Google Analytics Tips for Small Businesses

You?re a small business and you?ve got a decent website?but you?re not sure how it?s doing. What you need is Google Analytics (GA), but you?re not sure what to make of all the reporting options.

Don?t worry, we can help.

What?s Important in Google Analytics?

For a small business, the most complex reports aren?t going to matter as much as the bread and butter basic reporting features. Focus on what matters to your business. Most likely, this is going to be visits, pages, and referrals.

Visits

Find out your site?s traffic volume by looking into your visits. This report will be important to any small business, but especially those that are growing their brand. The visits report provides insight into your site?s visibility, performance, usability, and pageviews.

Pages

You need to know which page on your site is driving the most traffic and/or conversions. Using the ?All Pages? report, you can see this information as well as helpful data regarding pageviews, time on page, and bounce rate. This data can be used to evaluate your landing pages as well as determine potential areas for new content.

Referrals

Where are your website?s visitors coming from? Did you know that most small businesses get nearly half their traffic from Social Media. You can see how your referral traffic is coming from in GA.

Referrals are especially important for small businesses as they provide an opportunity for small businesses to reach out and embrace their primary audience: the community.

Providing content that is targeted at your local community is a good way to build traffic, brand awareness, and potential customers. The Referrals report will help you find your most active audience?then it?s up to you to reach out to them!

A Better Way to Monitor Google Analytics

Viewing this data regularly in Google Analytics is important. And since that process would be a lot easier if someone would just hand you the keys to a reporting system that you didn?t have to think about, I have done just that.

Here at Portent, we love small businesses so much, we decided to create a Small Business Dashboard for Google Analytics that you can download for free.

Install the dashboard in your Google Analytics profile.

Google Analytics Small Business Dashboard

Let?s go over a couple features of the Small Business Dashboard. First, it includes data for Visits and % New Visits. We chose to provide % New Visits because as a small business, new customers are going to be far more important than visitor retention and returning customers. You want people learning your name and coming into your store?you need new visitors.

Next, we included stats for Social Visits, Referral Visits, and Visits from Mobile Devices. We?ve covered Social and Referrals, but Mobile reporting is also becoming very important, as it accounts for at least 40% of local searches (Remember the last time you looked for a restaurant while driving down the freeway?).

We also have a tally for Goal Conversion Rate and a pie chart for Visits by Location. These are both customizable for your needs. Simply click the gear in the top right of these widgets and set them to the data you want to track. For now, Goal Conversion Rate is tracking all goals (you might just want one specific goal tracked) and Visits by Location is set to City (instead of Region if you?re in multiple states). Set these up however you?d like in order to get the most of the Small Business Dashboard.

My Free Webinar: SEO Tips for Small Businesses

If you?d like to learn more ways you can improve your small business? SEO and Analytics, you can join me for a free webinar on Thursday, October 25th at 11am PST.

Sign up here. Even if you can?t make it, I?ll still send you the recording and you can watch it later.

You can view the slides for the presentation below. You can also check out the link bundle of resources I mention.

Source: http://www.portent.com/blog/analytics/google-analytics-tips-for-small-businesses.htm

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The Swanky Offices of Mojang, Creators of Minecraft

It's nice to see a communal workspace that's actually comfortable and stylish. The offices of video game company Mojang are nominated for the Sweden's Most Beautiful Office Award, and it's not hard to see why. From the rich leather seating to the great lighting, the office has a great vibe.

It looks like it couuld be someone's home (someone very, very rich, that is). Heck, even the bathroom is beautiful.

It's hard to see in the picture, but it looks like the workstations are in the back, set up as long tables.

For break time, there are legos to play with and a TV room with a gigantic screen:

Even if this style is too rich or old school for you, you've got to admit this looks like a great place to work. Check out the photo tour on Office Snapshots for more inspiring pictures.

If you have a workspace of your own to show off, throw the pictures on your Flickr account and add it to the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool. Include some details about your setup and why it works for you, and you just might see it featured on the front page of Lifehacker.

Tour the Offices of Mojang, the Creators of Minecraft | Office Snapshots

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/4N5XPmnIyo8/the-swanky-offices-of-mojang-creators-of-minecraft

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Self-affirmation enhances performance, makes us receptive to our mistakes

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) ? Life is about failure as much as it is about success. From the mistakes we make at work or school to our blunders in romantic relationships, we are constantly reminded of how we could be better. By focusing on the important qualities that make us who we are -- a process called self-affirmation -- we preserve our self-worth in the face of our shortcomings.

Self-affirmation has been shown to have powerful effects -- research suggests that it can minimize the anxiety, stress, and defensiveness associated with threats to our sense of self while keeping us open to the idea that there is room for improvement. But how does the process of self-affirmation actually work?

New research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, explores the neurophysiological reactions that could explain how self-affirmation helps us deal with threats to our self-integrity.

"Although we know that self-affirmation reduces threat and improves performance, we know very little about why this happens. And we know almost nothing about the neural correlates of this effect," says lead researcher Lisa Legault of Clarkson University.

Legault and her colleagues Michael Inzlicht of the University of Toronto Scarborough and Timour Al-Khindi of Johns Hopkins University posed several hypotheses. They theorized that because self-affirmation has been shown to make us more open to threats and unfavorable feedback, it should also make us more attentive and emotionally receptive to the errors that we make.

The researchers further hypothesized that these effects on attention and emotion could be measured directly in the form of a well-known brain response called error-related negativity, or ERN. The ERN is a pronounced wave of electrical activity in the brain that occurs within 100 ms of making an error on a task.

To test their hypotheses, the researchers randomly assigned 38 undergraduates to either a self-affirmation or a non-affirmation condition at the beginning of the study. In the self-affirmation condition, participants were asked to rank six values -- including aesthetic, social, political, religious, economic, and theoretical values -- from most to least important. They then had five minutes to write about why their highest-ranked value was important to them. In the non-affirmation condition, participants also ranked the six values, but they then wrote why their highest-ranked value was not very important to them. This was done in order to undermine self-affirmation in that group.

After ranking the values, the participants performed a test of self-control -- the "go/no-go" task -- in which they were told to press a button whenever the letter M (the "go" stimulus) appeared on a screen; when the letter W (the "no-go" stimulus) appeared, they were supposed to refrain from pressing the button. To increase the sense of threat in the task, participants were given negative feedback ("Wrong!") when they made a mistake.

While they were completing the go/no-go task, the participants' brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography, or EEG.

The findings suggest that self-affirmation improved participants' performance on the go/no-go task. Participants in the self-affirmation condition made fewer errors of commission -- pressing the button when they shouldn't have -- than did those in the non-affirmation condition.

But the participants' brain activity revealed an even more interesting story. While the self-affirmation and non-affirmation groups showed similar brain activity when they answered correctly, self-affirmed participants showed a significantly higher ERN when they made an error. This effect held up even after the researchers accounted for the number of errors of commission and errors of omission the participants made, in addition to their reaction times for the task.

Notably, the association between the ERN and the number of errors that participants made was stronger for the self-affirmed group. This suggests that self-affirmation enhanced the ERN response for those participants, which in turned predicted their performance on the task. The researchers speculate that participants who were self-affirmed were more receptive to errors which allowed them to better correct for their mistakes.

"These findings are important because they suggest one of the first ways in which the brain mediates the effects of self-affirmation," says Legault.

While these findings help to demystify the mechanisms that underlie self-affirmation, they may also have important practical implications. According to Legault, "Practitioners who are interested in using self-affirmation as an intervention tactic in academic and social programming might be interested to know that the strategy produces measurable neurophysiological effects."

Legault says that, ultimately, this research helps to show that "error-related distress, and our awareness thereof, can actually be a good thing."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. L. Legault, T. Al-Khindi, M. Inzlicht. Preserving Integrity in the Face of Performance Threat: Self-Affirmation Enhances Neurophysiological Responsiveness to Errors. Psychological Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612448483

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/MXT8IMa48oQ/121024150800.htm

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BBC scandal raises questions for incoming NYT boss

LONDON (AP) ? The child abuse scandal that has enveloped one of Britain's most respected news organizations is now hitting one of America's, as the incoming president of The New York Times is on the defensive about his final days as head of the BBC.

Mark Thompson was in charge of the BBC in late 2011 when the broadcaster shelved what would have been a bombshell investigation alleging that the late Jimmy Savile, one of its biggest stars, was a serial sex offender.

The BBC scandal has horrified Britain with revelations that Savile, a popular children's television presenter, cajoled and coerced vulnerable teens into having sex with him in his car, in his camper van, and even in dingy dressing rooms on BBC premises. He is also alleged to have sexually assaulted disabled children at hospitals that he helped by raising charity funds.

Police say there could be more than 200 victims, leading one child protection charity to say that Savile could rank among Britain's most prolific child sex predators.

In a sign of how the scandal may spread, the BBC said Tuesday it was looking into claims of sexual abuse and harassment against nine other current and former employees and contributors.

As increasing numbers of BBC executives come under the microscope over what they knew about Savile ? and why the posthumous expose about his sexual crimes was blocked from being broadcast ? Thompson is being quizzed about his role as well.

Thompson, 55, was the BBC director-general from 2004 until last month.

In a letter to Conservative lawmaker Rob Wilson, Thompson laid out his defense, saying he never worked with Savile, never worked on any of the entertainer's programs and indeed never met the man. Referring to the increasing number of BBC employees who have come forward to say that Savile's interest in young girls was widely rumored, Thompson said he had never been aware of the whispers.

"If I had, I would have raised them with senior colleagues and contacted the police," said Thompson.

The controversy over Saville was compounded when it emerged that an investigation into his misdeeds by the BBC's own "Newsnight" program was shelved last year only weeks before the broadcaster aired a glowing holiday tribute show to Savile.

Now journalists and lawmakers are asking whether BBC bosses canned the "Newsnight" show to protect their star, a prodigious charity fundraiser who was widely eulogized following his death last year at age 84.

The corporation denies a cover-up, although "Newsnight" editor Peter Rippon recently stepped down as the BBC's internal investigation got under way. After weeks of standing by Rippon, the BBC has said his explanation about why the Savile show was not broadcast was incomplete and inaccurate.

With Thompson about to move from one of the most important jobs in the British media to one of most important jobs in American journalism, exactly what he knew ? and when he knew it ?could be critical to his future career.

In a statement last week, Thompson said he had "never heard any allegations or received any complaints" about Savile during his tenure.

But an Oct. 7 story by London's Sunday Times appeared to contradict him, reporting that a BBC journalist had tipped Thompson off about the Savile investigation.

The Sunday Times is published by News International, an arm of Rupert Murdoch's global News Corp. empire, and has no corporate ties to The New York Times.

Thompson acknowledged being warned about what was happening at "Newsnight" by a BBC journalist during a company cocktail party late last year, but he said the journalist never "set out what allegations 'Newsnight' were investigating or had been investigating."

Thompson said he followed the matter up with other executives who told him the "Newsnight" investigation was canceled for journalistic reasons ? suggesting that they believed there wasn't enough evidence for an expose on Savile.

"I had no reason to believe that anyone in the BBC was withholding controversial or incriminating material," Thompson wrote in his letter to Wilson, the lawmaker.

Wilson told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he has written to Thompson again seeking more answers.

"There are questions about how much the journalist told him about the 'Newsnight' investigation that need to be cleared up as quickly as possible," Wilson said, adding that Thompson said he is willing to answer questions before the U.K. parliamentary committee looking into the matter and the BBC's own inquiry.

Wilson said Thompson's fitness to serve as The New York Times chief depends on the outcome of the various inquiries.

But The New York Times has already waited months for a new permanent chief executive following the resignation of Janet Robinson last December. One analyst said the paper could ill afford to wait any longer.

"My feeling is if he (Thompson) has no 'problem' that could surface in the near future there would be no need for him to delay," said Edward Atorino, an analyst with The Benchmark Company. "If there is an issue he should withdraw."

The controversy drew the attention of The New York Times' public editor, Margaret Sullivan, who on Tuesday asked Times readers to evaluate the incoming chief's answers.

"How likely is it that he knew nothing?" she asked. "A director general of a giant media company is something like a newspaper's publisher. Would a publisher be very likely to know if an investigation of one of its own people on sexual abuse charges had been killed?"

In a carefully worded paragraph that followed, she raised the issue of Thompson's fitness to serve as The New York Times chief.

"His integrity and decision-making are bound to affect The Times and its journalism ? profoundly," she wrote. "It's worth considering now whether he is the right person for the job, given this turn of events."

Sullivan said while finding an answer was "not as easy as it sounds ... all these questions ought to be asked."

Sullivan's office said Wednesday she would not be elaborating on her post.

A call and an email to The New York Times seeking comment were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bbc-scandal-raises-questions-incoming-nyt-boss-115555430.html

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Wedding Photographer Reaching the Sky Now

The wedding photographer captures people?s most treasured moments through camera which they cherish for rest of their lives. Wedding is one of the most important and special days of a person?s life so you want an experienced and talented person to enrich the event by confining each moment of your special day.

The Most Memorable Event

For every person, wedding ceremony is the event he/she dreams of all his/her life. For this, the wedding is planned in the best manner and is the most memorable part of one?s life. To capture all these moments you need a good photographer who does his best to shoot the lovely moments of your life.

Demand of the Society

Few years back it wasn?t that common that you hire a good professional photographer, usually the movie man and the photographers were common people who just knew a bit of photography and the lived in your town so they were hired to do the job. Now this concept has totally changed. Even the one who cannot afford tries his level best to hire a good professional photographer who can do the job assigned to him professionally. The photographers famous these days have done different courses related to their field from top universities. For this reason now it has become the demand of the society that you have professional photographers in the weddings. These photographers charge high rates also.

Give Beauty to the Moment:

Another most important factor which is to be considered for which the wedding photographers are reaching the sky is that they beautifully capture the moment. They have such good aesthetic sense that when you see the pictures afterwards you just can?t believe that it the same place and same moment. They can easily make an ugly person beautiful and a beautiful even more beautiful. We can blame the photographers for cheating with people that usually happens with the profile pictures these days.

Complete Packages.

The wedding photographer these days offer complete packages.

They do have high rates but the quality of work they do is much higher than the rates.

They offer a complete package that means you do not have to rush to a studio for the photo shoot anymore.

They do a quality shoot.

They capture moments like never before which you see at this site - http://www.scottwbaker.com/

Source: http://timogs.bravejournal.com/entry/116502/

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Syria opposition chief doubts truce can take hold

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 file photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter shoots his machine gun towards Syrian Army positions in the Amriya district of Aleppo, Syria. Piece by piece, Syria's rebels are slowly starting to expand their arsenal and get their hands on more advanced weapons, something that has been their constant aim in the 19-month-old uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad. The process still appears to be haphazard and improvised: Far from a reliable, organized pipeline, it often remains a scramble by individual units in the highly fragmented rebel forces to obtain what they can. Most units still rely on their staple arsenal of automatic weapons, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades. (AP Photo/ Manu Brabo, File)

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012 file photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter shoots his machine gun towards Syrian Army positions in the Amriya district of Aleppo, Syria. Piece by piece, Syria's rebels are slowly starting to expand their arsenal and get their hands on more advanced weapons, something that has been their constant aim in the 19-month-old uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad. The process still appears to be haphazard and improvised: Far from a reliable, organized pipeline, it often remains a scramble by individual units in the highly fragmented rebel forces to obtain what they can. Most units still rely on their staple arsenal of automatic weapons, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades. (AP Photo/ Manu Brabo, File)

BEIRUT (AP) ? The leader of the main Syrian opposition group says chances are slim that a U.N.-proposed truce for a Muslim holiday this week can take hold in Syria, partly because the plan is too vague.

The U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, has proposed that both sides lay down their arms during Eid al-Adha, a four day holiday that begins Friday.

However, neither Syrian President Bashar Assad nor rebels fighting to topple him have committed to a truce.

Abdelbaset Sieda, head the opposition Syrian National Council, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that rebel fighters are willing to halt fighting during the holiday, but will respond if attacked.

Sieda says he doubts the regime will honor the cease-fire and that Brahimi doesn't have "any mechanism to observe the situation."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-23-Syria/id-663515bdc4d746e7b8c22bdb5b6dae22

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