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Group Interview: What Do Online Advertisers Look For in a Website?
Bloggers and website owners are always looking to get advertisers and sponsors on board. Selling your ads directly, in fact, is one of the most profitable monetization strategies.
How to do that efficiently, though?
Instead of answering it ourselves, we decided to ask the CEOs and marketing managers of some online companies. Who better than the people actually spending the money to give us advice on that topic, after all?
Here is the a list of the participants:
- Patrick Gavin from Text Link Ads (Ad Network)
- Dmitry Buterin from Wild Apricot (Social Software)
- Fraser Kelton from AdaptiveBlue (Widgets and Software)
- Cory Miller from iThemes (Premium Themes)
- Zac Johnson from ZacJohnson.com (Affiliate Marketing)
1. How much does your company spend monthly in online advertising? How is that number changing over the time?
Patrick: Sorry I can't put an exact figure for you but safe to say tens of thousands of dollars. It has stayed relatively stable over time as we try to just buy in places where it converts well and use a portion of the budget to rotate in and out new test sites.
Dmitry: Sorry, can not disclose. Quite a bit.
Fraser: Anywhere from $0 – $2,000. It fluctuates on a month-to-month basis as we experiment with what works and what doesn't.
Niz: Our company spends around $2500 monthly in online advertising. This keeps on changing with time, depending upon the number of clients and work we are able to pull off. If we are overwhelmed with work, we usually drop on the costs of our PPC campaigns.
Cory: iThemes spends less than $2000 a month currently. That number will depend on how well we develop a community and client base.
Frank: I can't give you the number but it does vary over time. We are always testing out new advertising methods. Starting up new ones and closing off ones that no longer perform.
Zac: While most projects are on auto-pilot with search and viral marketing, ad costs can vary monthly form $500-$10,000 a month depending on what I'm focusing on.
David: Our company spends around $1,000 a month in advertising costs, because we focus most of our efforts on word of mouth.
2. How is that amount divided into PPC, direct banners, single event sponsorships and other formats?
Patrick: Roughly 50% PPC and 50% banners.
Dmitry: PPC — 50%. Direct banners — the rest.
Fraser: It's split between PPC and 125×125 banners. We're exploring a few sponsorship ideas.
Niz: Around $1000-$1500 are direct banners on popular websites/blogs, and the remaining is PPC. We also sometimes take few sponsored reviews now and then.
Cory: Right now, it's just direct banners. We'll be starting PPC soon.
Frank: We do some PPC and mostly banners/sponsorship. PPC in the web hosting world is very competitive.
Zac: I prefer to promote web sites and direct campaigns through PPC, while setting up banners, articles and contest sponsorships for blogs.
David: We spend very little in PPC and direct banners, but we really like blog contests. If I had to put some numbers, I'd say 20% PPC, 10% banners, and 70% word of mouth such as blog contest sponsorships.
3. Do you mind getting approached directly by site owners? If yes why? If no, what information should be included to capture your attention?
Patrick: I definitely don't mind. The biggest issue is at times the opportunities that come direct in general are of the small nature which can be difficult to manage many such deals direct at once.
Dmitry: No. Ability to test-drive the offering. The number of visitors/hits etc. is pretty meaningless per se — it's a question of a match with audience. If I can do a 1 or 2 weeks test drive and see my clicks and sign-ups then I can know what it is worth to me.
Fraser: It depends on the format of the email. If the email from the site owner is clearly a template then it's rarely well received. I'm okay receiving direct email if the blogger has spent a few moments to tailor the email towards our company and needs. Share as much information/stats as possible in the original email: traffic, price, options, etc. as well as why the audience of the site makes sense for our product/service.
Niz: No, we don't mind anyone contacting us directly. You should explain to us, how you can help us in popularizing our name, so that people start talking about us. Tell us why the price you are charging is worth our money. And, even better if there is a special offer, like free for the first month or a couple of weeks or something like that.
Cory: Yes and no. No, I don't mind if the site has good deals compared with traffic and target audience. But yes, I mind it when it's obvious they've seen an ad on another competing site and email to solicit with nothing really to offer. I have noticed though that because we've advertised on a number of blogs, we're getting more advertising "calls" now.
Frank: We don't mind getting contact at all as long as the content is relevant.
Zac: When being contacted by a web site, trying to pursued me to by advertising on their site, it should never be a copy/paste email that's sent to many other blogs and should also offer a discount or special deal, as its an un-requested offer. I much prefer to advertise with site owners I currently already know or blogs I'm already a reader of.
David: Not at all. We, and our clients, are always looking for unique advertising opportunities that aren't publicly displayed. Clear information on terms, like pricing and length, and readership numbers would capture my attention, especially if its a good value or could have a very positive return on investment.
4. How important is the design of a blog to an advertiser? What aspects are good and which turn you down?
Patrick: I think it is very important to portray a professional design as it gives the advertiser confidence in the quality of the property. Another important factor is where on the page the ads will appear.
Dmitry: Not very important, as long as it works for readers.
Fraser: Somewhat important, but not critical. If the design obscures the ad units then obviously it's a negative thing. We've experienced some of our best results from poorly designed sites because the audience of the site was targeted for our product.
Niz: As an advertiser, we must be able to get a lot of click-throughs and exposure to our ads. If the publisher uses something like "Recommendations" instead of "Sponsors", that is an extra positive point for us. The blog should be neat (and not messy). Also, your blog shouldn't compromise on your actual readers' experience, as only then it can reach a large number of people, which was the first reason we thought of advertising on your blog. There are a lot of paid premium wordpress themes available in the market which are ideal for the purpose.
Cory: Very important. If the ad is buried behind the design, then it's not an attractive offer. As a publisher, you have to offer value to your advertisers, or they won't continue advertising. For us, that translates into exposure and clicks. In the first five seconds I'm on a site I can tell if an ad on that site offers us value — in exposure and clicks.
Frank: The blog design is really not important to us. Content that is relative to hosting is much more important.
Zac: I would not want to advertise on a blog where the advertisements are lost or hidden. Ultimately though, it comes down to the blog user quality.
David: For us, design is particularly important. We liked to be associated with websites and brands that care about their image as well. A custom designed website and logo are a big plus and one major negative is excessively flashy advertisements.
5. What other factors do you look for when selecting the websites where you will buy advertising?
Patrick: Where the ads will appear. How many other advertisers will appear. Who are those other advertisers. Will a sponsored post thanking sponsors be included to ensure reach of rss readers.
Dmitry: Audience matching our target niche.
Fraser: Without a doubt the best results have occurred when the ad was on a blog with an audience that was a perfect fit for our product. The readership/traffic can be substantially lower than other sites, but because the fit is ideal the results are great. RSS subscriptions are important only as a proxy for overall traffic, but not a valuable metric on its own. How active the community is (# of comments) is more important than feed subscriptions but is not a stat that's often cited.
Niz: The following questions pop up in our heads when we buy advertising: Will it help us getting our name out there, building our brand, people start noticing us and hopefully start talking about us? Is it related to our theme? Will the visitors on the website be interested in what we have to offer? Is the website popular enough for our purpose? Will it offer any advantage(s) from SEO point of view? Is the guy/girl behind the website friendly and helpful enough to get started as an advertiser on his/her website? Is all of the above worth the money? Will I be able to pull off a decent ROI?
Cory: Target audience and cost. I've already mentioned exposure and the potential for clicks (traffic), but one of the first things I look for when advertising is the target audience that a blog offers. I believe you need to offer a niche audience to advertisers. It'll make your job easier and more likely to sell out your ad inventory if you cater to a specific group of people.
Frank: I'm going to sound like a broken record but relevant content is most important. When we advertise on blogs it would make no sense to be on a political blog (as an example). Blogs about blogging, design blogs, webmaster blogs are example of places where we do advertise.
Zac: The most important factor to selecting a blog to advertise on, is choosing a blog with relevant content and that can provide readers whom my blog and relate with. Second is ad pricing. Without a balance between the two, most ad campaigns won't succeed.
David: Some of the factors we look at when selecting a website where we will buy advertising are (in no particular order): traffic and readership numbers, content, reader demographics, number of RSS subscribers, price and length of advertising, advertisement size and placement, main source of traffic, pagerank.
6. How do you track results? Do you think reporting is an important side of the equation?
Patrick: Yes we do and it is important. Obviously it is difficult to measure brand awareness created but measuring traffic and more importantly publisher and advertiser sign ups is key.
Dmitry: This is the biggest part of the equation! We use Google Analytics. Knowing how the blog audience changes over time is very important to baseline the data. Ability to rotate different creatives is very attractive and important.
Fraser: We track click-throughs, and then have set-up goals within google analytics so that we can track what the conversion rate is. reporting is a critical side of the equation. we've discovered that some low-traffic, highly-targeted sites have yielded better results than other high-traffic sites. figuring out cost / conversion is the important result to track because you can normalize a number of advertising channels (cpc, display ads, sponsorship, etc) and compare apples-to-apples.
Niz: We track the "referrer" of our each sale/lead on our website through PHP. It is very important to know where your sales/leads come from so that you can plan ahead.
Cory: Currently, click-thrus…. Reporting is very important to me. I want to see that people are arriving on our site and being exposed to our products. (Ultimately, we'd love them to become customers. But right now, we're more focused on brand awareness.)
Frank: Tracking clicks is extremely important. On some blogs we can't track things at all. Other blogs use tracking system and yet other let us use our own system. Our system (of course) works best for us as it tracks all the way through conversion.
Zac: Google Analytics, RSS and blog reader emails/comments are my favorite ways to track results. Nothing beats getting actual user feedback from new readers.
David: We track results via lead conversions using Google Analytics and Google Adwords. However, we also track results by number of visitors, how long they stayed, if other people wrote about our website, etc. There's a lot more to "results" than direct leads and a lot of companies don't realize that yet.
7. If you could give one advice for a blogger aiming to get more sponsors and advertisers, what would it be?
Patrick: It would go without saying to increase readership is the biggest factor but in addition it would be to package in value ads like a sponsor post and possibly multiple ad unit runs on the same page to ensure the advertiser is getting seen by the visitors.
Dmitry: Be responsive and proactive in talking to advertisers. E.g. sometimes we need to change a creative — it's important to get quick turnaround on that.
Fraser: Sell and be responsive. it blows me away that a blogger looking for sponsors or advertisers is not responsive. I'll send emails inquiring about advertising or asking for stats and far too often I'll get an email with too little information or, even worse, a response a week or two later. in many cases it feels like you expect us – the advertiser – to work hard to place our ad on your site, which is the completely the wrong way to approach the situation.
Niz: Ask the price which is absolutely worth it, accompanied with some special offer. Additionally, read the above answers carefully and see what we want from you and try to provide us with those things.
Cory: The one piece of advice I was give bloggers is … provide value to your advertisers and build a relationship with them. Go above and beyond to court clients. Offer incentives, bonuses. And just be responsive to their inquiries. I've had a couple of advertisers just point me back to their advertising information page. Then others have checked in periodically to ask how things are going, or even do posts about their new advertisers. Those kinds of publishers will most likely get more of our ad budget.
Frank: Target the right advertisers and price things properly for your web site. Don't try to run too many ads either. Most sites need to start out small (number of advertisers and price) and then as your site / reputation increases so can your pricing.
Zac: Provide quality content and aim to please the advertiser. It's much easier to keep one advertiser in the long run, then having to try and find a new one each month. Cater to your advertisers by making them deals, pointing them out in various posts and rewarding them with quality traffic.
David: Have a clear advertising page. Make sure it includes current readership numbers, RSS subscribes, what's included in the advertisement, what payment is accepted, if their are openings, reader demographics, how to contact you for more information, and testimonials from current advertisers.
Key Takeaways
1. Flexible budget. Apparently the advertisers have a flexible budget, which might increase or decrease month over month, depending on their requirements and on the available opportunities.
2. 50% PPC, 50% banners. Most advertisers reported a quite balanced division between PPC and banner advertising, which should indicate a favorable scenario for websites selling banner space directly. Other advertising methods such as event sponsorships and sponsored reviews are also considered.
3. No canned emails, please. Advertisers do not mind getting approached directly, but if they notice that you just used the same template to dozens of companies they might skip it.
4. Be clear. Additionally, if you are going to contact a potential advertisers directly, make sure to include all the necessary information (e.g., price, traffic, type of audience) and possibly to include a special offer or deal (e.g., free trial period) to entice the advertisers.
5. Design is important, but not critical. Some companies might prefer stylish websites, but most of them are just concerned with the position of the ads. As long as they are in a visible position, where they will get both exposure and clicks, the companies are fine.
6. Relevant audience is vital. The most important factor for advertisers is by far the relevance of the audience and of the content. Keep this in mind the next time you decide to contact an advertisers that is not related to your niche.
7. Other factors. Other factors that advertisers might take into consideration include the price, traffic, number of RSS subscribers, and activity of the community (comments).
8. Offer additional features: The ability to rotate creatives is important to some advertisers. Secondly, writing a "thank you" post that will reach your RSS subscribers might also be a plus in their view.
9. Tracking the results. Most advertisers are concerned with click-through rates mainly. Google Analytics is a popular tool for that purpose.
10. Be responsive! The biggest turn off for advertisers is when the website or blog owner is not responsive. Answer to their queries promptly, provide sufficient details, and make sure that they are getting value out of the deal. It is about building relationships and win-win situations, after all.
Browse all articles on the Monetize category
20 Responses to "Group Interview: What Do Online Advertisers Look For in a Website?"
axel g
A very inspiring post!
Many thanks for the great insights…
Brilliant! This would certainly help a lot of bloggers looking for direct advertisers.
I tried to – but didn't successfully convey it in the interview – say that the traffic didn't matter in our experiences advertising on blogs.
We advertised on one of the top 20 blogs. The conversion? BRUTAL!
We advertised on a blog with minimal readers. The conversion? Amazing!
The difference? One had an audience who was receptive to the ads – they were relevant, they were meaningful. The other just had a lot of (targeted) traffic.
Jeremy Steele
Great insight into the complex world of advertising, thanks Daniel.
Raymond Chua
Thanks for sharing the tips about advertising. 🙂
Have a nice day.
Steven Snell
Very informative Daniel. Thanks for getting this together.
Wow, i know nothing about adverstising business, your articles gave me a lot of information that open my mind, Thank you…
Albert Hallado
Hi Daniel,
Another great post and the interview is priceless (great information, Thanks' for providing a valuable info. on advertising.
Thanks Again,
Daniel Scocco
My pick is 1,000 uniques per day.
Great content here…just one question I'm sure new or growing sites would love to know the answer to: what is the minimum level of traffic a site requires before they will buy advertising? I'm sure it varies, but when can someone start pitching people? 1000 per day? 10,000 per day? more, less?
Thanks for all your great work,
Daniel Scocco
Erin, the approach needs to be different I think, the two sides a very far from each other.
You would need to explain in much more detail what they would get, how it works and so on.
Great information. I especially like questions 4 and 5.
I believe that Dmitry hit the nail on the head regarding design. If it works for the readers, then that should be the most important thing. Of course having the ability to track the ads would really benefit advertisers and provide them with more value.
Erin Banister
So, Daniel, I guess what I'm asking is regarding approach – would the approach be the same? I'm wondering if local advertisers would have the same knowledge/inclination for banner advertisements as companies who are more web based? Just a thought, thanks!
Granny Smith
I was hoping that 'blog specific' banner exchanges would be mentioned. It is targeted advertising and it is free. Trading 125 ads with other blogs in your related category can compliment the overall goal of growing a blog's exposure.
Daniel Scocco
Erin, I think it could work with offline businesses if your blog deals with local issues. That is, if you cover the news of your city, the local sports events and so on.
Thanks for offering a view on advertisers intentions and behaviours.
Erin Banister
Thank you for this timely piece, it's very helpful.
Do you think these approaches with work with offline businesses (within a local community, for example)? If not, how would you suggest approaching that?
Daniel Scocco
Yeah Sumesh tailoring your offering and adapting the each single requirement of the advertisers is a big differential.
A great post! Thank you for interviewing these advertisers. It's timely for me, as I need to begin monetizing my site.
Thanks again.
Lane of VeganBits.com
I really liked #3, 4 and 5. I'd asked you those very questions in a post where you answered reader queries. It appears that the reason why DailyBlogTips gets so many premium sponsors is because you are able to understand the necessities of sponsors, and tailor your offer to them.
Now that I have some sample answers from this post, it will be an easier task to approach an advertiser. Bookmarked!
Comments are closed.


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Turn Grass into Garden - Compost in Place!
3 Steps to Healthy, Fertile, & Beautiful Soil
Welcome to the compost garden guide, a plea for fellow gardeners to follow these three simple steps to create healthy and fertile soil:
- don't till
- sheet mulch (or, compost in place)
- keep the soil covered
We'll first learn the reasons to follow these three steps, then we'll learn how.
Credit: public domainDon't Till
First, let's understand the term "till." In common garden and agriculture talk, "till" refers to any mechanical process of disturbing the soil. This includes rotor-tilling, plowing of any type, forking, disking, and other methods of the so called process of opening up the soil.
Perhaps the advice sounds crazy. After all, how often do gardeners or farmers ever hear the advice don't till!? Seldom would one read it in gardening books and it's unlikely to ever be the advice from a state agriculture school or county cooperative extension agency. Isn't composting enough? Well, truth be told, choosing to not till is the single most important and overall "life-giving" decision any steward of the land could make[860]. Generally, tilling:
- kills earthworms
- kills many other helpful soil organisms
- dries-out the soil
- causes hard-to-obtain micro-nutrients to leach deep into the sub-soil
- destroys soil structure - crucial for growing healthy vegetables
- speeds-up decomposition rates, resulting in less organic matter
- causes erosion
- creates a "plow-pan," a dense and virtually impenetrable layer of soil about 9 inches downCredit: creative commons - insectimages.org
Being the good intellectual that many are these days, you the reader are likely asking: "if tilling does all these things and it's overall such a bad agricultural practice, why is it so commonplace, why do virtually all farmers and gardeners till their soil?" Good question! It's akin to wondering how people ever truthfully believed that the earth is flat. The only honest response is that most people simply don't know of another method to prepare the soil for planting. They were taught to till, they will always till, and they will forever teach and encourage other to do likewise.
Sheet Mulch (Compost in Place)
Those that don't till utilize the art of sheet mulching. It's one of the best alternatives to tilling. Simply put, composting in place is one of the easiest ways to turn grass into lawn.
What does it mean to "Compost in Place?"
Put simply, to sheet mulch or compost in place is to make a compost "pile" (it's really more of a "bed") on top of a piece of land one wants to turn into growing space. More specifically, it's the practice of laying down cardboard or newspaper to function as a weed barrier on top of grass, weeds, or other general piece of land to be turned into a growing space and then layering organic matter several inches thick to decompose and become rich soil. For now, let's leave it at that. Below in the "how-to" section we'll learn the step-by-step process.
Why Sheet Mulch (Compost in Place)
Having shared some about sheet mulching, it's important to list all the reasons to do it. Generally, sheet mulching, or composting in place:
- requires no machinery
- necessitates only free materials
- provides an excellent use for old newspaper and cardboard
- turns bad news into good news[861] (when newspaper is used for the weed barrier)
- creates the perfect environment for earthworms and other helpful soil organisms
- is the addition of something, not the taking away or reducing of it
- eliminates the work of moving compost from a pile or bin to the garden bed (hence, composting in place!)
Cover the SoilCredit: public domain
Last but certainly not least (think of the three steps as a tripod, as in the three legs in the concept of sustainable development) the practice of covering the soil - mulching. Mulch is anything put on top of the soil to cover it. This is the standard definition, and it opens up the subject of plastic mulches. While this author despises plastic mulch, let's just agree to not delve into this trap any further (afterall, this article's about positive approaches to gardening, we wouldn't want to be negative). So with plastic mulch aside, mulch is any organic matter used to cover the soil. Types of mulch include:
- straw
- hay
- leaves
- wood chips
- grass clippings
There are more, of course, but these are the main ones. One important distinction is the difference between straw and hay. Straw is the by-product of grain, the stem (think: straw=stem) of a grain plant such as wheat, rye, barley, etc. Hay is its own product, a single plant (such as Timothy hay) or combination of grasses and legumes that are grown for animals to eat (think: hay is for horses).
Why Cover (or "mulch") the Soil?
Now that we know about some different types of mulch, let's consider that mulch:
- prevents the soil from "cloding"
- reduces the need to irrigate
- is a certain lesser approach to composting in place
- provides food for earthworms
- essentially eliminates erosion
- narrows the soil temperature range (warmer "lows" and cooler "highs")
- adds what many consider a pleasing esthetic to the garden
How to Practice No-Till
Credit: Jordan Gregson
The primary way to follow the "don't till" advice is to sheet mulch. One exception is the work of John Jeavons, who's been attempting to develop a perennial grain that would reduce if not eliminate, what he calls, the "problem of agriculture"[860]. Another exception is the many forms that the cover-cropping based no-till system can take. The general idea is to use the natural and seasonal cycles of annual cover crops in a way that gets nature to do all the work. The first real pioneer of this type of system was the Japanese Farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, who outlines his system and philosophy in The One Straw Revolution (though be warned, this book will change your life - for the better!).
The primary alternative of tilling discussed in this article is sheet mulching, or composting in place.
How to Sheet Mulch (Compost in Place)[863]
The process of sheet mulching is really quite simple. Children could easily accomplish the task.
We'll break it down into three simple steps:
- prepare the site
- lay the weed barrier (cardboard or newspaper)
- layer in the compost materials (carbon and nitrogen, or brown and green)
Step #1: Site Preparation
- Mow, weed-wack, or have the goats or other animals eat down any preexisting vegetation on the site.
- Add any necessary or desired soil amendments (lime, fertilizer, etc.).Credit: Jordan Gregson
Step #2: Lay the Weed Barrier
- Decide if you prefer to use cardboard or newspaper. The answer could simply be the material easiest to acquire. Keep in mind that for cardboard, the bigger the better and that for newspaper, black and white, no shiny pages.
- Cover the desired soon-to-be growing space with the material, overlapping by no less than 5 inches, ideally a foot or so. If using newspaper, cover about 1/3 of an inch thick; one layer should do for the cardboard.
- Wet the weed barrier with water (this helps jumpstart the decomposition process).
Step #3: Layer the Compost Materials
Now comes the fun part. The general composting rule is to add equal carbon and nitrogen, or equal "brown" and "green." Examples of carbon (or "brown") based materials are straw, leaves, dried grass, etc. Examples of nitrogen (or "green") based materials are food scraps, manure, and fresh lawn clippings.Credit: Jordan Gregson
- First put-down a nitrogen rich layer, manure is a great option.
- Now add an equal-part carbon layer, straw works great.
- At this point, be as creative as desired; you're building a compost pile on the ground!
- Finish with a carbon layer. This will be the mulch for the growing space.
Sheet Mulch (Compost in Place) REFLECTIONS
The fall season is the best for sheet mulching, though it can be done at any time of the year. You can plant directly into the bed, though if it's a fresh bed consider first opening a small hole in the weed barrier (for the roots of the new plant).
The single best source of information on sheet mulching is Toby Hemenway's book Gaia's Garden Before being turned off by the title, know that it has nothing to do with "earth worship" or any such thing - in fact, it's written as objectively as possible. But simply put, if every gardener could only have one book, Gaia's Garden would be it. Seriously. There's nothing but praise to share about it. (It's so monumental, in fact, that creator and moderator of the permies.com forum, Paul Wheaton, has done an entire series of podcasts on Hemenway's Gaia's Garden, broken down by chapters.) And his discussion in the book is complete with super helpful diagrams and pictures. And it's much more thorough than this short overview.
How to Keep the Soil Covered
When step two is covered, the soil is also covered. That's right, the last step in sheet mulching (or, composting in place) is covering the layered compost "bed" with mulch. So that's pretty much it. And when the mulch layer decomposes, just add more! Straw and dried leaves both work great.
Compost-Garden-Guide Reflections
Observant readers may have noticed that all three steps (don't-till, sheet-mulch or compost-in-place, and keep-the-soil-covered) link together. Pretty neat. Doing one thing yields multiple benefits. No longer is composting an isolated garden task, sheet mulching transforms it in form and even function into an integral garden component.
Happy mulching!
And remember, Don't Till, Turn Grass into Garden by Composting in Place!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mariah Carey's lawyer slaps Nick Cannon with "Confidentiality Agreement" over divorce.
Nick Cannon is forced to keep his mouth shut. Only one day after the 'America's Got Talent' host revealed that his six year marriage to Grammy Award winning singer, Marey Carey, is officially over, he is apparently "barred" from saying anything else.
On Thursday (Aug 21st), Cannon confirmed ongoing rumours about the status of his relationship with Carey, and admitted to The Insider, "There is trouble in paradise.We have been living in separate houses for a few months."
However, it seems this is all the 33 year-old TV personality can say of their separation, and according to TMZ, the couple's lawyers have negotiated a confidentiality agreement that prevents Cannon from divulging any details of their divorce. If he does there will be "severe financial penalties."
On the other hand, the agreement also states that Carey reportedly "has the right under the agreement to announce the split on her terms." This may explain why Cannon didn't specific as to why they decided to split to the publication on Thursday, but he did adamantly state that infidelity wasn't an issue, adding, "My main focus is my kids."
TMZ previously reported that their divorce is already "a done deal," and the couple's lawyers are now negotiating a property settlement, and a custody agreement for their 3-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe.
According to the gossip site, their relationship hit a huge rough patch after Cannon was interviewed by radio personality Big Boy back in March, he named other celebrity stars he had bedded and one of them happened to be Kim Kardashian. "That made Mariah insane and humiliated," sources told TMZ. "She tore into Nick for weeks.".


text: I'm sure you've all heard and probably tried rescue remedy spray at some stage in your life. Most people have probably used it during exams or rare occasions to try keep calm their nerves a bit. I don't think I've used it since but recently I was sent some to try from Wholefoods.ie and the


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01 Jul 2015
EU 28 AGRI-FOOD TRADE – 01 JULYBrussels Daily
Factsheets on EU28 agri-food trade with the world and individual countries
A new presentation of agri-food trade has been developed to produce the country factsheets below. It aims at better illustrating the reality of EU agri-food trade with the world and third countries. The product coverage is unchanged.
The new presentation will be used in the upcoming editions of the MAP, the yearly publication on EU agri-food trade by the Commission Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Updated factsheets are not yet available for all countries. You will find 2014 factsheets (with 2013 data) in the archive.
>> More explanations on the new presentation
>> Details of the product categories used in the new presentation
World (extra-EU)
Main EU partners
Main export destinations
>> China
>> Switzerland
>> Japan
>> Hong Kong
>> Norway
>> Algeria
>> Saudi Arabia
Main import origins
>> Brazil
>> Argentina
>> China
>> Indonesia
>> Switzerland
>> Turkey
>> Ukraine
>> India


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The IPA's first woman president Nicola Mendelsohn is clearly not content to rest on her industry laurels and she's just brought in private equity group Phoenix to help drive expansion at Karmarama, the agency she joined as executive chairman from Grey in 2008.
Phoenix backed the buy-out of big City PR firm Financial Dynamics and its subsequent sale to FTI Consulting. The private equity group is reported to have bought a 50 per cent stake in the agency.
Karmarama's other partners are Ben Bilboul, Dave Buonaguidi and Sid McGrath. The agency was founded by creatives Buonaguidi and Naresh Ramchandani in 2000. The two met at HHCL and went on to work at Chiat Day and St Luke's, making their reputation on work for Channel 4. Ramchandani left in 2005.
The agency ranks 25th in the latest Campaign/Nielsen rankings with a media equivalent billings total of £67m. Last year it won BT's Plusnet account (worth a reported £20m) and also launched a PR company with former Shine Communications director Chris McCafferty.
In the year to April 2010 it reported turnover of £11.5m and pre-tax profits of £1.7m and Mendelsohn says it is now planning domestic and overseas acquisitions, observing that "it's time for a bit of disruption."


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This is the first one of my upcoming
Learn Manga Basics Tutorial Series ^_____^
There has been a lot of information from my last manga courses
and some people asked me if i could upload some of the content
to my blog as well. So i've started to prepare it for
you. A lot more is coming soon
Have fun and happy Learning


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This page is set up to showcase the Sables.
None of these pictured below are for sale.
(You do not have permission to use any of photos for any reason)
Lin-Mar's N Aj's Pursuit of Happiness
This girl was such a great example of a sable see her video below
One of my most favorite Cockers was a Sable Solid
Her name was Fancy (Shandilyn's Fancy Free) she was a sable solid female.
Fancy retired from breeding and lived a wonderful life with Lisa F. in Atkinson, Ne up until June 2016
when our beloved Fancy passed away and went to Rainbow Bridge.
Fancy produced many sables including her daughter Pretty (Aj's Pretty Is As Pretty Does)
Pretty got multiple AKC Champion points.
Pretty produced some of the most extraordinary Sable puppies that I have ever seen!
My next girl was Promise pictured above.
Promise was a sable/white girl who had produced some of the most amazing puppies from me.
Some of the puppies are in breeder homes continuing on with her legacy.
Player aka Aj's Dragon Slayer is one of Promise puppies you can see him pictured on this page.
I was allowed to have Keystone's Haulin' Ash aka Ashton.
Ashton was given to me by Lynn from Keystone's Cockers.
My dad picked Ashton up in Oklahoma on his way back to Nebraska from Arizona.
My dad bonded with Ashton and absolutely loved this boy!
In 2009 my Dad passed away and I couldn't handle Ashton as it was a constant reminder of Dad.
I placed Ashton with Chicoryhill Cocker Spaniels in Canada where he became a Canadian Ch.
A couple of years later to the day Ashton passed away.
Ashton has produced some outstanding puppies.
Including a daughter Aj's Bad Ash Merle who produced some extraordinary puppies.
Also, a male who I currently own named Bo.
Bo aka Aj's What A Jack Ash is out of Ashton and Spunky.
Bo is a chocolate sable male.
I also have two of Bo's kids Chrome and Whiskey who are both Sables.
Shandilyn's Fancy Free
CAN Ch. Keystone's Haulin' Ash as a baby
CAN Ch. Keystone's Haulin' Ash aka Ashton
Who was owned and loved by my father prior to his passing.
Ashton as a baby!
Ashton and his brother
Sable/whites and Sable Merle
Below is a video of these puppies.
Parker looks like a blk/white cocker
but if you look close you will see the tinging on the tips of his hair.
This is Captain and Astro both boys are out of
CAN Ch. Keystone's Haulin' Ash and Ch. PBJ's Boot Scootin' Boogie
Both of them appear black but if you look at their sides you can see the tinging.
Again, these boys appear black but truly are sables and if bred to a tan pointed
female will produce sable.
Can you see the tinging?
This is Jaymes he is a Sable Seal boy that is owned by JoDee S. he lives in an amazing pet home that keeps him in a coat.
Here you can see the sable coming through in this sable seal boy.
Just like Captain and Astro he from a distance looks black or sun-bleached.
Aj's Dragon Slayer
Player as a baby… Cute!
Side photo
Sable Merle Boy
I can so smell the puppy breath from here!
Sable Roan girl
This is Dirty he is a sable parti boy who as an adult looks like a black/white
He is out of Bo and Tru and lives with Becky from Shandilyn Cockers.
Aj & Shandilyn's Dirty White Boy aka Dirty
Daisy out of Ashton
What a pretty head.
Sables taking a nap
Ariel a solid sable out of Ashton
Don't you just love those black tips?
Isla now lives in Georgia with Kim G.
See some of her and Kali (her sister) grown-up
Showing the sable tinging.
All grown up- Kali and Isla
One of the sable kids all grown up.
Aj's What A Jack Ash aka Bo
Ch. Keystone's Haulin' Ash x Ch. PBJ's Boot Scootin' Boogie
Aj's What A Jack Ash aka Bo
Aj's Dragon Slayer aka Player
Aj's Dragon Slayer aka Player
Aj's Dragon Slayer aka Player
Player as a baby
Aj's Rocky Mountain High Portia Peen N 2 Profection
She lives with Linda from Rocky Mountain High Cockers.
Aj's Sir Lancelot
CAN CH Keystone's Haulin' Ash x Ch PBJ's Boot Scootin' Boogie
Below are some of Ashton kids
AJ's Black Magic aka Sophie
Although Sophie appears black she is a Sable Seal and produces sables.
She is the sister to Aj's What A Jack aka Bo.
Shandilyn's N Aj's Double Vison aka Dirty
Aj's Pretty Is As Pretty Does aka Pretty
Daughter to Fancy and Carson.
Pretty although she looks black, you are able to
see the red tinging on her side, this is not because she is a black
that is washed out, this is because she is a sable seal.
Pretty genetically is a sable solid and she does produce sables when bred to
a tan pointed dog. See some of Pretty's past sables above.
There is not enough information out there about sable seals.
I, however, can tell you this Pretty was one of them.
She produced kids that were just like her.
She also produced sable solids and her kids produce sable seals and sable solids.
Pretty by far out of all the female cockers by far as being my favorite.
Sable/white boy out of Kissy x Bo
Just so dang pretty.
This is Jasper who I called Patrick.
Those may not know that I did a video with him a couple of years ago showing how to sponge feed
a Cocker Spaniel, huge hit. But he has turned out stunning.
See him on the video's page as a tiny puppy.
Introducing Whiskey and Chrome
Chrome (Sable/White) and Whiskey (Sable Solid)
Chrome is self stacking
Aj's Smoked Your Ash
His dam is Ch Sired/ Ch Dam and his sire is Ch. Sired/ Ch. Dam
Below is a video
Chrome as a tiny puppy
Aj's Smashed On My Ash
Showing off Whiskey's sable coloring
Below is a video or her playing ball
Whiskey playing ball
Showing the difference between sable solid and sable/white parti
Below is a video
Chrome and Whiskey as babies
In 2017 a sable book was published
It is called, A Beginner's Guide to The Color Sable in American Cockers and other breeds
by Marlys Gallagher which you can purchase on Amazon or Barnes and Noble for approx 14.95
I by no way get any proceeds to this book.
In this book, you will find multiple pages that have the cockers that I have produced and have owned.
You will find a stacked photo of Can Ch. Keystone's Haulin' Ash aka Ashton on page 35
You will also see a Sable Roan female girl I produced on page 23,34 and 35
And a Sable Merle girl that I produced named Kali on page 23
Thank you for visiting our Sables page!


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Police officers alerted to a potentially dangerous situation do not have the authority to search property without a warrant if there is no evidence of danger, the state Supreme Court ruled today.
Law enforcement officers usually have wider latitude for searches when they're providing emergency aid or community care taking duties, but that right doesn't extend to them when there is no sign of trouble, the court said.
The 5-1 decision came out of an appeal of charges filed against Shareff Edmonds after Carteret police found a .38-caliber handgun near the chair where he was sitting in his girlfriend's house.
Acting on a 911 call, Roselle Park police received on Jan. 16, 2008, Carteret police went to the home of Edmonds' girlfriend, Kamilah Richardson. The anonymous caller had told police his sister was being beaten by her boyfriend who had a gun.
When police arrived at Richardson's apartment, there were no signs of an altercation and Richardson did not have any physical injuries. She resisted allowing police inside, but they searched the apartment and after searching Edmonds, found a gun under a pillow on the floor near the chair where he had been sitting.
The court said police were right in entering the home to ensure the safety of Richardson's 11-year-old son, but after the frisk of Edmonds turned up nothing, police could not search the apartment without a warrant.


text: The bumper is designed and proven, now we are waiting for the electronics package to be ready. We are going to release our bumpers ready to go with provisions for your to mount your OEM back up and parking sensors. Give us a few more weeks to get it right, then it'll be released.


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McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut say no to imam's request to offer Islamic-certified meat, despite his claim it would be shrewd business.
Hong Kong's three biggest fast-food chains have rejected a call by Hong Kong's chief imam to offer halal meat in their restaurants.
Mufti Muhammad Arshad contacted McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Pizza Hut to request that they use halal meat in some of their outlets. He said it would not only be good for Hong Kong's Muslims, but also a shrewd business move.
Halal is an Arabic word that means "permissible". Halal meat comes from an animal slaughtered according to Islamic law. That means Allah's (God's) name must be pronounced during slaughter, the instrument used must be very sharp to ensure humane slaughter (the animal must be slit at the throat), the animal must not be unconscious, and it must be hung upside down and allowed to bleed dry.
Eating blood is not halal. Pork is not halal, nor are certain cuts of meat, such as from an animal's hindquarters.
Arshad said he sent letters to the fast-food chains, but McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut all said that they had no plans to introduce halal meat in their outlets. But Arshad said it would be only a matter of time before they signed up, as McDonald's and KFC served halal food in other Asian markets, such as Singapore.
Halal certification of restaurants began in Singapore in the mid-1990s. Singaporean food blogger Daniel Ang says that the likes of Le Steak, a new halal steakhouse in the Jalan Kayu district, has been "packing the crowds in" at the weekends. In Hong Kong there are already halal outlets at Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park.
"It's disappointing that we could not convince the companies," Arshad said. "It doesn't have to be Hong Kong-wide. In the main areas, like Central, Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui, the New Territories and at the airport, it would be a great service. The companies have to realise there is a need for this and that it is good business for them."
Tourism sector lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun said he would welcome anything that would increase the diversity of Hong Kong and cater for people from different religious backgrounds. He said it would also be good for local businesses.


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SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Symmetricom®, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYMM), a worldwide leader in precision time and frequency technologies, today announced that Manish Gupta, vice president of marketing and business development at Symmetricom will present at Futurecom 2012 taking place, October 8 – 11, 2012 at the Rio Centro Exhibition and Convention Center, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110829/AQ59077LOGO)
Symmetricom will present as part of the Futurecom International Congress:
Who: Manish Gupta, vice president marketing and business development
What: Synchronization Architecture for 3G and 4G Networks
When: Wednesday, October 10, 2012, 9:30am, in the Arpoador room.
Topic: The role of synchronization in mobile networks is becoming critical with the transition to carrier Ethernet and 4G/LTE infrastructure requiring tighter specifications to deliver services and different architectural implementation. Symmetricom will present various synchronization implementation scenarios for 3G and 4G networks that can be deployed leveraging existing infrastructure and investment.
About Futurecom
Futurecom is the largest and most qualified Event of the Communications Sector in Latin America, and its purpose is to gather the Market Strengths, offering the attending Companies and Professionals an adequate and stimulating environment for the Development of Businesses, Relationships and Know-How. For more information visit: http://www.futurecom.com.br/2012/en/.
About Symmetricom, Inc.
Symmetricom (NASDAQ:SYMM), a world leader in precise time solutions, sets the world's standard for time. The company generates, distributes and applies precise time for the communications, aerospace/defense, IT infrastructure and metrology industries. Symmetricom's customers, from communications service providers and network equipment manufacturers to governments and their suppliers worldwide, are able to build more reliable networks and systems by using the company's advanced timing technologies, atomic clocks, services and solutions. All products support today's precise timing standards, including GPS-based timing, IEEE 1588 (PTP), Network Time Protocol (NTP), Synchronous Ethernet and DOCSIS® timing. Symmetricom is based in San Jose, Calif., with offices worldwide. For more information, visit: http://www.symmetricom.com or join the dialogue at http://www.twitter.com/symmetricom.
Symmetricom Contact:
Tracy Schriver
Symmetricom, Inc.
t: 408-964-7649
Media Contact:
Liam Rose
GolinHarris for Symmetricom
t: 415-318-4380
SOURCE Symmetricom, Inc.


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Merge the day-to-day activities with the overall strategy for all employees. You can manage:
- Technician time tracking and work day
- Skills and productivity
- Employee record, status and contact info
- Software user rights and credentials
Complete the form below
Employee Scheduling Software that Works the Way You Do
Optsy's latest version of field service software offers business owners and office managers an enhanced employee management system featuring improved technician time tracking and dynamic technician dispatching. Our recently updated software interface replaces your field service industry company's need for handwritten timesheets and punch clocks with advanced time-tracking technology that updates in real-time directly from your technicians' mobile devices.
Along with our cutting-edge field staff real time tracking system, Optsy also places a special emphasis on utilizing employees' contact information—i.e., the GPS coordinates that correspond with their home addresses—while scheduling in order to dispatch technicians who live closest to after-hours and emergency service calls.
Field Service Technician Time Tracking: Integrating Optsy Field Service Software and QuickBooks
Optsy's field service management system is the perfect solution for your small- to medium-sized electrical, HVAC, plumbing, or other service industry business's time tracking requirements. Our newest version of flexible and user-friendly software provides easy data integration with QuickBooks, making the switch to Optsy straightforward and hassle free. Both programs feature similar formats and functionality that provide office managers and additional office employees with familiarity for ease of use.
Similarities that Make Switching to Optsy Simple
Although switching your business's field service management software may seem intimidating at the onset, we provide our clients with recognizable field service time-tracking components that are also utilized by QuickBooks, helping new users quickly acclimate to operating Optsy software. Our technician time tracking works the way you do by:
- Allowing technicians in the field to enter billable hours from their mobile devices, and attach these hours to specific work orders.
- Categorizing each billable hour according to your field service industry company's unique labor codes, which are also programmed into your customizable Optsy software.
- Multiplying the hourly rates attached to each individual labor code by the billable hours assigned to each work order allowing you to create real-time job costs.
Optsy's enhanced technician time tracking system makes punch clocks a thing of the past by coupling employee and technician hours with specific work orders to produce real-time job costs for invoicing purposes.
Managing Employee Skills in Optsy's Technician Dispatch Software
Each workday requires a strategy that allows your field service industry business's scheduling department to dispatch the most qualified technicians to each individual jobsite. The latest version of Optsy employee scheduling software allows office managers or other authorized scheduling department employees to group technicians into specific skill categories. These skill groups vary depending on the field service industry your business caters, but the common feature among these numerous employee categories is their association to problem codes within your customizable Optsy software.
A Quick Optsy Problem Codes Overview
- Unlimited amounts of problem codes can be created while originally implementing your business's Optsy field service management software, or as needed by an office employee who has access to the system
- Once your company's problem codes have been created, Optsy provides users with the option to link specific employee skill groups to each code.
- Then, upon receiving a service call from one of your customers, your office manager or scheduling employee simply selects a problem code within Optsy's specialized technician dispatch software.
- After selecting the appropriate problem code per your client's service request, a list of technicians within each employee group attached to that unique problem code is displayed.
- All you, your office manager, or your business's scheduling department has to do is select an available employee from the list, and drag and drop his or her name into the dynamic schedule board.
Measuring Employee Productivity with Optsy Field Service Software
Not only can you and your office managers create employee groups based on your workers' unique knowledge and skill sets, but you can also measure each technicians' productivity by using the most recent version of Optsy software. Employee productivity statistics are produced from recorded billable hours that technicians assign to particular labor codes and work orders.
Optsy's built-in billable hours report allows you and your scheduling staff to see which technicians perform particular jobsite tasks or services quickly, efficiently, and satisfactory to your customers. Your company can increase jobsite effectiveness by analyzing these reports to see which employees are most profitable for your company—comparing labor output in hours to profits gained from a specific employee at certain jobsites.
Updated Employee Records and Contact Information
Optsy's employee scheduling software works the way you do by compiling your technicians' contact information, work statuses, hourly labor rate records, and other related details into one detailed screen. The employee record screens allow you to:
- Check boxes at the click of a button to specify which employees are salespeople, office staff, or field technicians.
- Enter employee pay rates for payroll and job estimate purposes.
- Assign employees to certain company branches or departments.
- Grant security clearance to particular employees that allows them to access certain elements—i.e., mobile or desktop versions—of your Optsy software.
- Attach employees and technicians to specific work crews, making scheduling simple and efficient.
- Schedule report delivery to owners, office managers, and other office staff.
- Perform internal asset tracking to see which tools and materials are being used by each technician in the field.
Route Optimization with Optsy's Technician Dispatch Software
Our unparalleled technician dispatch software takes employee contact information utilization to the next level to help your field service industry business achieve optimal workday efficiency and maximum profitability. The latest version of Optsy's field service management software uses employee records for routing optimization purposes by displaying which of your employees' home address GPS coordinates are located closest to specific jobsites.
Our state-of-the-art technology allows office managers and scheduling department employees to create routes for your business's technicians that correspond with roadways on which they drive daily—both to and from your main business office. Optsy's home address GPS route optimization component also saves your business time and money on emergency and other after-hours service calls by displaying a list of your company's technicians who live in close proximity to the particular address(es) requiring service. Optsy works the way you do by incorporating common-sense logistics into your customizable employee scheduling software.
1 International Boulevard
Mahwah, NJ 07495
© • Optsy, LLC


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These chicks ruffled a few feathers when they undertook an interesting egg-speriment to become film critics for a day.
ODEON cinemas invited 20 chicks and three Easter bunnies to view the latest film trailers, with an animal expert on hand to monitor the animals' reactions to the latest films, including Fast & Furious 7, Cinderella and Big Hero 6.
The results found the likes of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Home and Big Hero 6 to be the most enjoyable films for the animals.
Whilst the Easter chicks remained active, animated and interested throughout each trailer, the Easter bunnies had a contrasting experience and maintained a composed, relaxed and chilled-out pose throughout each film.
ODEON Commercial Director, Andy Edge, said "With Easter around the corner, we wanted to test the new blockbuster releases on the nations' favourite Easter animals. It's been interesting to see how our team of flappable and fluffy critics reacted to the latest blockbusters."
Animal expert, Debbie Connolly, said "The chicks showed their inherited ability to display happy chirps and engage with each other. It was interesting to see the boldest chicks leading the way, deciding it was a safe environment and then standing upright with their feathers elevated – once they started cheeping, the rest soon followed and ran around happily, engaging with each other noisily. Overall, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was the film they liked the most and showed the biggest happy response to."


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News RSS
The real meaning behind the weed socks and interesting facts about the brand
Do you like socks? Do you have a lot of pairs, all of them matching different clothes? If you are a fan of socks, then you should definitely buy the weed ones. They are just amazing and you will definitely love them. Can be found in different colors and they have the same design, the weed on them. And if you have been wondering about the real meaning behind this weed leaves, this article will reveal you the truth. Who made these weed socks? The founder of this brand is Keith Hufnagel and it was launched in 2002. He says...
First collection of weed socks
Check out these marijuana leaf socks an shop our collection for pot socks and more


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Stay up-to-date on Alumni news and events!
Subscribe to the Alumni E-newsletter
Like the SAHS Alumni Facebook page
Distinguished Alumni
Since the first high school graduating class of 1876, a number of graduates have achieved outstanding records of professional distinction as well as service to humanity and to their community.
We are pleased to be able to honor a few of these individuals (see below.) The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes individuals who have placed a high priority on education and service to others, becoming role models for this and future generations.
Dr. Jon Swenson, a Stillwater Area High School principal, initiated this award in 1987. These are the distinguished alumni who have been selected for this special honor since that time.
A committee through a nomination process selects the award recipients. If you would like to nominate a distinguished alumnus, an online form is available here. The chosen Distinguished Alumni are honored at a reception prior to graduation and at the commencement ceremony.


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A health care agent also may be called a health care proxy or surrogate or an attorney-in-fact. Your health care agent is the person you choose in advance to make healthcare decisions for you in the event that you become unable to do so for yourself. Your health care agent will help make medical decisions on your behalf at the end of life or any other time you are not able to communicate, such as if you are severely injured in an accident.
State laws vary regarding the specific types of decisions health care agents can make. In general, a health care agent can agree to or refuse treatment and can withdraw treatment on your behalf. Your health care agent can use the information in your living will (also called a treatment directive), statements made by you in the past, and what he or she knows about you personally to make these decisions. For example, your agent can consent to surgery, refuse to have you placed on life-support, or request that you be taken off life support.
It is important that your choose someone you trust. Your agent needs to be willing and able to make potentially difficult decisions about medical treatment for you. Discuss your desires, values, fears, and preferences about medical care in various situations. Consider including the details about your medical wishes can be included in your final letter of instruction. The more your agent knows about you and your values, the more likely he or she will be to make the kinds of decisions you would make if you were able.