Monday, March 31, 2014

Facebook Takes The Social Out Of Social Media.

Facebook has become a popular social platform for business. Both Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike have the ability to communicate with consumers . The ability to connect with the general public has allowed business the opportunity to prosper in the web 2.0 arena. Prior to social networking, business was limited by advertisement and marketing campaigns that lacked the ability to connect with the intended audience. Focus groups that attempt to portray a general picture of a company's client base has become obsolete. Facebook and similar web based social platforms have created the ability to interact with consumers rather than the traditional marketing use of advertisement and talking at customers. Facebook has opened the door to the possibility of connecting with actual customers that may shed light on consumer experiences and data in real time.

Facebook has paved the way for business to evolve. Consumers have the ability to share their "likes", experiences and interact with corporate executives. A customer's voice can be heard. Business growth and the economy are ultimately affected by the ability to engage with the public.

Although Facebook has given the internet and business the ability to grow and change, the social platform guru appears to have stumbled in the effort to provide opportunity for social interaction and growth in the business world.

Facebook sanctions the ability to " like" a predetermined quota of pages. The approximate value according to Facebook is the capacity for a single individual to only "like" 5,000 themed pages. The combination of subject matter is at the discretion of the Facebook user. It is easy to actually like many companies, products, clubs,  groups and so forth. However,  according to Facebook, people do not have the capacity to "like" additional products or services. I imagine that Facebook is not accounting for the true reach of an individuals ability to maintain preference, opinion and thought on a wide array of subject material. How can a company, Facebook in this example,  place a value on the freedom of  thought and interest? Freedom of the the mind is not limited to a particular niche or subject matter. I as an individual happen to be multifaceted. I learn, grow and discover daily. Why place a limit to thought, growth and ability.

Facebook has not only limited the number of interest an individual may have, but has now incorporated sanctions to punish Facebook users for liking or unliking pages, for liking more than a few pages or products each day or week, participating in business campaigns including but not limited to sweepstakes, giveaways, sharing of post campaigns and similar interactions. Without warning,  Facebook accounts are being sanctioned due to a set of unspecified rules. The action of " liking" interest, participating in business campaigning and similar social interactions does not actually qualify as the breaking of the platforms user agreement or governing internet law. No laws are being broken.

No one is being hurt by my boss, my preacher, my neighbor, individuals reading this post or my own preference in " liking" a business,  product or service or participation in business campaigns that encourage growth for a particular Facebook business account. If I choose to enter a blog giveaway that has offered a reader the ability to connect with a particular company or product that the blogger has reviewed, become educated about a business,  product or service with the bonus of winning a contest prize by simply engaging in a social action ( "liking", commenting and/or sharing) should not be punishable by Facebook. After all, social interaction is the purpose of a social media platform.

I believe that business campaigns enrich the internet including Facebook by creating opportunity for companies to engage with new clients and exchange social interaction. Facebook is a great platform for the evolotion of business and social networking. The current restrictions that Facebook have adopted include "blocking" ( prohibiting the user from performing a particular action such as sending a friend request or "liking" pages on the website.) the user for at least the next 30 days from performing social interactions. Blocking a user from participating in social interaction is counterproductive and antisocial.

Ultimately, the Facebook restraints WILL lead to loss of business and economic prosperity. Companies and small business will lose likes and their audience for sharing promotions and sale opportunities. Users will lose awareness of opportunities and social interaction. Small business including blogs will take a hard hit by the Facebook changes.

If you would like to maintain freedom of thought, freedom of speech and social interaction, support business including your favorite brands and small business, you should share this problem with your family and friends and sign the petition to end the restrictions upon social interaction placed by Facebook.

You can locate this important petition here.

Ultimately, the Facebook restraints will lead to loss of business and economic prosperity.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Friday, March 21, 2014

Walt Disney World's 1900 Park Fare Review

I was surprised with dinner reservations at Walt Disney Worlds's 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian Resort by my husband to celebrate my birthday! I was aware that he planned to take us to WDW for dinner. I thought that we were going to a restaurant in Epcot. I do enjoy the Epcot location. However, I've wanted to try the restaurant at the grand floridian resort for a long time! I was really excited by the surprise of having a special dinner at the Grand Floridian Resort. The resort is an exquisite and beautifully themed Resort. Picture it, turn of the century Florida in all of it's grand appeal. The resort and the restaurant are shaded in hues of white and ivory. Even the costumes the cast members wear are themed and elegantly feature a light white linen springtime couture style.

 the restaurant is beautiful and would remind you of the Disney motion picture Mary Poppins. The décor includes carousel horses,carousel rabbits,carousel seahorses and even carousel camels. Although the restaurant is a buffet style meal, it is definitely an upscale restaurant. I felt like I was going to a royal ball. Upon entrance of the resort restaurant, guest are given a slip paper to represent an invitation to the Royal Ball. Guest then move into a small line to have your picture taken by photographer to capture the memories at the moment. The backdrop for the picture is an absolutely beautiful Walt Disney World mural with Cinderella's castle. At this time the guest choose to have a photograph taken or continue to make your way to the entrance of the dining room. once inside of the dining room guests are seated to the reserved table and presented a story book menu offering specialty drinks and alcohol. Although we decided to skip the menu, another server pleasantly greeted us with the menu. Don't let the name of the menu fool you, there were some really interesting drinks including non alcohol specialties on the menu. We opted for a simple Coca Cola. We then met our server, Michael, a 42 year member of the Walt Disney World Resort. We enjoyed his company, his service, and a few wonderful stories that he shared about his own family and experiences at the Walt Disney World Resort . He was was a pure pleasure to meet and have the honor of being served by.

When we reached our table, our table was already set with fancy eco-friendly reusable napkins,silver and sea salted butter. The dinner buffet included an array of colorful salads,seafood,sushi,vegetables,carved meets including a New York strip style beef which can be accompanied by a creamy horseradish sauce and also a beautifully baked ham with the accompaniment of a cherry chutney. The buffet included a specialty area for small children at their level featuring child friendly foods such as pizza,macaroni and cheese,chicken strips and fresh green beans . The items that I recall on the buffet were salads including a basil mozzarella ball tomato salad, Asian salad, an interesting grilled vegetable salad including squash and zucchini, peel and eat shrimp, fresh sushi, jasmina rice, mashed potatoes,potato casserole,baked breads and rolls, A salmon that featured a mango chutney salsa topped with fried plantain strip, new items on the buffet included potstickers and Asian ribs, there were still several casseroles and soups like the signature chilled strawberry soup, a Guinness stew additional casseroles including root vegetable casserole, potato casserole and the list goes on.

Every single item that we tasted was so good. We were quickly, might I add too quickly, filled to continue sampling the offering. Eventually we did make it to the buffet to sample dessert. There was a lovely bread pudding with a cool vanilla sauce and fun items like cookies and gummy bears,I believe cobbler and a highlight for me, a seperate bar of petite pastries with beautiful fruit tarts, miniature chocolate mousse with chocolate shells, cheesecake, carrot cake and all kinds of little pretty treats.

 It was really really neat. As far as the dinner, my only disappointment was that my dinner roll was on the hard side. Similar to chicago style, but a little too hard for my preference. However, I will add that the dinner roll had a very nice taste and that salted butter was really interesting. Our service was great, our dinner was great, the dessert buffet was great, and even the characters that visited our table were a lot of fun. It was truly a magical evening at Cinderella's ball.

At one point, characters dance as music begins to play and Prince Charming and Cinderella begin to dance the waltz. Guests are even offered the opportunity to dance with the characters and with one another. The characters were great. Cinderella of course with stunning,Prince Charming was indeed charming and handsome, even Cinderella's evil stepsisters and stepmother were a joy. Although we were only a table with two adults, the characters definitely stayed in character. we truly enjoyed ourselves.

After dinner, we took a stroll along the Grand Floridian Resort grounds including viewing a 1929 Cadillac, Cinderella's carriage, the wedding pavilion, studio for wedding planning, the pool had a wonderful play area for children. One section of the pool, featured a play area for children with all kinds of springing water fountains and even had a huge Mad Hatter's hat filling with water and the Hat turns over and pours many gallons of water on to the waiting children.

 It was a wonderful birthday present!  l highly recommend taking your family to the Grand Floridian Resort to see the beautiful grounds,dining at the wonderful restaurants and enjoy the splendor that only Disney world class service can bring to a magical Disney vacation. I truly cannot wait to go back again and to bring my children to enjoy all of the fun and wonderful offerings of the restaurant.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The Ugly Truth Paxil Withdrawal Is Real

The continuation of my antidepressant experience. In the last post, I shared my opinion that antidepressant medications are over-prescribed and overused. I believe that they are also understudied. I began to withdrawal from Paxil four long weeks ago. I knew that I intended to request a change in medication to stop taking Paxil. Aware of the physical consequences, as I tried a few years ago to ween myself from the medication, I knew it was a possibility that my new doctor would probably wish to introduce a different antidepressant medication. ( still I am not depressed but have anxiety and as most, I have stress.) I met with my new doctor. I requested the discontinuance of the medication only to learn that my doctor is very against the use of Paxil and intended to change medications anyway. I was Informed that the doctor felt it is a nasty medication. I learned it was probably the culprit of a 47 pound weight gain without change in diet or activity, strong side affects including changes in sexual health , fatigue and mood swings to name a few. I was asked to discontinue the use of Paxil. If I wanted, I could take half a dose of Paxil with half a dose of the new medicine for one week then discontinue Paxil entirely. In the last four weeks, I followed the doctors suggestions. I've experienced a great deal of discomfort. I've read that the basic unanimous belief amongst the United State government "FDA" and the medical community at large is: THERE ARE NO WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS FROM THE DISCONTINUATION OF PAXIL Yes, there you have it, no withdrawal symptoms only the possible underlying problem resurfacing. I read that many people have searched for answers about how to comfortably, safely and with minimal symptoms stop taking Paxil. I also read from a source that I do not recall that " Paxil withdrawal is second only to heroin" ( unknown source) I have experienced the withdrawal symptoms from Paxil. I'vei experienced: .The feeling that my head is heavy and feels like it will literally fall off. I'm guessing this is virtigo? ?? .Dizziness .Nausea .Stomach Pain .Blurred Vision .Mood Swing and feeling over-emotional .Headache .Thirst and dry mouth .Flu symptoms including aches and pains. .Weakness .Overall Feelings of being sick .Irritation I've had a headache that lasted for 13 days. 13 days. Since, I've had off and on headache. I've taken OTC Tylenol, prescription ibuprofen and even Benadryl. Yet, the headache remained. It has been horrible. I have also had stomach bloating, fullness and fatigue. I realize that I have also been dealing with the new symptoms of the new medication during the last two weeks but the first two weeks of withdrawal were so terrible. I honestly don't understand how the FDA and doctors think there are not symptoms associated with Paxil withdrawal. Paxil withdrawal is real. It will eventually get better. * Please note : I highly recommend seeking the assistance of a doctor when discontinuing the use of any medication. I am NOT a doctor. I've shared ONLY my own personal experience and opinion. Do not use this information in replace of real medical evaluation, consultation and care.

The Ugly Truth Antidepressant Overuse

The ugly truth: Withdrawal from the antidepressant Paxil is real! There is a stigma on the phrase: mental health. The mere mention of mental health often is frightening to many people. The thought of seeing a mental health professional or a diagnosis of a mental health condition produces fear, prejudice and gossip to name a few. In the climate of current soc views, a few mental health conditions are considered to be common and acceptable.For instance, depression is a common ailment that most find to be common and acceptable. However less sociability acceptable illnesses such as schizophrenia, tend to be unacceptable. The common thread amongst minor and major mental health illnesses is the over prescribing of antidepressant medications. Be it depression or a fleating circumstance, physicians are throwing a bandaid over small and large problems alike. The use of antidepressant medications is widely overused. I'm a patient that a physician bandaged up with an antidepressant. I clearly was not depressed as the class of medication would suggest In years past, a doctor may have prescribed stress reduction,exercise or a variety of similar simple suggestions. Instead, the common practice of prescribing an antidepressant was the answer. I was under an incredible amount of stress and pressure: a widow and single parent, stressful job, in the middle of adopting two children,three and a half hours a day spent in the car just to commute to work and school, running a home, an ill child and city life all equaled big stress. I began to have a struggle dealing with the stress. I had a few panic attacks and found myself admitted to the hospital for testing and observation. Immediately, my doctor assured me that the temporary use of an antidepressant would calm the anxiety and all would be well. Fast forward five years and two doctors later and I'm still stuck with an antidepressant that I don't want. doctor actually refused to take me off of the medication. Long story short, I finally found a doctor that will. Although, I do not wish to take any antidepressant medication, at least the new doctor has agreed T to discontinue the Paxil and replace it with a " less harsh" medication. For now, it's a start. I certainly don't want to have an anxiety problem aka mental health condition. So, the withdrawal of the Paxil began approximately four weeks ago. I read a great deal on withdrawal and

Monday, March 17, 2014

Thred Up With Free Ten Dollars To Shop

Happy St.Patrick's Day and Happy Monday! I'd like to offer you a no strings attached gift of a free ten dollar credit to Thred Up dot com! Simply enter through the link below to score the opportunity to shop with free money! Thred Up dot com: http://www.thredup.com/r/7ZK9ST Once you register for the website, you will have a ten dollar credit to enjoy! This is my personal referral. I'd like to disclose that if you accept my ten dollar gift, I will also earn a ten dollar credit. So, we both shop free! The great part is that you can earn the same opportunity! Share your personal referral link with your family and friends to earn a ten dollar shopping credit with each person that you refer! It's a win win situation! Happy shopping!

Friday, March 14, 2014

Weekend Sweepstakes Opportunities

Happy Friday! It's been a long but good week. I'm finishing up the day by entering a handful of sweepstakes while I'm making dinner. If you'd like to follow along, feel free to enter for your chance to win! Enter to win a $500 Target Gift Card: http://bit.ly/1iLC8I8 BlimpieSubShop's #fanmercial for a chance to #win $1000! http://woobox.com/kfjg2e/6xak9e Enter for a chance to win the ultimate Las Vegas getaway courtesy of @KiwiCollection! http://woobox.com/vzp5yz/6whehm If you'd enjoy the opportunity to enter more giveaways this weekend, please feel free to follow me on Twitter as @craftsexaminer to locate many more links to additional contests and sweepstakes. Have a nice weekend!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Twitter Giveaway Win One Hundred Dollars

Iam hosting a Twitter giveaway. When I reach 5,000 Followers, I will randomly choose a winner. The giveaway prize will be a $100 Visa Gift Card! To enter, follow @craftsexaminer on Twitter and re-tweet the contest tweet. The contest tweet is tweeted daily from my Twitter account. You can find the tweet in my timeline. * The winner will be selected by Random.org

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Mommies and Beyond Too Is Now In Session

I've struggled for many months contemplating the next move for Mommies and Beyond. I've been plagued with the question of ending my blog, restarting or just moving on. I gave WordPress a whirl as my original blog was using a WordPress platform. However, I haven't enjoyed using the WordPress system without being on my own domain. I've decided that I really miss blogging and that I'm going to continue my original blog as a blogger.com blog. This will allow me the opportunity to start fresh,keep my brand and get back to enjoying blogging. I will allow the magic behind Google to run the backstage of this show! I'll enjoy blogging again and with ease. With that being said, I invite you to join along, comment, share, and journey with the Mommies and Beyond family at our new home!