Selasa, 17 April 2012

9 Tactics for Effective Social Media Optimization

What do you know about social media aside from the fact that it has billions of members put together?

Hmm, let us look into some of the most interesting insights regarding the Web’s leading network sites.


  • As of 2012, Facebook already has over 800 million active members with beyond 3.5 billion content pieces (e.g. news, links, images, blog posts, etc.) shared every week. 
  • Twitter has around 100 million active users and half of this population logs in at least once every month. 
  • Around 34% of marketers have obtained leads, while 20% of them have closed deals through their Twitter account. 
  • An estimated 92% of Twitter members retweet interesting content, while 84% retweet humorous posts. 
  • Google+ came out in June 2011 and garnered approximately 10 million users in less than a year. At the end of the year, it had 62 million members. As of January 2012, it has 90 million users. 
  • The +1 button is used over five billion times each day, while its iPhone app turned out to be the most popular application among other Apple apps. 


9 Tactics for Effective Social Media Optimization


Now, the list seems quite short. But you can actually learn hundreds of other amazing facts about social media though not here because we want to focus on combining it with search engine optimization, which takes us to the next part.

The Merge of Social Media and SEO

Judging from the figures above, you can see the great global reach of social media. But what does it mean for you?

If you wish to connect with a large audience because you want to share your passion in life or you wish to promote your offers, you can do it through platforms like Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. Surely, you can convey your message to millions of people given that these sites are among the biggest and most effective social tools today.

With that said, let us proceed to...

Social SEO Strategies

When it comes to the combination of social media activities and search engine optimization techniques, the following are definitely worth your time and effort.

1. Remember to place your blog articles and other sharable content with Google+ buttons. This way, you can allow convenient and easy social sharing among your target readers.

2. Make a Google+ page for personal or business use. Then, share all your Web pages on it.

3. Come up with unique, original, and engaging topics on your Google+ page. And, do not forget to incorporate relevant keywords.

4. Take time to boost your Google+ network and create several circles. By doing this, you can encourage plenty of people to share your content.

5. Request the members in your network to click on your +1 buttons.

6. You must also create a Twitter and Facebook profile or fan page. This way, you can enhance your social media presence by posting your blog or official website content on these pages. As a note, it is not the shares but the links (from the other users) that help optimize your platform and content. Therefore, try to generate links as much as possible.

7. Write complete details about yourself or your company on the “About” field. While doing so, make sure that you start the bio with your name or trade name. Additionally, include keywords such as your interest on technology, social media, or blogging. Then, link to your blog site and other profile pages. If you are networking for business purposes, your bio must have information about your offers and a link to your official website.

8. Promote your blog posts or site content through any social media activity such as Tweets, Wall post updates, and Google+ posts.

9. Finally, remember that your ranking in search engine results is not the only measure of your success. This means that you do not have to keep on stuffing your updates with keywords or links. You must also focus on offering your target audience with informative and relevant content to gain their trust on you or your brand.

Strategic Considerations for Social Media Activities

As you are carrying out the techniques above, you have to consider the following aspects too.


  • Social shares – These usually include Likes, Google +1’s, and Retweets, which help in pulling your page rank up. 
  • Content + shares – The more users share your content to their friends, the wider your online reach is. Apart from boosting your Web presence, you get to enhance your credibility and authority. 
  • User preferences and online behaviour – Whether your social profiles are for personal or marketing use, it is best to consider your audience’s inclinations. With that said, focus on what interests them rather than your own concerns. As a tip, it helps to create content about trending topics. 


Do you find the pointers difficult? If you are new to social media, these strategies may be a bit tough. But as you spend more time on your profile pages, you will actually find it fun to interact with other users from all over the world.

About the Author: Emma Tomlinson is the Head of Retail at Smart Traffic, an SEO company listed at the Top 10 of the Microsoft Tech Track 100 for 2011.


Google Redesign its URL shorting service Goo.gl


After redesigning Google+, Google has just redesigned its URL shorting service goo.gl. The new interface looks neat, simple and easy to use.

The new redesign comes into play when you view stats of particular goo.gl url. To view the stats of the URL just use "+" at the end of the URL.

It has been divided into five major section:

1. Total Clicks


2. Referrers 



3. Browsers 



4. Countries 



5. Platforms 

 




Tell us what you think about new design in the comment section below     


Minggu, 08 April 2012

How to Determine Whether to Buy iPad 2 or the New iPad


                   
Buying a gadget device is a very great and thrilling experience, especially when it’s a tablet from Apple Inc. The graphics, the feel of adding a new device to your collection makes it even more inviting to buy, but with all these great promises comes a task: and that’s the task of choice.
With Apple’s introduction of the latest iteration of its popular iPad tablet, many would be thinking of buying one while it’s still fresh in the market. My friend was even suggesting getting an open door loan to buy a tablet. As one would expect, sales for the previous version would have significantly dropped, but so will the price.

Aside the confusion, there are many other factors that makes the new iPad stand out and different from its predecessor. Below are some things you might consider before making your final choice.
5 Megapixel Rear Camera
With the rear camera on the iPad 2, there’s much to be desired about having a camera on a tablet. While many might not buy the idea of using an iPad as a replacement for camera, you’ll find that of the new iPad tablet creative. With the new 5-magepixel sensor the iPad has, you will get the same quality as the iPhone 4S and the camera also allows you to shoot in 1080p HD video.
However, the VGA camera in the new iPad remains the same as that in the iPad 2, which has made those looking for teleconferencing on the iPad run from it.
But with the type of quality I was able to get when shooting video for my open door loan campaign, I was anticipating the newly released iPad will be much greater.
4G LTE
No one planning to buy a new iPad tablet can afford to ignore this offer. LTE (Long Term Evolution) cellular technology is, at the moment, the fastest technology you can think of. This has never been in the Apple tablet until now. 4G LTE makes browsing the internet on your mobile device almost 10x as fast as the normal 3G experience, but at the same price.
So if you are considering buying an iPad but don’t know which of the two is a good choice for you, you might have to put this into consideration.
But, not all ISPs are supporting the technology yet, which makes the 3G roaming the new iPad has a good deal.
Higher Resolution
Not so long, Apple introduced what is known as retina display. The idea is that the screen of the device having it will be packed with more pixels and the image display will surpass that of other graphic devices.
The new screen on the iPad has twice the resolution on the previous one. It has doubled from 1024 x 768 to 2058 x 1536. The advantage of this is when you hold the iPad at an optimal distance of 15-inches from your eye it produces an image that is higher in resolution than that of the HD television.
Price
Lastly, you might want to make your choice based on the price both devices go for. iPad 2 now sells at $399 which is now cheaper than its actual price. It’s a steal for that price.
The new iPad, however, goes for $499, that is $100 higher than the price of iPad 2.
Above all, whichever of the devices you go for depends solely on your taste.

Authot Bio
Peter writes for www.opendoorloan.co.uk where you can get further information about open door loans.

Jumat, 06 April 2012

Top 60 Posts About Google+ from the Past Week


Special thanks to +CircleCount for special tool(announcement coming soon)







1. Google+ | How to structure and format your lengthy posts - By +Ahmed Zeeshan > http://goo.gl/xKGiw
2. How to get noticed and engage with people? - By +Dolidh Young > http://goo.gl/cwYMg
3. 14 Ways To Learn How To Helpfully Ride The Coattails Of Google+ influencers. - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/HuPXR
4. Google+ Circle Management and Stream Behavior - By +Adam Simmons > http://goo.gl/4ELxC
5. Google+: Designed for Introverts? - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/uN9rH

=======================================================
6. Get free Google+ Guide By +MakeUseOf - By +Rahul Roy > http://goo.gl/S85CU
7. How do you "get ahead" on Google+? - By +Alexander Becker > http://goo.gl/AVQWc
8. Top Verified Females in Google+ as per CircleCount.com 03/30/2012 - By +Lynette Young > http://goo.gl/qoY6f
9. What the Plus? with Guy Kawasaki - By +Tim Moore > http://goo.gl/wjGvu
10. "What is Author Rank, How is it calculated, and Why should I care?" - By +Tim Moore > http://goo.gl/yWZws

=======================================================
11. Are you having a Positive psychological and emotional experience on Google+? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/mAKzg
12. Google+ Tips: Curated-Topic Pages - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/8qMwT
13. What The Plus??? 5 Reasons Why I Hate Guy Kawasaki - By +Mathis Conner > http://goo.gl/f0WoR
14. How to use Google+ - By +Al Jazeera English > http://goo.gl/wQ4Gy
15. Why The New Blogger Google+ Gadgets Are Important - By +the g+ resource > http://goo.gl/VWwef

=======================================================
16. Introducing Extended Photos for Google+! - By +Mohamed Mansour > http://goo.gl/rPPKx
17. Google+'s Secret Weapon: Real Life - By +Eli Fennell > http://goo.gl/uMVsi
18. Is your Google+ quiet? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/9rfGN
19. Google is starting to push for more active Google+ Users - By +Colby Brown > http://goo.gl/iRV3P
20. 7 Point Google+ Pinterest Plan Of Action With 8 Free Resources - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/y29ba

=======================================================
21. Is monetizing Google+ the elephant in the room? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/B0ucB
22. How positively engaging are you in Google+? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/kQ2Ac
23. Sharing and Notifying - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/59u5p
24. Should teenagers on Google+ be tagged as such ? - By +Hannah Roberts > http://goo.gl/EnRlu
25. Some Thoughts On Ripples - By +Meilani MacDonald > http://goo.gl/g3jlO

=======================================================
26. Google+ Hashtag Decorations - Like them or not? - By +Ronnie Bincer > http://goo.gl/4GruA
27. YouTube Home page shows Google+ 'Friend's' Activity - By +Ronnie Bincer > http://goo.gl/qlpM0
28. Simple Google+ Tips to Jump Start Your Marketing - By +PJ Rosenberg > http://goo.gl/oy7ET
29. Easily Page Switching on GooglePlus - By +James Lawson-Smith > http://goo.gl/nZLcO
30. Google+ in 129 Words! - By +Brock Predovich > http://goo.gl/ZETkO

=======================================================
31. FAQs about HashTags - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/LFVXl
32. Google+ Tips: Circle Management - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/c90vs
33. THE +Gabriel Vasile COLLECTION OF G+ RELATED POSTS - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/DZVY8
34. Hangout Comments Tracker - By +Gerwin Sturm > http://goo.gl/mg7Y5
35. Google+ UX: View Posts By Type - By +M Sinclair Stevens > http://goo.gl/yV6TS

=======================================================
36. How to improve your Customer Service through Hangouts - By +Google Engage for Agencies > http://goo.gl/5dL9m
37. Must have 150 Following You For ANY degree of stickiness. - By +Hermine Ngnomire > http://goo.gl/nvU4d
38. Google Plus SEO Testing Network - Introduction - By +G Plus SEO > http://goo.gl/BWIun
39. Wondering if you should focus on Google+ or Pinterest? - By +Denis Labelle > http://goo.gl/1v4Z5
40. Use Ripples to say THANK YOU! - By +Arvid Bux > http://goo.gl/zn4EN

=======================================================
41. Find Google+ Business Page and Profile Overlap - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/DRG2I
42. How to add a Google+ Timeline to your Blog - By +Steve Gill > http://goo.gl/cV7eS
43. Business Tools, Tips & Tricks #ezine No.1 Google Apps / Chromebook / Google+ - By +Robert E. del Sol > http://goo.gl/i3Uip
44. What is your passion? - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/ngkax
45. Google+ For Photographers by Colby Brown - By +mark waslick > http://goo.gl/qMso8

=======================================================
46. A Guide to Google+ Settings - By +Shamil Weerakoon > http://goo.gl/Vgbbh
47. Google+ commercials - By +Moritz Tolxdorff > http://goo.gl/TnUwg
48. What if +Google+ made more commercials like this? - By +Peter G McDermott > http://goo.gl/rUa8P
49. Link your Google+ profile to the content you create - By +Denis Labelle > http://goo.gl/bYfhJ
50. 97.3% Of The People On Google+ Have Less Than 250 Followers - By +Johan Horak > http://goo.gl/z1ee2

=======================================================
51. How To Do Circle Notifications In Google+ - By +the g+ resource > http://goo.gl/yDc08
52. How to Reorder Your Google+ Circles for Stream Reading - By +Mark Traphagen > http://goo.gl/mFTXv
53. Find Google+ Conversations Easily - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/uUZ9B
54. RESULTS: Your Google+ self: Private or Public? - By +Brian Titus > http://goo.gl/WERtc
55. How to format text in Google+ posts - By +Stefan Svartling > http://goo.gl/nDDck

=======================================================
56. Google sees Google+ growing to 500m users - By +Dirk Talamasca > http://goo.gl/yXmNq
57. Facebook is Alcohol, Google+ is Coffee? - By +Lucas Johnson > http://goo.gl/CMLLS
58. *How To Turn Off What's Hot* - By +Amanda Blain > http://goo.gl/xYWTQ
59. *How To Turn Off What's Hot* - By +Amanda Blain > http://goo.gl/6mgQT
60. Find Your Updated Follower Count on Google+ - By +Up Your Plus > http://goo.gl/TxrNU

====================Bonus===========================
61. I LOVE Google+ and My Google+ Family! - By +HEATHER FAY > http://goo.gl/FcgG0
62. Google+ Improvement Survey - By +Mark Traphagen >
63. Community Driven Circles - By +Anthony Fox > http://goo.gl/pqubB
64. How To Fail At Google+ - By +Jaana Nyström > http://goo.gl/t2Nii
65. Your Google+ self: Private or Public? - By +Brian Titus > http://goo.gl/sYyKK
66. YouTube & Google+ = GooTube+ - By +Ronnie Bincer >
67. What has Google+ got to do with Schrödinger's cat? - By +martin shervington > http://goo.gl/BJCIj
68. 11 Reasons Why You’ll Be Using Google+ In The Future By +Jaana Nyström - By +Rahul Roy > http://goo.gl/ATgFX

Circle of the week: The Idea People, Mark II By +Marc Jansen > http://goo.gl/jhupP

External Post:

1. The Most Engaging Google+ Pages (Under 5,000 Circles) By circled.us
http://www.circled.us/pages/engaging-under-5000/
2. How Often Do You Check Google Plus?
http://socialmediatoday.com/marketmesuite/480973/how-often-do-you-check-google-plus
3. 9 Key Points About Google+ Pages for Business for the B2B Marketer By Derek Edmond
http://www.komarketingassociates.com/blog/9-key-points-about-google-pages-for-business-for-the-b2b-marketer/
4. Google+ Profiles get personal, now includes address book information from Google Contacts http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/04/03/google-profiles-gets-personal-now-includes-address-book-information-from-google-contacts/
5. Google brings Google+ to Blogger users with two new social gadgets http://thenextweb.com/google/2012/04/04/google-brings-google-to-blogger-users-with-two-new-social-gadgets/
6. How Google+ Can Succeed at Business Without Really Trying
http://mashable.com/2012/04/04/google-plus-enterprise/

Submit your posts here http://goo.gl/7ddL8

Minggu, 01 April 2012

What Does Facebook’s Timeline Mean to Marketers



Facebook is known for the frequent changes it makes to its layout and functionality. While many of its changes have been only individual users oriented, there are some recent changes like Timeline which is concentrated not only at its users but also at internet marketers as well. Timeline is considered to have a potential to be the best app introduced for marketers. Here is what you should understand about Timeline as a marketer.



Appealing advertisements

You will have to come up with very appealing advertisements to gain the attention of users. Provide information on sales promotion in your advertisements. Discounts and offers can definitely grab the attention of the users. Know your audience when creating advertisements. You have to observe the timeline of the users closely and carefully to integrate you ads into their timelines.

Importance of Likes

Timeline is not going to change the fact that “likes” are still the most important part in Facebook. Keep your brand pages active so that they appear in the live feeds of the user. If the users like your story, it is good for you. But if they don’t, chances are that they might “unmark” your content from their live feeds which may affect your brand page visibility on Facebook. The more you interact with your fans, the better chances you have in keeping your news active on their feeds.

Brand building tool

Many people like to know stories about their favorite brands. You can use this to your advantage and have your timeline tell an interesting story of your brand. Have the company’s past and present incorporated in the page so that the users can go through the story easily. Use this tool to create a good impression of you brand in the minds of customers.

Cover image feature

Cover photo part in the timeline can be used to promote your business in a big manner. Have the pictures of your logos and products in the cover image. You can even include a large font brand name in the cover picture. If your company has a brand ambassador, you can have the poster of your ad with him/her in your cover page.

You can also use cover image picture to give information on any upcoming events or any promotional offers in an interesting manner. Be creative when you design the poster for cover photo.

Plug-ins

Some old plug-ins like Opengraph can be used with this new layout. In fact Opengraph connections can be used in an even simpler manner with this new layout. Marketers are still researching on the plug-ins which can work the best for websites and blogs.

These are a few basic things you should be aware of regarding the new Facebook timeline app. Timeline can be used to communicate better with your fans. Engaging with your clients on a timely basis is going to fetch your brand a recognition that may have not been easier if you used conventional brand building strategies. Timeline has opened more opportunities to build a strong image of your company.


Author Bio: Penny is a senior writer with writer company and article writing service firm Godot Media. She has interests ranging from social media, copywriting to following web technologies and trends.

Selasa, 27 Maret 2012

Apple iPhone 5: What and When to Expect



Which is the most expected smartphone of 2012? I believe if you make a mini research and ask your 10 friends about this, 8 of them will answer, “The iPhone 5, of course!” Bigger surveys conducted by huge research companies also say that the iPhone 5 is really one of the most expected smartphones at the moment, along with the Samsung Galaxy S3 and some quad-core devices announced at MWC 2012. But the worst thing is – we don’t really know when Apple’s new-generation iPhone will be released and what featured it will come with.

Most of us expected Apple to make official announcements about the specs and release date of the upcoming iPhone 5 in the beginning of spring, but Apple remained silent; they didn’t say anything about the new-generation iPhone even after the MWC 2012 where the other leading manufacturers announced their future flagships. I guess the reason of Apple’s long-lasting silence is simple – Apple just wanted to see the phones introduced at the biggest mobile eventso to understand the main trends of the year and to be able to make something really competitive. If so, most likely we won’t see the iPhone 5 released this summer–Apple will need more time to work on it.

So what are the major trends of 2012? What features should the iPhone 5 have to be able to compete with the best phones shown at MWC? Let’s see…
In 2011 we used to think dual-core processors were very cool, fast and powerful. Well, they were really good compared to the old single-core ones, but 2012 dictates new trends – quad-core CPUs that are twice cooler and faster. Two phones with such processors (clocked at 1.5GHz) were introduced at MWC – the HTC One X and the LG Optimus 4X HD; plus Samsung’s Galaxy S3, the main competitor of the iPhone 5, will most likely come with a quad-core CPU, too. The iPhone 4Shad a “usual” dual-core processor, but if Apple really wants its iPhone 5 to attract more attention, they have to arm it with a more powerful quad-core CPU.

Big screens with high resolution are another major trend of 2012. There was a time when everyone thought Apple made the best displays with the coolest pixel density, but hey, HTC’s One X is coming with a 4.7-inch touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution and about 312ppi pixel density – it’s a bit less than the iPhone 4S offered, but the difference is so little that a human eye won’t see it anyway. Now Apple’s goal should be to make the iPhone 5 with a big screen, yet the high resolution should be kept. It won’t be easy, but it’s absolutely necessary – nobody will want to buy a small 3.5-inch phone in 2012.

Good smartphones should have good cameras, too, so the next goal of Apple should probably be an extraordinary camera for the iPhone 5. I don’t think Apple can make a 41MP one like Nokia did for its 808 PureView, but some good software or interesting built-in camera applications will also do the trick.
And the last but not the least trend of 2012 is about big batteries. Samsung has armed its Galaxy Beam with a 2000mAh battery, and many other phones announced at MWC 2012 also come with high-capacity batteries.Apple also has to do the same, since the iPhone 5 will most likely come with a bigger screen and more powerful processor, which will require a more powerful battery, too.

So what do we have here? If Apple wants its iPhone 5 to become a real hit, they just have to make it according to the latest demands of the market – with a quad-core processor, a bigger touchscreen, a good camera with nice applications and a powerful battery. And I really think that’s what Apple will do before releasing its iPhone 5 in the end of summer or, which is more likely, in fall.
By the way, there are also rumors that the new iPhone will be called iPhone LTE instead of iPhone 5. These are just rumors, and I personally hope Apple won’t do such a thing to its new device – I’m sure most buyers will prefer the good-old iPhone 5 title, plus many potential buyers from other, non-English-speaking countries will probably experience difficulties pronouncing “LTE,” and some of them may not know what the word really means.

What do you think, what other features can Apple add to its iPhone 5 to make it the most interesting device of the year? And will it really be renamed?
------
Author bio
Amelia from Rightmobilephone.co.uk is a real geek crazy about smartphones and everything about them. She’s now impatiently waiting for the two best phones of 2012 – Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 – to be released. She’s planning to buy both the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S3 on contract to be able to compare them and write many detailed reviews to help others learn more about these phones.

Sabtu, 24 Maret 2012

5 Ways to Monetize Your Blog



Monetizing your blog is not as complicated as you might think. You don't have to worry about programming skills or learning HTML. If you can write your blog, you can monetize it. But, just remember, only original and quality content would actually help you earn through your blog.
Here are the five easiest ways to monetize your blog:

1. Google Adsense
No matter what you read in forums, this is still one of the easiest ways to display advertising on your blog. Of course, the advertisements should be related to the content on your blog. The amount you earn would depend a lot on how much traffic your blog attracts. Google finds the ads that suit the content on your blog and lets you generate the code which can easily be pasted at the top, bottom, or on the sidebar of your blog. You could even have special ads within single posts too. You could display the advertisements in the regular feed of your blog as well. Remember, you would need to adjust the size, font, and colours of the ads to suit your blog. Also, you would need to post pretty regularly on your blog – possibly every single day – to really earn something as it would depend a lot on how useful your blog content is.

2. Paid Reviews
Everyone wants to read about how well a product works before buying it. People want to know if a service provider is trustworthy before paying. Reviews are some of the most read articles on the Internet. Paid reviews have text links at the end. A review assures the reader that someone genuine has tried a product or availed a particular service and is writing about it with complete honesty. Paid reviews are a trusted form of advertising. You could start writing your own reviews with text links to products you recommend to other people. Look around on the Internet for companies that offer money for reviewing their products and services on your blog.

3. Affiliate Links
Products and services described in your blog are a great way to earn. These are called affiliate links and available from manufacturers of products, providers of services, and affiliate companies that collect affiliate links for you. For example, if you talk about a particular skill in your blog like baking cakes, it would be helpful to post an advertisement for cake-baking mixtures. The visitors to your blog are more likely to visit affiliate links if they find them useful. Avoid blatant advertising as it puts off readers and they don't like to click on advertisements.
4. Sell Space
This way of monetizing your blog is only possible if you have a lot of traffic and original content. You could then approach advertisers around you to buy space on your blog for $10-20. You could choose blocks of space – of different sizes - exactly where you want on your blog and then offer it to advertisers. You would have to approach people directly in person or via the Internet to sell ad space.

5. Image Advertisements
Monetizing your blog photographs is a whole new genre. You don't even need space on your blog to use advertisements on your photos. If you have a photo-intensive blog, it's a great way to attract attention to your advertisements. These ads appear on photos and videos only when people mouse over these objects. You can look up companies that particularly offer ads-on-images options for their products and services.
Conclusion
In all, these are some of the most popular methods of monetizing your blog, but there are several other methods to help you earn via your blog. You could offer services and products yourself through your blog.


Author Bio

Ricks Sarouk is an avid Technology/Gadget geek who writes for AT&T Uverse and promotes all of their products for high speed internet service. Go to Att uverse coupon code page to see all AT&T offers.

Selasa, 20 Maret 2012

Google+ Flow Chart: Its all about helping others

I have seen people criticising Google+, calling it ghost town. Seriously, if Google+ is a ghost town I see dead people plusing, re-sharing and commenting on my post. You don't get it, Google+ is about helping others, interacting with people of your interest.

Believe in reciprocity and feel the magic of Google+





Having problem with Google+? feel free to ask anything.


Sabtu, 17 Maret 2012

LinkedIn and Your Resume



With 130 million profiles on professional networking website LinkedIn, there’s great potential for you to increase your professional visibility among those in your industry and beyond. It would be almost silly not to consider the benefits of actively participating in LinkedIn's social networking as well as maintaining an up-to-date resume. But despite the fact that social media networks are fast becoming a primary form of communication for millions of users, some people aren’t quite convinced that a social network for professionals is worth their time.

There’s evidence, however, that social networks are useful for the job market: more hiring managers are turning to social networks like LinkedIn to find and screen potential job candidates. And since many recruiters use LinkedIn, you should ensure that you know everything that they know about the online resource. LinkedIn can create visibility for prospective employees and employers. LinkedIn helps to link each industry in a small web-based community, and when you seek to become a part of that community, you may find your options broadening at the same time.

While your resume is a unique document that can make you stand out, LinkedIn is essential in today's job market.  That means it’s important that your resume and your LinkedIn profile work together in your job search. There should be similarities between your LinkedIn profile and your resume, but the two should complement each other, and serve to give HR professionals a more complete picture of you as a potential employee.

LinkedIn vs. resume

Although your LinkedIn profile and resume should be somewhat similar, one of the fundamental differences between your LinkedIn presence and your resume should be the tone. Your resume should serve as a "just the facts" report of your work, skills and educational background. It should also provide a recruiter an organized copy of your quantifiable success and career history. Often, companies require that a cover letter accompany your resume when applying for jobs. A cover letter gives you a chance to stand apart from candidates with similar professional backgrounds. Similarly, LinkedIn combines the uses of a cover letter and resume. Using a LinkedIn profile can be a real asset during your job search.

But although your resume should be somewhat cut-and-dried, your LinkedIn profile should be more detailed and provide more information about yourself. LinkedIn allows you to expand on your skills, education and experience in a much friendlier and congenial tone than a formal resume. LinkedIn also encourages you to combine the two purposes of your profile and resume, giving hiring managers a good idea of your personality as well as what you can bring to the table in terms of your professional background.

Leveraging social media

The modern workforce has become increasingly more reliant on social networking. From high school to post-secondary learning, students and workers alike are integrating technology into their everyday lives. Since LinkedIn’s features include the opportunity to write recommendations of your peers, colleagues and managers, it creates a platform on which you can give a full presentation of professional objectives and your personality to your target industry. Don’t be afraid to add multimedia to your LinkedIn profile: slideshow presentations you’ve done for school or other jobs, video, and other media can show a side of you and your professional experience that hiring managers almost never see in a simple resume.

With the use of smartphones and tablets on the rise, particularly with the younger generation of job seekers, using social networking as an effective job search tool is critical to today's mobile culture. Keep that in mind while you craft your LinkedIn profile: while your profile should be designed to show more of your abilities and strengths, it should still strike a balance between detail and conciseness. Smartphones are becoming as user-friendly and as powerful as computers, but a profile that’s easy to read from a smartphone might make the difference between drawing readers in and readers skipping over a profile.

While it’s still vital for job seekers to make real life contacts and build professional relationships, it would be unwise to ignore the power that LinkedIn wields in the professional world. The best idea is to maintain both your real world contacts as well as cultivating an online presence.

About The Author:
Lindsey Harper Mac is a writer and editor living in Indianapolis. She writes on behalf of  Colorado Technical University

Rabu, 14 Maret 2012

Google is Ready to Attack Apple Online



Google is setting Apple on notice as it is preparing to dominate the mobile broadband market. With the rebranding of its Google Music as Google Play, Google is not just copying Apple’s store, but rather they want to drive it out of the online marketplace.




The Android market has always felt as it was the ignored little sister to Apple and its Apple store. With the Android platform taking over on smartphones and tablets, Google now believes it is the right time to jump in and take over the mobile broadband market.

Now, that Android has established itself as a legitimate platform for mobile devices from phones to tablets, it should now continue to evolve by proving itself as a viable service provider as well. With Apple’s death-like grip on its OS, Android is an open source platform that has and will continue to receive Google’s full support in the development area.

With Google Play store, Google is now combining its music business along with its ebook store into the ever growing Android marketplace. This is a clear and direct attack on Apple, its flagship device IPad and the Apple Store. Google’s grand scheme in rebranding the Android market is to have the Google Play store to be the one stop online shop in which users can use any Android powered device from smartphone to tablets to be able to download content that is tailored made for them.

Another difference between Google Play store and ITunes is that the Google store is browser based. What this means is that in order to access and use the Apple store and ITunes, you have to install an application unto your device. Usually that is fine however, software applications have been known to cause more than one computer problem. As a result, Apple’s users are tied to Apple’s software installing correctly and not causing any issues with either their computer or smartphone. That is not the case with the Google Play store. Since it is browser based, there is no installation needed. All that you need is an internet connection and you will be browsing the Google Play store at your leisure.

To help promote their rebranding of the Android market Google is offering “The Seven days to play sale.” During this promotion, users are able to try out the Google Play store and all of its features and if they are not satisfied they can cancel their accounts free of charge. Google is confident enough that its entry into the mobile broadband market will be a success that more users will love its new service than not.

Google with its well deserved history and reputation of pushing the envelope is nothing new. The Google Play store is another example of this as they are ready to take on the industry leader in downloadable content, Apple. Will they succeed? Only time will tell as Google is putting all of its support behind this venture. Needless to say, Google is putting Apple and the rest of the world on notice that they are in this fight for the long haul.

Author Bio: Tech writer EJ Parfitt has been writing for a short time now and has already picked up steam with entertainment, tech and mobile broadband sites .  During his free time , you're sure to catch him competing in local chess tournaments in downtown Fort Lauderdale FL . 

Rabu, 07 Maret 2012

How Internet Communication Technology Improving In Face of Economic Downturn



The global economic downturn has all the leading economies of the world in its clutches with regular bank bailouts and restricted government spending common around the world. There are many countries that are not well-armed to confront the prospect of a double-dip recession. Uncertain market conditions and unfavorable consumer sentiment have had a more direct impact on traditional commercial, tertiary and industrial ventures and there is an increasing uncertainty as to what course the economy will adopt next.

However, it is surprising to see how internet-communications technology has largely remained unaffected amidst all this uncertainty and skepticism. Leading internet communication service providers have reported sizable gains even in such markets where other businesses have failed to deliver.

Therefore, we can easily establish that internet communications technology is one industry that shows promising signs of upward growth.
Internet communication has evolved over the years into a lucrative investment venture. More and more businesses from all around the world have realized the manifold benefits of internet for their businesses. And internet has never shied away from complementing the growth and prosperity of businesses.


Today, internet service providers have devised a wide array of products and services especially designed to effectively cater to the increasing needs of businesses. Regardless of the size of the business or the industry it represents, internet service is the primary driving force in a business model for the fact that it has been integrated in practically all the business operations there are.

Internet usage was previously known to restrict the movement of the user so that strategy planners of businesses needed the shelter of their office or home in order to use the internet on their desktop PC or laptop. However, these days, ‘on-the-go’ internet service has become quite common and we cannot thank the inventor of broadband dongles enough.
Broadband dongles allow computer users unrestricted access to internet even while they are on the move. This makes a broadband dongle the best companion of a businessman along with a laptop. The possibility of mobile internet has opened up new frontiers for businesses all around the world allowing them greater flexibility in operations and accessibility to even the most remote markets. Furthermore, mobile internet has also helped multinational businesses manage their overseas operations more easily and effectively while also allowing them to optimize their sales process.

There is little wonder then why all the leading businesses around the globe opt for internet-based technology solutions to enhance their prospects of growth. As a result, internet communications technology has enjoyed a favorable market sentiment in the midst of an omnipresent and ever-growing economic implosion in the making.

Apart from the above-mentioned reasons, another underlying factor that has spearheaded the growth of internet communication technology is the belief by many human rights activists that internet is in fact a basic human right. This has made internet to many areas around the world where it is considered a luxury; a privilege that cannot be afforded by all. This has allowed internet providers to widen their network making the service available in under-developed countries and even remote rural areas.

After the introduction of the broadband dongle and the tremendous success of mobile broadband, many smartphone manufacturers have encouraged groundbreaking technological innovations in the latest range of smartphones. As a result, mobile internet is now available to practically anyone who owns a cellphone. This has shifted the focus of consumers to innovative products that offer them more value for money, boasting the fastest mobile internet speeds and incredible data transfer capacity. This has helped to improve internet-communication technology.

Looking at the widespread use of internet communications technology across the globe and the ever-increasing market, it is not surprising to learn that the industry has remained largely unscathed even in the midst of global economic meltdown and market uncertainty. Consumers have recently preferred using their laptops and handhelds to search for the best products, services and deals.

This has greatly facilitated trade, making internet communications technology an instant hit among consumers. Furthermore, additional advancements in technology are bound to increase the reliance of businesses on mobile communication solutions with higher data transfer speeds and greater accessibility. Once all these factors are considered, it is safe to assume that internet communications technology will continue to prosper even in the midst of the global economic downturn.


About the Author:

Sara Parker is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on Technology for various technology company. Her expertise are in writing articles related to internet providers, broadband dongle , Social media etc.

Why Google+ is better than Facebook and twitter







1. Editing posts and comments.
2. No spam
3. No Advertisement.
4. Google Ripples
5. what's Hot
6. Text formatting: *Bold* _Italics_ and -Strikethrough-
7. Google+ Badge.
8. Keyboard shortcuts
9. Better Privacy.
10. You can gain thousands of followers within few hours organically.
11. You can lock your post at any time.
12. Seo Friendly
13. No useless apps
14. Create your own meme.
15. circle sharing
16. Hangout
17. YouTube Integration.
18. #hashtag support with auto completion.
19. Drag and drop feature.
20. Google+ Brand Pages.
21. Search plus your world
22. Better content
23. Google product integration.
24. You can mute circles.
25. You can Ignore if you don't want to receive notification.
26. You can Add links to profile
27. Google+ Games
28. Awesome community
29. Google+ search: better than twitter and facebook
30. Google Chrome apps
31. Control who tag you.
32. Post URL
33. Link to original post.
34. User friendly
35. Simplicity
36. No character limitation(Practically unlimited)
37.  Better Mobile apps
38.  Feedback button button at the lower right.
39.  Easy re sharing
40.  Easy to find useful content
41. You can reply to comments without leaving the page, Awesome!
42. You can use it at office.
43. They listen and respond

Recommended Googlers to circle:
Vic Gundotra    Natalie Villalobos   Louis Gray    Yonatan Zunger    Dave Besbris     Mike Wiacek

More posts about why Google+ is better.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY GOOGLE+ APART FROM FACEBOOK   By Shamil Weerakoon
https://plus.google.com/109471940039062886080/posts/BCYqe34iKiY

GOOGLE+ IT'S ALL ABOUT QUALITY By Gabriel Vasile
https://plus.google.com/106393478695568433143/posts/drsnunqbFT6

Big Difference between Google+ and Facebook By Basil Arackal
https://plus.google.com/111257578778968899643/posts/H9RG9VGwtKb

Can G+ catch Facebook? Some Points to Consider  By Marc Razia
https://plus.google.com/114613911236813249666/posts/A9k2oNF5Vsw


If you have any doubt about Google+, circles these plussers.

Gabriel Vasile     Jaana Nyström        Shamil Weerakoon


Helpful hands:

Anthony Fox     stephanie wanamaker      Lee Smallwood




Google+ 2012 Feature requests





>> Bookmarking post: So that you can read it later.
>> Translator: Ability to Translate post
>> Shared circle notification: Receiving notification when someone shared a circle with you in it.
>> Ability to pause your stream: Self explanatory.
>> Google Group integration
>> Categorise notification bar: categorise notification bar with mention, plus one and comments.
>> Post Preview.
>> Ability to follow the post without commenting.
>> New post alert: You should receive notification when your favourite Gplussers post publicly.
>> Birthday reminder feature.
>> Google News integration.
>> Schemer integration.
>> Google Reader integration.
>> Task Management.
>> Google Calender Integration.
>> Ability to change sharing detail after post has been shared.
>> Google Maps Integration.
>> Google Music Integration.
>> Enable Group Chat.
>> Ability to add smileys to post ;)
>> Better circle management : Ability to manage your circle according to location, post frequency etc.
>> Ability to share post from blogger to Google+ brand pages.
>> Ability to scheduled and draft your post.
>> Increase 500 limit.
>> Facebook and twitter like apps.

Add your Suggestions

Selasa, 06 Maret 2012

How to Get circled On Google+






1. Have a profile picture: First thing I look when someone circle me is their profile picture and I don't visit their profile if they don't have a profile picture. So upload your own avatar and not the logo of your blog.

2. Fill your about section:  No introduction means no circling back.

Tip: Add a simple line "You can add me to following circle" or "My interests" with suggested circles.

3. Post to public: No public post means inactive profile.

4. Post original content: Bunch of reshare, no thanks

5. Comment on others post: This is the best way to get circle, remember its quality which matters and not the quantity.

6. Use plus one button: If you plus my content, I will visit your profile and look for information.

7.  Post Regularly : You have not posted anything since last few months, in that case only spammers will circle you and the real Gplussers will actually uncircle you.

8. Don't copy use reshare button: Google+ is a bonded community where everyone help, respect and appreciate your work and if you are going to copy content instead of using reshare button you will be blocked publicly.

Add your suggestions. 

Senin, 05 Maret 2012

5 wireless keyboards for the iPad



All iPads come with touch screen options. While some find this option quite convenient but for the others, it become really uncomfortable. The best solution in that case is to opt for an external keyboard. But unfortunately the ones that are available in the market are too clumsy to look at. Actually, these external keyboards are best suited for desktops and laptops. Thus, they appear aesthetically incompatible with the compact structure of iPad.

Moreover, the bulky nature of these keyboards poses discomfort to be regarded as the perfect companion for iPad for those who travel much. Hence, it is always wise to opt for the wireless keyboards designed specifically for iPads. Wireless keyboards transform your working experience on an iPad into that of a fully functional laptop. Five most popular wireless keyboards have been compiled here for your consideration.

1. Apple Wireless Keyboard
This Apple Wireless Keyboard for iPad has been ergonomically designed. It gives the user the closest feel of working on a desktop or laptop. The soft touch keys respond with the slightest touch. So, the user does not need to tap a particular key repeatedly during typing. But the keys are sensitive enough not to respond to casual taping either.

In spite of these advantages some customers argue that the bulky size of the product looks aesthetically incompatible with an iPad. Further, it appears to be too clumsy for being a perfect travel companion. But the comment from the manufacturer in this regard is really noteworthy.
It states that the weight of the keyboard is much lighter as compared to the bulky appearance of the same. Although aesthetically it seems to be a mismatch with a compact iPad but it is meant for serious people with serious business.

2. Belkin Wireless Keyboard with case
The Belkin Keyboard Folio contains a highly sophisticated and compact wireless keyboard. It is of a dimension of 9.1 inches x 1.1inches x 11.9 inches. It weighs 1.7 lbs only. So, this wireless option is much better that the discomfort of working on an iPad touch screen. Again, it is also a superior substitute for the bulky, conventional, wired keyboards too.

Belkin claims that the keys of this wireless keyboard are well spaced. This guarantees ease of typing. The clear directions in the attached instruction manual help the user to connect the device with the iPad in just five minutes. This keyboard has a folding flap. It slides back to the bottom to provide space for mounting the iPad while working.

3. Logitech Wireless Keyboard
This Logitech Wireless keyboard is equipped with two wing-like features. These wings slide out and transform into a full sized keyboard. It also has an inbuilt iPad stand. Further, it has an automatic power switch. The switch operates every time the wings are popped out and folded back. Simultaneously, the device gets turned on and off.
The nonmetallic surface makes the overall weight of the case together with the keyboard almost negligible. This wireless keyboard weighs 1.1 lb only. The ergonomic key spacing and the full sized keys make typing much more convenient as compared to other ordinary wireless keyboards. This product is ideal for frequent travelers.

4. iMage Wireless Keyboard from Cygnett
Cygnett has joined the bandwagon of the most suitable wireless keyboards for iPad. Thus, it has launched its product that is compatible with both iPad and iPad2. The keyboard gets connected to the iPad with the help of embedded magnets. The whole process is fairly simple and takes hardly a few seconds to get completed.
The upper covering of the faux leather case of this keyboard serves an additional purpose too. It is equipped with an inbuilt iPad stand which can be erected. Hence, the iPad can be mounted on it while working.

5. iLuv Keypad
This wireless version is best for the iPad users who give similar preference to aesthetic appeal and the functional features of their equipments. The ultra slim edge of this keyboard is worth appreciating. The contrasting silver border and the black keys make the keyboard look elegant. The aesthetic appeal of the soft touch keys resembles that of a laptop.

The ergonomic spacing of the keys and the firm platform all around the device provides comfort to the user during heavy typing. It is powered by two AA cells and looks like a prototype of standard full size Apple wireless keyboard.

Before shopping for the best wireless keyboard for iPad, it is essential to analyze your requirements, the nature of your work and technical specs you are looking for in your device. Once all these scores have been settled opting for the best wireless keyboard that is compatible with your iPad will be easier.

About the author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on health and parenting. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently bought  Bath Toys for Toddlers. These days she is busy in writing an article on Home remedies.

Rabu, 29 Februari 2012

How Internet Monitoring Software Helps Safeguard Children



Internet monitoring software helps parents supervise their children’s online activities. There are various ranges of software available that limit access to inappropriate sites, control e-mail use, block chat rooms, and enforce access time. Similarly, schools and public libraries also make use of internet monitoring software.

After all, children are a significant part of society and their upbringing should be perfectly done so that society can prosper in the long run. Following is the range of most popular software for monitoring children’s internet activities:

Parental Control Bar

It is a free service. Parents can use this software to control the internet activities of their children. Along with its free public service, its installation procedure is really simple that consists of only three steps. Therefore, parents can install it even if they are not that used to computers.

If a website address is inserted by your child on the address bar of a browser, the Parental Control Bar compares the website with the settings you made. This way, it finds out whether the website needs to be blocked or allowed.

K9 Web Protection

It is an internet monitoring software that uses an advanced technology for filtering the Web. It is also used by governmental institutions and other organizations worldwide. It offers an interface that is user-friendly so that parents can easily make use of it at home. Its usage means that you will block content that is inappropriate for your children.

SocialShield

Besides tracking your child’s online activities, SocialShield has something more to offer for your child’s social safety. It identifies your child’s online friends. The software compares the names of your child’s friends to a set of databases to ensure that they have no association with unlawful online activities. If your child is involved in such activities, SocialShield sends you alerts so that you can take action.

It posts less threatening issues in the parent dashboard. Although it tracks all discussions your child has, it highlights only those issues that are important for your consideration. This way, you are not required to affect the privacy of your child. Moreover, you can use SocialShield to track pictures that were posted by your child. It will cost you $10 per month.

Big Mother

Big Mother safeguards your children by providing an interface that protects the password along with multifaceted features. By using these features, you can block access to things that tempt your children the most. For instance, some illicit online activities that it can block are to upload and download data, games, e-mail, chats, and websites.

If you think that giving your children limited access to the internet is fine, then you can develop different schedules in which you can allow internet access for some time.  Big Mother has an edge over many of its competitors, i.e. it enables you make restrictions on uploads and downloads according to their size.

NetNanny

NetNanny is considered to be the market leader in terms of internet monitoring software. It has been in the market for over 10 years. Due to its popularity, parents can download it instantly. It costs $39.95. Unlike others, NetNanny had a clear purpose before its development. It was developed with the help of child advocates, law enforcement, and parents. Furthermore, it helps you monitor and control access to the internet.

Although it is available with monitoring features that are set as default, you always have an option to customize your settings according to the unique needs of your family. NetNanny has integration with Safe Search options. It indicates that these options limit your children’s search on a search engine. These options are also found in famous search engines such as Yahoo, MSN, Google, AltaVista, Lycos, Dogpile, and AllTheWeb.

PC Pandora

Like other internet monitoring software, PC Pandora is reliable software that monitors your children’s online activities. Along with that, it sends you warning alerts so that potential problems can be avoided. PC Pandora tracks all those websites your child visited, chat interactions, keystrokes, and emails. Therefore, it lets you have access to all online activities of your child.

Additionally, it also provides you access to login IDs and their passwords. If you feel something wrong is going on, you can handle the problem immediately. This way, parents are always on track in terms of what their child in up to. PC Pandora will cost you $69.95. It is available from different retailers.

About the Author:
Sara Parker is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on Technology for various technology company. Her expertise are in writing articles related to internet providers, internet services in my area , Social media etc.

Sabtu, 25 Februari 2012

SEO Tactics for Local Search



People often believe SEO can’t serve them mainly because they have exposures in only few geographic locations as brick and mortar stores. Larger audiences of search engines are beyond their purview.
Do you keep such believe in your mind? Think harder. Search engines are eyeing local markets. Google, Yahoo, Bing and other reputed online and mobile search engines are increasingly targeting geo-location specific searches. From their eagerness it seems next search engine war will be fought on our backyards only.

Technically local searches are typically those with geographic modifiers. People do not only want to know what, how or why, but they are interested more into where. This makes local searches very lucrative in business sense.

Many SEO and search engine experts believe local searches are more transaction oriented. This is because people specifically ask for location to reach out to the service provider or product seller.
But what is there for you in these local search engines? After all, as we said, you just own a brick and mortar shop. Answer is more visibility. Near 93% people are checking local searches before making any transaction decision today. Whatever product or service you deal with local SEO you will enjoy better exposure to your target audience.
So, you must know useful SEO tricks to optimize different local search platforms in your favor.

Identify your target base
Any marketing and sales process starts with identification of prospects. Local SEO is no different. Get a clear idea on who will be interested in your product and services. What keywords and phrases they are using while searching for those products and services?
This is important because keywords are important search criteria even in local level too. Keywords you use will help search engines to rank and list your name on any search result page for any particular product or service query.

Contact details
Local search is more about reaching out to the sellers’ and service providers’ location. So your contact details and address must be visible discreetly on you webpage. Every page should have them in either header or footer or on both parts.
This will help your prospect to contact you as soon as they think on reaching you with least effort.

Directory and yellow pages listing
Directories and yellow pages are traditional avenues of location specific marketing. Check which directories and yellow pages doing well in your target locations. There must be many of them. But few common online directories are Yelp, Insider Pages, Citysuares.com and MojoPages.com.
Similarly, SuperPages.com, YellowPages, InfoSpace and Switchboard.com are dominant among online yellow pages. There are offline versions too and you cannot avoid them either.


Press releases
Newspapers with nationwide circulation are more visible no doubt. They cover wider varieties of stories too. But according to National Newspaper Association local newspapers are not lurking far behind too in terms of readership. Near 73% of people, in a survey, claimed that they at least once a week check local newspapers. That’s a huge base indeed. Many of those local newspapers have online versions too.
Use them in your local SEO. Release press updated on these newspapers. They will not only draw people’s attention but will work as a marketing content for your local SEO drive.

Use keywords in your page titles
Often people make the mistake and write plain vanilla page titles. Are you doing that? Don’t repeat from next time. Your page titles are first piece of information that people and search engines encounter. Use page specific keywords in your titles and don’t use any general title for pages.
Title should not contain only keywords because that sounds weird. Try to make them reader friendly too. In local search titles often drive traffic to your site. Often you see traffic coming on to only few pages. In that case you can channel that traffic to other pages with intelligent internal linking. That will boost up your overall website traffic.

Local search platforms


Google has Google Place for local business searches. Similarly Bing and Yahoo have their own local search pages. Try optimization skill on Google local business center, Yahoo local merchant, Ask business search and other search engines. Try both free listing and paid listings.

Connect lively
Add images and videos related to your business and location. They give your site a local flavor. You don’t need to spend huge on them. You need only decent looking video and images on what you do, how you do and where you do. These are simple basics that you can shoot with any decent digital camera and camcorder. Don’t try hard to make them viral. They need not be. These stuffs are for introducing your business to prospective visitors; they will have a basic idea on what they can expect before hitting the store.
This article is no list-all on local SEO of course. In fact, SEO is an art that depends more on nature of your business and market. But basic strategies that we have discussed here will give you some head start in the fiercely competitive local market.

About the author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on luxury. Beside this she is fond of gadgets. Recently an article on grand marnier attracted her attention. These days she is busy in writing an article on spark city.

Rabu, 22 Februari 2012

How To Hold A Good Blog Contest


As a blogger you live and die by your traffic. It doesn't matter if you're in the travel niche, fashion, finance or sports, your traffic dictates your success. But the good news is that there are a number of ways to drive traffic to your blog, one such method being blog contests.

blog giveaway

Blog contests are one of the best and fastest ways to drive traffic to your site, not too mention also a fun way. However there are a few guidelines which you can follow to help make your blog contest a roaring success, see details below.

Write Your Blog Post


The idea has entered your mind and you've decided you want to host a groovy contest on your blog. Now you need to come full circle with your idea and decide on the specifics such as the who, when, where and what. Do this via writing your blog post which will announce the contest to your readers and visitors. Be sure to mention what type of contest it is, the beginning and end dates, what awesome prize the winner gets, how many winners there will be (if multiple), how to enter and how and where the winner will be announced.

Once you write the blog post, schedule it so that it coincides with the beginning date of your contest.

Gather A List of Places You Will Promote Said Contest


What good is a giveaway if no one knows about it? This means you need to promote your contest on as many places and sites as possible and let all your blogger friends know as well. Email your list if you have one, send a tweet, link to it on your Facebook fan page and so on.

However one of the best ways to advertise your contest for FREE is via the numerous sites on the web solely exist to promote various contests. Sign up, send them an email or otherwise fill out their contact form and let them know of your upcoming blog contest.

3. Have A Good Prize


This is key and can make or break your contest. If you have a low cost or cheapish prize it will not stir up the excitement and eagerness you want in readers and visitors. You want people excited about your blog contest and not only that, you want them shouting it from the roof tops. You want them to tell their friends and their friends to tell their friends and so on. The only way this will happen is via a kick-butt super awesome prize. Think about the blog contests which you have entered? What made you fill out the form, tell others about it and most importantly - what compelled you to enter? Think about it for a minute then try to emulate this for your blog contest on your site.

If you have never run a blog contest on your site, now is as good a time as any. Follow our three tips above and then come back here and let us know how it went. We know that if you do indeed follow our tips above, you will have an excellent experience and raving fans all over the web - such as on Twitter and Facebook - promoting you and your site via your awesome contest.

Have you run a successful blog contest? If so, share your personal tips below on what and how you did it. We would love to heard your feedback.

Rachel writes for a car hire Brighton web company on the net and also covers various car hire topics in a variety of niches. She has run a variety of blog contests to promote her site and is partial to caption contests, which can be very rewarding and loads of fun to run.

Minggu, 19 Februari 2012

Alternative Choices to the iPad


When Apple first released its iPad tablet computer a couple of years ago there were plenty of people who were quick to dismiss it as not really being relevant. Since then, however, it has gone on to become a massive bestseller and, as a result, all of the other manufacturers have gone out of their way to come up with an iPad killer of their own. While that means rich pickings for people who don’t want to go down the Apple route, deciding on the right model can be tricky…


The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 stands up as one of the main rivals to the Apple iPad and once you explore its inner workings, you soon find that this is a tablet that has star quality. The build, design and performance are all well up there in the high-end tablet stakes, while thanks to Android as an operating system you can supplement the built-in features with lots of apps too.






The Motorola Xoom 2 is an updated new tablet and continues on from where the old one left off. It’s got a 10.1-inch screen and also has the added advantage of MotoCast, which is a way of streaming video to the device. There are also plenty of options for music playback and the customised Android interface is quick and easy to use. Better than the first version, and keenly priced too.





The Asus Eee Transformer has been around for a while, but it doesn’t lose its appeal simply because this is a little bit different. You get a detachable keyboard, so it becomes almost like a traditional laptop. You can use the touchscreen if you prefer, but people who don’t get on with virtual keyboards will love it.




The HTC Flyer is an expensive bit of kit, but this Android-running tablet is certainly up there with the best of them. It looks really nice, rather like a bumper version of the one of the HTC smartphones. Meanwhile, the customised interface is as pleasing to look at and use as the Sense UI is on their handsets. Shop around though, rather than pay full price.





The Acer Ionia Tab 500 is a neat little 10-inch tablet that also comes running with Android and has styling that’s good on the eye too. There’s plenty of decent battery life, with about ten hours between charges, while it also has a full suite of multimedia toys on-board.


That’s really just the tip of the tablet iceberg though, because tablets are everywhere and they look set to become even more popular as 2012 rolls on. Whatever your thoughts on these mobile devices, there’s no escaping the fact that the tablet is here to stay. The only question remaining is; when will you be getting yours?


This guest post was contributed by Rob Clymo, from Broadbandgenie.co.uk. You can find more information on the tablets above as well as a netbook comparison of the latest models for 2012 on the website.


Jumat, 17 Februari 2012

Secret world of hackers


The present day hackers are akin to those who used to assemble at coffee houses during the 17th century to exchange knowledge, ideas and values, irrespective of their social status. They became so popular that King Charles II was fairly disturbed by the fact that these hackers were intruding into the conduct of the court affairs. The scandalous lifestyle of the King and his court was a matter of discussion in the coffee houses, where gossip and secrets of the elite was conveyed to the emerging middle class. King Charles tried to suppress this social equality and intellectualism that was freely held at the coffee houses. These early hackers are mainly responsible for the various changes that took place which transformed the English society in the 17th century.


Who are the present day hackers?
The present day hackers are skilled in digital science which they refer to as being playful and creative way of solving problems. They are responsible for driving the global economies by building up things as they believe that it is better to attack rather than defend a system. However, there are those who build and those who destroy and are called crackers, as there are also the white hackers and the black hackers.

There is a clear distinction in the way these hackers operate, as some of the more adolescent hackers do it just to show off their skill even as they break things apart. They do this more for the idea of rebelling against the system and authority rather than bringing something constructive out of it.

The hacker community may be small but they are spread out across the globe and united theoretically due to their expertise and knowledge. These hackers have their own differing views as some of them think that the ethics behind hacking is all important, while some are only interested in the intellectual challenge to create or destroy. This is not to say that are no divisions within the hacking scene. Older hackers considered the younger lot as having nothing better to do than to exhibit their teenage stupidity. Most of these hackers grow out of it but the ones who remain can create havoc in the system, as they have very little concern for the community they live in.

The ones who create are responsible for launching many new world wide web and free operating systems, such as the Linux Kernal and the GNU project, not to leave out Facebook which started off as a hack initially.

Hackerspaces and rogue hackers
The hackers come from different background and from a diverse community, comprising amateurs, professionals like engineers, scientists and innovators who share with the world free new tools and solutions. There are also the rogue hackers who have become popularly known as the Anonymous and Lulzecs, who recently grabbed the world's attention by leaking information from the government, News International and Sony.

The hackerspaces on the other hand are not necessarily destroying things but attacking government systems, to create an alternative to the things they see as wrong. This is the case with Telecomix where the hackers have kept open the lines of communication in the Middle East countries, where the government has shut down the networks.

Among the largest hacker community, the Chaos Computer Club or CCC formed in 1981 is the world's oldest and believes in the rising importance of digital technology. The CCC hackers are into running their own businesses and are far more mature and older. Their main concept is not just about hacking but rather a political hub with its own base at Marienstrabe at Berlin. They are responsible for deciphering many technological flaws in the Smartphone, PIN and chip. They consult with the German government and hold conferences and also work with activists for major causes. The club has been so named as Chaos not because its intention is to create chaos but rather in relation to how the world actually works. They believe that the club is meant to adapt to the chaotic and non-deterministic world as the best solution.

Political hacking
Hacking can penetrate even into the political system of human lives apart from the technology aspect, as hackers believe that the ideals of hacking can be applied to every aspect of life. Politics is considered by the hackers as just another system in the human existence and therefore can be hacked and these spaces become real time experiments. They go beyond the computers only by encompassing things like industrial machines, sewing machines, power tools and even penetrate the kitchen termed as culinary hacking.
One such classic hackerspace is the Nosebridge of San Francisco, where the members have send water balloon probes to collect data and images, using digital cameras and GPS smartphones up to 70,000 ft in the sky, by creating an active space exploration program.

The political ideology of the hackerspace at Nosebridge is more libertarian, where everyone interested can contribute time, money or ideas which is based on mutual respect, solidarity and aid. This is almost an anarchist principle which is slightly different from the Chaos Computer Club, as here; it is focused on producing real social wealth and freeing the human mind from government, wealth and property.

Getting into the inside
Some of the successful and creative hackers can find themselves inside the system with their hands on power. This is the case with Bill Cates who seem to have this constant fear and insecurity that Microsoft will be destroyed by powerful forces such as the IBM. Even though Microsoft is the world's biggest IT and himself being one of the richest man in the world, the hacker mindset seem to have a subversive effect upon him, when it came to running such a multinational firm.

These successful hackers had scant regard for intellectual property in their youth but once they had the power, they make every effort to copyright their products with the help of lawyers and their draconian laws.
The hackers and crackers are basically very intelligent beings with a high degree of curiosity, coupled with anarchist or anti-authoritarian bent of mind. They believe that information on the internet should be free and consider it as their playground. All said and done, some of the best improvements on computer security system have come from hacker community, with a view towards keeping the users safe.

About the author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on design and technology. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently bought a  3d laptop. These days she is busy in writing an article on shu uemura.