Sterling Creations Blog: June 2010

10 Windows command line tips you should check out

Greetings! I'm Mark Micheau, manager of research and translation services at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Today, I have a very interesting little article for you to read. One that I call a homely article because of its very useful information.

(republished from other sources)
I encourage you to read it and I wish you a great day.

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(Referenced from other sources)
10 Windows command line tips you should check out

1. Drag and drop files for a full path

Tired of typing the long pathnames for files/folders buried deep inside a folder tree? Just drag and drop the file onto the command prompt window and you will get the full path and filename reveal to you.

2. Copy and paste from/to the command line

Click on the icon in the title bar and choose Edit > Mark. Now, drag over the area you want to copy, hit Enter and the text is copied to the clipboard.

Similarly, you can click on the icon in the title bar and choose Paste to paste the text you already have on the clipboard. You can also do this by right-clicking inside the command prompt window

3. Hit F7 for command line history

Hit F7 and you will get a complete list of commands that you executed. Use the arrow keys to highlight the command you want to run again or just hit the number key corresponding to the command that you want to execute.

4. History keys

Use F1 to paste the previous command one character at a time, F2 (followed by a number) to paste the previous command up to the said number and F3 to paste the previous command.

5. Run multiple commands

You can run multiple commands by separating them with &&.

Note that this doesn't run the commands simultaneously. Instead, the command towards the left is run first and if it completes successfully then the second command will run. If the first command fails, then the second command will not run

6. Go fullscreen

Hit Alt+Enter and now you have the entire screen to enter your commands and view the output. Sadly,. this doesn't work as expected in Vista and you might have to do some additional tinkering.

7. Change window size

So you thought you knew the previous one? How would you change the size of the window?

Use the mode command. Use mode <no of characters wide>, <no of lines high> to change the size of the window. For example, mode 100, 50 will make the window 100 characters wide and 50 lines high

8. Get help

Linux users turn to the man command when in doubt, while Windows users don't have complete manuals to refer.

All is not lost. You can get some help for most commands by using command /? or command -help. You can also use the help command to see a list of available commands, although the list is far from extensive.

9. Filter command output

If you are only interested in part of command output and don't want to spend time scanning the entire output, you can pass the output over to the find command. for example, use the next line to only list the entry for Firefox if it is running.

tasklist | find "firefox"

10. Sleep or pause for some time

If you have ever written a batch file and wanted to wait for a period of time before you start executing the next command, you might have been amazed to find the "sleep" command missing. You can however hack yourself a sleep command using ping! Use ping -n 5 127.0.0.1 > NUL 2>&1 to wait for 5 seconds. Be warned that the timing would not be exact so don't just bet your life on it.

If you have any questions about the tips posted in Dan's Tech tips, please contact Dan at the following email address:
dthompson5@mchsi.com

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If you would like to learn more about us and the services we offer, then please visit www.sterlingcreations.ca
If you would like to keep abreast of some of the most important happenings affecting your lives today, then please visit http://www.sterlingcreationsdesk.blogspot.com. There you will get the latest news roundups on such topics as:
Stress, anxiety, and depression. News for retirees, seniors, and aging baby boomers. Security tips for home computer users. Home business opportunities, Internet business opportunities, small business opportunities, business opportunities in Asia. You will also learn how to obtain tremendous personal and financial satisfaction by selling your knowledge and experience.

Equality Bill Makes Britain's Web Accessibility Law Harder to Access

Greetings! I'm Nico Trimoff, manager of transcription and accessibility services at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Today, I'd like to end our week with a very interesting article; one that focuses on something going on in Britain.

(Republished from other sources)
I wish you a great day and I hope you enjoy our selection of article for this week.

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(Referenced from other sources)
Equality Bill Makes Britain's Web Accessibility Law Harder to Access

By Struan Robertson,
OUT-LAW News, Mar. 19, 2010

OPINION: The UK's law on web accessibility is being re-written in an
apparent attempt to make it impenetrable. But even though algebra has
replaced plain English, the duty to make information accessible to disabled
people survives, thanks to a blind peer.

The Equality Bill is nearing the end of its Parliamentary journey. It is
likely to be in force in October, at which time it will replace the
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in England, Scotland and Wales.

The Government promised that the new law would be easy to read and
understand. Unfortunately it isn't.

The DDA was passed in 1995, the year that Amazon.com and eBay were launched.
The web was young and nobody knew it would grow so fast. The DDA didn't
mention the web specifically, but it did include "access to and use of
information services" among its examples of services that had to be
accessible to people with disabilities. This meant that websites should be
accessible.

All of our anti-discrimination laws are now being replaced by the Equality
Bill. Given the web's ubiquity in 2010, it may seem odd that it too makes no
mention of the web. But of itself, this is no bad thing. Laws should be
technology-neutral whenever possible. My biggest complaint with the Bill is
that it's just too difficult to follow.

When Harriet Harman introduced the Bill (40-page PDF) she said: "It will be
written in plain English, so that those who benefit from the law, and those
who need to comply with it, can see the wood for the trees."

Clearly something went wrong. Here's why you have to build accessible
websites, in the language of the Equality Bill: "A person (A) discriminates
against another (B) if A applies to B a provision, criterion or practice
which is discriminatory in relation to a relevant protected characteristic
of B's."

It also says that you mustn't instruct your developer to build an
inaccessible site. Or at least, it says that once you've worked out what
this means: "A person (A) must not instruct another (B) to do in relation to
a third person (C) anything which contravenes Part 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 or
section 107(1) or (2) or 111(1) (a basic contravention)".

This construction is a consequence of forcing one set of rules on a diverse
range of 'protected characteristics', namely disability, age, gender, race,
religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. This approach saves paper
but it risks confusion and ambiguity, which is good news for lawyers only.

A casualty of the one-size-fits-all approach to legislation was the DDA's
explicit demand for information to be made accessible. The Equality Bill's
generic language at first made no such explicit demand, though it did
require adjustments to any "provision, criterion or practice" that put a
disabled person at "a substantial disadvantage". It also made explicit
reference to the need to remove physical barriers.

As Lord Low of Dalston observed in the House of Lords, we live in an
information age. "This is as important to the inclusion of those with print
disabilities as the removal of the barriers created by physical features is
to those with physical disabilities." he said.

Lord Low is blind, and therefore 'print disabled' himself. He also serves as
RNIB's Vice President. This month he succeeded in persuading the Government
to change the Bill.

The Equality Bill now provides that where a service "relates to the
provision of information," the steps which it is reasonable for a provider
to have to take "include steps for ensuring that in the circumstances
concerned the information is provided in an accessible format."

This is an important change. As Lord Low said, "without it the Bill would
represent a regression from what we have at the moment".

Accessibility is neglected on most websites, despite the DDA's long-standing
obligations. Lord Low thinks that may change through enforcement. He told
the House that his amendment "will give the enforcement authorities - the
EHRC [Equalities and Human Rights Commission] - something more substantial
to go on."

The EHRC, a statutory body, has prepared a draft Code of Practice based on a
version of the Bill before the amendment. It makes clear that websites need
to be accessible. It gives the example of an organisation's website on which
users cannot change the font size or use text-to-speech software. "As well
as giving rise to a duty to make a reasonable adjustment to their website,
their practice will be unlawful (unless they can justify it)," says that
draft Code.

Courts will be required to take that guidance into account in relevant
proceedings, as they are required to take its current guidance into account.
But as Lord Low rightly points out, an explicit reference in the legislation
will be more effective in driving compliance. "I entertain a measure of
scepticism about the efficacy of guidance," he told the House.

Guidance from the EHRC's predecessor, the Disability Rights Commission, put
the DDA's duty on website operators beyond doubt. But every time I've
explained the DDA, I've quoted the legislation first, the guidance second,
because everyone knows that legislation is more important. The DDA is
quotable: short, clear statements that don't refer to persons A, B or C.
Like a politician, a law with neither clarity nor sound-bites will struggle
to resonate.

It's great that Lord Low's amendment has been approved. It's the sound-bite
highlight, but I wish the rest of the Bill was as clear. It's too late for
that now. The Equalities Bill has its third and final reading in the House
of Lords on Tuesday, after which both Houses will consider any last-minute
tweaks before it gets passed as an Act. We will get a law that is confusing.
That confusion will be its weakness.

Struan is co-writing BS 8878, the first British Standard to address web
accessibility. He will be ranting about other features of the Equality Bill
on OUT-LAW in the coming weeks. You can also read his mini-rants at
Twitter.com/struan99.

http://www.out-law.com//default.aspx?page=10843&utm_source=feedburner&utm_me
dium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+out-law-NewsRoundUP+(OUT-LAW+News-RoundUP)&utm_
content=Google+Reader

If you would like to learn more about us and the services we offer, then please visit www.sterlingcreations.ca
If you would like to keep abreast of some of the most important happenings affecting your lives today, then please visit http://www.sterlingcreationsdesk.blogspot.com. There you will get the latest news roundups on such topics as:
Stress, anxiety, and depression. News for retirees, seniors, and aging baby boomers. Security tips for home computer users. Home business opportunities, Internet business opportunities, small business opportunities, business opportunities in Asia. You will also learn how to obtain tremendous personal and financial satisfaction by selling your knowledge and experience.

Should You Pay to Work at Home? (executive leadership coaching)

By Donna J. Jodhan

Most persons would probably say no to this question but if we think about it; many of us need help when starting up a work from home business. For many, it's like walking in the dark because there are so many things that we need to take into consideration and let us not kid ourselves when it comes to research that we would need to endure. Hours and hours of patience are needed.

I guess that it can easily be said that it's either we spend many hours researching and investigating not to mention trying things out and learning through trial and error or we pay the experts to help us get on the right track. There are some very good entrepreneurial coaches out there who will gladly help the new entrepreneur but like anything else it comes with a price.

So we need to decide what is best for us. There are two very distinctive paths to choose from. Do it yourself and learn through trial and error if you have the time and energy or hire a coach to help you and pay the money if you have it. I have an excellent reference for you to look at. Please see below.
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Should You Pay to Work at Home? (executive leadership coaching)
http://www.businessplancoachingblog.com/

I'm Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific day and week.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.com and I would be delighted to send you an electronic copy of our latest newsletter.

You can view more of my blogs and editorials at the following websites:
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
a weekly feature on important answers to consumers concerns
http://www.sterlingcreationsdesk.blogspot.com
Weekly blogs for language professionals and accessibility consultants
http://www.sterlingcreationsca.blogspot.com
A monthly editorial on issues of diversity
http://www.diversityintheworkplace.ca

Top Five Tips for Securing your Business Reputation

By Donna J. Jodhan

In a world where the competition could only be described as extremely fierce at the best of times, we need to find ways to procure and protect the reputation of our businesses. It is often said that it is so easy to lose customers if just one tiny error or slip is made and on the flip side it is so hard to build a good and sound reputation.

There is one piece of advice that I and others would gladly impart to the reader and it is this: Make sure that your computer security is sound and as fool proof as you can make it because this is one of the fastest ways to loose or damage a good reputation. Most customers are often concerned about a company's computer security. I invite you to check out a really insightful reference below.

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Top Five Tips for Securing your Business Reputation
Read more at:
http://www.newsmaker.com.au/news/2814

I'm Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific day and week.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.com and I would be delighted to send you an electronic copy of our latest newsletter.

You can view more of my blogs and editorials at the following websites:
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
a weekly feature on important answers to consumers concerns
http://www.sterlingcreationsdesk.blogspot.com
Weekly blogs for language professionals and accessibility consultants
http://www.sterlingcreationsca.blogspot.com
A monthly editorial on issues of diversity
http://www.diversityintheworkplace.ca

The Six Official Languages of the United Nations: Communicating ...

By Donna J. Jodhan

Have you ever wondered about what some of the official languages of the United Nations are? What makes them official, what criteria is used to make them the official languages, and so on?

Is it based on popularity of the language spoken or maybe how many people throughout the world speak it? Or, is it based on its use in the world of trade and commerce? Another question to be asked is this one: What qualifications does the United Nations seek when choosing language professionals to work for them? Is there a specified quota for each member of the UN?

So many questions to be answered but I am sure that the UN's website has some very important answers for us all. I recently found the reference below and I urge you to read on if you would like to know more.

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The Six Official Languages of the United Nations: Communicating ...
http://theunitednations.suite101.com/

I'm Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific day.
Donna J. Jodhan is the president of Sterling Creations
Now you can view blogs and editorials written by Donna at:
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com (Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all)
http://www.diversityintheworkplace.ca (monthly editorial on issues concerning diversity)
http://numpadplus.com/blog/?page_id=7 (access and accessibility)
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/editorials/donna.php (accessibility issues in Canada)
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com (under the editorials section, an international perspective)
http://www.onestopbookcafe.com (under the café talk link)
http://www.sterlingcreationsdesk.blogspot.com (important answers to consumers concerns)
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/magazine.html (monthly editorial)
http://www.sterlingcreationsca.blogspot.com (blogs for language professionals and accessibility consultants)

Jobs and careers identified

Greetings everyone! I'm Jill Christiansen, manager of writing services at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Today, I have very important headlines for you and I invite you now to please read on.

(Referenced from other sources)

Week of June 05
Jobs and careers identified

Are you ready to learn some new tricks and tips to help you crack the job barrier?
Not sure where to start?
Please read on.

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Long Island Press
Jobs and Careers: It Might Be Time to Learn Some New Tricks
Long Island Press
Baby boomers can definitely land a great job, but they have to approach the entire job search processresumes, cover letters, interviews, and how you look ...
Read more at:
http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/03/18/jobs-and-careers-it-might-be-time-to-learn-some-new-tricks/

Are you seeking some great job opportunities as an experienced boomer?
Would you like to know where to look?
Please read on.

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Experienced Baby Boomers Search for Consulting and Contract Jobs
Custom Boomer Retirement Job Search Resources for Consulting and Contract Jobs · All Baby Boomer Retirement Job Search. Experienced Baby Boomers and other Retiree Job Seekers can quickly target job opportunities for our own experience ...
BabyBoomer-Magazine.com - Entertainme... -
http://www.babyboomer-magazine.com/

Do you know how to prepare your kids for the future?
Would you like some help?
Please read on.

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Preparing kids for the future
Wayne Independent
"We have a looming crisis in our country as our young people entering the workforce do not have the skills needed to replace the Baby Boomers. ...
Read more at:
http://www.wayneindependent.com/news/x645470562/Preparing-kids-for-the-future

If you would like to learn more about us and the services we offer, then please visit www.sterlingcreations.ca
If you would like to keep abreast of some of the most important happenings affecting your lives today, then please visit http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm. There you will get the latest news roundups on such topics as:
Stress, anxiety, and depression. News for retirees, seniors, and aging baby boomers. Security tips for home computer users. Home business opportunities, Internet business opportunities, small business opportunities, business opportunities in Asia. You will also learn how to obtain tremendous personal and financial satisfaction by selling your knowledge and experience.

Making kids the messengers

Greetings! I'm Scott Savoy, editor of writing services at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
It's the first weekend of June and I hope that everyone is enjoying their spring thus far. Soon it will be summer.

Today, I am pleased to introduce an editorial by our president Donna J. Jodhan and today Donna talks about making kids the messengers.
Here now is Donna's editorial.
I wish you a great weekend.

Making kids the messengers

I have given lots of thought to this concept and here's what I've come up with. In my experience, I believe that the most effective messages are carried by messengers who are kids. As they often say, "Straight out of the mouths of babes." When it comes to honesty and innocence, kids are it. When it comes to not holding back, kids are it and when it comes to some of the quickest learners around, our kids are certainly it.

If we can mould our kids into the most effective messengers then think what we can do. For starters, we will be helping to create youngsters with healthy attitudes, and healthy minds. Youngsters who have no axes to grind. Youngsters with hearts filled with love and compassion. Youngsters with a mission to break down barriers and build bridges.

Why not let us start from the bottom up? Start with those who are going to influence and shape the future of our planet? Start with those who will be charged with the responsibility of tackling and solving some of our more serious problems; those that we as adults are unable to solve?

We need to give our kids the best possible start in life. To help them grow and mature as wonderful human beings with a wonderful attitude. To show them that such things as discrimination, intolerance, and inhumanity have no place in our society. So how about it?

I'm Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a terrific day and weekend.
To reach me, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca and I would be delighted to send you an electronic copy of our latest newsletter.

Here is a complete list of where you can view Donna's blogs and editorials.
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
a weekly feature on important answers to consumers concerns
http://www.sterlingcreationsdesk.blogspot.com
Weekly blogs for language professionals and accessibility consultants
http://www.sterlingcreationsca.blogspot.com
A monthly editorial on issues on diversity
http://www.diversityintheworkplace.ca
a monthly editorial on business issues and concerns
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/magazine.html
weekly editorials on accessibility issues in Canada
http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/editorials/donna.php
Editorials: An International perspective on issues of accessibility and disability
http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com (under the editorials section, an international perspective)
A general perspective on issues of access and accessibility
http://numpadplus.com/blog/?page_id=7

Your best American cities

Hello there! I'm Donna J. Jodhan your virtual travel agent and today I'd like to start off your first wekend in June with a big bang!
Are you ready to travel a bit? Use your imagination to kick start a really great journey?
Well then, come with me! Kick off your shoes and let's get going.
Enjoy!

Week of June 05 2010

Your best American cities

1. Norfolk Virginia
If you are seeking a city that offers you lots of closeness to the ocean then Norfolk is for you.
A city steeped in history, culture, and naval prowess.
Norfolk has lots to offer everyone.
From top class shopping to boating, swimming, fishing, and golfing.
You can spend time admiring the historic battle ships or simply hanging out at the zoo.
Norfolk has it all; a bit of everything for you and your kids.

2. Colorado Springs Colorado
If you are seeking a safe city to raise your kids in the fresh outdoors, then look no further than Colorado Springs.
If you are seeking a city to spend your golden years or one where you can get a fresh start in life, then Colorado Springs is it.
A city that is known for so many things; hot springs, wonderful skiing, hiking, and mountain climbing.
Colorado Springs is nestled in the mountains of Colorado and offers neighborhoods with a magnitude of home styles that range from the Victorian and historic to the modern and fashionable.
The cost of living is below the national average and there are oodles of opportunities in high tech and health care.

3. Moreno Valley California
If you are seeking a city where stress is less, clutter and confusion are not an occasion, and living is healthy and green, then you can find it all in the beautiful city of Moreno Valley California.
A city that is dominated by majestic mountain ranges, Moreno Valley is rich in culture.
Moreno Valley is dominated by the European influence and offers excellent shopping for the person seeking any and everything.
A city that is rich in community spirit and neighborhoods that offer a magnitude of home styles that range from suburban homes to modern condos and townhouses.

4. Kansas city Missouri
If you are looking for a touch of Europe right here in good old America, then you need to visit the beautiful city of Kansas City Missouri.
With thousands of fountains adorning its squares and parks; just like the city of Rome, and its many wide boulevards that are so similar to the city of Paris, Kansas City is indeed an emulation of a touch of Europe.
Neighborhoods are located atop of bluffs that overlook the river.
Kansas City has lots of history and many Fortune 500 companies make Kansas City their home base.
There are excellent educational facilities and Kansas City's cost of living is below the national average.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan bidding you a happy travel time.
Visit me at www.sterlingcreations.ca if you would like to learn more.
Or send me an email at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca.

Britain unveils future of food

Greetings! I'm Nico Trimoff, manager of transcription and accessibility services at www.sterlingcreations.ca.
Today, it's time to shine the spotlight on Britain and see what they are up to when it comes to their policy on food nutrition.
I hope you find this article interesting.
Have a great day.

Britain unveils future of food
A shopper walks by the eastern entrance of Borough Market in London. British
Shoppers are being told to choose what to eat based on food security issues
as well as Environmental and health considerations.

Jessica Leeder
Globe and Mail, Jan. 08, 2010 2:54AM EST

Imported beef. Genetically modified potatoes. The disappearance of those
handy Labels that tell you just how far your green beans travelled before
reaching the Grocery store shelf.

This is the stuff of Jamie Oliver's nightmares - and all of it may come
true.

The British government unveiled a national 20-year food-security manifesto
Tuesday aimed at safeguarding the future of the country's food supply, which
is in Danger of shrinking if certain consumer trends - the favouring of
local foods over imported, the rejection of genetically modified food and
reliance on "food miles" to Measure the environmental cost of food -
continue.

The plan argues that the way food is bought and sold in Britain must be
revolutionized, and is one of the first of its kind among developed nations.
But that may not be
for long. International food-policy experts predict similar strategies will
be Cropping up in developed countries all over the world as the availability
of food is Increasingly linked to national security.

"We know we are at one of those moments in our history where the future of
our economy, our environment, and our society will be shaped by the choices
we make now,"
Hilary Benn, Britain's secretary of state for environment, food and rural
affairs, said in announcing the strategy at a farming conference in Oxford.
"Food security is as important to this country's future well-being . as
energy security. We know that the consequences of the way we produce and
consume our food are Unsustainable to our planet and to ourselves," he said.

The strategy, an 84-page document entitled Food 2030, is Britain's first
Comprehensive food policy in more than 50 years.

"We can't just carry on as we are," warns Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the
report's introduction. "We need to produce more food without damaging the
natural Resources - air, soil, water and marine resources, biodiversity and
climate
- that we all
Depend on. We need to feed more people globally, many of whom want or need
to eat a Better diet."

The strategy aims to have both a national and global impact. Within Britain,
it Advocates for increased in-country food production and a smaller
environmental footprint (via adoption of greener farming techniques, for
example, and increased acceptance of technological innovation" - a phrase
some experts are interpreting as advocating the introduction of genetically
modified food to the country).

It warns consumers that an overzealous dedication to buying local - and
avoiding imported foods - will have a negative economic impact on often
poorer exporting Countries if the trend continues. The report also takes aim
at an over-reliance on "food miles.

For years, laws have mandated that British-sold products be labelled with
Indicators of their carbon footprint. However, continuing to use food miles
as a main means of calculating the environmental impact of certain foods is
not sustainable in the food regime of the future, according to the report,
because transport accounts for so little (9 per cent) of the food chain's
greenhouse-gas emissions.

Phil Bloomer, a policy director for Oxfam in Great Britain who attended the
announcement, said the strategy is by no means a perfect blueprint for food
security. However, he applauded the British government for taking the
initiative.

"It's good governments are talking about these things . and not in an
inward-looking fashion," he said. "It's becoming increasingly fashionable to
talk about local Food production and food miles, none of which guarantees
that you're going to create low-carbon agriculture," he said. On the
contrary, the buy-local philosophy could lead to a desire to "erect walls
around countries instead of seeing ourselves as having a Shared destiny."

"We are far more mutually dependent than we've ever been in the past," Mr.
Bloomer said. "We need to make sure that we're not creating Fortress Canada
or Fortress Europe and leaving everybody else out. That is definitely
unsustainable .
Not trading
With developing countries would lead to far greater levels of international
tension And conflict."

While activist critics panned the strategy for its lack of teeth (it
contains no indication of impending policies aimed at enacting the changes
it advocates), Dr. Shenggen Fan, director-general of the Washington-based
International Food Policy Research Institute, said the document should be
seen as a positive pledge of intention.
"It is a welcome step," he said, adding it is critical that its authors
envision using "the whole global food system to ensure food security."

"The question is whether the U.K. government will really implement it," he
said.

If you would like to learn more about us and the services we offer, then please visit www.sterlingcreations.ca
If you would like to keep abreast of some of the most important happenings affecting your lives today, then please visit http://www.sterlingcreationsdesk.blogspot.com. There you will get the latest news roundups on such topics as:
Stress, anxiety, and depression. News for retirees, seniors, and aging baby boomers. Security tips for home computer users. Home business opportunities, Internet business opportunities, small business opportunities, business opportunities in Asia. You will also learn how to obtain tremendous personal and financial satisfaction by selling your knowledge and experience.

The Math of Optimizing Tweets for Increased Retweeting

Greetings! I'm Mark Micheau, manager of research and translation services at www.sterlingcreations.ca and today, although this article may be a wee bit old, I think that it is important enough for us to reprint.
If you are interested in becoming a Twitter expert, then listen up!
Here is a great article for you to read.
Make it a great day!

Thursday, October 01, 2009
The Math of Optimizing Tweets for Increased Retweeting

Back in June, Hubspot shared data, which indicated that about one and a half percent of all tweets were retweets. I'd be surprised if that number hasn't increased in the last few months. More people are adopting Twitter and becoming familiar with the Twitter culture. More tools have come out, which cater to the easy re-tweet. More sites have adopted retweet buttons, such as the one from Tweetmeme. I seriously doubt people are retweeting less.

Is your content easily tweetable? Talk about your strategy with WebProNews readers.

We're still waiting on Twitter to incorporate the retweet feature onto Twitter.com. Once that happens, retweeting is almost certainly going to go up significantly. According to the rough sketch Twitter provided a while back, there will be a retweet option by the reply option on all individual tweets.

Retweeting is an incredibly useful tool for tweet promotion, which ultimately means for content promotion. If you are producing content, you want people to retweet it and spread it virally around the Twitterverse. This can lead to some big-time traffic. There are other business benefits to retweets as well.

Shéa Bennett, who writes the blog Twittercism, has come up with an obvious, but no so obvious equation for retweet optimization. The concept itself is obvious, the equation itself - not as much. The concept is this: consider Twitter's 140-character limit, consider your user name, and consider how many characters you need to leave free.

"When sharing links and content, I always ensure I leave a minimum of 12 characters at the end of each and every tweet," says Bennett. "This is a great habit to adopt. Otherwise, those wanting to retweet you are forced to edit your submissions so that they can give the proper credit. Because f this extra work, many times, they simply won't bother retweeting you at all."

Originally, Bennett's equation was:

Your Number = length of username + five characters

That was based on a retweet looking something like this:

RT_@Sheamus_The original tweet goes in here...

The five characters in the equation come from the "R," the "T," the "@," and the two spaces (represented above by underscores).

12 is Bennett's number. At least it was. He had to change it to 15, because "RT" isn't the only way people retweet. Sometimes they use "via" with parentheses around "via @username". Upon realization of this, Bennett added 3 to the equation.

Bennett's equation is now:

Your Number = length of username + eight characters

It is an interesting system to go by, and perhaps a helpful equation, but the larger point of the equation is the real takeaway. If you want to increase your chances of getting retweets, you should be sure you're leaving room for readers to do it easily. It's a usability thing. It's a simple concept that could end up greatly increasing your traffic. Don't forget to consider any links as added characters.

What do you think is the appropriate amount of space to leave in a tweet? Share your thoughts.

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About the Author:
Chris Crum has been a part of the WebProNews team and the iEntry Network of B2B Publications since 2003. Twitter: @CCrum237

10.01.09