Monday 9 April 2012

MEDIA ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Media Advantages and Disadvantages.

Newspapers

Advantages

Your ad has size and share, and can be as large as necessary to communicate as much of a story as you care to tell.
The distribution of your message can be limited to your geographic area.
Split-run tests are available to test your copy and your offer.
Free help is usually available to create and produce your ad.
Fast closings. The ad you decide to run today can be in your customer's hands two days from now.

Disadvantages

Clutter. Your ad has to compete for attention against large ads run by supermarkets and department stores.
Poor photo reproduction limits creativity.
A price-oriented medium. Most ads are for sales.
Short shelf life. The day after a newspaper appears, it's history.
Waste circulation. You're paying to send your message to a lot of people who will probably never be in the market to buy from you.
A highly visible medium. Your competitors can quickly react to your prices.

Magazines

Advantages

High reader involvement means more attention will be paid to your advertisement.
Less waste circulation. You can place your ads in magazines read primarily by buyers of your product or service.
The smaller the page (generally eight and half by eleven inches) permits even small ads to stand out.

Disadvantages

Long lead times (generally 90 days) mean you have to make plans a long time in advance.
The cost for space is higher in addition to higher creative costs.

Yellow Pages

Advantages

Everyone uses the yellow pages.
Ads are reasonably inexpensive.
You can easily track your responses.

Disadvantages

All of your competitors are listed so you run the ad as a defensive measure.
Ads are not very creative since they follow certain formats.

Radio

Advantages

A universal medium. Can be enjoyed at home, at work, and while driving. Most people listen to the radio at one time or another during the day.
Permits you to target your advertising dollars to the market most likely to respond to your offer.
Permits you to create a personality for your business using only sounds and voices.
Free creative help is ususally available.
Rates can generally be negotiated.
Least inflated medium. During the past ten years, radio rates have gone up less than other media.

Disadvantages

Because radio listeners are spread over many stations, to totally saturate your market you have to advertise simultaneously on many stations.
Listeners cannot refer back to your ads to go over important points.
Ads are an interruption to the entertainment. Because of this, radio ads must be repeated to break through the listener's "tune out" factor.
Radio is a background medium. Most listeners are doing something else while listening, which means your ad has to work hard to be listened to and understood.
Advertising costs are based on ratings which are approximations based on diaries kept in a relatively small fraction of a region's homes.

Television

Advantages

Permits you to reach great numbers of people on a national or regional level.
Independent stations and cable offer new opportunities to pinpoint local audiences.
Very much an image-building medium.

Disadvantages

Ads on network affiliates are concentrated in local news broadcasts and on station breaks.
Creative and production costs can quickly mount up.
Lead time can result in items being sold out before ad runs.
Most ads are ten or thirty seconds long, which limits the amount of information you can communicate.

Direct Mail

Advantages

Your advertising message is targeted to those most likely to buy your product or service.
Your message can be as long as necessary to fully tell your story.
You have total control over all elements of creation and production.
A "silent" medium. Your message is hidden from your competitors until it's too late for them to react.

Disadvantages

Long lead times required for creative printing and mailing.
Requires coordinating the services of many people: artists, photographers, printers, etc.
Each year over 20% of the population moves, meaning you must work hard to keep your mail list up to date.
Likewise, a certain percentage of the names on a purchased mailing list is likely to be no longer useful.

Telemarketing

Advantages

You can easily answer questions about your product/service.
It's easy to prospect and find the right person to talk to.
Cost effective compared to direct sales.
Highly measurable results.
You can get a lot of information if your script is properly structured.

Disadvantages

Many business use telemarketing.
Professionals should draft the script and perform the telemarketing in order for it to be effective.
Can be extremely expensive.
Most appropriate for high-ticket retail items or professional services.

Specialty Advertising (balloons, sandwich boards, key charms, etc.)

Advantages

Can be attention grabbers if they are done well.
Can give top-of-mind awareness.
Gets your name in front of people.

Disadvantages

Difficult to target your market.
Can be an inappropriate medium for some businesses.
Difficult to find items that are appropriate for certain businesses.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

How Cartoons Impact Children through Social Learning Theory to Make them Violent

By A_K

According to social learning theory children learn new behaviors by observing others in their social environment. Children are more likely to learn from the role models. Role models in media have a great impact on the attitudes and behaviors they learn.

Cognitive priming theory explains how can media promt their enactment in certain situations once such behaviors are acquired, For instance, violent stimuli in the media can activate aggressive thoughts, feelings and even motor tendencies leaving us in no doubts that violence impacts young viewers.

Therefore, parents and teachers especially should be concerned about the possible role played by violence in cartoons in any destructive, antisocial, and potentially harmful behavior shown by children. It is equally important, to identify the causes of misbehavior. One must recognize and acknowledge the varying levels of sophistication different children bring to the viewing situation.
Most of the parents and teachers recognize that depiction of violence in media impacts the behavior of young impressionable mind. But there are some others that might claim violence depicted in cartoons are not real life and that they do not impact children negatively.
The produicers of these violent cartoons claim that the Japanese genre cartoons depicting violence has been shown in Japan for decades without any ill effect as the Japanese society evidences one of the lowest rates of violence.
Cartoons with explicit violence deinitely reinforce aggressive behavior among children as is well known. Never the less, there are other critical factors like the time children spend viewing these cartoons and the other forms of social learning they are exposed to in school and home, the peer group they associate with, and the social environment they are living in.
Even after an exposure to violence, some children can come out unscathed if they are offered positive feedbacks at home and school. However, it certainly doesn’t apply to all children. For instance, exposure to the media violence partly exlains gun violence among children in the United States.
In my opinion, depiction of violence in any form is inherently unhealthy for growing up children especially when they are in the very young age group. Violent behavior among children and the depiction of violent behavior in media go hand in hand in the western society.
Children are great imitators who attempt to imitate the heroic deeds. They see violent behavior on screen as heroic and rewarding. Generations of children ultimately suffer in consequence. On the positive side, the positive social traits in these shows reinforce strong values, but the harm from viewing violence is more than the benefits of learning positive values.
It is fairly common to notice children scream and shout or imitate other forms of verbal abuse that they learn from cartoon shows. De-learning is a time taking process. It requires right association and training. Some of the unfortunate viewers may not have access to the environment where they can de-learn negative values associated with violence. Moreover, children are in an age when they cannot make unbiased judgments. Violence shown in television has tended to desensitize us towards violence. Most of us may not be in the right frame to notice the subtle manner in which violence would be harming our children.

Friday 30 March 2012

"Life is like a box of chocolates, You never know what you're going to get" -Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump.But for those who take critical decisions,life can be different. How true that is. Stare life in the eyes as you experience it like a roller coaster ride. The meaning of your life is something you create day after day with your own actions and thoughts.Life is made up of choices and decision making is critical as each choice has both consquences and benefits;please weigh the later and always choose life.

Edit Steps

1
Carpe Diem or Seize the Day. Live each day as if it's your last and overall just do it! Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.Life presents us with a lifetime of opportunities but the opportunity of a lifetime is got when right choices are followed. Be present to enjoy the moment. Each day is a fresh start with options just waiting to be explored, so what are you waiting for?
Be adventurous. Explore, live on the edge a little, and embrace new challenges. Visit new places with your loved ones. Take the road less traveled. Don’t stick to the same old, same old. Life is more exciting with adventure!
3
Keep a journal. Record your victories in life as well as your delights. Take time to reflect on what has been previously written. Be an inspiration to yourself and others.
4
Love everyone.
- Love yourself. Focus on your inner and outer beauty to see the same in others. Acceptance comes from within. Don’t focus on the things you don’t like about yourself. Rather, find the things you love about yourself.
- Love others. Love the ones who treat you right. Give love without expecting it to be returned. Be selfless in your attitude towards others.
5
Accept everyone. Be kind and courteous. Enjoy the company of others. Acknowledge their goodness rather than the differences in their beliefs. Do not judge others. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
6
Find purpose in life. Find something that gives your life meaning, be it being a great friend, sibling, parent, grandparent, teacher, neighbor, etc. Once you have found something to live for, you’ll live better. If it's not your relationships as a central purpose, maybe it's your occupation or something that you do outside work that makes a difference to others. The meaning of your life is something you decide. Set goals and move toward them in small reasonable steps.
7
Give back. Be selfless in service to others. Begin with your neighbor. Do charitable service outside of your immediate community as well. Giving back will not only make you better as a person, it will help others.
8
Be realistic. Set attainable goals according to your abilities and talents. Consider each effort to be an attainment. Achieve one step before the other towards stability and security.
9
Seek balance. Understand the night and day, back and forth, good and bad in all things.
10
Be positive. Focus on good thoughts and good things will happen. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Beating yourself up won’t help anything. Be positive. Say, think, and do positive things. Always look on the sunny side of life. Remember that the glass isn’t half empty, it’s half full.
11
Maintain control. Be responsible for your actions and inaction. Be true to yourself. Maintain a personal code in the situation at hand. Find common ground.
12
Listen to your heart and soul. Listen for advice, but be confident in making your own decision. Use your instinct. Don’t let others tell you what to do.
13
Clear your mind. Rituals of yoga, meditation and tai chi will replenish and rejuvenate your soul to focus more clearly on serenity and happiness.
14
Be carefree. Desires, obsessions and possessions possess you. Free yourself from your impulses. Make an active decision to have simple daily needs.
15
Laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. It releases endorphins and promotes longevity. Inner joy is beautiful!
16
Be flexible. Accept change as a positive thing in life. At times, go with the flow that is before you.
17
List a few daily goals. Meet a new friend, swim at the lake or walk in the park. Enhance your day and initiate fun!
18
Appreciate the little things. Take a walk around your community to experience the wonder in a way that you have never experienced it before. Pretend that you are from a different country and you’re here for the first time. Go out with your family and take time to appreciate them. Take it all in and find the beauty it - it’s all around you, just open up your eyes and look!
19
Forgive yourself and others. Release your negative energy that holds you back, your past failures, embrace whatever life offers you.
20
Be honest with yourself and others, especially with yourself. Dishonesty can lead to denial as you start to believe your own story, with that comes a curdling hidden stress that saps away energy and happiness. Self-acceptance is important, self-honesty with others keeps life simpler and makes it easier to avoid the people who just categorically don't like you for your views or some other thing about you. It builds trust when you're honest with others. It builds confidence when you're honest with yourself.
21
Anticipate tomorrow. Everyday is unique, like the blossoming clouds. It's never the same, but always beautiful. If things aren’t going right for you, remember that there is always tomorrow. Tomorrow, your life could change for the better.
22
Accept death. Pondering death brings appreciation to life. Take time to appreciate the expanse and beauty of your life and our earth. Don’t fight death or live in fear of it. Let go peacefully.
23
Appreciate the environment. Take a break occasionally and go for a walk. Assume that you have come from another planet. Take a fresh look at the clouds, the colors of sky at sunset and sunrise. Look at the plants, trees, leaves, and flowers and how they sway when wind blows. Look at water how it shakes and shapes itself in the vessel it's stored. Look at numerous forms of life - insects, animals, birds and humans. This exercise will clear off the dead memories and monotony that kills the joy of living.
24
Erase your negative thoughts. Take actions towards resolving the root cause any bad thoughts (anger, fear, doubt, hate,...). Cancel each one out with a good thought called affirmations: "I'm over that." "I am brave!" "I know I can do it!" "I forgive and I do not hate!" You may not be feeling the best at the moment, but you will feel better once you think about good things. Think about all of the things life has to offer, because though things may be horrible at the moment -- the future holds a lot of hope. It should make you smile and not store negative feelings to be relived later.
25
Maintain a strong foundation of beliefs. However, be humble and respect others opinions (in truth). Stand up for what you believe in and don’t let others push you around. It's possible to do this and still be open to other people's ideas, as they may surprise you. Do not get caught up on little things. Know it when you're facing major conflicts and find creative ways to live with them - does it matter more that you disagree with a loved one or that you love them?
26
Make a bucket list. Make a list of all the things you want to do before you die like learning an adventurous skill, making progress in work or sport, bungee jumping, sky diving, ziplining, etc. Check off your list! This will make you feel like you've accomplished something.
27
Make friends. Make true friends; friends around whom you can be yourself. Go more places with them so that you can share your joy with someone else. By being around people you will become a more understanding person.
28
Express Gratitude. Recognize daily the things you are grateful for. Let your family, friends, and other significant ones know how grateful you are to have them. Share and express love while you can.
29
Inspire yourself. Do something that inspires you, be it finding a role model or simply reading an inspirational quote life is better once you’ve enlightened yourself!
30
Don’t hang onto the past! Don’t stress out about the mistakes you’ve made - take them in stride and learn from them. From each mistake spawns a lesson. Do not worry about the past because it is gone, do not worry about the future because it is yet to come, live in today and embrace it!
31
Take nothing for granted. Appreciate everything and everyone around you - your family, friends, house, pets, environment, and world. One day, you may wake up to find that one of those things is gone, so appreciate them while you have them.
32
Put things into perspective. Remember that even though your life may seem tough right now, there is no doubt somebody out there going through something much worse.
33
Don’t let possessions rule your life. Don’t let new electronics, clothes, or cars take over your life and who you are. Material possessions are only accessories to you and your life. You come first.
34
Follow your dreams. Make a list of everything you’ve ever dreamed of doing and then make it happen. Dreams aren’t achieved by sitting around and waiting. They’re achieved by getting up and working for them! Work hard and make your dreams a reality! Work hard and play harder! You can always fulfill your dreams. If you really want something, find a way to achieve it!
35
Don’t give up. Do not accept defeat, even if it seems like it’s the only option. Look at the obstacles that others have overcome to be who they are and to fight for what they think is right. Translate that into your everyday life and use that mindset to accomplish simple things in life.
36
Be YOU. Have the courage to be yourself. Don’t be shy! You are who you are! Even if society doesn’t like it, you are you, so forget what others think and live your life! Do what you want, because life is what you make it, and your life is yours! Nobody else is going to live your life, so it’s up to you!
37
Everyday is a New Day! Learn from the past, make goals for the future, but live in the present!

"True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost."
- Charles Caleb Colton
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
- Anais Nin
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."
"A friend is one who walks in when others walk out"
-Walter Winchell
"A friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else."
- Len Wein - Sent by Paulo Louro
"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."
- Sent by Donna Roberts
"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."
- Sent by Lysha
"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and be my friend."
- Albert Camus (also attributed to Maimonidies). Sent by clovers
"A hug is worth a thousand words. A friend is worth more."
- Sent by Jasmine Fitzwilliam
"Everyone is a friend, until they prove otherwise."
- sent by Steve
"Every person is a new door to a different world."
- from movie "Six Degrees of Seperation" (thanks to Steve's Famous Quotes)
"It takes a long time to grow an old friend." - by John Leonard (thanks to Steve's Famous Quotes)

10 Smoking Things

10 Things You Should Know About Smoking, especially in Lebanon, is an infographic I designed to support the new tobacco-control bill that has been submitted to the Lebanese Parliament. The new bill, which is backed by the Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) and its partners both in the public and private sector, consists of the following, in conformity with the World Health Organization’s guidelines:

A total ban of smoking in public places
A total ban of advertising
Pictorials on 40% of the packaging

Monday 26 March 2012

Emotional Intelligence.

"All learning has an emotional base."
-- Plato

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic.
Since 1990, Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer have been the leading researchers on emotional intelligence. In their influential article "Emotional Intelligence," they defined emotional intelligence as, "the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions" (1990).

The Four Branches of Emotional Intelligence

Salovey and Mayer proposed a model that identified four different factors of emotional intelligence: the perception of emotion, the ability reason using emotions, the ability to understand emotion and the ability to manage emotions.

Perceiving Emotions: The first step in understanding emotions is to accurately perceive them. In many cases, this might involve understanding nonverbal signals such as body language and facial expressions.

Reasoning With Emotions: The next step involves using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay attention and react to; we respond emotionally to things that garner our attention.

Understanding Emotions: The emotions that we perceive can carry a wide variety of meanings. If someone is expressing angry emotions, the observer must interpret the cause of their anger and what it might mean. For example, if your boss is acting angry, it might mean that he is dissatisfied with your work; or it could be because he got a speeding ticket on his way to work that morning or that he's been fighting with his wife.

Managing Emotions: The ability to manage emotions effectively is a key part of emotional intelligence. Regulating emotions, responding appropriately and responding to the emotions of others are all important aspect of emotional management.

According to Salovey and Mayer, the four branches of their model are, "arranged from more basic psychological processes to higher, more psychologically integrated processes. For example, the lowest level branch concerns the (relatively) simple abilities of perceiving and expressing emotion. In contrast, the highest level branch concerns the conscious, reflective regulation of emotion" (1997).