Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Tai Chi and Qigong Movement Classes from White Crane Healing Arts

Qigong can be literally translated as energy practice. It includes all kinds of internal and external forms that enhance the quality of Qi and increase circulation. There are two classifications of Qigong, Nei Dan (internal forms) and Wei Dan (external forms). Qigong practice is beneficial because it promotes good health by facilitating the body's internal healing mechanisms and increasing the production of white blood cells which enhance immunity. This allows the body to function more efficiently. Qigong can be practiced in a simple standing, sitting or lying down position; or it can be graceful and sophisticated movement like the meditative forms of Tai Chi and Eight Treasures. Unlike calisthenics, integral movement enhances life energy slowly by progressively making the body more flexible and improving overall health. With practice the mind becomes skillful at remaining attentive while moving.

As you practice and refine the movements you will eventually notice old problems and symptoms becoming less problematic or disappearing altogether. Tai Chi and Qigong Movement releases bound up energy and emotions which will help you to experience joy, peacefulness and flexibility.

Our Tai Chi and Qigong Movement instructors are experienced, certified and trained to skillfully teach a number of movement and Qigong forms specific to an individuals needs. This type of movement is beneficial for all age groups including seniors and older children.

White Crane Healing Arts
7071 W. Commercial Blvd. Suite 2C
Tamarac, FL 33319
Phone (954) 721-7252
http://www.whitecranehealingarts.com/classes.html

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Recommendations for Blog Commenting as a Marketing Strategy

Taken from New Age Website Marketing

Many of us in the web marketing space have a love/hate relationship with the practice of leveraging blog comments as a marketing strategy. On the one hand, it can bring valuable participation and content to our sites and provide an outlet for us to reach other communities and bloggers/comment-enabled communities. But, it’s also an endless source of spam and low quality contributions that teeter on the “publish-worthy” seesaw.

Given the ongoing popularity of this practice and some recent successes (and failures) I’ve observed and participated in personally in this arena, I felt it worthwhile to explore in more depth.

Why Comment on Blogs?

  • Branding / Awareness – commenting on blogs will almost certainly get you at least a brief once-over from the writer, and consistent contributions are a proven way to build relationships with bloggers. That participation can also yield awareness and branding to the blog’s audience, at least those who are consistent comment readers and interactors. Depending on the blog/sector and your goals, this can be a very positive marketing move.
    _
  • Direct traffic – comments with links, especially those that are well-written and entice readers to click a link (rather than just being a random/irrelevant/spammy link drop) will send visits. If the post itself continues to earn traffic, this can even be an ongoing source of referrals to your site/page.
     
  • SEO / Search Rankings – some blogs use “dofollow” links in the comments that are approved and may send search ranking value. However, it’s generally my opinion that many of these links aren’t treated as… let’s say “impactfully” as normal links in the search engines’ ranking systems. However, leaving a link that is so useful and valuable that the blog author edits his/her post to include it (something I’ve done many times here on SEOmoz and helped to make happen through my own comments) is definitely SEO accretive.
     
  • Second-Order Marketing Impact – many of the effects you might feel from commenting aren’t directly impactful, but instead come later on as a result of the post. e.g. the reporter who follows up on a comment for detail to include in a story, the link to your content that comes from another blog discussing your comment, etc.
Given these goals, it’s essential to think a bit more strategically about the practice of commenting and participation. Whereas the right contribution can bring you all of the above, the wrong one(s) could adversely impact many of these.

10 Recommendations for Blog Comments

  1. Read the last 5 posts made by the author - assuming you’ve never participated in this particular blog/community previously, make it a pre-requisite of commenting to read through their prior material. You’ll get a good sense of the author, their interests, their perspective and their writing style. All of these will help you considerably to make a positive, impactful impression with your comment.
     
  2. Read at least 3 posts worth of comments – If you don’t read the comments on other posts, you may have a tough time getting a sense for the community’s level and style of discourse, making your comment appear out of place. You want to stick out from the crowd, but not because you’re an inexperienced contributor. If it’s your first time to a site, don’t just drive-by comment and link drop, take the time to understand protocol and your contribution will be far more likely to generate value.
     
  3. Read previously posted comments on the thread – This one’s obvious, but also oft-forgotten. In order to have a comment that the author and other readers will take seriously, you need to know what else was posted on the thread. If there’s dozens or hundreds of comments, it’s OK to skim, but make sure your point is being made and discussed earlier a reply or back-and-forth thread may even be a more appropriate place to post your content in these cases.
     
  4. Write “more than a tweet t and less than a blog post” – The exact amount is up to you, but generally speaking, the range between a long tweet (~140 characters) and 2-3 paragraphs (too short to be its own blog post) is ideal. It’s easy to consume, but gives you enough room to make a substantive point (and potentially leave a relevant/useful link). If you do want to go much longer, write that post! The content will likely be more valuable for marketing on your site, and many times, the author may append their post to include your link. You can then make a short, relevant comment in the post itself and leave a link back to your more in-depth piece.
     
  5. Never drop a pure bio/reference link - If you link with something like this, you’re barking up the wrong tree: eb102 drive by link drop Recommendations for Blog Commenting as a Marketing Strategy
    These sorts of “drive-by” link drops will get rejected 8/10 times and have the link removed before approval the rest. If you’re going to leave a link, it better be highly relevant to the post, interesting to the audience and as non-promotional as possible (or, if it is highly promotional, prefaced transparently as such).

  6. You may link to your own content a maximum of once in a comment - If you’re linking to the content of others as a reference, it’s fine to leave a link or two, even three (this can be particularly useful if you’re referencing data points, studies, surveys, etc. that back up a point), but if it’s promotional in any way (even if it simply exists on a site you own/control), best practice says keep it to one.
     
  7. If at all possible, use your real identity and photo – The goodwill and trust built from an authentic human face and name that go together, match the bio/team of the site they link to and carry across mediums (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) is invaluable. It can often mean the difference between being treated as a respected new member vs. a black hat spammer. If at all possible, use your real identity, full name, and actual photo.
     
  8. Be authentic and honest about who you are and why you’re there – You may be paranoid that by admitting you’re a marketer, a community manager, an SEO, etc. you’ll be thought worse of and potentially excluded, but I can say from experience that honesty is the best policy and that being open about your motivations and background will more often than not build trust and acceptance. That said, in many communities, if your title is officially “SEO link builder” or “SEO specialist” you might want to modify that slightly to “organic marketing specialist” or “content marketer” or even “blogger,” if the title fits. So long as those descriptions are still honest, they can lessen the negative perception that “SEO” unfortunately still carries.
     
  9. It’s OK to promote your comment (and their post) socially - Bloggers love getting their work tweeted/shared, so if you tweet/FB share a reference to your comment on their post, particularly if you call them out by name, it can have a very positive effect. For example: eb102 left a comment tweet Recommendations for Blog Commenting as a Marketing Strategy

  10. Make your profile link point to an appropriate place – You can ruin a great comment by linking to what seems like a spammy/manipulative site. If you run a site that’s completely off-topic for the blog/community to which you’re contributing, at least point to your bio page on the site rather than the homepage. Seeing a great response from “Maggie Thompson” that links to “www.suffolkhomeloans.info” might get a link-strip, but linking to “www.suffolkhomeloans.info/maggies-bio.html” could very possibly pass the same smell test.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

StainRX - Ultimate Stain Remover Blog

Cambridge Diagnostic Products, Inc., the creator and manufacturer of Stain Rx stain remover, has a long history in the in vitro diagnostic products field. From their first breakthrough in 1953 to today’s most advanced diagnostic and consumer stain removal products, Cambridge has been on a relentless quest to develop new solutions to problems, achieve the highest quality product standards, and assure customers exceptional service.


Stain Rx has been test to clean the following materials:

..... Colorfast washable fabrics
..... Platinum, gold, silver and diamond jewelry
..... Sinks, stainless steel, plastic items, cabinets, counter tops and other non porous surfaces
..... Hands
..... Glassware
..... Upholstery, carpets & furniture
..... Yellowed fabrics

Cambridge Diagnostic Products
(800) 525-6262
http://www.stainrx.com/blog/

Friday, January 21, 2011

Florida Environmental Law Attorneys

Pathman Lewis is widely recognized for its leadership in the field of environmental law in Florida. The firm draws on its broad land use, real estate and corporate expertise for all matters pertaining to our representation of our clients in environmental matters.

We regularly counsel clients on complex regulatory issues, including those under RCRA, CERCLA, the Brownfield Redevelopment Act, the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, OSHA and a variety of state programs. Our attorneys frequently advise clients about the risk of lender liability and the derivative liability of parent corporations, shareholders and successors, helping them to avoid, minimize or eliminate potential exposure to such liability.

Pathman Lewis, LLP
Attorneys At Law
One Biscayne Tower
2 South Biscayne Blvd., Suite 2400
Miami, Florida 33131
(305) 379-2425
http://www.pathmanlewis.com/environmental/


Providing legal services across South Florida covering
Miami-Dade, Monroe, Martin, Broward and Palm Beach Counties

The hiring of a Florida Lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Year End Web Stats Review

by Smittysholdings

Now is a good time to review your web stats, these tidbits of information can help you move forward in planning your marketing for the up coming year.
  • Search for which keyword phrases are being used to find you
  • Examine which web pages are getting the most traffic and which ones are not
  • Review the404 – 500 errors portion of your stats to see what people are missing or what is not working – this is something to pay close attention to and something that can be fixed
  • If you can see how much traffic is coming to your website,  can you see if there is any trending?
  • Are you being visited by the Major Search Engine Bots?
  • Are you getting links from undesirable websites?
  • Can you tell what time of day you are getting the bulk of your traffic?
(Good points to review)

Read more from Smittysholdings...

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Eco-Friendly Concrete Countertops by Eco Simplista

Stop wasting precious natural resources on your kitchen's countertops. Several brilliant companies now offer environmentally responsible surfaces. Consider recycled tile countertops, bamboo counters, concrete countertops and the many other options highlighted here. All present attractive and viable alternatives to conventional countertops.

These options are also available for bathrooms, mantels, custom cabinetry, etc.

    * Poured Concrete - natural organic materials with modern techniques
    * ALKEMI - recycled surface material composed of post-industrial scrap waste


These sustainable countertop options have some great green features in common:

    * Low-VOC or VOC-free in materials, installation, and maintenance
    * High recycled content
    * Hypoallergenic and antibacterial
    * Durable

Call Today to find out how we can help you select the right countertop for you.

Eco Simplista
Your Eco-Friendly Home Improvement Company
Non-Toxic Zero VOC Paint, Eco Flooring, Concrete Countertops, Decorative Concrete & Remodeling Supplies
699 East Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park, Fl 33334
Phone: 954-565-5900

http://www.ecosimplista.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4&

Monday, January 3, 2011

Blonder Tongue CATV and VHF & UHF Equipment

AMT's complete portfolio of CATV, VHF & UHF and Broadband equipment includes products from Blonder Tongue Laboratories and is complimented by a sales & engineering team with hundreds of years of combined experience within the CATV, SMATV, IP and TELCO industries.

Located in Deerfield Beach, FL, Advanced Media Technologies, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of ITOCHU International. ITOCHU International, Inc. is the North American subsidiary of ITOCHU Corporation, one of Japan's leading companies. With operations in over 80 countries covering a broad range of industries, ITOCHU's revenues place it among the world's largest corporations of any type.

AMT has an unmatched inventory of stocked items which include the following Broadband and CATV electronics equipment:

  • Digital Analog IP Headend Products
  • Digicipher Receivers
  • RF & Fiber Transport
  • Digital Encoders
  • Ad Insertion Equipment
  • Line Gear
  • Cable Modems & Gateways
  • Digital QAM & IP Set Tops
  • Plus more!

Advanced Media Technologies, Inc.
3150 SW 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442
PHONE: 954.427.5711
TOLL-FREE: 888.293.5856

http://www.amt.com/store/index_mfr.php?MfrID=5