SMEENY

Elena Kalis – stunning underwater photography

Divena Smought — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:50:24 +0000

Elena Kalis from the Bahamas is one of the most famous underwater photographers of the world. She has won several awards and her work has been published in many art- and photography magazines.
I have not found any further informations about herself – she seems to be a very shy person, hiding behind her splendid artwork, she even did not respond to my emails and notes on deviantart…

So I hope it is enough for you to just enjoy her photos and click further to her website or deviantart profile.

The Other Side by Elena Kalis

Sleep Walking by Elena Kalis

Sisters by Elena Kalis

Shawn by Elena Kalis

Winter Princess by Elena Kalis

Half and Half by Elena Kalis

Ophelia and Others by Elena Kalis

Jia Lu – modern oil paintings

Divena Smought — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:40:48 +0000

I discovered the work of the incredible chinese/american painter on deviantart.com and unlike the most artist there she is a traditional artist who paints with real oil on canvas…! Her paintings are a beautiful and inspitational interpretations of (mostly) women in an spiritual and historical context and shows a very modern and fresh approach to this subject. She is a traditional artist with a profund knowledge of painting techniques and anatomy.

Born in China to a family of artists, she has worked in the US, Canada and Japan as a professional artist and designer since 1983. Jia Lu’s style is about beauty, spirit and wisdom. She describes her career as a process of self-discovery, a search for self-knowledge and a celebration of self- confidence.

You can see her portfolio on deviantart or visit her personal website here.

Faith by Jia Lu

Jia Lu

Jia Lu 1999, oil on canvas, x inches

Jia Lu 1999, oil on canvas,

10 cool ways to benefit from fiverr

Sherryl McMurry — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:41:43 +0000

These days, many people are taking out the time and energy and creating their own blogs. There are millions of bloggers, like you and I, who post their blogs on websites like Blogger or WordPress. Blogging is a way to express oneself. Blogging started off as being a medium to express oneís desires and goals in life, without incurring any social wrath. However, the concept of blogging has gone on to become much more. Blogging is now an industry in itself and millions of bloggers can be found online. These days, most blogs are set up for commercial purposes. People aim to make money by creating a fan following. Search engines like Google encourage the trend. Popular bloggers make a lot of money simply through blogging. Blogs, contain various ads which provide much needed revenue to the bloggers, who pour their heart into blogging. The concept of blogging has gone commercial. Most bloggers, these days, blog with the sole intention of earning money, through blogging!
Online entrepreneurs always need some boost and such a boost is provided by a Fiverr. Fiverr is a marketplace and users can buy and sell services for as low as $5. Given below are 10 cool ways in which you can boost traffic to your website/blog using the services of Fiverr-

1) Create an Introduction Video for $5 only- The best place to get readerís attention is to attract them with a catchy video. For $5, you can avail the services of some of the best professionals in the industry. You will not regret spending the $5, as it will yield multiple returns, when you start earning via blogging. There are top qualified professionals on fiverr who can get you what you desire: more traffic

2) Importance of getting your PR (Press release on Google News)- Google is the most successful search engine and hence itís essential that your Press Release should reach Google News as that will increase the visibility of your blog and/or website. There are professionals on Fiverr who can submit your press releases to Google News. The professionals even guarantee the completion of the task. Moreover, there are professionals who guarantee to send your Press releases to TV, Radio and to 100 relevant news media for a mere $5.

3) Graphic designing- These days, people are lured to websites which look attractive. Graphic designing is one o the most important functions that you need to undertake. Graphic designing can be outsourced and can be handled by professionals in the industry for a mere $5. Customized Youtube or Twitter background, a professional eBook cover and quality web banner ads are some of the functions which can be completely using services of websites like Fiver.

4) Distribution of Video- Syndicating your video is the tip for succeeding in selling your blog to your readers, visually. For a mere, $5, there are professionals, who are willing to take this task up.

5) Need for Transcription- If you need a video, webinar or a teleseminar to be transcribed, you can do so with fiverr, quite economically.

6) Creating Iphone App- Your website/blog needs to be mobile friendly and hence, the need to create an Iphone app. You can do so, for a mere $5.

7) Try innovative tips- You can turn your picture into a cartoon pop art. Your photo can be made 3D or into a superhero for a low cost.8) You can attract the attention of thousands of readers by converting your articles into PowerPoint presentations and thereafter, submitting it to the website, slideshare.net. This way, you can save a lot of time and even get quality backlinks.

9) Transcribing your videos- Transcribing your videos by using the services offered by fiverr will attract eyeballs and boost the number of people visiting your website.

10) Honor the top bloggers- Honor the bloggers who have a hold over the blogging market on the keyword you are targeting. You can even write articles on the top 10 or top 25 bloggers and they, in turn, for their own commercial purposes, will spread a good word about your blog.

Avail the power of Fiverr to succeed in blogging.

Tips for becoming a Great Blogger

Sherryl McMurry — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:40:39 +0000

Online communities like online markets are a huge advantage not just for companies but also for individuals dealing with online markets. While most of these individuals are busy raking money, there are some who are becoming effective and quality writers online. There are many people who venture into writing but at some point, either lose interest or simply fail in doing so. Those who survive are the best ones in the field. To be a successful blogger, you need to have an effective content. This article contains tips on how to be a, effective and subsequently successful blogger.
Passion
This is the first and foremost point to remember. When you start writing, do not set your goals on the finance part. Instead, concentrate on quality. This holds true for any type of venture- writing, sports, marketing etc. To become a successful blogger, you must, first put your heart in it. Your goals must not be self-centred such as raking in money or becoming famous. Your goal must be to spread the message among the masses. Putting across your thoughts and ensuring that it reaches the right kind of people must be your goal. Once you set your heart on writing, do it with utmost sincerity and efforts. Ultimately, you will become popular among the masses and there will be an inflow of cash soon. Hence, focus on your writing first. Write well, improve the quality, and write on innovative topics that people would love to read on. Do not focus on money alone, at the beginning.

Initiation and Participation in Conversations
Interaction is one way of getting reference points. A successful blogger does not restrict self on just posting articles. If you want to succeed, it never means that your job is done, once you post your article. You must interact with people and participate in their conversations. Once you do this, people will start following your posts automatically and the thread will go on. If you interact with people and voice your opinion or consider their opinions, people will feel that you value them. They will definitely talk about you to others and spread the word about you. More people will thus get interested in your blog posts and you will thus gain more traffic. Thus, by merely participating in conversations and considering peopleís opinions, you are getting endorsed for free!

Build Trust
While you blog, you are building your own reputation. The reputation thus built will lay the path for success that you deserve. While building your own reputation, be careful on the path you tread. This is because a reputation, once broken, is very difficult to get back. It is as delicate as a mirror. You must be respectful as a writer. You must not write things that questions your integrity. You must write about things that make sense, those that are logical. Do not write things that may put your dignity and integrity at stake. Gossips may be profitable; however, they can also lead to downfall. Hence you must be careful.

Building effective network
There is no blogger who can live off on his own. For building links, you have to put in efforts. You must take efforts and build lasting relations with other bloggers. To be a successful blogger, it is very important to have networks. The networks will help you become successful. Co-bloggers are no competitors. They are simply fellow writers who would love to build relations that last for lifetime.
The most important thing for being a successful blogger is to preserve your style, integrity and most importantly your identity. These are exclusive to you and no one can snatch these away from you.

Optimizing your Blog Perfectly

Sherryl McMurry — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:20:43 +0000

Search engine optimization (SEO) is necessary to increase traffic to your blog. This gives your blog, a high search ranking. To give your blog high search ranking, you have to put in a lot of efforts. One way to optimize your blog is to hire SEO consulting firms who will do the job for a charge. However, if you do not have a budget for the same, you will have to optimize it on your own.

A very obvious way is to create an engaging content that is both interesting and innovative. This will result building up followers and attract links. You can also tweak your articles to get a high search engine ranking. There are some simple ways to tweak your articles to get traffic.

Keyword Search
Find the most commonly used keywords using one of the free keyword tools such as Wordtracker or Google tool. You can also use Google tool to know the general research trends. This will help you to modify your blog articles accordingly.
While optimizing your blog as per the keywords most commonly used, remember to use different keywords. The most commonly used keywords are very difficult to yield results. You probably may not be able to nab if you use competitive keywords. Therefore, go after keywords that are not competitive, yet, used frequently.
How to know if keyword is competitive?
During your keyword research, you will find many phrases. Select one of them and type it into the Google search engine. Remember to use quotations while using the search. Once you type in the phrase, you will see a number below the search box. It is this number that determines the competition. If the number is above 75,000 then it clearly shows the phrase is highly competitive. In that case, avoid using the phrase or keyword. Focus on a keyword that is small in number. It is easier to get top ranking that way.
However, keyword not being competitive does not mean it will not attract any traffic. It may, at worst, attract less traffic than the popular phrases. However, the traffic it sends will be highly targeted.

Choosing Keyword and then Writing
It is true that you need a phrase, with little competition in order to hit the right chord. However, it is also true that you need search traffic which is greater than zero. To fulfil both the conditions, write an article which targets the particular keyword or keyphrase. Instead of writing a fresh article, you can also go back to some of your existing articles and tweak them. This does not mean that your article must be dominated by the keyphrase. It simply means find a keyphrase that relates to your article or write an article that revolves around the keyphrase. In the bargain, do not forget quality. After all, it is the content that matters more than the keyword or keyphrase. A higher quality gives better chance for ranking.

Keyphrase in Title and Article
It is important that every article contains a catchy title. It must attract the readers in an instant. Remember to add your keyword or keyphrase in the title as that title says all about your article in a nutshell. This is also important when it comes to keyword in the main article content. Repeat the keywords. However, do not repeat them such that they seem deliberate or clumped together. Use a bit of your common sense while using the keywords in the article.

Adding Images
Diagrams, photographs or any other form of illustrations help gain traffic to your article. Adding pictures always attracts readers whether they are books or articles across the Internet. Therefore, add as many related images in your article. It is easier for people to read and understand the article that way. At the same time, remember to use your common sense while adding images.
These seven key points help you write a good article and SEO optimize your blog. However, while following the above points, remember to use your common sense as well.

Linkbuilding Strategies for Blogs

Sherryl McMurry — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:28:37 +0000

The theory of link building is absolutely crucial if you want to attract traffic within the ever growing World Wide Web. This is because, these strategies help blogs attain the trust they need in order to appear within the database provided by the many search engines of which Google is certainly the most prized and used. The basic essence of using link building involves the fact that the more links from other sites appear on your blogs, the greater the ëvoteí you receive and hence the higher the faith in your blog site.

1. Guest blogging is a surefire way to use the concept of link building in order to ultimately achieve greater traffic. This is perhaps one of the most important link building strategies and for a very good reason because it is known to work time and again.

2. Leaving blog comments is another commonly used strategy. However, it must be noted that not all blog comments will be followed. This strategy does not work in the way people assume it does. Instead, contrary to popular belief, it usually works indirectly. For example, if you just leave a comment or two on someoneís website once in a blue moon, you probably will not get a reply from the blogger whose ideas you might relate to and who you are trying to contact. However, if you sincerely mingle with that particular community of bloggers, you will see the pleasant results over time in the form of your blog or link appearing in their site and so on.

3. Flippa is another useful resource if you want to try out another link building strategy. This is, in fact, an amazing source for finding links and is highly interactive and suggested by all sites and blogs that try to educate bloggers on link building schemes.

4. Putting links next to your signature will leave your mark and you will see the consequences that follow in the form of higher traffic.

5. Rather than using the very same source, it is good to branch out and try different domains in order to benefit from link building schemes.

6. Hubpages, Squidoo and Gather seen to be doing rather well. You can easily sign up and you have the flexibility through which you are able to link your sites in any way you want.

7. Whatever mode you choose, it is important to create a reasonably good resource that has plenty of content for the users.

8. Some of the most trusted sites related to articles that are filled with good content include Ezine, Go Articles, Article Dashboard and many others that act as a better source for links and should definitely be tried out.

9. If your ideas are unique or if you are in the lucky position such as for example if you manage to interview a famous personality such as an author, musician and so on, you will automatically have people linking to your site easily.

10. Appearances do matter, even for link building. Make sure you use nice and pleasant templates that can be easily found online.

The main thing to avoid is utilization of resources that can lead to spams. This can have unpleasant results that you will definitely not enjoy. The second big point to note is to avoid creating links that revolve around only one phrase.

These are in no way the only strategies. There are many others, some might be more helpful than others for your case so you should definitely explore on your own and make sure to blog about the schemes that seemed to work for you! With experience, you are sure to get better at search engine optimization as well as building links for your blogs and sites.

How to Increase the Traffic for your Blog?

Sherryl McMurry — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:40:54 +0000

Articles and content was once upon a time, forms of print media. You could read articles, novels, stories etc. only through books, magazines, newspapers etc. Later on, as technology progressed, Internet came into existence. People started using the Internet as a medium for communication. Internet was previously restricted to only sending emails. However, with the passage of time the use, of internet was extended to reading articles, accessing information, writing articles, advertising and even shopping online. Articles are available on the Internet through blog sites, official websites, forums etc.
It is common for people to have blogs but not necessary that all of them enjoy a healthy traffic to their blogs. If you want to promote your blog, there are some tips that you must follow. You must promote your blog at various places. Driving eyeballs back to your blog is very easy to accomplish, if you know how to. The first thing that must be done is to have the right content targeting the right group of people. In this article, we will discuss how to give your blog, the much-needed revamped look in record time.
Article Directories
You may think article directories are simply meant for vitamins, real estate, cosmetics, health promotions, something which is not true. Article directories contain content of every niche. Hence, you can submit your content to article directories irrespective of the niche. It has been proved to increase traffic to the blogs. People see your articles and if they are interesting, they will be lured to your website. This is an excellent way to augment your sales and also to charge your sales. The affiliate sales will show a quick rise. You can try this on an ëad wordsí campaign in Google.
Social Network
Everyone tries to promote content through social networks. There is a lot of hype surrounding the social networks. However, it is just hype. If the barrier of entry into a marketplace is low and if the acceptance process is effortless then the rewards will be naturally low. You can submit your content on social submissions like Digg, Stumbleupon, Mixx etc. if you have a good quality content. You will get high traffic to your blog if you have a unique and interesting content. If you are a quality publisher then your blog will be viewed by thousands of viewers. These social submission sites are one of the right places for any piece of content, to gain popularity!
Press Releases
This method needs no introduction. There are many press services available for free. Taking out the content that you have written, they syndicate it around the web. These press releases, unlike other forms of offline publicity, come free of cost. They let you promote your offer. This actually goes against the principles of conventional press release. However, it is an advantage for the publishers. Using press releases, you can promote your blogs, affiliate your sites, promote your articles, spread around the message, your ideas, thoughts, and even promote your services and products, all too quickly like wildfire and that too, free of cost!
All the solutions to all your problems lie within you. You have to look within yourself. Always remember that content is the king. Be creative in your content and make it look as attractive as possible. You must make it attractive. You can use pictures, illustrations, photographs, even animated videos to make concepts clearer or graphs to show comparative results. All these will make your articles clearer in peopleís minds. Remember, a concise and precise content has more clarity than content with too many words just clumped together.

10 Best Traffic Tactics for Blogs

Divena Smought — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:13:48 +0000

Blogging, connecting with other people and sharing things you enjoy such as what you read or sharing to your opinions on several issues and topics is a wonderful way to keep track of your daily, weekly, monthly thoughts and who knows – maybe someday you might even change the world, or at least the lives of those who read it. But, in order for people to read your blogs, you need to make sure there is an optimum traffic flow. This usually involves several tactics that can be exploited easily and will ensure your blog gets read. Some of these techniques are given below and they will hopefully help you in increasing the amount of traffic to your blogs!

1. The simplest trick is to write about several issues and topics, whether it is news, sports, politics, religion, movies, books and others.

2. Another simple tactic involves using a translator plug-in and this has also shown to increase your blog traffic. The disadvantage of this tactic might be the extra cost that you might be required to pay.

3. Interacting with your audience, that is, taking a lively part within the comments and not just posting your thoughts within the blog can help you improve the number of participants and audience that visit your blog! In fact, participation is considered by many as the key! It is simple yet it is known to work time and again.

4. Another similar tactic involves posting comments on other blogs that might be related to your topic and making sure you leave your site link which will help attract any interested readers. Moreover, you could even set up an RSS feed which will alert your loyal followers whenever you have a new blog post.

5. Polls, quizzes, questions are sure to liven up your readers and attract others to your interactive blog!

6. Many use Squidoo lenses that can help you customize your webpage and attract several others that belong to the same web community.

7. Knowing who your target audience is, can help a lot. You can use this knowledge by directing yourself and your blog links and pages to those community web pages that tend to focus on similar target audiences.

8. You can also submit these blogs to many search engines that will definitely increase the amount of blog traffic. This certainly does not mean that your blog will be the first search that is returned by the search engine but since they have it within their database; you can at least hope that someone might stumble upon it.

9. Some people might suggest writing something controversial to attract attention but this is not always a good idea especially for the sole purpose of obtaining more traffic.

10. Blog posts that teach the audience and are worth reading will never fail you. So, when writing your blogs, make sure you engage in posts that talk and explain various issues, devices, and concepts.

However, perhaps the easiest trick is to write very often. Do not have a very long gaps between your posts, yet at the same time, make sure what you write is good and not merely to fill up a long gap or crowd your blog page. These tactics, most of which are very simple and easy to carry out will definitely help you in improving the amount of traffic to your blogs and you should be able to view improvements and their results within a short period of time. All you have to do now is go to your blogs and webpage and implement these schemes!

Good luck and do not forget to blog about those methodologies that you find which work most efficiently!

John Beckers

Divena Smought — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:00:30 +0000

John Becker, a dutch designer living in Sydney, Australia, made a splendid work for the lief festival in Utrecht (Holland), a strong corporate designconcept for all mediatypes and a perfect adabtion of the design in the stage building. Very trendy and highly professional!

See his Website at http://www.john-beckers.nl

Bechira Sorin

Divena Smought — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:03 +0000

Bechira Sorin an artdirector from Romania does thes spectacular great composing of fantastic (lost) worlds. Look at the details, the composing, the great work itself. Bechira is a designer with a wide range of skills and he has created his own very powerful style, remarkable and unique.

Check out his portfolio at www.bechira.com.

David Fullarton

Divena Smought — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:45:34 +0000

David Fullarton´s pictures with words on them are cool, real handpainted and very inspirational illustrations with a humoristic background. Fullarton comes from San Francisco and is well established in the art- and illustrtion scene worldwide. He has a lot of fans (like me) and his new book “I can´t Apologise Enough.” (published at blurb.com) shows all his skills as a very unique and funny illustrator…

Check out his website: http://www.davidfullarton.com

I also found him on Justin Timberlake´s blog: http://www.justintimberlake.com/news/the_science_of_sarcasm

For any designer who was asked to work for free

Divena Smought — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:34:48 +0000

Check this out – this is how you can end up with a customer who never will pay you for your work…

http://www.27bslash6.com/p2p.html