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If you’re a business owner, you have to make a lot of difficult decisions with regard to where to advertise your business and how to position your brand. Thankfully, many websites, directories, and social networking platforms are completely free for anyone to use.

That means there’s no excuse for failing to put your name out there and claim your profiles. At a very minimum, you need to make sure your business can be found on the following six websites:

1. Facebook

If you could only pick one off this list, Facebook would be the wise choice. The popular social networking site has 1.35 billion active monthly users now — a number that was hovering below 250 million only six years ago.

Aside from being able to position yourself in front of a large chunk of the world’s population, Facebook enables you engage with customers in unique ways and even implement effective and highly targeted PPC ads. (more…)

Professionals in various fields have embraced technology and the lawyers are no exception. Many are now using mobile devices in their work making it convenient for them to accomplish their tasks even when away from the office. Apps focused on lawyers and law students have also been developed to help them in their work and studies.

Lawyers and other legal professionals as well as law students can take advantage of applications available on the Google Play Store. They range from the legal reference apps to those that can be used for organizing notes and files. Many attorneys in the U.S. are now fully utilizing them in their practice including those from Epersonalinjurylawyers.com.

Here are several legal apps that will arm you with the law and help you organize your work wherever you go. (more…)

The last few weeks of winter are always the longest and can seem like they’ll never end. However, the warm weather of spring and summer is just around the corner. Use the downtime you have to plan for the best summer of your life.

Top Ideas for a Killer Summer

Here are few ideas to get you thinking, but don’t limit yourself. If there’s something you want to do, or some place you wish to go, take advantage of the beautiful weather and make it happen.

Go camping with the kids. When was the last time you took your kids camping? Have you ever taken the kids camping? This summer is your opportunity to become one with nature by pitching a tent, building a campfire, and sharing memories. Depending on how much of an outdoors person you are, you can either find a primitive location or head to a more commercialized campground. (more…)

In business, there are always deadlines to meet. Whether it’s a major project with a finish date years down the road or a small task that needs to be done by the end of week, your ability to meet project deadlines will determine how you’re viewed by associates. In many cases, how well you perform under the pressure of deadlines will dictate whether you’re given a promotion or passed over for the next person in line.

10 Valuable Tips

While each project is different and the amount of resources you have may vary from task to task, these helpful tips can keep you from ever missing another deadline:

Start with a plan. It’s impossible to meet a deadline – or even complete a project – without a plan. Understand that it’s likely your plan will change along the way, draft an initial strategy, and plan for what you’ll need.

Analyze the deadline. Once you’ve hammered out a basic plan, you can begin to look at your deadline. Is it even feasible? If not, now is the time to say something. It’s much easier to adjust a deadline when it’s far in the future, versus 48 hours away. You’ll also have much more lenience when asking for an extension that’s weeks or months away. (more…)

Buying your first home is a big commitment. Because of the 2008 recession, many families had to put off buying their first homes. Lost jobs, foreclosures, and the rising cost of living across the country put many in a tighter financial position than they had anticipated.

Today, things are looking up. The economy and housing market both are slowly recovering according to Reuters, and more families are now able to plan the purchase of their first homes. The recovery may be slow, but it shows every sign of continuing. Now is a good time to purchase your first home.

However, things look a little different today than they did leading up to the 2008 crash. Now that more people have experienced financial hardship, first-time home buyers are proceeding with more caution than they may have previously. What’s more, Business Weekly reports the cost of living in the United States continues to climb. Cities that may have been previously inviting to first-time home buyers are now cost-prohibitive. (more…)