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Wolfram Alpha Review: What is it? Women over 45-why should you care?

[ 0 ] August 20, 2010

Wolfram Alpha is Not a Search Engine–but a massive calculation tool!

This is without a doubt one of the most intriguing sites you will experience on the internet, but you won’t know it at first glance.  When you first enter,  you’ll just see a simple search box that prompts you  “Enter what you want to Calculate or Know about:

Wolfram Alpha

So do it at: http://www.wolframalpha.com/

AND LET YOUR TRIP DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE BEGIN!

Wolfram Alpha says that their long term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone. They aim to collect and curate all objective data; implement every known model, method, and algorithm; and make it possible to compute whatever can be computed about anything. Their goal is to build on the achievements of science and other systematizations of knowledge to provide a single source that can be relied on by everyone for definitive answers to factual queries…

HUH?  WHAT?

Well in Blonde speak:  They have a tool which you can use to find out the numbers and facts behind just about anything for which you might need data.  Okay–Here’s an example.

You are madly shoving a chocolate chip cookie into your mouth (for the 4th time today).  And suddenly you stop yourself and think “Man, maybe this is why my big fat butt behind keeps growing.  I wonder how many calories is in this cookie?”  Well just enter that into the box on Wolfram Alpha, ‘Chocolate chip cookie’.  Sit back and get ready….  everything you wanted to know about “Chocolate chip cookies” will soon appear.  Every nutritional fact you could ever want to know–71 calories…hmm, not so bad!  So now you are thinking–”Well I ate 4 of these things…”.  So put that into the search engine,  ’4 Chocolate chip cookies’.  It then calculates the nutritional facts for 4 cookies–ugh!  285  calories–a skinny babe’s lunch.

If you want to get further in the groove, they provide you with plenty of examples to get you going here:

New to Wolfram|Alpha?

Chief Blonde Remarks:  Wonderful Wonderful Wonderful!  Useful and Useless bits of knowledge for your everyday life and your astro-physics world (if you have one of those).  You will put Wolfram Alpha on your toolbar as a bookmark after the first use.  Scary how much it already knows.  Incredible how much more they will be adding over the decade.  This may be the first time you have heard of Wolfram Alpha.  It won’t be the last.  This baby is POWERFUL, and they have hundreds of widgets available for you bloggers!    They have a blog so you can follow their updates in your Reader.  You can even add it to your blog, like I did over on the right.  Go ahead.  Try it now.  You may never come out of that Rabbit Hole again!

TELL ME WHAT YOU TRIED!

Blog Note:  This was provided for your interest and my geeky pleasure.  No compensation was received.
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Is it Safe to Surf in a Starbucks or Panera or any Public WiFi?

[ 0 ] August 4, 2010

Tips for Safe Public Internet Surfing–What you MUST Know!

surfing at Starbucks

Now that Starbucks, is offering free Wifi at all 6800 of its locations and Panera, another popular free Wifi hangout, are popping up all over the land–you might ask yourself, is it safe for me to surf in Public?  Can I blog there?  How about check my financial records?  my email?

With the increase in free, readily available Wifi,  more people will use social networking sites and email accounts while having a latte– whether it’s through public WiFi using their own laptop or using a third-party computer at an Internet café. As coffee lovers get ready to settle into their morning brew, security software company PC Tools (www.pctools.com) provides easy to follow and helpful tips for a painfree public computing experience.

10 PC Public Internet Tips

1.       Be careful what you post — Thieves could follow your plans through your social networks and keystrokes and could break into your home while you are away. So be sure to set your privacy settings on high.  How many times have you seen Facebook posts like:  “Off to get a Coffee at Panera–be back at 3:00!”  on your friend’s wall.  Hey why don’t they just add,  “I am not at home right now.  Feel free to come in and steal my stuff.”

2.       Know your networks — Choose the safest and most appropriate wireless network while you’re checking email, Facebook and other online activities.  According to PC tools Stephanie Edwards, VP of Sales and Marketing, “Choose the safest network that is available when in a public location.  Choose the “Starbucks” wifi connection over the generic “Att” connection if choices are offered.  Surfing with https URLS is preferred to http.”

3.       Be smart when using public computers – Most travelers know they can check emails and say hello to love ones by using public computers at a local hotel or café. But many don’t know to check for antivirus software on these public  computers. Even visiting a secure website (https: ) can result in simple keylogger theft of your password, so avoid logging into personal accounts (such as Facebook) and instead limit your use to online research.  My personal opinion is NEVER NEVER use a public computer for anything other than the most basic info!  NEVER ever login to anything from a public computer.  Do you understand what a keylogger is?  It records your every keystroke (not bad to have to check up on your teenagers though….not that I have ever done it..I’m just sayin’)

4.       Safeguard your finances – Cybercriminals can snatch your banking information over Wi-Fi or unreliable third party online networks, so don’t log onto your finance accounts or enter monetary information online over unsecured networks.

5.       Change your password often – Since cybercriminals can potentially crack your password if you are using WiFi or a third-party computer, PC Tools recommends you change it often. PC Tools offers a free password generator at http://www.pctools.com/guides/password/.

6.       Avoid file-share websites – Be careful uploading your vacation pictures and videos on these kinds of web sites, as they can leave you vulnerable to viruses and malware. Fortunately PC Tools has products with behavioral protection to stop threats that have never been seen before. Check out http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor-antivirus/ and http://www.pctools.com/internet-security/.

7.       Turn on the Firewall – A Firewall protects your computer by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network. PC Tools offers Firewall Plus for free at http://www.pctools.com/firewall/.

8.       Don’t click and run – If you download a map or ticket, save it on your computer and scan it before opening. Never click on the “run” program option.

9.       Stay in safe places – If you’re traveling to a foreign country, be careful about international domains, for example those for Russia (.ru) which are frequently used by cybercriminals who want to avoid prosecution in the USA and UK.

10.   Keep your AntiVirus current – According to Edwards,  this is the #1 problem and prevention tip for public Wifi surfers.  A large percentage of people, either do not have anti-virus software, don’t have it up-to-date, or have let their licenses expire (how many times have you clicked “later, later, later” as you get those warnings that your Virus software is about to expire?)  There’s nothing worse than coming home with a tummy full of your favorite coffee only to find you computer is full of malware!

PC Tools offers products to keep your public moments safe at www.pctools.com.  Women over 45, should take care when they are out on public Wifi, as we have been less trained on the very real dangers that exist in cyberspace.  Let’s be safe out there!  (Quick, what TV show was that from?  Probably, only Women over 45 will get that right!)

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Exchanging or Exchange Links–What does it mean?

[ 0 ] August 3, 2010

ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE ASKED TO “EXCHANGE LINKS”

spy versus spy

Many times you are asked to post another blogger’s button and/or URL  in your Blog Roll or on your site.  That’s often referred to in blogger speak as “Linky Love”.  But sometimes, a commenter unknown to you will ask to “exchange links”.  Sounds shady or evil to you?  WHAT does “exchange links” mean?  Essentially, when you exchange links  it means that you have placed another website’s link on your web site, usually on a links or resources page, and in return, the other person places your link on his site.  Sounds simple.

Why Exchange Links (or Blog Buttons)?

You exchange links with another for two reasons essentially.  First,  when others see your link they may visit your page–so you increase your traffic.  Secondly, incoming links boost search engine optimization if they are the “right” links.

Should you Exchange Links?

Yes

  • If the requester has a similar website to yours.  To verify, click on the URL provided by the commenter (it’s easy to do in WordPress.org when you are deciding whether to approve the comment).  Be wary of foreign URLs.

No

  • If the website is dissimilar to your own.  For example, if you are a blog for Women over 45 it doesn’t make sense for you to be posting links to baby products unless you write a lot of articles for Grandmothers.
  • It is much better not to exchange links, in any situation that looks sketchy too you.  Follow the old advice: When in doubt, leave it out.

Some Etiquette

  • Please, if you do exchange links, keep the links there.  Posting links just to enter a contest and then taking them down afterwards is well…just mean.
  • If you do run into something that seems shady.  Terminate the link.  Contact the other owner and let them know that you have ended the link partnership and they can feel free to do  the same.
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Simply Stacie Has Featured Still Blonde after all these YEARS!

[ 0 ] August 2, 2010

Simply Stacie has featured our Blog!

Simpy Stacie

Simply Stacie (for me “The Blogger’s Blog”)  featured Still Blonde after all these YEARS!  in her regular BLOG SPOTLIGHT!  Check out Stacie’s article here: http://simplystacie.net/blog-spotlight-still-blonde-after-all-these-years/  Thanks Stacie.  Now you see why I always say:  SIMPLY STACIE IS THE BEST!

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Women and the Web: Female Internet Usage Facts

[ 1 ] July 28, 2010

Social Networking Sites Reach a Higher Percentage of Women than Men Worldwide

Older Blonde Woman on Computer Internet

How Women Are Shaping the Internet–Women over 45

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a global report on women’s online usage titled, Women on the Web: How Women are Shaping the Internet, which provides an in-depth analysis of the female Internet user, highlighting key trends by Internet activity, worldwide region and digital channel. Among its results, the report found that social networking sites reach a higher percentage of women than men globally, with 75.8 percent of all women online visiting a social networking site in May 2010 versus 69.7 percent of men. For indepth details refer to:  www.comscore.com/WomenOnTheWeb

Other Interesting Findings of the study:

  • Women Spend 30 Percent More Time on Social Networking Sites Than Men
  • Women account for 47.9 percent of total unique visitors to the social networking category, they consume 57 percent of pages and account for nearly 57 percent of total minutes spent on these sites.
  • Women spend significantly more time on social networking sites than men, with women averaging 5.5 hours per month compared to men’s 4 hours.
  • Social Networking’s reach among women is highest in Latin America where it reached 94.1 percent of females online, and in North America where it reached 91.0 percent of females. Europe saw 85.6 percent of its female online population visit a social networking site in May 2010, while in Asia Pacific, where parts of the region still face low broadband penetration and site restrictions, reported a 54.9-percent reach.
  • Although men are in the majority across the global Internet, women spend about 8 percent more time online, averaging 25 hours per month on the Web.
  • Globally, women spend 20 percent more time on Retail sites overall than men. Among the various retail sub-categories, Comparison Shopping and Apparel sites reached the highest percentage of women at 24.8 percent and 18.7 percent, respectively, in May 2010.  (Chief Blonde Remarks–Shocking?  I don’t think so!)
  • In the U.S., women are more avid online buyers than men, with 12.5 percent of female Internet users making an online purchase in February 2010, compared to 9.3 percent of men.
  • Health sites show some of the largest overall differences in reach between female and male, with a nearly 6-point gap between global women and men.
  • In most countries women spend far less time watching online video than men, but women spend a much higher share of their time watching videos on YouTube than men.
  • In both the U.S. and Europe, smartphone usage is dominated by men with both markets experiencing close to a 60/40 split in smartphoneadoption between the genders.

To download a copy of Women on the Web: How Women are Shaping the Internet, please visit:

www.comscore.com/WomenOnTheWeb

(Posted by Technical Editor W. Zurek)

Blog Note:  The Chief Blonde, a Woman over 45,  posted this because she thought her readers would enjoy knowing about this information.  No compensation was received.

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A Facebook Fan has a $136 Value or Worth to Companies!

[ 8 ] June 14, 2010
Bloggers can now Translate Posts into Value!




In a study released today by Syncapse entitled:  The Value of a Facebook fan an Empirical Review a Facebook fan is worth about $136….with a range in value of $0 to $270!  What does this mean to YOU as a fan or liker on facebook?  What does this mean to YOU  if you are a blogger?  Here’s my opinion.

A little background coupled with Still Blonde’s intepretation.

Syncapse studied Facebook fans and came up with several major conclusions:

1.  An average Facebook fan can be worth about $136 on average to a company based on various factors such as brand line equity, purchase value of product, product lifecycle and product category .
FAN on Facebook:  You are an important commodity to the Brand.  They should treat you as such.
Blogger:  The fans that you are able to drive to a company’s Facebook allow you to provide value and as such, make your blog and brand worth more.

2.  Facebook Fans spend $78 more per year on your brand than non-Facebook fans. Can you say WOWZA? Of course, various factors impact the average number as well including brand health, product health, sales penetration and Facebook Marketing success.  If you view the charts in the Data in the Syncapse Study, the amount spent by fans versus non-fans is significant!

FAN on Facebook:  The brands you favorite might start offering you more freebies, contests, discounts.  They will soon realize that YOU are their best customer.
Blogger:  The brands that you expose your readers to need to respect your readers and your blog as a viable part of their marketing arm.  Both your readers and your Blog provide them value.

3.  Facebook fans are more likely to keep using a brand than non-fans.  28% more likely!  Both short term and long term marketing efforts influence this finding.
FAN on Facebook:  What brands you favorite are affecting the brands you buy.
Blogger:  If your readers are gaining exposure to a company’s Facebook via your blog posts, the readers will benefit if the brand is truly for them.  Your blog will benefit, as the readership that you provide to brands, can make your blog worth more!

4.  Fans on Facebook are 64% more likely to recommend the product versus 28% for non-fans.  It would appear Facebook can really contribute to the viability of your brand and help spread that “word of mouth” marketing that we so often hear about.
FAN on Facebook:   I guess we are what we buy!
Blogger:  If you can expose your readers to brands that make their life better or easier, your blog will flourish.  Your readers will return and so will the companies. 

5. 38% of respondents indicated they will become a fan of a product if a friend or close family member does.
FAN on Facebook:  As usual, I find we often trust those who are close to us over a stranger’s point of view.
Blogger:  This may be the most significant finding of all.  If your readers, see you as a friend then your recommendation will influence them for a brand.  This is an awesome and mighty responsibility.  NEVER take it lightly.  That’s why I will not review without a review product and I will not recommend ANYTHING that I wouldn’t buy myself.

6.  Just being a Fan on Facebook makes 81% of people feel like they have more of a connection with the brand over 38% when they are not a fan.

FAN on Facebook:  DUH!  That’s we you keep “Liking” them.
Blogger:  Your readers will look to you for good recommendations on brands they can relate to.  Brands will look to your blog to introduce your readers to products and services that will appeal to them–even if they don’t realize it!

WOMEN OVER 45–As one of the largest and most influential market segments in the consumer area today, your Facebook choices will change the marketing landscape for tomorrow.  VOTE with your LIKES!   

What does this research mean to YOU?  Leave me a comment.  I’d like to know!

Blog Note:  The Chief Blonde was not compensated to for this post.  The interpretive opinions are her own.  

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What do Bloggers get paid for Sponsored Posts? Preliminary Study

[ 0 ] May 27, 2010
Averages Range from $15-60


Did you ever wonder how much to charge/ask for Sponsored Posts?    I have recently connected with Still Stacie (a blog for Reviews and Giveaways) and  we have worked together to develop this preliminary article.  As part of Stacie’s Build a Beautiful Blog Week  and the Chief Blonde’s desire to inform her readers who are bloggers, we have decided to tackle some questions that are kicking around out there in blogger land.

This article is a preliminary look at what bloggers are charging for sponsored posts.  

Factors Considered when Charging for Sponsored Posts

The major conclusion we have been able to draw from the 42 respondents is that the price they charge “DEPENDS” on a number of factors.  These factors include:
·         Length of article
·         Pre-written Press Release or Inpreted Press releases
·         How many link backs required
·         What extras are included—Tweets, Facebook postings, etc.
·         How many of my blogs do I post it to?
·         What is the product/service?
·         How relevant is it to my readers?
·         Level of complexity
·         Pictures required 

Factors Affecting Pricing or Offers:

As is typical in any market, the prices charged for sponsored posts vary widely.  Factors contributing to this variance include:
·         Age of the blog
·         Popularity of the blog
·         Audience of the blog
·         Competency of the Chief Blogger
·         Reputation of the blog
What Bloggers are Charging or Getting Paid:
Preliminary results indicate that bloggers are commanding between $2-200 per sponsored post.  While the $2 AND the $200 appear to be exceptions, it appears that $15-35 for a short (200 word) 1-2 link post is quite typical, with prices ranging from $30-60 and up,  for longer more detailed posts.  
Let’s Expand the Study!

We would like you to continue to email us both please (simplystacieblog@gmail.com and stillblondeafteralltheseyears@gmail.com ) with your input so we can do a more extensive article.  All we want to know is:
·         What you charge for sponsored posts?
·         What additional extras do you provide?

  We will compile the results, without any reference to your name or your blog, and post the results on our blogs so that you can see exactly what the blogger market is saying you are worth.  Information sharing is good for all of us as bloggers.  If we have a comprehensive study to point to, we can all validate our worth to advertisers and PR professionals.  
For additional thoughts on this topic, please refer to Still Blonde after all these Year’s article on:  What’s A Blogger’s Worth–Mini PR Guide–When or What Should a Blogger be Paid?

You can view the article that I co-authored with Simply Stacie here: http://simplystacie.net/what-should-you-charge-for-a-sponsored-post/ ..

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What’s A Blogger’s Worth–Mini PR Guide–When or What Should a Blogger be Paid?

[ 1 ] May 18, 2010
Mini PR Kit for Bloggers–Helping You to Blog with Thought

Watch out!  I’m on my Soapbox!

I recently had a  pitch from the very large company (seemingly reputable) and at first I said–yes, that I would do the pitch, however, I never wrote it…because their approach seemed creepy. They wanted me to do a Pre-post. When I offered to do a giveaway/review instead of a “Prepost with embedded links” –here was the guy’s exact response:

” All I need from you is a post prior to your review or a post announcing the giveaway, depending on which you would prefer to do first. When you are ready to do the initial post, please link the term“????” to http://www.?????.html as the first link in your post. I would just ask that you have it flow as naturally as possible within the context of the post. I am currently responsible for improving traffic to that site, so it would be greatly appreciated if you could do that. Below is an example of a giveaway and a post prior to a review I recently helped set up that you can use as a point of reference.” (edited to remove company identifiers)

Unbelievable right? So I developed this little Mini Media Kit that I email when I get ridiculous requests, outright blatant ones offering up “Links” or “Cool Images, or requests that want to capitalize on an initial informational post. HERE’s my Still Blonde after all these YEARS–MINI PR Kit, Feel free to copy and use if it feels right to you:

STILL BLONDE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS–MINI PR Kit.

–We do not charge for reviews of products or giveaways that We host by choice.  We carefully choose our reviews and giveaways based on what we believe would be interesting for our readers!
–We do not charge for posting of PR related to subject areas and causes that We wish to highlight.
–The staff here consists of educated professionals with Graduate level degrees in Marketing. We can help your company plan a great marketing campaign to the blogging community, blondes, and beyond!
–The Staff here fits the target market for this blog and is uniquely qualified as such to make comments about the target market.
–We OCCASIONALLY do accept paid placements, paid giveaways and advertorials. When we do accept them, they will be clearly labeled as such.
–We require payment for consulting, acting as a spokesperson or hosting/providing content for corporate sites.
–Our hourly consulting fees are on a project by project basis starting at $xx/hour.
–Our hosting fees for paid articles and links are $xx and up based on a case/case basis.

Bloggers and Mommy Bloggers–Stop giving it away for Free!  We are NOT advocating avoidance of review, comment or giveaways.  We are saying, when you review, comment or giveaway–remember you are not a slave, you have worth. You are worth more than a link, image or package of stickers! 
This post and Mini PR Kit was inspired these excellent posts by Mom-101, Thetamom, and Scarymommmy.   Please read them along with the wonderful comment sections.  Also, please be aware that our very first post ever was our Disclosure Policy. 

 

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DISCLOSURE POLICY AND ABOUT THIS BLOG!

[ 0 ] October 4, 2009
What not to Wear NOW!

Are you tired of everything being for a size 0, 19 year old?  I exist and so do you.  I am over 45 and still want to be stylish and look nice don’t you?  So we will be posting clothes, hair styles, make-up techniques and real photos of real women in real sizes who are of a certain age.  Things you and I care about.  We will review products and get your input too!  Keep watching!

DISCLOSURE POLICY

This policy is valid from 13 October 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions (except as clearly identified ALWAYS). However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.  We will always disclose any such acceptance as well.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity.  That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics except the owners may be given a sample to review–in those cases–it will be stated in the review. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

If this blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest,this content will always be identified.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

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