Why Facebook Should Be Legal - 947 Words

The discussions in this section will first consider the reasons why Facebook should not establish a right to be forgotten for its community if users and then for reasons why they should. Then at the end the selected decision will be mentioned. The right to be forgotten involves right to the erasure of information in the possession of other parties, in this case Facebook and its associated companies like WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. Facebook had rapid growth in the recent years, as more and more users started using it as an interface to internet. Facebook were successful in getting more users time and attention over a small period of time. The more users they have the more potential for advertising revenue. To get increased profits after†¦show more content†¦Facebook have faced criticism from various international agencies and various international unions (like EU) about their data retention policies. Most of the concerns within the American and outside the America is about invasion of privacy by publication of private facts, or public disclosure. Legislation had been introduced in Congress to regulate online privacy, and President had called for a consumer privacy bill of rights. These legislation will force Faceboo k to modify its stand on the right to be forgotten. The Restatement of Torts defines the publication of-private-facts tort as the publication of private truthful information about an individual that is highly offensive to a reasonable person. Users have successfully sued against public disclosure of private facts, mainly unwanted information related to illness and hospital records. The possible social pressure and legislation movement will force Facebook to regulate online privacy through self-regulation. The new regulations needs to allow user, who can be identified by information with Facebook, to request to remove all the information immediately. The information about users on Facebook may include negative stories about them, which may be inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant. The right will allow users to remove outdated or extremelyShow MoreRelatedFacebook Is An Online Social Networking1079 Words   |  5 PagesFacebook is an online social networking website founded by Mark Zuckerberg along with his fellow Harvard College roommates Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, and Chris Hughes. The website allows you to create your own wall on which you can share images, personal information, videos etc. Through the site’s messaging feature persons are able to connect with friends, families and many other people around the globe. The success and popularity of the website has attracted over a billionRead MoreSocial Media Evidence Of Government Investigations And Criminal Proceedings A Frontier Of New Legal Issues1370 Words   |  6 Pageshttp://jolt.richmond.edu/index.php/social-media-evidence-in-government-investigations-and-criminal-proceedings-a-frontier-of-new-legal-issues/ d. Search Google, looking for information about Facebook acting unethical in a non-US location. Look at 3 different links, give them here. What potential issues do you learn from these links? List them. In the first URL Facebook is being investigated to assess whether an experiment in which it manipulated users news feeds to study the effect it had on moodsRead MoreEssay on Googles Orkut in Brazil710 Words   |  3 PagesIts popular because it helps people meet others with similar interests and similar tastes. It creates virtual communities among people who want to connect with each other, but might never meet without the mediation of the networking site. 2. Why was Orkut so successful in Brazil? What caused problems later? Google was already well known and had very good reputation in Brazil. Besides, it served a Brazilian market gap with its social networking site, which attracted the extremely community-orientedRead MoreSocial, Political And Legal Environment Associated With Social Media1711 Words   |  7 PagesExecutive Summary: Social media such as Facebook and Twitter allow society to publicize their social lives to all. While managers in organizations are forbidden to ask personal questions of their employees regarding religious or voting preferences, if they have access to their employees Facebook or Twitter pages, they automatically have full access to all information that employees post regarding their personal lives. Will an employer’s access to an employee’s social media pages sway or createRead MoreWelcome to the World of 21st Century Hrm.885 Words   |  4 Pages 1. Does Angie have a right to say what she wants on her Facebook page or in her blog? Why or why not? I feel that, yes, Angie has a right to say what she wants on her Facebook page. Everyone should have the freedom of speech. I also feel that one should take into consideration the consequences and effects it may have on you and/or others, depending on what was said. Opinions and actions are two different things that should be taken into account when giving information publicly. The textRead MorePrivacy And Security : Facebook And Snap Chat1692 Words   |  7 PagesPrivacy and Security in Facebook and Snap chat The uprising of Web 2.0 has contributed to a significant rise in the number of technologies designed to enable the dissemination of user-generated content. SnapChat, Facebook, any number of blogging tools—can be referred to under a number of different labels, but the generally accepted term is â€Å"social media†. While in 2016 they are anything but new, social media continues to gain prominence to the point where they are a somewhat ubiquitous presenceRead MoreA Very Controversial Opinions Are Presented In The Article1035 Words   |  5 PagesA very controversial opinions are presented in the article Should teachers friend their students on Facebook? by American Teacher scholar magazine. Nancy Willard, director of Embracing Digital Youth and author of Cyber Savvy, thinks it is very crutial to keep a professional communication and a proper distance with students, because social media, if not used properly, may raise a great public concern, and thus, will be treated as an invasion of a personal space. On the other hand, due to LaurenRead MoreBiometrics Of The Criminal Justice System1622 Words   |  7 Pagesapplication s cover a â€Å"range from identifying criminals to preventing welfare fraud† (Coleman, 2000). Examples of the different types of biometrics that individuals use on an everyday basis include: using a fingerprint to lock a cellphone, getting tagged in Facebook photos, and simply saying a phase to unlock a door or computer. Though there are many different types of biometrics systems currently on the market, they all â€Å"successfully identify and authenticate people with a high degree of accuracy† (ColemanRead MoreDisadvantages Of Facebook867 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Facebook is the most popular social networking with over one billion users globally. It provides a platform through which people can get to express themselves and connect with their, family and friends as well as meet new people. Through Facebook people can find and stay in touch with their lost friends and family members. Apart from being free, Facebook is one of the leading mediums of communication (Ellison et al. 1147). It allows its users to send messages, upload photos and videosRead MorePrivacy? Why Do You Need Privacy? Essay1122 Words   |  5 Pagesnetworking sites, such as Facebook, have more than 750 million active users, and these users contribute about of 30 billion pieces of shared information (blogs, web links, pictures, etc.) each month. This by no means indicates that social networking sites, similar to Facebook, are a private place. Every â€Å"log in to Facebook† you click to connect to other websites, every status update on your wall, with every Twitter pos t, or Foursquare check-in you allow others to view your life so why not a future employer

Professional Athletes Role Models or Criminals Free Essays

Professional athletes have been role models for children and adults alike since the beginning of time. They are often thought of superhuman, celebrities, and to some—even Gods due to their incredible physical strength, and unnatural talent. Professional athletes are given many things that the average American only dreams about; ranging from multi-million dollar paychecks, expensive cars, high profile romances, to exotic vacations. We will write a custom essay sample on Professional Athletes: Role Models or Criminals? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Oh, and being above the law. Numerous high profile players have been arrested multiple times throughout their career, escaping with nothing more than a slap on the wrist from law enforcement, or the NFL. Even those players convicted, and sent to prison for their â€Å"sentence† will be able to return to the football field after being released. Over the past decade the incidents regarding player’s conduct have increased dramatically all the while dragging the NFL’s reputation and ethics through the mud. It begs the question–should these athletes who are the role models for millions, be above the law simply because they are entertainers and celebrities? The answer is no. In my opinion a drastic change needs to happen immediately regarding this growing problem. No longer should players be able to go unpunished for committing crimes. However, to find the solution for this growing predicament—is to establish what factors contribute directly to it. The problem goes beyond the athletes being able to go unpunished for committing crimes. It starts with the league’s menial punishments, team owner’s irresponsible player management, fan attitudes, and the character of the player’s themselves. On the other hand, there are people, including; fans, agents, and of course the players themselves, who believe that the punishments being given now are too severe. I would just like to show those people another view of this debate—the view of an everyday person. In April 2007 NFL commissioner Roger Goodell put into effect new policies regarding player conduct based on the high number of players being arrested for major crimes. Due to the nature of the transgressions NFL officials began to worry about losing fans deterred by the league’s image. The new policy included longer suspensions, heavier fines, and team accountability for their players committing crimes. The new policy includes â€Å"requiring teams to pay the league a portion of the salaries forfeited by players suspended for violating policies regarding personal conduct† (Schrotenboer). Goodell’s goal is to hold team owners and managers partially responsible for the actions of the players on their roster. This forces the decision makers to put more consideration into drafting and signing troubled athletes, because now it is their money—not just their image at stake. Although the policy is a step in the right direction it is not doing near enough to clean up the league because talent is more important than character to a team. One example of this is Cincinnati Bengal’s receiver Chris Henry who was released by the team only after being arrested six times between December 2005 and March 2009 for crimes ranging from possession of marijuana, sex with a minor, DUI, and possession of and aggravated assault with a gun (Brandt). However, even with his arrest log reading like a novel, Henry has served a total of just eighty-eight days in prison for his crimes. This sentence came only after the second incident concerning relations with a minor. But, the Bengals kept him on the roster, even though four of the six incidents occurred after Goodell’s new conduct policy was put into effect. As far as the harsher punishment Goodell promised, Henry received a total a three game suspension for each of the incidents before being cut following the most recent assault arrest (Carpenter, Maske). Who should be to blame for allowing this criminal to go free and continue making his millions? The ultimate blame needs to be placed on not only Henry himself, but also the owner and manager of the Cincinnati Bengals. Coaches have a large impact on the players on their teams. By allowing them to misbehave, they are basically telling the players what they do off the field does not matter as long as you win. In order to help clean up the NFL, coaches need to set an example by putting the law before the sport. Being in charge of a multi-million dollar business such as a professional football team, head coaches are under immense pressure to win, and will do so by any means. Marvin Lewis, the head coach of Chris Henry’s former team, the Bengals is a perfect example of winning at any cost—all the while denying so. In the article Player Arrest Put the NFL in A Defensive Mode, authors Les Carpenter and Mark Maske point out Lewis’ actions. During a 2007 press conference focused on the eight Bengals players arrested in the past year, including one player, Chris Henry, who had been arrested three times. Coach Lewis was asked to give his opinion on the player’s behavior. He responded by bitterly condemning the player’s actions. â€Å"It is an embarrassment to our organization†¦It doesn’t matter what you do for a living or who you are, you’ve got to follow those rules and laws† (Carpenter and Maske). This statement came from the leader of these players, as well as the man who only suspended Henry for two games after his prison stint. However, Lewis is not the only coach to allow felon players to escape punishment—because they are needed to win. In order to reverse the coaches attitudes toward the law there are things that need to be changed. For example, coaches should be required to pay a fine for every player who breaks the conduct code, or gets arrested. The new policy requires the team to pay—but not the coaches. Even if fining the coaches was put into effect it wouldn’t alter the situation on its own. To have maximum impact on the league as a whole, another avenue needs to be taken. One way is suggested by Mike Florio in his article, NFL should strip draft picks from rogue teams. â€Å"The only way to get teams to avoid players with a history of legal problems—or, even better, help the player change his unlawful ways—is to strip the team of draft picks† (Florio). However, in order for this to happen, league officials such as Goodell need to introduce harsher penalties and fines to have any impact on players, coaches, and owners alike. However, for some people the current punishments being enforced are completely over the top already. When Goodell revealed his plans for the new policy in 2007 he was met with enthusiasm, praise, doubt, and protest—and that was just from fans. This shocked me that there is an NFL fan out there so dedicated to his or her favorite player that they oppose punishing offenders? Surprisingly the answer is yes. On April 1st, 2009 Cleveland Brown’s wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth left a Miami nightclub at two o-clock in the morning, got behind the wheel of his Bentley and began to drive home. Three miles from his destination he was approaching what he thought was a yellow light and sped up to avoid it changing. However, due to his drunken stupor he failed to notice it was actually a red light—which he ran seconds before striking, and killing a pedestrian using the crosswalk. Stallworth was then charged with DUI vehicular manslaughter and released on $200,000 bail. His punishment? Thirty days in prison, two years house arrest—oh and a one season suspension from the league. Stallworth killed a man and will spend a total of thirty days in county jail, and forfeit a maximum of $745,000 salary for killing a man. To many people this is an utterly inconceivable notion. Stallworth killed an innocent man by choosing to drive intoxicated, and because of his status as one of the league’s best players he did less jail time than most drug dealers. Following Stallworth’s arrest all eyes turned to Goodell and the rest of the NFL officials to see what punishment, under the still new polictallworth’s arrest all eyes turned to Goodell and the rest of the NFL officials to see what punishment, under the new policy would be given. Stallworth was suspended a total of sixteen games during the time which he serves house arrest. To me, that is not punishment. However, others do not agree—and they are another piece of the NFL’s problem. One of those people is La Mont Chappell who writes in an article addressing Goodell’s choice of punishment for Stallworth and other criminal players. â€Å"Donte Stallworth deserves some sort of punishment for getting drunk, choosing to drive drunk, hitting a pedestrian, and ultimately killing that pedestrian†¦It is unfair to Donte Stallworth to be suspended for such a long period of time because NFL players do not have long careers† (Chappell). To Chappell and other protestors of increasing punishment where do they draw a line? In another article reaming Goodell NFL agent Peter Schaffer writes, â€Å"It is clear our new NFL commissioner has pushed the punitive bar too high, to the point of inappropriate excessive†¦in Stallworth’s case—the one major difference between a murder or some other type of intentional crime and a DUI manslaughter is that there was not the original intent to do harm to another human† (Schaffer). People such as Chappell and Schaffer; fans and agents are the final component to fixing the NFL’s image. Athletes will continue to commit crimes because loyal fans, and money hungry agents will make excuses for their actions, something that can be changed. For example, agents get paid big bucks when athletes get paid big bucks. So, if an athlete is suspended, it hurts the agent’s pockets as well. A new policy could be added that will fine agents as well as players for breaking the law. That will prevent agents from representing the players that are multiple offenders—therefore setting a positive example to the public, and making players think twice about doing something stupid. In then end the NFL’s image problem can be chalked up to many different sources and comprise of many different factors and unless something is done to counteract the current trend nothing will change. The commissioner took a small step forward in 2007 by implementing the new policy—but he needs to step up as the leader he is and make punishments and fines that will impact players into changing their ways. Sure, there will be critics, but that is what it takes to regain the respectable name the NFL once had. It will not be simple, and it may take time, but it needs to be done. How to cite Professional Athletes: Role Models or Criminals?, Papers

Data Analysis free essay sample

The general instructions for this project can be found in the Week 6 Lecture material. The Week 6 Lecture describes the assignment and provides an overview of the project as a whole. There are no step-by-steps for the course project. The following are grading criteria for this project.Data imported from SalesData. csv text file located in  Course Project  Materials in DocSharing. †¢ Professional formatting follows the formatting guidelines we studied during the first week of class. Documentation sheet added to provide author, purpose, and date and provide information about each of the sheets you will create as you analyze the data. †¢ At least one calculated field added and copied to all cells in the worksheet. Analyze the Data Analyze the data in at least three different ways. Each form of Data Analysis should be provided on a separate, appropriately labeled worksheet. It is expected that each sheet will be professionally formatted and clearly documented with titles, comments, and explanation. We will write a custom essay sample on Data Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Remove any extra sheets so your workbook is as compact as possible when you turn it in. Go back and review your labs for assistance in completing the different types of analysis. The following are some examples of analysis you might wish to do: †¢ Sort by discount level. Have discounts increased sales volumes? Is there any discount level that appears to be more effective than others? †¢ Graph sales over time to see trends. Are there any peaks and lows in sales? Is there any time of year in which sales are highest? Lowest? †¢ Pivot the data to see total sales by quarter, country, category, and salesperson. Are there any highs? Are there any lows that need to be addressed? Subtotal the data. How are quarterly sales totals? Sales totals by salesperson? By Country? †¢ Challenge Option:   Perform What-If Analysis. What if prices were raised by a certain percentage with a slight decline in sales? What combination of price increases and decline in sales makes most sense? Present your Conclusions in a   Report Use the integration techniques we worked on in the course to develop a report (Word document) that includes data and graphs copied and pasted from your spreadsheet. You will turn in both your Recommendation Report and your spreadsheet. There is an Excel  Project Template in DocSharing, Course Project Materials, to help you formulate your report. The yellow-lined information provides an explanation of what should be included in each section of the report. ) Your report will focus one paragraph on each of the Data Analysis sheets in your workbook. Explain the type of analysis you completed, the conclusions you drew, and a recommendation based on the analysis.

Language communication free essay sample

Speech, language and communication are all important to a childs overall development. They are used to interact with others, explore the environment, make sense of everyday experiences, access information and understand concepts, organise thoughts and make ideas and to express your feeling and understand the feelings of others. Speech is vocalised language. Usually this is learnt before leaning to write. We use speech to communicate and express ideas, thoughts and feelings through vocalised sound. With speech, symbols are not written or signed they are spoken as sounds. Gestures and signing are forms of speech for individuals who may have a disability or impairment. English has over 40 different sounds/phonemes but the number of sounds children need to learn depends on their chosen language. Language can be very specific. It is a set of symbols that are written, spoken or signed that enable us to communicate and convey meanings to others and allows us to understand what others are saying to us. We will write a custom essay sample on Language communication or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Language includes a complex set of rules. In the English language, words can be added together to make phrases and sentences and some words can be added to and changed. For example, adding an‘s’ to show more than one of something or adding ed’ to show something happened in the past. Linguists suggest that once users understand, use and have mastered the rules they will be able to convey anything they wish to. At first children cannot use the rules, toddlers begin by pointing at objects and saying just one word, but after a while they learn how to construct sentences. Communication is the process of conveying a message or meaning to establish a shared understanding to others. There are several ways in which we communicate all of which involve all our senses. For example, spoken, written, pictures, sounds, symbols. We also use non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, gestures and body language. Being able to listen to the person Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs have difficulties in communicating with others; it may be that they cannot express themselves effectively or they may have difficulties in understanding what is being said to them. On the other hand those who support them may not understand their way of communicating. Children and young people may have difficulties across one or many of the different elements of speech, language and communication resulting in a communication breakdown this may be minor and temporary or it may be complex and long term.

Choosing My Own Essay Samples

Choosing My Own Essay SamplesWhen choosing my own essay samples, I was always careful to make sure that they were about things that I enjoyed, and that I could relate to. I didn't want to be stuck in a room full of essays about how I hate beach bums and spoiled brats. But what if I had been told that the samples had all been selected to be about what I didn't like, and how I hated them? What would I have done then?I don't remember where I read this, but it certainly made sense. Choosing your own essay samples is hard, so don't be too hard on yourself if you get picked for one you don't like. Sometimes, it's really just a matter of picking a sample that matches your personality better than another, and how you portray yourself.Choosing my own essay samples for my kids is easy: it's a competition. They start writing essays about things that they are passionate about, and what makes them happy. Of course, our sixth graders are constantly being told that they are 'dumb'stupid,' so we jus t tell them that they are right all the time, and tell them that they can do no wrong.Our seventh graders are a little bit self-aware of their own thoughts, and how they feel about what they write. They are making a statement about themselves, so when they are writing an essay, they make sure that they are honest and truthful, and true to themselves. I also let them know that you are right if you disagree with them.College essays are almost entirely about students' opinions and feelings. These opinions and feelings don't matter as much as the data behind them. If the data is right, they are right. If the data is wrong, they are wrong.Choosing my own essay samples is harder because the data comes with biases. You have to try to remove these biases. What about the person who got picked for an essay that he or she hates? What if the student has some sort of learning disability? Do they get to talk about how they hate writing, or the bias they must have against what they are writing?Cho osing my own writing samples is very hard. It's hard because there are so many of them out there, and some of them have been biased toward what you think. You have to have more integrity and honesty about what you really want, and how you feel. Be realistic about what you really want, and what you think that others want you to write about.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Essay Example

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Paper â€Å"In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was ‘Arrrgh! ’†. These famous lines taken from Piraticus 13:7 are the first words you will see in the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Many do not know what exactly Pastafarianism is, and so I am here to spread the Word! Pastafarians stand for all that is good, and are against all that is bad. What more could someone ask for? The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, while having existed in secrecy for millions of years only recently came into the mainstream in May of 2005. But what do they stand for, and what exactly are their beliefs? In May of 2005, an open letter to the Kansas School Board from concerned citizen Bobby Henderson sparked the mass intro of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster into our society. Some claimed that the church is purely a thought experiment, satire, illustrating that Intelligent Design is not science, but rather a pseudoscience manufactured by Christians to push Creationism into public schools. But Bobby knew better, and wrote his letter to express his concern. In the words of Bobby Henderson himself, â€Å"With millions, if not thousands, of devout worshippers, the Church of the FSM is widely considered a legitimate religion, even by its opponents – mostly fundamentalist Christians, who have accepted that our God has larger balls than theirs. † A lot of people can’t bring themselves to understand this religion. Before I delve farther into what exactly this religion is, I would like to share what they consider the basic beliefs that they all share. By design, the only dogma allowed in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is that there is no dogma allowed. We will write a custom essay sample on The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer There are absolutely no strict rules and regulations, there are no written rituals and prayers that must be abided by, and every single member gets a say in what the Church is and what it becomes. Due to this, the religion is actually quite difficult to clearly define what the religion is. According to them, they have a set of general beliefs that are as follows. First, they believe that pirates, the original pastafarians, were simply peaceful explorers and that due to Christian misinformation, they received an outlook of outcast criminals. To them, this is completely untrue. Next, they are extremely fond of beer and other alcoholic beverages. To them, this is basically the equivalent of holy water. Every single Friday is a religious holiday and is to be treated as such. Another belief is that they should never take themselves too seriously. This religion wasn’t founded by a group of â€Å"uptight† individuals. Finally, they embrace contradictions. These aforementioned aspects are considered the core beliefs of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The central belief is that an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the  universe  after drinking heavily. According to these beliefs, the Monsters intoxication was the cause for a flawed  Earth. Furthermore, according to Pastafarianism, all evidence for evolution was planted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster in an effort to test Pastafarians faith—parodying certain  biblical literalists. When scientific measurements such as  radiocarbon dating  are taken, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. The Pastafarian conception of  Heaven  includes a  beer  volcano and a  stripper  factory. The Pastafarian  Hell  is similar, except that the beer is stale and the strippers have  sexually transmitted diseases. According to Pastafarian beliefs,  pirates  are absolute divine beings and the original Pastafarians. Furthermore, Pastafarians believe that pirates image as thieves and outcasts is misinformation spread by Christian theologians in the  Middle Ages  and by  Hare Krishna’s. Instead, Pastafarians believe that they were peace-loving explorers and spreaders of good will who distributed candy to small children, adding that modern pirates are in no way similar to the fun-loving buccaneers from history. In addition, Pastafarians believe that ghost pirates are responsible for all of the mysteriously lost ships and planes of the  Bermuda Triangle. Pastafarians celebrate  International Talk like a Pirate Day on September 19th. The inclusion of pirates in Pastafarianism was part of Hendersons original letter to the Kansas State Board of Education, in an effort to illustrate that†correlation does not imply causation†. Henderson presented the argument that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters  are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s.   A chart accompanying the letter shows that as the number of pirates decreased, global temperatures increased. This parodies the suggestion from some religious groups that the high numbers of disasters, famines and wars in the world is due to the lack of respect and worship towards their deity. In 2008, Henderson interpreted the growing pirate activities at the  Gulf of Ade n  as additional support, pointing out that  Somalia  has the highest number of pirates and  the lowest  carbon emissions  of any country. There are 7 occurrences of celebration within the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The first is Pastover, in which pastafarians around the world are encouraged to eat copious amounts of pasta which is cooked â€Å"in his image† by family members dressed as pirates. A common practice on this day is the passing of the eye patch, in which each family member takes turn wearing the eye patch and explains why he/she is happy to have been â€Å"touched by his noodly appendages†. Next is Ramendan, in which pastafarians are encouraged to eat only ramen noodles and remember their times of eating quality pasta. Then there’s Halloween, a time of remembrance of when Pirates walked the earth freely. A little known fact is that pirates were well known for passing out candy on this day but the practice dwindled as they became more and more persecuted. Next, on September 19th, is International Talk like a Pirate Day, in which pastafarians everywhere are encouraged to return to their pirate ancestor’s native tongue. Another important holiday is Friday. Every Friday, to be exact, is a holiday to the Pastafarians. On this day, they are to pay homage to their beer volcanoes and stripper factories. Finally is Holiday, which basically covers all the commercial holidays. To be a world religion, there are seven things that generally must be met. The first is the experiential aspect in which you look at what that started it all. Although the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has existed for â€Å"millions, if not thousands† of years, the main point that brought it into the mainstream was Bobby Henderson’s letter to the Kansas School Board expressing his concern about their denial of his alternative theory. From that point on, Pastafarianism exploded into the mainstream, and since then it has only expanded and grown. In fact, according to them, you don’t even have to actually believe in the FSM to be a member. In their own words, â€Å"For the same reason that many in other religions don’t literally believe their scripture, you can be a Pastafarian without being a True Believer of our scripture. In other words, do you know Christians who don’t take the Bible literally – but who consider themselves True Christians, nonetheless? So do I. In fact, True Belief is not often a requirement of religion. Most religions are comprised of a group of people with similar – but not exact – world views. Pastafarianism is no different in that regard. † Next is the aspect involving myth. Here, we examine the storied that aren’t necessarily true scientifically, but convey important truths about life. One example of this is the FSM story of creationism. The story begins with the creation of the universe by an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster. On the first day, the Flying Spaghetti Monster separated the water from the heavens; on the second, because He could not tread water for long and had grown tired of flying, He created the land—complemented by a beer volcano. Satisfied, the Flying Spaghetti Monster overindulged in beer from the beer volcano and woke up hung over. Between drunken nights and clumsy afternoons, the Flying Spaghetti Monster produced seas and land for a second time, accidentally, because he forgot that he created it the day before along with Heaven and a midget, which he named Man. Man and an equally short woman lived happily in the Olive Garden of Eden for some time until the Flying Spaghetti Monster caused a global flood in a cooking accident. This gives us a clear and understandable way to interpret how something as large as the Earth was made. Next is Doctrinal, which involve creeds, gospels, and things of that nature. One way in which the Church of the FSM meets this standard is in its adaptation of the 10 commandments. This gives the pastafarians a clear list of things to do in order to get into Heaven. The story goes that Captain Mosey ascended Mount Salsa and received 10 pieces of advice from the Flying Spaghetti Monster. These pieces of advice are contained in the book known as â€Å"The Eight ‘I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts. † The reason there are only eight is due to the fact that on the way back down from Mount Salsa, Captain Mosey ropped two of them. This event partly accounts for Pastafarians flimsy moral standards. The Flying Spaghetti Monsters commandments address worship of Him, the treatment of people of other faiths, sexual conduct, and nutrition. The fourth aspect is ethical. In this, we examine what the religion says is good or bad. Here, we can again look at the wonderful story of Captain Mosey. Again referring to the â€Å"Eight I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts†, we can get a better picture of their moral code. The first says that they are not to â€Å"act like sanctimonious holier-than-thou people when talking about His Holy Goodness. He goes on to say that if someone doesn’t believe in Him, it is okay. The second says not to use His Noodly Goodness as a means to oppress others. In His words, â€Å"Purity is for drinking water, not people†. Third, he talks about not judging people for the way they look, talk, dress, or choose to live their life. If they want to engage in homosexual relations, let them. â€Å"One is not better than the other, unless were talking about fashion and Im sorry, but I gave that to women and some guys who know the difference between teal and fuchsia. I am not going to go over all eight of them in this paper, but the point is that they do indeed have a set of commandments much like another well-known religion. Next is ritual, in which we look at the varying rituals involved in the Church of the FSM. Actually, there are no mandatory religions involved in the Church of the FSM. However, there are rituals that are encouraged to be practiced during events such as holidays. One o f which I mentioned earlier, in which the passing of the eye patch takes place. Here, each member of the family takes turns wearing the holy eye patch and sharing why he or she is blessed to have been touched by His Noodly Appendages. The fifth aspect is the social aspect. Here, we look at the communities involved within the religion. The Church of the FSM does not have a set, established church anywhere. Instead, they believe that the Earth is their â€Å"church† and that wherever they happen to meet is okay with them, as many of them are â€Å"too lazy to be bothered to get up at seven in the morning and go to some building to be told what to believe†. They do however hold things uch as parades in order to unite together as â€Å"one under His Noodly Appendages†. Finally, there is the material aspect. In the Church of the FSM, one of the Eight I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts is that they are not to spend billions of dollars erecting statues, cathedrals, and other items of worship when the money could go to â€Å"stopping world hunger, healing the sick, helping the homeless, and lowering the cost of cable. † However, there are many pieces of art created by a slew of talented ten year olds that serve to allow His Noodly Appendages to continue to touch those around us for millions of years to come. As we can see, this religion has actually had a huge impact on our society since it went mainstream in 2005. People all over the world are changing to better serve his Holy Goodness and help those around them. If you look at the Church as a whole, not one death has occurred due to it, and â€Å"certainly no wars and slaughters were caused by it, much like another religion†. The FSM has allowed us to take a step back and look at what we believe in, and determine what actually makes sense. By creating a religion completely based off of one guy’s imagination and determination for people to open their eyes and look at what they preach, the Church of the FSM has helped many to become better people, and it will continue to do so throughout the years as more and more people become aware of his Noodly Goodness. Works Cited 1. www. venganza. org. 2. The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Author: Bobby Henderson Published: 2005. 3. http://politics. gather. com/viewArticle. action? articleId=281474976877085 4. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Gospel_of_the_Flying_Spaghetti_Monster#Pastafarian_Creation_Myth

How To Start A Niche Blog (And Why You Should)

How To Start A Niche Blog (And Why You Should) You can divide all blogs into two categories: lifestyle blogs and niche blogs. These categories represent two conscious decisions that bloggers can make: Im going to write about everything, or Im going to write about one thing.   Bloggers have 2 choices: Write about everything, or write about one thing. #NicheBloggingNiche blogs are when you write about one thing, and one thing only. They are a blog with a one-track mind, having one purpose, one goal. Why in the world would you ever consider something as unfun as a niche blog?  Because niche blogging is where real traction and traffic happen for a blog. Why You Should Start A Niche Blog As a blog reader I like variety, but when it comes time to save a blogs RSS feed in Feedly for reading and sharing later, I much prefer niche blogs. Niche blogs save me time.  They fit into a specific category and I know that when I want to read on a certain topic, the posts will stay true to the category. I will find content on the topic Im looking for and nothing else. For lifestyle blogs, I end up dumping them into a category I call Random Interesting (yes, I really call it that) and I only venture in there when I have time to kill. Its not that I dont enjoy reading those blogs (I actually do), but when I am pressed for time I dont always have the option to sift through content to find something that might be useful in the moment. I turn to categories that I know will give me what Im looking for. In other words, when it comes time to share content, niche blogs are the workhorse readers turn to. Variety, within boundaries, works. Variety, without boundaries, can be a mess. #NicheBloggingThats great that niche blogs give me, the content curator, an easier day. But what benefits do you, the blogger, get from a niche blog? 1. Niche Blogs Keep You On Track Focus is hard enough when you blog. This is especially true on days when you dont have ideas and are tempted to write about your favorite sports team just this one time. When you have a defined niche, its pretty easy to say no, the NFL doesnt have anything to do with my pastry blog. By knowing the specific topic you are writing about, you actually have more tools available to help get you out of an idea rut. Techniques to break writers block, like brainstorming or a headline storm, are easier when you have boundaries that define where you should operate. Lets consider an example of how the two compare. I have a lifestyle blog and I cant think of anything to write about. Has anything interesting happened to me lately? Have I observed anything interesting about life in general I think people might like to hear about? Have I read anything lately that caught my attention that I could write about for my readers? I have a niche blog about shoes, and I cant think of anything to write about. I can go to my RSS reader and get ideas on my niche topic that are trending right now. I can see which of my old posts are most popular and repurpose them. I can do Google keyword research on shoe-related phrases. I can set up a Google Alert on different shoe-related topics. Neither the lifestyle blog or niche blog is better, but a niche blog has more concrete methods of finding ideas because the topic is restricted. Narrow boundaries keep you from weaving all over the place. Niche blogs make idea and headline generation easier. Boundaries are good.2. Niche Blogs Give You A Reliable Audience I have several personal blogs; a few are niche and a few are without boundaries whatsoever. My main blog is mainly personal, and Ill write on any topic that strikes my fancy. My core readers are those who connect with my personality and as an individual, and not with a specific topic. While that is valid, it isnt a reliable audience that you can build a huge email list or serious traffic on (unless youre already famous). The average blogger isnt generally going to be a mini-star with a huge following that clings to them no matter what they write. A great example is a viral blog post I had recently. The topic of the post was on food and health, and I picked up a lot of email subscribers who were interested in that topic. The next weeks email came out and most of those subscribers went away. Why? Because they thought I was a food blog, and thats what they wanted. A niche blog will give you an audience that you understand, and that understands you. They are less prone to churn. Niche blogs give you an audience that you understand, and that understands you.3. Niche Blogs Make It Easier To Monetize Your Blog Perhaps youve decided youll use advertising on your blog to earn income. Once again, niche blogs for the win. If youre blog is about everything, what ads will you sell? Itll be hit and miss to guess what ads will actually be the most successful. You dont know which topic makes your audience show up and read and therefore, you dont know which ads will interest them. Its also a hard sell to advertisers. They want to know what your blog is about. How do you sell an ad when your blog is about me? The same can be said for ebooks, training, and other items that people use to make money through a blog. How will you choose a topic for an ebook, or training, and know that your readers will buy it, if youre not writing a niche blog? You have no idea what theyd spend money on or like to learn. All you know is that they are willing to come to your blog to hear your random thoughts on all kinds of topics for free. 4. Niche Blogs Expand Your Own Knowledge Blogs that arent niche blogs dont generally do in-depth coverage on a particular topic. Their lifeblood is the variety, and sometimes topic coverage is a bit like skipping stones. Each post glances at the surface of the topic and then moves on to the next topic. Niche blogs, however, encourage in-depth coverage of topics. They have to. Youre only writing about one specific topic and youll naturally dig in deeper and cover details as much as you can because there isnt another topic to bounce on to. For example, if you have a food blog, you wouldnt write just one blog post about whether you should use cold or room temp butter for making a cake and call it done, never to revisit butter temperature again. Instead, you might do a series on how to properly use butter, and that might lead you to do features on more individual ingredients and how they affect your baking. With niche blogs, you dont have to come up with 1000 new ideas. You can start with three and approach them from every angle possible before moving on. A niche blog allows you to do that, but on a general lifestyle blog, youre just going to be seen as strangely obsessive about butter. You dont need 1000 new ideas on a #NicheBlog. A few, from all angles, will do.How To Start A Niche Blog The difference between starting a niche blog and any other blog isnt particularly magical or unusual. It involves research and planning before you jump in and start writing. It involves more than just the decision to start a blog. It requires you to decide to start a blog about ___.  If youre looking for your niche blog to bring in money, youll want to be even more conscientious in your selection of a niche topic. 1. Know Your Passion If you hate vegetables, deciding to write a niche blog about vegetables is a terrible idea. Even if you like vegetables well enough, it still might not be enough. Remember, you are going to be writing heavily about a very focused topic. Thats going to be difficult enough. At least make it easy on yourself and have a serious passionate and interest in your niche. Otherwise, its going to be a very short-lived blog. 2. Decide On Short Or Long Term Trend niche blogs wont last, but they can be profitable for a while. For example, your niche blog might capitalize on a TV show or movie. Once the show is no longer on the air, or the movie buzz has faded, your blog wont be the traffic horse it once was. But that doesnt mean you shouldnt do it. As long as you know, going in, that youre going to be in a bit of a pressure cooker to build traffic quickly, and are ready to capitalize on absolutely every last drop of it before it fades, go ahead. Its the way your entire blog exists by capitalizing on a trend. 3. Decide If And How Youll Monetize Your Site Perhaps youre writing your niche blog for the absolute love of the topic and dont care about bringing in money. Fair enough.  Most people create a niche blog in the hopes of bringing in money, because niche blogs are uniquely able to handle advertising and affiliate marketing very well. Lets say you do want to use affiliate marketing. You will need to pick a niche topic where good affiliate marketing programs and products are available, and youll get paid a decent commission. Youll need to research available affiliate programs and find a reputable one that fits what you need best. Or maybe you want to use advertising. Again, youll need a blog whose topic attracts a specific audience that has advertisers eager to market to them. And, youll need to build up traffic to a certain level before some advertising programs will even consider your blog. Remember to comply with the FTC and disclose on your blog if you decide to use affiliate marketing or paid reviews. Niche blogs are uniquely set up to bring in advertising and affiliate marketing money.4. Find Your Keyword Niche Youve decided youll write about coffee for your niche blog. But coffee is still pretty broad–are you talking about growing coffee? roasting coffee? brewing coffee? fair trade coffee? coffee culture? buying coffee? cooking with coffee? You need to find specific keywords if you want your niche blog to bring in money and traffic. Googles Keyword Planner is the most popular tool, and even though there is no shortage of blog posts telling you how to find the best keywords, you might consider Googles own instructions  on using Keyword Planner, too. Which site will be easier to target with affiliate marketing, advertising, and keywords: A niche blog about photography, or a niche blog about Nikon cameras? Sometimes the extreme niche blog is the way to go when you are looking to monetize your site and find precise keywords that do the heavy lifting. When it comes to traffic and monetizing your blog, the more focused your audience is, the better. 5. Tighten Up Your Current Blog Maybe your current blog went off track and became a blog about everything. How do you turn your blog into a niche blog? Look at your categories. Youll notice that a blog off track often has category and tag bloat. Which category do you seem to write in the most? Thats a good hint at where your passion and interest for blogging lies. Look at your stats. Which of your posts tend to get the most traffic? This is an indicator of why people come to your blog, and it is also an indicator of a post that has done well in search. Dissect the post. Whats the topic? How did you write it? What brings the search engines? Make more posts like this on the most popular topic. Do some pruning. You might consider removing posts that are completely off-topic. If you absolutely must write on more than one topic, why not start a personal blog elsewhere and rehab your current blog into a niche blog? If your blog has been around a while, build on that traffic and following while you regain focus as a niche. Resist that spontaneous post. If you catch yourself feeling like you just have to post a photo and story about your dog and the cute thing he did today, stop. Dont put it on your blog. That is more appropriate for social media, or your personal lifestyle blog. Again, if you must have this outlet, create a personal blog to do it on. Keep your niche blog purely on topic, always. Dont give up on a wayward blog. Even if you havent stayed on topic over the years, its not too late to start. Decide today that you will have a niche blog, and get that mindset in place.