Adele's 2011 holdover '21' still tops in 2012

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? Turns out Adele ruled 2012, too ? and set a record while she was at it.

The British singer's "21" was the highest-selling album in the U.S. for the second consecutive year, according to 2012 sales figures released by Nielsen SoundScan on Thursday. That's a first in the SoundScan era.

Adele sold 4.4 million copies of the album in 2012 after selling 5.8 million in 2011. She crossed the 10 million threshold in November and was only rivaled by Taylor Swift, whose "Red" was second on the list. If her album sales continue apace in 2013, '21' will move into the top 10 list for sales since 1993, when SoundScan began current tracking methods.

Gotye scored the year's top-selling song with "Somebody That I Used To Know" featuring Kimbra. The song was downloaded a record 6.8 million times. Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" was next at 6.5 million. Both songs are the first to cross the 6 million digital sales mark, while fun. came close with 5.9 million downloads of "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monae.

Forty-one songs crossed the 2 million download mark, helping drive digital and overall sales to a new high even as album sales began to drop again after a momentary gain.

A record 1.65 billion music units ? combining physical albums, digital albums and digital songs ? were sold in 2012, fueled by an increase of 9.1 percent in total digital sales and a 14.1 percent increase in digital album sales.

Overall, however, album sales declined 4.4 percent. That continues a downward trend since 2004 that was only briefly halted by last year's 3 percent gain ? mostly due to the surprise success of "21." Only two genres showed album sales gains in 2012. Rock gained by 2 percent and country, fueled by the format's assault on the top 10, jumped 4.2 percent.

Swift led a record five country artists into the top 10, selling 3.1 million copies of "Red" in just over two months. Other country artists on the list included Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" at No. 7 (1.2 million) followed by Luke Bryan's "tailgates & tanlines" (1.1 million), Lionel Richie's duets album "Tuskegee" (1 million) and Jason Aldean's "Night Train" (1 million).

One Direction nearly matched Swift's sales total, but did it by placing two 2012 releases in the top 10 ? "Up All Night" placed No. 3 with 1.6 million sold and "Take Me Home" was fifth with 1.3 million.

Mumford & Son's "Babel" at No. 6 (1.4 million) and Justin Bieber's "Believe" at No. 6 (1.3 million) round out the top 10. Only 10 albums reached 1 million in sales.

Katy Perry received the most radio airplay for the second year in a row with 1.4 million spins, while Swift was the most streamed artist at 216 million streams.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/adeles-2011-holdover-21-still-tops-2012-032220051.html

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Trending | Public Relations

Many things have changed since Schroder PR begin 10 years ago; many have not

Ten years ago this week, Schroder PR opened its doors to provide writing and media relations services to a few select clients. Since then, a lot has changed in the business of public relations, but a few enduring principles remain more important than ever.

When we opened our doors to the public in 2003, we were already serving a few commercial real estate developers and soon were hired by one of the two largest law firms in town.

At that time, the primary request of our clients was that we carefully craft well-written press releases and provide them media counsel to navigate what was then a very heated and, to our clients, confusing competition between business and real estate reporters at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Since then, the media world has exploded to an immediate online delivery of news from many news sources ? including posts by many writers who have had no professional news training and are not professionally edited.

A decade ago, clients were still trying to understand the potential of the ?world wide web? and we were often asked to help re-write their websites with new copy that would attract a prominent listing in developing platforms called ?search engines.? Google was still a small private company that was a couple of years from going public.

The word blog was less than five years old in 2013 (it was coined in 1999 from its original term of weblog). Managing partners of large firms were trying to understand how to follow and regulate their use by leading edge partners in the firms. It wasn?t long before our clients were asking us to assist them to host blogs on their own websites.

Networking and business development is a vital part of any business, particularly a new firm such as ours. Back then, the primary tool of business development was the Atlanta Business Chronicle?s Book of Lists. A few days after we opened our doors, a new web-based platform was launched that changed everything. It was called LinkedIn. Today, LinkedIn is a primary business development tool, though we still usually begin our new year making lots of notes in the printed Book of Lists, which is also available in electronic form.

Email and instant messaging had long replaced the idle chatter and gossip around the proverbial water cooler. Then in 2004, we all re-learned an entirely new way to peer into the lives and thoughts of others with the launch of Facebook. Although office productivity initially took a big hit with its growth, we now spend many hours a week updating business pages on Facebook for our clients.

While Schroder PR has always been an advocate for concise use of the English language, we all learned to edit even tighter in 2003 when Twitter reduced our world of communication not to 140 words, but 140 characters!

In 2003, we began helping clients produce videos to explain their service offerings with videos. New computer editing tools brought down the cost of this formerly cost-prohibitive medium. Ten years ago, we were still advising clients to trim their videos to five to eight minutes in length. Then in 2005, YouTube launched and video exploded. Today, based on Pew and Poynter research, we caution clients to edit their videos to no longer than 60 seconds and we help manage their YouTube channels.

As Schroder PR moved offices several times around Midtown Atlanta, we were careful to always provide a cork bulletin board above the desks of our teammates so they could post personal photos and important lists. Now we primarily use the cork boards to soften the sound in smaller working conditions while our team is busily posting photos and lists for our clients on Pinterest, which launch in 2010.

While many things have changed in 10 years, many principles still endure. Yes, our team spends much of our time monitoring social media for our clients, but we still spend a surprising amount of time editing press releases that we can post online. Yet, we rarely send press releases to reporters. Today we boil story pitches down to one-page backgrounders full of bullet points or send short emails or Twitter pitches.

Though we have so many new tools with which to communicate, we?ve found there is an increasing need to have regular face-to-face meetings with our clients. Client service remains the most important facet of our business and in this new year, we hope to spend more time in person with our clients than ever before. That?s where the magic in this business really happens.

The proper use of the English language s still paramount. Each of of our teammates has an AP Stylebook on their desks. We did try the electronic version for a while. but the book is still our bible.

When we start working with a new client, we still spend the first few weeks and months helping to sharpen their ?message? and ?position.? When we launched our own website in December 2012, we introduced our company?s slogan and mission, which endures ? perhaps with even more significance ? to this day: ?Clear Messages in a Cluttered World.?

? Chris Schroder

Source: http://saportareport.com/leadership/publicrelations/2013/01/02/trending-7/

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China Technology News: E-commerce finds markets overseas

Source: China Daily

While e-commerce companies have plunged into ever-increasing competition in the Chinese domestic market, some are trying their luck outside China to find other ways to fuel growth. A number of Chinese e-commerce players, including Jingdong Mall, dubbed China's amazon.com, and online clothing retailer Vancl (Beijing) Technology Co, have already stretched their reach globally with different approaches.

Jingdong Mall's English-language website, offering nearly 400,000 products, went online in October. Supporting delivery to 35 countries, it attracts most of its overseas customers from North America, Western Europe and Australia.

Vancl started even earlier. It began its overseas expansion in 2010 by providing an English version of its website, and in September, it teamed up with Vietnamese online payment company ECPay to provide a Vietnamese-language website and set up local operations.

"Vietnam is quite representative of Asian markets: Fast-growing with a considerable market size and similar in culture," Luan Yilai, Vancl's associate president, said.

"We think we can grow quickly if we start in Vietnam."

Luan said Vancl is considering expanding its global footprint to more markets, and Russia, where it is looking for possible cooperation, will probably be next.

Jingdong Mall also has a Russian-language website and sells products to the country through cooperation with a local partner, said a report by Nanfang Metropolis Daily that cited unnamed sources. Jingdong Mall didn't comment on this.

E-commerce companies are the latest batch of Chinese Internet companies to spread their global reach. The earliest ones to go global were online game providers, which started overseas adventures in 2003.

Chinese e-commerce companies tend to provide an English website targeting US and European customers when they start to go global, said Chen Dong, the China head of large merchant sales at PayPal, the online payment arm of online marketplace Ebay.

However, emerging markets represent a bigger opportunity for e-commerce businesses that expand overseas, as is evident in the huge growth in exports by e-commerce businesses to Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, Chen added.

From July 2011 to June 2012, exports by Chinese e-commerce companies to Argentina increased by 96 percent, to Israel by 72 percent and to Ukraine by 71 percent, according to PayPal figures.

Global strategies

Although China is expected to become the world's biggest online retail market this year, according to officials of the Ministry of Commerce, e-commerce companies' global expansion comes as an important supplement to their business in the home market.

"Vancl is, and will be, focused on its domestic market, but the intention to go global is quite natural, whether it's the brand or the manufacturing that goes outside China," said Luan.

Last year, Vancl moved some of its clothes production to Bangladesh, and it was also approaching manufacturers in Indonesia and Cambodia for possible cooperation, Hu Haishen, who is responsible for Vancl's clothes manufacturing, said in August.

There were 31 million people accessing the Internet in Vietnam by the end of September, representing 34 percent of its population, according to the Nhan Dan newspaper.

China, in contrast, had an Internet population of 538 million by the end of June, representing nearly 40 percent of its population, according to the quasi-official China Internet Network Information Center.

What is different from its Chinese operations, though, is Vancl's pricing in the market.

"Vietnam is like China a number of years ago where rich people buy luxury goods and those with little income go to wholesale markets. There are few fashion brands in between targeting the middle and high-end market," he said, explaining the reason for Vancl's brand positioning in Vietnam.

The company began its expansion in Vietnam with a limited number of products, about 300 kinds of clothes, on a trial basis as it is still learning how to work with a partner in a foreign country, Luan said.

Compared with Vancl, Jingdong Mall seems to be less aggressive in its global expansion, without stepping much into local operations. It buys made-in-China goods and then ships them overseas.

However, Shi Tao, Jingdong Mall's vice-president, told China Daily that the company plans to build warehouses overseas to eventually shorten the delivery period.

He said the ultimate goal for Jingdong Mall is to act like Amazon, which does business in different countries locally, and has a diverse source for products.

By June, almost all of Jingdong Mall's 60 million registered users were from the Chinese mainland. US-based Amazon, the world's biggest online retailer by user number, has more than 60 percent of its customers coming from countries outside North America, said US research firm comScore Inc.

Currently, the most popular categories on Jingdong Mall's English-language website include Chinese books, electronic accessories and clothing, which take up more than 70 percent of its overseas sales, the company said.

Luan with Vancl, however, said the company didn't set a goal for its overseas business, nor has its business overseas registered "breakthrough growth", and everything currently going on is more of an exploration of how to go global.

E-commerce companies' efforts for expansion come when the domestic e-commerce market has been increasingly tough, especially in the last year. A large number of players are competing head-to-head with cutthroat price wars, which helps them lure users but squeezes their profit margins.

"Compared with the domestic market, e-commerce players are likely to have higher profit margins in the international market," said Li Chengdong, an e-commerce analyst and columnist of the Chinese website of The New York Times.

Hu Yanping, general manager of the Data Center of China Internet, a Chinese market research company, agreed. However, fierce competition in the domestic market is not the reason for e-commerce players to go global, he said.

"Going global will be part of the future, something you need to do other than your main business in China even though it's not urgent now."

For Luan, going global is by no means easy. What Vancl spent most of its time exploring overseas is how to rebuild the whole process of doing online retail business and providing localized services to the market.

"You are also exposed to other risks," he said, referring to a protest against China in Vietnam in early December, which led to a delay of Vancl's more aggressive plan to expand its sales in the country.

Source: http://www.technologynewschina.com/2013/01/e-commerce-finds-markets-overseas.html

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96% Monsters, Inc. 3D

All Critics (178) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (182) | Rotten (8) | DVD (45)

It may be harder nowadays to dazzle audiences with fancy visual effects, but Monsters, Inc. 3D proves that smart, imaginative storytelling still does the trick every time.

Most of the charm of "Monsters Inc." comes from its vocal cast.

If history is any guide, you and your family - whether young or old - will probably want to see "Monsters University" over and over.

The movie itself stands up well, even from an adult, two-dimensional perspective.

Its reassuring message is more relevant than ever.

The good guys are those who realize that laughter is stronger than fear. That's a message worth taking to heart these jittery days.

There's really little reason to check out Monsters, Inc. 3D in... well, 3D, rather than going for a good old-fashioned 2D screening instead.

It does well, but not brilliantly: an amusing trifle from a studio whose best work still lay ahead of it.

Not quite a Pixar classic, but funny, witty and visually spectacular enough to be enjoyed again on the big screen.

Monsters, Inc. continues a positive 3D trend for the company, who appear to be selecting their upgraded titles wisely, choosing features that benefit from the additional depth.

Not even the opportunistic 3D-ification can squander the pure delight of the film's meticulously detailed world of ragtag creatures.

[A] sparkling cartoon ...

John Lasseter and the Pixar crew know how to turn shared human feelings and experiences into strange and delightful animated features. "Monsters, Inc." is one of their most solid efforts.

A typically engrossing Pixar effort...

Cute, kid-friendly monster movie; may scare sensitive kids.

Though "Monsters, Inc." relies more on spinning-plates plot than its Pixar peers, this romp retains the charm and heart of the animation juggernaut's forte - adding extra to ordinary hopes, in this case leaving great impressions on the kids we love.

A charming cartoon classic coming courtesy of a successful collaboration by the good folks at Disney and Pixar.

A charming cartoon classic coming courtesy of a successful collaboration by the good folks at Disney and Pixar.

A stunning release of one of Pixar's most sadly underappreciated works.

Monsters, Inc. is a celebration of unforgettable characters and a world unlike any other.

From its jazzy main titles to its gentle fadeout, Monsters, Inc. has something that money can't buy. It's likeable. [Blu-ray]

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/monsters_inc_3d/

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In 2013, nothing more important than protecting hopes for democracy

Across the range of international concerns today the one common theme is urgency. Debt. Climate change. The spread of nuclear weapons. These are all serious issues requiring earnest, immediate responses. Yet nothing will be more important to international stability and human progress in 2013 than advancing the aspirations of people who are upending authoritarian rule in the pursuit of self-government and a fair shot at success.

From the Middle East to Asia to Africa to Latin America, people of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds are agitating for change. Although democratization has been going on almost constantly since the end of the cold war, the stakes are different today for three reasons.

OPINION: Arab Spring: now begins the education of Islamist politicians

First, the greater Middle East is faced with burgeoning youth populations and complex regional tensions. Emerging democracies there have little margin for error.

Second, transnational terrorism and insurgency warfare have altered the security conditions in many of the places where democracy is budding ? endangering new freedoms and posing an international security threat.

Third, the past three decades of democratization have brought many valuable lessons, but they have also raised expectations.

People do not just wake up one morning as democrats. The norms and practices of democracy, the understanding of rights and how to both act on and protect them, must be cultivated across society. That mainly involves the patient growing of trust between the governing and the governed ? a trust that's rooted in good democratic soil (a representative constitution, a free media, a fair court system, etc.) and watered with a continuous, wide stream of public input.

The unfolding experience in three countries ? Egypt, Myanmar (Burma), and Malawi ? highlights the importance, and difficulty, of getting the right mix of soil and water.

THE MONITOR'S VIEW: Egypt's big lesson in democracy

If the revolution falters in the Arab world's most populous country ? Egypt ? it may well be because of not enough public buy-in.

Emerging from six decades of authoritarian rule, the country quickly developed a lively discourse in the public square. But the constitutional process, culminating recently in a national referendum, was imbalanced toward the ruling party and its Islamist allies. The Supreme Administrative Court had dissolved the body charged with drafting the new national charter for being unrepresentative. When the panel was reconstituted, similar charges quickly emerged. The constitution passed the popular referendum with 64 percent in favor; but voter turnout was low, only 33 percent, and the run-up to the ballot was marked by boycotts and street protests.

A vital opportunity to engender credibility was needlessly jeopardized.

OPINION: Obama and Myanmar (Burma): 4 points about conflict there

Myanmar, long one of the most sealed-off countries on earth, is making credible strides toward democracy after decades of harsh military rule. Celebrated opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was held under house arrest for 15 of the 20 years prior to her release in 2010, was elected to the national legislature last April. That election was monitored by foreign observers and media enjoying the freest access to the country in years.

But the foundation for a democracy doesn't really exist yet. True, a recent cabinet reshuffle replaced old-guard conservatives with technocrats and the first woman minister. However, the national legislature is still overwhelmingly controlled by the ruling military party, and political rivals cannot reach accord on power-sharing terms in a new draft constitution.

And while a greater diversity of voices is being heard, some are being willfully and dangerously ignored. Human rights abuses and ethnic violence continue almost unimpeded in sensitive areas of the country.

National reconciliation is a prime concern ahead of the 2015 elections, which, if free and fair, would almost certainly elevate Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and her party to power. A truth commission, such as the one that helped South Africa after apartheid, could investigate the history of human rights abuses and underpin a new constitutional system in Myanmar.

THE MONITOR'S VIEW: Africa as muse, not mess

Other than being one of Africa's most persistently impoverished countries, Malawi seldom garners attention, even on the African continent. But last April something significant happened. It began with the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika, an economist and the country's third president. The late leader's brother and supporters saw an opening to take over, but the military stepped in to prevent them from circumventing the Constitution and ensured the legal succession of Joyce Banda.

As political scientists Greg Mills and Jeffrey Herbst observe, simply the operation of the Malawi Constitution under stress is encouraging on a continent once plagued by military coups d'?tat. They write that Malawi's successful succession during a time of political upheaval shows why "even the partial liberalization of most African countries, still falling well short of institutionalized democracy, is such an important development."

In the coming months and years, countries such as Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe will arrive at the threshold of democratic reforms. The choices they make and the processes they follow will be influenced and reinforced by events in neighboring countries and lessons from farther afield.

OPINION: Four things Syria must do after Bashar al-Assad

Building democracies is slow work. It is an imperfect project. But it can be mutually affirming. Twenty-five years ago, strongman rulers dominated Africa. Today no leader can avoid at least the language and motions of democracy. Will similar progress take root in the Middle East? Shortcuts don't pay off. Inclusiveness in building strong institutions and durable constitutions is vital to success.

Kurt Shillinger is a former political reporter for The Christian Science Monitor. He also covered sub-Saharan Africa for The Boston Globe.

ALSO BY THIS WRITER: How civility can come to Washington (+video)

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2013-nothing-more-important-protecting-hopes-democracy-172750189--politics.html

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3 Tips For Finding A Patent Attorney | Quality Life Resources

Living in the era of great technological advancement means that intellectual property is now much more valuable than it once was. However, having an idea, does not mean that one will prosper off it.

This is only the first of many steps towards commercializing an idea, and making money from it. Other steps involve nourishing the idea, investing in it, and, most crucially, protecting the idea from others. This, most vital, part of commercializing an idea can also be the most complex step that you take, since registering a patent is not an easy job. This is why there are numerous attorneys at law that specialize in the area of patenting and intellectual property.

If you want your idea to flourish, it is only natural that you would want it to be in safe and knowledgeable hands. This is why hiring a good and trusted patent attorney is very important. But, first things first. You must first decide what do you need the lawyer for and what type of a patent lawyer suit your needs in the best possible manner.

Doing the research ? know what you need

When dealing with the subject of intellectual property, it is vital to know that this area of the law covers a wide range of legal issues that need to be addressed in the proper manner. Entertainment law, media law, contract law and copyright law are just some parts of the law that need to be addressed in order to be completely sure that your patent is protected.

However, this all depends on the nature of your idea. If you decide on solely embarking on a creating and selling innovative ideas and products, then an attorney that is strictly specialized in the areas of copyright and patenting is what you need. However, if you wish to publicize your product, you deal with designs and plan on working online, then you would need someone who is also well-learned in the area of media law, as well as patents and copyright.

It is also advised that you see exactly how much, and what type of, competition you currently have on the market. This can be done by going through the Patent Office Register and checking whether there are already patented ideas that are similar to yours. Having more competition means that you must hire a more experienced lawyer to deal with the situation. This, however, means that you will have to pay more money for legal protection.

For business owners whose businesses have a legal department, as well, it would be advisable to check whether the attorneys at the resident legal department are skilled in those areas of the law, because, if they are, then your business would spend a lot less money on legal representation.

Know where to search

Finding a good patent attorney may not be as easy as you might think. The absolute worst thing that you can do (and this is not only for finding an attorney, but for any profession) is to go on Google and search ?patent attorneys?. This will only yield promoted results that are certainly not good enough for your needs. Also, you should avoid asking around business and private circles for a good attorney, because recommendations can usually be very subjective and can only misguide you in your search.

The most advisable way is to consult the website of a government agency that is concerned with patents, and obtain a list of registered patent attorneys and law firms. These lists will offer a variety of filters that will make it easier for you to find exactly what kind of a lawyer you need. When you have selected a few, conduct a Google search for them, and see how they are represented on the Internet.

Meeting eye-to-eye ? doing the preliminary interview

Once you have selected a few attorneys that you think will suit you the best, the final step in choosing the right one would be to go and find their offices. There you can see whether they are taking new clients and you can schedule an interview.

It is in both your and the attorney?s best interest that this interview goes as best as possible. He must suit your need, but you must prove to be a valuable customer, as well. This is why you should approach this interview as you would a business meeting. Go well-dressed and well-prepared.

State your case and see if you can interest the attorney in your case. If the attorney deems the venture profitable and you see that he or she is trustworthy, then you should let him or her handle your patent case. If not, keep searching until you find a good match.

Protecting the idea and obtaining a patent is too complex a task to be performed by someone who is a layman in this area of the law. This is why it is recommended that you let a patent attorney handle the process instead, since he or she will know what to do and how. Choosing a right attorney for you can be complicated, but following these guidelines will hopefully make the process easier.

Featured images:

• License: Royalty Free or iStock?source: http://www.123rf.com

This is a guest post.? Damian is a blogger and a freelance writer. He mostly writes about finance and business, but other topics are not strange for him. Damian currently works for phoenixip.com.au patent attorneys from Australia.

Source: http://www.qualityliferesources.com/money/3-tips-for-finding-a-patent-attorney/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3-tips-for-finding-a-patent-attorney

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PST: Something special from Man City?

Yesterday, I wondered if Manchester City really had the ?stuff,? that intangible spirit that champions require to get on top and then, even more difficult, to stay atop against the pressure and expectations that come with the position.

So far we just haven?t seen much evidence of that ?something extra? from Roberto Mancini?s club, which is barely hanging into the pursuit of first-place Manchester United.

Did we see one of those wins Saturday?

City went into Carrow Road and emerged with a memorable 4-3 win. (Interesting: That was the very same score by which Alex Ferguson?s Manchester United prevailed over Newcastle just days before, that in a match I had identified as one of those special wins.)

It took a lot Saturday as City had been reduced to 10 men for more than a half thanks to Samir Nasri?s hotheadedness.

It also took special performances, one from Sergio Aguero (pictured), who was indefatigable in his work. Yaya Toure was his usual do-all self; has there been a more useful all-around man in the Premier League this year?

Edin Dzeko, with two early goals and then a second-half winner (although not officially), proved that there may be renewed life in the City crop of strikers that simply has not found net enough this year.

As City held the lead, the character and championship spirit finally began coming through. The effort and defending was resolute.

Then City was absolutely wonderful in killing off the match ? and not just with those slow-go tactics, either. The ability to hold the ball and limit the home team?s attempts to throw balls forward and make something from nothing really was quite skillful in its execution.

Something special from City? Something to inspire the effort going forward? We?ll find out, because it?s only special if it does, actually, coax a little more belief and scrappiness in the matches ahead.

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/29/something-special-from-manchester-city-finally/related/

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