But if the only people really listening are the social media marketers, it becomes the proverbial echo chamber. We are only hearing ourselves talk about ourselves.
via uber.la
Signal to Noise Ratio on Twitter: Trying to Find Meaning & Losing Friends
Inside Search: A new way to get information about real-world plac...
Inside Search: A new way to get information about real-world plac...: I love eating out with my friends and trying new places, but one of the most difficult questions you can ask me is "Where do you want to eat...
Looking For Peace in Troubled Times?
Looking for peace and sanity in difficult times? The answer may be simpler – and closer – than you think. Be Kind! Some think it’s a sign of weakness. But having a kindly attitude toward others and toward life isn’t weak. It’s a sign of strength, because only the strong can be gent
Thought for Today
have brought you; you will be
tomorrow where your
thoughts take you."
- James Allen
The Brain
5 Horrific Ways Your Brain Can Turn On You Without Warning
We hate for you to find out this way, but you should know that your brain hates you. Even if you're perfectly healthy and have never had a mental illness or dropped acid, it can mess with you in a terrifying variety of ways. And some of them are downright diabolical. #5. Exploding Head Syndrome
What Is It? It's a typical night. You've just set aside your glass of scotch and are reclining in bed next to yet another nameless groupie you've just had acrobatic sex with. You click off the lamp and are drifting off to sleep... And a fucking bomb goes off in your head. There's a horrendous noise, like someone is firing a handgun from somewhere inside your skull and then a flash of light ...
... And suddenly, it's over again. Your heart is pounding. You look around the room blinking, shocked to find that your brains aren't splattered all over the bedroom. Physically, you appear perfectly fine. Congratulations, you've just experienced a random occurrence of Exploding Head Syndrome and, yes, it's totally a real thing. Wait, What's Going On? Well, no one is really sure. Physicians think there's a link to stress or extreme fatigue (surely you've heard the common saying, "Man, I'm so tired, my brain is going to fucking explode!"). They think physically it may also be caused by an inner ear problem, or possibly a form of minor seizure in the temporal lobe. But don't worry, according to Wikipedia, "it is not thought to be dangerous [citation needed]." The noise itself can be an explosion, or a roar, or waves, or a gunshot, or an electrical zapping. But it will always be loud, like pants-shittingly loud, and it's not a dream. We're just barely exaggerating about the pants-shitting thing, too--the experience is said to be followed by a rush of adrenaline, an elevated heart rate and terror (wellduh).
It may only happen once, it may happen several times. EHS is usually random, even happening when a person is fully awake. Whoa, what if it happened right when you were in the middle of defusing a bomb? Can it Happen to You? It's rare, and found mostly in those over age 50. It's a little more common in women than men, and seems to come along with pre-existing sleep problems. Otherwise, who knows? It's so rare and so random that they haven't been able to document many cases of it. If you're out there and this is happening to you every night, there's probably someone with a scalpel who would love to take a look under the hood. #4. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
What Is It? It's the next day. You wake up with a terrible headache. You roll out of bed, stumble into the hall... ...only to find the hallway is about a hundred miles long, the end vanishing into the horizon. What the hell? You look down. Wait a second... the floor is only an inch away from your face. The hallway isn't longer, you're just tiny. Your cat trots by, and you are unsurprised to find it is the size of a woolly mammoth. A moment later, everything is back to normal. We hope you enjoyed your bout of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Wait, What's Going On? In this bizarre condition, you don't just see everything as if it's much larger or smaller than it actually is, you completely perceive everything as larger or smaller, including your own damned body. It's not a hallucination, and your eyes are working just fine. Everything you see and touch is really there. Unfortunately, you just became either Gulliver, or one of the title characters in Honey I Shrunk the Kids, or both at the same time.
Experts think it's due to a malfunction of a part of the brain called the parietal lobe, which is in charge of keeping track of where your body is versus all the stuff in your environment you're trying to avoid running into. When it goes astray, your whole spatial awareness goes berserk. Your front door can appear to be the size of your fist, a cockroach as big as a dog. Can it Happen to You? Yep. AIWS can be triggered by all sorts of things, including psychoactive drugs or the Epstein-Barr Virus (also known as "mono"). But it can happen even without that and, in fact, one of the most common causes is migraines. The bad news is there's no cure, the good news is it always goes away on its own after a short time. Though those words may not be as comforting coming from a doctor who's towering five-stories above you. #3. Phantom Extra Limb Syndrome
What Is It? |
You've just sat down to watch the Ace of Cakes marathon. You rest your chin on your hand, thoughtfully. You look down at your other hand and notice you should probably trim your fingernails. You look down at your other hand and notice... that you seem to have three hands.
In fact, the hand that's touching your chin is invisible, even though you can feel and move it. You can now tell your friends you've experienced phantom extra limb syndrome.
Wait, What's Going On?
Meet the sensory homunculus:
That's a model that demonstrates how you would look if you were shaped the way your brain sees you. That is, your brain devotes more power to tracking sensory data from your hands than, say, your ankles. The brain devotes quite a bit of effort to tracking your limbs and the information gained from them. For instance, it knows how close your hands are to the woman's boobies, so that you caress them instead of slapping them, and transmits the touch sensation back to your brain accordingly.
Regular old phantom limb syndrome happens when you lose a limb; the brain sensory cortex doesn't always come to terms with that news very well and goes into a kind of denial. The end result is you feeling sensation, mostly pain, in the missing limb.
But then, in rare cases, you get phantom extra limb syndrome. This happens in people who have not had anything amputated and in those cases the sensory cortex is so messed up it just manufactures an extra limb out of thin air.
Some patients have felt an extra arm or leg branching off from their existing limb, others have felt a third arm growing out of their chest. One patient even claimed hecould see a third hand. So you can't underestimate how freaking convincing the sensation is. As far as your body knows, you've got the extra limb. Some patients even accused the hospital of stitching on an extra leg (why? To pad the bill?).
By the way, one woman said she had lost control of her third arm and that it was now trying to strangle her.
Man's Facebook Status Given Book Deal
NEW YORK—HarperCollins Publishers announced Monday that 24-year-old Islip, NY resident Gerard Dillow has accepted its offer of $250,000 to publish his Facebook status from 56 minutes ago, which reads, "In it to win it, suckas." "We're confident that In It To Win It, Suckas will be a huge success when it hits stores next summer," editorial director Edith Dalrymple said of the forthcoming hardcover, which will feature a 140-character forward by Shit My Dad Says author Justin Halpern. "The fact that Gerard's status already has six 'likes' and seven comments—only two of which are from him—tells us this property has a solid built-in audience." Dillow's book will be released just two weeks after the film.
Social Network Development
Author: Sandy
With the coming up of Social Network Development websites, world has changed. It has become more intimate than earlier. Truly speaking, the world is gradually moving from the static to the dynamic one. Social network websites such as FaceBook, Orkut, etc. have become popular in the recent times where people are developing interacting on different themes and finding solutions to their questions. The best part about the social network development is that is that it empowers business. Creation of communities and corporate Networks over the web interface, and creation of wireless and mobile community portals simply lead the way of innovations in the new scale businesses.
Social Network Development has proven a widespread impact in the way a business is run over the Internet. It has given a new path and a ray of hope for opening new avenues in the global businesses. The widespread interactive interface allows the people to discuss about the products belonging to industry domains such as retail, finance, marketing, FMCG and many more. The very development of social networks over the web interface is the stepping stone to social networking analysis (SNA), which analyses online social relationships based on individuals or nodes, and the relationships that happen between the individuals or ties. Ideally, every node is bound to have many ties with other set of nodes forming the network.
SNA has also become the predominant way of analysis in many organizations, where the higher management has come to known about the secret assets that are playing indispensable role while going for teamwork. By knowing these assets in advance, the management can take important decisions about retaining the best working individuals. A professional environment which is built on quality relationships is essential for developing good and ethical culture in the place of work. In turn development of such cloture ensures increase in the business prospects.
Social Network Development has proved boon to the society in general. It has made the society open, where one can interact without any constraint, and where one can develop relationships which are much more healthier and equivocal.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_947386_3.html
About the Author: For more information on Web Design Company: Dedicated PHP Programmers, Hire PHP Developers, PhP Development Services or info@webartsense.com - http://www.webartsense.com
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Using Frequent Blog Posts to Drive Traffic to your Website
Author: WebM Convonix
The emergence of blogging has proved to be an effective content based search engine optimization (SEO) technique. Effective blogging works wonder for websites by driving heavy traffic, increasing exposure and creating social media impact. Millions of internet users access and contribute to blog posts on a regular basis today. Thus, many websites have adhered to blogging to drive traffic and improve their search engine ranking. However, at times, websites are confused about the implementation procedure of a blog based SEO approach. Websites, with low quality content often fail to improve their ranking due to this reason.
Frequent blog post can differentiate the success of your website from the others. Every time a new blog is updated Google spiders visit your website. Along with frequent blog posts, it is also important that the content is fresh and informative. This will compel the readers as well as the web crawler visit your website repeatedly. An average of 5 posts in a week can be a good to start with. Ensure that all these posts contain relevant and topic-driven content which will help your website win the trust and confidence of the readers.
Apart from frequent blog posts make sure you maintain the keyword density at its maximum level. The ideal usage of the keywords should be between 5 to 20%. However, also be careful that the keywords should not obstruct the natural flow of the content and is forcefully stuffed in the content. Distribute the keywords evenly across all the elements of your website such as URLs, headers, Meta tags, title tags, image titles, image descriptions, etc. Make your titles interesting to lure the audience along with the web spiders. Maintain a moderate size of approximately 250 words for your posts. Increase the size only if you think it can be interesting enough for the reader.
Blogs are used a means of connecting to others over the Internet and it is important that the posts are interesting and simple enough to connect one human to another. Too complicated or ridiculous posts fail to attract visitors and can have a negative impact on your website ranking and reputation. Relevance, simplicity, originality and being informative are some of the primary qualities which every post should adhere to. Using all these qualities you can connect to other bloggers belonging to similar business areas as your own and achieve search engine rankings, thus high drive heavy traffic and establish your online presence simultaneously.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_933727_62.html
About the Author: Convonix is an SEO Company India that provides customized Search Engine Marketing Strategies to help improve the Search Engine Rankings of your website. Learn more about our consultative Search Engine Optimization Services to leverage your site’s online presence.
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Using Social Media To Drive Qualified Traffic To Your Website
Author: Angira Pandit
Social media is the utilization of online communities to promote sales, create business opportunities, and increase the exposure of a particular company. In today’s world, we spend more time online than anywhere else! Social media allows businesses to tap into the steady source of users that are registered through popular online communities. By reaching out to users through these web communities, companies can then create a rapport with the average consumer. Businesses can understand what their target audience is and how to fulfill their needs.
Popular social media sites that are usually targeted include Digg, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter and many more. These sites give businesses the opportunity to keep in touch with the world and familiarize users with their brand name. Providing updates about various products, and latest advancements of a company, gives consumers something to think about. These updates can lead interested and curious users back to the company website to find out more information. Businesses can discover new target audiences that they hadn’t previously considered through this method of marketing. From analyzing the type of users who showed interest in their company, they can then alter their marketing techniques to effectively increase sales. Being linked to online communities will give businesses and their websites a steady flow of fresh traffic.
Companies interacting through online communities will maximize their number of back links which will help their SEO campaigns. The popularity of a brand name or company on a web community all depends on how much they can provide to their loyal consumers. The more you give, the more you will get in return. For example, a company promoting special offers, discounts, imagery, video and gaming entertainment, will be more popular than companies that merely register and provide a paragraph of information. The idea is not be as focused on selling and to be more interested on putting your customer at ease. By providing entertainment and information for your customer this will add a personal appeal to your brand name and they will be satisfied knowing that you’re not just trying to sell your product.
If you don’t know where to begin, using social media to drive quality traffic to your website can be a confusing experience. It is important to first assess the quality of the community you want your company to be a part of and whether it will attract the right kind of consumers. If a community will not bring you quality traffic to your website then there is no point. If you have a website that sells dentures you definitely don’t want to waste your time joining a community catered to younger generations! Maybe a social network for 50+ would be more ideal? Once you have narrowed down the network websites right for your company to be affiliated with, you should then scope out if there is already a company profile existing. If this is the case, you will have to formulate a strategy to have your profile stand out from the rest.
Creating a profile through a network may not be something that will click right away. Social networking is definitely a trial and error method which will give you the results you need only by checking out what works for you and your business.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_895178_3.html
About the Author: http://www.pragmites.com
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Have you been Facebooked?
Author: MarkeD
It's difficult to turn on the TV, read a magazine, or delve into your email these days without social networking getting a mention. And how many of us can resist logging on to check our Facebook, MySpace, or Bebo accounts when we get a spare moment?
It should come as no surprise then that social networks are having an impact on the world of job seeking. But be a little wary... Because every man and his dog has a social networking profile these days - whether on one, or a number of sites - it shouldn't be too shocking to discover that employers have started logging on to check out prospective employees for full and part time jobs.
If your profile is available for the world to see, this could leave you in a bit of a sticky spot; especially if there are embarrassing photos and blush-worthy comments on your page. It's one thing to share entertaining anecdotes, choice words and mini-foibles with chums, but they're not necessarily the kind of first impression you'd want to make to potential employers. Your 'digital dirt' as it's known by some can send your CV to the recycle bin faster than you can click 'untag photo'...
Here are some simple do's and don'ts that might help:
DO:
* Make your profile private to 'friends only' if you're jobseeking
* If you have a 'wall' make sure to delete any comments that could be misconstrued or give a negative impression
* Ask your friends not to 'tag' you in photos or leave off the cuff messages for you while the job search is underway
* If you're part of a network or group, leave it for the duration of your job hunt - membership often means your profile is visible to everyone in the same network, whether you know them or not
* Search for pages or groups set up by potential employers
DON'T:
* Use a negative status or tagline on your profile
* Use less than savoury language on your own profile, or in messages that you might post on friends profiles, groups or forums
* State in your profile 'about me' section your love of partying every night or your disdain for going to work
* Make negative comments about your current place of work or colleagues anywhere on the site
* Post photos of yourself or others that you wouldn't want an employer to see
Of course, nothing relevant to your personal life should have an impact on your jobseeking activities, but erring on the side of caution will mean you have nothing to worry about.
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Sarah Maple writing about social networking and what to be aware of when applying for a job.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_883759_36.html
BLOGGING ON THE RUN by Extreme Gold Fan
Anyone can be a blogger-slash-critic. Here's how to stand out from the Blogging Herd.
Anyone with a computer can blog. But it takes guts and delusions of immortality to take on powerful companies, cranky religious organizations and governments. Still, why blog at all unless you are prepared to do the hard work of being well informed, and then let the entire world know your down-in-the-mud, honest-to-God opinion, even if it earns you a spot on someone’s hit list?
Welcome to my world.
Three out of five stars? That’s a hackneyed rating system reserved for movies and restaurants. Who wants something as cliché as little shaded yellow stars to tell readers, wow that was a damn awesome flick, or good grief, that was pureed road kill? Personally, I prefer to read the words and get the real score.
I’m disappointed when a film critic – probably to avoid getting whacked in the subway – sells out to his diplomatic side and says “X gave a restrained performance that was refreshingly different from her co-stars”. Oh please, just say what you really mean (she was about as animated as a driftwood, especially during the lusty parts).
Or how about the polite restaurant reviewer who describes the Cream of Cheesy Tomato Bisque as “a curious dish made with charmingly out-of-season tomatoes fused with artisanal cheese ...the odd combination lingers in one’s stomach and coats the tongue with strange and even more lingering aftertastes, the richness of which allows the diner to do away with ordering another course.”
Prose aside, what exactly is my point?
Writing an honest review, especially if it requires pointing out big flaws, is no walk in the park. As you write, you imagine lawsuits you’d like to avoid and see images of powerful people passing notes with your name underlined in bold to Tony Soprano. You also know that, if you take the safe course and criticize in the most diplomatic way possible, the punch in your review goes from "hard hitting" to "light tapping".
There’s nothing wrong with diplomacy or playing it safe…or even using the hackneyed gold star rating. BUT - if you want anybody to care about what you have to say – playing it safe just doesn't cut it. It doesn't attract interest. It doesn't inspire YouTube videos. It doesn't get enthusiastically picked up and passed around via links and emails. Surprise, surprise, journalism on the Internet is just as beholden to sensationalism as supermarket rags. A little vulgarity and a healthy dose of brutal frankness are a good thing. Don’t believe me? Ask Perez Hilton. Ask Bill O’Reilly. Their websites’ Alexa ranks – that Internet barometer of popularity – are every blogger’s envy. Yes, their posts may irk, even shock people, but we keep on reading. Call it the Guilty Pleasure Syndrome, but it works.
So how do you go about making a splash and getting people to read your blog without falling into clichéd traps and attracting lawsuits and enemies?
1. Have something to say. Stand for something. Don't write about things you don't really know much about.
Welcome to my world.
Three out of five stars? That’s a hackneyed rating system reserved for movies and restaurants. Who wants something as cliché as little shaded yellow stars to tell readers, wow that was a damn awesome flick, or good grief, that was pureed road kill? Personally, I prefer to read the words and get the real score.
I’m disappointed when a film critic – probably to avoid getting whacked in the subway – sells out to his diplomatic side and says “X gave a restrained performance that was refreshingly different from her co-stars”. Oh please, just say what you really mean (she was about as animated as a driftwood, especially during the lusty parts).
Or how about the polite restaurant reviewer who describes the Cream of Cheesy Tomato Bisque as “a curious dish made with charmingly out-of-season tomatoes fused with artisanal cheese ...the odd combination lingers in one’s stomach and coats the tongue with strange and even more lingering aftertastes, the richness of which allows the diner to do away with ordering another course.”
Prose aside, what exactly is my point?
Writing an honest review, especially if it requires pointing out big flaws, is no walk in the park. As you write, you imagine lawsuits you’d like to avoid and see images of powerful people passing notes with your name underlined in bold to Tony Soprano. You also know that, if you take the safe course and criticize in the most diplomatic way possible, the punch in your review goes from "hard hitting" to "light tapping".
There’s nothing wrong with diplomacy or playing it safe…or even using the hackneyed gold star rating. BUT - if you want anybody to care about what you have to say – playing it safe just doesn't cut it. It doesn't attract interest. It doesn't inspire YouTube videos. It doesn't get enthusiastically picked up and passed around via links and emails. Surprise, surprise, journalism on the Internet is just as beholden to sensationalism as supermarket rags. A little vulgarity and a healthy dose of brutal frankness are a good thing. Don’t believe me? Ask Perez Hilton. Ask Bill O’Reilly. Their websites’ Alexa ranks – that Internet barometer of popularity – are every blogger’s envy. Yes, their posts may irk, even shock people, but we keep on reading. Call it the Guilty Pleasure Syndrome, but it works.
So how do you go about making a splash and getting people to read your blog without falling into clichéd traps and attracting lawsuits and enemies?
1. Have something to say. Stand for something. Don't write about things you don't really know much about.
2. When you criticize something, have evidence to back it up. Otherwise, it's just a cheap shot. For my site WowGoldFacts.com, I use screen shots as proof.
3. Do not present rumor or hearsay as proof. It's not.
4. Sarcasm is always okay but be warned..your readers for whom English is a second language will not get the joke. You'll get a lot of angry responses unless you explain your point in plain speak as well as through the use of sarcasm.
5. After giving your critique, give the company or the person in question some helpful advice. Surprised? That’s what reviews are for. Take the sting out of the put-down by giving tips that really work. However, for companies that have no ethics, and repeatedly lie about their products and services, I reserve the right to pen-whip them without mercy.
6. Censor your cuss words with asterisks or text substitutes like “bleep”. There are young kids who use the Internet. Role models are important. So is avoiding automated parental censure software. Bad reviews from parents and Oprah will (bleeping) kill your traffic.
7. Develop your own writing style. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery but "copycat" is not an accolade.
8. Hide behind a pseudonym so you can sleep well at night. (Thank you Mr. Rushdie for demonstrating the importance of preventive journalistic security measures.)
And remember: Be Fair. It doesn’t always have to be criticism. Praise when praise is due.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_872331_13.html
Life...
Sometimes all you need in life is a good story to tell. Might just lead you to the next mountain to climb. Or someone to go with you.
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