Portraits of Africa 2012 on Google

Time again to monitor and check the performance of our new WP based Semiomantics XO 2012 Script on search engines.

Here’s a screenshot of yesterday’s post “Portraits of Africa 2012″ on Google – have a look! Positions 1, 2, 3 and 6 ahead of 10,800,000 search returns – YEBO GOGO!

Portraits of Africa 2012 on Google

When looking up “Portraits of Africa 2012″ on Google, I also checked how the images in my article were ranked – here’s the detail of the screenshot showing the Image of a “Young African Girl” on position one, followed by the Image of a “Young African Boy” on position 4… and a small ad I created ages ago peeking at us on position 2. All of them ahead of our South African presidents… just too funny! The young generation is on the move!

Portrait of Africa Images

It becomes even more intrigueing when we look up “Portrait of Africa Images” on Google and find these young faces of Africa featuring amongst some really classy photography! And again… the random positioning is just too weird… for those who read this and understand what I mean! Welcome to the future :)

Fact is, that with the increasing importance of images and media on the Internet – and with this for our website development – … and people preferring to look at something for quick grasping of the contents rather than reading long time-consuming – and even worse: thought-provoking -  texts… that the correct tagging and classification of photos and images becomes more important. Here as with any post what counts is to be found on Google – Google Top 10 that is. Noone else looks further…

Congratulations to our young friends who’ve made it to the top ranks and find themselves in interesting and attractive company! There will be more….

Astir Beach Framed in Photoshop

My by now famous Astir Beach Image which can also be found on Google Top 10 was the sample for last night’s Ycademy session where we were experimenting with frames and borders. Here some more results after yesterdays Session Preview:

Astir Beach – Vouliagmeni with Frames and Borders

astir16

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Glass Frame

astir5-backlight

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Backlight

astir5-blackglass

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Smokedglass

astir5-whiteglow2

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Whiteglow

astir5-whiteglow

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Whiteglow 2

astir5-steelripples

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Steel ripples

astir5-steelframe

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Steel frame

astir5-pits

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Pits

astir5-orangejuice

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Yellow

astir5-goldbevel

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Gold

astir5-dalimeltdrip

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Dali Melt and Drip

astir5-chrome

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Chrome

astir5-blackglass

Vouliagmeni Astir Beach, Black Glass

Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Portraits of Africa

Young African Girl from my series “Portraits of Africa 2012″.

Portraits of Africa 2012

Portraits of Africa 2012 – untouched… straight from my simple NIKON Coolpix P90 … just the magic of a Young African Girl.

Although the black & white version adds a specific note, I preferred to show the soft gold tones of the skin.

Portraits of Africa

Within my photo series “Portraits of Africa” here is the image of a young African boy.

Portraits of Africa

I just love Black & White Photography and how it adds depth to a picture, especially portraits and expressive faces.

“Portraits of Africa” are shot on a simple NIKON Coolpix P90 with a minimum of post-editing, ideally nothing at all.

Cup of Gold

“Cup of Gold” is an interesting search term with a whopping 37,3 million returns on Google. . .  but what I found was not exactly what I was looking for, at least not within the very concise context I was planning for my article to feature my Cup of Gold Image.

Cup of Gold

“Cup of Gold” as to Wikipedia is John Steinbeck’s first novel… some historical fiction which was more or less based on “… the privateer Henry Morgan’s life and death. It centres on Morgan’s assault and sacking of the city of Panama, sometimes referred to as the ‘Cup of Gold’, and the woman fairer than the sun reputed to be found there.”

Reminds me that it’s a while since I read Steinbeck…

“Cup of Gold” is described by Susan F. Beegel as follows: “. . . From the mid-1650s through the 1660s, Henry Morgan, a pirate and outlaw of legendary viciousness, ruled the Spanis Main. He ravaged the coasts of Cuba and America, striking terror wherever he went. Morgan was obsessive. He had two driving ambitions: to possess the beautiful woman called La Santa Roja and to conquer Panama, the “cup of gold.” Steinbeck’s first novel and sole work of historical fiction, Cup of Gold is edgy and adventurous, brash and distrustful of society, and sure to add new dimensions to readers’ perceptions of this all-American writer.”

Finding what you are not looking for and not knowledgeable about is always an exciting source for new ideas… at least for me :)

I will remember this when I write about “Obsession”. . . which of course brings me to fragrances… perfumes… and flowers in my garden! My preferred topic!

In fact, what I was looking for was at the bottom of  that Goolge Top 10 page:  “Cup of Gold Plant”. . . as “Cup of Gold” is the common name for Solandra Maxima!

Solandra Maxima

Solandra Maxima! What an amazing flower! What an amazing fragrance… and yes, don’t eat this poison…

I’m happiest when discovering my magic garden, especially in the early morning hours when the first golden rays glide over the mountain tops and unveil the secrets of the new-born day, accompanied by the busy buzz of bees and birds and the beguiling fragrances of a softly rustling breeze.

Solandra Maxima – with 3,710.000 returns on Google – is a tropical plant that originated in Mexico, was brought as an ornamental to Hawai where it possibly got its common name “Cup fo Gold”…  and somehow this stunning vine with its large, leathery creamy-gold flowers marked by dark purple veins and exuding a strong scent between coconut and chamomile (my personal description), found its way to South Africa. I first saw it in the Company Gardens in Cape Town when I was a little girl… and then I planted it in my own garden!

The surprise of seeing it suddenly in full bloom in my secret jungle was yesterday’s gift – immediately shared in the Ycademy Seminar October 2009!

Ycademy Seminar with Cup of Gold

No Ycademy Seminar without “Secret Garden”; no Ycademy Seminar without flowers from my garden – as such “Cup of Gold” was presented live at the Ycademy Seminar October 2009… and it’s not over yet!

This month’s Ycademy Seminar focuses also on Media: how to firstly create a higher quality of original images for our Blogs and Websites using Digital Photography (mainly Author Blogs and NewsCast on Semiomantics Scripts) and how to obtain a higher visibility on Google and Social Networks through improved Editing and Publishing of the digital images.

Enjoy my gorgeous “Cup of Gold” for YOU!

. . .

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Vineyard Hotel Weddings

Set within beautiful gardens and a very elegant ambiente, Vineyard Hotel weddings must be amongst the most memorable in Cape Town, South Africa! The below photo shows the garden terrace opening onto immaculate lawns with flowering pink bougainvillea, white dietes and guinea fowl visiting to pick up some delicacies from the award-winning gourmet menu!!!

Vineyard Hotel Weddings

Vineyard Hotel weddings are ideal for couples on the go who seek to get married in Cape Town – meaning within the city and in close proximity to the buzzing Cavendish Shopping Center – while enjoying closeness to Nature and the majestic backdrop of Table Mountain. At this time of the year it’s just too obvious why Cape Town is called “the garden city”: absolutely everything is blooming… jacarandas are oceans of soft mauves splashing their blossoms onto the streets… and even the highways offer alleys of flowering shrubs like white and pink oleander and fiery red hibiscus to name just a few.

It is in this beautifully landscaped and lush garden bordering on the banks of Liesbeek River that we prepared and then celebrated a Cape Town Wedding with an Irish touch. At this stage, I am still busy sorting the wedding photos and wedding video clips, audios, sounds and music! It’s enough material for a feature film… and the photos from the next station of this multiple-place-wedding are already coming in!

Meanwhile, I have to work in a very reduced way while waiting for my new system with the required memory and punch to edit all this material and then create the Wedding Website! It will be yet another exciting learning curve – but it’s work I really love doing… and it’s just the beginning!

To be continued…

Vineyard Hotel Weddings

Set within beautiful gardens and a very elegant ambiente, Vineyard Hotel weddings must be amongst the most memorable in Cape Town, South Africa! The below photo shows the garden terrace opening onto immaculate lawns with flowering pink bougainvillea, white dietes and guinea fowl visiting to pick up some delicacies from the award-winning gourmet menu!!!

Vineyard Hotel Weddings

Vineyard Hotel weddings are ideal for couples on the go who seek to get married in Cape Town – meaning within the city and in close proximity to the buzzing Cavendish Shopping Center – while enjoying closeness to Nature and the majestic backdrop of Table Mountain. At this time of the year it’s just too obvious why Cape Town is called “the garden city”: absolutely everything is blooming… jacarandas are oceans of soft mauves splashing their blossoms onto the streets… and even the highways offer alleys of flowering shrubs like white and pink oleander and fiery red hibiscus to name just a few.

It is in this beautifully landscaped and lush garden bordering on the banks of Liesbeek River that we prepared and then celebrated a Cape Town Wedding with an Irish touch. At this stage, I am still busy sorting the wedding photos and wedding video clips, audios, sounds and music! It’s enough material for a feature film… and the photos from the next station of this multiple-place-wedding are already coming in!

Meanwhile, I have to work in a very reduced way while waiting for my new system with the required memory and punch to edit all this material and then create the Wedding Website! It will be yet another exciting learning curve – but it’s work I really love doing… and it’s just the beginning!

To be continued…

Best Cape Town Weddings

Cape Town Weddings are a hot topic on Google right now as the Mother City and South Africa as a whole are exploding with the most glorious summer weather and Nature is in full bloom. However, at the end of the day, the best Cape Town Weddings don’t depend on a specific place but on the intention of the people gathering to celebrate the happy event! It’s always about the people – family and friends – who bring their love, joy and genuine goodwill to bless the new couple and ensure that they will be remembering their wedding day as the happy beginning of their united lives.

Best Cape Town Weddings

Of course, it’s also high season for photographers and videographers who aim at shooting the best moments of these Cape Town Weddings – each one with their specific style – some super-glamorous, others more journalistic or with an artistic touch, some like it colourful, others simply black and white. What is important is to capture the atmosphere and those very unique instants – mostly totally unexpected – that have a profound meaning and really touch our heart. In this respect the wedding preparations leading up to the event may be just as important as the wedding itself – and – as on this photo here – there are many things going through a loving mother’s mind when she ‘releases’ her daughter into a new and promising bond.

Wedding Website

I was asked why I was preparing a Wedding Website when normally people go for a so-called “Wedding Album”?

Well, one doesn’t exclude the other … and a form of a wedding album was delivered already to satisfy all those who wanted to see photos ‘now’, almost as it happened…. – however, and especially in today’s Internet-oriented world and with so many families being spread across the planet, there are many advantages to having a wedding website:

Firstly, you can seal your new bond by buying your new name (as a .com of course!) – it has something solid and lasting to it, don’t you think? That’s a good start…

Second, a wedding website can be fast and easily viewed on many devices by anyone who is given access from all over the world, and this for at least 35 years!

Third, a wedding website can be very interactive; friends and family can leave comments and, of course, the new couple can continue writing and adding pictures, videos and audios of their new life… like an online family-bio…

Fourth… and this I think is simply the best: you can easily turn a Wedding Website into a Family Website … adding the new events like the birth of a child, its first steps, its first drawings, its first so many things… as well as trips to exotic holiday destinations, their favourite recipes, when he meets the Queen or Donald Duck… or anything of importance that the young couple wants to share…

Fifth: a wedding website is a brilliant investment in your future, it is something that’s alive, vibrant and communicative – and it’s growing… extending that first moment when you gave meaning to your words into the future with all its promises, traps and surprises… for sure something your grand-children will enjoy !

Last but certainly not least: this wedding website belongs to YOU – it’s not exposed to the volatilities and risks of any social network where someone else is in control – no, this is entirely YOUR STORY – YOU ARE IN CONTROL!

And that alone is priceless!

Cape Town Weddings

It’s that time of the year where many couples celebrate their love and add meaning to their words by getting married!

One of the Best Cape Town Wedding Venues is of course Monkey Valley Resort in the romantic Noordhoek Valley on the slopes of Chapman’s Peak – however, my favourite hotel in Cape Town itself – where we spent a couple of weeks when researching our future home – is the elegant and citywise optimally situated Vineyard Hotel in Claremont, Cape Town. Below is a view from the terrace towards the majestic Table Mountain range…

It’s here, in the lush and beautiful gardens… washed by light rains that very day until just a few minutes before the wedding… where stage one of the beautiful and very private Wedding Ceremony took place that I had the privilege to document.

All Wedding Photography & Videography will be integrated in the brand-new Wedding Website currently under construction.

Cape Town Weddings

What is relevant for Cape Town Weddings is probably desired by all newly wed couples, especially if their families and friends are spread all over the world as is the case here: they want some photos as fast as possible to show!

So this was my first focus… developing something to show fast! Accordingly, within a few days, the couple had an elegant online Wedding Photo Suite to send out and even print… followed by a short and joyful Wedding Video with special Irish harp music!

At this stage, the work is understandably private; I will be able to show more later as the development of the website itself proceeds. This will take a while, partly due to a strong emphasis of the ‘time before’ the wedding and the relating preparations, as well as the fact that I have to switch to a new computer with lots more memory and punch especially for media development (videos). On top of this, I will be using a brand-new Semiomantics Script to be released only in January 2012.

Wedding Photos

Meanwhile, there must be about 2,000 wedding photos and wedding video clips to view and select from… a real joy as here is real happiness to ‘work’ with!

Fingers crossed my PC system holds as I have hardly any space left and due to the devastating floods in Thailand, a main hardware supplier was washed away completely and we have to wait for new parts…

The Gift of Listening

During this precious yet in many ways loud and commercialized time between Christmas and New Year, find some moments where you give yourself space – ideally in Nature – and… listen.

Become totally still.

Quietly observe the energy and beauty that surround you; open yourself as they slowly embrace and flow into you… dissolving time and space… gently pulling you into a stream of consciousness where you are totally at peace and filled with the joy of just Being. Being connected. Connected with Oneness, Energy, Being.

Once you received this ‘Gift of Listening’… pass it on as the most profound gift you can ever give. Behold its essence as you move into the new year and life’s madness claims you back again…

The Gift of Listening

What do I mean with passing on the “Gift of Listening”?

There is so much talking, chatting, interaction of human minds… and so little real understanding which comes from really listening… meaning giving the other person room and space for expression, for being… and then taking it in with your entire being… feeling… before you think, before you respond, before preparing your own answer, clinging to your own mind, your own ego, your you.

Real listening is being in touch with one another on a much deeper level, a level beyond thought, where we are all One. That’s true Communication where magic can happen.

Thinking of you, Besma Bashier!

Besma Bashier

Talking of Magic!

I am thinking of you, dearest Besma, and your family… as after all this time you have finally settled in your new ‘home’, you are coming to ‘peace’.

I am passing on your good wishes to everyone who reads this and our blessings are with you… and our hope to see your lovely smile and hear your gentle voice live soon again!

Wishing YOU Happy Holidays and a Graceful Moment of Stillness!

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Irish Wedding Ceremony

While the rendering of a complex After Effects Project in connection with our final Ycademy Seminar 2011 takes up almost all time and memory on my PC right now – with renderings of single items projected over 15 hours and more… (…ooooh, I can forget everything else for the time being…), my main focus is on the preparation of a Wedding Website based on Wedding Photos taken earlier this week. Here’s a picture of what I call the Irish Wedding Ceremony.

Irish Wedding Ceremony

While an Irish Wedding Ceremony has many intricacies, here I just show a mother’s very loving hands as they pass something very meaningful to her daughter, the bride.

Cape Town Wedding Photography

Cape Town Wedding Photography by Bianca Gubalke  -  this photo was taken yesterday, just when the first rays of the sun broke through the rainy morning clouds… It was the moment when the bride was ready to leave home to enter a new chapter in her life!

Cape Town Wedding Photography

Cape Town Wedding Photography is the foundation of the Wedding Website I am developing over the next weeks on a WP based Semiomantics Script – possibly a new website development alltogether.

The wedding was yesterday; now it’s sifting and sorting time to choose from the best wedding photos and the wedding videos to create what will eventually become a Family Album Online.

Noordhoek Christmas Gift Fair 2011

Exciting and brand-new in the larger Cape Town area – namely the South Peninsular – is the Noordhoek Christmas Gift Fair 2011 that awaits visitors at Monkey Valley Beach Nature Resort – just 30 km out of the Mother City on the slopes of Chapman’s Peak. Just follow the signs to Noordhoek Beach… you can also check it under MAP on the menu on the new WEBSITE that I am handing over on Monday – that is tomorrow – as the Website Development has been completed!

Christmas Fair 2011 Photos

These are a few Christmas Fair 2011 Photos of day two (Saturday) … a glorious day… very well organized and with many smiling people. Especially children had a ball in the vast playgrounds while their parents enjoyed the beautifully presented shopping items or a drink on the deck at Thorfynn’s Restaurant with LIVE Music and the most stunning golden sunset.

CLICK HERE or on the Christmas Gift Fair 2011 Photo above to see a few impressions.

Noordhoek Christmas Gift Fair 2011

The Noordhoek Christmas Gift Fair 2011 in Monkey Valley Resort invites you and your family and friends to visit us on Sunday (last day).

Everybody are doing their best to provide you with a beautiful shopping experience in the true spirit of Christmas… be it directly under the old milkwood forest… in the ravine which is Cape Town’s secret tip as a Wedding Venue… in our famous Conferencing Center “TreeTops” or the “Lapa” area – both inside and outside… you will just love it!

Enjoy a relaxed and joyful day in our romantic venue under old milkwood trees with a private access to Noordhoek Beach… everything is being cared for to make YOU feel good in true Christmas Spirit!

Personalized Wedding Website

I am thrilled and honoured to do a Personalized Wedding Website – that’s one of the reasons why you won’t see much of me right now as I am out and about taking photos and/or concentrating on my graphic web design work in Photoshop!

Personalized Wedding Website

Besides the website design, we will be doing all the Wedding Photography here in Cape Town, South Africa, that will then be integrated into the personalized Wedding Website itself.

From Wedding Album to Family Album

In a way, we are starting out as a Wedding Album – however, this will only mark the beginning of the newly wed couple – it’s a promising beginning.

Eventually, the website will develop into a Family Album documenting the couple’s evolution over time.

This website will be a private affair accessible to family and friends only – and as in this case we have family members distributed all over the globe, it’s the perfect vehicle to show and share in a private space that’s not controlled by any Social Network, eg Facebook – but only and exclusively by the website owner.

While nothing on the Internet is 100% private – that’s just in the nature of things – being in control of one’s own name and one’s own website is definitely the best way to direct one’s future on the Internet without third party interference.

If you plan to get married…

Therefore, if you are reading this and planning to get married, make sure you buy your name – ideally on http://yorgodom.com (just a friendly suggestion; I am not an affiliate). It’s less than U$13,00 per year and a good investment into your online future.

I will be back with more as I proceed…

Landscapes Photography

Landscapes Photography is certainly something everybody with a digital camera is interested in, the proof being over 41 million search returns on Google with some absolutely awesome landscape photos and luscious landscapes by amateurs and professional photographers alike, both in black and white and in color.

Nature Photography

Interestingly, “Landscapes Photography” beats “Nature Photography” by about 10 million search entries, who would have thought so?

Which shows that one would never know without looking it up – which is a basic rule and revelatory lesson when it comes to anything we do, research or get involved with on the Internet, big or small. In fact, it should be a natural reflex… and it will be in the near future.

Landscapes Photography and Web Design

Landscapes Photography is a phenomenal if not THE source of inspiration when it comes to Web Design and, of course, Graphic Design.

For the purpose of this post and as you may have seen on many of my articles, I often base my Web Graphics on my own pictures and photos taken with my digital camera and post-edited in Photoshop – however not always. I always attempt to make pictures that need no additional editing, although there are also the quick snapshots with a clear purpose – for instance a fascinating pattern that I can transform into a texture for a background.

I encourage all web designers to improve this skill of self expression as not only is it rewarding on a personal level, it enhances your websites and blogs  dramatically… which is important if not essential in a virtual world that feeds on images.

Landscapes Closeups

“Landscapes Closeups” sounds like a contradiction in itself, however, I love the magic of the delicate, secret and almost invisible worlds within the world.

Like in my example here, it’s sometimes a tiny detail that attracts me and – once enlarged on my screen – I discover a magic and drama I was totally unaware of when taking the picture… although I wonder what attracted me in the first place? But that may be an idea for another post. . .

From a technical viewpoint and without going into the many lenses and zooms for which there are great professional tutorials, I prefer to frame my picture as close as possible, meaning also to have the parts nearest to the camera in focus and let the background and parts furthest from the camera go out of focus . . . the famous ‘blur’ effect.

Happy Photoshooting!

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Bianca Gubalke on Google Wave

Bianca Gubalke on Google Wave – I am excited about this future-oriented new Communication and Collaboration tool on the Web – and I thank the friend who invited me. As yes. . .  it needs an invitation… and it’s early days. However,  Google Wave can only be as good as the people who actually have it, set it up, test it, work with it and play with it. People like you and me who firstly create and then ride the Google Wave. . .

The Internet is a pretty wet affair… from surfing to waving. . . we stay in the waters and if I look outside it’s a wave all over, a curtain of a wave of pouring rain, day and night, since a week… where is our sunny, hot and simply stunning South African summer? A summer we love to spend on Noordhoek Beach as the kid below just a month or so ago. . . ?

Let’s quickly look at Google Wave. It has a simple layout consisting of 4 modules:

* Navigation in the left column, top – consider it your Inbox

* Contacts in the left column, bottom – sort of your Addressbook or List of Friends (with pictures)

* List of Active Waves in your Inbox – in the middle column

* New or Open Wave in the right column – here is where things happen, here you can write, comment, add images, respond via audio or video, add gadgets (like games, puzzles, ratings, conferences, Google Earth…)  and robots ( eg. for surveys amongst Wave collaborators).

If you are fortunate enough to get a Google Wave account, do what I did right away and check out the many short yet explicit videos that illustrate the many features – and then play with them!

Bianca Gubalke on Google Wave

As with any Social Network, you want to set up your Profile in a professional and branded way. Besides, Google is the Master of the Internet in a way and has found the many versions of YOU anyway – be it in form of Blogs, Websites and other Links.

My Profile about “Bianca Gubalke on Google Wave” is a reflection of what I set up on my general Bio and Profile HERE. If you wish to have a Profile that you can link to from everywhere on the Internet, register for a free account right there and I teach you how to have your own Google-efficient page. Once done, you never have to worry about it again. . . just do the occasional update. The difference here is that this page is under YOUR control – not that of any Social Network or other Program. Be and stay independent – as far as that’s possible on Web2.0.

What still needs to be added is my Picasa Album, which I will do in the near future – then it’s all about the Wave!

What do you do on Google Wave?

A good question: What do you do on Google Wave?

Google Wave is still in a development stage and I assume that those who are fortunate enough to test it right now will provide lots of feedback and valuable input for improvements and adaptations to common needs.

Once the excitement of the new trend is over, I could imagine a very useful tool to work directly on projects with ones’ collaborators and partners from anywhere in the world. This is the thrilling concept behind it as far as I am concerned. If one can stop the spam before it starts and really work within an open yet private and respected environment – that would be perfect!

Here are just a few Benefits that simply trigger faster Action more often:

* The moment someone comes online, one would know through the green mark. Action!

* The moment a wave is updated or gets a new comment, one would know and be able to check immediately without losing time. Action!

* If something needs commenting – it’s instant, whether in the open or in form of private replies.

* If something needs the direct contact – say a document or article needs to be discussed in real time – voila! Let’s talk or even start a conference! Instant Action!

These are amazing possibilities saving  time and making teamwork faster, smoother and more efficient – not to speak about excluding misunderstandings right away through immediate interaction.
What always amazes me with Google is the amount of foresight and preparation at the highest levels. But then if not them… who else could deliver at that level in the virtual world?

So let’s learn all about the new tool and expect lots more to be coming from Google Wave in the future!

Learn Google Wave at Ycademy Seminars

To learn more about Google Wave at Ycademy Seminars get one of the few privileged tickets for the Ycademy November Seminar on 21 and 22 November 2009, totally online and recorded for Seminar participants! Knowledge is Power – and Ycademy Seminars add Action to it, guiding you forward on your personal “Path to Profitability”.

. . .

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Bianca Gubalke on Google Wave

Bianca Gubalke on Google Wave – I am excited about this future-oriented new Communication and Collaboration tool on the Web – and I thank the friend who invited me. As yes. . .  it needs an invitation… and it’s early days. However,  Google Wave can only be as good as the people who actually have it, set it up, test it, work with it and play with it. People like you and me who firstly create and then ride the Google Wave. . .

The Internet is a pretty wet affair… from surfing to waving. . . we stay in the waters and if I look outside it’s a wave all over, a curtain of a wave of pouring rain, day and night, since a week… where is our sunny, hot and simply stunning South African summer? A summer we love to spend on Noordhoek Beach as the kid below just a month or so ago. . . ?

Let’s quickly look at Google Wave. It has a simple layout consisting of 4 modules:

* Navigation in the left column, top – consider it your Inbox

* Contacts in the left column, bottom – sort of your Addressbook or List of Friends (with pictures)

* List of Active Waves in your Inbox – in the middle column

* New or Open Wave in the right column – here is where things happen, here you can write, comment, add images, respond via audio or video, add gadgets (like games, puzzles, ratings, conferences, Google Earth…)  and robots ( eg. for surveys amongst Wave collaborators).

If you are fortunate enough to get a Google Wave account, do what I did right away and check out the many short yet explicit videos that illustrate the many features – and then play with them!

Bianca Gubalke on Google Wave

As with any Social Network, you want to set up your Profile in a professional and branded way. Besides, Google is the Master of the Internet in a way and has found the many versions of YOU anyway – be it in form of Blogs, Websites and other Links.

My Profile about “Bianca Gubalke on Google Wave” is a reflection of what I set up on my general Bio and Profile HERE. If you wish to have a Profile that you can link to from everywhere on the Internet, register for a free account right there and I teach you how to have your own Google-efficient page. Once done, you never have to worry about it again. . . just do the occasional update. The difference here is that this page is under YOUR control – not that of any Social Network or other Program. Be and stay independent – as far as that’s possible on Web2.0.

What still needs to be added is my Picasa Album, which I will do in the near future – then it’s all about the Wave!

What do you do on Google Wave?

A good question: What do you do on Google Wave?

Google Wave is still in a development stage and I assume that those who are fortunate enough to test it right now will provide lots of feedback and valuable input for improvements and adaptations to common needs.

Once the excitement of the new trend is over, I could imagine a very useful tool to work directly on projects with ones’ collaborators and partners from anywhere in the world. This is the thrilling concept behind it as far as I am concerned. If one can stop the spam before it starts and really work within an open yet private and respected environment – that would be perfect!

Here are just a few Benefits that simply trigger faster Action more often:

* The moment someone comes online, one would know through the green mark. Action!

* The moment a wave is updated or gets a new comment, one would know and be able to check immediately without losing time. Action!

* If something needs commenting – it’s instant, whether in the open or in form of private replies.

* If something needs the direct contact – say a document or article needs to be discussed in real time – voila! Let’s talk or even start a conference! Instant Action!

These are amazing possibilities saving  time and making teamwork faster, smoother and more efficient – not to speak about excluding misunderstandings right away through immediate interaction.
What always amazes me with Google is the amount of foresight and preparation at the highest levels. But then if not them… who else could deliver at that level in the virtual world?

So let’s learn all about the new tool and expect lots more to be coming from Google Wave in the future!

Learn Google Wave at Ycademy Seminars

To learn more about Google Wave at Ycademy Seminars get one of the few privileged tickets for the Ycademy November Seminar on 21 and 22 November 2009, totally online and recorded for Seminar participants! Knowledge is Power – and Ycademy Seminars add Action to it, guiding you forward on your personal “Path to Profitability”.

. . .

Read more…

• Google Wave Communication Tools
• Branding your Website
• YORGOO Blaster for Online Tax Filing
• Your biggest Capital Online
• Communication with Birds

Facebook Fanpage

Creating a Facebook Fanpage from our WordPress has become possible and, accordingly, this month’s (current) Ycademy Seminar November 2011 focuses on setting up the Best WP based Facebook Fanpage based on our purpose and online media marketing requirements.

Facebook Fanpage

The question to ask ourselves is: “Who would we like to attract… where… how… and why?” and definitely, we would only want to ‘talk’ to serious people who have an interest in what we are doing, offering or showing them and from where we can expect some interesting ‘conversation’. I am still amazed how this form of terminology is being translated and adapted to a modern online format – but since this is fast becoming the norm, we’ve got to learn the language and be … ‘cool’. LOL

How do we do this – especially if we don’t have the time nor the interest of hanging out on Social Networks all day long as we are busy doing our real business – in my case Web Design and Media related stuff that needs absolute focus, concentration and trips in the ‘real’ world without even a smartphone or any other form of line to attach me … duuuh, which Aquarius likes that anyway???

Talking Facebook Fanpage right now, this is what we are elaborating right now. . . and what you see above is my so-called “Reveal Page”.

What does this mean?

It simply means that only people who have clicked on “Like” get the Inside Story! To others this remains hidden… So while online marketing remains a numbers game at the end of the day, this kind of approach definitely puts quality (meaning the quality of an online relationship…) above quantity.

Having spent some time on Social Networks over the past 2 months or so, and having built some contact of value… I can say, this is what I ‘like’.

Web Design with Passion

My Author Blog Bianca Gubalke stands for “Web Design with Passion” which obviously encompasses many areas of interest… be it Web Development, Web Design, Media Design, Photography, Graphic Design, Editing and Publishing to name the main categories. Once the Facebook Fanpage has been ‘liked’, these categories can be directly accessed and conversation can begin.

The technical setup and implementation will be subject of today’s second day at the Ycademy Seminar. I will be back soon!

Communication with Birds

Communication with Birds is a red thread through my life. . . but this was definitely a Cape White-eye SOS this morning! Panic in my garden!

Social Networks

These tiny birds form large “social networks” outside the breeding season and often visit flowering bushes or berry-bearing plants in large flocks – appearing like shimmering clouds feeding on insects and nectar, berries, fruit and small grains.

As in all Social Networks (in one way or another), Cape White-eyes are very vocal and can easily be distinguished by their soft trilled pee, pree or pirreee callnotes that they use to stay connected, however, what I heard this morning was a highly agitated pitch varying in volume and tempo. . .

Communication with Birds

One doesn’t need a degree in Communication with Birds to understand if something is wrong – and to react accordingly… and fast!

MadMax was with me, so it wasn’t the cat… but it could be a snake, a hawk or a mongoose… to name just a few of many possibilities.

Cape White-eye

Guided by what turned out to be the parents, I discovered a tiny little Cape White-eye (Zosterops pallidus, ‘Glasogie’ in Afrikaans) sitting motionless on the ground – an easy prey for any predator. I had to operate fast to capture the little being and get it into a safe, warm place – while the parents fluttered in great distress around me. . . and MadMax already watched my movements with great interest from my studio. Getting him out there and me inside – the adorable little being warmly covered with my hands – was not an easy operation, however, he also seemed to . . . understand!

Finally, I could check this tiny feather ball without finding any external damage, caress it and get some life back into it… while the parents watched through the windows, cheering with their little voices.

When I was called to my PC to answer a call… the idea of  “Cape White-eye Online” was born!

I took a series of quick – and far from optimal shots photographically speaking – with my Logitech camera, however, you rarely get a Cape White-eye chick this close in front of your lens! And how exciting and touching: you see how it basically ‘woke up’ and then flew onto a window sill – an indication that after all it was well! it could fly!

So I caught it gently and took it to the golden Solandra Maxima tree I told you about in an earlier post – where I know many birds are currently breeding – and let it fly into the air! It was wonderful to see it happy and free… and immediately its parents were around with some tremolo chirps… and life continued as normal!

Read more…

• Malachite Sunbird
• Malachite Sunbird
• Google Wave Communication Tools
• Google Wave Communication Tools
• Sun Sneakers or Snow Hoppers

Donovan Copley Photo

I love Black & White Portrait Photography and especially this photo I captured of Donovan Copley at the Book Launch of “Brave Green Kids” at the “Crowned Eagle” of Monkey Valley Resort, Noordhoek, South Africa. Click on it to see a larger version.

Donovan Copley Photo

Here’s another Photo of Donovan Copley and Leon Visser in black & white at the same occasion. I published the colour picture shortly after the book launch to let some time pass and see this in a different light… and shadow.

Singer-songwriter, guitarrist and multi-instrumentalist Donovan Copley leads HOT WATER, a young and energetic South African band with a distinctive African sound – check it out and attend one of their concerts! Being there and experiencing the Energy makes all the difference!