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Hundreds Expected to Participate in Campground's Second Annual Facebook Fan Appreciation Weekend Virtually and on Site

s Ocean Lakes Family Campground Celebrate 2-Year Anniversary On Facebook

Myrtle Beach, SC (PRWEB) March 30, 2011 —

Ocean Lakes Family Campground () in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is holding its second annual Facebook Fan Appreciation Weekend on April 1 and April 2. Hundreds of people who 'like' Ocean Lakes on Facebook () will attend the event virtually and dozens more are gathering on site to celebrate the campground's 2-year anniversary on the social networking website.

“We're thrilled that so many people are coming to celebrate this social media milestone with us during Facebook Fan Appreciation Weekend,” said Barb Krumm, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Ocean Lakes Family Campground. “There's still a few more days for guests to register, so we're eager to hear from more of our Facebook families who want to join in on the fun.”

People who 'like' the campground and who want to attend the event in person must register on the campground's website (). The registration fee is $10 for adults, $5 for children between the ages of 6 and 12 without paid parent admission, and free for children between 6 and 12 with paid parent admission. Attendees will get a T-shirt, 40th birthday souvenir cups, snacks, breakfast and dinner on Saturday as well as other goodies.

Those who can’t attend in person are asked to RSVP on Facebook and can participate in drawings for prizes and in the contest for the “Best Virtual Ocean Lakes Experience.” They will be asked to create a snapshot of their virtual weekend at Ocean Lakes. Due to Facebook’s contest rules, Ocean Lakes uses the social networking app Wildfire to conduct its contests through Facebook.

“If you can’t be with us physically, we hope you join us in our virtual world and have fun creating your virtual Ocean Lakes camping experience and you have a chance to win too,” Krumm said. “Fans can use photos, their computers, whatever, to create a snapshot of their experiences.”

There will also be a prize given to the person on site at the event who is most interactive on Facebook throughout the weekend's festivities through wall posts and photo and video uploads, Krumm said. One of the newest additions this year to Ocean Lakes is free Wi-Fi on all campsites.

In-person attendees at Ocean Lakes' Facebook Fan Appreciation Weekend—who hail from South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia—will be invited to participate in social-media tmed mixers, or “Social Meetcha’s.” They can also compete for prizes in an event called “Win It In A Minute,” based on the hit NBC show, “Minute To Win It,” as well as other contests including a mini golf tournament. Also in the lineup are the Facebook Masters mini-golf tournament, Ocean Lakes Golf Car Rodeo and an awards ceremony and weenie roast at dinner onSaturday.

Since joining Facebook in April 2009, Ocean Lakes Family Campground has gained nearly 24,000 'likes.' It was verified as an authentic Facebook page in February 2010 after passing the 10,000-fan mark. On average, nearly 9,000 people visit the campground's Facebook page each week with daily posts generating around 16,000 daily impressions.

For more information about Ocean Lakes Family Campground, visitor 'like' the campground on Facebook.

About Ocean Lakes Family Campground

Ocean Lakes Family Campground, a division of The Jackson Companies, is the largest campground on the East Coast and one of the largest in the United States. Located in Myrtle Beach, S.C., it has received numerous awards for excellence. In 2010, it received the Earth Day Award from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control for its iCare Program. It is the 2008-2009 National “RV Park of the Year” and has received that honor from the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) four times.

In 2006, Ocean Lakes received the prestigious South Carolina Governor’s Cup for making a significant economic impact on South Carolina. Ocean Lakes covers 310 oceanfront acres with nearly one mile of beachfront. It offers 3,447 sites — 893 of which are large and pull-through to accommodate larger RVs. It was built by Mary Emily and Nelson Jackson and their five daughters, starting in 1970. It opened with 30 campsites and one bathhouse in 1971. On an average seasonal day, Ocean Lakes has 25,000 to 30,000 guests enjoying the countless amenities that have made it a local favorite and a national vacation destination. It currently holds a 9.5/9/9 ranking out of 10/10/10 from the Trailer Life Directory for its overall operation, recreational offerings, services and appearance.

Ocean Lakes Family Campground is a division of The Jackson Companies, a family-owned enterprise that includes Prestwick Golf & Country Club, Ocean Lakes Properties, Crystal Lake Mobile Home Village, Ocean Lakes RV Center, and the master-planned development SayeBrook.

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Monique Newton(843) 448-1123Email Information

LightSquared Reports on GPS Testing Process

s bid for approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, warning that running cellular services in the radio band that LightSquared plans to use could degrade GPS performance.

The FCCbut required the carrier to organize an interference testing program and include participants from the GPS industry. LightSquared has to report back on the 15th day of every month until it submits the findings on June 15.

In its March report, issued Tuesday, the carrier gave information about the group it has formed and how they are going to plan their tests. The Technical Working Group in charge of testing has 34 members, including several from GPS vendor Garmin International and representatives from other companies in the GPS business. There are also members from Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel and from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration and other government agencies.

The group will design tests to determine whether the LTE network could affect the accuracy, coverage and continuous availability of GPS, as well as other factors. Tests will take place both in labs and in the field, with precautions to prevent harm from the tests. For example, the group will notify mobile operators and public-safety agencies of upcoming field tests and will work with the FAA to warn pilots who might fly over the area where the tests are being held.

Some potential effects on GPS, such as the aggregate interference to GPS avionics required for in-flight navigation, can only be determined by analysis, not testing, the report noted.

Before its next monthly report, the group will write a test plan and work on determining what kinds of GPS equipment to test for interference. Testing will take place in April and May in preparation for the final report on June 15.

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at . Stephen's e-mail address is

'Blood Feast' B-movie producer David Friedman dies

ANNISTON, Ala. – David F. Friedman, the B-movie producer of the 1960s and '70s who turned out the cult classic "Blood Feast," died Monday at age 87, his niece said.

Bridgett Everett said her uncle died of heart failure at a nursing home in Anniston, Ala.

Friedman worked with director Herschell Gordon Lewis to create 1963's "Blood Feast," a roughly acted film that depicted the dismemberment of attractive women. The film is considered one of the first of the so-called "gore" movies, said Mike Vraney, owner of Something Weird Video in Seattle.

"Blood Feast" cost a paltry $24,500 to make — and netted a $6.5 million profit, Everett said.

Friedman was born in Birmingham, Ala., and spent much of his youth in Birmingham and Anniston. After working with carnivals, he became a press agent at Paramount before leaving in 1958 to try his hand at independent movies.

Some of his adult-oriented B-movies, such as "Goldilocks and the Three Bares were shot in nudist colonies. Others combined sexual themes with horror and crime, including "The Adult Version of Jekyll and Hide" and "The Defilers." His other drive-in fare included "Two Thousand Maniacs!" and "Color Me Blood Red."

Friedman was involved in every aspect of marketing his movies, including writing lines for the always titillating posters.

Vraney said Friedman always sold more sizzle than he actually showed in his movies, and each movie included a provocative trailer for his next film. But he thought his days as a moviemaker were over when hard-core pornography began to catch on in the mid-1970s.

"He said when it got to the point you showed it all, there was no more sizzle," Vraney said.

Friedman moved to Anniston in 1988 to be near his late wife's family.

"He thought all of his movies were forgotten," Vraney said.

In 1991, Vraney tracked him down and began reissuing his films. His films found new markets and he was invited to speak at film festivals, where he delighted audiences with his promoter-style personality.

"He was bigger than life," Vraney said. "He could drink like a fish and he smoked giant cigars."

Will the Verizon iPhone Kill the Verizon Droid?

"" including run on Verizon's network. But the iPhone 4 can now do many of the things that Verizon commercial said it couldn't ... and now it's on Verizon alongside the Droid.

When the original iPhone became the must-have phone of 2007 -- and 2008, and 2009 and 2010 -- the fact that it was exclusive to AT&T in the U.S. sent other wireless carriers scrambling to catch up. And while they all turned to phones running Android, Google'ssmartphone operating system, it was Verizon that put the most effort into creating a competing brand: Droid, with a series of signature phones and a name that was licensed from Lucasarts.

Now that Verizon has the iPhone too, does that mean the Droid is dead? Probably not.

Free apps, whether you like it or not

When the iPhone came out on AT&T, it was released with no carrier branding ... no AT&T logo on the case, no bundled AT&T apps. Just a notice in the status bar reminding you whose wireless network you were connected to.

Compare that with theI bought last year, an Android phone on AT&T's network. Not only does it have an AT&T logo beside HTC's, on the front, but every time it boots up (as in turning it all the way off and then on again) it plays a loud sound effect along with AT&T's logo. It's also crammed full of AT&T apps that I don't want to use, but I can't uninstall them without "rooting" my phone, a complex technical procedure.

If you look at a Verizon Android phone compared to the Verizon iPhone, you'll see the same difference. Why do the wireless carriers do this?

Because they can

Unless you're Apple, making smartphones isn't an especially profitable business. Companies like Samsung and LG sell millions of cheap smartphones and try to "" while only a couple of manufacturers besides Apple make even a $50 profit per smartphone they sell. Add to that the lack of brand recognition that most smartphones have, and you begin to see why their manufacturers need the wireless carriers.

Because the manufacturers depend on them, the carriers can get away with anything. They can brand your phone on the outside, and they can fill it up with garbage apps, in the hopes that you'll use them and pay for their extra services.

The iPhone, however, is different. People ask for it by name. Apple knows the cachet that its brand has, so it is in a position to dictate terms to the carriers. And the carriers don't like this. They'd rather that Apple was begging them to sell their phones, the way other companies do.

The Upshot

The Droid is the best effort that anyone besides Apple has made at creating their own smartphone brand, that people recognize and ask for by name. Verizon needs the iPhone, but they also need the Droid, because without it they're playing on Apple's terms for all of their top-tier phones.

Are Apple's terms better than Verizon's terms? That may depend on who's asking ... the carrier, or their customers.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

MSU suspends G Ravern Johnson for critical tweets

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State's Ravern Johnson has been suspended for Saturday's game against LSU because of "inappropriate tweets" sent following the team's 75-61 loss to Alabama on Wednesday.

The suspension was announced Friday in a statement released by the university. Johnson, a 6-foot-7 senior, is averaging 17.7 points per game.

Johnson was critical of his role in the offense and of fans in Twitter messages after scoring just 10 points in the loss to the Crimson Tide. Johnson's Twitter account was deleted soon after posting the comments on the social networking website.

MSU coach Rick Stansbury banned the team from using Twitter on Thursday.

Mississippi State (11-10, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) has lost four out of its past seven games.