Addressing this issue offers opportunities for employers to implement supportive policies and for employees to embrace healthier habits, fostering a more productive and thriving work culture. In this article, we’ll examine the link between smoking and productivity and outline actionable strategies for both employers and employees to mitigate its negative consequences.

The link between smoking and productivity

A fact sheet from the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation highlights that tobacco use was one of the greatest variables observed when determining workers’ lost production time (LPT) in the American Productivity Audit. LPT also reportedly increased in relation to the amount smoked, with LPT estimates for workers who reported smoking one pack of cigarettes per day or more was 75% higher than that observed for nonsmoking and ex-smoking workers.

Furthermore, in a study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, researchers found that current smokers are more likely to practice absenteeism and presenteeism. Absenteeism refers to the practice of staying away from work without good reason, while presenteeism refers to the lost productivity that occurs when employees are not fully functioning in the workplace because of an illness, injury, or other condition.

The same study established that smokers report greater overall work impairment and activity impairment than former and never smokers. Importantly, the results of the study suggest that quitting smoking serves to reduce the burden on workplace productivity and activity impairment. This is most exemplified by recent quitters, between 0 and 4 years post-cessation, having a significantly lower impact on absenteeism, presenteeism, and activity impairment compared with current smokers.

What employers can do to reduce smoking in the workplace?

There are several cessation tools and programs that employers can use to help employees quit smoking and boost productivity. For example, a study featured in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society found that a cessation program financially incentivizing quitting led to higher rates of cessation compared to conventional programs. More specifically, the financial incentives, which ranged from $800 to $1,940 per quitter, led to much higher quit rates at 6 months. While some debate exists regarding the responsibility of employers to provide such incentives, it is undeniably in their financial interest to do so, given the correlation between smoking and productivity losses.

On the other hand, employers can turn to behavioral-based smoking cessation programs such as the one by 2Morrow Health. In partnership with Spring Health, 2morrow’s tobacco cessation program takes a holistic approach to quitting, providing smokers with access to coaches, nicotine replacement therapies, and additional tools for weight and stress management. Smokers are also given the option to work with a Spring therapist to address co-occurring mental health needs.

What can employees do to reduce smoking?

For employees who want to break free of their smoking habit, it’s vital to be equipped with smoking alternatives that can alleviate withdrawal symptoms so as not to impact productivity as they quit. Some alternatives to consider are nicotine patches and nicotine pouches. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are able to deliver nicotine to the system smokelessly, meaning that they can be used anywhere without needing to take time away from one’s desk. Rather than being combusted, pouches are simply placed between the lip and gum for the nicotine to be absorbed.

Popular pouch brands such as VELO, Juice Head, and ZYN come in a range of flavors and strengths so that users can tailor their consumption accordingly. Juice Head pouches, in particular, are available in fresh flavors like peach pineapple mint and blueberry lemon mint, making the nicotine experience more enjoyable and facilitating an easier transition to quitting smoking. Additionally, the varying nicotine dosages of 6mg and 12mg allow smokers to gradually taper down on their nicotine intake until they can wean off of it completely.

Healthy Habits

Employees can also enhance their health and productivity further by adopting habits like exercising and spending time outdoors. In our recent post titled A Productivity & Health Guide for Home-Based Entrepreneurs, we discussed the benefits of exercise, such as its ability to improve mood, boost energy, and strengthen heart health. Moreover, exercise has been associated with easing withdrawal symptoms and decreasing cravings for cigarettes.

As organizations strive for peak performance and employees seek to maximize their professional potential, acknowledging and addressing the impact of smoking on workplace productivity becomes significant. By fostering a smoke-free environment, providing resources for smoking cessation, and promoting a culture of wellness, employers can empower their workforce to thrive. Simultaneously, individuals can take proactive steps towards healthier lifestyles, benefiting their own well-being, as well as contributing to a more vibrant and productive workplace.

The post Smoking and Productivity in the Workplace: What Employers and Employees Can Do appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Quillbot is an online-only service. While the free version is available, you’ll need to pay for the premium version to truly take advantage of all the Quillbot paraphrase tool has to offer.

The pricing is straightforward with a premium subscription costing only $20 per month. Plus, Quillbot offers a plagiarism checker that scans 20 pages per month for just $20 (or about 250 words), with additional pages costing only $7.45 cents. And if you’re not completely satisfied, Quillbot even offers a 10% money-back guarantee for 72 hours after you pay up. So, there really is no reason to hold you back. Want to learn more about this incredible tool? Read on.

The Crucial Features of the Quillbot Paraphrase Tool You Must Know

Like every other tool out there, this one, too, is enriched with features that most people don’t even know about. Hence, they are unable to use the Quillbot Paraphrase tool to its full potential. It’s time to understand this tool better so you can extract maximum benefit from it.

• It’s Newbie Friendly

Most people think that the Quillbot tool will be too technical and complicated. They feel that trying to get the hang of it will require them to put in too much time and effort. But the reality is completely different.

The tool is designed to give a head start to beginners. Therefore, here you will get a clean and comfortable working environment. Even if you have no technical background, you will be able to use Quillbot with ease.

• You Can Use It on the Go

There are absolutely no restrictions when it comes to using the Quillbot paraphrasing tool. Since it’s a web-based tool, you can access it from practically anywhere as long as you have a stable internet connection.

With this tool, you have the opportunity to work at your convenience.

• It Has Multiple Modes to Suit Your Requirements

The Quillbot tool is meant to make things easier for you with maximum efficiency. Therefore, it offers many modes that you can select at your convenience.

One of the lesser-known features of Quillbot is its Fluency Mode. This feature enhances the fluidity of the text and corrects grammar mistakes without making any drastic changes to the original content.

However, it is important to note that Fluency Mode is not intended to be used for content creation from an existing text. It’s best used for correcting and perfecting already unique content. Be mindful that adding text from the web may not pass CopyScape, but overall, Fluency Mode is a useful tool in your content creation process. If interested, another option to check out would be Grammarly, which is similar to this tool in many ways.

• You Can Use It to Amp Up the Creativity in Your Writing

If you are striving to take your writing to the next level, Creative+ mode can make quite a difference. This one’s an advanced mode that can change your content for the better.

With this mode, you can turn your existing content into a more creative and expressive piece of writing while also changing its meaning more than you can with the Creative mode. It adds more words to the content, making it unique and enjoyable to read.

• The Tool Can Help You with the Formal Tone Too

Did you know that the Quillbot Paraphrase Tool has a formal mode that can make your content sound more professional?

If you’re someone who consistently works with formal documents, reports, or even business emails, you can now use this mode to paraphrase your content in a more sophisticated manner. This formal mode works by suggesting the rephrasing of text that will make your writing sound more professional and polished. Not only will it help you sound more put-together in your writing, but it will give you a better idea of how to present yourself professionally in various written formats.

• Use the Tool to Adjust Your Writing Style

You can check “paraphrasing quotations” to rewrite quotations using the tool too. If that wasn’t enough, it also has the ability to shorten words and combine two together. This can be incredibly useful when you’re trying to keep your content concise without sacrificing meaning. By checking the “Use Contractions” option, Quillbot can perform contractions.

The usefulness of this feature becomes particularly important if you are trying to express a specific tone or style in your content. In addition, Quillbot also allows for the rewriting of British English phrases. So, if you’re creating content intended for British people, it’s worth checking the “Use UK English” option.

• There’s a Graphical Option, Too, Along with a Grammar Check

Did you know that Quillbot has a sophisticated paraphrasing tool that can help improve your writing? In addition to using it for paraphrasing and summarizing sentences, Quillbot now offers a free grammar checker feature to help you find any spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors all in one place. You can also double-check your work to ensure that you have a polished final product.

The Quillbot tool is also provided with graphical options that enable you to show tips, legends, and feedback sections if you want to control these sections on the page. With the Yellow Highlight tool, you can easily highlight specific areas in your text to draw attention to them.

Plus, the feedback section allows you to keep track of your progress and make adjustments as necessary. Whether you are a student, writer, or professional blogger, these graphical options will help you to maximize your writing experience and produce top-quality content.

Final Thoughts

Quillbot’s paraphrase tool is powerful for writers and researchers out there. Not only is it quick and easy to use, but it also provides a comprehensive selection of options for you to choose from.

The tool is constantly evolving, and the team is always looking for ways to improve user experience and workflow. So if you have any suggestions, you can always reach out to them.

The post 7 Important Things You Didn’t Know About the Quillbot Paraphrase Tool appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Once you’ve gotten everything onto your post, you will want to go back through and condense it to a place where readability is best. It doesn’t have to be perfect the second you finish getting all of your thoughts down. It is important to note that your first idea, no matter how amazing it was, does not have to match your last idea about part of your blog.

Finding your workflow after your workflow is the next hurdle to clear before finishing a great blog. You have done the hard work of putting together the actual blog, and now you need to focus on making the readability and optimization as seamless as possible.

Do not be afraid to move things around if it makes more sense or sounds better with the final layout. This is where you can really start to play around with your paragraph structure and mix and match all the puzzle pieces to fit in a way that makes the most sense and flows effortlessly.

1. Grammarly Premium

Grammarly Premium is not only a great grammar tool but a proofreader and plagiarism finder as well. It is well worth it to upgrade to the premium when you are writing on a heavy schedule and will use to added benefits of the premium plan. There are multiple plans from monthly, quarterly, and annually. The cheapest of which would be annual coming out to $12 per month. Having Grammarly Premium will streamline your editing process to give you several things all at once. You have a deep dive into grammar and sentence structure, as well as available readability replacements underlined.

2. Yoast

Search Engine Optimization is one of the most important parts of blogging. With that being said, Yoast,  or another optimization tool is arguably the most important plug-in to have for your blog. Yoast helps optimize your blog to meet search engine standards. It has a place to find keywords to match your blog to help with optimization.

3. Hemmingway App

Hemmingway is essentially a readability tool. It grades your writing and uses a multicolored system to break apart different areas. You can even edit straight from the app itself. There is a toolbar to keep your writing all in one space so you do not have to continuously copy and paste back and forth when digging through the different colored edits.

5 key colors used:

Red for complete restructure

Yellow for needing a push of change

Purple to take away jargon or complicated text

Green to show passive voice

Blue to show your adverbs.

4. Writer

Writer is an AI app that learns the way you and your team write, and the way you speak to your audience, and takes that into account when creating future content. This app is great for brands trying to up their content but also keep their brand consistency. For bloggers, it does not take away from your overall creative freedom, and you will still be in every step of the process, but with less stress and pressure to find each point of readability and optimization while staying “on brand” or within your typical voice.

5. Word Counter

Though its namesake does give an idea that the app will be a resource for your word count progress, it is also a tool to help you keep track of the actual words and their uses. For example, it will help you see if there is a word you have repeated a few too many times. This helps with sentence structure, flow, and readability. The ease of use of this tool is a simple copy and paste into their website for it to tally your final word count to make sure you hit your marks, but it will also highlight the top 10 keywords from the post to ensure you are not overusing or underusing a term of importance.

Conclusion

Blog editing can be a quick process, or a lengthy process depending on how put together your original draft was. There is no exact method for editing, but you will be able to craft your own workflow that is the most helpful for you. Take these tips and begin moving your editing process around to find the best method for your own specific madness that is the writing process.

The post Blog Editing for Your Posts and 5 Tools That Will Help You appeared first on The Blog Herald.

If you feel like your blogging isn’t relevant anymore, here are a few tips and tricks to keep it feeling alive. 

Word Count

Staying within a specific world count will help your readers stay engaged and feel fulfilled. The happy medium of 500-1500 words will do just that for your readers. Of course, it does depend on the type of blog you run and how long your typical niche runs. You don’t want to be vastly different from others in your field, but it is healthy to push the envelope and stand out from the crowd. 

Stay in the Know

Do your research! Most times people ask if blogging is dead because they see posts that are no longer relevant. Though it’s typically the hardest part of the job, staying on top of trends and popular topics is a must for blogging and creating any customer-facing content. After all, if the customers will not relate to it, there is no need to create it.   

Engagement

While trends themselves are important to keep track of, your readers should be even higher on the importance scale. Your blog would be nowhere as fulfilling without your regulars that constantly support each and every post. Engaging in comment sections with them, or even commenting on their blogs if they have one and you are mutual supporters. This does not have to stop on your website, try engaging through social media. This not only will make you happier as the writer, but it will make your readers feel a sense of belonging. That is the reason they most likely were drawn to your blog from the beginning. 

Add Images, Graphics, and Videos

Along with keeping the customers on your blog, you will need to keep their eyes engaged as well. Getting them there is the easy part, keeping them there is the hard part. It is a good idea to involve multiple points for the eye to catch on a page. If they are only looking at words while scrolling down a page, they are more likely to get bored, as humans typically have short attention spans. If you break up your words with a photo or video, the eyes have a brief break and you have regained their attention for a bit more. 

Plug-Ins

Whether you are new to owning a blog or a seasoned veteran, you know that plug-ins are extremely important to blogging. The big question is do you have the most helpful plug-ins for your blog? Some of my favorites are Yoast SEO, MonsterInsights, and Mailster, which can be used outside of WordPress. 

Old School Peer Review

A good old-fashioned peer review is a tried and true way to maintain quality work. Having a peer who is an expert in your field, or a mentor read over your blog can be a great way to see where you are. This should be someone you trust to give you honest feedback, and you should be open to receiving that feedback. After all, this is about growth and finding a path for your blog to maintain relevance. 

Conclusion

Keeping up with the times will never go out of style. So, is blogging dead? After reading this blog, you know of several tips to stay on top of all the right trends to keep your own blog alive and well.

The post Is Blogging Dead? Keep Your Content Relevant in 2023 appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Overview

Grammarly as a whole was created to be AI-generated too, to help with writing fluidity, grammar, and spelling. At its core, the goal was to make writing better, whether that was a quick email or an academic dissertation. The free and paid versions of Grammarly give suggestions for spelling, sentence structure, grammar, and word substitutions. You can upload a document into Grammarly to have it check for errors once completed, or you can add it as an extension to your browser so that you can have your work checked in real-time. Grammarly also works with IOS and Andriod keyboards to edit your texts and emails from your mobile device.

Let’s break it down.

Money

Understandably, the biggest point of interest regarding upgrading your Grammarly plan is how much it will cost. How much will you be shelling out each month for the added benefits? Grammarly Premium starts at $12 per month at the lowest price and longest period of time. Paying month by month will cost you around $30 while opting for a quarterly plan will be $20. Paying annually will even out to the aforementioned $12 per month,  which, when you calculate it, is 40 cents per day. It costs 40 cents to have an AI-generated assistant correct and give suggestions on everything from your text messages, emails, and updates, to your term papers, memos, and newsletters. For reference, a Netflix subscription costs $15.49 per month for their standard plan right now, meaning it supports two devices at one time.

What’s the difference 

We have been over the fact that the free plan takes care of the basics, meaning spelling, grammar, and sentence structure suggestions. Premium has over 400 types of checks as well as performance reports, going far beyond their free counterpart.

Some notable upgrades in the Premium plan include but are not limited to:

1. Tone Detection

While the free version gives a hint at the tone, Premium does a complete deep dive into different tones of your writing including formal, informal, informative, confident, and more.

2. Plagiarism Detection and Citation Formatting 

A one-stop shop for checking for plagiarism and correct references rather than using a separate website or application.

3. Full Sentence Rewrites

Possibly my favorite benefit to the premium plan, Grammarly suggests full sentence rewrites when giving correction suggestions to your written content. Instead of guessing what needs to be fixed, it is giving you the answers at the click of a mouse.

Draw Backs

Though Grammarly works with different variations of the English language including American, British, Canadian, and Australian English, the flexibility ends there. Grammarly does not yet support any other languages. This can be a significant con if you work in a field that requires you to use them. Or if you are multilingual and want to provide the same crispness to your writing and messages in all languages.

Verdict

So in our review of Grammarly Premium, it is absolutely worth it if the added benefits are something you would typically use every day for work or school. Someone in college or a job that entails writing lots of newsletters, memos, or emails would benefit greatly from upgrading to premium. For someone who doesn’t do a ton of writing, the free version would most likely work out just fine. But if the extra money is in your budget, the added perks are great for anyone.

The post A Review of Grammarly Premium: Is It Worth It? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Some blogs showcase new music of all genres while others stick to their niche. The same goes for popular artists as well as artists that are more underground or are still trying to get on their feet.

Each site typically has an email pop-up that will grant you access to all the latest drops to read immediately. Your playlists will thank you for subscribing to any and/or all of the sites below.

Here are 7 of my favorites

1. Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a classic for a reason. They constantly recommend the most popular songs across all genres and dive into the artists as well. They have cemented themselves as experts in the music industry not only by finding the best new songs and showcasing them but to help you discover and get to know the newest stars in the industry.

2. Billboard

As one of the biggest music blog platforms, Billboard produces lists that are shared by millions like the Hot 100 and Global 100. Those songs tend to be the end-all-be-all for that week in the music industry because of how important the lists are. You can find blogs about new songs, upcoming artists, reviews, music videos, and more.

3. Pitchfork

Like Rolling Stone and Billboard, Pitchfork also rolls out new music and the latest news that goes along with it regarding artists or statistics. They pride themselves on being trusted news sources in an otherwise unpredictable setting. They give you access to recaps of merchandise, album drops, tour updates, and music videos for artists that can truly be difficult to keep up with due to the nature of their lives.

4. Earmilk

If you are a fan of underground music, this is the blog for you. Earmilk produces content involving the artists you want to hear about but didn’t know you wanted to hear about them. They have a team of journalists, musicians, and music fans who all share their passion for music by doing the hard work of discovering music so their readers can reap the benefits easily.

5. Under the Radar

Indie fans will love Under the Radar because it contains in-depth interviews with popular, and rising stars of indie artists and bands. It also showcases the latest releases and produces lists to help fans discover the best of Indie at any given moment.

6. Ultimate Classic Rock and Culture

Just as the name indicates, fans of classic rock will be able to feel right at home with this blog. Ultimate Classic Rock and Culture bring fans the latest classic rock updates. It also brings lists, videos, and of course blog posts. They typically share posts 24 hours a day and keep them coming throughout the day. This way fans always have something new to see.

7. This Song is Sick

This Song is Sick started as a small blog in 2010 by a man who wanted to share his favorite music that he found with others. Now, it’s a team full of dedicated music lovers on the hunt to bring fans the best of the best across all genres. Readers can even submit their own or a friend’s music to be featured using their submission process.

Wrap Up

Whether you are in the market for new music, blogs, or both, this list is a guide to the best. No matter what genre or style you are searching for. You may even discover a new favorite that you have been given a chance to yet. That is the beauty of music and sharing music with others.

The post Update Your Playlists with These Music Blogs appeared first on The Blog Herald.

What is a Mission Statement? 

Mission statements describe the organization’s fundamental purpose for existing. When you think about the most famous nonprofits for life-altering diagnoses, it is clear exactly their purpose. When writing a mission statement, your job is to make your nonprofit’s purpose clear to those it reaches. It not only shows who the nonprofit is at its core but shows who it serves and benefits, as well as how it serves and benefits them.

Some nonprofits have a difficult time showing the difference between their mission and vision statements. A vision statement focuses more on the nonprofit’s goals, rather than the actual plan to carry out that goal within the mission statement.

Why it Matters for Nonprofits 

Internally

Within a nonprofit, a mission statement serves as a guide to keep everyone on the same page as they are all working towards one collective goal. This provides a cohesive working environment and keeps staff focused on the big picture.

Externally

Outside of the nonprofit, the mission statement acts as a line of transparency into the walls of the organization. It shows exactly what the nonprofit is working towards, and how others could help their cause.

Structure

You may be wondering what the proper length for a mission statement is. Mission statements should be quite short in length. No more than two sentences are ideal for a nonprofit to get its message across and easily show exactly what they are providing with its services. The public will want to know several things within those two sentences:

1. Why is your nonprofit here
2. What purpose does it serve
3. Who does it serve
4. How does it serve them

Final Touch

Once you can answer each of those questions you will be ready to start constructing your mission statement. Although it is only two sentences, the same editorial hand should go over it the same as it would a term paper.

It is important to remember that whether you are writing a mission statement by yourself on behalf of the nonprofit, or you are writing it as a team, disagreements will happen, and that’s what rough drafts are for. Everyone is working for the same goal, or mission, for the nonprofit. Exemplary nonprofit organizations did not come up with their successful mission statements overnight or take lots of dedication to the cause and passion to make it as top-notch as possible.

The final version of a nonprofit mission statement should outline a clear, simple, informative, and passionate value of why the nonprofit is in business. The finalized mission statement should be referenced often within the organization and put for the public to see as well. Mission statements are known to live on organization websites, flyers for events, business cards, grant applications, and anywhere else the nonprofit prefers to share its name.

Conclusion

After reading this blog you should know why a mission statement is important, how they differ from vision statements, and what they should contain. Now you can get started on writing one for an amazing nonprofit organization.

The post A Quick Guide to Writing Mission Statements for Nonprofits appeared first on The Blog Herald.

You’re ready to work with a mentor once you understand the basic blogging concepts and techniques (you don’t want to burden someone with questions you can easily answer yourself by reading a couple articles). Then, take a stab at propping up a blog for yourself and posting some content. After you’ve familiarized yourself with the basics and created a fledgling blog, a mentor can help you get to the next level.

Top Reasons to Get Yourself a Blogging Mentor

Motivational support. Blogging can be a lonely experience, and at first, your blog may not receive many accolades or much attention. In addition to being a teacher and a guide, a mentor is a coach who wants to motivate you to reach your goals. If you’re feeling lost or distressed about blogging, communicate this to your mentor and talk through it. You’ll probably find that your mentor has experienced some of the same feelings and has surmounted the challenges in certain ways that you can follow.

Guidance. For design, you’ll find out what works functionally and aesthetically, and what should be avoided. For writing, you’ll learn about using catchy headlines, following the rules of grammar and employing good structure. A mentor will look at what you’ve created and give you advice on making your content more entertaining, inspiring, and engaging while also being useful to readers. They will be willing to teach you about SEO and how to open an income stream with ads or an online store.

Name recognition. A well-known mentor who has been featured on other sites is probably a knowledgeable mentor. Being connected to other high-profile bloggers helps establish your own authority. Their name will lend credibility to your own blog and help drive traffic to your site, especially if they’re willing to add you to their blogroll. Make sure to get their authorization before advertising that they mentored you.

Networking. Not the computerized kind, but professional and personal networking. Knowing a successful expert in your field will connect you to others and expand your social circle to include other knowledgeable people. Look outside of the blogosphere for networking opportunities. “A successful professional career does not exist in a vacuum,” comments John Foy, attorney and founder of John Foy and Associates. “You need to build up your online presence and your brand if you want to make headway in the future.” If you blog about pets, for instance, find out if your city hosts any associations or conventions for breeders, trainers, veterinarians and such, and attend some of their meetings. When you’re there, be sure to tell people about your blog and what you’re trying to achieve, and you’ll probably receive lots of advice, whether you want it or not.

How to Find a Blogging Mentor

Finding a mentor is probably easier than you think because you may already know him or her. Think about someone online or in your life who’s a success in their field and blogs about it. Are you currently following any blogs that you respect as good examples? Check their media history and look for lots of followers on social media. Look for a blogger who is demonstrating a willingness to give away information generously, since that’s a good sign that they’ll be willing to help you. Have they published courses or eBooks to help people learn more about their field? If so, that means they have an aptitude and desire to teach.

Begin interacting with this person by commenting on their posts and videos. After you establish a rapport, inform them of your blogging project and ask for some advice. Show your appreciation by thanking them and, above all else, putting their advice into action. Repeat the process by asking for further input on what you’ve done.

The final stage is to become a mentor yourself. Mentoring, like blogging to some extent, is a matter of giving people more than you receive. Teaching also has its own intangible rewards. Helping others as you have been helped is gratifying. It will also help you codify your ideas into useful lessons, which you can then share with others by (what else?) blogging about it.

Helping people in a friendly way is really what blogging is all about, and that factor should take precedence over Google ranking, Twitter followers, and ad revenue. A good mentor is, above all, a good friend. Friends try to understand what you’re going through, whether good or bad. Mentors, like friends, will celebrate your successes and help pick you back up when you slip. This is why you should not be shy about seeking a mentor, because a good one will welcome taking on that role for you.

Let us know how you found your blogging mentor in the comments below!

First published in 2018; updated December 2021

The post How Do I Get Myself a Blogging Mentor? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Crisp vs Apple Retail Limited UK

Samuel Crisp probably didn’t know when he posted comments about his job at Apple on Facebook that he’d eventually be dismissed for what he said. When Apple officials saw the status updates criticizing his work and changing the Apple slogan to express his discontent with his job, they let him go. Crisp felt he’d been unfairly fired, so he sued Apple for unfair dismissal. The court found in favor of Apple. Since Crisp had received employment materials and training that taught him not to damage the company’s image on social networking sites, the court found that his comments were a breach of the policies.

Use your privacy settings judiciously. Different social networking sites have different options, so consider your audience before posting anything. Updates criticizing your employer, for example, should be left to those who aren’t affiliated with work – or left in your head and not online.

Elonis vs United States

When his wife left him, taking their children, Anthony Elonis took to Facebook. He posted violent rap lyrics from a song that talked about fantasies of killing the rapper’s ex-wife. Elonis also made threats against other people he knew. He was brought to court on five charges of making threats, based on federal anti-threat statute 18 U.S.C. § 875(c). At the hearing, Elonis argued that his posts were artistic expression and a therapeutic release from the problems in his life. The court felt otherwise. He was found guilty of four of the five charges and sentenced to several years in jail. The Supreme Court later overturned his sentence, however.

Before making a post on a social media site, think about how people might interpret your words. Even if you feel they aren’t negative or damaging, a viewer might disagree. Never post anything online that you wouldn’t want to own up to publicly.

Harris vs Harris

When Thomas Harris and Melanie Harris divorced, Thomas’s Facebook posts were one piece of admissible evidence that led to Melanie getting custody of their child. He had made posts to Facebook about his ex-wife that were threatening, kept her from seeing their child, and refused to give her information about their child. In addition, Thomas traveled frequently and left the child in the care of his girlfriend – who was found in the Facebook evidence to be liking his violent posts about his ex-wife.

Divorce is thorny and complicated legal ground, especially if you have children. Finding a professional who can advise you on how to protect your social media profiles, what you can post, and what you shouldn’t post is essential as soon as possible. As Family Law Brief suggests, look into hiring a good divorce attorney who specializes in the complexities of your specific divorce.

Crowe vs Marquette Transportation Company Gulf-Inland LLC

After a supposed workplace injury, Brannon Crowe sued Marquette Transportation for financial compensation, including medical expenses, past and future disability, and other damages. After the suit was filed, Marquette obtained possession of a Facebook message Crowe sent to a friend, explaining that he’d actually hurt his knee while he was fishing. In court, Marquette requested Crowe’s Facebook account information in discovery. Crowe argued that his account had been hacked, that the account was not his, and that he did not have a Facebook account. It was found that he’d deactivated it when he made that statement, four days after receiving the request for access to the account. He was ultimately forced to give his Facebook information to the attorneys.

Remember that social media posts can be a type of evidence that you have a duty to preserve. Also keep in mind that even private posts made or exchanged on social media can come back to haunt you in court. Plan accordingly when using social media accounts to communicate.

Romano vs Steelcase Inc.

A similar case involves a woman, Kathleen Romano, who fell at work and then said she was permanently injured and needed several different surgeries. Since she was sitting in a chair when she fell, her claim that the chair was defective could have put the onus of her future wages, disability, and other financial obligations on her employer. Steelcase subpoenaed Romano’s Facebook and Myspace pages, though the request wasn’t granted right away. Steelcase argued that public information seen on those sites indicated that Romano’s claims about her injuries weren’t in line with the reality, and that she had traveled and been active at times when she claimed her injuries kept her from doing so. The court decided that Romano’s Facebook and Myspace pages didn’t come with a reasonable expectation of privacy.

It’s important not to expect your social media pages to stay private. Consider them a journal that anyone could pick up off your desk or bring to court as proof of your private thoughts and activities. Since even innocuous actions can appear to be inconsistent with certain claims, expect social media to be used in court when it might give the other side an advantage.

As long as social media profiles and messages can be admissible in court, keep yours professional and only include things you’d want to be seen by others. The courts have repeatedly allowed opposing counsel to access and review social media pages in different types of hearings. Since social media is such an ingrained part of modern life, expect that it will become an even bigger feature in court cases in years to come.

Social Media and Law Enforcement

The post 5 Court Cases Where Social Media Played a Part appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Here are several business entrepreneurs who still find the time to share their life experience.

Gary Vaynerchuck

Since the days of his family’s wine business and his earliest videos made to promote this little-known business, Gary V has been aware that pro-active promotion was necessary to grow the business substantially. You couldn’t simply sit back and expect the customers to roll into the store. Sure, some would see the building and stop to check out the wine supply, but to reach any kind of critical mass it was necessary to get the word out in a big way.

Today, Gary is CEO at his own company Vayner Media, they offer web design, social media and other aspects of digital media on the cutting edge. Their client list reads like a Fortune 500 Who’s Who.

He continues to share his experiences through his Daily Vee YouTube show that has a huge following, and his prolific use of both Instagram, and Snapchat, the latter of which he’s also a strategic investor in.

Aleksander Vitkin

As a business consultant and YouTuber, Aleksander hops from country to country with a never-ending travel schedule. He previously was the Marketing Director for Real Social Dynamics, the dating training company. He’s taken his experience in that role to help other business entrepreneurs find greater levels of success by getting them over the hump when they hit problems.

His mastermind program has graduated 400 students so far. The training includes many of the often-seen mistakes by newbie entrepreneurs who were making it up as they went along. When he’s not coaching his clients or globetrotting, he publishes the Daily Business Hustle podcast.

Tai Lopez

Tai Lopez has become well-known for his Book of the Day show that encourages readers to read more. His YouTube videos often feature expensive homes and supercars which aim to encourage viewers that you can be as successful as Tai Lopez if you work at it.

Tai offers several training programs for entrepreneurs at different levels of development. These focus on what he’s learned from private investing as an angel investor in several companies, what he’s learned from running his own businesses successfully, and also synthesizing lessons he’s picked up from the many books he’s read over the years.

Adam Snyder

Adam Snyder is a young business owner who has been involved with online business for the past few years. Whilst he’d never tell someone not to go to college, he doesn’t feel it’s completely necessary if you plan to be an entrepreneur. College studies tend to teach students how to be a good employee, but lack training on how to think or behave like an entrepreneur.
With his HomeMadeEntrepreneur branding, Adam publishes YouTube videos and a blog that covers important business topics. His focus is mainly around online business and creating a series of diversified income streams over time. He has a membership group run under a monthly subscription and several training programs to help business owners progress in their entrepreneurial journey.

When you’ve been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, it’s best to learn from people who’ve already succeeded where you haven’t yet. The above entrepreneurs share part of their life journey, business secrets, and key insights to help others, which should shortcut your own journey to success.

How Facebook Can Build Or Destroy An Entrepreneur’s Career

The post Learn from Business Entrepreneurs Who Take the Time to Train Others appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The laws discussed below only apply to bloggers living in the United States. If you’re not a resident of the United States, your own laws may be very different. For example, while the United States permits Holocaust denial and other forms of repugnant speech, the German government is not as lenient.

According to Sherwin Arzani, a civil attorney in Los Angeles, CA, “This doesn’t give you a right to speak without consequence, however. It’s important to remember that this amendment is all about the relationship between citizens and the government: it doesn’t protect you from other citizens.”

1. The First Amendment

“The Bill of Rights” by Ted Mielczarek (CC BY 2.0)

As misunderstood as it is lauded, the First Amendment’s protections are the bedrock of a free press and free society. The amendment protects citizens from suppression of speech and censorship by the government, allowing citizens to say just about anything they want without fear of government action against them.

This doesn’t give you a right to speak without consequence, however. It’s important to remember that this amendment is all about the relationship between citizens and the government: it doesn’t protect you from other citizens. It does not protect you against the consequences of your speech from private citizens (being mocked, for example), nor does it require anyone to listen to your speech. And some types of speech are even excluded from the protections of the First amendment. Narrow categories of speech are not protected, like obscenity, child pornography, inciting “imminent lawless action” (calling on a crowd to riot), true threats (not hyperbole or humor) and defamation.

2. Copyright Law and Fair Use

Copyright grants the creator of a work the exclusive right to control use and distribution of that work for a limited time. Currently, the term of copyright for new works by U.S. citizens is the life of the author plus 70 years. Works are copyrighted instantaneously when they are “fixed in a tangible medium of expression,” without the need for any further action on the part of the author. For example, the second you write a blog post, you own the copyright to that blog post.

Copyright law comes up most frequently for bloggers when illustrating their blog posts with photographs or illustrations. If you didn’t create the content, and it’s not in the public domain, you need to get permission from the author to use their work. This doesn’t necessary mean you have to pay them, but you do need permission.

There’s a tricky exemption to copyright law, called “fair use.” This doctrine holds that copyrighted material can be used for certain purposes without permission from the author. The logic is that the public will gain some value from your use of the copyrighted material, so it should be permitted.

Determining the validity of a fair use claim is tricky, but these uses typically have to be non-profit educational uses, criticism or parody. The use must also be “transformative,” meaning it’s legally distinct from the original work and does not intend to supersede or replace it. The use shouldn’t damage the value of the work, nor should it use substantial portions of the work.

For example, if you write a review of an album, it’s perfectly reasonable to quote lyrics from the album as part of your review. It is not reasonable, however, to post every track from the album on your blog for visitors to download.

It’s important to remember that fair use is a defense evaluated by courts, so there’s no guarantee that what you think is fair use counts as fair use until a court says so. This makes fair use claims tricky unless they clearly follow an existing legal precedent.

3. Libel and Defamation

“Libel” by Nick Youngson (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Libel laws exist to prevent people from being lied about without repercussion. Speaking broadly, if a published statement is found to be defamatory and untrue, it constitutes libel, and the publisher can be on the hook for substantial monetary damages.

There are some major defenses to libel lawsuits. Substantial truth is the most important defense. If a factual statement is accurate, it cannot be found libelous, no matter how damaging it might be. Other defenses include statements made in good faith with a reasonable belief in their veracity, personal opinions and reasonable comments on public events.

In the United States, public figures (like celebrities and politicians) have a much higher standard for libel suits. If someone is a public figure, they must show that any libelous statement was made maliciously, with full knowledge of its falseness or a reckless disregard for the truth. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in changing this aspect of libel law, but so far nothing concrete has materialized.

4. Anti-SLAPP Laws

SLAPP stands for “strategic lawsuit against public participation,” and it’s a strategy used by corporations to illegally restrict damaging speech.

Let’s say you break a story about a mattress company, correctly stating that their products contain carcinogenic chemicals. Because your statement is factually correct, it cannot be considered libel. However, the story is highly damaging to the mattress company, so they decide to to sue you for libel to enjoin its publication even though they know the lawsuit is baseless. Now you’re just a small defenseless blogger, and you can’t go toe-to-toe with a large mattress company in court. The discovery process alone would probably bankrupt you. So you comply, removing the blog post to avoid getting sued into the ground by the mattress company. You’ve just been SLAPPed.

Some jurisdictions have laws in place to prevent this kind of abuse of the legal system. In California, for example, there’s an expedited process for evaluating the merit of potential SLAPP lawsuits, freezing frivolous suits until the plaintiff can prove the lawsuit is not simply vexatious. If an anti-SLAPP finding is supported, the plaintiff must pay a mandatory fine and cover the defendant’s attorney’s fees.

Twenty-seven other U.S. states (plus D.C.) have anti-SLAPP laws in place, but you’ll often find differences between each state’s implementation. Get familiar with the laws that affect you at the Public Participation Project’s website.

5. Privacy Law

In some jurisdictions, publishing private information can land bloggers in hot water. In California, for example, if you disclose a private fact that is “offensive to a reasonable person” but not a matter of legitimate public concern, you can be sued for violating that person’s privacy. The newsworthiness is really the key distinction here. If something to considered important to the public discourse, it can be published regardless of how thoroughly it violates someone’s privacy.

Outside the U.S., European Union countries, Canada and England all have distinct privacy laws that might affect bloggers. Make sure that you’re aware of the legislation in your home district, and stay on the right side of the law.

6. Section 230 Protections

Section 230 refers to Section 230 of Title 47 of the United States Code, which protects “interactive computer service providers” from liability for some content published by third parties using their services. This includes ISPs like Comcast, service providers like Google, and even bloggers like you and me.

The law states that such providers cannot be held responsible for content published through their platform by third parties. This means that if someone were to post a libelous comment on your blog, you could not be held liable for its contents. Section 230 does not apply to intellectual property law (that’s the DMCA’s territory) but it will protect you against many other claims, including negligent misrepresentation, defamation, breach of contract and more. For more information about Section 230, including how approving comments affects your Section 230 protections, check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s excellent breakdown.

7. Reporter’s Privilege/Shield Laws

“Interview Radio 4” by Minister-president Rutte (CC BY 2.0)

Most U.S. states and D.C. have reporter’s privilege laws, also known as shield laws. These protections allow journalists to keep the names of their sources and unpublished information confidential during legal investigations. If the courts find that you’re a legitimate journalist, you’re eligible for those protections.

While no federal shield law exists, the Justice Department has internal guidelines in place to protect reporters during the course of federal investigations. While these guidelines do not carry the force of law, they do provide some protection to reporters at the national level.

But how do you know if the court would consider you a journalist? Courts use a multi-factor test to determine someone’s status as a journalist. They’ll evaluate whether you had the intention to share information with the public, and and determine whether that intent existed when you began the “newsgathering process.” Courts have repeatedly held that “non-traditional” journalists like book authors and documentary filmmakers qualify for these protections.

You can learn more about the reporter’s privilege laws that affect you from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Conclusion

Good knowledge of these laws should help you prevent a lawsuit, or help you figure out what to do if you do get sued. If something you’ve written has landed you in legal trouble, you should contact an advocacy group (like the EFF) or a lawyer for legal help.

Social Media and Law Enforcement

The post 7 Laws Every Blogger Must Know to Avoid Lawsuits appeared first on The Blog Herald.

In many countries, journalists and bloggers are censored and threatened with punishment for mentioning anything critical of their government or country. However, many still feel a need to publish their concerns and raise awareness. Unfortunately, several of these writers faced death because of this need. Let’s take a look at some recent instances of bloggers who were killed because of their content.

U.S. Bangladeshi Blogger, Avijit Roy

Avijit Roy was a well known atheist and advocator for secularism. On his blog, Free Mind, he was very critical of Islamist hardliners. His writings upset many extremists in the religion, especially those in his home country of Bangladesh. It was in Febraury 2015, when he and his wife visited Bangaladesh for a university event. The couple were walking back from a book fair, when they were ambushed by militants. The couple was attacked and Roy was hacked to death. His wife was also injured in the attack. After killing Roy, the attackers dropped their meat cleavers and disappeared into the crowd.

While it was unclear who was responsible for his death, local police explained to the BBC that they were investigating a local hard-line religious group. The group had posted several praises of the murder online.

Roy’s father spoke out against the crime and hoped the killers would be punished to the full extent of the law.

“This Bangladesh which was built by the blood-sacrifice of the martyrs has now turned into a den of militants,” he said.

While no individual arrests have been made, Roy’s life and work live on.

Ahmed Rajib Haider

Roy’s murder was a reminder of yet another blogger’s death, Ahmed Rajib Haider in 2013. Haider was another atheist blogger from Bangladesh.

Similar to Roy, Haider was hacked to death by college students that had been radicalized by Islamic extremists. Fortunately, the two machete-wielding attackers were able to be identified and arrested. They were both sentenced to death in December 2015, two years after Haider’s murder. Authorities explain that Haider became their target after organizing protests against Islamic leaders.

Since these two Bangladeshi bloggers deaths, five other secular bloggers have been murdered in the country. The incidents have garnered attention to the region’s censorship of their citizens and hatred of secular viewpoints.

Xulhaz Mannan and Mahbub Tonoy

Yet another story of a blogger’s murder in Bangladesh. This time these activists were not targeted because of their anti-Islamic protests, this time is was because of the sexual preferences. Mannan and Tonoy were both well known support for gay rights. In fact, Mannan was the editor of a popular transgender publication. The couple was attacked and killed by attackers that broke into Mannan’s apartment.

A group associated with Al-Qaeda quickly took responsibility for the killings, despite threats from the country’s prime minister that punishment would be severe. Homosexuality is still illegal in the country. However, many are still open with their decision to live the lifestyle they please and many have paid the price with their life.

In all of the cases, the victims’ families fought for justice. It is important to note that bloggers have been targeted and even killed around the world, even in the United States. While these examples all occurred in Bangladesh, it is important to note that many others instances have taken place globally. Legal experts around the world explain that if a blogger or writer ever feels threatened or if a victim’s family is looking for justice, they should immediately seek help. Also, always practice caution when writing about sensitive topics. It is possible to be passionate about a topic while protecting yourself.

The post 4 Bloggers Who Were Killed Because Of Their Content appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Here are some of the reasons why you should never accept less than what your work is worth from an employer and never compromise.

Because… Your Integrity Should Come First

When you start as a freelancer, the one thing on your mind is “I need to land a job”. Which is what you should be thinking. But the one mistake most freelancers do is rush to get any job, give their all to get it done, only to end up, after a week of hard work, with enough money to get a Starbucks and the idea that freelancing is not worth it.

Even as a newbie you need to know how much your work is worth and accept nothing less. Try asking for enough to support yourself at first. And if you need to make an idea how much that means, a cost of living calculator can help.

Because… Low Fees Typically Lead to…More Low Fees

Accepting low paid jobs also affects the market as a whole. Even if you give up after the first job, the employer would have gotten what he wanted and the next time he will offer a job it will be for the same pay, or even less.

And if someone else ends up taking that job then more employers will want cheaper services and even more freelancers will end up underpaid.

Because… Offering Discounts Is Not Worth It On the Long Run

Employers will always try to haggle with you at the start of a project, wanting to spend as little money as possible on something they need done. The less you accept for this job, the less they will expect to pay for the next.

And considering a job well done for someone is usually followed by another project, you really need to be careful when making discounts to avoid ending up underpaid.

Because… Deviating from the Payment Schedule Will Only Be to Your Detriment

Some of the best paid projects take a lot of time (months even) to complete. Always set up a payment schedule with your client and do not take a missed payment lightly. If you deliver on time, so should the client.

Because… Not Following the Official Payment Methods Will Usually Lead to You Being Scammed

Worse than little pay is no pay, and the sad reality is that some employers will actively try to cheat. Be very careful how you agree to get paid and always try to use the built-in payment systems most freelancing websites have set up.

Related: 8 Work-at-Home Scams Every Freelance Writer Should Be Aware Of

Alternative means of payment are based on informal agreements between the two parties and are always prone to scams.

Because… The Quality of Your Portfolio Always Decides Your Success

One of the best things you can do for yourself when you begin freelancing is post a portfolio of previous work on the website you chose. If, for whatever reason, you haven’t done that, employers will often ask for sample work (chances are they will do that even if you have a portfolio).

Be careful when providing it. Always present something short, that shows what you can do without providing something that can actually be used.

Because… There’s No Such Thing as “First time free”

Other employers may try to convince you to work on something small for them for free with the promise of more work for better than average pay in the future. Do not accept. The chances are you’ll never hear from that employer again and even if you do, see the above on discounts.

Because… Not Setting Up a Clear Schedule Only Leads to Frustrations

Say you’ve landed a job where you need to be available for your employer and he/she calls you outside the agreed hours. Do you answer? You should, maybe it’s an emergency. But your first question should be whether it can be postponed until next time you are available and how will you get paid if you do it now. Don’t, and you’ll end up working on Friday evening with no pay.

Because… You Know Better

Too many freelancers (especially the more techy ones) chose to advance their knowledge in their field of work, forgetting that they start and end a job by talking to someone. Read a bit on negotiation and customer care techniques to help you get a well-paid job as well as better understand what your clients want from you. You can find some tips and tricks here.

Because… This Is Your Job and Not Your Hobby

The utmost mistake a lot of new freelancers do is think of it as a hobby and not a real job. They accept lower wages, overlook unfair clients and sometimes even give up on a project out of the blue more easily. Don’t. Think hard before deciding if you want to do this or not and be serious about it.

Hopefully, these few tips will help both new and experienced freelancers have and provide better experiences in their future projects.

Amanda Wilks is a Boston University graduate and a Contributing Editor at Salary Site. She has a great interest in everything related to job-seeking, career-building, and entrepreneurship and loves helping people reach their true potential.

The post 10 Reasons Why You Should Never Compromise As a Freelancer appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Let’s just agree to disagree. However, there is something even more interesting about the controversial punctuation mark. Where did it come from? Who the heck thought to add it to the list of other English language quirks. Also known as the Harvard or serial comma, there is an interesting backstory to the whole thing.

According to a 2015 post by Jasso Lamberg, the Oxford comma can be traced back to one person: Herbert Spencer. Spencer was a classic Victorian generalist known for his philosophy. In fact, his favorite was “survival of the fittest.”

Lamberg’s post make plenty of interesting revelations, such as how the punctuation mark got its name.

“It’s known as the Oxford comma because it was traditionally used by printers, readers, and editors at Oxford University Press,” writes Lamberg. “Oxford comma n. [after the preferred use of such a comma to avoid ambiguity in the house style of Oxford University Press] a comma immediately preceding the conjunction in a list of items.”

It is still unclear exactly where it was used first, even though Spencer seems to take the claim. There is one thing we can agree on, the Oxford comma will continue to be one of most debated parts of the writing ever.

Do you use the Oxford comma?

The post Here’s What You Don’t Know About The Oxford Comma appeared first on The Blog Herald.

There’s a reason why blogs went from 0 to 150 million in 20 years.

In fact, here are at least five solid reasons:

1. Blogging is a good way to stay on top of your field.

We’ve been hearing for years that the best way to make money is to lead the field. You do that by knowing everything there is to know about it. In other words, to get to the top, you have to be a perpetual student of your craft.

Blogging is a way to be that kind of business owner. The type who knows their stuff inside-out and back-to-front. The type who could write a few books on their field or offer public talks on it that would make your head spin.

The reason for this is simple. You’re following Peter Drucker’s favorite axiom: the best way to learn something is to teach it.

Researching and writing about your field to share it with your readers will make you an expert. One caveat, though: you have to create content that leads to commercial success. Robofirm’s article on content to commerce strategies explains how you should focus on specific types of posts. They recommend educational posts to teach your readers how to do something; current event posts to connect your product to topical news; fresh idea posts to present your business with a new perspective; and true story posts to share testimonials and case studies about how well your products work.

2. Blogging is a good way to generate leads for your business.

Although business owners have a bias for websites, their customers prefer blogs. This is not to say that businesses shouldn’t continue to have websites, but that they should have a blog with it.

From a businesses’ perspective, a website allows them to describe their business and present their offers. However, from a customers’ perspective a blog offers invaluable clues about the product or services a business provides.

Here’s an example to make this clear:

Suppose you create a business blog to sell products and services related to dogs. You will have a catalog-type website that describes your various offers. In effect, it would be an eCommerce store.

However, your business blog for dog owners will discuss issues related to dog training or why you recommend certain dog food brands over others.

While your website tells your customers what you have, your blog describes why it matters.

Blogs help customers become informed consumers.

An added bonus is that search engines recognize that you’re sharing valuable information and will reward you with a high ranking on the search engine results pages—as long as you keep dishing out fresh content on a regular basis.

3. Blogging tells you what your customer’s think.

Blogging is an invaluable feedback mechanism. When a business launches a product, it takes a while for them to see if people like it. With blogging, you get almost immediate feedback from your audience through comments.

If you’re thinking of withdrawing a product from your product line or introducing a new line, you’ll get feedback. Perhaps, Coca -Cola would not have lost millions in 1985 if blogs had been invented. They would have a chance to ask their readers if they preferred New Coke to their current cola. After rolling out the New Coke to record low sales, they were forced to reintroduce their previous product as Classic Coca-Cola

4. Blogging allows you to “win friends and influence people.”

Businesses spend millions on branding their product, wanting it to be top of the mind. Blogging does the same thing without spending a dime on advertising. Customers like people who help them make informed decisions that improve their lives. Expensive advertising suggest that your products trigger the positive change they desire, but a blog post will go into details on how your product was designed to create the change your customer’s desire.

Blogging wins friends and influences people in many ways.

·  It helps you gain influence in your marketplace.
·  It helps you establish the value of your company because you’ve proved that you’re an expert in your field.
·  It helps you show that you care about your customer’s needs and concerns and aren’t in business just for the money.
·  It helps you build a network with other bloggers who share your niche, and they may recommend your information to their readers.

5. Blogging gives you an excuse for relationship marketing.

When your blog offers high content, people want to stay updated on your latest posts. One way to connect with them is capture their email information, offer them a free report, and inform them when you publish your blog posts. When you have a large email list, you can also inform them of your latest product offer.

Email marketing is one of the best ways to build a wonderful relationship with your customers.

Like Your Own Newspaper

These are only a sample of benefits available by creating a business blog. Still, they offer you a glimpse of what’s possible when you connect directly with your readers and customers. A business blog is a little like having your own newspaper.

12 Best Apps for Your Blogging Business

The post A Business Blog Overview For Late Adopters appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The unfortunate reality is that working from home is hard work, indeed. Sure, you don’t have to wake up and drag yourself to the office—but that convenience comes with a price. In our quest to be successful, sometimes we create the inverse scenario: the office never leaves us. As it turns out, your work/life balance may actually be more difficult to manage when your workplace and home are one and the same. It’s hard to keep up with things when you work all hours of the day and night, only sometimes finding time to eat and sleep.

If we’re not careful, our personal lives can suffer. In particular, excessive working hours can take a heavy toll on our interpersonal relationships. We must remember to keep room for friends in our lives and, if we’re in a romantic relationship, we have to avoid letting work kill it. Here are a few simple ways to ensure your work/life balance is properly calibrated for the betrothed.

Co-ordinate with your partner to create a compatible work schedule.

If your partner works nine to five, but you prefer to roll out of bed at noon and start working by one, your schedules will seriously conflict. If your partner works swing or graveyard shifts, adopting a nine to five work schedule may not be conducive, either.

Co-ordinate with your partner to create a compatible work schedule. Try to maximize your time together by adopting a schedule that has you both working around the same times of day. If possible, try to schedule your days off together. That way you both have the opportunity to get out and tear up the town, if you so desire.

“For some couples, incompatible work schedules can lead to other problems,” says Tony Dunne, a divorce lawyer in San Diego. “Some couples are fine with spending less time around each other, but for others, their relationship begins to suffer.”

But what if your partner doesn’t work outside the home?

Spend your break time with your partner.

We all need to take regular breaks to stay healthy (and sane!), so why not try taking them with your partner? Sit down for an episode or two of a TV show, cook a meal together, take a walk, or do whatever you like to do together.

Which brings us to our third tip…

Make time for meals.

It’s always tempting to grab a bag of beef jerky or whip up some ramen soup when we’re “in the zone,” after all, those precious calories keep us going. But instead of mindlessly snacking or making a meal for one, try breaking for lunch and dinner with your partner. If possible, go out to eat together on occasion. It’s nice to get out of the house and get away from work on your lunch hour, and you’ll be in good company if you bring your partner along.

Go to bed.

“Just one more minute” is a catchphrase for too many freelancers. Of course, it’s important to get our work finished on time, but try to manage your schedule so as to prevent incompatibility with your partner’s sleep cycle.

Remember that “one more minute” often turns into several more hours, and if you’re overworked your output will suffer. Besides, catching some Zs together is an important and intimate activity for many couples, and is often a hallmark of good relationships. Don’t leave your partner waiting for you too long.

So there you have it: a few simple tips for keeping your relationship intact. Of course, your circumstances may vary. Some freelancers have strict schedules mandated by their clients, forcing them to work a particular set of hours. But no matter your schedule, there’s always time for the people you love.

The post Freelancers: Don’t Let Work Kill Your Relationship appeared first on The Blog Herald.

However, there is such a thing as a PR nightmare.

This bad dream is the type that, even after years have passed, remains in your memory like carpet stain. Try as you might scrub it out from your mind, it will always be there as a reminder of this one terrible thing that happened a long time ago.

In this post, we shall return to PR mishaps that have left an indelible mark in PR history.

Keeping up with the theme of the site, we will feature PR nightmares that took place in this strange social networking site called Twitter.

Susan Boyle’s Anal Bum Party

Britain’s Got Talent 2009 winner Susan Boyle was about to launch her latest album in 2012.

The promoters used Twitter to promote the album in an attempt to tap onto the millions of active users. Given the strength of hashtags as a way to create buzz about a topic, the logic behind this move seemed reasonable enough. After all, it was also through social media that Susan Boyle became a worldwide sensation.

However, the campaign exploded in their faces due to the use of this hashtag on all tweets from Susan’s Boyle official account: #Susanalbumparty

While the hashtag may appear to be a slight blip in the campaign, it caused a humorous uproar from users of the social media networking site.

So, are we all looking forward to Susan Boyle’s #susanalbumparty? pic.twitter.com/AGZicIJq

— ZOO Magazine (@ZOO) November 22, 2012

The promoters quickly corrected the hashtag to #SusanBoylesAlbumParty, but the damage has been done. Next time, maybe it would be best for the PR team to run their hashtags with a copy editor.

American Apparel’s Insensitive Tweet

The clothing manufacturer did not have to deal with poorly composed hashtags, but they did have to deal with the ire of the public for their tasteless tweet.

Hurricane Sandy struck the US in 2012. The aftermath of damages worth over $68 million made the hurricane the second costliest natural disaster in American history. Worse, Sandy left at least 233 casualties in its path.

Given the gravity of the situation, you would imagine how businesses would grieve and mourn with families who have lost someone during the hurricane.

Not American Apparel.

Against all common sense and good taste, the brand attempted to capitalize on natural disaster as a way to make a profit. It gave people who were affected by the hurricane 20% off on all products. While the idea was noble, the execution did not communicate its intention very well.

Lots of people are taking issue with the use of “bored” in this context. The families who were struck by the disaster are not idle. Rather, they are saddened by the destruction caused by the hurricane.

With bigger problems to worry about rather than choosing which items are up for sale, I understand if they take the tweet negatively.

Aside from American Apparel, Gap tried the same shoddy tactic that AA applied on their Twitter account.

The result was just as repulsive as the tweet suggested the victims to shop online. In haste, Gap took down the tweet and offered an apology to regulate the backlash.

Dentist “Regrets” Killing African Lion for Sport, but is Being Brash About It

Hunting as a sport is a pointed topic for discussion between hunters and animal advocacies. Both stand their grounds as to why they do what they do. In the end, both agree to disagree with their points of view.

However, there is little need for hunters to flaunt their kill as a trophy especially in social media where everyone is not afraid to express their thoughts.

River Bluff Dental Walter Palmer shot Cecil the Lion, an attraction in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, to death with a crossbow for $50,000 early this month.

While the kill was “legal,” hateful comments on Twitter and Yelp (where the company is currently asking positive reviews for their services) about the kill is in order.

However, instead of being apologetic about it, the dentistry’s Twitter account seemed to fan the flames even more.

If #CecilTheLion had a Twitter, what do you think he would say right now? Think he would Google @RiverBlufDental? pic.twitter.com/Ax1HjDSqa7

— River Bluff Dental (@RiverBlufDental) July 30, 2015

Either the guy behind the account is totally clueless about how the internet works or is just not a very smart person.

If these kinds of unfunny tweets keep up, guess who will be looking for social media jobs soon.

Know of any other Twitter mishaps that were not mentioned above? Share them by commenting below!

The post Twitter Mishaps: The Infamous, The Insensitive, and the Unfunny appeared first on The Blog Herald.

People are trying to convince you that it’s really hot outside, and you can kind of deduce that while admiring bald, sweaty heads and legs in shorts as people stroll on the street right next to your glass-walled office. Half of your team are on holiday, conquering Facebook with pictures of beaches and sunsets by the sea, while the other half are in the process of packing and expanding their collection of bikinis and swimsuits.

To cut a long story short, it’s not that easy to focus on work during these summer days. That’s why we’re bringing you seven supreme ways of boosting your productivity when the heat is on. Not tested on animals, only on office humans.

Plan your work

Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing better to do than compose a list of your all-time-favourite YouTube cat videos, while in another second you are genuinely surprised by the amount of work that’s rolling in on you like a ruthless blizzard.

The perfect way to avoid this snowball effect is to plan your work in advance. Maybe it’s hard to believe, but apparently that’s what all great people do.

Make this painful process of scheduling easier and use the Trello app. It’s free and can be used individually but also within a team. This way you can plan your work and be more focused on the priorities, especially since the app helps you decide on your next area of focus.

Pimp your office

How can you tell that you have just entered a typical office? Do you see men wearing suits, no matter what season, and there is no natural light? And is the main sound that of people crunching on lunch boxes, mixed with the monotonous hum of air conditioning? Welcome to the world of the middle class. The fight is not over yet, so you should put this boredom to an end!

Having a friendly, stimulating office environment is an amazing way of boosting your productivity, because it makes you feel comfortable but at the same time more focused.

It’s helpful to have the space divided into specific sectors where you can deeply concentrate on your tasks or just lie back and chill.

You can always go even further and follow the creative steps of hot FinTech startup TransferGo, which has a proper office swing, right next to the upside-down plans. (We’re talking about shaking things up, right?)

Leave your office!

It’s scientifically proven that being out among nature not only helps you relax, but also stimulates the activity of your brain. In general, there are two basic types of attention: direct and voluntary. The former is the one used in particular at work, while the latter is the way we respond spontaneously to the pleasant sound of a flowing river or singing bird.

The thing is, direct attention is not bottomless. It has its limits, which are mainly associated with feeling burnt out and exhausted. (Sounds familiar?)

So take advantage of the beautiful summer weather and go and work in the wild (or at least in a garden). You will be more productive and complete all your work assignments much faster and with better results.

Alternatively, you can always go to your business meetings on foot instead of driving. Motion stimulates ideas.

Exploit the 20/80 rule

The well-known Pareto rule says that on average it takes about 20 per cent of the total time spent to obtain 80 per cent of the results. This law applies to many different areas of life, not only to our careers.

With regard to work, the 20/80 rule suggests you focus on the least important tasks when you are also the least effective. Consequently, when you are super focused and productive (in the early morning, after your second coffee, or in the middle of the night), you should tackle the most difficult problems.

Also, you can mix the Pareto rule with the Pomodoro technique, which is breaking down the total amount of work into intervals of 25 minutes so you could focus on one task completely.

The Mozart effect

Do you know that music can make you cooler? And not only cooler in a being-less-hot way. The right soundtrack, especially of classical music, is able to maximise your learning and concentration skills. It’s known as the Mozart effect. It’s been proven that being exposed to the music of the Austrian genius can noticeably improve the performance of certain kinds of mental task.

Why is that? According to experiments conducted by researchers from the University of California, the processing of music shares some of the pathways in the brain with memory. That’s why it’s so profitable to listen to Mozart, especially during tasks that involve a great deal of thinking and remembering.

So if you want to refresh your brain on a summer afternoon at work and also stimulate it, play The Magic Flute and let your enhanced mind conquer the world!

Also read: Tired of a Cluttered Email Inbox? Try These 7 Changes

Be ambitious yet realistic

Achieving your goals is not only about dedication. It’s also – yeah, you guessed it – about planning. It’s great to think big and shoot for the stars, but at the same time you have to be at least a little bit down to earth. There are different kinds of goals – one can be achieved in one week; another will take more than one month. This diversity of goals and their different levels of difficulty is essential, as bigger ambitions make you enjoy the fulfilment more.

It’s also proven that people who are successful in reaching their goals usually write them down.

Stop multitasking

The myth of multitasking was alive and kicking for a pretty long time. Checking e-mails while chatting on the phone and planning a schedule for the entire week ahead looks like the way many of us deal with everyday responsibilities.

But what scientific explanation is there for this common urge not to waste a split second of the day?

Maybe you haven’t noticed yet, but multitasking feels really good; it brings fulfilment. That’s because, on a biochemical level, it leads to the release of dopamine, which is one of the hormones responsible for our happiness. Each time our attention is captured by a new tweet or a push notification, we biologically reward ourselves for getting so many things done at once. And, obviously, we get easily distracted.

In the bigger picture, multitasking makes us stressed out, because the process triggers the release of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Research clearly suggests that multitasking lowers your productivity. So it’s high time to forget about it and focus on one thing only!

Do you think that marijuana can slow us down? It seems that multitasking can be not only less amusing than smoking weed, but also more harmful.

Now the summer spent at the office in a breeze of air conditioning doesn’t feel that terrifying, does it? And what are you favourite ways of dealing with summertime sadness at work? Share your thoughts!

Dominika Chmiel is Communications and Community Manager at TransferGo, a fintech start-up based at Level39 in Canary Wharf, London. With 5 years experience in advertising on both sides of the Channel Tunnel, after completing her MA in Creative Writing currently she’s working on her first novel.

Next guide: 3 Things You Can Do If You Have Too Much Work

The post Seven Ways Of Avoiding Summer Brain Drain At Work appeared first on The Blog Herald.

But what has that got to do with us writers and bloggers? Sure, we could cover the news, but that’s just adding to the echo chamber. Worse, it’s bandwagoning. Everyone knows he’s gone, and we’re all feeling bad about it.

Everyone is paying tribute to Sir Christopher Lee. While we’re not making light of all the coverage – that’s practically all I’ve been reading in the past hours or so – I think there’s another angle here that bloggers can learn from.

The actor has lived a full life – something not a lot of people can say – and there is a lot we can learn from that. And, as it usually is when somebody dies, you get into that thinking mood.

With Sir Christopher Lee’s passing, I thought about how he lived his life, what he did, what he became known for, and how we can learn from all this. Mind you, these learning points don’t apply to bloggers alone, but to life in general.

Being a villain isn’t necessarily bad.

I’m using the word ‘villain’ rather loosely here. Perhaps devil’s advocate is a closer term, but Christopher Lee is known as one of the greatest villains in the world of cinema. He has played so many villainous roles that, if one doesn’t see beyond that, one would think he’s the same in real life. So I use the term villain for this point.

Translated into the blogging world, playing the devil’s advocate is not something to shy away from. In fact, many probloggers have given the advise that being controversial and playing the villain will get people thinking. You’ll have haters, but as long as you’re not doing it for pure spite or attention or traffic, then is that a bad thing? Is it unethical to be a ‘villain blogger’ if you truly believe in what you write about?

Be kind.

Sir Christopher Lee may be recognized as the villain, but in real life, he is one of the kindest, most considerate people there are. He’s not the prima donna that many an actor (of lesser caliber, if I might say so) is these days.

In an interview by the Telegraph back in 2011, he actor revealed a little about himself.

“It means a lot to me,” he says, “because it is a pat on the back from the profession. I shall probably have tears on the night of the ceremony. I’m much softer than people think. I don’t present to the world an emotional face. I’m pretty good at self-control, but I am easily moved.”

Okay, so that’s him talking about himself, but other people validate this man’s character.

Film industry pays loving tribute to #ChristopherLee: http://t.co/86tUhxRGys pic.twitter.com/oRRWUk6YHr

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 12, 2015

The loss of friend #ChristopherLee stings. His work will live forever! Honored to have known him & worked with him. pic.twitter.com/KwjPbVu7De

— Alice Cooper (@RealAliceCooper) June 12, 2015

Lives can be changed through fiction. #ChristopherLee changed us with his examination of power in all its forms. RIP pic.twitter.com/oFEXJhMFp9

— Ziggy (@mrjafri) June 11, 2015

However controversial you may be online, always be kind. There is no excuse for rudeness. Whether you’re having a social media discussion with an influencer or some “nobody”, always be courteous.

At the end of your life, wouldn’t you want others to say that you were a kind person?

It’s okay to break the mold.

Christopher Lee was an actor. He was an author. He was a British commando. He was a singer.

He could have stayed an actor, with all the accolades he received. He could have been content with adding ‘author’ to his bio.

But no. In his golden years, he delighted us with his heavy metal career. Did you know that he released in first metal album when was in his 90? And he kept at it till the very end!

Who would have thought that this man would break the mold in this manner?

Rolling Stone just published an article which reveals just how out of the box Christopher Lee is. It’s almost as if there was no box for him – he just did what he wanted and got what he wanted out of life.

As writers/bloggers, we can only follow so much of the advice that’s thrown out there. Always remember though, that you have your own brain. Only you know what you really want. Why let formulas and proven strategies box you in?

Featured image

The post Three Things a Blogger Can Learn From Christopher Lee appeared first on The Blog Herald.

The say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. But when you are an internet personality, you may make thousands of first impressions a day, with an ever-growing audience base This is where a reputation management service, such as Repumatic, can be the difference between making and breaking your reputation online.

If your audience exceeds even a few hundred, you can be sure that you won’t have time to manage each one of these individuals’ attitude about you and what you do. So how do companies like this work? And what can they really offer you in the way of reputation management?

One of the basic things that a service like Repumatic will do is give you and your brand a specific branding site. A branding site is one of dozens or hundreds of niche-specific sites that profile individuals and their brands. It helps you select exactly the sort of words, phrases, and concepts you want associated around your brand. And it makes these the easiest to find online, ensuring that they pop up on Google when people search your name or about other things related to you and what you do. It makes you very discoverable, but on your own terms, not random words that may be associated with your brand, but potentially in a bad or uncontrolled way.

Do You Monitor Your Online Reputation?

Your reputation management company will give you a bunch of branding sites, to maximize your exposure and give you enough depth and range to make sure you are visible wherever, and however, you want to be. This is part of the nuts and bolts of SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. Most people know about SEO, and they know it’s important, but they’re not sure exactly how to make it work. A reputation management service is in the business of controlling SEO deftly, through focused keywords and phrases sprinkled around just the right places on the internet. By making sure the right things are written at the right places online, you’ll basically be teaching your audience how to think about you and your brand.

By taking the lead in how you are perceived online, you’ll be lengthening your career, as well as determining its trajectory. If you are getting really busy with your business online, you simply aren’t going to have the time to optimize your brand most effectively. But don’t let that get you down; just leave it to the professionals. You’ll find it’s a lot easier to control your reputation online than you had probably previously thought.

The post Controlling What You Can’t Control: Your Reputation Online appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Today, I want to raise the oft-talked about topic of bloggers being good writers yet again. Practice makes perfect, and the more you write, the better you get at it.

Make writing well a habit, and you’ll improve daily.

More than just writing, however, there is the matter of proofreading, which I believe to be just as important. We have to admit that not all bloggers are excellent writers, but as I have said before, that doesn’t have to be the case. Many mistakes in blog posts are the result of not editing or proofreading carefully.

That’s where tools like Grammarly can help you.

Truth to be told, I never really relied on such tools before, as I have made it a habit to proofread as much as I can. I do realize, however, that spell-check and grammar-check tools can be useful. So, when the people at Grammarly reached out to me, I decided to give it a test run and see if it can be helpful to other bloggers.

What is Grammarly?

It is a web app that serves as a checker for spelling, grammar, plagiarism, and word usage. While there are word processors have these functions – to some degree – Grammarly takes things to a new level with these functions:

• Checks for contextual errors like there, they’re, their
• Offers error explanations and correction tips
• Assists with citations to help you avoid plagiarism

There is also a free Grammarly Chrome Extension, which:

• Has 100 checks for sentence structure, writing style issues, and effective vocabulary
• Integrates with all your online writing like emails, WordPress posts, and Facebook messages

If you don’t use Chrome, the Grammarly extension will be available on all other browsers later this year.

The web app is free to use, so that is a plus for bloggers! If you try it out, and you like what you see, you can get the Premium plan, which costs $11.66. This plan has more features, naturally, including:

• Over 250+ checks for sentence structure, writing style issues, and effective vocabulary suggestions
• Web Editor
• Microsoft Office Add-in
• Customized writing corrections for over 30 document types like student essays, professional emails, and personal blogs

Some people don’t like paying for services, but if you think about it, having a tool that helps you write better-quality blog posts, you’ll only benefit from it. From this perspective, the cost is justifiable, isn’t it? (Look at it as 2-3 coffees from Starbucks.)

What do I think of Grammarly?

Now that I’ve given an overview of Grammarly, much like in press release-style, I can stop there, and not care if you buy the “PR” or not. Then again, as I stated in the beginning of this article, my goal was to determine if bloggers can benefit from using the web app in real life.

Features on paper is one thing. Application in real life is another.

When I logged into my account, my first impression was how simple the interface looked.

As you can see, the options are very few, without making it confusing for the user. You are prompted to install the Chrome Extension, and you see the option to create a new document or upload one.

Chrome Extension

I went for the Chrome Extension, which is probably what is best for most bloggers. Imagine creating a blog post on WordPress, updating your Facebook status, writing a tweet, or participating in a thread on Quora and seeing potential mistakes before you hit publish. That’s what the extension can do, and I love how it does it!

Check out this Facebook status.

The underlined words are incorrect – or potentially incorrect, and when you hover over them, you’ll see suggestions and explanations. The red circle at the bottom right shows the number of the errors in your text. Before you see that red circle, you’ll see a green one with a rotating arrow. This indicates that Grammarly is at work, checking your writing. If you don’t see the red circle, you’re doing great!

Even better, Grammarly works with email, too.

No more sloppy emails!

If you think this is cool, then you’ll be even more pleased because you’ll have this experience with anything you do/write – as long as you’re on Chrome. No more typos or mistakes that can be embarrassing or turn off readers and potential clients.

Documents

If your work requires you to work with a document instead of Chrome, then you can still use Grammarly. Here’s a look at working with documents.

You can choose the document type.

And you’ll see error alerts as you write.

There are different types of error alerts which you can turn on and off, depending on what you want to be monitored.

This is what I like about Grammarly – it gives you alerts, suggestions, and explanations (which you learn from), but it doesn’t force you to follow those suggestions. Remember, it is an automated tool, and while expert linguists were part of creating it, you’re still the creator of your work at the end of the day. You have a brain, and you ought to use it to decide whether a suggestion should be followed or not.

That being said, the web app does help you catch mistakes that are easily overlooked. Additionally, if you’re not that good with grammar, sentence structure, and word usage, Grammarly can improve your knowledge with its explanations.

The result? Blog posts that are well-written and more polished. And what blogger wouldn’t want that?

Should you use Grammarly?

It’s really up to you, but in my opinion, every blogger should take advantage of the free tool, at the very least. If you want to make a reputation as a meticulous writer, take a look at Grammarly and decide for yourself.

The post Grammarly Review: Write Your Way to More Polished Blog Posts appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Over the years, this blogging platform has provided people the opportunity to create their own little online space where they can write whatever’s on their minds. This activity has spread onto others like wildfire, as hundreds and thousands of users have registered for a WordPress account to do the same.

Seeing how effective blogging is, businesses tried their hands at it, producing blog posts catered to their target audience with the purpose of gaining leads and customers.

Along the way, however, WordPress just stopped becoming a blog. In fact, it started to become even more than just a blog, if not better.

People see WordPress now as a robust content management system (CMS) allowing them to create beautiful websites (from business landing pages to personal blogs) that cater to their need. Due to its accessible support and documentation, WordPress can easily be customized to achieve the look and feel you want for their websites. Also, the wealth of downloadable plugins and themes allow people to supercharge their sites or blogs and provide their visitors with a unique experience.

With the changes in WordPress lie the fundamental problem: the emphasis is no longer on the content.

This is what the new wave of minimalist blogging platforms wishes to take back.

Sites like Medium, Ghost, and Svbtle, among other blogs, hark back to the old days when blogging was all about publishing content-rich posts without disruptive elements popping up from your screens like ads or opt-in forms. These also enforce users to tell a story and communicate ideas and thoughts into well-placed words. No plugins and themes to choose from and install.

The depiction of minimalist blogging platforms above may sound problematic, since most websites are going big and “supercharged” with bells and whistles to produce the desired effect. But there is something elegant and sophisticated in simplicity, which is what these platforms aim for.

The bare to the bones appearance of the blogs is the allure. Due to the limited customization options offered in these platforms, users are instead forced to ramp up with their content efforts in order to stand out from the pack. They won’t have to rely on cheap tricks to get the attention of readers. In other words, they let their content do the talking.

These blogs also connect you to awesome content written by great writers, publishers, and journalist using the same platform. For instance, Medium’s Staff Picks and Top Stories feature some of the best and most interesting content online. You also have the option to follow users whose writing you’ve fallen in love with and subscribe to their posts.

While this feature bears a striking resemblance to WordPress.com’s dashboard (their Reader feature also highlights top content published by WP users),  the quality isn’t up to par compared to the ones shown from the blogging platforms. (And with good reason, since most WordPress users go with the CMS version, whose content does not appear in WordPress.com’s Reader).

Don’t get me wrong – minimalist blogging platforms are far from perfect. Since the posts will be hosted on the platform’s servers, you cede some of your rights to the content you publish on these blogs, as per their Terms and Services (this rings true with Medium). They have the option to use your posts in any way they want without your consent. Also, there will come a time when these blogging platforms will attempt monetizing from your feed to feature less-than-stellar content that won’t pique your interests.

But these are problems of tomorrow. For now, minimalist blogging platforms are solutions to today’s online publishing problems, one that involves content not being at the forefront of every website.

More on blogging platforms:

50 Blogging Tips From the Experts

12 Best Apps for Your Blogging Business

The post Call for Minimalism: How the New Wave of Blogging Platforms Gives More by Going Less appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Relief efforts from all over the world are underway but frustration is boiling in some parts of Nepal who have yet to receive the assistance they badly need.

If you wish to help your Nepali brothers and sisters, below are links to online media outlets pointing to trustworthy organizations collecting donation or the victims of the earthquake:

• 6 Ways You Can Give to Nepal Earthquake Relief at TIME
• Nepal earthquake: how to donate at The Guardian
• How to help victims of the Nepal earthquake at CNN
• Facebook, Google and other tech firms aid in Nepal earthquake relief at San Jose Mercury News

Before sending out your donation, read this post at NPR first to understand how your donation is received and processed by these organizations.

While these are the steps that you can take in order to lend a helping hand to those in need, the question now remain: what I can do to help as a blogger?

If you are an authoritative blogger with a sizable readership and clout to influence your audience, you can use these to make an effort and increase the assistance to the victims of the earthquakes. Here’s what you can do:

Stay on top of news

As updates continue to develop regarding the Nepal earthquake, it’s best to keep abreast by closely following the most reliable news outlets. Use the update to write a resource page containing all the development on your blog to disseminate the information and let your readers know about the situation. If reporting news was never your niche, you can inform your readership that you will be taking a break from your regular programming to deliver them this message.

You can also use your blog section as a way to encourage people to donate, just like what reddit did on their blog.

The advantage of doing this is that you keep your audience informed will news that actually matter. It’s immaterial if the news isn’t within your niche – there are some things more important that sticking to your content strategy and editorial calendar.

Give proceeds for every purchase your customers make

If you are selling products and services using your blog, you can create a promo informing your customers that portion of the payment will go to the victims of the Nepal earthquake. This is a good way of going the extra mile to help the victims, thanks to your buyers.

Get out of your seat

Should words fail, actions won’t. Get hold of you local organizations making their donations to the victims in Nepal. Aside from bringing in donation (food, clothing, toiletries), you may want to consider taking time to do volunteer work for the organization to ensure that all the goods are taken care of.

Final thoughts: During terrible times like these, it takes extraordinary people to help out others in need. Whether you’re a blogger or not, taking part in this cause is a privilege and noble responsibility.

More on times of tragedy:

Social Media Is The New Face Of Disaster Response [Infographic]

Blogging in a Disaster

Image taken from Wikimedia Commons

The post How Bloggers Can Help During Times of Tragedy appeared first on The Blog Herald.

Andrew Sullivan, blogging pioneer and Blogger-in-Chief at The Daily Dish, retired from blogging in the ‘near future’.

One of blogging’s most unique voices, Sullivan has been sharing his conservative political views since 2000.

He has written newsworthy posts throughout his 15 years as a blogger. He admitted to being wrong about the Iraq war and shared his thoughts about marriage equality, live-blogging about the Green Revolution for a month in 2009, and wrote a lot about Barack Obama.

He also formed a bond with his readers that he was able to share the politics of his own life – getting married to his husband, getting his green card, and getting his heart broken when Dusty passed away.

It is this kind of relationship forged with readers that makes Sullivan a legend in his own right.

A lot of people may not be familiar with Sullivan, but people who matter in his field do. Ta-Nehisi Coates, Noah Smith, and other luminaries in the political blogging world have acknowledged and paid respects to Sullivan’s departure.

As a guy who has never heard of Sullivan prior to writing this interview, I do not want to undersell his accomplishments of inspiring a wave of socially and politically conscious bloggers and entertaining the intellectual readers. That said, I would like to refer you to this wonderful piece by Tyler Cowen who provides a succinct but effective retrospective of Sullivan’s blogging career.

What does blogging really mean?

To those who aren’t familiar with Sullivan’s work (myself included), you are probably more familiar with bloggers within your fields of interests.

As a blog oriented towards marketing, BlogHerald has featured lots of tips on how to make money through blogging and the best practices to achieve this goal.

We have featured posts from Neil Patel, Brian Dean, Darren Rowse and other successful marketing bloggers to help you become even better bloggers. You may have been familiar with these guys even before learning about BlogHerald.

But it took Sullivan’s departure from blogging for me to gain a deeper understanding as to what blogging truly means in the simplest sense.

Blogging is about the sharing of ideas.

It is about reaching out to an audience that looks to read.

It is about building a beautiful relationship with online readers that you can treat as your family.

More importantly, blogging will supplant your real life as you tirelessly to write posts and engage with your audience.

The last point is really telling of what blogging is all about. Sullivan is stepping away from blogging for the same reason – he wants to spend more time with his family instead of his laptop.

Success comes at a price. As with Sullivan, he was able to become one of the most influential political bloggers. However, he may have had put his family and husband aside just to get a couple of posts done.

When driven to succeed, you will find yourself burying your nose on your laptop, finding ways on how to enrich your engagement with readers with the type of content your write. This is the easy part.

The difficult part begs to be asked: are you willing to make blogging your first priority?

Striking that balance between real life and your blog is possible. Some would even make the argument that it’s just the matter of being strong and having the will to carry the load. But I’m sure you know that you can do more with your blog if you can spend more time with it.

There’s a chance Sullivan will blog his way back to relevance. But this is what happens when you take blogging all too seriously. It consumes you. You’ll probably have to quit to get back the life you left before you blogged.

Question now is, when will that day come?

More on blogging:

An Artist’s Guide to Blogging

4 Ways to Ensure Readers Trust Your Business Blog

The post What Does It Really Mean to Blog? appeared first on The Blog Herald.

I was quite surprised to find that the answer was “The customer’s mind-set.” I have written posts in the past about providing great customer service and nurturing post-purchase, but never actually about how a business could be seen through the eyes of a customer. Most importantly though, how customers view the “little mistakes” that you decided to let slide or deal with later.

Here are ten little mistakes that I see quite often when browsing the web, and how they could be making your customers view your business in the wrong light!

Little mistake #1 – Not blogging or updating your social networks

It’s very easy to neglect things like your blog and social networks. What with more urgent work tasks, familial and social commitments and unexpected requests dominating many of our lives, the simplest solution is to try and alleviate the pressure by “just blogging tomorrow.” That tomorrow then becomes the day after, and the day after that and the day after that, as you can see from the lonely looking lambs in the example above (almost as lonely looking as the stagnant blog itself)!

It’s a vicious circle, and one that can leave both existing and potential customers seeing you as just as neglectful in other areas of your business as in your content. It can also come across as you simply not having anything interesting to say, so how could you have anything interesting to offer your customer too?

Little mistake #2 – Not responding to social media queries

As with putting off content updates, putting off social correspondence is something else that’s tempting to put on the backburner. In an age where customers use social media as a speedy customer service tool rather than emailing or phoning a call centre, even queries you feel are unimportant are the exact opposite!

Whether someone is voicing a complaint or enquiring about the opening hours of your store, headquarters, warehouse etc, a fast response goes a long way in building a strong relationship and sense of trust with your prospects. Fail to do so and you run the risk of them thinking that you don’t care about your customers instead.

Little mistake #3 – Responding to social media complaints defensively

It’s our natural instinct to defend our castle, so to speak. Your business is your livelihood, so it’s understandable that you’d want to come out fighting when someone voices a complaint. Think before you speak though, the number of companies who have actually made the situation ten times worse by letting their emotions get the better of them is well documented, most notably at Amy’s Baking Company.

If you must, take some time before you reply to collect your thoughts, to avoid inflaming the situation and making customers feel like you’re rude, suspiciously defensive and uncaring. When you do reply, make it personal instead of a generic “Contact our customer service department” or “email such and such.” Do everything you can to get to the bottom of their problem, offer them a personally tailored solution and even an incentive by way of apology such as a 10% discount on their next purchase. You could even take the opportunity to ask them if they had any concerns about any other area of your services. As well as potentially highlighting other areas of improvement it goes a long way in helping customers realise that you really do care about keeping them happy.

Little mistake #4 – You have an account on every social network possible

Image credit: Hongkiat

Yes, social media can bring your brand to the eyes of a whole new customer base, but that doesn’t mean to say you should hop on every new social network that crops up. Your target audience won’t be present on all of these platforms so why waste your time trying to tackle them, especially if you’re finding them difficult to get the hang of and end up not using them all anyway? Worst of all, it can potentially have the adverse effect of making users think you’re unorganised, haphazard and as if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Little mistake #5 – Keyword stuffing your web pages

Image credit: Lambent

The days where keyword stuffing to manipulate rankings was the norm are over. You now need to write primarily for your customers and not for search engines, placing keywords only where appropriate and where natural. Google updates its algorithms to ensure just that, often resulting in the stuffers moaning that they’ve lost visibility.

But Google aren’t doing this for the good of their health; it doesn’t take rocket science to realise that potential customers will run a mile once they click your page one result and are confronted with clunky, unreadable, spammy content. Because that’s just it, keyword stuffing reeks of spam and, therefore, untrustworthiness, no matter where on Google you rank.

Little mistake #6 – Not fixing broken links

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Not fixing broken links is a sure-fire way of making customers see you as sloppy, inattentive and even untrustworthy. I’m not just talking about links that don’t exist anymore and result in a 404 page either, you should also be conducting regular tests to identify any links leading to the wrong pages and links with hashes that don’t actually go anywhere.

You should also be fixing them as soon as possible. Your website is a showcase for your business, and anyone struggling to find the right page or getting frustrated when links don’t work is going to exit and look elsewhere instead. At the same time though it’s worth creating a funny or attractive 404 page to try and alleviate some of the irritation visitors may feel. You could even design one that keeps visitors engaged by suggesting relevant, alternative content. The examples featured on Graphic Design Junction offer some great inspiration.

Little mistake #7 – Leaving lorem ipsum text on-site

Image credit: Szaboka’s Blog

Having lorem ipsum text taking up a live site is a big no-no. The space it occupies should be populated by useful information for visitors and many visitors won’t even know what the lorem ipsum text is for, confusedly leaving the site to look for something that actually meets or answers their search query. Always double check your site content before putting it live, and ask a second pair of eyes to look over it in case you have missed something important.

Little mistake #8 – Outdated on-page content

Image credit: Referral Candy

I’ve already spoken about keeping your blog and social content up to date, and the same goes for your on-page content. If your company ethos, product and services information, offers and contact information has become outdated, your site visitors aren’t going to spend time trying to track down the new stuff. They’ll simply find a company who gives them what they were looking for.

Any changes in information should be automatically updated on all of your channels, whether on-site, on your social media platforms and even any offline publications you’re utilising. It’s an easy thing to forget, but also a crucial one.

Little mistake #9 – Too many fields in your opt-in forms

Image credit: AWeber Communications

Opt-in forms can turn a potential lead into nothing at all in one fell swoop. While lengthier forms might be acceptable for mortgage applications they certainly aren’t for opt-in subscriptions, and need to be as low friction as possible for the information being requested.

You see, leads are easy to scare away. Just take a look at the results of research conducted by Eloqua – even after just three fields there was a significant drop in conversions.

Image credit: Eloqua

Being met with a minefield of form fields can appear greedy, intimidating and even nosey! Think about it, do you need to request a phone number or something like “Your biggest challenge as a business:” for something like an ebook? Even a company name field can be a step too far in some situations (don’t forget about it completely though, there’s no reason you can’t test this field against a form without one).

Little mistake #10 – A site that isn’t optimised for mobile or tablet

Image credit: Swanify

Yes, investing in things like mobile sites, mobile apps and responsive web design is more costly than just sticking with your generic site, but they’ll more than pay for themselves in the long run.

According to the International Data Corporation, tablet sales alone are expected to eclipse PC sales in just two years. Like it or not your customers are more mobile than ever – increasingly browsing and buying on the go – so it makes sense to ensure that your website is optimised for the device they’re using. Can you imagine a customer trying to view your website on the go and being met with something that won’t load properly or keeps crashing? It’s incredibly frustrating and can make you appear as if you just can’t be bothered.

While mobile sites and apps are a good route to go down, responsive web design takes away the need for additional sites by ensuring your current site can shift and change to suit the size and shape of the device it’s being viewed on. Very clever!

To conclude…

Remember, ‘little mistakes’ are still mistakes and can cost you much more than putting off replying to an email can. At the end of the day diligent testing, checking, communication and an open ear go a long way in building lasting relationships with your customers that not only encourage them to purchase, but encourage them to come back again and recommend your business to others.

Have you encountered any little mistakes that I haven’t mentioned recently? Fill me in using the comments section below!

Charlotte Varela is the chief Content Writer at www.tone.co.uk, a UK based Web Design and Inbound Marketing Agency.

The post Flipping the Coin – How do your Customers See your “Little Mistakes” appeared first on The Blog Herald.