Blogging

Los Angeles Web Development Putting up a website is not a simple matter. In fact, it never was simple. Putting up a website involves getting into the heads of the site's target audience and creating an experience that produces mutually beneficial results for both the owner of the site and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Twitter is launching a new ad type that will target similar ads TV viewers have recently watched. On Friday the social network said it will offer targeted promoted tweets to uses in order to provide a well rounded ad experience. According to Twitter: “Synchronized Twitter and TV ad campaigns make brand messages more engaging, interactive and measurable.” Thanks to its acquisition of Bluefin Labs the micro-blogging service now has the ability to closely monitor shared content in order to gain a reference point for television programming. The program works even if a user doesn’t explicitly reference the name of the TV show they just watched. The program works by using revealing what TV ads a user just saw and then targeting promoted tweets around the same product. For example, if you see a commercial for Dr. Scholl’s inserts you may find yourself staring down a promoted tweet for the same product. Twitter is testing the TV ad to promoted tweet platform with only a handful of companies in the United States. If the test markets for the product are successful we will likely begin to see across medium ad targeting on a more regular basis into the future.

Does your writing suck? You can’t succeed in blogging if your writing sucks. You have to know how to write well when blogging The surprising thing is a lot of people who don’t write well blog. Don’t get me wrong. Everyone is free to blog. And there’s nothing wrong with that. My problem with this is many people call themselves “professional bloggers.” I’m not trying to minimize their experience, but I feel that bloggers need to write exceptionally well. Personally, I look at blogging as a serious career. And someone who wants to do it has to have what it takes, just like applying for a certain job, one needs to have the required skills. Tips on how to write well So before you can become a professional blogger, you need to know how to write well. Let’s cut this short and discuss the ways on how to write well. Read a lot. Read everything from books to newspapers to fiction books to even print ads. This serves you two ways: first, it helps you learn different things that you can use when blogging. Second, it will show you how proper, effective, and compelling sentences are constructed. Watch a lot of movies and television shows. Similar to reading, watching a lot of these will teach so many things. Working as a professional blogger will require you to write about various topics. Part of writing well is knowing enough about a certain topic. You won’t be able to write a good post when you don’t know a lot. Talk to a lot of people. Writing is like talking. The difference is you don’t verbalize words. You put them on paper. You are talking to lots of people by blogging–a huge number of people. It’s like public speaking. You certainly don’t want to embarrass yourself by saying something improperly and inaccurately. Talking to a lot of people will sharpen your communication skills. That has a direct effect on your writing. Carry a notebook and pen all the time. Writers need to write all the time, so make sure to carry these all the time because inspiration will strike when you least expect it. Take it with you while riding the bus, cab, even the train. Have a notebook while dining out or taking a leisure walk. If tablet devices are what you prefer, then so be it. These things have apps that’ll allow you to jot down any idea. Personally, I prefer the old-school style because it’s more convenient and I don’t have to worry about getting mugged. If something comes to mind or even bothers you, write it down. This is why you need to have a pen and paper (or tablet) all the time. Sometimes, the best (and most profitable) ideas come unannounced. That moment may never come again. Don’t rely on your memory. It will fail you. Write immediately. You don’t have to write the entire article or post. Just jot down the idea and then go back to it when you have more time. When you write, make sure to go all out. The minute you get in front of the computer, give it everything you’ve got. Don’t hold back. Write freely. It’s liberating and will help you come up with something awesome. Follow authority blogs on blogging and writing. To know how to write well, learn from the experts. There are tons of really good blogs on writing and blogging that you can learn from. If you have the means, buy writing guides and manuals. This is not required but it can be a huge help for those who are serious about writing professionally. These paid books/manuals/guides contain more in-depth information on how to write well and create killer content. Find a writing coach. There are bloggers and high-profile writers who offer their services for a fee. But if you don’t want to spend cash on coaching sessions, seek out friends or family members who are very good in writing and ask for their help. It may be hard to do since not all we know are professional writers, but it’s worth a shot. How to write well takes time–and a lot of ini

You can handle serious online attacks effectively. When things get hot chill-out. Take out the trash. Delete troll comments and mark spam as spam. If you must respond to a dissenting comment do so calmly, without losing your blogging cool. … Continue reading →

While surfing the web to explore more about Google PageRank and related stuff, I was surprised to see so many of PageRank Update date predictions and articles on how to know what will be next pagerank. The common thing with these articles was that...

Antivirus software is the guards that block malware from entering your computer system. We all love these ‘all seeing’ and ‘all knowing’ sentinels and the job they do. The thing is, there are so many antivirus software programs out there that all claim to be the ‘best’ and to be able to detect and remove all kinds of malware. How then can a simple consumer like you and me be able to determine which antivirus software is ideal?   The first step to proper selection is understanding the three important considerations when it comes to this kind of software:The determining factorsFirst is performance.  How will you know the performance of a product without trying it? By considering the way the product tested in independent labs.  One of these tests that carry a lot of weight in determining the top antivirus software is called the AV-Test. The aim of the research work done by this team is to analyze the software using test environments with various forms of malicious data. The software’s ability to detect and repair the malware is then rated.Second are the features. Not only should the antivirus program be reasonably easy to install and use but additional features such as the ability to schedule scans is definitely a plus factor.  In addition, a good antivirus program ought to be able to detect any infiltration attempts whether it be via your browser, email or instant messenger.Lastly is the support line.  Different consumers have different preferences in this regard so if you want to have support accessible 27/7 make sure that you get a software program that caters for that.Top 6 guns for 2013Now that we understand how anti virus programs are rated, let’s have a quick review of what ‘many’ say are the six top free antivirus software programs of 2013.6. Ad-Aware Free Antivirus 10With over 100million downloads worldwide, this software is known for its anti spyware capabilities although it has limited functions. 5. Panda Cloud AntivirusThis one provides real-time protection against viruses and is popular for it being less taxing on the PC since most of its work is done online. 4. AVG Free Antivirus 2013This scans your entire PC including portable media but whose downside is its lack of support and its being a single user software. 3. Avira Free Antivirus 2013The ability for this software to remove those annoying popup ads along with its speed has earned it the top rank. 2. Microsoft Security Essentials 4.1This is a Microsoft product aimed at protecting your operating system 1. Avast! Free Antivirus 7This is loved by many worldwide because of its user friendly interface. Its popularity though has resulted in slow scans.Though this may be the viewpoint of many based on the statistics and market value of the popular antivirus programs out there, we all have our own preferences and needs. There is no ‘one shoe fits all’ when it comes to selecting the best antivirus program.Author Bio:- Emily is tech and SEO blogger who enjoys sharing her views on the web. She also writes for antivirus test websites and has a passion for everything new in the software industry.

If you want to create a successful blog and business on the internet then you are going to need to write awesome content for your audience. It’s not just about writing content that is of value – it’s also about knowing what your audience wants. I have multiple web sites and blogs and even though the basic principles are always the same, the content for the sites are not. Let’s take ZacJohnson.com and BloggingTips.com, for example. They are very close in nature, but if I were to always write about WordPress and blogging on ZacJohnson.com then my audience would not find as much value in the content. The same thing can be said for BloggingTips.com if I were to always write about social marketing or how to create pay per click ad campaigns. The best way to know what your audience is looking for is to determine what types of content on your blog get the most views and comments. Tutorials, reports and case studies are always going to be some of the most successful posts on a blog and this is because people love to learn how to do stuff and see real life results. What type of content are you creating for your site? Every day I get asked the same old questions about what types of blogs people should create. The “make money blogging” and “how to blog” niche is extremely saturated. There are many different bloggers who write the same articles and content on how to start a blog and talk about the best WordPress plugins, and it’s a good bet that your traffic doesn’t find any value in these posts. Instead you should be putting a creative twist on your content and provide information on topics and tasks that haven’t been discussed a million times. How to come up with creative and new content ideas An excellent way for you to come up with new and attractive ideas for your site is to get active on social networks. There are millions of users in free blogging and internet marketing groups on Facebook and they are all talking about different topics every day. Lots of these discussions are on what’s hot in the industry right now. You can also ask these audiences what type of content they would like to see and have them contribute with their comments and ideas as well. Keeping your blog following strong In addition to using Facebook and Twitter for new content ideas, you should also be utilizing these social networks to grow your blog following. Through the use of a Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account, you can start to accumulate new followers every day and have your blog updates sent right to their social network feeds. This is a great way to automate the process and expand your reach in the process. Optimization of your content is key While optimization of your content is important, you shouldn’t make all of your content around the focus of “how can I make money with this”. Content IS and ALWAYS will be KING, but the makeup of the content is the value that people find in your content. Some of the best blogs in the world have never spent a dime on SEO or advertising and have become what they are today because they focused on creating amazing and killer content. Take the time and effort to create amazing content for your audience and it will continue to work for you for months and years to come. I am blogging on behalf of Visa Business and received compensation for my time from Visa for sharing my views in this post, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Visa’s. Visit http://facebook.com/visasmallbiz to take a look at the reinvented Facebook Page: Well Sourced by Visa Business. The Page serves as a space where small business owners can access educational resources, read success stories from other business owners, engage with peers, and find tips to help businesses run more efficiently. Every month, the Page will introduce a new theme that will focus on a topic important to a small business owner’s success. For additional tips and advice, and information a

Everyone active in the Internet world these days may already have accounts in leading websites like Facebook and Twitter. With the emergence of Google+, is it worth it to be included in yet another social network site? Google+ is one of the freshest members in the growing world of social media networks. Its being on trial for 90 days before setting it off live made a lot of active and addict social media users all hyped and excited especially with Google only sending out invitations in limited numbers. If you are still one of those who are completely unaware of what the Google+ is all about, here are 15 of the most important facts you should know about it. It poses a great effect on Google’s search results. This means that the content of those who are in your circles are expected to achieve higher page ranking in your own conducted searches. This works well the same for you too in other s’ circles. Hence, if you need page ranks that are higher, work on building your circles, making sure you settle for those who share the same interests and niche. Did you know that in just about 30 days, Google+ already achieved 26,000,000 users who are all formally registered? If you will have a Google+ account, you will get a chance to enjoy unlimited storage space for your photos in Picasa. But if you will use the photo platform directly, then the maximum space you will only get is 1GB based on the regular type of subscription.  To have a Google+ account can help you make better of your rates through clicks. It includes your branding or your logo right next your name and your profile, as seen in the search results of Google. This is how it can increase your chance of click via rates. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of top leading social network site,Facebook, has joined Google+ too right after the launching. He became the number one user of the site garnering a total of 485,286 followers. Take note, he was not following any single user at all. Google+ has offered an About portion that allows you to include links, pictures and even those which have QR codes. Its Circles permits you to organize your target audience. It is for one the most powerful aspect of Google+. Compared to Facebook, you can choose who in your circles can get to view some of your contents. This is because you can separate your contacts from personal, business, and a lot more. The Google founder, Larry Page, follows Zuckerberg on the list of most friends in circles with 290,601. Google+ is made for those after the Android experience. This also means a lot of more options for your OS choice if Google+ continues to soar high.  Google+ has a killer feature called the Hangouts! This permits you to stay connected with your circles through video chatting which is done in a casual fashion. It is compared to Skype videos, but been presented way cooler than the usual. Other companies are even eyeing it already to use for their own services and perfect to be utilized for webinars, demos and even group brainstorming.  Google+ is also unique since it offers more than two gender options: Male, Female, and the last one is the Others.  Google+ is the sole reason behind the reason and purpose of the presence of those +1 buttons in Google searches which made everyone wonder so much. The real use of the buttons though were only noticed right after the official launch of the site.  It is a perfect tool for making others find your business much easier. This is made possible since Google+ is connected to Google Places. If you have a location based business, then set it up with a Google Place page and have it linked straight to your Google+ page too. This will surely improve your ranking especially among your customers and you can take advantage of it while others are still not into it yet.  Each user at Google+ is only limited to having around 5,000 friends as the maximum limit. Google+ is very convenient to monitor and track down. This is all due to the help of the presence of Google Analytic

By Leslie Anglesey All writers have some type of inner editor. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have the discipline necessary to stay on track and on topic to either work for clients or focus on their own projects. At first glance, having this built-in critic might seem like a recipe for squashing creativity, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be something that will stop a writer in his or her virtual tracks. At times, self-criticism has been blamed for the famous “writer’s block” but it may not be fair to blame getting stuck on the inner editor. Many factors can contribute to a creative person having trouble getting into the groove of a project or having trouble getting started. The issue may be: fatigue boredom stress in another area of the writer’s life creative process the writer needs to go through to get a flash of inspiration hasn’t resulted in an “a-ha” moment yet While the internal editor can’t be shut off entirely, there are ways to work with it to develop your writing. Keep in mind that it exists for a purpose, and you want to make sure that it doesn’t become so powerful that you are reticent to let anyone see your work. Use a Diamond Shaped Model When Listening to Your Inner Editor When you are thinking about how and when you should listen to your inner editor, consider using a diamond-shaped model to keep you on track with your writing projects. It should help you determine how to proceed. When you are contemplating a project or thinking of making a pitch to an editor, keep your inner editor firmly in the background. This is the narrow part of the diamond shape. Don’t let it get in the way by telling you that you are wasting your time or that you aren’t good enough, so why are you bothering to apply or contact that editor. As a writer, you will get rejected, but you have no chance of getting anywhere if you never make a move toward your goals. As you land a project and move into the broader part of the diamond shape, you want to start listening to your inner critic more. If you are ever tempted to stop digging in your research or not to go the extra mile because, “It’s probably good enough,” allow this part of your mind to poke or guilt you into giving your work that little bit of extra effort to make it the very best you can produce. Likewise, don’t let any piece of writing leave your desk until you have taken the time to proofread and edit it carefully. This piece of advice also falls under the category of listening to your inner editor in the middle of a project, whether you are working on something for school or on a professional basis. Good enough simply isn’t good enough. Your inner editor should be on high alert at this stage of the game. Confidence above All As you proofread and edit your second draft, you should be able to feel a bit more confident about your work. Using the example of the diamond shape, the editor should once more start to go back toward the background, and you should be able to focus on your voice in your writing when you read the final version of your work. By the time you get to the version you are ready to turn in to your instructor or the client, the internal editor should be firmly in the background, leaving only your voice in place when you read through your work. Will your work ever be exactly perfect as a writer? There will always be something that you “could” be doing to alter, fix, or tweak a piece of work to make it better, more interesting, or more “something.” There will have to be a point at which you may need to simply tell your inner editor that you have done your best and that it will have to be good enough. That’s all anyone can do, and you will try again with your next piece of writing, which is how writers grow and develop their craft. What are your tricks for dealing with the inner critic? Author’s Bio: Leslie Angl

Many online marketers try starting a Facebook Ad campaign once and to their standards fail, leading to never exploring Facebook advertising again. I’ve had many online marketers tell me that the blame rests completely on Facebook, and that it’s just not a great place to advertise online. Is it really Facebook’s fault or is it the online marketer who can’t find a way to make his/her ads work? A little bit of both I think. See… some brands just won’t do well on Facebook regardless of the effort you put in. Some brands cover boring topics, and boring topics tend to not do so well on Facebook. Especially with Facebook advertising. Still yet, many brands don’t fall into this “boring category” and yet their online marketing managers still find a way to fail. Why? Well instead of telling you why they fail on Facebook, I’m going to put a more positive spin on things and tell you the top 5 tricks for making your Facebook Ad campaign work! 1. Don’t Do In-Stream Ads Facebook Ad manager gives you 2 options for advertising. 1) normal ads that show up in the user’s right-hand sidebar just outside of the stream and 2) in-stream ads that show up in the user’s actual stream. The latter just creates anger and hatred! You may get a little bit of performance out of it, but the backlash and bad PR will far outweigh any revenue you generate. Not to mention burn a giant hole in your pocket! 2. Setup Pay-Per-Like I personally am a fan of setting up my ads as Pay-per-like instead of the traditional PPC or CPM types. I recommend building up your Facebook Page likes through your ads and then go to work on monetizing those who are already Likes. In other words, get the users permission to market to them first. Market later. 3. Target Specific Topics and Pages The Facebook Ad manager allows you to specify topics and even better, specific Facebook Pages to target to. I highly recommend this as it helps you micro-target and get a much higher click-through rate. Not to mention a much lower CPC. 4. Post 2-3 To Page Per Day In order to get the most out of your new Facebook Ads you’ve got to keep your Facebook page fresh. 1 post per day is to your page is too few, and 4 posts per day is too many. 2-3 is that sweet spot that works for most successful Facebook campaigns. 5. Post Visual Content Don’t just publish words and links. Facebook users don’t respond too well to just words and links. You’ve got to leverage visual content i.e Photos, Videos, Memes, Infographics etc. Remember, your ad shows your latest status update so make each update count! Quick SEO tip: there’s a dual benefit here. Agency Platform helped me figure this little trick out. Using your Facebook Analytics you can see which visual content got the most engagement. Use that same visual content as link bait to improve your SEO Link building campaign. The more obvious tip that I cannot forget to mention here is don’t spam! All people hate spam, but especially Facebook users. They really hate being spammed and rarely do they tolerate it. Make sure you are posting content that is relevant and highly engaging. To back that up, make sure your brand is legitimate and that you take any and all efforts to improve your product or service offering. I shouldn’t have to mention this last tip, but it always amazes me how many Affiliates and Lead Gen aggregators are trying to make Facebook Ads work. Ridiculous! Anyhow… good luck in your Facebook Ad efforts. Hope it treats you well! This article was contributed by Nicole. She has been blogging about social media marketing for years.