The Secret Circle The Divide Chapter 3 Free Essays

â€Å"Spring is in the air,† Melanie said to Cassie and Laurel, closing her gray eyes momentarily and taking a deep breath in. â€Å"You can almost smell it, can’t you?† Cassie slammed her locker shut and inhaled, but all she could smell was the same school hallway scent of sweat, paper, and ammonia. â€Å"It was a rough winter,† Laurel said. We will write a custom essay sample on The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 3 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"I think that has something to do with it.† She had adorned herself appropriately this morning in a floral-print dress. â€Å"The spring equinox festival is going to be huge this year.† There was a bustling excitement to their surroundings – voices seemed louder, footsteps quicker, everyone appeared more lively and animated – everyone had spring fever. Then Cassie remembered that the new principal was being announced at this morning’s assembly. Maybe that was the source of all the new energy in the air? She was eager to meet the man who would be in charge of their school, especially after their last principal turned out to be Black John in disguise. But Melanie and Laurel were probably right – it was this weekend’s spring festival that had everyone keyed up. Their schoolmates were all planning their outfits and debating over who’d be a worthy date. Nobody cared who the new principal was. â€Å"It’s a good sign,† Melanie said. â€Å"A celebration of new beginnings is just what this town needs.† Cassie wanted to be as excited as everyone about the coming spring, but her heart felt heavy in her chest. Her disastrous attempt to talk to her mother the previous night was still weighing on her. Just then Chris and Doug Henderson swept by on Roll erblades, laughing as they tore through the crowded hallway. Their forward momentum blew their disheveled blond hair back from their identical blue-green eyes. They slowed down only to hand out star-shaped flowers to whichever pretty girls they passed. Suzan, carrying a wicker basket full of the flowers, jogged behind them to keep them supplied. â€Å"What the heck was that?† Cassie asked. â€Å"Chionodoxa luciliae,† Laurel said. Melanie gave Laurel a shove. â€Å"In English.† â€Å"Sorry.† Laurel smiled. â€Å"Those blue flowers. They’re called glory-of-the-snow. They’re one of the first signs of spring.† It occurred to Cassie then that even the Henderson twins, who’d lost their sister, Kori, just last fall, were embracing the new season. She could try a little harder to have a more positive outlook. â€Å"I think I’ve seen those flowers,† she said. â€Å"They’re in the rock garden behind the gymnasium.† â€Å"Not anymore they’re not,† Sean said, laughing loudly. He walked toward them with a bouquet of the blue flowers in his skinny outstretched hand and hesitantly offered them to Cassie. â€Å"Thanks, Sean,† Cassie said, but before she could accept the bouquet, Faye stepped in and swiped it from accept the bouquet, Faye stepped in and swiped it from Sean’s hand. She sniffed at the buds and then shoved them back onto Sean’s chest. â€Å"Run along to the assembly and find some other pathetic girl to give those to,† she said. Then she turned to Cassie. â€Å"I need a word with you.† Faye was wearing all black, as she often did, but her outfit today was tighter and more revealing than usual. Cassie gave a nod to Melanie and Laurel. â€Å"It’s okay,† she said. â€Å"Go ahead to the auditorium. I’ll see you there.† She’d promised herself she would show no fear to Faye, no matter what. She couldn’t allow herself to be afraid to be alone with her, especially at school, where it was safe to assume she’d be protected from any abuse Faye could inflict upon her. Faye, of course, wasted no time making her point. â€Å"I know you’re new to this whole leader thing,† she told Cassie. â€Å"But even you should recognize you won’t be able to play fair for long.† â€Å"I don’t know what you’re talking about.† Faye scoffed, like it was beneath her to have to explain herself. â€Å"Don’t play innocent with me, Cassie. It doesn’t work.† Cassie glanced up and down the empty hallway and put her hands on her hips. â€Å"If you actually have something to say to me, Faye, then say it. But if you’re just trying to intimidate me, you’re not succeeding.† â€Å"Liar.† Faye reached out to lightly brush aside the few strands of hair that had fall en in front of Cassie’s eyes, and Cassie jumped back. Faye smiled. â€Å"Here’s what I have to say. Power always Faye smiled. â€Å"Here’s what I have to say. Power always creates enemies. It divides people into two types, good and bad. If you really want to be a leader of this Circle, then you need to pick a side.† Cassie remembered Diana once saying that power was only power – it wasn’t good or bad. Only the way we use it is good or bad, she’d said. But even Diana had changed her opinion about this. â€Å"I’ve already chosen a side,† Cassie said. The star ruby around Faye’s neck glistened. It was the same color as her lipstick. â€Å"No, you haven’t,† she said. â€Å"There’s something in you that proves you’re daddy’s little girl. You can feel it inside you. A darkness. I know you can.† Cassie hugged her books tighter to her chest. â€Å"You don’t know anything.† â€Å"Isn’t it exhausting trying so hard to emulate Diana when really you’re just like me?† â€Å"No. Because I’m nothing like you.† Faye let out a deep, throaty laugh and took a step back. She’d accomplished what she’d intended. Cassie was significantly rattled. â€Å"Better hurry up,† she said. â€Å"You don’t want to be late to the assembly.† She pulled a tube of lipstick from her bag and applied another slash of dark pigment to her lips. â€Å"Want some?† She held the bloodred tube out to Cassie. â€Å"I think it’s your color.† In a flash of anger Cassie thought to swat the lipstick right out of Faye’s hand. But that would be giving her exactly what she wanted. She was trying to push Cassie into giving in to her lowest impulses, to be as brash and reckless as she was. But Cassie wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t give Faye that satisfaction. Instead, she turned her back on her, and when she did, she caught sight of someone she hadn’t seen before. A boy. Faye noticed him, too. Together, they watched him walk up the hallway. He was tall and muscular with light brown hair, and he must have just finished working out, because he was wearing warm-ups and sneakers. He carried a gym bag in one hand and a lacrosse stick in the other. â€Å"That boy is gorgeous.† Faye capped her lipstick and stuffed it into her purse. â€Å"You know how I love those sweaty jocks.† Cassie rolled her eyes. Faye immediately approached the boy to stake her claim. â€Å"Are you lost?† she called out to him. â€Å"I can help you find your way.† His head shot up when he realized he was being spoken to. Cassie saw that his eyes were green like emeralds, as beautiful as Diana’s. â€Å"No, thank you,† he said, in a voice both rugged and cocky. â€Å"I know where I’m heading.† â€Å"To that boring assembly?† Faye wasn’t about to give up that easy. â€Å"In that case, I can help you lose your way.† That got a smile out of him, but he directed it at Cassie. â€Å"Hi,† he said. â€Å"I’m Max.† â€Å"This is Faye,† Cassie said, returning Max’s grin. â€Å"She’s glad to meet you.† Max dropped his gym bag onto the floor and shook Faye’s hand in a way that made it obvious he was used to girls fawning over him. â€Å"Cassie,† Faye said, still holding Max’s thick hand in hers. â€Å"Won’t Adam be waiting for you at the assembly? You should probably get going.† Cassie nodded. â€Å"She’s right. I should.† As Cassie turned away, she heard Max call after her, â€Å"See you in there.† Cassie made it into the auditorium just in time for the welcoming ceremony. She was relieved to find Adam waving her over to where he was seated in the last row. The auditorium was more crowded than she had ever seen it. Groups of students were crammed in the back and up each exit row. The humming excitement Cassie picked up on in the hallway had carried over here, where it heightened like rough water constrained by a dam. But once Mr. Humphries tapped on the microphone to quiet the crowd and make some announcements, that restless energy died down to a low-level boredom. Assemblies were always fun until the assembly part. Cassie let her eyes roam over the crowd. She found Diana all the way up front, seated with her AP English class. Melanie and Laurel had joined Suzan, Sean, and the Henderson brothers in the center rows about midway from the stage. And Deborah and Nick were just a few rows behind them. Cassie noticed that none of them looked concerned. They appeared as bored and apathetic as the rest of the school. Was she the only one still reeling from the last assembly they had to welcome a principal? Were they all just faking it, trying to put their best faces forward? Or was everyone really that much better at moving on than Cassie? Sally Waltman and Portia Bainbridge were sitting in their cluster of cheerleaders. Sally’s rust-colored hair stood out from the rest of her mostly blonde friends, so she was easy to spot in their crowd. She was laughing at something Portia was saying, probably making fun of someone, like she always did. The Circle had come to an uneasy truce with Portia and her brothers, but Cassie still didn’t like her. â€Å"You okay?† Adam asked when Cassie settled into her seat. â€Å"You’ve got that I-just-had-a-Faye-encounter look.† â€Å"I’m fine. Faye was getting up in my face, but then a hot boy walked by, and she forgot all about me.† â€Å"That’s our Faye.† Adam took Cassie’s hand in his and squeezed it. â€Å"Who was the boy?† â€Å"I don’t know, someone new. His name was Max.† Cassie searched the auditorium for Faye and found her standing in the corner talking to Max – talking at him was more like it. He leaned with both hands on his lacrosse stick, like he might fall over from boredom if it weren’t holding him up. Cassie shifted her attention to the man she assumed was the new principal waiting off to the side. He wore a finely cut dark suit and had salt-and-pepper hair. He was tall, with broad shoulders, and kept his hands clasped behind his back. He was handsome, the way Mr. Brunswick had been handsome. Weak applause welcomed him to the stage. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, as he adjusted the microphone. â€Å"I’m Mr. Boylan, and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.† His voice was deeper than Cassie had expected it to be. His outer appearance was dapper and elegant, but he had the voice of a lumberjack – it had a toughness to it, a grit, and the slightest hint of an accent she couldn’t place. A shiver ran down her spine. No, Cassie thought to herself. You’re being paranoid. Just because Mr. Brunswick turned out to be evil doesn’t mean Mr. Boylan will. She figured she must have been suffering from some kind of post-traumatic stress, the way soldiers returned from wars startled at every harmless loud sound they heard. But as Mr. Boylan continued speaking, every muscle in Cassie’s body tightened in defense. She glanced at Adam to see if he sensed anything off about the principal, too, but he was calmly watching the stage with no expression of alarm. â€Å"Thank you all for your gracious welcome,† Mr. Boylan said. â€Å"I hope you’ll do the same for my son, who will also be a student here.† He pointed to the far corner, where Max was still leaning on his lacrosse stick, staring straight ahead. Adam and Cassie looked at each other simultaneously. Neither of them had to say it. Of course. Faye’s new crush was the principal’s son. Faye was smirking behind him, watching the back of his head as if she could burn a hole through it with her desire. When she caught Cassie watching, she puckered her lips into a kiss and blew it Cassie’s way. Then she stuck out her tongue, pretending she might lick the back of Max’s neck. â€Å"This can’t be good,† Cassie said. How to cite The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 3, Essay examples

The enforcement of EU law Essay Example For Students

The enforcement of EU law Essay To answer this question I will firstly explain how EU law became incorporated within the member states I will then explain the various types of EU legislations in circulation. This is important to define as the various types of methods will involve different enforcement procedures. Finally I will explain how EU law is enforced and the ways EU law will effect the member state and individual businesses. I will summarise my findings at the end of the essay, this will give details of all the key ideas I have ut across. The Schuman proposal began various European countries setting up the European Coal and Steal Community (ECSC), this was signed in 1951 by six countries. The countries that initially set up the ECSC were France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The idea behind the ECSC was the first serious institutional committee in Europe and was the start of integration, the aim was to provide a common market of coal and steel trade. This meant that each of the states would be able to have access to the various qualities of coal and steel that the members had with no tariff of importing and exporting to the various countries. This let the countries concentrate on their more efficient areas leading to specialisation. The ECSC began the beginning of supranational power because the High Authority could adopt binding decisions (1) as elements of decision making were carried out by ECSC committees. A supranational power is where the member state has to abide by the decisions made of the community, as they have power above the national level. When the EC makes a law it is up to the individual state to implement the legislation. An example of EU law which has been passed which has been adopted in the UK is that of the directive 75/117 which states that men and women should receive equal pay. The UK government adopted this directive with the 1975 Sex discrimination Act. There are a number of methods EU legislation is formed for instance regulations, directives and decisions are three different types of EU legislation. I am going to briefly explain these three as the way they will be enforced are different. Regulations have general application that means that all the member states have to adopt the regulation; the member state is expected to adopt the whole regulation. Regulations are directly applicable which means that the individuals have rights that they can enforce in their own name through national courts(2). Regulations have immediate effect in national law. Directives are binding to the member state that the directive is about. The EU will give an outline of the directive and will let the member state enforce the directive in the way they see fit. The member state may have a similar law already in its national law and therefore only has to introduce the segments of the directives and create new laws which are not written in national law. This allows the member states to react to legislation in accordance to the way countries would be carried out. Decisions are totally binding to whomever the decision has been made against. This normally occurs in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) when member states are being investigated the conclusions of the ECJ will come in the form of decisions whereby the member state will have to follow the decision when it is made. The decision becomes effected when the decision has been made. Community law has supremacy over the national law as it was a condition that had to be agreed before membership of the European union. Supremacy is whereby the European Community law will take superiority if there is a dispute between national and EU law. It is up to the state to adopt the EU legislation, if the member state is seen not to be enforcing the law then there are various methods for the EU law to be enforced. Ceremony By Leslie Marmon Silko EssayThere are two types of direct effect, horizontal and vertical. Vertical effect means that the individuals of the member state will be able to take their state to domestic court, as a way of making their state take on a particular EC law. Horizontal direct effect means that an individual is able to take another individual of the member state to national court as a method of getting the individual to implement the legislation. Direct effect is concerned with the impact of the rights of the individual, and mainly interested in the relationship between the different member states. Individuals are able to force the member states by taking them to court to change certain acts that will result in their national courts obliged to implement the act. For the enforcement to become direct effect then there are certain requirement that the EU law should have firstly the law must be clear and concise so no misunderstandings may occur and the law can be applied without trouble; secondly the EU law must be unconditional. The law has to be unconditional so that the law can be implemented without dependence of discretion on the part of an official authority (8) this factor backs up the first condition because it implies that the law has to be able to stand on its own. Finally for a law to be directly enforced the law in question is that the law must not be dependant for future action to be taken by either the member state or the EC. (these conditions taken and adapted from European union law)There are a number of types of legislation that cannot become directly effected they are directives, decisions and articles within treaties. The reason the previous sections are not directly effected is that they would require national or community l egislative action to implement them (9)Indirect effect is where national courts have to take into account EC law when interpreting national law and has to be sympathetic to the law. This means that when national judges are making decisions then they are obliged to look to see if there is any EC law is applicable in the situation if so then the judges have the obligation to interpret national law in relationship to the EC law. The European Court of Justice encourages the national courts to consider the directives of community law when considering the national laws. Indirect effect usually occurs due to the community not having enough resources to implement all laws. Indirect effect does not require the resources of the communities enforcement recourses to be usedBibliograghy and referencesEU Law: text cases and materialsBy P Craig and G De Burca(1) page 9(2) page 107(5) page 176(6) page 56European Union Law(3) page 10page(7) Article 211 of EC treatyIntroduction to European Union LawB y W.Cairns(4) page 106(8) page 85(9) page 95by l.eastwoodWords/ Pages : 1,788 / 24

Year zhzhizni Review Essay Example

Year zhzhizni Review Paper Essay on Year zhzhizni This book is not very common. It has thought and life sometimes plain, sometimes not very. And she has a special format the book contains recordings already published author before in a very popular today live journal. Youve probably already guessed that the writers name Eugene Grishkovets. And the title of the book -. Year zhzhizni » Previously, the creativity of the author is not interested in me. Although friends and colleagues told me about a lot of Grishkovtsa and exceptionally good. Nevertheless, all the time I walked past the shelves with his books, but one still picked up the Year of Life, when looking for what to read. The book immediately interested. Than? Easy language presentation and interesting, and most importantly a true story. But the decisive factor for the purchase has become a form of presentation can not pass the product in form of a diary. I bought. And gladly spent a few evenings in the company Grishkovtsa. Some of his ideas were very in tune with mine. First I undertook to write, but then decided to choose only two, and then it would be too much. For example, I have exactly the same opinion about the cartoon Wali. She looked happy and not trying to delve into the content. We will write a custom essay sample on Year zhzhizni Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Year zhzhizni Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Year zhzhizni Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer And yet, for some reason, very memorable event in the theater when the man at the time of the play was bad, and his companion was not even going to help him. However, Evgeny Grishkovets saw it, stopped the performance, and the man called an ambulance. It turns out that during the performance the artists often see whats going on in the hall. After reading about the life of Eugene Grishkovtsa interested and creativity. Be sure to read any of his works, but later. Perhaps, the Year zhzhizni to be continued Finally, one little story to this topic. When I bought this book and showed my sister, saying that it published record of a famous actor and writer Yevgeny Grishkovtsa Learn it I asked a very simple question that I could not answer: If the recording is on the Internet, why did you buy the book? ..

Liberalism a political thoery... essays

Liberalism a political thoery... essays Liberalism is a political theory that maintains the rationality of human nature. Assuming that humans are reasonable and freethinking should be given the opportunity to fulfil their economic potential. Liberalism rational view on human nature lends itself to the economic theory of capitalism. In this essay I will attempt to prove the veracity of this statement. Firstly, Liberalism allows young entrepreneurs to start their own business, but that includes many taxes. Capitalism also allows entrepreneurs to start their own business, but with as little interference as possible. In both political theorys we are free to have control on our life, though liberalism favors the help of government in ones life for economic or health issues, (social insurance, welfare) capitalism on the other hand lets you be in TOTAL control of your life, lending you no help. Both governments supply matters of law. Secondly, Both these political ideologies favor the profit motive. Were you can start your own business at your risks. But in the case of liberalism you can have a bankruptcy protection plan supplied to you by the government. Thirdly, The laws of supply and demand are the same for both ideologies; the producer offers a price, while the consumers try bargaining the price for their own good. The more customers want, the more you have to produce and you are free to do this without a quota. Fourthly, Both government theories have sub-divisions for each sector for example: health, education, foreign affairs etc. These divisions are made so that the power is divided within the government so that the power is not given to one individual in particular. In both theorys you have a right to elect each and every member of government. Leaving much room so that the voices of the people can be heard. Finally to conclude, Liberalism and Capitalism both share common points in theory. Weather it is the way government is divided,...

Let 90s Nostalgia Rock Your Content Marketing

Let 90s Nostalgia Rock Your Content Marketing New research shows that we are more likely to spend money when were feeling nostalgic. According to the Journal of Consumer Research: Consumers that were asked to think about the past were willing to pay more for a set of products than consumers asked to think about new or future memories. Did that get your attention? Interesting results, but thats not all. Another study showed an increased willingness to give more money to others after recalling, reflecting, or writing about a nostalgic past life event. This got me thinking – how does this nostalgia effect influence your content marketing? Are readers more likely to share your content when they are feeling nostalgic? Will  they be more likely to convert? Will they be more likely to buy your product or service? The evidence seems to indicate that they  might. The first step to applying this to your content marketing is to understand what nostalgia is in the first place. What Is Nostalgia? Technically, the term  nostalgia  describes a  particular sentimentality towards  a former experience. In simpler terms, it is a positive reflection  of the past, and a powerful one at that. Nostalgia is generally  triggered by some sort of  cue  from the past. This  sentimentality is then  associated with  a period or place with happy personal memories. The term itself  was coined by a 17th-century medical student as a way to describe the anxieties displayed by  Swiss  mercenaries fighting away from home. In later years, as science has learned more about the phenomena, nostalgia  has been  widely considered  an independent and even positive emotion that people experience often. There are four commonly understood functions of nostalgia. They include, improve mood, increase social connectedness, enhance positive self-regard, and provide existential meaning. This is where things really start to get interesting for marketers. Improve Mood Nostalgia has often been found to increase one’s mood and heighten positive emotions. This reaction seems to stem from feelings of warmth or coping resulting from nostalgic reflections. In essence, the presence of nostalgic emotions give us a method for coping with things that could hinder our own happiness. This natural coping method instinctively seems to improve our mood and function. Increase Social Connectedness Interestingly, nostalgia also seems to increase our sense of social connectedness. This is a very important factor for the use of nostalgia in modern marketing. In essence, nostalgia is  triggered by a feeling of  loneliness, but counteracts such feelings with reflections of close relationships. Enhance Positive Self-Regard Nostalgia can also help us feel better about ourselves.  Researchers  found that subjects who thought of nostalgic memories showed more positive characteristics than those who thought of exciting future experiences. This research also revealed that a lack nostalgic experiences reflected a pattern of selfish and self-centered behavior. As nostalgic experiences were introduced, so was the positive  behavior. Provide Existential Meaning You may be surprised to learn that  nostalgia also helps increase one’s self-esteem and meaning in life. It does this by removing  threats to our well-being, and also by initiating a desire to deal with problems or stress.  Studies  have  found that nostalgia correlates positively with one’s sense of meaning in life. Nostalgia is a known way to boost peoples mood. It allows people to live (and re-live) something familiar,  something  they remember, a positive emotional experience. –  Gabriel Trionfi (Pinterests  user experience researcher) Nostalgia is a powerful neuropsychiatric force that  can frequently becoming a  driving force for our behavior.  Its effects can be seen in who we select to marry (we frequently marry spouses with characteristics reminiscent of those of our parents), and  our adoption of political affiliations (we may become  Democrats, Republicans, or even racists simply because our parents were). So, if it can effect these major life decisions, certainly it can also affect our purchasing and consuming behavior. And that is where nostalgia comes in for  a  content marketing pro life yourself. Examples Of  Nostalgia In Internet Marketing One of the best examples of nostalgia in internet culture is the popular photo-sharing service Instagram. These user-shared photos are soaked in nostalgia. Reminiscent of photos from old Polaroid cameras,  the photos  are frequently  wrapped in a white border. In addition, by allowing users to select from a variety of filters (including some with labels  like  1970), users are able to re-create the faded and worn appearance that is recognizable from  photos of the past. Instagram fosters a huge sense of nostalgia. Blogger David Yoon calls this fake nostalgia, and he certainly has a point – it is manufactured. But Instagrams features still do a great job of highlighting the power of nostalgia. In his piece, David points out that  our  digital photographs have lost the nostalgic feel because they did not age like more traditional photographs.   This is a good point, and it helps us understand the rise in popularity of tools like Instagram. While Instagrams nostalgia is purely manufactured, it is a harkening back to the good old days  of photography and obviously brings with it some powerful emotions. We have to wonder: would Instagram have been as popular without the throwback? Well never know, but the theory is certainly worth considering. One place we can see this theory come to light is with something called throwback Thursday, the  popular internet  practice of posting an old photo, thought, or idea on social media. Originally made popular on Instagram itself,  #TBT is now a practice that is used across the web as a way to reminisce and remember the past. It is nostalgia in action. In recent months, Facebook has also started feeding our nostalgic urges. This February, as it celebrated its  own  10 year anniversary, Facebook gave its  users the opportunity to watch a video of their history on Facebook. The short videos contained  Ã‚  15 or so of the  users  most-liked photos, statuses, and life events set to a catchy tune. While a  bit cheesy, these videos  are a great example of nostalgia in action, and reminder of the cultural significance of sites like Facebook. Other services like Timehop, have embraced the power of nostalgia in a similar way.  Promising to be a time capsule of you, Timehop allows users to see their  photos and updates from an  exact day in history (usually a year prior). Timehop promises to help you celebrate the best moments of the past with your friends. Nostalgia much? Traditional brands have been long-aware of the power of nostalgia. Recently, General Mills  went retro with several of their major cereal brands, a practice already proven to be popular by other brands like Pepsi and Mountain Dew with their throwback product line.  Krafts Macaroni Cheese line also introduced a bit of 90s nostalgia recently by bringing their product, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Vanilla Ice to the same stage. The results were fairly, nostalgic, to say the least. So, nostalgia is not necessarily a new marketing tactic, but in content marketing, I think it is often left unexplored. Can it work? Thats the question we need to ask ourselves now. How To Take Advantage of Nostalgia In Content Marketing Before we get too far, we need to set some ground rules. The folks over at Scripted have cleverly identified three conditions that should be met  before  we try to  use nostalgia in our content marketing. They are: We  must consider our  target market’s age range in order to choose a time era that demographic can identify with. We  have to choose an event, style, etc. that invokes positive memories and a sense of trust. The chosen era or event should invoke the emotions that we want  people to associate with our  brand. In other words, dont go harkening back to the roaring twenties (and expect a nostalgic reaction) if your audience is primarily comprised of skater-kids that were popping zits in the 90s. Take for example Krafts placement of Vanilla Ice and the  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These are both throwbacks to my early days as youth. I clearly remember being in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan club and I  know for sure that I owned a Vanilla Ice cassette tape at some point. These are both fond memories now that I am in my 30s. Not only that, but I am also the parent of three small children. I am a prime target for Kraft Macaroni Cheese. Well played Kraft, well played. If you dont  align your marketing and your audience properly, you are fighting an uphill battle already. Nostalgia only works if it is actually nostalgic for your readers. So,  if you dont know the demographic of your readers, you can do some digging in Google Analytics, or complete this short exercise that will help you identify your audience. Nostalgia only works in #contentmarketing if your content is  actually nostalgic for your readers.5 Ways To Apply Nostalgia To Our Content Marketing So you may be thinking that  this nostalgia thing sounds great, but I havent really provided any conclusive methods for introducing it to your content marketing. I am glad you brought it up. While this is by no means a conclusive list, here are 5 quick ideas that Ive found for applying nostalgia to  content marketing. #1: Weave Nostalgic  References  Into Your Content Through Storytelling One of the easiest ways to incorporate the effects of nostalgia is through the art of storytelling and reference. Our own content creator, Julie Neidlinger, wrote a post a few years back bringing together the art of content marketing and the beloved mix tape of the 80s. In this type of post, the nostalgic reference is merely an element used to engage the reader in the work. It is simple and effective. #2: Add Nostalgic Reminders To Your Visual Elements In many cases, nostalgic elements can be incorporated into the design of page elements, like they were on this post about audience fragmentation from just a few weeks ago. The visual elements on the page harken to a time and idea past, reflecting and fostering a feeling of nostalgia. #3: Interact With Your Audience In A Nostalgic Way Whenever someone becomes a new paying customer of , we love to thank them with a physical notebook that they can use to jot down blog ideas when they are on the go. is a digital product  so this  is somewhat counterintuitive, but it has proven to be a great program. It encourages us and our users to think about the days of old when we used to write thing in places other than the computer. #4: Create Content That Allows Readers To Experience Greater Nostalgia Love them or hate them, Buzzfeed has garnered a great deal of attention by actually allowing us to interact with their own sense of nostalgia. On their site, you will find dozens of (basically meaningless) quizzes that allow us to discover which 90s soundtrack we are, or which Friends character we should hide in our basement. These may be silly, but they are also popular and are shared like crazy on Facebook. â€Å"The quiz is kind of like the broken-down-to-its-core of what BuzzFeed is,† Summer Anne Burton, Buzzfeed’s managing editorial director and the head of its quiz initiative, told Nieman Lab. â€Å"It gives someone something that they can relate to well enough that they can share it with others.† Buzzfeed built a custom template so that its staffers and its community contributors can easily create these identity-focused questionnaires. (source: The Atlantic) #5: Throwback For A day Microsoft has done an excellent job of using throwback nostalgia to improve its brand and reputation. After taking a beating for years with an error-ridden browser, their marketing team began using nostalgia (ironically) to make amends with the web developers that they have offended along the way – even going as far as releasing a throwback version of their website, an idea that will never get old for a generation of web developers who grew up using tables and font tags on this new thing called the world wide web. The Effects Of Nostalgia In Content Marketing Perhaps Don Draper said it best. Nostalgia is powerful, but delicate. Used correctly, though, it can help us accomplish many things – including better content marketing. Teddy told me that in Greek nostalgia literally means, the pain from an old wound. Its a twinge, in your heart. Far more powerful then memory alone. This device isnt a spaceship, its a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place, where we ache to go again. Its not called The Wheel. Its called The Carousel. It lets us travel in a way a child travels. Round and round, and then back home again. To a place where we know we are loved. Don Draper   Nostalgia can make users more likely to share. #ContentMarketingJust take a look at Buzzfeeds quiz page, which  now contains  some of the most shared and most  nostalgic  content on an already popular site. Nostalgia can make users more likely to convert. #ContentMarketingIf nostalgia makes visitors more likely to buy, then it is fair to assume that it would also make them more likely to convert as an inbound lead. Maybe its time to incorporate some nostalgia into your inbound process.

Team Effectiveness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Team Effectiveness - Essay Example Companies that utilize teamwork have a greater chance of achieving work synergy. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the topic of team effectiveness and team performance. The video Bridge’s Story – A Teamwork Aniboom Animation tells the story of a rabbit that thought he could survive on his own without the help of the other animals in the forest (Hoang, 2011). Instead of applying teamwork this rabbit was a destructive force to the other members of his habitat. He played with the food of the ants, harassed the birds, and destroyed the bridge the turtle was building for the animals to cross. The rabbit found out when he was drowning in the river that he needed a helping hand. This rabbit realized by working as a team with the other animals he could accomplish more than he ever would as a loner. The second video, The Power of Teamwork, discusses the importance of teamwork by focusing on the work performed by the Blue Angels pilots (Beare, McMillan, 2013). Share values are the foundation of good teamwork. It is imperative for a team to align its mission, vision, and its actions. The team has to be the priority of all members who must sacrifice their self-interest in order to achieve team goals. The use of teamwork must be present at all times within an organization. A good effective leader is able to lead others by example. A good leader identifies each team member’s strength to take advantage of them and improve performance and productivity in the workplace. Trust is an important element of teamwork. Trust can be defined as the belief that someone is good, reliable, honest, and effective (Merriam-webster, 2013). Achieving peak performance should be the objective of all teams. Synergy occurs when common people align their objectives (Beare, et al., 2013). Good communication is also an important factor that leads to team success. Communication in the workplace is of utter importance towards achieving the goals of a company. Managers that wan t for employees to work together as a cohesive team unit must build a bond of trust with the workers by effectively communicating with them. Teamwork without communication does not work. To effectively guide the actions of a team its leader has to maintain the lines of communication open at all times. Improper communication within a team can cause the employees to feel tensions and anxiety (Gluck, 2013). There are different strategies that the person in charge of a team can use to improve communication. For instance programming weekly meetings between the team members to openly discuss any issues anyone is facing is a good way to foster communication. A second strategy that can be used to improve communication within a team is to implement a feedback system. A third way to improve communication in a team is by practicing active listening. Active listening skills can help a person improve their productivity, their ability to listen, persuade, and negotiate with others (Mindtools, 201 3). There are common characteristics that effective teams share. Some of the characteristics of effective teams include common purpose and goals, interested in own processes, continually listen to each other, differences shared freely, identify and resolve conflicts, roles are balanced, trust, and commitment towards performance (Drexel, 2013). Effective teams must work together towards accomplishing common goals. A team member that is not focused on the goals of the team becomes a liability. Team members must

Evaluation of Product; Apple's Macbook Pro Essay

Evaluation of Product; Apple's Macbook Pro - Essay Example On the other hand, outside the manufacturer environment, MacBook Pro is a fast moving product in the market. Consumer Reports ranks MacBook Pro as one of the best laptop computers in the market and a quickly moving product by consumer choice (Rawson). The evaluation of this product in terms of market and consumer setting involves three factors: the users of the product, the environment within which the product is found, and the product itself in terms of satisfying consumer tastes and preferences. The manufacturer-consumer factors and interactions give critical insights into the product in question. The product is designed to suit the end user without difficulty. Although Apple utilizes sophisticated technologies in designing and manufacturing unique and high quality for the market, end user strategies are also implemented. Simplicity in terms of usability and sophistication in terms of manufacturer and functionality are the drives of MacBook Pro. The pricing of the product takes into account the cost of production and the fact that Apple operates on a profit motive. However, due to the utilization of strategic resources and high-tech production processes, the product has affordable prices when it reaches the market (Stanton 147). Locally, regionally, and internationally, the environment within which the product is offered is a competitive one. For this reason, competition becomes vital for successful operations and market performance. The marketing strategies employed by Apple for MacBook Pro seek to address consumer needs. What makes this process different from many other rival firms is the follow-up and consumer feedback programs that Apple runs. The company designs and manufactures products with integrated consumer-based features. The product itself is crucial in the entire evaluation process. MacBook Pro’s ranking against other substitutable products is crucial in accounting for the realized product trends in the various markets where the