Tim Harford ? Article ? On the subject of flood insurance?

A loyal reader emails:

In the seminal Kydland and Prescott (1977)?paper?on time-inconsistency, they give this flood-related example:

?

The issues are obvious in many well-known problems of public policy.?For example, suppose the socially desirable outcome is not to have houses?built in a particular flood plain but, given that they are there, to take?certain costly flood-control measures. If the government?s policy were not to build the dams and levees needed for flood protection and agents knew this was the case, even if houses were built there, rational agents would not live in the flood plains. But the rational agent knows that, if he and others build houses there, the government will take the necessary flood-control measures. Consequently. in the absence of a law prohibiting the construction of houses in the flood plain, houses are built there, and?the army corps of engineers subsequently builds the dams and levees.

Source: http://timharford.com/2012/12/on-the-subject-of-flood-insurance/

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Abund Two | FocusPointHypnosis.com - Ballard Vince68's blog

It has been a while since I last wrote a blog post.? Although I wasn?t publishing, I was still writing.? My writings were in a journal as my time away from publishing was well spent on Deepak Chopra?s 21-Day Meditation Challenge for Abundance.? The meditations were only 15 minutes.? They were followed by self-reflection questions and journal entries.? Of course, I felt compelled to get the most out of the program by completing both the meditation and writing portions.? It consumed about an hour a day.? For 21 days, I thought it was a worthwhile investment for self-improvement.

Here is a list of the topics:

1. Abundance
2. Infinite Source
3. Mind, Matter, and Spirit
4. Pure Consciousness
5. Embrace Potential
6. Seeds of Success
7. Spontaneous Fulfillment
8. Law of Pure Potentiality
9. Law of Giving
10. Law of Karma
11. Law of Least Effort
12. Law of Intention and Desire
13. Law of Detachment
14. Law of Dharma
15. Living Synchrodestiny
16. Living Gratefully
17. Living Carefree
18. Living Unity
19. Living Love
20. Living Luxury
21. Living Abundantly

What did I learn from all this?? I learned that I already believe in Deepak?s teachings for abundance.? Am I living abundantly then?? That depends on who is judging me and what he/she is judging.? However, I choose to not rely on judgments.? What matters is what I believe.? In terms of prospering in a non-material way, I live in abundance daily.? I see beauty in ordinary things.? I love and feel loved.? I sense being surrounded by goodness.? ?I use my talents with care in helping others.? I learn something new every day.? I am frequently presented with opportunities and ideas for betterment.? I gratefully count my blessings.? As for prospering in a materialistic way, I envision a greater good for myself and combine that with having faith in the best outcome possible.? Establishing that image and feeling that trust makes it easy to wish the same for others around me and for the world in general.

What did I gain?? The program reinforced my existing beliefs that greater prosperity awaits provided I keep my thoughts abundance-focused.? Deepak presented a ?road map?.? I am more resolute now to ?stay the course? by replacing occasional thoughts of lack and doom with positivity and prosperity.? I wish the same for you.

abundance, confidence, positivity, prosperity, self improvement, success

Source: http://www.focuspointhypnosis.com/abund-two/

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Source: http://vince68.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/abund-two-focuspointhypnosiscom.html

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How to Hire SEO company after Google latest algorithm update ...

GetPromoted is a leading SEO company and our clients never suffer from Google Algorithm Changes because of our ethical and prompt strategy. A website is beneficial only when it is in the top results in SERPs. Selection of right keywords, right content, and right target market is very important so that website always get found in search results as one of the highest traffic getting websites.

This can be possible only with the help of professional and expert SEO services offered by experienced SEO Company. Success of your website and online business completely depends on the expertise of the SEO Company you are going to hire. A wrong selection may prove to be a debacle for you. As SEO market is very dynamic and no one can predict what is going to happen next, no company can ensure you the first rank in some days. But by hiring a good SEO Company, you can ensure success of your website up to a level and can easily Get Promoted in competitive online market.

Spotting a good SEO company is not that easy in a market full of the internet marketers claiming to be the best. Here are some tips that will help you spot a good and a bad SEO Company. These points will help you spot right company.

Things you should remember while visiting a SEO Company:

Ask about the results in monetary terms: Don?t visit the company that only talks of providing you high rankings. Ask them about revenue also.

Make your business goals clear: Talk to the company about your business goals and then ask them whether they will be able to align their SEO strategies with your business goals and will be able to help you achieve your goals or not.

Quality of links: Don?t get lured by the high number of links the company talks of providing. Rather ask about the quality of the links they will provide you and how they will help you get high rankings in search engine.

The links created for you should be of high quality and from good sites, which you feel proud to show to your customers and business partners.

Lead generation: Do confirm whether the SEO strategies used by the SEO company you are hiring will generate leads for you or not. SEO and good traffic is not going to give any benefit until you get increased sales from your investment on SEO.

About the author:

Author, Nitin Jain is the CEO of GetPromoted, leading web design and SEO Company based in Gurgaon.

Source: http://blog.getpromoted.in/seo-after-latest-algorithm.php

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39;Mountain Biking, an Excellent form of Recreation and Sports ...

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Source: http://jae86.typepad.com/blog/2012/12/39mountain-biking-an-excellent-form-of-recreation-and-sports.html

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The AdWords Performance Grader, Now with Industry ... - Education

Today I?m happy to share the news that we?ve just pushed out a big enhancement to the AdWords Performance Grader, our free PPC audit tool. With the new release, every free report now includes industry benchmark data. Now when you run your AdWords account through the Grader, you?ll be able to see how your account performance compares to similar advertisers not only in your spend level, but in your own industry vertical. Our user base has been asking for this data, and we?re really excited to be able to deliver it! This is invaluable competitive information!

In this post, I?ll talk about why this new industry data is so powerful, as well as review the other great insights you can get from this tool. If you haven?t already gotten your free AdWords Performance Report, now is a great time to get it. And if you?ve graded your account in the past, now is a great time to try it again to see how you compare to competitors in your industry!

What Is the AdWords Performance Grader?AdWords is a complex system and it can be cumbersome and confusing. Marketers and small business owners we talk to generally want to know how they?re doing compared to other AdWords advertisers, what?s wrong with their accounts, what they can do to improve, and what kind of results they could expect to get if they were successful. In other words, they want an audit of their PPC accounts, plus help with improving their performance. But PPC audits are expensive and time-consuming.

So we built the AdWords Performance Grader as a free tool that advertisers can use to get insight into their account performance. It?s:

Your AdWords performance report is instant and available for free. Really! All you need is an active AdWords account. With a one-time, secure login to your account, you get a complete report that shows you how you?re doing overall and in 9 additional areas:

We also run a quick check to make sure you?re following PPC best practices such as enabling conversion tracking, using language and geo targeting, taking advantage of the modified broad match type and negative keywords, using ad extensions and more.

This tool is great for agencies too ? you can use it for prospecting (to quickly show prospects why they need your help) and for reporting (to quickly show clients how their accounts have improved).

Here?s what it looks like (click the report to enlarge):

New Industry Benchmarks: Why This Is AwesomeAt its core, this update brings a new dimension of specificity and relevance to your report, providing you with more valuable competitive insight. Your account analysis not only compares you against similar spenders (businesses that have about the same monthly budget as you), but also shows you how you stack up against others within your selected industry. You have 25 industries and 273 subcategories to choose from (you can view the full list below). When you run the Grader, you?ll be able to choose your industry before getting your report.

The new Industry Benchmark data compares your account performance in five key areas to the industry average. You get a comparison of your metrics vs. the competition on Google search for the past 90 days. These metrics include:

You?ll quickly be able to see if you?re doing better or worse than the industry average in each of these areas. (If you?re beating the average, your results appear in green. If you?re doing worse than the benchmark, your results appear in red.)

It also includes industry average diagnostics , so you?ll know what?s typical of AdWords advertisers in your industry when it comes to:

It?s cool because as an AdWords advertiser, we know you want to understand how your results compare to others in your industry so you can benchmark your performance in a meaningful way and understand whether you?re doing well or not.

What Industry Categories Are Included?We?ve created industry specific benchmark data, including metrics like average AdWords click-through rate and , for a total of 25 industries and 273 industry subcategories. Below is a full list of all the categories and subcategories we cover:

Arts & Entertainment: Celebrities & Entertainment News, Entertainment Industry, Events & Listings, Fun & Trivia, Movies, Music & Audio, Offbeat, Online Media, Performing Arts, TV & Video, Visual Art & Design

Autos & Vehicles: Bicycles & Accessories, Boats & Watercraft, Campers & RVs, Classic Vehicles, Commercial Vehicles, Custom & Performance Vehicles, Hybrid & Alternative Vehicles, Motorcycles, Off-Road Vehicles, Personal Aircraft, Scooters & Mopeds, Vehicle Brands, Vehicle Codes & Driving Laws, Vehicle Maintenance, Vehicle Parts & Accessories, Vehicle Shopping

Beauty & Fitness: Body Art, Cosmetic Procedures, Cosmetology & Beauty Professionals, Face & Body Care, Fashion & Style, Fitness, Hair Care, Spas & Beauty Services, Weight Los

Books & Literature: Book Retailers, Children?s Literature, E-Books, Fan Fiction, Magazines, Writers Resources

Business & Industrial: Advertising & Marketing, Aerospace & Defense, Agriculture & Forestry, Automotive Industry, Business Education, Business Finance, Business Operations, Business Services, Chemicals Industry, Construction & Maintenance, Energy & Utilities, Hospitality Industry, Industrial Materials & Equipment, Manufacturing, Metals & Mining, Printing & Publishing, Professional & Trade Associations, Retail Trade, Small Business, Textiles & Nonwovens, Transportation & Logistics

Computers & Electronics: CAD & CAM, Computer Hardware, Computer Security, Consumer Electronics, Electronics & Electrical, Enterprise Technology, Networking, Programming, Software

Finance: Accounting & Auditing, Banking, Credit & Lending, Financial Planning & Management, Grants, Scholarships & Financial Aid, Insurance, Investing

Food & Drink: Beverages, Cooking & Recipes, Food, Food & Grocery Delivery, Food & Grocery Retailers, Restaurants

Games: Board Games, Card Games, Computer & Video Games, Educational Games, Gambling, Online Games, Party Games, Puzzles & Brainteasers, Roleplaying Games, Word Games

Health: Aging & Geriatrics, Alternative & Natural Medicine, Health Conditions, Health Education & Medical Training, Health Foundations & Medical Research, Medical Devices & Equipment, Medical Facilities & Services, Medical Literature & Resources, Men?s Health, Mental Health, Nutrition, Oral & Dental Care, Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Reproductive Health, Substance Abuse, Vision Care, Women?s Health

Hobbies & Leisure: Clubs & Organizations, Contests, Awards & Prizes, Crafts, Outdoors, Radio Control & Modeling, Recreational Aviation, Special Occasions, Water Activities

Home & Garden: Bed & Bath, Domestic Services, Gardening & Landscaping, Home Appliances, Home Furnishings, Home Improvement, Home Storage & Shelving, Homemaking & Interior D?cor, HVAC & Climate Control, Kitchen & Dining, Nursery & Playroom, Pest Control, Swimming Pools & Spas, Yard & Patio

Internet & Telecom: Communications Equipment, Email & Messaging, Mobile & Wireless, Search Engines, Service Providers, Teleconferencing, Web Apps & Online Tools, Web Portals, Web Services

Jobs & Education: Education, Internships, Jobs

Law & Government: Government, Legal, Public Safety, Social Services

News: Business news, Health News, Journalism & News Industry, Local News, Newspapers, Politics, Sports News, Technology News, World News

Online Communities: Blogging Resources & Services, Dating & Personals, File Sharing & Hosting, Forum & Chat Providers, Online Goodies, Online Journals & Personal Sites, Photo & Video Sharing, Social Networks, Virtual Worlds

People & Society: Disabled & Special needs, Ethnic & Identity Groups, Family & Relationships, Men?s Interests, Religion & Belief, Seniors & Retirement, Social Issues & Advocacy, Social Sciences, Subcultures & Niche Interests, Women?s Interests

Pets & Animals: Animal Products & Services, Pets, Wildlife

Real Estate: Apartments & Residential Rentals, Bank-Owned & Foreclosed Properties, Commercial & Investment Real Estate, Property Development, Property Inspections & Appraisals, Property Management, Real Estate Agencies, Real Estate Listings, Timeshares & Vacation Properties

Reference: Directories & Listings, General Reference, Geographic Reference, Language Resources, Technical Reference

Science: Astronomy, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Ecology & Environment, Engineering & Technology, Scientific Equipment

Shopping: Antiques & Collectibles, Apparel, Auctions, Classifieds, Consumer Resources, Discount & Outlet Stores, Entertainment Media, Gifts & Special Event Items, Green & Eco-Friendly Shopping, Luxury Goods, Mass Merchants & Department Stores, Photo & Video Services, Shopping Portals & Search Engines, Swap Meets & Outdoor Markets, Tobacco Products, Toys, Wholesalers & Liquidators

Sports: College Sports, Combat Sports, Extreme Sports, Fantasy Sports, Individual Sports, Sport Scores & Statistics, Sporting Goods, Sports Coaching & Training, Team Sports, Water Sports, Winter Sports, World Sports Competitions

Travel: Air Travel, Bus & Rail, Car Rental & Taxi Services, Carpooling & Vehicle Sharing, Cruises & Charters, Hotels & Accommodations, Luggage & Travel Accessories, Specialty Travel, Tourist Destinations, Travel Agencies & Services, Travel Guides & Travelogues

Get Your Free AdWords Report!Aren?t you curious to see how your PPC account measures up to others in your industry?! Run a report now and find out!

Related posts:

1. The AdWords Performance Grader, Now with Industry Benchmark Data
2. The AdWords Performance Grader, Now with Industry Benchmark Data
3. The AdWords Performance Grader, Now with Industry Benchmark Data
4. Pilot program of private capital into the telecommunications industry forming free cell phone or to
5. Laureate Hospitality Education Launches International Gaming-Type Competition to Raise Awareness of Industry Careers ? Business

Source: http://www.earic.com/history/classic-literature/the-adwords-performance-grader-now-with-industry-benchmark-data-4.html

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Book Reading Events Are Popular Among All Groups

There are all sorts of different book reading clubs around the country that are dedicated to books of all sorts of kinds. These clubs are made to cater to different groups of people who are interested in reading and want to enjoy some of the best works around.

Some of the most common book reading groups can be for adults because most of the books on the market tend to be for adults. These groups tend to involve a variety of different kinds of works ranging from the classics to a number of different contemporary options. These are popular events to see because they can involve a variety of different genres of books and can involve many discussions on the themes and other points featured in these books.

What's interesting about these groups is that they work with all kinds of genres in mind. Some people have book reading groups that are dedicated to science fiction while there are others that are dedicated to mystery. The options that are around are appealing choices that allow all people to have some fun with what they are reading. This can also allow people who are interested in one particular type of event to see what they are the most interested in so they can enjoy being with each other and talking about things that they are particularly interested in above all other items. Many different book reading events can include ones for young adults. The young adult market has been rising lately and many young adults who are targeted by different books can get together and talk about the many things that they encounter in their books. This is often made to create something that is of interest and appealing to people who want to enjoy a quality book.

There are even some book reading clubs that are dedicated to younger kids. There are many novels that kids can read and can talk about with each other. These book reading clubs tend to be well supervised and involve the ability of kids to talk with each other about what they enjoyed in books and how they can relate to different themes or topics mentioned in these books. This is an interesting feature that anyone can enjoy when reading different items.

The book reading events for people to enjoy are all ones that relate to many kinds of books and can be attractive for anyone to see. These events can involve many points relating to all sorts of books and can be interesting for practically any type of book. The fact that these groups cater to people who are interested in all sorts of different genres or all kinds of age groups makes them all the more unique.

A book discussion forum can be one of the most popular types of social events for people to get into. A book reading forum offers the ability for people to talk about books that they like.

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/book-reading-events-are-popular-among-all-groups-305625

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5 Ways to Build Your Book Audience ? Writing and Illustrating

At the Free Craft Day this month, I gave a workshop on Marketing Yourself.? Author Katia Raina attended.? Last week she wrote an article on editor Sara Sargents workshop to share with you.? This week, she wrote an article about my workshop, so the rest of you might benefit from some of the things I shared.

Here?s Katia?s article:

Never Too Early To Start Building Your Online Presence: Kathy?s 5 Ways To Do It Right

No matter what stage of the writing process you find yourself braving at the moment, it?s always a good time to think about marketing, promotion and social media.

Not published yet? Use that to your advantage. Take the time to write, that comes first, for sure. But also take the time now to think about the marketing strategies for your future or current book and start building your online presence. That?s the advice of many these days, including the former Regional Advisor, author, illustrator and a local kidlit force in her own right Kathy Temean.

During the New Jersey SCBWI craft weekend on November 10, Kathy gave the attendees lots of advice on how to make social media work for authors, be they established, or those trying to break in.

Here is her list of 5 ways to get the right start: (she actually offered the participants a handout with 25 of those, but I have condensed them in the interest of online brevity)

1. Identify your strategy

Kathy calls this step the most important one of all. Before you get too involved in online marketing, take a moment to think: what are you trying to achieve? Formulate your own vision, Kathy advises, something to measure your success by as you go along. ?Your social media strategy should become an interesting and relevant voice in the conversation,? she says. Make that your focus and your goal, and you can?t go wrong.

2. Start a blog

A blog used to be an optional thing for writers. Over the last few years, however, it seems to have become a ?must,? Kathy says. Think of your blog as ?a hub? for your online marketing activity ? a place where all your marketing efforts ultimately go back to. Kathy recommends WordPress as a great, easy, free place to start a blog. Don?t wait for when you are published to do this. If you make friends along your journey, then your success will mean all that much more to them when at last you have some good news to announce on your blog.

Many people ask, ?what should my blog be about?? Think about your site?s reader: why would she want to visit your blog? What would she get from it? A blog doesn?t always have to be about writing, either, Kathy says. Everyone reads and buys books. You can build your networking list no matter what you choose to blog about. Think about your hobbies. What are you good at doing? Do you knit? How about a blog on knitting? Are you someone who loves to find a good shopping deal? Is your child on the swim team? Everyone has knowledge they can share, other than what they do each day. No one cares, unless you end up being a big star.

The bottom line: don?t just try to promote yourself. Don?t be a diva. Or, as Kathy puts it, ?add value to your community.?

3. Give more than you receive, build quality relationships, respect the community and stop pushing.

?You can?t burst onto a social media scene with a sense of entitlement,? Kathy says. ?You have to earn respect from others.? In social networking terms, ?giving? means visiting other sites, commenting there, participating in other virtual conversations. Think about what you truly have to give to others online, and they will appreciate you for it.

As your online relationships build and deepen, people you interact with will be more willing to help. Just make sure you don?t pepper them with requests for favors. Keep your relationships strong, but keep your expectations low. Don?t keep reminding people that your book is available, don?t keep ?shouting? about your content. Begging for comments or tweets is a sure way to alienate the very visitors and potential readers you?re trying to attract. Just let things evolve naturally. Don?t react too vehemently to someone disagreeing with you online. ?Instead of constantly fighting back, take the time to listen to what they?re really saying,? Kathy says. ?You don?t know everything, and you can learn from others if you take the time to listen.?

In the end, Kathy asks everyone to ?just be nice.? Whatever you do, ?do not hard sell!? Kathy warns. ?If you want to act like a used car salesman? go work for one.?

4. Focus

Between MySpace, Pinrest, Goodreads and Tumblr, social sites are multiplying like mushrooms under the rain these days. Kathy recommends not trying to be everywhere, or you will become overwhelmed and ?anti-social.? She recommends choosing four sites to focus your energies on. Facebook is good for sharing details of family life, which can lead to deeper, more personal connections. Twitter can be a great tool to drive traffic to your blog, especially if you post on it daily. Posting on twitter doesn?t ? and probably shouldn?t ? be all about your blog, however. Re-tweet other people?s tweets. Tweet about other people?s blog posts. And, Kathy advises, though it might be a little overwhelming, if you choose twitter, try to drop in every day.? And if you are blogging set it up to automatically Tweet when you add a new post.? You can also have you post go driectly to facebook, too.

5. Engage your readers and remember the quality vs. quantity balance.

Don?t just talk at your readers on your site, Kathy recommends, but engage them. Weave in your personal experiences, or share how you have solved a problem. ?Tell stories on your blog,? Kathy says. ?People engage in stories. They connect with stories.? Try to keep your posts short enough to maintain the readers? attention ? Kathy recommends to keep it to 450 words or less. Ask a question at the end of your post. When someone new comments on your blog, email them a thank you. Place a poll on your blog. Or add a video. Also, sharing other people?s videos might be a great idea.

Also, think about how often you?d like to post. Posting daily as Kathy does, or even three times or week would attract more visitors, Kathy said, but it takes a huge time investment and commitment to produce quality content with such frequency.

Finally, if you just can?t see yourself committing to a blog, then Kathy says offer to write a guest post, or invite someone to post on your blog. Kathy?s own blog, with over 1200 daily visitors is not a bad site to write for once in a while. At the end of her presentation Kathy said she welcomed guest posts from other bloggers, that would be relevant to her site. After the workshop, I came up to her and took her up on it!

Good luck with your marketing efforts, everyone!

Katia Raina is the author of ?Castle of Concrete,? a young adult novel about a timid half-Russian, half-Jewish teen in search of a braver ?self? reuniting with her dissident mother in the last year of the collapsing Soviet Union, to be published by Namelos. On her blog, The Magic Mirror, http://katiaraina.wordpress.com Katia talks about writing and history, features interviews, book lists and all sorts of literary randomness.

Thank you Katia for another well-written article.? We look forward to reading the next one you send.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

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Source: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/5-ways-to-build-your-book-audience/

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