So what does your online presence say about you? A study commissioned by Microsoft surveying 1,200 HR professionals and 1,200 consumers showed 70% of hiring managers have rejected candidates based on what they found online. Find out more about the role  social media websites and online reputation management plays in job searching today.

Why is online reputation management so essential?

Online searches have become such a standard practice that only 2% of recruiters surveyed did not research their applicants online. Search Engines were the biggest research tool with a huge 78% of recruitment agents googling their applicants, 63% looking at social media sites, 59% looking at photo and video sharing sites and 48% found their way to professional and business working sites.

Some of the reasons why potential candidates were rejected were: concerns about their lifestyle (58%), inappropriate comments and text written by candidates (56%), unsuitable photos, videos and information (55%), inappropriate comments or text written by friends and families (43%) and comments criticising previous employers, co-workers or clients (40%).

What can you do to manage your online reputation?

Only 30 – 35% of respondents (depending on nationality) surveyed felt that their online reputation had little impact or significance when searching for a new job so how do you become part of the savvy majority? To a certain extent, you cannot control what people are saying and posting about you online but there are certain steps you can take to manage your online reputation:

• Ensure your Facebook can only be accessed by your friends online and control what is shown on the search results page. You can also adjust your privacy settings and opt out of public searches altogether.
• Don’t post any discriminating photos or videos online and ask your friends and family not to ‘tag you’ in any photos on Facebook without your authorisation to help manage your online reputation.
• Disable the auto-follow function on Twitter and protect your tweets. Remember when people respond to your tweets, this also appears on your profile. Search engines are also starting to index tweets in their search engine results.
• If you have an online blog, be careful not to write anything that might hurt your future job prospects. Make sure you also monitor comments online as well.
• Exercise caution when writing blog comments, participating in forums or engaging in social media activities. These may be linked back to you or your blog.
• Use a separate email account for work and your online social media activities and keep your public and private life separate.

Online reputation management is made even easier by setting up a Google alert. With this free service, you can search news, blogs, web, video, or groups for mentions of your name and get alerts instantly, once a day, or once a week.

What are the ethical implications of online search?

HR professionals searching online to find out information about applicants brings up some ethical concerns. The dangers of online search are that recruiters can easily and anonymously find out information about you that they would not be permitted to ask in an interview or application form. This may include:

• your marital status and age;
• your religious or cultural background;
• whether you are planning a family;
• medical history and;
• financial background.

Although this is very hard to prove and prosecute, anti-discrimination laws still apply so if you think you have been discriminated against, you should speak to the anti-discrimination body in your region. Of the HR professionals surveyed, 75% said their companies had a formal policy in place to research applicants online and 79% of US recruiters check reputational data.

So how do you exercise damage control?

So what can you do if you have posted a photo, comment or video in cyberspace and the past has come back to haunt you or someone has written something unfairly about you? In the world of job seeking, any publicity is not good publicity, it may just all be bad. And remember, it is very difficult to remove a listing from a search engine once it has been published.

Susan Moskwa, Google Webmaster Trends Analyst says to “reduce its [bad publicity] visibility in the search results by proactively publishing useful, positive information about yourself or your business.”

Ways you can proactively manage your online reputation and publish positive information are:

• The easiest way is to remove the negative comment at the source. Email the owner of the blog or website and ask them to remove the offending post or allow you to post a response in return.
• To counter negative comments about your skills and/or business, ask your clients who are happy with your services to post good reviews.
• Ask your previous managers and/or colleagues to post recommendations for you on business social networking websites like LinkedIn.
• Create your own blog where you can write posts about news and views, tips and tricks and other issues relevant to your industry. If you have an uncommon name, it shouldn’t take much effort at all to appear on page one of the search engine listings.
• As well as creating your own blog, write guest posts, comments on blogs or participate in forums that are relevant your industry and establish yourself as an expert in the field.
• Establish a positive social media presence if you haven’t done so already by creating a Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn account and again, this should rank well in search engines.

The good news is that all this hard work and online reputation management will not go unnoticed with almost half of human resources professionals in the United States surveyed stating that a positive online reputation influences the candidate’s application to a great extent.

In light of all this research, never post anything online that you would not want to talk about in an interview. The reality of today’s competitive job market is that a 140 character tweet that took you two seconds may have more relevance than your two page resume you spent hours updating. So while social media networks are becoming almost essential for interacting with busy friends and family, online reputation management is even more important for job searching and ongoing career development.

Versace, Gucci, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Roberto Cavalli were some of the big names at Milan Fashion Week 2010 showcasing the latest fashion styles and trends for Autumn and Winter 2010/2011 with fur, leather and wool dominating the runway.

From models and stylists to electricians and photographers, some 8,000 people were involved in over 80 catwalk shows in the Fashion Week held February 24 – March 1, according to Italy’s National Chamber of Fashion, which organises the event.

Designing a collection and organising a show may take months of work and preparation but designers only have a little over ten minutes to impress the buyers, fashion editors, stylists and now influential fashion bloggers who write about the latest fashion styles generated by the Fashion Week.

As the economic downturn hit the luxury sector, several fashion houses collaborated together to put on fashion shows, cut back on their expenses or didn’t show at all but the fashion chamber’s director Giulia Pirovano told Reuters that there was a stronger showing in 2010.

“There were (cost) cuts last year but there is more investment in 2010. Investing in a show is a production investment because of the returns it brings,”

“The value of all the publicity that comes from fashion publications is 10 times the investment put into a show and this is important. That is why all the designers want all the top models, the best stylists, the best makeup artists,” Giulia Pirovano said.

Whether it was answering the customer’s call or a response to the tightening of the economic belt, designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Sportmax and Max Mara ticked all the boxes with a collection of jackets, dresses and corsets with traditional tailoring and very wearable silhouettes.

Latest fashion styles from the Milan Fashion Week 2010 were military inspired jackets by Burberry Prorsum, biker chic by Gucci, boho deluxe by Roberto Cavalli, cheerful prints from Missoni and Fendi had an underlying 40’s theme with voluminous swing coats and full skirts.

Young and old designers alike seem to be embracing fur and stepping away from the political correctness of 1980s and 1990s when PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) campaigned heavily against the use of fur.

Off the catwalk, the fur flew as Anna Wintour, the director of American Vogue, announced she would be cutting her Milan Fashion Week 2010 stay short to attend Paris Fashion Week and the Oscars. This meant that the major designers had to show their collections in the first four days of the show.

The changed scheduled angered local Italian designers and businessmen who felt the show should go on ‘Wintour’ or without her and felt that it would diminish the strength of the fashion industry in Italy.

“No one, not even if she is called Anna Wintour, can allow themselves to make or unmake our fashion calendar,” Milan Mayor Letizia Moratti was quoted as saying in Italian newspapers.

Wintour affect aside, according to the Fashion Chamber, the industry’s turnover fell 15 percent to 56.5 billion euros ($76.76 billion) last year. It has forecast a 6.5 percent growth this year hoping that Milan Fashion Week 2010 predictions about the latest fashion styles will translate into tangible sales.

The best family beach vacations come in a range of offerings from renting a beachside condo or sharing a plush holiday villa. Or they could include staying in an all-inclusive family-orientated beach resort with all the luxurious facilities and amenities one would expect from a lavish resort. Family vacations vary depending on your taste, budget and length of stay and many choose to enjoy family vacations in hotels with a kids club on site to ensure the children never get restless or bored.

Beach Resorts

All inclusive properties at beach resorts provide some of the best family beach vacations and fun for the whole family is a top priority with this well established company. Age-appropriate activities are on offer and you can spend time relaxing on the beach while your children play with qualified staff or you can take the whole family to a water park for a day out.

Family resort holidays are effortless with beach resorts and you can find all inclusive properties around the Caribbean including:

• Beaches Negril – One of the best family beach vacations is located in Jamaica, where guests can enjoy a range of children’s programs, amenities and activities during their stay.
• Beaches Boscobel Waterpark – This Jamaican wonderland of water offers its visitors a multitude of splashing fun with a wide selection of water rides and activities to enjoy.
• Beaches Sandy Bay – Guests can enjoy world-class amenities and facilities and children of all ages are catered for at this luxurious Jamaican beachfront resort.
• Turks and Caicos – The beaches here are powdery white and the seas are crystal blue making this one of the most tranquil family resort getaways in the Caribbean.

Club Med

Club Med proudly offer their exclusive customers all inclusive family resorts that are ideal for the best family beach vacations and they boast great deals and offers for all the family throughout the year.

Those traveling with children can enjoy spacious properties in prime locations around the world as well as various children’s programs that cater for all ages and unbeatable deals for those visiting with children. All of the Club Med resorts provide their own unique tropical twist to make your family travel a memory to truly treasure.

Caribbean getaways

Some of the world’s best family beach vacations are found in the Caribbean where families spend time enjoying watersports in the turquoise waters and the exploring the numerous water parks and kids programs.

Discover the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands

Cheap family getaways can be enjoyed on the beautiful Whitsunday Islands and they are the ideal place to stay if you wish to explore the Great Barrier Reef in all its natural glory with the whole family.

Chill out in California

The infamous Golden State has something to suit all tastes and budgets from all inclusive hotels with a kids club through to luxury resorts, cabins and motels; all with fantastic amenities and facilities to cater for families.

Unwind in Hawaii

Luxurious beach resorts abound in Hawaii. Various programs aimed at children are widely available at the plush resorts and the beautiful beaches provide the perfect setting to enjoy idyllic family vacations.

Beachside holidays with all the family vary from action-packed breaks at waterparks with endless children’s programs filled with fun activities through to relaxing on the beach and swimming in the ocean while soaking up the tranquil surroundings. Wherever you want to go to in the world and whatever you want from your break, you can guarantee there is a holiday out there to suit your needs and the best family beach vacations make for memories that last a lifetime.

Early this week, Channel 7 did an interview with an analyst for Macquarie Private Wealth and David Kiely, was filmed in the background looking at emailed pictures of Victoria Secret model Miranda Kerr. The banker is now in ‘discussions’ with Macquarie executives to discuss his future.

With the help of Youtube, this incident has received even more coverage than the ham sandwich debacle of 2005 and is a timely reminder of the proper use of email at work. Here are six ways to curb your email habits and play nice in the office.

Do not use your work email to discuss personal issues with your colleagues

You may be friends with your work colleagues but only try and limit your work email to  work issues only. If you need to discuss any personal issues, pick up the phone and speak to your colleagues, use your personal email or wait until your break times or after work drinks.

Take a note from the two secretaries at prestigious law firm Allens Arthur Robinson. Their ‘discussion’ over an alleged stolen ham sandwich turned into a tirade of abuse and was quickly forwarded around the world in a matter of seconds.

Be professional in all your dealings with your clients

You may own your own business and be your own boss but that doesn’t mean that a rude email to a client will not be detrimental to your business. Email exchanges are not the forum for angry outbursts. In yet another warning of the power and pitfalls of email, a New Zealand couple’s war with an abusive wedding planner was forwarded around the world. 

If you have been sent a ‘suggestive’ or ‘emotive’ email, don’t respond straight away. Wait until you have calmed down and then reply back in a professional manner. There is no room for emotions at the office.

Don’t use your work email for a private exchanges with your partner

Work email is not meant for indulging in cyber sex and you need to be particularly careful of email ‘sexchanges’ if you’re indulging in an office romance. Claire Swire naively wrote a somewhat amorous email about how much she enjoyed oral sex with her now ex boyfriend who in the most public demonstration of kissing and telling, forwarded her email to his friends.

The email was forwarded onto friends of friends and made international headlines which resulted in him being suspended for breach of contract and no doubt resulted in the break-up.

Double check your email addresses in group emails

With programs like Microsoft Outlook, it is very easy to type in the wrong address for people with common first and last names. Before you send a group email, double check that you are sending it to the right person.

Schoolgirl Claire Mcdonald was the reluctant recipient of emails from high security emails from the Pentagon and the Ministry of Defence. Further investigation revealed that a Royal Navy officer based at the Pentagon had inadvertently included Claire on a mailing list and breached security because of a mere typo.

Proceed with caution when using ‘reply all’

The ‘reply all’ button is fraught with disaster and should only be used when necessary. Nielsen in a desperate attempt to declutter inboxes took the extreme step of deleting the ‘reply all’ from Microsoft Outlook. This may have been a response to curb trigger happy Mitchell Habib, Executive Vice President at Nielsen, obviously a huge proponent of the ‘do as I say and not as I do’ management style.

Habib allegedly sent an email to an employee and accidentally copied in all Nielsen employees ending his e-mail with the now famous punch line “Who do you work for, and why do you think copying me on this is appropriate?” showing even high powered executives are not exempt from email blunders.

Do not read or forward inappropriate attachments at work

As much as we would like to, we can’t control the emails that are coming from outside sources like our colleagues, friends and family but we can control our own behaviour and delete the email and not forward the emails onto others.

As a result of the banker’s inappropriate use of email and the resulting public relations disaster, Macquarie’s human resources department apparently has e-mailed all 11,500 staff around the world with its Internet policy, telling them to “familiarise themselves” with it. Most organisations have an Internet policy readily available on their intranet or can be easily accessed from the IT department.

While email bloopers can be amusing and good watercooler fodder, always remember that emails are owned by the company, they are a written record of your conduct and can be used in a court of law. While David Kiely’s colleagues have launched a campaign to save his job and seem to view the whole saga as a joke, Macquarie Private Wealth cannot be seen to take this so lightly.

What will happen to David Kiely is yet to be determined but think thrice before you press that button and forward an inappropriate attachment, use abusive language in an email or write a personal email to your partner. Your career depends on it.

Want to manage your business on the fly? Here are five of the best business Apple iPhone apps for road warriors who want to make every minute count.

Salesforce Mobile for the iPhone

Salesforce, a popular customer relationship management system is available on the iPhone in a lite version and premium version. Thanks to streamlined navigation, you can quickly perform tasks or find what you need in Salesforce CRM right from your mobile device. This Apple iPhone app is perfect for salespeople to update their records on the fly after a client meeting or responding immediately to leads, cases, and requests. The lite version is available for free to Professional Edition, Enterprise Edition and Unlimited Edition customers and the premium version is free for Unlimited Edition customers and available to Professional Edition and Enterprise Edition for a small fee.

Analytics App

Want to optimise your website in transit? The Analytics app gives you access to over 40 Google Analytics reports and even the ability to customise your own reports. The “Today” report is just like the Dashboard Report, but it always defaults to Today so you can see the most recent data that Google Analytics can show without changing the date range. The apple iPhone app supports multiple accounts and multiple websites. You can monitor your traffic, top ranking keywords, top landing pages and the number of visitors to your website and analyse your website statistics whether you’re in a meeting, on the road or in the back of a taxi and is available to download for $US5.99.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business social networking tool used by millions of people around the world. Download the app for free and stay connected when you’re out and about and add people directly into your LinkedIn account rather than exchanging physical business cards. It’s a more efficient and professional way of staying in touch with people. You also send updates by the LinkedIn app so people know what projects you’re working on and where you are and connect with professionals or friends when you’re mobile.

Shoeboxed

From the creators of Shoeboxed.com (a unique bookkeeping service that sends shoeboxes to their clients to collect their paperwork and receipts) has produced an Apple iPhone app. Available for free, Shoeboxed digitalizes your receipts and lets you generate an expense report all on your phone. Great for business people who are travelling or on the go and want to organise their receipts and expenses. Features include expense reports, email, phone support and being able to export expenses to bookkeeping software such as Quickbooks, Quicken, CSV, Freshbooks, and more.

The Wall Street Journal

Read the Wall Street Journal on your mobile while you’re in transit and keep up to date with finance market insights and current affairs as well as content from WSJ Digital Network sites including MarketWatch.com, Barrons.com and AllThingsD.com to keep you ahead of the game. Features include exclusive videos, radio podcasts, a customised navigation which allows you personalise your WSJ app to your liking with your favourite content and sharing articles. This app is currently free but this may not always be the case as the Wall Street Journal charges for its online content.

To find out more information about these apps or find more cool apps for your Apple iPhone, visit the Apple website.

Watching sport live in a world arena is something that most people only dream about … but with a little bit of preplanning and organisation, it is possible to get tickets to world class sporting events as long as you plan your trip at least six months to a year in advance. Here are five of the best sports travel events in 2010.

Winter Olympics – Canada

The host nation for the Winter Olympics is Vancouver, Canada and the Winter Olympics will be held from 12-28 February, 2010. Book a trip to Canada and watch the world’s best athletes compete in events like figure skating, ice hockey and speed skating coupled with Canadian hospitality and the best snow conditions in the world. Other attractions in Vancouver include Stanley Park which is larger than New York’s Central Park, Granville Island and the Vancouver Art Gallery. While downtown Vancouver does have many shopping districts and nightlife options, the city is quite famous for its restaurant scene.

For more information about the Winter Olympics and where to purchase tickets.

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

The FIFA World Cup will be hosted by South Africa next year from June 11th to July 11th 2010 for all avid football fans. It is only held every four years so this is your chance for you and your friends to go and see the matches live while experiencing the wild, tribal delights of South Africa. The beautiful country has plenty to offer as a holiday destination, with its biological, geographic and cultural diversity.

Read more about the 2010 FIFA World Cup and find ticketing information.

Tour de France – Netherlands

The 97th Tour de France will be held in Netherlands from July 3rd to July 25th 2010 and start in Rotterdam and cover 3,600 kilometres over flats and mountain terrain. One of Rotterdam’s main attractions is Diergaarde Blijdorp, the extensive zoo that includes the impressive Oceanium, where visitors can walk through a huge shark tunnel surrounded by sharks and giant tortoises. A visit to Rotterdam would not be complete without a tour of the harbour on the Spido or a visit to the 185m-high Euromast.

Find out more about the Tour de France.

2010 FIBA World Championship – Turkey

The FIBA World Championships will showcase the best the world has to offer in basketball and is held every four years. Turkey will host the 2010 FIBA World Championships from 28 August to 12 September 2010. After a long day at the basketball, you need to take a Turkish bath (when in Turkey) and have a relaxing massage or indulge in retail therapy at the world’s largest covered market, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. Other attractions include the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque.

Obtain more information about the FIBA World Championships.

Commonwealth Games – India

The Commonwealth Games will be held in New Delhi, India in 2010 from the 3-13 October 2010. Delhi will feature 17 sports including swimming, athletics cycling, shooting and weight lifting. Delhi tourist attractions include the Akshardham Temple and Bahia Temple, Humayun’s Tomb and India Gate. Some of the best regions to shop in Delhi are Cannaught place, South Ex, Sarojini Nagar, Lajapat Nagar. Delhi offers a vast array of restaurants offering the best of Indian cuisine and a buzzing nightlife.

Find out more about the Commonwealth Games held in India.

Watching sport live on a world arena in a foreign and exotic country can be a once in a lifetime experience. So remember when combining a sporting event with a holiday; remember to book early as popular sporting events such as the World Cup may have a lottery system for tickets.

Want to take your partner on a romantic getaway or go away on a Christmas holiday  can’t afford the time or money or time to go overseas? We bring you six of the best domestic Christmas holiday destinations right here in Australia.

South Coast (New South Wales)

A South Coast holiday might be the beach escape you are looking for. The South Coast region on the southern border of NSW offers a vast number of coastal towns to suit your interests whether you’re looking for a nature holiday, water sports or just want to relax mindlessly on the beach. Popular cities along the South Coast include Werri Beach, Seven Mile Beach, Gerriwong, Kiama, Kangaroo Valley, Gerriwong, Bundeena and Stanwell Park. So if you’re looking for deserted beaches, national parks, rugged mountains and ocean cliffs, visit the unspoiled South Coast of NSW.

Find out more about the South Coast of NSW.

Whitsundays (Queensland)

If you want to combine romance and adventure, then the Whitsundays is your ticket. Bordered by the Great Barrier Reef and 74 tropical islands in the calm waters of the Coral Sea, the Whitsundays lies midway along Australia’s Queensland coast. There are so many things to see and do like sailing around the Whitsundays islands, deep sea diving at the Great Barrier Reef, whale watching or relaxing on one of the many sun kissed beaches.

Find out more about the Whitsundays.

Kangaroo Island (South Australia)

Kangaroo Island spans 155km in length and is known for its wildlife (hence it’s name) and you can see kangaroos and wallabies predominately at dawn and dusk, penguins, seals and koalas. Local attractions include the Flinders Chase National Park, Seal Bay Conservation Park and the Kangaroo Island Penguin Centre. In a study of 10,000 Australian beaches by Sydney University, Professor Andrew Short admitted that if pressed, Kangaroo Island’s Vivonne Bay with its pristine, clean waters was one of his favourites.  So if you’re looking for a wilderness holiday, escape to Kangaroo Island and be one with the wildlife.

Find out more about Kangaroo Island.

Phillip Island (Victoria)

Phillip Island combines nature with adrenalin. It is only located 90 minutes away from Melbourne and hosts the International Motorcycle Grand Prix, World Championship Superbikes and Australian Touring Car Championships. Popular things to do on Phillip Island include feeding the pelicans on the world famous Penguin Parade, indulging in a multitude of water sports, taking a tour of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and hiking and cycling around the island.

Find out more about Phillip Island.

Cradle Mountain (Tasmania)

Cradle Mountain embodies romance and is the perfect destination if you’re looking for a wilderness holiday in a tranquil setting. With its majestic alpine peaks, and beautiful lakes, it’s no wonder Cradle Mountain is one of Tasmania’s most popular tourist and holiday destinations. This World Heritage National Park boasts some of the most spectacular bush walking in the state. Stay in one of the many cabins or chateaus based at the foot of the national park and indulge in outdoor hikes, massages and enjoy the best of local produce and wines.

Find out more about Cradle Mountain.

Hunter Valley (New South Wales)

The Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s oldest and well known wine regions and romantic destinations. There is no shortage of choice with over 60 restaurants, 120 wineries, 160 accommodation venues and a vast range of activities. Indulge in wine tasting, take a cooking class and sample the local produce, play a round of golf at one of Hunter Valley’s world class golf courses or visit one of the many festivals held throughout the year.

Find out more about the Hunter Valley.

So if you’re looking for a South Coast holiday, nature holiday, adventure or romantic getaway, look no further than the heart of Australia with its beautiful beaches, untouched natural habitat and spectacular wilderness.

Scratching your head over what to get your loveable gadget geek or technologically forward parents or best friend this Christmas? Here are five of the best electronic gadget gifts.

64GB iPod touch

The iPod touch is a multi-media player that allows you to listen to music, watch videos, play games on a generous 3.5 inch display. The 64 GB of memory allows you to download 14,000 songs, store 80 hours of video and add 90,000 photos. New and exciting features include the clever ‘Voice Control’ feature where you can ask the iPod touch to play songs from a specific artist or playlist and use commands such as ‘stop’, ‘shuffle’ or ‘pause’ to control the iPod, peer-to-peer gaming so you can challenge your friends to games and the ‘Genius’ feature which allows you to mix songs together.

3GS iPhone

The 3GS iPhone has been released with even greater capabilities and a faster response time. With the 3GS iPhone, you shoot a high quality video; edit the video right on your phone and share videos via MMS or post on YouTube. With the iDisk functionality, it makes it easy to store and share files online so you can access them any time from any computer or even from your iPhone. The handy MobileMe feature stores your mail, contacts and calendar information to keep everything in sync across your iPhone, Mac, PC and the web.

Nikon COOLPIX S570 Digital Camera

The Nikon COOLPIX S570 is a 12.0 megapixel digital camera with approximately 47 MB of internal memory and fits nicely in your pocket without breaking the Christmas budget. You’ll be able to take great photos at the family Christmas party with the face-priority AF feature which automatically detects up to 12 faces in the shot and adjusts the focus and exposure while the Blink Proof function automatically shoots two sequential frames and saves the one in which the subject’s eyes are wide open. The in-built In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically corrects any perceived red-eye effect before saving the image to memory so bad family photos will be a thing of the past. With the Hi-Speed USB connectivity, you will be able to email the Christmas party photos around the world to overseas relatives in just a matter of minutes.

Sony VAIO X Series

The Sony VAIO will be the talk of the Christmas party. With its impossibly thin and extremely light body, it will soon become your most valuable accessory without being high maintenance. It has a long battery life, 11.1 inch screen and only weighs 745 grams. There are a lot of different VAIO models on the market that even come in bright gold, silver and hot pink so make sure you choose the laptop with the right specifications for your gift recipient’s needs so it remains functional as well as fashionable.

amazon kindle

The amazon kindle which features ebooks is starting a new chapter in electronic publishing. More than 360,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs available available, including more than 101 of 112 current New York Times best sellers but not everything is available for each international market so make sure you check before downloading. At only 10.3 ounces, it is lighter and thinner than a paperback and holds over 200 titles. With in-built wireless connection, you can purchase ebooks directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport or in bed.

When buying electronic gadgets as gifts as a rule, make sure you enquire about what the warranties will cover, whether you can download additional software or purchase upgrades to increase functionality and what accessories come with the electronic gadget.

You’ve just broken up with the love of your life and you need a movie to reignite your belief and faith in love. It’s a good idea to stay away from violent movies but romantic comedies should help ease the pain of a breakup and show there is still hope for true love. Here are five of the best movies to watch after a break-up.

The break-up

This is a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston (Brooke Meyers) and Vince Vaughn (Gary Grobowski). The movie is about a couple who live together and decide to break up after one too many nights of petty bickering. They try and one-up each other with the ultimate battle of the exes and each performs crazy and mean-spirited stunts to try and force each the other person out of the condo. Brooke finally realises that she needs to move out for the sake of her sanity.

Moral of the movie: Makes you realise that some break-ups are for the best.

Pretty Woman

Julia Roberts (Vivian Ward) is cast as the prostitute with a heart of gold who meets millionaire, Richard Gere (Edward Lewis). He asks her stay the week with him for $3,000 and despite his best intentions; he is won over by her naivety and her lust for life. She shows him that there is more to life than business and a lot more time should be devoted to pleasure and enjoying the simple things in life.

Moral of the movie: You can find love in the most unlikeliest of places with the most unlikeliest of people.

Ghosts of girlfriends past

Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) is a notorious womaniser with a bad boy reputation. His brother Paul (Breckin Meyer) is about to get married, and Connor thinks he is making a terrible mistake. He tries to talk him out of getting married and the night before the wedding, Connor is visited by three ghosts who take him back to his past, present, and his lonely future. They try to discover the point in time where Connor changed his attitudes towards women and change him back into a sensitive, feeling, and caring person that he once was, and perhaps even rediscover his true love.

Moral of the movie: That even a womanizer can come good in the end.

How to lose a guy in ten days

Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) works at a magazine and is asked to write a story about how to lose a guy in ten days, hence the title of the movie. In steps Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) who is a cocky advertising executive who is competing with two female co-workers for a major campaign for a diamond merchant. He makes a bet with them that if he can make a woman of their choice fall in love with him in 10 days, the diamond account is his. Andie and Benjamin each have competing agendas and eventually … well, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out what happens.

Moral of the movie: There is a lighter side to dating.

The Notebook

The Notebook is the tale of a summer romance that lasts a lifetime. The movie starts with an old man in a nursing home who is reading a story to an old woman each day. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) and Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling). They met one evening at a carnival many years ago. Allie’s parents separate Noah and Allie because they do not believe that Noah is a suitable partner for Allie. He writes her 365 love letters that her parents hide from her. Under the impression that he doesn’t love her, Allie becomes engaged to a wealthy soldier called Lon. However she sees Noah’s picture in the newspaper and as hard as she tries, she cannot forget her first love.

Moral of the movie: True love conquers all.

Break-ups can be difficult but try some old fashioned escapism and lose yourself in these romantic comedies that show you that romance is not dead and there is life after a break-up.

Self-proclaimed ‘Cosmetic Cop’ and American author Paula Begoun says women shouldn’t shop for beauty products without knowing more about the tricks cosmetics companies use. Paula gets to the root of the matter in her book of “Don’t go to the cosmetics counter without me“. Here are five common beauty myths.

Myth: Expensive cosmetics are better than inexpensive cosmetics

Paula says that there are good and bad products in all price categories and it’s about the formulation, not about the price. An irritant-free toner by Neutrogena can be just as good as, or maybe even better than, an irritant-free toner by Orlane or La Prairie (depending on the formulation), and any irritant-free toner is infinitely better than a toner that contains alcohol, peppermint, menthol, essential oils, eucalyptus, lemon, or other irritants, no matter how natural-sounding the ingredients are and regardless of the price or claim.

Myth: Eye creams are specially formulated for use around the delicate eye area

Paula says that there is no evidence, research, or documentation validating the claim that the eye area needs ingredients different from those you use on your face or neck area or décolletage. Even if there were ingredients that were special for the eye area, that isn’t evident in eye products; their formulations are random, with no consistency in the industry. All cosmetics companies put whatever ingredients they want to into their eye products (and usually give you half as much but charge you twice as much as the same product for your face). The ingredient label on these “specialty” products more than proves the point. Paula claims eye creams are a whim of the cosmetics industry designed to evoke the sale of two products when only one is needed.

Myth: You can’t repair damaged hair

Paula says in her book “Don’t go shopping for hair products without me” that there is no one miracle product that can cure your hair-care woes and there are hair-care products that can “repair, fix, correct, restructure, reform, change, reconstruct, restore, rebuild or alter damaged hair.” So unfortunately, if you have bleach damaged hair, split ends or damaged hair from straightening irons, while hair-care products may temporarily mask the damage and make the hair look superficially better, there is no choice but to ultimately trim or cut off the damaged hair and wait for it to grow back.

Myth: Drinking water helps cellulite

Paula says that while drinking water probably is beneficial (although there is really no research showing how much is healthy versus unhealthy), there is no research showing water consumption will impact fat anywhere on your body, let alone the dimples on your thighs. A healthy diet that encourages weight loss may help your entire body look better. However, because weight is not a cause of cellulite, dieting won’t change the skin structure of your thighs, which causes the dimpled contours to show. Exercise helps almost every system in the human body, but it won’t necessarily impact the appearance of cellulite she says.

Myth: Everyone needs a day cream and a night cream: Skin requires special care at night

Paula says the only different between a daytime and night-time moisturiser is that the daytime version should contain a well-formulated sunscreen and that there isn’t a shred of research or a list anywhere of what those ingredients should be. She says skin needs a generous amount of antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and skin-identical ingredients all day and all night. Paula says that for daytime wear, unless your foundation contains an effective sunscreen, it is essential that your moisturizer feature a well-formulated, broad-spectrum sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher.

Not all cosmetics, beauty and hair products are created and priced equally so read more about Paula Begoun’s cosmetic truths and her books and find out how you can get the most for your beauty dollar.