When we looked for something that would allow us to network online, most of the forums gave some things for free, but charged for ‘premium’ services. Some were inactive, others had many members but seemed to have no ‘soul’. It also seemed hard to match people in your own area, something we felt was important. Furthermore, between us the team at Crosslight have many years experience, and multiple degrees in diverse subjects including psychology, IT, marketing, project management, change management and business administration – so we felt we had a lot to offer.

We decided to launch Biz Face and start populating the site with tips, white papers and a broad range of general information that would be helpful to businesses. I personally am very interested in the link between IT and psychology (interests shared with Temi) so have been developing that area, including inviting colleagues at the British Psychological Society to join in. Psychology can also help with all areas of managing people, so we are building quite a knowledge base there.

One thing I want to do some research on, and need to make time to do, is to consider online registration. Even though we stress that BizFace is free, and that email details will not be used or sold-on, people are very reluctant to actually join. Our main principle is that we will keep everything accessible so that as broad a range of people as possible can find our information and tips, so we allow guests to read all posts and bloggs. Only if they wish to download or actually start creating their own bloggs (or posts except in the guest room) do they need to join. I think that is fair, yet perhaps that is why some don’t join – they don’t need to…I have discussed some of this on my blogg

In summary, I think the psychology around joining websites such as BizFace is about commitment, exchange, and social identity. People may be nervous about both the time and effort involved with becoming members, may wonder whether they will get sufficient back from other members, and be unsure about whether the site and membership is a good ‘match’ to their own social identity. Although we can try to be of broad appeal whether they identify well with us and start to feel a part of a community is partly up to the individuals too (and of course most marketing courses will tell us we have to segment the population and target specific types of people – how well we can do that with online resources is something I guess we have to learn). Once people get involved they may find themselves not only feeling a part of the community, but they may start to experience flow (optimal flow experience is a state where you find time flies, you are lost in the moment and find the experience rather pleasurable). Research has shown that this happens regularly when people are online (as well as work and pleasure activities), but I suspect that could also backfire – busy business people may wonder if it was time well spent – it is up to us to give them high value services.

— Post by Dr Stephanie Morgan —–

The experiments do not show that denials are completely useless; if that were true, everyone would believe the myths. But the mind’s bias does affect many people, especially those who want to believe the myth for their own reasons, or those who are only peripherally interested and are less likely to invest the time and effort needed to firmly grasp the facts.

full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/03/AR2007090300933_2.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Many people decide to make modifications to their cars in order to improve the appearance, the performance or the ‘feel-good factor’ they get when they drive their car. There are literally thousands of different parts on the market to modify any car and knowing what to do and when to do it is often difficult. This guide should provide readers with an idea of what modifications are considered to be essential and in what order to do them. Obviously this topic is very opinionated but there is nothing worse than seeing a car that doesn’t have its priorities right.

It is important to remember that everybody is different and everybody has their own opinions. The best advice I can give is to do a mod or buy a product because you like it and not because somebody has told you they think it is cool. Obviously there are many experts out there and their advice is very valuable. It is therefore important to be able to distinguish between the valuable information people give you and just somebody’s subjective views.

There are many types of mod you can do to your car but generally, they fall into three major categories: performance, styling (interior and exterior), and ICE (In Car Entertainment).

You should consider working out a budged when modifying a car as this is often the main factor in deciding which upgrade to do next. If you stick to your budget, you should have a good balance of performance, styling and ICE. After all, most people would love a bit of extra power, like their car to look good and like to listen to good quality music at the same time.

I will continue through this article under the assumption that most readers are equally interested in all of these three categories and try to give my opinion on what order to install modifications.

ICE

Without a doubt, the first modification I would do to a car is to get a nice head unit installed. After all, it doesn’t matter what the car looks like if you don’t enjoy driving it. Personally, I like head units that have a cable you can plug into your iPod so you don’t have to mess about with CD’s. Anything that gets your music in your car will do though. 6X9 speakers for the back and component speakers for the front are a must if your budget is big enough. A nice subwoofer and amplifier will make the system sound brilliant, especially if you amp all speakers. Remember, with ICE products, you have to pay for quality. I can’t stress enough how important it is to buy decent audio products. If you buy cheap parts, then don’t expect to get show-winning quality from them.

Styling

Next I would get some nice alloy wheels. However, in my opinion, this is where people make the biggest mistakes. Obviously it is nice to have big wheels but just remember the last thing you want is to make your car look like a tractor. Getting the balance right is very important and the size of wheel you should buy depends on the car. Another mistake people make when buying wheels is to get a set of alloys because they look good in the showroom. You don’t want to spend your hard earned cash on a set of wheels that do not suit the car. Remember, fitting new wheels can change the whole image of the car. Take the time to have a good luck around and get it right the first time round. It will only cost you more in the long run if you rush into things and regret it.

The main problem when fitting alloys is your car starts to look too high. It is very likely that the wheels you buy will be bigger than the factory fitted wheels. Therefore, the car sits slightly higher on the new wheels. Fitting lowering springs or a full suspension kit will solve this problem, as well as improve handling. If you can afford it, I would recommend buying your lowering kit with the wheels and fitting them together. Most people tend to lower their car between 40mm and 60mm but other sizes are available. One piece of advice I can give here is to remember speed bumps. The lower you go, the more trouble you will have with speed bumps.

Performance

Now you have a nice ICE install and a decent set of wheels, a new exhaust is the next thing to buy. This will make your car look, sound and perform better. There are many options when it comes to exhausts but remember, if it doesn’t suit the car, don’t buy it. The size of your budget will probably be the main determinant on whether you get just a back box or a full stainless system. Don’t forget about your insurance company though. It is likely that your premium will go up when you install any performance product.

An induction kit will make your car sound much better and slightly increases power. Therefore, I would get this product installed next. Although you can’t see it, it will make a difference and your car will sound much better.

In my opinion, at this point, all of the essential parts will now be installed. Your next mod depends very much on what you want your car to look like and which of the three areas you are most interested in. Everything in this guide is based upon my own opinions and others may disagree but remember, your opinion is the most important one. There may be cheaper mods that you wish to do in between the ones suggested here but that is entirely up to you.

Whilst modding your car, remember that a standard clean car will always look 10 times better than a modified dirty car. Besides, cleaning your car is cheap!

Written by:
Craig Dixon,
Redline Maxed: Vehicle Styling and Lighting
www.redlinemaxed.co.uk

Glastonbury

Glastonbury is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world and attracts some of the biggest names in the music industry. It is a popular event which first formed in 1970 and has since gone from strength to strength.

Many different stages and tents cover all genres of music, from rock to reggae, dance to folk, all tastes are catered for. There is live T.V. coverage and the entire area becomes a medium sized city of around 130 thousand people with it’s own police force, medical staff and food markets.. you will have to use your imagination for description of the toilets. The event takes place towards the end of June in Glastonbury, England.

V Festival

Close on Glastonbury’s heels is the V Festival which is currently held simultaneously at two sites - Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex and Weston Park in Stafford, Staffordshire. The festival is run by the Virgin organisation and takes place over the penultimate weekend of August. V is primarily aimed at an indie rock audience and some people regard it as a “bit posh”.

The Isle Of White Festival

The Isle Of White festival sells around 50 thousand tickets and takes place at Newport on the Isle Of White just off the south coast of England. The festival inspired such events as Glastonbury and first took place in the psychedelic 60’s.

Early legendary acts to play include the likes of Jimi Hendrix (who made his first UK appearnace there), Bob Dylan, The Who and The Doors who all had to catch the sea ferry over to the Island. The event takes place during early to mid June and recent line ups include stars such as The Rolling Stones, Roxy Music and REM.

T In The Park

Considered my some to be the next best music festival after Glastonbury. Set near to Perth and Kinross, Scotland, the 2007 “T In The Park” event has sold 40 thousand tickets in February even though the event doesn’t take place until early July. Many renowned music acts play this festival with 2007 line up including the Arctic Monkeys, Mika, Rufus Wainwright, Interpol, Scissor Sisters and Lily Allen. Some call it the Glastonbury of Scotland and it is set in beautiful countryside surroundings.

The Carling Weekend

Formerly known as the Reading Festival, The Carling Weekend boasts a similar history to events such as Glastonbury. Great tunesmiths to have played include Nirvana, The Stone Roses and The White Stripes all adding to the events reputation. Mean Fiddler, ensures that since the event has been twinned with a Leeds version, fashionable indie types make up much of the audience with an emphasis on modern rock and Indie. Band lined up for the August bank holiday weekend include Smashing Pumpkins, The Horrors, Kings Of Leon and Razorlight.

One of the largest heavy metal and rock festivals in Europe is the Download Festival which takes place at Donnington Park, near Derby. The festival takes place during early June and also appreciates T.V. coverage. This event is popular with heavy metal maniacs.

For dance music enthusiasts there is the legendary Global Gathering event.

With an enormous 75 thousand revellers in 2006 and full coverage in the BBC this has to be one of the most renowned dance music events in the world. From Fat Boy Slim to Groove Armada, Faithless to Basement Jaxx, even the Red Arrows air display team are now listed as an attraction. Global Gathering takes place at Long Marston, Warwickshire during late July. Expect strange hairdos, furry boots and lots of whistles.

A bit more eclectic

Some of the more eclectic festivals worth considering include: Latitude which features rather lesser known indie rock bands and takes place in Henham Park, Suffolk in mid July, long established dance event The Big Chill at Eastnor Castle in Malvern (early August), Bestival which takes place at on the Isle Of Wight in early September and is curated by BBC funk and electronica DJ Rob ‘Da Bank’.

The alternatively folksy Green Man Festival takes place in the Brecon Beacons in mid August and the psychedelic Moseley Folk Festival in Birmingham is set amongst the landscape that inspired Tolkien and takes place early September.

A few tips

For anybody not familiar with British weather, put it like this… the great Caesar of Rome visited these shores once and didn’t return. From John o’Groats to Lands end, the weather is totally unpredictable, sometimes not even the Met office know whats going on and for this reason the best advice is to be prepared for the worst.

Make sure you don’t camp too close to toilets for obvious reasons, if you would like at least one nights decent sleep then keep away from generators or anything that could be a distraction, pitching a tent next to a hedge can sometimes be a mistake as hedgerows can become midnight urinals at certain events. A pair of wellies, hat, poncho or rain mac, a cooler box and a few drink and food provisions (preferably stored in the car) would be worth a thought as well as sleeping mats and a bum bag or small rucksack to keep the essentials in, but make sure they fit comfortably.

On the rare occasion the sun decides to “shine on” be sure to have adequate sun cream to avoid ending up looking like a beetroot ready for pickling. Never leave valuables in your tent, even the safest of events will attract tent burglars.