Virality Is The X-Factor Of Mobile-First Business Apps | TechCrunch

Editor?s Note: Joe Floyd is?a VC investor at Emergence Capital Partners. Follow him on Twitter?@thejoefloyd.

Away from the fickle eyes of consumers, deep in the basement of app stores, enterprise mobile apps are fighting each other for the attention of business users.

Given the restrictions of their target audience, business app developers simply cannot utilize the same techniques that consumer app companies leverage. Why is that? And more importantly, how can mobile business apps efficiently speed up user acquisition?

Customer Acquisition Models For Consumer Apps

First, let?s examine the methods consumer app developers have used to efficiently acquire large user bases and why business app developers cannot leverage the same techniques.

Obviously, consumer apps have a large target audience, as everyone with a smartphone is a potential customer. As a result, the size of the target audience is capable of generating enough web and app-store search volume to build an initial customer base for apps. Plus, the undifferentiated nature of consumers means that cross-promotional advertising on consumer apps can be a very effective and efficient user-acquisition technique.

For example, an advertisement for a mobile game can appear on any mobile app, and the end user is always a potential target. On the contrary, the target audiences for business apps are often much smaller and may be focused on a particular vertical niche, such as doctors or real estate professionals. As a result of the smaller target audience, business apps do not see a sufficient level of web and app-store search volume. Further, cross-promotional advertising is much less effective because of the niche target audiences. For example, less than 1 percent of U.S. smartphone users are doctors, which makes it very difficult to target that vertical with display ads.

Lastly, consumer app developers with deep pockets have been known to game app store rankings. At the launch of a new consumer app, the developer can pay for downloads through services, such as Chartboost and Tapjoy, until they crack the top 25 of an app store. At that point, their visibility on the app store leaderboard increases their discoverability to the point where organic downloads can take over. Given their smaller target market, mobile-first business apps simply cannot compete with consumer apps for space in app-store rankings (there are no business apps in the iOS Top 50 as of this writing).

Building Virality Into Enterprise Apps

Now that we?ve explored what is not working for enterprise mobile apps, let?s focus on what is working: designing your product work flows to drive direct exposure to new potential users and building in opportunities for indirect referrals through word-of-mouth virality.

Dropbox?is the quintessential paradigm of designing virality into a product. Users are incentivized to refer Dropbox because they receive free additional storage for doing so. Additionally, the act of sharing a file with a friend inherently exposes Dropbox to new potential users and serves as a trigger for customers to talk about the service.

Building on the lessons learned from Dropbox, there are three techniques that emerging mobile-first business app developers are using to build virality into their products: triggers, incentives and workflow.

There are three techniques that emerging mobile-first business app developers are using to build virality into their products.

Triggers are events that spur an action. In this particular context, triggers are actions that an app user takes that provide for an opportunity to discuss the application. Expensify, a mobile app for business users to submit expense reports, has built in two word-of-mouth referral triggers: 1) every time a user takes a picture of a receipt for expense reporting, they are triggered to talk about the app with the coworkers or clients present; 2) the act of submitting an expense report triggers an explanation of the product to the person approving the report.

Incentives play on the concept that users are much more likely to actively refer a product if they receive some practical value for doing so. Plangrid, an iPad app for managing construction-site blueprints, uses incentives to spread among the different companies that collaborate on construction sites. Plangrid?s value to each site user increases with each additional company and user that joins and adds to the project. Thus, users have a practical incentive to refer the product to new target users.

Lastly, building virality directly into the workflow of how a customer uses an app is a very effective way to expose the app to new potential users. Doximity, a mobile professional network for physicians, has built virality into its product workflow through its secure messaging capability. Doctors use Doximity to send HIPAA-compliant messages to other doctors. Every message sent from a user to a doctor not yet on the platform exposes a new potential user to the product, because the message recipient must install Doximity to read the message.

Key For Enterprise Apps

Mobile-first business apps have to follow different rules for customer acquisition in order to achieve the scale and marketing efficiency of their consumer-focused brethren. The key for enterprise apps is to focus on building virality into the product so users directly or indirectly spread the app within their target audience. The mobile-first business apps that emerge victorious will be the ones that leverage triggers, incentives and workflow to kick their user acquisition flywheel into overdrive.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/06/virality-is-the-x-factor-of-mobile-first-business-apps/

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Customers pack Conn. gun stores after deal on laws

Shoppers leave Hoffman's Gun Center with their purchases in Newington, Conn., Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Customers are packing gun stores around Connecticut following the unveiling of new gun-control legislation, which could take effect as soon as Wednesday evening. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Shoppers leave Hoffman's Gun Center with their purchases in Newington, Conn., Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Customers are packing gun stores around Connecticut following the unveiling of new gun-control legislation, which could take effect as soon as Wednesday evening. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Cars jam the parking lot as shoppers leave Hoffman's Gun Center with their purchases in Newington, Conn., Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Customers are packing gun stores around Connecticut following the unveiling of new gun-control legislation, which could take effect as soon as Wednesday evening. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

NEWINGTON, Conn. (AP) ? Customers packed gun stores around Connecticut on Tuesday ahead of a vote expected to bring sweeping changes to the state's gun control laws, including a ban on the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the Newtown shooting and a new classification for more than 100 types of guns as banned assault weapons.

Lawmakers have touted the legislation expected to pass the General Assembly on Wednesday as the toughest in the country. Some measures would take effect right away, including the expansion of the state's assault weapons ban, universal background checks for all firearms sales, and a ban on the sale or purchase of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. The bill also addresses mental health and school security measures in response to the massacre.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat, supports the bill and could sign it into law as soon as Wednesday night.

In a state with a rich history of gun manufacturing, some companies said they feel the legislation made them into scapegoats for the deaths of 20 first-graders and six educators in the Dec. 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. At least one ammunition magazine maker is more seriously considering offers to leave.

"My home is in Connecticut, but at this point, I don't know if I can operate here legally come Wednesday afternoon," said Jonathan Scalise, owner of Ammunition Storage Components in New Britain. He said it's unclear to him whether employees in possession of banned firearms or ammunition would be breaking the law.

Gun shops across the state reported brisk sales Tuesday and said customers also checked on the status of orders that they worried could be canceled once the new laws take effect.

The parking lot at Hoffman's Gun Center and Indoor Range in Newington was full Tuesday morning, with some drivers parking on the front lawn. Inside, customers waited in long lines to purchase what was left.

"I walked through. I walked out because they didn't have anything. The girl told me what's on the shelf is what they have. And I totally believe that," said Nick Viccione, a gun owner from Wallingford. He said people are trying to load up on ammunition and buy "anything semi-automatic."

At other shops, including the Delta Arsenal gun store in Wallingford, employees reported difficulty getting through to the state police to run background checks needed to complete gun sales.

Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said he hadn't received any complaints of people not getting through to the office that handles such checks but acknowledged they might get a busy signal once in a while.

"The special licensing and firearms unit is going full bore," he said.

The gun industry in Connecticut dates back to the Revolutionary War and says it supports more than 7,000 jobs in the state. Some companies say the new restrictions have them considering a move.

O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc. in North Haven does not support a ban on firearms or equipment, said Joe Bartozzi, senior vice president and general counsel, adding that "they've never reduced crime or violence."

Mossberg has been in business since 1919 and employs 270 workers in Connecticut. It also has a manufacturing plant in Eagle Pass, Texas, and has been courted for years by other states.

"I've got a stack of invitations from governors, congressmen and economic development groups right here on my desk," he said.

Mark Malkowski, owner and president of Stag Arms in New Britain, said he's not threatening to move but that his biggest concern about staying in Connecticut is "staying in a state that does not support us."

He said Stag Arms, which employs 200 people, manufactures about 72,000 rifles a year, at a cost of about $1,000 each. About 5 percent of the company's sales are in Connecticut.

"It's actually quite hypocritical, quite insulting," he said. "If our products are so dangerous and so horrible that no Connecticut resident should be in possession of it, why is it OK to send it to the rest of the country?"

Echoing that was the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

"Connecticut's firearms manufacturers will be forced to pay a price economically for the state's double standard of you can build it here, but not sell it here, public policy formulation," the Newtown-based trade association said in a statement.

Malloy said Tuesday he plans to write to the state's gun manufacturers, informing them that as long as they are manufacturing a product that can be legally sold in the U.S. that they're still welcome in Connecticut.

"Having said that, there are other things that need to be taken into consideration," Malloy said. "And the public's safety is one of those things."

Nicole Hockley, whose 6-year-old son, Dylan, was killed at Sandy Hook, welcomed the legislation. She credited lawmakers with listening to the parents, who had opposed allowing existing high-capacity magazines to be grandfathered into the law. Legislators did allow that but also required the magazines to be registered by Jan. 1 with the state.

"This is going to be one of the strongest gun laws in the nation, and that will be a model for other states to follow and for federal leaders to follow," she said.

__

Associated Press reporters Michael Melia, Stephen Singer and Stephen Kalin in Hartford contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-02-Gun%20Control-Conn/id-139678b0b81142f6b0d1c73a472229ce

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finding joy: 10 Motherhood Secrets

I'm often asked what I've learned being a mother. And besides never running out of all forms of paper products at one time or to buy the gallon pails of vanilla icecream in the summer because you can use those pails for so many things most of what I'd tell you I've learned is from my kids. Through trial and error and tears and laughter and storms and sun. Life isn't perfect. But us mothers? We're amazing people - we just need to believe it - to start walking boldly through life wearing the motherhood badge proudly. ~Rachel
Here are ten simple things that I've learned in the almost seventeen years that someone has looked at me as mom. They're life things, secrets, I guess.

1. You don't need to know everything. Do you remember those months before that first child came in your home? I do. I remember stacks of books bought at Border's book (this was early internet years - there was no google for me - just thinking about that makes me wonder how on earth I did it - what did I do when I needed a quick recipe? A book? grin) that I would devour, underline, and reference. What to expect the first day, week, year, and so on. And I had this other one - this portable pediatrician one - that I'd scour symptoms making sure that my Hannah was fine. And she was. In fact, she's almost 17 and survived those early years of me looking everything up and calling my mother and worrying. You know what? I didn't know so much, and we did okay. We muddled through, and I figured stuff out, and it's been okay. So I've learned that even if I don't know it all that I'll be okay. And, honestly, sometimes I'd like to know a bit less. We live in a data rich information saturated world and sometimes google search can just stay unopened.

2. Listen first, speak second. My argument, my reasoning, and why I'm right seems to always play in my head when I'm talking with my kids. But, after almost seventeen years of parenting I've truly begun to learn the value in listening first - hearing their point of view - and truly trying to understand before I end up speaking mine. It doesn't mean that they're always right, but rather is this sign of respect for the feelings of their hearts. So I've learned - listen, listen, listen, bite your tongue, listen, and listen. This skill? Applies to all of life and relationships. We can learn a great deal by listening to others and shelving our agenda for a bit. When we bless others with attentiveness we get a glimpse into their heart and their importants. Those things matter.

3. The agenda doesn't need to be set in stone. Even though you'd sometimes like it to be. Flexibility has been what I've learned - adapt, change, recalculate - and to not let the adaptations taint my mood for the day. Raising a family, having children, and just living life has truly emphasized me the idea of grace and flexibility. If you can learn to laugh, and to brush things off, then your day will go so much smoother. Just pick up where you can, press on, and use the remainder of your day well. Instead of looking where things didn't go right look to what did. And often some of the sweetest life lessons and moments come in those times where you went off schedule and tried something new.

4. Others may not agree, but you can still be respectful. Us mothers can work ourselves up in a tizzy about all the different things mothers debate. And all of these things - vaccinations, education, etc - are all good things. Needed things. Remember? It's good that we're not the same - that's beautiful. But here's the deal even if others don't agree with you or you don't agree with them there still needs to be a level of respect. I expect that from my kids when they don't agree with me or with their siblings. As women let's hold that bar high and respect each other even when we don't agree. Our children are watching.

5. Playing matters more than the dishes. There has been so many in a minutes and just a seconds in my life because I've wanted to get those dishes done. You know what? They always get done. Inevitably. But sometimes, playing, and getting on the floor or throwing that baseball in the backyard matters way more than the pile of dishes waiting to get done. I have had to discipline myself to say no to those things and time and yes to my children. They need us there doing life with them. If you need to read more read Dear In a Minute Mom.

6. Start saying yes. Several months ago I wrote a post called Becoming a Yes Mom. My good friend Toni at The Happy Housewife has been doing a series of pictures called Today I said Yes to... You know what? It's easier for me to say no. I'm being honest. When I say no most of the time it means less effort, less work from me. But I need to say yes. I never realized how often I said no until I had children. Now, now I've learned that I need to start saying yes before it comes to the point that they stop asking. What can you say yes to today?

7. Chores are good. Even though my children might tell you otherwise. From a young age we've expected chores around our home. Nothing excessive, but keeping your room tidy, making your bed, putting your clothes in the laundry. My kids rotate with the dishes, and help with the garbage and help with folding. All of that is good. Our society needs kids that are taught the value in work, and that it is not always something that needs to have a dollar sign attached to it. Part of living in a family and in a home is working together to get it all done. So don't run from chores - incorporate them into your life. Now, the kids do get an allowance, but that is for specific chores outside of the general expected stewardship roles. Find the balance, but don't run from chores.

8. Optimism is worth it. Sometimes it's easier for me to be pessimistic and see all that doesn't work. But, when I do that I find myself scurrying around from thing to thing to thing. Optimism is worth it. It's an attitude, a heart adjustment, really. It's being willing to see the good before seeing the things that don't work. It's kind of like the listening before speaking bit - it's practice, but worth the effort. Optimism takes work and choosing to see the good, but living an optimistic life allows for many more finding joy loving the little things moments.

9. Choose {find} joy. It would be easy to sit and lament how hard everything was during the day. And you know what? Sometimes we simply need to do that. But do you know that it is also of utmost importance for our children to see us happy? Not all the time, but some of the time? Once a little one of mine asked me why I didn't smile much during the day. I didn't even realize that I had been so focused that I was kind of moving through my house like a bull in a china shop. I remember looking in his eyes and telling him that I was so happy to be his momma and he told me then I needed to smile. Mothers, smile at your kids today. Tell them you love being their momma even though inside it might have been a really hard day. Those words matter.
10. Tell your kids you like them. Remember how I said words matter? Well, let me tell you, make sure you tell your kids that you simply like them. Love is unconditional. Like is the word that tells them you like being around them, you like who they are, and that you simply like them as your child. My Samuel the other night was resting in my bed and he said, momma, I like you. Talk about melt my heart. Learn from that - take a minute and walk with your little one or your big one and let them know that you like them. Simple words, but very powerful heart words to cherish.

Ten secrets, ten facts, ten things I learned being a mother. Children are often the best teachers - their tenacity, zest for life, and unending curiosity inspires me to look at life through a different lens.

Life is good.

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Images and original content are sole property of Rachel Martin and may not be used, copied or transmitted without prior written consent.

Source: http://rachelmariemartin.blogspot.com/2013/04/10-motherhood-secrets.html

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Bus plunges 49 feet off bridge, leaves 7 dead in Rio de Janeiro

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There's No Place Like Home! | Andrews Fabulous Travel Blog

In Buenos Aires we go directly to the port and board a cruise ship. For the next thirty five days we will be cruising up the East coast of South America, into the Amazon and out again and then through the Caribbean Islands and ending up in Fort Lauderdale

We are sailing on the Seabourn Sojourn, a smaller ship with just 440 passengers. This is a step up for us. Seabourn is a high end cruise line and has been rated as the world?s best small ship cruise line by Travel and Leisure every year since 2006. One thing you should know about Seabourn, before I start on my stories is that alcohol is free (or at least included in the price of the cruise.)

Our first day at sea and it doesn?t take long to see why Seabourn is so highly rated.

I go out to the pool where the chaises are lined up with such precision they remind me of a platoon of sailors.

I choose a comfortable looking sailor to sit on (sorry, couldn?t resist that) and settle in for the afternoon. There are rather fabulous chaises for two that I could have chosen

and although the Fabulosity Meter is strongly suggesting that I settle into one of these, I resist when I see what other people look like in them

Even before I can settle on to my chaise of choice a nice young man in crisp black shorts, a tan polo shirt and a white cap, approaches me holding a small tray. For one terrible moment I think he is going to chirp ?Cigarettes, Cigarillos?, but instead he proffers a small, expensive array of suntan creams and indicates that I can select one ? at no charge.

I apply the sun tan and settle back, listening to the Fabulosity Meter chirping happily in the background. The next intrusion, albeit it a welcome one, is from another young man, dressed much as the last, asking whether I would like a glass of champagne or a glass of water. I forgive him. It is my first day on board and he has no idea what a silly question that is. I accept the champagne.

Glass in hand, I reach for my book and my reading glasses. Immediately a voice from behind asks if I would like to have my spectacles cleaned. This is not an offer that has been made often in my life so somewhat surprised, I turn to see where the voice is coming from. I find myself looking up into the eyes of a dashingly handsome Latin man in his late twenties. His smile shows off a perfect row of gleamingly white teeth that I am sure could be donated to a piano factory on his death. He is dressed exactly the same as the last two men, but on him the uniform has a completely different effect. He looks as if he has stepped off the beach at Copacabana. I want to tell him that he can clean anything he wants, but instead I find myself mumbling something about this being just my first glass of champagne and I am still quite capable of cleaning my glasses.

However, he persists.

I do find persistence in a handsome young man an attractive quality, don?t you? While I am still trying to put a sentence together, he gently removes the glasses from my hand, sprays them with something that smells a lot nicer than windex and then proceeds to polish them for some time, periodically holding them up to check for any smears that he may have missed. He even cleans the arms of the glasses. I sigh, wishing that I was wearing the glasses at the time. They are the cleanest pair of glasses I have ever worn. He smiles that smile, and says to just let him know when they need cleaning again.

The Fabulosity Meter is going crazy.

It is at least thirty minutes before the next person comes by. This time it is a young lady with a tray of ice cold flannels, inviting me to chose one so that I can wipe the beads of perspiration off my face. I do this and then discreetly smear the flannel all over my glasses, hoping that the young man will suddenly appear to clean them again.

I wait for that voice to come from behind, but nothing. I even casually wave my glasses in the air hoping that it might attract him, but he has clearly moved on, ending our relationship before it has even begun.

I can no longer read my book because my glasses are so dirty. As I am deciding on my next diversion one more young man comes to my chaise. This one is offering a skewer of melon cubes. Each cube cut to exactly the same size as the next and each from a different coloured melon. There are four cubes in all with a grape at the end. The entire thing has been sat in a fridge for a couple of hours chilling to the perfect temperature for a hot sunny day.

It has taken 66 years, but finally I think I have found a place I could call home!

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Source: http://andrewsfabuloustravelblog.me/2013/03/12/theres-no-place-like-home/

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Preservation of Venezuelan leader's body not easy

No one lives forever ? nor do they last forever. At least not without a lot of tuneups.

As much as it may seem like the bodies of famous world leaders such as Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and Mao Zedong have been preserved for all eternity, their enduring physical presence is simply an illusion aided by science.

Only the Venezuelan officials who have promised to preserve Hugo Chavez and display his body "for eternity" inside a glass tomb know exactly how they're going to do it.

But if they were to follow procedures that are used in the United States, the technique might be rather simple: repeat embalming.

"The first thing to remember about embalming as we do it in the U.S. is that it is designed to delay the natural deterioration of the body; it's not forever," said Vernie Fountain, a licensed embalmer and owner and founder of the Fountain National Academy of Professional Embalming Skills in Springfield, Missouri.

So what does that mean exactly? You might want to put down your sandwich before you read on.

In the U.S., most embalmers use a machine that injects fluid laced with chemicals, principally formaldehyde, into an artery of the body, while the majority of the blood is emptied from a vein. Often a chemical known as a humectant is added, which "helps to fill out the body, some of the hollow spaces, and adds a degree of moisture," Fountain said.

While he stressed that he has no personal knowledge about the condition of Chavez's body at the time of his death or when it was or will be embalmed, Fountain said one possible method of preserving his corpse is to follow the embalming process with a periodic injection of humectant or something similar to keep moisture in the tissues. Makeup also helps to cover areas that have gone brown with dehydration.

Just to be safe, Venezuelan officials could take an extra precautionary step and make a face mask, using Chavez's real face to form a mold that could be placed over the flesh in the future "and keep it looking more like he did when he died," Fountain said.

The process of embalming a body for a few days or many years is essentially the same, note Fountain and Camilo Jaramillo, a Colombian embalmer and alumnus of the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service.

"The difference when one wants to preserve a body for a long time is that the doctors apply more-concentrated amounts of the chemicals," Jaramillo said. "It is a much slower process and must be done very carefully. ... Indefinite preservation really doesn't exist. ... It requires periodic maintenance. ... But no embalming stops decomposition; it only slows it," he said.

The time it takes a body to deteriorate varies on the health and weight of the deceased and other environmental factors, including whether the body was refrigerated immediately after death. Regardless, the key is to embalm as soon as possible after death.

Ideally, a body would be embalmed "the very day or next morning, rather than three or five or six days down the road," Fountain said. "But it's not impossible. I have embalmed bodies that have been refrigerated for six months."

Confronted with such a never-ending and unsavory task, why do countries such as Russia, China, Vietnam, and now Venezuela, go to such lengths to preserve their leaders' remains?

"The decision to embalm Chavez is an attempt to include him in a pantheon of communist deities," said Nina Tumarkin, a professor of history at Wellesley College and the author of "Lenin Lives! The Lenin Cult in Soviet Russia."

"It's a throwback to Soviet, communist times, and it might seem obsolete, but it might be the only pantheon where he belongs. Better to belong to the wrong club than none at all."

Other socialist or communist leaders embalmed after dying include Russian dictator Josef Stalin, though his body was later removed, and North Korea's father-and-son leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. But it was the famous display of Soviet founder Lenin in Moscow's Red Square in 1924 that inspired the custom among left-leaning leaders.

And then there was Evita, the actress who married then-President Juan Domingo Peron and went on to claim a following of millions for her role in securing labor benefits for the working class, founding hospitals and helping women get the vote.

When she died young from uterine cancer in 1952, the military leaders who overthrew her husband in 1955 were so worried about a death cult that they took desperate measures to hide the body.

For two decades, the corpse was secretly moved around Argentina and then buried in an unmarked grave in Italy. Meanwhile several wax and fiberglass decoy corpses were sent out around the world. The real corpse remained in Rome until it was delivered to Peron's home in 1971 while he was in exile in Spain.

Now it rests in her family's crypt in the opulent Recoleta cemetery, a major tourist spot.

Lenin's embalming process, still seen to this day as one of the finest examples of its kind, was presented to the world as a feat for Soviet science in its quest to preserve a body in such perfection.

But the idea was probably forced upon government officials, who may have feared another bloody revolution after they saw the massive crowds that showed up to say goodbye to Lenin.

More than 3 million people braved the biting winter cold just to catch a glimpse of the body.

Permanently staving off decomposition is no easy job.

When Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong died in 1976, the Chinese medical specialists tasked with preserving his corpse for permanent display were at a loss. In the middle of a rift with the Soviet Union, they couldn't ask the Russians for the formula used on Lenin, according to a memoir by Mao's doctor. Vietnam, which had embalmed Ho Chi Minh, rebuffed them, too, the doctor wrote.

In the end, the Chinese doctors used a formula found in a Western journal in a medical library in Beijing. They added extra doses of formaldehyde to boost the preservative effect. "The results were shocking. Mao's face was round as a ball, and his neck was now the width of his head," Li Zhisui wrote in The Private Life of Chairman Mao, published outside China 18 years after Mao's death. The team managed to restore Mao to a more normal appearance with hours of careful massage and makeup, he said, but, just in case, a wax copy of the body was readied as a stand-in.

___

Luis Andres Henao reported this story from Santiago, Chile, and Lisa J. Adams reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writer Charles Hutzler contributed to this report from Beijing.

___

Luis Andres Henao on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LuisAndresHenao

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/preservation-venezuelan-leaders-body-not-easy-182652093.html

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Early Childhood Conference focus on 'Heart of Learning' - Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE

Positive relationships with significant adults are a strong determining factor in a child?s future success. This concept is the theme for the Sixth Annual Hawaii Island Early Childhood Conference, set for April 19-20 at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

The conference is open to anyone who works in or has an interest in the field of early childhood education.

Organized by Baby STEPS to Stronger Big Island Families, this year?s conference will feature two keynote speakers who will focus on the value and lasting effect educators can have in the lives of children.

On Friday, April 19, Dr. Steven Choy will present on ?Healthy Brains? Healthy Children; Healthy Children?Healthy World.? His message focuses on how educators can help develop healthy brains and help children to cope with an ever changing world.

The evening includes a light buffet.

On Saturday, April 20, in addition to 10 different thematic workshops, Mervlyn Kitashima will give a talk titled, ?No More ?Children at Risk?: ?Children at Promise?.?

Kitashima, a participant in Emmy Werner?s groundbreaking ?Kauai?s Longitudinal Study on Resilience,? will share a personal account of the factors that contributed to her ability to overcome the odds. The emphasis will be on possibilities, potential and promise for every child.

?Last year we convened close to 400 teachers, preschool directors, home-based family care providers, and elementary school principals from around the state, as well as state and county staff, on the Kohala Coast for the conference.? said Angela Thomas, team leader for the Baby STEPS program.

The conference is a much anticipated event, she says, as it provides networking and professional development opportunities for early childhood professionals.

Cost to attend the Friday evening event is $50; cost for the all-day Saturday session ? which includes continental breakfast and lunch ? is $75.

There is an early registration deadline of March 15. After that date, both sessions go up to $60 and $85 respectively.

For further information, call Gail Judd at 987-8710, email athomas@babystepshawaii.org or gcjudd@babystepshawaii.org.

The Waikoloa Beach Marriott is offering a special conference room rate. For information visit: resweb.passkey.com/go/HIECC201?

Baby STEPS to Stronger Big Island Families, a program of Friends of the Future, is an initiative created by individuals and organizations committed to helping all keiki on Hawaii Island to be healthy, happy and to thrive by supporting families, strengthening practitioners and engaging communities.

? Find out more:
www.BabySTEPSHawaii.org

Source: http://www.hawaii247.com/2013/03/11/early-childhood-conference-focus-on-heart-of-learning/

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