articles

Twenty Great Ways To Use Macaroni Kid

By Angeline Sheridan July 30, 2015
Whether you are a long-standing Macaroni Kid reader/subscriber or this is your first time visiting, here are 20 great ways to make the most use out of Macaroni Kid. If you have others, feel free to post them in the comments section below!


1. Publisher's Note: The first article of every e-newsletter is the Editor's Note which provides highlights of what is covered in the e-newsletter for that week.  

2. Read More: If you click on "Read More" below any article in the email newsletter or on the website, the whole article will be visible.

3. This Week's Picks, Today's Calendar, This Week's Calendar, Plan Ahead: 
We know our readers are busy families. That's why we do all the work of going through dozens of websites, emails, Facebook and Twitter posts, and print publications to bring you the best local kid and family-friendly events each week. Events under "This Week's Picks" are chosen by the Editor (me) to be unique events that are the most worthy of your family time.

Looking for a last minute event? "Today's Calendar" provides a quick glance at events happening at that day, with the times posted for your convenience.

Events that occur frequently but are still worth checking out are listed under "This Week's Calendar". 

We post noteworthy events that require advance reservations or that we know will sell out quickly under "Plan Ahead" so you don't miss out on them.

4. Giveaways: Macaroni Kid of Northern & Pascack Valley is always trying to bring you great giveaways! One of the perks of being an email subscriber is that you have exclusive access to enter all of our giveaways. Not only are giveaways fun, it's great to get something for free! Remember: you gotta be in it to win it so enter as frequently as you like! For added fun, we also encourage Facebook users to share or comment on a current giveaway for bonus entries. 

5. What's at the End?
 Due to the large number of events in our area, the newsletter is always clipped short in your email. Click through to the website to see all of the great events and our entire newsletter that week. Not all the "Good Stuff" is above the event listings! Don't forget to scroll down to the end of the newsletter/website where you can see additional articles, craft ideas, library story times and more! 

6. Calendar: The "Calendar" feature will allow you to see the whole month at a glance to see how you may want to plan ahead for events. You can click on "View More" on any specific date, and you'll see a more detailed list of that day's events.

7. My Macaroni: The pink "My Macaroni" tab that appears at the top of the home page is a useful tool to keep track of all the events you want to attend. You can click "Add to My Macaroni" under any event listing to add it to your list. After you've selected all of the events that you are interested in, you can click the "My Macaroni" button, and it will show your list of selected events. You can download everything to a pdf that you can save and/or print to take with you. Then you'll have all the details right at hand when you're on the road!

8. Google Calendar: See an event that you don't want to miss? Click on the button "Google Calendar" at the end of each event listing to add it to your Google Calendar.

9. Sponsors: On the top and on the right side of each page of our website and e-newsletters, you will see ads from our national and local sponsors. Some articles, events and business directory listings are also marked as "Sponsored" to let you know that Macaroni Kid has received a form of compensation in exchange for posting the sponsor's information. Please support our sponsors by clicking their ads or letting them know you heard about them from Macaroni Kid. Sponsors make it possible for us to offer the free service and information on Macaroni Kid to the local community. Each local ad is approved and added to the Macaroni Kid-Northern & Pascack Valley site by me, so I can assure you that they are safe to click through. Likewise, all national ads are approved by the home office. Of course any transactions between you and the advertiser are the responsibility of the two parties involved and not myself or Macaroni Kid. So visit those sponsors and show them some Macaroni love!

10. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest: Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Pinterest for the in-between newsletter news, updates on events (e.g. cancellations), photos and conversations. We often post spur of the moment contests, announcements, great things we find, etc., on Facebook and Twitter and don't want you to miss out! We constantly search Pinterest for those awesome finds that we know our readers love! Follow us, please!

11. Business Directory: The Biz Directory is the "Yellow Pages" for local families! Find local businesses who are family friendly. Some even offer specials for Macaroni Kid readers so bookmark THIS LINK and check back often! 

12. National Newsletter Subscriptions: If I entered your subscription information for you, you are only subscribed to the local newsletter Northeast Bergen. There are several national newsletters that you can subscribe to in addition to the local edition: Family Travel, National Newsletter, Macaroni Kid Eats, Military Families, Safety Announcements, Family Fitness, Macaroni Stork. To subscribe to national e-newsletters, click on the newsletter you are interested in, found on the top right hand part of the home page or select the newsletter(s) you want to subscribe to in the subscribe form. You can change your subscription preferences anytime by re-entering your information in the subscribe form, as long as you use the same email address as the original subscription. (If you need to change the newsletter subscriptions AND email address, you can reply to the newsletter for each one.) You can subscribe to any of the other national newsletters available by re-entering your information in the subscribe form using the same email address or clicking on the top right hand part of the home page. 

13. Past Issues: If you would like to look back at previous editions, click on the button "Northeast Bergen Archives" on the top right hand part of the home page. When you click on the link, you will go to a page of publication dates, and you can choose which newsletter to look at. Click the Macaroni Kid logo at the top of the site to come back to the current newsletter home page.

14. Feedback: Comment on things you like or send me an email by replying to the newsletter so I know what kinds of things you want to read about and see in the newsletter and events! If you have any suggestions for articles or events or even sponsors, please let me know! Your feedback makes us better, and we want to be the best!

15. Share with Others:
 Friends don't let friends miss out on a good thing so share Macaroni Kid with your friends! What parent isn't looking for ideas to keep the kids busy? Plus, the bigger we get, the more features we can add: more giveaways, more parties and more everything!! In your weekly email, click the link at the bottom of the page to send to a friend! You can also share our Facebook posts on your own wall to spread the love as well! We love when you share!

16. Submit an Event: Got an event in the area coming up? Use the "Submit an Event" tab on the home page just below the Macaroni Kid logo. As a general rule, local kid/family-friendly events that cost under $20 will be included. We have full editorial rights not to publish your event or to charge for events that cost $20 or more per person.

17. Become a Sponsor: Our sponsors are what allow us to provide this awesome free resource for parents! If you own a local business, advertise with us and reach your targeted audience -- local families!! We can customize any ad campaign to fit your needs and your budget. Send me an EMAIL and let's talk! 

18. Traveling? If you are away on business, vacation or visiting friends in another city, make use of our Macaroni Kid sites throughout the country to see what is there is to do! We have over 500 local sites, including Canada and even the North Pole! Simply go to www.macaronikid.com and choose the state you will be in and the drop down will show all the choices you have! If there is not one in a city you are planning to visit, let me know. Maybe we can find a new publishing mom! I do love my job!

19. Change of Email:
If you ever need to change your email address, simply hit reply on any newsletter and send me your new email address. I will be happy to change it for you.

20. And Finally:
Questions, comments, just want to say hello or have a fun idea you would like to share?
 Contact me by email.