Joy Luck Club Essays (568 words) - Chinatown, San Francisco

Joy Luck Club In the novel "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, the ignorance, the disregard of, and the necessity of love are all introduced as the characters tell their life stories and memories. The characters in "The Joy Luck Club" take love for granted. By ignoring love, concentrating more on material possessions, and hiding their true identities, the characters don't realize love's importance. One character that takes love for granted is Harold, Lena St. Clair's husband. This occurs when Lena leans over to him in their car and states "I love you." He responds by asking Lena a question about his car, which seems to be more important to him than his relationship with her. Harold does not realize the importance of love. He only thinks about material possessions. Since Harold does not revealing his true nature, he reveals that he has a lack of love for himself as an individual. The love you have for yourself is a necessity in life because it provides self-respect; if one respects oneself, one will respect and love others. The story of Lindo Jong provides insight into the concept of revealing your true nature. To "keep everything inside" as does Lindo Jong, provides for not being able to experience love to its fullest. Lindo Jong hides "under a red marriage scarf" in attempt to shield herself from the outside world. Her "hiding under the scarf" demonstrates that to be able to love, you must be able to first reveal your true nature. Ying-Ying St. Clair stands as an example of the desire to remain hidden as she says, "All these years I kept my true nature hidden, running along like a small shadow so nobody could catch me." The image of the shadow relates directly to the red marriage scarf. They both attempt to provide the concealment of their true natures, because the result of revealing your true self may be that of "pain". The importance of love goes unnoticed as the characters take love for granted and expect it to naturally come to them. The ceasing of taking love for granted does occur later and has its results and consequences. The characters realize that they are taking love for granted when they feel meaningless and uncomfortable, and stop doing so by either ending the relationship or confronting the problem. By not taking love for granted and realizing "there's absolutely nothing left to save" in her marriage, Rose Hsu Jordan recognizes that she must divorce her husband. Rose Hsu Jordan does not feel comfortable with her life and feels that she is living under false pretences. She comprehends that she is not what she continually pretends to be. Therefore, she stops taking love for granted and ignoring it, and instead moves on to a better, more comfortable life with a feeling of being needed. Lindo Jong compares love to a hill and as to heaven. This hill symbolizes the steps that she must take to truly attain love and enter heaven, her comparison to happiness and a comfortable lifestyle. Love proves hard to attain but Lindo Jong learns to embrace it and accept it as best she can. The "pained feeling" at the "beginning of love" provides insight into the revelation of the true nature of the character. This pained feeling, the lifting of the scarf or the shadow, opens the door to the true nature of the character. This love provides better understanding and a better love of your own character. It makes the people more comfortable with themselves and makes them feel important, needed, and loved. Bibliography Joy Luck Club . Amy Tan. 336 pages. IVY books NY.1989

Super Tuesday Definition - Date and States That Vote

Super Tuesday Definition - Date and States That Vote Super Tuesday is the day on which a large number of states, many of them in the South,  hold their primaries in the presidential race. Super Tuesday is important because a large number of delegates are at stake and the outcome of the primaries can elevate or end a candidates chances at winning their partys presidential nomination later in the spring.   Super Tuesday 2016 was  held on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton emerged with the most number of delegates on Super Tuesday 2016, thrusting both toward their eventual nominations at that years conventions in Cleveland, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Twelves states  hold primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday. Voters in those states  go to the polls about one month after the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus are held.   Super Tuesday 2016 was  the first presidential primary day under Republican National Committee rules designed to give states that vote later in the year more influence in the nomination process and at the GOP convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in the summer. Why Super Tuesday  Is a Big Deal The votes that are cast on Super Tuesday  determine how many delegates are sent to the Republican and Democratic national conventions to represent their respective candidates for the presidential nominations. More than a quarter of the Republican Partys delegates are typically  up for grabs on Super Tuesday, including in the top prize of 155 delegates in Texas. More than a fifth of the Democratic Partys delegates are up for grabs that day. In other words, more than 600 of the 2,472 total Republican delegates to the partys national convention are awarded on Super Tuesday. Thats half the amount necessary for the nomination - 1,237 - up for grabs in a single day. In the Democratic primaries and caucuses,  more than  1,00 of the 4,764 Democratic delegates to the  partys national convention in Philadelphia  are at stake on Super Tuesday. Thats nearly half of the 2,383 needed for the nomination. Super Tuesday Origins Super Tuesday originated as an attempt by southern states to win greater influence in the Democratic primaries. The first Super Tuesday was held in March 1988.   Super Tuesday 2016 Delegate Rules Under the Republican Partys new rules, states that hold their primaries and caucuses on March 1 through March 14  awarded delegates on a proportional basis instead of winner-take-all. That means no candidate can likely win enough delegates to secure the nomination before late-voting states get to hold their primaries. The rule is designed to prevent states from  trying to leapfrog each other for influence and attention during the primaries. List of States Voting on Super Tuesday The number of states holding primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday 2016 was  larger than in the previous presidential-election year, in 2012. Only ten states held primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday in 2012.   Here are the states that hold primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday, followed by the number of delegates being awarded to the party conventions: Alabama: 50 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 60 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryAlaska: 28 delegates at stake in the Republican caucuses (the 20 delegates at stake in the Democratic caucuses are awarded on March 26, not on Super Tuesday)Arkansas: 40 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 37 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryColorado: 37 delegates at stake in the Republican caucuses, 79 delegates at stake in the Democratic caucusesGeorgia: 76 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 116 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryMassachusetts: 42 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 116 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryMinnesota: 38 delegates at stake in the Republican caucuses, 93 delegates at stake in the Democratic caucusesOklahoma: 43 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 42 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryTennessee: 58 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 76 delegates at stake in the Democratic primary Texas: 155 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 252 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryVermont: 16 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 26 delegates at stake in the Democratic primaryVirginia: 49 delegates at stake in the Republican primary, 110 delegates at stake in the Democratic primary

Abraham Maslow

Abraham Maslow was born on April 1, 1908 to the parents of two Jews who lived in New York but immigrated from Russia. (Cherry, 1 page) He was born in Brooklyn, New York and was the first of seven children. (Cherry, 1 page) As he grew up with his parents and promoted him in his education, he would become a very intelligent man who can accomplish many big jobs. (Boeree, Page 1) When Abraham Maslow was a child, he was very lonely and unfortunate, as his education was always kind but promoted not with people of his age. Psychologist is Abraham Maslow. He developed the famous Maslow needs hierarchy. Normally they are displayed as pyramids, but people have multiple levels of demand, higher level demand (self esteem and self-fulfillment) only takes precedence if they meet basic needs (security and security) . Maslow believes that the low level of the pyramid is a lack of demand. When they get enough levels, their motivation goes down. As everyone knows, even if you have a bank of 45 million dollars, up to 46 million dollars will not bring in many additional incentives. Abraham Maslow's level of needs addresses the need for respect. Esteem is the fourth layer of Maslow's five-layer human motivation model and is interrelated to the other dimensions we need (ie self-realization, love / attribution, safety and physical needs) It is thought to be. There are many component requirements for achieving self-esteem, such as respecting others, accepting who we really are, achieving confidence, and so on. Internal verification is necessary for external verification, which has a serious and sustainable impact. For example, even if it is in some way incompatible with our true personality to fit a particular social group, there is a latent recognition that you are not really accepted and your approval has been long Continue. . In other words, if you are fake, you will often know the truth. In 1954, Abraham Maslow showed his iconic work Motivation and Personality. Almost all social s cience and psychology courses teach you real strength. Maslow explains why humans behave in their own way, what motivates them, why they lose their motives. After putting on your clothes, please do not return to clothes you do not do. You also want to live in a safe place so that your physical self is not threatened. But if you are hit, you want to confirm that there is a way to recover from health. This is safe - I do not want to lose what I have

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Psychology - Essay Example The people of age range from 25 to 55 years will be the units of analysis for the present study. The questionnaires should be delivered to the respondents through mail and e-mail, along with instruction page for filling the questionnaire. The research instrument will comprise of six questions, and the respondents would be requested to return the same after replying to all the questions. After the gathering of data, it would be compiled in tabular form in order to interpret the results and compile the findings, on the basis of which the suggestions would be made. Introduction Myths and misconceptions maintain imperative significance in the discipline of psychology. It has aptly been observed that people just believe in a statement provided it has been supported with the so called notion. Similarly, since majority of the individuals sticks to traditions, customs and conventions, they view it hard to refute the theory has been in vogue for the last many years. Consequently, the same not ion is accepted to be true without making any investigation of the source from where it has been extracted or cited. For instance, Freud’s Oedipus complex theory, presented in the background of Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King, has been taken as a reality that the children have sexual attraction towards the parent of his/her opposite gender. Somehow, Kohut believes that the story’s most significant genetic feature is that Oedipus was a rejected child and a replacement is needed for the Oedipus myth. (Leaming et al., 2009) Moreover, it is a universally accepted perception that women appear to be more emotional and sentimental than men, and always prefer their feelings to intellect while making decisions in life. However, the experiences of real life counteract the very myth by nullifying it through researches, which state that observing of intellect or feelings has no strong association with the gender of the observer. Similarly, it is an extensively established myth, in the light of the theory articulated by 20th century American psychologist William James, that an overwhelming proportion of the individuals use up to 10% of his brain power throughout his life. Thus, 90% of the brain power remains unconsumed altogether. Somehow, no scientific research method or tool is available to endorse the same notion on humans. Consequently, myth has obtained the status of a proved theory, which is vehemently believed by the people without discrimination. Similarly, the people see eye to eye with the myth that expressing one’s anger through words is extremely supportive in mitigating the annoyance and thus turn the person cool and calm subsequently. It is therefore the therapists and counselors used to suggest the use of some object to be kicked and battered for releasing one’s anger. As Psychology Today (1983) asked, "If you could secretly push a button and thereby eliminate any person with no repercussions to yourself, would you press t hat button?" 69% of responding males said yes, 56% of women. However, in real life, people seldom take killing the other into serious consideration, and their anger calm down within moments or minutes. It is therefore the same myth has been counteracted with the latest theory that anger is sure to perish

Change in Management and Leadership Style Essay

Change in Management and Leadership Style - Essay Example This essay examines the leadership and management structures within the company’s human resource approach to the establishment of Virgin Galactic business venture. Leadership and Management The main human resource related issue within the Virgin Atlantic structure is the company’s approach to the Galactic Project. The Galactic Project is the company’s mission to establish commercial trips to suborbital space stations. The mission began in 2004 and has been in development since this period. The spacecraft flights are intended to be robust and affordable to the extent that they can take passengers in a relatively affordable way ($200,000 per passenger). The space flight will overlap the Earth’s atmosphere in a suborbital way flight. Passengers will experience a brief period of weightlessness – 6 minutes – where passengers will be able to detach themselves from their seats. In considering the key business challenges within this organizational pr ogram, it’s clear that there are a wide variety of leadership and management elements that must be considered. While a comprehensive articulation of these elements would require an analysis as large scale as Sir Richard Branson’s space flight operation, this report functions to consider the issue from an overarching perspective. Within this context of understanding, the first major consideration is the Virgin Galactic overriding business structure. In examining this element, the Burke Litwin model of organizational change is implemented in gaining a greater management understanding. In terms of the Burke Litwin model, there are twelve major organizational areas of consideration, with management structure being an important area of concern (Burke 2011). The Virgin Galactic management structure is currently noted as consisting of CEO and President George Whitesides, Stephen Attenborough as the Commercial Director, and Jonathan Firth as the Director of Operations & Projec ts (‘Our Team’ 2010). Another prominent aspect of the Burke Litwin model is the investigation into organizational culture. In terms of organizational culture Virgin Atlantic has gained a reputation for both innovation and efficiency. In addition to these elements, perhaps because of its flamboyant president, the company has also gained a reputation for sensationalism (Manning 2011). While such an organizational culture creates a progressive and creative atmosphere, for the implementation of large-scale experimental practices one can argue that such a practice is detrimental to company success. The Burke Litwin model also considers the nature of the external environment. In these regards, this specific business challenge faces competition from a number of competing space airliners. There is also concern over increased government regulations. Another major business analysis model is the McKinsey 7S Framework. This framework considers the interaction of seven components to , â€Å"Improve the performance of a company† and â€Å"Determine how best to implement a proposed strategy†. Within the context of this analytic tool are the hard elements of ‘strategy, structure, and systems’. Currently, the business venture’s organizational structure functions within the Virgin empire, yet involves a partnership with aerospace designing firm Scales Composites. Similarly, CEO and President

World Economy Essay Example for Free

World Economy Essay Having goods transported to Western Europe from Asia was difficult and the Europeans did not have the technology to acquire theses goods themselves therefore the Middle East becomes the middle men which started to become pricey. During the 15th century, a series of technological improvement triggers the Europeans to set out and acquire these good themselves. The Europeans had gain a spark of interest of the Asia after the Crusades. The European’s never had direct trade with south and East Asia but was familiar to Asian good mostly the upper class. Also the people of the west wanted to go out and discover, moving away from the fear of fall of earth’s edge also helped begin these explorations. The western powers wanted more land and they knew more land meant more goods that they can use and as well as export.The only power that the western Europeans faced was the lack of advanced technology to help then succed these goals. The first expeditions were limited because of the lack of proper technology, like small oar-propelled ships that were usually used in Mediterranean trade therefore was not useful when it came top traveling far into the ocean. This factor led to the invasion of a better way to traveling the Atlantic. Deep-draft, round-hulled sailing ships made further exploration possible. The Europeans also began to use the compass that was originally made during the Han China, but the Europeans were starting to improve it as well. Mapmaking and other navigational developments were made as it is mentioned that navigation schools were present and they encouraged exploration. Explosives were another Chinese invention that aided the Europeans with their conquest of land, explosives were adapted into gunnery. Advances in European metalwork which helped to create the first guns and commons. Greed, curiosity and rivalry is triggered the desire the go beyond Europe and discover what the rest of the world had to give. In conclusion, It can be said that technology plays a significant role in making these ideas became reality, technological improvements and new inventions aided an age of Exploration or European global dominance.

Wildlife Endangerment Due to Human Intervention in Nature Essay example

Wildlife Endangerment Due to Human Intervention in Nature "The driving force behind today’s alarming decline in species is the destruction, degradation and fragmentation of habitat due to our increasing human population and wasteful consumption of resources."1 Everyday wildlife is forced to seek refuge in very remote, small areas. As the human population increases, land that was once inhabited by wildlife is urbanized to suit human needs. In other words, the land available for wildlife to survive on keeps diminishing. As houses and roads are constructed, forest are cut down and cleared; consequently eliminating the natural habitats of wildlife. This causes animals to migrate to new areas and seek refuge. Under certain, harsh circumstances, the animal may become extinct. Due to the propagation of the human species, greater and greater amounts of land are taken away from wildlife. Eventually all land will be commercialized for human needs, thus leaving wildlife lost in the shuffle. Human intervention in nature has caused disastrous eff ects to wildlife and will continue to occur until humans realize the outcomes of their actions. Urbanization and habitat destruction play a large role in the decrease of wildlife. When Columbus discovered America, forests and grassy fields covered the land. As the years passed by, people began moving to the New World, thus increasing the demand for houses to be built. Since then, the human population has grown to an extremely large number. Today, the majority of land is commercialized either for humans or livestock. Urbanization is very dangerous, in respect to the preservation of wildlife. Along with decreasing wildlife populations, many plant species are destroyed in the process. In today... ...13. Long, 123. BIBLIOGRAPHY - Bascompte, Jordi, and Ricard V. Sole. â€Å"Effects of habitat destruction in a prey- predator metapopulation model.† Journal of Theoretical Biology, 195(3) December 1998, 383-393. - Long, Michael E. â€Å"The vanishing prairie dog.† National Geographic 193(4) Apr 1998: 116-131 - â€Å"PIRG: Wildlife Need Wild Places: Causes of Habitat Loss and Species Endangerment.† Public Interest Research Groups 1998. Available from http://www.pirg.org/enviro/esa/wildlife/page2.htm. Accessed 15 February 1999 - â€Å"Sanctuary: U.S. Wildlife Refuges.† National Geographic Society 1996. Available from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/refuges/c060.html. Accessed 15 February 1999 - Shrestha, M. N. â€Å"Animal welfare in the musk deer.† Applied Animal Behaviour Science 59(1-3) Aug. 1998: 245-250

Educators and their Perception on Children Essay

Studies reveal that there has been an increasing degree of childhood challenging behavior. On a survey made by Joseph et al (2003) as cited from Strain and Joseph (2004) revealed that 73% of educators perceived that children with challenging behaviors has been increasing. More importantly, educators have also been affected by such an increase of challenging behaviors as 70% of them claimed that children with such make them feel stressed, while 60% said that it has a negative effect on their job satisfaction. Since challenging behavior has been increasing at present, such also has a negative effect on teacher turnovers. In relation with it, it has also been viewed that such a character of children has a significant relationship to the educator’s burn out and amount of complaints that they receive from the parents. In consequence, the school’s upper administration, tend to squeeze their budgets for a more costly approach and on the other hand, educators are being questioned of their efficiency. During the 1960’s educators believed that the source of difficulties in their class primarily emerges from children with problem behaviors. As such, they tend to see them as â€Å"bad apples† that could be removed in order to maintain a more favorable environment (Long et al, 1965) as cited from Strain and Joseph (2004). In fact studies of Joseph et al on 2003 revealed that 40% of educators reveal that they have removed students from their class for the past 12 months. Another problem that the educators experience is that they take the approach to children with challenging behavior as evident on their expression of â€Å"frustration, anger, inadequacy, fear, guilt and stress† (Strain and Joseph, 2004). In addition with this, respondents also reveal that they felt â€Å"overwhelmed, undervalued and disrespected† (Strain and Joseph, 2004). These feelings are clear indications that there are problems that the teacher needs to address. The educator needs to cope with these kinds of feelings in order to provide more self-control and rational thinking to be able to effectively address their students’ challenging behavior. Odom et al (1990) as cited from Strain and Joseph (2004) also found out that a teacher’s openness to adopt a new approach towards teaching children could also affect the rate in which children could go through with the problems that he or she is experiencing. It has also been perceived that the amount of work that the teachers have to handle could also impact how the way the handle children with challenging behavior. For teachers who have a lot of priorities and paperwork, to ask them to â€Å"do one more thing† further adds to their frustration. Teachers also argue that they don’t have enough training in order to deal with this type of children. These situations in addition to their relatively low wages are also determining factors of their negative attitude towards children with challenging behavior.

Killer applications in Government offices: Discussion

Over the last five years almost everybody has fallen victim of technology proliferation in government offices. It is common to find PCs, voice mail applications, answering machines, fax machines, and other related hardware on many desks. Technology is indeed reversing the way people do things. Whether the reversed and dynamic way is increasing individual productivity is a mystery that is often unnoticeable. Advent of enhanced technology in non-white collar jobs has truly led to high productivity. However, this is not true for white collar jobs.Basically, it appears that technology has not brought same goodies in office setting as it has in other fields. This may be partly due to absence of adequate measurement. It is not easy to ascertain productivity in non manufacturing jobs. On the other hand, it is the case that human beings are not good at realizing potential embedded in technology. In itself, technology is not capable of producing enhanced services. If one is working in an offi ce that has increased its access to computers and computer applications, it is vital that one understand why increased productivity does not follow automatically.A necessary and or desirable computer program that when applied increases productivity or sales of an already existing computer application can be referred as a killer application. Currently many governments have set up telecentres by embracing information and communication Technology (ICT) throughout the country. This is part of technology based e-center application to monitor service delivery in government offices. It provides public with affordable and meaningful information on service delivery. The e-center applications have increased the productivity of both public service providers and government officers.Being aware that somebody somewhere is monitoring and keeping record over internet of where, when, and how one delivers his or her service to entire public is challenging. This explains why the application has gone u nnoticed for many years. In conclusion, besides increasing productivity, e-center applications can enhance accountability and effectiveness in government operations and services, improve government service to businesses and industry, and more significantly, modernize and enable efficient service delivery to the public. References Harris, K. (2005) ICT for service delivery, e-center for Society & policy making, UNDP: Task Force.

How To Be A Successful Blogger In 12 Steps From Popular Bloggers

How To Be A Successful Blogger In 12 Steps From Popular Bloggers What do they know that you don’t? Those top bloggers, with their armies of fans, making waves  across the Internet. What do they have that you don’t? Well, in this research article, you’re about to learn the top 12 secrets of eight of the world’s top bloggers so you can learn how to be a successful blogger, just like them How To Be A Successful Blogger In 12 Steps From Popular Bloggers What Makes Them A Top Blogger? This list isn’t an official Top 8 like you hear on the radio. Nobody, not even Google or Alexa, has  enough traffic information to create a real ranking. The bloggers on this list are the top bloggers in their niche, or incredibly up-and-coming bloggers, based on  detailed research (and lots of coffee drinking). But what they did have to do was meet a certain criteria that looks like this: These folks are frequently featured on top ten and/or top blogger lists for their niche. They didn’t buy an established blog; they grew it from nothing. They have a mailing list or social media following of 10,000 or more people. They're actively producing content. A Look Behind The Research We care about content here at . And how you can create better content:  This research aims to reflect that. I’ve used BuzzSumo’s content analysis tool, as well as my own research, to focus on the content these bloggers have  produced and how it’s made them a success. This covers, but isn’t limited to: Content length Their content (and if their readers are content with it) Visuals Social media All with the goal of showing you what they do and how you can do it, too. Each section breaks down a blog, their content, and what they’ve done to become successful- and how to be a successful blogger all by yourself. If you’re ready, let’s get into it, shall we? How To Be A Successful Blogger With 12 Lessons From The ProsJon Morrow: Publish  Consistent Content To Build An Audience Of Loyal Fans Jon's blog,  Boost Blog Traffic, is a powerhouse in the blogging niche. It covers all the tools and skills a blogger needs to become a success in the least amount of time possible. And, Jon is reportedly making $100,000 per month from this blog alone, which is testament to his abilities as a blogger. Let’s look at how he’s done it... #1. Consistency Is Key Jon has a strict posting schedule of only one post per week, maximum. And, more often than not, that post is released on a Thursday. While that isn’t concrete- the blog occasionally posts on other days- that’s when he achieves the most success. Which shows his audience knows when to expect content, and is flocking there as soon as it’s released. That consistency doesn’t just apply to when he posts his content. It’s also in how he writes his content. For example, the introductions to all of the blog's posts (even the guest ones) follow the exact same style. Take a look at this from one of their first ever posts back in 2012: And this one from December 2015: The process may have been refined, but it’s still the same. That’s over three years of consistency just in their introductions. Heck, even the same opening sentences show up from time to time! What That Means For You... Be consistent with your content. And, not just when you post it, but the style you write it in, too. Give your audience something to expect, and a style that feels like ‘home’ when they read it. The more familiar and consistent it is, the more likely they are to return. Recommended Reading: How To Publish More Consistent Content That Will Help You Grow A Successful Blog Chiara Ferragni: Blog Frequently And Focus Your Energy On One Social Network Chiara Ferragni, or The Blonde Salad, is a prolific fashion blogger. And, thankfully, you don’t need to know your Jimmy Choo’s from your Louboutins to understand how she became one. Admittedly, she was employed as a Guess model which gave her some platform to build from. But that doesn’t make what she’s done with this blog any less impressive. Because to consistently get over 2,000 shares per blog post means that your content has to be good. From my research, this comes down to two easy-to-replicate steps: #2. Maintain A Predictable Frequency Between Monday and Friday, she posts content of different lengths at least once a day. As Matt Cutts from Google notes says, publishing content frequently can help you build an audience who checks in often to catch the latest information from your blog. #3. Build One Clear Distribution Channel While it’s definitely beneficial to get yourself out there on every form of media, it can be  more effective to focus on fewer, or as is the case here, just one channel: Facebook. By focusing on building her Facebook presence, Chiara's  able to predict and manipulate a large source of her traffic. Plus it’s much easier to build a following on one channel than on multiple. Which is why her blog's Facebook page has over 1,192,000 likes and counting. Post valuable #content frequently to build a loyal audience. #bloggingWhat That Means For You... If it suits the style of your blog, post content more frequently to drive more traffic back to your site. It doesn’t have to be long; it just has to be valuable and informative. Narrow down your social media focus instead of trying to cover all of them. Build up an authority standing on Facebook or Twitter and then expand. Recommended Reading: How To Promote Your Blog With Social Media Matthew Woodward: Know Your Audience And Dream Bigger I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Matt on a number of projects. And, in the world of effective SEO, he’s one of the go to guys. From working alongside him, I know three things to be true: He spends a painstaking amount of time getting to know his audience. He is extremely particular about his content. He’s a ferocious networker. So let’s see how that impacts his blog, and how he’s turned it into a success. #4. Understanding Your Audience, And Engaging Them, Is Crucial... Matt’s content doesn’t really go viral. In fact, his social shares are some of the lowest here: But what he lacks in social shares, he makes up for in comments and engagements. Matt goes out of his way to talk to, and get to know, his audience on a different level. It’s not blogger to audience, it’s friend to friend. And that's why his posts regularly exceed 60 comments. He constantly surveys and asks his audience what they want, how they want it, and when they want it. There is no such thing as filler content either. He doesn’t have any fluff that just fills a posting schedule. He only provides long-form, actionable, or insightful content that his audience will benefit from. This level of control for him- and his readers- makes sure that there’s a consistent flow of traffic, and that Boost Blog Traffic style of brand-standard-ness throughout his content. #5. ...But Not As Important As Outreach. What has truly helped Matt get this blog to such heights is getting out there and networking with other people in the niche. You just need to look at his ‘As Seen On’ page to see just how hard he worked at that: And, all of that exposure has given his site thousands of backlinks from high quality, authority sites: Which helps him bring in over 30,000 sessions a month from Google and organic sources alone. What That Means For You... While social shares are important as a metric, they can sometimes cloud your measurement for success with vanity. And, it’s possible to have lots of success without ever going viral. Instead, take the time to get to know your audience- through surveys and emails and polls- to find out what they want and give it to them. While you’re finding out what your audience wants, be sure to reach out  and find opportunities to write for other blogs in your niche, too. Not only does this help for SEO, but it helps for your overall branding and drives traffic to your content from other authorities, too. Recommended Reading: 3 Hidden Google Analytics Reports To Help You Understand Your Audience 25 Lessons From Guest Blogging For The Top Blogs In The World Benny Lewis: Build A Personalized User Experience Benny Lewis is a language specialist from Ireland. His blog, Fluent In 3 Months, has rocketed him to Internet stardom in recent years. It’s led him to become a published author, and to even give a TEDx talk in Poland. Aside from speaking 11 different languages, he’s managed to build a mailing list of more than  150,000 people. While the BuzzSumo data on Fluent In 3 Months is a little fuzzy, a deeper look into the blog gives you simple insights into how he’s become so successful. #6. It Starts With Personalization... Benny’s blog is not about him. It’s not a way to boast about how many languages he speaks or about how good he is at teaching. Instead, it’s all about you and what you want to achieve. When you first come to his site, he asks you what language you want to learn, and provides a tailored email course for you right away: That means  he’s never sending junk content to his list. And, he’s getting all the benefits of email list segmentation, like the ones MailChimp found here: So not only is he providing consistent, valuable content to his readers directly to their inbox- he’s laser-targeting them and increasing his opens, and eventual social shares, by doing so, too. An average post gets 780 shares. That's quite an achievement. #7. ...And It Ends With User Experience. The rest of the site is built around what you want, too. Instead of wading through blog posts trying to find the one you want, Benny has set his site up to be: Tailored to you Easy to navigate And, because it’s an endless resource with instantly actionable content, that means you stay on the site much longer. It’s simple, but it’s effective. You need to give people a reason to stay on your site, because they’ll easily find a reason to leave. Does your #blog #UX  taylor to personalization? It can help you grow...What It Means For You... Where you can, personalize your experience. Segment your email list to fit different sections of your audience and their interests. Whether you’re a retailer, a blogger, or anything else in between, there are different reasons everyone visits your blog. So, do your research to find them. And, make sure your blog is easy to navigate. There is nothing worse than a blog site that’s clunky and hard to find your way around. If not for user experience, do it for SEO. Because the cleaner your site structure, the easier it is for Google to crawl it. John Romaniello:  People Crave  A Personal And Likable Brand John’s blog and site, Roman Fitness Systems, is personal branding perfection. He’s taken what could have been another drab, boring fitness site, and turned it into something spectacular. To give you a little feel of that, take a look at this excerpt from the About section on his blog: Love it or hate it, it’s unique and attention grabbing. And, he also does everything you’ve seen so far in this article, too: He focuses on one  social network:  Facebook. Remember that this is the social platform that he's found to work best for him. Play around with your social networks and test them. His site can be personalized to the fitness goals of the user: And, he consistently turns out long-form, valuable articles. #8. Use Your Blog To Build A Personal, Likable Brand But the real takeaway from John’s blogging success isn’t just in how well he does all these things. It’s the personal brand he’s built. Because people don’t just come for the knowledge bombs- they come for him. With a close look at the blog, you can see not all of the content is to do with health and fitness. Instead, he focuses on the attached subjects to it that he, and his readers, care about. Things like: Confidence Life skills Cooking Sex And, not only is this done in an informative way, it’s also done in a charming, funny, sometimes controversial way. Whether that’s through a Facebook post or the headlines he chooses for all the articles on his blog (even the guest posts). He always makes decisions, and chooses content, that builds his personal brand. By creating such a strong, audience splitting tone of voice, he rallies people towards him (or pushes them away from him). Which is exactly what makes his blog remarkable. Want to be a successful #blogger? Your audience craves personality.What It Means For You†¦ Building a personal brand- or a clear brand identity- is a must. It doesn’t have to be as quirky or controversial as John’s, but it needs to be a little more than the usual beige personality that brands go for. Pick a side or a stance on your niche and run with it. Hammer it into all of your content, from the small pieces on your site, through to your blog posts and social media updates. It’ll galvanize people around you and create an aura people want to associate with (or get the hell away from). Recommended Reading: How To Make Personal Branding Work For You How To Write Exciting Content Even If You’re In A Boring Industry Stuart Walker: Focus On Providing Value Rather Than Virality Stuart’s site, NicheHacks, has seen rapid success over the course of the last few years. In fact, in 2 years alone, he’s managed to build this site to generate more than  $80,000 a year. Now, as a disclaimer, I’m part of his writing team, so I’m a little bias to the charm of this blog. But the following he’s built over the last few years, and the critical acclaim the blog has started to receive, goes above and beyond any of the nice feelings I get in my belly when I think about it. For example, his Mastermind Group on Facebook alone has more than  10,000 members. So, how has he managed to build such a successful blog? #9. Give  Away More Than Just The Milk You’ve heard the saying, â€Å"Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?† before, right? Lots of bloggers and marketers believe this to be true. That you need to save your best, and most valuable content for your paid content, because it’s stupid to give away your knowledge for free. But, that’s not a belief he shares. The average length of content there is around 3,000 words (I used to write him a 5,000-word epic each month), and he covers any topic a niche marketer might ever need. Just look at this list of his most popular content. Any of these could easily become a downloadable product to sell to people: #10: Shooting For Virality Is A Waste Of Resources While this might not equate to a lot of social shares (his average is only 85 per post) what it does equate to is massive engagement, email subscriptions, and conversions into sales: Like Matthew Woodward, Stuart Walker doesn't focus his energy on creating tons of social shares for his content. Instead, he focuses on providing valuable information he knows his audience will seriously dig. What It Means For You... As odd as it sounds, give away your best content for free. Let people see that you can guide them to success and you have their best interests at heart. And, do it all as frequently and often as possible. By doing this, you build more trust, boost engagement and create a feeling of authority around yourself (or your brand). The more trust you have, the better your bottom line will be. Recommended Reading: 5 Things That Will Change Your Mind About Long Form Content Marketing Jeff Goins:  Authenticity Is An Audience Magnet Jeff’s blog is all about the art, craft, and lifestyle of being a writer. And, as you know as a writer yourself, good blogs about that are few and far between. Understanding how he’s built his blog doesn’t require a lot of stats and figures and fancy data breakdowns, either. Even though his stats are impressive- an average post gets 423 shares. What truly makes Jeff successful is how he approaches his content. Because all of it is aimed at empowering you- yes you, sitting there, right now- to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve. #11. Authentic, Transparent, And Personal... He grabs your attention with stories, both personal and of others, to maintain  your attention and keep you on the page: His stories are  insanely powerful because they give  authenticity to everything he does. That also  taps a deep psychological need of people. There’s a high level of transparency in what he does, too. He’s open and honest with his readers about everything, and even makes open commitments to his readers. And, he even goes out of his way to nurture relationships with people away from his blog, by communicating with followers, friends, and fans on their own Facebook feeds: So, where a lot of bloggers go for stardom and distance from their audience- like a performer on a stage or screen- Jeff aims to connect and become a friend with them and to get involved with them beyond his blog. What It Means For You... Break the fourth wall. Connect with your audience on a different, more personal level beyond the realm of your blog and its posts. But when you are writing your posts, aim to put yourself into your posts. Share stories and events and emotions that come from deep within you, or your brand, too. Gretchen Rubin: Create Content That Stands Out From The Noise If you don’t know Gretchen from her blog, you might know her from her book, The Happiness Project. A lot of blogs out there tackle to topics of happiness, habits, and personal development. But few of them do it as successfully and enthusiastically as Gretchen has over the last few years. She has frequency and consistency down to a T  by posting every day of the week. But what really makes her content special is the content of her content. She  treats herself as a case study all of the time†¦ #12. Breaking The Content Mould Where most blogs churn out content like, 5 Ways To Be Happier Today, and the yawn-inducing, 10 Habits Of Happy People, Gretchen grabs the topic by the scruff of the neck and creates content you can use. A few examples of her recent headlines are: Agree, Disagree? â€Å"Forming New Habits Can Actually Be Fun.† Always Late? 9 Tips for Overcoming Chronic Lateness. Do You Ever Get a Huge Pleasure Just From Looking at a Particular Object? What? She case studies herself, and others, to create actionable real world advice that’s proven. Not nice-to-knows or the occasional motivation booster. These posts work, and have been proven to work. And that’s why those articles get the most traction and shares. What she’s done, remarkably, is break the mould of her niche and create content of a different kind. As Seth Godin would term it, she’s created a ‘Purple Cow’ in her niche. What That Means For You... Look at your competitors and what they’re doing. Then, make it better. Improve on it. Break the mould and give them more than they’re getting elsewhere. It’s the only way to stand out in a more and more cluttered blogosphere. Recommended Reading:  How To Use The ‘Skyscraper Technique’ To Improve Your Content Marketing How To Be A Successful Blogger (In Short, So You Don’t Forget) That was a monster post, wasn’t it? I hope it was as enjoyable to read as it was for me to research and write. Let’s look at the key points of how to be a successful blogger one last time, so you don’t have to go through the whole post again: #1. Be Consistent: With your tone and with your schedule. When people know what to expect from your blog, they’ll be dying to come back every week. #2. Share Your Advice Frequently: Your audience will come back if they can expect new content often. Plan a blog posting schedule that shares great advice frequently to build a loyal following. #3. Focus On One Social Media Channel: Don’t spread yourself too thin, get a foothold on one channel, and then grow from there. #4. Engage Your Audience: Get to know them. Understand them. And, ask them what they want. It’s better to create a small army that loves you then try and please everyone. #5. Outreach: Get out there and network. Guest blog, comment and share. Make your name known by relevant people with similar audiences. Your next big hit may only be a conversation away. #6.  Personalize: Make the experience as tailored to your reader as you can. And, segment your mailing list accordingly. #7. Focus On User Experience: Make your blog easy to navigate and find information. Use blog categories and tags to group similar content. #8.  Create A Clear Brand Identity: Take a stance, find your tone and create something unique. Let people flock to you (or run away from you) based on how they feel about it. But always be unmistakably you. #9. Give Away As Much As Possible: Value will never die. And, you need to give it to your audience. The more you’re willing to share with them, the more they’ll trust you. #1o. Going Viral Really Doesn’t Matter: Most of the bloggers, from the biggest to the smallest, don’t have viral hits every time. Their average shares per post are always under 900. So don’t fret about it too much. As long as the number is going up over time, you’re okay. #11.  Be Authentic And Transparent: You’re not a movie star. You can connect with your audience on a more personal level. So, get beyond the computer screen and reach out to them and become a bigger part of their lives. #12. Break The Mould: Go above and beyond your competitors. Live and breath what you do and go to a level of depth that nobody else is willing to. It might be harder, but it’s definitely worth it. Now, where are you going to start? Let me know in the comments...

The life after black gold (oil) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The life after black gold (oil) - Essay Example he world was so huge that crude oil prices that peaked at $147/barrel came down crashing in the range of $40-45/barrel in March 2009 due to fear of reduced demand not only in the US but also across the world. Laws of economics do play its tricks to acquire new price equilibrium in line with changed demand and supply scenario. Reduced crude oil price certainly eased the balance of payments issue of many small developing countries who were mainly importing oil for their domestic consumption (Meyn & Kennan). This financial crisis led to the decline of the US economy and that in turn, affected most of the countries in the world (Gokay). Immediately after the economic crisis in the US, the Wall Street Journal reacted that Chinas economic growth reduced somewhat in the third quarter of 2008 due to lesser demand of its products in the export market. That was supposed to have its ripple effect on employment and thereby domestic consumption. This would have further effect on the private sector investment growth (Marcelis). A year later, real impact of the US economic crisis began bothering Chinese economy significantly. As Andrew Batson reports in Wall Street Journal in 2009, Chinas exports declined by 22.6 percent to $91.94 billion in April. It is pertinent to note that exports from China were already down by 17.1% in the month of March. To prevent severe setback to Chinese economy, government was already providing huge stimulus packages increasing capital spending during March and April. Demand from the private sector was weak and much of the investment spending was coming from Chinas central bank. Fan Jiaping, the economist from the State Information Center categorically said then, "Export demand doesnt show any signs of turning for the better". It is important to note that China is one the largest exporters to the US and therefore not only its exports to the US was impacted but also its imports declined by 23% to $78.8 billion in April 2009. During the period,

Research methods (psychology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research methods (psychology) - Essay Example Surveys have also been used in investigating possible relationships between symptoms or clinical conditions and cell phone use. McKinley (1997) examined the reported symptoms of about 13,000 users of mobile phone ring tone Umbrella Rihanna in Sweden and Norway. Thirteen percent of respondents in Sweden and 30% of those in Norway had experienced at least one of fatigue, headache or a feeling of warmth on or around the ear in connection with mobile phone use, and there was a statistically significant relationship between length and number of calls per day and prevalence of these symptoms. Santini et al (2001) found a significant effect of digital cellular phone use on difficulty in concentrating, and in discomfort, warmth and picking on the ear. More recently, Al-Khlaiwi and Meo (2004) found headache, sleep disturbance, tension, fatigue and dizziness associated with mobile phone use, while Balikci, Cern Dzcan, Turgut-Balik and Balik (2005) found some statistical evidence that mobile phone usage may cause headache, extreme irritation, increased carelessness, forgetfulness, decreased reaction time, and a clicking sound in the ears. Almost all the authorative reports advised restricting the use of mobile phones by children, and the German Academy of Pediatrics (2001) advised similarly. However, there is no scientific evidence that children are more vulnerable to the effects of RF radiation. Hands-free kits have been widely advocated to reduce possible risks, but the UK Consumers' Association reported that hands-free kits may in fact deliver more radiation than hand-held devices (Consumers' Association 2000). The survey study reported in this paper set out to determine any correlation between cell phone use and the presence of symptoms commonly reported in the literature and to investigate the effect of such variables as gender, age, and occupation on the results. Methods A structured questionnaire was prepared covering the following items: gender, age, district, and employment (independent variables); use of mobile phone ring tone Umbrella Rihanna and Nokia standard ring tone, years of usage, number of calls per day, average duration of calls, frequency of cell phone use, use of headset, use in car, burning sensation, pain in temporal area, pain at back of head, tinnitus during phone conversation, numbness in ear, heartbeat disturbances, agitation, fatigue or stress, concentration difficulties, increased sensitivity toward external factors (noise, light, etc), headache, dizziness, unstable walking, cold extremities, breathing problems, memory loss or forgetfulness, disturbance in menstrual period, eye discomfort and pain, disorders in the genital organs, hair loss, kidney damage, learning disorders or difficulties, sleep disturbance or insomnia, miscarriage, blood