Since its launch in 2003 WordPress has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most popular content management sites in the world. As of January 2015, WordPress was being used by over 74 million sites and uploading new posts every single second. But is WordPress right for you? In a word: yes. Below is a list of reasons why.

1. WordPress is free. Whether you are blogging for fun or for profit the benefits of a free website are obvious.
2. It’s easily customizable. With all the available themes and options, you can easily tailor your site to fit your brand. There are thousands of options at the click of a button!
3. Immediate results. Your blog is ready to launch right out of the box with no software to install, etc.
4. SEO friendly. WordPress is built to interact with search engine robots. This helps make it easier for the rest of the world to find your website! Due to this WordPress is the preferred host by the most popular search engines.
5. Mobile-friendly. With the WordPress app you can update content from your computer or with your smart phone.
6. Emphasis on security. WordPress takes the safety and security of its users extremely seriously. Since the launch of version 3.7 they use automatic software updates to help prevent attacks.
7. Ease of use. You don’t have to be a computer genius to create a beautiful site; WordPress is famous for their “five-minute launch”. Should you need help you’ll be easily able to get it via the large WordPress community.
8. Adaptability. Your WordPress site can grow as your brand does. Need to upload media? No problem. Want to have multiple admins, schedule posts, or create a membership service? They can do that as well.

If you are thinking of starting a blog or website it’s well worth your time to consider WordPress. It’s 100% free and all you have to lose is 5 minutes of your time. Check them out today!

With the Christmas season just around the corner and most of us shopping for presents, we might start to realize how cluttered our homes really are. How are we going to make room for all those new arrivals? We all like to get gifts, but finding enough room is already a completely different story. Below you will find a few ideas that will help you to make sure that your house is not too cluttered during this usually busy season.

1. Don’t be afraid to say good bye to some of the things you have had for years but have not used them for a while. Be honest with yourself and ask yourself how much you really need all this stuff. I am not sure about you,m but when it comes to me, throwing or giving away some of the things I don’t need anymore frees me from the responsibility of using them effectively. This can be sometimes a very nice feeling.
2. If getting rid of things permanently is not the right solution for you, then consider using self storage services. If you are finding it hard to say good bye to your things forever, at least you can always check your self storage unit over and over again and bring some of the things home to use them again. Don’t feel like you are forced in any way to give away something you have owned. While it might be true that somebody else might benefit from what you have, at the same time you might never know when you might need those things as well.
3.Try to organize your stuff better. A lot of space in our houses is being wasted because we don’t organize our things enough. I personally am a huge fan of the type of furniture that allows me to store a lot of things. By this I mean the type of furniture that has a lot of compartments and that goes very high up to your ceiling to make sure that you use the space in your home very efficiently. If this still isn’t enough then storage services are probably your best option here.

Recruiting is a tricky thing for any company, whether you have an HR team to do some of the heavy lifting for you, or are dealing with the whole process yourself. Hiring a new employee is a big decision that could impact your company for years to come (arguably, if it doesn�t you�ve hired the wrong person). The way to get this decision right is to make sure you�re finding the right candidates and getting as much information from them as possible, so you know you�re making an informed decision.

These three tips can make all the difference between hiring the best person for the job, and making a terrible mistake.

Use a Good Recruitment Firm

If you�re looking for specialised staff to fill high end jobs, then you�re going to want to go to recruitment firms that work specifically in that remit. Finding an Executive Search Firm that works for you is an investment of time that will pay off over the course of years. Find one that specialises in your sector, in finding high quality staff and that has a primary contact that�s sympathetic to your needs and tries to find the right candidate for you, not merely round up anyone they happen to have on their books.

Plan Ahead

Write a specification for the person you want to employ that�s specific to the role and your business. Think about the needs you have: there�s no generic �right candidate�, there�s only the right candidate for your business.

If all your goals are about expansion, for example, that has to inform every level of your business including recruitment � even for roles that aren�t directly related. The ongoing expansion will affect every level of the company and every employee even if they aren�t at the cliff-face. Looking for candidates that have dealt with changes in previous roles, and capitalised on them in the same way you�d want them to do for you.

Questions and Testing

Make sure you�re using the interview to elicit the best possible information from your candidate. Your aim here is to give them an arena to show off their skills and experience but also ensure you are pinning them down on specifics: showboating doesn�t help you or them.

Ask open questions to begin with. Questions that open with �tell me about a time when�� that give candidates space to tell you about their achievements, but then pin them down on details to find out exactly how they�ve solved relevant problems and created results.

Approaching recruitment carefully means you get the employees you need to go the distance.

While Social Care is, traditionally, a somewhat under resourced and embattled service, all the elements are in place for health and social care jobs to foster a revolution that could transform the service.

The Government is looking to inspire an entrepreneurial spirit in Social Work, with those closest to the coal face the best qualified to find the creative solutions it needs to face the new challenges of an aging population.

One example of this stimulus is Deloitte partnering with the Department of Education to invest �100 million in Children�s Social care. It�s intended as a seed fund for revolutionary new projects that deliver better outcomes for children in ways we�ve not seen before. It�s hoped that this will harness some of the �start up� culture the private sector has become suffused with, with new businesses springing up on a small scale and working mind opening technology to change the way things are done.

The outlook is positive enough for Social Care to be called a hidden engine of economic growth: it contributes more than �14 billion to the economy every year. Deploying this tactically could have a transformative effect on regions of the country suffering the effects of an the international economic downturn that has been affecting us since the US banking crisis in 2008.

Proposals like Localise West Midlands suggest targeting funding in the areas that need it most using schemes like the national Deloitte one described above: allowing people with new ideas to pitch for funding. It takes as it�s model the Community Catalysts micro-enterprise scheme in Somerset which has provided for support for more than 160 schemes in the area.

The strength of this approach is that it allows people to propose solutions that are unique and specific to the area they live in, empowering the local community to serve needs that may be missed by more distant oversight. It�s also a chance to reinvigorate the people involved in social work: it�s a demanding profession, and allowing people who are at the risk of burning out the chance to pitch for a new scheme of their own invention will help to keep them engaged and happy, and harness a vast institutional knowledge and hunger for change that doesn�t currently have a productive outlet.

This explosion of innovation and energy in the social care sector means that it�s one of the most exciting public bodies to work in: someone beginning their training now knows that they will have a job that will continue to inspire and challenge them for their entire career.

Companies that work in the business of shipping hazardous materials have a huge responsibility to their customers as well as to their employees and the public. Many packages, includes packages containing medical waste, can be toxic to people and the environment if not dealt with responsibly. An accident that leads to a leak in a package can be a serious situation, which is why the companies that handle this kind of waste must take care to train their employees carefully.

Rulings By The Department of Transportation

The Federal Department of Transportation has many rules in place regarding the treatment of hazardous packages, and companies that fail to comply with these regulations could be charged with civil or criminal violations, with penalties that go up $50,000. Given the seriousness of this issue, the Department of Transportation requires companies to put employees who handle hazardous materials through a special training program. Only employees who successfully pass these programs will be allowed to handle hazardous materials, and as stated, the penalties for those who fail to comply are harsh.

Hazmat Training

Today there are companies that specialize in offering training for employees who are involved in handling hazmat materials. The workshops offered are designed to be in compliance with the Department of Transportation�s specific regulations, so employees who successfully complete the training offered will be clear to handle the materials in question.

What�s Offered in Training

Hazardous waste training classes may include training in general awareness and familiarization with the handling of hazardous materials, as well as safety training, function-specific training, security awareness, and in-depth security training. All of these issues are critical in the education of those handling potentially dangerous materials.

Once the training is complete, the employee will be set for three years. The Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations, however, states that training is required every three years for employees of companies that handles hazardous waste. Training is also required of those who design, represent, modify, manufacture, repair, test, ship, test or recondition hazardous materials.

Again, failure on the part of companies dealing with hazardous materials that fail to comply with these rules can result in major civil or criminal penalties.

There are workshops available from reputable training companies available now, so any company working in these industries should arrange to begin classes today.

Whether you�re trying to get a deal on your car insurance, find a hotel room or even a new phone, there�s one vital thing you need to know to make sure you�re not paying a penny more than you need to.

It informs how you negotiate, and empowers you to take strong positions with confidence. It requires a bit of research and admin, but the knowledge it gives you will alter how approach any significant financial decision.

Always get competing quotes for whatever you need before you make any purchase. Do some research, find at least three companies that offer the service you need and see how much it will cost you.

Once you know how much they each charge, you can use this information to negotiate confidently with your favourite business � the knowledge of the best possible price for what you need and that businesses would always rather have your custom than lose it to a rival will turn into a bargain magnet.

Let�s say you�re trying to find a deal for some of the cheap storage London conceals. Work out what you need exactly (the area you need to be keeping your possessions in, for example, how long for and how secure you need them to be. Will a locked door be sufficient or are you storing something with greater needs?), and do some work to create a shortlist of suitable businesses.

Don�t just rely on Google�s results. Consult sites like Trustpilot, Tripadvisor or Which? (depending on the nature of the service you�re looking for. In this case Which? will be a helpful guide) and online reviews to make sure you know you�re looking at high quality businesses that you can entrust your possessions to.

Once you have a shortlist, start calling round. Don�t commit to anyone yet. Just explain your needs, let them know you�re doing some research prior to renting a storage facility. If you can, get the name and direct number of who you�re speaking to so you can call back and use the connection you�ve already established.

When you have your list of best prices, consider your favourite out of the different businesses you spoke to. Perhaps one is in a slightly more convenient location or offers more secure storage. If it doesn�t offer the best price, when you call back, let them know that a competitor has beaten their quote.

You�ll be surprised at the results this technique can get.