Tip #5

Switch to Free Online Bookkeeping Software

“I had a tough time when my computer crashed right before April and so I scrambled to find another solution where I would not have to depend on doing books on one computer. I chose www.outright.com and like it very much as I can enter my expenses from any computer. It’s FREE.”

Shashi Bellamkonda, Network Solutions, @Shashib

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

Money Saving Technology Tip #5

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

INVENTOR OR INNOVATOR?

The light bulb was invented. So was the phonograph . . . and the transistor . . . and the microwave oven. Inventions are typically the creation of a “thing.” Innovations are more likely to be a change in thinking or acting – born of an idea, fathered by a vision.

D.A. Henderson innovated in 1966 when he devised a strategy to surround and contain Smallpox outbreaks. Killing 2 million people in 1967, Smallpox was wiped out by 1977. Cartoonist and caricaturist Edward Sorel spent a year in bed at age 9 with pneumonia. “All I could do to entertain myself was draw,” he once said. “By the time I got well, I was an artist.”

One little boy cum visionary “was afraid of everything,” according to his mother. He would run to his mother’s bed when tree branches scratched against his house. Filming crashes of his Lionel trains and exploding cherries jubilee for special effects, he began a career of storytelling that has influenced each of us. With Jaws, Schindler’s List, E.T., and many other films to his credit, Steven Spielberg relates, “I don’t have enough time to tell all the stories I want to tell.”

What stories do you want to tell? What are your visions for humankind? What difference can you make today . . . next week . . . in your lifetime? We are all innovators. Some of us tell limited stories, affecting only our immediate circle of friends and family. Others tell the larger stories – having the vision to overcome disease, achieve world peace, or save the environment. Whatever your story – tell it today

Make this a great week!

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

INVENTOR OR INNOVATOR?

The video is a tribute, her signature song.

Did You Miss These?

• Blues Artist Jesse Fortune Dies
• Blues for Us All
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Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

Sunday Morning Blues | Koko Taylor

My vision of life with a newborn included picnic lunches in the park. Leisurely walks with The Baby in a stroller while birds chirped and flowers bloomed. I had two months free from full-time employment to enjoy The Baby.

Then, The Baby arrives.

Nothing prepares parents of a newborn for living in a state of perpetual readiness.

All the books and magazines tell you about the sleepless nights and the disruption of your routine. The words and concepts are meaningless until The Baby demands your attention at 3am. At 6am. At 9am. There is no snooze button. “Oh, now I know what they mean.”

Learning social business skills demands similar attention.

Reading books, scrolling through your blog feed reader, and following Twitter links does not prepare you for the onslaught of time required to learn social business strategy in a short amount of time. When you are in the early stages of parenting, or learning social media skills, you don’t have the luxury of time. There is just so much stuff to learn that 3 hours of learning a day is critical. But we resist.

“Isn’t this just a waste of time?” Yes, if you are not  going to spend at least 20 hours a week learning social business development, it’s a waste of your time. Yes, it’s a struggle to “find” the time. And yet, the struggle is necessary for learning, developing and growing. The struggle is a sign your brain is forging new patterns. So, you find a way to work the required time into your routine.

You learn to work around The Baby.

You find teachers and mentors who guide you through the struggle, yet not rescue you from the pressure. Without the pressure you are not really learning. Sure, you’re going to make mistakes and lose sleep. Learning takes time. With perseverance and a good teacher you will move from infancy to competency.

My work around is to work late into the night and sleep less hours several days a week. Are you an early riser? A night owl? How do you approach learning social media and networking skills? What workarounds have you discovered? Share your experiences and practices in the comments.

Did You Miss These?

• SOB Business Cafe: 10 Posts that Inspired My IZEAFest Talk
• Social Media Italiano
• How Often Do You Listen to Yourself?

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

How Learning New Skills is Like Having a Baby

Tip #4

Use Hosted Services and Open-Source Software

“Many are free, like Thunderbird, and are better than most paid alternatives. Others, like Jive’s hosted PBX, are significantly less expensive than the traditional products. Switching from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice alone will save you about $100 per user per year.”

Brent Thompson, Jive Communications,@GetJive

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

Money Saving Technology Tip #4

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

YOU’RE NOT DONE YET!

Ever noticed how great leaders often come from humble beginnings? From the devastating depths of silence and inability to speak, Helen Keller inspired the world once she had overcome great adversity.

Diagnosed with amyontrophic lateral sclerosis and standing before a full-house crowd in Yankee Stadium on July 4th 1939, Lou Gehrig proclaimed, “I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth! I might have been given a bad break, but I ‘ve got an awful lot to live for.” He spent the last two years of his life as Parole Commissioner for New York City, hoping to make a difference in the lives of young people in trouble.

Today, we use more contemporary quotes to explain the same concept. We say, “No pain – no gain!” or, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” No matter how we verbalize it, it is true that through adversity comes strength.

Think back to the toughest times you’ve faced during your life. Chances are you’ll have to agree that you grew and became a better person for the experience. As for temptations, they are more easily given in to than conquered. Nevertheless, the value system to which you subscribe today probably evolved from temptations overcome.

As Richard Bach put it in his wonderful book “Illusions,” “There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts.” Whether it be a physical or moral challenge you face, suffer if you must, but look also for its gift. And remember another Richard Bach quote, “Here is a test to find out whether your mission here on earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t.”

Make this a great week!

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

You Are Not Done Yet | Coffee Break

Many of the remarkable paintings created by local artist Johnny Hughes, are in the video, as well.

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

Sunday Morning Blues | Junior Kimbrough

Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies have selected Marietta as the location for the exclusive 70th anniversary re-premiere of “Gone With the Wind,” and six of the remaining cast members will help kickoff the gala celebration at a weekend of events November 13-14 on the Square as part of the city’s 175th anniversary, which will also be celebrated.

The re-premiere will be more hands-on than the 1939 premiere, Patrick Curtis, who played baby Beau Wilkes in the movie, said. “The re-premiere will emphasize interaction between the stars and fans.”

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

Frankly, Scarlett, I Don’t Give a Damn

All in One SEO Pack – One of the most popular plugins ever for WordPress, this plugin does a bit of everything for you from helping choose the best post title and keywords, to helping you avoid duplicate content and more.

Automatic SEO Links – Automatic SEO Links allows you to choose a word or phrase for automatic linking, both internal and external, set anchor text, choose if it should be “nofollow” or not, and more.  One of the best features of this plugin is that it will only do this for the first occurrence of a word in a post so you don’t have to worry about spamming your post with numerous links to the same thing.

Google XML Sitemaps – An essential tool in any blogger’s armory of SEO tools.  While the name only mentions Google, this plugin creates an XML-sitemap that can be read by Ask, MSN and Yahoo also.

HeadSpace2 – This plugin allows you to install all sorts of meta-data, add specific JavaScript and CSS to pages, suggests tags for your posts and a whole lot more.

Meta Robots WordPress plugin – An easy solution for adding robot metadata to any page you choose on your blog.  You can use it to make your front page links into “nofollows,” prevent indexing of search pages, disable author and date-based archives, prevent indexing of your login page and numerous other features.

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

SEO Plugins for WordPress

How do you keep learning? My favorite online tools for learning are Twitter and Google Reader. I scan the Twitter stream for headlines with links of interest and mark them as Favorites for later review. My rss feed reader of choice is Google Reader. It’s chock full of wisdom shared by marketing and public relation professionals, social business strategists, small business owners, writers and pastors.

I attend seminars, workshops, networking events. And, I talk.

How about you? What are your favorite ways to learn and expand your thinking?

Photo Credit: Jeezny

Post from: Kathy Drewien & Company

How To Keep Learning