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5 digital marketing courses on sale for Memorial Day weekend http://bit.ly/2HAh9gO 5 digital marketing courses on sale for Memorial Day weekendJust to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. By TEAM COMMERCEMashable Deals Digital marketing is one of the most sought-after, valued skills today. Period. (No disrespect to all the coders out there, of course.) That's because online marketing is now the lifeblood of any enterprise. Any stores — even brick-and-mortar ones — need an online presence to compete in today's fast-paced economy. And if you're in the business of making a living through content generation, then you already know how essential it is to drive traffic to your blog or webpage. Forget trolling forums or scouring random online courses on YouTube: we've compiled five quality pieces of training offering key instruction on today's most essential digital marketing skills. All the featured training bundles are already marked down, but you can use code WEEKEND60 to get an additional 60% off the sale price. Check them out below: Packed with nearly 60 hours of training, this massive guide spans today’s most popular digital marketing tech. You’ll get the lowdown on key principles to boost traffic across major marketing platforms — Facebook Ads, MailChimp, Google Adwords, and Amazon included. Plus, master key SEO principles to rank higher in search results. The retail price is $1,265.95, and it’s now on sale for $37. Use code WEEKEND60 to nab it for just $14.80. Forget what you may have heard about SEO dying a slow, quiet death a few years back. SEO is back as a core traffic-driving tool, thanks to the most recent algorithm updates on the likes of Google and Facebook. Looking to drive up search engine rankings, click-through rates, and ultimately conversions? This training is essential. The MSRP is $979.92, and it’s now on sale for $30. Apply code WEEKEND60 to grab it for just $12. Instagram is the most talked about platform among digital marketers today. No wonder: it’s estimated to haul in $14 billion in ad revenue by the end of 2019, thanks to new Shop Now features that make conversions easier to rack up than ever. Get in on the action with this five-course training encompassing IG content strategy, affiliate marketing, and the like. The MSRP is $794.95, and it’s now on sale for $25. Apply code WEEKEND60 to score it for just $10. Everyone’s always on their phones checking social media, right? This massive ten-course, 30-hour social media training is your ace in the hole for hauling in new site visitors and customers. You’ll get the lowdown on how to run high-performing monetization campaigns on YouTube, Airbnb, Facebook, and more. The MSRP is $1,000, and we previously lowered the price to $29. Use code WEEKEND60 and grab it for just $11.60. Affiliate marketing: it’s a solid way to pull a Tim Ferriss, aka haul in passive income. This affiliate marketing guide will teach you all you need to get started, whether setting up an Amazon Affiliate store or creating your own WordPress blog powered by affiliate clicks, courtesy of WooCommerce (and again Amazon, which is basically a synonym for e-commerce now). The MSRP is $1,592, and it’s now on sale for $29. Apply code WEEKEND60 to grab it for just $11.60. Social Media via Mashable http://bit.ly/2DCFv97 May 25, 2019 at 04:02AM
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Spotify is Testing Its Own Version of Instagram Stories http://bit.ly/2QlYbxf Spotify is currently testing a new exciting feature called Storyline that gives users behind the scenes and exclusive content from their favourite artists and their music. The content is presented just like an Instagram story and boasts a similar functionally to Behind the Lyrics slides. However, unlike Behind the Lyrics, which is provided by the third-party company Genius, Storylines comes directly from the musicians themselves. This new feature is currently being tested on both IOS and Android, and those who use Spotify in the United States and Holland have been able to access it. However, Storylines isn’t available to all Spotify users yet and not all artists are able to access it. This is a particularly interesting move as Spotify is already integrated with one the most popular social media tools on the internet; Instagram Stories. This particularly interesting move would give the streaming giant a form of original material that goes far beyond an album exclusive every now and then. It could also make the app more popular amongst a generation that has grown up surrounded by stories features on many of their social media channels. Additionally, this could also mean that Spotify stays ahead of Apple Music, where their exclusive content is based on the occasional Beats interview. Spotify Vs Apple Music There’s no denying that Spotify are the undisputed masters of music streaming. The Swedish company has helped shape the entire music streaming landscape and boast tens of millions more paying subscribers than their primary competition. However, Apple Music is well known for high-level releases and fully integrates into Apple’s IOS ecosystem. Apple Music has also seen impressive listenership growth since it went live in 2015 and now has over 40 million monthly subscribers. In fact, despite Spotify being the dominant streaming platform, Apple Music is the most popular paid music streaming platform in the United States. There is another big area where Apple Music have the one up on Spotify, and that’s their integration with the iTunes library. Any music that their users that have previously bought, uploaded or ripped from a CD will appear in their music library. This gives them the option to browse their music alongside Apple’s catalogue of music. Spotify does offer a function that is similar, but you can’t access your music via a broad search like you can with Apple Music. Social Media Integration However, one of the biggest wins comes from Spotify that that’s their integration with the various social media platforms. It allows users to share links to songs and their listening habits with their friends. And, also post what they’re listening to on Instagram stories where they can include lots of different stickers and hashtags. Apple Music does have an option to add friends next to albums that they are listening to, but Spotify is well ahead of the game. Navigation and User Interface Apple Music boasts a slick white finish on mobile devices, while Spotify goes for a black look across its different mobile apps and desktop version. Both streaming platforms are really easy to navigate on mobile with each app’s main tabs found at the bottom of each interface. Depending on the song, Spotify has some really cool animations and videos that play full screen when you listen to them. Both streaming platforms also let you look at a song’s lyrics on the screen if they are available. However, only Apple Music lets you search for music using the lyrics in the query. The Bottom Line As you can see, both of the music streaming giants have their pro and cons of use. And, it is typically just down to a user preference whether they use one or the other. However, with Spotify testing their new Storyline feature, could this give the Swedish company a significant competitive advantage against Apple Music? If users like the idea of exclusive and personalised music, then we think it could. Who wouldn’t want to feel closer to their favourite artists after all? The post Spotify is Testing Its Own Version of Instagram Stories appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer http://bit.ly/2onGYog May 24, 2019 at 04:33PM Integration Nation: 5 Tips for Integrating Social Media and Email Marketing http://bit.ly/2EwPCeb Email marketing is dead and social media marketing is taking over. Right? Well, not exactly. While social media marketing is the future, email marketing still drives lots of successes. Email has a more powerful ROI than you might think. Jeff Bullas explains that for every $1 you spend on your email marketing campaign, you earn $38. What about social media marketing? Even though major social media platforms such as Facebook attract a huge following, you shouldn’t focus all your marketing dollars on social media. But should you only concern yourself with email marketing? No — instead, you can combine your social media and email marketing efforts. Here are 5 tips to know. 1. Invite Your Social Media Followers to Your Email CommunityNotice how the headline says “email community” and not something standard such as “email newsletter”? If your followers see “newsletter,” the first thought that pops in their mind is “spam.” But if you say “community,” this gives them the idea of a club. You’ll not only receive email marketing results but will further entice your social media followers. 2. Get Emails From Your Social Media FollowersEvery social media user needs an email address to sign up. Did you know you can get their email addresses by searching your social media followers? And social media platforms make this easy. They offer a way to upload your social media followers to your inbox. This not only expands your email marketing list but can help you create a personable campaign to each of your subscribers. 3. Enable Social Sharing on Your EmailsJeff Bullas also tells us that less than 20% of customers share email marketing messages on their social media accounts. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Enabling your email newsletters for social sharing will help increase your audience, opening up the opportunity to gain more email subscribers. What kind of email content will attract social shares? Make sure it’s informational. Interesting facts and even opinion content on a specific niche will help engage your email subscribers. 4. Create a Facebook Group and Promote Your Email NewsletterAre you trying to find a way to increase your brand’s transparency while still improving your social media marketing? A Facebook group will help you communicate with customers better while you can promote your brand. A Facebook group is also a great way to promote your email newsletter. Entice your followers further with a message such as, “are you not receiving notifications about our deals on this group? Sign up for our newsletter and our deals will be sent directly to you!” 5. Integrate Your PlatformsWhat if you use separate social media and email marketing platforms? You can sync them for best results. You can achieve this with a system such as PieSync. Combine Your Social Media and Email Marketing Efforts TodaySocial media and email marketing are integral marketing strategies. To streamline both processes, sync them for best results. Are you looking for other ways to simplify your social media marketing? Read this guide to create a simple social media strategy. The post Integration Nation: 5 Tips for Integrating Social Media and Email Marketing appeared first on Social Media Explorer. 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A sea of children dancing to 'Old Town Road' is the best thing you'll see today http://bit.ly/2HBHbAf There's a reason "Old Town Road" has been No.1 for seven weeks straight: Everyone loves it. That includes this gym full of elementary schoolers, who closed out their school's fifth grade talent show with a deeply wholesome mass sing-along. Felicia Evans, the principal of Landers Elementary School in Cleveland, Ohio, tweeted a video of the moment on Thursday. "I love my job," she wrote. "We ended our 5th grade talent show today with the whole school dancing and celebrating...together!!" (Celebrating is right. These small children have more spirit than most concert crowds.) The kids' enthusiasm even caught the attention of Lil Nas X, who asked Evans when she wanted him to swing by Landers for a free concert. After a brief back-and-forth, it sure looked like he'll be paying a visit soon. We can only imagine the dance moves (and unfettered screaming) at that show. We've reached out to Evans for comment and will update if we hear back. As always, yeehaw. Social Media via Mashable http://bit.ly/2DCFv97 May 24, 2019 at 10:20AM
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How to Write Facebook Ads That Sell http://bit.ly/2QtEzaF Do you want to create ad copy that sells? Wondering how you can improve your Facebook ads? To explore how to write Facebook ad copy that converts, I interview Ken Moskowitz. Ken is the author of Jab Till It Hurts and founder of Ad Zombies, one of the world’s top flat-fee ad copywriting services. Ken shares why ad copy matters. You’ll also learn about the four main marketing objectives advertisers should consider, how to use storytelling in ad copy, and more. Read a summary of the interview below. To listen to the interview, scroll to the end of this article. Writing Facebook Ads That SellGrowing up in New York City, Ken was enchanted with the legendary voices of 101 WCBS FM New York. He was fascinated with the way that the radio talent could articulate a complete story through a quick piece of audio that everyone gets to hear. As a teenager, Ken spent his Bar Mitzvah money to furnish an amateur recording studio in his bedroom. While other kids his age were making music mixtapes, Ken spent his time writing and producing his own commercials. This hobby blossomed into a job in radio and production. Ken crafted jingles, sweepers, and promo IDs, but found that storytelling—especially when it came to advertising—was his niche and passion. He had a unique talent for selling an idea through the short-form media of radio ads. His work generated millions of dollars for his company over the span of his 27-year career in radio. By 2011, Ken had left the radio industry to start a full-service creative firm focused on video production, television pilots, and more. Then on March 6, 2017, Ken responded to a “cry for help” in a Facebook group. A member posted that he had written some ad copy for a client and the ad wasn’t converting. The man said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with the ad… Can anyone help me?” While other group members only offered criticism, Ken provided his insights on why the ad likely wasn’t converting. He also proposed a revision to the ad copy, which garnered a hugely positive response throughout the group. What began as a simple offer of help turned into the start of a new ad copywriting business for Ken: Ad Zombies. Within the first weekend, Ken received more than 100 requests for copywriting help. He knew he had stumbled on to an incredible need. Ken refers to his love and talent for copywriting as his superpower, and considers himself very fortunate to have discovered this “happy accident.” Ad Zombies now serves clients internationally and Ken has expanded the work to a team of writers. Why Facebook Ad Copy MattersWords are powerful. They paint pictures in a way that’s very hard for the brain to unsee. Ken illustrates this point by telling us, “Try not to think of a red door.” Your mind might actively be thinking of anything other than a red door. But you still visualize a flash of a red door the moment it’s suggested. Even if these words are in a headline for an ad featuring a blue door, your mind is still going to visualize a red door. Attention-grabbing visuals can stop a scroll on Facebook, but the storytelling in the ad copy is what gets people to go along on a journey with you. There’s an art to hooking someone with a headline and then slowly moving them into the body copy of an ad. For instance, you can go from the image of a blue door to the words, “Try not to think about a red door,” and all the way through to the colors of your house in an ad for a painting company. Listen to the show to hear Ken explain how people of different ages scroll through Facebook at different rates. Four Main Advertising ObjectivesMarketing follows the same natural progression of any other relationship. You go through a period of getting to know one another, becoming comfortable, and so forth before making any sort of commitment. The same thing happens in advertising. When it comes to attracting clients or customers, start with creating awareness at the top of the sales funnel, move to a consideration phase, and eventually to conversion or retargeting. Ken refers to my latest interview with Amanda Bond in which she labels each phase of the sequence this way: Connect, Commit, and Close. In our conversation, Ken goes on to describe the advertising objectives marketers need to think about at the different steps of this process. Top of the Funnel: AwarenessKen states that it can take up to 14 touch points before your marketing initiatives deliver a qualified lead or sale. So it’s silly to expect a customer to convert at the first encounter with your brand. Instead, begin with a strong awareness ad campaign that gets your brand, product, or service at the forefront of that consumer’s mind in a fun, creative way. Ken demonstrates this principle with two awareness ads run by Ad Zombies. Outside of referrals and recommendations, the first touch point most customers have with Ken’s company is called The Clown Ad. The video ad, which features a terrifying clown sneaking up on a little boy alone in a field, has been viewed 1.3 million times and shared 500 times, and has received hundreds of comments. Another highly engaging ad Ken’s company shows people at the top of their sales funnel is called The Booger Ad. Neither of the two ads is intended to convert or close a deal. They are meant to grab people’s attention and be shared and talked about. For this reason, the image in each ad is jarring and the copy is “very short, very sweet.” When you begin with building awareness at the top of the funnel, you aren’t necessarily trying to close on the deal at that moment. You simply want your business to be the first thing they think of when they need your product. Listen to the show to hear examples of three brands that have successfully solidified their place in the memory of consumers. Middle of the Funnel: ConsiderationOnce a potential customer engages with your brand, they can move to the middle of the funnel, which Ken refers to as the consideration phase. This point in the sequence offers an opportunity to address the pain points of your target audience and educate them on the benefits of hiring you or buying your product. Ad Zombies uses a video called ‘Facebook Ad Rejection Sufferers’ to address how to write ad copy that Facebook approves every time. Facebook typically flags certain words, but Ken’s company guarantees that it can help advertisers position, organize, and add context to these words that make the ads compliant on Facebook. The consideration phase is when you give people reasons to interact with your brand by bridging the gap between their pain points and your solution. Although you’re not necessarily trying to close a deal or make a sale at this point in the process, you’re certainly leading people down the funnel to a conversion. Bottom of the Funnel: ConversionAfter building awareness and convincing customers to consider your brand, the third and final part of the funnel is all about delivering the sale. At this point in the conversion cycle, your ad copy can take a direct sales pitch approach aimed at driving the customer to take action and to buy now. Highlight the features and benefits of your product, but be genuine and honest with consumers. People can always detect overselling and hype. Ken also recommends sharing client testimonials and success stories that others have experienced by working with you. This serves as proof that what you do works and reinforces that it’s a good decision to choose your brand or company. Ken finds that it’s especially compelling when this idea is delivered as a video testimonial. Listen to the show to hear Ken’s technique for shooting video testimonials for maximum impact and benefit to your products. Beyond the Funnel: RetargetingIt’s critical to go beyond the sales funnel and have a strategy for retargeting those who opted not to sign up or complete a purchase with you. Here’s an example of how Ad Zombies retargets its ideal customers—marketers. Called ‘Tag, You’re It’, this ad features a crowd of people staring at you and says, “When you tap Shop Now, you’ll stop seeing this ad.” The rest of the ad says, “We’ve targeted you… We know you like our content. We see you click our ads. Occasionally, you comment on them. We know you’ve been dying to stop writing your own ad copy and this is your out. Fire yourself.” The ad copy is written to communicate that Ad Zombies is trying to help its clients, not sell them. The message speaks marketers’ language, addresses their needs, and sounds very personal and individualized. According to Ken, this is the reason this ad has historically been a winner for his company. It also shows how all businesses should speak to their audiences. The Storytelling Style for Facebook Ad CopyPhotos and videos in Facebook ads always precede the headline or text. By the time your eye catches the image and you stop scrolling through the news feed, the description is pretty much dead-center on your device. You then have to scroll up to see the image again or rewatch the video. How to Make Better “Data-Driven” Marketing Decisions in Less Time— Without the Guesswork! The goal is to create a visual that’s very hard for people to ignore. Write a headline that grabs users’ attention and gets them to scroll back up to your ad. Then have a story that compels them to act immediately. Use Storytelling to Engage EmotionAny ad can be a storytelling ad, as long as it’s emotionally engaging and connects the dots for people. It’s just a matter of positioning your message and keeping the goal of the ad in mind. Ken illustrates how to paint an unforgettable visual with words by describing two real ads he developed for a swim school. The goal of the ads is to motivate parents to enroll their children in lessons at the school. The story is from the perspective of a young boy who falls in the pool and cannot swim. Ken details the terror the child experiences as the water closes in and he slowly sinks to the bottom. Ken goes on to depict light fading, a struggle to take a breath, and the desperation of no one hearing him as he drowns. Another ad Ken created for the swim school used an upsetting image of a father and daughter holding hands in front of the headstone of a grave that gets people to stop and notice the ad. The headline reads, “Don’t let this happen to your kid” and the call to action distinctly directs people to contact the school. The swim school’s previous ads featuring a happy baby blowing bubbles in the water ran for several months with zero conversions. While it was a sweet image, it lacked a compelling reason for people to act. There was no pain or problem to solve. Ken reports that with the help of strong targeting and well-chosen placements, his ad resulted in 6 months of solid bookings for the swim school within 3 days. Both ads undoubtedly play on every parent’s fears and the pain of losing a child. Their purpose is to create a strong emotional reaction that motivates a visceral buying decision. Create Empathy Within the StoryOne way to approach the storytelling process is to create a fictional character with whom people can empathize and relate. People often don’t see pain or issues within themselves when you talk to them directly, but are naturally attuned to see it in others. Develop a character who shares enough of the same personal attributes, struggles, and experiences with your target audience so they can see themselves in the story. Prompting customers to live vicariously through a character lets them visualize how your service or product can transform their lives or businesses. Listen to the show to hear how Ken helps me use a character to promote the Social Media Marketing Society. Test Different Versions of Your StoryAn internal rule in Ken’s company dictates that you write the ad until the story feels complete, knowing that the right consumer and the right audience will take the time to read every word. Otherwise, it’s easy to short-change yourself and miss critical details of a story if you’re only aiming to limit the ad to a particular platform or to a certain length. Ken’s company writes ads that are only one or two lines long, and ones that go on for paragraphs and paragraphs. Once you’ve perfected your story, you can tailor long, short, and micro versions of it to test against different placements, audiences, and platforms and see what performs the best. In split testing the ads, you may discover that one version of the ad outperforms the others on different days of the week due to the finicky nature of the Facebook algorithm. Or that you only reach certain audiences on particular days of the week based on their activity on Facebook. Ken recommends testing ads over a significant length of time to get accurate data on whether your ads are performing for your goals. Just because something didn’t work for someone else doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. Test everything and you’ll quickly discover what works and what doesn’t. Additional RecommendationsKen offers different resources and ways to help you learn more about ad copywriting and improve your style and technique. Create Swipe FilesBegin by collecting Facebook ads that resonate with you personally and save them to a clipboard or swipe file that you can easily access. This is completely free and simple to create. Style is highly subjective and tastes are entirely personal. The best way to develop your own style is by finding pieces of ad copy that speak to you and determine what you like about them. Examine how they’re structured. Breakthrough AdvertisingOne of the best books on copywriting that Ken recommends to everyone is Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene M. Schwartz. While this book was written decades ago and the references are outdated, the principles and foundational elements outlined within it hold true today. Nothing has changed. Hemingway EditorHemingway Editor is a desktop app that quickly improves your writing. This tool gives a Flesch-Kincaid readability score and provides feedback as you’re writing. It highlights how many adverbs you use, whether you’re using passive voice, which sentences are difficult to read, and more. It also offers better alternatives to the phrases you’ve written. Natural ReaderAnother invaluable tool for copywriting is Natural Reader, text-to-speech software available for Windows and Mac that lets you listen to the way your words come together. With Natural Reader, you can drop in your ad copy and select a natural human voice to read it back to you. In other words, you can take the ad you wrote and hear the way it would sound in someone’s head. It offers a quick way to hear and discover grammatical errors or any other problems within your ad copy. Discovery of the WeekGoogle Results Previewer is a free Google Chrome extension that enhances your ability to search Google and discover the exact information you need without having to open each individual link into a separate tab. Once this tool is installed on your Chrome browser, you’ll be able to hover your mouse cursor over each URL in your Google search results and see a preview of the web page or article. The preview appears as a pop-up window on the bottom right of your search results page. You can scroll within the preview window to view the site without having to click or open extra tabs. When you discover a link worth opening, you can click on it within the search results and open the page. You can find Google Results Previewer in the Google Chrome Web Store. Listen to the show to hear more about Google Results Previewer. Key Takeaways in This EpisodeListen to the Interview NowThe Social Media Marketing podcast is designed to help busy marketers, business owners, and creators discover what works with social media marketing. Where to subscribe: iTunes/Apple Podcast| Android| Google Podcasts| Google Play| Stitcher| TuneIn| Spotify| RSSWhat do you think? What are your thoughts on writing compelling Facebook ads? Please share your comments below. How to Make Better “Data-Driven” Marketing Decisions in Less Time— Without the Guesswork! Social Media via Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner http://bit.ly/1LtH18p May 24, 2019 at 05:03AM How to Write Facebook Ads That Sell - 355 http://bit.ly/2QtEzaF Do you want to create ad copy that sells? Wondering how you can improve your Facebook ads? To explore how to write Facebook ad copy that converts, I interview Ken Moskowitz, founder of Ad Zombies, one of the world’s top flat-fee ad copywriting services. Show notes: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/355 Social Media via Social Media Marketing Podcast http://bit.ly/1LtH18p May 24, 2019 at 05:00AM
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Top 3 Must-Know Social Media Marketing Tips http://bit.ly/2EqW4Du According to Pew Research Center, 7 out of 10 people in the United States use social media to connect with friends, stay on top of the latest news, and decide where to shop. This is a huge increase since 2005, when only 5% of people used it, and it should become even more popular. You can use social media to promote your company’s brand and attract customers. Here are some social media marketing tips that all businesses should know. 1. Use Platforms Popular With Your Audience There are several social media platforms and people with different interests don’t choose the same ones. You should make sure that the platform you’re using is popular with your potential customers. LinkedIn has lots of professionals, so it’s ideal for reaching business owners. It also includes LinkedIn Pulse, a content publishing platform for entrepreneurs. Instagram users are often interested in fashion, travel, and entertainment. The platform is mostly visual, and it’s a great place to share striking images or behind-the-scenes looks at your company. Most people have a Facebook account, so it’s great for reaching a wide audience. However, many others are posting content here as well. You’ll need to post often to avoid getting lost in a long news feed. Facebook Groups can also help you connect with individuals. Like Facebook, most people watch YouTube and creating a few short videos is easy. You can introduce your staff, tell people about your business’s products or services, or post testimonials from satisfied customers. For higher conversions and sales, ask people to view your website or visit your company in person. 2. Create Valuable Content Without content that interests them, your audience will stop paying attention. Your organization may have started posting on social media to get customers, but most of your posts should give viewers useful information instead of just promoting your business. For example, a cookware company could create a series of videos teaching people how to make popular dishes and showcasing their products. Useful, entertaining content attracts more subscribers and encourages people to share posts with their friends. 3. Interact With Your Audience Encourage your audience to interact by asking questions, being part of discussions, and responding to comments. Do your best to answer people as quickly as possible and be transparent about the way your company works. If someone makes a negative comment, try to solve their problem. For example, a restaurant could offer a free meal to someone complaining about slow service or a rude staff member. Some sites let you use chatbots to provide answers to common questions, but a person should deal with more complex issues. You can improve your social media marketing by making your content fun and using influencers. These people promote brands to their loyal followers and they can introduce your business to thousands of potential customers. Social media lets you reach new people by having conversations and giving them useful information. It’s more effective and less expensive than using traditional ads like billboards or commercials. The post Top 3 Must-Know Social Media Marketing Tips appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer http://bit.ly/2onGYog May 24, 2019 at 01:26AM
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Freelancing with Kids – 6 Tips to Make It Work http://bit.ly/2YQBYul “MOM, I can’t find my shoe!” “Shhhhh, Mommy’s on the phone right now.” Oh who are we kidding – you know as well as I do that your kid called out to you five more times before the call was over. Actually, that’s not true. You had to end the call, go tell your kid off, find the shoe, and beg them to stay put while you called your MOST IMPORTANT CLIENT back and explained why you didn’t submit your assignment on time. And the little ones screamed out with another catastrophe (read, minor inconvenience) for you to deal with all throughout the next call too. We’ve all been there. When I quit my job and started working from home, I thought I’d pull my hair out just a month in. I was missing deadlines, compromising on the quality of my work, and things at home seemed to be getting even more complicated (and messier!) than when I used to have a full-time job. Which made no sense to me at all. Until it hit me that my kids thought just because I was at home, I wasn’t REALLY working. That to them, I could just stop working when I wanted and give them time. Despite me having told them over and over again that there are times they just cannot disturb me. I knew that I had to take charge before things got out of control. And that is just what I did. You’re in luck because I am about to tell you just how I did that. Set Your Own Office Timings and Make Them Strict When you’re at home, you’re under the impression that you have 24 hours in the day and you can start working when you want to, end when you want to. But that is not how it works. You need to figure out which hours of the day you are most productive and are likely to get the most work done. These are your home-office timings. Once they’re in place, you have to stick to them. No family business during these hours and no work outside of this time. Try it – you’ll thank me. Set Up Your Own Office But wait, wasn’t I supposed to be working from home? Of course you are. I mean set up an office inside the home. If you think that lounging around on the sofa in your PJs with a laptop in your lap is going to make your kids take your work seriously, you need to think again. Dedicate a room for work during your ‘office hours’ and do not let anyone enter it unless someone is dying – and I don’t mean the ‘Dad, he poked me, I’m dying’ kind. Be Your Own ‘Horrible Boss’ It’s hard to get into work mode when you’re at home. You often find yourself slacking off and eventually end up having to work in the time that is meant to be dedicated to your family. That, as I’m sure you are aware, will not help matters in the least. So here is what you need to do. Make sure that you set daily goals based on the workload and you meet those goals in your office hours. If you don’t, punish yourself by not taking extra time to complete your tasks and missing deadlines (and potentially losing clients). Trust me, you’ll only make that mistake once. Set Boundaries with Clients/Remote Bosses Sometimes, when people know you are working remotely, they try to take advantage of the ‘oh well, he or she is at home, they can spend an extra hour on their laptop’ situation. You have to be aware of this problem from the get-go and nip it in the bud. Deliver the promised amount of work but don’t let anyone manipulate you into compromising on your family time – you will realise too late that it is not worth it. Be Open with Both Sides Sometimes, you will have to make compromises – that is inevitable. What helps you make that easy is having your family, as well as your clients or employers on the same page about your situation. For example, if some extra work has come up during your kid’s birthday party and you just can’t spare the time, let the client know. Similarly, if there is a shopping trip that you can maybe skip to get some work done that just popped up, discuss it with your partner and let them in on the problem. Basically, have open communication with both your professional and personal circles. Don’t Overwork Freelancing is not a piece of cake as most people make it out to be. And it often exhausts you enough that you don’t get to spend quality time with your loved ones. While this is alright occasionally, you can’t make this a habit. So when the going gets tough and you realise you need to take a break, don’t be afraid to take one. Drop a project for some time, take a weekend off to go away with your family, do whatever seems right to you in the moment. Because your peace of mind is important – for both your personal and professional development. Ending Thoughts Everyone’s circumstances are different – there is no denying that. Which is why there is no one way of going about doing things. You just have to evaluate the situation while you’re in it and make the best choice, as a parent AND as a professional – because at the end of the day, you’re both. And your kids and your work both deserve your time and commitment. So figure out your own situation and see what works best for you. But doing the six things I just mentioned above will definitely get you going on the right track. So do try them out! The post Freelancing with Kids – 6 Tips to Make It Work appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer http://bit.ly/2onGYog May 23, 2019 at 10:34PM
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Fake 'drunk' Nancy Pelosi video goes viral, and it wasn’t even that hard to make http://bit.ly/30EnIGu Fake 'drunk' Nancy Pelosi video goes viral, and it wasn’t even that hard to make
By Jack Morse
Who needs deepfakes when you can just run a video at reduced speed? An edited clip of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, altered to make it look like she's slurring her words, is making the rounds online following a Wednesday discussion at a Center for American Progress event. The news comes by way of the Washington Post, which notes that the only digital trickery required to fool millions of Americans into thinking the Democratic congresswoman was drunk in public was to run the video at 75 percent speed and tweak the pitch. That's it. No fancy AI or special video editing skills were needed. If you just let out a heavy sigh, you're not alone. It's unclear at present who produced the video, but its murky providence isn't slowing its success. As of this writing, since being shared Wednesday on the right-wing site PoliticsWatchdog's Facebook page, the manipulated video has been viewed 2 million times. It's also surfaced on various Twitter accounts and other Facebook pages, where many of those sharing the edited film present it as legitimate. "Nancy is sooo flippin' drunk... Don't miss this... Can she be removed for impairment," read one such tweet. "She obviously has a substance problem," reads another tweet both linking to the video and tagging Donald Trump's Twitter account. "Too funny not to watch over and over." It's unclear if those sharing the video realize it's been manipulated (and are spreading it anyway) or have simply been fooled. While either explanation is possible, the latter is of greater cause for concern. Pelosi has long been a Republican punching bag and this isn't the first edited video that manipulates her speech — one posted earlier this month to YouTube, which has since been taken down, clocked over 28 million views. If all it takes to convince people that the Speaker of the House wanders around drunk in public is a slightly edited video, then we're in serious trouble. If social media denizens can't spot this low-tech attempt at political manipulation, there's not much hope they'll successfully identify more sophisticated efforts in the future.
Social Media via Mashable http://bit.ly/2DCFv97 May 23, 2019 at 06:54PM How to Enhance Your Company’s Online Security http://bit.ly/2M3uqTl Now that technology has become such a vital aspect of every business, with many businesses storing their data online or running completely from the internet, it is paramount that your company’s online security is of the highest level. In this article, we will explain the best ways in which you can improve your online security and ensure that your business is protected in the future.
If you are concerned about your customer’s data and whether your systems are fully protected, you can ensure that you know the extent of your data protection by hiring a security advice and assessment firm. For instance, for healthcare firms, it is paramount that client’s data is kept sensitive and confidential, and this can be helped through the HITRUST framework that helps to instil a number of regulations on businesses. Through HITRUST CSF self assessment, healthcare businesses can ensure that they can gain the certification needed to prove that they provide the right data security protection for their clients and ensure that they follow the regulations required of them.
For businesses who store a lot of data on online systems such as the cloud and computer documents, it is vital that they install a reliable malware software application that can help to block threats such as hackers and viruses. This can help it protect both your data and the computers and laptops that you are using, and this will stop them being infected by potentially harmful malware that can spread through the internet and affect the running of your business.
You should also consider whether you should encrypt any data that you store on your computer. With hackers able to view any data that they are able to access, encryption will enable your data to stay safe even if your computer is the victim of a virus or other malware. Encryption ensures that all of your data is coded so that only the individuals who you choose to access your data can do so. There are many apps, both online and stored on your computer in the Tools settings that enable you to encrypt your data, and ensure that your data is protected.
Although this may appear to be basic, you should also consider which passwords you are using to enable people to access your documents. You create a strong password by ensuring that these have multiple different types of characters and numbers and that these are not easily guessed. You should also ensure that your passwords are different for each sensitive website or data access point that you use so that if one is hacked, this does not compromise the whole. You should also make a clear plan on who can access your data, and ensure that passwords and other keys to access are not shared widely. These simple security elements can help your business and your customer’s data to stay safe for a long period of time. Through both following regulations and creating a defined security policy for your business, you will be able to evade the pitfalls of the internet and security breaches easily. The post How to Enhance Your Company’s Online Security appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer http://bit.ly/2onGYog May 23, 2019 at 10:45AM |
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