One of my favorite places on earth will be getting a lot of positive attention starting later this month when “Survivor” begins filming its 21st season in and around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Then, for 14 weeks this fall, some 13 million U.S. households will tune in to CBS every Wednesday night to watch 20 Survivorists tromp around the Nicaraguan jungles.

This is a big deal for a little country like Nicaragua. I’ve seen the effects of this kind of thing in the past. When “Temptation Island,” for example, aired its Isla Bonita season filmed on Ambergris Caye, Belize, suddenly, overnight, this outpost of divers and fishermen was a household name.

The Temptation Island Effect created a new and higher-end (US$1 million-plus) market on this formerly unnoticed Caribbean island, the vestiges of which I viewed recently. All along Ambergris’ white-sand coast today are condo developments built to supply the Temptation Island viewers who, having been introduced to this island paradise in prime time, wanted to claim a little piece of it for themselves. How cool it became to be able to say, “I’m going down to spend a week on the beach at my place on Ambergris Caye…you know, the island off Belize where ‘Temptation Island’ was filmed…”
Continue reading “The Survivor Effect–It Couldn’t Happen To A More Deserving Spot”

Advertising, Social Media Marketing Training, Social NetworkingLeave a comment

Clubv3 Launches Social Media Strategy Agency Mushbloom

July 26, 2010July 27, 2010 Admin

Douglas, Isle of Man

Isle of Man-based social network games and media specialist Clubv3 today announced the launch of its dedicated social media strategy agency, Mushbloom and the website www.mushbloom.com.

Clubv3 is a leading developer and publisher of social network games. Having grown from the initial two directors to a team of over 25 people in the Isle of Man, UK, Romania, Ukraine, USA, the Philippines and China, Social Media Strategist Adrian Niculescu has now joined the team to build the Mushbloom brand and client base.

Social media strategy is the term used for a company’s and/or brand’s management of its presence on online social media platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Linkedin and many others, as well as the use of blogs and virtual goods applications (including games) on the internet. Continue reading “Clubv3 Launches Social Media Strategy Agency Mushbloom”

Real Estate Investments, retire overseas1 Comment

Back Home In The City Of Light

July 26, 2010July 24, 2010 Admin

We’re moving slowly this morning.

After about 18 hours of travel, we arrived at Charles de Gaulle to find (quelle surprise) the French airport workers were en greve (that is, on strike). We waded through hundreds of people to make it to the immigration line…where we waited more than an hour to be admitted to the country.

Then, outside, we joined those same hundreds of people waiting for taxis to take us all into the city.

Then, on the highway…mon dieu…rush-hour traffic. Another hour-and-a-half later, we arrived finally at the little apartment on rue de Verneuil that the kids, traveling with us, remember as home.
Continue reading “Back Home In The City Of Light”

Advertising, AttitudesLeave a comment

The Hundred Thousand Dollar Dentist Visit: Money From Viral

July 25, 2010 Admin

A seven-year-old kid goes to the dentist to have a tooth removed and feels woozy as the anaesthetic gradually wears off. Dad records his kid’s verbal ramblings for two minutes. Video ends up on YouTube in January 2009. It goes viral.

Just over a year later the Dad has a thriving internet business off the back of one video shot on a camera phone. True story.

Who are these people? Where did they come from? What was the dad’s motive for filming his son in this state? And how did this translate into a hundred thousand dollar money-making marketing venture?! Let’s find out.

First, somewhat confusingly, father and son have the same name: David DeVore. So, from this point on, we’ll call them David Sr and David Jr. The DeVore’s are from Orlando, Florida and David Sr’s line of work revolved around real estate.

What was the inspiration?

David Jr had been suffering from hyperdontia– the presence of an extra tooth. David Sr filmed the footage to reassure his wife (who was involved in a meeting) that the dental procedure had gone to plan and there was no reason to be unduly concerned. He posted his findings (to his friends’ amusement) on Facebook, and then later on YouTube. His. Very. First. Post.
Continue reading “The Hundred Thousand Dollar Dentist Visit: Money From Viral”

Real Estate, Real Estate Investments, Today A Better Day Than YesterdayLeave a comment

How To Get The Best Deal On Every Global Real Estate Investment You Make

July 25, 2010July 24, 2010 Admin

A friend in Europe called this week to ask if I thought my Marketwatch members would be interested in bank foreclosure deals in Mediterranean countries. My friend has been active as a broker and developer in Spain and Croatia for more than a dozen years and has contacts elsewhere in Europe, as well.

I assured him that, yes, this is the kind of opportunity I’m keen to bring my Marketwatch members, and I’m reviewing details for a forthcoming Marketwatch report now.

The kinds of extreme bargains my Euro-market contact is telling me about are available in many markets right now. The key is locating them. You won’t find these kinds of deals on the Internet. You have to have “boots on the ground,” as they say, either your own or those of a reliable contact (like my friend), someone active in the market where you’re shopping.
Continue reading “How To Get The Best Deal On Every Global Real Estate Investment You Make”

Attitudes, Social Media Marketing Training, Social Networking2 Comments

Banking Web 2.0 – How the major card issuers look at Social Media phenomenon?

July 25, 2010July 25, 2010 Admin

“We watched various brands and companies within our industry and elsewhere struggle, sometimes fail, to achieve their objective, which is always to get closer to the customer, to know more, to create a relationship” – Mike Boush, Vice President of E-Business, Discover Financial Services

The market’s major card brands issuers search all the time new ways of using social media sites to capture market intelligence and to promote their products and services. In the traditional marketing and advertising they couldn’t interact with customers so the social media sites are like the Alladin’s lamp fulfilling their wishes about finding out how the customers think. US Magazine Payments Source published this year an analysis of the way how the major card issuers are using social media to build awareness and sales.

Discover
Discover started the web 2.0 journey with the “Insider Discover” blog offering advices to consumers. Among the subjects were covered: mobile applications for account management, tips on choosing card designs, rewards and terms, student loans. Discover created another blog “I Love Cashback Bonus” where cardholders share tales about how they spent their rewards. Both blogs were started in 2009 and linked with the Discovery Facebook page; Continue reading “Banking Web 2.0 – How the major card issuers look at Social Media phenomenon?”

Training & CoachingLeave a comment

This is great info if you have tons of info to process

July 24, 2010 Admin

Can’t remember where you placed your car keys again? Already forgotten what you read just a few minutes ago?

Such situations often lead adults to conclude they’re on a downward spiral, that their aging brains just aren’t as agile as they used to be.

Neural connections that convey information do weaken with age and disuse, reports New York Times health editor Barbara Strauch. However, contrary to popular belief, research shows your brain can continue to develop as you grow older, building neural connections that help you recognize patterns, better see the “big picture,” and achieve deeper understanding of complex issues.
Continue reading “This is great info if you have tons of info to process”

Attitudes, Great Places For Holidays And Investments, Investments, Real Estate, Real Estate Investments1 Comment

How To Maximize Your Returns In One Of The World’s Most Solid Rental Yield Markets

July 24, 2010 Admin

The rental market in Paris has shifted. Last year, when the euro was strong, tourism was down. The short-term rental market suffered.

Today, the Greenback has about 20% more buying power in this part of the world than it did a year ago. Tourism is up sharply, and short-term rentals are back in demand.

Meantime, thanks to la crise, as the French refer to it, many apartment owners in this city have been struggling. With fewer tourists on the scene over the past 18 months or so, landlords did what they could to attract long-term tenants. Business people flow steadily through this city, often with their families in tow during their 3-, 6-, or 12-month placements. More apartment owners fighting to attract a piece of this executive rental pool has translated into falling pricing. Mid- and long-term rental rates are down and more competitive than they’ve been in a long time.
Continue reading “How To Maximize Your Returns In One Of The World’s Most Solid Rental Yield Markets”

Real Estate Investments, retire overseasLeave a comment

The Other Key To Making Your Retire Overseas Dreams Come True

July 24, 2010 Admin

After cost of living and housing, the question of foreign residency options is a key one to consider as you make your retire-overseas plans.

The truth is, not every country welcomes foreign residents or retirees, and, in those that do, the requirements for qualifying for residency status vary greatly. Furthermore, some countries (for example, Panama) offer many different options for establishing permanent residency.

A local attorney can detail all the possibilities for you, and, in most cases, I recommend you use a local attorney to process the associated paperwork for the visa you choose to apply for. It’s worth the minimal expense, and it saves you the effort of trying to wade through the related red tape in a foreign language. In some cases (again, in Panama, for example), an attorney’s help is not only advisable but required.
Continue reading “The Other Key To Making Your Retire Overseas Dreams Come True”

Great Places For Holidays And Investments, Investments, Real Estate, Real Estate Investments1 Comment

Your Second Home In France (Could Cost As Little As 45,000 Euro)

July 10, 2010July 1, 2010 Admin

“Last evening,” writes France Correspondent Lucy Culpepper, “we sat in the spring sunshine on the main square in Cessenon-sur-Orb watching the swallows dipping and diving over the roof tiles. “As the family relaxed, I took a look in the window of the local real estate agent’s office. He has some interesting small ‘vacation’ homes on the market. If you are contemplating France as a second or even third home, these could be of interest. “For example, I saw a listing for an 80-square-meter village* stone house with a wonderful view toward the river and the mountains of the Haut Languedoc, … Continue reading Your Second Home In France (Could Cost As Little As 45,000 Euro)

Great Places For Holidays And Investments, Investments, Real Estate, Real Estate InvestmentsLeave a comment

The Languedoc Versus The Béarn–Contrasting The Glories Of French Country Springtime

July 10, 2010July 1, 2010 Admin

“I’m over in the Languedoc region of the ‘other’ south of France,” writes Correspondent from that country Lucy Culpepper. “As we drove from the Béarn in the Pyrenees Atlantic department on the west coast of France to the Languedoc department on the east, following the line of the Pyrenees Mountains, I was particularly struck, this springtime, by the contrast of the two regions. The early maize is starting to poke through the dark chocolate-colored Atlantic Pyrenees soils; it is verdant and abundantly green with every type of deciduous tree coming into leaf. “As we drove east, the soils gradually changed … Continue reading The Languedoc Versus The Béarn–Contrasting The Glories Of French Country Springtime