Tips on Submitting Press Releaseses


Confused about Press Release Sites

I know I’m guilty of hibernating. Was it a year? I just got too pre-occupied with a lot of things, particularly my role as an internet marketing consultant. I apologize for taking this blog for granted. I sure want to blog as much, but the availability of time keeps on pushing me back. There are other blogs which I penned that reflect what I do or what I feel. The latest is a mapping blog where I derived ideas from the mapping applications and techniques used for data visualization. The other is a collection of inspiring thoughts, ideas to live by to nourish the spirit. By doing so, I think I am still in the WordPress circulation.

So anyway, I decided that this time, I will be tackling a new issue – internet marketing.

Internet Marketing

Well, it’s not that new for anyone who’s into the business for 10 years or so. But it’s a whole new topic to be discussed for this particular blog. Internet marketing is as popular as the surge in popularity of internet itself. It covers a lot of topic from article marketing, press release submission, email marketing, website content creation, copywriting, and a lot more. I take pride on having a considerable number of experience with a lot of those mentioned since I really love my job and the intricacies of internet marketing. The more they clobbered me, the more my interests spark.

On this note I became fascinated with submitting press releases to various sites. Some of them are very effective and brings a very good number of web visitors who eventually became satisfied customers. There are exceptional sites that I regularly used with minimal fees. Some of them are:

  • i-newswire
  • PR
  • PR9.net
  • prweb
  • 24-7pressrelease
  • 1888pressrelease
  • prleap
  • SBWire

Meanwhile, there are also some press release sites where you can submit for free. Some of them email detailed reports about my press releases’ statistics and I really appreciate that. At the end of my shift everyday, I really take the time to learn about the statistics to help me get insights on what readers like to read, what keywords to use, and what else to improve. I like using:

  • Prlog
  • Free-Press-Release
  • freepressrelease
  • freepressreleasecenter.info
  • briefingwire
  • seenation

But the others are really confusing. Like this instance when I used Free Press Index, I thought I will be getting the same good experience when I used Free-Press-Release. Wendy from Free-Press-Release was helpful and assisting everytime I encounter an issue. But what I experience using Free Press Index was the opposite. I emailed them 3 times and I never get any response. I used my fund for a paid PR but the PR submitted is still on hold. Boy, I am confused as ever!

If you have any problems or troubles with press release submission, maybe you can use the PR sites mentioned above. I would discourage you to use Free Press Index as  they are not responsive and just waste your time. For those who have PR submission experiences, what do you suggest?

3 Points I Learned About “Bearing Thorough Witness”


One of the good things about long holidays is that I get to focus more on personal bible studies. This week, I had the  Oral Review, Congregation Book Study and Highlights of Hosea 8-14 as part of our Weekly Bible Reading to review. My employer was very kind enough to allow me take the holiday leaves. And so, right after my working shift, I was able to concentrate on my personal bible study.

We just had the last part of the book “Bearing Thorough Witness” About God’s Kingdom tackled during our midweek meeting. From the 30 minute discussion, I learned these points:

(1) Reverential Fear (Acts 9:31) 

This is the kind of fear that should greatly influence our lives – our attitude towards Him and those things He hate. This kind of fear is a respectful fear of God in a way that we dread to displease Him. So before I do something or even decide on something, the first thing I should ask is, “Will this path bring a smile or displeasure to God?”

(2) Hand of Jehovah (Acts 11:21)

Just like a toddler who feels safe when he clings to the hand of his father, we will also feel safe when we cling so tight to the hand of Jehovah. If a small child let go of his father’s hand, he would feel nervous, and at lost especially with all the strangers around him. Lesson? No matter what happens, we should cling to Jehovah. Never let go of His hand.

(3) Sense of Urgency

A few months ago, during our Watchtower Study, we discussed the meaning of ‘sense of urgency.” It was likened to a firefighter who rush to an emergency call with urgency. Why? Because lives are at stake. If the firefighter was not able to respond right away, so many lives are in danger and may even die. The same is true with our preaching work. I should feel a sense of urgency because lives are at stake.

This is a lesson for me because at times, going to conduct bible studies alone is a challenge. But I was motivated by this to really make the preaching work my own so I can also display a sense of urgency.

I’ll be posting more points on my personal bible study…

Data Visualization at The Forefront of The Big Data Era


The Big Data Era caused many notions to people from all walks of life. Some are threatened, even disdained by the complexities. Others though could not care less, even bothered by the whole hullabaloo. But for many individuals, they embrace every single second being at the center of The Big Data Era. As I am becoming more inclined to the Big Data, I am also inclined to find means and ways for clear data analysis.

Growing up, I would say that I am a visual person. I understand the given information easier if I visualize the problem or the scenario. As we are now living at the heart of the Big Data Era where 90% of the data gathered just came from the last couple of years, I was initially aghast at the idea that I may be wrapped up by data here and there until I suffocate.

Thank God for Paradigm Shift! Instead of sulking on one corner and allow the  data  to take out the strength out from me, I took the liberty to search for some data analytic tools to help me overcome of this Big Data thing. I read somewhere about building maps on the fly using free applications. But maps! This is entirely new to me. When I first saw the maps, I told myself “I could never learn to use these!” But slowly, what I read struck me, even interest me, that with simple data visualizations, I can definitely understand the data in front of  me.

Just to see if I can really understand data using some tools, I thought of testing it. I played the role of a guinea pig, in a unique and nouveau way. I first tried on using free tools that are readily available. I almost forgot that  Microsoft Excel is available in my computer! When was the last time I use that program? It’s been a while – around 3 or 4 years maybe back when I was still an account Quality Coach.

So I pulled up my spreadsheets and started adding data pertaining to my location. I browsed some mapping sites and was pretty much relieved to land on an online mapping solutions provider that allows me to build free maps in three minutes or less. So I went ahead and copy all my data and pasted it on the mapping site. The result was gratifying! Me, the fearful data-phobia suddenly became fearless and faced the challenges brought by The Big Data Era.

I took another look at my map and spent another couple of minutes adding more sets of data layers on it. This time, I added the risks and competitions in the business. I used filters so I could focus more on data analysis particularly at one area. It amazes me that I can definitely plot effective planning based on these free data analytic tools!

The Big Data Era may be threatening for some. But as long as you know how to use free resources to help you analyze your data in a much simpler way, you can definitely face the challenges.

Mapping Aids in Emergency and Disaster Management (Part 1)


We do not want to experience another Tropical Storm Isaac. In times of crisis, we should be more prepared by understanding our geographic location and its relation to our community. This article is a big help. It comes in 4 parts. Check this out.

Mapping Aids in Emergency and Disaster Management Part 1

The LEGO Story – A Real Silver Lining From Dark Clouds


The LEGO Story

I am drawn to this story of triumph and success. As a kid, I grew up playing LEGO with my brothers and sisters. I also watched my twin daughters played plastic LEGO bricks as they grew up. After watching this video, I have grown to admire not only the toy building bricks but the company behind the success as well.

I hope we all learn something from this success story of Kristiansen family.