How to Choose a Home Media Computer

By Bryan Sims

Choosing a home media computer is very dependent on the types of media intended to be processed by the computer. A machine set up for editing film clips may be wholly inadequate for processing HDTV and HD Audio.
The primary points to consider when evaluating a home media computer are:
-The source and destination of media to be processed
-Peripheral components
-Self-contained within the CPU box signal processing
-Docking bays for Portable Media Players
-Storage Arrays for recorded media
-Associated wiring and cabling
Source of Data to Be Processed
There is a lot of content on the internet that falls into this category. Input content (source) can be shared audio/video clips from sources such as YouTube, the major broadcast television websites for clips, full-length features and documentary content are all viable and tested technologies. Content from the cable or fiber optic broadband can be processed with a wide variety of TV cards available.
Peripheral Devices and Components
There is also the output side to be considered. Is the HDTV on the wall connected to the processor for both data and entertainment? Is there a Home Entertainment Center with its own speakers, processing units, game accessories, to be connected to the CPU as well as DVR, Blu-Ray, DVD, and other players and recorders?
CPU Signal Processing
Plug and Play devices can be connected either directly to the computer motherboard or through HMDI video and audio graphics cards. SP/DIF fiber optic and HDMI are virtually immune to noise from Radio Frequency or Electromagnetic Interference (RFI/EMI).
Docking Bays
These media devices connect cellphones, PDAs, personal MP3/MP4 players, GPS, Electronic Books, and a host of other media. Many use Blue Tooth technology that needs to be integrated with the CPU. Most are Plug n' Play while some require additional drivers to be installed on the CPU.
Mass Storage
DVRs and multi-disk storage arrays make archiving and retrieval of your favorite content fast and easy.
To find or build the best multimedia computer is an ongoing process. Get a machine that can grow with you as you expand your entertainment horizons. New and better electronic media is hitting the marketplace every day so plan accordingly.

Bryan Sims writes about various topics including product information for the online audience. Visit http://www.wallmountforlcdtv.net/ which helps people find super saver deals on a cantilever TV mount and more information about various types of wall mounts for televisions.

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Getting the Word Out Through the Media - Utilizing Free Print, Radio and TV to Promote Your Book

By Athena Dean

Getting your book written and into print is only the beginning. Next you've got to get the word out so it can reach the hands of those who need to read it. One of the least expensive way to get the word out about your book is through the media.
The initial type of free media we will discuss is print media. This could be newspapers, newsletters or magazines. There are a few different ways of getting coverage in these types of publications.
o Interviews: An author in the local vicinity is always a great human interest story for a newspaper. Also, some magazines do feature articles where they may interview an author regarding their story and/or book.
o Articles: You may write a specific article based on the message of your book, or create an article by utilizing an excerpt from your book.
o Book reviews: Many newspapers and magazines regularly review books.
When approaching newspapers, attempt to tie into a national holiday or current event to give them a reason to act now. If that is not a possibility, then just let them know that you are a local author and knew they would be interested in an interview from the human interest angle.
A few years ago we wanted to get the larger newspaper in the Seattle area to cover a writing class my pastor's wife was teaching to some homeschoolers. We made a point to pitch it to the editor as a great story to go along with the national "I Love to Write Day" on November 15. This was just what we needed to get the paper's attention. They came out almost immediately to do an article which later turned into an additional full page article when the journalist was intrigued with Carla's ministry and came out to interview her during a Bible Study and writers critique group.
If you approach a magazine, find one that targets your ideal audience and request their "theme list" for the upcoming year. Keep in mind that many magazines and take home papers work 6-9 months out, and not all of them make their editorial schedule available. But if they do, and you can target your article or excerpt to something they already have on their editorial list, your chances of getting accepted are, of course, much greater. Also, don't send an article or excerpt from your book on parenting to "Biblical Archaeology" or "World" magazine. Make sure the magazine you send an article or excerpt to is geared towards the same audience as your message and that they consistently print articles or excerpts similar to yours.
And remember to query the editor in advance to see if they would be interested in your article. Oftentimes if a magazine accepts your article there will be payment to you as the author. When an article excerpted from my book was used as a "One Woman's Story" in Today's Christian Woman, I opted to waive the payment if they would put the ordering information in my byline at the end of the article. I would rather give the reader the opportunity to order a copy right then than make $500-800 on the article...and buying an ad in that magazine to run concurrently with my article would have cost much more than that, so I felt the trade off was a good deal, and it generated quite a few sales.
When contacting a newspaper or magazine about doing a book review, find out who handles the book reviews and contact them directly. Find out their submission requirements, as some want a "bound galley", some want an "unbound galley", some want the published book, and some don't care one way or another. Be sure to let them know that you can provide them with a digital image of the cover if they need it for the review, and include your press kit so they have some background information on you when they do the book review.
Expanding on different ways to get free media, the next aspect we will take a look at is utilizing electronic media in the form of radio interviews.
I prefer radio interviews, not only because they are much easier to book than TV, but there are way more radio stations with the talk radio format where interviewing authors is the norm. Also you don't have to travel anywhere to make the interview happen. In fact, you can do an hour long interview and be speaking to a listening audience of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of people...in your robe and slippers in the privacy of your own home!
Most of the time the radio station will call you on their dime, but occasionally they will require that you call in on a non-toll-free number.
Radio interviews can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 120 minutes, and if appropriate, may even take live calls for you to respond to. You will need to be fully prepared to articulately communicate your message either way, with short sound byte answers for the shorter interview and more detailed answers if time permits. If you do have call ins, make sure you take notes as they speak, and write down the callers name so you can be more personal with your answer.
And don't be afraid to get the interview back on topic if the host asks you a question that is irrelevant or begins a rabbit trail that will end up off topic. If the host asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, it's OK to say, "I don't know about that, but what I do know is....." and move the interview back to your topic.
You'll want to make sure that you let the host know that you have a toll free number for callers to use to order your book (that is, if you do have one!) and ask if it will be OK for you to give it out once or twice during the show. Don't get too aggressive about promoting your book or the host may get offended and cut the interview short. An interview is not intended to be one big advertisement for your book, but an informational segment intended to encourage and equip the listening audience and at the same time, it will naturally be a promotional piece about the message of your book. You want to give the listeners lots of good information, but leave enough out so that they have a reason to buy your book. Instead of giving ALL the information when asked, give some of it and then say "I go into much more detail in chapter four of my book."
If your book is available online, make sure you mention that as an alternate way for listeners to order a copy...and be sure, from the start of your interview, to speak clearly and project a little more than you feel that you need to. Your voice needs to carry over all those airwaves and there needs to be enough inflection to keep the audience listening....if you're too monotone, you'll lose them right off the bat.
In order to keep the door open for future interviews, always, always send a thank you card to the host. This business is all about relationships and if you can become a resource to many of the hosts who interview you, it will pay off in the long run.
Now let's take a moment to cover TV as the last type of free electronic media we'll mention in this article.
While TV is a lot more demanding, and requires travel time and expenses, it is not the greatest way to get free media, but it certainly has its place.
When my first book, Consumed by Success: Reaching the Top and Finding God Wasn't There, came out in 1995 I was doing quite a bit of traveling to speak at Christian Writers Conferences all across the country. At that time we did not have an in-house publicist so I was using a freelance publicist to book all my radio and TV. I gave her the list of all the speaking engagements I had scheduled for the year and had her book as many TV interviews as she could at each stop I would be making, scheduling them for the day before or sometimes even during the conference when I knew I wouldn't be needed. That way I didn't incur the added expense of traveling to get the free media, since I was already in town for the conference.
One of the first (live not taped) TV interviews I did was with Dr. Karen Hayter, with Family Net out of Fort Worth, TX.
"You're the first author I've interviewed in a long time who not only wrote your own book but read it as well!" Karen exclaimed after we finished. This was amazing to me, but it still holds true today. Many of the big time authors don't even write their own books (they have ghostwriters) and they often don't even take the time to read them before an interview...which leads me to my first piece of advice regarding TV interviews:
1) Re-read your book before going on a TV interview. Since the camera is on you, it will catch any hesitancy or "deer in the headlights" look you may display if a question comes that you're not ready for! It's not like radio where no one can see the look on your face.
2) Make sure you provide the producer/host with your list of suggested questions ahead of time so you are both on the same page.
3) Give the producer the ordering information on your book. If you have an 800 # to give out for easy ordering, make sure you do that before the show starts so they have it and can refer to it.
4) Stay away from wearing black, white, stripes, plaids, hounds-tooth, or other patterns like that.
5) Apply makeup a little heavier than usual, since the lights will wash you out and you'll need the extra color. (most shows have a make up artist who can do this for you, but some don't).
6) Arrive early, well rested, prepared and at peace. Go with the attitude of a servant, not a celebrity.
Make it a point to offer yourself as a resource or on-call expert to the media in your area. Make that first interview turn into a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship that will, in turn, give your message the exposure it deserves.

Athena Dean, co-founder and former owner of WinePress Publishing and three-time self-published author, has coached hundreds of authors through the daunting task of book production and promotion. Over the last 20 years she has helped bring the degree of credibility for self-published works up to the high level of acceptance in the industry it enjoys today. Athena is past president of the Northwest Christian Writers' Association http://www.nwchristianwriters.org.
Having recently sold her publishing business, she is busy determining her next new adventure. You can reach her at athena@athenadean.info.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Athena_Dean

Integrity of Internet and Print media

By Debarati Chatterjee

Media owns its perpetual existence from time immemorial,
It seems to stretch itself to the horizon to merge with the infinite. With novel technical innovations it assumes different forms and will continue undoubtfully with its immortal existence with the growing yearn for a glimpse of in formations and changes; a twin with news from the womb of occurrences. The most common form of media is the print media, which exists from the age-old times, and the electronic media, which could be termed as one of the offshoots of digital revolution that science, and technology has humanity gifted with.
Since the print media owes its emergence to antiquity it is subjected to physicality which involves a lot of materials like wood pulp and plastic in its making, whereas the electronic media is digitally designed. The advent of the Internet as the word implies its meaning 'international networking' suggests effective news transmission. A new day dawned without a newspaper fails in commencing with the striking of the right chord. The intervention of the Internet is not that good a deterrent so as to curb the circulation of the existing newspapers and not to ignore, the birth of new ones. In fact newspaper reading could be termed as an undying habit
The mushrooming of news portals on the Internet has resulted in the instantaneous accessibility to the readers. Fresh updates of details keeps the readers well informed of the current occurrences. Another vital factor is that the news portals are not subjugated to space restraint where as the print media is bound to a crisp display of facts owing to the space occupied by the advertisements, as they owe their existence to them excepting a few well-established ones. The print media has to also watch out on its accuracy, as immediate revision is not possible. On the other hand the news portals enjoys flexibility in the revision of the content.
The news portals succeeds in luring viewer ship owing to the display of many a good colorful images which has resulted as a challenge imposed on the print media in working on a more colorful and alluring appearance in order to break the monotony .
The advent of the Internet is definitely a welcoming thing but the existence of news papers would continue due to the habituated people who thrive on it. But ultimately their importance is equated, as after all they are both modes of mass communication striving to fulfill their purpose in the best possible way.

Debarati C

Website: www.findnews.blogspot.com
Blog : www.findnews.blogspot.com

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Charting a Path for Success Using Social Media - The Value of Hiring a Public Relations Professional

By Karen L. Monsen

New entrants into the social media realm are likely to feel like Alice in Wonderland, after chasing the rabbit down the hole, who inquired of the Cheshire Cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go?" Not surprising, the Cat responded, "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to."
Individuals with sparse understanding of the nature of the Web and the potential for using its interlinking capabilities will fare no better than Alice, who replied, "I don't much care where."
Without clear expectations and with meager understanding of the variety of platforms, tools, and media available, the average newcomer will experience the satisfaction and disappointment akin to Alice when the Cat retorted, "Then it doesn't matter which way you go."
Into this newly created and constantly evolving electronic world, the average person needs a guide-a personal promoter of sorts not unlike those hired by athletes, actors, artists, and creative professionals to promote their "persona" and prepare a "face to meet the faces that they meet" to paraphrase T. S. Eliot's poem written long before Facebook arrived on the scene.
Laurie Pehar Borsh, founder of LPBPR, is well ahead of the learning curve on social media, yet she would never claim to be an expert. The novelty of social media and its meteoric rise in usage precludes anyone from expounding to be an expert. Laurie Pehar Borsh is one who deserves our attention because she readily admits that she is learning as fast as she can to keep abreast of the new tools and platforms.
Businesses recognize the undeniable growth of social connections when they cite the posting from Nielsenwire (back in July 2009) that people trust peer recommendations 90% of the time-up from 78% reported in Erik Qualman's 2009/08 YouTube video, "Social Media Revolution." With exponential increases in referrals through social media, consumer product and service companies will quickly be left without a base unless they create and maintain an expanding presence in social networking circles.
By collaborating with an experienced media specialist, small companies can level the playing field as they compete with large, established, traditional consumer industries that have huge marketing and advertising budgets. Small companies and individuals trying to establish a social media presence are usually confronted with the complexities of platforms and terminology that is truly mind-boggling. Unless they have sufficient resources and time to build their own expertise, it is more cost-effective to hire the services and guidance from someone else who believes in the power of social media and who enjoys working with a fluid industry and exploring multiple avenues to transfer information through print, electronic media, social networking, blogs, tweets and multitudes of links and search engine optimizing tools.
In coining the term, "continuous partial attention," (Johnson 2006 posted June 19, 2007 under "Is Multi-tasking Counterproductive") Linda Stone, former executive at Microsoft and Apple, expressed what we know to be true-"If workers are engaged in multiple activities at once, they're performing more slowly and less accurately than they would if they focused on each task until it was finished." Therefore, it is unrealistic for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and creative persons to believe they can focus their energies and attention on their business outputs at the same time they are focusing on managing a Web and social media presence.
Through personal professional branding, using business-to-business and traditional press, online services, social media, and innumerable customized PR promotional tools, Laurie Pehar Borsh and her team of PR strategists take care of the minutia and free their clients to focus on what they do best-manage their own business. By partnering with a personal PR promoter to navigate the entangled Web of social media, business professionals can establish a clear direction of what they want to accomplish and where they want to take their business. They will not be left wandering aimlessly around in Wonderland along with Alice.

Karen L. Monsen is and independent writing and editing professional with over 20 years of experience in designing and presenting training programs in corporate and small business environments. Her specialties include Business and Technical Writing and Presentation Training Programs, Editing and Document Review Services, English as a Second Language Instruction.

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The Positive Effects of Social Media - Online Business

By Graham J Freer

The use of social media to advance and enhance your online business whether you are selling your own product or using affiliate marketing will at the end of the day pay you dividends.
Social Media has truly taken over a large portion of the internet; but, do you realize it also has taken over a huge portion of electronic media in general? Today's technology has increased the ability of businesses to get their name and information out to the world. No longer are you limited to simple local advertising and no longer are you limited by a small, limited marketing budget to allow for advertising. Many businesses are simply not what they used to be and unless you are prepared to move with the times and re-create your business face to embrace the technology today, you will be left behind.
Cell phones have become the new "mini computers" that go with us all day long. They've created a whole new venue for marketing and those who are quick to react to the change of business setups as they used to be, will be in the forefront of utilizing Social Media to become known and accepted.
Today's cell phones come in three basic types, a simple cellular phone, a cell phone with internet access, and a Smart Phone.
The cell phone with internet access still allows access to Social Media sites; however, with some hesitation to use it regularly because of bandwidth limitations and speed.
Smart Phones have Social Media Apps to download that create a fairly smooth interface between the various Social Media Sites. Tweet Deck, for instance, is one of the more familiar apps associated with Twitter. On Twitter you can write upto 140 characters to say anything you basically desire; this includes shortened or un-shortened URLs to a website.
This gives you the ability to not only create a presence with your own company/business but then also post your URLs to your website, blogs, and conversations that include your business.
Posting regularly keeps you in the public view and provides a sense of community between customers and potential customers.
Facebook is another one of the largest Social Networks. Facebook allows Fan Pages, which are especially handy for businesses. With these fan pages you not only can attract potential and current customers but offer special events, giveaways, or coupons for your business via your Fan Page site.
The only way for people to be privy to this information is by being a fan, so here's where you can cross the social medias by tweeting your Facebook special link!
Boom, now you have that person on both Twitter and Facebook. Fan Pages are better than simple personal Network Pages because fan pages have no limits to "friends" whereas a personal or business page has limits to the number of friends they can have.
LinkedIn is a more business oriented Social Network that allows for a more intricate social type of interaction between like business owners, professionals, and those looking to network more. It allows networking with those that may be able to utilize your business services or help you find mentors, social contacts, job offers, and possible potential customers. More professional in style it also allows for as much personalized touch as you want if you are appealing to a less strictly business formatted audience.
MySpace, while it has seen a large downfall in users since the introduction of Facebook, is promising to revamp with new owner Justin Timberlake who has bigger plans for the social networking site. Again, this is just another avenue of social networking that not only is easily available online via your computer but via any connection you can get with electronic media such as cell phones, smart phones, iPads, and notebooks.
All in all, having a bright and constant presence in various social media sites including some more obscure ones that are specifically targeted to your particular business, has become a must for business owners. It gives you ways to offer specials, coupons, information, blogs, and so much more to bring in potential customers and retain current ones. Social Media is definitely the way to not only get literally free marketing but make contacts with customers of all types and styles from all over the world. Social Media and your business make a perfect pair!
Having guidance in setting up and running your online business is paramount if you wish to be successful. You will unfortunately on the internet nowadays come across people who promise to make you rich overnight providing you purchase what they are offering, software, eBooks to name just two and to be very frank there is no magic button (or software, eBook etc) that will do this.

Understanding what you wish to achieve, how you wish to reach your goals, should be main thrust of your effects, hard work with the help of people who have been in your position and have followed a set course of action and have now got a viable online business will only make your life easy. To help you achieve your goals visit: http://www.grahamfreeronline.com have a browse and I would wish you all the goodwill in your endeavors.

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Additional Features On Electronic Book Reader

By Jim Lucas

Since its introduction to the consumer market, eBooks and eBook readers like the Kindle reader, have significantly gained popularity. Wireless reading devices have gained a cult following as the concept of eBooks, or electronic books, progressed. Electronic books and the various digital media that they are associated with have gathered various reviews - from the gadget experts to the simple book loving consumer. This article will deal with the positive and negative aspects with eBooks and the electronic media readers that they are associated with.
Prior to assessing the advantages and disadvantages of these digital products, you must first have an open mind and know that what others perceive as an advantage may not necessarily apply to you, just as the drawbacks that you may recognize, may not be what others see. Just get to know the facts and decide for yourself whether some of the things mentioned in this article are beneficial to you or not.
The reading experience is among the first thing you will be able to assess since this is what everything boils down to. It is true that the electronic book reader has the capability to display texts and images very clearly with the latest technology in gadget screens. But with all these advancements, some people still prefer reading from a conventional book rather than a digital screen; they are just not as comfortable. Some even get headaches, or get sick, staring at the backlit screen of their iPhone while reading text messages. How much more when they are reading for hours with their eBook reader?
When you talk about subject matter, conventional books are pretty diverse with all the different topics out there. But with eBooks, the subject matter it covers is even broader than conventional books. Wide enthusiastic readers will definitely enjoy the diversity that eBooks can provide. eBook readers such as the Kindle reader also allow the user to sample books before they purchase them, while also providing access to single articles and blogs.
Book enthusiasts and collectors alike will agree to the fact that a collection of books can occupy so much space. Collectors who have started collecting books at a young age will have to rent or buy a significant storage space just to house his collection, by the time he hits retirement age. But with eBooks, all you will need is a memory card to store your entire library of books; and, you can even carry it with you pretty much anywhere. The catch, however, is that in the event that the memory card gets corrupted or damaged in any way, your entire collection could end up unusable.
On top of it all, the electronic book reader that is normally used in order to read eBooks has quite a hefty price tag, especially the ones with the awesome features. The only solace you can get from this is that the eBooks themselves are really not that expensive. Some New York Times bestsellers can go for less than ten dollars. Due to proprietary purposes, however, most of these eBooks use proprietary formats. This means that eBooks in proprietary formats can only be read with a wireless reading device that recognizes that same format. Transferring an eBook to another eBook reader that uses a different format can be a problem. So whatever you decide, paperback or digital, just keep one thing in mind; good books are measured by its content, and not by its cover, shape, or form.

It's not surprising that the Kindle Reader is generally rated as the top Electronic Book Reader. We have the hard facts to show why.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Lucas

Career Options With Your Digital Media Degree

By Yael Meromy

Technological developments in the twenty-first century have given us an array of the most powerful communication tools in human history to work with. Laptops, mini-DVD players, blue-ray technology, iPads, iPods, smart phones, digital SLR camera, flipcams are all featured prominently on the scene to name a few. However, without an extensive knowledge of visual communication, one might not know how best to use all of these digital media tools to their advantage. In fact, all of the new technology could certainly be quite overwhelming if you don't know where to turn first. A digital media degree can teach you how to combine your interests in entertainment, art and media with a profound knowledge and understanding of modern technology. Once you have both the knowledge AND the degree, there is virtually no stopping you on your path to finding the perfect career in your desired niche. Here are just a few examples of the vast array of digital media career options.
1. Film and video editing. Editing is a huge part of the creative process of film making. It involves taking pre-shot footage and audio clips and editing them into sequences which will ultimately add up to the finished product of a motion picture. Editing film and video is an incredibly interesting profession because it involves combining the ancient art of storytelling with the mastery of modern technology. A student who studies editing will learn about cutting off film slates, pacing, rhythm, transitions, music, dialogue and many more layers that combine to create a finished film. Film and video editing is an incredibly important and enriching profession.
2. Videography. Videographers are the people that capture moving images onto electronic media like videotapes and camcorders. Videography is essentially the equivalent of cinematography except for the images are recorded onto electronic camera devices instead of film stock. In a visual arts college, you will be taught not only about many videography methods and strategies, but also about the history of film and the blurred distinction between videography and cinematography because of the popularization of digital imaging in the late 20th century.
3. Animation. If you've always admired cartoon animation and art, you can learn more about professional animation careers. As an animator, it would be your job to create 2-D or 3-D images that are then displayed in rapid sequence to create the illusion of movement. You would learn to use special software that helps to design 3-D imaging, as well as digital storytelling, web design and visual effects.
In the rapidly expanding technological wonderland that is the 21st century, a digital media degree can get you far in terms of career options, creativity and technological excitement. Editing, animation and videography are only three out of many more specialties and digital media careers. If you love to play with technology, start making a career out of it by getting a digital media degree!

Are you interested in obtaining a digital media degree? visit digital media college for more info

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