Marketing No comments yet

Using Social Media To Establish Your Brand

By on October 17th, 2011

One of the greatest advantages of social networking sites is that they provide a forum that can be used by anyone to create and establish their own personal brand. This is a process that takes time. It can not be accomplished overnight. However, once accomplished, one becomes a recognized expert in his/her field and has a much improved chance of success at any online endeavour. Here, we shall examine the process of using social media to establish your brand.

The first step lies in building an online profile that is interesting. One’s goal should be to establish himself/herself as an expert in his/her chosen field. This can be done through a series of steps such as posting comments on blogs that relate to that field. Making connections with movers and shakers in the field of interest can lead to invitations to guest post on their blogs or websites. Extending the same invitations to them to post one your blog or website can lend their credibility to your brand.

If one does not already have one, creating a blog is one excellent method of establishing a brand. Social media sites can be used to direct traffic to the blog if one takes the proper approach. It is important to remember that social networking sites are created for the purpose of creating friendships and groups that share common interests. Any messages that promote one’s particular brand should not take on a self aggrandizing tone.

Following the posts of other experts in your field can create opportunities for educated discourse. If you disagree with something said in one of these blog posts, state your disagreement in a comment on the blog. Do so with a respectful tone that shows that you recognize that person’s expertise by outlining the reasons for your disagreement without stating that the person is wrong. After all, there are many times when people disagree without either one being completely wrong or right.

Engage in conversations with these experts that are open to public viewing. This is especially important if they are already well known and you are just beginning to create a personal brand.

Make posts on social media sites that tell people about you and your brand in an informative and interesting way. It is important to avoid making these posts sound like advertisements. People become resistant when they feel as if they are being pushed into something.

One thing that many business people fail to do that can prove invaluable when trying to establish a network of connections is searching the internet for content that will be interesting to those whose attention one is trying to attract. Pass this information along, even if it means driving traffic to someone else’s website. If you are seen as a source of valuable information, the information you provide about your personal brand will take on its own value.

Using social media to establish your brand can lead to success at a much faster pace than any other method of getting the message out. It also creates a self perpetuating stream of targeted leads of a quality that one would be hard pressed to find using any other media.

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Health & Fitness No comments yet

Aikido in Everyday Life

By on October 14th, 2011

The modern martial art from Japan called Aikido is often referred to as the “art of peace” because it espouses a quick peaceful end to any form of aggression. In the practice place of Aikido, usually called dojo, students will be able to learn about flexibility and adaptation. Both of these are results of a relaxed manner that Aikido students strive to embody.

The reason why being relaxed and calm is taught in Aikido practice is because at the heart of its principles of spirituality and philosophy, Aikido masters and instructors believe that the ki or ch’i or energy can only truly flow in its complete potential energy when one is relaxed. It is in this relaxed state that ki flows freely and smoothly. This philosophy that ki is a force that is very strong and fundamental.

It is believed to be superior to muscle and physical strength, which sometimes hinders the ki. In fact, in Aikido, instead of muscle and strength building, flexibility and endurance is part of the Aikido martial art training. Now, it said that to be able to truly harness the power of the ki, it must be allowed to flow. It can only flow properly within us when we are in a relaxed state. The relaxed state cannot be built like muscles through exercise. A spiritual journey must be taken upon by an Aikido student to be able to achieve the state of calm and peace that is vital in combat.

In constant defense and fear, we tend to be too busy to concentrate and are easily distracted. Aikido stresses this fact and so it teaches its students to remain calm in the face of an assault. Remaining calm puts an advantage over the assailant because you will not be caught of guard and unaware and therefore will not be toppled over or thrown. More advanced techniques teach students not only to fall properly, but also to be able to rebound and plant a counter attack as one rises from a fall.

Beyond combat and the dojo however, Aikido masters and instructors cultivate the development of spirituality and character within Aikido students so that they can apply Aikido principles everyday in life. True understanding of Aikido simultaneously promotes better performance in practice combats as well as in performance in everyday life.

Aikido everyday in life is akin to having an unshakable peace and calm that enables you to have the strength needed to withstand even the toughest of life’s challenges. Remember that Aikido teaches students about flexibility, adaptability, calm and clarity. All these are useful tools in dealing with life, so say Aikido practitioners.

Some Aikido martial artists tend to relate Aikido combat principles to everyday life like work, play and personal relationships. This results in a true oneness in the practice of Aikido everyday in life. In Aikido training, there is such a thing as uke and nage. One cannot exist without the other. Uke makes an assault on nage and consequently is the receiver of the Aikido technique which nage uses to neutralize uke’s attack energy with. In training using uke and nage, one will be able to get better in Aikido techniques by learning from each other and gaining each others strengths and battling each others weaknesses together.

If this is something that you want to cultivate in your life then Aikido everyday in life is something that you might want to take up and learn.

 

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Leisure No comments yet

Ceylon Tavern Dorking – Sri Lankan Restaurant

By on October 14th, 2011

The Ceylon Tavern in Dorking, Surrey look set to re-open shortly.

This is great news. The restaurant burnt down some time ago, but the food there was fantastic. Looking forward to the grand relaunch!

The Ceylon Tavern offers delicious Sri Lankan cuisine, and makes for a change from Indan or Chinese restaurants.

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Health & Fitness 1 comment

The Strong Stomach Workout

By on October 10th, 2011

The Strong Stomach Workout

When beginning an abdominal workout routine, for most people the goal is simple: a flatter stomach. While a smooth, flat stomach looks good, it is less of an accomplishment if the stomach muscles have not gained any strength. In addition to slimming down around the outer abdominals, it is also important to build strength in the core abdominals. Below are some stomach exercises that work out the core to build strong muscles throughout the abdomen. As with any workout routine, be sure to consult a professional before beginning and always warm up properly to avoid injury.
     
Tone Your Torso
Begin this stomach exercise on all fours, knees and hands on the floor. Keep your stomach pulled in and extend your left arm out in front of you. Keep this arm outstretched as you extend your right leg out behind you. Switch arms and legs, and repeat for an entire set. Take particular care not to let your pelvis sway out of position.
     
Butt Burner
You will need to lie on your back for this exercise. Use a mat or towel to cushion your spine. Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor, and position your arms at your sides. Squeeze your buttocks as you lift your pelvis off the floor. Keep the rest of your body in line. Raise your pelvis to about forty-five degrees, so your upper body from your head to your knees makes a straight, flat ramp. Hold this for three to five seconds before slowly lowering your pelvis back to the floor. Repeat for an entire set.
     
Crunchless Crunch
This stomach exercise is fairly simple in theory but can be fairly difficult to perform. Essentially, it involves trying to pull the belly button in towards the spine. This can be tricky, as it involves using muscles which you may not be used to activating. To start, either lie or on your stomach or kneel. You might want to try both ways and see which helps you feel the exercise better. Relax your body as much as possible, then try to use only the lower abdominals to move your belly button toward your spine. Hold for ten seconds. If this feels easy, hold for a longer period. The goal is to hold the contraction until you either cannot feel it, or you feel other muscles working harder than the transverse abdominus. When you feel this, let the contraction out.
     
Scissor Kicks
This stomach exercise also requires lying on the floor. Position your hands under your butt, keeping your back pressed against the floor. Slowly raise one leg to a height of about ten inches, then slowly lower it back to the floor. As your lower one leg, raise the other. Repeat this motion for an entire set. Maintaining control throughout is important, not allowing momentum to get the better of you. Your upper body should remain on the floor through the entire move.
     
These are just a few of all the strength building stomach exercises out there. If you are looking to build strength in your midsection, look for any exercise that works your core, especially the transverse abdominal muscles. Many components of Pilates are good for this also.

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Marketing 1 comment

What Is Social Media?

By on October 10th, 2011

What Is Social Media?

It seems that everywhere we turn these days, we hear about social media. It seems to be a buzz word all across the internet. Many people are confused about just what the term means. Therefore, we are going to attempt to answer the question, “What is social media?”

What is social media

The easiest method of getting a grasp on the question is to contrast it with what has come to be known as industrial media. Understanding the differences will help to make the answer more clear.

Industrial media consists of elements such as television, magazines and newspapers, books, and internet websites that have fixed content that does not change. These forms of media are considered to be permanent because once they are produced, it becomes impossible to change them. Here is one of the main things that set social media apart. Social media can be edited and changed by the very people who use it.

Industrial media are generally produced from a single centralized location and disseminated in an ever expanding circle. Social media is produced in many different locations and collected into centralized points where it can be accessed by anyone with access to the internet.

It usually requires some specialized skills and training to be able to produce industrial media. This typically requires the combined efforts of several individuals, each with their own unique skill set that contributes to the whole.
Social media, on the other hand, is created by virtually anyone and does not require any particularly specialized skills. Anyone who wishes to create content may do so with the skills and tools at their disposal with only minor, if any, modifications.

Perhaps the largest, and most important, difference between the two types of media is the immediacy of social media. Industrial media is produced and disseminated with a lag of hours, weeks, months, or even years between the beginning of production and it reaching the public. Social media, on the other hand, is produced and disseminated into the reach of the public immediately. As soon as the content is generated, it is available to anyone interested in receiving it.

Through the creation of several different social media sites on the internet, it has become possible for users to create their own social networks that can be separated by thousands of miles while being able to converse in real time. Individuals can publish information for those in their network to see or hear and receive feedback immediately through comments and other communication.

Many businesses try to use social media to attract new customers. One problem they face is that people in social networks are usually repulsed by overt advertising. It, therefore, becomes the job of these businesses to establish themselves as experts in their field by producing content that is useful and interesting to users. They must raise awareness of themselves and their products without using any sort of sales pitch to get their message across.

Social media has introduced a whole new way for people to interact over great distances. It has become the preferred source for information and entertainment in many different ways.

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