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SEO for Drupal 7
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Drupal is very strong when it comes to SEO. To further enhance Drupal’s SEO optimization capabilities it is worthwhile utilizing some specialized Drupal SEO modules. Unfortunately there are no SEO modules for Drupal 7 that are a comprehensive SEO solution. You will need to collate a number of modules, which will collectively provide the SEO capabilities required. The following modules are the most recommended, work for Drupal 7 and cover the most important aspects of SEO.
Path Auto
Search engine friendly urls help a great deal for SEO. It allows keywords to be integrated into the urls and it is also great for usability, such that it is easier to understand what the website is about from looking at the urls. Also, if the text in a link to your website is the url, it is better if there are keywords included in this url. The Path Auto module helps to automatically create search engine friendly urls. For example it can create a url/category/title rather than node/611. This uses a url configuration using tokens which is easily modifiable. Path Auto is an improvement on the Path module, since the Path module needed to be created every time.
Global Redirect
Duplicate content issues are a pervasive problem across the web. This is when two urls point to the same content. Addressing these issues will help to ensure that the most important pages on your website are indexed. It also ensures that when people link to your page, it always goes to the same url, which is very important for SEO. The Global Redirect module prevents duplicate pages by creating important 301 redirects when creating a new redesign or changing urls. Another issue is that after a url change, Drupal does not automatically remove the old path for example /node/611. Global Redirect fixes this duplicate content problem.
XMLSitemap
XML sitemaps are important for SEO because it tells the search engines which urls to index. When a new urls appears, for example a new blog has been posted, the sitemap can tell the search engine to index that new post. The XML sitemap also includes how frequently certain urls are likely to be updated, letting the search engines know how frequent it should be indexed. The XML sitemap module creates a sitemap in the correct xml format. This module conforms to the specification as documented on sitemaps.org.
Search404
The 404 error page is usually shown when an incorrect url is typed in for a particular domain. The challenge with this type of page is how it can help the user find what have been originally looking for.The Search404 module cleverly does a search with the keywords in the URL instead of showing a standard "404 Page not found". For example, if the url typed in is www.example/dog/grooming, instead of showing a 404 errors page, the page will show the results of a search for “dog grooming”.
Metatag
The Metatag module is the most important module for SEO. It provides control over the important meta data and tags which have so much influence over how the search engines see web pages. This is an update to Nodewords and is also an improvment. Metatag module provides control over titles, description, canonical url, and many more SEO elements.
Link Checker
One of the factors that the search engines are using when evaluating websites is the number of broken links throughout the website. This includes internal links as well as external. The Link Checker module checks for all outgoing broken links. Unfortunately it is still in the development stage, but it is included in this link because it is the best Drupal link checker and it is likely to be completed soon. Keep an eye out for this module, for when it is ready.
Analytics Integration
When it comes to SEO, having the ability to analyze your audience demographics and what search terms they are using to find you, becomes crucial. The Google Analytics module integrates Google Analytics into Drupal and adds many more tracking features. For example it can selectively track/exclude certain users, roles and pages.
Conclusion
There are certainly other modules for SEO, many of which overlap with the Drupal SEO modules covered here, although many have not reached full release stage for Drupal 7. There are also some modules that take you through installing many Drupal SEO modules. The problem with these are that they recommend a very large number of unnecessary modules and it is probably better to choose the modules that you are most likely to use for your particular needs.
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Mitchel Xavier is a Drupal development consultant and creates functional and dynamic Drupal web design solutions for online businesses in Sydney Australia.
Skydrive with Office or Google Docs - Looking for a better web based office suite
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Cloud Concept has skyrocketed these days. The situation today is that nearly every other company is looking to foray into the same. This has become more evident with the success of cloud services like Google docs, Dropbox, etc... Just two days back, I had written about Dropbox and how has it been able to garner attention in the cloud arena. The same goes with Google Docs, one of the most popular cloud based document management system. Google Docs has been a trendsetter in cloud computing with some of the best applications running under it. I don't know if I had ever discussed about the same or not but I use Google docs to manage 80% of my tasks related to document management. Yeah, I know I can do the same thing in Microsoft Office but should I be really bothered about the same when I am availing very similar service on cloud from Google. Moreover, I should say Google Docs offers me one of the fastest cloud based file management services which has impressed me the most than any other similar services on the internet. I have been using the same from last 3 years and it has been simply outstanding though there are few limitations but nothing much to worry about..!
Well, no doubt with the fact that Google Docs has gone better and better with time. The reason why I cannot think of any other similar service which can offer me the same versatility as Google Docs. But we shouldn't forget one basic thing - monopoly is dangerous and competition breeds convenience. This has been a truth from ages and I am seeing it all again with the competition heating up between Google and Microsoft to conquer Cloud. While Docs has been a straightaway success, the same cannot be said for Microsoft Skydrive Web App, the web based office suite from Microsoft. Now, before saying anything let me tell you that I have used Skydrive Web App to pen down this writeup. This is for the very first time I have tried using Skydrive Web App to work on any document. And I am impressed. Considering both Microsoft Skydrive Web App and Google Docs have a very similar service to offer, this makes it very difficult to judge who's better and by how much. But having been launched very prior to Skydrive Web App, Google Docs has certainly raised to the top in a very short period of time. But as I had pointed out in my first paragraph, there are certain areas where Docs seems to be falling behind the Skydrive Web App.
One of the major difference lies with the storage space. I could see whopping 25GB of free usable space available with Skydrive whereas in Google Docs, it is limited to just 2GB which is surely too less to be content with. Availing Space beyond 2GB requires me to pay for the same which goes from $5 for 20GB to $4096 for 16TB. I don't know how much of the difference it can make in the end but at least is a reason which goes in favor of Skydrive. The second major difference lies with the interoperability with the file systems. In Google Docs, I have the option to download my file in either of any of these formats, ODT, PDF, RTF, HTML, etc...whereas I cannot see the same option here with document management in Skydrive. The documents created here in Skydrive are supported with MS Office and it asked me for MS Office 2010 to work with them on my PC. Since I am having an older version of MS Office on my desktop, I wasn't able to edit documents from Web App on my PC. That's bad..!
Also one of the interesting things which I noticed with Skydrive Web App, I can create only 4 types of files, word document, excel sheet, powerpoint and onenote notebook. I have tried creating each of these documents except onenote notebook which I am not much familiar with. Google Docs gives me a feature to create everything as I do in Skydrive plus it also gives me an extra feature to create forms, drawings and the very recently added, Table which I am yet to use. I think Google Docs clearly has an edge over here. But again a feature which I loved in Skydrive is to embed my created documents. The embed feature is truly one of the most exciting features to be seen with Web App in Skydrive. Using the same, I could easily generate an embed code for my word document, excel sheet or powerpoint file which later could be used on any of my blogs or websites. Exciting...Isn't it ?? I couldn't find anything similar in Google Docs or if I know well, I can embed only forms and excel documents from docs to my blogs or webpages. Please clear me on this if I am wrong..!
Well, Microsoft Skydrive Web App or Google Docs ? A difficult decision to make but anyways, I would still put Google Docs higher above the Skydrive. Skydrive does have advantage with the storage spacing it provides and few other features like embed for its office suite but finally it appears minimal against Docs which should be rated 9 out of 10 for its usability, features and overall convenience. There are still hits and misses with both these services but I still need a valid reason for a switch over which doesn't look possible at present..!
I think Microsoft also realizes the same and the result is the video below which shows desperation from Microsoft to kick out Google from the Cloud arena. The video below takes a digg at Google Docs in a humorous manner. It is a fun to watch and a food for thought for all those who in a dilemma to switch over from Docs to Skydrive with Office. The video actually shows how Skydrive with Office is a better choice over Google Docs for college students who have to work together to come up with better projects and presentations to complete their assignment. Does make sense...!
Further readings -
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/archive/2012/01/16/skydrive-and-office-7-tips-for-full-powered-collaboration-in-the-cloud-across-pcs-and-macs.aspx
Drive Traffic to Your Blog: Top Secrets for Top Bloggers
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Did you know that there were164 million blogs uploaded on the web by July, 2011? This was indicated by the info-graphic released by the Conversion Rate Optimization Company, Invesp. The same info-graphic suggests that out the total bloggers in the world, more than 27% are full time bloggers. While many people write blogs for a vent out or awareness, full time bloggers consider blogging a powerful tool promote the online presence of their business by attracting traffic. Since, competing with millions of blogs online is not easy, find out some secrets tips to generate traffic to your blog siding.
Strategically Attracting Traffic to the Blogs
Here are the secret tips that you can be used to drive more traffic to your blogs when competing with millions of other blogs on the web:
Keyword rich title
A large chunk of reader’s attention is grabbed by an outstanding title. What is strongly recommended is keyword analysis to find most searched for phrases and incorporating them in the title.
Engaging content
Once you are ready with an excellent title and raised reader’s expectations from the blog, make sure content is not disappointing. Although the blog does not have to be written in a jargon difficult to understand by the layman, the content should be well-researched and easy to understand. The key to good content is to raise possible questions out of the topic and try to answer those questions briefly in the blog. Apart from that, determine the target audience and inform them about a service or product without adding the fluff that is of no value to the reader.
Take social media help
One cannot ignore the power of social networks on internet these days. Add you blog post to your Twitter, Facebook and Linkedln account pages using Networkedblogs applications to promote your business as everyone on your circle will be able to read it. Additionally, content and links travel fast on such social networks through sharing.
A blogger can increase traffic on his/her blog by adding a ‘Retweet’ button at the top every blog post you make and a ‘Share’ button at the end for readers to be able to share it through their facebook profile.
Blog commenting
Give a chance to the readers to express their opinion on your blog. Encourage friends, relatives, business colleagues to initiate the commenting. Not only this, bloggers can drive traffic to their blog posts by letting readers subscribe to your posts. Even if they do not wish to buy products or services discussed in a particular blog, RSS subscription boxes let the subscribers know about latest updates.
Q & A sites
A lot of people, businessmen, service providers, marketers use internet to seek answers to their queries. Questions & Answers sites such as Yahoo’s ask.com are packed with traffic at all times. You can bring those askers to your website through your blog posts. Simply partake in discussion rooms, forums, Q & A sites and leave a link to your blog at the end of your reply. This way you bloggers get ample of free traffic to their blogs and get a chance to promote whatever they wish to.
Simply writing interesting blogs is not enough these days! Customize them with techniques specifically popular to attract traffic.
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Aliya Martin loves to write blogs therefore she has opted for full time blogging. In her free time she likes to go on long drives. Both luxury and sport cars fascinate her equally therefore she plans to open an automobile showroom in the near future.
Simply writing interesting blogs is not enough these days! Customize them with techniques specifically popular to attract traffic.
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Aliya Martin loves to write blogs therefore she has opted for full time blogging. In her free time she likes to go on long drives. Both luxury and sport cars fascinate her equally therefore she plans to open an automobile showroom in the near future.
Six things to look for while selecting your host
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Blog owners often concentrate on their onsite and offsite SEO and forget about the hardware and servers on which their blog is hosted. Often we go for the cheapest provider. This is a huge mistake. Google search algorithm gives importance to many factors which depend on server quality. Here are six factors to consider while selecting a host.
Server load
The load on a server plays an important role in efficiency and speed. Usually providers load a single server with thousands of blogs and websites. Imagine that your car which has a capacity of five is loaded with ten people. Obviously its performance will deteriorate. It’s the same for a server. You must therefore ensure that your server is loaded optimally or number of domain per server is limited. If possible server load must be tested at different times of the day. A server which might be perfectly well balanced may go down when loaded suddenly. For example, servers experience heavy loads during Christmas and New Year. While some situations like this may be unavoidable, you must ensure that server downtime is minimal.
Server capacity
Ideally a server must be loaded only up to fifty percent of its capacity. There may be drastic deterioration in performance if a server is loaded beyond this limit. Though a server will not collapse with higher loads, visitors may experience frustrating speeds which is not good for you.
Ideally a server must be loaded only up to fifty percent of its capacity. There may be drastic deterioration in performance if a server is loaded beyond this limit. Though a server will not collapse with higher loads, visitors may experience frustrating speeds which is not good for you.
Bandwidth
Servers are located in data centers which connect them to the internet highway. Some data centers are directly connected to the communication backbone while some others may be located further away. The bandwidth of the server may therefore be compromised leading to slower speed. You must therefore ensure that your server is located on high speed data centers.
Service
You would require several services while hosting your blog or website. Your host must be able to provide all these services without any hitch. This will ensure smooth and continuous operation of your blog. At the very least your host must be able to provide WordPress along with corresponding services.
Uptime
You must make sure that your blog is always up and about. At the very least you must demand 99.99% uptime. Remember that once a visitor clicks on your link and doesn’t access your site, he will never come again.
Cost
The cost of hosting must be considered while selecting a host. There are several excellent providers who offer discounts coupons and promotion codes which you can use effectively. Though cost is the least important of all considerations, you must look at it from a long term perspective.
Conclusion
You must not neglect hardware issues since they play an important role in SEO. User experience must be an important consideration which depends on your host. You can only ignore server issues at your peril. In the internet world you get a second chance but no more. You must make the best out of it.
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S Srinivasan is a maverick writer who takes keen interest in technology. He loves to ferret out small bits of information which make a huge difference. He is promoting london pass discount code and world soccer shop coupon , two discount codes and shop coupons worth a look.
Four small factors which impact SEO significantly
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Most of us are focused on big things and why not. Keyword density and back links seem to occupy our minds in exclusion of everything else. Meanwhile there are some small factors which seem to have a significant impact on SEO. These are age of your website or blog, time till which the blog is registered, download speed and traffic to your site.
Age of website
You might ask what age has got to do with SEO. But Google thinks otherwise. To me it makes sense. It’s like this – you build a new website, attract people using foul and fair means, make a fast buck and then disappear from the scene. How do I judge you if you have hardly been there on the scene? Longer you have been present on internet, Google gets more opportunity to analyze your intent and content.
However, there is not much you can do about this factor. It’s kind of ‘for information only’ kind of information.
However, there is not much you can do about this factor. It’s kind of ‘for information only’ kind of information.
Years upto which the domain is registered
This is a factor which you can do something about. Many of us, due to monetary reasons register our domain name for a year and then extend it year after year. To Google it looks as if you are there for a temporary period. What if you were a fly by wire kind of operator? Are you there only to make a fast buck? Will your blog disappear next year? These are questions which Google algorithm is bound to ask. You must therefore provide a reassuring answer. I would recommend at least five years domain registration for your website or blog. It’s worth the money you spend for it. Moreover you get discounts, savings coupons and promotion codes which can help you reduce cost considerably. Moreover it gives you peace of mind.
Download speed
Page download speed is a factor which we tend to ignore and this makes a whole lot of difference. Google loves faster downloads and rewards you for it. You can reduce download speed with very little effort. You must pay attention to your index page or home page. Less graphics, no videos and nil audio is a good formula to follow. There are many tools which can determine your download speed. I suppose this factor can be managed in about half an hour of your time.
Traffic
Your blog is one of millions floating around on the net. You would be surprised to know that many don’t have any traffic. These blogs or sites obviously don’t mean much even if they are optimized and have hundreds of backlinks. Google gains only if your blog has traffic – more the merrier. From the standpoint of Google traffic means a lot. Due to this reason Google search algorithm caters to traffic in no small measure. This is one of the reasons why many sites buy traffic. Even if your site shows activity, it’s worth it. That’s the reason why blogs welcome comments.
Conclusion
The above factors may seem small but they are significant. A little attention can make your blog go far.
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Latasri is an active member of online community and likes to write on varied subjects related to online technologies and related products and services. She is promoting webhostingpad coupons and register.com coupon code , two money saving coupons and coupon codes worth a look.
Latasri is an active member of online community and likes to write on varied subjects related to online technologies and related products and services. She is promoting webhostingpad coupons and register.com coupon code , two money saving coupons and coupon codes worth a look.
Dropbox Android App gets updated with automatic photo uploads feature
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Most of us are aware of Dropbox. Dropbox is one of the most popular cloud based file management application. Using the same, files like images files, documents and videos can be instantly uploaded to Dropbox website. And unlike other free services around, Dropbox allows you to access your saved file from anywhere, be it your computer, laptop, mobile or the Dropbox site itself. The files which are saved to Dropbox are automatically available on user's computers, phones and Dropbox website. So, in case if you lose your data on any of these device, you can sit and relax as you still have your files available from the secure Dropbox website which is accessible with valid login credentials. Moreover Dropbox works even when offline and so you have the freedom to work on your files from anywhere anytime.. Plus Dropbox also gives you a facility to to share your content from your Dropbox folder to your family and friends. This is more of a help as you can now easily cooperate to work together on same projects and documents.
Now, here is a welcome update for those who have been using the Android app for Dropbox. Dropbox for Android now has a feature to enable automatic photos upload to Dropbox. Once this feature is enabled on your Android device, you can then have your photos automatically uploaded to Dropbox. And unlike Gooogle Instant Download where uploaded photos are size restricted, it isn't the same case here. Photos of any size can be uploaded to Dropbox without any further manipulation with the same. The automatic upload feature is currently available with the Android app as well the latest desktop version of the Dropbox. The desktop app will automatically upload photos for you whether they're
coming from a connected camera, smartphone, or tablet sync, or your SD
card slot. Awesome...Isn't it ?
Well, I really don't know why I wasn't using Dropbox here on my PC. One of the major reasons for the same could be my reliance on features like Google Instant Upload. Also, I have been using Google Docs as the preferred cloud based hosting for my documents and related files including pictures. And as far as uploading videos is concerned, I have done it in the past and I have all my videos uploaded on YouTube. And I don't think I need to look for any better video hosting service than YouTube. I have to say the same for all other services which I have been availing from Google for free..!
Anyways, I have just downloaded and started using Dropbox to see how useful and convenient it is for me. Around 50 million people use Dropbox and so why shouldn't I ? Things may change with the arrival of Google GDrive which is supposed to be rival to Dropbox as both work on a similar concept. Google GDrive can offer a better alternative to those who have been making use of service from Dropbox but anyways, it is too early to say anything. Let us wait and watch...!
Now, I am leaving you with some screenshots which I have taken from my Android handset. These are the screenshots of Dropbox Android app which I had installed on my mobile device after reading app review at Google Android Market. Also, I was curious to know about the latest update regarding automatic photo upload from phone to Dropbox. I could see this option easily but I haven't enabled it yet. Maybe later as at present I am concerned about privacy issues related to the same.
Anyways, here are the pics -
Well, I really don't know why I wasn't using Dropbox here on my PC. One of the major reasons for the same could be my reliance on features like Google Instant Upload. Also, I have been using Google Docs as the preferred cloud based hosting for my documents and related files including pictures. And as far as uploading videos is concerned, I have done it in the past and I have all my videos uploaded on YouTube. And I don't think I need to look for any better video hosting service than YouTube. I have to say the same for all other services which I have been availing from Google for free..!
Anyways, I have just downloaded and started using Dropbox to see how useful and convenient it is for me. Around 50 million people use Dropbox and so why shouldn't I ? Things may change with the arrival of Google GDrive which is supposed to be rival to Dropbox as both work on a similar concept. Google GDrive can offer a better alternative to those who have been making use of service from Dropbox but anyways, it is too early to say anything. Let us wait and watch...!
Now, I am leaving you with some screenshots which I have taken from my Android handset. These are the screenshots of Dropbox Android app which I had installed on my mobile device after reading app review at Google Android Market. Also, I was curious to know about the latest update regarding automatic photo upload from phone to Dropbox. I could see this option easily but I haven't enabled it yet. Maybe later as at present I am concerned about privacy issues related to the same.
Anyways, here are the pics -
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| Upload and save any file from your device to Dropbox |
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| Here you see a window which tells you about the automatic image upload to Dropbox. |
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| Here you can enable automatic upload for your photos from your mobile device. |
Further readings -
http://www.pcworld.com/article/250588/dropbox_adds_automatic_photo_uploads.html
http://mashable.com/2011/12/22/google-drive-predictions/
SEO keyword research stages explained in an Infographic
Friday, February 24, 2012
No doubt, one of the foremost and a major task in any SEO process is the Keywords Research. The keywords are the basis of any SEO process. Knowing them and targeting them properly through well crafted optimized pages is what is required finally out of a good SEO process. Any mistake with the keyword research process can lead to poor search engine rankings, dropped traffic and considering if you have your online business/ecommerce website then you may see your sales drop drastically on account of less traffic on your webpages and other related factors which often start with a bad keyword research process.
Keywords are your business. The better you know them, the better is for your business. Before getting a list of all your top or say proper keywords, it is required that you follow a proper keyword research process. An efficient keyword research process enables your to decrease your works for further works in website promotion plus also helps in increasing the success of your advertising campaign.
Now, below is a nice infographic from promodo.com, which showcases various stages of keyword research process. I have found it very useful and informative. Hope you too find it the same...!
Can Your Blog Make Do With Plain Vanilla Wordpress?
Thursday, February 23, 2012
This is not plain rhetoric but a question which I often ask myself. I am sure many others out there are also asking the same question. Can you manage your blog effectively without addons, plugins and themes?
Themes And Themes Everywhere, But Do You Need Theme
While installing WordPress you get two basic themes. Initially when I started my blog, this seemed two much. I could after all do everything I wanted. One fine day, I wanted some features of a news blog. Suddenly, the basic theme seemed totally inadequate. I searched for some appropriate theme and soon I found one that suited me. This was a free theme. During my search I found many other themes which were not free. But they didn’t cost all that much. Fifty dollars or even less seemed to be the average cost of a paid theme. From plain vanilla my blog went on to add some flavor. This spiced up my blog and made it much better. I could present my content well and I licked my fingers in glee.
Courtesy smashingmagazine.com
Plugins Make Life Easier
This state of utter bliss was short lived. Other than present my content in a nice way I could not do much else. Selling BistroMD is not the easiest thing on earth and Weight Watchers is no less weighty . I realized that I needed an ecommerce site and a plugin was required to plug the hole.
Once I had hitched a ride on the plugin bandwagon, I went the whole hog. SEO plugin, spam plugin, keyword analyzer plugin, social media plugin and the list is endless. All this activity has made me extremely busy and the result is obvious. I started neglecting my blog and the content suffered. Remember that your blog is about content, information, knowledge and stuff like that. Your blog will only thrive on content and not on the number of plugins. The idea is to make life easier not difficult. Don’t get carried away by the plugin mania. This can be addictive and like all addictions it can be fatal for your blog. Spice up your blog but don’t make it too hot for yourself. There are hundreds of plugins and it’s easy to get drowned out here.
Content Is King
The best way to spice up your blog is to provide good content. A dash of humor, sprinkling of some nasty comments, a pinch of criticism and a smidgen of sarcasm can liven up your blog. In my opinion you can do this only if you know what you are writing about. This brings me to the vital question – are you having fun with your blog or is it another pain point. I see so many posts advising bloggers how to keep writing even if you don’t feel like it. This seems as if you are maintaining a slog instead of a blog.
Conclusion
Your blog needs spice. Plain vanilla plainly won’t do.
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Latasri is an active member of online community and likes to write on varied subjects related to online technologies and related products and services. She is promoting Midphase coupon and AnHosting promo codes , two money saving coupons and promo codes worth a look.
Web 2.0 and its impact on webinars and web meetings
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Web 2.0 means different things to different people. However there is one thing common to everyone – change. Technology has changed the way we conduct meetings and seminars. There was a time when people had to travel thousands of miles for a seminar. With webinars, travel has become redundant. It’s the same with meetings.
Webinar has evolved into powerful collaborative tool
The power of webinar lies in interactivity. Not only can the person hosting webinar talk virtually to the audience, but he can interact with them in real time. Dashboards are no longer passive but a dynamic, ever changing and active medium. Modern day webinars like GoToWebinar can accommodate thousands of participants at a time. Moreover people from all over the world can participate without any geographical boundaries. There was a time when such events required special equipment which was also costly. Modern day web seminars can be easily set up without any special equipment and can be done quickly. The only interface is the computer screen and speakers/ headphone for audio. The cost too has reduced dramatically. Till recently I carried the impression that a web seminar would burn a big hole in my pocket but to my surprise I was wrong. The cost has dramatically gone down and if you use coupons and discounts which are available with many providers the cost comes down even further.
The power of webinar lies in interactivity. Not only can the person hosting webinar talk virtually to the audience, but he can interact with them in real time. Dashboards are no longer passive but a dynamic, ever changing and active medium. Modern day webinars like GoToWebinar can accommodate thousands of participants at a time. Moreover people from all over the world can participate without any geographical boundaries. There was a time when such events required special equipment which was also costly. Modern day web seminars can be easily set up without any special equipment and can be done quickly. The only interface is the computer screen and speakers/ headphone for audio. The cost too has reduced dramatically. Till recently I carried the impression that a web seminar would burn a big hole in my pocket but to my surprise I was wrong. The cost has dramatically gone down and if you use coupons and discounts which are available with many providers the cost comes down even further.
Difference between net meeting and web seminar
Net meetings are meant for a smaller audience. The cost too is modest. Net meetings can be setup faster than webinars since most providers use web based software which need not be downloaded and installed. For example, GotoMeeting uses a simple web interface. As against a net meeting, web seminars, which have a much larger audience, need their audience to download and install software. The facilities and features in webinars are however more extensive. Features like online polling can be used effectively to ensure better interactivity and communication. The audio and video quality is also better in webinars.
Net meetings are meant for a smaller audience. The cost too is modest. Net meetings can be setup faster than webinars since most providers use web based software which need not be downloaded and installed. For example, GotoMeeting uses a simple web interface. As against a net meeting, web seminars, which have a much larger audience, need their audience to download and install software. The facilities and features in webinars are however more extensive. Features like online polling can be used effectively to ensure better interactivity and communication. The audio and video quality is also better in webinars.
Why not go for live windows Meeting?
Microsoft has provided a great platform for net meetings and has extensive features. There are many other providers in the scene that might be able to tailor requirements in a better fashion. Ultimately the choice of platform depends on individual requirements. For some occasions Windows Live may be more appropriate while for others you may go to others.
Microsoft has provided a great platform for net meetings and has extensive features. There are many other providers in the scene that might be able to tailor requirements in a better fashion. Ultimately the choice of platform depends on individual requirements. For some occasions Windows Live may be more appropriate while for others you may go to others.
Conclusion
Webinars and net meetings have evolved over the years. Improvement in audio and video quality along with better interactivity has compelled organizations to have a fresh look at modern webinar platforms. There can be no doubt that webinars have increased productivity while reducing cost dramatically.
Webinars and net meetings have evolved over the years. Improvement in audio and video quality along with better interactivity has compelled organizations to have a fresh look at modern webinar platforms. There can be no doubt that webinars have increased productivity while reducing cost dramatically.
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Latasri is an active member of online community and likes to write on varied subjects related to online technologies and related products and services. She is promoting GoToMeeting coupon codes and GoToWebinar coupon, two money saving coupon and promotion codes worth a look.
Latasri is an active member of online community and likes to write on varied subjects related to online technologies and related products and services. She is promoting GoToMeeting coupon codes and GoToWebinar coupon, two money saving coupon and promotion codes worth a look.
What’s page load time got to do with SEO?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Everyone knows about SEO and how it impacts your fortunes. Some of the elements like keyword density are common knowledge, but there are some finer elements which don’t know about. Though these may not have a drastic impact on your organic ranking, collectively they will make a difference.
Page load time
How long does it take to load your home page? I am sure most of you have never bothered about such things but Google seems to. According to their (Google) logic, visitors are likely to get frustrated and leave your site without even having a glance if it takes too long to load. Obviously, this can be a frustrating experience. Usually, website owners avoid Adobe Flash on their home page. The best method to ensure faster page loads is to avoid all images. Vector graphics tend to be extremely tiny in size and therefore preferred. For example, if I were to optimize the download speed of a page on Bistromd referral code or weight watchers online promotion code, I must ensure that there are no images on these pages or at the very least very small ones.
Other reasons why your page may load slow
There are other reasons why your web pages may load slowly. The load on the server in which you have hosted your site, the size of the communication channel, sudden surge in traffic to your site and the broadband or internet speed of visitors are some factors which impact on speed of page loading. You really don’t have any control over many of these factors, but a dedicated server can help in speeding up the matter.
There are many tools which can measure page load time. You can use any one of them. You must remember that the speeds are only estimates and may not be accurate. You must test several times and at different times during the day to arrive at an average page load speed. In the beginning I used to test once and concluded that the speed was fine. I didn’t realize that during other times when the traffic was high, the speed went down drastically. This was a huge mistake which probably cost me dear.
Tools to accelerate page load time
I have seen some tools on offer which assure speedy loading of web pages but frankly I have not tried them. How can you accelerate page loading is something I am not clear about. I am therefore wary of using such tools.
Why Google puts emphasis on page load time?
I have seen some tools on offer which assure speedy loading of web pages but frankly I have not tried them. How can you accelerate page loading is something I am not clear about. I am therefore wary of using such tools.
Why Google puts emphasis on page load time?
As explained earlier, Google wants visitors who come to your website or blog through their search page to have a great experience. If these people find the experience frustrating, they may not use Google search again which can be disastrous. No doubt Google wants to protect its turf.
Conclusion
You must pay attention to page load time if you want to find favor with Google.
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Latasri is an active member of online community and likes to write on varied subjects related to online technologies and related products and services. She is promoting weight watchers vouchers and Bistromd voucher codes, two money saving vouchers and promotion codes worth a look.
The basics of Infographics - Role of Infographics in online marketing and brand awareness
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Can anything be as effective as this? There was a time on the internet when information supply was limited to text with a little or no graphics. If one had to know anything on any particular subject, he/she had to wade through a heap of textual information available online. While images could still be used with the same information but at times, it became too complex to portray information as desired and thus there was an urgency to make information visually engaging which could be easy and quick to pickup for the readers. Also, it had to be clear and effective.
And so to make it all possible, a thought process was instigated which eventually lead to advent of Infographics, a visual graphical representation of information, data or knowledge. The graphical representation of information was mostly inspired from signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. And using such infographics, it became possible for computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians develop and communicate concepts using a single symbol to process information..!
I think I don’t need to get into much details of the same. Most of us are familiar with inforgraphics. Infact every other site which I visit these days, I see these infographics. Apart from being appealing in terms of look and feel, these infographics have certain bigger advantages. These infographics have turned out to be a viable marketing weapon in today’s virtual world and is being valued worth 1000 leads to your website. The viral nature of these infographics have put them on the top of any other available online marketing tool. Brands or say companies are using these infographics as a ploy to increase traffic to their website alongside making sure that search rankings get improved in a creative manner. Moreover, it is all about brand awareness which raises like anything with the use of Infographics. The best thing about these infographics is that anyone can use these to spread the word...the reason why it gets so viral. Most of the sites where you get to see these inforgraphics, you also find embedded code which can be used by any site publisher to publish the same infographic on one’s site or blog and thus generate buzz. Plus with viral activities like social sharing, lets your site grow in popularity in no time.
And so to make it all possible, a thought process was instigated which eventually lead to advent of Infographics, a visual graphical representation of information, data or knowledge. The graphical representation of information was mostly inspired from signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. And using such infographics, it became possible for computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians develop and communicate concepts using a single symbol to process information..!
I think I don’t need to get into much details of the same. Most of us are familiar with inforgraphics. Infact every other site which I visit these days, I see these infographics. Apart from being appealing in terms of look and feel, these infographics have certain bigger advantages. These infographics have turned out to be a viable marketing weapon in today’s virtual world and is being valued worth 1000 leads to your website. The viral nature of these infographics have put them on the top of any other available online marketing tool. Brands or say companies are using these infographics as a ploy to increase traffic to their website alongside making sure that search rankings get improved in a creative manner. Moreover, it is all about brand awareness which raises like anything with the use of Infographics. The best thing about these infographics is that anyone can use these to spread the word...the reason why it gets so viral. Most of the sites where you get to see these inforgraphics, you also find embedded code which can be used by any site publisher to publish the same infographic on one’s site or blog and thus generate buzz. Plus with viral activities like social sharing, lets your site grow in popularity in no time.
Now, a question can be asked here. Should I be creating inforgraphic for my site? Should I make use of such marketing ploys to gain advantage in terms of web traffic? Well, it is easier said than done. But if you can then you should. Infographics are being used everywhere these days and there are many online services offering their services for the same. While it may look easier in the beginning but it isn’t in reality. A lot of thought process along with outstanding research capabilities is required to excel in this area. This again has to be followed by exception designing skills which must be aimed at make learning information easier, less time consuming, and more memorable. Creating infographics successfully depends upon how well have you been with the data mining process which is the initial stage of infographic development. The more data you have with you, the more easier it will be to use the same together in one visualization and thus making your design look apparent which ultimately will help you in deciding the best and simplest ways for the information to be displayed. Also, please make sure that whatever comes out in the end is easily shareable. The design flaws must be corrected like being too skinny or tall which ultimately will allow such graphics be easily shareable on social sites like facebook, Pinterest, etc...
So, here you go again. The above insight is based upon my recent findings which happened out of curiosity to know more on these infographics. Infographics have become a rage these days. Believe it or not, it has all positives to offer and so surely must be utilized to boost your online marketing efforts. As explained earlier, the benefits are obvious for one and all, be it the spoken brand, the designers, the publishers including site developers or bloggers...everyone is benefited in the end. So, why not use it finally...what say??
Further readings -
http://www.infographicsarchive.com/
http://thewordchef.com/2012/02/whip-up-an-infographic-that-sticks-to-your-palate-in-10-seconds-or-less/
So, here you go again. The above insight is based upon my recent findings which happened out of curiosity to know more on these infographics. Infographics have become a rage these days. Believe it or not, it has all positives to offer and so surely must be utilized to boost your online marketing efforts. As explained earlier, the benefits are obvious for one and all, be it the spoken brand, the designers, the publishers including site developers or bloggers...everyone is benefited in the end. So, why not use it finally...what say??
Further readings -
http://www.infographicsarchive.com/
http://thewordchef.com/2012/02/whip-up-an-infographic-that-sticks-to-your-palate-in-10-seconds-or-less/
The fascinating world of Pranav Mistry's Invisible Computing
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Invisible Computing - How many of you have heard of the same? How many of you would have seriously thought on the same? I guess apart from witnessing such technologies in movies especially hollywood movies, you wouldn't have expected it to evolve in real. But anything is possible today and I have to say the same after coming across this revolutionary technology. It is all about invisible computing which has finally dawned in our lives and credit to Pranav Mistry, the 31 year world geek who had awed the world with his Sixth Sense Technology at TEDIndia-Mysore 2009.
Now, here he is back again with his new project "Sparsh" (meaning 'Touch' ) which offers an exciting technology for users to see through the smartphone’s camera and control home appliances like the television, alarm system and music players by simply manipulating them on a screen. According to Pranav, his technology is aimed at breaking technology limitations and allow user to interact better with the technological environment. This particular technology from him is inspired by Hindu mythological characters and as per him, technology shouldn't be related to every problem/solution.
Now, here he is back again with his new project "Sparsh" (meaning 'Touch' ) which offers an exciting technology for users to see through the smartphone’s camera and control home appliances like the television, alarm system and music players by simply manipulating them on a screen. According to Pranav, his technology is aimed at breaking technology limitations and allow user to interact better with the technological environment. This particular technology from him is inspired by Hindu mythological characters and as per him, technology shouldn't be related to every problem/solution.
Below is a video where Pranav Speaks about his TeleTouch technology in detail. The video has been taken from the recently held Nasscom Leadership Forum 2012 -
Peeking into history of social media through a video
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Social media has stormed the internet like anything. Seems that people have gone crazy over the same. Even I too have joined the list. Honestly, for me...the day starts and ends with the same. More rightly, the day begins with facebook and ends with Pinterest. And I am loving it...yes, I have to say the same because its suits my way of life which is mostly about being online, social networking with my fellow friends. Earlier, I think it was quite easier when you had no other options left except Twitter and Facebook but it is no longer the same today. Yes...the recent emergence of social sites like Google Plus and Pinterest has certainly take social networking to the next level. Now people have more choice and freedom over these things but anyways, you have to agree here with me when I say...who has so much of time for all these? Most of these social networking sites are based on similar concept. The only difference lies with the look and feel which eventually has worked out in positive manner for these social sites. I hope we all agree to this..!
Whatever maybe, most of us are in love with this social media. This addiction is hard to give up and it is the reason why we have billions of users today running after these social media sites. Each of us are using it as per our liking. Websites users are using this social media to engage with their audience while families are using these social sites to stay connected. But there are still some who seem to be clueless on the same. For them, social media still is a vague thing. They simply don’t get this social media thing and so as to make such people especially parents and friends aware of the same, here is a nice little video created by Grovo. The video below unfolds history behind these social media sites, how it all unfolded from bulletin board interactions to Geocities to blogging platforms such as WordPress to today’s top social networking sites including Twitter, LinkedIn and of course Facebook. Enjoy...!
Whatever maybe, most of us are in love with this social media. This addiction is hard to give up and it is the reason why we have billions of users today running after these social media sites. Each of us are using it as per our liking. Websites users are using this social media to engage with their audience while families are using these social sites to stay connected. But there are still some who seem to be clueless on the same. For them, social media still is a vague thing. They simply don’t get this social media thing and so as to make such people especially parents and friends aware of the same, here is a nice little video created by Grovo. The video below unfolds history behind these social media sites, how it all unfolded from bulletin board interactions to Geocities to blogging platforms such as WordPress to today’s top social networking sites including Twitter, LinkedIn and of course Facebook. Enjoy...!
About Grovo -
Grovo is an online education and training platform that helps people find and use sites, and helps sites reach and educate users. Grovo produces free and Premium Business video tutorials that cover the Web's most popular and useful sites as well as essential cloud services in social media, productivity, and online marketing. Applications include Facebook Profile, Advertising, and Pages, Google Analytics and Apps, Twitter, Yelp, Basecamp, and LinkedIn.
Why you should promote Your Own Blog Posts ?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
For the fresher and new bloggers, it becomes really tough for them to make the public and target audience knows about the quality and awesome contents your blog contain. That is where the concept of self-promotion comes into play. It has been asked a many times whether self-promotion is better or not for your blog? Indeed, it is however you have to proceed in the most appropriate way to get success.
What is the necessity of self-promotion?
To go ahead of your competitors, it becomes highly essential to promote your own blog posts regardless of the rankings in the search engine’s listings. Yes, there are a number of benefits associated with this type of activity and thus; you will be capable of attracting more web traffic to your blogs. No doubt, when you post something important and it has quality, it becomes important for you to get the public aware about the same. You can choose different techniques of promotion like social media; email marketing, social bookmarking and RSS feed submissions.
How to completely promote your blog posts?
- You will have to rely more on the social signals. Using the social media and channels for promotion and marketing of your blog posts is the best and cheapest means. Twitter or Facebook must cover your postings.
- In order to attract traffic, you will be definitely thinking of building some back links besides your snippet articles. Building a couple of links along with social bookmarking will have a greater impact.
- For daily bloggers, it becomes rather essential for you to do RSS feed submissions. Email marketing also plays an important role. You can email the latest updates and posts of your blog to the members of your subscriber lists.
Reasons or benefits for promoting your own blog posts
The sole benefit of promoting your own blog posts lies deep in the simplicity. If you will not love and like your posts on the blog, how can you expect the others to love your blog posts? Isn’t it looks a good logic for self-promotion of your blog posts? You are now interested in sharing your posts and contents with the target audience and local readers in order to make it more popular and attractive.
Top benefits of self-promotion of blog posts are mentioned here: -
- When you host your own blog, you will get a more professional appearance. Rather than having a lengthy blog URL, you will simply love the short and concise domain name or website name.
- Self hosting will also eliminate the limitations for controlling your content and its posting.
- Recalling of the blog posts and contents will be much easier when you will host your domain name for the blog. The readers will also love the same.
- You will be capable of attracting more web traffic to your blog posts without compromising with the quality and presentation of the blogs.
- The owner will be also able to have full control over the security and safety issues. In this way, promotion of your own brand will be very convenient.
- Your blog posts will generate more revenue as compared to the situation when you host you8r blog posts through other domain names.
The necessity of promoting your blog posts by your own domain or host name is increasing. You can reap a lot of benefits from this thing apart from having full control over the security, revenue generation and web traffic. Integration of the blog with your site is also possible.
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I am Susan Hannan from Examsking. Looking for Examsking.mx exam assistance? Let’s take benefit of Exams King self-paced Hp Certifications training material and clear your IT certification on first try.
Travel industry Success with Social Media
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Social media marketing is the newest form of advertising that affiliate marketers can take advantage of in promoting their affiliate sites, companies, services and products. No matter what niche your site is in, there is a social network for it. Getting started with social media is not something to take lightly however. If you're going to market affiliates through it, there are some success tips you might want to keep in mind.
Travel industries are taking advantage of this mode for the growth of their businesses in current world. Travel industry post their deals, ads on social median websites. Social media allows the businesses to promote their companies by its extensive usage. Social media and tourism are two connected things which go line by line.
Step 1: Start Slowly
Don't automatically begin throwing all your affiliate links at your social networking friends. This will label you as a social spammer and you will be blocked. Start slow in your social travel industry campaign and begin interacting rather than dictating.
Step 2: Add Value
As you start to add friends and followers to your networks you start to gain influence when you add value. Places like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks thrive on information. By keeping involved with people you follow, or are friends with, and adding solutions, and valuable content, you are gaining authenticity and your links will be clicked and less intrusive.
Step 3: Cloak Your Link in Information
Blatant, outright affiliate links are not going to be looked at in a very good light. The best way to earn affiliate commissions through social media is to place your links in articles or blog posts. This way people know you aren't just trying to make money off them.
Step 4: Be Consistent
Nobody likes a hit and run social networker. The quickest way to make you irrelevant is to join some networks, participate, disappear, and they come back again a few weeks, or few months later. Whatever credibility you built up has now since disappeared and you will more than likely find your follower numbers way down.
Step 5: Trade Links with Other Website Owners (travel industry owners)
Take some time to search out other website owners that have sites on the same topic as your product. Write them an email requesting to exchange links with them. They put a link to your website on their front page, or other relevant page, while you do the same for them. It's win/win situation and is most of the time accepted.
Step 6: Be Active in Forums for travel industry campaign
One of the great things about the internet today for social media marketers is the opportunity to interact with others in websites like forums. Join several that are within your niche and begin asking and answering questions. You get traffic to your travel industry site by people clicking on the link to your affiliate site in your forum signature.
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Crystal J. Briscoe is from Self Test Engine Provider of IT Certification material and has been blogging since 2005 & contributing in many websites since its initial career. He is Professional Writer and also technical guru, overloaded with a wealth of experience, and even more degrees, at present doing C_TFIN22_05 Certification. He gets pleasure from Blogging.
Blog Design - Designing your blog to perfection
Sunday, February 12, 2012
First impression is the last impression. Most of us know it well. While there are people who value it seriously, some aren't such. The blogosphere has countless examples of those who fall into such groups, one which is ready to implement it to perfection and the other which has no time and interest for the same. I am talking about the design part...the design of your blog. Believe me, nothing fascinates me more than seeing a beautifully laid out design or layout of a blog. One of the reason for the same is that I am myself a web designer. Yes..I do it mostly as a hobby and I simply enjoy it though I still have to learn a lot in this area...to be an expert..!
Design does play a very big role. Anyone who misses it here, misses the most. You may have a great content on your blog but if it isn’t supported with a well laid out design or layout, I won’t visit it again..and perhaps you may end up witnessing the same from others. Honestly, are you ready for the same?? I guess not. So, how do you make sure your design stands out from the rest? How to find a better design for my blog? How to choose a design which supports my blog? This and many more questions may bother if you are considering an overhaul of your blog design..!
Well, very first from what I have known from my blogging experience, the design of the blog has to be in conjunction with the theme of your blog. You cannot put anything anywhere. The theme of the blog has to be picked up after having known the purpose of your blog and this can be further narrowed down to the targeted niche. Suppose your niche is about beauty products, you can further break it down to men’s beauty products/accessories or women beauty products and this way you have a higher chance of blog being read or visited..! One of the best things today is that you have ‘n’ number of available blog themes to choose from. The theme or say templates are available for all popular blogging platforms like Wordpress, Blogger, etc...
Before choosing a design for your blog, you need to know some basics - The design must be unique yet attract attention of many. The design has to be an eye catcher but not weird to scare away the visitors. The design has to be professional but not so plain. While it is easy to get away with the design thing if you are into personal blogging, it shouldn’t be the same case if you are into problogging. Choosing right color combination gets so important here and I have seen some bloggers completely messing up with the same. Designing is an art and if you know how to choose a better color to suit your blog theme, you are finished with half of your designing task. You can go with any color combination but finally it has to look appealing and aesthetic. The color of the text has to merge with the color of your background which needs to be neutral in nature with colors ranging in from white to black as these colors are more appropriate for the same. As from my own experience, color themes based on light blue color work out the best for professional blogs. Make sure you are not ignoring or overdoing the same as it may significantly affect your blog visibility.
Yet another vital thing with any blog design is having a right navigation menu. Now, when you look at this blog...you can see the navigation menu which is horizontal type like what you see on most of the sites. The navigation button is clearly visible on top of the page and all other related topics are covered under sub menus. Everything is well placed and the menu is properly linked to the related content. So, visibility and ease of use is what you must consider on priority while designing or choosing a navigation menu.
Another most important thing which often been overlooked - the page layout style. 1 column layout, 2 column layout, 3 column layout, etc...which works better?? The decision again has to be made by you but as far as what I have known, the two 2 column layout works best with blogs. Here is a post to let you decide more on the same - Best Blog Layout
Now, coming to few more but important things related to blog design. As I had stated the same earlier, it is all about the visibility plus the overall look and feel, I don’t get this why some blogs do not have their search button or search forms properly placed and even if it is there, why it isn’t visible in the first visit? Why have I to waste so much of my time in locating the same? As a blog designer, you should pay attention to each and every detail and the basics must be followed to maintain a balance between the available components of a blog layout. Search forms or say any other plugin or widget which has been used on your blog should be purposeful and if it is so then it should be visible enough to meet your purpose. There is no point in putting those on your blog if it has to remain hidden from your visitors...!
Last but not the least, design of any blog today looks ineffective without social bookmarking icons. Nearly every blog has it today. Services like addthis.com, addtoany.com...make it much more easier to place such icons on your blog which ultimately enhances the design of your blog. Doesn’t matter much if icons appear smaller or bigger, you just have to make sure that those are placed at right locations and are visible to your visitors without any problem. Social icons with counter are recommended from my side as it looks more compelling and effective. You can find the same thing with the floating button which has been placed on right side of the page near to the scrollbar.
Design does play a very big role. Anyone who misses it here, misses the most. You may have a great content on your blog but if it isn’t supported with a well laid out design or layout, I won’t visit it again..and perhaps you may end up witnessing the same from others. Honestly, are you ready for the same?? I guess not. So, how do you make sure your design stands out from the rest? How to find a better design for my blog? How to choose a design which supports my blog? This and many more questions may bother if you are considering an overhaul of your blog design..!
Well, very first from what I have known from my blogging experience, the design of the blog has to be in conjunction with the theme of your blog. You cannot put anything anywhere. The theme of the blog has to be picked up after having known the purpose of your blog and this can be further narrowed down to the targeted niche. Suppose your niche is about beauty products, you can further break it down to men’s beauty products/accessories or women beauty products and this way you have a higher chance of blog being read or visited..! One of the best things today is that you have ‘n’ number of available blog themes to choose from. The theme or say templates are available for all popular blogging platforms like Wordpress, Blogger, etc...
Before choosing a design for your blog, you need to know some basics - The design must be unique yet attract attention of many. The design has to be an eye catcher but not weird to scare away the visitors. The design has to be professional but not so plain. While it is easy to get away with the design thing if you are into personal blogging, it shouldn’t be the same case if you are into problogging. Choosing right color combination gets so important here and I have seen some bloggers completely messing up with the same. Designing is an art and if you know how to choose a better color to suit your blog theme, you are finished with half of your designing task. You can go with any color combination but finally it has to look appealing and aesthetic. The color of the text has to merge with the color of your background which needs to be neutral in nature with colors ranging in from white to black as these colors are more appropriate for the same. As from my own experience, color themes based on light blue color work out the best for professional blogs. Make sure you are not ignoring or overdoing the same as it may significantly affect your blog visibility.
Yet another vital thing with any blog design is having a right navigation menu. Now, when you look at this blog...you can see the navigation menu which is horizontal type like what you see on most of the sites. The navigation button is clearly visible on top of the page and all other related topics are covered under sub menus. Everything is well placed and the menu is properly linked to the related content. So, visibility and ease of use is what you must consider on priority while designing or choosing a navigation menu.
Another most important thing which often been overlooked - the page layout style. 1 column layout, 2 column layout, 3 column layout, etc...which works better?? The decision again has to be made by you but as far as what I have known, the two 2 column layout works best with blogs. Here is a post to let you decide more on the same - Best Blog Layout
Now, coming to few more but important things related to blog design. As I had stated the same earlier, it is all about the visibility plus the overall look and feel, I don’t get this why some blogs do not have their search button or search forms properly placed and even if it is there, why it isn’t visible in the first visit? Why have I to waste so much of my time in locating the same? As a blog designer, you should pay attention to each and every detail and the basics must be followed to maintain a balance between the available components of a blog layout. Search forms or say any other plugin or widget which has been used on your blog should be purposeful and if it is so then it should be visible enough to meet your purpose. There is no point in putting those on your blog if it has to remain hidden from your visitors...!
Last but not the least, design of any blog today looks ineffective without social bookmarking icons. Nearly every blog has it today. Services like addthis.com, addtoany.com...make it much more easier to place such icons on your blog which ultimately enhances the design of your blog. Doesn’t matter much if icons appear smaller or bigger, you just have to make sure that those are placed at right locations and are visible to your visitors without any problem. Social icons with counter are recommended from my side as it looks more compelling and effective. You can find the same thing with the floating button which has been placed on right side of the page near to the scrollbar.
Now apart from adding all those things which enhances the design of your blog, there are few things which should be taken care of or must be avoided. Using ad spaces on your blog is fine but having too much of ads on your blog goes negative from the design part. This has to avoided at any cost. Font selection must be done carefully and avoid using uncommon fonts on your blog. The basic and most common fonts should be used like Arial and Verdana.
Well, creativity and designing go side by side. Some are blessed with both and some are clueless on the same. Anyways, it is never too late to know the basics of a great design. What I have shared above are basics of an effective blog design. I may have missed out with a thing or two but I have tried to cover the most. Only thing I would like to say here - Whatever design you choose for your blog, never miss out with the purpose of your blogging. As finally, it is all about the same...!
Well, creativity and designing go side by side. Some are blessed with both and some are clueless on the same. Anyways, it is never too late to know the basics of a great design. What I have shared above are basics of an effective blog design. I may have missed out with a thing or two but I have tried to cover the most. Only thing I would like to say here - Whatever design you choose for your blog, never miss out with the purpose of your blogging. As finally, it is all about the same...!
Effective SEO requires commonsense and more commonsense
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Someone has well said that commonsense is not so common. This is all the more true for our SEO community. Instead of doing what is simple and doable we go for tools and processes which are exotic and unworkable. What do I really mean by commonsense SEO?
Content is King
Google is looking for sites which offer great content. By great content I don’t mean philosophical text but content on subject relevant to the website or blog. For example, if your theme is Candida Symptoms , you must provide great information on the subject. You must cover all aspects of Candida Symptoms and give relevant facts and figures. If threelac reviews is a part of it, so be it. Is there a conflict between selling books on Candida and providing information? At first glance this may seem to be so but if you look at it from a commonsense perspective we are all there on the internet to sell something or other. Some are selling themselves; some are selling information while others are selling products and services. There is absolutely no shame in selling. But you must make sure that in addition you also provide extensive and exhaustive information. This will keep Google happy which in turn will benefit your SEO effort. I cannot emphasize this fact more. Content is king and if you keep this fact in mind you will never go wrong. Instead of doing this commonsense stuff we try and fool Google with all kinds of black hat tricks. I can tell you beforehand that it won’t work. Remember that Google keeps refining its search algorithm. Even if you can fool them for some time you cannot fool them forever. Take for example, article submission sites. They made merry for a while but the Panda came and finished them off. You can hear article submission directories sobbing and crying foul. But who do you think is at fault.
The backlinks commonsense approach
This is another process which requires a bit of commonsense. What is Google’s take on backlinks? They respect sites which are referred to from other sites – other authority sites must link to them. This is also called reputation. Where is the commonsense here? You must always get backlinks from reputed sites – not dubious, leaning towards the nefarious and disreputable sites. But what do we do? In our haste to build backlinks we ignore this commonsense logic. As a result Google blacklists you and then you curse Google. My advice is therefore simple – have a commonsense approach to building backlinks.
Using social media like Twitter
This is another thing which makes me aghast. Many SEO experts swear on Twitter to optimize a site. As a result they create marketing blitzkrieg in which they feverishly Tweet and retweet, till the entire group drops dead due to exhaustion. To me this approach is crazy. How can a frenzy created by tweeting ever help to optimize your website? Use your commonsense and avoid such behavior. SEO is not a quickie job. It’s slow and painstaking.
Conclusion
Commonsense is difficult to grasp but it’s not beyond your reach.
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S Srinivasan loves to write on various aspects of online marketing. He also promotes several businesses online and Candida Symptoms is one of them. You will find more information on it here at threelac
S Srinivasan loves to write on various aspects of online marketing. He also promotes several businesses online and Candida Symptoms is one of them. You will find more information on it here at threelac
Battle of the smartphones - Is Android getting ahead of Apple's iPhone
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
I am fascinated by this Android thing. And so, I am here with some vital statistics on the same. The infographic below has been derived from IDC for 2011.
Looking at the infographic below, I get this feeling that Android is getting ahead of Apple's iPhone though Apple still leads the smartphone market. While Apple tightly controls iPhone hardware and software, Google makes the Android mobile device operating
system available free to smartphone manufacturers, one of the major reasons why Android seems to be leading the smartphone market. Company's wide carrier support along with large app selection has certainly appealed to those customers who have chosen to go with Android devices..!
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| Chart showing the market share of major smartphones, headed by Apple with 23.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, followed by Samsung with 22.8 percent, according to an IDC report |
Further reading:
http://news.yahoo.com/iphone-leaps-third-place-mobile-market-211815016.html
E-Readers on the Rise
Monday, February 06, 2012
The
rise of the Kindle, iPad and other e-readers has changed the way
Americans read. In 2010, Amazon announced that, for the first time in
the website’s history, digital book sales were greater than paper book
sales. Hundreds of thousands of popular books can now be accessed
digitally, but this trend is not yet true for one large demographic in
the printing world: textbooks.However there may be some change on the horizon. As more and more college students head to school armed with a Kindle, iPad or other tablet, publishers are taking note and beginning to expand their digital offerings to include textbooks.
Huge potential for growth
As
the first few digital textbooks debuted online, publishers found a new
market with tremendous growth potential. The textbooks of tomorrow may
not be the static text and images most of us remember, but rather
something more interactive that embraces a multimedia approach to
education. Keep in mind digital textbooks are not limited to those who
own e-readers. Users can access digital texts with software to download
digital books. Some texts can even be accessed using nothing more than a
Web browser.
The Student Monitor, a New Jersey market research company focused on the student sector, indicated that 5 percent of all textbooks purchased for the fall 2011 were digital. While this number may seem small, it is actually a huge growth over the 2.1 percent in the spring semester. Estimates for 2012 indicate that electronic textbooks could generate over $260 million in sales in the United States alone, a tremendous 44 percent increase over 2011.
Mixed reviews from students
The Student Monitor, a New Jersey market research company focused on the student sector, indicated that 5 percent of all textbooks purchased for the fall 2011 were digital. While this number may seem small, it is actually a huge growth over the 2.1 percent in the spring semester. Estimates for 2012 indicate that electronic textbooks could generate over $260 million in sales in the United States alone, a tremendous 44 percent increase over 2011.
Mixed reviews from students
While
publishers may be enjoying the growing profits from these books,
students have mixed reviews about digital textbooks. Some feel it is a
positive because of the lower price—and even though there is often
little difference in price between the paper and electronic versions of a
textbook, some publishers are pushing price as an incentive to
students.
The downside is that digital versions are sometimes not permanent. Many textbooks have expiration dates, which means they cannot be used as a reference once the student has completed a course. Publishers are aiming to combat this problem by allowing students to print portions of their books or offering discounts on the print version for those who purchased the digital version first.
Changes coming for more than just college students
The downside is that digital versions are sometimes not permanent. Many textbooks have expiration dates, which means they cannot be used as a reference once the student has completed a course. Publishers are aiming to combat this problem by allowing students to print portions of their books or offering discounts on the print version for those who purchased the digital version first.
Changes coming for more than just college students
Colleges
are not the only places where this increased focus on digital books is
surfacing. The gaming industry is also embracing it. Rumors say that
Nintendo will launch an eBook download service along with the Wii U
console. The console’s new 6.2-inch touch screen controller could be the
medium through which the eBooks will be accessed. With this change, the
Wii will not only add exercise to video gaming, but to education as
well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lindsey Caho is a professional writer and blogger. She writes on behalf of
Schuetze, Christopher (2011, November 23). New York Times: Textbooks finally take a big lap to digital. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/
2 Free Binverse Usent Accounts to winners of the first ever giveaway contest on this blog
Friday, February 03, 2012
Here comes a pleasant surprise !! A giveaway for the visitors of this blog. Yes, this is for the very first time, I have come up with a giveaway for the readers of this blog. I don’t know why I couldn’t think on the same earlier but anyways, here is a great chance for you to be a part of the same and become a lucky winner..!
Now, what does the lucky winner get ? The lucky winner has a chance to grab the Binverse Usenet Account for free. You may be wondering what is this all about? Well, once you have the free account with Binverse Usenet, you can download as much content as possible from the same (50 GB). For those who are unaware of the term Usenet, please visit this Usenet page to know more on it. In short -
Now, what does the lucky winner get ? The lucky winner has a chance to grab the Binverse Usenet Account for free. You may be wondering what is this all about? Well, once you have the free account with Binverse Usenet, you can download as much content as possible from the same (50 GB). For those who are unaware of the term Usenet, please visit this Usenet page to know more on it. In short -
- Usenet was created in 1979 by two university students looking for a way to share “news”
- Usenet quickly grew into the largest Internet discussion community a full 10 years before the World Wide Web was ever created. The World Wide Web was proposed in August 1991.
- Long before online forums, you could find lively discussion groups on just about any topic imaginable.
- Usenet is the place where the World Wide Web was announced by Tim Berners-Lee, Linus Torvalds announced Linux and Mark Andreessen unleashed the Netscape browser. And where some popular Internet sites like IMDb got their start.
- The Usenet “newsgroups” are still very active with large companies like Mozilla still choosing to announce major projects through Usenet.
- Usenet used to be provided for free by Universities and Internet Service Providers, but is now offered primarily through Premium Usenet Providers. These premium providers have greatly increased the scale and speed of Usenet.
Highlights of the Binverse Usenet Account -
- 5 star rated - Binverse is one of the top premium Usenet providers in the U.S. with a 5 Star rating from Tucows. Binverse makes downloading from Usenet simple, secure and fast.
- Speed – Binverse does not cap your download speed. You can download as fast as your Internet connection will allow.
- Selection – With more than 800 Terabytes of user uploads available, you can find almost anything you are looking for. Binverse retains posts on our servers indefinitely, meaning the selection keeps growing every day.
- Security – Every Binverse account comes with 256-bit SSL server connections. This is the same level of security provided by your bank online. This is a feature that many other providers charge extra for.
- Search – Binverse comes with a built-in search engine which makes finding what you’re looking for on Usenet easy. This is a feature that many providers leave out.
- Software – Our advanced Usenet software allows you to preview Audio, Video & Image files before you download, so you can make sure you get the right file the first time. Software comes pre-configured. Just fill in your user name and password and you are ready to download.
In short, Binverse provides you with the following benefits -
- Access to uncensored files up 800 TB. That’s huge indeed..!
- Unlimited download speed.
- 12 Simultaneous connections.
- More than 100,000 news groups.
- 256 bit SSL encryption. (Whatever you do with this client is fully encrypted)
- Search engine enabled Usenet client software
- Category based file browsing.
So, here you go. I know most of you are tempted to give it a try. Sure..why not? Currently, I have two free binverse usent accounts with this giveaway. The free binverse account doesn't have any expiry date as long as the size of the total downloaded content remains below 50 GB..!
Now, the ultimate question -
What kind of content do you download mostly and why ??
You simply need to answer the above question and wait till 6th feb when I will be out with 2 lucky winners of this contest. You can start answering to my question by posting it as a comment in the comment box located below this post. Also, it isn't required but I will appreciate if you can share this post on twitter and facebook. And please do not forget to leave your email ids in the comments.
Very easy....Isn't it ??
All the best..!!
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