Phone Tips For When You Travel

Traveling has become a favorite past time of many mainly because airfare became cheaper and navigation isn’t that difficult anymore with the help of smart gadgets and the World Wide Web. Going to different places all over the globe also give you a chance to level up your social media game. You get to take photos in exotic locations or immerse in the local culture that will sure earn you the thumbs up of your friends and followers alike. Others even make money from their traveling experiences especially if they have blogs where they can share what happened during their travel, thereby monetizing your blog.

Your phone can make a big difference to your travels. You can take gorgeous selfies and pictures with it and at the same time use it as a navigation and communication tool. You’ll never get lost again with this in hand. While a smartphone is generally helpful, you should also be aware of data charges or voltage requirements when traveling overseas. Turn off your cell data before stepping on the plane or risk getting shocked of outrageous data charges abroad.

Planning for a vacation or a business travel outside the country is usually fun. However, there are still things to consider to make the travel a safe and convenient one. One thing to make sure that the travel is hassle-free is to set up devices especially mobile phones to cater an international travel.

There are several ways to prep up a phone for an international travel. One way is to maximize the use of Wi-Fi to access social media accounts and other ways of communicating aside from texting and calling through the subscribed network. Be sure to turn off cellular data when going overseas.

If just using the Wi-Fi is not enough to make the overseas trip convenient, take the subscribed American plan abroad. Go to the nearest service center of the subscribed mobile service and avail of the global package. Several network providers offer packages that consist of limited mobile data and unlimited text messages to numerous other countries.

(Via: http://www.itechpost.com/articles/97673/20170503/tips-set-up-phone-international-travel.htm)

The use of messaging apps is also helpful in staying connected to the web and close to your friends and loved ones during your travel. If you’re going to exotic places, be prepared for poor Internet connection. You can purchase a local prepaid sim, though, so you can avail of available and affordable Internet promos. Just make sure your phone is compatible to the sim before doing just that.

As a general rule—since so few of us change our habits when we change our locations—sticker shock is often the case when we return home from a trip and get our cell phone bills.

So, I turn data and roaming off on my phone the minute I leave the country.

When you begin to count the number of text messages you receive during a regular day and calculate how much some companies charge, it’s outrageous.

My suggestion? Patience.

Text your friends before you leave home and tell them to email you during your trip.

Then use the free WiFi in your hotel lobby, or if the hotel provides it, free WiFi in your hotel room.

(Via: https://petergreenberg.com/2017/02/23/using-smartphone-traveling-internationally/)

While not all public areas have free access to Wifi, you can count on your hotel to provide one for free in the lobby if not in the rooms. While taking a break on your strolls and sightseeing, you can likewise take a quick caffeine fix in a cozy and charming café while taking advantage of the free WiFi service to get connected to the online world before hitting the streets once more. Hotspot service is also a thing now. You can subscribe to it, so you can access various WiFi hotspots all over the world wherever your destination may be.

The following article Phone Tips For When You Travel is available on Iamnotanartist.org Blog

source https://www.iamnotanartist.org/phone-tips-for-when-you-travel/

The Power Of Online Advertising

The world is cluttered with all sorts of products, services, or just about anything else man can think of today. The population is growing, which also means there is a bigger market you can tap or possibly an entirely new audience for whatever you have in mind. After all, many of the things we now use today started as nothings yet they were able to change people’s perspectives until everyone can no longer live without these good or services in their lives. The Internet has a lot to do with all these changes and it is a platform that has totally changed the way we all live our lives today.

Business owners can now sell to an international market and not just to the ones back home because of the power of the web. With just a click of a button, consumers from various parts of the world can shop for the things they like in an instant and it is even made more comfortable as these products are delivered right to their doorsteps. To stay competitive in the global market, entrepreneurs must utilize whatever tools they have readily available at their disposal and it greatly involves the web. Online advertising is the new norm and there are various ways for you to get noticed by consumers if you just know what you are doing.

Wal-Mart has been quietly building up its online advertising business, opening up a new revenue channel for the retail giant.

According to KeyBanc's Ed Yruma, Wal-Mart's website has started to show banner ads by third-party sellers more frequently, with links to product pages or vendor websites. Historically, Wal-Mart's online ads have highlighted its own products or discounts, Yruma said.

On top of that, Wal-Mart has recently started linking its in-store and online shopping data, giving more in-depth data that advertisers could play with, he said. Wal-Mart already offers plenty of online ad options, including display media, native ads and programmatic buying programs.

"We believe Walmart recently began intensifying focus on its advertising business," Yruma wrote in a note published this week.

(Via: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/11/walmart-is-quietly-growing-its-online-advertising-business.html)

Big companies know how crucial it is to maintain your online presence on the web. Staying relevant has become synonymous with staying competitive in today’s market. Online advertising offers you all the perks of traditional advertising but on a platform that is the most widely used today.

Google and Facebook should look over their shoulders.

Online advertising, which is one of Amazon's fastest growing businesses right now, competes directly with them.

According to the company's second quarter earnings, Amazon's "other" sales category grew more than anything else. 

That category includes Amazon's advertising business, as well as other items like cobranded credit cards.

It saw more growth in the quarter than Amazon's massive money-spinner AWS, and more than actual retail sales.

(Via: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-advertising-business-is-growing-faster-than-anything-else-2017-7)

Just look at Amazon. Its humble beginnings as an online bookstore are way buried now in history books as it emerged to be an e-commerce giant alongside eBay and become even more when it comes to online advertising. With roughly 51% in growth yearly, Amazon’s other category is racking in more money for the company than their actual sales business.

Public companies like Rubicon Project are looking for buyers, and those that are getting acquired — like Rocket Fuel — are pulling in a fraction of their once lofty valuations.

Plus of course, there's the looming sense that Facebook and Google are taking over the world.

If any ad tech company has been able to stay above the fray, it has been The Trade Desk, which specializes in helping ad agencies buy ads using software. Since it went public, the company has seen its valuation climb steadily. It debuted with a price of $18 and it is currently trading for in the $50-plus range. The firm reports earnings next week.

(Via: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-trade-desk-ceo-is-cheering-on-the-industrys-shakeup-2017-8)

The freedom given by online advertising to businesses is the best perk it offers to entrepreneurs especially that the web is so big and saturating it is next to impossible without the right tools in hand. The best part of online advertising is that there are various types you can use that will work best for your business from SEO, PPC, Blogging, Social Network Advertising, Rich Media Ads, Affiliate Marketing, and many others. Take advantage of this powerful medium in selling your product or service and you can never go wrong. You’ll see your profits increase as your business grows in a tech-dominated world.

The post The Power Of Online Advertising See more on: The IANAA Blog

source https://www.iamnotanartist.org/the-power-of-online-advertising/

How Instagram Messes Up With Your Mental Health

Social media brought out the narcissist in us. The word “selfie” was eventually recognized by most dictionaries because people loved taking their photos and posting it on social media. While initially, photos reminded us of important milestones in our lives, too much picture taking has bordered into the extreme. Many people post their every move on social media, which isn’t entirely necessary as not everyone is interested in every detail of their lives.

Another issue with social media is how you only show off the good side of your life. It gives others the impression that your life is perfect. It’s very apparent with the social network, Instagram. They even coined the term “Instagram-worthy or IG-worthy photos” when posting pictures on this channel because most posts describe perfection in a picture. Others get insecure that their lives aren’t as glamorous as their friends and start doubting their self-worth. That’s when Instagram became more of a curse rather than a blessing.

Instagram is the most detrimental social networking app for young people's mental health, followed closely by Snapchat, according to a new report by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) in the UK.

Their study, #StatusofMind, surveyed almost 1500 young people aged 14 to 24 on how certain social media platforms impact health and wellbeing issues such as anxiety, depression, self-identity and body image.

YouTube was found to have the most positive impact, while Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter all demonstrated negative affects overall on young people's mental health.

Instagram -- the image-saturated app with over 700 million users worldwide -- topped the list in terms of negative impact, most notably among young women, stated the report, published Friday.

Instagram draws young women to "compare themselves against unrealistic, largely curated, filtered and Photoshopped versions of reality," Matt Keracher, author of the report, told CNN.

(Via: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/19/health/instagram-worst-social-network-app-young-people-mental-health/)

A person’s mental health is compromised by seeing almost perfect photos of families, friends, and even strangers filling up their phone’s screen. And because most people are none the wiser as to which photos were curated or not, they tend to accept it as real on face value that leads to an intense feeling of depression and insecurity. Aside from that, it is not healthy to be so obsessed with social media. It takes your time away from more important life realities and prevents you from establishing meaningful relationships with the people around you.

Instagram is one of the biggest social media network sites, with millions of people worldwide posting images on the platform every day.

However, while it's incredibly popular, it has been rated the worst social media site for young people's mental health, according to a recent survey.

According to the Royal Society for Public Health, a survey suggests it has the most negative impact on users.

The survey also found the app could put users at risk of suffering loneliness, depression and body image anxiety.

(Via: http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-feature/1077141/the-worrying-reason-why-instagram-could-be-harmful-to-mental-health-according-to-a-recent-survey)

Perhaps another reason why Instagram shatters a person’s mental health and confidence is because it is heavily image-based unlike other SNS like Facebook where you can see a variety of content.

But with a new campaign aimed at addressing mental health issues, Instagram is trying to (gently) alter this equation. Dubbed #HereForYou, the initiative highlights users and communities on the social network who are raising “awareness about mental health and the importance of finding support,” founder and chief executive Kevin Systrom said in a blog post. By clicking on selected hashtags (including #HereForYou, along with other, more specific hashtags), the goal is to make it easier for users grappling with mental health-related issues to find resources on the platform.

In a video announcing the project, three Instagramers share their own, varied struggles with mental health, and how the platform helped them cope. “Through Instagram, I was able to connect with other girls who were going through similar things,” says Elyse Fox, 27. “My main thing is to bring girls together and let girls know they aren’t alone.”

(Via: http://fortune.com/2017/05/08/instagram-mental-health/)

You can’t help but feel depressed when you see other people fare better in life than you. It’s quite understandable, really. But when it became the focal point of your day, that’s when your social media obsession becomes detrimental to your health. But despite knowing that photos posted on social media are heavily curated and their owners are only posting the best shot of the day, many still can’t help but feel bad for themselves after seeing these filtered pictures.

To improve Instagram’s image, they are now taking initiatives to address this connection between the use of their app to the prevalence of mental health issues by allowing users to anonymously flag posts that are suggesting of underlying mental issues and redirect the user to mental health organizations that can help them. While it isn’t the ultimate solution, it is one step closer to addressing the problem with too much social media use and its negative effects to one’s health.

The blog post How Instagram Messes Up With Your Mental Health is republished from IANAA

source https://www.iamnotanartist.org/how-instagram-messes-up-with-your-mental-health/

Streaming Is The New TV

That big black box where a moving picture with sounds is shown has always been the highlight of every home. Most families bonded over a movie or two and family members always had a favorite television show they wait for in anticipation weekly. As the years went by, the picture quality improved and you no longer had to watch black and white shows but colored ones. Then came cable TV. Others who don’t want to wait for shows to be aired rented or bought Betamax and VHS tapes until they became available in VCD and DVD format. But with the popularity of the Internet these days, streaming became the preference of many and in a way, it has replaced the role of television in our lives.

If you are clueless as to what Internet streaming really is, it actually is otherwise known as background downloading. It’s basically related to regular downloading but with a twist. You don’t need to wait for long to be able to view a video clip you are downloading because you can already watch it while it downloads. Another difference between the two is that you don’t keep or save a copy of the video you download when you stream. You have to stream it again if you want to watch the same clip once more.

Netflix is the most popular streaming service in the U.S. with more than 52 million households watching last year compared to second place Amazon with only half that audience.

But the growth rate of U.S. subscribers has declined, leading to greater emphasis on acquiring international customers and now the deal with Chinese streaming site iQIYI.

“Their strategy has been to grow quickly, and generally they’ve been pretty successful in that they are present in every major market in the world other than China, although now with this licensing deal they do appear now to be gaining a foothold in the Chinese market as well. The size of the Chinese market is of course remarkable and potentially important to Netflix. And it’s also growing in that the companies in China are moving from an advertising-based model to a more subscription-based model,” ;Thomas Altura of San Jose State University’s School of Management said.

Netflix declined to interviewed, but did put out a statement that said expectations of the deal are modest in scope. The statement also said ‘Our cooperation will be subject to the relevant regulations on online streaming of imported drama and film content in China.’

(Via: https://america.cgtn.com/2017/05/09/netflix-looks-to-expand-streaming-services-into-chinese-market)

People often watch music videos, TV series or movies when they stream. Netflix and Youtube are among the favorite streaming sites of Internet users nowadays. You only have to wait for a few seconds before the video starts playing and buffering depends on your Internet connection. People from all over the world are streaming videos almost daily now, thanks to social media that also helps promote these videos that are shared on people’s newsfeed.

Less than a quarter of television viewers around the world prefer to watch shows on regular TV monitors, a dramatic drop that reflects the increasing use of computers and smartphones for entertainment, according to a survey released Monday.

The report from Accenture, a business strategy and technology consulting firm, said the percentage of people surveyed online last fall in 26 countries who said the TV monitor was their first choice dropped by 55 percent compared with a year earlier.

Only 25 percent of Americans said they prefer viewing on TVs, compared with 59 percent just a year ago, Accenture said. Just 10 percent of residents in India preferred TVs, compared with 47 percent a year before.

(Via: http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Only-a-quarter-of-Americans-want-to-watch-shows-11090839.php)

The rise of smart gadgets also helped this shift in the people’s viewing preference. You can easily watch a video you want from your smartphone as long as you have a stable Internet connection. Also, Internet access became more affordable and accessible to the masses, so there’s no reason now for the average Joe to miss out on the benefits of streaming.

Many teens and young adults today actually prefer to watch from the comfort of their smart gadgets rather than turn on the TV and wait for a show they like and suffer in silence as they watch the commercials in between. They can even watch while on the go. It’s no wonder people claim that smart gadgets and the Internet have rendered “boredom” obsolete in this day and age. Why settle for the waiting game of TV watching when you can watch the show you want when you want it simply by streaming.

Streaming Is The New TV was initially published to I Am Not An Artist Blog

source https://www.iamnotanartist.org/streaming-is-the-new-tv/