Kids Count - Add an Interactive Feature and Enjoy the Results

Recently, the newspaper La Costera Family (Savannah, GA) held a "Cute Kids" contest. At the time it was a web designer and Internet service provider (from the past in the house), who participated in the reception and transmission of the 100s of votes to the e-mail: Editor of the newspaper. Both of us were overwhelmed with the response to this contest not only e-mail to vote but for Internet users. We have received the votes of all United States and even a vote of Australia. Thanks Aussie!

There are several lessons learned and key points that we drew from the promotion of this contest online. The first was that should have created an interactive database to record all the votes. We could have done this, but we forget one of the basic rules of the Internet publication "Be prepared for the unlikely." Secondly, we have learned that people interested in joining in the fun and especially when a website visitor sees something of value. I asked the publishers of the Costa family, "Now what do we do to keep people who visited the website to return to have more fun?" I am sure that will come something really great.

As I think of the children and the Internet, I agree that my granddaughter and 3 grandsons who are able to surf the Internet with a little help from their parents. They like entertainment and fun. Because their reading skills are still maturing, brought to the sites that offer large numbers of images and easy to navigate buttons. My grandson, that I can often recognize one of their favorite games from Disney by a simple image of "Goofy." While he can not fully understand the words you see in the photographs and pop-up ads. Like all children, their comment is "I want". Not surprisingly, spending so much money for birthday and Christmas gifts. Education our children will know exactly what they want.

For those of us in the Internet business and for those of you who are on the network or to think about it, there is a message ... sell to children and parents buy. When I was teaching at university level 1 teaches a class called "36 ways to close a sale." One of my favorites was the closing of sales "the puppy dog close." Parents and children go to the pet store to buy a gold fish and the person who greets sales is leading to an adorable puppy dog and hands one of the smallest. Immediately proclaims that the child must take the puppy home, and often is. Both for the fish!

As more computers are purchased for home use, the number of children for use in home entertainment will grow proportionately. The Internet is part of your daily routine and not just send email to your friend in two peaks, Arizona or join a defeat, but children who are looking for things to buy ... Buy! A recent study by the National Academic Press show that more than 76 percent of children said they had used the Internet in the week before being interviewed, with an average utilization rate of three to four times a week. The time spent in line was an hour or less 61 per cent of the children interviewed, with another 26 percent spending one to two hours online on a typical day.

While Internet security is an important issue for parents and the whole world "professional" online, there is still enough evidence to show that kids are buying on the Internet with (hopefully) parental supervision. The numbers are impressive, and again the internet offers an opportunity to increase sales.

Let's use a local business as an example of''the children of marketing. "We have designed and host a website Savannah inn. When talking about the general design and content with the Director General of the inn, talking about" what to do with children after 5 pm . It was suggested that adding a "Places of Interest" to your website. Attractions include fun things to do and places to take kids. Since I added that "things for children" is an average of the payment of more than 50 people a month visiting its Web site. However, the inn is a great place to stay, but it provides a reason to stay in the provision of information that parents can use to entertain their children. All these activities are available to potential customers before making a reservation.

Most of you who sell services or products should strongly consider "marketing the child" when the strategy of designing or updating your website. Think about it and you will realize how easy it is to add to your web marketing plan. Here are some examples:

Tour companies: Beautiful and Historic Sites and Kid stuff (parks, beaches, playgrounds, and babysitting services).

Restaurants: Great food and a children's menu.

Rooms: Great value and Kid Stuff: swimming pool, close to putt-putt, children's playground.

Travel: Cruises boy and offering babysitting services.

Real Estate Agents: Houses that are located near schools, parks and other family activities.

A brief note of caution before you jump on the construction of any kind of interaction could include information about young visitors because of the provisions contained in "The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act." There are specific legal requirements involved and should be considered in developing a website for children. " However, the addition of high content aimed at children as "attractions" and other information is a valuable addition to any website.

Chuck St. Arnaud is the Chairman and CEO of the oldest and largest ISP in the coastal areas of Georgia. A frequent writer and speaker on the Internet, you are considered an asset when it comes to understanding the potential of using the Internet. Chuck is also an adjunct professor of marketing at a local university.

Visit his blog at http://www.sysconn.com/ask

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_St._Arnaud

School Playground Equipment

The school playground is the most accessible for most children. The equipment should ideally suitable for different age groups and it must also be secure, safe, durable, strong, as well as modern and appealing.

Playground equipment in schools was not only comprises of swings and see-saws slides. With a wide range of rides and equipment available. These can also be custom designed to suit different needs and requirements.

Before the purchase of equipment to the school playground measure space and determine the size. the number of children will access the equipment at a given time, the age-range if there are any special needs are considered as children with disabilities. Then consider the budget, the type of activities that include equipment and the provision of side amenities such as benches, tables, bike racks or litter bins above and below the equipment.

Number of equipment for itself, check whether it is suitable for accommodating more children during and durable against gritty time. Be sure to check for any unsafe conditions such as extensions or protrusions that might poke or wall that can cause retardation or cause children to trip or fall. Ask yourself if the equipment is easy to maintain and environmentally friendly? Manufacturers do design environmentally friendly equipment as durable as ecologically safe.

Other things that shipping details, assembly instructions and post-sales service. Note that the price also includes the cost of shipment, the installation costs and cover the cost with the equipment costs.

The Internet is a great source for finding comprehensive information about playground equipment. There are several manufacturers of sites that help you find the best equipment and to compare prices.

Playground Equipment provides detailed information on playground equipment, commercial playground equipment, school playground equipment, residential playground equipment and more. Playground Equipment is the sister site by boat Ladders.

Building a Safe Home Playground

The squeals and shouts of our rambunctious, healthy kids enjoying their fun in the outer yard is reassuring and comforting for parents to hear - as the shouts not be screams of pain or an accident. The backyard will be a happy place for external play and exercise, not a danger zone. Children need the physical benefits of exercise, motor skills development, and the fresh air, not to mention a place to remove their boundless energy.

Unfortunately, each year the family about 200,000 children attend to injuries related to unsafe areas and playground equipment, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. An estimated 51,000 involve home playground equipment, the rest occur in public playgrounds. Most of the injuries were the result of falls. Tragically, about 15 children die each year, most due to strangulation.

You Can Keep Your Kids Safe

Fortunately, these are preventable tragedies. Combined with careful adult supervision, proper playground construction and maintenance can greatly reduce the risk of injury to children.

Practice at Home playground safety, school, and Park

The quick-course is written to help alert you to the danger signs in play areas. You can take control at home by taking precautions in your own play area. And you can take a new look and other playgrounds for both hazards. These include lack of proper cover to cushion falls, lack of guardrails to prevent falls, head entrapment hazards, and other injury-causing hazards.

Cushion Falls In Protective cover

Since almost 60% of all the injuries caused by falls to the earth, under the protective cover and around all the playground equipment is critical to reduce the risk of serious head injury. And for head impact injuries from a fall can be life threatening, the more shock absorbing a surface can be made, the less likelihood of any injury is severe.

Of course, all the damage due to falls can not be prevented no matter what playground surfacing material is used.

What Avoid

Do not use concrete or Asphalt. Falls on asphalt and concrete can result in serious injury and death's head. Do not place playground equipment on top.

Avoid Grass and dirt. Grass and turf also lose their ability to absorb shock through wear and environmental conditions. Avoid earth surfaces such as soils and hard packed dirt. Always use protective surfacing.

What Should You Use?

Especially-fill surfacing materials. These include double shredded bark mulch, shredded tires, wood chips, fine sand or fine gravel. The greater the depth, the greater the shock-absorption. Particularly in-fill materials should not be installed on hard surfaces such as asphalt or concrete.

Manufactured synthetic surface. These include rubber or rubber over foam Mats or tiles, poured-in-place urethane and rubber compositions. The first, but higher costs are less maintenance is required. Make sure to ask the manufacturers of test data for the shock absorption. Some materials require installation over a hard surface while others are not.

What Should You Use?

When using loose-fill material at home, maintain a constant depth of at least 6 inches of material. 9 or 12 inches is recommended. The cushioning benefits of grit and gravel increase to 12 inches, according to CPSC.

What Buffer Zone?

Create a buffer zone, covered with a protective surfacing material, under all the equipment and around which a child may fall. The protective cover material should extend a minimum of 6 feet in all directions from around the equipment. To prevent further injury from a fall, this area should be no other equipment and obstacles that can strike a child.

Dig a hole

Especially-Fill (sand, fine gravel, mulch, wood chips, etc.) requires a material way as a containment barrier or retaining excavated pit. It also requires good drainage under the material, periodic renewal or replacement, and ongoing maintenance (eg, leveling, grading, sifting, raking) to maintain its depth and to remove foreign matter.

Change-especially Fill Regular

Wet weather, cold temperatures, use normal over time, and contamination will decompose, powder and compact material. Sure to renew or replace it before it becomes hard.

The nitty gritty on Sand and gravel

Even cheap, sand is the least desirable option. Sand can easily scatter outside of your containment area. It also hardens quickly when wet, is abrasive to floor surfaces when tracked indoors, and attracts animals as a litter box. Metal is more difficult to walk and can present a tripping hazard if sparse.

Dandle Safety zones

Swing set must be anchored securely. Swings also should have a buffer zone with a protective cover extending a minimum of 6 feet from the edge of the support structure on each side. The use zone in front and behind the swing should be even larger, and extend a minimum distance of twice the height of the swing as from equal ground with swing hangers on support structure.

Law swing Space

To avoid injury from the impact of moving swings, swings should not be too close together or too close to support structures. Swing spacing should be at least 8 inches between suspended swings and 8 inches from the support frame. The minimum clearance between the ground and underside of swing seat should be 8 inches.

How to make best buffer zone between your child and potential injury. Now, read the safety equipment for more guidelines.

Consider a contractor if you are not ready. Unhandsome playgrounds installed can be an added hazard.

Playgrounds should be inspected on a regular basis. Investigate protective cover, particularly loose-fill, and maintain the proper depth. The following conditions must be removed, corrected or repaired immediately to avoid injury:

Exposed equipment footings.

Scattered debris, litter, rocks or tree roots.

Rust and chipped paint on metal components.

Splinters, large cracks, and decayed wood components.

Deterioration and corrosion to structural elements connect the earth.

Missing or damaged equipment elements, such as handholds, guardrails, swing seats. 1. Install Guard rails - Platforms more than 30 "above the ground should have guardrails to prevent falls.

2. Avoid unsafe openings - In general, openings that are closed to all parties, must be less than 3 1 / 2 "or greater than 9". Openings to between 3'1 / 2 "and 9" present a head entrapment hazard and strangling.

3. Remove pinch or Crush Points - There should be no exposed moving parts that may present a pinching or crushing hazard.

4. Do not Wear Bicycle Helmets on the playground - bike helmets will get stuck in openings on playground equipment, resulting in strangulation or hanging.

5. Avoid dressing especially for children or the chord Clothing playground. Clothing strings, loose clothing, and stringed items placed around the neck can catch on playground equipment and strangle children.

Remember to supervise and teach your child to play safely. Teach your child not to walk or play near a moving swing, and never to tie on playground equipment.

It is not difficult to make your playground safe, if you work from the ground up.

Install protective caps on the ground, use safe equipment, and keep your play area.

In this game plan, called "safe at home!"

American Homeowners Association (Aha) ®

Richard Roll, Founder and President of the American Homeowners Association (Aha) has more than 1 million Homeowners in all 50 states save money by buying and maintaining their homes. For more tools, resources and information to help you keep your home and instantaneously save money go to http://www.ahahomenews.org for a special offer from Aha.