I don't know about you, but this article:

Is John the Client Dense or Are You Failing Him?

completely won my heart, especially this point.

"….Now that the design is complete, you turn your attention to building it. John certainly won’t care about your code. Now you can finally do things right.

It’s a big job and takes a lot of time. Even though you put too much time into the design and washed your hands of it, you still have your pride. You are not about to cut corners with the code. After all, other designers might look at it and judge you! "

Utterly classic. 

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

PS – speaking about designing websites, have you seen:

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Unless you’ve been hibernating under a slumbering moose now for the past bazillion seconds, you’ve probably heard about the hoopla regarding Google Buzz (Google’s answer to Facebook).

If not, take a peek at:

• Google Buzz Draws Class-Action Suit From Harvard Student

• Google Buzz Related Woes

• Google’s Buzz Draws Scrutiny From Privacy Watchdogs

• Buzz Opens Privacy Pandora’s Box for Google

See what I mean?

Anywhos, like it or hate it, Google Buzz is out there and only idjut marketers would ignore it.

I’ll be writing more about that soon, but here’s a good teaser – check out

Buzzzy the Google Buzz Search Engine

It be nice it be!

Consider if your marketing niche deals with iPhones.  Look at Google Buzzzy Search for it:

Buzzzy iPhone

You’ll see responses that focus on iPhone articles, iPhone apps, iPhone care, etc.etc.etc.  And because you’re a meticulous marketers, once you see these sites…you can then comment intelligently at them and generate a deep link back to your own website online.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg regarding Buzzzy of course – there’s lots more you can accomplish with a little bit of deep digging and searching.  Done well…it can be a valuable tool for your online marketing goals.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – speaking about Google, have you seen:

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Ever want to make money by building websites?

With Wordpress…it’s actually a very simple thing to do.

Every now and then, I myself will build sites for my clients.  I’ll charge anywhere between $1,500 and $2,000 for the final result, as I ensure all of my designed sites gain top visibility in search engines for my customers (you can master gaining high tons of free traffic as well by checking out my book Easy Free Local HIGH SEO).

The benefits of building client websites via Wordpress are immense! 

Wordpress categories, pages and posts make it easy to create a logical cohesive design that, laid out well, aids you in creating a high visibility quality site that brings in the targeted visitors and gives your client that extra edge over their competitors as well.

Here’s how you can approach building a website for clients.

1.)  Determine your client’s website needs. 

What is the problem they’re trying to solve?

Bring in more business?

Generate more sales?

Build their list?

Define their authority?

Appeal to local customers?

Grow their national reach?

2.)  Determine the keywords for which they should be found.

More quality traffic is better than less, of course!  Thus, you will want to chat with your client and determine how to best rank high for local customer searches.

If you’re building a local site, you can focus on town names plus the niche, complementary businesses plus the niche, the niche itself and the like.  For retail sites, of course you’d want to service keyphrases like:

• buy niche
• cheap niche
• discount niche

Service-oriented businesses should rank well for the service itself plus sub-categories (ie, if you’re building a site for dentists, you want to include

• childrens dentist town
• braces town
• dental care town

etc  (I explain exactly how to achieve this in my book Easy Free Local HIGH SEO).

3.)  Determine the look/feel your client wants for the website

Walk your client over to the Free Wordpress Themes Directory.  Goodness resides there!  Let your client tell you what theme appeals to them the most.

I wrote a tutorial on how to use that site over at How to easily find 100s of free quality Wordpress theme.

 4.)  Find and use free high-quality vector graphics

Don’t want to design yourself?  No problem!  Check out sites like

Royalty Free Icons & Clipart Stock Images

You can use these in helping build the site as well (but remember – the Wordpress theme chosen will often already have great graphics included too).

5.)  Build your clients’ website

I always build a client website on one of my sub-domains…and when payment is complete, I’ll port it over to the official domain. 

And as an overview, that’s really there is to it.

So….if you’ve given yourself permission NOT to be afraid of building sites, consider the above as one way to bring income into your home!  Your bottom line will thank you for it.

(Need some expert Wordpress goodness?  Check out the below – it’s free!)

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – speaking about websites, did you know you can get domains like:

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Do you use Twitter?

If so, do you follow bunches of people who don’t follow you back?

Personally, I really don’t care much about that meself; I figure that if someone is really knowledgeable about my niche, I’ll want to learn from her or him as opposed to not!

But…I know that many others want to ONLY follow those Twitter peoples who follow them.

So….without any further ado, if you want to bulk unfollow, visit:

Buzzom

(props goes to @billvick who pointed this out to me!).Oh, sure, I could give you other services to try…but this one is more simple to use than it is to pour your 32nd cup of coffee for the day.

Authenticate with Twitter, select

Twitter Account Management

Twitter like never before

click on the

button that has the word FLUSH on it

and you’ll be presented with a list of people who YOU are following…but aren’t following you back. 

Select who you want to decimate and WHOMP – those people, they go byebye!

Very easy indeed!

Now, like I said…I don’t mind following smart people who aren’t following me, because I’ll be able to comment on their ideas to bring myself to their attention (and in effect, increase my own network and make more money).  But if you don’t take that view…the above tool can be very useful indeed.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – talking about Twitter, have you seen:

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Morning all,

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Are YOU prepared?

If not, fear not gentle soul!  For I have scoured the Internet in search of goodies that can still save the day for your worthy self.

Oh, and about that picture you see?  That’s my miniMoose in one of his favorite positions (prone).  I’ve always been told that Siberian Huskies are hyper beyond belief – I have one of the few who adores imitating a Siberian Throw Rug. 

So!  Let’s begin.  First off, there’s the tried and true printables: 

• Free Valentine’s Day Printables
• Kids Valentine’s Day Printables
• Printable Valentine’s Day cards
• Valentine’s Day Love Coupons

 And don’t forget eCards:

• 123 Valentine’s Day eCards
• Care 2 Valentine’s Day eCards
• Creative Valentine’s Day eCards
• Hallmark Valentine’s Day eCards

 But now, let’s get to the good stuff!

You can check out:

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Men

that include:

• Sex Scratchers: 100 Sexy Lottery Tickets to Scratch and Win
• Just for Men: Valentine’s Day Spa Gift Basket
• Love Gift for Men
  
• Prince Charming Romantic Gift for Guys

and

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Women

replete with:

• Cherished Valentines Day Gift Basket for Him or Her
• Stained Glass Red Hearts Home Frarance Oil Diffuser or Scented Wax Tart Warmer – Valentines Day Decor Gift Idea for Her
• Women’s Pajamas in Silk, TexereSilk Pajamas with Exquisite Hand Painted Art — The Butterfly Garden
• Sweetheart Chocolate Rose Candy Bouquet – 1 Dozen Roses in a Gift Basket

One of the easiest gifts to give for Valentine’s Day is an Amazon.com gift certificate – because they’re emailable, you can send it on Valentine’s Day itself!  This also works wonders for other holidays like birthdays, Christmas, etc. 

Best of all, they don’t run out!  You can grab great Amazon.com gift certificates over at this link here.

Me?  Well, the husband and I have been married for 15 years now, and we generally incorporate romance in every day anyways.  So we’ve promised ourselves that we’ll enjoy a romantic lunch, sans Mooses or kids, where we can actually (get this!) relax as a couple.  Following that, I’ll probably give him a relaxing massage….which reminds me!  Need some massage links?  Check out:

• Acupressure Guide
• Aromatherapy Goodies
• Free Massage Instructions
• Free Massage Videos
• Massage Oil Recipes

I’ve been doing aromatherapy now for, gosh, 15+ years, and let me tell you…it’s a superb way to show your love for that special someone in your life. 

Want some sales on massage goodies?  Here are some that I’ve found for you!

Whatever you choose to show your loved one a great Valentine’s Day, may it end up being a moment (or an hour, or several hours, or…) to remember!

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone,

Barbara

ps – speaking of Valentine’s Day, have you seen:

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I read this awhile ago but the information contained is truly stellar!  For those of you readers who are like me, and find themselves wishing the day had 23 hours more in it, get thee hence to:

Get More Done Faster!

in other words, the Lazy Man’s Guide to Online Business.

Don’t let the hype title get you down – the gems contained in it completely streamlined my business with regards to customzer satisfaction and more!

I can highly recommend it.

Get More Done Faster!

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

Morning!

Ever have an insane urge for free quality wordpress themes?

Now, true – I still completely believe that when you’re going professional, you really should invest a premium theme like:

Invest in a PREMIUM Wordpress Theme – Money well-spent

Themes like WPZoom Yamidoo and  Studio Press  are truly nifty indeed!

But…if you want to explore what’s out there in the free and open vast wilderness of Wordpress land, you can visit the following exciting destination.

Free Wordpress Themes Free Directory

When you visit the page above, you should see something like:

As you can see, you can choose lots of great parameters – the number of columns, the ability to set theme options, the colors, fixed-width, threaded comments, etc.etc.etc. 

So!  Let’s say that you want to check out all the themes that are blue and have two columns.  You can check off

• blue under Colors
• two-columns under Columns

like so:

Once you have checked off your requirements, click on Find Themes:

Once the search is completed, you’ll have to scroll down the page to see the result…but you should see something like:

And that’s how you can find bunches of great Wordpress themes for free.  Remember, the page to get these gems is:

http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/tag-filter/

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – speaking about Wordpress, have you seen:

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Morning!

You know, the past few weeks have been rather difficult for me – the things that have crowded for my attention would make Ringling Brothers weep in admiration!

That being said, it’s all part and parcel of life.  To those who have been given much, much is demanded, and let me tell you – the demands that had descended upon me like a gentle snuggly avalanche of angsting doom completely sapped virtually 100% of my usual never-say-diet attitude.

‘Course, that’s life and what parenting is all about.  I am blessed beyond belief that my kids are comfortable coming to me at all hours with all issues…and am grateful that I was able to save the day with style, grace, 39 cups of coffee and 5 shiny new bo-staffs.

But. 

What about me and my responsibilities? 

I have a great client for whom I’m designing a website and have been keeping that mainly on my local computer; have to get that online yesterday. 

I finally shed my self-pity regarding my karate skills and now attend/do classes to the best of my abilities, and shun any ‘poor me!’ atitudes that might want to creep in (yay!).

But the biggest lesson is this.

For the past, oh, hmmm, 10-20 years?, I’ve cloaked myself with an impermeable layer of self-preservation.  That meant that unless I really REALLY cared about an individual, I could not be hurt whatsoever; I never gave anyone that power over me to cause me to second-guess myself.  And even when I would become friends, I had zero problems with dropping those people in an instant if they showed the slightest hint of taking my friendship for granted.

Yes, it’s true – I’m very hair-trigger on that.  It’s a character flaw/benefit that saved my emotions dozens of times over the past 20 years.

But I digress.!    Anywhos, when I chose to see my interactions as black and white, it made life much easier for me.  Oh, sure, I learned how to view situations thru other’s eyes…but that was mainly an academic exercise.  If the situation impacted ME directly, there was only one right way to interpret it.  MINE.

The thing is, though…little actions that can cause big hurts simply have to be viewed thru the overall knowledge you have of a person…even if (and this is a big IF), those actions seem not to walk the walk your friend/family talks.

This idea goes against everything I’ve believed in the past 20 years.

But the past week has shown me – my way MUST span the whole rainbow spectrum; I cannot choose to accept only black and white views/actions.  Because if I hold the path and stay true to my ideals, I’ll end up losing something extremely precious in the end.

And that’s pretty stupid indeed.

So….let’s bring this post back to the most important person reading it – you!

Here’s your takeaway. 

Just because you might be an enlightened friend/family member who knows HOW to lose your ego to foster communications…it doesn’t mean the people you love have the same ability.

So you HAVE to (not "should" – HAVE TO) deactivate your normal self-defense shields and say, "Okay!  I know you don’t meant to hurt me – let me understand instead."

After all, what would you do if:

Remember, nobody ever woke up in the mornings and said, "Jeepers!  Let’s go hurt the ones we love!"  Well okay, some people probably do.  But they’re not those of whom I’m speaking right now. 

Friendship rocks.  Love rocks.  Life rocks most of all!  Be sure you give yourself permission to embrace it all.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – speaking about Rainbows, have you seen:

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Have you ever had a friendship you really treasured?

If so, have you ever been open and honest with each other when problems occur?

What’s that?  You never had the need to bring that up yet?  My gosh, why on earth NOT?

If there’s one thing my 4+ decades of life on this planet has taught me, it’s that everyone has failed mind-reading 101…and sometimes, actions/words will cause some pretty painful results for the people you love.

But here’s the challenge.  Sometimes, it’s really easy to let your pride and own feelings of hurt overwhelm you…and to ignore the fact your friend was speaking from the heart.

Speaking from the heart, walking the walk you talk.  It’s the mantra by which I live my life.  Sometimes I think it’s a rather stupid mantra, mind you, because I end up getting hurt.  My life would be so much easier if I would just play the games many other people play and keep some friendships at a superficial level.

But then again…then I wouldn’t be me.  Go figure.

But I digress.

If I were to pick a point of clarity for me regarding friendship, it would be how blessed I am when my friends are honest (even if I completely disagree with their viewpoints).  Honesty…it rocks. 

But dealing with it – it can hurt as well. 

And here’s where so many people fail horribly – when they get hurt by their friends, they turn to sarcasm to protect themselves or justify themselves…even if their friends were being nakedly open, honest and vulnerable.

That just plain sucks.

Having been married now for 16+ years, and also having now been raising a passel of kids/stepkids for, hmmm…. 16+ years too, I’ve (finally!) learned the art of never immediately reacting when friends/family act bizarrely.  

I know how to put myself in the other person’s shoes and see the situation from their eyes and let me tell you, the breathtaking sheer stupidity of their actions at times is hard to believe.

But get this – just because I might think they took a flying leap off the logic train,  does not whatsoever detract from the basic fact – their feelings/thoughts are just as valid for them as mine are for me.

The very worst thing you can do when someone you love expresses hurt or anger is to trivialize their feelings…or use sarcasm in your response. 

It takes guts to be honest, it takes guts to be open, it takes guts to allow yourself to be vulnerable.

When your friend/family member expresses herself or himself to you, it’s an action worthy of respect (that is, of course, unless said person insults you or tries to cause you grief).  You might not agree, you might allow your emotions to cloud your feelings and get truly angry as well…but please, never ever ever react with sarcasm. 

Sarcasm can damage the basis of friendship far more easily than you can ever imagine; it will scare off your friend not only from being honest in the future, but also make it highly improbable that your friend will trust you enough to be open again.  And if it’s a strong friendship, that’s really one hell of a loss.

My post,

A friend is ALWAYS a priceless gem and you’re never too old for more

goes into it a weeee bit more. 

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – speaking about friendship, have you seen:

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I was just asked what autoposter I use on Twitter, and was moved to write the following.

As you’re probably aware, Twitter is one of the most useful tools for getting your particular word out.

Thing is, though….if you, Iike I do, use Twitter to showcase great links and posts besides your own, it can get tedious as heck to manually enter the links one by one and then post them at the times of your choosing.

Enter Social Oomph.

Social Oomph is an autoposting service which allows you to:

• Autopost blog updates OTHER than your own
• Add hashtags to posts
• Upload a text file of hundreds of links and then post them once every few hours and the like.

There’s more it can do (lots more, actually) but that’s what I personally use it for myself.

The applications are numerous indeed!  If you’re a niche marketer, you can set up auto posts regarding authority blogs in your niche, resulting in readers thinking, hey!  This person knows where to find information!  Let’s go check her out!

Such thoughts are Good Things indeed. 

Social Oomph has both a free and a paid service; I highly recommend the paid (which is what I use – it includes the bulk upload of text files and more). 

If you want to take your Twittering to the next level, definitely check it out.  Your bottom line will thank you for it.

Click HERE to check out Social Oomph.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

ps – speaking about Twitter, have you seen:

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