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CONTENTS
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Friday, May 6, 2005
New Leaf Wailersfest
Sangha Hall
Hilo, Hawaii, U.S.
www.hawaiireggae.com
Hotline: 800-736-3922

Friday-Saturday, May 6-7, 2005
Loyal Family Zoe Jam 2005
Camp Zoe
Salem, Missouri, U.S.
www.loyalfamily.com
Hotline: 314-776-7171

Saturday, May 7, 2005
Reggae Sunsplash 2005
Trempealeau Hotel
Trempealeau, Wisconsin, U.S.
www.trempealeauhotel.com
Hotline: 608-534-6898

Friday-Sunday, May 13-15, 2005
Joshua Tree Music Festival
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree, California, U.S.
www.joshuatreemusicfestival.com
Hotline: 877-327-6265

Friday-Sunday, May 13-15, 2005
Uphonia
Spanish Moss Farms
Quincy, Florida, U.S.
www.uphoniafest.com
Hotline: 727-724-9755

Friday-Sunday, May 13-15, 2005
White Mountains Unity Festival
Branch Brook Campground
Campton, New Hampshire, U.S.
www.whitemountainsunityfestival.com
Hotline: 603-744-6299

Wednesday-Sunday, May 18-22, 2005
Afrika Tage München 2005
Munich, Germany
www.afrika-tage.de
Hotline: 0049-89-74117155

Saturday-Sunday, May 21-22, 2005
6th Annual Phoenix Legends of Rasta Reggae Festival
Tom's Festival Grounds & Park
Phoenix/Buckeye, Texas, U.S.
www.legendsofrastareggaefestival.com
Hotline: 281-893-0044

Friday-Sunday, May 27-29, 2005
Camp Reggae
Isabella, Tennessee, U.S.
www.campreggae.com
Hotline: 706-632-5408

Friday-Sunday, May 27-29, 2005
Big Wu Family Reunion
Harmony Park Music Garden
Geneva, Minnesota, U.S.
www.thebigwu.com
Hotline: 651-251-1028

Friday-Sunday, May 28-30, 2005
Dallas Caribbean Festival
Dallas Fair Park
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
www.dallasfestival.com
Hotline: 214-632-9531

Sunday-Monday, May 29-30, 2005
UCLA Jazz/ Reggae Festival
UCLA Campus
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/jazzreggae
Hotline: 310-825-9912

 

Festival listings are believed to be correct.
Please contact the promoter directly for more information.

Are you a reggae festival promoter? Post your festival at
www.ReggaeFestivalGuide.com/post_festival.html

What's Patois for a small dancehall?

"BRAM HOUSE"

New Caribbean Restaurant Open in Berkeley, California

Chef Judith O'Loughlin is pleased to announce the opening of her new restaurant - "The Caribbean Cove" - at 2556 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704. Open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday through Sunday, the restaurant will serve up Judith's fare of exotic and authentic Caribbean dishes. Long-time fans of Judith and newcomers alike are invited to come and celebrate!

The Caribbean Cove is a woman-of-color owned independent restaurant and catering business serving the San Francisco Bay area. The Caribbean Cove serves up authentic Caribbean cuisine for a wide range of special occasions including hosted events, corporate parties, wedding receptions, them parties, backstage cooking for music events and more. For a menu and information on services, visit www.thecaribbeancove.com.

Do You Really Need Testimonials on Your Site?
By Jim Daniels

I get this question a lot. And frankly, I've never been a big testimonial guy. Well, until recently.

If you've ever wondered about the effectiveness of testimonials, this article should clear any doubt in your mind. Not only will you see testimonials in this article, you'll discover the secrets to using them effectively.

As most of my subscribers know, I develop and promote Internet marketing products and services. And this is a niche that is, well... somewhat crowded. Heck, just do a search at google.com for "internet marketing expert" and you'll find more than nine million (yes, that's 9,000,000) web pages listed. Wow. That's a lot of experts. But heck, do a search for ANYTHING you need or want online and you'll find thousands, if not millions of choices. So who do you believe? That's the question millions of potential customers want to know!

As a web business owner myself, I hate to have to admit this, but... making purchases from unknown vendors on the web can be a real crap shoot. There are far too many cons, scams, cheats, hacks and just plain old bad businesses on the web. And because of that, trust is something you have to instill in your visitors order to make sales on the web. But how do you portray an image of trust online when customers can't see you or shake your hand? Simple. You let your other customers do the talking. Here's a perfect example...

"Good Afternoon Jim,

In a word, WOW! Your ezWebBusinessBuilder is a one-stop source for developing all aspects of a successful Internet business. The information and tasks are easy to understand and implement. It is clear you will help many people 'get it all together' for long-term success. You are so right: 'View it and Do it!'"

Thank you,
Chip Snyder
Hagerstown, Maryland

Even the giants realize the value of testimonials... Go to amazon.com - one of the web's largest Internet-only based retailers, and look for any product you might be interested in. When you get to the product page, more than likely you'll find one thing prominently displayed... Customer comments. Why does amazon.com include these with nearly everything they sell? It's a simple theory. People are more comfortable purchasing when they can first read what people like themselves think about the product. It makes them feel more at ease knowing not only that other folks like them bought it already, but exactly what they thought of it. Real letters, like this work wonders...

"Jim, I haven't even implemented anything yet, but wanted to let you know that this CD is unbelievable. I am excited even though I have no idea what I could sell yet! I definitely want to promote this CD for commissions though - it is truly unreal."

Leslie Tribolet
Princeville, Hawaii

Simply put, a few good customer testimonials can increase sales literally overnight. How do I know? Last Friday I posted a bunch of those testimonials at my site and saw my conversion rate increase by 30%. Overnight. The site where I experienced an overnight increase in conversion rate can be viewed at ezWebBusinessBuilder - notice how I worked the testimonials into the copy. They not only help answer potential customers' questions, they flow with the copy as well. And yes, even I was surprised at how effective they were. I've never been a big fan of blending testimonials into copy, but that little experiment convinced me that I was stubborn about that for far too long.

If you are not using plenty of testimonials at your site already, I suggest you start. If you don't have any, just drop your customers a line and ask them what they thought of X product or Y service. If you've been in business any length of time you surely have some happy customers who would be willing to write letters like this...

"Just a note to tell you I LOVE the WebBusinessBuilder CD. I must be in that group of people who learn better with a visual message than the written word. Some of the information I "knew" from reading it, but seeing it suddenly put it in focus and I knew what to do and how to do it. Thank you for making such a valuable teaching tool."

Sharon Owen
San Antonio, Texas

And if you're brand new to business, fear not. You will get testimonials. I suggest you use a follow-up autoresponder to contact customers a month or so after they make any purchase from you. You don't need a long questionnaire, just a simple, "what did you think" message will suffice. You'd be surprised at how much a customer will tell you when you leave it up to their own imagination. Here are five tips on using "customer comments" at your website...

• Make sure testimonials at your site are specific and not generic in nature. Generic testimonials are not as believable as detailed comments. So ask your customers to elaborate on their comments if possible.

• Be sure to get permission from your customers to use the testimonials.

• Include the customer's full name and geographic location. A good sprinkling of customers across the globe shows that your product/service works everywhere...

"Thanks for your ezWebBusinessBuilder CD!!! I enjoyed watching it very much! I can not imagine a more enjoyable way to learn, work on and produce an online income stream..."

Thank you very much & best regards,
Paul Schmidmayr
Graz Styria, Austria

Use customer comments throughout your websites and newsletters. Set up a whole page of letters like I have here - and then take your very best one or two testimonials and put them on your most prominent pages. I did this recently at my bizweb2000.com home page and saw an instant increase in conversion. Consider the top three or four reasons your potential customers may be hesitant to order. Then post customer comments that address those issues.

The web is still like the wild west of old -- full of snake oil salesmen. If you want to establish your web business and earn steady, reliable income, you need to earn the trust of your potential customers. Letting potential clients read comments from your best customers is still the best way to do that. So do it, and do it over and over. You may be surprised at the results.

Article by Jim Daniels of JDD Publishing - Creator of ezWebBusinessBuilder.com - the world's first View it and Do It software for profiting from the web.

Getting Serious About Promoting Your Band?

You love creating music and/or art, but you are bogged down with mundane tasks of every day business - putting your creativity on the back burner. Having a manager is essential to surviving the business of promoting your own talent in this day and age. One burgeoning company based out of California is ready to take your talent to the next level. Owner's name is Amy Shapas and she is willing to negotiate a contract with you that you are able to afford. Call 831-479-0711 and visit her website at www.soyoucan.com.