Women and Money and the Power of Social Networking

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am slightly obsessed with Twitter and Facebook. Most of those people think I'm strange too. But I digress. The point of this blog post is to share some exiting news! I am the featured fan at the Women and Money group on Facebook this week! One of the reasons I am the featured fan is because of the power of online social networking. I met Cathy Curtis (the owner of Curtis Financial Planning and the founder of the Women and Money group) through Twitter and then Facebook! Networking online can be a very powerful tool in building your business.

And the winner is...

Drumroll...

Instead of bothering Heather with picking a winner. I used www.random.com and the winner is...

Baba from Baba's Farm Life!

Congratulations!

Baba - I will be contacting you so I can send you the book!

5MininuesForMom Thanks for the party!!!

Please Hire Me!

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of new Virtual Assistants looking for work. Virtual Assistant's have been emailing their resumes asking to work for me. They've also been posting on the forums saying things like "Hi, I'm new and I want a job. Please hire me."

The amount of new Virtual Assistants on the scene has been growing like crazy over the last year. I'm guessing this is because of the way the economy is. People are losing their jobs and saying, "hey I could be a virtual assistant". What some people don't understand is that being a virtual assistant means you are a business owner and not an employee.

Like Candy of OffAssist, I've been getting a lot of requests from new Virtual Assistants wanting work or information and I feel I haven't been responding to them as much as I could be. I am thankful for Candy's new vlog: 2 Minutes With a VA. I now direct people here who contact me for information.

2 Minutes With a VA is filled with some great resources for new VAs.

The request I get most often from new VA's is: How can I become a subcontractor? A great way to get started as a VA is to be a subcontractor. However, to be a subcontractor you first need to find a VA willing to try you out. Lanel Taylor has a great answer to the question: How does a Virtual Assistant become a subcontractor? You can listen to the answer here:
http://2minuteswithava.com/2009/03/how-does-a-virtual-assistant-become-a-subcontractor/

Control Your Privacy Settings On Facebook

Thanks to Corine who commented on my last post with this video link and thanks to HappySlip for creating this fun video.

A few weeks ago, I posted this under my notes* in Facebook®.

Facebook is weird!

It's the one place where your past & present collide. Your personal and professional life overlap (well at least mine does). Your friends from middle school suddenly appear and post a ton of pictures of you from when you were 12. Your ex-boyfriends start appearing one at a time and now they are all in one place together. Your clients, employers, co-workers, ex-friends, new friends, kids, kid's friends, ex-husbands, lovers, acquaintances and strangers all together commenting on what you are doing at the moment. Friends from high school, people you don't remember from high school, people that remember too much from high school, your family, your neighbors... They are all there (here) together. People in your life that would never interact now have the opportunity to interact. It's just weird. Normally when you go for a job interview or are negotiating a project with a new client you don't show them your pictures from middle school, talk about your exes, or tell them what you are doing every minute of the day. I'm just wondering what this all means in the big picture of life? It's kind of strange and cool at the same time.

I'm not sure how I feel about having you all here together... so far it's a fun ride.

Would love to hear your thoughts about this big social experiment we are all involved in.

*notes in Facebook® is similar to a blog.

This got me thinking... I update my Facebook® page quite frequently and maybe I don't want every single Facebook® "friend" of mine to always be in-the-know of exactly what I am doing.

Did you know you can change your privacy settings so your "friends" don't get updated every time you comment on a picture, write on someone's wall or update your status? You can even specify certain "friends" to get limited updates from you. (You know those friends who it caused less drama to accept their friend request than to ignore it. If you have friends like that.) *wink*

To change your privacy settings in Facebook®

• Sign in to your account
• Click on the link Settings (located at the top right of your screen, next to your name)
• Click the word manage (next to Privacy)
• Click on the word Profile
• Click on Edit Custom Settings under Status Updates
• Where it says Except These People add in any of those special friends you may not want seeing your every move.

Please post your Facebook® questions here. If I know the answer, I will blog about it in future posts.

Become a fan of Virtual Simplicity on Facebook®!

If you are new to Facebook®, want to set up a Facebook® profile or page for yourself or your business and just don’t have the time or the patience to do it yourself… Virtual Simplicity can help you!

Facebook Facebook Facebook

It seems like Facebook® is the subject of most of my conversations these days.

Hi, my name is Sally and I am a Facebook-aholic user. I’ve been talking Facebook® with my friends, neighbors, clients, strangers, my mom, my kids, people on Twitter & Skype, basically anyone who will listen. It seems like everybody and their mother is on Facebook® these days.

Last night @CandieB and I even moderated a chat about Facebook® during the VAnetworking VAjot Chat.

Are you on Facebook®? If you are an entrepreneur and you are not on Facebook®, I believe you are missing out on some great networking opportunities.

For many (including myself), Facebook® is not intuitive and not very user friendly. I’ve learned a few basic steps that have helped me navigate my way through Facebook® and wanted to share them with you.

1. Notifications – Did you know that when you sign in to Facebook® there is a quick way to see what's new in relationship to you? Just click on the little white sign icon at the bottom right of your screen. If there is a red box with a number in it that means you have a new notification. This is the fastest way to see what has happened since the last time you signed on. It will tell you if someone has tagged you in a photo, if someone has written on your wall, etc
   
2. Fan Pages & Groups – Fan Pages are very popular on Facebook® right now. Most business have one or plan to get one soon. Does your business have one? You may already be a Fan of a number of pages but do you know how to find those pages again? The fastest way is to type the name in to the Search Box located at the top right of your screen. (This also works for finding friends quickly).
3. Ignore – Facebook® can be overwhelming. My advice is to use the ignore button frequently. If someone throws a sheep at you, sends you a drink, invites you to take a quiz or download a new application just hit the ignore key. Don’t feel obligated to accept everything that is thrown your way.
   
   
4. Etiquette - If you are going to throw something or invite people to play games, join various applications please hand pick who you are going to throw things at. If you must throw things at people please do so only to people that you know will enjoy it. Please don’t send/throw things to your entire list especially if you are using Facebook to network, you wouldn’t want to annoy a potential client.

If you are new to Facebook®, want to set up a Facebook® profile or page for yourself or your business and just don’t have the time or the patience to do it yourself… Virtual Simplicity can help you!

I Got Things Done Today!

Seems Jaime Lee Mann and I woke up with the same feeling today... the feeling of being overwhelmed by the amount of emails in our in box.

Before turning on the computer today I pulled out the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen to re-read. It's a great system that I usually follow. Somewhere along the line I dropped the ball and things started piling up. Maybe it was when I was sick in December, maybe it was my vacation in January, maybe it was I've been so super busy I forgot to take my own advice and plan my day. Whatever it was... my email in box and my actual in box on my desk were overflowing.

After turning my computer on today, the first thing I did was open my in box and blast through it. Just like Jaime, I sorted by who the emails were from and was able to quickly get through them. For the most part everything that was left in my in box was something that could have been taken care of in 2 minutes or less.

The 2-Minute Rule is one of my favorite GTD tips from David Allen. If you can do it in less than 2 minutes then just do it! Considering I had let 68 emails pile up in my in box (the kind that would have taken 2 minutes or less to deal with) I just doubled or tripled my time spent on emails because I read them when they originally arrived, decided to deal with them later, occasionally scanned them over the last few weeks, then re-read them today and finally dealt with them. Instead of the 2 minutes that I could have taken as the original emails arrived I probably spent over 3 hours dealing with those 68 emails instead of 1 hour or less if I would have just dealt with them when they arrived.

How do you manage your emails?

Like Nike says, "Just Do It!" (Like David Allen says - Do it, Delete it or Delegate it).

Ideas For Getting Out Of Debt Part II

In Part I we discussed the first few ideas to be on your way to getting out of debt.

1. schedule a time each week to pay bills
2. create a designated place to put bills as they arrive (folder or a nice box)

Next step. If you don't know already... find out how much money you owe. Enter this information in an Excel document or on this form and total your monthly expenses.

If you have done all the steps so far you should have a scheduled time to pay bills each week, a designated place to put your bills when they come in and the awareness of how much money you owe. (If the amount you owe is huge - don't panic. Remember - knowledge is power. Nothing has changed, you still owe what you owe but now you know how much.)

More ideas and steps coming soon...

Ideas For Getting Out Of Debt Part I

Do you want to get out of debt? If so, you need a plan. Debt does not go away magically. It goes away when you follow a plan to get out of debt. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be blogging about ideas and steps that might help you get out of debt.

The first step in getting out of debt is to become conscious about money. You need to know how much money you have, how much you make, how much you owe and what you spend your money on. The only way to get out of debt is to first get out of denial.


How do you normally pay your bills?

Do you have a set time to do this each week, month?

Where do you keep your bills?

If you don't have a scheduled time to pay bills then this is a great place to start. Schedule a date and time to sit down and pay all your bills each month. (Go put that date and time on your calendar right now!)

Are all your bills in one place? If not then it is time to get them all in one place. Start a folder for bills or get a box to put on your desk. Do something that works for you. Every time a bill arrives in the mail immediately put it in this new designated space.

That is all for today. More ideas coming in the next post…

BIG News at VAnetworking

I went on vacation for just one little week and come home to find out this BIG news.

My favorite co-author Yvonne Weld is going to be partnering with Tawnya Sutherland at VAnetworking! Yvonne is going to be the president of the VAinsiders! Woohoo! I'm so excited about Yvonne and Tawnya working together! Watch out world!

Here is the press release:

Today, more than ever, we are seeing growth in the Virtual Assistant industry. As people fall victim to layoffs, work reductions and business closures they are finding there are very few opportunities for employment and, in an effort to survive in today’s economic strives, many are seeking ways to utilize their skills and work from home. Those starting Virtual Assistant businesses, in today’s competitive markets, are quickly learning that it takes more than just administrative skills to grow a thriving business and are continually looking for the tools and resources they need to not only build, but also maintain, a solid business.

Following in the footsteps of industry leaders before her, Tawnya Sutherland believed in the Virtual Assistant industry and wanted to help Virtual Assistants, both aspiring and practicing, by providing them with the tools and resources they needed. In 2003, she founded VAnetworking, which quickly became a meeting place where new and seasoned Virtual Assistants began to intermingle and share resources. Sutherland has learned to adapt as the Virtual Assistant industry has grown and continues to provide new resources, including the introduction of VAinsiders in 2006. It was this ability to adapt and grow that made her realize that there is so much more that the Virtual Assistant industry needs to realize its full potential.

In 2008, at an industry conference for Virtual Assistants, Sutherland met in person fellow Virtual Assistant, Yvonne Weld, after years of corresponding virtually. They began to share their ideas for Virtual Assistants and realized they not only shared their passion for seeing the Virtual Assistant industry grow and prosper, but they also worked well as a team, brainstorming ideas. Sutherland began to realize that a partnership was the best choice to fulfill her goal of becoming the premier resource that Virtual Assistants turn to when they have questions. “We want Virtual Assistants to realize their dreams sooner, to have the resources and tools they need to build a solid business, attract clients and become the successes they know they can be,” says Sutherland. “The ideas that we are developing now would make the industry leaders before us stand up and take notice.”

Sutherland is excited to announce that, beginning February 1, 2009, Yvonne Weld will be joining the VAnetworking.com team as VAinsider President. When asked about this partnership, Weld stated, “I am so thrilled to be working with Tawnya. When we get together, it is electric the ideas that flow between us and we are already implementing a lot of the ideas into programs and resources for Virtual Assistants. 2009 will definitely be the year to be a VAinsider.”

About Yvonne Weld
Yvonne Weld is the owner of Canadian-based Able Virtual Assistant Services, author of The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Thriving Business and the co-author of Managing Your Thriving Business for Success. Yvonne brings knowledge from a number of resources including personal experience (8 years in her previous employment as an Office Manager), education (graduate of several courses at the Small Business Centre, London, Ontario) and her love for information through reading and internet research. Yvonne also works with new and aspiring Virtual Assistants, through coaching and mentoring, to reach their full potential. To learn more about what Able Virtual Assistant Services can do for you, stop by http://www.ableva.com

About Tawnya Sutherland
Tawnya Sutherland’s professional background as a legal secretary, and then vice president of a computer company, formed the foundation for her foray into entrepreneurship over 10 years ago when she launched Mediamage Business Solutions. Today, Sutherland is a Certified Internet Marketing Business Strategist who helps business people turn clicks into cash. To learn more about Tawnya, VAnetworking and how to get your own business on the inside track to virtual success, visit http://www.VAnetworking.com

Thoughts for Improving 2009

I got this email from a friend. I don't know who authored it but I like the thoughts. If you know the author please let me know.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose for today is: ________ '

4. Eat more foods that grow on plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a Queen, lunch like a princess and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. However good or bad a situation is -- it will change.

20. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

21. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

22. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: 'I am thankful for _____.' AND 'Today I accomplished______.'

23. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

Happy Holidays from the Virtual Assistants!

In case you are wondering Virtual Assistant's are NOT the timid or shy type.

I love my VA buddies from www.vanetworking.com! Thanks for putting a smile on my face today! You guys rock! (even if you can't carry a tune...)




Happy Holidays!!!

The Money Is Still Here

I know we are in a recession, I know lots of people have lost jobs and many others are worried about losing their jobs. When I watch the nightly news I almost start to panic myself but I don't. The money is still out there in the world somewhere... we just have to find it. Finding it might mean shifting gears and shifting our attitude.

I don't know how many times this week I have heard clients and potential clients and others say things like I just want to survive this year, I just want to get through, I don't have to make a profit I just need to make enough to get by. I always stop them and say you can can make a profit. It is okay to be prosperous.

While watching the news tonight and hearing all the doom and gloom again a thought popped in to my head, "the money is still out there it's just a matter of getting it circulating again". And that thought reminded me of the book I read years ago called Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson.

I highly recommend reading the book.

Cool Client Profile & Cool Contest

I am grateful for all of my clients! In an effort to let them know how grateful I am... I am going to start doing an occasional feature on each client.

This month's feature is on Toni Tierney. Toni is a fashion designer for children's clothing. I decided to pick Toni this month because of her mission and how it relates to the current state of affairs with the American economy.

"A passion of Toni’s is to help mothers be at home with their families. She feels strongly about this and as much as possible, hires mothers who can work from their homes to be with their children while making the pieces of clothing she designs. Her mission is to help parents be at home creating so a new generation of children can see their moms (and dads) working with their hands. Her ultimate goal is to help spread this philosophy across the country so people all over the United States can get back to their roots, slow down and bring back those traditional ways of earning a living." - www.tonitierney.net

In addition to fashion design, Toni has also just released a new line of art work for children's room.

In the spirit of giving I am hosting my first official blog contest. I am going to give away one adorable brand new outfit created by Toni Tierney. The winner can choose between an infant size 6 boy outfit or an infant size 12 girl dress (see pictures below).



To enter the contest you must be a US or Canadian resident (because of shipping costs) and all you need to do is comment on my blog and let me know which outfit you want to win.

Also, it'd be much appreciated if you tell others about this contest by blogging about it but blogging about this contest is not a requirement to win.

On December 10th, 2008 I will have my daughter (who never reads my blog) pick a number and whoever has the comment that matches that number will be the winner. (For example... she picks number 7 and you are the 7th poster then you are the winner kind of thing.) I will then post the winning number and ask you to contact me to let me know which outfit you want and to get your mailing address. Winner must respond by December 12th, 2008 or we will pick a new number. The package will arrive before Christmas if you want to use it as a gift.

Toni Tierney's adorable clothing is sold in baby boutiques all over the country.

Happy Holidays!!!

The Best Virtual Fax Service

As many of you may know, I have had some issues with various virtual fax services. It is important to my business that I have a very reliable virtual fax service as I receive hundreds of faxes each month. It is also important that it is a virtual fax service so I don't waste paper.

I have been using Trust Fax for about eight months now and wanted to let you know that I've had no problems with it. It's been great! I can receive faxes from all different fax machines. The faxes arrive in my email in box as pdf attachments.

If you are looking for a virtual fax service you can trust. I highly recommend Trust Fax.

Just in case you are wondering... I am not getting paid for this recommendation. The Trust Fax people do not even know I've written this review. I think it is important to share when I find a good product/service because having reliable tools is very important to running a thriving virtual business.

Tis The Season

www.freefoto.com

The Holiday Season is Upon Us!

It's the most wonderful (I mean busiest) time of the year...

A Virtual Assistant can help you with:

• Creating Mailing Lists
• Purchasing Holiday Cards
• Addressing, Stuffing, Stamping & Mailing Holiday Cards
• Researching Gifts
• Ordering Gifts Online
• Travel Arrangements
• Getting Your To Do List Done!

What are you grateful for?

I think everyday should be thanksgiving! Do you practice gratitude everyday?

I read an article in USA Today a few days ago that talks about how gratitude can make you healthier. The only catch is you need to practice gratitude on a daily basis not just once a year.

Do you have a gratitude journal? A gratitude journal is something as simple as a notebook where you write down what you are grateful for. The important thing is to make writing in your gratitude journal a daily ritual.

Read more about what others have to say about the benefits of gratitude and gratitude journals:
USA Today
David Steindl-Rast
Sarah Ban Breathnach
Deborah Norville

What are you grateful for? (Feel free to post what you are grateful for here)

Today I am grateful for my health, my family, my friends (local and virtual), my dog, my computer, my blog readers, Twitter, my company, my clients... and the list goes on and on.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Be a Model Twitizen: A Twitter How-To

After my little Twitter rant yesterday I found this article from Yoga_Mama which reminded me that Twitter is a great community building tool! Enjoy!

By the way, I know of Yoga_Mama and found this article because she is someone I follow on Twitter.

Be a Model Twitizen: A Twitter How-To
by LaSara Firefox, MPNLP, www.lasarafirefox.com,
(Follow me: http://www.twitter.com/Yoga_Mama)

I was skeptical at first, but now Twitter is my golden city. As a busy mom and entrepreneur, I can take a few minutes and digest a handful of posts from my favorite Twitter friends, or post a bite-sized delight about my own day – all condensed to 140 characters or less. Who doesn’t have time for that?

Yes, often those posts will contain a link that may lead to an off-site exploratory mission, but so far it’s the most organic and dynamic way I’ve found to keep to my finger on the quick-beating pulse of the magical and diverse interwebs, and at the same time keep a constant stream of interest in what I have to offer.

If you’re new to Twitter, or have yet to join the chorus, here are a few ground rules that will help you to make your tweets harmonious.

1. Follow me, and I’ll follow you…and vice-versa:
If I follow you, please do the community-oriented thing and follow me, too. That way it becomes a conversation, a collaboration, a community. For us dedicated tweeters, Twitter is about building relationships. Build one with me!

Most of us don’t tweet to hear the sound of our own voice. No one wants to be shouting into a well. Consider my follow an invitation into my world, as well as a tip of the hat to your skill in presenting a doorway into yours.

2. Write a good bio:
In the beginning, this tiny bio is all we know about each other. 160 characters of character. The bio is often an under-utilized aspect of Twitter. I’m encouraging a bio revival! Make me want to know you. (It’s great practice for your elevator pitch, too, right?)

I encourage you to include something about your openness to new followers, or the reason you’re on Twitter. I put “Follow me, I’ll follow you,” in my bio. If you only want people you already know to follow you, you can protect your updates. In addition, you could say “I only follow people I know.” This little step will save both of us time, energy, and pride.

In addition to the bio, there’s a spot for a url. Add a link to a place where I can find out more about you; your blog, your website, an article you’ve written, your facebook profile.

3. Building your “Twitterverse”:
The way to build your network is to follow people. Yet, you ideally want a good balance between following and followers. So there’s a rhythm to building your twitterverse. Here’s how mine goes:
a. Find prospective Twitter friends (see step 4 on some tips on that), and follow them.
b. Allow a few days for the prospective community member to follow me in return.
c. If they follow me back, I make personal contact through a direct message (aka, “dm”, see section 6 for more info) and all is good. If they don’t, I evaluate whether they’re worthwhile to follow without the benefit of a two-way conversation. If they are, I keep them on. If not, I unfollow them.

4. Finding your twitter-posse:
You want to follow people you find interesting. You want to be followed by people who will find you interesting. Whether this is for work, fun, community building, or all of the above, your skill in creating your personal Twitterverse predicts how rewarding your Twitter experience will be.

There are worlds of possibility in every moment, but even more so in Twitter. Bloggers, and moms, and marketers, oh my! Really, you can find followers and followees from all walks of life, and with interests that run the gamut. These people are going to be getting into your head, and introducing you to new worlds day by day. Choose accordingly!

First off, click on the Find People tab on your home page (upper right, see it? good!) you might want to follow your irl (in real life) friends. You can search them by name or e-mail address. You can also invite them to join twitter, if you think they’d enjoy the experience.

Next, you’ll want to choose a few terms that indicate shared interests. For me, those terms were mom, mommy, mama, momma, and the dad variations, too. Then yoga. You can either search by terms at http://search.twitter.com/, or you can use the Find People tab again.

When you search your terms, the search will bring up profiles that list terms in the Twitter user name, in a tweeter’s bio, or even sometimes in a tweeter’s tweets. I found pages and pages of members listed on most of the terms I searched.

I chose selectively from the tweeters listed. Some of the parameters I used to decide whether I should follow someone or not were;

• The date they last tweeted - if someone hasn’t been on in months, what are the chances they’ll respond to a follow alert from a stranger?

• What their most recent tweet said; for example, if the tweet said “Why the hell are all these strangers following me? Creepy!?!”, that member is not a likely candidate for community building!

• Their bio, and whether it sounded like we’d be a good match.

Most often I would choose not to follow people with protected updates, but in rare cases I’d risk it and request permission to follow. I recommend that you judge that one on a case-by-case basis.

Another way to find like-minded tweeters is to go to a like-minded tweeters page, and follow the tweeters they follow, and those who follow them. You can see bios by placing your cursor over a tweeter’s name.

I would follow as many tweeters as I felt inspired to in one fell swoop (I think my “following” list got up to around 2000 once), and see who followed back. After a few days, I’d go back check out which tweeters had responded, and go through the evaluation of whether I would keep following tweeters who had followed back, or not.

Through this strategy, I built my list of followers up to over 700 in a matter of days.

5. Ethics for business (and personal) networking:
Some disagree with me on this, but I believe that even - or perhaps especially - if “you” are a business, you should follow in return. Yes, Twitter is free advertising, and it’s SMART advertising – JetBlue, Zappos, Vans and thousands of entrepreneurs can’t be wrong!

But, as always, there needs to be some buy-in. In this case, imnsho (in my not so humble opinion), the buy-in is this; I’ll pay attention to your posts, but I expect you to pay attention to mine, too. It’s a give and take, baby!

Besides, think of the marketing information you’ll be able to gather. Two-way communication with your demographic is just plain smart business sense.

Also, it’s not good manners to follow me, and then turn around and unfollow me when you think I’m not looking. I will come back and check from time to time, to see if those I follow are following me. (I do the same for those who are following me, too. I go and check my followers and make sure I’ve returned the follow.)

Not only that, there are tons of third party systems coming into being that are created to augment the Twitter experience. One of these even helps twitterers keep track of their follower activity. And, there are sure to be more of them as time goes by, and Twitter’s popularity continues to soar to new heights.

There are a few exceptions to the rule, but I generally don’t follow those who aren’t willing to follow me in return. I cast a line out, and if you grab hold I’ll hang on too. However, if there’s no resultant tug on the rope, I’ll reel it back in and cast in another direction.

If you have something amazing to say, and I just can’t live without your voice, I’ll stick around. But I tell you, it’s so much more fun when we can all sing out together!

6. A few easy commands that will be useful to know:
@username: this creates an automatic link to a tweeter’s profile, and alerts the user that you have sent a public post that cites them. If you’re replying to a tweet, including @username (like @yoga_mama) is great. It both promotes the tweeter, and creates a connection between you and the tweeter in question.

#tag: (like #gratitude, #palin, #debate, etc.) makes it easy to search an item, and get all the tweets that are relevant. It’s also is an easy way to see relationships between tweets by multiple tweeters.

rt, or retweet: when you repost someone’s tweet, it’s proper to add “rt @username” and then the retweet. Basically, it’s a way to give credit where credit is due. And again, it promotes tweeters who are tweeting things you appreciate or agree with.

d username message: direct messages are the way to send a private note to another tweeter. Remember, it’s “d(space)username(space)message”. You’re only able to “dm” tweeters who are following you.

In closing:
Twitter is a community. In some way more profoundly than any other networking site I’ve ever been part of, the tweeters I follow have worked their way into my heart.

Maybe it’s the often unguarded, haiku-like quality of the “microblogging” experience. Maybe it’s the frequency with which I see the words of a given tweeter. Maybe it’s the fact that the Twitter experience has the contour and context of a conversation drifting in through the kitchen window.

And this in a country (the USA) where we often don’t have a sister or best friend living next door, or a neighbor we could easily ask for advice on a moment’s notice. Much less, hundreds of neighbors, many of whom might send well wishes when you need them, and heartfelt advice when you ask for it. (Or, just like any family, sometimes even when you don’t!)

Twitter has brought us into one another’s living rooms. It’s allowed us to share our vacations, our kid’s Big Game, our successes and heartbreaks.

It’s opened a window into a community that never goes to sleep - tweeters live all over the world, as one tweeter tweets her last missive of the night, another wakes up to a brilliant new day. A community that is always willing to give a shout out, send a smile, talk about politics, and lift one another up in a challenging moment.

Remember this as you build your personal Twitterverse. You are creating a new world, from nothing. Build it, grow it, nurture it with intention and care. And you know, everything will be just right.

About the author:
LaSara FireFox, MPNLP, is a coach, trainer, and published author. LaSara helps clients find balance in their lives, and alignment with their personal and family-held values. She teaches and coaches internationally. She's wife to an outstanding man, and mom to two brilliant girls.

You can find out more about LaSara at www.lasarafirefox.com. While you're there, be sure to check out LaSara's weekly conscious parenting podcast; Yoga Mama Satsangha.

Has Twitter Changed Your Life?

How has Twitter changed your life?

I blog less now that I have Twitter. I know I participate less in the forums too and I don't go to as many e-seminars/websinars/chats/tele-classes as I used to. I also use Skype a lot less.

Today I am feeling nostalgic for the good old days of online networking forums, Skype group chats and blogging. I miss having endless room to babble on and on and on and not being limited to 140 characters to get my point across. I also am missing the intimacy of private Skype chats and private online forums where everything I say is not put out there for the whole world to read.

Has Twitter changed your life? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Twitter! In fact, I think I am addicted to Twitter. I am tweeting or reading tweets 24/7 thanks to my iPhone.

Today I just took a moment to step back from this fast paced world, breathe and think about the good old days of technology.



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Vision Boards for Entrepreneurs

Want to do something fun this weekend? Something that could help bring your business to where you want it to be?

How about make a vision board?

Do you have a vision board? If not, why not?

You probably have some form of a business plan and have at some point written down your goals but seriously how often to you review your business plan or look at your written goals?

A vision board makes your goals visible. If you hang your vision board in a prominent place in your office you will see your goals everyday even if you aren't consciously looking at them.

A vision board can be whatever you want it to be. It can focus on how many clients you hope to have by the end of next year, the kind of car you want to drive, a peaceful relationship with family members, the amount of money you plan to make in the next year, five years or ten years, etc.

Be creative!

It's all about you and what direction you want your life and business to take. Make it fun and something you would enjoy looking at. I made one back in 2006. It's on pink construction paper and actually has iridescent sparkles on it because the sparkles remind me to believe in magical things happening. It's time to update mine because I've met just about all the goals on it.

Besides putting pictures of things on my board I also put positive words on my board. Words like family, friends, peace, health, fun, prosperity... you can put whatever words you want to be the main focus of your life.

Have fun!

For instructions on how to create a vision board check out Christine Kane's Blog.