Online Automotive and Diesel Training Opportunities and Programs

November 17, 2012 By

Online Automotive and Diesel Training Opportunities and Programs

Training for a career in the automotive and diesel world can be done by completing online training. Not all requirements can be completed through online schools and colleges, but most coursework can be done from the comfort of your own home. You can enroll in an accredited educational training program to gain the skills you need to pursue a successful career in this exciting field. Accredited online career preparation is available in a number of specialized areas of study, and you can obtain various levels of certificates and degrees.

Auto Mechanic

When looking to become an automotive mechanic you can gain the knowledge needed by enrolling in an accredited online learning program. Career training in this area of the field can be done at the certificate or associate degree level. You can prepare by completing coursework like:

auto electronics

suspension

engine reconditioning

brakes

…and much more. With an accredited online education you can prepare to work in automotive dealerships, repair shops, manufacturing companies, and other professions in this field. Online automotive mechanic courses give you the knowledge needed to pursue the career you long for.

Diesel Mechanic

You can prepare for a career as a diesel mechanic by enrolling in and completing a study program online. Training can be completed at the diploma or associate degree level through accredited online studies. You will have the chance to obtain a number of skills by completing coursework like:

welding

computerized testing equipment

electrical and engine testing equipment

…and much more. Training in these areas will allow you to seek employment as an automotive service technician or diesel mechanic. Online diesel mechanics school will give you the means to pursue the career you desire.

Motorcycle Mechanic

Training for an accredited online education in motorcycle mechanics will give you the skills you need to have a successful career in this exciting field. You can pursue a career as a motorcycle mechanic by completing a degree or certificate program through an online school or college. Training will allow you to study subjects such as:

power transfer systems

gasoline engines

hydraulics

electrical systems

…and many other related courses. Training will allow you to step into the career of your dreams. With an accredited degree or certificate you can become a motorcycle technician, service manager, parts salesman, and many other professions.

Obtaining an accredited online education in automotive and diesel will give you the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. Accredited training programs are available to provide you with the best quality education available to you. Fully accredited online schools and colleges are accredited by agencies like the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence ( http://www.ase.com/ ). Full accreditation is provided to educational training programs that meet certain criteria and show that they can give students the quality education and training they deserve. You can start the path to a new career by researching programs and requesting information from the online program that fits your needs and goals.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Online Automotive and Diesel Training Opportunities and Programs

Online Automotive and Diesel Training Opportunities and Programs

Renata McGee is a staff writer for PETAP.org. Locate Online Automotive and Diesel Schools as well as Campus Based Automotive and Diesel Schools at PETAP.org, your Partners in Education and Tuition Assistance Programs.

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Employment Opportunities For Sailors – Sail Into The Right Job!

October 4, 2012 By

Employment Opportunities For Sailors – Sail Into The Right Job!

Water draws a lot of people. They like to swim in the ocean or spend some time on a boat rather than sit behind a desk or walk around on land. If this is the kind of person you are, then sea faring is a career you must definitely consider. Those who work mostly on the oceans, rivers or seas are called sea farers. They can either be fishermen or barge workers. It is rather tough to find a job in this category as it is hard to locate the headquarters of these kind of operations. This is because the location where you are a sea farer shifts constantly. In spite of this, if you do get a job offer, then you will undoubtedly get the job on application. When you get the job, there are certain things that you should know. The contract of a sea farer’s employment is totally different when compared to other standard employment contracts that people usually sign at the beginning of other types of jobs. This is due to the fact that a sea farer’s employment contract lists a lot of clauses about safety. Also, sea farers mostly spend months at a time out in the sea. The contract discusses these issues as too. It should go through what time duration you will be out at sea and for how long your break will be once you return to the port. Once your employer confirms that you will be hired, remember to go through the sea farer employment contract thoroughly in order to cover all ground and not make any mistakes. You will want to ensure the validity of your work and also ensure what the company promises you is valid.

Certain companies promise some thing to new hires but don’t list it out in the sea farer employment contract. This is not always maliciously done, but often people are forgetful. But if there ever a time arises when you don’t get back to port as promised, they may not remember every having promised it at all. If you take the effort to ensure that all these things are included in your sea farer employment contract, then you needn’t worry about it at all. You will have proof in your hands.

Also take a detailed look at your contract to ensure that you are being paid the correct benefits and wages. Always remember that all employment contracts are negotiable. In case you find something that you disagree with; you can always intimate your employer about it and persuade him to strike a compromise. This way both the parties can achieve satisfaction.

Employment Opportunities For Sailors – Sail Into The Right Job!

Employment Opportunities For Sailors - Sail Into The Right Job!

Abhishek is a Career Counselor and he has got some great Career Planning Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 71 Page Ebook, “Career Planning Made Easy!” from his website http://www.Career-Guru.com/769/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

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Sociology – Online Learning Opportunities

September 13, 2012 By

Sociology – Online Learning Opportunities

Accredited online colleges and universities offer degree distinctions in sociology in order to adequately prepare students for careers in the field. Many industries are in need of trained professionals with the ability to understand and interpret how people interact with each other. This knowledge is useful when working with different organizations and groups.

The study of human behavior and how it is directly connected to the way humans relate inside organizational guidelines makes up the industry of sociology. This interaction is studied in relation to human behavior and how social, religious, and legal issues determine the way people interact. Students will study these issues and how different aspects can change or form a person’s behavior. Within this broad major students will learn about a number of disciplines that make up the overall definition of the major and the work categorized in it. Students will partake in multiple courses that will teach them about anthropology, archeology, and linguistics. Other work related knowledge would include social class, movement, criminal behavior, and more. Prospective students are provided a number of online degree options that will fit their educational and career goals.

With the industry spanning many career fields students should know what career they want to enter prior to enrolling in a program. This decision will be highly beneficial as many employers require specific schooling in order to be eligible for hire. Knowing what level of education is required will save a student time and money. With so many career options available students can earn a diploma, certificate or gain a degree from an associate’s to a PhD. Each level of education will provide students with different amounts of knowledge that will be directly related to work in every sociology career.

Entry-level jobs can be obtained by earning a diploma, certificate, or an associate’s degree. These online programs will teach students the foundational principles of sociology. Courses at this level will include introductory coursework like social problems, population trends, and more. Students will dedicate anywhere from a few months to one or two years to complete their education. Length will vary according to the program and college being attended. Moving on to a bachelor’s degree will require students to take specific courses. These courses will include statistical analysis, race, social deviance, theory, sociology of business, politics, and more. Bachelor’s degree programs provide students with a well-rounded education that will include general education courses like humanities, mathematics, and science. A bachelor’s degree program will typically take four years to complete.

Master’s degree programs center their study on technical functions for research and analysis. Courses will involve advanced study on statistical analysis, urban society, academic sociology, and more. After course completion students are required to complete a thesis on knowledge gained in order to graduate. A program at this level takes two to three years to complete. Further education is available at the PhD level. Students who earn a PhD do so to become professors at colleges and universities. Many online educational options are available for students interested in sociology.

Start on your educational path to a bright new career. Search out accredited online sociology schools and colleges that fit your career goals and schedule. Get the education you need for the career you deserve!

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 – All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Sociology – Online Learning Opportunities

Sociology - Online Learning Opportunities

Renata McGee is a staff writer for PETAP.org. Locate Online Sociology Schools and Colleges that provide the education you’re looking for at PETAP.org, your Partners in Education and Tuition Assistance Programs.

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Want to make your positive affirmations pop to life? Want your dreams to come true? There is one secret that can help you.

Practicing positive affirmations on a regular basis can help you attain what you want in life, but there are a couple of techniques that you can employ to really make your use of affirmations much more effective. But, there is one technique that stands above the rest. We’ll get to that technique in just a bit.

First, try to do the affirmations that you have chosen on a regular basis. If you can do positive affirmations on a daily basis they will begin to embed themselves into your psyche. Repetition then is one key to making your affirmations more effective.

Another is the way the affirmations themselves are phrased. There are a couple of effective methods. One is to phrase them in the present tense. For instance, “I am getting more confident every day.”

However, with this method you want to make sure the affirmation is not too unrealistic. In other words you don’t want to repeat, “I am a millionaire” when you aren’t. Your conscious mind might come back with “yeah right who are you kidding.” This could render these affirmations useless. So, make them believable and say something to the effect that you are on the way to getting there. Like, “I am attracting a million dollars into my life,” or “I do what it takes to become a millionaire.”

Another technique is called the question or afformation method. Afformation refers to the way the affirmation is formed hence the term affomation. Simply phrase the affirmation as a question and your mind, both conscious and unconscious will try to to find a way to make it become a reality.

For example, the phrase, “Why do I have so many lucrative opportunities come my way?” This question should cause you to start seeing more and more opportunities flow into your life. Or how about, “Why am I getting more and more attractive?” Not only will your mind attempt to answer the questions but you should also find that it may prompt you to do things to prove the questions true. Within that statement lies the heart of the 1 secret to making your affirmations come to life that I was talking about earlier. We’ll get to that in a second.

You also want to inject emotion when you are doing your affirmations. If you can incorporate an element of emotion into the positive affirmations themselves they will become much more powerful and beneficial. How do you inject emotion into your daily routine?

Prior to doing your daily affirmations put yourself into a positive emotional state. Relax and think back to a time when you were happy or had accomplished something great. Get into that powerful positive state and then start your affirmations. Transfer those emotionally charged feelings of success to the affirmation process. This will give you increased confidence that you can accomplish or achieve whatever it is you dream of or desire.

To recap.

1.Do your affirmations on a daily basis, even at the same time if you can.

August 24, 2012 By

2.Phrase them in a believable manner.

3.Transfer powerful positive emotion to the process.

But what is the one secret to really make your affirmations pop to life?

It’s simple but often overlooked. You need to take action on what you are affirming. Just take action. Taking action on what you want to attact or accomplish is simply being proactive. You can let the universe do its thing as you send out your powerful desires and wishes while you sit back and let the vibrations manifest. But, what if the universe decides to take awhile? Or a long while? Why not greatly multiply your chances of success for realizing your dreams by actually taking action on what you want to attract?

For instance, say you’re affirming that you are becoming more attractive everyday. That act in and of itself could get you to feel better about yourself and radiate more confidence which in turn will make you more attractive to others. But, why not speed up the process by exercising, eating healthier foods, taking care of your grooming, hair, teeth, etc.? Then your inner confidence will soar as your outer appearance changes for the better. This cycle will feed on itself creating a positive loop of power as your affirmations not only leave you feeling good but actually spur you to take actions to change your life for the better.

And, again you can actually incorporate that philosophy of taking action into the affirmations. For example, here are several that use the philosophy of taking action.

1.I make it a habit to research different ways to make money.

2.How can I make more money?

3.What can I do to make my job more interesting?

4.I eat healthy foods everyday.

To sum up, make it a habit to take an action everyday on what you affirm and you could soon see your affirmations pop to life!

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The Opportunities Available Once You Get a College Education

August 15, 2012 By

The Opportunities Available Once You Get a College Education

After you finish your secondary education which is in high school, you are faced with a lot of options on what to do with your life. One of the paths that you can pursue is getting a college degree. Generally, there are two things that you need to think of and decide for a lot of times before you can pursue this dream of higher education. You need to consider the school where you would like to get proper learning and training and of course select the course which you would want your education to focus.

The selection of the best college university where you will want to get a degree is very important. Before you decide to enroll for classes, you need to consider whether the costs are worth the quality of learning that you will get from them. Just like buying devices for self defense, you read a stun gun review first before buying one. In choosing a university, you need to listen from different feed backs of alumni of the school and some school reviews that you can read online.

The course that you will take will also help you decide which school will provide the development of your skills and necessary education for it. If you decide to manage a business, you can choose business-related courses. If you are a medically inclined individual, health-related courses can be best for you. You have a wide array of college degrees to choose from. It gives you a chance to specifically focus on a certain field. When you want to buy a certain product, you would mention specifics like a cheetah stun gun for animals or a portable generator. Just like going to college, you need to decide what specific career you want in life.

The advantage of getting a college degree is that a lot of opportunities are waiting for you. It opens you to new learning which you have not encountered in high school. It is a one notch higher quality of education. It expands your knowledge about things. Extensive training is done especially on the course that you chose. It provides you with hands-on opportunities on different technologies related to the college degree that you choose.

Aside from the learning, you get the chance to meet and relate with other people who have chosen to get the same degree as yours. You have a healthy exchange of ideas with fellow students and this gives you a chance to grow mentally and socially. It also gives you an opportunity to learn from more learned people especially from your professors and other university staff.

More importantly, it opens your doors to a lot of job opportunities. If you have a college degree, you have an edge against job hunters who have none. Employers would opt to choose you apart from the others because you have specialized skills and learning. Moreover, you have a higher percentage to get a recommendation for higher ranks at work especially if you performed well in school.

If you want to increase your knowledge and you do not want your learning to stop, getting a college degree is a wise choice. All you need to do is choose the right school and the course that you desire. A widely opened door of opportunity waits if you pursue a college education.

The Opportunities Available Once You Get a College Education

The Opportunities Available Once You Get a College Education

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Affirmations are probably the easiest and most effective method – compared to the effort involved – known to influence the conscious mind. Many of the world’s most intelligent experts and philosophers have used, and are using this technique, which has been handed down over thousands of years, in various guises such as mantras and prayers. The difference today, because of the now more wide spread knowledge of this technique, is that people from all walks of life are using them to meet people, win tournaments, heal disease and close business deals.

Affirmations are quite simple by their very nature, as all they really are is simple statements repeated regularly to yourself, whether silently or aloud, and practical to you at the time. You can do them anywhere, you decide upon a statement that represents what you want to have happen to you, and then you simply repeat it to yourself over and over again.

As an example, let’s say you find yourself in a familiar situation which normally upsets you and leaves you worn out and stressed, when actually you would prefer to be relaxed and unworried by it, this would be the exact time when using a positive affirmation would be beneficial to you, and in this situation a good example of an affirmation you would repeat to yourself to help change the situation could be ” I feel calm and relaxed, I feel calm and relaxed, I feel calm and relaxed”. Now at this point it is important that you don’t try to force yourself to feel calm and relaxed, just make sure that you keep repeating the affirmation to yourself for approx 5 minutes. Another quick example of a positive use of affirmations would be prior to attending an important business meeting that you would like to go well; this time you would begin affirming to yourself a few minutes beforehand with something like this “It’s going to be a great meeting, It’s going to be a great meeting.”

So Exactly What are You Doing When You do Affirmations?

When you use affirmations you are influencing, directly, the very thoughts that are occurring at any one specific time in your mind. As your mind can only hold one thought at a time, an affirmation works by cramming your mind and filling it with thoughts that support your goal. It’s quite clever really; in a simple way the words are suggesting to your mind what it should be thinking, so if you are affirming ” It’s going to be a great meeting ” then your mind naturally begins thinking related thoughts about it being a great meeting. It really is quite simple really, but the technique can be remarkably effective in helping you achieve the results you are looking for.

How do You Know if You are Doing it Right?

Well it’s all in the words you choose, they must be POSITIVE not negative, and, as gratitude forms part of the whole attraction process, you should include words that also convey this. For example, I use the following terminology to start all of my affirmations, taught by a great mentor of mine, Bob Proctor (from The Secret, Movie) no matter what I am affirming ” I am so Happy and Grateful now”. These words you will notice also use another important aspect of affirmations, they must always be in the present tense, as if you already have whatever it is happen. So if for example you have a money affirmation to bring more financial abundance into your life you could say ” I am so Happy and Grateful Now That Money is Attracted to me and I am attracted to money” or, for more opportunities to appear to you, you could say ” I am so Happy and Grateful Now That New Opportunities are Presented to me From Multiple Sources on a Continuous Basis”

You actually don’t even need to believe what you are affirming! This mistake can have a counter effect and nullify the effects. I know of many people who have used affirmations unsuccessfully mainly because they were trying to force themselves to believe. By the way, don’t get me wrong, if you DO believe what you are affirming, this will only serve to enhance, but if you don’t, then that’s OK too. You don’t have to force anything; by the process of repetition your mind will pick up the content of your affirmations and will therefore allow the correct thoughts into your consciousness.

You must also keep your affirmations reasonably short and to the point, easy to say and easy to repeat over and over again. I try to keep my affirmations to a maximum of 25 words, sometimes a lot less. Even 2 or 3 words can sometimes be an effective affirmation, short statements like ” I have tremendous success always” or ” I achieve record sales ” I have seen affirmations that were a full page long. There’s absolutely no chance that you can repeat an affirmation of that length in an effective manner, and I have found with people who have affirmations which are too long, soon tire of the repetition and the affirmation soon fizzles out. So the lesson here is, make it short and make it easy to say and repeat.

Also be very careful that you do not use your affirmations in a careless way that means they may work against you, for example statements like ” I’ll never get it done” I’ll never do it” I always lose” are all affirmations that you can easily find yourself repeating to yourself without even realizing it, so watch out for these.

So remember that anybody can create affirmations and use them effectively throughout the day to help accomplish the things that they want. They can be said anywhere, in the doctor’s waiting room, in a traffic jam, they don’t need to be believed, all you have to do is repeat them. I repeat my affirmations 5 times per day, however this is my personal preference which works well for me, but if I was to recommend a minimum I would say 3 times per day, first thing when you get out of bed in the morning – this sets the tone for the rest of the day – secondly, at lunch time – this helps to re-motivate you when typically you might be flagging – and thirdly just before you go to sleep – this is when your subconscious mind is in its most receptive state. Two or three minutes is all you need, start doing this now and commit to repeating every day and you will be amazed at how quickly you will begin to produce a noticeable affect.

August 13, 2012 By

Jon Leuty is a successful internet marketer who is dedicated to helping others succeed online. To find out more about Jon and to grab some awesome FREE training go to: http://whoisjonleuty.com

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Online Economics Degree – The Job Opportunities It Opens Up

June 20, 2012 By

Online Economics Degree – The Job Opportunities It Opens Up

If you are interested in the way people choose to use certain resources in order to produce various goods as well as services, then the best program to take is an online economics degree. The work of an economist varies depending on the sector he is working on.

Generally, they are into research and into the analysis of economics. They can work in finance and government organizations as well as in academics. They conduct research on certain issues like energy costs, employment levels, business cycles, inflation, exchange rates, taxes and interest rates.

Economists are trained to think critically and analytically in order to solve complex problems. It is for this reason that universities and institutions offering an online Economics degree program aim to prepare their students for high paying positions either in government or business sectors.

Matter of fact, after receiving education and training from an accredited online school, you can land in a job in various facets of the business world such as in mining, insurance, banking, retailing and manufacturing.

For those who want to enter into a master’s degree program in Business Administration, an Economics degree is one of the best majors to consider. This is because an economics degree can help you develop certain skills which business schools are looking for. Furthermore, a degree in Economics is considered as one of the most ideal preparations for law school.

A career in economics has gone a long way throughout the years. These days, at a time of economic globalization, small to large firms continuously hire economists. Most large firms have large divisions that are dedicated for economic research. For smaller firms, they hire economists for planning, forecasting and finance.

An online Economics degree has become a global phenomenon with its rising popularity. Many people now see economics as the most suitable field in finding a promising career with good pay and security. You can even specialize in certain areas of economics. This includes industrial economics, financial economics, labor economics, international economics, public finance economics and from microeconomics to macroeconomics.

Industrial economics deal with the study of economics on specific industries while looking at the number of monopolies, competitors as well as market decisions of firms. Financial economics is the study of changing interest rates. International economics also look into exchange rates but they also study international markets and tariffs.

Labor economics focus on the determination of wages as well as the demand & supply of labor. When it comes to public finance, it is the study of how the government affects the economy such as with budget deficits, tax cuts and welfare policies. As for microeconomics and macroeconomics; microeconomics deals with the supply & demand for firms and individuals while macroeconomics focus on history trends which are for forecasting future inflation, unemployment and various other economic trends.

An online Economics degree can provide you with the knowledge as well as the training that can help you succeed in various related fields. It is different from online finance degree programs because it primarily focuses on monetary resources. This means, an economics degree program is more focused on diverse resources like land, labor, raw materials and machinery. When you graduate, the coursework narrows down to specific areas of economics.

With a bachelor’s degree, you can land in entry level positions such as administrative, sales and research assistant positions for consulting firms, research organizations or government sectors. However, with a master’s degree, you can qualify for administrative and research positions. For higher economics positions, you would need a PhD. Thus, the career training would involve econometrics, computer science, macroeconomics, history of economic thought, microeconomics, statistics, sampling theory and survey design as well as mathematics & statistics.

The thing is – with a background in economics, there are more job opportunities. Economists with bachelor degrees are paid $36,000++ per year as a starting rate. Those with master’s degrees usually get paid around $44,000++ annually as a starting offer while PhD’s are mostly offered with $53,000++ a year.

If you don’t get a job in scientific, management and even technical consulting services after graduating from an online Economics degree program, there are other options such as being a financial analyst, market analyst, purchasing manager or public policy consultant. Then again, with a specialized knowledge in any secondary area you will most likely get the best career opportunities.

Online Economics Degree – The Job Opportunities It Opens Up

Online Economics Degree - The Job Opportunities It Opens Up

Find out how to choose an online economics degree that is best for your career. Visit:
http://www.DistanceLearningDegrees.org

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Careers In Interior Design – Promising Path With Plenty Of Opportunities

June 11, 2012 By

Careers In Interior Design – Promising Path With Plenty Of Opportunities

Interior design is a promising career path for those with the interest and talent to pursue it. Jobs for interior designers are expected to increase by 21 to 35 percent for at least the next three years, with projected earnings ranging from $27,000 to $52,000 for designers.

What if you are interested in design, but not actually “designing or”decorating?” Don’t worry. There are plenty of other job opportunities available that allow you to use your creativity and experience within the field. Here are just a few of the careers available in some related fields that you may be interested in pursuing:

Architecture.

Theatre/Movie Set and Scene Design.

Lighting Design.

Furniture Making.

Exhibit Design.

Fashion Design.

Industrial Design.

Art.

Engineering.

Landscaping.

General Contracting.

Within interior design itself are a few specialized jobs that you might be interested in:

CAD Operator – designs drawings for skyscrapers. Drawings are put to use such as, toys, appliances, houses, buildings, and industry businesses.

Furniture Designer - knowledge of custom cabinetry and measurement of spaces. You can be paid depending upon your experience.

Senior Interior Designer - is the one who is in charge of large-scale design projects and must be able to handle all obstacles that may arise.

Architectural Designer - works on commercial and industrial buildings and must be able to turn sketches into production drawings.

Interior Designer Hospitality – develops interior architecture and must understand all aspects of the design project including, project expenses, and specifications, and construction documents.

As you can see, there are a number of different types of interior design jobs that may be of interest. Search online or check your local design school for even more options.

Careers In Interior Design – Promising Path With Plenty Of Opportunities

Careers In Interior Design - Promising Path With Plenty Of Opportunities

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Future of Social Shopping – Key Trends and Opportunities

June 6, 2012 By

Future of Social Shopping – Key Trends and Opportunities

Chicago, 2010: Dan is looking to buy a decent home theater system to complement the new LED TV he purchased. Dan doesn’t know much about home theater systems so he logs on to Bestbuy.com where he has setup his online “Media Closet” which tracks all the gadgets and electronic devices he currently owns. Dan is able to find 18 “Audio Gurus” who also have an expertise on the products that are currently in his media closet. These gurus have been voted as the experts by the online community so Dan thinks that he can trust their recommendations. Dan invites one of the experts to view his “Online Media Closet” – which shows the information about the Blu Ray player, LED TV, a Netflix streaming device and a WII console that he would like to connect to the home theater system. The expert makes recommendation for two high end home theater systems that are currently on sale. Dan purchases one of the home theater systems and the Audio Guru receives affiliate points from Bestbuy for his help in the consultative selling.

New York, 2010: It is 11:30pm and Sally is looking to buy a new dress for the upcoming Christmas party. She logs on to Looklet.com, picks up a dress and matching shoes and saves the new look in her profile. She gets prompted by Looklet if she would like to get an opinion from her friends. Looklet displays all her online Facebook friends via Facebook connect . Sally sees that her best friends Nancy and Tina are still online and invites them to give an opinion on the new look. They are able to chat and view the products in real time. Both Nancy and Tina love the new dress but aren’t too crazy about the new shoes. Sally is able to find other “Fashion Experts” on Looklet who have favorited the same dress – and she is able to find better shoes based upon recommendations from those experts. Welcome to a new phenomenon in online retailing – “Social Shopping”. This term has been used more and more in the past few months to describe the future of online shopping. Although the above two examples are not yet real but several pieces of these concepts are already in action at several online retailers. Given all this hype around social shopping, I thought it would be good to talk about some of the practical examples where online retailers can start thinking about implementing some of these concepts on their platforms.

The Progression of Social Web

If we think about the progression of social web, it has significantly evolved over last few years. It started out “Relationship based” where people could just connect with others and stay in touch. Then it evolved into an open medium where the social platforms took the role of an operating system allowing third party applications to enable significantly richer social interactions among people . Now, it has evolved even further where all interactions are context based (think Facebook News Feed) where users only see information and conversations in the context they are interested in. The next logical step in this evolution is to allow sharing of products and services within the social context so that users can turn to their friends and trusted experts for advice on buying products. For those who think social shopping is just a fad, consider this-What makes a great product recommendation? Is it the number of strangers who recommend something or is it the person who recommends it that matters most? In other words, if you are asked to chose between a book on Amazon that is rated 5 stars by 10 strangers and another book highly recommended by a close friend who has very similar tastes and background as you – which book are you more likely to buy? If the answer is latter, then you believe in the power of social shopping. The only thing needed is a platform which helps you listen to your trusted friend’s and follower’s recommendations in a structured format. Facebook Connect is the first step that would make these interactions possible in a meaningful way. Still not convinced? Let’s hear what our friends from Nielson say -

“Recommendations by personal acquaintances and opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising globally, according to the latest twice yearly Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey. The Nielsen survey, the largest of its kind, shows that nine in every ten Internet consumers worldwide (90 percent) trust recommendations from people they know, while seven in every ten (70 percent) trust consumer opinions posted online” Ok – enough about general ideas and numbers. Let’s look at specific opportunities that are likely to shape up the social shopping landscape in the coming months and years:

Key Opportunities in Social Shopping

Opportunity 1: Product Discovery (Help me find a good product)

This is where most of the action is today. If you think about most of the social shopping sites today such as Kaboodle or Stylehive, they allow users to follow other experts and discover new products every day.

The key tools to make this concept are following:

Product Experts – There needs to be a notion of unbiased product experts who have authority in various categories. These experts have ability to share products that others will discover. The key aspect is that these experts need to be recruited by the online community using some sort of unbiased reputation/ point system. This leads to my second point.

Reputation Management – Experts earn reputation based upon the quality of their contributions to the online community. This needs to follow a democratic process where users vote for expert’s contribution and based upon pre-determined eligibility criteria, certain users are able to earn an “Expert” or “Guru” status in specific categories.

Online Profile – Ability to know about the tastes, preferences and the products currently owned by an individual would allow platforms to better connect individuals with each other based upon their common interests. I think this is a critical step in a successful social shopping platform because it would make all shopping related interactions context sensitive. Imagine logging into Facebook and seeing News feeds from all Facebook users at the same time! Facebook has allowed users to customize the context around their own friends – similarly the social shopping sites should allow the users to customize the context around other “experts” and individuals who have common tastes.


Opportunity 2: Product Selection (Help me pick between the products that I like)

This is the next step of the purchase process. Once the user has discovered a few products, they need to select which one would be the best match for them. Whether it is a dress or a pair of shoes or a gift for a co-worker, a lot of times people look at their trusted advisors or friends to select a product. Technology has now evolved such that social shopping platforms can now enable these interactions. Following are the key components that will act as the technology foundation of this aspect:

Facebook Connect – In my mind, in the short history of social shopping, Facebook connect is the most powerful development that will help take the concept of social shopping to mainstream. For those who are not aware what Facebook connect is, it is a powerful set of APIs for developers that lets users bring their identity and connections everywhere

So what’s the big deal? Well, this would allow users to take their friends along with them for shopping. Shopping online, that is. With Facebook connect, the shopping platforms now have the capability to allow interactions across the 300 million users who are currently on Facebook. I have some examples later that illustrate the practical implementations of Facebook connect in a social shopping context.

2. Google Wave

For those who don’t know what Google Wave is – it is a fairly recent technology development which is expected to change the way we communicate and collaborate with others.

Now you might think that this looks slick for email communication but what does it have to do with shopping. Well – given that the API is open for developers, the opportunities are endless. For example – an Outdoor apparel retailer could allow customers to connect with each other via Google Wave and share their pictures of favorite Ski Vacations, showcasing all the products purchased at the online retailer. The opportunities are endless – the key thing is that Google Wave is a revolutionary product that opens up new way of communication and collaboration which could be easily applied to social shopping to connect individuals with common tastes and interests.

So what are some of the retailers doing in the collaboration and product selection space? Here are some real life examples where the concept of social shopping is already advancing to the next level:

1. My Zappos: Users are able to add items to their closet, and can then invite their friends from Facebook or Twitter to help select the best product. After registering, you can get introduced to groups with similar interests, such as Zappos Golf, Zappos Beauty, etc. Consumers can create shopping lists of items they want, have or like. Friends can tell them what they think and/or suggest new “stuff” for them. In the past when you shopped online, it was a lonely experience. With My.Zappos, consumers can shop together and have their “best friends” give them feedback.

2. Jansport has done something similar where prospective customers invite friends from Facebook (using Facebook Connect) to shop with them; then share comments and ratings conveniently-without a need to leave Jansport.com. Shoppers are able to converse freely with those whose opinions matter the most: their friends and family. Purchase validation can be achieved without interruption.

3. Apparel retailer Charlotte Russe has also implemented a “Shop Together” concept. Users can invite their friends to simultaneously shop the latest styles. Friends can view, compare, chat about and create a “favorites’ list of items together. This allows online customers to share synchronized shopping sessions with friends and family. 

4. Vans.com has taken the concept of social shopping to customizable products. Shoppers can now invite friends to help design their customized sneakers. The collaborative-shopping technology allows consumers building custom shoes online to chat with friends in real time about the product design. Click on a link saying, “Invite friends to design with you,” and access friends through AIM, e-mail or any other service a link can be sent through.

Assuming the friend is also at a computer, she can join a chat on the Vans site to give a thumbs up or down on the design, as well as make her own suggestions. 

Opportunity 3: From Affiliate marketing to Social Marketing

The concept of Affiliate marketing has been quite successful for online retailers to drive sales to their portals. I think affiliate marketing will continue to be one of the important marketing channels – but we shouldn’t underestimate the potential of Word of mouth marketing that is possible at social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Out of 300 million users on Facebook, approximately half of them log in to their account every day – according to Facebook more than 6 billion minutes are spent on Facebook everyday. If these users are able to recommend products to their friends, resulting in a sale at an online retailer, this opens up a new marketing opportunity – some people call this social affiliate marketing. If the retailers are able to figure out an incentive structure to reward individuals who share products with their friends that eventually lead to a sale, the opportunities are limitless. Keep in mind there is a fine ethical line between sharing “authentic recommendations” with friends, vs. paying individuals to become social advertisers. In addition, FTC has issued guidelines (albeit vague) that would require users to disclose the association with a retailer if they are getting paid for driving sales. As marketers continue to over-do influencer outreach – trying to capture the attention of influencers like mom bloggers and food bloggers such that they authentically talk about products – we can expect to see some simpler and more direct solutions to transparently engage those influencers as affiliate marketers.

The benefit back to them is a percentage of sales – all very transparent, of course. The same concept could be applied to users on Facebook and Twitter. However, the incentives don’t always have to be monetary – they could also mean earning a better status/ reputation on the retailer’s online platform.

Although the scope of social shopping is fairly small today, the opportunities are significant. The opportunities are even greater for multi-channel retailers such as Target, Walmart and Sears in engaging the customers at stores and helping them connect with their online friends who can “virtually” shop with them in the store. I think it is time to start thinking about retailing in the context of people vs. products. At the end of the day, it is the social interactions and conversations that help drive a purchase decision. Therefore, the online retailers need to start thinking about opening up their platforms to allow people to have these types of two way interactions vs. focusing on one-way merchandising aspects of retailing.

Future of Social Shopping – Key Trends and Opportunities

Future of Social Shopping - Key Trends and Opportunities

Darpan Munjal has over 15 years of leadership experience with Fortune 100 companies in the retail and eCommerce industry. Darpan is currently the President of an eCommerce Consulting firm – LeapMatrix which focuses on helping startups as well as established businesses maximize opportunities in the internet and eCommerce space.

Prior to starting LeapMatrix, Darpan was the Chief Technology Officer (eCommerce) at Indiatimes where he had the overall technology and product management responsibility for eCommerce. Prior to joining Indiatimes in 2007, Darpan worked as a Divisional Vice President (eCommerce) at Sears Holdings (a $55 Billion retailer which ranks #3 in US). At Sears, Darpan led several key initiatives that helped in taking the eCommerce business at Sears to a leadership level within the retail industry.

Darpan holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University) and writes an eCommerceBlog that focuses on eCommerce Strategies, opportunities and best practices in online retailing.

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