Category Archives: Business

The Final Chapter for Books with Pages?

Posted on by
2

Are published and printed books way past their prime?

With more instant access to internet news sites, eBooks, YouTube videos, blogs, and Wikipedia articles every microsecond the need for books in print is declining.

Tie-in from yesterday’s post “THE END” for Bookstores & Libraries?
Considering the direct proportional relationship between the reduced demand for printed versions of books minus the number of books that are purchased online and factor in the rising cost of running large retail bookstores in this economy, we shouldn’t be surprised that the result is entire chains of bookstores filing for bankruptcy and public libraries reducing hours (or closing altogether). Should we?

e-Learning and e-Content

Why is e-learning so boss? The best answer goes back to that old “knowledge is power” saying. We have so much knowledge available at our fingertips that we are on the cusp of the most opportunistic evolution of human intelligence mankind has ever seen. This could be very good, but it could just as easily go very wrong.

Have you seen this “There has never been a better time to learn” commercial for the new iPad 2?

It makes you wonder less about why there are so many rumors flying around that textbooks will eventually be replaced with iPad-like devices. Doesn’t it?

Questioning Electronic Sources

Arguments for and against getting information via internet resources are numerous and multifaceted to say the least. I read somewhere a long time ago about how Google is changing the way we think or learn. I can’t remember which… but it’s probably both.

The weakest link in our chain of knowledge is the validity of our sources. Am I right?

Getting access to accurate information online can be tricky because there are billions of sources contributing to the world wide web (which is where most of do our browsing). – And what a tangled web we weave right? And almost anyone can release an eBook or whitepaper. As a result, verifying sources and the currency of the information is crucial.

Anonymous eSources

Think about the last thing you looked up online. How did you know that you got the answer/result you needed? Have you ever accepted an answer as fact that was posted on a forum or even one of those “yahoo answers” pages? Places like Wikipedia are edited all the time by anyone who wants a username.

Compromised eSources

Countless websites (even government ones) have been hacked at one time or another. In light of that how can you be sure that any information online can be trusted? (Ok… so that’s kind of extreme.)

Well Disguised or Imposter eSources

It’s also not wise to just look at a web address and see if it looks reliable because anyone can go to godaddy and register any domain name that is available. I went to godaddy just now and saw that TheExpertofEverything.com is available. Not that I wanted it, I am just making a point. I am definitely not the expert of everything (I’m more like the student of everything I think ;) ), but 5 minutes ago I could have owned the expert’s web address.

Questioning Published Sources

Answers from printed books can also be just as easily proved inaccurate concerning many subjects.

Published Content – Out of Date & Less Accessible?
At the time of publication, content would have been sent through rigorous validation processes by editors and copyright experts. Published content can sometimes be difficult to get a copy (especially older content or content with a small target market) or by the time you do get a copy, the information could very well be outdated information.

To conclude this post I would like to state that I am not partial to either printed or electronically obtained information. There is still a place for both in my world, but as for the rest of you…

Where do you think it’s all going?

“THE END” for BookStores & Libraries?

Posted on by
Reply

Are large bookstore chains (once alight with the business of happily putting independent bookstores out of business) obsolete?

My photo of the Borders Bookstore that closed in the Castleton Mall of Indianapolis.

Seeing this bookstore closed for good reminded me of the movie: “You’ve Got Mail” (1998). The film was about the big bad super store (Fox Books) causing the charming little independent bookstore (Shop Around the Corner) to go out of business.

During the movie, one of the superstore owners says, “Aww, another independent bites the dust.” Then another owner says “On to the next!”

That part of the movie echoed with me as I took this photo which is when I decided to write a post about it.

The thing is, I am a fan of change. Of course I won’t even try to claim that it’s always easy (heh, if you only knew), but most of the time I think we don’t fully appreciate a situation until something changes and it no longer “is”. Sometimes, when we are lucky, we find out that the changes are for the best.

Brick and Mortar Bookstores & Libraries vs. Online Bookstores & Libraries

Inventory Selection

Libraries are great about having an enormous selection of books (even those out of print) are available to borrow even if they have to request a loan from another library.

Of course, the drawback of the library is simply that you have to give the book back. Sometimes it is preferable to own a copy. For example, my mother-in-law has a library that many small schools would be envious of, but she is always scouring eBay and used bookstores to buy copies of the readers that she had as a child.

The limitation of the selection of books at a bookstore verses the virtually limitless selection of books that can be bought online is a big draw back for the brick and mortar bookstore. To make up for that, many have incorporated the option to order a book for you that they don’t have in stock. This isn’t much of a solution for the bookstores though because it’s just as easy for most people to go to amazon.com or half.com and order what they need skipping the trip to the bookstore altogether.

The biggest con of online shopping or an online library is of course: the genuine value of face to face interaction.

Story Time

One thing that cannot really be duplicated at an online store is the simple age-old service provided by libraries and bookstores around the world: story-time.

Reading a book to a group of children is a rewarding experience. You have an opportunity to tell a story that they otherwise might never have heard.

Think about the powerful responsibility of this truth along with one of my favorite quotes from “You’ve Got Mail” about the heroine working in a bookstore with her mother.

“I started helping my mother after school here when I was six years old. And I used to watch her. And it wasn’t that she was just selling books, it was that she was helping people become whoever it was (that) they were going to turn out to be. Because when you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does…and I…I have gotten carried away”

- Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) from the movie “You’ve Got Mail“

Sales Associates

Bookstores often have sales associates that can be very helpful. Even online booksellers have toll free numbers and sales staff ready to chat with you and answer questions that you may have regarding a book you are looking for. And yet there is something more valuable about being helped one on one in real life isn’t there?

I have noticed that it is especially nice to find knowledgeable sales associates in the children’s section of a bookstore.

We were at a Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Bloomington, IN not long ago and my nine year old was discussing in depth books by Rick Riordan, Erin Hunter, and other authors she favors.

You see my daughter is a very good reader and has difficulty finding interesting books that are appropriate for both her age and reading level.

So when a saleswoman named Carrol proved to be extremely helpful because of her knowledge of the books my daughter learned of new authors and books with similar styles. We ended up going home with a few new books that she devoured right away.

Another unexpected perk of the visit was that we earned a free book after completing a form with 10 of the novels and authors that she had read over the summer. (Carrol knew that she had read that many because of their in depth discussion.) And I just noticed that she was reading that free one for a second time the last week.

Exposure to New Titles and Topics

Unfortunately some of the facts considered as the pros and cons of buying books online verses a bookstore often fit into both categories.

I really enjoy just browsing books on a web store or in real life to find books about things I didn’t even know I was interested in trying until I saw a book about it.

Do you know what I mean? Like I was on thinkgeek.com‘s book section and saw this book about how to pick locks. Its really something I never considered doing, but then I saw a book about it and it made me picture myself picking the lock off of one of those old-fashioned treasure boxes and made me want to check it out. :)

The other side of the argument:
Then again, why would I need to waste my time looking into subjects I know I will never ever find useful? At least I haven’t any real future plans to go lock picking or treasure hunting for that matter.

In conclusion of my post, I feel as if I have been typing a novel about this subject myself and have yet to scratch the surface of this economical situation. All I can say is, I won’t be surprised to see more and more bookstores close and will post more tomorrow about see fewer and fewer printed copies of books being sold.

The Mystery of Motivation

Posted on by
Reply

Sometimes, I get lucky and am sent an extremely encouraging message exactly when I need it.

This time, a little bonne bouche came in my junk mail folder (which I hardly ever check by-the-way). The subject of the email was “The Mystery of Motivation“. (Intriguing right?)

The following is a blog post by a member at SparkPeople, username: SHAPNUP. SparkPeople liked it enough to email it out to all of their e-newsletter subscribers. ☀ Note the social media trick here. Did you notice it? It was free content for them, and they encouraged their member by sharing her message.

How does motivation work? What makes us pick up our feet and do what we gotta do? Well, for me, motivation works the same way, backwards and forwards.

It’s like this…

BACKWARDS:

  • I eat one Hershey’s Kiss. I am motivated to eat more. ◄ LOL! Isn’t that sadly true!?
  • My job is mostly sedentary. I am motivated to be less active.
  • My co-workers (mostly healthy weights) like to snack (on unhealthy foods). I am motivated to do the same.
  • I find comfort in certain foods. I am motivated to drug myself with them.
  • None of this takes much effort. I am motivated to do even less.

FORWARDS:

  • I read a success-story blog on Spark. My endorphins kick in. I am motivated to want success.
  • I skip an unhealthy snack. It isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I am motivated to do it again.
  • No pasta or pizza till I can’t breathe, and I sleep better. I am motivated to eat more healthfully and lightly.
  • Moving, even a little bit, raises my energy. I am motivated to move more.

What we feed grows.

If we feed the negative in our lives, it gets bigger. It becomes an unending cycle of drudgery and pain. And it continually gets worse. I am an EXPERT at feeding the negative. I think we all know how to do that.

If we feed the positive in our lives, it gets bigger. The cycle is now made up of health, strength, and energy. Feeding the positive, well, that’s a learning experience for me. It takes planning and effort and action. It takes overcoming LAZINESS, which I believe is a huge part of my negative cycle. I’m not so good at feeding the positive.
I’d like to get better at this myself.

This weekend I’ve been feeding both. Talk about confusion. No wonder my mind and body can’t quite get it together.

I’ve fed my negative cycle with poor food choices and poor sleep.

I’ve fed my positive cycle with lots of water and some great physical exertion. It’s a start.

My goal is to replace the negative with positive.
My goal is to replace negative with the positive… Hear hear!

Looks like my work is cut out for me.

How do you feed the positive in your life? What makes you pick up your feet and do what you gotta do?

(I put in a few things in bold, added a few bullet points, and a word or two in red; otherwise every word in black and white was hers.)

My final thoughts:
There is really not much one can add to this except that this motivational message can be applied to any aspect of our lives: business, family, friends, or our own health.

Whatever our goals are, we should surround ourselves with influences that will help us accomplish those goals. If we are always letting something or someone else discourage us, then isn’t failure practically inevitable?

Shopping Cart Solutions for Online Business

Posted on by
Reply

Free and Low Cost Online Shopping Cart Services

Q: Who are these services actually solutions for?
A: Brand new online businesses or very small businesses (solo-entrepreneurs) that make fewer but larger transactions.

Free Online Shopping Cart Services

I have worked with those “free” or should I say the services that initially charge no monthly fees like the beloved (<-I'm sort of rolling my eyes as I'm typing that) PayPal or Google Checkout. The catch is that their processing fees are really quite outrageous!

  • Pros
  • Low Initial Investment
  • A Bit Lower Transaction Rates for Larger Transactions
  • They can process credit cards without your having to sign a contract with a cc processor.
  • Doesn’t require an extremely high technical skill set, but a fair amount of HTML and the ability to add a little JavaScript code to your website or blog site is required
  • Cons
  • Outrageously High Per-Transaction Fees

Once your company gets established you should begin looking up your own checkout solutions.

More Costly, Yet Quite Commonly Used Shopping Cart Services

Lots of small and startup businesses use shopping cart services like 1ShoppingCart.com or eCommerce solutions like the ones available from Yahoo! Small Business for there online order needs.

  • Pros
  • Doesn’t require an extremely high technical skill set, but a fair amount of HTML and the ability to add a little JavaScript code to your website or blog site is required
  • Cons
  • Very Limited Customization
  • Requirements
  • You must additionally purchase your own credit card processing service.

Money Saver?
If you already have a self-hosted website, it might be a waste to spend $30+ dollars a month on highly proprietary solutions with such limited customizations like the ones these companies offer.

Free Self-hosted Shopping Cart Solutions

Q: Who are these services actually solutions for?
A: Small to Large Corporate Size Businesses

Two that I have worked with are Zen Cart and OpenCart <- this new one that I have found very robust as well.

  • Pros
  • Nearly Endless Customization Abilities <3 <- Developers love this pro.
  • Possibly Low Initial Investment – if you are developing your own website that is…
  • They can process credit cards without your having to sign a contract with a cc processor.
  • Cons
  • You must additionally purchase your own credit card processing service. (Shop around for this, I think even places like Sam’s Club and Costco have very very low cost merchant services for cc processing.)
  • These services require advanced experience with HTML, PHP, and managing MySQL databases. (Pretty much anyone who works professionally developing WordPress can use these right out of the box so to speak.)
  • Requirements
  • Like all opensource systems, you must be ready and able to keep your systems up to date
  • More Self-hosted Security like SSL certificates for transactions made directly on your website.
  • You must additionally purchase your own credit card processing service and possibly purchase additional extensions to connect with your cc processor. This is a one time probably around $25 to $50 fee verses monthly fees for 1shoppingcart

If I have forgotten anything, or mixed up any points here do let me know and I’ll give you a shout out. <3

Goals for Me: to Make, Break, or Reconsider

Posted on by
Reply

I’m sitting alone (well at least I have no children sitting around me) in a random Starbucks contemplating all of the things that I am going to get accomplished this year.

Yep, it’s that time of year again. The kiddies are back to school, everyone’s back to a different schedule, and I am back to the same place I was a year ago (metaphorically speaking) when I wrote Change is Inevitable, Progress is Work.

It’s been a while since I wrote a post, so be prepared for all the info I’ve stored up! I am changing my schedule now, so I will be writing to you on Tuesdays from now on.

I have no idea why (perhaps it’s the very caffeinated iced coffee I am drinking despite the fact that I really don’t like coffee) but I have the strangest urge to type out all of my goals for myself, my family, and my work for the year. Like so many of you other virtual assistants, my life requires balance in three very distinct areas. Today I am going to write about how I have incorporated new habits to keep myself healthy and in top “working condition”.

1. Finding Balance for Myself

I must be healthy. This means:
to eat right
I wrote a post a few weeks ago about a documentary I watched called Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. I had to write a post about this film because it has so many great points about how we jeopardize out healthy every time we don’t choose the foods we consume wisely.

We eat so much over-processed and vitamin/mineral depleted foods that our bodies are fighting a losing battle to stay healthy. Check out that movie to watch real people reverse the damage that years of poor eating habits caused.

to get enough sleep

“I found this great new medicine… It’s called sleep!” – I told this to my doctor during a checkup and she laughed and wrote it down and told me she had to use that.

Even though I said it with humor, I meant it earnestly.

Last September, I did a sort of health experiment with my sleep and actually made myself sleep 8 hours every night for a full month. Beating insomnia was well worth the effort.

After a few months of sleeping eight hours every single night, I felt amazing. Of course I have slacked off since then, but I am not nearly as bad as I was. :)

Sleep is the time of the day when the body rebuilds, repairs and re energizes for the next day. The skin is the largest organ of the body and without the proper levels of sleep, it will also be the largest age-showing part of your life. At the surface of the skin are millions of cells that die off each day due to environmental influences, dry skin and sun damage. While lotions and cream may ease the effects of these factors, sleep is the only regenerative cycle that can truly undo the effects of the day. Without enough sleep, the skin will be unable to rebuild those dead and dying cells and this is when aging occurs.

- Sleep and Anti Aging excerpt from the Top Anti Aging Website

and to exercise often enough.

In a post called Exercise? Blah, It Just Sounds Like More Work I wrote last November I wrote about exercise videos, and then last April I wrote about more spontaneous styles of exercise in Time for Recess.

I think the trick for exercise is simply keep changing it up so we don’t get bored. I love to run, so I’ve been running at least three times a week all summer.

What about you?
What do you have to do to keep yourself in top working condition?

Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs

Posted on by
Reply

Work at Home Mom and Dad Writers

Parents Magazine and Parents.com, Parenting Magazine, Working Mother Magazine

Freelance Writing Job Listings

Freelance Writing Gigs, Newest FREELANCE MAGAZINE WRITING Jobs – collects most listings from CraigsList.org, Magazines Seeking Writers – write about travel, cooking, etc

IT Article Writers

Developer Tutorials, WorldStart’s Computer Tips, Simple-Talk, Technet Magazine

Writers of All Things Etc.

Write for About.com, AuctionBytes-Update and Collector’s Corner, Fiction Writing Editors, Professional Resume Writers, Funds for Writers (Source – I verified some of this information from an article titled “50 Places that Hire Freelance Writers” found at www.freelancewritinggigs.com/2009/07/50-places-that-hire-freelance-writers.)

Write for Animal Magazines

Dog Fancy magazine, Dog & Kennel, Animal Wellness, The Bark, Animal Fair, Veterinary Medicine, Cat Fancy, Catworld Magazine, Cats USA Magazine, Cats & Kittens and Bird Times, I Love Cats Magazine, Bird Talk magazine, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Aquarium Fish International Magazine, and Reptiles Magazine. (Source – I found this information from an article titled “Magazines That Hire Freelance Writers To Write About Pets” at www.cocothebloggingdog.com/2009/08/magazines-that-hire-freelance-writers.html and included links to submission information.)

3 Virtues That Entrepreneurs Can’t Succeed Without

Posted on by
Reply

(Number three is the only one that is not debatable.)

1. Acceptance

First we must fully accept two very important things with real confidence: ourselves and the inevitability of change.

“Confidence begins with self-acceptance… Make a decision that you will never again compare yourself with someone else. Appreciate others for what they are and enjoy the wonderful person you are.”

- Quoted from Joyce Meyer’s The Confident Woman

Standardization is a beautiful thing, but a real entrepreneur is never satisfied with the ‘status quo’. In order to face change, you must first embrace the fact that it will come.

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”

- Gail Sheehy

2. Diligence

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

- Thomas Edison

“Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.“

- Sir Winston Churchill

And last but not least:

3. A Sense of Humor

If you can’t find the humor in those “there is no freaking way that just happened” situations, you might as well quit now because your health or your sanity will seriously begin deteriorating within a year.

“Every survival kit should include a sense of humor.”

- Author Unknown

Remember this? -> 5 Silly Things Most Virtual Assistants Will Go Through.

Ok, there are many more virtues like honesty and integrity and creativity and maybe luck (Is luck a “virtue”?) and the beat goes on… :)

You Have 3 Minutes!

Posted on by
Reply

I am tired of hearing that old saying “Time is money”.
But here’s the real truth: Time is way more valuable than money.

Money can be earned, but time can only be saved. (And no, I didn’t get that from the book, I figured that one out on my very own. :) )

This week I read:

You Have 3 Minutes!

Learn the Secret of the Pitch from Trump’s Original Apprentice
Written by Richardo Bellino

Is it really possible to sell anything in 3 minutes?

“My answer is not only is it possible, but it is also the only effective way to sell an idea.”

- Ricardo R. Bellino, Founder, TRUMP REALTY BRAZIL

Set the Limit


A forward from Donald J. Trump precedes the content of this book. I read Donald’s carefully assembled opinion of Ricardo Bellino and how he decided to make him a partner during those first three minutes of meeting him.

More than anything else, it was his following statement in the forward that stood out:

“It’s surprising what people can do with a deadline.”

- Donald Trump

So simple in it’s structure and yet so complex in its meaning. Don’t you think? Well, maybe it was my state of mind when I read it that made it more profound that it actually was. You now how it is. Sometimes we are just more “inspire-able” than other times.

I was motivated to save myself even more time during my business day because summer seems like the most difficult time to stay on track. Maybe it’s because the kids are out of school or because it’s just so nice outside that I make any excuse I can to get out there.

How many amazing things could you have already accomplished in your lifetime if you always given yourself realistic deadlines and then been disciplined enough to stick to them?

Would you have started that business venture? or written that best seller? or broken that bad habit? or mastered that vital skill? or learned that foreign language? or permanently dropped those few extra pounds?

Optimize the Time Given

Read this book. Buy it. Borrow it. Whatever. It’s worth reading the tips on image (Are people buying your image?), negotiation (When should you listen to intuition? How should you make snap decisions?), and effective communication throughout a business venture.

It’s all there plus a lot more.

Increase Your Web Traffic in a Weekend

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve been reading the 6th edition of Increase Your Web Traffic in a Weekend and decided I had to write about it because it’s fabulous.

Much of the information in this book has been primarily valuable for me to reinforce and revisit many already well-known SEO and traffic directing practices. However, I was pleasantly surprised by some hot, relevant tips sprinkled throughout this book that I either never heard of or never thought of as a resource.

The book is literally sectioned off by what to do starting Friday evening and ending Sunday afternoon. I don’t want to give away too much information provided by this edition, but here’s a tiny preview of what I meant about some information reinforcing and making sense of what we already know.

    I came across a section about how search engines read your site information and why:

  • iframes
  • scripts thrown in with your HTML vs. residing in a separate file
  • tables
  • and graphics with obscure names like DSNC009.jpg

    • wreak havoc on your website’s indexing potential.

With iframes the search engine’s web spider sees virtually no information other than a reference to another page to index.

Scripts can simply limit your pages’ important data from being indexed since most search engines don’t crawl and cache the full length of all information on every page. So the book recommended simple alternatives to run your java scripts.

The info about how websites index tables also got my attention. It is very important that you know how search engines read them especially if you have tables of subjects with definitions or locations or other information that should be read from left to right.

Of course, the tip about renaming pictures with keywords or using alt tags was another good reminder.

It was published in February of 2011 which is important because I don’t read much of any ever-evolving material like social media or web development that hasn’t been published within the last 12 months. (This book covers both social media and best web development practices.)

I really liked this book. It offers helpful references to places to submit your website and dives head first into the newest rage that’s going to stick around for a while – SMO ( Social Media Optimization ).

Learn Anything You Want Online

Posted on by
Reply

Isn’t it powerful to know that you can learn pretty much anything online? Perhaps that’s a great overstatement.

How about this: Isn’t it amazing that you can grasp a basic understanding of almost any concept you could want to master online?

All we really need is a place to start and we can master anything… right?

Here are six of my favorite educational sites I’ve found quite useful for important subjects.

Foreign Languages

★★★★✩ Get started learning any language for free with BYKI. It’s similar to Rosetta Stone.

Free E-books, Audiobooks, and Reference Books

★★★★★ Public Libraries

General Studies

★★★✩✩ Self Made Scholar has some decent links that are nicely categorized. Just click on the Free Classes button.

Graphic Design Education

★★★✩✩ You the Designer is a Graphic Design Blog Featuring Graphic Design Jobs, Tips, Tutorials, Resources, Freebies and Much More.

Healthy Diet and Nutrition Education

★★★✩✩ SPARKPEOPLE is the largest online diet and healthy living community with over 8 million registered members. Create a free account today to get the tools, support, and motivation you need to lose weight and keep it off, the healthy way!

Online Marketing

★★★★★ Inbound Marketing University | Free Internet Marketing Training and Certification