Heres How You Can Double Your Blog Conversion Rate Right Now

Heres How You Can Double Your Blog Conversion Rate Right Now Why do you blog? For fun? For personal enjoyment? As a hobby? It is likely that your blog has become ground zero, the place you promote yourself, your business, and your ideas. Your blog is a strategic business tool, but are you treating it that way? Are you optimizing your blog conversion rate? For years, the typical blog layout was the same, with content on the left and a sidebar on the right. There was the usual array of widgets and ornaments decorating the side and, in a word, the look of such blogs was  busy. Isnt it time we started to re-think our blog post layout? Isnt it time we got a bit more strategic? Focus On Your Blog Conversion Rate The problem with most blogs is that they lack a simple thing called focus. Do you know why your blog exists? I suggest that it is for two simple reasons: Your blog should display and distribute your content well. Your blog should convert visitors into readers and future customers. With this in mind, how is your  blog conversion rate? Thats the rate at which your visitors convert to your desired call to action. Are you focusing on a single call-to-action that you can track and measure? The more options we give our readers, the less likely they are to actually do what we want them to do when they visit our site. As we strip away the excess, we narrow our focus and naturally increase our blog conversion rate. Here are few ways that we can do just that. Tip #1 – Choose A Single Call-To-Action For years, the typical blog sidebar has looked something like this: Crowded, colorful, crazy, and confusing. What we do you really want the reader to do with all of this? So often, when we try to decide what we want our readers to do, we get confused ourselves. We want them to follow us Twitter. Or maybe, we want them to subscribe to our RSS feed. Or, download a free ebook. Perhaps we would like them to click on an ad. It can be pretty easy to think of our web visitor as a character in a choose-your-own-adventure novel. They are there for intrigue and suspense, hoping to see something interesting. This usually isnt the case. The average time a users spends on a website is, at best,  only 20 seconds. You have to make it count. So, if you could only choose one thing to have your reader do (besides actually read the article) what would it be? Choose a single call-to-action. This simple task will instantly improve your blog conversion rate. For example, make it your goal to convert an inbound visitor into a reader with an email signup, or a free course. This is a simple but powerful call-to-action that we can focus on as a way to increase conversions. Choose a single call-to-action if you want better blog conversion rates.Tip #2 –  Cut The Ads You arent getting rich and famous with those Google-served sidebar ads. Why are they there? So many ads, so little space. Source: smashingmagazine.com/ Unless you get a ton of traffic, it is unlikely that those ads are paying off for you at all. In fact, they may be doing more harm than good. Are you okay with a potential lead becoming distracted or disgusted by a pile of ads in the sidebar? Are you okay with them completely missing your call-to-action altogether? If you have ads, its happening. Increasing your blog conversion rate  may be as simple as cutting the excess clutter and cleaning up your sidebar. Those ads might be worthwhile for a high traffic site, but that isnt the case for most blogs. Consider ditching them altogether in favor of more breathing room and a better focus on your tangible goals. Are your sidebar ads helping your blog, or hurting it? #BetterBlogConversionTip #3 –  Cut The Sidebar While youre hacking away at those ads, maybe its time to ditch the sidebar altogether. In so many ways, the blog sidebar has become a dumping ground for our every whim. Unfortunately, there are too many whims: Ads   Facebook like box List of categories Recent posts Follow Me! Follow Me! Links to my favorite sites Blogroll, anyone? RSS Feed Subscribe A link to another project You get the idea. Maybe it is time for a different approach. Lots of breathing room. Wheres the sidebar? Sites like Medium.com  have popularized the no-sidebar blog post, and it works. Not only does it make reading a pleasure, but it leaves plenty of room for the real call-to-actions that you need to promote. If you removed half (or all) of your sidebar widgets, what do you think it would do for your  blog conversion rate? It might be worth a try. Get rid of your blogs sidebar altogether and see what happens. #BetterBlogConversionTip #4 –  Get Inline With Your CTAs Who decided that all of the action needed to be taking place on the sidebar anyhow? Wouldnt it be better if we had them where our readers are, like inside the actual blog post for example? See what this strategy can do for your  blog conversion rate. Image source: http://.com/blog/ You can sneak a basic call-to-action inline, right inside your blog post. These can be especially useful if they are matched with important keywords, like the example above for a content marketing editorial calendar. Your content is why they came in the first place. Make it a goal to do at least one inline call-to-action with each blog post. You can even automate a portion of this process with a plugin if you are using WordPress. The plugin  SEO Smart Links will automatically link keywords that you define to a post or a page of your choosing. This is a simple and valuable way to add calls to action to your posts text. Put your call-to-action inline in your blog post. #BetterBlogConversionTip #5 –  Lighten The Footer Speaking of dumping grounds, what about the blog post footer? This is another place where weve loved to bring on the clutter. Holy footer batman! Source: huffingtonpost.com/ Again, this is just too much. When we choose to focus our blog on a single call-to-action, it becomes much easier to improve our blog conversion rate. Ads and more blogs posts are not necessarily the goal. We need to be careful about where we send our readers. Stop putting everything in your blogs footer if you want #BetterBlogConversionTip #6 –  Dont Take Out Ads On Your Own Site A few years ago, I was publishing content on my company blog day after day. The content was good, but overall the blog wasnt doing much for me. I wasnt sure why. We had everything. We the subscribe box, related posts, a Facebook Like box, and of course, a series of ads for our own content. Waitwe were taking out ads on our own blog? It may not feel like it, but this could be exactly what you are doing as well. It is only natural to want our audience to see and understand everything we offer, but that is an unrealistic goal. We cant sell our audience everything all at once. We need to help them focus on one actionable goal so that we both succeed. Slowly, over time, we can expose them to our other services and offerings, but not until after weve ensured a maximum  blog conversion rate. Dont take out your own ads on your own site. #BetterBlogConversionTip #7 – Make Things Easy To Track One of the most crucial aspects of improving our  blog conversion rate  is being able to track our efforts. Fortunately, by relying on a few calls-to-action, rather than an abundance we make tracking them much easier. This way, we can make subtle changes to our site and see the impact that those changes make on our overall conversion statistics. We doubled our own blog conversions by cutting the clutter, and focusing on what we really wanted to happen. By cutting out some of the clutter and focusing on a simple conversion metric, we were actually able to double our total ebook downloads over a single week. Simple works!

The Crowdfunding Craze

The Crowdfunding Craze Crowdfunding sites pop up all over the internet, competing with the two big early giants Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Some crowdfunding sites cater more to creative artists, others to charitable projects or tech startups. A few dedicate themselves to fine writing, pushing the evolution of the publishing industry. These platforms create unique communities that pair writers and readers, letting them mingle online. The three currently vying for writers and supporters of fine prose are: Unbound: UK based. Believes that people who love books deserve a say in what gets published. The model is simple: The author pitches an idea. Readers support it. With enough support, the book is published Pubslush: (featured in 05/09/2014 FFW newsletter) similar to Kickstarter with tiered rewards. Allows authors to raise funds for books, publishing and literary events. All projects must raise a minimum of $500. If no one funds the project in the first 2 weeks, it disappears. The site provides authors with a platform to gauge reader interest. Once successfully funded and the manuscript has been uploaded, the fund button morphs into a purchase icon, driving sales. Inkshares: For novels, illustrated books and articles. Combines traditional aspects of legacy publishing houses, such as editing, marketing, book design and distribution with do-it-your-self entrepreneurial spirit, so authors play an active role throughout. Successful projects are edited I decided to test drive the Inkshares system, launching an article for Pollinator Week: Stung: In Search of Honey Bees. I set a modest goal of $540 for a 6,000 word piece. A big chunk of the funds will go towards editing. Believing that an early push helps drive others to fund, Inkshares kicks in an extra $5 for every new backer during the first 10 days of the campaign. Experience taught me crowdfunding requires diligence, especially if your audience isn’t web savvy. Although I reached over 35% of my goal in the first 3 days, in retrospect it would have been better to develop a clear marketing strategy before launching. Due to the lag time in magazine publishing some of my media blitzes will not appear until early August, near the end of my campaign. If I ever decide to launch a larger book crowdfunding project, this footwork will come first: = Line up 10 supporters in place to back small amounts immediately = Draft personal campaign letters to potential backers in advance; send immediately when project launches = Let relevant magazines, blogs and clubs know about the campaign in advance, identifying relevant tie-ins so they announce the project to their members/readers. = Engage in public events locally, spreading the word via flyers = Have a greater social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, etc. prior to launching, so I have increased name recognition and my campaign spreads online. All three sites allow the author to share drafts or excerpts during the funding phase, building excitement and enthusiasm in their sponsors. These sponsors turn into advocates, driving others to your work. Readers will often offer advice, comments and suggestions, creating a two-way exchange between the author and their audience.   Crowdfunding platforms have the potential to revolutionize the publishing industry, but they require dedication, enthusiasm and lots of advance planning.

Explaination of the Importance of Reflective Practice in Coaching Term Paper

Explaination of the Importance of Reflective Practice in Coaching - Term Paper Example However, in the twentieth century, this trend of the teacher to student communication changed radically. In the context of this essay, it is important to note that modern coaching practices have been evolving as a two-way mechanism, where the learner is not the only learner, but the teacher or coach is also a learner at times. This sort of reflective practice would be a life long process which has been explored and analyzed on the basis of the various models and processes provided by continued research and development. Also, it becomes the learner’s responsibility to some extent that he or she frankly communicates with the coach; otherwise the process of sustained coach education would be largely impaired. Key Concepts and Processes of Reflective Practice The concepts and processes in relation to reflective practice have been primarily based on the various reflective models provided by the eminent educationists, psychologists and researchers in this field. Argyris and Schon: T he reflective model provided by Argyris and Schon introduces us to the idea of Single Loop Learning and Double Loop Learning. The theory has been built on the basis of the amendment and recognition of an observed error or fault. Single Loop Learning is the practice when an organization or practitioner continuously relies on current techniques, policies or strategies even after some error occurred and a correction had to be made. This continues until a similar situation is encountered again. However, the practice of Double Loop Learning is comparatively more innovative since it provides for alteration of the current techniques, policies or strategies on the account of an error observed. Thus, in this process, innovative ideas can be introduced when a similar situation is encountered again. (Schon, 1983) Kolb, 1984: The experiential way of learning involves the application of the information received from the educator to the experiences of the learner. It does not consist of activity generated in the classroom alone. The student does not acquire his or her knowledge exclusively from the teacher.  

Slurry Wall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slurry Wall - Essay Example They provided a low permeability obstacle to contaminant transport. The first slurry wall was built in Italy. Icos built the wall in Italy by using bentonite slurry support as the cut off wall. He went on to construct the first slurry wall for the Milan Metro. In mid 1960s, European contractors introduced the slurry walls in the United States. It was first used in the World Trade Center found in New York, the Bank of California found in San Francisco and the CAN building found in Chicago. Many projects of the slurry wall in the United States are found in Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, New York and Boston. Slurry walls are used extensively in the Central Artery/Tunnel project. This project involved many cover and cut tunnels built under the prevailing artery. The technology behind slurry wall centers on specific equipment used to excavate slurry trenches. The mechanical clamshell is the simplest kind of trenching equipment and is put on a Kelly bar. Different contractors have developed particular equipment such as hydromills, hydraulic clamshells or fraise (Mulligan, Yong & Gibbs, 2001). These walls are used in retaining foundations of the wall and retaining control of the wall water. Additionally, they are used as long-lasting basement walls in top down construction method, used as earth retention walls for tunnels, excavations and basements. They are also used in vertical foundation elements with high capacity (Opdyke & Evans, 2005). They are used as cut off curtains, gas barriers in areas with landfills, seepage control, and contaminated groundwater. Moreover, the diaphragms are used in seepage and water control for deep excavations. The construction cost of slurry wall for cut off barriers is much cheaper than construction of diaphragm wall for deep excavations. The alterations arise mostly from the differences in the construction methods. In diaphragm walls, the perimeter of the wall is made panel by

Unconditional Service Essay Example for Free

Unconditional Service Essay I know a woman, so fine so fair, she has been teaching for thirty years and that kept her glare.   When I see her, I feel no point of unimportant stare.   When I am with her, I am everything any person would want to bear.   In the eyes of those who seek her presence, she is a woman of faith and hope—of love and service for those who happen to go off shore.   She is very educated and is dedicated to teaching, and with that I admire her- for her astounding pleasant realm. She loves kids and she loves people. But most all she loves black and all she wanted was fairness with no despair. She doesn’t have a tongue of agonistic fear—one reason why people look up to her.   That makes sense that she is one who’s far beyond compare. In every word she says, there is conviction.   In every person she helps, there is admiration.   Day by day, she seeks more than just lame fame, her dedication to others and her peers is outstanding my rationality cannot even level in total mare. There has been no time that she asked for money or for compensation to fill up her folly.   She served with love, with hope and faith—a love so pure so delicate yet so delightful. There seems to be no word to best define her purity, all I know is that her beauty is hysteria of fine mystery. All of which tantamount for one single reason—she is beautiful, she’s pretty—she is more than just a beauty.   And from this day by which I have known her wonderful being, I’ll forever keep the warmth of her presence which sweeps me off my feet as a realization that in this world, when the sky seems to be dark and gloomy, there is hope and it may come from a person named Dr. Franklin—and her kindness that cherishes me.

Argentina Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Argentina is a federal republic in southern South America on the border of Bolivia and Paraguay; on the east by Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and Chile, and on the west by Chile. The country is the biggest country on the south side and is triangular in shape, with the base in the north and the corner at Punta Dungeness, the southeastern tip of the continent. The length of Argentina in a northern to southern direction is about 2,070 mi.. Its biggest width is about 860 mi.. The area of Argentina is 1,073,518 sq mi.. It is the second largest South American country, Brazil ranking first. The capital and largest city is Buenos Aires.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Argentina has a lot of mountains, upland areas, and plains. The western boundaries of the country fall entirely within the Andes. The only other highlands of consequence in Argentina is the Sierra de Cà ³rdoba, in the central portion of the country. In the north, the Argentine plains consist of the southern portion of the South American region known as the Gran Chaco. The Pampas plains that include the most productive agricultural sections of the country, extend about 1,000 mi. south from the Gran Chaco. In Patagonia, south of the Pampas, the terrain consists largely of arid, desolate steppes. A famed scenic attraction, the Iguaà §u Falls, is on the CIguau River a tributary of the Paranà ¡. The chief rivers of Argentina are the `Aparan, which splits the north part of the country. In the area between the Rà ­o Salado and the Rà ­o Colorado and in the Chaco region, some large rivers empty into swamps and marshes or disappear into sinks. Temperate climatic conditions prevail throughout most of Argentina, except for a small tropical area in the northeast and the subtropical Chaco in the north. The climate is generally cold in the Andes, Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego. In the western section of Patagonia winter temperatures average about 0 ° C (32 ° F). In most coastal areas, however, the ocean exerts a moderating influence on temperatures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The traditional wealth of Argentina is in the vast Pampas, which are used for extensive grazing and grain production. However, Argentine mineral resources, esp... ...ay. Colonization of the region was begun in 1535 by the Spanish soldier Pedro de Mendoza. In June 1806, Buenos Aires was attacked by a British fleet under the command of Admiral Home Riggs Popham. The viceroy offered no defense against the attack, which was made without permission by the British government. The British invaders occupied the city but were kicked out by a citizen army the next August.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Revolutionary sentiment in La Plata reached its peak in the period following the deposing of King Ferdinand VII in 1808. The people of Buenos Aires refused to recognize Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, who was then installed on the Spanish throne. On May 25, 1810, they overthrew the viceregal government and installed a provisional governing council in the name of Ferdinand VII. Representatives of the various provinces convened at Tucumà ¡n in March 1816. On the following July 9 the delegates proclaimed independence from Spanish rule and declared the formation of the United Provinces of South America. In March 1949, Perà ³n promulgated a new constitution permitting the president of the republic to succeed himself in office.

On Bending the Rules

Sir, you always remind us of the strict implementation of the rules and regulations, the young lady protested. â€Å"l didn't let them in because they didn't show me the document stipulated in the guidelines. † moves, but in every rule, there is always an exception,† my friend told his staff. â€Å"Just let them in. I know them, anyway. † When my friend left, the young lady gave us a long inquisitive look before she led us to the room. I explained to her that we ran out of time in furnishing the said document so we ended up asking help from her immediate head, who happened to e my friend.She told us about the institution's firm adherence to its policies. â€Å"You are very lucky you know our head,† she remarked. I looked at her and told her that this scenario could happen anytime anywhere. â€Å"This kind of situation is rather inevitable. No matter how ideal we think we are, sometimes, we end up bending the rules,† I said beaming. â€Å"I don't thi nk so. You know, if I were the head, I would be very stern in carrying out the policies,† she said in an undaunted tone. I smiled at her. I was Impressed with her boldness. Yes, she can be a quintessence of an effective leader.Or do I hope she'll live by her principle and gradually Inspire other people to follow In her footsteps. Indeed, idealism is usually resembled by the so-called fervent and vibrant young people. However, when they are exposed to the â€Å"real world† where rules and regulations are succinctly stated and believed to be sternly Implemented, but easily twisted in Just a snap, they end up disappointed, crooked, or challenged. If they were challenged, would they be firm enough to execute what are really stipulated In the guidelines?Wouldn't they really be Influenced by the professed â€Å"In authorities†? If they were disappointed, would they give up, learn the tactics of stooping the policies, and eventually enjoy the benefits of such abhorred a ct? Perhaps, so goes the line, â€Å"as pliant as the bamboo. † Bending the rules, no matter how simple or complicated they are, Is Just one of our collects tons of Ills that should be given drastic consideration. The subtle ways by which we bend simple rules Impede us from attaining progress, so to speak. Who does not crouch any of the rules, navy? We all do.So let us start straightening our stooped mentality and eventually making our society free from filthiness and pungency. More often than not, we say It's easier said than done. We can If we are willing to, nonetheless. By memo miss, but in every rule, there is always an exception,† my friend told his staff. â€Å"Just be my friend. She told us about the institution's firm adherence to its policies. Muff â€Å"l don't think so. You know, if I were the head, I would be very stern in carrying out I smiled at her. I was impressed with her boldness. Yes, she can be a quintessence of an effective leader.Or do I hope sh e'll live by her principle and gradually inspire there people to follow in her footsteps. Regulations are succinctly stated and believed to be sternly implemented, but easily stipulated in the guidelines? Wouldn't they really be influenced by the professed â€Å"in complicated they are, is Just one of our society tons of ills that should be given drastic consideration. The subtle ways by which we bend simple rules impede us from attaining progress, so to speak. Who does not crouch any of the rules, anyway;ay? More often than not, we say it's easier said than done. We can if we are willing to,

Analysis of Competition on the Book “Maus”

Competition in Maus The book Maus addresses the issue of the Holocaust and tells the story of Vladek in detail, a man who survived Auschwitz. However, one of the most striking things about the story is not the surviving issue, but how it reveals the relationship between Vladek and his son. Competition is everywhere in the story. In the first book Vladek had a competitive relationship with his son Artie, but throughout the story the competition falls into the hands of Artie and Richieu, the dead brother.Artie is constantly struggling with the broken relationship he has with his father. When talking to Pavel, Artie says: â€Å"No matter what I have accomplished, it doesn’t seem like much compared to surviving Aushwitz† (II, 45). Artie’s life experiences and those of his father are completely different and this difference seems to increase the distance between them. People have different stories and backgrounds, but their skills and greatness can’t be measure d by one individual event, such as the Holocaust.Due to this eternal competition imposed by his father, Artie's purpose for writing the book may have started in order to record family history, but this was a superficial cover attempting to overcome his deeper feelings of inferiority he felt while around his father. â€Å"He loved showing off how handy he was†¦ and proving that anything I did was all wrong. He made me completely neurotic about fixing stuff†¦ One reason I became an artist was that he thought it was impractical-just a waste of time†¦ It was an area where I wouldn’t have to compete with him† (I, 97).In fact, Artie did show his competence through writing the book and being able to portrait his dad’s story so well. A passage that demonstrates how Vladek always seems to be making Artie feel incompetent is when Vladek knocks over a his bottle of pills and blames it on Artie. â€Å"Look now what you made me do! † (I, 30). Even thoug h Vladek knows it was his own fault, he doesn’t want to admit it. Then Artie tells him â€Å"Okay, I’ll re-count them later†. 30), but Vladek replies saying that Artie doesn’t know how to count his pills and adds â€Å"I’m an expert for this† (30). These two quotes clearly show how Vladek is always trying to prove himself better than his son. Vladek never gives Artie the chance to prove that he is capable of doing anything and this increases the distance between father and son. Another example of Vladek's necessity for dominance is shown when he accidently breaks a plate and gets really upset. Artie tries to remedy the ituation and offers to do the dishes, but his father replies in his broken English, â€Å"No. You can defrost out the turkey legs†¦ you only would break me the rest of my plates† (II, 73). Vladek is always trying to give him easier jobs and won't admit that Artie is equally capable of anything because this would pu t a hole in his credibility. With credibility comes dominance, and without it he loses it. If he loses his dominance over Artie, this would free Artie from the comparison trap because he wouldn't feel inferior anymore.On the second book, Artie tells Francoise about Richieu and how his parents had always had a picture of the dead brother in their room, but never a picture of Artie. â€Å"The photo never threw tantrums or got in any kind of trouble†¦ it was an ideal kid, and I was a pain the ass. I couldn’t compete† (II, 15). Due to this eternal competition with Richieu, Artie was caught in a â€Å"competition trap† that he struggled with his whole life. This boxed Artie in. Because everything he did was compared to an unrepeatable experience, Artie could never break out of the competition trap.This trap would always hold him back. Artie lived in a new time with new opportunities, but he still couldn’t let go of this unspoken competition with his ghost brother. One of the most effective images in the novel was on the very last panel, when Vladek says â€Å"I'm tired from talking, Richieu, it's enough stories for now† (II 136). This scene illustrates the preference Vladek has for his first son, Richieu. In choosing this quote to be the last one in the book Artie displays that this competition with his brother has no end.The fact that Artie dedicated the book to Richieu is another display of this, that even though they never met, Vladek was able to bring Richieu alive in Artie's life. This passage also demonstrates how much Vladek still wishes Richieu was there with him. It is definitely painful for Artie to be called Richieu. In addition to this last quote, Artie also chose to dedicate the book to Richieu, Vladek and Richieu felt the direct pain of the holocaust, and as much as Artie tried he would only be able to experience its indirect effects, and this would never hold up in any comparison.Sibling rivalry built up in Art ie's veins, but as most siblings have ways to exchange this equally, Artie was in a unique situation. Not only could he never experience the things Richieu did, he could never exchange any emotions. Richieu was only a photo, and yet Vladek always unconsciously made sure Richieu’s life affected Artie. Artie was never going to be good enough for his father, or his ghost brother. He was stuck in a constant competition with someone no longer living. Writing Maus was what he did to relieve what was forced on him.Most books written about the holocaust are full of the direct effects, but his book took a new spin on the topic by focusing on the indirect effects. He would never stop competing with his brother. This is evident up to the last quote of the story when Vladek calls Artie by his dead brother’s name, which just goes to show that Artie is still upset by this competition. Work Cited: Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor's Tale, I : My Father Bleeds History. New York: Panth eon, 1986. Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor's Tale, II : And Here my Troubles Began. New York: Pantheon, 1986.

Camera phone debate

Camera phone debate Introduction Advancement in technology has brought about revolution in telecommunication industry. This has led to increased use of camera phones and digital cameras in the United States. Estimates show that nearly half of American families have cameras. Moreover, they also show that nearly 40% of the families have camera phones.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Camera phone debate specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This shows that people have embraced technology. However, it is worrisome that some people risk their lives to use these gadgets. For instance, a graduate student (Jamal Albarghouti) took footage of the Virginia student massacre on a camera phone. Similarly, another 19 years old college student (Ho) took footage of plane crash on a digital camera. These cases provide examples of citizens who risk their lives to take video footages (Rottenberg and Winchell 262-265). Summary of the two articles Praise for Stud ent’s footage of Virginia tech Mass killing The article by Lily Yulianti narrates about a chilling event at Virginia Tech. Yulianti reports how a Palestinian graduate student (Jamal Albarghouti) took footage of mass killings at the college using a phone camera. Albarghouti took a detailed footage of the event. Yulianti mentions in the article that Larry King, a news reporter with CNN, was amazed at Albarghouti’s achievement. The article goes through the event as taken in the footage. It mentions mass shootings, which was experienced at the College. In addition, the article covers Albarghouti’s interview with Larry king. Yulianti’s main concern in the article is about Albarghouti’s safety (Rottenberg and Winchell 262-265). She could not understand why Albarghouti stopped and take footage of events in such a commotion. Moreover, he was not a professional journalist. The article describes how Albarghouti gave an account of the event to King. Yulianti describes Albarghouti’s account on the event as clear and firm. However, she also notes that Albarghouti was used to such hostilities back in Gaza. Later on, the author introduces the citizen journalism debate, which has received criticism from traditional media. She therefore wonders why exclusive reports from citizen journalists are met with suspicion by the mainstream media (Rottenberg and Winchell 262-265). Disaster Photos: Newsworthy or Irresponsible The second article is about a debate on whether photos taken by survivors are newsworthy or irresponsible. The article begins by recounting how plane crashes have prompted concerns by safety investigators. In addition, it gives a detailed description of London bombings as well as witness photos from survivors. The article wonders why victims put the lives at risk to take pictures during tragic events like plane crash. It goes on to give a story of Ho, a student who took pictures of a plane crash disaster, in which he was a c rew (Rottenberg and Winchell 262-265).Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was quite worrying given that he could have easily delayed rescue missions as well as his safety. The article talks of photos from Eddie Ho, which were, broadcasted in ABC’s good morning America. Moreover, this information was also broadcasted in CNN and NBC. The article therefore tries to debate whether taking photos at such crucial moments is newsworthy or irresponsible. It utilizes several scholars such as Helen Muir and Kelly McBride to analyze the debate (Rottenberg and Winchell 262-265). For instance, one scholar cautions media from taking footage/ pictures from citizens without prior information on how the sources got such information. However, other proponents like Sherwood welcomes contributions from citizen journalists like Ho. In the end, the article reaches a consensus on the issue by noting that over time, it is upon survivors to decide when to take pictures or not (Rottenberg and Winchell 262-265). Analysis The first article gives an overview of events before criticizing journalists at the end. It gives an overview of citizen journalism and an overview of how it is clear and firm. It does not give detailed information on professional journalism although it criticizes mainstream media, which consist of professional journalists, of being suspicious of citizen journalism. The author therefore uses appeal to describe one side and to refute the other (Whately 11). In this regard, the model utilized in the first article is Aristotelian, which promotes one claim but refutes the other. On the other hand, the second article gives a detailed description of both sides of the debate. For instance, it gives example of proponents of survivor photos with their reasons and those against survivor photos. In the end, it reaches consensus on situations when surviv ors can take photos. This article shows a rogerian argumentation, which normally reaches consensus after exploring both options (Whately 11). Conclusion From the two articles, it is clear that the latter provides more information for decision making than the first. For instance, it does not only make claims on the need for survivors to stop taking picture in distress, but it also provides evidences from proponents. These include Helen Muir and Kelly McBride, among others. On the other hand, it provides information from opponents like Sherwood, among others. Finally, it reaches a solution with evidence from Mark Glaser. The second article is therefore more convincing than the first (Munson and Black 55). Munson, Ronald, and Black Andrew. The Elements of Reasoning, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2011.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Camera phone debate specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rottenberg, Annette, and Win chell Donna. Elements of Argument, London: Bedford, 2012. Whately, Richard. Elements of Logic, New York, NY: Sheldon Company, 1826.

Human Geography - an Overview (Cultural Geography)

Human Geography - an Overview (Cultural Geography) Human geography is one of the two major branches of geography (versus physical geography) and is often called cultural geography. Human geography is the study of the many cultural aspects found throughout the world and how they relate to the spaces and places where they originate and then travel as people continually move across various areas. Some of the main cultural phenomena studied in human geography include language, religion, different economic and governmental structures, art, music, and other cultural aspects that explain how and/or why people function as they do in the areas in which they live. Globalization is also becoming increasingly important to the field of human geography as it is allowing these specific aspects of culture to easily travel across the globe. Cultural landscapes are also important because they link culture to the physical environments in which people live. This is vital because it can either limit or nurture the development of various aspects of culture. For instance, people living in a rural area are often more culturally tied to the natural environment around them than those living in a large metropolitan area. This is generally the focus of the Man-Land Tradition in the Four Traditions of geography and studies human impact on nature, the impact of nature on humans, and peoples perception of the environment. History of Human Geography Human geography developed out of the University of California, Berkeley and was led by Carl Sauer. He used landscapes as the defining unit of geographic study and said that cultures develop because of the landscape but also help to develop the landscape as well. In addition, his work and the cultural geography of today is highly qualitative rather than quantitative - a main tenant of physical geography. Human Geography Today Today, human geography is still practiced and more specialized fields within it such as feminist geography, childrens geography, tourism studies, urban geography, the geography of sexuality and space, and political geography have developed to further aid in the study of cultural practices and human activities as they relate spatially to the world.

Face-to-face and distance training Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Face-to-face and distance training - Essay Example The paper tells that in the fields of social science it is recognised that two primary methods of research can prove to be most effective. The quantitative method is one in which research is formalised and structured, and numerically-based information is sought by the researcher, for primarily statistical analysis. Well-designed questionnaires, which use systems such as the Lickert scale to quantify responses to questions, are examples of quantitative methods of research. Reponses to questionnaires can then be grouped, organised and structured, assigned numerical values, analysed statistically, and statistical trends and conclusions can be drawn from data. Another method of research prevalent in the social science arena is qualitative. As implied by the term, this research is less reliant on numerical analysis. Communicated, recorded ideas and words from respondents are used by researchers to determine trends, and to draw conclusions. A less formal, though no less thoughtful, process is entered into to establish the responses, feelings, and responses of respondents, and the advantage of this research is that it relies on interaction between researcher and respondent. While non-quantified data results from interviews, for example, conclusions can still be drawn from meanings communicated by respondents, and the amount of data available to the researcher based on relatively more intimate interaction with the subject, can be most useful. 3.4Research design Weaknesses according to other researchers Boyd (2001) considers that two to ten participants in a research study are ample to reach valid conclusions and Creswell (1998, pp. 65 & 113) recommends â€Å"long interviews† with participants. Therefore some realistic assessment of participants’ attitudes, stemming from their personal experiences, is certainly possible from this sample. The concept of research design suggests that a framework and structure for the collection and analysis of data must be e stablished by the researcher (Bryman, 2008). Thus, an approach must be identified and developed and procedures adopted to undertake a particular study. According to the theory of research design, these approaches must emphasise the quality of the selected procedures to meet the definite research criteria (Kumar, 1996). Particularly in social science research, two research methods have proven to be of most use to researchers: the quantitative method and the qualitative method (Kvale, 1996). Quantitative research, as outlined above, serves more effectively to deal with the number-based data obtained from quantitative studies (Rudestam and Newton, 2007). In contrast, qualitative