Mohit Tater's Blog, page 615

Key Ways to Protect Your Organization From a Ransomware Attack

There are hundreds of threats to an organization, such as changes to rules and regulations, technological impacts, increase in competitors, staff leaving and more. However, one threat that is becoming increasingly prevalent for businesses of all types, no matter the industry, is digital security issues.

In particular, ransomware is a big threat that’s causing thousands of ventures around the globe to lose sales, money, customer trust, time and more each year. To help you protect your organization from a ransomware attack, read on for some steps you can take today.

Install Protective Software

One of the easiest and most effective strategies is to purchase and install protective software for your computers. There are all sorts of products to choose from, some of which are free. The most comprehensive, trusted products though tend to be those designed to offer complete business network security. When comparing options, always look for software that protects against a wide variety of threats, including ransomware, of course, plus viruses, malware, spyware, spam and the like. It should protect your privacy when you and your team are online, researching, browsing, shopping, connecting,etc., too.

Firewalls are also helpful. These work to stop hackers from breaking into systems by way of an internet connection, adding another line of defense. Check your computers to see if there are firewalls already installed on them, as many manufacturers do includes these. However, if you do find them, check the settings – they might not be activated. If you don’t have firewalls available on your computers, there are many third-party firewall products on the market.

Use Tough Passwords

As you would imagine, another good way to keep cyber criminals at bay is to use tough passwords on your gadgets. Protect your computers, Wi-Fi router and any other connected devices you use to store and transmit information. As well, ensure you and your employees password-protect accounts you log into online, such as bank accounts, social media pages and other locations where you input sensitive information.

Proper passwords are tough for hackers to crack; these are at least eight characters long and are made of a mixture of upper-case and lower-case letters, symbols and numbers. Don’t create codes based on any identifying names, numbers or words either. For example, avoid using anything cyber criminals could guess from looking at online information. Steer clear of addresses, birth dates, children’s or pet names, lucky numbers, email addresses and so on.

Update Systems Often

Something that not enough people do but that can make a huge difference to business security is updating computer systems often. You and your workforce need to install the latest versions of security software and firewalls, browsers, plugins, operating systems, apps and so on. As well, get everyone to update the passwords they use every few months for additional protection.

A good way to ensure systems stay up-to-date is to set up programs to update automatically, as soon as new versions are released by developers. If this really isn’t something you want to do, at least set up notifications, so you are alerted when updates come out and can install them manually.

Make Smart Online Decisions

Hackers are adept at finding ways into networks and systems by planting malicious code when people click on links or open emails or attachments. Unfortunately, many businesses are compromised when employees complete some seemingly harmless action online and wind up with ransomware surreptitiously placed on their machine, which crawls through the network looking for sensitive data.

To stay safe, advise your employees to never open emails or attachments from people or organizations they don’t know. Also, keep an eye out for messages that seem to come from a legitimate source, such as a bank or telecommunications provider, but which are actually fraudulent. There might be, for instance, a logo that doesn’t seem quite right, a strange email address used or bad spelling and grammar in the communication.

Social media sites are havens for hackers because of the sheer number of people who frequent them. As such, be careful when you and your employees are on these kinds of websites. In particular, be wary of clicking on links related to sensational headlines.

Back Up Your Data Every Day

Lastly, just in case you do ever get caught out by a ransomware attack, it’s important to have backed up business data every single day. To the cloud is best because if hackers suddenly deny you access to your own computers or networks or delete information or crash systems, you will have your data stored elsewhere and won’t have to pay the ransom or suffer from any downtime.

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5 Basic Steps You Need To Cover When Developing Your Brand’s Identity

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Covering Your Bases

There is a lot to a brand. From the time agricultural heavyweights began branding cattle using a heated symbol to scar livestock, to the modern logos which are used to brand top-tier companies the world over, substantial transition has taken place. Still, the core of a given brand is the same.

A brand’s logo, name, and slogan are archetypical in a subconscious sense. These small things represent a condensation of the overall brand. The “M” of McDonald’s is subconsciously relative to the “Mmmmmm” sound we make when we like a certain food. That big yellow “M” on a red background in a certain way says everything that needs to be said about McDonald’s.

Here’s the thing: even at the top, things change. “We Love To See You Smile” is a known slogan, so is “I’m lovin’ it.” If McDonald’s, who has inarguably cornered the market on fast food, must augment at intervals, you’re going to have to do the same thing.

Your brand must be recognizable, and visible; but it also must be flexible. So you see,  there’s complication here! But it’s possible to have a well-rounded brand which is easily identifiable, and properly flexible. Following are five steps to help you develop and maintain your brand’s identity.

1. Define Brand Goals

Determine where you are, and where you’re going—or at least, where you intend to go. You want to have clear goals which help you know the right moves. Ideally, you should expect a certain level of profit by a certain time. You additionally want to hit a certain market successfully. Know where you are, and where you’re going.

2. Utilize Trade Shows

Trade shows are a great opportunity for your business to become known among peers and clientele most amenable to what you do. You want to have a strong presence at trade shows starting out, and as you can afford to going forward.

Think of it like an engine on a lawn mower: you may need to pull the string a few times to get the engine running. Well, pull that string, then! The stronger your “pull” at a trade show, the more quickly your operation will become effectively established.

3. Increase Your Visibility

The Teehive prints personalized tablecloths for any personal event or business, which can be integral at trade-shows, or elsewhere; you can choose from multiple templates, interface with designers for total customization, and acquire stretch-fit solutions to fit the size of the table you’re looking to personalize.

Such personalized materials in the form of t-shirts, tablecloths, and other branded materials can be an essential part of helping you increase visibility as well as impact going forward.

4. Establish A Process Of Refinement

Your brand can’t exist in a “static” sense. You must always be working toward betterment of that which you’re providing for clients. This means researching your target market, and keeping close numbers so you always know what works and what doesn’t. It’s not enough to observe the changes, though; you’ve got to institute a system of implementation as well.

5. Facilitate Flexibility In Design For Refinement

McDonald’s changed their slogan, and they’re not the only one to subtly augment the public perception of their brand. Such changes are costly, but they will be necessary as your business expands, and its mission augments. If you design your brand with a level of flexibility in terms of outreach, provision, and development, you can curtail costs here.

Image via Unsplash

Bettering Your Brand

Work with PR professionals to help give you an idea of the best brand solutions. Additionally, for visibility, you might consider SEO (Search Engine Optimization) solutions.

The key is bettering your brand continuously in the most cost-effective way. You’ll need to augment going forward; build that into your brand, and you’ll reduce hassle while increasing brand effectiveness continuously over time.

Your brand should be flexible, continuously refine itself, constantly strive to expand visibility, use trade shows and the like to the utmost, and define clear goals. These things are essential in bettering you — and they may require some professional assistance.

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The Best Ways to Relax on Your Lunch Break

During your working day, you will be used to the hour-long lunch break you have in the middle. This is a time where you need to regain your energy and relax properly before the busy nature of the day starts up again. Sometimes, relaxing can be difficult, especially when you have a lot of pressures on you in a busy time of the year, for example. However, that doesn’t mean it is an impossible task. Lots of people find their lunch breaks the most relaxing time of the day, and so there are many ideas out there on how you can spend your time.

Exercise

People are quickly realizing that to stay energized for such a long time; they should use their hour to exercise. Many workplaces will offer gym discount as a perk of having the job, but there are many gyms you can find which offer cheap monthly deals. If you don’t feel comfortable going to the gym, you can head to your local park to have a quick ten-minute workout, or go on a walk in the fresh air. Having this oxygen in your body is more likely to wake you up, and you can maximize your time by packing a lunch filled with non-refined carbohydrates and fresh fruit and vegetables.

Play a game

Many people like to reserve their exercise for the morning or the evening, and prefer to keep themselves on the ball by playing games. Not only is this a great way to relax, but playing games can ensure that your brain remains sharp and ready to take on the activities of the afternoon. Doing this is much easier than ever before, due to online games being simple to access from any handheld device. Sites like Unibet are usually a go-to, as people can even earn small pockets of cash to keep their excitement and energy high.

Meet with friends

Having a busy job can mean that you have little time to see your friends. If you are both working in a similar location, it’s a good idea to make the most of this by going for lunch with each other regularly. Catching up with old friends is good for the mind, and can help you release any pent-up stress you may have from work. Whether it’s for lunch, a walk in the park, or a coffee, you can change up what you do together the more you meet.

Have a nap

It can be tricky to maintain a healthy sleeping pattern if your job takes up much of your time. This is why many people choose to nap on their lunch breaks, so they can have a quick burst of energy to keep them going for the rest of the day. If you have low energy levels, this is a particularly good way to spend your lunch. If you are able to, taking ten to twenty minutes to slow down and rest your head will put you in tune with your emotions, and help you feel less stressed. Ideally, you shouldn’t do this at work, but if you live close, this is an easy call.

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Rampant Conflicts that Decimate a Family Business

Family businesses are subject to disputes that can mushroom to be costly and protracted on either of the spouse(s) or partner(s). Operating a family-controlled business can get complicated by friction resulting from rivalries among family members who assume positions of power. Unless the principals confront hostilities, the business and its employees are on the brink of devastation. Clearly, when managerial decisions are influenced due to nepotism, honoring a family tradition or unfair division of responsibilities, the business is likely to run into trouble. There could be several ways to resolve conflicts; one good way I advise is to consult with an expert Business Law firm like Prime Lawyers. Let’s talk about some wild conflicts that destroy a family business.

‘Father-Son Rivalry’           

The founder gets attached to his/her business deeply. The business, in other words, becomes the founder’s extension. Characteristically, the owner bears great difficulties in delegation and devolution of authorities and control. This behavior often leads to grim repercussions for the relationship between father and son. Subconsciously, the father feels and wishes to pass on his business to his son but finds it hard to materialize the succession. Moreover, the father continues to showcase his competence and reassures himself that his withdrawal might lead to catastrophic consequences for the business. These contradictory feelings cloud his judgment and in fact, narrow down his vision of business success. Frustrated by his elder’s intrusions, the son naturally reflects emotions of rivalry against his father’s false sense of self-aggrandizement. I have personally witnessed men assuming positions in their family businesses being victimized by their fathers who chair the board.

Tactical Miscalculations

Disgruntled by his father’s hegemony, the son fiercely competes to free himself of the abject dependence on his elder. The struggle for control remains a stand-off. If the son discovers the weaknesses and peculiarities of his father’s authority, he strategizes to take over. The powerful façade of the leader although hampers such efforts yet can be subject to failure and recession. Normally, the son teams up with other members of the board to plot against his father and falls prey to the board’s predatory tactics. It then becomes essential to bind together the fabric of family ownership and this responsibility can either be upheld by the son or his father.

Brother-Brother Rivalry

In other instances where the leader departs splitting the ownership amongst his sons, the rivalry can have daunting ramifications. The usual sibling rivalry for the parent’s approval continues in adult life too. It can reach to the extent where management decisions are taken purely to overthrow control or destabilize a position. Personal hostilities pave a path for destructive decision making and often result in business losses. This raises concerns across the board and can disrupt the strategic calculus of the company.

Intra-Family Friction

Sometimes the problems amongst immediate family extend to relatives if they are involved in ownership or profit-sharing. The commander, in effect, feels heavily responsible for the entire family fortune and a small dip in profits can raise brows and generate friction. The real challenge is the tightly-knit relations that the owner cannot dismiss. This embroils the organization and harvests suffering but peace.

Toward Professional Management

When there are multiple claimants of ownership or complex family hierarchy in the business, the best way-out is outsourcing. The family should establish a trust sidelining all relatives out of the business operations. In general, professional management is the wisest course of action. It allows for objectives’ resolution and fulfillment along with monitoring and control of the business and corporate strategy.

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How Your Business Can Reduce Its Carbon Footprint

Going green not only helps companies protect the environment, but it also offers a number of financial and reputational benefits to help a business grow.

Regardless of whether you run a small or large business, there are ways you can become an eco-friendly brand. If you want to start living up to your environmental responsibilities and save money, learn how your business can reduce its carbon footprint.

Keep Up-to-Date with the Latest Energy Efficiency Tips

Lower your overhead costs and help to safeguard the environment by staying up-to-date with the latest energy efficiency tips. Every step your organization takes to reduce its carbon footprint will compound over time and become a big success you can share with employees & customers.

Only Buy Hybrid Company Cars

As your employees might need to get from A to B for work, you may want to provide them with reliable, eco-friendly vehicles to help reduce their carbon footprint. If so, you should only buy hybrid vehicles over gasoline cars. Not only do they run cleaner, but they also will use less mileage, so they make both economic and environmental sense.

Swap from Desktops to Laptops

Did you know that laptops use an incredible 80% less power in comparison to desktop computers? That’s a lot of electricity if you employ many members of staff. Become more energy efficient by swapping desktops for laptops and save a substantial amount of money each month.

Allow Your Staff to Work from Home

Of course, if you want to decrease your energy bills considerably, you should allow your employees to work from home. Thanks to cloud-based technology, it’s easy for staff to work remotely. In addition to lowering your electricity and water usage, it will also help to reduce your employees’ carbon footprint, as they will not need to commute to work every day.

Utilize Video Conferencing

There’s no reason to take a flight to visit an overseas client, as you could simply utilize the power of video conferencing technology. Skype is making it easier for brands to connect with international clients, which can reduce their reliance on cars, planes, and trains. Plus, it can also save your business both time and money.

Turn Off Everything

You can guarantee your employees will turn off their lighting and devices at home each day to reduce their outgoings, so they can easily bring their energy saving habits into work.

Encourage every employee to shut down and turn off their computer after the working day. You could also install motion sensitive lighting, so they’ll only turn on when needed and will turn off due to inactivity.

Encourage Alternative Ways to Travel

Become a more ethical business by encouraging your employees to use alternative modes of transport when commuting to work. For example, provide staff with free parking if they carpool into work, or recommend they use public transport or cycle to reduce their carbon footprint. Not only can it lower emissions, but it could also change your employees’ attitudes to climate change.

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Ticket-Fighting Tips: What To Do When You Get Pulled Over

Almost everyone will get pulled over by the traffic police at some point in their life. While it’s definitely not a moment that you would excitedly anticipate, there is also no reason to be nervous about it, either. As a speeding ticket lawyer can tell you, as long as you remain calm, there are things you can do to reduce your chances of getting a ticket.

Don’t Be a Threat

Even if you are so gentle that you wouldn’t hurt a fly, remember that the officer pulling you over doesn’t know that. Showing the officer that you are harmless will automatically reduce some tension. These are a few ways to appear less threatening:

Remain in your vehicle.
Turn off the ignition and put the keys on your dashboard.
If it’s dark outside, turn on interior lights.
Remove hats or sunglasses you may be wearing.
Place your hands on the wheel so the officer can see them.

In addition, once the officer has approached you and asked for your license and registration, make sure to inform him or her of where they are located as you reach for them.

Stay Cooperative

While speaking to the officer, make sure to listen carefully and follow the instructions. It also wouldn’t hurt to be very polite while doing as you are asked. The easier you make this process for the officer, the more likely he or she is to let you off with a warning.

Have a Good Attitude

Whether you agree with why you are being pulled over, try to have a good attitude. While it can be difficult to stay positive, especially if you don’t agree with the officer, a good attitude can be the difference between a ticket and a warning.

Still Got a Ticket? Let Us Help

If you still got a ticket despite being the perfect citizen, don’t fret. At The Ticket Clinic, you can speak with an attorney who can help you erase that infraction from your record. For help beyond a speeding ticket, a traffic ticket lawyer Long Beach area can give you advice. Call us at 1-800-248-2846 for a free consultation.

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Circle: Joins Largest Crypto Startups With Valuation of $3 Billion

Circle is a peer-to-peer payment technology company founded in October 2013 by Jeremy Allaire and Sean Neville. Backed by Goldman Sachs Group, it is currently the largest cryptocurrency startup due to several initiatives and acquisitions. The Boston-based startup recently raised $110 million in a funding round that pivoted its valuation to a whopping $3 billion.

Bitmain led the funding round, they’re China’s largest mining company and included old investors like Digital Currency Group, Breyer Capital, General Catalyst, IDG Capital, Accel, and Pantera. First-time investors, Blockchain Capital and Tusk Ventures, also participated in the round. Before the funding round, the company was backed by around $135 million in venture capital and was focused on trading Bitcoin. However, with time, the company diversified and switched to traditional fiat currencies.

Circle has made it clear that rather than focus on Bitcoin, the company wants to build lasting financial infrastructure in the cryptocurrency industry. Like other big corporations, it is looking to leave its mark on the industry by pioneering useful applications of blockchain technology. Circle currently has several functioning verticals including Circle Pay, Circle Trade, Circle Invest, Circle Assets, Poloniex, Center and USD coin.

Circle Pay

The Circle pay app enables financial transactions between several users including sending and receiving money and is available for use on both iOS and Android. The app trumps other similar applications because money can be sent and received anywhere in the world with no hidden charges.

It also allows users to send messages, stickers, and gifs while transferring money, which makes the whole process a lot friendlier, social and fun for users. To use the Circle Pay app, users have to download it on their mobile phones. After signing up at first, a user may not need to link a bank account to the app. However, to use the full service, a bank account must be linked to facilitate fund transfer, request, and withdrawal.

Circle Trade

Initially, Circle claimed to be a social payment company with competitors like Square Cash and Venmo, but now, its focus has shifted to cryptocurrency. Its trade arm, Circle trade, operates one of the largest cryptocurrency over-the-counter trade operations for equally large cryptocurrency exchanges and investors. The trading arm handles monthly transactions worth over $2 billion and can provide liquidity for its users as well as manage large orders. Circle is different because it allows for better exchange rates than any other money transfer service available.

Poloniex

On the 26th of February, 2018, Circle acquired Poloniex, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges for $400 million and became the largest Fintech startup in the cryptocurrency industry. A leaked acquisition document showed that the company plans to turn Poloniex into “The U.S’s first regulated crypto exchange” through its mutual understanding with the SEC.

Circle Invest

Circle recently launched Circle Invest, a simple mobile app for users who want to invest in cryptocurrencies without bothering with the technicalities. It is tailored to the U.S market and gives users the option to buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, Monero and Zcash in just a few easy steps. The app may become a close competitor for Coinbase in the long run as its popularity gradually increases.

Center

Another recent initiative by circle is center, a platform on which a common framework that connects all electronic wallets will be built. The company defines Center as a foundation, even though it has not been incorporated and is still solely under the umbrella of the payment company.

Although the platform hasn’t formally launched, it has raised $20 million through the offer of Simple Agreement for Future Tokens (SAFT). These tokens are a form of the promise that investors will receive their tokens later. Once completed, Bitmain may be the first company to join the platform. Until then, Circle has implied that it will be the only company on the platform when it is launched.

The protocol may allow users to send money despite different wallet providers. For example, users may be able to send money from a Square cash wallet to user who has an Alipay wallet. If eventually, this functionality is realized, Center may be a direct competitor to Ripple (XRP), Stellar Lumens (XLM) and any other cryptocurrency platform that offers similar services.

Circle Asset Framework

Circle recently launched an Asset Framework that allows the company to understand the potential of every asset. Questions concerning technology, people, fundamentals, business models, and market dynamics are asked to make accurate estimations. Each project is scored based on the collected data, and its potential is measured. This way, as the number of Circle projects grow, their performance can be measured efficiently.

USD Coin

Cryptocurrency markets are volatile, with prices often fluctuating wildly. This can be seen in the case of Bitcoin which reached a peak of almost $20,000 in December 2017 before falling to a current price of $6,100. As a way to fix the problem of cryptocurrency volatility, Circle has announced its new US dollar backed cryptocurrency known as USD Coin or USDC.

The coin will function as a better digital version of the US dollar, and each token will be pegged to $1. Typically, this type of coin is called a Stablecoin and Tether is one example of a currently existing stablecoin. According to Allaire, USD coin provides an alternative to Tether. He also claims that it is essentially a blockchain-based dollar.

Similar to how the US dollar was tied to gold reserves, each USD coin will be tied to $1 so that for every token issued, a dollar will be added to Circle’s reserve. According to Allaire, after U.S dollars are converted to USD Coins, blockchain technology enables their fast confirmation and movement. He also revealed that tokens pegged to the Euro and Pound might be released later. However, it is unlikely that Asian currencies will be pegged because of the currently existing competition in the market.

The USD Coin will be hosted on the open-source framework of the Center foundation who will also oversee the Coin offering. It will run independently on the Ethereum blockchain but may change depending on whether better platforms emerge in the future. Currently, the Ethereum platform is the best option for a stablecoin because of its app-driven structure. For now, that structure remains solid enough to house several significant cryptocurrency applications.

Final Thoughts

Backed by the likes of Baidu and Goldman Sachs Group, Circle is currently one of the most well-funded blockchain startups. Bitmain has also shown that apart from mining interests, the company would like to support blockchain applications through its funding. Circle has been making moves to capitalize on blockchain technology for a long time, evident in Circle trade and the acquisition of Poloniex.

The USD Coin is an exciting venture, but it may be too early to know how it will fare in future. While several things can go wrong, there are also several positive outcomes that a USD-backed stablecoin can offer. The market is mostly unpredictable, and experiments are still going on to collect and study market trends. However, if Circle succeeds, it will boost the cryptocurrency ecosystem as a whole.

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Dressed to Impress: What Jewelry Should You Wear to an Interview?

Trying to figure out what jewelry to wear for your interview?

Here’s the short answer — less is more.

The key is not to overdo it. You wanna be sure your jewelry will enhance your interview attire, instead of overwhelming it.

Let’s get more into the topic of how to choose interview accessories.

Jewelry and clothing

Women should pass on wearing arms full of bracelets or dangling earrings, and men should keep their jewelry to a minimum.

For example, if you go online to shop men’s diamond jewelry, and you intend to purchase something for the interview, make sure it’s not too “blinged out.” A modest watch and/or wedding band will suffice.

When it comes to piercings, depending on where you are interviewing, you may want to consider taking out your rings.

Presenting yourself in a professional way is expected and crucial to creating a positive first impression with your potential employer. The basics of dressing professionally are relatively simple:

Wear a suit, tie, and a nice shirt
Wear a professional skirt or slacks.

Acceptable Job Interview Jewelry

A small band or a wedding ring.
A tiny necklace.
A small, non-religious, metal pendant, pearls or a reserved color.
A professional watch, or a single bracelet.
Earrings (dangle earrings, studs, or small hoops that don’t draw attention).

The goal is to make sure that your jewelry does not take attention away from your face. Any jewelry that is flashy, large or bright, should be avoided at all costs.

Job Interview Jewelry to Avoid

More than one bracelet (multiple loud bangles, etc.)
Big necklaces with equally big pendants.
A piece of jewelry with large CZ stones or brightly colored stones.
Diamond filled bracelets, CZ, or watches.

If your jewelry is designed to catch attention and turn heads, then it’s the type that should be avoided when dressing for a job interview.

You want the interviewer to maintain consistent eye contact with you, rather than distract them with your big jewelry.

The do’s and don’ts of interview jewelry

Do wear jewelry that sends out an authoritative message, but doesn’t distract from the main show (which should be your face and conversation).
Do not wear multiple rings per hand. A wedding band or engagement rings are fine.
Do wear small, reserved pieces. Rings should be discreet, and necklaces should be inconspicuous.
Do not wear plastic. Stick to real, high quality, stones, and metal. These type of pieces will always spell out sophistication.
Do wear jewelry that has a soft color.
Do not wear jewelry that may draw the interviewer’s attention away from your face.
Do be hesitant about expensive pieces. You never fully know the background of the person that’s interviewing you.

You only get one first impression, so having the perfect jewelry and outfit is the key to a successful job interview.

If you nail the look, your potential employers will already be impressed and will also be more likely to see you as the right candidate for the job.

If you want to dress to impress and be hired for the job of your dreams, just keep these tips in mind. And good luck on that interview!

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What is Essential to Know when Considering Share Trading?

If you are thinking of investing your money in shares, then you need to first educate yourself on the stock market itself. While it may be tempting to simply pick out a well-known name like Apple to invest in or to open a trade according to something you read online, that is not a wise approach. To see success in the long-term when trading shares, you need to know what you are doing and what to look out for. This will see you not only open trades that you are confident will work out but will also assist in managing your share portfolio effectively.

Even if you have been investing in shares for a while, you would still be well placed to continue learning all you can and having the essentials down. Having a thorough understanding of all that trading here involves will allow you to make it a success and see your money working for you in the best way.

What essential factors should you know about?

When it comes to trading shares, there is lots to research to do. Here are some basic essential guidelines to help:

How it all works – before you even think about investing any money in shares, you need to get a firm grasp of how the market works. This will allow you to not only determine what happens each day but also the process behind investing in it. It will also aid you in setting up a robust investment strategy to follow to find shares to invest in. Finding out what to look for in any investment and all the market terminology amongst other things will help you in your investment career.
News is crucial – in essence, a lot of what happens in the stock market is other traders reacting to the latest news on a sector or individual company. This makes it vital for you to keep up to date with any news each day that might affect your investments. It is also key to actually analyze the news also to see how it might pan out in term of any shares you hold and if you need to take action. The best share trading analysis will allow you to work out what is going on during the day and also where the markets might head into the future.
Filings – one secret but very handy thing to know about is the public filings that companies make with the SEC. These are publicly available reports that companies send in that tell you their financial situation, any risk factors and the general health of the company. Of course, this is just the information you need as an investor when deciding on a trade.
Remember tax issues – one thing that many share traders don’t consider is that you will be hit for short-term capital gains tax at anything up to 36% if you hold any trade for less than 12 months. After 12 months, that is not the case and you only pay standard tax on it. That is well worth knowing before you start trading as it can save you lots of money overall.
Don’t get caught up in individual share price – this sounds a bit crazy as surely the price is what it is all about?! While this is true, the message here is that the current share price should not be the main factor in whether you invest in a company. Just because a share is cheap at $10 doesn’t make it a good investment as it could fall further. Similarly, a $100 share might seem expensive, but if you feel it is sure to keep rising it could prove a great investment.
Consider long-term trading – although it is possible to trade intra-day, it really is better to know that holding trades for the long-term generally works out better. Not only do you avoid the above tax issue, but it is less hassle for you. In addition, trading long-term allows for the company you invest in to ride out any storms and for the price to head back up.

Get educated for trading success

As with any financial sector, knowing what you are doing before you do it is vital. This will not only see you make better decisions but also give you more chance of long-term success as a share trader. If you follow the above tips, then you should have a great start in covering the essentials and looking for the best shares to invest in.

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Startups are Battling it out with the Giants of Commerce in the Online Marketing Front

Online business marketing is considered as the process of making a business popular on the virtual world of internet. Today, the online business transaction is a common thing. With big fishes of the industry, small-scale businesses are also emerging. As a result, the market has turned more competitive. Today, every business wants to clinch certain benefits by enhancing the online followers or fans. In order to make a business popular online, online business marketing has been considered as the key thing.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is not a particular method rather it can ideally be called as a collection of various methods or strategies. In the following section, we shall note those exclusive SEO strategies or techniques that will help a small-scale business or startup business to compete with big fishes or well-known businesses of the industry.

Focus on the On-Page Optimization

The most important thing is to revamp your on-page optimization. On Page SEO has often been ignored by small-scale companies, as they think that it has minimal impact on the SEO campaign or business marketing campaign. Well, the essence of On Page SEO has not faded out ever. In fact, with the advent of time, it has become more and more important. With effective on-page optimization, it is possible to make a business successful. For bolster on-page optimization, you need to add H1 and H2 tags on your homepage. These tags must come with major keywords.

Meta keywords and meta descriptions should be added. Now, you should come to the content part. The content must be well optimized with all important keywords. The density of keyword should not exceed 2%, and the keywords should be added in a natural way to the content. Adding keywords should not harm the natural flow of writing.

Optimization of the Web Content

Content is the king in the field of business marketing, and you need to make your website content well optimized. For optimization of your website content, you need to revamp the contents. It is not needed to add descriptive content all the time. There is a misconception that long contents fetch better SEO results. Well, there is no such theory, and it is completely a myth. The content must be precise and relevant. This is what increases the value of your business website content.

Information is the main motto of adding content. Thus, you should have content that features quality information. In other words, contents should be helpful to users or visitors of your website. The visitors should be able to understand or know about your business after reading the content. Content has to be optimized by adding keywords. However, keyword density should not be high. The flow of content should be natural and lucid.

Getting Links from Popular Blogs

Guest blogging has been found to be quite a simple yet highly effective SEO method. With guest blogging, business popularity can be enhanced. Most of the small-scale businesses do not focus on getting links from premium as well as popular websites. They find new websites to publishing contents to build external links for the business website. Such sites may indulge in spamming activities. As a result, your business earns a bad reputation. Instead of doing anytime good, such mindless link generating tactics will lead to major business reputation losses. As a result, you shall fall behind in the competition.

Established businesses in your sector always look to create links from the trusted website or blogging platform. Thus, the art of guest blogging has to be learned. It is not all about creating a lot of links. It is all about creating links from the quality website. Today, quality matters in the search engine optimization process. Instead of focusing on quality, focusing on quantity would lead you to nowhere. To compete with large-scale business in your industry, you have to focus on guest blogging to get good quality external links for a business website. Due to this, your SEO rank will start increasing dramatically.

Follow What Competitors Are Doing

When it comes to competing with the large-scale businesses on SEO campaign, you should always follow the campaigning strategies and methods that those businesses are following. You do not have to copy the overall campaigning style or method. You need to keep an eye on the giant fishes of the industry in order to find the most successful as well as rewarding SEO methods. Following competitors will keep you in the competition.

Internet users will start recognizing your business, and your business website shall get a number of followers. Apart from these things, following the successful rival businesses or leaders in your industry will help you to understand how SEO campaigns ought to be carried out. In order to follow the competitors, you need more budget allocation for your business marketing. Budget allocation will be optimum with effective financial planning. For that purpose, business owners can check debt settlement reviews.

Local SEO Is More Effectual

You shall be able to compete with large businesses when you reduce your target audience into a specific region or locality. Globally recognized businesses have the special advantage due to their impeccable brand identity. However, it is not difficult to compete with them when you are backed with local audiences. You have the advantage of taming local sentiments. You can use the local language or local heroes in your business marketing process. All these things will help your business to appear more trusted as well as acceptable to the local people. Within a small sphere, it is possible to give tough competition to large-scale companies. But, your business would be completely outdone by the giants of the industry when it comes to competing in the global space.

Increase Social Media Engagement

Social media platforms also have SEO impacts these days. So, mixing your SEO campaign with your social engagement is always a good thing, and it will also help your business to give tough competition to the giants of the industry. Using microblogging platforms like Facebook and Twitter to share text contents. You can also integrate video marketing with your SEO campaign by creating business awareness videos for YouTube.

Overall, it is not difficult to give a neck to neck fight in the competition with large-scale businesses with SEO campaigns. You should be well-planned and perfectly organized with your approach.

Author Bio

Marina Thomas is a marketing and communication expert. She also serves as content developer with many years of experience. She helps clients in long term wealth plans. She has previously covered an extensive range of topics in her posts, including business debt consolidation and start-ups.

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