Category Archives: Save Time Online

May Madness – how mad?

How mad do things get in May?

Well, how about 15% of feature listings at Save Time Online, or 25% off a Business Mums magazine subscriptions, or 10% off a custom made water tank or even a $4.95 a saving saving forever with a My-shop store?

That is just a sample of the mad offers being made as part of Save Time Online’s annual May Madness celebration.

And what does it cost to take advantage of these offers? Absolutely nothing! Well, nothing more than the time to read an offer and decide it suits you anyway!

So go mad!

PS If you run a business, it is not too late to add your offer either. Just contact us with the deatils now!

Why offer RSS feeds on your site/blog?

Did you know that you can use RSS feeds to add your blog content to other sites? You can offer it for others to add to their sites (for example, look in the meta data section the right of this post – clicking on ‘entries RSS’ will set up the RSS feed for you) or add it to another site manually.

But why would you add your blog content to another site?

  • gets your content in front of more people so it spreads your message further
  • it links to your blog so it can increase your traffic and site rankings 
  • it builds your credibility as an expert in your topic
  • it is a form of free promotion to your blog (and business if applicable)
  • may be picked up by different sites which may not have found your actual blog post
  • it helps build the community aspect of blogging and communicating with people

An RSS feed can only occur if you allow it and it is still seen under your name – it isn’t like someone blatnatly copying your content for their own pursposes. And of course, teh copyright remains with you as the creator of teh content.

So keep an eye out for opportunities to share your blog content through an RSS feed…

Women in history

In light of Women’s History Month, Edith Dircksey Cowan was a woman that changed history for women in Australia. She was born in 1861 at Glengarry and she believed that education was fundamental to tackling the social issues of the day and further. She fought tirelessly to improve conditions for women, children, families, the poor, the under-educated and the elderly. She encouraged sex education in schools, migrant welfare and the helped with the formation of infant health centres.

Among her many achievements, Edith Cowan was very influential in obtaining votes for women in Western Australia. She was Vice President of the Women Justices’ Association and the Western Australian League of Nations Union. She helped found the Children’s Protection Society which was the precursor of the Children’s Court and helped create the Western Australian National Council for Women and was its president for eight years.

The Guidance of Infants Act (1922) which allowed women to apply to the courts if their husbands left them without adequate maintenance, was amended by the efforts of Edith Cowan and she also argued that a woman should be legally entitled to a share of her husband’s income.

Edith Cowan was a woman who was very strong and. She did it all so women can have better rights and can have more of a say in what they think is right for their future’s and for the health of women.

These days a portrait of Edith Cowan can be seen on the Australian $50 bill.

Full Moon Rising by Kerri Arthur

Full moon risingFull Moon Rising book cover
By Keri Arthur
Piatkus Books, London, 2007

An action packed adventure story set in mid-twenty-first century Melbourne, this isn’t a book to easily put down. The plot moves along fast, but you don’t always know what is coming or where the plot will lead to, which makes it fun!

Similar to many crime books, Arthur makes it different by introducing non-humans as a known minority in society – and making the lead character a half-breed werewolf and vampire. As long as you allow yourself to believe in these creatures, the story is grounded in reality and is believable.

The most disappointing aspect of the story is that, although Australian, it is written for an American audience – the use of ‘butt’, “cell phone”, “miles” and “candy” is distracting, and the misspelling of favourite is annoying.

The sex scenes are not for the faint hearted, and there is a fair amount of violence, but is within the context of the story.

Overall, a fun way to spend a few hours!

We’re sorry

As part of modern Australia, we are horrified at the existance of the stolen generation – especially that the practice lasted so long and as recently as the 1970s.

As part of Australia, we support Kevin Rudd’s comments this morning and aplogise that average Australians allowed the Government to behave in such a way.

We are sorry that those children were removed from their families, and sorry for those families left to live without knowing about their children’s whereabouts or well being. As mothers, we can’t imagine how hard that separation would have been.

Hopefully, the apology starts the healing process for us all and actions will follow on from today.

We will be searching the net for information and sites about the apology and reconciliation as our small effort towards a united Australia. For now, we are proud to share this link which replays the entire apology speech made by Kevin Rudd this morning.

And we would love to hear how the apology has affected you, and whether you stopped this morning to watch/listen.

What is a RSS Feed?

RSS is one of those terms that you may see a lot on the Internet, especially if you spend time reading blogs. RSS stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’. This is an easy way to distribute content to a wide audience, and can be used in a number of ways.

If you have a website, you can publish RSS feeds to your site, giving your readers access to headlines and information they may find interesting and/or informative. For example, an accountant may include an RSS form the ATO so that any tax changes are listed on the site immediately.

If you have a favourite blog, you can subscribe to its RSS feed so you can see new entries without having to manually check all the time.

Online magazines

Have you noticed the increasing number of magazines that are going online instead of having hard copies?

There are obvious advantages to this for the publishers

  • reduced costs of printing and layout
  • longer deadlines can be allowed – without having print times, the magazine can be prepared closer to publish dates
  • the ability to refer to older articles with a link so readers can access multiple articles on a topic with ease
  • greater ease at measuring popularity of sections through website statistics

Online magazines also use up less paper and energy in the printing process, which is why many of these online magazines announce they are green. Of course, there is the energy of establishing, running and visiting a website but this has a smaller impact than cutting down trees, making paper and printing on that paper.

On the other hand, there are some advantages to a hard copy magazine, too, and publishers need to consider which group of advantages best suits the needs of their readers.

A hard copy magazine:

  • is easy to read anywhere – in the bath, waiting for an appointment, while using a treadmill or exercise bike, sitting in the park with the kids
  • is easier and quicker to read than onscreen information
  • can be ripped apart to store valued sections (e.g. a recipe or craft pattern) – of course, an online magazine can always have these sections printed!
  • has a feel and smell that some people enjoy
  • arrives in the mail as a treat for subscribers – a nice change from bills and ads!

So which do you prefer to read? Which do you think is the better option moving forward? If you were to start a magzine, which way would you present it?

Mercy by Jodi Picoult

Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest 2007   Mercy cover

What would you do if the person you loved had low quality of life and little prospect of improvement or even survival? Even if you are adamant you know the answer, Picoult will make you consider your choices.

As always, Picoult’s book covers a number of characters and sub-stories along with the main story of the book. In this case, the main theme would appear to be about mercy killings (or euthanasia) but the book is really more about relationships and the imbalance within relationships.

The central figure is a clan leader and police chief so there is an expectation that he is the all round good guy, yet not all of his actions are admirable. He is a complex man, privately helping his cousin but apparently completely against Jamie’s behaviours.

Personally, I found this to be disappointingly not up to Picoult’s usual standard – which just makes it a good read rather than a great one.

 Also by Jodi Picoult:

Nineteen Minutes cover
Nineteen Minutes