website posts

Summer is the time for holidays, fun and for many of us, its wedding season.

June has traditionally been the chosen month for weddings, but July and August are now just as popular, and according to a recent survey, more people are getting married in the latter half of the year.

Guests need to consider the all-important gift. But is a cocktail shaker and set of martini glasses the right choice for your bestie? Does it feel right to buy your cousin a place setting of fine china when you know she doesn't cook?

Samba Days, an experiential gift website, offers suggestions that won't gather dust on the shelf.

Now that the holiday season is over, the organization begins. Back in the office, back in school and the daily schedule that eats up a lot of time of spare time.

I need to write some thank you notes - but when to find the spare 10 minutes to organize it?

Technology to the rescue with ThankThankNotes, a new website that helps you send a proper thank you note, but let's you keep your email/IM/text cred. The website has a template for you to fill in addresses and message (75 words or less), and choose a style of note.

Here's the perfect gift for that Mac user who is always talking about starting up their own mommy blog or foodie website but never actually taking action to get it underway.

These gift subscriptions from MacHighway include one year of new web hosting, email and a free domain name for the first year. I use MacHighway myself and have never had trouble with the service.

You can choose between the following:

Small Package: 30% off = $34.97 US

Medium Package: 40% off = $59.70 US

Large Package: 45% off = $82.23 US

Blog Package: 10% off = $22.46 US

Easy Package: 10% off = $35.55 US

The offers end on January 3, 2011.

Once upon a time all a small business needed to do in order to be found was to list their number in the YellowPages. Unfortunately, times have changed and a simple listing may not be enough to get the attention your business needs. These days it's all about websites and if your business does not have one, you could be missing out on customers.

Listing your business in the phone directory is still a smart idea. I can't remember the last time I flicked through a hard copy of a phone book (in fact, I think mine is still wrapped in plastic), but I, like most consumers, regularly use online searches such as Yellowpages.ca to track down businesses. The difference in this online age is that people are less likely to pick up the phone to ask you questions. If there's an option to find the sought-after information without punching numbers into a phone and possibly being placed on hold, the consumer will likely take that option. I know I do, and the Y Generation most certainly does. With 80% of Canadians regularly using the internet, a website - even the most basic one - has become essential for small business success.

Do wedding gifts make sense anymore? Friends of mine were actually giving things away when they got married because they had two of everything from their respective apartments before moving in together. As a result, when they got married they asked their guests to make a donation to their local children's hospital on their behalf instead of bringing a gift. They raised over $5,000.

Many others choose to do the same, whether it's for a special occasion or a challenge. These days, creating your own fundraiser for charity is actually quite an easy thing to do thanks to the internet.