- Inc. Online
- ABC's The View From the Bay
Clever Parents.com
By Pamela Robbins McCarty
If you are contemplating getting a flat screen TV, I have an alternative that is great for all seasons. Get a digital projector. In our basement, we have a small rec-room with one large wall painted white. Then we have an Epson digital projector mounted on the ceiling. It feels just like our-own-private-movie-theater.
Now that it is summer and the weather is warm enough to hangout outside (my family lives in Seattle, where it just started to hit the 70’s just a few weeks ago), we take the projector outside and watch movies on the side of our house.
There are many advantages to getting a projector: It is portable, costs less than a large flat screen TV, you can get a High Definition projector, the screen can be made almost as large or as small as you want, and when you are playing your Wii, you won’t accidentally damage the screen with the controller!
Our projector is an EPSON PowerLight Home 20 3LCD. There are 2 types of projectors you can get: LCD and DLP. We initially bought a DLP projector. Unfortunately, there is a rainbow effect the DLP projector produces which most people cannot see it. But, my husband was able to see it. So, back it went.
We bought both projectors on-line and had no problems. The DLP projector was from Amazon. They took it back with out any complaints (we even had 30 days to return it.) The one we have now we got directly from Epson (www.epson.com.) It is now 2 years old, but you can find the exact projector we have on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/Epson-PowerLite-Home-20-projector/dp/B000F5CMNS
We really like our projector. It was very affordable, and easy to set up. You can also buy the ceiling mount on the Epson as well. If we were to buy another projector today, we would probably buy the PowerLite S5 Multimedia Projector. It has higher lumens (2000), higher resolution (720p, 1080i) and HD ready. But, ours is still working great and we haven’t had to replace the bulb yet!
You don’t have to choose a fancy projector either. As long as it can support HD, you shouldn’t have to replace it for a long time. If you need it to use it in a brighter room, pick one with higher lumens. For help figuring out which projector is right for you, go to: Key Features To Look For When Buying A New Projector
To create a good movie surface, my husband bought the largest canvas drop cloth he could find, put grommets on all 4 corners and hung it from the roof. The great thing about the canvas is it doesn’t matter if there are windows or doors where you want the movie; it just goes right over everything.
Once you choose a projector, hook it up to your DVD player, connect some great speakers and find a good place to project the movie, you will be good to go. It’ll be ‘movie night’ all summer in your back yard. Don’t forget to include me in the Evite!
Pamela lives in Seattle, WA, with her husband and daughter. Pamela is a Freelance Website/UI Designer and Co-Owner of Nico & Zoe Toys (http://www.nicoandzoe.com/)
Following the popping of the tech bubble about seven years ago, many so-called “great ideas” fell by the wayside in what some thought might be the beginning of the end of e-commerce.
It turns out that, in this case that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, though. Since 2001, web-based commerce has exploded, bringing with it entirely new business platforms and ways to share information.
Coined by Tim O’Reilly and some folks at MediaLive International during a brainstorming session, the term “Web 2.0″ came about to describe the new direction they saw the internet taking. Following is a helpful, if not somewhat nerdy, comparison of what they considered to be Web 1.0 platforms versus Web 2.0:
| Web 1.0 | Web 2.0 |
|---|---|
| DoubleClick | Google AdSense |
| Ofoto | Flickr |
| Akamai | BitTorrent |
| mp3.com | Napster |
| Britannica Online | Wikipedia |
| personal websites | blogging |
| evite | upcoming.org and EVDB |
| domain name speculation | search engine optimization |
| page views | cost per click |
| screen scraping | web services |
| publishing | participation |
| content management systems | wikis |
| directories (taxonomy) | tagging (”folksonomy”) |
| stickiness | syndication |
Rather than referring specifically to new programs or hardware, Web 2.0 instead is more about how people network and share information. Consider the comparison above of Britannica Online and Wikipedia. While the former is a step ahead from the print version of the encyclopedia by placing it online, the process for gathering and distributing information is still more or less one-directional. Whereas, with Wikipedia, readers also become contributors, challenging and revising content as the entries become living organisms in the hands of the public.
One relatively simply way to thin about Web 2.0 is that it’s more horizontal, like a spider web, rather than more ladder or pyramid-like, which is more like Web 1.0 systems. Craigslist and eBay are two very popular examples of Web 2.0, where the general public and post information, conduct transactions and communicate, with the host company generally just facilitating.
So, how does this Web 2.0 phenomenon affect the way we do business? For retailers, the trend is obviously beneficial, since they can use online retail sites to promote their items to a worldwide audience, rather than waiting for people simply to stumble upon their personal website.
For other business people, it’s not quite as easy, but there are opportunities. Through tools such as wikis, blogs, social-networking sites (LinkedIn, Biznik, ActiveRain, Ryze, etc), file-sharing and other collaborative models can be great for public relations. The risk, however, is that by connecting to others in the public domain and by sharing ideas, you open yourself up to criticism, alternative ideas and other types of scrutiny. For this reason, make sure comments and articles you post on networking sites, blogs and wikis are well-researched, consistent with your image, well-referenced and of some value to the folks you are trying to reach.
Remember that, with Web 2.0, more isn’t always better. Bombarding people with networking requests on business sites or slapping your name on everything you can with vague cut-and-paste comments to tack onto every blog you find can really backfire. Instead of growing your circle of contacts, you come across as opportunistic and self-serving, rather than honestly wanting to contribute something of worth to the community.
Want to learn more about Web 2.0 marketing? Check out the book Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, published in 2006. We have two choices: learn to adapt to the changing world of e-commerce or be left behind. It’s a big world out there, but you don’t have to be master of the entire World Wide Web. Just find your place in it and use your expertise to the fullest. Build your network one person at a time, and have the patience to add value to your brand - ironically - the old fashioned way: person to person!
Do you find these tips useful? Let me know. Big Daddy’s here to help!
Got a question for big daddy? Email me, at: BigDaddy@mommyscompany.com
Christian Piatt is an author, columnist, and owner of http://www.mywordtree.com/ , a professional writing, editing and marketing service company. Their flagship service, Branching Out, is a custom weekly drip campaign service for only $129 a year. He is the father of four-year-old Mattias, and husband of Rev. Amy Piatt, pastor of a new church in Pueblo, Colorado, where he leads music. For more information about Christian’s books, and to read his personal blogs, please visit http://www.christianpiatt.com/
By Melissa Ackerman
After moving 3300 miles from my home, I no longer had a “job” and was free to write, to volunteer, and become the person I’d always wanted an opportunity to become but never had the time. Suddenly, I had the time. Where to begin? About that same time, Oprah was reading and discussing The Secret and The Law of Attraction. “Aha!” Instantly I saw this as means to switch my negative self deprecating attitude into something useful for the whole family. In order for the law of attraction to work, I must be consistently focused, very clear about my desires, and passionate about those goals. If you feel ready for a life change, stuck in a rut, or want to reach your greatest dreams, read on!
Creating a Vision Board is one element to help you activate the Law of Attraction in your life. It really shouldn’t be a burden but something quite fun. The purpose of the board is to provide an image readily visible, not under the bed, to help you focus your thoughts and deep feelings toward your goals. By taking a few moments daily to concentrate on each word, phrase, or image and imagine the deep feelings associated with that acquisition in your life, guides that energy to those specific needs. Take a moment without interruptions where your mind and body can be where you ultimately wish to be in life. Simply looking at pictures and wishing for something doesn’t cut it. You must be working toward your goals and be reaching inside for the positive feelings that go with winning the big race, publishing a book, or building a successful business.
I’m currently working on creating my third board. The first one got left under my bed, not a good place to visualize positive life changing goals and the second needed more of what I’m aiming to achieve. The biggest change in my board creation is that I added my spiritual quest into the mix and placed it front and center. I believe my first board didn’t work because I didn’t have faith in myself, didn’t know where I stood with God, and really needed to know what exactly I wanted to make happen in my life.
Materials:
- Life list of goals
- some sort of background paper, poster board, cork board, or even a blank wall that images, words, and phrases can be glued on into a collage
- magazines, newspapers, and photos that hold images and words depicting your goals and dreams
- scissors, glue, tape, pins
- Time to create…or acquire each piece one at a time, there are no rules to how long it takes to make a complete collage…choose carefully as time allows
If paper isn’t your favorite medium, perhaps slideshows complete with captions for your computer screen would be better or even a blog or website dedicated to your vision board.
Examples and Process:
Search through magazines, newspapers, any print material, and cut out those words and images that sum up your deepest desires and evoke a feeling of extreme happiness, excitement, pleasure or bliss as you envision having reached that goal.
Then place them onto your board where you feel they belong…I don’t think anyone can tell you where, that comes from inside you…I placed God and Family in the center of my board since to me only from them can the rest exist.
Here are a couple of examples and sites where you can get other people’s impression on creating a vision board and what it means:
http://www.evolvingtimes.com/2008/01/vision-board-2008-invitational.htm
Something Good
Why Not?
o-my-goodness.livejournal.com has a whole other version of a vision board or boards called The Law of Attraction: Creating a Vision Board.
My Global Hustle Blog has a terrific example of The Secret: My Vision Board! with an example and some discussion on the blog.
Resources for Life Change:
Melissa is the mother of a six year old little girl, Madeline, and the wife of a former ship captain. She and her family just moved to Maine a year ago from Monterey, CA to experience a change in lifestyle and become middle aged entrepreneurs. After 22 years of teaching, Mel (Melissa) needed more time with her family and so she and a friend started Dancestones.org; the business of giving comfort through Maine’s rolled stones. Reading and Writing are her deepest passions- when she’s not collecting stones in remote areas of Maine!
Or Why a Personalized Gift Will Live On and On
Looking for some old family pictures recently, I came across a box of old work files. I was about to toss the entire carton into the recycling bin, but something made me crack open the dusty top for a closer look.
Inside, I did find the old folders and papers I was expecting, but there were other items too. Wrapped in yellowed newspaper was a coffee mug with my name in bold red letters, “Nancy’s Mug!” Another crumpled bundle revealed a wooden nameplate that from my first real job. Finally, there was a plaque that displayed a picture of me along with the proclamation, “Best Marketing Program 1988.”
All three items were dated, a little tacky and they really didn’t hold that much sentimental value. Then why had I stored them away for all these years?
Probably because the mug, nameplate and plaque were all personalized. It just didn’t feel right to throw them away, or – even worse – donate them to the local thrift store.
Why do we treasure our personalized gifts? First, people, both young and old, love to see their names on just about anything because it makes them feel special. I’m sure that when I received the desk nameplate, I was probably thrilled. I vaguely recall that a girlfriend gave it to me for my birthday, and looking back I can appreciate the sentiment and the extra time that she took to have the gift made. Her gesture was heartfelt and the result was something that set me apart from my colleagues.
Back in the 1980s when I was working at my first real job, there weren’t all of the personalized selections that we have available today. You had a choice of having something engraved, monogrammed or made-to-order, if you could afford it.
The other personalization option was the mass-marketed, low-cost imports like key chains, pencils, charms and note paper. These drug-store displays of personalized product – that we still see today to a lesser extent — featured common names, and were aimed at kids and teens (no tweens yet!). If you had an unusual name or an offbeat spelling, you were simply out of luck.
The personalization industry changed as technology became more prevalent and affordable. Suddenly, personalized gifts that once took weeks could be created in a matter of days or even minutes. The internet changed the personalized gift industry even more. Gifts that used to require planning and a great deal of consideration now became impulse purchases. To demonstrate the widespread appeal of personalized products online, Google “personalized gifts” and you will see more than 1.8 million results.
Looking at a sample of the personalized gift results online shows the wide range of personalized products that can be easily ordered. Gifts run the gamut from picture frames to baby blankets and from wine glasses to clothing to wall art. Products range from the very inexpensive to the upscale and highly innovative. Searching online, you can find some very sweet personalized baby gifts for around $20. On the flip side, there is a site selling a diamond studded pacifier for $17,000 – taking baby bling to a whole new level.
It’s hard to find a product today that can’t be personalized in some manner. And our love of these products seems to grow each year as we buy them for our kids, friends, family, teachers, co-workers and, yes, even ourselves.
So the next time you come across that personalized pajamas tucked away in a drawer, the sofa pillow featuring your husband’s nickname or your youngsters’ wooden name puzzle, remember the good feeling that personalization can evoke. And also know that you will have a very hard time getting rid of any of this stuff.
About the Author:
Nancy Wurtzel is the owner of All About Baby at www.allbaby.com, an online store that specializes in personalized and memorable gifts for babies and young children. Nancy has over 20 years of marketing experience. She also consults with individuals seeking to enter the internet marketplace or grow their existing ecommerce business.
Amy Lang, MA Birds + Bees + Kids®
Over and over I’m told one kid in the family is very happy to talk about sex and sexuality, asks questions, hauls out It’s SO Amazing repeatedly, and is open and comfortable with this topic.
The other kid, however, has no interest, even going so far as to cover up ears, leave the room and seems to never, ever, ever crack a book on the topic.
What’s a well intended parent to do with this kid? It sure makes your job harder when your audience has plugged their ears and is singing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” at the top of their lungs!
Here are some ideas for talking to your reticent kiddo -
Continue the conversations with the chatty kid in front of the quiet kid. They will listen too.
Make books available to this child – put them in their room, the bathroom, anyplace they can access them privately. There isn’t a kid on the planet that won’t eventually crack a book about sex, or at the very least, puberty.
There’s nothing like a little pubic hair to get a kid interested in what’s happening to their body, so sometimes, time will do the trick.
Acknowledge their discomfort and explain why it’s important they have this information.
Figure out what you need to tell them and turn it into a two minute sound bite. Then, tell your kid you need two minutes of their time, have them time you and say what you need to say. Don’t talk for more than five minutes if they forget to keep track of the time.
Have an “Ask Anything” notebook available. This is a notebook your child can write any question they may have in and you have agreed to answer honestly. And I mean ANY question, about anything.
Finally, don’t forget it is your job to make sure your kid has this information, so remember your goal – To send your child out into the world with a strong sense of self, the tools to make good decisions, and a healthy relationship with sex and sexuality.
birdsandbeesandkids.com ©2008 Birds + Bees + Kids® LLC 206-661-2245
About the Author: Through her business, Birds + Bees + Kids, Amy Lang teaches parents how to talk to their children of any age about sex, love and relationships. She has a 16-year history as a Sexual Health Educator, a Masters in Applied Behavioral Science and loves to help people learn about this vital part of parenting.
(or How to Play Secret Agent and Leverage Other People’s Brain Power)
Ready for some undercover spy work?
Jeff Walker, who is fast becoming one of my main online idols, offers this bit of wisdom to those of us aspiring to online greatness: Watch what other marketers are doing, not what they’re selling.
Sounds obvious once you hear it, right?
In the NLP world, we call it modeling. It’s where you find someone who already does what you want to do well, and then replicate their behavior. You may not become quite as good as them -even if I imitate every move Michael Jordan makes, it’s unlikely I’ll ever be a pro basketball player- but you’ll certainly improve your skill level dramatically.
You may be thinking, “Well, I’m not a marketer, so this doesn’t apply to me.” Don’t fool yourself, my friend. Whatever business you’re in, you ARE a marketer. Or at least, you should be since skillfully promoting your products and services is how your business will grow.
I’m a firm believer in the CASE method of study – Copy And Share Everything. So I love hearing Jeff instruct me to follow my natural inclination to be a copycat (I suppose it could have something to do with being the youngest child in my family).
I’ve got 3 tips for how you can play Maxwell Smart and pick other people’s brains without blowing your cover:
1) Choose your idols and get on their mailing lists. You don’t have to agree with everything they say or do. You don’t even have to like them very much. But you’ll learn the most from those people who are masters in the field of marketing.
I recommend you keep your top picks down to no more than 3 or 4, otherwise it’s just too much information to take in. Once you’ve learned all you can from one “expert,” you can remove yourself from their list and follow someone else for a while.
2) Examine their communications for what lies underneath the content. Assume every element of their communications is purposeful. As you read or listen to what they’re saying, frequently ask yourself, “Why are they saying that, in that way?” Are they creating rapport? Are they demonstrating results? Are they building anticipation? What’s the purpose behind the words?
3) Focus on one skill at a time. Trying to take on too much at once is a sure recipe for discouragement. Pace yourself and put your energy into getting really good at one thing before moving on to the next. Start off with polishing your rapport-building skills, then segue into how to create anticipation. After that may come honing your ability to deal with objections. You get the idea – slow and steady wins the race.
There are some brilliant ideas out there, just waiting to be scooped up and applied to your particular business. Why reinvent the wheel when you can borrow one so easily?
Good thinking, 99.
©2008 Helen Graves
Helen Graves, Grand Poohbah of Crackerjack Marketing & Website Strategy, is an expert at showing independent entrepreneurs how to get more clients with less stress. Besides writing captivating website copy that prompts visitors into action, she also teaches you how to create a genuine connection with your marketing so you can consistently turn potential prospects into paying clients.
To find out more or to sign up for her free mini audio seminar, “7 Quick & Simple Ways to Get Your Website Working Hard — So You Don’t Have To,” visit Helen at www.CrackerjackWebsites.com.
Recently our coaches advanced some of the swimmers from one practice group into another. Our coaches change groupings three times a year. Most kids stay in their practice group for at least a year, and usually a minimum of two years as they get into the more advanced groups.
As my son, Brandon moved into his new group, one of the swimmers he really looks up to was also getting moved up into a new group. She is two years older than he is and an excellent swimmer. She is one who works very hard and is very dedicated to her sport. She too was very excited about moving into the next, more advanced level.
Brandon has had very little trouble making the transition into the new group. Workouts are harder and longer, but he seems to be just fine. Brandon is 10. His friend, Kerri who is 12, got moved up as well and is having a very hard time with her transition. Not only is she having difficulty with practices, she’s not been happy with her times at our most recent swim meets. She was used to leading the pack of her practice group whereas now she is the “low man on the totem pole.” She is having a very difficult time adjusting to having to swim in the back of the pack and she’s also having challenges keeping up with the workouts. While the coach says Kerri is doing just fine, both coach and Kerri’s mom suspect she may be going through a growth spurt, and not just a little one.
Often times when adolescents go through a growth spurt they become clumsy and uncoordinated. This has got to be very frustrating. Their little bodies are growing so fast that the tendons and ligaments become very tight. When this happens, stretching becomes critical to help with the pain and avoid injury. If your child trains on hard surfaces (what, they don’t swim?), stretching is especially important. Sports related injuries can be much more commonplace during this time.
Growth spurts affect more than just their bodies. The gray matter in their brain is changing as well. Current science suggests that teens’ brains are not completely developed until mid-adolescence or even much later. Having raised four children who are all 18 and older, I definitely go with the latter.
If you suspect your child is going through an intense growth spurt and having difficulties beyond the pain, give your doctor a call. Not only will your doctor be able to give you advice on how to help her avoid injury and work through the changes, he will most likely be able give you give you some peace of mind as well.
Swim On My Friends!
Ruthie Palmatier
ruthie@swimmama.comResource:
The book, Adolescents: Continuity, Change, and Diversity, by Nancy J. Cobb