CornerScribe

Archive for the ‘Paid Ads’ Category

Here’s another vacation site, in this case advertising a Costa Rica Vacation. They include lots of pictures and some information about the resorts, so I can see how this might be a handy starting point if you’re looking for an exotic location in which to set your next novel or short story.

As an aside, I love the picture of the man and woman having wine at their cafe table. They look like they have surf boards rammed up the back of their shirts. I’m all for good posture, but they have to be kidding. Wouldn’t you just love to write a story about them? Mr. and Mrs. Uptight… okay, so they probably need the vacation.

It appears that they cater to more high-end vacations, so if you’re looking to set your novel in a seedy coastal town somewhere, this isn’t the place to start looking.

Where do you do your research for setting? Do you insist on having to visit the place yourself, or do you do your research and “wing it” when you start writing?

Here’s another Blogitive ad. I’ll be writing more about Blogitive later.

Simmons, Jannace & Stagg is a LLP that practices in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. I wonder about the reasons why a law firm would buy link advertising. Does a law firm need to boost their search engine rankings? I guess in the internet age, everyone does.
They practice a wide variety of law, in the states mentioned above, and count among their clients Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., Bank of America Corp., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Kmart Holding Corp., Best Buy Co. Inc. and several others.

One of their “selling points” is that they think outside the box. Lawyers are widely seen in internet culture as being a little (or a lot) out of touch, so it’s refreshing to see that they at least claim to be different.

This is another of the Blogitive ads I’ve been talking about. This one is just what it sounds like, Boston Condos. Also, the site looks relatively new, or perhaps they just have a lot of turnover. When I looked around earlier, they had one condo for sale, one for rent, and no vacation property.

I had hoped for more photos — at least it would have been a handy reference for writing scenes if that had been the case. Personally, I like to use pictures of rooms, houses, etc. to help me remember what some of my scenes look like. If I’m writing a scene that’s heavily dependent on the surroundings, then having pictures is particularly helpful. There’s nothing more frustrating when writing than having to stop and think about what I’ve already written about a setting.

I had hoped for something similar here, but alas, few pictures.

I find it odd, even amusing, that there are people out there who will purchase gold, gold bars or other precious metals and have them delivered to their homes. Now, I can understand the investing in precious metals, but having them delivered to your home? Granted, Monex does both, and I’m guessing that the vast majority of people put the gold coins in a bank somewhere and just enjoy knowing that they have it. Maybe they take a picture of it or something, but they keep it safe.

Still, you know there’s a handful of people out there with a chest full of gold coins stashed in the attic or the back of a closet. Maybe they pull them out and drool over them sometimes, or worry that someone will find them when they go out. Doesn’t that give you the most interesting ideas for your next greedy miser? Or how about moving in to a place and finding something like that? Cha-ching!

If you’re interested in fashion, or how someone makes it in the fashion industry, check out Belisi Fashions. If you’re at work, you may want to turn down the volume before clicking the link — the site has music.

Peter Belisi’s story is interesting. He started off as a bartender in Palm Beach and got noticed by collecting and wearing unique and trendsetting ties. He began designing for celebrities, and here’s the interesting part, also contributes to socially conscious causes with every purchase.

Some of the handbags are pretty attractive; they’re not the bizarre fare that you sometimes see from big-time designers.

I could see how this site might be a good research tool if you’re looking to outfit a character who’s chic or fashionable. I know I’d need some research help in that department.

Geico (the folks who sell automobile insurance and have the fun commercials) have added a “Teens and Trucks” section to their online safe driving materials. They give tips about how to drive safely around large trucks.

My first job was working for a trucking company as a teenager, and I can relate to some of the things that they recommend. One that comes to mind is the advice to never treat a truck as if it can stop as quickly as a car can. It was described to me this way “A truck has several tons pushing it down the highway, and there’s no way you’re going to stop that fast.” As a teen, I’d have never realized that had I not worked where I did.
Geico’s materials on teens and safe driving is located at http://www.geico.com/auto/safety. If you have a teen driving, or nearing driving age, this is something you may want to look at together. It’s been a long time, but I know my driver’s education classes didn’t include this!