Month: February 2014

Travel

Know About Hiking Tips

Revolutions of the lorem points that first lami or ipsum him to me. And benath the chanw toresta lete banvela skies I have toked the Argo-Navis, and joined the chase against the loter metusnarek far beyond the utmost stretch of Hydrus and the Flying gerex ipsma nevet rosc hervon.

Stories

Take A Selfie

Revolutions of the lorem points that first lami or ipsum him to me. And benath the chanw toresta lete banvela skies I have toked the Argo-Navis, and joined the chase against the loter metusnarek far beyond the utmost stretch of Hydrus and the Flying gerex ipsma nevet rosc hervon.

Stories

Cookbook Writer John Smith

Revolutions of the lorem points that first lami or ipsum him to me. And benath the chanw toresta lete banvela skies I have toked the Argo-Navis, and joined the chase against the loter metusnarek far beyond the utmost stretch of Hydrus and the Flying gerex ipsma nevet rosc hervon.

Stories

Breakfast Styles

Revolutions of the lorem points that first lami or ipsum him to me. And benath the chanw toresta lete banvela skies I have toked the Argo-Navis, and joined the chase against the loter metusnarek far beyond the utmost stretch of Hydrus and the Flying gerex ipsma nevet rosc hervon.

Notes from the Publisher

Publisher Notes February 2014

Brrr… I grew up in this area and I have never seen it so cold for so long.  I can remember back in the 1960’s that people would go ice skating on the Potomac River, but I haven’t seen that for years, and not even now. I am always amazed at the month of February.  It is the shortest month of the year, but seems like the longest.  This is when we start wishing for winter to be over, but the spring equinox is not until March 20th this year, so may as well hunker down for two more months. After curling up by your fire and reading this months’ Old Town Crier, take a trip to the Virginia wine country and curl up by a fire with a great wine like our Road Trip column suggests.  Avoid the summer crowds…go now.  Meet Anne Mahlum in our Personality Profile…a runner with a vision.  She thinks it, says it, and then does it! Read about our friend Glenn Morel in this month’s Business Profile as he launches his new business AVID Productions.  He is proof that when a door closes, a window opens.  With the recent hacking of credit card numbers at Target and others, read about how to protect yourself in Financial Focus. History columnist, Sarah Becker, writes about the importance of Black History Month. Learn how the Confederates were the first Kamikazes during the Civil War in Civil Discourse. If the cold really has you down, read about the sailing vessel Pepper in the Caribbean Connection or better yet, book a week at one of the villas in St. John and St. Thomas or Anne Street Gardens in Key West.  Local folks own all of these places. Even though it is cold, Alexandria’s summer playground, Calvert County, is presenting…

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Business Profile

AVID Productions: Life in the Hot Seat

Avid [av·id] is defined as showing great enthusiasm and interest.  If ever was there was a company name that defined its owner, it is AVID Productions.  As the feature of this month’s business profile, I was fortunate enough to meet with Glenn Morel, owner and the man in the hot seat.  If Glenn offers as much personality and engagement to his organization as he did to our interview, I am confident AVID Productions is here to stay.  During our time together, I received a faux award in the middle of a coffee shop for being the last person standing having not yet joined Facebook, but most importantly I got to hear about his road less traveled, albeit the one that led to his success. With 20 years of experience in event and television production under his belt, I was eager to hear about how Glenn started off and how he found himself in the Alexandria area.  As an extrovert and lover of show business, he began his career as an actor struggling for work in New York City. (I received explicit instructions not to spend too much time on this part of the road less traveled, so moving on…)  After some time in Manhattan, he recognized that the people making things happen were those behind the scenes and that was where he belonged. Glenn knew a couple of things for sure. First, he knew that he wanted to be in the Washington, D.C. area and running or working for a successful business. Second, Glenn knew he didn’t want to be in L.A. regardless of the envious climate during Virginia’s winter months.  Glenn knew opportunity when he saw it, and as he more eloquently stated, if D.C. is seen as the business capital of the east coast, Old Town is the…

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Social Media Message

3 Email Marketing Tips to Keep Your Emails Out of Spam!

When it comes to email marketing campaigns, there is nothing worse than sending out a thoughtfully crafted email, only to discover that it was promptly deleted or put in the spam file. To help keep your emails in the inbox and your business in front of your customers’ eyes, there are several strategies that you can employ. Simple Layout – Last month I discussed the importance of creating a simple, and easy to follow, website. This same principle is true for email marketing campaigns. Studies show that a simple layout has a direct correlation to increased visibility. However, simple doesn’t have to mean boring. So, keep those images, graphics, and fun text options; just make sure that you can grasp the email’s main message in 30 seconds or less. Catchy Subject Line – At one point or another, we have all been on Craigslist.org. Whether it is looking for an apartment, applying to a job, or posting a listing, we all try to make sure that our ad is viewed first by creating catchy titles. When it comes to email marketing, the subject line is a place to grab the reader’s attention through one keyword or phrase. Short, to the point, and enticing are the three crucial ingredients. And, if you need a little inspiration, simply checkout Craigslist aka “the Mecca of clickable titles.” Mobile Compatibility – Thanks to the popular Indie artist, Lorde, the phrase, “You can call me Queen Bee” has once more resurfaced and is the perfect description for everything mobile. Mobile is the Queen Bee. Email marketing campaigns must be targeted for smartphone compatibility. If it isn’t easy to load, read, and respond from a mobile device, then your email will be immediately discarded. No matter the type of email marketing strategy that is used, it…

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Pets of the Month, Pets, Places, & Things

Season of Love for Pet Adoption!

Nicky: 2 year old black and tan German Shepard mix Nicky is a bashful girl just waiting for a forever home where she can open up and be the loving dog that she is meant to be. A quirk that you might not be able to see in her picture is that one of her ears stands straight while the other one flops over! When she is truly interested and focused in on something, her little tan “eyebrows” raise up and that one ear will perk up while the other stays flopped! It’s truly an adorable sight to see. Nicky gets along with both cats and dogs and has had many a doggie play date during her stay at the AWLA. Nicky has won over the hearts of the staff at the AWLA, and if she’s given the chance…Nicky will surely steal right into your heart as well. Farley: 5 year old Brown Tabby I’m Farley! Nice to meet ya! I’m a big boy with a big heart looking for my forever home. I would just love to have my very own spot by a window, nice warm sun shining in…that would be sooo wonderful! I also love to play! Do you think you could give me a few fuzzy mice, maybe a laser toy and a wand toy to play with? I bet you’d love to watch me play! I love to jump around and show off my acrobatic skills! Oh and don’t forget to have a scratch post for me to stretch my toes out on. So come on by the shelter if you are looking for a best bud to spend your days with!

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