On August 20th, CBT West Kendall will be hosting a Madden NFL 11 Football Madness Videogame Tournament! The event is free to register. All you need to do is sign up. The platform used will be X-Box 360, and it will follow the NCAA March Madness format. It's a single elimination style tournament. There will be some amazing prizes for the winner and the event will have free food, music, and other giveaways. Finally, I don't want to make any promises, but we are making arrangements to have some great guests at the event. You will NOT wanna miss it!!!! Best of all.....IT'S ALL FREE!!!!!!
There are many common myths when it comes to college. For example, the freshman fifteen! While it does happen to some (I have seen some people suffer from the freshman 30), it’s not across the board. Another very common misconception held by most is that private institutions are way too expensive for he regular folk. Let’s just put that one to bed right now, because it’s just not true. What is true is that very often, you get what you pay for.
“Private colleges and universities function independently of any public sources and government funds.” These schools are privately owned and operated, which makes them able to set their own rules and standards (for the most part). Of course, these schools still adhere to their regulations set forth by their accrediting counsel and commissions, but they don’t necessarily have to adhere to state policies for admissions and overall school procedures. It’s actually quite similar to the way private elementary and secondary schools are run. And if you think private colleges and universities are too expensive or “selective” for you, think again…
So what are the big differences between a private college or university and a public university?
Affordable High-Quality Education
As I stated earlier, the common myth is that the cost of attendance at a private college or university is out of reach of most students; “only the rich kids get in because they can pay”. This is completely and utterly false! In fact, most small liberal arts colleges make very attractive financial aid and grant offers to all types of students regardless of financial means. While they may look a little pricey on paper, the truth is small colleges seek well-rounded student bodies, and work hard to include students from all regions, all ethnic backgrounds and all income levels. To hammer this home further, since they are smaller, they have more flexibility with their admissions decisions and are more able to work individually with parents and students to create an affordable college education. They are more inclined to accept a student with learning impairments, lower SAT or ACT scores, and other issues.
Smaller Class Sizes
Since the campuses are typically quite small, private colleges also have small class sizes. This allows for greater student/professor interaction and a more engaging learning experience. The benefit of this is obvious, but I will delve into it a bit. Smaller class sizes mean that the professor has more time to be able to work closer and on a more personal level with students. This benefits students who have more trouble with a subject than others. It also allows students to engage their fellow classmates and professors and feed off their knowledge. It is doubtful that you will encounter this level of help in the gigantic lecture hall on a private campus. When you’re considering type of school, imagine the type of classroom you picture yourself thriving in. What kind of learner are you?
Greater Class Participation
Smaller classrooms and a lower student to professor ratio means much more opportunity for engaged student participation. Timid students are more likely to communicate in a smaller, intimate setting than a lecture hall with 350 students. Also, a small group of students is more able to engage in quality discussions and interact on a more personal level with professors.
Unlike larger universities, private colleges put professors in every class. Large university courses may often be taught by professors’ assistants, or doctoral students instead of professors. In addition, these professors are often times notable members of their field of expertise, and are only employed by that university so that they will publish papers, articles and bring notoriety to the institution. The schools are often given large research grants by major companies because of the expert they have on their staff. The obvious result here is that the professor cares less for the students and the material he/she is teaching, and more for the large pay check that comes from the research they are involved with.
Granted, not all professors in public universities are like this. I, for instance, had great experiences with the professors in my department at FIU (a public university in Miami, FL). More often than not though, students leave fairly dissatisfied with their experience from public universities. Once again, not all public universities are like this. The University of Florida, for example, is full of the best and brightest students and professors. Rarely will you meet someone who has a bad experience at UF. The same can’t be said for Miami Dade College or FIU. Case in point, take a stroll through FIU’s Office of the Registrar, or Financial Aid department the first week of any term. Stand in the 4 hour line and when you reach the end of it, try asking the FA Officer to go through each line of the FAFSA with you. Just wait and see their reaction to that request. Ask the Graduation department why you graduated in December and still haven’t received your diploma in April…..
I speak the truth my friends….
Private colleges offer students a better learning environment and facilitate your education in a way public universities don’t have the ability to. http://www.cbt.edu
So, everyone knows the importance of a resume, right? There are thousands upon thousands of articles online about resume writing and resume optimization. Don’t do this, include that, don’t use this word….. And while yes, those tips are valid and can get your resume noticed and reviewed, the content and credentials you offer will ultimately get you the job. So, what is it that we need in today’s situation to make sure we get the position we want, and not the first one that takes us: education, experience, and certifications.
Of course, a fresh college graduate may not come in with the apparent new standard of two years experience, which to me is ridiculous. My question to employers everywhere: how is a recent grad, who may in fact be the next innovator in his/her field going to get any experience if not given an opportunity? How do we expect people to have experience if no employer is willing to be the one to give the experience? I understand certain fields may be more justified in this qualification, but in general, not accepting a perfectly qualified candidate with great hands on training, excellent grades and top notch, industry certifications just because they have yet to acquire two years of experience is a bit ridiculous.
In my honest opinion, education and certifications are more telling than experience, and should be seen as such. Education tells an employer than you are most likely up to date on all the latest information, theories, and training in your field, while certifications show a preparedness to step in immediately and be able to perform at a high level with minimal training from the employer. Experience, on the other hand, could be very good but also very bad. For example, if a certain candidate has ten years of experience, yet no formal training and no certifications, that candidate could have been performing the duties you require inefficiently, ineffectively, or incorrectly for the last ten years. Let’s just say the candidate has been performing the duties correctly, but not in a way that you like for the last ten years. I wonder how much time needs to be spent breaking ten years of habits… On the other hand, you have a recent grad from a Networking Administration program, with no formal experience, but a 3.8 GPA, A+, Network+, MCSA, and CCNA (Cisco) certifications. This person is more than qualified to be your help desk analyst. He also has no bad habits acquired from years of doing things “his way”. The employer can then mold this person to do the tasks to their liking.
Where am I going with all this? While experience is great and shows you probably know how to handle the tasks, and education demonstrates your knowledge of the subject matter, certifications offer both of those things rolled into one! My point is simply that if you can add any certifications to your credentials, do so because they truly go a long way. Even if it’s something as simple as MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist), it really says something. Anyone can claim to be proficient in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, but an MOS has proof. Anyone can say they have a mastery of the Adobe Suite, but an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) with a great portfolio has proof!
Social media marketing is the process of promoting your site or business through social media channels and it is a powerful strategy that will get you links, attention and massive amounts of traffic.
There is no other low-cost promotional method out there that will easily give you large numbers of visitors, some of whom may come back to your website again and again.
If you are selling products/services or just publishing content for ad revenue, social media marketing is a potent method that will make your site profitable over time.
Those who ignore the efficacy of social media usually fall into three categories; the ones who don’t know much or anything about social media, the ones who are interested but don’t know how to use it and those who don’t believe in the value that a social media strategy can bring to any site or business.
The Value of Marketing Through Social News Websites
For those who don’t understand or see the value of social media websites, let’s take a look at the benefits of creating viral content and effectively promoting them through social media channels.
Developing link baits and successfully getting it popular on various social media websites like Digg and StumbleUpon will lead to multiple benefits for any website:
Primary and Secondary Traffic. Primary traffic is the large amount of visitors who come directly from social media websites. Secondary traffic is referral traffic from websites which link to and send you visitors, after they come across your content through the social sites.
High Quality Links. Becoming popular on social news websites like Digg or Reddit will get you a large number of links, some of which may be topically relevant, some not. A good story can realistically acquire a large number of high quality editorial links, most of which cannot be easily bought.
Now let’s translate this into tangible benefits for your website:
1. Links = Better Search Engine Rankings.
When a website receives a large number of natural, permanent links from trusted domains, it develops authority. Search engines trust it. If you optimize your linkbait and website structure properly, you can easily start ranking for competitive keywords, which will in turn bring in search engine visitors.
Do this often enough and your search traffic will undoubtedly increase. In a sense, you are obtaining these quality links through borrowed trust. Many bloggers and webmaster still think that if an article is on the Digg or del.icio.us homepage, then it’s probably worth checking out and referencing through a citation link.
A new website may find it difficult to gain links from a critical mass that is not familiar with it but a trusted social news resource makes it easier for links to come in, because the community and buzz has somewhat ‘certified‘ the value of the site. Note that the actual strength of the article is still of utmost importance for all.
Some people claim that social news websites only send useless traffic, visitors that will often just view a specific webpage and click away. Yes, that’s usually the case. Sites like Digg are notorious for their poor bounce rates: many visitors drop in for the article and then leave after reading it. StumbleUpon is much better in this aspect.
But don’t mistake this with a lack of interest. Your subscriber figures will often take big jump up and then stabilize after a few days. If your entire site is relevant to the general interests of the social media website, there will always be a handful of social users who will start to track your site in order to submit future content.
Detractors also ignore the power of ultra targetedsecondary traffic. General sites or blogs in the same niche will link to a story that’s popular on social sites, because it adds value for their readers or users. This is done naturally on a daily basis for many.
While primary traffic usually comes in a larger volume, I would argue that secondary traffic is more valuable. Why? Because links from other websites bring visitors who are very likely to be interested in your content. These citation links demonstrate recognition of your site in the eyes of others. It builds your brand.
Think of the social news site as a platform or a soapbox. As something that gives you a chance to be heard or read, even for a brief moment of a few hours. The people who are drawn to your message will visit your site and recommend it to others.
Why bother exploring social media as a marketing channel for your website or business? After all, you could stick to link exchanges, search advertising or the purchase of banner and editorial ads on relevant sites.
Here are some reasons why you should consider using social media:
It’s natural. Not only do you get natural links without any discernible pattern, your website is exposed to large groups of people in a spontaneous fashion. This differs from paid advertising which has overt commercial overtones.
It’s defensible. Once successfully mastered, social communities can be a great source of web traffic on top of any traffic you are already receiving from search engines. While you can’t easily increase your search engine traffic, social media traffic can be very easily controlled through strategic marketing.
It’s low-cost/high returns. If done by yourself, costs are limited to only time and perhaps the expenses involved in hiring a freelance programmer/designer. The benefits will often exceed the cost. It would take you thousands of dollars to buy many links; social media has the ability to give you that for free.
It complements other efforts. Social media optimization and marketing is usually community-specific. It doesn’t interfere with any other methods of getting traffic to your website. It can and will fit perfectly with an advertising campaign targeting other websites or search engines.
So How Does Social Media Help Me to Make Money?
It doesn’t. At least not directly. Every site or business that wants to expand and become profitable, needs a core group of supporters who will be willing to make purchases or recommend the site to others. Your site needs to perpetuate itself.
The more supporters you have, the faster word spreads about your site. Social media marketing is an excellent way to get people to come into your site to take a look at at what you have to offer. You will grow when there are a group of loyal visitors ready to always act upon what you have to offer.
Because social media websites can be leveraged for links and better search rankings, they can greatly increase your site’s income potential. For example, you will be able to price ads higher or generate revenue from any paid business models.
There are many ways to build a popular blog and many methods to promote your website. For example, you can start leaving comments regularly on many high traffic blogs in your niche or perhaps, consider guest posting on other bigger blogs.
My marketing strategy for blogs is very simple. I don’t comment actively, hold contests or write guest posts. I’ve never done any of that for any blog I’ve ever set up. Some people might enjoy doing it but its just a little too tedious for me.
What I do instead is strategic. I focus on creating just oneexcellent blog post, which I will then push through social media sites and email pitches to other bloggers. This is straightforward and I don’t have to run around many blogs putting up my URL and thinking of something insightful to say.
Think about it. Why write 50 guest posts for 50 different blogs when you can easily just write one article and get an equal amount of links and greater traffic through the use of social media? Guest posting builds relationships but I reckon there are many more powerful ways to network with others.
It isn’t just about creating articles and then promoting them on social sites as an afterthought. It’s about putting social media in the center of your marketing strategy, optimizing your site or content and making it an attention magnet.
Social Media and It’s Potential for Your Site: An Example
I recently launched a new blog a months ago and took around 20 hours to create a feature article. I subsequently promoted it on various social websites through my own influencer profiles. I also sent out emails to large sites in the same niche.
The article eventually got to the Digg, del.icio.us and Reddit frontpage and received over 140+ reviews on StumbleUpon. It accumulated well over 800 unique links, including some from very heavily trafficked websites. Some of them alone sent more traffic than the frontpage of del.icio.us.
The article is more than a month old and it is still receiving incoming links. Subscribers are up by over 800% and I received around 12K pageviews everyday for the first month. Bear in mind this is only a one month old site.
While not every article in every niche will receive the same amount of attention or success, this illustrates the great potential of social media. I’ve become a firm believer in having a solid social media strategy for every website I develop. It is important for success on every level, even for sites that are already popular.
Fundamentals of Social Media Marketing: An Article Series
Social media marketing is not difficult at all. It is something every one can do with some effort and knowledge. It isn’t some secret art form that only experts can master. Unlike other skills, social media has a remarkably lowbarrier of entry. Everyone is invited to the party. No one is excluded.
I know how social media works. I know what type of content/bait works for different websites. I know what type of marketing strategy to adopt for a high possibility of success. This knowledge is something you can acquire yourself too.
As I first reported during E3 the Madden 11 demo will feature full five minute quarters, and we’ve known for a long while now that the matchup would be New York Jets vs Indianapolis Colts. Gamespot today revealed more details which includes the news that the demo will arrive for both the 360 and PS3 on Tuesday July 27th.
Also noted is the difficulty level will be selectable, gameplay sliders will be available to tweak, the game will be played at the New Meadowlands Stadium, and the ability is given to create a full GamePlan to use with GameFlow (using only the Jets or Colts playbooks however). Creating a Gameplan will also grant the “Master Strategist” achievement/trophy once the full version of Madden 11 is played.
Clearly this is a huge improvement over how the demo has been handed in previous years. I still liked the idea of using the new overtime period for a demo but having a full game is a great way to allow people to get a feel for the pace and features of the game rather than having a rushed and ultimately unsatisfying experience which has been the case in the past.
