SOME THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY

For a change of pace, some thoughts to live by :~)


1 - Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some    days you're the statue!

2 - Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3 - Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4 - Drive carefully ... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

5 - If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

6 - If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7 - It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

8 - Never buy a car you can't push.

9 - Never put both-feet in your mouth at-the-same-time;-because then-you won't have a leg to stand on.

10 - Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
11 - Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12 - The second mouse gets the cheese.

13 - When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

14 - Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
16 - Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

17 - We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

18 - A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

19 - Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

20 - Save the earth ..... It's the only planet with chocolate! 

Webmail war: Gmail vs. Outlook.com vs. Yahoo Mail

This was the subject of a recent (March 1, 2013) Computerworld article by Serdar Yegulalp.  Here is my summary of this interesting article.

Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have all rolled out major changes to their free webmail services. Which now offers the best organization, message handling, mobile options and advanced features?

There's little question that Web-based email has captured a major portion of the user base. The conveniences of webmail -- all your messages in one place, few or no practical limits on storage, access from almost any client device -- make it all the more appealing to generations of users for whom client apps like Outlook are clunky relics.

In his roundup, he looks at what's changed for each email service during the past year -- both cosmetically and functionally -- and the ways each implements commonly used features: mail organization and searching, POP/IMAP access, handling of attachments and the mobile experience (including apps). His article includes a discussion on how to switch email accounts including moving email and moving contacts.

The article includes a “Bottom Line” comment for each of the three major free webmail services:

Gmail, from Google, continues as a fine choice for an email service, rich with meta-organizational features and external connectivity options.  However, gmail’s highly useful sync features for Outlook are now only available for paying customers.

Outlook.com, formerly Hotmail.com, is clean looking and works well, but the lack of IMAP support and the uncertain state of its mobile apps and mobile site is inconvenient.

NB: I’ll have a discussion on the phase out of Hotmail in an upcoming post.

Yahoo mail is easy to work with and approachable,  but all the features that would make it even more useful are either behind a paywall or absent entirely.

The article concludes by saying that Outlook.com is a welcome surprise, even if there's no support for IMAP and its mobile experience could still use some work. It's going to be one to watch, especially with Microsoft's growing push toward being a services outfit for end-users instead of just all-Windows, all the time. Meanwhile, Yahoo Mail is a decent entry-level product for undemanding users, but it's easy to see people outgrowing it quickly.

Folks who are uncomfortable with the way Gmail offers up ads based on the content of email might want one of the other services. Another big gripe with Gmail is how a key piece of its functionality -- client sync -- has been shunted out of the free product and into the for-pay tier. I hope this isn't a trend.

But in the end, it's hard to go wrong with Gmail. It's been broadly adopted, has a solid feature set and supports most of the popular mail protocols.

You can view the entire article at: 

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9236988/Webmail_war_Gmail_vs._Outlook.com_vs._Yahoo_Mail?source=CTWNLE_nlt_thisweek_2013-03-04

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Some Reasons to Update Your Website

We just celebrated the new year. If you haven’t already, it’s time to reflect on things and look forward.  It’s probably about that time to start thinking about your marketing plans for the new year. Just as recent years have proved, websites have become THE essential piece of your marketing puzzle and let’s face it, if you don’t have one then it’s beyond time to jump on this bandwagon. If your website has not been updated since 2010 (or dare I say earlier) then it is time to give it a face lift. It’s about 65 in website years.

Here are some things to help you understand the importance of getting yourself online or at least updating your online presence.

1. A website is the 24/7, 365 days a year FACE of your business. It’s always open and making an impression on your future clients/customers.

2. Your website should fit with your brand. Does your website match the style/feel of your business? Are you a classy boutique with a text driven, “rough” site? It has been said that customer’s make up their mind about a brand within the first 10 seconds of visiting. What is your site saying?

3. This year is not last year, nor is it the years before. Hence, times are changing! New trends are emerging, let’s lead them not follow!

4. Are you offering new products or services? Are they showcased on your site? If not, they should be!

5. Image is everything. Photos, galleries, sliders are a huge part of websites. If you have more than a couple sentences of text on your home page, your site is outdated. We are more visual now then ever.

Finally, there are considerations for mobile responsiveness along with social connectivity that you may want to consider in you attempt to keep your website refreshes and up with the times. In any case, it is very helpful for your Internet presence to do a periodic "refresh" of your website

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2013 when…

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.

2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail or facebook   addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a website at the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
   
10. You get up in the morning and go on-line before getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile :)

12. You are reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #9 on this list.

And now U R laughing at yourself

HAPPY NEW YEAR to All!

Some Traits of a Successful Online Entrepreneur

The items below represent some common traits among those who find a high level of success online:

> Focused and Goal Driven
Doing today's work today, yet with a long range goal in mind, is essential. Anyone can keep busy, but unless that busy-ness is taking you forward toward your end goals, you may be pushing what you want away from you rather than drawing it toward you. Without long range goals to keep us on track, we are wandering a jungle without a map.

> Decisiveness
Too many "newbies" to business are afraid of making mistakes. They are indecisive at best, and some are almost paralyzed by their fear. They often won't make the simplest of decisions without looking for someone to tell them what to do. This obviously retards their progress and potential.
Successful entrepreneurs are decision makers. They are problem solvers. They are risk takers (calculated risks—not rash, impetuous risks). Rather than waiting for someone to tell them what to do next at every step of the way, an entrepreneur is proactive and researches the problem and possible solutions.
The biggest mistake newbies make (besides not having defined goals) is failing to take sustained action! If you're waiting, you're not doing. If you're not doing, your business isn't being built. If you're not building your business, what are you doing?

> Can-do Mindset
Those who fear failure seldom create significant success. For those with low self-esteem, failures are painful and are to be avoided. This prevents them from taking the kind of calculated risks that drive a business to success.
If your mind is in the wrong place about failure, a failure is thought of as a personal experience. If your mind is in the right place a failure is thought of as a learning experience.
It could be said, the faster you fail the sooner you'll prevail. Entrepreneurs believe in their dreams and don't allow obstacles to defeat them.

> Cool Under Fire
No matter how good you are at what you do, you will be criticized. Some criticisms will have merit, but many will not. The successful entrepreneur needs to be able to handle all criticism with poise and confidence.
Imagine yourself above the fray looking down at it as though it were someone else being criticized instead of you. From this lofty perspective you can respond intelligently rather than react emotionally.

> Self-motivation
Self-motivation and enthusiasm are key elements to entrepreneurial success. Internet marketers like to tout the "Internet lifestyle" in their sales copy, trying to make people believe this business is easy.
I can guarantee you if they are successful at all, they worked a lot harder than they let on to get to a point where their lifestyle is better than the average 9-5 worker. Chances are they worked 60-80 hours a week, including weekends and nights, to become successful. Without self-motivation they’d never make it big.

 Source: Boogie Jack’s Newsletter Nov. 2012

 Merry Christmas to one and all!

Emergency Preparedness Tips

When I was a Boy Scout, one of the motto's learned was to “Be Prepared”.  This motto should be ingrained in every one’s mind. In today’s world there are so many occasions where following this motto can be business or even life saving. In business, the term is more like having a “Plan B” – when the initial plan goes awry, have a fall back plan to insure that you can still meet the bulk of your objectives. In life, with continuous looming threats from natural disasters and even possible terrorist attacks, one can never be prepared enough.

So, obviously prompted by being without electricity for over 60 hours, I want to share with all, information  about emergency preparedness. The goal is certainly not to be alarmist; I hope you'll never need to use this emergency preparedness information.

However, it's not difficult to be prepared -- and since many of these steps are useful for many situations, I thought it appropriate to share these tips with you.  This is not an exhaustive list -- it's simply aimed at getting you thinking in the right direction.

So here are 10 Emergency Preparedness Tips to Help You and Your Family Prepare for Natural Disasters and Even Terrorist Attacks. Most important it is essential that you keep a level head, a calm approach. By definition, many natural disasters and terrorist attack are unpredictable. They occur around the world.

Nonetheless, there are lots of things average citizens can do to protect themselves and their families -- and maybe save lives should something happen. Having some basic information and tools can go a long way toward making you more confident in the event of a disaster in your neighborhood. Here are ten tips to help you and your family prepare for a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

BEFORE

1. TALK ABOUT IT. A 'head in the sand' attitude is not a good thing if you want to successfully prepare for a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Some natural disasters have warnings -- including evacuation procedures. Many others occur without warning. And we know, now more than ever, that a terrorist attack could happen anywhere, at any time -- so pretending that it only happens in the movies just won't cut it.

You don't need to be morbid. However, if you can talk about the possibility of a natural disaster or terrorist attack as a family or group, you can brainstorm ideas and get everyone thinking of solutions to potential problems. Focus on the types of natural disasters that are most likely to occur where you live. For example, if you live in Florida, be sure to plan for hurricanes and flooding. If you're in California, earthquakes are more likely. However, also plan for unexpected disasters and terrorist attacks.

2. HAVE A PLAN. Create a basic plan as a family with regard to what you will do if a natural disaster or terrorist attack occurs. A basic plan to prepare for terror should include:

- A communication plan
- An agreed-upon meeting place away from your home or work place
- A family member or friend who will act as a neutral contact for all of you, in some other city
- A list of all the important phone numbers you might need for each member of the family
- If you have children in school, you should know what the school emergency preparedness plan is, as well, and they should know yours.

3. PREPARE AN EMERGENCY KIT. You should have an easily accessible 'kit' with emergency supplies in it. Everyone in the family needs to know where it is located.

The kit should include, at the very least:
- A battery-powered radio
- A notebook and pen
- Extra prescription medications, if possible
- A first aid kit
- Dehydrated or canned foods (and don't forget the can opener!)
- A week's water supply for everyone
- A flashlight, with extra batteries
- A solar blanket or two for each family member
- Duct tape, scissors, soap and bleach

4. TAKE COURSES. If your community offers any kind of emergency preparedness courses at any time, TAKE THEM. At the very least, take a first aid course when you can.

5. MEMORIZE EMERGENCY EXITS. In any buildings that you frequent, learn and memorize where all the emergency exits are located. When you go into unfamiliar buildings, make a point of noticing where the marked exits are.

Plan in advance -- by mentally 'practicing' -- how to get out of a subway or congested public area. This is an important aspect of emergency preparedness.

6. BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. To prepare for terror or a natural disaster at any time, practice paying attention to your surroundings, and think about where you could seek shelter or protection, or hide if you needed to, in the event of an emergency.

This will help you become more aware of your environment wherever you go, and this will serve you well if you need it.

7. FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. Become familiar with different kinds of fire extinguishers and how they work. Practice using them (without pulling the pin) in a hurry.

DURING A NATURAL DISASTER OR TERRORIST ATTACK

8. NOTICE YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Should you be caught in a unexpected natural disaster or terror attack, take immediate notice of your surroundings. BREATHE -- and don't panic. (We know that's easier said than done, but we also know you could save your own life with just this one way to prepare for an emergency.)

9. PAY ATTENTION. If you are in any situation, with strangers, and something makes you uneasy -- pay attention. Start moving and leave the situation immediately if you can safely do so.

AFTER A NATURAL DISASTER OR TERRORIST ATTACK

10. DOING WITHOUT. Be prepared to 'do without' amenities you are familiar with and used to accessing. Be patient.

And here's one more tip for you...

11. HELP WHERE YOU CAN. If your help is needed, offer it. It will take your mind off what's going on around you, help you feel like you're contributing -- and you may even save a life.

Hopefully, these emergency preparedness tips help you be prepared -- and that you never need to use them.

 

Based in info from scambusters.com 10/31/12

Four Ds for Decision-Making

I recently read an article from Microsoft that dealt with better managing ones email/inbox. When I read the fourth tip, I felt it was applicable to much more than just email but to almost any query/request that crosses ones desk. So here goes. The "Four Ds for Decision-Making" model (4 Ds) is a valuable tool for processing email, helping you to quickly decide what action to take with each item and how to remove it from your Inbox.  This inbox can be part of your email system or that tray sitting on top of your desk (you remember them, don’t you?)  Anyway, as you read on, think of the inbox in the broader context.

Decide what to do with each and every message

How many times have you opened, reviewed, and closed the same email message or conversation? Those messages are getting lots of attention but very little action. It is better to handle each email message only once before taking action—which means you have to decide what to do with it and where to put it. With the 4 Ds model, you have four choices:

1.                Delete it

2.                Do it

3.                Delegate it

4.                Defer it

Delete it

Generally, you can delete about half of all the email you get. But some of you shudder when you hear the phrase "delete email." You're hesitant to delete messages for fear that you might need them at some point. That's understandable, but ask yourself honestly: What percentage of information that you keep do you actually use?
If you do use a large percentage of what you keep, your method is working. But many of us keep a lot more than we use. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you decide what to delete:

·                          Does the message relate to a meaningful objective you're currently working on? If not, you    can probably delete it. Why keep information that doesn't relate to your main focus?

·                          Does the message contain information you can find elsewhere? If so, delete it.

·                          Does the message contain information that you will refer to within the next six months? If not, delete it.

·                          Does the message contain information that you're required to keep? If not, delete it.

Do it (in less than two minutes)

If you can't delete the email messages, ask yourself, "What specific action do I need to take?" and "Can I do it in less than two minutes?" If you can, just do it. 
There is no point in filing an email or closing an email if you can complete the associated task in less than two minutes. Try it out—see how much mail you can process in less than two minutes. I think you will be extremely surprised and happy with the results. You could file the message, you could respond to the message, or you could make a phone call. You can probably handle about one-third of your email messages in less than two minutes.

Delegate it

If you can't delete it or do it in two minutes or less, can you forward the email to an appropriate team member who can take care of the task?
If you can delegate it (forward it to another team member to handle), do so right away. You should be able to compose and send the delegating message in about two minutes. After you have forwarded the message, delete the original message or move it into your email reference system.

Defer it

If you cannot delete it, do it in less than two minutes, or delegate it, the action required is something that only you can accomplish and that will take more than two minutes. Because this is your dedicated email processing time, you need to defer it and deal with it after you are done processing your email. You’ll probably find that about 20 percent of your email messages have to be deferred.
There are two things you can do to defer a message: Turn it into an actionable task, or turn it into an appointment. You can defer emails that require action by putting them in to a Task or To-Xdo list, or putting then into a calendar for future reference and/or action.

Use the 4 Ds model every day

Using the 4 Ds model on a daily basis makes it easier to handle a large quantity of email. Our experience shows that, on average, people can process about 100 email messages an hour. If you receive 40 to 100 messages per day, all you need is one hour of uninterrupted email processing time to get through your Inbox. Our statistics show that of the email you receive:

·                          Fifty percent can be deleted or filed.

·                          Thirty percent can be delegated or completed in less than two minutes.

·                          Twenty percent can be deferred to your Task List or Calendar to complete later.

Of course, if you have a backlog of hundreds of messages, it will take time to get to the point where your daily routine keeps you up to date. It's important to get that backlog down, so I would suggest setting blocks of time aside to work through it. Then, you can really enjoy processing your messages every day using the 4 Ds.

Based on the article from Microsoft at Work:  “Empty your Inbox: 4 ways to take control of your email”

By Sally McGhee   9/26/12