MD Lachlan – Blogger, Journo, Lover of Life

How To Find New Topics For Your Website

May 16, 2020 by Mike

One of the top ways to do well in the search engines is to provide relevant content. Done right this gives you all kinds of content for the search engines to index, get relevant backlinks with less effort and retain your visitors.

But, as Ewan Brown from Aberdeen web design company, Azzurro Blu explains, one of the hardest parts is figuring out what to write about. Coming up with new topics can be really, really tedious. So what can you do to make it easier?

One of my personal favorite resources is to look at how people are finding my site right now. This might seem redundant, as you’re looking at topics you’re already getting content on, but the results might surprise you.

I like to focus on the questions people ask, but anything will do. You use this information to see what people really want.

Maybe you have a page that is already addressing that topic, but how focused is it? Do you have more information you could add now that you hadn’t thought of back then? Was the page even really all that relevant to the question?

This is one of the ways you can take advantage of the long tail, which has been much discussed of late in search engine optimization circles.

There’s no need to stick precisely to what you find when checking out your stats. These can inspire you in ways you wouldn’t expect.

Another favorite way for me to find new topics is …

The Importance of a Strong password

June 30, 2019 by Mike

As the world becomes increasingly digitally connected, and as we rely more and more on online services such as online banking, the greater risk we are of cybercrime. This article, provided by Brian Jones of Azzurro Blu, a leading web design company in Aberdeen, Scotland, explains why you should pay attention to your password policy and gives some actionable advice to help keep you safe online.

Sometimes only a password stands in the way of a criminal and our confidential information. Email accounts are a good example. It’s easy to become complacent and rarely change your passwords, but in order to stay one step ahead of the bad guys, it’s important not only to change your passwords regularly but to create strong passwords.

The best practice to create a strong password to use something that isn’t in the dictionary such as someone’s name or the name of a product, such as a brand of car. Some hackers use what’s called a brute force attack to crack a target account. This essentially tries all the words in the dictionary as the password.

A strong password should contain ideally at least 8 -16 characters, which then should contain at least one upper case letter, one lower case letter, one number and one symbol such as ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ – + = { } [ ] \ | : ; ” ‘ < > , . ? /

Avoid using the names of …

I was Clueless – Now Im Not

May 19, 2019 by Mike

Meeting with a sports team last week, we talked about all of the things they needed to master to be champions, both skills specific to their sport and new mental performance skills. We took a step backwards to look at how they learn, helping them become more aware of the process and more empowered to make choices that sped up their learning curve.

In this 2-part series, I will share the four steps through which psychologists have found virtually all learning takes place. We’ll talk about which of the steps is most likely to trip you up and what you can do to ensure a smoother transition toward mastering what you want to learn.

The first step of learning is unconscious incompetence. In this stage, you don’t know what you don’t know. As psychotherapist R. D. Laing describes it, “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.”

The second step is conscious incompetence. In this stage, you are aware that you don’t know something that you want or need to know. Remember back to how you felt when you were first learning to hit a ball with a bat or learning how to drive. If you’re starting to learn a foreign language, you know your limitations in both vocabulary …

Customized T-Shirts – Why They Are All The Rage

April 4, 2019 by Mike

Customized t-shirts have made quite a mark on the fashion industry. You can now see them anywhere. Men and women of all ages and lifestyles can now be seen with a customized shirt, be they young boys or girls, adults, the average person, or famous celebrities. It is one of the hottest fashion trends nowadays, and for many reasons.

First, customized shirts are comfortable and yet so stylish. With customized shirts, people don’t have to go to great lengths and sacrifice comfort just to have style. People are more conscious about fashion these days, which is why most growing individuals just need to have their own look and style, and they spend a lot of time worrying about this. But with custom shirts, they can flaunt their unique fashion styles and express their individuality but still be comfortable.

Second, customized shirts are extremely wearable, in the sense that you can wear them in many ways because they can go well with practically anything. Custom t-shirts can be worn with denims or khakis and with jeans, shorts, or skirts; just one shirt and you can come up with several different ensembles. You don’t have to spend at least one hour every day just to choose what to wear. That’s why these shirts are must-haves for almost every boy and girl.

Third, customized t-shirts are very affordable. This means that even the teenagers who consider expressing themselves extremely important won’t have a problem doing so with these shirts. People can have their …

Choosing Funky Lamps for your Kids!

October 31, 2018 by Mike

You can buy just about any lamps you fall in love with in most rooms of your home. However, when it comes to kids lamps, there are some things you have to think about. These are things that I had not considered until there was a recall of some lamps for children on the news this past Christmas season. Though my daughter did not have the exact lamp that they had recalled, the one she had was similar and we had to take it out of her room. You really do have to think twice when putting anything in your children’s room.

Some kids lamps are made to look really cool, but they are not exactly safe. I remember doing stupid stuff like putting a scarf over my lamp as a teen to dull the light a bit. What I didn’t realise was that this could have started a fire. While this would have been my fault, some lamps have this hazard built right in. Some have frilly stuff on them that could ignite if the kids lamps are left on for too long, and some are completely made of materials that will not fare well if the lamps for kids were to be left on for too long. For some great kids lamps check out Funky Lampshades.

The kids lamps that were recently recalled where ones made of plastic. They are in the shape of some very popular kids show characters like Spongebob and Dora. They look really …

Adobe Homes – A Sustainable Alternative?

October 16, 2018 by Mike

With the popularity of green homes, many people who would never have considered alternative building materials are now getting into the idea. There are many different green materials you can use. For example, recycled building materials are very popular in many areas. Other people recommend sourcing locally made products as a way to save energy and money. In many areas, however, adobe homes are one of the best options. Adobe style homes are energy efficient, affordable, and beautiful.

The adobe home grew up in the Southwest where it was a very logical way to construct a house. You see, adobe brick is a pretty simple affair. Basically, it is made out of mud and straw baked in the sun. Adobe homes would last surprisingly well because it was hot and dry there. The baked brick, which might have not fared as well in a moist environment, would last for years and years in the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona.

To this very day, adobe homes are mostly found in those areas of the country. There is something about that particular style of architecture that simply looks more at home in a hot, desert environment. Nonetheless, they are catching on in other places. Even coastal regions of California now have adobe houses being built, and some people are trying them out in even clammier conditions. With modern home finishing techniques, the adobe house may soon find itself welcome in a much broader geographical region.

You see, nowadays you don’t need …

Winters Here – Time To Enjoy A Real Fire

October 16, 2018 by Mike

When I woke up this morning and flipped on the news, I realized the temperature had plummeted last night.

It was now two degrees below zero.

YIKES, that is frigid! I dreaded stepping outdoors to take my little girl to school. Thank God for forced gas heat and fireplaces. I knew the heat would be kicking-on all day long.

Fortunately I had my fireplace cleaned and ready to go. The wood was stacked and the matches were close at-hand. Before I knew it, I was enjoying a cozy, blazing fire while I worked. Now I realize that a wood-burning fireplace is not for everyone.

Luckily for those who have them, but don’t want them, there are fireplace gas logs. You can alter your wood-burning fireplace and turn it into a gas unit. Then you’ll be enjoying a hot fire at the mere flip of a switch.

I think it’s all the hassles. As far as wood-burning fireplaces go, I suppose people don’t care to deal with the mess anymore. That’s why they turn to fireplace gas logs. You see, with a wood-burning unit, you have a few chores to take care of each winter.

First you have to purchase wood, unless you already have your own sources. Then comes the stacking just outside your home.

Be sure to cover it with a durable tarp so it doesn’t get wet. Wet wood doesn’t burn well and it smokes like crazy.

Next you’ll probably want a bin or stand to hold your …