News For Today July 2013

Adams’s news prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Historians have long disputed whether Congress actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.
In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, but another Founding Father who became a President, James Monroe, died on July 4, 1831, thus becoming the third President in a row who died on this memorable day. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872, and, so far, is the only President to have been born on Independence Day.

Source: Wiki

Marketing #Update

Timeline, Graph Search, what’s next for Facebook? Hash-tags –  that’s what’s next. You know, what you may have called the “pound sign” or “hound’s tooth” depending on your era.

So what does it mean? That can have a lot to do with your demographic. The heaviest twitter users are ages 18-34 (see Twitter chart).

So, if your clients fall within that group then this is a big deal. If your clients are older, then you can wait a few years before its a big deal. Of course by then you may be behind the eight-ball so to speak, so maybe it is a big deal for you?

Either way, here is what it means: If you place a “hash-tag in front of your Facebook keywords they become searchable. This is a two way search. Your hash-tagged keyword is now a hotlink, that when clicked on will show other relevant posts. It also works that when someone searches from “Graph Search” (if you don’t have it yet, just wait), your keyword may now show up in the search results.

So if your following this, you may have also figured out that by hash-tagging your keyword to create a link you have created a new opportunity for SEO link juice, but I think that is best left for another article.

Bottom line, you probably should be including some hash-tags in your Facebook posts. How many depends on your audience and your strategy. 

Have fun, and happy hashing!

Plastics and water bottles

What plastics are safe? Find out what is the safest plastic

Phil’s Health Tip

Use only ‘broad spectrum’ sunscreen

If you’re shopping for sunscreen this summer, you might see this warning on some products:
“Skin Cancer/Skin Aging Alert: “Spending time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging”
Don’t buy a product labeled like that. Instead, look for those with the term “broad spectrum”.
Broad spectrum means the sunscreen will protect against the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays and also it’s ultraviolet A (UVA) rays, which also contribute to skin cancer.
To qualify, the sunscreen must have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. This is the first summer in which the new sunscreen labeling laws are in effect.
The Food & Drug Administration finalized the new rules in December.

Philip J. Economou
Licensed Insurance Agent
Insphere Insurance Solutionsﾮ
Life | Health | Medicare | Long-Term Care

Office – 941 351 8262
Mobile – 516 680 9898
philipeconomou@insphereis.com