How to Successfully Manage Bad Press

Too many cooks will always spoil your broth, and try as you might, teaching new tricks to old dogs is an entirely futile enterprise. However, in spite of the wisdom of some old adages, the idea that "All Publicity is good Publicity" can definitely be tossed into the "ignore" pile by anyone pursuing a serious career in PR. If you're working for any substantial length of time in public relations, there will be occasions when you have to deal with bad press, so reputation management is a skill which you need to learn. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy, since bad press can come in all shapes and sizes, but these four pointers will help you to remain calm and give you time to focus on next steps...

1. Make sure key players are informed

No matter what the size of your company, or your client's company, you should have a PR plan. This should include a crisis management section which will detail the procedures which are taken whenever there is a risk of bad press. Top item on the plan ought to be who needs to be kept informed. Typically, this will be all senior management, and often it will include all members on the communications/marketing team. If this is a lot of individuals, it might even be worth setting up an email group, so that when you do have a crisis you can alert everyone quickly. As press officer, it is your responsibility not only to inform them at the onset of a crisis, but also any key developments and also further press coverage as it occurs.

2. Ensure that employees direct journalist calls to the correct spokespeople

Depending on the number of employees and the amount of clout your company has, journalists may try a number of different methods to speak to an insider about what is going on. This could be sketchy, since other members of the team may not know the ins and outs of the story, or your official company line, and it is easy even for media trained personnel to be flustered by questions. As a part of your day to day strategy, every member of staff should be aware who the press officer is, so that they are able to field any press enquiries. However, when a crisis occurs, it is essential to remind everyone that media enquiries should be directed to the appropriate team member. Having said this, it is important that all members of staff are kept up to date with key developments in any crisis. A successful internal communications strategy will send out updates to all members of staff which give them the information they need.

3. Have a statement ready to go

If the phone starts ringing and emails are flying, even the most experienced of PROs can become flustered. That is why it is useful to have a written statement ready to go to media. The benefits of a written quote are twofold. Firstly, having a written documentation of all of the media you have spoken to will make it easier to track who you have been dealing with. This will be important when the crisis is over since you may want to let those people know some good news, and the journalists will appreciate being kept in the loop as developments happen. Secondly, it avoids a lengthy or difficult telephone conversation which may see you having to deal with awkward questions.

4. Balance it with some good PR

Here's a maxim to believe in: "All Good Publicity is Good Publicity". It's not rocket science, and maybe you can think of it as the yin and yang of PR, but after you've had a crisis it's a good idea to sit down and think about what is great about your company. Unearth the charity work that staff have been involved in, find a real life story about how your product has really made someone's day, or if you're really stuck, just write a press release about how the crisis has been resolved and what procedures have been put into place to protect you and your customers from a similar crisis. If you can get some senior spokespeople to lend their voice to this good news, then it is even better, as it gives more credibility to the story.

Whatever type of PR you are in, you will have to handle bad press at some point in your career. It can be unpleasant, although for some people, this type of reputation management can be one of the highlights of the job. Each case is different, and you learn as you go along, but by remembering those four points, you are well on the way to handling bad press in a professional way.

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How to Lower Your Phone Bill

Carefully read your phone bill each month.

Handle your phone service as you would any other major purchase. Review your monthly phone bills as closely as you would monthly bank statements and credit cards.

Ask yourself these questions as you look at your phone bills:

• Do I recognize the names of all the companies listed on my bill?
• What services were provided by the companies listed?
• Are there any unauthorized charges for calls and / or services I did not place?
• Are the rates on the bill the same as what the phone company quoted me?

Keep in mind that sometimes a call or service listed on your bill may be unclear. If you do not recognize the call or service listed, call the company who listed the charge and have them explain what services you are being charges before paying the bill.

Small, inaccurate charges for phone-related services add up quickly over time. Make sure you understand what service was provided for even the smallest of charges. Many times crammers sneak a $ 2 or $ 3 charge to thousands of customers without being detected.

Keep a file with the records of the phone services you have authorized and used - including calls placed to 900 numbers and other phone information services (ie, 411 = information, * 69 = last call that rang to your house before you picked up). These records will come in handy when an unrecognized line item charge is listed on your bill.

Carefully review all promotional materials and forms (fine print included) before signing up for a phone service.

Be wise and shop around because the telecommunications business is extremely competitive.

The Relationship Between Science, Technology, and Society

Science and technology is the best thing society could ever ask for. Since the industrial revolution in the 18th century science has been in progress. Some sectors that have been boosted by science and technology are energy, physical sciences, information and communication. The society has greatly gained with the invention of technology.

Infrastructure in the society has grown with the help of science and technology. Modes of transport like electronic railway lines were realized and these actually benefited the society by offering them a better means of transport. In the past, almost everything was analog but thanks to the science and technology we are now being digitalized by the day. The invention of the telephone and radio services has broadened human communication.

Without society then there would be no science and technology and that is why the invention of certain tools and equipment have helped achieve big things. Society can not do without the industries we have today. The society needs science and technology. The creation of computers is work of art by individuals was a stone that would come a long way in helping the society. A computer helps us to leverage ourselves by gaining valuable information that we can use to enrich our lives. The impact of science and technology can seriously be recognized. Many people around the world take for example scholars in colleges and universities have taken the lead examining the relationship between science and technology.

The evaluation of this relationship has emerged as an important area of ​​research. Public interest groups and academic organizations throughout the world are recognizing the importance of STS. The reason is that people need to recognize that there are people who are affected by the science and technology. Controversies such as modified foods, stem cell research are the issues that have welcomed policy makers and scientists together to have a way forward on this.

Science and technology has actually significantly contributed to the vision of man about himself. Science has been modified the opinion about the origin of man and place of origin too. Through the results of scientific discoveries the perception of man about his behavior and his place of origin has been modified diversly. Experiments in science today are in one way or another affecting the society.Take for example the experiment on cloning a human being. The experiment bought a lot of controversy since the society was skeptical about it.

How is science and technology related to society: The developing world has a long tradition of participatory action research, popular education and community organization joining up to solve some science and technology issues that affect the society. How is science and technology related to the society is something that is calling even for the government intervention. Science and technology related issues are actually been discussed worldwide today. Progress in this has been addressed to the ability to produce diverse types of material items. Answering the question how science and technology is related to society.

How Does A Free App Make Money?

The mobile app industry welcomes new ideas to enlarge its area. While the e-commerce industry gets a new boost with mobile applications to sell products or services more conveniently, many individuals get a way to generate revenues by making demanding applications. An app can be used for making money if it successfully justifies to its purpose. Gaming applications are the best example in this regard. They are free to download but earn profit through in-app purchases. Native app developers both for Android and iOS platforms Get a great demand for making application on innovative ideas. Find out how a free app can generate money.

Not all applications are successful in creating a craze in the market. A very few apps live up to the expectation. Choose the right platform for designing your apps. Two names are dominant - Android and iOS. Analyze your market and get an insight into your audience's interest. Create an application that your target audience group wants.

In-app purchases Vs. Paid downloads:

Applications that come up with a paid download lost their demand in the competition. People no longer want to pay before the use. This is why in-app purchases get a strong ground in the market. The applications allow users to download without any charge and offer limited services. They fixed a subscription charge for premium features. In-app purchases became the buzzword in the app industry, and app owners successfully catch the right interest through it.

In-app purchases are divided into three different categories - consumable, non-consumable, and subscription. Users make a consumable purchase when they use their purchased products within the application, such as virtual treaties. Non-consumables are the ones that have a permanent usage and they never expire, such as a new game level. Subscriptions are used to get new features or unlock a new facility for a limited period validation.

Apps that make money:

No matter whether you stroll in Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store, you will get billions of applications. Some applications ranked at the top and some failed to gain the attention. There are generally three types of applications that grow huge in terms of earning profits.

• Gaming applications

• Matchmaking applications

• Privately owned applications

Gaming apps rank top when it is about making money. The recent year is witnessing a number of gaming applications that do well to enhance the user's interest. Candy Crush Saga and Pokemon Go steal the headlines. Every day, these games make huge money and build a strong ground for such applications.

While the gaming industry gets exceptionallyally benefited with the idea, matchmaking groups do not stay too far. These applications have a long list of subscribers and they are even ready to pay charges for getting premium facilities. Tinder gets instantly famous and is known as one of the top grossing apps.

Video streaming applications also see a sudden rise in the demand. Netflix opens up the new market and it runs on the subscription-based method.

The application industry gets bigger and better with giving space to new ideas. Some privately owned applications also place their position in the market and generate unexpected revenues through simple approaches. The apps like Telepathic and Hooked are top-grossing names in the book category. Their ideas were new as they came up with a simple yet interesting reading process.

Native Android app developers and iOS app developers have a tremendous demand these days. They are given a task of developing an application that Touches users' intention veryly.

Beside the in-app purchases, there are many ways in which an application can generate revenue. Concentrate on advertising, email marketing, subscriptions, and other strategies to earn benefits from your app.

Advertising:

There are generally four types of advertising that help an app gain revenues. Interstitial ads are the full-screen pop-ups displayed at a specific time frame. Users can close such ads by tapping the close button. Banners or display ads come in different shapes and sizes and they appear at the top or bottom of an application. In-app video ads are also common and these ads display as an in-app reward. Native ads are designed for promoting products.

Email marketing:

App developers design and develop applications, and it is the strategy that makes them famous. Email marketing is an old concept and still is in use by marketers. It increases the reach of an application. Email marketing is essential when you want to promote products or inform Buyers about discounts and offers.

These are the things that you can do to earn profits from your app. Free applications are beneficial in many ways. You need a right strategy to promote them.

Why Is My Computer Running Slow? (And How To Make It Faster)

Thanks to computers and the Internet, organizations and institutions all are moving rapidly towards a paperless working environment. Computers are now being used widely for practically every task including document preparation, communication, assignment preparation, research, shopping, doing business and more.As compared to the past, it is no more a niche or a luxury; it has in fact become a need today. It has become extremely difficult to imagine a life without computers.

Since we use it so often, we must also take care of its maintenance. Unfortunately, many of us don't. Poor PC maintenance leads to slow PC performance and exposes it to the risk of errors like runtime errors, BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) errors, system crashes and system freeze to name a few.

If you think that your PC is not working fast and smoothly like it use to, there can be several reasons behind its slow performance that are all linked to poor PC maintenance.

Top Reasons Why Your System's running Slow

Let's see what the reasons are:

1. Too Many Programs Starting at Boot-up

Sometimes when you install programs on your PC, they are automatically run on your PC when Windows start. This is because they are designed that way. This feature comes in handy if you use that program every time you use your PC, however, if you don't, this can be frustrating as it can waste your memory and slow down the time it takes for the Windows to finish starting up.

So, if you have too many programs that are configured to run automatically on your system, then you should change its configuration settings to ensure fewer programs run.

2. Too Many Programs Installed

If you love to download and install applications on your PC like games and other apps, then it might be one of the reasons for your slow PC performance. Therefore, in this case, you should remove and delete unnecessary programs on your PC.

3. System Infected by Malware

This is a common reason for slow PC performance as it can cause a great deal of damage to your computer. Malware or Spyware are basically malicious programs that stealthily enter your system through downloads or opening websites or emails that contain viruses. They get installed in your system without your knowledge. These malicious programs can damage and corrupt your files, applications and your operating system in no time. So, they must be removed before the damage is done.

4. Registry Issues

Registry is a location in your system where practically all data and activities carried through and on your PC are saved and stored. When this becomes corrupted or bloated, the system starts performing slow and can also result in abrupt shut down. If the issue is not fixed timely it can lead to Blue Screen of death errors too.

To solve this problem, install a registry cleaner that scan and fix any broken or corrupted files.

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  Poor Security Software

Many security programs are bloated with software. They need a lot of system resource and memory. Furthermore, when these heavy programs run on your PC to detect malicious programs, it can reduce the speed of your PC. Only install programs from trusted sources and even then scan them before installation.

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  Hard Disk Fragmentation

Hard disk fragmentation can also slow down your PC. If you've been using the same PC for years, chances are your computer files can get scattered. It leads to fragmentation of files. So when you want to access the files, the system takes time to search through the hard drive for the fragmented pieces of those files. This hence increases the response time. A simple solution would be to run available defragmentation programs and collect your files in the right locations.

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  Page File

Windows Page file is a temporary source of memory that is used by the PC in processing various functions. When the page file is too small, the OS (operating system) does not have enough room to move which results in poor PC performance and open the system to the risk of several types of error codes. To solve this, increase the page file size on your system.

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  Over Heating

If you don't give your PC adequate ventilation space, it tends to heat up. And when this happens, your PC starts to run slowly and eventually the heated parts start to fail. If unchecked for long periods, these components will overheat and stop working.

Always ensure your PC is well ventilated and that nothing is blocking the PC's air vents. Occasionally blow your computer with a can of compressed air to get rid of dust that maybe clogging your system. This might help boost your PC performance.

Video Game Jobs - Companies Hiring Workers Now For Video Game Jobs

One of the key steps step towards getting hired for video game jobs involves determining who it is you would like to work for. A big factor in determining this choice will be your own preference of gaming platform, as well as gaming experience. Are you a big Xbox fan? Strategy games, or sports games? Narrowing down what you are most familiar with and enjoy playing will help immensely in determining who you would enjoy working for.

The four largest employers in the video game industry are of course Microsoft (Xbox), Sony (PlayStation), and Nintendo (Wii), and for the PC, Electronic Arts. Yet it would be a mistake to only consider these four companies as your only options. There are numerous small and medium-sized companies that create numerous video game jobs, both temporary and permanent. Preparing to apply to the dozens of other game development companies for video game jobs will enable you to expand and diversify your list of possible employers, and your chances of getting hired will increase tremendously.

For this reason, it is also very important to acquire knowledge and experience on multiple gaming hardware platforms. While to be sure, there are numerous video game jobs available for specific platforms (Xbox, Wii, Playstation, PC), at the very least, in addition to one or more of those platforms, one should have experience using the PC as a gaming platform. Furthermore, online gaming experience is an additional advantage, especially the massive online role playing games (MMPORGs). Even in the recession, online video games continue to expand in usage and popularity.

There are many other companies you should research and consider working for; to name just a few, consider the following 25 companies, mast of whom have video game jobs open even now:

o Acclaim Games
o Activision Blizzard
o Atari
o Big Fish Games
o Disney Interactive Studios
o Capcom
o Codemasters
o Crave Entertainment
o Eidos Interactive
o Epic Games
o Got Game Entertainment
o Ignition Entertainment
o JoWooD Productions
o Kemco
o Konami
o Linux Game Publishing
o LucasArts
o Matrix Games
o Mercury Games
o Paradox Interactive
o Playlogic Entertainment
o Rising Star Games
o Ubisoft
o Valusoft
o Warner Bros. Interactive

So do your research, and make a list of all the companies, major and minor, that you would be interested in working for. Focus on companies that make games you enjoy playing - whether it be puzzles, strategy games, role-playing games, online gaming and MMPORG's, auto racing games, or sports games, or even science fiction games such as Gears of War.

Consider joining up with a membership site that maintains a huge database of video game companies that have video game jobs opening up on a consistent basis. There is a nominal fee for the premium sites, but it is well worth it in terms of the job opportunities that they provide. Finally, after you have made your list of preferred employers, you will be ready for the final step - creating a winning resume and cover letter, and getting the job interview for what should be the first of many video game jobs!