Monitoring and Evaluation

If you don’t care about how well you are doing or about what impact you are having, why
bother to do it at all?  Monitoring and evaluation enable you to assess the quality and impact
of your work, against your action plans and your strategic plan.  In order for monitoring and
evaluation to be really valuable, you do need to have planned well. Planning is dealt with in
detail in other toolkits on this website.

What you need for setup your monitoring and evaluation
1.System for Data Collection
2.Data Analysis
3.results

Data View

Data Views 

Is your IT department feeling a little under the weather? Send it to the IT Infirmity! The What’s Ailing Your IT Department infographic from ViaWest is their first infographic!

What do CIOs rank as their biggest IT aches and pains? What are the average salaries of employees within IT departments? What is the impact of ITtention Deficit - the inability to focus on your core business?  Find out in this infographic from ViaWest.

I really like this design, but the data visualizations need help.  It’s obviously a promotional piece for ViaWest, but there’s nothing wrong with using an infographic that way.  They have also made a high-resolution PDF available.

The story reads very easily from top-to-bottom with clearly separated sections. The icons for each sections are also amusing and keep the overall tone light-hearted.

The only issues I have with the design are the data visualizations. 

• Don’t put 51% on top of a bunch of people icons, and not highlight 51% of the icons to go along with the numerical value. 
• The two bars showing the data created before and after 2009 are actually two parts of the whole 100%, so this should be shown as a stacked bar.  Why is this shown as two separate bars?
• Both of the office tower icon visuals in ITrauma would be easier to understand if they were a single row of building icons.  The 93% is hard to understand visually since you can’t visually tell that 13% of the last building is shaded.  In fact, it doesn’t look to me like the last building is shaded properly.
• At the bottom, there should be a copyright statement
• The design should also include the URL to find the original, high-resolution image on the ViaWest site so when people see this infographic shared on other sites, they can find the original.

Thanks to Todd for sending in the link!

The Defense of the Ancients (DotA) infographic from GameArena.com takes game enthusiasts through a brief history of how the game came about!

Dota, Defence of the Ancients, is the latest hype in gaming. Initially developed as a modified game in Starcraft, the concept has now grown globally and has even made its way into professional competitions. Popular game titles that have implemented the “DotA” concept include Warcraft 3, DotA Allstars, DemiGod, League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth and Realm of the Titans. Two more upcoming titles that will certainly get the gaming world’s attention are DotA 2 and Blizzard DotA.

So what is DotA exactly? Our trusty graphics boffins have once again created the infographic below for the complete history on how the new genre came about.

The design style is certainly relevant to the game look-and-feel itself.  The timeline is odd that some events don’t have specific dates identified.  The use if icon illustrations for different concepts and company/game logos on the timeline helps the reader.  I would have liked to see some of the stats behind the game and its popularity.

Thanks to Eric for sending in the link!

Must Read it If you are not getting interview call

Although we may never know why we didn't get chosen for a job interview, a recent study is shedding some light on recruiters' decision-making behavior. According to TheLadders research, recruiters spend an average of "six seconds before they make the initial 'fit or no fit' decision" on candidates. 

The study used a scientific technique called “eye tracking” on 30 professional recruiters and examined their eye movements during a 10-week period to "record and analyze where and how long someone focuses when digesting a piece of information or completing a task."

In the short time that they spend with your resume, the study showed recruiters will look at your name, current title and company, current position start and end dates, previous title and company, previous position start and end dates, and education.

The two resumes below include a heat map of recruiters' eye movements. The one on the right was looked at more thoroughly than the one of the left because of its clear and concise format:

With such critical time constraints, you should make it easier for recruiters to find pertinent information by creating a resume with a clear visual hierarchy and don't include distracting visuals since "such visual elements reduced recruiters’ analytical capability and hampered decision-making" and kept them from "locating the most relevant information, like skills and experience." 

Listen and Improve

Learn English writing In 5 Mint

Present
Simple present	Imran walks	verb (+ s/es for third person)
Present progressive	Imran is walking	am/is/are + present participle
Present perfect	Imran has walked (doesn't sound like present to me?)	has/have + past participle
Present perfect progressive	Imran has been walking	has/have been + present participle
Past
Simple past	Imran walked	verb + d/ed/t (except for irregular verbs)
Past progressive	Imran was walking	was/were + past participle
Past perfect	Imran had walked	had + past participle
Past perfect progressive	Imran had been walking	had been + present participle
Future
Simple future	Imran will walk Imran is going to walk	will + verb am/is/are going to + verb
Future progressive	Imran will be walking Imran is going to be walking	will be + present participle am/is/are going to be + present participle
Future perfect	Imran will have walked Imran is going to have walked	will have + past participle am/is/are going to have + past participle
Future perfect progressive	Imran will have been walking Imran is going to have been walking	will have been + present participle am/is/are going to have been + present participle

best ways to make money online

blogging is one of the best ways to make money online. The success depends on the type of effort you put in. You may have to publish your blogs, create very good audience and use various other money making opportunities too. You should have the necessary resources also for complementing your efforts. If you want to earn money from home, here are some easy ways of making money by blogging.



1. Advertising program : You can choose from a wide variety of advertising programs for bloggers. Of these, the most popular and easy to set up program on your blog is Google AdSense. It offers video advertising, pay-per-click text and display opportunities for the bloggers. Do some tweaking and experimenting so that you can earn good income.

2. Affiliate advertising program : Many companies give you the opportunity to become their affiliate and market their products. You can earn money easily in this way. Most of the bloggers choose Amazon Associates for making money through their blogs.

3. Affiliate advertising network : Many affiliate advertising networks link the publishers/bloggers and online advertisers. One of the most popular programs is the Commission Junction.

4. Sell Ad space to advertisers : You can try and sell your ad space to the advertisers directly. But your blog should be an established one with a large audience. Otherwise, it may not be easy to sell the space. Sites such as BuySellAds.com link the bloggers and online advertisers and help you to sell space effectively.

5. Paid posts and reviews : If you are a good writer, you can write many good blog posts for pay. Similarly, you can also find many websites that link the writers and individuals or companies that need their products and services to be reviewed for payment.

6. Sell merchandise : Many websites help the bloggers to create their online stores. Here you will be able to sell stock or custom merchandise and earn money. Printfection, Zazzle and CafePress are very popular sites that help you to create your online stores.

7. Professional blogger : If you wish to write and work from home and earn money then you can become a professional blogger. There are numerous websites that will provide you with writing assignments. But remember that the pay rates can vary greatly. So, do some research and find good sites.

8. Blogging network : There are many blog networks that have numerous bloggers and blogs under a large company or brand. The company usually pays the bloggers for their posts. Sometimes, they even receive a small percentage of the income generated via advertising.

9. Donations : Though you may not make huge amount of money in this way, you can still try and ask for donations on your blog. All you have to do is to add a paypal Donate button and that’s it! Who knows, someone might be generous enough.

10. Money without ads : You can earn from your blogs without the use of ads. You just have to be at your creative best.

Making money out of blogging is easy. All you need is time and effort along with a good computer and an internet connection. Spend some time daily and figure out how you are going to use your skills in the right way. Do some research, gain some knowledge and get going.

Try It Pakdataconsultants.com

improve our Writing Skills

Whether you’re a freelance writer or a blogger, you need a quiet computer environment to think creatively and write effectively/productively.

But, with the boatloads of online commotions (be it your mail inbox, chitchats, social networks, games et al) around you, it’s almost impossible to concentrate on the thing that matters: giving proper attention to write.

Never fret! I scour the interwebs and found these 11 handy tools that will aid you in distraction-free / Zen like writing.

1. JDarkRoom

JDarkRoom is a prominent, unfussy full-screen text file editor devoid of the typical extras that might divert you from the job in hand. If you are penning a speech, tale, article, thesis or just want to be up to focus on your writing, then JDarkRoom may assist you.

Supported on: Windows, MAC OS X, Linux | Download

2. Q10

Q10 is a clean but capable text editor coded and established with writers in mind. It is lightweight, keeps out of your way and it is solid with many handy aspects a full-screen text editor gets.

Supported OS: Windows | Download

3. FocusWriter

FocusWriter is an uncluttered, disturbance-free writing environment. It employs a hide-awaytechnique that you catch by moving your mouse to the borders of the screen, letting the program to have a native look and feel to it albeit still getting off the beaten path so that you can engross yourself in your writing.

Supported on: Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X | Download

4. OmmWriter / Dana

OmmWriter (now named Dana) is a modest effort to evoke what technology has swiped away from us today: our ability to focus. A smooth text processor decisively deems in inducing writing a delight afresh, justifying the intimate bond between writer and paper. The more intimate the connection, the stable the flow of insights. If you are an author, blogger, reporter, copywriter, lyricist, or just someone who cherishes writing, look no further.

Supported on: MAC OS X, Windows and iPad | Download

5. WriteMonkey

Writemonkey is a Windows only zenware writing application with an exceptionally barebones UI (user interface), parting you only with your feelings and words. It is lightweight and very swift. With a range of advanced gizmos beneath, it preserves you write more adept.

Supported OS: Windows | Download

6. DarkCopy

DarkCopy is a vanilla, full-screen text editor for interruption free writing. It is for anybody who likes the minimalism of a typewriter, and craves to boost productivity by concentrating only on writing. It was developed as a free, web-based replica of WriteRoom. Go ahead and try it! Just begin typing and change to full-screen editing mode to enlighten your mind.

Web-based editor: Supports all the major browsers | Launch DarkRoom

7. QuietWrite

Bumping on a serene spot to write online is tricky. Most tools are too chaotic and too packed full of the needless. QuietWrite is special. It’s your quiet online editor: a place where you can be left solely with your words and ideas. Consider of QuietWrite as your online writing terminal – a place where you can achieve your top writing. All your work is repeatedly saved as you write, so you’ll in no way drop a word. Icing on the cake: you can export writings to yourWordPress blog and edit it on your iPad.

Web-based editor: Supports all the major browsers | Launch QuietWire

8. Koi Writer

Formal, topic-specific, or just personal text writing – just like using paper and pen, the straightforward Koi Writer application will lend you a hand. It requires your attention on writing not on elements, letting you to rivet on your subject matter totally.

Web-based editor: Supports all the major browsers | Launch Koi Writer

9. PenZen

PenZen is the distraction free online writing environment, Period. Uncluttered writing at it’s best. You don’t have too many options apart from saving your writings to pen.io (simple online publishing tool) and edit later or save to a PDF. What more do you want?!

Web-based editor: Supports all the major browsers | Launch PenZen writer

10. BigHugeLabs Writer

Just write, nothing else. BigHugeLabs Writer (the internet typewriter) will look after saving your work as you go routinely every few minutes, when you create a fresh document, and when you open an existing one. Your docs will be stocked up providing you don’t clear cookies. Writer was inspired by the excellent Writeroom by Hog Bay Software too.

Web-based editor: Supports all the major browsers | Launch Writer

11. Write Space

Write Space is a ‘Google chrome’ specific fine-tunable full-screen text-editor application. It’s intended to reduce the hindrances that come between you and your writing. The document is automatically saved with each key-tap, so you don’t have to fret about losing your work. It is entirely independent, which means that it’ll keep on role even while your connection is interrupted. It stores your writings on your own system, not on some external server. You can adjust the font, background, width of the editor window, and more.

Write Space is available as an app for Google Chrome browser from Chrome Web Store. |Install

Bonus – for WordPress bloggers:

Upgrade your blog to the latest WordPress version 3.2 to use the ‘zen mode’ along with plenty of performance and security related fixes.

*Title & end picture credits: http://zze.st/ & http://kolorkube.com/

Conclusion:

Writing is easy:  All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. ~Gene Fowler

If creative thinking itself isn’t hard enough for you, try to add some distractions to it…  Scary! Isn’t it? How hard it is to focus.

There you have it!

I believe I covered almost all the major distraction-free writing tools and hope these will help you. Although all the tools listed here look like the same (at least through screenshots), there are some variations you may find unique. You just go ahead and try your choice. My favorites are Ommwriter (for desktop) and QuiteWrite (for Online writing).