Friday 27 April 2012

How to Find Advertisers for Your Website: The Ultimate Guide

Direct advertising sales is arguably the best method to monetize a website. Finding advertisers for your site and actually closing the deals, however, is not as straight forward. Over the past 6 months I had more than 10 high profile companies sponsoring Daily Blog Tips, and through out this article I will share what I have learned along the way.
The Pros More money: The first advantage of selling your own ads is the fact that you will cut the middlemen out, increasing your revenue potential. Suppose you sell text link ads on your sidebar through a certain company, and the text links sell for $50 monthly. Since you are using the company network to sell the ads, they will eat 50% of the price, and you will end up earning only $25 monthly for each text link. If someone is willing to pay $50 for a text link on your site, though, it means that they are getting $50 of value out of it. Why, then, should you share that with someone else? Independence: Sure, large advertising networks have access to a wider pool of advertisers, and they have more credibility to close the deals. But if you have all the requirements in place (see the section below) and spend some time looking at the right places, I am sure that you will be able to sell your own ads just as efficiently as the larger networks. Flexibility: The third advantage of selling direct advertising is that you will have much more control over where and how the ads will be displayed (i.e., you can avoid intrusive advertising). Google Adsense is nice, but unless you blend it with the content – annoying some of the readers – you will get terribly low click-through rates. Credibility: Finally, having sponsors and direct advertisers on your blog might help your credibility. Even small and poorly crafted blogs can stick some Adsense units here and there. Having established companies that are willing to partnership with your site, on other hand, can signal that your content has quality and that the site is somewhat professional. The Cons Time consuming: While selling your own ads has many advantages, it is no panacea. The first drawback of this monetization option is the time that it will consume. This time will be spent optimizing your website for the ads, finding potential advertisers, negotiating with them, and handling the administrative matters (e.g., making payments, tracking statistics, delivering reports and so on). Many requirements: Selling direct adverting is not as easy as making money from Google Adsense. As you can see from the section below, you will need to have a popular blog, a professional looking design, special software and the like. Unstable: Unless you close deals for very long periods, which is unlikely, you will find your self looking for new advertisers or optimizing your website to attract new ones every other month. The opposite is true for most advertising networks, where you just need to plug some code and they will do the rest of the work. (If your site or blog is just a hobby, therefore, direct advertising might not be the best option) What You Need to Have in Place A popular website: Before landing direct advertising deals you will need to have a good amount of traffic on your site. There is no “magical” number here, but a good rule of thumb would be 1000 daily unique visitors. If you are below that mark you should focus on building traffic instead of looking for advertisers. Other factors like Google Pagerank, RSS subscribers and Alexa rank might also help. (Notice that small websites might also be able to sell direct advertising, but usually the time spent on that will not justify the results) A clear focus: You might have the most popular site on the Internet (well, not as extreme as that, but you get the point), but unless your site also has a very clear niche and a defined audience, advertisers will not find it very attractive. This means that you should avoid rambling about 100 different topics on the website. Advertisers want to deliver a message to specific people, and the more specific the better. A professional looking design: If you are planning to monetize your website through sponsors, you probably should invest some money into a professional looking design. Advertisers will be associating their product or service with your website, and not too many of them would be willing to get mixed with an ugly, MySpace looking site. Give visibility to the sponsors: This point is connected to the previous one. Not all templates and themes will be suitable for selling direct advertising. Preferably you want to have an idea of what kind of advertising you will sell (e.g., 468×60 banners, 125×125 banners, text links) and design your website according to those objectives. Advertisers want visibility, so reserve a good spot for them. Adserver software: In order to serve your ads, rotate banners and track statistics you will need to install an Adserver. If you are looking for a simple solution you should try WP-Ads. This WordPress plugin will serve ads for specific ad zones that you create. The only drawback is that it does not count clicks (only impressions). If you need a more sophisticated solution check OpenAds. You will need to spend some time learning how to use it, but it offers virtually all the features you will ever need. “Advertise Here” page: It is very important to have an “Advertise Here” page. On this page you want to give some details about the website, like audience, traffic and any other factor that might be of the interest of potential advertisers. Secondly, make sure that you have some link to that page on the navigation bar and if possible close to the zone where the ads will be displayed. You can see a perfect example of such layout on Copyblogger.com. Standard letter to approach advertisers: While some advertisers will contact you after reading your “Advertise Here” page, the rest of them will need to be directly approached by you. In that case, it is a good idea to create a standard letter to contact the advertisers. There is no “one size fits all” solution here, but you can follow some general guidelines: 1. Introduce yourself and quickly explain what the email is about 2. Explain why you decided to contact them and what they have to gain 3. Give details about your site (traffic, subscribers, topic, audience) 4. Give details about the advertising options (location on the site, max number of advertisers, monthly price) That is it, after that information the advertisers should be able to decide if they are interested or not. If they reply, then you will fix the details. Bear in mind that all the info I mentioned should be contained in 2 or 3 paragraphs. If you send an essay to potential advertisers they will just skip it altogether. Accepting payments: You might have everything in place, but if you are not able to cash payments – or more importantly, if advertisers are not able to pay easily – you will end up losing deals. PayPal is the best option here. Notice, however, that a personal account will not suffice. You will need at least a premier account to be able to accept credit cards. Where to Find the Advertisers Once you have your direct advertising program established, you will start to receive inquiries from people. On the beginning, however, you will need to hunt advertisers down. Do not get discouraged if get turned down initially, provided you have all the aforementioned requirements, sooner or later you will find someone willing to take a shot on your site. People linking to your site or articles: If a company is willing to link to your articles or to add your website under its “Links” or “Resources” section, it is also probably willing to discuss about advertising on your site. Keep track of those incoming links. People leaving comments/e-mails: The same principle applies to people leaving comments on your blog or sending you e-mails. If among them you see an employee or the owner of a company that could be interested on your website, bingo! Contact him or her and get the conversation going. AdWords advertisers: Through out your search for advertisers you will notice that most of the established companies are not aware of the benefits of online advertising. If a certain company is already spending money on Google AdWords, however, it is very likely that it would also be open to other forms of online advertising. Think about some keywords that are related to your topic and Google them. Check the sponsored links that will appear and contact them. (You can also check the advertisers that appear on the Adsense units of related websites) Other advertising networks: While Google AdWords is by far the largest advertising network on the Internet, there are many others that could be useful. Check the companies that are spending money on AdBrite, Text-Link-Ads, BlogAds, SponsoredReviews and so on. Banner advertisers on similar sites: Check out popular websites on your niche and see what companies are advertising there. Provided you offer them an interesting deal (i.e., a reasonable price for your size), I am pretty sure they will be interested. Create a “Potential Sponsors” bookmark folder: This technique produced outstanding results for me. I have a bookmark folder on my browser called “Potential Sponsors.” Every time I come across a company or website that could be interested in sponsoring my website, I bookmark it. Currently I have over 100 bookmarked sites on that folder, and I have not approached half of them yet. How Much to Charge You need to provide value: It is all about value. A potential sponsor or advertiser will want to see some returns for the money he will be spending on your site, and this can be seen as visibility (impressions) and leads (clicks and possible sales). Make sure, therefore, that your advertising deals will deliver. The numbers: Remember that there are some pretty cheap advertising options out there (e.g., Google AdWords), and you will need to be competitive. Provided you reserved a good spot for the sponsors (sidebar or header, preferably) you could start charging a $0,5 CPM (cost per 1000 impressions). If your blog is generating 100,000 monthly page views, therefore, a banner spot on your sidebar should cost around $50. Start low and build your way upwards. Popular blogs (e.g., TechCrunch) have a higher CPM, sometimes as high as $10, but you will need a huge credibility to arrive there. Cross-check: You can easily check if you are charging a suitable rate by using Adsense units on the places where you will sell direct advertising. Analyze how much you would gain with Adsense, and adjust your rates accordingly. Secondly, you can also check similar sites that are already selling direct ads. Be flexible regarding the terms: Flexibility is key. First of all make advertising agreements on a month-to-month basis. People don’t like to commit to something they are not completely sure about. If someone proposes you a longer deal, offer a discount in exchange. Offer test periods: Unless you have a very popular website, you will find potential advertisers reluctant to spend real money. If you are confident that the deal will create value for both parties, however, you can use that on your favor. Offer a free test period whenever needed. Some of the times the advertiser will turn you down after it, but other times they will confirm the deal. Either way you have nothing to lose.

28 Ways to Make Money with Your Website

There are several lists with “ways to make money with a website” on the Internet, but none of them seem to be complete. That is why I decided to create this one. If you know a method that is not listed below, just let us know and we’ll update it.
Notice that ways to make money with a website are different from ways to make more money from it. Methods to increase your traffic or click-through rate will help you make more money, but they do not represent a method of making money per se. For example, one could suggest that blending AdSense ads with the content is a way to make money from a website. In reality it’s not; it’s just a way to make more money by improving your ad click-through rate. The real monetization method behind it is a PPC ad network. The list is divided into direct and indirect methods, and examples and links are provided for each point. Enjoy! Direct Methods 1. PPC Advertising Networks Google AdSense is the most popular option under this category, but there are also others. Basically you need to sign up with the network and paste some code snippets on your website. The network will then serve contextual ads (either text or images) relevant to your website, and you will earn a certain amount of money for every click. The profitability of PPC advertising depends on the general traffic levels of the website and, most importantly, on the click-through rate (CTR) and cost per click (CPC). The CTR depends on the design of the website. Ads placed abode the fold or blended with content, for instance, tend to get higher CTRs. The CPC, on the other hand, depends on the nice of the website. Mortgages, financial products and college education are examples of profitable niches (clicks worth a couple of dollars are not rare), while tech-related topics tend to receive a smaller CPC (sometimes as low as a couple of cents per click). The source of the traffic can also affect the overall CTR rate. Organic traffic (the one that comes from search engines) tends to perform well because these visitors were already looking for something, and they tend to click on ads more often. Social media traffic, on the other hand, presents terribly low CTRs because these visitors are tech-savvy and they just ignore ads. List of popular CPC advertising networks: Google Adsense Yahoo! Publisher Network (YPN) BidVertiser Chitika Clicksor 2. CPM Advertising Networks CPM advertising networks behave pretty much as PPC networks, except that you get paid according to the number of impressions (i.e., page views) that the ads displayed on your site will generate. CPM stands for Cost per Mille, and it refers to the cost for 1,000 impressions. A blog that generates 100,000 page views monthly displaying an advertising banner with a $1 CPM, therefore, will earn $100 monthly. CPM rates vary with the network, the position of the ad and the format. The better the network, the higher the CPM rate (because they have access to more advertisers). The closer you put the ad to the top of the page, the higher the CPM. The bigger the format (in terms of pixels), the higher the CPM. You can get as low as $0,10 and as high as $10 per 1,000 impressions (more in some special cases). CPM advertising tends to work well on websites with a high page views per visitor ratio (e.g., online forums, magazines and so on). List of popular CPM advertising networks: Casale Media Burst Media Value Click Advertising.com Tribal Fusion Right Media 3. Direct Banner Advertising Selling your own advertising space is one of the most lucrative monetization methods. First and foremost because it enables you to cut out the middleman commissions and to determine your own rates. The most popular banner formats on the web are the 728×90 leaderboard, the 120×600 skyscraper, the 300×250 rectangle and the 125×125 button. The downside of direct banner advertising is that you need to have a big audience to get qualified advertisers, and you will need to spend time managing the sales process, the banners and the payments. Related links: How to Find Advertisers for Your Website Finding Advertisers for Your Blog Direct Advertising Sales for Beginners Openads Ad Server OIO Publisher Ad Platform 4. Text Link Ads After Google declared that sites selling text links without the nofollow tag would be penalized, this monetization method became less popular. Many website owners are still using text links to monetize their sites, though, some using the nofollow tag and some not. The advantage of this method is that it is not intrusive. One can sell text links directly through his website or use specialized networks like Text-Link-Ads and Text-Link-Brokers to automate the process. Text link marketplaces and networks: DigitalPoint Link Sales Forum Text-Link-Ads Text-Link-Brokers TNX LinkWorth 5. Affiliate Marketing Affiliate marketing is a very popular practice on the Internet. Under this system you have a merchant that is willing to let other people (the affiliates) sell directly or indirectly its products and services, in exchange for a commission. Sometimes this type of advertising is also called CPA (cost per action) or CPL (cost per lead) based. Affiliates can send potential customers to the merchant using several tools, from banners to text links and product reviews. In order to find suitable affiliate programs you can turn to individual companies and publishers like Dreamhost and SEOBook, or join affiliate marketplaces and networks. List of popular affiliate marketplaces and networks: Commission Junction ClickBank Azoogle Ads Link Share 6. Monetization Widgets The latest trend on the web are widgets that let you monetize your website. Examples include Widgetbucks and SmartLinks. Some of these services operate under a PPC scheme, others behave like text link ads, others yet leverage affiliate links. Their main differentiator, however, is the fact that they work as web widgets, making it easier for the user to plug and play the service on its website. List of companies that provide monetization widgets: WidgetBucks ScratchBack SmartLinks 7. Sponsored Reviews PayPerPost pioneered this model, with much controversy on the beginning (related to the fact that they did not require disclosure on paid posts). Soon other companies followed, most notably Sponsored Reviews and ReviewMe, refining the process and expanding the paid blogging model. Joining one of these sponsored reviews marketplaces will give you the opportunity to write sponsored posts on a wide range of topics. Not all bloggers are willing to get paid to write about a specific product or website (because it might compromise the editorial credibility), but the ones who do are making good money out of it. If your blog has a big audience you could also offer sponsored reviews directly, cutting off the commissions of the middleman. List of sponsored reviews and paid blogging networks: PayPerPost Sponsored Reviews ReviewMe BlogVertise Smorty 8. RSS Feed Ads With the quick adoption of the RSS technology by millions of Internet users, website owners are starting to find ways to monetize this new content distribution channel. Feedburber already has its own publisher network, and you can sign-up to start displaying CPM based advertising on your feed footer. Bidvertiser recently introduced a RSS feed ad option as well, with a PPC scheme. Finally, some blogs are also opting to sell banners or sponsored messages on their feed directly. John Chow and Marketing Pilgrim are two examples. Related links: Feedburner BidVertiser Pheedo 9. Sponsors for Single Columns or Events If you website has specific columns or events (e.g., a weekly podcast, an interview series, a monthly survey, a special project) you could find companies to sponsor them individually. This method increases the monetization options for website owner, while giving advertisers the possibility to target a more specific audience and with a reduced commitment. Mashable illustrates the case well. They have several advertising options on the site, including the possibility to sponsor specific columns and articles, including the “Daily Poll” and the “Web 2.0 Invites.” Problogger also runs group writing projects occasionally, and before proceeding he publicly announce the project asking for sponsors. 10.Premium Content Some websites and blogs give away part of their content for free, and charge for access to the premium content and exclusive tools. SEOMoz is a good example. They have a very popular blog that gives advice and information on wide range of SEO related topics. On top of that visitors can decide to become premium members. It costs $48 monthly and it grants them access to guides, tools and other exclusive material. 11. Private Forums While the Internet is populated with free forums, there is also the possibility to create a private one where members need to pay a single or recurring fee to join. SEO Blackhat charges $100 monthly from its members, and they have thousands of them. Obviously in order to charge such a price for a forum membership you need to provide real value for the members (e.g., secret techniques, tools, and so on). Performancing also launched a private forum recently, focused on the networking aspect. It is called The Hive, and the monthly cost is $10. These are just two examples. There are many possibilities to create a private and profitable forum, you just need to find an appealing angle that will make it worth for the members. List of popular forum software: vBulletin Simple Machines Forum phpBB Vanilla 12. Job Boards All the popular blogs are trying to leverage job boards to make some extra income. Guy Kawasaki, ReadWriteWeb, Problogger… you name it. Needless to say that in order to create an active and profitable job board you need first to have a blog focused on a specific niche, and a decent amount traffic. The advantage of this method is that it is passive. Once you have the structure in place, the job listings will come naturally, and you can charge anywhere from $10 up to $100 for each. List of popular job board software: JobThread Web Scribe Job Board SimplyHired Job-o-matic Jobbex 13. Marketplaces Sitepoint is the online marketplace by excellence. Some websites and blogs, however, are trying to replicate that model on a smaller scale. Depending on your niche, a market place that allows your visitors to buy, sell and trade products could work well. Over the time you could start charging a small fee for new product listings. The problem with this method is that there are no standard software on the web, so you would need to hire a coder to get a marketplace integrated into your website. You can see an example of a marketplaces being used on EasyWordpress and on Mashable. 14. Paid Surveys and Polls There are services that will pay you money to run a small survey or poll on your website. The most popular one is called Vizu Answers. Basically you need to sign up with them, and select the kind of polls that you want to run your site. Most of these services operate under a CPM model. 15. Selling or Renting Internal Pages Million Dollar Wiki made this concept popular, but it was being used on the web for a long time around (check Pagerank10.co.uk for instance). These websites sell for a single fee or rent for a recurring fee internal pages on their domain. Usually they have either high Pagerak or high traffic, so that people purchasing a page will be able to benefit in some way. Implementing this method on a small blog would be difficult, but the concept is interesting and could be explored further. 16. Highlighted Posts from Sponsors Techmeme probably pioneered this idea, but somehow it has not spread to other websites. The tech news aggregator displays editorial posts on the left column, and on the sidebar they have a section titled “Techmeme Sponsor Posts.” On that section posts from the blog of the advertisers get highlighted, sending qualified traffic their way. Considering that the monthly cost for one spot is $5000 and that they have around 6 sponsors at any given time, it must be working well. 17. Donations Placing a “Donate” link or button on a website can be an efficient way to earn money, especially if your blog is on a niche where readers learn and gain value from your content. Personal development and productivity blogs, for instance, tend to perform well with donation based systems (one good example being Steve Pavlina). A small variation of this method appeared sometime ago with the Buy Me a Beer plugin. This WordPress plugin enables you to insert a customized message at the bottom of each article, asking the readers to chip in for a beer or coffee. 18. In-text Adverting In-text adverting networks like Kontera and Vibrant Media will place sponsored links inside your text. These links come with a double underline to differentiate them from normal links, and once the user rolls the mouse over the link the advertising will pop. Should the user click on it the site owner will make some money. Some people make good money with this method, but others refrain from using it due to its intrusiveness. It is also interesting to note that very few mainstream websites have experimented with in-text advertising. 19. Pop-ups and Pop-unders Pop-ups are a common yet annoying form of advertising on the Internet. If you are just trying to make a much money as possible from your website, you could experiment with them. If you are trying to grow the traffic and generate loyal visitors, however, you probably should stay away from them. Just consider the hundreds of pop-up blockers out there: there is a reason why they are so popular. Ad networks that use pop-ups: Tribal Fusion PayPopup PopupAd Adversal 20. Audio Ads Also called PPP (Pay Per Play), this advertising method was introduce by Net Audio Ads. the concept is pretty simple: play a small audio advertising (usually 5 seconds) every time a visitor enters into your website. The user should not be able to stop it, creating a 100% conversion rate based on unique visitors. The company is still rolling tests, but some users are reporting to get from a $4 to a $6 CPM. Regardless of the pay rate, though, this is a very intrusive form of advertising, so think twice before using it. 21. Selling the Website Selling your website could be your last resource, but it has the potential to generate a big sum of money in a short period of time. Market places on online forums like DigitalPoint and Sitepoint are always active with website buyers and sellers. Keep in mind that they most used parameter to determine the value of a website is the monthly revenue that it generates, multiplied by a certain number (the multiplier can be anything from 5 to 30, depending on the expectations of the seller, on the quality of the site, on the niche and other factors). Some people also make money trading and flipping websites. They either create them from scratch or buy existing ones, and after some revamping they sell them for a profit. Related links: How To Buy A Website And Flip It For Profit How To Sell A Website – How Much Is Your Website Worth? Where to sell a website? How to go about selling it? Indirect Methods 22. Selling an Ebook Perhaps one of the oldest money making strategies on the web, using a website to promote a related ebook is a very efficient way to generate revenue. You could either structure the website around the book itself, like SEOBook.com, or launch the ebook based on the success of the website, like FreelanceSwitch did we the book How to be a Rockstar Freelancer. Related links: Writing an ebook for your blog How to sell ebooks Processing payments for your ebook How to sell digital products online List of ebook selling software 23. Selling a Hardcover Book Many authors and journalists leverage their blogs or websites to sell copies of hardcover books. Examples include Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell. While most of these people were already renowned authors before they created their website, one could also follow the other way around. Lorelle VanFossen did exactly that with her Blogging Tips book. First she built her authority on the subject via her blog, and afterwards she published the book. List of self publishing and publishing services: Lulu Self Publishing iUniverse WordClay 24. Selling Templates or WordPress Themes As more and more people decide to get an online presence, website templates and WordPress themes become hotter and hotter. On this segment you have mainstream websites like TemplateMonster, as well as individual designers who decide to promote and sell their work independently. Brian Gardner and Unique Blog Designs are two examples of websites that make money with the sales of premium and custom WordPress themes. 25. Offering Consulting and Related Services Depending on your niche, you could make money by offering consulting and related services. If you are also the author of your blog, the articles and information that you will share will build your profile and possibly certify your expertise on that niche, making it easier to gain customers. Chris Garrett used a similar strategy. First he created a highly influential blog on the blogging and new media niche, and afterwards he started offering consulting services to clients with related problems and needs. 26. Creating an Email List or Newsletter Email lists and newsletters represent one of the most powerful marketing and money making tools on the Internet. They offer incredible conversion rates, and the possibility to call people to action in a very efficient way. Creating a big list is a difficult task though, so if you have a popular website you could leverage it to increase the number of subscribers on your list. Yaro Starak is a famous Internet marketer, and if you visit his blog you will notice that right on top he has a section encouraging visitors to subscribe to his email newsletter. Yaro generates five figures in revenues each month from his email newsletters, proving that this method works. List of software to manage email newsletters: AWeber SendStudio NX PHP Autoresponder Constant Contact 27. Mentoring programs People are willing to pay for someone or something that will teach them and give them knowledge (as opposed to mere information). Education is one of the biggest industries in the world, and the online landscape behaves in a similar way. Creating a mentoring program related to the niche of your website could be very profitable if you manage to structure and promote it adequately. There is a wide range of media and tools that you can use to deliver the information, from text articles to audio and video lessons. Brian Clark leveraged the success of Copyblogger to launch a mentoring program teaching people how to build membership and how to sell content online. The program is titled Teaching Sells, and it costs $97 monthly. Sounds expensive, but they have over 1,000 members. 28. Creating a conference around the website If your website takes off and becomes an authority on its niche, you could create a conference around it. Depending on the size of your audience, the event could attract thousands of people, and you could make money directly from conference passes and sponsors. Search Engine Land, for instance, created a series of conferences that visit several cities on the United States and on other countries as well. The conferences are called Search Marketing Expo, and the tickets and passes cost thousands of dollars.

How to choose a blog name

There are three simple rules to follow when choosing a blog name: 1) It must describe your blog: it is probable that lots of people will see a link to your blog before having the chance to actually read it (in search engines, for instance). Guess what, if just by looking at the name they can figure what the blog is about they will be more likely to visit it. 2) It must be easy to remember: suppose your blog talks about cycling, fitness and health advice in general. Naming it “The Cycling, Fitness and General Health Advice Blog” would offer quite an exhaustive description of the blog, but would it also be easy to remember? Stick with simple names. 3) It must be equal to the domain name: this rule is often ignored by people, probably because finding a suitable domain that has not been registered yet is a difficult task. Still if your domain name does not match the blog name you will probably lose some readers along the way. When people visit your blog through a link they will just read the name of the blog. Should they decide to revisit the site a couple of days later they will just type that name followed by a dot com. If they do not find your blog once they hit enter they will just go somewhere else.

The Five Biggest Mistakes That Bloggers Make

Are a few silly mistakes holding back your blog? I work with a lot of bloggers, and I see some mistakes cropping up again and again. There’s so much to learn about blogging that it’s easy to get things wrong … but these mistakes can really cripple your chances of success. Mistake #1: Not Having a Clear Goal Why do you have a blog? How does it benefit you and your readers? You need to know the answer to these questions in order to have a clear goal for your blog. For instance: If your blog exists to make money, then your goal might be to reach $1,000/month through sales of a digital product. If your blog exists to establish your expertise in your niche, then your goal might be to get named on lists of “top ten” blogs. If your blog exists for you to build up a writing routine, then your goal might be to post a 500 word piece every day. None of these goals are “right” or “wrong” … but you do need to know what you’re aiming for. Fix it: Work out your main purpose for your blog. Set yourself a medium-term goal (something you could realistically achieve within a year). Mistake #2: Formatting Posts Badly I come across a lot of excellent writers who are producing blog posts that simply won’t get read. Why? Because they don’t pay any attention to formatting. It’s physically harder to read on a computer screen than on paper, and most visitors to your site will be distracted by email messages, Facebook, Twitter, Skype … you need to make their life easy. You can: Write shorter paragraphs than you normally would Use bullet-points to help break up the text and to increase the white space on the screen Use bold text to highlight key points Use subheadings to divide your post into major sections Fix it: Take a look at your most recent post. Does it look attractive and easy-to-read at a glance? If not, look for places where you can add formatting. Mistake #3: Erratic Posting Patterns If you don’t post anything for months, then start posting every day for two weeks, only to burn out and stop again … your readers are going to get fed up. There’s no rule about how often you should post … but you should try to be consistent. That means keeping the frequency of your posts roughly the same from week to week and month to month. If you do decide to make changes, phase them in gradually (and make sure you can keep up the pace). You can be a bit flexible (e.g. posting twice one week and three times the next) but you shouldn’t have long periods of no posts at all followed by a rapid-fire stream of posts; you’ll overwhelm your readers. Fix it: Come up with a blogging rhythm that works for you. Remember, quality is better than quantity! Mistake #4: Poor Editing of Posts Although most readers will be tolerant of occasional typos, constant mistakes can really damage your chances of success. If your posts are riddled with errors, or obviously dashed off at the last minute, can you really expect readers to feel confident about buying your products or services? Once you’ve finished a post: Set it aside for a few hours or even overnight. It’s easier to see errors when you can come to the post with fresh eyes. Read it through carefully: don’t rely on your spell-checker to pick up every typo. Rewrite any sentences or paragraphs that are repetitive or badly phrased. Consider asking a friend to give you some feedback before you hit “publish”. Fix it: Build editing time into your blogging schedule. That might mean writing posts a day ahead, so that you’ve got time to go through them again before publishing them. Mistake #5: No Call to Action This is probably the worst mistake I see … and sadly, it’s very common. Many bloggers just end their posts without giving the reader any clue about what to do next. The final few lines of a post is a great opportunity to encourage readers to do something (this is called a “call to action” by marketers). You could ask them to: Sign up for a mailing list Subscribe to your blog Leave a comment Buy your product Share your post on social media … or pretty much anything else that would be useful to you! Your call to action doesn’t need to be pushy or intrusive. You can simply write something like If you enjoyed reading this, click here to subscribe to my blog. That way, you’ll never miss a post! Fix it: Go back to your three most recent posts and look at the final lines. Do you have calls to action in place? If not, add something. So … it’s your turn! Are you making any of these mistakes (or have you overcome them in the past)? Can you think of any other common mistakes that harm bloggers’ chances of success? Let us know in the comments below.

HOW TO PASSWORD PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER FROM UNAUTORISED USERS

This Topic/Question was a very Big Blow on our Face {infotech}, I received a message on Facebook lately, A guy ask me a Question on How he can "Password his PC", This mail was somehow funny but i decided to write an Article on it so that i wont receive any mail similar to that again, I know most of us know how to do this but lets also consider others.
HOW TO PASSWORD PROTECT YOUR PC This is also called Window Password! Just Follow the Below Step to Learn How to on your PC. 1. Click on the Start Menu » Control Panel, then locate and click on the User Account icon.
2. Then click on Create a Password for your Account, Then enter the Password you will like to Use, Then Confirm the Password by writing it in the second Box follow by your Password Hint, Just choose anything that can make you remember the password if you forget it slightly! Then Hit the Create Password Button. INFO: » Also Follow the Same Step i.e Start Menu » Control Panel » User Account to change your Password. » You also change the Name your PC Display when Loading, Your My Document Folder and Others by clicking on the Change your Account Name and also Picture etc. Stay Tuned to Naijaloaded, I will teach you guys How to Hack & Bypass the Password Prompt Screen when you put ON any PC!

5 PROVEN WAYS TO MAKE YOUR PC RUN FASTER!

If you have a PC that Run on Window OS and its not properly maintained on a regular basis, it’s performance will tend to downgrade as time goes on. To resolve this decreased performance, visiting a computer shop isn’t the only solution. Rather, it is possible to improve your computer’s performance yourself. Here is a way to save your money and squeeze more speed out of your Windows PC. 5 HOT WAYS TO SPEED UP YOUR PC 1. Free Up Disk Space by eliminating junk files and unused programs from your computer. > Remove temporary Internet files. > Empty the Recycle Bin. > Remove Windows temporary files. > Uninstall Programs that you no longer use. 2. Always perform Hard Disk Defragmentation. > Click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > System tools > Open the Disk Defragmentor program > Click on Analyze Disk 3. Clean Up your PC Registry (Very Much Important). Cleaning up your Windows registry plays a major role in increasing the speed of your computer. Unfortunately, Windows doesn’t provide any in built tool for cleaning the registry. So, you have to use a commercial registry Cleaner like PC Health Advisor to perform this task. Every time you install/uninstall a program or make changes to your computer, a new entry is added to the registry. So, with the passage of time, a large amount of unwanted or invalid entries will get accumulated which begins to clog your registry. This will result in decreased performance of your PC causing error messages and system crashes. So, clean up your registry on a regular basis to keep your computer performance at it’s best. You can download PC Health Advisor from the following link: Here 4. Remove Unwanted Programs from the Start-Up Let me Explain this: When you Put ON your PC, Some Important Software will Automatically Start Running in Background thereby making your PC Slow when Booting up, Take this Step and make your PC Boot Faster.. Follow this Step: > Type msconfig in Run dialog box and hit Enter. > Now in the System Configuration window, goto Startup tab > Uncheck unwanted programs that you wish to remove from the start-up programs Still dont Understand Step 4? Check HERE for the Full Tutorial about Step 4. 5. Scan for Malware programs like viruses and spyware The presence of virus and spyware programs can bring down the performance of your computer down to it’s knees. So install a good antivirus software and keep it updated so as to stay away from malware programs.

TURN YOU PC INTO A WLAN HOTSPOT & LET OTHER DEVICE CONNECT TO YOU VIA WLAN USING CONNECTIFY

We are back again today with a wonderful Tutorials for Our Honourable Members. Recently, We published a Tutorial on "How to Browse with upto 5 Devices over Wlan using the New MTN MiFi", Though many Students and other People love the Concept of the Device from MTN but they can't afford it as at now, It cost N25,000. Now you dont have to Spend any Cash and you need no External Device before you can Enjoy that same Features, You can make your Laptop become Wi-Fi Hotspot where other devices can connect to. e.g Maybe you have a Laptop and you are Subscirbed to the Internet using Glo Modem, You can ON your PC Wlan and other Device can connect and also Browse the Internet using the Same Internet Connection with your Laptop. So, if you have a Laptop, iPad, Mobile Phone and Other Device, No need to Subscribe on all of this Device differently, You can just Subscribed to the Internet to your Laptop Connection and you can Share the Connection to your ipad and other Device even to your Room Mates at School and Office. => Connectify is an easy to use software router for Windows computers. Connectify utilizes your computers' built in Wi-Fi card to wirelessly share any available Internet connection, it maybe Connectio from a USB Modem, Cable modem, a Cellular card, or even another Wi-Fi network so that other Wi-Fi enabled devices including laptops, smart phones, music players, and gaming systems can see and join your Connectify hotspot just like any other Wi-Fi access point and are kept safe and secure by password-protected WPA2 Encryption. NOTE: You can Make Money sharing your Internet Connection with People who Need them! You act as a Wifi Hotspot! HOW CAN I GET STARTED WITH CONNECTIFY 1. Download the Connectify Installer.
2. Launch the Connectify Installer that you’ve just downloaded, by double-clicking the installer’s .exe icon. Click ‘Run’ if Windows asks ‘Do you want to run this file?’ and ‘Yes’ when the Windows User Account Controls menu asks ‘Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer.’ 3. Simply press ‘I Agree’ on the Connectify installer’s License page to install Connectify. Upon completion, Connectify will be running in your system tray down by the clock.
4. Open Connectify and Setup anything you want to, Leave it if you dont Understand it, Take time to Navigate through the Software and you will definitely Enjoy it. :- Hostspot Name: You can change the Hotspot Name to show your own Name, This is the Name that will show when people search for Wireless. :- Password: You can Assign your Own Password so that anyone connecting to you can be verified especially if you are charging for a fee. :- Internet: This is a drop-down option, You can change it at anytime, If you are Browsing with your MTN Network and you want to share it, then change it to MTN, if its Glo, change vice versa. :- Then Start Hotspot.

DO YOU WANT TO BECOME EXPERT?

This is very Nice and Educative Tips for those who Intend to become a Computer Expert or Geeks. This Tutorial is about Getting all the Resources you will need in one place to solve almost all your Computer Problems, if any Arises. The Tips is called "God Mode" Running Windows 7 on your PC might get you confused if you are a one time Window XP Users, due to all the changes Microsoft put in the operating system. You’d want your computer to be less confusing and the Problem very easy to solve, thank you very much. Maybe this might interest you then. It’s a little secret for Windows 7 users, called “GodMode” it’s basically a folder where all system configuration shortcuts are contained. Yes, it even beats Control Panel, believe it or not. It’s a bit overwhelming to figure out. => With this Tips, I bet you will never pay any Computer Engineer when experiencing any Issues. Lets Go! HOW DO I USE GOD MODE ON MY WINDOW 7 1. Right click on your Desktop, Click on New >> Folder, name the folder GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} and click on the Enter Key. You can copy the Folder Name from here to make it easier 2. The folder Icon will change to the Control Panel icon, Open it and you should see Loads of options and config for your PC. Apparently, “GodMode” isn’t anything new though. It’s been around since Windows 95, and searching for tips.txt on Windows 95 will show you that particular trick. I like GodMode and I’m using it a lot. Happy tweaking, Windows 7 owners! Tips:- With this, I Guess you can Correct any Error or Malfunctioning Option on your PC without the Help of anyone. Goodluck!!!

HOW TO CREATE A DESKTOP SHORTCUT TO SAFELY REMOVE ALL USB REMOVEABLE DEVICE

Most time when we Insert any Removable Device through the USB Port of our PC, it is adviceable to Remove it using the System Tools or Option on the Taskbar before Removing it from the USB Port, Most people dont see this Step as something important or they Forget to do so, thats why most USB Device get Corrupts.
You can create shortcut to safely remove hardware device on you Desktop which is more visible and can be easily used to remove the hardware devices plugged to your PC. HOW TO CREATE A DESKTOP SHORTCUT TO SAFELY REMOVE PLUGGED IN HARDWARES 1. Right click on your Desktop and Click on New. 2. Now click on Shortcut option from the list. 3. In the browse location just Paste in the below code and click on Next button. 4. Now it will ask you to Name the shortcut. Name it something like Safety Remove USB and then click on the Finish button 5. There should be a shortcut icon on your Desktop just double click on it and your external media will be Removed Safely.
Tips:- This Tutorial works well on Window XP, Vista and other Version of Windows OS!

HOW TO LOCK / SECURE YOUR PC WITH A FLASH DRIVE

Yes! Now i can say my PC is 100% Secured from Intruders, Ask me Why? Because i have 5 Means of Locking my PC such that if you eventually escape 1, You can never escape the other 4 Securities. Today, We are gonna be Taking you on a Tour to Secure your PC (Home Computer) using a Pen Drive (USB / Flash Drive). This days, Computer Programmers / Manufacturers are no longer thinking of Upgrading or Providing any New Technology Stuffs for Our Home Computers. This Days, New Laptops comes with different Security Means ranging from Fingerprint Readers, Eye Scanners, Face Recognition etc but our Home Computer are left alone with just Windows Password which is now very much easy to H*ack or Bypass with little H*acking Knowledge. Now, Naijaloaded has worked on some Features for Desktop Computers whereby you can use your USB Flash Drives to enhance your PC Security. Now you can lock your Computer easily and Put your mind at rest anywhere you are. Using this Trick you will be able to lock your computer with a USB Flash. The computer will work only when the Flash is plugged in to your PC. Once the Flash is removed, the keyboard and mouse will automatically get disabled and your PC screen will become dark. Also your computer will get locked automatically. To unlock the computer you will need to insert the USB Flash Drive to your PC again. >> This trick works on all versions of Windows both windows 32 and 64 bit. FOLLOW THIS SIMPLE STEPS TO LOCK YOUR COMPUTER WITH A USB FLASH DRIVE 1. We are gonna be making use of a Software called "Predator", You can download the Predator Software with any of the Link below depending on your Window Bit. 32 Bit Here || 64 Bit Here 2. Predator will get launched automatically after completing the installation, if not you can run it from Start Menu or on the PC Desktop. 3. Now Insert your USB Flash. You will get a message to define your new password (This process will not affect your Flash Drive or your Stored Files in anyway). 4. Click on Ok button and Enter your New Password in the next dialog box. 5. Check that the drive letter displayed under “USB key drive” actually matches your flash drive or choose the correct letter from the dropdown list. 6. Finally, click on the Create Key button and then on OK button. After this the software will automatically exit. 7. Now restart the program by double clicking on the Predator icon on your PC desktop. Predator will take few seconds for initialization. Once the icon in the Taskbar turns green then your software has initialized itself and can start working.. >> Remove the Flash & It will become Locked, Insert it again and you are ON Track again. || This Tips has been confirmed on all Desktop & Laptop PC.

HOW TO USE TRIAL VERSION OF ANY SOFTWARE FOR LIFE + HOW TO UNINSTALL ANY SOFTWARE FULLY

This Tutorial has got many Branches, but no matter how short we make it, Some Geeky Pals will surely use the software to the Fullest... So if you are an average computer user, I will advice you to sit down with this Software on your PC, You will enjoy it. Today, We gonna be talking about "Absolute Uninstaller" for PC, This Software allow you to Make Use of Trial Version Software on your PC over and over again! I Guess by now you should be smiiling... >> All Software developers allow you to make use of their Trial Version Software once on your PC, and when it eventually Expire, You are only allow to Buy the Full Version, else you can never make use of the Software again on your PC except you Format your PC.. Most of us will just Uninstall the Software from our PC using the Remove Tools in our PC Control Panel, by doing this even if we Re-Install the Software again to continue using it, It is Impossible because some Traces of the Software and Entries has been Registered to our PC and it will always see the Software as a Trial Version that has Expired. With Absolute Uninstaller, You can Uninstall any Software from your PC after the Trial Period and can Re-Install it again, why because Absolute Uninstaller will delete all the Entries created by the Trial Software and anything else needed for your PC to detect it has been Installed before. This Can be done by Opening your Absolute Unininstaller App, Locate the Software you want to Uninstall from the List of Installed App, Click on it and click on the "Uninstall this Program" Option, then "Remove Entry" Option at the Top of the Window. >> This Software help me Resolve my long time Internet Download Manager {IDM} Wrong Reg Key Problem, I Used a Wrong Reg Key and ever since then, i have been unable to Use IDM again on my PC, With this Software, I uninstalled IDM and Re-Installed it again, Now its working perfectly. Now you can Enjoy all Trial Version of any Software for Life on your PC, No need to think or Panic again about it Expiring...
Download Absolute Uninstaller HERE :::. Naijaloaded, Always Ahead of Others .::: >> Need More Tips on How to Use Trial Version of any Software for Life? Click Here

HOW TO STOP YOUR MTN 10MB FROM EXPIRING THE SECOND DAY!!

Am Very Happy to Have Gotten a Simple tweak/Scope Like this on this our stubborn naija Network..=>MTN this tweak rocks well...my 2go friends can testify to it! I used it... I subscribed to the MTN 10MB DATA PLAN BY 19:36 and u all knw that it will expire by exactly 19:36 on d second day whether i finish it or not...But could you believe the MB no gree expire and am having 4MB left unused because i dnt av time to use it....i used a simple tweak before subscribing...wanna know the tweak?? NAIJALOADITES ABEG LETS ROLL.. BUY MTN #100 Recharge card...dnt l0ad it yet.. Change d date 0f ur ph0ne to 2days ahead of the real day..for example today is 23-04-2012 change the date to 25-04-2012 and change ur time to 11:59am or 23:59 ... Then l0ad the card and start and subscribe to the 10MB By sending 104 to 131 or dial *123*4*1*1# u'll be given ur 10mb Asap! And ur money wil be taken... =>THE GOOD THING IN THIS TWEAK IS THAT IF U ARE UNABLE TO USE UR MB BEFORE THE TIME IN D SECOND DAY,,DONT WORI IT WONT EXPIRE... YOU CAN ALSO DO IT FOR OTHER DATA PLANS BT MAKE SURE YOU CHANGE THE DATE TO 2DAYS AHEAD THE DAY THE PLAN SHOULD EXPIRE... NA SIMPLE DATE MAKE MTN FALL LIKE THIS??? Abeg make we flex jare

Brand New Etisalat Tweak for Opera. Feel it

Latest Tweak for Opera Users, Etisalat is Back and Better with Superfast Tweak using Etisalat Default Settings. NB: This Tweak works even if you have or dont have Credit on your Phone, Your Money wont be deducted. Use Etisalat Default Settings, Then Put the Below Tweak into your Opera and Feel the speed. HTTP Server:- http://82.145.210.160/ Socket Server:- socket://server4.operamini.net => Choose HTTP as your Proxy. Proxy Server:- www.etisalat.com.ng OR 10.71.170.30 Then Start Rocking.. Pls dont Forget to click on the LIKE Button.

Unlock BlackBerry by Code for Free

For a limited time we are giving you the opportunity to unlock your BlackBerry mobile phone absolutely FREE! There's no catch, no signup and no payment required. Simply follow the instructions below to get a free unlock code for your BlackBerry mobile phone! 1. Only one free BlackBerry unlock code request per email.. 2. Select your BlackBerry phone model from dropdown the list below and click on the NEXT button.. 3. Complete the online request process.. 4. In approximately 14 days we will send you a free BlackBerry unlock code along with full, detailed unlock code entry instructions.. We expect a very high demand, so please allow approximately 14 days for delivery of your free BlackBerry unlock code. If you require a faster service, you can purchase an unlock code for your BlackBerry mobile phone for only £3.99 with delivery guaranteed in less than 24 hours from HERE! Step 1 Select Your BlackBerry Mobile Phone Model Below:

Is Obama the Antichrist?


More than one Christian friend has suggested to me, in all seriousness, that President Obama is the Antichrist. I haven’t taken such suggestions too seriously, but recently a video has shown up on Youtube that seems to claim that Jesus identified Obama as the Antichrist. Some Christians have been startled by this (and the video is wildly popular) and believe that the evidence is compelling. The video is found here.

The anonymous narrator introduces his provocative four-minute video by asking if Jesus identified the name of the Antichrist, then says, “I will report the facts; you can decide” (reminiscent of Greta Van Susteren’s tagline on her show on Fox News). The narrator then notes that in Luke 10.18, Jesus says, “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan falling from the heavens.”

He then begins to link several hypotheses together. First, he claims that Luke 10.18 was written originally in Greek, but that Jesus spoke these words in Aramaic, “which is the most ancient form of Hebrew.” Second, he observes that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and claims that the Aramaic that Jesus spoke would have been quite similar to the Hebrew that is spoken today and, presumably, similar to the Hebrew of the Old Testament. Third, he then says that Jesus spoke these words in Hebrew, and retranslates the text as follows: “I saw Satan falling as lightning from the heights, or from the heavens.” Fourth, he discusses the Hebrew words for ‘lightning’ and ‘heights.’ He notes that the word for ‘lightning’ is baraq. Fifth, he claims that Isaiah is the source of the Christian understanding of Satan or ‘Lucifer’ (Isa 14.12 in the KJV). Sixth, Isa 14.14 has Satan say, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Seventh, the Hebrew word in Isa 14.14 for ‘heights’ is bamaw, and this is surely what ‘heavens’ means in Luke 10.18. Eighth, the Hebrew letter waw is sometimes transliterated as a u or o. Ninth, the waw is used in Hebrew as a conjunction. Tenth, in Hebrew poetry baraq obamah literally is translated “lightning and the heights” or “lightning from the heights.” Eleventh, if Jesus’ words in Luke 10.18 were spoken in Hebrew by a Jewish Rabbi today he would say, “And I saw Satan as baraq ubamah.” He concludes his narration by asking, “Did Jesus reveal the name of the Antichrist? I report; you decide.” There is a disclaimer at the end of the video that simply says the correlation is striking, but not that the narrator is claiming that the President is the Antichrist.

This video was followed up by another by the same narrator. You can see it here.

It essentially argues the same point, but changes a couple of points (without warrant).

What can we say about these videos and the linguistic argument used? Of the eleven points noted above, the fourth and eighth are the only ones that are indisputable: the Hebrew word for lightning is baraq; and the waw is sometimes transliterated as a u or o. The seventh point comes close to being correct: the Hebrew word for height is bamah, but the plural is used in Isa 14.14, bamot (pronounced baw-moat). As for the rest of the points, some are debatable, while others are factually wrong. Taking them in order: (1) It is debatable whether Jesus spoke most of the time in Aramaic; he may have done much of his teaching in Greek. It is also not true that Aramaic is the oldest form of Hebrew. (2) and (3) A sleight of hand has occurred here: First, it is claimed that Jesus spoke in Aramaic, but then it is claimed that he spoke in Hebrew. Which is it? Although the characters for both languages are the same, the vocabulary has some key differences, especially in vowel points but also often in the very consonants used. (5) and (6) Is Isaiah really the source for the Christian view of Satan? It may contribute to our understanding, but even that is disputed. The one passage that may speak about Satan is indeed Isa 14. But part of the reason for this being so interpreted is due to the influence of the KJV. At v. 12 the King James says, “O Lucifer, son of the morning!” The word lucifer, however, is simply a transliteration of the Latin Vulgate at this point. It is not another name for Satan. The Hebrew word, helel means ‘morning star’ or ‘shining one.’ Most modern translations (the NKJV is the only exception I found of the translations I checked) do not translate helel as Lucifer; rather they have ‘shining one,’ ‘day star,’ ‘morning star,’ etc. (cf., e.g., NET, ASV, RSV, NRSV, ESV, TEV, REB, NIV, TNIV, NAB, NJB, HCSB). Of course, there are still excellent scholars who believe that Isa 14 is ultimately a reference to Satan, though in the historical context it was directed at the Babylonian king. (9) This is true, but irrelevant. To have the idea of ‘lightning from the heights’ would normally require a preposition, not a conjunction (see next point). (10) It seems to be an illegitimate leap to say ‘lightning and the heights’ means the same thing as ‘lightning from the heights.’ Indeed, there is a perfectly good Hebrew word that means ‘from’: min. But that would produce baraq min-bamot. It’s getting more difficult to see the validity of the narrator’s linguistic points. (11) When all is said and done, the evidence is simply bogus. Jesus didn’t speak in Hebrew, and the Hebrew that is given here does not mean ‘lightning from the heights.’ Baraq ubamah means ‘lightning and height.’ But that can hardly be the underlying Aramaic (which is not Hebrew) for the Greek text of Luke 10.18. Thus, a linguistic leap from Greek to Aramaic to Hebrew, with the grammar and vocabulary changing along the way, is required to make Luke 10.18 mean what the narrator wants it to mean. This is hardly a case of “I report; you decide.” It is rather a case of “I’ll tell you only part of the evidence, and will use some fancy exegetical gymnastics to make everything fit; and based on the skewered evidence, you decide.”

Wednesday 25 April 2012

United States-based Nigerian lecturer sues CBN governor for plagiarism

A United States-based Nigerian lecturer has sued the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Lamido Sanusi, for allegedly plagiarising his works. The plaintiff, Prof. Victor Dike, of the School of Engineering and Technology, National University of Sacramento, California, said Sanusi breached his intellectual property rights without proper reference and citation in accordance with Copyright Acts in two separate convocation lectures he (Sanusi) presented. The suit was filed on behalf of Dike by Mr. E. U. Chinedum at a Federal High Court, Abuja. The matter concerns contents of various articles written and published by the plaintiff, including ‘Review of the challenges facing the Nigerian economy: (Is national development possible without technological capability?), published in the Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (Volume 12). Other materials involved in the matter are an article titled ‘Nigeria: Reform efforts and the unresolved socio-economic problems’, adapted from chapter nine of the book ‘Democracy and political life in Nigeria (2nd edition), as well as a write up titled ‘Nigeria’s bad governance and weak institution: Is the 2020 project achievable?’ Another article involved in the case is a work titled: ‘The state of education in Nigeria and the health of the nation’, published by the NESG Economic Indicators, vol. 8, No. 1, January-March 2002. Dike, in his statement of claim, informed the court that he was the original author of the articles. He alleged that Sanusi, in a public lecture delivered at the 8th Convocation Ceremony of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, on November 26, 2010, titled ‘Growth prospects for the Nigerian economy’ used (copied verbatim and pasted) from the his (plaintiff’s) ‘academic articles without referring to him (plaintiff) as the original author of the works. The plaintiff averred that in yet another public lecture delivered at the Convocation Square, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, on December 10, 2010, titled ‘Global financial meltdown and the reforms in the Nigerian banking sector’, Sanusi also “copiously used (copied verbatim and pasted) articles originally written and published by the plaintiff without acknowledging the plaintiff as the author of the works from where he sourced the materials that made up his lecture”. Dike added, “These articles have been published by the plaintiff and also variously cited by plethora of other writers, therefore the copyrights thereof belongs to the plaintiff”. The plaintiff further informed the court that on discovering Sanusi’s actions, he promptly wrote him, reminding him of the breach of his copy rights. However, according to the plaintiff, Sanusi replied to say that he (Dike) was properly acknowledged and referred him to where he acknowledged only one article by one “Victor E.D”. The plaintiff is asking the court to order Sanusi to pay him N15m, covering compensation (N10m), and the fees charged by his counsel (N2m), cost of traveling to Nigeria (N1m), hotel accommodation, transport and other logistics (N1.5m). After hearing an exparte motion by the plaintiff on Monday, Justice Adamu Bello granted an order for substituted service of the process on the CBN governor. The case was adjourned till May 31 for mention. Reacting to the development, the spokesperson for the CBN, Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor, said the suit against Sanusi was a mere distraction. He said, “We are here at the World Bank meeting in Washington DC with the governor and somebody called me on this, but I haven’t heard anything like that. I have asked my people to find out because there is a whole lot of distraction going on. “However, just think about it; what is he (Sanusi) gaining from plagiarizing? They are trying to distract the man from his work.”

Ugandan Female Activists Strip Naked To Protest Police Groping Of Female Politician

About six Ugandan female opposition activists stripped their clothes and took to the streets of Kampala, Uganda to protest the alleged sexual harassment of one of their own, on Friday. The female leaders want the police officer responsible for pinching the breast of their leader, head of the opposition forum for democratic change women's league, Ingrid Turinawe, to be arrested for sexual harassment, even as police maintain that the officer in question was a fellow woman and not a man. We have the footage of the assault and the resulting protests that has seen women in Kampala up in arms.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: ‘How Don Jazzy betrayed me’ – D’banj

There’s an important person in that building, right?’ the cab driver asked. ‘Important musician?’ I nodded, too tired to let any curious driver drag me into a conversation. He got the message and left me alone the entire drive from Canary Wharf to the London Marriot Hotel, in Grosvenor Square. Then, as I got down to get my suitcase from the trunk, he gave me a knowing look, smiled, and said ‘are you the musician?’ ‘Of course not’, I said to him, smiling this time. ‘The musician is in Canary Wharf, his name is D’banj’. Silence. Confused look. ‘D’banj?’ Yes, D’banj. He’s big in Africa. You know ‘Oliver Twist?’ Silence again, then as his final ‘no’ came, I said ‘Google him.’ It was 4am on Saturday, April 21. I arrived in London eight hours earlier, and had spent almost all of that time chatting with D’banj, in his first interview with a Nigerian newspaper in a long time, and his first interview on the Mo’Hits brouhaha. London is D’banj’s town. He’s performed there over and over, his single ‘Oliver Twist’ is on the A-list at Choice FM, and enjoys heavy rotation on other stations. A day before I came, he spent hours doing interviews at the Universal offices in Kensington. Some might hail D’banj as the man championing the gospel of ‘Afrobeats’ across the world. But, just like the cab driver, London does not yet know D’banj. As we walk into the Choice FM building in the afternoon on Saturday, there are no heads turning or fans gazing. In fact, his lawyer, Elias, who wore a pair of loud snakeskin boots, attracted more attention than D’banj. Who leaves a zone where they’re comfortable and celebrated; where they’re established and successful, for a place where no one seems to give the slightest care? D’banj, that’s who. The 31 year-old entertainer has spent nearly two years building structures he hopes will help take his music to new markets in Europe, and especially America. This move, he believes, cost him his friendship and business relationship with his long time partner Don Jazzy. ‘I’m a risk taker’, he says. ‘Life is all about risks. But you must never endanger yourself. I don’t endanger myself, which is why, even though I’m here, I’m still in Nigeria all the time, performing’. With incredible energy, and the kind of passion that endeared everyone to him when he first moved back to Nigeria in 2005, D’banj says his deal with Kanye West is a case of ‘preparation meets opportunity’. ‘I pulled up with my entourage at the Emirates first class lounge in Dubai. We were returning from Scott Tommey’s birthday. I came down with Bankuli, my P.A. Chuchu, and my business manager Chidi. My entourage was large and I was looking fly. One of the hostesses ran to me with a Kanye West placard. I said I’m not Kanye o – then I told my guys ‘Kanye is around so no dulling.’ Chuchu and Bankuli spotted Kanye walking in to check in. They went to him and he said we could come over’. ‘As they came, I had my iPad with me, and my headphones. First thing Kanye said was ‘I like your T-shirt’. I wore a Zara T-shirt and a D&G ring. He liked my appearance and said he’d give me 5 minutes. I told him ‘I played with you in Nigeria during NB PLC Star Megajam. I’ve done a song with Snoop and we’re going to shoot the video now. I’d like to play you my songs.’ I played Oliver, Scapegoat, and Fall in love. He was dancing. He removed the headphones and said ‘I don’t mean to sound rude, but if anyone has to bring you out in the states, it has to be me, not Snoop. He asked when I was going to be in the US, and I told him I was going there that day. Then he asked who my producer was, and I said Don Jazzy. He said ‘come with him.’ Three months later, D’banj, Don Jazzy and their crew were in New York, where, according to D’banj, it took almost forever before they could establish contact with Kanye. ‘It was only an email address he gave us at the airport. So when we got to NY, we sent several emails but got no response. Not a single one.’ ‘Then we met someone that knew someone that knew another someone and we got another email address. We sent several messages again, no response. Then Bankuli sent a final one saying, ‘we have been in New York for some time and sent several emails. We have waited long enough and are now on our way to do the Snoop Dogg video’ And then the reply came. ‘Sorry to have overlooked your earlier emails. Mr. Kanye would like to meet with you tomorrow.’ ‘We didn’t believe it. Don Jazzy, who had been reluctant all along, still did not believe it. Even when we got there (Wyclef’s studio) the next day, he stood outside. When Kanye came I went to call him ‘Oya come now, come play am the music now’. It was difficult to believe it was real and it was happening. Then when Kanye came in, with the GOOD music acts, I was like, ‘wow’. From there everything happened fast. Next they were meeting Jay Z, making a presentation to LA Reid (At Electric studios), and discussing contracts. But while the label offered him a traditional recording contract, D’banj opted for a joint venture agreement structured to guarantee three things: retaining full control of his materials in Africa, signing Don Jazzy on board (on behalf on Mohits USA), and, he says, bringing the Universal/Def Jam imprint to Africa. ‘I’ve always thought of how I can be a useful vessel to the industry. A friend and colleague always says to me: ‘D’banj, you’re the Jesus Christ of the industry.’ So having ran Mohits for nine years, I already had plans of how we could blow Mohits up. I had plans of expanding, and most especially, bringing hope to that 11 year-old kid somewhere in Africa who may never have had the opportunity to get signed to major labels’. ‘So it was not really just about me. There’s a big market in Africa. I said to them, ‘I’ve sold millions of records in Africa, we’ve done millions of hits with CRBT, and I’ve run the most successful label on the continent. You take care of the US, but let me take you to Africa.‘ And I’m happy to tell you that we’re doing that. D’banj’s album will be the first under Universal/Def Jam Africa, and we’re already putting all the structures in place’. ‘I’m a businessman.’ I learnt from my mom, who’s a very successful businesswoman. So having run and funded Mohits for nine years, I knew we had to move to the next level. And everything we wanted was happening. Finally we could take African music to the world.’ Just like the lyrics of the song, D’banj was an Oliver Twist. Here’s a guy who had conquered a continent; was sitting on the top three list, and making more money than anyone else in his category. D’banj was a big player in Nigeria, where there are over 150 million people; a big player in Africa, with over 850 million people. But he wanted to play big globally, with 7 billion people to grab from. And that’s where the problem started. ‘Don Jazzy was no longer comfortable. You know, we were like fishes out of water, in this new system, starting all over again, like when we returned home in 2004. I got him a place in the US, set up a studio there, just so he’d be comfortable and be able to work without going to hang around the studios. In one year Jazzy did not make a song. I said, maybe you want to go back to Lagos, you’ll get inspiration there?’ I was all about the work, I wanted us to make this happen, so we can bridge that gap and create a path for Africa. But Jazzy wanted us to go back home. And I understand. He’s my friend, my brother’. ‘But I never expected him to do what he did.’ He said to me in July last year ‘Let’s scatter Mohits. He told me there are two captains – two captains cannot be in a ship. I was like ‘that’s not possible, this is a marriage’. He said ‘then this marriage is no longer working’. I said then let’s go for counseling; I asked, so what happens to our children?’ Don Jazzy wanted Mohits, D’banj says. And that happened on April 16, 2012 – after months of a bitter feud, characterized by accusations and counter accusations, widespread speculation, leaked emails and failed reconciliation attempts. ‘You can see he has signed already’, he said, showing the agreement with Don Jazzy’s signature. ‘I have full rights to my catalogue and full ownership of my Koko Holdings, while he has full ownership of Mo’Hits, including the artistes and liabilities.’ Already judged guilty in the court of public opinion, and publicly disowned by his own boys Wande Coal and Dr SID, D’banj says he’s sad, but not bitter. Does he feel kind of lonely, alone in the cold? ‘Asking me if I’m lonely because Wande or Jazzy has left me is like asking my first sister if she’s lonely now – she has two kids now, lives in Canada. Don Jazzy is still my brother – we just had to move on. We’ll still work together in future, same with my boys. In fact, just this week, he sent me the remix to Oliver Twist that we’re releasing in the UK on May 14. All the interviews I’ve had here, I kept hyping him. It’s already in my system – you know me, I’m a one-way soldier. Jazzy is a very quiet person. Loyalty is key. My loyalty still lies in the friendship I had with him. He was cheated by JJC, and I was present. I swore never to cheat him. But I’d like to think our visions became different. ‘It was clear when we met that Jazzy wanted to be the biggest producer, I wanted to be the biggest African entertainer, not the biggest singer. I had my mind on money. In order to say I’m the biggest, I had to be the richest. So for a very long time, he was on the back end. He respected my act, I respected his music judgment. Every meeting that brought us money I went for. I’d say I need to confirm from Don Jazzy because that was the agreement, even though I knew it was my decision. First Glo deal was $500,000. That Landcruiser jeep was because of my demands. It was because of the skill and exposure that I used to bargain. I’m a businessman’ ‘People say I’m less talented, I was known as a jester in the JJC squad. I’d make everyone happy and play the mouth organ, but I knew what I wanted. I decided to give Don Jazzy power in 2007 when we realized that after four years, they did not recognize us as a record label. We had signed artistes and done all this work. So we restructured, and restrategized. So I told him to chill, so he can be more respected and be the don. I’m older than him by one year, yet I respected him like a don. I remember when he came out at Ali Baba show, I knelt down for him, so people would say he’s the baba. All the talking in my ears and all, it was an arrangement. All the Soundcity advert and all, he did not tell me anything. It was all an arrangement.’ With his UK publicist Vanessa Amadi taking notes nearby, his manager Bankulli interjecting every now and then, and several legal documents surrounding us, D’banj spoke passionately of his former partner in the same way a man might go on about a cherished and respected, but estranged, lover. He’s on his sixth cigarette, and thinks the room is stuffy, even though no one complains. So he opens the sliding glass for ventilation. ‘Jazzy did his part’, he says, sitting down again and looking me in the face. ‘He made the music for nine years. But nothing stops him from making for twenty more years. We could have changed the formula. Why didn’t he want to change the formula? It was time to expand the business, Mohits was Motown reloaded. We always knew we would expand, he always said I had more swagger than anyone else he knows, And I know he’s one of the best producers in the world; we wanted to make Mohits the biggest in Africa. Other labels were springing up. So if we could conquer America, London when no one had done it before. Most of our people stop in Germany, or Paris. But this is America, this is the big league; it makes us the strongest, the biggest. We had already made the money. And who best to introduce me to the rest of the world? Kanye did not want to change anything about my music, my style of dressing, or my brand. It is God’s favour. But Jazzy was and is very scared. Something had worked for eight years, so he wanted to maintain the status quo. People are afraid to try new things.’ ‘But’, he tells me, still maintaining eye contact while lighting another cigarette, ‘I’m not afraid. I’m a vessel that God is trying to use to help the industry. I’m a bridge. Once in a few years, one artiste comes from the UK to run the world, none has come from Africa. Fela was the closest. It’s been my own dream; I made my name from Nigeria, unlike Seal, Wale, and Tinie Tempah. And I want to bring Universal, Def Jam and all to Nigeria. So if I can build that bridge, then we’re good, because it will give hope to the boys in Asaba, in Oshogbo that this thing is possible.’ The day after our Canary Wharf interview, we meet up at Highbury Islington, where he’s shooting a documentary and the promo for the Oliver Twist competition for the UK. D’banj’s new crew: Semtex (a white A&R rep from the label), Bankuli and Vanessa, are on the ground, working with the production team. ‘This is why we’re here o. This is the work’, he says as he invites me into the dressing room. ‘And when people say why am I not talking, this is why. I’m focused on making this happen. It’s more important for me to make sure I don’t disappoint all those who have invested in me; all those who believe in me and are supporting the movement, than to be fighting over who’s right or wrong. Even now that I’m talking to you, I don’t even know if I should be doing this interview.’ It’s very unexpected that D’banj – the super aggresive D’banj – is speaking in this manner. He has fought many battles, cut off many former friend-associates, ignored the Nigerian media, and reportedly humiliated several Mo’hits members, including Ikechukwu and Dr SID. Temperamental, often impatient, and vocal, those who know him will tell you the D’banj they know, is not the one that’s speaking. So I ask: The perception is that you’ve become arrogant, unreachable, proud. You’re not the D’banj we used to know; not the D’banj I used to know – and most people in the media will say this is true Obviously people will say stuff – but this is me. I can’t keep up with everyone, no matter how much I try. But I understand where I’m coming from. I cant forget my roots – all the interviews I had yesterday, I was ‘bigging up’ DJ Abass, he gave me my first show in London. You saw me giving Jazzy props in my interview earlier. That’s me. If I was arrogant I wouldn’t have been the one even chasing Jazzy around since he told me last July that he wanted to scatter Mohits. Last time I saw him was on February 19 at Irving Plaza. He didn’t support the show, and he only came on stage when SID and Wande were performing. I wanted peace. And even my mom, who had supported us from beginning, who gave us the house we stayed in (in Michael Otedola estate, Lagos), the Previa bus we used and paid for Tongolo video, spoke to his parents last December; ‘this is what your son said o’. I remember my mom saying to me, ‘if you guys have been together all these years, and no wahala, then if you need to part, I hope there’ll be no wahala.’ She was very particular about that. I had enough proof to have come out and speak; this thing has been on for a long time, and we’re in April now. But I don’t want to cause any wahala. I don’t want to spoil anything. I don’t want trouble. Right now, I just want to be able to move on and do my business.’ That’s surprising, because when the leaked emails emerged, revealing private email conversations between the estranged partners, all fingers pointed at D’banj. Don Jazzy, a likeable celeb and social media addict, didn’t have anything to prove. D’banj was the one who looked bad, and, understandably, would want to make a move that could earn him public sympathy. ‘The signing (away of my shares in Mohits) was already being discussed before April 16. If I kept quiet from January till now, what would it benefit me to leak anything? Remember all the stuff about my password and all? We know where that was from, I really wouldn’t want to think it was from him, my brother, but it could be from anywhere, but I don’t want to call anyone’s name’ But were the emails forged? Everything in those emails were facts. And I don’t even think the mails favoured me in any way. It’s not the exact mails that were sent and signed, but there were elements of truth in the mails that were published.’ Why did you tell Ebony you own Mohits? My mom advised me not to speak. And the interviewer took it out of context. I co-owned Mohits. We registered the business in 2004, and we owned it 50:50. So I spoke about that, but the interviewer took it wrong and the fans put pressure on them and they corrected it. How about Sahara Reporters? I never wanted to have any interview. It was on the eve of my US show. I was told I should do the interview, because they’re very troublesome. I had to do the interview for the sake of my show the next day. I was guaranteed that there’d be no politics questions. I had not been in the country. And I had been under pressure. Sadly, when that happened and I was being attacked in the media, none of my guys came out to support me. Looking at all this, what are your regrets? The truth is that if nothing went wrong, you’d have still heard all this good news and Mohits would take the glory, I didn’t come out in eight years to say anything. Everyone made their contributions. There were no issues, as long as it worked. My mistake was thinking that we were one. People don’t question their brothers and sisters. How do you feel about Wande Coal and Dr. SID taking sides with Jazzy? I won’t be too quick to judge Wande Coal. I hear it was Jazzy that tweeted those Wande tweets. I don’t know how true that is, but I know he had our social media accounts. As at a month ago, I couldn’t access any of my accounts. My password was changed on Twitter and Facebook. Then Universal intervened. I’m about to be verified on Twitter now. I’m not really a social media person, so it was Don Jazzy and some of our other guys that were running it. Wande himself knows the truth. He cannot talk to me like that. The whole Mohits knew who ran the label businesswise. They knew who to come to when they needed to get money out, after we recorded the album. Who knows the factory where Dansa was made? But you will know the marketing manager. The car he’s driving, I bought him a brand new Prado from Phyllis and Moss after he crashed the car he won from Hiphop World awards. I bought six Range Rovers last year. I bought D’Prince an LR 3 last year, he crashed it, then I bought him a Range, and it’s true that I bought two Bentleys. Because of Jazzy. But after July last year, after the issue with Jazzy, I bought myself the Aston Martin. You bought that? I thought that was a gift? I bought it. How were you able to fund all that? In the last nine years, there are a few people and corporate bodies that God has helped me build relationships with, either individuals or banks, or even corporates that are involved in the growth of the industry. I’ve enjoyed their support, and even now that we’re going global, we’re pooling the funds together from all these places. Could you possibly be Nigeria’s richest pop star? A billionaire? Vanity upon vanity. Money is material. In terms of what we’re doing, you’ll call me a Trillionaire, because this vision is too big for only me. With the help of the industry, the government, people like you Ayeni, we will not only be billionaires, but trillionaires, and not just me, but every little kid that has same talent like Beyonce, or Nicki Minaj. And with the standard of the UMG worldwide, we can pass people out from our own Universal Music Group Africa, Universal Def Jam Africa, and everyone should jump on this ship with us. It’s not the Titanic. There’s been a lot of confusion – what label exactly are you signed on? My album comes out under my label/GOOD Music/Island Def Jam. I’m funding the D’banj album, in America, through GOOD Music/Island Def Jam. GOOD Music is Kanye West who is co-executive producing with me. The deal comprises of Island Def Jam, in US. But in UK, it is under Mercury. My first single will be released in Europe on May 14. My work will be released in Africa through Universal/Def Jam. We don’t have these structures in Africa, and they’ve seen how much money they’ve lost. They’ve seen what I’ve done with Mohits. I made my pitch to them; I’ve made them realize how much they were losing in the African region. Over 150m Nigerians, over 800m Africans. 2% of that is 8.5m. They were not making anything except from S.A, which has been the US of Africa. So we will be launching this label in Ghana, in partnership with Vodafone, launching in Nigeria in partnership with MTN. Def Jam Africa will be up soon; Kenya, SA, and North Africa will follow. Why are you risking all this? What if you burn your fingers and lose everything you’ve worked for? Lose out? Well, I am happy I even have something to risk. To whom much is given, much is expected. Look at Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jay Z, Kanye West, these people take it to the max, take it to where they believe that they can push it to. In the first instance, coming back to Nigeria with Jazzy was because I was a risk taker. And I wouldn’t say I’m throwing everything away. I would say I’m putting everything back in, in order to rip into the future. I get a broadcast from Tonye Cole everyday. He says when you tell people this your vision, know that it’s not for you alone – it’s for everyone. It’s like what Fela did. If what I’m doing doesn’t work, but sows that seed that will germinate in three, five years, it means my name will be written in gold. Some people have tried this before you, unsuccessfully. Do you have doubts and fears sometimes? My last album was in July 2008 – no album in four years and I know what I still command in those four years. The momentum for me to be able to do this is because I see how much it took me, I saw the benefit, it’s God, and the favour of the relationships we’ve built. Plus, I don’t take no for an answer, I don’t take negativity. It will work in Jesus’ name. If not, I wouldn’t have landed in the UK and hear Oliver Twist on the radio. Nor would I be in the mainstream media with them saying I’m pioneering afrobeats. I said to them ‘Oh hell no, that’s Fela’s music. Fela is the legend.’ So I pray to God – I beg my fans, it‘ll be good to do half a million downloads. It’s possible, it’s a different market. Platinum in UK is 300,000. I believe with the support of my people in Redding, Coventry, Dusting, Hackney, Thamesmead, Abbeywood, we can do it.’ And so, as I say my goodbyes and flag down the cab that’ll take me to Heathrow Airport, I can’t help thinking out loud: should one man sacrifice the wishes of the collective on the altar of ambition and material wealth? But then, what should be expected of the man whose dreams and ambition grow beyond those of other – possibly myopic- members of the collective: should an individual sacrifice his personal desires; derail his destiny, so to speak, in the interest of the collective? In all of this, faithfulness and loyalty have been brutally murdered. And the jury is still out on who pulled the trigger.

Asa’s N700m lesbianism suit resumes hearing on Thursday

The on-going ‘Bukola Elemide & Another VS Dockland Communications Services’ N700m lawsuit between Nigerian soul singer Asa and weekly publication News of the People is set to resume this Thursday, April 26, 2012. On Thursday, February 23, 2012 a Lagos High Court presided by Justice A.J Coker adjourned the case to April 26 after the claimants Bukola ‘Asa’ Elemide and her manager Janet Nwose were missing in court. The 29-year-old, who was represented by her legal counsel Abraham & CO. stated that their client (Asa) was indisposed, although the defendants counsel Yinka Muyiwa opposed the claim, insisting that the singer was in France, performing. Asa had slammed the lawsuit against the Loye Hamzat-owned celebrity magazine on November 22, 2010, after they published an article portraying the musician as a homosexual. But, through its counsel, the publication says they have done no wrong, as they culled the story from an online publication. We are however unclear if Asa and her manager will attend the court hearing although she is back in the country. The singer recently performed live at the 12th edition of the African Movie Academy Awards which was held Sunday, April 22, 2012. ‘You’ll have to speak with our reps on this please’, Asa’s manager Janet Nwose replied when NET asked if Asa would attend the hearing. And when we contacted her reps at RED Media, an exec Adebola Williams, said ‘We’ll get back to you on this’. Asa’s Counsel Abraham & CO. has however assured that they will be in court even though they aren’t sure if Asa will be present.

15 Hot New Technologies That Will Change Everything

Nehalem and Swift Chips Spell the End of Stand-Alone Graphics Boards

 When AMD purchased graphics card maker ATI, most industry observers assumed that the combined company would start working on a CPU-GPU fusion. That work is further along than you may think.

What is it? While GPUs get tons of attention, discrete graphics boards are a comparative rarity among PC owners, as 75 percent of laptop users stick with good old integrated graphics, according to Mercury Research. Among the reasons: the extra cost of a discrete graphics card, the hassle of installing one, and its drain on the battery. Putting graphics functions right on the CPU eliminates all three issues.
Chip makers expect the performance of such on-die GPUs to fall somewhere between that of today's integrated graphics and stand-alone graphics boards--but eventually, experts believe, their performance could catch up and make discrete graphics obsolete. One potential idea is to devote, say, 4 cores in a 16-core CPU to graphics processing, which could make for blistering gaming experiences.

When is it coming? Intel's soon-to-come Nehalem chip includes graphics processing within the chip package, but off of the actual CPU die. AMD's Swift (aka the Shrike platform), the first product in its Fusion line, reportedly takes the same design approach, and is also currently on tap for 2009.
Putting the GPU directly on the same die as the CPU presents challenges--heat being a major one--but that doesn't mean those issues won't be worked out. Intel's two Nehalem follow-ups, Auburndale and Havendale, both slated for late 2009, may be the first chips to put a GPU and a CPU on one die, but the company isn't saying yet.