3 Tips for Winning Any Argument

So far as I know, there’s no possible way to get through life without ever having an argument at some point. Between high school debate clubs, schoolyard disagreements, and long-term relationships, they are impossible to avoid. Even Gandhi had to argue with someone at some point. Fight Clubs notwithstanding, nobody gets into an argument just with the intention of losing.
Now, when two people are able to have an open, honest, and respectful debate, and are willing to put themselves in each other’s shoes, any argument is at least fair. But come on—how many times has that happened to you? If you need to turn the tide of a heated debate, try using the following tactics. They might not be the nicest things to do, but damnit, you’re playing to win.
1) Be Prepared
The more you know going into the argument, the better prepared you’ll be to counter points, refute claims, and make your case. Try acting out the argument in your head, playing both roles. What is the other person likely to say? Once you know the general shape of the fight, you can steer the ship a lot better. How many times have you waned away from a fight, and suddenly the BEST thing to say pops into your head—five minutes too late? Figuring out the likely topics beforehand gives you time to come up with that awesome zinger.
2) Don’t Lose Your Temper
Have you ever heard the expression “cooler heads prevail?” Well, when you let your emotions get the best of you, mistakes are made. You aren’t thinking clearly, and it’s easy to lose sight of your objectives. Bonus points if you can get the other person angry instead, especially if you’re arguing in front of other people. If you can get them to blow up and look irrational, you’re halfway to winning. And if they get angry but you remain calm, chances are it will piss them off even further.
3) Swiss Cheese
If your opponent makes a salient point, try to refute the claim or otherwise poke a hole in it. Even if your jab doesn’t completely negate the point that’s made, pointing out a smaller mistake can poke a hole in their argument, and let a little air out of the situation.
For example: If they say: “Last night I was at the pub and I saw on the news that more people have criminal records than ever before.” You counter with: “Well, of course you saw it in the bar. You’re always in the bar.” You have tacitly conceded their point, while simultaneously inferring that they’re an alcoholic. Arguments are unavoidable, but with a little verbal judo you can make sure you’re on the winning side.


Kristen Bright is a blogger for Instant Checkmate. If you need ammunition for your next fight, run a background check on them to find out all the dirt they've been hiding.

Beginner's Tips for Using Social Media for Bloggers

Social Networks (Photo credit: Nickogibson)

The most often shared blogging advice is: use social media to drive traffic. Social websites are one of the most powerful ways to bring the first visitors to your blog, and if you know what you’re doing, to create the core of your own community that will help you further promote your blog. Using social media isn’t a bad advice, not at all, and here is the crash course that should help you find your way in it all.
Don’t be scared
Everyone’s been there, even the big guys that you’re admiring today. You have a good reason why you’ve started the blog, so you do have something to say. The marketing part is on you, and it’s important that you believe in yourself. You have to start once – you just have to, there’s no way around it. Sign up for an account if you don’t have one, and just observe what others do for a while, if that will make you feel more comfortable, and read about how to use social media until you believe that you can do it (after all, anyone else is doing it – why would you be worse than them?).
Start with one network
Choose one social media that you will focus on. Starting out with more than one while you’re juggling the first posts on your blog can be overwhelming, so choose one and stick to it until you master the communication there, build up the fan base and strengthen your connections with a few influencers. Twitter is usually the network for bloggers, so if you don’t have other preferences you should go there.
Whichever network you choose, make sure that you familiarize yourself with how it works – Twitter, for example, has signs like @ and # which have their meaning and their proper use can help you a lot, Facebook has many options which aren't visible when you just start using it, and so on. There are plenty tutorials created for marketers, and make sure that you've read a few of them.
And now, some basic rules:

1. Network! That's what these sites were made for, so make the most out of it. There's no easier way to connect with other bloggers and with your future audience than social networks, so start making friends and sharing stuff with them, commenting, asking and answering; don't be pushy, but don't be shy either – they have to notice you. Be polite to everyone, try to answer to each person that asks you something, and make new friends each chance you get.
2. Devote a certain amount of time to social media, each day, but make sure that you know how long it will take; don't do it more than 30 minutes daily, because you'll easily get distracted and could end up spending several hours there doing nothing. Always keep in mind that when you're on social site to promote your blog, you're doing business.
3. This has been said too many times, but many still don't seem to get it: don't be too self-promotional. People will follow you if you provide value to them, or if you're keeping them amused, and they are real people with real interests and, well, real brain; so you'll have to learn to be the curator of important industry news, to recommend good blog posts that other people have written, to point your followers to a tool that might be useful to them even when you're not getting any affiliate commission for it... Make them appreciate the value you're giving them, and they will be happy to help out when you need help with some bigger promotion.
4. Don't fear the automation tools, they can make your social media life a lot easier, but don't use them when you don't have to either; no one expects you to be there all day, so schedule some posts or status updates to be published later. Just make sure that there is a time that you're really present there each day – your followers will soon notice the lack of interaction if you're automating everything.

Make a plan, study the arena you're about to enter, and enter it bravely. You may as well be the next Twitter superstar!


Author Bio: Ben Sawyer from http://www.moldbusters.com, is a blogger and Internet Marketing Specialist. He is also a part time blogger and a tech-fan. Here, Ben gave a few tips to the readers about how to compete with big companies when it comes to SEO and organic results.

How music can help you study

A six-part fugue from The Musical Offering, in the hand of Johann Sebastian Bach. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Where, and how we work is as unique as our handwriting. Some people can work in a busy, bustling room. Whilst others need silence and solitude to help with concentration. Some need an ordered and tidy workspace. Whilst others can work amidst the chaos of piles of paper and books. And then there's the question of music.  A source of frustration to some, others find it helps generate a buzz, an energy. In fact, when it comes to music, some experts now claim it can in help optimize our concentration.

Author Dr Joseph Cardillo has penned several books on the subject. In his latest, Your Playlist Can Change Your Life, Dr Cardillo, along with his team, suggests using music to get the best possible performance from a person. That's because the choice of music can boost motivation, or refocus your mind. For Dr Cardillo, it's all about achieving a balance between having the energy to do the work but remaining calm enough to get it done. After all, if you are listening to music when you're working, it shouldn't be distracting you. So if you find yourself singing along to the tune, or tapping your pen to the tempo, your work isn't getting your full attention. Meditation along with music is another suggestion, and some experts even recommend doing this the night before to get you in the mood for work or an exam the following day. And others suggest simply interspersing music with work.
 Now, when it comes to a specific type of music, the virtues of classical music have long been bestowed. Some claim it makes you smarter, others reckon it improves memory. So in 2004, a study was done by

Professor Arthur Harvey , world renown researcher and expert in the field of music and the effect on the brain, also called neuromusicologist. From his research, Professor Harvey found that listening to Johann Sebastian Bach, doesn't make you smarter, but it does help the brain to function better than any other genre.
This finding was backed up with other research done by a team by from Stanford University School of Medicine a few years later in 2007. The study analysed images of brain activity when the person was listening to short bursts of 18th-century music. It found that music helped specifically when it came to paying attention and memory functionality. Furthermore, brain activity was at its maximum during short intervals of silence between music.

Nowadays, there is a whole vein of music dedicated to helping people concentrate, such is the belief it works. A quick search online throws up dozens of You Tube music videos for just that. So if you're study for an exam, or penning that end of term paper, then why not try using music to help. Otherwise, there are other tools. For instance, for essay writing tips, check out reputable sources online such as those available UK Essays. It has put together handy how-tos and easy-to-use tips for this very subject.

Thanks to our Guest author: Sarah MacLennan freelances for a variety of different websites and frequently writes for firm, UK Essays. Founded in 2003, it has helped students around the world overcome essay writing difficulties with expert guidance and help with handy hints and tips.

Earthquake Safety Tips - Illustrated [Infographics]

In some parts of the world, earthquakes occur practically everyday. Most of them are of an intensity so low that the average person is not aware of the tremors, though. Still, in those parts, people are more exposed to quakes that can be felt, and they somehow know how to deal with it.
In other parts of the world, earthquakes are a novelty. That does not mean that an earthquake may not occur anytime, though. With all the natural disasters becoming more widespread and occurring more frequently than in the past, it is but a wise move to know at least the basic safety tips when an earthquake does happen.
There are two main courses to take when you feel the earth moving and shaking literally. One is the “triangle of life” while the other is “drop and cover”. Basically, the triangle of life tells you to take cover next to pieces of furniture, in a fetal position. This is due to the fact that there usually is a void, or space, right next to that object when the roof or ceiling collapses.
On the other hand, drop and cover dictates that you immediately seek shelter under a piece of furniture such as the table. The premise is that the table will protect you. If, you’re in bed, however, the suggestion is to stay there and protect your head with a pillow.
Learn more about these two safety methods and other ways on how to survive an earthquake below.
How Do You Survive An Earthquake? by Infographiclabs

Shane Caulkin is a web designer living in Japan. He has learned how to live with the imminent threat of earthquakes, and he enjoys the countryside and also plays with infographic design in his downtime.