Bad Links You're Not Thinking Of

The term "bad links" can apply to a number of different types of links but they can all cause damage to your site in one way or another without your even realizing it most times. Let's take a look at some types of bad links you might not be thinking of which you would benefit from by getting rid of if possible.

Dead Links

Dead links are bad links for a number of reasons. They make your site look sloppy and untended. They will annoy your readers. Spiders can't crawl them. Google even says in their webmaster guidelines (which according to them by following them will give you the best chances of ranking) that you should check for broken or dead links. You can use a free plugin like Broken Link Checker which will routinely check every backlink on your site to make sure that they are all functioning and intact. If when testing a link it cannot access the linked page it will notify you so that you can test it and delete it or look into it accordingly.

Link Profile

You might perform an entire audit of the links coming into your site. Use your Google webmaster tools or again a service like Open Site Explorer or Ahrefs to look at your links. You can also learn things like what anchor text you have pointing to your site so that you can gauge the amount of over optimization you're dealing with.

You may have created links from particular sites and sources to your site in the past which seemed like good ideas at the time before the most recent Google updates were made but now you know that you're better off without them (links from Build My Rank or similar institutions come to mind).

Bad Incoming Links You Didn't Create

If someone ripped off one of your articles, possibly copied it word for word and published it on their spammy scammy site, Google might connect you with the spammy site because you're sharing the same content. It would especially create a problem if you included a link to somewhere else on your site.

While Ezine and similar article directories are very handy and powerful for getting valuable links to your site through article syndication, you have to take the good with the bad as a spammy site can just as easily grab your content and publish it on their site. It could be on a site which has nothing to do with your niche, even, just a massive spammy content aggregation site which took your article and kept your resource box intact so that you now have a link to your site from a site which Google doesn't look upon favorably and it's all through no fault of your own.

You might think about using CopyScape to see who has been republishing your content (with or without your permission, depending on where you've published it yourself). If a spammy site won't take down your content after you try contacting them, you can always contact Google and tell them that you're trying to get it removed and they can make a note to distance you from that site. Just a handful of bad links from the worst possible sources can bring you down, so if you come across something then whatever you can do will help.

You can also use CopyScape to see who has been publishing your content WITHOUT your resource box as sometimes there will be a site which you would like to have a link from but they take your content without giving you the link.

Malthusian Mythology

In 1798, Thomas Malthus published a pamphlet titled An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he asserted that the burgeoning population of the human race was on the verge of exhausting the abilities of the planet to support them, and that mass starvation was imminent. The population of the world in 1798 was just short of a billion; 210 years later, we have a population of 7 billion and starvation is less severe today than it was in Malthus' England.

Humans display a curious fascination with disaster, which explains rubber-necking at traffic accidents and the popularity of movies such as The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, and in fact any movie featuring exploding cars and lots of people getting shot. This characteristic has often been utilized by people trying to push a particular agenda or ideology. For example, in the 1930s, cast iron cookware manufactures convinced many people that cooking in the newly introduced aluminum cookware would contaminate their food with poisonous aluminum sulfide.

Of course, informed people knew that aluminum is an extremely active metal and that, upon exposure to air, it immediately forms a hard oxide coating. Thus you're not cooking on aluminum, you're cooking on aluminum oxide - an inert compound so hard that we make knife sharpening stones out of it, and incidentally a major component of clay, on which man has been cooking for more than 10,000 years.

After World War II destroyed socialism in Germany and Italy, advocates of international socialism regrouped and rebounded with a barrage of neo-Malthusian propaganda aimed at man's disaster fascination. in the early 1960s, the Club of Rome, a group of world socialists founded in 1958 in Bellagio, Italy under the auspices of David Rockefeller, isolated a two year rapid increase in population growth (which was actually the natural recovery from a drop in population growth in the late 1950s) to "prove" that world population was exploding.

In the 1970s, in the depths of a period of reduced solar radiation, the neo-Malthusian alarmists declared that industrial pollution was driving the earth into a new "ice age." Manufacturing facilities were gleefully shut down across the northern states to conserve gas needed to heat homes, and there was talk of air-dropping tons of carbon black onto the polar and Greenland ice sheets to reverse the effects of man's "reckless damaging of the environment."

When solar radiation increased in the 1980s and the planet warmed again, the neo-Malthusians found a new target - Freon. Freon, it was claimed, destroyed ozone in the atmosphere and hence needed to be banned. The facts that this assertion had never been demonstrated in a laboratory and that ozone, being the result of sun light acting on oxygen, would be immediately recreated by the sun if it were to be destroyed, did not stop the extremists from getting international signatories to the Montreal Protocol, which placed severe stresses on at least three industries that use Freon: urethane foam manufacturing, air conditioning, and medical device sterilization.

"Ah," you may say, "but 'scientists' did find a 'hole' in the ozone over the South Pole." Ah yes, but have you ever asked yourself why such a phenomenon, supposedly caused by humans, should occur over the South Pole where there are no humans? I'll tell you why. One evening in the 1980s, two college professors were sitting in a bar, and they happened to overhear two engineers discussing the fact that a strong south magnetic field deinonizes negative ions. One professor said to the other, "I'll bet there's a thin spot in the ozone over the south pole." The other professor said, "And I'll bet we can get millions of dollars in government grants to go down there and 'study' it."

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, is caused by the north magnetic pole of the earth ionizing gases in the atmosphere; conversely the earth's south magnetic pole deinonizes ions - like ozone. That thin spot in the ozone layer over the south pole has been there for billions of years before man even evolved on this planet. What? Did you think the penguins were using hair spray?

In the 1990s, as the effects of the sun's warming trend began to be felt, we were besieged with alarms of "global warming," caused, curiously enough, by the same industrial pollution that supposedly caused our decent toward another "ice age" in the 1970s. Typically, the alarmists ignored or hid certain cogent facts, such as the fact that as polar ice caps were melting on earth, they were also melting on Mars!

Of course, more than a decade into the twenty-first century, it has become obvious that 'global warming" was a hoax. But why, following collapse after collapse of these false alarms, do their purveyors persist in coming up with new ones? Perhaps Christine Stewart, when she was Canadian Minister of the Environment, said it best: "No matter if the science of global warming is all phony... climate change provides the greatest opportunity to bring about justice and equality in the world."

Aha! The light dawns. All of these alarms of impending disasters - from the Club of Rome's population explosion through the phosphate and acid rain scares to the "global warming" hoax - are designed to accomplish only one thing: the erosion of Capitalism. There is an international conspiracy, fostered under the aegis of the UN and codified in UN Agenda 21, to redistribute the wealth of the nations who were energetic enough to create it to those who are either too lazy or too ignorant to make their own wealth - an ignorance exemplified by the fact that they consider Capitalism to be the hoarder of wealth, and do not recognize that it is the creator of wealth.

How do we protect ourselves from being taken in by these persistent and insidious attacks against the freedoms and values of America? Your only defense is to educate yourself to the extent that you recognize these threats as nothing more than lies and terrorism, so that the next time the silly little shepherd boy cries "wolf," you can ignore him with impunity.

Do You Have Key Man Insurance to Cover Your Highest Performing Employees?

Most companies have one or more "ringers." In your company, you know who these people are: top salespeople or "producers," key executives, owners, etc. In small- to medium-sized businesses especially, these are the people crucial to success because of their talent, specialized skills, experience, knowledge of your company and many other factors.

Simply put, they're the ones who get the tough jobs done and keep revenue streaming into your business.

Now, imagine if one of your ringers was suddenly gone due to death or disability. What would the short- and long-term effects on your company be?

Key man insurance - which may also be called "key employee," "key person" or "key executive" insurance - could be the answer to protect your company.

How Key Man Insurance Works

Key man insurance is a life and disability insurance policy that companies take out on key personnel, usually with a specific dollar-amount benefit for each individual covered. In the event of a covered employee's death or disability, the company - not the employee - receives the benefit.

How Much Coverage Do You Need?

Once you've determined who your key employees are, your insurance agent can help you walk through a number of factors to determine how much coverage you need. At a minimum, you want to make sure you're covered for the considerable cost of recruiting, hiring and training someone capable of taking a key employee's place.

Other things to consider if you were to lose a key employee:

Would you experience falling sales? Would you lose critical management skills that could lead to reduced productivity? What would your short- and long-term revenue losses be?

Certain businesses - in particular professional service firms - have other factors to consider. For example:

A law firm or medical practice usually can't replace a 30-year veteran with a recent graduate - or if they do, can't expect the replacement to generate the same revenue until years later. If the key person is a partner in the firm, who will inherit his or her share of the business in the event of death? If it's a family member, are they being groomed to step in as a partner, or will they need to be bought out?

It's important to remember that while life insurance is an important part of a key man policy, the odds of disability are much higher. So, make sure any policy you consider provides both life and disability coverage. Also, keep in mind that in some cases, premium for these policies can be written off as a business expense -and any benefits received are usually tax free.

Talk To Your Insurance Agent

You want to ensure that your company can continue to run properly (and profitably) if you lose a key employee. Your agent can answer many complex questions and help you determine the right amount of key man coverage for your company, so talk to him or her today. It's one of the best moves you can make to protect your company in the event of an unforeseen tragedy.

Hotel Remodeling - Renovation And Interior Design Setting New Trend In Hotel Construction Management

The past three years have been the best for the hotel industry in more than two decades and is expected a boom in coming years. Revenue per available room has jumped to 10% approximately as compared to last year, the biggest increase since 1984.

Hotelier who wanted to capture the market share, increase the revenue per available room of their hotel and enhance their guest's experiences it is suggested to get some remodeling, interior design or hotel renovation work done to make their success their priority.

Just keep in mind hotel remodeling also accounts complete hotel renovation services, such as restaurants, spas, golf courses, marinas, casinos etc.

The hospitality industry relies heavily on the ability to achieve superior ratings from guests. Defining the guest experience depends on many subtle factors such as the bed quality, fabrics, linens, mirrors, the completed hotel interior is essential for success. And it is very necessary to tailor and cater carefully as per the tastes and demands of individual guest.

To feed this emerging demand to hotel industry, professional companies are stepping forward to provide complete Hotel Construction Management services inclusive of Hotel Remodeling, Interior design and Renovation services.

These Hotel Construction Management companies do not offer hotel operation services; they are only concern with the hotel operation and work deliberately with the property management team to insure on time completions with little or no guest inconveniences. These companies are having trained staff that manages and accomplished their job smartly and insures hardly or no trouble to hotel customers.

If you are hotelier is interested to reinvent his / her brand start, it is suggested to refer such a Remodeling and Renovation cum Construction Management service provider. As they can provide you a quality work which can definitely prove a cost effective strategy for your hotel brand.

Controlling Copyright: Stifling Creativity, Innovation and Growth?

Debate over copyright is not a matter of new. However, since the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act ("CTEA") 1998 came into law in the US and The Duration of Copyright and Rights in Performances Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/3297) was introduced in the UK, (implementing the European Economic Community, Council Directive No.93/98/EEC), controls over copyright have been a matter of contention.

Copyright protects software, literary and artistic creations. It is a branch of intellectual property law, that protects the skill, labour and time spent in the production of creative cultural works (the 'intellectual property'), also referred to as 'public goods' because of their availability in the public domain. Copyright protects the intangible asset imbedded or fixed within a physical object, for example, the text within a book, or the music on a CD rather than the book or the CD itself.

Historically, it has never been easy for any author of literary or artistic creations to successfully sell their cultural works without a contract from a large media corporation such as a major book publishing company, film studio or recording label. During the 1950's and 60's, the music industry in the UK, in particular, saw many independent labels (often set up by producers and artists as outlets for their work), fail as commercial enterprises or simply get taken over by larger corporations, as a result of the power held by these major companies. The inability of any author to fully exploit the rights vested in their works has generally meant they are forced to sell or assign their rights to a third party who has the means for production and distribution of those works. This essentially led to the growth and development of media enterprises that now exist as large powerful, media corporations. These corporations who buy copyright from artists, or invest and commission production of such products, concentrate copyrights within their own institutions. These are the organisations who are most concerned about misappropriation of copyright material and who have been seizing control through the use of technical protection measures (TPMs) and content management systems (CMSs), with the full backing of the law.

Legislative changes in favour of commerce

The ease with which copyright material can now be copied and disseminated, particularly via the internet means the cost of enforcing the law within and beyond national boundaries is a burdensome task for any State. Media corporations who have invested in intellectual property, are primarily concerned about protecting their investments, and the threat perceived to be posed by cyberspace has driven industry to lobby the state for changes in the law to protect these investment. As a result, the responsibility for enforcement of rights has shifted to the author to determine access as they see fit, the legal foundations for this having been laid down by law.

Following on from the Berne Convention, the WIPO Treaty of 1996, established the initial framework, providing authors of literary and artistic works, the "exclusive right of authorizing any communication to the public of their works, by wire or wireless means"; it provided contracting States, the power to employ "effective legal remedies against the circumvention of effective technological measures" which the authors may use to exercise their rights and "effective legal remedies" against unauthorised removal of electronic rights management information and distribution, broadcast or communication of any material that has been subject to removal of rights management information.

For some time now, corporations have been employing TPMs (electronic means to protect against access, i.e. encrypted material that can only be accessed after purchase of key) and CMSs (visible or non-visible material design to track use of copyright material) to control use of their intellectual property. The film and tv industry have also initiated public campaigns to make people more aware that unauthorised copying or downloading of copyright material is theft. Many in the UK, will be familiar with the "knock-off Nigel campaign", initiated in 2007. For some time, the finger has also been directed at ISP providers to cooperate in the war against copyright theft and in 2010, the UK introduced the Digital Economy Act. This acts grants powers to rights holders to work in conjunction with ISP providers, to facilitate tracking down and suing persistent infringers of copyright. The process involves the rights holder gathering IP addresses of acts of infringement, supplying this information to the ISP provider who in turn is requested to provide an anonymous list of all subscribers deemed to have reached the threshold level of infringement (as determined by Ofcom). This information is then presented before a Judge, for a Court Order requesting the names of the subscribers, and from this, litigation against the alleged offender can be instituted.

Are we moving in the right direction?

It is not unreasonable to expect there to be fair compensation for the time, effort, labour and skill invested in cultural works. However, a balance needs to be established between commercial rights and society's right to gain access to knowledge and information. The fundamental flaw of a system in which law passes enforcement to the hands of commerce is that with their self-interests at heart, public interests are not a consideration for these private companies. This contradicts the basic and historic principal purpose of copyright as a means of incentivising creation, encouraging learning, and enabling the cultural enrichment of society. Simply put, a vested right to the author and user.

Advances in digital technology, the internet and growth of social networking sites, have been instrumental in facilitating access to the means of production and distribution of cultural works enabling creators of such to market their work. The movie, Blair Witch Project,1999, was an early testament to this, and it is now easier to self-publish and distribute your own book online or make your music available to others globally. However, this technology has also created another avenue for corporations to seek out and acquire more intellectual property rights. A number of recording artists like Justin Bieber have been discovered, signed up, and packaged after being spotted on YouTube. This in itself can be a barrier to individual creativity, as the artist is generally obliged to comply with some formulaic economic marketing model designed and determined by the record company.

In exploring the argument that copyright laws stifle creativity, we need only look at the continued exploitation of works in the public domain by the Disney Corporation. This organisation strategically chose to create films from public domain material (such as Little Red Riding Hood; Jack and the Bean Stalk, and Snow White), because audiences were familiar with these characters (from traditional folk tales), and they provided an already established fan base, which created a safer economic bet that audience would come to see the latest version of the tale. A sensible, strategic commercial decision, most would agree. However, such was Walt Disney's commitment to using public domain works, he would wait until he was quite sure all rights had lapsed before proceeding with any project (the reason his Alice in Wonderland movie was put on hold until 1951). No doubt, using public domain material is a safe option in economic terms, but on the flip side, it thwarts effort in new creativity as what we have is a regurgitation, albeit adapted, of already existent material.

Harvard Professor, Lawrence Lessig, has been vocal about developments in the law thwarting creative expression. In a speech he gave at New York Public Library, on 26 February 2009, he spoke about the video of a 13 months old child dancing to music, that was uploaded YouTube by the child's mother to share with her mother, and how the rightholder demanded the social networking site remove this video because it infringed their copyright. He spoke also of a photo of Obama, which had been graphically adapted, and the rightholder subsequently demanding payment from the artist for the right to that creative expression. Lessig questioned where we are heading when "serious people sitting around a serious conference table" feel it necessary "to invoke the laws of congress" to such expression or personal rights of enjoyment (as in the aforementioned case). Equally I ask, is the direction we are heading really where we want to go?

Conclusion:

The current system is without doubt weighted in favour of commercial interests in copyright. The objective of the Government is to encourage innovation and growth. However with the emphasis on infringement, and developments in the law that force ISP providers into becoming enforcers of copyright law (the Digital Economy Act, is a clear illustration of this), it is likely the direction we are heading will be counter-productive to innovation and growth. A system that is too weak can no doubt limit innovation and reduce the incentive to produce and supply cultural goods, by failing to provide the opportunity for a satisfactory return on investment. However, a system which overly protects IPRs can be both socially and economically counter-productive as it can hinder the dissemination of cultural works, and also reduce innovation by stifling opportunities to explore and develop new models that exploit the internet and digital services. Past technological developments are testimony to this. The popularity of television in the 60s was initially viewed as a threat to the studios, before they realised the potential revenue that could be gleaned from old movies left sitting in their archives. Equally so, video recorders, cable TV and DVD were seen as a threat to the studios until they recognised the economic windows of opportunity available through an extended distribution chain.

Balancing commercial interests in public goods against the provision of public goods for the cultural enrichment of society, whilst incentivising innovation and creating growth, is by no means a simple task. So, in trying to establish a system which balances both objectives, where should the focus lie?

The answer is likely to be found in exploring the concept that infringement is not the most critical barrier to innovation, and by revisiting current economic models and exploring options for developing new ones.

Industry claims some £400m a year is lost due to acts of copyright infringement in the UK, but does the amount of revenue claimed to be lost as a result of acts of infringement actually outweigh the costs of enforcement? Following a Freedom of Information Act request, Ofcom revealed, the cost of implementing the DEA between 2010-2012, to be c. £6 million. These costs are expected to be recouped from rightsholders and ISP providers who will be responsible for the cost of enforcement to the ratio of 75:25 respectively. Realistically, these costs are likely be clawed back from consumers, which means that prices would need to rise to accommodate this.

Perhaps we should take some lessons from the past, and consider the money spent on legislative changes, tracking down infringers, and the litigation and prosecution of individuals for acts of infringement, might be better spent in researching new ways in which the internet and digital technology can be exploited to provide new business models, and also putting in place more effective methods of working with consumers/the public at large to build respect for copyright. If energies were directed as such, maybe we would move much closer to a system which rewarded commercial investment in cultural works, encouraged innovation and growth, whilst facilitating fair and reasonable access for all members of society.

Eco Volunteering in Costa Rica

Are you an eco-adventurer? If your idea of the perfect trip is getting up close and personal with the natural world, you will want to check out Costa Rica. From the lush jungles to the colorful coral reefs, this region is one of the earth's most distinctive ecosystems. Misty cloud forests, black sand beaches, thick rainforests and rushing river rapids offer outdoor activities for active travelers as well as nature enthusiasts. A dazzling array of creatures, including monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, jaguars, sea turtles and poison dart frogs. These are just a few examples of the wildlife that lives in Costa Rica's many natural parks. It is widely known for its proliferation of wildlife refuges and the diversity of its animals and plants. This creates opportunities for nature-loving travelers to volunteer in one of the many eco-programs in one of the Costa Rican destinations promoting these standards.

On one of the many beautiful beaches of Costa Rica, eco volunteers can come to be a part and support the sea turtles. They are currently struggling to survive as a result of human poachers and the erosion of the nesting sites. You could do this through an organization like Earthwatch where you would be in Guanacaste. Responsibilities would include tasks like monitoring nesting leatherback turtles, measuring and tagging each of them, recording nest locations and counting the eggs to help researchers determine exactly what factors are influencing nesting success for this critically endangered species. For fun when there is recreational time, you can go for a swim in the ocean or their pool, have a snack at a beach side restaurant, touring the mangrove statuary, take a sailboat cruise or just enjoy the beach. While volunteering you can meet and bond with other like-minded people from all over the globe.

If social work is more your thing, you can get involved with the local communities of San Jose in Costa Rica. San Jose is the capital and is characterized by its lush green mountains, cloud forests, volcanoes and valleys. Volunteering can be done by joining a social work project through the organization GO Eco which would allow you to help children or the elderly. Participants would get to choose what project they would be most interested in assisting with. Some options include, but are not limited to: teaching arts and crafts, teaching a language, teaching computer skills, playing sport and outdoor games, helping out with light chores for day-to-day chores of the homes and helping in the improvement and embellishment of the facilities of the projects.

For eco travelers who are interested in organic and sustainable farming volunteers can find plenty of opportunities to help out in Costa Rica. You could go through the organization IFRE Volunteers Abroad to donate your time sporting a coffee plantation project. Partnered with the local cooperative, Coopeatenas, volunteers would work directly alongside farmers, helping to set up new systems of agriculture and possibly conducting interviews and surveys. The bulk of the time would be spent physically at the farm, picking coffee, learning and sharing information about organic practices.