Nice tips, I could write an entire book on newbie mistakes in IM (actually maybe I will...). Buying the right products is really important. You've gotta educate yourself about this stuff and while buying junk stuff won't help you, you've gotta learn some way. Forums can be a good source of information, but there are so many jokers out there, it's hard to know who to take notice of and who to ignore. My advice for newbies is to learn as much as you can, implement stuff and make sure you learn from your failures. Thats the difference between those who fail (long term) and those who kick ass. I've screwed up so many times myself but every time I do, I learn something new. Sean