7 Linkedin Marketing Strategies You Must Follow

If we have a company, whether sole, small, medium or large, the social network Linkedin can be a great ally to promote our business, increase our customer base, meet new suppliers, etc. However, despite many companies and people already in Linkedin are few who use it strategically according to a specific objective of marketing and communication.


1. Optimize your profile and your company:

The first strategy to develop a good marketing LinkedIn Profile is complete both personal and that of your company. Remember to create a profile of your LinkedIn Company must have a personal email account and have the same company.

It is important to complete 100% of your profile, using key words or phrases that will identify the search network professionals. You must also enter company data, the summary or description thereof to generate reliable and appear in searches.

2. Add your photo and an image that identifies your company:

Upload an image that identifies you as a professional and sized to project a good image. Likewise page of the company should have an image that identifies it to position itself in the network of professionals and businesses. This is an important marketing action LinkedIn. You can take the professional marketing service. You should know how to get the best professional for your marketing strategy you can check Devumi’s example.

3. Edit the name and URL of your website

If you want to boost the visibility of your website or blog in search engines, go to your LinkedIn profile, you click on “edit profile” and space to add 3 links. Instead of showing “My Blog” and “My website”, you click on “edit” and then choose the “Other” and enter the name of your site or, better yet, a keyword that is representative of the way people looking for your products or services. And do not forget to place the URL of your web also.



4. Update your status:

Update your status is another no less important LinkedIn marketing strategy. In the social platform professionals will find a space for fast updates that is very similar to Twitter, but it gives you up to 148 characters to write your message. It is important to update your status because it is first thing you see all your connections when they enter your profile.

You can also use the status box at the same time to update your Twitter, interesting when you have little time to manage your social accounts.

5. Make connections in LinkedIn

The connections are to be the contact list in your LinkedIn network. The connection process starts when you apply to people you know connect to your network. Remember that the more contacts you have, the better because they will be the first who will see your updates, therefore increase the likelihood that more people visit your profile and help the LinkedIn marketing is successful. You could buy LinkedIn followers for you initial boost up. It will work for you good.

Also, build your network connection lets you connect with past clients and identify potential customers, exploring the degrees of separation between them.

6. Create and join a group:

If you start creating your network connections, you can join up to 50 groups, whether large or small. The important thing to belong to a group is involved in the making and answering questions according to your specialty area. If there is no group of interest to the network it gives you the chance to create one.

Remember that if you choose to join an inactive group is useless, the key is that the group is well connected with your areas of interest, showing activity and obviously you must participate actively sending notes and commenting on other people.

7. Make and answer questions

Another action is to LinkedIn marketing and answer questions that will give you the opportunity to attract the attention of the popular Google search engine within the network of professionals. The more questions you answer, the more chances you have people interested in visiting your profile. This way you can generate traffic to your website.

Also, if you answer the questions users will have solid and professional possibilities that you qualify as the best answer. So you’ll go positioning as an expert / or in a particular subject and people more susceptible to xset your opinions.

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Developing a Content Marketing Strategy

Developing a Content Marketing Strategy

Looking to create a content marketing strategy? You’ve come to the right place. But, before we dig in, there is one critical distinction you should understand: A content marketing strategy is NOT the same thing as a content strategy.

While people often use these terms interchangeably (which is understandable, as the lines are somewhat blurry), Robert Rose explains the distinction in his post, How Content Strategy and Content Marketing Are Separate But Connected:

Content marketing strategy: Content marketers draw and develop the larger story that an organization tells. They focus on ways to engage an audience, using content to drive profitable behaviors.
Content strategy: On the other hand, content strategy delves deeper into (in Kristina Halvorson’s words) the “creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.” As The Content Wrangler, Scott Abel, says, content strategy helps you manage content as a business asset.

Do I really need to create a content marketing strategy?

Yes! As we’ve learned through our annual research, not only do you need a strategy, you also need to document it. Those with a documented content marketing strategy:

Are far more likely to consider themselves effective at content marketing
Feel significantly less challenged with every aspect of content marketing
Generally consider themselves more effective in their use of all content marketing tactics and social media channels
Were able to justify spending a higher percentage of their marketing budget on content marketing

What should my content marketing strategy include? 

Think of a content marketing strategy as an outline of your key business and customer needs and a detailed plan for how you will use content to address them.

While there are no definitive “templates” for building a content marketing strategy — each one will be unique to the business that creates it — there are five components that they commonly include:

Your business case for innovating with content marketing: By communicating your reasons for creating content, the risks involved, and your vision of what success will look like, you are much more likely to gain executive support for your strategy — and to get permission to make a mistake here and there as you figure out what works best for your business.


Your business plan for content marketing: This covers the goals you have for your content program, the unique value you are looking to provide through your content, and details of your business model. It also should outline the obstacles and opportunities you may encounter as you execute your plan.

Your audience personas and content maps: This is where you describe the specific audiences for whom you will create content, what their needs are, and what their content engagement cycle might look like. You may also want to map out content you can deliver throughout their buyer’s journey in order to move them closer to their goals.

Your brand story: Here, you characterize your content marketing in terms of what ideas and messages you want to communicate, how those messages differ from the competition, and how you see the landscape evolving once you have shared them with your audience.

Your channel plan: This should include the platforms you will use to tell your story; what your criteria, processes, and objectives are for each one; and how you will connect them so that they create a cohesive brand conversation.

Do I need to share our content marketing strategy with other teams/departments in my company?

We’ve found that it’s beneficial to give everyone in your organization access to your content marketing strategy — even those who may not be directly involved in the content marketing process.

This is particularly critical in large organizations, as it can help keep siloed teams on the same page, minimize duplicated efforts, and ensure that everyone is working toward the same content goals. But sharing your documented strategy is also good practice for businesses that are just starting out with content marketing, for content teams that rely on internal or external subject matter experts, or for companies that outsource any part of the content creation and distribution process.

Of course, how you communicate your strategy depends on the structure and culture of your organization. In some cases, it may be appropriate to share your full documentation. In other cases, it may make more sense to create targeted summaries for certain stakeholders (for example, busy executives, or external agencies), based on how your content marketing strategy will impact their particular roles, processes, and objectives.

In short, consider this: How can you use the principles of content marketing to “sell” content marketing throughout your organization? What do people care about most? This should help you determine which components of your content marketing strategy are most appropriate to share with each team.

How often should I update my content marketing strategy?

Some parts of your strategy should stay consistent even as your content marketing program grows and evolves — namely, your mission and business goals. In fact, these two things are so key that you may want to put them on a Post-it note so you can keep them in view whenever you are working on your content. (For example, at CMI, we use them as part of our acceptance criteria for every editorial content submission we receive.)

However, other aspects of your content marketing strategy will likely benefit from being reviewed and updated periodically. To ensure that your content marketing program remains on target, consider revisiting your channel strategy, core topics, and team processes on an annual basis — or more often if you are just getting started.


Looking to create a content marketing strategy? You’ve come to the right place. But, before we dig in, there is one critical distinction you should understand: A content marketing strategy is NOT the same thing as a content strategy.

While people often use these terms interchangeably (which is understandable, as the lines are somewhat blurry), Robert Rose explains the distinction in his post, How Content Strategy and Content Marketing Are Separate But Connected:

Content marketing strategy: Content marketers draw and develop the larger story that an organization tells. They focus on ways to engage an audience, using content to drive profitable behaviors.
Content strategy: On the other hand, content strategy delves deeper into (in Kristina Halvorson’s words) the “creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.” As The Content Wrangler, Scott Abel, says, content strategy helps you manage content as a business asset.

Do I really need to create a content marketing strategy?

Yes! As we’ve learned through our annual research, not only do you need a strategy, you also need to document it. Those with a documented content marketing strategy:

Are far more likely to consider themselves effective at content marketing
Feel significantly less challenged with every aspect of content marketing
Generally consider themselves more effective in their use of all content marketing tactics and social media channels
Were able to justify spending a higher percentage of their marketing budget on content marketing

What should my content marketing strategy include?

Think of a content marketing strategy as an outline of your key business and customer needs and a detailed plan for how you will use content to address them.

While there are no definitive “templates” for building a content marketing strategy — each one will be unique to the business that creates it — there are five components that they commonly include:

Your business case for innovating with content marketing: By communicating your reasons for creating content, the risks involved, and your vision of what success will look like, you are much more likely to gain executive support for your strategy — and to get permission to make a mistake here and there as you figure out what works best for your business.


Your business plan for content marketing: This covers the goals you have for your content program, the unique value you are looking to provide through your content, and details of your business model. It also should outline the obstacles and opportunities you may encounter as you execute your plan.

Your audience personas and content maps: This is where you describe the specific audiences for whom you will create content, what their needs are, and what their content engagement cycle might look like. You may also want to map out content you can deliver throughout their buyer’s journey in order to move them closer to their goals.

Your brand story: Here, you characterize your content marketing in terms of what ideas and messages you want to communicate, how those messages differ from the competition, and how you see the landscape evolving once you have shared them with your audience.

Your channel plan: This should include the platforms you will use to tell your story; what your criteria, processes, and objectives are for each one; and how you will connect them so that they create a cohesive brand conversation.

Do I need to share our content marketing strategy with other teams/departments in my company?

We’ve found that it’s beneficial to give everyone in your organization access to your content marketing strategy — even those who may not be directly involved in the content marketing process.

This is particularly critical in large organizations, as it can help keep siloed teams on the same page, minimize duplicated efforts, and ensure that everyone is working toward the same content goals. But sharing your documented strategy is also good practice for businesses that are just starting out with content marketing, for content teams that rely on internal or external subject matter experts, or for companies that outsource any part of the content creation and distribution process.

Of course, how you communicate your strategy depends on the structure and culture of your organization. In some cases, it may be appropriate to share your full documentation. In other cases, it may make more sense to create targeted summaries for certain stakeholders (for example, busy executives, or external agencies), based on how your content marketing strategy will impact their particular roles, processes, and objectives.

In short, consider this: How can you use the principles of content marketing to “sell” content marketing throughout your organization? What do people care about most? This should help you determine which components of your content marketing strategy are most appropriate to share with each team.

How often should I update my content marketing strategy?

Some parts of your strategy should stay consistent even as your content marketing program grows and evolves — namely, your mission and business goals. In fact, these two things are so key that you may want to put them on a Post-it note so you can keep them in view whenever you are working on your content. (For example, at CMI, we use them as part of our acceptance criteria for every editorial content submission we receive.)

However, other aspects of your content marketing strategy will likely benefit from being reviewed and updated periodically. To ensure that your content marketing program remains on target, consider revisiting your channel strategy, core topics, and team processes on an annual basis — or more often if you are just getting started.

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How to Manage Time With 10 Tips That Work

How to Manage Time With 10 Tips That Work

Chances are good that, at some time in your life, you've taken a time management class, read about it in books, and tried to use an electronic or paper-based day planner to organize, prioritize and schedule your day. "Why, with this knowledge and these gadgets," you may ask, "do I still feel like I can't get everything done I need to?"

The answer is simple. Everything you ever learned about managing time is a complete waste of time because it doesn't work.

Before you can even begin to manage time, you must learn what time is. A dictionary defines time as "the point or period at which things occur." Put simply, time is when stuff happens.

There are two types of time: clock time and real time. In clock time, there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. All time passes equally. When someone turns 50, they are exactly 50 years old, no more or no less.

In real time, all time is relative. Time flies or drags depending on what you're doing. Two hours at the department of motor vehicles can feel like 12 years. And yet our 12-year-old children seem to have grown up in only two hours.

Related: Spring-Cleaning Tips for Your Business

Which time describes the world in which you really live, real time or clock time?

The reason time management gadgets and systems don't work is that these systems are designed to manage clock time. Clock time is irrelevant. You don't live in or even have access to clock time. You live in real time, a world in which all time flies when you are having fun or drags when you are doing your taxes.

The good news is that real time is mental. It exists between your ears. You create it. Anything you create, you can manage. It's time to remove any self-sabotage or self-limitation you have around "not having enough time," or today not being "the right time" to start a business or manage your current business properly.

There are only three ways to spend time: thoughts, conversations and actions. Regardless of the type of business you own, your work will be composed of those three items.

As an entrepreneur, you may be frequently interrupted or pulled in different directions. While you cannot eliminate interruptions, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them and how much time you will spend on the thoughts, conversations and actions that will lead you to success. 

Practice the following techniques to become the master of your own time:

1. Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your precious moments are going. You'll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations and actions.
   
2. Any activity or conversation that's important to your success should have a time assigned to it. To-do lists get longer and longer to the point where they're unworkable. Appointment books work. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Schedule when they will begin and end. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.
   
3. Plan to spend at least 50 percent of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities and conversations that produce most of your results.
   
4. Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time to be pulled away from what you're doing. Take, for instance, the concept of having "office hours." Isn't "office hours" another way of saying "planned interruptions?"
   
5. Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don't start your day until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time.
   
6. Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. And it will also slow time down. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what's missing in your next call or activity?
   
7. Put up a "Do not disturb" sign when you absolutely have to get work done.
   
8. Practice not answering the phone just because it's ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don't instantly give people your attention unless it's absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response. Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls.
   
9. Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
   
10. Remember that it's impossible to get everything done. Also remember that odds are good that 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations and activities produce 80 percent of your results.

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Norway a mountainous European country

Norway a mountainous European country on the northern and western coastline of Scandinavia,

Identification. The name Norge ("the Northern Way") originally pertained to a region of the country before political consolidation under Harald the Fair-Haired around 900 C.E. In later use, the country's name indicates its location on the northern periphery of Europe. Some of the northerly sections of the country are home to at least two main groups (coastal and mountain) of an indigenous population of Sami (previously called Lapps) with a separate language and distinct cultural traditions. Some groups of Sami practice reindeer nomadism and range across northern Sweden and Finland. A smaller Gypsy population also was part of the otherwise homogeneous population. For humanitarian reasons, in the late twentieth century, the country welcomed asylum seekers and immigrants from other countries. Norwegians have an acute sense of identity fostered by a nineteenth century national romantic movement and by the country's emergence in 1905 as an independent constitutional monarchy. The small scale of Norwegian society, with a population of little more than four million, also promotes cultural sharing.

Location and Geography. Norway is situated on the western side of the Scandinavian peninsula, which it shares with its eastern neighbor, Sweden. The North Sea borders the country on the west, and the Barent Sea lies to the north. Spitsbergen, a group of islands four hundred miles to the north in the Arctic Ocean, is a Norwegian dependency. The country also shares borders with Finland and Russia in its northern regions. A long and narrow landmass, Norway extends more than 1,100 miles from north to south and varies in width between 270 miles and 4 miles. One-third of the country lies north of the Arctic Circle. The dominant feature of the topography is a backbone of mountains extending down the Scandinavian peninsula, with fjords, or long inlets of the sea, penetrating inland on the west and south. With a total area of 125,181 square miles (324,200 square kilometers), much of the country is dominated by rugged mountainous or coastal landscapes that have made tourism an important industry. Only about 3 percent of the land area is suitable for raising crops, and nearly half of that land is situated in the east, near Oslo, the capital, where broad, open valleys produce grain and root crops. The west coast traditionally has supported smaller farms perched along the fjords or nestled in mountain valleys. Farming and fishing have always been major occupations in this region. Trondheim, a medieval cathedral city on the west coast, also has an agricultural hinterland. The northern region constitutes the largest part of the country, with 35 percent of the land area and only 12 percent of the population. Fishing has been the major traditional occupation in this region. Oslo, which was called Kristiania before the nation gained independence, has long been associated with major governmental functions.

Demography. In January 2000, the total population was 4,478,497. Approximately thirty thousand to forty thousand of those residents self-identify as Sami. The first census which was taken in 1769, recorded 723,618 residents. For most of the nineteenth century, the population grew at an average annual rate of 1.7 percent in spite of substantial migration to the United States during the second half of that century. The post–World War II growth rate declined to about 0.2 percent annually.

Immigrants constitute just under 6 percent of the total population. The largest number of immigrants.
came from Sweden and Denmark, with the third largest contingent coming from Pakistan.
In 1999, the population grew by 0.7 percent, the largest annual rate of growth since the first half of the 1950s. This unusual growth is accounted for by the arrival of 19,300 persons from abroad. Approximately 67,200 persons with a political refugee background lived in Norway at the beginning of 1999. Among the recent refugees, the largest groups are from Bosnia (11,000), Vietnam (10,500), and Iran (8,100). Refugees are concentrated in and around the largest cities, with approximately one-third living in the Oslo area.

Linguistic Affiliation. The major languages of the indigenous minority and majority populations are Samisk (Lappish), a Finnic language, and two official Norwegian languages, Bokmål and Nynorsk, both of which are Germanic languages. Bokmål, or "book language," is derived from the Danish-influenced Norwegian used in the eastern region. A product of the national romantic movement, Nynorsk, or "New Norwegian," was constructed in the nineteenth century from peasant dialects to create a genuinely Norwegian written language. Formulated by Ivar Aasen, a self-taught linguist from the west coast, Nynorsk was consciously constructed to reveal a clear relationship to Old Norse, linking contemporary Norway with the Viking age.

Symbolism. The flag, folk costumes, the land (or landscape), and the home are the major symbols of national unity. The flag (a red background with blue stripes outlined in white) is owned and flown not only by public agencies but by many private individuals. On Constitution Day (17 May), citizens appear at public celebrations carrying small flags and wearing red, white, and blue streamers pinned to their clothing. In the year 2000, there were thirteen official flag days. Folk or national costumes (bunad) are owned by large numbers of both men and women. Based on local traditional peasant apparel, women's costumes include elaborate skirts, blouses, jackets, stockings, and shoes adorned with silver pins and decorations. Because of increased affluence in recent decades, more individuals own costumes, which are considered correct attire for any festive or formal occasion. The design and colors of the costumes vary according to locality so that each large fjord or valley has a distinctive costume. Fostered by national romanticism, folk costumes are partially constructed traditions, with some historically authentic elements and some new elements. The costume for the city of Bergen, for example, was designed in 1956.

The national anthem affirms a love for the land and the importance of the home as symbols of nationhood. Festive days in this home-centered society often feature a public celebration followed by gatherings of families and relatives in people's homes. Entertaining is done at home, not at restaurants or bars. Homes are comfortable refuges and are decorated to express the identity of the family. Because there is less geographic mobility than is the case in some other countries, family members and relatives tend to live in the same region over a number of generations and identify with the local area. This attachment to place is also apparent in people's relationship to nature. Half the nation's families have access to nearby ski huts, cabins, or boats, and virtually everyone engages in outdoor pursuits such as skiing, hiking, and boating. In a variety of ways, Norwegians aim to preserve rather than transform the local natural landscape. At the same time, they attempt to preserve the cultural traditions of the locality through numerous folk museums and other specialized heritage organizations.

Support for the Arts. Because of the small population base, the artistic community is challenged to earn a living. Government subsidies coordinated by thirty nationwide artists' organizations have provided a particularly Norwegian solution. Professional artists receive a minimum income until retirement. Through a variety of cooperative arrangements with counties and municipalities, the government has sponsored the creation of touring cultural organizations, bringing concerts, theater, and art exhibitions to smaller towns.

Literature. The Icelandic sagas of Snorri Sturlusson (1178–1241) often are considered the beginning of Norwegian literature, followed by The King's Mirror, a thirteenth century work. Pedar Clausson Friis (1545–1614) wrote descriptive works about the country and translated the sagas into Norwegian. The Trumpet of the Northland (1700) by Petter Dass details life in Norway. In the early eighteenth century, Ludvig Holberg wrote in a variety of forms, including satire and comedy. Henrik Wergeland (1808–1845) inspired the national romantic movement. As their contribution to the discovery of a national culture, Peter Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe collected the Norwegian Folktales (1841–1844). In the nineteenth century, the dominant figure was Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), whose psychological dramas remain important in world literature. Knut Hamsun wrote powerful novels in the twentieth century. Later writers include Sigurd Hoel, Nordal Grieg, Tarjei Vesaas, and the Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset. Significant postwar writers include Jens Bjørneboe, Bjorg Vik, and Kjartan Flagstad.

Graphic Arts. Painters in the nineteenth century helped establish a national romantic vision. Edvard Munch's (1863–1944) symbolist works have been influential internationally. In sculpture, Gustav Vigeland's Frogner Park sculptures are well known. Pottery, glass, jewelry, metalsmithing, and textiles are central to Scandinavian design.

Performance Arts. The nation's greatest musician, Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), was inspired by the folk themes of his homeland, as was the violinist Ole Bull. Many cities have festivals for the performing arts. Perhaps the most famous is Bergen's annual festival featuring music, drama, and dance. Molde's jazz festival is notable. The National Theater and National Opera in Oslo are important institutions.

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That's why you Should go to Plzen

That's why you Should go to Plzen

If you’ve never been to Plzeň, or haven’t been in a while, now is the time to go. The city is one of the two European Capitals of Culture in 2015 (the other is Mons, Belgium) and the amount of stuff happening is a bit staggering. 

Says Mirka Reifová, PR and communication manager for Plzeň 2015, “Creative places and activities are emerging. It’s not just the huge number of events but gardens and cafes, more places to sit outside in the city – taking care of the public space has become much more visible. People are creating initiatives, too.”

Check out the 2015 Pilsen European Capital of Culture website for a comprehensive list of cultural activities; we’ve rounded up some of highlights here.

Final advice from Reifová: “Look for small things, find a band playing in a small pub, drink a Pilsner, you are in Plzeň and that’s enough.”  

The city’s flagship Hidden City project invites people to discover Plzeň through the eyes of the residents. As web editor and social media specialist Petra Kejklíčková explains, it is very simply digital meets locals.

“The app gives you the opportunity to choose from eight different people and take a tour from their point of view – a brewer, a World War II veteran, a young child – the idea is, in a new city, you only see what’s in guidebooks, but no stories. Now you can connect with the locals.”

The app will be ready for download in April. You can already download an interactive map which offers a bit more sites and interest off the beaten path than most tourism maps. Another Hidden City project Kejklíčková recommends is the Plzeň Family Photo Album opening April 16 at DEPO2015. Organizers are collecting photos from residents of their Plzeň lives and plan two exhibitions with them.

Plzeň is playing its puppet heritage up big time this year. As always, you can visit the Muzeum Loutek for a fun history of the creatures, examine up close their beautiful craftsmanship, and leave the kids in the puppet playroom for some fun. Matěj Forman will be putting together an exhibition of current puppet making art from all over Europe and at the end of August, Carros de Foc, a Spanish troupe will be bringing eight of their massive marionettes to town. These eight meter tall creations will be walking through the streets, putting on an original show on the main square and holding evening shows in DEPO2015. Skupa’s Pilsen (September 3-6) a traditional biennial of puppet theatre will bring about three dozen foreign troupes to town for a variety of performances. And finally, for general puppet performances, check out the schedule at Divadlo Alfa. 

‘Ornament is a crime’ interior designer Adolf Loos decorated eight apartments in Plzeň from the end of the 1920s to the mid-1930s. Three of the flats have been reconstructed and will be open for visits in April, a fourth is scheduled to be open later in the year. In the one on Klatovská you can see the living and dining rooms. The cherry wood wall paneling and other in-built furniture is original, but the furniture is carefully crafted replicas. Notice the groups of intimate spaces, lamps versus overhead lights and the wide variety of chairs – all Loos hallmarks which encourage people to sit where ever they want and choose a chair comfortable for whatever activity they are involved in. Both that flat and the one on Bendova showcase Loos’ love of extravagant materials – here notice the mahogany ceiling and gorgeous green Italian marble. You’ll see more spaces in this flat, although none of the furniture is original. Check out the bedroom which was inspired by train sleeping carriages. The bed with a ‘sofa’ space at the end isn’t original but is similar to the one that was originally there.

The city normally schedules parades and other activities to remember the end of World War II each year. But this year, Plzeň will commemorate the 70th anniversary with a variety of important celebrations. Reifová says one highlight will be a concert by Lynyrd Skynard, their first in the Czech Republic. Ten WWII veterans are also scheduled to attend as well as General George Patton’s granddaughter, Helen, who will perform with her band and to raise funds for her Patton Foundation which supports veterans. The entire Liberation Festival runs May 1-6.

Lots of cool repurposing is happening throughout the city. Grouped under the project Imagination Factories, one of the most involved in Capital of Culture activities is DEPO2015 opening in April and slated to be one of the largest exhibition spaces in town. Already open is Papírna in part of an old paper mill along the river which has a gorgeous industrial café/bar plus hosts mainly dance performances. Moving Station, housed in a unused train station building at Jižní předměstí, is an alternative cultural center for theatre, music, dance and more.

One of the country’s best known animators, Jiří Trnka is a Plzeň son and there are a few interesting events connected to his life and work. As part of Finále Plzeň, digitized forms of his Old Czech Legends will be presented; through May 10, Trnka’s Studio, displayed at both the Gallery of the City of Pilsen and the Gallery of Jiří Trnka, will exhibit key pieces of his work and life, a concept developed by his son. And finally, for the kid in all of us, Trnka’s Garden 2 (through May 24 at the West Bohemian Museum) uses six interactive rooms to bring to life Trnka’s The Garden fairytale.

Throughout the year, you can experience a variety of new circus performances by troupes from Spain, Italy, France and more. Reifová says the performers are mostly young ensembles who are preparing new shows – some are funny, some are acrobatic. Many will be held in DEPOT2015, but also tents will be set-up around town for true life under the big top experiences. Kejklíčková says performances for all these events have been selling out fast, so plan ahead.

Tons of exhibitions are happening the entire year at venues ranging from the unique to the proper. Kejklíčková recommends the Gottfried Lindauer exhibition running from May 6-September 20 in the West Bohemian Gallery. This is actually a unique for Europe exhibition as 40 of painter Lindauer’s Maori portraits from New Zealand will be displayed here. The artist is actually a Plzeň native who moved to New Zealand in 1874. Čestmír Suška will be one of the opening exhibitors at DEPO2015 with his Restart exhibition which runs April 25 till the end of the year. The well-known sculptor has been making an exploration into working with used metal objects which will be displayed both inside and outside. Also opening in April is Domus, a group spatial installation, while in May paintings and posters by Ladislav Sutner go on display at the Gallery of the City of Pilsen.

Plzeň is home to the way cool Techmania Science Center which is great to check out any year. Newly renovated last year, go check out the country’s first 3D planetarium, and two new exhibitions, Renewable Energy and Man and Beast.

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Milan Still the best Destination in italy.

Milan Still the best Destination in italy.

Milan, Italian Milano, 

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II [Credit: Stephen Studd—Stone/Getty Images]city, capital of Milano province (provincia) and of the region (regione) of Lombardy (Lombardia), northern Italy. It is the leading financial centre and the most prosperous manufacturing and commercial city of Italy.

The destiny of Milan, like that of many of the world’s great cities, remains something of a historical paradox. There are powerful factors supporting the argument that Milan should have become the capital of a unified Italy, and this is the belief of many Milanese, in spite of the fact that the unity of Italy was actually born in Turin, rather than in Milan, in 1870. Milan, nevertheless, is the most industrious and vital city to have achieved prominence since the ancient land of Italy became aware of itself as a modern nation-state. Area city, 70 square miles (182 square km); province, 765 square miles (1,980 square km). Pop. (2001) city, 1,256,211; province, 3,707,210; (2007 est.) city, 1,303,437; province, 3,884,481.

The fact that Milan is at a distance from much of the rest of Italy, that it is peripheral in a geographic sense, does not explain its position of “second city,” a position it has always vainly fought. Indeed, some of the greatest European capitals are peripheral in this sense. Rather, Milan’s role was the consequence of the immense historical importance and the enormous accumulation of myths and symbols that conferred on Milan’s antagonist, Rome, an inevitable prestige. During the Risorgimento, the 19th-century movement for Italian unification, Rome became the heart of a future anticipated in the collective fantasies of the Italian people.

Yet although Rome remains the political capital of Italy, Milan has long been known as its “moral capital.” When the Milanese assert that their city is the moral capital, they not only express the ancient regionalism typical of all Italy and known as campanilismo (a reference to the church bell of each city), but they also refer to the city’s quality and values, historical as well as contemporary. And if the rest of Italy, Rome included, accepts this statement—or rather accepts the fact that the statement is made—it is because it is more than a simple claim. The claim is justified by contributions in every field—economic, cultural, and ideological—that the city of Milan, in modern times, and particularly since the unification of Italy, has made to the Italian state.

It was partly out of an opposition to the nature of Rome as a capital of government, and thereby the perceived capital of taxation, state spending, and political skullduggery, that Milan’s self-image as Italy’s moral capital was born. This notion was cemented in the late 19th century as an industrializing Milan set itself up as a capital of innovation, production, and efficiency—values the Milanese considered absent in Rome. The city’s sense of moral superiority—particularly the idea that the Milanese people were morally superior because of their positive work ethic—was reinforced as Milan ultimately became Italy’s centre of industry and finance, as well as the motor behind the country’s extraordinary economic development in the 20th century. Today Milan is the richest city in Italy and one of the richest in Europe.

Even though many intellectuals, writers, and artists have abandoned the city for Rome, Milan has succeeded in keeping alive an inquisitiveness and a spirit of polemic that involves not only itself and Rome but all other cities in Italy as well. The increased importance of the mass media in Italy, particularly of the Milan-based television networks, also has favoured the Milanese perspective—though this development has not damaged the poetic image of Rome nor reduced the prosaic character of Milan. Nevertheless, when one remembers that in the 19th century a writer such as Stendhal, one of the giants of French culture, wished to proclaim himself “Milanese” in his epitaph, one must indeed believe in the fascination Milan exerted then, and still does, and of which the city is fully conscious.

Milan is set in the heart of the Po Basin of northern Italy, halfway across the immense plain spreading between the Ticino and Adda rivers. The site is 400 feet (122 metres) above sea level. To the north lies the great sweep of the southern flank of the Alps. Between this semicircle of mountains and the course traced by the Po River to the south, there lies a zone that is arid toward the north but swampy near the Po, where it turns into an expanse of marshy groves and rice fields. It is at the line of demarcation between these two areas, which are strongly differentiated, that Milan has risen, although now only swamplands mark the site of the ancient city. The earliest inhabitants reinforced their defenses by means of the small watercourses of the Sèveso, the Nirone, the Lambro, and the Olona.

Milan’s climate is continental, with damp, chilly winters and hot, humid summers. Snow falls between December and February, and springtime is generally rainy. In winter temperatures range between 30 and 50 °F (−1 and 10 °C) and in summer between 68 and 86 °F (20 and 30 °C). Characteristic of the Po Basin, fog often shrouds the city in winter. The removal of rice fields from the southern neighbourhoods and the closure of most of the city’s heavy industry have reduced the phenomenon. However, this has been offset somewhat by the growth of an almost uninterrupted built-up area around the city, which reduces local air circulation, and by the gray smog, or traffic-related air pollution, that often covers the city.

Milan’s Teatro alla Scala (“Theatre at the Stairway”; popularly called La Scala), constructed in 1776–78 and designed by the leading Neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini, is one of the great opera houses of the world. Damaged by bombing during World War II, La Scala was quickly reconstructed and reopened with a concert by Arturo Toscanini in 1946. Extensive renovations also took place in the early 21st century. The city contains several other theatres, including the Teatro San Babila and the Teatro Piccolo. There are numerous motion-picture houses as well.

Sections of the Navigli, a 16th-century network of communication and transportation canals, remain, especially in the southern part of the city. These canal zones were once among the poorest parts of the city, but in the 1980s they began to develop into centres for small businesses (especially those linked to the fashion industry) and nightlife. These areas now attract large crowds of people who frequent the numerous bars, restaurants, and shops alongside the canals.

Milan is the leading sports centre of Italy. The huge, spectacular San Siro stadium, rebuilt for the 1990 World Cup, sits on the northwestern edge of the city. Both the AC Milan and Inter Milan football (soccer) teams play their home matches at the San Siro, which can hold up to 80,000 people. The nearby Ippodromo San Siro, a large horse-racing complex, is one of the best in Europe. The Lago Idroscalo, an artificial lake next to Linate Airport, is also a popular recreation area. The Grand Prix automobile-racing circuit at nearby Monza has an international reputation.

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Why people like to read

Why people like to read

In our recent report on the rise of e-reading, we asked those who had read a book in the past 12 months to tell us what they like most about book reading. They gave a host of reasons that ranged from the highly practical to the sublime.

• 26% of those who had read a book in the past 12 months said that what they enjoyed most was learning, gaining knowledge, and discovering information.
• 15% cited the pleasures of escaping reality, becoming immersed in another world, and the enjoyment they got from using their imaginations.
• 12% said they liked the entertainment value of reading, the drama of good stories, the suspense of watching a good plot unfold.
• 12% said they enjoyed relaxing while reading and having quiet time.
• 6% liked the variety of topics they could access via reading and how they could find books that particularly interested them.
• 4% said they enjoy finding spiritual enrichment through reading and expanding their worldview.
• 3% said they like being mentally challenged by books.
• 2% cited the physical properties of books – their feel and smell – as a primary pleasure.
• In their own words, respondents were eloquent and touching. One respondent noted: “I am an English teacher, so I read to save my sanity from grading essays.”
• Those who talked about quiet entertainment tended toward phrases like “a stress-free escape,” “a nice way to relax,” “I read because it’s not work,” “diverting, entertaining and educational,” and “It draws me away from reality.” That was echoed by a respondent who said reading “takes you away, like a movie in your head.” One wryly said he liked reading “because it helps me with my temper and relaxes me.”

Those who talked about personal enrichment used phrases like “being able to experience so many times, places, and events.” Others expressed pleasure at living a “life of the mind.”

For many, reading was a proud lifestyle choice: “It’s better for me to imagine things in my head than watch them on TV.”

One compelling summary thought came from a respondent who declared: “I love being able to get outside myself.”

Why you should ask people what they predict rather than what they prefer

Asking respondents to predict the success of an idea or option may provide a more accurate market response than asking them what they prefer. In my experience, incorporating this new question style into your next customer survey can lead to better response differentiation and reduced overstatement.
“Purchase intent is notoriously overstated in survey responses, showing little correlation with actual sales performance,” Julie Wittes Schlack writes in the Jan. 5 issue of the Harvard Business Review. “Perhaps it’s because we tend to be rationally driven in survey responses and emotionally driven in the heat of the shopping moment. Whatever the reason, as consumers we are lousy predictors of our own future behavior.”

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