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Down Jacket Pros and Cons




A down jacket is the quintessential outerwear for cold weather. If you've gotten sticker shock shopping for down jackets and wonder why people choose them over lower-priced synthetic jackets, here are a few reasons to become a down lover.

Pros:

  • Warmth: Down is nature's way of keeping geese warm, and it has proven very effective over the millennia. By trapping body heat, down provides maximum warmth in winter weather.

  • Weight: Down is very lightweight, so it won't slow you down whether you're hiking to a mountain peak or running to the grocery store. Down jackets are also very compressible, making them convenient for travel.

  • Comfort: Down is soft, flexible, and breathable, making it a popular material for bedding as well as clothing. If you are looking for a jacket to wear on a regular basis, down can be much more comfortable than many synthetic jackets.

  • Style: Down jackets can be stylish as well as functional. I use a down jacket that extends to right above my knees. This extra length makes a huge difference in keeping my whole body warm. Plus, the length and flare at the waist gives the coat a dressy appearance--even if my attire underneath is casual.

Cons:

  • Bulkiness: While down is very compressible, it can still be bulky to wear. Make sure that your down jacket is roomy enough to wear a thick sweater or other layers underneath as well.

  • Cost: Down can be much more expensive than synthetic materials.

  • Not waterproof or windproof: While down is resistant to water and wind, it will not keep you as dry and warm as a hardshell jacket. Down doesn't dry quickly either, so if you plan to wear your down jacket in rainy conditions it is best to use an umbrella or a waterproof layer over your jacket.

Here are a few considerations if you're shopping for a down jacket:

  • Insulation: Down's warmth is measured by fill power. Higher fill power corresponds to a higher ability to insulate. Also, down with a higher fill rating requires less down, which means less bulk and weight. Jackets with a fill rating of 700-900 provide maximum warmth with the least bulk. Jackets with lower ratings can still provide significant warmth, but might be bulkier to compensate for the lower insulating capacity. Higher fill power also means the jacket will be more resilient when compressed, and therefore last longer.

  • Length: Do you want a jacket that ends at the waist, above the thighs, above the knees, or longer?

  • Hood: Do you expect to be caught in the rain or cold without a hat or umbrella? If so, a hood is a must-have.

  • Price: What is your budget for a jacket? Down jackets are pricey, but it's possible to find good deals if you take the time to search, or are willing to go with a lower fill rating.

A down jacket is a great way to stay warm and stylish in cold weather. Down is not ideal for all conditions, but if you are looking for maximum warmth and comfort, a down jacket may very well become your favorite wintertime accessory.


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Source by Tiffany Picard
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Top Down Communication in Organizations




Top down communication literally is a method of issuing communication, instructions and information within a business using the hierarchical structure. Information from the highest ranking officials within the company filter down to employees using the companies' managerial structure. Each rung on the managerial ladder learns information from the rung above until the information or command passes to all relevant tiers within the organization.

As a matter of fact, top down communication enables leadership to control the flow of information and ensures that each employment level has only the information necessary to complete relevant tasks. This keeps each employment level focused and reduces the risk that employees will focus on irrelevant information or details. A primary disadvantage arises from the risk of orders getting lost in the translation or critical details of project being left out because a high ranking supervisor forgot to include it in a report. This can cause gaps in project development, particularly when there are no checks and balances system in place to ensure all departments receive the correct information.

An employee may also use a top down communication strategy through an evaluation method of receiving detailed information techniques to succeed. The management feedback on the employee performance and strategies to achieve goals. In addition, feedback is integral to allow employees opportunities to make adjustments to techniques and strategies in the interest of improving job performance and furthering the organizations goals and objectives.

5 (FIVE) WAYS TO ENHANCE TOP DOWN COMMUNICATION

Ensuring effective top-down communication is the key responsibility of senior management. However, many organizations will struggle with ineffective communication. When a management does not consistently communicate openly with employees, the result is unproductive work environment filled with speculative rumors and a loss of trust in management, or when the CEO or president regularly communicates with all employees, whether through e-mail, video, or a town hall meeting, most employees appreciate the communication. The challenge for senior managers is that they will never be fully effective at getting the communication down to the front lines unless they are supported by managers and supervisors who place a high value on making sure employees are kept in the loop.

The following 5 tips will help increase the effectiveness when communicating with employees. These are tips that are simple, but they can make a world of difference in an organization. When managers use these techniques, employees notice not only better communication with their boss, but greater morale in their department.

1. Over-communicate: There will be an increase in the frequency of your communication, particularly during periods of rapid organizational changes.
2. Keep your door open: Whenever possible, keep your office door open. In addition, make sure your body language also tells employees that you have an open door policy, crossing your arms, sighing over interruptions, and not looking at the speaker all say that you may be accessible, but not approachable.
3. Review schedule: Keep your employees updated on your schedule. Knowing your employees will help them prioritize their work and allow them to make better decisions relevant to support you. Likewise knowing their scheduled / deadlines will help you understand their current pressures.
4. Offer Assistance: On a regular basis, ask your employees, what do you need from me? Doing so gives employees the opportunity to update you on projects. It also prompts you to provide the information needed to keep those projects on schedule.
5. Check In Frequently: If you are away from the office, touch base with your support team on a regular basis. Doing so allows you to respond quickly to messages and troubleshoot potential issues that may have surfaced in your absence.


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Source by Martin Hahn
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Secret Social Media Hacks You Want To Try Now - It's Easy If You Do It Smart




There are always new and exciting updates on social media sites. And here you will get to know about secret social media hacks you want to try now.

There are a number of secret social media hacks but here we will discuss some of them for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Instagram

Share Instagram Images Elsewhere After Uploading.

• Share the image to Twitter or Facebook once uploading it to Instagram.

• As we know that you can share the image instantly once you upload it to the Instagram, but you can also go back to any of your images and share an Instagram image.

• First of all, decide which Instagram photo in your gallery you want to share. Go to down in the right corner and click on the ellipsis button and select "Share".

• The images and caption appear where you can edit what you originally posted on Instagram, so you can do any modification to what has been written before you share it. Then select what social media site you want it to post on and then share it. Yes, it's Done!

Take Better Photos without Posting Them

Set your phone to Airplane mode and start taking snaps. It will be saved to your phone but it will not get posted instantly to Instagram. It helps you to pick up the best image to be posted on the Instagram.

Best Time To Post on Instagram

• Have you ever thought what will be the best time to share that tricked out Instagram images?

• Well, Iconosquare analyzes your post history and interaction on Instagram and tell you the best time to post Instagram photos.

• Moreover, you can also view your most engaged followers, most liked, your new follower and a lot more.

Facebook

• Just customize What You Share on Facebook and with whom.

• Don't want your father to see that photo? Or some post your boss could see? It's quite easy with this simple hack:

• Click on the tab to the left of your post and choose "More Options" and Facebook will pop up another page for you. Just enter the name of people you don't want to share your post or images.

Download Your Facebook Pictures

Pick&Zip app will let you download all your photos and also collect photos you are tagged in. You can also download pictures from Instagram.

Hide from Your Annoying Friends?

You must have that friend who always started chatting once he/she caught you online. Yes, there is a hack for them. Go offline for a specific list of people you don't want to chat often.

Pinterest

How to Pin Something from Facebook

• Just Click on the Facebook picture you want to pin.

• Right-click the image (or control + click on a Mac) and choose "Open Image in new tab" in the drop down menu.

• Then you will be able to pin that picture from that particular page.

Highlight Text Before Clicking "Pin It

When you highlight any text on a page that you want to be pinned and click "Pin it", the text that you highlighted automatically get added to the description box.

Twitter

Download Your Tweet History

• Do you know you can download the tweet history?

• Twitter let you request your archive.

• Twitter gives you the ability to request your archive. You need to go in Twitter Account Setting for your profile; you will get a little option at the bottom of your page, just click on that.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn gives you the option to view other's profile without being known as you had viewed his/her profile.

You just need to follow these steps:

• Just go to "Privacy & Settings" of your profile when you hover over your LinkedIn profile image in the upper right of the page.

• Go to the tab "Privacy Controls", and click on the option for "Select what others see when you've viewed their profile" as the option

• And select the totally anonymous option, you lose a bit of history, but, it's up to you and why you'd want to surf LinkedIn anonymously.

These secret social media hacks will definitely help you do better.


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Source by Akhilash P
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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The Economics of Renovating Down Comforters, Pillows, Featherbeds and Down Toppers




Spring is almost here and time to start planning your spring cleaning. Your down bedding may not come to mind, but it is very important to give it proper care if you want it to remain beautiful and more importantly work efficiently.

You may have been wondering if it is really worth it to renovate your favorite down comforter, pillow, featherbed or down topper. There are a few things to consider, most importantly what your initial investment is, and if there is any sentimental value attached (handed down from your grandmother).

Renovation is definitely worth it if you have a high quality down product, which means high thread count down proof ticking and high lofting down. With proper care they will remain beautiful and keep you toasty warm in winter. That means cleaning comforters every 5 years, renovating after 10 years. For down pillows renovate every 3 or 4 years (even with protectors natural hair oil stains the down proof ticking). Featherbeds and toppers should be renovated every 7 - 10 years. Renovation is also an opportunity to upgrade to a larger size (or even change to a smaller size), get a more down proof (leak proof) casing or add new filling to boost up the old filling and bring the down back to its former glory.

Keep in mind if your downs are from Europe they are definitely a very high quality in both the ticking and the filling. Even if you purchased in the USA 20 or more years ago, they are likely a much higher quality than much of what is in the market today.

If you have purchased a down product at a very low price for example same price all sizes, it does not pay to renovate. Better to buy new and this time upgrade so you do not have to keep replacing. It feels good to recycle.

Using the proper protectors goes a long way to eliminating unnecessary cleaning and renovation. Always choose a professional for cleaning and renovation to protect your precious downs.

In between the professional care you can air out down comforters on a clothes line on a dry warm day or put in a low heat dryer for 20 mins. For pillows put these in the low heat dryer occasionally to re-fluff. Featherbeds and down toppers can be hung over a chair near an open window unless you are able to get them outside on a table. It just refreshes and re-fluffs them beautifully.


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Source by Lisa Stevens
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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The Zero Down 80/20 Mortgage




This is an excellent loan for those that are lacking the down payment required for other types of mortgages.

The 80 20 mortgage is simply two loans for 100% of the purchase price. It is a first mortgage at 80% of the purchase price with a 20% second mortgage.

If you are a conforming borrower, doing your loan in this manner will save you from having to pay mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance is almost always required when you have less than 20% down. But with the 80 20 loan you avoid this necessary evil.

If you are a sub-prime borrower, doing you loan in this manner will typically keep your interest rates ½% to 2.5% lower than doing a 100% one loan. A 100% one loan is simply one loan for the entire purchase price.

Many times you will have two choices when it comes to the second mortgage portion of the 80 20 mortgage. The second mortgage can either be a fixed second mortgage or it can be a line of credit.

If it is a fixed second mortgage. The interest rate is fixed for the entire length of the mortgage. Most fixed second mortgages are a 30 due in 15. Meaning that the second mortgage is amortized over 30 years, but is due in 15 years. Basically it is a balloon payment. Don't let this scare you. Statistically people refinance or sell their home every 7 to 9 years any ways.

If it is a line of credit as the second mortgage. The interest rate will fluctuate as the Federal Reserve adjusts the prime interest rate up or down. The benefit of going with the line of credit as the second mortgage is that the interest rate is normally much lower than the fixed second mortgages rate. It can be 2% to 5% lower.

If you are considering doing the 80 20 loan have your loan officer compare the two different options if you have both available to you.

You may also want to consider an 80 20 interest only loan. The interest only loan could save you hundreds of dollars in mortgage payments every month. This can help you purchase a more expensive home or keep the payments down on the home you want to buy.


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Source by Matthew Allen
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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The Facts On Down Syndrome




John Langdon Down was a British doctor who was the first to fully describe a syndrome that would ever bear his name. This was back in 1866 but even before that scientists and doctors had described some aspects of Down Syndrome as early as 1838. This affliction is not new, it has been around since time time began and today it is the most common of the genetic abnormalities.

Down Syndrome is also called Trisomy 21 because it is a mutation on the 21st set of human chromosomes, usually an added portion on one strand or a whole strand itself. This is thought to happen when the 21st chromosome fails to separate from either the egg or the sperm cell so that cell now carries an extra copy on to the next phase of development. It is estimated that eighty eight percent of cases are caused by the egg failing to separate properly, while only eight percent occurred on the sperm side of the equation. The other three percent happens sometimes after the egg and sperm have merged.

Since chromosomes come in pairs, an added one everywhere is going to be detrimental in some way to the affected person. Down Syndrome happens in one out of every one thousand births and it is totally by chance that it occurs; there is no cure but it can be detected both during pregnancy and after birth quite easily.

Babies born with this syndrome have characteristic facial features, physical growth delays and intellectual disabilities. They usually have a small chin, slanted eyes, a big tongue, extra space between the first and second toe, flexible ligaments, a short neck and a flat, wide face. Their growth in terms of height is slower than that of an unaffected baby, and they may stutter or have rapid or irregular speech patterns. There is also an increased risk of hearing and vision disorders and lower fertility rates, however the chance of getting a cancerous tumor is lower as there are more tumor suppressor genes when a person has three chromosome 21.

While many women opt to have a termination when they hear that their baby is afflicted, others have their children who then grow up to be loving members of society. Some can hold down jobs and they are able to do most things that capable bodied people can do. This syndrome does have its effects, but also shows us that differences should be embraced.


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Source by Amanda J Hales
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Take Them Up, Take Them Down, Take Them All Around (We All End Up In The Same Place)




Enlightenment is someplace we all end up ultimately. We all take different roads to it though. Some long, some short, some bumpy, some smooth, some interesting and some boring. Indeed, though, we all end up in the same place ultimately. Utopia may mean "no place perfectly" in the Greek and Latin language, but I know what we are all striving for and I can tell you a little bit about it: We are all striving to genuinely win consistently like a "casino house that never really loses". I know that sounds like a blanket statement and a little too general. Ultimately, though, nobody really wants to die broke, even "the worst of losers" wants to ultimately come out "break-even" or "above the line a little bit" and genuine winners do not want to lose. It is a psychological and spiritual reality, and honest truth about reality: Who really wants to lose? Nobody does.

Even masochistic and self-destructive people want fulfillment and winning in their own screwed up ways. Even "dyed in the wool" genuine winners want to win forever without it ending. When the cause of it all is genuinely and solely considered seriously instead of just looking at effects, it is possible. I mean, God or good is the ultimate cause and the devil or evil is the ultimate effect. So, I am saying that when you count causes seriously, and effects as secondary to the cause, a whole new world opens that has the genuine possibility of genuine and permanent winning. When effects are considered as important as causes, that is when losing really does happen deeply. Think about that seriously, do not take my word for it. I gave that fact a lot of thought myself, and it is a logical conclusion I have come to in life: When you fix the cause, and the genuine ultimate cause, effects will ultimately and always be good. When you solely consider effects, nothing will work.

I think of this metaphor, say you have an automobile that works well from its inception: It was built with love, it works well and has a loving owner that drives it well and takes care of it. Okay, no problem. But here is a negative effect that could be avoided if done right: Say that well-running car runs out of gas, and cannot run and stops on a freeway. I know, that is an extreme example of effect, but it illustrates my point. Fill the car with gas as a cause as well as be a good owner of the vehicle and it will work well as an effect. The cause is all of the above right down to good driving and good care.

See my point: consider causes squarely, honestly and realistically and you will have good and great effects and not bad ones. Cause and effect, whatever the path may be is where the straight line without shock always happen when the cause is considered first, honestly and foremost, and the effect is considered secondary.


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Source by Joshua Clayton
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Occam's Razor: Cutting Sugar Down to Size




I look at sugar addiction through a brain chemistry filter - which brain chemicals are triggered by sugar and how those chemicals affect behavior, appetite, emotions, and mental state.

I've been doing it for a long time - over 20 years.

Yet I frequently come in contact with "big" theories:

• that we crave sugar because we want to fill ourselves with sweetness, since we have none in our lives

• that attachment to sugar goes back to childhood traumas

• that we reach for sugar when we're really reaching for love

• that we need to dig deep to find the root of the sugar problem and clear it before we can quit successfully.

It exhausts me, and makes me doubt those explanations.

I confess that it also makes me doubt myself and my methods. Why? Because most of the explanations I find for sugar addiction run in these emotional directions.

What's Occam's Razor - and What's It Got to Do with Sugar?

As a principle for problem-solving, Occam's Razor advises us to select the simplest solution, the one with the fewest assumptions, the fewest "mini-theories" to complicate things.

In my experience, the brain chemical explanation for sugar tends to be neat. "This is your brain on drugs" kind of neat.

No analysis of personalities, past lives, traumas, why your cousin was mean to you at the last family gathering and why that made you binge on brownies. No self-improvement programs. No emotional baggage.

Just "here's what sugar is doing to you" and "here's what you can do about it."

Without the brain chemistry piece, even the methods for getting rid of sugar cravings tend to be convoluted. Or at least ineffective.

• Take deep breaths.

• Ask yourself what you really want.

• Eat some sugar slowly and savor it.

• Eat some sugar, then have something that's good for you. (Really? Chocolate, then broccoli?)

• Find healthy substitutes.

That last one bothers me most because it keeps people in the sugar trap. Making foods taste sweet by using "better" sugars isn't really the solution to a sugar addiction.

I've ranted against trending sugars - agave syrup, coconut sugar, dates, maple syrup, monukka honey and others - but most nutritionists give in to the popular view. They offer recipes for brownies, cookies, cakes made with these various "healthful" sugars.

I recently reacted strongly to an article that stated, "Those sugar cravings never really go away, do they?"

Yikes. Of course, they do! Completely.

But they won't (and can't) go away when you're always eating - and constantly looking for - the latest so-called healthful alternative to sugar instead of just... getting over it.

Occam's Razor for Sugar Addiction: Simpler Than Psychoanalysis and New Sugar Obsessions?

It IS simple. Fix the brain chem thing. Get past your sugar addiction, don't turn it into a different addiction. Eat to stay healthy. Your cravings go away. You feel fantastic.

From there, you can analyze your emotions and behavior patterns to your heart's content. It will amaze you, however, how many of those things clear up when you simply loosen the grip of sugar on your brain. Seriously.

Occam's Razor slices through the complicated nonsense and leaves an effective answer.

It works for sugar addiction, too.

In this case, the simplest solution lies in brain chem. The complex emotional layers become secondary. Not unimportant, mind you, but not necessary to analyze and re-hash before fixing the sugar problem.

And that's why I love working with foods and brain chemistry. It's Occam's Razor at work.


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Source by Joan Kent
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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5 Trends to Watch Out for to Deliver a Future Proof E-Commerce Website Design




The world of commerce is increasingly coming over the web. With mobile web getting stronger and sophisticated than ever before, most businesses are now invariably focused to reach their audience with a fluid and versatile experience.

User experience or more fairly, ease of use is the single most important consideration to ensure trafficking and engagement. It is needless to say that design plays a major role in this. While there is no dearth of creativity and innovation in designing e-commerce websites, the following trends can help your brand to stay future optimized as well.

Material Design

Flat design has dominated for years just because it ensured optimum ease of use and easy access. But as flat design became commonplace, Google brought material design to bring some layers and depth to the flat design. With material design, an interface selling products can allow more layers and help priority as well as prominence in certain areas that deserve more action.

For example, subtle use of shadows and gradients can sharpen certain CTA buttons and create a visual hierarchy for the viewers.

More personalization of AI and machine learning

Artificial Intelligence and machine learning became possible thanks to an array of sophisticated sensors that process multiple layers of user data. With devices learning about users and adjusting to their needs thanks to data feedback, websites and web apps could have more scopes of personalization, whether addressing users with notification messages or suggesting them products with in-app messages.

Chatbots

Chatbots offer a complete paradigm shift for the websites and web apps dealing with real-time shoppers. Designed to answer all relevant queries at every step of purchase and browsing it actually replaces the so-called manual customer service to guide users.

Moreover, designed to build a conversation with personalized human touch the modern Chatbots can really sound convincing and pleasant to push customers for better buying decisions. Throughout this year and beyond Chatbots are going to be a mainstay in e-commerce website design and development .

Dynamic search

For any e-commerce site, it is very important to allow ease of searching products with minimum delay. Moreover, with the search results being the same with every user, many users can feel it depressing as they need to reach their desired ones with a lot of efforts.

This is why delivering search results based on the user intents and previous search history is important. Widely dubbed as dynamic search, this new and easy search feature is expected to be a mainstay across e-commerce websites.

Long scroll

Just think of scrolling down the Facebook news feed that seemingly goes on for miles. None of us get bored with scrolling down and encountering new pieces of contents as it continues revealing more.

Long scroll, when introduced into an e-commerce site, does almost the same thing by allowing us to see fresh new options as we scroll down. Moreover, scrolling down is a common action most users are frequently acquainted with.


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Source by Manthan Bhavsar
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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How It Feels To Throw Down Your First Dunk




You do not understand how great it felt to throw down my first dunk. I felt like I won a million dollars. If you are working toward dunking a basketball, I promise you that when you realize that goal it will be worth it.

Hard-work vs. Talent

For me, throwing down my first dunk was one of the best things that has ever happened in my life.

Why?

The reason why is because I wanted to dunk a basketball since I was about 5 years old and I finally accomplished that goal when I was 15.

If I'd normally been able to dunk it would not have been such a big deal, but I actually had to increase my vertical jump through consistent and persistent vertical jump training. I spent over a hundred bucks on products that promised to help me increase by vertical jump to 50 inches.

Most of those products told me to lift weights but I did not have access to a gym so I could not use the programs properly and actually see if the workouts actually work.

I was also held back by jumper's knee. I had inflammation in my patellar tendon and it hurt to do plyometric exercises such as jump squats, depth jumps, and even regular squats were a pain at times.

Any, I pushed through the discomfort and I thread down my first dunk at the end of my freshman year.

Is The Monthly / Yearly Commitment Worth It?

If you really want to throw down your first dunk you have to analyze your situation. If you can not grab or at least touch the rim of a 10 ft basketball hoop, then you probably have months if not years of training to go through in order to start dunking on a consistent basis.

If you can grab the rim or at least touch the rim right now, you could throw down your first dunk in three months or less, with the right training and work ethic.

At the end of the day, it does not matter how long it takes. It took me 10 years to reach my goal and it was worth the wait.

I'll admit that there were times when I wish I was naturally gifted with amazing vertical jump ability and there were times when I wished that I did not have to work so hard to increase my vertical jump.

But like I said, at the end of the day it was all worth it.

It is much more rewarding to achieve something knowing that you had to work for it rather than it being handed to you.

Belief + Consistent Action = Success

If you want to dunk a basketball it is up to you.

Without you were gifted with amazing genes, or a God-given talent, you will have to take matters into your own hands.

Believe that you will dunk one day. Visualize yourself dunking. Then do whatever it takes to make that visualization come to reality.

The last thing you want to do is start making excuses. Anybody can do that. Success comes to those who believe in themselves and take action.


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Source by Travon Morgan
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Some Kids Never Grow Up




One thing I love about summer is our family vacation. For me... it doesn't get any better than this. I'm not sure how many summers we'll continue this tradition, but for now, our six kids, their families, as well as a boyfriend or two, fill up a large Florida vacation home for a week of pure unadulterated joy.

I'm telling you... for a full seven days, heaven literally rains down on this old boy... as I do everything I possibly can to soak it all in.

Just being here with everyone, away from everyday life, settles my soul as nothing else could ever do.

With a family like ours... each day is not only wonderful and relaxing, but also a bit unusual and exciting... and this one is no different. Tonight is lip-sync night... we drew #2 and #1 just finished.

As I stare in the mirror, adjusting my tie, I have this wonderful flashback which only a moment like this can awaken. It's about 20+ years ago... and it's Saturday night. I can see and feel it like it was yesterday.

Back when the kids were growing up, and living under the same roof, we had this Saturday night ritual of pizza and party. You see... one of the perks of having a large family is that a party can form as quickly as a summer afternoon thunderstorm. And on most Saturday nights, you could pretty well bank on one rolling in.

It would usually begin by loading up the van... firing up a little Guns and Roses "Paradise City" and singing as if our lives depended on it as we headed for Home Town Pizza.

After driving everyone a little crazy at dinner, we would head back home, turn up the tunes, and enter into phase two of our perfect storm. Mind you, phase two consisted of phase one with a little more volume... as well as air guitars and drums thrown in for extra measure. I mean to tell you... that van would be rocking and a rolling going down highway 42. It was all I could do just to keep it between the lines. There wasn't a rock band this side of the Mississippi that had anything on us.

Anyway, after gathering my thoughts, adjusting my tie and going over my lyrics one last time, I couldn't help but wonder... what do other families do for just the pure fun of it? Are we the only crazy ones?... surely not. In pondering that question, I couldn't help but to fade back in the moment once again. Just thinking about our bunch in that van was enough to make me laugh out loud.

When we got back home is when the fun really let loose. I would play disc jockey... taking and playing requests as fast as they could throw them my way. The kids would dance and sing as hard as they possibly could. But this wasn't just for the kids... no, no, no.

Leslie would lead the choreography as I would do back up with vocals and harmonies. Those were the days.

Interrupting my stroll down memory lane, I hear... "Dad we're waiting on ya!"

Oh well... It's time to swallow my pride and get jiggy with it.

I guess some kids never grow up... at least I hope not.

Let the show begin.


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Source by William Peak
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Cross-Country Skiing - How Do I Slow Down?




Gliding over the winter landscape on cross-country skis is great fun and a great workout. But sooner or later your track will take you down a slope, sometimes a steep one - and then things can become scary.

The best way to handle such descents is to use a technique called the half snowplough in which your skis are placed in a wedge shape.

To learn it you need a stretch of grooved track that slopes gently downward. It's important that the slope runs down to flat ground - so that you'll come to a safe stop even if you do nothing to slow yourself down.

Equipped with such a slope, break the technique down into the following six elements. Then work through them one-by-one. Repeat each element several times until you are confident with it.

1 Glide straight down the track

Adopt a position in which your knees are slightly bent, your shoulders are relaxed and your hands are held slightly in front.

Maintain this basic position and simply glide down the slope. Keep your skis in the track's grooves.

2 Shift your weight on to your right foot

Start down the slope in your basic position, and then gradually shift most of your weight on to your right foot. Your right foot, knee, hip and shoulder should be in line vertically.

Then, maintaining this new position, glide down the slope.

3 Lift your left ski off the snow

When you are happy with the right-weighted position, it's time to start lifting your left ski briefly out of its track.

Practise lifting and lowering the ski as you glide down the slope. Keep your weight on your right ski all the time. Repeat several times, lifting your left ski for longer each time.

4 Wedge your left ski

Maintaining the right-weighted position, lift your left ski as just described. But now lay it on the snow in a wedge shape, placing it to the left of the track grooves. Your right ski still points forward in its track. Your ski-tips will be quite close together.

At this stage don't worry about how wide the wedge is. As long as your ski-tails are further apart than your ski-tips, you're making progress.

Now place your left ski back in its track.

Go down your slope several times repeating the sequence: Lift; wedge; replace in track.

5 Shift your weight gradually on to the left ski

Now, when you have wedged your left ski, move some of your body weight on to it. Do this gently and progressively. Feel your upper body moving from its right-weighted position through a central position and gradually to a left-weighted position.

Try it a few times. You may feel the wedge getting wider as your weight shifts.

6 Bring your left ski gradually on to its inside edge.

This last element calls for a gentle touch.

Now, when you have wedged and weighted your left ski, force its inside edge down into the snow. You do this by pushing down gently with the big-toe side of your left foot.

You should come to a stop!


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Source by Stuart Montgomery
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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As We Head Down The Home Stretch Of 2018




Do you think you're busy enough, just these few days before Christmas and the end of this year? Looking for yet another hour or two in each day? And yet ... why should you be surprised that such additional time just does not exist, right? Is it Hope, or searching for that elusive Miracle? Hmmm ... I keep looking for it, so I'm sure you do, too.

In the interest of not taking much of your time, I'm just going to 'bullet' a few thoughts that just seem to be 'in my face' constantly, OK? Here we go:

  • The scourge of multitasking is still alive and well. Banish it! "Optimism Bias" makes you think you are focusing on your current project, but you are not, if your mind is jumping in and out of other to-do's.
  • Put your cell phone in the trunk or turn it to airplane mode so YOU ​​are not one of the all-too-many who are driving distracted and trying to kill or injure us!
  • Learn when to let your social media take a rest ! Too many people think I should also be texting 24/7 like they are, to satisfify their need for instant-communication, which is not real communication at all! Meet a friend for coffee; invite the neighbors in; call someone on the old-fashioned telephone!
  • Have you tried being bored lately? Is this, too, a thing of the past? Maybe we just call it Meditation now? Try some Quiet Time , just for yourself, your brain, your peace.
  • Keep working on unsubscribing that Junk Mail, not just 'junking it,' where it will be back tomorrow! Yep, a huge waste of time having to deal with the process, but after a time or two, it works!
  • From the 'Lion King,' do not worry - be happy!
Just received Holiday Greetings from huge-hearted friends, reminding us all to count our blessings . Yes, we have SO many issues now (as always, right?) - homelessness; ill health; addictions; housing and employment woes; climate change and weather chaos; political unrest and languishing ethics; thoughtlessness and racism ... But, if you're feeling pretty good; have a warm roof over your head; have a nice, full tummy; have friends and relatives who you love and who love you ... Yep - that's a whole lot to be grateful for !!!

I've decided to carry on for yet another year with SOS, and will try to do better about my newsletter schedule in 2019. No promises, though! HA! I love helping my disorganized friends with their time, their stuff and managing their lives, so onward we go!

Here's a happy, healthy and safe 2019 to you and yours!


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Source by Rhonda McNett
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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7 Ways Social Networking Is Destroying Relationships




1. Providing a false sense of closeness

The whole concept behind "social networking" online is to be connected with everyone, everywhere, all the time. There is nothing wrong with this concept; it provides a cost-effective, easy way to stay in touch with distant relatives or friends who have moved away. I enjoy keeping tabs on what my military buddies are up to in Germany or Japan via status updates. But should social networks take precedence as the default method of staying in touch? Before MySpace, Facebook, and Google+, it meant more when people stayed in touch. Phone calls, personal letters, emails, announcements of special events like weddings or graduations.

All of these differ from the modern day status update by one simple factor: they were purposeful. If someone called you on the phone to ask how you were doing, it showed that they cared enough to think about you specifically, pick up the phone, and carry on a polite conversation.

2. Substituting for face-to-face communication

A status update is not directive. It is merely a thought, a jotted down tidbit of someone's day, cast off onto the internet without direction or intent. And any responses to it are, well... just that. A meaningless comment on a meaningless piece of minutiae. In perhaps the most absurd possible example of this, my neighbor once complained of never being able to talk to me anymore by posting on a status. My neighbor... who could walk to my front door and talk to me in person anytime in less than thirty seconds. People simply don't make as much of an effort to maintain friendships when they can read about people's lives online.

But if you happen to read a status about an event going on in someone's life, does that make you informed on how his or her life has been progressing since you last talked? The overwhelmingly common mindset seems to suggest that it does. People take tweets, status updates, and blog posts as a satisfactory substitute for phone calls, personal letters, emails, and (heaven forbid) actual face-to-face communication because this phenomenon has so insidiously saturated our everyday lives. Perhaps it is the same concept as considering artificial sweeteners the same thing as cane sugar. My mother often tells me how different soda tastes now than it did when she was growing up in the 60′s. Will we soon be watching the widening, disbelieving eyes of the next generation when we tell them about calling each other on the phone?

3. Permeating advertising... for everything imaginable

If you've watched TV or surfed the web in the last five years, you have most likely noticed that the rampant, unstoppable force that is the advertising business has become more omnipresent than ever before. Advertising is a legitimate business and necessary sales strategy, as well as a great way to earn income if you have a way to generate content on which you can advertise. But, especially on the internet, advertisements have become maddeningly ubiquitous. I miss the days when you could access a web page without things flying across your screen or hearing obnoxiously loud videos that put the late Billy Mays to shame.

I also miss being able to watch a commercial (now there's a group of words I never thought I would arrange together) that doesn't ask you to like a Facebook page. Businesses now offer discounts, rewards, coupons, special offers, and a host of other goodies in exchange for garnering attention on their social network pages. They do this because the number of Facebook users is staggering, and because drawing attention to something tends to bring more attention, and more attention, and so on. If you've yet to pick up on this, wait for the end of a commercial, when a major business shows its name or logo. Most of the time, somewhere on that image, is a Facebook URL. Why is this necessary when probably every corporation in the developed world has its own website? Because it's yet another way to exert their presence into the everyday lives of their consumers.

4. Breeding narcissism

A few days ago, I happened to chime in on an online discussion about the negative side of Facebook for many of its users. My exact description is not one I would normally use in more formal writing, but I would argue that "one big cesspool of [attention seeking], socially deficient underaged narcissists who think that likes and comments are the holy grail of measuring self-worth" is a fairly accurate - if exaggerated - description. Someone else countered with the argument that the same assessment could be made of any public medium that facilitates self-expression. He made a good point, but self-expression in the form of art, music, writing, and speaking is (or at least should be) intended mostly for the benefit of the audience, rather than the ego of the creator. And I would hardly call posting a scantily-clad picture of oneself with the caption "Ugh I'm so fat" expressive. This problem is more common among younger audiences, and can be easily circumvented by removing these offenders from viewing. But the trend is still telling of a latent psychological bias toward self-degrading behavior. And though Facebook may have become the poster child for the issue, it does exist online in many forms, even generating an opposing problem - cyber bullying.

5. Spreading those baby pictures a bit too far

It has always been a custom for new parents to want to share everything their wrinkly little monstrosity does. They show off pictures of Junior feeding, bathing, going for a walk, playing with the dog. And in earlier years, they were mostly restricted to showing them to people who actually cared. Aside from the obvious concerns associated with sharing personal photos online, parents often take things too far when posting baby pictures.

Those are captured moments meant for family and close friends, not the girl who lived down the hall in college sophomore year or the friend's coworker from last summer's barbecue. I was even recently invited to a baby shower via Facebook, by an acquaintance from high school. And he is still in high school. Even among teenagers, who would have been scorned for their irresponsibility in decades past, it has become common practice to post ultrasounds, baby pictures, and related events to Facebook as a way of announcing the child's life to family and friends- and the rest of the world in the case of people who don't spend enough time checking over their privacy settings. Some people just don't seem to know when they're sharing too much, or consider who they're sharing it with.

6. Making stalking socially acceptable

It's usually a good idea to get to know someone before getting involved in a relationship, but it can easily be taken too far. "Facebook stalking" has become such a common activity that it was featured as the main plot on an episode of the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Much of the issue revolves around browsing a victim's photo albums for visual stimulation- if you can call someone who willfully posts such things in full view of the world a victim. But beyond the obviously creepy aspects of admiring a bikini-clad girl's vacation pictures, there is something extremely disconcerting about gathering information on a person from the internet, rather than through conversation.

What is there to talk about on a first date when the other person has already learned everything about you from your Facebook page? Or worse, how do you react when they address something they dislike that they only learned from the internet? In the episode of How I Met Your Mother, the main character (and biggest romantic failure ever) Ted Mosby meets a woman and asks her out on a date, vowing to avoid learning anything about her from the internet beforehand. He makes it halfway through the evening, doing surprisingly well on the date, before giving in to temptation. His entire demeanor completely changes after learning about her dramatically over-impressive life achievements through a simple Google search. Here's a piece of advice if you're trying to have a meaningful, long-term relationship: Don't do anything Ted does. Ever.

7. Devaluing the concept of friendship

What does it mean to be friends? In my book, it means having an open, trusting, platonic relationship with someone you would never hesitate to lend a hand to whenever needed. Just as an experiment, go through your Facebook friends list and see how many people on it are actually friends by that definition. I have had people add me on Facebook whom I have only met once... or even not at all. I have old classmates, people I knew before I moved, friends of friends that I've met at social events. And mixed into all of this are the few people I would consider real friends.

They don't deserve that. These are people I have grown up with, helped through difficult decisions, shared intimate secrets with. And they're just thrown onto a list with a hundred other random acquaintances as if they mean nothing more to me than some young high school student I helped with homework when I was a teacher's assistant. Sometimes friendships can be formed online, allowing you to meet and interact with people you otherwise wouldn't be able to. Some of my closest friends are people I met playing video games online. There are always different levels of friendship, but true friends should be respected more than to be reduced to another meaningless status update on a news feed.


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Source by Eileen S Murphy
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Facebook Commerce: How You Can Get Started




The e-commerce playing field of today is increasingly slanted towards the use of social media to acquire new customers and increase sales. Savvy web shoppers can have all the information they'd like on a product or service with the click of a button. Increasingly, they rely on the social intelligence gathered from friends and acquaintances to tip the scales on any buying decision. As such, Facebook commerce should be a priority for every business with a web presence. Using Facebook to boost sales isn't rocket science and any motivated company can quickly get started with just a few basic tactics.

Content Marketing

Obviously, Facebook isn't the best place to publish unique content at the moment. Rather, it's a great way to push traffic towards other web properties that host top-notch content such as blogs, websites and landing pages. In order to pull this off, it's vital that any company or entrepreneur make their Facebook Page a destination. A good deal of that will come down to social networking within Facebook itself and outside its "Walled Garden" of users. Sparking conversation is without a doubt the best way to build a community that's active and will pull in even more visitors.

User Engagement

Speaking of conversation and interaction, Facebook is very effective when it comes to creating a buzz that can positively impact a business online. After all, motion creates emotion. Nothing generates interest like a deal or a discount, which is why Facebook Offers are so popular. Yet another popular tactic is using Facebook Contests to give away a fetching prize. Above all else, using Facebook to garner feedback from one's user base is absolutely critical. Whatever the tack taken, it's vital that any company or brand responds to followers personally to convey an interest in the concerns of customers.

Targeted Advertisements

Finally, no Facebook Commerce game plan would be complete without a little sponsored promotion. Anyone that's been through the ringer that is Google's AdWords PPC program understands how fraught with peril this arena can be. The trick with Facebook Ads is to go after taste-makers that can influence others. While the whole point of targeted ads is to catch consumers right when they're about to make a decision, it's smarter to pursue those with a lot of clout in their niche demographics. Though ads are never free, they're well worth it with a little market research and planning.

Tying It All Together

Nowadays, everybody and their uncle has a Facebook Page. Simply establishing a presence on the web's premier social networking site isn't enough. To make Facebook really productive for e-commerce purposes, one must stand apart from the crowd. A comprehensive strategy including all three of the elements detailed above is essential. More importantly, the manner in which those elements are combined must be as unique as possible. While any business can pull this off, it requires outside-the-box thinking. Facebook marketing can be very profitable if the complexities of the medium are understood at the outset.


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Source by Jerry Loh
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Leasing a Vehicle: Listing Down the Merits




Vehicles generally follow a price trend that people associated to the automobile industry know best. As new models hit the market, prices for older ones plunge downwards giving the buyers the possibility to afford the car they've been eyeing since the last year. However, by the time the new models arrive in the showroom, the prequels get beat by a fair measure, in terms of features, designs, performance and all other USPs possible. Alongside the consequent depreciation of automobile valuation is another discouraging reason to save the pocket pinch and go for the easier alternative, which is leasing a vehicle. Especially as it comes to a vehicle for commercial use, buying can never beat leasing.

Leasing a vehicle using the seasonal deal is an option more profitable than availing the off and on car financing options. If anyone ever told you that leasing a van for your business is a pretty bad idea judging by the financial aspect, then the stats that 25% of the auto purchasers are former leasers of the vehicles stands in diametric contradiction to the theory.

To understand the merit of leasing, you need to have a discerningable idea of ​​renting and leasing. Renting is easy and flexible, and meant for short time users. Supposing that you rent a vehicle for airport transfer, your accountability of the asset lasts till the closure of the term. Lessees on the other hand are entitled to make a payment of the depreciation estimated to take place during the period of use. Lease contracts typically extend from 2 to 3 years, during which the users are allowed to drive the vehicle to a preset mileage. Violation of the accepted mileage will subject the van leaser to an extra payment for every mile of extra driving, as determined by the provider. Surprisingly, the final figure is still shorter than the purchase expenses when all the stated costs are put together and weighed against the finance installation.

Leasing a vehicle is always a flexible option when compared to the opposing idea of ​​applying for a car loan, even if it is a used vehicle you are considering. For businesses, the necessities keep changing and investing in purchase will only engage a substantial portion of your capital for a wrong cause. On the contrary, paying short monthly installments is manageable even by small companies with shorter funds and proportionate revenue.

Aside, leasing frees a user from other obligations like road tax, car insurance premiums, maintenance cost, repair bills, etc.


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Source by Terrence Lewis
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Everything That You Want to Know About Down Pillows




Down pillows are actually made from the animal products. Back, chest and wing feathers of ducks and geese are used. Not like pillows with the man-made fibers, goose down pillows are rejuvenated. The down pillows are accessible in many different sizes and densities range from the king to standard.

Why people look for Down Pillows:

There are some amazing benefits of using the down pillow and one of them is the ability to form a good curve to your neck and head, providing complete support. The down pillows allow airflow around your neck and head area. There are many different kinds of pillows accessible that shopping is overwhelming. The memory foam, microbead, down, and water pillows are some options in saturated bedding markets today. Every kind of pillow has got its own benefits and drawbacks and appeals to the audience of tired heads. I've summarized the most popular pillow types and their features so that you can get a sense of what might be most appropriate for you and your preferred sleeping position. Let us see some different kinds of pillow available in the market!

Polyester Pillow Fill

Because of its low cost and a high satisfaction rate by audiences, polyester is the famous pillow fill. This is unfortunately made using the questionable chemicals. Therefore, consumers must be very careful about the environmental hazards and potential health that is linked with long-term exposure and production of polyester.

Advantages of Polyester Pillow:

· Simple to clean

· Very cheap

Disadvantages:

· Short life span

· Hazardous to our health and environment

The polyester pillows are good for side and back sleepers. The stomach sleepers may also appreciate the polyester pillow providing it is not very thick.

Goose Down Pillows

An undercoating of the bird's feathers is known as down. Very specifically, it is a bottom and fluffy part of the bird's feather. Goose down holds the loft up to three times much longer than the synthetic alternatives as well as is soft. The Hungarian goose down (or European goose down) is considered as the best quality of goose down pillows. The down clusters come in pure white as well as larger than other types. The real goose down pillow has only down and no feathers. Often "down" gets sold as the combination of feather and down fill. The feathers are an economical way of adding a little volume, and often feathers' quills may stick through this pillow poking your face when you are sleeping.

Benefits of Goose Down Pillows:

Moldable-The down pillow generally tends to hold the shape well, and offering very good support to your neck and head

Comfortable and light - The down pillows are lightweight (heavy feathers do not work well in flying and are extremely soft

Disadvantages:

· Needs consistent fluffing in order to maintain the loft

· Tough to clean

· Right ones are pricey


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Source by Shalini Madhav
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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How Did Facebook Become So Popular?




Have You Heard Of Facebook?

By now, you are probably familiar with the popular social-networking website called Facebook.

According to Wikipedia, Facebook has more than 19 million registered users across 47,000 regional, work-related, college or high-school networks.

I Was Skeptical At First

Initially, I was very reluctant to embrace the Facebook phenomenon. However, my friends kept asking me "Hey Vincent, are you on Facebook?"..."Did you join Facebook yet" "You need to visit Facebook." This went on for weeks.

Surprisingly, when I checked my Hotmail account, I also received invites from dozens of friends including Andre, David, Trisha, Renee and Kevin

How Did Facebook Become So Popular, So Fast?

Finally, I decided to visit this website called Facebook. Once and for all, I wanted to discover why Facebook is so popular. I wanted to know how they managed to gain millions of members in a few short months? How did they become so big, so fast? I had to know the truth. I wanted to know their secret!

Facebook's Secret Exposed

Aside from having an easy to navigate layout, the ability to keep tabs on friends, great content, and, amazing search capabilities, Facebook is utilizing one of the most powerful viral marketing strategies ever conceived.

It's so simple, but yet extremely powerful.

Once my account was created, I immediately clicked on the friends tab. I noticed a drop down menu with several options including Invite Friends. Once clicked, I was taken to a page that allowed me to Import Email Addresses from my Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, and Gmail.

I was also greeted with the following message:

"Enter your email login info below and Facebook will securely import your contacts from

your address book."

I simply inserted my email address and password and instantly all 78 of my Hotmail contacts appeared before me. With one click of a button, I was able to invite all my contacts to join Facebook.

I Quickly Realized The Power of This Application After using this tool to instantly invite all 78 of my Hotmail contacts; I quickly realized the power of this application! What impressed me the most was how simple it was to import and invite all of my contacts. Unlike traditional tell-a-friend forms, it only took a few seconds to invite 78 people using Facebook's PHP address book importer.

By implementing this viral marketing strategy, Facebook has become one the most popular websites online.

5 Reasons Why Traditional Tell-A-Friend Forms Are Obsolete!


  • They forced your visitors to manually input email addresses.

  • Your visitors must also manually type the name beside each email address.

  • Most forms only have around 10 input fields. Remember, the average person, has over 100 web mail contacts. Why limit yourself?

  • People are lazy. Nobody wants to sit around and insert dozens of email addresses into your form!

  • Ongoing subscription fees.

Once you make the decision to upgrade to a PHP address book importer. You will need to implement a variety of marketing strategies to maximize your success. In other words, simply installing such a script is NOT good enough.

3 Viral Marketing Strategies You MUST Do In Order To EXPLODE Your Online Business

Strategy #1: Motivate Your Visitors!

Let's get real. We live in a very selfish world. I'm sure you have a fabulous website. However, nobody is going tell his or her friends about it without asking the following question what's in it for me? You will be surprised what people will do if you provide the right incentive! Offering Free Giveaways is a good place to start.

Strategy #2: Don't Hide Your Tell-A-Friend Link

Hiding your link is a huge mistake. This is very frustrating to me. Most webmasters will place their tell-a-friend link at the bottom of their web page. They place it in some remote area of their web page and wonder why nobody uses it.

You must add your tell-a-friend link to the main navigation of your website. For example, most websites will have "About us" "Contact Us" "Products" added to the primary navigation. Your tell-a-friend link must also be added to the primary navigation of your website.

Strategy #3: It's All In The Name

Here's an idea. Instead of using the same boring link title "tell-a-friend" Why not say "Free Ipod" "Free Coupon", "Free E-Book" This will cause your visitors to actually click on the link. At that point, you can provide contest details / instructions.

Viral marketing is not a fad or gimmick. It's a real marketing strategy that can increase the profitability of your business. Adding a PHP address book importer to your arsenal will instantly provide your visitors an easy way of inviting others to your website.

Facebook is already utilizing the new technology, shouldn't you?


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Source by Vincent Newton
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Why You Should Want 5,000+ Connections On LinkedIn




Discover the power of LinkedIn connections. I think when many people first discover LinkedIn they are often amazed at how people can have 500+ connections let alone 5,000+ or ​​even 50,000+ I mean how many people can we really know? Most active sales professionals may have 300 to 500 real business contacts but 5,000 or 50,000?

Well, that is simply impossible!

Do you know that Facebook will automatically close down your account if you have more than 5,000 friends! Facebook knows that nobody can have 5,000 real friends so what are LinkedIn connections really for?

LinkedIn is different things to different people.

A senior VP with a major corporation has a position that carries its own passport that opens door everywhere. For this person LinkedIn is a digital Rolodex and nothing more - in fact it is advantageous to keep a lower profile on LinkedIn to avoid having your time wasted by people who want access to the company that employs you.

When the same VP leaves the major corporation to set-up a consulting business he may find that his relative invisibility is now a huge negative. Now, he still needs a Rolodex but he also needs an audience.

The value of a LinkedIn audience?

When you post an update on your LinkedIn activity feed is potentially viewed by millions of people. The more connections, the larger that audience. And the good news is that access is FREE! If you write a compelling update with a link to your website, depending on your audience size that could be worth thousands in a similar Pay-per-click advertisement.

The more LinkedIn connections you have the larger your audience and these can become potential Twitter followers, blog readers, Facebook fan page 'likes', attendees at your speaking engagements or readers of your book. In other words your LinkedIn connections can become influencers in drive business. This audience there and you do not need to spam them with unwanted emails simply write compelling updates.

Would you like to be headhunted?

Even if you never plan self-employment or to launch your own business developing a higher profile is important. For many professionals looking for a new job is a dangerous world for some - if your present employer find out you're looking then you might be considered a liability and not a team player and find yourself not promotable. The answer is to get headhunted. Keep your CV off the job boards and have the job offers discreetly come to you!

Recruiters are always trolling LinkedIn and the higher your profile and the more active you are the more visible you are - this is a good thing! Again this is about audience not connections.

How to get an audience of 5,000 on LinkedIn? It is easier than your think! Joining one of the many LinkedIn Open Networker Groups is a good place to start!

Remember LinkedIn is about The Six Degrees Of Separation not the Old Boys Network!


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Source by Wyn Nathan Davis
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Full Collection of Quran, Naat and Huge Collection of historic, Islamic, fictional and Jasoosi novels with free download link.
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Xbox 360 Metro Dashboard Update




Initial impressions of the new Xbox dashboard are good. The new 'Metro' interface is a big improvement over the previous interface, that was both confusing and boring to look at. Drilling down into the new tiled interface reveals a few things at least are unchanged, the avatar editor being one of them.

Microsoft has called this a media centric update and with all the additional media services that are coming that is certainly true. Looking at the way they have achieved this, by adding an App section and the new App Marketplace, Microsoft seems to be following the lead of the Apple store and the Android Marketplace, although for the time being these are all just media based apps.

Metro style interface
The first thing you notice about this interface are the new tiles. Each menu item on the dashboard contains both large and small rectangular tiles. In general the large tiles contain featured stuff and the smaller tiles, the less important stuff. The web style top menu provides a way to quickly skip between menu items and consist of the following items - bing, home, social, tv, video, games, music, apps, settings.

Bing
Microsoft's Bing Search engine has been installed with the new update and provides a single place to search across all content on your machine and online content within Xbox Live. Initial impressions are good. Text search includes predictive search suggestions which are very useful when you're trying to type with a standard Xbox controller. You can also filter your results by media type eg Video, music, game etc.

Home
DVD Tray - The home menu item contains a tile with the current game, the DVD tray.

Quickplay - Shows 10 recent games, press X to see game details and reveal another Metro style interface.

Welcome Video - Dan Marr from 'Inside Xbox' presents a short welcome video to run you through what's new with the dashboard.

Advert - Microsoft continue to sell ad space on the Xbox, the ad showing today was a BT Infinity advert Large featured tile - Contains a rotating advert for various games, Sky and Lovefilm.

Social
There have been some nice social media integration updates, especially with Facebook.

Friends - a small tile showing your Xbox Live friends.

Sign in / out - no surprise here, it just allow you to sign in / out of profiles

Your Avatar - takes you to message center, avatar and theme settings

Social Apps - drill down to find 3 more apps, Video Kinect, Twitter & Facebook

Twitter
There's no download with this one. They've used the usual speech bubble style Twitter presentation, this time with an animated background. Features include a scrolling Twitter feed, Tweet facility, Free text and Trending searches.

Facebook
Accessing the new Facebook app, leads to a small download. Quite a small download considering the changes they've made.

After being prompted for a username and password. A Privacy screen is shown. There are 2 settings; Display My Xbox Live info and Auto Login with Live connection. Selecting the former will display your Xbox Live gamertag alongside your Facebook name. This is something you may not want if your Facebook page can be accessed by work collections. Working from home and having a quick lunchtime session of Call of Duty would not look good plastered all over Facebook.

The new Facebook interface is not that different from the old one, the major change is how the app integrates with games. You can now search for Facebook friends on Xbox Live and Xbox Live friends on Facebook. Sending a friend request to either service is made very easy.

Tv
Kinect Games - A small tile for Xbox games, a strange place for this, maybe they had nothing else to fill the space.

Only on Xbox - a small tile advert for exclusive to Xbox titles. Again, a strange place to put this.

Featured Tile - The featured tile contains links to both the new Sky Television App and Lovefilm.

New Sky App
This is a very impressive app from Sky and is part of the Sky Go application for online device. Sky subscribers are allowed to register just 2 devices on Sky Go, eg an iPad & Xbox 360. To get started with the Sky app, you must Login with or Register a Sky Id. You can do this using a PC beforehand.

The Sky app provides both Live and on demand video. Selecting Live video reveals a huge number of channels including Sky HD channels. You can also select Live video using the built-in Sky planner.

On demand video is where this app really shines. You can drill down into your favorite TV shows to reveal a list of recent episodes. Selecting Sky Atlantic HD and searching for Carnivale reveals 4 recent episodes. Each video has an availability associated with it eg. 7 days, a duration and data size in MB eg. Carnivale S2 E9 was 496MB in size, but started playing almost immediately after a short advert of course.

The app contains a new Sky community where you can 'Like' videos and add a comment via a menu system, or recommend to a friend. The 4 tier, multiple phrase choice comment menu system is a bit clunky to use, but it beats typing stuff using the controller. Here's an example comment of a comment - 'I was pleased with - the scene - by the end - A great episode!'. It's not great.

You can also search for video content by most recommended, top viewed etc.

The Sky Action wheel (press Y) gives you quick access to the main functions, eg the planner, recent activity etc. After you've installed the Sky App, the Live TV tile takes you directly to a live Sky TV feed. The video on demand tile takes you directly to the Sky Go start page.

LoveFilm App - another featured downloadable App. I'm not a member and could not be bothered to register for the free trial, so I do not have much of a play with this however from what I saw it looked very slick with its Metro style interface.

Video
My Video apps - drills down into your installed video apps, eg Lovefilm, Zune and Media Center

Zune Video Marketplace - Zune, but with an improved Metro style interface Four advert tiles - for paid video content, eg from Lovefilm and Zune

Games
My games - looks like a Full flat list of installed games, but drilling down into the filter tile, reveals another set of tiles with filter options. Eg. Demos, Arcade etc

Game marketplace - New metro tiled view of downloadable games and content 2 advert tiles - contains featured titles.

Music
My Music apps - contains a list of your installed music apps, like Last FM

Zune Music Marketplace - as per usual you can download music videos here, the new metro style tiled interface looks good. 3 advert tiles - for paid music content

Apps
Contains an even sized set of tiles with a list of installed media apps.

App marketplace - lists music, video and social apps and preview tile for each future app. Settings This section contains a nice concise tiled layout. Much the same as it was before.

Beacons
If you're wondering where the new Beacons feature is, it can be found in the Xbox guide. Press the Xbox guide button and it appears on the home screen.

Cloud Saves
The cloud appears as a memory device along the Hard Drive and Memory Unit. The screenshots suggest that each account is allowed about 500MB of storage.

Roaming Profiles
This gives you the ability to use your live account and profile on any Xbox 360 console. We have yet to look at this feature.


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Source by Andrew MacGregor