Website Hosting Tips

This is one of the all-time best traffic builders. Get your business listed on Google Places, and you will receive the benefits that a Google Places listing offers. And the best part is, a Google Places listing is free. What an excellent way to build your business and increase revenue! To get started, follow these six steps and you will achieve what other people will charge you to accomplish.

Why use Google Places?

Traditional advertising is on the decline. Print, TV, and Radio ad spending are declining and it is estimated that this decline will continue.

Online search activity is on the rise.

• 90% of online commercial searches result in offline brick and mortar purchases.
• 82% of local searches follow up off-line via an in-store visit, phone call, or purchase.
• 73% of online activity is related to local content.
• 68% of Americans use the Internet to find local businesses.

Listing your Business with Google Places is free.

How do customers find you on Google?

1. Paid listings (Google Adwords)
2. Organic search results – Free listings based on Google’s algorithm. Competition is fierce and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts charge a great deal for this service.
3. Local business results – Free listings from the Google Places directory prominently displayed next to the large Google Map.

All three of these listings have benefits and should be a part of every business owner’s arsenal of tools used to attract business.

Getting your business listed on the the Local Business Search Results is vital to the success of your company — whether your business be an online company or a traditional brick-and-mortar store.

Why is getting listed on Google Places important for my business?

1. Google Places results are displayed at the TOP of the organic search results (just below any sponsored ads).
2. There is a LARGE map next to the listings that draws attention to the business listings.
3. This is PRIME virtual real estate — and the best part is, it is free!

Steps to add your business to the Google Places Directory:

1. Go to http://www.google.com/local/add/
2. If you already have an account setup with Google, such as with Gmail, sign into your account. If not, create a new one. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that some business owners like to keep their personal Google account separate from their business Google account. So, in that case, create a new Google account for your business.
3. Once logged in, click the “Add new business” button (on the far right of the page).
4. Enter your company information and details.

• Use your primary business address and your main business phone number. Try to avoid toll-free numbers, back line numbers and tracking numbers.
• Use your actual dba (Doing Business As) and physical address. This is very important!
• Provide a keyword rich description of your business.
• Enter as many related categories as allowed. Use targeted keyword categories.
• Create new categories based on your optimum keywords. Remember that a keyword is a search term that people type into the search engines to find local businesses to buy from. So, think in terms of your client and what keywords they would type in to find your company. Makes sure the map correctly points to your location, and if it does not — fix it. Fill out as many details as you can about your business. The more information that you enter, the better. You can edit this information at any time.
  • Add up to 5 videos
  • Add up to 10 photographs.

5. Claim your business listing. Google might already have your business in their system. If so, claim it. If the listing is not there, add it.
6. Validate your listing. This is a very important step and can take a few weeks. The reason being is that Google will mail you a validation code via post card to the address you have provided.

The picture below is an example of what Google will mail to your address within 2 weeks. It contains the authorization code and you will need to login to places.google.com upon receipt to enter this code.

Once your receive your pin number via post card, enter it in to activate your listing.

It may take Google a week or so before your listing is finalized and starts to appear in their search results. Be sure to access your listing’s dashboard and optimize it further by adding coupons, deals, and posting special events and special dates in order to attract interest to your new Google Places listing.

Also, encourage happy customers to post reviews on your Google Places page.

As the owner of a web-based enterprise, small, medium or vente, your job is to increase visitors to your web site, who then are welcomed into your business.

Enjoy!

Great Ideas for Indoor Activities
1. Story time:
Read and discuss a book or a chapter of a book, make up your own endings. You can even make up your own stories by sitting the kids in a ring and letting them “add a sentence”. We’ve made up lots of really funny stories this way.
2. Giant Easel:
Go to a charity shop or wallpaper shop and buy leftover rolls of wallpaper. Cover a wall with the paper, back to front, stick it up with blu-tac or drawing pins.
Give the kids paints, crayons, chalks pens etc and let them create their own frieze. The little ones reach the bottom, whilst the big ones can reach up to the top.
3. Wax Creations:
Give the kids their old, wax crayon stubs and let them make shavings from them with a butter knife onto a piece of wax paper. When they’re done, carefully take their creations to the ironing board, lay another piece of wax paper on top, and briefly press with a warm iron.
Let the kids watch as the colors melt together. Put them on the table to cool down and harden.
4. Old Clothes:
Sort through all of your old clothes. There’s bound to be something that doesn’t fit, or isn’t in fashion and that you’re too embarrassed to take to a charity shop. If you haven’t got anything at all ask your friends and family.
Get 2 cardboard boxes, one for “dress up” clothes, and one for rags. Fill the “dress up” box with the most outrages clothes, and cut up the other clothes for the “rags” box. Let the kids play “dress up”, or let them create things with the rags.
Hours and hours of fun!
5. Puppet Show:
Let the kids make finger puppets from paper, help them to create a “show” with a script and characters. Build up a few boxes stuck together with packing tape, make the top one have an opening at the front and hang up a curtain (you can use rags from the rag-box for this).
Let the kids practice until they feel really confident then invite a few friends or family members over to watch the “show”.
6. Kitchen Fun:
Find some cookery books, let the kids choose a simple recipe and work together on making dinner, desserts, snacks or cakes. The older ones can do the main cooking, and the younger ones can do the measuring or decorating.
7. Mini Worm Farm:
Get a large clear plastic container, some soil, leaves, a little sand, and some bits of vegetables to create the farm. Dig up some earthworms. Fill the container with loose layers of soil and sand, beginning with soil and alternating the layers. Make the soil layers about 4x the size of the sand layers. Also make sure the top layer is soil. 4 or 5 layers should be enough. Drop some small bits of vegetables and leaves on top, and then put the worms in.
Add a lid of some sort, making sure it has air holes. Put the newly created worm farm in a cool dark place for a few days. The worms will tunnel down through the layers, and the kids can see just how good they are at churning up the soil. Please remember to let the worms go when the kids have finished with them.
8. Jewellery:
Collect beads, buttons and string in a shoebox. When the kids are bored, bring out the shoebox and let them make necklaces and bracelets. There’s bound to be tons of beads and buttons you can salvage from the rag-box.
9. Create A Picture:
Collect a whole bunch of colorful magazines and some small sheets of cardboard (A4 size is good). Give the kids a sheet of cardboard each, some PVA glue and some magazines.
Let them rip up and tear the magazines to their hearts content and create mosaic pictures or collages.
10. Board Games:
Board games are always a huge hit, so make sure you have plenty of them handy, everything from the simplest to the most advanced.
Come up with new ways of playing the games; under a blanket with a torch, under the table, out in the shed, or even with new “home-made” rules etc. It will add that little bit of excitement to games the kids may be tired of.
11. Ghost Stories:
If you’re ready for a sleepless night, try an evening of ghost stories.
First, find a couple of torches/flashlights, then cover a table with a heavy blanket. The goal here is for the kids (and you) to make up ghost stories as ghoulish as they dare.
Everybody crouches under the table, with just the lights from the torches and takes turn telling stories. Depending on the age of the kids participating, be prepared to be freaked out!
12. Growing A Seed:
Kids of all ages love this one, because it’s not just sticking a seed into soil and hoping it will grow. This way you can tell when it starts rooting.
Get a paper towel, fold it into a medium sized rectangle then dampen it. Put the seed between the 1st layer and the rest of the damp paper towel, and place the whole lot into a small plastic bag. A Ziploc sandwich bag works great for this.
Use a strip of masking tape on the bags with each child’s name on it so they can check on their seeds progress. Close the bag and put it kind of dark but in a place where kids can walk up to check on their seeds and see the wonders of nature in action.
13. Indoor Crazy Golf:
Get the kids to sit down together and design a crazy golf course to run throughout the house (or just one room if you might have problems getting them to clean up afterwards). Use toys, bathroom stuff, kitchen utensils or anything else at hand to create the “holes” and routes.
Small plastic golf sets are easy to come by in most toy shops, and they’re usually extremely cheap. Have treats ready for whenever a child reaches the end of the golf course.
Great Ideas for Outdoor Activities
14: Ribbon Sticks:
For this you need nothing more than some strips of wide ribbon and some bamboo sticks. A few 4ft sticks will do. Snap them in half and tie a length of ribbon to one end. Make the ribbon length no longer than what the kids can handle.
Let the kids loose with the sticks and tell them to try to make shapes, circles, and snakes etc just like the gymnasts do on T.V. My 8 year old who has ADHD absolutely loves this one, and it’s one of the few things he’ll actually do for longer periods of time.
15. Garden Fun:
Buy a cheap plastic double sided sandbox for the garden. Fill one half with sand and the other half with water. Add a whole lot of kitchen utensils and containers, and the kids will occupy themselves for ages.
Make sure you always cover the sandbox when the kids are done, or you might find that your neighbour’s cats may think it’s their litter box…
16. Picking Berries:
Find a place with lots of berries, be it blackberries, strawberries, redcurrants, raspberries or whatever and go berry picking for the day. Sometimes you may have to pay for the berries, but there are a lot of places where berries grow in the wild and are free to pick and use.
Kids LOVE picking berries, so take this chance to make it into an educational thing by bringing along a book about berries. This way you can teach them which berries are safe to pick and which ones they need to stay away from. Use the berries you pick to make desserts, jams and cakes. Scrumptious fun!
17. Organize a Treasure Hunt:
This can be done in the house, garden, park or even on a short walk. Hide some small items, toys or sweets in various places. Draw up maps with “X Marks the Spot” and easy to follow directions.
Let the hunt begin!
18. Vegetable Patch:
If you have a garden, or access to one, see if you can get the kids involved in making a vegetable patch of their own. Seeds are pretty cheap and a lot of vegetables are extremely simple to grow and cultivate.
Try with carrots, lettuce leeks, spring onions and pumpkins for starters. Herbs are also really easy. Some extra simple ones are watercress, parsley, chives and basil.
19. Nature Walks:
Nature walks are one of the most inexpensive boredom busters ever created. All you need is energy and wide-open eyes. Of course, you can make the whole walk a lot more interesting by having something specific to look for.
Luckily for townsfolk and city people, nature isn’t just about being out in the country. Wherever there are trees, there’s going to be birds. Where there’s grass growing, flowers and weeds grow etc.
Borrow a book about wild flowers, birds or animals from your local library and refer to it every time the kids see something of interest. Take along a notepad and pencil for each of the kids to write down what they saw on the walk.
20. Borrow A Pet:
A great way to beat boredom in the school holidays is to get the kids involved with animals. If you don’t own a pet of your own, you could offer to look after the schools gerbils and rabbits, or for that little bit “extra”, why not offer to take your neighbors dog along with you on your nature walks?
21. Camping Out:
One thing kids never tire of is camping out somewhere. The easiest and cheapest place for that is in your own back yard or back garden. You can buy tents pretty cheap these days, and you don’t need something huge. If you don’t want to go to the expense of buying a tent, you can always make your own “temporary tent” by using a few sticks, sheets and tarpaulin.
Give the kids lots of snacks, a few flashlights and some sleeping bags. Warn the neighbors that there could be some noise.

Please make sure that don’t lock ALL of your doors when you go to bed, as even though the kids may seem ready to “camp out” they might possibly get a bit wary late at night when the rest of the gang is asleep or it might even get a bit chilly and then it’s good for the kids to be able to snuggle up in real beds.
22. Toy Sail Boats:
This one is a really old pastime, but tons of fun. Get a plastic bottle and cut it in half lengthways. Make the sail from a wooden Kebab stick and some paper.
There are tons of other household items that can be used, so look around and use your imagination.
Make sure you hang some weight to the bottom of the boat to make sure it doesn’t keel over. A lollypop stick with some oil based play dough will work for a short while. (Practice in the kitchen sink to see what works best for you.)
Once the boats are ready, walk to your nearest pond or stream, or even fill up the bathtub and go sailing. Hours of fun for free!
23. Neighborhood Walk:
Believe it or not, most kids like to actually learn about the area where they live. Take them out for a walk in your neighborhood and let them explore the houses, parks and shops in the area. Talk about the older buildings and imagine what life might have been like in the “olden days”
A trip to the local library can be good fun and useful for researching “the way it was” in your area, and it can use up a lot of otherwise fruitless hours of kids having nothing to do.
24. Ring Toss:
You need a few plastic bottles filled with water, sand or small stones (2 liter bottles are best) and some paper plates. Buy a packet of at least 20 cheap paper plates. Glue 2 paper plates together and cut out the middles to make a ring. When you glue 2 together it will add weight to the rings.
Paint the newly created rings in bright colors and hand them out to the kids. Make a line with chalk or rope for them to stand behind and place the bottles at various intervals and distances away from the children.
Anybody who manages to get a ring over a bottle takes one step back and tries again. See how far away they can get and still manage to ring the bottles.
Great Ideas for Traveling Activities
25. 20 Questions:
Everyone writes down a secret word which must be a noun (the name of an object). The others try to guess your word by asking questions about it.
Take turns until everyone has tried their word. You could have playoffs between the ones that stumped the lot, until only one was left.
26. Word Play:
This one is really good for older kids who are learning to read, write and spell.
Take it in turns to say a word. Any old word will do, the next person then has to take the last letter of the first word and think up another word and so on.
So say person one said “engine” person 2 would need to find a word beginning with the letter “e”, let’s say “elephant” next person in line would then have to find a word beginning with the letter “t”, such as “toys”. The winner is the last person to be able to think up a word.
27. I Went To Market:
This is another memory game which is really popular with my kids. Everybody takes it in turn to say “I went to market and I bought….” and add what they bought. Next person has to say “I went to market and I bought…. And…”
This carries on until nobody can remember the list of things that got bought at market. Again, the last person to remember the whole list is the winner.
28. Find the Place:
Make a map of where you are going, but make it simple for the kids to understand. Write down names of cities, towns and villages that you will pass through on the way to your destination. Give the kids a pen/marker so that they can check off each place as you reach it. It’ll make the journey seem a lot shorter for them.
29. Car Colours:
Give each child a pen and piece of paper and tell them to choose a color. From then on they have to mark down every time they see a car of the color they have chosen. The first person to spot say 15, or 30 cars of their chosen color is the winner.
30. Alphabet Soup:
This is a game where everybody takes it in turns to come up with words beginning with the various letters of the alphabet. First person comes up with something for the letter “A” (apples), next person finds something with the letter “B” (boat) and so on.
X, U and Z are the most difficult, so it might be an idea to drop those letters. You can make the game harder by choosing categories such as famous people, or places or even animals and fruit.
31. Personal Bags
Let each child pack a small bag of their favorite toys and games to take with them. Make a rule that they are only allowed to take out one thing at a time, and they can only play with it for a certain amount of time, depending on the length of your journey.
Also encourage the kids to swap their toys/games if the journey is a long one so that they get a bit of variation in what they’re doing.
32. Travel Diary:
This one is extremely good for longer journeys, especially when you stop off at various places on the way. Each child will need a notepad and pen. The older ones can have disposable cameras and the younger ones can have art books and crayons.
Let them document the trip by taking pictures (or drawing) and writing notes about where they are, what they’ve seen and what they have done on the journey.
Not only will this keep them occupied, but it will also give YOU something to read on reflect on in time for the next journey.

Walmart is offering a solution that may work for you (I am not a huge Walmart fan, however, this is a pretty good deal on cell phones)

Walmart has a solution called Straight Talk Compatible SIM cards and phone plans for each of the different carriers At&t, Verizon, T- Mobile etc.

• You are still using the same phone company cell phone towers.
• You are paying per month instead of being locked into a 2 year contract.
• Keep your current phone number
• $45 per month – Unlimited Data, Talk & Text
• Nationwide service on Straight Talk’s reliable network
• No activation, reactivation, cancellation, daily access or overage fees
• 30-day plan (you can buy longer plans)
• Unlimited minutes and texts nationwide
• Unlimited Mobile Web access (on Mobile Web-enabled phones)
• Calls to 411 at no additional charge

THE DOWNSIDE: Here are some of the potential downsides to this idea….

• Re-activating your plan every some often ( I think there is a way to automate the billing though)
• You will need to purchase a new $10 SIM card. Be sure to get the right one, there is a regular SIM card and a Micro SIM card. See which one your phone uses.
• You will have to setup the new solution.
• I am unsure of what customer service is like.
• To do this, you must go to www.Walmart.com to purchase the plans and to get the SIM card. You can not purchase them at a Walmart store directly.
• I don’t believe that you can get a refund if you change your mind.

I have not personally tried this yet, however, I have heard some pretty good things about this solution. I know that when my 2 year contract has expired with At&t, I plan to give this a try.

This is just FYI.

With regards,

Rod Potter
Phone-(704)840-4137
Email- Rod@rodpotter.com

LOCAL NETWORKING/BUSINESS GROUPS:
Owner/Organizer/Sponsor of www.LinkedInCharlotte.com
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Online social media & more training @ www.RodPotter.com

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Getting people of the world to have fun together
Dramatized Chinese Whispers
Several people are taken out of the room. One is returned and while the others are entertained by an assistant is told to mime one of the following (or one of your own ideas)

• Bathing an elephant
Before they start, a second person is brought into the room and told to watch. When the first demonstration has been completed, the first person is allowed to retake their place and the second is told that they have to do what they have just seen. Again, before they start, the third person is brought in to see the demonstration. The games ends when the last person has done the mime, and is asked what they have just done.
NOT Dramatized Chinese Whispers
This is a vindictive version of Dramatized Chinese Whispers. One person is taken out of the room and told to mime a duck landing on a frozen lake! Meanwhile, an assistant is telling the remainder of the party guests what they are about to see, and to guess anything else (to encourage the person to continue their mime). The victim is brought back to do their mime. When they have finished, the organizer gets everyone to ‘guess’ the right answer in unison. It may be appropriate to congratulate the victim with the words. “Well Done … You certainly have been.”
Musical Chairs
The old favourite. With one fewer chairs than people, a short snippet of music is played while the people move around the room. When the music stops everyone tries to sit on a vacant chair. (Only ONE person per chair) The person who doesn’t find a chair
is out. One chair is taken away and the game continues until only one person (The Winner) is left.
Horses and Riders
Like Musical Chairs, but the young gentlemen are the horses and the young ladies are the riders. There is one fewer gentlemen than ladies. When the music stops, the ladies have to climb on the backs of the gentlemen. Again, the winners are the last complete couple.
Guess the Picture
A Good game to get people talking together at the start of the party
Collect a set of pictures of your town / locality / personalities etc. and display them on the wall with a number. The guests have to identify them and write the name on a sheet of paper. The winner is the one with the highest score.
Stations
Everyone stands a circle (except one who is standing in the middle) and has been told to remember a different station name. The person in the middle calls out two names. The stations have to change places quickly, before the person in the middle can get to one of the empty spaces. Who ever is left without a place is the person in the middle for the next game.
Who am I
A Good game to get people talking together at the start of the party As they arrive each person has a piece of paper pinned to their back. The paper contains the name of a famous person. By asking questions which can only be answered with “Yes” or “No” such as “Am I still alive?”, “Am I fictional?”, etc. the person has to guess their name. Successful guessers may have another go.
Bigamy
One Gentleman takes three chairs arranges them in a large circle, along with all the other men. Each gentleman then collects two ladies and seats them in his chairs, one on his right side, and the other on his left. One lady is then removed. from the circle. The gentleman who now only has one wife, must now go steal one from another by winking, waving etc. But
without letting her gentleman know. She must then dash to the empty ladies’ chair and the gentleman return to his own place. If she makes it half way across the room before the previous gentleman stands up and catches up with her, she takes her place with her new gentleman, and her previous one now has to replace the missing wife.
Soldiers
Take all the girls out of the room and tell them that the room has a line of soldiers who are willing to demonstrate their skills of quick and slow firing. Tell the boys to form a line (shoulder to shoulder) away from the door. (Optionally turn the lights down or out.) In turn, each girl is asked if she would like the demonstration of quick or slow firing. Having answered, the door is opened and she is pushed into the room, and her answer is shouted to the boys. If she opted for quick firing, the boys give her a quick kiss before pushing her onto the next in line, as quicklty as possible. Slow firing allows the boys a longer kiss.
Pass the Orange
Arrange for teams of about 8 to stand in a line, one behind the other (arranged boy, girl, boy,…). Give each team an orange which the first person should tuck under his chin. This should be passed to the person behind. When the orange gets to the last person, they come to the front of the line and start again. The winnnig team is the first one which gets their starting person to the front again.
Pass the Key
You need two similar sized Very Large Keys (about 6 inches long), each tied to the end of a long length (60 feet or more) coarse string. The keys and string should have spent a few hours in the freezer immediately before being brought out. Line up two teams of about eight to ten. The key must be passed down trousers and dresses and skirts and the string will show the route followed. The winning team is the first to get everyone ‘threaded” together.
Pass the Balloon
This is like Pass the Orange, but use a balloon held between the knees
Pass the Anything
Arrange teams of players in lines and give the first person on each line a object to be passed in a given fashion. Suggestions include:-
• A stick of spaghetti. to be held in the mouth. (A variation is to break off a piece as you pass it.)
• A credit card to be sucked to your lips.
• A coin to be held between the first person’s nose, and the next person’s nose, while they walk around the back of the line and back to the front again. The first person goes to the back of the line, and the game continues, with a new ‘next person’.
Pass the scissors
All players sit in a circle, and one is given a pair of scisors. In turn, the scisors are passed around the circle, from one player to the next. As a player passes the scissors to the next person they say either “CROSSED” or “UNCROSSED”, and will be told if they are right or wrong. The object is to try and find out what the rule is. It is interesting at the start if the person knows the rule, and makes a great play of turning the scisors around and opening and closing them. The game continues untill all have solved the mystery, or you take pity on the remainder. The rule has nothing to do with the scissors. IT’S WHETHER YOU HAVE YOUR LEGS CROSSED!
Guest at the Party
Three people are taken out of the room and each is given a card describing a person (or personality or characteristic). A fourth person is nominated as “Host”. One by one, the three guests enter the room portraying what is written on their card. The Host has to guess what was written on the card. The guests do not have to wait until the previous one has been identified before entering. Ideas include:-
• An Astronaut
• James Pond (Spoof Secret Agent)
• A Blue Peter Presenter
• Harvey Smith (Show Jumper)
• Dipsey (one of the Teletubbies)
• A policeman going to the ball
I Have Never
Each person receives several counters (toothpicks, pennies, etc.) and sits in a circle.
Then take turns around the circle. Each person tells of something they have never done (example: I have never broken a bone or I have never traveled out of the country). Anyone who has done this must give the speaker one of their toothpicks or pennies. After going around the circle several times, the person with the most tokens wins.
Candles and Water Pistols
Two (or more players, if you dare) are given a lighted candle (secured to a plate) and a loaded water pistol. The winner is the last to still have a lighted candle. Players are not allowed to deliberately use their bodies, or anything else to shield their candle.
Mummies
Split the patry goers into teams of three and give each team a toilet roll. Two persons then wrap the third in the toilet roll so that they look like an Egyptian Mummy. The winning team is the one who in a set time (say 2 minutes) have the neatest and most covered Mummy.
Fashion Designer
This is like “Mummies” but instead of having toilet paper and having to wrap the ‘victim’ to look like a mummy, you give each team part of a (not ready pasted) wall-paper roll, and 12 safety pins and they have to make an ‘outfit’, in say 5 minutes. If you wish, you may specify “A dress”, “Jacket and trousers”, etc. (The paper may be pinned on the person’s normal clothes, rather than having to make the ‘outfit’ and then they have to put it on.)
The Photographer
An equal number of boys and girls are taken out of the room, andn the one couple are brought back as to be posed for a ‘really romantic’ wedding photograph, so bring in a boy from outside to arrange them in the pose of his choice. When he has finished, he is told that he must now take the place of the boy in the pose! (If you have a camera, now is the time to use it.) Now it is the turn of the next girl to come in and
arrange the couple, and so the game go on until everyong is back in.
Honey, if you love me smile
Have all players except for one sit in a circle facing each other. The one who is not in the circle faces a player of the opposite sex and requests “Honey, if you love me smile.” Aside from tickling, the player may do anything to make the person smile. After a while the chosen partner must reply “Honey, I love you but I just can’t smile” without smiling.
If the player chosen partner smiles while saying this, then they must give their place, and it becomes their turn to choose a partner.
Scavenger Hunt
This is very popular among large groups of teenagers. Make a list of 30-35 everyday items (ie.toilet paper roll, red piece of string, rubberband, chewed piece of gum,etc.) and sent two teams on a mission to find these items on thier list. They have one hour to find these and the winning team is the one that is back first with EVERYTHING ON THEIR LIST!!!
Doughnuts and Toothpicks
Everyone stands in a line with toothpicks in there mouth the first person puts a ring doughnut on the toothpick then they have to pass it on to the other players toothpick without making it fall. If it falls on your turn the person before you wins.
A variation is to make several teams each stand in line and the doughnut is passed from the front to the back. When it gets to the back, the person has to run / walk / stroll to the front and start again. If it falls, it has to be passed to the front person and start again down the line. The winning team is the first to have had everyone start at the front.
Whistling Crackers
You give every child 3 soda crackers. When you say “GO” every child puts all the crackers at once in his/her mouth. The first one to whistle wins. (You can also substitute the soda crackers with peanut butter but make sure there are no Allergies).
Can You Guess
Put several small items into a brown paper bag. Blindfold one person and hand them one of the items in the bag. Give them a few seconds to guess what the item is. If they are unsuccessful they are out. The last one wins.
Everyone sits in a circle except one who is given a
Ducky Ducky
pillow and blind-fold. They then go and place the pillow on a persons lap, sit on it and say ducky ducky. The person should say”quack quack” this can be done only 3 times. If the blind person guesses the name the person, they should now be given the blind fold and the game run over again – after everyone has changed their places.

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Chinese whispers
Sit everyone in a circle. Whisper a long phrase to one person. They, in turn, whisper what they heard to the next person, and so on. The last person announces what they heard.
Pass the Parcel
Wrap a bar of chocolate (or some other gift), in a layer of paper. Now wrap it in another layer and repeat until you have about 10 layers. Finally wrap it in gift paper (so it looks nice). Sit everyone in a circle and play a short snippet of music. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes ONE layer of wrapping. Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed. The winner keeps the present.
Pass the Parcel with forfeits
As above but every layer contains a forfeit (E.g Sing a song, Eat a teaspoon of Mustard, have your belly button filled with water).
The Chocolate (or Jelly) Game
Sit everyone in a circle and place a tray in the middle with a hat, scarf, gloves, knife and fork, die and a wrapper bar of chocolate. In turn, players throw the die. If they throw a SIX, they must put on the Hat, Scarfe and Gloves before they start to unwrap the chocolate with the knife and fork, ad then start to eat it. To speed up the game add a second die and require a Double SIX. The Jelly Variation is to turn out a set jelly onto a plate and eat it with the knife and fork.
Musical Chairs
The old favourite. With one fewer chairs than people, a short snippet of music is played while the people move around the room. When the music stops everyone tries to sit on a vacant chair. (Only ONE person per chair) The person who doesn’t find a chair is out. One chair is taken away and the game continues until only one person (The Winner) is left.
Memory Game
On a tray, place about 10 to 15 small items (e.g. pencil, watch, comb, shoe lace, spoon, toy car, etc.) and cover with a cloth. Sit everyone in a circle. Place the tray in the middle of the circle and remove the cloth for 60 seconds. Everyone has to remember the objects. When the time is up, replace the cloth. In turn, each person has to name an object on the tray. The first person to fail to name an object, repeat an object or name something not on the tray is out. The tray is then removed and some or all of the objects replaced, and the game re-started with the person following the one who is out. If the game is too easy for the group, add more objects or reduce the time.
Flour Mound
Fill a bowl with flour, and pack firmly. Empty the flour mound onto a large plate or small tray, so that it retains the shape of the bowl. Place an unwrapped chocolate onthe top. Players take turns to use a knife to slice a part of the mound and slide it away from the rest (1/2 an inch is enough). Eventually, one person will do it and the chocolate will fall into the pile of flour. The person must retrieve the chocolate with their teeth.
I Have Never
Each person receives several counters (toothpicks, pennies, etc.)
Then take turns around the circle. Each person tells of something they have never done (example: I have never broken a bone or I have never traveled out of the country). Anyone who has done this must give the speaker one of their toothpicks or pennies. After going around the circle several times, the person with the most tokens wins.
Mummies
Split the patry goers into teams of three and give each team a toilet roll. Two persons then wrap the third in the toilet roll so that they look like an Egyptian Mummy. The winning team is the one who in a set time (say 2 minutes) have the neatest and most covered Mummy.
Chubby Bunnies
Contestants have to see how many marshmallows they can stuff into their mouths and still say “Chubby Bunnies”. The winner is the one who can manage the highest number.

 Here are interesting things that Steve Jobs has said that we each can learn from.

Like him or not, there is simply no debate that he was one of the greatest business/entrepreneur/leaders/product innovators that this world has ever seen.

*** ” A serious disease is thinking that a really great idea is 90% of the work and if you just tell all of the people the that of course they will go off and make it happen. The problem with that is there a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product”. As you evolve that great idea, it changes/grows and never comes out as it starts. You learn alot more as you get into the subleties of it. then you find tradeoffs you have to make. There are certain things that you just can’t do. Designing a product is keeping 5000 things in your brain, these concepts, fitting them all together/pushing/fitting different ways to get what you want.  Everyday discovering something new that is a new problem or opportunity to fit these things together a little differently and its that “process” that is the magic.***

*** “The best people for a company are the ones that really understand content, but are “pains in the butt” to manage. But you put up with it because they are so good at content and that is what makes great products, not process but content.” ***

*** Everyone should take a year out of their life and learn to program computers because it teaches you how to “think”. ***

*** For me, money isn’t that important. I never did it for the money. I think money is a wonderful thing because it enables you to do things. It enables you to invest in things that don’t have to a short-term payback. But, the people, company and products that we we’re making and what it would enable people to do w/these products is what motivated me. ***

*** Life is fragile***

*** When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is. Your life is to live your life and try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a good family life, have fun, save a little money. That’s a very limited life. Life can be so much broader. Once you discover a simple fact, that is everything around you called life was made up by OTHER PEOPLE that are no smarter than you and you CAN change it. You can build things that other people can use.***

*** I read an article that measured locomotion and it compared all of the species of animals. Where it measured how many kilocalories exerted each animal to move. The condor won and was the most efficient. Mankind came in about a 1/3 of the way down the list. But, someone did a separate study of man riding a bike, which in turn blew away all of the other animals including the condor. This had an impact on me. Humans are tool builders. We build tools that dramatically amplify our inate human abilities. Where the computer amplifies the human mind. Of all the inventions, the computer ranks near or at the top of the most important inventions of ALL-TIME and I feel blessed to be a part of that.***

ANNOUNCEMENT: The LinkedIn Charlotte group is looking for a social media and/or business application trainer or two.

LinkedInCharlotte.com, a social media and business applications training group (not a school) in south Charlotte and is looking for part-time/per class instructors in Ballantyne. Candidates should possess a passion for education, excellent communication skills, and a thorough knowledge of the areas that they intend to teach on.

The purpose of the classes is to teach members of the LinkedIn Charlotte group how to do different things with social media and/or topics that are helpful to a business owner.

This opportunity offers a great deal of flexibility in course creation and content.

WHAT: It’s a group that meets 1 or 3 times a month for networking and for training. The social media topics to be taught include but not limited to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, WordPress, Google Plus, Stumbleupon, etc. Business applications can include Quicken, or any topic that would be helpful to business owners.

 REQUIREMENTS:

· Experience speaking to a group of people.

· A thorough knowledge of different social media websites and an ability to teach them.

COMPENSATION: You are welcome to recruit people to the classes but you won’t be required to. However, trainers are expected to know how to promote and build business using social media (since that is what they are teaching), so getting students to come to class should be easy and 2nd nature for the right applicant. Compensation will be half of all class fees collected. Cost per student per class is $20 (of which you will get $10 per student).

CLASSES: Typically there will 15-25 possibly more up to 80 people per class. There will be a minimum number of attendees of 5. Classes are held in South Charlotte near Ballantyne.Typically the classes are on a weekday from 11:30am-1:30pm, however, days and times are flexible.

ITEMS PROVIDED: There will be a projector, computer and screen available but no Internet. Therefore, your presentation will need to be in Powerpoint. The length of each class is 2 hours (typically 20-30 minutes will be answering questions). Snacks and drinks will also be provided.

ITEMS NEEDED IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION: If interested, please respond to this listing with…..

a)      Your experience/background (preferably a resume, but not required)

b)      Areas of expertise

c)      A breakdown of the items that you would cover for each topic, website, or business application.

d)      Any other items that you feel are important for this position.

Feel free to call Rod Potter at (704)840-4137 or email me at rod@rodpotter.com with any questions.

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Not long ago, retailers such as Best Buy Co. (BBY), GameStop Corp. (GME) and RadioShack Corp. (RSH) were outmuscling competitors across America by offering one-stop shopping for the latest televisions, computers, videogames and gadgets.

Now all three are fighting to survive. The rise of online competitors like Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) that offer low prices and downloadable products have siphoned customers and sales from these once-powerful retailers.

The retail chains are responding with turnaround strategies that highlight their abilities to obtain hot new smartphones and tablets, and are trying to capture those purchases that consumers still prefer to make in person.

But they concede they have to evolve fast. “There is a future for consumer electronics in retail,” insists GameStop’s chief executive, Paul Raines. “But in order to survive, our internal rate of change has to be greater than the external rate of change.”

His GameStop, which has 6,600 U.S. stores, is adding used iPhones and tablets to its portfolio of new and used videogames. It is also beefing up its digital download services to compete against game websites like Valve Corp.’s popular site, Steam.

RadioShack, whose stock is down 75% this year, is playing down cables and connectors and refashioning itself as a convenience store for smartphone buyers. And Best Buy is shrinking its fleet of big-box stores, pushing high-end appliances and retraining workers to focus on tech support. It also is opening hundreds of small stores devoted to mobile phones and tablets.

“We’re balancing secular decline in the industry with capturing growth in the areas that are exploding,” said Mike Vitelli, president of Best Buy’s U.S. operations.

But retail experts question whether their new tactics—particularly the push by nearly every store chain to sell more smartphones and tablets—can make up for the big-ticket products the chains are slowly losing.

“The economics of the industry have evolved—and not to the benefit of most retailers,” said Michael Lasser, a retail analyst at UBS.

Best Buy recently reported profit fell 91% last quarter on the eighth sales decline in nine quarters at stores open at least 14 months. Its founder is trying to take it private.

RadioShack suspended its dividend last month after posting its largest quarterly loss since 1996. GameStop’s profit fell 33% last quarter due to declining sales of game discs and consoles.

Flat-screen televisions once generated lush profits for Best Buy. Today, retailers have to sell almost twice as many TVs as five years ago to achieve an equivalent amount of revenue—and even more than that to match past profit levels.

The average price of a TV has fallen 40% since 2007 even as screen sizes have increased, while gross profit margins have tightened from about 30% on upper end models to the low teens, according to market research firm NPD DisplaySearch.

Consumers today can often find the same television models for similar prices at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) and Target Corp. (TGT) as they shop for groceries and paper towels, eliminating the need to enter a specialty store.

Electronics chains were built to let consumers browse competing innovations. But unlike in the past where blockbuster products could emerge from any place, much of the innovation in consumer electronics is increasingly being driven by a single company — Apple Inc. (AAPL) — which has its own stores and sells online as well as through other retailers.

The liquidation of Circuit City Stores Inc. in 2009 was expected to be a boon for surviving electronics retailers. Instead, Amazon’s share of the market rose to 11% from 2% and Apple’s jumped to 8% from 6%, according to This Week in Consumer Electronics, or Twice, a consumer electronics trade publication.

The danger of retailers’ current reliance on a few hit makers is clear at RadioShack, which has built its turnaround on selling smartphones. Profits at the 91-year-old chain, which has 4,700 small stores dotting strip centers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, have eroded even as its sales have held firm since devoting more space to phones and tablets two years ago.

Mobile devices accounted for 51% of RadioShack’s $4.38 billion in sales last year, up from 44% the year before. But its gross profit margin has shrunk, falling eight percentage points last quarter to 37.8% from 45.9%.

The problem: margins on its iPhone sales are lower than on other phones, though the company hopes to make up the difference selling accessories like phone chargers and warranties. It is also struggling to make money from the 1,400 kiosks it runs inside Target stores.

Meanwhile, consumers still identify RadioShack with cables and connectors. “The only reason I go in there is when I need some obscure electronic part,” said Diane Jaffee, a retired CPA from Columbus, Ohio.

RadioShack CEO Jim Gooch said it is working to improve its deal with Target. He also acknowledged that the company, named for the radio cabins on ships, has an image problem. “We need to rebuild consumers’ knowledge of our brand,” Mr. Gooch said.

GameStop has been the most aggressive in reinventing itself. It is also focusing on the smartphone market—but with a twist: It hopes to become known as the main reseller of used Apple gadgets and Android phones.

It already has the systems to repackage and resell thousands of items after pioneering the sale of used videogame consoles, cartridges and disks, which accounted for 27% of its sales and 47% of its profit last year. GameStop expects to garner $200 million in sales from its used mobile device business this year.

“We have plenty of challenges,” said Mr. Raines, the CEO. “But the threat of losing the consumer has created a burning platform for change.”