When I built my first WordPress website, and I am using the word "built" liberally, I was encouraged by how many plugins could support the goals I had and what I wanted to do. But these days, the market offers […]
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Website Analytics: Plugins That Provide Post Stats
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Written by Tricia Mool, http://www.triciamool.com/
The post Website Analytics: Plugins That Provide Post Stats appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.
How to Overcome Writer’s Block written by Alex Boyer read more at Duct Tape Marketing
We’ve all been there: stuck with writer’s block on a tight deadline. It can completely derail your writing progress, and frustrate you to the point where you can’t get anything done. As a business owner, you don’t have time to sit around with writer’s block, and if your blog is well-read, the fear of disappointing your readers may add extra pressure.
I write a lot in my free time in addition to my usual blogging, so I’ve dealt with writer’s block a lot. Here are some of the best ways I have been able to break the bind and get back to creating great content.
Sometimes when you’re having a hard time writing, the best thing to do is step away from the task at hand. Get your mind off your topic for a little bit and think about something else. If you are extremely busy, move on to the next task and complete it. If you can, though, I’d suggest clearing your mind entirely. Try taking a walk around your office or home, or if the weather is pleasant, head outside and take a deep breath.
When you get a real bad case of writer’s block, you may be over-thinking your project and how to get over it. Just step away and take a break, over-thinking and worrying about it will only prolong the block.
Once you get back to whatever you were writing, reread your work from the beginning. You’ll be amazed the direction in which your train of thought will take you.
If you find yourself hung up on writing a particular point in your post, try skipping ahead to a different point. Sometimes it can help you feel better to get words on paper instead of sitting idle and staring at the blank page. Think about the next point of your blog post, and skip ahead a bit. Once you complete that thought, maybe you can go back to the section that hung you up.
Like the athlete that tries to recover from a turned ankle by walking it off, sometimes the only way to get through writer’s block is to write. Close your main project and write something completely different. Writing a blog post? Try your hand at poetry. Working your way through a technical eBook? Write a children’s story or fiction piece.
Your new work doesn’t have to be good (No one will ever have to see it) but it just has to be different. Once when I was having a really tough time progressing, I decided to write a rap lyric. The lyric was horrendous, but when I went back to my main project, the words seemed to flow. Sometimes you have to just change the way you think before progressing.
There are countless studies proving that exercise increases productivity. Exercise gets your blood pumping and gets more of your brain active. If you’ve been sitting over your computer reworking your sales copy for hours, studies show that your brain starts working at a lower efficiency. Working out will recharge your batteries, and help you work more effectively.
Can’t get sweaty or don’t have the time to work out? Go for a walk outside or, even better, up and down the stairs. Take 15 minutes and move around as much as possible in that time. If Yoga is your thing, you can even do a few poses. All you have to do is get out of your chair and your heart racing.
If all else fails, have a beer to help get creative. Alcohol in small amounts can help you relax and boost creativity. Be responsible, though. It may be pretty tough to get things done after a long happy hour.
Even the best writers get writer’s block occasionally. Relax, you’ll get through it. There are plenty of ways to recharge your creativity and finish your project, all you have to do is find what works best for you.
Alex Boyer is a Community Manager and Content Ninja for Duct Tape Marketing. You can connect with him on Twitter @AlexBoyerKC
The human brain is an incredible tool, but it can also be puzzling. For the landing page designer, the human brain presents the greatest challenge as well as the greatest ally. You might not have thought about how psychology plays […]
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3 Psychological Tools To Use In Landing Page Design
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Written by Mandy Boyle, Mandy Boyle
The post 3 Psychological Tools To Use In Landing Page Design appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.
MENLO PARK — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Facebook today to chat about his country becoming a more digital society, investments in the country, and empowerment of women.
In a short Q&A town hall session, the leader of the world’s largest democracy spoke about India’s continued progress in terms of technology and internet connectivity. All the questions from the audience were hand-picked prior to the event, and none mentioned Internet.org.
After standard greetings between Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and PM Modi, the first question was how the Prime Minister views social media. Modi said that world leaders “wouldn’t gain from running away from social media” and should embrace it. “You’ll have a good government if you have many channels,” he added.
We’re living in a new world of diplomacy. PM Modi said that not only are Indian citizens more connected via social media, but that he’s active as well. He remarked, as an example, that he recently wished China’s premier a happy birthday on Weibo, and that the message quickly went viral and was considered newsworthy. “No one thought this is what diplomacy would look like,” Modi confessed.
Social media is “the new face of diplomacy,” he said, adding that if the world is indeed one big family, social media is playing a huge role in keeping it together.
He then took three questions which Zuckerberg had collected from the audience at Facebook headquarters. The first was by an entrepreneur who asked about the digital infrastructure in India, and what Modi will do to ensure that all people are connected (likely in reference to the PM’s Digital India initiative). Modi responding by saying that connectivity isn’t about choosing between physical and digital infrastructure. Instead, it’s about working on these two simultaneously. India has 250 local governments and Modi’s hope is that over the next five years, these areas will be connected through the use of fiber-optic networks.
PM @narendramodi's special message, in Gujarati. 'Ahimsa is the greatest Dharma. Satyameva Jayate' pic.twitter.com/bRWOUthxvw
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 27, 2015
“Civilizations originally settled along rivers, but time has changed. Cities have shifted to highways, but soon they’ll be situated along fiber optic networks,” Modi said. He revealed that he believes technology will also make governance easier and more economical.
And how would women play a part in this new economy? Modi said that he strongly believes in the power of women in society, saying that if India expects to meet its economic goals, it can’t imprison 50 percent of its population at home. There needs to be a 100 percent partnership between men and women.
He also remarked that he would be working to further education for girls, and cited his experience working on this issue when he was chief minister in the region.
Modi appeared to get emotional over the final question that Zuckerberg posed, which involved mothers. Both parents of Facebook’s CEO were in the audience, and Modi paid tribute to them. It was when he was asked about his own mother that Modi appeared visibly affected, reflecting on the incredible sacrifices she made that allowed him to rise from the owner of a tea shop in India to the leader of this populous nation.
Modi has received quite a bit of attention over his visit to Silicon Valley, perhaps a great deal of it spurred by the idea of his being a technology aficionado. Since his election to office last year, he has sought to implement his “Digital India” initiative that leverages high-speed internet access to facilitate innovation in his country. Certainly this is in line with not only Zuckerberg’s vision via Internet.org, but also Google’s.
A desire to reach out to technology companies shouldn’t be that surprising; Modi sees their services as helping to connect the world. “Social media is reducing social barriers. It connects people on the strength of human values, not identities,” he said at an event on Saturday. “I see technology as a means to empower and as a tool that bridges the distance between hope and opportunity.”
Projects for Progress. @google gives a tour to PM of four critical projects and their value for @_DigitalIndia pic.twitter.com/3AJawGBoN7
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 27, 2015
India’s prime minister arrived in California on Saturday, making him the first Indian head of state to visit the area in 33 years. He has made it a point to meet with many of the industry’s leaders, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tesla head Elon Musk, and others. The purpose has purportedly been to glean enough knowledge to help jumpstart innovation in his country.
Digital India is a government initiative to ensure that the public has direct access to information — think Gov 2.0, which had previously been championed by Tim O’Reilly. The initiative also seeks to extend access to high-speed internet networks throughout India, including in rural areas. Modi has set a goal to have all of this completed by 2019.
Modi has touted his government’s success in the past year, much of which he attributes to technology. Thanks to U.S. technology, he said, the country has made strides in the fight against poverty by utilizing networking and mobile devices to empower people. These efforts have resulted in the creation of 180 million new bank accounts, as well as insurance for the poor, and establishment of retirement pensions. Modi added that 170 applications have been identified to help India’s government function better; and more.
Today’s special Facebook town hall isn’t the only newsworthy event from Modi’s visit to the technology capital. At a private dinner on Saturday, executives from some of the biggest companies in the region announced their support for the world’s third-largest economy (based on purchasing-power parity).
Among those that reportedly made announcements was Qualcomm’s executive chairman Paul Jacobs, who committed $150 million to startups in India and said the company would establish a design innovation lab there.
Satya Nadella was said to have shared that Microsoft would begin offering cloud services from Indian servers.
Google will also be making investments in India: The company aims to provide Wi-Fi access in 500 rail stations and plans to offer Android keyboards available in 10 Indian languages, beginning next month.
Modi’s arrival in Silicon Valley has been welcomed by many, but not all. Academics have penned a letter raising concerns about the visit, saying that they believe the Digital India initiative raises questions about safeguards for privacy of information. Namely, signatories of an open letter say it “seems to ignore key questions raised in India by critics concerned about the collection of personal information and the near certainty that such digital systems will be used to enhance surveillance and repress the constitutionally protected rights of citizens.”
Others have raised issues around Facebook’s Internet.org initiative, concerned that it won’t abide by principles of net neutrality.
In response, Facebook’s vice president for Internet.org, Chris Daniels, told The Economic Times earlier this week: “The net neutrality debate in India and particularly the criticism around Internet.org was really a small group of connected individuals who were spreading fears about what the programme could do to the Internet.”
Others have protested against Modi over his role in the 2002 religious riots in the Indian state of Gujarat when he was the chief minister of the state. In fact, as people drove up to Facebook’s headquarters, there were protestors lined up outside.
Of note, this is Zuckerberg’s latest in a string of meetings with world leaders, as he spent time last week with China’s President Xi Jinping, and addressed dignitaries at the United Nations on Saturday. The meeting with Modi is also the second town hall event that Zuckerberg has hosted, the first with President Barack Obama in 2011.
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When asked about renewable energy or alternative, most people automatically think of solar electricity. Generating electricity from the sun is a renewable energy technology that most people are familiar. Whether you simply pocket calculator, your home or in your shop, regardless of its energy needs, solar electricity can do the job.
Solar power has several unique advantages compared to standard electricity network. Solar electric systems can be designed for a variety of applications and are extremely useful in remote areas where no electricity grid based. They could be very beneficial to the third world or developing countries, helping to bring electricity and all its benefits to the general population also photovoltaic panels that produce solar power, no moving parts, so a minimum of maintenance is needed and the smaller units are completely portable, which is another big advantage in places outside the network.
Respect for the environment is a major selling point for the conversion of solar energy. Its fuel is a free renewable resource, ie the sun. Solar power offers a total pollution free energy, unlike electricity from fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases. Another attractive factor for those who choose solar electricity to the grid based on power is nothing more than the feeling of total freedom. Freedom of the electric company, cuts and blackouts freedom and total freedom in their prices constantly increasing.
The hardest part of making solar energy is the initial implementation of the system costs. Solar power, are not a cheap quick fix. It should be seen as a long term investment. A sales system professionally installed for an average household should pay for itself within 5/7 years. Costs can be reduced considerably as it may, the construction of their own or buying a solar panel system used. A Do It Yourself system is much easier than you think with excellent guides and videos available today, so that even a novice Do it yourself can install their own solar panels. As more and more now, governments are introducing subsidies for the installation of solar energy, and it is possible that you may be able to sell their solar electricity used in the electric company. In these cases, the performance of your initial investment would be much faster.
Solar energy is not only an advantage for you and your home, but more importantly for the environment. Take time to learn about solar energy and how it can be easy to lose track of electricity, and are free of solar electricity.
Blogging can easily become just a repetitive task. Something you do, have to do, because... because.
4 Sure fire ways to prevent getting into or help you egtting out of a blogging slump.
Post from: Search Engine People SEO Blog
4 Ways To Get Out Of Your Blogging Slump
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Written by Alvina Lopez,
The post 4 Ways To Get Out Of Your Blogging Slump appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.
Retailing online is an experience in itself. It has its own share of unique challenges, and etailers must never forget that it is "conversions" that provides them their bread and butter (and jam). So how can you run an e-business […]
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How To Be An Ecommerce Conversion Ninja
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Written by Rohan Ayyar, E2M
The post How To Be An Ecommerce Conversion Ninja appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.
Earlier this year, Google Adwords introduced dynamic structured snippets, which can give customers a "preview" of the type of content your site provides. While it's additional "real estate" for your ads, a lot of people got frustrated because these dynamic […]
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3 Things You Need To Know About Adwords' Structured Snippets
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Written by Ryan Cruz, Linkedin profile
The post 3 Things You Need To Know About Adwords' Structured Snippets appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.
Let's go through 10 apps and services that not only improve your social media posts, but improve your whole social media campaign, from content creation, to implementation to tracking. 1. IFTTT (If This Then That) If This Then That is […]
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10 Apps To Boost Your Social Media Performance
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Written by Jonny Ross, jonnyross.com
The post 10 Apps To Boost Your Social Media Performance appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.
Selling is hard. The challenges sellers face every day are daunting. Pressures from managers notwithstanding, we're also up against clients who are tired of old-fashioned sales techniques, often know more about our solutions than we do and are using technology […]
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4 Steps To Effective Social Selling On Linkedin
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Written by Brian Farrell, FIND the CLIENT
The post 4 Steps To Effective Social Selling On Linkedin appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.
