Facebook tips for LPNeures - Introducing the Facebook Business page format.

Dear Larnaca parents,
Welcome to our first article as official bloggers for LPN on using Facebook as a promotional tool for your business. We hope you'll find these fortnightly articles useful.

Whether you are on Facebook or not, this topic is really hot! 

Social media is officially used in any marketing strategy nowadays with Facebook being the fastest growing social network in Cyprus over the past year. Not only school children are on it, the fastest growing section of the population who are users are adults above 35 years old.

Parents use Facebook during their coffee breaks or at night time, after the children are asleep and they finally get to enjoy some 'me' time. They will browse their Facebook News Feed very quickly and they will enjoy some posts more than others. For those with friends and family abroad, the photo albums from far away will be the highlights, or that party they went to last week. Not always the Facebook friends have such highlights to share though, so most don't share anything or they share quotes or videos. During the last six months there has been an increase in the number of friends who share 'pages' of businesses or who invite you to become a member of a Facebook 'group'. The groups have been designed for a small number of people with a common interest as certain features become unavailable after the group reaches a certain number of members. Facebook recommends creating a group when you are targeting a small population. You can click on the following link for more details if you have a Facebook account. https://www.facebook.

com/help/?faq=155275634539412 

We believe the best Facebook resource for promoting your business is the Page format and we will explain why: You invite Facebook users to 'like' your page and they decide to become 'fans' themselves if they are truly interested. A Page can have indefinite number of followers, there are no restrictions on how many people can join. The Page is created and administered by people who own the business or who are appointed by the business owners, it can be linked to other social media such as g+, Linkedin, twitter and Pinterest or to an existing Blog or Website.

If your business doesn't have an internet presence then a Facebook page is the place to start: Facebook is free and will always be, it is very user friendly and it has more than 600 million ACTIVE users! This offers you a unique audience in the Cyprus context. If you don't get out there your competitor will so use the slower Summer days to set up a personal account with very basic information as a first step. You only need an email address, a name that sounds real and you can use to promote your business, so preferably your OWN and a telephone number that will remain private as long as you make sure that 'only you' can see it. You can set it up as private as you wish but you need an account to access any page or group on Facebook. 

Then you need to 'Create a Page' from your account or find someone to do it for you. If you get stuck at this point but you have a personal Facebook account, click on https://www.facebook.com/

GeekOroklini for a lot of tips and information on this topic.

You must think of:

1. A Profile picture that will be shared around the web. Size is 180 x 180 pixels and eventually reduced even further on thumbnail version, so make it simple and clear, such as using only the initials. For example, Sharon could use LPN on a profile picture for a page linked to this site (currently there is a group for LPN not a page)
2. A Cover photo that will be seen only by visitors to your Page's timeline and should be large, colourful and musn't contain URLs, phone numbers or promotions. A clear message that reflects the spirit of your business would suffice. LPN could have the coloured handprints that we are already familiar with and the full name: Larnaca Parents Network with or without a short motto like: A page with something for every parent in the Larnaca region, Cyprus. 
3. Other pages related to yours or that could be of interest to your 'fans' (followers) such as contributors to the page, health pages or community pages. These can be displayed on your timeline and it's a great way of collaborating with associates.
4. Would you like to display posts by others or not? Comments can be made even by people who are not fans since all the content in a Page is PUBLIC but they can only 'post' if you allow it on the page.
5. Are you going to administer the page yourself or are you going to hire someone to do it for you? You will need to post at least twice a day and check the page at least 4 times a day to deal with any engagement from your fans. Negative comments have to be dealt with a.s.a.p. and not just deleted as soon as they appear. Normally most comments are positive.

This is the backbone of setting up a page on Facebook to promote your business. It is very visual and it is perfect for mumpreneurs or dadpreneurs who create beautiful products or services: football training, fun lessons, baking, decorations, crafts, health, environment, you name it and if you can portray it with photos or graphics, then a Facebook page is the way to go. 

Apart from the photos, you can write and share 'Notes' with larger content that the normal 'Status update' and these must always be accompanied by a visual aid as it guarantees double the engagement than a post or a note without a visual would get.

You can also create Events, highlight posts, pin an important or informative post to the top of your page for up to a week (then you can repin it to the top or you can replace it with another post at any time you want - even before the week is over).

The idea behind the Page is to interact with customers or potential customers and build trust using a tool that wasn't available in the past. When fans write positive comments about your product or when people can just see what you do and 'like' it without having to buy it, then you get a whole new concept of 'window shopping' that will eventually lead to people having you in mind when they finally decide to buy or contact you for the deal.

It takes time and it requires patience. We believe that the financial uncertainty in Europe in general at the moment favours inbound marketing through social media and we wanted to share our knowledge on the use of Facebook business pages with you. 

Thank you for reading and more specific tips on what, when and how to post will follow.

Veronica Athanasiou

99 66 32 86

orokliniconcierge@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/GeekOroklin

Celebrate the Olympics at ELC

Why not pop down to the Early Learning Centre with your little athletes and enjoy the start of the London Olympics 2012.

Where: All Early Learning Centre Stores

Days: Thursday and Friday afternoon and Saturday Morning

Dates: 2nd, 3rd, 4th August 2012

Celebrating the Summer Olympics in London.

Early Learning Centre toy stores are organising a fun, sports-oriented 3-day event from Thursday August 2 until Saturday August 4. On Thursday and Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning children are invited to join the activities in all ELC stores: games, team play, recreation, arts & crafts and many more activities, that are all absolutely free.

It will be an afternoon with your little ones that you wont forget and maybe just maybe your little athletes will take home the gold medal.

Enjoy!

LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

With the London 2012 Olympics opening this weekend, why not have your own Opening Ceremony Party and impress your guests with these easy to make cupcakes :) (Opening ceremony begins 9pm GMT on Friday 27th July)

OLYMPIC CUPCAKES

Ingredients

150g caster sugar

150g butter

130g self-raising flour

20g cornflour

3 medium eggs

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream

100g butter, room temperature

250g icing sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp milk

For the decoration

390g white fondant icing

Ice Blue, Red and egg yellow paste food colourings

Rainbow Dust Gold paint (purplecakes.co.uk)

Equipment you'll need

Deep muffin tin

12 paper muffin cases (Union Jack cases from cakecraftworld.co.uk)

Small writing piping nozzle or toothpick 

1cm, 1.5cm and 2cm tear drop cutters or you can cut the shapes by hand

Alphabet embossers or edible pen

Two paint brushes, one very fine for the embossed letters and one medium for painting the torch

Method

To make the cakes: Preheat your oven to 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3. Place 12 cases in your muffin tin.

Beat the sugar and butter with the vanilla extract until light and fluffy (about 5 mins). Combine the flour and cornflour.

Add 1 egg, one-third of the flour mix and a splash of milk and beat until just combined. Repeat until all the ingredients are added.

Divide the batter between the 12 cases and bake for 20-25 mins.

Cool in the tin for 10 mins before moving to a wire rack to cool.

To make the buttercream: Add butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl, then beat for about 5 mins with an electric whisk until smooth. 

Gradually whisk in the milk if you need to loosen the mixture.

To decorate: Colour 300g of fondant blue and roll out to 5mm thick. Cut 12 circles large enough to fit the top of the cakes (Victoria used a 6.5cm cutter), emboss 'London 2012' on each circle as you cut it. It's best to emboss immediately as the fondant will crack if you leave it too long.

Roll 70g of white fondant to 3mm thick and using a sharp knife cut 12 cone shapes for the torches using the circle cutter to cut the top where the flames are and the edge by the cake case.

Using the writing nozzle (or toothpick) emboss little circles onto the torch and stick it to the blue circles (toppers) with a brush of water. Using the gold paint, paint the torches and the embossed lettering.

To make the flames: Colour 10g fondant red and 10g yellow and lightly knead the two together so you get a nice 'flame like' pattern. Roll out to 3mm thick and cut out flame shapes using 1cm, 1.5cm and 2cm teardrop cutters or shape by hand. Arrange the 'flames' on top of the torches starting with the outside in, sticking with a brush of water, the smallest flames first, and the largest in the centre.

Spread a little buttercream over each cupcake and place a topper on each one.

Makes: 12

Prep time: 1 hr 5 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hr 35 mins

Enjoy!

Marilyn x

Herbs for kids: dealing with fever

We’re living in a time when the public is becoming increasingly aware of natural health care as opposed to pharmaceutical drugs and no longer swallow everything a doctor may say or prescribe for gospel truth.  Overuse of medicines have caused so many health problems, as most drugs have side effects, some serious, others less so. Viruses and bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to existing drugs, which leads pharmaceutical companies to develop even stronger and more harmful drugs.
Often as parents we feel quite overwhelmed when our child feels ill. Should we go to the doctor, and if we do, will he prescribe antibiotics immediately –like so many doctors do in Cyprus, even for a simple cough.
We are faced with many choices when it comes to our children’s health. It can be difficult as a parent to determine if a symptom or condition will resolve itself with a little care at home or if a trip to the doctor is necessary. Seemingly simple, minor conditions can become more severe very quickly.
As a guide, contact your health care practitioner immediately if your child:

• Is under 6 months of age and has a fever
• Has a fever over 39 Celsius
• Is irritable and cannot be calmed
• Is lethargic and very difficult to waken
• Has continued diarrhea or inability to urinate
• Has difficulty breathing or has bluish lips
• Continually complains of pain – especially a headache
• Has a stiff neck
• Appears dehydrated
• Has purple or red rash that does not fade upon finger pressure
• Has tender groin, especially in boys

When you consult your health care practitioner let them know your desire to use natural products for your child. It is important to educate yourself about herbal remedies.
Not all herbs and vitamins that adults use are safe for children. Look for products specifically formulated for a child’s needs. Look for quality. Listen to your child. They are the best source of information on how they feel. Trust your instincts. You know your child best and you need to follow your instincts on when your child is healing and when they need to see a doctor.

Children respond very well to herbs, often a simple tea taken over a few days is enough to deal with a certain health issue.  In this article I would like to focus on fever, a subject I feel parents are often very worried about and need education on.

How Fever Happens                                                                                                                                                  

It may help parents to remember that fever is only one part of the picture of an illness. In fact, for children under eight years of age, and especially for infants, the severity of a fever is an unreliable indicator of the severity of the child’s illness. For example, infants and toddlers can be very sick with a low or even subnormal temperature. Conversely, children three to eight years old can be running about quite cheerfully with a fairly impressive fever. The important thing is how your child is acting, not the thermometer reading.

Infections most commonly launch fever, especially in children. Other triggers include transfusion reactions, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, tumors, inflammatory reactions caused by trauma, medications (including some antihistamines, antibiotics, or an overdose of aspirin), immunizations, and dehydration. Many physicians do not believe that teething directly causes significant fever, but we have seen it happen.
When infectious "bugs" stimulate white blood cells in a specific way, they release a substance called endogenous pyrogen, which signals the brain’s hypothalamus to raise the body’s thermostat setting. In turn, the body heats up by increasing its metabolic rate, shivering, or seeking warm environments. It also minimizes heat loss by restricting blood flow to the skin, giving it a pale appearance. Once body temperature rises, the skin flushes and sweats. A fever sufferer may lose appetite and feel lethargic, achy, and sleepy. When these phenomena happen to our children, we just tuck them into bed and let them sleep.
A basic fever, one due to minor bacterial or viral illness, can be an expression of the immune system working at its best.

Can Fever Do Harm?

Any time body temperature increases, salt and water are lost via sweating, and stores of energy and vitamins, especially the water-soluble ones, are burned up. During moderate fevers, we can compensate for these losses by drinking appropriate fluids, ingesting nutritious foods, or taking vitamin supplements.
Replacing water-soluble vitamins (chiefly C and Bs) makes sense. However, during fevers, the body makes some minerals unavailable for a good reason – bacteria need them to thrive. In terms of energy stores, our bodies switch from burning glucose (the favorite meal of bacteria) to burning protein and fat. This means a few days of poor appetite is probably adaptive. In other words, don’t cajole or coerce your children into eating during fevers if they don’t feel hungry; they will likely regain any lost weight quickly after the illness ends. You do, however, need to encourage fluids, because dehydration alone can drive up fever.
Very high fevers – those above 41°C– can harm the heart and brain.. During most infections, the brain keeps body temperature at or below 40°C. So in most – not all – cases, you don’t need to be afraid that your child’s temperature is going to continue to rise above that point.
Fever increases the amount of interferon (a natural antiviral and anticancer substance) in the blood. A mild fever also increases the white blood cells that kill cells infected with viruses, fungi, and cancer, and improves the ability of certain white blood cells to destroy bacteria and infected cells. Fever also impairs the replication of many bacteria and viruses.
Bottom line: A moderate fever is a friend, but not one you want to spend a lot of time with. So it makes sense to avoid suppressing moderate fevers with drugs, while continuing to monitor your child for dramatic increases in temperature and worsening of any other of his symptoms.
It makes sense that if fever helps defend against infection, giving fever-reducing medications may make things worse. In addition, some fever medications can have undesirable side effects. Nondrug approaches can go a long way toward helping your child feel better. If the situation does not seem urgent, you might want to consider a trial of herbal treatment before you pull out the acetaminophen.

Home Management of Fevers

Do give your child lots to drink. Fever increases fluid loss, and dehydration can drive up your child’s temperature. Kids with fever often do not feel thirsty, or by the time they do, they’re already dehydrated. So keep offering fluids. Small, frequent sips are often best, especially if the child feels nauseated. If necessary, use a plastic medicine dropper to gently insert water into your child’s mouth. The type that holds several ounces is best to use.
If your child craves cold foods, you can make her a frozen treat of diluted juice and/or herb tea. Pour the fluid into an ice cube tray, pop in the freezer, and later let her suck the frozen cubes. To make herbsicles, insert sticks when the solution is half frozen. Good herbs to try include lemon balm, peppermint, elder flowers or berries, oat straw, or chamomile; you can also freeze diluted ginger ale or lemon water.
Dress lightly or bundle? The answer depends on your children’s perception of temperature – follow her cues. If your child looks pale, shivers, or complains of feeling chilled (things that tend to happen in the early stages of fever), bundle her in breathable fabrics so that sweat will evaporate, but make sure she can easily remove the layers. If she is comfortable and her fever is low, dress her snuggly and give warm liquids to assist the body’s fever production. If she sweats and complains of heat, dress her lightly and let her throw off the covers. Older kids will take care of these needs themselves.
Don’t push food. People with fevers generally don’t have much appetite. Let your child determine when and what she eats. Just bear in mind that consumption of sugary foods could delay the natural immune response.

Herbal Remedies for Fevers

A rule of thumb that herbalists like to use during minor illness with fever is: "First, do nothing," meaning that a short period of observation ought to precede any action against the illness. Follow the guidelines above for seeking medical assistance for feverish children under the age of two, and encourage fluids. For older children, give liquids, make them comfortable, and observe closely.
Is your child drinking fluids well? Urinating at least once every eight hours (ideally, every three to four hours, or wetting eight to ten nappies per day)? Does your touch console her? Is she playing normally? If the answer to these questions is yes, she is probably not seriously ill.
A fever may come down as quickly as within an hour of taking a herbal fever-reducing tea.
Elderflower and lemon balm are excellent herbs to combat fever and have a very pleasant taste as well.
Elderflower’s antibacterial and antiviral actions also soothe a sore throat, runny or stuffed nose and other respiratory issues, as well as allergies.
Thyme and chamomile are good choices too, especially when we want to combat an infection. I don’t recommend thyme for kids under 3 though, as it is a very powerful herb.

Herbal water spritzes can also help send a feverish youngster off to sleep. Combine 2 drops of essential oil of chamomile, lavender, thyme, ylang-ylang, or rose with 4 ounces of water in a spray bottle. These oils provide some antibacterial action along with a sense of tranquility. Spritz liberally on arms, legs, back, and chest, but keep this spray away from eyes and out of the reach of small children. It’s best to use these in a warm, steamy bathroom so that your child doesn’t get chilled.

By Miranda Tringis, Herbalist Dip. HM (Inst.NH)
www.cyherbia.com
www.facebook.com/cyherbia
Tel. 99915443
Email: miranda@cyherbia.com

Press Release 23-29/07/2012

This weekly press release is part of an effort to inform our citizens and the public in general about the activities of our Municipality.

Cultural Events

For more information call the Larnaca Municipality Cultural Department on 24657745 or 24629333

Construction work

The Department of Construction of the Municipality of Larnaca informs the public that between 23/07-27/07/2012, the following construction work will be in progress:

Works related to the extension of the car park at Mckenzie area.
Pavement construction on Tefkrou Anthia street.
Works related to the car park at the Port Authority.
Pavement repairs in Mesologiou street.
Premix works on Stavrovouniou, Ar. Valaoritou and Mehmet Ali streets.
Works related to the International Volleyball Championship.

Administration
Larnaca Municipality Administration informs the public that the following contests are in progress:

Contest. No. 26/2012
Service Provision:

Consultant, responsible for the creation of social street projects for the ATA program or the synergy of the administration authorities and MKO for the development of social street projects.  
Submission deadline: 31/07/2012 at 12 noon.

Contest. No. 27/2012
Supply of a new lift 4x4
Submission deadline: 10/08/2012

Contest No. 28/2012
Supply of a lawnmower for mowing on the road separators and junctions.
Submission deadline: 10/08/2012

Finance Department
The Larnaca Municipality Finance Department informs the public that the Municipal Property Tax payment notifications for the year 2012 have been sent. Payments can be made at any Bank, Coop Bank or online via JCC.

As far as the Refuse Collection Tax, Corporate Tax and Business Premises Tax are concerned, the payment deadline has already passed and legal proceedings have begun.

The public should settle their payments to Larnaca Municipality on time and within the given deadlines to avoid added legal and court costs.

Sewerage and Sewage Disposal Works Department
The Department of Sewerage and Sewage Disposal of the Municipality of Larnaca informs the public that between 23/07-28/07/2012, the following construction work will be in progress:

·                     Gr. Digeni Avenue from the 1^st Apriliou street to Melathrou Evgirias street.
·                     Part of the streets: Kikladon, Ionias, Loutrakiou, Tirnavou, Ekalis, Kalimnou (from the one way street opposite SPE Konteas to Katerinis street), 1^st Apriliou, Kaisareias (from Vithleem to 1^st April street), Ksenofontos street to Faneromeni, Biktoros Ioannidi, Georgiou Georgiou, Aggelou Terzaki, Igoumenitsas, Makri, Stavrovouniou, Pierias as well as two nameless roads behind the ESSO petrol station in Faneromeni.
·                     Faneromeni Avenue (from Aigiptou street to Othonos street.
·                     Alkamenos
·                     Leonidou (From Thessalias to Faneromeni Avenue)
·                     Soudas
·                     Spetson
·                     Kefalinias and Karaiskaki
·                     Patron Germanon
·                     Apostolou Markou, Apostolou Louka and Loizou Filippou
·                     Skoufa
·                     Neokli Kiriazi
·                     Part of Rodinou street

Visit the website: www.larnaka.com
 
Energy Team and Environmental Management Department: www.larnaka202020.eu
 
Contact: 24816559, 24816581/email: perivallon@larnaca.com
 
 

Translation kindly provided by

Eri Constantinou

 www.greek4kids.eu