How to Run an Open Mic (7 Steps)

Choose an appropriate venue. Location is key. So is atmosphere. If the place is large enough to warrant the use of microphones, make sure the venue is properly equipped.
Prepare the venue. Make sure the stage is set up properly and that the mics are checked ahead of time. Get to know the sound mixer, so that you can adjust volume on-the-fly during a performance.
Establish your authority. If you have a powerful stage presence, you're in luck. The key is make sure everyone knows who's the boss of this show, in a friendly way. Don't be afraid to make tough decisions. If there are too many people who want to perform, you are simply going to have to say no to someone. Introduce yourself. Smile. Be actively involved in signing people up, placing them in the order you feel works best, and so on.
Determine the sign-up method. If there is a piece of paper for people to put their name and talent on, make sure everyone knows where it is, and do not lose track of it. You will need it when introducing performers to the stage.
Keep the vibe of the open mic live and electric. Quickly and smoothly follow one act with another. Don't let the mood go wildly up and down. Keep a steady curve to the mood of the night. You can do this by stalling for time as the host when necessary, or by shooing off someone who is trying to monopolize the mic. Engage the audience by encouraging applause, but don't try to bully them into clapping long and loud for a performer who just wasn't all that exciting.
Make sure all performers know when they are supposed to go up to the open mic. If they know which act they are to follow, that's even better. It gives them prep time so they can get onstage and start performing when their time slot opens up.
Keep things balanced between loose and tight. Too loose, you've got yourself some anarchy. The night will end before all scheduled performers have gone up, or worse yet, the night will drag on until there is no one left in the audience. Too tight, and the 'open' in open mic will seem like fraud. Keep things jovial and good-natured. Just don't let anyone step on you.
VPS Hosting

How to Plan a Bazaar (10 Steps)

Decide when you want to host your bazaar. The holidays are a good time. You'll get lots of traffic, but may be competing with the bigger ones. You can do it during the off-season, in the spring or summer. You'll be the only one, but may have to spend more to advertise for it.
Decide what type of bazaar this will be. Do you want it to be a crafts or food bazaar or showcasing anything handmade?
Decide where you want to have the bazaar. A school or a church is a great place but, if you want your bazaar to be held during the holidays, make sure you are not competing against the church or school which may well be hosting a similar event. If you are able to utilize a school or church you will be able to use their chairs and tables.
Decide how much you want to charge, if anything. Vendors should be charged. You can charge them up front, for tables (if they don't bring their own); or you can simply take a percentage of their sales after the fact. Also, decide whether or not you will charge the potential customers. If the customers bring in two canned goods, for example, you could let them in free. Either way, make sure you plan to make a little something for your time and effort.
Pick a cause to support. Maybe you have a charity already, or you want the money to go back to your church or school. People like supporting causes.
Go to your local school, city hall, or church with your proposal. Inform them of the number of people expected and the safety precautions that you plan to implement.
Secure the necessary permits from the city, police, or fire departments. Many of these will depend on where you hold the event.
Write an ad and put it in the paper, on-line, on craigslist.com, and on flyers to be distributed by hand, at grocery stores, or to be included in the newspaper as an insert. Make sure these ads inform people about the bazaar and provide contact information so potential vendors to sign up.
Open a separate bank account for the bazaar if you plan on doing it again in the future.
Communicate with your vendors to make sure they know the days and times to set up, procedures, rules (no leaving the booth or taking down early) and the food rules.
VPS Hosting

How to Become a Webmaster in 14 Days (6 Steps)

Learn about basic HTML. If you know how to create a few basic codes, you will be able to customize your website to suit your needs. You don't have to become a programmer, but you do need to know how basic HTML works so that you can correct any problems.
Find a host for your website. Being a webmaster means controlling an independent website. That requires hosting. Look for a hosting plan that delivers exactly the options you need rather than simply looking at the price of the plan. Most hosting companies give price breaks for long-term hosting.
Set up the website. The website will need content, graphics and anything interactive that you want to add. You can outsource that work to a Web writer or a graphic designer, or you can do the work yourself. Set up a timetable so that your completed site is finished as fast as it should be. If you want to create a 10-page site, allow perhaps half a day to develop each of those pages.
Test the site to make sure all of its functions work. You might spend a day or two trying to access the site from different locations and from different browsers. Also contact friends and family to tell you if they have any problems using the site. Make any corrections that need to be made.
Publish the website. Once the website becomes live, it will be available all over the world.
Handle problems that users encounter. Moderate comments and answer questions to keep the website going. Make sure to handle problems fast enough to keep users coming back.
VPS Hosting

How to Build a Free Website With PayPal Integration

Obtain a domain name. This is the first step of establishing any website. This is what your site will be known as on the Internet. Your domain name can be obtained through a website building solution, such as Weebly.com, for free as long as you don’t mind having the web building solution’s name attached. For example, by choosing a free domain name from Weebly, you agree to use an open name in Weebly’s domain. Your wbsite’s name will look something like this: ABCsite.weebly.com.
Start your page design work. It is best to begin designing your site on paper. You should have a good idea of what you want to do with your page before you begin designing it electronically. You should also decide what purpose you want your site to have. Do you simply want to educate individuals when it comes to your area of expertise, or would you rather engage other experts in a discussion board-type of environment? Web building sites will allow you to design your pages however you choose and have a multitude of templates to help you accomplish your goals; the simple walk-through tutorial makes sure that you don’t miss anything critical, such as adding a site description for search engines and keywords.
Begin building your pages. After you have decided what you want your site to offer, begin building your pages online. Simply drag and drop individual templates into place and then begin editing the information contained in those templates. Your website will begin to take shape in no time. When you get to the pages that will be used in conjunction with a PayPal buy button or donation button, instead of dragging and dropping a basic template, switch to the revenue option and drag and drop a Product element into your page. You will need to connect your PayPal account to the website you are building. Simply edit your preferences in your account and add your PayPal account information. If you do not have a PayPal account, sign up for a free one at www.paypal.com.
Upload photographs of your products. Some site builders allow you to upload photographs of your products and add them to your Product elements. This is an extremely useful function since most customers like to see what they are buying. Take pictures of your products with a digital camera, transfer your pictures to your computer through its USB connection and then upload them to your website through the picture upload utility in the Product element.
Keep your content fresh. There is nothing that turns away users faster than stale content. You need to provide new and useful information and products often to keep customers coming back. You can incorporate some of your users’ questions into content if you need ideas for new articles.
VPS Hosting