An Interesting Squidoo Lens: Making Money with Facebook

So I thought I would choose this Squidoo Lens because as most of the advertising class I am currently enrolled in is in the Marketing Program. It is always insightful to get a detailed look into the world of e-adveritsing and the way some consumers respond to Social Ads. A agree with the lens that a lot of people just jump into the world of advertising without doing a lot of research beforehand. This detailed lens explains very well how you can accomplish making money on Facebook, with different steps and tips to ensure you have success.

This lens gives Marketers and normal business owners a good description and look into how Social Ads can really a business a chance at expanding thier market and making sure they know who their real target market is. The lens goes into to even setting your budget, which some, may not even think about as they try and create an ad. The lens provides stats, applications and exactly how the Social Ad process runs. With technology advancing so rapidly, and people watching more tv and media online it is not a surprise that people are starting to use Facebook and other social Media Sites to target individual consumers.

The lens even provides websites to promote your product or some affiliate programs and networks that you can use very effectively with Social Ads. With the guy writing an actual book about how to making money with Facebook, I was at first worried that the lens would be full of detailed numbers, and be too focused. However, I was mistaken and it used numbers effectively with it slowly explaining them in each paragraph and the language was not highly business professional. The lens basically sums up everything you need to know, and does not waste time explaining the gritty details. It was a well presented and detailed lens that got straight to the point, and provided some useful information that almost any person could use.

Ed Hardy Snowboarding? This must be one sick joke

So I just found out that Ed Hardy now has its own snowboard company. What has this industry been reduced to, when almost any company can now slap a brand name on a snowboard, and think they can start making boards. What happened to real companies like Step Child, FourSquare, Nomis, or Salomon.

I said the same thing when I saw that Quiksilver and Roxy were making snowboards. Clothing companies should not think just because they make clothes for the sport, they assume they can build boards. The Quiksilver and Roxy boards I saw last year, were very low quality, and should not have been stocked by retailers. No "real" snowboarder would ever buy an ed hardy snowboard. Its just not right. They are not there to support snowboarding, but just to make a profit and have no intention of supporting the industry or its riders.

The person buying an Ed Hardy snowboard is someone who is going to a hill maybe once or twice a year, and think that by riding this kind of board it will automatically make them amazing. They are trying to "dress to impress" with their board and usually have no ability to back it up. They just want to show off they have the newest thing, and just want to go with the trend. Real snowboarders know its not about following, its about developing your own style and not always following the trends. You can be your own trend setter, and this is why I am going to do whatever it takes to deter any of my friends, or basically anyone I know from buying an Ed Hardy snowboard.

Toronto Ski, Snowboard and Travel Show

On October 15, 2009, once again the annual Toronto Ski, Snowboard, and Travel Show will take place at the Better Living Building, at Exhibition Place. The first time I attended this show was when I was just getting into snowboarding 6 years ago. Not a lot has changed, except a few more vendors.

Each year I look more forward to the snowboard show each as I have increasingly became more interested every year, to see the new technology, preview the latest movies, and just see what the new and exciting trends are. If you take a real look around you can find some pretty awesome deals. Board packages starting at 300 dollars, where if you went to a retailer such as Sporting Life you could barely get the board for that price. I have seen people become savages trying to find the right size or try to bargin down a price of a board to less than nothing. Every see I am amazed, although by now I should have got used to it.

Its a fun experience if you go with some buddies, and have something in mind that you want to get. Its basically a massive shopping centre, and you just don't look right if you do not purchase something. I ended up purchasing Oakley Polorized A-Frames for around 70 dollars where they would normally retail for 160 dollars. You can find almost anything related to snowboarding, and I mean anything. Its awesome to be able to meet pro's, get free swag (promo movies, stickers, decals for boards, magazines) all for the soul purpose of getting people involved in the ski/snowboard culture. So hopefully you guys will take my advice and attend this years show.

Cheers

Ben Belluz-Avid Snowboarder

Forum's Snowboard Team: Amazing?

This year, Forum Snowboarders is putting up yet again a very strong roster of riders. Watching the trailer for Forums new snowboard film, Forum Forever, further impressed me that tier team is almost unbeatable in style and performance. Pat Moore, Eddie Wall, Jake Welch,Peter Line, Stevie Bell and Nic Sauve, just to name a few.

To be able to snowboard with one of these pro's is still a dream of mine. If I was to die tomorrow and only had one opportunity to do whatever, I would spend a day in the back-country of Alaska, Utah, or B.C with the Forum Snowboard Team. They really inspired me to snowboard when I was first getting interested in snowboarding. One of the first movies I saw of the team was That!, and I still watch it from time to time for both motivation and inspiration.

I think all snowboarders should have a form of motivation to snowboard. Following a particular person in snowboard, you can pick up their sense of riding and style, which sometimes can improve your performance and overall make you a better snowboarder. Just going through Snowboard Canada and looking at pictures of the Forum Team performing stunts, just makes me want to get out of the house and drive for days until I find an actual mountain to snowboard on. So here is to the next Forum Film ensuring everyone that it if its like Forum or Against Em', its going to be absolutely amazing.

Cheers,

Ben Belluz

Can Winter Come any Sooner For Snowboarders?

December 22^nd, the first official day of winter. Almost any snowboarder you talk to has that day marked on the calendar, waiting for that chance to break out their snowboard and hit the local slope. For some Winter comes early, if you live in Alberta or British Columbia, where it starts snowing in October, and there is already a 80 ft base at an ACTUAL mountain. But, I cannot just step outside and head to Sunshine Mountain, instead us Ontario boarders are left with anthills like Blue Mountain and Mount St. Louis.

So every year, it feels like it takes Winter forever to get here. Eventually you start seeing kids getting desperate and going to the rinks and grabbing snow just to imagine themselves enjoying the season. I got the chance last year to attend a pre-winter snowboarding session with some friends at Centennial hill where a rail was set up so we could grind on it with our boards. Needless to say it took about 20 pick-up trucks of hockey rink snow just to get an alright base to slide on, in case we decided to bail. It feels like every year we are trying to speed up the process. Wearing our puffy snowboard jackets in spring, waxing our bases in the fall, or molding your boots year around for that perfect fit. Why cannot a huge indoor snowboard park that can survive the sweltering heat of the summer exist for all year around? Wait, there is one, in a shopping mall in DUBAI!!!!

However, in all of this, nothing can beat that first chair lift up to your local snowboard hill, with some buddies, a little bit of tunes, and that feeling of snow beneath your board. Snowboarding is just one of those things, that is the ultimate relaxation. I will take a vacation to go backcountry snowboarding over any beach in the world any day. If the winter was like last year, we are in for some good conditions. So snowboarders get your boards tuned, your goggles cleaned, and find those lost gloves, because it is shaping up to be yet another awesome winter.

Cheers,

Ben Belluz- Avid Snowboarder