Customers are Buying Things Online

People are now buying online – a lot. In fact, research shows that 81 percent of consumers search for a product they’re interested in online before actually buying it. And 55 percent of purchases occur within an hour of a customer’s initial search. What does this mean? Well if you don’t have a website, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers and a chance to increase your sales.

Purchasing is just one area of the internet that you should focus on. Keeping your customers happy with your product or service and gaining positive reviews is another important task. A survey has shown that 88 percent of consumers put their trust in the reviews of other people. So if you don’t have any reviews online about your product or service you could be losing potential buyers.

Social Media Marketing

90 percent of all marketers say that their business exposure has increased thanks to social media. At this point, it’s imperative for all businesses to have a strong social media presence. The reason – social media platforms are where customers are most active. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter are all platforms where you can find your ideal customers and reach out to them with your offers.

One of the main benefits of using social media for marketing is that it can drive targeted traffic. With Facebook Ads, you can target specific customers based on age, demographics, and interests, etc. Another great benefit of social media marketing is that it can provide social proof to your audience which may increase your conversion rates. In simple terms, social proof means that people do what others do or they believe what others like to believe. You can use different activities on social media as social proof. For example, if someone comments on your Facebook posts praising the product of your company, you can use it. If someone tweets about your company, you can post it on your other social media platforms as social proof.

Final Thoughts

We can go on and on about the potential of the internet and social media and how important it is for your business. But, we’re sure you get the idea from what we’ve discussed already. In a nutshell, if you want to excel in the business landscape, it’s imperative that you get online, find the right internet plan for your business needs.

Use Hashtags

Using hashtags enable people to find you easily. To find out what hashtag to use, do research on the hashtags that other influencers are using. Besides, check out what hashtags are trending on the social media by going to the Trending category. On the social media, do a search on conversations that are concerning the niche. You can draw attention to your product by using the hashtag to create your own contest.

Schedule Your Social Media Posts

If you have no time to post every day, you can write the posts first and then use a scheduler to schedule the posts in advanced. Posting regularly on your social media is necessary if you want to have an account with a large following. If people see you stop posting for a while, they will quickly un-follow you. Scheduling ensures that you maintain consistency in your social media marketing effort.

Use Image in Your Social Media Posts

Image is the best tool for capturing attention from audience. You can check your analytics to track which image gets conversion from the audience. If you found an image with especially high clicks, you should post more of that type of images to get more engagement for your products. The images you include in your social media post should be high quality. Usually, there is a limit on the image size so make sure you resize it to the correct size. If you auto share your blog posts, it will be a good idea to include at least one image. In this way, all the post shared on the social media will feature the blog post image.

Use Videos to Capture Audience Attention

Video can help you to grab the attention of the audience faster. It is easier to consume the information in the video compared to reading a paragraph on the social media. The success of social media lies in the ability to capture audience attention and get the message across in a short span of time. Video fits in perfectly for this task. At the beginning of the video, make sure you include callouts so that the viewer know the message before turning their attention away.

Videos posted on the social media need to load fast – in this case, you will have to convert it into MP4. MP4 video is small compared to the standard AVCHD format which your video is stored in camcorder. You can open the video file in an avchd converter online program and convert it to MP4. When the Online Video Converter load, you simply drag the AVCHD file into the file drop zone and it will be loaded. Next, you navigate to the Video tab and search for MP4. After you found the MP4 format, select it and click the Convert button to convert it to the destination folder.

Regularly Update Your Social Media Account

You should try to be as regular as possible when coming to updating your social media account. It is recommended that you make at least 3 posts on different times throughout the day. You can vary your posting frequency, for example, today, you post 3 times and tomorrow, you post 5 times.

Be Active on Multiple Social Media Networks

Survey shows that more than 80% of marketers actively post on at least 4 networks. You can choose to be active on at least 2 social media. There are a few major social media networks and each one is designed for different business niches. If you are an educated professional, you can use LinkedIn as a place to promote your business. In LinkedIn, you get to list your academic backgrounds. You can use an image based social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram if you are into a business where you have a lot of nice pictures to show off.

One reason why fake followers can influence the market is the psychological theory of social proof. It posits that human beings imitate other humans – our decision and actions are often based on what we observe others deem acceptable.

If an internet user is uncertain about any topic, they will look to people similar to themselves for the answer. The number of people backing any idea, and the expertise of those people, are the most influential factors in social proof.

To learn how you can buy followers on Instagram the right way and get your social proofing on, keep reading below.

What Are You Really Buying?

What are you really getting when you buy Instagram followers? That’s a good question.

Also known as bots, these fake accounts exist solely for the purpose of inflating social media profiles. Some almost look like real accounts, with a few pictures, comments, and likes. Others look completely fake, lack any pictures, and even have text exclaiming, “BUY FOLLOWERS!”

As social media gets more sophisticated, these accounts attempt to look more real. It’s better to purchase more authentic bots as to avoid your fake followers being easily found out.

How to Buy Followers on Instagram

The process of buying fake followers has always been a little shady. This is due to the nature of buying fake followers – essentially intended to influence others without their knowledge.

Companies like YouTube and Instagram have already attempted to purge fake accounts from their websites. Unfortunately for them, it’s a trend that persists because it works so well.

Pick a Company

The first step to buying fake followers is to browse places like this website to decide what company to purchase from. Make sure to do some research before handing over your money.

Pick Your Number

After choosing what company to go with, you’ll likely be presented with a menu of options. Do you want a small package for a small price, or more followers for more money?

Get Your Followers

You’ll need to fork over your account information to finalize the process. It shouldn’t take long for your followers to start filing into your account. You can review your recent activity to see the quality of the accounts following you.

Monitor the Activity

The work doesn’t end after purchasing followers. It’s also a good idea to monitor those followers to ensure than you are getting what you paid for.

Unfortunately, many users who have purchased followers have reported those followers disappearing shortly after they arrived.

Instagram Strategies and More

The process of how to buy followers on Instagram has always been an underground business. Most social media accounts don’t want their authentic audience to know that some of their followers are fake.

With this guide, you can purchase followers discreetly and attempt your own social proof experiment.

To learn about more of the latest trends in Instagram social media strategy, don’t forget to check out our blog page.

After all, Facebook alone has over 2.2 billion monthly users. Let’s not forget the millions on Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. If you want to engage your audience, these are the platforms to focus on.

But where to start? What are the best social media marketing strategies to execute to achieve your goals?

Don’t fret; we’ve got a list of marketing tips here for you! Take some time to follow these steps and your social media marketing posts could skyrocket to success.

1. Audit 2018’s Performance

Start the year by auditing the last year’s performance. This is where tools like Facebook Analytics come into play. Take time to study your metrics throughout the previous year to get a solid benchmark.

Did you achieve your goals last year? Did you get as many lead conversions, Facebook post shares, or video likes as intended?

Use the data to set your goals for this year. Perhaps your ambitions were too low or a little too high. Now you can adjust 2019’s goals based on how you performed last year and what you plan to do this year.

2. Take Advantage of Video Content

Take a moment to scroll down Facebook or Instagram. It takes less than a few seconds to feel bombarded by video content. This is because videos are now the dominant form of media online.

In fact, 80% of online traffic comes from video content. People consume videos more than traditional blogs or photos.

Don’t get left behind. One of the most crucial tips for social media marketing is to take advantage of video content. Use platforms such as YouTube or tools like better video management plugins for your site.

3. Study Your Competitors

Don’t stick with your own metrics. Take time to study your direct competitors as well.

Check if they hit their goals and what strategies they used. Did they follow a common formula in the industry or did they take a risk? If they chose the latter, how successful were they with this experimental route?

Mix their data with your own to perform a bit of predictive marketing. If you’re not sure how this works, you can rely on this marketing resource here to get started.

4. Use Automation Tools

By now, you should already be best friends with tools like HootSuite and IFTTT. If not, get familiar with these automation tools and some others.

Not only do these tools help you manage and plan ahead, but they also guarantee higher audience engagement. Now you’ll be able to post specific videos or blog posts across social media platforms when your target audiences are online and ready to consume new information.

5. Go Beyond Facebook

Whatever you do, don’t root yourself in Facebook. While it is the main anchor, you should spend time this year spreading out to other platforms.

Perhaps you can build engagement by launching contests on Pinterest. You could reach out to key influencers on YouTube. Take some time to improve your Instagram profile and plan a few months’ worth of photos.

Get More Marketing Tips Today!

Don’t forget that everyone is on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube today. Make it a habit to follow these marketing tips and boost your social media campaigns today!

But don’t stop here!

If you’re looking for more tips or if you need professional help, we’re here to guide you. Don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll help you reach your goals this 2019!

When devising a social media marketing campaign, many marketers forget about social media search engine results. Here’s why social SEO is important.

You’ve been rocking your SEO campaign. Except, you’ve been neglecting your social media search engine connection in your campaign. Which means your campaign could be performing better.

Let’s put it in context: 72% of adult internet users are on Facebook. And if you’re not there too, you’re missing out on their business.

Here’s what social media SEO is, how it works, and how to incorporate it into your existing SEO strategy (plus a few potholes you should dodge along the way).

What is Social Media SEO?

First things first: what is social media SEO? It’s the thing that makes the social media search engine connection make sense.

It’s also what makes your social media sing.

You could be forgiven for being confused – Google used to give contradictory statements about how social media factored into their algorithm. These days, it’s a boon. It has something to do with how social media has evolved in the past several years.

Let’s break it down.

How It Works

Let’s be clear. Social media isn’t currently a direct ranking factor.

However, that doesn’t mean it has zero effect on your ranking. Actually, neglecting social media’s role in SEO is one of the biggest mistakes social media marketers make.

Content that performs well on social media – strong engagement, likes, and shares – correlates with content that performs well on websites and blogs. That is, content that performs well on one platform is likely to see similar engagement metrics on the other because it’s good quality content.

A good social media presence, combined with a good content marketing strategy, create strong brand awareness and engagement, which boosts your rankings.

Social Media and Search Engines

Nothing is ever simple, is it? Certainly not when we’re dealing with the social media search engine relationship.

So it pays to know what the benefits of social media are for your next SEO campaign. As we said, social media isn’t a ranking factor officially, but it can help boost your SEO rankings indirectly.

That’s because of how social media works. Many of the benefits of social media translate over into your SEO.

Links, Links, Links

Also known as the boon of any SEO campaign.

Let’s be real. You need links. Earning links is what you want – it allows you to gain multiple links from a single posting (SEO folks call that angels singing).

But unless you’re a big site with tons of traffic, it’s hard to earn links.

Unless, of course, you’ve got social media.

Think of it this way. You have x friends on Facebook, y followers on Instagram, etc. They all have their own list of people who friend and follow them.

If your content sees traffic on social media, it has a higher probability of reaching more eyes – and being cited by other websites.

Et voila. Link earning.

Front of Mind

How often do you check Pinterest? Or YouTube? Or Instagram?

Probably more than you’re willing to admit. But you’ll notice something.

The successful social accounts post often, which means you’ll usually see them when you log on. Depending on the platform, many will post several times a day.

Guess what you get as a result?

Every time you log on, you remember them.

So not only does your business get frequent user traffic from social media, it keeps you front of mind with your customers.

Brand Authority

It’s not just brand awareness.

Frequent production of high-quality social media content establishes your brand as an authority in your area while it familiarizes your followers with your brand, style, and products.

Of course, people are more wary of false information on the internet in general and social media in particular. That shouldn’t be a deterrent – if anything, it should be your cue to make sure you’re producing quality content every time you post.

And if you’re playing your cards right, there’s a fair chance that the next time your followers do a search that’s relevant to your product, they may even search you.

Things to Know About Social Media SEO

Ready to jump down the social media search engine rabbit hole?

Hold your horses. You need to know a few ground rules first. It’s not as easy jumping into a pool.

You also probably have a few assumptions about social media SEO that are frankly inaccurate. Those will hurt you in the long run if you’re not careful – or just hold you back from making your social media campaign that much better.

Here are three things you need to know about social media before you start to incorporate it into your SEO campaign.

Social Links Aren’t Guaranteed

We said earlier that link earning is one of the big pluses of taking a leap of faith into the social media search engine rabbit hole.

Thing is, those links aren’t guaranteed. Not even a little bit (if they are, or someone is

guaranteeing them, there’s a fair chance of something shady going on up in here. Don’t do it.)

There’s also a chance that the links won’t boost your rank. Wait, what?

That’s because the quality of those links matters more than the quantity of them – you’re always better off with five backlinks from reputable sites than ten backlinks from questionable sites.

Take your time, make good content, and use content marketing best practices to earn those links you have. Patience, as they say, is a virtue.

The Social Media Search Engine – Social is a Search Engine Too

Fun fact: you should actually be considering a social media search engine as, well, an actual search engine. Because there are more search engines out there than Google.

In fact, YouTube is the second most popular search engine on the web.

Profiles Rank Too

Social media might not directly impact your spot in the rankings, but it can directly change the content that shows up in that ranking.

In fact, social media profiles rank just as much as your business website or blog.

Why does this matter to you, way down there in the social media search engine hidey-hole?

Because social media channels aren’t just another office cubicle. They’re often the place where your company can show personality before a viewer takes one look at your website.

And if potential customers have fun getting to know you, there’s a much better chance they’re going to buy from you.

Making Social Media Work for You

It’s not just a matter of handing over the keys to your Adwords management. Although that does tend to make your life easier.

You need to make sure what you’re doing on this social media search engine deep dive. Here are three things to get you started.

Optimize Your Posts

It’s a strategy that relies on available pre-existing content, but it has the benefit of opening you up to another avenue of search. Fun fact: Google will sometimes feature popular social media posts in the first few SERP slots.

More avenues of search are always a good idea in the social media search engine rabbit hole.

The easiest way to do this is by using your standard SEO best practices on your posts. We’re talking strategic (not obnoxious) keywords, links to great content, and, of course, great post content.

Influencing Social Sharing

Need brand authority? Enter stage right: social sharing.

It’s just another way to give Google a clue that your site is an authority on your subject area, whatever that may be.

The best way to go about this is to target it directly. Give your followers an incentive to like, share, retweet and comment on your posts – like, say, a promotion.

It rapidly becomes a self-perpetuating cycle – the more people share your posts, the more people can see, like, and reshare your posts. You get new followers, more traffic and, if you’ve done it right, more business.

It all comes back to quality content.

Encourage External Inbound Links

And, finally, our old friend in this social media search engine journey: links.

If you’re doing your social media right (with great content, frequent posts, and good SEO practices) it encourages more external sites to share and link to your content.

Know what happens when they link to your content? Authority in the eyes of the almighty Google.

Like we said earlier, there are no link guarantees. You’re going to have to do your time and pay your dues – in the form of consistently creating useful, engaging content that’s worth sharing and linking.

Rock Your SEO (and Your Social Media)

Think you’ve made sense of this whole social media search engine thing?

Great. Let’s make it even better.

Check out our blog for all kinds of useful information to bring your social media SEO to the next level, like this post on the four errors that can damage your company Facebook page or this post on planning for your first Facebook ad.

If you have a question we haven’t answered, head on over to our contact page to let us know. Or, if you’re a writer, come write that answer for us.

With the tight overhead that your franchise probably has, it might be hard to spend 35% of your marketing budget on digital like other small businesses. Franchise companies sometimes also have to abide by guidelines that restrict the kinds of marketing campaigns that other companies are able to implement. That’s one of the reasons that SEO is so vital for franchises.

Franchise companies need to take a different approach to SEO than other local businesses. It’s not enough to turn customers onto your brand. You need to make sure you get people working on your specific franchise.

Tackling SEO for your company requires flexibility different than local or national SEO. Here are 10 tips for implementing strong SEO for franchise companies.

1. Know The Right Local Keywords

Have you ever noticed that if you type “pizza” into Google, you’ll get results that are relevant to your area? It’s not magic. Search engines use your user account, past searches, and stored browser data to match where you’re searching from with local results.

Depending on the kind of franchise you have, you could be competing with other franchises in your city. In order to make sure you have a strong foundation for your business, use local keywords that mention neighborhoods and geographic markers.

You might also have different terminology for your area. If you’re running an ice cream shop, you need to know if people in your area will be searching online for “jimmies” or “sprinkles”. Make sure you’re thinking like a customer of franchise companies like yours and you’ll build a strong local following for your brand.

2. Have Two Keyword Lists

Franchise companies need to have multiple keyword lists.

You have a strong brand with products and services that customers will be searching for. You need to ensure that when customers are searching for services like yours, they find your brand easily.

You’ll also need a keyword list to catch all of the people searching from your region. While your brand might come up high on the list, you need to make sure your franchise is the number one hit in your location.

If your brand comes up first for “carpet cleaning services”, you need to make sure your franchise comes up first for “carpet cleaning services in beverly hills”.

3. Unique Listings

Owners of multiple locations in franchise companies need to have unique, verified listings. When it comes to using Google My Business, Yahoo! Local, or Yelp, just typing in your brand name could result in unhelpful information.

You need to make sure every location and every branch of your franchise has its own page. This way, clients and customers have options to and can build a relationship with the location that’s closest to them.

4. Manage Your Reviews

Find a clever way to capture email addresses from your clients. Reach out to your most dedicated customers and ask them for reviews on your site of choice.

Offer an incentive for visiting your location and showing off their review on Yelp, Angie’s List, or Google. You should be building up your reviews even if you’ve just opened your location.

The more positive reviews you can gather at the opening of your franchise, the easier it will be to balance out negative reviews later. A one-star review against a single five-star review will put you below 3 and could ruin your reputation.

Check out HealthyYou vending reviews for more tips on how to manage your reviews.

5. Separate Franchise Pages, One URL

When franchise companies create separate websites for every single franchise location, it can be confusing to a customer. Products or services offered at BrandXMiami.com could be different than what’s offered at BrandXNorthMiami.com.

This will lead to customer confusion and a loss of trust from your customers. If you can’t hold a consistent site with a clear definition of what each branch offers, how can I trust your products or services.

Create one central site with separate pages for each franchise location.

6. Unique Social Media Accounts

Your franchises should have unique social media accounts for every location. If one of your locations isn’t doing as well as the others, you can offer a special promotion to drive traffic to that location.

If one of your locations has an electrical problem and needs to close, you can direct customers to the other locations. And if a staff member at one location upsets a customer, driving them to post on Facebook, you won’t see an impact at every location.

Show off the personality of each one of your franchises with separate social media accounts.

7. Run Different Cross Promotions

Having separate accounts and identities for different locations allows you to cross promote with nearby businesses. Every social media account should be following the businesses closest in proximity to your location. You can comment on one another’s posts and find ways to complement each other’s services.

Get your heads together and see if you can run some promotions to create a rising tide to lift all boats.

8. Create A Blog for Each Location

Put the power back into the hands of the people working at each franchise location. Find out who some of the more talented writers are working at each franchise and allow them to shine.

Give them some direction and let them produce great content that will also help to drive traffic. Ensure that they use your most important keywords, promote their posts on social media, and attack SEO from every angle.

9. Be Mobile First

As mobile usage surpasses desktop browsing, you need to find ways to integrate into the apps and tools that your customers use the most. Your site needs to be optimized for mobile viewing or your services will look outdated.

If you have an app, find ways to connect to your customers’ social media apps for an integrated experience.

10. Consolidate Efforts

Make sure every one of your franchises is in contact with the others. Avoid running duplicate campaigns or promotions. And if one branch is focusing on a particular service or product, have the other branches focus on another.

Franchise Companies Can See Big Returns on SEO

If you manage your online presence carefully, you can get more returns from SEO than you would from a TV or radio campaign. Find ways to do things differently than your competition and you’ll be able to stand out in ways that customers will appreciate.

If you’re ready to make your next move in digital marketing, contact us for how to start implementing this strategy.

Blizzard hasn’t announced an exact release date of the new moon map of Overwatch, but insiders believe that the map will be launched within a few weeks.

Social analytics can be tough when you don’t have the right social media strategy, creative content and definite timeline in promoting your campaigns. You need reliable tools for social analytics to seamlessly promote across social media platforms that are regularly used by your target market.

1.   Google Analytics

Google Analytics is the number one tool recommended by most online marketers because of its unmatched ability to analyze web design features and point out factors that lead to conversions. It can also generate customized reports for precise presentations.

2.   Facebook Insights

More than just insights, this tool allows you to view intelligence reports such as the number of people who saw your posts, and locations of the audience who liked your page, and even a preview similar pages that they liked.

3.   Twitter Analytics

Twitter brilliantly classifies audience metrics such as gender, income, interests and occupation, and gives you an overview of which topics or events are trending through hashtags and the event tab.

4.   Instagram Insights

The social analytics feature for Instagram is still in the works, yet you can get to know the interests of your new followers by following back. You can even get more details by searching for hashtags with over a million posts that will generate more follows when the particular hashtag is used.

5.   Pinterest Analytics

When you upgrade to a business account on Pinterest, you will see what other boards or profiles your audience are interested in, so you can make better pins and boards out of those.

6.   YouTube Analytics

With the popularity of video blogs nowadays, more and more companies are advertising on YouTube because of its powerful audience reach. YouTube Analytics gauges metrics like video popularity, the location of viewers, ad earnings, channel bounce rates and videos that have encountered errors.

7.   Buffer

This multi-social analytics platform comes with a free plan that lets you manage updates and engagement of a one social media account. It gives online marketers a summary of how well their posts are doing.

8.   Iconosquare

This social media analytics tool supports Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; it shows you liked posts, comments and new followers on a weekly and monthly basis.

9.   Sprout Social

This smart tool allows you to track individual messages from different platforms in one stream and is a preferred choice for most sales integration and team applications.

With a variety of social analytics tools available across the internet, it’s essential to read brand reviews from trusted sources that have tested the products or surveyed existing customers.

Learn more about other high ranking social analytics tools which will help you increase traffic and acquire leads that have a genuine interest for your brand.

On February 13th, Harrison Ford was landing his yellow single-engine plane and misjudged his landing when he came within meters of a 737 passenger airliner sitting on the taxiway in California.  The 74-year-old actor communicated with the air traffic control team as he was landing and said, “Was that airliner meant to be underneath me?”.  They informed him that he landed on the taxiway and not the runway.  This is not the first aviation incident involving Ford. Back in March 2015, the Cowboys & Aliens actor was injured when his World War II plane crashed on a Santa Monica golf course.

Harrison Ford’s close encounter landing at John Wayne Airport in Orange County

A new report published by the Guttmacher Institute states that research using fetal tissue may be endangered by last summer’s smear campaign against Planned Parenthood, according to a recent article by thenation.com.

Fetal tissue is often used in traumatic brain injury research, according to an article by Marek Molcanyi, MD PhD, Clinic of Neurosurgery; University of Cologne.

“Stem cell transplantation has been proposed for various indications like Parkinson and Huntington disease, … spinal cord injury … and traumatic brain injury (TBI),” Molcanyi explained in the article.

Scientists like Dr. Lawrence Goldstein at the University of California, San Diego, use fetal tissue for research on the brain and on spinal cord injury. The article on thenation.com says such scientific inquiry is increasingly threatened – often literally.

“We are cautious,” Goldstein says in the article. “We’ve raised physical security in our laboratory building.”

After an anti-abortion organization released videos portraying Planned Parenthood as callously haggling the price of aborted fetuses, thenation.com reports legislators have attempted to restrict research using such material, while scientists have found their work limited and riskier.

“Beyond the attacks on Planned Parenthood,” the report says, “the use of fetal tissue in research also is under direct attack.”

Fetal tissue has been used for scientific research since the 1930s. The tissue is derived from abortion because tissue from miscarriage is often not suitable for research,” according to the article.

Traumatic brain injury is just one of the many issues scientist might use fetal tissue to conduct further research on.

“Cell cultures from fetal tissue have been used to develop vaccines for measles, polio and tetanus, among other diseases. Scientists at Colorado State have been conducting HIV research using fetal tissue, while at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, cell culture derived from fetal tissue has been central to work on Hepatitis B and C,” the article reads. “The National Institutes of Health awarded grants for 164 research projects using fetal tissue in 2014, according to a survey byNature. Today, fetal tissue is being used in the development of vaccines against Ebola and HIV, the study of human development, and efforts to treat and cure conditions and diseases that afflict millions of Americans.”

Theresa Naluai-Cecchini, a scientist at the University of Washington told Mother Jones last October that the number of tissue donations had dropped dramatically. She worried that if the trend continued, “promising research would stop until a commercial alternative is found. The cost of research would increase dramatically, and new findings would take considerably longer.”

Some scientists have avoided talking to the media all-together, for fear of attacks.

Bills introduced on both the state and federal level would make it more difficult to donate tissue or use fetal tissue in research, according to the report. Some would ban fetal tissue research outright.

For more information, read the full article here.

A Madison woman called the fire department Thursday, Feb. 11, after she became ill while using a wood-burning stove.

An article by the Wisconsin State Journal reported the North Side woman, who lives at a residence on Bonner Lane, feared carbon monoxide poison and wanted the fire department to check her home following the incident.

“She started the stove in the basement for the first time this winter,” said Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. “She noticed the smoke wasn’t exiting through the flue very well, and was starting to come back into the house.”

The woman began to experience symptoms associated with carbon monoxide poisoning such as nausea and a headache. After she put the fire out, she drove herself to the hospital and called the fire department.

Firefighters investigated the incident, using air monitors to test the levels of carbon monoxide in the home, but didn’t detect elevated levels, according to Schuster.

“Because the fire was out for awhile and could have been the cause of her symptoms, the resident was advised not to use the stove until it could be inspected,” the article reads.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that causes thousands of deaths each year in North America. Breathing in carbon monoxide is very dangerous and is the leading cause of poisoning death in the United States.

Carbon monoxide poison can also lead to irreversible brain damage.

When you breathe in carbon monoxide, the poison replaces the oxygen in your bloodstream. Your heart, brain and body become starved of oxygen.

Carbon monoxide can be found in anything that burns gasoline, kerosene oil, wood or coal. Some possible culprits include automobile engines, propane heaters, water heaters that use natural gas, stoves and charcoal grills.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include (but are not limited to):

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Coma
• Confusion
• Convulsions
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Fainting
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Impaired judgment
• Irritability
• Low blood pressure
• Muscle weakness
• Rapid or abnormal heartbeat
• Shock
• Nausea and vomiting
• Unconsciousness

Read the full list of symptoms and other information here.

Animals can also be poisoned by carbon monoxide.

If you suspect a person or animal has breathed in carbon monoxide, immediately move him or her to fresh air and seek medical help.

A recent study released by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reveals male infants are more vulnerable to brain injury.

According to the study, each year, thousands of newborn babies suffer complications during pregnancy or birth that deprive their brains of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood and result in brain injury.

This deprivation results in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which can lead to long-term neurological issues such as learning disabilities, cerebral palsy or even death. The newborn’s body can compensate for brief periods of depleted oxygen, but if the asphyxia lasts too long, brain tissue is destroyed. The timing and severity of asphyxia can affect the area of the brain that sustains the injury.

Birth asphyxia causes 840,000 or 23 percent of all neonatal deaths worldwide. Researchers have known for some time that male infants are more vulnerable to HIE, but why has remained a mystery.

Pelin Cengiz, associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison led the study, which was published this week in the journal eNeuro. Researchers discovered that a particular protein called estrogen receptor α, or ERα for short, found in the brains of both male and female mice is found in higher levels in females. The protein offers the female mice stronger protection against HIE.

When the researchers studied the brains of male and female mice that could make the ERα protein, they learned that levels of this protective protein were significantly higher in female compared to male brains following oxygen deprivation and reduced blood flow.

“Under normal circumstances the brains of male and female mice have similar amounts of ERα,” says Cengiz, who is now exploring why ERα levels increase in female but not male brains after HIE.

“Understanding the mechanism of how female brains are more resistant to damage from oxygen deprivation and reduced blood flow is a first step toward helping newborns of both sexes recover after suffering from HIE and live functional lives. It could also lead to more effective therapies and treatments for both genders,” Cengiz said.

For the full article and more information on this topic, click here.

Signs and symptoms (click here for more information):

Mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

• Muscle tone may be slightly increased and deep tendon reflexes may be brisk during the first few days
• Transient behavioral abnormalities, such as poor feeding, irritability, or excessive crying or sleepiness (typically in an alternating pattern), may be observed
• Typically resolves in 24 hours

Moderately severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

• The infant is lethargic, with significant hypotonia and diminished deep tendon reflexes
• The grasping, Moro, and sucking reflexes may be sluggish or absent
• The infant may experience occasional periods of apnea
• Seizures typically occur early within the first 24 hours after birth
• Full recovery within 1-2 weeks is possible and is associated with a better long-term outcome

Severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Seizures can be delayed and severe and may be initially resistant to conventional treatments. The seizures are usually generalized, and their frequency may increase during the 24-48 hours after onset, correlating with the phase of reperfusion injury.

As the injury progresses, seizures subside and the electroencephalogram becomes isoelectric or shows a burst suppression pattern. At that time, wakefulness may deteriorate further, and the fontanelle may bulge, suggesting increasing cerebral edema.

Other symptoms include the following:

• Stupor or coma is typical; the infant may not respond to any physical stimulus except the most noxious.
• Breathing may be irregular, and the infant often requires ventilatory support.
• Generalized hypotonia and depressed deep tendon reflexes are common.
• Neonatal reflexes (eg, sucking, swallowing, grasping, Moro) are absent.
• Disturbances of ocular motion, such as a skewed deviation of the eyes, nystagmus, bobbing, and loss of “doll’s eye” (ie, conjugate) movements may be revealed by cranial nerve examination.
• Pupils may be dilated, fixed, or poorly reactive to light.
• Irregularities of heart rate and blood pressure are common during the period of reperfusion injury, as is death from cardiorespiratory failure.

More than 30 million vehicles spanning 12 automakers have been recalled because of faulty airbags supplied by Takata, a company that supplies airbag inflators to car manufacturers such as Ford, Honda, and Acura.

The faulty inflators have been found to randomly explode, sending particles toward the driver and other passengers. In November 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration required car manufacturers to recall any vehicles made with these faulty airbags. And today, that recall continues to expand with Honda Motors adding another 2.23 million of its late model U.S. vehicles to the list. Although many of the Honda models affected date back to 2005, there are some 2015 and 2016 models contained in the recent list (see below).

In order for an airbag to inflate, ammonium nitrate is required to create a minor explosion. If the compound is exposed to heat and moisture, it will break down over time and become corrupted. Corrupted ammonium nitrate can cause a more forceful explosion that can bursts the metal container that’s designed to keep the explosion in check.

Although approximately 140 injuries and 11 fatalities have been connected with the airbag defect, Honda stated that the company is not aware of any inflator malfunctions of this kind in its vehicles.

Back in November, Honda recalled more than 5 million vehicles in the United States that contained the defective airbags.

Honda has said it will replace the airbag inflators at no cost to the owner of the affected vehicles, but stated the replacement components will not be available for several months. Regions of the U.S. that are more humid will receive the replacement parts before other areas of the country.

Honda Vehicle Models that are subject to the new recall include:

• 2005-2012 Acura RL
• 2007-2011 Honda CR-V
• 2007-2016 Acura RDX (early production model year 2016 vehicles only)
• 2007-2014 Honda Ridgeline
• 2009-2014 Honda Fit
• 2009-2014 Acura TL
• 2010-2014 Honda FCX Clarity
• 2010-2014 Honda Insight
• 2010-2013 Acura ZDX
• 2011-2015 Honda CR-Z
• 2013-2016 Acura ILX (early production model year 2016 vehicles only)

Honda said the most up-to-date consumer information about the recalls can be obtained at www.recalls.honda.com and www.recalls.acura.com, or by calling 888-234-2138.

Driving a car with this type of defect can be extremely dangerous. Pieces of metal can spray out into the car, penetrating the body and causing severe head injury or even death. Honda dealers have been asked to stop selling any vehicles that were affected by the recall. Many dealers are offering rental cars to customers who are waiting for their airbags to be repaired. If a dealer fails to repair one of the affected cars, the dealer will be responsible for any lawsuits arising from injury due to the defective airbags.

from our sponsor

Google has announced a new service for journalists for better news curation, content discovery, and reporting. The new service is called “News Lab”. News Lab will help journalists to leverage the Google’s news reporting tools like videos, Google news, maps, the recently announced YouTube Newswire.

Google News Lab is a new tab; a website type page where all the best practices from the top newsrooms around the world are compiled together. Journalists and news enthusiasts can work in a collaborative environment using this tool to increase their grasp on ever-spiraling news world. News Lab offers tools for optimization, data sets, reporting, and conversion. The News Lab page also illustrates various newsroom strategies from some of the top publishers around the world like The Verge, The New York Times, Guardian.

Google is scaling its news authority pretty swiftly in the recent weeks. Last week, it announced YouTube newswire, a service to help people quickly watch the videos posted by eyewitnesses of the major event around the world. YouTube newswire will curate the latest videos posted by eyewitness accounts. This way, journalists could verify and post the breaking news stories along with the videos of the event.

In a blog post, Google announced that users will be able to live stream their gaming experience in the form of exciting videos. The new game streaming service by Google will be separate from the YouTube’s native platform. So for example, if you are looking to search for the game streaming channels for the game “Assassins Creed”, typing “Assassin” will immediately show the recommended game streaming channels for the Assassins Creed game, and not any song or other video having the word Assassin.

YouTube Game streaming service will have a lot of catching up to do because Twitch is already the juggernaut in the game streaming markets. Thousands of people use this service to live streaming their gaming experiences.

Google says that using YouTube gaming, the live streams will be automatically convertible to YouTube videos. This is a nice feature which could imbibe many users.

]]> https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/06/12/google-to-launch-game-streaming-service-youtube-gaming/feed/ 0 https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/05/07/reddit-launches-its-own-video-section/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=reddit-launches-its-own-video-section https://socialmediaseo.net/2015/05/07/reddit-launches-its-own-video-section/#respond Thu, 07 May 2015 15:01:33 +0000 http://preview.socialmediaseo.net/?p=32164 Reddit is slowly becoming a big media company and web juggernaut. After crossing 6.7 billion monthly page views and 170 million monthly active users, Reddit has announced a separate video section. The announcement came from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who said that Reddit wants to create a global community and videos are the best storytelling medium.

Reddit’s uniqueness lies in the fact that it does not host any content. Billions of people around the world share the best content in the form of links, images. This makes Reddit the automatically curated and updated website by users around the world 24/7, 365 days a year.

Reddit is now moving towards monetization. Currently, it is making money through ads. There was no original programming by Reddit. But recently, Reddit went through some major management changes and strategy revamps. Reddit has also launched a newsletter and podcast feature.

According to a statement, Reddit’s Ask Me Anything (AMA) section will get the most effect from the video feature. People could make their interviews in videos and post on Reddit’s AMA.

Currently, if you go to the video section of Reddit, most of the videos are shared by the users by giving links from Youtube, Vine and Twitter.

Just head over to the BigBoss repo in Cydia store and search for Prenesi. Prenesi is the best, seamless way to download Facebook videos on iPhone.

After downloading Prenesi, it will run in the background. You could just tap the more otions for any Facebook video and you will see the ‘Download this video option’.

Prenesi is absolutely free. It has only one drawback: the annoying ads which run at the start before the initiation of the download but they can also be disabled easily. Use Prenesi to download Facebook videos in iPhone and enjoy! Give us you feedback in the comments.

The TransAsia Airways flight GE235, carrying 53 passengers and 5 crew onboard, careened into the Taipei river shortly after taking off from the Taipei’s downtown Sungshan Airport, killing at least 26 dead. The French-Italian-built ATR 72-600 took off at 11:53 AM on Wednesday en route to the Taiwanese-controlled Kinmen islands and lost control soon after. Dramatic videos of TransAsia flight in its last minutes of flight, captured by motorists and car passengers, have surfaced on the social media platforms like Youtube, Twitter and Facebook. The plane is seen slipping between the buildings by meters, sharply banking on its side and clipping a taxi and an overpass with its now-vertical wing, before plunging into the Keelung River.

Rescue efforts are on and the Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration has confirmed that 26 people are dead, 15 have been rescued and 17 are missing. The missing people could be either dead in the submerged fuselage or could have been washed away by the river. About 300 rescue personnel comprising mainly of military crews and members of the media stand on the banks of the shallow Keelung River doing their part. The message “Mayday Mayday engine flameout” was the last communication from the pilot, which provides no further information regarding the reasons of the fire. An interruption of fuel supply to the engine or a faulty combustion can cause a flameout. However, the baffling aspect of the situation is that these type of twin-engine aircrafts are designed to work on one engine when the other fails.

This is TransAsia`s second French-Italian built ATR 72-600 that has crashed in the past year. In the previous incident on July 23, 2014 another ATR 72-600 crashed in the Taiwan-controlled islands of Penghu, killing 48 people. The reasons for the crash, are yet to be determined. The aircraft involved in Wednesday`s incident had not even completed its one year of service with the airline. Furthermore this incident is the latest in a string of mishaps which have hit the Asian Airlines in the recent past. France, where the aircraft was manufactured, has promised to send a team of investigators to determine the the cause of crash.

Groupers are a type of fish found in warm waters such as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. They usually live near rocks or around formations of coral. Most types of grouper can be spotted in water as shallow as 10 feet. The Goliath variety can reach surprising sizes: up to 8-feet long and up to 800 pounds. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, it is the largest type of grouper found in the Western Atlantic ocean. Though the fish are estimated to grow even larger, the Museum reports that the largest Goliath grouper that has ever been caught with a fishing line and measured afterward weighed 680 pounds.

Fishermen on the boat, which was located near Bonita Springs, Florida, saw the grouper circling for about an hour before the videotaped incident. Once the shark was hooked, the grouper approached, surfaced, and swallowed the shark whole, taking it from the fishing line. Despite this unusual incident, sharks are not typically part of a grouper’s diet. With their large mouths, groupers often swallow their prey whole, as this grouper did. But their chosen prey is more often crabs, lobsters, turtles, fish, shrimp, and other small sea life.

On Reddit, one of the fishermen reported more details of the fishing trip. They were fishing near a reef around 8 a.m., and the grouper was first spotted when they hooked and reeled in a nurse shark. It was an hour or more later when they hooked the black tip shark and the giant grouper made its move.

Reports from news stations are showing unconfirmed reports Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 has been shot down.  Youtube videos are surfacing showing smoke billowing into the sky.  We will have more updates on this soon. 

We are still waiting on confirmation the flight was shot down, we are not confirming that it has officially been shot down yet.

There’s a video going around that shows a fight between a teacher and a student.  According to reports, the fight started between the two when a student was confronted regarding drug possession.  The student ended up attacking the teacher.  The video shows the teacher Mark Black taking the student down.  At first the schools superintendent made a statement without knowing the full story or interviewing and blamed the teacher for his actions, but the story seems to have changed.

Officers on Friday arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of threatening a school official, battery against a school employee, marijuana possession and possessing a weapon — a box cutter — on campus, Sgt. Jay Moroso said Monday.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of battery against a school employee.

“Both of them were arrested in connection with the assault” involving the teacher, Moroso said.

Names and details of the alleged crimes weren’t released. However, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s website indicated that Blair Moore, 18, was arrested Friday on suspicion of threatening a school employee and remained jailed Monday.

A pregnant woman with three children drove her minivan with three children into the ocean.  Witnesses helped lifeguards pull the 10, 9, and 3 year old out of the van and all four occupants were taken to the hospital.  The video gets very scary at times as the waves seem to engulf the vehicle and start tossing it around.  Towards the end the van almost flips over.

Two hours prior to the incident, Daytona Police say the woman’s sister called 911 to report her sister was mentioning demons and acting “off”.

Police made contact with the woman and found that she did not make any comments that were suicidal or homicidal. Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson says if she had, the woman would have been taken into custody under the Baker Act.

“She had the right answers and she said she was heading to an abuse shelter and so at that time they could not do anything, but two hours later it escalated to this,” said Sheriff Johnson.

Here are six ways how social media platforms have reshaped the modern protest.

Spreading Information

One of the most popular examples of how social media can be used to spread information is the famous “We are all Khaled Said” Facebook page. After the murder of Said, a torrent of blogs and tweets were made that provided much of the information that was used to report on the incident. When the Facebook page went up, users began to post photos, videos, and other updates about the protest. Some of these links served no organizational purpose and were meant only to share information.

Organization

During the recent Euromaidan protests in Ukraine, devices such as the Google Tablet were used to organize the movement. A recent article details the way that Euromaidan is using Facebook to create an interactive map that pinpoints locations where demonstrators can find medical attention, bathrooms, showers, food, and places to rest. By clicking on an icon, you can even find out detailed information about that place such as what supplies are needed.

Social media can also make a movement much more agile in terms of when and where action will take place. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow organizers to reach a mass audience at just a moment’s notice. Rather than working around a pre-established date or time, protestors can now gather and organize in just a few hours or minutes.

Mass Appeal

Social media offers lower organizational and communication costs that allows a movement to depend less on outside financial sources and create a wider mass appeal. The recent Egypt protests represented the first time in history when a movement comprised of people from such varied political and social backgrounds. Demonstrators in these protests included bloggers, judges, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Coptic Christians.

Shaping the Narrative

Social media has completely re-imagined the way we perceive events around the world. Rather than relying on newspapers to frame a movement in a supposed “objective” light, protestors can now turn to social media and give their own meaning to events. For example, during the recent uprising in Egypt, protestors were able share photos and videos with a mass audience across the world. This ability to comment on an event and circulate information through their own channels allows protestors to frame these events within their own narrative and not that of the media’s.

Law and Order

Police forces all over the world are learning to adjust their protocol when dealing with protests. This is in no small part due to the increased levels of scrutiny that police now face because of social media and cell phone footage. Some police forces have even started using Twitter to communicate with protestors or people who would normally avoid such contact.

Disrupting the Power Structure

During recent events in Ukraine, social media played an important role in overturning a corrupt system. After brutally attacking a girl and leaving her for dead, two criminals were let free thanks to a government connection. However, the girl’s mother uploaded a video of her injured daughter to YouTube and sparked a massive public outrage. Protests ensued and the two men were put back on trial and sentenced to prison.

This incident came to be recognized as a symbol for a series crimes committed by the Ukrainian upper class. It reminded people who the president himself had been convicted of violent crimes in the past and seemed to discredit the government’s absolute authority.

What social media has shown us over the past few years is the many ways in which it can be used as a tool. Not only do Facebook and Twitter give protestors a voice, they give an effective way to communicate with an international community while helping demonstrators organize and coordinate resources.

The Corvette museum says the sink hole is around 25-30 feet deep and 40 feet wide.

“It is with heavy hearts that we report that eight Corvettes were affected by this incident,” the museum said in a press release.

The museum said the cars are a 1993 ZR-1 Spyder and 2009 ZR1 “Blue Devil” on loan from General Motors; a 1962 Black Corvette; 1984 PPG Pace Car; 1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette; 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette; 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette and a 2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette.

I guess it could have been worse, at least no people were harmed from this sinkhole.

This reminds me of this sinkhole that opens up under a railroad track.  The man catching the footage shakes as he sees an entire portion of land disappear under the railroad!  Check out the YouTube video below.

Joe Namath is a hall of fame quarterback is known for his amazing career as a quarterback, however there are a few recent media appearances that have been quite embarrassing for him.  The first incident was when he wanted to kiss a reporter during and interview because he was drunk.  He obviously was drunk because he was slurring and making no sense.  He later apologized and said he was drinking since three that day and was embarrassed.  This Super Bowl he was chosen to toss the coin to decide who received the ball first.  I don’t know why they chose him after his last appearance, but here goes.  Joe Namath came out in his classic fur jacket and right after the ref gave him the coin he tossed it in the air.  The ref laughs and grabs it because he didn’t even get a chance to explain the rules yet.  It’s a little better to understand if you watch the videos below:

Joe Namath “I want to kiss you” video

Joe Namath Messes Up Coin Toss

This could be the best Super Bowl commercial out there.  Budweiser just seems to keep making memorable commercials and connect with audiences.  This Puppy Love commercial is one that will touch your heart.  There was another one that was a tribute to our soldiers that was really good as well.  Well done Budweiser.  Well done.

If I can find the video I’ll be sure to put it up, because I’m sure it will trend and go viral!

Update: I found the video on YouTube! Share this if you think it’s hilarious.

Here’s the Erin Andrews / Ryan Sherman Interview:

Richard Sherman: Well I’m the best corner in the game. And when you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree thats what the results are going to be. Don’t you ever talk about me.

Erin Andrews: Who was talking about you?

Richard Sherman: Crabtree, don’t you ever open your mouth about the best or I’m going to shut it real quick.

When I first saw this video shared around the internet, I knew I had to see it.  I wasn’t disappointed.  I can’t believe how this guy made it past all of the critics and doubters, he didn’t listen to them.  Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman is the first deaf offensive player to ever play in the NFL.

How I Met Your Racism?

The creators of  “How I Met Your Mother” have apologized after they were accused of causing offense by including a “silly and unabashedly immature” homage to kung fu movies in the show.

During an episode that aired on Monday, Jason Segel’s character travels to China to train with three masters in the art of slapping.  His co-starts were dressed in Asian-themed costumes, which seemed to anger viewers on Twitter.  User’s were using the hashtag #HowIMetYourRacism to show their anger towards the scene.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Bays writes, “Hey guys, sorry this took so long. Craig and I want to say a few words about ?#HowIMetYourRacism… With Monday’s episode, we set out to make a silly and unabashedly immature homage to Kung Fu movies, a genre we’ve always loved … But along the way we offended people. We’re deeply sorry, and we’re grateful to everyone who spoke up to make us aware of it … We try to make a show that’s universal, that anyone can watch and enjoy. We fell short of that this week, and feel terrible about it … To everyone we offended, I hope we can regain your friendship, and end this series on a note of goodwill. Thanks.”

I looked for the video on YouTube but couldn’t find it. Here’s CNN’s video about the incident below.  I’m sure they took the video off YouTube and radio stations by now. Any videos up there just show an image and people talk over it so don’t bother trying to look!

The well-known giant squid has always been a legend and rarely caught by humans.  This one was netted by Shigenori Goto and it’s claimed to be 350 pounds and measures 13 feet long!

Goto, who was fishing for yellowtails when he made his surprising catch, noticed the huge male squid around 7 a.m., according to the Japan Daily Press. Although alive at the time of its capture, the squid died soon after coming to the surface, the fisherman said.

“When I hauled up the net, the squid slowly came floating up,” Goto said, according to the Daily Press. “This is the first time I’ve seen such a large squid.”