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الجمعة، 2 نوفمبر 2018

Here’s How to Apply For 9 Top Game Shows So You Can Win Cash & Prizes


Participating in a game show is an easy and fun way to make extra money. Some are tougher to get on than others, but by registering for all of them, you can significantly increase your chances of becoming a contestant.

For that reason, we've put together a list of nine of the most popular game shows and how you can audition for each one.

1. “Jeopardy!”

How to Audition: The first step to getting on “Jeopardy” is to take the online test. They’re are only held on certain dates, and upcoming tests are announced on the show and on its website, Jeopardy.com. Online tests are offered separately for each of the following age groups: adults, college students (full-time undergrads with no previous bachelor’s degrees) and teens 13 through 17 years old.

If you perform well on the online test (“Jeopardy” won't tell you your score), you will be asked to audition at a local testing facility. After more testing and a personality interview with producers, you will be added to the pool of available contestants.

Who gets on: Smarties who are willing to participate in an awkward 15-second interview with Alex Trebek after the first commercial break.

Website: https://www.jeopardy.com/be-on-j/faqs

2. “Wheel of Fortune”

How to Audition: Last year, over a million people requested the chance to audition for “Wheel of Fortune” and fewer than 600 people were selected to appear on the show. The first step to auditioning is to register on the Wheel's website. They will notify you when the “Wheelmobile,” the traveling audition bus, is in your area.

From the show's website: “Thousands of fans fill out applications and gather in front of the stage with a traveling version of the famous Wheel and Puzzle board. Applications are drawn at random throughout the event, calling individuals on stage in groups of five to participate in a brief interview, play a version of the “Wheel of Fortune” speed-up round and win special show-themed prizes. The most promising candidates are invited back to participate in final auditions for the show, usually held at a later date in the Wheelmobile host city. At the final auditions, Contestant Coordinators select the individuals who will appear on the show.”

Who gets on: Adults, college undergraduates and high school teenagers.

Website: https://www.wheeloffortune.com/be-a-contestant/

3. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

How to Audition: You can register to audition on the show's website. To become a “Millionaire” contestant you must first pass the written test. If you do, you’ll then need to undergo a personal interview with a representative of the show. If you pass the audition process, you will be placed in the contestant pool and available for selection to play the game on a future show.

Who gets on: Smarties who are already a little rich. Seriously. You'll need to pay for your own travel arrangements to Las Vegas in order to be on this show.

Website: http://www.dadt.com/millionaire/auditions/

4. “The Price is Right”

How to Audition: Contestants are usually chosen from among the ticket holders at each taping held in Los Angeles. Tickets are usually released six weeks in advance of the taping date. You can apply for free tickets on the website. You can also grab tickets at ThePriceIsRightLive.com if the show is on the road. Tickets for the traveling show will cost you, however. Who Gets On: Peppy adults who will jump up and down after winning a new vacuum cleaner.

Website: http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/The_Price_is_Right

5. “Idiotest”

How to Audition: “Idiotest” is produced by the Game Show Network. Casting for all of GSN's shows are announced on the front page of their website. They usually start casting just prior to the start of the season. To be a contestant, create an account on the website to sign up for available shows!Who Gets On: 80% of the 17 people who watch the Game Show Network

Website: https://www.gsntv.com/casting/

6. “Family Feud”

How to Audition: To have your chance at being next to Steve Harvey’s mustache, you can apply for tryouts online. Tryouts are mock run-throughs of the show and vary by location. If you’re not near one of the filming locations, you may also send in a recorded video.

Who Gets On: Enthusiastic families of five who can scream “Good answer!,” even when the answers are terrible.

Website: https://www.familyfeud.com/audition/

7-9. “Amazing Race,” “Survivor,” “Big Brother”

How to Audition: These are all reality game shows produced by CBS. The audition process varies a bit for each show, but the first step is to visit CBS's casting website. Usually, you will be asked to send a video that showcases your personality along with a completed application. If you are selected for an interview, you’ll have to travel (on your own dime) to the nearest interview city. Applicants may also choose to attend an open casting in person, but are not required to do both for the preliminary application.

Who Gets On: Richard Hatch. People with a passport.

Website: http://www.cbs.com/casting/

Good luck, Penny Hoarders!

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.



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Dreams and Teamwork Could Help Student Athletes Win This $20K Scholarship


Some of us pull a muscle just getting out of bed while others can sprint across a court, track or field in a matter of seconds.

If you fall into the latter category or know someone who does, you may want to slow down for a second and listen up.

Foot Locker will award a $20,000 scholarship to each of 20 student athletes entering college in fall 2019.

Students must excel in academics and leadership, and display good character and sportsmanship to be considered for the Foot Locker scholarship.

If you’re not athlete, that’s OK. Check out our list of 100 scholarships that will help you pay for college, or you can like The Penny Hoarder Life on Facebook to discover other scholarship opportunities.

Enter to Win a $20,000 Foot Locker Scholarship

Running might be easy for you, but paying for college is hard — which is why you should apply to this scholarship if you’re a high school athlete.

To qualify for the scholarship, students must:

  • Have a 3.0 GPA or higher.
  • Enter college as a freshman in fall 2019 to pursue an undergraduate degree at a four-year school.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident of the U.S.
  • Be involved in high school, intramural or community-based sports.
  • Not work at Foot Locker in any capacity or be associated with the company through family.

An eligible student athlete also can be nominated for the Foot Locker Scholar Athlete program.

To apply, students must fill out an online application that includes:

  • Awards, honors and any leadership roles.
  • A test score from SAT, ACT, PSAT, or ACT Plan.
  • Extracurricular activities and/or part-time jobs.
  • Two 300- to 500-word essays.

The first essay question is: “Sports teach important lessons in leadership, teamwork, and sportsmanship. How have you embodied these qualities on your team and in your community?”

The second essay topic is: “Describe a defining moment in your life that has helped to shape your dreams and plans for the future.”

The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 14, 2018.  

After applying for the Foot Locker scholarship, a select group of applicants will be asked to complete a video-chat interview.

Winners will be announced in April 2019.

One of the 20 winners will receive an additional $5,000 (a total of $25,000) for the Ken C. Hicks scholarship, which recognizes superior student performance in academics, leadership and sports.

Read the official scholarship rules and privacy policy about the collection of personal information before you apply.

Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s pulled a muscle while sleeping.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.



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Hey Dog Lovers: This Dream Internship Pays $100/Hr to Play With Puppies


Dream jobs do exist.

I mean, if your dream job involves getting paid to pet puppies. (And if it doesn’t, who are you?)

It’s actually a fall/winter internship. MUTTS Canine Cantina, a restaurant, bar and dog park in Texas, is hiring a “puptern” whose only job is playing with the dogs that come into the company’s Fort Worth location.

That’s it. You’ll work about four hours a week, welcoming members and offering to play with their pooches, according to a company statement.

The establishment even has Bark Rangers to provide water and do doo pickup, so the puptern is off the hook for poop patrol.

Oh, you’ll also get paid $100 per hour, and you can eat for free at the restaurant.

And if the puptern is a good fit with the company, they “could become  an employee at MUTTS in some capacity,” said spokesperson Taylor Tiner in an email.  So you can stay. Staaaaaay. Good dog!

Need another reason to consider this internship? It’ll help you work on your soft skills — get it? Soft skills? Because of the fur? I’ll stop.

The only requirements for the position are that you’re at least 18 years old and do not have any canine allergies.

If you’re ready to beg for this paws-ition, you’d better wag a tail — the deadline to apply is Nov. 12 — and with more than 600 applications already in, it’s every dog for himself (or herself).

Apply for the pupternship on the @muttscantina Instagram page. Post a fun photo or video demonstrating your pupper-petting skills, tag @muttscantina, and use the hashtag #MUTTSpuptern in the caption.

Tiffany Wendeln Connors is a staff writer with The Penny Hoarder. Throw her a bone and say hi to her @TiffanyWendeln on Twitter.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.



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IHOP Is Celebrating ‘The Grinch’ With Free Food for Kids Through Dec. 31


Y’all remember when IHOP changed its name to IHOb and back again?

Well, now that my trust issues have been resolved, I’m ready to tell you about IHOP’s latest deal. And get ready, because it’ll make you green with envy — toward your kids.

From 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day through the end of the year, kids 12 and under receive a free entree from the kid's menu with the purchase of an adult entree.

The promo celebrates IHOP’s new Grinch-themed menu, which features items like as green pancakes, green whipped cream and an omelet that looks like it has an entire reindeer inside.

But while there appears to be no limit on how many times Universal can remake “The Grinch,” you can only get this deal through Dec. 31.

Our thanks to Who-ever greenlit another Grinch movie.

Jen Smith is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She gives money-saving and debt-payoff tips on Instagram at @savingwithspunk.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.



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New McDonald’s Program Helps Workers Transition Into New Career Fields


McDonald’s just announced a new program that offers employees advice on how to advance in their careers — whether it’s with the fast-food chain or not.

Called “Where You Want To Be,” it gives workers the opportunity to explore new careers by shadowing real-life experts in their chosen field. The campaign is in conjunction with the company’s career and education advising program, Archways to Opportunities.

“Through this campaign and our ongoing education investments we are committed to helping all of those who come work for us — or our independent franchisees — to see the possibility of their own potential,” said Melissa Kersey, McDonald’s U.S. chief people officer, in a press release.

Earlier this year, the fast-food behemoth commissioned a survey that asked more than 6,000 U.S. adults — including McDonald’s employees aged 16-24 and alumni — what soft skills they deemed most valuable, as well as which career fields they desire most. The top employment paths were arts and entertainment, health care, technology, entrepreneurship and food service.

Applying the results to the “Where You Want To Be” campaign, McDonald’s is partnering with experts from each industry who will serve as role models for what it takes to excel in their field.

Experts participating include dermatologic surgeon Dr. Meena Singh, author James Altucher and digital content creator Tyler Oakley.

(No word on the arts and entertainment expert, but fingers crossed it’s Lady Gaga.)

Employees interested in participating are asked to submit a video application that explains what soft skills they are learning at McDonald’s and how they’ll apply them to future endeavors. A select group will be chosen to shadow the experts for a day.

Those not chosen will still have access to the Archways to Opportunities career tools, which can be used to select a career path and figure out the steps to pursue it.

Competing in a Hot Labor Market

It might seem counterproductive for a company to offer advice on how to prep for a professional future elsewhere, but McDonald’s could be adding these benefits as a way to fight the stiff competition among employers.

The labor market is flamin’ hot right now, so companies have upped the ante to bring in new employees. Rolling out better benefits and employment assistance programs is one way for employers to attract workers.

And this isn’t the company’s first move of the year to beef up benefits. In March, McDonald’s announced plans to triple its tuition assistance allocation, and lowered the eligibility requirements.

Other restaurant chains offering career and education assistance to draw and retain workers include Taco Bell, Starbucks and Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Kaitlyn Blount is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.



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The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Blog, Attracting Readers and Making Money

8 National Sandwich Day Deals to Honor the Most Genius Food Creation Ever


Addiction doesn't usually lead to great things. But legend has it that in 1762, one guy's gambling addiction led to an invention worth celebrating — the sandwich.

According to the History Channel’s website, the tale goes like this: John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, requested a meal he could eat without interrupting a long gambling binge. So the house cook served him meat between two slices of bread at the card table.

Eventually, the meal caught on in London and became known as “the sandwich.”

Today, this creation has its own day on the calendar: National Sandwich Day.

On Saturday, Nov. 3, these sandwich shops will celebrate the day with some delicious deals.

1. Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop

If you’ve already got leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches on your mind, then head over to Capriotti’s this Saturday to enjoy the shop’s signature sandwich, The Bobbie.

To celebrate National Sandwich Day, all CAPAddicts Rewards app users can enjoy this Thanksgiving leftover-style sandwich stuffed with homemade turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo for just $5.

If you’re not a rewards member, then be sure to download the app and sign up before Saturday.

2. Firehouse Subs

Firehouse Subs wants to celebrate National Sandwich Day by giving you a free medium sub with the purchase of a medium or large sub, chips and a drink. Just head on over to your local Firehouse this Saturday and present this coupon.

3. Jersey Mike’s Subs

If you’re a fan of Jersey Mike’s — as in, you follow the sub shop on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter — then you’ll want to tune in for the chain’s National Sandwich Month deals.

Throughout November, Jersey Mike’s will post special promotions to its social channels for customers to win prizes. There will be a total of 17 prizes, including Jersey Mike’s gift cards and swag. You can find the official rules here.

4. Lenny’s Subs

Anyone who stops by Lenny’s Subs on National Sandwich Day can enjoy $2 off any of the chain’s 20-plus subs. There is no coupon needed, and the deal is available all day on Saturday, Nov. 3.

Just a warning: If you’re not hungry yet, you sure will be after watching the sub shop’s National Sandwich Day promotional video from last year. It had me craving lunch right after I had my second breakfast.

5. McAlister’s Deli

Stop by your nearest McAlister’s Deli to celebrate National Sandwich Day with a McAlister's Club sandwich for just $4. This fan favorite is stacked with 13 layers of smoked turkey, Black Forest ham, bacon, sharp cheddar, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, honey mustard and mayo on sliced wheat bread.

And if you download McAlister’s rewards app, you can enjoy a free beverage with your sandwich. This offer is available for dine-in orders only at participating locations, so be sure to check with your local McAlister’s Deli on National Sandwich Day.

6. Potbelly Sandwich Shop

This sandwich shop is bringing back Potbelly Perks Week just in time for National Sandwich Day.

Each day until Nov. 4, Potbelly is revealing a new deal for Potbelly Perks members, including BOGO deals, free sides and more. Be sure to download the Potbelly app for Android or iPhone before Saturday and keep an eye on the shop’s Facebook page for the National Sandwich Day deal.

7. Schlotzsky’s

Schlotzsky’s is celebrating National Sandwich Day with a BOGO deal on all medium sandwiches.

That means you can get two of your favorite medium-sized Schlotzsky’s sandwiches for the price of one! So grab a friend and head over to Schlotzsky’s this Saturday — or you can be like me and keep both sandwiches for yourself. That bacon grilled cheese is calling my name…

8. Urban Bricks

If you happen to live near an Urban Bricks, then you can make any half panini a whole for free on National Sandwich Day.

Now that you’re armed with sandwich knowledge and know where to get the best deals, it’s time to celebrate National Sandwich Day! And if you’d rather celebrate at home, then check out these sandwich recipes for $5 or less!

Jessica Gray is an editorial assistant at the Penny Hoarder and admits to struggling with her own addiction: cheesesteak sandwiches.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.



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How to Grow Your YouTube Channel with These 12 Tools

When people talk about social media, the first networks that come to mind are usually Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

While YouTube may not be your first thought, it needs to become a priority for you moving forward.

Whether you’re a business, Internet personality, or social influencer, your YouTube channel will help you increase sales with video content.

Behind only Google, YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. More than one billion people visit the platform every month.

The amount of content on YouTube is astonishing.

Today, 100 hours of video get uploaded to YouTube every minute.

More content has been uploaded to this platform in 60 days than the three major US networks created in 60 years.

If you want to learn how to run a successful video blog, you need to be active on YouTube.

But your YouTube channel is only as good as the number of subscribers, traffic, and views you get on your videos. You could be producing the best video content in the world, but it’s useless if nobody watches it.

I love YouTube because it’s a great way to repurpose content.

After I upload content to my YouTube channel, I share it on my website, blog posts, and social media platforms.

If you’re struggling to grow your YouTube channel, it’s probably because you’re not using anything to help you create better content. While the YouTube platform in itself is useful, there are other tools you can use that will enhance your content and make it easier for you to manage your page.

That was my inspiration for this post. I’ll show you the top 12 tools you need to grow your YouTube channel. Let’s dive in.

1. TubeBuddy

I like this tool because it’s a free browser extension as opposed to software you need to download and launch separately each time you want to take advantage of its features.

TubeBuddy automatically integrates with YouTube and assists you with managing your channel.

tubebuddy

It allows you to run tests that will improve the performance of your content.

You can test:

  • tags
  • titles
  • thumbnails
  • descriptions

The tool helps you figure out which ones work the best for the exposure and growth of your channel.

Another top benefit of TubeBuddy is the scheduling feature. You can determine when you want uploaded videos to get published in the future.

The scheduling tool works both ways. You can also set a specific time and date for a video to be removed from certain playlists on the channel without having to do it manually.

TubeBuddy tracks your rankings and compares your analytics to those of your competition on YouTube as well as in Google searches.

This extension lets you update videos in bulk. It’s a great option if you have hundreds of videos and want to update all the descriptions simultaneously.

If you’re planning to promote one of your videos in the description of all your other videos, consider this tool.

You can also improve your thumbnail creation process with TubeBuddy.

Plus, it has options for all different types of YouTube users:

  • creators
  • brands
  • agencies
  • networks

No matter which category you fall in, TubeBuddy will have you covered.

This extension makes it easier for you to reach your YouTube subscribers on other social media channels. It’s truly an all-in-one tool.

2. Social Blade

Social Blade is another top option for you to consider. I like it because it tracks different statistics on YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and Twitter.

It’s useful for effectively improving your social media marketing strategy.

Track your own statistics, or look up your competitors. Here’s a look at some basic analytics from my YouTube channel on the Social Blade platform:

social blade

As you can see, it shows my subscribers, video views, and estimated earnings by date.

That just barely scratches the surface of what this tool offers.

You can compare up to three channels simultaneously. This will give you a great indication of how you stack up against competing channels.

Social Blade also has a feature that determines whether YouTube creators belong to management agencies or multi-channel networks.

Use this information to determine how other people are monetizing their accounts.

This tool offers tutorials for both beginners and long-time YouTube creators. You can also take advantage of their consulting services to help your channel grow.

3. YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio is the official YouTube app for creators.

youtube studio

It’s a must-have tool for managing your channel from mobile devices on the go, which is necessary for anyone who takes their channel seriously.

You shouldn’t need to find a computer every time you want to handle something on your page, especially if it’s time sensitive.

YouTube Studio allows you to monitor the performance of your channel with analytics in real time. You can respond to comments and filter them.

Receive push notifications directly to your mobile devices with alerts for important events.

You can control your monetization settings, thumbnails, scheduling, and other details directly from the app. This tool allows you to update your channel from anywhere.

4. Woobox

If you want to promote your YouTube content on other channels, which I highly recommend, Woobox is the ultimate tool for you.

woobox

As I said before, social media is a great place to repurpose your video content. It’s a strategy I use personally.

Woobox lets you set up all your YouTube videos on a Facebook tab.

Now your Facebook friends and fans can scroll through and view your YouTube content directly from Facebook. They can do this without being redirected to another page.

Choose a featured video to be the first thing your audience sees when they navigate to this tab.

Woobox is a great way for you to get more subscribers. Eventually, you’ll be able to convert your social media followers into customers.

People may not be navigating to your YouTube channel daily. But there’s a good chance they’re active on Facebook.

Now you can expose your content to a wider audience without having to rely on them visiting YouTube to watch your videos.

5. Bitly

Again, you want to promote your content on as many marketing channels as possible.

To do this effectively, you’ll need to post links to your YouTube channel and YouTube videos. But sometimes, these links can be long, messy, and unappealing.

That’s why I recommend using Bitly to shorten your links:

bitly

This will help you keep your descriptions neat and tidy.

Bitly is great because it’s not limited to just YouTube content. You can use this tool to shorten any link you’re promoting.

I also recommend using it if you have long links because you are tracking your leads with UTM parameters.

6. Pixlr

Thumbnails help get the attention of users on YouTube.

The right thumbnail can help you get more clicks and views on your content. Pixlr makes it easy for you to create high performing thumbnails.

pixlr

This tool is also great for including images into any video content.

Pixlr allows you to add layers and effects to any image.

This software offers tons of photo editing options. It can help you with any of your visual content needs outside of YouTube as well.

Plus, they have a web app and mobile app. It’s easy to edit and upload content no matter what device you’re using.

7. Tubular Insights

Formally known as ReelSEO, Tubular Insights keeps you up to date with the latest trends, tips, and analysis for your video marketing strategy.

tubular insights

Experts offer advice and guides on this network to help marketers producing video content.

Tubular Insights tracks all video content from all devices and platforms from across the globe. Then, it breaks down these videos by trends.

Use this information to create timely and relevant to your audience videos.

Here, you’ll find great blog posts about all topics related to YouTube. There are even extremely easy to follow how-to guides.

You can search for top YouTube creators and learn from their success stories.

8. Keyword Tool

As the name implies, Keyword Tool gives you suggestions for YouTube keywords.

keyword tool

You can use these keywords in your titles, tags, and descriptions.

The great part about Keyword Tool is it offers long-tail keyword suggestions as well.

Just as you optimize your site for search engines, you need to optimize your YouTube channel for search.

In addition to YouTube, Keyword Tool can help you generate relevant keywords for Google, Amazon, Bing, and other search engines. You’ll benefit from a higher ranking and more traffic to all your channels.

Select the country you’re targeting to improve your reach.

As I said before, creating a great video isn’t enough. You need people to see your content, or it won’t be effective.

You want to make sure your videos can be found through organic searches. That’s why you should use Keyword Tool.

9. Camtasia

Camtasia is a screen recording tool and video editor.

camtasia

Screen recordings are a great way to enhance your content.

Lots of times, you’ll be explaining how to do something on your computer.

But you don’t want to record your screen with a camera or smartphone. It’s not efficient and looks unprofessional. You’ll likely have a glare on the screen as well.

Plus, if you’re just explaining how to do something without showing people, it will be extremely difficult for them to follow your instructions.

Camtasia is my favorite tool for screen recordings.

After you record your screen, you can mark up the videos, make edits, and add effects. It’s ideal for anyone creating video tutorials because you can record the movement of your mouse and show keystrokes as well.

Add notes and other annotations such as highlights, arrows, and captions for people watching your videos without sound.

A voice narration feature allows you to record yourself speaking during or after you record the screen. Camtasia has other audio effects and even has an option to add music.

It’s great for showcasing presentations and slideshows via YouTube.

This tool also has a green screen function, animations, and interactivity features such as quizzes. Overall, it’s something you should have in your arsenal of your YouTube tools.

10. vidIQ

I like vidIQ because it’s another way to monitor and track your YouTube audience analytics.

vidiq

Find out exactly who is watching your content. Then, you can create videos that appeal to that audience. Market to their needs accordingly.

With vidIQ, you can get detailed reports to improve your YouTube channel.

The platform also offers SEO tools.

In addition, you can identify influencers, manage comments, and run a competitive comparison against other channels.

Use the vidIQ free Google Chrome extension. The extension allows you to see the top keywords and tags used by other channels.

Monitor keyword scores, views, and other search term metrics all from one place.

You can also track your engagement metrics on both YouTube and Facebook with the vidIQ tool.

11. Creator Academy

Creator Academy is a resource offered by YouTube.

creator academy

You can find courses and tutorials that explain everything you need to know about how to do things on YouTube.

While you can filter these by category and skill level, I highly recommend this if you are a beginner at managing a YouTube channel.

This is a chance for you to learn the basics, e.g., how to upload, edit, and shoot content for your channel. Learn the top tips and tricks to make your life easier.

Creator Academy also explains how to monetize your YouTube channel.

12. Hootsuite

Last, but certainly not least, is Hootsuite:

hootsuite

Some of you may be familiar with Hootsuite since it offers tons of tools to help manage your social media marketing strategy.

In fact, it also made the list of my favorite time-saving social media marketing tools.

It has a specific feature for managing your YouTube channel. Schedule video uploads from YouTube to your other social networks directly from the platform.

Hootsuite also makes it easy for you to work with your team on improving YouTube content.

Assign tasks to your employees. You won’t need to give your YouTube passwords or account information to anyone. You can have separate logins on the Hootsuite platform.

Like some of the other tools on my list, Hootsuite will track your engagement metrics.

It generates reports that help you determine what you need to improve and what you should keep doing.

Its mobile app allows you to take advantage of all these features from your smartphone and tablet. It’s another way to manage your YouTube channel on the go.

Conclusion

If you’re just uploading videos to YouTube without any reason or strategy, your channel won’t be a big hit.

But those of you ready to take your video marketing strategy to the next level and grow your YouTube channel will need to take advantage of tools to reach your goals.

The list above has tools for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re a marketer, influencer, Internet personality, or an agency team member.

These tools will make your content better.

In addition to improving the videos you upload, tools on this list will help you manage the way your content gets distributed.

Share your videos on social media. Make sure the titles, tags, and descriptions are optimized for organic searches.

You don’t need to use all these tools tomorrow, but over time, I recommend incorporating them into your YouTube growth strategy.

What tools are you using to grow your YouTube channel?



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Leeds BS launches variable rate mortgage range starting form 0.99%

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Leeds Building Society has launched a new range of discount variable rate mortgages starting from 0.99%.

For borrowers with a deposit of 35%, Leeds is offering a two-year deal with a 4.70% discount off the standard variable rate (SVR) of 5.69%, giving an initial rate of 0.99%. This mortgage comes with a £1,999 fee.

Fee free mortgages include a 1.47% two-year discount mortgage up to 65% loan-to-value (LTV) and 1.79% two-year discount mortgage up to 85% LTV.

Matt Bartle, Leeds Building Society’s head of product and pricing, says: “Fixed rate remains the most popular type of mortgage by some margin, both among our customers and in the UK generally, but there’s a trade-off. The interest rate and monthly repayments may be a little higher than if the borrower had chosen a variable rate but they have the security of fixed repayments which can help them to budget.”

He adds: “However, borrowers who aren’t expecting rate increases in the near future could choose a variable rate product with lower repayments, which is why we’re introducing these shorter-term discount mortgages.”

Should you take out a variable rate mortgage?

If you think the Bank of England’s base rate is likely to stay the same or fall then a variable rate could be for you. However, be aware that rates could rise at any time and leave you out of pocket.

While fixed rate mortgages tend to be more expensive, they can provide you with security against a rate rise.

By fixing you can keep your repayments the same so that any future rate changes won’t catch you off-guard.

The Bank of England has raised interest rates twice in the past 12 months, going up to 0.75% in August.

It has hinted that it could raise interest rates if the UK manages a smooth exit from the European Union.

While the Bank did not change rates this month, its latest forecasts suggest rates could rise to 1.5% over the next years.

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This Free Tool Can Help Score You a Refund If Your Package Shows Up Late


Online shopping is pretty much the best.

You get to avoid all those #FirstWorldProblems you hate to deal with at the physical store.

Putting on pants.

Interacting with other humans.

Driving.

That guy at the exit who asks to see your receipt, and you’re like, “What, you don’t think I can afford this TV just because I spend my Wednesday at a Walmart in sweatpants?!”

Plus, it’s usually cheaper to shop online.

But there is that one big drawback that makes procrastinators like me chew my nails to a nub as I wait by the mailbox every day.

Can You Get a Shipping Refund If Your Package Doesn’t Show?

You mean well, but sometimes you forget that wedding, baby shower or birthday is coming up until it’s three days away. So you order the perfect gift online and fork over a week’s salary for expedited shipping.

But here you are, ready to leave for the party (dressed spectacularly, we might add) — and the package hasn’t arrived.

So you swing by the only store en route, pick up a backup gift, stuff it into a decorated bag and sign the card at a stoplight.

But what about the cost? Is there an Amazon shipping refund? Or one from Walmart? Anywhere?

You could call the retailer and negotiate a refund. But that involves a whole new set of #FirstWorldProblems, like waiting on hold and talking on the phone.

With a new delivery monitoring system from Paribus, you could get a refund with no extra work.

We’ve talked about Paribus before. It’s the tool that scans your online shopping receipts and monitors major retailers for price drops. If the price goes down on something you bought, Paribus gets the retailer to pay you the difference.

Its new delivery monitoring service has a similar mission: Save you time and effort getting refunds you deserve. Here’s how it works:

  1. It checks your email for receipts to find guaranteed delivery dates.
  2. It tracks the package using UPS or the retailer’s shipping tracking.
  3. If the delivery is later than guaranteed, Paribus automatically files a claim with the retailer to get you compensation.

Here’s the link to download the app and sign up.

How Much Money Can You Get Back?

Paribus monitors dozens of retailers — including Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and more — so your refund will depend on the store’s shipping policy.

With Amazon, for example, a late delivery means you’re eligible for “a refund of any shipping fees associated with the order in question. Prime members (who get free two-day shipping) may also be eligible for an extension of their membership.”

Paribus has negotiated everything from full or partial cost-of-shipping refunds and store credit to one-month extensions of memberships in rush-shipping programs like Amazon Prime.

Paribus' price-match and delivery monitoring services are totally free. That means all that shipping cost goes back in your pocket.

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.



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How to Use the ‘Reminders’ App to Help Your Financial State

While a smartphone might be a very powerful avenue of distraction and temptation, it also offers a number of very powerful tools for getting your financial life straightened out and keeping you focused in surprisingly effective ways.

One of my favorite simple tools for doing this is the Reminders app that’s part of iOS on all newer iPhones. (There’s a very similar app available for Android phones called Google Now.)

Reminders is just a very simple to-do list app that’s heavily integrated into the iOS notifications system, meaning that it’s incredibly effective at alerting you of things you need to remember at key moments. It’s one of those tools that, when you start thinking about clever things you can do with it, good ideas just pop up all over.

I’m definitely a “to-do list” kind of guy, and for most of my personal and professional tasks, I use OmniFocus. However, Reminders just does some things so smoothly and effectively that I use it for certain types of things, particularly when I mostly just need a reminder at a certain time or a certain place.

It turns out that having a reminder pop up at a certain time or at a certain place has some extremely effective personal finance applications, and given the ease of use of the Reminders app, those are things that virtually anyone can set up with ease on their own phone.

All you really need to do to set up any of these things is fire up your Reminders app, type in what you want to be reminded of, then click the little icon to the right of that new reminder and set either a location or a time and date to be reminded (as well as whether you want that reminder to repeat). You should also make sure in your settings that Reminders can always access your location. That’s it – when a reminder is triggered, it’ll alert you right when you need it. (I have so many reminders that I actually have separate lists of reminders, something else you can easily do in the app.)

Here are four really effective personal finance uses for the Reminders app, even if you’re not a big to-do list kind of person.

Use Gift Cards

Many of us receive gift cards for the holidays or for other occasions. They can be a great gift, but the trick is remembering to actually use them. That’s where Reminders comes in handy.

Just set up a reminder to use a particular gift card whenever you happen to be near that particular retailer.

For example, let’s say that you have a gift card for Starbucks. Just create a reminder to “Use Starbucks gift card,” then tap on the little “i” icon to the right. Set it to remind you at a particular location, then identify the Starbucks that you’re near most often. You can even set two or three different reminders, each for a particular Starbucks location that you’re near.

Then, the next time you’re near that Starbucks, your phone will remind you that you have a gift card and you can go ahead and use it so it doesn’t go to waste. Once you’ve used up the gift cards, just go into Reminders and swipe away the reminders related to that gift card.

You can do this for literally any retailer or restaurant for which you have gift cards. I currently have a Chili’s gift card that I won in a drawing. I don’t think about eating at Chili’s on my own, so I have a reminder set up to remind me of the gift card whenever I’m within 1,000 feet of the three Chili’s closest to where I live, one reminder for each location.

Perform Regular Simple Maintenance

There are a few key home and auto maintenance tasks that I want to make sure I perform each month. These are typically on my ordinary to-do list, but I also want my phone to remind me of these tasks.

So, I just create a reminder for each one that pops up once a month at roughly the time of day I expect to be most likely in a situation to tackle that task. I have a couple that pop up on the first of each month, and then others that pop up throughout the month, here and there.

For example, as I was writing this post, I got a reminder to air up the tires on the van. It popped up in the early afternoon because this is a short errand, of the kind that I’ll often run in the afternoon before the kids get home from school on a weekday. Guess what? Now that it’s front and center in my mind, I’ll take care of it in an hour or so.

You can do this exact thing with any number of regular tasks, like changing the furnace filter or changing an under-the-sink water filter or cleaning out the gutters. Just add a reminder, set it to repeat once a month, and then your phone will bug you, right on time.

Set Your Mindset

Over the last year, one thing I’ve really been working on is improving some of my natural character traits. I want to be more outgoing and more thoughtful and kind to others, and I want to naturally tune down my desire to spend money on, well, anything. It’s hard to do these kinds of things as discrete tasks – it’s more of a mindset shift.

The best strategy I’ve found for doing this is from the book Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith. In it, he encourages people to focus on effort in terms of improving character traits, and to ask yourself at the end of each day honestly whether you did your best to be more outgoing or whatever the trait is you’re working on. You really should read the details – it’s really powerful stuff.

Anyway, I’ve found that I’m way more effective at this if I remind myself occasionally throughout the day that I need to be doing my best to do certain things. So, what I do is that I have reminders that pop up throughout the day that remind me of a particular trait I’m working on.

Let’s say I’m wanting to curb my spending impulses. I’ll have a reminder pop up during the day saying, “Are you doing your best to keep your spending in check today?” I don’t have that reminder every single day – it would become routine. Instead, it pops up twice a week at a strange time, like 2 in the afternoon on Tuesday and 9 in the morning on Friday. That way, it doesn’t feel like a “routine” thing.

I do this by having two reminders that recur once a week that just pup up “Am I doing my best today to keep my spending in check?” They recur once a week, at different times and on different days. I read it and it drags the idea that I need to be more mindful of my spending into my consciousness, and the irregularity of the reminders keeps it from becoming something rote that I can safely ignore.

Add Desired Books as Location Reminders at the Library

This is perhaps my favorite tactic of the lot.

Whenever someone mentions an interesting book to me, or I read about one somewhere, I’ve been training myself to just add a reminder regarding that book to my Reminders app rather than buying it or putting it on my Amazon wishlist or something.

See, I’ve figured out that if I take some sort of action in relation to something I want, that desire fades away to virtually nothing very quickly. That’s a good step. However, adding it to another list, particularly an Amazon list, often ends with me seeing it again in a few months when I’m already on Amazon and deciding that, yes, indeed, I have enough in my hobby budget to buy that book and I click and it’s bought. Bad choice, Trent! Bad choice!

Over the last several months, I’ve found that using the Reminders app is a much better choice. I have a list of reminders called “Books to Read” and whenever someone mentions an interesting book, I add a reminder to that list with the book’s name and author.

Here’s the kicker, though: I set it up as a location reminder set to a tight radius around the local library that I visit every couple of weeks.

So, the next time I go to the library, I walk in the front door and my phone goes nuts, dumping out a half-dozen reminders about books I’m interested in. That’s great, though, because I’m at a location where the books are free. I walk over to a kiosk and start locating those books in the library. If they’re not available, I’ll put in a hold request for them. If the library doesn’t have the book, I’ll put in an interlibrary request for the book. It’s easy and it’s all free. If a reminder pops up about a book I’m no longer interested in, no big deal – I just ignore it.

This has saved me so much money in recent months. When I hear about a cool book, I can do something about it that doesn’t set me up to end up buying it from Amazon. Rather, I set myself up to grab it from the library for free.

Final Thoughts

The Reminders app (or the very similar Google Now app if you’re on Android) is an extremely effective tool at reminding you of things when and where you need to know them. It can be used to remind you of individual tasks, sure, but there are other tools that do that effectively.

Where it shines is nudging you gently in the right place at the right time, and if you set up reminders like these, you’ll find that your phone is somehow magically in sync with the tendencies of your mind and thus it nudges you in a progressively better direction.

Good luck!

More by Trent Hamm

The post How to Use the ‘Reminders’ App to Help Your Financial State appeared first on The Simple Dollar.



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Unemployment at 5-Decade Low as Booming US Economy Adds 250,000 New Jobs Plus Wage Growth

U.S. employers added a stellar 250,000 jobs last month and boosted average pay by the most in nearly a decade in an effort to attract and keep workers.

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Home Finances Awards 2018 - the winners revealed

Unhappy with your energy or mobile phone provider and don’t know where to turn? Can’t decide between Netflix or Amazon Prime? Or perhaps your supermarket seems pricey? Then read up on the household names that came top in this year’s awards

Deciding which home service provider to choose can be tough. With a myriad of deals and offers available, it is often hard to pick apart which product offers best value.

That is why each year Moneywise asks you, the readers, to tell us about the top home services providers in the country.

The Home Finances Awards are designed to help you to decide on a whole range of household services, from broadband and mobiles to energy suppliers and supermarkets.

This year, with a phenomenal 10,000 respondents to our survey, there are some clear winners that deserve a pat on the back.

A big thank you to all those who voted – here are the firms that you picked as the best providers in the UK in 2018.

Thank you for voting

The winner of our prize draw is Geoffrey Drew, from Cambridgeshire, who won £500 to spend at the retailer of his choice. The winners of the five runners-up prizes of £100 each have also been notified.

 

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Best gas, electricity and water firms

Looking to change electricity, gas or water suppliers? Find out which household names came top in this year's awards

Unhappy with your energy or mobile phone provider and don’t know where to turn? Can’t decide between Netflix or Amazon Prime? Or perhaps your supermarket seems pricey? Then read up on the household names that came top in this year’s awards

Deciding which home service provider to choose can be tough. With a myriad of deals and offers available, it is often hard to pick apart which product offers best value.

That is why each year Moneywise asks you, the readers, to tell us about the top home services providers in the country.

The Home Finances Awards are designed to help you to decide on a whole range of household services, from broadband and mobiles to energy suppliers and supermarkets.

This year, with a phenomenal 10,000 respondents to our survey, there are some clear winners that deserve a pat on the back.

A big thank you to all those who voted – here are the firms that you picked as the best providers in the UK in 2018.

Best gas, electricity and water firms

Best value for money
Winner Utility Warehouse
Highly commended: Bulb
Best of the big six
Winner E.on
Highly commended: EDF Energy
Best customer service
Winner Utility Warehouse
Highly commended: OVO Energy
Best clarity of bills
Winner Utility Warehouse
Highly commended: Bulb
Best for money-saving tips and gadgets
Winner Utility Warehouse
Highly commended: OVO Energy
Best for smart meters
Winner Utility Warehouse
Highly commended: British Gas

Gas and electricity

Households have had a particularly rough time in 2018 as far as energy bills go. Rocketing wholesale prices have caused inflation-stomping price hikes from nearly every energy provider.

Levels of switching between suppliers also remain low, which doesn’t do anything to help healthy competition in the marketplace.

An experiment carried out by energy regulator Ofgem, in which households were encouraged to switch provider on to a cheaper deal, found that only one in five switched companies after being reminded.

Such intransigence has prompted government action, with the announcement of a price cap on the more expensive standard variable tariffs (SVTs). Ofgem says millions of households will save up to £120 a year as a result.

The runaway 2018 winner in such an environment is Utility Warehouse, which won every category it entered. And for good reason.

Utility Warehouse makes very specific guarantees to its customers. It promises it will never charge more than the cheapest SVT offered by the Big Six energy providers. Furthermore, if these providers lower their prices, Utility Warehouse will do so too.

The provider also offers a Double Gold Fixed tariff through its Discount Club, which it says guarantees no price rises until 31 August 2020.

Survey-takers rated Utility Warehouse highly across the board, from value for money to customer service and smart-meter quality.

Our winner for the best of the Big Six goes to E.ON, which narrowly edged out the runner-up (and last year’s winner), EDF Energy.

However, it is something of a ‘best of a bad bunch’. E.ON rated 3.7 out of five, far lower than Utility Warehouse, which received top marks.

Water

Most recommended
Winner Yorkshire Water
Highly commended: Anglian Water

Consumers are in an unfortunate position when it comes to water providers in that there is no choice or market competition. Where you live dictates which company provides the H2O in your taps.

However, there have been some interesting changes this year in the provision of water for households. At the beginning of September, the industry laid out plans to the regulator, Ofwat, for its ideas to improve services for consumers constrained by geography.

Through a programme of investment and innovations, this year’s winner, Yorkshire Water, plans to find £800 million of efficiency savings. But it has not committed to decreasing customers' bills. Average bills will rise to £393 a year by 2025.

Anglian Water was highly commended in this category.

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Best supermarkets for value, produce and online delivery

Looking to changes supermarket? Find out which household names came top in this year's awards

Unhappy with your energy or mobile phone provider and don’t know where to turn? Can’t decide between Netflix or Amazon Prime? Or perhaps your supermarket seems pricey? Then read up on the household names that came top in this year’s awards

Deciding which home service provider to choose can be tough. With a myriad of deals and offers available, it is often hard to pick apart which product offers best value.

That is why each year Moneywise asks you, the readers, to tell us about the top home services providers in the country.

The Home Finances Awards are designed to help you to decide on a whole range of household services, from broadband and mobiles to energy suppliers and supermarkets.

This year, with a phenomenal 10,000 respondents to our survey, there are some clear winners that deserve a pat on the back.

A big thank you to all those who voted – here are the firms that you picked as the best providers in the UK in 2018.

Best supermarkets for value, produce and online delivery

Best supermarket
WinnerAldi
Highly commended: Lidl
Best value for money
WinnerAldi
Highly commended: Lidl
Best produce
WinnerAldi
Highly commended: Lidl
Best in-store experience
WinnerAldi
Highly commended: Waitrose
Best online supermarket
WinnerAldi
Highly commended: M&S, Waitrose
 

This year’s supermarket awards mark an eye-opening clean sweep for bargain provider Aldi.

But that is perhaps to be expected under current circumstances. Rising prices and modest wage growth are bound to make shoppers thriftier and hungry for a deal.

And such is the business model of supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl that consumers cannot get enough. It has even triggered the largest supermarket in the country, Tesco, to respond in kind with its own version, Jack’s.

The clean sweep from Aldi and Lidl might be pause for thought for the big, old supermarket brands. In an attempt to consolidate and form one of the largest consumer firms in the country, Sainsbury’s and Asda announced a merger worth £12 billion in April.

Value for money has always been the drive for shoppers to these establishments. However, this year both have unseated big players for the top position of best supermarket, with Aldi coming top and Lidl a very close second.

It must be said the readers’ response to value for money was even tighter, with just 0.1 difference separating the two.

The fact is these brands give people what they need right now – quality produce at reasonable prices.

The only other brands to get a look in this year were Waitrose, highly commended for its in-store experience, and M&S, which tied with Waitrose, for its online supermarket. M&S largely offers occasion food on its website.

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