Grinch Who Stole Data Infographic
I don’t mean to freak anyone out, especially right before Christmas, but this is definitely an interesting infographic, produced by Mobistealth. Check this out & feel free to share!
Source: MobiStealth.com
A Beginners Guide to File Sharing Software
Guest Post by Sam Mauzy.
Using the internet for more than checking email and reading the latest news is not a new discovery, especially when it comes to sharing files. File sharing software includes programs that offer the ability to share any type of files with other people from around the world–ranging from movies and music to PDF documents and full books. Although much of file sharing is viewed in a negative light with the recent controversy of internet freedom, file sharing is not illegal altogether, depending on what is being shared and the rights of the person who has chosen to share the files as well.
What are File Sharing Programs?
File sharing programs give you the opportunity to easily share files with people anywhere across the globe. Programs are commonly known as “P2P” software when file sharing, also known as “peer to peer”. Users are able to use the software itself to search or online “torrent” websites to find the content you are searching for (whether it is a very specific video or if you are browsing for tips and free recipes).
Once you have verified the download for safety purposes (to avoid saving a potential virus to your computer), the P2P or other type of file sharing software will begin to download the file. The download’s speed varies based on the number of people who are virtually sharing the file and also have the file downloaded on their own computer. The more “seeds” and “leeches” each file has, the quicker the download will complete.
After a download has completed downloading within your file sharing program, it will state that it is “seeding”. Seeding represents the re-distribution of pieces of the file you just downloaded to newcomers who are also interested in saving it to their own computer. When you are “seeding”, your IP address is available to those who are also downloading and seeding the file–which can increase your risk of being fined or finding trouble with the law if you are downloading illegal or copyrighted material.
Is File Sharing Illegal?
Yes and no. File sharing itself is not illegal, as long as the material being shared is copyright-free or distributed by its rightful owner. Although most torrent websites offer movies, entire music albums, and other copyrighted material entirely free, it is still illegal to download and share them with others. Once you begin downloading illegal material, you are at risk for copyright infringement, especially if you are “seeding” and sharing your completed downloads. Before you chose to share files or download them, ensure you are abiding by the law and only downloading free files that have no copyrights attached to them to avoid any issues with your ISP (internet service provider) or the legal system itself.
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Sam is a blogger with a background in marketing. He prefers to use the eMule download for his personal file sharing.
Read MorePinterest: An Effective Marketing Tool to Attract Young Consumers
Guest Post by Samantha Gray.
Facebook and Twitter are still the most popular social media platforms that internet marketers like to use in order to win over young consumer (who are often said to be the most difficult target audience to attract because they’re “picky). But if they’re smart, internet marketers should now be investing a little bit more of their time and effort using a new and upcoming social media site called Pinterest—aka “a marketer’s dream.” That’s because young consumers who love to shop (mostly women but some men too) flock to Pinterest on a daily basis ready to spend their disposable income.
Ok, so the social media/image bookmarking site isn’t that new (it was established late last summer) but with every passing month the site just continues to get more and more users. Currently there are about 10.4 million registered users, according to the most recent statistics available. And like mentioned earlier, most of the users are young— the same young users who refuse to succumb to your marketing techniques on Facebook but fall for them on Pinterest. It’s not really sure why this is the case, but the fact that Pinterest is bit more transparent might be the reason. Users know that its purpose is to connect buyers with sellers.
So how does it work exactly?
Like the name suggests, Pinterest is a digital pin board that requires users to scour a collection of highly attractive images called “pins.” These pins can be of any item that interests them. For example, if a user thinks a dress featured in the database is extremely cute then he or she can pin it on their profile/ “board.” If they think the couch is to-to-die for and would love to own it one day, they can pin it on their board too. It’s great when looking for inspiration for weddings and other events too.
So where does the cash flow in?
A smart marketer will make sure that the image is linked to the coinciding store or blog where that specific item in the photo can be purchased or at the very least taught how to make—recipes for example are also extremely popular on the site. Since users can pin whatever they like, marketers don’t seem so pushy because in a way the users are coming to you—unlike Facebook where marketers are invading a user’s Timeline with updates and can be easily seen as annoying.
Of course, it’s your job to make sure you have the most aesthetically pleasing photos of your product and/or services available so someone will want to pin you on their board.
How else can it be effective?
While a user can purchase the item they pinned directly, a user’s friends can make purchases too. Firstly, they can take a peek a specific user’s pin board so they know what items their friend might like come Christmas or their birthday. Secondly, Pinterest integrates with Facebook and Twitter so that users can post their pins on these sites as well. This means that even someone who doesn’t have Pinterest (but has a Facebook or Twitter account) can see a Pinterest pin. If they like what they see, they can purchase the item too. This means you get to expand your target audience without doing too much. Pinterest users will do it for you.
In sum, Pinterest can be a really useful marketing tool to invest in.
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Samantha Gray is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas, who offers college advice to those interested in furthering their studies and careers. She also enjoys writing about various business-related topics like marketing. She can be reached for questions or comments at samanthagray024@gmail.com
Read More3 Tips to Effectively Use Instagram in Brand Marketing
More and more major players in various retail industries have begun using this free picture-sharing platform to broaden their consumer base. Just like other major social venues, Instagram can be a seriously helpful tool for branding your business and ultimately increasing sales. However, like all newer social avenues out there, business owners often wonder how to use this application in the most effective way possible.
Seeking reputation management is one of the best and most hassle-free ways to ensure a quality online, social presence in general, and something to seriously consider. But for those more keen on the DIY approach, here are a few tips for using this free application to effectively market your brand.
1. Unique Content
It’s important to keep in mind that while people want to see interesting pictures, they should be uniquely tied to your brand or business in some way. Take nH Hoteles for example… This Hotel brands itself well by adding unique pictures of various sunrises from their many locations, in addition to other pictures dealing with various hotel-related items like menu offerings or nearby attractions. Keeping the pictures interesting but simultaneously related to their brand keeps users coming back while making them aware of nH Hoteles offerings at the same time.
2. Consistency
Consumers like to be entertained but not overwhelmed by your presence. By keeping your picture number consistent and relatively low is the best way to ensure a continued following. Something like two or three quality photos a day is probably enough to keep followers interested without overloading their picture wall and turning them off to your brand.
3. Consumer Involvement
Brands like Levi’s are using Instagram in a uniquely customer-oriented way. In their latest campaign to find the next top Levi’s models, they have simply asked that users tag photos of themselves wearing Levi’s products with the #iamlevis hashtag. This is not only a brilliant marketing strategy, but it’s also a great way for Levi’s to leverage the free medium to find untapped potential in new models for their clothing. Genius. Getting the customer involved is always a plus in this day and age.
No matter what your brand happens to be, Instagram offers a distinctly unique and incredibly easy way to market that brand. As the retailers continue jumping on the bandwagon, it’s becoming more and more apparent that the effects are indeed positive; the platform is proving effective. Best of all, there is virtually no cost associated with this method, and therefore, virtually no reason not to give it a try.
Read MoreBeginners Guide in Building an Online Shopping Cart
Guest Post by Elias Cortez.
Online shopping is one of the trends in today’s modern industry. People who would always want to avoid congestion in the market place, parking lots, long queue in the cashier prefer online shopping. There are many advantages of online shopping. First, it can help you save time, energy and money. Second, it gives convenience when you need to send something across the miles. Online shopping can lead you to different sites where you can liberally compare the best item at the best price. Though for some reasons, people find it difficult to liberally walk into online shopping, and cannot totally replace window shopping at the mall.
Building your online shopping cart is quite trouble-free. However, it may take several days depending on the number of products, store plans and designs. Here are the basic guidelines on how to build an online shopping cart for beginners:
- Get a domain name. When building a site, you need to find and register an appropriate domain name for it. (Example: www.mystore.com,www.mystore.net, www.mystore.org, www.mystore.info)
- Create your online store. This is considered as an obvious step when launching an online store.
- Add and supply products. What does your business speak for? What are your main products or services available? To increase visibility and sales, it is recommended to include a promotional or informational video on your product description pages.
- Select a design and layout. There are hundreds of templates available online that would fit and match your products and meet your needs. Original designs and a good layout can draw lots of customers to your site as they are very thrilling for them to see innovative and exceptional designs. Make your product labels and descriptions readable as well.
- Shipping and payment options. After you’ve created your online store, then the next thing to handle is the entire logistics chain of your store.
- Make a profit. You’re good to go! But remember that earning money on the internet requires enthusiasm and hard work. This is not an overnight-success activity. Expect some difficulties on the first stage of your business that’s why constant maintenance, advertisement, shipping arrangement, and optimization are necessary in order for your online shopping cart to run well.
Is online shopping safe and secure?
As a first time online purchaser, being nervous is normal. Many people who jump into online shopping experience apprehension and hesitation, so you are not alone. In fact, nothing is completely safe wherever you go, whether online purchase or real purchase. However, online shopping has proven itself with millions of transactions that went successful, and currently being safely processed each day. You would know if you’re in the right track if you choose a good and trustworthy company that safeguards your personal information, and ensures you customer delight.
How to find a company of good reputation?
Seeking an advice from a relatives and friends would be helpful in your selection. Remember, trusted companies are mostly recommended by trusted friends. To ensure further safety and security, it is advised that you must first know the information or background of the company on its website before making any transaction. If necessary, you can get their toll-free telephone number so you could gather more information about them.
Paying by Credit Card
When making online purchases, make sure that the company keeps all your personal information and credit number secure.
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Elias Cortez is freelancer writer that specializes in writing in the education field for students looking to pursue a career in graphic design. Read his latest articles titled “Graphic design schools” and “Graphic design career information” to learn more.
Read MoreHas Photo Sharing on Facebook Met its Match?
Photos are always an excellent way to attract more people to your personal website. Facebook has always been the best way to store your photos and share them with the people on your friend list. By sharing a glimpse into your personal life, your readers will associate a more human element with your website, blog, or company. Over the summer, Twitter unveiled a new photo sharing service that is set to rival Facebook’s dominance and make it easier to market your website.
Facebook has recently changed the privacy settings on how you can tag people and places when uploading a photo. The steps to posting a quality photo for your followers to see are more complex than they have been in the past making it a more selective way to share photos with friends and family.
Twitter’s ease of access and openness make it a simpler tool for people to share content quickly. Recently, bored New Yorkers stuck in their apartments due to Hurricane Irene used Twitter as an escape mechanism to deal with their boredom. As reported on Yahoo News, they posted pictures from the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” where the Statue of Liberty was destroyed by tidal waves.
If you are a marketer using an integrated social media campaign over several different platforms such as Facebook, Foursquare, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube; it has always been a struggle to seamlessly blend all of the social networks together. By posting a photo or video and sharing your location directly to Twitter, the need to market on other social media websites becomes less of an issue.
A couple of months ago, in order to share photos through Twitter, users had to use a third party service like Yfrog, Twitpic, or several other similar sites. Facebook had the advantage of offering a centralized photo sharing service that made it easy and convenient to store content. Now with a centralized gallery available on user’s profiles powered by Photobucket, pictures sent to these photo sharing websites are collected and stored in a gallery on Twitter profile pages.
Because tweets are searchable through Google, you can optimize your post with organic SEO keywords so it will appear higher in search results. Twitter’s new photo sharing service will soon be available on smartphones and will be easy for LG Android phone users to instantly upload a photo for their followers to see. This will give you the opportunity to perform important search engine marketing while at the grocery store checkout lane or out for a jog. You can easily attract new followers while away from your computer.
Facebook is still a great way to organize and store personal photos, but Twitter’s new photo gallery is an excellent way to make your content public as well.
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