Today we updated the Shopping-Bargains.com Facebook Fan Page and invite you to join. We want to hear from you. As customers, now you can write on our wall or, using our fan page’s wall, view our latest blog post titles and preview our Editor’s Choice Deals. From there you may offer your comments and/or share these links with your Facebook friends.

Also on our Facebook Fan Page is a link to our ShopBargains Facebook Application. This app, once installed within your Facebook account, delivers a daily summary of our latest online coupon codes and deals based on the preferences you choose. You don’t even have to leave Facebook to keep up with your favorite shopping categories!

In the past we published some additional information about our ShopBargains Facebook application including basic installation instructions. For more information, please refer to our original Facebook app announcement and our app enhancements followup announcement.

We also completed the eBoss123 Facebook Fan Page for our business-oriented sister site today and invite you to join it as well.

I’m pleased to announce that today we implemented RateVoice‘s ratings and reviews software into the Shopping-Bargains.com system. This move allows our shoppers to comment on and rate their experiences with and feelings about individual stores. This store ratings and reviews system is fully functional across our full suite of shopping sites.

With more than 2,000 different stores listed on all our websites, I wanted to offer our shoppers a better chance to shop with confidence. I wanted our customers to be able to read up on past customer service and satisfaction records as documented by other shoppers. Based on our own site visitors’ feedback, this option is especially helpful for little-known retailers who don’t yet enjoy the benefits of a nationally-recognized name and reputation.

In our store reviews and ratings system, we’re offering a familiar five-star rating system and a reviews box on every one of our store pages.  Reviews are not purchased or aggregated from other sites but are written by our own site visitors. They are not shared with other sites but are uniquely ours. Ratings are instantaneously calculated while reviews are held for moderation to prevent spam. Profanity is automatically hashed out by the RateVoice system.

I shop online a lot. In the interest of full disclosure please note that I will periodically offer my own reviews based on my personal experiences as a customer. For these reviews you will see that I write transparently under my own name (Mike Allen) and based on actual transactions with these retailers. Please read our blog disclosure policy linked below for additional details on my relationship with the retailers listed on our sites.

I invite you to participate in this effort by adding your comments and evaluations to our individual store ratings and reviews sections. I look forward to reading your feedback and scores whether negative or positive.

Several weeks ago we quietly unveiled IndigoAcorn.com to focus on designer brands, luxury goods, and exclusive retailers. Most of the online stores featured on IndigoAcorn are new partners for us; however, we migrated a few from our coupon and deal site Shopping-Bargains.com to provide a better fit among other high-end brands.

IndigoAcorn is designed to be a classy destination for finding savings on the finer things in life. Contrary to popular belief,  many luxury products, trendy styles, and designer brands are periodically offered on sale and at closeout pricing. Many exclusive  sellers offer coupon code discounts, free shipping specials, and other limited incentives to nudge curious shoppers into buyers. Because we value quality, smart style, and elegance, we want to share these choice promotions with others so they can live luxuriously for less.

The name IndigoAcorn represents something exclusive and rare. We carefully selected this name and our colors to compliment the luxury brands promoted on the site. We also worked to create an atmosphere of simple elegance that was fitting for these brands.

We present upscale designer products to discerning consumers who don’t want to pay more than is necessary. In short, with IndigoAcorn we aim to please and pamper those who live large . . . but never pay full price.

Are you a blogger? If so, we have an opportunity for you that could enrich your bottom line by $50! Interested? I though you might be.

How You Could Receive a $50 Gift Card.

1. Write a post that introduces Shopping-Bargains.com to your blog readers. Explain how they can save money using our coupon codes and by shopping with us.

2. Mention and link to at least 3 of our store pages (your choice). For example, JCPenney — linked to http://www.shopping-bargains.com/stores/store/id/340/JCPenney — or you could be more creative like “I took advantage of a Cabela’s coupon code and got flat rate $5 shipping” — linking to our Cabela’s page at http://www.shopping-bargains.com/stores/store/id/463/Cabelas.

3. Link to Shopping-Bargains.com — at http://www.shopping-bargains.com/ — at least once in your post.

4. After you publish your blog post, leave a comment below letting us know about your article. That way you’ll be entered into this opportunity to win. Be sure to provide your email address in our comment form (it’s private) and link to your blog post in our URL field so we’ll know where your post is and who to contact if it is selected as a winner.

Eligibility & Gift Card Selection

After December 15, 2009 we’ll select up to 5 of our favorite blog posts from those mentioned in the comments below and notify the winner(s) via email. Each winner will be able to select a gift card from among the stores listed on our site (assuming, of course, the selected store offers gift cards) and we’ll email or physically mail it to him or her. We’ll also announce the winner(s) on our blog.

Entries are open to US, Canadian and UK bloggers only. Canadian bloggers should blog about our Canadian shopping site and British bloggers about our UK shopping site using the same criteria above.

Helpful Materials

You may use our banners, assuming, of course, your usage is in good taste. We have a variety of ready-to-use banners and links.

We’ve published some information about our benefits and our site’s free stuff that could come in handy for your post. You also might get some ideas from our “About Us” section.

Don’t forget to browse our directory of 1,500+ stores for some great stores to talk about.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) organization is celebrating its 25th year of promoting breast cancer awareness, education, and empowerment for women. NBCAM.org provides a wealth of resources for those fighting breast cancer, breast cancer survivors, caregivers, and the general public.

Likewise, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® leads the breast cancer movement’s effort to find raise money for breast cancer research (more than $1 billion has been invested since founding in 1982). Through charitable contributions, sponsors, partners, supporters, and major events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® has become the largest international source of nonprofit funding  in the fight against breast cancer.

One way you can help support breast cancer research is by purchasing specially marked pink or pink-themed “Breast Cancer Awareness” products. The manufacturers of  these products have pledged a portion of the proceeds from them to support breast cancer research.

Below I have used our product comparison tool to link to the Breast Cancer Awareness products available online from various retailers listed on Shopping-Bargains.com. Now you can think pink and shop pink to help find a cure!

• Amazon.com Books – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• American Bridal – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Betty Mills – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Buy.com – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Collectibles Today – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Dick’s Sporting Goods – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Drugstore.com – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Fogdog Sports – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Hanes – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Kmart – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• MLB.com – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Overstock.com – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Quill – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Office Depot – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Organize.com – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Sears – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Staples – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Target – Breast Cancer Awareness Products
• Zazzle – Breast Cancer Awareness Products

Please note there are many other online retailers with Breast Cancer Awareness products you can purchase online via Shopping-Bargains.com. Some even feature special savings and promotions for the month of October.

After several weeks of development and “beta” mode testing, ShoppingBargains.ca was officially launched today! Containing online retailers that specifically serve the Canadian market, ShoppingBargains.ca was built to better serve coupon shoppers in Canada and complement our other discount shopping sites — Shopping-Bargains.com and Shopping-Bargains.co.uk.

ShoppingBargains.ca contains a variety of coupon codes, discounts, online promotions and free shipping specials. We expect these savings tools will provide new ways for creative Canadians to stretch their budgets further.

While there are many online retailers that primarily serve the United States market and also ship to Canada, the online retailers listed on ShoppingBargains.ca specifically serve shoppers in Canada. Their website pricing is in Canadian Dollars and in most cases they use .ca domain names. We will be adding a variety of other Canadian retailers to our site shortly. (In the future we will probably also create a “stores shipping to Canada” tool to better serve Canadian shoppers.)

Popular online retailers featured on ShoppingBargains.ca include Dell Canada, Avon.ca, Amazon.ca, Canadian Blinds and WeightWatchers.ca to name a few. New features should be added to ShoppingBargains.ca over the coming weeks and months so please check back regularly.

In an effort to better categorize our ever-growing directory of stores on Shopping-Bargains.com (now numbering well over 1,500), we have created a new category for Eco & Green retailers. Under this category there are sub-categories for Organic Foods, Organic Products, Green Living, and even specialty retailers for Green Baby Products.

Within the above-mentioned subcategories are stores that sell recyclable products, products and foods grown organically, products and services produced using sustainable energy sources, and products made with recycled materials. We feel this category will be growing significantly in the near future so stay tuned for more additions over the coming days and weeks.

Shopping-Bargains.com joins with two other local dotcoms to produce a 30 second television spot to air in our community for 3 months.

Shopping-Bargains.com, StarkvilleEATS.com and StarkvilleNOW.com are jointly airing a 30 second commercial in the Starkville market. This television spot was produced by Broadcast Media Group in conjunction with Longboat Studios and provides three 10 seconds featurettes.

Missed it on TV? Check it out here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Today is the 10 year anniversary of Shopping-Bargains.com! We are very excited to have hit that milestone. Over the next few weeks we’re planning to roll out some special promotions in honor of our decade of helping people save money.

Looking back from our tiny beginnings, it’s been an amazing decade. In 1999, online shopping was viewed as the way of the future. The “dotcom bubble” ensued as lots of dreams and billions of dollars were invested into this space. However, in spite of the hype and promises, few dotcoms understood how to deliver a good online shopping experience and even fewer made a profit. Over the next two years, hundreds of online retailers went out of business (the “dotbomb” as some called it) when they ran out of venture capital and lost millions of dollars.

By 2003, however, people began to take a second look at online shopping. In spite of previous failures, there really were definite benefits and cost savings to this medium. Over the next few years many big brands and dotcom era survivors essentially got things right and found success. Within a few years most of the U.S. population had bought something online.

Fast forward to 2009. Online shopping is viewed as mainstream. Even in a down economic environment, Internet shopping is growing. People are turning to coupon and deal sites like ours by the millions to maximize their savings. We are enjoying this newfound popularity and are continuing to innovate. We’re continually adding additional stores and features for our shoppers to take advantage of the latest coupons, deals and trends.

It’s been an interesting and rewarding ten years! I personally thank all our shoppers and retail partners for their support in making us successful over this decade. We have truly enjoyed helping people save money. We also look forward to continuing our services through the second decade and beyond.

I’m very pleased to announce that Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Teen and Pottery Barn Kids are now all listed on Shopping-Bargains.com. For years many of our shoppers have searched our directory in vain for these stores; however, because we did not have legal authorization to include them in our directory, these search results yielded nothing.

I was very excited when earlier this month we were contacted by a representative of the Pottery Barn ecommerce division who told me we had been approved to list Pottery Barn. Yesterday that approval was extended to include the Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen websites as well. Needless to say, we are very pleased with this development and quickly added them to our directory that now includes well over 1,000 online stores and service providers.

So, it is with pleasure that I now invite you to shop all three Pottery Barn stores online!

• Pottery Barn
• Pottery Barn Teen
• Pottery Barn Kids

As with our other listings, we will be publishing their latest sales, coupon codes and other online promotions so check back often to maximize your savings.