Top Reasons Why We Love Google

This post is adapted from a blog co written by McKenzie Lawton and Melanie Wong. You can read their blog in its entirety here.

1. Synchronize, synchronize, synchronize

By using Google apps such as Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google reader we are able to share and access our calendars, important info and blogs from anywhere, anytime.

2. Fast and Free

To "Google", the latest synonym for search, allowing you to get all the information that you need in milliseconds. The best part? Its free. And did you know Google is attempting to make the internet even faster?

3. Personalization

Everything from Google Chrome to your iGoogle page allows you customize it to your aesthetic preferences and usage patterns

4. Innovation

Google lets us contribute to their latest innovations such as the Google Wave and other web protocol. Listening to their users makes us happy and helps them succeed.

5. There's an app for that

Check out some of Google's applications to help enhance YOUR Google experience.

What do you use Google to help you with in your daily life?

Twitter Bigger Than Barack?

According to the Global Language Monitor, it is. Their recently conducted poll for the most used words of 2009 put Twitter as the number one word of the year, followed by Barack Obama and H1N1. What I find striking is the contrast between the big and the little. When people say the president's name, they generally say it in reference to large scale issues: healthcare, national security, taxes - things that affect us not only now, but for years to come. Swine flu is an international epidemic. Yet Twitter is used for the super short term: the latest breaking news, a sale or special that will only last 2 hours, a joke that is momentarily amusing. Have we experienced a paradigm shift, where the little has captured our attention more than the big, or are we simply tweeting away to distract ourselves from the larger woes of the world? What do you think accounts for the mega success of Twitter? Is it a passing trend or here to stay?

Next Aid World Aids Day Event 11.25.09

Humanitarian organization NextAid presents its second annual World AIDS Day 2009 Event. The multi-date fundraising campaign in cities across the U.S. will begin here in San Francisco on November 25, 2009 and continue throughout the month of December.

World AIDS Day is a globally recognized day, which takes place every year on December 1st to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. This year marks the 21st annual anniversary of World AIDS Day with the theme of "Universal Access and Human Rights."

NextAid's mission is to improve the lives of children and youth in Africa by promoting and implementing sustainable notions. Through music events and public education initiatives, NextAid provides empowering opportunities for concerned individuals to make a difference.

The funds raised from the campaign of events will go towards two of NextAid's current projects:

• The Kawangware Street Children & Youth Project in Nairobi, Kenya
• The goGogetters program and NextAid's "Send a Child to School" campaign in South Africa

From mega-events like Miami's annual Winter Music Conference to small clubs and through benefits and other music-related activities, NextAid channels the positive energy on the dance floor across the globe to children in Africa, thus providing an opportunity for us to use the Beats of a Generation to Provide Hope for the Next.

The official kick-off of NextAid World AIDS Day 2009 will take place at San Francisco's Supperclub. Headlining are D:FUSEe and Sen-Sei along with Rooz, DJ Bo, Fil Lattorre, Dmitri SFC and DJ Dom.

This World AIDS Day will start at 9:00pm and go until 2:00am on November 25th. Tickets are $10 before 10:00pm and also all night long with RSVP to worldaidsdaysf@nextaid.org

Click here for more more information on the venue or visit http://www.nextaid.org for more ways you can help.

"Every 14 seconds, an African child loses a parent to AIDS, and every day, more than

6,000 young Africans aged 15 - 24 acquire the HIV virus. After more than two decades of

AIDS devastating the continent where life began, only 10% of the 15 million AIDS

orphans are receiving any kind of public support. The enormity of the AIDS pandemic

demands a response from every corner of society. NextAid believes that focusing on

children is the most effective way to impact this crisis and uses the collective energy

generated on the dance floor to make a difference"

SFMusicTech Summit

From musicians twittering their every move and thought to artists like Nine Inch Nails releasing their entire album for donation based download, the music industry has become irrefutably intertwined with technology. The SFMusicTech Summit is a full day seminar followed by a cocktail reception where the leaders in technology and music will address the changing world of the industry and how it affects the consumers, the producers and everyone in between.

Whether this is evolution is positive (fans can now interact more directly with the artists they love, and local artists are able to gain a following without the giant recording company middleman) or negative (do you miss the old days of perusing the record store?), one thing is indisputable – it’s happening, it’s happening fast, and the greatest power through all of these changes is knowledge. Come get informed! Speakers include:

* David Basskin - President, (CMMRA)
* Anthony Batt - Founder/Chief Creative Officer, Buzz Media
* Gabe Benveniste - Founder/CEO, SonicLiving
* Chris Buttner - Founder/President, PRThatRocks.com
* Tom Conrad - Chief Technical Officer, Pandora
* Ethan Diamond - Founder/CEO, Bandcamp
* Duncan Freeman - Founder/President, Band Metrics
* Matt Goldberg - Founder, Volume 11/Mngr, Seconds on End
* Lucas Gonze - Creator, Wax MP3
* Ian Hogarth - Co-Founder, Songkick
* Steve Jang - Entrepreneur / Technologist
* Rob Kaye - Founder and Lead Developer, MusicBrainz
* Zoe Keating - Cellist and Composer
* Zahavah Levine - Chief Counsel, YouTube
* Sandy Pearlman - Legendary Music Producer
* Paul Resnikoff - Founder and Publisher, Digital Music News
* Meliza Solan - Producer, VatorNews
* Gordon Taylor - Web Applications Programmer, SF Opera
* Tim Quirk - VP of Music Programming, Rhapsody
* Anthony Volodkin - Founder/CEO, The Hype Machine
* Brian Zisk - Executive Producer, SF MusicTech
...with more being added every day!

For additional information and to purchase tickets click here. Enter ABCEYDISCOUNT at checkout to receive an additional 15% off.

Beyond the Bedroom: Sex and A Healthier You!

Attention Ladies! On Thursday, November 19th we'll be hosting an event at Bacar in conjunction with sexandahealthieryou.org. Are you ready for a night of girl talk?? This will be a great opportunity to answer some of those burning questions you might have that you just didn't feel comfortable talking to your health care provider or partner about. Don’t worry – it’s not clinical or scary, and you can just sit and listen if you don’t feel like talking!



Discussions in the past have covered everything from the differences between the male and female orgasm cycle, how social and cultural issues come into play when communicating about sex and health issues, why you should ask how certain medications affect contraception and desire, how to pick the best health care provider, and how to reignite intimacy in a long term relationship. Catering will be provided, so come hungry!

For a sneak peek on what we’ll be talking about, check out www.sexandahealthieryou.org

See below for more info and please let me know if you can make it so we can plan accordingly. And please free to invite other ladies!

Please RSVP to me at events@abcey.com or at 877.435.4036. Hurry, spots are filling up quickly!

Hope to see you all there,
Amanda

Thursday, November 19th, 7pm
448 Brannan St. San Francisco, CA 94107

Schedule:
7:00-7:30: Guests arrive, sign in, mingle and get something to eat
7:30: Brief introduction by Host and then hand over to Nurse Practitioner
7:30-9:00/9:30: Discussion

The SF Bead and Design Show

LADIES: We're very excited to be working on the SF Bead and Design Show on November 20th-22nd at Hotel Whitcomb. Network with 150 artisans from around the world! Enjoy an assortment of glass beads, hand-woven clothing, ethnographic textiles, silk tapestries, Bohemian crystals, gemstones, designer jewelry, gold and silver, art, clothing, and interior decor.

SAN FRANCISCO BEAD AND DESIGN SHOW NOVEMBER 20-22, 2009

“…its creative spirit continues to move people in a very personal way…”

Garan-Beadagio, promoter of To Bead True Blue and Pasadena Bead and Design Show has launched a new and important exhibition, called San Francisco Bead and Design Show. It is November 20 - 22, 2009, at Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market Street, San Francisco.

The show will further expand Garan-Beadagio’s trademark theme of “bead and design”, showcasing fine handwork in a range of styles, ethnographic, abstract, impressionistic, figurative; single-media artisans to interdisciplinary artisans working across various materials, handwork techniques, and visual art forms.

Each exhibitor is chosen “by invitation only”, which makes for quality and balance. One hundred and fifty exhibitors from around the world, many with prominent international standing, will display and sell original design products, including contemporary, vintage, and antique beads, art clothing, designer jewelry, gold and silversmithing, metalwork, lapidary, textiles, ceramics, enamel, polymer clay, gemstones, antiquities, handwovens, millinery, embroideries, hand-painted silks, embellishments, and interior décor.



Garan-Beadagio CEO Anna K. Johnson believes the show’s theme, location and timing make a wonderful opportunity. “San Francisco is one of the great cities of the world and Hotel Whitcomb offers an authentic la belle époque experience. Attendees will enjoy an extravagant assortment of everything from handmade hats to thousand-year-old carved amber beads.”

She says this is an important not-to-miss engagement to meet the artisans and see how they have taken their art to higher levels by reviving lost techniques. It is also an opportunity to take a workshop, such as precious metal clay, jewelry design, chainemaille, bead making, wool felting, and silk ribbon work.

“We are seeing an increasing awareness that we are not separate from nature. There is a realization that ancient bead design was a sustainable art, inspired by natural materials, colors, and patterns –it was the original handwork and its creative spirit continues to move people in a very personal way.”



November 20 - 22, 2009, 12-8 Friday, 10-6 Saturday, and 10-5 Sunday. Open to public, $10 admission. Register online or at the door. Public transportation including Civic Center Bart Station at the hotel’s front entrance. $7 valet parking for attendees. For details go to sanfranciscobeadanddesignshow.com.

Social Media: A Fad?

Is social media a fad? The trends do seem to fade just as fast as they come. Many argue that Twitter is just a fleeting craze like Myspace and other once popular social media sites (Remember Friendster?) Will it get left in the digital dust? According to generation y and z, email is becoming passe. Do you think we will still be utilizing YouTube in a year or two, or will some new video sharing site take over? Many are already making their mark.

While the technology is changing as fast as we can keep up with it, the changes in our communication skills are here to stay.

This video by Socialnomics shows social media is bigger than you think.



The facts in this video demonstrate that social media is too entrenched in our lives to be just a fad. It certainly is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. So, just how has social media changed our communication skills? Or rather, should the question be how has social media killed our communication skills?

Yes, social media is replacing many of our personal interactions and thus "killing" our communication skills. However, for those new to the social media marketing world, it is less of a matter of loss of communication but a matter of learning a whole new language and etiquette. Creating different accounts, becoming a member of a different online communities and everything else that goes along with social media marketing had developed into a full time task. Online marketing is important for startups as well as those with already established companies in order to keep up with competition. So in this sense, we are actually growing our communication abilities.

The backlash of using social media, however, comes from the supposed loss of proper communication skills. The backlash movement is a popular topic for social media users. For example, there are countless posts and blogs stressing the importance of maintaining the integrity of face-to-face interaction in our online relationships. Those who do not comply with the anti-automated etiquette of social media are looked down upon for breaking the rules of conduct.

It is a balancing act between quick and constant communication with content and quality. Another example is the use of "ghostwriters" (those writing tweets for another) on Twitter. Ghostwriting has become an ethical debate due to the same loss of interface. Some businesses have even banned social networks in the office as they can take away from employees interacting in their real-world environments. And almost all of us would sooner send an email than make a phone call. What ever happened to the days of junior high when you talk to your crush on the phone for 6 hours straight...will that ever happen again?;)

But the question remains...is this a bad thing?

What it comes down to: Isn't it better that people engage online than not at all?

Epitomics Meeting 10.11.09

Sorry for the delay on our most recent event, but we've been busy prepping for Holiday Season!



ABCey Events was recently hired for Event Management Services including Decor, Florals and Rentals for Epitomics, an emerging Biotech company that specializes in Antibody Technology. Chinese Dignitaries came to hear an hour long presentation by the CEO and Founder, Guo-Liang Yu. Biotechnologist and entrepreneur Dr. Guo-Liang Yu has more than 12 years of experience in Genomics and 24 years of experience in Life Sciences research. Before cofounding Epitomics, Dr. Yu was Senior Vice-President of Research and Development at Mendel Biotechnology Inc.

This was a quick and small event for us, but still a great company to work for and it went off without a hitch!



Thank you Epitomics! We hope it was a great success.