luni, 17 martie 2014

Content Outliers: Learning from the Web's Most Viral Content

Content Outliers: Learning from the Web's Most Viral Content


Content Outliers: Learning from the Web's Most Viral Content

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 04:14 PM PDT

Posted by jamesporter

Let's start with some questions.

  • Do you want coverage for your brand in major publications?
  • Do you want significant increases in your backlink profile?
  • Do you want a larger, more engaged community?
  • Do you want thousands of new visitors to your site?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you should be thinking about creating viral content.

What can viral content do for you?

This is a piece of content we launched 4 months ago.

Since launch it has been featured on CNN, ZDNet, and Fast Company, has hit over 500 linking root domains, has earned over 95k social shares, and most importantly, has driven 270k+ unique visitors to the client's site.

So, how can you start creating viral content?


First things first: What do we mean by viral content?

Any sort of content where the viewership grows rapidly as the result of sharing. Here's a good primer.

Secondly, how do we get good at viral content?

Looking back at past viral success is a great way of understanding what's going to be successful in the future, so we need to get our hands on some data!

To get that data, I worked with the team at BuzzSumo, a content marketing research tool I highly recommend.

We dug into their database to find the 2,000 most-shared pieces of content on the web that were published within the last six months.

For each of those domains, we then pulled the second-most shared pages, which gave us a great opportunity to do some maths and identify the "content outliers"â€"the pages on a site that have massively outperformed other content on the same site.

(source)

For this analysis we looked for content outliers within the top 2,000 list, and also took a deep dive into the top 50 most-shared pages.

So, what did we learn from the analysis?


1. Make visual content, because it's easy to engage

Of the top 50 most-shared pieces of content, 48% were video, and 24% were image-based.

That means 72% of the viral content analysed was primarily visual.

So why is visual content so successful? Visual content is incredibly easy for people to understand and engage with. By reducing the engagement demands on the viewer, we're increasing the amount of people that take the time to engage with our content and therefore increasing the size of our audience that engage and share.


2. The quality of your idea is EVERYTHING

This sounds obvious, but it's worth drilling into. In his excellent book, "Contagious: Why Things Catch On," Jonah Berger flips contemporary thinking on his head by saying that mavens (influencers) are less important than we think. The real key to viral success is the quality of the idea.

This piece of content from Mirabeau Wines, "How to Open A Bottle of Wine Without A Corkscrew," is an incredible example of a winning idea.

To date, this piece has been shared nearly 1 million times, featured in The Telegraph, The Mirror and Time Magazine, and has been viewed over 5 million times on YouTube.

Content marketing tip: Forget everything else, just get your idea right. How? To start, read this.


3. Create your content around scalable themes

What stood out in the data from BuzzSumo was the broad appeal (scalability) of the topics that were being shared. Marriage, friendship, family, cancer, and personal improvement featured in more than 30% of the top 50 posts.

But why did they feature so heavily?

These concepts are relevant to a large audience and provide the opportunity for wide-scale sharing.

As a content marketer, when ideating content, you need to make the distinction between targeting a niche audience and targeting a broad audience.

Niche audience More viral due to shared values ideals and interests of the niche
Broad audience Less viral due to the disparate nature of the group, but with opportunity to operate at a much larger scale

The audience that you choose to target has a major effect on the level of success that your content is likely to achieve.

Content marketing tip: A third way is to target a broad niche. This involves creating content that is interesting to a specific niche audience, which then stimulates interest in the larger market.

By doing this you get the benefits of the concentrated sharing of a highly passionate user base, which then stimulates interest in the larger market.

Using 'The History of Dance Music' as an example, you can see the way the content could spread through the web, from:

Highly active and passionate dance music fans > Interested dance music fans > General music lovers


4. Make content interactive

Interestingly, the two most shared pieces of content pulled from BuzzSumo were both quizzes:

There are many reasons why this content killed it, but one of the key reasons is the interactive nature of each piece. By forcing users to interact with a piece of content to fully experience it, you increase their level of engagement. The more people that engage with a piece, the more people will share it.

Content marketing example: This interactive piece detailing the tech sector's acquisitions since 1999 has been a great success.

Why it worked: The content encourages engagement via scrolling or zooming to drill into the data.


5. Stimulate an emotional reaction

A key way to create viral content is to stimulate an emotional reaction.

Why is emotional content so often viral?

At a simplistic level, our emotional experiences are amplified through sharing. So when we experience a strong emotional reaction, we want to share it. Think of social buttons as a vent for expressing our emotional experiences.

What's really interesting though is that the emotion you stimulate (positive versus negative) is less important than the strength of the emotional reaction.

Recent research has found that the strength of the emotional reaction is absolutely key in viral content.

I defy anyone to read this article about a mountain pathway in China without experiencing some sort of emotional reaction (mine: seriously sweaty palms!). This piece has been shared over 1 million times and it's the strength of the emotional reaction that has stimulated people to share.

(source)

Content marketing example: As a content marketer, it can be pretty difficult to create an emotional reaction if you're in a boring industry. But you need to look beyond your products to your audience and the things they love and care about. Think of the Dove Real Beauty campaign. Soap is boring. They took an existing emotional issue that their consumers cared about and developed it into an incredible marketing campaign.


6. Leverage social triggers

Hat tip to Jonah Berger again for this one. If we can link our content to existing environmental cues, then it's more likely that we will get our content noticed by our target audience. This works because we are leveraging existing audience awareness to get cut through.

By playing off issues that are already front of mind for our audience, we increase a piece's chances of success.

There were various examples of this throughout the BuzzSumo data, but a key one (not in the list) was from Time, titled "The Selfiest Cities in the World." Selfies are a major social trigger at the moment, so Time have hooked their content into that.


7. Personalised content

What can you teach people about themselves? Content that allows people to better understand themselves and their relative standing with the rest of the world performed really well in the data sample.

The following is a great example of this type of content. By making content specifically about a user you automatically stimulate interest.


8. Target an audience likely to share

We all know that you need to create content for a specific audience (and ideally for your customers). But you can increase your chances of virality by targeting audiences that are highly likely to share...

If your content is targeted towards a group of people that don't share a lot, then it is going to be harder to create viral content in that space.

Pro tip: An audience that Buzzfeed target their content towards is the "Bored in Work, Bored in Line" audience. Basically this audience is a group of people who are bored, surfing the web, looking to be entertained or surprised.

The "What Career Should I Actually Have" is a classic example of Buzzfeed targeting this audience.

Content marketing example: Another great example of audience targeting comes from the site "Wait But Why," called Why are Generation Y Yuppies So Unhappy. By specifically creating content for and about Generation Y (a highly active sharing group) they were able to increase their chances of success. This article was syndicated to the Huffington Post and became that site's most shared piece of content (1.2 million shares).

Pro tip: According to viral kings Upworthy, "middle-aged women are the biggest sharers on the web. If you can target them, do!"


9.Take a contrarian viewpoint

A great way of stimulating an emotional response is by taking a contrarian viewpoint. An example from the buzzsumo list of contrarian content was this:

Content Total Shares

Christopher Columbus Was Awful

1,164,991

By taking an entrenched viewpoint and flipping it on it's head, you're making a piece of content a must read because you are challenging people's existing views.


10. Reinforce viewpoints people already have

Another viral content approach is to make people feel right. Creating content that reinforces what people already think and feel is a great way to stimulate sharing.

This video is about people using their phones too much and not living in the moment.

It expresses a sentiment that a lot of people related to, which in turn increases their propensity to share.

Content marketing example: Upworthy focus the majority of their content towards existing viewpoints that people already have. Whether it's LGBT, education, parenting, guns and crime, by playing off existing emotionality, they increase the virality of their content.


Here is the full data list of BuzzSumo's 50 most-shared pieces of content on the web along with the sharing statistics:

URL

Total Shares

What Career Should You Actually Have

4,419,323

How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk

3,478,306

If Only For A Second - You Need To Watch This

3,296,397

Como fazer um batuque com seu porco de estimação

3,229,795

39 Test Answers That Are 100% Wrong But Totally Genius At The Same Time

2,508,120

Russian Mother Takes Magical Pictures of Her Two Kids With Animals On Her Farm

2,494,802

Best coin ever spent.

2,404,200

Compilation of Cats Stealing Dog Beds

2,144,399

30 Naughtiest Dogs: You’ll Crack Up When You Find Out What They Did

2,133,342

This Might Be The Scariest Trail In The World. But You’ll NEVER Guess Where It Leads. Unbelievable.

2,108,904

I Can't Believe How Funny This Is. I Am In Tears, Make Sure Your Sound Is Turned On!

2,048,539

Homeless dog living in a trash pile gets rescued, and then does something amazing! Read more: http://www.trueactivist.com/gab_gallery/homeless-dog-living-in-a-trash-pile-gets-rescued-and-then-does-something-amazing/

1,992,817

While Their Kids Sleep, These parents Pull Of This Amazing Stunt...

1,860,502

Marriage Isn't For You

1,848,969

Creative Mom Turns Her Baby's Naptime Into Dream Adventures (Updated)

1,787,279

Compilation of Cats Stealing Dog Beds

1,717,782

Beware Of The 5 lb. Bag Of Sugarless Gummy Bears On Amazon.com â€" The Reviews Are Priceless!

1,646,695

After I saw this, I put down my phone and didn't pick it up for the rest of the day...

1,631,432

This Three Minute Commercial Puts Full-Length Hollywood Films to Shame

1,599,884

WestJet Christmas Surprise Will Make You Believe in Santa

1,594,405

Murmuration

1,575,770

Marijuana Overdoses Kill 37 in Colorado On First Day of Legalization

1,529,580

A Big Butt Is A Healthy Butt: Women With Big Butts Are Smarter And Healthier

1,514,008

Icomania

1,512,417

This Is What Happens When A Kid Leaves Traditional Education

1,464,780

See That Box? That's Where They Put the Babies. And It’s the Most Remarkable Thing You'll See All Week

1,462,126

Riding A Bike Over 72ft Canyon - Amazing!

1,429,648

Sexiest Twerk Choreography... Ever?

1,415,268

How to interact with the introverted...

1,409,372

KitKat Break Labs

1,400,393

You're a stay-at-home mom? What do you DO all day?

1,396,121

Robert Downey Jr Sings With Sting And Absolutely Kills It.

1,381,969

This is one happy fox.

1,358,921

What a Choir of Silent Monks Does Will Make You Laugh

1,336,482

Share This with All the Schools, Please

1,284,285

Airline Pulls Amazing Christmas Stunt on Passengers

1,276,863

What You Get When You Pour Molten Aluminum Into An Ant Hill

1,273,036

Police Chief writes EPIC letter to Kanye After He Compared Himself to a Police Officer & Soldier

1,262,817

A Boy Makes Anti-Muslim Comments In Front Of An American Soldier. The Soldier's Reply: Priceless.

1,231,198

Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy

1,230,618

Chase Mission Main Street Grants

1,220,665

After Reading This, You’ll Never Look At A Banana In The Same Way Again

1,217,816

Khan Academy

1,215,464

17 Things That Happen When You've Been Friends With Someone For, Literally, Ever

1,197,644

Hidden Camera Catches Beagle Stealing Chicken Nuggets In Epic Style (VIDEO)

1,181,805

Christopher Columbus was awful (but this other guy was not) - The Oatmeal

1,164,991

What Little Girls Wish Daddies Knew

1,114,981

Twins were born, but haven't realized that

1,075,449

Pope Francis Condemns Racism and Declares that "All Religions Are True" at Historic Third Vatican Council

1,075,410

Married or not... you should read this.

1,040,203

Hope you enjoyed the post. Fire any questions to me in the comments. Up and to the right!!!


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Seth's Blog : What's not here?

 

What's not here?

When you show me a business plan, a wireframe, a features list... whatever you're building, it's not enough to talk about what's there.

Tell us what's not there.

Tell us what you're choosing not to do, what you're not supporting, who you're not interested in working with.

If the there + the not there doesn't add up to the universe of choices, you've missed something.

       

 

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duminică, 16 martie 2014

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis


Cameron's EU Treaty Wish List vs. Likelihood of Implementation; Did Cameron Lose His Mind? Election Carrots in Play?

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 06:43 PM PDT

UK Prime minister David Cameron has agreed to an up or down British vote on the EU but not until 2017 (conveniently after the next election in 2015).

Should Cameron lose the election, one can forget about the promise to hold an up-or-down vote.

Cameron's Telegraph Op-Ed

Cameron has other strings attached to the vote. Yesterday, after at least a year of promises to do so, Cameron outlined the changes he wants to the EU treaty in his Telegraph op-ed EU is Not Working and We Will Change It.
People are worried that Britain is being sucked into a United States of Europe; that may be what some others want, but it is not for us. They see decisions being taken far away, rather than by their elected representatives in Parliament. And they worry that European rules have allowed people to claim benefits without ever working here. As a result, democratic consent for Britain's membership has worn wafer thin.

And although it would not be a very smart negotiating tactic to lay all Britain's cards on the table at the outset, I know people want more detail about the specific changes we will seek. So I can confirm today that tackling these concerns will be at the heart of our approach.
Cameron's Wish List of Changes

  1. National parliaments able to work together to block unwanted European legislation.
  2. Businesses liberated from red tape and benefiting from the strength of the EU's own market – the biggest and wealthiest on the planet – to open up greater free trade with North America and Asia.
  3. Our police forces and justice systems able to protect British citizens, unencumbered by unnecessary interference from the European institutions, including the ECHR.
  4. Free movement to take up work, not free benefits.
  5. Support for the continued enlargement of the EU to new members but with new mechanisms in place to prevent vast migrations across the Continent.
  6. So, yes to the single market. Yes to turbo-charging free trade. No to ever-closer union. No to a constant flow of power to Brussels. No to unnecessary interference.
  7. No to participation in eurozone bailouts or notions such as a European Army.

Proposal number 1 is straight from the looney bin. Cameron proposes setting up some sort of  committee that can block EU regulations that the majority of countries in the EU want. 

Proposals 2 and 6 limit the ability of the EU to set trade rules. If every country is free to create its own trade agreements, precisely what is the EU for?

Proposals 3, 4, 6, and 7 make perfect sense except for the fact that Germany and France and likely the rest of the EU would never agree to change the treaty along those lines.

Nowhere does Cameron specifically mention financial transactions or absurd tariff proposals, but arguably they are implied in points 1 and 2.

Yet, without specific written agreements on agricultural subsidies, financial transaction taxes, bailouts, and even the funding of a European army, eventually the majority is going to rule.

Europe is 'For Life', Francois Hollande tells David Cameron

Flashback December 14, 2012: Europe is 'for life', Francois Hollande tells David Cameron in EU Power Spat
The French President, Francois Hollande, declared that Europe is not "a la carte" like a menu from which member states can pick and choose their powers.

He issued his rebuke to the Prime Minister as Mr Cameron insisted he would fight for a "better deal for Britain" and seek to take back certain powers from Europe.

The Coalition is conducting a comprehensive review of all the powers that the EU has over life in Britain, ranging from business and employment rules to the criminal justice system.

The review will determine which powers Mr Cameron seeks to claw back from Brussels when the next EU treaty is written, setting out closer political and economic links between the 17 countries in the euro.

However, Mr Hollande indicated that he would attempt to block Mr Cameron's demands to "repatriate" powers in any proposed new deal for Britain.
Anything Changed Since Hollande's Message?

Has anything changed since December 2012? Not really. If anything, disagreements with Cameron have gotten more widespread.

Merkel Says She Cannot Satisfy All Britain's EU Wishes

February 27, 2014: Merkel Says She Cannot Satisfy All Britain's EU Wishes.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the British parliament on Thursday she was not prepared to promise fundamental reform of the European Union for London's sake, but said the bloc did need some changes and that Britain should not leave it.

In London for a one-day visit at a time when uncertainty about Britain's future in the EU is rising because of a promise by Prime Minister David Cameron to offer Britons an in/out membership referendum, Merkel suggested she was ready to go some, but not all the way, to meeting some of Cameron's demands.

"Some expect my speech to pave the way for a fundamental reform of the European architecture which will satisfy all kinds of alleged or actual British wishes. I am afraid they are in for a disappointment," Merkel said in English.

"Others are expecting the exact opposite and they are hoping that I will deliver the clear and simple message here in London that the rest of Europe is not prepared to pay almost any price to keep Britain in the European Union. I am afraid these hopes will be dashed," she added.

Instead, Merkel indicated that she would back Cameron's desire to clamp down on abuse of the EU's freedom of movement rules when it came to welfare benefits, partially back his drive to rein in the European Commission, and that Britain would have a chance – along with everyone else – to submit proposals for reform when deeper integration of the euro zone happened.
Likelihood of Implementation

If appears Merkel is in favor of changes on Cameron's wish list item numbers 4 and 5. That's it. Everything else is as Merkel says "Britain would have a chance – along with everyone else – to submit proposals for reform".

That means the UK would be subject to eurozone bailouts, funding a European army, inane agricultural tariffs, and even financial transaction taxes at the whim of a majority vote.

Germany and France want more powers, not less for Brussels.

Did Cameron Lose His Mind?

Does Cameron really believe he has any chance of getting what he wants from Germany and France, or is some other identifiable force in play?

What about election carrots?

Election Carrots

Cameron kicked off his Telegraph article with this message: "The British people now have a very clear choice: if you want a referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU or leave, only the Conservative Party will guarantee to hold one. If I am Prime Minister after the election, I will negotiate a new settlement for Britain in Europe, and then ask the British people: do you wish to stay in the EU on this basis, or leave? I will hold that referendum before the end of 2017, and respect the decision."

Cameron does not want a vote now, he only promises one after he wins. Of course he might not win. But even if he wins, Germany and France will never agree with his proposals.

Question of Integrity

The likelihood of Cameron getting the changes he wants is precisely zero. Is it possible Cameron does not understand that?

To the extent Cameron is making an election carrot ploy, he is willing to let the UK make a major mistake if it slightly helps his election chances.

If so, that speaks tons about his integrity. Of course, there's always the possibility Cameron has lost his mind.

I believe both.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Crimea Votes Overwhelmingly to Rejoin Russia; Truce Until March 21; Goodbye Hryvnia, Hello Ruble; McCain Wants Military Aid for Ukraine

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:18 PM PDT

Crimea returns to Russia It's a done deal. Nothing can be done about it. An Exit poll shows Crimeans Choose to Join Russia in Vote
A majority of Crimeans chose to join Russia in a disputed referendum, exit polls showed, deepening the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.

A total of 93 percent voted today in favor of leaving Ukraine to become part of Russia, the Republican Institute of Social and Political Studies said, citing exit polls from the vote in the Black Sea peninsula. The Ukrainian government, the European Union and the U.S. all consider the referendum illegal. About 1.5 million Crimean voters were eligible to take part, according to the region's prime minister.
Goodbye Hryvnia, Hello Ruble

Crimea will switch to the Russian ruble and abandon Ukraine's hryvnia on April 1, RIA Novosti cited Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliev as saying today.

McCain Wants Military Aid for Ukraine

The US senate's head-warmonger, John McCain said Obama is giving "serious consideration" to sending military aid to Ukraine. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, in an ABC interview, said the U.S. should pass "crippling sanctions" on Russia and help Ukraine rebuild its armed forces.

Biden Promotes US as World's Policeman

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will travel to NATO members Poland and Lithuania tomorrow for talks on Ukraine, according to a White House statement. The Pentagon said last week it would send 12 F-16 aircraft to Poland as a sign of U.S. commitment to defend allies in the region; the U.S. previously sent six fighter jets to Lithuania.

Do US citizens support wasting tax dollars sending Aircraft to Poland? Of course not. Does McCain or the Republicans care about balancing the budget? Of course not?

Did Obama take down Guantanamo Bay, get all US troops out of Afghanistan or Iraq? Of course not.

In case you missed it, please see President Obama is the Biggest Fraud Ever Perpetrated on US Citizens (Fantastic Carey Wedler Video)

Support for war, spying, and for the US to waste money being the world's policeman is rampant in Congress, deficits be damned. But hey, don't worry Ukraine and Russia Agree to a 5-Day Truce.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Seth's Blog : Confidence is a choice, not a symptom

 

Confidence is a choice, not a symptom

The batter has already hit two home runs. When he gets up to bat for the third time, his confidence is running high...

It's easy to feel confident when we're on a roll, when the cards are going our way, or we're closing sales right and left. This symptomatic confidence, one built on a recent series of successes, isn't particularly difficult to accomplish or useful.

Effective confidence comes from within, it's not the result of external events. The confident salesperson is likely to close more sales. The confident violinist expresses more of the music. The confident leader points us to the places we want (and need) to go.

You succeed because you've chosen to be confident. It's not really useful to require yourself to be successful before you're able to become confident.

       

 

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sâmbătă, 15 martie 2014

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis


President Obama is the Biggest Fraud Ever Perpetrated on US Citizens (Fantastic Carey Wedler Video)

Posted: 15 Mar 2014 03:51 PM PDT

Several people sent me a video by Carey Wedler. I just played it. It's short, accurate, and one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen.



Please play it and pass it on.

Link if video does not play: Why I'm burning my last bridge with Obama.

President Obama promised "change you can believe in". As Wedler shows, people believed but there was no change.

I also recommend "I don't mind NSA spying, I have nothing to hide!"

Here are more More Carey Wedler Videos.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Vallejo Heads for Another Bankruptcy; Oakland, LA, San Diego Doomed as Well

Posted: 15 Mar 2014 12:29 PM PDT

On May 6, 2008, the Vallejo City Council voted 7-0 to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. At the time it was the largest city in California to do so.

In March of 2009 I noted Judge Rules Vallejo Can Void Union Contracts.

Vallejo foolishly refused to do so, and I predicted it would soon be back in bankruptcy over the same reason it went bankrupt in the first place: absurd union wages and even more absurd pension promises.

Sure enough, here we go again.

Vallejo Still Can't Afford its Pricey Pensions

CNN Money reports Once Bankrupt, Vallejo Still Can't Afford its Pricey Pensions
The California city of Vallejo emerged from bankruptcy just over two years ago, but it is still struggling to pay its bills.

The main culprit: Ballooning pension costs, which will hit more than $14 million this year, a nearly 40% increase from two years ago.

Amid threats of legal action from the state's pension giant, CalPERS, Vallejo did little during its nearly three-year stint in bankruptcy to stem the growth in its pension bills.

As a result, Vallejo continues to dole out large sums of money for retirees. Except for new hires, Vallejo's police and firefighters can retire at age 50 with as much as 90% of their salary -- for life. Public safety workers who retired in the last five years have average annual pensions of more than $101,000.

And the pension costs are expected to continue to rise, with a projected increase of up to 42% over the next five years.

Moody's recently warned that Vallejo's pension obligations could force it to file for bankruptcy protection a second time. The credit rating agency said the city offers a cautionary tale for two other California cities teetering on the brink: San Bernardino and Stockton.

"If we don't resolve those costs, then we're going to see services continue to suffer," said city manager Dan Keen, who has led the city since 2012. "We're going to have to cut somewhere."

A lot of cuts have already been made.

Vallejo's roads are littered with potholes. Three of its nine fire stations remain closed. And its police force is down by almost 40% -- though Keen says there are plans to hire more officers this year.

Crime has surged, with more than two dozen homicides last year, compared to only seven in 2006. Burglaries are also on the rise. Residents maintain neighborhood watch groups, but the crime is taking a toll.

"Some people in my neighborhood are voting with their feet and leaving Vallejo," resident Russell Zellers wrote in a 2013 letter to City Hall. "If things continue along the present course, I may not be far behind them."
I am not the only one who predicted another mess for Vallejo. Steve Greehut did the same. For details, see Vallejo's post-bankruptcy plight gets little notice in California's state capitol.

Only One Way to Resolve Costs

There is one and only one way to resolve costs: pension haircuts. Since the state will not allow pension cuts any other way, countless California cities are doomed to bankruptcy.

Oakland, LA, San Diego and numerous other cities are completely zombified by pensions. Eventually all of them will be forced to declare bankruptcy unless a way is found to otherwise reduce pension costs.

The citizens of Vallejo and all the other walking dead cities should not have to suffer through round after round of tax hikes, so a privileged few can retire at age 50 with 90% of top salary pensions for life.

Sooner or later one of these cities is going to do the right thing: smash CalPERS arrogance straight down CalPERS' throat via massive across the board pension cuts in bankruptcy.

A judge allowed Vallejo to do just that. Vallejo refused (most likely to protect the pension plans of corrupt city officials and friends of city officials).

Vallejo will get another chance soon enough to do what needs to be done.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

Rewarding Hard Work by Strengthening Overtime Pay Protections

 
 
 
 


  Featured

Weekly Address: Rewarding Hard Work by Strengthening Overtime Pay Protections

In this week's address, President Obama highlighted the action he took this week to reward hard work by strengthening overtime pay protections. As part of this year of action, the President has ordered the Secretary of Labor to modernize our country's overtime rules to ensure that millions of American workers are paid a fair wage for a hard day's work.

While our economy is moving forward, the middle class and those fighting to get into it are still struggling and too many Americans are working harder than ever just to keep up, let alone get ahead. So, in consultation with workers and business, the Obama administration will update and simplify the rules to reward hard work and responsibility.

Click here to watch this week's Weekly Address.

Watch: President Obama's Weekly Address

 
 

  Weekly Wrap Up

Between Two Ferns: POTUS Edition

If you've been living under a rock, you might not know that President Obama sat down between two ferns to talk health care, Bradley Cooper, basketball, and more with Zach Galifianakis.

President Obama on Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

The President didn't hold back in the no-holds-barred interview. If you haven't already seen the special episode of "Between Two Ferns," or if you just want to watch it again, check it out on our blog.

READ MORE

POTUS Uses His Pen, Updates Overtime

On Thursday, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the Department of Labor to update and modernize the nation's overtime pay system.

@WhiteHouse Tweet:

The new system will ensure that millions of our nation's salaried workers will have the protections of overtime pay.

READ MORE

"Please Just Do This One Thing and Sign Up for Health Care"

Jennifer Lopez walked at eight months, and was climbing out of her crib at a year old. Alicia Keys was "an old soul" who could hear a song once and then play it. Jonah Hill flooded his elementary school. They also all thought they were invincible, like most young people do. How do we know? Their moms told us.

@FLOTUS Tweet:

Sharon Feldstein, Patsy Noah, Terria Joseph, and Guadalupe Rodriguez (otherwise known as the moms of Jonah Hill, Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Lopez) recently sat down to share why, as mothers, they think it's so important that everyone -- and especially young people -- make sure they're covered.

READ MORE

The President Meets with the Ukrainian Prime Minister

President Obama met with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk of Ukraine earlier this week. The two leaders discussed finding a peaceful resolution to Russia's ongoing military intervention in Crimea that would respect Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

@PeteSouza Tweet: Pres Obama w Ukraine PM Yatsenyuk following their mtg today

They also discussed support that the international community can provide to help Ukraine confront its economic challenges, and the importance of uniting Ukraine and working to fulfill the aspirations of the Ukrainian people as they prepare for May presidential elections.

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West Wing Week: "What's Up, Captain America?" 

As always, to see even more of this week's events, watch the latest episode of West Wing Week:

Watch: West Wing Week 3/14/14

WATCH NOW


 

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Seth's Blog : Most ramen is pretty good

 

Most ramen is pretty good

So is most pizza.

But people don't drive across town for "pretty good." They don't make lists of "most convenient to your dorm room" or "works fine if you're around the corner."

If you want us to travel, you have to choose to go beyond pretty good. If you want us to click, you need to give us a reason to leave the usual page and go to yours. And most of all, if you want us to talk about you, pretty good isn't going to get you there.

Pretty good is a choice. It works, often. But it doesn't change anything.

[PS If you are better than pretty good at marketing: Acumen is looking for a world-class marketer.]

       

 

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