Archive for July 9th, 2009

July 9, 2009: 5:28 pm: CraigBusiness

A reputation is an important thing in the world. In your personal life, it tells people that you are either loyal or untrustworthy. In your business, it really is everything. If you get some bad reviews people could be less likely to pick your company for services.

It is becoming increasingly more important to have online reputation management, and not only for your business. If you are the face of your business, it’s important that when a consumer types your name into a search engine that the results come up positive. It’s the newest way to use search engine optimization services in your favor.

Using these types of services will help people come by the website of your business. Say a Chicago Web design company is looking to rank higher on a search engine.  They would employ a company that performs these types of services to make their name rank higher on a search engine when someone types a word, often called a keyword, into the search engine. And because people are more likely to click a link on the first page of a search engine, they would rank higher, and the hope is have more business than their competitor.

Brand management is not a new concept, but brand management on the internet is. And it can be a bit trickier than the traditional brand management of the past. Since anyone can write anything on the internet, it is an information wasteland where the truth can be easily masked by someone who feels they were wronged by a company.

This type of online marketing is not much different than the traditional public relations practices that have been used for centuries, it’s just that everyone in the world can use the internet and the information is no vast and broad. It’s a good thing to think about and take into consideration when running a business of any kind.

: 4:01 pm: CraigArts & Culture, Beauty, Travel

Okay so you have fallen in love and now it’s time to make a commitment. Good job grown-ups. Now it’s just time to decide where and how you will tie the knot with your soon to be life-long partner.  There are a number of ways to get married and they are as varied as the kind of dresses the bride can pick from.

You could get married in a very small affair at city hall, or you could do a lavish affair with hundreds of guests! It all depends on what the couple wants and what they think they should have for a wedding.

Really, some of the most storied weddings are small and take place in amazing locations.  Like how amazing would it be to get married in Kauai? So amazing right. Well, it could be more affordable than you think it is. Kauai travel deals can be found these days because less people are using their extra income to travel and especially to locales that are notoriously draining to the wallet.

Kauai hotels sometimes offer wedding packages and there are a number of consultant services you can use as well. Consultants will plan your wedding down to the very last detail so all you have to do is basically show up and get married. Which is really how getting married should be.

If you are planning a smaller wedding with only a few guests, they might be pretty eager to take a Kauai vacation right about now, and building a wedding into their trip would be a fun way to spend time together.

Just make sure you give your guests some options and don’t be offended if they can’t make it. Remember that times are still tough and people do not have as much extra cash as they used to.  A wedding is a happy time and having it in Hawaii would bring countless beautiful memories.

: 11:39 am: CraigNature, Travel

I took an expedition to Kings Park and spent around 4 hours checking out the sights and sounds. I only managed to cover 10 percent of the park in those 4 hours, that’s how big it is. King’s Park Botanical Gardens covers approximately 401 hectares. I was unaware of that when I left my room were I booked a week with at one of the Perth Hotels Australia. The concierges only told me that it’s a must see before I leave the country.

While in the park I saw an number of people having fun and enjoying the park. Couples, parents, singles sitting under a tree reading a book, kids running around wildly and me. One thing that stood out for me was how friendly everyone seemed to be. People would walk past me saying Hi and couples stopping to help me figure out what I need to see here and what I don’t need to bother with. Back in New York, that would never happen, ever. What a pleasant surprise and how refreshing, really.

There was plenty of facilities at Kings Park like undercover picnic tables, but what was odd about that was the coin operated BBQ pits. Later on, I found out that the toilets are coin operated too. Glad I had coins. I needed a rest after only being at the park for about 45 minutes. I found a nice tree to sit under on the grass, it was a huge Gum tree. It was a good spot because I could watch an assortment of beautiful fountains which were in a small lake, apparently that was apart of the water garden. It was peaceful just sitting at the park surrounded by beauty and listening to the songs of the birds.

I finally got up and checked out the outstanding collection of Australia’s flora. Nearly two-thirds of the park consists of natural bushland and endemic birds species. My concierge was right, this park is amazing. A beautiful balance of cultivated gardens, open recreational areas and a water garden. When I got back to my room, I immediately called up the concierge to thank them.