Welcome to publication #11!

Issue #11: March 2008

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Intro

Its one year! Un año![spanish], Une l'année! [french], En år! [Swedish]

March marked the first anniversary of the launch of this amazing little website, and oh, what a year it was!

Yep, it was a lot of work, but not only was it [and still is] a lot of fun, I have certainly learnt a lot- I mean a LLLLOT!

And from the feedback I have been getting, many others have been very very appreciative of the site as well. I get emails every week with some sort of commendation. Here are a few.

Thank YOU for been a part of our little online Jamaican community as well. I am very confident that this time next year, God's willing, will even be a lot more exciting for us!

So what's new this month?

..well, lots of happenings both in JA and on the site- you bet, but I always narrow them down to the most relevant or most significant.

So as I always say...

...lets get rolling!

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Did you Know?

• ..that commercial radio broadcasting started on July 9, 1950 in Jamaica?

  This was by the Jamaica Broadcasting Company. The name was later changed to Radio Jamaica and Rediffusion (RJR).

• ...that Jamaica also was the first island in the Caribbean to produce rum on a commercial basis?

• ...and that Jamaica has the seventh largest natural harbour in the world?

  Yep, This is the Kingston Harbour?

Well, now you know.

Don't miss the entire collection of Intriguing facts about Jamaica here.

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The Latest from Jamaica!

1. Govt. to Diversify Tourism Offerings

   I always believed that tourism is, and will remain one of the drivers of our Jamaican economy, but we have to diversify- so this is great news!

   More on this story here.

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2. No More Hospital Fees! At least for now!

   "In keeping with the commitment it made to the Jamaican people, the Government will abolish user fees at public hospitals and health facilities with effect from tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1, 2008".

   Of course, it brings great optimism for some, but much skepticism for others.

   Full story here.

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3. Sandals Hotels voted among 'Top 500' Superbrands in the UK!

   "The experts and consumers have spoken and we are truly honoured to be ranked 355 among the top 500 consumer brands in the UK..." Gordon "Butch" Stewart.

   Read this article for more.

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The Latest on My-Island-Jamaica.com

1. The Jamaican Services Directory!

   I am partnering with Jamaican interests here and abroad to present my site's visitors with some of the best Jamaican products and services.

   The page is actually live now and I'm already receiving some excellent feedback.

   Hop over right now and take a look.

   And by the way, if you know someone who may be interested in this great publicity, send them here.

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2. More Insightful Pictures from JA!

   I told you that March marked the 1st Anniversay of this site, so quite fittingly, I loaded up quite a lot more local pictures to share with you.

   From pictures of our backyard sugarcane and tamarind, to the domesticated Jamaican Ram Goat and even our family Donkey!
   View the entire collection here!

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Features!

1. How to get the BEST hotel rates- anywhere! No Kidding!

   The secret is a web tool called HotelsCombined.com. I have been a passive affiliate of this service for a while now, but honestly, I never really knew how powerful it is.

   We were going to Ocho Rios two weekends ago, I knew I was going to stay at the Sunset Jamaica Grande hotel as long as they had vacancy. However, I also wanted to see if I could get some discount- as a local.

   I called them up and they quoted me a local price- which sounded reasonable. Anyway, for the fun of it I went back to HotelsCombined.com and checked. To my amazement I got a deal much better than the price they were quoting me here- as a local!

   Of course I booked online! Its a really cool tool.

   So, How does it work?

   ...it basically scrubs the entire internet to find and compare prices from the top travel and hotel websites then present the best ones to you.

   Learn from my experience, make sure you check them out before your next booking!

2. Share in our Forums- Still open to you!

   As I indicated to you in the last issue of this ezine, the greatest part of my web site's experience is the SBI forums- its priceless!

   And as a valid subscriber to my site, I got the opportunity from Ken to allow you to gain insight directly from other SBI'ers like myself who are making money online, while helping to make the internet a lot more valuable- and fun!.

   Please use this as your login:
   user name: my-island-jamaica.com
   password: my-island-jamaica.com

   You can jump right into the forums from here.

   You won't be able to post, but ALL the post are open to you otherwise.

   Let me know what you think!

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Summary

Have you actually started sharing this site with others?

If not, please help me by sending them this link:
https://www.my-island-jamaica.com

They will certainly thank you for the insightful information and of course, the site will also benefit from increase popularity as well.

Always nice talking with you, have a great rest of the day.

Regards,
Wellesley