Blog Your Blessing : Girl Friends are Forever

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.

~BUT~

Sisters are there, no matter how much time
and how many miles are between you.
A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley and
you have to walk it by yourself,
the women in your life will be on the valley's rim,
cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you,
intervening on your behalf,
and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.
Sometimes, they will even break the rules
and walk beside you, or
come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,
daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, mothers,
grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins and
extended family all bless our life.
When we began this adventure called womanhood,
we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead,
nor did we know how much we would need each other.
Every day, we need each other still.

~Unknown~

Thank you, Suzanna, for being my friend. I love you!

Would You Like to Blog Your Blessing on Sundays? Spend part of your day on Sunday (or not) reading through the blessings of an eclectic mixture of bloggers: the blessing bloggers

Tags: girl friends, women friends, Blog Your Blessing

WidSets Beta : Organize Your Spaces and Places

I would not know what a widget is if I had not been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century by, of all things, Blogger. However, now I like the drag and drop interface of widgets.

I like the simplicity of defining a space and assigning it a function, such as a place for links, feeds or pictures. I also like being able to edit these handy spaces, move them around the screen or delete them.

Widgets help us organize our universe. Now, WidSets is going to use a similar interface to help us organize our mobile experience. From the WidSets Beta site:

We are a small group of people with a long internet history and strong mobile background. . . We have also been using social networking services. . . and wanted to make these services available through a cell phone . . .

The widgets come in many languages and include games, email, news, comics and more. First, determine if your mobile device will support WidSets. Then download a WidSet or two from the library and try it out.

WidSets includes user forum and blog. If you are a developer, download a developer widget and write your own. This may be the future of the mobile web. I think I like it. What do you think?

Tags: widget, WidSets, mobile web, define space, segment function

Big Web Links Bid Directory

Big Web Links Directory is a new web directory offering a different approach to your website or blog listing. Most web directories sort listings by A-Z, by popularity or by page rank, but Big Web Links Directory allows you to bid on your listing.

If you want your listing to be on the first page of results for your category, you just increase the bid amount. The top 20 listings are shown on the top links page; but, if you bid your listing into the top 10, your listing will be shown on the homepage as well as the category listing page.

This is a brand new directory, so stop by Big Web Links Bid Directory, sponsor of this post, and bid your listing to the top.

Tags: Big Web Links Directory, directory listing, bid listings

It Is a War on Spam!

I hate SPAM. For every email address I have, I get at least 100 spam emails daily. A new survey conducted by Ipsos for the E-Mail Sender & Provider Coalition shows that I am not alone. Most email users in the USA use a variety of programs and tactics to fight spam. Over 80 percent of respondents said that they will report spam or unsubscribe from lists when spammed.

Eighty percent of respondents do not even open emails before deleting or reporting them as spam, instead 73 percent of email users scan the FROM field and 69 percent read the SUBJECT field to determine if they will open the email. Over 50 percent of respondents said that they were more likely to open emails that display a certified icon.

Tags: spam, email, friendly email

Optimum Windows Performance is Just a Click Away

If your computer is running slow despite all the onboard maintenance tools of your Windows operating system, you may need the additional help of jv16 PowerTools.

The program jv16 PowerTools will help you manage your software, registry entries, files and start menu items, while protecting your privacy and surfing history, clearing cookies and organizing your files.

Sound almost too good to be true? Download a free trial version from the Macecraft Software site, sponsor of this post. If you like the tool, you may use this discount coupon to purchase the program. With a 30-day money back guarantee, what do you have to lose, except outdated registry entries, duplicate files, and all traces of deleted files?

Tags: jv16 PowerTools, optimize your computer

Virtual World a Better Place to Be?

The Virtual Worlds Conference hosted The Marketing in the Virtual World panel, moderated by Kellie Parker of PC World Magazine.

According to Shankar Gupta, (Beyond Second Life, Gaming Insider, 3/30/07)

. . . every major media company could do relatively easily: taking the settings of their popular properties and turning them into virtual worlds. Every viewer with a touch of fandom has imagined themselves as part of the world they enjoy so much . . .

Virtual worlds are complete with hackers and graffiti artists, too. I guess we will have to wait for the next life for a perfect world.

Tags: second life, hackers, virtual worlds

Go Local : Advertise Your Business Online

The other day, I was searching for the term, RV air conditioner. Google and Yahoo! returned at least ten pages of search engine results each. The only problem was that not one of the listings in the first page of these results were local to where I live. If I did not care about shipping charges, I could buy the RV air conditioner of my dreams from Indiana. If I wanted the thrill of bidding on an RV air conditioner, I could find at least three on eBay.

I finally found RV air conditioners at CampingWorld. Unfortunately, after I found the model for which I was searching, I had to locate a Camping World close to where I live. Then I had to call to see if they had the RV air conditioner I needed.

Just to determine if I was missing something, I went to an online yellow pages site and searched for RV air conditioner. I had several pages of results, and most of the businesses were local, but the air conditioners were not for recreational vehicles.

Why is a business in Indiana in my search engine results? Why are my search engine results not keyed to my IP address or my zip code? When I tried the local online Yellow Pages, I could not refine my search to the exact item for which I searched. Worse, many of the local listings did not have websites, so I was back to old-school-search, better known as calling for information.

Do not let this happen to your business. If you are thinking about where to place your small business advertising, make sure you are in the local search engine results for your zip code and your county and surrounding counties. Then, by all means, expand to the state, country, the world. That is what the Internet is all about. Just make sure you are not overlooking the customers in your own backyard first.

Tags: local search, local launch, search engine marketing

What is Hindering the Adoption of Mobile Technologies?

A new report by Media-Screen finds that, although more than 60 percent of U.S. broadband users currently own an Internet-enabled mobile device, only five percent of them, approximately five million, use the mobile Internet.

The study reports that the top mobile Internet activities are:

* Sending email 47 percent
* Playing games 27 percent
* Read the news 16 percent
* Watch TV programs percent

The report concludes that they are reluctant to partake in online mobile activities due to extra fees and difficulties establishing and maintaining Internet connections.

For more information, please visit Media-Screen.

Tags: third screen, mobile Internet

Go Local with ItsMyMarket Classifieds

Looking to buy or sell an item? Or are you looking for work, trying to locate service people for your home project, or need a mechanic for your automobile? If you answered "yes," and you live in the U.K., you must visit Itsmymarket.com, the sponsor of this post.

Itsmymarket.com was launched to provide classified ads in the UK. You may post your classified ad in just four easy steps: create your advertisement, select category and subcategory, upload your pictures and preview your ad. All ads will be posted for 30 days and your personal information may be protected by using the message service for people interested in your ad.

Itsmymarket also provides websites for community organizations, displays local news and weather, hosts free blogs, lists events in the community and links to regional photography competitions. Itsmymarket is not just a classifieds site, it is a community. Visit today.

Sustainable Advertising Sounds Good to Me

Why it Matters : Donald Carli of the Institute for Sustainable Communication

This week the Why it Matters show talks about the carbon footprint of large advertising agencies and advertisers. This podcast explains how to become more carbon neutral and discusses the impact of carbon intensity on the stability or brand value of a publicly traded advertising agency holding company. Gain insights into how agencies, marketers and media companies may soon run afoul of their own carbon footprints.

I had no idea that the term, carbon footprint, was even used at a breakfast for the Advertising Production Club of New York.

Ad Age publishes its podcasts through iTunes. These podcasts (video or audio) are a regular part of their continuing news coverage. Ad Age Audio Reports contains the weekly content of the Why It Matters audio show.

Tags: carbon footprint, sustainable advertising, carbon intensity, why it matters, global warming

Wabbadabba ... What?

Wabbadabba is the search engine that gives away prizes every day like Plasma TVs and Amazon vouchers for doing what you already do: search the Internet. It is powered by Yahoo, so you get the same search engine results you expect. Try Wabbadabba - search and win today. Add Wabbadabba, sponsor of this post, to your Firefox browser, set Wabbadabba as your start page or download the Wabbadabba toolbar.

You can also invite your friends to use Wabbadabba. When one of them wins a prize, you win the same prize. That is why I am inviting you! Just click this link to join. It is free and it only takes 15 seconds.

Tags: wabbadabba, yahoo, search engine

Search With Kevin Federline ... ?

SearchWithKevin is a new search engine that offers you the chance to win prizes from Kevin Federline every time you search. Or, should I say, a CHANCE at prizes every time you search. On the site right now it says that within the past 5 hours four lucky people (?) have won an Entry into Autograph Sweepstakes.

Other prizes up for grabs are a Kevin Federline 8x10 autographed, Kevin Federline T-Shirt, autographed Playing With Fire CD, and an entry into the autograph sweepstakes! Woo-woo. I guess a trip to Hawaii prize will not be added soon.

The search engine site run by Prodege and uses Yahoo results that rewards you for searching with K-Fed.

PRODEGE is adding value to the concept of Internet search. By customizing and incentivizing the search process, musicians, record labels, brands, non-profit organizations and lifestyle companies have a new opportunity to connect with fans, while fans have a new and exciting way to find information on the web. PRODEGE'S search engines are powered by leading search engines which ensures the users search experience and results will be consistently stellar.

Add Search with K-Fed to your Mozilla Firefox or Safari browser, download an Internet Explorer toolbar, or just bookmark this page: I’m the best, I rule, come test my tools!

Help a man out of his money troubles . . . search with K-Fed.

Tags: searchwithkevin, kevin federline, play with fire

Want a new car or truck?

We all would love to drive new cars. However, most of us replace our Used Cars with other used cars. It saves us time, money and all that angst when someone dings our door or backs into our bumper. We are hoping to replace our 20-year-old Ford van with a pickup truck that can tow a travel trailer. We have been looking at the Toyota Tacoma, but they are so expensive when new.

Enter LemonFree.com, sponsor of this post, a free automobile classifieds service with a built-in search technology to quickly locate used vehicles within a specific geographical area. There is a private messaging system built into the search interface, so you can ask questions of the seller while you are viewing the listing.



Are you selling a used car? You can complete your classifieds listing quickly and have it showing in the search results at LemonFree.com within minutes of verifying your email address. Upload up to 10 pictures of your vehicle and use as many words as you wish to describe the features. Even better, you can list your car for free until it sells on LemonFree.com.

Tags: free car classifieds, list your vehicle free, lemonfree.com

Blog Your Blessing Sunday : Prayer for the Earth

Prayer for the Earth
International Earth Day
March 20, 2007

For the awareness that all of creation was made for Christ and in Christ,
we pray...

For the grace to protect our environment for future generations,
we pray...

For the humility to accept our own created humanity,
we pray...

For reverence for all peoples and all creation,
we pray...

For nations whose natural resources are being usurped
by the greedy and powerful,
we pray...

For the just and equitable sharing of all natural resources,
especially the resource of fresh water,
we pray...

From The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

Would You Like to Blog Your Blessing on Sundays? Spend part of your day on Sunday (or not) reading through the blessings of an eclectic mixture of bloggers: the blessing bloggers

Tags: International Earth Day, Earth Prayer, Blog Your Blessing

Small Business Mavericks Affiliate Program

Small Business Mavericks has just launched an affiliate program. With this two-tiered affiliate program, you earn 35 percent commission on every product you sell and 15 percent commission on every product sold by your referrals who become affiliates. If you are an affiliate marketer, this is a great opportunity to sell first-class products.

Become a Small Business Mavericks affiliate today. There is unlimited earning potential and you are paid monthly. Small Business Mavericks provide you with real-time sales tracking, including email notification of all sales. Small Business Mavericks also provide all the promotional materials you need to succeed in affiliate marketing for these products: graphics, banners, text ads and e-mail ads.

Just visit Small Business Mavericks and sign up as an affiliate. While you are on the website, sign up for the ezine, download the free ebook, and look at the tools, articles and blog for more information. There is also a Small Business Mavericks Members Only Forum, an online community. So what are you waiting for? Become a Maverick today.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Tags: affiliate marketing, small business maverick

Mobile Search Presents Many Challenges

We now use our mobile phones to download and listen to music, download and view video clips, take and send photographs, read and forward business documents... so what is the deal with mobile search? Mobile search should be evolving as handheld devices, including cell phones, become more sophisticated. Mobile search must return results with answers, not links.

Our preferences may be determined by device, subscriptions, past search history, location, demographics and search engine ranking algorithms. Within a streamlined search interface that may include shortcut keys, automatic completion of search terms, or even voice recognition systems to simplify the search experience, the results should be personalized and relevant.

No more clicks, no more surfing the WAP, as our mobile minutes run out like sands from an hour glass. Sounds good to you?

Take a look here at Medio Solutions for Mobile Operators.

Tags: mobile search, search interface, wap

Coupons! Do you like coupons?

Do you use coupons? Recently, I have seen a lot of online coupons for stores at which I shop.

Here are just a few that I ran across today at UltimateCoupons.com, the sponsor of this post.

• Kohls coupons which gives you 10% off through March 31, 2007.
• Lillian Vernon coupons with a discount of $5 off an order of $50 or more through March 31, 2007.
• Sierra Trading Post coupons for 5% off $75 through April 5, 2007.
• This is a new store that I really like. I am going to grab some bed linens with this coupon: SmartBargains coupons offers free shipping on $75 or new customers get 12% off through April 3, 2007.

Tags: coupons, ultimate coupons, online coupons

Less is more when marketing to the third screen

Excellent article about advertising on the third screen. This is a funny article that contains many good points. If you are into mobile advertising, you should read it.

MediaPost Publications - Get In, Get Out, Take Names... Sir! - 03/22/2007

I am suffering eye strain. Some of the banners... have me squinting to get the details... the creative looks like ... bumper stickers that make me drive too close to read. White text headlines on a dark background or against complex images... oozes into a blob...

Steve Smith, I like your writing style. I started laughing after bumper sticker.

Tags: third screen, mobile advertising

Help with addiction is just a call away

A few months ago, I was looking into drug and alcohol treatment facilities for a friend's child. I was at a loss in finding a program or even where to start. Finally, I called my therapist (from years ago) and, after we caught up with 15 years of history, I received some information on options in the small town in which we live. Mainly, her suggestion was to look to Austin or San Antonio for programs.

Today, I saw a drug rehabilitation program referral service called 1800NoDrugs.com. This is a non-profit agency that will refer you to a drug treatment center that meets your needs, free of charge. I like having this bookmarked in case the need arises again. 1-800-NoDrugs.com provides a service designed to help drug addicts, alcoholics, chronic relapse victims, and their families find effective drug rehab treatment and intervention for alcoholism and drug addiction treatment.

You may want to bookmark 1800NoDrugs.com, the sponsor of this post, or just jot down their telephone number: 1-800-NO-DRUGS (800-663-7847). If you have teenagers, you may want to visit the website. There are many resources on this site: articles, financing options, international contacts, and a contact form.

It never hurts to be prepared. Hope this helps someone.

Tags: drug addiction, alcoholism, addiction treatment, intervention, 1800nodrugs.com

Would You Repeat that Into My Pen, Please?

When was the last time you called customer service and actually talked with a human? Some customer service call routing systems do not give you the option to talk to anyone. If they do, just before you are transferred to the real human, you always hear the message, "This call may be recorded for quality control or for the purposes of training." What does this mean? Are they recording me so that I will keep my temper about calling 6 months in a row for the same problem? Maybe they hope I will violate some arcane telephone protocol and they will be able to justify handing me off to a supervisor?

Who listens to these recorded calls? I cannot think of anything more boring than listening to two people talk who know they are being recorded. But, what if you do not know you are being recorded? When I was younger, if you were being recorded, there was a tone every 30 seconds or so to let you know. No one could tape you without you knowing it.

Would you record a family member or your spouse if you thought you would discover something you needed to know? This is a thorny issue because you would be violating that person's privacy. Is there a time when this is considered necessary? Our government does it. Does that make it right?BrickHouse Security is a leader in the phone recorder market and also offers privacy products to detect and defeat call recording devices. Get a pen Phone Recorder. They are cool! So Bond, James Bond. If you need any type of spy-guy gadgets, you have to visit this website, BrickHouseSecurity.com, the sponsor of this post. They have everything to be covert, or is it overt?

Tags: Brick House Security, pen phone recorder, gadgets

Blog Your Blessing Sunday : Adversity Prayer

An Inuit Indian Prayer
Prayer at Time of Adversity
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think over again my small adventures.
My fears,
Those small ones that seemed so big,
For all the vital things
I had to get and reach.

And yet there is only one great thing,
The only thing,
To live to see the great day that dawns
And the light that fills the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would You Like to Blog Your Blessing on Sundays? Spend part of your day on Sunday (or not) reading through the blessings of an eclectic mixture of bloggers: the blessing bloggers

Tags: Blog Your Blessings, Blue Panther Blog, Sunday post

Bloggers May Be the Future of Journalism

According to a recent We Media/Zogby Interactive poll, viewers are dissatisfied with traditional journalism and are becoming more dependent on bloggers and social networking sites to supplement their news.

A whopping 90 percent of respondents said that trustworthiness plays a large part in deciding the influence social networking sites and blogs over journalism, over one-half of respondents stated that internet-based media presents the greatest opportunity for the future of journalism, and 76 percent indicated that the Internet has a positive effect on the quality of journalism.

Items of interest included:

• 55 percent claim to be dissatisfied with traditional news outlets;
  
• 61 percent say traditional journalism is out of touch with what they want from news;
• 86 percent believe bloggers will play an important part in the future of journalism;
  
• 72 percent state that journalism is important to their community.

The leading news sources were websites (81 percent), television (78 percent), radio (73 percent), newspapers (69 percent) and magazines (38 percent).

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is my source for news and the writers are usually 90 percent accurate about what is going on in the world. It is a sad state of affairs when comedy TV is more reliable than FOX news network. What do you think about this? Can bloggers save journalism?

Tags: bloggers, journalists, news, future of journalism, We Media/Zogby Interactive

Norton Anti-Virus Added to Google Pack

Google offers an entire array of free software called Google Pack, which includes the Google Desktop, Toolbar, Screensaver and GalleryPlayer; Picasa, a digital image editor; Ad-Aware, an anti-spyware program; Mozilla Firefox, a web browser; RealPlayer, Adobe Reader and Skype.

Now, you may download a free trial of Norton Antivirus as a part of the Google Pack. You may download just the antivirus software if you prefer. Norton is, and has been, the first name in computer protection. Most computers sold today come with a trial version of Norton because it is so well respected. I use it on my new laptop. You may read reviews for Norton Antivirus here.

Norton anti-virus automatically removes viruses, worms and trojans from your computer; scans your incoming and outgoing emails for viruses; and downloads new virus definitions automatically so you do not have to remember to do so.

This Norton Antivirus free download includes six months of free virus definition updates. Try Norton free and see if it works for you.

Tags: Google Pack, Norton Antivirus, free trial

What is hot on retail websites?

What is hot on retail web sites? According to the 9th Annual Mystery Shopping Study by the E-Tailing Group: rich media, coupons and themed merchandising areas.

The study found that 89 percent of retailers offer Internet-only promotions, a decrease from 91 percent in 2005. However, 32 percent offer rebates, up from 20 percent; 20 percent offer coupons, up from 5 percent in 2005. Over 25 percent of retail web sites in the study allowed customers to preorder products, compared to 16 percent in 2005. Returning products purchased online to stores increased to 81 percent, up from 72 percent.

During the fourth quarter of 2006:

• Streaming video was found on 38 percent of sites, up from 20 percent in 2005
• Color change, 46 percent, up from 34 percent in 2005
• Alternate views, 57 percent, up from 45 percent in 2005
• Themed collections of merchandise, 59 percent of sites, up from 28 percent in 2005
• Dedicated space for clearance items appeared on 73 percent of sites, up from 51 percent.

Landing-page sorting options, a new measurement, appeared on 78 percent of sites. These sorting options include:

• Price from low to high (88 percent)
• Price from high to low (76 percent)
• Best seller or top seller (54 percent)
• Brand (45 percent)
• New arrivals (37 percent)
• Product name (27 percent)
• Best match (27 percent)
• Category (15 percent)
• Ratings (14 percent)
• Color (14 percent)
• Sales and specials (12 percent)

via Internet Retailer

Tags: Internet Retailer, online shopping, retail websites

Internet Marketing Success eBook

This free e-book shows you how to focus your marketing efforts on developing local customers, using the power of the Internet. Simply submit your email address on the website and you will be reading the secrets of a successful marketer, Caroline Melberg. Ms. Melberg wants your e-mail address to send you a free weekly ezine, Small Business Maverick Secrets and occasional special offers from time to time.

The e-book will explain the differences between local media, Internet media, mainstream press, bloggers, and trade magazines. It will show you how to use public relations to enhance your marketing, teach you the eleven business milestones for which you should write a press release and how to write the release, describe how to find the best distribution outlets, and help you to follow up and track your success.

Download this free e-book with no further obligation. If you do not like what you read or you decide Internet marketing is not your thing, you keep the free e-book and cancel your subscription to the ezine.

While you are on the website, make sure you look at the tools, articles and the blog for even more information. There is apparently a Small Business Mavericks Members Only Forum, an online community

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Condoms beat AIDS

Condoms beat AIDS is the latest MTV ad for HIV awareness. Condom and AIDS compete in calling to falcons, making guacamole and shooting pool. Condom beats AIDS each time. Watch the ad here.

via MediaPost Publications - Out to Launch - 03/14/2007

I do not know how relevant the ad is, but it is funny and probably will be a success. The ad finishes by directing users to Staying-alive.org, where users can donate money, research information about AIDS and watch additional PSAs.

Never Lose a Link Again With BookmarkAll

My laptop computer cratered a few weeks ago. I had not backed up my bookmarks folder, so I lost my bookmarks, my links to all my favorite websites and blogs. Before that, I probably would not have noticed BookmarkAll. Now, however, I see the worth in using this service. If you keep your bookmarks online, you may access them from any computer, anywhere in the world. Never lose a link again!

To use BookmarkAll, create a free account and you are ready to store your favorites online. Through the use of topics, your bookmarks are stored under a main category. You decide what bookmark topic you wish to use. You can choose to store your links under specific topics like TRAVEL, you may also choose to name a group of sites you visit regularly, such as TRAFFIC EXCHANGES or FORUMS. After you name your main topic group, you are able to add links, using categories and keywords to refine your favorites.

You may also choose to share your links on a specific topic by making them public topics, publish your favorite links on your blog, keep your links private, allow selected access to related sites or restrict sites to friends and family.

You may want to add BookmarkAll Toolbar 2.0 to your browser to enable you to add links to your www.BookmarkAll.com online bookmark account easily. There is an extension for FireFox and a plugin for Internet Explorer.

Japan is Mobilized

In February of 2007, Japan passed the 100 million mark for mobile subscribers, making Japan fully penetrated with advanced wireless services.

From the report:

With full penetration of mobile — and advanced penetration of 3G — wireless captures much of the Internet-based activity of the Japanese public. eMarketer estimates that approximately 75% (94 million) Japanese are connected to Internet, usually by high-speed connections.

If you would like information on marketing to the mobile Japanese, please visit eMarketer.

Tags: Japan, mobile, marketing, wireless

Protect Your Eyes with Polarized Sunglasses

When I was young, the only type of lens you could order in glasses was glass. Heavy and breakable, I wore them to protect my eyes. Today, you have a choice of materials of which your sunglass lens may be fashioned. Polycarbonate is virtually indestructible; thinner, lighter and stronger than glass. Polycarbonate naturally blocks about 98 percent of the harmful UV rays.

Trivex, originally developed for military applications, is stronger, clearer, and lighter than polycarbonate. Trivex minimizes distortion that occurs when objects are viewed away from the optical center. CR-39 plastic is most frequently used for lens in prescription eyeglasses, mainly because it is the least expensive. This material works fine for non-sports related activities. SR-91 plastic is the ideal lens material for sports glasses, goggles and masks. The optical clarity, scratch resistant properties and weight make it the clear choice for sunglasses! SR-91 lenses are polarized and they block 100 percent of UV rays.



Now that you know more about lens material, you should visit the ADS Eyewear website, sponsor of this post. ADS Eyewear is an optician owned and operated company specializing in sports-specific eye wear, such as sports sunglasses, motorcycle sunglasses, ski goggles, prescription sunglasses, and protective sports eye wear.

You can search the website by type of sport, like high speed sports (motorcycling and skiing), high energy sports (bicycling, running, golfing), water sports (swimming, boating, waterskiing), impact sports (soccer, racquetball, lacrosse), and other (driving, fashion, casual).

The website makes it easy to shop, search by manufacturer brand, type of sport or activity, and even gender of wearer. Search for motorcycle sunglasses, and you can limit the search to polarized, medium sized men’s motorcycle sunglasses.

Added value makes shopping made easy, too, with a free cleaning kit, free shipping with orders over $100 and VeriSign secure shopping. There is lots of information on the site, like the motorcycle sunglasses buyers guide and the ski goggles buyers guide.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Green on Green : 2007 St. Patrick's Day

2007 St. Patrick's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted for National Retail Federation by BIGresearch was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Saint Patrick's Day.

Expenditures for Saint Patrick's Day are expected to top $3.75 billion.

The average consumer is expected to spend $34.89 celebrating, up from$27.94 in 2006.

How do we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day?

• 82.6 percent celebrate is simply by wearing green
• 33.9 percent prefer a quiet evening at home, staying in to make a special dinner
• 30.5 percent of consumers stated they planned to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by attending a party at their favorite restaurant or bar
• 22.2 percent will decorate their home or office
• 17.0 percent of consumers will attend a private party

Who will be spending the most money to celebrate the day of green?

Young adults intend to spend the most on St. Patrick’s Day this year, with the average 18-24 year old planning to dish out $40.12. Second to young adults are the 25-34 year olds who will spend $39.04, followed by the 35-44 year old age group at $36.56.

Tags: BIGresearch, National Retail Federation, Saint Patricks Day

Who Knows Better Than Mom?

Michele from scribbit, and the driving force behind blogging chicks and the blogging chicks ad network, has done it again. She has set up a custom search engine, powered by Google, that searches 1500 mommy blogs. This is a resource you must bookmark.


Technorati tags: mommy blog search engine, search mom blogs, 1500 mom blogs, custom search engine, powered by Google

Secrets of Google AdWords

Most of us are not marketing mavens. We struggle with advertising, search engine marketing and website optimization. We scratch our heads while determining keywords and buzzwords. Many of us grimace while decoding acronyms and esoteric SEO terms.

Do you need some help with all these things? Check out this new e-book, 37 Killer AdWords Pay-Per-Click Secrets Exposed, co-written by a former Google insider.

If your marketing could use a boost, discover effective little-known strategies of making Google AdWords Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising work for you. Start earning money with your PPC marketing or just gain a better understanding about the world of pay per click advertising.





Act now and you will receive 5 secrets out of the full 37 secrets, or chapters, in PDF. You too can create winning Google AdWords Pay-Per-Click campaigns. Just use the tested words, format and ad structure.

The free secrets include: How to write attention-getting PPC ads, including a distinctive headline, and which words in your PPC ads encourage click through. What is ad split testing and why should you never let Google choose your ad when split testing? Learn how to create PPC ads with specific punctuation marks and capitalization that may lead to a larger response.

Get access to a free mini e-Book with 5 of 37 secrets, from an inside perspective. What do you have to lose?

While you are visiting the site, watch the streaming video that shows you how to use a sub domain in your Google ad to give your site a quick boost!

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Every tool You need to succeed in your online business

Mike Filsaime has just released his personal rolodex of every resource he uses (some on a daily basis) to build and run his multi-million dollar business.

People are already saying amazing things about 'The Resource Report.'

Before now, the only people who got access to it paid $5,000 to attend his 2007 Figure Business Workshop. But you can get your hands on this incredible report… for free.

Download The Resource Report Here - Mike is a salesperson, and he is going to try to sell you with two different sales pages. Just click on through and get the free report. It is a good resource and a how-to guide on running an online business.

It is free, and chock-full of invaluable resources that’ll save you time, money and energy in running your online business.

Tags: Mike Filsaime, free resources, online business

Baseball, been verrry, verrry good to me

Door Number 3 handled all aspects of the campaign for The Texas Rangers baseball team. They l launched an outdoor, radio and TV campaign to boost its fan base.

Three TV ads each use the tag line, You Could Use Some Baseball, and demonstrate the unmanly activities in which men engage when it is not baseball season.

• Candles features a young couple smelling candle scents.
• Jousting shows a man looking for ways to bond with his son and failing miserably.
• Talent Show is a parody of shows where viewers determine the fate of the contestants.

Billboards were erected throughout Dallas with messages such as Pop Fly is not a rap star and First base has nothing to do with kissing. Imaginative and funny, although it could be that marketers are misreading men. What do you think?

Make money providing needed service

Have you dreamed of making money from working at home? Have you tried different business models, like network marketing and other monetization schemes? Are you tired of losing more money than you make each year?

There is a way to make money running an online business. If you provide a service that is in demand, at market price and provide excellent customer service, you are almost assured of success.

Did you know you may partner with Data Deposit Box (DDB)? They have three easy methods for helping your implement your online backup business. You may become a reseller partner, Powered by DDB partner, or a wholesale partner.

For more information on the Data Deposit Box™ Partner Program, click Online Backup Reseller Success.

As a reseller partner, you can start your own online backup business within a day. The Powered by DDB Partner, is designed for a someone who already has a large customer base. If you want customization backup solutions to offer your customers or to use at your business, the wholesale partner is the program for you.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

6+ million young monied households

The Media Audit reports that there are 23.2 million adults with annual household incomes of $100,000+ living in 87 metro areas regularly surveyed.

Among all those with six figure incomes:

• 26.6 percent (6.2 million) are under the age of 35
• 60.9 percent are male and 39.1 percent are female
• 18 percent of the young with money are age 18-20
• 18.9 percent of the young with money are 21-24
• 63.2 percent of the young with money are 25-34
• 19 percent (4.4 million) are over the age of 54

Tags: young with money, young monied households, The Media Outlet

Earn Money For Your Favorite School, Church or Charity

Donate your used cartridges and cell phones to benefit a school or nonprofit group. Shop with your recycling earnings for great technology and recreation equipment, books, supplies and more!

If you are a parent in Texas you know that our education system is in big trouble. Financial trouble. As a substitute teacher, I see the hardships that budget cuts impose on teachers, parents and coaches. That is why I was excited to find the FundingFactory.

Now, schools, churches, daycare centers, and other nonprofit groups can Get paid for recycling used printer cartridges and cell phones with FundingFactory. FundingFactory provides you with all the FREE tools you need to run a successful cartridge and cell phone recycling program for your nonprofit. Free boxes, free shipping, free promotional materials and free online accounting!

This is incredible. Make sure you tell everyone you know with children about FundingFactory. Never sell another candy bar, overpriced giftwrap and candles or beef jerkey again! Earn real money for your organization.

You will also be making a huge impact on the environment. Many people do not know that toner cartridges and cell phone batteries contain hazardous materials that may leach into the ground water. They should never be sent to a landfill.

This is a win-win situation for sure!

Visit the Ultimate Blog Party

Update: The deadline to sign up for prize draw has been bumped back to 2pm Eastern (11am Pacific) Friday, March 9, 2007. Just follow the directions and you may win some great prizes.

The Ultimate Blog Party
5 Minutes for Mom
March 2 - 9

I am late reminding y'all about this, so you need to visit before the 6th to register for the prizes, but the party goes on until the 9th. What is the party about? Women, from work at home moms to scrapers and artisans. You will find a wealth of information and blogs that are full of like-minded folk. Click, connect, discover ...

Vonage in the News

Several news sources speculated on the outcome of the patent litigation filed by Verizon in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. Mike Snyder, CEO for Vonage, commented:

First and foremost, we are confident we have not infringed on any of Verizon's patents and, in any case, we believe the Verizon patents are invalid

Chief Executive Officer of Vonage, Mike Snyder, will be a featured speaker at the Thomas Weisel Partners Internet & Digital Media Conference 2007 on Tuesday, March 6, 2007. You may view the webcast on Vonage's Investor Relations website for two weeks.

Vonage is offering a free month of VOIP telephone service for people who sign up for Vonage in the US and Canada. The UK has their own special offer as well.

Blog Your Blessing Sunday : Prayer for Peace

This powerful prayer was said by 900 delegates at the Assembly of World Religions convened by the Patriarch of Moscow to coincide with the second United Nations Special Session on Disarmament.

This is probably the first time (and the last time) that members of leading religions have prayed together, with one prayer, a prayer for peace. Find the prayer for peace in Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Gaelic, German, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Welsh versions here.


Would You Like to Blog Your Blessing on Sundays? Spend part of your day on Sunday (or not) reading through the blessings of an eclectic mixture of bloggers: the blessing bloggers

Tags: Blog Your Blessings, Blue Panther Blog, Sunday post

Could there be a bankruptcy in your future?

No one wants to admit that their finances are out of control. We have all experienced more money going out than coming in.

In January of 1998, I quite my full-time job so that I could finish my college degree by August 1998. I had student loans and I knew that I was going to be working at least 20 hours a week for my internship during the summer, so I was not worried. I had everything planned.

By June I was in trouble. My savings were gone, I did not qualify for any more student loans, and my son was in private school. I started living on my credit cards. I had excellent credit, so I had $1000s in my line of credit on seven different cards.

By August, I was switching debt from one card to another, scared that if I missed a payment all the credit cards would start charging the regular rate and not the special offer rate that I always seem to find. I wanted to attend a credit counseling session, but I had just started a new job in Austin.

In the evenings, I would search the Internet for alternatives to bankruptcy. I followed the steps suggested, like calling my creditors and making a budget, but I could not consolidate my debt because I had just started a new job, and I certainly did not want to borrow any money from my family.

Lucky for me, an uncle died and left me a small inheritance. It was enough to repair my finances for a few years. I was lucky. Do not count on luck when it comes to finances.