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The opportunity for content monetization has never been greater.Individuals around the globe have built their content empires by publishing the unique details of their personal experiences for the world to see, and it's all thanks to the internet. From foodies to entrepreneurs, fitness instructors to political figures, there's droves of new content publishers across social media, video platforms, web hosted blogs, and email newsletters. Where there's a dedicated audience, there's a content creator ripe for monetization. And in today's industry, these moguls are most commonly referred to as "influencers."
Although there's a definite cool factor associated with being an influencer, it's important to debunk the myth that influencer is synonymous with the elite. Everyone and anyone is qualified to create content, publish it to their social media accounts, website, webinar, or email list, and monetize it by working with brands who value their message and target audience.
The term influencer is commonly associated with massive readerships and social media followings. But that's a narrow point of view. In fact, brands are discovering more and more that large followings don't necessarily equate to high quality, and the reverse is often true.
Small, dedicated audiences with a higher propensity for engagement, are more qualified to become potential customers than large, inactive followings. However a content creator chooses to define her or himself; whether it be as an influencer, an affiliate marketer, a brand advocate, or ambassador, their job is to inspire, inform, educate, and empower their unique audience.
"A content creator chooses to define her or himself; whether it be as an influencer, an affiliate marketer, a brand advocate, or ambassador, their job is to inspire, inform, educate, and empower their unique audience."
In this article, I'll demonstrate the key ways in which creators monetize their content, and why one often overlooked model can outperform the other. I'll also debunk the myth that influencer marketing is inherently different than other types of content creation/marketing, and highlight the importance of partnership in order to advance your earning potential.
You might also like: What is Affiliate Marketing? The Myth vs. Reality.
How is content monetized?
Content publishers — i.e. anyone who shares their content on the internet, including influencers — can monetize their messages by partnering with brands. Brands are hungry to understand ways in which they can work with content creators, but it's not always a clear path to success for either party.
"Brands are hungry to understand ways in which they can work with content creators."
In fact, the term "influencer" eludes the majority. What do they actually do, and how can brands initiate a relationship with them? How are they compensated? Well, the answer to these questions varies significantly, and in fact, there are multiple layers of content creators.
The most common monetization model is sponsored posts, where the content publisher is compensated with a flat fee for posting on behalf of the brand. This model is most closely aligned with content creators who refer to themselves as influencers. The trouble with limiting oneself to sponsored posts is that, just like billboard ads or TV commercials, there's no way to know how effective the ad will perform.
Unlike sponsored posts, performance models are built on a commissionable compensation framework, where the content publisher is paid a percentage of sales, or a bounty for desired actions — like email signups, subscriptions, or app downloads. This monetization model is most closely associated with affiliate marketing.
There's a number of reasons the latter is preferable to brands. Primarily, it allows them to invest in a content publisher without risk of losing money. But there's also a strong business case for content publishers to use a performance model. Performance-based compensation allows content publishers to advance their business in a number of ways. Here are the top benefits to performance models for publishers:
- Win more business. Being open to commissions will create more opportunity for new partnerships, by posing less risk to the advertiser.
- Long term earnings. Long term earnings can outpace the earning potential of a one time fee.
- Return customers. Brands will continue to invest in profitable partnerships, allowing publishers to develop long term partnerships.
- Tracking. Working on commissionable earnings means there will be a tracking link involved in the post, which helps both the advertiser and the publisher to monitor performance, and gain deep analysis of what works and what doesn't.
- Optimization. Working on a performance basis allows the publisher and the advertiser to analyze the content performance, allowing both the ability to test new ways of appealing to the publisher's audience, and ultimately, improve both parties' goals.
Content monetization can take many forms, but the two most common are through flat fees and commissions. With that in mind, both monetization models are a point of contention. Content monetization is a hot topic, especially as more publishers discover its benefits, and the market catches on.
The great debate: Is monetized content authentic?
It's always been a marketers mission to be where their target customers are. And with the age of the internet, the voice of the customer is heard, and their appetite for transparency is clear.
They want to discover a brand from people like them, or people they admire, and are interested in their opinion of the brand. This is in contrast with how brands used to market, where advertising was a matter of how they wanted to be perceived by the market.
Now, brands are flocking to individual content creators in the hope that they'll provide potential customers with information about their brand, to help a creator's audience make informed purchasing decisions. Content creators are becoming the most coveted marketing channel for advertisers to tap into.
So why has this powerful marketing solution become a subject of contention?
One of the greatest assets of brands working with content creators is the transparency consumers gain from receiving unbiased opinions, reviews, and information about the brand. But that practice is put into question when money is in the mix.
The topic of content monetization has become more pronounced with new regulations that require disclosure of partnership. For the sake of transparency, the practice of disclosure is critical. But that doesn't mean the concept of monetization is unethical.
"Despite popular opinion, content monetization does not indicate inauthenticity. In fact, the best content creators are incredibly dedicated to delivering an authentic experience."
Despite popular opinion, content monetization does not indicate inauthenticity. In fact, the best content creators are incredibly dedicated to delivering an authentic experience. The myth that monetized content is disingenuous, fraudulent, untrue, or unethical, needs to be dispelled.
At PatreCon 2017, Jack Conte, the CEO of Patreon, shared his journey with content creation in the form of his music. He described his fear of being pegged as a sell-out when Hyundai approached his band to sponsor their music video. Yet, the partnership not only helped them earn some money that they could reinvest back into the band, but it also gave their music a bigger platform.
They leveraged the opportunity and in the long-run were able to deliver an even higher quality of music to their fans. And that decision was made in the interest of their audience.
Content publishers share the same dilemma. The two key priorities of successful content creators are:
- Serving the audience well. For long term success, content creators must deliver a value in the messages they share, which means they will only partner with brands that deliver value to their unique audience. They think about what their audience wants to know, what interests them, and what they can do to help solve a problem. Today's content creator pros never risk promoting a brand that won't appeal to their followers. Just like successful businesses, publishers need to deliver strong user experience, which means they must put the needs of their customers/readers first.
- Figuring out how best to monetize their content. Just as Jack did with his music, content creators need to assess what type of monetization works best for their long-term goals, and what feels authenticate to their business.
You might also like: 7 Tips to Help Cultivate Authenticity for your Affiliate Marketing Business.
The new age of content monetization
If you can recall the world before social media, you might remember flipping through the pages of a magazine, which often include traditional advertisements.
This advertising exists in two key ways. The first is in a traditional display format, like a full-page Rolex spread. The second is native advertising. You have to read between the lines to discover it, because it's contextual, inconspicuous, and organic in nature. If you've ever read a "Who Wore it Better" article, you'd have seen suggestions from the editor on how you can achieve the look, nail the beauty regime, or find an outfit at a cheaper price.
That content represents an additional way for the magazine to monetize their publication. The advertiser allocates spend to the magazine in order to be included in their message to a relevant audience. This represents an integral revenue stream for the magazine, and when done well, it's of high value to its reader. In fact, the majority of publications lean on their editorial team to decide on which brands to mention in their content.
Today, digital influencers have taken on the challenge of monetizing their content through native advertising, too, and make all the decision when selecting the brands, products, and experiences they wish to share with their audience.
"Back in the day, the only logical way to pay for advertising, whether a celebrity endorsement or a native advertisement published in a magazine, was to negotiate a flat fee. But that was before the world of digital tools, where marketing performance is easily measurable."
Back in the day, the only logical way to pay for advertising, whether a celebrity endorsement or a native advertisement published in a magazine, was to negotiate a flat fee. But that was before the world of digital tools, where marketing performance is easily measurable. With digital media, content publishers and advertisers alike can determine exactly how effective their media is, right down to the level of which customer came from what source, on which day, and at what time.
With data, an advertiser is empowered to make decisions that will make their marketing spend go further. They can identify the publisher that referred the most customers, the highest sales revenue, and the most loyal customers who returned to the brand again. They're able to select the referral source, based on what will drive the highest return on their ad spend. That's why publishers need to be armed with their own performance data, prepared to explore multiple monetization formats, and able to clearly describe their value to the advertiser.
"That's why publishers need to be armed with their own performance data, prepared to explore multiple monetization formats, and able to clearly describe their value to the advertiser."
With digital media, publishers have more than one choice when it comes to monetizing their content, and advertisers have the capability to measure their value. There's many ways to take advantage of that to advance the interests of the content creator, the advertiser, AND the customer.
The top three monetization mistakes influencers make
To be an industry pro, you need to know how to set yourself apart. With more people monetizing their content, the competition for a brand's attention will continue to heat up. To win the hearts and media dollars of brands, here are three of the most common mistakes to avoid.
1. Media kits and vanity metrics
Many content creators, specifically those who refer to themselves as influencers, will have what's called a media kit. But the majority of media kits seriously miss the mark.
A media kit is a snapshot of what the creator has to offer the brand. Media kits are supposed to help the advertiser understand the opportunity of partnering, but the majority don't include the information advertisers really need to understand in order to invest in the partnership.
A typical media kit will include metrics that paint a picture of the publishers value. The problem is, these metrics focus on what digital marketers call vanity metrics.
Vanity metrics are things like average likes on a post, average engagement levels, number of followers, readers, or blog impressions, and page hits. Although that data can help a publisher understand their position in the industry, an advertiser only needs to know how well their media spend will perform based on qualitative and quantitative data.
When a content creator doesn't clearly articulate qualifiers that the advertiser needs to know in order to estimate the measures of their investment, the publisher limits the potential of his or her business.
Advertisers want to see data like:
- Average click through rate
- Average conversion rate
- Audience demographics
- Behavioral data, such as audience interests and other brand affinities
It's also important to understand an audience's needs, pain points, challenges, and the solutions that would better their life; whether it's their day-to-day, business, career, or their next vacation. Advertisers want to see information about the type of brands and businesses that an audience will respond best to. That level of analysis helps them understand an audience, their synergy with the brand, and whether there's a strong alignment for partnership.
"Ultimately, the advertiser is looking for one key metric: Return On Ad Spend."
Ultimately, the advertiser is looking for one key metric: Return On Ad Spend. This is not something content creators can discern without an open line of communication with the advertiser they partner with. But it will help the publisher be competitive among those who don't have this level of data.
Partnerships are built on a give and take framework, and it's important that both parties are accountable to performance. With that in mind, sharing pre and post campaign insights will lead to better performance.
Having an understanding of what the advertiser can expect to gain from the exchange will move mountains in developing a lucrative long term partnership. There are other goals beyond sales that brands have, and content creators can deliver value in more ways than one. Publishers can tap into metrics that help articulate the value the brand will get from the partnership, like how many followers on average become a follower of the brand as a result of the promotion, how many times the branded content was shared, and how many people signed up for the brand's newsletter.
Understanding how an audience interacts with the brand is critical to not only building long term partnerships, but in winning over the next client. Including this level of data in a media kit will change the game. Focus less on vanity metrics, and more on the benefits the brand can expect to gain.
You might also like: 4 Tips to Help You Create a Profitable Blog Affiliate Blog Post.
2. Defining yourself as an "influencer"
The second mistake content creators make is defining themselves as an "influencer," "affiliate marketer," or anything in-between. True, an "influencer" has a cooler sound to it than "content creator that has a large audience and monetizes content published on behalf of brands." But an influencer carries a connotation that the publisher is only open to one particular monetization model, and that can be incredibly limiting to brands, deterring them from engaging in a partnership at all.
In contrast, an "affiliate marketer" has a stigma attached to the word that many just can't shake. It doesn't pack the same punch, and it implies the affiliate is less focused on content delivery and more focused on promotional methods, like paid media marketing.
Now, affiliate marketing as a marketing channel is highly sought after, lucrative, and impactful for a brand. But that wasn't always the case, and unfortunately the title packs some negative connotation in the minds of those who don't understand it's full nature. For that reason, referring to yourself as an affiliate may indicate to advertisers that your content isn't as valuable as that from an influencer.
The difference between influencer and affiliate
To set the record straight, an influencer more commonly charges a flat fee for their content, and is typically engaged by an advertiser for the goal of building brand awareness. This makes the type of content more "upper funnel" in nature, and less accountable to the business outcome.
Similar to celebrity endorsements, endorsements aren't intended to lead to direct incremental sales, but it's purpose instead is to build brand awareness and positive sentiment over the long run.
By contrast, an affiliate marketer typically monetizes their content through a performance model, which means they're compensated on an agreed upon commission rate for the sales, leads, or downloads they refer to an advertiser. This tends to focus more on "lower funnel" marketing, where the publisher is encouraged to close the deal. The beauty of this model is that their unique tracking link helps advertisers determine their precise value, and over time, the relationship between the two parties can develop into a highly profitable one.
"Brands don't care whether you're an influencer, an affiliate marketer, a brand ambassador, or something in-between. The bottom line is, if you inform, educate, empower, or inspire an audience, you're valuable to a brand."
Here's the big secret: nobody cares which you are. How you define yourself is up to you. But what both of these models represent is simply a method of content monetization. Brands don't care whether you're an influencer, an affiliate marketer, a brand ambassador, or something in-between. The bottom line is, if you inform, educate, empower, or inspire an audience, you're valuable to a brand, and they're likely to invest in you if you arm yourself with the right data to show them what their return on ad spend will look like.
Which leads us to the biggest mistake of all.
3. Limiting yourself to a single content monetization model
Regardless of how you choose to define your profession, there are various different models in which brand partnerships can come to fruition. All an advertiser really wants to know is whether they will achieve their goals with their investment in a content creator. Will it deliver against their defined marketing goals? Will they receive new customers, increased sales, new subscriptions, or app downloads? And ultimately, whether in the short or long term, will sales outpace the cost of the creator's content?
With a performance marketing model, advertisers only pay for the direct value they receive in return. With sponsored posts, advertisers pay for content creation without knowing what the return value will be. Furthermore, it's much more difficult for a brand to monitor the value from sponsored posts because typically they don't include links directing to the brands product page.
Brands are beginning to ask more of influencers. Although the industry remains in a phase where flat fees are common compensation practice, advertisers are increasingly turning to affiliate models where publishers are compensated only when the brands desired action is achieved. The accountability and low risk of a performance model can be a win-win for both parties.
So why are the majority of influencers shy to adopt a performance-based commission model?
- Sponsored posts remain the norm, particularly on platforms that are difficult to include links (like Instagram).
- Flat fees are predictable and more comfortable for publishers who are unfamiliar with other models. What an influencer will earn is laid out in front of them.
- They don't know how much they'll earn in commission from the post, because they don't know their performance metrics or audience data.
- Content development requires time, and in many cases money. It's easier to justify the development of high quality content when earning expectations are abundantly clear.
So how should you monetize?
The power of partnership
Working with brands as if they're a partner rather than a transaction will pay dividends. Identify what you both need out of the relationship, and come to a pricing model that will yield the highest degree of success possible for both of you.
It's not necessarily a matter of choosing one monetization model or the other, but being open to both, or considering the advantages of a hybrid model. Hybrid models will allow for an upfront investment from the brand, where your efforts are compensated upfront.
This upfront investment will be less than the total quantity a typical flat fee sponsored post would be, because the remaining compensation will be in the form of a commission. That means you can also reap the rewards of long term content monetization, where the sky's the limit for how much your content earns. The decision lays in your data, the brands goals, and the strength of your partnership.
If you are publishing content, you can earn money
As a content creator, you can better monetize your content by understanding your metrics. Don't pay so much attention to vanity metrics (follower count, likes, impressions, etc.), but rather, understand how you offer value to the brand you promote. If you don't have hard metrics to tout yet, hone in on the qualitative benefits of your audience reach, their characteristics, their propensity to visit the brands you share with them, and the type of content they like to see.
Many view the monetized website as a method for escaping the rat race. They long for an opportunity to work from home, be their own boss, create their own schedule.
A website that brings in money could provide a crucial first step, or be the entirety of the solution if it is successful enough.
Others are serial entrepreneurs. To these individuals, there is little other reason to having a site than turning it into a successful business.
They might be acquiring a site that they will "flip" into a money making venture. They may be building it from the ground up to bring in the cash.
Either way, they see business as the primary goal and the website as a tool for achieving that aim.
Can you monetize any website? The short answer is "yes." It's important to remember that the site isn't what makes money. The website is a tool to promote your business model. Your business idea is what will attract people and earn your money.
Can you monetize websites without ads? It is possible, but it takes some dedication. There will be an even greater focus on creating loyal visitors, as they will become your primary supporters.
Some schools of thought even see ads as detrimental to a monetization mindset, especially if the focus of the site is blogging. More on that later.
Can you make money by selling sites? Yes. There's a whole website trade, complete with brokers, centered around this concept. If you have lots of ideas for businesses, this method may be ideal for you. We'll touch on how to use the website trade to generate income in this guide.
How does site traffic play a role? No matter how you want to monetize your site, you're going to need traffic. With no visitors to "convert," your business model, whatever it is, will be stuck in the water.
We'll go into some specific strategies for generating traffic. Generally speaking, though, it involves engaging your audience and adding a personal touch to the site (along with a generous helping of self-promotion).
What about web content? Content is essential. You'll also need to make sure any content you have on the site is good enough to keep visitors coming back. Learning strategies for trimming the fat, keeping your ideas straightforward, and connecting with visitors is a must.
Part 1: Building Content & Generating Traffic
As we mentioned, these elements are the foundation of properly monetized sites.
Your content will vary based on your specific business interests. No matter what the enterprise, though, no one will care if the meat of your site is boring.
There's not shortage of guides on creating great content. Some for blogs, some for video, others for podcasts and the like. In all of these mediums, the core component is caring about what you're doing.
Passion, you will find, is the top motivator for creating content that captivates. Without it, you will experience setbacks and quit. With it, you will falter, learn, then grow.
Make sure that your content is of a high standard of quality. Make sure that the subject matter is something that will interest viewers/readers/listeners. Make sure that visitors can easily digest and share the content, and hold yourself to a regular schedule for releasing it.
Once you've built a solid foundation, you will need to lead people to it. You will need to employ careful analysis, marketing, and networking.
For example, using word of mouth to extend your reach. People come to your site, see the great content, then tell their friends to visit as well. You speed this process along by giving out free content that is easy to share. A newsletter, free e-book, tip-of-the-day, etc.
You might try getting your site mentioned by other sites in your wheelhouse. Do some guest posts. Trade with another site for links. Establish an expert presence on newsgroups and forums so that people will want to check you out.
You'll also want to take advantage of the "tried-and-true" methods of traffic generation. These include:
Email Marketing — Reaching out to potential visitors directly through email. It isn't as fashionable as some other methods, but it works. A successful email campaign should be simple, engaging, and include a strong call-to-action.
Social Media Marketing — Email marketing's sexier cousin. By building a following on popular social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you create an audience that you can then get to visit your main site. Social is highly valued because it allows for users to share popular content quickly.
Search Engine Optimization — The proverbial "pink elephant." A concept so all-encompassing that every website takes heed. This is the practice of tailoring your site and content so that it will produce a higher ranking in search engine results.
There's no one way to approach it, but finding what works for your site will go a long way in earning you traffic.
A word to the wise: No one strategy will secure you steady traffic. The takeaway here should be that you need a base of great content and a combination of strategies to get visitors to your site.
It may take some trial and error, but with perseverance, you can build a consistent user base that you can then use to aid your monetization efforts.
Part 2-A: How To Monetize A Website With Ads
Now to answer the question, "how to monetize my website?" The first set of strategies involves using advertising to bring in the dollars. It's a straightforward collection of methods that you can find plenty of examples of all over the net.
Selling Ad Space Directly
One of the oldest methods for generating money. You have the site, you have the traffic, and you have all that free space to subtly insert ads from sponsors.
These could take the form of a sidebar banner, small pop-ins, or the occasional link at the bottom of the page. Pricing for each can vary.
The direct approach is time-consuming, but it allows you to cut out the middle man and maximize the amount of ad dollars you can earn.
You might charge a flat fee for a month of running an ad. It's direct, and you'll know what you're getting every month. You might be limiting your potential, however.
The alternative is a pay-per-visitor or pay-per-click model. Here, you get paid based on the amount of people that come to the site and see/click the ads. You have the chance to strike big with lots of traffic but could get very little if your number of visitors starts to trail off.
These figures are often measured as something called "CPM," the revenue generated from 1,000 impressions. It's difficult to calculate an across-the-board average, but for display ads, you should try to shoot for $2-3 for best results.
Next, you'll have to let advertisers know that you're looking to sell space. You'll need a media kit, a summary of your site designed to entice potential advertisers.
Within your kit, you'll need to present upfront information on your website's audience. This means the total number of visitors, their ages, and a gender breakdown.
You'll want to include detailed info, like their marital status, number of children, etc. If you have niche site, then information showing that your audience fits the niche is also vital.
To obtain this information, you can use online tools like Quantcast, Alexa, Similar Web, or Smart Viper. These tools analyze who is coming to your site and will provide basic details about who they are. The drawback is that you don't have much customization over the information you get.
For that, you'll have to ask your users to self-identify through surveys. You can put these on your site or email them directly to your visitors. You should try to keep the questions simple and make them fun so that visitors are more likely to respond.
The problem is that it can take a while to get a "statistically significant" number of respondents. There's also no way of knowing if respondents are answering your questions truthfully.
You may want to experiment with both methods to see which gets you the best data. When you've made a determination, the information you gain will be a large part of the pitch that you make to potential advertisers.
Now that you can prove that your site has the numbers to make it a worthwhile, you have to show off your real estate. These are the spots on your site that are prime for advertisements. They should be prominent, and convey to advertisers that their product or service will get noticed.
When the media kit is complete, you'll then need to identify potential sponsors, find the appropriate contact, and send your package off with a solid proposal explaining why they should pay attention to you.
If you don't already have direct relationships with companies, this could be a tricky step. You can get a leg up by checking out who is advertising with your competitors. You can also make use of resources like LinkedIn and SellerCrowd to find out who to contact.
Once you've tracked down your targets, be direct, be upfront, and back up your claims with the data you gained while doing research on your site.
Selling Ads With Google AdSense
The process above might seem overly-complicated for some people. Those that want something less involved can make use of Google AdSense as an alternative.
This method allows brands to make use of Google to display ads on "publisher sites" like yours. You get a code from Google, then place it on your site in the location you want ads to go.
Google handles the rest. They find relevant ads. They run an auction so that the highest paying ones get to your site. They'll even take care of the "money stuff" behind the scenes. You get paid whenever someone clicks on an ad.
It's a straightforward procedure, but you have to give Google a piece of the action. If you're willing to take that trade, though, you stand to make hundreds or even thousands of extra dollars a month with a large enough audience.
Just make sure you review the Terms Of Service carefully. They're sticklers about what they allow, so you'll have to stay on your best behavior to remain in their good graces.
Affiliate Marketing, Paid Posts, And Native Advertising
If neither of those options grabs you, you can try affiliate marketing, paid posts, or native advertisingto generate a cash flow.
When you become an affiliate, you find products and services that you enjoy. You promote these products/services on your website or blog, slipping an "affiliate link" into posts where you talk about them. When visitors click the affiliate link and make a purchase, you get a kickback.
Popular affiliate marketing programs include ClickBank, Commission Junction, Share-A-Sale, and Amazon.
Paid posts and "native advertising" usually take the form of "sponsored content" that an advertiser has paid you to feature on your site. Often, these will be akin advertorials plugging their products or services.
Done properly, this method can supplement your normal content with a little "extra" that falls in line with what you're already doing. For example, a positive review of a product that you already that was worth getting.
Done poorly, native ads can come across as cheap, insulting, and tarnish the reputation that you worked hard to obtain. This could range from content written in whole by the advertiser that you allow on the site unchallenged, to blatant "shill posts" promoting something that is widely panned by your audience.
By law, you'll have to disclose which posts are bought-and-paid-for. If you're upfront with your audience, they may see it as a way to enhance the site (rather than you selling out for cash).
If you're looking to get started with the native ad method, you can try the direct route. This would involve reaching out to your contacts at advertisers you already know.
You might also try checking out specialists on the matter like Nativo and Sharethrough. They have "native ad boards" that can put interested publisher sites in touch with potential advertisers.
Part 2-B: How To Monetize A Website Without Ads
You might find the concept of making money through ads distasteful or counterproductive. You aren't alone in that respect. There are several drawbacks to ads that detractors readily point out.
- Searching for advertisers eats up time
- Ads don't always pay that much
- The income stream is unreliable
- Sometimes advertisers will refuse to pay you
- Ads can be creepy and intrusive
- They also slow down site performance
- You'll have to forfeit some control to please your sponsors
To make money from your site without giving in to "the man" you have to build value and an audience. Once you've established your value, you have several methods of turning that into cash.
Start Selling Something
We touched on this earlier. You might have a product or merchandise of your own that you can market. A book, T-shirts, or something else physical in nature.
You might be offering a skill or consulting services. You could use your site build yourself up as an authority on a topic. Then you charge for people to hire you for your expertise. You could even start doing classes and charge others to learn your unique talents.
As an expert, you can parlay a massive online following into an offline one. Set up a speaking tour, seminars, or day-long lectures. If your followers like what you do, they're likely to attend.
If you're an entertainer, the website becomes a similar means for getting people interested in your art. Then you direct them to your live shows, where you earn money from people that want to see you perform.
Set Up A Paywall
Somewhat related to the earlier concept of "selling something" is the paywall. In this case, you'll be selling your content rather than a physical product.
You can block off segments of your site to "members" who pay a fee to access it. You could deliver individual portions of content as "drip" with each content block costing a small fee. You might even try a subscription service so that users pay a monthly fee to access your content.
Portions of your site can remain free to all, to entice new visitors. The "premium content," however, is only available to your "premium membership." If your content is that compelling, you can gain a fair number of members who will gladly pay.
There are several approaches to setting this up. Quicksprout has an awesome guide that lays it all out in plain terms. The short of it, though, is making sure that you are providing value to your visitors, and they feel that the value is enhanced by paying extra.
Value For Value
The third option involves you creating the incredible content, then leaving it all free to access.
Politely ask your audience to donate to the cause, reminding them that their patronage will allow you to continue bringing them what they love about your site.
You provide value in the form of your content. The audience reciprocates, offering value in the form of monetary compensation.
You won't get everybody to donate. You might not even get half of your audience to donate. If you have a good amount of traffic and strong content, though, you'll receive enough support from contributing visitors to finance your operations quite nicely.
You could set up a donation button on your page to allow users to contribute directly through options like PayPal. You might even try setting up a page on a service like Patreon. It allows audiences to browse content creators and finance the ones they like best.
Part 3: How To Monetize Your Site By Selling It
You could also try building up your site and selling it to someone else for a lump sum. Plenty of entrepreneurs are looking for sites with steady streams of visitors that they can "leverage" for their own ends.
There are also tons of resources for selling a site. In particular, website brokers who can get your site in front of interested buyers and handle all the tedious paperwork.
To sell a site right, though, you can't simply slap WordPress onto an existing domain, bill it as "having potential," and then call it a day. You have to turn it into a worthwhile investment.
This means going back to the two fundamentals that we've harped on this entire guide. Create good content, then build up your site traffic.
Those two building blocks are the foundation from which all website monetization strategies grow. If you remember nothing else, remember this: get your site in order first. The money will follow shortly after. Once your site has great content and lots of visitors, it doesn't matter whether you want to sell ads, sell T-shirts, or sell the content itself. You'll be able to do it because you have the audience in place to support your efforts.
You may also do well by employing more than one monetization strategy at a time. Different audiences will react to different approaches. A thorough analysis of your audience (along with some trial-and-error) will reveal what methods will work best for turning your web presence into a steady source of extra income. However you choose to define yourself, whether it's as an influencer, an affiliate, or a content creator, if you are publishing content, you can earn money. Great partnerships are built on delivering a strong experience. That means considering the value you're creating for your audience, while understanding how you can meet the goals of the brand you're promoting. It's up to you and the brand to define how best to monetize, and the only way to do this well is to understand your audience with ready-to-share performance and behavioural data.


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Parque Nacional La Isabela
Just off the main highway, before you reach El Castillo, is the entrance to Parque Nacional La Isabela (Mon–Sat 9am–5.30pm, closed Sun; RD$150), which takes up much of the village's shoreline and preserves the ruins of La Isabela, the second oldest European town in the New World. Centred on the private home of Columbus himself, which is perched atop a prominent ocean bluff, the park also encompasses the excavated stone foundations of the town 199 and a small museum, though to see either you'll need to hire a local guide from the main park office (RD$150 tip). Presumably there were far more extensive ruins up until 1960, when Trujillo bulldozed the site in order to turn it into a military fort to defend against sea invasion by insurgents linked to Cuba's Fidel Castro. You'll still see the remnants of two large warehouses, a sentry tower, a chapel, what some assert was a clinic and Columbus's house, which retains a good portion of its walls intact. A number of skeletons have been unearthed from the chapel's cemetery; one – a Spaniard who died of malaria – is rather unceremoniously on display in a box near the museum. The museum itself offers an account (in Spanish) of the cultures of both Spaniards and Tainos at the time of their first encounter. Better than the solemn recitations by the guide are the hundreds of excavated artefacts, including a pottery oven, a kiln and several containers that still held mercury (used to purify gold) when they were unearthed, along with smaller items such as a tiny sixteenth-century crucifix, unglazed Moorish-style pottery shards and several Taino religious icons. Just outside the building are small plots where local anthropologists grow samples of the agriculture practised by the Taino and the colonists.
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Georgette Top - Iris ChilkatArt by Wade Baker
This light and breezy statement piece features the Chilkat print by Wade Baker. With a relaxed fit and dropped sleeve that flatters any shape, the silky front and ultra-soft bamboo back will have you reaching for it as your go-to piece for day or night.
Pair with a Perfect Tank and Capri Leggings for day or with the Tank Dress for a night out.
This Chilkat design was re-rendered by artist Wade Baker from blankets woven by Anislaga (Mary Ebbetts Hunt), his direct ancestor. We're proud to partner with Wade to bring this design to fashion and home decor.
See our full collection of Chilkat print Spirit Wraps, Clothing, and Home Decor.
Fit Information: Fits Boxy. If you are between sizes please go down
Fabric Content: Front: 100% Polyester. Back: 66% Rayon from Bamboo, 28% Cotton, 6% Spandex
Care Instructions: Machine Wash on a Gentle Cycle in cold water. Hang or lay flat to dry


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The global urinary catheters market size was valued at USD 3.4 billion in 2015 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.41% during the forecast period. The market is experiencing growth due to rising occurrence of target diseases like urinary incontinence, bladder obstruction, urinary retention, benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and bladder cancers. Neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, and others that lead to bladder dysfunction also require these catheters for urine drainage. The growing elderly population being more prone to such conditions is also contributing to the market growth.
Urinary retention is most common in BPH. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) estimates that every year in the U.S. there are more than 250,000 surgical procedures carried out for the BPH with approximately 2 million office visits. This condition may also arise on account of trauma or injury to the urethra, penis, or bladder and is also associated with pregnancy. Urinary incontinence is believed to be an undertreated and underdiagnosed condition and is a part of aging. The National Association for Continence states that it affects approximately 200 million people worldwide. It also states that one third of the men and women between the age of 30 and 70 years face loss of bladder control at some point in their adult life.
U.S. urinary catheters market, by product, 2013 - 2024 (USD Million)
Some other key factors such as availability of improved catheters, growing awareness amongst the public, and increasing cases of genital surgeries is expected to boost the market growth. Furthermore, the reimbursement policies related to catheters, such as reimbursement provided by Center for Medicare and Medicaid in the U.S., help expand the market.
Intermittent catheters segment held the majority of the urinary catheters market share in 2015 of around nearly 60%. They are preferred over the indwelling and external type, as the latter usually cause infections. Intermittent catheterization requires repeated catheterization and is usually performed minimum four times a day.
The reimbursement by the Medicaid program that provides 120 catheters per month for a person and Medicare program that reimburses maximum of 200 catheters also add to the growth. Such reimbursement policies contribute to the large share of the segment, as they reduce the out-of-pocket expenditure of the patients.
On the other hand, external catheters segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment during the forecast period as they are non invasive.
These products have an application in various medical conditions and diseases wherein it becomes difficult for the patient to empty the bladder. The urinary incontinence segment occupied the largest market share in 2015 accounting for 38.3% due to the growing prevalence of the disease and aging population.
The benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment with a CAGR of 5.80% It is a very common condition in aging population specially men. According to the Urology Care Foundation, around half of the men in the age of 51 and 60 years have BPH and up to 90% of the men in the age of 80 years have BPH. Acute urinary retention is a serious complication associated with BPH and requires catheterization of the bladder.
Urinary catheters market by application, 2015 (USD Million)
North America held majority of the market share of about 35.6% in 2015. The region suffers from the burden of rising urology diseases and growing geriatric population. North America has sophisticated healthcare facilities, and the reimbursement coverage contributes to the large market share of the region. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, urinary incontinence affects approximately 20 million American women and 6 million American men at some point in their lives. It is estimated to affect millions of people and its prevalence increases with the increasing age of the population.
Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing market with a CAGR of 6.67% during the forecast period. The emerging economies, such as India and China, in the region are lucrative markets due to the rising elderly population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and increasing demand for advanced therapies and products.
Some of the major companies are B Braun Melsungen AG; Hollister, Inc.; Coloplast; Boston Scientific Corporation; C.R. Bard, Inc.; Cook Medical; Teleflex, Inc.; and Medtronic. Due to greater opportunities in both developed and developing countries, companies are undertaking strategic initiatives such as mergers and acquisitions, new product launch and expansion of the operations for increased global presence.
Few notable instances of above mentioned strategic initiatives are as follows,
In July 2016, Hollister Incorporated announced the launch of VaPro Plus Pocket touch free hydrophilic intermittent catheter. It is designed to provide ease of use, protection and discretion.
In February 2015, Medtronic announced that it has acquired Advanced Uro-Solutions, a company developing neurostimulation products for treating bladder control problems. The acquisition aims to expand Medtronic's portfolio offerings for treatment of chronic symptoms of overactive bladder
In September 2016, Coloplast announced that it would be soon launching a novel flexible catheter for men, SpeediCath Flex. This catheter is a latest addition to the company's innovative product offerings and with this the company provides a complete range of catheters for the users
Base year for estimation
Actual estimates/Historical data
2014 - 2015
Forecast period
2016 - 2024
Market representation
Revenue in USD Million and CAGR from 2016 to 2024
Regional scope
North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America & MEA
Country scope
U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, China, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa
Report coverage
Revenue forecast, company share, competitive landscape, growth factors and trends
15% free customization scope (equivalent to 5 analyst working days)
If you need specific market information, which is not currently within the scope of the report, we will provide it to you as a part of customization
This report forecasts revenue growth and provides an analysis on the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2013 to 2024. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global urinary catheters market on the basis of product type, application, and region:
Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2013 - 2024)
Intermittent catheters
Foley/Indwelling catheters
External catheters
Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2013 - 2024)
Benign prostate hyperplasia
Urinary incontinence
Spinal cord injury
Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2013 - 2024)
North America
Asia Pacific
Latin America
South Africa
This report has a service guarantee. We stand by our report quality.
We are in compliance with GDPR & CCPR norms. All interactions are confidential.
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"The quality of research they have done for us has been excellent..."
With Covid-19 infections rising globally, the apprehension regarding a shortage of essential life-saving devices and other essential medical supplies in order to prevent the spread of this pandemic and provide optimum care to the infected also widens. In addition, till a pharmacological treatment is developed, ventilators act as a vital treatment preference for the COVID-19 patients, who may require critical care. Moreover, there is an urgent need for a rapid acceleration in the manufacturing process for a wide range of test-kits (antibody tests, self-administered, and others). The report will account for Covid19 as a key market contributor.


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Victor Papanek: The Politics of Design
Design Museum den Bosch
The Netherlands
17 October 2020 – 7 February 2021
Read more
The exhibition Victor Papanek: The Politics of Design, co-curated by Alison J. Clarke, is a cooperation between the Papanek Foundation, the Vitra Design Museum and the Barcelona Design Museum showcasing the materials of the Papanek archive, and highlighting the crucial theme of design as a political and social tool. Alongside the exploration of Papanek's links with key thinkers and design figures, the exhibition features contemporary design works dealing with politically pertinent issues.
The show features work from cutting edge practitioners: Forensic Architecture; Faber Futures; Flui Colectivo; Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg; Femke Herregraven; NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism/ Hypen-Labs; Lucy and Jorge Orta; Tomás Saraceno; Maya Jay Varadaraj.
Real World: Design, Politics, Future
Papanek Symposium 2019
Porto Design Biennale, Portugal
26–27 Sept 2019
Read more
Design is in crisis: Or, at the very least, in massive transition, exploring and rediscovering its potential during deeply problematic times. Real World: Design, Politics, Future the Papanek Symposium 2019, investigates design's inherent tensions in the context of rising global far-right populism and the asphyxiating manipulation of information in a post-truth era. What potential is there for envisaging alternative political futures, and what role might design, and its politics, have in contributing to those futures? Strands of contemporary design practice proffer a critical, and often apocalyptic and dystopic vision of the future, while others happily conform to a financial system that demands a new consumable product for each and every multifarious context.


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Dental Center Houston TX
All information on the website is for informational purposes. Dr. Charolia and the Team may not perform all services described. To find out more information or if you are eligible for a service, give us a call at (281) 477-7200..
Dental Center Houston, TX
If you live in Houston or the 77070 area, we invite you to schedule an appointment with our dental center. We can treat everyone in your family and ensure that you are in excellent oral health. We understand how essential healthy teeth and gums are to your ability to enjoy life and live without restriction. Your teeth make it possible for you to eat lunch with a friend, smile at your children, and speak with a client at work. Without your teeth, daily activities like speech would be altered. Our objective is to prevent you from experiencing this inconvenience by keeping your teeth healthy and intact as you age. This starts with preventative care, making it necessary to visit our dental center and have your teeth examined and cleaned once or twice a year.
Selecting a New Dental Center
We invite you to call (281) 477-7200 and schedule an appointment with our dental center. If you are currently in search of a dentist, you can be confident that visiting our office will give you access to comprehensive dental care that will address all of your oral health concerns along with the goals that you have for your smile. We are conveniently located in Houston and offer appointment times that work for your family. If you would like to learn more about our office, we invite you to stop by and meet our staff, or you can read our reviews to hear what our patients have to say. The biggest compliment we can receive is when a patient refers to their friends and family to us. This happens on a regular basis, and we are pleased that so many of our patients have made the effort to write a review.
Our Philosophy of Care
When selecting a new dentist, it is important to find one that practices a philosophy of care that you are in agreement with since this will influence their approach and the treatments they provide. At our dental center, we are passionate about the health of our patients and the impact that it can make on their lifestyle. We do not view dental care as an isolated issue but, rather, as something that influences your ability to enjoy life and live without fear of discomfort. Our holistic approach begins with preventative care since we are confident in our ability to reduce the likelihood of you developing cavities or an infection. Preventative care often involves regular teeth cleanings, fluoride treatments, and deep cleaning the gums when necessary. We also focus on both restorative and cosmetic dentistry. This allows us to treat any teeth that have been damaged while also improving the overall appearance of your smile. Our approach is designed to ensure that our patients have a healthy smile that they can enjoy showing off. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you, call (281) 477-7200.
Procedures Performed in Our Dental Center
When you visit our Houston, TX dental center, we will begin by examining your teeth and gums. This allows us to identify any cavities that require treatment or gum disease that must be dealt with. Since our first priority is your health, we will address these issues first. Next, we will discuss what you do not like about your smile so that we can plan for how to best correct it. Given the wide variety of cosmetic dentistry solutions we have available, there is virtually no issue that we cannot address in our Dental Center. Some patients even find that they do not need braces after we have finished improving the esthetics of their teeth.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Dental Center Houston.
Some examples of the procedures we perform:
Dental restorations
When you visit our Houston dental center, we can restore any teeth that have been damaged. This includes teeth that have been cracked or chipped in an accident. We have several tools for correcting the problem that includes a dental crown, dental veneer, and dental bonding procedure. Natural-looking crowns are often a preferred solution because they are a cap that surrounds the exposed portion of the tooth. By not allowing anything to touch the natural tooth, a crown serves as a protective barrier against a bacteria infection, the force of biting, and anything else that may come in contact with the damaged tooth. Our goal for restorations is to create a tooth that looks beautiful while being entirely functional.
Cosmetic dentistry
In our 77070 dental centers, we can improve the appearance of your teeth and do so by closing gaps in between your teeth, covering dark stains, and even changing the overall shape and size of your teeth. If you want a Hollywood-style smile, this is entirely possible with a trip to our dental office. One common way to do so is by applying dental veneers. A veneer is a thin shell that is bonded to the front of your tooth to change the way that it looks. Your natural tooth remains in place, but the size, shape, and shade of it can be altered. This is a common solution for creating the illusion of a perfect smile. However, at times, all that is necessary is to simply whiten teeth and remove the stains. We can assist with that in our Houston dentist office. Our whitening treatment is far more effective than what you can purchase in the store since it will whiten your teeth by eight shades or more after penetrating the enamel. This creates a dramatic difference in the appearance of your smile, and the procedure is completely non-invasive.
Preventative care
In our dental offices, we find that preventing oral health problems is critical. In many cases, things like tooth loss can be avoided when your teeth are cleaned and examined on a regular basis. This is because tooth loss is often caused by gum disease. The disease forms when plaque becomes trapped under your gums and begins to irritate them. This condition can be caught and treated early before there are any long-term health consequences. However, if left untreated, it can lead to bone and tooth loss.
We invite you to call (281) 477-7200 to schedule an appointment with our dental practice so that you can experience our superior service and patient care.
Schedule A Consultation
At Pearl Shine Dental, we can replace your teeth with this convenient and innovative procedure.
To discuss the many benefits or to get started, call 281-477-7200 and schedule an examination and consultation with our Houston, TX dental office.
Request An Appointment
About Our Business
- Pearl Shine Dental was established in 2004
- Better Business Bureau (Accredited with A Rating). View BBB Business Review
- We accept the following payment methods: American Express, Cash, Check, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
- We serve patients from the following counties: Houston
- We serve patients from the following cities: Houston, North West Houston, Cypress, Spring, and Katy
- Website Safety Ratings and Reputation – AVG Threat Labs. View Details
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27 Aug 2011
Kalil Johnson | Interview
Kalil Johnson is an emcee from Newark, NJ. After attending college in Virginia, he realized that hip hop was his passion and later performed at many venues and colleges around New York. Kalil is quoted saying "My experiences are art-filled stories. If you can put together work that you can honestly relate to, you understand artistry." Check out Kalil's 2012 album, Kingdom.
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The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham
|Book Name:
|The Dragon's Path
|Daniel Abraham
|Paperback / Audio Book / eBook
|Release Date:
|April 7, 2011
Among my convention book haul was The Dragon's Path. It looked interesting and promised to be a novel of journeys and politics and other things that I usually find interesting in books.
It was at least partially true.
The book centers around the political troubles of the kingdom of Antea. They take over the city of Venai and machinations ensue. The sack is not as lucrative as hoped since the Medean Bank snuck all of the portable riches of the noble houses out before the city fell, minded by Cithrin and Marcus. Of course, things go horribly wrong.
I might as well get my big gripe out of the way. Geder was the most boring character I've read in a while he didn't seem to have much of personality, he was manipulated by nearly everyone except the castle cats (and I wouldn't put it past the kitties to have done so). He was very much a creature of reaction and overreaction through the course of the book. While some of the machinations pushing at him are seen through the sections focusing on Dawson, I can see how Geder was being used narratively, but it would have been nice for him to grow in a way that wasn't to further someone else's goals. Get a few close friends, work the scholar angle into something more than an one dimensional side note, or even explore his relationship with his father a little bit (who shows up briefly). Right now, Geder is so all over the place motivation-wise, that he reads as little more than a walking plot device.
As mentioned before, Dawson is one of the movers and shakers on the political side of the book. He's pretty much a stalwart supporter of straight monarchy and doesn't like the emerging merchant class or the idea of farmers having a legal say in government. Naturally, the opposition isn't thrilled with this and for that matter neither is the King since violent division between the nobles aren't good for his blood pressure. Dawson's "I know best attitude" grated on me and it seemed like his wife Clara actually was the better politician. It was a pity that she didn't play a bigger part for all of Dawson's efforts to "shield" her from the more unpleasant side of Anean politics. It rather seemed to me that the wives of all the political factions would have managed to arrange a more mutually beneficial agreement for everyone in far less time than it took to screw everything up…assuming their husbands had given them leave to visit various cousins and friends more freely.
Branching off of that, there seemed to be an undercurrent of, "Oh you're a girl? Well, a guy could have done better," running through the novel. While it looked like female merchants were okay, I found it irritating that fighting smarter or figuring out how not to have a conflict was considered less viable than fighting stronger simply because it was associated with "female equals weak does not equal SMASH ALL THE THINGS" in the context of the narrative. Cithrin dealing with those exterior limitations was somewhat addressed, particularly when she starts to set up and run her own bank branch. Marcus's past and how it affected him also made for a decent alternative to the gender politics although his was considerably more muted due to previous bad-assery. In any case, I kind of wanted to slap more than a few characters about it repeatedly.
The section of the story that centered on Marcus and Cithrin was much more cohesive with itself even though there were only three points of intersection with the political side of the book. Cithrin clearly has the most amount of character growth with all the ups and downs associated with such things. It was really nice to read about how she goes from scared and nervous ward of the bank to confident banker. On this side of the tale, Marcus simultaneously acts as a grounding force and protector, and a clever one at that. Convincing the acting troupe to act as guards under his direction was a pretty awesome solution to a rather pressing problem and one that continued to have predominately positive side effects for Cithrin (as it gave her people to talk to) and Marcus (getting him and his partner out of Vanai, before its takeover). It was fun and interesting to watch Cithrin gain confidence within the merchanting society she knew after such upheaval in her life. I liked watching the ghosts of Marcus's past and being able to see how it affected his disposition towards Cithrin as he changed from protector to something almost like an equal partner.
It seems counterintuitive that I wouldn't gripe about how vastly disconnected the heavily political side of the book was with the tale of displacement and renewal, but since I really wasn't particularly thrilled with the political side in any way, shape or form, it suited me just fine that they had very little to do with each other. It will certainly make rereading the book easier.
I am interested in some of the characters (as explained earlier) and I do realize that this is the first book in a trilogy and that there does exist the possibility for the more intrigue oriented side of the tale to get better. But considering that I really, really enjoyed at least half of the book, I probably will continue to see what new challenges they face and put up with "side B" for the far better "side A."
4 Comments
Interesting review, thanks. Abraham seems to have a lot of very dedicated supporters on the forums I visit.
Wow. So, so, so not the book for me. I'm a character girl, pure and simple. Everything else has to grow out of that. Politics usually bore me. Unless there is a feminist revolution of some kind in the works, I want to throw a book that shelters women across the room.
At the same time, your review was incredibly informative and interesting. I feel like I got a really good sense of the book. Thanks.
Enjoyed the book, but not nearly as much as Rothfuss, GRRM, Abercrombie, Lynch, or even Hulick. Everything felt well-constructed, but I just didn`t like it that much. Character development was good, plotting was good, pacing was fine, prose was refined, but a spark was missing. Solid, but unexciting for me.
This book was seriously disappointing to me. I'm not sure why this book gets the praise it does in certain circles. They characters were boring and flat leaving you almost no reason to care about any of them. They were just totally lifeless and bland. There was definitely worldbuilding done, but the author didn't use it very effectively. It has all sorts of different races, but they seem arbitrarily conceived and have very little bearing on the book, not to mention they are referenced sometimes and it's impossible to know which race is which. There was VERY minimal action in the book and the 'coin' portion of the book focusing on Cithrin had a very whiny tone to it. I agree that Geder was the most disastrous character (and the name Geder..tough to come up with a character to be as boring as that name). Marcus was cliche wrapped in an attempt to show him as not stereotypical..it didn't work. Dawson was better to me and the most interesting character viewpoint. The twist at the end was interesting, but I felt like a lot of promises were left too wide open, even if it's the first book in a series.
Bottom line is that I have read hundreds of fantasy books and this may very well be the most boring I have ever read. I have never read Abraham's other works, but it must be on those alone that this was actually picked up by a publisher. The writing is overly descriptive to the point it is annoying with irrelevant details. It puts Robert Jordan to absolute shame.


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Forsooth and lackaday, 'tis a true tragedy that no one has yet mounted an all-guinea pig production of Shakespeare's HAMLET.
I mean, yes, their lack of human language would create some difficulties whilst grappling with Shakespeare's iconic texts. It would largely be squeaking and scurrying around in tiny costumes–but if that isn't quality entertainment, I really don't know what is.
Thankfully, Pan McMillan's pop culture publishing arm, Boxtree, has made it their business to make this furry Elizabethan dream a reality in their new book Shakespeare in Fluff.
Here are just a few of the adorable images, which will simultaneously speak to your softer side and inner Shakespeare snob:
These guinea pigs as MacBeth's three witches, in the midst of bubbling toiling and troubling:
This hopelessly fuzzy chinchilla as Hamlet's Ophelia–doomed by madness, lust, flowers and furballs:
Two other fluffballs as starcrossed lovers Romeo and Juliet (although we really hope these two reach must less violent ends):
This little piggy as Cleopatra, tragic Queen of the Nile:
And finally, this furry weasel as angsty wizard Prospero:
Each furry reimagining is accompanied by a passage from Shakespeare's corresponding scene. It's a perfect coffee table book, or gift for your favorite animal lover/Shakespeare aficionado.
Buy it on Amazon here.
Via Mashable


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Social networks, while great for connecting with customers, can also help you build your team internally. The platform helping professionals locate and acquire new hires is LinkedIn, and now it's getting serious about recruitment.
Following a series of updates to profiles and company pages, this week LinkedIn revamped its Recruiter page. With a new look and functionality, the portal for companies looking to find employees is now more valuable than ever.
What sets the Recruiter product apart from other areas of the site is that it enables you to track and hire the rarest of candidates: the ones who aren't actively looking for new jobs. HR teams can use the tool to conduct filtered searches of the entire LinkedIn network — more than 200 million people.
The new revisions put Recruiter more in line with the rest of LinkedIn's site, making it much more user-friendly and efficient. For instance, it will let you easily manage notifications and messages, including new results for saved searches, completed hiring manager reviews, and completely bulk resume uploads.
You'll also have access to a Smart-To-Do list, which helps improve your efficiency by allowing you to create to-do items that connect with a profile, project, or job, just by using the '@' symbol. Unchecked items will remain at the top of the list until completed.
Additionally, you can completely customize the Activity Feed, which allows you to monitor individual candidates and any profile changes they make, as well as track news related to particular jobs that are being filled. Along the right-hand side of the screen, LinkedIn will suggest relevant candidates you might want to hire based on your activity, past searches, InMails, and posted jobs.
Although LinkedIn's user base pales in comparison to social giants like Facebook, it's quickly becoming the platform where people both list and apply for jobs. Depending on your recruitment needs, sharing links to job descriptions through Twitter and Facebook might not be enough. If you're looking for a more aggressive approach, LinkedIn Recruiter is worth your consideration.
[Via: TechCrunch, Image credit: Nan Palmero]


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Take Great Vacation Photos | Travel Tips | RTX Traveler Issue 13
Pointers for Great Vacation Photography with your Smartphone
Shed some light on the subject
The word photography literally means the recording of light, so help your camera out a little by taking five seconds to assess the situation. Perfect lighting isn't the goal, but being mindful about where the light is coming from will help your photos look better. Is there a strong light behind your subject? Can you reposition them or move your feet and reposition yourself? Keep people's faces looking into the light or from the side. Diffused sources such as near a window work great, but if you keep people from being backlit, you're ahead of the game already. Also, the light happening around sunrise and sunset is great for photographing people, buildings, monuments, and vistas.
Keep it level
Most smartphones have an overlaid grid on the screen available to help you compose and level your shot. Turn this feature on. If the shot calls for a level horizon, such as a sunset photo, take your time and level it up! A tilted horizon looks off in landscape shots, and if it's level, it will appear much more pleasing to the eye.
Don't bother zooming in
Smartphones use a digital zoom, which means they're just cropping the image in the camera, resulting in comparably grainy and fuzzy images. Keep it zoomed all the way out for optimal results.
Use the volume button as the shutter release
Did you know your iPhone and most other smartphones support the volume button as a shutter? What this means is, you can use the hard button instead of the one on the screen to take photos, making for a steadier shot in many instances. You can also use this to experiment with one-handed low or high angles, which may make for a unique perspective on an otherwise familiar scene. But please, get a good grip before you dangle your phone over a railing or other dangerous place!
Shoot macro!
Modern smartphones have great macro (close up) capabilities. Get in close, get some good light, and you'll get great results. Everything from bugs to burgers, macro can make it interesting and fun.
Know your camera's limitations
Smartphones can take great photos, no doubt, but when conditions aren't optimal, they lack the speed, flexibility, and quality of a more powerful (and bigger, heavier) DSLR. Get to know your phone. If it does poorly in the dark, avoid that. If you notice really bright scenes getting washed out, wait for it to get darker. The more photos you take, the more you can tell where your camera will shine, and where it will falter.
Turn the automatic flash off
Smartphone flashes are so weak, they're fairly useless in most situations. Plus, they can result in red eyes and washed-out faces in pictures of people. Also keep in mind that your phone's camera contains a computer, so if it doesn't have to calculate whether or not to use the flash, it will perform slightly faster.
Use exposure metering smartly
Your camera's metering system, just like any other meter, measures something. In this case, it's the amount of light coming in through the lens. Simple, right? You can select different metering spots on your screen by touching them. Try to strike an optimal balance between light and dark, then snap away.
Make memories
With the ease of sharing photos now, it's simple to think of only your online audience. But don't forget, this is your vacation! Take photos you'll look back on fondly years later: the people you're with (not just the scenery), funny inside jokes (an unusual sign at the hotel you pass by every day), and candid shots (because the ramrod-straight posed, grinning shots get old quickly and don't always capture personality).
When to upgrade?
Smartphones are awesome- they're always in your pocket, take great photos, and are adequate for probably 98 percent of vacation goers. The cameras in them are constantly improving, but they still fall behind the shrinking point and shoot market in ergonomics, speed, photo quality, focusing ability, and low light performance. Invest in a point and shoot or DSLR if you constantly find your smartphone falling short, or if you want more creative control over your vacation photos.


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There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this comedian.
Reggie Jr.
Pound for pound, there are few comedians that come with the energy, passion, and intensity that comedian Reggie Jr brings to the stage. "When I hit the stage I want to do just that- hit the stage. I want to comically assault everyone in the audience and make them asphyxiate because they are laughing so hard." Reginald E Flenory Jr. Was Born March 26 1981 in Kansas City. At a young age, he realized his gift as an entertainer and started pursuing his dream as a standup comedian in high school. After moving to Atlanta in 2001, he quickly learned that the world was not a barrel of laughs- having to struggle with day to day life as a full time student at Clark-Atlanta University and paying bills. "This is why I am so aggressive on stage- Because of the hard times I had when I first moved to Atlanta, I have a survivors mentality on stage." He developed his act through the open mic circuit and began hosting at The Punchline comedy club regularly. In spring of 2005, while still serving in the Army, he received his first big break in the Comedy Carnival Cruise Contest at the Punchline comedy club in which he placed 3rd. In the summer of 2006, Reginald also appeared in Robert Townsend's Partners in Crime: The next Generation. Now based in Los Angeles, this rising star continues to impress audiences from all walks of life with his special brand of high energy comedy.
Reggie Jr.'s Upcoming Shows
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Episode 41: Ashkon Ye Shall Receive is out!
In the forty-first episode, Thomas and Danny are joined by Ashkon Davaran to talk his role with the Giants, Mark DeRosa's return, the ice-cold Giants, and several musical interludes.
Click on the image . . . → Read More: Episode 41: Ashkon Ye Shall Receive


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2: Excellent light resistance High-grade pigment is selected carefully, and it exhibits little fading or discoloration by light. 3: Thick lead and thick pencil easy to draw with The lead 3.8 millimeters in diameter is thick enough to paint wide area at a time. The pencil 7.8 milliliter in diameter is easy to hold and thus the hand drawing is not so exhaustive. 4: Able to draw on watercolor, gouache, and acrylic color It can be used together with watercolor or acrylic color, for it fixes well to any kind of paper. 5: Able to paint like watercolor painting with Meltz You can paint a picture with the colored pencils in advance and dissolve and gradate it with Meltz.Then the completed picture looks like watercolor painting. HOLBEIN - · 12 Basic Colors.
The item "HOLBEIN Colored Pencils 36 Color Set Japan New OP930" is in sale since Friday, April 1, 2016. This item is in the category "Crafts\Art Supplies\Drawing & Lettering Supplies\Art Pencils & Charcoal".The seller is "japanissimo" and is located in Japan. This item can be shipped worldwide.


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Get Started with a One-to-One Personalized Demo
Dramatically reduce the mean time to detection, response and remediation of all potential security incidents, ensuring no alert goes untouched.
See IncMan SOAR in Action.
The escalation in the cyber threat environment, a growing attack surface, increased regulatory cyber security requirements and a shortfall in skilled cyber security professionals have converged to create a nexus of forces that is challenging enterprises to manage their threat management and their overall security posture to succeed in business in the 21st century. Machine learning and security automation are key critical capabilities to surmount these challenges and will enable organizations to thrive amidst adversity.
Security operations teams struggle to gain visibility of threats and rapidly respond to incidents due to the sheer number of different security technologies they must maintain and manage and the resulting flood of cyber alerts. Challenges they face include but are not limited to:
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Aggregating these alerts into a single pane of glass to prioritize what is critical and needs immediate attention, requires a platform that can consolidate disparate technologies and alerts, and provides a cohesive and comprehensive capability set to orchestrate incident response efforts.
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DFLabs IncMan R3 Rapid Response Runbooks automate and orchestrate end to end threat containment by integrating with McAfee ePO. Security Operations teams can enrich security incidents with asset context and quarantine compromised systems based conditional and logical decision paths that can be fully and semi-automated, acting as a force multiplier, reducing the time from threat discovery to containment, and increasing operational efficiency. DFLabs' machine learning driven Automated Responder Knowledge guides security analysts in identifying the most effective course of action using McAfee ePO.
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Harnessing the power of McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator, along with the additional Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response of DFLab's IncMan SOAR platform, organizations can elevate their incident response process, leading to faster and more effective incident response and reduced risk across the entire organization.
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Sharing critical security information is now possible with DFLabs and McAfee OpenDXL. Learn more about the details of this integration in our new post.
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Play Rummy smartly to maximise the chance of winning
Victories and defeats are part and parcel of any game and this theory, therefore, applies to online Rummy too.
Even an expert will have an off day with things not going his way right from the start. The only difference here is while the beginners may give up easily, the experts will not be bogged down by the defeats. They find their way out somehow and start tasting success again. How is it possible only for them? It is possible for them because they know to play it smart. They just do not go by bookish knowledge alone. They use their expert rummy tips instead and outsmart their opponents by thinking out of the box. Let us now look into some of the smarter ways in which the game can be won.
Always have undivided attention on other players' moves. By noting the cards that they discard and the ones they pick up from the open deck you can get a visibility as to which of the cards you can retain or discard safely.
- If you are pitted with a bad Rummy, try to discard the cards with higher points. That way you can make sure you are not burdened with more points even if you do not end up a victor.
- Look out for smart cards which can be used to form more than one set of sequences. (Like how a 6 of any suit can be used together with 4 and 5 of the same suit or 7 and 8 of the same suit).
- Learn to analyse the cards that you hold. If a card that you need does not appear on the open deck for some time there is every chance of the same lying with your opponent. For example, if the card that you require is king of spade and the same is not found in the open deck, discard an Ace or Queen as if you are not forming sequence with it. This will make your opponent to discard the king of spade which precisely is what you need to form a sequence.
- Do not wait for a specific card all the time. With the available cards keep trying various combination not sticking to one which will while away your time.
- Clever use of joker is also one of the things which improve you as a player. It is ill advised to form pure sequence with joker cards. Use the card to form sequence of cards with higher values.
- Make your opponent provide you with the cards that you need. If you have a jack of hearts and clubs, discard the queen of spade and your opponent may reply with a jack of spade and thus a sequence is formed for you.
- If nothing works out you can even use bluffing as a strategy. If you are having a bad hand, start picking up continuously from the open deck for three to four moves which may confuse your opponent to the extent that he may even drop the game immediately thus leaving you as the winner.
- With the help of discard section available note all the cards your opponents would not be required to form sequence with and keep discarding the same continuously which will force him to declare the game.
- Arrange the cards with alternate colours so that you are not confused while discarding or retaining the cards.
When you keep on practicing the 13 card game with the techniques mentioned above, you can find yourself dictating your opponent soon. It is not just the skill that matters. On the other hand, how smartly you use it to your advantage is what it actually matters.


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Home > NRC Library > Document Collections > Generic Communications > Generic Letters > 1979 > GL79057
Acceptance Criteria for the Mark I Containment Long Term Program (Generic Letter 79-57)
GL79057 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 Docket No. 50-220 Mr. Donald P. Dise Vice President - Engineering Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation 300 Erie Boulevard West Syracuse, New York 13202 Dear Mr. Dise: RE: ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA FOR THE MARK I CONTAINMENT LONG TERM PROGRAM The staff has completed its review of the generic aspects of the Mark I Containment Long Term Program (LTP). The results of this review are reflected in the enclosed acceptance criteria, which are intended to be used to perform individual plant-unique analyses for each Mark I facility. These criteria have been developed from the staff's evaluation of the Mark I LTP Load Definition Report, Plant Unique Analysis Applications Guide, and related suppression pool hydrodynamic experimental and analytical programs, which have been submitted by the Mark I Owners Group. In developing these criteria, we have considered verbal comments provided by representatives of the Mark I Owners Group on a draft of the criteria issued August 2, 1979. These comments were presented to the staff during a meeting held on August 15, 1979, and supplemented by additional information provided in a letter from General Electric dated September 7, 1979. This information and internal comments by the staff and our consultants have resulted in some modifications to the draft criteria. However, others of the Owners Group recommendations were not adopted for the NRC criteria, based on the staff's judgment relative to the interpretation of specific data or analyses. In certain cases, the staff's generic criteria identify specific hydrodynamic load assessment techniques that will have to be evaluated on a plant-specific basis. However, deviations from any other generic criteria should be avoided. The criteria also identify additional experimental verification that must be obtained for "condensation oscillation" load uncertainty. This requirement was communicated to you earlier in our letter dated October 2, 1979. . Mr. Donald P. Dise - 2 - Within 30 days of your receipt of this letter, we request that you provide the schedule for submittal of the LTP plant-unique analysis for your facility. In developing this schedule, you should consider that we are continuing to target the completion of this program and the termination of the exemption issued for your facility for December 1980. The staff presently expects to issue the generic Safety Evaluation Report supporting these criteria In December 1979. Should you have any questions regarding this action contact C. Grimes (301-492-8204). Darrell G. Eisenhut, Acting Director Division of Operating Reactors Enclosure: As stated cc w/enclosure See next page . Mr. Donald P. Dise Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation - 3 - cc: Eugene B. Thomas, Jr., Esquire LeBoeuf, Lamb, Leiby & MacRae 1757 N Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. 20036 Anthony Z. Roisman Natural Resources Defense Council 917 15th Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. 20005 Oswego County Office Building 46 E. Bridge Street Oswego, New York 13126
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Friday, May 22, 2015


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The wealth of Anglo Saxon Mercia
The foundation of the power of Mercia - the dominant power of Anglo Saxon England - was its access to wealth.
Their vast reserves of land in the fertile English Midlands and Mercian control of the Port of London funded the war bands which allowed the Kingdom to become the dominant power. This wealth is seen in the famous Staffordshire Hoard.
Historian and Author, Dr John Hunt, describes this rise to power in his book Warriors, Warlords and Saints: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia by John Hunt
KEYWORDS: Anglo Saxons, Mercia, Staffordshire Hoard, Book, John Hunt
In Hoard, Anglo Saxons,
Warriors, Warlords and Saints
Anglo Saxon Mercia was a great power in its day, although many aspects of it have been shrouded in myth and mystery. However, recent discoveries, such as the Staffordshire Hoard and the Lichfield Angel, have shone a fascinating light into the world of Mercia and the Mercians. In Warriors, Warlords...
Dr John Hunt


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Wisdom Wednesday
Happy Wisdom Wednesday Everybody!
Today I thought we would look back on our News Years Resolutions.I've been told that most people forget about their resolutions as early as 2 weeks into the New Year. I wanted to conquer 2017. So I have made a continues effort to stick to mine.
Are you sticking to yours?
After looking back on our goals set for year. I can proudly say that we are doing extremely well in conquering them! I'm feeling very proud of myself at the moment. While we have run into many obstacles and really debated taking the easier route. We have been able to stay focused and keep our sights focused on our bigger dream. Seeing as the year is not through and that we are still working hard to make our dream even more of our reality. I know that we will run into many more challenging obstacles. All that we have to remember during one of these seeming life ending crisis. Is that there are many paths to take to achieve your goals. The important thing is to not get caught up with the path your on, but to keep you dream in mind at every turn.
In the next week we are set to open up our Boutique in the new location. We will be keeping the online store up and running. So that those of you who find yourself too far away to come visit us in person. Still have the opportunity to utilize your buying power. The blog will also remain up and running with the same easy to remember schedule.
Now as for the #WednesdayWisdom portion of the article I thought it would be neat to share one of my favorite wisdom quotes with you.
"By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is the noblest: Second by imitation, which is the easiest: and third by experience, which is the bittersweet" ~Confucius
I would love to hear your favorite #WednesdayWisdom quotes. Share them with us in the comments section below or on any of our social medias.
Have a Great Wednesday Everyone!
Thavin & Marcob is a place where you are celebrated for being you!
May 2020


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""Hungry Face" (I really hope this is a zombie character's name)"
I love reading reviews of this record by people who haven't seen the TV show it accompanies.
Mar 28, 2013 Web Exclusive
Back in February this year, composer Clint Mansell told London's The Guardian that film scores and post-rock were becoming interchangeable. If this is the case then perhaps it's fitting that Mogwai—whom Mansell cited as an influence—have recorded the soundtrack to new French zombie TV drama Les Revenants ("They Came Back" seems to be the most popular English approximation).
At this juncture it's probably worth noting that this is a drama rather than a horror show. As such, there's far less of a feeling of dread in the music than we have come to expect from Mogwai. Of course the score isn't light, but rather is sad and haunting, with Barry Burns' piano a focal point.
It will be fun to see how the music slots into the TV show. At times it's languid and broody, such as on "Kill Jester," a track that reminds us that you can deploy a deep groovy bass without feeling the need to go all dubstep. Elsewhere the songs are taut and restless ("Fridge Magic," but not, surprisingly "Relative Hysteria"), hinting at a climax that never comes.
Ultimately Les Revenants is a Mogwai album without any rock, and this proves to be a smart move. There are hints of Radiohead's track "Kid A" on the opener "Hungry Face" (I really hope this is a zombie character's name) and "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?" is a neat country ballad with slightly gospel backing vocals that could have been taken straight from the last Spiritualized record. It's apt though that the TV show has drawn comparisons with Twin Peaks, as for the most part the album sounds like Angelo Badalamenti's work might had he grown up in a rock band. (http://www.mogwai.co.uk)
Author rating: 7/10
""Hungry Face" (I really hope this is a zombie character's name)"
I love reading reviews of this record by people who haven't seen the TV show it accompanies.
@James, they didn't send me the DVD!
Can you provide a link to that guardian article, I'd like to see what he has to say about that claim.
"What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" is a Washington Phillips cover, just as an FYI.