Randi Zuckerberg's Blog, page 34
January 15, 2015
Radio Show Recap: How to Invest in Your Dreams
Yesterday’s live from New York’s Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg featured financial journalist Nicole Lapin discussing her new book, Rich Bitch, a financial breakdown for women, and the team behind NYC’s biggest Off-Broadway hit, Application Pending, co-writer and director Andy Sandberg, co-writer Greg Edwards, and star (playing over 40 different characters) Christina Bianco.
First Randi and the panel discussed last week’s Consumer Electronics Show:
“Sex toys are a big business.”-Nicole
Windblocker for your smartphone:
“I like to tell people I’m sitting around doing work. So I like it.” –Nicole
WonderWoof for your dog:
“Dogs need exercise and this is the way to make sure they’re getting it.” –Christina
NapTime baby monitor bracelets
“Dislike. Figure it out people. Sometimes it’s not about turns.”-Andy
Parrot Flower Power to water your plants:
“Dislike. I don’t trust parrots with my garden. I trust them more with piracy.”-Greg
Nicole discussed how to be financially savvy:
“A rich bitch is having the confidence to live the life you want. I’m taking the word back. I’m strong and confident.”
“Finance is fun and sexy. But I never found a book that made me understand money speak.”
“I’m all about making the case for the latte. You can’t save that much money from abstaining. My billable hours are different than a lawyer but they’re still workable hours.”
“Rent a house and buy a latte.”
“Once you learn the language you can feel empowered to engage in the conversation.”
“I thought my first boyfriend was talking about gardening when he told me he wanted to work with hedge funds.”
“Women live longer, A) awesome but B), we need to get our retirement in check.”
“It’s about the small indulgences so you don’t binge later on.”
“It’s about aspiration not deprivation.”
“I wanted to rethink conventional financial wisdom. “
“Selling a book is hard, writing a book is hard, and promoting a book is even harder.”
“Student debt is like good fat, it doesn’t mean you should eat guacamole all day.”
“Debt is the only 4 letter word I don’t like. It hinders you from creating the life you want to live.
“Higher-yielding interest debt first, then work your way down.”
“Change your mindset, remember to negotiate for everything.”
“Everything is negotiable.”
“Definitely negotiate medical bills, credit card bills, cable. The worst thing they can say is no.”
“Always throw down the competitor’s name.”
“What do you want to get out of a higher salary or working from home or a bonus plan?”
“We’ll talk about blow jobs and diarrhea before we discuss our salaries at the dinner table.”
“Be raw and authentic almost to a fault so people can learn from your honesty to do their own negotiations.” “The first YouTuber I interviewed was Justin Bieber.” Nicole
“Being an entrepreneur is easier than ever. Anyone can go to Staples and get a business card that says CEO.” Nicole
“You can only fake it ‘til you make it for so long.”
Fave apps: “Uber, DryBar, RueLaLa.”
Deleted: “Huckster. It doesn’t work anymore. “
You can purchase Rich Bitch at Amazon & Barnes & Noble
Next up Greg Edwards, Andy Sandberg, Christina Bianco talk their newest Off-Broadway hit, Application Pending about the elite admissions process in NYC kindergartens:
“I went to a small private school and wanted to do something on the admissions world. “ Andy
“We wanted to encapsulate that world with as many characters as possible.” Andy
“Schools have Mandarin now.” Greg
“The dynamic between the kids and the parents is just as important.” Greg
“We wanted to capture the craziness of the world-all the competitors and frenetic energy.” Andy
“I wouldn’t even know I did impressions unless my parents told me. It’d started with singing.” –Christina
“Mom would say, ‘Don’t sing it like that person, sing it like you’.”
“The first time I did something a whole room was interested in hearing was an impression of Celine Dion.”
“When someone tells you you can do something it gives you worlds of confidence. “
“I was asked to do a reading of the play and luckily they thought about me.”
“It’s an incredible challenge. I’m used to getting my cue and now I’m giving myself my cues.”
“Memorizing 75 minutes of continual dialogue presented by 40 different people is a new challenge.”
“Though Christina does play a million characters in the show, there is one main character that we’re following and investing in.” Greg
“Theater is an industry where people want to tell you what to do in a given field, but one of the great challenges of this business is diving into the things you enjoy most.” Andy
“Someone who understands your thought process and works well and challenges you is the best collaborative experience.” Greg
“I never liked to sit still and so I didn’t want to wait for the phone to ring. You have to take control–have a broader way of looking at things.” Christina
“I went from having 500 Twitter followers to having 20,000. So I thought, ‘okay, how do I keep them?’” Christina
“It’s daunting, I wasn’t so big into the digital world, not just to promote my career but to keep the followers.” Christina
Learn more about Application Pending atApplicationPendingPlay.com or ChristinaBianco.com
Join Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg next week to hear all the latest in tech innovations only on SiriusXM Business 111 at 9am PST/12EST.
by 
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January 13, 2015
StartUp, the Podcast About Launching Your Own Company
By now, it’s safe to say that if it’s the brainchild of This American Life, we’ll be obsessed with it (anyone else experiencing Serial withdrawal?)
So we were psyched to hear about StartUp, a new podcast in which former TAL producer Alex Blumberg (whose story about a cotton t-shirt won a Peabody award last year) set out to start his own business…without knowing the first thing about starting your own business.
The concept is actually pretty meta: Blumberg is launching a production company, called Gimlet, to give newbie podcasters a platform and financial support. The initial StartUp episodes cover common entrepreneur concerns–coming up with a name, finding partners, raising funds. But Blumberg isn’t merely doling out advice: Instead, he wants us to learn from his fumbles. In the very first episode, he pitches his idea to big-time Silicon Valley investors. (It’s eerily reminiscent to that first time we asked for a raise.) Most recently, he put out an f-bomb heavy episode called “We Made a Mistake.”
The show also explores the less talked-about aspects of entrepreneurship—the loneliness, for example, or that awkward moment when you butt heads with your partner. The audience gets a front row seat in the boardrooms of Facebook and DropBox, too, and learns their corporate jargon.
Admit it: You always wanted to know what “blended acquisition costs” really means.
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January 8, 2015
Radio Show Recap: Live from CES 2015
This year’s annual Consumer Electronics Show from the Las Vegas Convention Center features over 20,000 products (meaning 10 products every minute), is the length of 28 football fields, and was the location for yesterday’s episode of Dot Complicated!
Our guests are all major players at CES 2015, which wraps up tomorrow. First up were Michael Gorman, editor-in-chief of Engadget and John Biggs, editor of TechCrunch:
“Past CESes were always tent pole devices. The show has changed. It’s not about the big companies. It’s about the smaller companies. It’s a huge shift.”
“Companies give us information under embargo, but the weirdest stuff is on the floor.”
Weirdest gadget yet: “Half-circular shaped controller for VR that you use your feet for.”
“It’s a lot of evolution and maturation of areas we’ve known before. New car technology, wearables, smart home stuff.”
“Everything is wifi connected. Even for your flowerpots. LG has a wifi washing machine with a secondary delicate area.”
“The iPhone was launched, the new Palm Pilot all came around CES. But today nothing is ready for mass market yet.”
” RZA announced their newest Wu-Tang album on a Bluetooth speaker.”
“Tech used to be geeks and nerds and it’s becoming closer to everyone since we all have a phone in our pocket. It’s a financial opportunity for all.”
“We try to cover as much as we can. We have 30 people and a trailer out in the parking lot. At the end of the week it’s Red Bull and power cords strewn everywhere.”
“The Drone Rodeo happens when every company does their press conference so I missed it but essentially it’s DJI drones with filmmaking cameras. Amazing stuff.”
“We’re in charge of the best of CES awards. It’s hard to cut through the noise. Submit through our page. We look at everything. The weirder and more bizarre it is the better it is. Tell us ahead of time, before CES. Don’t bang our inbox, send once and let it be.”
“I got to speak with people from iRobot and BMW talking about the future of robotics. It’s interesting to be able to talk with folks on the bleeding edge. Ekso Bionics had a soldier put on one of their suits after being paralyzed from the waist down. Those are the kind of things I’m most interested in.”
“Oculus is brilliant it’s the best VR I’ve ever seen but it requires a lot of computing power. It’s not yet what people are expecting VR to be.”
“Hardware Battlefield is about hardware startups before anyone cared about hardware for people to show off new products.”
Wacky product: “Fishbit for when your fish are sick and which fish to buy.”
“Pet feeders are big right now. Z Board electronic skateboards. Personal locomotion.”
“50 Cent has his own headphone line. Who wouldn’t want 50 Cent on their judging staff?”
“We started livestreaming of the show floor.”
“HDDVD died at the show. Some devices don’t live up to the hype.”
“Don’t launch here. If you’re trying to sell stuff, great. But if you launch here it’s too cluttered.”
“Naptime is a silent buzzer that goes on the wrist of mom and on dad. It alternatively goes off when the baby cries so you take turns. These French guys who don’t have kids at all invented it.”
“This is a show for the buyer. It’s got suites entirely dedicated to order 50,000 wearables out of Best Buy. We’re ancillary to that operation. “
“CES is bigger because everything is CE nowadays.”
“Everyone who has something technological is going to want to be here.”
Lauren Thaman of Procter & Gamble discussed the newest P&G and Whirlpool collaboration, SWASH— a 10-minute clothing care device that puts dry drying bills out to wash:
“Swash is the first at home-clothing care device and CES is the place where all the different home care products are displayed.”
“Clothing is about who you are, they make you feel a certain way. I don’t want my time micromanaging my clothing.”
“I never expected to be this overwhelmed. We got here at 8:15 and there were people 5 deep to get in. We were bombarded with questions by 9:30!”
“The amount of questions I’ve had have helped me think about what the consumer needs are.”
“We knew that the device appealed equally to men and women but men are passionate about this because it’s easy clothing care and can lead to a 50% reduction in the dry cleaning bill.”
“CES is so international. It shows how connected the world really trying to make things easier.”
“CES is like a Disneyland overload and every ride at once. It makes the Vegas strip look calm.”
Wackiest product: “A scale that tweets your weight.”
CES tip: ” Wear sneakers.”
Nihar Patel, vice president of North American Business Strategy for Toyota, discussed Toyota’s revolutionary announcement to make over 5,000 patents related to fuel-cell drive systems royalty free:
“CES kicks off the calendar year for us and showcases our corporate technologies. For us it’s hydrogen cars which will be around for the next 100 years.”
“It takes a village to bring these things to life. The reception is amazing. It’s another way for us to learn how people want to engage with our products so we can keep improving.
“Because we believe in hydrogen we thought let’s build the car first and get it ready for market. After 10 years it’s ready. So we said let’s provide infrastructure to have fueling stations. How to get people get excited was to open up our patents we can learn from what they’re working on in this space as well.”
“When you think of the challenges of emissions and safety you need a collaborative approach.”
“Start educating early. Why hydrogen, what’s a fuel cell—it will take some time. We need more manufacturers coming into the space.”
“The things we learn here will help us learn about the audience.”
Best trends of CES: “Connectivity, smart charging and quick charging in the auto space. Mobility for all.”
“We all get ready for CES to showcase our partners. It’s a way for us to become open and refreshed in the consumer market.”
“It’s been amazing to seen the positive reaction to opening up our patents. Beyond the fascination of hydrogen cars, people are impressed with Toyota’s dedication.”
“If you have a big challenge you have to be willing to work with all sorts of collaborations.”
Tips for CES: ” Bring your pedometers.”
Make sure to follow Randi’s continuing coverage of CES on Twitter and don’t forget to tune in next week to Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg on SiriusXM channel 111, 9am PT/12ET.
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January 7, 2015
The Nokia 215 is the World’s Cheapest Smartphone
In these days of $600 iPhones, could you even fathom a cellular device costing less than $30?
Prepare to have your mind blown. The new Nokia 215 costs just $29. Microsoft, which bought Nokia last year, is calling it the “most affordable Internet-ready phone.” Like most of the company’s past models, the Nokia 215 isn’t groundbreaking, (it’s by no means better than the iPhone), but it has a lot going for it. While it’s less than the average cost of an entree at many restaurants, the Nokia 215 allows you to call, text, check Facebook, get instant notifications through Facebook’s Messenger service, post to Twitter, check the forecast with MSN Weather, search with Bing, and browse the Internet with Opera Mini Browser.
Here’s the catch: it’s NOT available in the U.S. (yet), but the company has a socially conscious driven goal. It’s aiming to reach less connected markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, and make the benefits of a smartphone available to one billion more people. Features we take for granted are bound to be game-changing for the phone’s intended market. And one feature of the Nokia 215 that does blow the iPhone out of the water is its battery life–a whopping 29 days on standby, ideal for users in countries that don’t have ready access to electric outlets.
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January 6, 2015
Plowz Will Clear Snow from Your Driveway
The only thing worse than getting caught in a snowstorm is coming home to a driveway covered in the white stuff when you finally make it home.
Plowz, a new app that lets you book and pay for a snowplow with just a few taps. Think of it as Uber for snow removal. ”I got the idea because we had a pretty big snowstorm in Syracuse [New York] in 2012, and my mom need a snowplow because she couldn’t get out of her driveway,” founder William Mahoney, a New York State resident said. “I tried calling snowplow companies, but no one would pick up their phone.”
Mahoney’s app is being welcomed by the industry at which its service is aimed. Get started by setting up a profile and inputting your payment information. Once a willing plowman is located, you’ll receive a quote and can book directly. By the end of the day (but usually within a few hours), your snow will be gone, your credit card charged and a photo of your clear driveway sent to your phone (in case you’re out while your driveway is being plowed).
Prices vary based on driveway length and location (Plowz is currently in 34 U.S. cities), but are typically comparable to a service you might find online–generally in the $25 to $50 range. And, as with Uber, plowers are rated after each job. If a plower gets consistently poor ratings, he or she will be kicked off the service.
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January 3, 2015
Your New Year’s TECH Resolutions
A new year, a fresh start… While most people are making resolutions that focus on exercise and diet, here at Dot Complicated we’re challenging ourselves with tech resolutions– that is, changes to the way we use technology so it enhances our lives, rather than detracts from it.
We asked readers what their tech resolutions are for 2014– here’s what you said.
David Ryan Polgar @TechEthicist5h: New Years Tech Resolution: never check my phone while in mid-conversation–be fully present & engaged.
Mel Carson @MelCarson6h: Mine’s to use devices less around my 2 year-old. She’s already saying “Put your phone down, Daddy!”
Retroette @retroette13h: Turn off all tech by 10 pm. (Big fail tonight, I’m afraid.)
Mommy’s Event BFF @MommysEventBFF17h: Stop checking my phone when my children come home from school and don’t get back online until after they go to bed.
Sueanne Shirzay @SueanneShirzay: My N Y resolution is to use my phone to actually call people.
Daniel @idanielroman: Stop checking Twitter before bed.
Raffe Gold @raffeg: Be less of a promoter and more of an engager.
Jyoti Maheshwari @j11tweets: My new year’s resolution is to take at least one cell phone-free vacation every year.
mackmckelvey @mackmckelvey: No devices at the dinner table. Any dinner table, anywhere.
alicemwu @alicemwu: I’ve started putting my cell phone in my dresser to stop myself from looking at my phone
aprilfresh @aprilfresh: Find a “home base” at home for my iphone. If it’s not following me around, I won’t check it as often.
Katie Kempner @katiekempner: To stop checking my phone when I am spending time with my kids and really be present in the moment.
Tam @oiler0218: My new year’s tech resolution is not to use my phone in the car AT ALL. #safetyfirst #donttextanddrive
Angela Pontarolo @Apontarolo18 Dec: Mine is to truly and consistently be present. Tech down & listen.
Joree Rosenblatt @joreerose3318: Not to tell my kids “hold on” when in middle of a text. They’re more important. Mindful parenting
Blessing Oshin @ThinkFeminist18: Mine is zero social media except ‘Twitter’ for 2014. I know you FB folks won’t appreciate that, but…
Zeke Quezada @ZekeQuezada18 Dec: No more weekend tech moments that interfere with my kid’s activities.
Tanya Barrios @tbarrios47: Not check my email until I get to work!
Carla Naumburg, PhD @SWMama: My tech resolution is to put away my phone from when I pick up my kids at school until I get them to bed!
We love these! What’s your New Year’s tech resolution! Tweet @dotcomplicated or let us know in the comment below.
Posted on 1/2/2014
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December 29, 2014
5 Things To Do Now To Make The Holidays Next Year Less Stressful
The holiday season is my favorite time of the year but it is also when I stress the most! Shopping, gifts, decorating, wrapping, holiday cards… every year the list is the same and every year there are too many to-dos and not enough time do them. I’ve finally realized that the only way to remain sane in the weeks leading up to the holidays is to plan ahead!
Here are five easy steps you can take now, to save yourself time and stress next holiday season:
1. Buy ornaments, gift wrap, tape and holiday decorations now. This is the best time of the year to buy anything holiday related because many items are severely discounted. If your children are as rowdy as mine, you inevitably broke a couple of ornaments this year. Replace those ornaments and add to next season’s décor now and save yourself the headache next year. And don’t forget to buy tape and gift wrap to avoid next year’s inevitable emergency trip to the store. Store everything in your holiday box and enjoy one less errand next holiday season!
2. Set a calendar reminder on November 1st to start the holiday card process. This is a great reminder to get started early so that you are not cramming at the last minute to get your cards out the door. Additionally, many stationary providers offer higher discounts for orders submitted by mid-to-late November. In this reminder it is also helpful to indicate the number of cards you ordered this year and whether you need more or less next year. If you work with a photographer for your annual family picture, also set a June 1st reminder to book your appointment.
3. Create a “Best of 2014 Pictures” folder. Each time you download new pictures from your phone or camera take an extra five minutes to filter through and save the best “keepers” in a “Best of 2014 Pictures” folder. This makes it easier to put together photo books, calendars, framed pictures, and holiday cards at the end of the year.
4. Sign up for Amazon Prime and set a reminder to sign up for retailers’ emails. Amazon Prime is $79/year and provides two-day free shipping on millions of items. It is well worth it for the home, and a must-have if you own a small business. Sign up now so you enjoy all year and make holiday shopping next season much easier. This year many of the big retailers were providing significant discounts and deals via email throughout the months of November and December. Set a calendar reminder on November 10th to sign up for your favorite retailers’ emails so you don’t miss out for next years’ holiday shopping. And, set another reminder on December 26th to unsubscribe to those retailers who you are not interested in post-holidays. Save yourself the email clutter in the new year!
5. Save and format your final alphabetized address labels. This year you likely made edits to your holiday card address list including changes in addresses, additions, and deletions. Take the time now to finalize these edits in an alphabetized document that you save in Google Docs or another shared drive that your family can easily access next holiday season. If you are extra motivated, find a stationary site now that will address and send out holiday cards on your behalf next year (like Paper Culture or Minted). Download their template and format your address list now to save yourself a ton of time and energy next year!
Posted on 1/3/2014
Written by Anjali Varma
Anjali Varma is “The Modern Mompreneur.” Her website and You Tube channel provide parenting, lifestyle, and entrepreneurial tips for the modern mom trying to juggle it all. She is also the owner of a Kidville franchise in Bethesda, MD that offers classes, retail, haircuts, and birthday parties for young children. Anjali lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and 3 & 5 year old sons. She holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BBA from the University of Michigan. You can find Anjali at www.themodernmompreneur.com, www.youtube.com/themodernmompreneur and @anjvarma.
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December 27, 2014
Making New Year’s Intentions, Not Resolutions
The New Year…it’s that quintessential time to reflect on the past, look towards the future, and probe deep inside with a lens of self-inquiry, introspection and honesty. It’s the season to make resolutions for all the things we want to change, do better, let go of, or fix about ourselves so we can achieve a healthier state of mind, body and soul. There is only one problem with New Year’s resolutions…they usually never work!
According to Statistic Brain, 45% of people make resolutions but only 8% of people are successful in keeping them. Why is it so hard to stick to resolves that are so beneficial? It’s because people can’t make a drastic change overnight. It’s common to wake up January 1 with the determination to make it to the gym at least 5 days a week, cut out your extra 2 cups of coffee, limit alcohol to only the weekend, call your mother more often, and of course curb your spending habits. People don’t normally stick to their surefire goals because it’s simply not natural to shift habits that quickly. It takes time, patience, practice and the retraining of your brain to actually create new neural connections that lead to lasting change. This does not happen magically as the clock strikes midnight, while you are drinking champagne, kissing the person next to you as confetti falls from above.
However, New Year’s resolutions really do have a purpose and place in your life. You can and should change all the things about yourself in order to live optimally and authentically to become your best self. But you don’t need a specific date on the calendar to start making those changes. You need awareness to notice what isn’t working for you and the intention to make it better.
I hate the word “goal.” I actually get really annoyed when my husband asks me what my goals are. I tell him that I don’t have goals because it implies that if I don’t meet them, then I haven’t succeeded and clearly I’ve failed. I tell him that instead of setting goals, I set intentions.
Having an intention keeps me present and grounded in my moment-to-moment actions. And because I have a strong mindfulness practice, I constantly am inviting inquiry to my inner state, being aware of what is arising in my present moment experience and deciding with intention and skill how to proceed forward. Having intentions, rather than goals or resolutions, keeps me in the here and now rather than in the future. I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know I have control over this very moment. I also have the faith to know that what is meant to be will be, and if I don’t reach a particular “goal” it’s because my process is about the journey, not the destination, and that my path will lead me to where I’m supposed to be.
So, when thinking about the New Year and all the things that you are resolving to change, I invite you to cultivate a mindfulness practice. This will provide you the tools to stay present, heighten your awareness of self, live with more attention and intention, and develop a greater connection to your mind, body and spirit. Don’t just fixate on finite resolutions that will determine you as a success or failure for having kept them or not. Rather allow yourself to be, to breathe and to intend on having the best year you are capable of having. And take it one moment, one breath at a time. That truly is all you have power over, and as long as you’re breathing and being aware, you will stay very close to your intentions. And even if you miss the mark from time to time, don’t give up, rather forgive yourself, and remember you are human. Resolve to come back to your intention and make a new choice in the next moment.
Recently I have been reciting a new mantra during my meditations, and I offer this to you as a tool for sticking close to your intentions: “I breathe in what nourishes and heals me; I breathe out what is spent.” Focusing on these words naturally helps you make choices that lead to achieving your resolutions. By setting this as your intention you will make the lasting change towards being your best self and achieving a healthier state of mind, body and soul. Isn’t that what we all resolve to have anyways? Happy New Year to you and yours!
Posted on 1/2/2014
Written by Joree Rosenblatt
Joree Rosenblatt has a Master’s in Counseling Psychology and is a mindfulness educator in the Northern California. In addition to working at a K-8 private school teaching mindfulness to students, she teaches her original curriculum to adults, and onsite in corporations, and speaks publically on the Fundamentals of Mindfulness and Mindful Parenting. Joree’s true passion is raising her two daughters, mindfully of course…well, most of the time! Even though she already is a rock star mom, Joree practices mindfulness every day, and when all else fails, she remembers to take a moment and just breathe.
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December 22, 2014
Blogging 101: How To Compose A Great Post
There’s no question that blogging is here to stay. Blogging has become an essential tool for marketers to grow their brands and is also a leading interactive way to share information. According to Ignite Spot, 77% of Internet users read blogs, 6.7 million people blog on blogging sites, and 12 million people blog via social networks.
When creating your own niche in this vast blogosphere, you’ll want to follow certain guidelines to ensure you’re engaging and entertaining your readers. If you’re consistent in these efforts, the loyalty will follow.
Here are eight simple steps to get you on the path to blogging like a pro.
Understand your audience. Ask yourself these questions before writing a post. What is my audience looking for? Why do they follow me? How can I connect with them and provide content that will resonate? Remember you will not be able to please everyone, but once you find your niche – stay consistent.
Titles get readers. Titles should be unique and creative. They also need to give a clear understanding of what the post is about. Titles must be SEO friendly, but need to entice someone to click. Spend the time thinking of the perfect title. I always start with a “working title” just to put together an outline. I often go back and edit the title as the story comes alive. In a sea of Internet copy, your title is the first, and many times the last, opportunity to catch readers’ attention – so make it count.
Stay organized. Sometimes blog posts can be an overwhelming amount of information. If possible, break your posts up or edit out any content that isn’t necessary to the main point. You don’t want your readers to get lost in the information or give up on the post altogether. Start with an outline of your thoughts and build the story around those bullets. Be sure all your points stay focused on the theme of the post. Very lengthy posts can also be intimidating, so try to keep it between 500-1000 words on average.
Storytelling. People love a great story. Even if your post is more informational, try to incorporate a personal connection to your words. Facts tell, but stories sell. When readers feel connected to you and your experience, they are more likely to share and return for more. If you’re providing information, make sure to include credible sources or state that it’s just your opinion.
Lists. Lists mesmerize readers because the human eye is immediately drawn toward them. Lists give readers a clear idea of what to expect from the content. They also promote easy navigation and promise a quick read.
Visual content. Text isn’t the end all be all. Readers love visual aids. Be sure to add photos and videos to bring home a point. Because no one likes an ugly blog post either, keep your formatting and borders consistent.
Optimize. Be sure to plug in keywords throughout your post to make your blog easily searchable on search engines. Don’t over compensate on keywords, it will come through in your writing to your readers. Try to add anchor text if it relates to your current content. Anchor text is a word or words that link to a relatable post either on your blog or another one. This helps search engines rank your post as well.
Edit, edit, edit. Even those of us with an eye for detail make mistakes. Comb your work line-by-line a minimum of five times. Then enlist help. Ask a friend or significant other to read over for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors.
Once you’ve completed these steps you can hit publish! Make sure you have social plugins available on your blog so readers have the ability to share your work. When content is shared on social media it’s then prioritized in ranking results, so always encourage your readers to share.
Happy Blogging!
By Holly Rust
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December 18, 2014
Holiday Spending Survival Guide – 4 Tips To Stay Within Budget
The holidays are a joyous time of year, but arguably one that has the greatest impact on your finances. Hosting parties, traveling to see loved ones and of course, buying gifts, can add up quickly! To avoid a huge holiday shopping hangover in January, it’s important to be mindful of what you purchase in December – and how you pay for it. Holly Perez of Mint.com shares 5 tips to keep your holiday spending under control this season…without coming off like a Grinch:
1. Set a budget. It’s easy to get swept away in the shopping frenzy and end up spending more than you can afford. Before you start, develop a realistic budget and designate a specific amount for each item or person on your list. Use a free, online personal finance management tool like Mint.com, which lets you view spending by category while on the go and see how holiday shopping affects your overall net income.
2. Research before you buy. Determine where the items you want to purchase will be the most affordable and what time the stores are planning to open. Then, map out a plan of attack accordingly. Being knowledgeable about what you’re shopping for will also help you avoid being lured into impulse purchases. Before you head to the cashier (or online checkout), make sure your purchase is within the budget you set.
3. Save on entertaining. Don’t let entertaining bust your budget. Before investing in new holiday decorations, take inventory of what you already own and make a detailed list of what you need. Save even more by heading outside to collect natural decor such as pinecones and holly. Get creative by filling a clear vase with cranberries, holly and fresh flowers or spray paint the pinecones to create a festive centerpiece. And when it comes to creating an elaborate and expensive holiday meal, why not host a potluck? This way, you’ll only be responsible for the cost and preparation of one aspect of the meal.
4. Do it yourself. DIY gifting can be a heartfelt way to show your appreciation of others. There are countless creative ideas from sites like Pinterest.com. Remember, it’s the thought that counts. And with a little time and elbow grease, you can create great DIY holiday gifts your friends and family will appreciate without breaking the bank. It’s easy to lose control of your finances during the holidays, so why not get in front of it this year? Here are a few more ideas from The Daily Worth on giving gifts that you’ll feel good giving.
By following these tips you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to fully enjoy the season’s festivities while tracking toward important financial goals such as reducing debt, increasing savings and avoiding that all too familiar holiday hangover.
Posted on 12/5/2013
Written by Holly Perez
Holly loves helping people better manage their money with her work with Quicken and Mint. You can also find her chasing after good bargains and her two boys.
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