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Saturday, November 30, 2013

Vibram mobile ad succeeds in driving viewers to online store

By Chantal Tode

August 20, 2012

Tapping the screen makes the shoes run

Vibram FiveFingers ran a HTML5-based rich media mobile ad that not only drove brand awareness, but also resulted in a 1.3 percent click-through rate on iPad devices.

The ad unit leveraged touch screen technology to reflect the brand?s unique product line by enabling users to tap a virtual pair of Vibram shoes appearing on the screen to make them run. The unit showcased the versatility of the shoes by enabling users to make the shoes run across a variety of surfaces, including grass, a dirt trail, a road and coals.

?Gamification and utility are two features known to increase mobile consumer engagement,? said Paran Johar, chief marketing officer at Jumptap, Cambridge, MA.

?Using your fingers to ?run? in the shoes across various terrains added a game-like quality to the ad, and the addition of a store locator and links to mobile purchasing offered the utility feature necessary to make target consumers? lives easier,? he said.

?The key s to creating a successful rich media campaign on mobile are visually appealing creative, engaging content and audience targeting to increase the relevancy of the rich media ad.?

Vibram collaborated with Amp Agency, Nail Agency and Jumptap on the effort.

Barefinger running
Vibram FiveFingers running shoes are glove-styled shoes designed to allow the foot to move naturally so the body operates as if it is barefoot while the shoe protects the foot with a rubber sole.

The ad unit begins as a banner on which appears the copy ?Barefinger Running?? and ?Tap Here to Try It? along with the Vibram logo. Users who click on the ad to expand it are instructed to ?Tap Two to Fingers to Run? and see pair of Vibram shoes that, when tapped, begin to move across the various terrains.

The ad unit created?for the mobile campaign included a link to a store locator landing page where users could enter their ZIP code to find the nearest store.

Additionally, users could view separate men?s and women?s shopping pages where they could see product images and place an order.

Jumptap and Nail Agency created the interactive experience with a HTML rich media ad unit.

The app appeared widely in relevant mobile sites with a goal of reaching active, health conscious and tech-savvy consumers.

Rich media, rich results
In reflection of how a rich media, interactive can drive awareness and engagement for brands, viewers of the Vibram mobile?ad?expanded the ad at a rate nearly double the network average and delivered?seven million targeted ad impressions.

The ads drove roughly three out of every five viewers who engaged with the ad to the Vibram online store.

The campaign is the latest example of how shoe brands are embracing mobile.

Nike recently introduced an iPhone application that helps golfers improve their game and uses photos, social media and location (see story?).

Last year, adidas ran a video-centric ad campaign across online, mobile and tablet devices to drive awareness and engagement (see story).

?The 1.41 percent ad expansion and nearly 60 percent engagement rates speak for themselves ??this was a homerun both for Vibram and consumers,? said Brittany Schermerhorn, associate media director at Amp Agency, Boston.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York

Associate Editor Chantal Tode covers advertising, messaging, legal/privacy and database/CRM. Reach her at chantal@mobilemarketer.com.

View the original article here

Monday, November 11, 2013

'DSM-V is taking away our identity': The reaction of the online community to the proposed changes in the diagnosis of Asperger's disorder

Impact Factor:1.137 | Ranking:21/36 in Social Sciences, Biomedical | 81/136 in Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | 5-Year Impact Factor:1.396Source:2012 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomson Reuters, 2013)
David C Giles David.Giles{at}winchester.ac.uk

University of Winchester, UKThis article considers the fate of Asperger’s disorder in the light of proposals for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) to collapse Asperger’s disorder along with other pervasive developmental disorders into a general spectrum of autism. It is argued that a powerful lay and scientific culture has evolved around the concept of Asperger’s disorder, which has found a particularly compelling voice over the last decade in the online Asperger community, with websites such as Wrong Planet recruiting tens of thousands of members. In order to assess the impact of these proposed changes on the online Asperger community, 19 threads on the topic of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) are analysed according to the arguments that community members put forward in favour of, or in opposition to, the proposals. Many members embrace the notion of the spectrum and have already coined a new identity – ‘spectrumite’ – to adapt to the diagnostic shift. Others, however, are suspicious of the motives behind the absorption of Asperger’s disorder, and potential threats to the provision of services as well as the strong ‘aspie’ identity that reflects the large literature and the online public sphere around Asperger’s disorder. To what extent this culture poses a challenge to the authority of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is uncertain at present.

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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Now, transfer your EPF accounts online

Now, transfer your EPF accounts online - The Hindu var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "11398210" });(function() {var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})(); Follow Today's Paper Archive Subscriptions RSS Feeds Site Map ePaperMobileApps Social SEARCH

Home News Opinion Business Sport S & T Features Books In-depth Jobs Classifieds Shopping Bus tickets Cities Bangalore Chennai Coimbatore Delhi Hyderabad Kochi Kozhikode Madurai Mangalore Visakhapatnam Thiruvananthapuram Tiruchirapalli Vijayawada Cities» VisakhapatnamVISAKHAPATNAM, October 29, 2013 Updated: October 29, 2013 13:56 IST
Now, transfer your EPF accounts onlineNivedita GangulyShare · Comment · print · TweetTOPICS Andhra Pradesh Visakhapatnam
labour employee
Worried about transferring your Employee Provident Fund (EPF) account after a job change? Here’s some good news. For scores of employed professionals, the implementation of online transfer of EPF accounts has come as a relief. What used to be a laborious process is now expected to be reduced to a few days time.

“Earlier, it used to take one to two years for the EPF account transfer to take place. But with the start of the online transfer system, we are aiming to speed up the entire process and ensure that it happens within three days time,” said M. Jagadeeshwar Rao, Member of Central Board of Trustee, Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

There are over 14 lakh EPF accounts that come under the purview of the Visakhapatnam Provident Fund Office, which caters to Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts.

Previously, the manual process of transferring the EPF account involved filling up of Form 13, getting it attested from the previous employer and submitting it to the Provident Fund Office. From thereon, the process would take a long time.

In the online transfer system, PF subscribers need to visit the website www.epfindia.com and click on ‘Online Transfer Claim Portal’ (OTCP) and follow the process. With this the money can get transferred from one account to another online. However, for online transfer of EPF account from a previous employer to the current employer, it is important that the digital signatures of these employers are registered with EPFO to verify claim papers online. The EPFO had started registering digital signatures of companies from July this year.

“With the introduction of OTCP, the EPF authorities are in the loop as soon as an EPF account transfer is initiated. In the earlier process, the employer would take a lot of time in submitting the Form 13 to EPF authorities, but EPFO did not have the scope of figuring out the delay in submission. But now, the process is faster,” said Mr Rao.

Currently, the online process is being upgraded in all the PF offices across the country. “There are some technical issues at some places, which will be fixed within the next two months,” Mr Rao added.

Keywords: Employee Provident Fund, EPF account, EPFO, PF subscribers, online transfer system

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Thursday, October 24, 2013

NBE to hold PG medical entrance test online from Nov. 25

NBE to hold PG medical entrance test online from Nov. 25 - The Hindu var _comscore = _comscore || [];_comscore.push({ c1: "2", c2: "11398210" });(function() {var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.async = true;s.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})(); Follow Today's Paper Archive Subscriptions RSS Feeds Site Map ePaperMobileApps Social SEARCH

Home News Opinion Business Sport S & T Features Books In-depth Jobs Classifieds Shopping Bus tickets Education Plus Careers Colleges Schools Features» Education PlusNEW DELHI,October 25, 2013 Updated: October 25, 2013 04:38 IST
NBE to hold PG medical entrance test online from Nov. 25 Special CorrespondentShare · Comment · print · TweetTOPICS education entrance examination
medical education
higher education post graduate
It’s for admission to all-India 50% quota in govt. collegesThe National Board of Examination (NBE) will conduct the All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination (AIPGMEE) for 2014 in 38 cities between November 25 and December 6. It will be held online at 70 Prometric Test Centres.

The decision was announced on Wednesday following the Supreme Court’s approval of engagement of the NBE for the job and the schedule for the examination.

The NBE will conduct the examination for admission to the all-India 50 per cent quota in MD/MS/PG diploma courses offered in government colleges/ institutions, except in Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The governments of Haryana, Punjab and Chhattisgarh and the University of Delhi will utilise AIPGMEE results for admissions to these courses in colleges under their control.

These States will not conduct any state entrance examination of their own. Admission to institutions under the Armed Forces Medical Services will also be made on the basis of AIPGMEE results.

According to NBE Executive Director Bipin Batra, the duration of the examination will be three hours and 30 minutes. In addition, 15 minutes of test tutorial time will be given. The test will comprise 300 multiple choice questions covering different subjects in the MBBS curriculum. There will be no negative marking.

VouchersPre-paid test fee vouchers are available at 279 branches of Axis Bank across the country from October 24. Registration and scheduling can be done online from 9.30 a.m. on October 26.

Keywords: National Board of Examination, All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination, AIPGMEE, Prometric Test Centres

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The Central Board of Secondary Education answers questions relating to its examinations from The Hindu's readers.

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Thursday, October 10, 2013

Race to get Obamacare online sites running goes to the wire

By Sharon Begley

NEW YORK, Sept 28 | Sat Sep 28, 2013 11:47am EDT

NEW YORK, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Just days before the launch of the new U.S. state health insurance exchanges that are the centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act, a nationwide push is still under way to test and patch the technology behind the online sites.

Officials working on the sites have acknowledged that information technology (IT) failures will prevent many of them from functioning fully for weeks, and perhaps longer. That will slow the government's drive to enroll millions of uninsured Americans under President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law starting Tuesday.

From a political standpoint, a successful opening day will shape perceptions of Obama's signature policy initiative. But the system's functioning is to a large extent beyond the control of politicians and policy experts, and instead sits in the hands of the battalions of coders working for IT sub-contractors.

Six months ago, people involved in setting up the exchanges were more hopeful that everything would be ready on time, said Cristine Vogel, an associate director at Navigant Consulting.

"I don't think there were enough hours in the day, or enough people with the skills," she said. "When we look back, I think we'll see that we missed an opportunity to share technology."

Opponents of the healthcare reform known as Obamacare say the computer problems bolster their view that the 2010 law is a "train wreck" and should be delayed or repealed. The Obama administration insists the exchanges will be open for business on Oct. 1, even if some uninsured Americans may not be able to buy coverage right away. More importantly, they say, the new health plans will begin to provide health coverage on Jan. 1, as planned.

"So long as the website is accessible and the plans and the plan information are displayed properly so a consumer can shop for coverage and compare the plans, they will claim victory," said Chris C1ondeluci, an employee benefits attorney at Venable LLP and a former staffer at the Senate Finance Committee who helped draft the Affordable Care Act.

FIRST-DAY CRASH?

This week, the Obama administration said its Spanish-language website would not be ready in time, and that it would be weeks before small businesses and their employees could sign up online for coverage on exchanges operated by the federal government.

The exchanges in Colorado and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, cannot calculate the amount of federal subsidies customers qualify for.

In New York, the exchange is not able to transfer data to some insurers instantaneously, as planned, one carrier told Reuters. Instead, the data will be sent in batches once a day or so. The glitch will not affect customers, but it raises questions that New York might have other IT problems.

Oregon had sufficient qualms about its online insurance marketplace that no one can enroll unless they use a trained, certified agent or other "community partner."

As late as this week, Oregon also had trouble correctly displaying information about insurance plans on a test site. The problem could mislead customers about deductibles, prices and other details if it occurs on the live site Tuesday.

In Ohio, Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, a fierce opponent of the healthcare law, said in a radio interview this week that her state's online exchange, which is being run by the federal government, could well crash on its first day.

In testing, she said, some plans filed by insurers "sat in a queue for the federal government for a week, so my concern is something similar is going to happen on October 1 because of the amount of (online) traffic."

WORKAROUNDS OFFERED, TAKE TIME

In most cases, exchanges will offer workarounds that will take time to execute. In Washington, D.C., off-line contractors will calculate federal subsidies and inform applicants what they qualify for in November, by which time the online calculator might be working.

In Colorado, until at least November, customers will have to call phone service centers, where representatives will manually take them through the calculations to determine what subsidies they qualify for.

Even before the exchanges open, the finger-pointing has begun, with states blaming contractors for glitches and contractors blaming states or other contractors.

The system to calculate federal subsidies for the D.C. exchange was built by Curam Software, which IBM acquired in 2011. In tests of complex family situations, the software was getting subsidies wrong 15 percent of the time, said exchange spokesman Richard Sorian.

In a statement, IBM spokesman Mitchell Derman said the city "decided that a phased-in approach best meets the needs of its citizens." He pointed out that Curam also built the eligibility software in Maryland and Minnesota, "two states that plan to have full functionality on Oct. 1."

In other words, a company that achieved its goal on time in two states fell short in a third. The reasons, said outside experts, include relationships among contractors and the specifics of existing computer systems in a state.

In Washington, Infosys, the giant Bangalore, India,-based technology company, is the system integrator - the contractor that takes software from sub-contractors like Curam and puts it all together. The fact that Curam's calculation software is working on other exchanges suggests the glitch may not lie in its integration with the D.C. exchange's other IT.

"A software package like Curam's is put into the system by the system implementer, not the software provider," said an IT expert not involved in the D.C. exchange. A spokesman for Infosys was not able to comment on its D.C. work.

MEDICAID SYSTEMS POSE HUGE HURDLE

One of the most difficult IT jobs has been to integrate each health insurance exchange with its state Medicaid system. These legacy systems are typically decades old. In Massachusetts, for instance, the system runs on the COBOL programming language, which is to today's languages like a rotary phone is to an iPhone-5.

"These legacy systems are old and difficult to configure and re-configure," said Tom Dehner, managing principal at Health Management Associates, a healthcare consultant, in Boston and former director of Massachusetts Medicaid.

"To change how eligibility is calculated," as federal law now requires, he said, "you need to modify your Medicaid system, and that's not something you can do by buying software off the shelf."

The difficulty of interfacing with Medicaid will keep Colorado's exchange from calculating subsidies online.

To determine eligibility for federal subsidies, explained Nathan Wilkes, a member of the board of Connect for Health Colorado, the system "first goes through Medicaid determination. That means connecting to a legacy system," he said.

"Six or nine months ago we got an early warning that the way we wanted to integrate these systems wouldn't work, and then time got away from us."

Colorado's exchange tested 100,000 scenarios to see how its software calculated subsidies, and got error after error.

"It's an IT nightmare," Wilkes said.

View the original article here

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Face Online Bachelor's Programs That Don't Make the Grade

Students looking to drop out of a class should move fast so that they can get at least some of their money back, experts say.

Online bachelor's degree programs can certainly have their perks: They let students study when they want, where they want and help them balance school, family and career.

But while online programs are designed to make it easier to get an education, enrolling in the wrong program can make you question your investment.

"I've heard very concerning stories about well-known universities that are rushing to get online programs out there and quality is not what it should be generally," says Jonathan Hill, associate dean at Pace University's Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. "It's a really exciting time out there, but it's also buyer beware."

[Discover the basics of an online course.]

Students often feel frustrated when an online degree program isn't living up to their expectations, but they shouldn't feel helpless, experts say. If students are proactive about changing their circumstances, they have a chance of receiving the education they deserve.

Nonresponsive instructors are the No. 1 complaint students have about their online programs, says Vicky Phillips, founder of GetEducated.com, a website that ranks online degree programs based on student reviews, affordability and public perception. Phillips surveyed 1,000 students in verified online education programs between April 2009 and June 2012 and asked them about their experiences.

The others, in order, are poor customer service and advising; a dislike of group work; bad overall quality control; and subpar course design.

Too often, Phillips says, online students who try to voice their concerns about their courses find their institutions are poorly equipped to handle the complaints.

"The culture of many colleges is not very customer-oriented," she says. "Students are now older and nontraditional and they have more of a consumer approach. That expectation is coming up against a culture where traditionally there is not a lot of accountability."

Most students were happy with their online programs, according to the survey, but those who reported concerns tended to encounter the same problems.

Students who find themselves frustrated with various aspects of a program should take initiative and advocate for themselves, experts say.

The first step in that process would be to reach out to a human being – an assigned mentor, a teacher's assistant or a faculty member.

[Learn about mistakes online ed students make.]

If students are having issues with a particular course, experts suggest they first contact the instructor directly and clearly state their concern.

"My first response would not be to email the department chair," says Carlos Campo, president of Regent University in Virginia. "Any faculty member would take umbrage at that as a first step. Let the faculty member know you would like to get a response by a certain time, and then if you don't then you may talk to the program head."

If the faculty member is not responsive, Campo suggests continuing to move up the chain of command until you find someone who is.

Students seeking academic assistance but not getting feedback from an instructor should turn to other resources, Campo recommends.

"Look beyond the faculty member to the writing center, to the library," he says. "And always look for peers. I am stunned to see how much peer-to-peer learning is happening in the classroom."

Of course, experts suggest that students investigate the quality of their online bachelor's program before enrolling. Those who missed the warning signs and find themselves in lackluster programs should take quick action, they say.

View the original article here

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

3 Tips for Expectant Parents Considering an Online Degree

Parents-to-be should investigate drop-out policies before enrolling in online courses, experts say.

Jacque Goleeke is going to have a very busy fall.

The 29-year-old Indiana native and mother of three is expecting another child in September. For the next nine months, she'll also be completing an online bachelor's degree.

"I am very nervous about it," says Goleeke, who hopes her online business degree will help advance her career. "Some courses are more challenging than others. Depending on what comes up next, it might not be something I can tackle."

To some expectant and recent parents, the idea of signing up for an online program seems like a wise move during a break from work. For others, such as Goleeke, balancing diaper duty with homework is a nerve-racking prospect.

Adults considering online course work while parenting should consider the following tips from experts and parents.

[Learn how to tell a good online course from a bad one.]

1. Test the water by signing up for a course or a certificate. One misconception is that online courses are easier than their counterparts at brick-and-mortar institutions. But that's not the case, experts say. Online courses often involve an extensive amount of reading and writing as well as time management skills.

Meeting course deadlines and the stress of caring for an infant or young child can be taxing. Before making a long-term commitment, experts suggest first trying one class.

"Take one course before enrolling in a program and see how it works," says David L. Stoloff, a professor at Eastern Connecticut State University who has been teaching online courses since 1998. "You might not like it; it might not work with your lifestyle."

[Discover time management tips for online students.]

Kimberly Hawkins, an office manager at a public health company, jumped in to her online master's in public health with both feet – at about the same time she decided to get pregnant.

She took a few months off after she had her newborn and found the transition back to school almost too much to handle at times.

Looking back, she's not sure she would do the program again.

"I can't wait for it to be done," she says. "I kind of wish I would have done it before I had kids because it's constantly in the back of my mind."

Students intent on taking more than one course but unsure if they have the time or preparation for an entire degree might consider a compromise between the two, says professor Dani Babb, an online education consultant who teaches anywhere from 12 to 30 online courses at a given time.

"If you only have about six months to go to school, consider getting a certificate instead of a degree," she says.

[Explore child-friendly college programs.]

2. Learn about the policies for dropping out of a course. Even students with the best intentions of finishing an online course may want to drop out of the class after they've had a baby. As a result, experts suggest students take their time to investigate how flexible their programs are when it comes to a leave of absence.

Babb says it's common for her pregnant students to ask for time off after they've given birth.

"A lot of my students will do it for like three months or so," she says.

More often than not, Babb and Stoloff say, professors will approve a leave of absence. The length of the leave depends on the institution, they say.

View the original article here

How to Land a Reference From an Online Instructor

To establish a good relationship with your online professor, take advantage of online office hours, experts say.

Desie Damaso, a 28-year-old earning her online bachelor's degree at Daytona State College, had no qualms about asking her professors for a recommendation letter.

Sure, she hadn't grabbed coffee with her instructors, or spent afternoons chatting in their offices. But she had no doubt that after hours and hours of emails, Skype chats and phone calls, they knew each other well.

After Damaso put in a request, she received a letter with no problem.

"I tried to make a point to show them I wanted to understand the information and not just pass a class," says Damaso. "I would email or Skype them during office hours, and they would talk to me until I was blue in the face."

For undergraduates looking to land a first job or go onto graduate school, scoring a strong reference from a college professor can be key to professional success.

But to create the kind of bond that matters, digital learners will need to take different steps than their counterparts at brick-and-mortar institutions, experts say. If online students want to make a lasting impression on an instructor, they'll have to follow in Damaso's footsteps and go out of the way to initiate contact.

[Explore if online courses are right for you.]

Students have a variety of different ways to get on a faculty member's radar, experts say.

One tactic is to impress instructors by showing interest in their work or their subject.

Before students enroll in a course, they should research faculty members and try to take a class offered by a person who inspires them, says Sher Downing, executive director for online academic services in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Some schools post faculty introductions online that provide information about an instructor's hobbies and interests. Students should take advantage of those resources, she says, and use their knowledge to start a conversation via email, Skype, Twitter or another kind of communication.

"If you are interested in the same things they are interested in, say to them, 'I really want to learn more about this,'" she says. "If students do take that initiative and build a rapport, asking for a letter of recommendation at the end of the semester is much easier."

[Discover the basics of an online course.]

Another approach, albeit a bit bolder, is for students to introduce themselves to an instructor before their course has officially started.

"Send the faculty member a brief, bulleted email about where you are in your career and what your goals are," says Carlos Campo, president of Virginia's Regent University and a former faculty member. "It speaks to the seriousness with which you are approaching the class."

Once a course is underway, students shouldn't be shy about reaching out to instructors to ask questions about the class or their career path, experts say. Having a one-on-one chat, even through phone or video conference, is a great way to make a personal connection.

"I always recommend using Google Hangout or Skype during office hours," says Campo. "It really does change things and it gives you an open portal to that faculty member that you can use later in the semester. You want to meet them in a virtual environment and say, 'What are the expectations? What are the ways you can advise me to be a better student?'"

Of course, even the most outgoing students aren't likely to get a glowing letter of recommendation if their schoolwork isn't up to par. And in online courses, faculty members have easy access to information about every aspect of a student's performance, experts say.

View the original article here