Not sure if you have the new Facebook Timeline activated on your profile, but we managed to do it at SparksDirect! We even took some screenshots and put them online via,

Sparks Electrical has a new New Facebook Profile – The Sparks Electrical Facebook Timeline!

On the one hand it looks so cool - you can now see "a time line", a vertical line which represents the years since you've been born / since you've been on facebook! On the Facebook Time Line you can:

• see the updates - status updates, the picture updates, the articles you liked, the links you shared, etc.
• insert updates and pictures / articles - since at the day you were born you could have not posted anything on facebook, they offer you the possibility to post pictures, statuses, etc - based on the time you want! You can effectively change your timeline - change your life story!
• See your whole life on facebook flash before your eyes - and if you don't like, modify it / delete it!
• Add and Edit the Cover Picture - right at the top of your profile, you can add the cover photo / edit it!
• The Recent activity tab, the status updates, the apps you use, the friends, the photos, the maps, the likes, etc - they are now more organized and grouped together!

All in all, it's pretty cool! But the question still stands - if you're not that "rational" or "organized" in your facebook activity, would you like to have your whole life flash in front of your eyes? If yes, go ahead and "become a facebook developer", create a dummy app, and you're in!

Also, you can be our friend on facebook - Sparks Direct - and become a fan of our facebook Page, Sparks Direct Electrical.

Yes, that's right, as we have asked somewhere before,

is there any particular reason blog.sparksdirect.co.uk is banned in google?

and we didn't get an answer from google... we still don't know WHY google has not re-indexed our main blog, Blog SparksDirect. If you search online for "blog sparksdirect", instead of having our main blog there, you have all our other blogs and websites. It's sad, and we have updated, modified, corrected, deleted, and updated again our blog - maybe google will re-index it. But no, google didn't, yet... WHY?

Anyways, even though the blog is not yet in google(at the time of the writing!), there's lots of these spammers who want an extra link from our blog! The value of the blog at SparksDirect is immense - you will definitely visit it if you need to find good information related to switches, sockets, lights, dimmers, etc. We have compiled again some comments from these guys who, even in "our low state", still want to spam our blog...

More Attempted Spam Comments for the Blog SparksDirect

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You can almost get a bit puffed up with hot air when you read them... such a genuine and "not automated" appreciation towards the content of your blog(or, for the same reason, for the content of ANY blog).... Of course, these guys "advertise" or try to obtain links for stuff like,

12v air compressor, geothermal heat pump manufacturers, geothermal house heating, residential geothermal heating, geothermal heating & cooling, Split Air Conditioning Installation, Air Conditioner Installation, Air Conditioner Services, davao vacation, house painter.

Well, it doesn't really go like that, but sometimes we get these calls from our customers telling us,

I just received an email saying that you cancelled my order. I thought you already shipped it - I was waiting for it to be delivered!

The background for all these calls is this:

• someone orders on our website and is happy + eager to receive the items he orders - most people want the order the same day or at the latest the next day! [note: understandable and much desired from our side also!]
• in the above cases, we send an email within a few hours from the order being placed - asking the customers to confirm either their billing address, or some details regarding the payment. Sometimes people don't put in the correct BILLING ADDRESS, so the payment system rejects their payment - it recommends us NOT TO take the payment.
• We wait... 2-3-4 days. If no reply, we send another email, this time manually :) Yes, there's a way to send a manual email, with "Hello, ..."
• If we don't get an answer even then, we have to - according to our Policy - cancel the order and refund the money.

It's simple, but at the same time it is complicated, right? Many times, with the spam filters today and with the high quantity of offers one receives by email, it's not easy to see that "you've got mail from SparksDirect". But we come again a few days later to gently remind you about this... and if we don't get an answer to our kind email,... well, we have to cancel the order!

The funny thing is that most people respond to our kind manual reminder - and some respond or contact us ONLY AFTER we cancel their order! Most people who reach the last stage return and re-place the order online at www.sparksdirect.co.uk - they wanted these items in the first place!

The ecommerce software and plugins, widgets, etc has been developed and is being developed to a point that there's a continual improvement from month to month! As long as you are online and have an online store, you need to be up-to-date and ready for improvements and changes! At sparksdirect.co.uk we still use the ZenCart shopping software and it is working fine, but there are so many improvements to be done and implemented! We are thinking to update the system to a cooler and more modern one, and there are many things that can be improved on the website! Here are some things we are thinking of improving in the near future:

• the switches and sockets search - sometimes it can be difficult, even with the wizard, to find the devices you need... we need to fine tune it and make it better!
• the categories pages - more interesting category pages! We have some designs in mind, something that will "blow your mind" and will also increase your interest!
• the social media integration in the website - many other online stores already have this working fine for them: share with your friends a certain article, product, item, comment, etc - straight from the website!
• the design - we have some minor changes in mind to mainly simplify and make it more interesting, engaging, and "shareable". Would YOU share the link of our website with your friends?
• the front page - ever changing, with dynamic sections, and the too-quickly-rotating banner... according to our customers/visitors' suggestions and our observations, there needs to be some tweaking and changing...

These are not ALL the changes we want to do on our website - there's so much to improve weekly and monthly so that SparksDirect.co.uk would be a 21st century and even a 2012-ready online store!

What do YOU think? Take a look at www.sparksdirect.co.uk and tell us ONE CHANGE You would like to see made, an option to be added, or some design improvements.

Recently the weather has been so nice :) that it is MUCH MORE CONVENIENT to shop from home via the online store - and then arrange the collection in-store! It is indeed like this -

It's as simple as, In-Store Pick-up! (at Sparks and Lights)

Why "sweat" and travel around to find electrical wholesalers or electrical shops that have the item you're looking for? You can just visit the Sparks and Lights online store and start searching there! Most definitely if you're looking for a light fitting, a smoke alarm, a heating system, a ventilation fan, a switch or a socket, or even a dimming system - you can find it on our website! Yes, there are pictures there, there are descriptions, and most of the time there are even wiring instructions and instalation details. If you live in London it is so much more convenient to order the items you need online - and then come in store to pick them up(once we confirm they are ready for collection)!

Sometimes people come in store and have to order light fittings or other electrical items - that they will have to pick up in 2-3 days... Order Online and Come In Store to Pick Up the items you ordered! More convenient both for you and for us!

Also, keep in touch with what's new at Sparks and Lights via our twitter feed or our facebook fan page!

One of our friends and followers on twitter recommended we should check out - via facebook - this new website that measures your top score in social media influencing. What? You can be an influencer in the Social Media? That sounds so cool... so here we are again, allowing KLOUT to have access to our facebook and twitter details, and waiting for them to give us the "final score" on "the standard for influence". Are you influencing your friends or twitter followers?

We were very impressed with the results, and to be honest, we attribute all these to our great conversationalists and followers on twitter! They say about us:

Sparks Lights - Specialist - You may not be a celebrity, but within your area of expertise your opinion is second to none. Your content is likely focused around a specific topic or industry with a focused, highly-engaged audience!

... how about that? As we said before and as we all know, you can't just "broadcast yourself" without engaging with the followers and friends - so all these merits we attribute to our lovely followers that we engage with in daily, weekly, or maybe montly conversations :) Many thanks and much appreciated to have you on our side, talking to us and being responsive ... even to our "good morning" or "good evening" shoutout!

And here is a list of some of our followers / close tweeps we engage into great conversations with, especially over twitter:

@RobSwainElect @rapid_test @Switch_Electric @NPElectrical @Brooshski @smart_electrics @TETRogueSolo @billingtonart @BrianBarnesUK @hannahnunnlamps @localbuilderuk @Will_UK @Spaceprojects @SteveShea @RookeCottages @Rosalind12 @MarkyMarkF @habitables @Switch_Electric  @peterdonald @GRHOP1 @ELInteriors @LlamaProperty

... and this is to mention only a FEW of our lovely tweeps :) Here's also the printscreen for the klout statistics :) and a bonus - another picture of Mr Polo, our lovely

If you ever came into our Showroom in Archway you would have met Mr. Polo, our lovely dog! He's the cutie in the picture below :) As we were saying via twitter, though he's quite big size-wise, his calm and kind demeanor compensates... once you get to know him(which many of the customers do little by little), you will love him and he will love you too!

So if you're around in North London and want to shop for some Lights, some Fire Alarms, or maybe some Lutron Dimmers - pay us a visit, meet Polo, and get advised by our consultants regading the items you need!

When are we open? Sparks Electrical Wholesalers Ltd is open Monday through Friday 8.00AM - 5.00PM, and Saturday 8.30AM - 2.00PM. Bank Holidays and other holidays - closed!

Where are we located? Only 3-4 minutes away from Archway Tube Station, just down the road on Holloway Road.

Who will you meet? Of course, you will talk to one of our consultants :) and if you're lucky enough, you will meet Mr. Polo and get a smile & a hug from him!

:) We are waiting for you at 659-661 Holloway Road, London, N19 5SE, UK :)

On our main blog - Blog Sparks Direct - Reviews of the lights, dimmers, switches and sockets, electrical items, heating and ventilation, fire and security items on our site - we are accumulating tons and tons of wonderful articles! Especially at the Switches and Sockets section - getting close to 80-90 articles! Whenever we write an article about some wiring device or a range of switches / sockets, like,

• The Rako Wireless RDT-PILL, 250 Watt In Wall Light Dimmer(Rako RDTPILL wall mounted dimmer);
• The Rako RLED18-1ACI Single Channel 18w LED Driver for Constant Current LED Lamps(Rako Wireless Controls);
• The BG Euro Modules – a flexible wiring solution for the needs of modern installations;
• Rako Wireless LED Dimmers – simple methods of dimming LED lights with Rako Controls(part one);

and many others - we list them via the Switches and Sockets Articles page. We have recently decided to re-format the page for ease of use and for a better findability of the big sections of the page. What resulted was a lot of work and 5 main categories of articles about Switches and sockets:

1. Switches and Sockets made by Heritage Brass / Forbes and Lomax. - Two of the most outstanding ranges of switches and sockets for interior use, Forbes and Lomax AND Heritage Brass are British Wiring Devices Manufacturers producing high quality switches, sockets, spurs, connection units, data sockets, TV/satellite sockets, grid modules, etc.
2. the Switches and Sockets manufactured by MK, BG, and GET. - Some of the manufacturers we distribute are MK Electric, British General(BG), and GET (now part of Schneider UK).
3. the Varilight Intelligent Dimmers and the Rako Wireless Dimmers - there is a wide range of Varilight Intelligent dimmers and dimmerswitches – with a remote control and with touch control, energy saving solutions for indoors. Also, there is the Rako Wireless Controls devices, offering wireless dimming of the light fittings
4. The Lutron Dimming Systems. - A special category among the wiring devices are the Lutron Dimmers and the Lutron Dimming Systems. Ranging from a simple wall mounted switch or dimmer to a complex scene control dimming system
5. the Electrical Safety Rules and the Wiring Regulations - Everyone of us needs to know some “basic rules” for electrical safety for DIY, homeowners, and electricians to be safe and to make known theSafety Regulations!

What do YOU think - is it more useful this way? Can you find the articles you are interested to read about the Switches / Sockets / Dimmers / Switching or Dimming Systems?

Yes, we have talked about the Rako Wireless Dimming Controls for a while now - an Innovative Wireless Dimming Solutions(the Rako Wireless Lighting Controls), or Scene lighting with the Rako Dimmers(Rako Wireless Lighting Controls), and we have started a series of articles that introduce the Rako Wireless LED Dimmers, Controlling the LED lighting with Rako Dimmers and Modules (see the Rako Wireless LED Dimmers – simple methods of dimming LED lights with Rako Controls, part one). If you take a closer look at this system it is indeed an impressive and innovative way of dimming the lighting in the home or at the office. In their own words, here's how it works:

Each Rako dimmer (or channel in a RAK system) remembers four different level settings for each of the 4 possible lighting Scenes or Moods. When a button is pressed on a Rako wall-panel the message is transmitted via a coded Radio signal to the dimmer/receivers. Each dimmer then fades to the setting assigned for that button. When button two is pressed, the lights in the room will cross fade to a setting with the wall-lights at 70% the downlighters at 20% the pendant at 50% and the uplight at 100%. This might be, for example, the setting that is best for viewing TV. Other scenes could be for reading, general use and relaxing late at night with a glass of wine! Once a scene has been recalled its overall level can be adjusted using the raise/lower buttons. This is a temporary adjustment, the permanent scene levels are set by programming from the wall-panels, or by using the Rako software.

Awesome! Instead of having simple switches on the wall, why not get the wireless dimmers from Rako Controls - and save both energy and time when installing them! A true British product, with an ingenious yet simple technology behind it - the Rako Wireless Dimming Controls!

Whether you sell online or not, whether you have a personal website or an online store with electrical items(like we do), google is here to be your friend! I'm not talking about black hat / white hat SEO, link building, content farms, or any other things like these. It's just the simple fact: Google Is Your Friend! As soon as google indexes your website, if "there is a point" to your website, if it is constructed properly and around a main idea, you will have a great friend in Google!

I've been thinking about this these days, especially as we all check our statistics - google sends visitors to your website without you paying him or asking him to do it! You do your job to put out a good website / a good twitter feed / a good blog / a nice facebook page / a good about.me page / anything online in a good way, and google - after he finds it - sends you visits! Of course, he doesn't "ask people to visit it" - google lists your website in their search results!

You may respond to this with "... I knew that!" - but coming to think of it, no other website ever sends "free links" to so many billions of other websites without trying to get something in return from the other websites! And if you're an online store - with many thanks we say - google sends you customers, even friends, readers, etc. It is indeed amazing.

[just a thought about google, our best friend that we never yet met :) ]