His brand new EP, “All American” releases today at midnight! (Or 4/10, whichever you’re awake for) I’m particularly excited for it, because his song, “No Interruption” has become one of my favorites. Plus I got to see them shoot the music video! Definitely check out the EP, it will only be $4.99 on iTunes. (And the record is 100% orginial!) Until it drops, here’s some of his music.

College Prowler

This is one of my favorite college sites! Its great because it features scholarships, has a nifty school search section and helps you narrow your search by majors! It’s a really great all in one resource. Not only do they offer their own scholarships, they have a large database of scholarships to search and be matched to.

Zinch

Zinch is a college and scholarship finder. You can fill out your profile, and it will help match you to colleges and scholarships of interest. I think it’s really neat because it helps your organize the college ans scholarship application process, as well as making it fun!

College Confidential Forum

Filled with prospective college students, current students and parents, this is a forum for all things college. I think it’s pretty awesome because you can connect with people about things that seem hard to discuss. Think, specific scholarships, etc. It’s open discussion that can really shed light on colleges and scholarships that you may be looking into.

FastWeb

In 8th grade, my computer teacher made me sign up for a FastWeb account. She talked about the importance of having money to pay for college, and how free money is the best kind there is. FastWeb has been a great resource in my personal scholarship search. Their database is always growing, and I find new scholarships to apply to every time I visit. I have also found that they have helpful articles about the application process as well.

Cappex

I like Cappex because they match you to scholarships based on your profile, and give you an idea as to how competitive a scholarship might be. They also offer their own scholarship contests quite often! Cappex also has a college search and lets you keep track of your status for each college. It’s very nifty and helps to stay organized!

Bonus: Discus Awards

As an added bonus, I’m including the Discus Awards. They give out awards each month to honor all around high school students. One student per month gets selected to win a scholarship. I haven’t really seen anyone talk about this site, and I felt it would be a great opportunity!

There’s a saying, ‘nice guys finish last’. Many of us identify with this, and don’t know why girls don’t like them the way they are. Let’s talk about what a nice guy is, and what’s wrong with being the stereotypical nice guy. When the nice guy likes a girl, he talks to her constantly and he does everything that she asks for, and more. He listens to her talk about her problems, her whining about what someone said, and eventually about other guys. He’s in the friendzone. Meanwhile, the nice guy waits patiently for this girl to realize that he was the right one all along! This never happens because the nice guy doesn’t make his intentions clear! He’s trying to get with a girl, but he’s not being upfront about it. Basically, he’s lying about his intentions.

On the other side of the spectrum stands the so-called ‘jerk’. This is the guy who chases girls for purely selfish reasons. He goes for the girl, and afterwards drops her for another just as easily. He doesn’t care about anything but his own pleasure. Why does he get the girls? He’s forward, not afraid of speaking his mind, and has a bit of excitement about him in that the girl never knows what’s going to happen next.

The player takes some of the aspects of the jerk, but turns them into positive ones. He approaches girls at his own leisure, always says what he wants to say, and really just tries to have a good time. He brings the excitement, like the jerk, but in a positive way. He does things, he’s a leader. He’s fun to be around.

Now, the most important thing if you want to get a girl is communicating your interest. You need to portray yourself as a sexual interest, not as a friend. The key to this is escalation. The nice guy is afraid of breaking the status quo. You want to be with this girl right? That means moving forward. A very important tool in escalating is touch. Start touching girls right as you meet them; be touchy-feely. Touch her shoulder when you make her laugh, pull her in close, arm around her waist when you tell her something. Then take things a step further after that, take her hand, and hold it for a bit, touch her more in general, make the conversation sexual, and from there kissing isn’t a big step.

But to get in contact with a girl, there’s something you need to do: Approach them. That cute girl in your class, the girl that sat next to you in the bus, that one you had a silly crush on for years? Go up to them and start a conversation, with the goal of asking them for their number or out for a date. Many guys are afraid of rejection, and therefore the thought of approaching girls scares them. This is called Approach Anxiety, and can cause you to freeze up completely, stumble over your words, and it will make it very hard to approach. You can work through this by starting in small steps. Say hi to random people, start conversations with people you don’t know. The anxiety will become less over time. I’ll go into how to approach and how to work on Approach Anxiety in another article.

In my next article I’m going to tell a story about the first night I went out with my wingman, Life, and go detail the steps he followed and the thoughts he had.

These things will require communication and correspondence with people that will make or break what you are going after. These are people you need to impress and influence. 99.9% of the time, these people will be older or have a higher position than you. Because this is so, you have to learn how to be professional in every way. In this article, I will teach you how to interact with potential employers and the like in a professional manner.

Professionalism is very important and can be the difference between job or no job; internship or no internship or whatever else you may want. It’s much more than just looks, it’s all about attitude. Personally, I have had encounters with college professors, clients, CEO’s, and other people with a high rank and/or higher ups. I have made sure to leave a lasting impression on important people that I meet. How? Attitude.

Adults expect young people to be somewhat disrespectful, rude or otherwise plain unprofessional. This may apply in any situation where you are face to face with a higher up, or even in an email. As a teen, it’s important to set yourself apart from every other person out there. Grown ups come in expecting less from you, and it’s your job to prove them wrong.

Say you are applying for a part-time job, there are fifty other applicants just like you. How do you set yourself apart? At the end of the day, the interviewer should remember you as the person they want to hire. This is how:

Dress to impress. By dressing well, you are showing them that you are serious. Although I have had encounters with professionals in which I was not prepared for (dress wise), I still made a lasting impression through my actions. It pays to dress the part to show your dedication.

Correspondence.  Any and all communications should remain professional. When sending an email or writing a letter, use proper grammar, chatspeak is a definite NO, and always be sure to thank them. For example, I once got a message from a young woman asking to write for one of my blogs. The message itself was well written, no errors and was clear. The problem? No follow up. As a busy student with a job and various side projects to maintan, my time is valuble. To take the time to reply and offer incentives to make it worth her while, I didn’t so much as receive a No Thanks,  a Maybe later — nothing. Not only is it rude, it shows that the position was not important to you. This is the wrong kind impression you want to be leaving.

Sell yourself. To set yourself apart, you must do exactly that. What makes you different? Why are you better than the next guy? In your résumé, letter, or whatever have you, make sure to sell yourself! You should be irresistible to them! Make sure to highlight your talents and skillset.

Be prepared. In the event that you meet face to face, make sure to bring your résumé, contact information (due to the nature of my business, I designed business cards and hand them to the person I am meeting) and any other relevant documents or information. By being prepared, you are showing that person that you are responsible, accountable and ready for whatever they will throw at you.

So, how will you leave a lasting impression on those you encounter? Do you have any tips for the budding teen? Comment below to let us know!

Look to the Past

Often, the best way to discover new design directions is to look to the past. While everyone else is trying to go ultra-modern, you can set your work apart with retro-inspired designs.

Early designs can be particularly inspiring when considering that fancy design programs weren’t yet invented and work was created by hand with natural elements. Check out this compilation of retro themed designs to learn how others have embraced this inspiration source.

Explore Nature

The natural world is the ultimate source for inspiration. Take a break from work and spend a day roaming local parks or wilderness areas. Not only will this help you relax and forget your design roadblocks, but doing this can provide unique inspiration.

After exploring nature, begin experimenting with natural elements and textures. These elements can offer a unique richness to your projects and can help draw in viewers who would have otherwise passed them by. Sproutfund and Viget are both great websites showcasing nature-inspired designs.

Business Cards

The business card is no longer a simple piece of paper with mundane contact information. Rather, business cards have transformed into statements of personal identity and are great examples of creative genius.

By following the latest business card trends and exploring the unique ways they are now being used, you can find new directions for your design projects. Suddenly, the most mundane of assignments can transform into unique, undiscovered possibilities. Bhootan and Arunas Kaltanas provide inspiring business card designs.

Photography

Many forms of photography exist and each can provide unique sources of inspiration. From macro photography to retro-inspired shots, explore the genres that match your unique design tastes. You can also join photo sharing networks such as Flickr to follow your favorite photographers or to receive random daily photographic inspiration. Lee Towndrow and Thomas Kettner are wonderful photographers worth following.

Album Covers

Album covers are often awesome examples of unique designs and ultimate risk taking. By viewing these artwork forms, you will likely be inspired to take more risks with your projects rather than playing it safe.

While viewing various album covers, listen to a few songs from each singer. Music is a great inspirational source and can help bring you out of a creative slump. Explore this compilation for great album cover artwork.

Being a successful designer means staying true to your creative instincts and continually seeking out fresh inspiration. Rather than following obediently with current trends, find your own direction by becoming inspired from alternative sources. In time, this will come to define who you are as a designer and could even transform you into a trendsetter rather than a trend follower.

This is a Guest Post by:

Annie is a frugal mom of two lovely kids. She blogs for HomeLoanFinder, the best free tool that allows to easily compare home loan rates. Get inspired, save money and get in touch with Annie via Twitter: @ViralMomTweets

Now, onto the second part of our experiment: Classical! As I am now, listening to the musical wonders of Beethoven or Mozart really does help you concentrate! Because all I had to listen to was the actual music, I wasn’t as distracted as before. I also found that this type of music was more calming than anything. The other type of music made me want to jump around and dance. Yes, this can be considered a positive response, but there was some studying that had to be done!

Don’t believe me? Try for yourself! I found that is was so much easier to focus on the text, rather than want to sing the lyrics in my head. I also found that classical music helped more than no music at all. All in all, I have found these few hours to be quite interesting. (Yes, I now consider myself to be a scientist now that I successfully implemented the scientific method — outside of school)

Use the playlist below to try it out!

Create a playlist at MixPod.com
If the player doesn’t work, click on this link.

Us being teens, things certain things on the web are a lot harder for us than adults. Certain impressions of young people aren’t the best, and sometimes, people aren’t too fond of us and what we can do. I’m spending this time in my life to bash those thoughts.

I am a web designer, blogger, and artist. Why wait to earn a Bachelors to be able to prove that? Why wait to turn 18 to do freelance work? I’m not. Are you?

I have realized that I am qualified, if not over qualified to do certain jobs and freelance work, so I take stabs at it. For about a year, I have been freelancing, to get a feel of this industry and learn how to deal with clients, etc. I’ve built professional websites, and proven my knowledge guest blogging.

With a goal to be an accomplished web designer, I’m taking the steps to make it happen for myself.

What can you do now? For any niche or field, a great place to start getting attention and proving your skill is through guest blogging. Like running? Give handy tips and advice on a track and running blog.

Are you a designer? It’s best to do small jobs for friends and family first. Later on, when you feel ready, go for the gold and try freelancing.

Not an adult? No worries. I’m fifteen and paying my own taxes this year. You’ll need to talk to your family’s accountant if you do a lot of business.

Where to get clients? Try checking your local craigslist. It may seem weird at first, but it’s easier to start local if you haven’t got a strong portfolio yet.

Are you scared of freelancing, or being a young designer? I’ve found lots of help and advice by reading these blogs: FreelanceSwtich (and it’s forums), Freelance Folder, and this article on Smashing Magazine.

Anyone have tips to share? Or what about a freelancing experience?

Post Credits:

My domain and site transitions began with TheLovelyCurves.Com, but then I bought BeautieNerd.Com. I had all of my stuff there, but it seemed too impersonal, so I moved everything to nicoleisms.net (on blogger), a domain I bought a while ago.

Move your posts

Now, I think there is a way to export WordPress posts into a Blogger blog. The way I imagine it would be done is: In WordPress, go to Tools > Export. Then, use this app to make the export file usable on Blogger.  Then, go into your Blogger dashboard and under Settings > Basics press ‘Import Blog’. That should be it!

I only had a few posts I wanted to move over, so I did that manually.

ProTip: Windows Live Writer is great for writing blogger posts!

Custom Domains

If you’re going to be moving all of your posts over, all you have to do is set up your custom domain with blogger. Here are a few tutorials I used.

How do I use a custom domain name for my blog?

Custom domains simplified

WWW. and Naked Domains

Just wait a few, and your domain should work! If it doesn’t, revert back to the you.blogger.com and redo the addition of the custom blog.

What about my old domain?

To avoid losing my links, I wanted my old domain to forward to my new one. I thought it would be as easy as going into GoDaddy and forwarding it, but it wasn’t. If you do that, then your posts will get 404′s. Let me explain. If I have a post like this: oldomain.com/some-post, and I want to to forward to www.newdomain.com, GoDaddy will send it to www.newdomain.com/some-post, but some-post doesn’t exist! How do we fix this?

If your blog is small, there is hope! This is what I did: I made sure my old blog worked, and went into my old WP admin. I added a plugin named Page Links To. For the few posts thatI did move over, I copied that URL into the little blox that the plugin made.

So, now oldomain.com/copied-post will forward to www.newdomain.com/copied-post.

Any post that I didn’t copy over, I just wrote my new domain in the URL box. So, oldomain.com/non-copied-post will forward to www.newdomain.com!

To finish it off, I went into Settings > Reading and changed my front page display to a new page I made, entitled ‘Home’. Guess what I’m putting in the URL box?

This leaves us with a SEO friendly forwarding of an old domain to a new one, and the WP-admin is still accessible! Yay! I did all this over the course of a few frustrating hours, but it all worked in the end.

If you have any questions, or I forgot something, let me know!

Pearson Education is the largest educational company in the world, and they’re building a site to get teens ready for college.  They are looking for Internet savvy teens like you, to test out beta versions of their site and give them your honest feedback about what works for you and what doesn’t.  Their studies are completed entirely online, and there’s no special software to download or install. In return, you’ll get a $10 Amazon.com gift card for every study you successfully complete. Interested students must be in middle or high school and between 13 and 18 years old to participate. In order to qualify, you must also complete one unpaid eligibility survey.  This is a great opportunity for you guys to expand your knowledge and experience of UX design while making a little extra cash and helping improve online education all at the same time!

Here’s a link to the eligibility survey to get started!

For some, information might not change very often. I think it’s best to make changes on these factors: outdated designs, outdated information and new logos.

In order to fully express my creativity, I make sure each design is totally different than the next.

So, how often should you change your business cards? Think about the nature of your business, the people receiving these cards and the image you wish to portray. Does your information change frequently? Do your current cards give off the reflection you want it to?

This picture shows the first business cards I ever designed! Share yours!

Need new business cards? Check out BusinessCards.org templates!