Silver Back Muzik

Running an event is hard enough without the constant threat of gatecrashers. Whether your organising a small party for 100 people, or a large music festival for 100,000, gatecrashers are never far behind and will go to extreme lengths to enter your event.

The key to preventing this is determining how you can identify visitors and patrons who are authorised to attend your event. The main criteria for any means of identification, and the things that you must consider carefully are:

1. Transferrability - how important is it that the means of identification cannot be transferred from one person to another. Why? Because it is common at festivals for one person to enter, obtain a wristband and then find a way to get that same wristband off their wrist, over a fence and on to a friend, who can then enter the event for free. Lost revenue alert!

2. Difficulty to replicate - how likely is it that your means of identification will be forged/replicated? You would be amazed at how common this is. Some festivals report that replica wristbands appear at their event within 3 hours of the genuine wristbands being released. The key here is that some styles are far easier to replicate than others, and we'll cover this below.

3. Cost - what is your budget? How long is a piece of string you ask? Identification products come in a wide range of price brackets, but the most expensive options are not always the most secure.

Key tools to prevent access to your event

So, keeping the above in mind, what are the 5 key tools available to prevent unauthorised access to your event?

Wristbands

Wristbands are used at almost every festival in the world, as well as parties, business events and others. They provide a cost effective means to identify patrons, but it should be noted that not all wristbands are created equal! So, what wristband options are available to you?

1. Tyvek wristbands - Tyvek is a synthetic material but is commonly referred to as 'paper wristbands' much to the annoyance of those companies that manufacture it! It is textured and generally available in 1 inch (25mm) and 3/4 inch (19mm) sizes, and in a wide variety of colours and patterns, depending on the supplier. Tyvek is popular because it is cheap, non transferrable (if you buy good quality) and waterproof, because it can be custom printed quickly and easily, allowing for fast turnaround times if you have left your order a little late. Use Tyvek when your event is a single day event and when you don't need your wristband to be 'sexy'.

2. Plastic and vinyl wristbands - Ideal for multi-day events, they will generally come with a single use clip that means it is non transferrable. Be mindful to ask your supplier whether they use UV inks, as this will prevent smearing of your logo and text on the wristband. These bands can also be printed in full colour to provide a digital quality print, perhaps ideal for your VIP's or a small party.

3. Woven wristbands - Now we get to higher security level wristbands. Woven wristbands are used at big festivals and events, though primarily those held over multiple days. Key tips are to make sure you only use properly woven wristbands, not wristbands that have simply been printed on - the design must be physically woven in to the wristband to prevent replicas appearing, and to only utilise secure slide locks/toggles. Woven bands are secured using a slide lock/toggle that cannot be reversed, but even within this category there are wide discrepancies in the quality of slide locks available.

4. Barcoded wristbands, and RFID wristbands - see sections further down.

Lanyards with ID Cards

Lanyards and ID cards provide the simplest form of identification, but remember that a lanyard is, of course, very easy to transfer from one person to another. It is best to therefore keep these limited to staff at events, or for conferences and business events. Custom print your lanyard to increase it's security and to prevent replicas.

ID Cards are more versatile that you may first think. Ask your supplier to propose a completely unique card with options for a totally different size, or with holograms, transparent sections, barcodes, metallic inks, signature panels, sequential numbering, variable data (including photos) and more - a simple ID card can be taken to another level, attached to a customised lanyard, and form part of a very unique identification solution.

Barcodes

Whatever wristband or ID card you choose, the additional of barcodes can increase your level of security immensely. Commonly, two methods are used here:

1. The dummy barcode - a barcode can be added to an identification product purely to scare away parties looking to replicate the product. It is not used at the event, or scanned at any time, but it is placed on the wristband to deter forgeries.

2. Genuine, unique barcodes - each wristband or ID card can incorporate a completely unique barcode that ties in with a scanning and access system at your event. Unique barcodes can be placed on almost all wristbands, and certainly on ID cards, but the main challenge here is sourcing a low cost barcode scanning system and equipment that can run this for you. But, with online apps and smartphones improving all the time, this is getting more affordable all the time.

RFID technology

Ah, the holy grail of event identification. RFID refers to Radio Frequency Identification and it has primarily been used in the past within the logistics industry to track stock. In recent months, festivals and conferences have started utilising the technology, but only until recently has it become genuinely affordable to do so. So far, only big events with even bigger budgets have taken this step, but lots of event organisers are beginning to ask the question - is RFID right for us?

In this article, we're talking about preventing gatecrashers, so let's focus on that. Yes, RFID wristbands are excellent tools for this. Each wristband is encoded to a visitor either prior to, or at the event, and from that moment on, the access control system at the event remembers that wristband A belongs to visitor A. Event systems can therefore record where patrons are at any given time (assuming they have scanned in), and it means that replica bands are taken off the table completely.

The problem still remains though of transferrance. Even with the RFID chip, the wristband may still be removed and passed to another patron over a fence, or via other means.

The above are 5 core identification products used at events. All have strengths and weaknesses, and their relative costs vary greatly. So what other tips and hints can be passed on to help keep your event as secure as possible?

Additional pointers

1. Keep your identification designs within a close knit group at your event. The more people that have access, especially to the files, the greater chance there is of a leak and of the design becoming public knowledge. This equals disaster!

2. Release your identification to patrons as late as logistically possible. At all costs, try to avoid sending out important ID prior to the event.

3. Change your designs from year to year - this will keep potential gatecrashers on their toes! Use different colours and change your artwork.

4. Ask your supplier about additional security features such as microtext, sequential numbering, metallic inks and threads etc

5. Use a supplier that does as much of the work as possible in-house. Be wary when a supplier sources the product from one place, prints at another place and does design work at yet another place. Too many groups involved!

6. Be creative - have fun with your designs and artwork. Remember, everything you produce is also a mini advertisement for your event and brand!

Stick to these tips and tools and your event will be secure!

Some of the best WordPress themes are premium themes, meaning you have to pay a small amount of money for the theme but it will generally be far more customisible and easy to monetize.

Monetizing a website is easy with WordPress themes. A premium theme might have the ability for users to buy items from your websites shops or to pay to list their own items for sale.

Classified advertising themes and business directory themes are examples of themes which can be monetized from users who post content on your website and pay to do so.

Ecommerce or online store themes are generally known in the web design industry as WordPress shop themes.

A WordPress shop theme allows the monetization to come from selling items or selling downloadable products like ebooks or music.

When choosing a theme think of its overall flexibility and ease of use, a website which runs itself would be be brilliant but most sites need a little maintenance to get of the ground. WordPress is great from setting up websites fast and easy, and by simply installing a theme you can create working website in minutes even if you have never used WordPress before.

A WordPress premium theme, once installed will usually provide new options for managing your website and it will make life easily when it comes to added new products or handling sales.

Another way a WordPress website can make you money if you buy a premium theme which allows you to include Google ads or advertising from other online ad networks.

You generally get money whenever someone clicks an ad on your site, so if you get a ton of traffic it can give your site extra income without doing a thing!

WordPress premium themes generally range in price from FREE to $300 with customized WordPress themes costing far more at around $5000.

If you are looking to design multiple websites for clients or for your own online businesses then buying the developers licence is a good idea. A developers licence is available from most of the premium themes and it is well worth the value as you have the rights to sell more websites using the theme.

Developers licences sometimes include photoshop files so the WordPress website can be easily edited. Developers will generally use a themes functions but change the css files to make a customised theme.

Get a theme to include all the functions your WordPress website will ever need to generate online business and make you online money!

Advertising is a highly specialized field and it is also very important in ensuring your company's success. Whether you work for a large corporation or own your own home-based business, you are bound to require the services of a good advertising company. If you are planning to hire the best ad agency, then you should certainly use the following tips:

1. The agency has plenty of experience dealing with a company like yours: This will ensure that the agency has a good understanding of what environment your business operates in. If you are in the music business then your agency should have detailed knowledge about this industry.

2. The agency is able to take care of all your advertising needs: There is more to promoting a product than just using advertising. Besides, there are many different media that can be used from time to time. A good advertising agency should be able to help you create print, radio and television ads. Each of these media requires different styles of advertisements. A good ad agency will have plenty of employees on board so that it is able to meet all your requirements.

3. The agency is able to offer you personalized attention: You'll need to be able to count on your advertising agency to offer you prompt service. A good way to ensure this is to select an agency that is more or less comparable with the size of your company. If yours is a small business then it is best that you hire an agency of the similar size. If you hire a very large company then you might not get the personalized attention you deserve; these companies normally reserve their best resources for large clients.

4. The company should have expertise in internet marketing: The field of marketing has changed tremendously over the past few years. If your ad agency cannot help you promote your business on the internet then you will not get the maximum benefit from it. Keep in mind that increasingly large numbers of people use the internet for getting information and entertainment.

Each client has different criteria when it comes to selecting the best ad agency. Make sure that you understand your needs properly so that you can make a proper selection. If you have the services of the best ad agency, then you can stay rest assured to aim higher in life with absolutely no issues to pop up.

HECKLER: They all sound the same.
NEIL YOUNG: It's all one song.
Year of the Horse (1997)

I am quite aware that most of the articles posted by me have a tendency to gravitate towards the same theme. If you've read one article, you've read them all. The reason for this is that once the common denominator in life has been discovered, everything is merely a riff on the same theme. All music is played with a combination of just twelve notes.

From one corner of the globe to the other, philosophers, mystics, and wise men, have arrived at the same understanding. They have come to recognise that every man is essentially two men - their authentic and their inauthentic self. "Every one of us human beings has two minds," explains the Mexican shaman don Juan in Carlos Castaneda's The Active Side Of Infinity, "One is totally ours, and it is like a faint voice that always brings us order, directness, purpose. The other mind is a foreign installation. It brings us conflict, self-assertion, doubts, hopelessness." It is two minds battling it out. Your dominant personality is not the real you. It is the you you think you need to be in order to survive this shared experience we call life.

In various ways the different cultures all teach that we must get to know the real self. Something is blocking the good in us. By means of some form of internal investigation, we must get rid of the old and allow the new - the real you - to thrive and live. They all include some form of spiritual awakening, a realisation. In Buddhism they might refer to the noble eightfold path, or the middle way, and man's journey to reach Nirvana - a profound peace of mind that is acquired with liberation. For the Hindu, this might be the concept of man becoming one with God, wherein the inherent divinity of man is recognised. The shaman of the Yaqui Indian tribe in Mexico talk about Infinity and total freedom. Infinity is the same as the Hebrew God, Jehovah. His name, for all intents and purposes, means I am what I am. It is rendered in the active state. Just a small example of the similarity between various cultures all teaching the same path if man is ever to experience the real life.

Jesus understood these truths. He tried to use terminologies an inquisitive Israelite could grasp: Prayer, instead of meditation; repentance, for the need to understand oneself; forgiveness, for the need to let the inauthentic go; death and resurrection for getting rid of the old self and allowing the new to live. It seems he had experienced his own spiritual awakening. No doubt Jesus had tried to explain his own revelation which later was reported as, "The heavens opened up and a dove descended." Intensely personal experiences conveyed by Jesus and subsequently turned into religious phenomena by a community that could not let go of the past. He said, "I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," because he felt no reason to be concerned with other cultures. They would all discover their own version of the same truth, if they hadn't done so already. Even the Greeks had their Socrates, who had taught, "The unexamined life is not worth living."

The western world thinks it has a more superior grasp of these matters because it claims to have tested them scientifically, but all it has succeeded in doing is filling up books with a divers range of psychological problems, labelled and categorised, which may or may not be able to be treated with drugs. Cognitive therapy becomes just one in a number of ways that mental unease can be addressed. Our capitalist society has turned it into a multi-million dollar industry. It has incorporated it into the field of medicine and bracketed it under therapy and psychoanalysis. So now people are encouraged to "see someone" if they confess that they might be suffering from depression. They have managed to turn a yearning for the spiritual into a disease of the mind.

Part of this is because we live in an age of litigation. No one wants to feel responsible for anyone else's well-being. They are not going to be held accountable should anything go wrong. You'll soon know who your real friends are if you try raising any touchy-feely subject matter. If they drop it like an unwanted baby, you'll know you're in the company of little more than an acquaintance.

After outlining what to look for in a therapist, Dorothy Rowe says, "There are such therapists around. I call them good friends."

Good friends let us be ourselves. Good friends are our equals, and when they help and comfort us we do not feel belittled. As children we were belittled quite enough. (The Successful Self)

M. Scott Peck would agree with this conclusion. In The Road Less Travelled, he states, "If we genuinely love our spouse, our parents, our children, our friends, if we extend ourselves to nurture their spiritual growth, should we be practising psychotherapy with them? My answer is: Certainly."

This is all in harmony with Jesus' reference to himself as a "physician". Today, however, nobody is in a position to imitate Jesus and his model as a physician because such a position has been hijacked by the professional sector. Today, Jesus would not be able to repeat what he was able to do in his own day. He certainly wouldn't be able to last two or three years doing it. To experience what Jesus might have gone through, try this experiment: Go into the town square, sit on a bench, and strike up a conversation with people. Gently probe into their lives. Get them to talk about themselves and their relationships, casually dropping in advice and suggestions. If you want to fast-track the process, make yourself a placard that announces, "Free Counselling," and simply be willing to sit and wait for the inquisitive to ask about it. How long do you think it would be before the authorities were alerted? Days? Weeks? Months?

You might be interrogated as to what qualifies you to offer counsel. Love? Compassion? These are not relevant qualifications. So, if you got the necessary qualifications could you then go out into the town square and offer counselling free of charge? You would come under fire for undermining those who charge for their services. Besides that, these days "free" tends to be synonymous with, "of poor quality". Jesus statement, "You received free, give free," is merely a testament to his bargain-basement pop-psychology. It is vulgar to get anything for free. The more one pays, the better quality one expects. We tend to overlook the fact that there are other ways to pay for something besides with money. How much in time and effort are you willing to pay to discover the real you?

Jesus supposedly was derided for being unschooled. He did not have the necessary qualifications. His method of lifting the blame from off the shoulders of people by telling them, "Your sins are forgiven" - in other words, "It's not your fault" - was not approved by the national board of directors. Even Christianity could not bear his lack of official qualifications and they get round this by saying he was qualified by God.

Ironically, nobody can be qualified by God today without first passing through their theological colleges, thereby effectively returning us to square one, so that if anyone was to offer spiritual counselling they too would be derided for being unschooled.

The majority of mankind is out of harmony with itself. It is not in tune with God - Infinity, Allah, Brahman, the Spirit, or any other derivation that comes to mind. Harmonising is done one instrument at a time, and it cannot be put into the hands of a third party. You can only accomplish on your own. The way we do it is by listening to don Juan's advice to Carlos Castaneda:

• Recapitulate: Like repentance, this is a life review. Don Juan strongly suggests making a list of every person you know and recall everything you can about them.


• Make an album of memorable events. This is not just a nostalgic jaunt down memory lane. Your album of memorable events is "an act of war". You need to prize out the painful element, the aspects that contributed to creating the inauthentic you.


• Already you can hear your own voice of dissent. You are telling yourself every reason why a recapitulation is unnecessary. This is only to be expected. Your inauthentic self knows that its days are numbered. It is the end of an era, the end of a system of things, and it will not give up without a fight. "Infinity always puts us in this terrible position of having to choose," says don Juan, "We want infinity, but at the same time, we want to run away from it. You want to tell me to go jump in a lake, but at the same time you are compelled to stay. It would be infinitely easier for you just to be compelled to stay."


• Look out for the usher. You will suddenly and vividly remember an event from your life. This will be the breakthrough and it will contribute to unlocking all the rest. I like to imagine that the experience Jesus had as a twelve-year-old was his usher.


• While all this is going on, build up a record of inner silence. As often as you can, sit in silent contemplation. Call it prayer, call it meditation, call it whatever you want. Every quiet moment counts as a contribution toward your record of inner silence.

As you can see, we have managed to return to the recurring theme, and I make no apology for it. For the sake of anyone who might happen upon this unassuming website, I'll keep on playing the same tune over and over.

Online news footage is a great way to dramatically improve the quality of your video. With online news, you gain instant attention, recognition, and a professional flair to just about any project. With all the newsworthy events going on each day, there is plenty of opportunity to add online footage to your video-whether for a product promotional video, an instructional video, or simply a year-in-review company video.

Here are a few tips for the best use of online news footage:

Maximize on motion. The most attention-grabbing portion of a news clip is the portion with the most action. This is the kind of footage you want to include in your video. In other words, capture the action of the news (not the news anchor talking about the action). The more action your video contains, the more engaging it will be.

Sound is not as important as the visual. Keep in mind that some online footage may come without sound. Often, news footage with sound creates a cluttered and confusing feel to the video. Unless you are showing a speech or something similar, provide your own sound, voiceover, or music.

Creatively use CGI. Online news footage is great for background imagery, but you can also add your own images, action, and text to the screen. Use computer-generated imagery, and add unique elements to the footage.

Create custom transitions. Another way to add ownership and uniqueness to the stock footage is to create transitions that provide your own signature to the video.

Cut, splice, move, and rearrange. Many online news clips are as long as thirty seconds. This length provides plenty of footage to move portions of the clip to different areas of your video. You can get more mileage out of a single episode of news footage by breaking it up with text, other scenes, or narrators.

Use labels. In order to keep your online news footage in line with the video you are creating, it is important to use onscreen text. For example, insert text that reads, "2010: Haiti Earthquake" to orient your viewers to the event that they are watching.

Shorter is better. The legendary "two-second rule" for showing stock clips is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it does suggest a good rule of thumb. Keep things moving.

There is plenty of online news footage available, and you won't run out. Keep the scenes fresh, and rotate clips every few seconds... even if it's not exactly two.

Videos are the highest form of media today. Videos can channel everything that people want to see. It can be used to portray movies, music videos, instructions, instructional, and even personal memories. The use of video in today's society is really reaching an all-time high. We all know that even in advertising and marketing, videos are being used. Truly, marketing has picked up the modern developments of today's time. Using videos for marketing and advertising is truly an amazing way to reach the masses and to succeed in a dog-eat-dog competitive industry.

Why are videos so effective in marketing? Well, the answer to that is real simple. We people react and sense via our five senses (not to mention common sense). Through all channels of media, video is the most effective as it taps to both our sight and hearing. Watching such advertisements embedded with some entertaining is truly an effective approach. In addition to the effective appeal of the video to the masses, when you introduce it to a publicly accessible place, the possibilities are infinite. When we say the internet is a public space for expression, it does not simply mean accessible to some people. The internet is a portal that is open to millions of people; do you now see why online video marketing is bound for success?

The internet is home to a massive population of "Netizens". If someone or something wants to be noticed, the internet is a friend. Though at times, it can backfire, the internet never fails to deliver what you want to deliver to a multitude of crowds. Online video marketing can reach people anywhere on the globe. Companies and businesses now consider online video marketing as one of the most efficient approaches to advertisements. Everyone would agree that almost everyone found one single viral video in the internet. The power of this portal is unimaginable. There are a lot of people who have been recognized through the use of internet. This fame is available to anything, even business promotions.

With several massive video sites running in the world-wide-web, it is easy to make people notice your video. One of the biggest sites today is a video streaming site. It is home to almost any video you can think of. Whatever you want to see, just type it in the search bar and you will definitely see it. Plus, you can start throwing in the factor of social media sites. With these options, your online video marketing approach is sure to reach your preferred crowd. As long as you know your way around marketing and the internet, no one can stop you!

Even though we all face dying, this is a topic we don't want to think about, let alone talk about. It seems too morbid! But do you want all those hard decisions thrust upon your family in such a difficult time? Do not leave the decision making to them, have your wishes down in writing.

Or perhaps you have recently lost a loved one and are having to deal with all the decision making and arrangements. At such a difficult time when you are in mourning and cannot think straight, it would be good to have a list to refer to and give some direction on what to do. Here is that list to make this difficult time easier for you or your loved ones.

1. Notify Authorities

If someone dies outside of the hospital or nursing home you need to notify the authorities. Call 911 or your local emergency number to report the death. They will likely then call the Coroner, but it is a good idea for you to do so also, especially when it involves a Death Insurance Policy. Notify their place of Employment. Also contact the Executor.

Eventually, other Authorities that need to be contacted are: Lawyer, Accountant, Insurance Companies, Health Insurance, Bank, Memberships to cancel, and Driver's license to cancel.

Be sure to get sufficient copies of the Death Certificate, as many companies (such as Banks and Insurance Companies) require a copy of the Death Certificate.

2. Contact Close Family and Friends

The police are required to notify the next of kin, but you will no doubt want to notify other members who would want to know and may have to start making travel arrangements. If you are making this list for yourself, note the names and numbers on the printable list attached of ones you would like to be notified in the event of your death.

If you are dealing with grief, you do not have to make all the calls. Perhaps call one family member from each side of the deceased's family and let them be responsible for notifying all of their family. Call a close friend and give them the list of ones you would like to be notified. There will be enough on your plate, so this narrows your phone calls to three.

Also, the phone will start ringing off the hook, and you will find yourself facing extreme exhaustion taking all of the calls and explaining the circumstances over and over. Have someone you can depend on to be there to take all the incoming calls.

3. Find The Will

This can be a challenge if you do not know where the will is, or the key to the Safety Deposit Box. It is a good idea to have a Fireproof Box. Inside the box should be important documents, instructions, the key to the Safety Deposit Box. In the advent of death, your family and loved ones know right where to go.

4. Gather Information

Gather information you will need for the completion of the Death Certificate with Vital Statistics, for the Funeral Director, and for Memorial Cards:

• Parent's names, including middle initials
• Social Security or Social Insurance Number
• Date of Birth, Place of Birth, and Date of Death
• Marriage Certificate
• House and Land Titles
• Place of Employment, name and address and occupation
• Education 1-12
• College 1-4 or 5+
• Name of Father
• Name of Mother (Maiden)
• Names of Children
• Special accomplishments of the deceased - athletic, political, religious, scientific

5. Burial Arrangements

The Funeral Director will guide you through much of this process, but knowing where this information is or having it ready will make this difficult time a little easier. Here are some of the things you need to consider:

• Cremation or Embalming
• The site for the Service, it could be a Church, Temple, Funeral Home or graveside
• If Embalming, you will need to consider the type of burial
• Clothing & Jewellery if having a traditional burial.
• Cemetery plot - purchase one or have a copy of the Deed.
• Urn or Type of Casket - wood, metal, or rough box
• Open or closed Casket
• Funeral or Memorial Service - service before or after the burial or cremation. Will there be a graveside ceremony?
• Decide if you want the body or Remains at the service

6. Obituary

Compose an obituary. Information to Include:

• Vital Statistics including where born, name of parents and the surviving family members
• Memberships & Associations
• Hobbies
• Details about the funeral, the Funeral home friends may call, date and times, Service & burial time.
• List of Newspapers to submit, Radio, and/or the Internet

7. Funeral Plans

• Choose the type of service - a Funeral or Memorial Service
• Choose the location of the Service & the luncheon - at a Church, Funeral Home or graveside
• Eulogies - Decide who will deliver the eulogy. You will need to consult with them and provide them with information about the deceased as well as other details.
• Appoint Pall Bearers - usually 4 to 6 men are needed
• Choose Music - Some soothing instrumental, or songs that have special meaning, or perhaps a family friend will be a vocalist or instrumentalist
• Choose Flower arrangements - for the Service, a casket spray
• Choose Pictures - photo album or slide show in memory of the deceased's life
• Props - There may be something that reflects the love and interest of the deceased
• Memorial Cards - Will you have them printed or make your own
• Guest Book - purchase a guest book for guests to sign as they arrive
• Transportation - for the family to the service and to the grave site
• Grave Marker - Choice of marker or stone, Engraving and Inscription on the Stone
• Accommodations for out of town relatives, delegate ones who can assist with travel, and airport pickup
• Legal Matters

8. Memorial Cards

Memorial Cards are small cards that the Funeral Home usually print as a testimony to the deceased. Or you will need to supply them with copies to be given to the attendees. Just a small touch but can mean so much in the memory of the deceased, and can give comfort to the ones who are grieving. They can be laminated and can include a thank note from the family, favourite photos, a prayer, scripture or religious song. With the convenience of the computer and software program, you can make your own. There are examples on the Internet.

9. Funeral Luncheon

Give thought to the location of the luncheon and who will cater it. Often many family and friends need to travel to attend the funeral, and so you will want to give some refreshments before they travel back. Possibly your Funeral Home provides that service for a fee, or a local Association, hire a Catering Company, or get friends to organize it.

10. Thank You Cards

You will need lots of cards to send out a thank you to friends and family and Associations. You may also want to submit a Thank You to your local newspaper.