Union: Ford to close Belgian plant in 2014

(AP) ? A union leader says Ford has decided to close its factory in Genk, Belgium, by the end of 2014 in a move that will result in 4,500 direct job losses and 5,000 more among subcontractors.

Christian Democrat union representative Johan Lamers said Wednesday that Ford management read a letter announcing the move at a specially called council earlier in the morning.

Ford Motor Co. has been under pressure in Europe due to the region's dwindling demand.

The plant in Genk makes the midsize Mondeo and the S-MAX minivan. The company expects to lose more than $1 billion this year in Europe, where it gets a quarter of its sales. Analysts say the company has more factory capacity than it needs.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-24-Belgium-Ford/id-2b99711a8b4c4791959b87e2cf350644

kathy griffin road conditions newt gingrich wives weather gina carano at last al green

Firefox begins testing Social API with Facebook Messenger, here's how you can take part

Firefox begins testing Social API, here's how you can take part

You live a fast-paced life, and you don't have time to stop your high-speed internet surfing just to check up on Suzie's latest Facebook update. Mozilla understands your plight, digital denizen, and its "Social API" is here to help -- Firefox browser users can beta test Facebook's Messenger functionality right this minute, should they be able to pause for long enough to get it set up. Thankfully, that setup isn't too strenuous, requiring little more than the latest beta version of the Firefox browser and an opt-in to the Social API program. Mozilla's promising more social service integration as the beta rolls on ("soon"), but for now you can more readily stay in touch with Suzie at least, right?

Filed under: ,

Firefox begins testing Social API with Facebook Messenger, here's how you can take part originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 12:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMozilla  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/22/firefox-social-api-facebook/

safe and sound botticelli x factor winner footlocker julia gillard julia gillard pecan pie

WATCH: 'SNL' Spoofs Brad Pitt's Chanel Ad

Succeed Online By Increasing Your Affiliate ... - Make Money Blog

Succeed Online By Increasing Your Affiliate Marketing Knowledge With These Top Tips

There are very respectable profits to be made in affiliate marketing, as many webmasters know from experience. With a little bit of research, you can make money with affiliate marketing too. Reading this article is a great start to maximizing your online marketing potential.

Listing the possible alternative uses of products you are selling as an affiliate can be great for business, whenever applicable. Your high-lipped mat can double as a tray for pet food and water, or even a dish drainer.

When trying to better your affiliate promotion business, all content produced should have positive language. Avoid using negative turns of phrases. g.

Design a newsletter that people will want to read because of its format and useful content. Receiving email used to be a novel experience back in the Internet?s early days. These days they are rightfully overprotective of their privacy and do whatever is necessary to avoid junk mail. Therefore your newsletter must be designed to be a welcome change from the ordinary sales pitch.

At some point in your affiliate promotion career, you?re going to want to begin using paid advertising services like Google Ads. They supply keyword friendly ads to increase sales on your site. It is a targeted approach for online publishers, with revenues generated by showing relevant ads that are more likely to attract buyers.

Be sure to understand your public when choosing affiliates. This will, of course, draw more visitors, but more importantly, it will communicate to potential customers that you know what they want and need.

You should engage an internet marketing service that is well established because it is important to deal with an honest company. Be transparent about your affiliates and describe the purpose of your site. If visitors do not feel like you are being honest about the affiliations you are a part of, they can just click out of your site and buy straight from the merchant selling the product.

Consider implementing handwritten ads on your website. This kind of personal touch can show buyers the person behind the service or product, and thus increase your sales. If you dislike writing things by hand, or have illegible handwriting, hire a freelancer to help you create the ad.

Market yourself in quite a few different places. A part of your customer base will prefer searching the web for deals. Other people might respond better to tangible items like fliers or brochures. Some customers need a discount coupon to get them to pull the trigger. By exploiting as many different marketing methods as you can, you?ll reach a wider audience.

You can generate more business for your online company by joining affiliate marketing programs. Affiliate links are click magnets compared to other forms of advertising such as banners and context links. Here are three things to think about when you are looking for a good web marketing program: 1/ Ease of navigation. 2/ Popularity of the program. 3/ The amount of money you will receive for each referral.

You should try to utilize secret links. There are a number of ways to include links in your text without them being intrusive. If you do this, make sure your readers understand what?s going on. When your readers know what they are going to be visiting, they will be more likely to click on your links.

When you are monitoring affiliate statistics, don?t forget to evaluate where your links are performing best. Changing the position of the link can let you see where it helps your website the most. Keep the page the same, except for where you place your link.

Backlinks that connect to legitimate, relevant content are a vital part of successful internet marketing. A visitor who clicks on an ?HP tablet PC? link is not going to be happy when he or she arrives at your webpage selling Apple iPads. Although you might think your strategy is clever, page mismatch could remove trust from visitors.

It?s imperative to have access to real time statistics. They let you know many people have visited your site, where they came from, and how many purchases have been made.

When choosing affiliate products to promote, see how each company tracks sales coming from your efforts, that don?t go through the site directly. If you do not have a reliable way of tracking transactions that occur through phone and mail, you may be losing a hefty chunk of your commission.

Don?t be satisfied with the profits you are making; always strive for more. There is never a point where you should just sit back and rest on your laurels. Create a new blog or a new site that will generate even higher profits. The most important thing is to keep going.

The most effective affiliate companies support affiliates and assist in cross-selling products. Affiliate companies are smart, at least most of them are. They do a lot of research to find out what kind of marketing is most successful for converting customers. The more established companies share this information with affiliates so they can personalize their campaigns for better sales and commissions.

Make it a point to avoid engaging in dishonest practices that compromise your site visitors? privacy. This can make your site visitors feel resentful. In the worst case, it could break apart the critical tracking chains for your affiliate customers, or allow the spreading of computer viruses.

A 100% commission compensation plan might be a scam, but you won?t know unless you investigate. Many times these programs are over looked because people think they are too good to be true. Take the time and read the small print to find out what they are offering. When an affiliate will offer 100% commission, they do this so they can take the continuing subscription sales for themselves. This is actually a fairly common practice in internet marketing. Read the fine print when you find an offer that resembles this kind of program, as it could be just the program for you.

Use the points in this article when starting your own affiliate marketing endeavor. You can expand your success by capitalizing on the tricks and knowledge of those who have come before you.

Tags: 100% commission, affiliate companies, affiliate marketing, internet marketing, site visitors

Source: http://make-money-blog.com/succeed-online-by-increasing-your-affiliate-marketing-knowledge-with-these-top-tips/

penn state football mt rainier national park rose parade mount rainier national park drop dead gorgeous ticket city bowl 2011 nfl playoff schedule

CONTRARY BRIN: Has 21st Century Science Fiction gone cowardly ...

In a bit, I'll tell you about some way cool interviews and podcasts about science fiction and the future. ?But first --

Jonathan McCalmont is a critic of popular culture and science fiction whom I'll be watching. Not because I especially liked or agreed with his lengthy and rather incoherent screed: "Cowardice, Laziness and Irony: How Science Fiction Lost the?Future." In fact, I found his arguments dyspeptic and chaotic, cherrypicking examples in order to complain about this or that pet peeve.??

Nevertheless, while constantly aggravated I was also amused or fascinated often enough to keep reading and enjoying a chain of insightful snarks, some of which are extremely on-target.?

Hm... dolphins. ?Yes, that reminds me. ?Any exceptions Mr. McCalmont? ?But save that thought.

I might have hoped that McCalmont would have cited the work of SF scholar Judith Berman, who published a devastating?decryption of Isaac Asimov's SF Magazine, showing that its pages almost never portrayed problem-solving, progress, or even very often the future, but instead (sometimes artfully) wallowed in endlessly repeated themes of loss, regret and passive acceptance of limitation. The most frequently repeated lesson?? Ambitious endeavors often have unexpected side effects. (Duh?) Ah, but the lesson is, therefore, banish ambition.? As you might expect, my biggest disappointment was McCalmont's reluctance to ponder exceptions -- authors who are trying to engage with the future and its myriad possible decision points, ranging from technological and social to political, scientific and transcendent.? No mention of Vinge, Robinson, Bear, Kress, Haldeman... or me. But beyond that, even when he takes on bold and eager authors, it is mostly in order to take jaundiced views of very narrow aspects of Iain Banks, Hannu Rajaniemi, Michael Chabon, Alastair Reynolds, and Peter Hamilton, without at least avowing that they try and try hard, to offer the grand vision he desires.?

Nevetheless, in this review of a review-survey of some reviews, I do recommend McCalmont's screed. Don't get all in a twist where you disagree (you will!) He offers a different perspective and an ornery/contrarian one that challenged me! It got me sputtering and grinding my teeth.? That's the sort of fellow I like. I'd rather argue all night with a fellow like than, than spend an evening being flattered.?

== Br-interviews and podcasts galore! ==

== Sci Fi related miscellany ==???

== ...and... ==?

Wish I noted the URL. Otters eat the sea urchins that devastate kelp forests... that appear to be the fastest removers of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Otters otter get more appreciation, I guess.? Sorry, I couldn't kelp it.?

Source: http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2012/10/has-21st-century-science-fiction-gone.html

engadget twin towers iPhone 5 9-11 Chris Brown Tattoo Innocence of Muslims Clara Schumann

Your Online ?Presence? ? Pinnacle Business & Marketing Consulting

You can also read this article in the October 2012 publication of Venture Magazine.

Online-absent organizations may find it difficult to be taken seriously by consumers. A few years ago, having a website was considered sufficient online presence. By the same token, websites were relatively expensive to build, and difficult to maintain. Today neither is the case. You can build and host your own functional website for as little as $10 per year, which includes your own domain name, whereas designing the actual site has almost come to resemble child play.

But having only a website?isn?t?enough anymore. There are several other tools that can expand your online presence and make your business noticeable. The following valuable additions to your online marketing plan are either free or extremely affordable. All you need is a credit card and Internet access.

Your website: A company without a website simply does not exist. The first action prospective consumers will take to research your company is visit your website. If you don?t have one, your competitors already have an edge over you. This is where consumers expect to learn about the organization, the services, products offered, your references, etc. If this information about your company is unavailable online, well, information about your competitors is.

Your domain name: Believe it or not, some companies still use Gmail or other free email services. For some odd reason, some of these companies even have domain names yet chose not to use them for their email addresses. Not having (or not using) a proprietary domain name puts an organization at a major disadvantage. Imagine getting an email soliciting your business from a Hotmail address. How serious are you going to take that?

Your social media pages and channels: The leaders are obviously Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, and a bunch of others. You need to ?be there? and have links to your website. If you don?t have much in multimedia content, you might want to skip YouTube and Flickr, but the others have become a must. A great aspect about these tools is that they are very easily linked to each other. So if you publish information on one channel, it is immediately reflected on most of the others as well.

Your blog: This is a great way to really engage your audience, although you can probably achieve the same result via most social media portals. A blog, however, gives you stronger branding, engages people who simply refuse to setup accounts on social media channels, and gives you more flexibility in designing layout and structure, thus improving your content management. If you are tech-savvy, you can even setup your blog as a website, with sub-pages, features, etc.

Your email solution: Sending out unsolicited mass email for promotion purposes has become pass? and totally unacceptable. This is not to say that you need to refrain from using email as a key communication tool. However, if you decide to use this channel, you must make sure people opted to receive your messages and can opt out again easily without any hassle. Again, there are plenty of free solutions on the web that are readily available and fairly easy to use.

So if setting all this up is so easy, why do some companies lack those tools? Well, one of the main challenges is in coming up with content and continuous updates. Writing the copy text for your website for example is not easy at all. And this?doesn?t?mean you?re done once you put in the effort and go online. You still have to come up with new content quite frequently. The same goes for the other online channels. Your Facebook page is for free, but so are those of thousands of others who compete with you on ?likes.? Remember, it?s the content that makes it all happen.

Last but not least, a great benefit of extensive online presence lies in search results. If you have lots of postings and articles all over your channels, a search will yield a lot of results when people search for you. Not only does this make it easier for people to find you, but they?ll also feel assured that you?re well established and have been in the market for a while.

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

-->

Source: http://blog.pbmc.jo/2012/10/14/your-online-presence/

marbury v. madison 2013 lincoln mkz burger king mary j blige google project glass google goggles one tree hill projectglass

Video: Obama, Romney hunker down at debate camps

>>> we're just 48 hours from the second presidential debate . the president and mitt romney are hunkered down in heavy prep mode and in last week's vice presidential debate, the debate between the top two on the ticket could be a barn burrer.

>> reporter: president obama took a break this afternoon surprising supporters. he told reporters debate camp is off to a good start.

>> it is going great.

>> reporter: mitt romney hunkered down preparing in boston, attended church this morning with wife ann after spending saturday trying to chip away at the president's narrow lead in battleground state of ohio. romney is aiming to harness momentum after a successful first debate. president obama is his own worst critic. romney campaign advisor ed gill gillespie countered. tuesday's town hall style debate will likely include questions.

>> we did not know they wanted more security.

>> either they are misleading the american people are incredibly incompetent.

>> not true says top security advisor david axelrod .

>> it didn't come to the white house .

>> reporter: while the vice president had an otherwise strong performance, he was criticized for laughing during some of challenger paul ryan 's responses.

>> any time the other side carl rove or the folks on the far right are going after my father for smiling too much, you know that's a victory.

>> reporter: and "saturday night live" had a little fun with both presidential canning d aial candidates. both candidates right now are heavily focused on ohio, president obama getting an assist from former president clinton , and bruce springstein who will make a joint appearance there at the end of the week.

>> we want you to know that our coverage of the second presidential debate begins tuesday night 7:00 p.m . eastern.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49409916/

julia child Texas A&m taylor swift taylor swift katy perry Chad Johnson Twitter Helen Gurley Brown