My Public Answer:

Hi all,
I think that no matter what you’re doing, do it well. There’s something to be said for “doing your due diligence” regarding expenses, needs v. wants, efficiency, effectiveness, productivity (etc). A business plan is the most priceless business investment you’ll ever make. Then stick to it, and revamp it as necessary.

Right now the personal connections that people have, and the personal touches that a person can put on their business is what’s going to make them stand out more, and therefore attain what they’re seeking in their business. The days of the big business are winding down, and the wheel has come full circle. We are getting back to the days when entrepreneurialism was a very strong force in business.

I think that having a homebased business / office is a great idea, especially when it’s optimized. You can’t beat the commute, and you’re certainly doing your part for the environment because you’re not stuck on a highway for a daily commute. There are many advantages to having a business in your home, which if you’ve done it you know what they are.

The time and place that we’re all living in will either make or break us. I don’t think that it can get much worse than it already is. We have the tools, knowledge, and resources that we never had before. There’s no excuse for not being successful. We can do it, each and every one of us. Especially when we stick together with our strongest connections.

Rebrand, redefine, blog…do whatever you need to. You will always have the support of those closest to you. There are some great ideas here. I would suggest using your fellow group members as resources. There’s a good group here with some interesting diversity.

The most important thing that I can say is don’t give up and don’t give in.

Hope this helps!

Best Regards,
Kelly Ann

This question and answer is courtesy of www.linkedin.com. Members of the LinkedIn website can see this question and all the associated answers when they login to the LinkedIn website.

My Public Answer was selected as Best Answer:

Hi Shameem,

The best Manager that I ever had embodied the following characteristics:

1. He was always there for me when I needed him. If I had a question, he had an answer or would find one.

2.He was a true people person. The understanding that he had about what makes people who they are, what they do, and why they say things led him to be admired by many.

3.He never asked of his employees anything that he wouldn’t do himself.

4.He did more listening than talking.

5.He was an excellent spokesperson on behalf of his employees. That is, he supported them unconditionally and thereby earned respect and trust.

There’s plenty more qualities that made him, truly, the best Manager I’ve ever had. To this day I still talk to him. He gives the greatest advice ever. I know that you only asked for one skill. But I really think that it’s the combination of everything that makes a Manager who they are – good, bad,or indifferent.

All the best,
Kelly Ann

This question and answer is courtesy of www.linkedin.com. Members of the LinkedIn website can see this question and all the associated answers when they login to the LinkedIn website.

In this age of social media and pervasive on-line presence, nearly everyone has some type of information available on-line, some of which may be “digital dirt.”

When hiring, do you Google applicants, and if so, what decisions have you made based on the information you have found…?

My public answer was selected as Best Answer:

Hi Dennis,

During my job search I Googled all the companies that were interviewing me, as well as the people that I would be interviewing with (if I knew their names). And I’m sure that they did the same thing regarding me. That’s why it’s so important what you put out on the internet. Many people don’t realize that, for example, every tweet on Twitter you send is an entry on the internet. So people on Twitter should be careful what they put out there. In addition, Twitter’s server only keeps tweets for a week, but each tweet is on the internet forever (even if you delete it). This requires a bit of forethought before you hit send.

All of this seems a bit extreme to some, but it’s a real issue. What you put out on the internet is public knowledge forever. Whether you are searching for an applicant or an employer, it’s important to be memorable for all the RIGHT reasons. The same is true for LinkedIn. You can give seemingly witty comments or questions, but it can work against you. I still show my sense of humor on occasion, being mindful of the internet’s
“forever factor”.

Lastly, whether you are the employer or the prospective employee, you are not only representing yourself, you are representing the company involved. Expect to be Googled.

Hope this helps.

All the best,
Kelly Ann

This question and answer is courtesy of www.linkedin.com. Members of the LinkedIn website can see this question and all the associated answers when they login to the LinkedIn website.

Is Globalization bad for your health? The study of Globalization and the affects of it have been broken down into smaller areas such as health, economics, politics, environmental and social/cultural issues. All of them are interwoven and dependent upon each other. And as with everything, Globalization in these areas has positives and negatives.

Globalization: The Good

• People receive medical treatment that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
• The number of people and children receiving education about health issues has increased.
• Necessities such as fresh drinking water, sanitation, and nutritional foods are gradually becoming a way of life.
• The basic needs of people in underdeveloped countries is now discussed openly and often so that they can get the basic human essentials that they need.
• People can get medical treatment anywhere in the world if they can afford it.
• Access to medical information is only a click away on a computer or a phone call. This allows medical professionals as well as “everyday people” to the most up-to-date information available on virtually every medical issue and the research that’s being done.

Globalization: The Bad

• Alcohol, drug, and tobacco use is the highest in the most underdeveloped areas of the world. This is due to the lack of education regarding the harmful affects of these chemicals and (as some research has indicated) companies who focus their attention on these areas because the more developed areas of the world are educated to the affects.
• Precautions for sexually transmitted diseases are either never taken or not taken consistently.
• The people that travel to other countries to get medical treatments may suffer severe consequences or even death if the treatments are not up to certain basic medical standards.
• Global travel also means that the diseases such as SARS, Avian Flu, Mad Cow, Pneumonia, H1N1 and various others can be easily spread. Those with sensitive immune systems, children, and elderly can potentially die from any of these treatable diseases.
• Concerns of bioterrorism has risen due to how easily chemicals, diseases, and the like can be spread.

It is often said that one of the safest things that people can do for themselves is be educated about their health. And while “a little knowledge can be poison”, we owe it to ourselves to do everything we can to always be the healthiest that we can be. Helping others when we can and leaving everything better than the way that we found it seems to be good ideas too.

Share your thoughts! All the best to you.

This is a re-post of the original article on the Community Marketing Blog. It is re-posted with the permission of Andrew Ballenthin, Founder of the Community Marketing Blog and President of Sol Solutions, an integrated marketing consultancy. Please visit my Portfolio page for the links to the original post.

Globalization, friend or foe, is all around us whether or not we notice it. So much of what we do on a daily basis has some sort of global component to it: the car we drive, the food we eat, the clothes we wear. And depending upon the context of all of this globalization can be a good thing. The best example of this is Social Media. How else can millions of people connect with millions of other people that they normally would never know existed? Families are reunited, friendships and business partnerships are made, and important causes given attention.

Out of all those masterpieces and other writings evolved a Freelance Writer, who was often paid by the piece. A small percentage were successful, making a decent living wage, and were able to support a family. The keys to that success were perseverance, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the dedication to make things happen.

The evolution from ink on paper to the laptop computer has given a greater number of people the ability to become Freelance Writers. Some embraced forms of technology, using it as a valuable resource. This is the most evident in the “blogging boom” created by Web 2.0. There are services available to anyone who wants them. This  enables and empowers them with outlets of expression that not only were limited in availability before, but also not in the same quality. The quality of the resources currently out there is so high that it’s quite possible to outshine the competition. With the monetizing of blogs, the financial success of Freelance Writers also increases.

The blogs give unprecedented access to people and information. This does not discount the value of (or invalidate entirely) true experts and specialists in the field. It merely opens doors that have previously been closed to the general populous. And because blogging involves little or no expense, it adds even more appeal to 21st Century Freelance Writers. The level of globalization that the internet has created only adds to all of this. This is a great asset to Freelance Writers who would like to expand their audience and exposure. They must, however, make sure that they are thinking on a global level. We no longer live in just a state or a country. We are citizens of the world.

With this in mind, I recently started to reorganize the list of people that I follow on FriendFeed. Here’s how I named them: Personal, Professional, Home, Twitter Friends, Twitter 2nd Tier, and Twitter 3rd Tier. Home is a standard feature on FriendFeed, and I use it only for my posts, and the posts of the groups within FriendFeed that I participate in. Personal and professional are just what they sound like – they are feeds that I follow that are of personal or professional interest. My Twitter feeds I’ve set up in a similar fashion to that of LinkedIn connections in a tiered system. My Twitter friends feed are the people that I’ve become friends with, tweet with often, or retweet often.  Twitter 2nd Tier refers to people that I’m just getting to know, or don’t tweet with that often. Twitter 3rd Tier are generally just people that we follow eachother.

When you’re setting up your lists, be sure to check out the Twitter feature which allows you to import into your FriendFeed all of your Twitter friends that also use FriendFeed. It can save you literally hours – I say this from experience. I recommend that you use this feature once a month in order to update your lists.

I have to admit, the real time feed that FriendFeed now has will take some getting used to. There is a pause button which I’ve used on many occasions to catch up on posts if it’s moving too quickly to read. The only feature that I wish FriendFeed had would be a retweet button. Any post that I would like to retweet still needs to be cut and pasted into the post box, just like you would for the Twitter homepage.

Since I mentioned the groups feature, I would like to suggest to you that you join the FriendFeed Feedback group. In this group you can give your personal opinions and ideas directly to FriendFeed. This is a powerful tool right at your fingertips. The realtime feed that’s been put into place came from the Twitter community as well as this group. There are other groups that you will find along the way as well. Join whichever intrigue you the most.

I hope that this guide has helped you. I look forward to reading your comments, and if you have any questions.

1. Start with your ultimate goal, such as living life on your own terms.
2. Branch out to the first level, indicating which areas are affected such as family, social, business, and “me time”. Don’t forget yourself in this. You are just as important.
3. Create a second level by giving yourself no more than 6 goals to accomplish per area. Any more than 6 goals and you will drive yourself crazy.
4. Continue branching out from the second level to the third. On this level you will indicate which tasks need to be completed in order for the goal to be achieved.  On this level I would also not suggest more than 6 tasks per goal. Anything more can be overwhelming.
   

   This is a sample graphic to give you a visual idea of what a “Concept Map” looks like. They are also known as an “Idea Map” or a “Mind Map”. It is a great brainstorming tool as well as an organizational tool. Concept maps are completely customizable to your own needs, which is what makes them so user friendly. Anyone can do this. You can even use these to take notes in school and as a study guide they are so versatile.

This doesn’t have to be complicated. The idea behind it all is to break everything down and put it in front of you. If you need more details than I’ve enumerated, go for it. There really aren’t any “rules” to this. But the more complicated it is, the less you will follow it. If things change over time, change your “concept map”. Put it on a chalkboard or a whiteboard so that you can change it as needed or reuse it. If the “concept map” is where you can see it every day, you will remind yourself of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going (as long as  you always move forward).

This is a great tool that can be used by kids and adults, from Executives to Support staff, and for any reason. You can even use it for note taking in a class, meeting, or as a study guide.

What are some of the ways that you’ve used a “concept map”?

I’ve often found that the leaders that shine above others demonstrate qualities of a bygone era. True leaders are not looking to see who’s watching. That’s not really their concern. True leaders really do lead by example, say things like “I would never ask of anyone something that I’m not willing to do myself”, and then they follow through with it. They do not say please and thank you or hold a door for you because they want something from you. They say and do things because it’s the right thing to do. They recognize that without each other, we’d all have nothing.

I chose to say “early 20th century values” because it almost seems as if towards the end of the 20th century all the little things that matter most began to fade. And the early 20th century was a time when characterisitcs like integrity and being a person of your word meant something. Contracts were formed with handshakes, not signatures on a line. I’m sure that there are places in the world where these ideals never waivered. I cannot say that this is universally true, however. I’ve observed it and experienced it for myself.

I have also observed and experienced the changing in the times that we live in. Economically, we’ve returned in the most fundamental ways to the early 20th century. A time when hard work was something to be proud of and “back to basics” was unheard because it was just how we lived our lives.

The best and most rewarding example that I can give to all of this is Twitter. It is a place where people worldwide, regardless of position in a company, their industry, and the size of their bank account get together every day to learn from each other and to share their lives. There are examples of gratitude, acceptance, appreciation, sharing, friendship and family with every tweet that crosses a feed. It is here that the best values of the early 20th century come alive. I’ve been told that spending time blogging and micro-blogging is a waste. I completely disagree. Some of the greatest people I’ve ever met have come from the phenomena we call Twitter.

Venues like Twitter have reminded us what’s important in life. There’s a rather large sense of community that is evident with every login. We created the world that we live in, and it’s only fitting that we also shares our lives.

It is one of my most sincere hopes that the early 20th century values that have been revived in our current times will never again waiver or dissolve.

Personally I am on twitter to meet new people, find new sources, find out about peoples interests and so forth. For this, I’m talking to the real people that are around, not following the stars just because they are stars. Ashton & Oprah have made Twitter even more popular so there are more people on it, but they are not the ones conversing. It’s the people in this group and many others that make the real twitter – talking to others, re-tweeting important info, asking questions & learning from others.

I’ve met a great variety of people on twitter in many different locations. I’ve learned a lot and want to keep sharing with others.

My Public Answer:

Hi Kris,

I do follow “stars” on Twitter, regardless if they follow me back. Like Jan said, my tweets will see be seen in their feed. Most of the time their feeds are filled with people of all different genres, walks of life, and places in the world. It’s a matter of getting your message out there. And the fact of the matter is, each “star” probably has a minimum of 10,000 followers. Not every “star” is going to have the same followers. So I almost think of it as an “automatic captive audience”.

If you take my situation for example, I have CEOs of companies following me, people in the music industry, actors, politicians, IT experts…even a 13 year old entrepreneur who sells his products worldwide. If you’re on Twitter to do more than tweet what you had for breakfast, and your mission is to “get the word out” about something, following the “stars” is a great way to “reach for the stars”. All it takes is one @reply or RT from a “star” and your number of followers will go up. It’s instant credibility.

One more thing that I would like to point out. Some people say, “stop with the I just got to 1,000 followers nonsense”. Well, to some that very well may be the case. But getting your message out is a numbers game. The more followers you have and each of them have, the better chances you have of the message being passed along. It will then evolve into a networking experience because it’s inevitable that you will get to know a good portion of the people who follow you and who you follow. I don’t think it’s necessary to say how many followers you have because the numbers will speak for themselves, as will your messages.

And just for the sake of discussion, the first person I followed was Anderson Cooper of CNN. He doesn’t follow me back, and has never @replied or RT’d anything I’ve ever tweeted. Some people just share links and it’s not about building relationships for them. It’s about sharing a message (like the point that I made previously). They didn’t get on Twitter to interact. But that doesn’t necessarily degrade a follower’s Twitter experience. Following a “star” is only, or should only be, one facet of a person’s follows.

I hope this clarifies things for you.

All the best,
Kelly Ann

This question and answer is courtesy of www.linkedin.com. Members of the LinkedIn website can see this question and all the associated answers when they login to the LinkedIn website.