Thursday, September 10, 2009

Writing Sample-3 Short Term Car insurance

Short term car insurance policy aims at providing protection to people who are searching for an immediate and short-term coverage. This policy is generally required by people visiting UK and looking for insurance coverage of 1-28 days. This policy covers risks like accident, theft damage and other third party liabilities.

This policy indemnifies the Insured against liability at law for damages and claimants costs and expenses. This can cover risks related to death or bodily injury to any person and damage to property arising out of an accident. This policy further indemnifies the owner against third party injuries, losses and liabilities.

The premium amount varies from insurance company to company. However, the common factors that decide the amount of premium are potential risk, profile of the applicant (age, gender, place of living) and value of the car. Risk potential and premium value are directly proportional. It means higher the risk higher is the premium and vice versa. Minimum age requirement to buy this policy is 21 years.

Short term car insurance has several advantages. This insurance is a flat rate policy for a fixed period. Hence, by availing this policy you do not risk your “No claim” bonus. Processing of this policy is faster. You can get an instant cover with help of this policy. You can add another person to your existing short term car insurance policy too. Some insurance companies provide coverage to the insured with at other European Union countries during the period.

However, short term car insurance policies do not indemnify the insured in certain instances. Any loss or damage exceeding the insured amount is not borne by the company. If the loss is caused by a driver who has not attained complete driving license of the UK, the policy will not cover any loss. Depreciation costs are also excluded from coverage. Losses like punctures, damage to tyres, brake applications are also not covered.

Most of the leading insurance companies of UK are now providing short term car insurance policy. You can apply and purchase this policy online too. Online purchase helps you to avoid lengthy paper work and ensures faster processing.

Car Insurance 1 is a one-stop store to get the best short term car insurance policies in the UK. Along with giving you quotes of all leading insurance companies, Car Insurance 1 provides you real consumer reviews. This helps you to have a true picture of various insurance companies, their short term car insurance policies, advantages and disadvantages. You can compare short term car insurance quotes of different companies here and go for the insurer who matches to your need and budget.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Writing Sample 2-Unbound Growth Potentials for Indian Banking System

Banking sector has remained the backbone of Indian economy since independence. After the reformative measures of 1991, this industry has been undergoing major changes. Advent of hi-tech communication and information technology has facilitated growth in Internet banking, ATM Network, Electronic transfer of funds and quick dissemination of information between different branches. Marketing of banking services has undergone a sea change in the last decade. Marketing of banking services means organizing right activities and programmes to render right services to the right people at the right place, at the right time at the right price and with right communication and promotion facility.
There are some other factors which have catalysed the transformation. The entry of foreign banks and private sector banks has intensified the growth potentials in the Indian banking industry. Structural reforms have improved the health of Indian banking sector. The reforms include the enactment of the securitization Act to step up fast loan recoveries, establishment of professional asset reconstruction companies, initiatives on improving the pattern of recoveries from non-performing Assets (NPAs) and change on the basis of income recognition. These reforms have raised transparency and efficiency in the banking system.

The sudden swift in treasury income and smart loan recoveries has helped Indian Banks to have

record profitability. The following factors are likely to drive banking sector performance from in the coming years:

1. Credit growth likely to remain healthy at around 20-23% and deposit growth at 18% during the current five year plan.

2. The pressure on creating additional credit is now reduced. Banks can continue to cut deposit rates, the rate cut are likely to translate into better margins.

3. CASA ratios could stabilise and neutralise rate cut effects.

4. Non- interest income is likely to remain strong and third party product distribution is increasing.

5. Slowdown in retail credit, buoyant economy, rising wages and increased employment

opportunities provide a room for quality asset portfolio of banks.

The net non-performing loans to GDP have declined sharply to 1% in 2007 compared to 10.4% in 2002. A buoyant economy, higher profitability, and asset inflation will definitely strengthen balance sheet in the corporate sector and improve asset quality of the Indian financial and banking sector.

Writing Sample-1 Loan for Business: The Life Line of Growth

Expanding and taking business to the heights of success is a dream of every entrepreneur. At times, the entrepreneurs would require finance on an urgent basis to fuel this growth prospective. India is the developing one in the growth parameter and so is the Indian banking system. With the diversification of banking products specialised 'business credit', a unique lending facility for small and medium Businesses with minimal security has come into force. The available credit under these finance schemes can be extended up to Rs. 35 lakhs. No security pledging required for loans up to Rs. 15 lakhs and for higher loans amount the borrower has to provide only 25% margin in the form of a fixed deposit of the concerned bank.

These loans sometimes work like an overdraft and are available like a limit on the current account of the borrower. Interest is charged only on the actual amount utilised by the borrower. This credit comes with easy repayment options. The minimum amount due on the borrower every month is 5% of the outstanding balance. This amount can be withdrawn in the next month after deduction of interest. The documentation varies from loan plan to loan plan. In some loan plans you need to submit documents every month while some loan plans need one-time submission of the documents. The borrower can have the loan amount in his current account within days of the submission of complete documents and security margin, if applicable.

Some Indian banks offer loan for business up to a limit of Rs. 15 Lakhs in a completely unsecured manner. They require only 25% margin for above Rs. 15 Lakhs and up to Rs. 35 Lakhs. In such case the business loan facility is normally secured by the current assets of the borrower. Also a regular stock and book-debt statement needs to be given to banks on monthly basis for availing the desired cash in an uninterrupted manner. As long as the minimum amount due (5% of outstanding balance) is credited into the account on a monthly basis, the business loan offered by the Indian banks works exactly like an overdraft facility.

The loan for business can be utilised within days of approval of the application and submission of required documents by the borrower. However the interest calculation is somehow little bit confusing. In some loan plans the interest is calculated on daily balances while some charge interest on monthly basis on the actual amount utilised. The minimum amount due in case of many business loan plans is 5% of the outstanding or Rs. 1000, whichever is higher, is required to be credited to the account on a monthly basis. Repayment of the loan amount can be done with a cheque or cash deposit to the credit of the overdraft account.

With the loans for business the borrower receives an ATM card through which he can have round the clock, instant access to money by way of cash withdrawals across the country. The withdrawal amount is subject to the daily withdrawal limit per day on the ATM card. Terms and conditions for the issue / usage of the ATM card is done in accordance with the current account rules. Business loans are also open to firms and corporations to meet their operating expenses; to finance for capital expenditure / acquisition of fixed assets towards starting / expanding a business or industrial unit; and to swap existing high cost business debt from other bank / financial institution etc. Apart from providing the required bank can also issue letters of credit or can give a guarantee on behalf of the borrower to the suppliers, government departments for the procurement of goods and services on credit.

The Thakur Boy: MEET Mr. Thakur

The Thakur Boy: MEET Mr. Thakur

Sunday, September 6, 2009

How can an SEO consultant help your website?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the art of driving more traffic for your website. It is a long term process and SEO consultants ensure that your website has a healthy and sustainable growth.

Algorithms of search engines are highly confidential. No SEO consultant at any given period of time can claim that he/she has the complete idea regarding exact algorithm of any search engine. That is the reason why SEO consultants apply some trusted and tested techniques to boost rankings of your website. The techniques are

Creation of informative and keyword rich content

Content of the website needs to be informative, easy to understand and keyword rich. Search engines give more priority to websites whose content is regularly updated. SEO consultants ensure that content of your website is interactive and informative for both search engines and users.

Attractive design for your website

Design of your website creates the first impression regarding your product/service. SEO consultants are of the view that your site needs to be attractive and all major browsers compatible. It should not have broken links. The website must be easily navigable and fast-loading.

Targeting right keywords

Targeting the right keywords is one of the lifelines of search engine optimizations. SEO consultants choose keywords depending upon their competitiveness. While developing content for your website, they give priority to keyword density. Keyword density is nothing but the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page/article compared to the total number of words on the page. For search engines, keyword density is a determining to decide whether a web page is relevant to a specified keyword or keyword phrase.

Link Building popularity

Links are the positive votes in favour of your website at web space. While assigning ranks to websites, search engine take link popularity as a crucial element. SEO consultants ensure that your website enjoys link building popularity and at the same time free from the impact of any bad neighborhood.


Search engine optimization efforts yield good results only when they are devoted within the ethical boundaries drawn by search engines. For this purpose, SEO consultants avoid black hat practices like spamming, hidden text and link harvesting.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Creativity is not a forced slave but a forceful master

Is creativity subjective? Do the boundaries of keywords create impediments before creativity to flourish? Does a pre-mindset cripple a content writer’s creativity? Almost 90% of the content writers are haunted by these questions at some point or other. Even one of my friends gone to the extreme by saying writing within the boundaries of keywords is a violation of writer’s freedom. And, at that juncture, my answer to my fuming friend was- “Creativity is not a forced slave but a forceful master”.

Just have a quick post-mortem of the word creativity. I find three important genes in the DNA of creativity (you may find more). First one is Logic, second emotion and the third is adaptability for changes. And, according to my knowledge as a content writer for last five years, keywords are never roadblocks for any of the three.

Anything logical is more or less a universal truth. As a content writer, your write-up should be based on facts related to topic. Can you write- Bathroom heating radiators are used for cooling purposes or Television is the latest luxury? But sometimes Logic makes your write-up a mere fact sheet. Here you should be careful to have a middle way between logic and your way of storytelling. Logic should be and must be there but not at the cost of emotion. It is the emotional quotient of your write-up that makes reader engaged. Tell your story with popular illustrations, take help of relevant images and simultaneously make sure that your emotional input is not driving the reader towards Mars instead of Moon.

Changes are the rules not the exceptions. Content writing and technology can not be separated from each other. Your creativity must have the rooms open for changes going on at technological front. Keywords here make your job easier. You know what should be the depth of exploration from the keywords. Along with it, you are also encouraged by the firewall of keywords to avoid technical jargons.

Balanced diet is always more helpful compared to taking lots of proteins. Hence have a judicious mix of Logic, Emotion and Technology and make your creativity a forceful master of web space.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Common mistakes made by Indian content writers

If I say two out of every three content writers of web space are Indians, it will not be an exaggeration of fact. Being a content coordinator for more than three years and a freelance writer for last five years, I have rather become confident that search engine crawlers love to index Indian content. Indian content writers with their impeccable hold over English, analyzing aptitude and quick summarization trait have emerged as the leaders. Still some where I find struck. It was last weekend. One of my clients of US returned a bunch 100 articles and blogs on quality issues. I was really upset as I am more than 500% confident of my team. I asked Tom (my client) regarding the feedback and it was a shocking but eye-opening one.

When I went through the write-ups( to be honest enough it is next to impossible for any coordinator to scan all write-ups before sending to client), and feedback sent by tom, I realized what should be the ideal(according to the need of client) way of story telling. Most of the write-ups were developed by warriors of words. But, the balance between algorithm of search engine and emotion of human mind was some how missing. And some expressions like ‘very very true’, ‘really very cold’ were points of worry for Tom.

And then only I thought regarding the tips for Indian content writers.

As a writer, I know the very fact that every creative person has his/her own way of story telling. That can not be and should not be altered. But, when we are working for client and money, the golden rule of business “Client is god” comes to force. The tips below are directives in nature and only confined to Indian web writing styles for SEO articles and blogs. They are

Ø Do not get emotional- Just recall Boman Irani in the movie Munna Bhai MBBS and his famous words- patients are on for treatment not for emotional attachment. It is a fact. Articles and blogs are our patients. We need to make them both search and user friendly. Who are we to confuse users with our own biases? Viagra might be an ethical taboo for me but is it fair to undermine its importance and portray a negative view that can hamper the business of client? We are getting paid because we know words not for our personal feelings. Hence never be emotional while writing as it can create biases.


Ø Avoid unnecessary superfluous adjectives- May be it due to the legacy of Monarchy or due to 300 years of colonialism, our writing heart is filed with blood of adulation. That is the reason why unnecessary use of adjectives is rather a rule than exception for Indian web writers. Take the example highlighted by Tom- “It is really very very cold”. Something frozen outside is frozen, not very frozen. Avoid such things. The best way for improvement as far as SEO copywriting is concerned is that never use a word or sentence until and unless you are 100% sure about its relevance.

Ø Stop thinking in your mother tongue- It happened to me too. Indian content writers, whose second language is English first think in their mother tongue, develop their ideas through this language and translate it to English. However, translation at sometimes may lead to disastrous sentence formation. We as content writers are earning life depending on our hold on English. Hence while writing, think in English and give your thoughts the final shape without translation. It is difficult and I was also a patient witness for this transformation I know that it took two long years to come out of “ think in mother tongue and translate” practice. In my next postings this moth, I will talk more about this.

Ø Take the help of internet- Before writing any article or blog make proper research on internet. While searching, search it in the geographically specific search engines. It means, if the production URL is in .UK domain, take help of Google.co.uk. Some luxuries for India are necessities for developed and European countries. Country specific search not only helps you to be free from contextual errors but also help you to be informed regarding the latest way of writing for the target audience of that country.


Keep writing, keep reading, all the best.

How I write for web?


Most my friends ask when I tell them that I am a full time writer- what are the novels or non-fictions written by you? How to make them understand that I am a full time web writer writing articles blogs, web-page and social media contents and earning a life from it? Is there any difference? Let’s see where the difference lies?


Talk straight-talk simple-talk in a hundred percent grammatically error free manner on the topic you want to say and write not only for the users but also for the search engines. This is the mantra of content writing and the best content writers of my knowledge follow the same sets of golden rule.

Why talk straight?

Believe me friends- web surfers take less than 30 seconds, once again only 30 seconds to approve or discard the relevance of your website. Do not tell and confuse them with the jargons like- we have received the best that is the best award in California- our products has made the win of Barrack easier- blah, blah, blah…….
Just inform them how they can be benefited from your website or product or service? There is no easier way to convince and engage some one except through a straight conversion.

Simple- are you crazy man!

In one of my interviews at a CMMI level-3 company, I was asked- what is your way of writing. I answered without any hesitation, I try to be simple. The interviewee was mute for a second and asked-trying???
Yes, I am trying and at every word I write I am trying to infuse simplicity in it- because it is not so simple to be simple. And, simplicity saves the day of a Content Writer everyday.

“Be error-free”- is it really worthy to say to a writer?

It is hard to believe but a naked truth that the whole web-writing field is populated by mediocre. They are here because nothing having a better opportunity cost was there for them.

We as human beings are prone to mistakes. But grammatical and contextual errors in web writing are not blunders, rather they are sin.

The primary requisite for a batsman is that he knows how to hold that bat. If he does not know it- irrespective of his tons cricketing general knowledge- he can never be called a batsman.

Experts have no substitutes. They may charge more as best things of life come only at a higher price.

Pleasing target audience and search engine- can the dual aim be achievable?

Yes, yes and again yes. The skill of a Content Writer is tested here. The job of a content writer is to abridge the gaps and develop content which is both user- and search engine friendly.

For users, I make sure that my write up is informative, updated, easy-to-understand and as much lucid as possible. For search engines, I always pay due importance to keywords, their perfect and judicious placing, and attractive titles.

Keyword stuffing, plagiarism and creating jargons through superfluous synonyms and adjectives are peccadilloes- the luxuries I can not afford. After all, client is investing his hard earned money on my writing skills.