Social Media and Its Scope in India

We are in the era of new media with many social networking sites in existence having millions of members from all over the World. People are now spending a good amount of their time on social networking sites in their “online social life”. The global connectivity has increased to a great degree today. Just a decade ago there were only a handful number of social networking sites whereas that number has grown now considerably. The best way to define social networking sites is to say that they gives you an opportunity interact with people through texts, pictures and videos. All this by just a click on your electronic device be it personal computers, laptops, tablets or mobiles. Some of the best known Social Networking websites are Facebook, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn, Hi5, Flickr, Twitter, Academia.edu, MySpace, Vkontakte, Tumblr and Orkut etc.

The potential scope for Social Media in India is huge as it is the world’s 10th largest economy (in terms of GDP nominal as per IMF-2012) and also has world’s 2nd largest population. But when it comes to internet usage only about 13% of Indians are internet users and even less than that use any kind of social media but this number is rising steadily. In fact social media can be used in India very effectively in the fields of education, digital marketing, publicity, social activism, research, political awareness, governance etc.

Facebook is the world’s biggest social networking site and Indian business men needs to understand its value as marketing platform by creating their brand’s pages and promoting it on Facebook. There are other platforms also such as YouTube that allows you to advertise videos and even earn money from YouTube Partner Program. But brand managers and marketers needs to understand that there is much more to social media besides Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. As the economy is booming so does the purchasing power of Indian consumers and social media gives the best possible way to advertise and create a brand for any company.

In terms of education, different institutes and universities in west have made strong presence on different social media platforms. The same can be done in India also as more and more students now use internet and social media for information as compared to few years ago. Even political parties, pressure and interest groups are not too far behind in using the social media as it easily spreads your message across the country. Arab Revolutions are testimony to the fact as to what extent new media can be effective in shaping public opinion. With next general elections due in 2014 many political parties in India are creating their own social media teams so as to gain support of people. For social activism many activists are creating online communities and making online petitions related to different social, environmental and political issues. Keeping in mind the need for social media influence nowadays the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has announced the setting up of “New Media Wing”. It will help in informing the people about government policies and its working via Social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Google+ etc.

In the end it can be concluded that with the advancement of technology and higher literacy rate India would soon become internet savvy country.

UBC’s School of Architecture-Landscape Architecture Environmental Design Program: Review From Within

Each year, hundreds of students from around the world apply to UBC’s Environmental Design Program, but only 25 are chosen each year. Acceptance is based on academics, diversity of courses taken, strength and bread of portfolio work, quality of written portions of the application, outstanding reference letters and the level of uniqueness that a student may offer to the rest of the accepted team. I was fortunate enough to have been selected to be a part of the ENDS 2013 class and having just completed my first year in the program, I have experienced so much growth, both creatively and personally. I would like to offer this article as a guide to those who are interested in applying to the ENDS program at UBC. As the program is relatively new, the available literature regarding the application process and the program itself is limited. My goal is that I may help to offer an inside look into the program so that potential applicants can get a better sense of whether or not the program is right for them, and to offer helpful information regarding the difficult application process and the dreaded portfolio. For more information about the portfolio portion of the application scroll down.

I would like to start by giving the overall program a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Students receive top-notch design education from practicing architects who are thus able to offer quality and fresh-from-the-field knowledge. All of the instructors are patient, extremely knowledgable in many creative fields, more than willing to meet outside of class time for extra help, and prepared to challenge each student at a level that is appropriate for their individual skills.

**A note: ENDS does not accept previous degree holders. If you have a degree, unfortunately, you may not transfer in. However if you are interested in an architectural degree, you may want to consider a graduate degree in architecture. UBC has a widely respected school of architecture and if you are creative-minded and if you can show that you are adaptable and prepared to work hard, they have been known to accept applicants coming from nearly every known undergraduate degree.

One thing that the ENDS program boasts of is the diversity of its students. This year in my class we had students from across the globe, each contributing a unique set of skills and point of view to the repertoire of the entire class. Another way in which ENDS ensures that student diversity is maintained by limiting the required prerequisites to 2 courses of university English, 1 course in Physics (or a high school physics grade of 72% or higher), and 2 courses in geography. Then ENDS program is a third-year transfer program, and so apart from the few pre-reqs listed above, the remaining 15 courses that make up years one and two of the applicants university education are entirely up to them. ENDS hopefuls are not only free, but encouraged to take courses that are of interest to them.

**Here I enter a Caution: from day 1 of my university education, I chose to put all my eggs into the ENDS basket. They want diversity and so that I exactly what I did. I took only courses that I was very interested in; calculus, physics, French, painting, sculpture, sustainability… Fortunately for me, I was accepted into the program and it all worked out. However, I had no direction in the courses I was taking, only a little bit of everything and no back-up plan. And so had I not been accepted, I would have had to nearly start over for a degree. ENDS wants diversity and they want you to take courses that you WANT to take, but take that with a grain of salt and diversify at your own risk. Have a back-up possible degree is possible.

At first I was a little sceptical of the minimal pre-requisistes; concerned about how such a group of students coming from such varied backgrounds could come together to learn the same materials. But the diversity and breadth of our collective knowledge has only strengthened the depth of our work, pushed our critical thinking and forced us to challenge each other creatively. Our class collaboration of knowledge and skills has been a beautiful thing. The ENDS instructors have shown us how to learn from each other in order to expand our knowledge base to one from which we have access to 25 minds-worth of information to draw upon, instead of relying on our individual and thus limited knowledge base.

A few weeks in to the school year showed that we were in for a rough ride for the next 7 months. We experienced many sleepless nights, developed serious dependency to coffee and carbs, and the limits of any of our previous experiences of group work were seriously pushed. The closest tangible thing that I can equate the experience to for those who have not been to design school is A&E’s television series Project Runway. There were tears, there was throwing up, desperate calls to loved ones, panic attacks and meltdowns. But in the end, strong relationships were born among the class and good design was produced. The work of each member of our team added to the calibre of the work of the class as a whole. It sounds like a scary ride, but I know that each of us are beyond excited to start it all again for year two. Bring it on!

If you are adaptable, creative, a critical thinker and a team player who is ready to have all of their limits pushed, creatively and personally, then ENDS is the place for you. If you are looking for an easy grade and thrive on competition put yourself ahead of your team instead of collaborating with them, then move along, ENDS will just eat you up and spit you out.

The first year of ENDS is a heavy course load. A regular full-course load is 5 classes, but ENDS requires a the equivalent the work of a sixth being added. However, only four courses are taken at a time because the main studio class which is required for each semester in ENDS has the equivalent in-class time of 3 courses combines. Course include subjects covering architectural history, technology and technique, digital media and representation and thematic analysis. With this combination of studied materials, we have developed not only skills in the fundamentals of architecture, but design in general, graphic design, digital representation of ideas, interior design, and cross-media collaboration.

Students have access to computer labs, wood shop, three laser cutters, a CNC machine and a 3D printer. Macintosh computers are the preferred operating system of approximately 85-90% of the class. The main programs that we use are Vectorworks, Adobe Creative Suite and Rhinoceros.

Vectorworks is a predominantly 2D drafting program that is user-friendly and easy to learn. They also offer a free student version to those who submit proof of enrolment to a post-secondary institution. For this, simply acquire a ‘proof of enrolment’ letter from your school, safe it as a PDF and attach it to your Vectorworks application. Adobe Creative Suite is an expensive package, but well worth the money. It is a quality program that includes almost every program you will need for design school. There is no need to spend the big bucks on the Master or Professional collections. The standard, education version will be more than enough. Make sure to get the discounted educational price as well. Rhinoceros is a 3D modelling program. There is a beta version for mac that is currently available for free. Rhino is a useful tool for creating convincing perspectival renderings and for creating ‘exploded’ drawings of a project. Before coming to class, it would be very useful to be familiar with these programs, and in particular Vectorworks, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.

Blazing a Trail in Infrastructure Management Education in India

Infrastructure and Economic Development

The Planning Commission has set an ambitious double-digit national economic growth rate during the 11th Five-Year Plan. How do we go about pursuing this tall order? There is now a general consensus that the answer lies mainly in the creation of high quality infrastructure – physical, social and economic. How the Interstate Highway System launched by the Eisenhower administration in the ’50s helped create a more mobile and vastly wealthier America is now legendary. Back home, in India, we have the classic case of the Grand Trunk Road, built by the 16th Century ruler, Sher Shah Suri, to promote trade. A 2000 km stretch of the Grand Trunk, linking six Indian states, still acts as the backbone of commercial prosperity across India.

Several studies in the past have shown that the spread of rural infrastructure assists economic growth and leads to a decline in poverty. According to the Rural Infrastructure Report, recently brought out by the NCAER, development of rural infrastructure has a five-fold impact on the economy. Good infrastructure creates better access to employment and provides further earning opportunities;
increases production efficiency; gives access to previously inaccessible commodities and services; helps citizens save time and, thereby, involve themselves more in productive activities; and
improves the health and physical condition of the rural population.

Infrastructure-centric Governance

Economic liberalization heralded the beginning of a new era of infrastructure-centric governance in India. The government is already putting in place a transparent and independent regulatory framework for the infrastructure sector, based on international best practices. A committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, to closely monitor the progress in all key infrastructure projects, on a quarterly basis. A Viability Gap Grant Scheme has been instituted for supporting infrastructure projects (like power, roads, ports, airports, railways, water supply & urban transport) which, despite being economically viable, are financially unviable. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called the India Infrastructure Finance Corporation Limited (IIFC), has been set up to lend funds with longer term maturity to commercially viable projects in infrastructure sectors, including projects which become viable after receiving viability gap funding from the government. Comprehensive Model Concession Agreement (MCA) Frameworks for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are either in place or being formulated for the Highway, Seaport & Airport sectors. These MCAs, based on internationally accepted principles and best practices, unbundle risks and costs, and allocate them to the party best suited to manage them. Rail container movement, so far monopolised by the public sector entity, CONCOR, has been thrown open to competition, making private sector entities eligible for owning and operating container trains.

Today, the sectoral policies at the national, regional & local levels are being developed around ‘touchstone’ principles, like: (1) Efficient use of existing assets and optimal allocation of additional resources, (2) payment for services, (3) equitable contractual structures, (4) transparent process of procurement, (5) fair regulatory framework, (6) enabling institutional infrastructure, and (7) sustainable incentives and concessions.

New Demands on Infrastructure Management

As path-breaking concepts, frameworks and methodologies are being evolved, at the national, regional and local levels, especially in the critical facets of infrastructure management such as financing, contracting and regulation, an Infrastructure Manager today needs to have a variety of skills:
 Marketing, business development and financial management skills for mobilizing and administering project resources.
 Engineering and technical skills for ascertaining the technological soundness of the project.
 Skills in Participatory Learning & Action (PLA), Information, Education & Communication (IEC), and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to evaluate the location-specific social, economic & environmental impact of the project.
 Organizational & capacity-building skills to ensure the sustainability of the project.

Need for Holistic Training

With a huge investment requirement of the order of about Rs.14.5 trillion ($320 billion), over the next six years, and a spate of new investor-friendly policies in the offing, Infrastructure is all set to become the most ‘happening’ sector of the Indian economy. The immediate requirement of the Indian economy is a pool of holistically trained domain-ready infrastructure managers, who have the ability and grit to (a) convert the huge investments into quality infrastructure facilities; (b) upgrade the existing infrastructure set-up; and (c) sustain high infrastructure service levels by adopting better management practices. Be it physical, social, economic or environmental infrastructure, the demand for such holistically trained managers is going to be unprecedented.

A Trail-blazer

In response to this crying need for domain-ready managers the first-ever comprehensive Post-Graduate Diploma in Infrastructure Management (PGDIM) Programme in the country was launched in August 2005. The programme, offered by Karnataka’s prestigious Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), is being conducted by the School of Management for Infrastructure and Development Strategies – India (MINDS), at Bangalore. MINDS is a Division of the Centre for Symbiosis of Technology, Environment & Management (STEM), a professional research group with nearly two decades’ standing in Development Research, Consultancy & Training.

The PGDIM is a one-year full-time programme for graduates in all disciplines of engineering and post-graduates in other disciplines. The curriculum is designed on a holistic approach to Infrastructure Management covering Project Management; Marketing; Contract Management; Infrastructure Finance; ICT Applications; GIS Applications; Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA); Legal & Regulatory Environment; and Emerging Paradigms. The programme participants also work on live projects being implemented by reputed infrastructure organizations, and gain hands-on professional experience.

Based on the encouraging experience of running the unique PGDIM Programme, VTU is commencing a new format two-in-one PG Programme in Infrastructure Management from the academic year 2007-08. Very modular in structure, this innovative programme provides for a ‘Dual Qualification Option’ whereby a student receives a Post-Graduate Diploma in Infrastructure Management (PGDIM) on successfully completing the first year and also an MBA Degree in Infrastructure Management, after the second year. One exceptional feature of the Dual Option PG Programme is that it is a highly modular arrangement whereby a student needs to make up his/ her mind only midway or even at the end of the one-year PGDIM whether to move on to the second year of the MBA.

The second year (MBA level) comprises two semesters and includes an advanced Internship by way of extended project assignments. An additional feature of the MBA is that it also provides for specialization in areas such as Urban Governance & Management, IT Infrastructure Management, Communication & transportation, Power & Energy, Health, Education, Water & Sanitation, and PPP.

Both the PG Diploma and the MBA Degree are awarded by the VTU.

Good Corporate Response

The first batch students gained hands on experience through Corporate Exposure & Learning (CEL) Internships at leading public/ private infrastructure organisations, including GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), Hubli-Dharwar Municipal Corporation (HDMC), IDECK, Kristal Group, TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd and UN Habitat. The study topics included: (i) Financial Risk Analysis in the context of airport infrastructure management; (ii) Installation of Effective Public Grievance Redressal and Emergency Response Systems (PGRS &ERS) in Municipal Environment; (iii) Urban Planning & Renewal; (iv) Planning and Scheduling for Infrastructure Development; (v) Commercial Aspects of Power Business Consulting; (vi) Evaluation of UN-Habitat Programme on Water for Asian Cities; (vii) Environmental Impact assessment for Setting up of Small Hydro Power plants. Naturally, the first PGDIM Batch was welcomed by the industry and received a 100% final placement offer with attractive packages comparable to any emerging sector. The employers include DLF Group, IL&FS and Infrastructure Development Corporation of Karnataka (IDECK).

Choose the Right Backpacking Gear

Backpacking Equipment

Backpacking gear is pricey and buying the right  gear requires thoughtful  and careful research. There’s a great deal of information about buying backpacking equipment.  Also there is a lot of tips on how to reduce backpack weight  achieve lighter backpacks, practical backcountry information and general information from fellow backpackers that may be useful. Backpacking equipment can be lightweight, ultra-lightweight, recycled and everything in between.

Lighter Backpacks

Backpacks come in many different sizes, styles and features.  If you are serious about hiking and backpacking, you need per quality backpack that is both comforatble and meets the challenge of your outdoor quest.  Backpacks are wonderful items that every individual requirements to travel on account of rough terrain.

Packs ought to be designed to hold enormous loads for long distances over comparatively well established trails without per ton of low overhanging branches or narrow passages. Also attempt to keep the pack weight down There’s substantial info and, tips to cut back backpack weight to achieve lighter backpacks.

Sleeping

Sleeping bags also change in price, sturdiness, and weight. Sleeping bag ratings are assuming the use of the sleeping pad and the tent. Sleeping pads advise insulate and supply cushion for the couple of out of doorways activities. Sleeping pads are all but per must have for backpacking comfort, but who wants to grip people monstrous old inflatables down the trail. Sleeping bag pads insulate you from the ground and supply comfort. Sleeping pads insulate you from the heat-sapping ground and aide you sleep like the baby.

The Surest Backpacking Tent

The latest lightweight shelter roundup turns up the lightest, most user-friendly tents to be found, ever.  Major manufacturers are introducing sub-four-pound double wall two-individual tents.  And two two-individual double wall tents break on account of the three pound barrier.

Finding The Backpacking Boot

One piece of backpacking gear that is as significant as your backpack is your boots.  Backpacking is about walking, hiking and climbing and everyone knows that when your boots don’t fit you can’t enjoy even a simple hike.  When you are backpacking the last thing you want is sore feet, so learn to pick out the backpacking boot that is best for you.

There is not one single type of boot that is the surest.  Every individual has to find their own best because we do not all have the same requirements.  It is up to you to find that one boot type that is your surest, but by learning what to look for, you can find your surest boot easily.

Keep yourself informed of deals and specials on all kinds of hiking and backpacking equipment from the top outside stores on the net.

Anti-Wrinkle Body Skin Products – 5 Must-Know Tips For Anti-Aging Success

Let’s face it, quality anti-wrinkle body skin products are not easy to spot by a long shot. Here are some great tips that will help you find a safe, effective anti-aging treatment so you can keep your skin smooth and youthful for years to come.

TIP #1. The best anti-wrinkle body skin products are never found at your local drugstore.

This is a lesson I wish I learned a long time ago. As soon as I stopped letting price decide which skin care products I was getting, I started getting much better results. Products at your local drugstore are cheap, which means that are made with cheap ingredients (most of which are synthetic chemicals or byproducts from other industries). Trust me, spending the few extra bucks on higher quality products is well worth it.

TIP #2. Don’t waste your time with anti-wrinkle body skin products that are not made with all-natural and organic ingredients.

Ingredients from all-natural sources generally contain very high health-giving properties. This is because they are so similar to your existing oils and moisturizers. Plus, they are much safer than cheaper ingredients because they do not pose any threat or harm to your skin. Just like natural foods are healthy for our bodies, they are also healthier for our skin.

TIP #3. Make sure that a company puts their products through clinical trials to prove their effectiveness.

Do not trust any claims that a brand makes about their products unless it is backed up by evidence. I mean think about it, how does a company know that their product “decreases wrinkle formation by 90%” if they did not test it to find out? It may be a good idea to make sure the tests were conducted by a third-party organization to assure the validity of the claims as well.

TIP #4. The most popular brand names certainly do not always make the most effective treatments.

Just because you have heard of a certain brand before, it does not mean that they make effective products. It just means that they probably spend the most money on building the popularity their brand-name. In most cases, these companies do not spend enough money on the development and manufacturing of their product because they allocate so much money towards advertising!

TIP #5. Use anti-wrinkle body skin products that can stimulate the production of collagen and elastin protein.

This one is HUGE if your primary goal is reducing and preventing unwanted skin aging signs. Collagen and elastin are the key proteins that determine the firmness and elasticity of your skin. As you get older, your body cannot produce as many of these proteins as it use to, making it much easier for wrinkles and other aging signs to form.

If you ask me, there is no point in getting anti-wrinkle body skin products unless they contain ingredients like CynergyTK. By encouraging the natural production of collagen and elastin protein, CynergyTK helps to keep the skin firm and elastic so keep your skin looking youthful for much longer.

Top Shopping Method For Buying a Home Coffee Maker

The market for kitchen appliances has been on an upswing despite the economy. Specifically, relatively small ticket items like home coffee makers have been on the rise. We will look at a technique for using the Internet to get the best prices on your next home coffee maker purchase. This technique will require a combination of Internet research, offline research and then some on-line comparison shopping. This article will look into this method in more detail. We will start with the initial Internet research.

Online Research
If you are reading this then chances are that you already know how to do Internet based research. For our purposes here we will focus on finding as many different features related to home coffee machines that we can keep track of. Start off with the features you are already familiar with and then start branching off into the more exotic area. The main focus here is to create a large Universe of features to pick from then whittle that list down to a more manageable list of say 5-10 essential features. Once you have that list then you will want to look for brands and models that have at least that set of features. This will be needed for the next step in this method…

Offline Research
Yes we will actually have you leave the computer to do some in store research on the list of brands and models you identified before. To make this part of the method more efficient you should call around and make sure the stores you choose to visit have all of the brands and models you have identified. You are not looking to purchase anything on these visits, rather to see if you can eliminate any brands off of your list based on being able to experience them firsthand. Once you have had a chance to visit, touch and ask questions about the brands you were doing research on then keep notes on what you liked and disliked. This will be used in the last step of the method…

Comparison Shopping
Now that you have completely identified what brands you are comfortable with then you will want to use the Internet to do some comparison shopping. Since you have actually experienced these products firsthand then you can confidently look for the cheapest product offering that you can find.

This article has briefly touched on a shopping method that uses the Internet and local retailers to locate the best deals on home coffee makers. This method involves on-line research, offline research and on-line comparison shopping. We didn’t look at any specific home coffee maker features or any specific shopping sites as far as this method goes. However, we still think you will find it valuable as you look for a home coffee maker.

How To Generate Environmentally Friendly Small Business Ideas

Recently in the news and on television there has been a rising awareness of the plight of our environment and global warming as well as a number of great ways to combat this crisis and create a healthier planet. There are even television programs geared to showing people how to make their homes more environmentally friendly while saving money at the same time. This growing earth friendly trend can create great opportunities for entrepreneurs who want to start a small business in this niche. Think about the number of hybrid cars being sold in the last few years as opposed to 5 years ago and that should give you some indication of how popular a topic the environment is. The Organic Trade Association did a study showing sales of non-food organic products reached $744 million to U.S. consumers in 2005. Keep in mind that any emerging trend in the media or society at large is an opportunity that can create a fortune for a savvy entrepreneur.

There are many areas in the green market that you can take the opportunity to profit from, from energy saving appliances such as light bulbs, organic clothing and apparel, solar panels that can be used to charge i-pods or laptops, hybrid cars, earth friendly cleaning supplies, recycled computers and cell phones and so on. As with any business venture the key is to find a niche that you can be passionate about. Passion is important because without it it will be all too easy to put other things before your business, and hinder your own success. So choose a part of the green market that you may already incorporate into your everyday life or something you’ve had your eye on but just haven’t take the time to see it through.

To ensure success with your environmentally friendly small business venture you’ll want to do your market research on the products or services you will be promoting so that you can give your customers valuable and practical information that keeps them coming back to you for more. You might even want to promote complimentary products to your customers who buy and keep in contact with them through an e-mail newsletter that keeps them informed of environmental issues and products as they arise. This is also a great way to promote new products to people who have already expressed an interest in an earth friendly lifestyle. Creating a website or blog to promote your business on the internet is a great starting point.

The green market is one that is growing at great speed and will continue to be a hot topic in the news and in society at large, especially with many governments realizing that they need to cut back on their use of foreign oil in favor of renewable forms of energy such as ethanol, wind power, and solar energy amongst others. This is a perfect opportunity if you can carve your own niche because you will be able to help yourself, your customers, and our planet!

The Web 4.0 Age of Multimedia

As the quality of computers, browsers, and operating systems have improved, so too has the popularity in the use of multimedia. Web 4.0 has become known as the age of rich media (multimedia). In fact it is the use of rich media that defines the new internet era of Web 4.0.

Technology has changed the way we live. How we embrace it will determine whether or not we will run in the forefront as leaders, or struggle remaining behind the times. There are several reasons as to why rich media can be an important tool for you to consider using.

First and foremost, today’s internet user wants or expects it. Today is the day of mobile devices. Not only do we have a population that takes pictures with their phones, but now they can watch TV on their phones. Rich media has become the expectation of users when they look for sites which want to be viewed as current.

Secondly, if your users expect rich media, then you have to be using it to stay ahead of your competition. Sites must remain cutting edge or they quickly fall back into the bone pile of dinosaur websites.

Third, rich media creates a better overall user experience. All one has to think of is the comparison in numbers of men who will sit down to watch TV compared to the number of men who will sit down to read a book. On the internet, more people will sit down to view rich media, than the number of people who will sit down to read a web page.

Rich media has a fourth important point to consider. If people will take time to watch a short video on your website, then they are also spending more time visiting your web page. The longer people sit on your web page, the greater the chance they will buy from you.

A fifth point to consider is how rich media can enhance the marketing capability of your business or web site. If you can create a short 3 to 5 minute video, and post it to your web page, you can also post it to numerous video sharing sites, radically increasing your exposure. Each video sharing site will provide your video with a unique URL which you can link back to your website. One short video can become a massive network or promotion for you, your business, and or/your product.

Rich media will become the mainstream in promotional styles. It doesn’t require any fancy equipment as many digital cameras equipped with sound are now capable of producing acceptable videos. Many personal computers come equipped with great movie editing tools.

The important thing to consider is your reason “WHY”? There’s no point in creating videos for your web page that lack content. Your message must be valuable to those who view your video. Your message must be in line with the product or service you are promoting. Your message must direct people towards action, as the overall purpose for your video is to be a valuable part of your sales funnel.

Rich media is worth the time spent learning about it and implementing it. It is a critical part of any modern promotional campaign.

Rich media can help you to grab hold of the excellence life has to offer.

List of Online Schools – Is This Online University Right For You?

Online schools could provide the solution to many of the problems faced by mature students. With more and more people finding that they need extra qualifications to advance in the employment market, mature students are often faced with a dilemma; how to obtain those coveted higher educational qualifications whilst juggling work, family and financial commitments. By studying through online schools, students are able to maintain their current standard of living, while working towards a better lifestyle.

Allthough I reside in Texas, I do know that a good list of online schools are available in Texas. But there are many other list of onlilne schools around the nation offering courses in every subject and specialty area. Whatever your area of interest, you will be able to find a program that will suit your needs and give you the education and training you’re looking for.

But because there are so much information and options available on online universities; it sometimes can be difficult to choose which online universities to enroll for your degree program?

Hence, if you decide to earn your degree online, which is the best online university for you? I can honestly say that online education has it’s risk, but a well run program requires a great deal of self motivation and discipline. I have a college degree and have taken classes both in a class room and from a distance.

So which list of online schools are you interested in? Do you know? Have you found that right oline accredited school? If not, let me provide you with a short list of online schools to get things started on your search:

1) University of Phoenix – A well recognized and good reputation online university. Employers consistently regard the students coming out of University of Phoenix Online as prepared for the job market and as a result, a degree from University of Phoenix Online, more than any other online university, confers marketability.

2) DeVry University – One of the oldest and most widely recognized online universities. DeVry is an accredited school offering studies in the areas of business, technology, healthcare technology and management. DeVry provides assistance in job placement and many companies actively hire from DeVry.

Other good reputation and well known list of online schools include:

- Everest College
- Kaplan University
- Concord Law School
- Berkeley College
- South University

There are many more list of online schools on the net, you just have to do some thorough research to find the right one in your hometown. Each good online university has it pros and cons against their competitors. To maximize the investment on your education, you must choose the best list of online schools which meets your career goals.

Western Culinary Schools Offer World Class Training

If you are looking for a change, or even just to continue in your chosen path for culinary arts, a western culinary school may be the answer to your educational needs. With English the current language of the business world, studying at a western culinary school could offer many benefits above and beyond just the education you will glean during your enrolment. It will be of true benefit to your potential career to consider undertaking study at a western culinary school.

What sort of courses to western culinary schools offer?

Thankfully, as western culture takes a bigger interest in all things culinary, many famous styles and chefs are coming to the west, thereby enabling western culinary schools to offer many styles of cooking to their potential students. A casual look at schools offered in the west will open your eyes to such styles as cordon bleu French, or traditional Chinese. Western culinary schools are really starting to offer some great courses, and not only in the big cities, even in local and rural areas can you learn such advanced styles.

Western culinary schools are located conveniently for westerners to attend to learn styles from their own countries, and also from across the seas. However, this is not the only function of the western culinary school. No indeed they are also opening their doors to foreign students who wish to learn a variety of styles in one institute, whilst polishing their English skills as well. Western culinary institutes are truly appealing to people from all walks of life. If you are considering a world class education in a cutting edge setting, give some consideration to a western culinary school.

Western culinary schools on the World Wide Web: