INPUT ARTICLE: Article: To activate the microphone on your walkie talkie, press the “push-to-talk” or “PTT” button. On almost all makes and models, the PTT button is the biggest button on the radio and it’s almost always on the side of the unit. On some radios, the button will simply be labelled “talk” for short.  On an earpiece, the PTT button is on the small case attached to the cable near the top of the earpiece. You can still use the regular TPP button with an earpiece in if you prefer. Keep in mind that only 1 person on a frequency can talk at a time. If 2 people speak at the same time, the signal will be difficult for others on the channel to understand and the 2 people speaking won't hear incoming messages. With the PTT button held down, raise the unit so that the microphone is 1⁄2–2 inches (1.3–5.1 cm) away from your lips. On higher-end radios, the microphone is normally right underneath the antenna and will look like a vent. On cheaper radios, look for a small group of holes in the plastic case. Waiting 1-2 seconds before speaking allows your walkie talkie to establish a clear connection  with the other radios on the frequency. If you don't pause before speaking, the beginning of your  message might get cut off and you may have to repeat yourself. This is usually a problem for cheaper radios, but it's still a good idea to wait at least 1 second to establish the connection before you speak. Keep the button held down and say whatever you need to say. It can be kind of tricky to make out what people say over a radio so it helps if you keep your messages short. Think about what you want to say before pressing the PTT button and enunciate each word so that everyone can clearly hear what you’re trying to say.  Avoid saying personal or private things over a walkie talkie unless you know for a fact that everyone on the channel is wearing an earpiece and it’s essential that everyone hears it. If you’re using a radio in a professional setting, avoid using it to chat about random things that aren’t related to your work. Radio lines should generally be kept open for important information. Once you’re done talking, quickly release the PTT button and hold the radio up to your ear. You will not be able to hear anyone if the PTT button is still being held down, since the PTT button automatically shuts the speaker off. This prevents the microphone from picking up white noise or cross-talk, so keep your finger off of the button while you’re waiting for a response. Repeat this process whenever you want to talk. Hold the button down to talk and release it to listen. After every use, plug your walkie talkie in to let it charge when you’re not using it. This way you’ll have a set of fully-charged radios when you need them. This is especially important in a professional situation where the radios are being used daily, since they tend to take a long time to charge. Some cheaper radios rely on batteries and can’t by charged. Keep a set of spare batteries nearby in the event that the batteries in the radio die.

SUMMARY: Hold the button on the side of the radio to turn the microphone on. Position your mouth close to the microphone. Wait 1-2 seconds before you start speaking. Keep your message short and pronounce words clearly. Release the button immediately after speaking and wait for a response. Turn your radio off and charge it after every use.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You will need enough lace to wrap around your thigh 1 time with about 1 in (2.5 cm) of overlap, so you may want to measure your thigh before you buy the ribbon. Make sure that the lace is stretchy before you buy it! Non-stretch lace ribbon will not work for this project.  White or off white lace makes a pretty garter. Opt for blue lace if you need something blue for your wedding ensemble! Go with black or red lace for something daring and sexy. Wrap the ribbon around your thigh and overlap the ends by 1 in (2.5 cm). Then, mark the spot where you want to cut the ribbon with your finger. Take the ribbon away from your leg and then cut a straight line across it where you are grasping it. Make sure to use a pair of sharp scissors to cut the lace! Cut straight across and be careful not to create any jagged edges. When you have finished decorating the lace ribbon how you want it to look, match up the ends so that the decorations are on the inside of the loop. Insert a pin through the ends of the ribbon to hold them together. By pinning the ends this way, the raw edges of the ribbon will be hidden on the inside of the garter.

SUMMARY: Choose 3 in (7.6 cm) wide stretch lace ribbon. Cut a piece of lace ribbon 1 in (2.5 cm) wider than your thigh. Pin the ends of the ribbon together.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You can create an account using your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account, or you can create an account using a separate email address. Making a personal account on HootSuite is free. HootSuite allows you to add all of your social networks to one account, letting you easily see all of your updates and feeds in one window. In order to do so, you will need to log in with each of the networks that you want to connect. Connections are made through each company's respective login system; HootSuite does not receive or store your passwords.  When you first create your account, you will be asked which social networks you would like to add. You can add and remove other networks later by clicking the "+Add Social Network" button on your HootSuite dashboard. HootSuite has built-in support for Twitter, Facebook, Google+ Pages, LinkedIn, foursquare, WordPress, and Mixi. You can add in support for other networks through apps. If you have multiple accounts on one service, you can add them all to one HootSuite account. You can either click the "+Add Stream" button at the top of the dashboard, or use the "Add a stream" tool that opens to the right of your current streams. Select the social network and then add the feed that you want to monitor. This may be the News Feed from Facebook, someone your follow on Twitter, or just about any other aspect of your Social Networks that you want to track. Click the "+" button at the top of your dashboard next to your existing tabs. These tabs allow you to organize and collect related streams in one place. You can have a "Work" tab, a "Personal" tab, and even a "Kardashian" tab. It's all up to you and how you want to organize your information. Each tab can have streams from any of your connected networks. The top bar of the HootSuite dashboard is your message tools. Use the drop-down menu on the left to select the social networks that you want to post to. You can post to as many of your networks as you'd like in one post. You an post whatever you'd like and even include links, images, and location tagging. When your message is ready, click the "Send Now" button to post it to all of your selected networks.  Keep in mind that Twitter has a character limit of 140. You can schedule your post for a later date by clicking the calendar icon.

SUMMARY:
Create your account. Add your networks. Add streams. Create multiple tabs. Post messages. Write your message in the "Compose" box.