Caribbean technology is expanding and this is a new, huge concept. People in Nevis and St. Kitts who witness breaking news, now have an outlet to SHARE THEIR SCOOP with the introduction of SKNVibes’ Breaking News text service.

IT’S THE LATEST THING IN CELL PHONE TECHNOLOGY? SKNVibes offers this amazing new technology news outlet.

SO HOW DOES THIS WORK? WELL, BY SIMPLY TEXTING YOUR NEWS TO 7568!
This new service enables eyewitnesses or persons with knowledge of a newsworthy event, and who are owners of LIME mobile phones, to text “NEWS” to 7568 for the price of EC$1 and their message will be circulated among SKNVibes’ employees.

HOW WILL THE SENDER KNOW IT WAS RECEIVED?
They will receive a text acknowledging receipt of the message. They will then be contacted by a SKNVibes’ reporter shortly following. However, when contacted, the informant must be prepared to state what happened, where it happened and, if possible, who is involved. t might help for them to write down the details so that the facts are kept straight!

WHAT WILL THEY BE REWARDED FOR NEWSWORTHY EVENTS?
It does pay off a bit! If the lead turns out to be sufficiently newsworthy, the person will receive at least EC$10. The public is also encouraged to take photos of these events. Pictures can be emailed, text or physically delivered to SKNVibes’ office on Central Street. These photos must however be delivered in a timely manner and, if used, the provider will be compensated.

WHY IS THIS IDEA BEING IMPLIMENTED?
Udora Farrell is the SKNVibes Vice President of Sales and Marketing. She said that the initiative is a way to engage public assistance in the execution of the company’s reporting. She noted that it is a measure undertaken by many international leading media houses and that the company is pleased to offer it in the Federation.

She also said:

“As far as I know, SKNVibes is the only local media house offering such an efficient and immediate informant system. This is the fulfilment of our pledge to deliver new services that give opportunities and incentives for visitors of the site.

“Our reporters cannot be everywhere at all times and so we are keen to ensure that we can report on as much of the Federation’s news as we possibly can. This is the addition of yet another great service to the SKNVibes portfolio.”

An enthused consumer voiced their approval of the initiative:

“There are times when people see news happening but they are unable to contact the appropriate media to alert them to this information. This new service provided by SKNVibes ensures that people who have newsworthy stories to tell are able to do so from any location at any time.”

Another pleased consumer concurred:

“There are systems similar to this in many global news organisations, so it’s good to see SKNVibes introducing this advanced technology and really enhancing the ability of their reporters to be cognisant of the various goings-on around St. Kitts and Nevis.”

Other recent services offered by the company to mobile phone users include ferry schedules, movie line-up at Caribbean Cinemas and entertainment events occurring in the Federation.

If you are nearing Nevis Travel, keep this in mind. You never know when news will breaking happen!

Nevis Island Lover ~ Becca Briley

The beautiful Federation of Nevis and St. Kitts has a new outlet in which to share love over the holidays. I just heard about Soundboard.com. They offer enough holiday tracks to make this season more festive, more interactive for everyone! What a wonderful way to share the love over the Holidays.

They have over 170,000 audio sound clips and bites on their popular audio-sharing site. What do they offer? They have everything from holiday songs to animal noises.

Market Watch offers a press release on the festive topic…

Director Mike Mitchell says their holiday audio clips always become popular — particularly for Halloween and Christmas.

“For plays, nativity scenes, parties — we’ve got sounds you can download or play for any event,” he adds.

And that means soundboards for everything from ‘Merry Christmas in 15 Languages’ to the SNL Classic ‘Hannukah Harry Saves Christmas’ — on Schlomo!

“Video captures the moment — sound adds to the moment,” Mitchell responds, citing its use by radio stations, production companies, voiceover talent, office parties and gaming groups. He also notes usage of soundboards by speakers at conferences and in presentations.

So what exactly is Soundboard.com? Well, they describe it as “a web community that allows members to build soundboards. This consists of a collection of categorized sounds. Visitors can listen, download, embed and even send a sound via email. Soundboards are segmented into ‘categories’ including sports, travel, personal, radio, games and of course, holidays, along with fifteen more.”

So, check it out if this interests you! It’s always nice to spread the LOVE, especially during the beautiful Holiday Season.

Speaking of spreading the LOVE… Here is My Favorite Holiday song! It’s the Christmas Canon from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, brought to you by You Tube!

Nevis Island Lover ~ Becca Briley

A new informational Website and informational television channel in the works for the twin Caribbean Islands!

Sunstkitts.com informs that A Website will enhance the image of SKN…

St. Kitts / Nevis will use the single namespace gov.kn to help enhance the image of the twin-island Federation and facilitate nationals living here and abroad, as well as potential investors, interfacing with government’s agencies and departments.

“The naming of Web sites and other e-services will strictly follow international best practice,” Minister of State for Education, Information and Technology, Sen. Nigel Carty said.

At Monday’s Cabinet meeting, government affirmed its commitment to the continuous evolution of its own technology policy by approving a policy to bring greater uniformity to government’s presence in cyberspace.

Information Technology Centre at the C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Park (Photo by Erasmus Williams)

St. Kitts promotes visitor channel as well…

St. Kitts is going to get its own television channel - and its main objective will be to provide visitors to St. Kitts with an entertaining mix of information about things they can see and do on the island.

The channel is a joint venture between the St. Kitts / Nevis Hotels and Tourism Association (HTA) and Brisbane Productions.

The St. Kitts visitor channel is scheduled to go on the air at the end of September. At the moment it’s expected to be carried on Channel 70, which will be part of the basic cable package and all the premium packages. This means it will be available in all hotels and private residences.

The channel will offer a smorgasbord of entertaining, up-to-the-minute information on just about everything the island has to offer, including golf, scuba diving, international and local cricket and soccer, snorkelling, dining out, eco-tourism, beaches, scenery, rain forest tours, music, culture, catamaran outings, night life and world-class attractions such as Brimstone Hill and Romney Manor.

The channel will be on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and programming will be rotated to keep the mix as fresh and vibrant as possible.

It’s great to see the twin islands spreading the good word about what new and hott in St. Kitts and Nevis West Indies

Here is a Olympic music video for the 2008 Olympics by QUEEN LATIFAH - CHAMPION [OFFICIAL FULL MUSIC VIDEO] on Youtube:

Becca Briley

Just because it is a heavenly haven for all to escape in a tropical paradise… Nevis is still plugged into the World

See the Stats on Internet Usage and Population Statistics in NEVIS:

YEAR: 2000 USERS-1,500 POPULATION-42,696 % PEN.-8.2 % GDP P.C.-US$ 9,617 USAGE SOURCE-UN

YEAR: 2008 USERS-10,000 POPULATION-39,349 % PEN.-25.4 % GDP P.C.-US$ 10,820 USAGE SOURCE-ITU

Since December, 2005 - 10,000 Internet users were said to make up the 25.4% of the population, according to the International Telecommunication Union. Find out more from Internet World Stats.

Well most of the major Nevis Hotels, Nevis Resorts and Nevis Villas offer connectivity to the Web! So don’t worry; you’re email is still just a click away on your time off

The Cable & Wireless just recently received the Chamber Award for their Contribution to Education in Nevis and St. Kitts

Education is Always a Big Deal on Nevis Island!

Earlier in July the Chamber of Industry and Commerce presented a national award to Cable & Wireless for its contribution to education.

The Ag Chief Executive, Mr. Terrence Crossman said at the ceremony that “Although we expect no recognition for doing what any civic-minded and good corporate citizen should do, it sure feels good that an institution of the caliber of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce has recognized us for our social investment. Education is one of the few areas from which one can see tangible results manifested in and across our society and as such it’s surely worth the investment.”

Such a true statement, huh?

God Bless Nevis, West Indies

~ Becca Briley ~