Win in Brazil on Sunday, win the Formula One title: Nico Rosberg’s task sounds simple enough but is a lot harder to achieve.The German is one step away from securing his first championship, which he will do if he wins at Interlagos regardless of where Mercedes team mate, triple champion and title rival Lewis Hamilton finishes.The odds are in Rosberg’s favour — he has won for the past two seasons from pole position in Sao Paulo whereas the anti-clockwise circuit has yet to reward Hamilton with a victory.And yet the pressure of being within touching distance of a lifelong dream can play on the mind, and increase the pressure, while the fickle Sao Paulo weather can wreak havoc with the best laid plans.Last year, Hamilton had already won the title and his focus was elsewhere. This time he comes on the back of two successive wins and, like Rosberg, seeking a hat-trick.Another win for the Briton would take the battle down to the wire at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina and, if Rosberg were to fail to score in Brazil, a potential ‘winner takes all’ scenario.”I’ll wait until the end of the year,” said Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone when asked whether he felt Rosberg looked a ‘fairly safe bet’.Rosberg will not be changing his ‘one race at a time’ approach.”There are still two races to go and anything can happen in this sport, so I need to focus my energy on the factors that I have in my control,” he said.advertisementHamilton is in unfamiliar territory, with the title outcome out of his hands even if he wins in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, but needs no reminding that it is not over until it’s over.Reliability, or lack of, can swing the momentum either way and Mercedes will be doing all they can to ensure both drivers have no mechanical issues.The memory of his first championship with McLaren in 2008, secured in Brazil with an overtake on the last corner of the last lap just when it seemed local favourite Felipe Massa had clinched the title, is always there.”It’s an unusual scenario to be in — fighting for something and not knowing for sure that what you do will guarantee you’re able to make it,” said Hamilton. “One outcome would be painful and the other would be a great achievement.”Regardless, I’m going to keep pushing. Since the beginning of my Formula One career I’ve seen that everything can change even at the very last moment, so you have to fight to the bitter end. I’ve never won in Brazil, so I go into this weekend focused on changing that.”Away from the title battle, both Mercedes drivers will have to watch out for Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.Vettel must also watch his language, after turning the air blue in Mexico with his radio rants.Massa meanwhile will soak up the atmosphere one last time, with Sunday being his home farewell before retirement from Williams.McLaren’s Jenson Button will also be making what could be his last appearance at the track where he won the 2009 championship.
Importance of balancing sports and academics: Difficult but doable
Rohan threw his school bag on his bed, freshened up and grabbed an apple, lifted his cricket kit and stormed out in a hurry. This took a total of 10minutes while his mom parked the car and was catching up with the friend next-door.”Keep drinking water, play well and come back as soon as the practice?” The elevator shut by the time she could complete her instruction. This was a daily drill for Rohan and he shook his head while battling with a series of emotions.How does Rohan feel?”My parents are great, but why do they always tell me what to do? It stresses me out.””Why does mom keep a tab on every minute of mine? She is over-scheduling me though I know that she wants me to focus on studies too.””It is like I’m never quite good enough; I can’t fully please my parents, either in sports or studies.”Rohan’s mom has her own set of thoughts:”By the time he is home, he will again be too tired to finish his homework.””What if he doesn’t turn out to be a good sports person and lags behind in studies too?””I hope he understands one day, that I am doing this for his own good!”Many children (and parents) go through similar emotional turmoil on a daily basis while trying to balance studies and sports. Chasing school project deadlines, finishing homework and keeping up with studies are the most strenuous forms of exercises that many students engage in while passionately honing their sports skills.advertisement”The mind wanders when doing essays, but if you develop a focus and use your time efficiently then it’s a very transferable skill,” says Stephen Baddley, Director of sport at the University of Bath. It had boasted 25 student competitors in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. (Trivia: If Bath University was a country, it would have ranked 11th overall in the same year).There are many research findings which highlight that children dabbling with both sports and academics are better focused, as discipline, concentration, and time-management learned through sports come handy.A research study conducted on Slovak athletes, strived to gain an understanding of the athletes’ attitudes towards education as well as perceived difficulties and supporting elements in pursuing dual career. The athletes experienced dual career as manageable as long as they were assisted, were provided with flexible arrangements and were supported by parents and peers (Geraniosova et al., 2014).Giving physical education and sports the requisite weightage in the school curriculum is not an easy task and the stakeholders (school principals, parents etc.) take time to accept sports at par with academics for their children.Often, having students involved in extracurricular activities like sports can pose a catch-22 situation as the benefits of sports for students comes with the demand for their time, thus sacrificing the time meant for “academic rituals”.Finding a balance between sports and academics is essential for the modern student, and our EduSports’ programmes and coaches, along with the teachers and parents, can play a pivotal role in providing the required support.Varsha Varman, a member of the Indian Shooting Team is gunning for the Rio Olympics, 2016 while balancing her academics at the prestigious Harvard University and she vouches that studies and sports go together for her. “I have found that I perform better when challenged to my maximum, and that comes through pushing myself in both Sports and Academics,” says Varsha. She acknowledges that her alma mater, St. Joseph’s Co-Ed School, Bhopal, played a great role in identifying her field of interest and shaping up her goals. Varsha Varman is one such emerging champion who has found her balance!How you can help students find the right balance:By introducing and implementing time-saving tips and their staunch support, parents, coaches and teachers can aid in finding the balance, not only in school and on the playing field, but in life. The following points should be noted in this regard:Help them prioritise: As with everything else in life, help the child to first make a list of her priorities. If her interest in sports is as strong as her interest in academics, then establish that she would have to give up on watching her favorite TV program and other things so that she has ample time to complete her homework and her academics do not take a backseat.For example, if there’s a test tomorrow and this afternoon’s team practice isn’t critical, that extra time can be utilised to study. However, if there’s an important athletic event the next day, studying can be postponed for the following night.advertisementHelp them in planning: Guide your child to get a grip on his time table or course schedule and help him answer the questions as he plans:How many hours will you need to finish your task?Can you catch up with studies during breaks or while travelling?Will you have enough free time to participate in other activities?There are some useful tools like a hard copy Planner or time management app to help him map out his sports and study schedule.Communicate and engage with them: While maintaining the importance of sports, help your child develop a positive attitude toward school and learning. Talking and listening play major roles in children’s school and sports success. Allow them to believe that they have a scope to commit mistakes and praise them when they deserve it; it will keep him motivated.Help your child answer questions that invariably bother him: How much is too much? Have I set high standards of achievement or am I setting unreasonable expectations?What should I enroll for and still balance academics and extra-curricular activities?Watch out for the warning signs: Sometimes balancing sports and academics becomes too difficult for the children even if they are willing to stretch themselves. Encourage them to take breaks, from both studies and sports, as it is also important for children to have unstructured time to just be kids.Remain alert and save the children from burn-outs if you come across signs such as:Sudden drop in gradesLack of motivation or poor attitude in the sportMaking excuses to skip practice or schoolPhysical illness when it’s time to participate in the sportAt their core, sports are fun for children but if the children stop having fun, it’s time to re-evaluate whether they should consider a new sport or stop altogether.Striking the right balance between academics and sports can be a thorn in the flesh and would require a team approach to achieve it. With the right help, guidance and communication from all parties involved, children can benefit from playing a sport, while still enjoying a quality academic experience by prioritising their interests and steering their lives in the right direction.If one were to tally the benefits from sports and academics, one would acquire organisational skills worthy of any professional manager through sports while academics would help in shaping up the fundamentals of one’s lifelong knowledge base.Balancing sports and academics is difficult, but it is possible. And it is totally worth it! After all, one should rather look back and say, “I can’t believe I did that” instead of saying, “I wish my life had interesting stories to tell.”Article authored by Saumil Majmudar, Co-founder and CEO, EduSports
Report: Fulham 0 Bournemouth 3
Callum Wilson struck twice as Bournemouth moved a point behind the Premier League’s top four with a thumping 3-0 win at struggling 10-man Fulham on Saturday.Wilson’s first-half penalty set up Bournemouth’s sixth league win of the season as Slavisa Jokanovic’s men suffered a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat to increase the pressure on their head coach.David Brooks scored before Ryan Fraser set up Wilson for a late third after Fulham captain Kevin McDonald was shown a second yellow card, and Bournemouth supporters can dream of Europe with Eddie Howe’s team flying high in sixth. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! The Cottagers, still in the bottom three, offered little attacking threat and remain the only team in the Premier League to have failed to keep a clean sheet this season having shipped 15 goals in their last four outings.What an afternoon #FULBOU // #afcb pic.twitter.com/Ogen5nLiVw — AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) October 27, 2018 Fulham handed Sergio Rico a Premier League debut but the goalkeeper was beaten from the penalty spot in the 14th minute.Timothy Fosu-Mensah brought down Wilson as he ran away from goal, the striker picking himself up to send Rico the wrong way from 12 yards.Referee Andre Marriner rightly deemed Aboubakar Kamara dived over Asmir Begovic’s outstretched leg before the goalkeeper parried a fierce drive from Andre Schurrle before the break.Although Fulham pushed for a leveller, Bournemouth wrapped up the points in the 72nd minute when Wilson won the ball back for Fraser, who slipped a clever ball through for Brooks to slide underneath Rico.Just 91 seconds later Fulham skipper McDonald, booked earlier for fouling Fraser, chopped Brooks down and consequently saw red.Scotland winger Fraser helped complete Fulham’s misery when he threaded a perfect pass for Wilson to blast in his fifth Premier League goal of the season.On target #FULBOU // #afcb pic.twitter.com/w6TYRbLqSV — AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) October 27, 2018 What does it mean? Jokanovic on the brink Fulham were one of the biggest spenders in the Premier League during the transfer window, but five points from 10 matches is a meagre return for an investment of around £100million. Jokanovic will have to find positive results quickly if he is to stay in his job. Cook and Lerma dominate midfield Howe’s tactics worked a treat, with Lewis Cook and Jefferson Lerma winning the midfield battle easily. Both players recorded passing accuracy rates of around 90 per cent to keep Bournemouth on the front foot and, when they did come under pressure, their defensive work was excellent.Kamara and McDonald let Fulham down Fulham are in plenty of trouble, but they could have done without Kamara attempting to win a penalty. Begovic may have left a leg out but the Frenchman threw himself to the ground with no contact whatsoever and was correctly booked by Marriner. McDonald, meanwhile, ended any hopes of a Fulham fightback by getting himself sent off and Kamara could have followed having shown his frustration by kicking the ball away when on a booking.Key Opta Facts3 – Bournemouth midfielder David Brooks has scored three goals in his last four league appearances, as many as he had in his previous 35. Emerging.— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 27, 2018- Fulham have lost four consecutive league games for the first time since August 2014, when they were in the Championship.- Bournemouth have won four of their last six matches on their travels in the Premier League (L2), as many as they had in their previous 27 away trips in the competition.- Fulham have conceded 28 goals in the Premier League this term, the joint-most after 10 games in competition history (also Barnsley in 1997-98 and Southampton in 2012-13). – Wilson has been directly involved in 10 goals in his last 11 appearances in the Premier League (six goals and four assists).What’s next? Attentions turn to the EFL Cup for both teams, with Bournemouth entertaining Championship side Norwich City on Tuesday and Fulham heading to defending champions Manchester City two days later. read more
Ronaldo becomes most followed person on Instagram
Five-time world football of the year Cristiano Ronaldo became the most following person on Instagram on Monday.The Juventus forward surpassed American actress and pop star Selena Gomez, who has held the title since 2016.Gomez, 26, overtook Ariana Grande two years ago in a list which is dominated by stateside entertainment stars. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! But Ronaldo, who at the time of writing has over 144 million followers, has cemented his status as one of the most recognisable figures on the planet.The Portugal international marked the news in relatively modest circumstances, with an image of him in the gym.The development comes just months after he swapped Real Madrid for Juventus in a deal worth €100 million (£88.93m/$114m).Ronaldo has already registered seven goals and four assists in 10 Serie A outings for a Juve side who are already six free at the top of the table.Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar is the next highest sportsperson in 10th position with 104m followers.Reality television personality Kim Kardashian, pop superstar Beyonce, actor and wrestler Dwayne Johnson, Kylie Jenner and singer Taylor Swift complete the top 10.
Australia whitewash Pakistan 3-0 in Test series
From Sherlock creator to Kirchner painting:Davos has much more
From Barun Jha Davos, Jan 16 (PTI) Flush with nearly three times of its usual population, the Swiss resort of Davos is teeming with black business suits for the WEF annual pow-wow, but still cannot dampen the spirit of skiing enthusiasts and those coming for medical tourism here. This snow-laden place on the Swiss Alps where temperature can go to as low as minus 20 degrees this season has been home to the annual talkathon of the rich and powerful from across the world for over four decades now. But it has a much older and fascinating history of its own of being a place of eminence for medical tourism as also for winter sports.Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of famous detective character, Sherlock Holmes, moved to this town along with his ailing wife that reportedly helped her live longer. With the annual 5-day WEF annual meeting 2017 beginning today, the small Alpine town is buzzing with top CEOs and others who matter in black business suits and the police and army people in orange-and-blue dress posted to provide security for such a large-scale event. Still, the streets are not totally devoid of usual skiing enthusiasts and some tourists devouring the rich history of this small Swiss town on the snow-capped Alps. Once famous for being a summer health resort, Davos has gradually emerged as a major winter sport hub on the Alps, but its biggest claim to fame for the past four decades has been World Economic Forums annual meeting every January, beginning 1971. The Geneva-based WEF is hosting its 47th annual meeting here beginning today, wherein more than 3,000 leaders from across the world, including 50 heads of government, are expected to indulge in a high-profile talk fest for five days. To cover this global elite jamboree, there are nearly 1,000 journalists and support staff as well. While such a high-profile event leads to all hotels and rental apartments being occupied, the die-hard winter sport fans still throng this place as WEF week also means relatively smaller crowds in ski areas and on mountain cableways. The only drawback for tourists is that they cannot stay within the town, which has less than 10 medium-sized hotels and about 40 small ones including nearby areas like Klosters and Dorf. Besides, the so-called WAGs (wives and girlfriends of those attending WEF meet) are also around in large numbers on ski circuits and at various tourist destinations of the town that comprises two big parallel roads and numerous connecting alleys. MORE PTI BJ ARDadvertisement
FLOTUS, face-palm among 1,000 new Merriam-Webster entries
Washington, Feb 8 (PTI) FLOTUS, face-palm, net neutrality along with terms from recent advances in science – such as CRISPR – are among over 1,000 new words added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for the first time since 2014.The new entries include borrowings from foreign languages as well as words from tech, medicine, pop culture, sports.”The work of revision is ongoing and constant; even though it seems that the latest slang gets the most attention when dictionaries issue lists of new words, the additions come from the whole range of registers and from every corner of the language,” the Merriam-Webster Dictionary said in its blog.”These are words that have demonstrated frequent and increasing use in a variety of sources, and are therefore likely to be encountered by a reader – and should be in the dictionary,” it said.In some cases, terms have been observed for years and are finally being added; in others, the fast rise and broad acceptance of a term has made for a quicker journey.Seussian relating to or suggestive of the works of Dr Seuss is now in the online dictionary, along with conlang – an invented language like Klingon – and prosopagnosia (an inability to recognise faces).New tech terms such as net neutrality, abandonware, and botnet have also been included in the list of new words.The word ghost now has a new meaning – to abruptly cut off all contact with someone, such as a former romantic partner, by no longer accepting or responding to phone calls, instant messages.advertisementSupercentenarian, EpiPen and urgent care are among the words added from the field of medicines.Prosopagnosia, sometimes called “face blindness,” is a neurological condition that has only relatively recently been the subject of study.New words from the ever-expanding vocabulary of cooking and food include arancini, EVOO and macaron, as well as sharp tools of the kitchen santoku and chefs knife.Political terms include town hall and truther as well as SCOTUS and FLOTUS.The word snollygoster – a shrewd, unprincipled person – returned to the dictionary after being dropped in 2003 because it had fallen nearly completely from use.Familiar words combine to give us metaphors or imagery like train wreck, side-eye and weak sauce.As for verbs, shotgun, walk back an opinion, throw shade, face-palm, and geek out were the new dictionary entries.All of these words have been observed, collected, and researched, with many examples in context used to write definitions that explain both basic meanings and specific usage.The verb boo-hoo added the note “especially in mocking imitation of anothers tears, complaints, unhappiness, etc” to the definition. PTI MHN SAR MHN
Murali Vijay’s third hundred in last six Tests sets the tone for India
Murali Vijay smashed his third hundred in six Tests as India reached a daunting 223/2 vs Bangladesh after opting to bat in Hyderabad.Vijay brought up his ninth hundred off 141 balls and his knock was studded with 11 boundaries and a six. He was eventually dismissed for 108 by Taijul Islam.The 32-year-old had missed out in his hometown Chennai. Vijay was forced to come down the order after a huge partnership between Lokesh Rahul and Karun Nair. The local boy was out for 29.However, in Hyderabad, Vijay made amends and shifted gears brilliantly after a testing spell from Bangladesh’s seamers on a pitch that had a fair covering of grass. India were reduced to 2/1 in the first over after Taskin Ahmed removed Lokesh Rahul in the first over of the match.But thereafter, Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara settled down to grind the Bangladesh attack. Their spinners failed to breakthrough and everytime they managed to bowl a few tight overs, Vijay would break the shackles.In one such over, Vijay took on Shakib al Hasan and hit a four and six off successive balls to push the visitors further on the backfoot.This has been a fruitful home season for Vijay. He had hammered two hundreds against England (126 in Rajkot and 136 in Mumbai). This is his third of the season.
ISL begins Premier Skills Referee Development Programme
Mumbai, Feb 27 (PTI) Premier Skills, a partnership between the British Council and the Premier League, today launched its referee development initiative, here. The initiate was launched in partnership with the Indian Super League and All India Football Federation. The training will continue until March 1. Premier Skills uses football as a tool to help develop both community coaching and English language skills. The programme trains sports coaches, referees and youth leaders to return to their own communities and enhance their existing football sessions, whilst also developing their leadership skills and a greater understanding of the role football can play in tackling other social issues, a media release said. The Premier Skills programme began in September last year as a three-year partnership between Premier Skills, AIFF and Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL), a joint venture between IMG-Reliance and Star India. The referee development programme will be conducted by Ray Olivier, Head of Professional Referee Development for the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). The 30 participants in the programme have been selected from the Maharashtra Football Association. The training will be held at Father Agnel in Vashi, it added. PTI NRB SSC SSC
Sachin Tendulkar reveals what happened on the morning he decided to retire
Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that the first thoughts of retiring from international cricket came to his mind in October 2013 during a Champions League Twenty20 match, just a month before he decided to call it quits.Tendulkar has recently joined professional networking site ‘LinkedIn’ as an ‘Influencer’, and in a write-up titled ‘My Second Innings’ posted on Thursday, he shared his experience.”It was October 2013 during one of the Champions League games in Delhi. My mornings would start with a gym workout, a routine I had been following for 24 years. But that morning in October, something had changed,” he wrote.”I realised that I had to force myself to wake up and go about my day. I knew that the gym training was a critical part of my cricket – something that had been my life for 24 years.”Yet, there was reluctance. Why?”Were these signs… signs that I should stop? Signs that the game that has been so dear to me, would no longer be a part of my daily routine?” the legendary cricketer, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, wrote.Tendulkar was part of the 2013 CLT20-winning Mumbai Indians side and played in three matches in Delhi – on October 2, October 5 and October 6 (against Rajasthan Royals in the final).After that he played in his last two Test matches in Kolkata and Mumbai in November against the West Indies in a hurriedly arranged series before walking into the sunset.Writing about the process of making the retirement decision, he wrote, “Sunil Gavaskar, one of my heroes and a former cricketer, once said that he made up his mind to quit the game when he found himself checking the clock, to see how much time there was left for the lunch and tea intervals.advertisement”Suddenly I knew exactly what he meant. My mind and my body were telling me the same thing. Maybe, it’s time to hang up my boots.”I also remembered the words of Billy Jean King, at Wimbledon a few years ago – you will know for sure when to go, it will come from inside you, don’t let the world decide when you have to retire.”But what will a sportsman do if he’s not a sportsman anymore? How do you prepare for a day when something that consumed each day of the 24 years of your life, isn’t the focus anymore?”The energising chant of ‘Sachin, Sachin’ that the crowds cheered each time I walked onto the field, was an indescribable feeling and rush. This probably won’t be heard anymore. Was I ready for that? These thoughts and a discussion with my family and closest friends helped make up my mind. My innings was indeed coming to an end,” he wrote.”The years flashed before my eyes. The victories, the losses, the celebrations, the challenges and the silences… the journey. India’s win at the World Cup in 2011 was a dream come true as was the team’s generous gesture of dedicating the cup to me. But, that chapter of my life was ending. What now, I wondered.”He said his “first innings was about chasing my dreams, the second one is about satisfaction”.
Anurag Thakur tenders unconditional apology to Supreme Court in perjury case
The Supreme Court on Monday granted relief to ex-Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur and exempted his personal appearance in the court till the next date of hearing in contempt proceedings case.Thakur today tendered an unconditional apology to the apex court in connection with his initiation of contempt proceedings case.The Supreme Court has fixed April 17 as the next date of hearing in the matter.The apex court had on January 2 had issued notice to Thakur seeking an explanation why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him.The court had sought a reply from Thakur regarding perjury charges levelled against him by the amicus curiae Gopal Subramanian.The apex court had on January 2 removed Thakur and Ajay Shirke from their respective posts of BCCI president and board secretary for their failure to bring transparency and accountability to the Indian cricket board and their non-compliance of the court’s July 18, 2016 order.On December 15, the top court had observed that Thakur prima facie appears to have committed matter of perjury in relation to demanding an intervention via a letter from the International Cricket Council (ICC) in order to sidestep the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations.The top court also asked the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) to give an undertaking to the new cricket body, Committee of Administrators (CoA), stating that it would follow and implement the Lodha Committee recommendations.A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Dipak Misra and comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and A. M. Khanwilkar, while hearing the arguments from the amicus curiae and BCCI counsel Kapil Sibbal, said that it would be only after the DDCA submits the undertaking that funds for its day to day functioning would be released.advertisementOn January 30, the apex court had appointed a new four-member BCCI panel of administrators led by Vinod Rai, along with noted historian Ramachandra Guha, managing director of IDFC Limited Vikram Limaye and former captain of the women’s cricket team Diana Edulji as other administrators.They will function as the new interim bosses of the BCCI and run the day-to-day administration of the BCCI till the Justice (retd.) R.M Lodha-led recommendations are fully implemented and elections are held.
Can you give me a few tips for building my email list?
As with most things, the art of enticing new subscribers depends a lot on the kinds of emails you send and the kind of people you’re trying to attract. Realize that by offering tons of enticements to recruit subscribers, you’re likely to get more addresses but wind up with members who may be a bit fickle. Conversely, by understating the value of your emails, or not promoting the signup link enough, your list will likely be made up of very loyal readers, you just won’t have lots of them. We call this the Inverse Loyalty Curve. Actually we just made the whole ‘Inverse Loyalty Curve’ thing up, but if we were to give it a name, Inverse Loyalty Curve would be it, and before you know it people would be blogging about ‘Inverse Loyalty Curve this’ and ‘Inverse Loyalty Curve that.’ Pretty soon there would be entire books and seminars devoted to it. But back to the matter at hand.So you want to entice people to join your list? Here are five quick tips: Why should someone sign up? Tell them. Ask yourself why someone should sign up to get your emails. Is it because they’ll get tips that can help them improve their health, or access to articles before they’re published, or alerts about the environment? And then make your case clearly to prospective subscribers. Don’t just ask them to sign up for your emails; instead, ask them to sign up for your emails to get exclusive, email-only information (or whatever the reward might be).Ask when they’re most likely to say yes. In life, timing is everything.* So make sure you ask people to join your list when they’re most likely to say yes: after they’ve just made a donation, just filled out a survey for you or when they’ve just read the most fascinating article on your website. So be sure to incorporate your ‘join now’ link and teaser into the parts of your website – and business – where people are most likely to jump at the chance. We call these open-minded moments.Make it super easy. The people who love you will be perfectly content to fill out three screens of information and take a short survey to join your list. The people who like you may not. So keep your signup process short and sweet. Minimize the clicks, and ask only for the information you truly need (if you’re not planning on using people’s birthdate information later, don’t trouble people for it). And by all means don’t mislead people into thinking the process is short and sweet only to hit them with a 20-minute routine. (You’ve seen signups that ask only for your email address followed by a ‘join’ button – but instead of joining you’re greeted by 20 more fields and a citizenship test.) Make signing up a pleasant, fast experience, and you’ll lose fewer people along the way. (This concept shows up a lot in tips for improving your website in general.)Offer something in return. It’s possible the content of your emails is reward enough. But you might also consider offering people a bit of instant gratification for joining. Remember that you can customize the thank-you screen that greets new subscribers. Get creative and make the thank-you screen itself a printable coupon to for your next event, or include a link to premium content (say, a download for 10 Ways to Manage Your Diabetes, if your organization is concerned with diabetes).Above all, keep it simple. MarketingSherpa (a great resource, if you don’t already know them) published the results of a lengthy experiment conducted by the Motley Fool in which a financial content service tested all sorts of signup elements – short teaser text versus a longer list of subscriber benefits, calling it ‘membership’ rather than simply joining a list, offering lots of content choices rather than just one, and so on – to see how it affected their new-subscriber numbers. In the end, Motley Fool found that keeping things simple worked best. (More on this “simple” idea among other email decorum notes here and again as #4 on the list of 10 Tips to Not Get Deleted.)
How to Grow Your Nonprofit Voice
Now that you know the three reasons why your nonprofit needs content marketing, how do you get started? Just like with more traditional nonprofit communications, you need to define your voice for your audience.1. Create a cohesive voice and style. If your nonprofit were a person, what kind of person would you want it to be? Funny and relatable like Mindy Kaling? Or knowledgeable and self-deprecating like Woody Allen? Define who you want to be (responsive, fun, caring, friendly, helpful, etc.) and stick to it—but be sure to evaluate your nonprofit voice and style to determine if it’s working for you. You’re not the same person you were 20 years ago, and your voice shouldn’t be, either. It’s okay to make changes to your established nonprofit voice and style, just be sure to have a good reason and to have an ear to the ground for what’s working with your supporters.2. Be the voice of the people.Communicating with your supporters is one important part of content marketing, but what about the people you help? Are you adopting their voice or letting them speak alongside you? Make a plan for how you talk about and showcase your beneficiaries.3. Grab attention with excitement or humor.Kivi Leroux Miller suggests “luring in your supporters with cheese, and then giving them the broccoli.” What’s that fun topic your supporters love? Is it your monthly happy hour, social media training classes, or a nature hike? Do your fans love humor? Talk about the fun stuff first as a way to engage with your network. Then introduce the messages you need them to know and that you think would really benefit them but might not be as much fun, such as domestic violence statistics, online privacy issues, and deforestation. For more ideas on creating your nonprofit’s content marketing plan, download the archived webinar presentation, Kick-start Your Marketing Calendar with Great Content.
Arsenal to finalise deal for Denis Suarez
Arsenal are expected to finalise the loan signing of Denis Suarez from Barcelona before Thursday’s transfer deadline after a breakthrough in talks with the Catalan club, Goal understands.Unai Emery confirmed at the start of January that the Gunners will not be making any permanent signings during the winter transfer window, but admitted that loan deals are possible. The north Londoners brought in Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Matteo Guendouzi during the summer transfer window, and are expecting an increased transfer budget this summer when their new £300 million kit deal with Adidas kicks in. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Man Utd ready to spend big on Sancho and Haaland in January Who is Marcus Thuram? Lilian’s son who is top of the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach Brazil, beware! Messi and Argentina out for revenge after Copa controversy Best player in MLS? Zlatan wasn’t even the best player in LA! Suarez, though, has been identified as a player who can compete with Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for a place on the flanks during the second half of the season, having previously worked under Emery when the two were at Sevilla in the 2014-15 season. Talks were initially at an advanced stage between the two clubs but broke down after Barcelona insisted on an obligation to buy clause being inserted in the loan agreement.However, as many expected, the deal is now close to being finalised towards the end of the transfer window with Suarez keen on joining Arsenal following a phone conversation with Emery.Raul Sanllehi, Arsenal’s head of football, has been leading negotiations for the Gunners with Barcelona, where he previously worked for nine years.Suarez’s contract expires in the summer of 2020, although reports have suggested that he has agreed to a one-year extension in order to finalise a loan spell at Emirates Stadium.
An initial €2.5m will be paid by Emery’s side with a summer purchase option expected to be in the region of €20m (£17m/$23m). Arsenal are still in the market for one more loan signing, with PSG youngster Christopher Nkunku and Inter winger Ivan Perisic both being targeted .Speaking ahead of Tuesday night’s Premier League game against Cardiff, Emery confirmed that the club were working to bring players in before deadline day .”It’s one thing the club is working on, the possibility with different players,” he told a news conference.”I don’t know exactly which players, but it’s players with the possibility to help us, who can play on the wing, right or left. I think any player who can come here and help us is good news.”[Suarez] is the same [as Perisic]. This transfer is not easy and the message is that the club are working on different players. The possibility, if it can be [done], is good for us.”I don’t know [what will happen] because this transfer window is not easy. I know the club are doing all they can to achieve one player to help us.”
How do you get your day started?
As we all know, freelancing can often feel a bit isolating. Having folks who understand the hustle and can offer solid feedback — as well as share tips, tricks, and even gigs — is one of the many benefits of Hives, our new online community.The freelance lifestyle, can be a difficult adjustment for those just starting out. Going from a 9-5 where you have to put on pants and leave your house, to a more open-ended lifestyle (pants optional) can be hard to navigate.We found this great thread from Freelance Lifestyle: Best Practices where member, and new full-time freelancer Susannah Chen was looking for some advice on making the transition to a potentially pants-free lifestyle:**How do you get your day started? **
How to build an online community on Slack
This is a post from a member of the Freelancers Union community. If you’re interested in sharing your expertise, your story, or some advice you think will help a fellow freelancer out, feel free to send your blog post to us here.Slack, commonly used as a business communication tool, has also become used by lots of independent workers to band together during the day, talk shop, and swap war stories. These communities can be great, but are sometimes hard to set up and maintain.It’s easy to create a Slack team. You can do it in five minutes from their home page. It is much harder to create a community. How do you build a community with other independent workers?Have a goal in mind at the outsetFirst, you need to figure out what the purpose is. It isn’t enough to say “I want to meet other freelancers” – the best communities emerge with some sort of intention in mind.Why are you creating a Slack team in the first place? To connect local creators? To united around a specialization? To make something more exclusive?Do you have a clear sense of what criteria others must fit to comprise a good part of the community? Have you made that clear to others when they join?If you share the community’s purpose with others, it’s more likely that you’ll find people who really identify with its purpose – and you’ll also get some valuable criteria for assessing new members.Join the Union (it’s free!)Become a memberChange the defaultsSlack has tons of defaults that you should consider changing before you let people in. Customization (especially around adding emoji) also adds personality to the community, which helps people feel more welcome and invested in it.For example, Slack creates two channels by default: #general and #random. I always archive #random, rename #general, and restrict creating new channels to admins.Why? Because you want to keep people in the same space at the outset – and creating channels is a good way to confuse newcomers, while simultaneously creating areas that are less-used. Avoid creating new channels unless there’s a clear, community-focused reason to do so.Onboarding new peopleNow that you have a community together, how do you want to grow it? Do you want to grow it at all?Being careful about this will help people feel like they’re all part of the community for the right reasons – and it’ll teach newcomers the value of the relationships that have already been built there.Most of my communities try to build consensus about who they should let in, farming decisions out to the group. And some of the best communities I’ve been in are active in their outreach to new members, checking in frequently to make sure the new member feels good about their position there.It’s not enough to just send an invite to somebody and expect them to learn the ropes. It may be confusing or daunting. They may have nowhere to introduce themselves (an #intro channel could help here).Retaining current people – and keeping them as frequent contributorsMost members of a community – on Slack, a message board, a mailing list, anywhere – lurk. Or never log in.Of your whole community, only about 10% post anything at all. And only 1% of most communities form the core of them, posting frequently and conversing with one another.What are you doing to retain the people that make your community great? Do you talk with them frequently about what they’re doing? If your community is strictly professional in nature, are you providing enough value to them over time?What are you doing to encourage lurkers to get more engaged? Do you occasionally check in with them one-on-one? Do you bring up your community with them in person? Do you tell them their ideas are valued and welcomed?Making people feel welcomed and happy keeps them from leaving. And if your biggest contributors leave, it’s much harder to have a fruitful community.There are many tactics you can follow to improve the health of your community, and it’s a continual practice you need to adhere to.Here’s one related to Slack in particular: I like to create a new channel, #meta, where people can talk about the community writ large.Once a month, take a couple of hours to talk about anything facing the community right now, giving others the opportunity to bring stuff up. That allows people to feel like they’ve been heard, which reduces the likelihood that they’ll leave.Community management requires emotional labor“But Nick, I just wanted a place for my friends to hang out!” I hear that, but people have finite attention and are usually conflict-averse.It requires emotional labor to tend after a community like this – not only in understanding the ramifications for everything Slack does, but in triaging conflicts between members, making newcomers feel welcomed, and listening to the needs of your most frequent contributors.Doing all this, you’ll come out with stronger bonds between everyone.Put another way: it’s easier to avoid doing any of this, but the faster you address things, the less likely anyone will keep their feelings bottled up. Making an online community via Slack is easy; making a great community is much harder.Have you tried making a community – on Slack or elsewhere? What’s worked for you? What hasn’t? Please reach out; I’d love to hear from you.Nick Disabato runs Draft, an interaction design consultancy. He also wrote a very small book about interaction design, Cadence & Slang, which is now in its second edition.
Two Mumbai boys to train at QPR Academy in London
Mumbai, Sep 1 (PTI) Two local boys are set to hone their football skills during their fortnight-long training stint at the QPR Academy in London.Shane Arahna, a central mid-fielder, and striker Altamash Valsangkar, who played for the winners of 8th edition of the QPR South Mumbai Junior Soccer Challenger Talent Hunt, an initiative of former Union Minister Milind Deora, are the two boys picked to leave for the UK today.As part of the championship, held in November 2016, the two youngsters were selected at a special talent hunt camp held here in January.The boys are heading to London-based football club Queens Park Rangers to train at the QPR Academy.Deora, a former Congress MP from South Mumbai, told PTI that initiatives like this help the sport to grow in the country.”The idea was to give kids in South Mumbai a platform to perform in sports. This gives an opportunity for the kids to train abroad,” said Deora.Of the two, Shane has played for the under 14 teams of Mumbai District and Maharashtra state.The QPR-South Mumbai Junior Soccer Challenger 2016, in partnership with the English Premier League Club, is touted as the largest community football event in the country.The championship attracted 6,400 children from 165 schools representing over 800 teams. Over 1,000 matches were played and 88 per cent of the participants were from municipal and government aided schools.Close to sixty children were shortlisted for a special talent hunt camp conducted by professional coaches from which the two boys were selected. PTI NRB SSR ARSadvertisement
Mahela, Sanga may be included in SLC high-powered committee
Colombo, Sept 30 (PTI) Former captains Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena in all likelihood will be drafted in the high-powered committee, formed to revive countrys cricket, which has been on a downward spiral.According to sources in the Sri Lankan sports ministry, Sangakkara and Jayawardene may join Aravinda de Silva and corporate honcho Hemaka Amarasuriya in the committee.The committee will recommend corrective measures to sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera short and long term measures. There will also be a senior sports ministry official in the committee.Amarasuriya twice headed politically appointed interim committees to run the cricket administration since the late 1990s.The move was sequel to a recent meeting of all stakeholders conducted by the ministry to check the disastrous performance of the national team.Sri Lanka team recently had been whitewashed 0-9 by Virat Kohli-led India with defeats against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.The Thilanga Sumathipala headed Sri Lanka Cricket came under severe criticism from the fans, which culminated in ugly demonstrations at grounds during the Indian series.Jayawardene had called for a overhauling of the domestic club championship where he believed there are too many mediocre sides lowering the standard of the competition. Both former greats could not be reached for comment. PTI CORR KHS KHS
PV Sindhu in this cold-shoulder dress is all you need to get rid of mid-week blues
Until some time ago, we would go gaga over PV Sindhu’s powerful smashes on the court, and that would be it. But recently, PV seems to have developed a knack for acing the fashion game too, and we couldn’t be happier–why just be a sight to adore on the court when you can also dress like a vision off it?While her stellar looks are nothing new to us, it’s intriguing to see her venture into new arenas of fashion and experiment with looks so frequently. After leaving us mesmerised with the elegance she exudes in her classy traditional outfits, PV is back with a casual western look that is already at the top of our list.Also Read: Seeing PV Sindhu in this white attire will make you smile from ear to earSporting a chic jumpsuit by Krimson, PV’s looked established that she can nail every outfit with her charm and confidence. The denim-blue coloured outfit was every bit of trendy, with little catchy elements making humongous contributions. First things first, the colour in itself was dripping elegance, thanks to how unique it was.Picture courtesy: Instagram/pvsindhu1 We really liked how smartly the designer had infused vibrance into this deep-hued outfit in the form of frilled cold-shoulder. While cold-shoulder is still one of the hottest fashion trends, frills have also paved their way into every fashionista’s closet, and PV blended the two like a total boss.Also Read: PV Sindhu in pink is all the happiness you need todayadvertisementApart from the quirky cold-shoulder, the extended waistline caught the eye with its high glam quotient. The flowy fabric gave the outfit an extremely feminine touch, while also adding an edge to it.Picture courtesy: Instagram/pvsindhu1 PV’s accessory game was also on-point as she completed the look with a pair of plush, beaded danglers that elevated the look completely. Wearing minimal makeup and loose locks, PV warmed our hearts with her chic look.
Ben Stokes’ return to international cricket just got complicated
Ben Stokes’ return to international cricket was thrown into fresh doubt on Thursday when he was instructed to appear in court on the same day as his potential England comeback match in New Zealand.Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that the all-rounder is due to make for a first appearance to answer an affray charge at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on February 13.On the same day, England play New Zealand in a T20 in Wellington, their first game in a tri-series also involving Australia.Earlier this week, Stokes was cleared by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to resume his England career in New Zealand although no date was set for his actual return.Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, hinted earlier on Thursday that England would like Stokes to gain some match practice before his comeback.”Hopefully we can get him some cricket somewhere as part of his practice going into the New Zealand leg. That’ll be up to him,” Bayliss told the BBC.The schedule will now have to be re-examined.Stokes was left out of the party for this winter’s Ashes series after being suspended from playing for his country as police decided whether to press charges following an incident outside a Bristol nightclub last September.The 26-year-old is accused of affray alongside two other men.Stokes’ recall has received a mixed reception in England, with some observers questioning why he has been allowed to return when facing charges.After England’s tri-nation series, they remain in New Zealand to play five ODIs and two Tests against New Zealand.advertisement(Source: Reuters)