Facebook Competitions Can Seriously Damage Your Health

Your social health that is, because unless you're in line with Facebook's (recently updated) Promotional Guidelines your fab, feel good competition could actually result in your beloved page being removed from the site without a single word or warning.

It's hard to take the guidelines seriously given the sheer number of regulation breaches you see on Facebook every single day - but if you own (or worse) administrate a page for a brand, can you really risk logging on to find out that 'this page no longer exists'?

Here's a rough guide to the rules but please do subscribe to the Facebook news feed!

WHAT YOU CAN'T DO

• You can't run a competition where you have to 'LIKE' a page to enter.
• You can't run a competition that allows people to enter by checking in at your location, liking a status update, message, photo, video or link.
• You can't run a competition on your Facebook wall. It HAS to be via a third party app or on another website.
• You can't notify your competition winners via Facebook AT ALL. No status updates, wall posts, comments or direct messages.
• You can't ask people to join Facebook to enter a competition.
• You can't ask people to upload content for a competition (pictures, videos or other content) to your Facebook wall.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Run a Facebook competition using a third part app like Wildfire.
• Ask people to 'Like' you page before entering your competition using a third party app or on another website.
• Collect contact information and data from your entrants when using a third party app for your competition.
• Run your competition from your website or blog and promote it via your Facebook wall.

WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

• Include a disclaimer on your competition app or wherever your comp is hosted stating that your competition is in no way related to Facebook.
• Disclose to the entrants that they are sharing their data with you and not with Facebook.
• Ensure that competition entrants aren't staff, sponsors or associates of Facebook.

All competitions should comply with country specific laws and regulations which means that the burden of responsibility is in the hands of the page owner or administrator.... Yes YOU.

Please take time to read through the official guidelines, not knowing is not a valid excuse.

Bloggers wanted!

I'm on the hunt for some bloggers from all walks of life but especially those with children (and bumps) of all ages to work with on some exciting campaigns that I have coming up after CyberMummy. If you'd like to be considered please leave your details below (even if you think I already have them as my list is getting a total re vamp) and I'll be in touch soon.

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British Mummy Bloggers Brilliance in Blogging Awards Winners Announced

For many brands, the ability to tap into the increasingly influential pool of mum bloggers is becoming an essential part of their marketing mix.

2010 saw a huge increase of parent bloggers, due at least in part to the media success achieved through successful brand / blogger collaborations.

Bloggers have raised awareness for important causes, taken up video blogging, used their blogs as launch pads to new careers as begun to work regularly with brands. Campaigns have taken BMB members around the world, blogging live from far-flung places including Cameroon, Orlando, Paris, Bangladesh, Germany and New York as well as putting them in front of celebrities and world leaders who are eager to listen to their views.

Blogs have become more innovative, engaging and addictive as audiences grow and their writers have pushed to set new standards.

 The British Mummy Bloggers network is made up of more than 1900 very talented and very opinionated bloggers. Founded by Susanna Scott in 2008 as a place for parent bloggers to gather and share their ideas and opportunities. During 2010 membership has surged as more and more people get the blogging buzz.

More than 400 blogs were nominated, with 80 blogs making the short list. 4,000 votes were cast to determine the winners. All of the winners demonstrates a wide range of qualities but each of them has pushed the boundaries in their chosen field just that little bit further – which is what makes them the winners.

Fresh Voices 2010


Blog up North 


Marketing to Milk


Red Ted Art


Mummy’s Busy World


The Alexander Residence
 


Funniest Post


More Than Just A Mother: How does one dispose of a vibrator?


Runner ups: 


Mid 30s Life: My Bathroom Is Trying To Kill Me


Hot Cross Mum: Dads Are From Mars

Make a Difference Blogger

Mummy Tips  (that's me!)

"What she did to raise awareness about Bangladesh and Save the Children was awe-inspiring" 

Modern Military Mum 

"The voice of those married to guys in the military. She highlights the plight of those serving in Afghanistan and the families they must leave behind"

English Mum 

"For mobilising many MANY bloggers to write about and support the Bloggers for Haiti appeal. People from all over the globe jumped on board. From little acorns. . ."

Rosie Scribble

"For her work in Cameroon and with Pampers and Unicef. She never tries too hard, she just writes as who she is"

Most Inspirational Blog


Pinchy Pants
 "For writing very bravely about her diagnosis with breast cancer"

Speaking Up – Breaking the Silence "It's an absolutely lifeline for people [with mental health issues]"


Sleep is for the Weak 
 "She's pure substance and integrity"

Outstanding in Field


More Than Just A Mother "Bitterly sweet and hilarious at the same time, she writes about the "extreme" parenting of raising three children while working full time"

Sticky Fingers "I love everything about Tara's blog. It's one of the few blogs on my 'must read daily' list" 


Mocha Beanie Mummy "I find her extremely inspiring because she talks about her struggles so openly and candidly"

The BMB network is made up of more than 1900 very talented and equally opinionated bloggers. Founded by Susanna Scott in 2008 as a place for parent bloggers to gather and share their ideas and opportunities.

Last year she co-founded CyberMummy Conferences, which held the UK’s highly successful blogger conference in the summer of 2010.

Susanna is widely considered as a pioneer and leader in the UK blogging space. She has appeared in The Times, FT, Independent, Technorati, She, Prima Baby and Red Magazine, amongst others. She blogs at www.amodernmother.com

Thank You Nursery Online

Just a quick post ahead of next weeks baby Show for Trade to say a big thank you to Cathy of Nursery Online for the mention in this weeks newsletter.

Clear advice on social media

Social media is a power not to be underestimated. On Monday, Sian To from nursery pr specialists as Clear as PR and founder of CyberMummy Conferences, takes to the stage at the Baby Show for Trade to explain why social media is essential.

Sian, who blogs at www.mummy-tips.com, is one of the UK’s foremost mummy bloggers and has just returned from a field trip with Save the Children to Bangladesh and a reporting mission to the UN Summit in New York, where she blogged for ITN, The Guardian and Save the Children.

Unlocking the commercial potential of social media is at midday in the Knowledge Theatre on Monday 11th October at The Baby Show for Trade.

Stokke® Tripp Trapp® wins another award

It's award season in the nursery industry and I've just heard that Tripp Trapp® has been awarded the Gold award in this years Practical Parenting Awards.

Congratulations to everyone at Stokke.

Full category results

GOLD - Stokke® Tripp Trapp®

SILVER - Scandinavian Selection, The no tray highchair

BRONZE - Brother Max, Scoop

Call for pushchair using and potty training parents!

Most of you will know me as @MummyTips on Twitter or from my personal blog www.mummy-tips.com. This is me in work mode! My clients have lots of exciting projects coming up and I'm looking for bloggers to work with.

If you're interested in hearing more please pop me an email (sian at asclearas dot com) with the following details and I'll add you to my press list.

Name

Twitter id

Blog url

ages of your children

Thanks.

Mummy bloggers head to Bangladesh with Save the Children– the first trip of its kind.

I have been given an amazing opportunity to travel to Bangladesh with Save the Children. Your support is vital to our campaign. Please do stop by my personal blog to follow the events as we attempt to bring our trip back to you on a daily basis.

Friday 13 August 2010

At the beginning of September, Save the Children is taking three of the UK’s best known mummy bloggers to Bangladesh to meet other mums. They will hear women talk of losing their children to illnesses like malaria and pneumonia and find out what measures the country has taken to stop these needless deaths.

The bloggers trip will kick off a campaign to put pressure on the world leaders gathered at the UN Summit in New York to deliver their promises for mums and children around the world. 

As social media swiftly becomes the new face of campaigning for change, the bloggers are hoping to find out and convey through their networks how it can be that almost 9 million children are dying every year before their fifth birthday. Passionate about their work and ready to flex their multimedia skills to campaign for change, the three bloggers will be tweeting, creating video and photo galleries and writing about their experiences live and direct from Bangladesh.

Liz Scarff, Digital media manager at Save the Children who designed this trip said “Real change happens when people come together. There’s been a ripple created by the incredible army of mummy bloggers creating content on the net. This #blogladesh trip is Save the Children taking note and recognising that we are passionate about saving children’s lives, and mummy bloggers can link with that emotionally just by being who they are.”

Scarff continued “We’ve asked Eva, Sian and Josie to come and find out for themselves that motherhood is universal. One mother’s fears and worries for her child can be heard the world over, whether they’re from Bangladesh or Bangor in Wales. The challenge is for these bloggers to tell the story in their own words - real people giving their voices to poor mothers in Bangladesh who don’t get a chance to get their opinions heard.”

Unable to keep the lid on their upcoming trip, the three bloggers have already let rip on twitter and their blogs, reaching 40,000 about #blogladesh in the first morning. And they’re not even on the plane yet!

The challenge set to the bloggers by Save the Children is to keep Nick Clegg in check as he takes the global stage for the first time at a UN Summit in New York during Cameron’s paternity leave. There, World leaders will be looking at child health targets which are all way off track. Watch @mummytips, @porridgebrain and @nixdminx as they do their best to make sure he understands how much we care and that it’s vital he holds world leaders to account.

How can you help?

Follow:

sleepisfortheweak.org.uk - http://www.mummy-tips.com/  -http://www.nixdminx.com/

We need your voice to make as much noise about this as possible. Follow our bloggers on their journey, read their reports, watch their videos and help us to re-tweet their story. Comment on their blogs.  Or write your own blog on #blogladesh to join the campaign and put a badge on your blogs that you can grab from this website.

And if you want to do more, become a campaigner for Save the Children and sign our petition. We’re aiming to collect 100,000 signatures. Ambitious? Yes – but with your help we know we can do it. Go to www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/mummy-bloggers-head-to-bangladesh.htm  to find out more.

ENDS

4 clients products in top 50 baby products

Stokke® Tripp Trapp® made the cover and three other as Clear as clients products made The Top 50 Baby Products in last weekend's Independent magazine.

Featured products; Stokke® Tripp Trapp®, Mebby Cocoon bath, babaing! loBO chair, Stokke® hooded towel.

Selling your Pushchair on Ebay could be a rip off!

Selling your pushchair through Ebay? Does anyone take note of the exorbitant fees until they get paid?

Until now ebay has been the trading destination of choice as parents buy and sell, searching for their ultimate wheeled nirvana. But did you know that a sale of £200 on Ebay, taking payment by Pay Pal, will cost you at least £28.12 in fees?

There are other options. Car boot sales are very popular, with pitches generally costing from £5.00, but you have to get rid of the kids, get up at 5am and sell for way under market value. There's always the local paper, however you jostle for space amongst builders, plumbers and the hundreds of ever popular chat lines. Last resort could be the card on the board in the supermarket, but does anyone actually read these?

There is another option: PushchairTrader.co.uk is a brand new site dedicated to all things pushchair. You can sell your pushchairs for free and search through hundreds of listings of new and used pushchairs before making your next purchase.

Pushchair Trader is packed with news, reviews, features and road tests from brands and retailers right across the UK ensuring that your pushchair knowledge is second to none. All that and regular competitions to win the latest new models to hit the streets.  PushchairTrader.co.uk is the essential one stop shop to fuel your pushchair addiction.

www.pushchairtrader.co.uk

Notes on fees for Editors.

Ebay

For more information about pricing: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/fees.html

Fee examples for this case.

Placement listing Fee = £0.12

Reserve Fee for a £50.00 reserve = £1.00

Fee if pushchair sells for £200.00 =  £20.00

Pay Pal

For more information about pricing: https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-receiving-fees-outside&countries=

Fee example in this case.

Fee for £0 - £1500 = 3.4% plus 0.20 pence. Sold for £200 fee = £7.00

Feed your pushchair habit with PushchairTrader.co.uk

Pre children it’s handbags and shoes that fuel our shopping addictions – post children it’s pushchairs.

Until now ebay has been the trading destination of choice as parents buy and sell searching for their ultimate wheeled nirvana. But did you know that an ebay sale of £200 costs you around £30 in fees?

PushchairTrader.co.uk is a brand new site dedicated to all things pushchair. You can sell your pushchairs for free and search through hundreds of listings of new and used pushchairs before making your next purchase. Their online magazine is packed with news, reviews, features and road tests from brands and retailers right across the UK ensuring that your pushchair knowledge is second to none. All that and regular competitions to win the latest new models to hit the streets make PushchairTrader.co.uk the essential one stop shop to fuel your pushchair addiction.

www.pushchairtrader.co.uk

My Carry Potty choose as us!

My Carry Potty chooses as Clear as PR

The essential new My Carry Potty has appointed parenting and social media specialists as Clear as PR to undertake a targeted consumer PR campaign that will bring increased awareness of toilet training and brand awareness of My Carry Potty.

Amanda Jenner, the award-winning designer of My Carry Potty said: “We are really pleased to be working with as Clear as PR. As a mum Sian has experienced the same trials and issues as every other family does when potty training and we feel that her expertise and excellent results will take us to the next level. I’m a true believer in trust and honesty and from the moment I met Sian I knew that she was the way forward. We are really looking forward to working with her.”

Over the last ten years as Clear as PR has established itself as being the UK’s leading parenting specialist agency and as early adopters to the dynamic world of social media their ability to influence and engage directly with your key target consumer is at an all time high.

http://www.asclearas.com

http://www.mycarrypotty.com

Are you looking for a photographer?

Jay is a midlands based portrait photographer who produces simply stunning images. She offers corporate and personal commissions and brings a creative yet natural element to her work.

For more information, stop by her site. Jay Mountford Photography.

She also has a fab photo blog at jaymountford.posterous.com

TotBots on STV

Fiona from TotsBots on STV last week.
http://video.stv.tv/?bcpid=37654293001&bctid=79592572001

Speaking at the Emma's Diary Birthday presentation

I'm very pleased to have been asked to speak about social media at the forthcoming Emma's diary 18th Birthday presentation  at the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Gentlefeed bottles from Mebby – the safer way to feed your baby

Gentlefeed bottles from Mebby – the safer way to feed your baby

The chemical content of baby bottles has been a hot topic in the USA for some time and in April

 The chemical content of baby bottles has been a hot topic in the USA for some time two years ago San Francisco became the first state to ban the sale of baby feeding bottles that contain the chemical Bisphenol-A. Since then the debate has escalated as the US media uncovered the story that the baby bottle manufacturers have tried to keep hidden.

Because of their body weight, children are far more susceptible to adverse affects from chemical exposures than adults, even at very low doses, with children under the age of three being the most vulnerable.

Bisphenol-A, also known as BPA, is used in the making of polycarbonate bottles, plastic food and drink packaging and is known to cause neurological and hormonal damage to animals.

Lab tests have shown that when baby bottles are heated, as many parents do to warm formula or breast milk, potentially dangerous levels of BPA leach into the liquid. While industry leaders continue to defend the use of BPA, it has been linked by scientists to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes, hyperactivity and possibly autism.

Environmentalists are calling for clearer labeling by manufacturers whose baby products contain BPA, so that parents can make an informed decision before purchasing equipment that could pose a potential long term danger to their child.

Earlier this month the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) stood up to be counted and called for companies to stop using Bisphenol A (BPA) in the manufacturing of their baby bottles.

Despite the bans in San Francisco and Canada BPA is still present in many of the baby bottles sold in the UK. This is made worse by unclear labeling and many parents are buying products containing this potentially dangerous chemical without even realising it.

Mebby produce a BPA free range of Gentlefeed baby bottles made from chemical free Polyether Sulfone (PES), an innovative medical grade plastic that is honey coloured, hygienic and unbreakable. Mebby bottles are available in three sizes 150ml, 250ml and 280ml and feature an anti-colic silicone teat.

For further information on the Gentlefeed or any other product in the extensive Mebby nursery range please contact Sian at as Clear as PR on 07894 575070 or email sian@asclearas.com

April 2010.

The New Stokke Xplory is here.....

When Stokke first launched their revolutionary stroller in 2003 – it literally took the children’s transportation category by storm. The unique design concept placed Stokke® Xplory® into a league of its own and parents began to see that there was more to a stroller than a seat on wheels that moved a child from A to B.

Stokke® Xplory® with its unique height adjustability allowed parents to lift their child away from the pavement offering closeness, comfort, security, interaction and a good view on the world wherever they went. But we didn’t stop there and Spring 2010 sees further innovation as Stokke® Xplory® enters an exciting next chapter.

Stokke are committed to putting children first. Our products are designed and constructed to encourage child development whilst strengthening the bond between parents and child. Stokke products are innovative, sustainable and designed to grow and adapt to a child’s ever changing needs. Stokke believe that children and parents should grow together, emotionally as well as physically and spend as much time as possible learning from each other. It’s these early experiences that shape a child’s life - and as a parent those experiences are what you make them.

The new Stokke® Xplory® is quite simply the sleekest, most user centered stroller in the world with every inch designed to enhance the experience of moving seamlessly through the world with your child.

Fresh new fabrics encapsulate the seat for a more cocoon like feel, an innovative quick fold visor offers additional shade that can be retracted in an instant, and an enlarged removable basket – for (even more) shopping sits quietly waiting to be filled …A padded baby insert gives a snug fit from birth and the easy click footrest offers full support as your child grows, the stroller provide ergonomic support to ensure the best possible support for babies of any age and size. The sleek new hood allows for added ventilation and the well loved sleep, rest, active seat positions remain un-changed.

The new Stokke® Xplory® is available in Beige, Blue, Red, Purple, Green and Dark Navy from April 2010. V3 seat units are available as additional extras to allow you to upgrade your existing Stokke® Xplory®.

Please do follow us by friend feed or RSS... we have lots of amazing news to share over the coming months. 

Release dates vary from country to country. 

please email me for press images and prices.

www.stokkelovers.com

CyberMummy sponsorships and sponsors

It has come to our attention today that there are lots of mummy bloggers who are looking for sponsorship so that they can attend the CyberMummy 2010 conference.

Tickets are £80 (at the early bird rate) and some bloggers are looking for a contribution towards travel too.

Are you a brand that would like to start working with this highly influential group of bloggers? If you are and you think that you would like to sponsor someone in return for coverage / advertising on their well read mummy blog then please do email info at cybermummy dot com

Another award for Tripp Trapp®

Thank you to Prima Baby magazine for once again including Tripp Trapp® in their highchair test. once again it comes away with an award - this time Best Buy. We couldn't agree more.

CyberMummy 2010 - leading the blogging revolution

It's here! CyberMummy - a conference devoted solely to mummy bloggers and the kinds of thing we want to talk about!

After all the great meet-ups, we wanted more: more networking and more advice and perhaps a bit more wine (or at least biscuits).

So three of us BMB'ers - Susannah, the founder amodernmother.com , Sian (yes that's me) mummy-tips.com and Jennifer alphamummy.com - have banded together and organised a one-day event where we can share stories, trade tips and learn a few things from experts and each other. The day will have sessions devoted to content, understanding technical things like SEO and making money with your blog.

It's a day that's for and about bloggers: you'll see some of your favourite bloggers on panels, steal their best ideas in CyberLabs and debate issues over coffee or lunch.

PLUS we want you to be a part of it. At the end of the day instead of the typical conference wrap-up, we're hosting a Crowdsourced Keynote: a collection of best posts from attendee's blogs, read by them. So register for the conference now then nominate one of your favourite posts (maybe your most popular, maybe just the one that meant the most to you) or a post from someone else's.

Sign up now and you can even take advantage of our great discount: the early bird rate is only £80, a £20 discount. Take advantage of it now - it only lasts until April 15.

The conference takes place on Saturday 3 July at the Earls Court Ibis in London.

Go to CyberMummy.com to find out more and to register now!

UK: Baby show pushes parenting gear - China.org.cn

Two of our clients featured here... Easidream and Stokke
UK: Baby show pushes parenting gear - China.org.cn