How to Increase Blog Traffic in 2019 (2 Essential Strategies)

How to increase blog traffic is a topic that basically all bloggers should learn more about. Heres what I mean: Given the growth in recent years, there are probably more than 250 million blogs online right now.Of those, only around 50% of all blog posts get more than 8 shares.Even  42% of professionally marketed blog posts receive less than 10 interactions!And it looks like less than 1% of articles hit 1000 shares.(Chart by Visualizer Lite.)But Ill let you in on a little secretMost people, even professionals, really suck at marketing their posts. They just arent taking the right steps or building the right relationships.Which is why Im writing this post. How to Increase Blog Traffic: Two Strategies You Need to FollowIll begin with a quick overview of the strategies, then well  break them down further step by step.Here they are:The Long-Term Game: SEOSharing on Social Media (The Right Way)If youre ready to start getting real blog traffic, real fast, then keep reading. You wont be disappointed.Strategy #1: Start With SEOIf youre starting a blog, every single blog post you write should have a keyword in mind.Yes, there are exceptions like writing a news piece thats only pertinent because of some event or writing an update about your services but for the most part, you want to optimize every post around a keyword.There are a few reasons for this:SEO takes a while, so if youre optimized from the start, youll get there faster.Organic traffic is at the top of the list of marketing channels on the web, being responsible for hundreds of thousands of visitors to top blogs in every niche.Theres no reason  not to do it. As long as youre not keyword stuffing, youll benefit in the long run and eventually learn how to increase blog traffic.Its not super difficult, either. Some people even believe (myself included) that SEO is still low-hanging fruit for many bloggers. Its because SEO  seems complicated, so most people avoid it lessening the competition.Let me brea k it down really quickly, and give you some resources to get started:1. SEO starts with keyword research.Obviously, if you want to rank on Google, you need to know what keyword you want to rank for. Ive written extensively about how to find great keywords before. But it pretty much comes down to using the right tools:Ahrefs  (paid tool) to spy on competitors keywords.Google Keyword Planner  (free) to find related keywords for a seed keyword.Just take a seed keyword (such as low carb recipes if thats what you write about) and plug it in one of the tools. You can also google that keyword and look at the autofill and related searches at the bottom of the page:Then, take all those related keywords and plug them into one of the keyword research tools above. When you find one with a low keyword difficulty, create a post around that topic, including your primary keyword and its related keywords. This is your first step to learning how to increase blog traffic.If youre using GKP, you ca n get a rough idea of the difficulty based on the domain authority (DA) of the search results when you Google that keyword. You can find DA with Moz Open Site Explorer.  As a rule of thumb, if a lot of the posts have a DA of over 40 or 50, its probably going to be tough to outrank them. But using Ahrefs or SEMrush will give you a better picture.2. Once youve written a post, optimize it for your target keyword.Optimizing a page for a certain keyword is called on-page SEO. Its actually pretty simple.Heres an amazing infographic by Brian Dean that shows it visually:Easy-peasy, right?3. For maximum results, build some links.Link-building is a major part of SEO these days and a crucial element to learning how to increase blog traffic plus, the #1 reason SEO is a low-hanging fruit. Most people simply skip this step entirely.Thats a big no-no. Links are one of Googles top 2 ranking factors, according to Googles own Andrey Lipattsev. (If youre curious, the other in the top 2 is content.) Building high-quality backlinks on relevant sites isnt hard, but it is time-consuming. It requires a lot of manual outreach.There are other factors to consider with SEO as well, such as boosting site speed and ensuring your pages work well on mobile, but now you know the basics! (P.S. Here are 5 quick ways to speed up your site, if youre interested.)Enough about SEO lets move on to a more familiar channel.Strategy #2:  Do social media the right way.Most people are using social media as a platform to push out their content. This is completely, 100% wrong!Gary Vee, one of the worlds most well-known social media marketing experts, believes in the Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook method. In other words, you need to put out at least three posts or updates that are completely free value to your followers before trying to get anything in return.That could mean sharing other influencers content, sharing your followers content, or putting out free guides with no gateway (meaning you dont make th em give you their email). Then you can promote that post with all the affiliate links or with your products involved or however you monetize your blog.Just live by this quote, and youll do fine on social media:Your story needs to move peoples spirits and build their goodwill, so that when you finally do ask them to buy from you, they feel like youve given them so much it would be almost rude to refuse.Gary VeeBut you want practical steps on how to increase blog traffic. So lets get to the nitty grittyIf you want more traffic from social media, do this:Involve your community in your blog content.Link to other bloggers content,  get influencers to give you quotes to include in your posts and share other peoples content. When you do, tag them in it and make them look really friggin good. Compliment their work and drop thoughtful insights within your post.For example, in a recent post I wrote on my travel blog, I interviewed over 20 full-time RVers. They shared their stories of why a nd how they decided RV living was right for them, and what they love about it. In the post, I used big images of them and linked to their site and their social media profiles I made them look really good.When I shared it on social media, I tagged all of them in the post. It resulted in over 66 shares and 13,000 people reached! (Note that I did make small $5 ad spend. If you want help with Facebook ads, I highly recommend KlientBoost   they can mage your ads for you.)To find influencers, you can use an influencer discovery tool or just search Google for KEYWORD influencers. If you want their input, the best way to get it is to send them an email. I used MailShake to automate the process of reaching out to all the influencers involved in the post I shared above.Next tip:Get involved in social media groups.There are Facebook groups for every niche out there. You also have Google+ communities, LinkedIn groups, and Twitter chats.These are communities of people all interested in the to pic you blog about. If youre not tapping into that, youre not doing it right. Theyre easy enough to find just type your topic into the search bar. I did that to find relevant full-time RVing groups.Its done basically the same way on G+ and LinkedIn. Join some of the groups with lots of members.Here are a few guiding principles to make this work well:Always follow the rules the owner sets. Always.Do NOT post any of your own content until youve built a strong relationship with the community. This could take a few days, or a few weeks, depending on how big and active the group is. I recommend posting at least 10-20 times with helpful comments before you drop a link.Share relevant and useful stuff. Just like we discussed in the last section, share your peers and the industry influencers stuff in the group and tag them.See rules 1 and 2.Its really that simple. I used this strategy to drive over 2,000 visitors to a single post. You can do it too. Be helpful, friendly, and genuine all ma rketing boils down to those three things.One last tip on how to increase blog traffic before you go on your wayLeverage the right social media channels.Facebook is obviously the biggest social media channel by far. But its certainly not the only one driving traffic.Personally, Ive written about SaaS, eCommerce, travel, health, and almost every marketing topic imaginable. After testing all those topics on different channels, Ive found the two biggest social traffic drivers to be (drum roll please)PinterestFacebookThese two channels are responsible for close to 9,000 visitors in less than a month to just two blog posts.The cool part is that I didnt even have a single Pinterest follower at the beginning of that month! And I still only have less than 100 followers.I did it by following Side Hustle Nations Pinterest traffic guide. It was super easy to set up and worked like a charm.ConclusionYou now know how to increase blog traffic in 2019.SEO provides you with massive long-term gains, while social media provides more immediate traffic and an audience to help you in the long run. These two essential strategies are short and sweet enough to be mastered in an afternoon, yet powerful enough to move the needle in your business.If you found this article helpful, please share it so we can reach as many people as possible. How to increase blog #traffic in 2019 (2 essential strategies) Click To Tweet What marketing strategies are you using in 2019? Let us know in the comments below!

Minimum Wage, Health Benefits essays

Minimum Wage, Health Benefits essays Companies should not have the liberty to pay their workers a low wage. Instead, they should follow a standard minimum pay to insure a fair wage amongst all of the working class. The maximum hours should be less than our current system, which would then create more over-time paid hours. Also, health benefits should be distributed in reverse order of income, meaning complete coverage to the working class, less to the middle class, and none to the highest class. With a guaranteed minimum wage, it would not only create fairness among the working class, but also allow the poverty line to be more cautiously positioned. What I mean by this is that if there is one set minimum wage that is the least one working class member can earn, it can be assumed that this wage should be right above the line of poverty to ensure the opportunity of our working class the economic sufficiency needed to survive. If not for this set standard demanded from companies, then it would be hard to maintain some sort of control over the working class. At least, with a set minimum wage, a limit is set to how little income a family can earn. With this said, I would assume that the minimum wage is measured to be sufficient enough for someone to survive and function with. With companies paying however they wish, or according to their own supply and demand, the instability of our working class would be too great of a challenge. Not only would it become easier for companies to exploit or abuse the working class, but it would become harder for the government to regulate and try to solve the problems dealing with poverty. Therefore, the minimum wage should not only be set and guaranteed, but it should be placed at a rate high enough for a family to at the very least survive with food, shelter, and clothes. With a set minimum wage guaranteed, a worker should be allowed to work a limit of thirty hours a week for a minimum pay. This is a fair standard because it is d...

Local channel San antonio TX, channel 5 Research Paper

Local channel San antonio TX, channel 5 - Research Paper Example The news started with the marriages that were happening during the day, and it was a foregone conclusion that the day was unique in engaging in marriages. As it was a memorable day. Most of those who commented said that it would be easy to remember the day as it had the same numbers for months days and years. The possibility that it could take another century to take another millennium to have such a date. Then, the story of birthing followed. Mothers wanted to give birth on this phenomenal day in history. The first events of the newscast were targeting the family since they talked much about the family. This is evident in the themes of marriage and giving of birth in the first two segments of the news. This news could be watched by all audiences since it dwelt on the family and had no violence in it. Thus, this news segment targeted all people regardless of their ages, especially those who are about to wed or planning to wed sometime later. Crime and murder then followed. This was e vident n the news about a certain man called Jacob Mathews who went on a rampage, shooting and killing three two people and seriously injuring one. He was camouflaged and wore a bullet proof vest. It was done in Portland, Oregon. The person used a rifle in the shooting. The events in this story were not appropriate for children. The story required a mature audience. Another story involved the robbery of arms by masked men who were caught on surveillance cameras. They were not successful since the alarms went off and became a scare to them. they had stolen the a barbeque vehicle. Only the vehicle was found after the thugs escaped. Karen an employee of trust bank spoke on the issue. The story was appropriate in that there was a crime that was about to be committed, and the authorities put the public on notice to report anybody they suspected in the involvement of the crime. The audience to this was largely the banks and security firms, and to a small extent, the public since they were to report any suspect to the police. The security firms and banks were appropriate audiences because the act focuses on their securing of the banks using security systems. The robbers were not able to break through the ATMs because the alarms went off. This was to send a message to the banks to involve security firms in beefing up security to prevent cases of break-ins in their ATMs. Another story was about pilgrim’s pride being involved in 4 serious violations, and if they don’t deal with the violations in 15 business days they will face the consequences of breaking the laws. The audience to this was other organizations that are related to pilgrim’s pride. They are also put on notice though indirectly. This sent a message that any organization contravening the laws set will face legal process and could be prosecuted in a court of law. There was no happy talk in this story since it involved serous sentences and the newscaster just wore her customary smile as sh e presented the news. The next story was of two brothers who engaged in burglary. They vandalized five dorms and stole various goods. The came us a surprise to many since the two were former members of the corps. Jovan and Allison Martinez were the individuals who engaged in this act of thievery. Their intention was unknown as it caused may unanswered questions. Only one brother was caught. The audiences for this story were members of the corps and the general public. the news anchor was not smiling as much as she presented t

Sequence Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sequence Analysis - Essay Example Sequences alignment is one of the pillars of bioinformatics and is the process of comparing two or more sequences to deduce whether they are related to one another. In this comparison, one may draw inferences as to whether two proteins for instance have similar function, contains similar structural motifs which are the conserved sequences with a protein sequence that correspond to structural or functional regions. Sequence alignment is used to determine whether two or more sequence display sufficient similarity. This similarity must be sufficient to infer homology. Usually in sequence alignment; two terms are prominent, homology and similarity. Similarity is a measure and can be measured for instance the percentage identity and homology can never be measured and it is the conclusion drawn from the similarity data to infer whether any two genes or gene product being compared share a common evolutionary history. Homology may be defined as a putative conclusion which is reached after examining optimal alignment between two sequences and assessment of their similarity. Homology between two sequences is not measured in degrees and it implies evolutionary relationship. Homology may be classified as either orthologs which are genes separate by speciation event (s) and they may have similar structural domains and function. Paralogs sequences may be genes separated by duplications events and may provide insight on novel genes arising from duplication event adapting to modified cellular functions. Sequence alignment may either be local or global. Global sequence alignment compares two sequences along their entire length whereas local sequence alignment finds the most similar regions in two sequences being aligned. Albeit slow the dynamic programming algorithms are more accurate compared to the heuristic algorithms, FASTA and BLAST (Polyanovsky, et al., 2011). BLAST and FASTA algorithms are the

A. Critically assess why organisations should implement supportive Essay

A. Critically assess why organisations should implement supportive career management practices - Essay Example With more internal and external pressures to deliver client oriented services, professionals and organizations alike are increasingly pushed either to perform or face the axe of competitive market forces. Both the individual and the organization are all sailing in an expectant climate of taking responsibility for career management and development. Practitioners and researchers are in agreement that effective career management strategies are essential resources for organizational and individual growth prospects. Even though interest in the long-term growth may seem to be a shared objective of both individual employees and their employers, the key to a sustainable success remains the maintenance of sharp skills, which is largely the responsibility of the individual. The adage of ‘working for an employer for a lifetime with career prospects of â€Å"moving up the ladder†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ seems to be a distant antique memory. In response to the new workplace dynamics, organizational management in the 21st century strives to reward quality services. In this regard, therefore, a working world characterized by globalized outsourcing, reorganization, contract labor, streamlining and downsizing has been adopted to curb escalating costs. As such, those entering the job market can, thus, be expected to have dynamic careers with the ability to serve clients in different organizations during a work life estimated to last for 40–50 years. ... While self-management is an important element of individual independence, it takes a self-activated attitudinal shift to cultivate reliance on oneself from the dictatorial organizational career management systems (Arnold, 1997). Critical self-analysis with a view to discovering inner, hidden talents, unexploited capabilities and career ambitions not only helps the individual to map out a concrete action plan but also creates the impetus towards the realization of one’s own desires (Sturges et al., 2000). Precisely, career self-assessment helps in developing more elaborate ideas on desired goals and how to achieve such aspirations. Contributing to the same subject of career development, Seibert, Kraimer and Crant (2001) are also in agreement that individual career self-management has an immense contributory effect on improving employee outcomes as well as the general success of one’s career. Accordingly, personal initiatives such as career oriented feedback from colleagu es provide a more satisfying level of carrier progress via identification of specific areas that require improvement. Notably, those active in monitoring and managing their career development are more likely to engage in informative career conversations to illuminate paths that better serve to accomplish personal aspirations (Schein, 1993). Indeed, self-assessment through feedback from colleagues informs a deeper understanding of oneself on certain fundamental internal career prospects which, in turn, enhance commitment to a more delivering career. Research into a more satisfying work life indicates that personal careers are most productive when employer’s goals are met (Sturges et al., 2000). Certainly, nothing would be more satisfying than knowing that preset targets

Parallels of 1984 to Today

Parallels of 1984 to Today Andrew West Q: George Orwell’s novel 1984 describes a dystopian future in which the government controls its citizens through the use of constant surveillance. What parallels can be drawn from this novel and the use of surveillance with our culture today? A: George Orwells â€Å"1984† which was first published in 1949 is a fictional novel that shows what the world would be like if the government overextended its powers and controlled every facet of its citizen’s lives through manipulation of language and constant surveillance. Even in its own day the novel was considered visionary and futuristic for its predictions about the future of surveillance. Even though â€Å"1984† is science fiction novel that was written over 60 years ago, it still contains a lot of significance for people and society as a whole today. Science fiction as a genre has always been about the future and what might happen if events and practices at the time the novel was written were allowed to continue and become more prevalent. One of 1984s main themes is that of perpetual war and how it can be used to control people through fear of the â€Å"Other† and the concept of taking away freedoms under the guise of keeping its citizens safe. A s the book was written only 5 years after the end of war world two the fear of another war, let alone a perpetual one would have prevalent in the minds of the people at the time. George Orwell used this fear to create a sort of end game conclusion to where these practices might lead. His writings lead to the creation of the term Orwellian which is a word used to describe a totalitarian society. Many of Orwells ideas, particularly in regards to totalitarianism and the tendency of modern governments to want to watch and control its people, ideas that were once considered the stuff of science fiction have now in this modern age become so much more than that. While it would be an exaggeration to say that our world has turned into the totalitarian state outlined in the book, we can draw many parallels between surveillance practices used in the novel and ones that are used today. ‘9/11 brought to the surface and accelerated a number of surveillance trends that had been developing quietly and largely unnoticed for previous decades’ (Lyon, D, (2003) Surveillance after 9/11) After the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the world trade centre, Americas surveillance practices changed dramatically. With the general populace fearing another terrorist attack, the American government was able to use the peoples fear to pass a large number of draconian laws that increased spying on American citizens under the illusion of keeping them safe. The most damaging of these laws was the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act was a law passed by the United States Congress on October 26, 2001, at the request of then President George Bush in response to the terrorist acts of September 11. The law gave controversial new powers to the Justice Department in terms of domestic and international surveillance of American citizens and anyone else within its jurisdiction (Its jurisdiction would grow and change over the years). According to the main sponsors of the law, the Patriot Act was necessary to address the growing problem of terrorism within the US borders and the need to appreh end and prosecute them before they acted. Many Opponents of the Act, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, say that the Act was far too broad and would unnecessarily endanger privacy, civil liberties and discourage free speech. Among the powers that the Act grants are the ability of the government to legally tap telephone lines and the ability to intercept any Internet date including emails and private messages that they wanted. Theoretically this meant that the government had the ability to intercept any data that they considered â€Å"relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation which was a much lower standard than the previous legal guidelines which stated that a crime had to have been committed before data mining is allowed to take place. The very broad guidelines of the Act allowed the government to apply surveillance to the metadata of all American citizens and not just the data of suspected terrorists. In 2007 the NSA (National Security Agency) launched the â€Å"PRISM† program which was a clandestine anti-terrorism mass electronic surveillance data mining program. This program allowed the NSA to These events are strikingly similar to events contained in â€Å"1984†. In the book the government of Oceania uses the threat of war to pass restrictive laws and abolish freedoms so that the people are easier to control. One of the key elements of â€Å"1984† is the term doublethink which is defined as the power to hold two completely contradictory beliefs in ones mind simultaneously, and accept both of them. If we look at the use of language used in the name of the law, The Patriot Act, we can see a perfect example of this. The use of the word â€Å"Patriot† meaning that this law is expressing patriotism and values that are good for America and if you don’t agree with everything the government is doing then you hate America and want the terrorists to win. But this law does not express the values that America was founded upon (which are freedom and liberty for all), in fact the opposite is true as it greatly restricts them. Using these laws the government of Oceania slowly began to invade the privacy of its citizens more and more until they began to control every facet of their lives. Constant surveillance and thought crimes became the normalcy, with the government monitoring its citizens through the use of tele-screens within the person’s home so as to quash any rebellious thoughts. So in conclusion what parallels can be draw between the book â€Å"1984† and the surveillance practices of today. As I previously stated our world is much different than the oppressive totalitarian state described in the book but only because the government hasn’t been given the opportunity. Is the government collecting your Metadata and then using it to quash any rebellion or speech against them any different than how the government controls its citizens in â€Å"1984†. What about allowing corporations to use our data to track what we are doing online so they can sell it to the government or us it to sell us stuff, is this any different than â€Å"Big brother is watching you†. Looking at past and current surveillance practices by the government we can conclude that if given the chance the government would turn the world into that of â€Å"1984† but the reason that hasn’t quite come to pass is because we have fought against the suppressive ac ts of the government to try to curtail our freedoms but this is not enough. We cannot stand ideally by while they slowly take away every last freedom we have, our indifference is what the governments wants. They want us to slowly give away our privacy ever so gradually, sometimes willingly like with social media sites like Facebook and other times forcible without out knowledge like with the NSA spying program. Governments and corporations want to make no reasonable expectation of privacy the new norm because it makes it easier to control and manipulate. We have to draw a line in the sand and say that we don’t want to be spied upon when we are on line because if we continue to remain indifferent to what is going on with regards current surveillance practices then we will have only ourselves to blame. First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me. (Niemà ¶ller, M, (1950), Poem about the Holocaust) Joe Austin, 2010. Youth Culture Available at http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Wh-Z-and-other-topics/Youth-Culture.html [Accessed November 10th 2013] Fornas, J., 1995. Youth Culture in Late Modernity. London: Sage Publication Ltd. 1

Thomas Hobbes Answer to Davenants Preface to Gondibert :: Answer to Davenants Preface to Gondibert

Thomas Hobbes' Answer to Davenant's Preface to Gondibert    In his "Answer to Davenant's Preface to Gondibert," Thomas Hobbes takes a stab at literary theory. He is prompted to write the reply because Davenant mentions Hobbes in the preface to the epic poem, Gondibert. Hobbes notes up front that he is hindered in two ways because he is 1) incompetent in poetry and 2) flattered by the praise Davenant has lauded him. These hindrances don't prevent Hobbes from detailing a general theory of poetry. He delineates the different types of poetry, discusses the poet and mode of composition, and addresses issues of form, content, and style. His ideas are based largely on his philosophy of rational thought and empirical evidence.    Hobbes begins by dividing poetry into three types that correspond with the three types of philosophy and the three "regions of mankind." Philosopy can be divided into "celestial, aerial, and terrestrial." Mankind divides itself into "court, city, and country." Poets write about these three different regions of mankind in "three sorts of poesy, heroic, scommatic, and pastoral." Each of these types of poetry can be conveyed in either a narrative or dramatic form. Hobbes writes:    the heroic poem narrative...is called an epic poem. The heroic poem dramatic is tragedy. The scommatic narrative is satire, dramatic is comedy. The pastoral narrative is called simply pastoral...; the same dramatic, pastoral comedy.    In this way he describes the "six sorts of poesy;" there can be no more or less than that. On the subject of what is a poem, Hobbes reiterates the Aristotelian concept that verse alone does not make poetry. Hobbes sums up the difference between historical or philosophical verse and poetic verse like so:    But the subject of a poem is the manners of men, not natural causes; manners presented, not dictated; and manners feigned, as the name of poesy imports, not found in men.    He goes on to allow that "fictions writ in prose" may be given entrance into the world of poetry because prose delights both in fiction and in style, but, were prose and poetry to contend toe-to-toe, it would be as if prose were "on foot against the strength and wings of Pegasus."    Hobbes addresses briefly the conventions of verse and rhyme in poetry. He iterates that ancient poets created verse to go along with musical accompaniment, which was necessary because of their religious beliefs.

Evidentialist Method Apologetics Essay

Introduction Apologetics comes in several different methods that are utilized to defend one’s faith and also to evangelize. One method of apologetics is Evidentialism, also known as Natural Theology. Evidentialism is probably the most popular form of apologetics, if not the one that leads the field. Our current world demands proof and supporting data and Evidentialism stresses the deliverance of accurate substantiation with the hope of bringing cynics and criticizers to the truths of Christianity. Evidentialism continues to excel in the field of apologetics and does well in confronting the major worldviews with the truths of the Christian faith that can be proven with factual analysis. This review will provide the reader with a summary of the Evidentialist Method, a critique of the Evidentialist Method, and a list of some of the more popular Evidentialists. Summary of the Evidentialist Method Apologetics comes from 1 Peter 3:15 and is most properly defined as giving a defense. In his commentary, John Walvoord states, â€Å"(apologian, the â€Å"defense† which a defendant makes before a judge; (Acts 22:1; 25:16) for their hope in Christ.† It is the impetus for Evidentialist apologetics to follow this call and seek to â€Å"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.† Another writer, Dan Story, states, â€Å"This is ‘evidential’ apologetics, and it works on the premise that the weight of the evidence will always support Christianity and always refute contradicting beliefs.† In order for Evidentialism to be effective, it must hold to its premise of dispensing the truths about Christianity by establishing factuality. The Evidentialist is able to take any offered topic and utilize it as evidence as they are stimulated by the antagonist’s desire to deliberate logic and reason. In Acts 19:8, the Apostle Paul was diligently â€Å"arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.† Yet, Paul understood completely that there was none other that could open the hearts of men except God (Acts 16:14). Critique of the Evidentialist Method The Evidentialist Model for apologetics is a very sensible method to be utilized in evangelism. The world today demands physical, tangible proof and relies only on what can be seen and studied, and the Evidentialist is quite versed in the practicality and effective use of the method to clarify God’s truths. The method accepts the essential foundations of the non-believing doubter and tries to supply purposeful truth to that individual area. This reason-giving model has established its effectiveness in apologetics. There are a couple of issues of concern when it comes to the application of Evidentialism. One concern that stands out is that it adopts the thought that the fallen man can come to the supposition of Christ as Savior. It is my contention and belief that aside from the Holy Spirit man cannot come to this conclusion. However, I do feel that via the logical evidence presented, God opens the non-believer’s heart. Story clearly shows the â€Å"Holy Spirit also convicts and convinces people of the truth through extra-biblical evidences.† Popular Evidentialists History shows that the method of Evidentialism has been utilized for quite some time. There have been many superior thinkers who have used the method and have contributed greatly to the enhancement of apologetics. Although the list is long, a few of these men merit mention, William Paley (1743-1805), John Locke (1632-1704), and more contemporarily, Norman Geisler, William Lane Craig, Lee Strobel, Gary Habermas and Ravi Zacharias. These stellar thinkers have all utilized Evidentialism in furthering apologetics. There is an organization worthy of mention, Answers in Genesis, who employs the use of Evidentialism in explaining creationism to minister the truths of God, which also includes the explanation of the Gospel to many non-believing skeptics that exist within many secular evolutionist groups. Conclusion The Great Commission demands that all believers be prepared to defend their faith and be ready to offer a defense for those beliefs. There are many opposing worldviews that stand between men and salvation. When these opposing views are confronted in a loving and practical manner, much misconception can be dispelled in a practical manner. Using Evidentialism, the world that desires substantiation, a method driven apologetic is very successful. Bibliography Booth, Anthony Robert. â€Å"The Two Faces of Evidentialism.† Erkenntnis 67:3 (2007), http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/195447959 (accessed January 18, 2013). Story, Dan. Defending Your Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1997. Story, Dan. Engaging the Closed Minded: Presenting Your Faith to the Confirmed Unbeliever. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999. Sudduth, Michael. â€Å"Reformed epistemology and Christian apologetics.† Religious Studies 39:3 (2003), http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/197230405/abstract?accountid=12085 (accessed January 18, 2013). Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition od the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983. The Holy Bible: New International Version ——————————————– [ 1 ]. John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, Il: Victor Books, 1983-), 1Peter 3:15. [ 2 ]. The Holy Bible: New International Version, Biblegateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Peter 3:15&version=NIV (accessed January 18, 2013). [ 3 ]. Dan Story, Engaging the Closed Minded: Presenting Your Faith to the Confirmed Unbeliever (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), 64. [ 4 ]. Dan Story, Defending Your Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1997), 4.

Technical Report Writing Course Lessons Learned

Technical Report Writing Course Lessons Learned "Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this." ~ Anne Lamott After leading technical report writing courseswith large and small companies for nearly 20 years, I have seen a common challenge present repeatedly. Telling the truth can be hard. Conveyingfindings or recommendations that we know aren't welcome can be daunting because no one wants to disappoint people, especially a boss. But, truth in business reports is absolutely essential. There is no way around it. We must be 100% truthful in business reports. If we aren't, the results can be disastrous. A Technical Report Writing Course Story from the Trenches Aplastic-producing company clienttold me they lost their largest customerwhen the polymers the companyproduced broke down ata particular temperature. This shouldn't have happened because extensive testing had been conducted on the polymers, which reportedly had withstood temperatures far in excess of the breakdown point encountered. When we deconstructed the information path backwards from the customer proposal that specified the polymerperformance to production reports to testing reports, we noticed some ambiguity in testing reports. The testing reports didn't overtly state the temperature breakdown point. Instead, it simply stated "acceptable heat tolerance." That vagueness shouldn't have been allowed into production. It did move to production, though,because various readers of the testing reports had different understandingabout the meaning of "acceptable heat tolerance." That was mistake # 1, and was more about accuracy (also critical) than truth.We discovered a bigger truth mistake as we continued to excavate the information path to its source. The person who wrote the testing report confided in me that he felt a lot of pressure to "...approve the testing because we needed to move into production fast to meet order demand. My boss would have been very unhappy with me if I had been the one to identify that this major product really had limited heat application. Our bonuses were tied to our innovation and production." Ugh. A "small" sweep-it-under-the-rug-move-it-along choice eventually cost the company its largest customer and opportunity. The fallout in publicity and liability was far worse than any delay and resolution would have been. The testing engineer rightly lost his job. Nothing good happened by not reporting truthfully. I could tell you story after story I've heard in training sessions and client meetings about the harm of sidestepping difficult issues in reports. Nothing. Let me repeat, nothing, matters more in reports than truth and accuracy. Decisions are made based on reports. If the information is not accurate and truthful, the decisions are based on faulty data or information. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(41482, '934718b3-251a-45d6-8853-a7f94e43b92c', {}); Don't be Afraid to ConveyBad Newsin Business Reports Never apologize for delivering "bad news" at work in any circumstance. If it's a good business decision, just state the truthful facts. Apologizing just undermines the good decision. Omitting information is more dangerous than truth. Remember, technical business reports and business reports are used for decision making. If the information in the report is not truthful, the report is dangerous to the company's profit and reputation. It can alsocause potentially dangerous implications when implemented. Another client contacted us afterfor technical report writing training whenmetal triggers they manufactured forlaw enforcement weapons failed to work. The cause was the same. A testing engineer was afraid of being blamed for a production delay and disappointing his boss. (He also reported "there was no place in the report template for the information," but that is a separate report writing issue to address in another article.) A police officer was injured when a weapon he needed defensively failed to work. Truth matters in report writing. "Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this." ~ Anne Lamott

Between Silence And Light Essays - Phillips Exeter Academy, Khan

Between Silence And Light Essays - Phillips Exeter Academy, Khan Between Silence And Light Between The Silence and The Light Introduction Architecture is a meeting place between the measurable and the unmeasurable. The art of design is not only rooted in the aesthetic form, but in the soul of the work. In Phenomena and Idea, Stephen Holl once wrote, The thinking-making couple of architecture occurs in silence. Afterward, these thoughts are communicated in the silence of phenomenal experiences. We hear the music of architecture as we move through spaces while arcs of sunlight beam white light and shadow. Undoubtedly, Holl adopted this concept from its author, Louis I. Kahn. Unquestionably, I am referring to Silence and Light, a concept created and nurtured by Khan, and one that dominated the later half of his work. Kahn had chosen the word Silence to define the unmeasurable or that which has not yet come to be. According to Khan, the unmeasurable is the force that propels the creative spirit toward the measurable, to the Light. When the inspired has reached that which is, that which known, he has reached the Light. Eloquently expressing the architect's passion for design, Khan wrote Inspiration is the of feeling at the beginning at the threshold where Silence and Light meet. Silence, the unmeasurable, desire to be. Desire to express, the source of new need, meets Light, the measurable, giver of all presence, by will, by law, the measure of thing already made, at a threshold which is inspiration, the sanctuary of art, the treasury of shadow. Khan believed that in order for architectural theory to be credible, it had to be constructed. Thirty years ago, Khan began one of his most successful executions of the Silence and Light with the Library at Phillips Exeter Academy. This New Hampshire landmark physically illustrates and ideologically embodies many of Khan's concepts and incorporates many of his beliefs, synthesizing them into a tight little package with a powerful punch. The subtleties of materiality coupled with multiple plays of light truly embody the spirit of Khan's philosophy at Exeter Academy. As Stephen Holl concisely expresses Architecture is born when actual phenomena and the idea that drives it intersectMeanings show through at this intersection of concept and experience. It is exactly Khan's blending of idea and design that makes this building a model for theoretical execution in design. The following essay will explore the many architectural implementations of Khan's theories from materials, to form, to function and to the Silence and Light. This investigation shall probe the ideology in conjunction with its realization to the approach, the circulation, the enclosure and the details. Additionally, the Library at Phillips Exeter Academy shall be analyzed in relationship to his theories on education, institutions and learning. As the quote I asked the building what it wanted to be has been often attributed to Louis Khan, I shall ask the question, What did Khan want the building to be, and how did he approach this challenge? Institutions and Education Khan believed that Institution stems from the inspiration to live. This inspiration remains meekly expressed in our institutions today. The three great inspirations are the inspiration to learn, the inspiration to meet, and the inspiration for well being. The architecture of Exeter Library captures the essence of these inspirations, offering opportunities for all of them to blossom. Khan continued They all serve, really, the will to be, to express. This is, you might say, the reason for living. It is this inspiration that enlivens the spirits of the students, and motivates them to study and learn. I may suggest then, that if the purpose of the institution lies within the Silence, then its physical materialization becomes the Light. If we assume that the desire to seek truth and universal knowledge is rooted in the Silence, then we may accept the school building to be the Light, more precisely spent light. Khan believed that the first schools emerged from the Silence, from the desire to learn. Schools began with a man under a tree, who did not know he was a teacher, discussing his realization with a few, who did not know they were students. The students aspired that their sons also listen to such a man. Spaces were erected and the first schools began. Since

New Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

New Terrorism - Essay Example This led to several groups who were a part of this era were specifically opposed to the government and political systems and focused on committing assassinations of those who were in power to overthrown the current system and to re-establish a different system. The rise of terrorism from the 1900s created the understanding of traditional terrorism, which was based on weapons such as guns that were used for assassinations. The motivations and strategies were always based on killing the leaders in power as well as the ability to overthrow specific powers. Most would separate themselves from society by different ethnic groups and through religious beliefs (Laqueur, 24: 1996). During the 1980s, the intensity of terrorism increased. The Cold War and the associations with international conflicts for the first time became the main conflict that was associated with terrorism. The main focus during this time was with state based terrorist groups who were taking part in guerrilla warfare, asso ciations with Civil Wars and which were creating specific statements against the government. During this time, there was a rise in small groups of terrorists that were interested in spreading a specific message across the state that opposed the government and system that was in conflict. The main initiative of these terrorist groups was based on finding ways to cause a level of destruction to the national governments while creating domestic problems in different regions. While some of these were based on domestic attacks to get international countries out of the country, the main objective was to work on attacking the current system and political affiliations that were in the country (Laqueuer, 25: 2006). The types of terrorism began to change after the... Even though there are several groups that use specific tactics that are upgraded and which have a specific mission, there are also similarities between the traditional and new groups. The first is based on the individualistic ideologies that are a part of terrorism. There is a known psychology which is related to terrorist groups which are based on specific personality disorders. Opposing groups to the government will act in a similar manner, despite the traditional or modern concepts used. In the traditional forms, this irrationality moved into attacking political leaders and creating assassinations, usually which was followed by delivering a message that the system needed to change. Today, the same commitment to delivering this message and to the irrationality of killing civilians to get a message across is the main agenda. The concept has led terrorist campaigns to be linked to the same irrationality and fanaticism throughout history and has altered the way in which all groups act in response to given situations. The concept of commitment to a message is one which is also driven by the concepts of how one begins to believe in the specific message and mission to be delivered as well as the fanaticism which is used to carry this out. In modern terrorism, most groups are religiously based and pride themselves on delivering a message from a sacred script which is ignored by political leaders and which is causing the destruction of specific systems.

A story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A story - Essay Example They always treat me in a way, as if I still belong to the diaper class. After all that, some answers began screwing up, I heard a tone at the back of my ears, â€Å"come on honey, relax, everything will be okay, I believe it will not end up in a fight but this time, your mother especially, will be the first to understand that you are now big enough to be made for choices and followed around so that no mistakes are made. Take it easy because such days are over, do you not just get it? You are an adult by this time in twenty.† Supper was approaching, and the words gave me more than enough strength. This is all what I needed. â€Å"Honey, honey,† all this time was in my room pretending to do some homework when I heard my nanny voice calling, â€Å"it is supper time, food is ready and we all waiting for you in the dining, come over men.† I stayed up and grabbed a chair, after some minutes of prayer, some force came in me, and â€Å"this is probably the perfect chance to begin your conviction, because everyone will be spending some precious time with their food.† â€Å"Okay, mum, da†¦dad,† I then went mute. â€Å"Yes, they were ready to hear from me. Speak out dear.† It was so sweet to hear both of my parents eager to what I would say. These gave me some courage; I cleared my throat, and both parents stared at each other, and the words flowed through my mouth. â€Å"Was hoping you as my parents would allow me go on a trip, this time all by myself, mum, dad.† The immediate response I was given was a heavy stare, from my dad, he seem shocked, and, on the other hand, my mum was uttering words to me of which my mind went blank, and I managed to grab a few. â€Å"Tell us this is not happening? What has come over you? You very well know how the world is, full of vices, and you tell us you need permission to do some travelling alone? How the hell are we supposed to make