Get out the vote!

First, I want to thank you. You helped Center'd make it into the first round of voting for Mashable's Open Web Awards. It is a huge honor to be included in a list of some fanastic sites, and you are the reason for that.

Second, while it is an honor to be nominated, winning would be pretty nice as well. So if have used Center'd and found it helpful, please take a moment to vote for us using the widget above. And of course, if you have used Center'd and didn't find it helpful or found things we could improve, never hesitate to let us know. We are constantly working to make the experience of using Center'd delightful, and your input is absolutely key to making that happen.

Third, soon we will be launching our Holiday Center. In the spirit of our Thanksgiving Center with Real Simple, our Holiday Center will be packed full of tools and tips to help you pull off a memorable holiday season. Stay tuned...

Thank you for your continued attention and support. Now go vote early and often!

Center'd on Thanksgiving

It can’t be November already, can it? Sure enough, there is a chill in the air, it is dark by 5:30pm, Starbucks coffee cups are red, and the grocery store is playing a Muzak version of ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’.

Even though some are looking ahead to the December holidays, we want to make sure we spend time on a very important November holiday. And, being focused on ‘people, places and plans’, Thanksgiving holds a special meaning for us. Few holidays can be as stressful or as rewarding, and the difference between the two often comes down to two things: Planning ahead, and keeping it simple.


That brings us to Center'd on Thanksgiving, a collection of tips and tools designed to help simplify this holiday. Working with Real Simple, we combined their ideas with our planning tools to give you a site that can help you spend less time stressing about Thanksgiving and more time being with those important to you. Oh, and we didn’t forget about those other Thanksgiving rituals. We’ve got you covered for ‘Black Friday’ shopping and a weekend of football as well. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t use this opportunity to express our thanks to each of you. Center’d would be nothing without your attention, your involvement, and your feedback. Thank you for that, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Nominate Center'd for Mashable Open Web Awards!

This morning I came across an interesting poll from Mashable re: open web awards and thought it would be cool to nominate Center'd in "Places and Events" category. Here is a blurb from Mashable regarding this poll:

Open Web Awards is the only multilingual international online voting competition that covers major innovations in web technology. Through an online nominating and voting process, the Open Web Awards recognizes and honors the to

p achievements in 26 categories. This year, weíre partnering with over 100 blog partners, Poll Daddy for extra security and ease of voting and extending the nominations period and voting rounds for greater participation.

So, if you are a Center'd user and if you like what we do with the cool integration of local, social and activity planning - pl. submit your nomination.

And if you haven't been using Center'd - give it a try or if you don't like something you see on our site, let us know at feedback@centerd.com or just email me at chandu@centerd.com.

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

Chandu Thota, Co-Founder & CTO

A Diversified Portfolio of Unforgettable Memories...

Last week I was speaking on a panel at the Association of Directory Marketers conference. One of the speakers at the conference was Daniel Burrus, a futurist, who I had heard speak once before at the Yahoo! Sales Conference a few years ago. He spoke about a variety of interesting topics, but the one he closed with piqued my interest the most. He talked about how when he thought about his life, that while building wealth may be important to some, he wanted to be sure he built a "diversified portfolio of unforgettable memories." That is a philosophy I subscribe to wholeheartedly and one I hope I can live by.

People who know me well know that my first job out of college was teaching and running a non-profit for kids (more on that another day). Given such a meaningful start to my career, I sometimes have these moments where I wonder if what I am doing now is making a big enough difference. When I heard Dan Burrus' talk it reinforced for me that what we are doing at Center'd, by making it easier for people to plan "all of life's activities", is helping people create more memories for their most valuable portfolio.

When I think about my life, I am very proud of the work I've done at various companies - proud of the impact and results I have driven and of the amazing teams I have been lucky to lead. Yet, it is the moments with friends and family, from vacations to volunteering, from picnics to parades and from big events to just spending time together, that have built my precious portfolio of memories.

Here are a few activities I have planned on Center'd so far that have helped me create new moments to remember with friends and family:

• A family getaway in the Gold Country. Try the City Hotel the Fallon Theater and the Hidden Treasure Gold Mine where you can really pan for gold.
• A girls weekend in Sonoma. We rented a house and went to some great places together. My favorites were the Sonoma Cheese Factory (great for picnic food) and El Dorado Kitchen (Known as "Ed K"), the restaurant at the El Dorado Hotel.
• A team outing to the Giant's Game. Nothing like a sunny day at AT&T Park.
• Our school's fall picnic. We signed up nearly 50 volunteers in less than a week and everyone had such a fun time.

And here are a couple more memories in the making - plans that are in progress:

• Family Reunion in Washington DC. People are voting on dates that work and their top 4 places to visit. So far the leading vote getter is the Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Do we sound like a boring crowd?!)
• Getting friends together to see the "Twas the Night Before Christmas" ballet over the holidays

We're hoping Center'd can help you more easily plan all kinds of activities with the people that matter to you. Wishing you all an overflowing bounty of unforgettable memories.

Jennifer Dulski
Co-Founder & CEO