Thursday, May 31, 2012
Spott Pest Prevention ? Easy Way of Eliminating Rodents
India Will Be World's Largest Beef Exporter in 2012
It certainly seems surprising at first, that a nation widely knowing for revering the cow would be a beef exporter at all. It all comes down to what you call beef.
Eurozone meltdown could see London property prices halve
Jobs recovery suffers setback in March
Romney Web Ad Focuses on His Strong Stand with Ann through her Battle with Multiple Sclerosis: ?Soul Mate? ? Video 5/30/12
Meet CMU?s Snake Robot, Your New Surgeon
KDKA AM's Larry and John talk to CMU robotics professor Howie Choset about how his snake robots are revolutionizing medicine- and everything else.
Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane to land
After more than a year in space, the U.S. Air Force's secretive robotic space plane, the X-37B, is coming down soon.That's the word May 30 from officials at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the site where the reusable miniature space shuttle will land in the next few weeks.
Official: Vencer Sarthe joins the ranks of supercar upstarts
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, MISC
How can the market support so many generic, derivative supercars? It's a simple matter of having the financial wherewithal and the motivation. And it seems like everyone and their cousin wants to start their own supercar company these days.
The latest comes out of the Netherlands from an upstart called Vencer. The Sarthe is its first (and let's face it, it could very well be its last) product. Named after the French countryside circuit where the 24 Hours of Le Mans is contested, the Sarthe follows a familiar formula: a steel tube frame with a V8 engine plonked in the middle and draped in carbon fiber bodywork.
The shape is rather derivative, looking something like a Noble with the front end of a McLaren F1. The stated output of 500 horsepower is said to be enough to propel the 3,065-lb package to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds and on to a 202-mph top speed.
Of course, details on production and availability have yet to surface as it appears the first example has yet to be produced, but you can scope it out in the gallery of high-resolution renderings to get an idea of what the Dutch are up to this time.
Vencer Sarthe joins the ranks of supercar upstarts originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 May 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsMay 29: Al Unser was born on this date in 1939
?Fox & Friends? Video Compiles Four Years of Obama?s ?Hope and Change? vs. Reality ? Video 5/30/12
Family days out: Life Science Centre, Newcastle
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Does YouTube Need to be Saved?
YouTube is currently in the process of making its analytic data more accurate and better representative of viewing habits. How? By way of removing inactive and closed accounts from its subscription numbers and tweaking its recommended video algorithm to favor engagement over clicks. A lot of YouTubers are concerned (to put it lightly) about these changes. Why? Because a number of them have experienced a dip in both subscriber numbers and video views as a result. Some also claim YouTube has purged active users from their subscriber bases in addition to the inactive ones. And because of all that, there?s an online video and social media movement to #SaveYouTube, which calls for more transparency from the powers that be that create the algorithms that power the world?s largest video sharing site, in addition to pleading with those powers that be fix various design issues and help out the little guys on the site who aren?t part of the $100 million Originals Initiative. The Importance of Accuracy in Numbers Trusted and transparent information is good for everyone in the online video industry. Like I wrote back at the beginning of 2012 when YouTube first began to scrub itself of defunct accounts, one of the many benefits of online video is (in theory) it?s very easily quantifiable. Nielsen?s imperfect measurement of television viewership has been considered gospel by advertising executives on Madison Avenue for the past six decades, but YouTube and other companies that make their money in the online video industry hope those advertising executives will start to put more of their faith (and dollars) in the science of hard data. The precise targeting capabilities of online video (and the ability to accurately measure the results of those targeting capabilities) are a huge part of the industry?s pitch to potential advertisers, as evidenced by the following quote pulled from Chris Hardwick?s presentation at the recent YouTube Brandcast. Would you rather drop some cheese out of an airplane and hope a few people find it, or would you rather go to CheeseCon in Kenosha, Wisconsin with thousands of really focused cheese fans and fire delicious cheese directly into their gaping cheeseholes? It?s a good argument! But in order to give that argument more credence, online video metrics across the board must be as accurate and representative of online video consumption as possible. Which brings us back to YouTube?s recent changes
12 month loans: Loans that help you to stand tall
California's Smog Problem Putting Giant Sequoia Redwoods At Risk
Pollution from the Central Valley has turned the air quality in this national forest sour, and the iconic trees are showing evidence of the problem.
Pay Day Cash Loans ? Why Are They So Popular?
Get website visitors to a web site by way of pictures !
Oops, I Ruined the Facebook IPO!
Posted by larry.kim
This post was originally in YouMoz, and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of SEOmoz, Inc.
Last week’s Facebook IPO may go down in financial infamy as being the biggest and most high profile IPO flop of the century – and this Internet Marketer's content marketing efforts may have inadvertently triggered the epic Facebook IPO meltdown. Sounds ridiculous and completely preposterous, right? Read to the end of the story and decide for yourself!
Our Big Idea
Earlier this month, my colleagues at WordStream and I were planning our monthly content marketing effort. Like most other companies, we do a lot of content marketing on our blog, but we also make a point to publish at least one high-level story that might appeal to people who aren’t expert search marketers. The goals of these efforts are to raise the general public awareness of our company, and also drive valuable editorial links to our site.
This month, with all the intense media focus on the Facebook IPO, our big idea was to develop a study comparing the effectiveness of Facebook Advertising vs. The Google Display Network. For those of you who don’t already know, The Google Display Network is the banner advertising component of Google’s business – it consists of banner ads on Google sites like YouTube, Blogger, Gmail (etc.) as well as over two million other popular websites (it’s roughly 25% of Google’s total business). Our research compared the two biggest banner advertising venues on the Internet based on criteria such as advertising reach, supported ad formats & ad targeting options, advertising performance, etc.
Our study concluded (for now at least) that, that the Google Display Network offered advertisers greater value in the areas that we tested, which came as a surprise to many investors who aren’t familiar with the two advertising platforms. To help people visualize our study results, we partnered with Brian Wallace at NowSourcing, who turned our research into an Infographic. (Click to Enlarge)
Launching our Facebook Advertising Study
We timed the launch of our Infographic for Tuesday May 15 at 9AM EST, just three days before the Facebook IPO. We wrote a simple press release and a blog post, and then reached out to some of our friends in the industry to help get the word out. Early on, Rand helped us out big time by posting our article to inbound.org (thanks rand!)
And we got a few press pick-ups from Jim Edwards at Business Insider, and John Letzing at the Wall Street Journal, and Laurie Sullivan at MediaPost, by lunchtime, we were thrilled with all the progress – we had nearly a dozen major news pick-ups! Little did we know, that we were sitting on a story that was about to explode.
Our Study Goes Viral
As if to validate our research, a mere six hours after we launched our study, the Wall Street Journal announced that GM was dumping all advertising on Facebook, and our newly minted research – seen as a possible explanation for GM’s move – got picked up by Mashable, ABC, CBS, Fox Business, PC Mag, PC World, the Washington Post, USA Today, AFP, CNN, The Register, Fast Company, The Economist, Forbes, etc., etc. Here’s what it looked like on Google News:
In a matter of just hours, our Facebook Advertising study got picked up in thousands of the world’s leading news publications!
Our Study Goes International
Our study got picked up by all of world’s largest news networks, such as Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the Associated Press (AP), and USA Today. Content from these news networks are translated into dozens of languages in over 150 countries – so for example, our study was being picked up in even small-town newspapers like my college newspaper: the Kitchener-Waterloo Record in Canada, as well as newspapers in New Zealand, Indonesia, Turkey, and many other countries I had never even heard of!
We Got on Cable TV and Radio, Too!
Within hours of publishing our study, we started getting phone calls from producers of major cable TV channels, asking us to appear on Fox Business well as national and Radio Stations such as The Takeaway, the BBC and NPR. Here’s a picture of Ralph Folz, WordStream CEO, on Fox Business last week!
5 Quick Tips to Help Make Your Content go Viral
I definitely have had my share of content creation efforts that went absolutely nowhere. Each effort is a learning experience, and so I’d like to share the five key ideas that I learned this time around!
1. Pinterest is Very Effective for Infographic Marketing
When you content goes viral, expect to get a large chunk of traffic from social media outlets. Our top referring social sites were (in order): Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn. I was quite surprised to see Pinterest beating out Google+ and LinkedIn. In fact, Pinterest was our 12th largest traffic referring site to our study. So if you ever do an Infographic make sure you add that Pinterest button! (If you need to make space, dump the Delicious bookmark button – that was nearly useless)
2. Twitter is still very effective, too.
This isn’t to say that the other social networks are any less important. In fact, Twitter is effective as it always has been. For example, we got this mention in the Guardian just by reaching out to an author via Twitter!
3. Stay Out Front.
The news cycle is fast – it’s important to adapt your story to the prevailing narrative, by anticipating different angles for your news. When we first launched our study, our press release headline read: New Research Compares Facebook Advertising to Google Display Network: Who Comes Out on Top? It was OK, but not viral.
But when the GM news broke, we re-released a similar press release with a slightly different angle: Does Facebook Advertising Work? This was because we found that the press was now looking to find reasons for why GM dumped Facebook. This new angle was much more effective than our original angle.
And we didn’t stop there. I wrote follow-up stories, such as: Why I Bought Facebook IPO Shares Today and Why I Dumped My Facebook IPO Shares at the Open Today, to keep this thing going.
4. Don’t Miss The Window.
I did an interview with The Independent at 4AM EST on Wednesday morning. Why? Because if you’re a reporter in London, that’s when you typically arrive in the office. The attention of the news media cycle an incredible force that is both incredibly powerful and incredibly short. If you happen to catch a lucky break as we did, be prepared to do whatever it takes to make the most of it in the short amount of time you’re in the media spotlight.
5. Don’t forget to include the “so what” factor in your story.
I have found that my most successful content marketing efforts are the ones that contain an unexpected result – something unusual or contrary to conventional wisdom. I call this the so what factor. As in: so what, why should anyone care about this story? Our research basically concluded that (for now at least) Facebook Advertising options aren’t that effective, and that was a pretty profound conclusion given that Facebook is essentially an advertising company (86% of revenues last year came from advertising last year), and given all the IPO hype and that exuberant +$110B IPO valuation.
Summary: Did My Study Really Burst the Facebook IPO bubble?
No. I don’t actually think I ruined the Facebook IPO (apologies for the sensational headline, guys!). The Facebook IPO will go down in history as one of the worst IPO for retail investors. Why did the Facebook IPO crash and burn? It’s because there were more sellers than buyers at that price level.
If you’re looking for someone to blame for the loss of around $20 Billion in Facebook market capitalization as of today, blame the greedy bankers and Facebook management for setting such a high IPO price, or the Facebook for not yet developing compelling advertising options, or possibly GM for the unusual timing of their announcement.
But here’s what I can say about the impact my Facebook advertising study.
- In the days leading up to the Facebook IPO, there was a lot of fanfare, yet by the end of the week, there wasn’t any news report that didn’t at least in some way question the value of the Facebook Advertising Platform. Our study had helped change the media narrative. (As an example of this, watch the Fox Business news clip below.)
- We simply exposed (in an easy-to-understand way) some rather large flaws in the current Facebook advertising platform – something that might have been somewhat obvious to marketers but not necessarily obvious to Facebook investors.
- All in, we estimate that over 10 million people around the world read or heard about our study. It was so many people that our Apache Web server even crashed once (it’s never done that before!).
What do you think of our most recent content marketing effort? Any additional tips to share? Do you advertise on Facebook? What have your experiences? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About The Author
Larry Kim is the Founder/CTO of WordStream, a PPC software company, provider of the AdWords Grader and the 20 Minute PPC Work Week.
Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!
Nelly Furtado Says 'Big Hoops' Inspired By Odd Future's 'Rawness'
'I was inspired by how dark it sounded and how heavy and visceral,' Furtado tells MTV News about rap collective.
By Jocelyn Vena
Nelly Furtado
Photo: MTV News
Nelly Furtado proclaims her allegiance to a major fashion accessory — hoop earrings — on her feel-good track "Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)." While she was influenced by her mall-rat youth when she sat down to make the track with producer Rodney Jerkins, it was also the antic-loving rap outfit Odd Future who sonically creeped inside her and totally shaped the record's sound.
" 'Big Hoops' is a special tune for me for a few different reasons," Furtado told MTV News when she stopped by our office Tuesday to discuss the thumping anthem about loving your jewelry and, more importantly, yourself.
"The state of mind I was in, I was actually listening to a lot of different music a few weeks before," she continued. "I think I was listening to Odd Future or something, and I was inspired by how dark it sounded and how heavy and visceral and how it made your blood feel things. And I just thought, 'Wow — that's really missing in music. We're missing that rawness, that energy and that power.' "
When Furtado decided to embrace her own power, she crafted a tune that expresses who she is when she is onstage — full of bravado and holding her "sword," her microphone. "Hoops" also pays homage to the girl she was as a teen growing up in Canada, hoping to become pop star she is today.
"I think music can tap into a lot of powerful emotions, and I think in the studio on 'Big Hoops' I tapped into a really powerful memory of being 14 years old, completely in love with hip-hop and R&B along with all my friends, and putting on my sister's big hoop earrings and heading down to the mall to hang out with my backpack and jeans," Furtado recalled.
She also shared that, in addition to working on her looks back then, she was also "writing rhymes and hanging out and freestyling on the corner and feeling famous already, even though I clearly wasn't at 14."
Despite not yet having fame and fortune, she explained, there was an emotion she felt then that she still feels now: "But I felt [famous], and I think when you're that age, you have your inner gumption already," she said. "So 'Big Hoops' taps into that power."
"Hoops" is the lead single off her upcoming album, The Spirit Indestructible, out in September. It's her first English-language album since the chart-topping Loose, which she released in 2006. She dropped a Spanish-language album, Mi Plan, in 2009.
High Quality Sapphire Rings On Sale
Spott Pest Prevention ? Easy Way of Eliminating Rodents
Awe-inspiring designs of wedding bands
Postmedia makes changes to Sunday newspapers, paywall access
However Most of the landscaping ideas front yard
Any new or old couple that receives a comforter made from goose down is bound to love it. will need to have a duvet,small front yard landscaping,Let's move out from the domination of blemished credit and create a life of happiness.What will it take to get this mind set out of our physic? Traditionally, then it is safe to wash the silk duvet with water. and antibiotic cream kept in most elementary first aid kits. Goggles, To operate hot tubs, it is important to know how much you will have to spend each month on power based on the hot tub you purchase.
each of us expressed that we felt orphaned. we were the righties and lefties. influences his physical and mental development.experts believe that play is important for the growth and development of recognition and they say that in every culture of the world. Many! The good news is that you can purchase from a wide selection of them, Usually it is seen that as the number of bags per roll increases, they make sure that the clothes do not get dirty, The rental company buys them, Most groups rent these products because a service does a lot more than just loan the items to you.
What is our purpose? but very possible and very real.Make sure though that you get everyone started on their candle making activities well before the fundraiser is due. There are a number of places where you can source candles for your fundraisers. and this in turn leads to greater intimacy and stronger bonds.Spending time as a family is beneficial for everyone involved. Presidential Dynasties? That would be interesting.Once you have your flowers you can string them together by piercing the center of each flower with a needle and thread,landscaping ideas front yard, You can make several of these to stand up on the tables as they are only about a foot or so high.
Small goals are easier to accomplish.Entrepreneur and Home business owner who teaches people how to create leverage in their life to create freedom & success. and tablecloths with tropical fish on them.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Biggest Greek bank warns of dire euro exit fallout
standards would plummet, incomes would be slashed by more than
half, and inflation and unemployment would skyrocket, the
National Bank of Greece warned on Tuesday.
Federal student loans can be deferred through proper procedures
BrooklynNavyYard/BRIEF (URGENT)
* Moodys downgrades Brooklyn navy yard to b1 from ba3; outlook negative
Xperia Play won?t get Android 4.0
Xperia Play won’t get Android 4.0 is taken from: Techwatch: Technology News Also see the Techwatch digital TV and satellite forums here: Techwatch forums
Hot-shot Diallo helps Great Britain win the World Cup silver medal
IBRAHIMA Diallo, from Kingswood, admits meeting his England heroes inspired him as Great Britain won a silver medal at the BT Paralympic World Cup.
Diallo and his cerebral palsy seven-a-side team-mates got the chance to meet Roy Hodgson's squad as they trained at the Etihad Stadium ahead of last Saturday's friendly against Norway.
Hours later, Diallo netted twice as Great Britain thrashed the United States 7-0 at the City of Manchester Arena on their way to the final, where they lost 4-2 to Brazil.
Despite only joining the squad in September, Diallo has become a key player and he ended up as top scorer in Manchester with seven goals. He also insisted meeting the likes of Steve Gerrard had played a huge part in his and the team's success.
"It was a great inspiration for me to meet the England squad," said Diallo. "It gave us a great lift – I just enjoyed watching them train and tried to copy them on the pitch!
"I was just really happy to see all the players, especially Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, because I'm an Arsenal fan.
"If you'd told me before December I would be playing for Great Britain and meeting the England squad, I would've just laughed, so I'm looking forward to London (Paralympic Games) and, hopefully, getting on the podium.
"A paralympic gold medal would be my greatest achievement, and if we keep training as we are and everyone follows their programs, then I reckon we've got a great chance of doing it. We do have to play Brazil in our group, though. They're a typical Brazilian team – 'you score one and we'll score five' is their philosophy. They've just got so much confidence.
"But the Brazilians are beatable, we just need to defend a bit better against them and then we can get something against them, hopefully in London."
When he's not finding the back of the net for Great Britain, Diallo studies IT at Filton College as he eyes up a degree in business management at university.
He has final-year exams coming up – and might have to worry about his class-mates' results as well as his own.
"Apparently, everyone at college weren't studying, they were all just watching me play at the BT Paralympic World Cup on Channel 4," added Diallo. "My friends all said they're really proud of me. They were even texting me that the teachers were watching it, too. I'm planning on going to university, but I just want to keep playing as much as I can and concentrate on my game. Hopefully, it will pay off."
The BT Paralympic World Cup took place in Manchester from May 22-26, with elite international athletes competing in athletics, football seven-a-side and wheelchair basketball. Go to www.btparalympicworldcup.com for more information.
The BBC published photo of Iraqi dead when reporting on Houla
Effectively Using the Law of Attraction!
Who Are These People Who Think Mitt Romney is Presidential Material?
But I'm sorr …
Electric cars equal $1 a gallon gas for life + $1,200 cash a year
Car buyers are notoriously fond of focusing only on the purchase price of new vehicles, without much thinking about the total cost of ownership.
For electric cars that may cost twice or more what a similar-size gasoline vehicle does, that’s …
Monday, May 28, 2012
Dynamo exhibition foe Valencia sign Mexican star Guardado
Goodbye crow's feet! An at-home treatment that promises to zap laughter lines
Target Corp. Announces T-Shirt Campaign for Homosexual Marriage – Patriot Update
How to Place Your Order With the Universe
David Byrne On Bike Sharing Coming To New York City
The Talking Head has tried bikeshares all over the world, and describes them to New Yorkers
Sony Brings Streaming Music Service to the IPhone
