Tag Archives: news

Top 5 Websites Every Writer Should Know

Posted on by
Reply
Wordpress

Wordpress

Writing, they say, is an art. But whether you are just starting to learn how to write, or is making a living out of it, there are some sites that you should not do without. Here are the top 5 Web sites that every writer should know.

5. Blogspot.com or WordPress.com
If you are a new writer looking for work, your best advertisement is your own words. This is where Blogspot.com and WordPress.com come in handy. There are other blogging platforms available on the Web, but these two are by far the easiest to use, promote and maintain. Both are one-click publishing solutions: so whether you just want to rant about the latest issues, or adding the next installment to a series you have started, all you need to do is to compose and submit.

Remember, however, that you should present your best work on your blog. Think of it as a writing portfolio that you can show to potential customers.

Continue reading →

BBC News (unconfirmed report as of 3:00pm Los Angeles): Michael Jackson is dead! ROD: cardiac arrest. He is 50.

Posted on by
Reply

BBC News (unconfirmed report as of 3:00pm Los Angeles): Michael Jackson is dead! ROD: cardiac arrest. He is 50.

  • -CNN, Yahoo News, LA coroner (Fred Corral), TMZ, and the LA Times now confirm the death of Michael Jackson (1958-2009). — as of 4:28pm June 25, 2009.
    -Collapsed at his West Side Home at approximately 12 noon.
    -His brother called 911 and the LA Fire Department responded.
    -Michael Jackson was not breathing when the LAFD arrived.
    -They were able to revived Michael Jackson but when he arrived at the hospital he suffered a coma.
    -Jackson family spokesman: the Jackson family is emotional and crying.

    • 10 Ways to Spice up your Boring PC

    Posted on by
    Reply

    deskstop computer

    You already have your monitor, your CPU (the Central Processing Unit), your keyboard, mouse, and printer. The recent Windows Microsoft’s OS (Operating System) is already installed, as well as other basic office programs. Your PC seems to be complete yet you find yourself bored with it. Here are 10 easy steps to liven up your PC:

    1. Add other hardware and accessories.
    High-performance speakers or headphones that give off quality sound from mp3s and other sound files can be bought from almost any electronics or computer shops. While you’re at it, why not upgrade your printer with those that can act as scanners, colored and black & white printer as well?

    2. Change the basic desktop settings from time to time (wallpapers, icons and others).
    Wallpapers, icons, and cursors can be changed. You can do this by right-clicking on your desktop and selecting Properties. If you find the wallpapers, icons, and cursors boring or uninteresting, there are websites that offer good ones for a free download. Changing these settings will give your PC a more personalized and creative feel to it.

    3. Add a screensaver.
    Screensavers of different themes and designs can also be downloaded from the Internet. Cartoons, animals, nature scenes — you name the design. It will be fun to look at it after you’ve left your PC on standby mode.

    4. Install PC Games.
    Free computer games like Bookworm and Text Twist challenge the vocabulary and minds of just about anyone. They may be a bit simple and generic but they can give life to your boring PC. They definitely serve the purpose when you have nothing much to do.

    5. Install Photoshop and other graphics editing programs.
    There are many things that you can do with graphic editing programs. You can edit and enhance photos from your digital camera. You can also create your own wallpapers or desktop backgrounds and icons out of your photos or designs.

    6. Get yourself an Internet connection.
    The Internet is a good source of news and information. It also makes correspondence with family, friends, business partners and clients easier. Once connected, you gain access to networking sites and other entertainment domains where you can watch movies, music videos and other video clips for free. You can also compete with players from all over the world in a multitude of online games.

    7. Install or subscribe to reputable anti-virus software.
    Norton and McAfee are two of the leading anti-virus programs that protect your computer and rid it of viruses that cause harm to it. They can be downloaded online and are provided to those who need them by subscription. You can also download free trial anti-virus software before you make any subscription.

    8. Download music or rip music from your CDs.
    Programs like Apple’s iTunes and Windows Media Player can rip music from CDs. Programs such as iTunes also has a vast library of songs up for purchase and download. At 0.99 cents, you can already get any song that you like.

    9. Upgrade your PC with an added RAM or an extra hard disk.
    The Random Access Memory (RAM) determines how fast your computer can function. With a high-performing RAM, your desktop can function with relatively less fear of malfunctions. RAMS with a capacity of 2 to 3 gigabytes can be purchased in electronic and computer stores.

    10. Get a DVD-writer or an external storage.
    External hard disks that store up to 250 gigabytes-worth of computer programs, files or documents, videos, images and sound files are for sale in the electronics and computer shops. There will be no fear of running out of storage space when downloading more files if your PC is supported with an external hard drive.

    Social Media and How it is Used in Online Marketing

    Posted on by
    2

    social media online marketing

    It used to be that a company’s online marketing efforts consist of having a Web page, sending out e-mails, and advertising on high-traffic sites. However, in this age of social networking sites – like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace – these efforts are no longer enough!

    Social networking sites have allowed businesses big and small to be more interactive in the way they present their companies, brands, products, and services. Online marketing has ceased to be a one-way street where the businesses do all the talking and hope that their potential customers listen and try out their goods and services. Interactivity has become the key feature of online marketing on social networking sites.

    Businesses can still advertise their products and services by sending out a Tweet or updating their Facebook status for all their followers and friends to see, or update them about the latest promotions and discounts. Meanwhile, customers can post questions and complaints in real time.

    A company doing business on social networking sites can further keep itself ahead of the game by easily developing customer relationships and loyalty. You are no longer an
    e-mail address promoting a product via spam, or a Web site they stumbled upon, but a profile with a real person behind it. This personal touch, which is an additional way of interacting with your customers, can make them feel connected and supported and in turn leads to more positive feelings and loyalty to your business. Anne Rice, for instance, just does not write great novels, she goes on Facebook to discuss any aspect of her characters as her fans ask her questions about them, or she conducts online writing workshops for her fans. Rice also speaks to them, making them feel that they are friends and that she, too, has her own hopes and dreams.

    Social networking sites also provide a way for businesses to talk about their products in a more natural setting. You are not a business that intrudes on people as they read e-mails from friends and family, but you are part of the social network. That means that people will be more receptive to your pitch. If you provide a link to your Web site, people are also more inclined to click on it and visit your site.

    More importantly, these links on social networking sites become new inbound links to your site, which makes your site rank higher on search engines. Few people realize that the links they put up on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook do not only point their friends and family to their site, they also point search engine spiders to their sites, making it seem more important and therefore making their site rank higher on Google, Yahoo and other search engines.

    What’s the deal with micro-blogging and lifestreaming?

    Posted on by
    1

    microblogging and lifestreaming 

    Internet-savvy individuals are undoubtedly familiar with the terms ‘micro-blogging’ and ‘lifestreaming’, but there are still a number of people who do not know what they’re all about.

    First, let’s define them. Micro-blogging, as the term implies, is blogging in small quantities. If blogging is eating a whole cake at one time, micro-blogging is doing it slice by slice. Posts in a micro-blog are usually limited to a certain number of characters—otherwise it won’t be micro anymore.

    Lifestreaming, on the other hand, is broadcasting bits & pieces of your life and activities through digital media like the Internet and mobile phones.

    Micro-blogging can be used to broadcast anything from what you ate for breakfast to the latest news in Iraq. The difference between micro-blogging and lifestreaming is that the latter is more of a collection of personal news. A person’s lifestream often contains updates about their thoughts, feelings, and activities, often in real-time. Someone who just finished watching a movie, for example, can stream, “I just saw Watchmen and it was intense!” One can also set certain lifestreams to reach only specific people, like friends and family.

    How has micro-blogging changed the virtual world?
    In this ultra-modern era where most people are constantly on the go, micro-blogging lets us read and share information in small, easily digestible chunks. Micro-blogs are short and to the point. They offer a convenient way of staying up-to-date, especially for those who do not have the time to stop by for a long read.

    Today, micro-blogging is adopted not just by individuals sharing purely personal thoughts, but also by business companies, news and information agencies, and even personalities in entertainment and politics.

    Twitter: the Most Popular Micro-blogging Service
    The most popular micro-blogging service is, of course, Twitter. Twitter was developed in 2006 and became popular the year after, spreading the micro-blogging fever in the Internet world. It has become so well-liked that big media giants like BBC have begun to use it to post short summaries and links to news. Even Qatar’s Al Jazeera network uses Twitter. Famous celebrities – Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Martha Stewart, Mariah, Nicole Richie, to name a few – maintain Twitter profiles and keep their many fans worldwide posted on their current activities.

    Twitter has a 140-character limit, so posts (called ‘tweets’) will have to be really short and specific. This is because Twitter has a text messaging feature – users can update their profiles by sending tweets using their mobile phones. President Barack Obama has a Twitter profile, which was actively updated during his campaign using the Twitterberry application on a Blackberry. Another way to send tweets is through Twitterfox, a Mozilla Firefox plugin that lets you update without logging in to the Twitter website.

    The Others
    Other popular micro-blogging and lifestreaming services include Jaiku, which features a comment system, and Plurk, a timeline-based lifestreaming site. Social networking websites have also integrated lifestreaming features into user profiles. One prominent example is Facebook’s status updates. After the site’s latest home page redesign, the input box now asks, “What’s on your mind?”

    If you have been reading up to this part, you would have probably realized you have been doing all these micro-blogging and lifestreaming all along. You may not have known that they were called that. Trust me, you’re not alone.

    Asus Eee PC 1004DN: First Eee with Optical Drive

    Posted on by
    2

    Asus Eee PC 1004DN

    Asus Eee PC 1004DN


    Notebook or netbook? One of the key features that separate a netbook from a notebook is the presence of an optical drive.

    Now Asus comes and blurs that line with its newest installment for the Eee series – the Asus Eee PC 1004DN. This shiny new creation sports a ‘super-multi optical disc drive’. In other words, it is a CD/DVD writer. How’s that for revolutionary, eh?

    Continue reading →

    The Video Game Industry “is” Recession-Proof

    Posted on by
    7

    I’ve heard about claims that the video game industry, along with healthcare, is recession-proof. Well, these claims might be proven to be true, especially when you take into consideration the gaming industry’s February 2009 sales in the United States, which involved a double-digit growth year-on-year at a time when overall retail sales growth was sluggish. That is made even more special when you take note of the industry’s consistently growing sales for the past few months, while the rest of the world was experiencing recession blues.

    Continue reading →

    How Can Backlinks Improve PageRank?

    Posted on by
    2

    Backlinks quite simply are inbound links from other sites that point directly to your Web site or page. And while backlinks are that simple to define, they carry an important role to improving your Web site’s or page’s PageRank.

    The page rank is a numerical indicator or gauge of the importance or popularity of a particular Web page or Web site on the Internet. This means that the more popular the page or the site is, the higher the PageRank is.

    Although the algorithms used by search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN are top secret, it is generally accepted that PageRank is one of the more important considerations in these engines’ ranking schemes. Conversely, the more popular your page gets and the higher PageRank you have, the higher you rank on search results.

    Continue reading →