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2020 Audi R8 first drive review: Improving an already fantastic supercar
The best part about Audi's new R8 isn't what has changed, it's what hasn't.
There are some sounds that are becoming rare in our modern world. Chief among them? The roar of a naturally aspirated V10. Yet that's exactly the sound you hear when you fire up the brand-new 2020 Audi R8 -- in this case, the V10 Performance model.
In practice, this new R8 only offers modest changes. The 5.2-liter V10 now delivers 562 horsepower in base spec -- 30 more than before -- thanks to a new titanium valvetrain. The V10 Performance, previously known as V10 Plus, keeps the same 602 horsepower as before. The standard coupe will run to 60 miles per hour in 3.4 seconds, while the Performance will do the same spring in 3.2.
The front antiroll bar is now available in carbon and aluminum instead of steel, which saves 4.5 pounds over the outgoing car. The 2020 R8 gets an improved suspension setup, and while I'm told the dynamic steering option has been improved, my test car has the standard fitment.
The only other change is the mild exterior makeover, which some people love and other folks hate. There seem to be more vents dotted around the front and sides of the car, but upon closer inspection, the majority of them appear to be nonfunctional. They do help distinguish the new R8 from its predecessor, and the result is a coupe that's still quite handsome. Subtle tweaks aside, this coupe is still instantly recognizable as an R8.
Otherwise, the Audi R8 V10 Performance is identical to the outgoing R8 V10 Plus. But that's not a bad thing.
2020 Audi R8: One of our favorite supercars, enhancedSee all photos
Because when that glorious engine fires up and the Quattro all-wheel-drive system sends 413 pound-feet of torque to every corner, grabbing the road, propelling you toward the horizon, you quickly realize the meaning of the phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The joy of driving an R8 comes from its approachability. It's not an intimidating car. Where its VW Group sibling, the Lamborghini Huracán, dazzles you with exotic lines and creases and welcomes you in to an intimidating cabin seemingly trying to emulate a futuristic fighter jet, the R8 feels familiar and understated. There is little on the interior to distinguish the R8 from a TT, which to some would defeat the purpose of buying a supercar in the first place. On the other hand, this makes the R8 feel like a familiar car you can really go out and drive.
The 2020 R8 is a car you could use every single day. I felt much better after driving this car across the UK for hours on end than I did after just an hour behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán Evo earlier this year. All those Lamborghini theatrics come at a price, and payment is dutifully collected from your spine at the end of the day. The R8 doesn't try to stray too far from the luxurious comfort available in its road cars.
Audi says there is now a greater difference between the R8's driving modes, and in the more comfortable settings, the coupe certainly feels perfectly pleasant over long distances. With everything switched to Dyanamic, however, you get to enjoy the R8 at its fullest. The rear-biased Quattro system gives the car a mostly rear-wheel-drive feel, but with the benefit of all-wheel-drive grip when you need it. Carbon ceramic brakes come standard on the V10 Performance, with giant, six-pot calipers that can scrub off speed remarkably well, without being too grabby at lower speeds.
Although the R8 can feel a little heavy it is still nicely composed through bends. It definitely feels rear biased without getting too squirmy. A trailed brake into a corner can easily initiate rotation, but the Quattro system immediately allows you to use the available torque to pull you straight out of a corner and onto the next.
The result is an R8 that still works as a great supercar for those who may not have previously driven a car with more than 600 horsepower. The roar of the engine and the thrill of the thrust get your heart pumping while the drivetrain and chassis make sure you don't get yourself into a situation you can't get out of.
If there's one thing I would've liked in this update, it's a tweak of the steering wheel-mounted paddles that control the eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission. Where both Lamborghini and Ferrari offer engaging, beautifully crafted paddles nestled behind the wheel, Audi still insists on using small, plastic units that feel dead to the touch and make you seriously consider whether or not it's ever worth taking the R8 out of fully automatic mode.
This is in stark contrast to the manual gearbox with which the Audi R8 originally offered more than a decade ago. That gated gearbox was one of the most fun and characterful around, and while the switch to a dual-clutch-only setup is a sign of the times, what we're left with is a horrible substitute to do-it-yourself shifting. Of course, most customers likely won't use the paddles at all.
The 2020 Audi R8 doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. Rather, the nudges and tweaks help the car stay up to date. In fact, it's what hasn't changed that makes this car so special. For as long as the R8 keeps its glorious, naturally aspirated engine and incredible driving experience, it's going to take a lot more than lousy shift paddles to make me lose my interest.
Editors' note: Travel costs related to this feature were covered by the manufacturer. This is common in the auto industry, as it's far more economical to ship journalists to cars than to ship cars to journalists. While Roadshow accepts multiday vehicle loans from manufacturers in order to provide scored editorial reviews, all scored vehicle reviews are completed on our turf and on our terms.
The judgments and opinions of Roadshow's editorial team are our own and we do not accept paid editorial content.


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ALL FAQs
38. How safe are online payments? What about security?
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Given the nature of our business - no books are necessary for the courses, and are not offered. The certificates may be easily printed as often as you like for the duration of the certificate. We do not mail the certificates of completion.
15. Can you mail me my certificate?
Due to the online nature of our business we do not mail certificates of completion. However, if you are having difficulties printing the certificate due to your system's software limitations, you may elect to fax a copy to any number in the US from the main menu.
35. Why is New York State (NYSED and NYSDOH) approval so important? Are you approved?
If you do not live or work in New York State, it may not be. However, for the thousands of clinicians and educators who do - an approved course provider is mandatory. In August 1992, legislation was passed establishing a requirement that certain health care professionals must receive training on infection control and barrier precautions every four years upon renewal of their license. In August 2008, legislation was passed requiring certain changes be made to the training curriculum, the training process, and those requiring training. The Infection Control and Barrier Precaution law applies to the following professions: dental hygienists, dentists, licensed practical nurses, optometrists, physicians, physician assistants, podiatrists, registered professional nurses and specialist assistants. As of November 3, 2008, the requirement for training will also include medical students, medical residents, and physician assistant students. Our Infection Control and Barrier Precautions course is approved by both the State of New York Department of Health (I02138) and the Education Department (IC161).
37. Are your certificates accepted by all other states?
Yes. At the time of this publication, New York State is the only locale that requires specific state-approved certification. There is no other state that has formal requirements for teaching any of the courses that we offer. Our certificates are accepted by virtually all local, State, and Federal organizations and employers.
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28. I was using PayPal to purchase a course and received an error. What now?
Although we are not directly involved in how PayPal handles the payment process, we will be more than happy to try to troubleshoot your issue. Please let us know of the type of error you are receiving. If for some reason your PayPal payments are repeatedly denied or an error is received from PayPal, you should try payment via credit card instead. Rest assured, no money will be deducted from your account without your final approval and prompt confirmation via email.
39. How safe is my personal information?
We do not sell, share, or otherwise disclose any of your personal information to any third party. The exception to this is during processing of your payment via Authorize.net or PayPal and when submitting NYS certificates to the New York State Education Department. In these exempt scenarios, all information is transmitted via the highest level of SSL/TSL security available. Please see our Privacy Policy for more.
11. When printing my certificate, it comes out small. What can I do?
In Adobe Reader, please select "File" --> "Print". In that menu select "Page Scaling" to "Fit to Printable Area" and select "Auto-rotate and Center", then try printing again.
1. How do I get and print my certificate?
Please log in to your account and click "Print", "E-Mail", or "Fax" next to the "Actions" area of the "MY CERTIFICATES" tab to retrieve a copy. These features are free and available for the duration of your certificate! See here for more.
9. How many times can I take the quiz?
As many times as you like during the 30-day active window. The minimum passing score is 70% for all courses.
20. Do I have to take the course in one sitting?
Not at all. You may log back in and continue your course as often as you like during the 30-day active period.
22. I have questions. How do I contact VMD Health Care Training?
The best way to contact us is through the "Contact Us" tab above. A representative is available for Live Chat Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM EST. Alternatively you may send us an email from the "Contact Us" tab and we will generally respond within 30 minutes or less! Due to the often-times mobile nature of our training center staff, we cannot guarantee a timely response to phone calls and voice mail messages so the afore-mentioned two options are highly recommended.
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We make every possible effort to respond to your e-mail messages within 30 minutes or less during business hours. However, if you have not received a response please check your e-mail Junk Mail folder and/or add to your safe sender list.
5. I have finished reading the materials. How do I take the quiz?
In the right-hand portion of the course window, please find the button labeled "Quiz" and click it.
17. What is your refund policy?
Your satisfaction is extremely important to us! Should you experience any technical difficulties with any of our courses which prevent your from completing them, and all technical support troubleshooting measures have failed to resolved the issue, we will promptly offer a 100% refund to your credit/debit card or PayPal account. All requests for refunds must be submitted via email or the Contact tab. However, no refunds will be issued once a course is already completed or if the 30-day registration window has expired. If necessary, you may request an extension to your registration window. Should you request your credit card issuer to cancel or reverse payment, your account will be immediately suspended, certificate(s) revoked, and associated governing bodies notified of your revoked certificate(s), and you will furthermore become liable for any and all charges incurred by VMD Health Care Training through the chargeback, for which you will be billed.
26. When trying to submit my certificate to New York State, my profession is not listed.
Regrettably, if it is not listed then New York State does not currently accept/require electronic submissions of your credentials.
36. Which professions are eligible for the New York Infection Control course?
Any profession whose licensure is governed by the New York State Education Department and/or the New York State Department of Health (dentists, dental hygienists, licensed practical nurses, optometrists, podiatrists, registered nurses, physicians, physician assistants, and specialist assistant, etc). Some professions (i.e. tattoo artists) may have special requirements. Please consult your profession's administrative body to determine whether NYSED/NYSDOH training is acceptable or if they require their own specific infection control training.
27. What payment methods are accepted?
VISA, MasterCard, and Discover credit/debit cards and PayPal are the currently accepted payment options. For corporate accounts, American Express (via PayPal) and company checks are also acceptable.
30. Can I add more than one name to a certificate?
No. Each certificate may only contain one name. If you attempt to add additional names - certificates and cards will not be printed and your account may be subject to termination. Please create a separate account for each student.
31. I forgot to enter a discount code. Can I get a partial refund?
Partial refunds are not available. However, if you contact us immediately (usually within 1 hour), we may be able to stop the credit card transaction, refund the full payment, and cancel your account. You would then be able to re-register and use the discount code. If, however, sufficient time has lapsed, or if you have already started or completed a course, we will not be able to offer partial refunds for the difference.
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You may need to clear your browser's cache. Please visit here for more. Alternatively, you may need to reset your "Privacy Browsing" settings.
34. What are the types of Group Rate accounts?
There are two types of corporate accounts available:
- The "pre-paid" account provides the organization with a discounted rate and allows all students to be pre-registered. This type of account is generally best for a one-time small- to medium-size group registration where the cost of registration is handled by the company. The names of your students must be known ahead of time, however, so that they can be manually entered into our registration database.
- The "discount code" account option allows the students to register on their own and enter a discount code which will lower the price on the selected course. This provides the organization with a single training location at a custom website for current and/or future staff members to take a course when necessary over an unrestricted period of time. This option is best for large groups that have a constant flow of trainees/students.
In both cases the discount is dependent on the number of students, so please contact us for a quote. You can also get more information and a preview of the free features included in our corporate accounts here.
4. My certificate looks fine in Adobe Reader, but does not print right.
In Adobe Reader, please click Print --> Advanced --> and select "Print As Image". Please click here for more.
18. I need to change my name or license number. How do I do that?
When logging into your account for the first time, you will be asked to update your name for how your wish for it to appear on the certificate. You will also be able to enter a license number, if you wish. Once that is done, however, you will need to contact us directly with the requested changes, and we will change them manually in the database. Once updated, you can download another copy of your certificate.
12. The only thing that appears on my certificate is my name, license number, today's date along with your seal. Is this correct?
Not quite. This may sometimes happen on Mac computers, since they default to open PDF files via the Preview application which does not properly format our secured certificates. Saving the PDF certificate to your computer and opening it directly with the latest version of Adobe Reader (not the Preview application that Macs are set to default to) settles this issue. It's a known limitation in Apple's Preview application that is regrettably outside of our control. From the same screen (Main Menu) where you saw the certificate, click "View PDF", from there you can save the certificate to your desktop and then open it directly with Adobe Reader (File--> Open --> location of saved PDF). Alternatively you may wish to set Adobe Reader as the default PDF file program to avoid similar problems in the future.
13. Once I complete a course, how long is the certificate maintained for and how often can I access it?
We maintain your certificate for its entire duration (i.e. 1, 2, or 4 years, depending on the course). In addition, records of completion and accounts are maintained for six years. You can access your certificate (view, save, print, fax, and/or submit) free-of-charge as many times as you like, as long as it has not expired, by simply logging back in to your account.
21. My certificate is set to expire or has expired. What are my options?
You may simply click "Renew Course" from the main menu to purchase a renewed course registration.
16. How many continuing education credits can I claim and how are they rated?
Since so many professions use different standards for continuing education, we designate each course's continuing education value as "contact hours". This value can be found on each course's respective page on this site and on the printed certificates. Past that, it is then up to the individual or organization to determine how those will apply to his/her professional licensing board and in what form (i.e. CEU, CME, CE, etc). Unfortunately, we do not know of each board's criteria and thus recommend that you contact your organization directly for details on how to apply the continuing education hours earned through us to your specific need and format.
14. I want to save the certificate to my computer. How do I do that?
That will depend on the type of web browser you are using. From the same screen where you clicked "Begin Course", please click "Print". If you have Adobe Reader plug-in installed, your certificate will appear in that window, and there you can simply click the "Save" button which looks like a computer disk. If your certificate does not appear, then you may need to click "View as PDF" and your computer will open or save the certificate as a PDF file to the default location on your computer. The action your browser takes will depend on the current settings of your system, browser, and/or Adobe Reader. Please remember to always open your certificate with Adobe Reader, not any other PDF reader.
2. Trouble seeing the course content and/or quiz.
If these measures fail, we strongly recommend you try a different computer, browser, or network (if working from office/school) - as some of your settings or plug-ins may be the cause.
40. When logging in the screen just goes back to the login screen!
The system may not have fully finished processing your registration. Please attempt logging in again in just a few minutes. If still unsuccessful after 15 minutes, please contact our technical support team to ensure that your registration was finalized.
29. Can I download and print the course materials before I take the quiz?
Absolutely! Each course has a link to a downloadable PDF file. You can then return to the quiz whenever time permits.
41. No date of completion on certificate.
In Adobe Reader, please click Print --> Advanced --> and select "Print As Image". Please click here for more.
42. How do I know if my certificate has been submitted to the NYSED?
Simply log back into your account. Click "My Certificates" and look for the e-Submission part. If the "Submit to NYSED" button is active, then either you have not yet requested your certificate to be submitted or the request is being processed. Otherwise, the "Submitted" message will be displayed in that area.
We do not have any control over when/how the NYSED processes the certificate past this point. Please contact them directly with licensing questions.
43. What is my group discount code?
Please contact the appropriate representative at your organization (e.g. HR, course coordinator, supervisor). We cannot give out discount codes to individuals.
44. NYSED (New York State Education Department) certificate submission question.
Please note that we do not govern what and how the NYSED processes certificates. If you are trying to submit an electronic copy of your certificate to the NYSED and either your profession is not listed, or you do not have a part of the required fields (i.e. SSN, license number, etc.), then we regrettably cannot be of further help as all data fields are provided by the NYSED directly.
45. Group registration questions.
Our policy governs that a minimum of 5 (five) accounts must be purchased to qualify for group discount rates. Additionally, if you are interested in purchasing multiple courses for your group, then the two (or more) course groups will have be registered separately as two corporate accounts.
46. Incompatible system. Would like a refund.
Our refund policy is that you must attempt to resolve the issue via technical support. If all attempts fail, then you are eligible for a refund. Please note that our system has been extensively tested to work in all modern systems and browsers.
47. My ACLS, BLS, CPR, CABS, or BFA certificate is expired. How do I renew it?
Unfortunately, we no longer offer any of these courses. Thank you.
48. Internet Explorer 8
As you may be aware, Microsoft had ended all support for Windows XP in 2015. Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) - the most recent version of IE that will run in Windows XP - will no longer be supported by Microsoft. As a result, Internet Explorer 8 will no longer be supported for use with our website. If you continue to use Internet Explorer 8, you may experience serious issues which will prevent you from completing actions or prompt error messages. To avoid these issues, users who are currently running IE8 should upgrade. Click the link below to visit Microsoft's website and download IE9. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-9-worldwide-languages Windows XP users who are unable to upgrade to IE9 should use a different browser, such as Firefox or Chrome. Firefox: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ Chrome: https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/ If your institution prevents you from downloading and installing new applications, please contact your IT department.
49. Setting up a pay-as-you-go group account.
Unfortunately, we do not offer this option yet.
50. I have just signed up, and am unable to log in.
At times, it may take a few minutes for the system to fully process your registration. Please try logging in again in just a few minutes. If you are unable to log in after 15 minutes, please contact us to ensure that your registration was successful. Thank you.
51. General Payment Failure - when registering
This message indicates that our credit card processor is unable to communicate with your web browser.
If these measures fail, we strongly recommend you try a different computer, browser, or network (if working from office/school) - as some of your settings or plug-ins may be the cause.

subset: commoncrawl


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Fri, 28 October 2016
Platform as a service is a growing trend in data science where services like fraud analysis and face detection can be provided via APIs. Such services turn the actual model into a black box to the consumer. But can the model be reverse engineered?
Florian Tramèr shares his work in this episode showing that it can. The paper Stealing Machine Learning Models via Prediction APIs is definitely worth your time to read if you enjoy this episode. Related source code can be found in https://github.com/ftramer/Steal-ML.
Direct download: stealing-models-from-the-cloud.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:54am PST
Fri, 21 October 2016
For machine learning models created with the random forest algorithm, there is no obvious diagnostic to inform you which features are more important in the output of the model. Some straightforward but useful techniques exist revolving around removing a feature and measuring the decrease in accuracy or Gini values in the leaves. We broadly discuss these techniques in this episode.
Direct download: feature-importance.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:24am PST
Fri, 14 October 2016
As cities provide bike sharing services, they must also plan for how to redistribute bicycles as they inevitably build up at more popular destination stations. In this episode, Hui Xiong talks about the solution he and his colleagues developed to rebalance bike sharing systems.
Direct download: nyc-bike-share-rebalancing.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am PST
Fri, 7 October 2016
Random forest is a popular ensemble learning algorithm which leverages bagging both for sampling and feature selection. In this episode we make an analogy to the process of running a bookstore.
Direct download: random-forest.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am PST


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How can unions support disabled employees?
In order to support disabled people and promote equality, trade unions have recently developed new specialist workplace Equality Representative and Disability Champion roles. The role of these representatives is to encourage employers to audit and improve equality (and disability) policies and offer independent advice and guidance on equality issues to employees. Our national survey of union Equality Representatives found that the majority have had a positive impact on employer equality practice (Bacon and Hoque 2012). However, it also suggests that increases in the impact of Equality Representative in future will be dependent on them receiving statutory rights to time off and on the inclusion of equality matters in the bargaining agenda.
Where Disability Champions are concerned, our survey of the population of Disability Champions found that the majority have had a positive impact particularly on employer willingness to conduct disability audits and to amend and improve employer equal opportunities practices with regard to disability (Bacon and Hoque 2015). This suggests that Disability Champions have significant potential to enhance the ability of unions to represent disabled people and help manage disability issues within the workplace.
Academic research Articles within this theme:
Bacon N and K Hoque (2015) The influence of trade union Disability Champions on employer disability policy and practice, Human Resource Management Journal, 25(2): 233-249.
Hoque K and N Bacon (2014) Unions, joint regulation and workplace equality policy and practice in Britain: evidence from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey, Work, Employment and Society, 28(2): 265-284.
Bacon, N. and Hoque, K. (2012) The role and impact of trade union equality representatives in Britain, British Journal Of Industrial Relations, 50(2): 239-262.


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How to Leverage Social Media to Turn Fans into Voters | JSB Talks Digital Podcast
JSB Talks Digital is a weekly digital marketing and social media podcast hosted by author, strategist, consultant, speaker and trainer Joanne Sweeney-Burke. Each Friday Joanne shares her digital marketing and social media insights from her work as CEO of Digital Training Institute.
In this episode I talk about the role social media plays in political communications. In a week where France elects its youngest ever President, I pose the question: Is digital communications revolutionizing electioneering as we know it?
Coming up in this podcast:
- In social media news, Facebook Reactions now available in comments; new research reveals the uniqueness of Snapchat user; and you can now search Twitter for emojis;
- I speak to politicians about the role social media plays in political communications;
- In shout-outs: Three political case studies – good and bad;
- My listeners Ask JSB and I answer their questions on air;
- In JSB's column – How to campaign, convert and conquer by leveraging social media to turn fans into voters; and
- The tool that saved my working week.
Social Media News
Facebook Reactions are now available in comments
In an exciting development, Facebook users can now react to comments with emojis. The feature allows users to react quickly to discussions under user' posts and status updates with the Like button and now with Reactions – 'Love', 'Haha', 'Wow', 'Sad' and 'Angry'.
To reply to a comment with one of the emojis, all users need to do is hover over the Like button directly below the comment and wait for the faces to appear.
Previously, users could either Like a comment or reply to it with text or an image.
Facebook first introduced its Reactions emoji a year ago, but back then, users could only use them on posts and updates, not comments.
They've since landed on Messenger too, where they work in the exact same manner.
New research reveals the uniqueness of Snapchat audiences
It looks like Snapchat users are a unique audience and many cannot be targeted by Facebook or Instagram. New research has looked at cross-app usage between Snapchat and the other top social apps.
Overall, the most overlap occurred with Facebook's main apps: Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
New research by App Annie Intelligence has revealed that on any given day in the US, 35% of Snapchat's daily users cannot be reached by Facebook, 46% can't be reached by Instagram and 58% can't be reached by Messenger.
As marketers we should be taking notice that a significant number of Snapchat users are not using Facebook on a daily basis.
The lesson from this research is that a one platform fits all strategy will not win over the high-spending, highly influential Gen Z demographic who want a more personalized social media experience.
You can now search Twitter for emojis
I really don't know how this latest social media feature update is going to add value to marketers, but you can now search Twitter for emojis.
A quick search for random emojis revealed random tweets and lots of spam!
If we are to use this new feature strategically should we have bespoke groups or pairs of emojis that we tell our followers to use to share, engage or promote a particular conversation.
However, I can see one clear benefit Because of Twitter's 140-character limit emojis can be helpful as an emoji can replace a whole word.
Interview | MEPs
In today's show I speak to MEPs at the EPP Bureau Meeting in Wicklow about the role of social media in political communications.
Tune in to the podcast to listen to their answers to my questions.
Ask JSB
Ask JSB brings the voices of my listeners onto the show. So you now have an opportunity to ask me a question, have it aired on the podcast and I will respond.
Do you want to ask JSB a question?
If you want to hear your voice on JSB Talks Digital simply log on to digitaltraining.ie/askjsb and you might find yourself and your question on air!
In this part of the show I give shout-outs to brands, organisations and individuals whose work online is remarkable and worth talking about.
In today's show I'm sharing three political social media case studies.
President Trump's First 100 days in office in emojis
Emoji marketing is a thing, if you hadn't already realized it by now.
Social media analytics software company Talkwalker released an infographic charting President Trumps first 100 days in office in emojis!
Using Talkwalker's Emoji Theme Cloud, they show how people reacted throughout his first few months in office.
When it comes to elections and voting, the world is no stranger to social media conversations. Brexit, the new US president and, most recently, the French elections have all been met with astounding levels of discussion online.
Using the Talkwalker social media analytics tool, the search term "Trump" generated a staggering 67 million results in the last 30 days, and in a normal week, @realDonaldTrump racks up more than three million mentions on Twitter.
So Trump has an undeniably gigantic influence, and his tweets are a much more immediate way of communicating than whatever structures were in place before he took the stage.
A bad joke is always bad especially on social media
It's not that you can't or shouldn't include humour in your social media posts. That does work, as former US President Barack Obama demonstrated. It's that you should not do so if there is no other point to the post.
You'd think a PR executive would know better, but Justine Sacco turned her life upside down with one seriously un-thought-out tweet. Words can't do justice in describing this, so here is the tweet that started the whole fiasco:
It wasn't smart, but she did later explain (quite well) that the post was intended as a joke against the widely held racist beliefs about Africans and AIDS.
In an interview with Jon Ronson for his book So You've Been Publicly Shamed, Sacco explained: "Only an insane person would think that white people don't get AIDS. I thought there was no way that anyone could possibly think it was literal… Living in America puts us in a bit of a bubble when it comes to what is going on in the third world. I was making fun of that bubble."
Unfortunately, though, many people did take the comments literally, and so the tweet rapidly went viral. Leading to this:
Being on and 11 hour flight, Justine had no idea of the drama that was unfolding in Cyberspace. After all, her account had only 127 followers. After arriving in South Africa, it didn't take long for her to discover the dreadful truth, which led to this:
But the horse had already bolted on this one. Nobody was interested in hearing Justine Sacco say she was sorry, they wanted her to be sorry:
In the end, it's probably safe to assume that she is sorry, and the reaction was probably overly harsh, especially since she wasn't an important or influential person in the eyes of many at that time. Her comments were stupid, but wouldn't have had much impact if people hadn't relentlessly re-tweeted them.
Talking about his book topic, Jon Ronson said: "I also began to marvel at the disconnect between the severity of the crime and the gleeful savagery of the punishment. It almost felt as if the shamings were happening for their own sake, as if they were following a script."
The bottom line here is that making jokes in person is a lot easier than making them online. Written humour, especially on the internet, is best left to professionals.
Opponent's families should be off-limits
Never use the family of your opponent as pawns in a political attack, as it's not only unethical, not only unfair, but it can backfire on you badly. Here's an example from Trump that was roundly condemned, and also one of the rare occasions where he actually backed down:
If it's not clear, this re-tweet insinuates that Jeb Bush's wife is possibly an illegal immigrant and/or supports illegals, purely on the basis of her race. This was racist, defamatory, and frankly ungracious but he uncharacteristically backed down on this one.
JSB's Column | Campaign, Convert and Conquer: How to Leverage Social Media to Turn Fans into Voters
In today's column, I'm sharing my insights on how to campaign, convert and conquer by leverage social media to turn fans into voters.
Newlyweds – Social Media and Politics
It isn't that the political realm and the social media universe haven't ever met, in fact some surprising statistics from 2012 tell us that:
- 35% of social network users encouraged others to vote.
- 38% promoted political postings
- 28% posted links to political or politically-related stories.
Does anyone remotely believe that these trends have done anything but grow over the past four years? Much of that activity was apparently related to the 2012 Presidential election. Perhaps it was then that these seemingly opposite factions decided to embark in a relationship. Since then, there has been plenty of action taken by political candidates and their advisors to make a move into the social media arena. We are quickly discovering the power to transform social media fans into knowledgeable, influential and valued voters.
The core principles of running a social media campaign really don't vary from that of traditional political campaigns. It is still about the message, the place and the people.
The Message – The message of the political campaign is the heartbeat of the campaign, and that message doesn't alter because it is being delivered via social media. Just as it is with traditional campaigns, a good message needs to be seen and heard. That means finding the right places, or in this case the right forums to announce that message.
The Place – What was once television commercials, mailings and billboards has now become social media platforms, messengers and personal engagement activity. The message of any campaign looking to take advantage of social media forums needs to be delivered through these channels. Simply put, if that message isn't put in a place where people can see it, it fails. It fails to reach its listeners, and one-day potential voters…because it is all about people in the end.
The People – People elect candidates, so candidates need people. The right message that is delivered to the right place translates to victory. That means having a message that works and delivering that message to the place and in the forums that will reach them. This will position a campaign to covert them…
Talking to people is one thing, persuading, influencing and convincing people is another animal altogether. Social media has permitted such influence as a result of its very nature and design. It starts with the root of familiarity, which allows for an easier connection that can then convince and win and turn fans into voters.
Familiar – The organic, friendly and accustomed feel of social media platforms lends itself to your political message being more acceptable. Spams interrupt everything and feels like a nuisance. Even television commercials break-in to our favorite programs making them unwanted. Social media avenues are more subtle, natural to the user's environment and are more often welcomed. That is where the opportunity for connection presents itself…
Connecting – Your campaign didn't even have to knock on the door, it was invited in to have a cup of coffee and a minute to talk. That is the social media invitation – and that is when your message is delivered. If your message moves that person, group or organization, the potential to win voters begins to take shape. Those people were on familiar ground, you met them and connected with them – now make them care.
Convince – People vote because they care, and they care because they are convinced that they should or maybe even need to. Your message is taken to their home, your message connects with them on some level and now through the conversations, engagements and the influence afforded by social media, they can be convinced to care.
Win the hearts and minds of your fans, talk to them and listen to them where they are – and many are on social media. There may not be a greater evidence of how effective and powerful social media is than the current U.S. President. Go check out how many followers President Trump has on Twitter alone, it begins to make sense real fast, right?
The Marketplace Model
The online marketplace is the model for every campaign, and by using the raw numbers of people online and the power of social media, e-commerce and online companies have become rivals to all. They have conquered the barrier of storefronts, of lacking tangibles and everything else.
Campaign smart, convert your fans and supporters and conquer the goals of your campaign. Contact us if you want to know more about using social media or how to tap into its potential power to help your campaign. If winning the social media universe can deliver a presidency, what can it do for you?
If you want to know more about developing a social media strategy for politics, get in touch. Simply drop me an email to [email protected]
Social Media Tool of the Week
The social media tool that saved my working week is Sentiment140.
Sentiment140 allows you to discover the sentiment of a brand, product, or topic on Twitter. The tool was developed by Standford University students.
Assessing sentiment in your social media strategy is very important.
So while auditing a Twitter account this week I used this tool to assess the brand sentiment of the profile.
You can also search by keyword for example and include the name of a politician or an opponent to view their sentiment analysis.
So how does it work?
In their university paper, Alec Go, Richa Bhayani and Lei Huang state that:
"…the results of machine learning algorithms for classifying the sentiment of Twitter messages using distant supervision. Our training data consists of Twitter messages with emoticons, which are used as noisy labels. This type of training data is abundantly available and can be obtained through automated means."
Find out more at http://help.sentiment140.com/ – and it's free to use.
Link to their paper: https://www-cs.stanford.edu/people/alecmgo/papers/TwitterDistantSupervision09.pdf
I love feedback
I'd love to know what you think about this episode. So please get in touch by commenting below or tweet me @tweetsbyJSB or send me a snap to jsbsnaps.
Listen: JSB Talks Digital | Episode #47
I would like to thank Eoghan Murphy aka The Galway Gamer for producing my podcast series and to Flirt FM on the campus of NUI, Galway where I am based for the use of their studio.


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In Connecticut, professional moving companies offer services to commercial and residential property owners. Through their services, they mitigate common risks that can lead to damage or financial losses. They also present property owners with assistance through an already stressful life event. The following are steps followed by Long Distance Movers in Connecticut.
Prepare the Shipment
The movers arrive at the property with adequate packaging supplies. For long distance moves, the moving company may utilize crates to contact large-scale items. This may include furniture, automobiles, or appliances. Crating is beneficial for securing the items and preventing them from shifting during long distance transports. The movers also use thick padding to prevent breakables from moving and breaking.
Plan the Transport
The service provider plans out the transport. The movers determine the exact amount of time needed to load and unload the transport vehicles. This helps them to coordinate their efforts with the property owner to ensure that the delivery is on time. It also ensures that the property owner is moved out of their current property according to their preferred schedule.
Identify the Best Route for the Delivery
The moving company reviews all routes that lead to the new property. As they assess the routes, they determine what routes could present high risks. This includes the probability of high traffic volumes and high crime areas. They also explore what routes could present them with a better guarantee for delivering the items to the new location on time.
Calculate the Full Cost of Moving
The movers review the full cost of the move with the property owner. It is based on the total distance to the new location as well as the total number of transport vehicles required. If the property owner wants additional insurance coverage, they will be required to pay additional fees.
In Connecticut, professional moving companies provide invaluable services to commercial and residential property owners. The services lower the risk of damage and help the property owners to avoid personal injuries. The cost of the services is minimal as compared to the overall benefits the property owners receive. Property owners who are ready to move and need Long Distance Movers in Connecticut visit Website Domain today. You can also visit them on YouTube Channel.


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The color red has been associated with Christmas since time unknown. Do you wonder why? Firstly, it's the color of Santa's clothes. Secondly, it brings back the fond memories that make Christmas such a special time. But more than anything else, red and white color combination is extremely comforting and familiar. This lively and bright color scheme adds coziness to any space. So we have gathered 40 of the most beautiful red and white Christmas decorating ideas for you. Have a look below!
You May Also Like To Read:
- Top 40 Silver And White Christmas Decoration Ideas
- Top 40 Fun And Festive Red And Green Christmas Decoration Ideas
- 17 Purple Christmas Trees Decorating Ideas
- Pink Christmas Decoration Ideas
Red And White Christmas Tree:
A red and white themed Christmas tree is common, but what stands out here is the selection of ornaments. We especially loved the angel ornament.
A Festive Dining Hall:
Red and white does not only mean tradition. You can also create a modern décor with red accents. This dining hall is a perfect example of it.
A Traditional Dining Hall:
If you are a traditionalist by heart, you can replicate this idea. It is slightly over the top, yet looks stunning.
Red And White Staircase Garland:
If you are opting for a similar décor, keep the rest of the decoration minimal.
- Red And White Living Room:
Here's a stylish red and white living room décor for you. The highlight of this décor is the Christmas tree decorated with red and white baubles.
Another Lovely Red And White Living Room:
Here's another beautiful example of the red and white living room. The decoration is kept minimal in this idea. The Merry Christmas sign is my favorite.
Outdoor Christmas Tree:
Here's a lovely idea if you experience white Christmas in your region. And it's very easy to replicate. Just tie red ribbons of the tree and lace on a white vase filled with snow.
A Stack Of Gifts:
Here's the easiest way to deck you're the area surrounding your Christmas tree. Wrap some gift boxes in red and white colored wrapping paper and decorate with the same colored ribbon and gift tags.
Red And White Christmas Cake:
This cake is too pretty to eat. Look at the intricate design made on the cake. It's sure to be the showstopper of your dinner table.
A Christmassy Tree:
It couldn't get any more Christmas. Could it? The cluster of red berries in place of stars is an excellent idea.
Hang Candy Canes From The Window:
We loved the idea of hanging candy canes from the window frame. It's simple, yet effective.
A Red And White Door Decoration:
Purchase some red and white tapes and get started on this decoration idea.
Cranberry Candle Arrangement:
Stack a crystal sauce on a transparent glass plate, place a red pillar candle in the saucer and range fresh cranberries around it. You have a beautiful centerpiece.
Stockings On The Mantelpiece:
White stockings are stitched up using fleece, quilted cotton or muslin, embellished with fringed felt and then hung by the chimney.
Table Setting:
In this decoration idea, striped runners made from the ticking fabric are placed on the table and topped with color-coordinated tableware.
Lovely Cookies:
These sugar cookies have us salivating. It is decorated beautifully with food-coloring.
A Red And White Table Décor:
This one is definitely one of our top ten ideas for table decoration. It's elegant, simple and stunning.
Plaid Table:
Here we have a red and white Christmas tale with a hint of green. The plaid table runner will look great throughout the year.
Ombre Candles:
Blend the candles with the rest of your décor with this beautiful ombre candle. You'll need red acrylic paint for making this decorative item.
Be Jolly:
Christmas is all about being innovative with the ideas. So make a bar corner using the red and white drinks and cutleries.
A Gorgeous Red And White Kitchen:
Do not overlook the kitchen when decorating the house. Give your white kitchen a brilliant makeover by throwing a few red accents here and there.
For The Bedroom:
If space for a Christmas tree is tight, then place miniature box trees on the shelf or chest drawer. Do not forget to hang the snowflakes.
Merry Christmas Sign:
Here's a bright and merry sign made using a stencil. It will look beautiful placed on the mantel.
Red And White Winter Vase:
Transform your old vases into a beautiful centerpiece for Christmas with this idea. Instead of berries, you can even add red amaryllis flowers. It will look stunning.
Season's Greetings:
Instead of filling the table with names, just jot down the Christmas note or the guest's name on a chalkboard tag.
Nordic Ambience:
Refreshing red and white are used to create this lovely ambiance. Just flank the sofa with matching lampshades on bright lamp bases. The textual pillows and sweater-knit are adding warmth.
Red And White Candle Arrangement:
Embellish your candle with sparkling red tape, place on a brass plate and surround with red ornaments to make a table centerpiece. This decoration idea will bring home the cozy spirit of winter.
Red And White Ribbon Wreath:
This red and white wreath is made using STYROFOAM and loads of red and white ribbon. You can add a touch of sparkle by adding silver ribbons too!
Striped Sofa:
The highlight of this room is definitely the striped sofa. Clear the clutter in your house and place these neat fold out paper trees to create a cozy atmosphere.
Mini Wreaths:
Use mini wreaths on a traditional red and white setting to pump up the look.
Red And White Bedding:
There is nothing more comforting than a room decked in holiday tones. So spread the feeling of love and warmth by placing red and white blanket and pillows on the chair.
A Cheerful Fireplace:
Place miniature Christmas trees on the fireplace and add some bright red stockings to make it stand out even more.
Bottles makes cheap, yet handy candleholder. Collect a few glass bottles of the same size and color them white and red. Top the holder with contrasting candles.
Let There Be Light:
Decorate your chandelier with festive berries and adorn with lovely Christmas ornaments.
Reindeer Stickers:
Dress up the corner of the kitchen with these jumping reindeer stickers. And you can hang a bright red stocking from a white cabinet.
Vintage Shelf:
Ample of red, white and green are put on this kitchen shelf.
A Feature Wall:
This dining hall is filled with color and light, which is creating a welcoming glow in the house. The bright red wallpaper is going well with ruby red glasses.
For The Little Ones:
I'm seriously crushing on this advent calendar idea. Fill clear, plastic baubles with treats of your choice and as the day pass; replace the treat with decoration.
Red And White Crackers:
White and red epitomize Scandinavian style. We'd suggest you to go for a mix of patterns and add glassware for a celebratory look.
Nutty Napkins:
Festive nuts and fruits are threaded on a wire to make these delicious napkin rings. The red crystal plate is also beautiful.