Israel fires warning shots into Syria for first time

Errant fire from Syria into the Israeli-held Golan Heights prompted the retaliatory move and warnings from Israel.

By Amy Teibel,?Associated Press / November 11, 2012

Smoke rises after shells exploded in the Syrian village of Bariqa, close to the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, near Alonei Habashan on the Israeli occupied Golan Heights November 7. On Sunday, Israel fired warning shots into Syria.

Baz Ratner/Reuters

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Israel?was drawn into the Syrian civil war for the first time on Sunday, firing warning shots into the neighboring country after a stray mortar shell from across the border hit an Israeli military post.

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The Israeli military said the mortar fire caused no injuries or damage at the post in the Golan Heights, which Israel?captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and then annexed. But in recent weeks, incidents of errant fire from Syria to the north have multiplied, leading?Israel?to warn that it holds Syria responsible for fire on Israeli-held territory.

"A short while ago, a mortar shell targeted an IDF (Israel?Defense Forces) post in the Golan Heights," said army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich. "We answered with a warning shot toward Syrian areas. We understand this was a mistake and was not meant to target?Israel?and then that is why we fired a warning shot in retaliation."

The Israeli military also said it filed a complaint through United Nations forces operating in the area, stating that "fire emanating from Syria into?Israel?will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity."?Israel returned fire with an anti-tank missile.

Nineteen months of fighting and the mounting chaos engulfing the regime of President Bashar Assad have already spilled across borders with Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan. The danger of drawing in?Israel?as well to a wider regional conflagration is one of the worst-case-scenarios for the civil war.

Violence also flared Sunday on Syria's northern border with Turkey, a common flashpoint. Syrian army forces backed by helicopter gunships and artillery attacked a border area with Turkey after rebels captured a crossing point, activists said.

The Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Ras al-Ayn border area in Syria's northeast was "under siege" as dozens of rebels tried to hold onto the border crossing.

The upheaval has largely had no direct impact on Syria's bitter foe?Israel, and their shared border has remained mostly quiet, as it has been since a 1974 cease-fire.

Still,?Israel?worries that Syria's civil war could spill across into the Golan ??a concern made more immediate by multiple cases of errant fire in recent weeks and?Israel's?claim that three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone on the plateau this month for the first time in 40 years.

Israeli officials do not see PresidentAssad trying to intentionally draw?Israel?into the fighting, though they have raised the possibility of his targeting?Israel?in an act of desperation. Israeli officials have repeatedly said it is only a matter of time before Assad's regime collapses.

Over the weekend, Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon said?Israel?recently conveyed several messages to Syria and Damascus had "conducted itself appropriately." He did not elaborate.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet that?Israel?is "closely monitoring" the border with Syria and is "ready for any development."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/IgTU_SRvRio/Israel-fires-warning-shots-into-Syria-for-first-time

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Social Donations: $10 to Petfinder Foundation with Bissell's ...

You are here: Home / News / Social Donations: $10 to Petfinder Foundation with Bissell?s Pinterest Fundraiser

As you know, we?re always on the lookout for free ways to help pets and here?s an innovative and fun one that just came across our desk! By creating a special Pinterest board showing your support for adoptable pets, Petfinder Foundation will receive $10!

BISSELL Homecare Inc., a longstanding advocate for pets and adoption, has launched Pinning for Pets to invite Americans to create virtual pinboards to help the BISSELL Pet Foundation? raise $50,000 for shelter animals in need.

?As longtime advocates for pet adoption, we know animal shelters and rescue groups play a vital role in creating a second chance for homeless pets, and they often have extremely limited resources to provide the necessary care needed until these pets are adopted. By simply creating a Pinning for Pets board, everyone has the opportunity to support shelters and better the welfare of homeless animals,? said Cathy Bissell, founder of the BISSELL Pet Foundation and director of corporate affairs for BISSELL. ?However, the goal of this program is not just to raise funds ? it?s also to raise awareness about the vast number of adoptable pets living in shelters across the country. Ultimately, we want to see more homeless pets welcomed into their forever homes, but we believe they deserve a comfortable place until that home finds them.?

By November 30, 2012, Pinterest users can contribute to the BISSELL Pet Foundation fundraising drive by creating a virtual pinboard that shows their support for homeless pets. For every Pinning for Pets board created on Pinterest and submitted via BISSELL?s Facebook page, the company will donate to the BISSELL Pet Foundation who in turn, will donate $10 to the Petfinder Foundation, up to its $50,000 goal. Grants to the Petfinder Foundation will be used in a program called Rescue U to rehabilitate animal shelters around the U.S. and provide resources that improve the lives of pets lacking permanent homes.

Pinning for Pets participants will be entered into weekly prize drawings for a chance to win various pet clean-up products, as well as a $250 donation to their local Petfinder.com shelter. Visit www.pinningforpets.com for more details or to take part in the campaign.

Also, for every new BISSELL pet product purchased and activated online at www.bissell.com/savepets, BISSELL will donate $1, $5 or $10 to the BISSELL Pet Foundation (dependent on purchase price). Additionally, pet product purchases on www.bissell.com through the end of the year will net between $2 and $20 (double its standard donation) for the BISSELL Pet Foundation to help homeless pets.

BISSELL has supported the pet community in past years through contributions to more than 100 U.S. pet charities totaling more than $250,000 annually and is now proud to continue this support through donations to the BISSELL Pet Foundation. The company is committed to providing pet owners with effective, easy-to-use pet clean-up products, including pet hair vacuums, deep cleaning machines, sprays and formulas. For information on the complete line of BISSELL pet products, cleaning tips and more, visit the online Pet Lovers Community at www.bissell.com/pets. Information about the BISSELL Pet Foundation is available at www.bissellpetfoundation.org.

*The Pinning for Pets program is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Pinterest.

?

About Paris Permenter and John Bigley

DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.

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Source: http://www.dogtipper.com/blog/2012/11/social-donations-10-to-petfinder-foundation-with-bissells-pinterest-fundraiser.html

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Manassero wins Singapore Open in playoff

Mateo Manassero of Italy tees off on the fifteenth hole during the third round of the Singapore Open golf tournament at the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Mateo Manassero of Italy tees off on the fifteenth hole during the third round of the Singapore Open golf tournament at the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa hits the ball on the ninth hole during the fourth round of the Singapore Open golf tournament at the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland tees off on the tenth hole during the third round of the Singapore Open golf tournament at the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Workers prepare the golf course prior to the start of the Singapore Open golf tournament at the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

(AP) ? Matteo Manassero holed a 12-foot putt for eagle to beat Louis Oosthuizen on the third playoff hole and win the Singapore Open on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Italian became the first teenager to win three titles on the European Tour.

Oosthuizen and Manassero both finished at 13-under 271 in regulation. The South African had seven birdies and three bogeys to card a 67 in the final round, while Manassero, the third-round leader, had three birdies in a round of 69.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, barely missed a 4-foot putt for the title on the second playoff hole, covering his mouth in disbelief after it lipped out.

Rory McIlroy finished in third place at 10 under, guaranteeing he will win the European Tour money title. He becomes the second golfer after Luke Donald last year to win both the PGA Tour and European money titles in the same season.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-11-GLF-Singapore-Open/id-f359b63b94a74f6eb76af1909fb910b2

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Vegetarian Thanksgiving - So many options!

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When I became a vegetarian over 17 years ago there were not a lot of options for Thanksgiving dinner. I would go to visit family and eat side?dishes or take something lasagne with me. Things sure have changed, in a wonderful way! Today there are so many great vegetarian Thanksgiving options available that the hardest part now about a vegetarian Thanksgiving is narrowing down which option you want to take.

Here are some vegetarian Thanksgiving options that today are widely available:

To find these items, check places like Whole Foods Market, health food stores, and some grocery stores. Even Publix is now carrying products like the Tofurky roast during the holidays.

Beyond these convenience (and tasty) options there are others as well. Some vegetarian CR-both-10-11?restaurants sell take-out vegetarian Thanksgiving meals, and you can opt for something completely different. There are many recipes around for special roasts made from seitan, tofu, and even pearled barley. You can also choose some fall favorite foods, such as stuffed squash as your main entree. There are so many options!

Next Saturday I am hosting a vegan Thanksgiving potluck at my home. I'm expecting around 20 people to attend. I will be sure to take pictures and post about how it goes! Having a vegetarian Thanksgiving today is so simple. And the great thing is that it is compassionate, better for the animals, better for the planet, and better for you!

Source: http://www.vegblogger.com/blog/2012/11/vegetarian-thanksgiving-so-many-options.html

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Android Central international round-up - November 10, 2012

Android Central

As we await Tuesday's Nexus 4, Nexus 10 and Android 4.2 launch, there's just enough time to get caught up on the past week's Android news from around the world. It's been a whirlwind of device launches, rumors and other news, and we've even gotten around to bringing you a couple of reviews in the past few days.

First up is Phil's definitive LG Nexus 4 review -- if you've got any burning questions about this year's Nexus handset, or the software that's running on it, you'll find your answers in this 6000 word tome. And if you're wondering about upgrading from the Galaxy Nexus, we've got a quick comparison article to help you on your way.

It wasn't all Nexus this week, though. We brought you a full review of the HTC One X+, the souped-up successor to the One X, with a faster CPU, a bigger battery and Jelly Bean out of the box. The phone launched this week in Europe and is headed to AT&T soon, so if you want to get the verdict on HTC's latest, the review's where you should be looking.

Elsewhere, it was all about phone launches. HTC brought the One SV to Southeast Asia, Samsung launched the Galaxy S3 Mini and Galaxy Camera in Europe, and the Sony Xperia J arrives on UK carrier Three.

And in Mobile Nations news, we launched the new Mobile Nations Passport service, which allows you to easily log into  Android Central and sister sites iMore, CrackBerry, WPCentral and webOSNation with a single account.  You can also sign in using your Google, Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft accounts. It's pretty spiffy, so if you haven't tried it out yet, hit up the link at the top of the page.

Check out some of the top international Android stories below. If you've got news, be sure to mail us at the usual address.

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Sword Wielders Revival

Sword Wielders Revival

The sword wielders have started to find the swords of legend while the evil swords creep up from where they are buried. The war is starting up once again. Which side will win this time? Good or Evil?

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Do the elemental swords have to be the traditional fire, water, earth, wind or may I have a more light oriented sword such as law or justice?

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waa37
Member for 1 years


And if the swords combine, do they become Captain Planet?

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Thundergod1020
Member for 0 years



This seems interesting and I'd probably go for the Dark sword of Greed or Sloth, but I do like Greed better.
That would mean one of the swords needs to be the element of heart and they'll be the most useless... until they learn about the true meaning of friendship and then they'll wipe the floor of any enemy they face.

How about some of the not used as often elements? like Death, Desert, Smoke, Poison?

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The Shadow
Member for 3 years



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No. 16 Stanford knocks off Oregon State 27-23

Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor (33) runs past Oregon State cornerback Rashaad Reynolds (16) to score on a 40-yard touchdown reception during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor (33) runs past Oregon State cornerback Rashaad Reynolds (16) to score on a 40-yard touchdown reception during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Oregon State running back Storm Woods (24) runs against Stanford cornerback Alex Carter (25) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Oregon State wide receiver Markus Wheaton (2) scores on a 23-yard touchdown pass in front of Stanford safety Ed Reynolds (29) during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan (8) is hit by Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton (95) as he throws the ball to running back Stepfan Taylor (33) for a 40-yard touchdown during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Stanford fullback Ryan Hewitt, left, celebrates with tight ends Zach Ertz (86) and Levine Toilolo after scoring on a 12-yard touchdown reception during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Oregon State in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

(AP) ? Stanford coach David Shaw fought back tears. Running back Stepfan Taylor's voice trembled. Linebacker Alex Debniak's eye black smeared all over his face.

In the home locker room at Stanford Stadium late Saturday afternoon, these were not the looks of the losers. Instead, they were the emotions from surviving Senior Day and the possibility of an intriguing opportunity ahead: a chance to host one more game this season.

And they can thank a redshirt freshman and a fortunate fumble for the chance.

Kevin Hogan threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start, and No. 16 Stanford overcame four turnovers to rally past No. 13 Oregon State 27-23 on Saturday and stay in control of its Pac-12 title hopes.

"They came back and made some plays to help us win the game," Shaw said. "Almost Shakespearean, to a certain degree."

Oregon State quarterback Cody Vaz fumbled late in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinal (8-2, 6-1) the ball at the Beavers 29. The only Oregon State (7-2, 5-2) turnover turned out to be the difference.

Hogan audibled out of a run and called the play "Special," which Stanford also ran to convert a fourth-and-9 in an overtime win against Arizona earlier this season, and hit tight end Zach Ertz for a 13-yard touchdown to make it 27-23 with 5:07 left and Stanford stopped the Beavers twice more.

Now the Cardinal will head to second-ranked Oregon next in what could be a North Division final ? if Stanford also beats UCLA in its season finale ? for a spot in the conference championship game. Oregon has beaten Stanford the last two seasons.

"We've got to realize what's at stake," said Taylor, who ran for 114 yards and a touchdown, eclipsing 1,000 yards rushing for the third straight season. "I think everybody on this team knows that and everybody is coming together for that one goal that we all want."

Oregon State won the turnover margin 4-1 but only converted three points out of them ? and the one mistake cost the Beavers badly.

Vaz fumbled while shifting the ball during a scramble and Josh Mauro recovered. After Ertz caught the go-ahead touchdown, Oregon State got the ball back and Debniak sacked Vaz on third down.

The quarterback left with an ankle injury, and Sean Mannion ? the former starter ? threw incomplete on fourth-and-16 from the Oregon State 37 with 1:52 left.

Hogan, who took over the starting role from inconsistent Josh Nunes, completed 22 of 29 passes with two interceptions. He also ran for 49 yards on 11 carries.

Vaz finished 23-of-38 passing for 226 yards and a touchdown and Storm Woods ran for 94 yards in a deflating loss for Oregon State, which rallied from a 14-0 deficit to score 23 straight points and controlled the pace for most of the game.

The Beavers, who haven't played in the Rose Bowl since 1965, had their BCS and Pac-12 title hopes severely damaged.

"We're disappointed obviously," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "It was a tough loss and we had our opportunities. What we did was give up the big play two scores up and gave them back the momentum. That was big for them. Then the turnover gave them good field position to score the winning touchdown."

Stanford started strong and closed fast.

After Ertz fumbled on Stanford's opening possession, the defense stopped Oregon State three-and-out. Then Hogan led a 13-play, 93-yard scoring drive - the Cardinal's longest of the season - capped by Taylor's 1-yard touchdown run.

Hogan kept the momentum going, rolling to his right and hitting fullback Ryan Hewitt on a play-action pass. Hewitt sliced back inside and bulldozed through a defender for a 12-yard TD that gave Stanford a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.

The Beavers came back in a hurry.

They used three different running backs on an 81-yard drive that came almost exclusively on the ground. Terron Ward finished it off when he ran for a 7-yard score to the Beavers on the board, and Trevor Romaine kicked the first of his three field goals to slice Stanford's lead to 14-10 in the second quarter.

In the final minutes of the first half, Tyrequek Zimmerman stripped Taylor at the Oregon State 21. That ended a streak of 262 rushes for Taylor without a fumble.

Oregon State converted two long third down on the opening possession of the third quarter. None better than when Vaz found Markus Wheaton on a short screen pass over the middle on third-and-16 for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Beavers a 17-14 lead.

Rudolf Fujita tipped Hogan's pass that Feti Taumoepeau intercepted. Stanford's defense held Oregon State to a 42-yard field goal by Romaine, who made another from 44 yards later in the third quarter for a 23-14 lead.

The momentum changed for good on one play.

Taylor took a short pass from Hogan while the quarterback was being tackled. Taylor made a defender miss down the sideline, cut back inside and stiff-armed another to the ground for a 40-yard TD that trimmed Oregon State's lead to 23-21 as the third quarter expired, a play Shaw called the best of Taylor's career.

Rashaad Reynolds outjumped Jamal-Rashad Patterson to intercept Hogan's pass midway through the fourth. Two plays later, Vaz fumbled, and Stanford surged back to squeak out a far-from-perfect victory.

"In the end, we got our goal," Hogan said. "So I'm happy about that."

____

Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-10-T25-Oregon%20St-Stanford/id-a956e90cdf6b45a181a6c08b6d202547

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10 Items For Your 2013 Stategic Plan | Business 2 Community

We are rapidly approaching the end of the year and I?m already hearing murmurings about plans for 2013. Here are 10 items that should be on your radar for your 2013 strategic planning.

1. Real-Time Media Strategy

Although the majority of businesses are using social media in one form or another a report from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) says 72 percent of businesses don?t have a clear strategy or goals for their social media activities. Consequently showing ROI is almost impossible.

?Companies need to look at social media from a strategic perspective across the business organization and not relegate it to marketing and communications or let it exist independently within each function or department of a business,? says SHRM Darla Moore School of Business researcher Rob Ployhart. He points out that the silo approach, which is all-too-common, leads to inefficiency, redundancy and mixed messages, both internally and to customers.

If this applies to your company putting an integrated real-time media strategic plan in place is the most important action for 2013. The plan has to be based on solid research that highlights threats and opportunities. (A social audit.) Only once you have this data can you correctly set goals that align with your business objectives.

2. Social Audit

Mapping your brand's social graphA social audit maps your brand?s complete social graph ? both internal and external. Delving into the conversations that are taking place online about your brand and your industry is a new way of getting real intel from all stakeholders without a biased setting.

For the first time in history you can take a snapshot of the actual WOM about your brand, as well as what?s being said about competitors and also-rans in your vertical. A good social audit will discover whether your brand has reputation management issues, internal problems, customer service dilemmas and it will highlight any crisis that is developing, or existed in the past.

It will reveal trends, hot topics and gaps you can take advantage of. It could pinpoint new markets and uncover R&D insights. You can tap into what people are saying they need and want right now, so that you can make better business decisions going forward.

Firing off a marketing campaign into a void of the unknown is like shooting a shotgun in the middle of a wide field in the dark, hoping to hit a rabbit. Get intel and get a strategy in place so you can achieve results.

3. Risk Assessment

Every good business plan has a risk assessment component. Yet when it comes to social media this seems to be overlooked. The Burson-Marstellar Digital Crisis Report showed that 79% of the 800 companies surveyed globally said they expect a major crisis within the next year. Most of them believe that the crisis will arise online, but they are totally unprepared to manage and emerge successfully from crises fueled by a digitally powered news cycle. Nearly half of those surveyed said they lack even a basic form of effective online reputation monitoring.

Shareholders or investors expect the image and reputation of the brand to be protected. the corporate image and reputation has long been one of the core functions of PR. They want to see results and more importantly, reports on the results. If you have not taken into account any possible risks you have not done your due diligence and that is putting the company?s future at risk.

A full Social Media audit across all blogs, forums, micro blogs, feeds and channels reveals things that an ivory tower view will not. Tie the new data into your existing efforts and see what matches and what sets off alarm bells.

4. Formulate a Crisis Plan

Once you?ve done the audit and risk assessment it?s time to put a plan in place to deal with any possible crisis. Without a plan you?re effectively standing in the middle of a freeway knowing a huge truck is heading your way and you?re putting your head in the proverbial sand.

If your existing plan was based on a 24 hour news cycle you have to think again. Real-time media is always on and the deadline is right now. Events move at breakneck speed. Everyone has a device in their hands that is able to post images, video and comments in real -time. There is no opportunity to edit or correct. The days of denial are long-gone. What happens in Vegas stays on YouTube. And all the world can see it in every tiny detail. What?s worse, Google can see it and index it and now it is on the Net for everyone to find, forever.

The videos about Kryptonite Bike Locks? security issues were posted five years ago and they still show up in a Google search for the brand name. If your reputation is tarnished online through negative search results you had better be ready to get those results cleaned up or, at the very least, mostly neutral. If only this were as easy as calling Google and paying money to fix the problem. It?s not. It takes skill and time to move results around in Google and other search engines. It needs a team of very experienced people with a wide range of talents and large networks they can activate.

It takes way more than just populating social profiles and posting content. It requires a thorough understanding of search engine algorithms and staying right on top of any changes. It has to be fully integrated across all social channels, PR and news. Since you are unlikely to have all these skills in-house part of your plan should be to find a team that can help you in times of a crisis. The other part of the plan should be to train your in-house team on how they can and should respond.

5. Expand Your Network of Influencers

Real-time media gives you the opportunity to find, connect and nurture relationships with influencers in the different nodes of your social graph. Look beyond the major mainstream media journalists and editors.

Find niche publications, both online and offline, that write about your industry and your topic. Look for bloggers who have an interest in your brand, your products or the social outreach programs you do. There are people blogging about practically every subject under the sun. And they?re very passionate about their niche. Most of them are eager for good content. If you find the right bloggers and offer them content that will build their influence and their readership, they?ll be open to working with you. Do it right and you gain access to their networks.

Look internally too ? it?s very likely that you have some employees with big online networks who could turn out to be your best brand ambassadors.

Every group in your graph has influencers. These are the people who will form and spread the narrative around your brand. Find them and build strong relationships with them.

6. A Converged Media Content Strategy

Content marketing is the current buzzword. It seems all roads lead to content. And indeed, content is king. The Mad Men on Madison Avenue have had to rethink their approach. Ads no longer work. People respond to relevant, informative, interesting content and they are accessing it in many different ways on on a variety of screens. In 2013 you should be looking at a converged landscape of owned, earned and paid media. See this report by Rebecca Lieb of Altimeter Group. Learn how to leverage all three types of content and work them into an integrated whole.

The trick is how to produce and deliver the right content in the right format at the right time. It doesn?t happen without a plan.

Use the information you?ve gleaned in your social audit to formulate your content strategy. Work with the marketing and SEO folk at your firm so you have more information to feed into the strategy. Identify the gaps, hot topics and opportunities and weave them into your content. Work out ways to integrate and enhance the campaign with content that works across all three types ? paid, owned and earned.

7. Visual Storytelling: Learn New Skills

Not surprisingly, research and eyetracking studies show that visuals attract views. It holds true for press releases, news stories on media sites and indeed any kind of content online. If you add images, video, charts or infographics your views on that content can increase as much as 77%. The use of video online is growing at a staggering rate and shows no sign of slowing down. Media sites have cottoned on to the increase in views with visuals ? particularly video. Almost every media website now uses video. As a result, journalists and bloggers are demanding more visuals with any pitch.

Why? If a picture tells a thousand words, a video writes a whole book. People like visuals. It expands and enhances the story. It makes it more real for them. There is no escaping the impact video is having on our lives. High quality digital cameras are in our hands day and night built in to our smartphones. Video calls on Skype are a daily occurrence. What was once science fiction is now a reality.

The rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets across all age groups means they have the technology in their hands to record and share moments that would otherwise be lost forever. Now they?re viral fodder.

Take control of this shift to visual storytelling. Make sure your team has the skills to tell all your brand stories with original, visually stimulating content.

You don?t need to learn to produce a blockbuster studio quality video. Concentrate on learning how to spot entertaining, interesting and newsworthy ideas. A short video that has a real wow factor will beat out overproduced corporate hype every day of the week. Remember your audience is far easier to reach than ever before, but they also have the power to click off your video if it doesn?t engage them in some way emotionally.

8. Upgrade Your Online Newsroom

Once you are producing content you need a vehicle to display and syndicate it. 2013 is the time to upgrade your newsroom so it supports your content strategy. Make your newsroom your content hub, the center of your content empire, where journalists, bloggers, analysts and the public can find and share your organization?s stories.

It gives new life to earned media placement in a digital world. At last we are able to seed compelling stories that really resonate with people, directly to the audience that would want it. Instead of trying to get a journalist to write a piece and hope for a picture in the editorial, we can give them embed codes for videos, images, slideshows and infographics, so they can use them with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Use this checklist to grade your online newsroom

9. Make Your Content Mobile:

There are now 3x as many cell phones as there are PCs. 86% of smartphone users are active on their phones while watching TV. 91% use their phones to socialize. Facebook?s mobile traffic jumped 23% in the 2nd quarter of 2012. Mobile internet access is predicted to overtake desktop access by 2014. Get ready now ? add a mobile content component to your 2013 strategy.

Understanding mobile means understanding to some extent that the audience you want to attract has a device in their hand pretty much all the time. This is the same device that they look to for almost everything. Directions, advice on shopping, food, clothing, hotels, almost anything you can imagine and then probably a whole host of strange things after that.One half of all local searches are already performed on a mobile device.

Mobile is the future in the same way that cellphones changed the way phones worked. The Net and video are going the same way. In the very near future we?ll be completely connected at unprecedented data speeds and you can take advantage of it all.

Take a fresh look at your owned content. Make sure that all of it, including your Facebook apps, are accessible on a mobile device. Again talk to IT or your webmaster. Or find an outside resource who can help you make this happen fast. Your website and your newsroom should be optimized for mobile and mobile search as well, because if your videos don?t play on mobile you are dead in the water.

Get ahead of the game and use mobile to your advantage now.

10. Analytics and Measurement

This is another new skill for many PR folk ? but it is absolutely vital. In the digital world you can measure practically everything. You just have to figure out what you should be measuring and how you?re going to track it.

Read K.D. Paine?s book Measure What Matters. Buy SAMS Teach Yourself Google Analytics in 10 minutes. Follow Avinash and read his blog. Learn skills such as how to to use link tagging with Google?s URL builder to be able to track news content and posts. See this post by Kami Huyse.

Google Analytics now has social reporting so you can see which of your social outreach is working. Success with your blogger outreach campaigns and the results of your content strategy depend to a large extent on your ability to use analytics. Learn how to use Facebook Insights and YouTube stats.

Get a demo of the top five monitoring and tracking tools and choose the one that suits your needs best. Then become a ninja at using it. Add Google Analytics to your newsroom and your blog or any other owned media site you have. Check the stats regularly and adjust your content and activities accordingly ? and regularly doesn?t mean once a month.

If you add these 10 items to your 2013 strategic plan and implement all of them you should be able to say ?It was a very good year.?

By Sally Falkow and Cokey Falkow

Source: http://www.business2community.com/strategy/10-items-for-your-2013-stategic-plan-0329407

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Apple donates $2.5 million to the American Red Cross, Hurricane Sandy relief efforts

On behalf of its employees, Apple has donated $2.5 million to the American Red Cross to aid in their Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Hurricane Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane in modern memory, devastating the eastern seaboard from the Caribbean to the northeastern United States between October 22 and October 31, 2012, causing damages estimated to be in excess of $20 billion, and incalculable human impact. Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, informed employees of the donation yesterday via email. Seth Weintraub from 9to5Mac got a hold of a copy. It reads, in part:

We hope this contribution will help businesses, families, and communities recover and rebuild.

Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross, thanked Apple for their donations in a separate, linked, letter.

U.S residents who want to contribute as well can do so directly via iTunes.

Source: 9to5Mac

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/t9Kp-2Cy5dI/story01.htm

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The Sensible Detox Diet

sensible-detox-dietPatients repeatedly ask me for advice on how to follow a detox diet.

I usually want to roll my eyes because it involves some kind of lemon juice diet or all lettuce diet.

So, I have created a guide on how to follow a more reasonable detox diet.

No more juice cleanses!

Now is the time to eat real foods that cleanse the body the healthy way.

Step 1: Get Rid of Added Sugars

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  • Look for every source of added sugars in your diet. This includes fruit flavored yogurts, flavored oatmeal packets, granola bars, most cereals, and sweetened beverages.
  • Look for the sugar names?on labels: Cane juice and cane syrup, corn sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate and nectars, agave, and malt syrup. They all contain sugar.
  • Eliminate: Added sugars are not going to do anything to help detoxify your body.

One exception is real unprocessed?honey, which contains antibacterial properties.

Step 2: Load Up On Fruits and Vegetables

  • Fruits and vegetables contain fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. There is a mysterious synergistic health benefit we get from eating the plant fiber and phytochemicals that detoxifies the body naturally.
  • Increasing you fruit and vegetable intake will help to keep you fuller, reduce your calories, and flush out toxins. An added bonus is that you will consume more potassium when eating more plants. This will help to reduce water weight.
  • Limit other animal products temporarily. Don?t forget to include plant proteins like legumes, beans, and quinoa to maintain muscle mass.. This will help to ensure efficient bowel movements.

Step 3: Avoid Diet Drinks or Other Diet Products

How are you supposed to ?detox? if you are putting chemical diet products back in the body. This simply can not be allowed. Even if the chemicals do not harm us, the idea is to eat clean, healthy, whole foods.

Good Detox Beverage Choices:

  • Water
  • Water with Lemon
  • Green tea
  • Pure 100% coconut water
  • Herbal teas

Step 4: ADD Potent Detox Foods

These are foods to include more of when you are trying to detoxify the body: lemon, lime, green tea,?apple cider vinegar, kale, blueberries, flax seeds, broccoli, and other berries. These are types of foods that are known for their high antioxidant and/or antibacterial properties.

I never truly recommend that people undergo a ?cleansing? diet. You should always check with your healthcare provider first. We should always try to eat healthy with some small moderation. But, I understand that some want a jump start to get past their old habits.

Following a stricter routine for a few days can help reset your priorities, but make sure you have a more realistic plan ready to go. We can?t live by detox diets alone!

Have you ever tried a detox diet before?

Source: http://www.diet-blog.com/12/the-sensible-detox-diet.php

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