Enjoying a Small Wedding

Posted by Doug on November 16, 2010
Society / No Comments

Many brides are being forced to scale back their wedding plans due to financial considerations. The news is full of stories of people losing homes and jobs and cutting back on gas-guzzling cars, but it’s not talking about the couples who suddenly have less money available for wedding planning than their older siblings and friends had for theirs. With the right perspective, couples in these circumstances can look on the small wedding as a blessing rather than a straight jacket.

Cutting back on the elaborate stylings of grand weddings means that couples can focus on the real purpose of a wedding — celebrating the nuptials of two people in love. Finding ways to save money can provide an excellent excuse to involve family and friends in the wedding planning and execution — people who would have otherwise just been guests can instead share in the journey from engagement to wedding. Family members may have mad skills such as flower designing, cooking, decorating, or even the ability to alter a used wedding dress into a custom-fitted gown. This turns a wedding into a community experience instead of a spectator event.

Being forced to limit the size of the wedding has the added benefit of ensuring that the people invited are people who are truly important to the bride and groom. Instead of having to invite Dad’s business contacts or distant cousins that no one remembers, it will be a gathering of close friends and family who are intimately connected with the couple and genuinely care about supporting them in building a life together. That’s a much better atmosphere for starting off a marriage than the attention of barely interested strangers.

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Social Bookmarking is Easy

Posted by Doug on November 08, 2010
Internet / No Comments

Social is the current trend on the internet. Social media, social networking, and social bookmarking are practically in the air these days. While most people have encountered the big three social sites, facebook, youtube, and twitter, they may be confused about the idea of bookmarking.

Social bookmarks are simply webpages being shared, usually between friends, but also between complete strangers. It is easiest to understand when thought of in terms of the bookmarks people keep in their web browsers. These are URLs that they plan to visit again and again, either for the information they contain or because they are entertaining in some way or other. Historically the best way to share cool URLs with others was to send them via email or in a instant message. Later, people began sharing bookmarks through their blogs and “favorite pages” of their personal websites. Then a few companies decided to create social bookmarking sites, to make sharing even easier.

To use these sites, a web user simply register a user name and begins adding bookmarks. No, really, it’s that easy. Most sites don’t require an email address or anything to join and they have tools available for uploading bookmarks directly from existing web browsers. Sites usually allow users to set sharing protocols, to determine whether bookmarks are for private use, shared amongst friends, or available to the entire community. Users also rate or vote on bookmarks so that anyone looking for good sites will know which ones are more popular with others.

The best part of these bookmarking sites is that the bookmarks are stored independent of a home or work computer. Users can access their bookmarks on any computer, some smartphones, and even devices like the iPad.

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Upgrade Your eBay Shop Design

Posted by Doug on October 30, 2010
Business / No Comments

There are literally millions of sellers operating on eBay in 2010. Most of these are either individual sellers or businesses that have chosen to use the standard shop template. While those may serve the needs of most sellers, anyone who wants to make a real business out of eBay, supporting themselves and their family from sales on the site, needs to seriously rethink their ebay shop design .

The only way to turn an eBay store into a business that generates a regular income is to find a way to stand out from all those other millions of sellers. Store owners who invest time and money into creating a custom shop design are much more likely to create a memorable and profitable eBay brand. Some of the factors that go into a successful store design include user-friendly navigation, the ability to cross promote items, and an appealing color and graphic design.

eBay shopkeepers should consider commissioning a custom logo as well as customized page design and graphics. Other important features include a search box, shop integration, star item customization, and dynamic store categories. It’s also important to inspire confidence in sellers. This can be accomplished by having an original ‘about us’ page, a clear description of any refund or warranty policies, and easy to read product specifications. Those stores that are willing to put effort into creating a customized store design are much more likely to stand out from the eBay crowd and build a loyal customer base while continuously attracting new consumers.

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iPad Apps are Dominated by Games

Posted by Doug on October 20, 2010
technology / No Comments

In the early rush of programming for the new iPad, games seem to be winning the battle for user downloads. the iPad was originally conceived as an ebook reader and quickly developed into something that fits the gap between a smart phone and a netbook. It gives users the ability to run software and apps with better portability than a full computer and a much larger screen than an iPhone — and users like the larger screen for games.

Distimo conducted a study shortly after the release of the device and found that over one-third of all apps were games. It seems that iPad application developers know their market. Following the 35% saturation of games was entertainment with 11% and then education with 8.6%. Other popular app categories include business, books, productivity, music, and lifesytle.

Now that a few months have passed the number of available iPad apps has skyrocketed to the hundreds of thousands. Some of the most popular apps continue to fall in the games and entertainment categories though the productivity category is growing as more and more people begin to use iPads instead of laptops for work-related travel.

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Who Needs Visitor Insurance?

Posted by Doug on October 15, 2010
Health / No Comments

Every day people travel overseas without any thought for how they would handle a medical emergency, however minor. For most people, it isn’t an issue, however, there are several categories of people who should not travel without purchasing Visitor health insurance .

The first category is students traveling abroad . In most cases whatever program the student is part of will have group rates for insurance or can direct parents on how to purchase insurance. Whether it’s a group of high school kids traveling for a few weeks or a college student spending a year studying abroad, health insurance is not a luxury.

Another group of people who need to invest in visitor insurance is anyone doing regular business overseas. Sometimes a company will assign workers to live abroad for the duration of a project or will require repeated trips back to the same region. If possible, the employer should cover at least a portion of the insurance, just as they do with standard medical insurance.

The final category are those people who take extended travel vacations or actually live part or most of the time abroad . This is especially important when the travel involved multiple countries or when a couple or family may spend time in separate countries. Insurance needs to cover all likely scenarios and provide coverage in any and all countries on the itinerary.

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Prioritize Your Vehicle Transportation Needs

Posted by Doug on October 04, 2010
Auto / No Comments

There are a number of options for transporting cars, trucks and other large and/or awkward items. These options are available for business needs as well as those of the private individual. And for both categories, there are some standard considerations and decisions to make regarding the services you might choose. Generally speaking, the individual is going to opt for the least expensive option, and this is usually going to be performed by another individual. However, if you find a quality online bidding service, it is also possible to find great deals in fleet options. This is one of the reasons why an online auto transport site is an excellent resource. It will look into your options for you and frequently find companies that will bid for your order.

Once you have established your transportation priorities there are factors that will interact and determine the status of others. This means that if your budget is your greatest concern than you might have to make compromises on truck and trailer features and possibly time frames of pick up and delivery. This is due to the obvious reason that certain trailer outfits are going to offer different features and have different prices. In addition, various trucks and trailer models can travel better at different rates of speed . So, if your priority is full enclosure and no exposure to elements and maintaining a mandatory asap delivery time frame than you will likely have to compromise on budget restrictions. In transportation, everything is related you need to establish your priorities before anything else.

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History of Live Art in Hong Kong

Posted by Doug on September 29, 2010
Travel / No Comments

Hong Kong is a place in the world that is difficult, if not impossible to categorize. It’s not a city, but an administrative region. The local culture is extremely savvy, and dedicated to local artists, musicians, and performers, but it is also one of the most cosmopolitan places in the world. The connections to the global scene are deep and complex, and it is sometimes a reflector of this, and sometimes the one that gets reflected.

A visit to a Hong Kong Hotel will reveal an urban scene that is rich and vibrant, and constantly changing with the times. Writers and poets have always been drawn to Hong Kong, and in the history of performance art , so have performance artists.

Thanks to the work of the researcher and intellectual, Wen Yau , there is a history of live art in Hong Kong that’s under construction, in process of articulation. In tandem with the development of the art form, the history is incomplete, but already revealing threads that reflect, and indeed, affect, the form all over the world.

The roots could be traced back to 1975, when an artist named Kwok poured bone over a sculpture. The developments since then have moved in the directions that are parallel to the global directions, and it’s enough to warrant a closer look, to discover where the paths of cultures diverge and converge.

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Celebrate Spain and Champagne in Miami

Posted by Doug on September 24, 2010
Travel / No Comments

After enjoying an unprecedented summer of international sports championships, the illustrious country of Spain will take center stage at the 9th Annual Miami International Wine Fair . Held at the Miami Beach Convention Center October 14th – 17th, the Fair is one of the largest in the the US. More than 1800 wines from 20 nations will be showcased during the Fair, with a focus on the renaissance of wine-making in Spain. The event will also feature champagne from The Maison Ch. & A. Prieur.

Close to 500 individual wine producers will fill over 80,000 square feet of exhibit space and attract an estimated 6,000 visitors from all over the world. Wine lovers, buyers, distributors, and wine makers will fill the surrounding five star Miami hotels during this seminal four-day celebration of the wine industry. In addition to the ubiquitous wine tastings, there will be a comprehensive seminar program, special events, and dinners throughout the event. Two days of the schedule are limited to exhibitors to meet with buyers and attend industry meetings with two days open to the general public. There will be a VIP Tasting Room with provides ticket-holders with early access to some of the world’s top-rated wines.

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Sydney Art & About

Posted by Doug on September 22, 2010
Travel / 1 Comment

Sydney is celebrating it’s largest outdoor public art festival, the annual Art & About . This year’s festival takes place from September 23rd through October 24th. This is the 9th year for the event and the city promises even more stimulating and innovative art will appear across the city’s galleries, parks, laneways and other spaces for the enjoyment of the general public. This year’s theme, The Sydney Experience, attempts to hold a mirror up to the city and reflect its identity and place on the planet through exhibitions, installations, and events. Residents look forward to this annual celebration of public art and visitors are strongly encouraged to step outside their luxury hotel in Sydney to spend a few hours perusing the free art and events.

The Banner Gallery and ArtPark at Hyde Park serve as the cornerstones of the month-long festival. Other feature exhibitions and installations include the Sydney Statues Project!, the Bike Bike, Live Green, CAMP Stonewall , and Oh Alfred! Reflections of Prince Alfred Park. Associate events include Primavera 2010 , We craft this city, START Studio Art Fest, The Big Draw, Foto Riesel Foto Rally, Dream Home, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Walk of Fame and Shame. There will also be numerous prizes awarded during the event as well as tributes to specific artists and movements

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Online Marketing is More than a Website

Posted by Doug on September 19, 2010
Marketing / No Comments

More and more small companies are realizing that their web presence is more than a simple website with a list of services or products and contact information. A twenty-first century company, whether Fortune 500 or one-person consulting shop, needs a fully formed web presence that is tailored to their industry, their locality, and their audience. Marketing is more than handing out business cards , and the first wave of company websites were simply business cards on the internet. Search engine marketing companies like Elixir Interactive specialize in helping organizations understand how to market online to reach audiences through search engines and social media portals.

A retail or wholesale company needs a website with fully functioning shopping functions and intuitive search and browsing capabilities. A service oriented company should provide expert advice and proof of qualifications along with ways to sample services and connect with sales agents. All companies should be creating a presence that extends beyond their main website. Whether that is a blog, a Facebook page, or their own video channel such as Elixir Interactive tv , it should offer potential clients and current customers an opportunity to interact with the company in as many ways as possible. Ideally, a company should have as many alternative channels as they can effectively maintain to reach the widest possible audience.

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