RISING STAR ARLISSA WOWS LAKERS HOME OPENER WITH HER STUNNING RENDITION OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM!
WATCH HERE: http://youtu.be/XNS2MWrLxbU
WATCH ARLISSA PERFORM POWERFUL THE HATE U GIVE ANTHEM “WE WON’T MOVE” ON GMA DAY HERE: http://gma.abc/2yPEHIL
In a recent study conducted by GumGum, the world’s leading computer vision technology company, 61% of US respondents reported they would continue to keep spending on contextual advertising. So what is contextual advertising, and why is it so important?
Contextual advertising is a form of artificial intelligence with the goal of creating targeted advertisements for its consumers. The advertisements are selected by an automated system based on the user and the content they enjoy. This approach allows companies to be more specific about the content they distribute and helps them deliver emotionally relevant branded messages.
GumGum recognizes the power of artificial intelligence and contextual advertising. They are dedicated to extracting valuable information from the public and proprietary data sets to implement it for industries across the board. With this knowledge, GumGum with the help of The Drum Studios, decided to conduct a study on contextual advertising. By doing so, GumGum determined the overall growing interest of this type of targeted advertising and why it has become so valuable for businesses.
I wanted to see if you would be interested in connecting with an executive from GumGum to discuss the recent study on contextual advertising. They are also available to discuss the misconceptions of artificial intelligence and contextual advertising. For more information on this study watch, A Walk Down Contextual Lane created by GumGum.
The fact that technology never stops evolving is a double-edged sword. Innovations have allowed ecommerce merchants to sell to consumers via mobile devices, personalize product recommendations, and accept a flexible variety of payment gateways—all of which help strengthen bottom lines.
The flip side of this is the effort required to keep up with the latest advances. Just when you feel you’ve implemented a new tool or tweaked your website for the better, a new trend emerges.
As a result, the answer to the question “Is it time to revamp my ecommerce store?” is almost always yes. There’s always something you can do to improve your methods of doing business.
User Experience Is Key
First, consider your user experience (UX). When people visit your website, can they find what they need without hassle? Are you facilitating smooth forward and backward navigation? Are there any changes you can make to your layout or menu options to help speed up the customer’s journey?
Conduct an audit on your own website, paying close attention to navigation and design. Analyze visitor behavioral data to see where people are dropping out of your sales funnel—then turn to your website to see why that might be. Any hiccups or hurdles customers are experiencing may be enough to cause them to abandon their efforts, so this is a chance to eliminate friction and improve the overall UX.
While the simplest ecommerce definition is “conducting transactions online”, merchants must be aware of all of the processes that must occur before customers are ready to click “Confirm Purchase.” Only then do they take advantage of the opportunity to optimize the purchasing journey from start to finish.
Said simply, it’s always a good time to refine your UX.
Optimize Checkout to Reduce Cart Abandonment
It’s incredibly frustrating to discover how many consumers put items in shopping carts only to abandon the checkout process before completion. Shopping cart abandonment hovers somewhere around 70 percent these days. If your shoppers are bailing out before making a purchase, take a closer look at why they may be doing so to improve your site.
According to one survey, here are a handful of the top reasons for abandonment during checkout:
– Website required users to create an account (35 percent)
– The checkout process was too long or complicated (27 percent)
– Customers could not see or calculate their costs up front (24 percent)
– The merchant did not accept enough payment methods (8 percent)
The best ecommerce checkout processes are simple and flexible. Allow customers to check out as guests instead of scaring them off by requiring account creation. Show consumers where they are in the process with a progress bar. Be transparent with costs early in the process. Integrate a variety of secure, flexible payment methods with your platform so customers can conduct transactions their way.
Update Your Site Design
Website design has more to do with your bottom line than you may think. You want your web store to look great—perpetuating your brand personality—while also remaining highly functional. For example, fast loading is non-negotiable, as load times over a few seconds start to deter customers, especially on mobile.
Is it time to revamp your ecommerce store? Yes. But don’t panic yet. If you keep abreast of the latest trends and best practices, you’ll only have to make small tweaks as you go.
Now that we are in the midst of Holiday Gift Guide Season, we hope to put the new limited edition Cork Speaker from The Dreaming Tree wines (a California wine brand from winemaker Sean McKenzie and musician Dave Matthews) on your radar!
The first gift set of its kind, The Dreaming Tree Wines Cork Speaker is a limited-edition wine cork that also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, using the bottle to amplify sound, bringing your favorite music to life while simultaneously keeping your favorite wine flavorful! The perfect gift for music and wine lovers alike, The Dreaming Tree Wines Cork Speaker will be sold alongside a bottle of fan-favorite, award-winning Dreaming Tree Crush Red Blend, aptly named after the DMB hit, for an affordable $35.00.
Additionally, in continuation with The Dreaming Tree’s commitment to sustainability and environmental conservation, a portion of proceeds from the sale of the Cork Speaker will be donated to Living Lands and Waters and The Wilderness Society, which protect, preserve and restore our nation’s major rivers, watersheds, and forestry areas.
See the Video here: http://vimeo.com/289707546/2fd94febcb
Every business which goes digital today knows the dangers of spam and its possible impact on the website’s operations. While fake bots write bad reviews or give one’s site bad scorings, there are some heroes ready to save your online presence from being a nightmare. These heroes are nothing else but the anti-spam services which are easy to install and maintain and the results of which usually outstand the client’s expectations.
If you are one of the businesses struggling with the spammers’ attacks and would like to protect yourself against such activities, there is a possible solution. And this is cleantalk.org which is considered to be one of the best anti spam service on the swathes of the Internet. In this article we will talk what makes anti-spam service so important for proper business’s operations in the digital world, so stay tuned!
How To Protect Oneself Against Spam Online
Spam may take a number of forms and manifestations. To begin with, there is an old junk mail which comes into being after spammers hack someone’s list of emails and use this for personal lucrative benefits. There is also a web spam known as a manipulation on the website ranking in the search engine. In this case, no SEO optimization is concerned but rather sneaky and unfair tricks.
Here is how anti-spam service may help to protect your company’s website from unwanted spamming:
•automatic screening of user’s behaviour: by tracing one’s users behaviour, the system concludes whether this behaviour reminds this of the bot or a real person. In the former case, the system will then prevent its activity and thus exempt the website from the potential spammer;
•junk-email filters: in many situations, though, service allows you to access logs of all the processed requests in order to check results of the filters and ensure that not a single of the e-mails was mistakenly considered as a junk one. Such a combination of efficient automatic checks as well as personal scamming through gives almost 100% accuracy;
•statistics analysis: in order to be able to make proper managerial decisions, one should always have figures to rely on. Therefore, for any service it is necessary to give managers the ability to see the data on spam activity for Countries, IPs, IP networks and emails.
To wrap things up, digital world is full of dangers when it comes to spammers and improper website behaviour. However, there are always possible solutions in the forms of specially designed services ensuring spam checks and analysis. These services help businesses which went online to make sure that their online activities are not subject to the interference of the fake bots and foes.
A Family Guide to Sharjah with Al Bait Sharjah
Sharjah is the hidden gem of the UAE, a destination well known to the art connoisseurs that visit for the Art Foundation Biennial every other year. For families looking to explore an authentic destination, Sharjah is the region to visit now as it celebrates an exciting cultural renaissance. Sharjah will be hosting the first Fringe Festival on the Arabian Peninsula. The inaugural Sharjah International Fringe Festival will take place in January 2020 and will host music, circus, comedy and theatre productions aimed, primarily, at families and children, together with an extensive street theatre programme.
Here are five top experiences for families in Sharjah:
Discover MLEIHA Archeological Site
Visit Mleiha for an adventure deep into the deserts of Sharjah where you can uncover the secrets of the region’s ancient Bedouin culture. Get your adrenaline rush by exploring the beautiful landscapes of Mleiha on a dune buggy visiting Camel Rock, the Faya Dunes and the Mleiha Desert. Pay a visit to the Mleiha Archaeological Centre where you can learn about life in the region in years gone by as well as take a closer look at the wide variety of artifacts on display.
Spend a day at Al Majez waterfront
The unique Al Maraya Art Park is located here. At this outdoor art exhibit, adults can observe artists work from international destinations in the Sculpture Park while their kids learn and explore in the Children’s Art Park. The Children’s Art Park is specially designed to introduce young kids to the world of art through sculptures, educational activities, and games. Also at Al Majez waterfront is a mini splash park where kids can cool off and play in its tunnels while watching the aquatic displays.
Play at Al Montazah Water Park
Al Montazah Water Park is the first of its kind, offering electronic games along with water rides and a go-kart race track for kids and adults. The water park has a wide range of pools appropriate and suitable for kids of different ages. For added fun, an amusement park is conveniently located next to the water-park. The parks contain 35 attractions with state of the art facilities all around the grounds and a picnic area.
Reflect at the Islamic Botanical Garden
Located in Sharjah Desert Park, this garden allows visitors to take in the horticulture of this exotic destination. With over 100 varieties of plants, you and your family will be mesmerized by the incredible biodiversity present. The gardens are a peaceful environment designed to promote reflection through paved walkways, ornamental pools, and narrow waterways. Before or after strolling through the grounds, be sure to take time to visit the interpretation center and Arabic cafe.
Learn at the Sharjah Natural History and Botanical Museum
Take your family through these exhibits to unveil the complexity of the emirate’s aquatic life, animals, fauna, and flora. You will be able to learn how Sharjah’s massive sand dunes were created along with viewing a collection of meteorites. Kids will be entertained throughout their visit to the museum by digitally erupting volcanoes and prehistoric fossils in addition to the dinosaur models on display.
Where to stay in 2019: Al Bait Sharjah
The Heritage House at Al Bait Sharjah is the perfect place for families. It offers 4 Al Bait Heritage Rooms and 2 Al Bait Heritage Suites, allowing guests an entire house and full privacy. Al Bait Sharjah which translates to ‘The Home’ is set to raise the bar for luxury resort accommodations in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE). Located 20 miles or 16 km (10 miles) from Dubai in the UAE’s most ambitious historical restoration project known as Heart of Sharjah, the resort will be home to 53 luxury guest rooms and suites. The resort facilities and amenities at the boutique property will include a museum, library, ice cream shop, pool, and an array of dining offerings spotlighting local and international cuisine. The architecture and design will sensitively reflect Arabic culture, in tune with its surroundings and blending harmoniously with the heritage buildings in the district.
About Sharjah:
Sharjah is located on the southern coast of the Arabian Gulf and is one of the seven emirates that form the UAE. The emirate of Sharjah comprises the capital city of Sharjah and smaller towns including Khorfakkan, Kalba, and Dibba Al-Hisn. Ruled by the Al Qasimi family, it is bordered by Dubai to the south and Ajman to the north. Sharjah is a diverse destination with many layers that represent chapters in the emirate’s rich and varied history, from the atmospheric streets in the Heart of Sharjah to the ancient archaeology sites deep in the desert. These riches have led to the city being named the 1998 Cultural Capital of the Arab World, the 2014 Capital of the Islamic Culture and the 2015 Capital of Arab Tourism.
THINX Responds in Solidarity With Transgender, Gender Non Conforming Community After Release of DHHS Memo
The Department of Health and Human Services released a memo aimed at establishing a legal definition of biological sex under Title IX. According to The New York Times, “the agency’s proposed definition would define sex as either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with … Any dispute about one’s sex would have to be clarified using genetic testing.” The new definition would eradicate the government’s recognition of an estimated 1.4 million Americans who identify themselves as a gender other than what they were assigned at birth.
Maria Molland, CEO of THINX, the period solutions company, reacted to the report, expressing solidarity with trans and gender non conforming individuals:
“The Trump Administration’s efforts to legally eradicate the trans and gender non conforming population is nothing short of outrageous and should be extremely alarming to everyone, regardless of age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
“At THINX, we affirm that trans and non-binary people are an important part of our communities. They are our colleagues, neighbors and our friends, and we will not allow them to be marginalized, silenced, or erased.”
As a period solutions company, THINX was one of the first to release advertisements featuring a transgender model.
Posie Turner believes in the power of a few good words and wants you to step into your power with their premium socks intended to inspire the best in you. Each pair of Posie Turners is stitched with an inspirational message like “BE FEARLESS” and “SEE THE GOOD” to help guide you through your day.
Every goal, every challenge, every journey starts with one step. Share the gift of inspiration and wrap the feet of the ones you love with Posie Turner mantra socks this holiday season. A unique and thoughtful way to say I care about you!
Why Posie Turner Socks Stand Out:
• Inspirational message stitched into every left foot
• Woven with the world’s finest cotton, Peruvian Pima Cotton
• 200 needle knitting (highest gauge knitting available for socks)
• Woven in Peru
• Designed in Seattle
• Softened, steamed and pressed
• Women’s and Men’s collections
By Shin Takei
For those of us lucky enough to experience driving the Lexus LFA we lamented the fact that it was a limited production (500) high dollar super car (MSRP $375K USD) produced from 2011 to 2012. Needless to say, it remains an icon and a collector car. For most driving enthusiasts, the word exciting, sexy, exhilarating, thrilling was never associated with Lexus. In fact, after the LFA, nothing from Lexus could be labelled exciting, until now. Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation and Chief Branding Officer of Lexus heard the automotive journalist’s call and vowed that Lexus will never be associated with those words. Being an avid car enthusiast and master driver who honed his skills at Nurburgring, Mr. Toyoda wanted Lexus to be emotional and exciting vehicles to drive.
As part of the Lexus Flagship lineup which consists of the LS500 and LX570, the LC500 and LC500h, the Flagship Sports Coupe is part of the Global Architecture-Luxury platform that features a low center of gravity, aerodynamics and high- speed stability which is shared by the LS sedan. The styling of the LC Flagship coupe is aggressive starting with the prominent spindle grille and wide flared out hip and low frontal area due to a multi-link front suspension system. The ultra-compact LED 3-projector headlamps are flanked by the L-shaped daytime running lights. An optional carbon fiber roof panel is available and at the rear the spindle profile is carried out. A set of optional 21” black wheels enhance the sporting look. The coupe looks purposeful and its aggressive looks generated a few stares wherever we drove it. Liberal use of light weight high strength steel, aluminum and CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) contribute to the stiffest unibody ever built by Lexus and with much of the drivetrain behind the front axle a 52:48 weight distribution was achieved resulting in the driver’s hip and heel points to be lowered in the cockpit.
The LC500 is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.0 liters V8 with 471 HP @7,100rpm and 398 lb-ft of torque @4,800rpm. The DOHC 32 valve Dual VVT-iE (Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence) engine is hooked up to a 10-speed Sport Direct Shift automatic with paddle shift and manual mode. 0-60mph arrives in less than 4.5 seconds. To increase the exhaust sound, Active Exhaust channels the sound to the firewall through a special resonance tube. The engine switches to the Atkinson cycle for efficiency and to he Otto cycle for performance. The LC500h features Lexus Hybrid Synergy Drive and is mated to an Atkinson cycle 3.5 Liter gasoline engine and allows for operating the vehicle up to 87 mph without the gas engine. To enhance the sports driving experience, the owner can opt for the Lexus Dynamic Handling system (LDH) which coordinates EPS (electric power steering with Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) and Active Rear Steering (ARS).
The interior of the coupe was designed to maximize the driving experience by positioning the driver low and close to the center of gravity to transmit road feel more directly. The seats feature bolsters in the shoulder area and the optional sports seats provide more grip around the driver during hard cornering. The Alcantara door panels with drape-surfaces are similar to the flowing exterior lines. The TFT display and the Lexus Multi-Media display integrates the Remote Touch Interface touchpad control for Navigation, Audio and Connectivity. As if the standard 12 speaker Pioneer surround sound system isn’t enough, there’s the optional Mark Levinson 13 speaker sound system to blow your ears away.
So how does this all work out? Quite well, thank you. The coupe is easy to drive, and in true GT car fashion, comfortable and relaxing but turning the Drive Mode Selector switch to Sport+ brings out the true character of this coupe. Faster shifting, enhanced engine performance and increased engine sound contribute to an exciting driving experience. There’s a lot of Japanese culture incorporated in the car. The chrome strip next to the rear glass panel is not unlike a samurai sword and words like Kizashi (a sign of great things to come) and Omotenashi (hospitality) are integrated throughout the car.
There is a limited edition of 100 Lexus LC500 Inspiration Series that are painted in Flair Yellow, which does draw your attention and a new pigment called Structural Blue was formulated taking characteristics from butterfly wings tropical fish and precious stones. Both are brilliant and intense and unique in enhancing the profile of the car but you better hurry to get one.
The Lexus LC500 is a true GT (Grand Touring) car. It is quick, handles well and finally has feeling and excitement. Yet it is comfortable enough to drive it for an evening out. However, we feel they’ve left a little wiggle room for more performance and believe a LC500 F-Sport is coming soon that would satisfy the hardcore sports car enthusiasts. Until then, the Lexus LC500 and LC500h will be more than adequate for most of us who won’t be driving it to the limit.
