How Technology Has Changed Dating - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 463 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/02/04 Category Sociology Essay Level High school Tags: Online Dating Essay Did you like this example? The creation of technology has changed the way we connect and talk with others in our culture and dating is no different. The popularity of smartphones mean we are always reachable, social media allows others to get to know us before we have even met, and dating apps give us an plenty of choices in a satisfactory partner or partners. How did your parents meet? Mine met at the mall and my father took one look at my mother and said he just had to get to know her. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "How Technology Has Changed Dating" essay for you Create order With the innovation of social media it is difficult to imagine anyone going on a blind date or talking to someone at the mall again and why would they need to? We not only have a abundance of information on pretty much everyone through social media only a click away but how and where we meet future partners is changing. Before the arrival of online dating, meeting people was pretty much through friends or out on a Saturday night. As a adolescence, I would look forward to the weekend just so I could meet a new people especially boys. In classic dating, people would be thrown together with people who they might not necessarily have had anything in common with. But when today’s daters are set out on a hunt to uncover friendships or romances, they can specify exactly who they are open to mixing with. This has been seen a powerful rise in the use of online dating to bring together more openings in groups, such as those seeking same-sex relationships, or who wish to indicate different interests, such as age-gap dating, or any number of possibilities. Before people looking for partners had a range of ways to choose from. They might form dates with co-workers, or bump into casual single people in the bars or nightclubs. Meeting people were often arranged by friend of a friend or family members. If anyone wanted to be more dedicated in looking for a relationship, he or she could post an nameless ad in their local newspaper’s column. But this all began to change in the early 1990s with the arrival of some of the first dating sites. The way online dating has impressed world the most is in its skill to create a close network of relationships, giving people with a diverse range of interests people to make connections with. This allows people to get in touch with complete strangers within the click of a few buttons on the keyboard or smartphone wherever they happen to be at that particular moment in time. One area where online dating has taken full advantage of social networking is in giving site customers the ability to decide ex actly who they wish to get to know better.

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 11 Free Essays

string(76) " it on and off\?† â€Å"It’s a bit more complicated than that\." Hospitals are creepy places, cold and sterile. A true reminder of the tenuous nature of mortality. The thought of Hugh here made me nauseous, but I squelched the feeling as best I could, sprinting through the halls to the room Samantha had named. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Blues CHAPTER 11 or any similar topic only for you Order Now When I reached it, I found Hugh lying calmly in a bed, his large body clad in a gown, his skin bruised and bandaged. A blond figure sat next to the bed with him, holding his hand. She turned in surprise when I burst into the room. â€Å"Georgina,† Hugh said, giving me a weak smile. â€Å"Nice of you to stop by.† The blond woman, presumably Samantha, studied me uneasily. Slim and doe-eyed, she tightened her grip on Hugh’s hand, and I figured this must be the twenty-year old from work. Her unnatural breasts verified as much. â€Å"It’s all right,† he told her reassuringly. â€Å"This is my friend Georgina. Georgina, Samantha.† â€Å"Hi,† I told her, offering my hand. She took it. Hers was cold, and I realized then that her nervousness was not so much at meeting me as general concern over what had happened to Hugh. It was touching. â€Å"Sweetie, would you excuse Georgina and me for a bit? Maybe go get yourself a drink from the cafeteria?† He spoke gently and kindly to her, a tone he rarely used with the rest of us on our pub nights. Samantha turned to Hugh anxiously. â€Å"I don’t want to leave you alone.† â€Å"I won’t be alone. Georgina and I just need to talk. Besides, she’s a, uh, black belt; nothing will happen to me.† I made a face at him behind her back as she considered. â€Å"I suppose that’s all right†¦ you’ll call my cell if you need me, right? I’ll come right back.† â€Å"Of course,† he promised, kissing her hand. â€Å"I’ll miss you.† â€Å"I’ll miss you more.† She rose, gave me another uncertain look, and retreated out the door. I watched her go a moment before taking her chair beside Hugh. â€Å"Very sweet. I think I’m getting cavities.† â€Å"No need to be bitter. Just because you can’t form meaningful attachments with mortals.† His jest hurt a lot more than it probably should have, but then, I still had Roman on the brain. â€Å"Besides,† he continued, â€Å"she’s a little upset about what happened today.† â€Å"Yeah, I imagine so. Jesus. Look at you.† I surveyed his wounds in greater detail. Hints of stitches appeared beneath some bandages, and dark blotchy bruises blossomed here and there. â€Å"Could be worse.† â€Å"Could it?† I wondered archly. I’d never seen any immortal sustain so much injury. â€Å"Sure. First, I could be dead, and I’m not. Second, I heal just like you do. You should have seen me this afternoon when they brought me in. The trick now will be to get me out of here before someone notices just how fast I’m recovering.† â€Å"Does Jerome know about this?† â€Å"Of course. I called him earlier, but he’d already felt it. I expect him to show up any time now. Did he call you?† â€Å"Not exactly,† I admitted, hesitant to bring up the note quite yet. â€Å"What happened? When you were attacked?† â€Å"I don’t remember a lot of details.† Hugh shrugged slightly, an awkward maneuver for one lying down. I suspected he’d already gone through this story with a number of others. â€Å"I stepped out for coffee. I was the only one in the parking lot, and while coming back to my car, this†¦ person, I guess, just jumped out and attacked me. No warning.† â€Å"You guess?† He frowned. â€Å"I never really got a good look. He was big, though, I could peg that much. And strong – really strong. A lot stronger than I would have thought.† Hugh himself was no weakling. True, he didn’t work out or do much with his body, but he had a big frame and a lot of density to fill that frame out. â€Å"Why did he stop?† I asked. â€Å"Did someone find you guys?† â€Å"Nah, I don’t know why he quit. It was all beating and slashing one minute; the next, he’s gone. Took about fifteen minutes before someone else came along and helped me.† â€Å"You keep saying ‘he.’ You think it was a guy?† He attempted another shrug. â€Å"I don’t really know. Just an impression I got. Could have been a hot blonde for all I know.† â€Å"Yeah? Should I question Samantha?† â€Å"You shouldn’t be questioning anyone, according to Jerome. Did you ever talk to Erik?† â€Å"Yeah†¦ he’s looking into some things for me. He also reaffirmed that vampire hunters can’t kill you or me, nor has he ever heard of anything that can.† Hugh turned thoughtful. â€Å"This person didn’t kill me.† â€Å"Do you think he was trying?† â€Å"He was certainly trying to do something. Seems like if he could have killed me, he would have.† â€Å"But he couldn’t,† a voice behind me pointed out, â€Å"because, as I’ve said, vampire hunters can only inconvenience you, not kill you.† I turned, startled at hearing Jerome’s voice. It startled me further to see Carter with him. â€Å"Leave it to Jerome to play devil’s advocate,† joked the angel. â€Å"What are you doing here, Georgina?† demanded the demon icily. My mouth gaped, and it took me a moment to speak. â€Å"How†¦ how did you do that?† Carter stood there dressed as disreputably as ever. Whereas Doug and Bruce looked like they were in a grunge band, the angel looked like the band had kicked him out. He gave me a lopsided grin. â€Å"Do what? Come up with a clever pun referencing Jerome’s demonic status? The truth is, I usually keep a stash of them on hand and – â€Å" â€Å"No. Not that. I can’t feel you†¦ can’t sense you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I could see Carter with my eyes, but I could not feel that powerful signature, aura, or whatever, that normally radiated from an immortal. Turning to Jerome suddenly, I realized he was the same. â€Å"Or you. I can’t sense either of you. I couldn’t the other night either.† Angel and demon exchanged glances over my head. â€Å"We can mask it,† said Carter at last. â€Å"What, like a light switch or something? You can turn it on and off?† â€Å"It’s a bit more complicated than that.† â€Å"Well, this is news to me. Can we do it? Hugh and I?† â€Å"No,† both Jerome and Carter answered together. Jerome elaborated, â€Å"Only higher immortals can do it.† Hugh weakly attempted to sit up. â€Å"Why†¦ are you doing it?† â€Å"You never answered my question, Georgie,† Jerome pointed out, obviously avoiding the subject. He glanced at the imp. â€Å"I told you not to contact the others.† â€Å"I didn’t. She just came.† Jerome turned his gaze back on me, and I fished the mysterious note out of my purse. I handed it to him, and the demon read it expressionlessly before handing it over to Carter. When the angel finished, he and Jerome looked at each other again in that annoying way of theirs. Jerome deposited the note into an inner pocket of his suit jacket. â€Å"Hey, that’s mine.† â€Å"Not anymore.† â€Å"Don’t tell me you’re going to stick to your party line about this being a vampire hunter,† I shot back. Jerome’s dark eyes narrowed shrewdly at me. â€Å"Why wouldn’t I? This person mistook Hugh for a vampire, but as you’ve already observed, Nancy Drew, Hugh could not be killed.† â€Å"I think this person knew Hugh wasn’t a vampire.† â€Å"Oh? Why do you say that?† â€Å"The note. The person who wrote it mentions my shape-shifting. He knows I’m a succubus. He probably knows Hugh’s an imp.† â€Å"His knowing you’re a succubus explains why he didn’t attack you. He knew he couldn’t kill you. He wasn’t sure about Hugh, however, so he took his chances.† â€Å"With a knife.† Again, I remembered: How do you know if a demon is lying? His lips are moving. â€Å"I thought the story was that this was some amateur vampire hunter arbitrarily going after people with a stake because he didn’t know any better. Instead, this person somehow knows about me and took on Hugh with a knife.† Carter stifled a yawn and joined in on Jerome’s game. â€Å"Maybe this person’s learning. You know, expanding their choice of weapons. After all, no one stays an amateur for long. Even new vampire hunters wise up eventually.† I jumped on the one detail here no one had addressed yet. â€Å"And even children know that vampires don’t come out in daylight. What time were you attacked, Hugh?† A strange look crossed the imp’s face. â€Å"Late this afternoon. When the sun was up.† I looked exultantly at Jerome. â€Å"This person knew Hugh wasn’t a vampire.† Jerome leaned against a wall, appearing unfazed as he picked nonexistent pieces of lint from his slacks. He looked more like John Cusack than ever today. â€Å"So? Mortals get delusions of grandeur. He kills one vampire and decides to do his part against the rest of the evil forces inhabiting this city. That changes nothing.† â€Å"I don’t think it was a mortal.† Both Jerome and Carter, looking at other things in the room, now snapped their heads toward me. â€Å"Oh?† I swallowed, slightly flustered under that scrutiny. â€Å"I mean†¦ you guys prove higher immortals can go around without being sensed, and no one’s been able to sense anything from this guy. Plus, look at Hugh’s damage. Erik said mortals can’t really do substantial – † I bit off my words, realizing my error. Carter laughed softly. â€Å"Damn it, Georgie.† Jerome straightened like a whip. â€Å"I told you to let us handle this. Who else have you talked to?† Whatever cloaking Jerome had been doing vanished, and I suddenly became aware of the power crackling around him. It reminded me of one of those sci-fi movies when a door opens into outer space, and all the debris gets sucked out as a result of the vacuum. Everything in the room seemed to be drawn into Jerome, toward his swelling power and might. To my immortal perceptions, he became a glowing bonfire of terror and energy. I cringed against Hugh’s bed, resisting the urge to shade my eyes. The imp put a hand on my arm, though whether it was for my comfort or his own, I didn’t know. â€Å"No one. I swear it, no one else. I just asked Erik some questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Carter took a step toward the furious demon, face angelically calm. â€Å"Easy there. You’re sending up a beacon to any immortal in a ten-mile radius.† Jerome’s eyes stayed fixed on me, and I felt true fear for the first time in centuries in the focus of all that intensity. Then, like the light switch I’d joked about earlier, it all vanished. Just like that, Jerome stood before me completely incognito for all arcane intents and purposes. Like a mortal. He exhaled heavily and rubbed a spot between his eyes. â€Å"Georgina,† he said at last. â€Å"Contrary to whatever you believe, this is not all some elaborate attempt to vex you. Please stop going against me. We’re doing what we’re doing for a reason. Your best interests really are at heart here.† My catty nature wanted to ask if demons had hearts, but something else struck me as more pressing. â€Å"Why the ‘we’ here? I assume you mean him.† I nodded toward Carter. â€Å"What could involve both a demon and an angel and make them skulk around hiding their presence? Are you guys afraid of something?† â€Å"Skulking?† Carter sounded jovially indignant. â€Å"Please, Georgie,† intoned Jerome, patience obviously at a breaking point, â€Å"leave well-enough alone. If you really want to do something useful, you will avoid dangerous situations like I advised before. I can’t make you stay in protected company, but if you persist in being a nuisance otherwise, I can find a convenient place to stash you until this all blows over. This is not about anyone’s ‘side,’ and you only run the risk of muddling up matters you don’t understand.† I unconsciously squeezed Hugh’s hand for support. I did not want to think about what sort of â€Å"convenient place† Jerome had in mind. â€Å"Do we understand each other?† the demon asked softly. I nodded. â€Å"Good. You will be of most assistance to me by keeping yourself safe. I have too many things to worry about now without adding you to the list.† I nodded again, not trusting myself to speak. His small display had had its intended effect on temporarily cowing me, though some niggling part of me knew I would be unable to â€Å"leave well-enough alone† once I walked out of here. It would be best to keep that knowledge to myself. â€Å"That will be all, Georgie,† Jerome added. I heard the dismissal. â€Å"I’ll walk you out,† offered Carter. â€Å"No thanks.† But the angel followed in my wake anyway. â€Å"So how’d it go with Seth Mortensen?† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Just okay?† â€Å"Just okay.† â€Å"I hear he’s living here now. And spends a lot of time at Emerald City.† I eyed him askance. â€Å"Where’d you hear that?† He only grinned. â€Å"So? Tell me about it.† â€Å"There’s nothing to tell,† I snapped, uncertain why I was even discussing this. â€Å"I’ve talked to him a few times, toured him around. We don’t really click. We can’t communicate.† â€Å"Why not?† Carter wanted to know. â€Å"He’s a hardcore introvert. Doesn’t talk much. Just watches. Besides, I don’t want to encourage him.† â€Å"So you’re increasing his silence.† I shrugged and pushed the button for an elevator. â€Å"I think I know a book that might help you. I’ll dig it out and let you borrow it.† â€Å"No thanks.† â€Å"Don’t knock it. It’ll improve your communication skills with Seth. I saw it on a talk show.† â€Å"Aren’t you listening? I don’t want to improve things.† â€Å"Ah,† said Carter sagely. â€Å"You don’t go for introverts.† â€Å"I – no, that’s not it. I don’t have a problem with introverts. â€Å" â€Å"Then why don’t you like Seth?† â€Å"I do like him! Damn it, stop this.† The angel quirked me a grin. â€Å"It’s all right to feel that way. I mean, past evidence shows you tend to go for showy, flirty guys anyway.† â€Å"What’s that supposed to mean?† I immediately thought of my attraction to Roman. Carter’s eyes flashed mischievously. We were at the hospital’s exit now. â€Å"I don’t know. You tell me, Letha.† I had nearly walked out the door, but his comment jerked me back. I spun around so fast, my hair whipped around and hit me in the face. â€Å"Where did you hear that name?† â€Å"I have my sources.† A great nebulous emotion swelled up in my chest, something I couldn’t entirely identify. It fell somewhere on the continuum of hate and despair, not really subscribing to either one. Hotter and hotter it grew within me, making me want to scream at Carter and that smug, knowing look on his face. I wanted to beat my fists against him or shape-shift into something horrific. I didn’t know where he’d learned that name, but it woke up some sort of sleeping monster within me, something that had been tightly coiled up. He continued watching me coolly, undoubtedly reading my thoughts. Slowly, I became aware of my surroundings. The chilly corridors. The anxious visitors. The efficient staff. I calmed my breathing and fixed the angel with a scathing look. â€Å"Don’t you ever call me that again. Ever.† He shrugged, still smiling. â€Å"My mistake.† I turned smartly on my heels and left him there. I stormed out to my car and didn’t even realize I was driving until I was halfway across the bridge, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes. How to cite Succubus Blues CHAPTER 11, Essay examples

With reference to examples, evaluate the success or otherwise of urban regeneration schemes in combating the causes and consequences of urban decline free essay sample

With reference to examples, evaluate the success or otherwise of urban regeneration schemes in combating the causes and consequences of urban decline. (40 marks) Urban decline can be defined as the drastic decline of a city into infirmity and disrepair. It is usually characterised by increased unemployment, depopulation, deindustrialization, increased crime and political disenfranchisement. Not only does it cause these problems but also it can make the area look unattractive – consequently less people being enticed to the area. This can then lead to a vicious cycle. The causes of these factors, which ultimately cause urban decline, can be: educated workers keep moving to the suburbs to avoid crime, poor schools, taxes and racial tensions. These businesses also find that building new facilities in the suburbs is much cheaper than refurbishing old buildings for their needs. There are many reasons to move out of the city but only a few reasons to stay. We will write a custom essay sample on With reference to examples, evaluate the success or otherwise of urban regeneration schemes in combating the causes and consequences of urban decline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When a city or an urban area sinks into decline, the council has the choice to regenerate the area to entice people back into the area. When regeneration is considered in the context of ‘urban,’ it involves the rebirth or renewal of urban areas and settlements. Urban regeneration is primarily concerned with regenerating cities and early/inner ring suburbs facing periods of decline. The term urban regeneration covers everything from creating desirable homes in city centers to finding new uses for our formal industrial heartlands. When regenerating an area the following principles are nearly always followed: coordination between various sectors, creating a holistic vision, regenerating people rather than a place, creating partnerships across all levels of government, building public sector capacity and leadership, and engaging the local community in the planning process. One way to regenerate an area is by property-led regeneration. Property-led regeneration schemes involve building or improving property in the area to change its image and improve the local environment. This was particularly successful in the London Docklands. During the 19th century, London’s port was one of the busiest in the world and warehouses, industries and high density and poor quality housing etc. surrounded the docks. By the end of the 1950s, there was a significant decline with many of the docks derelict and abandoned; there were also many jobs lost and poor living conditions still remaining. Access to the rest of London was poor with narrow roads, which were heavily congested, and a lack of public transport was becoming a huge problem. Whilst the LDDC was responsible for the planning and redevelopment of the Docklands areas, other organisation have also been involved in the redevelopment process, these included: ? landowners, designers and developers, investors, local people and central government. In docklands, economic regeneration was seen as a priority and the government felt that property developers would know how to develop land in ways that would attract businesses. Jobs would be creates, and wealth, it was argued would ‘trickle down’ to poorer communities. It focused on the creation of employment- the regeneration of existing housing stock and the creation of new affordable housing. The government action also supported urban regeneration: tax breaks, deregulation and also working hours could be changed depending on the business. The Environmental Regeneration? probed successful with a network of pedestrian and cycle routes through the area with access to the river and dock edge through waterside walkways? , creation of pedestrian bridges? and creation of new open spaces (150ha)?. There was also a water based Ecology Park and Londons first bird sanctuary at East India Dock Basin one of 17 conservation areas set up? , planting of 200,000 trees (the area has now received many awards for architecture, conservation and landscaping). The Economic Regeneration was also very successful. Unemployment had fallen from 14% to 7. 4% with a doubling in employment and numbers of businesses; there was a ‘transport revolution’ opening of the Docklands Light Railway in 1987 now carrying 35,000 passengers a week;? ?7. 7 billion in private sector investment? 2,700 businesses trading? ; major new roads including link to the M11? ; building of the City Airport in the former Royal Docks (500,000+ passengers a year)? ; attraction of financial and high-tech firms; TV studios and newspapers such as The Guardian now have offices in the prestigious Canary Wharf business complex.

Anne McCaffrey essays

Anne McCaffrey essays Dragons. Creatures of legend, and also the title characters in many of Anne McCaffrey's books. . Anne McCaffrey is an excellent writer of Sci Fi/Fantasy books. McCaffrey has been writing full time since the late 60's and during her time as a writer she has amassed a great amount of fame. Though you may not know who she is, Anne McCaffrey is one of the most popular Science Fiction/Fantasy writers and her books are a must read. Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1, 1926 at 1:30 PM in Cambridge Massachusetts. Her parents are George Herbert McCaffrey and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey. She has two brothers: Hugh McCaffrey (deceased 1988), and Kevin Richard McCaffrey, still living. Anne was educated at Stuart Hall, Staunton Virginia, Montclair High School, Montclair, New Jersey, and she graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literature. Anne got married in 1950 and she had 3 children: Alec Anthony, born in 1952, Todd, born in 1956, and Georgeanne, born in 1959. Anne currently lives in a house of her own design called Dragonhold-Underhill-so called because she had to dig out part of a hill on her farm to build it. Her farm is located in Wicklow County, Ireland. Anne McCaffrey didn't hold very many jobs before becoming a writer. She was a character actress while in college and appeared in the first successful summer music circus in Lambertsville, New Jersey. After college she worked for Helena Rubinstein at Liberty Music Shop. She worked there for 5 years before she begun to write short stories for a living. Anne McCaffrey's interests are pretty varied. One of her biggest interests are horses. In fact, on her farm she has a private stable and she has horse trials at her farm. She also loves to ride horses. Her other big interest is dragons. She absolutely loves dragons. She also likes operas and operetta's. Anne McCaffrey has written a lot of books. Her ...

Blog Image Context How To Choose Relevant Blog Images

Blog Image Context How To Choose Relevant Blog Images It was mid-autumn, and the air was getting colder. I was walking with a friend down the street, heading to that evening’s symphony performance. As we passed by the county jail on the opposite side of the street, I stopped. I could not believe my eyes. â€Å"Look at that!† I said to my friend. I pointed to the south entrance of the jail building. Now I know that it is commonplace to see photographers with their clients out and about, shooting photos in alleys, the middle of the street, parks, and especially our state capitol grounds library which has soaring two-story Ionic columns and is about the only place around here that you can get that kind of architectural background. But I admit I was surprised to see a photographer out shooting a very-pregnant woman in a tube top on the steps of the county jail. â€Å"What are they doing?† my friend asked. â€Å"I imagine she is having some pregnancy photos taken. You know, the ones that show a baby bump.† â€Å"But why in front of the jail?† â€Å"I assume they want the Art Deco architecture in the background,† I said, hoping it wasn’t because the baby’s father was inside the jail or that she was establishing some horrific self-fulfilling prophecy of where her child would end up. â€Å"I’m not sure the subtlety of the Art Deco elements is really worth it if you have to use the jail as the background.† Our discussion continued as we walked to the concert, ranging from how cold it would be to wear a tube top on that chilly evening to the proclivity for Art Deco to pop up in North Dakota architecture. But I’ve thought about that incident a lot since then, weighing the photographer’s decision to go for an interesting background for her photo and choosing to ignore the context that background provided. Not everyone would know the photo was in front of the jail, but many would. Every image carries, and is in need of, context. This is important when it comes to choosing powerful images for your blog posts. Every Image Needs Context Benign images- stock photos at their worst- carry very little context beyond that of you grabbing a photo for your blog post because you know it’s a best practice to have one. The problem is that even that seemingly innocuous context can work against your great blog post, suggesting that the copy that goes along with this plain vanilla image is just as unexciting. Every image needs context and has its own context, and all of this can work for or against your blog post and the likelihood that someone will read it. 1. A picture is worth a 1,000 words. Any words. A picture is worth a thousand words. But which thousand? On its own, a photo assumes the context the viewer is most comfortable with. Rare is the image that can’t be interpreted differently depending on what the viewer brings to it. One viewer sees complexity while standing before a Pollock painting, and another sees the handiwork of a kindergartner gone mad. That same painting evokes different reactions, too, depending on whether it is hanging in an art gallery or on the wall of an elementary school. A few weeks after the jail photo shoot, I met a friend for coffee. Out of curiosity, I asked her what she would assume if she saw the county jail in the background of baby bump-type photo. â€Å"I’d assume the father of the baby was in jail.† â€Å"Really?† Her reaction surprised me, but maybe she was correct. My assumption had been that the Art Deco elements were the goal, but then again, my major was in art and that’s how I see everything. Pollock’s painting will always be hanging in a gallery for me. The context of your  images helps define the content in which they  appear.Consider your audience. Consider your blog. The thousand words that your image contributes to your post might not be the thousand you were aiming for if you don’t consider who is reading and the blog it is being read on. Tip: In this day and age where it seems as if everyone is looking to be offended, always review the images you select for your blog posts. While you can’t please everyone (and you don’t want to, because that leads to bland, flavorless content), get a set of fresh eyes on the imagery and ask them what they think when they see it with your blog post’s headline and after reading the blog. 2. The words you put with an image changes its impact. Moving beyond the thousand words that your image brings with it, you can include words with images to change its impact. This works best with flexible or peripheral images, those that are illustrating an abstract concept or scenario that could be used lots of ways. These are powerful images because they evoke reader curiosity (which we’ll talk about in a bit). However, they also have to be framed into proper context or confusion arises. For example, imagine an image of a child, head down at a school desk. What does that image mean? If your headline or caption reads: â€Å"Almost half of children don’t eat breakfast before school†... ...your interpretation of that image would be different than if that same text read: â€Å"How to blame your dog for eating your homework, and other productivity hacks†. The same image can mean very different things. The words you use with an image puts it into context so that you don’t have to wonder if the baby’s father was in jail or if the mother loved Art Deco architecture. Recommended Reading:  How To Design The Best Blog Graphics With Free Tools And Design Theory Admittedly, when searching for stock images, we only have keywords to go on, and it’s tough to find images outside of the typical realm of our search. A search on â€Å"productivity† will turn up boring images of computers, notepads, office scenes, and so on. You’ll miss out on those peripheral images that can mean different things in different settings unless you get really good at searching on abstract words for big ideas (which we’ll talk about in a bit). Tip: Use captions with images, and consider captions that do more than indicate where you got the image. Pose a question as a caption, one that the image hints at to answer. Or, use highlighted text or pull quotes in the body of your blog post that frame your images properly. People who are skimming content will see images, headings, and pull quotes. If they are all in contextual sync, the better for you. 3. Images pulled out of context take on new context. Several years ago, I was reading a story online about a man who had been arrested for abusing children after quite a manhunt. The story had only one photo, a small headshot of the reporter who wrote the story. It was the newspaper’s practice to include the headshot of the author. The headshot was a few paragraphs down, embedded in the text of the story, on the right. The problem was that there was no other photo for the story. As this story was shared on social media, the bold headline that told of a man who had committed a horrific crime against children was associated with an image of the reporter. By the next day, the headshot was pulled from the article, so this unfortunate realization must have occurred to the newspaper, too, but I’d already seen the article shared on social media with the grinning reporter next to the headline, insinuating he was the criminal. The first rule would be that you should always have a featured image for every blog post so that your headshot or a random ad doesn’t become the image on social media. But there’s more to it than that. A clever or innocuous image that relies on the body copy of a blog post may seem fine, but when it gets shared on social media, all that people may have to go by is the headline and the image. Is the right context still there? More than ever, headline clarity matters. But so does headline-image match. Look at your blog post’s featured image, the one that you (and others) will be seeing when it is shared on social media. Is the context all wrong? Is the message not what you expected? Tip: If need be, incorporate words into your graphic itself (using Canva.com perhaps) so that wherever the image travels, the context does, too. This is especially helpful if your blog post topic is controversial or evokes strong reactions. Choosing Powerful Images That Work It isn’t easy choosing an image to go with a blog post, matching image with message. Most of the time is devoted to the actual blog post, and it’s pretty common to toss an image in as an afterthought just before you publish. The image, however, is doing some serious work (such as helping your blog post get read on already image-saturated social networks), so you should give it serious consideration. Recommended Reading:  How To Make The Best Blog Graphics (For Non-Designers) I came up with a few ways to approach making a decision about images you will use with your blog posts. Whether you use all or some from this list is up to you. 1. Your image must stand out. Getting your image to stand out isn’t easy. Every social network is overrun with images. The methods you’ll use to get your image to stand out are, quite simply: Color Startling image Using humor. Humor is probably the easiest way to go when it comes to creating a startling image that stands out, but when everyone does it...no one does it well after a while. This is particularly the case with memes. I know that a lot of blog posts recommend using memes and other pop-culture images, but I suggest proceeding with caution in how you choose those types of images. We’ve all seen the Boromir â€Å"One does not simply†¦Ã¢â‚¬  meme to death, or the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man In The World meme. Neither are particularly funny at this point, and are almost completely ignorable. In other words, they are no longer a startling image because they became overused. Humor startles when it’s fresh and stinks when it’s stale. Shake up assumptions. Startling images are hard to come by, at this point, and completely subjective. However, you can use an image out of typical context and make a strong point for your blog post that is completely within your context. An example is an image I found for a post Garrett wrote several years ago. Despite the age of the post, that image still comes to mind even now. In his post, he introduced the concept of content marketing to readers, and discussed how it was different from traditional marketing forms. While looking for an image to illustrate the post, I considered the usual suspects: stock photos of computers, people, pens on notebooks, guy holding a loudspeaker- you know the kind of generic images I’m talking about. And then I found this: The color (or the lack thereof) is striking, but the image itself is also startling. And the image, in conjunction with the title (â€Å"What Is Content Marketing?†), is startling, too. It inspires curiosity that could get someone to read your blog post, because what would a post-apocalyptic dystopia have to do with content marketing? When I stumbled across the image in the stock photo gallery, I was immediately drawn to it, and it suddenly occurred to me that it perfectly illustrated the problem that content marketing solved. In the wasteland of marketing, there had to be a better solution. I captioned the image, â€Å"Traditional marketing has desensitized our audience and made them tune out our message. What now?† and used it to tap into the initial problem that filled the introductory paragraphs of the blog post (to which content marketing was the eventual solution, of course). Another example is this post, a blog post about capturing ideas. Avoiding the usual imagery of a lightbulb, post-it notes, or someone with question marks above their head, I went with goldfish in a bowl that had striking orange-blue (complementary/opposite) colors. An example of blog image context with an unusual, interesting visual. Tip: The best image is the one that makes you ask a different question about your blog post. Instead of merely illustrating the blog post’s obvious concepts or generic associations, try finding an image that illustrates an abstract concept in a surprising way. 2. Your image should illustrate the idea. Not every post will have a post-apocalyptic dystopian photo to go with it (nor should it), but you should always try to match your graphics up to the big idea in your post. What I mean is that your post is about something bigger than a computer keyboard or a jar of pens or whatever other generic stock photo image you so often see on blog posts. Boring imagery often illustrates objects that are related to the topic instead of the higher concepts. Sure, a computer is related to content marketing, but who cares? This is tricky, particularly if you are pressed for time and know that you need to have an image with every blog post so that it fares well on social media. It takes serious time to find or create images that perform this level of illustration. One of my favorite illustrations is the one Ashton did  for a blog post I wrote about creating content for fragmented audiences. When Ashton finished the illustration and sent it to me for review, I absolutely loved it. She illustrated the big idea perfectly, showing two forms of fragmentation (generational and device use) in one simple image. The image hit on concrete points in the post as well as showed, at a glance, the challenge a fragmented audience presented to content marketers. The post-apocalyptic dystopia image from #1 fits this criteria, too, by addressing the big idea behind the problem which requires the solution outlined in the blog post. Any image is better than none (mostly), but part of your editorial planning should be about deciphering the big idea in your post and finding or creating imagery that illustrates that instead of peripheral objects or actions that don’t mean anything. Tip: When you finish writing your blog post, sum it up in one sentence for yourself. Find the big idea, and then find an image to illustrate that specific idea instead of finding an image to illustrate your blog post in general. 3. Your image could evoke curiosity. As long as your image isn’t fighting the proper context (i.e. suggesting the opposite of what your blog post is about), it could function successfully even if it is vague (sort of like the examples in #1). Let’s take a look at an old blog post of mine from several years ago. The blog post is about how the people you follow on social media can actually change you and how you view and react to things. When I set about trying to find an image that would go with the post, I wanted to avoid social media logos, stock photo people, or those creepy white stock photo balloon stick figures. But this was a tough topic to find an image for. Should I find something that illustrated the concept of following? Of social media? Of change? These were abstract ideas, which are hard to find images for. I decided to focus on the idea of â€Å"view†, and I ended up using this image: It was visually strong with its graphic circles and bold red element, fulfilling #1. It’s a photo of camera filters, suggesting the idea of how the people we follow on social media filter our understanding and view. Now, in hindsight, I’d have gone back into the post to rework the copy a bit to highlight this concept, freely using the camera/lense/viewfinder/filter analogy so that it would make better sense to the reader. That would have made it work better. Tip: Write your post. And then, if you find a fantastic image that evokes curiosity, go back and edit your post so it fits. Sometimes the image can inspire the copy, and that’s perfectly fine. How Will You Explore Blog Image Context? In a nutshell, this post is about understanding how context can affect a reader’s interpretation of an image, and what you can do to frame that context. And then, it’s about playing around a bit with context, bending those rules as far as you can so that you choose blog post images that really get attention and get readers to read. Recommended Reading: We’ve written a lot of posts to help you with both choosing and creating images for your blog content. Are You Sure You’re Using Copyright Free Images For Your Blog? Should You Use Stock Or Free Images For Blog Posts? Color Psychology In Content Marketing: The Ultimate Color Guide

Oppression of Women under Communism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Oppression of Women under Communism - Essay Example It also won various other awards all over the world and performed well in the box office. The film mainly portrays the life experienced in the communist regime of Ceausescu through the eyes of the two girls. In the film, the director uses mise-en-scene and long takes to bring out important changes and problems faced by Otilia and Gabita and thus by association portraying the difficulties women faced during the communist era. Through the use of these elements of cinematography, the oppression of women in various forms is illuminated through nostalgia and passive criticism (Bordwell & Thompson 23). Mise-en-Scene Mise-en scene is term the means â€Å"putting in the scenes†. The term defines the design features of a film production or theatre. Basically, the term describes the presentation of the visual theme both through cinematography, story boarding or the use of virtual art (Bordwell & Thompson 23). In film studies, the term is used to cover all that appears before the camera and the manner in which they are arranged and shown. The key aspects of mise-en-scene include set design, lighting, film stock, space, composition, costumes, makeup and hair styles, acting and finally aspect ratio (Pramaggiore and Wallis 60). Mise-en-scene and theme development 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days is presumably a film about abortion, however it a study of important skills women required in order to survive in the 1980s in Romania. The script shows a gentle evolution from the protective cocoon of the dorm to a point of painful exposure. In the film, mise-en-scene is used superbly to bring out the main message to the audience. The film does not attack the communist era but however brings out a nostalgic feeling for those who lived during the era and show other viewers an untarnished image of how things were. It is through the use of the various aspects of mise-en-scene that audience is presented with an outsiders look at the plight of women during this era. In the initial set ting, the film employs set design to show ambiance of the dormitory as a place of camaraderie, a protective bubble gifted with most of the things communism had promised to bring about, where material things pose no problem as everyone is willing to share. In the opening sequence of 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days we are introduced to two roommates preparing for a journey to an unknown destination. The first shot is of a table that has a smoking cigarette, a ticking clock, a bizarre fish bowl with shallow water and two orange fish inside and some papers possibly classroom materials. As the camera moves, we are introduced to the two girls who are preparing to embark in a journey to perform an illegal abortion. In the dormitory, Otilia buys soaps, cigarettes and other items that they may need to use in their journey for the small black market that exist inside (Bordwell & Thompson). The set presents the viewer to a glimpse of the life of the ordinary Romanian during the 1980s. The manner in which these objects are framed by the camera seeks to remind the audience that they are on display. They are mementos from the past and the audience views them with the narrow and prejudicial eye of the present. According to Bordwell and Thompson (34), film setting has the ability to transport the audience to not only the time period the film is set in but also the emotional environment that exist within the film. The set

Human resource policies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human resource policies - Case Study Example Our argument is that, in order to play a strategic role in the organization, the HR policies and practices that make up an organization's people strategy should reflect, reinforce, and support the organization's business aims and objectives. A strong linkage is needed between the overall vision of the organization that is held in the minds of the senior executives and the aims, objectives, and underlying philosophy of the organization's approach to managing people. This linkage will ensure that HR interventions can become a creator, and not an inhibitor, of sustained competitive advantage. This link between people strategy and business-unit strategy we term vertical alignment. Note, however that alignment suggests a much more fluid dynamic that allows for variation and flexibility. It is not a mechanistic "matching" exercise between business strategic objectives and people strategies; often, such matching is simply not feasible and, in any case, will act as a constraint. Instead, the process is evolving, based on an understanding of what the business's goals are, their people implications, and the translation of these into an overarching people strategy that can be used as a basis for detailed HR policies. Some core policy-setting, majority of decision-making and service provision is at the divisional and local level. There is limited shared services or automation, resulting in duplication across the business. Strategic goals: Cost control; divisional growth; market penetration. What this means for HR: HR services are closely aligned to divisional/local requirements resulting in variation in service offering across divisions. Challenges for HR - Evolution is driven by a 'powerful few'; - HQ has grown by adding management layers; - Corporate centre's role is to check what is proposed by divisions; - Centre not seen to add value. HR impact in a nutshell: Requires strong local HR capabilities. HR's response: Matthew Brearley, HR director, Vodafone says: "This definition is partly correct, but I feel HR's ability to influence is a blend of the organizational model and environment and personalities of people. We have a global framework but freedom to work in our territories. Do I have the ability to influence and make change - absolutely." Recruitment and Orientation At the global level, Corporate Responsibility (CR) is integrated into induction training for all new employees, through workshops that talk about the company's CR policies. All employees also receive the booklet on 'Passion for the World Around Us' that identifies the company's values and its commitment to the goals of CR. Vodafone conducts an annual employee survey that includes questions about whether the company is generating trust and adequately managing its environmental