Ciao UK Blog

Going for gold

The opening of the 21st Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver got off to an unfortunate start following the death of Georgian luge competitor which shocked the World on the eve of the games. But the mood has since recovered following its tumultuous start, and the first days have shown some great showdowns and close races. Not only this, but it has also shown how dependent outdoor sports are on weather conditions – as seen in the biathlon race and skijumping events. And there are even more challenges for competitors to overcome over the next week – whether it is ice hockey at the Thunderbird arena, or snowboarding on Cypress mountain.

So for all of you at home, how are you finding catching up on the games when they are shown late at night? Why don’t you hold a Winter Olympic party over the weekend, filled with “cool” Nordic specialties to enjoy watching the games with your friends! And if you feel like it, why not take advantage of the long winter that has hit Europe and go away to do some Winter Olympic sports of your own! Who knows, if you practice enough you may even make it to the next games in Russia! But if you are going away, make sure you get the right gear. If you are planning on going to Sochi in Russia for the next winter games, plan ahead and get the right winter jacket to keep you warm. There are also lots of great deals on the official Olympic fan shop to help you get in the mood and support your team to the full.

But if you’re completely fed up with the cold and are keen to stay in the warm, why not check out some of the greatindoor games available which you can play from your house. There are plenty of ideas to keep everyone entertained and we hope you enjoy the rest of the Winter Olympic games in Vancouver. Please let us know if you have any other ideas on ways to enjoy the winter games, and good luck team Britain!

Top Tips for safe Internet shopping

The Internet has become a social hub for all walks of life, whether we’re using it to meet our friends, share photos or indulge in some retail therapy. In recent times however, the growth of e-commerce has been accompanied by an increase in online crime. It’s important that consumers can place their trust in online shops so they can feel as confident making purchases on the internet as they do on the high street.

We have five top tips to make your online shopping safer and more convenient:

1. Keep your computer software up-to-date. Make sure you have installed the latest software and that you update it regularly (including your web browser). If you are not already running Internet Explorer 8, you can download it for free (http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx).
2. Defend your computer. Use firewall, antivirus, antispam, and antispyware software. To assist in making the internet a safer place for the online shopper, the new Internet Explorer 8 provides at least 10 times more online protection compared to previous versions of IE and better protection from socially engineered malware attacks. For an added layer of protection on your PC, you can download Microsoft Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/default.aspx) for free, or find other antivirus solutions (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/antivirus-partners).
3. Browse more privately. When using a public computer to check e-mails or shopping for a “surprise” gift on a family PC, it's a good idea to use InPrivate Browsing. This feature helps prevent browsing history, cookies, and other information from being retained on a computer where someone else might discover it.
4. Make sure payment websites use encryption. To confirm that a site uses encryption when processing credit card information, look for:
• An “s” after http in the web address - it should read “https://”
• A tiny closed padlock in the address bar or lower-right corner of the window
• A green address bar – for example IE8 uses this to indicate a trustworthy site
• Pay more quickly and easily with PayPal, where debit or credit card data is held securely. On shopping websites like Ciao, an express purchase button allows you to process the transaction directly and pay with just two clicks.
5. Never respond to unsolicited requests to update your account information. These messages, known as phishing e-mails, look to steal personal details for fraudulent purposes. Most legitimate companies never send unsolicited e-mail or instant message requests for password or other personal information. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
These are just a few tips to make internet shopping safer. You may also want to check for trusted shop seals or read user reviews for specific e-retailers (http://www.ciao.co.uk/).

We hope these tips help you navigate the web more safely and in turn, improve your online shopping experience. Are there any further tips you would like to add?

Ciao’s guide to planning the perfect wedding

Your wedding day is undoubtedly one of the most important days of your life. With so many things for brides-to-be to consider before heading down the aisle in that dream dress, we have a few suggestions to help make everything run like clockwork.
There are lots of different factors to bear in mind when you’re planning the big day so you’re going to need a planner where you can prepare your dream wedding – with so much going on, keeping track of plans in your head isn’t an option!
Flowers are an essential part of creating the right atmosphere for your wedding. It might seem romantic to ask the groom to pick them for you, but he’s probably going to have his hands full. Choosing the perfect florist is the better option! 
A blushing bride will turn heads everywhere she walks – a pretty face, a heavenly dress and the confidence that you look your best will make you the belle of the ball. Accessories are in fashion at the moment so tiaras and headbands are the perfect addition. You might also want to consider adding diamond hair clips and grips for a further classic touch. You will of course also need shoes beautiful enough to carry you down the aisle and cool enough to dance the night away!
Bored of hearing the poem ‘If’ read at every wedding you go to? Make sure you choose a reading that tugs your guests’ heartstrings by taking inspiration from our members’ favourite poetry selections.
The dream wedding also needs a dream honeymoon with a luxury destination - though don’t expect to do much sightseeing! Somewhere hot would be ideal, perhaps the Caribbean?  The world is your oyster! 
When you come back from your honeymoon, it may be time to start saving for your next ‘little’ celebration too!
What are your tips on planning the perfect wedding? Post a comment here or log onto ciao.co.uk to share your views.

Safer Internet Day 2010

‘Think B4 U post’ is the key theme for the 2010 Safer Internet Day on February 9th which promotes the safer and more responsible use of online technology. One area that is particularly important to watch when it comes to safety online is internet shopping. All of us know that there are some bad sites out there which defraud customers and this is a growing problem, particularly with the boom in ecommerce.  

But it’s not all doom and gloom as the majority of sites are trusted and have ways to ensure customers stay safe when shopping online. For example, seeing the ‘Trusted Shop’ sign, secure https protocols, safe payment services like PayPal and looking at online shop reviews from websites like Ciao all help ensure that the site you are looking at is safe.

It sounds simple, but you would be surprised at the number of consumers who do not have adequate security in place to ensure the sites they are looking at are safe. Online service “Blippy” enables users to post credit card spend in real time, and whilst it has been surprisingly popular with users, it has also opened up much debate about its security. This is particularly current given the recent increase in credit card fraud – in the UK, a quarter of the adult population has already been defrauded, according to recent research, and in Italy there has been a rise in fraud in the housing industry. In France the government has tried to combat the issue by publishing a series of videos for teenagers on how to stay safe online, and in Spain a campaign called ‘I secure Internet’ has begun addressing the issue of internet safety.

According to research from Microsoft, 79% of teenagers across Europe are actively using social media sites and 43% believe that it is completely safe to post personal information online. Almost two thirds of Europe’s teenagers have been contacted by a stranger via the internet, and as many as 46% have responded to them out of curiosity – although in the UK this figure is much lower as the majority chose to block the comment or request.
 
These findings highlight that whilst there is much to enjoy online, it is still important that people are careful about how they interact and have the right security protection in place. So with this in mind, we at Ciao wish you a happy Safer Internet Day, and for more information please see here

Coffee named Britain’s Number One stimulant

New research out today from Ciao shows that coffee is Europe’s number one addiction – with 47% of respondents saying that they could not live without it!
For Brits the coffee addiction overtakes even our national life blood – tea (28%) and also alcohol (20%). Amazingly not a single Brit selected smoking as their biggest addiction – showing that our caffeine hit is now more important than its nicotine cousin.
We can’t rest on our laurels too much though: Britain is apparently far more attached to the booze (20% named it as their biggest addiction) than our European cousins. In Spain only 4% named alcohol as the thing they couldn’t do without, compared to 4% in Spain, 2% in the Netherlands and a tiny 1% in both France and Italy!
Things are at least looking up for our figures. None of the British respondents named overeating as their worst addiction, compared to 20% of the Spanish, 16% of Swedes, 24% of Italians, 15% of the French and 10% of people in the Netherlands.
Do you agree with the results? What is your biggest addiction? Please get in touch and share your comments here. Alternatively, if you’re looking to give up one of your addictions have a look on ciao.co.uk where there are lots of community discussions offering tips on how to help.