Will 2012 be an active hurricane season?

Hurricanes feed off warm water.  But does that mean it'll be an active hurricane season for Florida?

Should the folks in Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and elsewhere in Flagler County be concerned?

Brian LaMarre, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service says: "Warm temperatures in the winter really have no correlation with hurricane frequency in the summertime."

Watch the video:


Let's hope they are right.

Do you buy it?  Are you concerned?

Super Moon over Flagler Beach Cinco de Mayo 2012

Cinco de Mayo overlapped with the Super Moon 2012 in Flagler Beach.  Hundreds of professional and amateur photographers filled up the town and the beach to capture the biggest moon of 2012 with the Flagler Beach Pier in the background.

Crowds also filled up the bars and restaurants --with Golden Lion Cafe and Finn's Beachside Bar particularly in demand.

Here are some pictures and a video from May 5, 2012:

    ...and, enjoy this video:



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Related blog post:

Pictures of Biggest Moon Rising in Flagler County! (2011)

Google+: It Ain't Facebook, and That's a Good Thing

It's been about 9 months since Google+ launched.  The initial response (and much of what continues) is to try and compare the service to Facebook.  But in all honesty trying to simply compare it as just another social networking service is a real miss.  It is actually very different with it's own benefits that are often getting missed.

I'm not here to say that I don't like Facebook, because I do.  Facebook has done, and continues to do, a great job of connecting people.  It's been a great platform for businesses and organizations to connect with their customers in ways never before possible.

So what does Google+ offer that Facebook doesn't?  To truly get a sense of Google+ and it's benefits you have to look at what Google has been about with a majority of it's products . . . collaboration.  That's where the real power in this service lies.  And it's the same thing that makes it a real game-changer in communication going forward.  The service is blended in very nicely within all of Google products allowing for some very nice new functionality.  Here's a look at just some of those new features and capabilities:

1. Organizing in circles.  Circles were one of my immediate likes because it provided a very easy way to organize contacts and choosing who I want to share certain items with.  This just makes sense and is how we normally want to share things socially.  I can also share a circle out to others.  For businesses and or teams this is a great feature because you can easily create a circle for your company, department, and teams for organizations you are involved with.  Adding a new person and keeping everyone on board with the same set of contacts is as simple as sharing the circle.  
2. Hangouts.  This feature allows for video chatting with up to 10 people at once.  Use the "Hangouts with Extras" and you can even share and collaborate on documents shared within Google Docs, or share screens to easily walk others through something.  The other great thing about hangouts is they can be started at anytime.  So if you're in the middle of something and need to speak to a team member or colleague, you can start a hangout which they can access on their PC or smartphone and you can have a short meeting even sharing documents you may need to share.  So if I see that Ky just added a post about something we need to speak further on, I can simply click the Hangout icon and we can begin chatting.  Or I can schedule a hangout for a meeting with people that are in different geographic places which would have typically been a barrier to getting together.  
3. Tie-in with other great Google Products.  Google+ shows up in all of Google products such as Docs (which is an amazing suite of products if you haven't checked it out already), YouTube, Search, etc.  I can use that '+1' button to share out relevant items with people.  I can start a hangout for a video I am watching on YouTube.  I can share out a document I need others to contribute to and have added them in to work on.  
4. Sharing individually.  Rather than send someone an email or share something out into a stream, I can simply share to one person or a few people individually.  This takes messaging to a whole new level because typically we do this through email or a separate messenger program.  Now I can use the same platform and simply send that message out from there.  
5. Organization Pages.  Like Facebook, you can create separate pages for you company or organization to connect with people.  What's nice about this in comparison to Facebook pages is that it functions a lot like the personal accounts in terms of Circles and whatnot.  So you may have certain sets of customers (i.e. VIP's) in one circle and your employees in another.  This way you can choose who you want getting what.  Maybe you want to send out an exclusive discount to your VIP customers.  Again, one platform for multiple internal and external uses.  

There's quite a bit more great features that goes beyond what Facebook was and is designed for.  Have you checked out Google+ yet?  What are your thoughts?  Make sure to check out some great local people and companies on Google+

• Ky Ekinci, Owner of Office Divvy
• Social Smidge - Local social media marketing company
• Carmen Bongiovanni - Current President of the Flagler County Association of Realtors
• Kathleen West - Realtor at Trademark Realty Group
• The City of Palm Coast
• Palm Coast Auto Repair
• Daytona Food Examiner by Connie Rice
• Me
• Plus more.  Simply search 'Palm Coast' on the Google+ page to find local people and pages.  

Celebrate World Four Square Day in Palm Coast on 4/16

4/16 is officially declared as 4SQ Day!  4 squared = 16 ..... that is 4/16, get it?

As a result nearly 15,000 FourSquare fans in 1,700 cities are celebrating Four Square Day on April 16th.

A gathering is also planned  for Palm Coast and Flagler County Four Square users on April 16th, between 4:30PM and 6:00PM at Office Divvy.

What is FourSquare?  It is a social media platform that runs on a smartphone and tablet app that helps you keep up with where your friends are at any giving point, discover what’s near you, save money and unlock deals.

On April 16th, join local Palm Coast and Flagler County FourSquare users to meet eachother, chat, and have fun with.  Office Divvy is located at West Pointe Plaza, 389 Palm Coast Pkwy SW, Ste 4, Palm Coast.  Call 386-445-4153 if you need directions.  Beer and wine, soft drinks, snacks and sweets will be provided.  Free to attend.

You can RSVP on Meetup.com here.

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PS: If you are a Palm Coast, Flagler County business owner you can also pick up free window decals for your business location at Office Divvy

Bike Rodeo in Palm Coast, Flagler County

Palm Coast and Flagler County's first Bicycle Rodeo is taking place on Saturday, March 10th!

The event will highlight bike safety and enjoyment, and will take place at the Central Park in Town Center between 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  This is an event for the whole-family.

What's included?

• Bike safety checks
• Bike Safety Course teaching stopping, hand signals
• Free ice cream cones from Brusters for those who complete the course
• Clinics on how to repair a flat tire, what to do if a bike breaks down
• Old bike drop off
• Helmet raffle
• Fingerprinting for children

Central Park in Town Center is located north of Flagler Palm Coast High School at Bulldog Drive. By the time you're leaving, you'll have had an awesome day, and you'll know so much more about bicycle safety than ever before!

Remember to bring your bike helmet!

Sponsors of the event include, the Flagler County Rotary, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Bicycle Doctor, the Frank Celico Foundation and PC Bikes of Palm Coast.  For more information, contact the Palm Coast Parks and Recreation Department at 386-986-2323.

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Join over 4,000 residents on the > Palm Coast Facebook page < here!

Rue & Ziffra to hold Steak & Info Night at White Eagle

Join Attorney David Sweat from the Rue and Ziffra Law Firm for a Steak Night for the Flagler and Volusia County's local biker community.  Free steak-dinner will  be offered to the first 75 people who register for this event that is taking place at While Eagle Lounge.

Registration required to attend.

Please visit: www.RueZiffra.com  or call 386-788-7700.   Limited seats available.
You must register --confirmations are on first-come-first-confirmed basis.

Memory Lane: History of Palm Coast

What is paradise? Before 1969, land that would eventually become the City of Palm Coast was considered by some as nothing more than a big pine-covered swamp.

But when the corporate eyes of ITT/Levitt and Sons looked upon the virtually uninhabited land, they saw 22,000 acres of golf courses, marinas, oceanfront motels, scenic drives, and house lots awaiting the arrival of sun-seeking apioneers.a Marketing strategies targeting urban residents in the North and Midwest offered slices of land cut out of miles of forest, and soon a 500-mile infrastructure of roads, utilities, and sewer lines bound Palm Coast to a future that included becoming the largest planned unit development in Florida history.

Here's a taste from the book, Images of America, by Arthur E. Dycke, published in 2003:

 

This wonderful book was published in 2003, remains one of the only comprehensive books on Palm Coast's history. It was written by Palm Coast historian Arthur E. Dycke. Perhaps some considered it paradise when life was so secluded that it took a 13-mile drive to buy a quart of milk; perhaps othersfound “the perfect place to live” when errands were shortened by a new shopping center in 1979. Now comprising about two-thirds of Flagler County’s population, Palm Coast continues to attract residents and visitors alike.

With a fascinating collection of photographs and illustrations, Arthur E. Dycke, co-city historian, a director of the City of Palm Coast Historical Society, and an adjunct faculty member at Daytona Beach Community College, presents this whirlwind history of a wilderness turned paradise.

Available on Amazon

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