Why Your Next Key Content Tool Should Be AMP

If you’ve been researching ways to optimize your mobile website, you may have come across Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). There are some key benefits and it’s important to understand what they are. Therefore, I’ve put together a crash course on AMP to get you up to speed. What’s AMP? The AMP project, which was developed by Google and launched in early 2016, is an open-source framework for creating mobile webpages that load fast. You can think of it as an ultra-lightweight version of HTML and it has even been described as â€Å"diet HTML.† But HTML isn’t the only web technology that gets stripped down to meet AMP specifications. The framework also optimizes load times by placing certain restrictions on CSS usage and by not allowing author-written JavaScript. Some of AMP’s biggest gains in speed, however, come from its caching system. The Google AMP Cache acts as a content delivery system, caching your AMP-enabled pages and serving them up more efficiently than if they had been served from your own domain. The Need for Speed Because today’s mobile users have shorter attention spans than ever and are quick to give up on a page if it doesn’t load quickly enough for them, it’s critical to make sure your page load quickly. Research from Google indicates that 53% of users will abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load. An AMP-enabled page is designed to load in far less than those dreaded three seconds, with a median load time of under one second. Understanding the Benefits of AMPs There’s no doubt that faster-loading pages are a good thing, but the benefits of AMP-enabled pages are more far-reaching: Improved user experience: When your pages load more quickly, users are more likely to stay on your site and return to it in the future. A positive user experience is also likely to increase conversions. Higher ranking in search results: While AMP isn’t necessarily a ranking factor on its own, there’s no doubt that Google looks more kindly on fast-loading mobile pages. Better visibility: AMP pages are displayed in search results with a lightning bolt symbol. Not only does this help your search results stand out from the crowd, but it may also boost click-through rates as more and more users look for quicker-loading pages. How to â€Å"AMP Up† Your Content If you have a WordPress site, you’re in luck– a plugin by Automatic is available that creates dynamically-generated AMP-enabled pages for you. These pages are accessed by adding /amp to the URLs of your existing posts. If you’re not using WordPress, you’ll have to create and maintain two versions of your web pages: the regular version and the AMP-ready version. Don’t be intimidated by this task, there are plenty of tutorials, templates and boilerplates online to get you started on the right track. AMP is a powerful addition to your current content toolbox, but it won’t deliver success on its own. Even the world’s speediest load times can’t make up for boring content. To get the most out of AMP, you need to ensure that your content is fresh, engaging and well-written. With a steady supply of quality content and the fast load times that come with AMP-enabled pages, you’re sure to see a boost in your search rankings, traffic and overall engagement.

Elagabalus - Roman Emperor

Elagabalus - Roman Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus aka Emperor Elagabulus Dates: Born - c. 203/204; Reigned - May 15,218 - March 11, 222. Name: Birth - Varius Avitus Bassianus; Imperial - Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus Family: Parents - Sextus Varius Marcellus and Julia Soaemias Bassiana; Cousin and successor - Alexander Severus Ancient Sources on Elagabalus: Cassius Dio, Herodian, and Historia Augusta. Elagabalus Ranked Among the Very Worst Emperors At the same time, he will learn of the Romans discernment, in that these last [Augustus, Trajan, Vespasian, Hadrian, Pius, Titus and Marcus] ruled long and died by natural deaths, whereas the former [Caligula, Nero, Vitellius and Elagabalus] were murdered, dragged through the streets, officially called tyrants, and no man wishes to mention even their names.Aelius Lampridius The Life of Antoninus Heliogabalus The life of Elagabalus Antoninus, also called Varius, I should never have put in writing - hoping that it might not be known that he was emperor of the Romans -, were it not that before him this same imperial office had had a Caligula, a Nero, and a Vitellius. Elagabalus' Predecessor Caracalla's Mixed Evaluation An emperor with mixed reviews, Elagabalus cousin Caracalla (April 4, 188 - April 8, 217) ruled for only 5 years. During this time he caused the murder of his co-ruler, his brother Geta, and his supporters, raised the pay for soldiers, waged campaigns in the East where Macrinius was to have him assassinated, and implemented the (Constitutio Antoniniana Antonine Constitution). The Antonine Constitution was named for Caracalla, whose imperial name was Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus. It extended Roman citizenship throughout the Roman Empire. Macrinus Easily Rises to the Imperial Purple Caracalla had appointed Macrinius to the influential position of praetorian prefect. Because of this lofty position, three days after Caracallas murder, Macrinius, a man without senatorial rank, was powerful enough to compel the troops to proclaim him emperor. Less competent as military leader and emperor than his predecessor, Macrinius suffered losses in the East and wound up making settlements with the Parthians, Armenians, and the Dacians. Defeats and Macrinius introduction of a two-tiered pay for soldiers made him unpopular with the soldiers. Enduring Ambitions of Caracalla's Mother Caracallas mother had been Julia Domna of Emesa, Syria, second wife of the emperor Septimius Severus. She had conceived the idea of propelling her great-nephew to the throne, but ill health prevented her involvement. The grandson of her sister Julia Maesa (who shared the family ambitious streak) was Varius Avitus Bassianus who would soon be known as Elagabalus. Sensationalist Biographers of Elagabalus Sir Ronald Syme calls one of the biographies of the time, Aelius Lampridius The Life of Antoninus Heliogabalus, a farago of cheap pornography.* One of the contentions made by Lampridius is that Julia Symiamira (Soaemias), Julia Maesas daughter, had made no secret of her liaison with Caracalla. In the year 218, Varius Avitus Bassianus was performing the hereditary family function of high priest of the sun god whose worship was popular with the troops. A family resemblance to Caracalla probably led them to believe Varius Avitus Bassianus (Elagabalus) the illegitimate son of the more popular emperor Caracalla. The artful Maesa saw and cherished their rising partiality, and readily sacrificing her daughters reputation to the fortune of her grandson, she insinuated that Bassianus was the natural son of their murdered sovereign. The sums distributed by her emissaries with a lavish hand silenced every objection, and the profusion sufficiently proved the affinity, or at least the resemblance, of Bassianus with the great original.Edward Gibbon Follies of Elagabalus Elagabalus Becomes Emperor at 14 One of the legions near their family hometown proclaimed Elagabalus emperor, naming him Marcus Aurelius Antoninus on May 15, 218. Other legions joined the cause. Meanwhile, still other troops rallied to defend Macrinius. On June 8 (see DIR Macrinus) Elagabalus faction won in battle. The new emperor was only 14-years-old. Elagabalus Discussion in the Forum *I dont remember the source of that Syme quote. It is referred to on The Toynbee Convector. Origin of the Name Elagabalus As emperor, Varius Avitus became known by the Latinized version of the name of his Syrian god El-Gabal. Elagabalus also established El-Gabal as the principal god of the Roman Empire. Elagabalus Alienated the the Roman Senators He further alienated Rome by taking honors and powers upon himself before they had been awarded him including substituting his name for that of Macrinius as consul. In both the message to the senate and the letter to the people he styled himself emperor and Caesar, the son of Antoninus, the grandson of Severus, Pius, Felix, Augustus, proconsul, and holder of the tribunician power, assuming these titles before they had been voted, and he used, not the name of Avitus, but that of his pretended father, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the notebooks of the soldiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for Macrinus . . . . . . . Caesar . . . . . . . . . to the Pretorians and to the Alban legionaries who were in Italy he wrote . . . . . and that he was consul and high priest (?) . . . and the . . . . . . Marius Censorinus . . leadership . . read . . . of Macrinus . . . . . . . himself, as if not sufficiently by his own voice able to make public . . . . the letters of Sardanapalus to be read . . . by (?) Claudius Pollio, whom he had enrolled among the ex-consuls, and commanded that it anyone resisted him, he should call on the soldiers for assist ance; Dio Cassius LXXX Sexual Charges Herodian, Dio Cassius, Aelius Lampridius and Gibbon have written about Elagabalus femininity, bisexuality, transvestism, and forcing a vestal virgin to break vows that were so solemn any virgin found to have violated them was buried alive. He appears to have worked as a prostitute and may have sought the original transgendering operation. If so, he didnt succeed. When he tried to become a gallus, he was convinced to undergo circumcision, instead. To us the difference is immense, but to Roman men, both were humiliating. Evaluating Elagabalus Although Elagabalus killed many of his political enemies, especially supporters of Macrinius, he wasnt a sadist who tortured and put an inordinate number of people to death. He was: an attractive, hormonally-charged teen with absolute power,the high priest of an exotic god anda Roman emperor from Syria who imposed his eastern customs on Rome. Rome Needed a Universal Religion J.B. Bury believes that with the universal citizenship grant of Caracalla, a universal religion was necessary. With all his unashamed enthusiasm, Elagabalus was not the man to establish a religion; he had not the qualities of a Constantine or yet of a Julian; and his enterprise would perhaps have met with little success even if his authority had not been annulled by his idiosyncrasies. The Invincible Sun, if he was to be worshipped as a sun of righteousness, was not happily recommended by the acts of his Invincible Priest.J.B. Bury Assassination of Elagabalus Ultimately, like most of the emperors of the period, Elagabalus and his mother were killed by his soldiers, after less than four years in power. DIR says his body was dumped in the Tiber and his memory was erased (Damnatio memoriae). He was 17. His first cousin Alexander Severus, also from Emesa, Syria, succeeded him.

PhD program in English Composition and TESOL Personal Statement

PhD program in English Composition and TESOL - Personal Statement Example Francis Bacon’s philosophical writings, William Shakespeare’s plays, Shelley Percy’s poems, and Mark Twain’s novels, just to mention a few, enlightened me on the unique and sharp observations of writers regarding life and nature. Reading these literary works, I toured the underlying lovely world of nature and realized the multifaceted truths about life. For instance, Percy Shelly informs his readers about the environment by using the power of his pen, ‘if winter approaches, can spring be far behind?’ Reading fictitious classics and the enjoyment I got from the beauty of English in them inspired me to write. I kept a record of my perceptions regarding life and observations of nature making use of the elementary English writing skills I had. The more I practiced writing and keeping a record of my observations and perceptions, the more my interests in English composition intensified. Additionally, this enabled me to think in English when writing compositions; thus, improving my aptitudes in written English. The love for writing and reading in English strengthened my love for the English language. This is because it gave me the urge to make painstaking efforts to improve my command of it. My relentless persistence and strong interests enabled me to excel in my academic performance. My outstanding performance in the English language has seen me obtain first-class scholarships on three occasions. These awards are only given to individuals who perform exemplary in their specialty studies. My outstanding performance in schoolwork has never made me a complacent person. Both in co-curricular activities and coursework, I have always exploited endurance as a character. During my undergraduate studies, I was a member of the university’s debating club. Together with my club members, we won several trophies and championships.