Making Money System

Another day, another honking big funding for another online start-up (and yet another broken embargo too!).

It’s like Groundhog Day in Silicon Valley as usual.

Today, Cambridge, Mass.-based HubSpot wins tech’s version of the lottery, grabbing $32 million from Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures and also Salesforce.com.

It is unclear what the valuation for HubSpot is now, although it is likely high given it has raised $65 million now.

HubSpot makes marketing software for businesses, who use it to find prospects and generate leads, along with tools to analyze the process. It claims it has “4,000 customers, over 50 percent market share, five million leads managed, and 70 million page views tracked monthly.”

The Series D financing included HubSpot’s existing venture investors–General Catalyst Partners, Matrix Partners, and Scale Venture Partners–and part of it will be used to cash out existing shareholders. In previous rounds, the start-up has raised $33 million.

Here is the official press release:

Sequoia, Google Ventures, and Salesforce.com Invest $32 Million in HubSpot

Marketing Software Company Attracts New Strategic Investors

CAMBRIDGE, MA–(Marketwire – March 8, 2011)–Today, for the first time ever, Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures and Salesforce.com all invested together in one company, providing HubSpot with a Series D round of financing through a $32 million investment. HubSpot provides all-in-one marketing software used by over 4,000 businesses to get found by more prospects, convert them into leads and sales, and analyze the entire marketing process.

“The fundamental way that people shop, learn, and buy has changed radically in the last few years. HubSpot helps transform the way businesses market from outbound marketing (cold calls, email blasts, and direct mail) to inbound marketing (Google, blogs, social media, mobile, etc.),” said Brian Halligan, co-founder and CEO of HubSpot.

Sequoia Capital has a long history of partnering with founders to help them build long-term, multi-billion dollar companies, including Google, LinkedIn, AdMob, YouTube, Yahoo!, Apple, and Oracle. “We back companies that are transforming their industries,” said Jim Goetz, General Partner at Sequoia Capital. “HubSpot is the emerging category leader in the SaaS marketing sector. Their customer base exceeds that of all the other relevant marketing software companies combined, including Eloqua, Marketo, Genius, and Manticore.”

“Today, every company needs to succeed in search, social, sales, and marketing–I can’t think of a more powerful trifecta than Google, Salesforce.com, and HubSpot. With 4,000 customers, HubSpot is already a clear marketing leader–now, with this new infusion of capital and recognition by Google’s venture arm and Salesforce.com, HubSpot has a great opportunity to separate itself from the pack and become the leading marketing platform in the small and medium business space,” said Brent Leary, co-founder of CRM Essentials.

Google Ventures Partner, Rich Miner (formerly co-founder of Android) said, “We agree with HubSpot’s belief that search engines, social media, and mobile devices have fundamentally changed how businesses should market themselves. We’re thrilled to support their efforts to help thousands of small and medium businesses reach potential customers.”

Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO of HubSpot commented, “We founded the company based on a simple premise: Businesses want an easy-to-use, complete and integrated marketing platform that helps them get more leads and customers. We plan to use this new capital to further invest in this ambitious vision and further our existing lead in the marketing software category.”

Surface Encounters

Barry Bonds trial: Former Giants trainer takes the stand

Major leaguers Jason and Jeremy Giambi were expected to testify Tuesday as Barry Bonds' perjury trial resumed.

Surface Encounters

Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Brand

What is your social media brand? Do you have one? Sure, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are coming around to the enormous importance of social.

Surface Encounters

Atari readies new Warlords remake <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our news of Atari readies new Warlords remake.

Surface Encounters

Dirty Percent

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

It’s not hard to make the case that Apple’s new in-app subscription system offers numerous benefits to users, developers, and publishers. But whatever those benefits, they stem from the mere existence of these new subscription APIs. What’s controversial is the size of Apple’s cut: 30 percent.

No one is arguing that Apple shouldn’t get some cut of in-app purchases that go through iTunes. And, if Apple were taking a substantially smaller cut, there would be substantially fewer people objecting to Apple’s rules (that subscription-based publishing apps must use the system; that they can’t link to their external sign-up web page from within the app; and that they must offer in-app subscribers the same prices available outside the app).

The reasonable arguments against Apple’s policies seem to be:

• Apple should be taking less, perhaps far less, than 30 percent.




• Apple should not require subscription-based apps to use the in-app subscription APIs. If it’s a good deal for publishers, they’ll choose to use the system on their own.




• Apple should not require price-matching from subscription offers outside the app. Publishers should be allowed to charge iOS users more money to cover Apple’s cut.




• Apple should consider business models that simply can’t afford a 70/30 revenue split.

Let’s consider these in reverse order.

Apple Should Consider Business Models That Can’t Afford a 70/30 Revenue Split

Apple doesn’t give a damn about companies with business models that can’t afford a 70/30 split. Apple’s running a competitive business; competition is cold and hard. And who exactly can’t afford a 70/30 split? Middlemen. It’s not that Apple is opposed to middlemen — it’s that Apple wants to be the middleman. It’s difficult to expect them to be sympathetic to the plights of other middlemen.

Some of these apps and services that are left out might be ones that iOS users enjoy, though. This is the leading argument for how this new policy will in fact hurt users, and, as a result, Apple itself: it’ll drive good apps off the platform. Frequently mentioned examples: Netflix and Kindle. For all we know, though, Netflix may well be fine with this policy. Apple would only get a 30 percent cut of new subscriptions that go through the Netflix iOS app, and that might be a bounty Netflix can live with in exchange for more subscribers. Keep in mind, too, that Netflix and Apple seemingly get along well enough that Netflix is built into the Apple TV system software.

Kindle, and e-book platforms in general, are a different case. For one thing, Kindle doesn’t use subscriptions. Kindle offers purchases. Presumably, given Apple’s rejection of Sony’s e-book platform app last month, Apple is going to insist on the same rules for in-app purchases through apps like Kindle as they do for in-app subscriptions. If so, something’s got to give. The “agency model” through which e-books are sold requires the bookseller to give the publisher 70 percent of the sale price. So if the publisher gets 70 and Apple gets 30, that leaves a big fat nothing for Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, or Kobo, or anyone else selling books through native iOS apps — other than iBooks, of course.

But leaving aside the revenue split, there are technical limitations as well. The existing in-app purchasing system in iOS has a technical limit of 3,500 catalog items. I.e. any single app can offer no more than 3,500 items for in-app purchase. Amazon has hundreds of thousands of Kindle titles.

Something’s got to give here. I don’t know what, but there must be more news on this front coming soon. I don’t believe Apple wants to chase competing e-book platforms off the App Store.

Apple Should Not Require Price Matching

Why not allow developers and publishers to set their own prices for in-app subscriptions? One reason: Apple wants its customers to get the best price — and, to know that they’re getting the best price whenever they buy a subscription through an app. It’s a confidence in the brand thing: with Apple’s rules, users know they’re getting the best price, they know they’ll be able to unsubscribe easily, and they know their privacy is protected.

Credit card companies insist on similar rules: retailers pay a processing fee for every credit card transaction, but the credit card companies insist that these fees not be passed on to the customer. Customers pay the same price as they would if they used cash — which encourages them to use their credit card liberally. (Going further, many charge cards offer cash back on each purchase — they can do this because the cash-back percentage refunded to the customer is less than the transaction processing fee paid by the retailer.)

So the same-price rule is good for the user, and good for Apple. But Matt Drance argues that Apple could dissipate much of this subscription controversy by waiving this rule:

The requirement that IAP content be offered “at the same price
or less than it is offered outside the app,” combined with the
70/30 split, means developers must make less money off of iOS by
definition. They can’t price their IAP content higher to offset
the commission, nor can they price their own retail content lower.

If I am interpreting this correctly, I can’t bring myself to see
it as reasonable. […] I think a great deal of this drama could
go away if Apple dropped section 11.13 while keeping section
11.14: Your prices on your store are your business; just don’t
be a jerk and advertise the difference all over ours.

And I agree with him. Yes, the same-price rule is good for users and for Apple, but waiving this rule wouldn’t be particularly bad for users or for Apple, either — and it would give publishers some freedom to experiment.

I suspect one reason Apple won’t budge is that their competitors — like Amazon — insist on best-price matching.

Apple Should Not Require Apps to Offer In-App Subscriptions

I’m sympathetic to this argument, too. “If you don’t like our terms, don’t use our subscription system.” But it has occurred to me that this entire in-app subscription debate mirrors the debate surrounding the App Store itself back in 2008 — that 30 percent was too large a cut for Apple to take, that it shouldn’t be mandatory, etc. The same way many developers wanted (and still want) a way to sell native iOS apps on their own, outside the App Store, many publishers now want a way to sell subscriptions on their own, outside the App Store.

The fact is, the App Store is an all-or-nothing affair. You play by Apple’s rules or you stick to web apps through Mobile Safari. This alternative is no different for periodical publishers than it was (and remains) for app developers in general. A lot of these demands boil down to a desire for more autonomy for native iOS app developers. Apple has never shown any interest in that.

There’s one striking difference between the subscription controversy today and the App Store controversy in 2008: with subscriptions, Apple is taking away the ability to do something that they previously allowed. There was never a supported way to install native apps for iOS before the App Store. Subscriptions sold outside the App Store, on the other hand, were allowed until last month.

Apple Should Be Taking Less, Possibly Far Less, Than 30 Percent

Another difference between the App Store itself and in-app subscriptions is that with apps, Apple hosts and serves the downloads. Apple covers the bandwidth, even for gargantuan gigabyte-or-larger 99-cent games. The OS handles installation.

With in-app subscriptions (and purchases), however, the app developer is responsible for hosting the content, and for writing the code to download, store, and manage it. So — one reasonable argument goes — given that Apple is doing less for subscription content than it does for apps (or for music and movies purchased through iTunes), Apple should take less of the money.

Taken further, the argument boils down to this: that for in-app subscriptions and purchases, Apple is serving only as a payment processer — and thus, a reasonable fee for transactions would be in the small single digits — 3, 4, maybe 5 percent, say. More or less something along the lines of what PayPal charges.

Apple, I think it’s clear, doesn’t see it this way. Apple sees the entire App Store, along with all native iOS apps, as an upscale, premium software store: owned, controlled, and managed like a physical shopping mall. Brick and mortar retailers don’t settle for a single-digit cut of retail prices; neither does the App Store.

Seth Godin argues that Apple’s 30 percent cut is too big to allow publishers to profit:

Except Apple has announced that they want to tax each subscription
made via the iPad at 30%. Yes, it’s a tax, because what it does is
dramatically decrease the incremental revenue from each
subscriber. An intelligent publisher only has two choices: raise
the price (punishing the reader and further cutting down
readership) or make it free and hope for mass (see my point above
about the infinite newsstand). When you make it free, it’s all
about the ads, and if you don’t reach tens or hundreds of
thousands of subscribers, you’ll fail.

Godin’s logic strikes me as questionable. For one thing, he freely switches between a newsstand metaphor (arguing, perhaps accurately, that the App Store is too large for publishers to gain attention from potential readers in the first place — you won’t read what you never notice) and the economics of subscriptions. But subscribers are the opposite of newsstand readers. Newsstand readers are buying a single copy, often on impulse. Subscribers are readers who are already hooked, and who know what they want. Put another way, the size of Apple’s cut of subscription revenue — whether it were higher or lower — has no bearing on the “attention at the newsstand” problem.

Second, the problem facing traditional publishers today is that circulation is falling. Newsstand sales and subscriptions are falling, under pressure from free-of-charge websites and other forms of digital content. The idea with Apple’s 70-30 revenue split is that developers and publishers can make it up in volume — that people aren’t just somewhat more willing to pay for content through iTunes than other online content stores, they are far more willing. The idea is that Apple has cracked a nut no one else1 has — they’ve created an ecosystem where hundreds of millions of people are willing to pay for digital content. Thus, potentially, publishers won’t just make more money keeping only 70 percent of subscription fees generated through iOS apps than they are now with 96 percent (or whatever they’re left with after payment processing fees) of subscription fees they’re selling on their own — they stand to make a lot more money.

I’m not guaranteeing or even predicting that it’s going to work out that way. I’m just saying that’s Apple’s proposition.

Godin’s assumption is that iOS in-app subscriptions won’t significantly increase the number of subscribers. If he’s right about that, then he’s right that Apple’s 30 percent cut will prove too expensive for publishers. But Apple’s bet is that in-app subscriptions can dramatically increase the number of subscribers. Consider the app landscape. Apple’s 30 percent cut didn’t drive the price of paid apps up — the nature of the App Store drove prices down. It’s a volume game.

The App Store itself proves that Apple might be right. Like with app sales, in-app subscriptions won’t work for every publication. But it could work for many. It really is possible to make it up in volume.

And if a 70-30 split for in-app subscription revenue doesn’t work, the price will come down. That’s how capitalism works. You choose a price and see how it goes. I’ll admit — when the App Store launched in 2008, I thought Apple’s 70-30 split was skewed too heavily in Apple’s favor. Not that it was wrong in any moral sense, but that it was wrong in a purely economic sense: that it might be more than developers would be willing to bear. Apple, clearly, has a better sense about what prices the market will bear than I (and, likely, you) do.

Competition vs. Anti-Competition

One last argument I’ve seen regarding these in-app subscription rules is that it’s further evidence of anti-competitive behavior from Apple. That makes sense only if you consider iOS to be the entire field of play. Apple, though, is competing at a higher level. They’re competing between platforms: iOS vs. Kindle/Amazon vs. Android/Google vs. Microsoft, and in some ways, vs. the free web. Why should publishers make an app rather than just a mobile web site? For happier customers and more money.

Sony has a platform for e-books. Amazon has a platform for e-books. Barnes & Noble has a platform for e-books. Apple has a platform for e-books. But Apple is the only one which allows its competitors to have apps on its devices. And Apple is the anti-competitive one? I’m no lawyer, but if the iTunes Music store hasn’t yet been deemed a monopoly with Apple selling 70+ percent of digital music players, then I doubt the App Store will be deemed a monopoly for a market where Apple has never been — and, according to market share trends, may never be — the top-selling smartphone maker, let alone own a majority of the market, let alone own more than a single-digit sliver of the phone market as a whole. As for ruthless profiteering, consider that Amazon, with their e-book publishing, originally took the fat end of a 70-30 revenue split with authors.

One question I’ve been asked by several DF readers who object to Apple’s new in-app subscription and purchasing policies goes like this: What if Microsoft did this with Windows, and, say, tried to require Apple to pay them 30 percent for every purchase made through iTunes on Windows? To that, I say: good luck with that. Microsoft couldn’t make such a change by fiat. The whole premise of Windows (and other personal computer systems) is that it is open to third-party software. Apple couldn’t just flip a switch and make Mac OS X a controlled app console system like iOS — they had to introduce the Mac App Store as an alternative to traditional software installation. If Microsoft introduced something similar to the Mac App Store for Windows, Apple would simply eschew it. If Microsoft were to mandate an iOS App Store-like total control policy for all Windows software, they’d have a revolt in their user base that would make Vista look like a success.

iOS isn’t and never was an open computer system. It’s a closed, controlled console system — more akin to Playstation or Wii or Xbox than to Mac OS X or Windows. It is, in Apple’s view, a privilege to have a native iOS app.

This is what galls some: Apple is doing this because they can, and no other company is in a position to do it. This is not a fear that in-app subscriptions will fail because Apple’s 30 percent slice is too high, but rather that in-app subscriptions will succeed despite Apple’s (in their minds) egregious profiteering. I.e. that charging what the market will bear is somehow unscrupulous. To the charge that Apple Inc. is a for-profit corporation run by staunch capitalists, I say, “Duh”.

If it works, Apple’s 30-percent take of in-app subscriptions will prove as objectionable in the long run as the App Store itself: not very.

With few surprises, techies were underwhelmed with Apple’s iPad 2 announcement, but I’m confident that consumers will be thrilled with the product. Apple already had a massive lead in the consumer tablet market it created, and these “underwhelming” upgrades should keep the company comfortably ahead. Apple has given competitors an opening by sticking to 3G, and it did not further pressure them with a lower entry price point or higher-resolution display. However, Apple has three critical advantages.

1. Brand: When consumers are thinking about tablets, they say they are buying an “iPad,” not a “tablet.” The iPad was already the category and volume leader, and the iPad 2 builds on that. In this respect, Apple actually benefits from the crowd of new tablets hitting the market. If there were only one or two strong competitors, consumers would be able to weigh the pros and cons of each offering, but with dozens and dozens of options hitting the market over the next few months, decision paralysis can set in and many consumers will throw up their hands and make the “safe” choice: the iPad.

2. iTunes: The iPad is still the only tablet on the market with a huge digital marketplace for movies, TV shows, and music. Some competitors are taking steps in this direction (e.g., Samsung’s Hub), but iTunes remains a significant competitive advantage.

3. App Store: If all you want to do is browse the Web and check e-mail, any tablet will probably suffice. However, Apple has an enormous lead in purpose-built apps. The Android ecosystem is strong and app availability should improve significantly over time, but the iPad 2 is considerably more versatile than any of its competitors right now, and it appears unlikely to lose its lead any time in the near future.

So if you are competing with Apple, what should you do? Rather than copying Apple’s products, copy its old advertising tag line and Think Different.

Apple’s brand is focused on creative types (or those who aspire to be), which is why it spends so much effort creating things like GarageBand. Competitors should target IT managers, knowledge workers, outdoorsy people, or some other group and build software and hardware combinations better suited to those use cases. Of course, this will take imagination and the ability to tie hardware, software, and services together to build unique experiences. There are some companies thinking outside the box (HTC and RIM have clearly differentiated products on their roadmaps), but for the vendors who are trying to out-Apple Apple… good luck. Here are some pointers, you’re going to need them:

• Based on Apple’s financials, it is clear that the iPad with WiFi is Apple’s volume product and 3G versions are merely gravy. Why is the competition only targeting the gravy?

• iTunes remains a significant competitive advantage for Apple – I cannot easily explain to novices how to get a movie onto the XOOM. Rivals need an “iTunes” of their own, but having one just achieves parity with Apple, so partnering is an acceptable approach. However, half measures are not enough; digital media stores must include movies (including rentals) and TV shows and music. If multiple partners are used, the tablet vendor still needs to provide a common interface and single account/billing relationship.

• Nintendo has a significant base of game developers targeting the 3DS; if you cannot muster equivalent resources (for gaming, media playback, or some other use), adding 3D to your tablet is just a gimmick.

• Apple’s rivals can compete on 4G, higher-resolution displays, or a lower price. Even speed is a potential differentiator from a technical perspective; NVIDIA has quad-core processors sampling this month, so rivals could build even faster tablets for this holiday season. However, I must still caution vendors that all of these factors are irrelevant if consumers do not want your product.

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

Preview of Final Result

 

Resources

• PT Sans Bold – FontSquirrel


• Free App Icons for Developers – WebAppers

Step 1

Open Photoshop and create a new document that is 1200 x 1200 pixels, 72 dpi, and RGB Color. Fill the layer with white. (Ctrl+Backspace or Delete)

Step 2

Now create a rectangle for the header and fill it with a white-grey color, then use the colors on the image for the “Gradient Overlay”. Our search and logo will eventually be part of the header.

Step 3

Create a new rectangle above the previous one, with attributes as shown below. The following drop shadow effect creates a look of a 1 pixel stroke which does increase the look of that simple bar. Note: this step creates a horizontal line.

 

Step 4

Now add the “Gradient Overlay” layer style with the hex codes indicated.

Step 5

Add a white 1 pixel stroke. The following stroke of 1 pixel will divide the grey shadow effect. It’ll eventually work as a divider.

Step 6

Make one more rectangle in the middle-right zone, and fill it with white and add a 1 px stroke as indicated – it will be our search box.

Step 7

One more rectangle should be created and filled with blue. Set the inner shadow as indicated below, this will be our search button. This blue works great in combination with grey, white and light-grey. Blue will be the major contrasting color we use as we work through this template.

Step 8

Add the Gradient Overlay details to the button with the details from image.

Step 9

Add a 1 px stroke to the button with the color indicated. Take a look at the first and the final result of the button so you can see the difference all these details made.

Step 10

Now add this drop shadow effect for the text placed in the search box, using PT Sans Bold. This will be the final step in creating your search button. You may want to try other fonts, but the PT Sans Bold is really good for this small button.

Step 11

Make another fill under the header section, this will be the navigation area. Here we will place the navigation links of our template.

Step 12

Write your navigation links using a dark-grey color, then add a white “drop shadow” effect. The effect used for the navigation links is the same used for the search button.

Step 13

With 1px vertical line, make divisions between each links. The lines should be black and will really increase the beauty of the navigation area.

Step 14

Over the home section, make a fill with the blue and then add a Gradient Overlay style as indicated.

Step 15

Copy the Home link, this time color it white and add a drop shadow effect.

Step 16

Create a big, grey zone under the navigation, it should be about 30% of the layout. This will be the background for the featured area.

Step 17

Now create a big, white rectangle and add some shadow with the details shown. A big stock image, a big headline and some text with another great button will be added.

Step 18

Add a any dummy image you want to that featured area. Be sure it covers more than 80% of the area. The one I chose is from a stock website.

Step 19

Add some text to it, use the PT SANS Bold font and make the font big.

Step 20

The remaining area should be filled with grey, in it we’ll place some text. This is really a secondary area which describes the image, the services, the company itself, or whatever you’d like.

Step 21

Place some blue-colored text which will be the title of the information below. Use the details in the image for Drop Shadow style.

Step 22

Add some dummy text. This could be some important information or whatever you’d like.

Step 23

Create another grey area under the featured zone, where we will add some text and icons later. Add the details as stated on the image. Mostly, the icons will promote the services offered by the company behind the website.

Step 24

Continue by adding a Gradient Overlay style for the last rectangle we have created in the anterior steps.

Step 25

Now we are adding titles and icons, as well as some divisions. The icons can be found in the resource list at the beginning of the tutorial. Be sure to choose your icons and text thoughtfully.

Step 26

At the border of both zones, create a small circle and fill it with dark brown color. Add some inner shadow as stated on the image.

Step 27

Continue by adding a drop shadow layer style. It is another small detail, but it really makes that button zone minimalistic, nice-looking and well designed.

Step 28

To finish, add a Gradient Overlay effect.

Step 29

By using the Custom Shape Tool (U), create an arrow in both circles. Now add the details shown on the screenshot.

Step 30

Continue by adding some Color Overlay for the arrow. It should also be a blue color because otherwise, it will not fit the contrast and the colors used on the whole template.

Step 31

Add a video screenshot in the free space and place a title for it. For this template, I have used a simple screenshot of a YouTube widget.

Step 32

Add the text “Product Highlights” and “Case Studies.” Let the text under the “Product Highlights” be links so you could showcase some friends’ websites or resources you admire/promote.

Step 33

Finish it by creating another form for e-mails, place all kind of other information, and whatever you’d like.

Step 34

Don’t forget to make a relevant/small footer for our template. If you have paid attention, you should know how to create the same effect as below. 

 

All done! If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to drop a comment. I hope you enjoyed this whole tutorial!

What is your social media brand? Do you have one? Sure, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are coming around to the enormous importance of social media as a marketing, customer service, and, yes, even sales tool. But if you haven’t thought about how social media can define your brand, you are probably missing a HUGE part of what social media tools can do for your business. Here’s more…

Tools & Techniques

Creating a great brand with these blog tools. Tools that improve the look and functionality of your blog also improve your brand. A well-maintained small business blog is one of the most obvious and least expensive branding tools at the entrepreneur’s disposal even more so than social media channels like Facebook and Twitter because of how a blog can be customized to fit your needs and personality. This list of tools is a great way to start. EpicLaunch

What Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi can teach you about social media. One of the stars of the hit reality show “Jersey Shore”, “Snooki” is a perfect example of personal brand, but social media entrepreneurs could also learn much about building their own online presence from Snooki. Being yourself and using a simple, short tag to indelibly brand your identity are also great techniques in social media. One site is already trying to apply the starlets techniques in the social media space. Brand-Yourself

Tito Philips doesn’t want your comments on his blog! At least, not if they’re the wrong kind. And the wrong kind would be comments left for no other purpose than to get the blogger and his/her readers to visit your blog and perhaps comment on it in return. Why is comment trading bad? Don’t get Tito started! There are many ways to engage in social media marketing. Be sure you understand and respect some of the attitudes you may face. Blogging Bookshelf  

News & Trends

The best of the best. Want to get a look at arguably the 20 best Facebook fan pages for business on the planet? By now you should know the value of a Facebook fan page to your branding efforts. What’s also true, however, is that not all Facebook sites are created equal. If you want to take your social media marketing to the next level, have a look at this list of cream of the crop sites. Inc.com

Even churches use social media marketing! In this article on the growing market for tech services among religious organizations, we learn that many churches have also already entered into the social media space. As houses of worship, particularly huge mega-churches, expand and build congregations, it’s easy to see how social media can work as a marketing tool here as well. Is your religious organization using social media for branding? WSJ

Tips & Tricks

20 tips that will make you a Twitter star. Among the tools popular in the new digital space is Twitter. The microblogging platform can be used for business or non-business purposes and it can be the key to your small business’s success. Learn how to use Twitter like a pro and you may be surprised at the benefits your small business gains as a result. Global Copywriting

Valuable lessons in social media. Gary Vaynerchuk, author of The Thank You Economy and a successful social media entrepreneur in his own right, has many insights to share with small business leaders seeking a new way to define their brands in an age of social communications. Read some of the takeaways Vaynerchuk shares with those trying to define their businesses with social media. E-Marketing Associates

Success Stories

Doubt the power of FB to create brand for almost anyone? You won’t after you read the story of Princeton English Professor Jeff Nunokawa and “Jeffbook”, a collection of 3,221 brief literary essays on Facebook, that have created an incredible cult status for Nunokawa in the process. His motivation? Not too different from those of most marketers. Nunokawa simply started sharing where he knew his audience already spent lots of their time. The results speak for themselves. Fast Company

Increase exposure with niche social media. Blogger Mavis Nong talks about the importance of niche social media sites including social bookmarking sites as a key method of creating exposure for your online business. Mavis talks about her experience with our sister site BizSugar.com (thanks for the shout out! ) and explains how smaller more focused social sites can sometimes have a surprising impact even larger than the big guys. Attraction Marketing Online

Opportunities

Sponsors wanted for new SugarTone Sweet Business Blogging Contest. Put the power of social media to work for your brand. We’re looking for sponsors to help with a brand new blogging contest involving two of the fastest growing small business communities on the Web, BizSugar.com and Bloggertone.com. Learn more about the contest by reading the full announcement and get in touch today! BizSugar Blog

From Small Business TrendsSmall Business News: Social Media Brand

Surface Encounters

Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Brand

What is your social media brand? Do you have one? Sure, many small business owners and entreprene...

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

Surface Encounters

autosport.com - NASCAR <b>News</b>: Raikkonen to compete in NASCAR

Former Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen will make a surprising move to NASCAR this year, the Finn joining the series with a new team.

Surface Encounters

Making Money Work

Some context:

I am basically a one-man design team for a bimonthly magazine.

As a startup, I was never really making much money here. About $48k.

In fact, marketwise, I was barely getting paid what a single designer should make even tho I am doing the job of at least two people.

I havent received a raise since fall 2007, even for cost of living.

In the time since then, my work (and remember that there is only one designer here) has won us about 6 industry awards.

In fact, in 2010 we won 3 awards and they were all design awards.

The reason I bring all this up is because one would hope that a performance record like that would merit a certain amount of base respect. However since this is the first business my boss has owned, I feel like they are simply spoiled into thinking that this work is just a given. Maybe they just dont know any better.



So now, with the industry souring and ad sales dropping a bit, I have taken a significant pay cut and am now doing all of the advert design that they once jobbed out to freelancers. Ad to that our rush to launch an iPad version and I am now doing far more work for even less money.

I wasnt offered flex time. I wasnt offered furlough days. In fact, for a salaried employee that ends up working heavy deadlines once every two months, my bosses still treat me like an employee that needs to saty til the very end of his "shift" regardless of whether I have work to do at the time.



Another issue (more context) is that they seem to think they have some kind of exclusivity with me. At first they asked that I let them know if I was doing any freelance work, as a "courtesy". But the very first time I mentioned that I was doing a poster on my own time on a dead weekend for a friends band for FREE, my boss acted very butthurt. AS if he should wield a veto power over my work on my own time. This has had the effect of me simply hiding the freelance I do from them. I really dont feel its their business.



So annnnnnnyway. Ive had enough and I am building my portfolio site to hopefully begin shopping myself around. I know the economy sucks, but Im not planning to leave until I get a better offer.



Knowing all that you know about the attitude of my boss presented above, should I worry about them trying to prevent me from using the work Ive created here the last 5 years in my portfolio? CAN they prevent me? Should I be worried?



BONUS: am I being treated unfairly? Ive been in this industry for 15 years and Im giving up hope that Ill ever not work for knobs. Does it suck everywhere?

I know that memories are short on Wall Street. But are they short on Main Street too? Reading Linda Stern’s latest paean to leverage and housing risk, it certainly seems that way. Saving for a down payment is hard, she says. It can take time!

And that doesn’t seem to pay. If you think about the cost of paying rent for five or more years, you may be better off jumping into a home with a low down payment now. That’s true even if you have to spend more money on fees and mortgage insurance to get one of those low down payment loans.

Well, yes, let’s think about the cost of paying rent for five or more years. In fact, let’s plug all our numbers into a rent-vs-buy calculator and see where we’re at after five years. The problem with Linda’s formulation here is that it helps to reinforce the common fallacy that 100% of rent payments are “wasted,” in a way that mortgage payments are not. But that’s simply not true. In both cases you’re paying money every month for your shelter; in the rental case that money goes to the landlord, while in the ownership case it goes to the bank.

Some small part of your monthly payment may or may not end up helping you build equity in your home, if house prices move up rather than down and depending on how much of your payment goes towards principal. But remember that the alternative here is saving up for a down payment — which is essentially the same thing as building up equity in a future home. If you save up $250 per month for five years and then put down $15,000 as a down payment, then you immediately start off with $15,000 of equity in your home. By contrast, if you buy today with no money down and start making mortgage payments, there’s a good chance your equity will be much less than $15,000 in five years’ time.

But Linda’s on a roll here, and manages to come out with one of the most astonishing pieces of personal-finance advice I’ve seen since the crisis hit:

Even if you have the money for a bigger down payment, there can be good reasons to save your cash. Mortgage rates continue to skirt all-time lows: Why not put your money to work for yourself and borrow as much as you can reasonably afford, on a monthly basis, at today’s rates? You can put the money you’re not paying into a down payment to work elsewhere. If home values rise, you will have done your best to leverage a small down payment into bigger equity. If they fall, you’ll have less skin in the game, and that could put more pressure on your banker to improve your loan terms lest you walk away.

This, in a nutshell, is everything that was wrong with the housing market before the crash — everything that we want to avoid going forward. Can’t Linda look around at the current devastated state of many people who bought with little or no money down, and see the dangers here? Evidently not. Instead, she seems to think it’s a bright idea to borrow more money than you need, to the point at which you’re pushing the envelope of what you can reasonably afford. And then take the cash you’re not using for a down payment, and “put your money to work for yourself.”

I barely know where to start on this. Here’s one way of thinking about it: banks are not charities, and that they expect to make money from their loans. They have a cost of funds which is lower than the mortgage rate that you’re paying; the difference between the two rates is their profit. You, however, if you follow Linda’s advice, have a cost of funds which is your mortgage rate: if you wind up getting a lower return on your savings than you’re paying on your mortgage, you would have been better off just using the money for a down payment. Needless to say, if there was an easy way of getting a higher return on capital than the mortgage rate, the banks would have done it already, rather than lending you the money. And it’s pretty delusional, frankly, to think that you can invest better than say JP Morgan. Yes, there are tax benefits to having lots of mortgage-interest payments. But they’re not sufficient to make the difference here.

Here’s another way: let’s say you own your home outright. Would you take out a mortgage against 95% of your home’s present market value, and then invest that money in the market somehow, trying to “put it to work for yourself “? Of course not: you don’t have remotely that kind of risk appetite. Borrowing money against your house to invest in the market is, always, stupid. But that’s exactly what Linda’s proposing you do.

And here’s one more: shit happens. Sometimes, you end up needing money, in an emergency. If you’re already borrowing as much as you can reasonably afford, that’s a big problem. If you have a bit of fiscal breathing room, you’re much better off. If you end up in a situation where you’re in a position to put pressure on your banker to improve your loan terms lest you walk away, that’s not a good situation to be in. It means you’re broke. It’s something you want to avoid, whereas in Linda World it seems to be something to actively court.

Linda’s also convinced that house prices are going to rise: if you buy now rather than later, she writes, that means you’re buying “while housing prices are low.” That’s debatable — they still seem quite expensive, on some measures: the price-to-rent ratio, for instance, is still well above its historical average. And more generally, buying low doesn’t help you in the slightest if prices just continue to grind lower.

Linda’s conclusion is that “the less you put down, the better off you are.” Which is true so long as you keep on making all your mortgage payments without any problem, and nothing goes very wrong either with your personal economic situation or with the US economy as a whole. That’s the way that leverage works: it makes everything sunny, so long as things go right. And then it plunges you into misery when things go wrong.

The scariest part of Linda’s post, for me, is when she talks about how it’s a good idea to “do your best to leverage a small down payment into bigger equity.” It’s not the dollar amount of the equity she’s talking about here, it’s the leverage used to get there, and the higher the leverage the better off you are. Following that advice got us into our current mess. And taking it now is a recipe for disaster.

bench craft company reviews

Plutonium detected in soil at Fukushima nuke plant | Kyodo <b>News</b>

''We must control the water well so it won't ever go outside'' the complex, said Sakae Muto, vice president of TEPCO, at a news conference. TEPCO revealed the elevated radiation levels in trench water a day after it first detected them, ...

Police: Parents barricade naked children in room covered in feces <b>...</b>

UPDATED: The children's mother was arrested in 2005 after her twin boys were found wandering Va. 234.

Small Business <b>News</b>: Creative Marketing Secrets

Marketing for your small business can be part art/part science. But however you would describe it, it is the key to both getting new customers and keeping the.

Search engine optimization Vancouver For A Better Marketing Solution

 

When you start your own website there are lots of ways you will have to market it and something of the best ways is by using SEO services Vancouver if you happen to be in that area. The SEO or search engine optimization services will be the top way of getting more visitors to your site and therefore making more sales.

 

Now, you need to know that you won't use SEO service if you're no internet business - but then again, if you don't have an online presence if you are a offline business, then you'll not allow it to be very far.

 

It is a popular fact that if you are going to make it in the offline world you need to have an online presence. This really is something that all people are learning the hard way. Something that you should also know is that it is not as simple as just setting up the web site and leaving it to complete its things.

 

You can do this in most sorts of ways, but these companies usually make use of multiple methods to create the perfect marketing technique online. It is possible to employ these phones write articles for you personally, post on forums and blogs, create meta tags and meta descriptions, cleanup the code, add alt tags to the images plus much more.

 

It is very important that you simply do this because otherwise the organization that you have worked so hard for could end up losing the money. If you have a website you want to create, then you will also use the expertise of an SEO company, which stands for seo company. What the corporation does is actually take the best parts of your site, check the code, create keywords and write various articles and documents to ensure that your website is placed close to the the surface of the list for the major search engines like google.

By doing this the Search engine optimization company can not only increase your traffic, but also ensure that your site is fully optimized for the internet search engine spiders that'll be introduced to it. These spiders are used to analyze your site and place it in certain positions determined on certain keywords.

 

If you want to make use of the SEO services Vancouver then all you have to complete is discover the top companies. It is through these how the SEO gets done effectively and efficiently. With so many SEO companies to choose from you need to be sure that the one you are going for is reliable. You should be able to ask for a failure of what you want, and the company should also be able to let you know know long they have been operating for. This will limit their email list to reveal the very best ones.

 

SEO Services Provided by Different Vancouver Web Companies

The Vancouver SEO company services are extremely good for business growth as they provide quality services. If you're planning to create a website for the online business, then you've arrived at right article as I will be explaining below how SEO Vancouver company services can improve your website ranking and make it popular.

Before that, you need to know what Seo is. It's not that complicated and i am sure you will get a grasp from it after reading my article. The primary goal of SEO is to get more traffic to your website and audience. It is a good decision to select a Vancouver SEO company that specializes in this sort of work, so that your website could be indexed by search engines.

There isn't any reason for you using a website with no website ranking at all as you won't get any business and profits to outlive. It is a very tough atmosphere out there because there are a lot of internet business people just like you, who desire their share of pie. You must be familiar with the fact that nearly 85% of world-wide-web traffic could be got from web-sites.

Whenever a user types inside a keyword or keywords for what he/she wants to know in different sites, these use crawlers to get web-sites using the relevant content and index them based on algorithms. It's not necessary to worry about the algorithms which these websites use as that is not important.

To appear in the first page from the google listing, you will have to hire professionals and experts who can do the needful to keep your website one of the good books in these websites. These professionals can optimize your site content to ensure your website gets increased traffic.

When the traffic gets high, it's a sign that you are getting a service that will get you more revenues. SEO Vancouver company do the following to create your website appear inside the first page of search engine results.

Use keywords that are popularly used on search engines on your website content.
Have a website design for your website that is simple because top sites are allergic to flash and weird designs.
Submit your site to directories.
Submit your site to directory websites.
Postings on blogs and forums with back-links for your websites. This is regarded as a very effective way to get increased traffic aimed at your website as numerous online users use blogs and forums.

SEO Vancouver company also perform site diagnostics which is an important part in online optimization as research and analysis on finding keywords may be the way to begin a SEO campaign. So, make sure you choose the best SEO Vancouver company.

Are you searching for more information regarding SEO Vancouver? Visit http://www.seo4vancouver.com/seo-services.asp today!

 

What to Expect Whenever Getting a Roofing Contractor

When the time comes to repair or even replace your homes roof, it can be a daunting task to find someone who is actually qualified for the job. There are many roofers out there, however the ones who will perform a congrats for any reasonable price aren't often easy to find. If you're in the market for the contractor, use the ideas beneath with regard to interviewing and hiring the correct one.

Job interview and Discussion

The majority of roofing contractors offer totally free consultation services. This is especially important, since it provides them an opportunity to assess what your homes roof needs, also it gives you an opportunity to assess them. As with all of companies, believe in intuition about the people a person allow upward onto your roof. No matter how good the contractor's status or suggestion, he or she ought to begin by showing you having a company card. If a service provider arrives looking as well as speaking within an less than professional manner, most likely the job he's going to do may also be less than professional. This is not to express that you should anticipate contractors to reach in fits. They will be climbing on your roof, so the majority of will be dressed up in denim jeans and work boots or even athletic shoes. If the actual service provider seems to be more interested in speaking upon his mobile phone while on your roof compared to he is in analyzing your roof's needs, that may be an additional sign that he is not the one for the job. For your lawful protection, be certain that the actual service provider offers sufficient legal responsibility insurance coverage.

Roof Assessment

Expect the service provider will be rising in your roofing. In fact, any service provider who does not want to increase in your roof to judge the problem ought to be immediately reduced. Those who are seriously interested in their work may possibly make a sketching of the roof's surface area as well as mark problem areas on it as they undergo their assessment, or even they'll take photos or even video from the surface area while they're available online for. This is an extremely essential action, because it allows you to see exactly what the troubles are and understand how they will be fixed.

Estimate

The next step will be the created estimation. The contractor will require away their loan calculator and come track of a written estimate. Some companies will go to their own vehicle or even truck as well as write up the actual suggestion, while some may crunch the actual amounts to do the job in front of you. Once you're given the proposal, make sure that you understand exactly which items will be utilized, just how long the task will take and when there are any extra or hidden expenses that could arise during the restore from the roofing. The contractor will be able to solution all of these concerns with ease and forewarn a person of any additional costs that might be sustained if the roof's integrity be broken within.

Once you have obtained several created estimates from roofing contractors, assess exactly what each company or even contractor would like to offer you for the price. Do not necessarily low cost the greatest bid, simply because sometimes the greatest bet will in reality be the service provider who does the task correctly. Additionally, be wary of prices for bids which are not nearly as expensive other people. They might be utilizing inferior products or be unethical about the chance of concealed expenses. Most importantly, believe in instincts as well as go with the actual service provider that makes you feel quite comfortable about giving more than your hard earned money.

 

Seven Uyghurs Sentenced to Death

2011-03-23

Critics of the sentences say China has politicized the robberies as acts of terrorism.

 

AFP

A Uyghur man walks past armed Chinese security forces in Urumqi, July 17, 2009.

Chinese authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang have ordered the executions of seven ethnic minority Uyghur men convicted of "violent" crimes, official media said on Wednesday.

 

The death sentences were handed down by the Supreme People's Court in recent days, according to state media in the regional capital, Urumqi.

 

The men were accused in connection with three separate attacks late last year in the Silk Road city of Kashgar, according to the news website Urumqi Online.

 

According to another website, the Xinjiang-based Tianshan news site, Aimaiti Tuheti, Yiming Dawuti, and unnamed "others" killed a security guard at a pedestrian mall as part of a failed Aug. 7 robbery attempt.

 

In a separate incident on Oct. 12, it said, Nuermaimaiti Aobulikasimu and 11 others broke into a house, bound and killed the couple living in it, and took their possessions.

 

It said the group also broke into the homes of two brothers, robbed them, and killed six people in a Nov. 11 attack in Kashgar.

 

The report gave no information about the victims or the schedule for the executions.

 

Three of the men were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, a sentence that is normally commuted to life imprisonment in China's judicial system.

 

They were convicted of deliberate homicide and armed robbery by the Kashgar Intermediate People's Court in the first instance.

 

'Strike hard' campaign

 

A Han Chinese resident of Urumqi surnamed Yang said a reference to "terrorism" in official news reports on the case showed that it was being politicized by the authorities, who have launched a series of "strike hard" campaigns in Xinjiang following deadly ethnic violence in July 2009.

 

"There is an implied political meaning; that they were somehow engaged in separatist activities or ethnic divisions," said Yang.

 

Exile Uyghur groups said the trials had been conducted behind closed doors, with scant opportunity for public scrutiny.

 

"The entire process against these men, from the trial through to the judgment, was opaque," said Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress.

 

"There was also very little reasonable evidence to convict them on a legal basis, because all the evidence came from one side of the case," he said.

 

"We strongly condemn the Chinese government for continuing to pursue their policies of ethnic division," said Raxit.

 

"We are also strongly opposed to the death penalty in this case."

 

Earlier cases

 

Last month, the Supreme Court sentenced four Uyghurs to death for alleged involvement in an Aug. 19 bomb attack in Xinjiang’s western Aksu city.

 

The World Uyghur Congress pointed to concerns over lack of transparency in those cases too.

 

The Aksu blast left eight people dead, including two of the bombers, and 15 wounded after a man riding a three-wheeled vehicle threw explosives at a group of uniformed patrolmen. Four Uyghurs were arrested shortly after the attack.

 

State media characterized the cases as acts of terrorism and unrelated to longstanding ethnic tensions between Uyghurs and Han Chinese in the region.

 

Exiled Uyghur dissident Rebiya Kadeer has warned that attacks like those in Aksu will continue to occur until Beijing addresses the underlying source of tension in the region.

 

Millions of Uyghurs—a distinct, Turkic minority who are predominantly Muslim—populate Central Asia and Xinjiang.

 

Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness despite China's ambitious plans to develop its vast northwestern frontier.

 

Those frustrations erupted in July 2009 in deadly riots that left nearly 200 people dead, by the Chinese government's tally.

 

At least 26 people, mostly Uyghurs, were sentenced to death in the aftermath of the riots, many of whom have been executed, according to state media.

 

China is believed to execute more people each year than the rest of the world’s countries combined, although the government does not publish official figures.

 

Rights groups say Beijing may execute as many as several thousand prisoners annually.

 

Chinese authorities blame Uyghur separatists for a series of deadly attacks in recent years and accuse one group in particular of maintaining ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

 

New training scheme

 

China on Wednesday also announced a training scheme which places ethnic minority graduates from Xinjiang in work elsewhere in China.

 

Governments of the destination cities will spend 450 million yuan (U.S.$ 69 million) for the program, while Xinjiang will spend 400 million yuan (U.S.$ 61 million), the official Xinhua news agency reported.

 

The program targets some 60,000 jobless college graduates in Xinjiang, around 80 percent of whom are from ethnic minorities, and 60 percent of whom are women.

 

However, some commentators see the move as an attempt to assimilate non-Han Chinese into mainstream Chinese culture.

 

"From the point of view of ethnic minorities, the graduate work scheme is really taking the cream of youth from the minorities and using them to 'further cultural development,'" wrote one ethnic minority user on a popular microblogging service.

 

"In fact, the culture that is being advanced is Han culture, and this group of young people will have been totally brainwashed," the microblog update said.

 

An Urumqi resident surnamed Li agreed.

 

"They have run senior high school schemes like this before during the past few years," he said.

 

"Whether it's high-schoolers or graduate training programs, these are measures that are aimed at thought control and brainwashing, and the 'Partification' of their education," he said.

 

Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.

Copyright © 1998-2011 Radio Free Asia. All rights reserved.

 

Wikileaks and also the Uyghur

through henry on December Twenty, This year
Henryk Szadziewski, Supervisor, Uyghur Human Rights Project

If it were actually uncertain, information acquired through the whistleblower web site, Wikileaks, offers confirmed Chinese federal government fears over its continued charge of the region this phone calls Xinjiang, also is referred to as Eastern Turkestan. The leaked out cables through U.S. diplomats show the actual degree that Chinese authorities make an effort to convince government authorities globally to consider it's stance upon issues impacting Uyghurs. The wires also show the United States' issues as well as sights regarding the on going repressive steps in the area.

Most lighting of Chinese language government pressure would be the cables directed in order to Chinese anger, or even the specter of Chinese language ire, within the discharge of Uyghur detainees within Guantánamo to third nations. A December Twenty nine, 2008 cable television relates how Chinese language Assistant International Minister Liu Jieyi fulfilled using the Ough.S. Ambassador to China in order to tone of voice Beijing's powerful opposition of release in order to any nation other than China, and that when the Ough.Utes. did indeed accede to this ask for it would "avoid harm to bilateral relations and to co-operation ‘in essential areas'". Furthermore, the February '09 cable explains the way the Chinese language Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Zhang Yannian, regarded the feasible discharge of Uyghur Guantánamo detainees because "an unfavorable behave toward us" along with a "slap within the face". That the Ough.S. federal government was firm in not really releasing the detainees to The far east demonstrates the actual degree from the politicized nature from the Chinese language judicial program. Genuine concerns over terrorism are easy to understand, however in the U.S. government's observe the detainees would probably face torture and delivery when they came back to China

Chinese language federal government pressure in regard to the actual Uyghur Guantánamo detainees was not only put on the actual Ough.Utes. federal government, but also in order to New Zealand and a number of Western government authorities which were considering resettlement. Albania, Germany as well as Finland, in addition to Eu fellow member says just about all have the symptoms of borne the impact of Chinese federal government disappointment. Regarding Indonesia, which was at first prepared to consider 2 Uyghurs upon solely relief grounds, Uyghur Guantánamo cases were less better than additional detainees because of the unwanted effects accepting Uyghurs would have upon relations with China. The Might 8, '09 cable television relates how "German Ambassador Erina Schaefer reported that Indonesia experienced knowledgeable China of the U.S. ask for to simply accept a few Uighur detainees held at Guantánamo coupled with already been consequently cautioned by The far east of ‘a large burden on bilateral relations' in the event that Indonesia were to accept any detainees".

The actual diplomatic cables also talk about the actual unrest in Urumchi, the actual local funds, within This summer 2009. A July 13, '09 cable discussing bulk incidents in China says:

"Ethnic riots like those in Xinjiang This summer 5-7 as well as in Tibet within 03 of 08 differ substantially in origin and character through mass occurrences, XXXXXXXXXXXX stressed to PolOff [Political Officer] on XXXXXXXXXXXX. Each existing severe problems for the Celebration, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, but the Celebration management would not wait to open fireplace on Uighurs or even Tibetans if they considered this essential to recover purchase. Bulk occurrences present another kind of threat, he explained, as the management is actually ‘afraid' to fireplace on Han rioters for anxiety about causing huge public outrage that would turn from the Party."

This is a relaxing opinion, particularly when 1 views evidence offered by 50 percent reviews launched this year by the Uyghur Individual Privileges Task (UHRP) as well as Amnesty Worldwide that detail eyewitness accounts from the utilization of deadly reside fireplace towards Uyghur protestors within July '09. In addition, the actual observation which fireplace would not be deployed against Han Chinese protestors offers resonances for the various approach taken by Chinese language protection forces in Urumchi to Han Chinese language direct orders within September '09. Throughout individuals direct orders, after that Party Secretary, Wang Lequan, tackled demonstrators, who experienced required he inform them about federal government responses to protection issues. An identical ask for to meet using the Party Secretary by Uyghur demonstrators in This summer wasn't met.

The broader consequences from the unrest additionally saw a brief dialogue about the effect it would have on Iran-China relations, and on relationships along with Sydney after Globe Uyghur Our elected representatives Leader, Microsoft. Rebiya Kadeer, spoke in the Nationwide Push Membership within Canberra in July '09. Within the latter situation, china government "privately warn[ed] a significant Aussie bank that vendors the National Press Club to make use of its influence to block a Kadeer speech there".

The actual United States' concerns concerning the situation within the Uyghur region are available via in the cables. In a dialogue upon plan direction in Tibet, Ough.S. officials clarify that it'll end up being not possible for Chinese language leaders to adopt a softer collection "if they look like they are doing so below international pressure". The actual cable out dated 04 16, 2008, 30 days following the episode of unrest in Tibetan regions, also relayed the actual declaration "that household balance continues to be leadership's main concern above all else, which means there will ‘almost surely' end up being no relaxation of the current hard line upon Tibet or perhaps in places like Xinjiang." The information included in the cable additionally sheds light on the extreme sensitivity with which the Chinese government sights territorial integrity, and also the feasible spill more than of unrest from Tibet.

The chance of solutions to tensions within Tibet as well as Xinjiang as a result of civil society tend to be debated inside a February 24, 2008 cable television. While suggesting which China's economic success will increase its resistance to democratic reform, the actual cable television also discusses how Chinese frontrunners see the usefulness associated with "a limited expansion associated with municipal society, including enhancements within the guideline of regulation along with a stronger part with regard to approved religions, NGOs, charities along with other stars within places which bring about sociable balance and don't challenge Communist Celebration guideline." This is a significant alternation in considering, that has observed Ough.Utes. authorities promote the idea that Chinese language economic development, as well as financial relationships along with The far east will bring about a steadily democratic society; nevertheless, more faith appears to be put into the grassroots motion compared to one that starts from the best levels of the Chinese language government. Nevertheless, the actual cable television concludes which "[i]n areas such as Tibet as well as Xinjiang, the fear of separatism results in tighter restrictions about the development of municipal society." This approach can be regarded as counter-productive by the official, that shows that the Ough.S. government "should continue to express...serious concerns more than Beijing's human privileges record and appeal to China's growing awareness that greater regard with regard to human rights, spiritual freedom and the rule associated with law assists to promote the development and sociable stability that China looks for in addition to to enhance China's international image." Such a strategy might consider substantial diplomatic abilities thinking about "China's paranoid fear the United States privately promotes regime change as well as ‘separatists' within Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang".

The cables provide insight into the actual every day company of diplomacy that's rarely afforded to the general public, and it is interesting to note the quantity of work carried out nowadays upon Uyghur issues. The importance of the role of the us like a keep track of associated with Uyghur human privileges conditions in personal discussions is created clear, as well as contrasts with its tactful open public position. Employees of the Uyghur Human Rights Task is actually well aware of the pressure china government exerts on Uyghur activists; still, the details associated with Chinese language government stress on its alternatives is actually illustrative from the degree that Chinese language authorities make an effort to control contradictory narratives. With increased revelations in the future through Wikileaks, issues more than Uyghurs may not get the headlines, however the cables possess get rid of brand new light about the paperwork of human rights conditions in the Uyghur area.

 

Wikileaks and the Uyghurs

through holly on December 20, 2010
Henryk Szadziewski, Supervisor, Uyghur Human Rights Project

Whether it had been actually uncertain, info acquired through the whistleblower website, Wikileaks, has verified Chinese language government worries more than its ongoing charge of the region it calls Xinjiang, also is referred to as East Turkestan. The actual leaked out wires through U.S. diplomats show the extent that Chinese language authorities make an effort to convince government authorities worldwide to consider its position on issues affecting Uyghurs. The cables additionally show the actual United States' concerns as well as sights concerning the on going repressive measures in the region.

Most illuminating associated with Chinese language federal government pressure would be the wires directed to Chinese language frustration, or the specter of Chinese language ire, within the discharge of Uyghur detainees within Guantánamo to third countries. A December Twenty nine, 2008 cable applies how Chinese Helper International Reverend Liu Jieyi fulfilled using the Ough.S. Ambassador to China to voice Beijing's powerful competitors associated with release in order to any kind of nation apart from The far east, and that if the Ough.Utes. did certainly accede for this request it might "avoid harm to bilateral relationships and to co-operation ‘in important areas'". Furthermore, a Feb '09 cable describes the way the Chinese language Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Zhang Yannian, regarded as the actual feasible release of Uyghur Guantánamo detainees because "an unfriendly behave toward us" and a "slap in the face". The Ough.Utes. government was company within not really releasing the detainees in order to China demonstrates the actual degree from the politicized character of the Chinese language judicial program. Genuine issues more than terrorism tend to be easy to understand, however in the Ough.S. government's view the detainees might most likely face do-it-yourself torture as well as delivery if they returned in order to China

Chinese language federal government stress in regard to the Uyghur Guantánamo detainees was not just put on the U.S. federal government, but also in order to Brand new Zealand along with a number of Western governments which were considering resettlement. Albania, Indonesia as well as Finland, in addition to European Union fellow member says just about all appear to have borne the impact of Chinese government disappointment. Regarding Indonesia, that was initially willing to think about two Uyghurs upon purely relief reasons, Uyghur Guantánamo cases were less better than other detainees due to the negative effects accepting Uyghurs would have on relationships along with China. A Might Eight, 2009 cable television applies how "German Ambassador Michael Schaefer documented which Indonesia experienced informed The far east of the U.Utes. request to accept a few Uighur detainees kept from Guantánamo coupled with been subsequently cautioned by The far east of ‘a large load on bilateral relations' in the event that Germany were to accept any kind of detainees".

The diplomatic wires also discuss the unrest within Urumchi, the actual regional capital, within This summer 2009. The This summer Thirteen, '09 cable television discussing mass occurrences within China says:

"Ethnic riots such as those in Xinjiang July 5-7 and in Tibet within 03 of 08 differ substantially within origin and character from bulk incidents, XXXXXXXXXXXX stressed in order to PolOff [Political Officer] upon XXXXXXXXXXXX. Both present serious trouble for the Party, XXXXXXXXXXXX stated, however the Celebration leadership would not wait to open fire upon Uighurs or even Tibetans when they deemed it necessary to recover order. Bulk occurrences present another type of threat, he said, since the management is actually ‘afraid' to fire on Han rioters for anxiety about causing huge open public outrage that would change from the Celebration."

This is a chilling viewpoint, particularly when 1 views evidence presented in two reviews released this season through the Uyghur Individual Privileges Project (UHRP) as well as Amnesty Worldwide which fine detail eyewitness company accounts from the use of deadly live fireplace towards Uyghur protestors in July 2009. In addition, the declaration which fire would not be deployed towards Han Chinese protestors offers resonances for the different strategy taken by Chinese security causes in Urumchi in order to Han Chinese protests within September '09. During individuals protests, after that Party Secretary, Wang Lequan, tackled demonstrators, that had demanded that he inform them regarding government responses to protection concerns. A similar request to meet using the Celebration Secretary by Uyghur demonstrators within July was not met.

The actual broader repercussions of the unrest additionally saw a short discussion about the impact it would have on Iran-China relations, and on relationships with Sydney following World Uyghur Our elected representatives President, Microsoft. Rebiya Kadeer, spoke in the National Press Membership within Canberra in July 2009. In the latter case, china government "privately warn[ed] a major Aussie financial institution which sponsors the National Press Membership to make use of it's impact to block a Kadeer talk there".

The United States' concerns about the situation in the Uyghur area are available through within the wires. In a dialogue on plan path within Tibet, Ough.Utes. officials clarify that it'll be not possible for Chinese frontrunners to consider the softer collection "if they look like they are doing so under international pressure". The actual cable television dated 04 Sixteen, 2008, one month following the outbreak of unrest in Tibetan areas, additionally relayed the actual declaration "that household stability continues to be leadership's top priority above all else, which means there'll ‘almost surely' end up being no rest from the present hard collection on Tibet or perhaps in locations like Xinjiang." The info included in the cable additionally storage sheds light on the severe level of sensitivity that china federal government views territorial integrity, and the feasible drip over of unrest through Tibet.

The prospect associated with solutions to stress in Tibet and Xinjiang arising from civil society are debated in a February Twenty-four, 08 cable television. While suggesting which China's financial achievement increases it's potential to deal with democratic change, the actual cable television additionally talks about exactly how Chinese leaders begin to see the effectiveness of "a restricted growth associated with civil culture, such as improvements within the guideline of law along with a stronger part for approved religions, NGOs, charities and other actors in places which contribute to sociable balance and do not problem Communist Party rule." This is a significant change in thinking, which has seen Ough.S. authorities market the idea which Chinese economic improvement, as well as economic relations with The far east will bring in regards to a progressively democratic society; nevertheless, much more faith seems to be placed in a grassroots movement than one that begins in the top levels of the Chinese federal government. Nevertheless, the actual cable television proves which "[i]n areas such as Tibet as well as Xinjiang, driving a car of separatism results in tighter restrictions on the development of civil society." This method can be regarded as counter-productive by the recognized, who suggests that the Ough.S. government "should still express...serious issues over Beijing's human privileges report as well as attract China's growing awareness which higher respect with regard to individual rights, religious independence and the rule associated with regulation will serve to advertise the improvement as well as sociable balance that China seeks as well as to enhance China's international picture." This type of technique would take substantial diplomatic skills considering "China's weird fear the United States privately promotes routine alter and ‘separatists' in Taiwan, Tibet as well as Xinjiang".

The cables offer understanding of the every day company associated with diplomacy that is hardly ever owned by everyone, and it is fascinating to notice the quantity of function carried out nowadays on Uyghur problems. The significance of the actual role of the us as a monitor of Uyghur human rights conditions within personal discussions is created clear, and contrasts using its sensible public stance. Employees of the Uyghur Human Rights Task is actually well aware of the pressure the Chinese government puts on Uyghur activists; still, the details associated with Chinese language government stress on it's alternatives is actually illustrative from the diploma which Chinese language authorities attempt to suppress contrary narratives. With increased facts in the future through Wikileaks, concerns more than Uyghurs might not grab the headlines, however the wires have shed new gentle on the paperwork associated with individual privileges conditions in the Uyghur area.

 

Search Engine Marketing And Article promotion Will Place Yourself on Page One

Search engine marketing and article marketing are a couple of the most powerful strategies which you can use in promoting your site and get the revenue and success that you need for your internet business. Those two things have been around for a really while already but they still still be really effective. In fact, these have helped a lot of people free themselves from your traditional means of money-generating options of society.

In the following paragraphs, I will be showing the ways on what it is possible to properly execute search engine optimization and article promotion for the betterment of your business web site. Additionally, I will be also discussing the various points that you have to look out for when you're using these two online marketing strategies to promote your website and obtain customers. Even though marketing with articles and Search engine optimization have been in existence for a long time already, you need to know that the trends and preferences as to how they are carried out are continually changing, which explains why you have to remain up to date with these things through the help of Search engine optimisation forum sites to enable you to quickly adjust and learn to make your strategies far better.

In the past marketing with articles to different web sites used to be so simple the effects they produce for web-sites was really powerful. However, everything has changed a great deal today. Currently submitting the same article to several websites has stopped being a good suggestion because search engines have now changed with a huge extent in the way they rank pages. They will no longer rank contents which can be identical like they utilized to in the past. This really is among the best samples of changes that occur in online marketing trends. This change has given birth to wide plethora of methods that online marketers are using today. Nearly all of web marketers now produce articles and submit them in really popular article directory sites and await site visitors arrive at their pages. Be thought of as that most reliable Seo strategy that can be used. Aside from being effective, this provides favorable benefits on a regular basis. One problem with this particular strategy is how the caliber of traffic you will get from this defintely won't be that good if you do not do proper market and keyword research beforehand and rehearse in-links. You first need for attending these two things before you decide to submit your articles so that you won't wind up losing large amounts of targeted visitors. Because of this you have to practice good levels of diligence if you want your advertising initiatives to function.

Besides articles, you can also use operating a blog, which is another really powerful kind of internet marketing strategy today because it is highly popular with google and yahoo. On this technique, you are able to choose to produce a single blog site that specifically targets your best market or you can contribute to other weblogs which are called experts within your niche.

Learn effective Vancouver search engine optimization techniques in the Vancouver SEO website.

Roofing Companies Vancouver WA

There are many things to take into account when looking for a roofing contractor. Value, experience, and referrals are a handful of the things you will likely be concerned about. Keep reading for even more ideas.

• Finding a Roofing Contractors

Before buying roofing contractor, ensure you have a common idea of the task that you need to did. By no means do you have to be an expert. If you have a new Roof Certificate, read it thoroughly to find the specifics of your active roof. Unless you have a Top Certificate, talk about documents authorized during final to locate your homes Inspection sheet. These files should supply you with everything you need to learn about your roof. Ahead of contacting any roofing contractor, you need to have a list of requirements and specifications to help you decide exactly who is acceptable for your roofing project. Be sure you write down each and every potential roofing contractor's answers and check all of them against the other. If there are any inacucuracy, be sure to take note this and also take this into consideration when generating a final selection. There are no surefire ways to select a roofing contractor, but when you take attention to the data provided, your odds of a successful covering project are usually greatly improved.

One of the best strategies to finding a roofing contractor is by word of mouth marketing. Try inquiring a friend or relative who has had covering work carried out, and ended up being satisfied with the work. Get the brand of the business and their particular contact information. If you have no word of mouth area referrals, try out first hunting in the telephone book an internet-based. A large ad or elegant website just isn't necessarily a sign of the good quality of work, but sometimes be a very good tool regarding measuring the amount of time and commitment they have used in their respective profession. Furthermore, try locating current worksites and search at the roof covering work that's done or perhaps the process of being finished. If you are visually pleased, ask the property manager for that name of the roofing contractor and also their make contact with information.

• Background Research

When looking for a new roofing contractors, it's imperative to 1st do your current background research. Purchasing in the phone directory or on the web is a suitable destination to find a service provider, finding important information on these kinds of businesses will be found in many areas. Very first, check with places like the Bbb, city, point out, and local public records, and local certification agencies. Question your roofer if they are a member of any roofing contractor associations. These precautions will certainly mitigate your own risks. Furthermore ask them what forms of roofing these people specialize in. In addition ask your roofing contractor with regards to any warranties they offer on their installed roofs. Find out what safety measures they decide to try avoid harm done to other regions of the home by simply workers. Items such as gutters, home siding, and fireplaces are near the coast proximity and thus susceptible to unintentional damages.

Ensure all of this info is included in your created contract. Find out if you need a roofer permit and/or authorization from your home owners association beforehand. These organizations will let you know that is responsible for obtaining these enables and authorizations. If it is the duty of the roofer, also have that included as part of your contract. If it's your responsibility, get said permits as well as permissions collated with all the estimated roofing project and also have it obviously posted or even readily available.

• Accreditation and Professional references

Roofing Contractors are not necessary to be certified in all declares. Contact community licensing organizations that control general construction contractors for a list of requirements. Once you have attained the requirements, create a list of comprehensive questions to ask your current potential roofer. This simple list should instantly help you to discount the competent from the unqualified roofing building contractors. Qualified companies should be able to easily answer questions or even tell you that they need to do additional research ahead of giving a definitive reply.

Even if any roofing contractor provides all needed licensing, you ought to ask to see pictures associated with completed covering jobs along with speak to fulfilled clients. Use a list of queries handy to ask recent customers, such as the character of the job, timeliness, and overall satisfaction. Make sure these are recent clients and also cross guide if possible. In the case of commercial roofing, make sure that the actual roofing contractor will be bonded. Checking these references is another included measure of protection to restrict the list associated with potential roofer contractors.

Search engine optimization Through Article marketing

Article marketing may be an extremely powerful way of Search engine optimization on your company website. Quality written articles manage to improve your websites SERP and add quality for a company website. Writing informative keyword rich articles is essential in gaining new backlinks for your business website. Articles can and will be written on topics which can be unique for your business or industry. The articles can discuss numerous issues and ideas with your industry. Articles that supply the reader with a resource will always be probably the most popular and most likely types of articles that will bring about backlinks aimed at your website.

Focus your posts in your potential readers or customers. Seo articles should address real questions that are asked by current or previous customers. Each article you are writing for you company ought to include detailed analysis and Seo keywords that can help associate your web site with all the content present in the web site. Focus your articles on approximately 3 keywords and stray from their store. Consistency is essential when writing Seo articles. In case you are writing about Vancouver Seo ensure your always reveal information strongly related the keyword.

Give each one of your Seo Articles an engaging Title that will persuade folks you just read and bookmark your posts. Ideally, the articles you're posting can become as links from other websites that are similar to yours. This may help improve the power of every link all of which will assist in your SERP. Make sure you end each article which has a keyword anchored link (see Easy Business Search engine optimization). This link will help to raise your rankings in Google as well as other major search engines like yahoo to the keyword coupled to the link. Submit the articles with a free article directory and Voila! Before you know it, your site could possibly be for the first page of Google.

Thank you for reading. Can't wait to visit your Search engine optimization articles!