Using Google Plus to Drastically Improve your Blog Traffic

(article from Info-Junkie.com - Blogging tutorials, Reviews and Much More)

Google Plus is a powerful tool, it can drastically enhance your website and blog traffic, and it also only requires a couple of minutes each day. The secret is understanding how you can employ this simple strategy. In the following paragraphs I am going to cover all that you need to understand about marketing and promoting your blog using Google Plus.

Organic and Targeted Traffic:
Presently there is speculation that shortly Google Plus may possibly even meet or exceed Facebook in recognition as well as use. If you actually use Facebook, which I’m certain that you do, you are aware how popular it is now. Google Plus is nearly on this same level, and therefore offers you a superb medium for blog and website promotion. Google Plus features a “community” tab, where you can find like-minded communities and individuals, which greatly enhances the amount of targeted or organic page hits you are able to provide for your blog. It's well known that organic and targeted traffic hits are much more effective than regular traffic. These kinds of traffic refer to page views by readers who're actually interested and invested in your website or website’s content. Targeted readers who arrived at your page often stay two times as long, and visit more pages than ordinary traffic.

While Facebook also allows you reach similar audiences and users, you'll have a tendency to blend in with everyone else when advertising on their community pages. I believe, Facebook is much more intended for acquaintances and friends, while Google Plus appears to be designed for businesses and business contacts. Although this is not entirely true, you'll find after executing this tactic, that you get a lot more interest and page views using Google Plus than when using Facebook.
Starting out (if you don't curently have a Google Plus account):
* In case your account is not fully configured I suggest reading this step *
The first place you will need to start is simply by making a Google Plus account, if you don't curently have one. I would recommend going to G-mail.com and registering for a no cost email address. You don't only get a free email which you can use for you blog and business contacts, but it simultaneously generates a linked Google Plus account. I would recommend naming your email something similar or relevant to your blog site, this not only looks more professional, but will also makes it easier for users to make contact with you.

After you have your Google Plus account you will have to configure each one of it’s settings. Please take a second and glance at the settings page by simply clicking your avatar, then clicking account inside the drop down menu. After you have configured your settings it is time to provide an account picture. It is vital for you to include a picture in your account. This creates credibility and enables you stand above the competition. Users without pictures have a tendency to get ignored, or written off as spammers or bots, I highly suggest you upload an image of yourself. You can do this by again simply clicking on your avatar in the top right, then clicking on the empty picture, where it says change photo. Upload the picture then visit your profile page. This is a vital component of Google Plus, since this is the page others will discover whenever they view your profile.

I like to recommend adding a banner on your profile, it will help makes you look more credible and can make users more prone to follow your account. (If you want help developing a custom banner, contact me personally at nick@info-junkie.com, and I can make you one in Photoshop).

Don’t forget to complete all of the remaining information on your profile, including: location, bio, credentials, etc. A complete profile will trump and incomplete one any time, I understand it seems simple, however these small steps are what is going to ultimately enable you to get traffic.
Choosing the best communities and making introductions:
Choosing the right communities to promote to is a crucial part of this technique, if you don't carefully select your communities, your marketing efforts will fall on deaf ears. Selecting your communities is simpler than it may seem. Starting off you will need to perform a search for particular communities, for instance blogging, blogs, online marketing, etc. When you start to sign up for communities Google Plus will automatically display related communities to suit your needs, making your selection much simpler. Just be certain that the communities you decide on will likely be interested in what your blog site has to say. Determine, “who is my audience, and just who am I writing for?”

After you have found several communities, I suggest a minimum of 5 - 10 different ones, start by introducing yourself. Introductions are a fundamental part of this tactic, they separate you from the spammers, and provide members with a understanding of who you really are, and just what you are about. An excellent introduction needs to include: Your name, age, company / blog, along with a short bio describing your interested and qualifications. Consider your introduction to be a employment interview of sorts, you would like members to be generally interested in everything you are saying, and also be curious about your links. Google Plus frowns upon spamming and only posting self-promotion links, so just be sure you make an introduction and sometimes post something that isn't promoting or marketing your website.

Selecting your very first article, and start promoting:
Now that you've made a formal introduction within your selected communities, it's about time to begin promoting your posts as well as your blog. This is actually the meat and bones of the strategy, the driving force behind acquiring traffic and taking advantage of Google Plus. Begin by selecting your very best article, or even the one you suspect appeals to the chosen community the best.

If you're posting inside of a web development community, articles on starting your first website will be a perfect fit. Be sure and post a simple description of the article using a catchy tag line for example, “Do you have a small business, but don't want to pay someone to make a website for you? This post will show you the best way to get it done, without having to spend any money!” The description must be made unique for each and every community, never copy your exact description and subject to each community.

Copy and pasting your descriptions can look to the community as spam, because so many people in one community can also be members of another your frequent. Your ultimate goal is always to appear as genuine as you possibly can, while still effectively marketing your website.

Don’t forget to insert a direct hyperlink to your content, give Google a second to load it, and it'll appear beneath your post with a short description of it’s own. After you have completed your very first article, rinse and repeat this technique with all of your communities. I like to recommend joining several new communities each day and posting your content. Whenever you create new articles, come back to your older communities and post them there also. Like I said above, and I cannot stress this enough, develop into a credible member of these communities. Post your insight and opinions regularly, avoid only posting self-promoting content.

Expand your Google Plus circles:
Google Plus includes a feature called circles, well it really is much more of a group I guess. Google Plus circles are groups and members which will view the majority of the articles you write. Whenever you post something on your profile, you're sharing it with all your circles, these are the ones that will view your content and posts the most. Like i said previously, becoming an active member of your communities won't just enable you to appear genuine, but it surely will also enable you to expand your circles and gain followers. Ultimately you would like as many followers as you could possibly get your hands on.

The more members you've got following you, the more your brand-new posts and blog can get seen. There are numerous strategies available to achieve this, however i generally just use one. This tactic is simply sharing others content and posts. Frequently review your Google Plus feed, if you notice something cool or worth sharing, share it! Whenever people see you sharing others posts which contain good, original content they are going to have a tendency to begin following you. In the event you only share your own content you will discover you're going to be very lonely on Google Plus. Also, using other social websites to populate posts may be beneficial. StumbleUpon, Reddit, and Twitter might be good resources to discover quality posts to share. The general guideline is you need to share 3 unique quality posts from somebody else for each and every 1 post you have. Google also enables you to find members by syncing your mail contacts, Yahoo, as well as searching an organization. If you discover a tool that can be used to develop your circles, Utilize it!

Think outside the box. Don’t be considered a follower, sit back and brainstorm an excellent online marketing strategy. Consider what's going to help make your posts and marketing stand above all the others. Make use of community submitted content, offering free downloads, and even starting a small contest. You will notice that people who succeed are pioneers, they're doing something nobody else is. Make an effort to combine proven strategies with your own personal ideas, look for a sweet spot between the two. There are many ways to promote your blog, become the first to discover a new strategy.

Authore Bio: Guest post by Nicholas Rusnak, owner and operator of info-junkie.com

BYOD and How It's Made Employee Monitoring Software So Important

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BYOD and how it’s made employee monitoring software important
Smartphones are basically an essential need in an office. Just about everyone who has something resembling a career will know the importance of having a smartphone. Not only are they a luxury, but they are devices that facilitate work and meetings no matter where one may be. With instant internet access and apps/tools that allow documents and charts to be dealt with, memos passed around, and instant video conferencing to take place.
As an employer, it is important to make sure your employees are equipped with what they need to get their work done, both in and out of the workplace. But as the times are changing, it is important to realize that employee monitoring software is becoming equally important.

Why BYOD is So Desirable
BYOD trends have taken on a lot of importance as more and more companies end up opting for it. This implies ‘Bring Your Own Device’ to work. Not only are these strategies cost effective but they also bring flexibility to workers, allowing them to work with the familiar both in and out of the workplace. iPass conducted a survey with telling results; employees using their own devices ended up contributing 240 hours of more work.  But the main aim is, and always will be, to cut costs. According to a survey by Good Technology State, 50% of companies that use the BYOD model require their employees to pay for the devices.
Of course, there are advantages of this strategy but there are also drawbacks that employers have to deal with. Security becomes a major threat and point of concern; risks of malware and spyware penetrating into official servers or networks remain high. The devices being used are connected with other devices, and hence infection from any front can cause detrimental damage to whole networks.  Of course, data theft is an equally important threat. This may occur from negligence on the part of employees or may even be done intentionally, either way, the need for a check on these things is apparent.

How Employee Monitoring Fits In
With such problems occurring as a result of BYOD, employee monitoring of devices takes on more significance as well as importance. Rather than being a precaution it takes on a form of a necessity. What an employee is up to on a personal device is likely to be more of an eye opener than anything else, especially if websites and flash drives are blocked anyway at the office.
But of course, running a BYOD regime and an employee monitoring system at the same time are no easy task. In order for monitoring to be a success, a complete policy detailing the limitations of BYOD must be drafted and followed through. The policy must focus on the sorts of devices being used, access rights, tracking and employee monitoring software as well as remote wipe/lock features, and support arrangement. This will not only reduce legal tensions but will make employee monitoring transparent for all workers. The employees should then be made to accept the terms before bringing in any external device.

Author Bio:
Natalia David is a huge fan of technology, such as monitoring software for employees especially its use in workplaces. She writes for MobiStealth and can be contacted @NataliaDavid4. 

Related:
Read a nice article about MEMS technology.

How to choose the best antivirus software for your PC

How to choose the best antivirus software for your PC? With the spreading of virus and malware on the Internet, you may suddenly find that your files deleted, your personal information lost or your software corrupted without your permissions. Now, there are four methods to guard your PC against viruses, cloud-based antivirus, firewalls, on-line scanners and antivirus software.

Malware is evolving faster than ever, so it's reassuring to discover that the latest generation of antivirus is better equipped to handle this rapid pace of change. While, we can see that there are many vendors who produce anti-virus software, and deciding which one to choose can be confusing. In general, antivirus software works in two forms: automatic scans and manual scans.

Most of the software allows users to configure it to automatically scan specific files or directories and prompt users at set intervals to perform complete scans. It is also recommended to manually scan files you receive from an outside source before opening them. Though their functions are similar, there are some aspects we should take into consideration in order to choose the best antivirus software for your PC.

The first thing you have to think about is your operation system. Different antivirus software works for different OS. Make sure your antivirus software version isn't lower than your OS. Meanwhile, if you are really concerned about security and you are still running Windows 7, you can consider upgrading your antivirus software to the version for Windows 8. Unlike the choice of other software, say, the password recovery tools which may work well Windows 2008 password recovery may be useless for Windows 8 password reset. It is supposed that Windows 8 anti-virus software may be more powerful than that for Windows 7. The next step is to check the major certifications and testing agencies to see how the antivirus scanners fare. Agencies include VB100%, AV-Test, AV-Comparatives, Checkmark, ICSA Labs, and NSS Labs. Any reliable antivirus scanner should be listed by most of these antivirus testing agencies.

Besides, the price of the software matters. There is a misunderstanding that commercial tools are more powerful than free ones. Actually, we can also find many useful free tools to satisfy our daily demands. Besides, for different users, their requirements may differ a lot. Some may used the PC mostly for Internet surfing, and others may for games, videos or stocks. For example, a gamer will appreciate antivirus software that recognizes when games or media are being played and suppresses any non-essential alerts or activities.

This year, some AV packages come with tie-ins to so-called cloud services, in which fresh information on new threats pushes down from the vendor's web servers to your PC. If you need to use your PC for some confidential works, you can consider choosing this kind of antivirus tools. In fact, there are other factors can be taken as your basis. For some users, especially some computer newbie, they may also count on antivirus software to be easy to install and use. And when you examine help and support, make sure whether you need 24/7 access to technical support or whether you can make do with fewer hours.

Mike Leo is an editor writing on Windows software including password reset software, antivirus software, and any other software needed to secure Windows operation systems. He is now living in Washington and also runs a small publishing house with his friend.

Guest post @ SEOUltima.com

So I did a nice post about content marketing vs traditional marketing from a Marketo infographic. Read it here. I gave some insights and thoughts about content marketing, the growing trend in online marketing these days, with a focus on technology startups.
Let me know your thoughts!

Qué Es Un Gestor Documental Normal?

Mi compañera Verónica Meza lo ha vuelto a bordar con un post muy interesante de gestión documental, con un análisis concienzudo entre las diferencias de los sistemas de ficheros (file sharing) tipo Dropbox o los ECM tipo Alfresco, Documentum y Sharepoint.
Disfrutadlo!!
Qué Es Un Gestor Documental Normal? ~ Blog de Gestión Documental Inteligente - Athento

Legal Document Capture

We've talked over and over in this blog about Document Capture previously in this blog. But this time we are going to focus on legal document capture which, in short, is taking capture technologies like OCR, document auto-tagging or keyword extraction to the legal sector.
The law industry in the US is huge. It's one of the largest of the world. In fact the US produces 38,000 new lawyers every year. Some say that the US has more lawyers than the rest of the world combined, although this has not being confirmed.

Well the fact is the problem is there. Thousands of lawyers using paper. And the lawyers here in Silicon Valley, the guys from Fenwick & West, DLA Piper, SNR Denton or the likes deal with contracts that are being sent through courier everyday.

Around North San Jose I see tons of Iron Mountain and Recall trucks, loaded of paper I guess.
There are some solutions addressing this problem. Since long ago, document management solutions like Hummingbird (acquired by OpenText) and Autonomy (acquired by HP) have tried to solve the problems of law firms with not much of a success. Not even law firms have been able to build good enough products over platforms like Sharepoint.

But the problem is really simple: reducing labour force and concentrating in your hardcore value: legal expertise. And the redundant labour force is very clear: the so called "Executive Assistants" or EAs, in a 1 for every 2 lawyers ratio. Things like receiving letters or emails, or even answering the phone (which escapes our scope and has been already addressed).

Take a look at one of the ways that we are trying to tackle this problem using Athento with this video:

Legal Document Capture from Athento on Vimeo.

Related articles

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• Improve your efficiency by more than 60%
• ROI of Capturing Paper Documents

The current microprocessors war

The previous wars on processors were held with one dominant brand in common, Intel.
Intel dominated vs AMD recently, and was the choice for Apple's transition from the PowerPC (IBM).
But now, it is the time of ARM vs Intel. Can Intel defeat ARM as it previously did with all the others (Intel vs AMD, Intel vs PowerPC).
Well, this time it's going to be that much harder. Intel, with the CISC architecture but better integration technology, was able to defeat its competitors. It was more of a manufacturing advantage than a design one.
I have friends at Intel that I should ask them about, and see what their thoughts are.

But.. why is ARM winning?
Lower energy consumption is a simple answer. ARM is winning because it is the most flexible supplier, by selling the actual Integrated Circuit designs and letting companies like Samsung manufacture as they please.
Also there is the RISC vs CISC advantage. Even at my electronic circuit design years, we studied the advantages of RISC over CISC because of simplicity, and better ability to divide (divide & conquer, anyone?).
The question now is who offers the best PCB Design Services, who has the best partner ecosystem to develop the IP, the actual designs and not the whole product.
The divide and conquer approach was taken out of the architecture design (RISC) and into the business side, making ARM that more efficient.

Something similar to what lean startup methodology is doing to business, with it's background on software development (lean methodology is in my point of view 7-8 words: divide & conquer and apply scrum product development fast).

Related articles

• ARM vs Intel: Can Intel do to ARM what it previously did to PowerPC?
• The pros and cons of an Apple-Intel divorce
• Can Intel Corporation (INTC) Do to ARM Holdings plc (ADR) (ARMH) What it Did to PowerPC?

Open Source as a Marketing Tool & R+D Costs Cutting Tool

The Open Source Initiative keyhole. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Open Source has always been considered as a way to share software code and components, therefore providing others the ability to get their hands on "your code" and making extension, improving bugs etc.
There is a similar trend called PCB Design Reuse, and both are basically applying engineering principles of reusing components in practice.
Companies like Google use an open source infrastructure (servers, java software on android, python on web apps) that supports a proprietary top-notch search engine, on an ads model that we all know.
So basically, reusing and opening your infrastructure pays off.
But what about the marketing efforts, can we expect better marketing through making our products basically.. free?

not necessarily.

It's a thin line that differentiates an effective marketing than "just another open source project" marketing.

Value, like always, is key. Instead of nice use case videos on Youtube, white papers, and your best press release on pr.com, you invest in making a relevant product for the community.

So what is the key?

The key is having the relevant open source product AND relevant paying futures for the conversions. Things like certified code for an enterprise version, good support level etc.

And how do you publish an open source product?

Open source products can be published at a code forge, there are many popular ones, and need their own marketing, let's call it the metamarketing. This would be the marketing investment to make the open source project relevant enough to save you marketing dollars for selling your Enterprise Software product from scratch.

Examples:
Providing integration and support services (Acquia)
● Selling subscriptions to updates and support (Red Hat)
● Selling proprietary components to segments of the user base (Funambol)
● Selling premium plugins, applications, services and themes (Joomla, WordPress)
● Selling hosting services (i.e. Software as a Service SaaS model, adopted by companies such as Acquia, Alfresco)
● Selling the software under a commercial licence and releasing the code under an open source licence simultaneously, aka Dual licensing (MySQL).
More on Open Source Business Models:
Open Source Business Models.
How to create successful open source business model

Must Read:

Is Oracle missing the point about open source and cloud? http://readwrite.com/2013/03/26/oracles-big-miss-the-end-of-an-enterprise-era

Related articles

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• Would you buy an opensource washing machine?
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Massive Document Capture

If you are planning on using document capture technology in an industrial way, doing bulk upload of documents, check out this post from Athento's blog in english:

http://blog.yerbabuenasoftware.com/2013/02/capturing-lots-of-documents-with-athento-capture.html

Some of the most relevant content:

1. Documents from a scanner

If your aim is to capture paper documents, the best option is connecting Athento to your scanner. Athento uses the TWAIN protocol to make it possible. This connection works in the following way:

Documents are digitalized using a scanner connected to Athento. The scanner sends the documents to a folder and that folder will be monitored by Athento until each document in that folder can be captured. Users only have to concern about scanning, because Athento Capture does the rest.

Related articles

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• How to tag documents automatically in Box.com: Athento + Box integration
• More Semantics and Artificial Intelligence in the next version of Athento
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Electronic Circuit Design Years

English: Arithmatic Logic Unit schematic symbol Deutsch: Schema der artihmetisch-logischen Einheit (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the subjects I enjoyed the most while I was at the University of Málaga studying software engineering was electronic circuit design.
It's very seldom that subjects catch your attention, but the fact that you can actually build a microprocessor during a 4 months class, including ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit), and the GPU or the different records.
I remember we had a book (Hennessy Patterson) which described very well the MIPS architecture, which was RISC (Intel's architecture was, and still is I think, CISC).

The other of the related subjects had to do with intensive work on Cache and its different types. This were also part of electronic circuits, but more for the computer architecture perspective. Among these, we studied the associative cache, random access cache and a mix of the previous ones.

It's very satisfying for me that I now live so close to hardware giants such as Intel and Apple. Or even Motorola, who made it big also for chips manufacturing.
Apple with their own architecture until they made the switch to Intel, not so long ago. I believe this was a great breakthrough still in the Steven Jobs years, since it made Apple concentrate on building an astonishing product, with actually a better operating system than Windows.

Image via CrunchBase

Related articles

5 Benefits of PCB Design Reuse. 
PCB Design Services in Silicon Valley.
Sunman Engineering 

• PCB Design: Extended Glossary, Letter A
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• PCB Design: Extended Glossary, Letter C
• Can Intel Corporation (INTC) Do to ARM Holdings plc (ADR) (ARMH) What it Did to PowerPC?