Friday, May 6, 2011
Friday, November 5, 2010
San Francisco Bans Happy Meals
The folks in San Francisco no longer have a choice when it comes to feeding their children at McDonald's restaurants. Kids love Happy Meals because the meal comes with toys. The city's board of supervisors voted to forbid restaurants from giving away toys with meals that have high levels of calories, sugar and fat. All restaurants must provide fruits and vegetables with all meals for children that come with toys.
I interpret this edict as a slap to parent’s ability to control their child’s diet while eating at McDonald’s. If your kid wants a happy meal in order to get the toy, the government demands that your child must eat his veggies in order to get their toy. This assumes that the children WILL eat their veggies and by doing so the epidemic of “childhood obesity” will be solved or at the very least slowed.
This is not a cure for childhood obesity and can easily be defeated by ordering other food items from the menu and toss the happy meal and keep the toy or skip the happy meal altogether. I wonder how many happy meals parents feed to their child in a day. The real key to reducing adult and childhood obesity is through education and not by government food restriction regulations.
If you grew up in the 50’s or 60’s (we were a lot skinner then) you may remember being taught the food pyramid in home economics classes and going to gym for exercises. Now you can only find the food pyramid on the Internet, or so it seems. Diet and excise is the real key to keeping your weight under control. I would rather see the government educate than regulate.
At present the government can’t force us to eat what they mandate. But, they can and will control what we eat by regulating the food industry. So don’t be surprise if your tasty snack food is no longer permitted in stores and restaurants.
I am hopeful that some one in the government will take on a study to determine why we were skinny kids in the 50’s and 60’s as compared to today. I am sure that the results will indicate that we were much more physically active then.
I interpret this edict as a slap to parent’s ability to control their child’s diet while eating at McDonald’s. If your kid wants a happy meal in order to get the toy, the government demands that your child must eat his veggies in order to get their toy. This assumes that the children WILL eat their veggies and by doing so the epidemic of “childhood obesity” will be solved or at the very least slowed.
This is not a cure for childhood obesity and can easily be defeated by ordering other food items from the menu and toss the happy meal and keep the toy or skip the happy meal altogether. I wonder how many happy meals parents feed to their child in a day. The real key to reducing adult and childhood obesity is through education and not by government food restriction regulations.
If you grew up in the 50’s or 60’s (we were a lot skinner then) you may remember being taught the food pyramid in home economics classes and going to gym for exercises. Now you can only find the food pyramid on the Internet, or so it seems. Diet and excise is the real key to keeping your weight under control. I would rather see the government educate than regulate.
At present the government can’t force us to eat what they mandate. But, they can and will control what we eat by regulating the food industry. So don’t be surprise if your tasty snack food is no longer permitted in stores and restaurants.
I am hopeful that some one in the government will take on a study to determine why we were skinny kids in the 50’s and 60’s as compared to today. I am sure that the results will indicate that we were much more physically active then.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Do Social Media Buttons Really Work?
Does the Share Button Drive Traffic to Your Blog or Web Pages?
I took some time to see first hand how these social media buttons (aka Share) really worked to drive traffic to my humble web site blog and product pages. So I signed up with Addthis. I installed their code onto most of my web pages and tested the Share button. The Share button worked fine for FB and Twitter. It accurately posted my URL title and link to both sites. Addthis will also collect some data or analytics to give you some idea of "who" shared your web paged or blog with FB and Twitter and other social media sites.
They will send you an email report depicting Share activity. Don't get your hopes set too high for a ton of traffic caused by your Share button. You still need to use conventional traffic driving techniques - in addition to your Share button. Of course you have to have a web visitor to like your web page strongly enough to want Share it. But, don't give up sooner or later someone will give your Share button a go. And, that could start generating visitors you would have not otherwise have received.
So far I've seen very little traffic generated by my Share button. But, I am not willing to give up on it just yet. I think that "every little bit helps" and sooner or latter it will kick in. I'll just have to wait and see. At this point I would recommend installing a Share button on your web pages and you, like me, will have to wait to see just how much traffic it's generating.
If you are already installed a Share button on your web site, let us know if it is generating traffic - in the comments
Are Your Website Traffic Stats Driving You Crazy?
Is Your Free Web Hosting Stats Only Giving You IP Addresses?
When I first built my web site - I did not want to pay my hosting company a monthly web statistics (aka web analytics) processing fee. I opted instead for their free version. Unfortunately, their stats did not resolve the IP addresses to some thing I could readily understand and I had to wait 24 to 48 hours for my hosting company to process my visitor stats for me.
I wanted to know, in real time, how my visitors were finding my web site and whether or not they clicked on a link I had posted on some classified ad web sites. Knowing where my visitors came from (aka Referral URL) gave me a very sharp insight in to my link posting and advertising campaign. It's important to also know what web page they visited and if they were a returning visitor. A returning visitor is one who previously visited your site and subsequently returned again. It's also important to know how they navigated through your site.
Of course, if you are selling products or services that are selling like hot cakes then you probably don't care much about your web stats. But, if you are some what like me, who is struggling to drive traffic to my web site, then you will want to glean and study your web stats as they occur.
Over time I gave up using my web hosting free stats and signed up for their paid for stats processing. I eagerly waited for my hosting company to process my stats for the previous 24 hour period. I must admit that my paid for stats were easy to read, but a little difficult to analyze. I did noticed that most of my visits came from me tweaking and testing my web site.
I would have liked to have had the ability to not score my own visits. Over time I noticed that Google Search was showing up on my stats which shock the heck out of me as I never submitted my web site for them to index (build it and they will come).
Again, over time I decided to dump my hosting stats and do some Bing web searches for a free stat counter company that can deliver real time stats with out that goofy looking page counter you may have seen on some web site page.
There are a lot of companies out there that provide this service, choosing the right one will be a matter of personal preference. You may have asked yourself how they capture your visitor's information. The company I use requires you to place some java script on each page you want to capture data from. Don't be put off by this it's a simple copy and paste procedure.
Before you ask, here is a link to the Stat Counter company I use. Other than being a user of their stat service I am in no way affiliated or remunerated.
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010
NY Jets to Undergo Educational and Awareness Session
Ines Sainz Gets Her Revenge in a Teachable Moment
The NY Jets’ Mike Tannenbaum and Joanne Gerstner of the Association for Woman in Sports Media will collaborate to set up an “educational and awareness session”. This sounds like a teachable moment for men in sports. I am fairly certain that only Jets’ members and a few Women in Sports Board members will attend this teachable moment. I am also pretty sure that both organizations want to avoid the use of that ugly phase used by HR and the eager press. My only disappointment is that it’s not a joint session. The Jets will undoubtedly undergo a procedure used by veterinarians to help cull the puppy population.
Most reasonable folks understand that a sports club is not a club at all, it’s a business and respect for the media is paramount in establishing good public relations. On the other hand, they are easy targets for the media to exploit. As most of you know or should know there are a ton of special interest groups ready and eager to pounce on any one in sports that don’t meet their high standards.
The Association for Woman in Spots Media needs to also conduct a teachable moment to their members. I think that a professional sports reporter should be held to a higher dress code standard, especially when conducting an interview in the men’s locker room. But judging from the media’s astute coverage of Ines Sainz’s pictures and her “aversions” to catcalls and footballs this is not likely to happen anyway soon.
The best way to get media coverage is to challenge the status quo knowing that the special interest groups will run cover for you. This is how you get a whole lot of free publicity and make it to the talk show circuit. My only reason for writing this article is that I have a strong suspicion that this was a classic set up job done very well to gather free publicity. This stunt has worked very well, if it indeed was a publicity stunt.
This episode will soon fade from the sports seen only to be replaced by yet an other one. Stay tune for the next chapter in the wide world of sports.
I hope you liked my blog post and will take some time to visit my other site Michigan Work Shop
Ines Sainz, Allegedly Harassed By the New York Jets
If you have been following this big NY Jets news story then you know why most men are eagerly searching the web for her pictures. The NFL officials are on the hunt for the truth. They want to know (I would think) who said what and exactly what they meant by what they said or did with that football. I wonder if we (or they) will ever know the truth for sure.
In today’s PC world most men who have had some HR sexual harassment training know it’s best not to “stare” at a beautiful woman in the PC work place . You must always look at her eyes (sorry no peeking allowed) and avoid one major pit fall which in most cases is totally unavoidable, but extremely understandable, at least for some.
No, I am not touting an anatomy lesson! Just use your vivid imagination to interpret the word “unavoidable” Yes I know that a picture is worth a thousand words, you will just have to search the Internet for it or watch cable news. It’s there, some where. While I was watching the “news” channels I noticed that there is less talk or news about what all the fuss is about and more about Sainz’s anatomy and her every day dress code. Okay, you guys stop peeking nothing here to see today. Hey you, stop with the cat calls! You, over there you are not to get that close to your TV set.
Is the NFL running for cover? You bet they are. But do you really think Ms Sainz is. Not a chance, this is the show of shows. You may have never seen her before, now she is a big news NFL star story of the day. What I want to know is which Jets receiver caught the football on the sidelines? I want an instant replay of that pass.
The men’s locker room was a private place to get dressed for the big game and a hot shower after a game, well now it’s a movie set for the Woman in Sports Media. I wonder if they stare at the men or stay focused on the true meaning of sports. Hard to tell these days,
In today’s PC world most men who have had some HR sexual harassment training know it’s best not to “stare” at a beautiful woman in the PC work place . You must always look at her eyes (sorry no peeking allowed) and avoid one major pit fall which in most cases is totally unavoidable, but extremely understandable, at least for some.
No, I am not touting an anatomy lesson! Just use your vivid imagination to interpret the word “unavoidable” Yes I know that a picture is worth a thousand words, you will just have to search the Internet for it or watch cable news. It’s there, some where. While I was watching the “news” channels I noticed that there is less talk or news about what all the fuss is about and more about Sainz’s anatomy and her every day dress code. Okay, you guys stop peeking nothing here to see today. Hey you, stop with the cat calls! You, over there you are not to get that close to your TV set.
Is the NFL running for cover? You bet they are. But do you really think Ms Sainz is. Not a chance, this is the show of shows. You may have never seen her before, now she is a big news NFL star story of the day. What I want to know is which Jets receiver caught the football on the sidelines? I want an instant replay of that pass.
The men’s locker room was a private place to get dressed for the big game and a hot shower after a game, well now it’s a movie set for the Woman in Sports Media. I wonder if they stare at the men or stay focused on the true meaning of sports. Hard to tell these days,
Monday, September 13, 2010
Build your own Website
Clearly, this article is for beginners. If you have already built a website, then you know the satisfaction of publishing it and then tweaking it. I am going to make one major assumption that you have figured out what type of content you intend to publish, but need to determine how to get started. This article does not cover building a Blog. That fastest way for a beginner to build a blog is to use Google BlogSpot. That’s not to say that you can not build a website which contains a blog page, you can. But, if you want all the “bells and whistles” like social media links and buttons, it’s much easier to use blog templates which are built into BlogSpot. You can also search the web for other free blog sites.
Who Will Visit Your Site?
One of the first and most important things you need to do is determine your audience. This is especially true if you are panning to sell products. The best way to determine this is with keyword research. You can use Google Keyword search tool to determine the number of searches for a given product or information. The number of keyword searches you discover the better your chances are of getting visitors to your site. Keywords are simply words folks use to find products or information. Keywords can be a phase or a single word. The goal here is to determine with relative certainty if there is a market for your products or information. The objective is to build a list of keywords that have a high number of searches. You will need this list of keywords later.
Web Hosting
The next question you need to answer is which web hosting company you want to host your website. I personally like and use GoDaddy. You can search for website hosting plans. You may not have website editing software such as FrontPage, so you will want a hosting company that provides you with web templates and editing. If you determine that the hosting templates are not to your liking, you can and should search for website templates. You will find a ton of them in the $50 to $150 range. Do not rush through this process. Take your time, you will find the web template that will attract visitors. Using a website template helps to eliminate the need to learn HTML code. The designer of the templates will provide you with instructions on how to load and use your template.
Web Hosting Customer Support
When you find a hosting company you will need to make absolutely certain that they will furnish the support that you require in order to get your site published. Ask questions and tell them you are new at this and require support through out the process. When you find a hosting company and sign up for a hosting plan you will want to take the time to learn how to make use of their control panel. Most hosting plans offer email accounts and traffic stats. When you contact a hosting company you will be greeted by a salesperson who will price out your hosting plan based on your content and number of pages. You can opt in for a basic plan and then upgrade as your needs change. Be advised that your hosting company's tech support is key to your successful implementation. However, they are quick to blame you for site malfunctions and rarely like to admit their errors. Should you make a coding error, they will not resolve it for you or give you any advise. This is why you need to be certain that your hosting company will provide you with a complete customer support process.
My Web Address
You will also need a website name. It’s best to have your web hosting company register your website address. Most offer a tool to help you determine a name. When figuring out what name to register, think about your audience. The shorter the name the easier it is to remember and type. Don’t try to be cute by using names that do not associate well with your web content.
Build Your Website
At this point you will need to draft your web content and layout. If you are posting images of your products or services make sure you create a desk top folder of your images and text. You will need to upload these images and paste your text with out searching your PC. If you purchased a web store template you should have space for your product images. The trick here is to size your product images to fit with out distortion. When composing text for your website, you will need to grab your keyword list. Work in those keywords into your product description, services or information. You need to be aware that repeating your keywords can have a negative effect on your search page ranking.
HTML Coding
You may not be familiar with HTML coding. You will need to learn how to use your HTML code to improve your page ranking. Here is a tip you can use when you need the code. Using your keyword that best reflects your page content, perform a Google search. Then look for the top ranking website below the ads click on that page. This should be a potential competitor. Do not click on major brand stores, as they may be using special code that will not apply to yours. On a blank spot right click and “view source” you should see your text editor open with the site code displayed. You should see the code heading (top of page). Compare it to your code. This will give you some idea of the required HTML coding that will help get your site listed on search engines.
SEO
After you publish your site you can search for SEO (search engine optimization) free tool. This SEO software is a free to use version with up grades for a fee. It will help you to optimize your site so that search engines will find it and index it. You do not need to be a HTML expert to use HTML code. Simply search HTML code and you will find a ton of tutorials, tips and tricks. SEO is important to gain visitors to your site. Getting your site indexed will take some time so don't get concerned if you don' t see any visitor activity for a while. You will want to monitor your visitor stats in real time. Your web hosting company will most likely take 24 to 48 hours to process your previous day stats. I don't use my hosting company's stats, instead I use a powerful, but free stat counter. You can find it at StatCounter
Get Someone
If building a web site is not your thing, but you still want one built there are other options available to you. These options come with a price tag. Most web hosting companies offer a team of website designers. I think it’s best to use your hosting company to design and publish your website for obvious reasons. But even at that, you still need to make content decisions.
Who Will Visit Your Site?
One of the first and most important things you need to do is determine your audience. This is especially true if you are panning to sell products. The best way to determine this is with keyword research. You can use Google Keyword search tool to determine the number of searches for a given product or information. The number of keyword searches you discover the better your chances are of getting visitors to your site. Keywords are simply words folks use to find products or information. Keywords can be a phase or a single word. The goal here is to determine with relative certainty if there is a market for your products or information. The objective is to build a list of keywords that have a high number of searches. You will need this list of keywords later.
Web Hosting
The next question you need to answer is which web hosting company you want to host your website. I personally like and use GoDaddy. You can search for website hosting plans. You may not have website editing software such as FrontPage, so you will want a hosting company that provides you with web templates and editing. If you determine that the hosting templates are not to your liking, you can and should search for website templates. You will find a ton of them in the $50 to $150 range. Do not rush through this process. Take your time, you will find the web template that will attract visitors. Using a website template helps to eliminate the need to learn HTML code. The designer of the templates will provide you with instructions on how to load and use your template.
Web Hosting Customer Support
When you find a hosting company you will need to make absolutely certain that they will furnish the support that you require in order to get your site published. Ask questions and tell them you are new at this and require support through out the process. When you find a hosting company and sign up for a hosting plan you will want to take the time to learn how to make use of their control panel. Most hosting plans offer email accounts and traffic stats. When you contact a hosting company you will be greeted by a salesperson who will price out your hosting plan based on your content and number of pages. You can opt in for a basic plan and then upgrade as your needs change. Be advised that your hosting company's tech support is key to your successful implementation. However, they are quick to blame you for site malfunctions and rarely like to admit their errors. Should you make a coding error, they will not resolve it for you or give you any advise. This is why you need to be certain that your hosting company will provide you with a complete customer support process.
My Web Address
You will also need a website name. It’s best to have your web hosting company register your website address. Most offer a tool to help you determine a name. When figuring out what name to register, think about your audience. The shorter the name the easier it is to remember and type. Don’t try to be cute by using names that do not associate well with your web content.
Build Your Website
At this point you will need to draft your web content and layout. If you are posting images of your products or services make sure you create a desk top folder of your images and text. You will need to upload these images and paste your text with out searching your PC. If you purchased a web store template you should have space for your product images. The trick here is to size your product images to fit with out distortion. When composing text for your website, you will need to grab your keyword list. Work in those keywords into your product description, services or information. You need to be aware that repeating your keywords can have a negative effect on your search page ranking.
HTML Coding
You may not be familiar with HTML coding. You will need to learn how to use your HTML code to improve your page ranking. Here is a tip you can use when you need the code. Using your keyword that best reflects your page content, perform a Google search. Then look for the top ranking website below the ads click on that page. This should be a potential competitor. Do not click on major brand stores, as they may be using special code that will not apply to yours. On a blank spot right click and “view source” you should see your text editor open with the site code displayed. You should see the code heading (top of page). Compare it to your code. This will give you some idea of the required HTML coding that will help get your site listed on search engines.
SEO
After you publish your site you can search for SEO (search engine optimization) free tool. This SEO software is a free to use version with up grades for a fee. It will help you to optimize your site so that search engines will find it and index it. You do not need to be a HTML expert to use HTML code. Simply search HTML code and you will find a ton of tutorials, tips and tricks. SEO is important to gain visitors to your site. Getting your site indexed will take some time so don't get concerned if you don' t see any visitor activity for a while. You will want to monitor your visitor stats in real time. Your web hosting company will most likely take 24 to 48 hours to process your previous day stats. I don't use my hosting company's stats, instead I use a powerful, but free stat counter. You can find it at StatCounter
Get Someone
If building a web site is not your thing, but you still want one built there are other options available to you. These options come with a price tag. Most web hosting companies offer a team of website designers. I think it’s best to use your hosting company to design and publish your website for obvious reasons. But even at that, you still need to make content decisions.
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