A typical web surfer visits an average of 7 sites

Despite there being millions of web sites on the web, there are only a handful of sites that a typical person visits on a regular basis. The Periodic Table of the Internet presents a classification of popular sites based on select categories.

Here are my favorite 7.

1. Fast Company  www.fastcompany.com

2. Springwise www.springwise.com

3. Ecofont www.ecofont.com

4. DriveSafe.ly^TM www.drivesafe.ly

5. Away Find www.awayfind.com

6. Fiverr www.fiverr.com

7. iWriter www.iwriter.com

Send your favorite sites to sharad@cyber-gear.com

Abu Dhabi: An initiative taken by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Foreign Minister, has once again drawn everyone’s attention to the conservation of desert ecosystems.

Shaikh Abdullah said through twitter that he would like to participate in the desert clean-up campaign on January 20.

The deaths of camels in the UAE deserts after consuming plastic bags have highlighted the levels of pollution caused by human beings in recent years.

The authorities have been conducting an awareness campaign to prevent pollution due to plastic bags and tourism related activities

A senior official recently told Gulf News that tourism should produce benefits for the local community and help to preserve the local culture and heritage while contributing to the conservation of the environment.

It is critical that these operators understand that they have an environmental responsibility and that the guidelines which they and their customers are following contribute to the preservation of the very natural heritage that their business is promoting, said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary-general of the Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi (EAD).

Around 50 per cent of camel deaths in the UAE each year are attributed to plastic bags they have eaten, assuming it to be food, she said.

To help minimise the amount of litter polluting the environment, the EAD launched in February 2011 a campaign to raise awareness of the harmful effects of plastic bags on the environment and to reduce the amount of packaging used by manufacturers and retailers, an official spokesman of the agency said.

The campaign urges consumers to switch to biodegradable plastic bags, and supports manufacturers and retailers in making this switch.

EAD’s ‘Make UAE Plastic Bag Free’ campaign was launched in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW), the Centre of Waste Management — Abu Dhabi (CWM) and local supermarkets and malls. The campaign urges consumers to reduce the use of all types of plastic bags, and demonstrates to them the negative effect of plastic bags on the UAE’s wildlife.

Support

In February, EAD will mark National Environment Day by taking this campaign to even more key malls around the emirate.

New partners will come on board for this phase including Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and the Family Development Foundation. Continuing to support the campaign will be major retailers such as the Abu Dhabi Cooperative, Carrefour, Lulu Hypermarket, Spinneys and Abela.

According to the Centre for Waste Management — Abu Dhabi, plastic makes up 19 per cent of domestic waste in Abu Dhabi city. Plastic bags are light in weight, therefore they can be easily carried by the wind into forests, deserts, beaches. Floating plastic bags also pose a threat to biodiversity when animals mistakenly swallow them for food. Also, plastic bags choke sewers, contaminate soil and waterways and also enter the food chain.

EAD’s campaign was launched to support the government’s initiative to phase out the use of plastic bags in the UAE by 2013. In 2009, the MoEW issued a Ministerial Decision to implement a programme to reduce the use of plastic bags

Al Ain, 16 Dec. 2011 (WAM) - The official lunching of the Falconry Forum has been launched yesterday in Rotana Hotel - Al Ain as part of the Second International Festival of Falconry activities with the participation of 93 international experts, scientists, researchers and specialists in all issues related to falconry and its current status and future plans developed by the UNESCO for the preservation of falconry and sustainability as human heritage. The first day covered forum’s sessions as the following: Preserving Our Intangible Heritage; Lessons Learned from a Quarter Century of American Efforts, submitted by S, Kent Carnie - Founding Director and Curator (Emeritus), The Archives of Falconry.

Falconry in Italy throughout the Centuries submitted by Patrizia Cimberio.

Research on the Books of Japanese Falconry from the 13th- 16th century submitted byYasukoNihonmatsu Creation of the Middle East Falconry Archive, a Unique Documentary Heritage submitted byPatrick Paillat and Catherine Tsagarakis-Ostrowski The Falconry Heritage Trust submitted by Jevgeni Shergalin. Trapping and Trading in the17th century submitted by Jacques van Gerven Sustainable use of Saker Falcons in Mongolia submitted by Nyambayar Batbayar Wildlife Science and Conservation Center, Mongolia.

Do Falcon hybrids in falconry pose an unacceptably high risk of unnatural genetic introgression to native wild falcon populations’? Submitted by Matthew GageUniversity of East Anglia, UK.

Banned to permitted: New Zealand’s 30 year battle to legalize falconry submitted byNoel Hyde Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust, New Zealand.

Developing a sustainable trade of Mongolian Saker Falcons submitted byChoikhand Janchivlamdan Department of Geography, University of Leicester, UK.

The history and evolution of wildlife laws and regulations in the United States, as it applies to falconry submitted by Bill Johnstone.

Sustainable use and raptor conservation submitted by Professor Robert Kenward Chair for Europe of IUCN Sustainable Use Specialist Group.

Illegal trade and the declining Saker Falcon population in Kazakhstan submitted by Dr. Anatoliy Levin Laboratory of Ornithology, Institute of Zoology of Kazakhstan.

Legal controls and the trade of captive-bred falcons for falconry submitted by Mark Ormiston- International Wildlife Consultants, Carmarthen,Wales.

Status and trends in international trade of falcon species submitted by Adrian Reuter TRAFFIC, Mexico.

The Turkish experience of enforcing controls on illegal trappers submitted by Luke Smith - Istanbul University Raptor Research Group, Turkey.

Pest Control in Chile submitted by Christian Gonzales.

Falconry to Fauna Control at the Airports in Brazil submitted by Jorge Sales Lisboa - President ABFPAR.

Using Falcons for Pest Control in new Zealand’s Vineyards: A Unique Option for the Conservation of a Species submitted by Dr Richard Seaton-Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust.

Traditional Arabian Falcon Remedies: History and Significance submitted by Dr. Faris Al-Timimi Clinic, The Cultural Village, Qatar.

Sorting the Wheat from the Chaf: What Falconers Need to Know About The Pre-purchase Veterinary Examination of Falcons submitted by Tom Bailey - International Wildlife Consultants, Carmarthen,Wales.

Update on the Treatment of Aspergillosis in Falcons submitted by Antonio di Somma - Dubai Falcon Hospital.

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre - Green Balkans Federation submitted by Ivailo Klisurov - Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre, Green Balkans Federation Thoughts on the Rehabilitation and Release of Peregrine Falcons in the UK submitted by Dr Gordon T Mellor- University of Bedfordshire, UK.

First Aid for Falconers’ birds submitted by Dr. Margit Gabriele Muller - Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital.

Vulture Crisis in India submitted by Dr. Vibhu Prakash - Principal Scientist, Director,Bombay Natural History Society India Risk and Prevention of Travel-related Disease in Falconry Birds submitted by Patrick T. Redig - Professor of Avian Medicine and Surgery,Founder and Director Emeritus of The Raptor Center / College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota.

Novel Therapeutic Agents and Treatment Modalities for Falcons submitted by Dirk.JVerwoerd1 and Tom Bailey2- 1South African Falconry Association - International Wildlife Consultants, Carmarthen,Wales.

Dubai Desert Safaris now also Includes falconry show which is basically linking tourism to the wild life and enthusiasm among the general people

The National has published an interesting article about the boom of tourism in DUbai this year. Many people relate the increase in number of tourists in Dubai to the unrest in the Arab world however there is an other factor that can be the main cause of increase in tourism in Dubai and that is the increase of options to see in Dubai.

Dubai is not any more a shopping destination it has matured from mere 2 days shopping to the luxury beach travel desert adventures and also the remarkable Burj Khalifa is attracting a lot of people to come to Dubai.

Even though hordes of tourists gathered around the entrance to the world’s tallest building on a bright, pleasantly warm afternoon in Dubai, tickets were sold out until late into the evening.

The scene this week at the Burj Khalifa reflected the surge in the number of tourists coming into Dubai this year, with visitors coming from a far more diverse range of locations compared with a couple of years ago, when the emirate was largely attracting wealthy travellers from Europe.

The number of hotel guests staying in Dubai increased by 11 per cent in the first three quarters of the year compared with the same period last year, while total revenues increased by 19 per cent to Dh10.96 billion (US$2.98bn), according to figures from the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing

There is also great demand at the desert safari providers in Dubai now one has to book in advace for Dubai desert safari and the prices have also been raised.

In a socially enabled, internet powered world, consumers demand respect

The sheer volume of information available on the internet is overwhelming. Everywhere I look, there it is. Even when I’m not looking, it’s there, waiting to be found.

Analyse the data thrown at you every single hour, every waking day:

• Hundreds of emails, not to mention the junk mails
• Information available through web sites, blogs, forums
• Requests to join your social network from friends and strangers
• Hundreds of Tweets
• Searches on Google

By the end of the day, I don’t want to know what I don’t need to know.

This is where contextual marketing comes in.

According to a recent survey by Deloitte, 82% of people who use the web to research products, say reviews posted by others have influenced them to buy a different product than the one they had originally been thinking about purchasing. In my case, a friend’s recommendation has more value than a paid for advertisement extolling product virtues.

Here’s the bottom line. Your information isn’t only on your website, it’s across the web. Some of it you own, some of it you pay for and some of it is offered through your customers’ satisfaction with your services.

Organisations need to provide contextually-relevant content to their customers and prospects alike, when and where they need it - on the device of their choosing, at the time of their convenience, personalized and well delivered. In a nutshell, customers will dictate the terms of engagement. Contextual ads that provide consumers with utility, entertainment and value are more likely to succeed.

In a socially enabled, search-powered world, consumers demand respect. Do not expect customers to navigate through your counter-intuitive ‘knowledge portal’ built by people who cannot identify a positive customer experience. Do not expect people in a hurry to contact support, via chat, or email and certainly not via telephone.

Be smart enough to anticipate customer’s information needs and provide relevant, useful information when and where needed. You need to give people the information they need to learn about you and your products and as a result, a reason to come back to your website and buy from you.

You got to do it right – the first time, every time. Those of us paying the closest attention to consumers - using tech and data to anticipate their wants and needs - are going to figure it out first.

Send your feedback to sharad@cyber-gear.com

QR Codes are a fantastic new way to connect with your customers

A QR code, abbreviated from Quick Response code is a type of matrix barcode. QR Codes were first created in 1994 by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. More recently, the concept has become extremely popular due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. 

The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. (as shown above). The information encoded can be made up of any kind of data (e.g., binary, alphanumeric, or Kanji symbols).

While traditional bar codes are linear one dimensional codes and can only hold up to 20 numerical digits, QR codes are two-dimensional 2D matrix barcodes that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information. Their ability to hold more information and their ease of use makes them practical for small businesses. An astonishing 7,089 characters can be encoded in one QR code! 

When you scan or read a QR code with your iPhone, Android or other camera enabled Smartphone, you can link to digital content on the web; activate a number of phone functions including email, IM and SMS and connect the mobile device to a web browser. What could be better than sending people from traditional, static media to digitally engaging content in one click?

QR Codes recently have become a hot subject for marketing agencies and social media practitioners looking to stand out from everyone else to do something creative, cool and novel campaigns.

The applications of using QR codes in business are limited only by creativity.

The recent Calvin Klein ‘Get It Uncensored’ campaign makes for a good case study. Calvin Klein replaced what some would call a ‘racy’ photo with a giant QR Code. If you scanned the Calvin Klein QR Code it would take you to a Calvin Klein ‘racy’ movie.

Starbucks has launched a QR code program designed to let consumers learn more about its coffee. This is bringing to the Starbucks consumer the ability to interact with the brand.

Inside the Macy’s “Star” a QR Code is embeded and it links to a YouTube video with exclusive content from many of famous and popular stars. You can scan the code and get tips from P Diddy, Jessica Simpson, Martha Stewart and even Tommy Hilfiger.

Some other common applications of QR Codes are: 

• On business cards
• Brochures and other marketing materials
• Print Ads
• The sides of trucks and trailers
• Product tags and packaging
• Convention and event name tags
• Restaurant menus
• Event ticket stubs
• Boarding passes in airlines
• Point-of-sale receipts
• Leverage YouTube videos

The potential for QR Codes is limitless. What’s most exciting is how they take what social media is doing now, bringing people together with technology, and extending it to enhance the experience.

The next generation of barcodes will hold even more information – so much that an Internet connection may not even be necessary!

Send your comments to sharad@cyber-gear.com

QR Codes Glossary

QR Code Generators – There are a number of sites for generating QR codes and they’re all free. An Internet search for QR code generator will offer many choices. eg. qrcode.kaywa.com - You can use it to create QR codes that link to a web page, text, phone numbers, or SMS.

QR Code Readers – The QR code reader app that works well on an iPhone is i-nigma.com, which claims to be the most widely used reader in the world.