Welcome to #triviathursday! Today’s question actually comes from the magnets.com web site itself. There’s a Design Gallery on the magnets.com web site. In that design gallery, there are a variety of categories. Your trivia question today is to identify the total number of customized magnets between the restaurant, real estate and beauty/spa categories.

The first person to get the correct answer wins a $15 Starbucks Gift Card courtesy of magnets.com. In order to enter, post a comment on this blog post. Only comments on this blog post will be considered actual entries. We’ll announce the winner on Friday morning!

Good luck!

Have you been to the new magnets.com yet? We improved our home page to make it easier for you to find all of the best in customized magnets for wedding, real estate and lots more. Have suggestions or other ideas we should consider?

Feel free to leave a message in the comments and let us know.

Did you buy dear ol’ dad another tie for Father’s Day this year?

Instead of a tie, we decided to give you five of the best magnet ideas in case you hadn’t already picked something up for dad, granddad or whoever the special man in your life is.

1. Football Magnets: What better way than to let everyone in the house know when not to talk to dad. Gameday doesn’t have to just be for pro football either. It could be a schedule of junior’s football games or some other big way to signify love of the game.

2. Car Magnets: Fantasy sports fans might love a chance to showcase their favorite team’s logo on a team specific magnet. Magnets.com can make that happen! Sure, the neighbors will be confused when they see and might ask, “What team is that?” But think of the conversation starter!

3. School Magnets: Maybe a school play magnet? Or a school calendar magnet to remind day when to pick the little guy up from school? No matter, these school magnets are always a hit.

4. Baseball Magnets: If the dad in your life isn’t a football guy, how about a baseball magnet? They come in all shapes and sizes, too. Perhaps a baseball card magnet of dad’s favorite hometown slugger? The possibilities abound!

Who doesn’t love candy? Here at magnets.com HQ, candy is the fuel that keeps our team going throughout a long day. Candy magnets are just another way to remind of how tasty it is when the candy is all gone. And unlike a wrapper, you don’t have to lament missing out on the tasty treats. My mom used to have them on the fridge when we were kids.

These days, I visit the candy aisle at stores and see an array of candies I never knew existed. My personal favorite comes from Norway. Melkesjokolade is a Norwegian brand of chocolate (made by Kraft) that my best friend used to bring back to the states every summer after he’d visit there as a child. As an adult, I order myself a few bars each winter to give to people for holiday gifts and it’s always a hit. It tastes nothing like Hershey’s or anything like that and it’s the best chocolate I’ve had from anywhere in the world hands down.

Today’s contest? Go to our sister company’s Customized Stickers Facebook page and post a photo of a recent candy wrapper of your favorite candy. The first five people to post will win a handful of free magnets with their image of their choice!

Today is the Major League Baseball First-Year Draft. It’s not as big as the drafts in the other three major professional sports (football, hockey, basketball) because baseball players take so long to develop in the minor leagues relative to the other major sports. Still, it’s an exciting day for thousands of young men. Baseball’s draft is the longest of any other sports — it lasts 50 rounds — and it used to be

Once upon a time, baseball cards ruled the day. In an era before Playstations, iPods and cell phones galore, kids entertained themselves with their larger than life heroes on slabs of cardboard. Not only were baseball cards on cards in packs with gum, they also came in magnets. These days, these baseball card magnets are not available in modern cards. No big shock there, right? But you can find all sorts of older magnets on sites of all stripes which is surprising.  And forget not about baseball magnets!

Have you ever seen a baseball card magnet anywhere? Maybe you know the answer to our #triviatuesday question on Twitter, which pays homage to the baseball draft:

What was the last year the Major League Baseball draft went beyond 50 rounds?

Next in our “Inside Magnets.com Series” is a profile from Michael fom our art department.

He took the time to answer a few questions for us:

What’s the most challenging aspect about laying out the artwork prior to it being printed?

The greatest challenge to imposition layouts is maximizing the amount of live job/art space used per sheet. This, sometimes intricate puzzle work, reduces waste and allows us to offer a better price for our customers.

A well imposed sheet can also reduce further production time substantially.

How satisfying is it to be the first person to see the customer’s design being printed?

I think it’s great. Printing methods have come a long way over the last few years. Coming from an art background, its always great to see designs leave the press.

What advise can you give customers trying to design their artwork for the first time?

That’s a difficult question. Always leave a large margin, it will give your final piece room to breathe. Always let us know if you’re trying to match a particular color, as every press uses different color profiles.

Since you have seen thousands of designs since you’ve starting work at Magnets.com, what is your favorite color combination?

There are many appealing color combinations. I like simple solids with typography that really speaks. Cool Grays and deep Reds seem to be popular at the moment.

When did you start? And I hear you have a newborn daughter?! How old is she?

I started working here in May of last year. Before magnets.com, I was Art Director/Production Manager for a MinuteMan Press. My daughter (Paisley) is 8 months old.

As the “voice” of Magnets.com, the customer service team consists of many talented people. The Spotlight would like to introduce you to one of those talented people: Jason Tabucbuc. Starting in early February of this year, Jason has been giving sound customer service and advice to many customers. Adept at helping customers navigate our Web site and respond to any type of design question, Jason has been a valuable asset to the team.

Q: What do you feel the most important role of customer service is at an e-commerce company?

A:  A large part of Magnets.com and Customized Stickers’ success comes from treating customers with the utmost respect while also providing a unique personalized, caring touch. I strongly believe that customer service is a company-wide commitment, not just a department. Therefore, everyone here plays an important role in building long-term customer relationships.

Q: How do you feel about your fellow co-workers in the customer service department?

A: We make a great team. They’re my heroes, especially Adam and Cody.

[Editor’s Note: For more insight on Adam, see Blogging Magnet’s Spotlight on April 22, 2011; as for Cody, this cute and lovable German Shorthaired Pointer is Magnet.com’s Director of Security.]

Q: Thinking back about your first day on the job, what was the most important aspect of your role that you’ve learned so far?

A: Just have fun. Magnets.com is a great company to work for. I love being on the phone and helping customer’s with their needs.

Jason just reiterates the point that we here at Magnets.com pride ourselves on having the best customer service in the industry. They are well-versed at helping you with all your orders and needs. Give us a call and you will see for yourself. With that, Magnets.com would like to wish safe and fun Memorial Day.

Think Memorial Day and a few things are likely to come to mind.  Neighborhood BBQs.  Those who have given their all serving our Country.  An extra day off of work.  Heck, even storewide sales.

From now until Sunday, May 29 we’ll be celebrating Memorial Day with 10% off any order, any product.  No questions asked.  Simply use promo code Memorial2011 at checkout.

This Memorial Day, also think about making your message stick with Magnets.com.

One of the most important departments within Magnets.com is the art department and we would like to introduce you to its newest member:  Michael Gonzales. Beginning his tenure at Magnets.com  in early March, he has quickly become one of our stars. Prior to coming to us, Michael was a freelancer.

Q: Why did you choose to pursue a career in graphic design?

A: Graphic Design seemed to be the most rewarding career path that I could pursue while being able to serve a purpose as well as expressing my inner abilities. Being slightly hearing impaired greatly affected my decision.  It is said that what you lack in one of your senses, you make up for it with another. “Visual Communication” just made a lot of sense to me.

Q: As an artist, what do you find to be the most challenging aspect of the position? …the most satisfying?

A: The most challenging aspect has to be translating another person’s idea and putting it to the canvas while making sure my “touches” doesn’t overwhelm their idea/personality. The most satisfying aspect comes on the opposite end when the customer/client really loves the final design, something that the both of us can be proud of.

Q: What do you like to do when you are not a work?

A: I am a diehard supporter of the New York Red Bulls (fans love the game, supporters live the game).  During the MLS season, my life is consumed by soccer. When I’m not busy rooting for or following the team, I like to relax by reading up on new technologies or by spending some time outdoors, most likely flying a kite.

Q: As the newest member of the art team, what are your initial thoughts about the department?

A: The art department is definitely the most dynamic group I’ve ever worked with. We all get along really well and seem to feed off of each other’s ideas and passion for design. I am really enjoying my time here so far!

Magnets.com definitely agrees with Michael regarding the art department. They’re creative and hard-working. We also want to add that they’re hard work comes at no extra charge – simply send us your information, photos and artwork and Michael and the rest of the team will get right to work perfecting your design.