Analysis Of The Poem Nine Days Later - 1973 Words

Nine days later Gray, nimbostratus clouds blanketed the L.A. skyline, the promise of rain becoming more of a threat with each passing hour. However, the bleak, November day suited Tom’s pensive mood, the impending storm mirroring the tumultuous thoughts brewing within his mind. After countless cups of coffee and only three hours’ sleep, he was on edge, caught in a web of his own making. He wandered in aimless circles around the living room floor, his pinched face showing clear signs of agitation, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest. For the tenth time in less than five minutes, he glanced at the clock, unsure if he wanted his visitor to arrive or not. But despite his apprehension, he knew he needed to face his demons, and a gloomy†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hey, Coach, thanks for coming.† The hard lines trenching Fuller’s brow softened, erasing years from his face. â€Å"It’s good to see you, Hanson,† he murmured, his gaze taking in Tom’s appearance. â€Å"You look†¦ better.† Embarrassed, Tom ducked his head, the memories of their last meeting filling his mind. Teetering on the edge of a breakdown, he’d refused to reveal what had occurred at the Pi Tau hazing, and his reluctance to talk had been a pivotal moment in their relationship. From then on, he’d avoided contact, preferring to relinquish his gun to Penhall rather than to the man who had an uncanny ability to read his thoughts. But all that was in the past. The time had come to face the captain who had helped mold him into the outstanding police officer he had once been. Fuller’s guidance had been invaluable, and although awkward, Tom knew he owed his friend the apology he deserved. After closing the door, Tom motioned Fuller to the couch. Once seated, he cleared his throat in readiness before speaking in a voice trembling with regret. â€Å"Cap’n, I just want you to know I never meant—† â€Å"Take a seat, Hanson.† The command caught Tom off guard, and he instinctively obeyed his superior without questioning his demand. Moving over to the nearest chair, he sat down, his posture stiff and formal. Unsure how to behave, his hands twisted in his lap, his nervous disposition sending ripples of tensionShow MoreRelatedCritical Analysis Of The Iliad1714 Words   |  7 PagesHomer’s Iliad is an epic tale that spans centuries. The story covers intense battles in which the Greeks take on the Trojans. Homer does a fantastic job of bringing the poem to life and uses the gods to show the scale of the tale. 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Gender Roles in Harry Potter Free Essays

string(146) " Already knowing the reason for the enchanted ceiling, she attains a position in the newly formed social triumvirate as the knowledge repository\." Girls in young adult fantasy novels tend to fare rather poorly, especially in the light of Susan from the Chronicles of Narnia. When  Aslan  admits the  Pevensies  into paradise, Susan is barred because she has forgotten Narnia and is more interested in stockings and the real adult world, because she has dared to want to grow up. Jill Pole comments: aâ‚ ¬? She’s interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitationsaâ‚ ¬? 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Gender Roles in Harry Potter or any similar topic only for you Order Now C. S. Lewis presents a conservative view of girls in the fantasy genre, that they will be drawn into their own adolescent fantasies and will abandon the secondary world. Philip Pullman compounds this with his treatment of Lyra in the His Dark Materials trilogy where she is the protagonist in the first novel but cedes decision making and power to Will through the remaining narrative. Hermione Granger starts out challenging this conservative view but ultimately she is turned into a mother and sidelined from the world of action. Her role changes through the novel and this is not due merely to the maturation of the character as she ages but also the needs of the male dominated groups around her, from the school group with Harry and Ron to the Order of the Phoenix. A quick glance offers the view that between 11 and 15 she is more rebellious whilst between the ages of 16 and 17 she takes on a sisterly role before her final appearance as a mother. In the Harry Potter novels  Hermione  is variously a bookish individual who supports and guides Harry through her research and work. She is the dominant force in Harryaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s success until the sixth novel,  Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, where her role as Harryaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s educator is taken by  Dumbledore. Eliza  Dresang  sees Hermione as being far more successful than she is made out to be by  Farah  Mendlesohn. Hermione gains agency and is able to take more control of her situation than  Mendlesohn  gives her credit for through her own actions, finding aâ‚ ¬? evidence in the text to be considerably more optimistic about Hermione’s self-determination than does Mendlesohnaâ‚ ¬? 2  through her determination about being sorted by the Hat and aâ‚ ¬? refuses to be deterred from her purposes, whether it be learning, admonishing about rules or †¦ championing the underdogaâ‚ ¬? 3. Mendlesohn comments that aâ‚ ¬? Hermione is accepted in the social structure of the school only because she is Harry’s friendaâ‚ ¬?   and that aâ‚ ¬? [r]adicalism, as embodied by Hermione, is irrational, ignorant, and essentially transientaâ‚ ¬? 5. Though her attempts at freeing the house-elves are doomed, she is more successful at galvanising her peers and enabling Harry’s success through her contributions. There is another issue to consider though and that is one of genre. The first five Harry Potter books are clearly school stories. Motifs, such as the annual arrival via the steam train and the term times with the enforced stay over Christmas, come from this genre. Instead of only competing in sports for honour such as Quidditch, house points are awarded or taken away for behaviour or acts of bravery. In the final two novels, the structure of the novels change to being a more conventional fantasy series wherein Harry must defeat  Voldemort in a final conflict. This switch to the fantastic, in particular a male dominated fantastic world, means that Hermione must change roles to remain in the world since we rarely see any lone witches who have not turned to Voldemort such as Bellatrix Lestrange. This change of genre changes the expectations placed on the characters by readers and the roles which they play. School stories, in the mould of Enid Blyton’s  Malory  Towers or  St Clare’s,  offer  the reader a tale of a group of children who go on adventures limited in scale by location, an isolated school, and time, terms end and the year is punctuated by holidays. They offer a degree of  carnivalesque  expressed in the capers of the students which are tamed by the teachers but also a continuing discourse of maturation and acculturation to the wider adult world which must be entered. Parents exist at the edge of the story, referred to in letters or bringing their children to school. Once the anarchic time at school comes to an end, the parents represent the roles that the children will adopt. The fantastic world that Rowling constructs is one which begins as potentially subversive with Hermione challenging perceived wrongs and gaining a more powerful agency in the world through her knowledge. As she matures, the world is fully extended past Hogwarts and becomes deeply conservative and male dominated and Hermione has to re-ascertain her social standing on the edge of the group, her enabling agency now of no direct use to Harry. Hermione matures in the series changing from the shy, bookish outsider to being, in effect, a big sister character to Harry and Ron but at the cost of her own agency and talents. As she matures into this role, she changes from being an inquisitive person, pushing her own bounds of knowledge and even her sanity, to being slightly calmer but clearly not of equal standing with Ron and Harry who are allowed to take active roles into world. When we first meet Hermione on the train going to  Hogwarts, Rowling presents her an unkempt, exploring child unafraid to make new friends or to go up and visit the train driver. She is described as having aâ‚ ¬? a bossy voice, lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teethaâ‚ ¬? (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, p 79) and already wearing the school colours. She interrupts Ron and Harry who are tucking into a carriage way feast of sweets. Curious, she challenges Ron to show him the magic trick which he is attempting. As the train approaches the station, she encourages the two boys to don their robes and questions whether they have been fighting already. Her drive towards perfection is shown in her encyclopaedic knowledge of the school drawn from reading the history. Already knowing the reason for the enchanted ceiling, she attains a position in the newly formed social triumvirate as the knowledge repository. Hermione comes back from the school holidays a day early whilst the friends are trying to find out who Nicholas  Flamel  is and is aâ‚ ¬? torn between the horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed†¦ and disappointment that he hadn’t at least found out who Nicholas Flamel wasaâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone,  p158). Her curiosity and good behaviour are at odds since she is aware that the answer may well lie in the forbidden section of the library but that entry  transgresses  the school rules. Although it is Harry who discovers Flamel by accident on the back of the collector’s card he got on the train, it is Hermione who links him to the Philosopher’s Stone through a book she got aâ‚ ¬? out of the library weeks ago for a bit light reading aâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone, p. 161). Ron’s only comment, aâ‚ ¬? Light? aâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone, p. 161), a suggestion that knowledge is not highly prized in Hogwarts as opposed to  Quidditch. It was Hermione who noticed that Fluffy was standing on the trapdoor (Philosopher’s Stone, p120), a fact that both Ron and Harry missed. Yet her achievements come at a social price. Hermione’s adherence to the school rules is shown inPhilosopher’s Stone  after the finding of the trapdoor at night. When Harry receives a new broom after the destruction of his old one, her comments aâ‚ ¬? So I suppose you think that’s a reward for breaking rules? aâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone  p. 123). Her forthrightness about the midnight incident is tempered by the argument with Ron and Harry. She is clearly upset by their reaction which is made worse by Ron’s careless comment about her not having any friends. Rushing past Harry, he notices that she is crying (Philosopher’s Stone  p. 127). When the troll is announced, both boys realise that it has gone to the girls’ toilets where Hermione is trapped. When Professor McGonagall enters, Hermione lies to protect them all and claims that she wanted to tackle the troll herself. Although this means that aâ‚ ¬? from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friendaâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone, p. 132), she can only do so by lying to a teacher and so overturns her previous rigid adherence to rules. She has to adopt the boys own world view. In  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione offers to make the Polyjuice Potion to see what Malfoy knows about the chamber’s opening. She tricks  Lockhart  into signing a slip for ‘Most  Potente  Potions’ to fool the Librarian (Chamber of Secrets, p. 124). When Ron says that they will need to steal from Professor Snape’s private stores, she retorts: aâ‚ ¬? Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine†¦Ã‚  I  don’t want to break the rules you know. aâ‚ ¬? (Chamber of Secrets, p. 125). Hermione is aware that they have already obtained a permission slip that Lockhart has signed without realising what it is (using his own arrogance), that the recipe relies upon illicit goods and that the boys cannot discover Malfoy’s perceived role without trickery. Despite her protestations about the rules, she is aware that these will need to be broken to be successful. When they come to making the potion, the group need parts of their victims and Hermione is too hasty in taking some hair from Millicent  Bulstrode  in Wrestling and accidentally turns herself into a cat much to Myrtle’s delight, aâ‚ ¬? Wait till everyone finds out you’ve got a  tailaâ‚ ¬? (Chamber of Secrets, p. 169). Whilst Ron and Harry have used her Sleeping Potion to knock out  Crabbe  and  Goyle, Malfoy’s henchmen, Hermione’s own attempt has backfired and so she is unable to help get information from Malfoy. Her overachievement turns her into a figure of fun. Although she is able to assimilate Harry and Ron’s worldview into her own perceptions, she is unable to fully join their world although she is the enabler for their plans through the potion and the linking together of the clues in  Philosopher’s Stone. Her overachievement comes to a head in the  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of  Azkaban  when she is given the use of the Time-Turner. In Snape’s Potions class, Neville is aided by Hermione to perfect the Shrinking Solution but when Ron and Harry turn to challenge her after the deduction of points, she disappears only to reappear a few minutes ater with her bag falling apart through weight of books. When she brushes off Ron’s challenge about the contents, he muses aâ‚ ¬? Do you get the feeling Hermione’s not telling us something? aâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 99). Clearly Hermione is unable to tell the boys about Professor  McGonagall ’s  gift of the Time Turner. In the Defence against the Dark Arts exam, Hermione comes into contact with the  Boggartand after aâ‚ ¬? a minute inside it [the  Boggart’s  trunk], she burst out again, screamingaâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 234). The Boggart, which presents worst fears, has suggested to her that Professor McGonagall will fail her in an exam, so her fears of academic and also personal failure come to the fore. Ron is still inclined to laugh at Hermione’s fear since he will not excel academically. Despite their close bond, Hermione’s academic achievements have always separated her from the boys. It is only when the situation demands that time is altered that she is able to tell Harry. When they fail to saveBuckbeak  the first time,  Dumbledore  suggests to Hermione that the situation can be saved by going backwards and Hermione confesses to Harry, aâ‚ ¬? I’ve been using it all year to get to all my lessonsaâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 289) but she still cannot work out why Dumbledore has suggested going back three hours. It is up to Harry to formulate the plan to save the  Hippogriff  and Sirius. Once again, Hermione’s mental achievements enable Harry but she is unable to complete the reasoning for the shift in time. Hermione proves herself via her academic prowess and enables Harry and Ron to complete various challenges. She is the person to whom the boys go when they have difficulties with the homework. Lupin praises her  as the aâ‚ ¬? inest witch of her ageaâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p 253)  in the Shrieking Shack  as she becomes hysterical at his perceived betrayal of her loyalty, aâ‚ ¬? I didn’t tell anyone†¦ I’ve been covering up for youaâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p 253). Her need to prove herself academically is challenged and Ron’s reaction is to want to lau gh. Despite her achievement and regular help for Harry and Ron, it is only the teachers who really prize her accomplishments. She is the character most likely to fail through overachievement. Her role is clearly defined in the school story as the swot. The school story genre allows her this room as a defined role but it she must adapt when the genre changes to a conservative high fantasy wherein gender roles are somewhat different. During the  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she reverts to the quiet studious Hermione of the first novel when Harry gets the  magicked  version of the potions book. As Harry falls under its spell and useful marginalia, she becomes increasingly exasperated at his lack of work or effort in the class commenting aâ‚ ¬? Well, it wasn’t exactly your own work, was it? aâ‚ ¬? (Half-Blood Prince, p 182). She and Ginny are protective of Harry and test the spell book which he has picked up, though they do not see the inscription claiming it is the property of the Half-Blood prince. With the aid of Ginny Weasley, she also defends him during the setting up of the self-help Dark Arts group, the  acronymed  DA, in  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Gathering the curious students together in the Hog’s Head, she comments aâ‚ ¬? well I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands†¦ And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spellaâ‚ ¬? Half-Blood Prince, p 303). Though she is instrumental in gathering the class, she immediately reverts to her supporting role and allows Harry to discuss the events at the end of  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firewhere he met the revived Voldemort. Her tenure as Prefect in  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix  shows her stopping the  Weasley  twins from recruiting junior members of the school to test their joke wares,  saying aâ‚ ¬? I told you this morning, you can’t test your rubbish on students! aâ‚ ¬? (Order of the Phoenix, p 229) whilst Ron, her fellow Prefect, looks on from the side. Although she is active in keeping the more extreme elements of the carnivalesque from taking over the school in the form of the Weasley brother’s joke wares, it does mark the apogee of the progression from swot to Prefect in the school novel. Though these roles are usually played by various characters in the school story genre, Rowling has rolled them into one person who exemplifies the qualities of Hogwarts and, in particular,  Gryffindor. Though Hermione is keen on the maintenance of the status quo, she becomes increasingly vocal against the abuse of power in two areas. She has mixed success but it allows her to retain her role in the social cohesion of the friendship group and to begin organising others in the school. Firstly she challenges a perceived abuse of the house elves by the  wizarding  classes and sets up the Society for the Protection of Elvish Welfare, SPEW. This act comes after  Dobby  is freed by Harry in  Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets. Hermione starts knitting hats to free the elves from their slave positions at Hogwarts inOrder of the Phoenix  and when challenged about this by Ron, exclaims aâ‚ ¬? Of course they want to be free! aâ‚ ¬? (Order of the Phoenix, p 230). Whilst it may mirror  Rowling’s  own time working for Amnesty International, she undermines Hermione by having Dobby pick up all the hats as the elves are offended by them. Though she gains the partial support of Dumbledore as he explains to Harry that he had encouraged  Sirius  to treatKreacher  with kindness  (Order of the Phoenix, p 733),  Ron and Harry dismiss her efforts. To an extent, she loves hopeless causes and sets out to free the elves despite their reluctance to change their positions. Secondly, she attacks the misuses of authority by teachers, such as Severus Snape and Dolores  Umbridge. In  Prisoner of  Azkaban, Snape takes over Lupinaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s classes while he recovers from his change. Ignoring the class protests he begins to set them work which will provide clues to Lupinaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s condition and Hermione protests  (Prisoner of Azkaban, p128) which encourages Ron to defend her and receive detention. She becomes increasingly agitated by  Snapeaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  manner and challenges him through questions. Though she has been able to answer the questions that he puts to the class since the first book, earning his contempt, she now uses these as a challenge to his authority through passive disruption. In  Order of the Phoenix, Dolores Umbridge attempts to run a school based on the traditional school model of learning the theory of Defence against the Dark Arts rather than practical lessons. Hermione listens to  Umbridgeaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  long speech which sets out the rationale for the coming changes. During the first Defence against the Dark Arts lesson she immediately questions  Umbridgeaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  passive stance through using Umbridge’s insistence on pupils raising their hands to ask questions (Order of the Phoenix, p 217-218). Asking the question, she repeats herself when the answer is not forthcoming. Hermione continues this with the creation of the Dark Arts or  Dumbledoreaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  Army group. As Umbridge tries to crack down on any nascent dissent against the Ministry of Magicaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s policy, Hermione comes up with the plan of setting a group to rectify the lack of practical training. Facing the belief that Harry killed  Cedric,  fuelledby the Daily Prophet, she motivates the students to come together and to learn practical defence. As she does this she comments aâ‚ ¬? d’you know †¦ I think I’m feeling a bit  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ rebelliousaâ‚ ¬? (Order of the Phoenix, p 559). Rather than continuing her challenge to misplaced authority, once the school story ends, she moves towards the role of the sister. Whilst on the run from the Ministry of Magic in  Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsHarry confesses to Ron that Hermione is aâ‚ ¬? like a sister,aâ‚ ¬? he went on aâ‚ ¬? I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same about meaâ‚ ¬? (Deathly Hallows, p308). To some degree she follows the path of  Lyrain Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy where the she develops her challenges early on but end up giving up independence. Before she meets Will, Lyra is free to challenge the authority figures around her but after the meeting, when Will is cooking an omelette, he commands aâ‚ ¬? ’Find a couple of plates’ he said, and Lyra obediently did soaâ‚ ¬? (The Subtle Knife  p 25). After the defeat of Voldemort, we see her and Ron on Platform 9 A? s waving their children off on the Hogwarts express. The action occurs around Harry and Ron with Hermione chiding them when they see Scorpius, Draco’s son, with aâ‚ ¬? Don’t try to turn them against each other before they’ve even started schoolaâ‚ ¬? (Deathly Hallows, p605). She is keen to maintain stability in the world for the children. As she develops into adolescence, she moves away from her rebellious side straight into motherhood, so avoiding Susan’s fate in the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’. Though she moves into adolescence, she is faithful to Ron, declaring her love for him in the  Deathly Hallows. Despite Lupin’s proclamation of her talent, we finally see Hermione taking her children to platform 9 A?. She avoids Susan’s banishment from the magical world because she cares for her friends and, ultimately, children and is not selfish as Susan is implied to be by Aslan in the quotation at the beginning of this essay. Yet it seems a poor fate for all her achievements. The boarding school genre allows Hermione to excel academically and be an equal to Harry and Ron. She develops and is capable of taking on teaching duties and, it would appear, likely to follow  Minerva  McGonagallas the archetypal spinster teacher. She is the archetypal swot who becomes Prefect as she gets to the end of her school years. Her insistence upon hardwork and her dislike of cheats, even if they are her friends, show Hermione’s dedication to maintaining order, though not at any price. She also takes on what appear to be hopeless causes, the release of the elves and then challenges against misused authority, despite the ridicule of her peers. Hermione stands against inequality and tries to effect change. Dumbledore is the only person who backs her stance, and this is only very partially, as he explains to Harry. Dealing with her own social group, she is more effective in galvanising her peers into forming the Dark Arts group. Yet she is on the edge of the social group. On the train to Hogwarts, it is Harry who accepts her into the nascent group and then more firmly once the troll is defeated in the bathrooms. Once the  OWLs  have been taken, Hermione moves away from being the bright academic, her role in helping with Ron and Harry finishing their homework redundant, to being involved in maintaining the group with Ron and Harry through her caring for both boys. It is only Hermione who can cope with the real world of Oxford Street before they manage to get into more magical territory. The school narrative allows Hermione to blossom as an individual as the closed world of Hogwarts bars the real world and gives her space as a person. Once the real world begins to encroach, she begins to move away from her academic achievements and into the big sister role. At one level Rowling sees Hermione as a caricature of her school memories but at another, the Harry Potter series fails to address the idea that girls can do more than become mothers or spinster teachers. In Narnia thePevensie  children are either kept in childlike paradise away from ever growing up or they are ejected from paradise for thinking of the adult world. In ‘His Dark Materials’, Lyra moves from challenging the misplaced authority of Mrs  Coulter  and Lord  Asriel  to leaving Will to make all the decisions. Hermione’s own contributions to the group come through enabling Harry to complete tasks with the requisite knowledge that she can find or discern. Once the fight against Voldemort moves into Harry’s own history, only Dumbledore can help Harry. Whilst on the run in  Deathly Hallows, it is Hermione who tries to keep the group together and to work out Dumbledore’s final clue in the book of fairy tales. She is a catalyst for those around her and remains sidelined. Whilst she shows that she can develop herself against  Mendlesohn’s  analysis through her own talent,Dresang’s  assertion that Hermione gains strength through empowering others is shown to only be partial; she sacrifices her individual power and role to help recreate a safe world. Once she has enable Harry, Rowling moves her into a maternal role, her highest honour. It short changes the Witch that Lupin described as the brightest of her age. Bibliography Jackson, Rosemary,  Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion  (Routledge, London, 1981) Lewis, C. S. ,  The Last Battle(Harper Collins, London, 2005) Moorcock, Michael,  Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Romance  (Gollancz, London, 1987) Pullman, Philip,  The Subtle Knife  (Scholastic, London, 1997, 2001 reprint) Rotruck, Amie Rose, ‘Where Have All the Tomboys Gone? : Female Figures in British Children’s Fantasy Series’ in  Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction  Volume 32, Number 88, Summer 2003 Rowling, J. K. , Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Bloomsbury, London, 1997) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets  (Bloomsbury, London, 1998) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban  (Bloomsbury, London, 1999) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire  (Bloomsbury, London, 2000) J. K. Rowling,  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix  (Bloomsbury, London, 2003) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince  (Bloomsbury, London, 2005) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow  (Bloomsbury, London, 2007) Reynolds, Kimberley (ed),  Modern Children’s Literature: An Introduction  (Palgrave, Basingstoke, 2005) Whited, Lana A (ed),  Harry Potter and the Ivory Tower: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon  (University of Missouri Press, Columbia, 2004) How to cite Gender Roles in Harry Potter, Papers

Accounting and Finance Considering Capital Budgeting †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Accounting and Finance Capital Budgeting. Answer: Depicting the significance of ethics conducted by companies while considering capital budgeting: The use of ethics is mainly essential for companies while contemplating the capital budgeting. Budgeting is mainly associated with allocation of the companys overall financial resources in different segments of the business. This mainly needs ethical consideration, as biased personal could not effectively comprehend all the relevant activities of the company. Certain attributes should be maintained for accommodating ethical capital budgeting in the company. The relevant factors are honest books, responsibility, decency, and conflict of interest, which effectively help the company in maintaining ethical capital budgeting in its vicinity. Andor, Mohanty Toth (2015) mentioned that capital budgeting mainly requires unbiased decisions, which could help in improving viability of the business and make adequate resource allocation. Capital budgeting mainly helps companies to understand future cash inflows, evacuate new investment projects, and monitor control expenditure. The significant variations of capital budgeting needs to be complimented with adequate ethical considerations or else companys future growth and prospects will not be achieved. For example if the company uses unethical biasness in making adequate decision for a certain project and takes wrong valuation of the future cash inflows. This might reduce cash generation capacity and increase cash outflow. This could eventually hamper companys growth and reduce its ability to maintain profitability. Thus, it is essential for companies to maintain ethics within its capital budgeting system. Rossi (2015) stated that with the use of ethical budgeting system, companies are mainly able to improve its cash generation capacity and reduce its overall expenditure. References: Andor, G., Mohanty, S. K., Toth, T. (2015). Capital budgeting practices: a survey of Central and Eastern European firms.Emerging Markets Review,23, 148-172. Rossi, M. (2015). The use of capital budgeting techniques: an outlook from Italy.International Journal of Management Practice,8(1), 43-56.

Mr S Ndzimba at Uj free essay sample

Redemption Song Analysis Redemption Song, a magnificently composed song by Bob Marled relates to oppression and deliverance of African slaves, who were brought from Africa to Jamaica. The general theme of this song is the beauty of the redemption of people after oppression. Support of this theme is found in Bob Marbles connotation and tone. Connotation, the diction of words, is the most significant aspect of this song that supports the theme. Bob Marbles terminology is responsible for creating a truly entrancing song. B initiates the song on a delicate level by describing the obliteration of the African people by slavery; Oh pirates yes they rob l; / Sold I to the merchant ships, / Minutes after they took I / From the bottomless pit. (Marled 1-4). These very lines portray the appalling technique used to take Africans from their homeland to toil for others. The next line, But my hand was made strong / By the hand of the Almighty. We will write a custom essay sample on Mr S Ndzimba at Uj or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page / We forward in this generation/ Triumphantly, (Marled 5-8) illustrates the authority given to the slaves by God. Through His hand, the present generation has been capable of moving onward and prospering. The most eminent lines of the song, Emancipate yourself from mental slavery / None but ourselves can free our minds sustains thought that it is not the responsibility of the oppressors to free the oppressed; this assignment can only be completed by the oppressed themselves. Through the complete song, bib Marled maintains an optimistic tone. He appears to believe that through all the pain and agony of slaves his enervation will be able to formulate a difference.Evidence of this is found in the lines We forward in the generation / Triumphantly (Marled 3-4). This strictly means that descendents of Africans have been given an opportunity to right and improve the prospects their ancestors never had. Overall, Redemption Song is a incredibly stunning song that relates to not only African slaves but all others that have been oppressed. Bob Marbles main purpose of this song is that, in the end, it is up to the oppressed to determine their freedom and destiny.

Starting from Scratch Professor Ramos Blog

Starting from Scratch Do you remember when you started walking? At the age of 15 I couldn’t walk. I was diagnosed with Guillain–Barre’ Syndrome. The scientific definition is an acute form of polyneuritis, often preceded by a respiratory infection, causing weakness and often paralysis of the limbs. A condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves. In my terms I couldn’t walk. It all started one night, I was on the phone walking in the hallway enjoying my teen life just laughing, then BOOM!!!! I’m on the floor somehow, I fell. I tried to get myself up, but it didn’t work. Tried pulling on my rails to help myself stand up, that didn’t work either. All I could do now was yell, â€Å"Mom! Mom! I need your help!† You can tell she thought I was playing, then when she understood it wasn’t a joke she pulled me up and we immediately went to the Emergency Room. Being at the hospital with no clue of what was happening with my body was extremely nerve racking. The doctor initially said I would die, no hesitation no empathy. His exact words, â€Å"She’s not going to make it.† I instantly started crying, tears were running down my face like a river stream. What was left for me? To die in a hospital bed? Every thought, emotion, and feeling passed through my head as I laid in the hospital bed looking at my mom hopelessly. She tried being strong for me holding my hand telling me, â€Å"You’re going to make it through, we got God on our side and he is your doctor who will heal you.† She ended up going into the hallways, to make numerous of calls to the family to tell them my horrible condition, to ask for prayer and visitors to try and lift my spirits. Being in the hospital with no luck of life pretty much sucks. I was sent through several different test to figure out what was truly wrong with me. I went through x-ray, cat scan, MRI, and even nerve conduction velocity test (NCV). An MRI is a magnetic resonance imaging its like a cat scan, but much more in detail. Its like you’re on a cot bed and your sent through a big donut hole inch by inch to scan your whole body. If you’re claustrophobic good luck. If you move, guess what they got to start all over. They tried to give me ear plugs for the MRI, but that doesn’t make the sound go away it just intensifies it. THUMP, THUMP, DOOM, DOOM, DOOM, beepbeepbeepbeep. The best thing for me to do was try and sing in my head any gospel song I could to outdo the loud banging and tight space. The NCV was definitely the worst test. It’s like you’re being electrocuted to try to detect abnormal nerves. Like on the movies when they have a hostage and try to shock them and turn up the power to see how much they can sustain, well that is exactly what I felt. I went through so many test and different doctors to try and tell me my possibilities. To then find out it could all be cured. I can be able to possibly be normal again. They finally told me I was diagnosed with Guillain- Barre’ Syndrome and like you I was stumped. What is it, why me and how in the world was I the lucky one to catch it? But to be able to regain my life back was like hitting the lottery to me. I was put on an IV treatment for 5 days and was transported to a hospital that had a better Neurology program to better assist me. I refused to let that sickness take over my body, I was determined. I had to show those doctors that even though I’m 15 I’m full of fight and I want to go home to better myself. I used to walk around the hospital for as long as I could. I couldn’t do it on my own I had to use a walker and my mom would have a sheet wrapped around my stomach right above my waist to keep my balance and make sure if I was to collapse she was my support to pull me up. When it was finally time to go home, lucky me it was Christmas Eve and that was my Christmas present. They tried to put me in a wheelchair, but I refused to be handicap and not at least push myself enough to want to better myself. I had to go to occupational and physical therapy to be able to regain my strength and get my muscles back working. I went to occupational and physical therapy 2-3 times a week for a month and a half. I had to use a walker, hold walls and rails anything to help me walk. My life was like a movie, at therapy I had to hold on to the bars to try to walk. On the treadmill I had to have support on me and around me while only walking 5mph. Seems slow? Nope that was my average walk, maybe a little too fast. I had to get my gripping back to normal, so I had to hold small things and rub them around until I felt all sensation from it. Sounds strange to the average teen, but this was my life and unfortunately, I had to deal with it. One day at home I got tired of sleeping in my brother’s room and I wanted my bed and my peace, so I got up. I got up went to the stairs and said determined, â€Å"I want my bed back!† I grabbed the rail and took my time and slowing making my way up step by step. Almost halfway through my brother saw me and helped me the rest of the way, but I told him â€Å"I got it bro, but just stay behind me if I fall† we laughed, and I kept pushing myself to finish those 16 steps. I finally made it to my room and I knew if I could do that alone, I could walk without support soon enough. My therapy finally ended, and I still wasn’t fully walking without support. I didn’t trust in myself enough to let go of my support. The choice was mine go back to school after Spring break or stay home schooled for the rest of the year. Of course, I wanted my old life back, friends, being normal again. So yes, going back to school was the only option. I started going up and down the stairs more, slowly but surely, I wasn’t going to need the rails anymore and not even the walker either. I left the walker in my room, and just started holding the walls, that way I can stand straight up and use my full strength. Within that month I was walking without any support, I wasn’t running but I was making progress. I couldn’t have been more proud of myself. Regardless of your situation or circumstance never give up. Many people may have it worse than you, but they don’t show it. Take it one day at a time and be grateful for those you do have and what you’re capable of. I had an amazing team behind me from my Neurologist to my physical therapist to my family and friends, everybody played a great part in helping me recover. My doctor told me it was a 5% chance of it coming back, but I should be fine. I was on A LOT of vitamins and medicine to build my immune system back to its healthy state. It has now been ten years since I was diagnosed, and I am just fine, my legs they work perfectly! All I can say is without faith and a great support system I probably wouldn’t have been so determined to break through because it can take years for someone to recover from that. I’m just glad I made it.

8 Quick Tips for Writing Under Pressure

8 Quick Tips for Writing Under Pressure You have 25 minutes to compose an SAT essay, two hours to write a final exam paper, less than half a day to finish a project proposal for your boss. Heres a little secret: both in college and beyond, most writing is done under pressure. Composition theorist Linda Flower reminds us that some degree of pressure can be a good source of motivation. But when worry or the desire to perform well is too great, it creates an additional task of coping with anxiety (Problem-Solving Strategies for Writing, 2003). So learn to cope. Its remarkable how much writing you can produce when youre up against a strict deadline. To avoid feeling overwhelmed by a writing task, consider adopting these eight (admittedly not-so-simple) strategies. Slow down.  Resist the urge to jump into a writing project before youve thought about your topic and your purpose for writing. If youre taking an exam, read the instructions carefully and skim all the questions. If youre writing a report for work, think about who will be reading the report and what they expect to get out of it.Define your task.  If youre responding to an essay prompt or a question on an exam, make sure youre actually answering the question. (In other words, dont dramatically alter a topic to suit your interests.) If youre writing a report, identify your primary purpose in as few words as possible, and make sure you dont stray far from that purpose.Divide your task.  Break down your writing task into a series of manageable smaller steps (a process called chunking), and then focus on each step in turn. The prospect of completing an entire project (whether its a dissertation or a progress report) may be overwhelming. But you should always be able to come up with a few sentences or paragraphs without panicking. Budget and monitor your time.  Calculate how much time is available to complete each step, setting aside a few minutes for editing at the end. Then stick to your timetable. If you hit a trouble spot, skip ahead to the next step. (When you come back to a trouble spot later on, you may find out you can eliminate that step altogether.)Relax.  If you tend to freeze up under pressure, try a relaxation technique such as deep breathing, freewriting, or an imagery exercise. But unless youve had your deadline extended by a day or two, resist the temptation to take a nap. (In fact, research shows that using a relaxation technique can be even more refreshing than sleep.)Get it down.  As humorist James Thurber once advised, Dont get it right, just get it written. Concern yourself with getting the words down, even though you know you could do better if you had more time. (Fussing over every word can actually heighten your anxiety, distract you from your purpose, and get in the way of a larg er goal: completing the project on time.) Review.  In the final minutes, quickly review your work to make sure that all your key ideas are on the page, not just in your head. Dont hesitate to make last-minute additions or deletions.Edit.  Novelist Joyce Cary had a habit of omitting vowels when writing under pressure. In your remaining seconds, restore the vowels (or whatever you tend to leave out when writing quickly). In most cases its a myth that making last-minute corrections does more harm than good. Finally, the best way to learn how to write under pressure is . . . to write under pressureover and over again. So stay calm and keep practicing.

Research Design and Case Study (Was Iraq War Handled Effectively) Assignment

Research Design and Case Study (Was Iraq War Handled Effectively) - Assignment Example Additionally, it offers the chance to examine the outcomes of the choices chosen by the U.S and its allies during and after the invasion and even after the evacuation of U.S troops from Iraq. Other factors include the decisions of the new regime to marginalize the Sunnis and the inefficiencies of the institutions of Iraq to handle matters of the nation. The adoption of a case study will enable me to offer an analysis of both content and from a historical perspective. In addition, a case study offers the opportunity for structuring any future research on this topic while also providing a foundation for other researchers to further their knowledge on this topic and a chance to offer additional insight and information. A case study is the ideal research design technique because it is particularly helpful in analyzing institutions and structuring policy. The analytical approach to be adopted is the congruence method based on typical conditions. The use of congruence analysis is the most appropriate approach because it places emphasis on formulating conclusions that are relevant to the goals of the study and because it enhances objectivity and reliability of the research. The case study chosen is â€Å"Wars of Decline: Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya† because it offers an opportunity to clearly investigate the factors listed above and is able to comprehensively explain the occurrence of a number of factors that are responsible for the mismanagement of the Iraq War. â€Å"The Wars of Decline: Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya† provides an opportunity for the analysis of the management of the Iraq War. It provides a chance to analyze underlying factors that may have caused the mismanagement of the Iraq War. The Iraq War was as a response to the 9/11 bombings in Washington and New York by Al Qaeda militants. Al Qaeda had been responsible for a number of attacks

Is Rim Destined to eventually Fail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Is Rim Destined to eventually Fail - Essay Example The growth is witnessed in terms of output, staffing and the manufacturing infrastructure. The consistent increase in volume of the company’s products ensures its competitiveness in the marketplace by confirming that the products it supplies are market-friendly and adequate to the ever-increasing number of customers. The increase in production is fueled by the adequacy of staff. Adequate staff ensure that work is concluded on time hence meeting the company deadlines. Manufacturing infrastructure on the other hand facilitates invention and innovation resulting in originality of the company products (Palmatier & Crum, 2003). Externally, there is the ever-rising pressure from the rapidly expanding consumer base; RIM products experience a short lifecycle. Therefore, they have extended manufacturing contracts to likeminded firms to help them in production to meet the ever-rising customer demands. This has extended the decision making chain resulting in complexity when it comes to market efficiency and decision-making in terms of enhancing supply chains. The software makeup of the organization is also not up to the task prompting the implementation of a decision support system for the company to ensure it continues its operations successfully (Chopra & Meindl, 2001). In the recent past RIM has been quite successful and because of this success a crop of challenges have come up threatening the success of the corporation. The company introduced seven new models of their products within the last 18 months. The challenge with these products is their shortened lifecycle that has reduced further from 2 years to a mere 1 year. Reports show that the company’s product portfolio has become very complex ranging from 18 to 100 possible end combinations of the models with only seven lines of products. This has the challenge of easily creating what we call an

Grassroots Computing Essay Example for Free

Grassroots Computing Essay The article â€Å"Changing the corporate IT development model: Tapping the power of Grassroots† defines that the IT world in the 21st century corporate world is evolving. No longer are there programmers and users. Many times the users become ad hoc programmers. In some corporate structures the lines between the two worlds are disappearing. The plus side to this ad hoc programming is the ability for the end user to develop the tool needed to accomplish the task at hand. Many of the programs available to the business communities are generic in nature and the business will adapt to the program available. In some companies the grassroots computing types are adapting or improving the programming to meet the needs of the organization. The negative side to the grassroots computing model growing in the corporate world is the barriers and silos often built around the IT environment. These barriers need to be taken down for the full growth of the computer industry to be realized for all users and developers. The current license agreements around programing usage and modification will have to be adapted to the changes taking place in the enterprise. The article specifically identifies that the IT genre must – in addition to other needed steps â€Å"Actively cultivate an entrepreneurial atmosphere and Provide tools and services to enable workers to automate their own work environments. † (Cherbakov Et Al). With this changing idealism around IT and end user – corporate policy and culture needs to also evolve. The organization that will realize the full potential of the programing resources available – not only in the IT department – but across all boundaries in the organization – will establish a culture that will bring down established silos. There still needs to be licensing agreements and non disclosure agreements in place for proprietary rights. These licenses and agreements should not be drawn up in a way to quell the entrepreneurial spirit needed in any growing organization. Each member of the entire team needs to be able to contribute to realization of organizational objectives. Not seeking to be detrimental in any skill set in the organization – but creating a team culture that opens doors for the IT professionals and the professionals on the floor who use the IT tools. Bibliography Cherbakov Et Al. (2007). Changing the corporate IT development model: Tapping the power of grassroots computing. IBM Systems Journal, 46(4), 1-20.

Antony and Cleopatra :: essays research papers

‘Antony and Cleopatra’. The simplicity of the Jacobean Stage and its lack of scenery focused the audiences’ attention on the actors. Discuss how Shakespeare created the grandeur of the Worlds of Rome and Egypt, and the magnificence of the protagonists, through his use of imagery in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’. The play of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ was written in 1606, and is mainly set in their respective worlds of Rome and Egypt. ‘Antony and Cleopatra,’ like Shakespeare’s other plays was written to be performed on the Jacobean Stage. In Shakespeare’s time there was a lack of scenery and stage props, but he compensated with his use of language that he gave to the audience, to assist them, bring to life the characters, plot and the setting in their own minds. That was the past, here and now in the present, we go to the Cinema, which is full of special effects, computerised graphics, and exciting camera shots, which all goes towards creating a typical Hollywood blockbuster film. With ‘Antony and Cleopatra this is not necessary as it is still more effective on the stage than on screen, which is due to the elaborate language used, which tests our imagination. Shakespeare’s plays are written in dramatic verse and his use of imagery is very effective, as it engages the audiences’ attention, to give them a deeper meaning and reality to each and every character. In order to analyse how Shakespeare uses imagery to describe Antony and his world of Rome, and Cleopatra and her world of Egypt, it is necessary to look at how he breathes life into their larger than life personalities by the use of powerful, vivid language. The opening speech raises the audiences’ awareness of the Roman view towards Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship. â€Å"You shall see him The triple pillar of the world transformed into a strumpet’s fool,† which ultimately means that Antony is Cleopatra’s jester, that would do anything for her and that his imminent downfall is due to Cleopatra the â€Å"Strumpet†. Mark Antony’s character at the beginning of the play, is that of a great, powerful, triumvir whose heart has been entrapped by Cleopatra’s enchanting personality. The audience hears many good things about Antony’s character, which is shown through his great past, â€Å"It is reported thou didst eat strange flesh which some did die look on,† which informs us that he was a great warrior which evoke feelings of respect towards him.

Migration into the United States Essay

Migration is synonymous with human movement from one place to another in search for better living conditions. Migration into the United States is not a new concept as the country owes its historical origin to individuals migrating to America from other parts of the world driven by various reasons. Some came searching for land to be used in agricultural production, others came in search for education and employment opportunities, others come in search for freedom, whereas others came running away from adversaries within their countries of origin. These are just but a few of the reasons leading to high rates of immigration to the United States. Being a historical concept, immigration issues have remained part of the unique forces that continue to shape the United States and this trend is far from over. This paper shall in brief, examine the concept of immigration in the United States and evaluate the current trends in regard to the issue. Immigration, a historical Concept: Migration in the United States can be traced back in the 16th century when immigrants from European countries including Britain, France, Netherlands, and Germany came to the Americas. These immigrants were generally referred to as ‘settlers’ looking for farm land to boost the fairly impoverished status. These were the individuals who were unable to cope up with the demands of their modernized economies. During this time, a substantial number of individuals came to the United States as indentured servants (Huspek, p 161). Such individuals could then enter into contracts with their employers in order to gain entry into the â€Å"new world†. The indentured servants had to endure spells of hardships and later given a piece of land which allowed them to work as free yeoman farmers (Huspek, p 163). The immigration trends changed during the 19th century when there was massive movement of people to the United States. Immigration to the United States has continued to increase as time goes by and the government estimates that there are millions of individuals who come to the United States each year. Of these millions, some usually enter the United States as illegal immigrants whereas others follow the legal procedural requirements (Bracey, p 116). Legal immigrants: Legal immigrants are defined in law as those individuals who gain admission to permanently reside in the United States in line with the legal requirements. They are often referred to as ‘green-card holders’. According to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS), these are â€Å"aliens who are granted lawful permanent residence (LPR), aliens admitted for lawful permanent residence, immigrants admitted, and admissions† (Batalova, para 6). According to the law, there are three categories of legal immigrants which include family reunion, employment sponsorship, and humanitarian based as the case of refugees and asylum seekers. One can attain the United States citizenship in two ways which includes arriving as new legal permanent residents or by adjusting the previous status upon gaining entrance to the US so as to become a permanent resident. During the year 2008, there were more than 1. 1 million immigrants being admitted to the US. Legal immigrants can also gain access to the US through the green card lottery established by the Immigration Act of 1990 allowing for immigrant entry from those nations with poor rates of immigration to the US (Batalova, para 9). The graph below reflects the number of immigrants that have been coming to the US from the year 1986 to 2008: Immigrants Admitted to the United States (in thousands): Total and by Type, 1986 to 2008 Source: Jeanne Batalova Illegal Immigrants: These are defined as the alien population which is not part of the legal residents of the United States. These are individuals who enter the United States without being inspected or they were temporarily admitted but their period of stay has since expired. The United States is home for an estimated eleven million illegal immigrants which has caused a major concern to the political class and the public policy analysts (LeMay, p 1). There has been a dramatic rise in the number of illegal immigration into the US since the 70s and this has been attributed to the termination of the Bracero Policy in mid 60s. The Bracero Policy was referred to as the guest-worker program that allowed the American companies to employ Mexicans temporarily for nine months every year in order to address the labor shortages during the 1940s. This program ended in 1964 to pave way to the Immigration Act of 1965 (LeMay, p 4). This program set forth the beginning of a trend that has been persistent for years as much of the illegal immigrants are from Mexico or rather uses the Mexican border with the US to gain entry to the United States (Bracey, p 118). Conclusion: Migration is a phenomenon that shall continue to impact on human population everywhere in the world. Though migration might be disastrous to the economy especially if left uncontrolled, it is inhumane to lock out people who would want to exploit their potential elsewhere in a legally defined manner. Every year starting from the 16th century to the present, many individuals have continued to find their way into the United States as immigrants. These individuals comes with a different culture that later becomes assimilated to American way of life creating the diversity that is the major strength of the United States. Immigration is therefore a plausible phenomenon in the United States that is supposed to be guided and encouraged by law as it contributes to making America what it is today. Legal immigration is a welcome move that is destined to continue enriching the American culture making it unique on the international arena. Work Cited: Batalova, Jeanne. Spotlight on Legal Immigration to the United States. 2009. Retrieved on 11th May 2010 from; http://www. migrationinformation. org/Feature/display. cfm? id=730. Bracey, Gerald, W. The Research Impact of Immigration. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 80. 1999. pp 115-125. Huspek, Michael. Production of State, Capital, and Citizenry: The Case of Operation Gatekeeper. Social Justice, Vol. 28. 2001. pp 160-165 LeMay, Michael, C. Illegal immigration: a reference handbook. 2007. Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO.

Reflective Essay on Learning and Motivation Essay

This reflection essay relates to the learning and teaching theories discussed in the course work. The study begins with an overview that presents a narrative of my evolution as a learner. The subsequent sections present a description of motivational attributes of an effective teaching strategy implemented in classroom setting. The study also offers a summary of the strategies that can be adopted in order to make a successful learning experience in college. I attended an educational system where schooling was based on traditional teaching systems. Teaching approaches were similar to the approach of a â€Å"banking model.† The school’s procedure depicted the teachers’ roles as depositing correct information to the learners to a point that it was needed. I began preparing for an end or term exam in my first year in the school by revising material offered to us severally. I did not have any notion why I had to learn the material (Zhang, 2009). Therefore, my life in t he school and my learning experiences were done through â€Å"rote learning.† The school system made emphasis on performance objectives over learning goals. During my third week in the school, I encountered an experience that changed my approach and motivation to learning. The experience came about after and encountered with my third year English 101 tutor, Mr. Rickie. He was very smart he had a good grounding on issues of English and career advice. His past engagements in learning and curriculum development allowed me to be consistent and relevant to learning motivation. The year was marked by class members taking the class as passive and engaged in class games instead of concentrating during class sessions (Zhang, 2009). The fourteenth week of the class people started seeing the sense of paying attention during class sessions, and we started enjoying French. The students’ attitude to the class took a different turn due to the measures he took to change the learning atmosphere. First, Mr. Rickie made the class lively through â€Å"activity setting† on Wednesday classes. The students were separated into manageable groups of five each. Students from each group were dressed to fit the roles assigned to their respective groups. The class als o created these situations as role-plays. In subsequent week, Mr. Rickie asked us about our goals as well as professions we dreamt to pursue after our education. For instance, my group took the assignment of having meetings with professionals. The day the group took to play a role, I opted to play a  lawyer. My group had prepared to meet within a restaurant and conversations were to be in English. Teachers who use such an approach consider teachers and students as co-constructors of knowledge through meaningful ways. The approach to learning considers the environment as well as role of peers in through interactions of questioning, interpreting, and listening to others’ ideas. Teachers using the learning strategy take into consideration students’ different understanding levels and diverse learning styles in eliciting ideas (Benson, 2008). The process through which students embraces opportunities of generating various ideas and clarifying their own enables reflection on provisions of fellow students. The past academic year presented me with an opportunity to address a graduate level course in Radford University. I observed a critical difference among the students through implementing diverse teaching styles. The goal of making thing classroom more interactive and motivated is a topic of discussion where groups review materials covered. In conclusion, my illustration of effective teaching strategies includes contributions and roles of teachers facilitating and co-constructing knowledge (Benson, 2008). The ultimate learning motivation includes active inclusion of students in course activities. Classrooms that embrace effective teaching strategies uphold the principles of diverse learning styles and the realization that students encounter differences in their levels of understanding.

Social Media Images How To Make Them (With 128 Free Photos)

Social Media Images How To Make Them (With 128 Free Photos) The idea is pretty simple: Lets combine two of your favorite, top-performing tools- social media and imagery- to produce the best  social media images thatll engage your audience. Unfortunately,  while the idea is simple, the application can be quite challenging since  the visual options seem to be endless. But, today we have good news! With the correct sizes, best colors, awesome imagery types, and social image helpers in , youll be well on your way to a successful social media image that will extend far beyond its initial post life. How To Make The Best Social Media Images Step By Step (+ Free Photoshop Action)Get Your Free Social Media Images + Photoshop CC Action Are you ready to save hours of time!? Rather than designing custom images for each social network, simply use this Photoshop CC action that will size and save them all for  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+! Not only that, but use  the social media images infographic for every day reference, and enjoy these 14 images already sized for every single network! 1. Size Your Images For Optimal Attention The very first step to creating  the best social media images is by producing the correct size for each social network. You're  only given a limited space to capture your audience's attention, so you'll  want to use every pixel you're  given. This can get quite tricky when each network has different ratios and proportions, but if you know the posting sizes for each one, you'll be off to a great start! Below you'll find all of the recommended sizes for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google+ with the preferred size for  social posting. Keep in mind that all social platforms accept these three main file types: GIF, JPEG, and PNG. Alright, with that, here we go! Facebook Image Sizes Facebook is still the most popular social network today with over 1.6 billion active monthly users worldwide. With such a great audience, it's essential to optimize every single post for top engagement, especially for business. Facebook  image posts are known to get 39% more interaction  than that of a normal one, which is a perfectly great reason to start using social images for every single post. Plus, they've found that 87% of a Facebook Page's interaction comes solely from image posts, and that people remember the information better over a longer period of time. This study found that  information paired with an image  was 65% retained after a three day period. That's amazing! In recent news, Facebook now allows you to  post several images for one post, appearing as an album. There's been some discussion whether a single image or multiple images perform better, but  according to Convince and Convert, using multiple images can  increase clicks by 1,290%! Facebook's Three  Golden Rules: Use images in every single Facebook post and  multiple images whenever possible. Use the 1200 x 630px image dimensions. Post on the weekends at 12–1 p.m. for best performance. Facebook's Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Photo: 180 x 180px Cover Photo: 828 x 315px Shared Image: 1200 px 630px Shared Link: 1200 x 630px Highlighted Image: 1200 x 717pxIncrease clicks by 1,290% when you use multiple images on #Facebook. #marketing Recommended Reading: 12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook Engagement 10 Fundamental Ways To Boost Your Facebook Organic Reach By 193% Facebook Marketing Strategy: Why You Need One ( How To Build It) Twitter Image Sizes Twitter, one of my personal favorite networks,  sends out 500 million tweets per day. That's 6,000 tweets every second! Adding images to your tweets not only gets you 18% more clicks, but also 89% more favorites, and  150% more retweets.  Talk about an engagement boost! Plus, Twitter has kept their network posting consistent in proportion, so there's no question that a 440px by 220px image is the best size  to reach the most people. If you really want to make sure your resolution is clear, bump it up to 506 by 253px so desktop users have the highest clarity. Twitter's Three  Golden Rules: Use images in every  tweet. Use  images that are  506 x 253px for optimal resolution. Schedule your tweets for Wednesdays at  12–1 p.m. or 5–6 p.m. Twitter's Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Photo: 400 x 400px Header Photo: 1500 x 500px In-Stream Photo: 506 x 253pxUse images on #Twitter  to  get 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites, 150% more retweets. Recommended Reading: 15 Tactics To Boost Twitter Engagement Backed By Research How To Get Started With Twitter Video Marketing How to Expand Your Organic Growth on Facebook and Twitter for Free LinkedIn Image Sizes While LinkedIn is one of the older social networks, it has continued on throughout  the years and thrives  with its 414 million users. LinkedIn's focus on business professionals creates a perfect space for business-specific content to be seen and viewed across the world. Although, post with caution. According to Jeff Bullas, being 'too professional' without first creating a relationship can actually be a common mistake when using LinkedIn. This idea seems to  validate just how important using  images can be for establishing that desired connection and relatability. LinkedIn's Three Golden Rules: Make sure your images have a personal touch. Use  images that are 531px wide. Schedule your posts midweek at  or 5–6 p.m. LinkedIn's Recommended Image Sizes: Banner Image: 646 x 220px Standard Logo: 400 x 400px Square Logo: 60 x 60px Hero Photo: 974 x 330px Profile Picture: 400 x 400px Background Image: 1000 x 425px Regular Post Image: 531px wide Linked Image Post: 191 x 100px414 million #LinkedIn users engage best with images that are 531px wide.Pinterest Image Sizes The average time spent on Pinterest per visit is 14.2 minutes! Multiply that by the 110 million active  users, and you're looking at one very powerful source of information and inspiration. With all of that collective time spent on Pinterest, that also means it's one of the fastest growing websites, creating the  greatest opportunity  for your business to grow along with it. Similar to Instagram, Pinterest is  highly visual, but rather with an emphasis in sharing content with strangers and friends alike as 80% of pins are repins. In order to have the best Pinterest images, avoid using faces, use  red or orange, and rock a less distracting background. Pinterest's Three Golden Rules: Always link back to content on your blog or website wherever you can convert that traffic. Use  images that are 600 x 1102px for highest engagement. Schedule your pins on Saturday from 8–11 p.m. Pinterest's Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Picture: 165 x 165px Pin Board Large Thumbnail: 222 x 150px Pin Board Small Thumbnail: 55 x 55px Pins On Main Page:  238px wide Pins Once Expanded: 600px wide Pins Enlarged Pin: 500px wide176 million Pinners spend 14.2 minutes a day on #Pinterest. Best image sizes here: Recommended Reading: How To Improve Your Pinterest Engagement With These 15 Tactics How To Get More Followers On Pinterest With 21+ Tactics That Will Grow Your Following The Ultimate Guide On How To Use Pinterest For Marketing Instagram Image Sizes Instagram is unique in that it solely allows photo-based posts. With an imagery-focused platform, it draws visual connections that make both a memorable and human impression. "Instagram’s per-follower engagement rate for top brands is 58 times higher than on Facebook and 120 times higher than on Twitter," according to Forrester, which might be why 85% of top brands are adopting it to grow their business. Just recently, Instagram opened their strict square ratio image size up to a variety of landscape and portrait options in addition to  increasing their resolution to 1080px for top clarity! Surely,  Instagram  is a great place for both connection and business. Instagram's Three Golden Rules: Always include a link back to your content in your profile. Use  images that are 1080px wide for highest resolution. Schedule your Instagrams for Monday at  2–3 p.m. or 8–9 p.m. Tip: Did you know that now schedules Instagram posts? Now you can schedule Instagram alongside all of your other social media marketing, making you more strategic and better organized. Instagram's Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Picture: 110 x 110px Photo Thumbnails: 161 x 161px Photo Size in App: 1080 x 1080px Instagram's engagement rate is 120x higher than Twitter. Best #Instagram image sizes here: Recommended Reading: How To Improve Your Instagram Engagement With 15 Tips How To Get Way More Instagram Followers With 20 Easy Tactics The Ultimate Guide On How To Use Instagram For Business Google+ Image Sizes While Google+  may very well be slowly disappearing, it still has a lot to offer if used correctly. After all, its partner in crime, Google, is our greatest source of information across the internet, one of the highest sources of revenue  for a lot of businesses, and one of the greatest companies worldwide. Your Google+ account is directly tied to the search engine so your business information is carried over into helping your SEO. Win-win. Everyone knows and loves Google. For that reason alone, it's no surprise that Google+ has 300 million active members. With that large of an audience, it's best that your images are set up for optimal performance. Google+'s Three Golden Rules: Use the .png image format rather than .jpg format for highest clarity. Use  images that are 426 x 255px. Schedule your posts on workdays from 9–11 a.m. Google+'s Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Picture: 250 x 250px Cover Image: 1080 x 608px Shared Image: 518px wide   Shared Link Thumbnail: 150 x 150pxMake perfect images for #Google+ to reach 375 million active users.There you have it! A complete guide to the best social image sizes, with the most important recommendations  for each and every network. Find the size you're looking for, and use that when you begin the creation process with your images. Simply choosing the correct size at the beginning, will save you so much time when you're ready to save and export your images for the world to see! Recommended Design Tools: Check out these awesome tools to help you create the best social media images with the perfect sizes- Canva, Piktochart, Visage, and more  free design tools. 2. Use The Best Colors To Increase Your Engagement While several factors go into making an image its very best, color is one of the most  essential ingredients. Color psychology has proven time and time again that we can convey emotions simply by using a particular color! In May of 2015, I did a two-month study on the popularity of a given color in 's graphics. Since we typically use a three-color palette for our blog graphics, I was able to give appropriate rankings to each of the three colors used  to see how they each performed. I quickly realized that certain colors might be performing better  simply because we use them more often, so I then compared the popularity percentage to the usage percentage  to find an overall color grade. Basically, I nerded out super hard and used data to see what colors performed the best. Use a graph like this to review and test your color schemes. At the end of my study, we found that blue and green were our highest performing colors! If we look at color psychology, both of these colors reflect a calm, clean, comforting presence which seems to  be the perfect match to the experience we want our readers to have, especially if they're new to the blog. Blue is also one of our brand colors. The other two top-performing colors were none other then red and orange. While blue and green provide a safe, calm place for our readers, orange and red are perfect complements because  they grab our audience's attention and spark their  interest. Blue and green and orange and red are a dynamic set of colors that will help you succeed. #colorPsychology tells us that red and orange represent passion, energy, and success.  I couldn't imagine a better pair for blue and green's calm, comforting presence than the passion and success of orange and red. Together, they seemed to make  a dynamic duo, so I tried using those color pairs over the past year... Out of our top 10 posts, 8  of them have either blue or green as the main color. The remaining two blog posts have orange as their main color. Absolutely none of our top performing posts contain any other  main colors! By understanding which colors performed better, we were able to help  increase our page views by  833.76%! You can do this, too! Simply follow the steps below to see which colors work best for your brand: Review your blog post header graphics and write down the primary, secondary, and third colors. Define  a ranking to the most prevalent 3 colors in your graphics. (i.e. 3 points for the primary color, 2 for the secondary color, and 1 for the third most-used color.) Look at the total shares each  post received during a set amount of time. For more than  x amount of  shares (at , we did per 100 shares), give each color that set amount of ranked points that you decided on above. (e.g. If the color blue was the primary color in a post that received 300 shares, blue  would have 9  total points, 3+3+3. If red was the second most-used color  in the post with 300 shares, it would have 6  points, 2+2+2.) At the end of each week, track the overall totals and see which colors perform the highest. After 8 solid weeks, you should start to see trends stick out, revealing your top-performing colors. While everyone has different colors that match  their brand and audience demographics, it's essential to test out the waters and find the colors that work best for you! But when in doubt... use blue or green. Recommended Reading: What 20 Studies Say About the Best Times to Post on Social Media 3. Use The Types Of Social Media Images That Get The Most Attention Now that you know your target image size and top-performing colors, it's time to decide what type of image to  use. While almost anything can be an image- screenshots, illustrations, photos, quotes, GIFs- there are a few standout images you  can depend upon to receive the most engagement. Quotes Quotes come in all shapes and sizes. Maybe it's from a speaker, conference, or a book that you've recently read. Or, maybe it's from an article or blog  online.  No matter the  form or social network, quotes can be an excellent way to reach your audience with images. Simply find a quote you like and pair it with a color or simple background. The dynamic duo will allow your readers to ponder, identify with, and in return, share your quote. For example, at we started sharing quotes from our blog authors on Facebook, and we received 98% growth in engagements and 91% growth in clickthroughs. Facebook isn't alone! Here's another example from Twitter: 20 Ways To Be Creative When You Dont Feel Inspired https://t.co/JS5YcKZFoQ pic.twitter.com/hRaof4lPfV (@) January 16, 2016 This tweet received  2,107 impressions and 38 engagements because the quote had insight, intrigue, and direct application. It not only complemented the content topic of creativity, but gave further information that could be easily shared with their family and friends. Quote images are a perfect way to give something to your audience that they can share and be proud of, all the while giving your content more traction. Try them out! GIFs GIFs are one of the office's favorite things both in our work chats and on social media because they  perform well, all while bringing a smile. Even in challenging situations, GIFs can bring a delight to those who would rather be frustrated. Hook you audience, tell a story, and make their day. Here's an example: Uh, oh. #facebookdown In the meantime, enjoy a cat gif! pic.twitter.com/34o2LYk61a (@) September 28, 2015 By using a GIF and bringing a humorous moment to a normal circumstance, we received  15,953 impressions and 381 engagements! We've also found that tweets with GIFs tend to get 22.3% more engagement than tweets with plain images. Here's an example: Are You Excited? You Can Now Pin To Pinterest With https://t.co/014yRye9xG pic.twitter.com/uo6Kenojn6 (@) March 8, 2016 Just by turning a static image into a motion-filled GIF, the tweet received  1,328 impressions, 77 views, and 15 engagements! Plus, this tweet isn't alone! When tweets contain GIFs, they get 166.6% more clickthroughs. GIFs allow motion to make your social posts stand out, get even more attention, and bring delight. What are some of your favorite GIFs? Infographics At this point, it's no secret that infographics are one of the most popular and highest shared content types  in today's digital world. Not only do they get shared 3 times more often, but they're also 30 times more likely to be read than a purely textual article! If that  wasn't good enough, infographics are also the perfect pair for one of the top-performing visual bookmarking site: Pinterest. Infographics get a lot of attention on  Pinterest  because they tend to be longer in format, which fits Pinterest's 4:5 image ratio that receives 60% more Repins. Here's an example of our top-performing pin: Is it a surprise that it happens to be an infographic? I think not. Titles You  work really hard to find the perfect headline for your content. You  search for  keywords, words  filled with emotion,  then use the headline analyzer to find the precise, most-effective title. So why not take advantage of that in your social image? At , we reviewed some of our top-performing tweets, and found that they all included a title image.  Our top  tweet in March  received 5,043 impressions and 85 engagements, our top tweet in April  had 3,556 impressions and 35  engagements, and in May  our top tweet got a total of 7,951 impressions and 58  engagements all with title graphics. That's an average of 5,516  impressions and 59 engagements from using a title graphic within the tweet. March  Example:   How To Use The Right Content Marketing Tools For Every Job - https://t.co/TQesnglq9t pic.twitter.com/pX4UcGXKi5 (@) March 2, 2016 April Example: Want to write killer blog posts? Here is the ultimate process to awesome content. https://t.co/2HO8vmL4mA pic.twitter.com/OD0IGGccCI (@) March 30, 2016 May  Example: How to Triumph at Content Marketing On A Limited Budget https://t.co/nRe4lMv1jP pic.twitter.com/D6nlmVH2Q1 (@) May 8, 2016 As you can see, titles extend beyond the written context, and can certainly be effective within the graphic itself. Find the title of your blog, announcement, or event, and use that in the image to see the top performance. 4. Automate Your Images For Social Media To Save Time As the graphic designer on 's marketing team, I live and breathe images every, single, day, so although creating your graphics well is super important, so is making sure you're efficient when it comes to uploading  them to your social messages. After all, time is money, and money is time you could be spending on other projects. This is exactly where is a HUGE time saver for me. Let me introduce you to a magical thing called 'Social Helpers'. What Are Social Helpers in ? But First, I should probably back up and start with Social Templates. Social Templates is  a great way to reuse your social sharing schedule time and time again. That means that you can create a social campaign just one time (with the best times and right frequency), save it as a template, and then apply it to all other forms of content from there on out. Just one time! (That's hours of savings right there.) In case you'd like to see it in action, here's a live demo of social templates. If that wasn't awesome enough, there's three key components  of social templates that save  us even more time. Within each social template, you  can create an individual message 'template' using social helpers. Let me show you how it works: Within , Social Templates live to the left of your social campaign. 2. If you click on a Social Template, you can modify each and every single message within that template. This is a great way to personalize your messages for each network. 3. Do you see those blue things? Those are social helpers! There are text, image, and video helpers. 4. Here's where the magic comes in. Are you ready? You can add specific helpers to  your messages so whenever the template is applied, rather than writing that message 10x or uploading that same image 10x, you only have to do it once! Wherever that helper is located,  the content will auto-populate to all your messages at one time. What Does That Mean for Social Images? The brilliance of Social Image Helpers, is that I no longer have to upload images to every individual message for every piece of content. If your team is like ours, we have about 17 messages per piece of content, so before Social Image Helpers, I uploaded  the same image 17 times. That took a lot of time! Time spent I could be doing better things like image creation, design strategy, or connecting with our audience. With Social Helpers, I can now do what I had to do 17 times, just once. Once! This saves me so much time, and allows me to focus more time on what makes an image great, rather than worrying about how it'll publish across every single network. Social templates and social helpers take the guess-work out of it, and allow me to quickly place my images, moving onto the next thing. Now You Know How To Make Successful  Social Media Images From Beginning To End Social media images can take quite a few different forms, colors, and sizes- but with this data, you've found exactly what equation works best for each social network. If you happen to be in a rush or maybe you're just starting out, use a  2:1 ratio for your image size, incorporate blue or green with a pop of orange or red in your color scheme, stick to the four main image types: GIFs, quotes, titles, and infographics, and save time uploading with Social Image Helpers. Without much time at all, you'll be on your way to success! What colors, sizes, and image types have worked best for you? Share below! Social Media Images How To Make Them (With 128 Free Photos) The idea is pretty simple: Lets combine two of your favorite, top-performing tools- social media and imagery- to produce the best  social media images thatll engage your audience. Unfortunately,  while the idea is simple, the application can be quite challenging since  the visual options seem to be endless. But, today we have good news! With the correct sizes, best colors, awesome imagery types, and social image helpers in , youll be well on your way to a successful social media image that will extend far beyond its initial post life. How To Make The Best Social Media Images Step By Step (+ Free Photoshop Action)Get Your Free Social Media Images + Photoshop CC Action Are you ready to save hours of time!? Rather than designing custom images for each social network, simply use this Photoshop CC action that will size and save them all for  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+! Not only that, but use  the social media images infographic for every day reference, and enjoy these 14 images already sized for every single network! 1. Size Your Images For Optimal Attention The very first step to creating  the best social media images is by producing the correct size for each social network. You're  only given a limited space to capture your audience's attention, so you'll  want to use every pixel you're  given. This can get quite tricky when each network has different ratios and proportions, but if you know the posting sizes for each one, you'll be off to a great start! Below you'll find all of the recommended sizes for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google+ with the preferred size for  social posting. Keep in mind that all social platforms accept these three main file types: GIF, JPEG, and PNG. Alright, with that, here we go! Facebook Image Sizes Facebook is still the most popular social network today with over 1.6 billion active monthly users worldwide. With such a great audience, it's essential to optimize every single post for top engagement, especially for business. Facebook  image posts are known to get 39% more interaction  than that of a normal one, which is a perfectly great reason to start using social images for every single post. Plus, they've found that 87% of a Facebook Page's interaction comes solely from image posts, and that people remember the information better over a longer period of time. This study found that  information paired with an image  was 65% retained after a three day period. That's amazing! In recent news, Facebook now allows you to  post several images for one post, appearing as an album. There's been some discussion whether a single image or multiple images perform better, but  according to Convince and Convert, using multiple images can  increase clicks by 1,290%! Facebook's Three  Golden Rules: Use images in every single Facebook post and  multiple images whenever possible. Use the 1200 x 630px image dimensions. Post on the weekends at 12–1 p.m. for best performance. Facebook's Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Photo: 180 x 180px Cover Photo: 828 x 315px Shared Image: 1200 px 630px Shared Link: 1200 x 630px Highlighted Image: 1200 x 717pxIncrease clicks by 1,290% when you use multiple images on #Facebook. #marketing Recommended Reading: 12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook Engagement 10 Fundamental Ways To Boost Your Facebook Organic Reach By 193% Facebook Marketing Strategy: Why You Need One ( How To Build It) Twitter Image Sizes Twitter, one of my personal favorite networks,  sends out 500 million tweets per day. That's 6,000 tweets every second! Adding images to your tweets not only gets you 18% more clicks, but also 89% more favorites, and  150% more retweets.  Talk about an engagement boost! Plus, Twitter has kept their network posting consistent in proportion, so there's no question that a 440px by 220px image is the best size  to reach the most people. If you really want to make sure your resolution is clear, bump it up to 506 by 253px so desktop users have the highest clarity. Twitter's Three  Golden Rules: Use images in every  tweet. Use  images that are  506 x 253px for optimal resolution. Schedule your tweets for Wednesdays at  12–1 p.m. or 5–6 p.m. Twitter's Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Photo: 400 x 400px Header Photo: 1500 x 500px In-Stream Photo: 506 x 253pxUse images on #Twitter  to  get 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites, 150% more retweets. Recommended Reading: 15 Tactics To Boost Twitter Engagement Backed By Research How To Get Started With Twitter Video Marketing How to Expand Your Organic Growth on Facebook and Twitter for Free LinkedIn Image Sizes While LinkedIn is one of the older social networks, it has continued on throughout  the years and thrives  with its 414 million users. LinkedIn's focus on business professionals creates a perfect space for business-specific content to be seen and viewed across the world. Although, post with caution. According to Jeff Bullas, being 'too professional' without first creating a relationship can actually be a common mistake when using LinkedIn. This idea seems to  validate just how important using  images can be for establishing that desired connection and relatability. LinkedIn's Three Golden Rules: Make sure your images have a personal touch. Use  images that are 531px wide. Schedule your posts midweek at  or 5–6 p.m. LinkedIn's Recommended Image Sizes: Banner Image: 646 x 220px Standard Logo: 400 x 400px Square Logo: 60 x 60px Hero Photo: 974 x 330px Profile Picture: 400 x 400px Background Image: 1000 x 425px Regular Post Image: 531px wide Linked Image Post: 191 x 100px414 million #LinkedIn users engage best with images that are 531px wide.Pinterest Image Sizes The average time spent on Pinterest per visit is 14.2 minutes! Multiply that by the 110 million active  users, and you're looking at one very powerful source of information and inspiration. With all of that collective time spent on Pinterest, that also means it's one of the fastest growing websites, creating the  greatest opportunity  for your business to grow along with it. Similar to Instagram, Pinterest is  highly visual, but rather with an emphasis in sharing content with strangers and friends alike as 80% of pins are repins. In order to have the best Pinterest images, avoid using faces, use  red or orange, and rock a less distracting background. Pinterest's Three Golden Rules: Always link back to content on your blog or website wherever you can convert that traffic. Use  images that are 600 x 1102px for highest engagement. Schedule your pins on Saturday from 8–11 p.m. Pinterest's Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Picture: 165 x 165px Pin Board Large Thumbnail: 222 x 150px Pin Board Small Thumbnail: 55 x 55px Pins On Main Page:  238px wide Pins Once Expanded: 600px wide Pins Enlarged Pin: 500px wide176 million Pinners spend 14.2 minutes a day on #Pinterest. Best image sizes here: Recommended Reading: How To Improve Your Pinterest Engagement With These 15 Tactics How To Get More Followers On Pinterest With 21+ Tactics That Will Grow Your Following The Ultimate Guide On How To Use Pinterest For Marketing Instagram Image Sizes Instagram is unique in that it solely allows photo-based posts. With an imagery-focused platform, it draws visual connections that make both a memorable and human impression. "Instagram’s per-follower engagement rate for top brands is 58 times higher than on Facebook and 120 times higher than on Twitter," according to Forrester, which might be why 85% of top brands are adopting it to grow their business. Just recently, Instagram opened their strict square ratio image size up to a variety of landscape and portrait options in addition to  increasing their resolution to 1080px for top clarity! Surely,  Instagram  is a great place for both connection and business. Instagram's Three Golden Rules: Always include a link back to your content in your profile. Use  images that are 1080px wide for highest resolution. Schedule your Instagrams for Monday at  2–3 p.m. or 8–9 p.m. Tip: Did you know that now schedules Instagram posts? Now you can schedule Instagram alongside all of your other social media marketing, making you more strategic and better organized. Instagram's Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Picture: 110 x 110px Photo Thumbnails: 161 x 161px Photo Size in App: 1080 x 1080px Instagram's engagement rate is 120x higher than Twitter. Best #Instagram image sizes here: Recommended Reading: How To Improve Your Instagram Engagement With 15 Tips How To Get Way More Instagram Followers With 20 Easy Tactics The Ultimate Guide On How To Use Instagram For Business Google+ Image Sizes While Google+  may very well be slowly disappearing, it still has a lot to offer if used correctly. After all, its partner in crime, Google, is our greatest source of information across the internet, one of the highest sources of revenue  for a lot of businesses, and one of the greatest companies worldwide. Your Google+ account is directly tied to the search engine so your business information is carried over into helping your SEO. Win-win. Everyone knows and loves Google. For that reason alone, it's no surprise that Google+ has 300 million active members. With that large of an audience, it's best that your images are set up for optimal performance. Google+'s Three Golden Rules: Use the .png image format rather than .jpg format for highest clarity. Use  images that are 426 x 255px. Schedule your posts on workdays from 9–11 a.m. Google+'s Recommended Image Sizes: Profile Picture: 250 x 250px Cover Image: 1080 x 608px Shared Image: 518px wide   Shared Link Thumbnail: 150 x 150pxMake perfect images for #Google+ to reach 375 million active users.There you have it! A complete guide to the best social image sizes, with the most important recommendations  for each and every network. Find the size you're looking for, and use that when you begin the creation process with your images. Simply choosing the correct size at the beginning, will save you so much time when you're ready to save and export your images for the world to see! Recommended Design Tools: Check out these awesome tools to help you create the best social media images with the perfect sizes- Canva, Piktochart, Visage, and more  free design tools. 2. Use The Best Colors To Increase Your Engagement While several factors go into making an image its very best, color is one of the most  essential ingredients. Color psychology has proven time and time again that we can convey emotions simply by using a particular color! In May of 2015, I did a two-month study on the popularity of a given color in 's graphics. Since we typically use a three-color palette for our blog graphics, I was able to give appropriate rankings to each of the three colors used  to see how they each performed. I quickly realized that certain colors might be performing better  simply because we use them more often, so I then compared the popularity percentage to the usage percentage  to find an overall color grade. Basically, I nerded out super hard and used data to see what colors performed the best. Use a graph like this to review and test your color schemes. At the end of my study, we found that blue and green were our highest performing colors! If we look at color psychology, both of these colors reflect a calm, clean, comforting presence which seems to  be the perfect match to the experience we want our readers to have, especially if they're new to the blog. Blue is also one of our brand colors. The other two top-performing colors were none other then red and orange. While blue and green provide a safe, calm place for our readers, orange and red are perfect complements because  they grab our audience's attention and spark their  interest. Blue and green and orange and red are a dynamic set of colors that will help you succeed. #colorPsychology tells us that red and orange represent passion, energy, and success.  I couldn't imagine a better pair for blue and green's calm, comforting presence than the passion and success of orange and red. Together, they seemed to make  a dynamic duo, so I tried using those color pairs over the past year... Out of our top 10 posts, 8  of them have either blue or green as the main color. The remaining two blog posts have orange as their main color. Absolutely none of our top performing posts contain any other  main colors! By understanding which colors performed better, we were able to help  increase our page views by  833.76%! You can do this, too! Simply follow the steps below to see which colors work best for your brand: Review your blog post header graphics and write down the primary, secondary, and third colors. Define  a ranking to the most prevalent 3 colors in your graphics. (i.e. 3 points for the primary color, 2 for the secondary color, and 1 for the third most-used color.) Look at the total shares each  post received during a set amount of time. For more than  x amount of  shares (at , we did per 100 shares), give each color that set amount of ranked points that you decided on above. (e.g. If the color blue was the primary color in a post that received 300 shares, blue  would have 9  total points, 3+3+3. If red was the second most-used color  in the post with 300 shares, it would have 6  points, 2+2+2.) At the end of each week, track the overall totals and see which colors perform the highest. After 8 solid weeks, you should start to see trends stick out, revealing your top-performing colors. While everyone has different colors that match  their brand and audience demographics, it's essential to test out the waters and find the colors that work best for you! But when in doubt... use blue or green. Recommended Reading: What 20 Studies Say About the Best Times to Post on Social Media 3. Use The Types Of Social Media Images That Get The Most Attention Now that you know your target image size and top-performing colors, it's time to decide what type of image to  use. While almost anything can be an image- screenshots, illustrations, photos, quotes, GIFs- there are a few standout images you  can depend upon to receive the most engagement. Quotes Quotes come in all shapes and sizes. Maybe it's from a speaker, conference, or a book that you've recently read. Or, maybe it's from an article or blog  online.  No matter the  form or social network, quotes can be an excellent way to reach your audience with images. Simply find a quote you like and pair it with a color or simple background. The dynamic duo will allow your readers to ponder, identify with, and in return, share your quote. For example, at we started sharing quotes from our blog authors on Facebook, and we received 98% growth in engagements and 91% growth in clickthroughs. Facebook isn't alone! Here's another example from Twitter: 20 Ways To Be Creative When You Dont Feel Inspired https://t.co/JS5YcKZFoQ pic.twitter.com/hRaof4lPfV (@) January 16, 2016 This tweet received  2,107 impressions and 38 engagements because the quote had insight, intrigue, and direct application. It not only complemented the content topic of creativity, but gave further information that could be easily shared with their family and friends. Quote images are a perfect way to give something to your audience that they can share and be proud of, all the while giving your content more traction. Try them out! GIFs GIFs are one of the office's favorite things both in our work chats and on social media because they  perform well, all while bringing a smile. Even in challenging situations, GIFs can bring a delight to those who would rather be frustrated. Hook you audience, tell a story, and make their day. Here's an example: Uh, oh. #facebookdown In the meantime, enjoy a cat gif! pic.twitter.com/34o2LYk61a (@) September 28, 2015 By using a GIF and bringing a humorous moment to a normal circumstance, we received  15,953 impressions and 381 engagements! We've also found that tweets with GIFs tend to get 22.3% more engagement than tweets with plain images. Here's an example: Are You Excited? You Can Now Pin To Pinterest With https://t.co/014yRye9xG pic.twitter.com/uo6Kenojn6 (@) March 8, 2016 Just by turning a static image into a motion-filled GIF, the tweet received  1,328 impressions, 77 views, and 15 engagements! Plus, this tweet isn't alone! When tweets contain GIFs, they get 166.6% more clickthroughs. GIFs allow motion to make your social posts stand out, get even more attention, and bring delight. What are some of your favorite GIFs? Infographics At this point, it's no secret that infographics are one of the most popular and highest shared content types  in today's digital world. Not only do they get shared 3 times more often, but they're also 30 times more likely to be read than a purely textual article! If that  wasn't good enough, infographics are also the perfect pair for one of the top-performing visual bookmarking site: Pinterest. Infographics get a lot of attention on  Pinterest  because they tend to be longer in format, which fits Pinterest's 4:5 image ratio that receives 60% more Repins. Here's an example of our top-performing pin: Is it a surprise that it happens to be an infographic? I think not. Titles You  work really hard to find the perfect headline for your content. You  search for  keywords, words  filled with emotion,  then use the headline analyzer to find the precise, most-effective title. So why not take advantage of that in your social image? At , we reviewed some of our top-performing tweets, and found that they all included a title image.  Our top  tweet in March  received 5,043 impressions and 85 engagements, our top tweet in April  had 3,556 impressions and 35  engagements, and in May  our top tweet got a total of 7,951 impressions and 58  engagements all with title graphics. That's an average of 5,516  impressions and 59 engagements from using a title graphic within the tweet. March  Example:   How To Use The Right Content Marketing Tools For Every Job - https://t.co/TQesnglq9t pic.twitter.com/pX4UcGXKi5 (@) March 2, 2016 April Example: Want to write killer blog posts? Here is the ultimate process to awesome content. https://t.co/2HO8vmL4mA pic.twitter.com/OD0IGGccCI (@) March 30, 2016 May  Example: How to Triumph at Content Marketing On A Limited Budget https://t.co/nRe4lMv1jP pic.twitter.com/D6nlmVH2Q1 (@) May 8, 2016 As you can see, titles extend beyond the written context, and can certainly be effective within the graphic itself. Find the title of your blog, announcement, or event, and use that in the image to see the top performance. 4. Automate Your Images For Social Media To Save Time As the graphic designer on 's marketing team, I live and breathe images every, single, day, so although creating your graphics well is super important, so is making sure you're efficient when it comes to uploading  them to your social messages. After all, time is money, and money is time you could be spending on other projects. This is exactly where is a HUGE time saver for me. Let me introduce you to a magical thing called 'Social Helpers'. What Are Social Helpers in ? But First, I should probably back up and start with Social Templates. Social Templates is  a great way to reuse your social sharing schedule time and time again. That means that you can create a social campaign just one time (with the best times and right frequency), save it as a template, and then apply it to all other forms of content from there on out. Just one time! (That's hours of savings right there.) In case you'd like to see it in action, here's a live demo of social templates. If that wasn't awesome enough, there's three key components  of social templates that save  us even more time. Within each social template, you  can create an individual message 'template' using social helpers. Let me show you how it works: Within , Social Templates live to the left of your social campaign. 2. If you click on a Social Template, you can modify each and every single message within that template. This is a great way to personalize your messages for each network. 3. Do you see those blue things? Those are social helpers! There are text, image, and video helpers. 4. Here's where the magic comes in. Are you ready? You can add specific helpers to  your messages so whenever the template is applied, rather than writing that message 10x or uploading that same image 10x, you only have to do it once! Wherever that helper is located,  the content will auto-populate to all your messages at one time. What Does That Mean for Social Images? The brilliance of Social Image Helpers, is that I no longer have to upload images to every individual message for every piece of content. If your team is like ours, we have about 17 messages per piece of content, so before Social Image Helpers, I uploaded  the same image 17 times. That took a lot of time! Time spent I could be doing better things like image creation, design strategy, or connecting with our audience. With Social Helpers, I can now do what I had to do 17 times, just once. Once! This saves me so much time, and allows me to focus more time on what makes an image great, rather than worrying about how it'll publish across every single network. Social templates and social helpers take the guess-work out of it, and allow me to quickly place my images, moving onto the next thing. Now You Know How To Make Successful  Social Media Images From Beginning To End Social media images can take quite a few different forms, colors, and sizes- but with this data, you've found exactly what equation works best for each social network. If you happen to be in a rush or maybe you're just starting out, use a  2:1 ratio for your image size, incorporate blue or green with a pop of orange or red in your color scheme, stick to the four main image types: GIFs, quotes, titles, and infographics, and save time uploading with Social Image Helpers. Without much time at all, you'll be on your way to success! What colors, sizes, and image types have worked best for you? Share below!