Spanish-U.S. venture is building Sensara Vallarta, a 250-unit condominium complex aimed at Americans age 50 and older in the Pacific Coast resort of Puerto Vallarta. And in the northern city of Monterrey, El Legado is marketing itself as a "home resort" for seniors.

Academics and government officials are beginning to take notice. In March, the University of Texas at Austin held a forum for developers, hospital officials, insurance companies and policymakers to discuss health care for retirees in Mexico.

"With the right facilities in place, Mexico could give (American retirees) a better quality of life at a better price than they could find in the United States," says Flavio Olivieri, a member of Tijuana's Economic Development Council, which is seeking funding from Mexico's federal government to build more retirement homes, including senior apartments. "We think this could be a very good business as these baby boomers reach retirement age," he says.

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Living in the entertainment capital of the world presents a lot of opportunities — especially if you are creative, disciplined and well-trained. With the growing obsession about achieving the perfect and most fashionable look, cosmetology courses have become the "in" thing.

With all the cosmetology courses being offered out there, how do you know which you need? Getting enrolled in a cosmetology course means investing not just money but time as well, thus you need to be fully aware of what you are signing up for. So what can you expect from a cosmetology course?

Among the leading cosmetology schools in Los Angeles is the Aveda Institute. Renowned for offering world-class technical training to all its students, the Aveda Institute is the ultimate place to learn the art of hair cutting, coloring, styling and makeup. The institute is known for creating some of the most successful entrepreneurs in beauty, hair, skin and nail esthetics, makeup, massage and total body wellness. From planning your career path to designing your life choices, Aveda’s higher purpose is to help its students meet their full potential.

Aveda’s goal is not merely to teach its students but to inspire, nourish, refresh and connect people who aspire to be outstanding and great creative hair stylists and nurturing spa technicians. Students will be introduced to the various specialties that are part and parcel of the fashion industry.

The learning environment in Aveda encourages personal and professional growth, creativity and teamwork. From day one, the instructors will work closely with you to identify the best method of learning. They then customize your education to help you achieve success. Their goal is to help you gain complete knowledge of cosmetology and other professional skills that are important in the fashion and beauty business.

The Aveda program consists of demonstrations, lectures and hands-on examinations to ensure that you are learning the right things in the right way. In return, students at Aveda should strive for nothing less than excellence in their chosen craft. Aveda firmly believes that their students’ actions, products and services should embody excellence at all times. Students are likewise encouraged to be open-minded and to seek new ways to learning. By doing so, Aveda believes that its graduates will be able to meet — and even exceed — their guests’ expectations.

World-class technical training to extensive hands-on experience is what every Aveda student is exposed to. Moreover, what sets Aveda apart from other dime-a-dozen beauty schools is its deep commitment to fostering an environment of respect and trust. An education in Aveda will help you respect not just others, but more importantly, yourself. Aveda believes that respecting each other’s works and outputs will enable students to more freely express their individuality and creativity.

Aveda is committed to put you at the top of your game and open doors for your future in the beauty and fashion industry by exposing you to advanced cosmetology techniques. To achieve all these, you need to be passionate and determined about reaching your goal. At the end of the course, you are expected to reach the level of expertise that is unparalleled by other cosmetology school.

Kim Page

Most people can't really think of one distinguishing characteristic about Riverside, California.

But get on down off the freeway and you'll find one of the most unique getaway experiences in the state - an experience that transports you to Early California through architecture and through the efforts of city fathers to preserve Riverside's past. Smack in the middle of it all is an inn so grandiose that presidents have married there, honeymooned there and even planted trees there.

It's always a good sign when the place you'll be staying has a street named after it - and so locating our destination was especially easy when we took the Mission Inn Road exit off the freeway and found ourselves instantly surrounded by historic Spanish architecture on every street corner. We noticed that churches, museums and historic storefronts are all within walking distance of one another and, towering above it all, was our weekend getaway - the Historic Mission Inn.

Just inside the ivy-covered adobe archway, we walked through a courtyard of lush landscaping before getting our first glimpse of the majestic lobby area. Spectacular chandeliers and giant wood beams complemented the elegant flower-patterned carpet to create a sense that this building was at once luxurious and historic. The lobby's grand piano is the only piano made by Steinway for the 1876 Centennial. But this was only the beginning - the Historic Mission Inn is like a fun house for those who marvel at historic and creative architecture. Something unusual is waiting for you around every corner.

The Historic Mission Inn at first gives the feeling it might have been a real mission or monastery, what with its 239 guest rooms, including 28 suites. But upon closer reading of its history, this palace-like inn was actually built by Riverside town father Frank Miller, who had taken the original Glenwood Tavern, built in 1874, and converted it to a small inn that opened in 1903. Over the years Miller continued to expand the inn using the popular Mission Revival architecture so prevalent in California, but blending architectural styles and ornamental details from the Southwest U.S. as well as several Mediterranean countries - and of course the California missions.

The inn closed for seven years in the late 80's for a $55 million renovation and then reopened in 1992 to rave reviews. Today, the inn is situated on an entire city block and has a total of 320,000 square feet. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a State of California Historic Landmark. President Nixon was married here, President Reagan honeymooned here and President Teddy Roosevelt planted a tree on its grounds. There is even a chair still on the property that was built for 300-pound William Howard Taft, also a visitor to the inn. Of course, dozens of movie stars and other dignitaries also have spent time at the inn, and its unusual architecture has served as the backdrop for a string of movies dating back to 1913.

The rooms and suites - which offer many unique floor plans -- are almost as interesting architecturally as the inn's exterior. The sitting area in our suite was appointed with antiques -- some more elegant than others - and the bedroom featured a comfortable four-poster bed. Our unit had an L-shaped floor plan and, just beyond the sitting area was a large table and four chairs that could double as a work area or a dining table. There was no view to speak of, but once you walked outside the suite there was a series of stairways, walkways and catwalks that offered a variety of amazing views of the inn's special architecture.

The inn has several award-winning restaurants, with Duane's boasting an especially long list of awards from restaurant writers and Wine Spectator Magazine. Although relatively new, Las Campanas, the hotel's Mexican restaurant, is now starting to appear on many award lists - and we could see why. We enjoyed a variety of dishes that all seemed to have a special flair.

The inn features a year-round heated swimming pool and jacuzzi area for relaxation but, if you want the ultimate, Kelly's Spa will pamper you until you won't want to go home. A recent addition to the Historic Mission Inn - and proving especially popular with local residents -- Kelly's features a variety of scrubs, polishes, body wraps, therapeutic baths, massages and facials. Getting treated like royalty is not inexpensive -- plan to spend about $250 for a half day or about $400 for a full day, although that can vary depending on the treatments.

There are several museums within easy walking distance from the hotel. Nearby are the Riverside Municipal Museum, Riverside Art Museum, California Museum of Photography and the Riverside Ballet Theater. There is even a museum right in the Mission Inn. In fact there is strong community support for historic preservation in Riverside and many historic buildings throughout the city are open to the public. Over 100 City Landmarks, 20 National Register sites and two National Landmarks have been designated by the Riverside City Council.

The Mission Revival architecture is everywhere in Riverside, and so it seems are churches. The Unitarian-Unversalist Church is especially striking with its Norman Gothic Revival architecture. Another Gothic Revival building is the Magnolia United Presbyterian Church, the oldest church building in Riverside. Like the Mission Inn, the Union Pacific Depot is an example of Mission Revival architecture.

Walking around the Historic Mission Inn District, you notice a mission symbol on flags and in various locations around the inn - that's the raincross symbol that was designed for the Mission Inn and given to the city by Frank Miller.

There are several antique stores and specialty shops in the Historic Mission Inn District. Many of the stores are small, but the Mission Gallery encompasses several floors of the Old Sears Building and offers a wide selection of antiques and collectibles in addition to a deli, a floral shop and a fine jeweler. In this case the store itself is something of an antique - it's been there for more than 65 years.

If the fine dining, shopping, museum-hopping and spa aren't enough to keep you occupied, Riverside is conveniently located for day trips to a couple of other popular getaway destinations - Big Bear Lake and the Temecula wineries. Either is reached in under an hour's drive from Riverside. Big Bear Lake offers mountain scenery reminiscent of the Sierra Nevadas, while there is a growing wine industry in Temecula offering a variety of tasting rooms and winery gift shops.

For us, however, the Historic Mission Inn District was plenty to keep us busy during our brief stay in Riverside. You sometimes can miss a lot in cities that you just pass over on the Interstate.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: The Historic Mission Inn is in Riverside, 55 miles east of Los Angeles, near the junction of the 60 and 91 freeways. It's also easily reached from the north or south by way of Interstate 215.

WHAT: The Historic Mission Inn is one of the most spectacular and historic hotels in California. Riverside has a surprising history that is in evidence throughout the city. It has a warm inland climate with plenty of sunshine.

WHEN: A visit to Riverside can be pretty warm in the summer, although not unbearable. Best time to visit would be non-summer months.

WHY: There just aren't many historic hotels that have been restored to this degree. Combine that with the world-class dining and luxurious amenities and the hotel itself is enough reason for the getaway even if the surrounding museums and shops weren't so interesting.

HOW: For more information on the Historic Mission Inn, call 800-843-7755 or visit www.missioninn.com. For more information on the city of Riverside, phone 909-683-7100.

Cary Ordway

Part 1. Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Read by Karen Savage. Playlist for Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery: www.youtube.com

Aquascape's EcoBlast Granular Algaecide is the fastest way to eliminate algae from waterfalls, streams and fountains. Simple sprinkle EcoBlastâ„¢ EcoBlast onto the algae and watch it disappear. EcoBlast works best when the product is applied directly on the algae.

We can’t live without it. Water is the very source of life That is why we are so strongly attracted to it. Maybe because we cannot live more than a few days without water, we want to have it close by. Most people would like to live next to it, whether in the form of a stream, river, lake or ocean.

Unfortunately, there aren’t enough bodies of water to go around for everybody, even for those who can afford living near them. The price of beach front property reflects the fact that it is scarce and in high demand. Even for those fortunate enough to own such property, there is a major trade-off and a good share of disadvantages.

Who wouldn’t like to have a water garden on their property, or a flower and vegetable garden, or even a wonderful orchard with oranges, apples, plums, peaches, lemons and avocado? Maybe a corral with a horse or two. So much for thinking about a garden with most ocean front property. You’re lucky if you have enough land to be able to walk between the houses!

We can now see why water gardens with waterfalls and ponds are becoming so popular. If you can’t take your home to the water, just bring the water to your home!

Why is it so peaceful, yet still invigorating at the beach? Is it the sight or sound of the ocean waves, the smell of the salt water? You may be surprised to discover that the actual feelings of peace, relaxation, stress, and anxiety release has little to do with the sight or sounds or smell of the ocean. Extensive research has shown that moving water puts additional negative ions into the air. Breathing this supercharged air has an extremely positive effect on our body. The ocean creates the greatest quantity of negative ions of all moving water.

Therefore, it has the most beneficial effects on our moods while drawing the largest crowds. For the same reason, waterfalls create such pleasant and relaxing environments. You have probably noticed how wonderful the air smells and feels just prior to, during and after a rain storm – again negative ions.

For a fraction fo the cost of ocean or lake front living, almost every homeowner can reap the benefits of a waterfall and pond in their back yard. Ranging from an atmosphere of intimacy to one of grandeur, it’s whatever the budget can endure. Virtually everyone can own a portion of the best that nature has to offer. There are as many different varieties, shapes and sizes of waterfalls as there are rocks. Consequently, with a pond design of your choice, no two ever look the same and they provide a natural individuality for each homeowner.

Waterfalls can cascade into koi ponds, a stream, swimming pool, spa or simply spill through a rock-covered grate into a subterranean catch basin, from where it gets pumped and recirculated. This type of backyard pond design is great for someone with small children, since it eliminates the need for a hazardous pond. It’s also perfect for someone with a very small yard or for those looking for little or no maintenance.

The soil removed in excavating a pond can be utilized to create a mound or berm to provide elevation for a cascade. A waterfall can pass through terraced retaining walls on its way down to a pond at ground level. By passing through rather than over the top, it will give the impression that the waterfall always existed and the retaining wall was constructed later on either side.

A backyard pond not only provides allure and charm to your property, it is as though you own a part of the Discovery Channel. The pond’s occupants provide a never-ending and forever changing source of entertainment and education. From the antics of a pair of acrobatic turtles to the male crayfish, claws clashing and gnashing over the prize of a fair lady, each day becomes a new chapter in the life of your pond. Are you the type that might say, “I don’t ever want to own fish!” and then eventually end up with several, even giving them all names? I’ve seen this happen over and over again, because pond owners become personally attached to the inhabitants of their water garden pond as if they were family members or pets.

At night a well-designed backyard pond becomes a whole new adventure, especially if you have built-in lighting. The cascading, splashing water against the lights create an amazing symphony of light and sound. Dancing light reflected on the surrounding rocks, plants, fence or house becomes hypnotic and mesmerizing. Most people only experience this atmosphere at expensive hotels or resorts. Now you can own the same experience in your own back yard..

If you are considering a water feature as an investment in your property, may I add several words of caution. Down the road, these may save you the heartache, sorrow and aggravation of dirty, murky, green, smelly water, sick or dead fish, leaky pond or waterfall, or high maintenance and energy costs.

1. Take your time.

2. Plan it out.

3. Research the subject thoroughly.

4. Seek out an expert in the field. A few years of experience are important.

5. Make sure the expert is licensed and bonded.

6. Accept only concrete and steel rebar construction. Never use a pond liner. Proponents of pond liners will claim there is a 40 or 50 year warranty on the liner. Not true! It’s only true if you leave the pond liner in the box. It would work only in a perfect world – where there were no gophers, squirrels, chipmunks, rats, tree roots, sharp rocks, pebbles or other such objects. Once you have a hole, it is impossible to find. Even a pin-hole will allow 5 gallons of water per day to pass.

7. Do not use submersible pumps. They are inefficient and expensive to operate and are difficult to maintain. Debris collects in them, requiring frequent cleaning. Submersibles can leak oil that may kill the pond inhabitants or, worse, short out and create a shock hazard.

8. Use a biological filter to help eliminate nitrates and nitrites from the water. (I recommend a pressurized back-flushable filter, not a gravity flow.)

9. Install a skimmer for removal of surface leaves and debris.

10. Use two anti-vortex drains on the bottom of the pond for suction line to prevent whirlpools and fish or turtles from being sucked into the drain.

11. Make sure your pond is a minimum of three feet deep to regulate water temperature in the summer months and to discourage herons and raccoons from dining out.

12. Build caves and ledges for turtles and fish to hide in.

13. Install an ultraviolet light to kill bacteria that cause smells and pathogens that kill fish and algae spores that create green water.

14. Do not use mechanical auto-fill valves; only use an electronic one like the AquaFill System. It does not stick or malfunction – thus preventing pond overflow and dead fish from chlorine poisoning.

15. Use plenty of water plants in the falls and pond. They provide extra oxygen and food for the fish and act as natural filters, utilizing the nitrate nitrogen in the water.

16. Use a high-efficiency, out-of-pond pump that conserves energy. By operating it 24 hours a day, a high-quality biofilter (such as one made by Aqua Ultra Violet) will receive a continuous flow of oxygenated water, which the anaerobic bacteria require in order to live. The bacteria are essential for breaking down hydrocarbons, nitrates and nitrites in the water.

17. Make sure you have proper drainage around the pond and waterfall so run-off from the rain storms does not enter the pond and contaminate it with silt, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.

18. Learn basic pond maintenance. (An ounce of prevention is worth a [pond] cure.)

When I say “everyone should have a waterfall,” I’m not simply promoting my life’s passion. Considering how much enjoyment a water garden and waterfall can give you, dollar for dollar, cubic foot for cubic foot, hour for hour, it is your best buy for many long, healthy and happy years to come.

From my experience with hundreds of pond owners in San Diego, I have discovered that the money spent on a well designed garden pond and waterfall will surely bring you more long term pleasure and joy than anything you ever purchased in your life.

Living is not truly living without water.

Doug Hoover

Mexico's geographic location, natural beauty and low real estate prices are contributing to its growing status as one of the premier real estate hubs.

There are currently over one million Americans living in Mexico, most of whom are retirees, with about 20 percent of them residing in the concentrated area of Baja California. The LIMRA study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau also estimated that 8,000 citizens turn 60 years old (baby boomers) every day, seizing a combined total of over $11 trillion in retirement savings. According to www.bestretirementspots.com, Mexico is recognized as one of the most popular retirement destinations in the world.

To further illustrate the growing popularity of the Mexico market, Donald Trump recently announced plans to build an ocean resort which will promote development and marketability in the area.
Columnist, Nellie Day posted the October 5, 2006 article, "Trump Ventures Into Mexico" on globest.com, which explains how Trump's realization of the Mexico market may lead more developers and investors south of the border.
"Trump Ocean Resort Baja Mexico, a 526-suite luxury condominium-hotel resort, will be rising south of the border over the next few years, according to information released by Donald Trump. The resort is located just south of San Diego and will be the first property along the peninsula to combine luxury resort amenities and services with real estate ownership."

Financial services companies, such as San Diego-based Lyons Enterprises Incorporated (LEI), have been growing more interested in the Mexico market as the U.S. has been feeling a cold front in their housing sector since the beginning of 2006.
In fact, LEI has developed the branch LEI Mexico, with a specific focus on Mexico real estate and financing.

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The Mexico market is growing with a prospective boom expected in the next couple of years. Major developers, such as Trump are taking advantage of the open land and freshness of the area while they can.

"'Trump Ocean Resort Baja will redefine the standard of premier property ownership and service excellence for all of Northern Mexico,' says Trump. 'I've always said, 'location is everything,' and being just 30 minutes from Downtown San Diego makes this an ideal locale for a premier resort property.'"
Trump, who is the CEO of the Trump Organization, partnered with Irongate, a Los Angeles-based real estate development and investment company to develop the luxury hotel-condominium resort.
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Groshan Fabiola

There are as many ways to design dental websites, as there are ways to create and build dental practices. When designing your dental facility, you need to take many things into consideration: funds available, your technical needs, the image you want to project, the number of patients you want to be able to treat, remodeling or new construction, etc.

Dental website design also requires that you consider many elements and deal with them as prudently as a building project if you want the results you expect.

Some dentists just want to have a basic presence online; other dentists want to challenge or overtake the competition. When they consider the artistic design they want to see in their dental Internet site, some are not too worried about it and others demand nothing less than award winning beauty and class.

Which type of dental website is the best form of dental marketing? Which dentists need exceptional website design? Who should pay more for their dental website? When should design take precedence over content? Is a Flash animation Internet site better than a SEO (search engine optimization) content rich website?

Let's look at each type of web site design so you can make a more informed decision. There are at least 6 categories of dental website design and price ranges you might find in an Internet search:

1) Business Card Dental Websites : price range is $0 to $500*

2) Informational Internet Dental Sites: $500 to $2,500*

3) Image Builder Dental Websites: $2,000-$5,000*

4) Comprehensive Dental Internet Sites: $5,000 to $10,000*

5) Leadership Dental Web sites: $5,000 to $15,000*

6) Search Engine Optimized or SEO Dental Internet sites: $3,000 to $20,000*

Conclusion: You need a Dental Web site Design that Reflects Your Practice Image

For each design style, answers to these specific questions will be provided:

• What kind of dental website is this?

• Who needs a dental web site like this?

• What can it do?

• How is cost determined?
Dental Marketing Brand Marketing Secrets

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• What should you pay?

*These are just close proximity costs for all dental Internet marketing firms and depend on the website design qualifications discussed in this dental marketing article. Your brother's friend's cousin's neighbor might be able to design a dental website for less.

1) Business Card Dental Websites: $0 to $500:

What kind of dental website is this?

There is very little design (usually) involved in this site. Often it is one page, the dental logo (if the dentist has one) and some mention of services with address, phone and email. The navigation and header bar might match the color of the dental logo, but artistic cohesiveness is minimal.

Who needs a dental web site like this?

This type of website is for dentists who know people are looking for them online, but are not very interested in growing their business or aren't concerned about being found in general search engine searches (Google, MSN, or Yahoo). It can also be a good plan for the dentist that wants something now - they have printed up marketing materials with their dental web site address and are just not ready to do more. If you are just starting out - want to be online like everyone else - but are not ready to develop your "complete" dental image - this could be your destination. Cosmetic dentists focused on bringing in more cosmetic dentistry patients or increasing their large restorative smile makeovers clientele would not benefit from this type of site in most markets. The competition in cosmetic dentistry requires more than one or two pages of "evidence of value". Family dentists who also want to do a few cosmetic cases each month would only want to use this as a short-term strategy.

What can it do?

It can provide a bridge to that day when the dentist is ready to more. For those who are looking for a basic presence for the long run, it will provide a base to direct their marketing and a way to hook up to various dental Internet directory services such as FindADentist.com or SuperPages.com so prospective dental patients can get more than an address and phone number.

How is cost determined?

The zero dollar cost can come from you creating the site yourself, a relative "who knows design", or various "free" web site design sites. These "free" companies usually require some type of monthly "hosting" fee. The larger amount comes from a more sophisticated design and someone who will take more care in your design needs. The higher cost design means you hopefully get more than someone cramming your photo and dental logo into HTML code.

What should you pay?

If you're a dentist in a small market or rural area or are not in need of tons of dental patients today, you might want to test out some of the lower cost options like your telephone or yellow pages company Internet directory. Dentists who want to do more soon or are in a highly competitive market should not create a "cheap" look that might damage their image for the long-term. Even if it’s a small, business-card-sized dental website, you might want to find a designer that knows how to create an effective transition image website. While I believe very few should go this way - if you want to be successful - there are good ways and bad ways to go about it. Choosing the platform for your dental Internet site can be thought of in terms of building a dental practice next to a Black and Decker outlet store versus a Day Spa. Which will reflect better on your dental brand?

2) Informational Dental Internet Sites: $500 to $2,500

What kind of dental website is this?

This type of design brings more "evidence of value" to the fore. There is some artistic and branding cohesiveness involved in this type of dental Internet site design. However, mostly it is about providing information on the dentist, the dental practice and its dental services. There are usually a few more photos than a biz card site and you might have some custom "artistic choices". This type of dental website is often pleasant to look at, just not beautiful or breathtaking. It might be 3 to 15 pages in size (or bigger) depending on what route you take. The design is mostly a navigation bar on the left and header bar on top and text/photos to the right. Your dental logo colors might be part of the design if it's not a "restricted" stock Internet site.

Who needs a dental web site like this?

This type of Internet site better serves dentists who want to provide a context for the value of their dental services beyond the "grocery list" of services group. A cosmetic dentist needs to explain why the dental consumer should want this type of service and why they are the right choice for cosmetic dentistry. Family dentists and orthodontists need to create a story to prove the value of their services too: if there are ten competitors in the community, you don't want to be the last choice. An informational site works good as a "starter site" especially if you just want to test the waters. If you are in a highly competitive retail market or segment of the dental arena like extreme makeovers, than this design probably won't give you the boost you want. Posting all your smile makeovers (before and after photos) will help: but informational design, which might include some blended branding elements, does not usually have the Wow factor many extreme makeover type candidates will expect.

What can it do?

This dental web site design will "tell" people you know what you are doing. It might not be a design that Wows, but it can provide information that is very helpful in the decision making process: before and after photos, testimonials, and an explanation of what cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics, or other services can do for their lives, and the dentist's expertise, etc. Whereas a business card Internet site will verify that you exist, an informational dental website will actually start creating more patients.

How is cost determined?

This kind of website design takes more thought, more planning, copywriting and much more programming than a one or two page business card site. Should you have 15 links on your home page that link to every page that can overwhelm the visitor or 5 links that narrow down their navigation choices to better define your brand? Which should be more prominently featured: the dental practice's look and feel, the dentist or that you are a Sedation dentist? These decisions can slow the process (and make for a better product) but this requires some amount of time, which is money. Usually you will get a page limit (5 or 10 page website), and then a per web page charge. Some web design firms charge upfront for copywriting or it is extra. You might get a per photo limit. All these factors control the price and as you can probably tell, the price can keep going up.

What should you pay?

Some dentists are not very interested in design artistry or advancing their "visual brand", but want their ideas and the value of their services and dental expertise to be explained effectively: those dentists will benefit from this type of website design structure. A web site design firm that does all kinds of sites and has thousands of clients might do it for less than a grand, but a dental marketing firm can add the type of insight that puts your site in a league all by itself. It all depends on your perspective of value: something you probably discuss with your patients everyday. While you could develop a dental website like this on your own or with a "bulk" web design group (for "near zero" dollars), it is not as easy as it seems to create an effective dental Internet site. When you are ready to take the leap, make sure you know what you're getting. Going too shallow on price can mean you go without some specialization you really need: like the contractor that has never built a dental practice and forgets to put plumbing in the operatory.

3) Image Builder Dental Web sites: $2,000-$5000

What kind of dental website is this?

This type of website design provides a level of image, brand and identity development that many dentists believe is necessary to encourage people to accept comprehensive dental treatment and/or a cosmetic smile makeover. Since the consumer makes choices based on many stimuli, it is important to try and cover all the bases. You can tell them till you are blue in the face about the effects of bad hygiene on your informational web site, but often it is a visual stimulus that gets them to stop and consider your plea. Creating a dental Internet site that incorporates an above average visual theme (best when designed with your dental logo as a theme element) encourages the visually inspired consumer to take another look at your evidence and read more thoroughly about your value.

Who needs a dental web site like this?

About one in 10 dentists would need to move to this level. If you want to standout from the crowd, this web site design style offers the capability to do it. A good informational site is like a very functional dental practice that offers nice but basic amenities with efficient service. A good image dental website is a facility where fresh flowers greet you at the front desk and a coral aquarium comforts you in the reception area. Dental patients who have only been to the "functional one" will think it is just what a dental practice (or website) should be. But if they are ever exposed to the comforting practice (or image web site) it will be difficult to make them believers in "functional" again. If you believe there is no competition for patients in your area, you probably don't need an image website. However, if you want to capture the dental consumer who wants a higher level of care, then an image dental website can make the difference for many people. Remember you may not be visually inspired, but many of your target dental patients will be.

What can it do?

This type of dental website design provides many consumers with a positive and powerful link to your personality (or the personality of your practice) that words and even pictures (before and after photos, beautiful models or photos of your dental office) cannot. Imagine a beautiful dental practice with a national expert dentist, and a superior dental team, all the latest technology and every spa amenity built five miles down a scenic yet dusty, dirt road. While you got the land cheap and the county promises they will pave it in the near future, visitors will be infrequent. There are many dental Internet sites built like this: without a dental brand that has been paved properly. You could be the top website on the top five search engines and never get someone to go deeper than your home page. In many sites there might be a blob of text here or a photo there, but nothing guiding their visual journey. A good image website will bring in dental patients that want exactly what you're offering: nothing more, nothing less. It depicts your level of customer service, smile design, and comfort. It encourages "dental patients" to become "smile enthusiasts".

How is cost determined?

When creating a website like this, designers and writers want to know a lot about you. They want to understand where the design should go and not go. Should a photo of a beautiful model be employed within the design? What design elements of your dental logo can be accented or enhanced to create a seamless web design? Do you have a lot of before and after photos or is there some aspect of your expertise that can be highlighted (smile makeovers, neuromuscular dentistry, dental implants, etc.)? There is more artistic work required. An informational or starter website has a navigational bar on the left and a header bar on the top. An image site creates a seamless design from top to bottom and from side to side. Bluntly, there is more for you to critique so the designer needs to do more careful work and research so the final design is completed in a respectable amount of time. Throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks is not a good plan.

What should you pay?

No one should pay more than is necessary, but it mostly comes down to what kind of "image" design you like and who can produce it. It might be the guy down the street, it could be a big corporate website design group and for many dentists it is a firm specializing in dental marketing that knows what patients want. Should you pay more for a Van Gogh or for a Picasso? If you want to be the TOP dental Internet site in the state, you pay more than the dentist who just wants to feel good when he looks at his website and wants his new patients to feel good when they see it.

4) Comprehensive Dental Internet Websites: $5,000 to $10,000

What kind of dental website is this?

This Web site is basically a larger version of an informational or an image website. It just holds more information and has more visuals (photos, etc.) than its cousins. It has anywhere from 20 to 100 or more pages and probably is written by a dental copywriter. It might have Flash animation to spice up its look and boost the value of some of its information presentations.

Who needs a dental web site like this?

About 1 in 50 dentists could utilize a dental Internet site like this. Dentists with a large library of before and after smile makeover photos, an extensive history of dental CE, teaching, speaking or lecturing, and/or a good background noted in several dental public relations efforts can best use this type of site. No one is going to read or look at everything presented on a site like this, but it provides enough evidence to prove any expertise claims you might be promoting. You pick the "real" dental expert: 1) "Hi, I am really, really, really good at what I do: now look at my 5 page website. 2) "Hello, I have learned from the best, but you should review my qualifications first: take a look at my comprehensive website filled with all kinds of proof."

What can it do?

This dental website design level will encourage, enlighten, inspire, transform, and cajole. Encourage belief in your values. Enlighten consumers about what is possible now. Inspire them to take action to make their lives better. Transform them from dental insurance reliant to cosmetic dentistry aware. Finally: Cajole them to call you ASAP.

How is cost determined?

Dental websites like this are not very common. The big website behemoths are really not ready to create this site for you: cookie cutter is much more profitable for them. This is really where custom work starts. Even doing an image website can be "stock" because it is a home page and a few other pages. Many design websites that seem to promote custom design are just changing colors, photos, reversing design elements, etc. and are not actually starting from scratch. However, once you get to this level - over 15 or 20 pages, the dental web designer needs to be intimately involved with your concept. You don't want someone else's design for this type of site. You also don’t want 50 links on your home page to every page on your site - unless you want to confuse visitors about what your dental brand is. You determine what the five or so most important parts of your brand are and then everything else branches off from there. Think of comprehensive dental website development process as you would creating a new dental practice. What would happen if you asked the contractor who put in your foundation to furnish your office? Even I could furnish a dental office! But some things that "we all can do" should be left to someone who has the actual talent and experience. Of course, if you want me to furnish your dental office, my cousin loves to go to garage sales and I'm sure he could find you something NICE.

What should you pay?

I figure this type of dental website should generate "at least" enough to pay for itself in the first six months to a year. Therefore, I would not pay more than what you make off of one good smile makeover case or three or four 6 or 8-unit cases. This is for the initial Internet site design phase not additional updates or maintenance. Family dentists, Pediatric dentists, orthodontists and other specialists (if a web site like this needed in their market) the cost should reflect the value of 3 new patients every month to one every other month: depending on your per patient profits. Also figure the website will have a shelf life of 5 years: give or take one year, depending on how competitive your retail area is. Of course, many dentists will not be satisfied with these results, but this gives you a basis for making some ROI decisions. Depending on your retail area some Internet dental marketing will be required to encourage better ROI site activity.

5) Leadership Dental Web Sites: $7,500 to $15,000

What kind of dental website is this?

This Leadership website has many amenities besides a news page to announce the latest happenings at the dental practice and a complete image blend. It can have a Flash animation dental logo presentation, Flash smile shows, a large before and after smile makeover library, public relations elements and features, educational presentations (Flash), lecture schedule, etc. It might be a Flash website with links to HTML pages. The size is usually over 25 pages - especially if it is not a Flash site. It should be a dental website design award winner.

Who needs a dental web site like this?

About 1 in 200 dentists or fewer require this level of web site design. You don't have to be a lecturing dentist or a celebrity dentist to go this route. It might be that your retail market is very competitive and you want to stand out from the crowd. You might be producing the income you want, but see the need to head off the competition. The market can change quickly and many dentists recognize today's method might not be tomorrow's success. If you are not too concerned about being first on the search engines and just want to Wow and inform, than a website designed completely in Flash animation could be advantageous in developing a leadership position.

What can it do?

This dental Internet site design can enhance every element of your dental brand so you gain and/or hold a high level marketing position. It should create a different level of patient: more informed and more excited about the value of restorative, esthetic or cosmetic dentistry.

How is cost determined?

Much of the cost of this dental website design is determined by time (the size and complexity) and the custom elements you want. There are stock Flash designs and "half-custom" designs, which are on the low end of the spectrum. Then there are from scratch custom dental marketing elements that will be on the higher end. If you write it yourself, you will save money on dental copywriting.

What should you pay?

It really depends on how much time you want to put into it. If you want great custom design with very good copywriting, employ a firm that specializes in dental marketing design and writing. If you want your site to kind of look like someone else's and read like it too than a "half custom" firm will do just fine. However, sometimes you can get custom work for the same price as "half custom". Watch out: there some big dental agencies that have so much overhead that they need to charge as much for "not really custom work" as smaller design groups do for custom.

6) Search Engine Optimized or SEO Dental Internet Sites: $3,000 to $20,000

What kind of dental website is this?

This type of website is liked by search engines: Google.com, MSN.com, Yahoo.com, etc. Type in a term like cosmetic dentistry, neuromuscular dentistry or cosmetic dentist or just plain dentist and the state and/or city you live in and you will see why many dentists want this type of website optimization. It is a text rich website: Flash sites need not apply at least most of them. You can make a Flash dental website more friendly to search engines but never as good as a non-Flash site. (A complementary HTML Internet site is one way to increase your Flash site's exposure to search engines.) However, you can have Flash animation elements and still get great search engine receptivity. It probably should be at least 20 pages and continue to grow and change each quarter if not each month. It should have an updatable page where you can input news regularly about your dental practice. This design can be an image or informational website and can have a lot of images (before and after photos and practice photos). To create a search engine friendly site requires special coding and copywriting enriched with dental SEO friendly terms.

Who needs a dental web site like this?

This really depends on whether you want to be near or on the top of search engine searches. This is a marketing strategy more than a design per se. It is not a one-time deal: it requires constant changes and monitoring of the search engine rules. Because they regularly change their search algorithms you might be on top on day and down or out the next. It works best for those in areas where few sites are optimized. Say you have a cosmetic dental practice in Springfield, Illinois and no other dentist is marketing cosmetic dentistry. Then a site focused on this topic could have a good chance of being ranked number one. However, if you are in Los Angeles, CA, your chances are much lower of getting a high ranking unless you are focused on a narrower concept such as neuromuscular dentistry.

What can it do?

It can increase the number of phone calls and emails especially in the first few weeks of a high ranking such as one, two or three. This lets you know your website is actually working for you. After that it should keep creating leads for you at a good pace until another dentist takes over your spot. Unfortunately, for some areas it might take many tweaks of your dental Internet site design and SEO content before anything occurs. One argument against reliance on search engine optimization is that you don’t really create new converts you are just waiting for the current ones to locate your dental website. Proactive, external dental Internet advertising such as magazines, direct mail or newspaper presents new ideas like smile makeovers to new people. Meaning if you are not willing to do both in some consistent form, you might only have limited success. (SEO is just one-way to get noticed on search engines: search engine advertising is another way: with Google or Overture, which is MSN, Yahoo and others.)

How is cost determined?

The cost of a SEO dental web site design is determined by the number of pages and images you need optimized. There is often an initial fee to do the basic changes along with the per web page charge and an ongoing fee to keep you near or on the top of the search engines you want to be on top of. Once again there are SEO firms that specialize in search engine optimization for all kinds of websites and there are dental marketing firms specializing in dentist web sites who have SEO expertise. Which is best for you? Maybe an analogy using dental practice construction might help: Imagine getting the most productive, highest profile contractor in the state to develop your dental practice versus getting a contractor who has developed five really nice practices in your area to design it. One might have a deeper background in contracting, but which one will be more likely to anticipate all of your needs from a dental perspective?

What should you pay?

If it is an image website design with Flash animation and has many pages, you will be paying on the high end. If you choose an SEO group - not a dental marketer - you might pay more for optimization but less for image design, which they won't probably do very well. You can get good SEO coding and SEO rich content (copywriting) and keep the page numbers down under 15 and get a less expensive site. However, a smaller Internet site probably would not battle the behemoth dental competitor, but it might work in a smaller and/or less competitive retail community. If you are cranking in 1.5 million dollars per year with one dentist and want to keep that pace in this changing environment - a $20,000 SEO image website probably makes sense. Few doctors will get the number one spot so the cost can vary greatly to get near or on top. Expect to pay more the tougher your dentistry market is and if you really want the top spot. Google.com has a good primer on SEO and pay per click. Here is a place to start: Google SEO reference page.

CONCLUSION: You Need a Dental Website Design that Reflects Your Practice Image

When a dental marketing firm designs dental logos, brochures and presentation folders, they don't design them to favor the image of a family and pediatric dental practice when the client runs a cosmetic dentistry and spa dental practice. You also need to make sure your website does not stray from your image. Therefore, if you have just purchased an older dental practice and have one year of experience, a leadership web site would be a stretch. Conversely, if you have a dental CV a mile long and/or dozens of before and after smile photos, a business card web site shoots your potential in the foot.

From a cost perspective, never pay more or less than you have the potential to garner from the dental Internet marketing generated. If you're serving a middle class clientele that will focus mostly on what their dental insurance pays for, a Lexus dental website would not make sense. Then again, dentists who want people to promote their extreme makeover expertise should not drive up in a used Ford Taurus. Of course, you could create a web façade that makes you seem more than you are. But once the patient walks into your dental practice, this façade of a website can cause significant consumer confusion, which means they are a lot less likely to commit to your treatment plan.

Your dental practice image and the web image should correspond to create true brand cohesion to build your dental practice long-term. Patients will recognize inaccuracies. Remember, referrals are still important. For example, if you are in an older dental practice and are not going to build or significantly remodel in the next two or three years, your web site, and the rest of your image, should reflect much of this reality.

There are patients for every type of dental image: from both sides of the fee spectrum. For example, a "low cost looking" dental web site (done well) can attract even high-paying customers because they perceive you as taking care of business first and worrying about your image second. Not "wasting" your money on "frivolous" extras. Of course, another spectrum sees this as cheap and lacking the comforts they require. Therefore, knowing who you really are (and/or want to be) helps you decide which level and type of dental website is best for your practice.

Dental marketing firms are no different. There are about 200,000 dentists in the US and Canada: one in 400 will want and benefit from the services of my dental Internet marketing company over the next 10 years. They will see and believe something positive about me that others do not. If they believe something about me, or my marketing company, after reviewing my website and that turns out not to be "true", I will not gain a client or the relationship will be very short.

They might be wrong - but my dental marketing website needs to speak correctly to the type of client I want or I gain few clients. That's because my website is me, and my company, to a large extent. You will need to think of your dental Internet site in the same way.

Finally, when choosing a dental Internet site developer, consider three things:

1) Have a "buyer beware" attitude. "Free" might not be free. No obligation might include some obligations. Etc.

2) Do some cost versus benefit competitor research. Every dental marketing firm comes at it from a different direction. Cheaper might mean less benefit and higher cost might mean they have too much overhead not better products.

3) Call me old fashioned, but I still believe in people... Don't let the "Internet" be the final arbiter of your decision: make sure you feel comfortable with your choice including the person you are directly working with. They should get to know you beyond your payment method and the colors you like. A dental website is a major part of your image and Internet site building software alone can't flesh that out.

Good Luck. I hope this helps in your decision.

Sincerely, Dick Chwalek

Dick Chwalek