HarisMedia

Google recently held a webinar for AdSense publishers. They gave out some adsense optimization tips that they have gathered over the past few years. The transcript is pretty lengthy, so here’s the summary:

• Ad Location - “the middle, above the fold location perform best.” Also “if you have an article page with a long body of text, the bottom of that article is actually pretty successful”
• Ad Formats - “the top three formats are the 336×280 that you see on the page; the 300×250 medium rectangle; and then the 160×600 wide skyscraper.” Additionally “the wider ad formats are doing better than the other ones and the reason is that they actually take up fewer lines. And so with every additional line, you have a chance of losing that interested user.”
• Ad Colors - Pick colors that blend well with the site. Matches the background color, and compliments the site. Make them feel like a part of the site. They give an example where a customer went from blended background to yellow, and clicks dropped 65%
• Ad Blindness - if the colors stick out too much, readers may immediatly identify them as ads and not even look at them. Also frequent readers may stop reading ads so you could alternate positioning and colors to get their attention. “The more you blend in with the site, the less chance that ad blindness will occur.”
• Experiment - this was a big theme in the webinar echoed by all experts. Use channels to test different colors, positioning, and formats to find out what works best. They show that you can more than double your revenue just by finding the right color, position, format combo.
• Image Ads - If you want to maximize revenue they recommend turning them on. I personally disable them in my account, because I find them too distracting/annoying to the user. Yes you may increase your CPC, but you will probably decrease impressions over time.
• Link Units - Don’t take up much space, and also “allows the user to refine what they’re interested in. So if they may not be interested in specific ads on your page, they might be interested in a particular topic, and by clicking on a link unit and a link in the link unit, they’ll be able to specify that they’re interested in that specific topic and get a lot more options and variety on the ads that might appear.” I also bet google remembers what they click on and then tries to generate better ads for the page… just my speculation.
• AdSense For Search - You can use this for your site search, and you get a percentage of ad clicks.
• Focus on Content - Duh!
• Don’t click on your own ads - One of the callers asked the question “I was just noticing that someone asked about clicking on their own ads and it says you’re not supposed to. And I don’t remember reading that. And I occasionally do click on the ads… So is that detrimental in some way?” - I can’t believe they said that to google. Google’s response was: “Yes, that’s sort of chief among the terms and conditions”.
• Impression Counter - Google confirmed that Page Impressions are counted when a public service ad (or alternate ad url or color) is displayed.
• Your site is unique - all these things may not matter, the best location, format, and color is different for every site. So again, go experiment.

Haven’t signed up for AdSense Yet?

KapanLagi.com - Tak mau kalah dengan pabrikan lainnya yang mengeluarkan kendaraan minim polusi, Toyota Motor Corp. berencana meluncurkan kendaraan hemat bahan bakar yang ultracompact empat penumpang di Eropa pada 2009, seperti yang dilaporkan Nikkei Business, dan dilansir dari Reuters, Selasa (25/09).

Kendaraan dengan basis prototipe IQ tersebut dipamerkan produsen otomotif Jepang itu di Frankfurt auto show bulan ini. Prototipe IQ ini didesain di ED2, studio desain Toyota di Selatan Perancis yang dikepalai Wahei Hirari, yang menjabat sebagai Toyota’s Design Managing Officer.

Dengan mengusung tiga keunggulan yang meliputi solusi cerdik transport kaum urban, desain dengan sentuhan filosofi ‘Vibrant Clarity’, dan pajang tak lebih dari 3 meter, Hirari optimis Toyota IQ ultra kompak ini akan menjadi idola tahun depan.

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Source : Independent Media Center

As the world waits on a decision from Mumia Abu-Jamal’s May 17 hearing before the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, new questions are being raised as to whether the original jurors had access to all available information. On October 6, Educators for Mumia Abu-Jamal (EMAJ) issued a press-release stating that recently disclosed photos taken by press photographer Pedro Polakoff amount to “more evidence that basic investigative protocol was violated by police from the earliest moments of the killing.”

Pictured: Rap artist Immortal Technique holds a poster depicting several of Polakoff’s photos. From the SF BayView’s report on the May 17 hearing.

Dr. Michael Schiffmann of the University of Heidelberg unveiled these 26 photos in May at a press conference in Philadelphia. (View four of the photos here). The story was picked up by independent media, but no mainstream media outlet has acknowledged it. Readers are encouraged to contact the media directly, and have prepared a list of media contacts and a sample letter.

In anticipation of the Third Circuit Court’s ruling, supporters in Philadelphia, the SF Bay Area and around the world are preparing for emergency “day after” actions. They continue to highlight the connections between Mumia’s struggle and other political prisoners — such as Leonard Peltier, the Cuban Five, the SF 8, and the MOVE 9. Meanwhile, Mumia continues his prolific journalism production from death row, with two new stories on the housing crisis in the US, as well as stories on Jena, Blackwater, and many more (see below).

Related Coverage: Listen to May 17 courtroom audio ||| “In Prison My Whole Life” Premieres October 25 (view trailer) ||| Pacifica Radio’s Margaret Prescod Interviews Mumia ||| Uprising Radio’s Sonali Kolhatkar Interviews Mumia ||| Mumia Abu-Jamal: On the Road to Freedom? ||| The Trial of Billy Cook ||| Attention MOVE: This is America! ||| “Wettlauf gegen den Tod” Mumia Abu-Jamal

Mumia Abu-Jamal has also issued audio reports on the following topics: FISA, Ahmadinejad, Pakistan, War Resistance, Congress, 9-11,NYC Racism, Tennis, Los Cinco, MOVE, Troy Davis, Kenneth Foster, Haditha, Katrina, Michael Vick, Ward Churchill, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Elections, Think Tanks, War, Vietnam, Alberto Gonzales, and more.

Oleh: John Zerzan

Pada dasarnya, peradaban, merupakan sejarah dominasi terhadap alam dan perempuan. Patriarki berarti penguasaan terhadap perempuan dan alam. Apakah kedua institusi ini merupakan sinonim?

Filsafat telah meninggalkan alam penderitaan yang luas ketika jalannya yang panjang, dalam pembagi-bagian divisi kerja, perlahan-lahan mulai terbuka. Hélène Cixous menyebut sejarah filsafat sebagai suatu “rantai ayah-ayah.” Perempuan, seperti halnya penderitaan, selalu absen dari hal tersebut, dan tentunya (mereka: penderitaan dan perempuan) adalah saudara dekat.

Seperti Camille Paglia, seorang pemikir anti-feminis, ketika ia merenungi peradaban dan perempuan:

“Ketika Aku melihat seekor burung bangau besar melewati sebuah truk panjang, sejenak Aku terdiam dan tertunduk, seperti yang akan dilakukan orang-orang ketika sedang berada dalam ibadah gereja. Konsepsi kekuatan macam apa: kebesaran macam apa: yang dihubungkan oleh bangau-bangau ini dengan peradaban Mesir kuno, ketika arsitektur monumental pertama kali dibayangkan dan dicapai. Apabila peradaban diserahkan ke tangan perempuan, mestilah kita masih tinggal di dalam gubuk-gubuk jerami.” (1)

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Most orchids which are suited for home culture are epiphytic jungle plants (in nature they grow perched high in the trees, clinging to branches or in the trunk apex of the tree). They derive their nutrients from the air, rain, and any decaying vegetation which the roots can contact. For success you will need to duplicate the native conditions as closely as possible.

Humidity

Orchids need high humidity of at least 50%. It is almost a necessity for the pots to be positioned above a tray filled with pebbles and water. The orchid pots themselves shouldn’t set directly on the pebbles though, because excellent drainage is essential. It is best to invert a pot over the pebbles and then use that as a stand to set the orchid’s pot on or hang the orchids above the tray. Misting the foliage is very beneficial, but this should only be done when there is sufficient light and air circulation so that the plants have a chance to dry before night.

Watering

Orchids should be watered about once a week when the soil becomes dry, but they must never be allowed to remain wet or soggy for more than a day or two at a time. It is best to use water which has been allowed to sit for 24 hours to allow the chemicals to dissipate, and always at room temperature. Feed your orchid with water soluble ‘orchid fertilizer’ every two weeks during the growing season.

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