I am convinced that there was a conspiracy against me. I have been playing war of the words on SPIN1038 for the last week. It's a word association game, where you have to say a word related to the last word. You start off being given a word and the challenger has to say a word, then the champion. It's really good, but you have to be really quick. If you're too slow, or you say a word that's unrelated, you get buzzed, by either Ryan or Tracey. I started playing last week on Thursday morning, when I text in. I won that day, and everyday........... Until today.
I won tickets to Sam Sparrow last Thursday, tickets to The mighty something on Friday, Tickets to Neil Delamare on Monday, and a CD on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. So with this winning streak, it appeared that I was clearing out all of the prizes. This morning, Thursday, they told us that we could not ask what the other person had said, if we didn't hear them. So it was pretty much tough luck if you miss what they said, and then you'd get buzzed out. So typically this morning, I was against someone who had a really bad line, and I couldn't hear them. Needless to say, it wasn't long before I was buzzed out. I an CONVINCED it was set up so that I lost so that I couldn't win any more of their prizes, seeing as they were running out of things to give me. I was the longest to hold onto the title, thus far.
But they cheated me, I'm telling you!! Evil!!

Organic or Paid-For??

In the battle of organic Vs. Paid-For Search Engine Listings, I am most definitely in favour of the organics. To appear anywhere near the first page of a Google results page, your website must have good content and be an endorsement of fairly good quality. I can’t imagine that a lot of people click on the paid-for listings. I know I never have, even before I knew they were paid for. I suppose it’s because you automatically look at the top left and centre of a webpage.
However there are some benefits to being on the paid-for listings, like being able to time when your advertisement will be shown on the first page. This way you can target exactly the people you want, at the most likely time to catch them online. Obviously this would take a lot of research to find out different groups peak times to search the web, but it’d probably be worth it.
Well except that people can just click on your advertisement and you have to pay money for it. I’m fairly sure that a lot of companies are aware of the ability to cost their competition money, and I’d say that a lot of people give in to this click fraud. It is evil people, fair is fair. Stop trying to cheat your way to the top. Like these people who have invisible text, - (oh yes I have studied JavaScript and xhtml, and I know all about your white text! And about the keywords in your alt tags!) -trying to get all the keywords in so their site will appear high up on the results page. Oh yes the shameless cheats and liars! Well guess what people; Google picks up on your lies. Google is such a cool search engine though, the way they can catch people out. There is a serious amount of monitoring done on it. And if you are caught being a shameless cheater, Google will knock you off their listings altogether. You will be wiped clean off, never to be found again.
So yes the question poses how to appear number one on Google??The answer is, With great difficulty, but trying to cheat Google is most definitely not the way lads. Definitely not! Get there on you own, with your good content, because people are 80% more likely to click on the organic listings than on the Paid-For Listings!

Sample Press Release.

I am studying Public Relations, and here is a sample news release i wrote for my writing class

News Release

For Immediate Release

Scott PR,
Grafton St.,

Dublin,

19th November 2008

Ray Dartley launches Positive Age Week

Irish radio DJ Ray Dartley launched Age Action Irelands’, Positive age week, in the Merion hotel yesterday. (18.11.2008)
Positive Age Week will run from Monday 8th until Sunday the 15th of December. The week is being launched to dispel the many negative perceptions that surround ageing and to transform attitudes.

Deputy chief executive of Age Action Ireland, Lorraine Dorgan, echoed these aims when she said “We need to celebrate the fact that we are living longer, that ageing is not a burden but an opportunity”. Dorgan would also like to “encourage as many people as possible around the country to take part in Positive Age Week”.

During the week, people are encouraged to organise parties that celebrate the elderly. Thay can be anything from a small gathering, to a street party. This week is an opportunity to raise much needed funds for the charity, as a nominated fund raiser at each party will accept donations from those attending.

Age Action Ireland is the national independent organisation on ageing and older people. It’s main aim is to improve the quality of life if older people, and to allow them to lead full and happy lives for as long as they wish to live in their own homes.

To register as a fundraiser for Positive Age Week, contact Lorraine Dorgan on 01 1234567 or visit http://www.ageaction.ie/

The attached photograoh included DJ Ray Dartly at the launch of Positive Age Week, at a small tea party, with pensioners, Maeve Reilly, John Murphy, and Mary O'Keefe, as they toast the new initiative.

####

Contact:

Emma Scott

087 1234567

This is only a sample writing exercise, and is not a real news release!!

Virtual Vs. Reality

Virtual Communities, they could be considered the platform for global communication, but they can be dangerous unless monitored correctly. Virtual communities are groups of people who meet online, to talk. There are some people who are drawn by the similar interests that the other people have, others just want to have a sense of unity while others want to express their subconscious feelings, that they cannot show in reality. A virtual community were people can go online and create their own little characters is, second life. On this website you have your own avitar that you use to carry out the actions you want to do. Foe example, you can make them dance, sing or drink. You can pay real money to purchase outfits for your avitars, and you can dress them however you like. Its really interesting but I still find it a little bit disturbing that people will sit at their computer on second life and go to the pub online (yes it's possible) instead of going to the pub down the road! It's weird when people choose a virtual life over reality. I understand that people are shy, and aren't always good at socialising but getting out there and trying is half the battle. `
Virtual communities like social networking sites are good for people who have family abroad but again they nee dto be monitored closely, and have strict insurance systems, to protect the younger people that are logging on. Once people are careful not to get sucked into virtual reality I think that virtual communities are a great platform for communication.

Don't drink and dive in Dundalk.

So I had my first day out in Dundalk last night. It was fairly messy now. We started off in Grace/Sarah/Cahills' house and then headed for Gearoids' house. There was a fairly disappointing turn-out for something that people were so hyped up about-the class party.
But it was good craic with the people that did turn up. We played a game of "I Never" and found out a lot of interesting and slightly disturbing information about some people. From fancying relations, to having sex in phone booths, the truths were flowing with the drinks!
Amber, first time in there and it was very confusing, I couldn't even find the smoking area. When I eventually found it with the help of Eimear and Jane, we made possibly the worst decision ever. We got a photo keyring. And I havn't seen the picture while sober so I am terrified. It was taken at the time of night that I was a bit worse for wear.
I attempted to scuba-dive a bottle of smirnoff ice with two straws and it just didn't work, I ended up covered in it. Disaster.
Anyway, first class night out went down fairly well overall. There was bonding, drinking, and dancing and what more do you need for a class night out?? Maybe the entire class to be present!!