Category Archives: B2b

B2b, B2C, eCommerce, Online, Shopping

Salon Services Unveils A New Website for Hair and Beauty Professionals

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Following a redesign of its website, the hair and beauty supplier Salon Services launches Salon Services, a new site that caters just for beauty professionals and is designed to make their customers’ online retail experience much easier.

The leading hair and beauty retailer, Salon Services, has launched a new website for their trade customers in the UK and Ireland to make shopping for hair and beauty products easier and more intuitive for the professional.

Richard Hull, Managing Director of Salon Services UK and Ireland, explains: “The updated Salon Services site is for ‘professionals only’ which means that it’s separate from our consumer-facing website Sally. We made the decision to separate our consumer and trade businesses to ensure that there would be no confusion for consumers. Visitors to the new Salon Services website will find a service dedicated to all hair and beauty professionals, and the site will mirror fantastic in-store promotional activities, along with a selection of exclusive online offers.”

The launch of the new salon-services site is just part of an ongoing redevelopment of the Sally website and this phase of the website development, as well as focusing on our professional customers, also includes a range of new features, including:

An updated range of promotions and online offers
The ability for customers to update their customer profile
Product recommendations
Product reviews
Personal wish lists

Salon Services are very pleased with the changes to the website, and also very hopeful that this latest redevelopment will make shopping for hair and beauty products on both sites more enjoyable for both professionals and consumers alike.

Richard Hull continues: “We are absolutely delighted with the website relaunch, and we’re confident that our UK trade customers will find the new site much more useful for their business needs, and also, much easier to use. We believe that the Salon-services site is a dedicated one-stop-shop for all of our professional customers, and that it will bring our full and range of products and services available to our online customers allowing hair and beauty specialists to purchase what they need, when they need it. We also think that our non-trade customers will benefit, as they will be able to access the products that are most suitable for at-home use.”

Via EPR Network
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B2b, B2C, eCommerce, Entertainment, Internet, Online, Search, Searching, Services, Web

Loxtock Founders Star on House Hunters International

LOXTOCK.COM is known for being the mother of comparison websites, where you can compare just about everything. It is not known for making guest star appearances on reality TV programs.

Which is why it was a pleasant surprise for the website to be featured in the latest episode of the hit TV show, House Hunters International.

House Hunters International filmed Loxtock founders, Alastair Loxton and Sara O’Shea, move from their hometown of Brisbane, Australia to the shores of Lake Garda in Italy.

“Working with the film crew was a fantastic experience. We’d definitely like to spend more time in front of a camera – it was a real adrenaline rush!” said founder and CEO Alastair Loxton.

“Sara and I have put everything into Loxtock and it’s wonderful to share our story with the world.”

Mr Loxton gave a brief introduction for Loxtock to the audience as part of the background story behind their move to Europe.

“Loxtock allows you to compare the lot… lock, stock and barrel. There are so many groovy websites out there and we wanted to put the best of the best under one roof,” he said.

When Alastair and Sara first moved to Italy they used Hotels.Loxtock.com to find the best place to stay while house hunting in Riva Del Garda.

“Our site makes it very easy for travellers,” said co-founder Sara O’Shea.

“You simply search for where you are going and Loxtock crawls hundreds of websites to give you a complete list, with a range of prices for each hotel.”

The travel business comes naturally to Sara and Al, who continuously travel the world.

“We know which technology to use to book the cheapest flights; to book a hotel for less than the advertised price; and how to save money booking tours and rental cars in advance,” said Mr Loxton.

“Our goal was simple: talk to the people behind the technology for each service and put it all together.”

Alastair and Sara moved to Riva Del Garda, Italy in order to translate Loxtock.com into Italian, and then expand across Europe.

“Living in Italy has always been a dream of ours and Riva Del Garda is a perfect base because we are only hours away from France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria,” said Miss O’Shea.

You can watch the episode of House Hunters International on the HGTV website here:http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv56/videos/index.html

For more information on Loxtock and to search for flights, hotels, rental cars, tours and more… go to www.loxtock.com.

Via EPR Network
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SearchCatalyst Highlights Why Duplicate Web Content is Bad for Small Businesses

Duplicate web page content is bad for any website because it greatly affects SEO, but SearchCatalyst, an SEO agency dealing exclusively in small business Internet marketing, says it is particularly bad news for small businesses.

Aside from negatively impacting on a user’s online experience, duplicate content is particularly disastrous for SEO. It affects the site’s credibility, which is one of the most important ways a site can rank highly, organically, on search engines like Google. Google ranks sites based on several criteria, each of which is built into its complicated search algorithm. Relevancy is the most important – does the site list content relevant to the search query? – but credibility is a close second.

However, this issue affects all businesses, big and small. An issue that is more likely to affect small businesses, or expanding ones in the processes of upgrading their websites and online presence comes down to duplicate content on developer sites. Quite often web developer domains – where developers work on websites – are indexed by Google. Developers can be completely unaware they have created duplicate content but as websites take a few months to develop they can sit on developer domains for a while and the duplicate pages will negatively affect search rankings on Google.

This generally impacts small businesses to a greater extent than larger companies because they don’t have the scope and finances to implement new pages quickly.

Google’s algorithms are highly sophisticated and can filter out sites that have duplicate content. Some may be labelled as spam as a result, whilst others will just be listed much lower down on the SERPs. Google has become much better at detecting duplicate content since the Panda algorithm update, which all small businesses and developers should be aware of.

SearchCatalyst offers affordable SEO services to small businesses looking to boost organic search rankings and gain greater online exposure at minimal cost.

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These Days A Professional, Efficient And Stylish Website Is A Vital Component Of Any Business Aiming To Be Successful

We are currently living in a very modern age of technology, which has filtered through into every aspect of our lives, from ordering our weekly groceries online, to booking train, cinema and concert tickets, to children’s online learning environments and schoolwork. Everything nowadays is done online.

A very important part of having a business in the twenty-first century is having a website. You need a website that clearly displays what you are and what you do, and immediately impacts to your customers why they desperately need you.

Not only do you need a website, but it has to be a good one. The best way to achieve the top website for your company is to hire a freelance web designer or a web design team. A web design team will generally give you a better result as each member of the team has his or her own strengths, that will all be pulled together to achieve the exact website you need and want.

There are hundreds and hundreds of web designers out there, so you need to carefully look through their online portfolios to see what captures your attention. There will be some work you really love and others that you don’t. You will also notice that some web design companies have worked for very large, international companies, whilst other have only done work for local businesses. Other companies will have worked for a range of large, successful companies and smaller, local companies.

Ideally you want to try and pick a web design company whose work you love, that is located near to your business. That way you can really connect with them personally and easily have meetings to discuss exactly what you need and what you want from them. It’s much easier to talk about web design in person rather than over the phone.

If you are in South East England, or more specifically in Kent, then the team you want is TME (http://www.tmesolutions.co.uk). They are a web design and online marketing agency, based in Kent, which has been running for seven years. They are a close-knit, family run team comprising of fourteen enthusiastic and creative coders, designers, online marketers and project consultants.

Over the years, they have built their business to be efficient, creative and successful, yet friendly. They’ve worked to provide web design in Kent for relatively small local companies such as Lau Hairdressing in Maidstone, Express Cleaning Supplies in Aylesford, and ACE Sheds in Ashford. Their new websites allowed these local companies to bloom; expanding greatly and increasing their profits rapidly.

As their own company grew, TME also started to work for some of the biggest, most successful and most profitable companies in the world. This includes the likes of Tile Depot, who own over twenty stores across the UK and Centroid Motion Capture who provide animation for major films. Additionally, Worldwide Parcel Services, who are one of the largest parcel couriers in the UK, and most impressively, an exclusive training portal for Samsung Mobile.

TME are one hundred percent committed to producing amazing, creative and useful websites. They take companies and aim to boost their profits, regardless of how famous they already are. They strive for improvement.

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Latest Leighmans.com Research Shows Companies Spending More on Corporate Gifts

A new poll conducted by Leighmans.com – one of the UK’s leading suppliers of corporate gift and incentive products – has revealed that companies are now spending more than ever on corporate and personalised gifts. The company’s poll found that 75 percent of UK businesses are – even in the difficult financial climate – investing more in hospitality and gifts.

The Leighmans.com survey polled in excess of 1,000 people and discovered that six in ten companies currently spend more on incentives and gifts for clients and staff. Of this group 40 percent said that their expenditure has recently increased by over one fifth.

The poll found that personalised gifts are more popular than ever too, with 45 percent of respondents saying that they prefer customised gifts to standard ones. Leighmans.com reports that items like their printed Shanghai pen range and personalised custom 15mmlanyards are proving particularly popular.

Dr Ashley Weinberg, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Salford, commented: “In sales ‘we buy from people we like’ and so, at a very basic level, some potential consumers may well feel a little emotional boost from an organisation offering them something without charge.”

“Even for those who decline the offer of a gift or hospitality, there is some perception that the organisation who offered it is one that we’re likely to be more open to in future.”

“In this case, we have created our own unwritten understanding – or psychological contract – that raises our expectations of the organisation and means we may be more positively disposed to them.”

The Leighmans.com poll sought to established buying patterns and psychologies in the corporate gifts sector at present. Leighmans.com offers customers a wide range of goods such as sponsored Rainham conference bags with logos on the inside. The survey also found that UK companies spent more money on gifts and incentives in 2012 than in all of 2011.

Leighmans.com founder, Darren Leigh, commented: “Far from the pre-conceived notion that marketing and entertainment are the first things to be cut when the going gets tough, it actually appears businesses are investing more into the development and maintenance of relationships through entertainment and effective promotions.”

“Building business relationships is vital. It can be done through meetings and entertaining and also through carefully selected gifts to existing or potential new business leads. It’s appreciated because it not only represents a financial investment, but also shows empathy and the fact you have invested time into trying to get into the other person’s head to give them something they want. That helps to create and build relationships, which are vital for ongoing business.”

Speaking of human behaviour, Dr Weinberg said: “Perhaps somewhere in between feeling really positive and just as negative, is the vague notion that we might feel indebted, as this organisation has already given us something which is of value. It is not quite an obligation, but it can certainly affect that psychological contract when we come to deciding where to buy from.”

Bury-based Leighmans.com helps customers to choose from a huge range of high-quality, promotional gifts and its customer base includes major blue-chip companies such as Deutsche Bank.

Via EPR Network
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B2b, Internet, Online, Search, SEO, Traffic, Web

Charity Educating the Children Benefits from Support of Leading Web Agency Alchemy Viral

Children in the Masai Mara region of Kenya will now be helped further following the announcement that one of the UK’s leading Web Search Optimisation agencies is backing charity Educating the Children. Alchemy Viral has this week announced its support for the leading international children’s charity.

Educating the Children works to raise awareness of the issues affecting children throughout the Masai Mara region, including things like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and enforced childhood marriages for young girls.

Masai Mara is a time-honoured favourite destination for tourists from all over the world, yet the region’s inhabitants remain neglected and abused. Educating the Children was set up after one of the charity’s founder visited Masai Mara and found poor education conditions, with not enough teachers and poor schooling levels for children throughout the region.

In Masai Mara some girls are forced into marriages as young as 8 years old. Andreas Voniatis, Managing Director of Alchemy Viral, wants his company to commit to supporting forward-looking projects like the current Educating the Children scheme to build a secondary school for girls in the region.

Andreas Voniatis says, “I have great sympathy with the aims of ETC. My daughter is just 3 months old. Like every parent in every country I have high hopes for her. I can’t imagine her being denied an education, or even worse being a victim of enforced marriage or FGM”.

“I want to spread the word about the charity’s work. We will be quite overt in our support of ETC to all of the people we communicate with, be it by email, our website, or corporate activities. We are also supporting the charity with what we do best… raising their profileon the web. We have already created a Facebook page for the charity and added a link to our Facebook page. We are Tweeting regularly about ETC and teaching them also the importance of regular publishing and how to earn coverage across the web”, Andreas went on.

Sonal Kadchha, co-founder of ETC, said of the backing of Alchemy Viral:

“I’m very pleased that Andreas has come on board to support ETC – not only is he contributing financially but his help in increasing our online presence is invaluable given the importance of social media in the world today”, commented Sonal.

Alchemy Viral’s Andreas Voniatis will visit Masai Mara this year to observe Educating the Children’s work for himself – the visit will coincide with Educating the Children having recently named one of the new school’s classrooms after Andreas’ daughter, Julia.

Via EPR Network
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Balluun Introduces New Social Business Platform To Empower Fashion Designers To Create Impact For Their Brands And Businesses

Leading up to the 2012 MAGIC show, social business upstart, Balluun, today announced its patent-pending technology platform for emerging fashion designers and the wholesale marketplace. On the same day, Balluun announced a new advisory board member, fashion maverick, Nicole Miller. “We are so honored and excited to be able to tap such a visionary innovator and designer to add to our distinguished group of advisors,” said Peter Koch, CEO of Balluun. “She will bring an invaluable perspective, aesthetic eye and reality check to our overall effort.”

Balluun is the future of commerce for fashion, as we know it. Fashion designers who are Balluun members can easily upload their collections on Balluun’s website prior to the show and take advantage of Balluun’s mobile app to display specifications of their lines and conduct transactions with buyers online at the show.

Balluun’s focus is the world of fashion and redefining how fashion is accessed, experienced, shared, purchased and sold in the real and digital worlds. Some of Balluun’s primary features and benefits include:
– Balluun provides the ability for sellers to share product updates and entire collections and for buyers to view and discover new designs and track product trends.

– Balluun enables buyers to communicate directly with the sellers before, during and after creating a purchase order.

– Balluun accommodates all terms and forms of payment traditionally found in the fashion industry.

– Balluun records all of the information for the seller and the buyer, and all order information is maintained online for easy reference anytime, anywhere.

“Balluun is truly game-changing for young fashion designers who want to create impact with their brands and build businesses within an increasingly competitive climate.” said Peter Koch, CEO of Balluun. “With the continued evolution of the internet, the cloud and social networking, Balluun has been able to develop transformative ways to do business.”
Brief Balluun Product Snapshot

Visually Rich Marketplace To Show & Share Collections- Balluun provides a robust platform on which designers/manufacturers can sell their products and independent retailers can shop for products in a visually rich digital environment. Social Business Community All Your Own- Balluun’s platform is optimized for ongoing social inter-action and like an in-person interaction, people communicate with one another back and forth while purchasing goods. Balluun accomplishes this and deploys technology to thread the communication exchange throughout a transaction. The Paperless Office- Balluun enables designers, retailers and manufacturers the ability to search products by price and style, review line sheets and collections, create and pay purchase orders online. Balluun provides a hassle-free digital option from paper-based lookbooks/catalogs, business cards and order forms in a social business solution.

Via EPR Network
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Incentives Specialist Leighmans Launches Latest Innovation – New 3D Online Catalogue

Leading provider of corporate gifts and customizable incentives Leighmans this week reports the launch of a new online 3D catalogue to help customers enjoy an enhanced experience when sourcing corporate and branded gifts.

Leighmans has been operating for more than 10 years since being founded and the company specializes in bringing customers the very latest incentive ideas and corporate gifts.

Throughout the last decade Leighmans has gone from strength to strength to become one of the leading names in the incentives and corporate gifts sector. The company’s products are designed to help customers incentivize sales forces and reward both customers and staff.

Further to bringing customers the latest and best promotional gifts and merchandise, Leighmans also looks to improve its website whenever possible to make customer experience even more enjoyable.

On top of introducing the new 3D catalogue Leighmans is also offering users 3D glasses to enjoy the experience fully. The site will also be complete with a range of other new 3D functions to enhance user experience still further.

Using the new Leighmans 3D catalogue users can choose a gift and create virtual samples of promotional products then browse them from multiple angles. The site also lets people add artwork and logos to their chosen corporate gifts and branded items.

Darren Leigh, managing director of Leighmans, commented: “We’re delighted to announce our new and innovative 3D catalogue, and we are doing better than ever. Customers really appreciate our efforts in making sure that they have the very latest and most innovative services around.”

Leighmans.com offers over 100,000 products, ranging from personal care gifts for the hygeine industry to printed mouse mats with logos. Leighmans also offers a design department via which customers can request their own particular artwork be added to gifts that they order.

Darren went on: “There is real value to be had in incentivizing your workforce, and we’re pleased to continue helping people differentiate their brands from their competitors in the marketplace.”

For more information, visit www.leighmans.com, or follow the action @Leighmans_com.

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Bangkok Property World.Asia Is Ready To Establish Itself As An Excellent And Leading Site To Make It Possible For Buyers, Sellers, And Renters Of Properties In Asia To Find Each Other And Do Business Together

Bangkok Property World.Asia is proud to announce that we are bringing our successful real estate portal first seen in Bahrain athttp://www.bahrainpropertyworld.com to Bangkok. Bangkok Property World.Asia is ready to establish itself as an excellent and leading site to make it possible for buyers, sellers, and renters of properties in Asia to find each other and do business together.

At Bangkok Property World.Asia, we are no stranger to success and we know what it takes to make property portals successful. In 2009, we won the prestigious Arabian Property Awards, part of the world’s most innovative and buzzworthy competition focused on identifying the most successful real estate professionals around the planet. We won the Arabian Property Awards for our work in the Middle East with our Bahrain Property World real estate portal.

Bahrain Property World’s success in attaining one of these highly desired awards indicates we have the skills and experience necessary to bring similar results and profits to our newest enterprise in Bangkok, Thailand.

It is absolutely free for every real estate company to register in order to list and promote their properties, and they can do so here and now.

What is this real estate portal about?

Bangkok Rental Apartments and Condos

Bangkok is easily one of the most extraordinary, enchanting, and magnificent locations on the globe, and it is certainly the place to be if you find yourself in Thailand. However, if you have never been to the area or are otherwise unfamiliar with it, you might have trouble finding the perfect rental or condo listing that meets all of your needs.

This is precisely why Bangkok Property World.Asia is here to help you. Through your research on our portal listing, you can figure out what kind of listing you are looking for, decide on the location that you find most important, and get a good idea of just how much it should cost.

Bangkok Property World.Asia has made it a priority and part of our reputation to provide you with a wide range of properties that you can browse through in order to find the home, listing, property, or rental that is just right for you.

If you are a seller or a renter, you can freely and easily add your listing of real estate to our online portal database, giving you the opportunity to have thousands of viewers from all over the globe see what you have to offer in Bangkok.

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B2b, Internet, ISPs, Programming, Security, Services, Software, Web, Web 2.0, Web Design & Development

Alentus teams with GamaSec to provide Web Application Security services

Alentus announced today its partnership with GamaSec, a remote online website security scan service. GamaScan identifies web application vulnerabilities, provides real-time vital business solutions, and recommends optimally matched solutions.

Clearly, Web applications are the weakest link in an organization’s security strategy. Web applications are more difficult to protect than traditional applications that reside behind a firewall. Web application security needs to be stringently checked on a regular basis using an automated Web application security scanner.

GamaSec’s commercial solution, branded “GamaScan”, is a remote online web vulnerability-assessment service. delivered via SaaS (software-as-a-service) and is designed to identify security weaknesses in web applications. The GamaSec Application Vulnerability Scanner identifies application vulnerabilities (e.g. Cross Site Scripting (XSS), SQL injection, Code Inclusion etc.) as well as site exposure risks. It also ranks threat priority, produces highly graphical, intuitive HTML reports, and indicates site security posture by vulnerabilities and threats.

Avi Bartov, GamaSec CEO comments, “Our core business is to help our partners mitigate risks on their website by providing real-time evaluation reports and recommendations. We provide service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Application vulnerabilities are the Achilles heel in the protection of websites. It is better to know your weaknesses and fix them than wait to respond after an attack.”

“At Alentus, we strive to offer our customers the highest quality extensive range of services that small businesses need to maintain a successful online presence” says Peter McNeill, Sales Manager at Alentus Corporation. “After learning about GamaSec and their web vulnerability assessment service, I felt that this partnership adds a valuable set of tools to assist Alentus with what it needs to succeed in today’s security conscious Internet.”

The partnership agreement will enable Alentus Corporation to offer GamaSec’s website scan security services – which include blacklist monitoring and application vulnerability scanning services – to their shared web hosting and dedicated server clients.

Alentus will use GamaSec’s private partner interface to deliver and manage the delivery of the entire range of GamaSec services.

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B2b, Dedicated Servers, Domain Names, E-mail, Hosting, Internet, Secure Hosting, Services

Fasthosts Launches 32 Core Dedicated Server

Fasthosts Internet Ltd, a leading web hosting provider, has launched a powerful new, high quality server to further bolster the Fasthosts Dedicated Server range. The new Fasthosts DS1200 server boasts Solid State Drives (SSD) and 2 x 2TB of storage, providing faster access speed, greater resilience, supreme reliability and amps of storage. The DS1200 can be run via a choice of operating systems including the latest CentOS 6 operating system, includes the Plesk 10 control panel, and features a generous allowance of storage space RAM with RAID1 protection, offering better security and performance for business users.

Dedicated Servers are the ideal solution for IT professionals and businesses that require robust server operations for applications and data storage without the capital expenditure or the physical space required for running hardware 24/7 on their premises. Fasthosts’ Dedicated Servers, currently with 50 per cent off for 3 months, offer enterprises a powerful and secure server platform and far greater flexibility than on-premise solutions.

The flagship DS1200 enables businesses to leverage a best in-class specification and performance without large CAPEX commitment. The server uses 2 x 2.4GHz AMD OpteronTM 16-core processors to deliver powerful, energy-efficient performance, meaning intensive programs can be run simultaneously without the need to slow down. Users enjoy guaranteed access to unlimited bandwidth, and retain complete hands-on (KVM) remote control of their server at all times. The DS1200 guarantees 99.99% network uptime, perfect for multiple complex calculations or to host large websites, mail or media, ensuring you and your customers get the best performance.

The Fasthosts DS1200 Dedicated Server solution also benefits from massive 64GB RAM, 2 x 120GB RAID 1 SSD hard-disk drives and 2 x 2TB RAID 1 SATA hard-disk drives.

Fasthosts also includes free SSL certificates for the first year and Plesk 10 can be added for a small monthly fee. Currently, all Fasthosts Windows Dedicated Servers are provided with 50GB of free Online Backup. For those not sure which specification would best fit their business needs, the Fasthosts website provides a guide to servers that highlights the features specifically suited to business tasks.

Especially important for business users, all data is hosted in Fasthosts’ highly secure state-of-the-art UK data centres, and receives Fasthosts’ unlimited bandwidth and 100Mbps high-speed virtual data pipe. Every Fasthosts server is maintained with the latest operating system updates to maximise efficiency and security. Technical support is provided 24/7 from the UK via the phone or online.

Claire Lewis, Marketing Director, Fasthosts Internet Ltd, said: “Our new 32 core server is an excellent opportunity to access huge processor power on an affordable basis. We are confident that even the most demanding professional users will be impressed with the performance and responsiveness. Our continued investment to build world-class UK-based infrastructure means Fasthosts servers continue to be a sound proposition for many businesses.”

As a leading web hosting provider, and Technology Sponsor of The Great Exhibition 2012, Fasthosts offers a comprehensive range of web services including domain name registrations, servers, online backup solutions, reseller web hosting and feature-rich broadband packages. Fasthosts is well placed to deliver a high quality service.

Full details can be found at www.fasthosts.co.uk.

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APIs, Apps, B2b, Digital Library, Entertainment, Events, Internet, Online, Services, Social Networking, Web, Web 2.0, Web Images

New Apps Help Preserve Visual Memories

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Digital imaging solutions company Ecce Terram, with headquarters in Atlanta, GA and Oldenburg, Germany, will introduce a new Facebook app named “Save Your Memories” at this month’s industry show 6Sight in New York City.

This step, and the introduction of a similar feature for the line of native mobile apps created by Ecce Terram for smartphones and tablet computers, is aimed at further simplifying and adding convenience to the way consumers save and share their photos.

At a glance, “Save Your Memories” automatically presents users with print order options for images newly uploaded to their Facebook albums or added to their mobile device camera rolls. The user is prompted to select which recently updated images should be ordered for print, using quick-select menu options which are based on the most commonly chosen selections.

“Save Your Memories” enables consumers to realize one of their main goals when using their mobile device or Facebook to store and share photos, according to Ecce Terram: to secure and preserve precious visual memories outside the digital sphere. After uploading new photos, Ecce Terram’s new “Save Your Memories” app offers convenient print order options right on the opening screen, for “All Images”, “Since Your Last Order”, “Last 30 Days”, or “Albums”.

“It’s all about peace of mind,” said Frank Simon, President, CEO and founder of Ecce Terram, and the company’s founder. “In today’s mobile world, the majority of consumers trust smartphones and Facebook with their digital photo collection. But phones break, or get lost or stolen.”

“What’s more, many people feel uncomfortable with putting all their digital photos in one social networking “basket”, Mr. Simon said. Ecce Terram’s new “Save Your Memories” app, he pointed out, answers the common need to securely preserve selected visual memories offline.

Ecce Terram, which started in Germany and is the creator of the “Photo2Lab Software Suite”, today is considered a pioneer of the digital imaging industry. “Five years ago, successful photo services providers were ready to take processing orders online when consumers sat down at a desktop computer,” said Mr. Simon.

“Today, you have to be ready to take an order the second after they take a snapshot with their iPhone or iPad, or when they update their photo timeline on Facebook.”

The “Save Your Memories” concept, Ecce Terram points out, is positioned to complement the company’s successful “Share your Photo Story” approach. A white-labeled “Share Your Photo Story” Facebook app, as well as social media and co-editing options featured in Ecce Terram’s Desktop Client and Online Client software, already enable consumers to jointly create and order photo products, for example by converting Facebook albums directly into presentable photo books.

Combined, the “Save Your Memories” and the “Share Your Photo Story” concepts answer photo services consumer needs and demands in a market that has rapidly shifted to mobile and social networking platforms. The added convenience of white-labeled solutions offered by Ecce Terram, the company believes, will help large photo services providers secure and retain market share and brand loyalty, and build and expand new channels.

Via EPR Network
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The World’s Top Selling Stock Photographer Yuri Arcurs Launches His Own Direct Sales Platform (PeopleImages.com) To Pave The Way For Other Creatives

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As off today www.PeopleImages.com is officially out of beta testing mode and live! For years, the major stock agencies have been pushing commissions lower and lower, reaching an all time low of 15% last year making it almost impossible for photographers to gain profit from selling their images online. This can be seen in comparison to Apple’s iTunes store where the artists receive a 70% commission for their work. Furthermore, with the introduction of micro prices in 2005, the stock industry has been under enormous pressure and few photographers have been able to survive of their meager earnings.

With www.PeopleImages.com Danish born Yuri Arcurs has shown that it is possible to make it on your own and sell directly to your customers. His site introduces services that all other artists would be able to offer clients, but which agencies would have a problem providing: Custom retouching, image exclusivity options and the ability to request more images of a specific model or particular style.

Quotes:
Lee Torrens (stock photography journalist – microstockdiaries.com)
“With the launch of PeopleImages.com, the hard work and smart decisions of Yuri’s stock photography career come together in a lucrative business model that no other stock photographer is positioned to pull off. What’s more, it pulls market power back from stock photo agencies who have been dropping photographer royalties for years.”

Jenan Mujkic (10 years experience in buying images online - sneezr.ca)
“This site makes all other sites look like they are from the last century. Take note, PeopleImages.com just jumped a curve!”

Yuri Arcurs: (Photographer, creator of PeopleImages.com)
“Very few people that buy images know how small a percentage of the actual sales price the artists receive. It’s a shame, because the small artists have a hard enough time already.”

http://arcurs.com/2012/06/www-peopleimages-com-has-launched-a-post-about-how-it-got-there/

Quotes from the text:

“Managing six IT guys would prove to be more time-consuming and more difficult than managing my entire business.”

“Very few people will tell you to your face “this will not work” or “we need to delete 1,000 hours of code work because it will create bugs.” Especially not if they are hired by you.”

“News of the launch was leaked to the media three days before our original launch date, and it was posted on the front page of the biggest newspaper in Denmark. It became quite clear what we had to do. We had to launch now. Not in in three days. Not tomorrow. Now.”

“All the tools that a normal manager can use to direct a project are inaccessible to an IT manager that is not a developer themselves.”

“We, as artists, are perfectionists, we have to be, but for a perfectionist to ever create anything great, you must be able to say: “Stop – Enough with the details!” and settle with the less attractive option.”

“Programmers love detailed planning, and most other people do, too, but great interactive design was never arrived at from the very first go-ahead. It is, by its very nature, an experimental process and you will find yourself often arriving at the best solutions when you start using the interface yourself. The only problem is at this point somebody has already had to build it and be ready to discard it.”

“We discarded the whole site two times and had to start over. Most people would consider that a total flop, a loss in all ways, but it ended up getting us closer and closer to having a thorough understanding of how the site would need to behave.”

“Preparing for the launch event, I had a 6min live TV spot lined up on the launch date in front of 1.5 million viewers. I was extremely lucky to get this pitched to the editor in such a way that they ended up running the story. But when it actually was about to unfold I was more nervous than I have ever been prior to any interview. I only had about 15 hours of sleep the last week before the launch, and had to be ready to go live at 8am in the morning with 4 hours of “airplane sleep” – and, naturally with all the stress involved in the launch, I fell ill the day before the TV spot. It was simply madness, but it had to be done and it had to be done well.”

Get a personal comment from Yuri for your article him directly on yuri@arcurs.com or his assistant on alessa@arcurs.com.

If you are creating an article we will grant you any image you would like from PeopleImages.com and set you up with a VIP account with $150 already on it. This should take care of any need of images you have for the article and still leave a decent amount on your account which you can use as you see fit.

We can process such requests very fast. Send to: support@peopleimages.com

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New StuffAlert Website and Improved eBay Alert Service Launched by SonicZero Limited

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SonicZero London, England 31st May 2012 is pleased to announce the successful launch of its new upgraded website and improved email eBay alert service that helps increase the probability of buyers finding exactly what is being searched for on eBay.

eBay buyers have been using StuffAlert to locate hard to find items on eBay since 2007. Now, as well as setting up alerts when no matching items are found, users can create email alerts where up to 25 items have been found. A complete record of all the items found matching users searches is automatically created and available to users on the website.

With StuffAlert users can quickly and easily search eBay and set up email alerts for the items they are looking for. StuffAlert continues to search eBay all day everyday and automatically sends email eBay alerts notifying users of new listings with direct links to the item on eBay. Users can manage all their eBay searches and alerts in one place with no cap on how many alerts can be set up and with complete control over email alerts.Passwords are encrypted so only users know what searches they have set up.

“The decision to upgrade the service was made in response to users requests and coincided with a decision to get eBay approval to increase the frequency of our automatic eBay searches. The result has been to deliver more frequent and consistent eBays alerts to our users who in turn are successfully completing more transactions” stated Rene Bachman, Managing Director of SonicZero.

StuffAlert currently works on iPads and other similar tablet devices and should be accessible via smartphone later this year. It is available to eBay buyers using the US and UK eBay marketplaces. Plans are already underway for StuffAlert to be rolled out to other English speaking countries in the forthcoming weeks.

eBay buyers whether newcomers and seasoned users interested in learning more about StuffAlert’s eBay alert service can visit the website (http://www.stuffalert.com) or for more information Contact Us.

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Fasthosts Reveals Britons Not Considering How Mobile Working Can Help A New Business

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Fasthosts has revealed that the majority of Britons do not consider how technology could shape a work/life balance when considering whether or not to launch their own business.

The survey of 1500 UK adults conducted by the web hosting company found that only 14 per cent would consider the impact of technology such as smartphones, notepads and Internet applications, before concluding whether or not to launch a business. Poor economic factors and fear of losing money remain the primary reasons for reluctance to start a new project. Fasthosts advises budding entrepreneurs to speak to technology providers from the very outset, as web-based tools and ecommerce can often enable far more flexible working than many realise.

As the UK economy slowly returns to growth, Fasthosts ‘Home Business Survey’* finds that there may be thousands of entrepreneurs currently ‘sitting on the fence’ over whether to launch their own business. The good news is that the vast majority of Britons (72 per cent) would consider or have considered having their own business project. However, the data suggests that a number may not take the plunge because they unaware of how much technology can help to design and manage their work.

When asked about the main factors for consideration in whether or not to launch a business project, only 14 per cent would look into what impact technology could make on their work patterns. This is despite 1 in 4 people having doubts about their ability to cope with running a business effectively. In scoping a business idea, the most popular groups to consult for strategic advice are banks (35 per cent), potential clients (31 per cent), stock suppliers (27 per cent) and then friends and family (25 per cent).

Stephen Holford, Marketing Director, Fasthosts Internet Ltd, commented: “It is vital for anybody thinking of starting their own business to know what is technologically possible from the very start. Selling goods and even services online is often incorrectly regarded as beyond the reach of non-technical people. Family responsibilities and financial aspects are always pressures that need to be considered. However, the huge range of Internet-based tools available for mobile working means that work patterns can be far more flexible and mobile than ever before. It is vital that before deciding if a start-up project is achievable, one looks carefully at what technology is available to help.”

Of course, the decision to launch a business project should never be taken lightly. The most common factors deterring people at this time are primarily financial ones. The unattractive economic climate is most on people’s minds (36 per cent), as well as fear of losing capital (35 per cent), a lack of funding (25 per cent) and shortfalls in business knowledge (18 per cent).

Over the coming months, Fasthosts’ ‘Work Better Online’ campaign will provide information and helpful tips on working practices, tools and technologies that can help entrepreneurs to juggle a fledgling business alongside their lives. Topics will include time management, workspace design, meetings, office dynamics, productivity, communication, motivation and real life case studies discussed.

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Findmypast Reveals The Greatest Political Leaders With Irish Ancestry

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Findmypast has announced that John F. Kennedy has been voted the greatest political leader with Irish ancestry, ahead of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Che Guevara, the Latin American revolutionary who also had Irish roots, ranked fourth.

The online poll of over 4,000 Americans and Britons was conducted by YouGov for the genealogy site findmypast.com and its Irish partner, findmypast IE.

“The most surprising people turn out to have Irish ancestry,” says Cliona Weldon, spokesperson for findmypast.ie, which marks its first birthday this month.

The findmypast poll asked respondents in the U.S. and UK to pick from a list of 10 political leaders who had won prominence in countries beyond Irish shores – in short, in the Irish diaspora.

This diaspora, consisting of Irish emigrants and their descendants, is estimated to include over 80 million people worldwide, including some 40 million Americans.

While Obama and JFK polled similar percentages with U.S. and UK respondents, averaging 12% and 25% respectively, Reagan polled nearly four times as many votes in the U.S. (35%) as in the UK (8%). Indeed, he would have topped the poll based on U.S. votes alone, while the UK alone ranked him third behind Obama.

Obama, who only discovered his Irish roots in 2007, is just one of at least 13 U.S. presidents to have had Irish ancestry. Indeed, the only one of the last six to have lacked them was Bill Clinton, who tried to atone for the fact by once informing a St Patrick’s Day gathering that: “I feel more Irish every day!” Other countries to have boasted notable leaders with Irish ancestry include Canada, Australia, France, Spain, Mexico, Chile, Peru and Israel.

Che Guevara, the Argentine-born radical who helped lead the revolution in Cuba, may be best known today as an icon of Latin American rebellion but he traced his ancestry to Galway, Ireland in the 1740s.

JFK and Reagan both traced their roots to the great wave of Irish emigration that began in the mid-19th century, coinciding with the great Famine.

By then, Obama’s Irish forebear, Falmouth Keaney, had already been in the U.S. for eight years, after migrating from Moneygall in Co. Offaly in 1850. Keaney was Obama’s maternal great-great-great grandfather.

About findmypast.ie:
findmypast.ie is the world’s most comprehensive Irish family history website, providing easy-to-search, online access to some of the most significant Irish records that have ever been made available, including extensive BMD records.

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Michael Blakey & Paul Grant speaking on EFactor Business Bootcamp June 21

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A day full of succeeded Entrepreneurs and the Best Funding Experts in the field, Michael Blakey & Paul Grant!

Want to learn more on what to do when you are on theEntrepreneurial Frontline? Or how Bootstrapping can be an effective way to run your operations? What Investor Types & Funds are out there? And what are the Legal Aspects of Investments? Sign up now for EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT, lunch & drinks included! http://www.efactor.com/ukfunding1206

We provided you with a special program with some great names in this industry:

John Spindler CEO of Capital Enterprise. John has had over 15 years’ experience as an entrepreneur and business advisor/consultant and as well as being responsible for the day to day management of Capital Enterprise is also a director and co-owner of audio designer and manufacturer Ferguson Hill.

Michael Blakey: has been a successful, active, early-stage investor in the UK since 2000 and having invested in some 17 businesses and realized 3 profitable exits to date. Co-investing with his brother, Simon, he is responsible for all our marketing and deal origination activities. Michael was voted by AngelsNews as “the Business Angels You should now”.

Paul Grant: is an experienced entrepreneur who has founded his own London based company through private equity and debt finance. He managed to build a network of over 500 business angels at Capital Partners Private Equity Ltd and more recently at BA Capital Ltd, during which time he never ceased to assist young businesses with fundraising and coaching. He is also the founder of “The Funding Game” seminar series, which offers practical guidance and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking capital for early-stage and growing ventures.

Jaan Larner: is a business minded lawyer at Keystone Law with an MBA from Oxford University. He is a corporate and commercial lawyer with a particular interest in entrepreneurial activity. He advises clients on their corporate structures as well as their on-going day-to-day commercial activity. Jaan qualified as a Solicitor in 1997.

WE HOPE TO WELCOME YOU AT 21 JUNE – INNOVATION WAREHOUSE – LONDON

SEE FOR MORE DETAILS OF THE PROGAM: http://www.efactor.com/ukfunding1206

Please Eva Hukshorn for your questions.

Lunch and drinks are included in the event price.

This event is sponsored by RBS, Capital Enterprise and Keystone Law To attend this event being a member of EFactor is mandotory, you can sign up (for free) on www.efactor.com.

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Findmypast.ie helps to reveal Dracula was Irish not Transylvanian

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findmypast.ie has conducted research on Bram Stoker’s family tree which sheds new light on how he created the gothic horrors of Dracula.

Count Dracula, the Transylvanian nobleman and daddy of all vampires, was originally Irish rather than Transylvanian, according to new research by the family historian who previously traced Barack Obama’s Irish roots, Fiona Fitzsimons.

Dracula is the title character of the 1897 Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker, the Irish writer who died 100 years ago, on April 20, 1912.

Many historians have wondered how Stoker, a one-time Dublin civil servant and chum of Oscar Wilde came to imagine the gothic horrors of Dracula and now, new research into Stoker’s family tree by the genealogy website findmypast.ie provides the answer. The new findings are the fruit of months of research by Fiona Fitzsimons, a director of findmypast.ie and the historian who last year identified Obama’s closest living Irish relatives, enabling the U.S. President to meet them on his state visit to Ireland.

Bram Stoker turns out to have been of an old family with a glorious history. His direct ancestor, Manus “The Magnificent” O’Donnell, once ruled much of Ireland and led a rebellion against Henry VIII.

“We have discovered that Bram Stoker could trace his own direct family line back almost 1,000 years,” said Fitzsimons. In short, his own lineage turns out to have been remarkably similar to Dracula’s.

Fitzsimons added: “Stoker did not use overtly Irish references in Dracula, but his main theme is taken from Irish history – the history, we now learn, of his own family – recast in the writer’s imagination.”

Although the Stoker family on Bram’s father’s side were of humble stock, it was already known before now that Bram’s mother Charlotte was descended from the Blakes, a landed Irish family.

What Fitzsimons has now discovered, with the help of land records found on findmypast.ie, is that Charlotte also descended from the O’Donnells, one of Ireland’s greatest families, with one of its oldest recorded lineages.

The story goes back farther still; from 561 A.D. the O’Donnell lords were the hereditary keepers of the psalter (holy book) of St Columba, revered in Ireland as the patron saint of poets.

These objects remained in the O’Donnell’s keeping until 1843, when they were given to the Royal Irish Academy. Their donation received wide press coverage and was a cause célèbre.

Fitzsimons said: “Our research has proven links between the writer’s family, the oldest surviving Irish manuscript in existence, and one of the greatest treasures held in the National Museum of Ireland. The manuscript book and its reliquary provide evidence that Stoker’s O’Donnell family could trace their direct lineage back more than 1,300 years to 561 A.D.”

Fitzsimons believes the true inspiration for Dracula was Manus the Magnificent, Stoker’s direct ancestor.

This is not to say that Manus was either a vampire or a tyrant, since he was neither, but he was a feudal leader with great power over much of the country and hisheroics in gory battle are just as likely an inspiration for Dracula as any historical figure.

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Findmypast.co.uk Publishes Crew Records From The Titanic For The First Time

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New analysis from findmypast.co.uk of the records of those on board the Titanic when it sunk suggests it could have been doomed from the start according to sailor superstitions.*

Six maritime myths rang true on that ill-fated day of 15th April 1912, including the presence of women, priests and red-heads on board the ship, according to the most comprehensive set of Titanic passenger and crew records launched online at findmypast.co.uk, a leading family history website.

Debra Chatfield, family historian at findmypast.co.uk, commented: “The records going live indicate sailor superstitions were wholly ignored on the Titanic’s doomed departure from Southampton. Throughout history sailors have been proverbially superstitious, but I bet few ever believed the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic would succumb to superstition. It leaves you wondering whether the cumulative effect of women, priests, dogs, barbers, flowers and red-heads on board – all commonly held superstitions among sailors – angered the sea so much it steered her towards her ill fate.”

The Unlucky Six Sailor Superstitions are:
– Women on board – 353 female passengers
– Dogs near tackle – 5 dogs reported rescued
– Priests on board – 5 men of religion
– Cutting hair on board – 3 barbers
– Flowers – 2 crew members with flower tattoos
– Red-heads – 2 on board; one crew member & the infamous Violet Jessop

Maritime birth, marriage and death records in association with The National Archives and White Star Line Officers’ books, are being launched online for the first time at findmypast.co.uk, sitting alongside the Titanic Passenger Lists and Merchant Navy recordswhich are already available to view.

Janet Dempsey, Maritime Records Specialist at The National Archives, commented:
“Death At Sea was an occupational hazard for those who made their living on the water but this rarely deterred mariners. Many who survived the Titanic went on to serve throughout the First World War and some even into WW2. The BMD registers really illustrate just how hard life was at sea even for those men and women who served on luxury liners that were just not expected to sink. With death so common place it was hardly surprising that seafarers were a superstitious lot.”

And still, 100 years on from the sinking of the Titanic, Brits are as superstitious as ever, especially when it comes to seafaring. One in eight (12%) is aware of the myth around un-christened ships bringing bad luck – something speculation famously claims about the Titanic – while the most well-known superstition for a third of Brits (31%) is an unbroken bottle during the christening of a ship.

Today’s Brits call on a number of superstitions for good luck and safe travel when embarking on a trip. Avoiding travel on Friday 13th takes the top spot (6%), followed by carrying a lucky charm such as a coin (4%), spring cleaning the house before travelling, and wearing a lucky item of clothing (2%).

Debra Chatfield concluded: “We can’t lead our lives based on myth and superstition, whether travel-related or otherwise, but in hindsight when considering the tragedy of the Titanic, it certainly is an eerie thought.”

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Fasthosts, GameShadow and epic.LAN Join Forces For Online Gaming Tournament

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Fasthosts, GameShadow and epic.LAN have joined forces to launch GameShadow Battles, a fantastic opportunity for gamers to win a combined prize fund of £10,000.

Launching on 14 May, GameShadow Battles invites gamers to take part in a series of challenges within two featured games: ‘Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Challenge’ and ‘Counter Strike: Source Challenge’.

Up to 128 teams will be able to take part in the tournament, with each team consisting of five players.

The prize fund, which is being provided by Fasthosts, will be divided equally between the two challenges, with each £5,000 prize to be shared between the top three finishing teams. The winning teams will collect £2,750, the runners up £1,500, and bronze medalists £750.

Additional prizes will also be on offer for teams who top the weekly scoreboards. The tournament brings together the best of the best with GameShadows’ significant following, Fasthosts world class hosting services and epic.LAN providing the gaming software and administering the tournament.

Mark Townsend, CEO of GameShadow commented: “We believe that this will be a thrilling battle with some of the best gamers around the UK teaming up to win not only a cash prize but also recognition in the gaming community. We are excited to be working with epic.LAN and Fasthosts, and are grateful to them for providing the support we need for such a substantial tournament. We can’t wait for the action to start.”

Steve Holford, Marketing Director of Fasthosts, stated: “We are delighted to support this inaugural GameShadow Battles tournament. It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase to the gaming community the quality, performance and value of our range of hosted services and servers. Over a million customers rely on us every day to provide their websites, email and other online services, and as such this is a natural development and one we are delighted to partner with GameShadow and epic.LAN on.”

Jon Winkle, Managing Director at epic.LAN, commented: “We’re really excited to be involved in an online tournament on this scale. We hope that the gaming community will turn out in their droves. With the prizes on offer, it should be an unmissable opportunity for any gamer.”

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