Quick Tips For Writing a Successful Blog Post:

Writing content for the web is not everyone’s cup of tea. When it comes to writing for blogs, blogger have to face and overcome the additional challenges of producing content that is easy to share, provides valuable information and engages readers. Here is a list of basic things to focus on when writing a blog post.

Define your goal: Yes, you can write a post with a specific goal in mind. If you have been blogging for a while, then you would be able to assess the impact of your content by feedback and links to your previous content. Your own experience will actually tell you how to write a popular post that gets lots of love from Twitter or a ton of link backs. Write a controversial piece to fire up massive comments, or simply answer a very specific question in your niche to build trust. Know what you want the outcome to be before you start typing. If you are fairly new and have no experience with blog writing, take a shot. Dare to try things and observe the impact.

Research: It is very important that you are not just repeating what someone else has already posted. Most of the time this happens not because we trying to copy other people but due to our lack of research. A simple search on Google and Twitter will give you a pretty good picture of what has been said around that topic. Research will give you a better understanding of where you stand and how to approach a topic.

Your two cents: Chances are, there is already some content published on the same to topic you are writing about. That is fine as long as you are adding to the conversation. Again, focus on answering questions that are still open; disagree-do something to add your two cents. Don’t make people leave your post with a sense of “been there, done that”. Kick it up a notch and reference the previous material and then take the discussion further. In other words, provide value or die!

Be Yourself: The beauty about blogging is that you are the publisher as well as the content creator; remember that when you are writing a piece. Also, try to be yourself when you are writing.

Forget the search engines: There is a lot to chew on this topic but there is the quick version: do you write for search results or you write for your readers? Forget the search engines when you are writing, and focus on communicating with human being; computers or robots don’t benefit from your amazing piece of work. Once you are done, go back and optimize as much as possible.

Intelligent Headlines: Of course you’ve heard this before, first the headline, then the first paragraph and so on-provided the reader is reading your post. However, you also need to take this in consideration-social media is an attraction tool and if you think about it, the only part of your content that makes it to Twitter , Facebook and the others, is usually the headline. With the invention of the 140-charater media, we are forced to allocate a little more time on crafting that headline. That being said, though a cute headline will probably get you that click, if there is no meat in the other side, you are bound to lose the visitor.

Never in First Person: The focus of the post should be on others, not yourself. People care about getting their needs covered and their questions answered. A good exercise to accomplish that is to prohibit yourself from writing in first person. 

Make it fun to read: People love it when you throw in a little humor or use some sarcasm here and there, without being obnoxious of course. There are bloggers who get away with a lot more; if anything, some people can’t get enough of them. There are, however, exceptions. “Fun” should start with you. If you are not having fun writing it, it will most likely reflect in the post.

Provide resource: Don’t be afraid to share links to other blogs, especially if somebody else has written a great post on something related to your topic. This is not only appreciated by your readers but it also builds your relationship with other bloggers.

Examples: Use lots of real-life examples to illustrate your point. You can even point out the people as case studies. This makes for a more entertaining read and allows people to see how a concept works in the real world.

Images: It might not be considered as important but having bad images on your blog can damage your chances of a good impression. There is a lot of good content you can use for free websites like Flicker. Here are a couple of quick tips when using images:

Optimize them for the Web so that they don’t affect your loading time, while maintaining their good quality. Optimize them for search engines. For example change the file name from “DC_10112009.png” to “my_cat_sleeping.png”.

Get Rid of the clutter: After you finish writing your post, strip it down. Eliminate the fluff. Find simpler ways of getting your point of access. Get rid of all the unnecessary words that you used to appear smarter or because you felt that the post was too short. Don’t be afraid, people appreciate the simplicity when reading.

Facing Breakups

Coping with broken relationships online

Those who say that breakups aren’t miserable or downright messy, haven’t really had one Thanks to the digital age and the penetration of social networks in our everyday lives, breakups have become even messier. Whether it is your real life or the virtual one, here are some relationship tips that may be useful to help you “virtually” move on.

 

Stop Stalking: Getting sucked back into toxic relationship is just as easy online, as it is in reality. Every now and then, you will be tempted to look up that person. No matter what the search results are, they are guaranteed to end in disaster. If you see a picture of them gracefully moving on and looking deliriously happy with their new significant other, you may end up feeling like trash. And if they haven’t already found someone (Which rarely happens), you could be sucked back into the same drama at a click of a button.

Start off afresh: If you are still holding onto Facebook messages, wall posts, pictures, or songs on your hard drives that remind you of your ex, then deep down you are just hoping that the storm will pass and things will be fine again. Destroy everything that you ever received from them or that reminds you of them. This may not be as cathartic as burning a hole into their pictures and flushing the remnants down the toilet, but it is just as integral for your sanity. Do not, we repeat, do not go through each before deleting them: reading those messages may cloud your sense and reasons and result in a regretful relapse. Remember that because they deleted you from their life, you have every right to delete them from yours.

Delete Mutual Friends: People you met through ex-it’s best to let them go. This means their friends, families and colleagues. Unless your relationship with them is independent of your relationship with your ex, they should no longer remain your friends on Facebook or otherwise. This may sound a bit extreme, but it could be the one thing that could alleviate the inevitable pain. You’d be tempted to find out what your ex is up to via mutual friends-which will only make you feel worse.

Don’t do anything spiteful: Hacking someone’s Facebook account or e-mail address may seem like the thing to do when you are overwhelmed with hurt and anger- when you want to know the truth and make sense of things. However, in the grand scheme of things, it never really helps. Let’s say your stalking skills combined with your computer skills land you in the midst of their world; do not fool yourself into thinking that this will undo the pain or confusion, or bring in that much needed closure.

Status update: Though updating your Facebook status with morbid poetry by Edgar Allen Poe may seem apt, it will only make you come across as attention-seeking and pathetic to colleagues, relatives and acquaintances. Even worse, it may lead to embarrassing questions from family and friends. At the same time, don’t post pictures of new or potential beaus to prove that you have moved on, hoping that your ex would accidentally see them and want you back in a fit of raging jealousy. In fact, this may be the time for you to take a hiatus from informing everyone about every detail of your life.

Internet Therapy: E-zines, Yahoo! Answers and Wikipedia are not equipped to be your therapist. You cannot find the answer to your most intimate questions from a lot that could very well be a bunch of old, bored men sitting in boxer shorts. Try friends-and not ones found in breakup chatrooms and discussion forums. If you don’t help, try a real therapist.

Softening The Blow: If you are the one initiating the breakup, here are some tips to make the breakup easier for the other person.

Don’t Use Facebook or e-mails to breakups:  Although it seems to wriggle out of a relationship through a lengthy and frequently revised e-mail, or by changing your relationship status on Facebook, it may just be the most cowardly way of getting out of it. It is important to give the other person some closure-something that cannot be achieved by simply stating the reasons and walking off into the sunset. If, however , you have already done that, expect some anger, severe resentment, bad blood and bad karma.

Unfriend your ex: Once the breakup has been set in stone, unfriend your ex on Facebook-even if they haven’t. This will make it easier for them to move on . Save them from wanting to curl up and die every time you post pictures of your fabulous life with your significant other-unless that’s what you want. In that case, one word: karma.

At the end of it all, one must realize that although the Web might make things all the more difficult to mend a broken heart, it’s also a great place to nurture new relationships. You can always stay in touch with family and connect with long-lost friends through e-mails and social networks. You can spend quality time reading good e-books and magazines, writing and anonymous blog about your sour relationship and the difficulties you faced moving on. Just remember to keep your head held high. Set your Facebook status to, “This Too, Shall Pass”-because eventually, it will.

Skimming Scams

Sophisticated skimming devices and techniques are making malicious ATMs and rigged Point of Sale machines increasingly common

Today’s fast-paced and consumer-oriented world has become dependent on plastic money to an impressive degree. The days of standing in a long queue at the bank or carrying wallets bulging with cash, though completely over, have-to a large extent-been reduced due to the credit/debit card culture that now prevails among this generation of consumers. These cards relieve consumers from carrying large amounts of cash that previously made them potential mugging targets. However, criminals, as they say, go where the money is-and fraud, designed specifically to steal credit/debit card information, is now increasing at an alarming rate in Pakistan and abroad. The local public, in general, is an easy target for this type of fraud, mainly because of high credit card usage, coupled with a general lack of awareness. This gives criminals the opportunity to defraud without getting caught. It is only after the card owners have used their credit/debit card, or gone through their bank statements, that they notice unauthorized transaction-a likely sign that their card has been compromised via skimming attack.

Skimmer:

Skimming is the act of stealing credit card information to counterfeit credit cards or make purchases using that information. It involves an unauthorized device-called a skimmer-acting as a card reader placed over ATM card slots or Point of Sales (PoS) machines. The device then steals the data contained in the magnetic strip in credit/debit cards as they pass through the over skimmer. 

As the magnetic strip contains all the sensitive data present on the card, stealing this information essentially allows criminals to create fake copies of the original card for the purpose of committing unauthorized transactions. In case of ATM or debit cards, the criminals also require the user’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) code, without which the fake copy (of the card) cannot be used to withdraw cash. The attainment of the PIN code is usually accomplished by placing a small camera nearby, which records the actions of the user as he enters the PIN code into the machine, or alternatively via a fake keypad which is overlaid on the original ATM keypad. The stolen PIN codes are transmitted wirelessly to the criminals. Consumers targeted by skimming frauds can potentially have their entire bank accounts emptied or their credit cards maxed out in a short period of time- both of which can be a traumatic experience. Additionally, they have to bear the trouble of coordinating with their financial institution to sort out the damage done as a result of this identity theft. On the other hand , banks or merchants whose machines are used to carry out the theft have to bear serious reputation damage, as the general public often tends to conclude that the organization failed to protect the consumer’s card data.

Achieve E-mail Zen:

• ·        Don’t check your e-mail box first thing in the morning. Also, don’t have it constantly on. This is a tip offered on many blogs, so there is nothing new here. Checking e-mail first thing will keep you stuck your inbox for quite a while. Instead, do all the important things for the day, or at least the things that you’ve been procrastinating on the most. Then, check your e-mail. The problem with constantly checking e-mails throughout the day is that it distract you from work and you are unable to focus on the task before you. Check once an hour, or better, according to your needs.

• ·        When you check your inbox, deal with each e-mail right away. Make an immediate decision on what needs to be done with each e-mail.

• ·        Is it junk or some forwarded e-mail that you will never read? If so, immediately send it to trash.

• ·        Is it a long e-mail that you just need to read for information? File it in a Read folder (or tag it Read and archive) or print it out to read later.

• ·        If the e-mail required action, make a note of the action on your to-do or getting things done (GTD) list for later. Also, make a note to check the e-mail for additional information if necessary. At this point, archive the e-mail. Later, you can easily find it when you need to do that task.

• ·        If you can respond to it in a minute or two, do so immediately. Don’t put it off. If you wait, you’ll end up with a backlog of e-mails to respond to any you may never get around to it. If possible and appropriate, respond quickly with a short note and send it right away. That way, you appear responsive and on top of things.

• ·        If you need to follow up on an e-mail later, or are waiting for a response, note it on a “waiting for” list. Don’t just leave it in your inbox as a reminder.

• ·        It often helps to have as few folders as possible. For instance, one labeled “Archive”. After you respond to an e-mail, or finish reading it, and it doesn’t need a response or a follow-up, just like it as an archive. You can also add a Read folder if you want. While it is not the most eco-friendly tip, you could print longer e-mails to read later, during lunch or while waiting for something. Many people have an “Action” folder or a “waiting For” folder. A manageable inbox is important not only because it looks clean, but also because it is less stressful and frustrating. Managing your inbox is the only way to achieve “e-mail Zen”. Having your e-mails split among too many folders is not the answer; you can have them in one or two places as the search features is always there. The formula to keep your inbox manageable is simple-all you have to do is organize your e-mails so that you don’t have unnecessary clutter in your inbox and respond to all e-mails that need your attention.