Last year I flew out to vegas for one of the best social media conferences I’ve attended – it wasnt strickly focused on twitter but it was blogging, new media, twitter, and every other online topic you can think of… After leaving vegas I was left with the feeling of that being a one time conference – due to distance and cost of travel. A few weeks later I heard rumors of them making moves towards a NYC blogworld… and so it became Blogworld New Media Expo NYC.
I cant wait… The line up this year of speakers is a whos whos of the social media world. It might be hard to top last year’s keynote speaker Mr. Scott Stratten – UnMarketing gave a presentantion that just rocked! So its finally here…. BlogWorld & New Media Expo is right around the corner, May 24-26, taking place at the Javits Center in New York City. This is the world’s largest blogging and social media conference, and it’s known worldwide for presenting internet luminaries and entrepreneurs, the most popular and knowledgeable bloggers, podcasters and social media marketing thought leaders. This year’s event will feature great educational content, so new media content creators and businesses of all kinds will learn the best tips, technologies and methods for growing their brands, audiences and businesses online.
In addition to learning new ways to hone and promote content and brands online, this is THE place to network, look for business opportunities, collaborators, and of course find important resources in the New Media Expo—like new media news and entertainment networks and social communities!
The Interactive Conference schedule already has more than 40 sessions listed, and that’s less than half of what will be confirmed and shared in the next two weeks! http://blogworld-nyc2011.sched.org/
By the way, since some of you are new to the event and haven’t attended previously, the BlogWorld folks would like to say “Thanks for joining us!” by extending a discount to friends of DaDa Rocks. They’ve provided a discount code for 20% OFF any pass. And…if you have friends, staff or colleagues who would like to attend, you can share it so they can join you and you can all save money on your registrations. And who doesn’t like to save money?
MORE GOOD STUFF!…New this year for BlogWorld, the New York event is co-located with the BEA – (Book Expo America) show and together they offer hundreds of exhibitors to visit and network with, all FREE with your conference pass. And…any BlogWorld conference pass holder gets access to the BEA Big Ideas conference too! Pretty great value!
The Mother’s Day madness has come and gone, but do you think one day is enough? I propose an idea – celebrating moms for not a day, but everyday. Check out this giveaway from Green Works that gives you the chance to reward your sweetie with a much needed break.
Green Works a line of naturally derived cleaning products from the makers of Clorox, is offering the chance to win a break from the back-breaking scrubbing, vacuuming and dusting with $400 worth of free housecleaning services. You’ll also receive brand new products, including new Green Works Oxi Stain Remover and Chlorine-Free Bleach.
Simply watch any of HGTV’s handyman Carter Oosterhouse’s Green It Yourself Webisodes, and let me know what tip was your favorite.
How to win free housecleaning service… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. May 18th, 2011.
Watch any of HGTV’s handyman Carter Oosterhouse’s Green It Yourself Webisodes, and comment with the tip was your favorite and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter –www.twitter.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for following @greenworks on twitter – www.twitter.com/GreenWorks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @greenworks @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/kSCiM0 and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.
Example: Free housecleaning on @GreenWorks? Yes, please. Every Day is #mothersday thanks @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/kSCiM0
You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
You get 1 extra entry for becoming their FAN on facebook – http://www.facebook.com/greenworks (and leave a note saying that www.dadarocks.com sent you) You must comment that you’re a fan.
You will have 12 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Thanks to Green Works for providing the prize for this giveaway.
With Mother’s day finally here – I hope you atleast got a card… I hope that your child have made cards (if you didnt buy them make one!)…
Here are a few last minute gift ideas for anyone…
The Starbucks package… Start with a gift card, add a mug or a travel mug, drop them into a bag add some tissue paper and a card and bingo. Going for the added special flavor add into the package a high end bag of coffee or tea.
Next up for the women who loves the gym (cause if she doesnt this would be calling them fat otherwise)…
The Gym package… Head over to her gym (she doesnt have one is a sure sign this isnt the right gift for her), add some training sessions, then get her a new gym outfit, new shoes, ect… Maybe she’s into yoga a new yoga mat is always nice and now easier and easier to find – I highly suggest Lululemon Athletica www.lululemon.com for both the outfit and the yoga mat.
Next up for the women who loves to relax and be pampered…
The day spa package… Find a good nearby spa (or one that your wife goes to) and get a giftcard for a message, facial, and whatever else they suggest. Add a $20 bill into the envelope for tips and you’re good to go.
How about the expecting Mom (or just plain expecting)…
You can pick up a book Portraits of Pregnancy: The Birth of a Mother this is great if you add it to a gift certificate for a photo shoot – there are tons of amazing photographers out there – ie. my amazing wife Suzanne Cohen Photography an expecting mother shoot is a one time thing as no two pregnancies will be the same. Plus in 30 years they’ll look great at a wedding slideshow.
Finally the coupon book…
This isn’t one you should buy in the store but you should create 12 coupons (hopefully one that makes sense for each month) with something special on them – 1 pair of new shoes, 1 new outfit, 1 shopping trip where I wont complain about how long it takes to try on the outfits, 1 night out (without the kids), 1 movie date, 1 rated x night – I’m sure you get it by now… but have fun with it and make it things she’ll really want.
Dont forget the basics work too…
Flowers, Candy, Jewelry, and Wine seem to be the staples around here.
Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids [Amazon] doesnt the name just say it all? When mother’s day rolls around the aunts without children sometimes get a little blue and thats lame, because Aunts have a great role in a child’s life.
I’ve known Melanie for over a year now, she was one of the first bloggers to welcome me to the scene and I couldn’t be happy for her. Not only is her vision for her website crisp and clean but the book is totally on point with being just what the doctor ordered for mother’s day gifts for those aunts.
By Melanie’s own admission, the book focused on new aunts of young children. Which is usually the roughest time for those first time aunts trying to figure out what end is up… The book is loaded with advice and nuggets of knowledge for savvy gift giving and how to coupe with pregnancy envy (I simply just enjoy eating the extra ice cream but thats just me).
Women love fragrance and most women love perfume… there is usually a ratio of size to price and the smaller the bottle the more they want it the more money it is…
But there is no getting around it – perfume if purchased correctly is a winner. How do you go about getting the right perfume, well you can go to the perfumes she already has and take a stab at it because usually a women will like very similar fragrances. Alternatively, ask a girlfriend of hers for some suggestions. But if you have a daughter ask her to go shopping for some with mom.
Now everyone has a fragrance these days so why doesn’t your wife has her own… you maybe sitting there think – HUH?! well this was a new concept to me to until a year ago when I attended a perfume party (it is exactly like it sounds and there were other men there – so lay off the pulling my man card jokes). Companies like Scenterprises do just this, you can find them at scenterprises.com they offer a few different perfume studio packages. These packages are done in a way there it would be hard to create a not so nice perfume… and if done correctly can make an amazing perfume.
If you havent heard of these perfume parties yet – you will they’re like the new gold parties…so much so that scenterprises was just written up in the April edition of Parenting: early years magazine.
The Perfume Studio’s “Design your own Fragrance” kits are available in 3 fabulous individual gift sets of Fresh, Floral and Oriental blends and one larger set containing an entire Perfumer’s Palette.
Choose from three different sets:
FRESH, FLORAL & ORIENTAL SETS- each set contains six beautiful, high quality perfume blends, with matching blotter strips for testing; pipettes for filling; and elegant designer-color atomizers. And voila! You have your own beautiful creation! SRP $75
The MASTER PERFUMER KIT contains all 18 blends which span the entire perfume palette, including magnificent blends of citrus, florals, woodsy, fruity, spicy, balsamics, musks… everything you need to create different fragrances for your different moods. SRP $195
How to win a mini set… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. May 3rd, 2011.
Leave a comment below with what type of mini kit you’d like to win is and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter –www.twitter.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for following @ScentfullySue on twitter – www.twitter.com/ScentfullySue You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @ScentfullySue @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/kNennI and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.
Example: I want to win a create my own perfume set for #mothersday thanks to @ScentfullySue & @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/kNennI
You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
Mother’s Day is right around the corner and of course there is only one thing mom loves to get more then flowers and cards its jewelry. Nothing is more classic then something that says mom but usually those look a little cheesy, even the super expensive designer mom charms and necklaces are a little lame. Then what about the fact that mom might not be mom but mommy or mama. Thats why I really love Tali’s designs one she makes some awesome dada cufflinks (father’s day is around the corner) and well usually I hear mama in my house more then mommy (and never hear mom from our child).
Need a little more arm twisting?! Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, and Sarah McLachlan have been spotted wearing these necklaces, and we are sure that a mom you know will love them as much as the celebs do!
Plus there is plenty of time to get order and shipped before mother’s day.
There are more styles then I can repeat diamonds, gold (white or yellow), silver, a few diamonds or covered in diamonds, there are sizes small or large (can you tell this is where the GUY shopping for jewelry part really kicks in) — so before your heads explode guys – go with the large with a few diamonds in white gold or if its more the thought that counts go with the silver.
I know a bunch of you will want to win one of these beautiful pieces – and well you absolutely can… check out Late Night Parents next monday night as we’ll be giving away one to a lucky viewer. Late Night Parents is live at 11PM EST and you can find out more at http://latenightparents.com
When a Wily Wizard, Mischievous Monkey and Boastful Barker fit prominently into your family game night, it can only mean 2K Play’s Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do [amazon] is now available in North America exclusively on Kinect for Xbox 360. The latest in gaming technology allows players to actually speak to the Wizard to learn their future, challenge the Monkey to a “Cotton Eye Joe” dance-off and contemplate the Barker’s generous offer to swim in the Shark Tank. The game is out now.
The game is super fun for both adults and kids, the hands free controller aspect is amazing (still one of my favorite features of kinect. The games are really good for parties as well as casual afternoon game play with a few kids. I think the game line up is terrific and even the way they break the menus up to be in sections of the carnival really lend itself to the game. If you have kids that love carnivals or games that are physical puzzles or eye/hand movement type games then this will be right up their alley. I think this game is great for ages 4-11 but there is a ton of game play value for older kids and adults (as I love playing the game too).
Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do features five theme-park alleyways – from Coaster Corner to Whirligig Way – housing twenty colorful midway games and attractions. Players of all ages can compete against friends and family as they go for the Knockout Punch against a heavy bag that fights back, twist their body in Crash Test Dummy, leap into a space-age journey in Rocket to Mars, catch coins while roller-coasting down Gold Rush Mountain and much more.
“We built Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do from the ground up to take full advantage of the one-of-a-kind technology in Kinect for Xbox 360,” said Steve Lux, vice president for business development for 2K Play. “From the character-based voice recognition capabilities to the virtual reality effect you feel from playing a game of Granny Shot, the game has no equal in the world of family entertainment.”
Developed by 2K’s Cat Daddy Games, the studio behind the successful Carnival Games franchise that has sold more than 7 million units worldwide, Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do also features midway classics that are completely re-imagined to be controller-free for Kinect for Xbox 360, including Alley Ball, Strength Test, Court King and Wheel of Chance. All manner of interactive prizes and surprises await players, such as animated pet dragons, robot cowboys and flying bears.
The immersive experience is enhanced as gamers challenge each other playing as their Xbox Avatars. In addition, tickets can be redeemed to acquire a wide variety of outfits, including Ninja, Swashbuckler, Viking and Wild West costumes. A special Carnival Games’ avatar collection will be available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft featuring a stylish array of Barker accessories, and the game will be enhanced with downloadable content in the future.
As no family game night is complete without snacks, Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do includes a coupon for a free package of Jolly Time popcorn, redeemable at retailers throughout North America, and a recipe for Monkey Barker Popcorn Pops. The game is being supported by a marketing campaign that includes television advertising on major networks and national programs such as “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars.”
For more information on Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do please go to www.2kgames.com/2kplay or visit us at facebook.com/carnivalgames and twitter.com/2KPlay. This game has been rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. 2K Play is a division of 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. April 30th, 2011.
You must comment telling us who your favorite game at the carnival, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
You get 1 extra entry for following 2kPlay on twitter – twitter.com/2kPlay
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information:
#newcarnivalgames @2kPlay @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/dOmjUV and you must also comment with the link to your twitter message.
Example: I want to win the #carnivalgames for #kinect for #xbox360 from @2kPlay Thanks to @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/dOmjUV
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on facebook – facebook.com/dadarocks you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall)
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on of NewCarnivalGames on facebook –facebook.com/CarnivalGames you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall that DaDRocks.com sent you)
You get 1 extra entry for subscribing to our Feedburner digest mailing (right side subscribe by email) – you must also comment that you’ve subscribed
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a friend on Google Connect (right side below facebook box) – you must also comment that you’ve become a friend
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Thanks to 2K Play for the prizes for this raffle.
Disney’s Emmy Award-winning Imagination Movers are in the middle of their “In a Big Warehouse” concert tour which started February 4, 2011 in their home state of Louisiana. The wildly popular New Orleans-based rock band for kids of all ages will and has traveled coast to coast playing their most popular songs and bringing the magic of the Imagination Movers television series’ Idea Warehouse to life performing in a series of 100 shows across the nation. Concertgoers can expect special appearances from Nina, Warehouse Mouse and other characters from the TV series.
“Nothing beats the excitement of playing live rock n roll with the help of thousands of great fans,” says Rich Collins (aka Mover Rich). “We encourage our audience to be an essential part of the show by singing, clapping, shouting, dancing and generally letting the energy of a real rock concert lift their spirits. Everybody needs a nap after one of our gigs. Including the grownups – and especially us!”
Since signing to Walt Disney Records, the Imagination Movers have sold more than 100,000 albums, received multiple awards and earned critical praise from the Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly and many other media outlets. Their newest release, In a Big Warehouse, the soundtrack for the second season of the television series, hit the charts this fall, debuting at #2 on Billboard’s Top New Artist Albums chart and bowing at #3 on Billboard’s Children’s Chart.
The tour has been a big hit with fans and if you cant make it to the live show they’ve event got a special TV version thats currently airing on Disney Junior. This special episode is also available on iTunes, I found that out by shopping for the new episodes from 2011 that are also on sale now.
May 6th the show rolls in to New York City’s Best Buy Theater with 3 days of shows. They also have some special guests opening the show this stop is Choo Choo Soul. I’m sure kids of all ages will love the show and I for one cant wait to see them live. For more information on tickets and for the tour dates, VIP packages and venues visit www.imaginationmovers.com.
The Imagination Movers are Collins, a former journalist and father of five; Scott Durbin, a teacher and father of two; Dave Poche, an architect and father of two; and Scott “Smitty” Smith, a New Orleans firefighter who was part of the Hurricane Katrina search and rescue effort.
Enter to win 4 tickets to the Friday, 5/6 – 4:30pm show
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. April 28th, 2011.
Leave a comment below with who your favorite character on imagination movers is and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter –www.twitter.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for following @imovers on twitter – www.twitter.com/imovers You must comment that you’re a follower.
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @imovers @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/ihjWaK and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.
Example: I want to win tickets to see the #imaginationmovers live in #NYC thanks to @imovers & @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/ihjWaK
You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
You get 1 extra entry for becoming their FAN on facebook –www.facebook.com/imaginationmovers (and leave a note saying that www.dadarocks.com sent you) You must comment that you’re a fan.
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Thanks to the Imagination Movers for providing the tickets for this giveaway.
Sid the Science Kid will be celebrating Earth Day (April 22) with four new episodes, the week of April 18, on PBS Kids.
New episodes of The Jim Henson Company animated preschool show will explore a different science theme related to the environment. As in every episode, Sid will begin each episode with a question and spend the day finding answers with help from his friends and family.
The episodes include “Where Did The Water Go?” (What happens to water that goes down the drain?) on Monday, April 18; “Clean Air!” (Why does Sid’s dad wear a mask when he paints?) on April 19, repeating on Earth Day; “Reused Robot” (Where does trash go when we throw it away?) on April 20; and “Save The Stump” (Can an old stump be a home for tiny creatures?) on April 21.
Each episode of Sid the Science Kid focuses on a single scientific concept that is presented using Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS), a practical science readiness curriculum used in preschool classrooms. Here is Sid sharing his top 5 tips for being gentler to the environment http://pbskids.org/sid/videoplayer.html?pid=8Qmw2JiU95dkX1qaNRvjyTxc5by_BNqF
$1,000,000 Pyramid [amazon] brings back the classic, Emmy award-winning game show from 1973 as two pairs of players compete to make their way to the winner’s circle. Staying true to the original show, players will choose from six categories and guess words based on a theme. Score more points than the other team and get a chance to be the grand winner of $1,000,000!
This classic game show revival will feature over 800 categories (with over 4,800 words) and a two player head-to-head mode that is sure to get the whole family involved. As players progress through the game, they will unlock bonus content that can be used to customize their in-game avatars.
It’s a great party game because of the trivia aspect of it, so much so there is even a party mode. It’s a straight forward game and very simple to play… it’ll be great for adults just looking to test their own game skills.
Pyramid has a personal connection to my family because my father was on the show back in the 70’s.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. April 26th, 2011.
You must comment telling us which why you want to win it? please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
