Article: Sprouting is the process of soaking grains, seeds, beans, and legumes, and then leaving them in a small amount of water until they sprout. The first step in sprouting is soaking, because this helps to kick start the germination process. Place your lentils or other grains, seeds, or beans into a mason jar. Fill the jar with lukewarm water. Cover the mouth of the jar with cheesecloth and secure it in place with an elastic. Let the lentils soak in the water for about 12 hours. After 12 hours of soaking, remove the cheesecloth from the jar. Place an inverted strainer into the opening of the jar and drain out the water, leaving the lentils in the jar. Fill the jar with clean water and screw on the lid. Give the lentils a shake to rinse them, and then drain out the water by placing the strainer over the mouth of the jar again. Secure the cheesecloth back onto the mouth of the mason jar. Turn the jar on its side and give the lentils a shake to spread them out. Place the jar in a warm, sunny location and let them germinate for two to four days. Sprouts are generally ready to eat as soon as the sprout tail is about the same length as the original grain, bean, seed, or legume. After eight to 12 hours of germinating, rinse and drain the lentils using the same process as before. Then, cover the jar with the cheesecloth again, turn the jar on its side, and return the lentils to their sunny location. Repeat the rinsing and draining process two to three times daily until the sprouts are ready. You can eat your sprouts plain, add them to salads, put them on sandwiches, or enjoy them any other way you like. Leftover sprouts should be stored in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag and kept in the refrigerator. Fresh sprouts will last for about five to seven days in the fridge.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Soak your lentils. Drain and rinse the lentils. Place the lentils somewhere sunny to germinate. Rinse the lentils regularly as they sprout. Enjoy your sprouts and store leftovers.
Article: If the cat has a microchip, this means that it has had an owner at some point. Ask the vet to give you a copy of the contact details of the most recent owner of the cat or see if the vet can contact them for you. Contact the owner to ensure that they don't want the cat and that they are happy for you to adopt it. A vet will typically charge around $50 for an appointment, but most will scan stray cats for free. Contact your local vet to receive a quote. If the cat won't go into its carrier, place a bowl of food into the cage to tempt the cat inside. Take a photo of the cat and place it on a local community notice board and on social media. Write a detailed description of where you found the cat and note any distinguishing features or markings. Include your contact details on the notice so that the cat's owner can contact you. In many states you are legally required to take practical measures to ensure that a stray cat doesn't have an owner before taking it in, even if the cat isn't microchipped. Keep the cat inside while you look for its owner. If the microchip doesn't exist and the owner cannot be traced, it is safe to presume that the cat is a stray. Avoid welcoming the cat into your home until you are sure that it is a stray, as this is illegal in some localities. Stray cats are often unvaccinated and commonly have fleas. Ask the vet to check for fleas, worms, infections, injuries, and diseases, and to prescribe any necessary medications. Keep the cat isolated from other animals until it is free from any parasites or illnesses. Ask the vet if the cat has been neutered.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Take the cat to a vet to check if it has a microchip. Post a picture of the cat around your neighborhood to find its owner. Consider that the cat is a stray if you can't find its owner after 7 days. Ask the vet to vaccinate the cat and give it a checkup.
Article: Social media has become an essential element of marketing strategies for most businesses. For an online business it is even more important given the ability to link directly to products and deals on your site, and communicate with a large number of people quickly and effectively. Start your social media marketing campaign with Facebook and Twitter. Ensure you have a good presence and a clear page with links to your products. You will need to post regularly to keep up interest and be generally active following people and events, as well as liking things to make your store more visible. Post links to new products and special offers frequently and engage with your customers. Running promotions and contests through social media can help you to build up your register of contacts, and create a buzz about your business. It's important to have a clearly defined objective and audience for your contest, you need to know what you will get from it. You could have a sweepstakes for for those who join a mailing list, offering something for free. In turn you get contact details which you can use for targeted marketing. Before you undertake a contest you need to be fully clued up on all the relevant rules and regulations. The specific terms "contest", "sweepstakes" and "lottery" have clear definitions which you need to abide by. A contest must have a winner chosen on merit, a sweepstakes winner chosen at random, and for a lottery you must buy a ticket and pay to play. On the major social networks you can also buy advertising space to promote your business. This can be cheaper and quicker than more traditional modes of advertising. As with any online ad you need to ensure it is concise and attractive as well as bringing the customer to a good landing page on your store. Be sure you read up on all the specific rules for advertising on before you begin. Promoted tweets can increase your company's exposure, but it's important to present these well and include relevant hashtags. As with other online ads, make sure the link you include goes to a landing page with featured products clearly visible. As well as Facebook and Twitter, there are an increasingly large number of social media outlets that have a huge number of users. Develop a presence on video and photograph-based social media to highlight your products and engage with your customers. If you share a picture of a great new product on Instagram you can get it seen by a lot more people than who would otherwise happen across it. As always it's crucial that you structure your social media well and it is all connected together across the various platforms. Have an integrated social media strategy. Have clear links from all the different sites to your actual store where customers can buy the goods you have highlighted on social media. Be creative and open-minded about how you present yourself, but ensure there is a common approach that reflects your company and your brand. Use the social media icons and buttons on emails and postings to provide plenty of links and make it easy for people to reach your store. Having a prominent and well-maintained blog can be a very good way to position yourself as a major player and public voice in your area of business. Not only that, but it is a way to promote your business without paying for advertising. Don't overdo it on the plugs, but be sure to include a relevant link back to your store in each post. Remember, to get people to read the blog it needs to well-written, informative and interesting. Promote your blog through social networks, and consider it an important part of your social media marketing strategy. As well as writing your own blog, take time to connect with other bloggers. Having links between blogs will only increase the potential traffic to your site and raise your profile. Try to write guest blogs on other forums to reach out to more people, and invite others to do the same on yours.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Have a strong social media presence. Run contests or sweepstakes. Use paid ads on social media. Expand your social media presence. Write a blog.