Social Media Marketing Mistakes You Should Avoid Doing

Posted by Editor on Nov 21st, 2019 in Internet, Lifestyle, Services | 0 comments

Let’s say your start-up in Singapore is already doing good. So you decide to start social media marketing to reach more people. You jump right into it but later you notice that your audience has still not increased. Just like in many other aspects of business, you might be making some slight mistakes that are costing you. Here might be some of them.

Having no strategy

If you think that social media marketing is just as easy as posting on your personal accounts, that’s completely wrong. Companies that don’t establish a strategy will not have any social media presence at all. Especially because so many other businesses are using social media platforms already. One great start is to hire a social media manager who knows how to disseminate information with a mix of humor and professionalism. Then you can just build up your strategies from that.

Having too much to handle

When strategies are not employed, companies also make the mistake of creating accounts on too many platforms at once. Why is this a bad thing exactly? Well, if you don’t have a plan, you’ll have difficulty coming up with new content. This is why you see a lot of websites or social media pages where the last posts were done years ago. Basically, these pages have been abandoned! So, don’t go creating too much and keep your focus narrow at the start. That way, you’ll have a better foundation before you branch out to other platforms.

Not engaging with the audience

Of course, it’s called “social” media for a reason. In social media marketing, you should definitely avoid posting something and just leaving it at that. If people start commenting, try to engage with them as much as possible. Give them additional info, answer their questions, you can even message them in private if needed! Remember that your goal with social media marketing is to get your brand known to more and more people. But you don’t want to be a remembered negatively by not engaging with your audience at all!

Not tracking analytics

Another thing you should be taking full advantage of is analytics. Most social media platforms offer analytics which show your audience engagement, how many new followers you have, which posts gained more attention and etc. Being able to track such data is very important if you want to know where your focus should be. It will also help you know which aspects need improvement. All in all, this will help you save a significant amount of time, money, and effort!

Having bad responses to negative comments

Lastly, one mistake you should never make is to respond unprofessionally to negative comments. Negative feedback will always be there on social media. But you should definitely not delete or ignore them (unless, of course, if they don’t make sense at all). On the other hand, having a good response to a negative comment can earn you more loyal customers.

Basic Items for Glassblowing Beginners

Posted by Editor on Aug 26th, 2019 in Hobbies, Lifestyle | 0 comments

Glassblowing sounds like an exotic hobby, but you’ll be surprised to know that a lot of artists have become engrossed in this activity once they have tried it. It’s an expensive hobby, but it’s also a great idea to start a business once you have mastered the techniques and if you want a return of your investment.

While it’s not going to be easy getting all the items listed below, experts of this craft will tell you not to be cheap when it comes to buying equipment, because you’ll end up saving more money in the long run.

So, what items will you need to set up your own glassblowing studio at home?

Beginner’s Items

Some craft shops sell glassblowing starter kits that will let you save more money. Some of the kits will contain the basic items, but it will also depend on the materials you’re planning to work on. You will also need a studio for this because it’s a hazardous activity, so unless you have a vacant, well-ventilated space outside your home, this hobby may not be for you.

• Torch. Most experts will advise you to start with small torches that are affordable, but bigger torches can usually do more.
• Kiln. The size of the kiln will depend on the type of materials you want to work with and the kind of projects you have in mind. Try to find used kilns so you can save money, instead of buying brand-new kilns. Glassblowing generally uses three types of furnaces such as the furnace, glory hole, and the annealer.
• Propane, Oxygen, and Regulators. You can either start with an air propane torch or an oxygen propane torch depending on your budget and materials. The regulator on the other hand, is used to regulate the pressures in both the tank and delivery.

Other basic items used are the following: gas hose, ventilation hood, hose clamps, flashback arrestors, glasses, sparker or lighter, tube and rod, grabber or claw, blowpipe, marver, bench, punty, paddles, jacks, tweezers, shears, blocks, and newpaper pads. The basic sizes for tubing and rod are between 19 mm to 38 mm, but you should start with smaller sizes from 5 or 6 mm while you’re still practicing.

Glassblowing Techniques

To determine the types of tools you will need, you need to know about the different ways of working with glass; such as cold working, glass casting, fused glass, stained glass, lamp working, hot glass, and annealing. For each of these techniques, you will need specific items, so you have to decide which one you want to start with. There are different types of glass used as well, but the most common are the borosilicate or hard glass and the soda-lime or soft glass.

Reading: Why it is Unquestionably Important for Children

Posted by Editor on May 10th, 2019 in Lifestyle | 0 comments

Reading is one of the most important skills and cognitive processes we need to develop. As we all know, knowing how to read is crucial for learning and overall success later in life. For a child, reading books is one of the best ways to learn language and communication, even in the digital age. So, here’s why reading should be encouraged in children.

Reading helps develop language
Reading is one of the primary ways a child can develop his/her language skills. Of course, they won’t be able to read at a young age, so reading aloud to them is key. This is because as they grow older, the main way they improve their vocabulary is through speaking with those older than them. But, if they start reading at an early age, they are at least already exposed to grammar, sentence structures, and etc. Plus, in Singapore where there is so much diversity, a child can even be bilingual and reading can always help with that.

Reading can improve parent-child relationships
There are already so many movies where you’ll see a parent and a child reading a book together. They put these scenes because they actually happen in real life. Reading can create stronger bonds between parents and children. Reading aloud even during infancy is known to improve intimacy and closeness. By spending quality time reading with the child, parents get to interact with their child and teach them valuable lessons.

Reading sparks imagination
Picture books, for example, are mostly aimed at young children. Children can associate words with the pictures and therefore, improve visual imagery and imagination. As the child grows older, he/she will slowly learn not to rely on the pictures and will start to create visual images in his/her own mind. This will be a great contributor to developing creativity and imagination. Additionally, it also helps that stories can take children to different places and different worlds in their imagination.

Reading enhances communication skills
Aside from parents and children interacting with each other, the child also improves his/her communication skills through the characters in the books. They learn how characters communicate and may copy those character themselves. Additionally, reading at an early age has been found to have a lasting effect on a child’s verbal capabilities. They will have a certain aptitude not only in learning words but in communicating their ideas as well.

Reading encourages empathy
Almost all children’s books mainly teach values and lessons. Being young, children obviously don’t have much experience and understanding of the world around them. What they read in books can help them better understand, appreciate, and empathize with other people. In a culturally rich and diverse nation like Singapore, this is essential to help children develop better relationships in the future and help them become respectful and well-mannered individuals.

How to Score Cheap Flights Other Than Waiting for Seat Sales

Posted by Editor on Jan 25th, 2019 in Lifestyle | 0 comments

We’ve all been there: waiting for seat sales in the middle of the night, only to be faced with a crashing website just before you’re about to check out and your seat is already taken by the time you are about to make the booking again. While airline sales is one of the best ways to get great discounts, there are several other ways to save on airfare for your next trip. Here are a few tricks you should try:

1. Get an app that lets you compare prices
There are a lot of mobile applications you can use to collate and compare prices, whether for local or international flights. These apps will show you different pricing options from hundreds of airlines, as well as get tips on how to and when you should book for lower cost.

2. Go for connecting flights over direct flights
Non-stop flight are usually more expensive than those with layovers. If you have days to spare or you’re not in a rush, try booking a connecting flight with a layover somewhere. It can be an added experience to your trip, having to explore your layover destination if you have enough time. Most of the time, these flights with layovers can save you as much as half of the price of direct flights. Definitely, not bad at all!

3. Book travel packages
Sometimes, a travel agency is your cheapest solution to fix your trip for you. These agencies usually have exclusive discounts from their affiliate airlines, resorts and hotels, which can help to keep costs low. You may also want to check out websites that provides simultaneously booking of flights and accommodations.

4. Pick a mid-week flight
The lowest rates are usually those flights scheduled on Tuesdays. Weekly sales from some airlines also start during this day, too, and are pulled out on Thursdays. If you don’t mind flying in the middle of the week, you’ll surely save heaps. Weekends are naturally more expensive due to the volume of flyers who prefer this schedule.

5. Use a travel-friendly credit card that lets you collect rewards points
When planning to get a credit card and you know you’re a heavy traveler, get one with a partnered airline as this will allow you to earn points, which you can then convert into miles, every time you use your card. So, if you are a frequent flyer who pays bills and does shopping with your card, then use those rewards points for cheaper airfare.

Travelling need not to be expensive, but plane tickets often are. Hopefully, though, with these tips, we were able to help you save from your airfare and have more resources to spend on activities.

The 5 Golden Rules of Posting to Social Media

Posted by Editor on Jan 25th, 2019 in Lifestyle | 0 comments

Nowadays, social media has become a bit wild. While most of us are fully aware of the basic etiquette of real-life interactions, we have yet to reach a consensus on what’s acceptable—and not acceptable—behaviors in the virtual world.

Well, friends, now is the time to set some parameters. here are the five golden rules you need to remember every time you’re about to click that “share” button.

1. Follow Political Correctness
Before hitting share, take a pause for a while and ponder whether the thing you’re going to say is racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. Even if you’re proud of your traditional morals, maybe those principles aren’t appropriate to be shared online. It’s okay to talk about it with your friends, but the online community is a rather bigger world. Be nice to everyone. Avoid being too judgmental or you’ll risk having social media friends start unfriending you.

2. Avoid Sharing Too Much
The concept of TMI—too much information—is not only about sharing embarrassing info about yourself. Oversharing can be as simple as posting your every action and thought. Nobody wants to know about your LQ with beau, your sex life or your family issues. We also do not need to see photos of your bills, selfies in the bathroom or your calloused feet. Better posts to share are photos of your cute baby or your beloved pets.

3. Know When to Keep Quiet
When you have nothing good to share, it would be best to just keep your mouth shut. Trust us, this is a trait that most of your online friends would greatly appreciate.

4. Stay Away from Trolls
Any attempt to engage in a decent discussion with a troll is absolutely useless. These conversations almost always end up in a personal and shallow argument. Even if you’re arguing about politics and religion, the conversation will always end up with the troll calling you fat and ugly, and rudely editing your profile picture into a photo with devil horns and fangs in it.

5. Share Things that Actually Makes Sense to Everyone
We all have that friend who shares cryptic posts to her social media—that person who loves to puzzle everyone by saying things like: “Wow… that happened so fast” or “Thank God for another blessing! #feelingblessed”. Here’s a tip: social media is not your private diary. If you are going to share something to the public, make it something they will actually understand. And write it in readable language, too. Keep your post brief and concise to fit into a 140-character limit without omitting half the letters of your post (typng lk ths wnt evn hlp mking ur post undrstndble).

Be a smart social media user. While you can say it is your freedom to share whatever you like, the things you post online reflects your individuality, principles and values; and you wouldn’t want to be misjudged for a single bad post, would you?