Wednesday, February 04, 2009

updating a powerpoint for a webinar tonight!

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Trying to clean my office so I can get some great work done!!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Up early, trying to catch up on a few things.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Social Networking and Web 2.0: Are they the same thing or different?

Web 2.0 is the buzz on the Internet, not some new software for your computer. But some are still mystified as to what Web 2.0 really is – as was I for quite some time. Now, I find it a fascinating exploration and journey to meeting and connecting with new people every day. If you are anything like me and still feeling puzzled by it all and how it relates to you, then read on!

Tim O’Reilly coined the phrase Web 2.0 at a conference. From there it took off and evolved or morphed into a new idea for increasing the effectiveness of Web 2.0 sites on the Internet. Web 2.0 sounds like it is social networking while it is actually a type of platform that supports and brings more to these social networking sites.

Let’s talk about Social Networking. Social networking starts with individuals. They meet and connect forming new relationships. You could think of it like balls and sticks, with the ball representing the individual and the stick representing the connection. Without the social networking platform (the sticks) they would have made the connection.

Web 2.0 provides the space where connections and interactions can happen. The particular platform also determines the manner in which these interactions can occur. In some individuals create profiles and through their profile they are able to meet and connect with new people. On other platforms there are different means of connecting – through existing relationships and connections, or through groups or by invitation. Other features of the platform like news feeds, multimedia content, blogs, instant messages, social groups, audio and video, and message boards are also a huge part of Web 2.0. Through the unique combinations of these individuals are able to grow their connections and develop a large or gigantic online network.

Many sites use Web 2.0 as their basis. Some that you have probably heard of are:
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Wikipedia
• MySpace
• WordPress
• Blogger
• Flickr

There are many more, but this gives you a sampling and perhaps you are using one or two and didn’t even realized you were part of Web 2.0.. If you are a member of any of these social networking sites, then you have sampled a Web 2.0 platform.

Web 2.0 sites use member generated content that is then ranked by the search engines. Good content is found on the site and the member that created it gains new connections and a “following” that is valuable. Your following can be used to increase your popularity on the web OR can create increased exposure and visibility for your business.

If you are a business owner, then you might wonder how Web 2.0 can be helpful to you. Web 2.0 platforms are already being used by businesses, universities, and families. The applications are easy to use so it becomes a great way to stay in touch. And, it is user friendly, so you don’t need to have web design knowledge or html knowledge. You are able to update your presence on the web every day or multiple times throughout the day without the expense of a web designer or web host. It is a way to keep in touch with easy to use and manageable applications. Your connections are able to subscribe to your updates using RSS Feed (Really Simple Syndication) This application automatically sends out an update to your subscribers desktop when changes occur to your page. RSS is frequently used on blogs and news sites as a convenience to readers, saving them valuable time. This enables them to be up to date without having to check your website for changes and updates. It keeps them posted. It also avoids the pitfalls of email.

Companies can also use Web 2.0 technology through Google Groups, Yahoo Groups and Twitter. It allows the company to update employees via one medium. They can receive important information about company projects, changes or new agendas.

Web 2.0 is also a useful medium for the business owner. It provides tools for driving new traffic to blogs, and websites. Several sites also provide places to post events and distribute event information to your network. The most useful part of these Web 2.0 sites is the ability to build new networks of people. Even if the site starts you out connecting to people you know, you are quickly able to move from those connections to their connections or other new connections. Each site is a new place for people to get to know you and your products. It is therefore vital that you use these sites with care, develop goals for your purpose and keep your values in check when using them. You want to protect your reputation and build a good online presence.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Just returned from back to back networking!! Now jumping into some marketing! And of course follow-up. Follow up is a key to success! www.bizology.biz

What is Social Networking?

The Internet continues to grow new media and social networking is one that offers value for both the individual and the business person. It’s not just buzz word, but rather an Internet phenomenon. It’s like a global cocktail lounge or living room gathering. It is a way for people to interact, get to know each other and connect, without traveling half way around the globe or even leaving the comfort of home.

Social networking is a familiar activity, meeting and getting to know people but in a totally new venue. We’re used to doing it at work or church or the golf course but many can be intimidated by opening up to meeting new people via an Internet site. Social networking sites provide this new platform for getting to know more “friends.” You can reconnect with old friends or meet and connect with new people. Just like any other networking activity it takes time to make connections and time to build meaningful relationships.

Social networking took off among the younger generation first. Like much of the Internet it was developed at college campuses. Social networking sites were a way to stay in touch with friends when they weren’t right there with you. It also became a way to make new friends in a less stressful social situation.

But, social networking is not just for the teeny boppers. Adults now enjoy social networking as well. The first social networking sites we all heard about were Facebook and MySpace. This was mostly due to controversy surrounding what some Generation X kids were posting, but it made parents aware of the social networking craze. Parents joined just in order to monitor their teenager and found usefulness on the site for themselves.

Now, adults are using social networking for several different purposes. First, it is a venue to reconnect with old classmates, friends and colleagues: the use is personal. It is easy to stay in touch with many people at the same time and build and rebuild relationships. You can keep in touch with that world traveler and also see pieces of their travels along the way instead of waiting for them to return.

For business owners both small and large there is value in social networking. Marketing gurus found they were able to build meaningful alliances and business partnerships through their connections on social networking websites. In addition, social networking has become valuable to building your web presence as well. A social networking presence is akin to going door to door and telling people about your product. But you can easily reach people globally and not just in the neighborhood. For each site that you decide to join create a powerful profile, include pictures and details. Add personal info such as likes and dislikes to give people a feel for your personal side. Join groups of people with similar interests.

On first look, social networking appeared to be a venue for the young, but what many have discovered is that there is value for individuals, businesses, corporations and age doesn’t matter. When you make your first visit to a social network you could easily feel intimidated but don’t worry, the groups are friendly and there is a wealth of info to get you started.
Social networking has a place in the life of both young and old alike. Use it to meet new people, make business contacts, stay in touch with family, or just to beef up your Internet presence. The wave of the future is social networking. Don’t you want to join?

Monday, January 12, 2009

Preparing for Women Business Owners chapter board meeting tonight.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

What is Social Networking?

What is Social Networking?

The Internet continues to grow new media and social networking is one that offers value for both the individual and the business person. It’s not just buzz word, but rather an Internet phenomenon. It’s like a global cocktail lounge or living room gathering. It is a way for people to interact, get to know each other and connect, without traveling half way around the globe or even leaving the comfort of home.

Social networking is a familiar activity, meeting and getting to know people but in a totally new venue. We’re used to doing it at work or church or the golf course but many can be intimidated by opening up to meeting new people via an Internet site. Social networking sites provide this new platform for getting to know more “friends.” You can reconnect with old friends or meet and connect with new people. Just like any other networking activity it takes time to make connections and time to build meaningful relationships.

Social networking took off among the younger generation first. Like much of the Internet it was developed at college campuses. Social networking sites were a way to stay in touch with friends when they weren’t right there with you. It also became a way to make new friends in a less stressful social situation.

But, social networking is not just for the teeny boppers. Adults now enjoy social networking as well. The first social networking sites we all heard about were Facebook and MySpace. This was mostly due to controversy surrounding what some Generation X kids were posting, but it made parents aware of the social networking craze. Parents joined just in order to monitor their teenager and found usefulness on the site for themselves.

Now, adults are using social networking for several different purposes. First, it is a venue to reconnect with old classmates, friends and colleagues: the use is personal. It is easy to stay in touch with many people at the same time and build and rebuild relationships. You can keep in touch with that world traveler and also see pieces of their travels along the way instead of waiting for them to return.

For business owners both small and large there is value in social networking. Marketing gurus found they were able to build meaningful alliances and business partnerships through their connections on social networking websites. In addition, social networking has become valuable to building your web presence as well. A social networking presence is akin to going door to door and telling people about your product. But you can easily reach people globally and not just in the neighborhood. For each site that you decide to join create a powerful profile, include pictures and details. Add personal info such as likes and dislikes to give people a feel for your personal side. Join groups of people with similar interests.

On first look, social networking appeared to be a venue for the young, but what many have discovered is that there is value for individuals, businesses, corporations and age doesn’t matter. When you make your first visit to a social network you could easily feel intimidated but don’t worry, the groups are friendly and there is a wealth of info to get you started.

Social networking has a place in the life of both young and old alike. Use it to meet new people, make business contacts, stay in touch with family, or just to beef up your Internet presence. The wave of the future is social networking. Don’t you want to join?
participating in tele-class on website marketing strategies.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Celebrating new members to Bizology.Biz Join the fun. http://ping.fm/9aOF5

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Made good progress on a new book that I've been working on!! 2009 is starting off productive!

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

New article posted on my blog: www.compassroseconsulting.com/blog
Life Mapping: EnVision Success

Your Personal Life Map: EnVision Success

Donna Price
Copyright 2008
All rights reserved


Success is a personal journey. It looks different for each person. It is more than money, professional titles, or higher education degrees. Planning a life of success is about mapping out the aspects of your life. It is a holistic approach to success that includes mind, body and spirit. (even if you are a corporate junkie you need this balance. Similar to a map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination, vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route.

Origin: Who you are

A journey has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now, at this moment. Most people when asked to introduce themselves identify themselves with their name and occupation, saying something like: “Hi, I’m Jean and I am a 17-year old, senior high-school student.” It does not tell you about who Jean is, her values, her character, her interests or passions; it only tells you her present focus. Your origin and who you are is more than your name and occupation. It is your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural, and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field. Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars were destructive to human dignity.

Destination: A vision of who you want to be

“Who do want to be?” this is your vision. Now it is important that you know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

Continuing Jean’s story, after she defined her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted to have a life dedicated to service.

Vehicle: Your Mission

A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent, your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Based on Jean’s self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully; it was to live a life dedicated to serving her fellow people as a doctor in conflict-areas.

Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude.

Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge and skills in medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was something she wanted to change.

Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives

Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track; while the route determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a master’s degree and a doctorate degree within a period of three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master’s degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor’s degree in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27; earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30; getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of 32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.

The landmarks become your goals. The route is your strategy for reaching each landmark or goal. You can see that it all ties together with your vision. Without the vision it is hard to create a map with landmarks and routes. As you develop your route, you are working on strategies that make the most sense for getting to the next landmark along your journey.

Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes

The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns, detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust accordingly. And occasionally the road ends at a cliff that we didn’t anticipate and we find ourselves plunging out of control. In each of these situations it is where a compass becomes a vital tool. Your compass keeps you headed in the right direction, helps to get you back on your route. Your compass contains your values and principles. It is what guides your life along your journey. Values and principles are what guide your decisions. When a road block appears or a detour comes up, you need to take out your compass and get a new bearing of where you are headed.

A life map is a valuable tool for building success year after year. You are not just driving down the road blindly. You have envisioned your destination. It is okay if the vision isn’t totally clear. The clarity can come as you come closer and closer to that vision. It is when you drive without a plan that you end up in a destination unknown and wonder how you got yourself there. By being the driver of your life and have a life map you are more likely to achieve the success you desire.

Register today for our EnVision 2009 Tele-Seminar at:
http://www.tinyurl.com/teleclassregistration

and our Building Abundance Workshop (with life mapping) at:
http://www.tinyurl.com/buildingabundance

Happy New Year!!

All the best,
Donna
Getting ready to shovel snow and make banana bread!! Still on Holiday! With a bit of work in between!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Great meeting this morning with better plans for increasing streams of income this year. What new streams of income are you adding?
Outlining article for New Year's email blast and posting.
Heading out to meeting with business partner.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

I've gotten great feedback on affiliate programs from folks on LinkedIn and am researching all of their recommendations.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Finishing up last minute work before heading out for last minute shopping. Have a great plan for 2009 for great tele-classes and events. www.tinyurl.com/teleclassregistration

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Great Book

I am just finishing a book I found at the book store called Photo Reading. I am historically a pretty slow reader but I have alibrary full of books I want to read and share. Photo reading is a phenomenal process for reading a book in a fraction of the time. While reading the Photo Reading book itself I also read The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. It is one of the books that we will be covering in the new book club that I am starting in 2009. More info to come on that. I also read Eric Butow's book on using LinkedIn. I've been on LinkedIn for years but hadn't really mastered it. I"m not saying that I've mastered it yet (do you ever?), but I did learn alot and am using LinkedIn more. In fact-- early in 2009 I am planning a tele-seminar on using LinkedIn. Sign up for the newsletter -- link is to the right there, and I will let you know when the tele-seminar is. Let me know what your successes and challenges with LinkedIn are and I will research them and answer them on the the tele-class.

Do you have other business questions? Let me know!! I am always working to find answers to client questions and would love to be helpful to you too!!

What business books are you finding helpful?

Have a great one!

All the best,
Donna