Audiophile equipment maker wants to amplify Brodheadsville business

Rogue Audio, a Brodheadsville maker of high-end consumer audio equipment, hopes to be in new digs this time next year. But before it can proceed, supervisors must approve a conditional use permit to build the new facility.The company assembles gear, such as amplifiers, pre-amplifiers and phono-preamplifiers, in a structure that’s less than 4,000 square feet. Rogue wants to build a 6,000-square-foot shop to give the company more room to work and grow.“It’s [...]

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McDonald’s is broken — only one place can save it

McDONALD’S is broken, and customers are #notlovin’it. Sales have plummeted, but there may be a way of buying the love back.

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Business Briefcase: Su joins Pocono Medical Center staff

Participates in Pocono Internal Medicine Specialist practice Pocono Medical Center welcomes Dr. Lan Su to its comprehensive and compassionate team of providers and physicians as part of the Pocono Internal Medicine Specialist practice. Su recently completed her Internal Medicine Residency at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, New York. "I would like to provide [...]

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Medicare Part D Changes Coming in 2016

Premiums will increase for most prescription drug plan beneficiaries next year.

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Rent-to-Own Homes, Explained

Photo: Amanda Wray

“If you’re renting, you’re just throwing your money away.” No doubt you’ve heard this oversimplification many places. Of course, a decision about whether to rent or buy a home is rarely that black and white: Either can make sense depending on your situation.

What if there was a way to combine the pros of both? Some say a rent-to-own deal is that happy medium. When you rent to own, part of your rent goes toward purchasing the home you’re renting at some later date. So instead of evaporating into thin air, your rent is actually laying a foundation for your future — literally.

Sounds great, but as with any major financial decision, there are pros and cons to rent-to-own deals. We’ll discuss the basics of rent to own, its benefits and drawbacks, and a few alternatives below so you can make an informed decision on whether it’s right for you.

Rent-to-Own 101: How Does It Work?

The process starts, of course, with a contract. Actually, in this case, it starts with two: a rental agreement and an option to purchase. Here’s what you need to know about both:

Rental Agreement

Your rental agreement will look much like a standard lease. It will specify your rent (more on this in a minute) and the term — in most cases, it will be two or three years.

There will be several standard terms and conditions you’ll need to meet: For instance, no smoking in the house, no pets, occupancy limits, and general conduct requirements. Violate these terms, and just like any tenant, you can be kicked out. However, this time, you also risk losing any money you’ve paid toward the home’s eventual purchase.

One big thing that may be different in this lease agreement: You, the tenant, may be responsible for maintenance costs and general upkeep of the home instead of the landlord. The logic here is that you’ll be motivated to keep the house in top shape if it will be yours in a few years. However, the landlord would still be on the hook for any repairs so major that the home would be uninhabitable without them.

Lease Option

The lease option gives you dibs to purchase the home you’re renting, typically valid for a term equal to the lease term set forth in your rental agreement. So if the rental agreement specified a three-year lease term, the lease option will usually give you three years to buy the house without worrying about anyone else swooping in and snatching it out from under you.

To maintain first dibs, you’ll pay an option fee. The amount can vary widely: According to Zillow, anywhere from 2% to 7.5% of the home’s purchase price is typical. This option fee is then credited toward the home’s purchase at the end of your term. However, if you decide not to buy, you’ll lose the money.

Make sure you’re signing a lease option, and not a lease purchase. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but a lease option gives you just that — the option to buy the home. A lease purchase obligates you to buy the home and means the seller can take legal action if you try to back out.

How Much Does Rent-to-Own Cost Me?

First, let’s talk about rent. A certain percentage of your rent will usually go toward the purchase price of the home. This is something you can, and should, negotiate with your landlord. One thing to keep in mind when you negotiate: Because of this credit, you will likely be paying more to rent the home than you otherwise would. For instance, a house that would normally go for $1,000 a month might go for $1,250, with the extra $250 saved as credit toward the home’s purchase. So if you seek a higher credit, your rent may rise accordingly. Also note that your lease will probably specify that if you’re late paying rent, you’ll lose that month’s rent credit.

Next, let’s talk about the home’s purchase price. In most deals, you will agree to a purchase price upfront, typically current market value or a bit higher. In limited other instances, you may delay that decision until your lease term is up. Whether one or the other will be more beneficial hinges on whether the home’s value rises or falls during that time. A key point in either scenario, however, is that the purchase price is also negotiable — just like you’re buying a house the traditional way.

Let’s look at an example. You enter a two-year rent-to-own agreement for a townhome. The option fee is 3% of the home’s $200,000 purchase price, or $6,000. This is due up front. Your monthly rent is $1,600, and 20% ($320) goes toward the purchase of the home every month. (Your landlord will probably put it in an escrow account during your lease.)

At the end of your two-year lease term, assuming you exercise your option to purchase, the fixed $200,000 purchase price will be discounted by a) the amount of the option fee and b) the total rent credits. So subtracting the $6,000 option fee brings the price down to $194,000. Then, subtracting $7,680 in rent credits ($320 x 24 months) further reduces it to $186,320.

And remember: If you decide not to purchase the house, the option fee and credits are nonrefundable.

Who Benefits Most From Rent-to-Own Agreements? Who Should Pass?

For the right buyer and seller, a rent-to-own deal can be a win-win. But on both sides, as with any major financial decision, there are pros and cons you’ll want to note.

Pros for buyers

Rent-to-own can be worth looking into for would-be buyers who simply can’t wrangle a mortgage the traditional way. Typically, that’s because you either lack enough cash for a down payment or your credit score isn’t strong enough to be approved for a mortgage (or both). With a rent-to-own agreement, you get more time to boost your credit and save up, all while getting a head start on building some equity.

You may also benefit from a rent-to-own agreement if you are reasonably sure you want to stay in the house and neighborhood long-term, but still want to “try it out” while maintaining an escape route (albeit a pricey one). If you can lock in a purchase price before the home’s value rises, you may be able to save in the long run, too.

Pros for sellers

Of course, there are some benefits for the sellers, too: They get a long-term tenant who has a big stake in taking care of the property, and the nonrefundable option fee helps reduce some of their risk if the buyer eventually walks.

They can often still get a high sales price and rent for the home, even in a shaky market, because the tenant/buyer gets to start building equity from the get-go. They also won’t have to pay the pricey real estate commission (usually 3%-6% of the purchase price) they would if they sold their home the traditional way.

Cons for buyers

While a lease option gives you first dibs to purchase the home you’re renting, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be approved for a mortgage at that time. If you are unable to boost your credit or save enough for a down payment during your lease, you could still be shut out — and you’ll lose all the money you paid toward the purchase, too. To help protect against this scenario, experts recommend meeting with a mortgage lender before signing the deal to know exactly what you’ll need to qualify at the end of the lease.

When you lock in a purchase price up front, you also risk watching the home’s value drop during your lease. If that happens, you could be stuck paying an inflated price for the home simply so you don’t lose your option fee and rent credits. Be sure to research home prices and do a home inspection before signing — these things will help you be more confident that the home is actually worth the price.

You also want to be sure your landlord is on solid financial ground before closing a rent-to-own deal. If he or she falls behind on the mortgage or loses the house for some other reason while you’re renting, you probably also lose the option to buy and all of the money you’ve put toward the purchase price. To help protect yourself, do a title search before signing anything so that you can make sure the property is actually your landlord’s to sell.

Finally, you should be wary of a rent-to-own agreement if you’re not absolutely sure you can be a model tenant during your term. Paying your rent late means you’ll probably forfeit that month’s credit, and violating any of the lease terms could get you kicked out of the home — minus, of course, your option fee and any rent credits you’ve paid.

Cons for sellers

The biggest con of rent-to-own for a seller is that if a willing buyer showed up on your doorstep offering full price (or more) for your home, you would have to refuse — your tenant’s lease option gives them that right exclusively during the contract term. If you lock in a purchase price initially (the most likely scenario), you may leave money on the table over a traditional sale if your home’s value climbs dramatically.

Finally, though they have a strong financial incentive to buy, there’s always the chance that your tenant will walk away at the end of their lease, leaving you at square one with a house you either have to rent again or sell.

Alternatives to Rent-to-Own Deals

It’s wise to evaluate other options before committing to a rent-to-own deal. Here are a few alternatives to consider before signing on the dotted line:

An FHA-backed mortgage or USDA loan

You may lack the credit score and traditional 20% down payment for a traditional mortgage, but remember to investigate an FHA loan. If you’re a first-time buyer, you can put as little down as 3.5% if you have a credit score of at least 580 and meet other criteria, such as steady employment and a certain debt-to-income ratio. You will, however, have to pay mortgage insurance to help lessen your lender’s risk.

USDA loans offer similarly forgiving terms for first-time home buyers if you’re willing to live outside a major metro area.

Contract-to-deed

In this scenario, the seller actually finances the home purchase for you instead of a mortgage lender. You can live in the home and make installment payments toward its purchase, and usually pay a much bigger “balloon payment” before completing the purchase.

This kind of deal can be speedy and tailored to the needs of both parties, but there are a lot of risks, including not being able to make the balloon payment because you still can’t obtain financing. To learn more about contract-to-deed purchases, read up in this article from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Just continue to rent and save

This is your safest option, and likely the one most financial experts will recommend. If you’re truly committed to saving up and building your credit, there may be little reason to jump the gun with a rent-to-own deal. After all, if you can afford the option fee and higher rent that these deals require, then put all that money you saved in a high-yield savings account or money market account. Continue to add to it by finding a place with lower rent, and give yourself the freedom to obtain a mortgage the regular way in the future.

How Do I Find Rent-to-Own Homes?

Unfortunately, finding rent-to-own homes isn’t quite as simple as finding properties that are for sale or rent. Online, you can try websites such as HousingList, RealtyStore, or IRentToOwn, but you will have to pay a fee with these before you can view any significant information or contact sellers. Craigslist can be a good free option; searching “rent to own” in the housing section turned up about 50 listings near me.

You also have nothing to lose by zeroing in on a few for-sale homes in your preferred neighborhood, especially if they’ve been on the market for a while. Ask the sellers whether they’ve considered rent-to-own deals — they may be open to the option, especially if they’ve already moved and are paying a second mortgage for an empty home.

If you’re currently renting a home that you would like to buy, it also certainly doesn’t hurt to ask your landlord if they would consider a rent-to-own deal.

Fear of Commitment? Don’t Rent to Own

For tenants and would-be buyers, the key to successful rent-to-own deals is commitment. If you can commit to saving, cleaning up your credit, and buying the home you’re renting, you can benefit from the arrangement.

On the other hand, if you don’t think you’ll have enough time or discipline to be able to change your financial situation, or if you’re on the fence about the house you’re renting, you could lose a lot of money by walking away, whether because you wanted to or were forced to. You’ll be better off renting a smaller, cheaper place while scrimping and saving the old-fashioned way.

Related Articles

• Renting vs. Buying: Which is Better?
• 10 Tips for First-Time Home Buyers
• How to Find the Best Mortgage Rates

The post Rent-to-Own Homes, Explained appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Get More Out of Facebook: 12 Effective Tactics to Get More Shares and Likes

Everyone who uses Facebook for their business asks themselves the same question:

“How do I get more shares and likes?”

Even if you’re not active on Facebook, your readers can still share your content on Facebook to help you get even more traffic.

For 99% of businesses with an online presence, it makes sense to get as many shares and likes as possible.

Each time a Facebook user shares or likes your content, that content gets exposed to all of that user’s friends.

It helps you get more traffic, subscribers, and eventually customers.

But why Facebook when there are many other social networks you could focus on?

The simple reason is that Facebook is by far the largest social network, and it is still growing.

On top of that, Facebook has become a place where most users go to consume content, which means that users are in the right mindset to visit your site.

Getting likes and shares starts with creating great content, but there’s more to it if you want to maximize their number.

In this post, I’m going to show you 12 actionable ways that will help you improve the number of likes and shares you get on Facebook.

1. It’s all about “you”

Social networks are all about the user.

Everyone creates their own profile, which shows who they think they are to all their friends.

It’s about customizing their own experience and seeing content from the people and connections that they want.

In some sense, social media is a platform designed for users to focus on themselves.

The reason why this is so important is because you need to understand that users are mainly focused on content directed at them.

Ideally, that would mean tagging users so they would get a notification.

Obviously, that’s not possible for most businesses.

However, you can still learn from this by making your Facebook posts more about the user who is reading them.

In simple terms: use the words “you” and “your” a lot.

Here’s what I’m talking about…

When I post on the Neil Patel Facebook page, I post two main types of things:

• links to blog content
• inspirational messages and quotes

For the second type, I focus on messages that focus on the reader (mention “you”):

Using the word “you” is a lot like writing someone’s name—it makes the reader pay attention.

This rule also goes for writing content in general.

Whenever possible, I try to use “you” in my headlines and content:

2. CTAs work on your website or on Facebook

Calls to action (CTAs) are unbelievably effective tools to get readers to take action in almost any situation.

They are one of the most important factors when it comes to landing page conversion rate.

The main reason why they are so effective is because there’s almost always a disconnect between what you want and what other people think you want.

When you post a link to your content on Facebook, what are you looking for? Primarily likes and shares (maybe comments) for the reasons we talked about before.

But think of it from a user’s point of view.

Let’s say they click through and love the content.

Then what? Although it’s obvious to you that you want the content to be shared, it’s not to most readers.

But if you ask them to share your post if they like it, then all of a sudden it is clear what you’d like them to do.

And if they really liked the content, many readers won’t mind sharing it.

Dan Zarrella conducted some really interesting research regarding CTAs on various social networks.

First, he looked at Twitter.

He found that the most retweeted posts contained one of six common phrases/words in them.

Every single one of them was a call to action or part of a call to action.

Adding “Please Retweet” to a tweet more than doubles the expected number of shares—that’s huge.

More importantly for us here, he also looked at Facebook posts.

He found that posts with the word “share” (as in “please share this…”) got about twice as many shares as posts without it.

Another interesting finding is that including the word “share” also nearly doubles the number of likes a post gets.

The takeaway is very simple:

If you want a particular post to get extra shares, just include a call to action such as “Please share this post.”

Although I’ve yet to see it studied, it makes sense that this approach would be most effective when you use it only once in awhile.

If you include the same type of call to action in every post, it may lose its potency (depending on how often you’re posting).

3. Hop on trending topics early

Most ways to get more likes and shares revolve around making your content more appealing to your existing audience.

However, another option is to get a status post in front of a new audience that is eager to like and share posts.

The way to do this is by jumping on trending topics.

You can find these in the top right-hand part of your newsfeed:

Users who spend a lot of time looking at trending topics are the ones that care about knowing things first.

They want to like and share such posts to show to their friends that they’re “in the know.”

When a user clicks on one of those links, they see all related to that trend posts.

You don’t have to do anything special to show up there as long as you link to an article with the main keyword (the link’s anchor text) in the headline or mention it in your description.

That being said, the results prioritize high engagement posts. So, the first posts that a user will see when they click on a trend will have lots of likes, comments, and shares.

However, even with a few dozen likes, you should still get a decent amount of extra exposure.

The most difficult part is finding a relevant to your business trend.

This won’t work for every business, but if yours has anything to do with entertainment, it could be a great way to grow your audience and get extra shares.

4. Reduce the social competition

For many sites, it makes sense to prioritize the biggest social networks.

Instead of trying to get traffic from several networks, just pick two or three, including Facebook.

You might have noticed that over time, I’ve reduced the number of sharing buttons on the side of Quick Sprout posts.

As of writing of this post, there are only two buttons.

If a reader wants to share your content, they will usually decide which network to do it on (if they use more than one) based on the buttons displayed.

So by limiting the choices, you control where most of your shares will end up.

This is really important because sharing works in an exponential way. Each extra share has the potential to send an increasingly large amount of traffic.

Put in simpler terms, it’s better to get 50 shares on Facebook than to get 5 shares on 10 different networks.

The second benefit of reducing the number of buttons vying for your readers’ attention is that it may increase your overall shares as well.

There’s a classic example of how limiting choice can increase output.

In 1995, a study was conducted to examine how choices affected purchases of jam.

The researchers alternated displaying 24 types of jam with displaying only 6 jams.

Although the 24 choices of jam attracted more attention, only 3% of those who tried a sample actually bought a jar.

On the other hand, 30% of people who tried one of the 6 jams bought a jar.

Limiting choices actually increased the conversion rate by 1,000%.

People get overwhelmed when they have too much choice. It becomes a chore to consider the benefits and drawbacks of all options.

When you have 6-8 sharing buttons beside your content, it will take extra time and effort for the reader to decide which network to share the content on.

Although having sharing buttons is not like selling jam, it’s not a coincidence that many other content providers have found that they don’t get any extra shares with more sharing buttons.

5. Increase your reach by integrating more shareable content

If you’re active on Facebook, you need to understand “EdgeRank.”

EdgeRank is Facebook’s algorithm that determines what a user should see.

If your post has a high EdgeRank, more of the people who have liked your page will see it.

If your post has a low EdgeRank, fewer people will see it.

Originally, your EdgeRank depended on 3 main factors:

1. Affinity – the level of relationship between the user and the content provider
2. Weight – a number based on the type of post you created
3. Decay – how recently you’ve posted

Now, the term EdgeRank isn’t really used by Facebook, but most marketers still use it just because that’s what everyone is used to.

Facebook stopped using the term because the algorithm has become much more evolved.

Although these 3 factors are still important, other things are important as well.

One, in particular, could be classified as part of “affinity”—your past engagement history.

Basically, if your past posts have gotten a lot of engagement (likes, shares, and comments), Facebook’s algorithm thinks you post things that users like.

Therefore, it increases your EdgeRank, and any future posts you make will have a larger reach.

How to inflate your EdgeRank: Once you understand EdgeRank, you can tailor your posting to increase your EdgeRank for important future posts.

If you just post links to your blog content, your reach isn’t going to be great in most cases because blog content isn’t hugely shareable.

But what you can do is post highly shareable content (think pictures of cats) that attract a ton of shares, likes, and comments.

This will boost the EdgeRank of all your future posts, exposing your posts to more of your followers. In turn, you’ll get more traffic, shares, and likes when you share your blog content.

You can see how I use this simple strategy on my Facebook page.

I mix in pictures with quotes and inspirational messages because of this:

These types of pictures attract hundreds of extra shares and likes when compared to a blog post, which means that they have a significant impact on my posts’ EdgeRank scores.

6. Take a stand to stand out

People share things to shape how other people view them.

If you want to be thought of as a caring animal lover, you share posts about volunteering for animal shelters.

If you want to be thought of as a super cool marketer, you share Quick Sprout posts, right?

So if you want your content to be shared a lot, it has to stand for something.

There’s a spectrum for this.

You could write an article like “11 Tips for Content Marketing.” If someone shares it, they show their interest in marketing to friends.

However, it doesn’t really take a stance on anything.

Their friends who actually know anything about marketing certainly won’t think that the sharer is an expert on the subject for sharing that.

People don’t want to just be seen as interested in something important to them. They want others to think that it’s a huge part of their lives and that they are an expert in it.

Consider the difference that sharing an article like the one below makes:

Alright Google, You Win…I’ll Never Use Private Blog Networks Again!

Private blog networks are a controversial topic. By firmly declaring that you stand on one side, you make your opinion known.

This does two things:

• friends who agree with you think that “you know your stuff”
• friends who do not agree with you think you’re an idiot
• friends who don’t know anything about it think you’re going up against Google, and that means you must be doing something impressive

If your friends share your opinions, which often happens, when you take a stance on a controversial topic, it only strengthens their view of you. This is why most people do it without realizing it.

That post about private blog networks is real, by the way. It generated over 480 comments and hundreds of shares.

You can take advantage of this motivation behind a lot of sharing in just about any niche.

Pick a controversial subject, and then clearly state which side you’re on.

For example, in the United States, the future of Social Security (essentially a pension plan) is a very controversial topic.

Bernie Sanders posted a very clear statement and link that shows that he supports expanding Social Security:

Anyone who wanted to show their friends that they care about the well-being of the elderly (and future elderly) is extra motivated to share something like this.

Also, people who want to show that they are politically active also shared this.

Put all that together, and this post received over 1,000 shares and 6,200 likes in the first 18 hours.

People want to share posts that reflect them and that show others who they are. Take a stance shared by many people on an important topic, and they will be extra motivated to share your post.

7. Data tells you what works best

The most difficult aspect of a lot of these tactics is that it takes a fair bit of knowledge and practice to get things working just right.

Although you can try any of these tactics right away, it may take several posts (or more) before you actually start seeing a significant increase in shares and likes.

The more you do them, the more you’ll understand the principles behind them, and that’s how you’ll learn them.

However, not all tactics are like that, including this one.

The ideal scenario is to minimize guesswork. To do that, we need data and analysis.

What you should do, at least once every few weeks, is look at how your posts have performed:

Record all their likes, shares, and even the number of comments in a simple spreadsheet.

However, you should also put those into a category.

Those are fairly broad categories, which is fine to start with. Once you’ve made over a hundred posts or so, you can start getting more specific with your categories.

For example, instead of just “Writing,” you could divide those posts into:

• Writing better
• Writing faster
• Writing tools
• Editing

The point of doing this is to see which types of posts receive the most likes and shares.

Once you have a decent sample size (at least 20 posts in each category), you can calculate average numbers of shares and likes.

These are just hypothetical results that I could get from my posts (not real numbers).

The takeaway is pretty obvious: to write more about social media and less about entrepreneurship and writing.

The numbers clearly show that posts about social media get by far the most engagement, while entrepreneurship posts don’t get much.

By simply writing more about subjects that get more likes and shares, I’d immediately get a better average engagement.

Additionally, this would help my EdgeRank, which would result in even more likes and shares in the future.

8. Create posts that make users feel obligated to share

Another big reason why people share posts on Facebook is because they want to bring awareness to an issue.

Creating posts that highlight an important issue or cause to your followers, as well as including a call to action, will result in getting many more shares than usual.

Again, this will improve the EdgeRank of your other posts, resulting in even more long term traffic, shares, and likes.

Let’s look at an example of what I’m talking about.

A humane society was running a food drive in order to collect food to give to pet owners in need.

It’s easy to see why anyone might be touched by this gesture, let alone actual pet owners, volunteers, and activists that follow the society’s Facebook page.

They made a post about this on Facebook, and although the description could have been written more effectively, it still garnered over 300 likes and 75 shares.

The best subjects for these types of posts are charities. Your followers feel that you’re doing your part to help out, and they should too by sharing the post.

This is one of the few tactics that’s difficult to implement if you’re in a marketing niche since there isn’t a whole lot of charity going on.

However, in most other niches, you can simply go to Google News and search for “(your niche) charity events.”

A post on either of these topics would get a lot of engagement and would be perfect for any business in the animal niche.

9. One type of post gets more shares than all the rest

A study on Facebook content found that certain types of content get more of particular types of engagement.

There are a few things that stand out.

First is that status posts get a much higher percentage of comments than all other types.

If you want more comments on your posts, start posting more interesting status updates as opposed to links, photos, and videos.

It makes sense when you think about it.

Status updates are mainly posted by regular users to be seen by their friends, and friends converse with each other.

But it works the same way even if you have a Facebook page. Michael Hyatt occasionally asks questions to stimulate discussions.

This one has over 35 comments:

The other thing that really stands out is that videos have a much higher share percentage than any other type of post.

Shares are typically considered more valuable than likes because they are effectively an endorsement of your content. They usually (but not always) lead to more traffic and engagement on a post.

It’s simple: If you want more shares on your posts, start including more video.

Ideally, create your own videos to get the benefit of the content views as well.

But you can always post popular videos related to your niche if you think your followers will enjoy them.

Finally, just remember that you should test this for your specific business. Those study results were drawn from all niches.

I’ve personally seen video work really well on Facebook in some niches but not in others.

A good plan is to test how your followers react to video content by sharing videos made by others at first. If it goes well, then start creating your own.

10. Optimize every post for sharing

SEO and social optimization have a few things in common.

One component is the use of meta tags. But they use different types of meta tags.

With social networks, you need to include specific og (Open graph) meta tags in your content in order for it to format optimally on social networks (including Facebook).

I’ve written in the past about how crafting custom titles and descriptions in these tags led to a 174% increase in Facebook traffic to Quick Sprout. It’s an easy thing to start doing, but it can have big results.

What it looks like: If you don’t include any meta tags in your content, Facebook will do the best it can when someone shares a link to your site.

Sometimes it will do it well, but other times it will only find the title and introduction, and your link will look something like this:

Honestly, that’s terrible. It’s not going to stand out from all the other well formatted content in a typical feed. It’s unlikely to drive you any additional traffic.

But when you include the right meta tags, Facebook knows exactly where to pull your title, description, and image from. You can ensure that no matter who shares the link on Facebook, it will show up as intended.

Setting your tags: There are tons of og tags that you can set, but pretty much all social networks only pull data from a few main ones.

It makes sense to focus on these to save your time:

1. og:title - The headline that shows up on Facebook (usually same as post)

Example: <meta property=”og:title” content=”How I’m Going to Achieve the $100k a Month Challenge without Using My Name”/>

2. og:type - Specify the type of your content. That way, Facebook knows whether it’s a video, post, or even a local result. There are many types; choose from this full list.

Example: <meta property=”og:type” content=”article”/>

3. og:image - The URL of your preferred featured image.

Example: <meta property=”og:image” content=”http://ift.tt/1Qk30ib;

Note: You can make more than one image tag. If you do, Facebook (and other networks) will pick the image with the best size for its users.

4. og:url – The original (canonical) URL of your post.

Example: <meta property=”og:url” content=”http://ift.tt/1KHTWFd;

5. og:description – The small description that appears under the headline on most social networks.

Example: <meta property=”og:description” content=”  Last week I posted about my setback on the $100,000 challenge. Some of you were happy with the results so far, while others were disappointed about how mu”/>

Although you can manually edit these tags for all your content, the simplest way to do it is to install Yoast’s WordPress SEO plugin. Whenever you edit a post, you can scroll down to the plugin to add the most important tags in appropriate sections:

11. Embed sharing buttons on your website’s images

This change takes under a minute to do, but it will earn you extra shares from all your content on a regular basis.

One of the problems with your readers sharing your content on Facebook, or other major networks, is that they just post the link.

You can fix it from showing up incorrectly by creating the tags I just showed you above.

However, there’s one other situation that needs fixing:

Some users just want to share photos.

All major social networks are visual. Pictures get the most attention from users. In turn, most users tend to look for good pictures to share to get likes, comments, and re-shares.

When they find a good picture on a site, most have to save a copy, then go to the social network, login, and upload the picture…it’s a pain.

And as you might know, people are lazy.

On top of that, they often mess up the link or description.

You can make it really easy to share pictures from your site on Facebook by using the SumoMe image sharer plugin.

It adds a sharing button to every picture on your site for whatever social network(s) you choose:

Now visitors just need to click the Facebook button, and it will open the image ready to be shared on Facebook with everything filled in correctly.

12. Add share buttons to email broadcasts

The final tactic you can use to get more shares and likes is to ask your email subscribers for them.

These are the people who like your content the most and who usually are going to be the most willing to help you spread it.

Ideally, you want to have a link that says something like:

Click here to share this post on Facebook

To do this, create whatever anchor text you’d like, but set the address to:

http://ift.tt/1Xotfcp URL HERE}

For example, the Quick Sprout home page would be:

http://ift.tt/1LRRonU

It’s pretty easy to mess up, so I suggest you use this free share link generator. Just paste your URL in the Facebook field:

And the tool will spit out a link to use.

When your subscribers click it, they’ll see something like this in a new tab:

Again, if you have your meta tags configured, you can be certain that your posts will look good when shared.

Conclusion

Getting more social shares and likes on Facebook is important. It’s a major source of traffic for businesses in almost every niche.

I’ve outlined 12 different tactics that you can use to get more likes and shares.

Don’t try to use them all at once. It’s better to use a few at a time, observe your results, and optimize your strategy.

Over time, keep trying more until you’ve gone through all 12 tactics. By then, your typical likes and shares should more than double.

If you have any questions about getting the most out of Facebook, just leave them below in the comment section.

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How to Donate to Charity on Any Budget

Through the use of several new technologies, donating to charitable causes is now effortless to users.

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The Value of a “Brain Dump Friday”

One of my favorite things to do on a lazy Friday afternoon (when I should be working, but I have a few posts already done in advance and my mind is wandering a bit) is to do a “brain dump.”

What’s a “Brain Dump”?

A brain dump is an idea that I picked up from David Allen’s wonderful book Getting Things Done, which I have lauded and extensively discussed in the past. I’ve found that, time and time again, it has been a very powerful tool for making me feel more in control of my life and helping me focus on finishing things rather than feeling stressed out, even if I don’t commit to the full Getting Things Done system.

Here’s the big key behind all of this. In my life – and probably in your life, too – there’s a tendency to let little undone things build up, and sometimes even big things, too. Usually, these things fall directly under the “important but not urgent” category of stuff you should be doing. They’re important things, but they don’t come with a strict deadline so it’s easy to postpone them for now.

These things can be financial in nature, such as signing up for a 401(k) or getting a budget built in You Need a Budget or filing some papers for taxes next year or sealing that drafty window before winter. They can also be non-financial in nature, such as cleaning out a closet or making a good meal plan for the next week.

Those things get stuck in your mind over time, distracting you regularly from the things you need to do. You’ll be focusing on a task and then one of those little important-but-not-urgent tasks will pop into your head and you’ll think about how you should get that done today or this weekend… and then, boom, your train of thought is derailed. That derailment can cause you to lose productivity at work and even fail to get things done at home.

A brain dump is a solution to all of that. Here’s how it works.

Get out a few pieces of paper (or a pocket notebook) and a pen. You may prefer to do this electronically, but I find that it works better for me to do it using these kinds of analog tools.

Then, start listing all of that stuff that’s floating around in your head. Just write down all of the undone tasks and undone projects that you’ve got stored up in your brain. You can (and should) also look around your desk and personal belongings for inspiration, to remind you of things that aren’t quite popping into your mind.

I usually suggest leaving this list out on your desk or table for at least a few hours, if not for a whole day. Keep coming back to it and adding stuff as it pops into your mind. Just write it down immediately as soon as it occurs to you, then go back to whatever it is that you were working on.

What you’re going to quickly find is that it’s suddenly a lot easier to focus on your day and easier to bear down on the task at hand. Your mind won’t wander to those undone tasks – and if they do, you can either write it down quickly or remind yourself that you already wrote it down and you’re going to deal with that list later.

You’ll also find that your list ends up being really long. At least, whenever I do it, my list ends up being around 100 items or so. That can feel overwhelming, but don’t sweat it yet.

Another recommendation: I usually recommend that people make this type of list on a Thursday or Friday. You should do it on a Thursday if you expect that it will be mostly professional items (or at least have a significant chunk of professional items), or a Friday if you expect it to be mostly personal items.

Processing the “Brain Dump”

So, you have this big list of items. Now what?

The first thing to do – and it’s something I suggest doing in the evening after you spent a day making that big brain dump – is to organize it a bit. Identify everything on the list that’s a standalone activity. For me, a standalone activity is something I can do in half an hour or less. I usually copy all of those to a fresh list that I call my “activities” list.

If something is close to a standalone activity, see if you can break it down into two or three standalone activities to be done in order. Then, I usually copy the first of those standalone activities to the fresh “activities” list and leave the other ones on the old list. Sometimes, if it’s just a pair of activities, I’ll copy them both over and draw an arrow between them indicating that they’re linked.

That’s going to leave you with some big projects – things that will take at least a couple of hours to complete. Go through all of those projects and decide whether there are any of them that you feel like you should be taking care of very soon and whether or not some of them can be put off until later. For the ones that you can put off, make a new list and move all of them to that new list – I call this the “Someday” list.

This leaves you with a handful of big projects that you feel like you need to start working on ASAP. For each of those projects, I pull out a fresh sheet of paper and start breaking them down into steps. Basically, I just make an ordered list of “standalone activities” – things I can do in about half an hour. Some of those steps might rely on others to provide things before you can get started, and that’s okay – just make a note of it and move on. Then, when you’ve done this for each project, copy the first standalone step for each of these projects over to your “activities” list.

What you’ll wind up with is a nice long list of activities that each take half an hour or less.

A “Brain Dump Saturday”

Then, just get up nice and early on Saturday morning (or Friday morning, if you’re going to handle a lot of professional tasks at work) and just dig into that “activities” list that you made. Make it your goal to spend the entire day knocking items off of that list so that they’re done and they no longer take up space in your head.

When I do this, my list is often fifty or so items long and on a good day, I can knock off half of that list.

Trust me – this feels good. The actual day is an incredibly busy one, but at the end of the day when you think about all of the stuff you took care of… it feels incredibly good, like you’ve scratched an incredible itch that’s been bothering you for months. You feel a mix of pride in how much you actually did that day, mixed with a sense of relief that those things have been taken care of, mixed also with a more subtle sense of excitement about the future because you can feel the weight lifted off your mind.

For me, “brain dump Saturdays” can often stretch into Sundays as well. Over a full weekend, I can often knock off most of my list, leaving me with a fairly small pile of things left undone and a much clearer mind as a result of all of that achievement.

Final Thoughts

While I do maintain a pretty robust to-do list system, partially inspired by the full system described in Getting Things Done, there are still things that will sometimes fall through the cracks for me. I’ll forget to write down a task or two, or I’ll find that the things on my to-do list aren’t quite reflecting what’s important to me after a while.

So, once every few months or so, I’ll do one of these brain dumps. I usually do a big “dump” on Friday morning, then leave the list out all day for me to add things to it as they come into my mind. On Friday evening, I’ll convert it into a giant to-do list for Saturday and Sunday, and then I’ll spend the whole weekend taking care of those tasks that have been on my mind and left undone.

Without exception, I feel great by the end of Saturday. I’ve completed so many things that were left undone. I feel like a champion. During the following week or two, I feel incredibly focused on the things I need to accomplish. I feel like I can handle anything.

This system is so incredibly helpful to me. I hope that you find it helpful, too.

The post The Value of a “Brain Dump Friday” appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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3 Ways to Shape Up Your Finances Before Retirement

Here’s how to review the financial health of your retirement plan.

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Cool Accessories for Trick-or-Treaters Under $15

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Cyber attack on TalkTalk: what should you do?

Mark King

Screen Shot 2015-10-23 at 11.20.50.png

An investigation by the Metropolitan Police has been launched into a ‘cyber attack’ on communications firm TalkTalk that could see hundreds of thousands of customers’ data stolen by hackers.

An investigation by the Metropolitan Police has been launched into a ‘cyber attack’ on communications firm TalkTalk that could see hundreds of thousands of customers’ data stolen by hackers.

Here’s our Q&A on the incident and what you should do if you are affected”

Cyber attack on TalkTalk: what should you do?

Feed Copy: 

An investigation by the Metropolitan Police has been launched into a ‘cyber attack’ on communications firm TalkTalk that could see hundreds of thousands of customers’ data stolen by hackers. Here’s our Q&A on the incident and what you should do if you are affected” What exactly happened? TalkTalk says “a significant and sustained cyber attack” on its website. The firm has not explained exactly what the attack involved or the nature of the people or organisation that are responsible. However, it has been working with “leading cybercrime specialists” and the Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit to establish exactly what happened and whether individual’s information has been accessed. When did the incident take place? The attack took place on Wednesday 21 October. Who is affected? While TalkTalk has been careful not to reveal how many customers have been affected by the attack while the investigation is ongoing, it says there is a chance that some of the following data may have been compromised: • Names • Addresses • Dates of birth • Email addresses • Telephone numbers • TalkTalk account information • Credit card details and/or bank details TalkTalk has something in the region of 2.7 million customers. What is TalkTalk doing to sort this out? It is contacting all customers by email and letter immediately to inform them what has happened and has vowed to keep them up to date as it learns more. It has also worked to secure the website in the wake of the attack and contacted the Information Commissioner's Office. TalkTalk has also contacted the major banks, which will be monitoring for any suspicious activity on TalkTalk customers’ accounts. Moreover, the firm is offering a year’s free credit monitoring for all of its customers and will be contacting customers with the details. What should I do to protect myself? If you use your TalkTalk username and password anywhere else, it would make sense to immediately change your details at those other websites. You should also keep an eye on your bank account(s) over the next few months. If you see anything unusual, contact your bank and Action Fraud as soon as possible on 0300 123 2040 or via http://ift.tt/Y94k0A. If you are contacted by anyone asking you for personal data or passwords (such as for your bank account), take extreme caution in checking the true identity of the organisation. Check your credit report, preferable via the free facility being set-up by TalkTalk or by using Noddle.co.uk – a free credit checking service.

read more

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8 Things Rich People Buy That Make Them Look Dumb

A few years ago, I was invited, along with a group of my friends, to a party at a waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale. The house featured two elevators, about 20,000 square feet and a living room that resembled an upscale hotel lobby.

As we stood in a small group marveling at a side of life we’d never seen, one of my friends said, “Doesn’t this make you wonder what you did wrong? I mean, why don’t we have houses like this?”

My response: “Really? I was just thinking about how long it would take to walk from the garage back to the master bedroom when I left my keys on the nightstand.”

Since my first mansion party, I’ve been to many others. I’ve also ridden on mega-yachts, kicked back in vast home theaters and otherwise enjoyed the spoils of other people’s good fortune.

I’ve learned something along the way: It’s fun to know rich people.

But I’ve also learned that trying to impress people with ostentatious displays often creates the opposite effect. Things you think are earning envy may be causing people to think you look silly.

Here are some of my favorite examples…

1. An Expensive Sports Car

Rasstock under Creative Commons

“Want to see how fast it will go?”

That’s the question I’ve been asked all three times I’ve been a passenger in a Ferrari. My answer was consistent: “Please, no. I’m begging you.”

It doesn’t work. Instead, it’s zero to 100 in five seconds on a city street.

I’m sure there are lots of people who enjoy riding in loud, cramped cars that can theoretically go more than 200 miles an hour. I’m not one of them.

While these guys (yes, in my experience they’re always guys) probably imagine themselves envied at every traffic light, are they really getting the status for which they paid?

They’re getting attention, all right, but maybe not the kind they wanted. When I’m stopped next to a Ferrari, all I’m seeing is someone who’s combined a midlife crisis with a big checkbook.

2. A Boat

Mags Ascough under creative commons

When I take a ride down the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale, within 5 miles I’ll pass more than $100 million in largely unused boats.

But if boating’s a crime, I’m guilty. As I write this, I have two 30-foot boats docked behind my modest waterfront home. I love boating, and I love working on my boats.

But the only advantage to actually owning one — especially a big, complicated one — is that it makes any other indulgences you have seem practically free. I’ve owned boats for many years, and I can state unequivocally that I’d be better off if I paid $1,000 to rent a boat for the day whenever the mood struck.

When someone asks me, “What’s the best boat?” I say, “Someone else’s.”

The only thing you can do to make boat ownership more foolish is to borrow the money to buy one, or to buy a new one. Think cars depreciate when you drive them off the lot? Chicken feed. Boats sink in value so rapidly, it’s truly astounding.

They also tend to sit unused for long periods of time, which is the worst way to maintain one.

Boats are no way to stay afloat. And unless you have money to burn, this pastime may not bring you the status you think it will.

3. Plastic Surgery

You think you look younger. What you might look like is someone who’s so insecure they had to have plastic surgery so they could pretend they weren’t getting older.

And don’t even get me started on breast enhancement, especially the (literally) over-the-top variety.

4. Gaudy Jewelry

Tasteful jewelry can definitely add to one’s appearance.

But if you’re wearing too much, you might as well just wear a dress made of $1,000 bills. It’s brassy, not classy. There’s a fine line between good and gaudy.

(TPH editor’s note: If you have a dress made out of $1,000 bills, or even $1 bills, we want to see it!)

5. Way More House Than You Need

Philip Lange under Creative Commons

I get it: If you have millions of dollars, you’ve got to put it somewhere, and where you live is as good a place as any.

But if you’re borrowing heavily to impress your friends with a house that’s way bigger than you need or can afford, you’re not looking rich, you’re looking crazy.

Besides, who wants to walk the length of a football field to let the dog in?

6. Live-In Help

Nothing wrong with having some maid service if you can afford it. But live-ins?

Maybe if I was rich for long enough, I could get used to the idea of having people I don’t know all that well living with me. But I’ve had friends with live-in drivers, butlers, cooks and “personal assistants,” and to me it feels awkward having employees standing around.

I’ve always wondered: Do rich people have to get dressed if they want to raid the refrigerator in the middle of the night?

It’s a house, not an office building. If it’s so big you need a bunch of employees to run it, maybe it’s too much.

7. Super-Expensive Clothes

Dario Lo Presti under Creative Commons

Clothes may make the man, but super-expensive clothes can make that man look like he’s trying too hard. As with jewelry, there’s a fine line between good taste and tasteless.

In my 10 years as a stockbroker, I learned there was an almost inverse relationship between a person’s true wealth and his or her apparent wealth.

In other words, the guy in the jeans driving the station wagon is the rich one — the guy in the fancy suit driving the Porsche is the one trying to sell him stuff.

8. Conspicuous Consumption

Upstaging your friends with gratuitous material possessions or other forms of conspicuous consumption might do more than make you look rich: It might make you look shallow.

Ever see the bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins?” Dumber words were never spoken.

Why You’re Spending Money

If you’ve got it, it’s no crime to flaunt it.

If you’ve spent money on items in the list above, you probably found my critique inaccurate — even insulting. That’s not my intention. Having wealth is good and spending money is fun.

So what separates the shallow nincompoop from someone leading a life well-lived? It isn’t about the amount of money you spend or what you spend it on. It’s all about why you’re spending it.

If you don’t like yourself or live in fear that others don’t like you, no amount of money or possessions will change that. That’s what makes you look dumb: spending to boost your self-esteem.

On the other hand, if you like yourself and are spending to indulge a passion, or to make your life more interesting, good for you. You’re the type of spender I want to hang out with.

But I still don’t want to see how fast your Ferrari will go.

Your Turn: If you were rich, how would you spend your money?

This post originally appeared on Money Talks News. Since 1991, MoneyTalksNews has been producing both video and print to help you make more, spend less and avoid rip-offs.

The post 8 Things Rich People Buy That Make Them Look Dumb appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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