I know, this title has been used several times around the blogosphere. However, I like the title so much that I think I'd write my own version.

There are certainly more facets that make an effective blogger, but as the title implies, this post lists only the top 7 habits. The purpose of this article is not to discredit other habits though.

For instance, playing around with various new web applications may sound like a waste of time. It is also not obviously related to blogging. However, if you consider that it increases your familiarity with the web, it can be extremely useful for bloggers too.

Being able to learn and work quickly through various computer related tasks is a skill every effective blogger should have. I know you'd agree on this one.

So, without further ado, here is my version of the top 7 habits of highly effective bloggers:

1. Optimize your blog for SEO
Thanks to the blog platform, this usually is a one-time process. You put various tags in your blog theme and activate it from your dashboard. Of course, you still need to research keyword for individual post and use it appropriately in the title and content, but the skeleton is also in the blog theme.

2. Balance quality and quantity
Your regular audience expects that you update your blog frequently. That means quantity is an important factor to keep and grow your readership. However, with all the noise out there both on the blogosphere and the Web, you really need to post quality -- as in useful and unique -- content to stand out.

Promotion becomes easier if you have great content to work with.

3. Convey personality and be transparent
The essence of every blog is the personality and transparency of the blogger. People are more likely to trust you if you are an individual than a big corporate name.

Conveying personality is not easy though because of the way we are used to be trained to write and communicate. It is a skill worth learning though.

4. Interact with your audience passionately
Nowadays, you should have one or more ways to interact with your target audience. If you choose to enable blog comments feature, you should spend some time getting involved with them.

Ask them to contribute and answer their questions. You need to show that you are reading what they have to say.

5. Engage with other bloggers
This is somewhat related to blog content promotion, but personally I never see it from this perspective. Networking with other bloggers makes blogging a much more rewarding activity.

You can never predict what is going to happen out of it, but that is a bonus. If you approach a blogger too aggressively to promote your content, only a few bloggers will respond, not to mention that you diminish the fun purpose of networking.

6. Promote your content
Nowadays, quality content can only do so much. It is true, once people find great content, they may start telling others about it, perhaps through social media and other means, but still you have to promote it to make it visible to your audience.

Content promotion becomes necessary as the Web grows, because good content can be buried deep in the corner of the Web.

7. Monitor the blogosphere
As blogging is not only about broadcasting your thoughts, monitoring the blogosphere is necessary to respond to on-going conversations about you, your product or your brand. At the minimum, set up Google Alerts and use Technorati or other services to monitor the buzz around the blogosphere for particular keywords.

If you think there is a more important habit than those I've listed above, what is it? Share your list!

Well if you are wondering what is this then, you need to read this..

"HOW WAS your trip to Madras? Was your sister happy to see you?''

"I don't know if she was happy to see me or not. But she was definitely happy to note that my water bottle was full."

"Your water bottle! What was so great about...''

"...there's an acute water shortage in Chennai. Things are really bad. If you were to walk into a stranger's house with a couple of bottles of water, he would welcome you with open arms!"

"It's that bad, eh? It's nice to know that your sister was happy to see your water bottle at least. Did you inform that you were planning to take up a job in Bombay?""No, I didn't. Besides, I haven't really decided whether..."

"...you should have informed that you were...."

"....informed her."

"What?"

"You should have informed her. You cannot say 'You should inform' or 'She informed'. You don't merely 'inform', you 'inform someone' of something. You have to let the listener know who that someone is. Here is an example. I informed Bala that there would be a meeting tomorrow."

"Would it be wrong to say 'I informed that there would be a meeting tomorrow'?"

"Yes, it would."

"I see. Then how about this example? The Principal informed some of the students that there would be no school tomorrow."

"Wishful thinking on your part. But the example is fine. The Manager informed Madhuri that he was taking the rest of the day off."

"The teacher informed me that I had done fairly well in the test. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great! I must say that you cotton on fast."

"I `cotton on' fast. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why don't you try and guess the meaning?"

"Well, let me see. I gave you an example and then you said that it was right. And then....Does cotton on mean that I understand things quickly?"

"Well done. When you `cotton on' to something, you begin to understand it or realise it."

"Is it an expression that is used often?"

"It is an expression used by native speakers of English in informal contexts."

"I see. How about this example then? At long last Harish cottoned on to the fact that Chitra wasn't interested in him at all."

"That's a pretty good example. Most of the students cottoned on to what the teacher was trying to say."

"That never happens in my case. Especially when it comes to Physics. Whenever my Physics teacher says something, it takes me at least half an hour to cotton on to what it is she is saying."

"That's because you don't cotton to physics like some of your other classmates."

"Cotton to? You mean cotton on to, don't you?"

"No, I mean `cotton to'. Here is an example. Jaya doesn't cotton to Karunanidhi."

"That example makes everything clear. Everyone knows that the two can't stand each other. So does `cotton to' mean to like someone."

"Very good. When you `cotton to' someone or something, you like the person or thing. Here's another example."

"Wait, wait! Let me come up with one. At the meeting the Manager came up with an excellent idea. Unfortunately, the Chairman didn't cotton to the idea."

"The heroine of the film didn't cotton to all the attention that the new hero was getting."

"It's not at all surprising that Namratha and Krishna didn't cotton to each other."

"That's a pretty good example. Now then, how about..."

"....by the way, how is your friend Namratha doing? Last I heard she was trying to find a job. Has she found one?"

"Didn't I tell you about Namratha? She won the lottery about six months ago. And since then she has been in tall cotton."

"Not cotton again."

"You don't cotton to expressions with the word cotton, do you? Anyway, any idea what 'in tall cotton' means?"

"Not a clue."

"When you say that someone is in `tall cotton' it means that he or she has life made. The person is fairly successful and has absolutely no problems with money."

"I wish I were living in tall cotton."

"Who doesn't? The two Ministers were in tall cotton till the CBI figured out what it was that they were doing."

"Can I say the two Ministers were in tall cotton till the CBI cottoned on to what they were doing?"

"You certainly can."

"How about this example? Twenty years from now I hope to be in tall cotton."

"Sounds good to me. By the way, the expression 'in tall cotton' is considered to be slang. So it should be used only in informal contexts."

"I'll try and remember that!"

"Hey, where are you off to?"

"Nagu's brother is leaving for Chennai tomorrow. Apparently he and his mother in law just don't get along."

"So how are you going to solve their problem?"

"Simple. I am going to ask him to carry about ten bottles of water."

"You have just given me an idea. I think you and I can become rich by selling water to our relatives in Chennai!"

"We'll be in tall cotton then."

Source: The Hindu.

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

Dear Friends,

It is from the experience of a friend, forwarded to me, that I thought to put this naturopathy for diabetics here in my blog.

If you are diabetic or not, please try, as it will do only good for your health, because it includes water therapy and no harmful contents.



Please note that another name for Lady Finger ( Bhindi ) is " OKRA ".
-----------------------
In one of TV program he learnt of a treatment of Sugar (Diabetes). Since he is diabetic, he tried it and it was very useful and his Sugar is in control now. In fact he have already reduced his medicine.

Take two fresh pieces of Lady Finger / Okra (Bhindi) and remove/cut both ends of each piece. Also put a small cut in the middle and put these two pieces in glass of water. Cover the glass and keep it at room temperature during night. Early morning, before breakfast simply remove two pieces of lady finger (bhindi) from the glass and drink that water in empty stomach.
Keep doing it on daily basis.

Within two weeks, you will see remarkable results in reduction of your SUGAR.
His sister has got rid of her diabetes. She was on Insulin for a few years, but after taking the lady fingers every morning for a few months, she has stopped Insulin but continues to take the lady fingers every day.

But she chops the lady fingers into fine pieces in the night, adds the water and drinks it all up the next morning.

Please try it as it will not do you any harm even if it does not do much good to you, but U have to keep taking it for a few months before U see results, as most cases might be chronic.

Since I saw their themes in iGoogle, I was long waiting for this cooool feature in Gmail. At last the much awaiting day has come. If you are using the "New version" of the Gmail then you could have already noticed the change. For those who are sticked with "Older version" of the Gmail, quickly change to "New version" of the Gmail and experience the all New Coool Theme environment of the Gmail.

I got excited to see new themes, other than the iGoogle themes :-).

Ok If you are wondering/ looking for a small help on how to change to "New version" of the gmail, here are instructions. When you log into your gmail, on the Top-Right corner you can see a small menu like the below.



Just Click on the "Newer Version". That's it. You can feel the New look of the Gmail. Still wondering how to choose the theme of your choice? Well here are the steps.

Click on "Settings" in the Newer version. You can find a New Tab "Themes" in the settings page. Select one that looks coool to you.



(click on the picture to get a clear view of the themes). I Like the "Desk" Theme. Its looks really cool on my Office Desk :-)

And as expected some of the special themes would change according to the time of the Day (as in iGoogle). So, Don't forget to update your location name at the bottom of the "Theme's" Tab.

Now Enjoy the Gmail with all new custom look :-)

WHAT IS the meaning of ``sting operation''?
A sting operation is a well-planned scheme used by law enforcement agencies to entrap a criminal. It usually involves a lot of undercover work. Often the term is reduced to ``sting''. Here are a few examples.
It was a well-planned sting operation.
The sting, as expected, went off without a hitch.
The sting required a lot of manpower.
The word ``sting'' has another meaning as well. It is often used in informal contexts to mean ``to cheat or overcharge someone''. (Remember the Robert Redford and Paul Newman movie called ``The Sting''?) Here are a few examples.
The fruit vendor tried to sting me.
The supermarket next to my house makes it a point to sting its customers.
The mechanic tried to sting me, but I put him in his place.

What is the meaning and origin of the expression ``to hit the sack''?
This is an informal expression meaning to `go to bed'.
Here are a few examples.
Ranjani hit the sack early last night.
It's been a long day. I am ready to hit the sack.
Although it was well past their bedtime, the children weren't ready to hit the sack.
The expression became popular during World War II when American soldiers began referring to the sleeping bag/blanket that they were carrying as ``sack''. Later, the word ``sack'' began to be used for anything that one could sleep on - a bed, a table, a bench, etc. The earlier expression that was commonly used was ``to hit the hay''.

Does the word ``history sheeter'' exist?
The words `history sheeter' and `rowdy sheeter' are often used in India to refer to a person who has a long criminal record - someone who has been arrested several times. The word however does not find a place in dictionaries. There is a word however - `rap sheet'. A `rap sheet' is a term used by native speakers of English, to refer to someone's criminal record. In this case, the reference is to the sheet itself and not the individual.
Some of our politicians have a rap sheet that is a mile long.
Her rap sheet is pretty impressive. She'll be our next Chief Minister!
The lawyers asked if there was a rap sheet on their client.

What is the meaning of ``We fear the president may be buying a lemon here''.
Have you ever bought a second hand car? Sometimes the person selling the car tricks us into buying something absolutely worthless. When you have been tricked into buying something worthless you have been sold a lemon. When you say that something is a lemon it implies that it is useless because it fails to work properly. So in the sentence that you have given, you are afraid that the president is buying something that is absolutely useless. (Isn't that what most presidents do?). Here are a few more examples.
Promod has a car which is real lemon.
I wouldn't borrow Madhavan's VCR. It's a lemon.
Rajeev bought a radio last month. It's turned out to be a real lemon.
By the way, ``worthless'' is the meaning of the word `lemon' in American English. In British English, it's people who are referred to as a lemon. The word is used in informal contexts to mean a silly person.
I felt such a lemon when I tripped over the carpet.
Many of the students think that the Dean is a bit of a lemon.
Usha has no intentions of meeting that lemon Ganpat.

Source: The Hindu

There are many ways to eat a masala dosa .What ever the way one eats; there is a very good reason for doing that. It shows some traits of the person that is you...



Case 1: People who open the masala dosa and eat it: These are the people who are very open about their life.. Everyone one the persons friends would know all about him/her. I have generally seen guys do this rather than girls. Some people think that it is a gross way of eating but in truth, these people are just portraying who they are and how their life is.

Case 2: People who start from both end and approach the masala later: These are the people who like to wait for the exiting things to come to their life. Sadly when the times comes, they are not too interested or just do not know how to enjoy it to the fullest. These are the folks who just want life as either dry or exiting. They just do not know how to phase their life and enjoy it no matter what. There are two types of people within this group

Case 2.1: People who do not finish all the masala: These folks just do not care as much for the fun times as they are already brought down by the harsh reality of life. The dry periods in their life has left them with so much scars that they do not want to be really happy when the time is right. They just take only as much as they needed and end their life. A very sorry state indeed.

Case 2.2: People who finish all the masala with the little dosa they have: These are the folks who just are the extremes. They just go all out in life. No matter it is dark or bright. They may not enjoy life to the fullest but they sure make sure that they get every single good and bad thing out of life. Sometimes these folks are really hard to get along with. They are either your best friends or your worst enemies. They do not have a middle path at all.

Case 3: People who start from the middle and proceed to both ends: These are the people who like to get right to what they think is their best part of life. Usually these guys finish of the good portions in a hurry and get stuck with nothing but worst parts of their life. The thing to note among these people is that the tendency to burn out very early in their life. Like the above case, there are two kinds of people in this group too.

Case 3.1: People who do not finish the dosa: These folks are really the saddest of people. They are the ones who tend to end their life as soon as it hits the bad patch. For them, they only need and want the best things in life and nothing more. Typically, they are not prepared or tuned to life as a whole. They just want to enjoy from first till last. Sadly, no one in the world can live without even an ounce of sadness in life. Not even the richest of the richest. But to self destruct at the mere sign of distress is very bad. That is what these guys tend to do. Some learn to live life but most of them do not..

Case 3.2: People who do finish the dosa: These folks are the typical human beings. We all enjoy the greatest of times in life and push the sad parts thinking about the great times in life. Typically the plate is clean and nothing is left for fate or in life. Happiness and sadness are part of life and these guys know that and are kind of prepared for it. Life is not always happy but there are moments of happiness here and there.

Case 4: People who eat the dosa making sure that the masala lasts for the whole dosa: These people are very rare. These are the people who like to attain balance in their life. It is hard to displease these people and it is hard to make them really happy. They like their balance and are very protective of it. Sadly these are the people who tend to be lonely as anyone else may upset the balance of their system. Perfectionist to the core and are very careful. These guys do not make the best company but are needed in any group to make the group from going hay wire.

Case 5: People who do not share and eat the dosa as if it is precious: These folks are very protective about their life. They do not want anyone to come and interfere in their life. They like to hide their true nature and intentions for their benefit. Beware of such people as they are in every group for their own need and nothing else.

Case 6: People who offer their first bite to others: These guys are overly friendly. They do anything to be part of a group and make everyone feel like the group is important than the individuals. They are the glue that holds any group together. They are very friendly and bring the best of all the others in the group. They go out of their way to help other friends. Most groups should have a person like this and they are the ones who plan the group outings and other group activities. Once this person is out of the group, typically the group slowly falls apart.

Case 7: People who take one or two bites and then offer the dosa to others: These guys care about friends and friendship but they take their time to get into the group. They take their time in making friends and they typically are very committed once into the friendship. These guys like to always be in the side lines and typically do not jump into anything in life. They always take their time to analyze the situation and then make a decision. These guys take the better safe than sorry approach.

Case 8: People who wait for others to make the offer first: Typical people I must say. They are unsure about everything. Even if they wanted to offer, they will wait till the other person offers the food first. If the other person is silent, so are these people. They are the followers. They do terrific idea, they will pitch it to someone else and get their advice before proceeding. Sadly, most of the elderly world like these types of people.

Case 9: People who offer dosa only when they cannot finish it on their own: You all may be familiar with these kinds of people. People who are very generous only when all their needs are fulfilled. These folks are selfish but at the same time not misers or greedy. They just want to satisfy themselves before they give it to the world. They typically do not stuff themselves nor do they tend to starve. They are very good people who would give you the best of advices in life. They would make sure that you are not sad following their advice.

Case 10: People who offer the whole dosa and eat from others plates: These folks are other extreme. They know what they want, they get what they want but they cannot enjoy what they want. Instead they tend to settle for other things in life which satisfies the needs but does not satisfy the person completely. These guys are termed as born losers cause even when they have the thing they wanted, they can't stop others from stealing it from them.

So next time you sit with a person eating a masala dosa, look closely and see if he falls into one of the above categories. You may be surprised as how much it reveals about the person

``WEREN'T YOU supposed to come over and have dinner with me yesterday?''

``That's right. But there was a problem. You see...''

``....what was the problem?''

``My cousin rang me up around 6:00 and asked me to come over. You see his landlord's son is returning from the U.S. So the landlord wants my cousin to vacate the flat by the end of the month. My cousin and I were out all evening trying to find a suitable accommodation.''

``Did you find one?''

``No. It's so hard to find an accommodation these days.''

``You cannot say `an accommodation'. In British English the word `accommodation' is an uncountable noun. So you shouldn't use `an' before it.''

``Really? I didn't know that! How about this sentence? There is a shortage of cheap accommodation in our city.''

``Sounds pretty good. Some of the delegates wanted to know if we could take care of their accommodation.''

``The university refused to provide the teachers free accommodation.''

``Why should the university provide free accommodation?''

``Good question. Many teachers....''

``...by the way, this cousin of yours. What does he do?''

``He's an academician.''

``He's an academician? Which academy does he belong to?''

``Academy? What are you talking about?''

``Well you said that he was an academician. Which academy does he...''

``...he doesn't belong to any academy. What I meant to say was that he is a teacher. He teaches at the university.''

``A teacher, eh? In that case, the word you are looking for is `academic'.''

``What is the difference between an 'academic' and `academician'?''

``Well, strictly speaking, an `academic' is a person who teaches or does research at the university.''

``I see. How about this example? When I grow up I certainly don't want to be an academic.''

``The example is OK. But the word `academic' has the stress on the third syllable `de'.''

``But a lot of people I know....''

``...tend to put the stress on the second syllable. But the stress is on the third. The `a' in the first syllable is like the `a' in `cat', `bat', and `sat', while the `a' in the second syllable is pronounced like the `a' in `China'. And ....''

``....I think I can guess the rest. The `e' probably sounds like the `e' in `set', `pet', and `get'. The final `i' must be like the `i' in 'sit', `bit', and `hit'.''

``Exactly! Radhakrishnan was an academic before he became the President of India.''

``Everyone knows that. That's why we celebrate Teacher's Day.''

``Exactly!''

``My cousin is the only person in the family who wanted to be an academic. Now tell me, what is the meaning of the word `academician'?''

``First of all, the word has the stress on the fourth syllable `mi'. Usually when you refer to someone as being an `academician', it implies that he/she is a member of an academy or a society....''

``...any type of academy?''

``An academician is usually a member of an academy that is concerned with the arts or sciences. The Royal Academy of Arts, for instance, or the Russian Academy of Sciences.''

``I think I understand the difference now. A professor is an academic. And when that professor becomes a member of an academy which is devoted to either the sciences or the arts, then he becomes an `academician'. Am I right?''

``Absolutely! There is a tendency these days, however, to use the words `academician' and `academic' synonymously. Some people object to it. Most dictionaries have only one definition for the word `academician' - member of a society or academy.''

``I think I understand the difference now.''

``This cousin of yours. What does he teach?''

``Computer Science. And you know something, he is quite a popular teacher.''

``Did he show you the new computer lab?''

``He took me to the lab last week. He has a free access to it, you know.''

``Free access and not `a free access'.''

``What?''

``He has free access to the lab. You cannot say `a free access'.''

``I see. I would like to have access to the building next door. Say after 10:00 in the night!''

``That's a bank! No one is going to grant you access to it at 10:00 in the evening!''

``That's true!''

``But they may be willing to provide free accommodation! Your cousin....''

``....the academic in my family doesn't need accommodation. Today he received a letter from the university saying that he has been allotted one of their quarters.''
``All's well that ends well!''

Source: 'The Hindu'

One great good news for all google lovers and chat lovers. Google introduced the VOICE-n-VIDEO chat over the gmail. First When I saw it, I thought its in GTALK but later I was freaking to know that its in the GMAIL :) Wow.. Its really really the cool thing I like from google. Ofcourse, I am great fan of google. For more details on this check the video below which is from google.



and for more details check their link here.