How To Increase Blog Traffic: 5 Easy Steps to Stardom

You've been working hard on your blog, you feel established. Now it's time to get serious about traffic. We're right there with you friend - here are five easy steps you can start taking to increase blog traffic! Hi-Ho Silver!

1. Be Strategic About Your Content

If you want to increase blog traffic, the best thing you can do is quite simply create better content. You’ve probably heard this before - the term “content is king” is thrown around more than a funnel at a frat party. But creating “better content” isn’t just about quality. It also means being more strategic with your content marketing efforts.

The most successful content is the kind that meets a specific need. Think about your audience and what they love. Content these days almost always falls into one of two categories: cool and funny or useful and educational. Choose either and you’re probably off to a good start. 

If you need ideas, check out Quora and see what questions are being asked that relate to your industry subject. Also try using Buzzsumo to see what others have written about in your field, then make something even better. Or use one of these eight handy blog topic generators.

When it comes to content style, shoot for shocking statistics, beautiful infographics, and rich storytelling via video. Create stuff people want to link to and share.

Create Evergreen Content For Your Blog 

Try to make sure that most of your content is evergreen. Evergreen content is the kind of content that can live forever on the web and that time won’t make irrelevant. For example, a post about this year’s Oscar nominations will become useless in a few months time. A post about the greatest movie classics will continue to be relevant over the years, making it evergreen. 

Crafting Kickass Headlines

As a blogger, you should always ensure that you’re creating irresistibly awesome headlines. Your headline is what gets visitors to your site and captures their interest.

Some even suggest that your headline is more important than your actual post! If you have a great content piece hiding behind a shabby headline, it’ll die a quick death. Appearances are everything, and just as you wouldn’t show up to a wedding wearing your stay-home-sick clothes, you can’t rely on lackluster headlines to promote your blog posts.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different headlines. Share your post multiple times with different headlines and see which style works best.

Need more blog traffic? Get our free guide, 25 Ways to Increase Site Traffic, here.

Create a Newsletter To Showcase Your Best Blog Posts

Promotion needs to be a big part of your content strategy, so that your hard earned blog posts drive that traffic you so desperately desire!

One quick and easy way to start driving more traffic to your blog is to start collecting emails for a blog newsletter. Once you’ve captured those contacts, you can send them weekly or monthly emails featuring your best posts, bringing already familiar visitors right back to your website. Since these users are already comfortable with your blog, chances are they might explore a bit more on their next visit. Who knows what they’ll find?

2. Don’t Fear the Keywords 

If you really want to drive big time traffic to your blog, keywords and SEO have to be a part of your strategy. People get really nervous these days when you suggest doing something in the name of SEO, but remember, search engine optimization is fine when done right. More than fine  - it’s wonderous! You get targeted traffic from Google, and users find the information and answers they’re searching the web for.

So go ahead, shout it from the rooftops, “I care about keywords!” Be loud and proud my friend.

They key thing to remember with SEO is all good things in moderation.

Use keywords in your context text? Yes!

Use keyword stuffing to saturate your content completely with search queries?No.

Link to other related blog posts you’ve written on a specific subject? Yes!

Include so many links that every other sentence is dotted with blue hyperlinks?No.

Let keywords influence your outline and help conceptualize your post? Yes!

Put keywords and search bots before user experience? No!

Google drives billions of searches a day. Trust me, you want to use keywords to get a piece of that pie. 

 more please!

With more sites and advertisers online than ever before, all competing for the most popular keywords, how do you stand a chance of competing? Long-tail keywords of course!

Why Do Long-Tail Keywords Matter for Bloggers?

Long-tail keywords are search phrases composed of 3+ keywords. They’re easier to target long-tail keywords (and cheaper when it comes to PPC) because there is less competition for these phrases. Targeting long-tail keywords is really your only chance of getting a top SERP spot in Google.

 Long tails are cool. They’re also fire types.

For example, maybe you’d love to rank high in Google for “health food” because your business is a health food store. Well fat (or slim) chance of that happening – “health food” is a pretty competitive term. However, if you focus instead on “health food meal plans” or “health food on a budget,” your chance of ranking for those longer keyword phrases is tremendously higher.

SEO for Bloggers: Finding Long Tail Keywords

How do you brainstorm these awesome long-tail keywords? Start with Google. Begin typing in a phrase and see what Google’s auto-complete suggestions are. Make note of the “eureka!” suggestions.  

Next, put a few of those terms into Google and scratch down some Google’s related search suggestions (you’ll find them towards the bottom of the page). 

Next, take all the long-tail phrases you’ve come up with and put them into the Google Keyword Planner.

See which phrases drive the most traffic (also take a look at other keyword phrases Google suggests) and siphon out the ones with high search volume and low competition. Those are your gold nugget long-tails! Try to create content targeted around those keywords.

SEO Wordpress Plugins for Bloggers 

There are some great wordpress plugins designed to help bloggers with SEO. They make it easy to set up your URL slugs correctly, help you craft perfect meta descriptions, setup sitemaps, and aid you in navigating other SEO technical bits that may not come naturally to bloggers.

Two favorites are:

• Wordpress SEO by Yoast
• All in One SEO Pack

3. Find Your Flock: Hunt Down Your Audience’s Nest

When it comes to promoting your blog, it’s essential that you’re strategic about where you spend your time. While it’s nice to establish your presence across a range of social networks, you’ll quickly burn out trying to excel with every social site.

Dip your feet and see which social networks work best for you. Is your blog heavy on the visuals? You’ll probably want to set your sights on LinkedIn. Is your blog catered more towards nerd culture? Find the right subreddits and you could strike it big. 

If you’re looking for seagulls, you go to the seashore. To drive blog traffic, you need to go to where your flock hangs out. Know where to find your bird of a feather. Understanding your audience is also key for building strong referral links from relevant websites.  

Use Google Analytics to see which websites are driving the most referral traffic.Find the forums and sites your target audience visits, and get active. Engage in discussion and post links or blog comments when appropriate. This is big – you can’t come off as spammy. You need to be seen as a valuable member of the community who is sharing something of merit. If someone mentions needing advice about scheduling healthy meal plans for each week, go ahead and point them to your resource! If they’re discussing their struggles in mastering the fine art of clowning, you can probably move along.

Once You’ve Found Your Family, Go All In

Once you’ve discovered your key networks, make those your focal point. Neil Patel points out that Upworthy, in addition to utilizing curiosity-focused headlines and emotional content, also limits the number of social sharing buttons they have on a given page.

The choice paradox shows that too many choices can overwhelm and stress users. While we may assume more choices are better, studies have shown that most individuals are happier with a few different options, rather than hundreds.

Upworthy only has two share buttons – Facebook and Twitter. Consider limiting your social sharing selection to the sites you get the most leverage out of.

Want More Blog Traffic? Just Ask. 

Sometimes getting what you want can be a simple as asking for it. A study by Social Bakers found that users who asked their followers to “RT” their posts on Twitter received 73.48 average retweets per tweet. Those who didn’t ask for retweets received just 2.09 retweets.

If you want people to share your content, ask them to!

This goes for just about all call-to-actions. While your intentions may seem obvious to you, reiterating the course of action for visitors greatly increases the likelihood that they’ll follow through.

4. Optimize For Speed and Mobile

Your visitors aren’t going to wait around for your blog to load. If your page isn’t coming up fast enough, they’ll hit the back button and move on to the next Google listing (ie your competitor) before you can flip a flapjack.

Need to check your site speed? No problem! Google’s Page Speed Insights tool will give you your speed score, as well as tips on what you can do to give your site the kick in the pants it might need.

In the same vein, modern users spend nearly 3 hours a day on their tablets or mobile phones. Going mobile is a no-brainer for bloggers. If you don’t think your current blog is up to snuff, consider checking out one of these fine Wordpress plugins that help create a version of your blog that is optimized for mobile devices.

• WPtouch Mobile Plugin
• Jetpack by Wordpress (there’s a mobile theme option baked in)

5. Play Nice With the Other Kids

Good manners go a long way online. If you’re looking to build blog traffic, you’ll want to establish good relationships with other bloggers in your niche. Sometimes you’ll even want to team up with your enemies, Game of Thrones style.

Comment on other blogs and be active in various communities. Consider interviewing major industry loggers or including other bloggers in a “best of” post (for example, Top 10 Blogs Rocking Pinterest). Once you have a blogger cited or featured in one of your posts, tag them in a tweet to let them know. Chances are that blogger will retweet and share a post mentioning them, getting more shares and more traffic as a result.

Linking to your own blog posts is great for SEO, but it’s important to link to outside sources as well. This signals to Google that you’re not a spammer and helps build positive relationship with the others blogs you’re linking to. Establishing good relations also makes pitching guest posts a ton easier.

Follow these five rules and you’ll see traffic skyrocketing to your blog in no time flat!

Source:- wordstream

5 New Year's Resolutions for Busy Families

It somehow seems that modern life is busier than it has ever been. As well as our work and family commitments, there are now so many ways to spend our leisure time; it often feels like 24 hours is simply not long enough to get everything you wanted done in the day.

The problem of being busy all of the time (even though it is a good problem to have) hits those of us who have time-consuming jobs and are also raising a family the hardest. If you fall into this category, you may find it helpful to read the following list of five potential New Year's resolutions you could make to ensure your 2017 is less stressful than this year may have been!

1) Leave the office on time - Even if it's only on one or two days a week, it is important that you sometimes put your foot down and leave your place of work as soon as your day is meant to finish. You'll find that you get much more done in the evenings!

2) Invest in a 2017 calendar - It may sound like a simple step, but that's sort of the point. Having your work and leisure commitments mapped out for the weeks and months ahead in an easy to view format will allow you to see at a glance just how busy you are and whether you are taking on too much.

3) Spend 10 minutes doing nothing - Again, this is more productive than it sounds! Set your alarm ten minutes earlier every day so that, before you get up, you can spend this extra time in completely undisturbed silence, thinking about what your priorities should be for the day to come.

4) What are your two most important tasks? - Speaking of priorities, it is also a good idea to take a step back from time to time and decide which the two most important jobs are that you wish to accomplish on any given day. This is a great way of clearing your head when you feel overwhelmed.

5) Consider hiring household staff - You may have thought that hiring a nanny or other household staff might be the 'easy way out', but this is not the case. Those who have invested in professional assistance of this kind know that hiring a caring and responsible person to help run your busy home is a fantastic way of relieving domestic pressures.

This article was written by Thom Sanders on behalf of Beauchamp Partners - a specialist London-based nanny agency who have been providing the highest quality childcare to clients for over thirty years.

Article Source: EzineArticles

The Amazing Wonder of AGE

I have just celebrated my recent birthday. By now, it is getting to be old business for me. Just another day of the year to celebrate something, which just happens to be my birthday.

I believe that if it is my birthday, I should be able to celebrate whatever birthday I want to celebrate. You are only as old as you celebrate.

I am not embarrassed at how old I am, I just sometimes cannot remember the exact figure. Some of my friends are rather legalistic along this line and are demanding the exact number of my birthday. Is it really that important? Does it really matter how old you are?

Well, if you spoke to some of my friends it matters to them. For those of us, however, who have experienced a succession of birthdays it does not really matter.

Thinking of my birthday this past week I was trying to figure out what was my best birthday. All of them had certain significance to them. For example, my 16th birthday allowed me to drive the car. However, I could only drive the car when my father said I could drive the car.

My 21st birthday was very important because I then could get married. Back then, you could not get married unless you were 21 years of age. Before that, you had to have your parent's permission. I have asked my parents for many things throughout the years, but I think asking to get married is just crossing the line somewhere.

Every birthday starts a new year of adventure and excitement. When you get older, adventure and excitement sort of goes away a little bit. It can be exciting to celebrate another birthday and wonder where you going to be at when your next birthday comes around.

Some people feel it's a little negative to get older. If you do not get older, it means that you have... Well, you know the rest of that sentence. I find nothing negative about getting older. I find certain amenities are associated with getting older that I could not cash in when I was younger.

When I was younger, I could not get away with much of anything. Now that I am older, I can get away with things because I have a few niches I can use. "I'm sorry," I often say to the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, "I forgot all about that. You know I'm getting older now."

She smiles and shakes an understanding head. It is wonderful to have an excuse for things of that nature.

For my birthday this year, I discovered something rather interesting. This year I discovered the amazing wonder of A.G.E. If you look at age from the proper perspective, you do get some very interesting enjoyments.

I suppose I should explain to you what I mean by A.G.E. It never occurred to me until this birthday celebration. A.G.E is simply Aggressive Grumpy Elegance. I never saw this before, but then of course I was not old enough to appreciate it.

When I was young, I noticed my grandfather had some rather grumpy sessions and I did not quite understand. Now that I am approaching my grandfather's age, I appreciate that grumpy attitude. Oh, the wonder of Aggressive Grumpy Elegance.

If I ever thought youth was exciting, it is nothing compared to this A.G.E. that I am experiencing right now. It is so wonderful to be grumpy whenever you choose.

I know some people are grumpy because they are just grumpy. That has nothing to do with this wonderful Aggressive Grumpy Elegance that I have discovered.

It takes quite a few decades to master this kind of attitude. I am delighted to say I have reached that stage in my life and I am mastering this part of Aggressive Grumpy Elegance. I just cannot say it often enough.

For example, when I want a quiet afternoon and maybe take a little bit of a nap, the result of this would be somebody saying, "Stay away from grandpa, he's acting a little grumpy today." The key to that is "acting."

Some people are grumpy because they are grumpy, but those of us who have reached a certain level in life are grumpy because we are acting grumpy and to act grumpy takes a great deal of thespian skill.

If someone, and I will not mention the real name here, wants me to go shopping with her, all I need to do is put on the grumpy act. "Well," she will say, "I guess you're too grumpy to go shopping with me today!"

The person who has reached this level of A.G.E can turn it on when needed and turn it off when not needed. That is the "elegance" part of this whole business.

When the grandchildren are around making noise and excitement, I do not have to act grumpy. When their parents, however, come around that is the time when grumpy kicks in.

You have to know when to act grumpy and when not to act grumpy. That is the wonderful aspect of getting to the age I am at right now.

I believe Solomon understood this when he wrote, "The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head" (Proverbs 20:29).

One of the great privileges in life is to earn that "grey head." More important, to use that grey head in a positive, affirmative fashion.

Article Source: EzineArticles

Home From Home or Reverse Cultural Shock Syndrome

If you have ever lived abroad for an extended period of time, and returned to your home country, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

There is a little dark secret hidden behind the 'coming home' announcement.

Have you ever experienced the feeling of not really knowing where home is? Is home a space, a building structure or just a feeling of belonging? It's a strange sensation and a mental separation between where you want to be, and where you actually have to be.

We recently relocated to our home country after living in China for 5 years; needless to describe how unsettling it is readapting to your once 'normal' lifestyle, friends, costumes, culture, house, driving habits, food, and of course let's not forget taxes. It's like rediscovering a feeling of déjàvu, but, with a twist of nostalgia and the uncertainty of how to rebuild things from the place where you left them. Things are "almost normal, "almost the same".

For a time, I found myself wondering: what did I use doing when we lived here last? How can this be happening to me? How do I get over all these feelings? As you can imagine, I deal with issues like this daily as part of my work, and yet there I was, wondering about the same things my clients grieve.

Funny fact, as I was unpacking the moving boxes, I caught myself smelling the old 'home'. It is well known that tastes and smells have the magic quality to take us back in time, even to our early childhood.

All of our friends moved on with their lives while we were away making a new life in another country. They have changed, but we have also changed, and somehow still expected things to be the same way we left them. How is that even possible? How to find balance again and the sense of being home? It's an old-new beginning to us, not to the world around us. We speak about home referring to China... how weird is that? We ARE supposed to be home!

All went in slow motion until I realised that home had more to do with a mental state, a comfortable feeling and not so much about an actual place. To my children, who live abroad, home is where we are, regardless of where in the world that might be.

I started analysing (yeah... I guess it's in my nature to analyse stuff)... what was different with all of the other moves? I never felt the way I feel now. Why?

When we moved from our birth town in Latin America to France, we were 'gone' long before actually moving.

From France to Belgium, what pushed us was the possibility of a new beginning with the family, hope was behind all, and it turned to be the right place for us.

Later from Belgium to China, we were all excited with new adventures. Nevertheless, we expected challenges; therefore, I started making contacts months before actually moving.

I was actively involved in networking; creating contacts, planning meetings, organising work and making sure a stable platform was ready for us upon arrival. I knew where to live, what to expect, where my children will study, etc... Again, we were gone even before having the green light from the company.

From China to Belgium all that changed because none of us was ready for the return. We were in love with China. It was falling into a black pit!

What we realised later was that there is not much difference in terms of moving from one country to another, the attitude changes all in a positive or negative way. It is completely up to us to make the best of it, not only for our own sake but for our family's as well. Living in any country for more than 3 years creates invisible roots.

Home is definitely a state of mind, it's more about where you are happy to be than actually the place where you are. Many people say: home is where the heart is! And they are right.

Should you ever find yourself in this situation, keep in mind that small things can get you faster back on your feet:

- Join a club, gym, association, church

- Join group lessons: cooking, language, Zumba, running, etc

- Work on your garden and plan for the coming season. Nothing better than looking forward into possibilities.

- Retake contact with old friends and/or, go out and make new ones.

- Planning your days will help you get a sense of belonging

- Explore, there is always something new

- Love yourself and show appreciation to all those around you at home, life will be so much simpler and enjoyable

There is no small or big challenge, just a new opportunity to know yourself more and get better.

It's all in the attitude!

http://www.YuriCoach.com



Article Source: EzineArticles

Why Are Some Older Women Homeless?

It seems that many older women are now homeless making up a large percentage of street dwellers. One has to ask why? The answer, however, is rather obvious. In Australia women are discriminated against and are often prevented from the same opportunities of men. When a divorce occurs it is often the woman who ends up homeless. Men who manipulate the system are able to secure a better future for themselves than women can.

It came as a shock this week to learn that a cyber friends of some 12 years is living in a make shift tent on the streets in the USA. It brought tears to my eyes to know that she was the victim of a cruel act on the part of her ex husband prior to their divorce some three years ago. He saw the family home disposed of so as to prevent her having it after the event.

Men are capable of some foul acts when it comes to separating when things go wrong. They may be the last to know how bad their marriage has become and it is something they can't handle when it finally breaks apart.

Many women can speak from experience when it comes to feeling the retribution of such a man. It appears that many will go to extraordinary lengths to pay-back their mate after a court battle. Disposing of the home to get even is only the tip of the iceberg in regards to how far they will go. Perhaps this is why many women quit without a settlement.

In recent times we have witnessed some horrendous deeds carried out on the children by their fathers. Throwing a little girl over a bridge to crash on the rocks below is one of them and bashing another over the head with a cricket bat in front of his mother and a large audience is unforgettable.

Is it any wonder that women leave and opt to sleep on the streets rather than face the consequences of a violent man? As they age and work becomes unavailable they are more vulnerable than ever. Not all women who end up on the streets have left voluntarily as many have been forced to do so for other reasons.

Gambling, alcoholism, and drugs also contribute to the problem. That doesn't mean that all homeless women suffer from these things but the chances are they may take them up to escape their predicaments.

Norma Holt has knowledge that enables her to understand many issues. Politics, health, social and behavioural problems are usually on her list for discussion as well as anything to do with the Spirit of the Universe and reincarnation, which she experienced. She is happy to hear from any of her readers.



Article Source: EzineArticles

Dysfunctional Families - Reasons, Culprits and Innocent Sufferers

The relationships within a nuclear family can be too much sensitive and delicate. At the same time, the strength that these relationships attain with time matches no other strength on the earth. There can be a number of external and internal factors in making this divine relationship weak.

The discussion on reasons can surely be too infinite to discuss in a single article. So I am going to discuss the most prominent and major reasons. Right from the outset of a marriage, some sane steps should be taken in order not to encounter future problem s. A wholehearted agreement should be made from both the sides and a thorough probation should be done from both the families which should be friendlier.

As for the cultural difference, the west seems to be more incline d towards marriage that boy and girl decide only while the east tend to get the whole procedure done through families. Whatever the procedure is both the sides should have some time to think about it carefully and wisely. Once the decision is made, stand by it in any case. If all the decisions are made without much thinking and with the blink of an eye they can prove to be regretting later on.

After getting hitched a heavy load of responsibilities is ahead of you. One of the biggest responsibilities is to 'never give up'. For doing this, patience is needed. Lack of patience can lead to smaller problems getting bigger day by day. In many cases, they can be unable to curb. Spending a happy life as a couple does not mean you are void of problems for the lifetime. Once you have kids the responsibility and forbearance have to be doubled than before. After being parents any act of ignorance can result in a broken relationship.

In the first place, parents must be held accountable. As for the ethnic societies, the ethnic culture seems to be dependent upon the elderly people deciding for marriages. When elderly people make the same mistake of not thinking much the result is a dysfunctional family. Despite the fact that there can be other people responsible for this husband and wife can bring tremendous change.

Whatever the problems are the ones who suffer the most in all this are children. They are the innocents that know and do nothing from first to the last yet pay most of all. Their mental and physical abilities can be affected grossly. Their future can be wretchedly disastrous.



Article Source: EzineArticles

This Fall Was a Major Trip for Me

This past week the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage said to me rather casually, "I guess you know today is November?"

She's always joking with me and I assumed this was one of her jokes.

"You can't fool me," I said quite sarcastically, "I know it's October."

With that, she led me to the refrigerator where she had a calendar and pointed to me that today was the first day of November.

It was hard for me to believe it; I thought she had made that calendar up herself. After thinking for a few moments, I concluded that she was right. After all, she's always right and I'm always left holding the bag.

With a little bit of sadness in my voice I said to her, "Where in the world did October go? I'm not finished with October yet."

"Finished or not," she said laughingly, "October is over and it is now November."

I like to enjoy my time and I did not believe I had fully enjoyed all of October yet. That's just the way life is. Here today, gone tomorrow. October yesterday, November today. When will all of this nonsense stop?

I should have noticed it was November because the whole house smelled of roast turkey in the oven. It is in November that we celebrate Thanksgiving. My wife had already purchased the turkey and was in the process of cooking it for Thanksgiving.

The only turkey we're not really grateful for is Yours Truly.

When Fall comes, you would think I would be prepared. Fall brings a different attitude in things. All of the nice warm weather is gone and now we have a little bit of Chilly Willy weather.

Summertime is the time to be a little lazy and not get too worked up about anything. The attitude I have during the summer is, "There's always tomorrow."

The attitude of the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage is, "There's only today."

Summertime cultivates a sense of laziness in my bones. I can get away with doing the summer because I can always complain about the heat. "It's too hot to do anything today." I usually get away with it.

Tripping into November that attitude and excuse goes out the window.

There is an expectancy from the other resident in our home that there is a lot of work to do in preparation for Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's Eve and it all has to be done now. Then, she produces her infamous "Honey-Do-List" and hands it to me.

Oh, how I miss the summer time.

I know Fall comes every year, but for some reason it always catches me by surprise.

Just like in the sixth grade. Our teacher gave us a test every Friday, but when Friday came, it was a surprise to us. I guess I have brought that attitude into adulthood.

Getting things done is the priority of my wife, which she pushes off on to me. My attitude is that if it gets done, it gets done and if it doesn't get done, I'll do it tomorrow.

Between November and December, there are 61 days. That sounds like a lot of time, but when you have to squeeze into 61 days 999 items from the "Honey-Do-List" it just does not seem possible. My wife, however, can do that and more in 61 days.

Being the gracious husband I have been all these years, I have never yet asked her how she does it. Because I know, if I asked, she will tell. There are some things I don't need to know and that is one.

Another problem I have with Fall is the weather. All summer long, I have grown accustomed to wearing short sleeve shirts. I like short sleeve shirts. When Fall comes, particularly November, the weather changes and I need to step up my game to long sleeve shirts.

I don't have any problem so to speak with long sleeve shirts. I just prefer a short sleeve shirt. But you know the weather. It demands long sleeve shirts in the Fall. Of course, when fall disappears and winter steps up, the long sleeve shirt is transferred into a sweater. And you know what sweaters are like.

I would not mind the Fall so bad if it wasn't so busy. Beginning with the Halloween celebration, whatever that is, and going all the way down the road to the New Year's Eve celebration is one celebration after another.

As I was musing on all of these aspects of the Fall season, my wife brought me a hot apple cider tea. It is one of my favorite drinks. She said as she brought it to me, "I know Fall is here and I thought you might enjoy this hot apple cider tea."

All summer long, I had forgotten about this favorite drink of mine. When she brought it to me, I could not keep a smile off of my face. After my first sip, I sat back in my chair and said loudly so everybody in the house could hear, "I'm glad it's Fall."

While I was drinking my hot apple cider tea, I mused on a verse from the Psalms. "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

Every day brings it some reason to rejoice in the Lord. My job is to find that reason.



Article Source: EzineArticles

Each Day Is A Gift

Each day the sun comes up we say to ourselves "Here's another day. Now what do I have to do today?" We get out of our beds, put the coffee up to brew, perhaps turn on the computer to see what is going on in the world before we do anything else. We prepare and layout the clothes we are going to wear, maybe make a list or two of things that have to be done, then we head out the door.

As we head out that door, we don't know what the day has in store for us. Hopefully all will go your way. You might meet someone you haven't seen in a while. Chit chat for a few moments, then be on your way, You might also come across someone who has had a bad day and takes it out on you, thus tossing your plans for an enjoyable day or evening out the window.

Some of us might take the time during the day to call a family member or perhaps a friend or two. We take it for granted the time we have on this earth and don't fully appreciate what we have.

Each day is precious. Whether it is rainy, sunny, snow is falling or there is a hurricane in the process. Each day that we can say, "What do I have to do today?" is a blessing and not to be cast aside lightly. We should be thankful for whatever we have and not dwell on the things we don't. There is nothing on this earth that is more important as your well-being and the love of family and friends.

Soon the holidays will be here. What better way is there to show the love and thankfulness of having a family and friends. Gathering around a decorative table with food prepared from the heart of our dear ones. A moment to talk about the our past, present and future.

As a free nation, we should be thankful for our freedom to worship as we please, to support the political party of our choice, to honor our flag and all it stands for.

So as we start each day, and as you first open your eyes in the morning, say to yourself how lucky you are to have what you have, then say to yourself, "What do I have to do today?"

Enjoy my friends, another day that is always a gift. Whatever you do... make the most of whatever comes your way!



Article Source: EzineArticles

Poor As I Am, All I Can Give Is Thanks

It was a pre-Thanksgiving evening and the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were enjoying some hot cider tea. Nothing goes down quite as nice as a hot cider tea.

It was rather a quiet evening and I happened to glance over at my wife and saw her staring into space as it were. It concerned me because I knew that's what she did when she was thinking about something.

The problem that faced me was simply this. Was she thinking about me or something else? If it's me, I'm probably in trouble. If it's something else, I'm probably in trouble. No matter which side of the fence I'm on, I'm in trouble.

I was tempted to ignore the situation and continue the silent evening but something inside me would not let me sit still. I don't know what it is about us husbands, we don't know when to shut up and we don't know when to speak up. If only we could do the opposite of what we're thinking at the time, we probably could get along much better with the opposite side of the fence.

"What are you," I asked her quite simply, "thinking about so strongly?"

Continuing to stare into space, she was silent for a few moments and then she said, "I'm trying to figure out what gifts we should get for our family."

Say what? I haven't even demolished the Thanksgiving turkey yet and she's thinking about Christmas gifts.

That is the way with my wife. She cannot let a day go by without thinking of something three weeks or two months down the road. She cannot sit still and enjoy the moment.

I, on the other side of the fence, am able to sit down and enjoy this silence of the moment. I do not have the jitters to get up and do something. I have the calm, relaxing feeling of just sitting and enjoying the moment.

I knew what was going through her mind; all of the members of our family and what they like to get at Christmas time. On my part, I cannot come up with all the members of our family without asking questions to someone across the room. I recognize them when I see them, but I always forget one or two when I'm trying to think about the family.

That is the difference between my wife and me. She can keep a list of the family in her head for months, yea even years and know exactly what they would like for Christmas and even for their birthday. I don't even know their birthdays and have to be reminded by my wife.

Here we were, just a few days away from Thanksgiving and the wife is thinking about Christmas.

It seems to me that there is a reason why Thanksgiving comes before Christmas. Thanksgiving is a time that we give thanks sometimes for the turkey in front of us. Sometimes, for the turkey in the family, if you know what I mean.

I said very cautiously to my wife, "Just relax and enjoy the evening and wait until after Thanksgiving to work on your Christmas list."

She came down out of her staring across the room and began staring at me one of those stares that I've experienced so many times in life. "I must," she said most dramatically, "try to figure out what I'm going to get my family for Christmas."

I flashed a smile back at her and cuddled up to the silence for a few more moments.

One thing I can say about her, she is very generous when it comes to giving, especially at Christmas time.

As for me, my focus is on Thanksgiving. It's coming up very shortly and when it does, I want to be ready to enjoy every bit of that Thanksgiving dinner. I know that around the table will be a variety of family members. I know that some of them will be very chatty about what's going on in their life. I will smile and nod most generously, but my focus is on Tom the Turkey.

As my muse took me a little bit further down memory lane, I began to see and appreciate the difference between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know they are about a month apart, but there's a bigger difference than days when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Christmas is when you spend a whole lot of money buying Christmas presents for everybody in your family even those that, well, how can I say it, is not on your nice list.

Thanksgiving is quite different. Once I get beyond the turkey, I begin to realize that the purpose of Thanksgiving is simply to give thanks.

Christmas costs a lot, especially out of my wallet, but Thanksgiving costs more but in a different currency.

For Christmas, I have to work out a budget and I'm always, or should I say my wife is always over budget.

However, Thanksgiving is different. Thanksgiving is giving thanks and that has no monetary value on it at all.

Giving thanks is a good thing as David points out, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High" (Psalm 92:1).

No matter how much coin I have in my pocket, giving thanks is the richest thing I could possibly give.



Article Source: EzineArticles

What Is a Bed Skirt and Why Would You Want One?

A sometimes forgotten piece of your bed linen is the bed skirt. While your eye may not be directed immediately to the bottom of your bed, you may eventually notice that there is in place the bed skirt - or that there isn't one. If there isn't one, you will see the legs of the bed and when the covers are pulled back you will see the box springs under the mattress as well.

So if you have no bed skirts, at some point you will probably gravitate to the thought that you no longer want to see those box springs or the legs of the bed. Your bed really isn't all that complete without the bed skirt. It is placed on top of the box springs and the mattress lays on top of it. They are available in many different colors and you can easily coordinate satisfactorily with whatever covers the top of your bed, whether it's a comforter, quilt, duvet or bedspread. There are also some bedding sets that include the coordinating bed skirt in the grouping.

A bed skirt completes the overall beauty of your bed and ties the individual pieces into a unit that creates the desired atmosphere you are wanting to achieve in your bedroom. For most, this piece does not dominate the bedding, in that it isn't the piece that your eye is drawn to initially. It is a complimentary piece to enhance the overall look of the desired atmosphere. So mostly you will want to choose a solid color for this piece. There are striped bed skirts available and if you choose a stripe, you will probably want a subtle stripe so as not to make this piece the dominant feature of your bedding set.

While beauty is the main feature of a bed skirt, there is another unique advantage to using it, one not to be overlooked. Maybe you live in a house that doesn't have enough closets. You can hide things under your bed and they will be out of sight and your room will not be cluttered with miscellaneous items. You can disassemble a table and hide it under your bed for example. Or put things under there that you don't use every day, that you only use occasionally, as it can be a little unhandy to retrieve them. If you put these items in a tote carton, they will be much easier to retrieve. Sometimes your dog or cat will hide from you or hide from the kids under there. You can hide presents under your bed that you haven't given yet. But once that hiding place is discovered, it will no longer work as an effective hiding place. It's always best to make a list of what you have in there if you don't use those items often. Or you can put them in your tote cartons and store them by category with a label attached to the end of the tote. Otherwise, whatever you have so successfully hidden will be hidden from you, and now it's a lost piece. But if that's the case, not to worry. You'll find it if and when you move.

Shelly Livengood is interested in all types of bedding including comforters, pillows, quilts, duvets, bedding sets, blankets, throws and linen as well as their variety of colors, styles and materials. She loves the elegant as well as the casual and unique. She is also interested in what enhances pleasant and restful sleep experiences. She currently is a publications manager for a website selling high quality and affordable bedding. Visit their site at https://www.bedsweetbuys.com.



Article Source: EzineArticles

When Your World Falls Apart!

Sometimes things don't go to plan! I have been planning my future for years. When my friend and partner and I retired we would buy a house in Spain and a caravan for summer months in England when the climate became too hot. The day came when we found a beautiful 3 bedroom house where we spent last winter.

What a mild winter, beautiful sunny beaches, virtually deserted, sand and sea stretching for miles. Meals on the patio it was all great. Then disaster struck I tripped and fell when walking and fractured my knee. In time this healed and we returned to our caravan in England where we were enjoying gardening and more sunny days. My desire to ovoid cold winters was a success.

Disaster number 2... I fell down some steps landing on my head on concrete and knocked myself out plus a spinal fracture. My injuries healed but I was left with constant nausea and dizziness. Vertigo, possibly caused by inner ear crystals becoming misplaced. This usually corrects itself in a few weeks but 15 months later I am still suffering. Many many, many visits to the doctor and trying different medication had not helped.

Disaster number 3... Winter in a caravan can be very cold and I had my third fall slipping on ice. This was a compounded by my partner deciding he would rather live on his own and leaving for Spain. Who can blame him I haven't been very good company for the past year, my disposition has certainly become very negative. It's not much fun living with vertigo for what feels like a lifetime, feeling you are walking about on a boat at sea, including the nausea! Being unwell and incapacitated for so long isn't fun!

I therefore moved to my daughters to share a 2 bedroom house with her and daughter. A very generous offer, but yes at 76 I have become a grumpy sofa surfer! As yet the house in Spain hasn't sold, I no longer want to live there as that is where the slippery slope started and my life began its downward tumble. I guess the uncertainty of Brexit is compounding the issues we have had few viewings. Fingers crossed the summer may bring some eager searchers, who will buy a lovely house only a short walk to the beach!

More problems, my elderly mother suffered 4 falls in two days and had to go into care, which she is very unhappy about, but sadly none of the family have suitable accommodation to care for her.

What a year! I have hit rock bottom this winter, where do I go from here. My good luck seems to have temporally run out. After 75 years of great health, despite being born in the war years 3 months premature I have been extremely lucky and find the current ill-health very difficult to deal with. When my vertigo is bad I cannot wear glasses without making my nausea worse, so I cannot read do crosswords or use my laptop, which explains my sudden lack of articles over recent months.

However with the better weather I am getting out in the garden which is great but if anyone reading this has a solution for vertigo I would be delighted to hear about it. I have tried the "Eply Manoeuvre" to no avail. Meanwhile its time to begin to rebuild my life. Look out for my journey out of depression and back into the work I love - Internet Marketing!

The Saga ends happily 18 months later, I am over Vertigo at last, my Mother has a lovely little flat in a retirement community. My partner has returned from spain, the house is sold and as now I am well again and able to use my laptop, I can I hope bring my business back to life.

So any one suffering ill-health and hard times, keep strong and keep smiling times could be better soon. My thoughts are with you!

Hello My name is Anne

Time for me now to get back to what I love - my internet business, now I'm feeling better



Article Source: EzineArticles

Nice Is a Matter of Perspective

Sitting in the living room the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and me were enjoying some hot apple cider tea and listening to some Christmas music. The song came that referred to Santa's nice list and naughty list. I was not paying too much of attention, but somebody else in the room was.

"Do you think you are on," my wife said rather sarcastically, "Santa's nice list or naughty list?"

I always get trapped by such questions. I have been married long enough to know that questions are not posed to get an answer, but rather to get someone in trouble, mainly me.

I did not want to answer that question and I didn't know how to get away from it. Suddenly the answer came to me.

The telephone rang and I jumped up to answer it. It was some Robo call trying to sell me something I did not want. I took advantage of the situation and carried on a one-way conversation, hoping someone would forget the question they had asked previously.

Finally, I hung up the phone and resumed drinking my hot apple cider tea in the living room.

Then it came back again. "Well, are you on the nice list or the naughty list?"

This only points out the difference between us. Nice is really a matter of perspective. Some people think something is nice while other people think the same thing is naughty.

For instance. My wife thinks eating too many apple fritters is very naughty. I think you cannot eat too many apple fritters and it is really nice to eat one. Or two. Or three, or four.

I cannot see what naughty has to do with eating an apple fritter.

If eating an apple fritter puts me on Santa's naughty list, then I gladly apply for that position.

My problem is, looking at Santa and the dimensions of his waist, I do not think he believes eating an apple fritter is naughty. I am not sure my wife considered that aspect.

After all, everybody sets out cookies for Santa to eat when he brings the presents. What is the difference between a cookie and an apple fritter?

I think my wife will be surprised when at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in heaven there will be apple fritters for dessert.

Then there is the idea of organizing your mess.

According to the other resident in our home, organizing and cleaning up after yourself is nice. If you do not do that, it is naughty.

I sure would like to know who set those rules. I think if your mess is comfortable and you are happy with it, it should be nice.

If she thinks organizing her space is nice, then why can't she allow me the same privilege to think that my messy space is also nice?

It is all just a matter of perspective.

Then it is Christmas time and people should be able to indulge in certain activities that at another time may be naughty.

One of my holiday indulgences is eating.

A bunch of us gathered to have a Christmas dinner before the actual Christmas holiday and we had a merry time. I was enjoying myself and indulging in the luxury of eating everything set before me.

Someone was passing a pumpkin pie and asked if I wanted another piece of pie. I've already had three pieces of pie, but this is the time of the year to indulge. Before I could even process the word "yes," my better half jumped in and said, "No, he's had enough pie for tonight."

Her definition of "enough pie" is a little different from mine. My definition is, "Yes, I'll take one more piece." It does not matter how many pieces I have had up to that point, one more is always on my plate. That is what makes eating pie nice for me.

The most disturbing part of that conversation was when she looked at me and said, "Remember, you're on a diet!"

Her idea of being on a diet is to watch what you eat. That's nice in her regard.

My idea of being on a diet is to watch what I put in my mouth. That's nice in my regard.

"So," my wife said after a long pause, "are you on Santa's nice list or naughty list?"

"That all depends," I said rather slowly, "on your definition of nice and naughty."

What I think is nice for me may not be nice for someone else. And what someone else thinks is naughty I may not consider to be naughty at all. It is all just a matter of perspective.

Then a thought popped into my head.

"Are you referring to Santa's list or to your list?"

For once, she had nothing to say. She just looked at me and could not come up with a comeback. Now that's nice.

I believe Paul had this in mind when he writes, "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more" (1 Thessalonians 4:1).

The question needs to be restated; are we on God's nice list or God's naughty list?

To please God in everything I do is the great ambition of my life. I know that I cannot please God and other people at the same time.

Article Source: EzineArticles

Friends or Family - A Risky Gamble

Remember as a teenager you would probably ask your parent(s) to "borrow" money to go to the mall, movies or purchase something you admired for what seemed like forever. With this request, you probably were greeted with responses like: 'I will give you some of the money, but you must earn the rest' or 'How are you going to pay me back the money you are borrowing". I am not sure why the word borrow was often used but let's be real, how often did you really pay your parents back.

The term borrow is a very interesting word. According to dictionary.com, borrow is defined as taking and use (something that belongs to someone else) with the intention of returning it. As a teenager did you really intend to borrow money from your parents or were you saying whatever you thought would increase your chances of getting the money you wanted to see that movie, got to the mall or purchase something.

Borrowing money as a teenage to invest in your hobbies and wants is completely different that borrowing money as an adult to invest in a business venture. I highly doubt that your parents stopped speaking to your because you never repaid the money you borrowed to buy the sweater you just had to have. I also doubt that your friend or cousin unfriended you on social media because you never repaid the money you borrowed for pizza.

While those scenarios seem trivial and petty, it is never either when it comes to those very same people investing in your business venture. Yes, those close to us want to see us succeed. Yes, these very same people will cheer us on along our journey. And yes, a couple of right arms would be given to assist us along the path to success. However, things may turn extremely ugly when there is a bump in the road, or your business venture has fallen into a ditch and lying next to the venture is the money of your friends and family members.

Receiving money for investing from friends and family has some perks. For one, you get to avoid the most dreaded process of securing money... dealing with banks. Two, you get to set your own terms and guidelines on how the money will be used. Three, you will most likely receive the money much quicker than you would from a bank. And four, if needed, the ability to adjust the repayment deadlines may be a little bit more flexible with much less harsh repercussions.

While all those perks may paint a picture of borrowing from family or friends ideal... well, it is not. For every perk, there are at least two disadvantages. Yes, you get to avoid the banks, set your own terms with a soft repayment plan. This would be an entrepreneurs' utopia, however, if things should ever not go according to plan the perks would quickly fade and be replaced with an unimaginable nightmare.

Could you imagine your parents, cousin, uncle or close friend whom you have had a lifelong relationship with abruptly stop speaking to you? Could you imagine being uninvited to your best friend's wedding? Even if you were the maid of honor or best man. Could you image a Christmas, Thanksgiving or Birthday without those you love? How about being the recipient of unpleasant text or voicemails from these very same people.

If you should ever default on a loan with the bank, you never have to worry about running into them at the supermarket resulting in an awkward and negative exchange however that is a plausible situation if you default a financial agreement with a family member.

While doing business with family may have good intentions for both parties, remember that entrepreneurship is a risky avenue and if you are not comfortable with gambling the future of your relationships, then keep your financing formal. It is important to remember that within the realm of business and entrepreneurship the only feelings that should be allowed is your passion for your business.

Tanisha Smoot is a graduate student of the Master of Entrepreneurship Program at Western Carolina University. Webmasters and other article publishers are hereby grandted article reproduction permission as long as this article in its entirety, author's information, and any links remain intact. Copyright 2017 by Tanisha Smoot



Article Source: EzineArticles

How Will Virtual Reality Change Education?

Taking online classes is an example of virtual reality. Whether the online classes have a tutor or not, there will be lectures in the form of presentations which the students can follow. Making everything online may be difficult at the moment but with time all the required digital tools will be available. So what happens when virtual reality takes over traditional education?

Simple, students will not be required to go to schools or universities. By learning everything online and noting down important points, they make it. There will be replays available for online teaching lessons that students can play as many times as they like from the comfort of their home in case they missed something or didn't understand something.

They can schedule an exam on one of the convenient dates online and appear in the online exam accordingly.

Books may not however go extinct. Along with the replays of tutorial lessons, students can buy hardcover or digital books, whichever they prefer, and prepare themselves for tests and exams.

Online classes are already available this way. Virtual reality taking over traditional education means online classes will become rampant and widespread.

Over the course of two or three decades, this is how I assume virtual reality will take over and how life would become more comfortable for students.

No need to wake up in the mornings, no need to gulp down a not so tasty breakfast, no need to commute or drive - life gets that simple and easy, all from the comfort of home.

Now comes the case of discipline. Will students rely on themselves and behave smart to attend all the online classes? Will they keep their promise to their parents that yes, they will act out of discipline and order?

In traditional education, there is always a teacher or professor to guide students all along. But can students stay disciplined and mature enough to stick to online rules or will they break all the rules and just be a vagabond?

The imminent danger also lies in the present day whether a student will stick to the values and principles and abide by the rules and work hard for a degree. S/he can easily go in wrong ways, get interested in weekend disco parties and become more fun-loving, without paying attention to their studies.

Therefore, in my opinion, although online classes or virtual reality poses a threat on future education, it is my belief that well-brought up children will be all willing to learn, graduate and eventually work. Of course, parenting does have a role in this. Good parenting will always suffice to give their children the right ethics, values and principles so that they do not go astray or out of their boundaries.

Rosina S Khan has authored this article. For a wealth of free resources based on an Academic Guide on Databases, quality scholar papers, valuable blogs, commendable articles, stunning fiction stories and amazing self-help eBooks, all authored by her, and much more, visit: http://rosinaskhan.weebly.com. You will be glad that you did.



Article Source: EzineArticles

Apple Responds to the Market With New Products

New products are on their way from Apple. The tech firm made it clear they have lots of items in their pipeline at their WWDC Conference this month.

First off is the company's answer to Amazon's Echo and Google's Home called the HomePod. It is a seven inch device that will integrate Siri into an Echo/Home like case. You can use it to check the news, weather and control your smart home devices.

HomePod will offer an enhanced music experience. A feature called "Musicologist" will work with Apple music and stream the songs you request from Siri. The sound is designed to fill the room and take it to a level beyond what Amazon and Google are offering.

The device will be available in black or white. Price is around $349. The launch date is anticipated in December just in time for the holiday season.

Need a new desktop? Apple is updating its iMac with improved retina displays, a boost in graphics, Kaby Lake processors and a USB-C plug-in.

An iMac Pro is also on the way. This high-end machine has a 5K display with improved cooling capacity, and 8-core Xeon processor which is upgradeable up to 18-core. It also includes up to 4TB of SSD, up to 128GB of ECC memory, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and built-in 10GB Ethernet.

Pricing is what you would expect from Apple. The new iMac starts at $1,099 for the 21.5-inch model, and $1,299 for the 4K model. MacBook Pro starts at $1,299, which includes the updated Kaby Lake processor. For those with deep pockets the iMac Pro with the Xeon processor starts at a whopping $4,999. Again a December shipping date in expected.

Speaking of "Pros" how about a new iPad Pro? The device will be available in three sizes including a brand new 10.5 inch model. Similar to the iPhone 7 it comes with a 12-megapixel camera and a 7MP selfie cam.

The iPad Pro supports USB 3.0 with 10 hours of battery life. A new feature called ProMotion reduces the Apple Pencil's latency to 20 milliseconds. It adjusts the refresh rate based on what you are watching and can double it up to 120Hz. The 10.5 inch iPad Pro starts with a 64GB configuration. Pricing begins at $649. You can pick one up now.

Also of note is Apple's new operating system, iOS11. It is in beta stage and has been released to developers. One area it will improve is multitasking on the iPad. Users will be able to pull up an app from the dock and drag it onto the screen in split-screen version. Like a MacBook you can use touch to hold and drag folders, files or photos. You can even drop them in a different app such as Mail or iMessage. The Apple Pencil will also enable handwritten text to be searchable from the Notes app.

The Apple Watch is also getting a "face lift". New faces will display new bits of information such as Siri reminders. A Fitness Focus update provides NFC-enabled data sharing with gym equipment. Pair the two and you get the latest calorie burn and activity level.

Apple is letting developers know their tree is full of interesting new products and upgrades. It will be interesting to watch how the public responds in this latest round of Apple picking.

George Rosenthal is a founder and partner withThrottleNet Inc.. ThrottleNet offers an array of technology services and products to help business owners achieve their corporate goals and accelerate business growth. These include cloud computing, custom software and mobile application development, and outsourced Managed Network Services which helps companies improve their technology uptime and IT capabilities while, at the same time, reduces costs. To learn how to accelerate your IT visit ThrottleNet online at http://www.throttlenet.com.

Article Source: EzineArticles

Computer Knowledge (Literacy)

Introduction

Advancement in ICT (Information Communication Technology, has made the world to be viewed as a global village. Regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade), the Computers playing a major role, in this integration.

This integration of regions or nations of the world through this global network has made the world to be like a big village, where various nations are like clans in this big village, while the Presidents of the various nations are like heads of clans in this big village.

Therefore as it is any thing that affects one clan affects the other in this big village. This is what is actually happening in our world of today. A crisis in the Niger Delta of Nigeria affects the international price of crude oil, travels, etc.

This joining together of countries in the world economically, through education, society and politics, and citizens viewing themselves not only through their national identity but also as part of the world as a whole is what is Globalization.

Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by a combination of economic, socio-culture, politics, international trade and investment and aided by ICT (Information Communication Technology), in which the Internet pays a major role, through the network of Computers cut across the globe or world

Globalization, has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.

In our world today, there are few places a person can't get to via telephone or the Internet. Because of modern modes of communication, citizens of a nation are more conscious of the world at large and may be influenced by other cultures in a variety of ways.

Time and space matter less, and even language barriers are being overcome as people all over the world communicate through trade, social Internet forums, various media sources, and a variety of other ways.

As a result of globalization, the world is viewed as one Big Town or Village called a Global Village. And members of the Global Village are called Global Community. One major medium which has brought people of all nations closer together is the Internet. Internet is the networks of Computers all over the globe, which enable people of the world (Global Community), communicate with each other. Internet is one part of ICT.

ICT has been the major driver of globalization. Advances in Information Technology, in particular, have dramatically transformed economic life. Information Technologies have given all sorts of individual economic actors-consumers, investors, businesses-valuable new tools for identifying and pursuing economic opportunities, including faster and more informed analyses of economic trends around the world, easy transfers of assets, and collaboration with distant partners.

As you are reading this article now, minds are communicating all over the world through the Internet, to achieve their desires. Buying and Selling, School Admission and Registration, Airline Travel Booking, Research of any kind, Banking, Emails, looking for Employment, Information, etc, are all going on through the Internet.

Being Part of the Global Community

From the understanding above, no one in this present world, can succeed if he is she is not a member of the global community. To be a member of the global community, you must:

1. Be Computer Literate

2. Learn how to use the Internet

3. Own a Personal Computer (Desktop or Laptop)

Computer Literacy

Computer literacy is defined as the knowledge and ability to use Computers and technology efficiently. Another valuable component of Computer literacy is knowing how Computers work and operate. This later component is for advanced users or operators who may want to be Computer engineers. Knowing and having the ability to use Computers is mile stone into the global community.

Why Is Computer Literacy Necessary?

There are a lot of things you will need the Computer for directly or indirectly in this present age of ours. Either you use it directly or someone is using it on your behalf. Some reasons why you have to be Computer literate are as listed below:

1. When looking for job, your employers require that you be Computer literate, as Computer could be a basic tool you will have to use.

2. In most places of business, Computer is standard. For example, in the banks Computers are used for banking transactions and to look up customer's account information. In some auto repair shop Computers are used to assess electronic and other faults in cars.

3. In schools Computers are used for student's registration and admission, accounting, exams and records. School libraries are database of books. No more use of library cards.

4. In some Hospitals and Clinics patient information are stored in Computers. Doctors must know how to retrieve such information to treat a patient.

5. To send or receive electronic mails you need to learn how to use the Computer and the Internet or you pay someone to do it for you.

This list is endless. It is in your best interests to start learning to use the personal Computer now. It will help you get a job and it will help you advance in your career.

Computer literacy does not mean you need to know how use every single piece of software you may encounter. It does not mean you need to know how to write programs or network Computers. You just need to know some basics:

1. How to Start the Computer

2. How to use the OS (Operating System) running in your Computer, Windows, Mac or Linux.

3. How to open Application Software such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Create, Save and Open Files.

4. How to Exit or Close an Application Software and open another.

5. How to properly shutdown the Computer after usage.

6. How to use the Internet to Browse the Internet, send and receive email.

7. How to listen to Music and play Video in your Computer.

8. How to handle your PC (Personal Computer).

When you learn how to use the computer, you will have some sort spot for it in your mind, when you come to appreciate how easy it is to use the computer and how useful it is. Then the fear that it is impossible or difficult to learn how to use the computer would have been a thing of the past.

I remember when I was teaching a very good friend of mine how to use the Microsoft Word and the Mouse. It did not come so easy. But because she had made up her mind to learn, it did not take time for her to start using the tools. One day I went to her office to see her, just to find out that the typewriter she so much loved was under the table. Then I ask her how is the mouse doing? And she smiled. Her masters programme was on Computer Networking. This is the joy of learning how to use the PC.

How do you Become Computer Literate?

To become Computer Literate, you have to attend a Computer Training School. There are all over the place. In such schools, Basic Computer courses are offered. They are usually reasonably priced, and you can workout time to learn them. There are free online courses in the Internet, if you don want to attend any school. You can learn from a cyber café, but some body must have to teach you. Some Cyber Café offer computer courses. Two free computer courses online sites are:

http://www.gcflearnfree.org

At this point in time you don't have to own a Computer, except you want to practice at home. After finishing your course, you would have made up your mind as to what type of Personal Computer you want (Desktop or Laptop).

Learn How to Use the Internet

To be a member of the global community, you must know how to use the internet. If you can imagine the information you can find virtually from any facet of life in the Internet, you will appreciate what humans are doing to make life and the world an easy place to live in. You must learn and know how to use the Internet to be relevant in this 21st Century. There is no age barrier to becoming a computer literate. Interest is the watch word. It is good to learn from a Computer Training School, how to use the Internet. When you have grabbed the basics, then you can visit these free sites, like this shown below:

http://www.learnthenet.com

Own a Personal Computer (Desktop or Laptop)

After you have learnt how to use the computer and Internet, it is time to own your computer, if you have not already bought on. Your decision to own a PC depends on what you want to do with it. That will inform your decision to own a desktop or laptop computer. Be part of the global or digital world.



Article Source: EzineArticles

You, Me and Technology: The Truth

Can you figure out what you and I have in common with Technology? If you think a little you will find out. Read on for insights.

You and I both love to take advantage of technology. Yet when we do that, we overdo it sometimes costing our health and most of all, our eyes and back.

Eyesight will start to deteriorate and our back pain will develop. We need to move our hands and legs while taking breaks and walk around a bit. Otherwise our body will start to malfunction and start to give symptoms.

Other than that, loving technology with limits is great. You get to learn a lot about tools and software over the mighty reign of internet. They come to your aid when you carry out computer tasks and make life easier for you. So you and I have nothing to lose.

On the other hand, we must set aside technology for a while and enjoy the beauty of life, recreate and recharge our batteries. In other words, we need to have fun with friends and family. Then we can go back to work with refreshed energy and vigor.

Now technology is a broad term. You and I cannot focus on everything at the same time. So we need to narrow it down to our field of expertise and focus on those stuff and skills that would augment our tasks at home and work. You and I should learn these things within a deadline, yet go slow, grabbing skills one day at a time.

We should keep in mind about improving our technology skills all the time so that we do not lag behind. Then we should set an example for others, sharing our knowledge, disseminating them as much as we can through teaching, writing and speaking because sharing is not only caring but also productive. So remember to share with others through a suitable medium because when you help others, you cannot do so without helping yourself first.

So we should give credit to technology since it has entwined with our lives, benefiting us to great lengths but at the same time we should keep ourselves under control without doing too much of it and being addicted.

The absolute truth about you, me and technology is that technology is never ending and we need to need to pace up with it for a lifetime because life itself is a never ending learning process. So as much as we need to have fun and recreate, we also need to give valuable time to tune technology skills to our finger tips.

Rosina S Khan has authored this article. For a wealth of free resources based on an Academic Guide on Databases, quality scholar papers, valuable blogs, commendable articles, amazing self-help eBooks and stunning fiction stories, all authored by her, and much more, visit: http://rosinaskhan.weebly.com. You will be glad that you did.



Article Source: EzineArticles

5 Things a Child Knows About Technology That You Don't

How do you feel about your kids? Ever felt they are smarter than you about Technology? How could you tell? Do you have living proof? This article demonstrates this fact. Read on to find out.

Here are a few examples:

1) Your kid is faster than you at figuring out and playing computer games. They know better when to hit enter, spacebar, ESC key and arrow keys. In fact, they are better than you at playing these games.

2) Your kid is better at discovering new stuff about your cell phone, which you never knew existed. Take all the help you need from your kid.

3) Your kid knows the easiest way to find information by giving a search on Google bar. They will use simple non-connecting words and yet they will find the required information.

4) They will find a way with other digital gadgets before you and work on them intelligently. In fact they can pace up with technology faster than you. So be sure to interact with them.

5) How about a toy car, train or Lego set? After you have shown them the main theme behind them, they will be more creative and discover further innovative stuff about them and show you which will surprise you very much.

So never underestimate your child. Play and laugh with them with digital gadgets or toys. You will always have a lot to learn from them. They will teach you in a way that you can never teach them.

The five ways I demonstrate here really exemplify to you how amazing kids can be. So feel great that your kids are smart and the more they grow up, the more they will outsmart you. Take it easy and as fun. There is nothing much to worry about. You just get smart too by learning and picking up cues from them.

Never belittle them or hush them away. Encourage them always their creative and bright sides with Technology and they will grow and mature in ways that you may have never imagined. It is your duty to bring out the very best in them. So help them with their curiosity and inquisitiveness about Technology. They will feel gratified and fulfilled, which in turn will give you immense joy and bliss.

So feel great to be proud parent and everything will fall into place. No matter what, you, along with your special kids, will thrive!!

Rosina S Khan has authored this article. For a wealth of free resources based on an Academic Guide on Databases, quality scholar papers, valuable blogs, commendable articles, amazing self-help eBooks and stunning fiction stories, all authored by her, and much more, visit: http://rosinaskhan.weebly.com. You will be glad that you did.



Article Source: EzineArticles