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According to comScore, retail e-commerce sales growth slows to 6 percent in Q3 2008 versus last year and to 11 percent in the jewelry and watches segment, which was one of the weakest in the United States online retail market.

Would you like to know my recipe for keeping up with a lot of information? It is as simple as it really is:

Use RSS!

It was made for everyone who has a lot of things to keep up with but no time to do it. That is all of us. Right?

Imagine that instead of looking through 5 multiple newspapers you would select your favorite columns and then you would daily receive just one newspaper with the only type of information that you have pre-approved. That would be quite similar to what RSS can do for you.

Now, how you would leverage that technology to save time?

1. Go to http://google.com/reader/ and sign up for a free account.
2. These two news channels would be a good start:
   http://feeds.feedburner.com/NationalJewelerNetwork-LatestNews
   http://feeds.feedburner.com/NationalJewelerNetwork-FashionNews
   National Jewelry Network is a very good source of current news stories on jewelry trends, jewelry marketing, and retailing.

Should you remember just one thing about RSS - then it's all about you getting news on your terms, the way you want them in one easy to read interface and without all that distraction that we face online.

If you are ready to jump right in and want more information here is a good video that explains what RSS really is:

Here is another good video explaining Google RSS Reader:

Now try it yourself and do not forget to subscribe to this blog.

original photo by Roger SmithA new website is on a mission to connect emerging and established designers with independent boutiques and retailers worldwide.

Mentioned at Forbes in an article about costume jewelry, Erayo for the moment features 77 wholesale jewelry designers presenting 2135 products.

If you are looking for wholesale opportunities and ready to compete globally, try their Web 2.0 platform to distribute your creations to thousands of independent retailers around the world as well as to learn, network, communicate and be inspired by another designers.

In the time of writing more than 5,500 buyers from 55 countries registered with the site.

On top of all that, Erayo provides counseling on business issues such as pricing, branding and marketing.