Dr. Diane Hamilton's Blog

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New Kindle For the Web – Embed Book Excerpts

Readers can now read the first chapter of Kindle books for free through web browsers – no download or installation required
Bloggers and website owners can embed Kindle book samples and earn referral fees on salesSEATTLE, Sep 28, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) –Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) today introduced the beta version of “Kindle for the Web,” making it even easier for customers to discover new books and authors by sampling Kindle books directly through web browsers–no installation or downloading required. Amazon is also inviting bloggers and website owners who are participants in the Amazon Associates Program to be part of Kindle for the Web by embedding samples of Kindle books on their websites. These website owners will earn referral fees from Amazon when customers complete book purchases using the links on their websites. More information about Kindle for the Web and how to embed Kindle book samples is available at www.amazon.com/kindlefortheweb.

Customers simply click the “Read first chapter FREE” button on a book product page on Amazon or on other websites, and the first chapter will open within the web page. Customers can change the font size and line spacing, adjust the background color, and share their favorite books with friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail–all without leaving the book in the browser.

“With Kindle for the Web, it’s easier than ever for customers to sample Kindle books – there’s no downloading or installation required,” said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. “Kindle for the Web is also a great way for bloggers and authors to promote books on their websites by letting visitors read a chapter without leaving their site.”

To see examples of Kindle for the Web on authors’ websites, go to the blog of author Karen McQuestion at www.mcquestionablemusings.blogspot.com and the free sample of her bestselling Kindle book “A Scattered Life,” or the website of author John Miller at www.heymiller.com and the free sample of his book “The First Assassin.”

Kindle offers the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read. The U.S. Kindle Store now has more than 700,000 books, including New Releases and 108 of 111 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 575,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 80 New York Times Bestsellers. Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read on Kindle devices. Kindle lets you Buy Once, Read Everywhere–on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based devices. Amazon’s Whispersync technology syncs your place across devices, so you can pick up where you left off. With Kindle Worry-Free Archive, books you purchase from the Kindle Store are automatically backed up online in your Kindle library on Amazon where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly for free, anytime.

The all-new Kindle has an electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, 15 percent lighter weight at just 8.5 ounces, 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life with wireless off, double the storage to 3,500 books, no glare even in bright sunlight and built-in Wi-Fi–all for only $139. The all-new Kindle 3G with all of these new features plus the convenience of free 3G wireless is only $189.

In the future, Kindle for the Web will include optimization for mobile browsers and other features. For more information about Kindle for the Web, including instructions on how to embed Kindle book samples, go to www.amazon.com/kindlefortheweb.

Can Spell Check Make Things Worse? The Most Misspelled Words

Today’s Ask Dr. Diane:  What are some of the mostly commonly misspelled words?
I post a lot of information about spelling and grammar for my students.  There are certain words that many people tend to misspell.  For a list of the top 100 misspelled words, click here.  I often ask students to quiz their family and friends to see how they do with some of the more commonly misspelled words . . . For fun, ask people to spell the following words that seem pretty simple and basic to see how well they do.  I think you’ll be surprised at how many times people misspell these:

Calendar

Embarrass

Questionnaire

Accommodate

Definitely

I think a lot of students tend to rely heavily on the spell check function.  The problem is, if you don’t really have a good idea of how the word you are looking for is spelled in the first place, spell check may offer solutions that are not even close to the word you had intended.  I often have students send me an email saying something like, “I apologize for the incontinence.”  I kind of think they were looking for the word inconvenience .  .  . but I guess you never know.

For some extra tips on improving your spelling, check out an article by powa.org by clicking here.  Here are some tips from that article that may be helpful to you:

Suggestions for Spelling Improvement

1. Don’t look words up while you’re composing. Wait until your thought-flow runs its course. As you write, highlight or mark any words you aren’t absolutely sure about. Then later when editing, your attention will go right to these words and you can look them up all at once without interrupting and losing track of your thoughts. By looking up words later, you also can concentrate on learning to spell them correctly so you won’t have to look them up again. You might even consider keeping a list of Target Words to concentrate on.

2. Every time you write a word ask yourself whether you know how to spell it. There are only two possible answers to this question: yes and no. Maybe, probably, and I think so all count as no. If the answer is yes, keep on writing, but if the answer is no, mark the word to look up. Most spelling errors come not on words like “cataclysmic,” which you know you need to look up, but on words like “front,” where you think the odds are with you.

3. Notice what part of the word you’ve spelled wrong. Hardly ever do you spell a whole word wrong. Usually one or two letters need to be changed. Find the trouble spot by comparing the dictionary version with the version you’ve already written down. Sometimes a memory prod will help you get those letters right next time. For example, you might learn to spell “environment” by remembering that it has the word “iron” in it.

4. Watch out for words that sound like other ones. Here the problem isn’t so much spelling as using the wrong word, as when someone says, “I don’t care weather it rains.” Besides “whether” and “weather,” some other frequently confused words are listed below. These words are especially treacherous because computer spell-checkers won’t pick them up.

a — an — and
our — hour — are
accept — except
personal — personnel
cite — site — sight
quiet — quite — quit
cloths — clothes
roll — role
desert — dessert
soul — sole
do — due
than — then
led — lead
there — their — they’re
loose — lose
to — too — two
moral — morale
wear — where — were
new — knew
who’s — whose
no — know
your — you’re
past — passed

Have You Updated Your Job Skills?

In my book How to Reinvent Your Career, I write about taking a skills inventory. It’s important to look at how things have changed since you last made a career move, and decide whether you’ve kept up with the changes around you. Are you lacking some important skills? I recommend assessing your skills inventory and deciding whether you need to get some training in some of the following areas:

  1. Computer use
  2. Networking
  3. Interview performance
  4. Job Hunting
  5. Communication
  6. Analytical research
  7. Adaptability
  8. Diversity awareness
  9. Leadership
  10. Planning/goal setting
  11. Problem solving
  12. Teamwork
  13. Multi-tasking
  14. People skills
  15. Self-reliance

Remember that these are all important skills that employers are going to be looking for in prospective employees. Remember to highlight your abilities in each of these areas when writing your résumé.

Ask Dr. Diane: Do You Have A Question?

I have dedicated  a section of my blog to answering questions about the topics I cover in my books.  If you have a question about online learning, personalities in the workforce, how to get a job or reinvent your career, personal finance, social media or any of the other topics I cover here, please  email me at diane@drdianehamilton.com and I’ll be happy to post it here with my response.

PowerPoint – Resources and Examples to Make the Perfect Presentation

Do you need to create a PowerPoint presentation for work, school or a YouTube video to promote your business?  Many people know the basics of how to put together a quick presentation.  But do you know how to make that presentation pop?  If you haven’t read the book Death by Powerpoint, it is an interesting read.  I can’t tell you how many PowerPoint presentations I have sat through in business meetings while suffering a slow painful death . . .  I found that many of them were either really boring or shared unnecessary information or usually both.

I teach several courses where students are required to submit their assignments as a Powerpoint presentation.  If you are considering putting together a presentation, here are some wonderfully helpful sites to get you started:

  1. http://www.meryl.net/2008/01/10/70-powerpoint-and-presentation-resources-and-great-examples/ – This site includes a very comprehensive list of 70+ PowerPoint and Presentation Resources and Great Examples.
  2. http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/41661.aspx – If you want to see some samples of more presentations, check these out from brighthub. 
  3. http://www.iasted.org/conferences/formatting/presentations-tips.ppt – This is an actual PowerPoint presentation giving tips about a PowerPoint presentation.
  4. http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/skills/presentations.aspx – Where better to find PowerPoint tips than from Microsoft . . .check out 12 tips for creating better presentations.
  5. http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint – Great video:  Death by Powerpoint and how to fight it.
  6. http://elmhurst.edu/~jacobh/WorstPresentationEverStandAlone.ppt – PowerPoint presentation that calls itself Quite Possibly the Worst PowerPoint Presentation Ever.
  7. http://www.ece.wisc.edu/~kati/PresentationGuide.ppt – Terrible PowerPoint presentations presented in a PowerPoint presentation.
  8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR3gcCrTSzw – Youtube video from Microsoft showing new media-rich tools for PowerPoint 2010.

Once you have completed your PowerPoint presentation, why not go the extra step and add your voice for the full presentation.  I like to use Camtasia Studio.  However, you can also utilize sites like Voice Thread at http://voicethread.com/.  This site allows you to record the audio portion of your presentation without having to buy software.  You can even use your telephone to call into their system and dictate your presentation.  What is easier than that? You simply enter your phone number and their system calls you.  You have three minutes, per slide, to talk if you use their free account.  You can upgrade for $12.95 when I last checked.  When you are finished, you will get a link that you can go to in order to see and hear your presentation.