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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What makes your Website different from other food, travel and living
Websites?
A: Our Website serves both consumers and hospitality professionals
by providing accurate, timely reviews and engaging features, useful
reference information and unique services. Epicurus.com also provides
visitors with extensive opportunities for a relaxing surfing experience
and great recipes. We are endeavoring to provide visitors with increased
shopping opportunities by giving direct access to
manufacturer's coupons and links to advertiser's websites.
Q: For an advertiser, what makes Epicurus.com unique?
A: Epicurus.com is unique in that our visitors include home cooks, vacationers, business travelers, chefs,
restaurateurs, hoteliers and the average consumer. Because Epicurus.com is owned and
operated by a small company, we are able to be flexible with our advertisers, providing them
with many unique opportunities larger organizations cannot. Additionally, our programs are
intended to make advertising on our site much easier to deal with than most ad programs online, thus less expensive. No
number crunching needed, no monthly statistics to go through and monthly billing is a set amount. It's a simple program allowing our advertisers the greatest possible latitude with maximum impact and minimal management.
Q: Why are your ad programs better than standard online ad programs?
A: Our ad programs are designed to make the advertiser's impact far more valid than any banner,
pop-up or floating ad could. As visitors read our content, they will see the advertiser's branding
built right into the feature, recipe or other content. The result being that the visitor cannot ignore,
disregard or even use software to block the advertisement. It is part of the page they want to read. When
our visitors select a recipe, feature or other content, they will not see large ads. Expecting it to be
an advertising-free page, they read the content, absorbing the advertising as they read. No opportunity to
ignore it is given and none needed as the visitor sees content, not flashy ads. The visitors are receiving the
ad as a simple part of the content, making the ad in some ways, subliminal, even though it is there in plain sight.
This has the positive impact of creating brand loyalty as people read and later when they shop. By enforcing that thought with links to the advertiser's site for more information and possibly to a coupons page, the visitor becomes more accepting of the advertising and more likely to purchase. Additionally, they perceive the link, the coupons and even the
branding itself as a service from Epicurus rather than as a paid advertisement. This gives them increased confidence,
trust and loyalty to both the product and our site. They are more likely to return, becoming repeated customers of the
advertiser.
Q: Do you charge for using the site?
A: Everything on Epicurus.com free. Site visitors are not required
to register nor are cookies used to extract information from their
computers. While this may provide less information for advertisers than
they may normally seek, it has afforded Epicurus.com a very substantial
visitor base. This doesn't mean to say that we don't collect some
information. However, it is purely voluntary. The reaction from visitors
has been a greater willingness to participate in forms and other events on
our site.
Q: How do I contact you with information for stories?
A: Please use e-mail whenever possible, and send it to our
Contact Us. If you expect a
response, this form is your best bet because it reaches us not only when
we're in the office, but when we're at home or when we're traveling with
our laptops.
Q: What is your lead time?
A: For large numbers of recipes, we need between thirty and sixty days to complete
a group of recipes. For a small number, less than 100, our lead time
is about 15 business days. For travel related articles, we can begin
posting the advertiser's content within two business days. Feature
articles and reviews will be posted within 10 business days after travel
has been completed. Generally speaking, if an advertiser is supplying
their own content, we can begin within two days to post content to our
site. Customized programs will be determined based on the complexity of
the program.
Q: Do you accept freelance articles from hospitality
professionals?
A: Yes. We're currently offering "featured guest" columns written
by experts in the field. While we do not pay a fee for such work, we
encourage you to contact us with anything you'd like to contribute. You
can email your ideas to our Contact Us.
Q: Are you interested in ideas about additional features or
improvements on the site?
A: Absolutely! Let us know if there's a way we can help you become
more comfortable in using the site for business or informational purposes.
You can Contact Us.
Q: Are you open to strategic alliances?
A: Yes, and we are actively working with other companies to create added value for the site.
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