Spring and summer are the seasons of many things… the beach, sports, summer vacation, and of course who could forget weddings. More people get married in June than any other month of the year! In honor of all those preparing to take their vows, Zlio is holding a Wedding Season Contest.

We want you to put together your top wedding shops with everything the bride and groom could ever need. Think about preparations, decorations, and gift ideas for guests. Keep in mind that different cultures have different wedding customs when designing your shop.

Submission Criteria:

• Store categories should be organized by types of products or a specific theme
• Subcategories should organize the products and make navigating your shop easy
• Shop design should correspond to a “wedding” theme
• Introductions are appreciated
• Title and slogan count: they should clearly identify your shop and it’s purpose, while still following the guidelines of the “wedding” theme.
• One boutique submitted to the contest per person
• Older Zlioshops may be submitted as long as they have been updated within the last 24 hours
• Zlioshops must abide Zlio’s General Terms and Conditions (be careful: link directories will be disqualified)
• Contest participants must be US residents
• Surprise us!

Say “I do” to the Wedding Season Contest!

UPDATE: The winner of the Wedding Season Contest will win a fabulous 6 megapixel HP Photosmart Digital Camera and Printer!!

Ahhh graduation… The time for high schoolers to leave parents and home behind while college goers join the real working world. After 4 years of such hard work, don’t they all deserve a little something special?

Put together your graduation wish lists with Zlio.com and shop for graduation presents in the world’s largest online emporium!

Laptops, MP3 players, music, or games… find out what your departing students are most longing for and design your Zlioshop to satisfy their wish list needs. Think about adding products for parties and celebrations after the big day, or cell phones and webcams to keep in touch with loved ones.

Here’s an idea: Add a famous commencement quote to your graduation shop for a polished finish!

We’ll even get you started with an inspirational thought about education from one of our founding fathers: “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” ~Benjamin Franklin

Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack passed away on Monday. Mr. Pollack had been battling cancer, and unfortunately lost the fight in his Pacific Palisades home.

The director, producer, and actor was widely know for his work in critically acclaimed movies such as “Out of Africa,” “Tootsie,” and of course, “The Way We Were.” The Indiana native’s renowned work ethic and vast experience earned him the title of an “actor’s director.”

Mr. Pollack was born in 1934 to a Pharmacist in Lafayette, Indiana. He later moved his family to South Bend and spoke of living there as a “cultural desert” that he looked back upon with “great sadness” due to the anti-Semetic attitudes.

Sydney Pollack also made numerous appearances in blockbusters like Woody Allen’s “Husband’s and Wives”, “Eyes Wide Shut,” and the more recent Oscar nominated film “Michael Clayton.”

He will be greatly missed.

Summer is finally here which means sun, fun, and of course babies. Why babies you ask? Because if you haven’t noticed the rapid outbreak of baby fever across the country, you must be living under a rock. Or perhaps in a cave.

Starting with Tinsel Town, it seems like these days just about everybody might be pregnant… until a photo of them in a bikini with an über flat stomach mysteriously pops up on blogs all over the net.

For the many Hollywood A-listers that have jumped on the baby band wagon, it seems like they all have some sort of super work out routine with a personal trainer named Sven. It must be the reason why moms-to-be like Nicole Kidman and Jessica Alba are still expecting, it doesn’t really seem to show like it does on the rest of the world.

But it’s not just Hollywood… doesn’t it seem like everyone you know is having a baby?

Let’s help the ladies out by stocking our Zlioshops with fab exercise gear (and of course, the cute outfits that go with it), vitamins, supplements, and other healthy products to transform that post baby body. Hey, if Nicole Richie can do it, so can your sister.

School is almost out and gaming studios know that now is the time to let the big titles out of the bag! The summer started off with the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 4, which has already earned a Guiness World Record for fastest selling game in history with $310 million on the first day (so sorry to last year’s record holder, Halo 3, but it’s hard to deny all the GTA hype!).

Now you can expect top games for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac, and Wii from major development studios like Electronic Arts Inc., Capcom’s Platinum, Sega, and more. 

Take a look at some of the hottest summer titles that you should probably be adding to your Zlioshop:

Battlefield: Bad Company: Fans are crazy about this cinematic style warfare game, where renegade soldiers tax maximum risk. Ships June 23rd.

Burnout Paradise: Expect new game content from the Playstation Store and XBox Live Marketplace for this amazing racing game – like 3 new online game modes, 7 new cars, and hours of additional game play. Ships June 2008

Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath: The all new revolutionary CommandStick is set to company this over-the-top Xbox 360 warfare game. Ships June 2008.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames: This hyper interactive action game is set in ultra-detailed, beautiful Venezuela and ships to the US around August 31. (September 5 for the UK and Europe.)

Rock Band: After Guitar Hero comes the all inclusive music game Rock Band. Expect this Wii game to ship around June 22.

Wii Fit: The already sold out copies of Wii Fit are keeping people moving and shaking in their basements this summer.

UEFA Euro 2008: Soccer is always a top pick, and this new release for Xbox 360 and PS3 doesn’t disappoint.

Singstar: This American Idol inspired Karaoke game for PS3 is already a huge hit.

With the recent birth of Zlio Germany, we’d like to take the time to introduce you to our newest Country Manager: Alexander Koësters.

Good Morning Alexander! Could you start off by telling our American Zlionauts a little bit more about yourself?

Of course! My name is Alexander Koësters, I am 35 years old, and I live outside of Münster, in Westphalie. Since the beginning of my professional career in 1999, I have concentrated entirely on E-Commerce. In fact, I have just as much of a life online as off.

What would you say is the current potential for a shop owner in the German E-Commerce market?

Well, the German E-Commerce market has already attained the highest growth rate of any European country besides the United Kingdom. To compare with France [Zlio's home country] there is about twice as much potential in terms of actual numbers – German blogger may not be as active as French bloggers, but the Web 2.0 trend and concepts like Zlio have shown a large increase in popularity in Germany. I am confident that our Zlionauts are opening their shops at the right time in the right place.

Which are the most popular E-Commerce products in Germany?

The highest demand for internet shopping and E-Commerce would definitely be all different types of media – CD, DVD, ebooks, downloads. Fashion and accessories are also very popular.

But personally, I don’t feel that we have to limit ourselves specifically to the areas that are already showing great numbers. It’s a better idea to choose products that you know you can promote and sell, and would personally be capable of ordering.

Can foreign users open a shop with Zlio Germany?

Absolutely. Our system is designed so that by opening one account, you can access and manage Zlioshops in all of the available countries.

What do we need to know if we’re interested in opening a German Zlioshop?

Actually, not much more than if you were opening a Zlioshop in any other country.When you sign up, you automatically agree to our terms and conditions, so if you have any doubts it might be a good idea to read about brand and author rights in Germany.

Another important point for you to keep in mind is language. As you could well imagine, Zlio Germany is entirely in German, so you’ll need to be able to create, update, and manage your shop in our mother tongue.

Seems like what’s really hot only Zlio right now is everyone’s favorite caffeinated beverage: Coffee!

More and more coffeeshops are popping up on Zlio everyday, so check them out and see if you can do better:

• Coffee Junkie
• The Coffee Bean
• Coffee Jungle
• Coffee Specials
• Coffee Information
• Cafe Cafe

Got a favorite or maybe a coffee shop that we missed? Let us know in a comment!

Just an important little  reminder:

Please don’t forget amidst the glorious promotion of your fabulous Zlioshop that it is not okay to SPAM. SPAM is absolutely 100% not tolerated on Zlio and will unfortunately result in the deletion of your account.

Never ever send non-solicited emails to people you don’t know – using these mailing lists is not only against Zlio’s regulations, but will also have a negative effect on our overall reputation, and likewise, your Zlioshop. 

Keep your rep and Zlio’s clean as a whistle by staying clear of SPAM. Besides, aren’t you yourself tired of getting emails regarding your $9,000,000 check from Nigeria?

While we are very excited about the level of response to Your Questions Answered in Video, it seems as though many of you are sending in technical questions. If you’re having difficulty or don’t understand a particular function on the Zlio site, please contact us directly at tech support using the contact form we’ve provided for you.

Questions regarding the business aspect of Zlio.com will be answered by Jeremie in video as planned (the clip is on it’s way!), but we ask you to please send your technical questions to tech support! You’ll note that you have the option to report a bug or suggest an idea if you feel there’s something we’re missing. 

Sending your complaints and questions directly to tech support allows us to get to them faster, and hopefully help you!

Summer is almost here and it’s just about time for the glitterati to load up their yachts and head out to France’s Cote d’Azure for the world renowned Cannes Film Festival.

From May 14 – 25, the city’s cobblestone streets will be packed with A-Listers - previous festival attendees include everyone from Brangelina to Al Pacino to Michael Moore and even Alfred Hitchcock. Even this year’s coveted Palme D’Or (Golden Palm) will be presented by the one and only Robert De Niro!

After preparing for Tribeca Time, it should be a snap to get your Zlioshop Frenchified for the Cannes Film Festival! Dedicate your shop to your favorite director or an actor you love – or maybe even someone you would like to win this year. Be sure to check the final selection list to see who’s screening, it’ll be up one week before the festival opens.

When you’ve finished cinemizing your Zlioshop, be sure to enter it into the Movies & DVD category in the Zlio directory!