No Win No Fee Accident Claims have been around for centuries and there has, in the past, been some controversy surrounding them. Nowadays, that controversy is long buried and the No Win No Fee structure is one that’s advantageous to both the client and the solicitor.

Previously, a No Win No Fee arrangement would be entered into and it meant exactly that. If the lawyer pursuing the No Win No Fee Injury Claim didn’t succeed in the case then the client would not have to pay them anything. However, if the lawyer won, then not only did the client have to pay the standard fees, but in most cases they would also have to pay a ‘success fee’ to the lawyer, which is where the controversy arose. Although it meant that anybody could pursue a lawsuit, regardless of their financial situation, it also meant that people would see any compensation they received dramatically reduced as they then had to pay the lawyer.

This all changed in 2000, when the Access to Justice Act 1999 allowed success fees to be recovered from the losing party. With the standard lawyers fees also able to be recovered from the losing party, there now exists a ‘No Win No Fee, Win No Fee’ agreement. The lawyer agrees not to charge the client if they don’t win, but if they do win it is the losing party that must pay all of the lawyer’s fees. This means that victims can keep 100% of their compensation and has removed the controversy that previously existed in the No Win No Fee field.

So, what does No Win No Fee really mean? Well, it means that whether you win or lose you don’t pay a penny.

We all know just how much we rely on our trusted PC, laptop or notebook for internet access and daily usage. The whole family benefits from the World Wide Web, from parents researching and booking their family holiday to kids using its vast resources to help them with their homework and studies, even grandparents are getting involved because of course, it is a great way to keep in touch with distant members of the family.

With the amount of use the internet gets and the vast amount of surfing that takes place from site to site and page to page with it brings a great threat to your PC. From fast spreading viruses, trojans, spyware and other forms of malware your PC, without protection, is vulnerable to catching all manner of infections which could crash your computer and loose valuable work, photos and downloads that are saved indefinitely.

Fortunately there is plenty of free download antivirus software available online which can enable you to surf safely and will protect your computer and information. Preventing viruses, rootkits, spyware, hackers, online fraud and identity theft along with the lesser known but very real internet threats, it’s certainly something that you should be looking at to provide you and your whole family peace of mind for 24 hour protection.

The latest to fail in the world of online mergers and acquisitions is the social networking site Bebo. It was once the most popular website for teenagers, but now it faces a complete closure by the end of this year. Bebo’s demise has been put largely down to the failure of AOL’s willingness or ability to fund the site which has now made it impossible to compete with the likes of other social networking giants Facebook and MySpace.

Recent figures show that Bebo’s global unique visitors in February totalled 12.8 million against Facebook’s whopping 462 million. MySpace totalled 110 million and Twitter 69.5 million. Bebo’s stats were 45% down on last February.

The result of the acquisition by AOL led to insufficient investment and when compared to Facebook, who at any given time have 2, 000 engineers working on the site to keep it running effectively, Bebo had just 40; it is not difficult to see one of its downfalls.

In its heyday, Bebo attracted a host of direct response advertising companies all keen to participate in features like the well publicised web video dramas like KateModern. This was a strategy that worked well and also saw the site attract media focus and ultimately led to a more attractive sale. However, since the acquisition it has lost the vital investment and impetus to keep up with the big boys and this, coupled with a gradual reluctance of top UK Advertising Agencies to continue to commit to any length of advertising campaigns, has led to their ultimate demise.

A while ago I wrote a blog about the effects of controversial advertising campaigns that Direct Response Advertising agents have used for the likes of Benetton over the years. The latest national campaign to cause a stir was designed to prove there is more to getting the message across than advertising on Google.

The 1.25 million ad campaign was intended to run on more than 11, 000 billboards and poster sites across the country and was backed by one of the biggest media owners in the sector. The three messages that were planned to run were: “Career Women make bad mothers”, “1966. It won’t happen this year” and “Educashun isn’t working”. Each of the ads asks the viewers whether they agree with the statement and pushes them to join a discussion on the website: Britainthinks.com.

The campaign, which launched with its first statement ‘Career women make bad mothers’ on Monday 4^th January quickly ruffled the feathers of women the length and breadth of the nation and an influx of angry and upset Mothers posted their rage on the Mumsnet website stating their contempt and hurt at the blazon statement.

The Outdoor Advertising Association had intended these posters run for a fortnight on buses and billboard sites but have had to be scrapped due to the bad attention it has received. The next to run is the statement “1966. It won’t happen this year” which is sure to risk offending football fans and rubbing salt in old wounds, but its got to be said that whilst this campaign has already offended a great deal of people, the attention it has achieved is exactly what it set out to do, which many UK Advertising Agencies often can only dream of.

In these current hard times of redundancies and the recession there is a large number of people looking for employment and it can be easy to get down about things. Many people get more and more discouraged as time goes by and they can’t find a position.

So what can job seekers do to make sure they stay positive when looking for work?

Well to start with making sure you partake in activities that make yourself feel good and highlight your strong points. If you are good with your hands why not volunteer to help build things in the local community or if you are good with an instrument you could volunteer to teach the instrument to local children. This will not only make yourself feel better but you can know you are making a difference to someone else’s life.

When looking for a job, you end up doing a lot of work that may not have an immediate outcome, so it is a good idea to set yourself tasks and activities with a tangible outcome. This can be something as simple as redecorating a room in the house or as complex as getting to grip with website design and building yourself a site on an area that interests you. No matter what it is, the feeling that you have accomplished something will make you feel great.

One of the worst things you can do while trying to stay positive is spending time with negative people, the ones who always see the cup as half empty. Talking to positive people is a great way of lifting your mood and reinforcing that everything will work out for the best.

Staying healthy and getting plenty of sleep always puts you in a good mood. It is very easy to get down and feel negative about things when you haven’t had enough sleep.

After a hard day of job hunting or interviews you should make sure you find time to relax and reward yourself. Whether it’s watching your favourite film or doing some exercise, you should make sure you allow yourself some time to take it easy.

Finding an accountancy job or an international job where there is a lot of competition can be a very stressful situation, so try following some of the tips mentioned in this blog to help you make it through.