5 Quick Tips for Getting Started on eBay

The weekend is upon us and since its not the season for spring cleaning, I’m doing a strategic fall purge and sorting items into 3 piles— 1 for donation, another for trash, and the final one for things to list on eBay. Time at eBay On Location as a Parent Panel member taught me that while items in our home may have lost their value to me, they are still of value to others and a great way to reduce, reuse, and recycle to reclaim money!

I’ll be looking for things in my closets, around the house, and in the garage for items that were gifts and were never used, gently worn designer items with lots of wear left in them, and articles of clothing that our kids have outgrown like Halloween costumes and winter apparel that won’t fit this year. eBay has also assembled a 2011 Holiday Hotlist with predictions about the hottest selling products for the upcoming season which is constantly being updated!

If getting started on eBay is a daunting task, it doesn’t have to be! Here are 5 tips to help you declutter and put money back in your pocket as we approach the holidays:

• Begin as a buyer. Think about something you need and purchase it on eBay. Think about your experience. What drew you to the item? Was it the price, offer of free shipping, photos, description, Buy it Now option, or feedback about the person you were buying from? Completing a transaction is helpful in knowing what your buyers will be looking for in your listings.  If you’ve never bought on eBay before, ebay provides Buying Basics to guide you through the process.

• Start slowly. Review the eBay seller policy pages and choose 1 item from your stash that you won’t be upset about if it doesn’t fetch the optimum price when listed.

• Create your listing. Provide a picture since buyers like to see what they are purchasing and write your listing to include just the facts. eBay recommends ensuring that the item’s brand or manufacturer is spelled correctly in the title so it can be found easily. Include nouns and modifiers (rather than adjectives) in your 80 character description. For photo tips, read Caroline's (aka Smarty Pants Mama) eBay Photo Taking Guidelines to Help You be a Successful Seller, a primer on photos for your eBay listing.

• Hone your skills and emphasize quality over quantity as you become more experienced.  Optimize a few listings for maximum results and focus on providing good customer service and simple terms of service.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. eBay has lots of resources and an entire community of sellers who are happy to share tips and brainstorm solutions. eBay’s Getting Started guide is a wonderful resource until you are ready to open your eBay store! while more experienced sellers with lots of items to list 

If you’re interested in learning more about the eBay Parent Panel, visit my post about it and eBay On Location on Mom Blog Magazine.

I am part of the eBay Parent Panel and am compensated for my participation in the program.  All opinions about my eBay experience are my own.

Gaming and Giving for Good: Playing Xbox LIVE to Raise Money for Children’s Miracle Network

This Saturday, October 1 Xbox 360 will be holding the Gaming and Giving for Good (G3) Xbox LIVE charity event to benefit Extra Life, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals fundraiser. The charity is an organization that supports 170 children’s hospitals across North America. By harnessing the power of millions of members on Xbox LIVE for Extra Life, G3 will be raising money donated from family and friends for every hour spent gaming online.

As part of the event, all participants will register at Xbox.com/g3 and receive a free Xbox LIVE Gold Membership for the weekend to play their favorite games. Xbox LIVE Gold allows users to play games online with friends and family and receive exclusive discounts on Xbox LIVE content.

Xbox has also joined forces with GameStop for in-store events with celebrities to raise awareness for the effort. Top events will include sports celebrity appearances and autograph signings.  T-shirts will be handed out all day to gamers who bring in print outs of their G3 registration email as proof of participation.

In addition to the online gaming through Xbox Live, in real life events will also take place across the country. Here is an example of some of the events taking place on October 1:

• Plano, Texas: 2201 Preston Road Suite E, C/O Barnes & Noble
• West Hollywood, CA: 7100 Santa Monica Blvd
• New York, NY: Union Square (32 E. 14^th St.)
• Bellevue, WA: 242 Bellevue Square

If you’re going to be playing your Xbox on Saturday, ask for a couple of donations and register to get your Xbox LIVE Gold membership for the weekend.

To raise money, donate, or learn more about G3, visit http://www.xbox.com/g3 for more information.

Information and images are courtesy of Xbox. No compensation or product was received for this post.

Flickr Mobile- Easy Photo Sharing for Android, iPhone, and iPad

As a Flickr user, I’m excited that Flickr has gone mobile with the announcement of the new Flickr App for Android and Photo Session, a feature that allows for real-time photo sharing of public photostreams.  These new additions make it even easier for people around the world to share their lives through photos whenever and wherever they are.  

Flickr Android App,originally uploaded by Flickr.

Here’s some additional information from Yahoo about both services:

Flickr Android App: The first native Flickr Android application lets Android users tap into their inner photographer by allowing them to beautifully capture, customize, edit and share high-quality photos on the go. Features include:

• Built-in shoot & share camera with adjustable settings like flash and auto-shutter focus
• 10 high-quality filters and effects to customize photos
• Infinite scrolling ability that allows users to browse through photos from one page – whether they have 20 photos or 20,000

Photo Session from Flickr: An interactive new live-sharing tool that allows people to share public Flickr photostreams and sets with friends and family in real-time. Originally created during an internal Yahoo! Hack event, Photo Session enables users to browse through photos, sketch on images through an embedded drawing tool, and chat together at the same time – whether on a computer, iPhone or iPad. Take a look at Photo Session in action here.

For more information, check out the Yodel Anecdotal and Flickr blog post here. 

I am a Yahoo! Motherboard member and a Flickr fan. No compensation was received for sharing this information.

Possible Answers To America's Educational Leadership Concerns

It seems that America is at the breaking point when it comes to the way forward with education. Most American children lag far behind many other developed countries and the gap is widening. Society and our Educational Leadership has begged the question as to the best answer to solve what, some in the government see, is being called an issue of national security. It's the hope that, with emerging technology, America can once again get a hold of its lagging school and test results.

For many years now, schools across the country have seen a drastic drop in the number of education professionals and teachers entering the field. This has been largely due to, what some call, a static pay rate and poor classroom conditions. Over the years, the ratio of students to teachers has seen a sharp increase. Teachers have become responsible, on average, for more and more students and our classrooms are getting bigger. The complain is that our teachers simply can't provide the same results and quality of education when our classroom size keeps expanding. Teachers don't have the same one-on-one time that they used to have. It's the belief that technology could be the answer to this problem and some schools are taking this concept to heart.

One school in Independence, Kentucky has started a new program that is designed to dramatically increase a K-12 program to touch-based interactive technology. Twenty Seven iPads and accessories were given out to many of the kids in the district. The cost for all of the hardware was estimated to be somewhere in the ballpark of $30 thousand. This is only a trail run, but it's hoped that this test will prove to be effectual and both improving the quality of the students' learning experience and increasing their familiarity with technology. This familiarity is another factor that many educators believe will become a key component to our education approach as more of the world is becoming increasingly tech-savvy.

Captain Computer uses a tablet to experience
Alice in Wonderland in ebook format at the
National Book Festival

The program in Northern Kentucky more of an experiment than a preparation exercise, but this isn't the only effort among educators. Since teachers are becoming overwhelmed with the number of students entering the classroom, it's hoped that a more remote-based learning system could help alleviate an overburdened education system. Much of this would be through software programs that provide students of all ages with an interactive experience that would cover the basics of their lesson plans. The teacher would still be a part of the process, but in a more support and concentrated capacity.

Many opponents of the use of these technologies and programs argue that this isn't the answer and there's no substitute for a real-world teacher-student education. The belief is that high-tech solutions are only a crutch that's attempting to prop up an education system in dire straits. Whether this is true or not, one fact is certain, there is currently no concentrated effort to improve our lagging system. The only other nationwide initiative came in the form of President George W. Bush's, No Child Left Behind, program. The program was intended to improve the way schools run and how students are taught but the program was largely unsuccessful due to it's blanketed approach.

The inclusion and implementation of technology has long been a buzz word among many in education departments around the country but there remains much debate whether or not this is the answer. Technology, likely, won't be the only way forward but it could definitively help the cause to put our youth back on track. At this point, something needs to be done and more than one response will probably be needed. We shouldn't rule anything out give the static state of our education system.


Consideration was given to review, edit, and post this article.

Teaching Kids About Egypt and Cleopatra Through Online Resources

Egypt is a fascinating place with pyramids that rise up out of sand dunes, tales of tomb raiders searching hidden tombs filled with riches, and the powerful, yet intriguing, Cleopatra. 

Little Miss Techie and I have been learning Egypt ever since reading Magic Tree House Mummies in the Morning, devouring nonfiction books and searching for kid-friendly sites to advance our knowledge but had taken a break until I started reading Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra: A Life. 

The captivating cover intrigued Little Miss Techie who immediately asked who she was. Inspired by Cleopatra: A Life, I’ve compiled a list of kid-friendly links to share Cleopatra with your history-loving child as embark on our personal quest to learn more about Egypt.

Start by establishing some background knowledge about Egypt.

• National Geographic Kids provides facts, photos, and a map of present day Egypt through an easy to navigate slide show format. 3-4 sentences accompany gorgeous images great for grades 2 and up.  Then test your knowledge with Brainteaser: Egypt

• Explore facts about the people, mythology, daily life, death & burial rituals, as well as writing and archeology through Odyssey Online, a site created by the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester and Dallas Museum of Art. This well organized site that contains interesting graphics and digestible amounts of text for grades 3 and up.  If you want to study up on Cleopatra, I like PBS’ Cleopatra & Egypt 1 pager that is like the Cliffs Notes version detailing the life of this great woman.

• What did ancient Egypt looked like in Cleopatra’s time? Take a look at the Ancient Egypt photo slide show on National Geographic Kids.

• Test your knowledge about past and present day Egypt through the interactive quiz, Brainteaser: Egypt

Learn about Cleopatra

• Cleopatra’s Palace - In Search of a Legend from Discovery Education is a an interactive learning adventure designed to teach students about the people, places, literature, myths, and symbols of Cleopatra’s World. The site contains reproducible teaching tools for teachers and activities are correlated to academic standards.  The teacher in me loves the differentiated Lesson Plans section that details how to adapt the activities for grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 but the materials can certainly be used at home too.

• Read a National Geographic Kids interview with an Egyptian archeologist as he searched for the tomb of Cleopatra.

This post was inspired by Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff, this month’s From Left to Write book club selection.  I received a copy of the book for review purposes. No compensation was received for this post.  Amazon affiliate links are contained in this post. All opinions are my own.

Kellogg's Breakfast & Scholastic Books Back to School Giveaway

Our kids know that I won’t let them leave the house without a healthy breakfast but they can always count on me to get them whatever book fuels their latest interest. 

Because books and breakfast are so important to fueling young minds, I’m happy to share Kellogg’s special Scholastic Book Clubs promotion exclusively at Walmart.

Parents who purchase two specially-marked Kellogg’s products, including Raisin Bran®, Mini-Wheats® Little Bites Original, Nutri-Grain®, Eggo®, Pop-Tarts®, Cheez-it®, and Rice Krispies Treats® can redeem the codes found inside for a $5 coupon for a free book from Scholastic Book Clubs or the Scholastic Store Online.

Look for these specially marked boxes at Walmart

This promotion is a great way to add more books to your home library or donate books back to your child’s teacher for their classroom collection!  I look forward to having Captain Computer and Little Miss Techie use our coupons to pick out books for their teachers.

GIVEAWAY: One family will receive four great titles from Scholastic Book Clubs, an assortment of products from Kellogg’s, and a $15 gift card to Walmart.

Kellogg's, Scholastic & Walmart prize pack to
celebrate breakfast and books

To enter, leave a comment with the title of your favorite book and include your email address or Twitter handle.

For extra entries, complete the above and leave a comment sharing any of the following.  1 comment= 1 entry when you include your email or Twitter handle!

• Your child’s favorite cozy place to read
• Your child’s current favorite book
• Your favorite place to get books
• Tweet this daily and link to your Tweet in your comment: @TechSavvyMama has a great Kellogg’s breakfast & @Scholastic book #giveaway w/ @Walmart GC: http://bit.ly/dic01K Ends 9/30

1 winner will be randomly chosen from eligible entries this Friday, September 30 and contacted vial email or Twitter. Winner must reply with a US mailing address and phone number for direct shipment purposes within 24 hours.  Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama/Savvy Mama Media and Scholastic/Kellogg’s are not responsible for items delayed or lost during shipping.  For full contest details, visit: http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/rules/2011_Scholastic_Blogger_Giveaway_Round_one.pdf.

I received items pictured above from Kellogg's, Scholastic, and Walmart for hosting this giveaway. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

YouTube Downloader Makes it Easy to Convert Videos (w. $500 GC giveaway!)

YouTube has always been a favorite in our house. Our kids love when we curate a collection of clips for them to watch at home and the ability to pull up videos on the go to help pass the time during long waits. But sometimes we’re without wifi or a good cellular connection that can make watching our beloved clips on the YouTube site impossible.

Now our videos from YouTube can downloaded and watched on whatever device we may be carrying thanks to YouTube Downloader. This free service that makes it easy to convert YouTube videos and other high definition videos from major video streaming sites so they can be viewed on your various devices.

How to use YouTube Downloader

If you can navigate to YouTube, you can convert a video. With minimal fields and a streamlined interface, downloading a video is easy and takes seconds to do with YouTube Downloader.

Start by downloading the free version of YouTube Downloader to your PC then navigate to your favorite video. Copy the URL and open the software on your computer.

Simple screen makes YouTube Downloader easy to use

Paste the URL in the field and use the drop down menu to select the download quality.  Choose a folder to save your downloaded video to and use the drop down menu to select the file type. 

Set your conversion quality to High and you’re done! Your video will download to the specified folder for future viewing.

Convert your videos to various file types to play on different devices

YouTube Downloader Basic vs. Pro

The free basic version of YouTube Downloader is simple to use but there is also a Pro version that allows you to select and download multiple videos at a time.  For the one time cost of $19.90 per computer, it also features built in acceleration that can be up to 4 times faster and has the ability to download and convert videos in a single step. For a full comparison of the basic and the pro versions, take a look at the comparison chart.

YouTube Downloader not just for YouTube!

YouTube Downloader can download videos from Facebook, Google, Blip.tv, Stickam, ESPN, and other supported sites. The service converts the movie files into formats ( such as MP3, MP4, MPEG, and more) so they can be watched on iPod, iPhone, iPad, PSP, Windows Media, and other devices.

GIVEAWAY: YouTube Downloader is offering an amazing $500 gift card giveaway for 1 lucky reader.

To enter, leave a comment sharing your kids’ favorite YouTube video that you would download to watch whenever and wherever thanks to YouTube Downloader. You must include your email or Twitter handle for your entry to be valid!

For extra entries, complete the above and do any of the following but be sure to include your email/Twitter handle in each comment for it to be valid:

• Tweet this and leave a link to your tweet in your comment: @TechSavvyMama has tips on converting YouTube videos & a $500 GC #giveaway! Learn how and #win here: bit.ly/r6TUuU (1 entry per tweet)

• Write an original post on your site about this contest and include a link to http://www.youtubedownloadersite.com/. Leave the permalink to your post in your comment. (10 entries per post that includes specified link)

• Subscribe to Tech Savvy Mama via email or RSS (1 entry per subscription)

*Please note that the option for a daily tweet has been pulled and the subscription entry has changed per the sponsor's request and the subscription entry has changed.  We will honor all entries under original entry conditions prior to 11:35 EST am on 9/28.

Contest details: All entries must be received by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, October 7.  Winner will be randomly selected from valid entries and contacted via email or Twitter. Winner must reply within 24 hours with a valid US mailing address and phone number for prize shipment or an alternate winner will be selected.  Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama/Savvy Mama Media and YouTube Downloader are not responsible for prizing that is lost or delayed during shipment. 

Screen shots courtesy of YouTube Downloader.  I was compensated for my time in reviewing YouTube Downloader, writing this post, and hosting the giveaway.

Safely Social Monitor: Free Easy Service Monitors Family Facebook Activity

Chances are you know who your child was with and what they were doing after school but do you know what they were doing online after they finished their homework?  

Just as we want to know where our kids are going and who they’re with on a regular basis to ensure their safety, it’s important to know which peers they’re playing online games with and socializing with on Facebook to ensure they're growing up safely in the online world too.

If you’re thinking that the last thing you have time for is to learn and set up another tool to monitor Facebook activity, Safely Social Monitor is for you. 

This brand new service is free, easy to setup, and provides parents with a wealth of information into their child’s Facebook world at a glance.  As a choosy consumer and busy parent, I want a robust, yet easy-to-use service, that I can rely on as I look to facilitate conversations about the daily drama of friendships both on and offline.

About Safely Social Monitor

Signing up for and setting up a free Safely Social Monitor account can be done in a matter of minutes using four simple steps that will guide you through creating your account and connecting your kid’s Facebook account to the service. Enter your child’s email address linked to their Facebook, create the parent account, link the two together, and you’re done!

One of the most striking things about Safely Social Monitor is quickly you can navigate through the information generated about your family’s Facebook activity thanks to the simple interface. A preview of the number of friends your child has, top friends, and photo thumbnails is generated and sent to your email.

Safely Social Monitor generates a report that is automatically sent via email

Safely Report

The Safely Report’s main screen provides an overall score for your child’s activity. What does the score mean?  According to Safely Social Monitor, the single score comprises several categories of safety the makes it easy for parents to understand and act upon if necessary. Scoring is out of 100 and according to the service, “90 is typical typical of a kid practicing safe Facebook activities. A score of less than 60 may warrant extra attention to the sections causing the low score. And if your kid scores 100, you have the perfect networking angel!”

Safely Report's score feature is color coded according to your
child's overall Facebook activity

I appreciate that the color of the child’s score corresponds to their Facebook behavior.  It allows me to quickly tell if my child is using Facebook in a safe way or if I need to do some further investigating with my child about what might constitute unsafe online behavior.

Friends


The second portion of Safely Social Monitor consists of information about friends displayed as 5 Top Friends, 3 New Friends, and Age Distribution and Gender.  

Screenshot of my Friends screen. I removed full names and ages
from the image to protect the identity of my friends

The 5 Top Friends your child interacts with are displayed and includes their Facebook avatar. Having friends’ full name helps me put a name with a face.

3 New Friends section provides more detailed information with avatars and includes gender, age, city, state, and the name of their school as pulled from their Facebook profile.

The 3 newest friends appear along with additional information about who they are

The graphic display of the circles indicating overall percentages of gender and age ensures your child is interacting with similarly aged peers and helps complete the picture of who your child’s friends are on Facebook.

Graphic display of age and gender of friends is easy-to-read

Need more information about your child’s friends?  Click on Friends located in the green box to for a more detailed page providing information about the kinds of interaction occurring between top friends such as number of conversations with each other, photos together, and number of liked status updates, photos, and interests.

Screenshot of my top friends provides additional info about the kinds
of interactions your child is having on Facebook

Also view all friends by paging through 25 avatars at a time using the blue arrow to the right of the thumbnails.

Ordinarily All Friends displays name, gender, and sometimes age.
Since this is a peek at my screen, I've deleted info about
my friends to protect their identities

Photos

Although media reports make it seem like uploaded and tagged photos could be our kids’ downfall as they look towards college and future jobs, they don’t have to be when you can see the newest photos that tag your child and ones that they’ve uploaded.

Just as more information can be gathered about friends, delve in further by using the green navigation box to view thumbnails of all of the newest photos, photos your child is tagged in, and uploaded photos can be viewed.  Since some accounts have lots of photos, I like how I can view a batch of a dozen thumbnails at a time to scan for content just like I can page through countless friends!

Won’t my kids feel like I’m spying on them in order to keep them safe?

It depends on how you approach it.  Kids will always feel like you are invading their privacy if you engage in behavior that doesn’t involve them.  Safely Social Monitor is not meant to be a spying tool.  Instead, I see it as a service that can be used to create family dialogue around online safety.

Discussing hot topics relating to internet safety and raising awareness about the rewards, risks, and privilege of having a Facebook account is a great first step.  Work with your children so they understand your need to know who they’re with and where they’re going when they aren’t in school and why it’s just as important to know who they’re talking to and what sites they’re visiting online. 

Sit down together. Talk about Safely Social Monitor and show them how it is designed to reassure you about their Facebook activity rather than as a covert tool for spying.

Why would I trust Safely Social Monitor?

With a dizzying array of tools and programs available, I look to companies with known track records of providing tools that can keep my family safe when looking for a solution to help keep my kids safe online.

Safely Social Monitor is a service developed by Location Labs, a company with a history of providing services that enhance the safety of millions of families through cell phones.  The Safely family includes includes: Safely Locate, a mobile location service available via AT&T FamilyMap, Sprint Family Locator and T-Mobile FamilyWhere; Safely Drive, the only carrier-grade, patent-pending safe-driving service on the market, available via Sprint DriveFirst and T-Mobile DriveSmart Plus; and now Safely Social Monitor, that helps parents stay informed about kids’ social network activities. 

Safely Social Monitor is part of an entire suite of products
that emphasizes family safety.

Impressive, right? 

With Safely Social Monitor as part of an entire suite of services designed with family safety in mind, rest assured that it can be your trusted partner to ensure proper social networking on Facebook.

Try Safely Social Monitor by signing up for a free account.

I am a consultant to Location Labs and have been compensated for my time in reviewing and writing about Safely Social Monitor.

Fox 5 News DC Feature on Blogalicious and Blogging Conferences

This morning I accompanied the fabulous Stacey Ferguson, co-founder of Blogalicious and The Social Niche, on Fox 5 News where we got to talk about the upcoming conference and the world of blogging.

Blogalicious Weekend Coming Up in October: MyFoxDC.com


Having attend Blogalicous each year since it started with the inaugural conference in Atlanta, it's been a pleasure to watch the conference attract new attendees and gain the attention of big brands while offering top quality sessions for bloggers who want to hone their craft.

If you are a blogger or are thinking of starting a blog but aren't registered for Blogalicious, we hope you will join us from October 21-23!

Click here for more information about this year's Blogalicious conference and to register!

Fill the Backpack: Thanks and Congrats!

Splash Creative Media has now concluded a second successful year of Fill the Backpack. Originally started to celebrate going back to school, it’s hard to believe that just one month ago we were busy assembling school supplies and wondering which teachers we’d have. 

Now we’re well into the swing of school.  We have our routines down and after school activities have started but we’re exhausted from a long week of learning and always doing our best!

I hope that this month of Fill the Backpack has been as fun for you as it has for me.  Throughout this month, the Splash Creative Media team highlighted our 18 wonderful sponsors, all of whom are amazing partners because of their wonderful products and generosity in supporting Communities in Schools. 

We held a marathon 2 hour twitter party (thanks to the 180 of you who RSVPed!) and wrote countless posts but the success wouldn’t have been so sweet without YOUR help.  

Thanks to your entries and tweets, you helped us raise awareness about the mission and success of Communities in Schools so they can continue their important work in public schools around the nation.

Congratulations to Wendy who won my Fill the Backpack giveaway and was selected randomly from 499 eligible entries submitted on posts throughout the campaign.

Huge thanks to our incredible sponsors for supporting this year’s Fill the Backpack campaign:

• Eventbrite
• Leapfrog
• Sleep Innovations
• Etymotic
• Snapfish
• AVG
• Mabels Labels
• Marble Jar
• ChicaLogic
• Lands' End
• Microsoft Office
• California Innovations
• Stonyfield
• Carolina Pad
• Scholastic
• P&G
• Johnson’s & Johnson's
• Playful Planet

This post is sponsored by Splash Creative Media as part of the Fill the Backpack campaign.