Wisconsin, WI

Wisconsin (French: Ouisconsin) is a state located near the center of the North American continent. It touches two of the five Great Lakes and is one of the fifty states that constitutes the United States of America.

Wisconsin's capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee. Jim Doyle is the current Governor of Wisconsin, having held that office since January 6, 2003.

Since its founding, Wisconsin has been ethnically heterogeneous, with Yankees being among the first to arrive from New York and New England.

They dominated the state's heavy industry, finance, politics and education. Large numbers of European immigrants followed them, including Germans, mostly between 1850 and 1900, Scandinavians (the largest group being Norwegian) and smaller groups of Belgians, Dutch, Swiss, Finns, Irish and others; in the 20th century, large numbers of Poles and African Americans came, settling mainly in Milwaukee. Today, 42.6% of the population is of German ancestry, making Wisconsin one of the most German-American states in the United States.

umerous ethnic festivals are held throughout Wisconsin to celebrate its heritage. Such festivals are world renowned, and include Oktoberfest, Festa Italiana, Bastille Days, Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day), Summerfest, Brat(wurst) Days (Sheboygan, WI), Cheese Days (Monroe, WI, Mequon, WI), African World Festival, Indian Summer, Irish Fest and many others.

Origin of the name

It may come from an ancient Ojibwe word, Miskwasiniing, meaning "Red-stone place," which was probably the name given to the Wisconsin River, and was recorded as Ouisconsin by the French.

The spelling was revised to its current form in 1845 by Wisconsin's territorial lesgislature. The modern Ojibwe name, however, is Wiishkoonsing or Wazhashkoonsing, meaning "muskrat-lodge place" or "little muskrat place."

Other theories are that the name comes from words meaning "Gathering of the Waters" or "Great Rock."

Originally, Ouisconsin was applied to the Wisconsin River, and later to the area as a whole when Wisconsin became a territory.

Geography

The state is bordered by the Montreal River; Lake Superior and Michigan to the north; by Lake Michigan to the east; by Illinois to the south; and by Iowa and Minnesota to the west.

The state's boundaries include the Mississippi River and St. Croix River in the west, and the Menominee River in the northeast. With its location between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is home to a wide variety of geographical features.

The state is divided into five distinct regions. In the north, the Lake Superior Lowland occupies a belt of land along Lake Superior. Just to the south, the Northern Highland has massive mixed hardwood and coniferous forests including the 1.5 million acre (6,000 km²) Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, as well as thousands of glacial lakes, and the state's highest point, Timms Hill.

In the middle of the state, the Central Plain possesses some unique sandstone formations like the Dells of the Wisconsin River in addition to rich farmland. The Eastern Ridges and Lowlands region in the southeast is home to many of Wisconsin's largest cities.

In the southwest, the Western Upland is a rugged landscape with a mix of forest and farmland, including many bluffs on the Mississippi River. This region is part of the Driftless Area, which also includes portions of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. This area was not covered by glaciers during the most recent ice age, the Wisconsin Glaciation.

Overall, 46% of Wisconsin's land area is covered by forest. The varied landscape of Wisconsin makes the state a vacation destination popular for outdoor recreation. Winter events include skiing, ice fishing and snowmobile derbies. Wisconsin has many lakes of varied size; in fact Wisconsin contains 11,188 square miles (28,977 km²) of water, more than all but three other states (Alaska, Michigan & Florida).

The distinctive Door Peninsula, which extends off the eastern coast of the state, contains one of the state's most beautiful tourist destinations, Door County.

The area draws thousands of visitors yearly to its quaint villages, seasonal cherry picking, and ever-popular fish boils.

Climate

Wisconsin's climate is suitable for growing crops with a wet season falling in spring and summer, bringing with it almost two-thirds of yearly precipitation. It brings extremely cold snowy winters, for which Wisconsin is well-known.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was in the Wisconsin Dells, on July 13, 1936, and was 114 °F (46 °C).

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was in Couderay, on both February 2 and 4, 1996, and was –55 °F (-48 °C).

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wisconsin".

10 Great Ways Photographers Can Use Print Media

by Samantha Nicks

There are many different and unique ways photographers can use print media to build relationships with customers and market their services. The following types of printing are some of the best ways for photographers to use print media, but many photographers only use about one or two. Consider expanding your marketing to new forms of printing and you can build stronger relationships and serve a whole new audience.

1. Business cards are the basic marketing tool for any business. Every photographer should carry business cards with him or her wherever they go. It is impossible to determine when a photographer will run into someone who needs a photographer for portraits, a wedding or an event. Ask local businesses to leave your business card at the check out counter for customers to pick up. Hand business cards out at shows and expos with your brochures or flyers in case customers need to carry your contact information with them, but don't want to carry around sheets of paper. Be creative with your photography business card because business cards make a lasting first impression.

2. Brochures are one of the many options for displaying your photographic service prices. Choose from a variety of different brochure styles for one that best fits the amount of information you want to provide your customer with. Use different panels for different types of photography, such as senior portraits, wedding packages, baby pictures, or any other type of photography services you might offer. Be creative with your brochure and use full-color printing to display some of your best photographs. If you want to make your brochure more valuable, try adding a coupon to one of the panels to encourage customers to take advantage of your services.

3. Booklets are another option for providing pricing and package information to your customers. Booklets have more pages than brochures, and instead of folding like brochures, booklets are typically bound in the middle, similar to a catalog. Booklets are growing in popularity and custom templates can be found online at affordable prices. Booklets allow you enough space to include larger pictures and more information than brochures or flyers. Include customer testimonials and background information about the photographers to add value to your custom booklet.

4. Calendars are a unique marketing tool that many photographers have probably not considered before. Calendar printing for photographers requires creative thinking. There are many different ways for photographers to use calendars to their marketing advantage. For each month, use different pictures that depict that month well, and include any important dates on your calendar. If you want to increase the return on your investment, include monthly specials that encourage customers to take advantage of your services.

5. Postcard printing is ideal for following up on customers who expressed interest in your photography services but never ordered anything. Use custom postcards to reach out and show customers that you care and are interested in helping them. Another great use for postcards is to send out reminders for upcoming sessions or events. If you are going to be at a certain expo or show, inform customers of your presence in case they want to stop by your booth. Many people book photographers months in advance to insure they get the photographer they want, and postcards are the perfect way to remind customers about their appointments. You can also use postcards to inform past customers of upcoming specials. If they were thinking about booking a session, a postcard with special pricing might convince them to go ahead and book with you.

6. Greeting cards are an excellent way to keep in touch with old customers. Sending out birthday and holiday greeting cards to past customers lets them know you are still interested in how they are doing. You also remind those customers about your business and it puts you back at the top of their mind. Constant branding is good for any business because it helps create relationships between you and the customer. Sending greeting cards to your customers shows you have an interest in them and care about building a relationship in the future. You might even include special offers in your greeting cards to add value to them.

7. Flyers are optimal for handing out to potential customers to interest them in your photography services. Use your custom flyer to draw potential customers in, giving them information about pricing, package options, and booking details. Include any contact information, such as phone number and Web site addresses, so they can see your sample images and contact you for more information. Hand your custom flyers out at bridal shows or other conventions where you have a booth setup, or go to local photography stores or boutiques and hang up flyers advertising your services. Flyer printing is an affordable advertising method that will help spread the word about your photography services.

8. Letterhead is another essential that all businesses should have. Use custom letterhead for all your customer correspondence needs. From invoices to late payment notices, custom letterhead is professional, while still being informative. Be sure to include your business logo, name, phone numbers, Web sites and mailing address on your letterhead so the customer has all your contact information. All photographers should have letterhead because it is more official than plain, white paper, and shows that you are serious about your photography services and business.

9. Envelope printing goes hand in hand with letterhead printing. If you plan to use letterhead for your photography business, you should order matching envelopes to brand yourself. Plain, white envelopes look cheap and unprofessional, but by having envelopes that match the rest of your marketing pieces, you are constantly branding your business to anyone who sees the envelope. Besides just using envelope printing for your customer correspondence, order custom catalog and booklet envelopes to mail pictures in. If a customer orders prints from you, catalog and booklet envelopes are perfect for mailing their prints. Take advantage of envelope printing to brand your photography business name and create a unique look on all your mailing correspondence.

10. CD/DVD sleeves are the perfect packaging for your photography CDs and DVDs. If you are giving digital negatives to your customers, create custom CD sleeves to put them in. Not only does CD sleeve printing look amazing, but it also tells your customers that you really care and want all your products to be of the highest quality. DVD sleeves are also perfect to hand out at shows and conventions with slideshow samples of your work. CD and DVD sleeves are perfect for branding your company name and definitely stand out against standard clear jewel cases and plastic covers.

Photography is a quickly growing industry, and is becoming more and more competitive each day. Use printing to your advantage in order to compete in the growing industry and to stand out in crowd. The more you brand your company with print media, the more customers will be exposed to your name and services.

About the Author

Samantha Nicks is an online marketer who specializes in the print industry.