Top 30 Most Interactive Tech Blogs

Overview.

Discover the findings of our report / analysis.

The object of this study was to examine contents of blogs chosen from Tech Blogs list - powered by Technorati.com (20th of October). We examined 5128 blog posts created from 14th to 20th October 2013. They were commented (on-site) 107241 times. On average, users created 21 comments per article. At the same time people shared those articles with their friends/followers/subscribers from Facebook and Twitter- 415 266 and 895 462 times respectively.

We created 14 categories to measure interactivity: average onsite comments per post, total onsite comments, total Facebook likes, total Facebook shares, total Facebook comments, average Facebook likes per post, average Facebook shares per post, average Facebook comments per post, average Facebook interactions (total) per post, total Twitter shares, average Twitter shares per post, total Twitter + Facebook interactions , average Twitter + FB interactions per post.

The blogs that appear most frequently in the top 5 for the mentioned categories are: Theverge.com (13 times), Gizmodo.com (12), Mashable.com (12) and Businessinsider.com (11). Mashable.com always takes either first or second place, whenever it shows up in one of categories.

In the analyzed period Mashable.com generated the highest number of interactions (more than blogs number 2 and 3 combined). Businessinsider.com was the most engaging blog on Facebook, where it generated nearly 120k FB comments. It would be more than all other chosen blogs altogether, if it wasn’t for Mashable.com, which generated more than 95k comments.

The Verge and Gizmodo lead the way in terms of number of regular/onsite comments with well over 20 000 total comments each.

BusinessInsider.com was the most active blog, generating almost as many posts as blogs number 2-5 combined.

Macrumors.com was the most onsite-engaging blog with an average of 149 comments per article .

Mashable and BusinessInsider generated the majority of Facebook Likes during our analysis. Both generated about 250k fb likes. It is especially impressive for Mashable which generated more Facebok likes than BusinessInsider while generating 3 times fewer posts.

When it comes to Facebook shares, Mashable.com is the victorious blog with nearly 150k shares. Mashable.com owes its victory in this category to its high number of average Facebook Shares per article (407 comments per post).

Twitter users mostly shared articles from Mashable.com and Gizmodo.com, which generated altogether over 450k shares. In comparison, all other blogs combined generated around 440k shares.

Full results.

View the full results for our Tech Blogs interactivity analysis.

Winners.

Winners of the Most Interactive Tech Blogs Awards.

Mashable.com Mashable is a leading source for news, information & resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's 22 million monthly unique visitors and 13 million social media followers have become one of the most engaged digital networks in the world. 852 149 total interactions 363 blog posts 2343 average social media interactions per post 340 757 total Twitter shares 147 696 total Facebook shares

TheVerge.com The Verge was founded in 2011 in partnership with Vox Media, and covers the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture. Its mission is to offer in-depth reporting and long-form feature stories, breaking news coverage, product information, and community content in a unified and cohesive manner. The site is powered by Vox Media's Chorus platform, a modern media stack built for web-native news in the 21st century. 203 304 total interactions 279 blog posts 21 841 total on-site comments 70 803 total Twitter shares 33 101 total Facebook shares

BusinessInsider.com Business Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. The flagship vertical, Silicon Alley Insider, launched on July 19, 2007, led by DoubleClick founders Dwight Merriman and Kevin Ryan and former top-ranked Wall Street analyst Henry Blodget. 602 705 total interactions 1153 blog posts 20 992 total on-site comments 98 867 total Twitter shares 125 120 total Facebook shares

Macrumors.com MacRumors.com is a website focused on Apple news and rumors. MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and professionals interested in the latest technologies and products. The site also boasts an active community focused on purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod and Macintosh platforms. 27 161 total interactions 42 blog posts 6237 total on-site comments 7404 total Twitter shares 1822 total Facebook shares

About the analysis.

The object of this analysis was to examine contents of blogs chosen from Top Tech Blogs list (powered by Technorati.com / 20th of October). We examined 5128 blog posts created from 14th to 20th October 2013. They were commented (on-site) 107241 times. On average users created 21 comments per article. At the same time people shared those articles with their friends from Facebook and Twitter 415 266 and 895 462 times accordingly. 

We analysed 2 476 124 interactions related to Top 30 Tech Blogs (according to Technorati.com / 20th of October 2013). The analysis was created using data collected by Brand24 social media monitoring and analytics tool.                             

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Everything You Need to Know About Your Salary Slip

Every month, your finance department will send you a salary slip once the salary gets paid out.
For most people, the importance of salary slip is only when they apply for a loan or a new credit card. Otherwise, the confusing terms and figures seem like a puzzle you don’t want to solve.
But here’s why you might want to understand your salary slip better.

• Choose smartly from competing offers when you are looking to switch jobs
• Optimize tax liability by making full use of the deductions available
• Understand what percentage of your salary is forced savings (EPF, ESI etc.)

The income part of your salary slip

#1: Basic Salary
It’s the most important component of your salary and generally comprises 35-50 % of your total salary. Most of the other components are structured around it.

Tax Implications: 100% taxable
Adds to in-hand? Yes

# 2. House Rent Allowance:

It’s an allowance to pay your house rent. Normally, HRA is 40-50 % of the basic, based on your location (metro or non-metro).
Tax Implications: You get tax exemption based on whichever of the following is lower

• 40% of your basic pay
• Actual rent minus 10 % of basic
• HRA component specified on your salary slip

Adds to in-hand? Generally Yes

# 3. Conveyance Allowance:

It’s paid by the company towards cost of travel from home to work and back and is exempt from Income tax.

Tax Implications: Rs 1600 per month or the conveyance allowance component in your salary slip, whichever is lower, is exempted from tax.

Adds to in-hand? Yes, depending on how much you actually spend.

# 4. Leave Travel Allowance:

It’s given by employers to cover the cost of employee travel while on leave. It includes travel expenses of your immediate family members as well.

Tax Implications: Proof of journey required to avail deduction subject to certain limits. Any expenses incurred during the trip apart from travel does not count towards your LTA tax exemption. The exemption is also applicable only for 2 journeys undertaken in a block of 4 calendar years.

Adds to in-hand? No.

# 5. Medical Allowance:
It is given by employers to cover any medical expenses incurred during the period of employment. It is also generally a reimbursed expense and thus subject to providing proof of expense.

Tax Implications: The allowance is exempt up to 15,000 per annum subject to proof of expenses such as medical bills.

Adds to in-hand? Yes. If you fail to provide the proof, you still receive the amount, but will be fully taxed.

# 6.  Performance Bonus and Special Allowance:
It is given to reward or encourage employee performance and varies with performance or company guidelines.

Tax Implication: 100% Taxable

Adds to in-hand? Yes. It can be variable and therefore, difficult to assess as part of your in-hand.

Other Allowances: There are quite a few other kinds of allowances based on the industry or the company. Most such allowances are fully taxable. They might or might not add to your in-hand salary based on the conditions they are subject to.
Make sure you talk to the HR and get a clear understanding of the in-hand and tax implications of your salary components.

The deduction part of your salary slip

# 1. Provident Fund:
PF is typically 12% of your basic salary which is put into a government controlled body, Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation. Your contribution is typically matched by the company subject to certain maximum amount, defined as per the company policy.  You can also choose to opt out from the PF scheme.

How to lower this deduction? You can choose to opt out of the PF scheme. In case you opt out, make sure you invest it regularly in better investment options like equity mutual funds that gives you a higher return. If you are unsure of investing the money, it’s best to stay invested in PF.

# 2. Professional Tax:
This is payable only in the following states-Karnataka, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Gujarat, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Orissa, Tripura, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. It normally amounts to just a few hundred rupees each month and is subject to your gross tax slab.
This amount is deducted from your taxable income.

How to lower this deduction? This deduction cannot be lowered.

# 3. Tax deductible at source:
This amount, which is decided based on your overall tax slab, is deducted on behalf of the income-tax department by your employer.

How to lower this deduction? You can reduce this burden by investing in tax savings instruments under Section 80 C or other sections under the IT act.

Things to keep in mind when comparing salary slips in offers:

# 1. Your basic salary is critical as most of your allowances will be based on that figure.
# 2. Look for special allowances and check whether they are performance or event based.

#3. Do not focus only on the in-hand salary. Look at the other benefits the company provides (health insurance, accident insurance, free food, bus transport, better career growth) which might outmatch a higher in-hand salary offer from some other company

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Top 10 Mobile Phones Released in August 2015: Devices You Can Buy - OnePlus 2, Meizu M2 Note, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime, Galaxy A8 and More

India has become a hot target for mobile phone companies owing to growth potential and over a dozen devices were launched in August. Several handsets including OnePlus 2, Meizu M2 Note, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime, Galaxy A8 and Gionee Marathon M4 have hit the stores.
Devices like Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe, Asus Zenfone Laser, Asus Zenfone Selfie, Sony Xperia C5 Ultra and Xperia M5 were also unveiled in August, but they haven't been released in the market till the time of filing this story.
Here are top 10 mobile phones released in India in the month of August:a

1) OnePlus 2

Current Price: Rs 22,999 for 16 GB, Rs 24,999 for 64 GB
Display: 5.5-inch full HD LCD screen with 920x1080 pixels (401 ppi pixel density)

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 series
Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop
Storage: 16 GB internal memory and 3 GB RAM, and 32 GB and 4 GB RAM (no microSD card slot)
Camera: 13 MP main camera, 5 MP front snapper
Battery: 3,300 mAh

2) Meizu M2 Note

Current Price: Rs 9,999
Display: 5.5-inch full HD IGZO capacitive touchscreen with 1080 x 1920 pixels (403 ppi pixel density)
Processor: Mediatek MT6753
Operating System: Flyme 4.5 based on Android 5.0 Lollipop
Storage: 16/32 GB internal memory, expandable up to 128 GB, 3 GB RAM
Camera: 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front snapper
Battery: 3,100 mAh

3) Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime

Current Price: Rs 6,999
Display: 4.7-inch HD IPS touchscreen with 1280 x 720p (312 ppi pixel density)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
Operating System: Android with MIUI 6
Storage: 16 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB, 2 GB RAM
Camera: 8 MP main camera, 2 MP front snapper
Battery: 2,200 mAh

4) Samsung Galaxy A8

Current Price: Rs 32,500
Display: 5.7-inch full HD Super AMOLED display with 1920x1080p (386 ppi pixels density)
Processor: Exynos 5430
Operating System: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
Storage: 32GB internal memory, expandable up to 128 GB, 2 GB RAM
Camera: 16 MP rear camera, 5 MP front snapper
Battery: 3,050 mAh

5) Gionee Marathon M4

Current Price: Rs 15,000
Display: 5.0-inch HD super AMOLED display with 1280x720p (294 ppi Pixel density)
Processor: Cortex-A7
Operating System: Android 5.0 Lollipop with Amigo v3.0 UI
Storage: 16GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB, 2 GB RAM
Camera: 8 MP main camera, 5 MP front snapper
Battery: 5,000 mAh

6) Panasonic Eluga Icon

Current Price: Rs 10,999
Display: 5.5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixels (267 ppi pixel density)
Processor: MediaTek TRU
Operating System: Android 4.4 KitKat
Storage: 16 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB, 2 GB RAM
Camera: 13 MP rear camera, 8 MP front camera
Battery: 3,500 mAh

7) BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9983 Graphite

Current Price: Rs 99,990
Display: 3.1-inch screen with 720x720p (330 ppi pixel density)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (MSM8960)
Operating System: BlackBerry 10 OS
Storage: 64 GB internal camera, expandable up to 128 GB, 2 GB RAM
Camera: 8 MP main camera, 2 MP front camera
Battery: 2,100mAh

8) Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime

Current Price: Rs 11,100
Display: 5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with 540 x 960 pixels (220 ppi pixel density)
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
Operating System: Android 4.4.4 KitKat
Storage: 8 GB internal memory expandable up to 64 GB, 1 GB RAM
Camera: 8 MP main camera, 5 MP secondary snapper
Battery: 2,600 mAh

9) Lenovo A2010

Current Price: RS 4,990
Display: 4.5-inch FWVGA TFT capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 854 pixels (218 ppi pixel density)
Processor: MediaTek MT6735M
Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop
Storage: 8 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB, 1 GB RAM
Camera: 5 MP main camera, 2 MP front snapper
Battery: 2,000 mAh

10) Lava Iris X1 Selfie

Current Price: Rs 6,777
Display: 4.5-inch touchscreen with 854x480 pixels
Processor: MediaTek MT6580
Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop
Storage: 8 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB, 1 GB RAM
Camera: 8 MP main camera, 5 MP front camera

Battery: 2,000 mAh

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