Do you need a garage door opener?

What about screw-drive openers?

Screw-drive garage door openers are another type of direct-drive garage door opener. Once popular, and still available, screw-drive openers typically have less feedback and poorer ratings than other types. The screw-drive's relatively simple mechanism, which moves up and down a threaded steel rod, makes for a powerful, low-maintenance garage door opener; but screw-drive models are both noisy and slow. We did not spot a screw drive model with sufficiently strong feedback to include in this edition of our report.

Do you need a garage door opener?

Garage door openers (like MIGHTY MULE 350 ) are a luxury under some circumstances, but become most appreciated when the weather turns nasty. They are also a near necessity if the task of opening and closing a garage door is too challenging, due to physical limitations. Most are relatively inexpensive and highly reliable, though unless you are very handy, you should probably budget for professional installation.

Modern garage door openers include basic to advanced features that improve safety and deter break-ins. Examples include an automatic stop if a descending door encounters a solid object such as the hood of a car and light beam sensors that detect the presence of an object -- or a person or pet -- and stop a garage door's downward movement before accident or injury can occur. Available security options include remote lockouts for when you will be away from home for an extended amount of time, remote codes that change after each use, and lights that turn on automatically when your garage door opens or if movement is detected inside.

Most garage door openers include a remote that lets you open and close the door from the comfort and safety of your car. Some garage door openers support Internet connectivity, either as an add-on or built in. This allows you to use an app that lets you open or close the garage door from your smartphone or tablet, and monitor your garage door's status (open or closed) from anywhere that you can connect to the net.

Some garage door openers are compatible with HomeLink, a remote control technology that's built into some automobiles. However, due to a technology change, many older HomeLink-equipped cars are not compatible with new HomeLink-enabled garage door openers without the purchase of an optional interface; you can also simply ignore your car's built in controls in favor of the remote control that comes with the opener, but that's a solution that seems to annoy owners.

At first glance, there appears to be a wide variety of garage door opener brands, but a closer look reveals that most openers are made by just a handful of companies. For example, Chamberlain garage door openers are well regarded in their own right, but the company also makes garage door openers for Craftsman and LiftMaster. Likewise, the Overhead Door Co. manufactures Genie garage door openers in addition to its own brand.

Sidewalk Construction - Avoid These Mistakes

Some folks elect to perform their own sidewalk repair contractors in Manhattan New York structure rather than employing a sidewalk repair contractor Manhattan construction firm. It matters not if you're constructing a new pavement or substituting one that currently is there are certain mistakes you ought to be certain to avoid. You need to be certain you're pouring a sidewalk repair Manhattan which has a reliable surface and is secure for your loved member and friend to walk safely.

Pouring the concrete until you've prepped the foundation

If your foundation for your sidewalk repair Manhattan NY hasn't yet been prepped properly and you pour into wet concrete it could result in using a cracking or muddy pavement. To prepare your foundation properly you have to get a compact foundation. This foundation should include 2 inches of crushed stone, sand, or gravel. Be certain your foundation isn't spongy until you pour your concrete.

Uneven forms

To be able to be certain you've got a straight even pavement you have to have your kind right and even. Having this sort of form will form your pavement as the concrete dries. Ensure your form is right and even before you begin because of it tough to fix after pouring concrete. Be certain you've measured your shape for uniform width so it's flat.

Incorrect height

Make certain prior to what height you desire your pavement to be until you start to construct the form. Manhattan sidewalk repair can be floor level or the degree of the driveway, additional parallel DOT sidewalk violation Manhattan, and garden retaining walls, etc..

Having a foundation where you will find roots growing

Roots, particularly if they're developing follicles, will most likely to continue growing. This is particularly true when they're from large reside climbing trees nearby. Over time the growing follicles will gradually expand. Because these roots grow they'll inevitably cause your pavement to crack or grow.

Slippery surfaces

If you reside in a place of the nation which has a great deal of freezing or freezing conditions that you would like to be certain you don't make your pavement surface smooth, boosting slipping and slipping through these chilly conditions. You may prevent it with a stiff-bristle brush or yank a broom throughout your sidewalk repair Manhattan NY because the concrete has setup but isn't completely hard. It will present your sidewalk repair Manhattan NY a more demanding, less slippery, impact.

If you're not certain you can pour your sidewalk repair Manhattan NY and prevent these errors call a sidewalk repair Manhattan NY building business to pour your own sidewalk repair Manhattan NY. They have the expertise and tools to perform it properly.

op 5 Concerns To Select The Best Center For Your Child

1. ACCREDITATION -

Does the middle possess a permit or subscription?

That is important to ensure that the middle has complied with all local ordinances and contains the correct facilities available to take care of multiple child custody services. There are two forms of permits that a heart can have to use effectively within local ordinances.

A "Provisional Certificate" may be granted for a time around 12 months once the core doesn't satisfy all standards required-by-law or perhaps the minimum requirements. A provisional permit will probably be renewable when written programs to bring the supervised child services around standards, supplying certain dates for the end of work, are published to and accepted by the Division.

A "Full License" will be granted when an applicant shows complete compliance with middle licensing laws and also the minimum requirements.

2. CENTER ACCESS -

Is there 24/7 access to the center or is there limited hours of functioning? Essential for working parents who've odd work hours or agendas.

Does the facility have a drop-in and/or pickup coverage? It is wise to learn upfront in case you have to pay whenever you shed the kid off or whenever you find the visitation centers up. Most stores possess a strict time period limit for picking up kids and demand a charge for every moment a parent is late picking up the little one.

Is there pressure to avoid certain times of the afternoon?
More precautions must be in position if you are dropping off or buying up child visitation services later in the day or night than inside the daytime when you will find maybe fewer people around to assist in case a hazardous condition should happen.

Do the guts have security from unauthorized public access?
Kids should be protected from possible kidnapping or low-custodial parent entry at all times. The middle needs to have a solution to observe access to the establishments by the public and any supply persons.

3. CONNECTION -

How do parents and academics contact each other? Pages or mobile phones? Are backup numbers founded in the case of the chaotic amount or crisis? The guts should give you the name of the trainer and also the representative in case of an urgent situation even if it is after the usual hours of procedure (for 24-hour locations).

Exist regular parent meetings or teaching efforts? The middle should provide a chance for the parent to talk about any troubles anytime (not just as it pertains time for you to spend the statement).

Is there a middle publication to inform the parent about forthcoming events or actions? When the supervised child centers deliver field visits, movie displays, or special functions, the publication should be given towards the parent for possible child visitation centers participation.

4. TYPES OF DISCIPLINE -

How are kids disciplined?Some parents prefer to discipline their supervised visitation services employing only the "Time-Out process. Some parents choose the corporal punishment for control. Also, some parents desire that the center staff inform the guardian of the little one's behavior and certainly will employ the discipline the shelves. All parents must ask for the guts' policy for discipline. Under what circumstances (if any) is corporal punishment applied? These problems should be clearly conveyed from the center (written down) for the guardian before the youngster is left in the middle is treatment to avoid any misunderstandings or probable legal action. Additionally, when you'll find troubles, the parent should be instantly advised of any discipline motion that needs to be applied.

5. HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES -

Would be the toilet features clear, noticeable, and carefully monitored by several people for kids? This problem talks plainly of the hygiene of the guts total. If the heart doesn't retain the restroom clear, then it's not too prone to preserve the rest of the center clean both. The bathroom should be plainly noticeable and obvious so that supervised child visitation services will find it rapidly once the need arises. Additionally, for really supervised visitation centers near me heading although toilet training level, the bathroom should by administered by at the least two people to ensure that in case a kid needs to be placed when using the bathroom, another person could possibly get another required what to assist the adult assisting the supervised visitation centers and the youngster won't be left alone at any time within the bathroom.

Are there guidelines for the treatment of sick kids? Some disorders are transferable and ill youngsters shouldn't be permitted to mix with different youngsters during these times. All locations need to have a pediatrician contact range available for all occasions in a case of an urgent situation. All crashes ought to be reported in writing to the parents along with a backup content ought to be retained in the center's records.

Goal Zero solar charger review

Off the grid and your battery's in the red? No problem.

The summer’s not over yet! If you’re finally getting around to that camping trip you’ve been putting off the last couple of months, or have the last in a long string of outings to finish off the season, odds are you’re mindful of keeping your phone and tablet powered. Never mind those guys that keep harassing you to put away the technology and enjoy the great outdoors; you’ve got an e-book to enjoy, music to listen to, pictures to take, and hikes to navigate.

To that end, I’ve been trying out the GOAL ZERO NOMAD 13 solar charger and Sherpa 50 Power Pack. You can also get an optional inverter and cable pack to charge your laptop or other gadget - say, a mattress inflator. The solar panel is built extremely well, surrounded by a tough canvas material. A wide array of loops all over provide plenty of fastening options. I’m not a huge fan of the mesh backing used to contain the charging cables. If you’re outside, you want to keep that stuff good and dry. Also, the front is kept shut with a rather flimsy magnet. Velcro or some kind of mechanical latch would make me feel more confident.

The Sherpa 50 is built similarly tough, and has a plug for everything: USB, 12V, and laptop charger. With the optional inverter attachment, you can plug in anything with a standard two or three-prong plug. Everything is color and shape coded, so it’s easy to find which plug goes into which hole. The built-in LED flashlight comes in handy when sneaking out of the tent for a midnight bathroom break. The backlit display gives you a clear view of how much power is left in the battery too. A single cable along the top provides a secure hanging point. The Sherpa 50 can also be charged directly through a standard wall plug, so you can have plenty of juice on the ride to your campsite (and probably the first day, too).

Using a solar charger is trickier than you'd think. Unless you’ve got multiple panels chained together and you have solid, direct sunlight consistently throughout the day, don’t count on this keeping your phone charged right up to the top if you’re going to be using it a lot. I set up the Nomad 13 panel on my balcony to see how long it would take to charge the Sherpa 50 battery from scratch. With around two hours of direct sunlight a day and four hours of indirect light, it took about two weeks, counting a few overcast days. Keep in mind that the Sherpa 50 can provide about seven charges to your phone, which works out to about two days of basking for a single charge - less if you can get better access to sunlight. At that rate, you’ll want to be judicious about your smartphone usage, and doubly so for any tablets.

I’m a huge fan of the whole Goal Zero lineup - they’ve got sharp-looking, rugged, and easy-to-use solar chargers and batteries of all shapes and sizes. It’s great to keep around as an emergency back-up for those times that you’re going to be away from power longer than expected. As with many sustainable power solutions, it’s hard to rely on this exclusively, but it complements standard charging practices perfectly well. The one thing that might give you pause is the price. The solar panel on its own can charge your phone directly, and costs $159.99. If you want the battery with inverter, and the solar panel, it’ll come in at $399.95. Serious campers will be more willing to drop that kind of cash, but casual outdoorsmen will probably want to build up their kit one piece at a time.

The Secret to Media Attention: 7 Rules for Crafting the Perfect PR Pitch

Attracting investors, reaching new customers or even landing a book deal, major speaking opportunity or television appearance can be game changers for you and your business. But they all hinge on good public relations. Most entrepreneurs know very little about PR and how it has shifted in the past few years -- and even less about how to actually pitch the media.

You may think one way to get earned media is to make your product so incredibly intriguing that deluged content editors somehow find out about it on their own. Sorry to break it to you, but this will not happen to you. Unless your company cures cancer or produces clean energy out of Starbucks cups, an overworked editorial staff is not going to find you. You, Ms. or Mr. CEO, are going to have to get earned media the hard way -- by pitching editors and journalists yourself, or by hiring someone to do this for you.


I run a firm that specializes in building personal brands for CEOs, celebrities and public figures, but I know how to secure media coverage because of my background as a freelance journalist and my years as an entrepreneur securing my own media coverage for my companies. Living on both sides of the earned media game, I’ve learned that getting media attention is all about your pitch. Award-winning senior level journalists, pitch writers and media consultants have actually made careers out of advising firms on what works (and what doesn’t). Getting a frequent inside look at this constantly shifting landscape is essential to your success.

My colleague, Isaac Simpson, and I recently sat down and dove into what has happened to the media world that makes pitching so hard -- and what brands need to do as a result. We agreed that while relationships with editors are important, no editor is going to risk their reputation writing about something that is not really news. After all, they are bombarded with hundreds (sometimes thousands) of pitches a week.

Now that editors' email addresses are more accessible and PR firms are more aggressive with their pitching, to get an editor's attention, you need to impress them with “the perfect pitch.” Isaac and I use the following guidelines to create just that. However, don’t get discouraged if your pitches don’t get picked up immediately, because pitching is a process. It’s trial, error and a whole lot of work. Read on to see what elements go into a perfect pitch.

1. Focus on the headline.

This is where you should be spending your time. Don’t just write whatever comes to mind. A technique Isaac tells me he picked up from legendary advertising guru Luke Sullivan is to sit in silence with a pad of paper and a marker. Draw a set of boxes on the paper. Think about the most intriguing possible headlines possible, those that someone can’t not click on, and put them in the boxes one by one. Spend actual time doing this -- perhaps even 20 minutes.

2. Make sure the headline is familiar, but unexpected.

Study any form of storytelling, whether it’s screenplay writing, journalism or advertising, and you’ll learn the same thing when it comes to describing your story in a few words. It needs to be familiar, but unexpected. For example, take “Zombie Love Story.” We know each individual aspect well, but the curveball comes from combining them into something new.

3. In your first or last paragraph, demonstrate your abilities.

People are more likely to think highly of you and your business if other people already think highly of you and your business. If you’ve been written about anywhere, include that in a short, three-sentence paragraph describing yourself and/or your company. This should go either very first or very last in your pitch email. Short of that, statistics and alma maters could give you a boost when it comes to personal branding.

4. Use your friends.

Editor relationships are key. They are the gatekeepers. Even if you don't know them personally, at least address them by their name. One quality personal pitch is worth at least twenty anonymous blast pitches.

5. Keep your copy as concise as possible.

Isaac (and every other top editor I know) will delete your email if you write too much in your pitch. Go for brevity. Anything more than two paragraphs, and you’re going to be ignored with a sigh and an eye roll.

6. Take a specific angle.

An angle is more or less the reason that this particular news source is covering this particular story -- at this particular time. Why is your story newsworthy here and now? Is there a product release on the horizon? Is there an event coming up? The more a pitch can be tied to something new and interesting, the better.

7. Be engaging.

Injecting voice into your writing is key to getting the media’s attention. Most of us have a tendency to do this naturally when we’re informally writing texts or chatting, but we abandon that voice when it comes time to send an email. Be sure to always be authentic and engage your intended recipient in a relatable way that will resonate with them.

If you take the time to craft the perfect pitch, you'll discover you can cut through the noise and earn credibility in the process.

3 Strategies to Nail Before You Launch Your Social-Media Campaign

When I talk to small-business owners, they often tell me they're “doing” social-media marketing. I’m always glad to hear this, but the way they describe their process reveals they're unfocused in their efforts. They haven't truly defined a social-media marketing campaign for their brand and company.

Imagine a general sending his troops onto the battlefield willy-nilly, just striking out at whatever is close at hand. Generals who are serious about the stakes wage campaigns with clearly defined goals.

Take aim.

Without a goal, how can you ever know if you've hit your target?

Common social-media campaign goals include attracting more followers, creating interest in a specific product or service, heightening brand awareness and increasing the amount of shared content. So long as your goals aren't mutually exclusive, you can wage more than one effort at a time. For example, you can build your following while you drive traffic to a specific page on your company's website.

Whatever your identified milestones, you'll need to answer some important questions:
Which social-media platforms will I use?
Which kinds of content should I create?
How will I track and assess results?

Plan the schedule.

Once you've thought strategically about what you wish to accomplish with your social-media marketing, sit down with a calendar and plan the year. It might make sense for you to launch some campaigns that center on holidays or seasons.

To illustrate the process, let's consider the Great American Total Solar Eclipse, set to occur on Aug. 21, 2017. If you're connecting this natural phenomenon with your marketing theme, think about how much lead time you'll need to build in to the campaign. Don't wait until the last minute and then try to generate some creative posts and graphics. Farm out the work well ahead of time.

If you don't, you'll find yourself left out in the dark -- at least regarding social-media posts.

Measure outcomes.

If your goal is garnering interest in a specific product or service, you might measure the amount of traffic you drive to your webpage. If you believe you have enough followers but they aren’t sharing your posts as much as you'd like, you could use various analytics tools to rank your shared posts and see which content types performs best. Or you could build your 2017 campaign around a theme you capture in a hashtag or celebrate with a contest to fuel its launch.

3 of the Top Opportunities and Challenges for Digital Marketing in 2017

Augmented reality, live video streaming, data visualization: There’s plenty of hype about which digital marketing trends will hit the big time in 2017. But, in your rush to jump onto the latest trend bandwagon, don’t overlook the importance of battle-tested strategies, like local listing optimization, or online reputation management.

Recently, I sat down with Peter Handy, CEO of Dallas-based digital marketing agency Advantix Digital, to discuss the future of digital marketing trends in 2017. Because Advantix, founded in 2001, was one of the nation’s first digital marketing and SEO firms, Handy and his team have been around long enough to witness the major evolutions in digital marketing.

Suffice it to say they’re seasoned experts with a finger on the pulse of what’s coming next -- in the wake of an essential tactic like smart back-link building with digital PR.


Here are three of the biggest challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs need to know about in 2017:

Online reputation management

The challenge: Online reputation management can be tricky for businesses, as many companies aren’t even sure how to get started. Even if companies believe that they’ve got a handle on their reviews, Google’s autocomplete function could be filled with negative terms that are a huge blow to potential customers.

Compounding this challenge is the fact that online reputation management has been fraught with “black-hat” hacker tactics for years, making it difficult to know exactly what a startup founder should do.

Your solution: I can't stress how important online reputation management is for startups, since customers often lack confidence when purchasing from a new provider. In 2017, your mission is to focus on generating positive word of mouth and early buzz about your business.

So, tap into your existing customer base. Using a designated hashtag, invite these people to share feedback on their experience on social media. Handy and the Advantix team take this one step further with a program Handy says “gains valuable insights from customers prior to their publishing a review online.”

That way, if a customer is dissatisfied, you can take immediate action to address the problem prior to the release of a negative review. “Capturing the customer in the moment means the customer will be less likely to spread their negative review across the internet,” says Handy.

Local SEO/local listings

The challenge: The world of SEO is constantly changing, especially when it comes to local listings, Google maps and mobile optimization. Local citations are a key component of ranking algorithms in Google. But it’s not enough to just claim your listing. You also need to identify and clean up duplicate listings that could be causing confusion among your customer base, and ensure all your listing information is up to date.

Your solution: Handy advises that each business start by claiming and verifying its local listing. Next, submit all listing info to major data aggregators. If you are running into problems with duplicate-listing removal, partnering with a digital marketing agency like Advantix can help speed up the process.

“Something as basic as a well-executed local-listing program cannot be treated with any less importance than a significant pay per click campaign,” says Handy. “It has been our experience that mainstream ad agencies with a digital department always come up short in many of the digital strategies our shop excels in. Local listings often fall into this category.

"We maintain a program to make sure all duplicate information is removed, as well as prevent any new potential duplication. Our analysts review our dashboards for data retrieval, including but not limited to, clicks, calls and promotions redeemed.”

Social media engagement

The challenge: Thanks to faster internet and the ubiquity of mobile devices, live video-streaming is predicted to be one of the most popular social media tactics for 2017. If your business is brand new, however, knowing where to get started -- or even where to build an engaged audience on social media -- can be a challenge.

Your solution: Rather than jump straight into live-streaming a product demo to an audience of one, Handy recommends covering all your social media bases first. Focus on building an engaged audience with curated, active social media pages. If you’re struggling to build a base, he suggests paid social media advertising. Create something that interests people, target the right audience and then sustain the momentum with an ongoing campaign to reach more people.

Bottom line:

With the length of the average attention span falling to eight seconds (and continuing to plummet), your business needs to capture potential customers in the moment. Yes, brands will be trying out tactics like live-streaming and immersive experience-content marketing, but don’t overlook the importance of building a strong digital marketing foundation.

Local search, online reputation management and a consistent, curated social media profile are three digital marketing essentials for every startup in 2017.