Mobilink Brings Nano-SIM to Pakistan

Mobilink has announced the availability of Nano-SIMs for its customers in Pakistan to ensure that Mobilink customers are enabled to use the iPhone 5 on the its network. Move is likely to be followed by other operators too.
Mobilink customers can simply walk into a customer care center and get their standard SIM replaced with the new nano-SIM.
The iPhone 5, launched by Apple recently, has introduced a nano-SIM tray instead of the standard SIM to optimize design and to enable the thin form factor of the new device.
Standard SIMs cannot be used with the iPhone 5 and Mobilink has taken urgent steps to ensure Mobilink customers can continue to use their preferred handsets on the network.

The Apple designed nano-SIM is 40 percent smaller than the current micro-SIM format and measures just 12.3mm wide by 8.8mm high, and 0.67mm thick.
For now this SIM standard has only been adopted by Apple in the new iPhone 5 but soon other mobile phone manufacturers are expected to follow the trend.

Microsoft Disowned Shafay Thobani Gets Rs. 1 Million Cheque from Prime Minister

You remember Shafay Thobani, the self proclaimed youngest Microsoft Certified professional, who was disowned by Microsoft when it said that company doesn’t keep track of age for its certified professionals?
The guy has hit the jackpot as Mr. Parvez Ashraf, Prime Minister of Pakistan has given away a hefty cheque of Rs. 1 Million to Shafay for becoming the youngest computer expert in the world, which was obviously a false claim.
Check all this happening in below pic that was published by Daily Express recently:

Just to explain things, Shafay Thobani is legitimate certified professional (we had checked with Microsoft) at incredibly young age – which is impressive – however, his claim of being the youngest certified professional is untrue since Microsoft has said this officially that they don’t keep track of age for its certified professionals and hence there’s no question of being the youngest or oldest certified professional.
There are people in this country who try to get labeled as the youngest this and youngest that to get the attention, fame and of course cheques from the government.
The trend, which is strictly discouraged by Microsoft has lead the fraudsters (especially those without legitimate certifications) to earn bad name for the country.
If not stopped and discouraged by government sector, it is feared that more such self proclaimed computer experts will keep hitting the media screens, even when technology companies, such as Microsoft, don’t want to be named with such fakers.

HBL Soft Launches its Branchless Banking Solution

Habib Bank Limited has soft launched its branchless banking solution in Pakistan as a pilot before going for a full scale commercial launch, that is planned for October 2012, told us sources familiar with the development.
HBL branchless banking will be second bank lead branchless banking solution, Omni being the first, that aims to trigger the next big segment in a Pakistani market to give tough competition to services like Easypaisa.
HBL’s branchless banking solution is powered by Sybase 365, a SAP company, and is managed by Abacus consulting which claims to have deployed this large scale solution in record time.
Though we aren’t sure about the complete product line and service charges of HBL branchless banking but from what we have heard so far it appears that HBL is going to offer all kind of services that EasyPaisa is offering to its consumers and corporate customers with least 25 percent lesser charges.
Bill payment, funds transfer, government to persons transaction, tax collection, loan payments, insurance and many other services are what HBL will kick start with, with reports of more value added services coming in future.
We were further told by sources that HBL will adopt an innovative new way for carrying financial transactions, which would not be telco dependent.
Thanks to its large banking network, HBL is said to start its branchless banking operations with over 200 regional hubs which will control end-point retailors in their respective regions.
Experts opine that branchless banking industry is going to get more competitive in coming time, eventually curbing EasyPaisa’s monopoly in the business, which will benefit the end user who will get better services at optimum prices.
Expect more details on HBL’s branchless banking in coming days.

What is Fake SMS Sender and How to Trace it?

Sending fake SMS messages from someone’s mobile number without his/her knowledge or consent, a term that is technically known as SMS Spoofing, is an old phenomenon.
We were tipped by multiple readers about the availability of such SMS faking software in local market, however we then decided not to carry the news as it could aware the fraudsters of a new technique of fooling people.
Dunya News, however, carried this news yesterday by claiming that a new system has been introduced in Pakistan through which anyone can send text messages with a number ID of his/her choice.
Dunya TV said that this new system, which it dubbed as “Evil Mobile Software”, will allow anyone to send text messages from any mobile number which can cause serious privacy and social threats for anyone, especially the girls.
Since the news has reached the masses now, we thought of telling our readers a way of tracing spoofed messages through which you can prove that messages (with your number as sender) were indeed not sent by you.

What Fake SMS Sender can do?

By definition, with a spoofed SMS or faked SMS sender the originator of text message can set sender’s number of his/her choice, making it possible for anyone to send text messages from any number.
For example, with Fake SMS sender I can send an SMS which will show sender’s number as 0300-0000000, or I can set sender’s name as “ProPakistani” or anything.
This technology is used to send masked messages with alphanumeric names such as: Ufone, Warid, QAU, GIKI and so on.

How These Software Work?

All these software available in local market use services of international vendors for sending fake text messages. Countless international companies offer SMS masking to their clients who use their brand names as message sender in their marketing campaigns.
Few evil geniuses in Pakistan have developed desktop applications (they have named it VBG Fake SMS Sender) which can send text messages with any senders’ number by using network of these international SMS vendors (through APIs).
These local fraudsters are now selling Fake SMS senders by posting ads on classified websites to mint money, which is of course illegal.

How to Trace Fake SMS?

If you are victim of Fake SMS, i.e. if someone has sent text messages with your number with objectionable content then you need not to worry.
There’s a way of proving that message wasn’t sent from your number and that it is a Fake Message.
There are two ways to trace a Fake SMS:
1 – SMS center number of any spoofed message or fake message will be an international number, such as +445566776654 or +22XXXXXX or anything but not a Pakistani number (Pakistani numbers start with +92).
The SMS Message Center Number is a phone number that acts as a gateway for sending or receiving SMS messages between cellular devices. Since spoofed messages are sent by International vendors only, it is likely that SMS center number of a spoofed message will be an international number.
If you don’t know, SMS center number of a text message can be found by going in to message details.
For all messages that are legitimately originated from Pakistani networks will have following SMS center numbers:

• For Mobilink Numbers: +92300000042
• For Ufone Numbers: +923330005150
• For Zong Numbers: +923189244444
• For Telenor Numbers: +923455000010

2 – If you are a victim of Fake SMS then you can prove it wrong by obtaining your call detail from your cellular company. Almost all cellular companies (except Mobilink) offer online call detail records or you can obtain this list for respective service centers of mobile phone companies.
Spoofed message or Fake SMS will not appear in your call record, since it was never sent using your cellular network. Hence you can prove that a particular message was not sent by you or your number.

What Law Enforcement Agencies Should do?

Very simple, search on Google for those selling these VGB Fake SMS sending software. Call them as customers and get their contact details to hunt them down.
Furthermore they can contact classified websites to get these ads removed from their websites.

What You Should Do?

Spread the word, educate your FnF the ways of tracing a fake message. Report fraudsters to police or NR3C.

A journey from Amber to Fiber

“ELECTROMAGNETICS” IS at the heart of everything that is done with electricity. It concerns itself with the forces that charge particles exert upon each other. Electromagnetics is a word that was coined in the late 1800s to denote a newly discovered phenomenon that was the combination of what previously had been thought to be completely separate phenomena: electricity and magnetism.
The effects of electric charge have been known since 600 B.C. History records that the ancient Greeks discovered that Amber, a hard, translucent resin, attracted bits of material after it was rubbed with fur. Nearly 2,000 years passed before William Gilbert realized in the early 1600s that this same effect could be observed when rubbing a variety of substances together. It was he who coined the term “electric” using the Greek word for Amber, “elecktron”. In 1660, Otto Von Guericke invented a machine that produced static electricity and Robert Boyle discovered in 1675 that electric force could be transmitted through vacuum and observed attraction and repulsion. The first indication that electricity can move from one place to another came from experiments conducted by Stephen Gray in 1729. He found that when two objects were connected by a tube, both could be electrified when only one was rubbed. In 1733, Charles Francois du Fay discovered that electricity comes into two forms, which he called resinous (-) and vitreous (+). Benjamin Franklin and Ebenezer Kinnersley later renamed the two forms as positive and negative. This discovery (of Stephen Gray) led J.T. Desaguliers in 1739 to the discovery of a class of materials called “Conductors” that pass electricity easily. In 1745, a Dutch physicist, Pieter Van Muschenbroek invented the “Leyden Jar” the first electrical capacitor used to store static electricity and in 1747 William Watson discharged it through a circuit that began the comprehension of current and circuit.
In 1750, John Michel theorized that permanent magnet has north and south poles that attract or repel each other according to an inverse-square law that is similar to Coulomb’s law of force. In 1752, Ben Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment. He invented lighting rods and sold them throughout colonial America. The first quantitative theories of magnetism were advanced in the 18th century. In the year 1800, Volta developed the first chemical battery, which consisted of strips of dissimilar metals immersed in a weak electrolyte. The first evidence that electric and magnet phenomena are related came from Hans Christian Orested, who, in 1819, discovered that a steady current could move a compass needle, just as a permanent magnet can. This was closely followed by Andre-Marie Ampere’s discovery that electric currents exert attractive and repulsive forces on each other. In 1820, D.F. Arago invented the electromagnet. One of the most important series of experiments was performed by George Simon Ohm in 1826; he showed that when a constant voltage is applied to a conductor, the resulting current is proportional to the conductor’s cross-sectional area and inversely proportional to its length. Another important experimental connection between electric and magnetic effects was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831. He conducted an experiment whereby two insulated wires were wrapped around an iron core and found that when the current in one winding was switched, a voltage was induced in the other and finally developed Transformer. In 1837, Samuel Morse invented the telegraph and in 1858, transoceanic telegraph cable was laid.
With the discovery of Faraday’s law, the stage was setfor the development of a complete theory of Electromagnetism. This was accomplished by James Clerk Maxwell, a professor of experimental physics at Cambridge University. In 1873 he published “A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism”. In this work, he proposed that just as time-varying magnetic fields can produce electric fields, the opposite is also true. Adding this conjecture to what was already known about electricity and magnetism, Maxwell produced his now-famous system of equations called Maxwell’s equations. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and in 1879, Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb. Edison directed the operation of the first central commercial incandescent electric generating station in the country. In 1882, it provided electricity to one square mile in New York City. The definitive experimental verification of Maxwell’s theory came in 1886 through a series of experiments conducted by Heinrich Hertz. He discovered Electromagnetic wave in 1888.
The most dramatic application of the new Electromagnetic theory came in 1901 when Guglielmo Marconi sent the first wireless telegraph signals across the Atlantic Ocean. The next two decades saw a host of developments in antennas, amplifying devices, and modulation techniques, culminating in the first commercial radio broadcasting in the early 1920s. Television soon followed in the early 1930s, followed by the radar in the late 1930s. Wireless communication is probably the most conspicuous application of Electromagnetics, since it involves the propagation of Electromagnetic waves through air or space. Nevertheless, Maxwell’s Electromagnetic theory has been equally important in the development of a host of other engineering applications. Other devices and systems in whose development electromagnetic theory played an important part include the vacuum tube (1906), the magnetron (1940), the transistor (1950), the laser (1960), and fiber-optic systems (late 1970s). Starting with the operation of TAT-8 in 1988 (8th transatlantic telephone cable), there is widespread adoption of systems based on Fiber optics from 1990. In fact, it is safe to say that Electromagnetic theory has been an essential ingredient in the development of every electrical device or system that we now take for granted.

How can PayPal boost online economy of Pakistan?

PAYPAL IS the global standard for payment transfers and for carrying online transactions. It’s a swift mode of payment that allows people to send and receive payments instantly.
Besides, majority of E-Commerce web sites rely on PayPal for charging transaction amounts from the customers.
The common problem for Pakistan’s 25 million plus internet users is that PayPal service is not available to them. It is either due to policies of PayPal or due to the hindrances it faces from local banks and financial governance institutions.
Many experts hint that PayPal has not yet started its operations in Pakistan due to technical as well as law and order concerns. Factors such as money laundering, funding of terrorists, weak banking infrastructure in Pakistan and lack of cooperation on part of the State Bank and local authorities may be hindering PayPal to land in Pakistan.
Who can play a role for removing those hindrances?
The government departments such Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), the industry support organizations such as Pakistan Software House Association (PASHA) and the infrastructure development departments like Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) can play an anticipative role for removing these hindrances that confine PayPal from coming into Pakistan.
Also it is the responsibility of government to improve the law and order situation in the country and make strict laws to curtail cyber crimes. Passing of an anti-laundering bill is another need that the government should resolve to pave the way for PayPal in Pakistan.
PayPal and Online Eco System Based on ‘Cash-on-Delivery’
Today most E-commerce vendors in Pakistan are relying on Cash-on-Delivery system in which payments are received at the door step of the consumer at the time of delivery of goods.
For businesses it means putting extra resources for payment collection which means an additional cost of doing the business. It also involves risk as many scams occur while delivering goods to far flung areas in the country.
Virtual stores can help businesses reduce costs
Moreover, selling goods offline involves more cost as the vendors have to open physical stores at different locations. Online stores can help them set up virtual stores through which they can sell anywhere in Pakistan.
If awareness is created to use online stores it can boost business activities throughout the country. Coming of PayPal would allow the local stores to grow their businesses which would consequently result in jobs creation. It will also encourage entrepreneurs to establish new internet-based businesses.
PayPal and Exports
Pakistan is lagging behind other developing countries such as India having 120 million internet users. Pakistani IT companies are not able to receive and send payments easily and find it difficult to sell their software and services online.
Here are given some statistics that will reveal the potential of PayPal in the modern global economy:
Total volume of transactions carried through PayPal in the year 2011 was $118 billion.
Annual online spending by US was 202 billion by the end of year 2011. It will increase by 226 billion in 2012 and 327 billion in 2016.
The IT professionals and freelancers in Pakistan face numerous problems when it comes to receiving payments from clients. Similarly, it is difficult for the software companies to sell their products internationally.
If PayPal starts to operate in Pakistan it will reduce transaction cost and hassles. Currently, the local businessman relies on less reliable modes of payments which are not only slow but are costly too. These are wire transfer, Western Union, Money Bookers, Payoneer.

Ensuring visibility in network traffic

EVER FACED a problem in retrieving data after the system recovers from a crash? If a company has robust Network Management in place, there are little chances of losing data. Similarly, recklessness towards network and information that flows across a network cannot only impede the speed of the work, but also can affect the progress of a business.
In addition to this, the apathetic behaviour of a network is exasperating for the users connected to the network, but what it is that actually causes the network to become passive and torpid?
Network Traffic
What happens when one is stuck in bumper to bumper traffic while going back to home from office? The vehicles move at a snail’s pace and it takes a lot of time for the person to reach his destination. The same situation occurs along with some other glitches when there is an information/data overload on the network. The data or information that travels across network in the form of packets constitutes network traffic, which is the major reason behind unresponsive network.
Rather, it is a weakness of network monitoring that raises visibility issues, but why it is important to ensure visibility and what can be done to achieve visibility?
Steps to Ensuring Visibility
There are three ways by which greater visibility can be created: accessing network traffic; monitoring of activities; data analysis. To ensure visibility in the network traffic, it is important to have access to data or packets that are being sent and received across network. By having access to data, it is possible to identify and distinguish data that is flowing with no commotion and the data, which is causing upheavals, but what are the ways to access data and are they all risk-free and reliable?
TAP and SPAN have been found as the two main methods of accessing data, TAP being more reliable. Initially, SPAN is inexpensive, but it becomes costly when packets drop in the mid-way before reaching the monitoring tool. This situation further aggravates that problem and makes it impossible to troubleshoot. SPAN almost fails in case of amplified internal traffic. TAP, however, allows continuous visibility in the network and rate of disruptions is lowest.
Access to data just helps in seeing and keeping an eye on the type and number of data flowing through and across the network. It doesn’t help one in knowing how the bandwidth is being used and who is guzzling more of it. Nevertheless, if the data and activities are monitored, it becomes easy to find this out. Moreover, it allows one todetermine if users are using file sharing programmes and one can also detect the presence of Trojan that is clandestinely passing on the information in the background. However, selecting a most appropriate network monitoring tool is the job of network administrator. Monitoring of data leads to capturing and analysis of data, but what if analysis of all captured data is not required?
Monitoring actually helps in filtering the data. Once it is filtered, it becomes easy to analyze data that requires analysis.  The analysis helps in identifying the underlying causes behind less visibility and network issues and leads to solutions.
The communication in the form of packets travels from user to server via router and the server then responds back to the user through router. The problems creating visibility issues can be solved either through replacing servers or increasing bandwidth i.e. the speed of the network. Bandwidth seems a skimpy hitch yet it is not that is why many companies, quite frequently, are found switching to fastest and most reliable internet connections. Actually, the process of flow of packets is affected by the speed of the type of connectivity. Simply putting ISDN cannot work in a large enterprise as it engages telephone lines and its speed ranges between few Kpbs. DSL is a better option as it doesn’t employ telephone lines, but wireless connection is the most in concept these days. It allows always-on connection, but in order to have access to it, it is must to be within a network coverage area geographically.
What does visibility yield?
Achieving visibility implies achieving cost savings and return on investment. The presence of malicious software, error counts, and identification of which protocols are using greatest bandwidth are valuable information gained through network monitoring. In short, monitoring helps in uncovering problems in network and allows provision of more network resources to the users connected to the network, thus yielding savings and more return.
A business relying on network needs to have a simple yet robust network. In the present times, where every company is making efforts to protect and safeguard their systems and information, it is important to ensure enhanced visibility in the network traffic. Even a small negligence can lead to serious repercussions such as data loss, slow processing, silent transmission and leak of the information, and business failure, which no firm wants.

Factors to consider before buying a Solar PV system

OWING TO the unprecedented level of power shortage being faced throughout the major cities and villages of Pakistan, a substantial demand of quick and reliable power solutions for household and industrial application has been observed. People have now started understanding that quick fixes in the form of UPS (Uninterrupted power supplies) and petrol/diesel generators are not a long term and sustainable solution to the impending power crisis, which is here to stay.
In scenarios such as these solar PV systems have shown great acceptability amongst the masses, not only because solar PV systems can be quickly installed on demand but can also be designed to be a dependable source of power. Pakistan is amongst the few countries which are blessed with tremendous solar resource potential year out, and thus solar PV systems can be a commercially viable alternative for a number of applications. However, unfortunately seeing this exponential growth in the off grid solar PV market a significant number of “easy money” oriented opportunists and make shift companies have started to sell these solar PV systems without taking into account the numerous engineering design factors and design practices that have to be brought under consideration before such an installation is actually made. The current situation is pretty clear; traders are selling solar PV system equipment like vegetables. The lack of knowledge and awareness amongst the customers result in bad deals (system failures or equipment failures) which in turn damage a prospective solar market and the possibility of wide spread applicability of solar energy.
This article’s objective is to educate solar PV customers of the factors that have to be brought into perspective before any solar PV system is bought. Overlooking these factors would otherwise make the PV system vulnerable to performance failures and which could also possibly lead to the damage of system components. The major components of an off grid solar PV system includes the photovoltaic module, charge controller, inverter and the batteries.
A solar PV module is the most sophisticated component of the complete system, designing a solar system energized by PV modules requires the thorough study of the performance behavior of a solar module in outdoor conditions. PV module manufacturers rate their panels at standard testing conditions based on the IEC 61215 (Crystalline) and IEC 61646 (Thin Films). PV Module performance or output in outdoor conditions is strongly linked with three important factors which are irradiance, cell temperature, air mass. Other factors which also influence PV module outputs are wind speed, shading, dust accumulation, module inclination and humidity, all of these factors contribute to the net wattage produced by the module.
With so many varying conditions worldwide a generalization was essential to compare different PV panel manufacturers, and this is where the standard testing conditions (STC) were introduced. STC specifies the irradiance to be 1000W/m2, cell temperature to be 25C and air mass to be 1.5. This means that when STC prevails the panel will produce its rated output; however, in actuality such conditions are rarely ever reached. Pakistan is a country where there are generally high ambient temperatures which result in higher cell temperatures and thus resulting in a reduced output. The solar irradiance also generally varies from 100W/m2 to 1000W/m2 throughout the day. Thus knowing the actual output of the PV panel under all the stated conditions is crucial for designing a reliable solar PV system. Amateur designers of solar PV systems tend to make a lot of generalization while designing, like for e.g. assuming the amount of sunshine hours in which STC conditions are assumed. This leads to the systems which are likely to fail under the deviating conditions. All contingencies like the variability of environmental conditions and their influence on all the components must be taken into account.
Batteries are another component which requires a careful study and understanding before it can be deployed with any system. The batteries which should be used should have the capacity of undergoing deep cycle discharges that is the depth of discharge is higher compared to conventional car batteries. There are a range of different batteries which can be used each having its own advantages and disadvantages and must be selected while keeping the application in perspective. Ambient temperature and the time of discharge also determine the batteries charge holding capacity and must be considered in the design of a reliable solar PV system. The number of cycles (i.e. life of battery) that the battery is capable of withstanding under the anticipated environmental conditions and also based on the applications must be communicated with the customer. The life of the battery must be accurately determined as this is one component which has to be replaced at least 3 to 4 times within the life of the PV system thus represents a recurring cost.  Mediocre PV system designers fail to understand that cutting corners while selecting batteries is detrimental to the economics of a Solar PV system.
The charge controller and inverters is considered as the heart and brain of the solar PV system, sizing both components adequately based on a number of factors is crucial for the long reliable life of the PV system. The charge controller can only be sized once the max and min current/voltage output from the PV array is determined and the inverter can only be sized once the load wattage dynamics are understood. Detailed understanding of the PV performance is necessary to size the right charge controller.
Companies in Pakistan currently selling solar PV systems are designing these systems without any regard to the technicalities associated with executing such a task, most are primarily traders willing to get the most out of the sustainable energy hype. The end result is that people end up accusing the technology for not being able to cater their power demands. This makes the renewable energy market even more challenging to work in. Thus people should be aware whether the solar solution provider they go to is capable of providing a solution which incorporates all the above factors. The government should also take appropriate steps to ensure people get the necessary training and awareness.

Tsunami foresight Normative science perspectives

 
SINCE THE day humans came to being and started thinking about new techniques to survive on earth, the only planet we know has life, we humans have been doing foresight of some sort. We try to avoid the upcoming hazards in one way or another e.g. we try to keep ourselves safe from diseases, we try to keep ourselves healthy through stockpiling the food, we hoard luxuries by calling them necessities e.g. oil, gold, silicon etc. Humans are clever beings as they are observed to be the only ones manipulating the nature. They try to come up with sophisticated technologies to gear up their joy and security needs through different tactics of invention and innovation in addition to consensus with no regards to laws of nature. Often we hear this that we do we put on clothes, why do we do what our forefathers been doing for ages, why women take care of babies at home and men working outside, why do we give charity for the ones who suffer are only because of their wrong doings….
We humans have more tendency to think about the future for securing the things which we fear about and to giving ourselves liberty from fears and restrictions. Tsunamis are one of our fears which haunt us and we think how to take care of these which are completely unpredictable. The tendency to plan for secure future is motivating us to do foresight about these natural hazards though there is common belief that it can’t be controlled by humans but God. Still being the second to God on earth efforts are on to control and foresee the things we can’t see.
Tsunamis are earthquakes which are due to the movement of the tectonic plates deep down in earth’s crust. The movement is always for a reason but how to predict that now it is going to happen. Can we really foresight the future Tsunami or earthquake thus accordingly taking actions to avoid the damage? Do we have a technology in our mind which keeps track of these movements ultimately resulting into a simulation which results in a model demonstrating the damage which may occur due to it? Or is it just for the sake of taking actions to avoid all those actions which result in Tsunamis and earthquakes? The very common person will say that we need to overcome the damage by living a simple life, keeping away from sea, always living like a traveler so that damage, if occurs, should be minimum. Some would be there who will try to make their buildings like ships so that if it ever happens then some transformation of ship like homes may occur to save from damage by going under the ground or transforming into a vessel which is submarine like.
We have strong faith persons who believe that it is because of our deeds. We do good and the result is to have good. For bad ones, troubles and issues are always ready to happen just in a moment. These believers may have assumptions but science needs to come up with a reasoning for that. Do we have a bad impact on our environment due to a bad deed which somehow impacts our earth’s crust thus making the plates to move to at least generating a potential to make them move in near or far future? Is there a linkage between the deeds and our natural hazards? Can we come up with a research project that a common type of deed resulted into a disaster which was all natural and was out of control of human beings? May we not the study the deeds or common habits of a place where these natural disasters occur? Its all meta-physics which is based on spirits. Religions do have space for this but can science come up with a proof or a linkage between the two: Tsunamis’ Science & Normative Science.

Naltar valley

Naltar valley is very close to Gilgit and Hunza. It is 40 km (25 miles) from Gilgit and can be accessible by jeeps. Naltar is a forested (pine) village recognized for its flora and fauna and terrific mountain scenery. Now a days the communication is obtainable by the efforts of Pakistan army signal corps (SCO special communication organization). There are ski lifts under the ‘Ski Federation of Pakistan’. Transportation facility is there from Gilgit to Naltar but during a specific time after that one can arrange on his own.
In the Naltar valley there is a lake known as ‘Bashkiri Lake’. It is at a distance of 32 kilometers (20 miles) from Naltar Bala. This lake gives a breathtaking and amazing look both in the summer and as well as in winter. The road from village to “Lake” is nonmetallic and narrow along with a stream throughout this road coming from the mountains. A lot of attractive scenes are there along this road. In winter it is almost impossible to reach the lake through any vehicle due to the snow (10 to 15 feet high) on the road.

Anchor Text(SEO)

Anchor Text

Simply getting links from many other websites is not enough for your website to rank well in the search engines. The quality of your anchor text will play a huge factor in ranking your pages for specific keywords, especially competitive ones.

What is Anchor Text?

Anchor text refers to the words that make up a link; they are the words that turn your mouse cursor into a finger-pointing hand. For example, in the sentence, "I really like to go to this store," "this store" is anchor text for the link.

Why is Anchor Text Important?

Search engines gather data by traveling around the web via links, jumping from page to page. Links are the lifeblood of a search engine and are used as key indicators for identifying the topics of the pages they're about to go to. If 100 sites link to a site with the link "Texas Architect" or similar words, the search engine can be fairly confident that the site is about an architect in Texas.

Targeted Keywords

If you want a page to rank for a keyword that is particularly difficult, be sure to focus on getting the keyword in your anchor text. Many newbies will request links to the page they're trying to boost and forget about the anchor text. While getting links to the page is most certainly going to help, you should try to get at least part of your keyword into the anchor text whenever you get the chance.

Varying Anchor Text Slightly

Imagine this scenario: you know which keyword you want to target, and you're starting to get links with the desired keyword. That's great, but you should be careful about getting too many links that look exactly the same. If you have 99% of the links that are pointing to your page with "Rocky Mountain Oysters," that will send up a red flag at Google that these links probably are not normal links. This is bad! You don't want to make Google suspicious.
Instead, when you request other people to link to your page, ask for variations of that keyword, such as: "Rocky Mountain Oyster", "Alternative Oysters," "Rocky Mountain Festivals," "Rocky Mountain Foods," and so on. It is because people have exploited anchor text in the past that you have to be careful about the way you do it today.

Keywords and URL Alignment

When getting all of these links with the desired anchor text, make sure that you're linking to the correct page, as a very common mistake to simply link to the homepage (www.example.com) instead of the page that should be getting the link (www.example.com/rocky-mountains/oysters.php).

What is PageRank?

PageRank is a ranking system that previously was the foundation of the infamous search engine, Google. When search engines were first developed, they ranked all websites equally and would return results based only on the content and meta tags the pages contained. At the time, however, the PageRank system would revolutionize search engine rankings by including one key factor: a site's authority.
To determine how important, or authoritative, a site was Google chose several big sites, such as cnn.com, dmoz.org, and espn.com. These sites were clear authorities, and Google figured that if these websites chose to link to another site (let's say site B), then site B would receive a piece of that site's authority. If site B were to link to another site (how about C), then site C would also receive a piece of authority, though much smaller.
Using this system of passing authority, Google would then count up how much authority a site had and give it a PageRank from 0 to 10. The PageRank system has become more complicated since then, but this is how it all started.

What's my PageRank?

If you would like to see what PageRank your site has or other sites have, install Google's Toolbar. Google has made a small green bar that starts at 0 page rank (a blank bar) all the way up to 10 (a full green bar, which is 100% authoritative). It should be noted that the PageRank shown in the toolbar is an estimate released by Google, and it is only updated every 3 months or so.

Who Uses PageRank?

When PageRank first came out, only Google was using the technology, but as other search engines have seen how much it improved Google's accuracy, nearly every search engine has added the PageRank system in to be at least part of their algorithm. In the past, while many of the search engines were still working on adding PageRank to their search algorithm, some couldn't wait to make their own and instead signed deals with Google to have them power their results (Yahoo did this for quite some time).
Apart from search engines, SEOs (Search Engine Optimization specialists), link buyers, webmasters, marketers, and anyone interested in a site's value will often look to the Google PageRank when trying to quickly determine the importance of a site.

How Important is PageRank?

When Google was in its childhood, PageRank was the single most important factor for ranking well. However, as soon as the SEO community caught on to this, there was a great deal of people who found ways to artificially boost their clients' PageRank. Those sites became more authoritative than Google thought they should be. Since then, Google and other search engines have constantly refined how important PageRank is, and its importance has definitely declined through the years.
One tactic Google uses is to update Google Toolbar PageRank values four times a year instead of every week, making it difficult for SEOs to know a site's real PageRank. Another tactic is to prevent a site that has been known to sell links from passing any of its PageRank (authority) on to sites that it links to. However, Google can't use that tactic too much because then they run the risk of preventing good sites from being ranked as they should be.
This is a battle between Google and SEOs that will not be ending anytime soon!

Where do I Get PageRank for my Site?

Now we've come to the part where you actually have to do work! It's tough, but getting a high PageRank for your site should definitely be part of your longterm SEO strategy.
The only way to get PageRank is to get a link from a site that already has PageRank. This means that getting a ton of links from PageRank 0 sites will not help your score. However, a single link from a site with a PageRank 6 can immediately boost your site to a PageRank 5 if the site is trusted by Google and is not linking to a massive amount of other sites.
The process of increasing your PageRank is directly tied to link acquisition. Link acquisition is getting links from other sites, be it via natural or through link purchasing. We cover both of these topics in greater detail, and you should read each lesson to learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Final Thoughts: PageRank

Although not nearly as important as it used to be, PageRank can still be the deciding factor that bumps your site to the top of the search engines. Not only that, but it is also a good indicator of which sites you should spend your most time trying to get links from. Sites with a PageRank 0 are either being punished by Google, or just have an authority of zero, nada, zilch, bupkis, and generally not worth your time.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Keyword Research

Keyword Research

Before you can start optimizing your site for the search engines, you must first know which terms you want to target. A good start would be to choose 3 or 4 keywords you would like your website to rank well for. With these keywords in your mind you can then set a goal to rank in the top 10 results on Google for each of them (we refer to Google because if you can rank well there, you'll rank well on the other search engines). These keywords can be either broad or specific, but you'll want to study our list of pros and cons of each before choosing.

Broad Keywords

A broad keyword is one that many people search for, because they may only have a vague idea of what they're looking for. Broad keywords tend to be very short and aren't very specific (e.g. "shoes" or "sports"). These keywords are difficult to rank #1 for because so many other websites might have an article or two that mention shoes. However, if you can rank well for a broad keyword, you will be receiving a great deal of traffic.
Summary: Hard to rank for, but worth it in the long run. We recommend that beginners only choose a broad keyword if their industries are not very competitive.

Specific Keywords

A specific keyword is something that contains many adjectives or words that make the search very targeted. The people doing these types of searches know exactly what they want (e.g. "used black high heel shoes"). These keywords are much less competitive and are easier to rank for on search engines. The downside is that they receive a great deal less volume of searches per month. In terms of traffic, you will need to have several #1 rankings for specific keywords to equal one #1 ranking broad keyword.
Summary: Easier to rank for and it's highly targeted traffic. The only downside is that the number of visitors you will receive is relatively low.

Unique or Branded Keywords

These are the words that are specific to only your company. They are one of the most easiest ways to get traffic. However, some companies will release a new product, with a unique name, and then forget to optimize for that keyword on their website. Their SEO savvy competitors can then pick up the slack and take over the top rankings for these terms. If you have a popular brand or product, make sure that you have optimized for these freebie keywords.

Keyword Research Tools

Keyword research tools are 2 parts voodoo magic and 1 part hard statistic. This is partly due to Google not releasing actual numbers and partly due to overeager SEO Tool developers trying to sell their products. Because there is such a sizable uncertainty in all keyword research tools, it is best to use as many different sources as you can,. Even with multiple sources, you should only take the information you gather as a recommendation, rather than a fact.
Yahoo has been releasing their keyword search information for years, and many tools are based off of this specific data. We've collected a wide variety of helpful tools that will give you a general idea of which keywords you should target when making and optimizing your websites.

Picking a Short List

To put the optimizing tactics that we teach to good use, we recommend that you try to target no more than 2 or 3 keyword phrases per page. A common mistake by many SEO beginners is to stuff 500 different keywords on one page and wait for the #1 rankings to roll in. That might have worked 10 years ago, but the algorithms that search engines use these days are much more sophisticated and are not tricked by this. That's why it's best to start small, and be concise with the keywords that you choose. New sites in particular will find it nearly impossible to rank well for many keyword phrases upon first starting out.

 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Beginners

You've finished your web design, uploaded your files, and set up your blog, but you're still not getting as many visitors as you hoped for. What gives? Chances are you haven't started working on one of the most important ways to market your site, Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

What SEO Is

Search Engine Optimization refers to the collection of techniques and practices that allow a site to get more traffic from search engines (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft). SEO can be divided into two main areas: off-page SEO (work that takes place separate from the website) and on-page SEO (website changes to make your website rank better). This tutorial will cover both areas in detail! Remember, a website is not fully optimized for search engines unless it employs both on and off-page SEO.

What SEO Is Not

SEO is not purchasing the number #1 sponsored link through Google Adwords and proclaiming that you have a #1 ranking on Google. Purchasing paid placements on search engines is a type of Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and is not covered in this tutorial.
SEO is not ranking #1 for your company's name. If you're reading this tutorial, you probably already know that ranking for popular terms is darn near impossible, but specific terms, such as a company name, is a freebie. The search engines usually are smart enough to award you that rank by default (unless you are being penalized).

Who Uses SEO

If a website is currently ranked #10 on Google for the search phrase, "how to make egg rolls," but wants to rise to #1, this websites needs to consider SEO. Because search engines have become more and more popular on the web, nearly anyone trying to get seen on the web can benefit from a little SEO loving.

Deosai Planes

The Deosai Planes

The Deosai Planes are not part of the Himalaya. They are a high altitude grassy plateau between the Himalaya and Karakoram located south and west of Skardu bordering Indian controlled Kashmir. Nowhere is lower than 4000m. The area is unihabited and only accessible for 4 months of the year between June and September. The region is protected under the 3630 sq km Deosai Plain National Park which is the second largest national park in the country after the Central Karakoram National Park. There is a significant brown bear population within its boundaries which and also support the endangered snow leopard and Indian wolf. Himalayan Ibex, golden marmots and snow trout are numerous. A jeep trail stretches from Skardu to the Astor valley. There is no public transport. A jeep from Gilgit to Skardu takes about 16 to 18 hours stopping overnight in Astor. Many people also walk or cycle the trail. Due to its rolling topography it is not a region noted for its mountaineering potential.

All about Himalayas

A Magnificent Monument of Nature
Being the world's highest mountain chain, the Himalayas is characterized by its great height, complex geologic structure, snowcapped peaks, large valley glaciers, deep river gorges, and rich vegetation.
Himalayas is a magnificent monument on the Earth. It represents the awe-inspiring power, beauty, and grandeur of Nature. It constitutes the greatest attraction to adventurers, climbers and trekkers throughout the world.
Geography:
The Himalayas extend from west to east for about 2,500 km in a curve, from the Pamit Knot in the northwest to the valley of the Brahmaputra River in the east. And with a width of 100 - 400 km. The Himalayas range covering an area of 612,021 sq. km. 
It passes through Nepal, Indian (5 States: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim), China (Tibet), Bhutan and Pakistan. 
.Click to view larger map
The Himalayas are divided into several parallel ranges from south to north:
- Sub Himalayas. (With an average altitude of 900 - 1,200 meters.)
- Lower Himalayas. (With an average altitude of 3,700 meters.)
- Great Himalayas. (A single range rising above 6,000 meters with nine of the 14 highest peaks in the world, including Mt Everest.)
- Tibetan Himalayas. (Tibet Plateau, with an average altitude 4,000 - 4,5900 meters, well known as the Roof of the World.)
The Karakoram Range in the northwest is also sometimes considered as part of the Himalayas system.
History:

The Himalayas are relatively young folded mountains. According the Theory of Continental Drift, there were several phases in the genesis history of the Himalayas:
About 250 million years ago, there was a single super continent (Pangea) on Earth. It was surrounded by a large ocean.
About 200 million years ago, the super continent (Pangea) started to split into different land masses and moved apart. An extensive sea (Tethys) stretched along the latitudinal area presently occupied by the Himalayas.
The two land masses, the Eurasian (Angara) and the Indian sub-continent (Gondwana) moved closer and closer,  then the collision happened and uplifted the highest & youngest mountain ranges on the Earth.
There were several phases in the Himalayas building process:
Phase I - Upper Cretaceous Period. About 70 million years ago, when the Gondwana plate and Angara plate began to converge and collide. The sea-bed was folded and raised into longitudinal ridges and valleys.
Phase II - Upper Eocene Period. About 65 million years ago,  the collision was much more powerful. The Tethys bed was raised high enough to cause the final retreat of the sea and its sedimentary deposits were elevated into mountain ranges and intervening basins into large river valleys. The Great and Tibetan Himalayas were uplifted.
Phase III - Middle Miocene Period. About 25 million years ago, the Lower Himalayas were formed.
Phase IV - About 2 million years ago, the fourth Himalayan paroxysm occurred. Along with further elevation of the Himalayas ranges, compression forces squeezed and pushed southwards, The Sub Himalayas also raised and folded.
Phase V - Only 600,000 years ago, the final phase more or less determined the present geomorphic form of the Himalayan system.
However the India Plate continuously moving north at the rate of about 2 cm per year. The Himalayas are still geologically active and structurally unstable. For this reason, earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in the entire Himalayan region.
The Himalayas region is an important model for the study of geology and continents tectonics.

Ecosystem:

Himalayas have had profound influences on the climate, environment and population distribution etc on the Earth. An example is showing here - a scientific synergy acquired by Terra sensors in March 2000:

True color image draped over surface topography of the Earth	Himalayas (white) divided the Tibet (World's Roof) and the India sub-continent. The growth of dense vegetation (darker greens) in the true color image.	High concentration of water vapor, or humidity, appeared just south of the Himalayas.
The lush landscape attracts about a billion people reside there. indicated by the reds and yellows in this false-color image.	industries produce a thick layer of haze, or aerosol particles (brown),	High levels of carbon monoxide (reds and yellows,)  But these pollutants were not allowed to spread northward to the Tibetan Plateau.

The Himalayas range is the originate of numerous glaciers and many important rivers in Asia.
 
There is great variation in the Himalayan soils. The dark brown soils are well suited for growing fruit trees. The wet, deep, upland soils with high humus content are good for growing tea. Himalayan vegetation is based on altitude and rainfall and can be classified into four groups:

Tropical zone - Up to 1,000 - 1,200 m (3,280 to 3,940 ft) . Tropical ever green forests, Rose, chestnut, bamboo, alder, pine, laurel, and palm etc.
Subtropical zone - Up to 2,200 m (7,220 ft). Deciduous forest with sal, oak, and magnolia temperate forests of cedar, birch, hazel, maple, and spruce
Alpine zone - 2,200 to 2,700 m ( 7,220 to 8,860 ft ). With juniper, rhododendron, mosses, lichens etc
Several kinds of flowering plants are found from 2,700 to 3,600 m (8,860 - 11,800 ft). Alpine meadows are found up to  5,000 m (16,400 feet).

Elephants, bison, and rhinoceroses inhabit the forested lower slopes of the Outer Himalayas.
The snow leopard, brown bear, red panda, and
The black bear, languor monkey, clouded leopard, and goat antelope live in the foothills. Tibetan yak are living above the tree line--above 3,050 m (10,000 ft).
Endangered animal species, such as the rhinoceros, musk deer, and Kashmir stag, or hangul are now under protection.
There are catfish in most Himalayan streams, and butterflies are extremely varied and beautiful.
While one are enjoying the miracle of the Nature, one must not forget how to protect the vulnerable ecosystem of the Himalayas.

Major Peaks of the Himalayas:

Mt. Everest
The Himalayas is the world's highest mountain range comprising all top ten of the world's highest peaks. In fact, the Himalayas includes 14 peaks more than 8,000 meters high and some 200 more than 6000 meters.
Listed here are the panoramic sequence from East to West of over 7,000 meters major peaks in Himalayas :
NAMCHA BARWA  HIMAL
China (Tibet)
Namcha Barwa- 7,782m (25,531ft)
Jailabaili Feng - 7,151 (23,460ft)

THAR DESERT PACKAGES 2011~2012

Thar Desert one of unique Deserts of the world in addition the Kaaroonjher Mountain, Runn of Kutchh, ancient historical temples of Jeen era, centuries old worship and prayer places of Hindus and Muslims streams, fountains, dunes and forts.
Thar Desert spreads over 22000 square kilometer, is mostly desert except for a small portion of hills situated in Taluka Nagarparkar and small part of barrage terrains where livelihood of above one million people depends on rain fed agriculture and livestock rearing. While the local crops and wild foods of this desert are totally organic as the area is yet free from corporate farming.

Thari organic foods can also be arrange for our guests according to the requirements of  season. In this regards the menu includes of pure honey, butter, Desi Ghee, loaves of millet with vegetables of mushroom, Chibher, water and musk-melon, (gidro and chhanhio) amaranths (mariro), Raita etc
Thar Desert is also widely known for folk music and melody, its soil has given birth to renowned singers including Murad faqir, Mai Bhagi, Mohan Bhagat, Saroop Bhagat, Budho faqir, Hussain Faqir, Saluram Bhagat and others, their voices yet add to the beauty of this Desert.
Where to stay:
At Guest House situated in Mithi City, The location is clean, attractive and away from noisy atmosphere. The Guest House provides the facilities of quality lodging and boarding.
Guest House is also fully equipped with all basic facilities including Telephone, Standby Generator, Air Conditioned Rooms, TV, Computer, Internet, Transport facilities, Dry Cleaning and humble Guides for visit of Thar.
Note: Booking minimum 15-days before departure date.

Terms & conditions Apply *

DISCOVER AMAZING PAKISTAN

Word Pakistan means “The land of pure” where snowcapped peaks of Himalaya’s,  Karakoram's, Hindukash and Pamir ranges meet. A land where history and ancient civilization mystifies one’s heart, a land where spiritualism unveils its mystery at the shrines of Sufi Saints.

Amazing Pakistan

The Invincible 167 Million : 6th largest Nation of the World.
World's 9th Largest English Speaking Country

World 7th largest Pool of Scientists and Engineers

The Might : 7th Nuclear Power of the World (on May 28, 1998, became the 7th nuclear power of the world).

7th largest Standing Arm Force in the World

Air force :Air Commodore M.M. ALAM has a world record of shooting down 5 Indian planes in less than a Minute
The Roof Top of the World
The land of grand mountain ranges, a land that holds five (5) out of ten (10) most highest peaks in the world.

K2 the second highest mountain in the world.
Valleys of Kaghan, Swat, Kashmir, Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu, Chitral, Kalash, Phandar, Astore & Rama is said to be a places ” Where Time Stops and Fairy Treads“ and are the natural wonders of the world where poetic verses find their inspirations from the beauty and elegance of high peak mountains, lush green fields and the fragrant breeze singing across the poplar trees.

Some of the places which are not highlighted by the media but still due to their magnitude find their places on the World record books are
Aisa’s Highest Railway Station Kan Mehtarzai is located 2240 meters above sea level near Quetta.   Lalazar often termed as most beautiful place on earth
Nanga Parbat 9th Highest Peak in the World
What it would feel like to play a sport that is wild, challenging and manly at the top of the world surrounded by the drumbeats and the music of the reed instrument. Yes Shandur Polo tournament is played every year at World’s highest Polo ground at Shandur Pass, Northern Pakistan.
Karakoram Highway runs through the northern areas connecting Pakistan with China’s Xingjiang province is often described as ” Eighth Wonder of the World” due to the marvel of civil engineering as it has taken 15 years to complete by the Pakistan Army Engineers in collaboration with China. It’s been labeled as ” World’s highest paved international Road” under world’s toughest terrain.
Gawader: World's Largest Deep Sea Port
World’s Largest Deep Sea Port: Gwader “Gwa” means Air and “Dar” means door, and the word Gawadar means ” The door of the wind” is the world’s largest deep sea port lies in southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan. The design and construction of the port is carried out in collaboration with China and it has just started it’s operation.It’ s going to emerge as a world’s biggest skyline due to it’s capacity and infrastructure of handling bulk carriers. It has been declared as a Duty Free Port and Free Economic Zone by the Pakistani government that has increased the commercial worth manifolds. It has an immense geostrategic importance as it is the entrance to the Persian Gulf and is considered to be a substitute of Dubai Port
Khewra Salt Mines: Second Largest Salt Mine in the World
Khewra Salt Mine located in Khewra, Jehlum Punjab, Pakistan is the second largest Salt Mine in the world and is considered to be the oldest in the subcontinent. It was said that discovery of Salt mines were not done by Alexander or his army but by their horses as they started licking the stones when they stopped here for rest. Thousand of visitors each year visit Khewra Salt mines and get fascinated by the nature’s miracle in the heart of mountains.
Haleji Lake: Asia’s largest Bird Sanctuary
Pakistan is a land of serene beauty , a country with diverse wild life , fresh water lakes, a 1046 km coast lines. Some of the most unique species of birds are found in northern Pakistan with awe-inspiring natural wonders like Lake Saiful Maluk, Lake Shandur, Dudipatsar Lake, Kutwal lake, Zalzal lake and many more. But Haleji has it’s own significance as it is Asia’s largest waterfowl reserve. During winter thousands of birds of different species fly down to Haleji from Siberian colder areas Pakistan: The heavenly Shandur Lake
Thar Desert: One amongst the largest deserts in the World
Thar is a arid region in the north western part of Indian subcontinent, it lies mostly in Indian state of Rajasthan but it covers eastern Sindh province and the southeastern portion of Pakistan’s Punjab province. It is amongst one of the largest deserts in the world rich multifaceted culture, heritage, traditions, folk tales, dances and music. The poetic expression of Kafi written by Sufi poets of Sindh resonates in the cold nights as the Thari musicians start singing them on sorrowing rhythmic beats. In the night the granules of the sand lit up like stars as the moonlight walks on them.
The land of 5000 years oldest Civilization : Indus Valley and Mohenjo-DaroMoenjodaro is the province of Sindh, Pakistan and archeology trace back it exitence 5000 years ago. It provides an earliest instance of exemplary form of town planning and community organization and  found to be as one of the oldest cities known today. It is said to be the pilgrimage of ancient ruins. The splendor of Indus Valley civilization spread over a thousand mile from the high peak snowy mountains of Kashmir to the glittering sand dunes facing the Arabian Sea. One of the oldest known civilizations that flourished in the Indus river Basin embraced within its fold almost the entire country now known as Pakistan.
Tarbela Dam: The largest earth-filled dam in the world, 469 feet high and 2,264 feet thick at the base.

3 Things Beginner SEO Specialists Should Be Good At

Whether you’re looking to do online marketing for a company in-house, hoping to snag a job with a leading internet marketing agency like SEO.com, or even looking to hire someone to do SEO for your business there are a few basic, yet important skills a successful SEO specialist should have to begin with. Here’s a look at three:

1. Exceptional Writing Skills

A bright future for someone looking into doing SEO will undoubtedly be tied to how well they can produce quality digital content. Today we focus more heavily on a blogging style, though with all types of content it really comes down to the ability to create original, authoritative and thought-provoking writing.
They say “content is king.” This saying couldn’t be truer in the SEO world as Google and other search engines are continually placing more and more importance in their algorithms on quality, authentic website content. In order for a website to rank well in search engine results, SEO teams should be providing this type of ongoing content in several forms such as:

• Blog posts
• Guest blog posts (writing for someone else’s blog)
• Blog commenting
• Google+ micro posts (content for Google+ posting, usually 2-3 paragraphs covering a certain topic, incorporating a few keywords)
• Facebook and other social media posts
• Website page copy

Beyond these types of content, beginner SEO specialists will also need to be capable of writing quality e-mails in order to reach out to blogs and news sites. Reaching out via email is a significant part of an internet marketer’s job and will help you make sure your winning content doesn’t go to waste. Simply put, the more solid your set of writing skills, the easier it is to market a website and build connections anywhere on the Internet.
In the past, SEO writers wrote with the search engines in mind as their audience. They used certain keyword phrases over and over in their writing in order to match the keywords people were using to search for websites. This is no longer how search marketers should write if they are looking to impress the search engines. The most searchable, well-ranking websites aim their content at real-life humans! Good news for all of you who write stuff you want to be read. The more useful, credible, interesting and shareable your writing is, the more success you’ll have with website rankings and ultimately in your career as a search marketer. Be sure to incorporate this advice whether you’re writing a spotlighted blog post or just commenting on someone else’s work. Be genuine and add true value.
Here are some blogs that I love to read and might give you ideas about what great content is:

• Seth Godin’s blog – short, yet powerful and original daily posts to a targeted audience
• http:/www.gereports.com/ – not just out there to make light bulbs, they host a wealth of interesting articles that tell gripping stories
• http://www.blogsouthwest.com/ – unique blend of honesty, humor and travel advice through blog posts, video and podcasts
• The infographic below is a starting point for someone looking to write in the SEO sense – mapping out four important writing characteristics that make for great content:

Infographic Source

2. Deep Social Media Knowledge

Another increasingly crucial skill companies and agencies look for is social media savvy. If you are already active and competent when it comes to the major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, you’ve got a good start. If not, don’t let social media intimidate you! Having a social strategy is now essential in building interactive relationships and trust with customers. Your personal network of connections will greatly benefit your company or agency as you create buzz among your own friends and acquaintances. Here at SEO.com, we leverage the social media connections of our employees to spread links to our infographics, blog posts, press releases and upcoming events.
The amount of love your website gets from the online world determines how much Google and Bing love you. Because search engines are placing more weight on how interactive, influential and fresh a website is, naturally they will be looking at social media activity. The more social signals a webpage is sending to search engines (“likes” on Facebook, “+1’s on Google+”, “pins” on Pinterest, customer reviews, etc.), the more likely on the search results page they will rank above competitors who aren’t staying active or engaging their audience when it comes to social media. For this reason, companies and SEO agencies look to recruit people who love and excel at creating buzz about products and services over social networks.
One platform to keep a close eye on is Google+. Many companies and websites are not currently including this network in their social media strategy, but as the platform continues to add users and innovate, an active Google+ business profile will play an important role in helping users share and discover brands and products. From a business perspective, Google+ is not only a place for customers to post and comment, but hosts and advertises event information, business locations and reviews, live video chat “Hangouts”, and attractive company photo layouts. Check out The Meatball Shop’s Google+ page for a visual of all of this. Become proficient on Google+ and tout this valuable knowledge when talking to recruiters.
Major social media platforms to master:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Pinterest
• StumbleUpon

3. Analytical Interpretation

If you’ve got a knack for web analytics, you’re in business, especially if you’re well-versed in Google Analytics (GA). The numbers behind the website and its traffic are a significant driving force behind marketing teams’ strategies and decisions as online marketing is eclipsing traditional marketing. Whether you are doing SEO in-house or at an internet marketing agency, reporting will be an essential part of every SEO campaign. When upper management is asking for measurable results from the marketing team, you will be their go-to person for this valuable data.
Not only do you want to measure website traffic as a whole, but marketers want to really drill down and see who is visiting their website, how they got there and what they’re viewing most.
Depending on your realm of job responsibilities, you’ll want to learn how to:

• Segregate by visitor demographics
• Gauge referral traffic
• Find out which digital channels account for the most conversions and revenue
• Monitor social media activity
• Determine the value of specific keywords
• Measure paid search and display advertising campaign success
• Manage Google Alerts if you are using Google Analytics

Although Google Analytics is not the only analytics tool out there, it is definitely the most popular. Thankfully, there are a number of good tutorials out there to help you learn GA quickly. If you’re like me, you may need some measurable motivation to become an expert. You can become formally certified by passing the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) test . Getting familiar with this tool leaves you with better chances of fitting into an organization’s online marketing team. TechCrunch reports that 55% of the top 10,000 websites use GA, and here is the breakdown of analytics tools used among the Fortune 500 according to e-nor.
There are many skills that help make a successful SEO specialist. After mastering writing, social media and analytics the technical skills should be easy to acquire with on-the-job training. Wondering more about what an SEO specialist does on a day-to-day basis? SEOMoz created a stellar comprehensive beginner’s guide here.
If after finishing this post you’re interested in becoming an SEO specialist with SEO.com, be sure to visit our job description page and fill out an application!

Read more: http://www.seo.com/blog/3-things-beginner-seo-specialists-should-be-good-at/#ixzz27MOqmod2

Increase Website Visibility Through Online Marketing

With more than 87 billion online searches every month and social media sites that rival populations of large countries, there’s unlimited opportunity. But to take advantage of this activity, it is vital to rank high in the search engines, leverage social media and pay per click advertising, and to make sure your website converts visitors into leads and sales. If you don’t understand how to successfully apply these strategies, then your customers will go to your competitors instead.
At SEO.com, we believe in results that deliver a significant increase in traffic and a Big ROI.
We form a strategic Internet marketing plans around organic search, pay per click advertising, social media marketing, search optimized web design, and conversion optimization. Then, we tenaciously go to work to dominate your online competition.
Start dominating today. Request a proposal from a top SEO company and let’s set up a chance for high search engine rankings, more customers and a big return on your investment.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization is a method of getting your website to rank higher in search engines—such as Google, Yahoo or Bing. A search engine optimization campaign pairs on-site optimization with off-site tactics, which means you make changes to your site itself while building a portfolio of natural looking back links to increase your organic rankings. When Internet users search for your products or services, your website needs to be the first one they find. SEO helps the search engines recognize your relevance to specific keywords that people search for online. The search engine optimization process includes researching keywords, creating content, building links and making sure your website is visible in the search engines.