Website and photo outsourcing solutions

From Geekpreneur, here are the "Rules for Working in Cafe's".

1. Find the Right Cafe

Cafes work when they have the right atmosphere, and even though every Starbucks might look the same, each outlet has a unique feel. It's important to find a branch that matches the style of your work. There's a difference, for example, between a cafe near a college filled with students leafing through books, and a coffee bar in an office building packed with lawyers writing briefs or executives holding informal meetings. The latter always makes your own work feel more serious. And despite the convenience, Starbucks is best for the times when the Web is a distraction. Unless you can hop onto a neighbor's line, you'll have to pay for the connection.

2. No Chatting

One of the benefits of leaving the house to do some work is that you'll see other regulars and maybe even exchange a few words with them. But one of the first things you discover when you work for yourself is just how much time employees waste when their hours aren't their own. That's a trap that cafe nomads want to avoid. A nod 'good morning' is fine. A quick exchange of pleasantries is polite and interesting. But a long conversation about last night's telly is employee-talk. When you're your own boss, it's a no-no.

3. Keep your Privacy

When you sit in the same place every day, there's a danger that it can feel like home. It isn't. Even though peeking at other people's screens is considered bad form, we all do it. A cafe then isn't the place to check your bank account online, log in to Paypal or pull up confidential information. Some work is best done on your sofa.

4. Watch the Bandwidth

For the most part, the sort of Internet connection you can find in a cafe will let you do anything you want, even while dozens of other people are also checking the Web and downloading emails. But if you're planning to upload your latest feature film to a video site or swap files that weight more than an elephant with a high body mass index then you might want to wait until you get home — especially if you're using the connection in the office building next door. If what you do makes it hard for others to do what they want to do, then that's something best not done in public.

5. Order Regularly or Head Back to the Road

If modern nomadism has a downside, it's the price. A daily brew might not be as expensive as office rental but it has to be paid and it has to be ordered regularly. On the whole, a cup every couple of hours is a fair rate, although you might be able to string it out longer if the place is empty and your presence makes the cafe look more inviting. For really crowded times though, hogging a seat for half a day and leaving a couple of bucks won't win you friends among the workers. It's why Starbucks don't provide free Internet. But watch the gold outflow (when you're doing this daily, those coffees add up) and the caffeine intake too. The jitters aren't great for productivity and leaving your laptop on the table while you run to the bathroom is just bad for your nerves.

6. Tip Well

The best way to be sure of a warm welcome is to tip generously. You want people to be happy to see you. In a cafe, that means paying them. A good tip won't just win you a nice smile though. It also means you won't be bothered if you stick around just a little longer than a couple of hours. It means no one will mind when you ask them to turn down the music or lower the blinds. And best of all, you'll always get your coffee exactly the way you want it.

Labels: geek, success, web

If you were like me and thought, "GAH..twitter?" - Let me introduce you to one of the best tools on the web.. Now if only everyone would twit.. *heh* ..we'd all be able to talk real-time and effectively get messages through when our contacts communication channels are at a premium.

Rather than re-blog what I've been reading, I'll let you head over to some of the sites I've been googleing which have a great amount of helpful information:

1. 10 ways I learned to use Twitter
2. Using twitter for Presence
3. Using Twitter for a Competitive Advantage
4. Why journalists (and others) should use Twitter
5. Why I Twitter - And Why It Just Might Make Business Sense

Labels: communications, success, twitter, web

Inspired with information provided by Body Expert: Scott Abel

To be in complete control of your own Tao, you must realize your position in and of this moment alone. There is no past; there is no future, as they do not exist in this moment. To give meaning to this moment through expression or to try and capture this moment is a feat of negation and thereby not Tao. Tao is thought, without the judgment of thought. Tao is magnificence, without awe. Tao is strength without any measure.

No artist begins a creative act seeking an award at the end. No one reads a script and thinks, "This will earn an academy award" No. Instead, as artists they take on roles or create music that resonates within them. This is Tao in nature; the externals are nice but not sought after.

To embrace Tao into your health and well being mentally is a positive affirmation which helps increase your mental and physical energy. The Chinese teach about three energies which are worth mentioning here; all of which are with you from when you are born until when you die.

The first I will mention is Chi. Chi is the energy you have every day, spiritually and physically. This energy gets depleted and recharged in many ways throughout your day. You may meet someone who gives you Chi energy, and you may also come across people who negate your Chi; this is why it is so important to include proper rest and recuperation in your daily regime - to restore your Chi. Without this rest, you are more likely to burn out than to wear out; and, if during the time you are supposed to rest while instead you are obsessing about what's next, then you are not truly recharging.

Your Shen energy path is the energy you radiate out each day. It is a vibe if you will that you put out into the world. It is what the world experiences from what you radiate. Your Shen energy is real, it cannot be faked. It is not the vibe you want people to perceive, but is the actual real vibe you put out. Someone with a lot of Chi energy will also radiate a lot of Shen as well.

Your Jing energy is your life's spiritual battery. It is your stored energy that you are born with, and it is fixed at birth. We steadily deplete our Jing energy throughout our lives. Hating yourself, your body, your workouts, your job, your surroundings etc, will deplete your Jing; and this will deplete all sources of your energy because your Jing energy feeds your Shen and your Chi. Negative emotional attachments and emotions also intensely deplete Jing and prematurely age us.

Exercise, in the spirit of enlightenment to your energies and in relation to Tao, is the most perfect and powerful path to your achievement of good health, weight loss, higher self esteem and ultimately satisfaction and happiness. Tao is the easiest approach to synergize your fitness success with your fitness goals. Champions at life do not know the word 'try', they only know 'I will,' and 'I am.' This is the nature of the Tao process. When you are stuck and only measuring your worth on the basis of one or more external factors, you are likely to go up and down like a Yo-Yo in both mood and self-conception. It's not your diet that is weighing you down; it's your thoughts that are weighing you down.

Of course, that does not mean there will not be setbacks. It does mean we are only responsible for efforts and following a path just to 'be' a better athlete will lead to results. Life is always changeable. Higher levels of awareness neither force nor resist change. Self-assessment needs to replace self-judgment. This is the path to the Tao centre. The Tao centre is the trunk of the tree and the roots as well. It is the base, the strength, the power, the centre from which all else branches out. Your inconsistent and controlling negative thoughts are only reflections of oneself, not the 'root' of oneself. To recognize your imbalances are to find the way back to your roots, your true self.

This may be your introduction to Tao, Chi, Shen and Jing, or maybe you are adding to your own experience. Undoubtedly, you now have the knowledge to live in the moment, that which is Tao. Go forth and live without the doubt of weight-loss failure, because you are in the moment, with Tao and your fitness Tao centre. Good Luck!

Note: Thank you to Open Grove Claudia for introducing me to Scott.

Labels: health, success, tao, zen

43 Folders does a great tutorial for effective processing of e-mail called 'Inbox Zero'. Start here with my favorite piece of advice:

..then go on to the 43Folders website and get to your own Inbox Zero.

Labels: e-mail, spam, success, workflow

An excellent article written by: Richard J. Primo

We very often hear, "For us to be successful we need to have authentic and effective communication." Those two adjectives are rarely used properly.

When we talk about being authentic, what is it that we are actually looking to accomplish? Are we looking for senders who express themselves freely and openly without regard to other individuals' feelings, or are we looking for senders who know how to take their authenticity and conform it into a manner of communication that can be accepted by the receiver?

In our world of business (and in our personal lives), we need to know how to use this ability to mold our communication into an open and honest message that the receiver readily can accept.

The ability to use authentic communication correctly can lead to the success of the second magical word: effective. An individual who takes the time to tailor his or her message to meet the needs of the receiver will have a better chance of achieving success than an individual who wantonly throws out opinions.

For us to be successful when communicating, we must do our research, first on the topic we are trying to communicate. Do we have the basic knowledge to hold a discussion, or do we need to find further information to clarify our opinions and make a bigger impact?

Secondly, we must research our audience - with whom are we going to be communicating? What is their background, knowledge, acceptance of the topic to be discussed? These are only a few of the groundwork elements that must be completed to be successful.

Finally, we must prepare ourselves to be ready for all possible obstacles that might be presented during our communication. Do we have the necessary background material to support our opinions or recommendations? More importantly, if asked for our opinion, would we be able to provide it in a manner that will be accepted as being authentic and effective, or would it be perceived as opinionated?

Although authenticity is important, it is more important that we are effective when we communicate. What is it that we want our receivers to understand, and are we presenting it to them in a manner that they will fully understand? As we begin to prepare our communication, if questions arise that we aren't sure how to answer, how will receivers accept that same information? The receivers might have similar questions, and more importantly, we could lose the possibility of acceptance, openness, agreement or approval for the information we are communicating.

How do we overcome the misuse of authentic and effective communication in our day-to-day conversations and begin to use them "magically?"

We need to begin by understanding our own limitations when it comes to communication. We have to realize just because we are being authentic, it doesn't mean we are being effective. We have to understand that we have to tailor our communication to the level of our recipient. In our efforts to be authentic and effective, we have to realize we are not always able to capture the acceptance of the receiver, but it is our responsibility to give it our best effort to try and capture that acceptance.

It is important to recognize limitations that might exist during communication (i.e., age, culture, sex, ethnicity, education, etc.). Once we recognize the existence of these limitations, we can begin to gain additional knowledge to help overcome them. This additional knowledge also will allow us to stay focused on the topic of discussion and will help in communicating confidently, clearly and accurately.

Although the recognition of these limitations will help us to stay focused and on point to deliver an authentic effective form of communication, there are other factors that need to be discussed.

We all don't communicate and interpret in the same manner - everyone communicates in a way that is comfortable for them but might make it difficult for the individual receiving the message to interpret.

Vice versa, everyone also has formed their own manner of listening. We listen for those key points that are of interest to us and pay no attention to the surrounding details.

One of the many tools that are available to us to help better understand not only our preferences for communicating for how other individuals prefer to communicate is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI). Ned Herrmann developed the HBDI more than 25 years ago while he was working as a head of management education at General Electric.

The HBDI measures a person's preference for right- or left-brained thinking and for intellectual, more visceral or gut-oriented thinking. The model combines these two dimensions to create four quadrants (A through D). Quadrant A is the Rational Self (Analyze), Quadrant B is the Safekeeping Self (Organize), Quadrant C is the Feeling Self (Personalize) and Quadrant D is the Experimental Self (Strategize), with each quadrant representing a different thinking-style preference.

Based on this information, individuals and/or teams can better predict, understand and improve their problem-solving, idea generation and communication patterns.

With this information, you can better prepare yourself for communicating. If you know in advance the preference of the individual with whom you will be communicating, you will be more effective in delivering your message because you are now delivering it in a manner that person understands. Accordingly, he or she will be more willing to invest their time to listen to you.

Herrmann's research has shown that although we clearly prefer some quadrants over others, we all have access to each of these quadrants.

If you prefer communicating from the Experimental Quadrant, your preference will tend to be to challenge established policies, to think outside the box for solutions and look at the big picture.

On the other hand, if you prefer to communicate from the Rational Quadrant, you will tend to want to gather facts, and look at ways to solve problems logically, and you will want to make your point clearly and concisely.

The Feeling Quadrant will be more likely to be more intuitive, expressive and sensitive, in contrast to the Organized Quadrant, which focuses on plans, details, how things will get done and timing.

The challenge now is getting each of the examples to understand one another and accept what the others have to say. The answer to the challenge is to recognize there might be existing limitations based on individual preferences for communicating. Once we acknowledge their existence, we can begin to overcome them by adapting our preference to their preference.

This doesn't mean we give up our preference completely, but that we attempt to adapt it so that it will be accepted during the communication process. The process starts by choosing the right information, organizing it in the best way and presenting it effectively within the known preferences.

These are the cornerstones of developing an approach to authentic and effective communication. When practicing, experiment with different levels of enthusiasm or styles of delivery until you feel comfortable with your natural self-expression, especially if you will be preparing to deliver your information outside your normal preference.

If you don't take the proper amount of time to research, organize and present your information in a clear, concise and accurate manner, you might come across as stiff, awkward and ineffective.

Taking the time upfront will make you and your communication come across as well-prepared and, more importantly, authentic and effective. With proper preparation, you will be able to pay close attention to what other people are saying and how they are reacting.

Your audience will find your ability to pay close attention flattering, and it will let the audience know you're interested in its ideas.

Additionally, you will avoid letting the communication shut down when one person doesn't understand the other.

This misunderstanding can lead to a communication breakdown, and it might have a negative impact on your ability to communicate authentically.

Communicating authentically is not an easy task. What we believe is authentic might be perceived as being unknowledgeable, unprepared and, in some cases, rude.

At times, authentic communication feels like risk and takes courage. It reflects your experience, not an absolute reality. We use authentic communication as a method to be understood, not necessarily to meet agreement.

Ultimately, the use of authentic communication needs to be invited, welcomed and appreciated by both the sender and receiver of the communication transaction.

We have to realize that just because we are being authentic doesn't mean we are being effective. For our communication to be accepted as being authentic and effective, we need to build a blueprint of our communication, which needs to be clear, concise and accurate. It also has to meet the needs of the individual or group who will be receiving it.

Communicating with one another isn't always easy. Even our closest friends and our co-workers sometimes have difficulty understanding what we are trying to say. We need to slow down and realize that just because we know what we are saying, someone else might not.

For our communication to flow easily back and forth and not break down, we need to take a deep breath, organize our thoughts, remember to whom we are speaking, adapt it to their understanding and then, with any luck, we will be able to provide authentic and effective communication.

This information is not all inclusive, and it should be used as a foundation. There are numerous suggestions and methods that can be used to help in the preparation of our communication that will make our authenticity and effectiveness work hand in hand.

Richard J. Primo is a senior training analyst with Communications Technologies Inc. He can be reached at editor [at] clomedia.com.

Labels: communications, memory, motivation, Organizations, Social Sciences, speaking, success

Daily affirmations... Write your own book of Daily Affirmations because you deserve it!

Search for them online, find them in books you read, hear them being spoken, or write your own! And remember to record all of them in a journal which you can refer to over and over as you and life travel together.

The positive quotations for improvement in your life are your keys to success; make sure to keep this book of gold nuggets near you at all times because you can use it when you are happy, sad, depressed, panicked, joyful, melancholy, victorious, - you name it! The book you write will ALWAYS do you good.

Keep one book to write all your notes, whatever they may be, and another at home which to transfer the bits and pieces that 'make the grade' .. Dog-ear those make-the-grade pages so when you need a quick pick-me-up you can find one quickly .. Additionally, a few of the real good ones from the transfer journal retyped and lodged into the pages of your traveling journal is a great help when you are out in the world away from your meditative haven of home (or office).

Personal Tip: I tried to write in a blackberry (well it was actually the AT&T version) but I found it was hard to data manage and the whole process seemed a little cold to me. I'm an old-school handwriting junkie anyway..

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Labels: quotes, success

Does anyone still do this? Reminisce with me a little - I'm sure there are still a few Powerpoint Killers out there..

Imagine that PowerPoint presentation... a poor presenter points the barrel of his weapon right at your eyes while you painfully watch him torture you slowly until you feel yourself becoming numb from a compulsory habit which forces you to read the points of his bulleted presentation to yourself over and over again.

"..wait a minute here.. am I giving this presentation, or is he? Didn't I just say what he said? Only I said it in my head at an unbelievable rate.. much faster than he is saying it now -- Hold up.. he didn't bullet that word he just said! What did I miss?" -- This might be some of your self-talking rhetoric you are forced to cycle through while meaninglessly engrossed into his very boring slides.

Now what can we do ourselves? Read on.. What can we do for these pathetic presenters? Immediately give them a copy of the link to this post after the presentation I say! (if you have arrived here from such a demonstration, I'm sorry if I insulted you as pathetic -- but it wasn't your fault, really [make sure and read the Seth Gordon tips and you will understand why]!)

I've put together what I think is an excellent slide for my purpose here today. If I were to give a presentation on this, I would like to open my presentation with this slide. The words are meant to trigger the presentation.. certainly not enough to look like a script you'd read back to everyone like a cue card.

Positively speaking; retention rates in this paper show the transfer of information is increased by 79% while an additional 25% is gained in retention with bullet points removed. If you want to keep those nasty little buggers, you have the distinct chance of overloading the cognitive system.

This is a copy of one question in the Q&A from Cliff Atkinson with Richard E. Mayer about The Cognitive Load of PowerPoint


More notes on better techniques here: Brad Feld : The Torturous World of Powerpoint and Beyond Bullets : The Seen and the Unseen and Really Bad Powerpoint and How to Avoid It by Seth Godin.

So take better notes people and don't bore your audience to death by your own bullets! Good Luck.

Labels: business, communications, consulting, speaking, success, writing

Just a few inspiring tidbits from around the web:

Labels: business, communications, consulting, motivation, success, workflow

1. Give business people Moo cards.
Turn your photos into mini-Moo cards and market them as unique intros for
business people who think they're unique.

2. Become a paparazzi!
Snapped a celebrity doing a walkabout? Scoopt finds buyers for news
pictures... and a model eating is always news.

3. Put a mouse on an image
Zazzle is one site that lets you put a photo on a mousepad and sell it through
their store...

4. Create a photography book
...and Blurb makes it a breeze to publish your photos in a book and sell it to
admiring fans for a profit.

5. Create a specialized photography book
It's nice to put your favorite images in a photography book; it's nice money
when you put your kid's school soccer team in a book and sell it to their
parents.

6. Give MySpace users unique pages
It's hard to stand out on MySpace and other networking sites... unless you've
got some very special images. So contact networkers and offer them yours.

7. BritePic your pictures
BritePic lets you put a floating ad on your images when users mouse over - you earn even if the pictures aren't on your website.

8. Blog about your pictures... and get paid for it
Google's AdSense program is giving many bloggers a handsome income. Put
your images on a blog, discuss them and earn from ads.

9. Find local distributors for your local images
Even simple pictures sell well when people recognize them. Get your local
images in local stores and you'll make sales.

10. Create creative computer covers
Moo isn't the only place that can turn photos into stickers. Other printers can
do the same thing, letting you turn photos into long shapes to cover dull PCs.

11. Give hosting companies exclusive libraries
Hosting companies give packages to clients that can include microstock deals.
Give them an exclusive library of images and they'll have a unique offer for
their customers; you'll have your own microstock customer base.

12. Create creative car window covers
When the weather is hot, cars get hotter. Print your photos on windscreen
covers and offer them to accessories stores.

13. Earn real income from real estate
Taken pictures of buildings? Take pictures of buildings with For Sale signs
and offer them to the sellers. If your photo is better than theirs, you'll be
exchanging contracts.

14. Take a trip to a travel agents
Travelers want to know where they're going so if you've been there and
photographed it, give travel agents a chance to show them. For a small fee, of
course.

15. Decorate cafes
Ask cafe owners to put your pictures on their walls. They get free art... you get
to show pictures with price tags.

16. Earn every day with calendars
Calendars are simple to make but tough to get into stores. So sell them online.

17. Build a membership base
Create a club and give members a photo a day with an explanation of how it
was shot. It will be like an email photography course... with tuition fees.

18. Put your pictures on microstock sites
Hey, everyone else is doing it - and some people are making six-figure sums
doing it!

19. Put your pictures in competitions
The ‘net is stuffed with photo contests these days. Some of them pay cash
prizes, others pay with a valuable reputation boost. Be a winner!

20. Go mobile
Ringtones are a huge market and ringtone companies also sell mobile phone
wallpapers. Ask them to sell yours.

21. Snapped a logo? Take it to the company
If there's a logo in your picture, you've got just one possible buyer. So ask
them to buy it.

22. Put it on a t-shirt
Yes, we know it's old-fashioned but it works! People do buy them.

23. Turn your photos into art works
You don't need a gallery to create art works; you just need a canvas printer.
There are plenty of those around so put your picture on a stretcher and sell it
as art.

24. Turn your art into sketches
Photoshop lets you turn your images into sketches. So if you can't draw, pack
your camera, a laptop and a portable printer and head to where the tourists are.
While the sketchers sketch, you can shoot and print.

25. Customize stationery
Fancy stationery comes with all sorts of flowery designs. Why shouldn't they
come with your pictures? Find a printer, create notebooks and put them in
stores.

26. Put your pictures on programs
Software companies need all sorts of images... to decorate their disc covers, to
put on their boxes, to function as backgrounds. Check out who's working on
what, shoot some stills and make your pitch.

27. Play with picture cards
Soldiers play with sexy playing cards but who says you have to be crude?
Take 52 themed pictures, print them on cards and take a bet on gamblers.

28. Take to student life
Students don't have much money. Neither do their publications. But they do
have enough to pay freelance photographers with good pictures and they're
open-minded enough to try someone new. And you don't have to be a student
to do it.

29. Decorate model apartments
Property developers always create at least one apartment that looks lived in to
show prospective buyers. Why shouldn't the developers put your pictures on
the wall?

30. Decorate furniture stores
It's not just developers that need to create fake living spaces; furniture stores
do it too. Take a look at what's on offer, create pictures that match the chairs...
and market them.

31. Put it in the bag
You can put anything on a handbag these days, even a $5,000 price tag. So
talk to a bag designer and build a winning team.

32. Cover school books
No, you're not back at school... but plenty of kids are still there and every year
they have to cover their school books - usually in horrible colored paper. Take
trendy pictures, print them on thin paper and sell them to kids who want their
books to look cool.

33. Stretch your pictures to 42 inches
The price of flat-screen TVs has fallen faster than an anvil in a road-runner
cartoon. These days, almost everyone has one on their wall and most of them
are dark most of the time. But there's no reason they should be. Some of them
can take uploaded pictures. Make a disk and make them yours.

34. Cover CDs
People are still burning CDs... and still storing in them in boring plastic
covers. Put pictures on circles and offer them to stores that sell blanks.

35. Cover flash cards
Of course, more people these days are using flash memory cards to hold their
information. They may be small but they're big enough to hold a photo with
sticker. Especially if you print it small enough.

36. Create collectors' packs
Shoot a series of themed images such as birds of California or hairstyles of the
rich and famous. Print them on cards and sell them in niche outlets in
restricted doses. It worked for baseball players...

37. Tell stories with your pictures
You don't have to draw to create graphic novels. Call some pals, create some
poses and print them as story books.

38. Turn your pictures into wallpapers
Desktop wallpapers are still big business. Or at least, big enough to buy your
photos. So sell them and appear on computers across the nation.

39. Help campaigning groups
Local pressure groups need images for their campaigns and they're the sort
that aren't easy to find - beautiful pictures of the local woods, for example, or
the headquarters of a property developer. Snap and sell.

40. Become a local photojournalist
It's not just pressure groups and student papers that are willing to take
freelanced images. Local newspapers often will too, especially the free ones.
Call their photo editors and make your pitch.

41. Change clothes...
Not yours, the clothes in your pictures. Shoot a series of people standing in the
same pose, shoot clothes to match, then team up with a programmer to let
people play around with them. Then sell the game to a site about fashion as
sticky content.

42. ... and expressions.
There's a good reason Mr. Potato Head is still around. He's fun. So create an
electronic version by shooting portraits then ask your friendly programmer to
let players change noses. You get to share the game profits.

43. Sit on your best work
If you can put a picture on a t-shirt, you can also put it on a cushion cover. So
do.

44. Let buyers eat your pictures
IcingImages.com lets photographers print images on sheets of edible paper
and stick them on cakes. Could be a tasty deal for wedding photographers.

45. Market to Flickr book marketers
Book marketers are using Flickr to drum up publicity. They need good images.
You need sales. It's a match made in a kitchen.

46. Sell to eBay auctioneers
Many of the items sold on eBay appear time and time again, often with poor
images. So shoot commonly sold products and sell the pictures to sellers.

47. Illustrate recipes
It's not just Flickr book marketers who need food pictures. Recipe sites do too.
Cook up a storm and photograph the results. Then eat them and offer the
pictures to the people who made the meal possible.

48. Advertise on Craigslist
So simple. So overlooked. So why not be the first to advertising outstanding
prints on the world's coolest classifieds?

49. Create coloring books
Take pictures of cats, dogs and bunnies, follow these neat Photoshop steps and
put together your very own coloring books.

50. Cover the Earth in your pictures
Well, Google Earth anyway. Some photographers have already put their aerial
images on Google Earth but why not turn all of your best travel photos into an
overlay... and sell them?

51. Take "after" photos
There are few things more appealing than vintage photographs... except
comparing them with how the place looks today. You can't go back in time but
you can find the old places, shoot them today and sell them to vintage photo
sellers to complete their set.

52. Sell them as prints
Yes, we know it's old fashioned but there's still a market for pictures you can
hold and touch. And there are plenty of photo sites that let buyers order online.

Labels: business, consulting, freelance, marketing, motivation, photo-techniques, photography, success

This great inspiration from : Pick The Brain

Labels: success

"It's not what you know or who you know, but who knows you." Susan RoAne.

The Guy Kawasaki Theory of Schmoozing version 1.0 was ad hoc: get to know the people that you need for a specific deal. It was short-term and focused.Version 2.0 is ad infinitum--maybe even ad nauseam. It's taken me twenty years, but I've figured out that it's much easier to make a sale, build partnerships, create joint ventures--you name it--with people that you already know than with people you just met.

The key is to establish a relationship before you need it. And this is why I'd like to provide the art of schmoozing.

1. Understand the goal. Darcy Rezac in his book, The Frog and the Prince, wrote the world's best definition of schmoozing: "Discovering what you can do for someone else." Herein lies eighty percent of the battle: great schmoozers want to know what they can do for you, not what the you can do for them. If you understand this, the rest is just mechanics.
2. Get out. Schmoozing is an analog, contact sport. You can't do it alone from your office on the phone or via a computer. You may hate them but force yourself to go to trade shows, conventions, and seminars. It's unlikely that you'll be closing a big order with someone you met online at MySpace or via Skype. Get out there and press flesh.
3. Ask good questions, then shut up. The mark of a good conversationalist is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk a lot. Thus, good schmoozers are good listeners, not good talkers. Ask softball questions like, "What do you do?" "Where are you from?" "What brings you to this event?" Then listen. Ironically, you'll be remembered as an interesting person.
4. Unveil your passions. Only talking about business is boring. Good schmoozers unveil their passions after they get to know you. Great schmoozers lead off with their passions. Your passions make you an interesting person--you'll stick out because you're the only person not talking about 802.11 chipsets at the wireless conference. Personally, my passions are children, Macintosh, Breitling watches, digital photography, and hockey if you ever meet me.
5. Read voraciously. In order to be a good schmoozer, you need to read voraciously--and not just the EE Times, PC Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. You need a broad base of knowledge so that you can access a vast array of information during conversations. Even if you are a pathetic passionless person, you can at least be a well-read one who can talk about a variety of topics.
6. Follow up. Over the course of my career, I've given away thousands of business cards. At one point, I thought I was nuts because if all those people called or emailed me, I'd never get anything done. Funny thing: hardly anyone ever follows up. Frankly, I don't know why people bother asking for a business card if they're not going to follow up. Great schmoozers follow up within twenty-four hours--just a short email will do: "Nice to meet you. I hope we can do something together. Hope your blog is doing well. I loved your Breitling watch. I have two tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals if you want to attend." Include at least one thing to show the recipient that she isn't getting a canned email.
7. Make it easy to get in touch. Many people who want to be great schmoozers, ironically, don't make it easy to get in touch with them. They don't carry business cards, or their business cards don't have phone numbers and email addresses. Even if they provide this information, it's in grey six-point type. This is great if you're schmoozing teenagers, but if you want old, rich, famous, and powerful people to call or email, you'd better use a twelve-point font. (These are the same folks that need the thirty-point font vis-a-vis the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint.)
8. Give favors. One of my great pleasures in life is helping other people; I believe there's a big Karmic scoreboard in the sky. God is keeping track of the good that you do, and She is particularly pleased when you give favors without the expectation of return from the recipient. The scoreboard always pays back. You can also guess that I strongly believe in returning favors for people who have helped you.
9. Ask for the return of favors. Good schmoozers give favors. Good schmoozers also return favors. However, great schmoozers ask for the return of favors. You may find this puzzling: Isn't it better to keep someone indebted to you? The answer is no, and this is because keeping someone indebted to you puts undue pressure on your relationship. Any decent person feels guilty and indebted. By asking for, and receiving, a return favor, you clear the decks, relieve the pressure, and set up for a whole new round of give and take. After a few rounds of give and take, you're best friends, and you have mastered the art of schmoozing.

Labels: business, marketing, success

For the the full article, visit : 1shotworld.com

Labels: freelance, photography, success

Are you feeling a bit renewed from this affirmation? You have been creative I'm sure, but now you have full creative orbit possibilities..

Labels: photography, success

You've got to stay fresh for your readers.. Here are 10 more ways to write blog titles that keep your readers on your post.. not on to the next one.

Labels: blogger, success, web, writing

A success post from About.com

A Positive Attitude Increases Success

Hold up your thumb and forefinger about 2-1/2 inches apart. It takes about 1/100th of a second for Olympians to run that distance in the 100-meter race. But that's the difference between winning and losing.

In the women's 100-meter dash at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, for example, the gold medal was won by an American who crossed the line only 2-1/2 inches in front of her closest opponent. Fifth place went to a Jamaican who finished a mere 6/100th of a second behind her. And yet that little bit of difference made all the difference in the world.

The same goes for attitude. When you compare age, gender, upbringing, education, IQ, and just about any other factor you can think of, research says that positive attitude is the little bit of difference that makes all the difference in success in both your personal and professional lives.

So how do you build a positive attitude that ensures your success?

Just follow this "4-Day Attitude Diet", focusing on a different skill each day. And repeat the cycle until you've built an invincible attitude. It works!

Positive Attitude Diet Day 1: Fill your mind with positives.

Instead of living your life on autopilot, letting any and all thoughts come into your mind, consciously feed your mind positive input. Do this on the first day of every week, and do it throughout the day. Read inspirational books; listen to uplifting music, or call an upbeat person. And by all means, avoid the cynics and gripers.

Keep a journal and write down 50 wonderful things that happen to you on Day 1. Include even small things... like finding a quarter on the sidewalk... or a stranger greeting you with a cheerful "good morning." After awhile, you'll realize that most of the things that happen in your life are positive.

Positive Attitude Diet Day 2: Affirm yourself.

To build a positive attitude you must remind yourself of past victories. Congratulate yourself on the good you have done and will do. And refuse to let any self-doubt enter your mind. Just tell yourself over and over, "I am filled with confidence, and I am competent."

And when you make a mistake, learn the lesson in that mistake and laugh at yourself. In fact people who can't laugh at themselves are not only more negative, but they're also more susceptible to cancer, stroke, and heart disease. So laugh... and affirm the fact you're learning and growing.

Of course you may have some doubts about yourself. But on day 2, literally, consciously feed yourself with positive affirmations. As boxing champ Sugar Ray Robinson said, "To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will."

Positive Attitude Diet Day 3: Think only good things about people.

Don't allow ill thoughts to enter your mind. Look for something you like in everyone you meet. One person might have a great smile, and another one might be extremely dedicated to his work. You can always find something you like.

Of course, you may think this a rather Pollyannaish activity... especially if you're working with some very difficult people. No problem. Simply see these people as giving you an opportunity to learn patience and practice assertiveness. That's something you can like.

Positive Attitude Diet Day 4: Speak only positive words.

In order to build and maintain a positive attitude, you must speak hopefully about everything -- your job, your customers, your manager, your employees, your children, your health, and your future. Go out of your way to talk optimistically about everything.

You may have to talk yourself out of uttering negative words. If, for instance, the man at the front of the company cafeteria line seems to be holding up everyone else, you'll be tempted to make a snide remark to the person next to you. Don't do it. Instead, say, "It's kind of nice not to rush every single minute of the day."

When you have a positive attitude, you refuse to use a loser's language. If you talk like a loser, you'll end up losing. As George Schultz, the former U.S. Secretary of State said, "The minute you start talking about what you're going to do if you lose, you have lost."

And Now The Challenge: Start Building a Positive Attitude Today.

Nothing... absolutely nothing... contributes more to your success than your attitude. The good news is you can have a powerful, positive attitude... if you get on the 4-Day Attitude Diet. I've seen it work for thousands. Now it's your turn.

As a best-selling author and Hall of Fame professional speaker, Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught more than one million people in 48 states and 22 countries how to keep a positive attitude on and off the job. In his book, PIVOT: How One Turn In Attitude Can Lead To Success, Dr. Zimmerman outlines the exact steps you must take to get the results you want in any situation.

Labels: success

I was. I definitely was!

Tried and true -- here are 5 Surefire Headline Formulas for your writing toolbox.

Now I know better.

Labels: blogging, success, web, writing

How do we motivate ourselves, how do we motivate others? I'm pretty sure the top way to motivate anyone, to do anything, is when the person 'doing the do' can visualize 'a big gain" in it for them. So how do we find our own big gains and become motivated? Take a look at your task list. What improvements are you making in your life that will bring you a "Big Gain?" Congratulations, you have now found your motivation - Now get to it! P.S. Using affirmations doesn't hurt either: Use Them Daily or any others you have written yourself or found elsewhere. A little focus should help too: Your Focus of Attention is Your Key to Happiness

Labels: motivation, success

Heighten your memory recall through smell? Yes, it's true; olfactory and memory are integrally linked.

How do I use this?:
Here's a scenario: You have a hard time remembering peoples name when you first meet them. Most people have difficulty with this. It takes practice, skill and effort to remember them later. Now enter smell.. Would you be willing to put a carnation in your pocket (or some other scented object) and then sniff it before/during/after you are meeting someone for the first time? (think of Peter in 'the Monkees' episode introduction) - Sure sure, you can also be discreet about it.. but studies have shown there is a strong connection between scent and memory, so you may just want to flaunt it.

Here's a brief synopsis on how it works:
"Sensory memory is a short-lived persistence of a sensory stimulus in the nervous system, such as iconic memory in the visual system." Source | Electrical signals from smells are generated to receptor cells in the brain through the nose into the olfactory bulb. In addition to receiving nural transmissions in the frontal cortex, which is responsible for your smell perception, signals are also sent to the limbic area of the brain. Source Source Source | "The primary olfactory cortex, in which higher-level processing of olfactory information takes place, forms a direct link with the amygdala and the hippocampus." Source | The amygdala and the hippocampus which support "a variety of functions including emotion, behavior and long term memory" are both in the limbic system. | Studies have shown: "When an odor is paired with an emotional event, perception of that odor was altered to fit that association." Source and "..odor hedonic perception and odor-related behavior result from a learned association between an odor and the emotional context in which the odor was first encountered. Source

Now for the 'Readers Digest' version:
Thank God for Teacher Workshops and Online Classroom Explanations.

What does all this mean?
If you are sniffing and the person you are meeting is unpleasant.. you may wind up not liking the smell and also the later events associated with that smell. This is so powerful it may just be dangerous. Good Luck!

The original inspiration for this article was spawned by the CNN Source listed at the bottom of this post.

Labels: memory, success

Until today, getting to the root of your problems probably was a guessing game. The Four M's (Manpower, Methods, Machines and Materials) Chart on the Quality Tools Website is your ticket to isolate cause area's of your problem which if improved will change your future outcomes. Of course in the case of a popped tire (or similar effect) the damage is done but you can learn from your mistakes.

This graph illustrates the cause and effect for this situation in customer service:

Once you dissect the causes and their sub-causes (verbs), with the Fours M's (nouns), you can begin treatment. Often times we get lost in treating a symptom where we are really looking for the combination of known, suspected and/or other causes.

You are now ready to attack and win! So the next time a customer complains, your boss fires his cannon, or anyone else comes to you with a challenge/problem/situation, you have the tool to work it out effectively and efficiently. -- Good Luck! --

Labels: success

I am successful. I want to be more successful. I want to continue my success. I imagine you must too since you are on my website and reading my evangelisms. On a daily basis, I work to get things done effectively - and very often I do a VERY good job. There are time though where Time Management in my world is synonymous with Power Struggle. I wish to deter that thought to eternity...

One essential tool to being successful is Time Management. Currently I am battling (in my mind) to what task (if any) deserves the most attention. Maybe you can relate?

Hmmm, if the situation was mine, how do I decide? Lets say they are equally important, now the task delves into my subconscious and the battle begins. I find myself with four choices:

How did you choose? What is your solution? Are you stuck in a self defeating loop or have you taken the Time Management bull by the horns and said "Woo-Ha!"?

If you have not yelled Woo-Ha! in a while, I suggest you visit this site more, and also check out www.mindtools.com, specifically this page: Learn Time Management - Learn how to manage your workload and maximize your effectiveness., and began reading.

I have found it to be very inspiring with a lot of positive, helpful suggestions to poise me for continued and greater success - and help me battle my subconscious into submission... because I want to flip the current during my self-defeating ways! Because I am not always self-defeating.. No, I am not - it is the time which I am that I want to turn that locomotive around.

To begin to understand your subconscious, go here: All About Motivation : Child Mind, Subconscious Mind.

Labels: success

I love trees. I started loving trees when Farrah Fawcett (Pamela, in The Cannonball Run movie) announced to Mr. A F Foyt (played by George Furth) and a small set or arborday groupies that she loved trees.



I don't know but that could possibly be why I almost caused an accident trying to pull over and find a place to park while driving in Washington, DC last year to take this and several other pictures like it. I'm not suggesting that you cause an accident - I actually rode around the block, twice, to find a suitable pull-over spot.

I jumped out with my camera, the light was incredible, and the shots came off one after another.. dare I say compare/explain as so monumental that the moment was "a-sign-from-god"?

This is one of my Ansel Adams prints; maybe my first. It is definitely the first I feel worthy of my archive in memory of Ansel Adams. He spent a great deal of time making his moments - or should I say waiting for his moments. I don't have time to wait - at least not yet so for now I'll listen to my instinct and jump when inspiration hits. You can bet on that.

Labels: Inspired-by-Ansel-Adams, Nikon, photo-techniques, photography, success

I'm a long time addict of flirting, but did you know flirting is a great resource for business? Check this :Google Search for 'Business Flirting' .. and what about 'flirting business classes'?

So go on... be nice and flirt! You can start with with me..

Labels: success

I have a new friend who referred me to an online stock photo house. The picture profits are not very high at all - some images sell for as little as .12 cents/download - but I think we are going for quantity and portfolio exposure so...what-the-hey, I'm seriously considering giving it a whirl.

The stock website is not the subject of this post - (it will be soon) - but some content I read while surfing there jumped into my minds collective as PRIORITY. Let me now quote the inspiration:

That's it? OMG. Right! So... are you too working too hard? Over-thinking? Over-analyzing? It's a sef-defeating pattern and congratulations, you and I are now on the path of rightousness! It's time to play. Not to get carried away but: *wheeeeeee!*

All this time and I've known it all along. Sometimes, you just need a friend to remind you. Thank you Jack.

Labels: photography, success, web

For those unruly tasks:

S - Select one task.
T - Time yourself.
I - Ignore everything else.
N - No breaks.
G - Give yourself a reward.

Labels: consulting, success, workflow

Five Steps to Accomplish Any Task (Project Planning)

1. defining purpose and principles
2. outcome visioning
3. brainstorming
4. organizing
5. identifying next actions

Labels: consulting, success, workflow

I'm starting to like top ten lists... According to Harvard Business School, these are the righteous E-mail "commandments" we should all pray to follow... and I say hallelujah!

Then, by God, ..as the Converted E-mail Evangelist you know you have become, (and if not, *gasp!*, you better - I mean, it is Harvard speaking... hello!) ..we shall follow these rules given to us, and also preach forward! (yeh!) ..to evv-ery person (yeh oh-yeh!) ..that lays finger(s) to the keyboard (sing it sisters and brothers!) ..to follow the Harvard heavenly rules of E-communication by E-mail. (Amen!)

The Crimson have even gone the extra-mile and given us eleven! I love the driven... Now here we go:

The Eleven Commandments of E-mail
1. Use e-mail only when it's the most efficient channel for your need.
2. Never print your e-mail.
3. Send nothing over e-mail that must be error-free.
4. Never delete names from your address book.
5. Never forward chain e-mail.
6. Never send e-mail when you're furious or exhausted.
7. Don't pass on rumor or innuendo about real people.
8. Nor should you do so about companies you work for or may work for one day.
9. Never substitute e-mail for a necessary face-to-face meeting.
10. Remember this hierarchy: first the meeting, then the phone call, then the voice mail, then the e-mail.
11. Your e-mail is hackable and retrievable, and it can be used against you. Use only when absolutely necessary.

Now all of you get to church!

Labels: business, e-learning, e-mail, professional, success, web