Da HotGrid

How to force start Windows 10 free upgrade

2016-04-20T13:43:00.000+01:00

The final version of the much publicized Windows 10 has been out for quite some time now with more than 270 million active devices are already using the redesigned operating system from Microsoft. The three major reasons Microsoft gives for you to upgrade to the latest windows version are:

That it is easy to use and familiar. It brings back the "Start Button" which omission in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 respectively were considered as a major blunder by many tech analysts.
It boots fast, resumes fast, and comes with more security features built-in to protect you from viruses, malware, and phishing attacks.
Windows 10 also features innovations like the all new Microsoft Edge browser, features that makes it easy for you to stay organised and work fast and great apps like photo editors, cortana (your personal assistant), maps and music and an improved app store.

The software giant brought smiles to the faces of millions of computer users around the globe when it announced that getting Windows 10 is not only via purchasing a new computer or purchasing an OS, but via a FREE upgrade from select older operating systems as well. The free Windows 10 upgrade offer is not for ever however, as it ends on July 29th, 2016. The upgrade offer is for a full version of Windows 10, not a trial. The free offer is available for qualified and genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices. This means that if you are using a machine with a genuine Windows software you are good to go.

But a challenge many windows users are facing is the long wait for the phased roll-out of Windows 10. If you have not received any notice to upgrade or schedule an upgrade, all hope is not lost as you can force your windows to download and install the upgrade.

Windows 10 Upgrade App

Alternatively, you can download the free Windows 10 upgrade guide app by visiting the Microsoft website, run it and follow the onscreen walk-through. If it fails, like mine did, you may reschedule for download at a later date. You can still force upgrade as we shall see in a moment.

How to force start Windows 10 Upgrade

If you have not received the FREE Windows 10 upgrade notice or if you encountered errors or long download waiting time if you downloaded the upgrade app from Microsoft website and are requested to reschedule, you can upgrade easily by following the steps below:

Turn off automatic windows update
Navigate to C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download, delete all its content
Run cmd.exe in administrator mode. If you are using windows 8 or 8.1, right-click on the start button and click on "Command Prompt (Admin)

Note the highlighted start button and command prompt option
Once the command prompt instance is running, type the following command "wuauclt.exe /updatenow" but do not hit "enter" just yet.

Type the update command but do not strike "enter" key
Go back to windows update option and turn it back on, setting it to check for and install updates automatically.
While it is running, return to the command prompt window and press the "enter" key.

If all steps, above, are followed, you should see windows update downloading Windows 10 setup files. You windows should display the window similar to this screenshot I took at the time of writing this post.

Windows 10 Downloading after steps executed

Heads up, back up your files before any major system change. Microsoft stated that the update size is 3GB. But a look at the image above shows 5,712.1MB (5GB+). You may refrain from cancelling if you do not mind the size. The reason for that is because the file size includes some necessary files for older versions deleted when you emptied the content of the "SoftwareDistribution". If there was a way of identifying the core files not to be deleted, I guess that will go a long way to reduce the required download size. Once update download is complete setup and installation will commence if all goes as planned. Your machine will be running Windows 10 on you next boot.

A word of caution
Neither Microsoft nor the author of this blog will be held liable for any damage to you device or loss of data. Microsoft recommendation is implicit in their decision for users to wait for their scheduled update/upgrade schedule. Hence, we strongly recommend that, if you are not a risk taker or if you are not willing to take responsibility on any unforeseen event, do wait for a notice from Microsoft. However, a scan across the web, you will find that, alongside failed stories many have succeeded in migrating from older windows version to Windows 10. The above worked for me after giving it a shot.

Once download is complete, you should see the "download ready" screen notification.

Installation ready screen as displayed by windows update

Installation ready screen as displayed by windows update app

You then proceed to either schedule installation for later or immediately. See other screenshots of the successful installation of Windows 10 on my HP machine.

My desktop

My system info

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Important! Do not read that email until you have read this article. It knows where you live

2016-04-08T18:43:00.000+01:00

What will you do if one morning you wake up to find an apparently "authentic" email stating that you have been billed $5,000 and that you are expected to pay up within two days or face legal actions? That sounds threatening and nightmarish isn't it? Of course that can cause you to start your day tensed up.

Attention has been drawn to a new form of phishing via email, known as phishing email. The complexity of this form of email phishing is what created a lot of concern among email users in the UK. Though, at the time of reporting, the extent of the threat is yet to be known, the BBC reported that thousands of people have already received it.

What is phishing?

Sample Phishing email

According to TechTarget “Phishing is a form of fraud in which the attacker tries to learn information such as login credentials or account information by masquerading as a reputable entity or person in email, IM or other communication channels. They even contain "genuine" logos to make them appear authentic.” Phishing is a fraudulent system comprising of email messages, websites, and phone calls all designed to defraud unsuspecting individuals. All components are designed to make you part with your data like Social Security number, Bank details, Debit/Credit Card details and Biometric Verification Number etc.

What cyber criminals do

They send you a phony email, phone call or SMS message mimicking a reputable entity with some warning
The mail encourages you to click a link that takes you to a fake website and infests your computer or mobile phone with malware in some cases
At the website you willingly furnish your password or account details, having been so deceived
Your account is hacked for other data and money transferred out of your bank account in apparently legit transaction as seen by your bank

What makes this new phishing email outstanding is that it does appear to know you already! Did I hear you say creepy? Of course it is. It goes contrary to some of what we already know about phishing in cyberspace. Let us use the example cited on the Microsoft Security and Safety Page

Two out of the symptoms of phishing outlined by Microsoft is that they contain grammatical errors and bad spellings and malicious link. The “super” phishing email was crafted perfectly. No misspellings according to BBC Radio 4 staff, Shari Vahl - the address was spelt correctly and the email stating she owed £800. Shari Vahl is part of the BBC Radio 4's “You and Yours” team who were amongst those to receive the fraudulent mail which claimed they owed hundreds of pounds to UK firms. She was smart enough not to have clicked on the link. The firms involved are also reported to have been inundated by floods of calls from affected recipients’ of the email.

In my experience, for the team to have been attacked with such threatening email, someone must have followed a malicious link. Working with my former employer in a DTV firm, I noticed an email with a phony link and content requesting me to download a file to verify a legal document. It was an html file. The mail appeared to come from my colleagues. I knew right away it was phishing as I never had any legal issues. Clicking such links gives the criminals access to your contact details. That is what I believe happened with the BBC team

What to do when you receive a suspicious mail, phone call or SMS

If you receive a suspicious mail with contents not related to any recent activity, never click on the link included. According to Dr Steven Murdoch, principal research fellow at the department of computer science at University College London, clicking such links has potential to install malware such as Cryptolocker, which is a form of ransomware that will encrypt files on Windows-based computers and then demand a fee to unlock them.

Sample Ransomeware message on a user PC screen

Delete the email and do not send any requested information to the originating address or any alternative provided. If the sender appear to be a person you know, notify them immediately of the need to secure their accounts by changing their passwords. In my case, the mails appeared originating from my colleagues’ mail address thereby making any unsuspecting recipient to click on the included link.

If the mail is disguised as coming from you bank, call your bank for verification and delete the email. Do not follow the links. I have seen a reputable bank get cloned by cyber criminals who direct innocent individuals to them using such links only to have them part with valuable information. Too bad isn’t it? An example of an SMS I received just before writing has the following as content: “Dear customer, your ATM has just been De_Activated due to the new BVN upgrade. Contact customer care on 08141575407 for Re_Activation. Thank you” and the originating number is +2349035349766. If you are reading from Nigeria, note this very strongly and inform friends, family and associates.

If the mail touches on Facebook or other account having been compromised, simply change the passwords for the accounts concerned. I once had a colleague who was shut out of her Facebook account for clicking on such links. The hacker even changed her profile picture and name, but you could still see her photos and other stuff.

For spam calls or messages, you may do well to install spam filters like Truecaller. Thousands of users do help the app maker update the spam list. It has been keeping me sane for long now. All you need to do is to add the spamming or suspicious number to your block list.

To conclude, the best way to stay safe and keep your ID and other data safe is to treat phishing and other suspicious messages as that: suspicious. Also do well to familiarize yourself with details of bank, organisations etc as much as you can to think ahead of the criminal minds. They exploit information you may not know. If you know your bank's customer service email address or contact number there is no way you can mistake a criminal source as theirs. If you have not engaged in any business or if you have no idea of an issue raised in any email from unknown sources, never you get curious. Delete as soon as possible without batting an eyelid.

Enjoyed this post? Please share this with those that matter in your life and with associates and stay safe.

Is WhatsApp the latest technology that can protect you from snooping Governments and Hackers?

2016-04-07T15:42:00.000+01:00

The concern for privacy is always at the forefront of any human activity driven by technology, and this include communication. Among the media for communication, we have the mobile phone which has metamorphosed from the old desktop phones we know to powerful machines capable of complex functions. Just like personal computers, mobile phones have had their own share of privacy intrusion from people who do it for criminal gain to those who just engage in such intrusive activity just to prove what they can do when it comes to compromising complex devices, or are they?

The privacy of mobile phone, and other such devices like tablets, phablets etc., are usually compromised by malware usually picked up from surfing malware packed websites or from installing fake applications like games or even phony browsers as it were.

Today communication via phone as media encompasses text and chat messaging, video

and other digital files to mention a few. These files and data are however vulnerable in transit as anyone who knows just how, can decipher the content of messages so transmitted. This brings us to the focus of this post: the introduction of end-to-end encryption to the app, WhatsApp. WhatsApp, which has a billion users worldwide, said file transfers and voice calls are now encrypted.
Owned by Facebook, its parent company, WhatsApp says that user privacy falls under its “core beliefs”, hence the need for the roll out of the new end-to-end encryption technology to protect private communication among her apps teeming users.

Data encryption was again brought under the spotlight after the FBI asked Apple to help it access data on an iPhone used by California gunman Syed Farook, a request Apple declined, citing infringement of the company’s privacy policy of protecting user information – a request since honoured by an Israeli based company.

On 5^th of March, 2016, users of updated versions of the WhatsApp messenger were notified about the change when sending messages as it was enabled by default. This means, to benefit, both parties must have the updated version of the app.

Message contained in updated WhatsApp apps

to see if your contacts have the feature enabled, simply view their profile in your WhatsApp app. Those with updated messengers will have the message "messages you send to this chat and calls are not end-to-end encrypted. Tap for more info"

Not encrypted profile message

while those with updated messengers will have the message "messages you send to this chat and calls are secured end-to-end encryption." Note the "padlock" icon.

Encrypted profile message

This development has been described as a “huge victory” for freedom of speech, according to Amnesty International – the human rights watchdog - emphasising that it "is a major boost for people's ability to express themselves and communicate without fear". This view, however, is not shared by those in security circles. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, quoting a news source, the FBI attorney James Baker “reportedly criticised the move saying encryption threatens the work of law enforcement”. "It has public safety costs. Folks have to understand that, and figure out how they are going to deal with that," he said according to the report.

Indeed, it raises the question of how public security can be guaranteed since terror organisations can now communicate without their message contents sniffed since they are way out of the reach of even the apps creators - if that is really the case, being that the encryption technology is itself a creation by a geek. Other messaging apps with end-to-end encryption include Telegram, which is known to be used by the Islamic State to share information – according to the BBC.

Away from WhatsApp and the law. Do inform your contacts on the need to update their apps to enjoy the end-to-end encryption feature of WhatApp to communicate securely. Do check back as as I will be updating this blog with information for your reading pleasure.

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How to save cost on marketing communication

2016-03-31T21:48:00.000+01:00

Cost of operating a business and the resulting profit is a priority for every CEO or business owner. Forget the talk of businesses being there to meet a need. In fact that puts the business in money in the end. Businesses communicating with stakeholders and customers is an important part of the business process. For so a business gives feedback on complaints, adjustments to some flaw, introduction of new products or services and viability and profitability.

In ensuring that the goal of marketing communication is achieved, business owners and CEO needs to compare the target and effect of such activity. This will help them adjust, improve, intensify or withdraw any aspect of the communication strategy. There is no point sinking needed resources in ventures that do not yield the required result.

In this post I wish to draw attention of business owners and prospective entrepreneurs to the issue of how businesses waste resources on marketing media without knowing the impact. I will use the app Truecaller as an example.

Truecaller is a wonderful innovation serving the purpose of giving users the ability of controlling spam. I too use it and I readily suggest it to anyone using a smartphone that supports it. However, the advantages aside, the use of Truecaller and other spam filter apps spells doom for many companies or businesses that have failed in the art of marketing. This is because many of these messages via SMS or automated calls never reach the intended audience. A look through the Truecaller spam list and you will be confronted with lots of phone numbers, a lot of them being owned by reputable businesses. This is a sad one, a resource drainer ignored by captains of industries (CEO’s and administrators) over the years.

Many people, like me, hate being bugged by nagging calls or messages. It gets worse and drives one crazy when the calls or messages appear not useful to the receiver. This makes Truecaller users hit the “block” button once such calls or messages are received.

What is effective marketing communication?

In defining what marketing communication is, I like to quote the one from an online dictionary at http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/marketing-communications.html. Marketing communication(s) is described as “Coordinated promotional messages delivered through one or more channels such as print, radio, television, direct mail, and personal selling”. The components of this definition
include “coordination”, a “promotion” and “media”. Therefore a business is said to engage in marketing communication when it conveys an important information about the business or its services or products through a dedicated channel. Marketing communication in this sense becomes effective when the message relevant, engaging and is conveyed in a coordinated manner. Successful businesses achieve effectiveness in the communication that is why they fly the flag of success. Desperate businesses or individuals spam – unsolicited and irrelevant information.

The principles of effective marketing communication is important and every business owner must implement them to save cost and grow the reputation and the numbers – customer base and surplus/profit. Businesses need to have a very strong marketing communication so that they can track the reach of the services they provide in any given market. In the next section we will look at some of these principles.

Points to note if you must achieve effectiveness in marketing communication and save cost

To ensure you are not simply loading needed resources into a dumpster, you need to not some requirements to ensure your business succeeds in the art of marketing communication accounting for every penny invested in this all important business process. To achieve effective marketing communication businesses and business owners must adhere to the following:

HAVE A MESSAGE

Most businesses appear to send out emails or adverts through SMS or automated phone call because they believe they need to keep their contact with their customers alive. This is simply spamming. Before you make that contact, first ask if the message is one the customer will welcome. Is the message about an improvement in your customer service channel? Is it about added incentive to service subscribed for or on offer? Is it the introduction of an upgrade for cross selling purposes? Stick to the rule of respecting your contacts privacy. Having their contact details is simply a privilege and one you should appreciate. Remember, customers do not contact you except for support or to buy a product etc. Hence, you need to contact them only when the need is there.

Again, your aim should not be so much to sell as it should be to address an existing problem or helping your audience access better options. Your message should be honest, specific, clear, capable of conveying the benefit you promise, stick to the point and be concise.

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

Before ever reaching out to your audience, make sure you have a clear understanding of who the are. Understanding your target market is of immense important if you want your message to be of impact. Knowing your customer - current or prospects - means you need to engage in research to ascertain why they chose your product or service or why they would like to try out what you have on offer - in the case of prospects. This means that you do not need to send messages to all and sundry, but you target audience. Having stated that, it means that for every message you send you need to use an appropriate channel or media.

To my mind, if you want to target your customers, you can use emails, phone calls and SMS as channels. For both prospects and existing customers, bill boards, print media, television and the internet are suitable as they are not intrusive. The feeling of intrusion results to people adding your contact in their spam list in apps like Truecaller.

Knowing your customer gives you an idea of the content of message suitable for every occasion and helps you communicate in a tone that suits the different segment of your audience. It also makes them identify the solutions or feedback you intended to reach them as it were. Just like a candidate for an interview is expected to dress for the occasion to reflect the position applied for, so also your message must address the different make up of your audience.

RESPECT TIME

There is every need to respect your customer when it comes to messaging - especially when it comes to adverts. Limit your contacts to office hours. The best time may be around break time (lunch). At this hour not everyone heads to the restaurant or cafe. Some spend time to relax, go for a walk or check other things out online. An exception may be given to businesses in the telecoms industry, banks or those requiring such customers to have real-time notice touching issues like accounts for instance. For crying out loud, why will you send an advert to someone on buying a wristwatch at 9 pm? It is not appropriate. In my former place of work, we had to review the time the call centre contacts customers with regard to user experience - even though it is important. But the customers private hours was more important to be respected.

QUIT SENDING UNSOLICITED FOR MESSAGES

Sending messages not signed up for is just spamming. it is privacy invasion. It should be a rule of thumb for your marketing team to ensure that every contact on your mailing list are by consent or online email opting. By so doing, recipients always welcome messages from you. Spamming only wastes your time and resources as they rarely get viewed. In my country, it has become worse as you get streams of SMS's from short-codes with information that do not interest one nor add any value. The telecoms companies even go to the extent of using automated calls that display caller IDs that appear to be standard numbers. I have witnessed users curse under their breath after receiving such advert loaded calls after a along wait for a much needed call from a business partner or relative. It is annoying and this is making more people mark such numbers as spam. That means as a business you only end up investing resource in a channel that fails to reach intended target.

Instead of spamming, it is better to explore other channels like social media or outdoor advert media for instance. These alternative media will even endear customers with interest to signup for your service instead of you having to lose prospects and money.

Considering the above points will go a long way to helping you save cost and guarantee you the required effect you expect from every marketing campaign you embark on.

How to update you Bank Bio-metric Verification Number (BVN) with UBA without going to the bank

2016-03-30T23:51:00.000+01:00

The place of innovation in processes is imperative. It is what makes an individual or entity stand out from the pack and survive in any competitive environment as it were. This is why I was all smiles when UBA contacted me via sms notifying me that I was yet to enroll for or submit my Bio-metric Verification Number (BVN). If you, like me, like to minimize visits to the bank, then this information is for you. This information is for UBA customers only.

I like visiting the bank only for issues like renewing my Debit card (ATM card). I never pray for my

cash to get stuck in the machine or being debited without the machine dispensing the required cash. If that happens, I sure will take the machine home (chuckles).

Back to the BVN talk. Many of us are aware of the stress we went through to enroll for the Bio-metric Verification Number BVN. I for one refused to visit my main banker, Stanbic IBTC to submit mine, which I got from UBA at the time. I simply filled the Bio-metric Verification Number BVN PDF form and submitted online. This is where electronic access becomes welcome, sweet and makes for efficiency.

After that, I still haven’t gone to submit the Bio-metric Verification Number BVN to my other banks. I was sitting at home last night, 29th march 2016, when my phone chimed. I got a message via sms from UBA with the Bio-metric Verification Number BVN notice. I thought I was required to visit any of the UBA branches. But, on a closer look, I became exited with the option given.

The good news for UBA account holders is that they do not need to go the bank to submit their Bio-metric Verification Number BVN if they have already received it from other banks like I did. If you have and maybe cannot recall it or have misplaced it, simply dial *565*0# if you use MTN for instance and not the number that will be displayed as your Bio-metric Verification Number BVN.

To submit this to your bank (UBA only), simply dial *919*6#. At the prompt to in put your Bio-metric Verification Number BVN, type it into the field provided and submit. That’s all. Now isn’t that easy? Just updating your Bio-metric Verification Number BVN at your convenience at any time of the day anywhere?

That’s the kind of innovation organisations need to provide their customers. Every business needs to be creative and innovative to make life easier for their customers while being efficient with regards to their services. On the long run, customers will naturally gravitate to businesses that offer easy ways of doing any transaction.

Never forget that favorite programme airtime on StarTimes

2014-11-10T20:20:00.003+01:00

Ever wondered how you are going to create another space for remembering to tune in to your favourite channel to view that much awaited programme on startimes? The worry is over for you. StarTimes has released another app to help make that easy for you. you can

download from the Google app store. Just like the StarTimes Africa Match Tracker app for football lovers, the new app is an extension of your TV programme guide (EPG).

StarTimes EPG

For clarification, EPG is short for Electronic Programme Guide. The idea behind this EPG app is for subscribers or customers to be able to view current and upcoming programme for channels and decide to either tune in or set a reminder. The new StarTimes EPG is called ShonnGo. ShonnGo is designed to serve as your your private and personaized TV guide to StarTimes

With ShonnGo you can Select the channels you want to follow, set program reminders, discover hot shows, leave comments, and share it with your friends on social networks, and never miss any of your favorite shows.

Another cool thing about ShonnGo is that you get to gain precious coins by assigning different tasks and get real rewards by consuming the coins in your 'Wallet.

What you can also do with ShonnGo:

Find out what are showing in the next 7 days
- Sort all channels according to countries,regions,genres and bouquets
- Create your own favorite channel list
- Search shows or channels by the title

See now airing programme with time lapse

- See what shows are on air
- See the ranking order of the coming shows
- See recommended shows and channels

Reminders
- Set reminders for any show you like

Me
- View your wallet
- recieve your tasks and gain coins
- Alert setting
- View your reminders and favorites

Trailer

- You can watch trailers of new channels.

Why not download ShonnGo now and get personalized access to StarTimes electronic programme guide (EPG) wherever and whenever at Google app store. You may also like to check out the StarTimes Africa Match Tracker app for football lovers.

Get Alerts

Please share this with those that matter in your life and with associates.

Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog posts for future updates. Join us too on Facebook and twitter using any of these to follow on social network or via email feeds using these links: Da HotGrid or Facebook or on Twitter. You can also subscribe to our email via feed burner. Don't forget to reshare please.

Image source: Google App Store

StarTimes Africa Match Tracker app

2014-10-28T17:49:00.001+01:00

Images from the StarTimes Soccer App

Today I will be sharing with you a new app StarTimes is offering to the public to further strengthen its brand and to bring sporting action closer to sports loving fan. StarTimes recently launched a sports app into the android market. This is among one of the apps currently developed (some of which allows you watch movies on any android device, listen to music or download amazing games etc) to push information and entertainment to your fingertips. The app is the “StarTimes Africa Match Tracker app.”

The StarTimes Africa Match Tracker app is designed with sports lovers in mind. The StarTimes Africa Match Tracker app allows sports fans to follow European Qualifiers match action on their Android smartphones.

Fans can watch in-match video clips of all goals, penalties and red cards during the course of a match. In addition, a post-match highlights summary is issued shortly after the final whistle. The Star Times Africa Match Tracker app also features the latest European Qualifiers news, results, fixtures and standings updated throughout the respective qualification phase.

To get this new app, simply visit Google app store or download at Da HotGrid here. Also see other products available at DaHotGrid.

Also stay in touch with our blog posts here and at www.dahotgrid.com

5 Reasons why a good advert is important

2014-09-20T18:46:00.001+01:00

Hello! In this post we will look at the importance of advertising and how or where you can get a good advert creation service or where you can advertise. Advertising has come long way. For business, advertising can simply be described as business or service or product positioning.

Whether the products or services you or your company provides are a luxury or necessity, a one time word of mouth to those around you is not enough. You need to create a good impression, a lasting one at that, in their minds; hence the need for adverts.

The advantages of having a great advert like the ones offered at Da HotGrid cannot be overemphasized. They include, but not limited to, the following:

Promotion: No product or service can get utilized on its own. Therefore the sole aim of advertising is to get the word around that you have something new, something unique or different to offer. It doesn't matter what form your adverts can take - print, fliers or handbills, billboards or TV - it must conform to these rules describing "who, what, when, where and why".
Comparison: Your advert serves as an invite to your target audience to see what difference your product or service brings to the table and what makes it stand out. Hence a good quality advert creates a first time impression in the minds of the audience of the quality of products it wants to sell. Hence your success in getting the product to the final consumer lies in how captivating the advert is; one that Da HotGrid offers.

Get the complete StarTimes Decoder package and switch to DTV now!

Awareness: advertising helps raise the awareness about the added value your product can give while identifying the need of the target. Hence if I offer a product that can exterminate roaches better compared to competition, then my advert not only must have identified a pest problem but also a valid solution to the problem which the audience must explore.
Retention: To make your target market know you are still in the business of adding value to the lives of consumers a good advert is what you need. In periods when businesses are going under the best you can do is maintaining a strong presence and the best way to do that is to employ quality ads that conditions the minds of your audience into being assured their trusted brand has not lost that touch of quality.
Morales: A good advert reinforces morale. According to Christina Hamlett "When people ask your employees where they're working, the latter will likely feel better about their jobs if the reaction to their reply is, "Wow! I've heard a lot of great things about that store" instead of "Nope, never heard of it" or "Oh, are they still around?" Investing in an advertising plan keeps your business an active part of the conversational vocabulary and community buzz. This, in turn, gives your workers a sense of pride and emotional ownership in an enterprise that's generating positive feelings and name recognition.

So, are you ready to give your business, product or service a good exposure today? Why don't you try Da HotGrid?

Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog posts for future updates. Join us too on Facebook and twitter using any of these to follow on social network or via email feeds using these links: Da HotGrid or Facebook or on Twitter. You can also subscribe to our email via feed burner. Don't forget to reshare please.

How to recharge StarTimes Decoder

2014-09-19T19:39:00.000+01:00

You can get your accounts recharged with any amount you want. You can even recharge for 2 years or more if you are busy and cannot withstand the stress of visiting StarTimes offices always.

We are always happy to give you good attention regarding your account state any time you require assistance. This offer is only valid when you use Quickteller payment option on this page

If you are still confused on how you can use our recharge service for your StarTimes decoder all you have to do is to follow the following steps:

Select the number of cards you want recharged into your account
Go to checkout after you have entered the number of cards

Provide us with your Name, Smart Card Number, Phone Number, Location, Your bouquet or plan (eg Unique, Classic or Basic) and the number of month(s) or year(s) by clicking on the link "Add special instructions for your order..." and click on "update button"

For example:

Stanley Haruna Oladokun Uche

02027000000 (full card number please)

08037000000

Utako

Classic (your bouquet type here please)

3 months (duration here please)

Enter any promo code (if any at the time of purchase on our page)
Shipping method or should be "Direct deposit for StarTimes recharge card" for end user (For reseller, please contact us for more information) as shown in the image
For payment select "Quickteller" as shown in the image
Follow the instruction for payment on the next page to complete the transaction as shown in the image

StarSat Bumper Giveaway

2014-05-26T21:35:00.000+01:00

StarTimes will never relent on giving Nigerians the opportunity to enjoy quality entertainment! As a rewarding company, StarTimes through its new brand, StarSat, is offering FREE StarSat decoders to 100 Nigerians to enjoy quality digital life.

Procedure:
You need to register online to stand the chance of falling within the range of first 100. Did not make it? Not to worry! You won't be completely left out of the goody. Registration commenced today 26th May, 2014. Lucky 100 reciepent will only be required to pay for installation of the StarSat product.

Hurry now to enjoy quality digital life.
Offer opens from 26th-30th May 2014. (Terms and Conditions apply)
StarSat, Change your view.

To enjoy do visit www.starsat.com.ng.

For the ongoing StarTimes ExtraTime promo, hurry now to get your own product and stand a chance to win any of the Toyota Yaris cars and other mouth watering prizes up for grabs.

Visit us at #1 Amurie Omanze Street, Off Ladoke Akintola Boulevard, Garki II, Abuja.
08172398128; 08172398157

PPlease share this with those that matter in your life and with associates.

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Win a FREE trip to China in the 2014 CCTV Dream Plan #My dream related to china#

2014-05-14T12:57:00.001+01:00

StarTimes never ceases to offer its subscribers and the general public good opportunities

Image copyright (StarTimes)

to have wonderful experiences and to accomplish dreams. This is why, alongside her "ExtraTime Promo" StarTimes is making open to the public an opportunity for Nigerian children to achieve their dream. This opportunity is made possible by CCTV.

CCTV will be giving out nice prizes during the "My dream related to china" competition and to crown it all two (2) lucky children will get the opportunity to win a FREE trip to china with their parents. Kids between 8 & 16 years old are invited to join the competition which deadline is June 5th, 2014.

When talking about China, participants are to include what fascinates them about China and their dreams related to China.

Requirements:

Participants MUST be between the ages of 8 & 16 years old
Writing must not exceed 500 words (describing your dream related to China)
Photo must be high qulity of at least 800k
Video should not be more than 10minutes long and should be maximum 500mb. The format should either be mpg, mpeg, mp4, 3gp, RM, RMVB, MOV, wmv, FLV, or ASF.

How to participate:

To participate, simply visit StarTimes website to download application form. You can also download Here. Send your entry (writing, video or photos) with a description of your dream related to China together with your completed form to dreamplan@cctv.com or simply visit any StarTimes Business Hall to fill the form. Remember to read the Copyright agreement carefully please.

Don't let your children miss this amazing opportunity.

How to add Conversion Tracking Pixel to Blogger to track your Facebook advert performance

2014-03-15T18:31:00.002+01:00

Hello! I was a bit sad that some readers of this blog encountered challenges with implementing the information contained in this post. Hence my adding some more clarification with images after reading through the comments. I hope this solves the problem encountered.

The importance of adverts cannot be overemphasised. Whether it is for business, entertainment or even for your website or blog you need to create awareness about what you do. That is where ads come into play. Irrespective of whether you are using Google Ad sense, Facebook, Linked in or Chitika etc ads for promoting what you do there is always a need to make analysis about effectiveness. This helps you make adjustments so as to better maximise your investment in such media.

How to track Ad performance on Facebook

I recently created adverts on Facebook to promote the products you see on this blog and Da HotGrid's page on Facebook as well. I must say that was my first hand experience of the power of advertisement. I noticed significant increase on page visits and an increase in page views and likes on Facebook. In the process of using Facebook advert I got to know about Conversion Tracking Pixel.

Conversion: A conversion is an action that an individual take on a website. This can be checking out after product purchase, registering, adding an item to the shopping cart, or viewing a particular page. For adverts placed on Facebook to be tracked you need to add conversion tracking pixel to your page. The tracking pixel helps you (or a business) measure return on investment (ROI) as it reports on actions taken by audience viewing their Facebook adverts. Tracking conversions also helps businesses leverage optimized cost per impressions (oCPM) to show ads to people who are more likely to convert off Facebook.

How to create conversion pixels

To create a conversion tracking pixels:

1. Go to your ads manager or go to Power Editor and click Conversion Tracking on the left side column

See conversion tracking on the right part of the page

2. Click Create Conversion Pixel located in the top right corner of the page

The create button you can see coloured green

3. Give your conversion pixel a name and select a category from the drop-down menu
4. Click Create

A pop-up box will appear where you can click View Pixel Code. This is the code you will need to integrate into the web page where you want to track conversions.

What the generated code looks like

Once you have generated the code, create a document (word pad or note pad) and paste the code there. Save it just in case.

5. Now go to blogger and sign in. Navigate to Template and click on "Edit HTML" as shown in the image below

Please you may download your blogs template HTML just in case something goes wrong.

6. Look through the markup language for strings like the one below:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html b:version='2' class='v2' expr:dir='data:blog.languageDirection' xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml' xmlns:b='http://www.google.com/2005/gml/b' xmlns:data='http://www.google.com/2005/gml/data' xmlns:expr='http://www.google.com/2005/gml/expr'>

<head>

<meta content='IE=EmulateIE7' http-equiv='X-UA-Compatible'/>

<b:if cond='data:blog.isMobile'>

<meta content='width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0' name='viewport'/>

<b:else/>

<meta content='width=1100' name='viewport'/>

</b:if>

<b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/>

and look for where you have the last line "<b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/>

Paste the code you copied from Facebook just below it and then save your template.

For those that encountered error messages, you can search google for its "code parsing tool, as noted by another readers comment in the comment section or follow closely as I walk you through using my own page setup with guiding images. The areas to note in the images will be highlighted "yellow". You can click on the images for a larger view. Ready? Okay.

1. Go to your blog dashboard in blogger, toggle the chevron and click on "SETTING"

Click "SETTING"

2. On the next screen, click on "TEMPLATES" and look for your default blog template

Click on "TEMPLATE"

3. Once you find your template, click on "EDIT HTML". But before you make any change, download your template as backup should something get broken or simply copy the entire html code and save as text document so you can easily paste back as recovery if any thing goes wrong.

Click on "EDIT HTML"

4. Now pay attention to the image below. Look for the highlighted "yellow" string of code as I stated earlier in this page just where the red markers are. Note its on line 12. If your blog header has not been edited it should be on line 12 also. Paste the code you got from Facebook immediately underneath it. That is all. Save your template.

Paste codes tracking pixel script after highlighted code

Go back to Facebook and see if the conversion pixel is active. If all goes well you are good to go.

You can now keep an eye on performance of your adverts in your advert manager by viewing your reports. There you will see stats on unique clicks, impressions, likes, amount budgeted etc.

I hope this added clarification makes some sense?

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Are you ready for migration from Analogue TV to Digital TV come June 17, 2014? See how you can get ready at Da HotGrid

2014-03-12T16:59:00.000+01:00

Hello once again? The past few weeks have been crazy. But sure, I will always make out time to keep you informed. We are talking digital migration today and today's post is targeted at audiences from Nigeria.

If you are Nigerian, are you ready for the shut-down of analogue TV service? The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has set June 17, 2015 for final switch off of analogue TV services across the globe. Nigeria on its own determined to meet the deadline has set December 2014 as her deadline having missed the June 17th 2012 deadline earlier set. The switch is to commence June this year; Jos to be the first to do so.

What does this mean?

Final migration from analogue to digital service means that you can no longer buy a TV and view just by mounting your antenna as before. TV access will only be possible when you have a Set top box (STB) and access from a Pay TV company. You do not need to fear as we already have one that is set to (and is already doing so) give you quality products to make that a reality for you.

What options are available for me?

StarTimes has shown itself to be a company of repute in the Nigeria pay TV industry and indeed in Africa. With over 1million subscribers and counting the company has expanded its coverage and introduced added technology to ensure everyone makes a smooth transition from analogue to digital TV. StarTimes is fully recognised by the Nigerian government and in fact is in partnership with the country’s largest TV network – Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).

We have tested StarTimes products and I must say they are worth getting. You can buy your StarTimes products right here on this blog by browsing through product catalogue using the links at the top right of this blog page or via our Facebook page. Available products include:

S100 android phone (Blackberry Messenger ready and no need for subscription or recharge)
LED 32” TV with inbuilt decoder including 70+ free 1mth access
Satellite HD decoder+dish+over 80+channels for 1mth
DTT decoder (no dish) including 70+ free 1mth access.

You can get any of the products from this blog by clicking on any of the adverts and placing an order or visit our facebook store here or use the category links at the top right corner of the page or visit StarTimes Banex office at the address below

#1 Amurie Omanze Street,
Off Ladoke Akintola Boulevard,
Garki II, Abuja
08172398128
08172398157
Office Hours 8:30am - 5:30pm, Mondays - Saturdays

Delivery charges may apply depending on payment option you chose. Currently we offer “Customer Pick up” or “Payment on delivery” option. Delivery is available only in Abuja at the moment. We hope to ship to other areas soon.

Please share this with those that matter in your life and with associates.

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Creating Multimedia-Rich Digital Yearbooks Is Now a Lot Easier with New Flip PDF Professional

2014-02-04T16:59:00.002+01:00

Creating Multimedia-Rich Digital Yearbooks Is Now a Lot Easier with New Flip PDF Professional (via SBWire)

Flipbuilder.com, Hong Kong based company belongs to Wonder Idea Technology Limited announces the release of their latest Flip PDF Professional which even school children can easily use to create multimedia-rich and environment-friendly digital yearbooks…

Found it useful? don’t forget to subscribe to this blog posts for future updates. Join us too on Facebook and twitter using any of these to follow on social network or via email feeds using these links: Da HotGrid or Facebook or on Twitter. You can also subscribe to our email via feed burner. Don't forget to reshare please.

If You Want Your Website To Succeed

2014-02-04T16:07:00.000+01:00

Via MISEL | Earn Money Online Blog. By Arto Laakso

Search Engine Optimization Strategy

By Arto Laakso

If your business depends on the Internet for sales or advertising, your business needs a strategy for searchengine optimization. Prospective clients should be able to use any search engine to find you easily. Therefore, it is vital that you work to get your site up in the results list as high as you can. Follow the advice in this article to attain a high search rank.

Great Strategy For Search Engine Optimization

Consider how long they have been in business, and their experience. You will also need to know the risks involved, so that you can make the most informed decision possible.

If your goal is to improve your ranking, you must make your site search engine spider-friendly. Web spiders will find your content based on keywords, but your site should be easy for them to use. When producing a site map, keep your site’s hierarchy in mind so that spiders can get a sense of the structure of your pages.

Consider the anchor text, the actual text of your links, carefully when making internal links on your site. Your link should never read simply “click here”; this doesn’t benefit your search engine rankings in any way. In order for spiders to notice your site, relevant keywords should be incorporated into anchor text.

Purchase a simple domain name that is pertinent to your niche and easy to remember. This is very true for clients who found you through YouTube.

Search Engine Optimization

Write meta tags that engage the reader on each website page, this can help you obtain good search engine results. These description tags benefit your webpage by providing a quick, useful blurb when it appears on search results pages. It is important to keep your meta tags short and sweet because the search engines only read a certain number of words in it anyway. This will help in getting visitors to your site, even over sites that might rank higher than you in the search engine results.

Starting a blog about your website and participating in other related blogs can be an effective SEO technique. Because search engines like well organized data and regular content updates, it can be easy to move a blog up in the rankings. Search engines will respond to backlinks by bringing more visitors.

Include a site map to optimize your search results. If you have a site map, web crawlers will find your site more easily. If your site is large, consider multiple maps. As a rule, try to have no more than 100 links per map.

Search engines are known to be attracted by a site map. Devising a site map may help SEO, and also help visitors find their way around your site once they arrive. This allows all of your pages to be linked together. If the side of the website is filled with links, it will bring in more traffic.

You must research your keywords before attempting to optimize your site. Find out which keywords you need to focus on when building your website and titles. Researching keywords can help people find you in your specific area. You should highlight these keywords so you can become higher in rankings.

There are those that think that implement comment tags with keywords embedded in them is a way to generate more traffic. Always focus on what content you are providing.

Every page in your website needs to be easy to read. If you design a website which is easy to navigate and read, including accessibility options like making the font size larger, you’ll find that your site ranks higher on search engines. This is excellent for both your readers with impairments and disabilities, and your search ranking, as well.

Search Engine Optimization Tips

Taking the time to proofread a website’s content is an important task that many webmasters fail to do. Review your site carefully to be sure your copy is readable to search engines, while still enticing visitors to want to see more. Search engine algorithms look for a bad site copy and penalize it when ranking sites.

Image links are a rarity on websites that have undergone thorough search engine optimization. An image link offers only the URL of the linked file for search engines to index.

Use off-site linking in order to boost your search engine ranking. Quality and reputation are very important aspects of linking. Search engines value off-site links more than internal links to your own pages. Look for options that will also link to your website; this will help your site rank highly and increase your traffic.

The strategic placement of keywords in the content on your website and within your blogs can have a significant impact on the amount of traffic driven to your site by search engines. Don’t overdo keywords in beginning passages but incorporate them to optimize search results. Try to get your keyword into the first paragraph twice. After your opening, drop your keyword into your next as much as is possible, without it being obvious to the reader through the next two hundred or so words.

Search Engine SEO

Search engines can be a powerful tool when it comes to driving internet traffic to your site. Your site will get the best search engine results if you make it spider friendly. Search engine spiders catalog text. Make sure you add tags to any pictures on your site. Make sure the description you give is keyword rich.

If you are planning on using a company to optimize your SEO make sure that you research them beforehand. Discuss how experienced the company is at promoting sites in your niche. Learn what SEO methods they use, and find out when you can expect to see results. You should obviously talk about pricing as well. In addition, ask if you can view a portfolio of some of their completed projects, and request contactinformation for references. Companies that stand by their work will more than happily comply.

It need not be complicated or hard to have effective search engine optimization in place for your website. You just need to tweak your approach a bit, and invest a bit of attention into the detail of your site. Start today with the advice given in this article, and you will see your SEO efforts pay off.

How do I drive traffic to my blog or website? answered.

2014-02-04T15:53:00.003+01:00

Blogging or distributing text content online can be fun but tedious for those who do not have writing as a hobby. i can hear some one ask, "then why write when its not your hobby?" Of course it may not be, but what may be may be trying to help people get more info on something useful, lust like am doing with this blog. The only means becomes writing.

But, blogging is not about just churning out ideas (worthless and valuable ones alike); its about communicating and keeping your audience informed. Your content hence must be tight, coherent and leave the reader with lasting impression to be grateful for.

Now after you must have achieved the part of conceptualizing and publishing the next hurdle becomes getting traffic to your blog or website. A new means of reaching more audience is by using the services of "Repost". With the number of Internet users poised to surpass 2 billion by the end of 2010, it would seem that producers of online content should be experiencing steady growth in not only audience but also revenue. However, many publishers -news organizations in Particular - have seen their fortunes decline precipitously over the past decade even as consumption potential for their published content continues to rise. Repost offer syndication service which no doubt (ie syndication) has  long  been  an  effective  strategy  for  media  companies  to  reach  an  extended  audience.  Although  the  Internet  has  theoretically  eliminated  many  of  the  barriers  to  wider 

circulation  that  syndication  has  traditionally  circumvented  by  making  almost all  content 
accessible  via  a  few  clicks  of  the  mouse,  it  has  also  made  the  presentation  of  that  content 
more  competitive.

Here, you can see also how you can rake in cool cash just by doing what big blogger do, writing and sharing content online

Repost is a content syndication platform that makes whole articles embeddable. With just a few clicks, Repost instantly republishes full articles with original branding, attribution, ads, and rich media directly onto other sites. Exactly what you dreamed of right?

Repost can double a site’s traffic when publishers use it to increase their content volume. Reposted content receives 86% of the traffic as original, native content. Our data show that when sites post more content, traffic scales with the number of articles. More content equals more readers.

Repost expands a publisher’s reach, readership, and revenue. Publishers using Repost to distribute their content reach 95-99% new audience, and content reposted to other sites results in a 5.7% click-through rate back to the original publisher.

Why don't you try it out? I am already doing that and can't wait to share the results for my blog with you.

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QQ Chat, your better option...

2014-01-18T21:11:00.000+01:00

Hello once again!

Today we will look at a nice chat tool that is designed to keep you ever closer to those you love. It is not limited to that as you can use it for business communication. O yes! you read right. It' QQ, a very good tool I have come to love.

Get connected

QQ Developed by Tencent over a decade ago, is now the largest online chat community in the world with Over one billion registered accounts and is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. QQ is available for both desktop and mobile platforms in many languages such as English, French, Japanese, Spanish, German and Korean... and many more are coming! It is fully compatible with all other Chinese versions of QQ. The enormous user-base ensures endless fun and countless opportunities even to casual users who are looking for a great way to meet new people.

Multi-Platform

QQ offers online communication functions, including text messaging, video and voice chat as well as online and offline file transmission, and more. You can even assist your friend online real-time using remote assistance just like what you get using Team Viewer.

QQ International is a powerful messenger offering free text messaging, video and voice chat for your smartphone and desktop devices. It's your global communications suite: use it to make friends, do business, and stay in touch with your loved ones. You can transfer files or stream multimedia content in real time to groups of friends, join and manage permanent online chat rooms, and always keep your contacts and chat history in your pocket. QQ International is available in English, French, Japanese, Spanish, German and Korean and lots more. It is also safe, secure and convenient.

Cool emos

With QQ you can stay up to date at work places, share files or submit reports like I do or have fun with colleagues or make new friends.

Give QQ a try and you wont regret it after having a swell experience with the app.

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Unlimited Digital/Satellite TV access on new StarTimes Mobile TV phone

2013-12-10T17:00:00.000+01:00

StarTimes Move (S100 Android phone with FREE viewing)

Hurray! StarTimes Nigeria is at it again, bringing quality experience to its esteemed customers and the public at large. StarTimes has added another product to her stables, the S100 mobile phone. The StarTimes mobile phone S100 has a sleek design and is powered by android.

Like today's gadgets the StarTimes Move addition, the S100 android phone comes fully loaded with all you need in a mobile device.

Features:
Supports Digital TV
Android OS
Unlimited FREE subscription to watch StarTimes channels
Dual SIM dual standby
3.5 Inch Touch Screen
WIFI
Bluetooth & FM Radio
Support Memory Card
Internet connectivity

The S100 Android TV phone is also affordable. It sells for just N14, 000 Naira (about $88.52 US Dollars). The better part of the deal is that once purchased, you get to watch StarTimes channels on your mobile for FREE without paying a dime!!!!!! What are you still waiting for? Hurry, while offer lasts, to any StarTimes office or dealer shop to get one now or give it as a special gift to those you care about.

If you are in abuja, you can visit StarTimes office at:
Shop BPG 5,
Banex Plaza, off Aminu kano crescent,
Wuse 11, Abuja
Phone 08172398158

Also share this post with your friends and family.

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Another StarTimes Promo 2013, Get free N1,000 for every recharge

2013-11-28T21:42:00.000+01:00

It’s another opportunity for you to enjoy this forthcoming festive season: Christmas. This holiday season is sure going to be a wonderful one as you take part in the on-going StarTimes promo captioned “StarTimes Xtra Goodies promo”. The triple Award winner for Best Pay-TV channel for 2013 and Leading Digital Terrestrial Technology Pay TV service provider in Nigeria, NTA STAR TV NETWORK – StarTimes is offering exciting new contents this Yuletide season, in line with its desire to give subscribers quality and amazing offering to public.

StarTimes Move S100 now on sale for N14, 000 only.
Visit Banex plaza now for yours.

How to

New Subscribers can purchase the decoder at 4,900 Naira (Four Thousand, Nine Hundred Naira Only) to enjoy Free One Month Classic Bouquet of up to 60 channels.

Also New subscriber can get a decoder at 4,900 Naira with StarTimes YAGI ANTENNA, 10 meter Cable for only 1,000.

New subscriber can buy a decoder for 5,900 Naira with 1 month UNIQUE Bouquet of up to 80 Channels, or can buy a decoder for N5,900 with 1 month UNIQUE BOUQUET and can get a StarTimes YAGI Antenna with 10 meter Cable for only N 1,000.

Enjoy good sports

For existing customers all they (you) need do is to recharge only 3,000 (Three Thousand Naira) in a day and get Free 1,000 (One Thousand Naira) worth of airtime and can get a StarTimes YAGI ANETENNA for just 1,500 Naira if in need of one as well. It’s also a good time to recharge for a year if you want to avoid frequenting StarTimes office for monthly subscription. That way you get FREE N1,000 for every N3,000 recharged which gives you extra viewing access.

Amount to recharge	Free Credit	Customer total access days to view channels
		Basic	Classic	Unique
3,000	1,000	4	2	1
6,000	2,000	8	4	2
9,000	3,000	12	6	3
12,000	4,000	16	8	4
15,000	5,000	20	10	5
18,000	6,000	24	12	6
21,000	7,000	28	14	7
24,000	8,000	32	16	8
27,000	9,000	36	18	9
30,000	10,000	40	20	10
33,000	11,000	44	22	11
36,000	12,000	48	24	12

The promo commenced 18^th November and runs through to 31st of January 2014. Also added are new channels for your viewing pleasure and these include FOX NEWS, BLOOMBERG TV (Business TV), Dove TV (Christian Entertainment/Inspirational Channel), STAR AFRICA (African entertainment and lifestyle Channel), STAR One (International Entertainments and Reality Shows), STAR MOVIES 1+2 (Hollywood Action, Thriller, Romance and Sci-Fi Movie Channel), STAR CHINESE (Chinese Action movies and Series Channel).

StarTimes products

Where?

To recharge simply walk into any business office or if you are in Abuja central area you can visit Banex Plaza (old Banex ) to start enjoying the goodies of the promo.

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Good experience? Think StarTimes

2013-10-24T15:24:00.004+01:00

Have you ever wondered where to get quality service and good attention regarding challenges or other services with respect to using your StarTimes decoder? Worry no more as the organization is poised to serve you better.

In line with her vision of making the company remain on the customer centric trail and establishing a “happy customer” base, StarTimes has put in place men and material to see that you get good value at all times. This is because of the organizations interpretation of quality service to mean helping customers achieve their aspiration(s) and meeting the expectations of customers during consultations; not just pushing products into their hands and leaving them deal with challenges that may arise. StarTimes also believes that quality management is critical in ensuring improvement in customer experience.

For those of you residing in Abuja, if you happen to find yourself around town, you can visit StarTimes branch office at:

Block BPG5, Banex Plaza

for

Purchase of new decoder
Account recharge
Assistance with signal challenges
Consultation/challenge etc.

At StarTimes Banex plaza branch you are sure to experience

High quality service
Swift response when you believe services provided has fallen below expectation
Friendly atmosphere etc

Go see for yourself today…

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StarTimes now giving its decoder package at an amazing price to customers

2013-10-10T14:09:00.000+01:00

StarTimes is a worldwide technology company that was established in 1988 in China. The company is the

Kids hub

pioneer and key player in the pay-tv business in China where it has acquired over seven (7) million subscribers.

Unrivalled entertainment

Relying on her well-recognized outstanding performance and promising development prospect, StarTimes positions herself as the most influential broadcasting enterprise in China, having been listed among China's top 100 technology and science innovation- oriented enterprise, Forbes top 20 China's most potential enterprise and the only authorized private enterprise by the Ministry of Commerce in China to undertake foreign projects in the radio and TV industry.

Once more the good times are here again with StarTimes. Having ended her one (1) million naira promo just last month, on the 10th of September precisely, StarTimes is once again aiming to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians by launching a new policy targeted at new subscribers. It’s the Independence Anniversary celebration promo!!

Watch good movies

New subscribers can now buy and activate a new decoder on the Classic bouquet. As against buying a decoder @ N4, 900 (basic bouquet, 35+ channels)+antenna+10meter cable totalling N7, 400, they can now buy the total package i.e. Decoder (on classic bouquet, 55+channels)+antenna+10m cable at N6, 900 and the get to watch the N2000 plan/package free for one month

Or

Get the entire channels for only N7,900 only ie (decoder 5, 900 on Unique bouquet 70+ channels)+10m cable+antenna.

However if you do not wish to buy an outdoor antenna the product will go for N4, 900 for basic (35+ channels) and N5, 900 for Unique Bouquet (the premium bouquet with 70+ channels) all with one month free subscription.

Sports lovers not left out

For interested Nigerians living in Abuja, you can get in touch with Da Hotgrid on our Facebook page or you can visit StarTimes Banex Plaza office to get yours now (or call Banex Branch office on 08172398158). If you need to get one through us we will ensure your product is activated right away so you can enjoy digital viewing.

What else do we need to say? Indeed, StarTimes is poised to provide every African family with affordable and enjoyable DTV.

Win fabulous prizes in the StarTimes 3rd anniversary splash

2013-07-09T16:13:00.000+01:00

As part of her 3^rd year anniversary, NTA-Star TV network (StarTimes) has just launched another exciting promo targeted not only at new subscribers, but at existing ones as an appreciation to her over 1.3 million subscribers in 16 cities covered in Nigeria. New cities to be covered will not be left out as well. This is to enable the public not only to enjoy her quality product and content. The new promo is tagged “StarTimes 3^rd anniversary splash and it is of a total value of fourteen million (N14, 000, 000) naira.

What’s up for grab?

According to the company in a media briefing at Ajuji hotel Abuja, Three (3) lucky people will win one million (N1, 000, 000) naira each as grand draw prizes. Sixteen (16) people from 16 cities will win one hundred (N100, 000) naira each. Other great prizes to be won include sixteen (16) 32” LED TV’s, one hundred and twelve (112) 24” TV’s, one hundred and twenty eight (128) 21” CRT TV’s, one hundred and twenty eight (128) mobile TV phones and forty eight (48) GP-501 car TV series with navigator for finding your way around your location. Amazing right?

How do you participate?

All you need to do is walk into any StarTimes office or dealer outlet near you and get a decoder for just four thousand nine hundred (N4, 900) naira only and you get two (2) months viewing access free on the basic bouquet. But, if you want to have access to all channels i.e. StarTimes premium channels you only need to get your decoder for as low as five thousand nine hundred (N5, 900) naira only and enjoy two (2) months free access on the unique bouquet. All purchases qualify you for a draw to win any of the cash prizes or product prizes.

For existing subscribers, to participate in the promo all you need do is to recharge you account with N3, 000 naira at once and get N1, 000 worth of subscription free. Not only that, you qualify for the draw to win the listed prizes above.

Duration

This promo runs from 10^th July to 10^th September and the dates for the millionaire draws are 6^th, 7^th and 8^th week in the course of the promo. Hurry now and get your affordable and top quality decoder to partake in this exciting offer.

Bye the way

If you reside in Abuja you can contact Da Hotgrid to find out how you can get your own decoder, meaning you can buy from us. We will render after sales service to you such as activation and recharge whenever you need to recharge. For more info do not hesitate to get in touch. Also if you want to deal on StarTimes products you are not left out. Do drop us a line at dahotgrid@gmail.com and we will give you a reply asap.

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Need some practical advice for improving your mental health? Start with these simple mental health tips.

2013-05-04T15:18:00.000+01:00

Are you feeling depressed lately and wondering how to improve your mood? Are you in the midst of getting over a significant loss in your life and wondering how to keep your mind healthy as you grieve? Are you interested in how you can maintain a healthy mind to keep your body healthy?

Mental health is a complex subject-- it's hard to define and difficult to grasp all of the different aspects of mental health. Still, however, there are simple steps that you can take in your life to keep your mind healthy.

Check out these practical tips for maintaining a healthy mind! Employ just a few of these ideas and you'll likely feel the difference in your mental health.

1) Make sure you’re getting enough rest. Sleep is the body’s way of recharging, meaning that sleep doesn’t only increase your energy—it actually boosts your mental health.

2) Feel what you feel! Don't worry about controlling or changing your feelings. For now, focus on expressing the feelings that you have rather than trying to feel a certain way.

3) Forgive yourself for past mistakes. Messing up is a part of life, and mental health requires understanding that and moving past mistakes in our lives. Is there a mistake or regret that eats at you? Let. It. Go.

4) Throw a mini-party for yourself! Celebrate a recent accomplishment in your life by patting yourself on the back and rewarding yourself with a small gift you've been looking forward to. It's important to acknowledge successes-- not just failures.

5) Find a good support system. Whether family, friends, a church, or something else, find a group of people who are willing to love you for who you are. This boosts resilience and helps to provide perspective in the midst of stress and pain.

6) Eat healthy. Invest time in learning which kinds of foods bring you “up” and which kinds bring you “down.” Committing to a diet can make you feel good about yourself, give you a sense of self-improvement, and boost your sense of accomplishment.

7) Exercise. Regularly exercising can help to cut back stress in your life, releasing pent up energy as you work your body. Exercise releases endorphins, chemicals in the brain that energize us.

8) Get some sun. Sunlight can lift one’s spirits, boosting mental health and preventing depression.

9) Leave some time for leisure. Make sure you allow time in your schedule for whatever causes you to relax. Maybe it's watching movies or completing crossword puzzles or walking outside. Make time for the things you know relax you.

10) Stay away from drugs and alcohol. When you consume cigarettes, illegal drugs, and alcohol, these drugs tamper with your mental health, decreasing mental stability and giving you “false positive” emotions.

11) Commit to helping others. You can build self-esteem and self-worth by regularly pouring out your energy and talents to help others. Volunteering is another activity that releases endorphins, boosting your mood.

12) Do things that require discipline. Self-control increases self-worth, as you feel like you can control aspects of your life.

13) Learn something new! Part of what makes us human is our tendency to challenge ourselves. Challenge yourself to learn something new-- maybe a new skill, sport, or game.

14) Spend time enjoying art. Studying artwork exercises our minds and encourages us to think creatively. Take some time to visit a gallery or an art show-- you may return with a new perspective on your situation.

15) Find a good listener, and return the favor. Find one person who is willing to listen to you vent and talk freely. It can also relieve stress to form a listening partnership, where the two of you share on a regular basis.

16) Stick to your friends! Do what you can to intentionally keep in touch with a circle of friends. Schedule lunches, dates, or get-togethers with your friends more often. Deep friendships remind us of a sense of belonging.

17) Make the decision not to worry. Worry will consume your mind if you let it, but you can also train yourself to avoid worry, to choose a life without anxiety. Ask God to help you not to worry.

18) Do things that engage your senses. Each day, perform one task that engages each of your senses: sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste. Engaging your senses helps you to live in the moment and focus on the present.

19) Leave time to build and create! Even if it's just LEGOs or a can of Play-doh, it's important to engage our creative sides frequently. When the mind gets into a rut of the same sort of thinking, it gets sick. Keep it well by staying creative.

20) Consider getting a pet. This is a big decision, but having a pet can really help mental health. Pets love us unconditionally, keep us active, and provide us a way to care for something.

21) Leave time for nothing. Make sure your schedule has a little room for free time: time that is unbudgeted. Use that time for meditation, prayer, or relaxation exercises.

22) Cut out late-night TV and computer use. Studies have shown that watching TV and using a computer late at night can cause depressive symptoms.

23) Spend time with people every day. Find people who are like you and who like you. This one seems pretty obvious, but it's easy to forget when you're depressed or down. Interacting with people is likely part of the solution, not the problem.

24) Work to understand what stresses you. Understand your stressors and be able to recognize how you need to react. Be informed about what is happening in your mind and body.

25) Give and receive compliments. Find reasons to praise people, and be willing to accept people's praises of you. This will help you to appreciate the good in those around you and recognize it in yourself.

26) Join a club or social group that meets regularly. This will help to create a community in your life, fueling purpose and camaraderie.

27) Leave time to laugh. Try to laugh hysterically every day. Feed yourself funny things, allowing your mind to decompress from time to time.

28) Accept that there are some things you cannot change. A lot of anxiety stems from trying to change things beyond our control. Recognizing that some things are beyond our control is a key to a healthy, anxiety-free mind.

29) Engage in spirituality on a regular basis. Make sure you're exercising not just your mind and your body but also your spirit. Interact regularly with a spiritual community. Putting faith in God relieves stress on ourselves.

30) Talk to God about where you’re at. Interact with God in prayer on a daily basis and allow God to be a part of your stress-reduction strategy. He’s been doing it for thousands of years—He’s got a little more practice than you do.

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Credits to http://goo.gl/97qwd

How do i quit Watching porn?

2013-05-01T17:38:00.000+01:00

This is an interesting piece I came across and decided to share, baring in mind the struggle many may be facing with the seemingly harmless addiction called "PORN". Read on, hoping its helps someone out there.

Quitting porn requires discipline,courage and faith.Follow these techniques to free yourself from porn forever.

Quit it now, Don't wait to quit

Have you decided to quit Porn?Then quit it right now. Don't keep it for
some tomorrow that will never come.Your last porn watching is over,its
past.Start now.Right now.

Build a Porn free environment

Delete your porn collection now,Burn or throw away those magazines and DVDs.
Don't keep a single porn clip in your system.Clean it all.If you have
personal favorite delete them first!!

Don't count days

By counting the number of days you have stopped watching, defeats the
purpose of staying away from porn. Actually this is another away of
thinking about porn. Subconsciously you will take it as a pain
And one day you might say "i had enough",and you will find yourself
using porn again.

Kill the Porn trigger

Many people stop watching porn for months and all of a sudden they
start it again. Don't let your efforts get wasted like this.
Instead stop when it triggers.

To kill trigger you have learn to stay away from the cliff edge rather than seeing how close you can get to it without falling.
Stop doing things which you have done before watching porn
Triggers differ from individual to individual. For example, seeing an
R-rated movie with an intense sex scene might trigger some former users
into thoughts about wanting to access porn, while the same sex scene
The trigger could be something as simple as driving by a beer advertisement on a billboard with busty women on it.”

External triggers include accidental

exposure to sexually explicit material and ideas, being around sexually
provocative people, and having contact with porn delivery systems
such as the Internet and cable TV. Common internal triggers include
feeling stressed, upset, lonely, angry, depressed, anxious etc.
Acknowledge how porn causes problems. Try keeping a journal and write answer to this question “How Porn Is a Problem for Me.” writing down your answers on a piece of paper.
Keep the answers nearby, perhaps in your wallet, on your desk, in a
nightstand, or next to your computer so you can access them easily.
Reread your answers frequently, especially during times you feel the
urge to use porn and could easily forget your commitment to quit.

False belief regarding porn addiction

This is a funny one.But problem it causes is far from funny
Some of you will say "I’ll be less of a man if I don’t use porn". This
fear can relate to false ideas about what it means to be a man that were learned in childhood, which were reinforced by porn’s messages and never altered Get over all this beliefs.

Stop negative self talk excuses

Some people find that they can assume more responsibility for quitting
porn simply by changing their mental “self-talk.When they notice
they are telling themselves things like, .
"My will power is weak or I don't have will power"
“I have to use porn,”
“I have no control over watching porn”
Quickly counter the thoughts with more positive statements, such as

“I can do anything I set my mind to,” “I know where to get the help I need,” or “ I've made big changes the past and I can do it again.”

Kill porn thoughts

As soon as the thought crosses your mind that you are doing something
that could make you susceptible to becoming actively involved
with porn again, you need to stop.Just When you realize you are looking at something that is similar to porn, stop,and tell yourself, This is porn and I need to stop.

When thoughts of using porn go unchecked, and there is a reigniting
of a sexual desire for porn material, it is often just a matter of time
before a person moves to the next level of the Relapse Zone.

If you’re at a computer, turn it off and walk away from it. If you’re
watching television, change channels, turn it off, or get up and leave
the room. Take a walk, call a friend, listen to music, spend time in nature do whatever it takes to shift your consciousness away from porn.

Say no to porn play

Sexual images are everywhere. I can get to porn anytime
I want. I have to work much harder at staying away from it.”

Don't test yourself to see what kinds of sexual images you could still enjoy.It could increase exposure and vulnerability to triggers and can result in a serious relapse before a former porn user realizes what’s happening.

Say No to teasers

There are stuffs all around you that can't be technically called

porn,but Recovering porn users are especially vulnerable to relapse because the cultural environment in which we live is filled with sexually stimulating messages and images. It is not easy to stay away from porn for long periods of time when sexual images that can arouse the desire for porn are everywhere—in ads for beer in magazines, on television, in the sexually suggestive links that pop up unexpectedly
on non porn Web sites, and so on.

Correct your sexual habits

you may have developed sexual habits and patterns that work
with porn but don’t work in real intimate relationships.
Sexual attitudes and behaviors don’t miraculously transform once
you've stopped using porn. You’ll need to make an active effort to discover new ways to define sex, change the images you associate with sex,and learn new approaches to self-pleasuring and sex with a partner.

Examining and shifting your attitudes and behaviors about sex is time well spent, because it’s much easier to remain porn-free when you have satisfying sexual alternatives to take the place of porn.

Convey your problem to another person

I have a problem with pornography and I want to quit.” When a porn
user first says words like these out loud to another person, he takes a
significant first step in climbing out of the porn trap. As we've seen

in previous chapters, most relationships with porn thrive on isolation,
secrecy,and denial. By talking openly and honestly with another person
about your problem you automatically weaken your connection to porn.
-------------------------------by Sam Chakra http://goo.gl/qpi83

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How to earn more selling StarTimes Mobile products and Decoders

2012-12-15T20:25:00.002+01:00

Hello esteemed readers. It’s been a while since I kept you abreast with happenings out there. I have been quite busy with work. I hope to keep you up to date with info more often. Today however I introduce you a new idea that will make you money between now and Christmas provided you can do what is required. For everything in life there is a price. Hence you have a role to play if you want to succeed.

The Idea:

Have you ever thought of becoming a dealer or sales person dealing on StarTimes products? This is your opportunity. The good news is that we will help you in some way if you do not have the required capital needed to become a super dealer etc. however we at Da Hotgrid are not promising you money/capital for investment.

What is involved?

Being that you require huge capital depending on your economic power we have come up with an idea that will enable you be a player and make the most out of the current Christmas promo being run by StarTimes one which commenced 5th of November, to end January 31st 2013. In line with our idea, we want to make it possible for you to sell StarTimes products for profit with minimal investment. Remember to become a dealer for any organization or even sub dealer you are required to meet certain conditions like having a registered name and making a purchase of a certain amount to enjoy good discount on products purchased. This is where we come in. but before then lets introduce you to the products that will see you smiling to the bank this festive season.

StarTimes Move:

StarTimes move is the brand name for the company’s range of Mobile TV devices. These include the M35 mobile phone, Car GPS’s GP501 and GP701 respectively and the MP4 player. The mobile products give users the opportunity to watch high quality programme on the move anywhere they are, 12 digital channels in all and probably more to come. Who knows? The good thing is that their prices have been crashed in the spirit of the festive season to give everyone excess to good entertainment. Below is the description of the various products

The M35 Mobile Phone:

M35 Mobile Phone

The amazing thing about this product is that it is cheap when you compare it to other digital tv products. The StarTimes M35 mobile phone price was slashed from N18, 500 to N10, 900. This is aimed at getting it into every hand. Hence you have the opportunity to earn from its sale as an agent. The features of the M35 phone include:

Dual-sim card use: Dual SIM can work simultaneously GSM and works on any supported GSM network.
3.2 inch Touch screen
Email feature
It supports Micro-SD to extend memory
Camera and video recorder
Two Batterys, Long standby: Never miss any wonderful TV programs. Watch TV at least 5 hours continuously .
Support many exciting function : MP3 player, Multimedia player, FM radio, Bluetooth, Internet , MSN, Yahoo, SMS,EMS, etc.

M35

The phone is durable as well. Just anyone can use this phone because of its user friendly capability.

GP501

The Car GPS GP501 and GP701:

The GPS GP501 and GP701 are for classy car owners. In today's world map has become relevant and advanced. They are suitable for navigation especially when you find your self in an unknown location to you. Aside the satellite navigation system, owners of the GPS devices can treat their co occupants to startimes

GP501 Features:

Stylish appearance: like small IPad.
For Fashion people: use in travel, home and Leisure, Share the happiness with your friends and family anytime,anywhere.
Support Car phone via Bluetooth.
GPS : Satellite positioning and automatic navigation with Voice Reporting.
Many interesting games : Passenger’s journey will be no longer lonely.
Browser the word, excel, PowerPoint, PDF document.
Support Micro-SD to extend memory
Mass storage: 4G memory capacity

GP701 Features:

7-inch High-definition screen
For Business people: car charger, and Car bracket
Support Car phone via Bluetooth.
GPS : Satellite positioning and automatic navigation with Voice Reporting.
Many interesting games
Browser the word, excel, PowerPoint, PDF document.
Support Micro-SD to extend memory
Mass storage: 4G memory capacity

The channels available for just N650 and 3months free free free subscription!!!! are NTA News 24, STV Kungfu, Aljazeera, FOX, BBC, Orisun/Farin Wata (Abuja or Lagos customers), NTA Sports 24, STVE 2, Euro Sports, STV Music, National Geographic Gold and CNTN.

Decoder T and Decoder T2:

For Abuja Kaduna Lagos Portharcourt Kano and Ibadan customers use T2 decoders and have access to three bouquet Basic (31 Channels+ @N4000/mth) Classic (44 Channels+ @N4000/mth) and Unique (52 Channels+ @N4000/mth). For the newer states cities Uyo Jos Ilorin etc they have access to over 70 channels depending on bouquet. The good news is that the current Merry Saver Price is N2,900 and you activate with N1, 000. Hence with N3,000 only you have access to quality channels.

The Deal:

Now comes the real deal. To distribute StarTimes product on a small scale basis pending when you can go big is now easy. When you do business with Da Hotgrid you stand to earn up to N500 for each M35 phone you sell If you can buy 50 pieces or more. However you can get friends or partners to raise money by contributing and then share the products when delivered. Its said that tiny drops of water makes an ocean, you never know what your little effort can do. You may decide to buy 20 pieces, of course you wont enjoy much discount as one who buys 50 pieces and above. You may choose to go for decoders that are much more expensive if that is what you can afford.

Why not maximise this festive season to record financial breakthrough? You can even introduce a friend family and share a percentage of the profit with them when they sell to enable you make big turnover as it were. Don't sit back if you dont have a job. If you have one then this can be an added stream of income for you.

If you are interested you can contact us following this link Da Hotgrid ask for how you can make payment and terms for the deal. If you like this post also share with those you love, those that matter to you.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!