Sundew Search Engine Blog

UK-Based Gasta Search Engine Network Enters Into Sales / Merger Talks

The Gasta search network is a blended search that will deliver web results, news, videos, and images with one single keyword search, then lets users social bookmark search results in their own library. The Gasta search network extends its reach into Europe and USA, has search engines launched in South Africa, China, and Japan. Gasta is a European trademark and the Gasta search engine was last year's winner of the PWC award for innovation, it also holds one of the UK most valuable property domain holdings.

Belfast, Ireland (PRWEB) October 14, 2008 -- It was announced here today that the Belfast-based web 2.0 Search Engine Network Gasta is in talks with several companies for a possible sale or merger. A well established player in European, US, and Asian search, The Gasta.com search engine network currently consists of 450+ Domains, is translated into six languages, offers a contextualised ad system, powerful SEO options, keyword management tools, and full service administration to create, launch, and quickly deploy new search engines in emerging markets and geographical regions as needed.

Gasta has created a very easy to use back-end admin system that is designed for non technical use, within the admin you can add new keywords, manage ad campaigns, replicate advertising codes, and launch new search index's and directories in minutes, Gasta has developed its own text based contextualised ad system, InstantAdsTM and the keyword direct hit service SearchMatchTM allowing users to buy targeted keywords for the geographic region they do business in. As well as this there are many SEO options including InstantLinksTM the free link exchange system that publishes the main directory." We can launch new search engines in emerging regions very easily, with the rapid deployment platform we have developed" said Higgins. "We can launch in Poland and Malaysia very quickly and have been looking out for possible local partners on the ground in these regions".

While Gasta.com is well-established in the Search Industry, it has chosen to maintain a low profile and provided state of the art services to its visitors and advertisers. Christian Nielsen, owner of NielsenTech.com, an Internet consulting firm located in the US said he has used Gasta for many years. "Yes, I was submitting client sites to Gasta's system back as early as 1999 when we started doing SEO and web promotion. They have evolved over the years, and we have keep in contact due to their attitude of service and ethics. Most other firms in the US don't seem to know about them and that's been a competitive edge for us."

Gasta.com owner Francis Higgins believes that now is a 'good time' to transition the search engines network due to the convergence of web 2.0 technologies. Higgins said "We believe that we have created great distribution platform to easily explore and rapidly develop new and emerging regions. We have looked into the possibility of partnering with a mobile carrier to deliver local mobile search in which great opportunities are coming in the future, Gasta works well now on mobiles but we would need the expertise of the big carriers to make an impact and monetize the service.

We have worked hard over the past 12 years to improve the reach and the depth of the Gasta network. With the rapid deployment and white label solution we have developed we can quickly launch blended search engines that will bring up web results, videos, news, and images with one keyword. Our brand commands a high level of respect by those that are familiar with us and those that do some research will see our extensive digital footprint built up over the years that shows our quality and consistency and has established our brand's value in the search marketing industry."

Contacts
Francis Higgins
Comm Director Gasta Search Networks
bizz @ amiwired.com
+44(0)2890333748
Mob:+44(0)7816447363

# posted by (hris @ 10:19 AM 0 Comments

We've been getting a lot of emails looking for more information about the European Search Engine Network that I posted about the other day. To eliminate some of the questions, I am posting some more information about this 12 year old network of sites that is built upon their search technology. The more I learn about what they have, the more potential I see for someone with additional skills, capital, and other resources to tie into what they already have and expand on or into the European market.

Here is some more information:

- Monthly traffic of 3,000,000+ per month across the network.

- 3,500 current /past advertisers

- Registered as a European distribution partner for Microsoft Adwords.

- A partner with Google Doubleclick and Adsense.

- Has the ability to deploy new local search engines quickly.

- Currently targeting markets in Europe, US, and several other countries as well as several topics, such as travel.

- Owns at least 4 trademarks

- Currently has 450+ Domains launched on their servers.

Domains:
· International
· US
· UK
· Ireland
· Europe
· Austria
· France
· Germany
· Italy
· Spain
· India
· China
· Japan
· South Africa
· Money
· Travel
· and several others

If you are interested or require more information please let me know and I will put you in touch with the company. I've been friends with the owner for some time now and agreed to help them find a buyer if I can.

I would have thought the current economic situation would have made it difficult to generate interest in a search network such as this, but I was clearly wrong. There are many that would like to expand their current holdings and sites like social networks, consumer shopping sites, auction sites, and sites that are based on UGC (User Generated Content) seem to be super interested in adding mature search to the current offerings. Building is always an option, but why build and re-invent the wheel when you can buy.

And I just learned today that one of my old favorite UK search engines, www.Burf.com was sold and now has a new owner.
If you need to reach me, just Google "NielsenTech" and you should be able to contact me.

# posted by (hris @ 9:59 PM 0 Comments

Independent Film Quarterly

by Tanya Irwin , Friday, September 19, 2008

I CONFESS, I'M addicted to magazines.  I can't go anywhere near a newsstand or bookstore without coming away with at least one.  So seeing a free pile of magazines sitting anywhere is practically like hitting the lottery -- or at least winning on a scratch-off ticket.

I was up in Traverse City, Mich. earlier this month at the Traverse City Film Festival hanging out with my "good friends" Madonna and Michael Moore when I spied a pile of IFQs sitting on a table in one of the theater lobbies. Score!

The cover is intriguing. A black and white photo of a female who looks like a cross between a young Deborah Harry and Nico is set against a pink background. The issue is billed as the "Cannes Special Edition."  Even though Danny Glover is the only name I recognized on the cover (I'll admit it, I like movies but I'm no art film aficionado) I figure maybe I'll know who some of the people are after reading about them. And maybe I'd learn something I didn't know from perusing the usual bourgeois entertainment zines.

As it turns out, the cover model is Emmanuelle Seigner, who appeared in "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly," which I have heard of.  She's married to legendary director Roman Polanski. Penned by Nicole Holland, the interview is Q&A style and while it's decently written and somewhat interesting, I couldn't help but cringe at some of the "questions." I use quote marks because in several cases they aren't so much questions as statements of fawning adoration. Obviously the interviewee is a big deal in the film industry, but the tone of the article struck me as unprofessional and amateurish.  I felt more like I was reading a high school newspaper than an internationally circulated magazine.

If that were the only such article in the 64-page magazine, I could give it a pass. But wait, there's more. We move on to another Q&A piece by Nicole  Holland, this time with Asia Argento, whose father, Dario Argento, is a big-deal director in Europe. I've never heard of either of them or their movies, but the four-page piece is much the same as the first piece.

Moving along, there's another three-page Q&A by Nicole Holland, this time with Cecile De France, another actress I've never heard of.  She was in a French movie with Gerard Depardieu. Finally, someone I have heard of. I'd been starting to feel seriously un-artsy fartsy.

The magazine describes itself on its Web site as "one of the fastest growing Film/Art & Society magazines featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with celebrated iconic figures in film, music and pop culture. IFQ invites  you to experience this avant-garde film and pop culture movement."  The  advertising statistics sheet states that the target audience includes "producers, actors, directors, musicians, artists, film distributors, record  labels, entertainment attorneys, dub houses, film labs, film festival directors, music festival directors, art festival directors, editors and the general public alike." I'm guessing they skew fairly young since the magazine has a profile on MySpace.

IFQ can be found in select Barnes & Nobles, Borders, Books-A-Million, on 3,000 newsstands nationwide and at domestic and international film, music and art  festivals and related events. It has controlled circulation mailings that  are sent to industry leaders, trade shows, music festivals, art festivals and film festivals, domestic and international.

Every article in the magazine is in Q&A style.  While I don't mind that formatting as an occasional alternative to the objective third-person narration, it becomes grating after a while.  Unless the person is a really big deal, I don't think it's necessary to preserve every single word they say.  Spare the reader the gory details and get to the point. Exercise your competence as a writer and spin a tale that draws me in.  Otherwise my take is that the writer is just being lazy or doesn't know how to write an actual story.  But maybe to the 20,000 readers of this magazine, all of these interviews ARE with big-deal people.  In which case, I guess all I can say is, "Enjoy."

MAG STATS
Published by: Disticor (Newsstand Distributor); Publisher and Editor in Chief: Stuart Alson
Frequency: Quarterly
Web site

Post your response to the public Magazine Rack blog.

See what others are saying on the Magazine Rack blog.
Tanya Irwin is Deputy Editor of MediaPost. She can be reached at tanya@mediapost.com.

Magazine Rack for Friday, September 19, 2008:
http://blogs.mediapost.com/magazine_rack/?p=526

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# posted by (hris @ 3:30 PM 0 Comments

PLUG-IN ELECTRIC CAR RACE GETS TENSE

Consumers can help pick the tomorrow's winners by completing the on-line "Join the Plug-In Revolution" survey.

PAPILLION, NE, April 17, 2008 - Electric sports car builder Tesla is suing electric luxury car builder Fisker, claiming the latter stole company trade secrets. GM and Toyota are sparing, directly and via surrogates over to the relative merits of their competing plug-in electric car strategies. The furor over California's supposed retreat on its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate continues to spiral with "conflict of interest" charges against one of its Air Resources Board members.

At stake is a rapidly evolving, multi-billion dollar global market for the next generation of electric cars, which use little or no petroleum, promising to reduce the nation's dependence on imported oil. Propelled by intensifying concerns over national security, climate change and resource depletion, carmakers large and small are racing to develop and market three classes of electric-drive vehicles: Plug-in Hybrids, Extended-Range Electric Vehicles and Battery Electric Vehicles.

Plug-in Hybrids are essentially internal combustion engine vehicles that offer electric-only driving ranges from 10-30 miles. Vehicles in this class will include the next generation Toyota Prius and Saturn VUE, both in development and slated to be available sometime around 2010.

Extended-Range Electric Vehicles are predominately electric cars with onboard internal combustion engine generators that recharge the large batteries, giving the vehicles significant range beyond that of their battery pack. This class includes the Chevy Volt, Fisker Karma and Tesla Whitestar, that latter two now locked in the clinches of a legal boxing match.

Battery Electric Vehicles are traditional, battery-only cars that are charged exclusively by an external electric power source such as the grid or a home owner's solar panels. These vehicles include the Think city and Nissan Denke, the former available for sale in Europe and the latter to appear in America sometime after 2010.

Fortunes and careers are being wagered in this high stakes gamble to become the environmental vehicle leader of the 21st Century. Who will win with which technology is yet to be seen. At last count, there are nearly 20 different electric car programs currently in development by manufacturers in North America, Europe and Asia.

The Plugin.EVWorld.Com (http://plugin.evworld.com) on-line survey is giving consumers the opportunity to express their preferences and concerns about the cars of the future. The survey takes only a minute to complete and those completing the survey will be rewarded by a FREE downloadable Thank You gift worth $10. To date, more than 1,100 people have completed the survey.

"Join the Plug-in Revolution" is sponsored by EV World (http://www.evworld.com).

On-line since 1998, EV World is recognized as one of the leading Internet information portals on sustainable electric-drive vehicle technology, public policy, investments and people. For further information, please contact us at 01 (402) 339.9877 US Central Time.

Contact Information:
Bill Moore
EV World.Com, Inc.
Editor in Chief
P.O. Box 461132
Papillion, NE
United States 68046
Voice: 402.339.9877

# posted by (hris @ 7:36 PM 0 Comments

New Route to Hair Free Skin - But Are You At Risk of Serious Complications?

In the USA in 2007 nearly 1.5 mil. laser hair removal procedures were carried out. Shockingly a staggering 19.9% of patients undergoing these procedures experience complications. LaserHairRemoval-Info.com was founded in 2005 to provide consumers with little-publicized information on laser hair removal, and is launching a new book aiming to bring the knowledge needed by consumers out from behind the locked doors of the laser clinics and places it firmly in the hands of those that need it.

New York, NY, September 12, 2008 -- Success of Laser Hair Removal Threatened by Increasingly Common Dangers and Widespread Ignorance.

The removal of unwanted hair using lasers is becoming increasingly commonplace; in the USA in 2007, nearly 1.5 million laser hair removal procedures were carried out1 and shockingly a staggering 19.9% of patients undergoing these procedures experience complications2.

Increasingly consumers are having to take their fate into their own hands and perform the research and investigation necessary to ensure that they receive the appropriate treatment rather than relying on the dubious expertise of some of the laser hair removal clinics, many of which are not operating under the direct supervision of a qualified doctor or dermatologist.

"I never want to go near a laser again," says former laser hair removal patient Andrea (age 43) of Brooklyn, New York. After undergoing treatments totaling $2,900 in cost over the course of a year, Andrea has now reverted to shaving her unwanted body hair as the treatment was almost completely ineffective. "The wasted money, although it is a lot of money to me, is irrelevant compared to what I have suffered in pain and embarrassment undergoing treatment after treatment which initially had no effect at all and then when the laser strength was increased resulted in sore, unsightly burns."

Now a brand new report has been created, aimed squarely at consumers who want to get laser hair removal without the risk of side effects or ineffective treatment. Readers can download this free insider report, Top 10 Must-Know Tips on Laser Hair Removal, from http://www.laserhairremoval-info.com/download/booklet.htm. This no-nonsense guide will help patients to avoid the fate experienced by Andrea and ensure that they get the right laser hair removal treatment for their specific circumstances.

"Be prudent and selective when evaluating your options for any possible cosmetic procedure," advises dermatologist Gary Monheit, MD, president of the ASDS.

Patients must realize that just because a laser clinic near their home is offering treatment for a good price doesn't mean that this particular clinic possesses the expertise or the equipment to safely and effectively treat their skin type. The knowledge offered in the newly published book: Insider Secrets of Laser Hair Removal (available from September 2008) gives consumers the ability to understand the whole process of laser hair removal and how it will apply to their own physiology and specific goals.

LaserHairRemoval-Info.com was founded in 2005 to provide consumers with little-publicized information on laser hair removal. The site offers a range of articles, research materials and message forums for people considering this life-changing treatment.

Contact Information
LaserHairRemoval-Info.com
Ingrid Preube
49-531-577497
ingrid@laserhairremoval-info.com

 

# posted by (hris @ 11:39 PM 0 Comments

Local Independent Female Recording Artist Karlina Covington Croons for the Community

Cnotes Records Recording Artist Karlina Covington is helping to empower our youth by releasing a new cd where a % of the proceeds will benefit the Eugene Bowman Center in San Diego, CA

Jul 27, 2008 - Cnotes Records Recording Artist Karlina Covington is crooning for our community and helping to empower our youth by releasing a new cd where a percentage of the proceeds will benefit the Eugene Bowman Economic Empowerment Center in San Diego California (http://www.empowering-youth.org/) headed by Lorraine Bowman and Lauren Town.

Based in North Hollywood, California, the record label she is signed to, Cnotes Records (www.cnotesrecords.com) is dedicated to helping our community by not only by contributing currency, but time and education via entertainment or "edutainment" as well. Cnotes Records CEO, Cedric Buard says, "by helping our community we help our world, and Cnotes Records vows to help our world."

Karlina believes that by helping and educating our youth, we can build a better future for us all. Her release "Make Me High" is mostly an R&B/Pop release, but also features strong blues, rock and smooth jazz genre hits in the mind of Alicia Keys, Pink, Aliyah, and Janet Jackson, including an undeniable original sound. The 1st single "See You Again" is already gaining high exposure on the independent charts, and has won over 6 reviewer awards, including "Track of the Day" on a popular Internet site. You can listen to her latest single and more for FREE by visiting www.cnotesrecords.com

Karlina's CD Release party is planned for Saturday, August 30, 2008 (North Hollywood)
Make Me High Anticipated Release date: September 2, 2008 (Available online and via Cnotes Records)
Benefiting our community by providing high quality edutainment.

About the company:

Cnotes Records has been in business in the North Hollywood area since 2007, and has vowed from the beginning to help the community in which they do business and live. This is their 6th independent release and the first in which a percentage of the proceeds will benefit a non-profit organization. They serve the entertainment and small business industry and provide an abundance of products and services to help your business succeed. Visit www.cnotesrecords.com for more information.

Contact:
Cedric Buard
Cnotes Records
818.913.4854
www.cnotesrecords.com

For more information:
Keywords: Cnote,Cnotes,Records,Karlina,Covington,Cedric,Buard

Contact us: 5625 Satsuma Avenue North Hollywood, California 91601 8189134854 www.cnotesrecords.com info@cnotesrecords.com

# posted by (hris @ 11:26 PM 0 Comments

We received a letter in the mail offering us a free meal and a free MP3 player if we would attend a "Conference" for StoresOnline that seems to be offering a complete package designed to let you sell things on the Internet. The main company behind this seems to be:

StoresOnline.com
Imergent, Inc.
754 E Technology Ave
Orem, UT 84097 US
801-434-8582 Phone
801-226-8848 Fax

Terminal Resource, L.C.
51 West Center, Suite 208
Orem, UT
888.296.5022
Fax 801.691.5566

Doing some searches in Google for "stores online scam" and "stores online sucks" will turn up some interesting listings that you may want to check out if you are thinking about attending. But you may save yourself a trip if you just visit their web site first. While the site looks very professional, the thing you will discover there is that they are offering their service for $300 a month. While they may be providing more than simple hosting, they better be providing a hell of a lot more, since that is pretty outrageous for any startup ecommerce hosting account that provides little in return that guarantees you will be making anything from your investment. Oh I forgot to mention that you have to commit to 1 YEAR of hosting with them, or $3,600. If you know little to nothing about web hosting, designing, marketing, and promotion I doubt VERY much that you will make your money back. Think about it. If you could really make a lot of money with little effort, wouldn't you just do that for your self to start with? Why would you sell a great money making system to others?

Your first clue is the fact that while they are offering something that you should be excited about and they have to give you a free meal AND a free MP3 player, just to make sure they get you in the door...!

So my advice is to check it out if you are interested. Get the free meal and free MP3 player. But make darned sure you know what you are investing in before you give them any money! If you have any doubts what I suggest is you look around and find an Internet or ecommerce consultant and pay them to help you get started. You will pay a LOT less money and have a MUCH better chance of starting a real business that may do well. And expect to pay a monthly hosting fee that will be between $15-$50 a month, NOT $300 a month!

P.S. I just found a site called Stores Online Sucks and I will list the link below. For me, this confirms EXACTLY what I had been thinking about this company. They are taking advantage of people that have some money but are generally clueless about the web.

Links
====
Rip Off Report: Stores Online
Stores Online Sucks

# posted by (hris @ 8:01 PM 0 Comments