text:
Rangers may still add to squad over summer, says Gary McAllister
By Matthew Treadwell
Last Updated: 16/08/19 5:54pm
Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister says they may still make further signings this summer if the right players become available.
Leicester midfielder Andy King joined on a season-long loan on Thursday to become manager Steven Gerrard's 10th new player of the transfer window.
But despite having strength in depth in most positions, McAllister insists there will always be room in the squad for a quality acquisition before the transfer deadline on September 2.
"If somebody becomes available who can come and make a difference here then yes, that's still available to us," McAllister said when asked about possible transfer business ahead of Sunday's Betfred Cup game away to East Fife.
"If you look at the squad, we have plenty of cover. Unless someone really jumps out at us, I think the manager is quite pleased with the way the squad is.
Transfer Talk: Where do Celtic go after CL exit?
Former Celtic striker Charlie Nicholas delivers his damning verdict after the club crashed out of the Champions League
"But that doesn't mean to say if someone becomes available, we are not interested. Management teams and managers are always looking to strengthen.
"When a board of directors ask you 'what do you need?', you always need. You always need better players."
Rangers moved a step closer to qualifying for the Europa League group stages with a 3-1 win over Danish side Midtjylland on Thursday to complete a 7-3 aggregate victory.
They now face Legia Warsaw in the next round of the competition, while Rangers will progress to the Betfred Cup quarter-finals if they beat East Fife.
That means a large squad is essential if they are to cope with the high volume of fixtures, with McAllister pleased they have added Premier League winner King to their ranks.
"The addition of Andy [King] is big for us," added McAllister.
"He brings more competition to a very strong part of our team, but there's loads of games.
"Thursday to Sunday, we are semi-used to it, we know the demands of travelling and then coming back to go again on the Sunday."


text: RobPol471 1 Posted June 11, 2017 Installation with VFX Central has been done on Prepar3D v3.4 and v4 with activation code but the PrecipitFX effects only work on Prepar3D v3.4 while on Prepar3D v4 remain effects by default. I uninstalled and reinstalled PrecipitFX only on Prepar3d v4 but the effects remain the default ones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
1971 Childrens/Family Not Rated 55 Minutes
|In Theaters
|Made for TV
|On 4K UHD
|Not Available
|On Blu-ray
|February 4, 2020
|On DVD
|February 12, 2002
Principal Cast
- Danny Kaye (voice)
- Vincent Price (voice)
- Casey Kasem (voice)
- Paul Frees (voice)
Celebrate with the most famous Easter Bunny of all time in the original holiday special, Here Comes Peter Cottontail. It's time to choose the next chief Easter Bunny, and Peter Cottontail really wants the job. Everyone in April Valley agrees he's the best bunny for it, but someone else wants the top spot too. When evil Irontail's terrible plans threaten to ruin the holiday for children everywhere, it's up to Peter to restore the true magic of Easter. The Rankin/Bass production of Here Comes Peter Cottontail features groundbreaking "Animagic" stop-motion animation, narration by Danny Kaye and unforgettable songs. Easter is on its way!


text:
Pacific Summary. 12 November 2019
Volcanic activity may increase.
Lateiki, Sangay.
Spaceweather is moderate, the period is likely to be brief.
12 November.
Tonga/NW of Pangai 6.1 12.03pm
Eruption Sakurajima, Suwanosejima.
The Aotearoa Forecast was posted 20 minutes too late and was a shambles but the Pacific Forecast worked from a very narrow risk location base and a great success.
Plenty of action still in the same Tongan location as previous forecasts.
In the same area news for remote Tongan volcano Lateiki is sparse.
Strong eruptions at Sakurajima and Suwanosejima.
Spaceweather lasted only a day before fading.
A new and more powerful quake spell begins 20 November.
Aotearoa Earthquake and Volcano Forecast Service © 2013 - 2020


text:
How to gain more from operational risk management practices.
Modern risk management technology solutions improve efficiency and provide greater visibility into risks. Today's tools provide real-time visibility, action plans, enhanced reporting and business intelligence, and proactive notifications for operational risk. Real-time data empowers banks and financial services organizations to proactively manage risks and instantly detect and mitigate emerging issues. Click here to learn more.
Winners of FinCEN's BSA Awards program
FinCEN has announced the award recipients of the 2020 FinCEN Director's Law Enforcement Awards Program who will be publicly identified in an official ceremony on October 29, 2020 in Washington, DC.
The annual program recognizes law enforcement agencies that used Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) reporting to successfully pursue and prosecute criminal investigation in seven categories:
- SAR Review Task Force - Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Significant Fraud - Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations
- Cyber Threat - Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations
- State and Local Enforcement - New York State Police
- Third Party Money Launderers - Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation
- Transnational Organized Crime - Drug Enforcement Administration
- Transnational Security Threat Category - Federal Bureau of Investigation
The description of each investigation illustrates the key role of financial industry BSA filings in law enforcement's pursuit of criminals.


text:
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post8595795570271620746..comments2020-07-06T08:40:39.660-04:00Comments on Tea at Trianon: Healthcare in Americaelena maria vidalhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-22123081487496435342007-08-08T21:01:00.000-04:002007-08-08T21:01:00.000-04:00The system needs reform, but is socialism the answ...The system needs reform, but is socialism the answer?elena maria vidalhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-25813339518755656272007-08-08T20:57:00.000-04:002007-08-08T20:57:00.000-04:00I have not seen Michael Moore's film, but I know ...I have not seen Michael Moore's film, but I know there is lots wrong with our health care system, one being the executives walk away with enormous salaries while most of us are hard put to afford health insurance, even through our places of firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-67888782684533171392007-08-07T23:47:00.000-04:002007-08-07T23:47:00.000-04:00de brantigny, you are so right. i spent 10 years a...de brantigny, you are so right. i spent 10 years as a "navy dependent" and couldn't wait to get out of that system!!! firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7534539169157708222.post-29599927287058197732007-08-07T13:50:00.000-04:002007-08-07T13:50:00.000-04:00After Gulf War part 1, my wife got out of the Navy...After Gulf War part 1, my wife got out of the Navy during the builddown, and though she could have stayed in she opted to be discharged to the ready reserve and follow her vocation of nurse and mother. As we were in the Jacksonville NC area, she found a position with NAVCARE, the Navy/Marine Corps civilian health care system. There are many ways a civilian can get health care if they are married to a service member. NAVCARE is free. No copays, free meds, doesn't close until the last patient is seen.
Anyone who wants to see the evils of nationalised health care should spend a day at NAVCARE. Women would bring their children in everyday (literally) for headaches, and anything else. Why did they do this, because it was free. This "repeat" business affected the way that a truly sick person or child was seen. The system was strained to the point that the wait for some patients was very lengthy.

I have not seen any of Michael Moores films, and I have avoided his tv specials. However I know is political leanings, and therefore I question his motives.

Incidentally the NAVCARE ended up changing it's policy. After three visits for the same malady a referral was initiated to an outside provider, (who would charge) this significanlty reduced the strain on NAVCARE.

So much for universal health care.

de firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Availability: check stock
$1029.99 (Check price)
Indulge in casual yet fashionable dining room decor. This 7 Piece Dining Set presents a casual design in a warm and inviting finish with ravishing arched-back chairs. Table Top Material: Solid Wood Top Material Details: Solid wood Table Top Color: Espresso Table Base Color: Espresso Table Mechanism: Fixed Table
This furniture can be cheaper than the high street, Rather than traipse from one end of the high street to the other, shopping online means you can hunt for the cheapest deals without leaving the comfort of home. It might take a little longer online, but you will be able to purchase your new dining room set happy in the knowledge you paid the best price. The this dining room set! I received was very high in quality, It is better than anything out there I've seen in this price range. It is a great buy. The quality is great for the price!
This is the best thing I've ever used! I bought it during the anniversary sale and plan to buy another. I've used it every day since it came. Everyone must own one! Shipping was FaST as well. Arrived in 2 days with regular shipping.
These dining room set is simply the most perfect gift you can get for one and only in your life. Perfect gift for any lady. My husband bought this for me as a New Year present. I love color and quality. It is well and receives many compliments.
I can not say enough good things about this dining room set. These dining room sets can go anywhere. Very important. To size I love this dining room set! Look very adapted. Good stuff, it feels good. I love this this product!
Rushford 7 Piece Dining Set by Darby Home CoReview by Anonymous users
|1 star
|2 stars
|3 stars
|4 stars
|5 stars


text:
Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms with over 1 billion monthly users. While Instagram is largely seen as a place for social discourse, the platform is also a powerful tool for businesses. Over 25 million companies use Instagram for business and Instagram has been labeled as the "new home for brands." Brands have found great success on Instagram as the platform boasts a high engagement rate, brand-loyal users, the ability to utilize APIs, and insights that make tracking business goals simple. When used effectively, Instagram marketing can be wonderous for businesses. Below are a few tips and tricks that will allow you to reap the most benefits of marketing your business on Instagram.
The first step in marketing your business on Instagram is to create an Instagram business account. You can convert an existing personal account if that account has a history suitable for your business or you can create a business account from scratch. If you convert an existing personal account to a business account, the transition is seamless as all your followers and posts carry over. However, carrying over past posts to a business account can be a blessing and a curse. If the account has posted content that is unsuitable for your business, then those problematic posts will be fully visible even after converting to a business account. Be careful not to tarnish your business's image right out of the gate by converting an account that is not brand-appropriate.
API stands for Application Program Interface and they allow one program to work with a different program. APIs are invaluable tools businesses use to utilize data and new features that would be inaccessible otherwise.
In 2018, Instagram shut down its public API. This meant that third-party apps could no longer access the Instagram API without permission. The loss of the public Instagram API was a tough pill to swallow, but thankfully, Graph API was introduced as a replacement. However, the death of the public API also brought about the end of bots on Instagram. Marketers can take solace in knowing that engagement is now largely authentic and organic.
Graph API is more restrictive than the original public API, but Graph API is the only way for Instagram business accounts to collect valuable data. With Graph API, business accounts can track hashtags, among other metrics, but there are some limitations. You are limited to 30 tracked hashtags across seven days. If you want to swap one tracked hashtag for another, you are forced to wait seven days. This restriction means you must choose your tracked tags carefully, so monitor the hashtags that generate the largest impact.
Many developers have adapted to Graph API and have built Instagram approved apps that bring long-loved features to businesses on Instagram. These third-party apps allow you to post pictures from other websites, validate customer addresses, moderate comments, and analyze performance metrics.
Instagram is primarily a visual platform as the majority of posts on Instagram are images rather than text. The first thing people generally see when they open their Instagram feed is a picture, so it is paramount that your business only posts professional quality pictures. Take the time to shoot unique high-quality pictures and edit them to suit your needs. A picture alone is not enough as a professional photo must be accompanied by a caption and appropriate hashtags for the post to be effective. It is important to note that links don't work in captions; the only place you can share a link is in your profile.
Engagement is key to companies on Instagram. Every company wants their customers to interact and engage with their posts. There are a few ways to generate engagement, but the core principle is talking with your customers rather than talking at your customers. Bring your customers into the fold by hosting contests for user-created content. Offer a prize for the best picture of someone wearing your brand's jacket or invite customers to caption an image with the best reply receiving a discount. People enjoy friendly creative competition, so use it to your advantage by having the competition double as marketing. Use a unique hashtag for these competitions so you can easily track responses and analyze the data after the contest.
It can be hard to make your business stand out on Instagram, but with the proper marketing techniques, you can elevate your business above the rest. By utilizing a business account and the accompanying Graph API, you gain access to invaluable data and API capabilities. Put your best foot forward by posting high-quality images with captions and strategic hashtags. Encourage your customers to interact with your brand by hosting fun and creative contests.
There's a very good chance that you're aware of just how powerful a regular, well-written, informative blog can be when it comes to lead generation and driving traffic. If you aren't posting your blogs to your Facebook page (or if you don't yet have a Facebook page), you could be missing out on even better results. Here's what you should know about creating and maintaining a relationship between your blog and your Facebook account.
Before diving into the best way to share your blogs with the world, it's helpful to recap all the reasons why you should be writing and maintaining a blog on your website in the first place. Of the dozens of exceptionally good reasons, the most important include:
For the first several years after its inception, business Facebook pages were optional. However, this is 2019, and if your business doesn't yet have a Facebook presence, you are cheating yourself out of traffic. A Facebook page for your business gives you the opportunity to put your brand in front of millions or even billions of people by sharing everything from status updates to photos and videos and even your blog posts.
A Facebook page gives you the opportunity to engage with your customers – or even your would-be customers – on a very personal level. The more interaction with your business posts, the more people who will see them, and the cycle continues. Facebook also gives you the opportunity to focus attention on a very specific action. Do you need to generate leads for your business? Ask people to subscribe to your newsletter. Are you trying to sell a backlog of stock? Announce a huge sale. The possibilities are endless, and Facebook is an excellent way to make yourself known.
Finally, if you are struggling to come up with ideas for your blog, your Facebook page is the perfect solution for this issue. You can simply ask the people following you what they want to know. Essentially, ask them what you should write about. When you follow through with their requests, not only are you building rapport with your audience, but you can be certain that your topic is trending with the people who matter most to your business's success.
You should be writing a new blog for your website at least once each week, and you should be certain that your blog covers a trending topic that your readers will find interesting. Though it should be related to your business in some way, it is also important that it is relevant to your audience. It doesn't always have to be about you, per se, but it should be related to your niche or industry. Each time you put a new blog on your website, head over to your business Facebook page and share a link there. You can create a short, simple headline to accompany the link, or you can create a call to action and help direct people to click.
When you share this link, Facebook will also show your followers the image that you selected to represent the blog post on your website to make your social media post more attractive to readers. Be sure you choose your blog images carefully so that they show up clearly and in the right size when you share them on Facebook.
Numerous experts – including our own – believe posting to Facebook twice a day, every single day, any time from late morning until mid-afternoon is the best strategy. This gives you access to 14 Facebook posts a week that you should divide evenly into photos, videos, questions, polls, and links to your blog. Making sure to create different types of social media content will cover all your bases and reach the largest number of people possible.
If you only write one blog a week, be sure that you provide a link to every single one. If you write two blogs a week and publish both on the same day, you can link to one of the posts on Facebook but tease the other in the caption or comment. If you publish your blogs on different days of the week, consider sharing up to three a week on Facebook if they are relevant, well-written, and informative without being pushy.
Just as not posting on Facebook at all can cheat you out of traffic and leads, posting too frequently can have much the same effect, so be sure to keep this in mind. For the best possible results, share no more than twice per day on Facebook. Otherwise, by the time you get around to sharing your blog links, people may not be as interested in hearing from you. What's more, if you're posting your links too early in the morning or too late at night, you won't get the engagement that will benefit you.
In summary, you should post links to your blogs no more than three times per week to keep your reach as broad as possible. It is also important to post your links when your readers are most likely to be on Facebook and realize that by the 90-minute mark, your Facebook post has reached its half-life in terms of engagement. Pick the best three-hour window possible and share your link right at the start of that window to get the best possible results.
Social listening is one of the most powerful ways to observe the market firsthand. It can help savvy marketers develop a marketing strategy based on people's real online actions and behaviors. While it might seem like a daunting or time-consuming task, the process has become (and continues to become) easier all the time.
One of the biggest struggles marketers face is developing a clear understanding of the customer. An ideal avatar (aka buyer persona) can tell quite a bit about the type of customer the brand is likely to attract. Finding actual people and knowing how to market to them is, however, an entirely other proposition.
Social listening provides the ability to confirm what is already known about the buyer persona with the added benefit of verifiable data that proves the marketer's perceptions of his customer. In many cases, social listening reveals things about the ideal customer that were never considered when developing his or her avatar. The data gathered can mean the difference between keeping up with the competition and falling too far behind to recover.
In simplest terms, social listening involves monitoring digital online conversations with the intention of understanding what customers and leads have to say online about a specific industry or brand. Marketers use social listening primarily to identify pain points and respond to questions, comments and complaints. It is also used to discover organic feedback that helps shape the face of a specific brand. That feedback is then used to create product and service offerings that have a greater appeal to the target audience.
How, then, does an informed marketer use the information gained from social listening to advance his or her brand? Let's look at six ways marketers are using what they learn through social listening to elevate and improve their brand images. How many of these have you tried? Which ones could use a bit more attention?
Monitoring the use of your brand's name is the foundational element to effective social listening. Unlike social media (that only informs page owners when they are @mentioned or tagged), social listening shows where and how people are using the name of the brand in organic conversation.
It might sound a little involved, but it really is as simple as creating a search for the specific brand name using one of the tools linked above. This part of the process helps identify customer service problems, threats to the brand's reputation, and unique opportunities to personally weigh in on questions, comments, or concerns. Once a search has been created, alerts can be set up to capture and report on any and all new mentions of the brand name. It is then up to the marketer to determine and implement the best responses (should any prove necessary in context).
Successful social listening starts with creating focused, brand-specific content that stands out amongst competitors and encouraging conversation about it. Content marketing is the most successful marketing strategy in a majority of cases and across virtually all industries.
Savvy marketers also enlist the aid of reliable writing services to create, proofread, and even publish their content. The more authoritative the content, the better the feedback about the content and how it relates directly to the brand will be.
Source: https://www.bizmartech.com/basic-methodologies-of-social-selling/
Another effective way to use social listening is to identify social selling opportunities. Some of the more common ones include:
Some social listening tools do these things automatically, but manual searches will always be necessary to reveal more pointed information. Research currently relevant keywords from within the brand's niche. What specific keywords are people searching right now to search for similar products or services? Any common keyword tool or planner should reveal the type of information needed.
It is also advisable to monitor competitors' brand names and what is being said about them. This is an effective way to do pointed market research and identify issues and problems to avoid. Never making the same mistakes competitors do can expedite the process of reaching the right leads and avoid some of the things that generate negative conversations.
While this concept drastically predates social listening, it is enhanced by the process. Much more data can be gathered and analyzed in a shorter period of time using common online search tools. All of the above advice can be applied to this part of the process. In fact, it is every bit as important to mine as much data as possible about the competition as it is for your own brand.
What influencers and thought leaders have to say about an industry or niche matters. What they say about specific brands matters even more. Once key influencers have been identified, familiarizing them with your brand can have a huge impact on the reach and growth of the brand. Use outreach campaigns and personal engagement on the influencer's social channels to promote positive branding and conversations about the brand itself.
As mentioned, having a clear image and understanding of the ideal buyer is crucial for success in any marketing initiative. Social listening teaches everything the marketer needs to know about his or her audience, including:
Once these things have been identified, monitor conversations in key groups on all relevant platforms. Interact directly with group members and participate in conversations. This is a great way to increase brand awareness and visibility. Do not, however, hijack conversations or attempt to sell anything. The goal here is to listen and learn so be sure to do both through this process.
The information and advice in this article represent just a small peek at the potential of social listening. Apply all of the above to both your own brand and any relevant competitors. Be sure that this is an ongoing effort and not just a one-time thing. The market and it's needs change constantly. There is no better way to keep up with those changes than through social listening.
About the Author:
Jilian Woods is a freelance journalist and a contributing writer having more than two years of writing experience. As a writer, she sees her purpose in producing and sharing relevant content with people who are willing to expand their knowledge base and learn something new for themselves. Apart from her day job, you may find Jilian engaged in volunteering or doing yoga.
My Facebook page: https://facebook.com/jilianwoods94
There is no denying that social media is one of the best ways for businesses to engage with their audiences. With 3.196 billion users using the various social media channels, it is likely to be among the top traffic sources on the web.
Whether you use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram, it helps you build your brand recognition and foster a community around you.
If you have started a business, you may also be baffled by questions like:
How do I grow my traffic and manage it? How should I grow my followers? How do I bring potential leads to my business?
Here are ways you can grow your following and get quality traffic from social media:
Before you start using the social media channels, make sure you focus on the one that makes the most sense for your business. It may sound obvious to you, but many brands miss this memo as they feel they have to do it all. If you have a finance-related business, then promoting on LinkedIn and/or Twitter would better show what you have to offer, as opposed to Instagram.
Understand the niche of your business, think of what would show off what you have to offer to potential customers, measure the success rate, and then focus on the right social media platform.
However, when it comes to the cost, every channel will cost you a few hours a day—perhaps some some cash to keep up with producing quality images. According to HubSpot research, by spending just six hours a week, 66% of marketers have the various lead generation benefits from social media. But the key is consistency.
Social media channels thrive by visual content like videos, images, GIFs—even memes! According to 2018 research published on HubSpot– if visuals are used along with the information, the audience is more likely to retain 65% of the overall information, and 54% of them want to see more video content from the brand.
However, if we categorize the ranking for various platforms:
Moreover, the amount of traffic you garner from social media channels depends on how you write, schedule and structure your social media posts, as well as how well you present them and the number of hashtags you use with each post.
Hashtags are everywhere on social media and its use for marketing is no new concept. But have ever wondered how the hashtag count affects your marketing strategy?
Tweets with Hashtags tend to perform better than the posts that are posted without hashtags. But make sure that you only post tweets with 1 or 2 hashtags.
Moreover, the best approach is to look for best hashtags for Twitter marketing before you post.
According to a research published on Hootsuite, using hashtags on Instagram gets you 12.6% more engagement on an average. However, you can use as much as 30 hashtags or at least 11 hashtags on Instagram.
Don't use too many hashtags on Facebook as it might make your business look spammy. Instead use 1-2 hashtags on each post for best engagement.
Shorter social media gets more attention than the longer ones.
The average attention of an avid social media user lasts on a post for three seconds. With this span, there are fewer chances that a user might read your entire post.
So, if you are using Twitter, make sure the posts are shorter than 100 characters; for Facebook, aim for less than 40 characters as it intrigues the user and makes them click as well.
This cannot be overstated. The last thing you can do to grow a following is to be consistent with your efforts.
Now, you don't have to post the content every hour. But you do need to promote high quality and interesting content, respond to the users, and make your presence known because the last thing you want is for your followers to forget all about you. Once you are known among your followers, your following will strengthen, and traffic will grow automatically.
Driving traffic from social media requires some minor tweaks in your posting strategy and proper SEO optimized content on your business page. You also need to keep a close eye on which content is working for you and which is not.
Along with this, use the above tips, and you are halfway done in the process of attaining quality traffic from social media platforms. With the social media audience growing by 20 percent every year, there has never been an easier or more cost effective way to grow followers and a bigger piece of the traffic.
The recent changes to Facebook's algorithm, announced in January and implemented in the weeks following, is (by many standards) the most significant alteration to the news feed in history.
While those with personal accounts were either complaining that things had changed again or congratulating Facebook for finally getting it right (depending on the personal sentiments), social media marketers took a very different route. Glued to their own news feeds, marketers scanned the results for signs of what had changed, why, and how it would affect their efforts moving forward.
One thing that everyone noticed was that the professionals were split into two different categories. While page owners and publishers were panicking over the recent update, trusted social media experts were staying calm – and telling others to do the same. But why weren't they panicking? Why would they not be concerned about the biggest alteration to Facebook's news feed yet?
Mark Schaefer is an adjunct marketing professor, consultant, and public speaker who had just one simple thing to say:
Of course, that wasn't all he had to say – and his message was much the same as other industry experts. The fact is, organic reach was already dead. It had been dying for years – a slow, steady trickle of a death that had made Facebook advertising a difficult transition without paid advertisements. In fact, before this last update, organic reach per page was lower than 1%. That is an amount insignificant enough that it may not be anything at all.
But it isn't all disheartening news. Those who have been doing well on social media will continue to do so, regardless of how this latest update has altered the landscape. Those pages which were able to generate a massive amount of engagement with their followers will still be able to do so.
The fact is, whatever content you put out – social media or otherwise – must matter to your audience. This has always been the way things work, and no matter what updates occur on Facebook or any other social media platform, that will continue being the way things work.
All this new algorithm does is clean up user's news feed so that personal accounts hold more sway – which, consequently, is the true purpose of social media platforms to begin with. This makes it harder for businesses, but not that much harder.
It's true. The big Facebook algorithm change is not that big. The types of content which will be driven out of a person's newsfeed had no value, to begin with, because those pieces of content who were trying to get a little attention and engagement with no other promotional efforts were rarely doing anything, anyways.
Organic reach opportunities still exist, of course, but will be harder to attain. Think of this as a positive. The most effect marketers have always had to place significant creativity and effort into their strategies. The change just pushes you a little harder to reach your goals, which (eventually) can turn you into a better social media marketer.
While the new algorithm will not change everything, it will change some things. Many of the below items have been social media marketing best practices for years now, while others are just slightly altered to consider the newest algorithm update. Using the following will help to ensure your strategy is as efficient and effective as possible.
You must fully embrace Facebook's paid advertisements. While many have been avoiding this – or using it sparingly – now is the time to jump in with both feet. The potential targeting and reach of these advertisements are great to begin with.
Continue diversifying your marketing efforts. Most marketers are already doing this, but those that are relying heavily on their Facebook fans need to branch out.
Include a wide variety of marketing platforms, like email, search engine optimization, video, podcasting, e-books, webpage copy, blogs, articles, guest blogs, forums, etc. Even diversify your social media platforms a little. If you are only on Facebook, add one other site to your repertoire.
The only way to get great engagement statistics is to have a dual-sided approach. One of the biggest mistakes beginning social media marketers make is failing to personally engage with those followers who have engaged with your post.
You want to have conversations. It makes customers feel appreciated and listened to. Starting a conversation also prompts much higher engagement metrics. For example, if you receive 100 comments on a single post and take time to respond to roughly half of them while liking the rest. If only half of those respond to your comments, you've accumulated an additional 25 likes.
Set simple, clear social media marketing campaign goals which are trackable using metrics. Each campaign should only have one primary goal. Your first goal may be to increase your Facebook followers by 200%. Your second might be to increase click-through ratings for social media posts.
Set a clearly defined posting schedule that encompasses all content formats on all platforms. Let's say your company is an upscale women's clothing boutique. In addition to your blog and website, you utilize Facebook and Instagram.
Your social campaign should include links back to your blog posts, for starters. You'll also want to create social media posts that are specialized for social platforms to create engagement. It should be repackaged to fit each platform's news feed and formatting. Have an idea of which posts you plan to boost and keep a small portion of funding for boosting posts which perform well.
By doing this you can ensure that each site is posted to regularly, and that your message is being seen across multiple channels in the most platform-accurate style.
The Facebook algorithm change really isn't a big deal. Yes, it is a notable change, but those who were already doing well on social media will easily continue to do so. Stick with the most basic guidelines to effective social media marketing but lean a little heavier on Facebook's paid advertising.
LinkedIn is the undisputed king of social networks for professionals.
With over 562 million users in more than 200 countries worldwide LinkedIn has a global reach. Plus, the network makes up more than 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites and blogs.
While Facebook has more people, LinkedIn is the preferred network for pros — those who connect with the sole goal of doing business not just socialize. It's the most business-friendly social site.
If you're a serious brand LinkedIn is the place to be. But being there is not enough. You have to get noticed by keeping tabs on the platform's best practices and use them to stay ahead of the pack. Plus, you've got to find a way to attract the right people to connect with you. That starts with optimizing the first thing people see when they view your profile page: the header area.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes, maybe you're asking yourself:
Is LinkedIn worth it?
The answer is a resounding yes. Here's why.
Think LinkedIn is all hype and no substance?
Not at all.
This platform is a marketing goldmine. It's number one when it comes to a crucial metric all serious brands watch like a hawk: leads. That's why LinkedIn must be part of your overall marketing strategy.
Source: Foundation
Clearly, LinkedIn is a lead-gen super-power. It makes all other ways of generating leads through social media seem like child's play. Ignore it at your own peril. But to get those leads you've got to set up your profile wisely especially the header area.
It's the part of your profile page people see first. Botch it and prospects click away. Nail it and they stay on and give you a chance to engage them further— and woo them into your funnel.
Not only that.
Your header area is above the fold.
People see your header without having to scroll. Through it, you've got to convince would-be customers it's worthwhile for them to scroll down and find out more about you and your brand.
A good header does four things well.
To achieve all this you've got to fine-tune and optimize three key elements of your header area.
Let me show you how.
People's gaze naturally gravitates towards human faces.
So the first thing prospects will look at is your profile photo. And, they're not just staring. Something deeper is going on.
Here's the thing.
People make rush judgments about you solely based on how you look. Think that's not fair? Well, sorry, it's what it is.
Maybe you think you can make do without one? Bad idea. Not having a profile photo causes people's minds go into overdrive and make negative assumptions about you like:
Hardly the impression you want to make is it?
Enough negatives.
What are the advantages of having a photo on your profile?
LinkedIn data shows that having a profile photo can get you:
Exciting stuff, hey?! But it's not just any photo that'll get you these results. Here are three golden rules to guide you so you come up with the perfect photo.
First, please smile. Preferably a teeth smile.
Don't take a smile for granted. It packs a powerful psychological punch. Smiling makes you look welcoming, competent and trustworthy. Science aside, smiling just makes you look cool. J
Second, look straight at the camera.
Look sideways and people may think you're timid, or worse, a car thief! Research shows people find a direct gaze attractive.
Third, make sure there's no clutter in your photo.
It may distract people's attention from you.
In short, look like a pro. Remember, LinkedIn is a platform for professionals (read with an accent!). So that vacation photo of you on the beach won't do.
Jason Quey, who helps startups meet with contract marketers to grow their businesses faster, does a good job with his photo.
He's looking straight ahead. Plus, he has a beaming smile. Looks like a nice guy to work with, doesn't he? Well, that's the idea.
A research by Princeton psychologists revealed that it takes just a tenth of a second for people to decide whether you are trustworthy and competent, just by looking at your face.
Better get your photo right so you make a great first impression. Mess it up and you might never get a second chance to wow prospects.
Once people have glanced at your (hopefully) nice pro-looking pic, their eyes wander around the rest of the page.
And probably land on the wide space behind your photo.
I'm surprised how many people leave this space empty. By leaving the default blue area untouched you're not realizing your header's full marketing potential.
Because it occupies the biggest space of your header, it sets the tone for the whole page. It provides a context for everything else that follows
What can you do to maximize this space?
A couple of things.
You could use it for social proof.
Show prospects you're the real deal. John Nemo, who happens to be a LinkedIn expert, does a superb job of proving his authority. He plasters his header with the big niche sites his work has been featured on.
Think this works?
You bet!
People acknowledge his expertise straightaway.
A variation of this tactic would be to show the giant brands you've served.
Second, use a gem testimonial that sums up what you do memorably or showcases your brilliance. Brownie points if it's an influencer testimonial as they're 3x as powerful.
Finally, you could use a graphic that underlines what your brand does. This way you give a visual emphasis to what you are about. Whatever you do, don't put a generic graphic. It'd be such a waste.
Both your photo and background graphic are visual.
Not so the last piece of the puzzle, your professional headline.
It's all about words, 18-20 of them to be precise, and how you weave them to powerfully communicate the value you provide your prospects.
Your title is not really about you. It's about the unique value you convey to your prospects and customers.
Many people just use their job title. Big mistake. C'mon. You're bigger than your title. All the great work you do cannot be compressed into one often dry-sounding and stifling title.
Say more. Describe all the awesome benefits of doing business with you.
But keep things simple.
After all Da Vinci said simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Sam Ovens, who teaches ordinary folk how to start and grow a successful consulting business, keeps things basic but punchy enough to communicate his message convincingly.
In just 8 words people can tell what he's into. Or, more importantly, how they'll benefit from working with him.
That's what you want. A simple and clear message people get easily. Don't make it hard work for people to understand what you do for them. If you load your headline with your high-sounding title and corporate mumbo-jumbo, people will leave.
Your headline should answer these five questions that are burning in your prospects mind as she checks you out.
You may not be able to answer all of them. But the more the merrier. Remember, your headline should be client-facing. View it from the customers' standpoint instead of being inward looking and focusing on your brand.
Ask yourself what's in it for them.
That way you're bound to scratch their itch and make them warm up to you.
A stellar header starts prospects on a slippery slope.
It grabs them and never lets go.
Once they're struck by your brilliance they can't help but scroll down to the summary and the rest of the profile.
Before they know it, they'll be in your funnel's orbit.
And, once they're in your funnel, they'll eventually become paying customers. That's the ultimate goal, isn't it?
According to his cheeky wife's baseless claims, Qhubekani Nyathi aka The Click Guy, is an irresistibly handsome dude. He helps SMBs rapidly grow their income and impact through actionable long-form content that ranks high, builds authority, and generates tons of leads. He is a contributor to top blogs like Crazy Egg, Search Engine People, Techwyse, AWAI, and more.
If you've ever worked in retail or owned a business, you've likely heard the saying "the customer is always right." While this might not technically be true, the saying boils down to customer experience and making customers feel like they come first.
Putting your customer first isn't always easy, as there are so many different factors to consider in running a business. You have to concern yourself with costs, cash flow, inventory, hiring the right employees and much more.
However, 78 percent of customers who have a negative customer service experience abandon an intended transaction. Putting customers first can turn that number around. There are some concrete things you can do, both offline and online, to make customers feel they are number one in your eyes.
One of the first things you need to do if you have an online presence is test the user interface, or UI, on your website. Everything should work the way it is supposed to, and the interface should be intuitive. When a user visits your site, does the visitor know exactly where to go and how to find essential functions, such as the home page or search feature?
Look at your website through the eyes of a first-time visitor. Does it load quickly enough? Can you find what you want quickly? Get input from others and make adjustments as needed. Also, check that all links are working and forms are submitting correctly?
Adding a loyalty program brings customers back again and again. However, if the customer experience is negative, it can overpower the benefits of the loyalty program. 74 percent of consumers state that the overall customer experience, or CX, impacts how loyal they are to a brand. Another 59 percent switch to a competitor when having a poor experience with a brand.
Sephora offers a loyalty reward program that works in both their brick-and-mortar and their online stores. You earn points for each purchase, and those points are worth free products and samples. However, the more you spend, the more your level rises, giving you even more points and free products. This setup rewards their most loyal customers with exclusive perks.
One of the best ways to improve CX is to survey your current customers. Anytime someone orders, offer them an opportunity to complete a short survey. This feedback will tell you what they enjoyed about the experience of ordering from your site and what they didn't enjoy. Armed with this information, you can make changes accordingly. This type of CX is valuable to your overall business strategies.
Studying heat maps and where customers exit your site also allows you to paint a picture of things that need to be adjusted. For example, if you notice that a high percentage of visitors abandon their shopping carts when you add shipping costs, it might be time to rethink what you charge for shipping.
Invest in training for your sales clerks and customer service reps. Make sure the training program pushes a customer-first agenda. Those who work for you should have the same philosophy you do about customer service. Train using a variety of role-playing scenarios so that new employees can practice their skills.
Make sure that you clearly outline all policies so that employees know how to deal with a wide variety of situations. There should also be a clear chain of command. If an employee isn't sure how to handle an irate customer, they should immediately know who to refer that customer to for a solution to the problem.
Businesses that focus on the emotional connection they make with their customers sell more than their competitors by about 85 percent. Creating an emotional connection involves several factors. You first need to understand your target audience and what they care about. Once you know what your audience cares about, you can present a solution that appeals to them.
Subaru captures the love we feel for our pets in their commercial titled "Dream Weekend." The man goes on a road trip with his 14-year-old dog, crossing items off the dog's bucket list, taking selfies and building memories. It tugs at the heartstrings of every dog owner out there and makes the product relatable.
There are many reasons why Walmart has been such a successful company. One of them is their liberal return policy. They take returns on most items for just about any reason, allowing store credits, exchanges or refunds.
If you want to gain the trust of customers, create a generous return policy. While most won't take you up on the offer, you do have to be prepared for some to return items without much of an explanation. In the long run, you'll build rapport with customers and a loyal following that will far outweigh the minor losses associated with returns.
Today, many retailers have both an online and offline presence. However, these two elements shouldn't be separate from one another. Instead, figure out a way to mesh the two and create consistent customer experiences between them. If a customer emails you, the experience should match what happens when that same customer comes into a brick-and-mortar store.
Many JCPenney stores now allow you to order online and pick up in store. If you are in the store, and they don't have an item in the size or color you'd like, they will order for you. You can pick it up when it arrives at the store or have it shipped to your home. Having a choice about how to receive the product makes the customer experience a more positive one.
When was the last time you entered a store and felt entertained? There are many ways to create this feeling, but one is to immerse your customer in the world of your store. If you are about fun, vibrant clothing, then put fresh, bright colors at the front of the store. Add beach balls and summer settings to show where your clothes might look best.
You can also use apps to send pings to customers' phones and walk them through a unique in-store experience. The CX of your store involves many different things. Even how quickly the consumer is greeted upon entering your store has an impact on the overall feel of your brand.
Making a lasting impression requires putting customers first. The best way to do that is to put yourself in your customer's shoes and figure out what they most want from the experience of your store or website. If the entire philosophy of your company is "customers first," then everything else falls into place.
Lexie Lu is a designer and writer. She loves researching trends in the web and graphic design industry. She writes weekly on Design Roast and can be followed on Twitter @lexieludesigner.
Customer retention is the surest path to business success. The cost of acquiring a new customer is 5 to 25 times more expensive than retaining a current one. Furthermore, repeat customers spend more than new customers, so that increasing customer retention rates by 5 percent increases profits by 25 to 95 percent, Bain & Company research has shown.
These numbers illustrate why customer retention is such an essential part of a winning business strategy. Here are three proven strategies you can apply to digital marketing to boost your customer retention rates and multiply your profits.
In order to improve your customer retention, it's important to first establish a baseline so you can measure your performance. This means tracking your churn rate, also known as your rate of attrition, which is the percentage of customers you lose in a given time frame, such as over the course of the year. Your churn rate is the complement of your retention rate: the lower your churn rate, the higher your retention rate.
To track your churn rate, you must first collect and analyze your customer data. This usually requires doing a data audit to determine what your customer data consists of and where it is to be found within and without your organization. The most efficient way to collect your customer data is by using a customer relationship management tool with analytics capability. Infor CRM training videos can help you learn how to use your CRM analytics to study your churn rate and other vital customer data.
Once you're established your churn rate, you can start monitoring it as you adjust your customer retention strategies. This can enable you to know what adjustments are working so you can make continuous improvements.
In order to boost your retention rate and lower your churn rate, an important step is mapping out your customer lifecycle and how it supports your customer retention and repeat business strategies. Your customer lifecycle maps out all the stages of your customer's journey, from the time they first become aware of your brand through the time they make their first purchase, as well as beyond their initial sale as they continue to interact with your customer service and sales teams.
For successful customer retention, your customer's lifecycle should include marketing efforts beyond your initial sale, such as upsell and cross-sell campaigns. You should also include post-sale touches with the customer to check their satisfaction with your product and find out how likely they are to refer you to others. Insights from Analytics provides a seven-step customer lifecycle map you can customize to develop your own customer lifecycle map.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of your customer lifecycle, you should use market research into your customer base to develop offers that will appeal to your loyal customers. Find out what your customers want by identifying their pain points and what benefits appeal to them and then create offers that appeal to those needs.
The best way to find out what your customers want is to ask them. You can solicit this information by using a number of tools, including mobile texts, your social media profiles, your email subscriber list, your blog and your marketing promotions.
Tracking your churn rate, mapping your customer lifecycle and developing offers for loyal customers are three proven strategies for customer retention. By applying these strategies, you can retain more customers, generate more repeat business and maximize your profits.
If you want to expand your customer base and increase your revenue, you have to take the time to focus on promotion. Marketing is one of those guessing games that can drive even a professional marketer crazy, though. With so many people shopping online these days, knowing whether to focus on online or offline promotion can also be a challenge.
Fortunately, there are some tried-and-true tips and tricks that will help you market both places and figure out what is successful and what is not.
Even if your business is local, such as a service business or brick-and-mortar store, your online promotions can help you gain an edge on the competition. It's estimated that 81 percent of consumers do online research before they choose which local merchant to do business with. When you understand how a well-implemented online campaign can drive sales, you'll pay more attention to online promotions.
However, not all promotions are created equal. Small businesses can't afford to just throw money at promotions and not see results. There are some strategies you can use that will most likely benefit your business.
These are just a few of the more popular places to promote online. You'll also want your own website and mailing list, of course.
There are a couple of businesses doing online promotions extremely well — one is a small skincare company called TruSkin Naturals. It sells exclusively on Amazon, but it reaches out to customers via social media and a mailing list, where it often offers discounts.
Another example of a small company using effective social media promotions is Red Mango, which is a frozen yogurt shop. It has put the time into gathering social media followers, and it promotes itself by offering gifts, exclusives and entertaining content.
You might think figuring out offline promotions would be the easy part of the equation. After all, print advertising has been around for hundreds of years. However, there are so many different options— and not all are effective for every business — that figuring out where to start can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are some techniques that seem particularly useful, even in this digital age.
Old Navy offers a good study in how to effectively use window graphics. Visit any brick-and-mortar Old Navy, and you'll instantly know what is on sale and what the new arrivals are because of the brightly colored window displays.
Lays Potato Chips is one example if a good use of both online and offline marketing melded into one. Lays holds a contest to come up with a new flavor, and it calls its contest Do Us a Flavor. It advertises this contest in print and on television. However, you need to go online to enter your flavor and to vote for your favorite choices once the finalists are chosen. It's a brilliant use of integrating both online and offline marketing and gets fans engaged.
Integrating online marketing with offline marketing is one of the smartest moves you can make, because it gives you the widest reach possible.
Lexie Lu is a designer and writer. She loves researching trends in the web and graphic design industry. She writes weekly on Design Roast and can be followed on Twitter @lexieludesigner.
Franchising can certainly make it easier to run a well-known company or brand, but you still have certain responsibilities. For every task that your franchisees handle, you'll need a way to monitor it and make sure it's effective. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to social media. Depending on the social media strategy you choose for your franchise, you'll have to take on various responsibilities to make sure the accounts for your local franchises are appropriate and on message.
Most people think that setting up a social media strategy for your franchise is a binary choice, where you have to choose between giving every franchisee total autonomy or managing absolutely everything by yourself. However, that's not actually true—there are actually several different social media strategies you can employ for your franchise. Most social media strategies for franchises can be grouped into one of four categories:
In a centralized social media strategy, your entire franchise is represented by a single social media hub—which you control entirely. This strategy is excellent for making sure that your content is always relevant and appropriate, but it can deprive your franchisees of meaningful connections with potential customers in their local areas. Because of this, a centralized strategy can make your brand seem a little cold and detached. You sacrifice a certain amount of authenticity for security's sake.
In a centralized blend, you manage each of the accounts for your brand, but task the franchisees to produce regular content for them. This can be an effective way to make sure that your content stays on message, since you'll be the final arbiter in every decision. Better yet, you can control the content without alienating your franchisees, who will still feel involved in the process. However, this strategy requires a powerful in-house team that can manage your social media empire effectively. Without one, your content can become inconsistent, or just flat and kind of boring.
A controlled social media strategy allows your franchises to manage their profiles individually, while you send the majority of their content from your corporate HQ. This method helps make sure that your franchisees can take active roles in growing their local branches, but to make it truly effective you'll have to check up on local accounts every so often and ensure that their posts do not conflict with each other. This strategy can also make some franchisees more effective than others, since each local branch is likely to have different resources at its disposal.
If you want to make sure that your franchisees each have the strongest local voice possible, use a monitored strategy. You simply send guidelines to your franchisees, and allow them to control their own accounts. Be careful with this strategy—you'll need to vet each potential new franchisee before you choose them, and make sure you can trust them to run their own social media account. You'll also have to have a team working at corporate to inspect your local accounts regularly, so that you can avoid compliance or liability issues.
Choosing the social media strategy that you want for your franchise depends on numerous factors. How many resources do you have at your headquarters, and how can you afford to spend them? Will your business benefit more from letting each branch build strong connections with local customers, or will you be stronger by establishing consistent branding?
Whether you're creating all the content yourself or putting out guidelines for local franchisees, you need to establish certain constants. Make sure that your content follows the rules of SEO and digital marketing—it should add value to the reader, use likely search terms, and include references to geographic regions with likely customers.
Social media strategies for franchises require certain unique considerations, but they're still in the realm of digital marketing and should be treated as such. Take the time to analyze your audience and your resources before you start, and you should have no trouble deciding on the right strategy for your franchise.
Copyright: tupungato / 123RF Stock Photo


text:
Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
View All Calendars is the default. Choose Select a Calendar to view a specific calendar. Subscribe to calendar notifications by clicking on the Notify Me® button, and you will automatically be alerted about the latest events in our community.
November 19, 2019, 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Notice is hereby given that the Board of Municipal Canvassers of Millcreek, consisting of the Mayor and City Council, will canvass the returns of the Municipal General Election on Tuesday, 19 November 2019 at City Hall, 3330 S. 1300 E., Millcreek, Utah 84106, commencing at 5:30 p.m.
November 19, 2019, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Provide input on the City Center Open Space


text:
Accommodation in Roslagen - 7 matches
Your search: You haven't selected dates or number of rooms yet (showing 1-7 matches 7)
7 accommodations
Hotel | This wooden hotel in Norrtalje was inspired by the houses owned by 19th century wealthy merchants. The thought was to recreate the character of that time in our hotel. A wealthy coastal town, built and decorated with wood, with places for both ... Read more
Hotel | Ever since 1886, Granparken Pension has offered room and board to a variety of guests, from the first who came to Norrtälje to take the waters to vacationers, honeymooners, birthday and anniversary celebrators, and now, conferees. Read more
Hotel | Furusunds värdshus is a restaurant, hotel and conference facility that offers a warm and cozy environment. The inn is situated 30m from Furusundsleden with a breathtaking view. Read more
Hostel | Kapellskär is well known as the gateway to the east, with ferries departing from here to Åland. Riddersholm's Nature Reserve, a wonderful green area of hayfields and pastureland is also located in this border region between land and sea. Read more
Hostel | Homely and centrally located in the capital of Roslagen, Norrtälje. Open all year round. Reception April-September 7.30-11.00, 17.00-19.00. In other months, by prior arrangement. Read more
Österåker Map
Hostel | The Russians will get no further than this! That was the thinking when Siaröfortet was built after the First World War. These days the fort is its own island offering wonderful experiences and relaxation. Read more
Bed & breakfast | On a hill overlooking rolling meadows and grazing cows lies Wik Bed and Breakfast. Located close to village Söderbykarl, on the way to Väddö and Grisslehamn. Read more
Filter result
Change search
Build: 08/07/2020 15:35:02, Host: online3core17, DB: o3.cbguide-6632.cbischannel-14995.v1 online3data04.db.citybreak.com:8080, Controller: AccommodationResult, Action: Index


text:
Our family at Majestic Funeral Homes, joins with the Dubar family to inform those concerned that Mr. James Dubar Sr. permanently changed his address from Earth to Glory on Monday afternoon while in New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.
Moments have been etched in time for family and friends to pay homage to Mr. Dubar, as he rests in tranquil repose at the altar in Mt. Pleasant AME Zion Church in the Armour Community of Riegelwood, Saturday morning from 10am until 11am. Commencing at 11am, a Service of Remembrance will take place also at Mt. Pleasant AME Zion Church. Immediately following the services in the sanctuary, Mr. Dubar's physical vessel and his cherished family will be escorted to the church cemetery for Committal Rites. As difficult as this is for Mr. James' loved ones to endure this tremendous loss, consolation comes knowing that God promised to be closer than a husband, father, grandfather or brother when each of them are no longer with us. If God said it, then that settles it and He will fulfill His promises for this precious family, being anything they need just when they need it the most.
Loving memories will be always remain in the hearts of those dear to Mr. Dubar such as: Mrs. Arthelia Edna Bress-Dubar, Ms. Kimberly Dubar, Mrs. Tiare Bowen-Dubar, Mr. James Dubar Jr, Mr. Leander Dubar, Mrs.Tameika Dubar-Coleman, Mr. Trayvn Dubar, Ms. Danielle Bress, Mrs. Natasha Bress-Taylor, Mr. Xavier Tobias and a host of other special relatives and friends.
Guests are being received at the residence located at 244 Dubar Rd. Riegelwood, NC where they will also assemble in preparation for the Prestigious Majestic Ebony Motorcade.
The Dubar and connected families are being genuinely cared for by the Compassionate Professionals of Majestic Funeral Homes.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mr. James Dubar Sr., please visit our floral store.


text:
Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All - Paul A. Offit (2010)
Chapter 2. This England
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.
On Friday, October 26, 1973, John Wilson, a pediatric neurologist, stood in front of a group of professors, consultants, and specialists at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. Wilson placed a typed manuscript on the lectern and looked up. What he was about to say arguably would lead to more suffering, more hospitalizations, more permanent disabilities, and more deaths than any other pronouncement in the history of vaccines.
"Between January 1961 and December 1972," Wilson began, "approximately fifty children have been seen at the Hospital for Sick Children in London because of neurological illness thought to be due to the DTP inoculation." For years Wilson had accumulated these children's stories. For years he had struggled with the damage caused by pertussis vaccine. Now it was time to tell the world about it. Wilson reported one child who had transient blindness and mental deterioration. Another had vomited for four days, become blind, and died six months later during an uncontrolled seizure. Yet another had been completely paralyzed on one side of her body. The final accounting was grim: of fifty children studied, twenty-two had become mentally disabled or epileptic or both. To John Wilson, the cause of all of this suffering and death was clear. "We do not think ... that the majority of cases here represent a chance association," he said. Wilson was convinced by "the clustering of illness in the seven days after inoculation and particularly in the first 24 hours" that the damage had been caused by pertussis vaccine.
Although he was the most influential, John Wilson wasn't the first to propose that pertussis vaccine permanently harmed or killed children.
In 1933 Thorvald Madsen from the State Serum Institute in Denmark reported two children who had died after receiving pertussis vaccine.
In 1946 Jacob Werne and Irene Garrow from St. John's Long Island City Hospital in New York reported twin brothers who "cried considerably," "vomited," "fell asleep," and "when next noticed by their parents, appeared 'lifeless.'" One child was dead on arrival to the hospital; the other died a few hours later.
In 1948 Randolph Byers and Frederic Moll, from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, reported fifteen children with seizures, coma, or paralysis within a day of receiving pertussis vaccine. Most became severely retarded; two died.
In 1960 Justus Ström from the Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Stockholm, Sweden, reported thirty-six children harmed by pertussis vaccine. "In twenty-four of these, the initial symptom was convulsions, in six cases coma, and in four, acute collapse." Seven years later, Ström examined the records of more than five hundred thousand children, this time finding one hundred and seventy with seizures or "destructive brain dysfunction" or shock.
In 1973, when John Wilson finished his presentation to the Royal Society of Medicine a murmur spread through the crowd. The society was one of the most prestigious institutions in London, and Wilson worked at the Hospital for Sick Children at Great Ormond Street, a world-renowned medical center. Further, Wilson, a doctor of philosophy and medicine, was a member of the prestigious Royal College of Physicians. When John Wilson said that pertussis vaccine caused brain damage, the charge was taken seriously.
Six months after his presentation to the Royal Society—and three months after his study was published—John Wilson appeared on a thirty-minute prime-time British television program called This Week. A precursor to Lea Thompson's DPT: Vaccine Roulette, the program featured frightening images of children allegedly damaged by pertussis vaccine—and terrifying calculations of how any child could be one of them. One caption read, "Every year about 100 are brain damaged." Six minutes into the program, John Wilson appeared. Now, instead of influencing a handful of specialists at the Royal Society, or a few thousand readers of a medical journal, he was talking to millions of television viewers. Wilson was asked whether he was convinced that pertussis vaccine caused permanent harm. "I personally am," he replied. "Because now I've seen too many children in whom there has been a very close association between a severe illness, with fits, unconsciousness, often focal neurological signs, and inoculation." The reporter asked him what he meant by "too many children." Wilson, recalling his experiences at Great Ormond Street Hospital, replied, "Well, in my time here, the last eight and a half years, I personally have seen somewhere in the region of eighty patients."
The media exploded. Headlines in influential British newspapers read, "Whooping Cough Vaccine Risks Concealed, Say Victims' Parents," "Vaccine Call Is Attacked," "Whooping Cough Vaccine 'Should Be Abandoned,'" "New Campaign to Win State Help for the Vaccine-Damaged," "Dangers of a Shot in the Dark," and "Boy's Brain Damaged in Vaccine Experiment."
Doctors also sounded the alarm. George Dick, a respected microbiologist at Queens University in Belfast, said, "I would not recommend the vaccine for infants living in communities where there is good maternal and medical care." Gordon Stewart, the epidemiologist from the University of Glasgow who later appeared on Vaccine Roulette, said, "The Department of Health and Social Security ... refuse[s] to acknowledge brain damage as anything but a doubtful and rare consequence of vaccination. The facts suggest otherwise." David Kerridge, a professor of statistics at Aberdeen University, joined Stewart in decrying the vaccine. "My advice would be to abandon vaccination," he said.
Health officials in England waited for the other shoe to drop. In October 1975, an editorial published in the British Medical Journal warned: "A sharp decrease in the number of infants routinely immunized after the 1974 adverse publicity could mean that there will be a substantial pool of susceptible children when the next epidemic is due in 1978. Will this mean that there will then be a resurgence of whooping cough?" The answer came quickly. The year before Wilson's paper, 79 percent of British children were immunized. By 1977, the rate had fallen to 31 percent. As a consequence, more than a hundred thousand children contracted whooping cough; five thousand were hospitalized; two hundred had severe pneumonia; eighty suffered seizures; and thirty-six died. It was one of the worst epidemics of whooping cough in modern history. Dr. David Salisbury, later to be director of immunization at England's Department of Immunization, was a young pediatrician when the epidemic hit: "At a practical level, I was very aware of the drop in coverage of the pertussis vaccine. Every evening that I was on duty children were referred to the hospital with whooping cough. I remember ventilating them for weeks and weeks and weeks and there were some that we simply couldn't get off the ventilators."
Fear of pertussis vaccine spread. In Japan, after health officials placed a moratorium on the vaccine, the number of hospitalizations and deaths from pertussis increased tenfold.
John Wilson later became an advisor to the Association of Parents of Vaccine Damaged Children and its founder, Rosemary Fox, a forty-six-year-old social worker. By advising Fox, Wilson had completed the cycle of events in London that would be repeated in Washington, D.C., several years later: a national television program alerting parents to the harm of pertussis vaccine; formation of a parents' group seeking compensation; a media outcry in support of aggrieved parents; and irreparable, unending suspicion that vaccines were doing far more harm than good.
Probably no one was in a better position to comment on events in England than Dr. James Cherry. Currently a professor of pediatrics at UCLA's School of Medicine, Cherry has co-authored the leading textbook on pediatric infectious diseases, published hundreds of articles and book chapters on pertussis and pertussis vaccine, lectured before physicians and scientists internationally, and won many prestigious awards. James Cherry is arguably the world's expert on pertussis.
Soon after John Wilson issued his terrifying report, Cherry moved to England to study pertussis at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He noticed one critical difference between the United States, where immunization rates dropped only slightly, and England, where immunization rates dropped precipitously. "It wasn't the public; it was the doctors," recalled Cherry. "It was the family physicians who really stopped vaccinating." (A survey by the London Sunday Times in 1977 found that 47 percent of general practitioners "would not recommend" the pertussis vaccine for their patients.) Further, Cherry found that the number of children who died from whooping cough was vastly underestimated. "I noticed the pertussis deaths in the epidemic ... were incredibly low," he recalled. Cherry knew the reason why: physicians weren't accurately reporting the disease. "[Doctors] didn't want the parents to have guilt feelings but it turned out [the doctors] didn't want to have guilt feelings. So they were reporting [pertussis deaths] as other things." Cherry found that pertussis hadn't killed thirty-six British children (as was officially reported); it had killed six hundred. Most were classified as respiratory deaths without mention of pertussis, and two hundred pertussis deaths were classified as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). "SIDS cases went up during the epidemic," said Cherry.
British health officials were in a tough spot. They couldn't claim that the benefits of pertussis vaccine outweighed its risks when risk estimates were all over the map. So they decided to fund a study that would determine once and for all the risk of brain damage from pertussis vaccine. Then and only then could parents weigh the risk of getting the vaccine against the risk of not getting it.
To assess the risks, health officials turned to Dr. David Miller, a professor of community medicine at the Central Middlesex Hospital in London. Miller and his colleagues launched the most comprehensive, expensive, and time-consuming study to date. Between 1976 and 1979, Miller's team asked consultant pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, and neurosurgeons to report any children who had serious neurological illnesses, then determined whether those children were more likely to have recently received DTP than normal children. Miller found "a statistically significant association with diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine ... especially within 72 hours." According to the Miller study, DTP caused permanent brain damage in one in one hundred thousand children given three doses of vaccine.
Miller's study was the first to address the question of risk using appropriate controls. As a consequence, academic physicians around the world believed it. When vaccine expert Edward Mortimer stood in front of Paula Hawkins's committee in 1982 and declared pertussis vaccine to be a rare cause of permanent harm, it was David Miller's study he was thinking about.
In the United States, the dominoes fell: parents decried the vaccine, the media trumpeted their claims in dramatic headlines, and medical experts supported them with evidence from Miller's study. It was a perfect storm. And it added up to one thing: lawsuits. Many, many lawsuits.
During Vaccine Roulette, Lea Thompson offered a preview of coming events. "More and more families of DPT victims are deciding to sue," said Thompson. "Not only doctors, but manufacturers and the government." Personal-injury lawyers advertised their services on television and radio commercials, in newspapers, in magazines, and on the backs of telephone books. They urged parents of vaccine-damaged children to come forward, to get the justice and compensation they deserved. In 1981, one year before Vaccine Roulette, 3 lawsuits were filed against vaccine makers. By the end of 1982, lawyers had filed 17 lawsuits; during each of the next four years, they filed 41, 73, 219, and 255.
Jurors were sympathetic. On March 7, 1983, four-month-old Tyler White "suffered a seizure lasting several hours" after his second DTP vaccine. A few months later he had another, then another, and was diagnosed with epilepsy and severe developmental delays. Three years later, a jury awarded Tyler $2.1 million. On March 17, 1980, Michelle Graham "developed a severe and irreversible neurological condition known as encephalopathy [brain damage]" after her first DTP shot. The jury awarded Michelle $15 million. Melanie Tom received $7.5 million. Other lawsuits included awards for $5.5 million, $2.5 million, and $1.7 million, and many more were settled out of court "in the million-dollar range."
The amount of money requested by plaintiffs increased exponentially from $25 million in 1981 (one year before Vaccine Roulette) to $414 million in 1982, $655 million in 1983, $1.3 billion in 1984, and $3.2 billion in 1985. In response, pharmaceutical companies increased the prices of their vaccines and scrambled to get liability insurance. In early 1982, DTP vaccine cost $0.12 per dose. In June 1983, the cost rose to $2.30; the next year, to $2.80. By 1985, the cost of one dose of DTP vaccine was $4.29—a thirty-five-fold increase in less than three years. Increased revenues didn't offset the cost of awards. In 1984, the amount claimed in lawsuits exceeded DTP sales twentyfold. In 1985, despite a near doubling of the price, the damages claimed exceeded sales thirtyfold.
The result was predictable. Pharmaceutical companies abandoned vaccines. In 1960, seven companies made DTP. By 1982 only three remained: Connaught Laboratories of Swiftwater, Pennsylvania; Lederle Laboratories of Pearl River, New York; and Wyeth Laboratories of Philadelphia. On June 13, 1984, Wyeth announced it would no longer be distributing DTP. Later that summer, Connaught announced it was unable to get liability insurance and would stop making DTP vaccine for American children. Following Connaught's announcement, Lederle was the only company left standing.
On December 19, 1984, James O. Mason, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, appeared before the House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment. The committee wanted to know how much DTP vaccine was available. The situation, as Mason described it, was desperate. "On November 27, [1984,] Lederle informed us that they were having some production difficulties and that two production lots scheduled for release in January and February 1985 would not be available. Contacts with state health departments were immediately undertaken and it was determined that there were approximately 1.5 million doses on hand in the states." Mason then resorted to understatement: "Comparing this amount to an average national monthly use ... indicates that vaccine supplies would be essentially exhausted before the end of February 1985." In three months, the United States would run out of pertussis vaccine. Mason knew what was at stake; he had to do something to extend the supply. So he recommended a suboptimal vaccine schedule, figuring that some immunity was better than no immunity: "[We have] developed recommendations to try to ensure maximum prevention during the period of likely shortage. These involved delaying administration of the fourth dose of DTP, usually given at eighteen months of age, and the fifth dose, usually given at four to six years of age."
On February 12, 1985, a few months after the CDC had recommended withholding the fourth and fifth doses of DTP vaccine, the American Academy of Pediatrics held an emergency meeting to discuss vaccine shortages. Representatives from the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, pharmaceutical companies, and state, county, and city health departments attended. The news wasn't good. A survey of hundreds of physicians found that although most had followed the CDC recommendation, one in three still couldn't find enough vaccine.
It got worse.
In 1979, three-month-old Kevin Toner became permanently paralyzed from the waist down after receiving DTP. Kevin suffered an uncommon disorder called transverse myelitis, in which one segment of the spinal cord becomes inflamed. There was then and remains now no evidence that either pertussis or pertussis vaccine causes transverse myelitis. But in a courtroom, that didn't matter. The jury awarded Kevin $1.13 million. The company that was sued was Lederle Laboratories—the only American company still distributing pertussis vaccine. To Lederle, the message was clear. It wasn't only children with epilepsy and mental retardation who could be compensated. Everything was on the table. Lederle knew that its vaccine prevented only whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria, not every other illness that occurred in the first year of life. The Toner case was the last straw. On April 1, 1986, Lederle Laboratories announced to the AAP and the Department of Health and Human Services that it would no longer produce and distribute DTP vaccine.
Other vaccines suffered. The number of companies making measles vaccine dropped from six to one and those making polio vaccine from three to one. Vaccine makers were getting out of the business. The United States was on the verge of returning to the pre-vaccine era.
Realizing that American children might soon be denied lifesaving vaccines, the federal government stepped in. On October 18, 1986, the last day of the Ninety-Ninth Congress, legislators passed a bill that protected vaccine makers: the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. One month later, President Ronald Reagan signed it into law. The act contained the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which included a list of compensable injuries possibly caused by vaccines. Designed to make things easier for parents, the act specified awards for loss of earnings, lawyers' fees, and up to $250,000 for pain and suffering. At the center of the program stood the injury that had led to the act's passage: seizures and brain damage allegedly caused by pertussis vaccine.
The purpose of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was to allow children to be compensated for vaccine damages without having to go through the expensive process of suing in state courts; to protect pharmaceutical companies from litigation; and to encourage vaccine makers to continue to research and produce new vaccines. The government had taken the burden of litigation off the backs of vaccine makers and put it on its own.
Although legislators had designed the program to satisfy everyone, no one was satisfied. Edward Brandt, from the Department of Health and Human Services, said, "The bill establishes a strong presumption that vaccine is responsible for essentially any adverse condition that happens after immunization unless there is incontrovertible evidence of other causation. This presumption of guilt would undermine public confidence in immunizations." The American Medical Association wanted a panel of scientific experts to determine which vaccine side effects would be compensated, concerned that the task would otherwise fall to members of Congress. And parents were worried that vaccine makers, now largely protected from litigation, would have little interest in making vaccines safer. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who had sponsored the legislation in the House of Representatives, said, "I recognize the bill I have introduced is probably not the first choice of most parties to this controversy. Manufacturers would undoubtedly prefer greater insulation from liability. Parents of injured children would certainly prefer larger compensation and fewer restrictions on court activity. The Reagan administration would, I am sure, prefer legislation that spends no money."
Henry Waxman proposed legislation that saved vaccines for American children. (Courtesy of Bloomberg via Getty Images.)
Despite everyone's misgivings, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act saved vaccines. In 1986, the year of the bill's passage, lawyers filed 255 lawsuits against DTP-vaccine makers; by 1996, ten years after the act was passed, they filed only six. Also, the act provided a mechanism to inform parents about vaccine safety, a system to independently review vaccines, and the means to report suspected side effects through the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, or VAERS.
In May 1982, Kathi Williams and Dissatisfied Parents Together had stood before Paula Hawkins's congressional committee and read a list of demands. Only four years later, they'd gotten much of what they'd wanted.
Like their counterparts in the United States, British health officials would also be forced to confront lawsuits, angry parent groups, and distrustful media. But unlike what had happened in the United States, where vaccines were almost eliminated, the outcome in England would be different. The controversy would lead to one of the most unusual and dramatic product liability cases in modern history, and end with a surprising answer to the question of whether pertussis vaccine had caused permanent harm at all.


text:
How to leverage public data and our own primary data to gain security and competitive intelligence for strategic decision making?
Gathering, interrelating and analyzing public and/or private information can help Prosegur to better understand market dynamics and evolution and to detect opportunities or threats faster. It can also provide a new insight on customer demands and reveal new trends and technologies within the security services world.
Furthermore, worldwide geopolitical, economic, social and geographical information can be enriched with our own information sources and models to better predict potential risky situations. We aim at ensuring the safety of our operations and those of our customers by anticipating risks.


text:
247 Security Home Automation
Next Level Home Automation , At Affordable Prices , Start Off Small & Build As You Go
From homes small to large, new and old, 247 Security Group Home Automation delivers power and performance on one system that coordinates the technology in your house into complete, brilliant experiences – interactions that fit your lifestyle and are easy for your family to enjoy. With one touch, dim the lights, stream high-resolution music, turn up the heat, lock the doors and arm the security system. Check in on cameras or see who's ringing the doorbell – from wherever you are. It's a smarter living experience that you'll wonder how you ever lived without
Home Automation
Spanning from sunrise to sunset, automation does amazing things in your home that ordinarily you don't want to be bothered about. It controls virtually everything home electronics and electrical… you name it!


text:
Using your phone as a modem – connection sharing
If you're on the move and you want to connect to the internet to pick up your email or access your documents, your smartphone has the ability to share its internet connection with another device, such as a computer. To take advantage of this feature, you need to have an appropriate data subscription and 3G/4G internet access. Enabling connection sharing is very simple:
- Go to 'Settings' from the main menu.
- Select the category 'Wireless and Networks'
- Open the 'More' tab and then 'Connection sharing'.
- On first use, enter 'WiFi Hotspot settings'
– Customise the name and password of your access point
– Return to the 'Connection sharing' menu
– Select the 'Wi-Fi Hotspot' or 'Bluetooth' checkbox according to your preferences.
Search for a WiFi or Bluetooth network from your computer or tablet and you will see your phone's router appear. You just need to enter your password to connect to it.
- Connect your two devices via the USB OTG port.
- Go to 'Settings' from the main menu.
- Select the 'More' tab in the 'Wireless and networks' category
- Open the 'Connection sharing' tab
- Enable the 'Via USB' option'


text:
I hope the members of Mill Bay Baptist Fellowship Church who are currently in Thailand advocating to have a family emigrate to the Cowichan Valley are successful in their efforts.
Pastor Norm Sowden and church member Charles Lukas will be in Thailand until early February doing their best to clear the many diplomatic log jams that are preventing the five-member Javed family from coming to Canada.
I had the pleasure of meeting Sowden and his church's refugee committee last August when they began their ongoing campaign to help the Christian family.
The caring and giving natures of these wonderful people shone through as I interviewed them.
The Javeds fled their home country of Pakistan after being threatened by a militant Muslim group for assisting Christians and other persecuted minorities in the largely Muslim country.
The father is now being held indefinitely in an overcrowded detention camp for refugees in Thailand after his visa expired, and the rest of the family is in hiding to avoid being sent back to Pakistan.
The members of Mill Bay Baptist Fellowship Church have raised more than $26,000 in less than five months to help the family get to Canada and begin their new lives here.
The church's refugee committee already has some experience with such projects after successfully sponsoring a Syrian family to come to the Cowichan Valley four years ago.
But with the emigration process for the Javed family moving at a glacial speed, Sowden and Lukas have flown to the Asian country to meet with Canada's ambassador to Thailand and other officials to try and move the process along.
If they are successful, the family would be a great addition to the Valley as the father has a MBA and the mother is a nurse, and all members of the family already have a good understanding of English.
In 2016, when I first started work at this paper, I interviewed the seven-member Qaddour family from Syria that had just emigrated to Canada after escaping the turmoil in their homeland, thanks to a group of Valley citizens who sponsored the family to come here.
They were, of course, initially nervous in their new hometown on the other side of the world from where they came from, with a completely different culture and language from their own.
I had to communicate with them through an interpreter, and they seemed lost and apprehensive about their new circumstances.
But when I visited them again just a few months later, it was apparent they had settled in nicely and seemed quite comfortable in their new surroundings.
Amazingly, six-year-old Zaed, who looked frightened and hid behind his mother when I interviewed the family soon after they arrived, began talking to me in perfect English.
He said the family had taken English classes and were quickly mastering the language.
Zaed said he was excited to soon begin school, along with his siblings, and make new friends.
The father, Mustafa, who had worked as a welder in war-torn Aleppo, told me in broken English that he had been successful in landing a job in a woodworking facility in Duncan.
He said it took awhile for the family to adapt, but moving to the Valley was the best decision they had ever made.
I can't wait to interview the Javed family when (if) they arrive and monitor their progress in the Valley.
Immigrants such as these add a lot to the flavour of the area, and I think it's a delight to have them here.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter