How To Use Pinterest To Promote Your Travel Blog

As of March 2012, Pinterest had over 11 million users and growing daily leaps and bounds since its inception. Fast forward to today and the new social network is the third largest network on the planet.

Pinterest has a certain appeal to women and as such at last count, 80% of users on the site are indeed females. This creates a boon for small businesses that cater to ladies and wish to reach this most fertile demographic. One area that is experiencing phenomenal growth on Pinterest is travel and armed with this detail, travel website and blog owners would be smart to reach out and touch someone via a strategic marketing campaign.

Below we dig into how to use Pinterest to promote your travel website or blog.

1. Showcase Lots Of Travel Photos

If it’s one distinct advantage that a travel blog owner has over other blog owners is that the niche lends itself to being photo and image centric just like Pinterest is. A would be traveler wants to see his future destination and those who can’t quite afford to go just yet, can dream of said places via your cool photos. The more the merrier, and the more photos you have on both your blog and your Pinterest boards, the more potential would be readers will flock to them. Think big, think exotic and think fun - when it comes to travel photos.

2. Pin Other Travel Bloggers

It’s no secret that to get noticed on certain social networks one has to do just that - network. Come together with like minded travel blog owners and PIN each others articles and images to keep a circle of love amongst your ideal visitors. Best way to do this is to subscribe to the boards of those in the travel niche and “repin” and “tag” every chance you get. Be sure to also follow their blogs via RSS or email to stay abreast of new articles and site updates.

3. Have Pinterest Only Giveaways

As with Twitter and Facebook, one way to create buzz amongst both readers and other blog owners is to create fun and exciting giveaways. Usually these are done on the blog itself, but if your aim is to increase followers and interest in your Pinterest account; it would be best to have the giveaway specifically (and exclusively) there. Use your blog and possibly your other social channels like Twitter, Google+ and Facebook - to drive traffic back to your Pinterest profile page. As with any giveaway, the better and coveted the prize, the better turnout and success you will have.

There’s a reason Pinterest has taken off like gangbusters since its inception just two short years ago, and that reason is that people love photos. They love looking at them, sharing them and even doing business with those who know how to take and share a GREAT photo.

Have you as a travel blog owner jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon yet? If not, why not. If so, how have you fared with it.

image via (Albany Kid)

Article by: Brittany, who is in charge of the Pinterest account for her travel blog and website which is all about car rentals in the UK. She loves Pinterest the most out of all the social networks and so far has a variety of cool boards to showcase her love of travel.

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Top Video Streaming Apps for iPad 3

It is always great to have videos and other media on your iPad 3, as you can catch up with them when you are on the go. However, having the same media on both your PC and iPad is a waste of memory space. Furthermore, syncing the devices using iTunes is a laborious process. Another hurdle people face  when trying to transfer video files is while they are transferring a media file in a non-iPad friendly file format. You will have to convert the file into MPEG-4 or H.264 format before transferring them to your iPad.

Streaming apps are the best solution to this problem. Using them, you can directly stream videos from your computer or laptop to your iPad 3. There are many apps you can find on the iStore which dos the job for you. But here  are the best streaming apps you can find in the market today.

Air Playit

This video streaming application is the best app in the list mainly because of its file format conversion capabilities. You don’t have to install third party video conversion software in case the video you want to stream in not in MPEG-4 or H.264 format. It offers live conversion with more than three hundred and twenty audio and video conversion codec. So it literally supports every possible file format.

Air Playit uses the Wi-Fi connection or the 3G/4G network to stream videos from your computer or laptop to the iPad 3. If you are going out of network range, no need to worry. There is a feature that allows you to download the files while it is streaming and store it on your iPad. So, you can watch it even when there is no network connection.

Another unique feature of this app lies in its capability to stream DRM videos from iTunes. It will allow users to watch DRM-protected media files which were directly downloaded from the iStore without taking up any space on your iPad 3. Since the app is built using a simple HTTP server, you can access the playlists using any of the web browsers. You can also stream media to your TV as the app supports TV-Out feature.

Air Video

This app is also similar to the Air Playit app and has all the similar features. The only noteworthy differences between these two are that Air Video is a paid app although it also has a free version, and it cannot play DRM protected videos which were downloaded from the iStore. Another drawback of this app is that the free version will limit the number of items on display. If you can compromise on these features, Air Video is the app for you.

Steps to Use Air Playit

There are two versions of Air Playit: the server software and the client app. You need to install the server software form of Air Playit on your computer or laptop. The client app should be installed on your iPad 3.

After installing the software, add the media you want to stream on the share folder and click on the ‘add folder’ option. Launch the app on your iPad 3 and click on the server to add it. Make sure that the connection is not interrupted in the middle. Browse the folder which you want in your iPad and click on play. You are good to go.

Penny Cooper is a writer by profession and likes to blog about her varied interests. You can find interesting related posts on media server and Home server 2011 on Homesystemintegration blog where Penny is a contributor.

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Google+ Now Allows You to Set Date of Birth

From now on you can show your birth date in your about section on Google+. This feature is one of the most praised feature of facebook and it was highly requested by Google+ community. I love this feature because I spent most of the time on Google+.

Steps to enable this feature: 

Step1: Click on Profile button from sidebar.

Step2: Click "Edit Profile" button. 

Step3: Scroll down to Birthday column and click on it. A pop-up window will show up with previously entered(at the time of creating your account) date of birth.

Step4: Enter your date of birth and choose appropriate visibility(Extended Circle, Public, Your Circle, Only you or Custom). 

Step5: Save it.

Step6. Done. 

Screen Shot: 

What do you think about this feature? Do you use Google+ or Are you stuck with fb crap? 

PS: You can discuss this feature on Google+

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How To Use Twitter Effectively For Promoting

Twitter is a social networking channel that has become a very popular strategy for internet marketing. Business owners are using twitter to promote their brands, stay in touch with their customers, handle customer complaints as well as to recruit new customers. However, your success depends on how you use this channel. The following are tips on how to use twitter effectively.

Build quality relationships from other users
Identify those influential people within your niche and then build quality relationships with them. These people could be mentors, advisors or experts within your area of specialization. The best way to build relationships with such people is by following them, retweeting their tweets and commenting on their tweets.

Be ethical
Ethics portray you as a professional person and attract more people to your profile. Always practice good governance by giving transparent and honest information about your brand. When retweeting, always acknowledge the original source by attributing the retweets accordingly. Always give the full names of the original author when posting quotes from people who are not on twitter.

Share links from your website or blog
When you post an article on your website or blog, it is good to share it with your twitter followers. Twitter gives you the chance to share links with your followers. All you need to do is install a twitter plug in on your page and then click it whenever you want to share your content on twitter. Twitter will generate a short URL and short summary directing readers to your website. You can edit this summary in order to make it friendly to search engines and eventually increase your visibility by internet users. Anything you share via twitter can be visible to all internet users even those who are not your followers.

Create an attractive profile title
When creating your twitter profile, it is important to tell other users what you do. Tell twitter users about your area of expertise, your experience and how you can help them people are always looking for solutions to their problems and the best way to get a large number of relevant followers is by telling them what you can do for them. This encourages those people who are in need of your services or products to request to follow you. Optimize your profile title so that you can become visible to internet users.

Do not use offensive language
Twitter users have different backgrounds, and so you need to pay attention to what you share via twitter. Remember that twitter is used by people from all over the world. Always use a language that is polite to all of them. Avoid using offensive words too in order to nurture a good relationship with your followers.

Optimize your tweets
Optimizing your tweets ensures that you reach out to as many twitter users as possible. The keywords you use when posting your tweets determines the type of followers you get. Twitter also displays your profile to other twitter users, and this is often determined by the nature of your tweets as well as your profile title. Your tweets are also displayed on the search engines during general internet search, and so the type of keywords you use determine the nature of your followers.

Post regularly
Twitter is for social networking, and people within your network are looking for constant communication. Tweet regularly to ensure that there is regular communication with your followers. This also nurtures goodwill between the two of you, and thus boosts the success of your brand.

Claire is an expert writer for www.make-a-web-site.com. She mainly writes on internet marketing tips.

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Instagram: What You Should Know

You’ve heard everyone talking about this great new app for iPhones called Instagram. If you are someone who loves photography and loves looking at pictures, you will probably love this app. If you do not have an iPhone, you may wonder how you will be able to use Instagram, but have no worries. The developers just released an Instagram app for Droids as well. You may also be wondering what it is that makes this app so popular with so many people. The truth is that Instagram is a great way to show the world the view through your eyes.

 


About Instagram
Instagram is a free app that you can download for your iPhone and now your Droid as well. Once you have downloaded Instagram, also know as IG for short, you will be able to make an account. You choose your own username and then you will post your first picture. The great thing about IG is that it will let you import a photo that you already had on your phone and edit it. You can add a filter and a border if you want and then post it to your account. Once you have your first picture posted, it’s time for you to follow some people and get some pictures rolling on your feed. You can search for people that you know and follow them or you can search by tag or username. If you like Mini Coopers, you may want to search the Mini Cooper tag and follow some of the other IGers who like Mini Coopers as well.

Instagram has some great features. Aside from following those people with pictures that you like, people can follow you too. If someone posts something that you like, you can double tap the screen and like the picture. Then, it will be saved to your liked list and you can look at it later if you want. When you post a picture, aside from just adding a filter, you can also choose to blur a section of the picture using the blur tool. You can blur a horizontal line or a circle area. You can also add a border to your picture or opt not to. You will also be able to tag your picture. If you post something that has to do with fashion, you will want to add a #fashion tag. Hashtags are all the rage on IG.

If you are looking for a cool new app that you can play around with in your spare time and you don’t want to spend money on an app, why not give IG a try? It is a great way for you to show the world the view through your eyes and get to see pictures that other people took to do the same thing. Instagram has over a million users so you are sure to find some pictures you really enjoy. Give it a try. You’ll really like it!

Author Bio: Rich Enders is a freelance writer for How2becomeapoliceofficer.com. He helps students to become a police officer by getting the right education though online colleges. 

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Get Faster Web Access with a USA VPN

A USA VPN can help users increase the speed of their online activities.  A VPN prevents the user’s ISP from monitoring, prioritizing, and throttling the user’s online activity.  Additionally, users can access websites that would otherwise be geographically restricted.  The ability to bypass location based IP blocking, increase speed, and secure connections on public Wi-Fi makes a VPN an essential online tool.
While many companies often use VPNs to connect remote workers, they can also benefit individual users looking for online freedom. The following users can benefit greatly from VPNs:

1.  Advanced IT Users
Users with IT backgrounds often have to transfer large amounts of data to their computers.  A VPN will prevent the user’s ISP from throttling their connection.
2. Users of Social Media Sites
Social media sites are frequent targets of Internet censorship.  Consequently, users who travel abroad may lose access to their favorite social networking sites.  A VPN replaces the user’s IP address with one associated with the VPN server.  Websites use IP addresses to identify the user’s location and grant or deny access to their services.  A VPN allows users to browse the internet as if they located in the United States, Europe, or Asia.  By switching servers users can access many websites restricted to specific regions of the world.
3. Smartphone Users
Many Smartphone users unknowingly expose their devices to threats on public Wi-Fi.  A VPN encrypts the user’s entire connection and prevents hacker’s from stealing vital personal data.  The best providers offer 256 bit encryption with protocols such as L2TP/IPsec.
How does a VPN work?

A VPN creates a secure tunnel between the user’s device and the Internet.  All data passing through is encrypted and safe from third parties.
A VPN user is able to achieve faster connection speeds by preventing ISPs from inspecting, prioritizing, and throttling data.  For optimal speed users should select VPN services offering multiple VPN servers, protocols, and unlimited usage.  Distance from the server and protocol compatibility can affect speed.  Premium providers offer servers in the United States, Europe, and Asia with protocols including PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, and OpenVPN.  This allows users to connect their VPN from a wide variety of locations and on multiple device types. Finally users should always select services that offer unlimited usage.  This ensures that the user’s VPN can be used at any time.

Richard Smith is a long time writer, 1st time blogger.  His niche of choice is technological advances in the 21st century. Richard highly recommends a USA VPN for internet security, speed, and anonymity.

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Top 5 Benefits of Using Social Networks in Improving the Visibility of your Website

When it comes to improving the online visibility of your website or online business, you should never fail to take advantage of social networks. Social networking sites allow you to stay connected to people in different parts of the world, thereby giving your online business the kind of exposure that it deserves.
One of the best ways to stay connected to people through social networks is to sign up in meeze.me. This allows you to meet new people and potential clients in the virtual world without paying anything. The following are among the major benefits of using social networks when it comes to promoting your online business or site:

1. Social networking sites do not require you to spend too much
It is proven to be cheaper to use social networks for your business because most of its features are offered for free. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter even allow you to scout target markets and potential customers just by doing a few keystrokes and clicks and this will enhance your usual promotional and advertising strategies. The good thing about these sites is that you can view the profiles of your target audience and learn more about what they like for a product. You can then easily customize your business to meet the demands of your audience.

2. Social networks are useful when it comes to building your credibility
Gaining the trust and loyalty of your present and potential customers is possible by allowing them to see that you are interested in connecting with them both personally and professionally. All that you have to do is to respond to their queries even if these are not related to your business. You have to show them that they matter to you as you can expect this move to work in getting their continued patronage. Just make sure that you avoid pursing them too aggressively as this may only cause them to get annoyed.

3. You can connect to different types of people all across the globe
And this is a major help if you want your online business to be known worldwide. Social networks allow you to connect with your friends and you can also expect your friends to share what you are offering to the people who are part of their network. Because of the millions of users of these social networking sites at present, you will no longer find it hard expand your reach.

4. Easy customization of your profiles
This means that social networks offer a wide array of options when it comes to customizing your profiles. You can create profiles in these sites and customize these so that they will start showing relevant information about your business including its name, website links and location. You are also given the chance to share your success, stories, products and services through the social networking community.

5. Social networks can drive traffic to the official website of your business
If driving traffic to your site is one of your aims, then social networking can help you out. Once your profiles are exposed to the different users of these sites, it is greatly possible for them to start visiting your website. This is a good thing if you want to get more targeted traffic and let your potential customers to start ordering your products online.

Author Bio: Ludwing Hernandez is a guest blogging addict and CEO of Mezee online chat platform to make easy the share experience.

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