do you believe fake news

Why do people believe fake news?

Do you believe fake news? Do you even know what is fake? The chances are you believe things which are inaccurate or downright false because the information aligns with your personal views. Essentially, people believe fake news because they want to.

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Text sign showing Self Publish. Conceptual photo Publication Write Journalism Manuscript Article Facts written on Notebook Book on the jute background Marker next to it.

Can you really be a self-publisher?

Being a self-publisher is a dream for many people. For others, it is a reality as they produce their own books and place them on Amazon. But then the real issues kick in – marketing, PR, distribution. Few people who become a self-publisher think they’ll end up spending less time on writing than anything else.

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Mobile shopping basket

Don’t get fooled by the buzz about mobile shopping

Mobile shopping is a hot trend at the moment. The web is buzzing with stats and data about the surge towards mobile shopping. Advertisers are pushing their efforts towards mobile too. It is as though the desktop is being ditched. Yet the desktop is responsible for more transactions than mobile. The headlines mislead.

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Psychological ownership comes from trying on clothes

Creating a sense of psychological ownership will boost sales

Psychological ownership is a familiar concept of consumer behaviour. If people think they already own something, they are much more likely to buy it. So you can get potential purchasers of anything you sell to feel more willing to buy if they already feel they own the product or service. By creating a sense of ownership, people are more likely to buy from you.

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Hashtag word in search box

Are hashtags dead? The problems with using a #hashtag

Hashtags are highly popular yet most are, frankly, useless. Some appear to be able to garner huge support, such as #metoo, but others fade into obscurity. Hashtags also polarise and change behaviour. So they might not be as valuable as we think.

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What now for social media?

The question that I have been asked more times than any other this week has been “should I give up using Facebook?” Well, billionaire Elon Musk has done so, removing Tesla and his other brands from Facebook. The founder of WhatsApp (bought from him by Facebook four years ago) Tweeted …

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Facebook business dislike key

What now for the business use of Facebook?

Facebook is under fire from all directions. Business investors are losing confidence. Governments are threatening legislation. Users are engaging less. We could be witnessing the beginning of the end of Facebook. Or we could be watching the emergence of a new style social network. Either way, there are huge implications.

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Woman working outside on the beach

Is it worth working outside?

Outside working could have significant benefits for your business. Research shows that we learn more and remember more when we are in the open air, than when we are inside a building. It seems that being indoors affects our attention.

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Are we making the most of the real world?

Next week I am off to the NEC in Birmingham to the “Internet Retailing Expo” where there are over 300 exhibitors and more than 100 speakers. Around 5,000 people attend the two-day event meaning there are a lot of Internet folk interested in seeing things in the “real world”. You …

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Has social media killed off cold calling?

It’s another week of coincidence. On Sunday evening, I was sent an email from Australia asking if I was interested in a “Guest Post” on my website about “cold calling”. Then, on Monday I had a request from the UK on my “newsletter question” page asking me about the same …

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