Starting A Website Or A Blog? Social Networking T.I.P.P.s

SOCIAL NETWORKING T.I.P.P.s From The Imperfectly Perfect Parent

Before you Start A Blog Or Website, Think About The Questions Below…

If you answer yes to all 6 of them, a new venture in the cyber/blogging world may be perfect for you!

  1. Are you comfortable being in the public spotlight?
  2. Do you have thick skin and are you open to being criticized by people you don’t know?
  3. Do you love to write?
  4. Are you organized?
  5. Can you be consistent?
  6. Do you like to socialize?
When working with new bloggers and bloggers to be, the questions above are the first ones I have them answer.  Writing and blogging can lucrative and a lot of fun.  There is a flip side though.  A blogger needs to remind themselves on a daily basis that everything published is subject to scrutiny.  Everything you write is in the public eye.  Anything written could lead to awful criticism.  On the other hand, blogging can be very rewarding.
Now, before delving into to working on your business plan or creating your website, you need to establish a few basic things…
  1. Determine the purpose of your website,
  2. Be sure of the message you want to convey, and
  3. Set boundaries for yourself up front…. that is, if you are not planning on being offensive.

More to come… Until then, happy blogging! 

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RSS Feed, RSS Feeder, RSS Feed Reader…

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RSS… Three simple letters, easy enough to remember, yet, still not being utilized by most people.  What is an RSS?  The most simple definition of an RSS is in the letters…  Really Simple Syndication…  Now, in laymans terms, it is a way for you to get all of your favorite content from various websites and publications sent directly to you rather than you having to go to each site to find the most recent articles or posts.

Navigating through the web is a process in itself.  Finding great websites you are interested in is even harder.  On many occasions, I found myself browsing from website to website, hoping to remember which ones I wanted to go back to in the future.  Writing them down doesn’t help much because I generally lose the piece of paper they are written on.  Trying to remember the address is useless for me as well.  The only thing left to do is press on the sites little feed button and voila…  I never have to remember it again.  After clicking on the button, I have the option to receive updates via email or various feed readers I use.  Emails through Yahoo, Gmail, MSN and more all offer their very own feed readers for their users.  They are free too!

Utilizing a feed reader for content has many benefits.  Recently, I encountered a few websites with some interesting posts.  I signed up to receive updates through one of my feed readers.  About a week later, I picked up my iPad and began going through my feeds.  There were definitely some headlines I was interested in from the latest websites I added but, the majority of content delivered from them did not peak my interest one bit!  Rather than discontinue receiving updates from the websites completely, having a reader makes it easy to determine what you do and do not want to read, erase the “do not” want to read items, and open the ones that interest you.  Through various readers, you can save articles of interest, email them and more.  Again, these feeds can be read through all sorts of devices from the iPad, to e-readers, emails and even cell phones.  By having a feed reader, you are sure to never be bored, or miss great articles.  You always have the latest news at your fingertips!

Feeds are not only one of the latest technological trends, they are free, interesting, a time buster, and honestly very easy to use.  If you haven’t jumped on the “feed wagon” yet, take a second and start with mine…  Click on the link below and you are well on your way to the latest way to browse the world-wide web… on your time!

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An App Called Fruit Ninja And My Late Night Obsession

Some believe counting sheep will help them sleep.  Other people, like myself, would rather torture themselves trying to beat their last score on addictive game apps.  My latest rants have included minor issues I have with ageing.  My distaste in my ageing process, regardless of how superficial I seem, is something I am not shy about.

Until yesterday morning, I chalked up my ageing process to things that were beyond my control.  Between sprouting new gray hair and the other awful things happening to me, like the wrinkle I recently caught a glimpse of on my face, this process has been emotionally trying!  I have been working on coming to terms with it though, trying not to get too overwhelmed.  Then there was yesterday…

It started like a normal day.  My alarm went off…  3 snooze buttons later, I yelled for the girls to wake up…  just one more hit to the snooze button…  then out of bed I went.  In the bathroom, I noticed a tired look on my face.  As per usual, I thought a shower would help me wake up, look bright-eyed and be ready for the day.  Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.  Instead, I got out of the shower, started getting ready and then abruptly stopped.  As I peered into the mirror once more, I realized my tired appearance was not only still there, but since my face was now squeaky clean, I looked worse!  That was when my rude awakening occurred.

Events of the previous night…  It was 10:30pm, I had just planted my buttox on our couch.  Danny was watching one of his awful shows once again so I picked up my iPad and started browsing through it.  I thought about reading a bit but decided against it when I saw the Fruit Ninja game app.  Why not, I figured… just one game and then I would read a bit.  Well, 7 games later, I put the app down to get a glass of water.  Water in hand, I went back to the couch and started playing again.  At around midnight, I beat my high score!  It had been months since I even got close to beating it.  After having my proud moment, and realizing it was past midnight, I decided it was time for bed.  Unfortunately, my sleepy self could not sleep…  It must have been all that adrenalin from the game playing.  Laying in bed for another 30 minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore!  Regardless of my shoulder and arm hurting from the stress of playing Fruit Ninja, I believed I was on a roll and could beat my new high score as well!  And so I continued…  the game play lasted until 3am…  I could not raise my arm by then.  I had no choice but to throw in the towel and quit.   Clearly, the iPad addiction I have been aware of for some time has reached a new level which may require intervention…
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The Growth Process, Aging And The Wonderful World Of Gray Hairs…

Each day I wake up, brush my teeth, look in the mirror and am faced with my biggest fear…  Aging.  A few weeks ago, while at work, I needed to use the restroom.  As I skipped toward a toilet stall, I took a quick peek in the mirror before me and noticed something shiny near my eyebrow.  Figuring it was a bit of fuzz from a shirt or quite possibly a Cooper hair, I chose to ignore it and continue to the bathroom.  Then came the moment of truth…

As I washed my hands, I noticed the white shiny thing still by my eyebrow.  It was sticking out of my face.  As I tried to wipe it away, it happened…  One tear, which led to two tears, then a bit of convulsing, a minor anxiety attack, accompanied by some heavy breathing.  My eyebrow had a newly sprouted gray hair sticking out of it.  It was not a piece of fuzz, nor was it a Cooper hair…  It was mine.  Mine to stay.  This sucker was going nowhere!  Now, I know I have a few grays on my head.  My mother always told me not to pluck them or they would come back two-fold.  I would love to believe that this is just an old wives tale but, unfortunately, I refuse to take any chances.  After gathering myself, I was posed with a different dilemma in our work restroom.  To pluck or not to pluck.  As I stared at the awful creature sticking out of my face, my eyes began to well up once again.  Would two grow back in place of that one?  Was I prepared to walk back out in public with a creature sticking out of my face?  Without thinking or having an ounce of control over my actions, I did the unthinkable.  I grabbed the gray hair with my nails as if they were tweezers.  I yanked the awful hair out of my brow, roots and all!  I could breathe again… I have yet to see my not so special creature buddy again. Hopefully, it learned its lesson and will avoid visiting me again for quite some time.

A Simple Share

“When you look at the world in a narrow way, how narrow it seems! When you look at it in a mean way, how mean it is! When you look at it selfishly, how selfish it is! But when you look at it in a broad, generous, friendly spirit, what wonderful people you find in it.”
 
 - Horace Rutledge

Summer Reading For Children

Sifting through my planner, I realized that most of the entries pertaining to my daughter’s schools had a common theme… events leading to the end of the school year.  With summer vacation just around the corner, it was a little disturbing to see that the next few months in my calendar were blank with the exception of one little sticky note which read…  SUMMER CAMP!  Well now, who in their right mind adds a note to enroll their kids in summer camp just moments before school is out?  Oh yeah… me.

Never mind enrolling them in a camp, I hadn’t even researched camps in the area.  Not knowing where to start, my mind was made up.  Apart from the kickstart programs I had enrolled the girls in through their school, I began searching for ways to create an entertaining summer for my little ones packed with oodles of fun, and off course, exciting ways to ensure they do not forget what they had learned in school throughout the year.  Finally, I settled on enrolling them in various activities which would keep them occupied through the summer. 

My next focus was on the education aspect.  Although the girls are young and I do not want to stress them out with a summer curriculum, I do know that they are both desperate to learn how to read.  As an avid reader myself, I could not be happier that my girls have a shared interest.  The only drawback…  teaching them, and finding the right books to do so.  My girls are opinionated and have very specific interests.  Although there are some fantastic books and other resources geared towards helping children learn to read, the ones we tried failed at holding their interest.  Rather than buy more books my children don’t like, and waste money, I chose a different approach.  Sitting in front of my computer with two peanuts on my lap, my girls and I started browsing through websites, in search of exciting summer reading books!  Between my two little ones, our shopping cart had a total of 32 books they were interested in.  Although I have no intention of purchasing 32 books immediately, I am confident that I have enough books to choose from, that my selective little beings will enjoy!

Pinning On Pinterest

Whether for personal or business use, social media is on almost everyone’s radar these days.  Between different generations of people having an interest in technology or not, social media has somehow managed to capture the heart of many since most websites are easy to navigate and use.  Social Media has been able to bridge the gap between different generations and is effective.  Pinterest is one form of social media that is not only fun and addictive, it is proving to be one of the best marketing tools used for business.

Every company that is looking to succeed, should utilize Pinterest.  It’s free advertising with the ability to reach the masses just seconds after pinning.  With a clean appearance and basic layout, navigating through the website is seamless.  For companies with online stores, pinning pictures of items for sale are a breeze.  A simple description using keywords help Pinterest users from all over the world find your pins.  If they choose to purchase the item you have listed for sale, simply clicking on the picture can redirect the Pinterest user to your site.  Not only does this give the user a chance to purchase your “for sale” item, it also introduces them to your companies storefront and/or website.  With it being the new wave of gaining business, I thought I would include some interesting reads as well… HAPPY PINNING…

 

Autobiography Of A Yogi Is More Than Just A Book

“Designated One of the 100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th century, here is a verbatim reprinting of the 1946 first edition, with all its inherent power intact.Read about real-life saints and masters, how yogis perform miracles, the science of kriya yoga, and much more.” Direct quote from Barnes And Noble’s Product Description

Although I am not yet finished with this book, I could not help myself from sharing. It is one of the most profound books I have read to date and is a must have for all.