No Social Media Fairy Dust

It never ceases to amaze me when friends, friends of friends and relatives ask for help with Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin social media, among others, and then react with amazement when they find out the details. When I spell out the specifics, they are shocked at the regular level of commitment that's needed on their part to make it happen. The typical comment is, "That's a lot of work. Where will I find the time?"

Because I'm a nice "guy" what I don't say is, perhaps you could watch one less TV program. Thus far, I've given these 30 to 45 minutes consultations at no charge in an attempt to help. I won't tell you what my hourly rate is, but it's far from inexpensive.

I could be spending this time on my own corporate social media programs. By the way, none of these people are any further along with social media because they won't make the commitment. And, I'm doing this because?

GS Lifestyles Riding High With A 136 Year Old Denim Love Affair

Approximately 450.000 million jeans are purchased every year in the United States which makes jeans the most widely produced piece of apparel in the U.S. It started during the gold rush era, when patent 139,121 was issued in 1873, and it's still producing "gold" in terms of corporate profits and popularity.

None of this is news to GS Lifestyles, a unique Western Outpost located on the web. In fact, the demand is so great, the company has just opened their new boutique in San Diego, CA.

GS carries a variety of brands including Lawman jeans fashioned from Lawman's World Class authentic denim with original designs and contemporary fashion blended with western tradition, sophisticated finishes, and unsurpassed quality.

Lawman also produces the popular Miracle Jeans line. Using the finest denim fabrics with the perfect blend of stretch, Lawman Miracle Jeans are a revolutionary design that accentuates the best features of your body. Lawman Jeans … for the ride of your life.

GS Lifestyles also features the California-inspired Petrol jeans and denim, Roper western footwear and clothing, Stetson apparel and boots, Minkerdoodles jewelry, a southwestern jewelry line with a modern flair, and Abba hair care products for great control and style…without the chemicals you don’t want.

GS Lifestyles has you covered from head to toe!

Visit on the web at: http://www.gslifestyles.com, or visit the new GS Lifestyles boutique at 12265 World Trade Drive, Suite #E, San Diego, CA 92128.

Plagiarius Competition 2010 – Registration deadline: December 4, 2009 !

NEW: Early Bird Tariff for registrations until October 30, 2009

Sharing what is a truly different type of award: The Plagiarius-competition is announced for the 34th time. Action Plagiarius grants this negative award at the annual “Ambiente”, the world’s largest consumer goods trade fair, during an international press conference. The award is given to those manufacturers and distributors whom the jury has found guilty of making or selling "the most flagrant" (design) imitations. As his key figure, initiator Prof. Rido Busse chose a gnome which he painted black with a gold nose to signify the illicit earnings from product imitation. The aim of Action Plagiarius is to inform the public practically about the extent, damages and dangers incurred by fakes and plagiarisms. This registered society likes to raise the awareness of the unscrupulous business practices of the imitators who do great harm to industry and potentially deceive and endanger the consumers.

It is most important that affected companies protect their innovations and at the same time draw the attention to the increasing problem of brand and product piracy. Particularly consumers should be sensitised for the problem, as more and more imitations emerge as - in the truest sense of the word – combustible.

On February 12, 2010 – the first day of the “Ambiente” Fair - the award ceremony / press conference of Plagiarius 2010 will take place. All entries will be shown from February 12-16, 2010 in Foyer 4.1 during the “Ambiente”. Afterwards the prize winners will be shown at changing world-wide exhibitions and in the Museum Plagiarius in Solingen (Germany).

Designers and companies affected by plagiarisms, should apply for the Plagiarius Competition 2010.

For the evaluation the jury needs:

- The original product
- The alleged plagiarism
- The filled in registration form
- Any correspondence with the imitator
- Copies of IP (Intellectual Property) registrations (certificates of design patents, utility patents etc.) if any registered
- If needed, any further information that may be helpful for the jury (short and precise !)

The early bird registration fee until Oct. 30, 2009: 1. registration: EUR 250,00 - further registrations (each): EUR 150,00
The registration fee until Dec. 04, 2009: 1. registration: EUR 300,00 - further registrations (each): EUR 150,00

Applications are welcome any time from now on - the application form can be downloaded at http://www.plagiarius.de/e_awards_comp.html. For further information please ask Christine Lacroix, info@plagiarius.com or phone. +49(0)7308 / 922 422.

We look forward to interesting registrations and would highly appreciate an announcement of the competition in the media.

Thanks for your support!

Yours sincerely,

Action Plagiarius e.V.
Nersinger Strasse 18
D-89275 Elchingen, Germany
info@plagiarius.com
www.plagiarius.com
www.designpublisher.com

Got Links? We'll Take Them at Reuters!

Original Article: For those of you interested in the online news industry and the never-ending controversial discussion surrounding the Associated Press, linking, fair use, etc., you should be interested in reading what Chris Ahearn, Media President at Thomas Reuters has to say. He appears to come from the opposite side of the tracks as the AP.

Chris Ahearn wrote a piece on a Reuters blog (Via SIA), calling for publishers, bloggers, aggregators, search engines and ad networks to get together and figure out something that works for everyone. Here's an excerpt: http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/08/06/reuters-please-feel-free-to-link-to-our-stories

PUR HAIR Professional European Colour Announces Site Launch

PUR HAIR Professional European Colour launches its new site with a dynamic array of the finest in professional European hair colour and styling for the US market.

The Pur Hair company, an innovative and highly technical manufacturer of professional hair colouring and styling products creates innovative solutions that can be customized to meet the needs of each client.

Today, colour represents the most important service that is most frequently requested by male and female clients. Hair, a great source of glamour and inspiration, is among the most influential elements of attraction, charm and allure. When men and women of all ages want to change hair colour, their expectations range from a desire for change and an improved look to the desire to revive hair colour as a "youthfulness indicator" with the elimination white, or grey hair.

Now more than ever, hairdressers have to continuously face the demands of a challenging clientele in terms of quality, results and safety. The main objective is to keep hair healthy, vital, soft and brilliant.

The European product tests very well on gray hair which is known for a strong resistance to retaining color. PUR HAIR delivers a vibrant natural look, and the styling products, even with medium hold, are over the top when it comes to adding body. The hair feels soft and natural after colouring, and we're pleased to report that the company enforces a strict policy against animal testing.

The site also contains two very "hot" videos for men and women.

Visit online: http://www.purhaircolor.com

GST Ventures, Inc To New York Based Creston Advertising

New York, NY (PressExposure) June 27, 2009 -- GST Ventures, Inc. has awarded its marketing, branding and promotion of two, core lifestyle brands to Creston Advertising & Marketing. Creston is in the process of developing websites for both brands, which will also involve a high profile European intro into the American market.

Full story: http://PressExposure.com/?id=73196

Safari Redefines The Browser

New updates in the browser wars show Safari riding high as the most enjoyable way to experience the web. Whether on a Mac, PC, iPhone, or iPod touch, Safari rules.

Thanks to Top Sites, you can enjoy a stunning, at-a-glance preview of your favorite websites without lifting a finger. Safari 4 tracks the sites you browse and ranks your favorites, presenting up to 24 thumbnails on a single page. You can even customize the display by pinning a favorite site to a specific location in the grid. That locks it into position, so you know just where to find it every time you open Top Sites.

Wonder which sites have changed since your last visit? Sites with a star in the upper-right corner have new content. A single click opens the page and updates its thumbnail. Whenever you want to return to your ever-evolving Top Sites page, just click the new Top Sites button in the bookmarks bar.

And, best of all, Safari is fast...as in very!!

Convert Files Online...easy and seamless

Did I mention that the service is provided at No Charge? That definitely clicks with those watching budgets these days.

If you're interested in converting video and music file formats, we've found a great online source. And, it virus free with no spyware. Check it out: http://www.media-convert.com/

Media-Convert is the best source we've found for converting audio files, video, presentations, documents, spreadsheets, etc.

Media-Convert advantages:

It's secure because there's no software to install on your computer.

It provides access from everywhere in the world through the Internet. You can use Media-Convert at the office, in a cybercafé, or with the PC of a friend, and then download the result quietly to your cell phone, mp3 reader or any other hardware.

Highly recommended!

Websites Should Engage and Convert

Many people believe that the main purpose of a website is to inform people about a product, service, a cause, or in the case of authors/coaches, an individual. Your site may be a thing of beauty, but if you, or your web designer, follow this approach, you're company is doomed to fail.

The primary purpose of your web site is to get the greatest number of visitors to email you, or call you with their contact information. Your prospects have to be motivated to respond, and if they don't, you won't convert the visit into a sale. If that doesn't happen, nothing else matters.

Very few people purchase products and services the first time they visit a web site, or even the second if they bookmark the site. Most people look at dozens of options. Unless your site is a household name such as ebay.com, or google.com, your prospects won't remember your site's URL ten seconds after they leave for another site.

Video Marketing

Well produced video is a powerful tool that can bring your inventory or service to life, keep prospects engaged on your website site longer, and increase lead conversion rates. There are robust stand-alone video solutions that won't break the bank. In fact, there are video solutions at a fraction of the cost you'd expect to pay.

We can say this with great certainty because we produce hundreds of them. Visit our site: www.crestonadvertising.com, read what our clients have to say, and then find out more with a complimentary consultation:
crestonassoc@aol.com

Discover Bing!

That's right Bing, not Bling, although Microsoft is looking for glittery results with the launch of its new Bing Decision Engine in early June. According to their press material, this engine and consumer brand will provide customers with a first step in moving beyond search with intuitive tools to help customers make better decisions quickly.

It's also designed to easily navigate through the information overload that has come to characterize many of today’s search experiences. Results from a custom comScore Inc. study across core search engines show that as many as 30 percent of searches are abandoned without a satisfactory result. The data also showed that approximately two-thirds of the remaining searches required a refinement, or an additional search query on the search results page.

Sounds like smart marketing that will CLICK...not necessarily with Google, but with consumers.

Check Out Clusty's Tag Clouds...Very Cool!

The search engine Clusty has created Clusty Clouds (check out the side bar to the right for an example). It's an interesting feature that makes it easy to generate tag clouds for particular key-phrases...the ones you frequently see on blogs. It took me about two seconds to create my final pick.

Clusty was designed from the ground up as a clustering engine (it's actually vivisimo (http://vivisimo.com/). Here's how they describe it:-

A Clusty Cloud is a tool that webmasters or bloggers can use to instantly visualize a topic using the familiar tag cloud display. What makes the Clusty Cloud unique is that you can create a cloud based on any topic or query - you don't need tags or months of content on a subject to create an interesting cloud.

Clusty Clouds are generated using our search results for the topic you enter. Since the tags you see come from Clusty, you can click on any of them to go to Clusty's search results. Using Clusty to generate the cloud also ensures that it is always up-to-date because the clusters are generated in real-time.

Why not check it out for your blog?

Uptick in Clicks with Creston's New Web Design!

We're pleased to announce the launch of our sleek, new web design, and agency video that's receiving lots of raves. Please visit us at: www.crestonadvertising.com

Become A Celebrity Chef (well almost)

You're a whiz in the kitchen. In fact, everything you touch from a simple dish to that sublime exotic meal makes you the envy of your friends and family.

Just for a moment, have you ever wondered what it might be like to be a Celebrity Chef? OK...enough wondering, unless of course, it's a burning passion of yours. If it's not, perhaps quitting your high powered day job is not a good idea, but how about writing your own cookbook? I'm serious because it's not as hard as you might imagine. In fact, it's easy with a little help from Morris.

In fact, Morris Cookbooks has been helping people produce original cookbooks for years, and they do most of the work. Individuals have even published successful cookbooks featuring specialized cooking, such as low-fat ethnic, or recipes from a locally noted chef.

These cookbooks make super gifts, and they're excellent for fundraising. Groups that have made highly profitable fundraising cookbooks include churches, schools, colleges, hospitals, retirement centers, PTAs , clubs, auxiliaries, service organizations, credit unions, fire departments, communities, and professional organizations. The best part is that groups can earn anywhere from $500 to $50,000 because of the excellent profit margin.

For more information: http://www.morriscookbooks.com/

A New "TO DO" by reQall

What's on your mind, or not?

Does this sound familiar? Oops...forgot to (fill in the blank, or blanks). It happens to all of us, especially those of us who work a 60 hour week.

There's an interesting new service by reQall, a voice-enabled memory aid that seamlessly integrates your mobile phone, email, text messaging and IM into a powerful organizer, reminder system and productivity assistant. reQall lets you capture your creative ideas, tasks, important phone calls, and commitments before you forget. And, it proactively keeps you well-prepared and memory-strong.

reQall's iPhone, web and BlackBerry capabilities are available all over the world and reQall's phone services are available in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Oh...almost forgot to tell you there are two versions...Standard (free) and Pro.

http://www.reqall.com/

ABBA...Pure Performance Hair Care

I've just discovered the Abba Hair Care Line...fantastic products that deliver style, shine, and control without all of the chemicals you don't want.

This super line is based on gentle botanicals that are perfect for addressing individual hair care needs. For example, Abba Zeroscent Hair Spray is 100% vegan and free of sulfates, DEA and synthetic dyes. The essence of grapefruit in Abba Volumizing Shampoo delivers volume, strength and body to fine limp hair. The essence of mint and rosemary in Abba TrueMint Conditioner adds body, smoothness and shine without adding weight.

The brand's philosophy of fusing science with nature enables it to achieve the highest level of product performance because of carefully selected natural plant ingredients without ingredients derived from animal proteins.

Backed by ABBA's Commitment to Purity pledge, the brand both lives up to its goal to produce products that are natural and pure, while fulfilling its social responsibility to the environment.

For more information, visit:
http://www.gslifestyles.com/products/abbahairproducts.html

Just in Time for Spring!

With Firefox, it's your browser, your style, your way.

Dress it up with easy-to-change "skins" for your Firefox with everything from Fashion and Music to Nature and Causes. Cool and fun!!

http://www.getpersonas.com/

ALWAYS LOOKING UP is about optimism, making choices and finding a cure.

Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox is a memoir of the last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael's life: work, politics, faith, and family. Parkinson's had consumed his career and, in a sense, has become his career.

This book is not only a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, but a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson's. Michael is an amazing role model and fantastic human being.

Find our more about Michael J. Fox, his book, his life, and his Foundation:
http://www.michaeljfox.org/

Forbes Launches ForbesWoman

In 2004, Forbes introduced the first roster of The 100 Most Powerful Women.

Now, in 2009, Forbes takes things a step further with ForbesWoman, a platform that speaks directly to women in a new way that only Forbes can. The goal is to reach and build a global community of smart, accomplished women who are curious about one another.

A focus on women is not new at Forbes. On the cover of the debut issue in 1917 (price: 15 cents), B.C. Forbes, a Scottish immigrant, ran a prominent headline proclaiming, "Unique Department: Women in Business." Early issues ran long profiles of a female department store executive, a banker and an export-import manager.

The ranks of these women are growing rapidly, and we wish ForbesWoman tremendous success with this new launch. Visit: http://www.forbes.com/forbeswoman/

Google Is Making Progress With Flash

We're asked the question about Google's Flash indexing capabilities so frequently, we think it deserves a post.

At present, there are three main limitations that Google is working to resolve.

1. Googlebot does not execute some types of JavaScript. So if your web page loads a Flash file via JavaScript, Google may not be aware of that Flash file, in which case it will not be indexed.
2.Google currently does not attach content from external resources that are loaded by your Flash files. If your Flash file loads an HTML file, an XML file, another SWF file, etc., Google will separately index that resource, but it will not yet be considered to be part of the content in your Flash file.
3. While Google is able to index Flash in almost all of the languages found on the web, currently there are difficulties with Flash content written in bidirectional languages. Until this is fixed, Google will be unable to index Hebrew language or Arabic language content from Flash files.

Google is already making progress on these issues, so stay tuned!

3 Reasons Liz is Sorry She Joined Doostang . . .

A word to the wise...be careful.

http://www.successful-blog.com/1/3-reasons-im-sorry-i-joined-doostang/

IPhone Brain Drain...as in Battery...and Then Some

Let me start by saying, PCs are great, but Mac is at the top of my list. Although Mac, like other personal computers, is now capable of running alternative operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, and Microsoft Windows, the latter of which is considered to be the Mac's biggest competitor, our Macs are not configured to run any alternative operating systems.

When I decided to purchase a new cell phone, I debated between the iPhone 3G, and the Instinct from Samsung. It was not an easy decision, but the Instinct won hands down even though it doesn't sync with my personal Macs.

The Samsung Instinct has improved many of Apple's best features. The phone is not only easy to use, it makes super calls, acts as a top-notch Web browser, and the GPS navigation and speech recognition are fantastic.

With the iPhone, every application was specifically designed to be accessible with your fingertip. The touchscreen detects your body's electrical charge when it comes in contact with the device, enabling it to determine where you pressed. Sounds good so far...unless you happen to be a female with fingernails. And yes, guys have fingernails too.

To be clear, I don't mean the glued-on fingernail variety...more like "factory equipment" for women who are fast typists, or not so fast typists, with nails. According to an article published in the Los Angeles Times, many women believe the iPhone is unfairly designed to be completely unusable by women with long fingernails.

I won't comment on that article because I haven't done the research, but I believe that a grain of that is true. On a personal note, I found the iPhone much harder to use.

The iPhone 3G's battery is also far from ideal due to a bug feature with a non-serviceable, built-in battery, combined with AT&T's 3G network that can wipe an iPhone's battery in a flash.

This problem has been met by the accessory market with a range of external batteries. Some function as "dongles" that attach to the bottom, while others are built into protective cases.

At $99.00, Incase's Power Slider appears to rise to the top for performance with a 1330 mAh 4.2V battery, which offers about 120 percent of the iPhone 3G's own 1150 mAh battery. The case measures 5.1 inches tall by 2.6 inches wide by 0.86 inches thick, and weighs 2.5 ounces. Incase says the Power Slider can deliver 330 hours of standby time, 26 hours of audio playback, 7 hours of video playback, 5 hours of talk time on 3G, 10 hours on 2G, as well as 5 and 6 hours of Internet use on 3G and WiFi, respectively, and from reviews that I've read, it does just that.

As far as spending an additional $99.00 to correct an iPhone problem...it's a non-issue for me...putting fingernails aside.