How To Improve Your Writing Skills - writingTechbro

How To Improve Your Writing Skills - writingTechbro

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Do you want to improve your writing skills and become a better writer? I think if you are a blogger or writer like me, you surely would – wouldn’t you?

I get a lot of emails and messages from people asking me these questions repeatedly – “How can I improve my writing skills?” or “How can I develop my writing skills and become a better writer?”

So, I thought of starting a new “Writing” category on my blog, especially to help these friends, and this is the first post under that head.

Well, let me start by confessing that I am not a good writer, nor do I have any special writing skills to speak of. But with time and experience, I’ve improved my writing skills – though the process is still on.

You all have different reasons why you want to improve your writing.

Perhaps you want to write good blog posts, improve your writing for your English class, write or publish your first eBook, or author a book. Or perhaps you just want to learn to respond to emails and comments by developing your writing skills.

It’s a well-known fact that the more you write, the better you become. But you also need to read a lot to become a better writer, which develops your writing skills too.

Becoming a good writer takes practice, hard work, and knowledge. Nothing is impossible if you are ready to learn :)

How To Improve Your Writing Skills - writingTechbro prabhakaronline.com

“Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted.” ~ Jules Renard

Below are 4 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills : 

• Keep your readers in mind
• Work on your grammar
• Write, write, and just write
• Read a lot

4 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills

You might have come across a lot of resources to improve writing skills, or ways to develop your writing to get better. But here are a few specific ones that I’ve followed and they’ve worked for me.

Read a lot

You need to devote a little time, perhaps daily, to read. Just pick up any book, magazine, newspaper, or something online to read and try to understand the works of influential people.

When you read, you expand your knowledge, build your vocabulary, and enhance your imagination. This was a habit my parents inculcated in me when I was a child.

I remember the time when I used to read story books before I slept, and that became a habit with time. However, it’s something I need to get back to; though I’m glad my children have taken up this habit from me.

When you read, you begin understanding your writing better. Move out of your usual comfort zone and read something different to enhance your writing skills.

You could even try reading essays or classics to understand why it was so effective and influential. Even people, events, movies, and television can inspire you, isn’t it?

I think it’s best and easiest to improve writing skills by reading. Do you like to read? If you do, what do you like reading?

“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.” ~ Samuel Johnson

Write, write, and just write

Writing IS the only thing that can enhance your writing skills. Sometimes you get so influenced by reading someone else’s work that you start imitating them.

You need to learn from the writers or books you read, but develop your own voice – your own writing style.

Don’t sit to write as soon as you finish a book or reading something. Give it a break, and then write. I know it took me time developing my voice, where blogging and writing was concerned.

● Carry a notebook or journal, wherever you go. Just pen down your thoughts before they vanish!

● Write down ideas that come to your mind. These could be from blogs you read, phrases, comments, characters, topics, titles, subtitles, events, or just anything.

● You could rewrite your old blog posts to re-purpose them. You’d be surprised to see your improved writing skills now as compared to what it was earlier.

● Join a local or online writing workshop or writer’s conferences and groups. These are ways to improve your writing and stay motivated because you learn from others when you talk to them and get feedback on your work.

Also, these are great place to meet literary agents, publishers, authors, writers, and editors. It has been a while since I joined one though.

● Participate in writing prompts as these are good ways to improve your writing skills. Creative Copy Challenge and Writer’s Digest, besides others, provide prompts and writing exercises.

● Comment on blog posts by challenging yourself to write long comments, instead of the usual 1 liners. You’d be surprised to see your writing get better.

● Be creative – think outside the box! Don’t write the same thing every day or you’ll get bored. Try writing the same post or story in different tenses, or a different perspective.

● Find the right environment to write. Try different places or different times of the day to see what suits you. Perhaps you have writer’s block at night, so try waking up 15 minutes earlier, and write in the morning. If you have trouble writing in a noisy place; find a quiet and comfortable one.

● Write EVERY DAY! There is nothing better than writing daily, if you really want to develop your writing skills. Write at least 1,000 words every day, or start with 500 words and increase it slowly.

When you think you’ve written enough, write a little more – it only makes you better. Just pick a topic and WRITE!

It could be a blog post, emails (if you take time to write long ones!), and even comments, especially if they are like mine – nice and long :)

Writing requires dedication, time, and patience. Don’t rush through your writing, something that happens with me when I have less of time.

To improve your writing, you need to write at least 5-6 days a week, if not more. All you need to do is set aside a fixed time to write daily, and just sit and do it!

“The secret of becoming a writer is to write, write and keep on writing.” ~ Ken MacLeod

Work on your grammar

I know blog writing is a little different than the real writing because one can afford to be a little casual here. But when you have to write for your clients or professionally, you need to take utmost care.

Here are a few things to keep in mind –

• Use less of passive voice, and more of active voice. It isn’t always bad to use the passive voice, but active is what’s generally preferred. For example – “The book had been written by Oscar while he was in college” is passive. “Oscar wrote the book while he was in college” is active. I’d be taking up the details about the active and passive voice in a later post.

• Keep your writing clear, direct, and simple. Use the right words at the right time. Don’t fill up pages saying what you want to, if it can be said in a few words.

- Don’t make your sentences too long or hard to read. Remember, the longer you write, the lesser you might hold your reader’s interest. (I hope that’s not the case with my posts!)

- Take care of spelling mistakes.

- Use paragraphs to break your text.

- Take care of the punctuation – use colons, semi-colons, apostrophes, and commas in the right places.

- If phrases aren’t needed or aren’t adding value, just cut them. Sometimes removing what is not required is best done at the editing stage, that’s how I do it. I usually don’t stop my flow of thoughts when I write. But when I edit, I cut the chaff, though I still need to work more on this. :)

• Good writing skills include using strong words, being precise and evocative. Finding the right word, whether it’s a verb or adjective, can spice up your writing. Be specific when you write, without repeating the same words, unless you really have to – as in rhyming words.

• Work on the emotions through your writing. Your readers should feel what you write, whether it’s through your blogs or other writing. Nothing works better than feelings and emotions, don’t you think so?

• Just don’t follow the rules – break them! Sometimes it’s alright to break the rules if you know how and when to break them. This only happens once you’ve mastered it all. However, make sure that you write well enough otherwise.

• Correct your grammar using online resources. Grammar is a pain, I agree. But you have help if you use resources like Grammar Check, Grammarly, or GrammarBook.com.

Even switching on the spell-check and grammar check on MS Word, your iPad and Google Doc helps. I work on MS Word and it works perfectly for me. How about you?

• Edit and re-edit your work – not once, but 2-3 times if required. Editing IS essential, whether you are a blogger or a writer. I don’t think anyone’s perfect – nor is there a perfect masterpiece in writing.

If an author or writer could find something to change in their work, even after completion, if given another chance – they would. Rewrite if necessary – don’t hold yourself if you feel you need to work on your writing to make it better.

Once you finish your work, read through to edit. That would make your first revision, where you can remove the unwanted phrases, words, and check the grammar.

The second revision should ideally be on print or once you read your writing aloud. Hearing your voice, as opposed to seeing your words, may change your thoughts about them. You might get the chance to work on rambling sentences or pretentious-sounding terms.

The third revision should be the next day, or with a fresh pair of eyes. If you cannot afford to do that, even a few hours can make a difference. You can edit the typos, add or delete paragraphs if need be, to make your piece better.

If you have a professional editor, its ideal, but if this isn’t affordable, choose someone to proofread for you.

The person doesn’t have to be better than you. Instead, you need someone to give you feedback on how your tone and points are coming across.

I’m lucky that my hubby is my second pair of eyes there, though sometimes both of us turn blind, because we aren’t perfect :)

Remember, writing should be fun – something you enjoy. Also, there is no one right way to write. You need to find your own writing style and work on it.

“Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” ~ Larry L. King

Keep your readers in mind

Whatever you write, you need to write clearly, concisely, and avoid ambiguity of any kind. You want your readers to read, understand and absorb all that you write comfortably. So, short is the answer!

If your page layout is full width, then keep your sentences short, or else set it for a shorter one.

If you think of speed, then 100 characters per line is ideal for reading depending on your font size, and about 45 characters is best for readers comfort.

Use more of associative or descriptive words, paired with a few pictures because images can do wonders to your writing. People will be glued to your work.

Reading online IS tiring. Ask me!! So, do all that you can to reduce the strain by trying the following –

• Add bullets and subheads to break your lines and express yourself.

• Don’t add more than three short sentences to a paragraph so that it’s easier to read.

• Keep a comfortable font size so that your readers don’t have to squint to read.

Most importantly, stay on topic. I sometimes wander off from my main point too if I write too long, which confuses people.

So, building a rough outline helps. Decide on your main and sub-points before you start writing, and ensure your writing is relevant and related.

“Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

No one is born a writer. Learning to become a good writer takes time, practice and determination. Check out this wonderful video that tells you the way to improve your English writing skills

Speaking of myself, it was only when I started my freelance writing career that I really started to write, which was a few years back. Before that, I was not into writing of any kind at all!

Any suggestion you have, give me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Rewrite Article Into A Masterpiece - Follow Steps

Rewrite Article Into A Masterpiece - Follow Steps

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Rewrite Article Into A Masterpiece - Follow Steps

What sets the best writers apart is their redraft. They painstakingly chip away, smoothing and polishing, until they produce a sparkling diamond. Time and pressure my fiend.

Ordinary writers see redrafting as an inconvenience. They impatiently give their article a quick look over and move on to write something else. The redraft is the MOST important part of your writing. If you want to be an elite writer and gain a loyal following, then you should spend longer redrafting than writing. Take a few days if necessary. One amazing blog post will serve you better than 10 average ones. It’s worth spending the time.

I usually redraft several times. Each time I pick a specific thing to focus on. Here is what I generally do… 

1. Basic redraft
2. Slimming down
3. Split things up
4. Add emotion
5. Add something to stimulate senses
6. Redraft for a good flow
7. Final thoughts

Basic redraft

My first redraft is a quick read through and correcting basic mistakes – which are plentiful. There are always silly grammar and vocabulary mistake, missed out words etc.

Slimming down

I go through it again and look for words, sentences and paragraphs that are not needed. If I can pull a word or two out, then I will. This can add up to hundreds of words over a whole article. This makes it feel more authoritative, professional and polished. It also reduces the work your readers to do to read your content. This is vital. People are not patient online, and don’t welcome slaving over excessive wordiness.

 Split things up

The visual of your article is also important. I’m sure you've looked at an article and thought “sod that” without reading a word. Some articles look hard work to read. Don’t let this happen to your content. Stand back and take a look at your article and ask yourself honestly whether you would want to read it. If a paragraph is long, split it up into 2 or 3 smaller ones. Use subheadings, pictures, capitals and bold for emphasis. This makes the prospect of reading it less daunting.

 Add emotion

People better remember something or someone that has made them feel an emotion. It doesn't matter what the emotion is. Make your reader feel something at some point in your article. Talk about how excited, delighted, exhilarated, disappointed, angry, frightened, disgusted you felt about something.

Add something to stimulate senses

You can stimulate senses with your words. You can liken an unpleasant experience to biting a lemon for example. This makes your text juicier and more interesting. No one wants to read a dried up shrivelled prune.  Use references to sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. This stimulates your readers brain and keeps them interested.

Redraft for a good flow

I then make sure my article has a good rhythm to it. The best way to do this is to read it out loud and imagine you’re reading it to a huge audience. If it doesn't sound right, change it until it does. Even little things like changing “does not” to “doesn't” makes a difference. Often sentences need shortening or splitting up. If your writing has a good flow, people are more likely to keep reading. 

Final thoughts

That’s 6 processes you can go through when redrafting your article. Try them and see what it does for your writing. I would love to hear your results in the comments. Leave me a link to your article and I’ll take a look.

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Some Steps to Make Money as a Freelance Writer - Check it

Some Steps to Make Money as a Freelance Writer - Check it

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Freelance writing has become a major source of employment for many people, take it or leave it. The era of depending completely on government to provide jobs for everyone is gradually phasing out. Many people are now making money through freelance writing. It will be very bad if we do not acknowledge the fact that the arrival of the internet has also made freelance writing a boosted part of the economy, which employs millions of people. Now, being a good writer and earning a lot of money does not only consummate in knowing how to write or being intelligent. There are things that will help you make money as a freelance writer.

However, there are two main ways of working as a freelance writer. You can be writing online for blogs and websites. Here, you will mostly be doing product reviews, articles, blog posts, eBooks, academic contents, essays, etc. You can also be an offline writer, and here you can write everything ranging from common letters, speeches, proposals, adverts, banners, resumes and business plans to a lot of books. Some might even combine both, so as to put more money in there.

• Evolve as a writer
• Be a good reader
• Be a consistent writer
• Accept complaints and make corrections
• Get a proofreader

Evolve as a writer

The first way to make money as a freelance writer includes evolving as a writer. Just like I said, the fact that you have written some eBooks and some articles does not settle it. If you really want to make huge money writing, you have to evolve and learn the writing tips, strategies and methods that are in vogue. It is not just about the information you pass that pays you, but you earn good money if you pass the information the right way. The technicalities of writing must be learnt and applied by you all the time.

Be a good reader

You are what you write, and that means you cannot give what you don’t have. A good reader is always a very good writer. The truth that you must imbibe here is this: whenever you are not writing, get hold of works that are ad rem to the niche you normally write on and read. Constant reading will make you to be full of ideas, and thus ensure that you give the real information when writing. Now, when you are reading, you will notice that there are some works that influence you more than others. Get the works of successful writers and read not only their ideas, but their methods of writing.

Be a consistent writer

The next way to earn income doing freelance writing jobs is to write consistently. Yes, if you want your voice to be heard and the dollars to roll in, you don’t have to quit. Just keep writing. Even if the funds are not coming at the moment, time shall come when they will start rolling in. A friend of mine said that you must continue to write until your imagination fizzles out. One thing that comes to mind here is the fact that writing must be your passion, so that you will not grow weary soonest.

Accept complaints and make corrections

If you want to make cash as a freelancer, you must be disciplined and tamable. This is because when you are writing for clients online or offline, there will be loads and loads of corrections that they will point out. Lack of self discipline might make you fall out with your customers along the way. And when this happens, you will loose your customers. Remember, to gain one customer is very difficult, so you must not loose any of the ones you already have. Making money with home based jobs is not that easy; a lot of people are scrambling for the limited spaces. So you must learn to treat your precious customers with love, care and respect.

Get a proofreader

Another surefire way to work from home and make money as a freelance writer is by ensuring that you have a proofreader. Many people will regard this as a second or third eye. There are cases where you make mistakes that you cannot make consciously. There are slips, both of the eye, pen, etc. When you allow the second and third person to proofread and edit for you, you will be sure to present great works to your clients. And of course the more great works more money you make.

Another way is by letting people know what you do. Make use of the social media and many other advert tools to let people know that you are a freelance writer and you will experience a lot of people coming for your services through these. With this, you make a lot of money.

Don’t forget to add a little of your ad in form of your portfolio display on your personal blog. The more people visit your blog, the more they understand who you are and what you do for a living. This has a way of refreshing their memories no doubt.

Being smart and full of ideas is one sure way to win the competition and earn more dollars. Margaret Mcgriff wrote a post on how one fashion blogger wins freelance gigs with style. I have said much and should give you an opportunity to share your mind with us. What has contributed to your making more money online freelancing? Are you really making any cash? We want to hear from you; tell what you think is holding some freelance writers back from earning good income in their career.

Do you love this post? Make sure to share with your friends. Please remember to Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our regular updates, promo notification and other announcements. If you love this post, share it with your friends.

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Online Tools to Scrap Grammar Mistakes - just check it

Online Tools to Scrap Grammar Mistakes - just check it

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Writing is not an easy task. It is more difficult for those who are experts. Now why do I say that? Let me explain that through a small example: just like a teacher can never teach his/her students anything incorrect, similarly a good writer will never write anything that is incorrect. Not only am I referring to the reliability or authenticity of the content but I am also considering the importance of grammar and its proper usage. Remember that creativity alone will not get you everything. Therefore, for getting complete command over language skills, it is mandatory that you make your text devoid of all grammatical errors.

These days, internet is the perfect solution to all your problems. If you do not know the meaning of any word, all you do is invite MR.GOOGLE’s help, and your cognition doors automatically open up. Similarly bloggers and writers do not have this fear of stagnant writing skills as internet provides them with the option of enhancing their skills using online tools.

Check Grammar and Learn to Improve

Today we have some great online help forums that serve as the best instructors for fresh and aspiring writers. If you are stressed out just because you hate when somebody says your extract have grammatical mistakes, because you do not know where to get help from and being an experienced writer you cannot stand inviting external help. So, all you need to do is utilize some good self-assessment methods to augment and improve your current skills. Without further ado, let’s check out these fabulous tools:

• Grammar Girl

• English grammar

• Daily grammar

• Grammar book

Grammar Girl

GrammarGirl, This is a really awesome and informative website, trust me on that. You cannot love learning grammar any more. It will help you out in all punctuation rules giving you some great tips to memorize them. It will be your biggest support when it comes to tackling complex grammar situation. These tips will serve as sticky notes which will instantly flash in your mind once you are set out for the task of creating some content. Use grammar check free tools to know mistakes after they occur, filter the suggestion and you should know the correct one.

English grammar

EnglishGrammar, This is a platform that will provide every bit of information to keen English learners. From the basic concepts of English like nouns, pronouns, adjectives, etc. to the tips for business writing, this website incorporates everything. You will also get some handy tips regarding the writing style. Creative writing and essay writing is also explained thoroughly. The online best grammar checker for bloggers, use this tool and fix your grammar errors.

Daily grammar

DailyGrammar, Just as the name suggests, this website or tool may be used on daily basis. The sole reason is to help writers improve their grammatical errors that they commonly make. Mistakes are committed by professional and amateur writers both. Technology has indeed helped man realize and amend his mistakes without any external help. If you are a champ at surfing the internet, you can very easily identify where you stand. What are the flaws you need to work on and how can you rectify deficiencies. Along with that internet helps you conduct a comparative analysis. You can always compare your work with the rest. Daily grammar provides you with e-books and workbooks for regular practice. In order to scrap plagiarism, use these top plagiarism check free online tools and scan your papers.

Grammar book

GrammarBook, Again this is a free pail of all the things you will need for self-assessment and evaluation. From seven parts of speech to online free quizzes, every help is available for English language learners. Along with that this website will help you out with all the “silly” mistakes you very frequently commit.

I'd recommend to try this list of grammar check free online tools and make some choices.

Grammar has its own importance in language; it plays the role of salt in a dish. If you forget adding it, it will be tasteless and you will not be able to enjoy your food. So, to make your text attractive and pleasant, you need to take care of all the” ifs and buts” etc, etc……

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Univision taps T-Mobile to create Hispanic wireless service - CNET

Univision taps T-Mobile to create Hispanic wireless service - CNET

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Spanish-language entertainment giant Univision is getting into the wireless business -- courtesy of T-Mobile. Univision and T-Mobile on Thursday announced Univision Mobile, a wireless service targeting the Hispanic market with specific plans and Univision content. Univision is hoping to extend its entertainment brand into the mobile world, while the move could potentially net T-Mobile a larger share of the market for Hispanic consumers even as the competition for new customers heats up. Financial terms weren't disclosed. The service launches May 19.

Entertainment brands have attempted to get into the wireless business before -- ESPN and Disney famously tried to become wireless service providers before they both crashed and burned. But those brands struck a reseller, or mobile virtual network operator, agreement in which they would handle all of the work related to being a wireless provider.

Univision and T-Mobile are instead partnering together, which would allow Univision to focus on the promotion and brand while T-Mobile handles customer support, billing, and other logistical needs. Customers would get Univision ringtones and wallpapers, a sneak peak at Univision shows, as well as a Univision Mobile portal for access to news, sports, and entertainment, and access to its apps.

Univision's "exclusive" content will include quick access to Rodner Figueroa's "fashionómetro," showcasing the best and worst of Hispanic celebrities on the red carpet by one of Univision's fashion experts; or even deliver personalized horoscopes by Univision's clairvoyant Victor Florencio, also known as El niño prodigio.

Univision Mobile's plans aren't just a clone of T-Mobile's offerings. They specifically target Hispanic customers with families overseas, and all include 100 minutes to call a mobile or landline number from the US to Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. As with the typical T-Mobile plan, the Univision Mobile plans all include unlimited text messages from the US to select Latin American countries and more than 200 countries around the world.

There is also the option to pay an additional $10 a month for unlimited calls to landlines and 1,000 mobile-to-mobile minutes to Mexico. The plans start at $30 a month for just voice calls and text messages. A plan that includes 2.5 gigabytes of 3G data costs $45 a month, while one that includes 2.5GB of 4G data costs $55 a month.

Univision Mobile will launch on May 19 in Walmart stores and dealer locations in the US and Puerto Rico.

T-Mobile isn't the only carrier that has attempted to cater to the Hispanic market. Verizon Wireless partnered with Jennifer Lopez to open Viva Mobil, a Hispanic-focused retail store that sold Verizon phones and services. Verizon had previously called the market a key strategic growth platform. But T-Mobile believes it can do better with Univision.

"We've looked at all the offerings in the marketplace and we think others are getting it wrong," said Mike Sievert, chief marketing officer of T-Mobile.

Univision Mobile will launch in 1,000 Walmart stores and 3,000 dealer stores, with distribution expected to double by the end of June. Sievert said there might be an option to have Univision Mobile show up in T-Mobile's stores too.

"(Univision Mobile) will be on every platform available to us," said Rick Alessandri, executive vice president of Univision.

The Hispanic market represents the fastest growing demographic in the US, and tends to skew younger and more tech-savvy, Alessandri said.

"Obviously, building a product with them first in mind is what this has been about," he said.

Sievert said T-Mobile has a higher mix of Hispanic customers than the other national carriers.

While any T-Mobile phone would work on the service, the Univision Mobile packages will come with more affordable phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Light, Galaxy S III, and, as well the Alcatel Island and Evolve.

Related articles

• T-Mobile targets budget-conscious with $40 'Simple Starter' plan

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U.S. telecom regulators divided on Sprint, T-Mobile deal: WSJ

U.S. telecom regulators divided on Sprint, T-Mobile deal: WSJ

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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(Reuters) - Democratic members of the Federal Communications Commission may be divided over how they view the possible Sprint Corp (S.N) merger with T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS.N), the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has acknowledged that Sprint and T-Mobile may not remain viable as independent companies in meetings with people on Wall Street and in the telecom industry, the people said.

Though Rosenworcel's sentiment about the future of the companies may indicate a schism with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, her comments may not necessarily translate into willingness to vote in favor of the deal, if a merger is proposed.

Sprint's parent, SoftBank Corp (9984.T), has been waging a campaign to promote consolidation in the U.S. wireless sector while seeking to buy T-Mobile. Investors are closely watching for a possible merger, and how it might affect the two larger carriers, Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) and AT&T Inc (T.N).

Both Wheeler and U.S. Justice Department antitrust chief William Baer have been skeptical about the potential merger between the No. 3 wireless provider and No. 4 rival T-Mobile.

(Reporting by Mridhula Raghavan in Bangalore and Alina Selyukh in Washington)

DEALSGLOBAL DEALS REVIEW: 2011 Q3GLOBAL DEALS REVIEW: 2011 Q2GLOBAL DEALS REVIEW

Related articles

• U.S. telecom regulators divided on Sprint, T-Mobile deal: WSJ

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Build risk-assessment confidence through D&B’s Material Change predictive analytics

Build risk-assessment confidence through D&B’s Material Change predictive analytics

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Your lumber business just scored a large contract to supply materials to an expanding hardware store chain in California. You’re looking at ramping up production and hiring a score of new employees. But how can you be sure that your new star customer will remain on its current growth trajectory? Businesses are faced with similar decision-making challenges on a daily basis. Without the proper data tools, it is difficult to see beyond the immediate outlook and predict when a material-change event will occur. Fortunately, new analytical tools are arriving on the market to help companies more accurately assess the future risk or potential of a business partner.

For instance, D&B’s patent-pending new analytic capability, “Material Change,” enables customers to better identify whether a business is poised for expansion or headed for decline, reaching out 12 months, 18 months, and on into the future. This new tool is the most recent in D&B’s family of predictive analytic tools. The company has traditionally provided market-leading business scores, credit scores, and ratings. The predictive analytic tools build on the traditional scores and can help transform data into intelligence that also helps manage risk and identifies new opportunities. Predictive tools already available from D&B include Viability Rating, Total Loss Predictor, and Delinquency Predictor.

Material Change PredictorsMaterial Change builds on D&B’s existing predictive analytic capabilities by adding anticipatory signals, such as a company’s payment behavior and financial obligations, to provide a long-range view of the firm’s risk profile. Where D&B’s existing tools allow businesses to move forward on deals with prospects, suppliers, and customers, Material Change gives customers the confidence to make future plans based on the predicted stability of those commercial relationships.

Advanced analytics like Material Change are designed to help customers anticipate a partner’s behavior and insulate against surprise developments. For the lumber business looking at expansion, the insecurity of relying on a large contract relationship is mitigated and confident business decisions can be made. Taking on 20 new employees and adding a new production line won’t cause unnecessary worry that those operations may have to be shuttered a year or two down the line. Anne Law

Predictive analytic tools on the market are also helping companies target key prospects, identify most valuable customers, and leverage successful products and marketing campaigns, according to EMC Corp.’s Bill Schmarzo. Modeling and forecasting tools allow businesses to answer futuristic questions such as: “Who will be my top customer next year?” and “What new product will be the top seller?”

Predictive analytics allow businesses to recognize patterns and correlations between customer behavior, store traffic, promotional activities, geography, and other elements that drive risk or profitability. Examples of successful data crunching initiatives range from Netflix’s predicted success of blockbuster TV show House of Cards to the Carilion Clinic’s identification of critical-risk heart patients.

–D&B is currently testing the Material Change predictors to determine how the capability can best be ingested and used by customers.–

anticipatory analytics, D&B Material Change, Dun & Bradstreet, material changes, predictive analytics, risk management, Biz Trends, Buzzworthy, Customer Intelligence  

Author : 

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How small businesses can gain actionable insights from big data

How small businesses can gain actionable insights from big data

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Are these a sci-fi film’s dystopian vision of a future where Big Data has paralyzed life on Earth or simply the stuff of nightmares for small-business owners around the world?

The out-of-control growth of global data (40% year-over-year) — aka Big Data — has created an information blizzard through which it is hard for businesses to see the actionable insight. Data that is not relevant and actionable is just that — data. Small businesses must be able to make sense out of their existing data to answer the questions about customers and prospects that need to be answered. 

Nevertheless, according to a recent Nielsen poll, many small businesses are still hesitant to access and leverage big data. The responses from a poll of 2,000 US small businesses found that 41% think that conducting market research is too expensive, while 42% think that they don’t have time to conduct research. But the most shocking thing in the poll is that 35% reported that they have never even considered it.

Whatever the reasons for resistance — intimidation, lack of expertise, limited time and financial resources — small businesses must get on board. Winners and losers are being determined by what insights businesses are able to gain from their data. Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) chief data officer Paul Ballew cites a Forrester Research report saying that a scant 12% of companies use data-driven intelligence, resulting in substantial lost business opportunities.

According to a white paper, Generating Value from Big Data Analytics, from global IT membership organization ISACA, big data insights shed light on “customer needs and buying patterns, the reputation the company holds in the marketplace, and the emergence of new risks.” The risk of ignoring these insights is great, according to the organization, resulting in “the company being left behind as its competitors embrace the technique to leap ahead.”

Accessing big data is of course the easy part. The key is finding the right tools to help small businesses extract the insight from the information blizzard — tools that help them target the right customers, create growth, and grow revenue.

Ballew advocates D&B’s market-sensing predictive analytics suite, which unlocks the business insight from a small business’s data set to gain a competitive advantage, create a comprehensive view of customers, and allow for a more disciplined approach around testing and learning.

The big data storm is only getting stronger, but businesses that use tools to navigate through the tempest will prosper while those who remain snow-blind will find themselves frozen out of business opportunities.

actionable insights, Ballew, big data, credit risk, customers, D&B, data overload, discern, external data, global economic outlook, global economy, growth, insight, intelligence, predictive analytics, product development, risk, small business, tools

Category:Biz Trends, Buzzworthy, Customer Intelligence

Author : British editorial veteran Stuart Hampton has been covering oil and gas companies for Hoover's since the Neogene-Quaternary period. Well, actually, since the early 1990s. For the best overview of the oil industry and its history he recommends Daniel Yergin's "The Prize." 

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US economic outlook — May D&B Health Tracker reveals business services growth

US economic outlook — May D&B Health Tracker reveals business services growth

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Strong gains in the business services and manufacturing segments are driving US job growth, according to the D&B May US Economic Health Tracker.

The tracker report highlighted some industries performing better than expected, as well as those underperforming expectations. The strongest job growth gains were in the business services and manufacturing segments, with retail, manufacturing, and construction also posting growth. 

Business services firms provide services to businesses such as office administration, personnel placement, security services, cleaning and waste disposal. According to First Research, major business service companies include Automatic Data Processing, Carlson Wagonlit, Manpower, and Waste Management (all based in the US), along with Adecco (Switzerland), G4S and TUI Travel (UK), and Randstad (the Netherlands). 

According to First Research, the staffing industry is the largest segment of the business services sector and will continue healthy growth in 2014 as companies take advantage of the flexiblity of using temporary workers.

The real estate sector, however, still lagged, as some regions continue a slow recovery from the housing crisis.

Ballew said he was pleased to see employment gains in some cyclical areas of the economy and in some areas that lagged in the first quarter, namely retail. US-based businesses added jobs at a stronger pace in April compared to March, with 208,000 nonfarm jobs added to the US payroll.

The Small Business Heath Index stabilized after several months of deterioration, according to the tracker. Critical weather-sensitive verticals such as construction and real estate were showing initial recovery signs at the end of 2013 but have lagged in early 2014. The construction vertical showed a slight bounce back in April 2014, but “nothing to write home about,” Ballew said.

Regions performing well include Miami, Atlanta, and Nashville, while lagging areas include Chicago, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. “Those laggards remain laggards,” Ballew said.

Overall US business health continued to improve in April, signaling a lower risk of overall business failure. Ballew said he was pleased by the “pervasive” improvement and says the bottom line is that the private sector is “extremely healthy.” Business health in the US strengthened by 8.6 percent year over year in April 2014, the highest recorded level since December 2010.

The D&B US Economic Health Tracker offers analysis of the following three macro indicators: the D&B Small Business Health Index, D&B Jobs Health Indicator, and D&B US Business Heath Indicator. Read more in the report infographic and follow the reports on Twitter, using the #DnBEconBrief hashtag.

Tags:business health, business services, Construction, D&B economic tracker, job tracking, manufacturing, real estate, retail

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FIA future beyond the Web - venturebeat

FIA future beyond the Web - venturebeat

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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The virtual future beyond the Internet is known as FIA.

At least it is to the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency in Washington, D.C. It’s funding that intriguing topic (FIA stands for the Future Internet Architecture program) with $15 million in research grants to some of the nation’s strongest tech leaning universities.

This is the third phase of a protracted study that began in 2006. The University of Wisconsin, Madison; Boston University; and the University of California at Berkeley are among others, are the newest recipients of the research cash, which the NSF hallmarked into three categories: “Deployment-Driven Evaluation and Evolution of the eXpressive Internet Architecture”; “Named Data Networking Next Phase”; and the third, “Next-Phase Mobility First Project.”

According to the NSF:

“The objective of the new awards is to move the FIA efforts from the design stage to piloted deployments that assess how the designs work at large-scale and within challenging, realistic environments. Cities, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and industrial partners across the nation will collaborate with researchers to test the new designs.”

The NSF, which has $800 million to fund research (tech or otherwise), told VentureBeat the research and beta-testing of systems designed under its purview aim to take the architecture of the current state of the Internet to the next level. Richard Byrne Reilly

“Each of these projects has their own versions of what the future looks like,” said NSF program director Darleen Fisher.

At Carnegie Mellon University, researchers are using the money to further develop a failsafe system that will enable cars to transfer data to one another about road conditions and traffic bottlenecks, for example, while simultaneously allowing vehicle occupants unfettered access to the Internet.

This facet provides a unique challenge to researchers because, as Fisher said, “there is no fixed infrastructure” as cars continually move from place to place.

According to CMU:

“Vehicles can use wireless communications channels called dedicated short-range communications, or DSRC, that are similar to Wi-Fi. Creating DSRC networks is challenging, however, because cars and trucks quickly pass from one DSRC access point to the next. XIA enables computer users to directly access content wherever it might be on the network, rather than always accessing a host website, so it should enable vehicles to obtain needed information from neighboring access points.”

Researchers said the myriad studies aim to propel technology beyond the current state of the ‘Net, as it were, relying less on existing technologies like routers and transmission points.

“The whole point is that existing infrastructures have a network to fall back on,” Fisher said.

The NSF said that based on the ultimate findings of computer scientists and their students involved in the research, the feds ultimately believe that new systems will be built, tested, and brought to market.

“It’s hard to say what the specific outcomes will be. Some of these systems may be adapted by enterprise. [The program] has also spurned interest with other government agencies. As they demonstrate what they do, it will naturally get more visibility,” Fisher said.

Platforms that effectively eliminate bottlenecks between video transmissions and further enhancements to security architecture and encryption are also key points of research for all teams involved in the multimillion dollar series of studies.

CMU professor Peter Steenkiste is leading the storied university’s FIA team. His teams focus is on mobile data transmissions and Internet security.

“These deployments will leverage, and enable us to deepen, our work on secure network operations, including providing a highly available infrastructure and secure authentication mechanisms,” he said.

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Some reasons have why cover letters are not even close - Bjarne Viken

Some reasons have why cover letters are not even close - Bjarne Viken

   May 15, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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At Digital Mined we frequently use freelance platforms like oDesk and Elance, and therefore we are used to reading through hundreds of applications from freelancers. Despite all that experience, we still get surprised when, at times, really good freelancers lose out on jobs because of the way they apply.

We have written a lot about what can be done with this particular problem (just read the brief carefully and reply to everything in it), however this time we will try to look into why it happens. To explain possible reasons, we will try to give a few practical examples based on things we have experienced.

Here are a few possible reasons why cover letters are not even close;

Bad English. It is possible a lot of freelancers know they have limited skills in English, and therefore choose to write, and send, generic cover letters hoping that 1 in 10, or 1 in a 100, will lead to work. On oDesk this can be supported by the fact that often about 10% of applications get withdrawn by the applicant 1-3 days after being posted. The freelancer know they have a limit of how many application they can have at any given time, and therefore withdraw if they do not get a speedy reply.

Lacking skills. oDesk has recently introduced the possibility of asking targeted questions to each applicant, as part of the application process. Some freelancers might be frustrated by that, however as a client we love it! It allows us to ask difficult targeted questions, which immediately unmasks if the freelancer is qualified, and can save us hours.

Low ethical standard. There are bad clients out there who treat freelancers badly, however there are also freelancers who care more about making money than pleasing the clients needs. As a client, I see it as downright disrespectful if I politely ask the freelancer in the brief to answer a particular question, and there is no hint of a reply to it in the response to the brief.

Not understanding the process. Some freelancers blame clients, or their platform of choice, if they do not get work. We would suggest those freelancers get an external evaluation of their profile using Freelyzer, evaluate the market value of their work, and how they apply. Most clients deal with 30-150 applications for every job post they put in. When we hire, usually no more than 2 minutes is spent per application.

Preferring to chat on Skype. A lot of freelancers know that they will have a higher chance of landing the job, if they have the opportunity of interacting with their clients on Skype. Clients however, do not want to spend time chatting with someone, unless they are sure there is a good chance of the candidate being a good fit for their job, before they chat. We have interviewed candidates where just the first question was enough to unveil the lacking fit.

Thinking it is all about them. A lot of cover letters almost give the impression of being an ad, when they really should be more like replies to a conversation. Clients are thinking; “Did they get the brief?”, “Did they understand what I want?”, “Are they able to come up with a thoughtful reply that show they are qualified?”. Some of the best replies we have received are short, but clearly show that the applicant has read, understood and replied with a brain. source : Linkedin

Quality of clients. It is very possible that clients get a taste of their own medicine, when they price the work they want done so low that the applicants who would give good replies simply will not apply. Often it can be worth asking yourself, as a client, what you have done to deserve your team. Both in good times, and in bad. Having a clear defined process, and being willing to pay above market price, can ensure you get the best people.

If you are a freelancer that think most of the points above was hard medicine, please take it with love. Yesterday I flickered through 60 applications for a position and shortlisted 3. That is 5%. There is nothing I want more than to increase that percentage so freelancers make my job hard.

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Have you Know Components of Contact Data Quality

Have you Know Components of Contact Data Quality

   May 14, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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If you have used contact databases for your marketing / sales campaigns, one thing you would agree that quality of data is something which is always ‘wanting’. If you manage contact data for your organization, you will more often than not hear from your sales, inside sales or campaign manager that ‘data is not good’! 

Have you Know Components of Contact Data Quality

So in order to assess the quality and see if it’s bad or good, the components of contact data need to be defined beforehand. Here are the ‘4 C’s of contact data quality’:

Correctness

First and foremost, is the data accurate? Especially if Email Ids, Phone numbers and company address are wrong you will lose out on usefulness of data. If percentage of wrong email ids is high in your data – hard email bounces also impact your email deliverability in the long run. Similarly wrong address and phone number are waste of your direct marketing and Sales/ inside sales team’s efforts. Moreover, are all the data fields in data as per your specifications? Correct data fields enable you to do correct tagging for list segmentation, campaigns, etc. Also, no one wants a wrong First Name or Company Name while E-mailing or calling using a contact database!

Completeness

 Ensuring that all prescribed and required data fields are populated. Missing data hampers optimum utilization of the database. Are the data fields present as per your format/ requirement, and not as in any standard template? Also consider this – are you able to derive any insight from your data? For example, can you find out basic lead qualification criteria like Budget Authority Need Timeline (BANT), Company Type (Primary market, size of business, line of business, etc.), role based segmentation, etc.

A complete contact database helps in qualifying contacts as well as running target campaigns

Current-ness

People change Jobs change, their roles get changed – is your data is regularly refreshed to capture the changes Also current-ness means being able to do trigger based marketing campaigns based on market events like Mergers &Acquisitions, Management changes in target accounts, expansion plans, industry trends etc. As it’s said – it is all about hitting your prospect with the right message at the right time. Having real-time actionable database would provide you that edge over your competitors.

source : Dip Kaushik - Contact Database, Data quality, Direct Marketing, Marketing and Advertising

Customization

This is all about ‘Getting what you need’, and not ‘What is available in the market’. It’s as simple as this – you know your business and your target audience the best; so you should be able to devise your marketing campaigns first and reach out to your audience. Your contact database has be in accordance with marketing strategies; not the other way around!

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How Increase Focus on Mobile Email Marketing for Viewership

How Increase Focus on Mobile Email Marketing for Viewership

   May 13, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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If you were to classify the top ranking buzzwords in today’s marketing world, the word “mobile” would certainly be at the top of the pile. It’s still not clear what people understand by the meaning of ‘mobile’. Are they talking about text messages or SMS, which is a pretty challenging platform for advertising? Is it the iPad or do they mean apps?

The centre of mobile marketing is the same trustworthy platform which has served marketing for over a decade: Electronic Mail (Email). Research shows that every alternate Smartphone user goes through their emails on their mobile devices. 

Source : email campaigns, Mobile marketing - Nitesh Pednekar

According to a recent e Marketer published report, there is a change observed in the importance to a mobile-first mentality when planning and executing email marketing campaigns.

How Increase Focus on Mobile Email Marketing for Viewer ship

The magnitude of changing trend to a mobile-first mentality when planning and executing email marketing campaigns has increased immensely, according to the e Marketer study.

It was found that: Mobile email viewer ship has risen considerably in the last quarter — up by 5% just in the last quarter

More than 55% emails get opened on mobile gadgets or smartphones taking home the lion’s share of your email viewer ship Approximately, 16% messages get opened on tablets — which are up by 1% quarter over quarter.

The study says “Mobile-only viewers were the main source of growth, jumping 64% during H2 2013. Hybrid viewer ship—checking emails on both desktops and mobile devices—declined by nearly 40% quarter over quarter and 72% since Q2 2013”

The massive increase of Smartphone acceptance by the neutrals across different parts of the continents is certainly helping in accelerating the mobile email roar.

The report goes on to say, “As mobile-only viewer ship becomes the norm, marketers are recognizing the need to optimize emails for mobile”. While cutting short to spot that many marketers are missing out this fantastic chance to go email still.

A recent study published in February 2014 by Ascend suggests the slight percentage (28% to be precise) of marketers from around the globe are going the extra distance to make sure their email marketing campaigns are optimizing emails for mobile screens. However, this was the least popular reaction, trailing approaches such as content marketing and targeted emails.

Though they were not executing mobile developed emails, the marketers did not seem to find this too difficult with only a small percentage of 4% recipients saying so.

With today’s buyer going more and more mobile for reading their emails, marketers might take a keen interest in implementing this “simple” approach.

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Expand B2B Sales ROI with Display Ads - Digital Marketing

Expand B2B Sales ROI with Display Ads - Digital Marketing

   May 13, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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While you are working hard to connect with your customers continually assessing new channels and tools, you must engage your prospects at an essential level for turning your potential buyers into real revenue. In recent years, B2B marketers have worked hard with the role that display ads play in online mix more than their B2C counterparts. One must make sure that the amount of time and money spend on display advertising offers a significant ROI.

Expand B2B Sales ROI with Display Ads - Digital Marketing

Display ads can help in building brand credibility and can provide your prospects an assurance that they are making a right choice. One more way to gain confidence of your prospects is including customer testimonials in display ads.

As per Forrester research, brands must establish a strong foothold with prospects as early as possible in the B2B Buying process. For this display ads is a perfect strategy, as you can target your ads and keep your brand right in front of your audience. By using display ads you can maintain a consistent presence with your target audience online.

To ensure that you are reaching right audience it is essential to target your display ads to a specific audience according to your criteria.

Building credibility with your prospects is an essential part of the buying process. As B2B purchases often include large financial investments, B2B decision makers face lot of pressure because of the potential risks involved – for their job security, for the organization etc.  So B2B decision makers are usually more focused toward making the right choices.

Irrespective of the budget that display ads bring along with them, concentrate on your growing brand. Back then television, radio and newspapers were the primary source of brand awareness and these means were also not cheap. Off lately, Online advertising has leveled the play field, which made businesses of all sizes easy to foster their brands through online advertising.

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Customize display ads with help of Audience Profile - Webinar Marketing

Customize display ads with help of Audience Profile - Webinar Marketing

   May 13, 2014       prabhakardalvi

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Previous post shows how display ads can augment and speed-up your typical B2B sales cycle; now we can dig our thoughts little more and think about how you can use display ads the way you want it. Do you customize your display ads according to market trends?  Generally when you use display ads to influence buyers, you should also use it as a tool against market triggers. Here market triggers can be various; mergers & acquisitions, competitors exit or new industry news. 

Customize display ads with help of Audience Profile - Webinar Marketing

So if your competitor exit the market – can you offer some attractive trade-in programs?

If you are coming up with a product/solution with a unique concept: should you use display networks to run teaser campaigns? Yes it is a good way to first establish the uniqueness of your concept and then reveal more on your product One of the best example is of profiling your audience (company as well as executives). If you can find out what are the industry bodies or associations your prospects are affiliated/associated; what kind of events they attend – now you know where to place your ads!

What about social profiling? To start off, you should find out what LinkedIn groups your audience participate (or are members). Then target your ads accordingly.

These are just a few example – little food for thought. So core idea is to do audience profiling – so that you have a clear picture about whom you need to target, who are already using similar product like yours, competitors’ customers etc. Leveraging such insights you can direct your ads with more likely precision and get more engagement.

But again you can never know your buyers enough! It’s through trial and error. But audience profiling would give you a head-start.

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