Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/275853863?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Wednesday, January 9, 2013
AaramShop PRO: 10 ways to encourage customer reviews online ...
Customer reviews are a hugely important in ecommerce for improving your conversion rate, and?can lead to an uplift of 18% in sales.
Research has shown that 61% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision and 63% of customers are more likely to make a purchase from a site that has user reviews.
Annoyingly though, customers generally can?t be bothered to leave their feedback.?As such you need to find ways of encouraging your customers to leave their feedback without coming across as desperate.
It?s a topic we?ve previously touched on in posts looking at?how to organise ecommerce product reviews?and?how to optimise reviews for higher conversion rates.
And here are 10 tips to help you drive up the number of reviews on your site...
1. Ask the question
It's an obvious one, but you need to make sure you're asking people for their feedback wherever possible. Obviously don't flood your site with?calls-to-action?begging for reviews, but think about places where it wouldn't seem out of context to request feedback.
Tesco isn't alone in asking shoppers to leave reviews on every product page, which ensures that customers are aware that their feedback is important.
2. Make it easy
There?s always the concern that removing all barriers to leaving reviews will result in a tidal wave of spam and useless comments ?- at Econsultancy we use the dreaded CAPTCHA for our comments section but spammers still slip through the net.
However any amount of form filling is going to put off most reviewers, so you need to make it as easy as possible to leave a review.?For example, if a customer is already logged into your site then there is no reason to make them validate themselves again in order to leave feedback.
Personally the only site I ever leave reviews on is Lovefilm, and that?s because you can rate a movie just by giving it a number of stars out of five.
While a four out of five star rating isn?t as valuable to your conversion rate as a written review, it?s still a great way of making it easy for users to leave their feedback, which in turn might encourage others to write a review.
3. Put reviews where people can see them
Customers aren?t going to read or leave comments if they don?t know they can, so it?s important to think about the placement of product reviews on the page.
All the stats show that reviews are vital for reassuring customers and increasing sales, so put your star ratings and links to reviews above the fold in a place where they can?t be missed.
Kiddicare?is a great example of this ? every product image shown on its homepage includes a star rating, and product pages include links to reviews immediately under the price.4. Solicit reviews by email
The best time to capture a product review is when the customer has just received their new item and is still excited about using it.
Taking into account your own delivery times, send out an email a week or 10 days after the customer received the product to say you hope they are enjoying their new iPad/jeans/headphones and ask them to leave feedback.
If they?re enjoying the product they?re likely to be open to telling people how much they love it, and if they hate it they might want to warn others off buying it.
Which leads me to my next point...
5. Publish good and bad reviews
It might seem like a good idea to filter out the bad reviews from your site, but in reality people expect to see negative feedback and won?t trust the reviews if they are all glowing.
So although it might seem counterintuitive, it?s important to publish negative feedback as not only does it reassure buyers, but it also means that customers will be confident that their comment will actually be published if they take the time to write a review.
6. Incentivise
While it's probably a bad idea to offer a discount or reward to everyone who leaves a review, there are ways of incentivising feedback that doesn?t undermine the whole process.
For example, you could run a monthly prize draw for all customers who leave a review. This doesn?t need to be overtly plastered across the site, but you could mention it in post-sales emails or by placing a flyer in the product packaging.
Or you could try to gamify the process. Gamification CEO Gabe Zichermann said that even more than free stuff or exclusive content,?the most powerful incentive for consumers is status above their peers.
Though it isn?t an ecommerce example, music magazine NME rewards frequent commenters with a star next to their name and a title saying ?Top commenter?.?The same tactic could be used to encourage product reviews and also reward loyal customers.
7. Use reviews to deliver a more relevant user-experience
If you a review a product on Amazon or Lovefilm then it feeds back into your profile so you are recommended more relevant products in future.?This is a fantastic incentive as it means the user receives a more personalised experience on your site and also helps to increase your number of reviews.
It encourages them to leave further reviews and improves customer loyalty, as the more feedback they leave the more enjoyable the shopping experience becomes and vice versa.
8. Never miss an opportunity to bag a review
While researching this article I looked back at a few items I?d previously purchased on Amazon and was surprised to find that it didn?t target me for reviews on the product pages.
As you can see here, it remembered that I bought this book back in 2010 but there?s no call-to-action to ask for a product review. It might be that Amazon doesn't feel it's necessary to badger me for reviews as it already has enough, but for most sites this is a great opportunity to capture feedback.
9. Ask your fans
What?s the value of a Facebook fan? Diddlysquat unless you do something with them.
Assuming you?ve spent a fair amount of time and effort building up ?likes? on Facebook and followers on Twitter, then put your community to good use by asking them for reviews.
Again, make it as easy as possible by posting a link to the review page next to a simple question asking what they thought of your product, or whether they would recommend your service and why.
10. Turn every piece of feedback into a review
Assuming you have a great product or service that your customers enjoy using then the chances are you often receive?positive feedback either by email, telephone or social media.
Just because these aren?t submitted on your site as a review doesn?t mean they can?t be used as testimonials or praise for your business. So either ask the customer if they mind being named or are happy to leave an official review, or use it as anonymous feedback for your site.
Source: http://www.aaramshoppro.com/2013/01/10-ways-to-encourage-customer-reviews.html
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Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Samsung sees record-high 4Q profit
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest technology company by revenue, expects record earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012 as shoppers continued to snap up its smartphones and tablets.
The company said Tuesday its operating profit for the October-December quarter would be about 8.8 trillion won ($8.3 billion), up 89 percent from a year earlier and higher than expectations. It will release its full quarterly result including net profit at the end of this month.
The maker of Galaxy smartphones and tablets said fourth quarter revenue likely rose 18 percent from a year earlier to 56 trillion won.
Analysts said nearly 70 percent of the operating income for the quarter was likely generated by Samsung's mobile division that makes and sells smartphones and tablets.
Samsung's mobile business, which recently overtook Apple in smartphone sales and Nokia in mobile handsets, has driven Samsung's earnings growth in recent quarters. Samsung's quarterly operating profit has risen steadily since the final quarter of 2011, while rival mobile-phone makers such as Nokia, Research In Motion and HTC have experienced falling market share and profits.
Samsung shipped at least 60 million smartphones in the last quarter of 2012, according to analysts' estimates, about 10 percent growth from the previous quarter.
The launch in September of the Galaxy Note II, a giant smartphone with a 5.5-inch screen and a digital pen, helped Samsung retain its market dominance during the Christmas holiday season despite competition from Apple's iPhone 5, analysts said. Samsung's flagship Android device, the Galaxy S III, also sold strongly.
Jin Sung-hye, an analyst at KTB Securities, estimated Samsung shipped 15 million S III smartphones and 7 million of the Note II during the final three months of 2012. The surprise popularity of the Note II device prompted other handset makers to increase the screen size of their smartphones as consumers embrace a wider mobile-phone screen to watch videos.
Market watchers speculate that Samsung will introduce a new Galaxy S smartphone, likely to be named the Galaxy S IV, before the end of April. Samsung usually rolls out the latest iteration of its Android-based flagship smartphone before the end of the second quarter, taking advantage of the time when rivals are months away from introducing new smartphone models.
With the early rollouts of the new Galaxy S model and an update to the Note series later in the year, analysts predict Samsung will sell at least 300 million smartphones in 2013, widening its lead over Apple. Samsung's smartphone shipments likely surpassed 200 million for the first time in 2012.
The company plans to act more aggressively to increase its share of the tablet PC market this year, which is still dominated by Apple's iPad, its executives said in an October conference call. The release of mini tablets that are between the size of smartphones and standard tablets also opens up a new growth area for Samsung.
While the mobile phone division has replaced Samsung's semiconductor business as the biggest profit generator, robust demand for smartphones around the world is benefiting Samsung's semiconductor operation as well. The company is the world's largest supplier of TVs and memory chips.
Analysts said Samsung's semiconductor division fared better in the last quarter than the quarter before as higher Samsung phone sales and launches of new mobile products by its customers lifted demand for Samsung's mobile processors.
In the first quarter of this year, market watchers said the strengthening of the South Korean currency against the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen could hurt Samsung's component businesses, which is facing seasonally weak demand for TVs and display panels. But others predict Samsung will ship more smartphones than the previous quarter, which could outweigh lower TV and panel sales.
The South Korean company has been in global legal battles with Apple, one of its biggest clients, for nearly two years. Last month, Samsung dropped its bid to seek a sales ban against Apple's mobile products in Europe, saying it would like to protect consumer choice. Samsung, which is under investigations by the European Commission over its practice of licensing key mobile patents, is maintaining its lawsuits against the iPhone maker in other countries.
Shares of Samsung Electronics fell 1 percent in Seoul after earnings release. Samsung's shares, which gained 11 percent in the fourth quarter, hit a record high level earlier this month.
If Samsung's fourth quarter results are in line with Tuesday's guidance, the company will report 29 trillion won ($27.3 billion) operating profit on revenue of 201.1 trillion won ($189 billion) for 2012.
___
Follow Youkyung Lee on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ykleeAP
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-sees-record-high-4q-profit-045244220--finance.html
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Texas Instruments reveals plans for DLP and OMAP-powered ...
Texas Instruments DLP? Technology Set To Deliver Greater In-Car Infotainment With New, Innovative Head-Up Display, Center Console And Dashboard Systems
Range of automotive suppliers and manufacturers showcasing cutting-edge, TI DLP-powered automotive/vehicle display systems throughout CES 2013
Video & images available at www.DLP.com/CES2013
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Texas Instruments (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) DLP? Products, to carry on TI's longstanding commitment to the automotive industry, has revealed its latest vision for the future of in-car/vehicle infotainment with groundbreaking augmented reality (AR) head-up displays (HUD), digital dashboards, and center console systems enabled by TI DLP technology. These next-generation systems from TI mark TI DLP's first official entry into the automotive industry, and represent a notable shift forward with regards to higher resolution and brightness, expanded field of view, tactile feedback, distraction-reduced functionality, and interior design flexibility that breaks the design barriers of existing technology. Together with a number of automotive suppliers and manufacturers, TI will be demoing some of the new-era systems across the show floor during CES 2013 to offer a glimpse of what drivers and passengers can possibly experience in their cars in as little as a few years.
Further supporting TI DLP's expansion into the automotive space, Strategy Analytics noted in its automotive electronics report* that through 2018, "High growth application areas (with unit CAAGRs in excess of 50%) include: Pure electric vehicles, head-up displays, drowsiness detection, front LED lighting, stop/start, lane departure warning, and blind spot monitoring."
"DLP technology has long been known as a leader in digital image quality and intelligent display capabilities across a variety of products and applications," said Kent Novak , senior vice president and general manager, Texas Instruments DLP Products. "For us, the world of in-vehicle infotainment, especially augmented reality head-up displays in the near future, can benefit greatly from what we can do with DLP technology, combined with TI's proven automotive processors, sensors and other products. With our partners, we're delivering the same connected, immersive experiences that consumers expect from smartphones, tablets, gaming systems, and more into the cabins of modern cars and vehicles, but in a less distracting and more usable way."
With the unique micromirror structure of DLP technology, TI has been able to develop a compact HUD system with higher brightness and clarity amid driving conditions, a much wider field of view and increased color reproduction over other display types. Software-based augmented reality elements, such as navigational indicators, real-time landmark details, or safety warnings, can be shown in relation to real-world objects in view to help keep the driver focused on the road ahead. Additionally, the size of the HUD image can also be adjusted and positioned on the windshield to best match the line of vision depending on their seating position, and thus improve the driver's ability to stay focused and alert.
For console and dashboard displays, the speed and accuracy of DLP technology, combined with infrared cameras and other TI components, such as the new "Jacinto 6" processor, allow for multipoint, touchscreen interactivity across the entire surface of the console, scalability to any size and shape, including curves, and true tactile comfort and familiarity via integration of physical dials and buttons. Additionally, full-color, high resolution video, animations, and static images to indicate vehicle information, navigation, in-car entertainment, and HVAC controls can be shown simultaneously and even repositioned to best suit the driver and passengers. Additional TI sensors can determine whether it is the driver's or a passenger's hands approaching the console and adjust the images and available functions accordingly for safety.
All DLP-powered HUD, dashboard, and console setups will be able to display content from whatever software programs and formats that manufacturers may choose, whether proprietary or 3rd party commercial/open source.
To experience all of these automotive displays firsthand, along with other new and upcoming products and advancements made possible with TI DLP technology, be sure to check us out at the following CES 2013 events, and visit our partners' exhibits throughout the show floor:
Pepcom's Digital Experience! ? Mon. January 7th, 7pm PT
Texas Instruments DLP demo suite (please email dlantowski@waggeneredstrom.com to set up meeting) ? Tue. January 8th through Fri. January 11th
To access the latest news, videos, images and other digital content from TI DLP during CES, please visit our online press page at DLP.com/CES2013. You can also follow us on Twitter at @TI_DLP, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DLPTechnology. For the latest on other applications for DLP technology overall, please visit DLP.com.
Not attending CES? Stay connected with TI:
TI's CES activities
TI on Twitter
TI on Facebook
TI on Google +
*From Strategy Analytics' August 2011 report "Automotive Electronics system Demand Forecast 2009 to 2018," page 4
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Automotive infotainment re-defined: TI's "Jacinto 6" automotive OMAP? processor paves the way for an unparalleled in-vehicle experience
New DRA74x processor (code named "Jacinto 6") heightens performance and integrates OMAP architecture for tomorrow's in-vehicle displays, 3D navigation and high-definition multimedia
LAS VEGAS (January 7, 2013) ? Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) today introduced an automotive OMAP? processor built to bring unprecedented in-vehicle entertainment and telematics functionality to automobiles. Codenamed "Jacinto 6," the new DRA74x processor builds upon TI's proven OMAP 5 architecture to enable optimized automotive solutions, adding audio, analytics and radio accelerators, along with automobile interfaces and peripherals. Integrating automotive interfaces with the processor architecture can decrease an automotive infotainment customer's electronic bill of materials (BOM) by up to 25% or more, while delivering best-in-class performance capabilities. For more details, visit the Jacinto 6 web page.
"Today's consumers expect always-on connectedness, with information and entertainment at their fingertips in every environment ? at work, at home, at play and on the road," said Curt Moore, general manager of automotive for TI's OMAP product line. "Jacinto 6 links people, their vehicles and the world around them via rich user interfaces, 3D navigation, real-time, high-definition, (HD) video and other interactive capabilities. With TI infotainment processors designed into more than a dozen automobile manufacturers delivering feature-rich infotainment systems, TI is excited to work with our customers to drive automotive infotainment performance to the next level with Jacinto 6."
DRA74x automotive OMAP processor
With the OMAP 5 architecture at its foundation ? including dual ARM? Cortex?-A15 cores, dual Cortex-M4 cores and multi-Imagination Technologies' POWERVR? SGX544-MPx graphics cores ? the latest DRA74x ("Jacinto 6") processor increases ARM CPU performance up to five times and graphics (GPU) performance close to seven times as compared to the previous "Jacinto 5" offering. It also adds the following elements to the OMAP 5 processor foundation, to address specific automotive-infotainment needs:
- AEC Q100 qualification and wide-temperature support.
- Automotive interfaces: 2x CAN, MOST Media Local Bus (MLB), PCIe, Ethernet AVB, 3.3V I/Os.
- Optional 680 MHz floating-point VLIW DSP for integration of software defined radio, advanced audio and speech processing.
- Multiple high-definition camera and video input ports to enable next-generation surround-view camera and consumer devices.
- Robust software ecosystem, including support for QNX, open-source Linux, and Android.
- Pre-integration of TI's WiLink? 8Q wireless automotive connectivity solutions
Infotainment leaders echo support for TI's Automotive OMAP ("Jacinto") processor family
With an ecosystem of leading automotive partners, TI is proud to work with industry leaders to engineer the future of in-vehicle capabilities. Many of those ecosystem players leverage TI's "Jacinto" processors and applaud the launch of the latest Jacinto 6 offering:
The automotive infotainment market has shifted dramatically in the past five years, as cars transform into portable command centers," said Jugal Vijayvargiya, senior vice president of Delphi and president of Delphi Electronics & Safety. "Delphi delivers real-world solutions to drive this shift, with innovative implementations of connectivity technologies, speech recognition, audio streaming and more. We are proud to work with key partners like TI in the process, and look forward to "Jacinto 6" enhancing tomorrow's in-vehicle infotainment experiences."
"With an estimated 25 million vehicles on the road today featuring HARMAN's audio and infotainment, our team works closely with partners such as TI to redefine the automotive infotainment experience," said Michael Mauser, executive vice president and co-president, infotainment and lifestyle divisions, HARMAN. "As the latest in the line of TI's reliable, scalable OMAP processors, "Jacinto 6" helps us deliver on the promise to bring consumers seamless, feature-rich infotainment capabilities for a safer, more enjoyable ride wherever they may travel."
"At Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, we seek out technology partners such as TI that share our same passion for crafting more exciting, informative driving experiences," said David Taylor, director, research and advanced development, Panasonic Automotive Systems of America. "The launch of "Jacinto 6" is a major step forward for automotive manufacturers hoping to integrate next-generation infotainment capabilities in upcoming vehicles, and we look forward to seeing how "Jacinto 6" transforms the way passengers and drivers experience navigation, multimedia and other interactive capabilities on the road."
"For more than 10 years, TI and QNX have worked closely to enable innovative, connected automotive solutions, which have changed the way people interact with in-vehicle and carry-in electronics," said Linda Campbell, director of strategic alliances, QNX Software Systems. "Jacinto 6 brings new levels of performance, power, and optimization, enabling us to bring game-changing innovations to model year 2014 vehicles and beyond. We look forward to continued successes with TI and to working together to bring best-in-class, Jacinto-processor-based features to cars across the globe."
Availability
The DRA74x "Jacinto 6" processor will sample in mid-2013 and is expected to be available for production by the second half of 2014. As with other OMAP processors, the DRA74x is intended for high-volume automotive manufacturers and is not available through distributors.
Texas Instruments drives automotive innovation
TI's state-of-the-art semiconductor products allow manufacturers and system suppliers to deliver world-class features to the automotive market. Our extensive automotive portfolio includes analog power management, interface and signal chain solutions, along with DLP? displays, ADAS and infotainment processors, Hercules? TMS570 safety microcontrollers and wireless connectivity solutions. Complete with excellent product documentation, TI offers parts that are compliant with the AEC-Q100 and TS16949 standards, along with SafeTI? products, which also comply with ISO 26262 requirements. Click here to learn more.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/texas-instruments-dlp-car-infotainment-hud/
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How Private Equity Funds Are and Should Be Using Social Media
PEHub just posted this guest article:
Can professional investors use social media?? Or, is social media strictly for teenagers and staying in touch with your friends?
Historically, institutional investors kept their investing strategy and their activities very discreet. Today, however, some are aggressively employing social media tools to discuss their strategies, deals in the pipeline, and even their political views and sporting accomplishments.
According to Jeff Bussgang, General Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners, about 10-15% of the 1,000 active venture capitalists in the U.S. blog. Fewer private equity funds are using social media for outreach, but 2xPartners, Healthpoint Capital, and MCM Capital Partners are notable exceptions.? Many investors remain ambivalent about social media because the advantages of using it are not always apparent, while the detractions can be very clear.
Private equity investing is a relationship business. As more of our personal relationships move online, social media becomes a very cost-effective way to strengthen a firm?s corporate relationships. Robert Bruner, Dean of the Darden School of Business, observed in an interview that social media is particularly important in origination because of the significance of ?weak ties? in identifying investment opportunities. In addition, he predicted that the rise in importance of online networks will make the most credible players even stronger. ?I suggest the reason for that is: as people consider doing business with others that they know primarily online, a known brand becomes a significant expediter of a potential transaction.
In 2010, I published the first-ever study of best practices in deal origination?with my coauthor Chris Farmer.? We found that some of the best-performing investors are benefiting from openly discussing their investment theses; doing so increases their perceived expertise and trustworthiness, and thus generates qualified dealflow.? Our research indicates that for these social media-savvy funds, their visibility to investors and potential portfolio companies more than makes up for whatever competitive edge they lose by giving outsiders insight into their activities.
Social media is valuable for more than just origination.? One of the core assets of a fund is its corporate network.? Investors can tap this network for executive talent, followon financings, and eventually an exit.? For example, many leading VCs, including First Round Capital and ff Venture Capital, have made their websites hubs for job-seekers, because their portfolio companies by definition are growth firms constantly in need of the best talent.
Moreover, some investors use social media specifically to reach out to companies flashing relevant ?deal signals? in order to filter the universe of companies. These investors are exploiting the wealth of information about private companies available online, increasingly leaked via social media.? For example, an increase in internet traffic is usually a sign of customer traction.? A family-run company that hires an outside CEO is flashing a signal that the firm may welcome an outside investor.? I?m the Chairman of Navon Partners, a startup with some technology designed to source new transactions based on these signals.
Given how much data PE firms can gather about other investors and companies through social media, It is understandable that they are wary of making too much of their own information available through those channels. Although Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures is arguably the single most successful VC blogger, even he has his reservations: ?Our entire firm was pretty public about our interest in [prominent startup company] Foursquare. ?The Foursquare financing was among the most competitive early round financings I?ve seen in a long time ?. There are many people in the investment business that believe you have to play your cards close to your vest or you?ll get burned. And I understand that approach. And there was certainly a few times during this transaction when I regretted how public we were with our interest in Foursquare.?
We?ve chosen one PE and one VC as case studies of how social media is being used by institutional private company investors:
MCM Capital Partners (mcmcapital.com):
MCM Capital is a lower-middle-market private equity fund based in Ohio with over $125 million under management.? MCM has implemented Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, an RSS feed, and a blog on its website. It also sends out a monthly newsletter to over 6,000 investment bankers, lenders, intermediaries, and current and potential LPs. The blog is instrumental in building their brand through a highly targeted search engine optimization campaign: MCM has identified search terms for which it ranks in the top 100 and is incorporating keywords in order to improve the ranking further. MCM uses the blog to articulate their investment theses to the investment banking community and to become a value added resource for entrepreneurs. Additionally, MCM uses the blog to place new contacts into its CRM (Microsoft Dynamics).
Since the inception of MCM?s social media efforts, overall traffic to the site has increased 13% on average each month.? Referral traffic (traffic coming from other websites, including their blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and email newsletter) increased 119% over the three preceding months. A visitor?s average time on the site had increased from 1:32 to 3:17 minutes. 16% of visitors came from the blog or social networking sites.
ff Venture Capital (ffvc.com):
ff Venture Capital is a New York-based VC focused on investing in seed and Series A-level companies.?Since 1999, its Partners have made over 160 investments in over 55?companies. ?In addition to a blog, ffVC operates accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. ?It actively uses its blog, Facebook, and Twitter to promote portfolio companies and post value-added content. ?Facebook allows for branding and recruiting targeted towards young entrepreneurs and college students; Twitter reaches a more general audience. Their blog uses Livefyre* for comment moderation to increase user engagement. ?The portfolio executives use online community platform Kohort* to connect and learn from one another, and many use TheResumator* for social media-enabled recruiting. ff uses Slideshare to embed on its websites many presentations its Partners have delivered, many of which use beautiful images from 500px* to heighten their impact.? The firm?s Partners also have strong individual social media presences, with Partners John Frankel and David Teten having Klout* scores of 70 and 56 respectively.
ffVC?s social media campaign is still in its nascent stages, but the results thus far have been promising. Site traffic increased by 6.5% in August and September 2012 over the two preceding months. 11% of site referrals now come directly from Facebook and Twitter, according to site analytics from Parsely*.
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* ff Venture Capital portfolio company.
Source: http://www.teten.com/blog/2013/01/08/how-private-equity-funds-are-and-should-be-using-social-media/
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Monday, January 7, 2013
Christian Orthodox believers celebrate Epiphany
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) ? Thousands of young men leapt into icy rivers and lakes across eastern Europe on Sunday to retrieve crucifixes cast by priests in ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.
By tradition, a wooden cross is cast into the water and it is believed that the person who retrieves it will be freed from evil spirits.
In the central Bulgarian city of Kalofer, 350 men in traditional dress waded into the icy Tundzha River with national flags. Led by the town's mayor and encouraged by a folk orchestra and homemade plum brandy, they danced and stomped in the rocky riverbed.
In the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta, some 3,000 Orthodox believers turned out to watch priests hurl three crosses into the icy sea. Dozens? some wearing diving suits? dived into the waters to retrieve the crosses.
"We the people are so like the sea," said Romanian Orthodox Archbishop Teodosie Tomitanul. "We hope that, as the sea has been calm until now this year, our souls will be just as calm."
Some Orthodox Christian churches, including those in Russia, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, follow a different calendar, and Sunday was Christmas Eve, with Epiphany on Jan. 19.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/christian-orthodox-believers-celebrate-epiphany-140127187.html
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EzineArticles Alert: Internet-and-Businesses-Online:List-Building ...
EzineArticles Alert: Internet-and-Businesses-Online:List-Building ...
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://krpmano.blogspot.com/2013/01/ezinearticles-alert-internet-and.html
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