Combine
social networking and travel deals, and you get BestTravelDeals.net,
a clever and useful site launched by Propel Media, which gives travel providers
and community members a unique platform for sharing news of and links to
the best travel deals.
The site is free to use and
allows members to share and vote on the best travel deals, as well as providing
a way for smaller travel providers to reach the public with their travel
offerings. The result helps the traveler find great travel deals.
BestTravelDeals.net is the brainchild of Mary Song, the founder of Rent101.com
and print publication Beach Houses Magazine. Rent101.com was acquired by
Austin Ventures in 2005 and became HomeAway.com. Song stayed on with HomeAway
to serve as their Global Online Strategist after the acquisition. Her knowledge
in travel has allowed her to create a site that is not only innovative,
but also something the travel consumer has been looking for. "Down markets
are full of opportunities and social travel deals are an unserved niche,"
said Mary Song, founder of BestTravelDeals.net. "Millions of travelers
each month are searching for the best travel deals but may not always know
a good deal from a bad deal. BestTravelDeals.net answers that question
by allowing the entire travel community to share, vote on and review travel
deals allowing the best deals to rise to the top. BestTravelDeals.net has
tapped into the collective wisdom of the entire travel market to help travelers
and suppliers achieve their goals...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 7/9/09
CleanSolarLiving.com,
the web's top resource for consumers looking to install solar panels on
their homes, also is helping the solar industry grow by helping individuals
learn how to become solar panel installers. If you’re interested
in a career in solar panel installation the site has just launched a new
section with helpful information. And once you're ready, the site
offers free solar classifieds to post your availability or to find solar
installer jobs. Solar Panel installation is one of the more unique professions
in that it requires both electrical and roofing trade skills. This
combination of skills is not very common, which is one reason job opportunities
for solar panel installers very strong right now, and the demand for solar
installers is expected to experience strong growth over the next 10 years.
With new federal and state tax incentives, and new initiatives such as
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), funding for solar panels
is also becoming more readily available. In May, President Barack Obama
announced
over $467 million from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act will
be used to expand and accelerate the development, deployment, and use of
geothermal and solar energy...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 7/2/09
GameFly.com,
the leading online video game rental service, announced today the launch
of their new website,
Ponged.com (www.ponged.com).
The free online video game site offers
access to over 500 fun and unique games spanning seven different genres,
including action, strategy and shooter.
“With the launch of Ponged.com,
our goal is to provide all players with an extensive library of great games
hand-picked by our staff of hardcore gamers,” said Sean Spector,
Co-Founder and SVP, Business Development and Content. “Ponged.com
provides the best Flash games out there, free of charge.” Unlike other
Flash games sites, Ponged.com provides a richer gaming experience by allowing
players to play games full-screen and provides a “boss button,” which conceals
game play from prying eyes. Ponged.com also brings Flash gaming to
two major consoles by targeting games playable via the web browsers on
the Wii and PS3. In addition to these innovative features, Ponged members
are able to find their friends online, jump into a game that a friend is
visiting, and play while chatting in real time...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 6/29/09
With
the current economy, consumers are benefiting more than ever from online
discounts and savings. The demand for free stuff, online giveaways, free
samples (freebies), and coupons on the web has skyrocketed.
There are hundreds of companies
giving away free stuff, whether for promotional reasons, political, educational,
or even religious incentives. Some of the offers include free
product samples, or purely promotional items (pens, books, bumper stickers,
posters, software, and DVDs). Printable grocery
coupons are also quite popular.
As consumers seek out web sites
offering coupons, product samples and free stuff, they can easily become
frustrated by the process. Using a search engine to find free
offers can be an exercise in futility, with many of the links leading to
offers that are no longer available, expired, or even deceptive.
Another option for the consumer
looking for great offers is an online savings community site, such as MySavings.com.
MySavings.com aggregates thousands of different offers and lists them in
an organized directory. Free stuff links are also categorized, and
consumers can rate and review the offers, creating a consumer-to-consumer
feedback...click to
read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 6/24/09
Ravinia
Reading Center, a local reading center in a suburb of Chicago, IL intends
to help inform and encourage parents of struggling readers by publishing
credible answers in a series of informative articles by Dr. Holly Shapiro.
Dr Shapiro, Ravinia’s director, is a long-time phonics expert and speech
language pathologist with a Ph.D. in Learning Disabilities. Headlining
the new website, which launched in May, is a water-color flash experience,
guiding concerned parents through “The Struggle to Read.” The interactive
journey begins learning about the nature of dyslexia
and reading difficulty. From there, parents can learn how children
build new language skills like phonics and phonemic awareness, to finally
achievie reading fluency. “The struggle to read is different for each child,
but it’s always an uphill climb” says Ravinia Reading Center Executive
Director Dr. Holly Shapiro. “Reading is a marvelously complicated
skill and takes work to master. Literate adults take it for granted.
They just need a reminder.”
In addition to the interactive
feature, Dr. Shapiro has published in-depth articles on the site, including
a reading primer for parents. Professionals in education and reading
intervention may also find the article on reading fluency as a comprehension
strategy a worthwhile read. Most of the site’s content is focused on addressing
common misunderstandings about dyslexia, and guiding parents to substantive,
peer-reviewed dyslexia
resources. “We just want to make sure parents get on the right
path to help their children read fluently,” said Dr. Shapiro. “There
are a lot of reputable programs and providers that provide dyslexia help.“
Reading intervention providers, along with educational publications, are
welcome to submit their websites for inclusion in Ravinia’s online dyselxia
resources. Dr. Shapiro personally reviews and edits the directory
to ensure its quality. Users can also turn to Ravinia’s Reading Blog for
answers. The blog launched June 1st and invites visitors across the
nation to “Ask a Speech-Language Pathologist” at Ravinia questions about
reading intervention, programs and dyselxia. The dyslexia experts
at Ravinia are even willing to offer personal guidance, privately via email...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 6/22/09
The
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has launched a new website
to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first
moon landing and President Kennedy’s grand vision that made that achievement
possible. WeChooseTheMoon.org, http://www.wechoosethemoon.org,
went live at 9:32 a.m. on July 16th, 2009 – exactly 40 years to the minute
after the historic launch. The site, powered by AOL, recreates Apollo 11’s
lunar mission, minute by minute, with an interactive experience that lets
visitors experience the mission as it happened, using archival audio, video,
photos and “real time” transmissions. People interested in experiencing
the virtual recreation of Apollo 11 can pre-register to receive event email
reminders and get regular “real time” updates during the four-day mission
in July. Additionally, users will be able to follow the event on Twitter
and through new AOL programming features coming at http://news.aol.com.
“This site represents a unique opportunity for viewers to ‘go back in time’
and experience one of mankind’s most amazing achievements,” said Tom Putnam,
director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. “From
actual mission audio transmissions and archival video to mission factoids
and news reels, visitors to WeChooseTheMoon.org will be able to track every
step of the Apollo 11 mission, as it happened, 40 years later. “We’re incredibly
thankful to AOL for powering the site and promoting it across their extensive
online network, and for our 15-year agency partner, The Martin Agency,
for dreaming up this inspiring concept,” Putnam said. “Students, historians
and anyone who finds space exploration fascinating are in for a treat at
WeChooseTheMoon.org.”...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 6/18/09
It's
a classic sports story: the overpaid, underachieving team drafts a promising
rookie and suddenly they start to look like a real threat to the long-time
contenders. Software dynasty Microsoft has unveiled its promising rookie
search engine. It's named "Bing", and it's touted as being more accurate
and user-friendly than current opposition. Although Bing is still barely
out of training camp, many search experts are speculating that it might
just be enough to bring Microsoft out of third place in the US search standings-
ahead of Yahoo, but still behind Google. Never one to miss out on competitive
action, BetUS Online Sportsbook is announcing that they will be taking
bets on the search engine race. Odds are available on a variety of search-related
props. Will Microsoft Bing be in 2nd place for market share by the end
of 2009? Will Google acquire Yahoo? Which of the big three will be the
first out of the gate with a real answer to Twitter’s popular real-time
search? Sports betting fans and search
enthusiasts can place their bets on any of these and more. Here are the
odds as of June 11th 2009:
Will Bing surpass Yahoo for
2nd overall in the US search market on December 31st? Bing 2nd on December 31st 6/5
Yahoo 2nd on December 31st
5/9
Will Yahoo be bought by December
31st 2009? Microsoft 3/2
Google 3/1
Neither 1/3
First to offer real-time
search? Google 1/4
Yahoo! 9/2
Bing 3/2
Will Bing rank 1st in Google's
search results for "search engine"? Yes 10/1
Those looking for the inside
scoop on how to read the betting odds, where to wager, and where to get
the latest search engine stats should have a look at the Bing
vs Yahoo article in the BetUS Locker Room. Let the search engine games...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 6/11/09
FormLogix
form
builder provides businesses as well as individuals with an online solution
for data collection, management and analysis. You can get a taste of this
user friendly web tool at http://www.formlogix.com. “We believe that web
forms constitute a powerful tool and should be available to all” says Benny
Tsabba, Founder & CEO, FormLogix. "People who have no programming
skills or have a small budget should also have the ability to create online
forms in an easy an cost effective way- this is exactly why we created
this web form builder. I believe that our tool is especially important
in this period of economic cutbacks, since it provides a low cost (and
excellent) service for small and large businesses alike. We are a customer
service oriented company and make it our job to tend to our users’ problems
and requests. Keeping in constant contact with our users helps us understand
their growing needs, develop exciting new features and keep up with this
competitive market’s demands”.
The FormLogix form builder allows
users to create an endless variety of forms: contact forms, surveys and
polls, questionnaires, feedback and support forms, online invitations,
order and purchase forms, registration forms, etc. With FormLogix
the form creation process is extremely simply and requires no programming
skills whatsoever. Using WYSIWYG drag and drop motions and not imposing
any rigid layouts FormLogix enables a very flexible form design (elements
may be dragged and dropped anywhere on the design area). Once data is entered
in the form, the account owner automatically receive a data entry alert
(email form) and can manage and
analyze it in the FormLogix data management report tool. Advanced Filters
and charts are available as well as data import and various export options.
FormLogix.com is a leading online web form builder that was developed by
Benny Tsabba and Amy Weinberg and launched in 2006. This form builder is
a unique technology that automates and simplifies the process of web databases
and web forms creation. The form generator was designed to shorten the
time of web form development from days to minutes...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 6/8/09
JCEarrings.com
now offers the web's first matching service for popular handcrafted Jody
Coyote earrings. More than 38 million pairs of Jody Coyote earrings
have been produced in the last 30 years by the Jody Coyote company.
In so doing, the company developed proprietary techniques to manufacture
their distinctive and handcrafted designs, meaning a lost earring cannot
be replaced with one from a different manufacturer. Jody Coyote has
always classified its earrings by style number only, not by name, so JCEarrings
offers color categories to make searching easy. If JCEarrings can't replace
a lost earring, they put the request in their proprietary database and
match it against incoming stock.
Since Jody Coyote earrings are
often given as gifts, people are genuinely thrilled and relieved to find
a new earring to complete the pair. Charleen Larson, JCEarrings
customer service manager, actively combs the United States and Canada for
new old stock and vintage
Jody Coyote earrings. "Every pair of beaded hoops or dragonfly
drop earrings represents a potential solution to someone's problem," she
says. "With gift shops and department stores closing, there are ample opportunities
to round up these "solutions" and bring them to one central location on
the Internet". The JCEarrings.com site offers jewelry care tips, as well
as factoids about the legacy of the Jody Coyote company, which is perhaps
the last of the large jewelry designers to produce most of its wares in
the United States. JCEarrings is the only site ever to attempt to
catalog past and present Jody Coyote earring styles, and is visited daily
by people hoping to learn more about this mysterious person Jody Coyote.
"The number one question I get is `Are you Jody Coyote?'" Ms. Larson laughs.
"I tell them `No, but I hope you'll let me help you anyway...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 6/5/09
Site founder Mike Weimar
commented
“our solar installer finder allows users to submit some brief information
on their solar energy needs and in return get connected with up to four
solar professionals ready to serve their specific needs. It’s free
and saves time and money for anyone looking to get started with a solar
project.” CleanSolarLiving.com includes all the information you need to
understand solar energy in its multiple forms and get going with a PV solar
electric, solar hot water, or other solar energy project. The “How
To” section includes a money and time saving checklist for managing
solar contractors, very detailed tips on locating your installation, and
a section on dealing with government regulations and building codes. The
rooftop
design section of CleanSolarLiving.com discusses the ins and outs of
roof types, roof angles, and building locations and how to choose a PV
solar solution that is optimal for your installation. The
solar success
stories section provides real-life case studies of Solar energy installations
including the motivations for installing a solar electric (PV solar) system,
and details of the project from both a technical and economic standpoint.
The residential
solar case studies also highlite any surprises (good or bad) and the
final result of the...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 5/29/09
Earlier...
Technology
Stocks News Aggregator Tech Investor News Launched Tech
Investor News (http://www.techinvestornews.com),
a website that delivers total news
aggregation for technology stock investors, goes live today. This always-updating
site delivers complete tech sector news aggregation, plus company-specific
aggregators for the top 20 technology stocks. Tech Investor News is designed
to be the definitive source for tech sector financial news. It is also
a gateway to a network of company-specific news aggregators for the top
20 technology stocks: AAPL, GOOG, MSFT, INTC, IBM, HPQ, RIMM, CSCO, ORCL,
DELL, QCOM, AMD, AMAT, ADBE, EMC, PALM, YHOO, EBAY, AMZN, and NOK.
“Tech Investor News is the single
aggregation source for investors who want all their technology sector news
in one, always-updating website,” says Frank Cioffi, founder, editor
and publisher. “It is a vertical aggregator built for professionals, businesspeople
and the uber-enthusiast, audiences who need more than just the top stories
on a given day.” Tech Investor News uses a process called Intelligent
News Search, which uses complex filters to place headlines into relevant
and useful categories. Our main TIN site aggregates headlines from thousands
of sources into 16 categories including The Internet, Semiconductors, Hardware,
Software, Mobile & Wireless, The Cloud, Consumer Tech & Gadgets
and others. Human editors continually update and refine the search filters
that drive the site’s news selection engine, making the results more accurate
than 100% automated aggregators. Headlines are always updating, all day,
every day. The sites auto-refresh every 15 minutes. Tech Investor
News also offers 20 company-specific news aggregation sites for the top
technology stocks, providing investors and professionals with a complete
news drill-down. Each company site also clusters headlines into categories.
Apple Investor News, for example, has 23 news categories including AAPL
Analysts, Rumors + Industry Dialogue, Apple iPod + iPhone, Apple Mac Computers,
Steve Jobs, Apple vs. Microsoft and others. “Tech Investor News has figured
out how to make news aggregation sites that are really relevant and comprehensive,"
says David Bunnell, technology entrepreneur, founder of Macworld
and PC World, and former chairman of Upside Media. "It presents it all
in a way that makes complete sense to me. I've been investing in
Apple stock for years and can't imagine how I did it without the use of
this fantastic resource.” Tech Investor News was founded by Frank Cioffi,
a former broadcast journalist and marketing communications veteran who
specializes in technology media and media relations...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 5/28/09
South
Africa Travel Site SA-Venues.com Unveils Major Redesign, New Content South Africa is a favorite
destination for North Americans looking for a completely different experience
-- from families who want to see elephants in their natural habitat, to
adventurous bird watchers, to globetrotting sports enthusiasts. South
Africa travel site http://www.SA-Venues.com
is one of South Africa's leading travel sites, and is greeting visitors
with thousands of newly redesigned pages offering a large searchable database
of tours, safaris, activities, and every kind of accommodation. The site
lets visitors quickly browse the most popular destinations, then gets specific
to discover the mountain top, remote safari lodge, wildlife adventure,
or luxurious hotel to match each individual's most demanding wishes. The
Kruger
National Park is a favorite with North Americans. The preserved 20,000
square kilometers feature lions, elephants, and an endless variety of exotic
animal and plant life. Recently fences have started coming
down to allow animals to roam much as they did centuries ago. "We give
you complete information on the many fabulous safaris and tours that give
you an up-close view of Kruger National Park," said Christine Searle
of SA-Venues.com. With a climate similar to America's Pacific Northwest,
the Cape Town area
features mountains with breath taking views, historic Robben Island where
Nelson Mandela and other notables were imprisoned, and the Cape Winelands
with its restored thatched roof homes. South Africa is currently preparing
for a huge influx of visitors who will be attending the FIFA 2010 World
Cup. Regarded as the most important sporting event in many parts
of the world, the World Cup will introduce millions to the wonders of South
Africa. "SA-Venues.com is poised to help visitors with a full range of
choices in South
Africa accommodations and activities to ensure...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 5/21/09
uv10.com’s ever-growing number
of pages include information on:
- Hand picked properties and
condo developments, chosen during the owners’ frequent trips around the
region
- Information on the country
as whole
- A current events news service
with original content updated daily
- Regional “travel” pages
- Brazil
Property Buyer’s Guide explaining the buying process
- Extensive Q&A page
- Pages reflecting the wide
coverage that uv10 has received in the press over the years.
uv10 is careful to offer only
very select products to its buyers, most of whom are entirely new to this
marketplace. The property pages give clear and concise information with
starting prices and a photo gallery of each project, as well as information
on the area it is in, local infrastructure, investment and rental potential
and so on. Many of the properties listed on uv10.com cannot be found anywhere
else. Because Brazil is one of the largest nations on earth it can overwhelm
those searching for property. uv10.com is designed to help people narrow
down the best areas for investment and the pages offer first-hand information
from the founders as well as maps of the north east region and other helpful
information. Uv10.com focuses on Natal and the village of Pipa and
advises potential investors on travel, what to see and do locally and so
on. uv10.com’s dedicated news and current affairs service is updated daily
by uv10.com journalists with original content. Once a week there is a special
feature article giving clients a real insight as to what is going on in
Brazil. Areas affecting the property market are of particular interest
...click to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 5/15/09
Building
Materials Site BuildDirect.com Launches Top Ten Lists Online
building materials manufacturer-wholesaler BuildDirect.com is providing
users with a real-time glimpse into the most popular products viewed, sampled,
rated, and sold via new feature live now on the site at http://www.builddirect.com/MostPopular.aspx
. "With thousands of people interacting with our site on a daily basis,
we wanted to find a way to provide users with a method to see what other
people liked, sampled, and purchased", said Jeff Booth, President
& CEO, BuildDirect. "We've been gathering this data for years, and
now, by giving our users a chance to see it live, play with it, and filter
it, that same data becomes a useful tool for our users during their decision
making process". The current Top Ten section allows users to view data
from the current week, past month, past three months and all time. For
example, this past week the top selling floor has been the Toklo 8 mm Collection
Laminate Flooring, but all time, the most purchased product has been Yanchi
Strand Woven Bamboo
Flooring. User ratings indicate people are particularly happy with
the Bamboo flooring options. A quick check of the Top
Ten highest rated floors of all time shows Bamboo floors in the top
5 positions. Bamboo is Eco Friendly, can go directly on concrete, even
below grade. Installation is also easy – it can be glued down, nailed down
or floated, and is less expensive than most hardwoods and harder than oak...click
to read more.
Posted
by Eric Ward on 5/11/09
CDC
Offers Swine Flu Information Center Web Site The ongoing outbreak of novel
influenza A (H1N1) continues to expand in the United States. CDC expects
that more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths from this outbreak
will occur over the coming days and weeks. CDC continues to take
aggressive action to respond to the expanding outbreak. CDC’s response
goals are to reduce spread and illness severity, and provide information
to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address
the challenges posed by this emergency. The CDC website will be updated
regularly as information becomes available. The CDC and the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services (HHS) are also working together to provide
consumers and partners with Swine
Flu Social Media Tools that access information about the ongoing 2009
H1N1 Flu outbreak. Visit the CDC.gov
2009 H1N1 Flu and PandemicFlu.gov
Web sites for information on 2009 H1N1 Flu. To encourage information
sharing, collaboration, and interactivity, CDC provides social media tools,
Widgets, mobile information, online videos and the like reinforce and personalize
messages, reach new audiences, and build a communication infrastructure
based on open information exchange. This is a rapidly evolving situation
and current guidance and other web content may contain variations in how
this new H1N1 virus of swine origin is referred to. Over the coming days
and weeks, these inconsistencies will be addressed, but in the interests
of meeting the agency's response goals, all guidance will remain posted
and new guidance will continue to be issued.
...click
to read more
Posted
by Eric Ward on 5/7/09
I created URLwire
in 1994 after a discussion with Jeff Bezos, who was looking for ways to
promote Amazon.com's site. It did the job.
URLwire
is a discreet and highly regarded news service for announcing meritorious
web content to the right people.
Sites announced
on URLwire must offer useful, unique, or educational content, or show off
the capabilities of the web.
URLwire
has subscribers/readers all over the world, and reaches hundreds of librarians,
researchers, site seekers and editors looking to be informed of quality
web content.
Each URLwire
site announcement is crawled by search engines and headline aggregators
including
Google,
MSN/Live,
Yahoo,
and
moreover.
Getting
your site on URLwire: I'm extremely selective. URLwire
is about quality, not quantity. If you feel your site has the right stuff,
learn
how to announce it
The advance
email version of URLwire is sent only to site reviewers, web picks editors,
and eNewsletter editors who cover the useful, unique and best of the Web.
Subscribe.
_____________
The
URLwire Effect: "Because of URLwire our site attracted
links from over 50 library based web sites. Incredible!" - American
Medical Association (AMA)
"Eric's skill at web site promotion
is legendary. We've been using his URLwire service since 1995, and on more
than one occasion had to work closely with our hosting service to keep
our servers up under the high traffic loads that resulted"
—A. Strycula,
CatsPlay.com
Cat Furniture
URLWIRE's
NEWEST SYNDICATOR
URLwire's site
announcements are now picked up by daylife
select
del.icio.us....
Socialize....How
to announce a site....URLwire
Archives....URLwire
home....Receive
URLwire
