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blogging
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
February 20, 2018
Bloggers Wanted: Get Paid To Post
If you are an influencer like me, getting paid to do a review is awesome! And that is why I am excited to share with you an opportunity with My Gift Stop.
My Gift Stop, is an online shop offering luxury goods that’s dedicated to giving back to society, donating 5% of every sale to the global medical relief nonprofit, Direct Relief.
In a time where our schedules seem to become denser by the day, it is most common for things to slip our mind here and there- forgetting a gift is no different! This is where My Gift Stop comes in! They have made it their mission to offer us “present peace of mind!” last minute!
That’s right, their online shop is the perfect shopping solution. Hence, they are looking for reputable contributors, like yourself, that can write great reviews, blog articles, gift guides, share contests and more to help spread the word about their brand. And the best part is you will be paid for your time!
If this sounds like you, please read more & apply here!
February 8, 2017
YouTube Now Has Live Streaming
Video is all the rage right now and going live is the biggest trend on Social Media! With Facebook Live, Snapchat, and Instagram stories, this approach has proven to be a successful add to those social media platforms! And this is why Youtube has decided to jump on this bandwagon as well, and it’s about time. Honestly, I would have thought this is something they would have done long ago, but it is now available through your YouTube Mobile App. But unfortunately not to everyone. That’s right. Currently, it is only available to people with 10,000 plus subscribers, bummer I know, but I did read in a blog post that the feature would soon be available to everyone.
How Does YouTube Live Streaming Work
- First YouTube needs to make sure your account is in good standing and verify your identity with a phone number.
- Once that happens you can enable live streaming from the Creator Studio tools, with a URL similar to youtube.com/user/BarbiesBeautyBits/live
- Once your channel is enabled, you have two options to start your live stream:
- Option 1: "Stream now" is a quick and easy way to go live. Start sending content and YouTube will automatically start and stop the stream for you at the right time.
- Option 2: "Events" gives you greater control of the live stream. You can preview before you go live, you have backup redundancy streams, and you can start and stop the stream when you want to.
- You have the option to take a picture and use it as the cover of your live video.
- Now you are ready to record.
- Once you’re complete, the live broadcast video will automatically be added to your playlist; privacy options do apply to these as well.
How To Get Started With YouTube Live Streaming
Want more information on how to get started with YouTube Live Streaming, like finding out about monetizing? Well here is a link to YouTube's Live Streaming Guide!
Happy Streaming!
October 24, 2016
Just In: You Can Now Schedule A Facebook Live Video
While Facebook LIVE is great, if no one is watching it, how great is it really? Well, fret no more, as Facebook has just rolled out the option for verified Facebook pages to now, schedule a Facebook Live Video, giving you the opportunity to let people know ahead of time about your live stream! Now don’t get me wrong, you have always had the ability to let your followers know about your upcoming Live broadcast, but it was just by posting it on your wall, via a simple post. However, with this new feature, you can do so much more than that! Not only can you schedule it seven days in advance you can also send reminders and Facebook gives you a share link that you can share and embed in other places like your blog and website. And if all of that wasn’t cool enough your fans can join what Facebook calls your "lobby" (think of a waiting room) about three minutes before your Live broadcast begins.
So How Do You Schedule Your Facebook Live Video
Below is a brief description directly from Facebook media. However, if you click here, there is a complete PDF download that has come directly from Facebook, making it fool proof.
- Navigate to Publishing Tools: Once you’re in Publishing Tools, select “Video Library” and then “Live.”
- Copy your stream credentials (e.g. steam key, Server URL). If you need to find the credentials closer to the time you’re going live; they are also available by editing the post in Video Library.
- Craft your announcement post. Be sure to write an engaging and informative description, so your followers know what to expect from your broadcast. You will be able to update the description later if need be.
- Finalize your scheduled live broadcast. Put any finishing touches on your post (such as adding a custom image) before you schedule your broadcast.
August 20, 2016
How To Design The Perfect At Home Office
Being a professional blogger, online beauty editor and social media specialist, I find myself sitting in front of a computer way too much! And while sitting is less physical than standing on your feet, it puts a lot of stress on your body, both physically and mentally. That is why it is important to make sure that you have adequate lighting as well as a functional work space. So if you want to find out how to design the perfect at home office continue reading.
Have A Designated Place For Work
Owning my own business, I have chosen to work from home. But, living in a small condo does make it difficult to find a functional work space. Additionally, it is important that the area you choose for your office maintains a boundary so to speak, as to where your work area begins and where it ends (This is one thing that I’ve struggled with over the years). But believe it or not, it can take a mental effect on you. It is important that you divide your work from play! Also, you want to make your office free from other disturbances, like your children, TV, washing clothes, etc. Being exposed to these can affect your overall work performance, so please separate yourself!
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| This Is A Sponsored Post On Behalf Of BenQ e-Reading LED Desk Lamp. All Opinions Are My Own |
Invest In Great Lighting
Getting the correct amount of light is essential, this is why I partnered up with BenQ for this post.
Sitting in front of a desk without proper lighting can hurt your eyes. While you feel your room may have adequate lighting, you also need to have a desk light. Especially if you spend most of your time staring at a computer screen, having a desk lamp, like the one from BenQ, designed for the digital era is a must! Unlike the regular task lights, the BenQ e-Reading LED Desk Lamp has a wider lighting coverage and many other benefits, making it the perfect light for those who sit in front of a computer all day.
Some of the other reasons why I love the BenQ lamp
- The BenQ lamp lights output covers your entire working area. It is developed specifically for the usage of monitors, Kindles, tablets, and other devices, distributing light evenly across the desk. It delivers an illumination range that is 150% wider than any regular reading lamp, helping you see everything from your keyboard to the cat, peeking from the other chair!
- The shape. Why is this important? Because the curved shape provides even and flicker-free light.
- When using the computer, lighting should be sufficient for you to see the text as well as the entire screen. But in most cases, the bright light on the display screen "washes out" the images. But not with this lamp as its e-Reading mode reduces the contrast glare and the reflection on your computer screen.
- Controlling this is simple. All you have to do is touch the ring to activate the e-Reading mode. The BenQ e-reading lamp then delivers the patented 'brighter at the sides, darker in the middle' illumination that reduces contrast glare.
- Tailor-made brightness and color temperature. As you can see lighting has a significant impact on one's concentration and productivity. You can switch the BenQ Lamp easily according to your preference by simply turning the control knob. For work, I make sure to change to the cool white tones of the light!
- The quality and that it is EARTH-FRIENDLY: The BenQ task lamp's LED lamp shade is cased in the lightweight aluminum alloy to dissipate heat. The articulating arms are reinforced with zinc alloy torque springs to provide enhanced durability and stability. It also has a high-quality fabric cord cover for safety purposes. The materials used are only earth-friendly materials, which is a plus for me since I am near it all day long.
Want to get a BenQ e-Reading LED Desk Lamp for yourself? Make sure to click here so you too can set up your fantastic at home office space.
Having the right size desk and the correct seating for your home office is so essential. I’m not sure about you, but sitting for 8-10 hours straight, I start to notice some pain if I'm just sitting on a couch or lounging. This is why it is important to find a desk that fits your height and a chair that is going to support your back.
Keep in mind there are also standing desks. I currently have both as it is good to get off your butt every now and again!
An Ergonomic Chair:
Sitting adds a lot of stress to the spine; this is why it is essential to have an ergonomic chair that supports the lower back and promotes excellent posture. Additionally, you want to make sure that your chair has some of the following options
- Adjustable seat height
- Lumbar support
- Comfort and material. You want to make sure that the seat you select has enough padding that is going to accommodate extended seating times!
Incorporating A Personal Touch
As I’m sure you’ve seen thus far a lot can have an impact on the success of your work and the area around you is no different. Adding a personal touch or some décor can help you sustain the positive energy you need to be successful and motivated throughout the day.
Getting Ready For The Day
I know you’re like what? I thought I could work from home in my pj’s. Well you can, that is the benefit of working at home, and it is also negative. Why is this? Because when you work from home, some find it difficult to separate the work from the nonworking. Don’t get me wrong I do sit around in my sweats sometimes. But I also know that having some discipline as a routine is going to make me more productive. The mind is a powerful thing. So if sweats are something you wear to relax or PJ’s to sleep, you may not be in the right frame of mind to be productive at work. This attire also applies to the opposite, meaning if you work in your sweats, and you go to relax on the couch in your sweats, and you may find yourself working while you should be relaxing!
So there you have it my top 5 tips to designing the Perfect at Home Office!
February 3, 2016
Just In…Facebook Is Making Changes to What Posts Will Be Shown At the Top Of Your Newsfeed
With the New Year always comes new changes, and it is not any different with Facebook. Yes, Facebook is once again making some changes to the News Feed algorithm, helping to weed out posts you may not want to see.
Facebook's goal is to make the users experience better, and this is why they are always conducting surveys. You may have recently been asked: "What would you like to see on your news feed or to rate a story," now you know why. Facebook's goal is to place the content in front of people that want to see it.
Facebook said on Monday, “The goal of News Feed is to show you the stories that matter most to you. The actions people take on Facebook—liking, clicking, commenting or sharing a post—are historically some of the main factors considered to determine what to show at the top of your News Feed. But these factors don’t always tell us the whole story of what is most meaningful to you.”
Facebook also mentions, “That this update should not impact your reach or referral traffic. But, some pages may see increases in referral traffic if your posts are considered meaning while other may see a decline if the rate of which people are clicking on your stories does not match what the survey indicated people wanted to see.”
How does this affect your business Facebook page?
While these may seem like small changes, in my opinion it is not. Why? Because, the posts that will be shown or seen will now be determined by the likelihood that your audience wants to see it, not just by the actions that are taken on the posts. For example, if there are a lot of actions on a post (likes, comments, etc.), but this type of post was not one that was indicated as a post that would like to be seen, it could have a negative effect on your page.
Facebook's software engineers Cheng Zhang and Si Chen suggests: "That page owners need to avoid engorging people to take a particular action (like clicking or liking). While this type of activity will show a temporary spike in your metrics, if it doesn’t match what your audience has said they want to see, it can have a negative effective on your page."
Overall this Facebook update is going to help re-balance the actions on your page to what people have reported that they want to see.
Want to read more on how Facebook is using qualitative feedback to show relevant stories click here!
August 13, 2014
The Importance Of Inspecting What You Expect
I am writing this post today on a topic other than beauty. Today it’s going to be on INSPECTING WHAT YOU EXPECT. This philosophy is good for all businesses including bloggers. Unfortunately yesterday, I learned the hard way that my values and integrity of my company is not the same as those around me. Seems like common sense, I know, but even that can get the best of you with a hectic schedule. Therefore, today I wanted to share some great tips on The Importance Of Inspecting What You Expect, with all of my fellow bloggers and other readers who may own a small business, so this doesn’t happen to you!
With a growing blog or other business, opportunities arise and as you get bigger. Hence requiring you to consider help with VA's, interns, etc. This type of delectation is important so you can grow and become larger. Bloggers, the same as small business owners, have usually built their business from the ground up. Because of this, ensuring your credibility is ever so valuable for the success. Like with any other companies, policies need to be set in place, and these policies should be communicated with your potential partnerships, interns and or employees. With polices come training, you need to train these individual(s) on your polices and explain to them what you expect. More importantly, why you have these in place, so they can get behind and support you. You need the “buy in” so they understand the why and the importance of your policies.
Don't be DUMB be SMART. Meaning, you have to set SMART goals and objectives. What are SMART goals? I learned this from Forbes, but it's business 101 and if you can't do this, then the only one you can blame, is yourself. SMART GOALS are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. While all are important, specific & time-bound are essential to succeed, if delegating. You must always set specific days and times, PERIOD! Saying I need this ASAP, or I need you to do this, is not good enough. You MUST set the parameters and share them. Otherwise, it will fail because of YOU! Remember others time frame is not the same as anyone else, plus people are not mind readers!
Inspecting:
This is
crucial, one to keep them on their toes but also because your employees and interns are a reflection of your company & brand. What they do, approved or not, is the perception
others have you. And remember others perception
is their reality whether true or not. One thing I’ve heard over the years is
people do what you inspect not what you expect; sadly this is true most of the
time. Bottom line if you are going to
delegate you don’t want to make assumptions, all people involved, big or small need to see and
understand your vision!
Something’s to keep in mind if you want to delegate responsibilities
to others:
- Know their character: No one cares as much about your business as you do, so when delegating tasks you want to make sure the person is competent and trustworthy.
- Communication: This is key, everyone needs to be on the same page.
-
Remember time is money. So the excuse, I don’t have time I’ll just do it myself COSTS you money. Yes, in the beginning, it may take a bit of your time. But once, someone else has the hang of it, the dividends will pay off.
- Checklist:
- Have you explained your expectations?
- Do they understand your values?
-
Are there certain rules, ethics, laws that must be abided?
- Have your supplied them with what they need to succeed (time, materials, money, etc.)
- Do they know what to do if something goes wrong?
- Repeat the above IF YOU WANT TO THRIVE & SUCCEED. Without these, you will fail.
In conclusion, you want to make sure that there is a clear
window of communication. You need to be detailed in what you need during the entire process, with
the how and why of the tasks. Ensure
that everyone clearly knows what you want. The
best way to do this is to have them repeat it back. Otherwise, someone may just say yes to say yes. If they know
what you’re hoping for, why it’s important you, what you inspect, then you’ll get the buy in and
will succeed.
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