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Everybody compares themselves to other people and have been doing this since they were a child. It is a natural thing for people to do because it provides a frame of reference for who they are and where they are in life.

The problem is that most comparisons are negative and based on insecurities and fear. This can lead to a person becoming very bitter about another individual and even angry. Negative comparisons like these often damage a person’s self worth because they believe that they are not good enough.

Some people use comparisons to boost their ego and to validate that they are great. This can often backfire and when it does the person is left feeling angry and bitter and their self esteem takes a big hit. People make validation comparisons for quick ego boosts but these are not foolproof by any means.

There are a lot of people that idolize others and end up being overly dependent on them. They dedicate their lives to making these people happy and can only be happy themselves if they feel they have done enough. In this situation the person being idolized has too much control of the other person.

Not all comparisons are bad as you will learn in this guide. You can use comparisons to improve your life and you will learn exactly how to do this here. The aim of this guide is to move you away from negative comparisons and start using positive comparisons to make your life better.

It is a natural thing for human beings to compare themselves to others. We all do it and have done since an early age. But the issue really is about how those comparisons make you feel. If they empower you and spur you on to greater things then comparisons are very useful.

But if when you are comparing yourself with others you feel unworthy and depressed then this is where you need to change your approach. In this book you will learn exactly how to stop comparing yourself to others to prevent these feelings of worthlessness and also how you can actually benefit from a comparison.

Once you have mastered how to use comparisons in a good way you will find that you can automatically brush off any negative comparisons. It will not bother you that someone has something you don’t. You will be focused on improving yourself and your own life.

Take a good look at yourself

We have the capability to take a good look at ourselves and work out who we really are. This is one of those things that sets human beings apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. At any time we can go into deep thought about our life’s mission. We can become inspired to be the very best that we can be rather than just drift along in life.

So what is the best way to really evaluate yourself? The answer is that you need to compare yourself to others! That might sound counterintuitive but it is true. It is no use comparing yourself to your pet dog or cat. They are different species and will have few qualities that will want to aspire to.

The trick is to make the comparisons benefit you. Most people have standards in their heads that have not come from withinbut are externally influenced. Think about the girl who wants to lose a few pounds because she wants to look like the model on the cover of a magazine. Or the boy going to the gym because he wants those six pack abs he has seen in the movies.

The trouble with these kinds of comparisons is that they have not come from within you. Instead of developing your own standards for beauty you have let the external world dictate that to you.

The Festinger Research

Leon Festinger, a social psychologist, started to look into the reasons that we compare ourselves to others back in the 1950’s. After a lot of research and different studies he came to the conclusion that people compared themselves to others for 2 main reasons:

1. As a way to reduce uncertainty in their own life

2. To learn how they should define how they should be

Festinger called this “social comparison theory” and it was a significant breakthrough in human psychology. The real breakthrough was how he uncovered that people were incapable of defining themselves independently or intrinsically. They have to make comparisons with others to achieve this.

The bottom line is that to define yourself you need to compare yourself with other people. He also made the important discovery that if there is a big difference in ability or opinion between two people that there was much less chance that a comparison would occur.

So here is an important takeaway from Festinger’s work:

The more we think that a person is similar to us (for whatever important reasons) the more likely we are to want to compare with them.

Here is a common example. At work you are far more likely to compare yourself to someone who works on your team (an equal) than you are with the owner of the business or the CEO. If you play amateur soccer then you will compare yourself to other players in your league much more than you will to Lionel Messi.

The difference between an amateur soccer player and Lionel Messi is vast but the difference between another amateur player is probably not that much. It is a lot more realistic for you to achieve the level of the other amateur player than it is to emulate Messi.

It was also discovered by Festinger that when a person stops comparing themselves with another person where they experience pain from not being like them that they are highly likely to be hostile with this person.

When you stop comparing yourself to another person that makes you feel down then the way that most people deal with this is to “tear down” their feelings towards that individual. Often you willsubstitute another emotion such as anger to replace the negative experiences of the comparison.

Can you relate to this?

Have you ever stopped comparing yourself to another person because this was too painful for you and then turned against the individual?If you did this then you are certainly not alone as it is a very common practice.

The final conclusion from Festinger’s work was that if we feel that a person or group of people are very important then we will exert a lot of pressure on ourselves to try and conform to the opinions and abilities of this person or group.

So for example if you have joined a power spin class at your gym you could feel that it is far more important for you to put in the maximum effort there than you would if you were to meet some cyclists on the road. You see the spin club as an elite group that you need to aspire to whereas the cyclists on the road hold little importance for you.

In fact the spin class is so important to you that you pay your hard earned money to be part of it –and so does everyone else in the class!

Why you compare yourself to others

At this stage you may be thinking that all that we have discussed so far is obvious and you would be right. But why do you keep acting in this way and experiencing negative emotions when comparing yourself to someone else doesn’t work out well?

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INTRODUCTION TO ARTICLE MARKETING

“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you cannot get them across, your ideas will not get you anywhere.”

-Lee Lacocca

I t is a well known fact that businesses need marketing to survive. No matter how good is your product or how excellent are your services or ideas, you need to reach out to masses in order to generate sales, otherwise you will get to nowhere. The importance of marketing was also highlighted by the CEO of Nike, Phil Night who
once said that,

“The most important thing we do is market the product. We have come around to saying that Nike is a marketing-oriented company, and the product is our most important marketing tool”.

-Phil Knight, CEO Nike

As we all know that, products and services changes with demand and so does the marketing techniques. Previously print media, radio and television were considered to be the sources of marketing but now with the advent of internet, online marketing is flourishing day

2 ASHLEY MILLER

by day and is becoming the fastest and the inexpensive source of sharing information almost everywhere around the world. As internet is evolving as a social web site with interactive communica-tion, internet marketing has gained popularity. Various statistics reveal that online advertising has grown to be worth tens of billions of dollars annually, in just a few years. According to a report published by Price Water House Coopers (PWC), that in the year 2006, 16.5 billion US dollars was expected to be spent on online marketing in the United States. Also in UK, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) reported that, internet marketing has flourished in recent years becoming a multi-million pound industry.( Source: www. iabuk.net).According to a study by the IAB and PricewaterhouseC-oopers (PwC) , spending on online advertising in the UK might reach to 1 billion pounds for the first time, fuelled by increased use of broadband.

These figures advocate the growing importance of internet marketing as also reaffirmed by David Silverman, Partner, Entertain-ment and Media Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers, who said that:

"The latest results reaffirm the internet's growing importance for marketers to integrate online advertising into their overall media plans."

This is the reason why companies are constantly engaging in adopting various successful internet marketing strategies in order to reach out to their target markets and Article Marketing is one of the most effective of all. This book is dedicated to impart you with an in depth information about Article Marketing. If you want to become a successful online marketer and want to stand out of your competitors through incorporating effective article marketing tactics than this book is essentially worth reading for you and will help you explore what is article marketing, its importance, its scope, its benefits, how to create an effective article strategy and employ valuable article marketing tactics and much more. But before getting into much depth, first let’s have an introduction about article marketing and how it is associated with viral marketing another online marketing phenomenon.

WHAT IS ARTICLE MARKETING?

Article marketing is a form of online marketing that companies incorporate to advertise products and services to the potential market. The term article marketing is not novel to us, although its form has been changed prominently. Traditionally article marketing was done through print media as it was the only medium of mass communication. Companies or businesses in an effort to increase their customer base used to supply useful content in the form of an article to leading newspapers free of charge. Newspapers in turn publish these articles and in return prints the companies contact information with the article. For example visa consultants may submit an article on the latest visa regulations and newspaper might publish this article with the name and contact information of the visa consultants. Hence it is a win-win situation for both the players.

Today with the internet revolution, article marketing has taken the form of internet article marketing. Companies today in order to market their services and products to the customers and to create brand awareness are engaging in article marketing activities via various online article directories like ezine and many others. By posting their articles in various article directories and linking articles with pages of their own websites companies can generate leads for their businesses in order to flourish. Some online marketers often in order to maximize their online article marketing campaign results try to submit their articles to multiple article directories.

IMPORTANCE OF ARTICLE marketing

As we have mentioned earlier that internet is becoming a wider source of communication. This fact is in itself sufficient to manifest the growing importance of online article marketing. Companies today are widely launching article marketing campaigns to develop more and more leads for their business.

Before exploring more about article marketing, it is essential to mention that, the success of article marketing hugely depends on the strategies used by a marketer to develop and run an online article marketing campaign and as internet is becoming more and more of a social medium, Viral Marketing is becoming essential for any type of online marketing campaign including article marketing. Marketers who want to market their products and service via creating and publishing articles online should implement effective viral marketing campaign to enhance the affectivity of their article marketing efforts. In the rest of this chapter we will explore about viral marketing, its scope and its importance.

WHAT IS VIRAL MARKETING?

“Viral marketing is basically word of mouth marketing that is generated through social websites. It is defined as a marketing technique that uses pre-existing social networks like You Tube, Facebook, Twitter etc to increase brand awareness, improve sales and to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes.”

Viral marketing is a latest marketing strategy that can get you thousands of new subscribers without incurring huge costs. It is a marketing phenomenon that is characterized by the high pass along rate from person to person as it is being linked from one profile to the next profile. Thus due to its self-replicating nature, it facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message more quickly and more widely to a larger number of audience. This is the reason why it is referred to as Viral, as the term viral is analogous to virus and the messages through viral marketing spreads as quickly as the spread of virus or computer viruses.

HOW VIRAL MARKETING WORKS?

Viral Marketing is all about connections and developing links. The more quality connections a company can make the more busi-ness leads they can generate. The more business leads they create the higher the chances that the lead will end up to purchase a good or service. Today many organizations are hiring Viral Marketing Services (VMS) to seek their professional insight in advance internet technology and expertise in effective marketing strategies. By incor-porating a social profile gathering system, a VMS company creates interconnections with web sites and social media groups specific to their client’s target market. Not only to common social media web sites like face book, twitter etc, the internet is home to over 300,000 social community web service providers, that has a huge community of active users. Hence, by actively maintaining an extensive analytical database of these connections, a VMS company can successfully link a business to its targeted customers.

It is also essential for a marketer to create and develop message that generates interests in the audience. This message can be anything ranging from an article, an e-mail, an eBook, a video, a Flash Game or even to a software that can be downloaded. It is the sharing of any of these that actually makes the item "viral". Most of the websites offer free commercial information online in the form of e-books, journals, articles etc to their subscribers. In such case, the free material being provided should be viral and if one likes it, the message can spread vastly among others. Hence through incorpo-rating viral marketing tools one can implement an effective marketing strategy and promote any kind of marketing example article marketing, e-book marketing, etc.

SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE of Viral Marketing

Viral marketing has a potential to generate buzz about your busi-ness quickly. Once a marketer launches a viral campaign, its self-replicating nature spreads the message to masses of prospects and also the viral nature makes it a low cost and low maintenance marketing campaign. In addition to that it is also considered as a more trusted source, as your message or products are pushed through people and not you, hence it is generally more trusted by your prospects and build positive brand image and develop better prospects for your business.

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AFFILIATE MARKETING INTRODUCED

Being in the affiliate marketing business is not that hard now with the Internet at your disposable. It is much easier now compared to the days when people have to make use of the telephones and other mediums of information just to get the latest updates on the way their program is coming along.

So with technology at hand, and assuming that the affiliate is working from home, a day in his or her life would sound something like this…

Upon waking up and after having breakfast, the computer is turned on to check out new developments in the network. As far as the marketer is concerned there might be new things to update and statistics to keep track on.

The site design has to be revised. The marketer knows that a well-designed site can increase sign ups from visitors. It can also help in the affiliate’s conversion rates.

That done, it is time to submit the affiliate program to directories that lists affiliate programs. These directories are means to attract people in joining your affiliate program. A sure way of promoting the affiliate program!

Time to track down the sales you are getting from your affiliates fairly and accurately. There are phone orders and mails to track down. See if they are new clients checking the products out. Noting down the contact information that might be a viable source in the future.

There are lots of resources to sort out. Ads, banners, button ads and sample recommendations to give out because the marketer knows that this is one way of ensuring more sales. Best to stay visible and accessible too.

The affiliate marketer remembered that there are questions to answer from the visitors. This has to be done quickly. Nothing can turn off a customer than an unanswered email.

To prove that the affiliate is working effectively and efficiently, inquiries would have to be paid more attention on. Nobody wants to be ignored and customers are not always the most patient of all people. Quick answer that should appear professional yet friendly too.

In the process of doing all the necessities, the marketer is logged on to a chat room where he or she interacts with other affiliates and those under that same program. This is where they can discuss things on how to best promote their products.

There are things to be learned and it is a continuous process. Sharing tips and advices is a good way of showing support. There may be others out there wanting to join and may be enticed by the discussion that is going on. There is no harm in assuming what opportunities ahead.

The newsletters and E-zines were updated days ago, so it is time for the affiliate marketer to see if there are some new things happening in the market. This will be written about in the marketer’s publication to be distributed to the old and new customers.

These same publications are also an important tool in keeping up to date with the newly introduced products. The marketer has put up a sale and promotion that customers may want to know about. Besides, they have to keep up with the deadline of these sales written in the publications.

It is that time to show some appreciation to those who have helped the marketer in the promotions and sale increase. Nothing like mentioning the persons, their sites and the process they have done that made everything worked.

Of course, this will be published in the newsletters. Among the more important information that have been written already.

The marketer still has time to write out recommendations to those who want credible sources for the products being promoted. There is also time to post some comments on how to be a successful affiliate marketer on a site where there are lots of wannabes.

Two objectives done at the same time. The marketer gets to promote the product as well as the program they are in. Who knows, someone may be inclined to join.
Time flies. Missed lunch but is quite contented with the tasks done. Bed time….

Ok, so this may not be all done in a day. But then, this gives you an idea of how an affiliate marketer, a dedicated one that is, spends the marketing day.

IS that success looming in the distance or what?

THE 3 THINGS ALL AFFILIATE MARKETERS NEED TO SURVIVE ONLINE

Now every affiliate marketer is always looking for the successful market that gives the biggest paycheck. Sometimes they think it is a magic formula that is readily available for them. Actually, it is more complicated than that. It is just good marketing practices that have been proven over years of hard work and dedication.

There are tactics that have worked before with online marketing and is continuing to work in the online affiliate marketing world of today. With these top three marketing tips, you will be able to able to increase your sales and survive in the affiliate marketing online.

WHAT ARE THESE THREE TACTICS?

1. Using unique web pages to promote each separate product you are marketing.

Do not lump all of it together just to save some money on web hosting. It is best to have a site focusing on each and every product and nothing more.

Affiliate Marketing Starter Guide

Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.

You can also write articles highlighting the uses of the product and include them on the website as an additional page. Make the pages attractive compelling and include calls to act on the informa-tion. Each headline should attract the readers to try and read more, even contact you. Highlight your special points. This will help your readers to learn what the page is about and will want to find out more.

2. Offer free reports to your readers.

If possible position them at the very top side of your page so it they simply cannot be missed. Try to create autoresponder messages that will be mailed to those who input their personal information into your sign up box. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect.

Only two things can possibly happen with the web page alone: closed sale or the prospect leaving the page and never return again. By placing useful information into their inboxes at certain specified period, you will remind them of the product they thought they want later and will find out that the sale is closed. Be sure that the content is directed toward specific reasons to buy the product. Do not make it sound like a sales pitch.

Focus on important points like how your product can make life and things easier and more enjoyable. Include compelling subject lines in the email. As much as possible, avoid using the word “free” because there are still older spam filters that dumps those kind of contents into the junk before even anyone reading them first. Convince those who signed up for your free reports that they will be missing something big if they do not avail of your products and services.

3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product.

Just think, if the person who visited your website has no interest whatsoever in what you are offering, they will be among those who move on and never come back. Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports. This way you can locate publications that is focusing on your target customers and what you have put up might just grab their interest.

Try to write a minimum of 2 articles per week, with at least 300-600 words in length. By continuously writing and maintaining these articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted readers to your site in a day.

Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic.

The tactics given above does not really sound very difficult to do, if you think about it. It just requires a little time and an action plan on your part.
Try to use these tips for several affiliate marketing programs. You can end maintaining a good source of income and surviving in this business that not all marketers can do.

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Coronavirus Outbreak – What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

Chapter 1: What is the Coronavirus? Everything You Need to Know About This Frightening Disease

Every time a new disease appears in the news, it causes a mass panic as people understandably get scared that they may be at risk. Suddenly, every sniff and every cough is placed under minute scrutiny. The latest outbreak to hit the news is the Coronavirus, and once again, this has caused a huge amount of fear and uncertainty. Again, this is understandable.

UPDATED March 22, 2020

Please Visit https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ For The Latest Stats The coronavirus is a disease that spreads quickly, now with over 330,000 cases in 192 countries! While it isn’t generally a fatal disease, it has already taken more than 14,700 lives. Coronavirus is more widespread than the SARS virus ever became, and it is showing no signs of slowing down. Gradually, it’s making its way into the rest of the world.

But is there really cause for such alarm? While the coronavirus is certainly scary, and definitely not to be taken lightly, it is also is important to maintain a sense of perspective.

Coronavirus Outbreak – What You Need to Know to Stay Safe The NEWS Won't Tell You That COMMON Flu Kills On Average 1,288 People Every Day Worldwide Simply Because We Live With This Fact So It Doesn't Sell Any Newspapers... China where it all started has 81,093 total confirmed cases & 3,270 dead Italy now battles with 59,138 cases , with 600-800 NEW cases daily & 5,476 dead (mainly because of elderly average population & 2 decades of neglected health care investments) Spain has 28,768 cases & 1,772 death In the United States, there are 35,056 cases of the virus & 457 dead.

World wide there have been just over 14,700 deaths caused by the disease,. Coronavirus is most comparable to the flu, in terms of its symptoms and the way it spreads. And just like the flu, it is mostly dangerous to those populations already considered at risk: the elderly, very young, or previously unwell. Statistically, your chances of getting the coronavirus with life threatening complications are extremely low – lower than winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning. But while this is true, it’s also extremely important that we prepare for what seems to become become a more widespread problem, that we know how to protect ourselves, and that we understand this event that is of huge global significance. What is Coronavirus?

The Coronavirus is not a single virus but actually a “family” of viruses that are known to cause a wide number of different illnesses. These coronaviruses (CoV) symptoms can range from the common cold, all the way to more serious flu-like diseases or MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

Contrary to popular belief then, the coronavirus is not a “new” virus. In fact, the SARS virus that previously dominated headlines is actually a form of coronavirus. The CoV virus that we are currently hearing about in the news, is actually the “novel coronavirus” or (nCoV) which is a strain that has not previously been detected in humans.

The name coronavirus comes from the Latin corona, which stands for corwn, or halo. This describes the appearance of the viral particles (virions) which have a protein coating called a capsid Coronavirus Outbreak – What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

As with any virus, the difficulty with treating this condition, is that it is known to mutate rapidly, thereby making effective vaccinations or treatments difficulty.

Viruses are different from bacteria. Viruses are smaller and cannot live without a living host. They operate by attaching themselves to cells, and then reprogramming those cells to reproduce. Whereas many bacteria are actually harmless and even beneficial, the vast majority of viruses are harmful to us and are responsible for conditions such as strep throat, tuberculosis, and UTIs. Of course, viruses are also wellknown to cause the common cold, and the flu.

Whereas antibiotics can be used to kill bacteria and end a bacterial infection, viruses are treated with antiviral medications, which are not effective at completely killing the viruses but rather simply preventing the spread by hurting their ability to replicate.

Chapter 2: How it Spreads

As a virus, coronavirus needs a living host in order to spread. This means that the transfer of the virus must usually happen directly between people, usually travelling no more than 6’ from one person to another.

It is believed (though not confirmed) that this spread acts similarly to the spread of the common cold/flu. That means that it will travel on droplets of saliva when someone coughs or sneezes. The droplets may then be inhaled by another person into the lungs, where it is thought that the It is currently not confirmed whether the coronavirus can spread by surfaces. If so, the contact would have had to be recent, but it is generally a wise move to act as though surfaces may be contagious.

The coronavirus can also spread via food, which is how it is believed that the virus initially made the leap from animals to humans. Good food hygiene is more important than ever then, and it is likewise important to consider the source of your food.

A Brief History Coronavirus Outbreak – What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

Here is a brief history of coronavirus and what caused it.

The coronavirus that is currently being discussed is called “A novel coronavirus” (nCoV). This is condition began around December 2019, when there was a cluster of pneumonia cases caused by this previously unknown virus.

It is actually thought that this version of the virus likely began in bats. A new study published on January 29th in the Lancet looked at 10 genome sequences of the coronavirus called 2019-nCoV, taken from nine patients from China. In all 10 of these sequences, 99.8% of the genetic makeup was the same. That tells us that the virus is newly affecting humans. We know this, because as a virus propagates and lives for longer, more changes are introduced to the genome as it mutates and evolves. In other words, the virus has recently jumped to humans from another species.

The researchers found that the sequences were almost identical, suggesting a single source that must have been the primary host not long ago.

To find out more, the same team of researchers compared this sequence to a library of other viral sequences. They found that the closest match was against similar CoV that began life in bats. Both of the two near-matches found shared 88% of the genetic makeup with the new version.

So how did this virus manage to make the leap? Because no bats have been sold at the Huanan seafood market – believed to be the source of the virus - it is now thought that there was likely another “steppingstone” animal that transmitted the virus. In other words, the bats infected an animal that was then consumed by humans. One possible culprit is snakes, though it is not currently known whether the virus is able to affect snakes.

However, more recent speculation also questions whether the seafood market is in fact the source of the illness.

Coronavirus Outbreak – What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

The first case of nCoV was reported on December 1st 2019, and that patient had no known link to the seafood market. The data also showed that 13 of the earliest 41 hospitalized patients had no link to that marketplace.

New data suggests that the very first infections may actually have occurred in November. That’s because there is an “incubation period” between the infection and the onset of the first symptoms. It’s also worth considering that as many of the symptoms are very similar to the flu, some patients may not have reported the condition at all. This is important to consider, when estimating the potential number of cases.

How the Condition is Being Contained Governments are taking measures to attempt to control the spread of the virus.

Chapter 3: The Coronavirus and Traveling – Where Are You At Risk? Stats Outside of China

FEBRUARY 2, 2020 STATS

Please Visit https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ For The Latest Stats Depending on where you are located in the world, you stand a slightly higher chance of contracting coronavirus. While the condition is somewhat rare outside of China and even moreso outside of Asia, travelling anywhere will put you at risk. In this chapter, we’ll look at the status of each country and what you need to know when travelling.

Keep in mind that these numbers are changing – and largely growing – all the time. While that’s true though, this list can provide a useful illustration of the most affected areas, as well as the nature of the condition and how it spreads.

India

Coronavirus Outbreak – What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

So far there have been three confirmed cases of coronavirus in India. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of India has confirmed that the first of these cases was on 30th January 2020, with a second reported on 02 February. The first case involved a student that had travelled from Wuhan. This patient is being monitored at the time of writing and is in a stable condition.

It is thought that there may be more cases of coronavirus in Kerala, India as this is where the individual lived. Other unconfirmed reports come from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Maharastra, Telangana, and Rajasthan. If you are visiting any of these regions, then you should protect yourself.

Germany

There have been a total of 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany, making it one of the areas where the condition is currently most prevalent – or at least most widely detected and reported. The Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety reported the first case on 28th January. This case affected a male patient based in Starnberg with no history of visiting China, but who had met with a traveler from the area. Three additional cases were reported on 29th January, who are all being treated in isolation at a Munich hospital.

It is thought that all 12 of the confirmed cases were contracted by the same Chinese tourist.

Sri Lanka

There has been a single case of novel coronavirus in Sri Lanka. That patient was a 40 year old Chinese woman who had been treated positive for the virus. The country has now taken measures to contain the spread of the virus. This includes the suspension of visas for all Chinese travelers. This comes at a time when the country has become a very popular tourist spot for Chinese holiday makers.

Over 200 Chinese students currently studying in Sri Lanka from overseas are also going through a systematic evaluation process.

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Chapter 1: Introduction To Using WordPress

You’ve read in many places on the Internet that it’s important to build your own website. Whether it be for personal or business use, people tell you to get your own website. But you don’t know how it’s done.

You don’t know anything about building websites, and you don’t want to invest thousands of dollars on a professional coder to help build your website.

The next best solution?

Use WordPress. I’m sure you’ve heard it before. And you probably didn’t know what it meant. Well, from this day forward, you’re going to be learning everything there is to know about WordPress.

The learning curve will be a bit steep, especially if you know absolutely nothing about building websites. Don’t worry though, I will do my best to make the technical stuff sound easy.

So, sit back, relax, and try to absorb all the information I will be sharing in this 10-part WordPress course.

By the end of this series of Chapters, you’ll be able to build your very own WordPress website. You can even use your newfound skill to help other people build their WordPress sites, for a fee of course!

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is an extremely powerful software for building websites. Unlike free website builders which abound on the Internet, WordPress gives you maximum control over your website.

You get to control how you want your website to look. You can choose from thousands of themes to change your website’s appearance. You can install plugins to extend the core functionality of WordPress.

Basically, it means you can choose to do whatever you want to do with your website! That’s how powerful this software is. And best of all? It’s 100% free!

Gone are the days when you’d have to learn HTML and CSS just to build a simple website. WordPress allows you to save thousands of dollars in professional web developers’ fees.

The Two Versions Of WordPress

There are two versions of WordPress: WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

WordPress.org is the home of the free, open-source software which you must install on your web hosting server (a.k.a. self-hosted WordPress). This is the version of WordPress I will be covering in depth in this course.

WordPress.com works just like a website builder, and the learning curve is practically non-existent. You simply create a WordPress.com account, and voila, you’re ready to write and publish your first post.

You can build a free website, yes, but your domain name will be something like ‘yourname.wordpress.com’. If you want to remove wordpress.com from your domain, then you’ll have to upgrade your membership.

However, even with your upgraded WordPress.com membership, you still won’t have the level of control and freedom that a self-hosted WordPress website enjoys.

In summary, WordPress.com works great for beginners who don’t want to get involved with buying a custom domain, paying for web hosting, customizing and managing their website.

For those who want maximum control over their web properties, a self-hosted WordPress website is the way to go.

The Self-Hosted WordPress Story

In May 2003, WordPress version 1.0 was released to the world. Its founders, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, developed the platform based on another blogging software called “b2/cafelog”.

The first release was well received by the blogging community. But it wasn’t until a year later in 2004 when the biggest blogging software at the time, Movable Type, announced a radical change in licensing terms that resulted in mass migration of its users.

Most of Movable Type’s users ended up using WordPress, a free and open source alternative that offered features found in their mainstream and premium competitors.

With the influx of new users giving favorable feedback to WordPress, more and more developers joined the platform. And the rest, as they say, is history.

WordPress has received numerous awards to date. It has been named the ‘Best Open Source CMS,’ ‘Best Open Source Software,’ ‘Best CMS for Personal Websites,’ and many other similar awards by different organizations.

Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little built this software for free, without expecting anything in return. And the world rewarded them for their generosity.

WordPress has grown from being supported by a few developers to being continuously updated by a global community of developers.

As of this writing, WordPress powers 30% of all websites on the Internet. That translates to millions upon millions of websites running on this very powerful, free software!

Who Uses WordPress?

WordPress may have started as a blogging platform, but it’s not just bloggers who are avid fans today. People from many different industries with various website needs use WordPress.

Just because WordPress is free and open source doesn’t mean only people who can’t afford to spend money on web developers use it. Nothing can be farther from the truth. From personal websites and blogs to Fortune 500 companies to governments all around the world, WordPress can power them all.