Mediaboss Marketing

It is very important that all who get involved with Internet marketing does not anything that they will later regret. This is especially true when you're just getting started and you may feel desperate to cut corners in an effort to start making money as quickly as possible. Needless to say, there are a lot of gray zones as a related to different tactics and strategies that you can employ within your Internet marketing business. You really need to be careful that you do not anything that may seem like a good idea initially but that you may later regret as a result of the fact that it brings shame and scorn to your business endeavors.

Many experts actively recommend that you have someone who you talk to before you implement ideas. The reason why this makes sense is because it gives you an opportunity to get a second opinion before you go out and do something that you may not need to be sure about. This is not to suggest that you need to get somebody else's permission to test new ideas to try new strategies. However, they can extremely help you make more intelligent decisions that are both profitable and that will keep you out of trouble.

In the final analysis, you really need to make sure that you're focused on activities that generate profits for your business. You just need to make sure that you are not doing anything that may run afoul of rules or regulations that are designed to keep the playing field fair and even for everyone.

Source by Steve Brite

Read the rest here:
Internet Marketing Insights Do Not Do Anything You Will Regret Later - JOSIC - Digital Intelligence

Internet Marketing Executing versus Reacting So, what is reactive Internet Marketing? Well, as with the Internet, there is no single answer, but there are a series of key indicators that may determine if you are reacting or executing. The "New Marketing" has all those great buzz words such as blogs, wikis, website optimizing, and social networks. What power meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner hey it may be a long day) would be complete without those dreaded questions, "Do you blog?" Egypt "How is your social networking life?" As if they really care. The ability to reach a customer has become more fragmented now than at any time in the past. Reaching the right customer is the challenge, and this becomes more complex due to the multitude of media options compounded by the multitude of options within each media, which may explain why so many companies lose their focus. Then along comes a friend or a sales rep, or one-in-the-same with a solution to help you leap frog your competition, jump into the 21st century, and get jiggy, so you can find those targeted customers. In many cases, the solution may not be clear, but the buzz about success stories has you believing that although you may not understand it, hey you should do it. Are you executing or reacting? Blogs: I know more companies that jumped on the blog bandwagon because it was the "thing to do." Okay, it is easy to write what you think, post it on your site, and do this as often as you can, BUT

There are numerous stories of individuals getting a bit behind in their blogging, so as not to be a bad blogger they start to fill in their blog with public relations messages, customer testimonials, or upcoming events or sales.

You will lose respect from your readers if you do not blog 'correctly'. Blogging is for ideas, opinions, concepts, and opinions, not to promote your product. The customer is very savvy and if they are on the Internet looking at your blog, they know what to expect, so do not insul them.

A company designs a blog concept that includes a customer response section. A plan is developed to determine who from the company will post to the blog (ex. CEO, CFO, CMO, Technical personnel, etc.). Lastly, there should be someone monitoring the process to ensure that there are timely blogs being posted, and that the goal to draw readers to the blog and to engage the customer to create a dialogue via blog responses is being met. If not, then change your focus and energy to work on things that are working for you now and do not waste valuable time. You can always return to the idea at a later time.

Websites: With all the tools that are available to buy a website domain name, then buy the hosting services on the Internet, and finally build a website in minutes, it is no wonder that the value of what is present on a website has more form Than function. In addition, there seems to be a new website technology popping up every day, and these new technologies are always looking for a website so they can test out their solution, and the perceived leap frog begins.

How many websites are technically 'cool'? The website has all the latest tools such as RSS, podcasts, streaming video, flash, and 360 viewing.

Are you engaging and retaining valued customers? Are you drawing in new customers? Is the website the alter ego of the company? Does it reflect the business beliefs, brand values, and customer requirements? Does your website reflect the values and image that you are presenting in other mediums? If your response to the questions is no, then you are reacting to external pressures and not following your business and marketing plan.

The value of your website is not in how cool it looks, but it does reflect your values as a business, or how you want your products to be viewed, and will it retain existing customers while attracting new customers. Will it drive top line exposure and bottom line revenues? Many of the new tools are not search engine compatible, so what you see is not what the computer driven search engines see. One of the goals of a website it to provide 24 X 7 visibility, to submit your products and band in a manner that the search engines can catalog the information and return it as a search result when potential customers are searching for services and products.

Are you engaging and retaining valued customers? Are you drawing in new customers? Do not build in the latest tools just because they are available. Stop, Think, Act, and Develop the website that reflects the business's values, the brand and product information in the manner that your store and sales representatives are presenting it.

Social Networks: Joining a new social network has become as easy as

1) Open your email, 2) Read a message from an acquaintance, friend, family member, or long lost business associate, and 3) Click on the invitation link. I belong to so many social networks that I had to create a word document to keep track of the social network urls, the email address I signed up to use for that social network as I have multiple email addresses, the password that popped into my head On the day I joined, and most of all who asked me to join. So, where is the reactive problem?

Well, companies seem to have become consciously comfortable with social networks, so they affords them more leeway with respect to how this fit into their overall marketing plan than maybe they should afford them. Thus, companies are more apt to run a program that uses a social network as the link to 'their targeted' customer, but in the end they are not sure what the true result was.

If you work a social network to attract customers, then you need to ensure that your website is ready to accept them. Is the page you are directing them to ready to receive them and does it project the image that you want? Do you have other measurements set up to track traffic to the designated sections and pages as well as to other sections of the site? If you are pondering your response, then maybe you are not ready for this marketing tool and you are reacting.

You have investigated the demographics and psychographics of the social network, you have done a detailed review of the both the message you will post on the social network site as well as the message on the corresponding website pages that you will drive them to, and lastly You have set up a baseline across your website to track traffic numbers to the designated pages, to other pages, overall traffic during and for a designated period after the program has run.

The need to plan out your efforts does not get less critical because the Internet is just a click away. The need to develop a plan and to do a walkthrough of all the touch-points in the process becomes even more critical to ensure that you go out with your best effort.

A business can be a fragile ecosystem that needs to be nourished at all times. The need to develop a marketing plan that encompasses not only tactical programs, but also includes the development of an overall business message that captures the vision, values, and customer requirements is an invaluable element to be used as a review point for every 'opportunity' That is presented. The common thread to reacting versus executing Internet Marketing is that for those that are reacting, they are not following or they are ignoring their Internet Marketing plan. You only have one chance to make a good impression not only count for a person-to-person interaction, it also includes your website, which is your business alter ego.

August 2008. Luxury Experience Company. All rights reserved.

Source by Edward Nesta

See the original post:
Internet Marketing Executing Versus Reacting - JOSIC - Digital Intelligence

The impulse to do something after a horrific event is universal, and perhaps even more pronounced in politicians than typical civilians. And so, in the wake of the horrific murder of two commuters on a Portland, Oregon, light rail over the weekend, it's not entirely surprising to see that city's mayor attempt an ill-conceived attack on free speech as a palliative.

Jeremy Joseph Christian, who allegedly murdered two people who were attempting to protect two young women that he was harassing on the crowded train, is a well-known white supremacist. Christian also stabbed a third man, who survived the attack.

Christian happens to have also attended a Portland "alt-right" rally in April; the organizer of said rally, Joey Gibson, claims he asked Christian, who was screaming obscenities, to leave the demonstration.

Gibson has another march planned for Portland on June 4, this one to purportedly "bring back strength and courage to those who believe in freedom." The rally will take place on federal grounds in downtown Portland; the federal government has already approved permitting for it.

Now, Portland mayor Ted Wheeler is demanding that the feds revoke their approval: "Our city is in mourning," the mayor said, "our community's anger is real, and the timing and subject of these events can only exacerbate an already difficult situation I am calling on every elected leader in Oregon, every legal agency, every level of law enforcement to stand with me in preventing another tragedy."

There's a bit of rhetorical sleight-of-hand here; why would banning the rally prevent another terrible murder? And the message is alarming: The mayor is suggesting that certain viewpoints effectively be censored. Oregon's ACLU chapter recognizes this danger, releasing a statement shortly after Wheeler's demands were made public. "The government cannot revoke or deny a permit based on the viewpoint of the demonstrators," the ACLU said, ""It may be tempting to shut down speech we disagree with, but once we allow the government to decide what we can say, see, or hear, or who we can gather with, history shows us that the most marginalized will be disproportionately censored and punished for unpopular speech."

Again, it appears that Mayor Wheeler wishes to do somethinganythingto relieve the city of its trauma. That's an understandable urge. But rather than suppress speech, the mayorand any WEEKLY STANDARD readerscould channel their impulses in more productive directions, by, for example, donating to the GoFundMe page of the man who was attacked on the train and survived.

See the original post here:
Censorship Won't Help - The Weekly Standard

All religious literature would be subject to censorship, sharing beliefs would be banned, adults wanting to study faith abroad would have to notify Religious Affairs officials, and 500 adult citizens in one location would be required to apply for registration if parliament adopts Religion Law amendments.

Full state censorship of all religious literature published, distributed or photocopied in Kyrgyzstan or imported into the country, as well as a ban on sharing beliefs in public particularly from door to door could soon become law. Proposed amendments to the 2009 Religion Law are due to have their first reading in the Zhogorku Kenesh (Parliament) in the capital Bishkek tomorrow (1 June).

The amendments were prepared by the State Commission for Religious Affairs (SCRA), which has been headed since 13 February by Zaiyrbek Ergeshov.

Other provisions in the proposed amendments include a rise in the number of adult citizens living in one place required before a religious community can apply for registration from 200 to 500, as well as a requirement that even adults who travel abroad for religious education have to inform the state where they are studying.

Punishments have not yet been set out for those violating all these provisions.

In addition to the new proposed restrictions, the amendments do not propose removing any of the restrictions on exercising freedom of religion or belief in the current Law. Existing provisions which violate Kyrgyzstan's international human rights commitments include a ban on exercising freedom of religion or belief without state registration (see Forum 18's Kyrgyzstan religious freedom survey http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2013).

Deputies told Forum 18 the amendments could be adopted before parliament's summer break, or after parliament returns in September.

Many provisions of the proposed amendments are close to provisions proposed in 2014. They were strongly criticised by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (see below).

The SCRA's amendments

The proposed amendments were prepared by the SCRA. They were approved by the government on 11 April and sent to Parliament. The text of the draft was published in April on several government websites, including those of the Justice Ministry and the SCRA.

On 16 May Parliament's International Affairs, Defence and Security Committee approved the proposed amendments.

At a hearing on 29 May, the Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee also approved it. SCRA's Director Ergeshov spoke up in the Committee in support of the amendments.

In a demonstration of the wide backing for the proposed new restrictions, the Committee invited to the hearing the Interior, Justice, Foreign, Education and Culture Ministers, the head of the secret police and the General Prosecutor.

Also invited were Chief Mufti Maksat Toktomushev and Russian Orthodox bishop Daniil (Kuznetsov). (The Chief Mufti gained religious education in Pakistan and the bishop in Russia.)

Muftiate representatives backed the amendments, according to the parliamentary website. "Everyone must adhere to their own faith," one insisted. "Cases arise when there are followers of different movements in one family, Muslims and Baptists. This leads to conflicts."

Committee member Ryskeldi Mombekov "supported the amendments in Committee and will speak up in support of them tomorrow in parliament", his assistant told Forum 18 from parliament on 31 May.

Three Committee members opposed the amendments, Committee member Yevgeniya Strokova told Forum 18. One of them, Tazabek Ikramov, described the draft as "unfinished" and called on it to be sent back for further work, according to the parliamentary website.

The proposed amendments have been included in Parliament's agenda for a first reading on 1 June, according to the parliamentary website. The draft will require three readings in parliament before being adopted. It would then be sent to the President to be signed into law.

How soon?

Many previous proposed laws or amendments about religion have failed to be adopted or have been approved by Parliament but not signed into law. Many observers therefore remain unsure whether these amendments will be adopted and, if so, when.

Religious studies expert Galina Kolodzinskaya acknowledges that deputies could adopt the amendments before Parliament's summer break at the end of June, particularly as she believes they have strong political support from leading state figures and agencies.

"If there is no unified voice from civil society and religious communities, the amendments might move through parliament quickly," Kolodzinskaya told Forum 18 from Bishkek on 31 May. "Sadly, religious communities are fragmented and are unlikely to work together on this."

"But it's quite possible they will be postponed until after the presidential elections now scheduled for 15 October," Kolodzinskaya added. "If that is the case, all will depend on what attitude the new president will take, as religious policy is in the hands of the president."

Parliamentary deputy and Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee member Natalya Nikitenko, who has concerns about some provisions in the draft amendments, says that ten days should separate the three readings at minimum. "But the initiators could speed up the adoption of the amendments," she told Forum 18 from Bishkek on 31 May.

Nikitenko hopes consideration of the draft will not be rushed. "There must be time to consider this properly, hopefully in the autumn after parliament has had a proper chance to listen to people's views in public hearings."

Proposed new restrictions: religious censorship

A proposed amendment to Religion Law Article 22 would introduce full state censorship of all religious literature produced, copied or distributed in Kyrgyzstan or imported into the country. Only registered religious organisations are identified as being allowed religious literature and only "commensurate with their needs" (which are undefined).

Individuals would be allowed to acquire only "individual copies" of religious books and materials and only "in line with procedures established by the government".

All religious literature in print or digital form and other materials would be subject to compulsory prior state censorship by the SCRA. The amendments specifically ban the printing or publication of any works without its express permission.

SCRA Deputy Director Zakir Chotayev denied that this would represent censorship. "It is the same as in the current Law," he claimed to Forum 18 from Bishkek on 31 May. However, while the current Law allows the SCRA to censor religious literature it does not mandate it.

Parliamentary deputy and Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee member Strokova supported the religious censorship. "I'm not against freedom," she claimed to Forum 18. "But there must be limits."

But fellow Parliamentary deputy and Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee member Nikitenko warned that the proposed state religious censorship would increase the powers of the SCRA. "There is no control over what the SCRA does," she complained to Forum 18. "It's not a transparent organisation."

Proposed new restrictions: ban on sharing faith

A proposed amendment to Religion Law Article 5 widens the ban on sharing faith. "Illegitimate proselytism, going round flats or homes with the aim of spreading religious views is banned, as is any illegal missionary activity. Those guilty of violating this provision bear responsibility under the Code of Administrative Offences."

A proposed amendment to Religion Law Article 3 defines "illegitimate proselytism" as "actions directed at attracting to one's own faith followers of other faiths by means of psychological and physical pressure, threats and violence".

The current Article 5 bans only "insistent actions" aimed at sharing faith, though it does ban "illegal missionary activity".

Parliamentary deputy and Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee member Strokova defended this restriction. She complained that "religiously illiterate people" share their faith and argued that this has to be stopped.

"Anyone could say they are doing this, but there's no guarantee they're professing the faith that they should profess," she told Forum 18. "You don't allow unqualified people to talk about medicine the same goes for religion. We need to prevent spiritual violence." Asked whether adults are incapable of making up their own mind about any views they hear on religion, she responded: "You're deliberately twisting my words."

Proposed new restrictions: Further registration obstruction

Religious communities which want to gain state registration will find it even harder if the amendments are adopted. A proposed amendment to Religion Law Article 8 would require not 200 adult citizens as at present but 500 to apply to register a religious community. The amendment also implies that these 500 adult citizens must live in one region of the country.

SCRA Deputy Director Chotayev insisted to Forum 18 that the suggestion for 500 adult citizen members in one location came from a "public consultation". He declined to say who had proposed this or why it had been included.

Parliamentary deputy and Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee member Nikitenko told Forum 18 she sees no need for the number of required members to be increased. She fears this could harm "law-abiding religious communities", including smaller communities such as of Jews or Buddhists. Fellow deputy Strokova told Forum 18 of her similar concerns.

However, another proposed amendment to Article 8 would allow the creation of a centralised religious organisation to religious organisations from a minimum of seven of the country's nine regions. Under the current Law, organisations have to be present and registered in all nine regions before they can apply for a centralised religious organisation.

The proposed amendments at least in theory remove one of the obstacles for local communities to apply for formal registration (known in Russian as "uchetnaya registratsia"). Previously this required local keneshes (councils) to approve such applications, but the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court ruled in September 2014 that this was illegal. However, officials have so far ignored this ruling and many local communities struggle to get such registration (see F18News 11 November 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2230).

Proposed new restrictions: State notification to study religion abroad

A proposed amendment to Religion Law Article 6 requires anyone wishing to study in a foreign religious educational establishment to notify the SCRA of where they intend to study. The amendments do not say whether the SCRA is empowered to withhold permission for an individual to study their faith abroad.

Another proposed amendment to Article 6 would ban private teaching of religion. The current Law bans the private teaching of "religious studies".

Proposed new restrictions: SCRA's warning, liquidation powers

A proposed amendment to Religion Law Article 26 would allow the SCRA greater powers to warn, halt or seek to liquidate religious organisations that conduct activity "contradicting the goals" of an organisation or "not specified in the statute". A warned or halted religious organisation can challenge the SCRA's decision in court. The SCRA would have to seek liquidation of an organisation through the courts.

The SCRA is empowered to conduct inspections of religious organisations to ensure that they are abiding by the law either at its own initiative, at the initiative of state agencies or in response to complaints.

UN comments ignored

The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee commented on the Religion Law and possible plans to amend it in March 2014 Concluding Observations (CCPR/C/KGZ/CO/2) to its consideration of Kyrgyzstan's record under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It noted that "the Committee is concerned about the restrictions incompatible with provisions of the Covenant [ICCPR] contained in the current law, including with respect to missionary activities, registration procedure and dissemination of religious literature" (see F18News 1 April 2014 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1944).

The Committee stressed that the then planned amendments to the Religion Law should "remove all restrictions incompatible with Article 18 of the Covenant, by providing for a transparent, open and fair registration process of religious organizations and eliminating distinctions among religions that may lead to discrimination" (see F18News 1 April 2014 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1944).

However, many provisions of the current proposed amendments are similar to those proposed in 2014.

SCRA Deputy Director Chotayev dismissed the UN's stated views. "We live in Kyrgyzstan and have our own procedures," he told Forum 18. "We're an independent state." When Forum 18 reminded him that Kyrgyzstan is a member of the UN and has acceded to the ICCPR he put the phone down.

Religious communities mostly no comment

While Muftiate leaders have been vocal in their support for the proposed restrictions, leaders of most other faiths have remained silent. Forum 18 could find no leaders of other faiths prepared to express their views publicly.

Parliamentary deputy and Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee member Nikitenko said she had seen no comments from other communities. "Our Committee was not given any comments," she told Forum 18.

Nikitenko acknowledged that many communities are afraid to come forward with comments. "There is fear among the population, which is a limit on freedom of speech. But parliament must hear the voice of the people that's why we are calling for public hearings in parliament on the proposed amendments."

Privately, a number expressed concerns over at least parts of the draft. One spoke of the "onerous registration requirements which make registration for minority religions virtually impossible", adding that the "total ban" on sharing faith is also a concern.

"After the SCRA published the draft in April, most religious leaders preferred not to lodge official comments," a religious activist told Forum 18 from Bishkek. "This was because of the negative response last time around, when their comments were used to make the draft even harsher. In effect they were revealing their Achilles heel." (END)

For more background information see Forum 18's Kyrgyzstan religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2013.

More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Kyrgyzstan can be found at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?query=&religion=all&country=30.

A compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments can be found at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1351.

A printer-friendly map of Kyrgyzstan is available at http://nationalgeographic.org/education/mapping/outline-map/?map=Kyrgyzstan.

Twitter: @Forum_18

Follow us on Facebook: @Forum18NewsService

All Forum 18 News Service material may be referred to, quoted from, or republished in full, if Forum 18 is credited as the source.

Read the original post:
KYRGYZSTAN: Religious censorship, sharing faiths ban? - Forum 18

The new Netflix adaptation has young readers (and their parents, and their teachers) casting a curious eye at Jay Ashers Thirteen Reasons Why and if the suicide of its main character is likely to influence real-life tragedies. A librarian tackles this subject for Book Riot, pointing to an instance in Colorado where the book was briefly banned from a high school campus in the wake oflosing several students to suicide.The pain ofsuch an incident overwhelms the reason of even the most reasonable adult, creating the ideal conditions for censorship: In response, we become desperate to do something. Thats good, writes Amy Diegelman. The trouble, though, is that we want something to do now and there are no fast or easy answers. She goes on to list some of the other steps a community can take to ensure that the needs of its young people are taken care of.

By handing its Best Director award to Sofia Coppola, the Cannes Film Festival seems to have set a new standard for representation in the film world, but according to Jessica Chastain, ifyou watch all the movies themselves, you might get a different impression. Speaking out asthe eventconcluded, the actress (and festival judge) offered a grimdiagnosis, having just watched twenty movies in ten days: The one thing I really took away from this experience is how the world views women from the female characters that I saw represented. And it was quite disturbing to me to be honest. (She did note there were some exceptions.) The article also points out that, despite Coppolas historic win and an overall increase of films directed by women, they still only made up 15.8% of the competition. While these moments of progress are definitely something to celebrate, this is hardly the time to start feeling complacent.

Speaking of female directors, Patty Jenkins may have achieved the impossible with her newWonder Woman adaptation, which is already a hit with the critics. Unlike so many of the superhero movies that have preceded it, Jenkinss Wonder Woman required very few reshoots (which means there are almost no deleted scenes), nor did we change the order of one scene in this movie from the script that we went in shooting with. In the age of action films that end up mostly being made (and re-made) in the editing room, this is a terrific accomplishment. Just dont expect to see a teaser about the sequel in the closing credits, because so far no one (including Jenkins) has any idea what happens next.

David Sedaris has opened some of his diaries to the public in the new bookTheft by Finding, but the author claims thatanythinghe found while diggingthrough these old records is somewhat outshone by the material thatsnotably absent. Sedaris explains how growing up in the pre-digital era putlimits on what he was willing to commit to paper: I think thats one of the reasons that Ive never written about sex. Because early on you had to worry that someone was going to find your diary, so its bad enough to be writing like Joan Didion, but writing like Joan Didion about sex acts youd performed with somebody you had known for twenty minutes, thats a bit worse. So I would write in my diary, I met J. and we had sex five times last night. But I would never write about what we did. Now Id give anything to know what I did. Id give anything to know!

More:
The Case Against School Censorship of 'Thirteen Reasons Why' - Signature Reads