First, click this link. It’ll provide thematic background music for your reading pleasure. Good job. Now then, since our families and friends have been so patient with us throughout the year, we feel they deserve our attention during the holiday season. We’ll be taking a short break from our regular posting schedule during this period, and we’ll resume our regular posting schedule on January 5, 2008. We know we’re supposed to write all about all our plans for the upcoming year, but really, we think that’s just tempting fate to come and screw each one
> Read MoreArchives for December 2008
Blog Archives
Enjoy 1,000+ articles geared to your content-marketing, writing, freelancing or small business endeavors. Scroll down for recent posts, select a category, or browse the archives here.
Wrapping Up Some Sticky Business: Our Contest Ends
Written by
More than a month ago, we asked our readers whether they’ve ever wanted to get unstuck from where they are. Where did they want to be? What was holding them back from reaching their dream. Was it was money? We had the right contest for them. We’re giving away nearly $20,000 in prizes to help three lucky people get unstuck from where they are to stick to where they want to be. We want to help people reach their big dreams of a small business. Very special thanks goes to all of our sponsors, the
> Read MoreDrive-by-Shooting Sunday: Linker’s Blog
Written by
“Hehehe…” James flipped the page of his comic book. “Been years since I’ve read one of these.” He’d found the mag lying around at last week’s hit. The woman must have had kids. “Love it.” James read a big more, chuckling to himself. “Heads up.” Harry tossed the Glock at James. “Haven’t you outgrown those?” “Are you kidding me?” James held up the vintage comic book. “It’s Richie Rich! These are the best. So where are we going tonight?” “Clubbing,” Harry answered, then grinned as James tossed Richie Rich aside and headed for the door.
> Read MoreTweetDeck: Stacking Your Deck with New Tools
Written by
I have a new toy. No, Santa didn’t come early. Some late-night surfing yielded a new tool called “TweetDeck“. I don’t use Twitter much. I’ll turn it on for a day or two, get bored and forget about it for another few weeks. While checking my Twitter homepage recently, though, I noticed a few people sending responses from TweetDeck, and I decided to check it out. As The Crow Flies Yes, I’m a sucker for packaging. I liked the crow icon, which is much more fitting for the desktop of the Lord of the Underworld
> Read MoreHow to Deal with Cranks, Flamers and Trolls
Written by
Ah, the anonymous Internet, the place where we can revel in knee-jerk reactions with little or no consequences at all. We cry out, “Freedom of speech!” and bash each other viciously with snappy, nasty words. Beautiful, isn’t it? Not really. The virtual world is a faceless society where we can get away with doing a great deal of damage to other people. Bloggers know all about trollers and flamers, and businesspeople nod at the mention of those hurtful emails they’ve received. Many a person has sat there hopelessly while watching their blog implode thanks to
> Read MoreLosing Your Sense of Self Because of Your Business
Written by
Our post on the work-work balance received resounding response. It’s clear many people feel the pain of juggling a thousand tasks and making it all work in equal proportions. One reader wrote me personally and said, “I can hardly stand these posts.” My response? “Why don’t you really tell us what you think?” She did. And in one of our rare guest post acceptances, we’d like to share Lisa’s thoughts with you. James clearly hit a nerve last week with his post on balancing work and work. Participating in the landscape of raucous comments (60-something
> Read MoreDrive-by-Shooting Sunday: Deaf Mom World
Written by
Harry stood outside the small blue house with green shutters and smiled wistfully at the sign on the lawn. “I made that,” he whispered to James as he straightened the board just a touch. “Why are you whispering?” James whispered back. “It’s so quiet here.” Harry looked at the house again. He liked quiet, but there was a huge difference between having quiet and living in total silence. It was one of those things that made Harry think and wonder what it would be like if he lost his hearing tomorrow? He supposed it could
> Read MoreDo You Have the Courage to Ask for Help?
Written by
If you needed help, would you ask for it? Before you answer, think about that. Think really hard. I’m not so sure the answer is yes. I thought about how we don’t ask for help when we truly need it when I read about Michael Martine’s car accident. His Jeep and a cliff wall had sat down for tea together, and Michael found himself thankful to be alive… only without wheels. He could have gone home and stared at the walls, wondering how on earth he’ll find the money for a new car so that
> Read MoreCheck Out Task Three of the Sticky Business Contest
Written by
It’s the last week of the Sticky Business Contest, and we’re down to 37 participants working hard on Task Four to plan the business they’ve always wanted. It’s been quite a ride. Participants embraced Task One, and then the odds narrowed down sharply as people realized fast ideas and chasing dreams takes some careful thought. The downside? That can look like work. The upside? The work isn’t hard, only takes some thought and can result in a sideline or full-time business – the business of your dreams. If you want to play along from home
> Read MoreBalancing Work and Work
Written by
How’s your balance these days? I’m not talking about the balance between work and life. There are enough people covering the subject of working too hard and compromising your personal life. They’re right, too. But they also don’t discuss balance within each of these areas. They talk about work/life balance, but not balancing work within work or life within life. They treat work and life as two half-circles that form a whole. You can’t form a whole if one of the half-circles is broken. I learned that recently – or maybe I always knew it
> Read More