Media Networking in Dallas

Networking is not such a good word in India; it is associated with slimy businessmen, shrewd marketers, persistent salespeople and politics. But networking is slowly getting accepted as a way to get to know people. Social and professional networking websites such as LinkedIn, Orkut etc are not viewed so favorably. In the US networking is the best way to meet people with similar interests or professions. I was told about this Media Networking event by Madelyn Miller a travel and food editor whom I met at the Press Club event. Media networking sounded new and revolutionary to me and hence I decided to attend and make some more contacts in the field.

The event was conducted at small bar known as The Ginger Man in Down Town Dallas and was attended by over 30 professionals of various kinds. Editors, publicists, radio, television and documentary film producers, photographers, graphic designers etc. There were people who were editors but totally unconcerned with the media, say a technical editor with a software firm, a video after effects editor, a budding film maker etc.

It is interesting to see how people strike up friendships within just minutes of having met and drift from group to group. I met at least two people who were going to India within the next two weeks, and excited they were. One planned to participate in a tiger safari and white rafting in the Ganges while the other was traveling to attend a wedding in the sultry city of Hyderabad. Madelyn Miller was there for a short while and left for some other appointment. A freelance photographer was shooting off to eternity. This was an event where there were more freelancers than staffers. Freelance writers I met were very professional and marketed themselves well. A culture which is in its nascent stage in India.

Search Engine Optimisation Solutions

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a commonly practiced procedure to increase or enhance the number of people visiting your website from search engines. In short by optimising a web sites content with the right tagging and keywords it is possible to ensure that your website comes as the first result for certain targeted keywords. And websites are ranked based on their positioning in the search results. Higher the ranking and more the probability of visitors to site. SEO is also targeted for various other aspects of a website, such as images, local searches, industry, individual, place etc.

If one has to be successful in the online place it is important that the website is optimised for getting higher ranks in search engines. It is not such an easy task to optimise the website content for search engines. One needs to have a thorough seasoned professional content, site and web masters working on it constantly to achieve this. The Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) business has spawned a new industry and there are several corporations catering to individual businesses to make their website optimised for search engines.

One of the leading companies in that space is First Rate, a New Zealand based Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) company. First Rate employs about a team of 30 members and is the largest online direct response agency in New Zealand and the fastest growing agency of its type in Australasia. Of the total staff strength, 16 members are highly skilled and experienced online marketing consultants and 14 are Adwords Qualified Professionals. Since its inception, First Rate has grown in strength and currently handles over 100 Google Adword Campaigns and operates a performance Ad Network, generating over 55million clicks a month.

If that is not enough reason to opt for First Rate to optimise your website, consider the company's impeccable track record. First Rate has been in the SEO space since 1998, their Comprehensive SEO Methodology & Process is ranked best in industry, 30 Staff Including 16 SEO Specialist Consultants. First Rate is one of the best Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) companies you could find. Opt for their service and see your profits soar.

Meeting journalists and publicists in Dallas

Having been out of India and not practicing my profession during the past couple of months here I was itching for some action. Curious to know about the local media scene and if possible attend a press conference or two, I decided and got in touch with the Press Club of Dallas by e-mail.

I was surprised to get a prompt response from Jo Ann Holt, a veteran journalist and car columnist and social secretary of the Press Club of Dallas welcoming me to US and inviting me to attend a party at Ounce Prime Steakhouse, Dallas. After exchanging a few e-mails I confirmed and decided to meet up the members of the press at Ounce Prime Steakhouse, a new opened upscale place in Addison. Ounce prides itself in serving best in Steak, Wine and Martinis in a friendly and soothing ambiance.

As soon as I entered Ounce, I asked for the Press Club meeting and was immediately ushered into the bar where a group of people were enjoying drinks and conversation. I walked up and introduced myself to the people there and asked for Jo Ann Holt. I was impressed by the informal atmosphere where senior and cub journalists were interacting freely. One of the highlights of the evening was meeting with senior journalist Hugh Aynesworth, who first reported the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the arrest of Ostwald and his subsequent killing. Aynesworth has also written two books on the Kennedy assassination: The Only Living Witness (1983) and JFK: Breaking the News (2003).

Expectedly all of them had problems in pronouncing my name and to make it easy for them I just shortened and introduced myself as "Nidhi or Needy". Younger journalists were busy discussing their jobs, assignments, etc. As the evening passed on Jo Ann promised me that she would inform me of other Press Club events so I could meet more journalists and also take me to one or two press conferences... Am I excited? You bet I am... just waiting for the opportunity.

Meeting with a naive Palestinian
A funny incident of the evening was when I waited at the lobby for Padma to pick me up. As I waited I got chatting with Ounce Steakhouse's two valets, one of them a Palestinian. Conversation followed the normal track, "Where are you from?", "What do you do?", "How long have you been in US?" etc and then suddenly he asked me a very strange question. "Are there muslims in India?" Frankly I was shocked and surprised by his question. When I mentioned that India hosts the second largest muslim population in the world, he was visibly surprised and commented: "That is several million more than our country which is completely Muslim".

I didn't know what to respond and at that time Jo Ann invited me to go on a short drive round the parking lot in a luxury Lincoln SUV she is reviewing. Back in my mind I was thinking about how naive people could be. It takes all kinds to make the world.

President Abraham Lincoln's cottage is slated to open next month

Picture of Lincoln's cottage (Source: Intelligent Travel Blog)

It has taken seven years of hard work by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and about $15 million and President Abraham Lincoln's cottage is far from satisfactory according to news reports. The cottage in Washington DC where Lincoln and his family spent more than a quarter of his Washington life, continues to look like many summer houses. The exterior is pale brown stucco with green shutters and dark brown trim with modest scrollwork, more grand Ohio farmhouse than mansion.

Slated to become the American capital's niche tourist attraction by Presidents Day, Feb. 18, the residence was used by several other presidents also and lately it was being used as an administrative building. The cottage's real claim to fame is the history of the Lincolns, National Trust President Richard Moe said. Between 1862 and his death in 1865, Lincoln commuted 45 minutes each way daily by horse or carriage from June into fall to read, think and relax.

Read more on Dallas Morning News

Enhance your premises with rope lights

A new and revolutionary way of lighting to focus on specific areas either to enhance appeal or attract attention is through Rope lighting. Also known as tube light, lite rope, and flexible impact lighting, the new concept has changed the way people perceive light. Being extremely flexible, these lights can be used in various shapes and are known by the shape they represent. For example when you twist this rope into the shape of a bird it is known as rope light.

One of the pioneering distributors of these rope lights which comprise rows of miniature bulbs encased in flexible PVC tubing are Birddog Distributors. This is one company which has made this form of versatile, affordable, and easy to use and install lighting accessible to everybody. Birddog Distributors supply commercial quality rope lights with unique extruded surface to dissipate the heat, enhance bulb life and radiate more light. One of the new introduced features include anti aging and UV additives.

Birddog Distributing Inc's main aim is offer quality merchandise at competitive prices and every client is given the same importance and serviced personally. With a mission statement to provide customers with exceptional value, quality service and reliability, Birddog Distributing prides in being a dependable organisation. To this end their website is certified hacker safe and has the entire inventory on display. There are several varieties of rope lights, featuring Cutting Edge Accent Lighting technologies. While online shopping you can be assured that these rope lights can be used for Christmas, holiday string lights, rope light silhouettes, patio lights, mini lights, novelty lights etc.

Rope lights are not only for residential or commercial use. It can be used in an array of applications. You could install it along the borders of your RV and get noticed. You could use short lengths in camping to ensure that wild animals don't come into your tent. In short a rope light is very useful to you. And to buy rope lights and accessories just visit the Birddog Distributors website and you will be surprised with the array of options available and at such reasonable prices.

My first and smallest byline in US

For a journalist/ photographer/ travel writer the greatest high is when you get to see your work in print with your byline. And when it is in a different country it is all the more greater. Whether you get paid or not doesn't matter, it is the high that one gets on seeing their name alongside the work is what matters. That is at least true for me. I work more for a byline than for money. I'd rather earn less and achieve fame as a person doing something useful, rather than be obscure and earn a lot of money.

Yesterday I was eagerly waiting for Dallas Morning News which was supposed to carry my picture (a picture shot by me) along with my byline... and where.. on the cover of the travel supplement. I got up early in the morning and went straight to get the paper and flipped over to the travel supplement and there it was. Though miniscule my name is there big and clear for all to see, right alongside the big 100 pt headline announcing the supplement. Here is a scanned copy of the paper for all of you to see. If you feel I have achieved something do leave a comment... I'd be happy to read it.