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Doing Business Online - My Round Up of Great Tools For Ecommerce, Digital Delivery, Email Marketing, Blogging, Affi... http://ping.fm/xxRvJ

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Doing Business Online - My Round Up of Great Tools For Ecommerce, Digital Delivery, Email Marketing, Blogging, Affiliate Systems, and Web Hosting

via bit.ly

Here's my short list of easy and powerful tools for doing business online, gathered in a nice 'n' handy little bundle of links gathered together for you to use (bookmark it, too).

Bottom line: If you're online and your presences aren't making you money, shame shame shame. If you're not online with your business, no time like the present.

Posted via email from thinblog

Updated: The Entrepreneurial Itch by Jessica D. Chapman

via roomtobreathe.org

It's been updated, with more content and optimized for even faster downloading. The author's also working on a companion website, and has bundled the links in the Resource section into a handy little bit.ly bundle, too. Sweet.

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Scratch That Itch, Baby!

via roomtobreathe.org

Yeah, I'm not an 'old white guy' or a woman, so I decided to push myself open and see what I could see. This is exactly what it says: "A Practical Guide..", and more: it's engaging, and it's challenging. I loaded it onto my iPad and keep coming back to it. One of the freshest voices to emerge from the ashes of recession with such a resonant clarity of vision. It's one of my new fave resources.

And no, I don't wear thong undies and Carlos Santanas. I'm just sensitive.

Posted via email from thinblog

Convergence: Work For Dessert or Work for Dessert?

Sometimes you work for dessert, sometimes work is the dessert.  See that colorful bowl of raw veggies there? Just there, in the lower left foreground? The one surrounded by all the gadgetry, yet quietly, confidently holding it's own? That's dessert. Yep. My dessert. My less than stellar food choices rarely rate any ink. They're usually something not so very good for me, but taste so very yummy to me. Ah, the irony of eating like me...

So since this is one of those rare occasions where the work converges with a dessert that itself combines tasting good with being good, I thought I'd share it. Memorialize? That sounds so final. Like it may never happen again (and being raw veggies for dessert, that may very well be the case -  the 'Sock It To Me' cake from the local grocer's bakery is so much sexier). However, I prefer to 'immortalize' it: capture it for posterity's sake. A touchstone of a time when the zen of work and reward flowed freely into a period of beautiful creativity and craft, passion and productivity and... produce ...? Yeah. Ah, what the hell, since I fell on it, I'll just roll with it.

Now, I'm off to do more multi-tasking. Before the caffeine wears off. What? Did you think that broccoli carrot sticks and cauliflower inspired this random stream of semi-consciousness ramble? That's just crazy talk, man. Nope. It is after all, just dessert. I was simply riffing on the fact that I'm diggin' the vedge, quite literally so. The caffeine's actually fueling this little soliloquy, and if I want to capitalize on the buzz to squeeze out some more work, I'd better have at it.

So for now intrepid traveler of interwebs, I bid you adieu.  Until next we meat again: What's your passion? Is work dessert, or dessert work? What's convergence mean to you?

 

Posted via email from thinblog

The Worried Water Jar

The Silly Cistern has turned into The Worried Water Jar. It happened to overhear a debate about fear and its uses as a tool to manipulate masses and manufacture consent. Now it's all freaked out...

What started the whole thing was a weird radio segment where the guests on the broadcast were raising shrill concerns over the increasing privatization of global water supplies. Something about historical wars being waged over precious resources by countries vying to control them, but now, since corporations have quietly bought up the rights to key water sources, the fight's a legal one people can't even imagine how to wage, much less win. So now the Cistern thinks it's gonna become slave to some wholly owned subsidiary, conscripted into service, rented back to the family it onced shared itself with for some usurous ungodly fee.

See? That's just my point: getting all worked up over this is just plain un-American. We've nothing to fear from these guys. They're us, after all, right? They'd not gain control of natural resources needed to sustain life and commerce and leverage it just to wring another buck from their brothers, would they? Besides, we still have the right to bear arms. Regardless of the fact that it wouldn't be that kind of fight. And there'd be no place to take said fight even if it was.

Our elected officials and public utility commissions have not been entirely asleep at the switch, either. Have they? No one company on American soil can own and arbitrarily administer an aquifer essential to the well-being of farms and families in one of the most agriculturally rich places in our country, right? That's just crazy talk. Meant to scare folks (and sweaty water jars). They're not gonna fool me. I know those folks simply own the pistachio empire. I'm cool with that. The rest, well I'll just ignore that.

All this fear is un-American, so I smudged a smile on the cistern, loaded up my favorite mug with fresh ice cubes and enjoyed myself a nice long draught. Water wars. Crazy. No sugar and poppy plants, on the other hand... But we don't trade much in those, do we?

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Future Slut

In the distant future, large-brained archaeologists will un-earth this graffiti-covered doorway from the rubble and dust and determine that this was a portal of great significance, as evidenced by the many glyphs, thick layers of ponderous pictographs and cryptic script.

These sages will conclude that this must have marked the dwelling of a fierce warrior, or a venerable member of the nobility, or perhaps the sanctuary of a potent and powerful shaman or perhaps a high priestess.

They will note, on the far left, the singularly most legible word: "SLUT", and deem it very significant and culturally powerful. Innocently enough, these learned elite will publish their unfinished findings, rushing not so much to enlighten the world as to entertain it with a veneer of erudition, as well as encourage the edification of their egos with a compelling, if incomplete account, and an utter lack of accountability.  The people will eagerly acquiesce, regardless.  The worm will turn.

A new cult will arise and a shrine will be erected -er, so to speak - and an entire cultural movement will begin, revering "Slut". This movement will sweep the land.  People will tap their chips to Google and Wikipedia this "Slut", so as to divine it's true meaning.  They will meditate fiercely on the unfathomable spiritual mystery, wondering why it must have been so vitally important to 'get screwed by any and all comers.'  They will consume anything they can find to fill the void.  Nothing will fill them, for it is not a hunger they feel, but a thirst.  Parched in a desert wasteland of newsertainment, they will eat entire dunes and still want, lacking.

There will come tidal waves of T-shirts that will read the new-found mantra: "Go Ahead & Fuck Me. I'm Screwed Already," symbolizing a new era ushered in by a marked increase in unbridled abuse by civic leaders, public officials, and captains of industry sticking it to entire populations of people, trading platitudes, pandering, and proffering mere peanuts in return.

The people will bridle at the bit, and chafe, bemused at a distant needling suspicion and embrace their rising worry.  They will clamor for more and wonder why, praying and meditating all the more reverently, seeking a divinity of clarity and understanding  that feels so close, yet so elusive; just beyond reach, at the frayed and fading outer edge of their dwindling consciousness.

 

Legions of  unscrupulous Spinmeister Marketers of the future - serving the nefarious machinations of all manner of insipid corporate interests - will have succeeded at immediately and completely twisting things to their advantage over the unsuspecting, sleepwalking, sheepish masses.    Striving to fully fill the aggravated avarice swamping the shallows of ignorance and consuming the depths of greed.  Whole revolutions for freedom and liberty will sputter, gasp, and die. All to the thunderous, anxious roar of mass approval.

The worm will turn.
History will cycle, wheel, and repeat.
What's old will be new again.
So it is written, so shall be done.

Posted via web from thinblog

A Social Medium Rarely Well Done, Thank You

[ Update: a recent experience brings this into even sharper focus ]

Social Media.

What comes to mind?  Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Twitter, MySpace, Buzz...  For most of us, 'email' doesn't come to mind.  We rarely think of it.  Some of us remember the days of cc:Mail, Lotus Notes, Novell Groupwise, and still use some of them.  So prevalent and utilitarian, we rarely think about thinking about it.  It's a commodity we use so regularly, so intuitively, it's nearly invisible to us (uh, except for the spam). The rise of stable, easy-to-use web browser-based email systems has contributed to the ubiquity and omniscience of email.  And we rarely give it a second thought.

Give it a second thought, right now:  Email is among the very first and still among the most powerful social media and social networking resources on the planet...

The Psychic Cleaners or "The veteran loudmouth blowhard is not just my neighbor, he's my new social media pro, too."

Wow. The magic of convergence. The yard guy's also my auto mechanic? Sure: Yard's fantastic, but my ride runs in circles like a sprinkler. But that's OK. The back seat's a hothouse for tomatoes! I'm going, green, baby!

Lots of newly minted web experts have cropped up recently. Who knew? I'm so glad, too. I mean, the (not-so-former) real estate broker is now a social media strategist. Awesome. And the failed marketer is now a design expert. And SEO genius. Fantastic. So what's the rub? Oh nothing, really. Just the fact that what they all have in common is mastering art of self-promotion, very often at the expense and to the detriment of the very businesses they're bilking - er, uh - I mean serving...

I know, I know. No need to be snippy. But really, just think about it for a second. While professionals in all sorts of industries successfully re-make themselves all the time, there's a difference between going to a seminar or watching a webinar and being proficient at things.

So take a good look at which counter you're leaving your precious finery on when you're considering the Psychic Cleaners, because there's no stain remover in the crystal ball.

Posted via web from thinblog

Sign Posts and Intuition

We look for signs to guide us. There's rules of the road, after all. Sometimes, however, we simply blink… and go. The roads we frequent are governed by rules for safety, for masses to transit, to ensure relatively well-ordered travel. Headlong, headstrong flight is mostly considered perilous: don't know what's ahead, (regardless of what you feel). That way lies danger. Read the signs, obey the rules. Stay on the road. Get there on time (OK, so you bend a few rules, like the speed limit) and in one piece (albeit a bit stale from the long stretch of highway). Stay safe. Forget the damn journey, just arrive someplace.

The signs we see have become nearly invisible to us. Not because we disregard them. To the contrary, we've become accustomed to the directives; we're used to the ostensible sanctity of their guiding presence. Lulled into acquiescence. But sometimes, they're clustered and confusing, causing us to slow down or even stop and consider which way (forward? back? left? right?) is the most prudent.

We may not be pausing solely for prudence, though...

... It's at such times that intuition cuts through the cacophony and clutter with a clarity that makes us feel the blink, and we hear it: 'Leave the road.' We're given pause because we've a gut-level, elemental urge: leave the road altogether. Cleave cross country. The road'll still be there. There's entire infrastructures set up to make sure that road's not going anywhere, er, so to speak... But you're gonna carve a path. You're not unmindful of the rutted unruliness of the way ahead. As a matter of fact, such unchartedness is an integral aspect of discovery; it's organic, and it's essential in the new geography of your success.

Somewhere out there in the wide unknown you may find yourself absolutely worn out in the tall grasses. You're in the weeds. You look back over your shoulder and can't even see that bright ribbon of road from which you so rashly turned aside. But you do see the path you've made to get where you are right now, and it's beautiful, and you know that your weariness is alright. You believe the way you're forging is special. And you're right. You rest, and you reflect. And your resolve is re-kindled.

You may not know it, but your great effort is to our great benefit. What you learn, you selflessly share, and we're the richer and the wiser for it. So thank you for not posting signs, but for being the totem. For embodying intuition. For showing us that having the courage to strike out across the fields is not folly, it's fruitful abundance. Thanks for not having all the answers, and exemplifying the craziness and clarity of new solutions. You're the "entré" in entrepreneur because you enter where others only pass by in fear, and you lead the way. For your inspiration and your instigation: Thank you so very much.

Follow Up:  There are a couple of special folks in my life who're living catalysts of good stuff.  Here are a couple of works by authors who've greatly influenced them and inspired them to do positive, impactful things in their work and with other aspects of their lives.  Required reading, one might say.  You should check them out:

Change the monolgue? Seriously, change the entire script. This is required reading.
Chip Conley's awesome newness	Seth Godin's latest seminal work
We've actually met Chip and seen him speak on this, and far from the mass hallucination-effect of the traditional tent-raising holy-rollers on the speaking circuit, his accessiblity and frankness were so genuine, you can even feel it in this little video clip of him.	We really hope to meet Seth in the very near future, as well. Wanna see why? Sure you do: See him in action over at TED (a whole slew of links to his talks, and there's a little clip below).Mind-blowing, dude. Seriously.

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Terms

Shipping and Delivery Policy

When ordering an item from Room To Breathe™ Professional Organizers, we can ship to virtually any address in the world. When you place an order, we will contact you and estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. After placing your order, you will see both shipping and delivery date estimates in the order confirmation e-mail.

For most of our products we use UPS Ground Service. If you require a different service, you may choose it when ordering online. Shipping costs for orders depend upon the method and option you choose and are calculated automatically via the UPS website. Please note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights are rounded up to the next full pound.

Product Returns

You may return most new, unopened items sold and fulfilled by Room To Breathe™ Professional Organizers within 15 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item).

If you have a return, please email returns@roomtobreathe.org to begin the process.

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days). We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Refunds will be returned to the account used to make the initial purchase.

Items that are opened or returned more than 15 days after delivery will receive a partial refund. Partial Refunds will be issued for the following items:

• Any CD or DVD is 50% of item's price
• Any item not returned in the condition it was received will be refunded up to 50% of item's price.

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If you received a faulty item and need to exchange it for the same item, please email exchange@roomtobreathe.org with you product information, name, and address and date of sale. We will contact you to arrange an exchange.

If you would like to exchange an item for a different one, please return the original item by contacting exchange@roomtobreathe.org with the product information, your name, address and date of sale. We will arrange an exchange. You will be refunded your original purchase price once we receive the item and we will guide you through placing another order for the item you wish to purchase.

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Posted via web from The Financial Documents Binder

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