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US Beach Vacations Ideas - 1000

This site is my personal collection of vacation ideas. If you find it useful, please Like it and share it. Thanks a lot. 

The sand had a sort of pure look to it, almost white in color. Sitting on the beach making sand castles gave this trip a very romantic sort of undertone. We set basking in the sunlight and soaking up the water until we decided to take a walk along the shore.
Then it happened... I was shocked by a jellyfish, a dead one at that. At the time I didn't know dead jellyfish could still sting, but I found it out the hard way.
This is what made the experience so memorable for me. This one event stuck in my head for a very long time.
It didn't sting me to bad so we continued on our walk eventually stopping to watch the sun set then going out for dinner a snug little romantic cafe.
Overall it was one of the best trips of life and I wouldn't mind going back sometime. I suggest for anyone wanting a great time at a beach to take a trip there.

US Beach Vacations Idea #2:

By Kitty from Washington. The main reason we went to Oceanside, California was to be by the beach. From where we were staying, we could walk to the beach. It wasn't overcrowded like some places in California, and it was clean. We could drive down there too if we had lots of stuff to carry. There's a long pier that goes out into the ocean, and people were fishing off it.
It was fun to walk out and back and watch the sea gulls. Out at the end of the pier there's a restaurant. There are lots of good shopping places in Oceanside, and an art museum. You can tour one of the original missions begun in California by Spanish padres. The best thing was the climate. Cool at night, sometimes with fog, and sunny and warm in the day--but not TOO hot. We loved it and we'll go back.

US Beach Vacation Ideas #3:

Panama City Florida Beach Signs
Photo by Rich
By Dan from Maryland - My favorite place to vacation is Florida. This is because Florida has a nice climate, humid but sunny all the time. Also, the beaches in Florida are some of the best in the U.S. I love the gulf-side beaches and Panama City in particular is my favorite. I was born there for one and the beaches have perfect white smooth sand.
I enjoy going parasailing and jet skiing at the beaches in Panama City. There are also options to be given a tour above the city in a helicopter which looks fun but I've never done it. The wildlife in the ocean there is amazing; I go fishing there and catch all sorts of tropical fish and sometimes sharks.
The people there are more enjoyable in general too; they are friendlier than here in Maryland at least. The sun there is great for your skin and is almost always out during the day, usually not many clouds but it does have a tendency to rain out of nowhere sometimes.

US Beach Vacation Ideas #4:

By Richard from MD - For Thanksgiving this year, my family wanted to get away to the beach. The rest of the immediate family had plans so it was going to be be my wife, myself, and three younger kids aged 11, 8, and 4. We looked at a variety of places, but Myrtle Beach stood out. There was quite a bit to do and we were told that it would be relatively quiet verse the on-season rush. We researched the various resorts and settled on one that had an in-door water park for the kids! We looked at the shopping that they had. There is a new Market Commons where the old Air Force base used to be with upscale shopping, plus we went there for their Christmas tree lighting. Down the road we went to North Myrtle's Barefoot Landing where they have Alligator Adventure with animals and the House of Blues for great music acts.
My wife loved the Broadway at the Beach shopping area with a huge lake and restaurants and shopping surrounding it. It has a movie theater, Magiquest (a fun electronic wand questing game), and Ripley's Aquarium as well.
We stayed over Thanksgiving enjoying strolls on the beach, watching the seagulls and beachcombing. We and went out to one of the many buffet style restaurants for our dinner and loved it. After a mere four days, we decided to stay one more day and everyone was ready to stay!

US Beach Vacations Idea #5:

By Kelly from Connecticut. My favorite vacation ideas involve bringing a packed lunch & some loved ones to a quiet beach and relaxing under the summer sun. The beach is my favorite activity since there is no rush getting there or leaving, and it's just you doing what you want to do. There are so many different things that you can do at the beach, ex. swim, build sand castles, play sports, etc.
The beach is the perfect activity for people of any age, big or small. The best beaches that I have traveled to within driving distance on the east coast are found in Cape Cod, Long Beach Island, or Cape May.
I have also ventured to California and found some nice beaches in San Diego however those beaches have a lot more activity happening and can sometimes lead to a not so relaxing time!

US Beach Vacations Idea #6:

By Alexis from New York. Every year I like to go to the sandy beaches in Hawaii. My favorite beach is Waikiki also known as one of the most famous beaches in the world. I lay in the warm sand getting a suntan while my kids build sandcastles. The water is very pretty there you can watch people surf or go snorkeling. There are several small bars close to the beach where you can get one of your favorite drinks or go dancing when the sun starts to go down.
I really enjoy dining at their fine dining restaurants off the beach and watching the shows there since they do tricks with flames and hula dancing. I have bought several collectibles from the stores off the beach including a huge seashell. There is nothing more fun than spending a week relaxing at Waikiki.

Vacation at Las Vegas Travel




Easter Island, Machu Picchu, and other celebrated wonders of the world are certainly impressive. But Las Vegas... Las Vegas is a land where jungles thrive and fountains dance in the middle of the desert. It's a place that unites medieval England and ancient Egypt with modern-day Venice, Paris, and New York. It's a never-ending source of irony and improbability where you can turn a chip and a chair into a million dollars, or celebrate your shotgun wedding by shooting machine guns. Where else does such a wonderland exist? In a word, nowhere. But Vegas. 

Las Vegas


The world of Vegas-area casino hotels changes constantly. In the early 2000s just about every resort was investing heavily in family-friendly accommodations and activities. Today, however, most places have refocused squarely on decadence and indulgence.
Just about every property now has a special pool for topless (they call it "European-style") sunbathing. Many resorts also have expanded their cocktail programs (the fancy word for this is now "mixology").
Some of these efforts have been more successful than others. The posh new Encore Beach Club, at Encore, exemplifies the new notion of a "dayclub" in that it creates a nightclub vibe during the day. Developments at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas have had a similar impact; the property has three on-staff mixology gurus, and a special kitchen where these cocktail whizzes whip up recipes all day long.
Other properties have established new benchmarks in amenities. When CityCenter opened in 2010, the $8.5-billion complex included Crystals, a new-era shopping mall with flagship stores of Prada, Tiffany & Co, and some of the spendiest boutiques in America. Also in 2010, the Palazzo launched "Prestige," an optional $100 reservation upgrade that grants guests access to a concierge level including daily snack service, drink service, and a business center.
Despite competition from these up-and-comers, the established properties still pack ?em in. Bellagio's rooms still carry cachet, and the Mirage—the hotel that started the megaresort trend more than 20 years ago—continues to sell out. At Wynn Las Vegas and the Venetian, guests rave about everything from comfy beds to exquisite restaurants and great shopping. At Caesars Palace the constantly evolving Qua Baths & Spa might be one of the top spas in town. And for overall experience, the Four Seasons-Las Vegas, which occupies top floors of the tower at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, is still one of the best.









Miami Beach Travel Guide


Three-quarters of a century after the art deco movement, Miami remains one of the world's trendiest and flashiest hot spots. Luckily for visitors, South Beach is no longer the only place to stand and pose in Miami. North of downtown Miami's megamakeover, the growing Wynwood and Design districts—along with nearby Midtown—are home to Miami's hipster and fashionista scenes, and South Beach continues to extend both north and west, with the addition of new venues north of 20th Street and along the bay on West Avenue. Following the reopening of the mammoth Fontainebleau and its enclave of nightclubs and restaurants along Mid-Beach, other globally renowned resorts have moved into the neighborhood, like the Soho Beach House and Canyon Ranch.

Ritz-Carlton, South Beach Review

Completely revamped and renovated for 2013, the smoking hot, art deco Ritz-Carlton, South Beach is a suprisingly trendy, beachfront bombshell, with a dynamite staff, a snazzy Club Lounge, a "tanning butler," and a long pool deck that leads right out to the beach. There are all the usual high-level draws the Ritz is known for, that is, attentive service, a kids' club, a club level with five food presentations a day, and high-end restaurants. The spa has exclusive brands of scrubs and creams. The "tanning butler" will make sure you're not burning and will apply lotion in the hard-to-reach places. Friday through Sunday afternoons a master mixologist patrols the pool deck with a caipirinha cart, serving made-to-order cocktails using homemade syrups crafted from fresh herbs and fruit. The wonderful DiLido Beach Club restaurant is, believe it or not, one of the very few places in Miami where you can get a beachside meal. The ocean is on one side and the pedestrian Lincoln Road begins on the other: the locale is tops. Overall, this landmarked 1954 art moderne hotel, designed by Morris Lapidus, has never been hotter.

Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast Travel Guide


A golden stretch of the Atlantic shore, the Palm Beach area resists categorization, and for good reason: the territory stretching south to Boca Raton, appropriately coined the Gold Coast, defines old-world glamour and new-age sophistication.

Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast Hotel Reviews

Palm Beach has a number of smaller hotels in addition to the famous Breakers. Lower-priced hotels and bed-and-breakfasts can be found in West Palm Beach and Lake Worth. Heading south, the oceanside town of Manalapan has the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach; the Seagate Hotel & Spa sparkles in Delray Beach, and the posh Boca Raton Resort & Club is by the shore in Boca Raton. In the opposite direction there's the PGA National Resort & Spa, and across from it by the water is the Marriott on Singer Island, a well-kept secret for spacious, sleek suites. Even farther north, Vero Beach has a collection of luxury boutique hotels, as well as more modest options along the Treasure Coast. To the west, towns close to Lake Okeechobee offer country-inn accommodations.

Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast Restaurant Reviews

Numerous elegant establishments offer upscale American, Continental, and international cuisine, but the area also is chock-full of casual waterfront spots serving affordable burgers and fresh seafood feasts. Grouper, fried or blackened, is especially popular here, along with the ubiquitous shrimp. Happy hours and early-bird menus, Florida hallmarks, typically entice the budget-minded with several dinner entrées at reduced prices offered during certain hours, usually before 5 or 6.

Cartoon Network lawsuit: Ad agency sues over 'Annoying Orange' case

A Cartoon Network lawsuit is making some strange news headlines this evening, as UPI reported this Wednesday, May 22, that a N.D. ad agency has recently filed a lawsuit against a show on Cartoon Network over the use of the “Annoying Orange” in connection to the previous “Talking Orange” figure used in commercials.
The Cartoon Network lawsuit story began after members of the Fargo advertising company sued the CN creators for “stealing” the ideas and work of the “Talking Orange” and making it an annoying one instead.
The creators of the Cartoon Network show involved in the lawsuit, Spencer Grove and Dane Boedigheimer, are both from North Dakota.
“They picked up, moved to California and started another version of it,” said attorney Jeff Landa. “That’s essentially what our case is about.”
According to the report, while nearly everyone has at likely had at least heard of the “Talking Orange” — which features a realistic face and mouth put over an orange rind — creator Boedigheimer stated back in 2011 that he’d never in fact heard of the advertisements. The Cartoon Network lawsuit may very well be a surprise to him then, as he first began the popular YouTube show some time later on TV back in 2012.
The Epoch Times provided a clip of the Cartoon Network lawsuit at hand, as the report states:
“Like ‘The Talking Orange,’ ‘Annoying Orange’ appears to be speaking with a ‘voice’ that is perfectly in sync with the movement of the actor’s mouth, lips, teeth and tongue,” says a piece of the official lawsuit.
The “Annoying Orange” is certainly annoying as the talking orange in many respects, and its similarities no doubt have sparked this lawsuit against the creators of Cartoon Network.
For the latest top news, please feel welcome to check out Ryan’s articles here on Twitter or at the Top News Examiner on Facebook. Thank you.

Move over, Eddie: Teen girl shreds Van Halen cover

A 14-year-old girl named Tina S. may be the next Eddie Van Halen. In a clip recently posted to YouTube, Tina shows off her otherworldly guitar chops with a cover of the solo from Van Halen's "Eruption." The clip lasts just a minute and a half, but that's more than enough time for her to make believers out of anyone. With a lackadaisical look that suggests her performance is no big deal (such a rock star), Tina shreds the strings with such expertise you might find yourself looking for signs of CGI manipulation. Don't bother—she's the real deal. And commenters on YouTube seem to feel that they're not worthy. PlayMadness wrote, "I've been playing guitar for 9 years, and a 14 year old is better than I will ever be." Angryintern joked, "When I was 14 I was really good at... listening to this song." A commenter named Samuel Preston imagined the fun Tina could have with unsuspecting sales clerks. "wow! It must be so much fun for her parents to bring her to a music store (that doesn't know her) and ask one of the tools behind the counter if their little girl can 'try out one of them nice guitars up there.'" Tina has been posting clips of herself on guitar for several years now, including one from 2008.

HSC Admission 2013 Online Application Process by SMS

HSC Admission 2013 Online Application Process by SMS. Ministry of education has circulated HSC admission circular 2013. Admission Program of Class XI will be started from 18 May 2013.
We are discussing here how to apply on-line HSC admission 2013 by SMS. The secondary school Certificate and equivalent examination result 2013 were published on ninth may 2013. Recently SSC examination 2013 result published, where 89.03% pass that””””””””””””””””s 2.66 % above last year.
Its terribly easy to use on-line HSC admission. For on-line you have got to need a Teletalk mobile SIM. Teletalk SIM you””””””””””””””””ll be able to get or collect from some others, as a result of you””””””””””””””””ll be able to solely apply HSC admission 2013 by Teletalk SIM however not others.

How to apply on-line HSC admission 2013 by SMS.

Step 1: Go to your mobile Message Option (from Teletalk)
Step 2: Then type CAD <space> College EIIN <space> First Letter of Desired Group <space> First 3 Letters of your Board <space> SSC Roll Number <space> Passing Year of SSC / Equivalent Exam <space> Name of Desired Shift <space> Version <space> Quota send to 16222
Step 3: After successfully completed application, Applicant will get a rerun SMS with PIN number. You can get payment information. How much you have to pay?
Step 4: Recharge on your Teletalk mobile, if you want to pay the charge then write SMS:
CAD<space>YES<space>PIN Number<space>Contact Number and send to 16222
Step 5: Return confirmation SMS will get in your mobile mentioned candidate Name and Track number.
N.B: First 3 Characters of Board Name: Dhaka Board = DHA, Comilla Board = COM, Rajshahi Board = RAJ, Jessore Board = JES, Chittagong Board = CHI, Barisal Board = BAR, Sylhet Board = SYL, Madrasah Board = MAD, Dinajpur Board = DIN.

২০১৩-১৪ শিক্ষাবর্ষে একাদশ শ্রেণিতে ভর্তির নীতিমালা-২০১৩

Download HSC admission 2013 Rules Click Here

More Colleges Admission Notice will be updating when colleges declare the admission notice. So keep visiting us…

 

 


Journalism - Must need to know first

What is journalism?


What is Journalism?Are you curious? Are you good with words and can you spell and punctuate? Can you construct an argument and convey information and emotion with words? Are you flexible and adaptable? Can you write on almost anything? Is it important to you to keep up with current events? Are you interested in other people’s lives? Are you persistent and willing to dig for information?
You may be interested in a career in journalism — reporting events at the local, regional, national and international levels. Journalists gather information through interviewing and research to create a variety of stories for publication in newspapers, television or radio broadcasts, or distribution through digital media.


Why study journalism at SDSU?


The journalism program emphasizes the training of writers, reporters and editors for the news media — newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and digital media. The program also seeks to prepare and guide students interested in pursuing careers in a wide range of informational and interpretive multimedia environments. The courses offered in the journalism major are designed to give students a working knowledge of the skills, concepts, values and ethics needed to succeed as professional communicators. Classes focus on factual and analytical writing, editing, producing and designing content; history; communication law, theory and responsibility; and ethics in the news media.


Careers in journalism

Career opportunities for journalism graduates are diverse, including news agencies, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, digital and social media, book editing and publishing, freelance writing, industrial journalism, teaching and communication research.

On this page: Diana Crofts-Pelayo capped her career at San Diego State as the convergence intern in the newsroom of KPBS, which allowed her to produce content for radio, television and the web. Crofts-Pelayo was the 2012 Outstanding Graduate for both the School of Journalism & Media Studies and the College of Professional and Fine Arts. Photo by Sam Hodgson.

University of Idaho Oppenheimer Media Ethics Symposium

Rules of the Road:
Navigating the New Ethics of Local Journalism

Keynote Address: Oppenheimer Ethics Symposium
Statehouse Auditorium, Boise, Idaho
Oct. 20, 2011

Thank you for having me and thanks to Douglas and Skip Oppenheimer and the many other media and civic sponsors of this symposium.
I come to you today filled with a lot of optimism. This is an exciting time for journalism. It is being re-invented before our very eyes, day in and day out.
People are not only re-imagining how to make news and information, they are acting on their ideas: They are launching news websites, new partnerships, new apps, data libraries, and new ways of engaging with audiences. And they are figuring out new rules for these activities. The way the journalism ecosystem is currently evolving, the future of journalism – and the democracy it supports – is becoming a tale of smaller and smaller organizations that are having bigger and bigger impact. Some of the traditional news organizations that have been around for decades will be gone.  Rising in their place are small news start-ups, statewide investigative sites, nonprofit news sites, new data applications, journalism-school news initiatives, and information-rich NGOs.
J-Lab, my center, has been in the forefront of jumpstarting some 90 pilot projects, including about 70 news sites around the country. And I am pleased to report that most of these new efforts are doing a quite a responsible j¬ob of trying to fill the gaps in news coverage and watchdog public officials. To be sure, they don't yet have the resources to replace everything that is being cut back. And their long-term sustainability is still uncertain.
But the rise of these smaller news outlets has planted a variety of novel minefields in journalism's ethical landscape. The rules for stepping around these minefields don’t always lend themselves to the hard-and-fast do's and don'ts that helped establish a fairly straight-and-narrow path for the journalism of old and gave us things like the SPJ Code of Ethics.
For one thing, there are all kinds of new people – not just professional journalists – creating content and much of that content has a lot of journalistic DNA. They include so-called civic catalysts, community volunteers, creative technologists, computer programmers, nonprofit groups, and what I call "soft advocates."
What do I mean by "soft advocates"?  I mean news sites like the Catalyst in Chicago or the Public School Notebook in Philadelphia that are doing real journalism on local school districts, but they also have a point of view. They are very much rooting for good public schools.
In addition to new people producing news, there are also new definitions of news that differ from how we traditionally defined a news story in the past.  In particular, some of the people who are launching news sites never got the memo that conflict is a common element of many news stories.  And, horrifying as it might be to traditional journalists, some will go cover a town meeting and report what happened in chronological order.  Interestingly, readers don't seem to mind.
Finally, there are new kinds of content, including citizen contributions, social-media input, crowd-sourced information and something called "sponsored content." More on that in a minute.
And, of course, the ethical issues around the impact of search engines has made many journalists pause before they act. If one of the ethical aspirations of journalists is to do less harm, we must be mindful that every news items – from Big-J to Small-J journalism – has a forever afterlife in the Google cloud.
Watching all this happen, I saw an opportunity to start a conversation about ethics in the new ecosphere. I got a grant from the Ethics & Excellence in Journalism Foundation and hired Scott Rosenberg, a co-founder of Salon and recently named editor-in-chief of Grist magazine. I gave him some topics to probe and sent him off to report. He delivered  really authentic exploration of actual dilemmas some of these news entrepreneurs are confronting. We published it as "Rules of the Road, Navigating the New Ethics of Local Journalism". To be sure, we know this field is very much a work in progress.
The dilemmas, however, offer a great window into an emerging journalism landscape that is being shaped by these new realities:
• The threshold for news is lower – whether you are CNN or a hyperlocal news site. Misdemeanors, not just felonies, constitute news.  And incremental developments are the scooplets that news outlets now crow about.
• Stories unravel in real time. Editors post updates as they come in rather than wait for a fully baked story.
o A post on a local news site might read:  We hear there is an accident at 3rd and Main Streets. What do you know about it?
• “Google juice” makes micro news have a macro afterlife in search engines.
• Ethical decisions are as open to community feedback and comments as the stories themselves.
• Attachment to the community is valued more than dispassionate detachment.
• Traditional notions of objectivity are bumping up against aspirations to advocate for the good of the community.
The pioneers of new local news sites are grappling with the tensions between running a business and serving the public, between telling collective truths and protecting individual privacy, and between witnessing events – and even sponsoring events – and advocating causes.
The good news is that most entrepreneurial news startups are embracing traditional values of professional journalism – accuracy, fairness, independence – while engaging in seat-of-the-pants improvisation.
In some cases, I would assert that they have stricter ethical guidelines than many mainstream news organizations.
For these journalistic pioneers, you will hear little about issues of political candidates' keeping their personal lives private or about suppressing the news at the request of public officials.
When plagiarism surfaces – as it did last week with the case of Politico reporter Kendra Marr, who resigned after reports of similarities between her stories and reports published elsewhere, including the New York Times – it ignited a conversation in an Online Journalism Review article about how the speed of web journalism is creating a "breeding ground for ethical lapses."
Instead, here a taste of some of the new dilemmas:
Photos:  Journalists traditionally have been concerned about whether photos were too shocking or gruesome to be published.  Now, for some local news sites, photos are tied to questions of invasion of privacy.  Consider this: You might rush to photograph a traffic fatality and have it online long before next-of-kin are notified, as Howard Owens, founder of TheBatavian.com in Batavia, N.Y, did a while ago.
His photo of the car that had a passenger who died clearly showed the license plate. He recounts in “Rules of the Road” what happened:
"I got blasted by a reader whose daughter drives the same kind of car with a license plate that also begins with the same three letters. She called her daughter in a panic," he said.
But when the lady sitting next to that woman saw the photo, she was devastated.  She wasn't a member of the immediate family, but she knew whose car it was.
So, Owens' epiphany?  "Maybe in the future, I need to be mindful of obscuring the license plate, or just waiting another couple of hours," he said.
Fairness:  Too few voters have a good sense of candidates running for local offices.  At best, they might get a biographical paragraph or two in a local voters guide. Many voters say they don’t feel they have enough information to cast a ballot.
So what if one candidate buys an ad on your news site, and his challenger doesn't? Do you turn down all political ads, just to even the playing field? Do you compensate by going out of your way to cover the candidate who did NOT advertise? How do you avoid perceptions that you are not favoring the candidate who DID advertise?
This was the conundrum for Glenn Burkins, founder of QCityMetro.com in Charlotte, N.C. (also known as the Queen City): "Every time I sat down to write about that campaign, I knew in the back of my mind that one candidate had given me money and the other one hadn't.  And I didn't like that at all. I can honestly say that I didn't do anything different because of that. But out in the community, I heard speculation that I was favoring the Republican."
Police arrests:  Some of the most serious ethical minefields involve daily police-blotter information.
It used to be that a police story to made the newspaper or the nightly newscast if it was a felony. The crime was significant:  Somebody died or did the killing.  Weapons, force, fires, mayhem or missing persons would register as news.
In the emerging local news ecosystem, simple misdemeanors can make the threshold for news – particularly in smaller news outlets. So we are talking about domestic disputes, driving a car under the influence of alcohol, teenage drinking, even an 18-year-old involved with a 17-year-old could be classified as a sex offender.
Some news outlets publish all the names of people arrested in a community. Some even run the mugshots on their websites.
A few entrepreneurs feel their readers have a right to know what kinds of police activities their taxes are funding. They view this making the conduct of public officials more transparent.
But many of the site publishers we interviewed are adopting a stricter standard, even if their local newspaper doesn’t. They are saying: Wait a minute: What if the charges don't stick? Or the person is not convicted? What if the police got it wrong? If we can't follow every case through the courts, they say, we don't want to report it.
Some site editors may report an incident, like speeding on Main Street, but without a name. Others draw the line at only reporting crimes of significance. Still others won't report the names of anyone under 18, even if their competitors do.
"You really have a responsibility to follow cases through the court system," says David Boraks, founder of DavidsonNews.net in North Carolina. "And what the heck, I'm not going to follow all the speeding tickets."
Said Liz George, one of the co-editors of Baristanet.com in Montclair, N.J.: “We do really have a lot of Google power, and we don't want to use it to ruin somebody's life."
Business and Advertising:  The digital age is fundamentally transforming how journalists finance their projects. It's important for new startups to be sustainable, and it's also critical that they maintain the public's trust.
Most startups are supporting themselves by getting grants or donations, selling ads or sponsorships, by holding events, syndicating content, and sometimes by doing web and social-media consulting for businesses in their community.
Nearly all have very clear rules barring pay to play. But it's difficult when the same person wears two hats: where you are the journalist as well as the ad sales person. Small advertisers in communities sometimes expect that they can buy an ad in exchange for a story.
But most news sites say they won't forfeit credibility or independence for a few hundred dollars.  (And thank goodness most of the ads on their sites don’t cost much more than that.)
You're not going to ignore a story about an advertiser if it's important to the community, but you are not going to shill for your advertiser, they said. Says Baristanet's Liz George:  "That's the decision you make all the time editorially: When it is story-worthy and when is it crossing the line?"
Sometimes sponsors will fund reporting on niche topics, like education, health or the environment and site publishers work to be transparent, much like NPR, about those sponsorships.
Site publishers are also employing some creative ways to tell readers: "And now a word from our sponsors." To finesse  publishing something on their website from a sponsor, they might tweet it out or put it on their Facebook page.
Site operators have to work very hard both at being transparent and educating their advertisers and readers about support.
Commenting: To know or not to know the identity of who is posting comments on your site is an area where site operators disagree.  Some site operators are fine with anonymous comments and leave it to the community to alert them if people are posting inappropriate or offensive comments.
Others will only post comments after they moderate them first to ensure civil discourse.  And still others require people who post comments to identify themselves, either by name or email address. In truth, this is a more stringent policy than many mainstream media sites have.
Scott Lewis, CEO of the six-year-old VoiceofSanDiego.org, says that over time they developed a policy requiring people to disclose their full names to comment on the site and all comments are pre-reviewed:  "Search engines tend to pick up comments as if they were content on their own, and if you have something there that is an out-and-out falsehood … it'll be there in the record, somebody will come across it and cite it somewhere."
Objectivity: The notion of creating balanced, impartial accounts has long been steeped in the ethos of journalism. But the conventions of he said/she said journalism or scorecard journalism – who's up and who's down today –  seem to hold less value to the readers of some of the journalism startups. Moreover, the journalists who are starting up these enterprises usually have lived in the community for a number of years and bring to their enterprise a rich historical knowledge of community people and issues – often more knowledgeable than a new reporter just starting out on a newspaper.
Indeed, in an age when the value of information is enhanced by informed perspectives and interpretations, we find news entrepreneurs embracing positions that advocate for the good of the community.  Now this would make traditional journalists squirm with discomfort.  But many of the journalism entrepreneurs want their news sites to be OF the community, not just about the community.  They want to create community, not just cover it. And key to this is engaging their community in very active ways.
So they may sponsor a float in the 4th of July parade, hold community events, crowd-source developing news stories, and advocate for building good communities.
Says Lance Knobel, one of the founders of Berkeleyside.com in California: "We don't have to pretend to be neutral about having a healthy business community in Berkeley."
"If we can do anything to make Telegraph Avenue less crappy, I don't see that as abandoning our position above the fray. I see that as we've done something great for the city we live and work in."
So, in summing up, I think you'll agree that looking at evolving ethical decisions is a good way to chart where the journalism of our future is heading.
I'll never forget how Maureen Mann described one of her challenges after she helped to launch The Forum in Deerfield, N.H., in 2005.  It is one of the startups J-Lab helped to fund.
At times she said, a volunteer reporter for the site would cover a town meeting and they'd get a call the next day from a public official complaining – not that they were misquoted –  but that a story quoted what they said, but what they said was a clumsy rendering of what they meant.  Ordinary people seldom speak in perfect sound bites and many traditional journalists relish such missteps. Indeed, they will quote them for decades.
Mann, however, said she said she learned to create some space, and some transparency, to let her readers know when a public official wanted to clarity what he meant.
It's inconceivable to me that a mainstream news outlet would allow that.
Doing less harm is a fundamental credo of the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics.
From my perch, I think many of the digital journalists occupying the new journalism landscape are working hard to do less harm while holding their communities accountable.
I draw great optimism from that.
Thank you very much.

Networked Journalism: What Works

Three years ago, J-Lab funded nine pilot projects that invited eight newspapers and one public radio station to with at least five indie news start-ups in their communities. Now the results - and lessons learned - are in. The nine hub newsrooms grew their networks from 44 partners to 169. Final score: five wins, two hits, two losses. The project was funded by the Knight Foundation.
"I was enthusiastic about this, but I had no idea of how transformative this would be for us," said David Shribman, editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which launched the Pipeline site to cover fracking. "It changed the center of gravity for our whole organization."
Said Seattle Times Editor David Boardman, "I think this program . . . has been hugely, hugely paradigm-changing for our newsroom and for me, individually.”
Bottom line: At its height, the nine hub newsrooms had grown their networks from 44 partners to 169; 146 partners are still participating.
We've learned, however, that all networks are iterative: Partners come and they go. Some divorce the network, some die in an emerging news ecosystem that is still quite fragile. Indeed, only two of the projects still have the identical partners they launched with.
The overall score: Five wins, two hits and two losses.
Two key takeaways: Content sharing overall can be a win-win for both legacy newsrooms and indie start-ups. Revenue sharing, however, is still a nut to be cracked.

Networked Journalism

About the project:

In 2009, J-Lab launched the first five of what would turn out to be nine pilot projects in collaborative journalism in the United States. Eight newspapers and one public radio station agreed to try to partner with at least five local independent news start-ups in their communities for one year.
The projects resulted in seven geographic networks and two topic networks with astonishingly different models of collaboration. At its height, the nine hub newsrooms had grown their networks from 44 partners to 169; 146 partners were still participating as of October 2012.
Three years into the experiment five of the partners were still going strong. Two had very strong starts and made it to second base, but by the third year are greatly diminished. Two are inactive.
Success stories included The Seattle Times, The Charlotte Observer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,The Oregonian in Portland and KQED Public Radio in San Francisco. The Miami Herald and TucsonCitizen.com launched bold and promising networks, but only a handful of partners remain active. The Asheville Citizen-Times and Lawrence Journal-World got off to strong starts but didn’t make a go of it.
J-Lab assembled the lessons learned in a full report, "Networked Journalism: What Works," released in November, 2012.
Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
It Works >
First-year projects received $45,000 each with $20,000 targeted to pay for a coordinator to help recruit and oversee the network, plus five $5,000 “thank-you” stipends to be awarded to the initial five participants. An additional $15,000 was awarded the following year to help focus on bringing in revenue.
In the second round, four projects were awarded $50,000 each to pay for a coordinator and provide training. The individual sites were given leeway to determine the amount of partner stipends. Most of the second-year projects paid their partners less than $5,000 apiece.
Among the lessons to be sought are:

  •     What are the attributes to look for in recruiting partners?
  •     What kinds of partners do, or don’t, want to work with a
        mainstream news organization?
  •     What kind of partner content is valuable enough for mainstream
        news outlets to give it an added voice or use it as a basis for
        enterprise reporting?
  •     What are the opportunities to share content?
  •     What other community sites asked to join the network?
  •     How do you maintain a sense of “ownership” among the
        community partners while also gelling the collaboration as
        a “network?”
  •     How do you measure success?
 
 

English to Bengali dictionary free download for pc (windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP)

Free download English to Bengali dictionary from direct US server. If you are searching for a good English to Bengali or Bengali to English dictionary that has a good user interface and all the current words then you might like this “English-Bengali-English Dictionary for PC”. Yes it is two in one. English to Bengali and Bengali to English both language conversion options is available in the dictionary. 

If you have read the previews post about "E2B Dictionary" you have seen the simplicity and usefulness of the E2b dictionary of mobile version. And now it is one step better than that, as I say it has both language conversion “English to Bengali” and “Bangla to English” and meaning of Al-Quran(in Bengali and English) and Virtual Bangla Keyboard for Bangla to English translation mode and many more.

Download English to Bangla dictionary for pc (Windows 10, Windows 8, windows 7, Vista, XP, Mac, Linux) .. Download English to Bengali dictionary for PC (Windows 10, Windows 8, windows 7, Vista, XP, Mac, Linux)

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Features: English to Bengali and Bengali to English translation, meaning of Al-Quran in Bengali and English and many more.

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Personal Opinion: Its a very easy to install and easy to use dictionary, I love it to use for myself. If you download and use this software there is no value for me, So why I'm recommending this one to you? Because this dictionary software is really great to take you to the next level of Bangla-English language.

2014 BMW M6 details (New)

Is This A Great Idea For An M Model?

2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe
MSRP
$109,200 - $115,500
Invoice
$100,465 - $106,260


The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is already an issue of large debate. The essential business case for the car is that it's more distinctive than a straight 5 or 6 Series, and has much of the sense of space and luxury of a 7 Series. It has the wheelbase of a 5 Series, the relative width of a 6 Series, and an exterior length close to the standard wheelbase 7 Series. And, as we reported in our drive of the 640i Gran Coupe in May 2012, the 6 Series Gran Coupe costs pretty much the same as the 7 Series, engine trim for engine trim. The sedan (coupe?) is therefore a proposal clearly meant for an extremely particular clientele. There's no news yet on how well exactly the 6 Series Gran Coupe is selling in its chief markets, but we are curious. The Germans frequently tend not to break out their sales figures that way, mixing sales of the Gran Coupe in with the two-door 6 Series.

And, so, we have now arrived at the inevitable point where the M version must be introduced. Say howdy to the $113,000 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe (actually $115,195 for starters with all of the taxes added). That's $4,650 more than the also highly priced M6 coupe. Let the vehement debates begin. The upcoming 2014 Audi RS7 should be priced right at this level as well, and the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG (perhaps with an S iteration in the next allotment we get Stateside) should go for roughly the same.
First off, as a simple aesthetic comment, the M aero exterior bits and pieces have added much appeal to the stock 5 and 6 Series lineups, as has always been the case in this mid-to-large part of the BMW product portfolio. The story remains the same here for the M6 Gran Coupe, but we still do not love the front-end look of the design even in M trim. The kidney grille employed here seems weirdly out of style with the aggressive chin intakes, and the new 6 Series' recessed headlight units have never done the trick for us design-wise.

The rest of the car looks the business to a tee, and the new standard five double-spoke M 433 20-inch wheels are sweet units. The last good-looking functional bits on the M6 Gran Coupe are the lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic rear diffuser and aero roof, the first sighting of this latter component since the E92 M3 coupe in 2008. This roof trims some 50 pounds off that part of the car versus the standard car's sunroof-injected metal top – always good for lowering a car's center of gravitas.
So we'll hand it to BMW in that its designers are certainly trying hard with all of the good bits and pieces available to them for creating this very expensive, 4,430-pound sport sedan. (Sorry, coupe. Our bad.) But the M6 Gran Coupe is really meant to be an exquisite autobahn bomber dictated by the marketing department more than by anyone else. And, frankly, this launch event reflected that feeling to perfection. We were given half of one day in Munich to adequately test the car and learn about it, the other half of the day being given to the midlife Z4 roadster... a car which is already on sale and barely worthy of a thorough individual road test review, at least not in comparison to the perceived importance of the M6 Gran Coupe that has been impressed upon us by BMW.

We don't want to let that oddness color our first impression, because the M6 Gran Coupe is a great enough piece of work on its own and will bring joy and light to its exclusive club of owners. The drivetrain is pulled straight from the M5 and M6 (or X5 M and X6 M), so there was expectedly little surprise this way. We've loved the motor in those other M vehicles and we love it here. It's always impressive how light these two-ton-plus luxo-liners can feel on the longer stretches of high-speed autobahn when all 553 horses and 502 pound-feet of twin-scroll turbocharged torque go to quick work via the seven-speed M-specific automated dual-clutch gearbox. As always, too, acceleration to 60 miles per hour is underestimated at 4.1 seconds. And when you let the M6 Gran Coupe out to the 190-mph zone (with the M Driver's Package included, of course), it's once again a surreal experience as the little kilometers just fall like dominoes.
Article Credit: TLC

Dancing With the Stars’ Season 16, Week 9: Louis Van Amstel Blogs on Viewers’ Choice

“Dancing With the Stars” pro Louis van Amstel blogs on season 16 of “DWTS.” The three-time world dance champion and creator of LaBlast fitness-based dance DVD workouts has starred on seven seasons of the hit ABC show and weighs in on the dances, the judges’ scores and who will be eliminated each week. You can find him on Twitter @LouisvanAmstel.
By Louis Van Amstel
This season has gone by with lightning speed and this is the first time there are five couples in the semi-finals. Also, there will be four couples in the final, which gives us more freestyles. Let’s see who gives it their all.
Click HERE for a full recap of Week 9 on ‘Dancing With the Stars.’
Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough’s Argentine Tango. Without a doubt Kellie has the best legs of any celeb that has ever been on “DWTS,” even Nicole Scherzinger. It was a very classical, less is more Argentine tango with great lifts, especially the last two. I’d love to see more inner fire next week. Great scores!
Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson’s Samba.  I must say Ingo looks the most comfortable in this dance. He looks masculine and he is very aware of his body. I’d like to see more samba bounce and less walking around. Wow, I agree with Bruno and I agree with Carrie Ann about being the underdog. And I agree with Lennie. That’s a first!
Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas’ Rumba. It’s very clever on Mark’s part to make this more of a contemporary rumba. It was beautifully executed. It was sincere and not overdone trying to be too sexy as a young lady. Aly wore a very flattering dress. Again, I agree with the judges. Bruno was a little too kind. In the final, like Kellie, I’d like to see more inner depth. I like that Mark cleaned up – very handsome. Great scores!
Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff’s Argentine Tango.  I loved their song. Karina and I used that when we competed together. The set was absolutely amazing and Jacoby totally impressed me with the combination of content, masculinity, calmness and he is so great at partnering Karina. [Their dance was] best of the night so far. I agree with judges. If the others got 10s, they should get 11s.
Zendaya and Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s Quickstep. OK, here we go. The intro was too long. They didn’t stay in close hold all the time, and there was a lift BUT BUT BUT, Zendaya has the energy both Kellie and Aly were lacking in comparison. The dance was awesomely executed. I disagree with Carrie Ann completely. For breaking the rules they should get deducted, but for entertainment value it should definitely have been three 9s. It’s always a risk to break rules.
Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough’s Flamenco. Another well-performed routine. I would have liked to see more Flamenco elements. All the Flamenco footwork was done by Derek, not Kellie. Arm and wrist work is about 75 percent of Flamenco and they only had a little bit of it. It was more paso doble than flamenco. The whole costume choice missed the boat a bit when it comes to Spanish dance. Unfortunately, I disagree with Len’s 10. Three 9s are a gift if Zendaya got 8s in comparison.
Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson’s Charleston. This was a very cute and entertaining dance. Unfortunately, Ingo’s timing was off while he was doing the Lindy kicks. Since this is the Charleston, I would have liked to see more flapper feet.  I disagree with Len. This was not Ingo’s best dance! Sorry, I have to be honest. Ingo has grown a lot when it comes to performance level. Scores are a bit high in my opinion.
Aly Raismann and Mark Ballas’ Afro Jazz. All awesomeness and all totally tribal, Afro, with a touch of jazz. The dance was high energy, and well-kept within the parameters of authentic African dance. The whole concept was so cohesive. News flash Len, Afro jazz is danced in circles, side by side, not as partners.  You can’t fault them for being true to what Afro jazz is all about. They should get three 1′s. Len, that 9 should have been for Kellie and the 10 for Aly.
Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff’s Lindy Hop. Cute opening, including Harold, the best music director in Hollywood! You have to understand this is the fastest dance. Jacoby is 6′-15″or something. Haha. And is doing an amazing job keeping up with that speed. Unfortunately, I have to agree with Len’s calling the one step Jacoby did wrong. I agree with Carrie Ann that Jacoby is the best entertainer of all the celebs left.   Len, they deserved a 10 from you, too.
Zendaya and Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s Hip Hop. I’m going to keep it short. Zendaya is an amazing young lady, so comfortable and an awesome entertainer. It was so understated and perfectly matched. I agree with the judges totally. Well deserved scores.
The Scores (First dance, second dance, grand total)
Aly Raisman and Mark Ballas: 30, 29. Total: 59/60
Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff: 30, 29. Total: 59
Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough: 30, 28. Total: 58
Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy: 25, 30. Total: 55
Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson: 24, 27. Total: 51
Like I said many weeks ago, Kellie and Zendaya are for sure in the final, while Jacoby and Aly fight for third. There’s a fourth couple final, so, in my opinion, the only way Ingo can make the final is by his fan base.
After tonight, it’s no longer clearly between Kellie and Zendaya in my book. Jacoby and Aly have made their mark and could actually win as well if they go all out next week.
I can’t wait to see all the freestyles. Sometimes I wish there was a cumulative score so that when a couple does fabulously all season and then loses the freestyle, they wouldn’t necessarily lose the entire season.

Google Drive triples free storage to 15GB

Google announces just ahead of its I/O conference that free storage across Google services -- Gmail, Google+, and Drive -- is leaping from 5GB to 15GB. But why?

(Credit: Google)
Google's capacity to store your files will jump by a factor of three, the company said Monday, rising from 5GB to 15GB shared across Google+, Drive, and Gmail.
Google made the announcement just before Google I/O developers conference begins this week. The changes will "roll out over the next couple of weeks," Google said in a blog post. Businesses using Google Apps will see their storage go up across Google Drive, Google+, and Gmail from 25GB to 30GB. The new amount of storage space will give people who use Google services the most generous storage capacity of any player in the free online-storage game. A quick look at competitors shows that Dropbox currently starts free subscribers at 2GB, Microsoft SkyDrive users get 7GB, and Apple iCloud, Amazon Cloud Storage, and SugarSync offer 5GB for free. The announcement follows a Google Drive update from last week that allows you to save files from the Web directly to Drive.
There's no doubt that the 15GB is a game-changer in the free storage market. The question is, why did Google do it?
Nevermind "do no evil," Google -- as we all know -- is in the business of making money. If Google is offering you more storage, then there is something that extra storage helps you do that will help Google make more money.
What that is, Google is not saying -- yet.
It's possible that at I/O, Google will reveal that Drive or Google+ will incorporate a more multimedia approach. Or perhaps it's simply nothing more than a shot across the bow of Dropbox: you now get 15GB because Google can give you 15GB.
Either way, it makes Gmail, Google+, and Google Drive that much more appealing to serious Google services users.
Update, 7:03 p.m. PT: Added that business using Google Apps will see their storage increase to 30GB.
Update, 10:47 a.m. PT: Clarified that the new storage capacity is shared by Gmail, Google+, and Google Drive.

Instagram is an online photo-sharing and social networking service

Instagram is an online photo-sharing and social networking service that enables its users to take pictures, apply digital filters to them, and share them on a variety of social networking services, such as Facebook or Twitter.[4] A distinctive feature is that it confines photos to a square shape, similar to Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid images, in contrast to the 16:9 aspect ratio now typically used by mobile device cameras.

Instagram was created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and launched in October 2010. The service rapidly gained popularity, with over 100 million active users as of April 2012.[5][6] Instagram is distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play.[7] Support was originally available for only the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch; in April 2012, support was added for Android camera phones running 2.2 Froyo.
History

Instagram began development in San Francisco when Kevin Systrom and Brazilian Michel "Mike" Krieger chose to focus their multi-featured HTML5 check-in project Burbn on mobile photography.[8][9]

On March 5, 2010, Systrom closed a $500,000 seed funding round from Baseline Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz while working on Burbn.[10] Josh Riedel joined the company as Community Manager.[11] Shayne Sweeney joined in November 2010 as an engineer and Jessica Zollman was hired as a Community Evangelist in August 2011.[12][13]

In January 2011, Instagram added hashtags to help users discover both photographs and each other.[14] Instagram encourages users to make tags both specific and relevant, rather than tagging generic words like "photo" in order to make photographs stand out and to attract like-minded Instagrammers.[15] In September, version 2.0 went live in the App Store (iOS). It included new and live filters, instant tilt shift, high resolution photographs, optional borders, one click rotation and an updated icon.[16]

On February 2, 2011, it was announced that Instagram had raised $7 million in Series A funding from a variety of investors, including Benchmark Capital, Jack Dorsey, Chris Sacca (through Capital fund), and Adam D'Angelo.[17] The deal valued Instagram at around $25 million.[18]

On April 3, 2012, Instagram for Android was released,[19] and it was downloaded more than one million times in less than one day.[20] That same week, Instagram raised $50 million from venture capitalists for a share of the company; the process valued Instagram at $500 million.[18] In the next three months Instagram was rated more than one million times on Google Play[21] and was the fifth app ever to reach one million ratings on Google Play—as of April 2013, it had been rated nearly four million times.

In its largest acquisition deal to date, Facebook made an offer to purchase Instagram (with its 13 employees) for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock in April 2012,[22] with plans to keep the service independently managed.[23] Britain's Office of Fair Trading approved the deal on August 14, 2012,[24] and on August 22, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission in the United States closed its investigation, allowing the deal to proceed.[25][26] On September 6, 2012, the deal between Instagram and Facebook officially closed.[27]

On April 12, 2012, Facebook acquired Instagram for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock.[28][29] The deal, which was made just before Facebook was scheduled to go public, cost Facebook about a quarter of the cash-on-hand they had as of the end of 2011. The deal was for a company characterized as having "lots of buzz but no business model", and the price was contrasted with the $35 million Yahoo! paid for Flickr in 2005,[23] a website which has since become among the 50 most popular in the world.[30] Mark Zuckerberg noted that Facebook was "committed to building and growing Instagram independently", in contrast to its common practice of, as CNNMoney.com put it, buying "hot startups, kill[ing] their products, and redeploy[ing] their staff on other projects."[23] According to multiple reports, the deal netted Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom $400 million based on his ownership stake in the business.[31]

The exact purchase price was $300 million in cash and 23 million shares of stock.[32]

On December 17, 2012, Instagram updated its Terms of Service, granting itself the right to sell users' photos to third parties without notification or compensation starting on January 16, 2013.[33][34][35][36][37][38] The criticism from privacy advocates, consumers, National Geographic[39] and celebrities like Kim Kardashian[40] prompted Instagram to issue a statement retracting the controversial terms; regardless, the issue caused Instagram to lose a portion of its user-base as former users switched to other Instagram-like services. These services included Pheed, a multi-media social sharing platform launched in November, that gained more new users than any other app in the United States the week that Instagram changed their terms of service.[41] Another service that gained many new users post-announcement was Yahoo!’s Flickr[42][43][44] which Flickr released as the new mobile app for iOS with built-in vintage filters to rival with Instagram prior to the changes of terms and conditions by Instagram.[45][46][47] Instagram is currently working on developing new language to replace the disputed terms of use.[48]

In January 2013, it was confirmed that Instagram has asked for photo IDs to verify identities due to unspecified violations.[49]

In January 2013, there were no future plans to make the application available on the BlackBerry's O.S. 7 devices, although it is probable that one will be available for the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 devices.[50] (Current alternatives for BlackBerry 7 devices include InstaPhoto,[51] LensBoost,[52] and Photo Studio,[53] two of which are available with various pricing.)

Instagram has no plans to offer Windows Phone support,[54] though a release of an Instagram app for Windows Phone is rumoured for May 2013.[55]
Popularity
Users
Basic image and elaboration through Instagram

By December 2010, Instagram had 1 million registered users.[56] In June 2011 Instagram announced it had 5 million users[57] and it passed 10 million in September of the same year.[58] In April 2012, it was announced that over 30 million accounts were set up on Instagram.[59]

Instagram announced that 100 million photographs had been uploaded to its service as of July 2011. This total reached 150 million in August 2011.[60][61]

Instagram recently made headlines with its efforts to keep the Instagram universe a positive space and has prohibited any hashtags or photographs that promote self-harm.[62]

There are basic Terms of Use that Instagram users must follow, including an age requirement of 13 years or older, restrictions against posting violent, nude, partially nude, or sexually suggestive photographs and responsibility for one's account and all activity conducted with it.[63]

There are also proprietary rights in content on Instagram. Instagram does not claim any ownership rights in the text, files, images, photographs, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, applications, or any other materials (collectively, content) that users post on or through the Instagram Services.[63]

By May 2012[64] 58 photographs were being uploaded and a new user was being gained each second. The total number of photographs uploaded had exceeded one billion.

On August 9, 2012, English musician Ellie Goulding came out with a new music video for her song "Anything Could Happen". The video only contained fan submitted Instagram photographs that used various Instagram filters to represent words or lyrics from the song[65] and over 1200 different photographs were submitted.

On February 27, 2013, Instagram announced that they had 100 million active users, only two and a half years after first launching. [66] This was an increase of roughly 10 million users in a little over a month's time.

Many celebrities have profiles on Instagram, often displaying their extravagant lifestyles. Instagram is a backstage pass into the lives of musicians, actors, photographers and more. Many celebrities were outraged after Instagram's new Terms of Service, which started on Jan. 16 2013, and allows the photo-sharing app to sell images to advertisers without compensation to users.[67]
Trends
Rich Kids of Instagram

The Rich Kids of Instagram is a blog on Tumblr that features photographs posted on Instagram displaying "various states of excess, undress and indulgence".[68] Examples of the photographs featured on this blog are receipts of over $100,000, kids in private jets or yachts, expensive shoes, watches, jewelry, etc.[68]
Weekend Hashtag Project

The "Weekend Hashtag Project" is a series featuring designated themes and hashtags chosen by Instagram's Community Team.[69] Followers receive the weekend's project every Friday, and each project encourages participants to post creative photographs according to the designated theme each weekend.[69]
Features and tools

Users can upload photographs, connect their Instagram account to other social networking sites (which will enable the option to share uploaded photos to those sites), and follow other users' feeds.[70]

In 2012, Instagram created web profiles which allows users to use their Instagram account like a social media site. This gave users a web profile featuring a selection of recently shared photographs, biographical information, and other personal details. The web feed is a simpler version of the phone app, mimicking the look and feel users are already accustomed to.[71]
Filters

    Amaro
    Mayfair
    Rise
    Valencia
    Hudson
    X-Pro II
    Sierra
    Willow
    Lo-fi
    Earlybird
    Sutro
    Toaster
    Brannan
    Inkwell
    Walden
    Hefe
    Nashville
    1977
    Kelvin

Removed Filters

    Apollo (Removed in update 2.0)
    Gotham (Removed in update 2.0)
    Lily (Removed in update 1.0.6)
    Poprocket (Removed in update 1.0.6, reinstated in update 1.0.7, and again removed in update 2.0)

Criticism and lawsuits
Terms of use

On December 17, 2012 Instagram announced a change to its terms of use that caused a widespread outcry from its user base. The controversial clause stated: "you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you."

There was no apparent option to opt out of the changed terms of use.[72]

The move garnered severe criticism from privacy advocates as well as consumers. After one day, Instagram apologized saying that it would remove the controversial language from its terms of use.[73] Kevin Systrom, a co-founder of Instagram, responded to the controversy, stating,

    Our intention in updating the terms was to communicate that we’d like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram. Instead it was interpreted by many that we were going to sell your photos to others without any compensation. This is not true and it is our mistake that this language is confusing. To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear.[48]

Related products and services

    Instamap is an app available for iPad that allows users of Instagram to find photos based on their location or a hashtag. Results can be displayed in a gallery or linked to a map.[74]
    100 Cameras in 1 is an app available for iPhone users that provides additional effects for photos uploaded to Instagram.[74]
    Carousel, for Macs, provides a live feed of Instagram on the Mac.[74]
    Statigr.am is a free app that provides personal statistics related to Instagram, including number of followers, likes, and comments, along with usage statistics.[74]
    Instagram & Printing - Instaprint offers a device which can be rented for social gatherings that allows users to print photographs on Instagram.[74] Printsgram allows a user's Instagram collection to be printed as a poster or stickers.[74]
    Printic offers one of the easiest ways to print and share Instagram pictures from an iPhone. Pictures come in a vintage 3x4 inches (7.62x10.16 cm) format, with an orange envelope and a message for the recipient.[74]
    Socialmatic - a graphic design firm in Italy created a prototype for a physical digital camera, called the Socialmatic, with the housing designed to look like the Instagram icon. The camera is designed with 16 GB of storage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability, the ability to interface with the Instagram app, and the ability to produce color prints. The project (apparently neither related to, nor officially commissioned or approved by, Instagram) seeks crowdfunding via Indiegogo, in order to be made available as a product.[75][76]
    Gramatica - app that gives Instagram users additional photo album options, such as: pinch/zoom, hide photo, and create lists.

Awards

Instagram was the runner-up for "Best Mobile App" at the 2010 TechCrunch Crunchies in January 2011.[77] In May 2011, Fast Company listed CEO Kevin Systrom at number 66 in the "The 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2011".[78] In June 2011, Inc. included co-founders Systrom and Krieger in its 2011 "30 Under 30" list.[79] Instagram won "Best Locally Made App" in the SF Weekly Web Awards in September 2011.[80] 7x7Magazine's September 2011 issue featured Systrom and Krieger on the cover of their “The Hot 20 2011” issue.[81] In December 2011, Apple Inc. named Instagram "App of the Year" for 2011

Google AdSense Alternatives

If you were disabled from the program, here are some alternate programs you can try...
Media.net
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Don't ever depend on AdSense as your main income source. Diversify and learn to make money in other ways.

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Make More With AdSense By Creating Niche Websites

One of the keys to succeeding with AdSense is to build a niche website that targets a narrowly defined topic. This is the way I've been profiting with AdSense since 2003.
I can show you how to setup a niche website and I dedicate an entire chapter to AdSense and earning strategies in my book, Niche Website Success.

Protecting Your AdSense Account

It’s a fear many Webmasters have — getting pulled from AdSense for fraudulent clicks or other activity deemed “against AdSense TOCs”.
The fear is pretty valid. I’ve heard of people getting pulled from the program for “no apparent reason” (according to them).
Of course there are two sides to every story, but it reinforces that Google’s #1 interest is protecting their advertisers, not you, the publisher.
And rightfully so.
Google watches AdSense accounts like a hawk, especially if you’re a new member.
They track IP addresses and monitor for fraudulent clicks on a regular basis. A friend of mine clicked her own ads and was removed from the program within 2 days of joining.
While I have no fool-proof way to ensure your account won’t get dinged, here are some tips to keep you in good graces with Google.

1. Report Accidental Clicks

If you accidentally click on your own ads (and people have done this), the best thing to do is report it to Google immediately. In fact, Google even advises you to do this.
If you’re honest and upfront about it, Google probably won’t remove you from the program. Your account may get flagged temporarily and/or you may lose some revenue, but it’s better you report it than having them find out about it.
Just make sure this doesn’t become a habit.

2. Stop Telling Your Friends & Family to Click on Your Ads

Some people join Adsense with the intent of getting rich by having their friends and family click on their ads. While you may think this is pretty fool-proof idea, it’s not very smart or ethical.
First of all, advertisers pay for those ads through the AdWords program. So when you tell people to randomly click the ads, you are throwing their hard-earned money down the toilet. In a way, it’s stealing.
Second, what if Google notices the multiple clicks from the same IP address. Yes, maybe it’s not your IP address, but is it really worth the risk? Plus, I would imagine Google would eventually ignore those clicks anyway.

3. When Google Calls…. Answer… And Keep Your Records

Some thieves are not too bright. Once I caught someone who literally ripped off my entire site. Not only did they forget to remove my AdSense code, but they violated the AdSense T&C’s by calling attention to the ads.
Google discovered this site, and because the person was using my AdSense code, they contacted me because they thought it was my site. I explained to them what happened.
After I replied, I didn’t hear back from Google and that made me a little nervous. So I contacted them again and included the previous correspondence.
This time I received an answer and Google told me they added a note to my file that said I was not the owner of the domain that violated the T&C’s. More importantly, I saved this reply for my own records just in case.

4. Obey The Rules

Even though Google doesn’t seem to be enforcing this much, they recently added a section to their T&C’s that require any site that uses AdSense to have a Privacy Policy. See the end of Section 1 of their terms and conditions.
Many Webmasters aren’t taking this too seriously, but if it’s in their T&C’s then why not take 10 minutes to set it up?
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A lot of people feel Google owes them something or they are doing Google a big favor by being an AdSense publisher.
I have no way of knowing how AdSense affects Google’s bottom line, but I can tell you this. Thousands of advertisers are paying to advertise with Google through AdWords, and we know that’s where Google is making its money.
AdWords advertisers funnel thousands of dollars into Google everyday and indirectly earning you money from AdSense. Google’s best interest is keeping them happy, not the publishers. Remember, AdSense publishers aren’t paying Google a cent.
So the next time you try to sneak a click or encourage your visitors to click an ad or two, ask yourself if the 12 cents you’ll gain is worth losing your account for good.

Beware of AdSense Overload!

As the AdSense popularity grows among Webmasters, it’s hard to find a site without at least one AdSense unit displayed.
And in my opinion, many Webmasters overdo it.

Because you want to get as many clicks as possible, it can be very tempting to lace your page header with multiple AdSense ads. After all, the more ads, the money you’ll make right?
Not necessarily…
… especially if your site is in a niche that targets Webmasters or other Internet savvy groups. These audiences are often immune to Internet ads in general and are twice as likely to ignore them.
So instead of AdSense becoming an additional revenue stream, it becomes a sign that may suggest you’re more interested in getting clicks than giving useful content.

Too Many Ads Looks Amateur-Ish

Arial of attackdepression.com told me she immediately thinks “amateur” when she comes across a site where the Google ads take up more real estate than the actual content.
And she really hates the sites where you have to scroll down just to see the first line of real content because the AdSense ads are in the way.
I have to agree. First impressions are everything. And if your visitors first impression of your site is “too many ads and not enough info”, you’ve immediately lost some interest, credibility and perhaps a repeat visitor.
Your visitors shouldn’t have to dig through your ads to find your content.

Maximize But Don’t Overdo It

Don’t get me wrong. I think you should maximize your AdSense revenue potential by using multiple AdSense units – that’s why Google allows up to three.
Just make sure they don’t overpower your site’s layout and you have good content to supplement the ads.
Remember, it’s your content relevance and site usability that keeps people interested and encourages them to return – not your advertisements.
So rather than being so eager to show off your AdSense ads with the contrasting bright yellow background, why not show them why your site is worthy of a bookmark and a return visit. There’s no better way to do that than through useful info and site usablity.

AdSense Awareness

These days Web surfers are much more ad conscious than they were years ago. And with the media stories that have flooded newspapers and news programs, it’s getting harder to find people who don’t know a little something about “making money with Google ads.”
In other words, people are much more aware, and it’s getting easier for the average surfer to spot a greedy Webmaster.
A few years ago, more people would click ads out of curiosity or confusion. These days the only click many surfers are making is the “Back” button because they know exactly what this Webmaster is up to.
It’s all about balance. There’s nothing wrong with using 3 AdSense units on a page. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with having them highly visible to increase the chances of a click thru.
But if your ads overpower your content, and it becomes obvious you’re only out to make a fast buck, is it really worth the loss of credibility and a potential repeat visitor?
AdSense should supplement your content, not BE your content.
It doesn’t matter how you slice it. Content has and will always rule. And I’d much rather sacrifice a few clicks with the hopes they will find my site useful and want to return again.
And should they happen to click an ad in the process of browsing my site, that’s an added bonus!
And who knows, maybe on their next visit they’ll make a purchase that is worth a whole lot more to me in commissions than 8 cents from an AdSense ad click.
AdSense is a wonderful, lucrative program. But don’t let the dollar signs overshadow what it really takes to make a site succeed for the long haul.

How I Increased My AdSense Earnings by $1000

What I did was so simple, I’m almost ashamed to dedicate a post to this. :)
I hope you forgive the simplicity of what I’m about to reveal, but sometimes the simplest changes make the greatest impact.
In early November I added a 728×90 unit to the header of my Site Build It! site, Flat Stomach Exercises.  That unit began earning around $40 per day for the first few days and then leveled off to $30-ish per day.
I’ve also had decent success with the same unit on my forum, WebsiteBabble.com.  The banner doesn’t convert nearly as well there, but it still does OK and is worth the placement.
Note: I attribute the lower performance to the fact that WebsiteBabble.com is targeted to Webmasters and Bloggers who often have ad blindness.  So it’s no surprise that unit doesn’t perform quite as well there.
I had been reading about how well the 728 unit performs on many sites and thought of adding a unit to 2 Create a Website, but was afraid it would distract from my overall sales goals.  However, I am less concerned about that on Flat Stomach Exercises (FSE).
FSE is primarily an Adsense site for me.  As many of you know, I created that site to do a test run with Site Build It! so I could use it as a case study/example on 2CreateAWebSite.com.
To be honest, I’m not as passionate about fitness to work on the site frequently (not to mention I don’t have the time), so I just let it sit and earn passive income.  I never dreamed that test/case study site would perform so well with limited content updates.
So I’m OK with being a little heavy on AdSense ads with that site.  Not sure I would use that same strategy on 2 Create a Website because I have other goals, and I have to be careful AdSense doesn’t become a major competitor for the main products I promote.

Understand When AdSense Makes Sense for You

It’s tempting to read this post, dart over to your AdSense account and create a 728 unit for your site.  That’s fine if the primary goal is to earn money with AdSense, but that may not be your best move.
AdSense may be the primary monetization option for some sites, yet more of a supplement for others.  You have to decide which one it is for you.  Adding more units to your pages may actually distract and compete with other products you are  promoting.
For example, say you are earning $500/month in commissions by referring a product on a specific page.  After adding the 728×90 unit, your AdSense earnings increase by $100/month, but commissions for the main product you promote drops to only $200 per month.
In this example, the AdSense banner probably hurt your net earnings.  I say “probably” because it may be hard to prove that was the exact cause, but if you see drastic results after making a change like that, AdSense may be the culprit.  That’s why you should test everything.
This is the very reason some people choose to only put AdSense ads on pages that have high bounce rates and pages that don’t promote their “important” products.
So you should always look at the big picture for your site.  If your AdSense earnings are increasing rapidly, are sales for something else declining?  These are statistics you should pay attention to, and it’s the reason some people don’t use AdSense on certain pages if at all.
Always know your individual site goals and make sure your monetization decisions support them.  Believe it or not, a boost in your AdSense earnings may not always be a good thing for your bottom line.

What’s Your Best-Performing AdSense Unit?

How well an AdSense unit performs on a site depends on several different factors…
1) The page the unit is on
2) Ad relevancy
3) Amount and quality of traffic to the site/page
4) Placement of unit
So I am by no means about to suggest that one size fits all in regards to the units. However, I would like to open up a discussion on what you’ve learned about placement.
I recently tweeted that I am having great success using the 300×250 Medium Rectangle unit alongside my YouTube videos. On certain pages, my click-thru rate has quadrupled.
I actually got this idea from Google. One of their optimization experts suggested this on my site over a year ago.  Not sure what took me so long, but I am now implementing this on more pages and the results have been fab.
Let’s talk about what you’ve learned about placement and/or color experimentation.  Done anything different to give your earnings a boost?  Please share!

Chest Workout Exercises

Chest Anatomy
The chest or pectoralis muscle is a large flat, fan shaped muscle that covers the entire upper rib cage. It originates from attachments along our breast bone, collarbones, ribs, and it inserts on each side of your body via a large tendon through your shoulder joint to your upper arm bone.





chest picture - chest anatomy - pecs picture


Chest Exercises
It is essential that when you do any exercise that you perform the movements correctly, if you don't you will receive less then optimum benefit from the exercise. It is very difficult to unlearn bad exercise habits, so it is best to learn the right exercise technique from the very start.
For each chest workout pick 3 of these exercises and do 4-5 sets (including warm up sets) for each exercise. You can vary the exercises you do for each chest workout.




Bench Press
This is a great upper body exercise. It works the entire pectoral area, deltoids, and triceps. Secondary stress is applied to the latissimus dorsi muscles, biceps, and forearms to help stabilize and balance the barbell.




bench press picture


Place a barbell on the rack of a bench pressing bench. Lie back on the bench. Place your feet flat on the floor on each side of the bench. Grab the bar just a bit wider then shoulder width. Straighten your arms to lift the barbell off the rack. Position the bar so it is at arms length over your chest.
Lower the barbell until it touches your chest. As you lower the bar keep your elbows tucked so that your upper arms are at a 45-degree angles to the sides of your body. Do not let your upper arms go straight out to the sides because it will place too much strain on your shoulder joints. With out bouncing the bar off your chest push the bar up until it is back to the starting position. Repeat.
Tips - you should always have a training partner spot you when doing the bench press, just in case you need help lifting the barbell off your chest. For variety you can do this exercise with dumbbells instead of a barbell.


dumbbell bench press picture






Incline Bench Press
This is very similar to the bench press, it works the same muscle groups (i.e. pectorals, deltoids, and triceps). Except the incline bench press works more of the upper chest.




incline bench press picture


Lie back on an incline bench pressing bench. Place your feet flat on the floor on each side of the bench. Grab the bar just a bit wider then shoulder width. Straighten your arms to lift the barbell off the rack. Position the bar so it is at arms length over you upper chest.
Lower the barbell until it touches your upper chest. As you lower the bar keep your elbows tucked so that your upper arms are at a 45-degree angles to the sides of your body. Do not let your upper arms go straight out to the sides because it will place too much strain on your shoulder joints. With out bouncing the bar off your chest push the bar up until it is back to the starting position. Repeat.
Tips - you should always have a training partner spot you when doing the incline bench press, just in case you need help lifting the barbell off your chest. For variety you can do this exercise with dumbbells instead of a barbell.


incline dumbbell bench press picture






Decline Bench Press
This is very similar to the bench press, it works the same muscle groups (i.e. pectorals, deltoids, and triceps). Except the decline bench press works more of the lower chest.




decline bench press picture


Lie back on a decline bench pressing bench. Hook your feet in the foot pads on the end of the bench. Grab the bar just a bit wider then shoulder width. Straighten your arms to lift the barbell off the rack. Position the bar so it is at arms length over you lower chest.
Lower the barbell until it touches your lower chest. As you lower the bar keep your elbows tucked so that your upper arms are at a 45-degree angles to the sides of your body. Do not let your upper arms go straight out to the sides because it will place too much strain on your shoulder joints. With out bouncing the bar off your chest push the bar up until it is back to the starting position. Repeat.
Tips - you should always have a training partner spot you when doing the decline bench press, just in case you need help lifting the barbell off your chest. For variety you can do this exercise with dumbbells instead of a barbell.






Dips
This exercise works the entire chest area, but it emphasizes the lower chest. It also works the deltoids and triceps.




dips picture


Grab a pair of parallel bars so the palms of your hands are facing each other. Straighten your arms and bend your knees. Support yourself between the bars.
Lean your torso forward as you do the exercise. Slowly bend your arms and lower your body between the bars until your elbows are at 90-degree angles. Hold this stretched position for a second. Steadily push yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat.
Note: this is an advanced exercise because you have to be able to lift your entire bodyweight. As you get stronger you can add extra weight to the exercise by hanging weights from your waist using a weight belt.






Dumbbell Flyes
This exercise works the entire chest area, but you can target specific areas of your chest depending on the angle of the bench. For example, a flat bench will target the entire chest, an incline bench will target the upper chest, and a decline bench will target the lower chest.




dumbbell flye picture


Grab 2 dumbbells and lie back on a bench. You may want to have a training partner hand the dumbbells to you to make it easier to get into position. Extend your arms straight above chest with the palms of your hands facing each other. Keep a slight bend in your elbows.
Without bending your arms, slowly lower the dumbbells in semicircular arcs until they are level with your shoulders. Do not overemphasize the stretch at the bottom of the rep because you could injure your shoulder joints. Using your chest strength bring your arms back together in semicircular arcs. Repeat.






Pec Deck Flyes
This exercise isolates the entire pectoral complex.




pec deck picture


Adjust the seat to a height that places your upper arms parallel with the floor when you are seated. Sit down and grab the handles of the machine, keep a slight bend in the elbows. Allow the weight of the machine to pull your arms back to stretch your chest.
Using your chest strength bring your arms together in an arc motion until your hands touch in front of your chest. Hold this position for a couple of seconds to maximize the peak contraction in the chest. Slowly move your elbows back to the starting position. Repeat.






Push Ups
This is a basic exercise that works the entire chest area. Secondary stress is placed on the shoulders and triceps.




push ups picture


Lie face down on the floor. Place your hands palms down on each side of your body. Keeping your legs and torso in a straight line push yourself up and support your upper body on your arms.
Slowly lower yourself until your chest is about an inch from the floor. Hold this stretched position for a second. Push yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat.
This is a good exercise to use either as a warm up to your chest exercises or as a finishing exercise to really pump up your chest.

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