How To Vet Guest Posts For Quality

I am by no means a successful blogger and, yet I receive at least a dozen guest posts requests every week. Sadly, more often than not, I have to respond with the usual "I am sorry I cannot publish this" assertion.

Guest posts can be both good and bad. While a quality guest post can enrich your blog and offer something new and unique to your readers, a poor post alone can undo all the good work you have been doing on your blog for years. It is therefore important that you select the right posts for publication. A guest post should add to and not take away from your blog.

In this post I will discuss a few tips to help you vet guest posts for quality in an effort to determine their suitability for publication.

1. Consider Links Carefully

You might be well aware that links play a very important role in determining a site’s search rankings. It is primarily for this reason that search engines like Google are so fussy when it comes to links, demanding that you carefully 'screen' the sites that you link to or the sites that link back to you.

It is therefore of primary importance that you do not link to a site that flaunts the Google’s Quality Guidelines; as this could negatively impact your search rankings. By endorsing a site which is in the bad eye of Google, you risk being seen in the bad light yourself.

Examples of sites that go against Google’s quality guidelines include sites that publish ‘scrapped’ or ‘spun’ content or sites that participate in unnatural link building.

While vetting a guest post, make a careful evaluation of each and every site the post links to and determine whether the same goes against the Google’s Quality Guidelines. If it so does, you should as a rule refuse to publish the same.

2. The Quality of Writing

While vetting a guest post for quality, consider the following pointers.

• Error-free writing; proper usage of grammar. For example, check adherence to the rules of agreement: singular nouns being accompanied by singular verbs and plural nouns by plural verbs
• Extent of Coherence. Check for organisation of thought and smooth flow of language.
• Clarity. Consider whether the article is easy to understand and act upon.
• Brevity.
• Focus and expression of ideas i.e how well the author is able to support the idea ‘central’ to the post. This to a great extent depends upon the author’s understanding and knowledge of the topic at hand.

3. Value Delivery Quotient

At the third and final stage, you need to consider how high the article scores on the value delivery quotient. Does the article repeat the same things which have already been said over and over again in hundreds of other blog posts or does it bring out the true thoughts and ideas of the author? Ultimately you would want to publish an article that offers real value to your audience.

Protecting yourself against Plagiarism

Plagiarism in the online world is rampant these days and guest blogging is not immune to the same. More often than not, in today's world, organisations outsource their guest blogging functions to copywriting and SEO agencies. These agencies produce content in the bulk with the view to get the maximum possible links for their clients (their commissions are tied to this).

In such a situation, where link and profit maximisation are their sole objective, content often takes a beating. A large portion of the articles commissioned by these agencies are either a direct copy (with minor variations) or are 'spun' from one or more existing articles.

Protecting yourself from plagiarism is important primarily for two reasons. One, publishing plagiarized content could expose you to copyright infringement proceedings. Secondly, this might also lead to a possible Google penalty and consequent loss of search rankings. Remember that Google algorithms actively monitor sites for copied content.

There are a lot of online tools available that allow you to check articles for plagiarism issues. I would personally recommend that you use the Copyscape premium plagiarism checker.

Thanks for your time and do share your views on the issue with us.

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Top 5 Apps for Optimizing Your Android Phone

Do you want to get the best possible performance from your Android phone? Here are five useful apps that will help optimize your android phone, improve its battery life and give it some added functionality.

Juice Defender

If you’re not getting the battery life you expect from your Android device, it is time to find out why. Juice Defender finds out which phone functions are draining your battery and disables the worst culprits. You can create profiles that control how aggressively Juice Defender tries to conserve battery life. For example, you can ask Juice Defender to shut down the data connection at certain times of day, or to turn off the phone’s Wi-Fi radio when there is no open network within range.

Try the free version of Juice Defender to see how it can help you, or upgrade to Juice Defender Plus to enjoy a greater range of options that allow you to take even greater control over your Android phone’s battery.

Shush!


How many times have you missed a call or text because you silenced your phone for a movie or event and forgot to turn the ringer back on afterwards? Shush allows you to set your phone to silent mode for a certain period of time; it will automatically turn the ringer back on at the end of the specified time. This simple but useful app is free to download for Android phones.

Kobo

Love to read, but don’t own a Kindle? Kobo is an e-reader with many handy customization options to make your reading experience more comfortable. Use the volume controls to flip through the pages of your book, adjust the text size and font, or switch to night mode to read in the dark without straining your eyes.

AirDroid


Want to manage your phone from your computer? AirDroid allows you to access your phone from a computer running on the same wireless network. You can write text messages using your comfortable desktop keyboard and send them via your phone using AirDroid. Moving and manipulating files is also a breeze when you can explore your phone’s folders from the comfort of your desktop interface. AirDroid is a free app for Android.

Tasker

Tasker is the ultimate automation app for your Android phone. For just a few dollars this app will allow you to tweak your device in almost every way imaginable.

With Tasker, not only can you override the default Android settings, but can also create your own customized methods of telling your phone what to do. For example, you could ask Tasker to turn your phone to mute when you place it face down and then restore the ringer when you flip the handset over. You can also set up daily schedules for back-up or turning connectivity settings on and off. It’s your phone, and Tasker makes it work in the way you want it to.

Peter Brooks the author of this article is looking forward to getting a new phone with the latest Android key lime pie operating system.

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How To Properly Erase Sensitive Data From Your Computer And Server

As more businesses use computer software and technology to help improve their efficiency and services, more potentially sensitive customer data is being stored on hard drives and other storage medium. From your desktop computer to full-scale server systems, there will likely come a time when you need to upgrade or replace your existing hardware.

If a storage device leaves your business with any data intact, you run the risk of data theft. In an increasingly digital era, this sort of mishap could be disastrous to any business. These three methods for erasing important documents and files are easy to perform and affordable for nearly any business budget.

Method #1 - Selective Drive Erasing with Active@ Kill Disk

Active@ Kill Disk supports Windows, DOS and Linux for compatibility with many business servers and computers. Though the program is capable of wiping Apple HFS+ formatted drives, it is currently not available for the OSX. It features two erasing modes depending on your needs.

• Disk Erase: This mode clears all data from the disk. Simply choose a disk, pick an erase method and click start. The recommended methods are DoD 5220.22-M and DoD 5220.22-M (ECE) with the later being the most secure.
• Disk Wipe: This mode only cleans the unused portions of the drive. This is ideal if you are moving a drive from one computer to another but wish to retain files or settings that are stored on the drive.

Both methods will produce a report upon completion and verify the erasing process. Additional features, such as e-mail notifications, can be configured as well for remote monitoring.

Method #2 - Boot-time Erasure with Darik's Boot and Nuke

DBAN allows you to erase drives that might be running operating systems or similar softwares that prevent proper erasure if the computer were running normally. When using DBAN, be sure to store any discs that you create in a secure location.

The first step to running DBAN is creating a copy of the disc you will be using. Simply download the ISO file and write it to a CD-R using the program of your choice. Care should be taken not to execute any of the files within the ISO file as this could result is unintentional data loss.

After the disk is written, simply place it in the optical drive of the computer you wish to wipe and reboot the computer. If the computer is not set to check for bootable discs, changes in the BIOS settings may be required. If you do not know how to perform these steps, check your computer manual or Hiren's Guide for Booting from CDROMs.

If successful, you should see a prompt from DBAN. Typing "dod" and pressing enter will then wipe every drive connected to the system. For wiping individual drives, you just press the enter key at the prompt and use the interactive interface.

Method #3 - Drive Destruction via Degaussing

If you do not intend to reuse or resell the drives that you have erased, the most secure and quick method of data erasure is drive destruction. While you could physically dismantle the drive, degaussing offers a faster, easier solution. Degaussing machines use strong electromagnetic fields to permanently wipe any data stored on a drive.

Depending on the type of machine being used, this makes it possible to wipe thousands of drives with ease. If purchasing a degaussing machine is not feasible, many document-shredding services also offer degaussing services as well. Once the degaussing process is complete, the drive will no longer function or contain any data.

When all else fails and you must get rid of information (or even retrieve old information) from your computer’s hard drive you can consult a professional at LWG Consulting to perform digital forensics.
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Author Bio: Stephan Jukic is a freelance writer who generally covers a variety of subjects relating to the latest changes in white hat SEO, mobile technology, marketing tech and digital security. Connect with Stephan on LinkedIn.

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A Beginner's Guide To Marketing Strategy

Whatever your business - whether you’ve invented the latest must-have technology or you’re providing a service to a niche market, a clear marketing strategy is essential to your success. However ground-breaking your business is, if you’re not sure which direction you want to take, you could find yourself going nowhere.

Let’s look at the vital elements that businesses of any size should include in their strategic marketing plan.

Create A Mission Statement

The mission statement summarises the goals and values of an organisation and answers the question “what business are we in?” It reflects the core purpose of the business and helps staff focus on company strategy in order to attain the business’s goals.

The following example from internet retailer Amazon has evolved over the years to reflect their expanding customer base, and increased business offerings; however, customer focus remains at the core of their strategy.

“We seek to be Earth’s most customer-centric company for four primary customer sets: consumers, sellers, enterprises and content creators”.

Define Your Target Market

Knowing your target audience, and how to appeal to it, is crucial to success. Once you’ve identified your ideal customer, evaluate the demographics of that customer base so that you can identify how best to attract business. After all, if your target market consists of home-owners and professionals, there’s no point marketing your business to students.

Know Your Competition

By analysing your competitors, you identify their strengths, weaknesses and market share. Keeping an eye on the competition will allow you to respond to any threats to your business, and also to focus on the factors that set you apart. So, if your company offers something unique, make sure it’s included in your marketing strategy.

Price

There are many different models for price setting; which one you choose may depend on your overall marketing strategy. For example, technology manufacturers often adopt a skimming pricing strategy when launching new products. This means selling products at a high price in order to recoup investment costs. The strategy often appeals to “early adopters” who are less price sensitive than other consumers. Once investment costs are recouped, other pricing strategies can be adopted in order to increase market share.

Cost-based pricing provides a useful indicator of the minimum price required to make a profit, although it doesn’t account for customer demand. Despite this, calculating the full costs can establish a break-even point at different price levels. This can be useful when considering which pricing model to adopt; if you can’t cover your costs, it may be time to rethink your strategy.

Promotional And PR Activity

A good public relations strategy can not only generate publicity for your business, but also meet the needs of your stakeholders. Good PR can enhance a company’s reputation, attract employees and foster favourable customer relations.

A well placed media story about your product or organisation can gain you valuable free publicity, and help reduce advertising costs. And while the internet has opened up the channels of communication, keep an eye on the publicity generated via social media; one rogue tweet could spell PR disaster!

Do you have any tips for creating an effective marketing strategy? Leave your comments below.

Roz McGann is a business graduate and freelance writer. She recommends Strategy Consulting Limited. Image - Wikimedia Commons

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5 Cool iPhone Apps To Download Today

In this post I will be sharing some paid iPhone apps that are so cool that they will keep you hooked on to your iPhone and help you do so much more with it. In this list you will find one training and fitness app, two camera apps, one gaming app and one music discovery app.

1. TouchFit By Zolmo

TouchFit is an health and fitness app that features over 500 videos to help you stay fit and active. With TouthFit, you can personalize your training regime and monitor you progress in real time. 

Price : $6.99

2. Swag By Oringe LLC

Swag is iPhone app that allows you to quickly add text to your photographs. With hundreds of font choices and layout combinations, being humorous or inspirational is as easy as a touch of a button.

Price: $1.99 

3. Camera Noir By Pacific Helm

Yet another camera app to be featured on this list, Camera Noir lets you take stunning black and white photographs using your iPhone.

Price : $1.99

4.  Circles By Snowman

Circles is an excellent memory game that tests your mental prowess to the core. All in all there are 120 levels and you can even challenge your friends to a battle.

Price: $0.99

5. Hype Machine By The Hype Machine, Inc

HypeM is a music discovery app that helps you find the best music from round the globe. You can even check out what your friends have been listening to on the app. Plus, each week you get to preview one new album in its entirety to help you decide on the music you want to buy. A great app for all music lovers, Hype Machine bring to you music (from round the world) that bloggers are going crazy about.

Price: $3.99

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