Saturday, March 30, 2013

Announcing The First Thrivapy Newsletter!

Since I just published the first Thrivapy Newsletter, I thought I would also share it here on The Thrivapy Blog.

If you wish to get on the newsletter email list, simply send me a message asking to be included. My email address is troy@thrivapy.com.



Thank you and enjoy.




Friday, March 29, 2013

New Rules for Updating Your Facebook Fan Page Cover Photo



It’s time to update your Facebook fan page’s cover photo. How do I know this? Because last week Facebook actually relaxed its rules about the content of your Facebook cover image. As first reported by marketing guru Mari Smith, the following information that was previously not allowed can now be included:
  • Price / purchase information
  • Discounts
  • Calls to action
  • Contact info – website address, phone numbers, etc.
  • Like or share buttons
  • Arrows pointing to your page’s “like” button

One thing that has not changed is the 20% text rule, so this information can only make up 20% of your cover image. The dimensions are still 851 pixels by 315 pixels, but there are new tools that have popped up quickly to help you measure if you’re doing it right, like the Facebook Cover-Photo Compliance Tool by Paavo.
Also, keep in mind when designing your cover image that when the new News Feed rolls out, a portion of your cover image will show in the News Feed whenever someone likes your page. This is very exciting and holds a lot of opportunities for creativity, branding and conversions.
Good luck and happy creating!

Provide Mortgages Reverse Money for Retirement

Many retirees have bought their house decades ago and have been faithfully paying ever since. Whether your house is paid off in full or your balance is low, this mortgage economical loan can turn your asset into a earnings. Talk with a mortgage economical loan financier to learn how HECM economical loans can help you achieve your finance goals.

Reverse Mortgage Information
• Age matters. The minimum age to be eligible for a a opposite mortgage economical loan is 62. This can be three to five decades prior to you qualifying for full social security benefits. A opposite mortgage economical loan can carry you through those crucial decades.

• Income. You don't need any! Traditional refinances require you to have an earnings to help make monthly installments. For example if you wanted to take out $100,000 from the value of your house and use the funds to make expenses - you would not are eligible unless you had an earnings. You do not need an earnings to be eligible for a a opposite mortgage economical loan, making it the ideal economical loan for outdated seniors.

• Value. The current value of your house will determine how much you be eligible for a. Each mortgage economical loan program will have different economical loan to value requirements so get in touch with a mortgage economical loan financier to talk about your options.

• Interest amount. HECM economical loans can be structured a variety of ways. A borrower can select a set amount or a variable interest amount. Adjustable rates are typically tied to LIBOR. Your loan provider will go over the mortgage home economical loan programs and interest levels with you to determine which option is right for your needs.

• Remain in your house. A opposite mortgage economical loan allows you to remain in the property you love. Instead of that house being a economical burden it becomes a resource of revenue. You remain comfortable and generate income.

• Pay assessments. Having a opposite mortgage economical loan is like having a job that sends you a steady pay check. The assessments come at set intervals in dollar amounts you can count on. The only difference is you are outdated so you get paid for spending time with your family or walking on the golf course.

• Current economical loan. Any existing economical loan on your house will be refinanced into an Home Equity Conversion Mortgage. You will only have one loan provider, making it even easier.

• Customized plans. An experienced reversed loan provider will customize a economical loan to fit your economical needs. There are many options to choose from including amount structure, payout schedule and the amount of economical loan you need. It is essential that you work with a mortgage economical loan financier that regularly completes opposite mortgages to ensure you receive the best guidance and advice.

Retiring in 2013 is within your reach. Contact a mortgage economical loan financier to talk about HECM economical loans and learn how your house can turn into an earnings. An experienced opposite loan provider will always work with with you to create a operating plan that puts you in a position to retire comfortably.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Which University Student Credit Card Is Appropriate for You?

credit cards aren't high on their priority record for factors to take care of - after all, learners with loans can pay for factors with immediate debit from their banking accounts, as can learners that are being helped economically by their parents.

The easy reality is that most learners don't think about credit cards, so that when it gets to the point that they need one, they end up hurrying through the process, ending up with a credit cards that isn't optimal for their needs or worse one that actually ends up being damaging for them in the long run.

So what should a university student seeking a credit score credit cards do? Simple, they need to research! Look at a wide variety of university student credit cards, their advantages and their disadvantages. Only select one that you understand and that you experience details your needs well, while not providing you with too many difficulties.

So what features should you look for? Well, here are a few factors to keep in mind in your look for for the perfect university student credit score credit cards.

Fees

Some credit cards cost you an yearly fee for their usage; I like to advice learners to stay away from these types of credit cards, as usually their excellent points are not enough to over-shadow the fact that you have to pay for them. You've already excellent educational costs, books, residence and many other factors to worry about, no sense in including another to the record.

Credit credit cards that cost yearly charges are intended more for entrepreneurs that invest a lot of cash and have plenty of non reusable income, not for learners on a fixed budget. As a result, most credit cards won't have such a fee attached to them. If they do however, consider whether you really need the advantages of that specific credit score credit cards before you sign up for it.

Spending Limits

When I started my first year of undergrad studies, the first credit score credit cards I applied for had a borrowing restrict of $500, and it finished up being more than I needed at enough time. As I went through University and my general expenses increased, I finished up applying to have that restrict raised to $1000 and including a second credit cards with a restrict at $1500 - this was mostly just for when I bought books or paid for educational costs, as I wanted to get the maximum advantage out of my credit score credit cards bonus programs, but it was a excellent example of me getting the most out of the credit cards.

Incentives

Incentives are rewards that the companies affix to their credit cards in order to attract more individuals into signing up for them. A excellent example of this is the "cashback" credit cards, where a certain portion of what you invest on your credit cards is returned to you.

A credit score credit cards that was popular amongst friends of my own was the shopping credit cards, which was given out by one of the stores of shops where we lived. Instead of immediate procuring, they offered a store credit score that was twice the value of most procuring programs at enough time, the functionality of which become a huge hit to a lot of learners.

Interest Rates

Ideally, this shouldn't ever be a problem, as you'd be able to pay off your monthly balance and thus never build up attention on your account. Practically, however, factors won't always work out that way. Therefore, attention needs to be a concern as well.

The industry average for yearly attention levels is somewhere in the 19-23% variety, increased monthly. However, being a university student you should take advantages of the special discounts available to you - if you do your analysis, you should be able to find a credit cards that suits your needs with a university student discount attention amount in the 10-15% variety.

While 10% may not seem like a whole lot, if you ever lose your job, have to quit or have some other unexpected event that impacts your financial situation, the attention can build up very quickly. One way to partly prevent this is to intentionally look for for a lower attention amount first.

These are the main four aspects of a university student credit score credit cards that you should be analyzing before making your choice as to which one you need.

Ultimately, your decision should be advised by your needs at enough time, and the credit cards that you experience satisfies those needs the most. A excellent credit score credit cards, combined with careful investing and very tight cost management, can actually help you as a university student and provide you with advantages that you wouldn't normally get out of your buys otherwise.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Want to Remarket To People Similar to Your Customers?

Google Remarketing, also known as Google Retargeting, is a powerful internet marketing tactic. It allows you to reach people who have previously visited your website. With Remarketing, you can show these visitors relevant ads as they travel across the vast Google Display Network. For instance, let’s say someone visits the “pianos” section of your website but did not make a purchase – you can remarket to them. This means you can bring them back to your website with an offer that is enticing enough to get them to take a desired action, like a purchase. You now have a second chance to give them an offer they simply can’t refuse.

Did you know you have the opportunity to reach even more people with Remarketing’s “Similar Audiences” feature? By using this feature, your ads will show to potential customers that have browsing patterns similar to your current site visitors but haven’t actually visited your website. The logic is that these people are more likely to be interested in the same products or services since they have similar browsing tendencies.

The people on the Similar Audience lists are automatically determined by Google. Since browsing habits change regularly, the Similar Audience lists change on a daily basis, too.

Think of this feature as having a new audience that is prequalified from the masses. However, you must remember they may have no idea who you are. Be sure to craft your messaging with this in mind.

Because of the uncertainty of how this type of audience will respond, test this feature with a limited budget to start and gauge its effectiveness. Let us know how this test works out for you in the comments below.

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: ell brown

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Our webinar with Audri Lanford visits productivity secrets for Internet marketers

Many Internet marketers are very frustrated that they never seem to have enough time to accomplish and achieve what they want... How do you get unstuck, reclaim your time and get more done -- without working harder or more hours? Fortunately, Audri Lanford, the co-founder at Paperitis.com,has the secrets, and she's willing to let you know! This webinar will teach you productivity secrets from some extraordinary people and millionaires as they are applied to Internet marketing, so there's no reason to fear the seemingly shortened 24-hour day ever again.


Click here to register for FREE(3/27/13 at 12:30pm EST):
http://bit.ly/YakAfH


About Audri G. Lanford, Ph.D.:

Audri has been a pioneer in the fields of going paperless, productivity and digital marketing, and has built more than a dozen entrepreneurial businesses, including an Inc. 500 company that helped Fortune 500 companies (like Procter & Gamble,Dupont and Johnson & Johnson) save millions of dollars by increasing productivity and going paperless.

Our focus:
We help entrepreneurs overcome their biggest obstacles and frustrations by boosting productivity and going paperless the right way so they can achieve their big dreams, earn more money and make a significant impact in world.

If you're an Internet marketer who's frustrated that you're not getting nearly enough done, you're up to your eyeballs in clutter or you're overwhelmed by information overload, we can help.

We've launched at Paperitis.com in 2012. (When you subscribe free to our free e-course and newsletter you'll get our free training series which begins with an Action Plan that shows you how you can have your clutter gone in 1 hour. It has a lot of entertaining cartoons by an award-winning cartoonist to make it fun.)
http://tracking.paperitis.com/SH1h


My husband Jim and I created our first website in 1994 - Scambusters.org - a public service offering useful,practical, and trustworthy information on Internet scams. We now have over 100 websites.


Click here to register for FREE(3/27/13 at 12:30pm EST):
http://bit.ly/YakAfH

Finish Your School Year Using These Three Strategies

I learned a long time ago that most people remember the first and last thing they see or hear. That is one reason why it is important to start and finish your school year strong. Even as the school year begins the final phases, you can still develop good habits, realize better results, and go into the summer with positive momentum.

This applies to both students and teachers.

Keeping in mind the importance of a strong finish, here are a few tips to help you end the year on a positive note.

"Low Hanging Fruit"

One way to finish strong is to take a moment to recognize when opportunities are presented for you to get ahead. These opportunities may include assignments that come easy to you, extra time for help from teachers, or a fee professional development event. I use a similar strategy when doing crossword puzzles. Do the easy ones first, then work on the more challenging items. It is sometimes amazing how an item that was very difficult becomes easier after applying your strengths first.

The same applies at the end of the school year. Start with your strengths and grab the "low hanging fruit".

Frequent Review

End of the year work can seem like a long term prospect even if it is only a couple of months away. One strategy that works well with long term (or long term appearing) challenges is to have frequent reviews of progress. This may require the help of a trusted adviser, friend, or colleague. However, by tracking your progress, you can see how far you have gone and how far you have left.

Once you set a goal for the end of the year, schedule frequent reviews to stay on track.

Prioritize

The end of the school year is also very busy. With the coming of Spring and better weather, many outdoor trips and events are planned. Therefore, time may be more scarce that it appears. Keeping that in mind, you may begin to feel overwhelmed by the work and responsibilities facing you as you near the end of school. By having clear priorities, you can fight any anxiety that comes up and maintain focus on the issues that matter most.

Break it Down

Difficult work is more easily addressed when you have a clear sense of what to do. Breaking down these tasks into manageable chunks can clear up time for reflection and adjustment. It also helps you prevent careless errors or mistakes made simply due to lack of experience. If working on an unfamiliar or difficult task, pay close attention to what to do by breaking the item down into smaller components.

Mobilize Your Team

Every teacher and student has a team working with them. This team is made up of all the people one interacts with who has either the experience and/or desire to help. As the end of the year approaches, it is a good idea to check in with and mobilize your team. Reconnecting (or connecting with them at all) can bring a fresh perspective to your work as well as offer up ideas and inspire you to try something new. If you are finding a particular challenge very difficult, your team may be able to provide suggestions and support.

Eyes Forward

Finally, if you are looking to push for a strong finish, keep your eyes forward. There will be time to look back when the school year ends. Just like running a race, looking back can slow you down and lead to some disorientation. Set your goal for the end of the year and stay focused on that goal. Also, try to avoid moving your goal too much. After all, it is much harder to hit a moving target.

Spring brings with it the first signs of a rapidly approaching end to the school year. By using a few simple strategies, you are in great position to end yours with a strong showing.  

Friday, March 22, 2013

The Meaning of A Credit Score Loans

Individual bank loan offered for poor credit score to customers is a poor credit score loan. Its repayment terms are not fixed and hence it will suit the person who takes the loan. In a way it is like taking the first step towards rewriting your record of credit score. If the person is above the age of 18 and a permanent resident of the country, and who is employed, then he is eligible to apply for this loan. They may need to use it to pay for some important individual event.

The Options Available If A Merging Loan Is Not Granted
If one is applying for a consolidation loan, it will not be granted if you have financial obligations to clear and also a bad record of credit score. The lenders do not think that you will be able to pay back. The only options available for you are Personal Insolvency Contract or Debts Contract. There are a few people who are ready to sanction a individual bank loan even with a bad record of credit score, but then you will be charged a high rate of interest. A few kinds of poor credit score loans are quick cash loans, car loans and home loans

Other Options Available For Repayments Of Debts
A debt agreement is another option available for those who cannot pay back the entire amount of debt, but have funds to repay a part of it. If you are not able to get a individual bank loan because of bad record of credit score, this is a good alternative. All the financial obligations are brought under one umbrella. All loans that are not secured like old utility bills, bank cards, loans, repossessed cars, will be pooled together. You are required to make one regular payment weekly, fortnightly or monthly. No legal action can be taken against you and there will be a freeze on the interest charges. Finally whatever you cannot repay is cancelled.

The Concerns Of Proposing A Debts Agreement
Since the person who intends a debt agreement, commits an act of bankruptcy which means that if the proposal is not accepted by the lenders, an application can be made to the court to declare the debtor bankrupt. The debtor's chances of obtaining any loans even loans for poor credit score will be affected since his name will be mentioned in the money score rating organisation's records and this will remain there for about seven years. Secured lenders can sell any asset that was offered as security in case of a default. The payments made towards unsecured lenders are only in proportion of their financial obligations. Debts Contract should be applied for, only if there is no chance of repayment of loans on time, otherwise consolidation is better.

The Importance of a Mobile Search Strategy

Increasingly, mobile’s importance in our lives is becoming more evident. Our mobile phones can essentially be considered a permanent fixture of our daily routines. Can you leave home without it?

In conjunction with Nielsen, Google’s new report, “Mobile Search Moments: Understanding How Mobile Drives Conversions”, attempts to decipher what triggers people to do mobile searches and when, what actions follow as a result and how marketers can utilize this intelligence. This report explains the measurable connections between mobile searches and their correlated online and offline conversions.

What are the main drivers for mobile searches? Speed and convenience, with 77% of mobile searches performed in a location (work or home) likely to have a PC available to them.

Here are a few additional highlights from the report:

• 45% of all mobile searches are goal-oriented and conducted to help make a decision

• 81% of conversions (store visit, call or purchase) triggered by mobile search occur within 5 hours

• 55% of conversions from mobile searches happen within one hour

As a key factor in the decision-making process, a mobile search strategy is an essential piece of your overall marketing strategy.

What mobile search opportunities do you see for your business? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: Johan Larsson

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Have Your Audited Your Content?

You may have heard that content is king and you need to your customers interested in your products and services by creating it - but how do you know that you're creating content that the customer wants? How do you know how much content and what types you have created, and if there are any holes in your content marketing strategy? Here is where a content audit comes in handy.

According to Christopher Detzi, a comment audit can be used to determine 4 things:

  1. Reveal the true scale of the website’s content (there was less than we thought).
  2. Clarify and refine the project scope (it took on a different focus than we had expected).
  3. Facilitate strategic discussions about design objectives and direction (which were different from what our stakeholders had imagined).
  4. Establish a common language for the team to use throughout the project (which was more complicated than we had anticipated).
Your analysis of your marketing content must be both quantitative and qualitative to be effective - that is, you need to determine how much content you have and what types of content you have. The content audit above is a great place to start when trying to determine the content types. You can further break your content down by what category it falls under (for example, internet marketing content might further be divided into SEO content, PPC content, and social media marketing content). This should help you get a clearer picture of what you already have and key areas you want to focus on that you may have missed, or don't have a lot of. After your audit, revise your strategy accordingly and don't forget to track it with your SEO tools to make sure that it's having the intended effect.

Have any personal tips on creating and curating content? Let us know in the comments.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Students Need to be Pushed, Not Shoved

Though your thesaurus (or the one you use online) may not agree, I believe there is a difference between pushing and shoving. This is especially true when supporting students.

When I think about pushing, I imagine an object with potential that needs some assistance to begin moving.  Imagines such as a grocery cart, a rock on a hill, a car that runs out of gas, or a lawnmower come to mind.  Each of these objects have potential energy, but need a push to do their work and move forward.

Shoving, to me, is entirely different.  When I imagine a shove, I think about the inconsiderate person trying to get ahead in line, Black Friday masses attacking the shelves at midnight, or the response of a school yard bully to a new student.

Pushing is cooperation between an object with potential and a force seeking to help that object do its work.

Shoving is selfish.  It is done solely for the benefit of the person shoving.

When you support the potential for students, keep in mind the difference between pushing them and shoving them. Are your requests, activities, lessons, suggestions made to help a student with potential realize that potential or are they made primarily for your comfort.  Are you asking them to push themselves or are you simply taking the status quo and making it more difficult (essentially creating the mirage of pushing)?

With all respect to Merriam-Webster, pushing and shoving are not always synonymous.

Monday, March 18, 2013

This week with @socialjamie: Video Marketing Power: Strategize & Optimize for Success

For some time now, video marketing has been an influential part of how businesses manage their online campaigns. As trends tend to come and go in the Internet sphere, marketers must constantly change to adapt to their surroundings. However, video marketing doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, and this week's webinar should give you a better understanding of how to tie it into your own social plans. Ten Golden Rules' own Jamie Maloney is on board this week's Wednesday Webinar to talk about strategizing and optimizing videos for marketing success.

In this webinar, we'll teach you how to:
· Create strategies for marketing your videos online
· Optimize your videos for search engines (SEO)
· Generate new ideas for video content

Click here to register for FREE (3-20-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/WQjj09

About Jamie Maloney
Jamie Maloney is an account manager at Ten Golden Rules. She has an MBA and over 12 years of experience in marketing and branding. Her love of agency work derives from her interest in learning the intricacies of different industries. Internet marketing is her passion with a strong focus on social media strategy and search engine optimization. Offline, you can find her playing with her tennis ball-obsessed Boston Terrier, Bruce Lee, and going to live music shows with her rockstar husband.

Click here to register for FREE (3-20-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/WQjj09

Friday, March 15, 2013

A Student's Vision of Success

When we talk about vision in connection to success, we often hear about it in terms of organizational vision or a leader's vision. Seldom, if ever, are students engaged in conversation about their vision for success.  That is unfortunate. Many students hold a short term, "get me through this week" view of their school work, but just as having a clear vision of success is a vital component to organizational or leadership success, a clear vision of success in school is an important element to student achievement.

So, if helping students create and articulate a vision of success is important, why do parents and teachers seldom engage in that conversation or exercise with their students? There are probably many answers to that question, but the two that I think are probably the most common are:

  1. Limited time
  2. Lack the tools to engage effectively in that conversation
Limited time

For parents, especially in dual income families, time for parenting is limited. A recent report by the Pew Research Center reveals some interesting findings about this topic. In particular, about 25% of mothers and almost 50% of fathers reported that they spend too little time with their children. In addition, mothers in dual income families report an average of 12 hours/week with children and fathers reported an average of only 7 hours/week. This means that in an average dual income family, fathers spend about an hour a day parenting and mothers spend just shy of 2 hours a day parenting.

For teachers, the challenge is similar. If the typical teacher works about 8 hours a day at school (this does not count the hours spent at home or weekends preparing lessons, grading papers, etc.), chances are they are in class teaching for roughly 6 of those hours. Most teachers have a planning period during which students are in class, which is about another 40-60 minutes. That leaves about an hour each day to have lunch, answer phone calls, and attend to other duties (lunch supervision, etc.). In other words, unless the school has a dedicated time for student advising, most teachers have very little time to devote to helping students craft a vision of success.

Lack the tools to engage effectively

Crafting a vision of success requires more than simply telling someone what you hope to achieve. For many students, if you ask them to describe their ideal situation they will talk about grades. I have found this to be the case in almost every conversation I start with students about their vision of success. Students will report that success is getting all A's or A's and B's or no grades below C. However, this fixed mindset description of success is not going to help them focus during tough times. It will not help them deal with adversity or build the resiliency to stay engaged when the inevitable distractions appear.

Developing a vision of success is a process that may require multiple drafts and edits along the way.  Knowing the types of questions to ask or to have as a guide will help keep the exercise on track and serve to support the students' own thinking. After all, a key element to a student's vision of success is that it is THE STUDENT"S vision, not yours. 

What to look for in a good vision of success

So, what can a parent or teacher do in their limited time to help a student create a vision for success? One option is to get help. Certainly, connecting with Thrivapy will help support that work. However, if you are looking for a way to jump start the conversation with a student, here are a few tips.
  1. Try to guide the student to use future oriented language.
  2. Make sure the vision is optimistic.  A lack of "bad" things is no tan optimistic vision.
  3. Include all important parties in the vision.  This includes teachers, parents, friends, siblings, etc.  They all have a role to play in the student's life and success.
Having a clear vision of success is important for businesses, leaders, . . . and students! Engage with them in this important conversation and see if you begin to notice a difference in their approach to school.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

How Will Video Ads Affect Facebook?

With video ads on the horizon, we can only wonder if this will be the end of Facebook. They have slowly rolled out additional ad products in attempt to monetize their free service. Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman and CEO, also expressed their eagerness to venture further into mobile during a recent earnings call:

…comScore put out a report saying that Facebook is now 23% of all time spent on apps in the U.S., and one of the next biggest apps is Instagram at 3%. So, put together, we’re now more than a quarter of the time spent in apps. Today, there’s no argument. Facebook is a mobile company. As I’ve said before, there are three main parts of our strategy; build the best mobile products, build the platform and services that leverage the social graph, and build a really strong monetization effort engine.

What does this all mean? In Facebook’s eyes, mobile is an untapped revenue opportunity. Now, monetization efforts will no longer focus solely on desktop ads.

With the advent of the “new” News Feed, the emphasis is clearly on visual content. According to Ad Age, the video ad product will be targeted to users’ News Feeds on desktop and mobile devices. The ads are expected to be capped at 15 seconds and will autoplay.

Are marketers excited? Absolutely. This opens up a whole world of opportunity for advertising to Facebook users. Are Facebook users excited? This one is up for discussion. Facebook has to be wary of introducing another new ad product for fears that it might be viewed as intrusive.

How do you feel Facebook users will respond to video ads?

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: birgerking

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

This week's webinar is with @mwooddy and his Blogger presentation

We jumped the gun a little bit, but don't you worry. If you're ready for an awesome presentation with Audri Lanford on productivity secrets for Internet Marketers, you don't have to wait too long. If you were registered for that webinar, you'll be happy to know that it's still happening, but the new date is March 27th. No worries, because Matt Wooddy's second part of his Creating and Sharing Exceptional Content on Blogger presentation is tomorrow! Part 1 of Matt's webinar discussed the basics of what you should and should not post to your business Blogger account, while Part 2 aims its focus at sharing and generating more page views. If you're struggling to form a healthy relationship with your fans on Blogger, this webinar is perfect for you!

Click here to register for FREE (3-13-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/Zx8aN1

About Matt Wooddy:

For the last six years, Matt Wooddy has used his social wizardry to revitalize online marketing campaigns for over 200 brands. Understanding that social media is more than just a place to promote your business, he uses personal interaction and entertaining messages to improve the branding and interest of any given company. Some of his clients have included Art & Ink Publications, CustomUSB, Peachtree Social Agency, Motorsporting and a variety of entertainment companies. While studying Industrial Design at Auburn University, Matt sharpened his graphic design skills to better handle logo creation, website setup and other print media needs. He's also worked as Copy Editor, Lead Writer and Photographer for a handful of print magazines throughout the East Coast, honing his content marketing skills for a better tomorrow.

Click here to register for FREE (3-13-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/Zx8aN1

Monday, March 11, 2013

Student Motivation and Ownership

When helping students to take ownership of their work, we often begin to talk about motivation, or more specifically, how to design our work with students in a manner that supports higher levels of motivation. There are two aspects of "motivational design" that can help you. One involves the actual activities you expect students to perform.  The other involves the feedback you provide to students.

The Activities

The vast majority of activities students perform in class require some sort of focused effort. In addition, many activities demand attention to detail, creativity, collaboration, and the expense of some cognitive energy. 

When designing activities that support greater ownership and internal motivation, keep in mind the risks of rewards. This is not to say that positive feedback is not important (more on that later), but if your plan to encourage ownership and motivation is based on rewards, you will likely fall short and potentially set your students back further from owning their work than when they began. Instead, look for ways to incorporate autonomy, mastery, and purpose into the activity. Make sure the purpose is well understood, provide a clear path from activity to better mastery of the concepts, and give students some choice in how they go about delivering the final product.

For more, check out this video based on Daniel Pink's Drive: The Surprising Truth Behind What Motivates Us.



The Feedback

In addition to the activities you design, the feedback you give also plays a part in supporting ownership and motivation. Feedback to students, both formal and informal, should be given frequently during activities.  Not only does feedback help keep students on task, but it also can be a significant factor in helping students take ownership and develop internal motivation. Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson's blog post, The Feedback You Need to Be Giving provides a wonderful explanation of how different types of feedback affect different people. Essentially, Dr. Halvorson reports that for experts, being more critical in your feedback is useful and motivational.  For novices, additional praise is the better motivational feedback. In other words, if you are giving feedback to an expert, telling them how to do better next time is more helpful than piling on the praise.  For people just staring out, frequently telling them what they are doing well is more helpful.

There are obvious implications here for giving feedback to students. If you are working with a student who full grasps the concepts and is looking for more of a challenge, feedback that suggests areas for improvement is a good idea. For students unfamiliar with the concepts, begin more positive in your feedback will help them stay motivated to continue trying.

Effective educators support the academic development of their students. The level of "academic maturity" a student has is largely the result of how much she takes ownership of her work and the level of internal motivation she has to do better. Both ownership of work and motivation are topics teachers can support in their classes with some attention to designing appropriate activities and giving appropriate feedback.

Friday, March 8, 2013

What Is The Value of Google+ Brand Pages?

Now with over 400 million people using Google+, are you starting to think maybe your business should be there, too? If you are thinking along these lines, you are heading in the right direction. It’s critical for a business’s social presence to be where their community is. But, Google+ still doesn’t have widespread adoption like Facebook and Twitter. Why be on Google+ then? The SEO benefits alone might be more than worth it.

Over 1 million+ Brand Pages were created in the site’s first 6 months. In a study conducted by enterprise SEO company BrightEdge, their results revealed that Google+ is catching up to Facebook and Twitter in terms of numbers of top companies on the network. Three quarters of the top brands in the U.S. are now on Google+. So, what’s the bad news? Of the top 100 Brand Pages, only 15 million Google+ users have actually circled one of these brands in comparison to Facebook’s 481 million Page “likes”.

Despite the interaction statistics, I’m sure you are starting to notice more Google+ results in your SERPs. Google+ activity is incorporated even more heavily with Search plus Your World results thrown into the mix.

If visibility within the Google search results is your goal, your business should invest resources into building out a Google+ strategy. Leverage the tools Google+ offers such as Local pages and Communities to gain maximum exposure for your Brand Page.

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: Marco Bellucci

Making a Connection vs. Communication

Communication is, essentially, delivering a message that is understood. There is a communicator and an audience. The communicator bears the burden of crafting a message that the intended audience understands. The delivery of the message is all that matters.

Connection takes communication to the next level. It is a message that evokes a response. Connections require relationships, links, identity, and associations.

The present state of affairs is often referred to as the "connected society" or the "connected economy". We need to help students succeed in the "connected world" not the "communicative world".

Here's the challenge.

Communication is for the masses. The message is usually broadcast - meaning it is designed for a broad audience, who may or may not agree, listen, or follow. There is no real intention to develop a relationship, strengthen a connection, or create a new identity. The broadcast is simply to relate information.

Connection is much more personal. The goal is the association, the tribe building, and the relationship strengthening.

The communicator articulates a clear message.

The connector delivers a message that becomes part of the audiences identity.

Communication is relatively easy. There are numerous mediums available to help you deliver your message.

Connections are harder. They require an investment of oneself and the courage to risk rejection (but the desire to learn and connect better next time).




This post originally appeared on The Art of Education, February 1, 2013.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

3 Qualities of Good Student Goals

Students who set goals have the advantage of knowing what they want to accomplish, which usually includes a clear vision of success. However, simply setting goals is often not enough. Students need help with setting appropriate goals and aligning those goals with an action plan on which they can follow through. Therefore, it is very helpful to provide useful guidance to students about setting goals.

In Thrivapy, I spend quite a bit of time helping students set goals. Once set, we use those goals to evaluate progress and as a foundation for the student's developing vision of success.


This post identifies 3 qualities I look for in good student goals.

1. The goal is challenging.

A challenging goal is one that requires some higher level of focus, concentration, and effort.

2. The goal is specific.

A specific goal can be measured in some way to check for progress.

3. The goal is flexible.

A flexible goal can be adjusted without changing the essence of the overall achievement. For example, the goal if hitting safely one time in a baseball game can be adjusted to two safe hits if you accomplish the goal on your first at bat.


Looking for more help on student goal setting? Check out this presentation I recently gave to a group of teachers.



Monday, March 4, 2013

Social Media & Small Business: What NOT To Do During a Disaster



When it comes to social media for small businesses, most people think of it as just another channel for communication and promotion. However, it can also be a source of help or hurt during a natural disaster. During and after Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the east coast earlier this year, we saw very specific examples of how social media can be a lifeline for some and also learned valuable lessons about what NOT to do during a disaster:
1.       DO NOT spread rumors on social media: This one can be a tricky one. During Hurricane Sandy, the campaign manager for a U.S. House of Representatives candidate was allegedly the source of a widespread rumor that the New York Stock Exchange had flooded. It was picked up by both CNN and the National Weather Service before it was debunked. Usually, however, “official” social media accounts at the local, state and national levels can be counted on for accurate information. Only repost messages from credible sources that have been verified, if possible.
2.       DO NOT use social media to promote your brand or product while people are in survival mode: American Apparel, Urban Outfitters and the Gap were all criticized for insensitive promotional messages on Twitter during the storm. If you want to help people by providing them with a discount, you should wait until the storm has passed.
3.       DO NOT just “wing it”: If you already have an online crisis management plan for your small business, consider adding social media as a secondary means of communication with your employees, vendors and customers. You can also use your social media channels to bring the community together as 13 restaurants did to provide Sunday dinner in one Sandy-ravaged town. If you don’t have a disaster plan in place, you should get one. Immediately. Read this Forbes article for some tips.
4.       DO NOT ignore social media: Now more than ever, people are turning to social media for information, and the more you can provide during a crisis, the more value you are giving. In some desperate situations, social media may be the only channel available for communication.
Hurricane Sandy showed us the good, the bad and the ugly of how social media can be used during a natural disaster or crisis situation. Let’s all take these lessons and learn from them, so that we are prepared for the next time Mother Nature decides to show us who’s boss.
How have you used social media to get through a crisis? Do you have a disaster plan that includes social media? Share it with us in the comments below.