Experian must have seen something in the small company’s business model — they shelled out $330 million — an additional $50 million was promised as a performance incentive and paid out over the past couple of years. Lower My Bills.com is a profitable company, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars a year in sales with profits hovering near $25 million a year.

Getting quotes and financial information (not to mention offers on phones and Internet access) is a messy and difficult process. The idea behind Lower MyBills.com (and many comparison shopping sites like it) is to bring lenders and vendors together in one place so that customers can get multiple quotes after submitting a single “packet” of information. Depending on the product you’re looking for, that information may include very personal details about your income and financial past or it may be a simple four question “application”. LowerMyBills works with thousands of different lenders in an attempt to give their customers a wide range of quotes and estimates.

LowerMyBills.com Ads

Unless you’ve been in the market for a loan product, you may only know LowerMyBills.com from their annoying banner ads that ran after the Experian purchase and can still be seen from time to time today. The company famously spent nearly $100 million on web ads in 2006, but the quirkiness and nonsensical nature of the ads mean that most people remember them as a nuisance. The parent company of LowerMyBills.com, Experian, is one of the “big three” credit reporting bureaus along with Equifax and TransUnion. Experian also owns the much maligned FreeCreditReport.com and sites like ConsumerInfo.com and PriceGrabber.com.

To take advantage of LowerMyBills.com, consumers visit the website and select from a menu of products — generic categories like “mortgage”, “debt”, “insurance”, and even “education” give way to more specific offers as you click through. The scope of Lower MyBills.com is pretty wide. The “education” tab links to a list of ten topics (criminal justice, education & liberal arts, etc) that, when clicked, sends you to another Experian site that promises to “match” you to a college or certification program. Many of the other topics covered on the front page of LowerMyBills.com will keep you on-site. Clicking the “insurance” tab, for instance, leads to a series of questions about the type of insurance you’re looking for.

Basically, LowerMyBills.com is a mash up of various consumer services seemingly housed in one place, though you may be redirected without your knowledge. Keep your eyes on the URL so you know what site you’re on.

Is LowerMyBills.com a Scam?

Possibly because of this wide net, many people fear that LowerMy Bills.com is a scam. Thousands of people have posted complaints about the site on various scam and consumer rights related pages, and the collapse of sister site FreeCreditReport.com didn’t help matters. It seems any website offering to lower your bills, reduce the cost of insurance, or “match” you to a financial product is met with much suspicion, and for good reason.

For example, if you want to purchase auto insurance through LowerMyBills.com you have to enter all sorts of personal information ranging from your state of residence to your date of birth and other details that spammers and identity thieves use to make your life miserable. There’s no guarantee anywhere on the site that LowerMyBills.com doesn’t sell your details to outside vendors, so you can assume that your mailing address, email address, and other details are (at the very least) being sold to junk mailers.

All of these details lead people to one conclusion — LowerMyBills.com must be a scam. Let’s be clear about the word “scam” — it is tossed around so much these days that the word itself has lost meaning. If a company provides poor service, sells your details to junk mail lists, or does not perform exactly as advertised they are not necessarily “scamming” you. The word scam refers to a financial gain earned with trickery. If you buy a watch on the street and find out the box is empty when you get home, you’ve just been scammed. Simply being pressured into purchasing what you feel is an inferior product isn’t scamming — that’s called “marketing”.

The term “caveat emptor” (buyer beware) is in Latin for a reason — people have been feeling “ripped off” by a poor product for thousands of years. Buying and selling on the Internet is even more reason to look close at the fine print. In the case of LowerMyBills.com, the fine print hints at the “iffy” nature of the site. There’s a stipulation in the fine print that is becoming more and more common on the web — it says, in layman’s terms, that by doing business with LowerMyBills, you as the consumer agree to resolve any dispute with the company in arbitration in California. Businesses want to fight you in California for a reason — the laws there favor big business. Another sign that you might be getting duped? Look at item 13 in the consumer agreement. It says that you’re waiving indemnification even in the case of intentional fraud. This clause even protects other entities that LowerMyBills works with, so if you have your identity stolen thanks to the shady practices of one of Lower MyBills’ affiliates, your ability to file a lawsuit will be extremely limited or non existent. Caveat emptor indeed.

Folk movement against Lower MyBills aside, to date there are no lawsuits specifically targeting the company for scamming. Some of their affiliates are in court defending allegations related to spamming and false advertising, but LowerMyBills has kept their formal business name out of the discussion. That means there’s no reason to think Lower My Bills is “a scam”, though like most online “comparison shopping” websites, there’s reason to suspect that your personal details may end up in the hands of a junk advertiser.

You may be surprised to find out just how many online retailers and services are selling certain details of your life to junk mailers and email spammers. Ever wonder how you ended up getting all those erectile dysfunction emails with hilarious titles? Spammers aren’t just pulling email addresses out of the bag (well, they do that too, but it isn’t their main tactic) they purchase lists of email addresses or other information from companies you deal with on a daily basis. Your online movie rental company? They sold your email address to the highest bidder. Same for the site where you get your daily online auction fix. Just because a company has a mom and pop or friendly image doesn’t mean they aren’t stuffing your inbox with email you don’t want to read.

LowerMyBills.com Review

After reading that, you may feel scared to do business with Lower MyBills.com. The truth is most online businesses are guilty of these kinds of activities, and many brick and mortar businesses you use every day do the same thing. How does LowerMyBills stay afloat under the impression that they’re scam artists? The fact is that many of their services are at least competitive when it comes to rates and service.

Lots of people find LowerMy Bills through their massive online ad presence. The fact that LMB is owned by Experian is a big bonus — Experian already owns all your credit information and you do business with them any time you deal with credit anyway. If nothing else, handing over otherwise sensitive data to a company like Experian is safe because you already work with them. Since there are laws in place to govern how Experian can use your personal information and credit data, you can feel safe in the knowledge that someone, somewhere, has your back. Another good sign — LowerMy Bills.com doesn’t make you hand over your social security number until you are serious about making a purchase.

When you visit LowerMyBills.com, you’ll be walked through a basic query process depending on what kind of service you’re looking for. For the purpose of simplicity, we’ll be talking about the mortgage service.

LowerMyBills.com Mortgage Refinancing

Some of the questions you’ll be asked at the outset of a mortgage search are:

• What’s the Balance on Your First Mortgage?
• What’s Your General Credit Worthiness?
• How Much Is Your House Worth?

If you’re a good consumer, you can answer these questions without much digging. If you are unsure of your ability to answer questions in this vein, obtain a copy of your most recent mortgage statement. Because you’ll only be asked questions relevant to your mortgage lender search, you can rest assured that nothing untoward is happening. Too many times, non name mortgage lender comparison sites will throw in questions that have little or nothing to do with the topic at hand. These questions are put there so those less trustworthy sites can sell your answers to specific buyers. There’s none of that at LowerMyBills, besides the strange insistence that you tell them your exact age.

You’ll be pleased with Lower My Bills’ ability to communicate the entire mortgage lending process — once you’ve finished your application, you’ll get an email message with the name of the specific five lenders the site has selected to give you mortgage quotes. In that email, you’ll find out not just the names of those companies but their preferred contact method (email or phone) and a general idea of when they’ll be contacting you. Most people will start hearing from their five matched lenders within a couple of hours. Depending on the company you’re matched with, you may get automated form emails or you may get personalized phone calls. The luck of the draw will determine how you’re contacted. In my case, one of the lenders suggested to me never got in touch with me — but four out of five is great.

The experience you have with LMB depends on your own knowledge of what you’re in the market for. Be specific with your needs, whether you’re after a lower interest rate, a lower total payment, or even a return on your refinance investment. I was stunned when two of the four lenders that contacted me let me know within minutes that a refinance through their company would not be good for me.

If you are pleased with the offer made by a particular lender you find through Lower My Bills.com, you can ask for a good faith estimate. Some lenders will offer the good faith estimate without prompting, especially if it reveals that a refinancing deal may benefit your bottom line or meet your other needs. Rather than dashing off and taking out a loan with the first company offering you a good faith estimate, LMB gives you the option of waiting it out and comparing deals. The good faith estimate is the key to the lender’s ability to make a profit. While some mortgage lenders will charge higher fees to make their buck, others will give you a low interest rate. If a company doesn’t charge fees, you can bet your good faith estimate will be markedly higher. Listening to multiple offers gives you the choice of which way you’ll line the lenders’ pockets. Be a good negotiator — write down as many specific good faith estimates as you can and use them in your deals with other lenders.

I had a very positive experience with Lower My Bills. People who aren’t able to wrap their heads completely around the issue of refinancing will find the one stop comparison shopping convenient. The downsides of LowerMyBills.com are mostly due to the nature of the business — buying a book online is scary enough, imagine putting your financial future into the hands of a web based vendor. An FAQ or consumer’s rights’ section on the websites explaining their personal information policy would be a big help. Not knowing how your personal data will be used makes the whole process seem a touch on the shady side.

LowerMyBills.com Phone Number

Don’t let all the talk about mortgage refinancing steer you away from the other services at Lower My Bills. If you are in the market for phone service you can use LMB to compare rates, get special deals with service providers, or even get a free fancy new phone. While comparison shopping for mortgage products is fairly old hat, it seems like most people pick their phone service by throwing darts or rolling dice. Considering consumer groups tell us that the average phone bill in America is around $50 a month (or about $600 a year) the phone plan you pick could put a dent in your expendable cash.

LowerMyBills.com has two methods of finding a new phone service — a “plan finder” and a “phone finder”. Most people will take advantage of the plan finder, as this allows you to pick from a range of services, select the price and plan you like, and then match a phone to it, there are some gadget heads out there who prefer to find the ideal phone and match that phone to a service. Either way, the process is essentially the same.

Much like the home loan search, finding a phone plan with Lower MyBills means answering a series of questions and then communicating with the phone providers on your own. Think of the question and answer process as a series of filters that weed out plans that don’t match your needs and leave you with only your best four or five options. The “plan finder” system at LMB will ask you to answer the following questions:

• What is your area? (Zip code)
• What kind of offer do you want? (you can search all phones, only phones with new service, only pre-paid phones, or unlocked phones)
• What carries do you want to search? (this allows you to skip plan providers you don’t care for)
• What features do you want?
• What is your price range? (you can pick from “better than free” all the way up to “over $150″)

As you answer these basic queries, Lower My Bills.com shows you a list of phones on the right hand side of the website. These phones and plans meet the criteria you set up on the left side. Besides being user friendly, this allows you to comparison shop “live” as opposed to the pen and paper comparison shopping you’ll be doing with a mortgage or insurance search.

More “filters” pop up as you continue to enter your specific criteria. You’ll eventually be able to sort through the list of available phone plans by the phone manufacturer, the coverage in your area, and other detailed categories.

Even if you don’t plan on doing business with LowerMy Bills, using the phone or plan finder application is a great way to get the lay of the land in your area in terms of phone plans. The ability to enter your zip code means you’ll get area-specific quotes and inquiries. The best news is you don’t have to enter any information more personal than your zip code in order to get estimates from phone providers. No need to worry about LMB selling your personal details if they just don’t have them. Yes, Lower My Bills installed a cookie on my web browser, but if you only did business with websites that didn’t install cookies, you’d be wasting money with your wireless bill.

If you’re shopping for Internet service, doing business with LowerMyBills is a bit dodgier. Click the “Internet access” link from the LMB website and you’ll be redirected to DigitalLanding.com — an affiliate of LMB. The transition off site is nearly seamless, and if you aren’t particularly computer savvy you may not notice that you’re dealing with a different name. Still, they are legally affiliated with Lower MyBills.com, so any legal rights you have from doing business with LMB are transferable to Digital Landing.

Comparison shopping for web service is almost identical to searching for phone service. Enter your zipe code and your email address and start to answer questions about the kind of service you want. Yes, your email address will be stored and sold to a third party spammer, but that’s par for the course online. There are three different security certifications right on the front page of DigitalLanding, one from McAfee, one from TRUSTe, and a VeriSign confirmation of the site’s SSL security. While you may be indifferent about things like data encryption and virus protection, the folks at Digital Landing seem to go out of their way to show you they are not.

A big difference between shopping for phones and shopping for web service at LowerMyBills is the way your search starts. After entering the required details, you’ll go on “hold” for a second as the service searches for the best deals for your area. Only after local Internet service providers are shown do you start to filter through the results by price and other details. On the left side of the screen, you can choose to “bundle” your Internet service with other services like home phone service. In the center of the page are your service offers (which may be extremely limited based on your area) and on the right side is a box that provides information on the fees associated with each offer. If you make use of the entire web page, your search results will be more in tune with what you want and you’ll stay informed about hidden costs.

LowerMyBills.com Car Insurance

Lower MyBills works with over 1,000 different companies. That’s one of the big reasons for using this particular comparison service — if you want to save money you have to query as many companies as you can. Knowing what Company A offers you for an identical service provided by Company B is your best weapon against paying too much for car insurance, and getting a variety of price quotes at LMB is like shooting the proverbial barrel fish.

Shopping for car insurance with Lower MyBills starts like any other “compare and save” program they’ve got — you answer two questions (your zip code and whether or not you currently have car insurance) and work your way through a series of questions and search filters until finally the site narrows down your choices to about half a dozen.

There’s nothing new about online comparison shopping in the auto insurance industry. Sites like CarInsurance.com have been doing something similar since the Internet’s grammar school days. The reasons for picking LMB to help you pick an insurance provider are mostly convenience oriented. Any fool can walk into a State Farm or AAA shop front and walk out with an (expensive and unwieldy) insurance card. The people behind Lower My Bills work hard to convince you that using their service will save you time — I’ve never read the words “save” and “time” more often than in their promotional material. While you will save time comparing online rather than going door to door, there’s no real driving force behind the car insurance section of Lower My Bills.

You need to have the following information at your disposal when you hunt for insurance quotes online:

• Vehicle year, make, and model (e.g. 1998 Toyota Camry)
• Whether or not the vehicle is leased
• Vehicle’s primary use (company car, farm use, pleasure, personal, etc)
• Average mileage for commute (guesstimation is acceptable)
• Annual mileage (again, an educated guess is fine)
• Primary driver details (name, date of birth, gender, marital status)
• Age you obtained your driver’s license
• Details about tickets or license suspensions (date, punishment, etc) going back five years
• Occupation
• Highest Level of Education
• General credit score

If you go into your search at Lower MyBills with this information in hand, you’ll be saving yourself time running around looking for documents.

As for the car insurance rates offered by LMB’s affiliates, I found them extremely competitive compared to other insurance providers in my area. Searching for a policy with 0 deductible and full coverage, I was quickly sent six quotes, four via email and two personally on the phone. All six quotes would save me some amount of money, though in some cases the actual savings was at the nickel and dime level. One quote in particular was so good, I had to consider actually talking to this company. I’m not really in the market for new car insurance, but a six month quote of $840.16 is about two hundred dollars cheaper than my family currently spends.

A common complaint about comparison shopping websites is that you’ll be inundated with offers for weeks. Having used Lower My Bills myself, I can pretty much promise this won’t happen to you. The most responses I ever got was six, from a query on car insurance. There’s no calls all hours of the day, letters in the mail, emails choking up my inbox. What LMB says they’re going to do is what they end up doing in terms of the number of quotes you receive.

LowerMyBills.com Debt Management

There are six categories in the Lower My Bills.com “debt management” section.

Debt Relief – You start your path to debt relief at LMB by entering some basic personal data like your name, your address and contact info, and the general amount of your debt. After this step, it gets a little more pertinent. LMB wants to know what type of creditors your debt is with (major credit cards, medical bills, etc), your primary source of income, etc. They will then offer to show you a free credit score provided by Experian. This credit score is not a full credit report, and it is only from one agency. Depending on the area you live in, you may be required to pay a small amount for this score. Luckily, you can skip this step. Somehow, you’ve left LowerMyBills and are at an affiliate site called careonecredit.com. They ask a few more personal questions (total amount of debt, etc) and then invite you to call them at 1-800-498-1659 to talk with a “debt management counselor”. This is as far as I got before I realized this is the same kind of service I can do for myself.

Debt Relief Acceleration – What Lower MyBills.com calls “debt relief acceleration” is a link to DebtGoal.com. At DebtGoal you’ll be invited to join as a member and start a SmartPay plan. The idea behind “debt relief acceleration” is to make your debt visual and give a visual account of how much debt you’ve paid off and how far you have to go. There are a few other tools along the way to help you out (like tracking your monthly progress) but this is pretty much just a support system for people in debt.

Bankruptcy – This is another Lower My Bills affiliate. When you click the “bankruptcy” tab on the LMB home page, you’ll be redirected to bankruptcy.me offering in large letters a “free bankruptcy evaluation” form. The very idea that you could fill in six blanks on a form and be on your way to a positive plan for bankruptcy is a little bit silly, though bankruptcy.me is a licensed Federal Debt Relief Agency. I was surprised after filling out this form that Bankruptcy.me only found one debt relief agency willing to work with me, a place called RiseAbove Debt Relief, whose phone number is (888) 632-0587. In fact, when I filled out the same form with different details, I was sent to the same agency. It seems that rather than comparing potential debt relief agencies or trying to help people who have questions about bankruptcy, bankruptcy.me is a vehicle for a single relief agency. There are probably better options than just this one agency.

Debt Consolidation Loan – You start out your path to a debt consolidation loan from LowerMyBills .com by answering three questions. “What type of loan do you want?”, “What size is your home?”, and “What is your credit profile?”. Once past this page, there are even more questions about your property, such as “Purchase Year” and “Estimated Value”. In fact the questions keep coming and coming, details of your previous mortgages, your current income amount, etc. After you finish answering, you enter your contact info and sit back to wait for offers from debt consolidation companies. In a test run, I had nearly twenty offers (way more than is comfortable for me) in less than twenty minutes.

Private Student Loan – I thought it was curious that Lower My Bills was offering “Private student loan” shopping under their “Debt” tag until I remembered what my private student loans did to my credit. When you first visit the “private student loan” department at LMB, fill out the questionnaire. You need to let them know if you’re the parent or the student, the name of the college, the amount you need to borrow, and the expected graduation date. Then you tell them when you need the loan, your home zip code and email address, and you’re off to the races. Like with all other Lower MyBills.com offers, you’ll get about a dozen loan agencies with quotes or offers for you, some on the phone and some via email. None of the information that was sent to me was anything I couldn’t learn by talking to my school’s financial aid advisers, but for parents at home or students at large universities where it can be hard to get loan counseling, using LowerMyBills is an easy way to get ballpark loan figures.

LowerMyBills.com was once best known for their annoying ever present ads. At one time, they were the largest single advertiser on the web, a dubious title that nonetheless seems to have helped catapult them into prosperity. The Experian family of websites has hit something of a rocky path, what with the FreeCreditReport.com fiasco. The difference between a company like Lower My Bills and FreeCreditReport.com (now called FreeCreditScore.com) is that you don’t have to enter your credit card information or sign up for a “free trial” in order to comparison shop on Lower MyBills.com. FreeCreditReport.com got in dutch with the government because of the untold millions of people who signed up for their pay service without realizing it. There’s no “catch” like this at LMB.

All the same, a web search for LowerMyBills.com reveals the phrase “scam” in the top five results, in some cases more than once. This is mostly a matter of good old fashioned web paranoia and partially a backlash against a company that makes money by selling basic customer information (email, age, zip code) to spammers. The sheer scope of Lower My Bills makes it difficult to ignore, especially if you’re going out of your way to lower your costs. Comparison shopping on your own for a cell phone plan would require hours of legwork, visiting big box stores and strip mall storefronts until you find the ideal service. The same kind of search using LowerMy Bills takes seconds, though you may wonder if the trade off is worth it considering the possibility that you’re handing over your personal data in exchange for sponsored links and affiliate advertising. Your decision to use Lower My Bills for your next online purchase (be it car insurance, a home loan, or a college degree) is not one to be taken lightly. As a one time customer, I recommend this service to people who don’t have the time it takes to get a good deal or are just getting their feet wet shopping for insurance or home refinancing.

Let’s face it: the top picks in a fantasy football draft are the most important ones. The first couple of rounds are what we spend most of our time obsessing over, joining mock drafts to study, and read about in fantasy football magazines. Every publication and website has its “fantasy football top picks” list, and ESPN NFL Live and SportsCenter training camp reports are going to focus on these guys.

But when you read a fantasy football magazine, you tend to hear all the good things about these guys, and seldom hear why you shouldn’t draft people in the top two rounds. I’m a natural pessimist (call me a “realist”), so the first thing I do when I look at a top fantasy football prospect is to think of reasons why I should avoid this guy. Pessimism can be a real downer in many aspects of life, but it actually serves a fantasy football owner pretty well.

Fantasy Football Rounds 1 and 2.

You look at the Top 24 list of fantasy players from last year, and a whole lot of those guys sucked. Even if they weren’t terrible, their production didn’t warrant being selected in the first or second round of a fantasy football draft. Heck, I’d say that half of the guys drafted in the top two rounds in 2009 were “busts”, or at least disappointments.

Now there are those fantasy football experts who’ll tell you that the middle rounds are where fantasy football leagues are won, and they’re right, to a certain degree. Certainly, you can’t win a fantasy league with just your first and second rounders. But like they say in baseball: you can’t win a division in April, but you can lose a division in April. It’s the same in fantasy football: you can’t make the playoffs in the first two rounds of a fantasy football draft, but you sure can miss the playoffs, if those picks are failures.

Daily Fantasy Football Leagues Forming 24/7 – Get $30 Free with Bonus Code “COWBOYS”

With that in mind, we’re going to put all our focus in this article on the top picks in your upcoming 2010 fantasy football draft. Using an “Average Draft Position” or ADP list from a respected website using real data from online 2010 fantasy football drafts that have already happened, I’m going to go over what the first two rounds of redrafts look like this year, then make suggestions where I would like to be selecting in 2010. I’ll discuss each and every player who is being drafted by average draft position in the first 24 picks. I’ll tell you why I wouldn’t draft that player in that position, why I would draft that player in that position, and somewhere in between, you should be able to get good information to make your selection.

After it’s all said and done, I think this discussion should take you through the process of evaluating high picks in fantasy football, and give you some provocative thoughts on the top guys that you can consider – and either accept or dismiss – when you start building your 2010 fantasy football draft lists.

Fantasy Football 1st Round Picks

1. Chris Johnson, RB, Titans
2. Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
3. Ray Rice, RB, Ravens
4. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars
5. Andre Johnson, WR, Texans
6. Frank Gore, RB, Niners
7. Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals
8. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
9. Steven Jackson, RB, Rams
10. Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions
11. Drew Brees, QB, Saints
12. Michael Turner, RB, Falcons

Fantasy Football 2nd Round Picks

13. Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Steelers
14. Reggie Wayne, WR, Colts
15. Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys
16. Brandon Marshall, WR, Dolphins
17. Roddy White, WR, Falcons
18. DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers
19. DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles
20. Peyton Manning, QB, Colts
21. Randy Moss, WR, Vikings
22. Greg Jennings, WR, Packers
23. Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs
24. Shonn Green, RB, Jets

Give Me the 12th Pick

I think I could start a pretty good fantasy football team with Michael Turner and Rashard Mendenhall at 12 & 13. Sometimes, those picks look awful, but I’d be pretty satisfied. Of course, Chris Johnson and Shonn Greene look like a good combo, too. The same goes for Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles, too.

This appears to me to be a pretty deep draft in the top rounds. I think the teams with high 3rd-round selections might have an advantage, since there are a number of 2nd-round talents falling into the third. Look at the next group of players on the ADP list.

Ryan Matthews, RB, San Diego Chargers
Sidney Rice, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Marques Colston, WR, New Orleans Saints
Chris Wells, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Knowshon Moreno, RB, Denver Broncos
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

I would be pretty thrilled drafting any of those six players as a third rounder, despite having some qualms about Beanie Wells (Hightower is still technically the starter, though I’m sure that changes by Week 1). But you could feel pretty good drafting DeSean Jackson, Randy Moss or Greg Jennings in the low-2nd, knowing some good runner has to fall to you in the 3rd.

Chris Johnson – Running Back – Tennessee Titans

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Chris Johnson #1 – Chris Johnson had about as big of a year in 2009 as any fantasy owner can hope to expect. Unless you were an absolute idiot GM, Chris Johnson at the very least assured you made the playoffs. But as I always say: they call them career years for a reason.

I’d be willing to bet a whole lot of money that Chris Johnson never has another year like 2009. That still leaves a lot of room for excellence, but there are good reasons to expect a disappointment from Chris Johnson in 2010. Between rushing attempts and catches, CJ had over 400 touches last year. That’s a tremendous workload for any back, and it’s especially large for a guy who was considered smallish coming into the NFL.

Sure, Chris Johnson has proven he can be an every down back in the NFL, but this goes beyond that. The mythical 370+ rushes plateau wasn’t technically hit, since Johnson only rushed 350 times in 2009. But his 50+ receptions mean he went significantly over 370 tackles, which take a toll on a running back. Statistics show that backs with that kind of workload just aren’t as good the next year. They tend to get nagging injuries. Some have major injuries. Even those who play 16 games tend to less explosive. They just look slower out there.

That happened to Michael Turner in 2009. It happened to Matt Forte, too. Both had the biggest workloads of 2008, with 370+ combined touches. Factor in the fact that Chris Johnson is considering a holdout – training camp holdouts also raise the risk of injury – and there are good reasons not to take Chris Johnson #1 in 2010.

Why You Should Draft Chris Johnson #1 – No, duh. Do you want to be the guy who doesn’t take CJ #1 overall, only to see him be the first guy in NFL history gain 2,000 yards? This is as close to a no-brainer pick as you’ll ever get in a fantasy football draft. Chris Johnson proved he was an absolute stud, performing when the Tennessee Titans were on their long losing streak, then performing when they went on their winning streak. Chris Johnson is more of a lynchpin for the Titans than any RB in the NFL right now.

Chris Johnson is the offense in Tennessee. He’s not splitting carries, like Adrian Peterson has at times in years past. He’s on a better team than Maurice-Jones Drew or Stephen Jackson. Chris Johnson doesn’t have the injury history of Frank Gore. Chris Johnson is clearly the #1 player in fantasy football coming into 2010. Take him with a clean conscience, and if things don’t pan out, then it just wasn’t in the cards.

Adrian Peterson – Running Back – Minnesota Vikings

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Adrian Peterson #2 – It always comes down to injuries with the running backs. There’s no bigger stud in the NFL right now than Adrian Peterson. But when Peterson came into the NFL out of OU, he had the injury-prone tag. Anyone remember that dive into the endzone that effectively ended Adrian Peterson’s college career?

In his 3 NFL seasons, Adrian Peterson has been remarkably healthy, considering the question marks at the time he was drafted. But he’s also had Chester Taylor as a reliable backup in Minnesota all this time. While Taylor took 3rd down production and a few TDs throughout the year (sometimes making Peterson’s fantasy owners crazy), Chester Taylor’s presence helped Adrian Peterson stay healthy and primed to perform. Now Taylor is gone in free agency to the division rival Chicago Bears, and Peterson looks like he’s going to shoulder the workload more than at any other time in his NFL career.

That isn’t a good thing. Toby Gerhart doesn’t look like a replacement for Chester Taylor, since Gerhart goes at 230-235 lbs. It’s Peterson’s show on 1st, 2nd and 3rd down, every down, as long as he lasts. The Vikings play an awful lot of games on turf, which is harder on players than grass.

You and I know, sooner or later, it’s going to happen. Running backs only last so long, and the big, upright runners like Adrian Peterson are always the first to go. Don’t be the one who’s stuck with Peterson when it happens.

Why You Should Draft Adrian Peterson #2 – Adrian Peterson is the lone guy in Minnesota for the first time. He’s going to get every touch, every reception, every down for the Vikings. Otherwise, the situation hasn’t changed in Minnesota.

We all know that Brett Favre will be back sometime in the latter stages of training camp. If anything, the receiving corps should be better, with Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin given an extra year to gain experience with Favre, and with Bernard Berrian healthier than a year ago. The Defense is going to be as stout as ever, with Jared Allen, Pat Williams and Kevin Williams still anchoring the most imposing defensive line in football.

The Vikings are ready to make another deep run in 2010. This is the year it all comes together. This should be Adrian Peterson’s career year. Don’t worry about injuries until they happen. It’s time for Adrian Peterson to peak.

Ray Rice – Running Back – Baltimore Ravens

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Ray Rice – Ray Rice surprised a lot of people in 2009, and a lot of people grabbed a nice sleeper in the 5th to 7th rounds, depending on how early your league draft was. I saw Willis McGahee go off the board before Ray Rice in one league (granted, not a league I’m too proud of winning), which told me it was time to grab the Baltimore Ravens starter. Through the first four weeks of the season, Ray Rice was getting all the production, and Willis McGahee led the NFL with 7 touchdowns. From Week 5 on, Ray Rice was about as good as you could get in fantasy football.

In 2010, the Baltimore Ravens are going to have some new pieces to add into the mix. Anquan Boldin dictates an expanded passing game. The development of Joe Flacco in his 3rd year suggests an expansion of the passing game, too. It’s time to let the young franchise quarterback take over more of a leadership role on offense.

Meanwhile, the Ravens Defense is getting older. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are starting to look the part of old NFL players, while the Baltimore Defense continues to evolve beyond the unit Rex Ryan was building up until he left 18 months ago. When a defense starts to falter, that almost always hurts the numbers of a running back.

Why You Should Draft Ray Rice – Oh, who am I kidding here? Ray Rice is about as safe of a draft pick as you can make in 2010. He’s only been an NFL contributor for 1 year. As far as running backs go, he’s as likely as any to stay healthy. Ray Rice has Willis McGahee and Leron McClain to spell him, so it’s not like he’s going to be worn to the nub.

And the Ravens are as well-run a franchise as their is in the NFL, under the guidance of Ozzie Newsome. The Baltimore Ravens have a young quarterback, additional firepower on offense, and there’s little to suggest they are going to falter in the AFC North. In fact, with Ben Roethlisberger out 4-6 weeks due to suspension, and the division champion Cincinnati Bengals almost certain not to go 6-0 against the AFC North again, I would say the Ravens have a better outlook in 2010, than in 2009.

In fact, I saw Ray Rice go #1 in a mock draft earlier tonight. I’m not so sure that isn’t a good idea. Chris Johnson worked miracles last year, but he’s on a worse offense and is coming off a huge load. Adrian Peterson has had two more seasons of full NFL pounding. I finish where I started: Ray Rice is about as safe of a pick as their is among 2010′s 1st round running backs.

Maurice Jones-Drew – Running Back – Jacksonville Jaguars

Why You Shouldn’t Draft – No matter how durable he’s been, Maurice Jones-Drew is still listed as 5’7″. You know how they tend to exaggerate the height of the small guys in the NFL. By any standards, Maurice Jones-Drew is a diminutive NFL player. Sooner or later, that has to catch up to him.

Besides that, the Jacksonville Jaguars are a team in crisis in 2010. They are imploring fans to show up at games, afraid they’ll have to leave the area. David Garrard is 32 and still hasn’t developed into the franchise quarterback they always hoped he would become. Mike Sims-Walker showed promise in 2009, but he also showed he’s a little crazy, after he was suspended the day of the Seattle Seahawks game. The Jags high round defensive picks haven’t been showing a whole lot in recent years, so what makes you think the new additions will be any better?

In the end, Maurice Jones-Drew is a small back carrying the full load on a bad team. The bottom could drop out in 2010.

Why You Should Draft Maurice Jones-Drew – Jones-Drew has always carried a chip on his shoulder about the height issue. He’s also about as wide as he is tall, and that’s a good thing. Maurice Jones-Drew has shown he’s a sturdy NFL runner, and it was years before Brian Westbrook, a similar player, began to wear down. Jones-Drew is still only 25. Besides, Jacksonville plays on grass, which reduces the risk of injury.

Besides that, Maurice Jones-Drew was statistically the #2 RB in many scoring formats in 2009, edging out Adrian Peterson in many systems. That was on a pretty bad Jaguars team. The Jags aren’t likely to be any worse this year. You’ve seen Maurice Jones-Drew perform to big standards in a worst-case scenario. All of the other RBs’s teams at the top of the draft have farther to fall than MJD’s.

Andre Johnson – Wide Receiver – Houston Texans

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Andre Johnson #5 – Never draft a wide receiver this high in a draft. Andre Johnson is great, but there are still top running backs to draft. The difference in the #5 running back and the #15 running back is stark. The difference in Andre Johnson and the #11 wide receiver just isn’t as big of a gap. The gap gets even wider as you go down 10 more spots.

The fact is, the wide receiver position is always deeper than the running backs. If there’s a top tier running back left on the board, you draft him. Frank Gore might not be as new and exciting as some of the guys further up the list, but he averaged as many points a game as Ray Rice in 2009 and Gore’s team is likely to improve even more in 2010, which usually helps an RBs numbers.

I’m not going to tell you that Andre Johnson isn’t great. He’s an absolute stud. But let me leave you with this. Matt Schaub has always been a little injury prone. In fact, he’s almost certain to get injured at some point in the season. And when he does, you’ll still be depending on Andre Johnson to be a 1st round difference maker, so much better than the other WRs that he’s worth drafting that high. In that moment, Texans backup QB Dan Orlovsky will hold your fantasy season in the palm of his hands.

Why You Should Draft Andre Johnson #5 – There is an ebb-and-flow to NFL careers. NFL players tend to enter their prime at age 26, and tend to stay in their prime until age 29 or 30. Those numbers shift down a couple of years, if you’re a running back. But for a 29-year old wide receiver like Andre Johnson, this is the prime of his life. He’ll never be any better than he is right now.

Often, a whole roster of players follow this ebb-and-flow. That’s the way it is with the Houston Texans. The team has slowly been building up a stock of NFL-caliber players over the past few years, slowly gathering a team capable of challenging the Indianapolis Colts. Every year, they play the Colts in tough games, only to fall short in the waning moments. But every year, the Colts stars get a little older. Every year, the Texans build the foundation a little stronger; their key players get a little more experienced.

Now, Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson have had time to grow into the players they are now. In 2010, they might be the most lethal QB-WR combo in football. 2010 is the year for the Houston Texans to break through and, if they do it, Andre Johnson has to be the #1 wide receiver in football. This is his year.

Frank Gore – Running Back – San Francisco 49ers

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Frank Gore – Frank Gore came into the NFL as an injury risk. Through 5 NFL seasons, Frank Gore has accumulated 1,392 combined touches (rushing attempts, receptions). He’s been a highly productive player, but that kind of workload has to take a toll on a runner. Now at age 27, Frank Gore is starting to enter the danger zone for NFL running backs. Any year could be the year.

The San Francisco 49ers front office seems to sense the same thing. The Niners brass drafted rookie RB Glenn Coffee in 2009. The team added rookie RB Anthony Dixon in the 2010 Draft. The Niners are preparing for the worst, because they know what you should know – 27 is leaning towards old for an NFL ball carrier.

Why You Should Draft Frank Gore – If you’re in a redraft league, you have nothing to worry about. If you had Gore as a keeper or in a dynasty league, you should be considering trading him this year sometime. But for a redraft, he’s fine and ready to go. In fact, he’s better than that.

The San Francisco 49ers play in one of the weakest divisions in football, getting four games against the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams. The Arizona Cardinals continue to win the division, but they are hardly what you consider an imposing defense. The Niners also get the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the schedule. Not only are those teams easy matchups, but that also means the 49ers are playing a lot of games on grass this season, which should help Gore’s chances of staying healthy.

This is the Niners year. That means Gore should get more touchdown opportunities. It also means he should rack up more yards in the 4th quarter against tired defenses.

Larry Fitzgerald – Wide Receiver – Arizona Cardinals

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Larry Fitzgerald in the 1st Round – Two words: Matt Leinart. The Larry Fitzgerald you knew may no longer be. Kurt Warner is retired, so Fitz has lost a Hall of Fame caliber passer. That’s a huge loss for his career, because Matt Leinart never has shown he can be a consistent NFL quarterback. Actually, that might be giving Leinart too much credit. Consistency suggests he’s good some of the time. Matt Leinart hasn’t shown he can be an effective NFL passer.

Besides that, Anquan Boldin is gone to Baltimore. That means opposing defenses are going to be able to focus on Larry Fitzgerald exclusively in their game plannning. While Steve Breaston and Early Doucet have talent, they simply don’t have the accomplishments of Anquan Boldin. Teams are going to blanket Larry Fitzgerald, daring Matt Leinart to beat them throwing to the other guys.

On top of that, Chris “Beanie” Wells should continue to develop. I get the suspicion that Ken Whisenhunt would like to turn the Cardinals into more of a running team, like the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise that Whisenhunt came from to Arizona. His remedy for the Matt Leinart concerns is likely to build a strong running game around Chris Wells and Tim Hightower. All of this spells a drop in Fitzgerald’s production.

Why You Should Draft Larry Fitzgerald in the 1st Round – Some players are just excellent. Double teams don’t matter. Mediocre quarterbacks don’t matter. Some players rise above it all, succeeding despite the odds stacked against them. Larry Fitzgerald is one of those talents.

I’m not arguing that the Cardinals Offense might not be the juggernaut that it once was. But the Cardinals Offense can falter and Larry Fitzgerald is still capable of putting up huge numbers. In fact, Leinart is likely to turn to Fitzgerald as his security blanket, forcing the ball into the tall wideout when Warner would have looked elsewhere. There’s nothing to say that Fitzgerald can’t continue to post huge fantasy numbers.

Besides, just because Matt Leinart wasn’t as good as Kurt Warner, doesn’t mean he can’t still be an effective NFL passer. Given a chance, he might show some of the talent that made him a Top 10 NFL Draft pick. And if he stinks it up, the Cardinals can always bring in Derek Anderson, who is known for throwing the deep ball well. What does it matter to Fitz’s fantasy stats, if Anderson throws a few interceptions along the way?

Aaron Rodgers – Quarterback – Green Bay Packers

Why You Shouldn’t Draft in the 1st Round – No quarterback is worth a #1 draft pick. The difference between Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees is slight. The difference between Aaron Rodgers and the #10 quarterback still isn’t that much. It’s just not worth it to draft a quarterback this high. Grab a solid RB or a stud WR instead, then grab the #6 QB three rounds later and be happy.

Aaron Rodgers has taken a beating these past two years, anyway. With the Packers ragged offensive line, Aaron Rodgers has hit the dirt a whole lot of times. He has weapons in Jennings, Driver and Finley, I’ll grant you that, but all these dropbacks means he’s getting dropped way too much. The Vikings Defense is going to be as fierce as it was in 2009, and the Chicago Bears pass rush should be much improved with Julius Peppers’ addition.

It might be different if Ryan Grant was a difference maker at running back. But despite good production in the fantasy playoffs in 2009, Ryan Grant isn’t a guy who is going to take the pressure of a pass rush off a young quarterback. Is it worth putting your season on the line for any QB?

Why You Should Draft Aaron Rodgers in the 1st Round – Aaron Rodgers put up huge numbers in 2009, and he’s still only 26. The 2009 campaign was with injuries up and down the offensive line, with a sub-par year from Greg Jennings, and a rookie dealing with nagging injuries in Jermichael Finley. All three of those factors should be improved in 2010.

In fact, Jermichael Finley is ready to break out as a tight end, if he didn’t in his rookie season. The Packers addressed the offensive line in the offseason, though it should improve just from an offseason to heal. And if the Packers o-line is improved, that means the Packers deep threat, Greg Jennings, should have time to run the kind of routes he excels at. Aaron Rodgers is just coming into his prime, and there’s every reason to think he’s going to be better in 2010 than he was in 2009. Aaron Rodgers is clearly the #1 QB in fantasy football.

Steven Jackson – Running Back – St. Louis Rams

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Steven Jackson – Two years ago, I had Steven Jackson pegged as a large ball carrier who ran upright and, as a result, had a lot of injury concerns. Jackson has been relatively healthy for a couple of years now, which is a major plus. But in the intervening two seasons, the St. Louis Rams have gone to being arguably the worst team in the NFL. To his credit Steven Jackson has been able to fight through the bad cast around him to put up 1st round fantasy football numbers. But I wonder when he stops beating the odds.

If you’re played fantasy football awhile, you know that running backs off of poor teams can put up solid numbers, but they aren’t likely to put up #1 overall numbers. That means Steven Jackson has a lower ceiling than someone like Adrian Peterson or Ray Rice. RBs on bad teams aren’t going to get as many touchdown opportunities, and they aren’t going to be on the field for as much time in a game. Jackson counteracts those facts with good reception totals and an all-around fantasy-friendly game. But a running back on a bad team just isn’t going to be as consistent, because there are going to be several games where the offense gets completely shut down.

In 2010, Sam Bradford enters the discussion. That means help is on the way. Unfortunately, most NFL rookie quarterbacks struggle. It’s not like Sam Bradford takes over a playoff contender the way Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco and Marc Sanchez did their rookie years. The best you can hope for is a Matt Ryan situation, where the QB transforms the situation. Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to happen in St. Louis. More than likely, by the time Sam Bradford is ready to lead the Rams, Steven Jackson is going to be winding down his fine career.

In the end, Steven Jackson represents a big runner who is racking up serious totals on receptions and rushes in his career, who is playing on a bad team. It’s bound to happen that he wears down, since big guys get hit more often and more solidly than smaller guys. That may not be this year, but I wouldn’t recommend betting on Steven Jackson.

Why You Should Draft Steven Jackson – Once again, you’ve seen this guy perform under the worst situation you could imagine him being involved in. The Rams have been awful later, yet Steven Jackson continues to produce big fantasy numbers. And while Sam Bradford might not be ready to lead the Rams to a Superbowl in 2010, that’s not the point. All Sam Bradford has to be is better than the Rams’ QB situation the last several seasons, when Marc Bulger couldn’t stay healthy and the team was relying on the likes of Kyle Boller and his ilk.

If Sam Bradford improves the QB position with the Rams, then the Rams are going to be better in 2010. The offensive situation is going to be better. Even some improvement dictates that Steven Jackson could improve on his numbers from 2009, which weren’t bad. Steven Jackson is still only 26, so put those injury concerns away for another year or two.

Calvin Johnson – Wide Receiver – Detroit Lions

Why You Shouldn’t Draft in the 1st Round – If you had Calvin Johnson in 2009, you’re not likely to be drafting him in the 1st round in 2010. That’s always a sign of where a player’s value lies, is to see if his owners from last year would want to draft him in the same place again.

Don’t get me wrong: Calvin Johnson has all the tools to be an NFL superstar. Most of his problems from a year ago stem from nagging injuries that lasted all year, along with injuries to his talented young QB later in the season. But what if Calvin Johnson’s injuries last year are an indication of a bigger problem? What if Stafford’s are? Either could derail a comeback campaign by Megatron.

Here’s the question: do you really want to trust your season to a Detroit Lion? That’s what you do if you draft Calvin Johnson in the 1st round of your draft. At the very least, hold off and draft this guy as your 2nd rounder.

Why You Should Draft Calvin Johnson – Once Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson have an offseason to get healthy, the two should return as one of the most dynamic young QB/WR combinations in football. Calvin Johnson should have had his breakout year in 2009, but injuries got in the way. It’s something to be saying “breakout”, when you say that Calvin Johnson had 12 touchdowns in 2008. Those are huge numbers for a 2nd year receiver.

Once Stafford and Johnson have a chance to get on the same page, they should be able to match that number in 2010. Also consider that the Lions added Jahvid Best, which should help distract defenses from focusing entirely on Calvin Johnson. To help bolster the offense and give Matt Stafford more options, the Detroit front office also brought in Nate Burleson and Tony Scheffler in the offseason. Slowly but surely, the Detroit Lions are putting together a team that isn’t a complete mess. If they can ever get to average, Calvin Johnson’s talent should make him a Top 3 fantasy receiver.

Drew Brees – Quarterback – New Orleans Saints

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Drew Brees in the 1st Round – Teams that win the Superbowl usually don’t make a return. Something happens along the way. Teams on top tend to fall off the top, and quickly. Maybe it’s a Superbowl hangover. Maybe it’s lingering controversy from the illegal drug scandal. Maybe the Saints Defense returns to being the Achilles heel it’s been in years past. Or maybe it’s what often gets teams: too many injuries after a year with 19 or 20 games.

Whatever the case, you can bet the Saints 2010 season isn’t going to be as good or as dominating as their 2009 season. Often, a Superbowl champ doesn’t even win its division the next season. The quickest way for the New Orleans Saints to falter is if Drew Brees falters somehow, either through injury or ineffectiveness. Since recent history suggests ineffectivness isn’t likely, a 30+ Drew Brees could flirt with injury again, like he did in his last season with the Chargers.

That’s idle speculation, though. The real reason you don’t want to draft Drew Brees in the first round of a fantasy draft is that quarterbacks just aren’t worth it. Far better to add a top WR or a stud RB at this spot, then grab an elite QB two or three rounds later. Elite runners won’t be there in the 4th or 5th, but elite passers will be.

Why You Should Draft Drew Brees in the 1st Round – Drew Brees has been the best fantasy football quarterback over the past 4 seasons. That means he’s had four combined better seasons than Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. He’s simply been the best during his time with the New Orleans Saints – bar none.

Nothing has changed for 2010. The Saints still have Marques Colston and Reggie Bush. The Saints have Pierre Thomas and Jeremy Shockey. Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson stepped up in 2009, while Lance Moore should be healthy for the first time since 2008. Drew Brees is only 31, while the line and defense are largely intact. Nothing has changed for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

I could see drafting Aaron Rodgers as the rising star, especially since Rodgers had the best numbers in 2009 (but only arguably, since Brees didn’t play Week 17). I could see drafting Peyton Manning for the incredible consistency over a decade of work. But in a league where three years is a lifetime, Drew Brees has been the best of the bunch over that period of time.

Michael Turner – Running Back – Atlanta Falcons

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Michael Turner in the 1st Round – Michael Turner is 28. He’s a big running back who takes a lot of solid hit. He didn’t bounce back from the 376+ touches he had back in 2008. He was injured much of the season, and didn’t look so hot much of the season when he was healthy. Or maybe you’re in a point-per-reception league. Since Michael Turner gets about 10 receptions per year in a good year, you have to downgrade him in receptions leagues.

So there you have it: age, injury concerns, and no receptions. Add in the fact that Matt Ryan is in his third year and that he’s naturally going to take a bigger role in the offense, and there are reasons to be concerned about Michael Turner’s fitness to be a 1st rounder in 2010.

Why You Should Draft Michael Turner in the 1st Round – The most important fact about Michael Turner is he’s the sole ball carrier in Atlanta. Jerious Norwood can’t stay healthy long enough to contribute, and never got more than sporadic carries when he was healthy. Jason Snelling is more of a fullback type, though he filled in admirably when Turner and Norwood were both out of the picture in 2009. But when everyone is healthy and ready to go, Michael Turner gets the lion’s share of the carries. There just aren’t that many runners in the NFL you can say that about.

As for the age factor, Michael Turner is a special case. He’s 28, but he’s also been an NFL starter for only 2 years. A large part of being a late-20′s running back in the NFL is about the amount of carries accumulated. Think about it? Players don’t hit the wall at other NFL positions at age 29. Players don’t hit the wall in other sports at age 29. It isn’t the age; it’s the workload. Michael Turner hasn’t had nearly the carries that most 28 year old RBs have, which conventional wisdom tells you is getting old.

So Michael Turner should be good-to-go for 2010. He’s on a playoff contender which continues to improve its defense, meaning Turner should be on the field a whole lot more than in 2009. Sure, I don’t like the lack of receptions, which is why turner isn’t a higher 1st round pick. But when Michael Turner is clicking, he’s going to make up for that shortcoming with touchdowns.

Rashard Mendenhall – Running Back – Pittsburgh Steelers

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Rashard Mendenhall – Ben Roethlisberger is out for the first 4 weeks of the NFL season for sure, and possibly for 6 weeks. Almost half of Rashard Mendenhall’s regular season (fantasy season) production is going to be tied to either Dennis Dixon or Byron Leftwich. Then remember that Santonio Holmes is gone, and Limas Sweed is out for the season already. So is the Steelers starting right tackle. Their line hasn’t been so great for two years, which makes it miraculous they won the Superbowl a year and a half ago. Mendenhall’s numbers were inconsistent at times last year, because of the line’s inconsistency.

Meanwhile, Rashard Mendenhall’s NFL career has been spotty, so far. He made it through half of a game as a starter his rookie season, before a shoulder injury put him out for the year. That might seem like ages ago, but Mendenhall has only made it through 1 of 2 NFL campaigns. Consider that the front office drafted Jonathan Dwyer, a rookie who was being touted as a possible 1st round NFL Draft selection only a year ago. Dwyer is big, though not very fast. That kind of runner has flourished in Pittsburgh before. While I’m not suggesting Rashard Mendenhall has to worry about his starting job (he doesn’t), the departure of Fast Willie Parker doesn’t necessarily mean Mendenhall gets every carry.

Why You Should Draft Rashard Mendenhall – The Steelers are going to need to win with defense and a running game until Ben Roethlisberger returns. That means the Steelers are going to lean heavily on Mendenhall in the early stages of the season. If it works, then Mendenhall could easily remain the focus for the offense, even when Ben Roethlisberger returns. That’s the way NFL teams go: units get chemistry and they go with that chemistry.

Even if the Steelers have a rough start, Roethlisberger will be back for the home stretch and the fantasy playoffs. That’s when you need him to come through big time. Until then, you still have Mendenhall healthy, so there’s nothing that says he can’t be productive enough to be worth a late-1st, early-2nd round selection.

Reggie Wayne – Wide Receiver – Indianapolis Colts

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Reggie Wayne – Reggie Wayne is 31 now and he’s had some nagging injuries in recent years. Besides, Dallas Clark is in his prime and he soaks up a huge percentage of the receptions. Between Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, and Anthony Gonzales, the Colts have plenty of other weapons for Peyton Manning. As much as in the Marvin Harrison years, Reggie Wayne has plenty of other receivers to contend with. Back when Harrison was in his halcyon years, Reggie Wayne was being drafted in the 3rd round. Now he’s a consistent early 2nd rounder. Is he worth it?

You’re probably answering that question with a “yes”. But remember that the Colts are just as likely to be resting starters in the final weeks of the season, when you need those guys for your fantasy playoffs. Consider that Reggie Wayne is getting into his thirties, has plenty of other weapons to wolf production, and has concerns late in the season, and surely you can find a receiver more worthy.

Why You Should Draft Reggie Wayne – On the other hand, Reggie Wayne is the main receiver on the Indianapolis Colts offense, so you’re getting a hand on a large percentage of Peyton Manning’s production. Also, the unbeaten Colts streak is a bit of a fluke. You can’t account for which team or teams are going to go 14-0 in a season, though I would bet it won’t happen again in 2010 – especially with the Colts accomplishing that feat.

Reggie Wayne is one of the best receivers in football. His quarterback, Peyton Manning, is arguably the best QB. The Colts are one of the best offenses. That’s all you really need to know. Reggie Wayne is a pretty good bet to put up huge numbers in ’10.

Miles Austin – Wide Receiver – Dallas Cowboys

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Miles Austin in the 2nd Round – Miles Austin caught the league by surprise in 2009. Defensive coordinators weren’t gameplanning for him. In the latter stages of the season, teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins tried double-teaming him late in the season, and this had a serious effect on Miles Austin’s production in those games. In Austin’s defense, opposing defenses has nothing to worry about from the other receiver on the field (Roy Williams), who was being covered by every team’s fat kid. But the point holds true: Miles Austin is facing an entirely different defensive arrangement in 2010.

Besides that, Miles Austin seems to have gone Hollywood. He’s dating Kim Kardashian, fresh off the Reggie Bush experiment. Beyond that, Miles Austin is bucking for a long term contract, since he waited weeks and weeks beyond most of the players to sign his one-year tender offer. Despite the feel-good ’09 season, things could be better in Dallas, where Austin missed time as the voluntary workouts.

Then there’s Roy Williams. Jerry Jones has inexplicably announced that #11 is going to be the starting flanker opposite Miles Austin, meaning defenses have little to worry about across the field, despite the inclusion of Dez Bryant to the roster.

Why You Should Draft Miles Austin in the 2nd – Speaking of Dez Bryant, the Cowboys have a new weapon to add to the mix. We all know Bryant replaces Williams at some point. The situation isn’t exactly the way it was in 2009, when it was often Jason Witten and Austin and not much else. As far as Witten goes, the All-Pro tight end had what goes for a “down year” for him, so he should add more for defenses to consider coming this year.

Felix Jones finally stayed healthy long enough to put together several solid games in December and the playoffs. This should act as a springboard for him to become the starter, adding further punch to the offense. Even if Marion Barber and Felix Jones get dinged up during the season, the Cowboys still have Tashard Choice, so their running game should take pressure off Miles Austin. And what of Miles Austin himself?

Well, the Cowboys have been lining him up in the slot in O.T.A.s, which hides him from the double-team and pits him against a #3 cornerback on key plays. Dallas knows that teams are going to be gameplanning Miles Austin, and they’re making preparations. Besides, Tony Romo is a pretty good quarterback, so he and Miles Austin should be able to beat a few double-teams here or there, anyway.

As far as Kim Kardashian goes, the Kardashians are a good-luck charm. Think about it: Kim with Reggie Bush and Khloe married to Lamar Odom. That looks like 3-for-3 in world titles. So Dallas Cowboys fans should be saying: bring on the Kardashians. Maybe Miles should introduce Tony Romo to Kourtney.

Brandon Marshall – Wide Receiver – Miami Dolphins

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Brandon Marshall – Brandon Marshall is among the most talented wide receivers in football. I’m certain he’s glad to be out of Denver, where Josh McDaniels is convinced the Broncos don’t need a prima donna receiver (though they turned around and drafted a receiver the Broncs described as “like Brandon Marshall”). So he goes to the Dolphins, known for the Wildcat Offense and a two-headed running back monster named Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

I wonder what Brandon Marshall is going to be doing all those plays the Dolphins are going to run without a quarterback. Maybe he’ll be loafing, like he did in the training camp practices that got him suspended by the team. I’m sure Brandon Marshall antics are going to go over well with Tony Spurano and Bill Parcells.

That’s my point: Brandon Marshall to the no-nonsense, run-first Dolphins seems like ill-fitting parts to me. Maybe the Dolphins completely change their offensive philosophy in 2010, unleashing the Chad Henne/Brandon Marshall combo. Maybe that happens, or maybe Brandon Marshall doesn’t get enough balls to be a 3rd rounder. In my mind, I might take a shot on Marshall in the 3rd, but not the 2nd.

Why You Should Draft Brandon Marshall – On the other hand, teams in the NFL usually don’t take the extra effort to trade for a player, only to knowingly waste his talents. So Bill Parcells and Tony Spurano probably decided they needed a #1 wide receiver and were happy to get one cheap from the Broncos. That could mean the Dolphins are ready to become 2-dimensional. Besides, even running teams often have enough production for one stud receiver, if he’s talented enough.

Chad Henne is still developing, but his development speeds up significantly with a big, strong receiver who gets plenty of run-after-catch yards. In fact, if you have a quarterback you’re not sure can be the big-time, big-play type, the best thing you can do for him is to collect receivers who give you plenty of REC yards. Like I mentioned earlier, I’d feel more comfortable with Brandon Marshall as my “3rd best player”, but he’s a huge NFL talent with big upside.

Roddy White – Wide Receiver – Atlanta Falcons

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Roddy White – Roddy White was battling injuries in the second half of 2009, which limited his production. In fact, that was a common theme with the Falcons Offense, since Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Jerious Norwood each had significant injuries. Sometimes, injuries become a chronic problem with a team. That could be the case with the Falcons.

The problem isn’t drafting Roddy White. It’s drafting Roddy White in the right spot. You’ll probably have to get him middle-to-low 2nd round, but is he worth that lofty spot in the draft? Roddy White has put up 3 pretty good years, but would you rather have him than Anquan Boldin? Marques Colston? Steve Smith the Younger? DeSean Freaking Jackson? I don’t think so.

Why You Should Draft Roddy White – Of course, none of those players have put up three straight years quite like Roddy White has. You get the idea Anquan Boldin and Marques Colston would, but both of those guys have had bigger injury concerns than Roddy White. The Giants Steve Smith looked great last year, but he’s only done it one year, and Hakeem Nicks might overtake him as the man in New York this year.

While DeSean Jackson has looked great his first two years in the NFL, that was with Donovan McNabb throwing to him. I think Kevin Kolb should be able to do over 16 games what he did in 2 as a starter last year, but you never really know, until the player does it. So of all the guys listed, Roddy White is the surest prospect. Draft without reservations.

DeAngelo Williams – Running Back – Carolina Panthers

Why You Shouldn’t Draft DeAngelo Williams – Two words: Jonathan Stewart. Jonathan Stewart came on at the end of last year, making a case that he should be the Panthers’ main man at running back. At the same time, DeAngelo Williams started to wear down and get injured. It’s possible that was an early sign of what’s to come in 2010 and beyond. You just never know how much of a pounding a RB can take, and Williams has never been an imposing runner.

Along with those considerations, the Carolina Panthers Offense is without veteran Jake Delhomme. They’re going to have Matt Moore or rookie Jimmy Clausen at the helm, and that might not be a good thing to begin with. Sure, their rushing attack is powerful, but how long can one mid-level offense support two fantasty football running back studs.

If someone has to suffer, it could be Williams. Jonathan Stewart is coming into his third year and, for the first time in the NFL, he is pain-free in the foot. Offseason surgery helped relieve a chronic Achilles ache that had plagued Stewart for 2 NFL seasons. So Stewart is ready to take over the duties. Last year, it was 60/40 in favor of Williams. This year, it could be 60/40 in favor of Stewart.

Why You Should Draft DeAngelo Williams – But there’s a lot to be said for a team with two running backs. It’s a simple fact that it should keep both fresh, while giving DeAngelo Williams the best chance to stay healthy. John Fox loves to run the ball, and the Carolina Panthers are good at it. This year, they should rely on the running game more than ever.

Julius Peppers is gone, so running protects a defense that might be shaky to begin with. Steve Smith broke his arm, so it’s possible the passing game is a little slow to gel. Jake Delhomme is gone (and was pretty ineffective, anyway), so one of two young QBs should need RB protection with a strong ground game. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are going to share carries, but that could be good for both of them. Maybe it hurts their consistency, as you can’t tell which one is scoring 3 TDs this week. But at least your RB will have a chance.

You should be thrilled to draft DeAngelo Williams this low.

DeSean Jackson – Wide Receiver – Philadelphia Eagles

Why You Shouldn’t Draft DeSean Jackson – Given his first two brilliant years in the NFL, the only reason to be concerned about drafting Desean Jackson in ’10 is concern over Kevin Kolb. The weapons on the Eagles are immense, led by Jackson, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin. But the team has a brand new quarterback, after Donovan McNabb had manned the position for 10 years.

Now Eagles fans never seemed to like McNabb very much, which always mystified me. Sure, he “didn’t win the big one”, but Donovan McNabb was by far the Eagles most successful QB in the Superbowl Era. Jaworski got you to your only other Superbowl, but McNabb got you to a Superbowl and 5 total NFC Championship Games. In one stretch, Donovan McNabb got the Eagles to 5 out of 8 championship games, and McNabb went on I.R. two of the other three years. So 5 of the 6 years he was on his feet in those years, McNabb got you to the title game. I guess McNabb was the Danny White of the Philadelphia Eagles (never winning the big one), but Eagles fans didn’t have Staubach and Aikman to compare him against.

Regardless, Kevin Kolb steps into big shoes. He was great in two games filling in for Donovan McNabb, but then, Scott Mitchell looked great once filling in for Dan Marino for a few games. The point being, two games do not make a career. Until you see how Kolb performs as the unchallenged starter, you just don’t know what DeSean Jackson can do.

Why You Should Draft DeSean Jackson – The Philadelphia Eagles are a good franchise. They tend to make good decisions. Andy Reed is a solid football guy. He knows his quarterbacks. If the team is willing to ship Donovan McNabb out, they think Kevin Kolb is ready for prime time.

The Green Bay Packers cut bait with Brett Favre a couple of years ago, and despite the lack of playoff success, Aaron Rodgers has proven to be among the best fantasy quarterbacks. The same could be developing with Kevin Kolb. If so, DeSean Jackson is obviously going to be Kolb’s #1 target.

Also remember this is DeSean Jackson’s 3rd year. While he’s already “broken out”, Desean Jackson may show that he has another gear to kick it into this year. We may be seeing the start of DeSean Jackson’s prime years, as if 2009 wasn’t good enough. I would take DeSean Jackson and be happy I got the guy.

Peyton Manning – Quarterback – Indianapolis Colts

Why You Shouldn’t Draft Peyton Manning in Round 2 – I’m not going to insult you by saying this is the year Peyton Manning is going to slow down or become merely human on the football field. Peyton Manning has shown no signs of decline.

My arguments against Peyton Manning this high are strategic. Never take a quarterback in the 1st or 2nd round. Grab studs at RB and WR, then worry about the quarterback position. Is drafting Philip Rivers, Tony Romo or Matt Schaub in the 4th or 5th round that much of a downgrade? It’s insane to draft a quarterback this high. You’re just giving most of the rest of the league a built-in advantage.

Besides, Peyton Manning is likely to be sitting on the bench, or playing half a game, during your fantasy playoffs. Peyton Manning was a waste in Week 16 for fantasy owners in 2009. If you were fortunate enoguh to get to the fantasy title game, you had the decision to either start Peyton Manning, who was likely to play one half at most, or sit him for whatever backup QB you had. You’re just not as likely to have that dilemma with the other quarterbacks you’re going to draft as a starter.

Why You Should Draft Peyton Manning in Round 2 – Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne were two of the best fantasy options in 2009. Peyton Manning made Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie legitimate fantasy football players in 2009. Anthony Gonzales should be a factor, after a waste of a year in ’09. Joseph Addai looked motivated and healthy again, while Donald Brown should be ready to contribute to the team in his 2nd season. The Colts are absolutely loaded on offense.

Then there’s the consistency. No player is more dependable than Peyton Manning in fantasy football. He’s been like money in the bank for more than 10 years now. If you’re going to spend a high round pick on a quarterback, get the guy who was worth that slot every single year for the past 12 years. With Peyton Manning giving you certain production at QB, you can find the players to make a contender, if you know what you’re doing.

And don’t worry about the Colts clinching too early. That stuff is too unpredictable to try to factor in. Most years, even if they win their division by several games, they are still in a homefield advantage battle. Last year’s unbeaten streak was great, but it was a fluke, too. Those campaigns seldom happen twice in a row for the same team.

Randy Moss – Wide Receiver – New England Patriots

Why You Shouldn’t Draft in Round 2 – The Patriots are old and getting older. Randy Moss is fast approaching his mid-30s, when receivers start to decline rapidly. Tom Brady is 32 and hasn’t quite looked the same (except for a game here or there) since he’s returned from his major knee injury. Wes Welker may or may not be ready to go in Week 1, and the running game is still the afterthought it always has been.

More than ever with the Patriots, defenses can key on the Randy Moss/Tom Brady combination coming into 2010. The New England Patriots just aren’t the same team they were when they were running up an 18-0 record. That was three years ago. Teams get old. Players get old. Just because a player has a big name, doesn’t mean he’s the same player he was three years ago. That’s the way of the NFL. It happens to the best of them, and it’s happening to Randy Moss.

Why You Should Draft in Round 2 – Tom Brady is two years removed from his knee injury. That’s when a player is considered fully recovered. That means Tom Brady is ready to get back to being Tom Brady. Sure, he’s 32, but Peyton Manning is 34, and Manning shows no signs of slowing down. Tom Brady might have a half-decade left as an elite NFL quarterback.

As for Randy Moss, he was battling injuries in 2009. Wes Welker appears as if he should be ready to go by Week 1, while Julian Edelman should be improved with the experience he gained last year. Consider 2009 as a year the Patriots were retooling their team, reloading for the 2010 season. You know that Bill Belichick has obsessed about turning the tables on the New York Jets this season, so you shouldn’t count out Randy Moss just yet.

And if Tom Brady has to force a few more balls to Randy Moss? That might not be good for the Patriots chances of success, but it shouldn’t hurt Randy Moss’s fantasy numbers.

Greg Jennings – Wide Receiver – Green Bay Packers

Why You Shouldn’t Draft in Round 2 – Did you play fantasy football in 2009? Greg Jennings was a consistent Rd 2 selection last year, and the teams which drafted him were consistently disappointed. Meanwhile, those fantasy owners who took a flier on Donald Driver in the 5th and 6th rounds were putting up the big numbers at Jennings’ expense, at least the first 2/3rds of the season. If you had to depend on Greg Jennings last year, it was a mess.

There was the weekly question: should I start Jennings again? Making things worse, Greg Jennings came up weak in the obvious starts, like when he barely collected 100 yards in two combined games against the Detroit Lions. And you’re going to spend a 2nd rounder on that guy again? What makes you so confident Greg Jennings has a big rebound year in 2010?

Why You Should Draft in Round 2 – 2009 was an aberration for Greg Jennings. The Green Bay Packers offensive line had injuries everywhere, so Aaron Rodgers was under siege from Week 1. That meant that players had to break off routes, and Rodgers had to throw underneath more often than he did in 2008. Throwing underneath means Donald Driver and Jermichael Finley are going to get a whole lot more production than planned, while the big play receiver (Jennings) was a forgotten man in many games.

There are also injury considerations. Sometime early in ’09, Greg Jennings received a wrist injury that hampered his production through a significant portion of the season. Their were whispers that Greg Jennings just wasn’t right for a big part of the campaign. An offseason means that Greg Jennings comes into 2010 healthy, while the health of the Packers OL should assure we see more of the Cheesehead offense we saw in 2008. Greg Jennings’ 2008 campaign is what caused you to draft him in the 2nd round last year, so he’s a safe bet to have a big bounceback year.

Jamaal Charles – Running Back – Kansas City Chiefs

Why You Shouldn’t Draft in Round 2 – Jamaal Charles was arguably the 2nd-best fantasy football running back in the second half of 2009, after he took over for Larry Johnson in the Kansas City Chiefs backfield. No doubt those teams that had Jamaal Charles sitting on their fantasy bench got a big boost for the final push, and Charles probably helped a significant number of teams win their league championship.

So is Jamaal Charles likely to repeat that performance over the course of a full fantasy football season?

I’m saying no. Jamaal Charles fits the classic profile in my “Fresh Legs Theory” that I talk about occasionally. The idea is that fantasy ball carriers who come in midseason or later and look great aren’t always that good, but they are running with fresh legs against tired defenses. I’ve cited a whole list of running back who were half-year or one-month wonders in fantasy football over the past 10 years: Julius Jones, Ryan Grant, Derrick Ward. Going back a little further, I think of Troy Hambrick and Chris Fu’Amatu Ma’Afala. Heck, look at what Quinton Ganther and Justin Forsett did in the closing weeks of 2009, but you don’t see their teams suddenly announcing they are the undoubted starter on their teams. The list goes on and on.

The idea is, Jamaal Charles might not necessarily be as good as he looked at the end of last year. He might not be as quick or elusive. Jamaal Charles was working at an advantage against defenses, because those players had been worn down by 8 to 10 games. Maybe Jamaal Charles is that good, but maybe not.

On top of that, the Kansas City Chiefs brought Thomas Jones into to carry part of the load. Thomas Jones is on the other side of 30, but he was also a Top 10 fantasy RB in a lot of systems last year. In a situation where he can get some tough yards and wolf some touchdowns, he can’t be entirely dismissed. Jamaal Charles won’t get every yard, every reception, every touchdown, like he did at the end of 2009.

Why You Should Draft in Round 2 – Then there’s the fact that Jamaal Charles was highly productive in 2009. From certain pronouncements about Matt Cassell to his handling of Larry Johnson and Dwayne Bowe, Todd Haley is the type of coach who requires you to earn his trust. What Jamaal Charles did in 2009 is certainly worthy of Haley’s trust. That should mean something when it comes time to allot playing time in 2010.

Besides, Jamaal Charles is a young RB on an improving team that’s going to need to rely on him. Their most talented receiver (Bowe) is a complete mess right now, facing suspensions and calling out teammates for their extramarital affairs on the road. The team has no one but Jamaal Charles to hang its hat on. Besides, I trust Scott Pioli and Todd Haley to improve the team in subtle ways, as they acquire more of “their type of guys”. The Chiefs should improve in 2010, which means Jamaal Charles is a safe late-2nd rounder.

Shonn Greene – Running Back – New York Jets

Why You Shouldn’t Draft in Round 2 – If Jamaal Charles fit the “Fresh Legs Theory”, it goes even more so for Shonn Greene. Shonn Greene got his starts even later in the season, when teams had played 13, 14, 15 games of football. He was quite similar to Ahmad Bradshaw the year the Giants won the Superbowl, fresh as a spring rain. The 2009-2010 NFL Playoffs were no real indication of Shonn Greene’s talent.

It’s a whole different story when you start from Week 1. Just like those defenders, you take 20+ hits a game, get the same bumps and bruises, slow down and wear down. By the fantasy playoffs, Shonn Greene will be on the same level as the rest of the players in the NFL, unlike in 2009. Now Shonn Greene might have the talent to raise his game a level. He might be on a team where he’s running “downhill” all season, where the Jets are ahead and the defense keeps giving him the ball back. So maybe he excels.

Besides, he still has to contend with the likes of Ladainian Tomlinson. You don’t just sit LT on the bench all year. Rex Ryan knows that. That’s why Rex Ryan said the week LT was signed that he was going to go with the hot hand at runner throughout the season. Even if Shonn Greene is the primary ball carrier, Ladainian Tomlinson is going to be a factor. And that week you really need Shonn Greene to win the week for you, that’s the week that LT turns back the clock 5 years and scores those 2 touchdowns you needed.

Why You Should Draft in Round 2 – I’d be thrilled to draft Shonn Greene as a #2 running back with the last pick of the 2nd round. He would be a pretty nice addition as a sidekick to Chris Johnson. Greene has had a year to sit and learn, and he had a big playoffs last year. He’s done it when the games counted most, so he should be fine for the regular season.

Besides, the Jets are a team on the rise. Their vaunted defense only improved in the offseason, and they’re going to be getting the ball back for the offense quickly most of the year. Rex Ryan believes in defense and ball control, so Shonn Greene is set to be the man in New York City in 2010. You couldn’t want a better situation for your RB.

There’s Ladainian Tomlinson, for sure. But Ladainian Tomlinson is 31 years old. Ladainian Tomlinson is finished. Rex Ryan can talk all he wants about going with the hot hand at runner, but you know those were just words to stroke the ego of LT in the week they signed him to back up Greene. Everybody knows that Shonn Greene is the man.

Pick Fantasy Football Top Players

So there’s a full look ahead to the first two rounds on your 2010 fantasy football draft. Like I said earlier, the fantasy football top picks for 2010 seem particularly deep and strong, with a number of picks falling into the third that would be 2nd-rounders in most other years. This should make redrafts fun and exciting this year or, better put, more fun and exciting than usual. Training camps are almost here, so the best time of the sports year is just around the corner. Good luck picking fantasy football’s top players.

The best news for new authors is that your book or other literary work is copyrighted as soon as you put the words on paper. The Copyright Amendment Act of 1989 states that even unofficially copyrighted creative works have a built-in “copyright” affect allowing the author to claim their originality without all the red tape. So your book or other written document is automatically copyrighted as soon as you write it.

Tne easy way to claim your creative rights to your work (allowed under the 1989 amendment) is simply to put the symbol (c) on the work followed by the year it was written and the name of the author. This symbol shows that your work is original and you own it.

If you want something a little more official, a copyright from the US government is not all that difficult to get. There are basically only two steps to copyrighting your document.

1. Complete Form TX

To file an official copyright, stating officially that your work is your original property, there is a little bit of paperwork that must be filed with the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. When you file that form, you’ll also be required to pay a small registration fee. A simple way to get hold of that form is to visit the US copyright website to download the form for free. Form TX contains all the instructions you need to fill out the paperwork and send it in to the proper authorities.

Be aware that Form TX isn’t the proper copyright form for everything that can be copyrighted. Form TX covers books of all kinds, including novels, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, textbooks, directories, reference books, catalogs, some software programs, advertising copy, and some forms of music. The full details on exactly what can be copyrighted using Form TX are at the website given above.

Other types of writing require other forms. For example, if you plan on publishing your work in serial form (or as a periodical publication) you’ll need to use Form SE.

2. File the paperwork at the right time

The good news is that the “right time” is pretty much whatever time you decide. If you choose to file your paperwork before your writing is published, you can do so, but be aware that you’ll have to refile for copyright if you want to protect a published version. In the case of an unpublished manuscript, you’ll only need to send in one copy of the unpublished writing along with your completed paperwork and your fee.

If you want to save money, and plan to publish your writing, just wait to file the copyright paperwork until after you publish. That’ll save you at least one copyright fee.

If you are copyrighting a published document, you’ll need to send two copies of your book or manuscript to the copyright office along with your completed paperwork and fee. When copyrighting a published piece, you must send in professionally bound copies, as published, and not photocopies of the original.

Tips About Copyright

Interestingly enough, you are not allowed to copyright a book’s title. The title of the book is not considered part of the creative work, considering most titles are only a few words long and don’t really constitute a unique creative decision. Think of the trouble it would cause authors if titles of copyrighted works could not be re-used. The copyright only applies to the information or writing contained in the piece you’re copyrighting — in other words, you copyright the specific words you use, the order you use them in, and the way you use them (your style).

Basically, when you copyright a document, you’re protecting how the information is written down, not the information contained in the book.

The Dangers of Not Securing a Copyright

If you write a creative work and you do not file proper copyright registration with the appropriate copyright office, the main penalty is the limitation to the amount of damages you can sue for in the case of copyright infringement. Yes, your work is automatically protected as soon as you create it, but the damages you can seek will be extremely limited. There have been civil cases for copyright infringement valued at $30,000 per infringing act (each printed version of a copyright infringement earns the original author a cool thirty grand) or as much as $150,000 per each willful act of copyright infringement, which is usually limited to a single act of copyrighting. The only way to have access to these highest level of financial rewards is by copyrighting with the proper authorities.

How Long Does My Copyright Last?

All works created after 1978 can be copyrighted for the author’s lifetime plus an additional 70 years. After that time elapses, the copyright is up for bidding, though in most cases (with big name books) the author’s estate will continue to control copyright for years after the original expiration. This is another great reason to secure a copyright — you want to create long lasting evidence of your creation, and assuming a simple copyright without filing for it can only last as long as you’re alive. As an added bonus, U.S. Copyright law is recognized in seventy different countries around the world — we even allow people from any country in the world to file for a U.S. copyright protection with the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress. United States copyright law is far reaching.

How to Give Proper Credit

Be aware that under certain circumstances, you may have to give partial credit for your copyrighted work to an employer or higher up, especially if you’re publishing work that was part of a school curriculum or was work you researched for your job. This really applies to teachers for the most part — but anyone who wants to publish something that was first developed in a work situation, you’ll need to give your employer or other administrator a notice of credit in your publication. Work that is covered under these circumstances is called “work for hire”, and could be considered property of your employer.

Many times, teachers or professors end up publishing material that they first covered in a class setting, such as part of a lesson plan. The school they work for technically owns that lesson plan, so partial credit must be made to that school. Don’t worry, you can still copyright your work even if it is “work for hire”. If the work you’re copyrighting was ever within the scope of your job, you must give proper credit. Luckily, there’s a section on the various copyright forms that is designed for this function.

For new authors just getting started in their literary and creative careers, getting an official copyright is an important rite of passage. Authors usually do this after finishing their first long piece of creative work, or to mark their first big publication. Whatever your reason for getting a copyright on your book, securing official rights to your document is a painless process of paperwork and filing.

Ever received a gift card for a store you hate? Or maybe you don’t hate the store, but you don’t live near enough to a franchise to make the gift card valuable. Online gift card exchanges exist as a trading post for gift cards, gift certificates, and even high value coupons. The idea behind the online gift card exchange is simple enough — find people who want your gift card (ideally people with a gift card you’d trade for) and setup a simple trade. This way, you don’t waste your gift, and someone else gets to spend money at a store they really want to do business with. Gone are the days of trading gift cards on the first day of school after Christmas — online gift card exchanges are the web’s answer to the playground trade.

$100 gift cards for as low as $70 to purchase brand name products at your favorite stores! PlasticJungle -Buy, sell & trade gift cards

There’s another side of the online gift card exchange, a genius bit of marketing that some shoppes can’t resist. The discounted gift card. Discount gift cards are not exactly revolutionary — I remember selling discounted gift cards as part of a school fundraiser as a kid — but the way these companies deal in discount gift cards is the draw. Many online gift card exchanges also offer discounts on store gift cards, meaning you don’t just get $1 of gift card credit for every $1 you spend. In some cases, you can earn as much as $0.40 more per dollar spent on the gift card. In layman’s terms, you can buy gift cards for thousands of different retailers that are worth more than you paid for them. Spend a ton of money at Bass Pro Shops? You could pick up a $250 Bass Pro Shops gift card for just $150 — that’s like getting a free Benjamin just for buying your new fishing pole.

The final option common to many online gift exchanges is a simple sale. Online gift card exchanges and discount gift card dealers need your gift cards to do business with other clients. Think of the discount retailer as a middle man between you and the gift card holder that wants to trade with you. Usually, it is better to find a trade on your own, but if you are having trouble getting rid of the terrible card your Aunt Betty gave you, simply selling it to a discount card dealer is a great option. The amount you can earn for your card differs by company. As of this writing, the most popular gift card exchanges are trading really high numbers for grocery stores and box store pharmacies (92% for Albertson’s or CVS) and particularly low numbers for chain restaurants (50% for Chili’s or Chipotle). If you have a really valuable gift card, you can earn some serious cash in exchange for the useless plastic in your wallet.

You can trade your current gift card to a member of one of these online gift card exchanges for a card at a store you like, or you can shop for discounted gift cards you can use at the stores you already visit. Either way, online gift card exchanges exist to fill a consumer need; sometimes we just want to get rid of those awful gift cards we get at holiday time.

Here’s a breakdown of three popular online gift card exchanges.

ABCGiftCards.com

This is a new player in the online gift card exchange world. Online since Fall of 2008, ABCGiftCards has earned a reputation as the largest discount online gift card dealer. You can also sell your gift cards to ABCGiftCards for some pretty good percentages. Most gift cards were exchanging at 70%, or seven bucks paid for every ten bucks on the gift card. The customer service at ABC is awesome — if your gift card isn’t listed on their page, you can call the company toll free to get a quote on its value. ABC has pledged to beat the numbers at all their competition, and will match advertised gift card values from other sites. ABC depends on their customers for business, so they want to offer good payment for the cards their customers want.

To get the best value for your gift cards at ABC, you need to have gift cards from specialty retailers or (best of all) a large gift card from a big chain grocery store. For instance, a $100 RiteAid card sold to ABCGiftCards.com tonight would earn the seller a check for $94.

The sale and trade process at ABC is top notch, and I’ll describe it here so you know what kind of service you should be getting from your gift card exchange service.

1. Buy a card from ABC with an equal or greater face value than the card you want to get rid of.
2. Pay with Paypal and have the cards shipped to a Paypal confirmed address.
3. Fill out a trade form within twenty four hours.
4. Wait for an email with shipping instructions to mail in your awful gif cards.
5. Wait a few days for your Paypal account to be credited for the trade amount less any transaction fees.

Not everything at ABC is rosy — I don’t actually think they have the largest selection of gift cards or the largest volume in gift card trading as they claim. As an active user of ABCGiftCards I can promise you that the selection at ABC is not as good as at either of the other sites in this review. But you can get great value for your trade, and they move really fast.

CertificateSwap.com

I only use CertificateSwap.com (a site aimed at exchanging gift certificates) for a few specialized purposes. The site advertises that users can “Buy, sell, and trade gift cards”, and they do a good enough job of two out of those three. The problem with CertificateSwap is that most of the “certificates” are vouchers for travel. Sure, there’s a few other types of certificates scattered around, but most of the business at CertificateSwap is in the form of credits for rental cars, airplane tickets, or hotel reservations.

Now that I’ve complained about that lack of variety, I kind of like that you can hit up one website for travel gift certificates. I know that I will save some money if I book a flight with an airline I can find on CertificateSwap, or a hotel chain that I buy a gift card for on CS.com. All of the trades are handled through the mail, and most of the business at this site is between members.

CertificateSwap.com is an ugly website with too many ads. There, I said it. I don’t like the “eBay ten years ago” style interface and at the end of the day, the lack of variety in the gift cards here makes it only valuable to me a few times a year when I fly.

GiftCardRescue.com

I have to include this specialty online gift card exchange because they’ve helped me out of some real gift card jams in the past. GiftCardRescue is one of the only online gift card services that will deal in so called “open loop” gift cards — re loadable cards and credit card branded gift cards such as Visa or Mastercard reloadable debit cards.

I understand that giving a credit card style gift card is a secure and classy way of giving someone money. Cash is pretty “blah”, and it seems like a cool idea to give a person a little card preloaded with money instead of a cheesy envelope with money in it. But I hate these open loop gift cards — it may be my least favorite gift. For starters, it is almost impossible to keep track of the running total on the card. I always feel awkward pulling out a Visa gift card on a date or pretty much in any public setting. I feel like it makes me look poor or incapable of having a real credit card. So when someone gifts me one of these open loop monsters, I know to head right for GiftCardRescue and barter for a good return.

I’ve sold four open loop cards to GCR and never made less than an 80% return. For a $500 gift card, that’s $400. Use these guys to sell that gift card that no one else will buy.

See also:

• Plastic Jungle Review
• What Are the Most Popular Gift Cards?
  

A gift card is a great way to send someone something simple and valuable at the same time. Gift cards are great for events like graduations or weddings because they stand in for gifts of cash, are more secure, and can be geared toward the needs or desire of the person you’re gifting.

$100 gift cards for as low as $70 to purchase brand name products at your favorite stores! PlasticJungle -Buy, sell & trade gift cards

When giving a gift card, it is important to know that you’re buying something the person will use. The amount of the gift card is not as important as the store or merchant that the gift card is valid for. Here are the ten most popular gift cards, based on sales numbers and reports from online gift card exchanges. Buying a person one of these ten gift cards is a really safe bet.

1. Visa Gift / American Express / MasterCard Gift Cards

Pros: These gift cards are sometimes re loadable (meaning the person can keep using them by loading their own cash into the card later) which is kind of unique — what other gift card turns into a fairly responsible way of handling your cash? Another upside for the cash card is that you can use them a lot of different places — anywhere that the brand on the front of the card is accepted.

Cons: Check the fine print on the back of the card before you buy it for a loved one — there are sometimes fees built into the card that make them far less valuable than a plain cash gift. Another downside for the branded gift cash card is the fact that they’re kind of dorky. Why didn’t the person gifting you trust you with a cash gift? It seems kind of impersonal, while cash tucked into an envelope is like a beautiful embrace.

2. Lowe’s Gift Cards

This hardware store gift card is a mainstay man gift. Even the wimpiest of men can find something they need at a big hardware store chain like Lowe’s, and to the manlier men in your life a gift card to Lowe’s is like a license to break something expensive. If you need a quick gift for someone with a Y chromosome, a gift card to a hardware store is almost never in bad taste. Check the person’s area first — if there’s not a Lowe’s in his area, do a quick Google search and find what chain is near enough to warrant a little gift card usage.

I don’t want to make it sound like only dudes will appreciate a Lowe’s card. My wife does all the painting and most of the yard work. She’d love a hardware store gift card as much as the sweatiest guy you can find.

3. iTunes Gift Cards

I would be hard pressed to come up with a downside for the iTunes gift card. Most people with computers have active iTunes accounts. Heck, my sixty year old parents are more active on iTunes than I am — that’s why a gift card to iTunes is great for just about anyone you need to gift. Cards for iTunes purchases are really great gifts for budget conscious people, too — you can buy a lot of Bruce Springsteen songs for a cool $20 on iTunes, so your gift will go a lot longer than a similarly priced card at any other retail store.

4. Walmart Gift Cards

A gift card to Walmart is really only appropriate in certain situations:

• If the person you’re giving a gift to is one of those “I love Wal-mart” types.
• If the person you’re giving a gift to has four or more children.
• If the person you’re giving a gift to earned the gift by getting married or having a baby.
• If the person you’re giving a gift to is from the state of Oklahoma.

Just kidding about the Oklahoma part, of course. The point here is not to give something as pedestrian as a Wal-mart gift card to someone for their Sweet Sixteen. Choose your Wal mart gift card opportunities wisely.

5. Target Gift Cards

See all the rules for Wal-mart, but change “the state of Oklahoma” to “pretty much anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.”

6. Home Depot Gift Cards

A gift card to the Home Depot is the more family friendly version of the Lowe’s gift card. The Home Depot seems to cater more to all members of the family, while Lowe’s has a certain air of machismo about it. I get the feeling that my grandmother would be as comfortable shopping at the Home Depot as she would be at a large gathering of other people who knit.

7. Fast Food Gift Cards

This is another gift card that really needs to be tailored to the person getting the gift. What’s the use of sending someone a Taco Bell gift card if they live smack in the middle of Taco Bueno country? Beyond that, you need to figure out if this is a person who could even use fast food giftcards. I know as many people who would never consider eating fast food as I do people who do it enough to use a gift card. But for the college students and commuting businesspeople in your life, a fast food gift card is a great idea.

8. Best Buy Gift Cards

Once upon a time, my local Best Buy had a massive collection of CDs and even cassette tapes at decent prices. We’re talking a truly eclectic mix of independent artists you couldn’t find anywhere else and the big ticket things to give to my idiot friends as gifts. That time is long gone — try to find anything deeper than Montell Jordan at a Best Buy, I dare you. I would never use a Best Buy gift card, and I’m fairly technologically savvy. This seems like a non gift, especially since Best Buy has terrible prices.

9. Macy’s Gift Cards

If a gift card to Lowe’s is the go to generic “man” gift, a Macy’s gift card is what you give to women. Yes, men can shop at Macy’s stores, just like women could theoretically make a purchase at Lowe’s, but such an incidence has never been observed in the wild. Macy’s stuff can be pricey, so a Macy’s gift card is like encouraging someone to spend a little extra for something nice for themselves, and as such this is a classy gift for any time of year.

10. Gas Cards

The price of gas fluctuates enough that the value of a gas station gift card is not always easy to figure out. Earlier this year I paid as little as $1.85 for a gallon of gas — the price is now just above $3 in my area, and that $1.15 difference per gallon makes my measly $25 BP gift card something of a disaster.

See also: Plastic Jungle Review

Types of Scripts

Since you’re learning how to write a screenplay, a good starting point is to learn the various types of scripts.

• Spec Script – Also known as a Submission Script, this is a screenplay that’s written with the hope that it will be purchased or optioned eventually. If you’re writing a screenplay for the first time, you’ll definitely be doing a Spec Script.
• Commissioned Screenplay – When a writer is hired to write a specific work for the screen, this is known as a Commissioned Screenplay.
• Shooting Script – Also known as a Production Draft, this is a script that’s been purchased and put through a series of rewrites. In this script, all the shots and scenes are numbered, and they’re broken down into the components needed to film them. This allows the order of filming to be arranged in a way that makes the most efficient use of cast, crew, sets, etc.

Before Writing a Screenplay

Before writing a screenplay, here are a few things you may want to consider:

• Read Screenplays – To get an idea of how the written word translates to the big screen, it’s a good idea to read the work of other screenwriters. You can read as few or many as you like, but it’s a good idea to expose yourself to as many ideas as possible. You can either purchase individual scripts or view them for free at sites such as ScreenWriterCenter and Drew’s Script-O-Rama.
• Take Classes – If you’ve never written a screenplay before, it would be worth your time (and money) to take a course in the subject. Any university with a film department should offer such a class, and it will allow you to become familiar with the fundamentals. Some classes may also require you to write a script as one of the requirements, which can be an excellent motivational tool for those less-than-focused screenwriters out there.
• Learn Proper Formatting – Besides creativity, one of the most important elements of learning how to write a screenplay is knowing the proper formatting. It’s not as simple as opening up Microsoft Works and typing away. There are a number of industry standards for screenplays, and many agents or studios will ignore it if proper formatting isn’t followed. You can find specific instruction on the Internet or in books such as “Screenwriting for Dummies,” “Screenplay,” and “How Not to Write a Screenplay.” Below, I’ve included a few of the most common requirements (there are many more).
• Formatting Requirements – A traditional screenplay is written on 3-hole punched paper measuring 8 1/2″ by 11″. Courier 12 font is normally used, and the top and bottom margins range from .5″ to 1″. The left margin measures between 1.2″ and 1.6″ (allowing for brads to be inserted), and the right margin is between .5″ and 1″. Dialogue margins are indented 2.5″ from the left, and 2.0″ to 2.5″ on the right. Dialogue is usually 30 to 35 spaces at the maximum. In the header of the upper right hand corner, a sequential number will appear on each page (except for the first page).

The average script is between 95 and 125 pages, and one page written in Courier 12 font equals roughly one minute of screen time. Dramatic scripts tend to be longer, while comedies and action films are usually shorter. Keep length in mind when writing your script, as some producers won’t bother to read one that’s considered too long. 125 pages is pushing it, as most modern Hollywood scripts are around 114 pages. The shorter the film, the more showings per day can be worked in at theaters.

While keeping up with all these rules can be a major pain, there is some good news: screenwriting software is available that instantly formats your script by industry standards.

Screenwriting Software

The following are some of the best examples of screenwriting software currently on the market:

• Montage Software (Mac only)
• Final Draft (Mac or PC – One of the default applications used by Hollywood screenwriters)
• Storyist (for Mac)
• Celtx (available on the Internet for free in Mac and PC formats)
• Adobe Story
• BPC-Screenplay
• FiveSprockets (offered for free online)
• Movie Magic Screenwriter (Mac or PC – One of the default applications used by Hollywood screenwriters)
• Movie Outline (Mac and PC)
• Page 2 Stage
• Plot Builder
• Screenwriting Pro
• ScriptBuddy
• Scripped

Screenwriting Tips

The following are screenwriting tips to keep in mind both during and after the writing process.

• Think Original – Try to come up with a script idea that hasn’t already been done 50 times. A fresh screenplay can often enhance your chances of someone in the industry wanting to read it.
• Set a Schedule – No matter what, set a goal to write for a certain amount of time each day. The screenwriting process can be an exhausting one, so it’s important to keep yourself motivated and never give up.
• The Importance of Dialogue – Great dialogue (and actors) can turn an average screenplay into a work of art. Pay special attention to your film’s dialogue, even if the focus is more on action or horror. If you’re unsure of how it will translate to the screen, you can always hire professional actors to read your script aloud (known as a “reading”). This will quickly give you an idea of what needs work.
• Rewrites – Nobody writes a script worthy of an Oscar on their first try. That’s why editing is so important. Read and re-read your script, looking for any dialogue or action that doesn’t drive the film forward in a meaningful way. When you find such an example, cut it from the script with extreme prejudice.
• Heroes Need Villains – Whether your character is fighting Asian mummies or cancer, it’s important to make the enemy seem as capable as possible. What’s a hero without a great villain?
• Shot Selection – While a screenwriter will need to include shots in their script, don’t go overboard. You’ll need to mention a shot occasionally in order to direct the eye of the audience, but leave the rest of that up to the director.

• Active Voice – The actions as described in your script should always take place in the present tense, not the past. Use the active voice.
• Proofread – Before you even think about submitting your script, make sure it’s free from all grammatical errors and misspellings. It’s also a good idea to get someone else to proofread your screenplay.

Register Your Work

Once you’ve completed your screenplay, be sure to register your work. This may not keep someone from stealing it, but it will give you a chance to sue them successfully. While a copyright begins the moment your create a piece of art, that won’t do you much good in court.

The first option is to register your script with the Writer’s Guild of America. It’s quick and easy, although the registration will expire more quickly than you might imagine.

The second option is to copyright your screenplay with the Library of Congress. This is a more involved (and slightly more expensive) process, but the copyright on your work will be valid for decades to come.

Write a Treatment

In many cases, producers will ask for a treatment of your script. This is an abbreviated version of your script that allows them to determine if they want to read the actual product. A treatment includes the title, logline, and synopsis.

• Title – Try to come up with a title that makes the audience want to know more. Simple is better.
• Logline – A one or two sentence pitch that describes the basic premise of your script. This is what producers will usually read first, so make it as compelling as possible.
• Synopsis – This should run between three and seven pages long and outline the script’s most important plot points. The film’s three primary acts will be discussed, and an overview of all the major characters will be given.

As I mentioned in the very first sentence, it’s a daunting task to write a Hollywood script. With so many rules–and the odds working against you–it’s a miracle that anyone ever sells a script in Hollywood. But they do, and thousands of serious spec scripts get written each year with the hopes of becoming the next Juno, Hurt Locker, or Little Miss Sunshine. So hone your skills, put on a fresh pot of coffee, and refuse to stop until you’ve made your own indelible mark on the industry.

See also:

• Resources for Screenwriters
• 2 Day Film School
• Top Film Schools
  

Film School – Attending a quality film school is a great way to learn the nuts and bolts of the business. If this isn’t an option, be sure to watch lots of movies and study their shot composition closely. Here’s a list of film schools to get you started.

Find a Script – You’ll need to find a script to shoot from, preferably one that has lots of dialogue and a limited number of locations. This will keep your budget low. Never use a permission without the permission of the writer.

Hire Actors – While members of the Screen Actor’s Guild can be hired, you’ll have to pay them a minimum amount of money per day. Amateur actors, on the other hand, may work for free (although you may get what you pay for). Posting an ad on Craigslist is a good way to find low-budget talent. Always make sure to have actors sign release forms.

Keep a Schedule – It’s important to know which scenes are going to be filmed each day and what performers will be needed.

Check About Permits – Does your town or city require a permit for filming? Find out before you begin, or you might be facing a fine.

Hire the Crew – Many of the crew may be willing to work for meals and credit on the film, and you can find cheap alternatives by checking local colleges and placing ads on Craigslist. If you can find crewmembers with their own equipment, that’s even better. Various crew positions can be found later in their article.

Rent Your Equipment – You’ll need a lighting kit, regardless of your budget (unless you want to deal with natural lighting). You’ll also need a camera (digital or film), tripod, boom microphone. And equipment for recording audio. Make sure that your camera has at least three chips (3CCD).

Shoot Your Movie – Now it’s time to shoot your movie. Make sure shoot every scene from multiple angles and cover all actors during dialogue. Stay on schedule and stick to the film’s budget.

Edit the Movie – After you’ve wrapped shooting, you’ll need to edit the film and sound. You’ll also need to add music. All of this can be accomplished with various editing software available for the Mac or PC.

Buying Film

You may decide to shoot digitally to keep the costs down. A digital movie camera can be purchased for less than what it costs to rent a film camera for a week (minus the film, of course). If not, you’ll need to purchase film for your camera. This brings up a number of questions, such as where to store the film, where to get it developed, whether to use 35mm or 16mm, and what kind of speed stock to purchase.

Film can drain your budget quicker than anything else, and having it developed only adds to the cost of doing business. There is a bright side, though. In some cases, the film companies may give you a special discount if you’re a student or low-budget filmmaker. This isn’t always the case, however, so don’t get your hopes up.

That’s why I recommend digital for the low-budget filmmaker. It’s slowly become an accepted medium within the industry, and you’ll be able to take the money you saved and set it aside in case of emergency.

Camera Shots

Experimenting with the different type of shots is important when learning how to film a movie. Each shot can change the look and feel of the movie, and utilizing the proper selection can elevate a pedestrian work of art into something truly majestic.

• Long Shot – Also known as a Full Shot or an Establishing Shot, this shot generally shows an entire object or human figure in relation to its surroundings.
• Medium Shot – Shows a figure from the chest up.
• American Shot – Also known as a ¾ shot, it shows a figure from the knees up. Often used in Westerns in order to include the holsters of a gunfighter.
• Close-up – Shows a figure from the neck up.
• Extreme Close-up – Only a certain part of an individuals face or body is visible. Also known as an “Italian Shot,” where only the character’s eyes are shown.
• Two Shot – Two figures are included in the shot.
• Low-Angle Shot – The subject of the shot is seen from a low angle.
• Point of View Shot – The camera serves as the eyes of a character.
• Over the Shoulder Shot – The camera peeks over the shoulder of one character, usually while they speak to another character. Most often used during conversations between characters.
• Crane Shot – Shows the characters from above, often moving up and away from them. The films Touch of Evil and High Noon both feature legendary examples of crane shots.

The Film Crew

It’s not enough to learn how to film a movie. As the process moves forward, you’ll soon find that you need to depend on many others to see your vision appropriately translated to the big screen. The following list includes a number of the film crew positions found in films with an average budget. While they can make your life easier, not all of them are required. This means someone working on a low-budget can cut many of them out and still get the job done.

• Director - Oversees the creative aspects of the film. In control of the cast and crew during filming. Some directors may also serve as producers.
• Production Coordinator – Assists with booking talent, renting equipment, and hiring the crew. If something needs to be organized, there’s a good chance that the production coordinator is responsible for it.
• First Assistant Director – Oversees the day-to-day management of the set, cast, crew, equipment, script, and schedule.
• Second Assistant Director – The chief assistant of the First Assistant Director.
• Stunt Coordinator – Hires stunt performers and coordinates any stunts.
• Production Assistant – Perform general tasks for the production office and assist the 1st AD with set operations. Known as a PA.
• Script Supervisor – Keeps track of what scenes have been filmed and how they differed from the script.
• Production Designer – In charge of makeup, props, costumes, and settings.
• Art Director – Oversees people such as the set decorator and set designer.
• Set Designer – Helps draw up the plans used to construct the set.
• Set Decorator – In charge of decorating a film set.
• Set Dresser – Applies and removes “dressing” to the set, such as drapes, furniture, and carpet.
• Buyer - Buys the items and material that the Set Dresser will be responsible for.
• Props Master – In charge of all props that appear in a film.
• Props Builder – In charge of building all the props that appear in a film.
• Armourer - Deals with any firearms that might be used on the set.
• Construction Coordinator – Oversees the construction of all sets.
• Make-up Artist – Apply make-up to the actors to alter their appearance. This can be as simple as applying rouge or as complicated as making the performer appear to be a monster.
• Director of Photography – The head of the lighting and camera crew, the DP works with the director to achieve a specific look for the film, often by using various filters, lenses, and lighting.
• Camera Operator – Operates the camera on behalf of the Director of Photography.
• Boom Operator – Uses a boom pole to position the boom mic above or below the actors, just out of frame.
• Gaffer – Head of the electrical department.
• Film Editor – Takes the film and assembles it into a story. They usually work with the director to accomplish this.
• Visual Effects Supervisor – In charge of the visual effects department.
• Composer – Writes the score for a film.
• Foley Artist – Creates and records the sound effects for a motion picture.

There’s a lot more to learn about how to film a movie, but hopefully this post has pointed you in the right direction. Making movies is the ultimate team effort, requiring the best from dozens or possibly hundreds of individuals. When it all comes together, however, the finished product is a sight to behold. Now get out there and make some magic of your own!

See also:

• Resources for Screenwriters
• 2 Day Film School
• Top Film Schools

Before you become the next Spielberg or Scorsese, you’ll need to know how to direct a film. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place, as this post is devoted to helping the aspiring director take those first awkward baby steps in the business. Not only will we discuss the responsibilities of the movie director, but we’ll also examine the different types of directors, as well as mistakes commonly made by beginners. By the time you’re finished with this guide on how to direct a film, you’ll be ready to dazzle Hollywood with your talent.

Directing Movies – What Does the Director Do?

So what does a movie director do? Their primary goal is to oversee the creative vision of a motion picture, which means taking the script and translating it into a series of moving images. It also entails approving every detail related to the on-screen product, including lighting, camera angles, set design, special effects, and more. In some cases, the director will also hire key members of the crew (such as the Director of Photography).

Directors will attend auditions and give input into the casting process. They will then work with any actors hired to bring the script to life. This may include a number of rehearsals or none at all. Since actors can often challenge the director’s vision or bring personal baggage onto the set, it’s important for a film director to be able to work well with other (or at least have the authority to fire any troublemakers).

When filming wraps, the director’s job isn’t done. They play a pivotal role in the post-production process, working with the editor to sift through the various shots and select the ones most appropriate to the narrative. The director must also decide which scenes are included in the film and which get cut out entirely. In addition to editing the film, the director will help oversee the mixing of the film’s score and sound.

How to Become a Director – Three Keys to Being a Good Director

While there are many qualities that make a good director, I believe the following three to be of utmost importance. Learning how to direct a film is crucial, but there’s more to the craft that knowing all the terminology and how equipment works.

1. The ability to tell a story
2. People skills
3. Determination

Types of Directors

When learning how to direct a film, it’s helpful to know which kind of director you are. The following list runs down some of the most common types, as well as providing some examples.

• Directors who produce their own films – Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Quentin Tarantino
• Directors known for B Movies and Z Movies – Uwe Boll, Roger Corman, and Ed Wood
• Directors who compose their own scores – John Carpenter, Robert Rodriguez, Satyajit Ray, Charlie Chaplin, and Clint Eastwood
• Directors who allow their actors to improvise – Werner Herzog, Spike Lee, Christopher Guest, Gus Van Sant, and Jean-Luc Godard
• Directors who want cast and crew to follow precise instructions – James Cameron, Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, and Alfred Hitchcock
• Directors who appear in their own films – Kevin Smith, Mel Gibson, Clint Eastwood, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Mel Brooks, and Charlie Chaplin
• Directors who write their own scripts – John Cassavetes, Woody Allen, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Tyler Perry, Billy Wilder, Ingmar Bergman, Terrence Malick, and Oliver Stone
• Directors who also serve as editor and/or cinematographer – Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Joel and Ethan Coen, Steven Soderbergh, and Nicolas Roeg

Joining the Director’s Guild

Membership has its privileges. That’s why you should join the Director’s Guild of America if you have a chance. It’s a union that includes directors, assistant directors, and several other positions in film and television. They protect the creative rights of their members, and one must be a member to work for the large studios. In addition, they have training programs where applicants can gain experience working in the industry. And it doesn’t hurt that guild members are guaranteed a minimum salary per week (in 2005, it was between $8000 and $15,000). To learn more about the Director’s Guild of America, be sure to check out their website.

Tips for How to Direct a Film

• Learn about acting – Since you’re going to be working with actors on a daily basis, it helps to understand them. Take some acting classes when you have a chance. Then the next time an actor is pestering you about their character’s motivation, you’ll know where they’re coming from.
• Map out characters – Once you’ve found a script, read over it carefully to establish the progression of each character. You may want to make notes and share them with each actor, as this should save time once filming begins.
• Storyboards – The use of storyboards are an important element of filmmaking, as they allow the entire cast and crew to understand what your vision looks like. If you want to save time (and money), there are numerous types of storyboard software available to assist you.
• Work with your actors – Pre-production doesn’t cost anything, so take advantage of this phase as much as possible. One of the best ideas is to read through the script with your actors and let them to get a feel for things. This also allows you to give notes on each character and the overall progression of the story. Once sets have been located or constructed, it’s also a good idea to perform “blocking,” where actors are instructed where to stand and move for each scene. In some cases, you may disagree with your actors about a certain line or scene. Hear them out, but remember that you’re ultimately the boss of the production.
• Coordinate with the AD and DP – The Director of Photography and Assistant Director are an immense help during filming. The DP will set up shots and help with the overall look of the film, while the AD will make sure that everything runs smoothly on the set and gets done the way you want it. Communicating your vision to these individuals is absolutely vital to the success of the film.
• Be prepared – Arrive early to the set each day and be prepared for all the scenes that are going to be filmed. It’s also a good idea to walk through each scene with the actors before shooting. Many things can go wrong while you’re making a movie, so always have a back-up plan ready to go. So when disaster strikes (and it will), you’ll be ready to roll with the punches.
• Have fun – Remember that directing a movie should be a fun process. After all, you could be working at a fast food restaurant or digging ditches for a living. Savor the experience and keep a positive mental attitude.

Common Mistakes New Directors Make When They’re Learning How to Direct a Film

When learning how to direct a film, it’s just as important to learn what NOT to do. The following list includes some of the most common mistakes by both novice and veteran directors.

• Always accept criticism from professionals – Even if you disagree with their opinions, it’s important to listen to constructive criticism from those with more experience than yourself.
• Don’t listen to criticism from friends and family – Unless they’re also a director, there’s a good chance your mother or girlfriend doesn’t know a thing about the craft of cinema. While there’s no reason to be rude, just don’t take their opinions to heart.
• Give the actors time – Some directors want to rush and not allow their actors proper time to build characters and hone their performances. Make sure to give your actors all the time they need–within reason, of course. Rehearsal is a good way to accomplish this.
• Don’t coddle the actors – If an actor isn’t living up to expectation, don’t be afraid to replace them.
• Don’t accept amateurs – Even a low-budget filmmaker can find professional actors to work with if they known where to look. You don’t have to settle for family and friends, unless you really want to.

That concludes our look at how to direct a film. There’s plenty more to learn about directing, and the Internet has a wide array of articles dedicated to the subject. Here’s hoping this post sparked your interest enough to seek them out. If so, I’ll be looking for your name up in lights.

See also: How to Produce a Film

Politicians need people with language skills to help them craft their message. A political speech is not a standalone thing, it depends on other speeches made by the same person, an entire campaign of action and words to back up the message being delivered. If a political speech was just a shot in the dark formed out of pretty words, any fool could string a few thousand words together and call it a speech.

People drawn to the political speech writing arena are those who are obsessed both with words and politics. Good political speechwriters cherish their privacy, otherwise their political side may encourage them to make their own run for office.

Like many jobs, there’s just no clear “career path” for people who aspire to write political speeches. There’s no “speech writing school” or national exam you can take to prove your abilities with words or your passion for making a difference politically. Naturally, there are some career paths that speechwriters tend to have followed in the past.

What Careers Are Good Training for Speech Writing?

Many political speechwriters come out of journalism school, or a career with a newspaper. The ability to condense information into a form that’s fit for newspaper printing is a skill you”ll use time and again as a speechwriter, and proving your abilities as a writer or editor for a few years at a major paper is as easy as a reference from an old boss. There’s a great old quote by an anonymous political speechwriter that sums this up — “Instead of reporting what others are doing, [as a speechwriter] I write for people who are doing things.”

Another field that will come in handy when writing political speeches — public relations. Untold numbers of people working in the West Wing have come out of giant corporate PR offices, or as freelance employees of various PR entities. Knowing how to communicate with the press and the general public is the domain of the speechwriter.

What Else Can I Do to Prepare Myself for a Career as a Speechwriter?

It would only make sense for you to study the careers of famous speechwriters from the past. Look up names like Ted Sorensen, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Peggy Noonan, and even more modern names like Chris Matthews or Jon Favreau (not the actor, but Obama’s speechwriter) in order to learn from their successes and failures. Every one of those names followed a different career path to make it as political speechwriters, and all have had noteworthy careers preparing statements and creating policy for big name politicians.

It wouldn’t hurt to get a degree in political science from as fancy a school as you can swing. You don’t need an Ivy League education, but I’m not saying it won’t help your chances at landing a speech writing job. Many people advising others in how to go for a career in politics suggest that a poli sci degree isn’t enough, but the truth is that you don’t need to double major. People who suggest that political science majors study Psychology in order to “learn about people” don’t realize the passion level of most people interested in speech writing. Surely, you’ll come to an understanding of psychology all on your own.

You need to be a voracious reader to make it as a speechwriter. Read poetry, novels, history, current events, anything you can get your hands on. A broad education is vital to your success as a speechwriter — be a jack of all trades and a master of none. Read an encyclopedia series from beginning to end. Be the know it all. The best speechwriters in history were basically generalists, people who knew a little about a lot, and could appreciate the historic context of politics.

You need to begin volunteering for political campaigns as soon as you can walk — a future as a speechwriter depends on making a name for yourself in the political community, and that doesn’t happen overnight. It doesn’t matter if you work on a local campaign, a state run for Senate, or even national campaigns — experience is experience. To put a new twist on an old political saying, “Volunteer early and volunteer often.”

Building your reputation as a reliable volunteer will have you moving up the ranks from answering phones, to go-fering, through several more unglamorous and boring chores until one day you’re asked to hold a job with some real responsibility. learn a political campaign inside and out, from handing out flyers to getting elbows deep in fundraising. The more valuable you are to a campaign, the more likely the top brass is to remember your name.

Speechwriter Salaries – How Much Money Do Speechwriters Make?

The top end of a speech writer’s average salary is basically unlimited. President Obama’s head speechwriter cleared nearly $200,000 last year. There are also plenty of speechwriters working freelance, scraping the bottom of the barrel and barely getting by. Your salary is completely dependent upon your experience and the success of the candidate you write for.

If you want to get into political speech writing for the money, remember this old adage. The best way to make a small fortune in politics is to start with a large fortune.

What Do Speechwriters Do?

It is as difficult to pin down the exact duties of a speechwriter as it is to come up with an average salary. A speechwriter is a learner, a political junkie, and a crucial part of the decision process on policy matters. A speechwriter divides their time during the day between catching up on the news, reading everything that comes across their desk (and much more besides), meeting with a candidate and various election committees, communicating with the media in some cases, and (oh yeah) writing up a storm.

In short, a speech writer’s job is only a success if the original objective of the speaker — that message he wanted to deliver — comes across clearly and makes an impact on the audience. A good speech is hard to define but easy to recognize — the flow of words in a political speech is as important as the words themselves. Getting an education in political science is just the first step. Absorbing a lifetime of knowledge and compartmentalizing it in speeches will pretty much take care of the rest.

Learning how to produce a film can be a tricky proposition, and entire books have been filled with tips and techniques. This article is designed to provide the most basic of information, starting with the development phase and ending with you selling your product to a studio. Along the way, we’ll also cover elements such as finding investors, renting equipment, hiring a director, and tracking down the next Oscar-winning script. While producing a feature film isn’t easy, it’s a rewarding process that allows you to interact with a wide array of individuals and possibly even increase the size of your bank account.

What is a Producer?

Before you learn how to produce a film, it helps to know exactly what a producer does. There are actually a number of different kinds of producers, and this section will take a look at each.

Producer - The film producer, also known as a movie producer, begins the process of making a film. They raise funds for the movie, select the script, hire the cast and crew, and generally manage the overall process. From development to post-production, the producer is involved in the filmmaking process. While the director may have creative control in some cases, the producer often wields equal or greater power (especially in the case of the major studios). The producer can usually fire the director if problems arise.

Executive Producer – This title is normally given to a producer with a financial interest in a film.

Line Producer – A member of a film’s production team, the line producer manages the day to day aspects of a production. They are always present on the set, and they keep track of the film’s budget. They make also arrange deals with vendors and hire members of the crew.

Do Your Homework

While you’ll no doubt learn valuable lessons about how to produce a film along the way, it never hurts to do a little (or a lot) research before you begin. While reading books on the subject might not be a bad idea, it’s even better to attend film seminars and film production classes. Websites and trade publications on the subject are also helpful, and never be afraid to try to network and get advice from those with experience in the field. Another option involves watching the production process unfold, which is where a series like the HBO/Bravo Project Greenlight comes in.

Producing a Movie – Four Phases of Production

Now that you know what a producer does and you’ve put in some time doing research, it’s time to learn the nuts and bolts of how to produce a film. To do so, we’ll walk through the four phases of production step by step.

Development – The first thing you’ll want to do is secure the services of a decent entertainment attorney. Making a movie does a legal side to it, and things can get pretty hairy if you don’t have some manner of representation. In a perfect world, you’ll find someone who’s knowledgeable about entertainment law but still new enough not to charge
rates that are through the roof.

Learn this word and learn it well: deferment. This means a payment that occurs once the film is sold. If you can get a deferment on the salary of the cast or crew, then you won’t have to pay them until the film is sold. This allows you to keep the budget as low as possible, and, if the movie doesn’t sell, you’ll never have to pay off the deferment. This won’t always be an option, but it’s certainly one that’s worth looking into.

Now that you’ve secured the services of an attorney and learned a trick for keeping expenditures to a minimum, it’s time to go out and find yourself a script. Assuming you’re looking to produce a low-budget independent film, you’ll want to seek out scripts that allow you to save money. I’m talking films with plenty of dialogue and a minimum of locations. It’s unwise to attempt to make the next great Biblical epic on a limited budget.

To locate a quality script, spend some time browsing spec script websites, and place ads in industry publications. There are plenty of writers looking to break into the business, so you should have plenty of screenplays to choose from. This trick is finding one that’s actually of a high quality. Optioning a script will grant you exclusive rights for a period of time, usually 18 months. You’ll normally pay a fee to option the script, then another fee if the film goes into production. For writers with no previous experience, you can often buy the script for just a few thousand dollars. If they’re a member of the Writer’s Guild of America, however, expect to shell out a considerably higher amount (although the quality of work is often greater).

Try to avoid scripts that include animals, children, and lots of explosions. The latter requires and expert to handle such things, otherwise you could wind up with serious injuries on the set. Children and animals are notoriously difficult to deal with, so try to bypass them if at all possible. Also stay away from scenes that require shooting on the water (how do you think the Waterworld production went so over budget?).

While the producer keeps everything moving in the right direction, you’re also going to need a director to handle the creative side of things. You’ll need someone who can stay on schedule, work well with actors, and generally has their act together. You can always search through Internet films to find potential directors, as well as attending festivals devoted to short films and student films. Plenty of directors are looking to break into the industry, so the biggest challenge is simply finding one with real talent. If you’re willing to spend a little more money on a director, you can also consult the membership of the Director’s Guild of America.

Unless you have piles of extra money sitting in the bank, you’ll also need to find investors to fund the film. Friends and family can always be approached, but the serious money may need to come from an outside source. Keep your ears open for local businessmen and wealthy types who are looking to invest in a project. You’ll need to make a professional presentation to sell them on the project, and you’ll also need to illustrate how they’re going to make a profit. Most investors aren’t keen on just throwing money away. In most cases, the investor will be the first person to receive money if the film sells. The remaining money will then be split between the producer and the investor, with any deferments coming out of the producer’s cut.

When searching for investors, make sure to deal with reputable individuals who can afford to absorb a loss. This way, you don’t have to worry about threatening phone calls or physical confrontations if the film fails to get sold. Also be aware that some investors may make certain demands before they commit, such as changing a scene or having a spouse or relative cast. Before you accept such demands, make sure you and the director will be able to live with them in the long run.

Pre-production – Now that you’ve got a budget, director and script, you need to hire your crew. Make sure you hire people who will take the shooting process seriously and work hard. Professionals with limited experience are always a good option, as are film students (the latter will work for far less money).

If you’re really ambitious, you can hire a Unit Production Manager to keep track of the budget and hire crew members, or you can save money by doing this yourself. An Assistant Director will go over the script and develop a shooting schedule. A Director of Photography will operate the camera and give the film it’s visual look, although the director may serve in this capacity for a low-budget production. You may also consider people to build a set or handle lighting, although money can be saved by getting other crew members (non union) to wear multiple hats.

Equipment will need to be rented, and this includes cameras and lights. You can shoot in 35mm or 16mm, but film is very expensive to wok with. To save money, you may want to shoot with digital video instead. Such a camera can be purchased for the cost of renting a film camera for just a week. DV has become an acceptable format, so this is the way to go for a low-budget production.

Once you know where you want to shoot, you’ll need to make sure that the owners sign a location release contract (your lawyer will be able to help draw up such agreements). Unless you’re just dying to shoot at a particular location, avoid paying to do so. To save money, you can always offer the property owners a small role in the film.

Actors are also a must, unless you plan for your film to simply consist of buildings and plants. It’s important to get the highest-quality actors available, and theatrical performers will often work for low wages in order to add a film credit to their resume. Members of the Screen Actors Guild will demand higher wages (a minimum of $100 per day up to thee days, and $75 per day after that), but their talents are often superior (although not always).

Ultimately, you want performers who embody the roles they’re playing, regardless of their level of experience. You and the director can conduct the casting process yourself in order to save money, and it’s always a good idea to let the director in on the process, since he or she will be the one working with the performers on a daily basis. Amateur actors will often work for peanuts, while performers with representation will have their agent conduct the negotiations for salary.

Production – Now it’s time to shoot the film. The director will largely take over at this point, although you’ll need to make sure that he and the crew stay on schedule and under budget. Feed your cast and crew regularly, and try to give them at least 10 hours between shooting days.

Making a film can be an arduous process, so you want to ensure that everyone is fed and as rested as possible. When production is completed, make sure to throw a wrap party for the cast and crew. It’s a great way for everyone to unwind.

Post-production – Once shooting is completed, it’s a good idea to take a little time off to recuperate from the stress and strain. A few days are an appropriate length of time, and no longer than a week is suggested.

Now it’s time to begin the editing process, which will mainly be conducted by the editor and the director. The same process will also be done with the music and sound, and the producer should oversee each phase to make sure things are going according to plan (and schedule).

Film Festivals – Selling You Film

Once your film is completed, you’ll need to sell it to a distributor. This is where film festivals come in. These events are held annually all over the world, and they allow filmmakers and distributors to come together to do business.

Filmmakers normally pay an entry fee to have their works considered, although this isn’t always the case. If your film is accepted, it will be seen by members of the public, as well as representatives of various studios. If any of the latter individuals are interested, they’ll approach you about the possibility of purchasing your movie. While getting money up front is the best possible option, many distributors prefer to offer residuals based on how well the movie does. Other options include self-distributing your film on the Internet.

• Sundance Film Festival – The largest independent film festival in North America.
• Cannes Film Festival – Founded in 1946 and held in Cannes, France, this is the most famous film festival in the world and one of the most prestigious.
• Tribeca Film Festival – Held annually since 2002 in New York City.
• Berlin International Film Festival – Founded in 1951, this is the largest publicly-attended festival in the world. Held at the same time as the European Film Market, an annual film trade fair.
• South by Southwest – Annual film festival held in Austin, Texas. Created in 1987, the festival focuses on new directing talent and is frequented by names such as Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.
• Ann Arbor Film Festival – Started in 1963, it’s the oldest experimental film festival in North America.
• San Francisco International Film Festival – The oldest continuously running film festival in North America.
• Toronto International Film Festival – Second only to Cannes in terms of prestigious film festivals.
• Cartagena Film Festival – The oldest film festival in Latin America, focusing on Latin American television, video, and film.
• Raindance Film Festival – The largest independent film festival in the United Kingdom.
• Venice Film Festival – The oldest film festival on the planet, it has been held annually on the island of Lido, Venice, Italy since 1932.
• Telluride Film Festival – Founded in 1974, the Telluride Film Festival is one of the more expensive and exclusive festivals in the world.
• After Dark Horrorfest – An annual horror film festival featuring eight indie horror flicks and a handful of unannounced movies. Movies shown are later released on DVD as “8 Films to Die For.”

For even more options, be sure to check out this list of film festivals from A1 Movie Reviews.

Now that you have an idea of how to produce a film, get out there and start putting together the next surprise indie hit. The entire process is a demanding one, but attending film festivals, rubbing elbows with celebrities, and making a potential profit all make it worthwhile.

See also: How to Direct a Film