The Worst Advice I've Ever Heard About Pregnancy

From the moment you announce your pregnancy to the moment your baby is born, you will receive loads of unwarranted advice from family, friends and even complete strangers. People love sharing their experiences and even though most of their advice is useful, we’ve heard some rather questionable advice on the subject. Here’s a list of the worst advice we’ve ever heard about pregnancy:

4 Myths About Diets

When it comes to dieting, there’s no dearth of information online, in books, and even on the news. But there are a lot of people telling half-truths and whole lies. So let’s uncover the most common myths about diets.

4 Signs You Should Invest In Your Body

Would you like to feel younger, healthier and happier? It all starts with how you take care of your body. As children we are taught how to look after ourselves but as we grow older, we develop unhealthy habits that take a toll on our bodies. Here are 4 sure fire signs that your body needs your attention today:

5 Fragrances for a Fresh Start to Your Day

You know what’s so amazing about a fragrance? They haven’t figured out how to share it online yet! It’s the only part of you that cannot be captured or stored, except in the bottle you spray it from. A little spritz in the morning that lasts you all day. There are some fragrances that can alter your mood, make you feel more refreshed or more romantic or more relaxed. And it’s never easy to find the one that will come to define you. 

Email Marketing: Basics & Benefits

Of all the options available in the marketing world today, why choose email marketing? What benefits does it present and what are the fundamentals to keep in mind while creating a marketing plan for email? Here are some of the basics:

Objective
A clear objective will make an effective email campaign. Define your goal earlier on: is it drive traffic to your site, announce a new launch or build loyalty? Tailor your email content to your objective and give a clear call-to-action.

Open rate
Open rate refers to the number of emails that are opened as a percentage of the number of emails sent. A good subject line can lead to a higher open rate. Experiment with symbols to attract attention. Also make sure the first few words capture the essence of the email as only 4 or so words of the subject line are visible on mobile. 

Click-through rate
Click-through rate refers to the number of people who visit your website through links in your email. A good click through rate is the result of a clean database, relevant content and clear call-to-action buttons. Try out a combination of attractive images and attractive discounts to increase your click through rate. Emphasise the objective of your email and make it relevant to your audience.

Format
There are essentially two types of emails you can send out: HTML emails and text emails. HTML emails include graphics, colours and tables. Text emails are purely text based. You should experiment with both email formats to see which one gives you higher returns. Not all formats are compatible with mobile devices. So if you have a larger mobile user base, it’s safer to stick to text emails.

Deliverability
Email deliverability refers to the number of emails delivered to the inbox. Every batch of emails will have some junk IDs and unknown addresses. Make sure you have a good number of “clean” email IDs. Defunct email IDs are of no use and increase your potential to be flagged as spam. Also, your reports won’t be accurate. So make it a habit to regularly clean your email database. 

Keeping the basics in mind, let’s explore the benefits of email marketing over other more traditional forms of marketing:

       Personalization
Email marketing is a way of speaking directly to your consumer. Print campaigns, TV and radio advertising reach out to a mass audience and follow a "one-size-fits-all" format; whereas you can reach out a large number of people in a personalised manner through email. Use the readers’ first names, talk about trending products in their city and include recommendations based on the users’ past purchases. There are endless ways to make the email experience highly personalised.

Reduced Time & Effort

Email Marketing is not as time consuming as other forms of marketing. An email campaign from planning to execution takes less than a day. It can be accomplished by a single person with the right tools. Using email templates can save even more time, giving you the opportunity to reach out to a large number of readers in a short span of time.

               

      Real-Time Messaging

      Because of the reduced time and effort involved in email marketing, you can send timely messages, related to real-time events. For example, a flash sale can be announced through email rather than print or TV. There need not be a long gap between campaign development and implementation when it comes to email marketing. You can even send personalized messages to customers on their birthdays or anniversaries.

     

More Frequent Communication

       Emails are a great way to keep the conversation going. Since they don’t take long to execute, emails can be sent more frequently as compared to flyers or print catalogs. You can send them weekly offers and launch announcements. Mailing regularly reminds your readers of your presence but avoid sending more than one email with the same communication. At least once a month and at the most thrice a week is a good strategy to start with.

The benefits of Email Marketing are numerous and its relevance in today’s world of marketing is only increasing.

What Not to Wear to Your Next Interview

Interviews are all about first impressions and what you wear can go a long way in telling people who you before you’ve even started speaking. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on your outfit, but putting in a little extra effort to choose the right attire can help you in the long run. It takes interviewers less than 2.2 seconds to judge you by what you wear. 55% of your initial impression comes from the way you dress. Your decision about what to wear can tell a story about who you are at work.

How to Deal with Procrastination: The 7 Step Guide

Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time, sometimes to the "last minute" before the deadline.

10 Absolute Deal Breakers when it comes to Choosing a College

The tiniest things can be the most pivotal while making such a life-changing decision. But really there are just a few questions you need to ask yourself before zeroing in on the perfect college. Here are 10 absolute deal breakers and what you can do to figure out what works for you:

1. “It’s too close to home!”

Getting as far away from home as possible can sound like the best idea when you’re looking to party away your college life. And obviously you don’t want your parents to be close enough to drop in at your dorm! On the other hand, being close to home means mom’s food everyday and not having to leave the friends you grew up with.

Ask yourself: Where do I want to spend the next 4 years? Do I want to stay close to home or explore a whole new state? Are there any places I don’t want to go?

2. “It’s in the back of beyond!”

Even if you do choose a college out of your state, there are several location-based factors to look into. Some colleges are located near cities, others are in small suburbs or towns and some even have wooded forests close-by. Go for one that suits your personality and upbringing. Getting away from the city can be a good change in lifestyle as long as the college suits your other requirements.

Ask yourself: Is it in a small area where the university takes up half the town? Or is it a city college surrounded by clubs, stores, movie theatres and malls?

3. “It’s too small! No one knows about it.”

Larger universities have better options – more classes, more clubs, and better sports facilitates. But smaller ones are known for their more student-friendly environment with better student-to-teacher ratios.

Ask yourself: In which environment would I learn more? Is this school accredited?

4. “But it doesn’t offer dance as a major!”

If they aren’t offering the major you’re interested in, just don’t go! What’s the point of studying in an absolutely fab college if you don’t get to do what you want? That’s one way of looking at it! If you’re confused, start by eliminating what you don’t want to study and then work backwards. You don’t have to decide it all right away – this is just a starting point for your college search.

Ask yourself: Will a degree from this college get me the job I want? Will I earn a certificate, or a 2 year degree, or a 4 year degree? What is their graduation rate?

5. “It’s too expensive!”

Cost is an enormous deal-breaker for so many of us! Look into scholarships, student loans, online programs and part-time courses. Choosing a college should be about the best education and not about the best price. Compare graduation and loan default rates, tuition and expenses, average debt at the school using ED’s college Navigator tool.

Ask yourself: Will spending this much on my education help me earn more? Does my dream job require specific qualifications? How long will it take me to pay back a student loan?

6. “I can’t become the best fashion stylist if I study there!”

If your goal is fairly specific and you aim to be the best in your field, it’s important to choose a college that will give you every opportunity to excel.

Ask yourself: Does this college offer the best placements? Will studying here help me grow only academically? Or will it help me increase my overall competency?

7. “The recruiter won’t leave me alone”

Stay away from colleges that keep hounding you to apply. If the recruiter keeps luring you with dangling carrots, making it difficult for you to think straight, it’s a cue for you to look elsewhere. There’s no reason to let anyone else make this decision for you.

Ask yourself: Is the recruiter giving me enough time to explore my options? Am I facing any pressure to enroll?

8. “But what if I change my mind mid-way?”
You’re not expected to know exactly what you want to do immediately after high school. More than 50% of students change their majors half-way through college, so choose a university that allows flexibility.

Ask yourself: Are my credits transferable if I switch to another school?

9. “I’ve heard the teachers aren’t friendly”
This can be an important one, especially if you aren’t the kind that studies on your own. A professor can make or break your motivation to do well in college. The ratings given to teachers by ex-students can help you make an informed decision. Try reading reviews on RateMyProfessors.com.

Ask yourself: Am I willing to put in extra leg work even if the teacher isn’t? Does my motivation to study XYZ subject come from my great school teacher?

10. “There aren’t any cute girls around!”
You know you’re thinking about it. Even on your campus visit you couldn’t help noticing that there wasn’t a good chance of you dating anyone you saw. So don’t deny yourself a good college dating life. It can be as important to keep you focused on what you want to achieve at college. But going to a Co-ed school just for the cuties might not be the best choice career-wise.

Ask yourself: Does dating distract me or do I study better in pairs?

7 Ways to Save Money as a Freshman

In your freshman year, college seems like a key to freedom. The first year away from home can be the most empowering and terrifying year of your life!
It starts off all nice and dandy – your own apartment or dorm room, cool newroommates replace annoying siblings, parties carry on without curfews. Credit cards get swiped left, right and center and before you know it, you could be in a huge pile of debt by the time you graduate.
According to Alexa von Tobel, personal finance expert, credit card debt in college senior amounts to about $4,000 on an average from credit cards, without counting $30,000 in student debt.
Start early and nip the spending in the bud. Establish a simple and practical plan for your expenditure and start save money as a freshman. Here are 7 quintessential tips to save money in your freshman year:

1. Make a Budget, Check It Twice
The easiest way to spend money is to lose track of it. If you’re getting a certain amount every month from you part-time job or your parents (lucky bum!) make sure you have a plan as to how you’re going to spend it. Rent, food and transport take up a major chunk.  Once you subtract the essentials, you have a clearer idea of how much disposable income you have at hand. Always withdraw in small amount, so your wallet has just enough for the week and you avoid overspending.

2. Get Appwise
Making a budget is as good as making a New Year’s resolution! It can all collapse unless you take action to execute it. Dollarbird and Expensify are great expense tracking apps for your iPhone. Try Pennies or You Need a Budget for a more detailed look at your spending habits. Keep a tally of every bill on your phone and get reports every month.

3. Don’t Spend. Invest.
While buying a high priced item, like a laptop or a mobile phone, make sure it’s durable, it has a decent warranty and it comes with the latest software. This way you won’t have to bother about buying a new one until you’re out of college. While choosing which items to invest in and which ones to go low cost, just think of how many years you would like to be using the product.

4. Rent textbooks
Avoid your college bookstore, where textbooks are known to be marked-up for convenience.  Rent books online at TextbookRecycling.com (they donate to charity from every sale) or even better rent the more expensive textbooks from BookRenter.com for a semester or entire year.

5. Take advantage of student perks
studentuniverse.com helps you save on travel. They even offer deals on J Crew and iTunes. A free 6 months membership to Amazon Prime and 25% cashback on Lenovo PCs are perks meant only for students. Take advantage of your ID, whenever and wherever you can! Cafeteria meals and college meal plans can save you a wad of cash and they’re usually much healthier than outside food.

6. Avoid the spend crowd
This could be one of the toughest challenges. Peer pressure leads to an unnecessary amount of spending and it’s harder than you think to avoid hanging with the spend crowd. Having to drop out of a holiday/party plans can be a tough call. But avoiding the crowd that parties more than studies could go a long way in saving the big buck.

7. Carpool
Pool your resources. This happens most often with roomies and the fridge but it could extend to your fuel budget as well. Cut down on individual expenses by using a common car to get to your campus every day.

5 Ways to Smarten Up your FB profile for Prospective Employers

Applying for a job can be a long, daunting task involving resume writing, portfolio building, contacting companies and interviewing with prospective employers. In the midst of all this you also have your online social presence to worry about. What if your interviewer were to casually look you up? Will you look smart enough on Facebook?

Up to 94% of employers are using social media to recruit new talent and there are numerous job search tools and apps on Facebook that use information on your profile to find the best matches in the job market. It’s hard enough to land a job without having to agonize over how your Facebook profile is harming your reputation. But the real question is can you really use Facebook to attract potential
employers? Here’s how you can easily smarten up your FB profile while you’re on a job hunt:

1. Beef Up your Profile 
Fill in all the details related to your school and college. Include relevant extra-curricular activities, clubs you might have joined and internships that were part of your course. Be specific about your past work experience; make sure you include what role you played in the organization, no matter how big or small. Taking yourself seriously can be the first indicator that you are job-ready.

2. Fan your Feathers 
Boast about your professional accomplishments. Use milestones to show off when you complete an important project or complete a longer stint at a job. Each feather in your cap can be another reason for an employer to notice you. Make sure you don’t sound too arrogant though, it’s not all about you. Give credit where credit is due.

3. Be a Groupie 
Post often in job related groups. Join the communities which talk about industry specific topics. Show off your hobbies by liking the right pages. For example if you love photography, be sure to participate in the photography contests online. Seek out influencers and follow them, share their updates, even try to engage with a few who are well-connected in your field.

4. Privacy Policy
Facebook has privacy control every single step of the way. Even while posting a status you can choose who is allowed to view it. So, choose wisely and better safe than sorry in cases where you’re skipping school and posting about your fun day at the movies. Make specific lists of friends and share accordingly. Pictures and videos from your spring break should be hidden from all scrutiny.

5. Best Foot Forward 
Make sure your portfolio features strongly on your profile. If you have a blog or a website, share links to your latest posts often, encouraging friends to like what you do. This shows that you’re passionate about your work and you aren’t afraid of public attention. If you’re involved in any charitable activity or if you’ve ever volunteered at an NGO or a summer school, make sure you post about it.

Employers are interested in knowing who you are socially and how you would fit into the work culture at the new company. Any and all details that show you in a good light help in getting you on top of the recruiters list. All the best!

5 Things You Never Knew About World-Famous Dropouts

It’s no longer surprising to hear that some of the richest people in the world are college dropouts. Almost 16% of the 400 wealthiest Americans did not graduate college. Of course, statistically speaking, those who complete college make way more money than those who don’t. For obvious reasons, being a graduate gives you an edge when it comes to getting a job and staying employed. Yet most of us can’t help but be inspired by the ones that choose to drop-out saving precious time and money to fuel their extraordinary dreams.

Look up the 5 wealthiest drop outs and you’ll find a billion reasons why they have the most aspirational success stories. But here’s something you didn’t know about these rolling-in-dough masterminds:

1. Bill Gates:

Gates spent most of his college life fishing out crumpled listings of operating systems from the garbage bin outside the Computer Science Center and coding away to glory. It’s a lesser known fact that he actually had enough credits to graduate but decided against it, as he was already successful after 2 short years at Harvard.

2. Mark Zuckerberg:

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, this social media magnate was once the nerdiest kid in college. You wouldn’t want to invite him to parties or take him on a date. In the early years of Facebook, he in fact spent considerable sums of money tackling litigations related to problems created by his friends, who were promised senior positions in the company. Today, he is one of the youngest billionaires.

3. Lawrence Ellison:

The CEO and Co-founder of Oracle Corporation has a traditional superhero story – his dad was an air force pilot and he never met his mom until he was 48! Believe it or not his Jewish mom was never married and he was given away at the age of 9 months  to be brought up by his uncle and aunt in New York. Batman, much?

4. Michael Dell:

Investing in stocks since the age of 7, Dell’s favorite toy was a calculator. He dropped out of the pre-medical program at the University of Texas because it just wasn’t challenging enough for his keen business mind. Just imagine your laptop might not have existed if he had gone ahead and become a doctor!

5. Marc Rich:

Having that surname sure has its advantages! Founder of Glencore, Rich was indicted for tax evasion, but later famously pardoned on Bill Clinton’s last day in office. What you didn’t know is that his most expensive investment was his wife! He met Denise Eisenberg on a blind date and they were married for 30 long years. Ten years after the divorce it was discovered that, Denise had over 140 million USD protected from scrutiny in the form of a trust, which included a Learjet 60 and a yacht called the “Lady Joy.”

ARE YOU IN THE WRONG JOB? 8 DEFINITIVE SIGNS THAT YOU ARE!

You head to work with absolute dedication everyday. You work with all honesty. You put in extra-hours and the weekends. You are always cued into your office mail inbox. But you are majorly unhappy about work. Basically you are in denial. So here are straight 8 signs that all’s not well in work-heaven. And if you say yes to even 3 of these you need to hit press play on your job hunt.

1. Everything except your blood type is negative.

You wake up dreading work. You cry yourself to sleep after-work. At work you have the droopiest face. Your friends have been asking you why you look so unhappy. No amount of inspirational quotes on Pinterest make you feel better about your life. There’s just no light at the end of the tunnel.

2. You are at the top. But it’s lonely there.

You have completed an important project and are the new shining star of the office. But when everyone backslaps you, you wonder what the fuss is all about. Your idea gets selected at the meeting but you only wish it hadn’t been. You are the hero of your office, but you feel out of place, alone and lonely.

3. You are an engineer. Applying to be a bartender!

If you find yourself reading openings for a secretary, a bartender, an air hostess, a social worker, with interest, reading the role description seriously and even feeling confident that you will be able to handle the role efficiently, then we suggest you really do apply.

4. Friends have turned foes.

Friends at work disperse the minute they see you approaching. Friends avoid taking your calls. Most people have hidden you from their timeline. Because they are tired of the only one thing you seem to excel at these days - crying about your work-life woes.

5. No amount of therapy seems to work

Chocolates, your favorite comedy flick, new clothes, new shoes, mugs of cappuccino, getting your hair coloured, a free weekend, if nothing lifts you up, you need to lift yourself out of that job.

6. Your salary has been credited. So what!

When you get a message saying your salary has been credited, you feel like you’ve been chained.It’s not that you’re not being paid enough, it’s just no matter what you’re paid, you’d still be unsatisfied.

7. Smoke breaks last longer than lunch break

Picking up smokes? Or putting on weight? You’re definitely in the wrong job!

8. You imagine slaying your colleagues while watching KILL BILL.

Never mind throwing darts at pics of your boss, you have secretly plotted the detailed massacre of every co-worker. In that case, you might need a therapist as well as a new job!

Your job hunt starts NOW!

What Makes You a '90's Kid?

Do you remember the last time you slammed the phone down to END CALL? When was the last time you watched Tom n Jerry? Whether it’s the incredible speed at which you could climb a mango tree or your instant affinity for freshly sharpened Natraj pencils, everyone has an official trademark from growing up in the ‘90’s.

What made this decade so special? Was it just our carefree childhood or was it the rapidly changing world we grew into? Technology progressed from dial-up modems to WiFi, music changed from Bryan Adams to Justin Timberlake, even toothpaste changed from Dunthmanjan to Oral-B!

Here are some unforgettable ‘90’s moments:

1.  Career Choices

We had the advantage of growing up in a growing world, where our choices just kept expanding. We were dreamers, cos we were allowed to be.

2. All the walas

On the flip-side there are so many endangered jobs that were so popular back then, take your regular icecream wala, istri wala, dhobi wala, knife sharpner, supercane juice stalls, broom maker, postman...

3. Hand-me-downs

Even if they do exist, the dhobi and istri walas of today are ironing first-generation clothing! I remember my cupboard stocked with hand-me-downs of different shapes and sizes! Was it just me or was this a purely 90's trend? We recycled everything from school bags to plastic bags, geometry sets to make-up kits!

4. School Games

Lagori was a big deal in school. Girls who didn't finish lunch in time always ended up on the losing team! Now if you want to play, you go online and wait for a faceless players to join you at online scrabble!

5. The Great Outdoors

Our idea of fun was cycling down a really steep slope or plucking mangoes from the neighbor's tree. We just enjoyed the outdoors a lot more than kids these days!

6. Power cuts!

And when we were inside, we had our favorite cartoons - Powerpuff Girls, Scooby Doo, Richie Rich...until the power went off and mom would call the electricity board in a huff, while we made shadow animals or played dark room.

7. Cassettes

I'm talking about a time when MTV really played music and we'd never have imagined being able to 'download' an entire Britney Spears album on what we used to call a 'telephone'. I do remember sneaking the land line into a quite corner to talk to my bestie about the latest crush!

9. Kodak Moments  

 We're the only generation that will ever struggled with dial-up modems or learnt how to draw pentagrams with Windows Basic, or recorded radio songs on cassettes and carried them around in walk men! We knew the real value of a photograph cos we could only take 48 on a Kodak reel and it was rather tricky to get the right background and perfect smile for each one of those.

10. Perms!

Fashion in the nineties meant high waist boot-cut jeans and a flouncy perm! Dungarees and a chokers made you extra cool and god-forbid you wore anything monochrome!

We have to admit it was a very special decade and no matter how nostalgic we get, the '90's got us used to tech and trends that changed in a blink-of-an-eye, making everything we loved so yesterday!