Google Calendar is a great tool to embed in your site, and it’s incredibly easy to do using an iFrame.

Before I go into further styling for the Calendar, I’ll quickly go through how to embed your Google Calendar anywhere   into your site.

You can embed a live calendar for other to edit along with you, or privately edit it whilst all visitors can see your updates to events as they happen.

All this is done with Google’s trademark simplicity and ease of use, however if you wish to use CSS to further style your calendar, you’ll need to spend a little time tweaking with trial and error to get it to your liking.

 WordPress Template

First, you need to select the calendar which you wish to embed on your site under the ‘Calendars’ tab of your settings page.

The iFrame code is available on the following page, as shown below, however you can further customize the calendar within Google.

In the interface you are given, you can adjust basic settings, such as title, colors, and what elements to display. The iFrame code above will update as you make changes to the settings. Once you’re happy with you basic settings, you can drop the code anywhere you want in your site, since it’s simply HTML.

The settings offered by Google are only basic, however, and so for it to fit the unique style of your site, you’ll want a bit of extra editing power. Unfortunately adding CSS rules to the parent document doesn’t work, even when adding an !important directive to each rule. The reason for this is twofold:

1. The host document and the document in the iFrame are completely separate. This seems an obvious statement to make but quite easy to overlook none the less.

2. The document in the iFrame is hosted on a separate domain (Google.com) which of course means that most browsers will block any attempt made from another domain to modify content within that document.

Looking at the iFrame code from earlier, you can see the a snippet of code, similar to the following:

https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=u3o22apdee61g5k1qised1d56k%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Europe/London

This is where  your iFrame points to, and is the location of the base document for your calendar. Go to the URL and view the source, using your browser or any preferred tool. Create a new page on your site with the markup retrieved from the URL source, there are only two lines in the code that need updating:

As you can see, both tags contain relative URLs, they need prefixing with “https://www.google.com/calendar/” so they look like this:

This points your iFrame to the new page on your domain and not Google’s, meaning it is (effectively) hosted by you.  The next step is to add custom CSS declarations to the new document to override elements in the Google calendar.

You’ll need to create 2 new PHP files, the first: custom_calendar.php is the actual calendar file, and custom_calendar.css, a CSS file to style the calendar. The first file is the main one that makes this possible; the second file allows you to change any of the CSS properties. With a little CSS magic, you should be able to customize it further to fit your site perfectly!

Custom Calendar Code

CSS

Now you’ve got your Calendar all set up you’ll want to change the CSS to match your site’s needs and, most probably, color scheme.

The classes you will want to be looking at are below.

Firstly, to fit your color scheme you may wish to edit the overall border/background color of the Calendar. To do this add .view-cap, .view-container-border to the CSS and change the background to your chosen color.

.mv-dayname

This is the class that controls the names of the days at the top of the Calendar. Simply add .mv-dayname to your custom_calendar.css and add some variables to get started.

There is also a .mv-daynames-table which controls the cell that each name of each day sits in. Remember to also change the color of the borders as well as the background itself.

.st-bg

This is the class that controls the background of each of the cells. There is also .st-bg-today and .st-bg-next which control the display of the current day and tomorrow allowing you to distinguish between them.

.st-dtitle

This class controls the dates of the days in the Calendar. Also, helpfully, Google have included

.st-dtitle-today and .st-dtitle-next

which are the classes that control the display of the dates of the current day and the next day respectively. These classes are useful for highlighting today and tomorrow.

Also, within the .st-dtitle class there is .st-dtitle-nonmonth which is the class that controls the display of the text for dates in a new month that are not present in the current month.

Another important class to remember when editing .st-bg and using .st-dtitle is .st-dtitle-down this is applied to the cell below todays; when default this has a border at the top which matches the border surrounding the current day.

By changing .st-bg, .st-bg-today, .st-dtitle and .st-dtitle-today the following example was created.

Here’s the CSS:

.st-bg { background:black; }
.st-bg-today { background:yellow; border-left:1px solid yellow; border-right:1px solid yellow; }
.st-dtitle { background:white; }

With .view-cap, .view-container-border set to black and .mv-dayname-table set to white the following result is created.

Here’s the CSS code:

.view-cap, .view-container-border { background-color:black; }
.mv-daynames-table { color:white; background:black; }
.mv-event-container { border-top:1px solid black; }

The borders on the cells can be removed by editing the border-left, border-right and border-top classes within the CSS of each of the classes, as the example below shows.

Here’s the code:

.st-bg { border-left:none; }
.st-dtitle { border:none; background:white; }

By using these CSS classes you will be able to customize your Google Calendar and integrate it fully with the rest of your site.

Social media marketing is the process of marketing through social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. By utilising the social aspect of the web, social media marketing is able to connect and interact on a much more personalised and dynamic level than through traditional marketing.

A social media marketing strategy can be as simple as having a company blog, a Twitter account, or attaching “Like” and “Tweet This” tags to the end of articles. It can also be as complicated as having a full campaign that encompasses blogs, Twitter, social networking and viral videos through YouTube.

Social Media Marketing and Social News

The simplest form of social media marketing is to tag articles and blog entries for easy submission and voting on social news sites like Digg. If you’ve ever come across a Digg vote counter or a Share This widget at the end of an article, you’ve seen this form of social media marketing in action.

This type of marketing can often be automated, so it is simple to implement. It can also be very effective for media companies, and can be a great way to promote a company blog.

Social Media Marketing and Blogs

In many respects, blogs can serve as an extension of traditional media. Much as review copies might be sent to traditional media outlets like newspapers and magazines, they can also be sent to popular blogs on the subject.

Blogs also offer the opportunity to put together ‘virtual tours’. For example, many authors have gravitated towards having virtual book tours, which allows them to reach their fans without the travel expenses. These virtual book tours can include author interviews and Q&A sessions as well as book reviews and book giveaways.

Social Media Marketing and Social Networking

It has become increasingly important to have a presence on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. In addition to these popular social networks, there are also many specialized social networks that might be the perfect place to set up camp for specific products.

For example, a musician might set up a profile on Last.FM as well as MySpace, while a movie might be best promoted through Flixster in addition to Facebook.

Social networks not only give the marketer a place to get the word out, they also provide a place to interact with customers and allow customers to interact with each other. This can be a great starting point for the marketing to go viral and pick up a grassroots effort.

Social Media Marketing and Twitter

Twitter has picked up a lot of steam in the last year for being a great place for social media marketing. While Twitter has grown far beyond its microblogging roots, it is important to think of Twitter similar to a company blog. While the primary purpose is to get the word out, it is just as important to add a personal touch rather than relying on RSS feeds to deliver stale press releases or simply repeat the company blog.

In addition growing the amount of followers, Twitter can be particularly effective when interacting with customers and fans.

Social Media Marketing and YouTube

Some of the most effective social media marketing strategies center around YouTube and the viral video. While often more time-consuming and expensive, YouTube can easily become the centerpiece of a larger social media campaign.

Because of its social nature, YouTube can be a great way to interact with customers and get them involved with the marketing as well as the product. An excellent example of social media marketing on YouTube done well was Microsoft’s response to the “I’m a Mac” commercials.

Rather than face Apple head on through commercials, Microsoft engaged in a viral “I’m a PC” marketing campaign that centered around customers uploading their own “I’m a PC” video responses. This type of customer interaction is at the core of what social media marketng is all about and is the cornerstone for building an effective strategy.

Reason #1:

When you write your LinkedIn profile in 3rd person it reads like a boring resume and seems very technical. Or, it can sound like you are writing a biography which is not very personal or interesting. It does not give the reader a true idea of who you are as a business person, thought leader or individual.

Reason #2:

When you write your LinkedIn profile in 1st person it says to the reader that “I have character and confidence in my abilities. I’m willing to tell you in my own voice.” It tells the reader that you actually wrote your profile in your own words and took the time to personalize it.

Here is an example from one of my clients, Dan Janal, who took the time to pay attention to detail when writing his profile:

“Imagine being featured on the front page of USA TODAY — and then being able to double your speaking fees immediately just like PR LEADS client Patrick Snow of Creating Your Own Destiny. Imagine the website traffic and sales you can generate if only you can find a way to get more publicity so you can speak to millions for free!

Now, small business owners, solo PR firms, speakers, authors and entrepreneurs can get name-brand publicity tools and publicity coaching they can afford. I’m talking about the same top-tier publicity tools that major corporations use to get mega media placements – but you can get it at a fraction of their cost.

For example, my PRLEADS.com service puts you in touch with reporters who are writing articles and need to find expert sources like you! We’re talking journalists from big name publications and media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Redbook.” You can read Dan’s entire profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/danjanal

Reason #3:

When you write your LinkedIn profile in 3rd person you create an automatic disconnect. It’s too distant and pompous. And, it automatically makes me think of the back cover bio of an author in a book.

Let me show you what I mean. Here is a real example of someone’s LinkedIn profile summary – the name has been changed to protect the guilty: “Chris Baton is an attorney who specializes in immigration law. A large percentage of his practice is focused on immigration trials and appeals. Chris was the former chairperson for the American Bar Association Solo and Small Firm Division, Immigration Law Committee. Throughout his career, he has served on many local, state, and federal government boards and commissions. He speaks professionally on a variety of immigration and political issues.”

Many of the profiles are done this way because the user has copied a biography from their website or another source where 3rd party format is more common. This shows me that you did not put any thought or time in to creating an effective LinkedIn profile. You need to show viewers that you care enough to connect with them on a personal level.

Reason #4:

LinkedIn is a virtual networking platform for business professionals who want to do more business. It is the first step in building a relationship with someone. You wouldn’t introduce yourself in the third person if you met someone at a networking event – would you? Then why would you introduce yourself on your profile in 3rd person when writing in first person gives you a more genuine and personal touch.

Reason #5:

Your profile should be more about the reader than you. It should provide as much value as possible to the reader and it should be used to create discussions and conversations about you, your company, your products and how you can benefit others. It should be focused on what will or can be provided to the reader should they engage with you. Your profile is a “marketing piece” not a resume. And, marketing pieces are in 1st person!

Reason #6:

It’s YOUR profile. You are not a reporter writing a story about somebody. Nor are you putting together a press release. You have to personalize your profile to enable a reader or prospect to relate to you. Writing in first person gives the other person more confidence and trust in you. You are telling your own story. You need to write your LinkedIn profile for the audience MOST LIKELY to read it. Remember, you write to be read.

Reason #7:

You want to sound like you are speaking directly to someone, face-to-face, and telling them a story about your background and how they can benefit from your expertise. By writing in first person you are able to show your true character as a person and business owner.

Remember when writing your LinkedIn profile to personalize it by writing in the 1st person. Show your audience that you are just like them. Now, do you still think you should be writing your LinkedIn profile summary and experience sections in 3rd person?

It is no shock that YouTube could bring some nice quality traffic to any website when utilized properly. Some like to get in front of a shaky camera and talk, some like to launch viral marketing campaigns and some like to catch humorous footage at the office. The truth is that there is no right or wrong approach for the most part. Just getting some video footage online will help you in some sort of way.

Here are some ways you can tackle YouTube if you sell a product:

Product Videos: Regardless of what you sell you shouldn’t have a problem of putting together a short 30 second clip of your product and using a relatively inexpensive editing software to spruce it up a bit and posting the videos on YouTube with nice product titles and descriptions. This will get the product videos bouncing around which you can then use right on product pages.

Customer Videos: Whether you have a physical store or just a website try and see if you can get customers on video (with their permission of course). Put on fun little games inside the store for your customers to get involved with to win free stuff or have a contest on your website to entice customers to send you videos of themselves doing funny stuff with their products. Use these videos on YouTube and other websites like Twitter and Facebook to slowly build a following.

Office Videos: Video marketing is all about getting people to smile and show the video to their friends. Try thinking of some fun things the employees can do in the office to catch on tape and start to push them through YouTube and other social media channels. Customers love companies with personality.

Video marketing is all about thinking outside the box. There are many different videos out there that companies put out so don’t be scared to just shoot something and get it out there. Unless you are a FTSE Index brand most people will not throw their arms in the air if they don’t like your video, they will most likely just move on. Get your team together and start brainstorming some video ideas and see what you come up with. I think you might be pleasantly surprised with your results.

It is no shock that YouTube could bring some nice quality traffic to any website when utilized properly. Some like to get in front of a shaky camera and talk, some like to launch viral marketing campaigns and some like to catch humorous footage at the office. The truth is that there is no right or wrong approach for the most part. Just getting some video footage online will help you in some sort of way.

Here are some ways you can tackle YouTube if you sell a product:

Product Videos: Regardless of what you sell you shouldn’t have a problem of putting together a short 30 second clip of your product and using a relatively inexpensive editing software to spruce it up a bit and posting the videos on YouTube with nice product titles and descriptions. This will get the product videos bouncing around which you can then use right on product pages.

Customer Videos: Whether you have a physical store or just a website try and see if you can get customers on video (with their permission of course). Put on fun little games inside the store for your customers to get involved with to win free stuff or have a contest on your website to entice customers to send you videos of themselves doing funny stuff with their products. Use these videos on YouTube and other websites like Twitter and Facebook to slowly build a following.

Office Videos: Video marketing is all about getting people to smile and show the video to their friends. Try thinking of some fun things the employees can do in the office to catch on tape and start to push them through YouTube and other social media channels. Customers love companies with personality.

Video marketing is all about thinking outside the box. There are many different videos out there that companies put out so don’t be scared to just shoot something and get it out there. Unless you are a FTSE Index brand most people will not throw their arms in the air if they don’t like your video, they will most likely just move on. Get your team together and start brainstorming some video ideas and see what you come up with. I think you might be pleasantly surprised with your results.

Hi All,

We wish the upcoming year be filled with joy and prosperity, all your aims be achieved, you and your family be healthy and happy!

Somasoma wishes you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We look forward to working with you in 2012.

Wishing You

Soma

This Quick Tip explains how to use an image as a website background and scale it proportionally to the stage size. It’s great for when you’re using a SWF that’s full-height and full-width inside a webpage.

http://somasoma.in/blog/BackgroundResize.swf

http://somasoma.in/blog/BackgroundResize.swf

http://somasoma.in/blog/AdjustColor.swf

The interface will be very simple; just an image in the stage that will be then modified by the Sliders Components in the Adjust Color Panel.

http://somasoma.in/blog/AdjustColor.swf

The Project Panel in Flash to create a vertical animated AS3 menu. The whole process will allow you to easily customize all aspects of the menu using the parameterized constructors. Read on to learn more!

somasoma.in/blog/AnimatedMenu.swf

According to statistics, online video is exploding.  YouTube serves approximately1 billion videos per day, Facebook users upload 20 million videos each month, 177 million U.S. Internet users watched video in June.  What is this trend telling you?  If you are selling anything online, you better start making, producing and publishing videos!

With that being said, you will need some kind of editing tools after your video is shot.  Windows 7 no longer comes with native video editing capability.

Editing suites such a Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere can be cost prohibitive if your just starting out.
No worries.  With new online video editing tools, editing your own video is becoming much easier and cheaper.  All you need is your footage, a web browser, a broadband connection plus some time and imagination.
Here are some free online video editing tools you can start using today.

1) Jaycut – Edit your own videos on JayCut’s community.

2) Movie Masher – A set of Adobe Flash applets that provide front-end tools for common video editing tasks.

3) Kaltura – Open source online video platform

4) YouTube Remixer- YouTube now offers basic editing features.

These tools can get you started down the right track when you are looking at video post production work.   If you need more powerful, professional grade tools, you will need to go with Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro (Mac).