Last activity: 6 days ago
Are you working at home today just wearing your same ole cozies? Please put your Halloween costume back on instead! And keep the creative spirit alive.
(No Halloween costume? Then compose something vibrant, flouncy, or outlandish, and delight your inner royalty or clown.)
Want to join me? I have an urge to open a (second) Twitter account and share it with one or more folks who want to see if our crafty yet random posts can become "something" together ... an interesting read at the least and perhaps--with serendipity and some craftsmanship--something more "literary".
I don't know how exactly this would work out (natch) or if anyone else is already doing something like this. I've seen some on Twitter who are posting in the "literature" framework, but collaborating--I haven't found those yet.
Sounds kind of fun though.
I keep wanting one place where we can post kudos and props and such about this website. A place to say wow and thanks--for features added and polished-up. Perhaps this could be one of those "Sticky" posts so that it stays in one place and folks know where to go to add kudos and congrats and such.
Today, I'd like to say, wow and thank you for the new search results. I just searched for a member, and the return includes listings for profiles, articles, and so on. Very cool.
Thanks you guys.
Organizer type folks often recommend a jettison of clothing that isn't worn for a year or for two seasons.
Are "networks" like that do you think? Should I delete folks from my networks if I haven't: talked to; encountered; referred to; worked with them for X amount of time?
How do you look at this? If at all?
In the past few weeks I have chatted with three Bizniks about the possibility of them filing for bankruptcy.
Each of them has been working their a*s off to make a go of their business, and each has reached the edge of a financial abyss and have found themselves exploring tough options to save their futures.
A thing about bankruptcy is that it is real, and useful, and common--but like abortion and jail time--most who have been there don't make that information known. So, when someone is facing bankruptcy it can feel like they're there all alone--the only one in their circle who has reached such a tough spot.
So, I thought it might be "nice" if some folks here might chime in and expose ourselves--publicly saying, "I've been there" and maybe sharing a bit about what was learned in the process. I mean, bankruptcy filings are public information anyway ...
And if you haven't been there but are close to someone who has, perhaps you could share their tale. Of course, names must be changed to protect the innocent :-)
It's time for me to buy more checks (perhaps some day online bill paying will be more reliable and prevalent and I can quit with the checks).
In the meantime, do you know of any places where I can buy business checks that might be "socially responsible"--recycled paper? non-toxic inks? some money goes to a charitable organization? That kind of thing.
So far all I can find is a regular check seller who prints images and logos related to charitable orgs, but there's no evidence that any money goes anywhere besides the check seller.
I dunno. Perhaps I just can't conceive of the right Google search terms to find these ...
Through good fortune (for which I am immensely grateful) I am about to retire from the daily grind.
In celebration I am gathering a Retirement Playlist, and I hope you might have some suggestions.
Current contenders include:
I Don't Like Mondays - Boomtown Rats
Free At Last - Antony & the Johnsons
Sunday Driver - The Limp Twins
Surfing On A Rocket - Air
Feelin' Good (Joe Claussell Remix) - Nina Simone
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
This Fire - Franz Ferdinand
Manic Monday - Prince/The Bangles, et al.
Bang the Drum All Day - Todd Rundgren
I'm hoping to take this thing to at least an hour long. Suggestions?
Thanks!
p.s. At the suggestion of Michael Meade, I generally refer to this process as Re-Firement.
See, it's not my business (in each sense of that phrase), but now the factory that my (new) husband's family has owned for fifty years is the source of my bread. And so for obvious reasons I am quite interested in keeping this old factory viable.
But how to (successfully) interject myself and do that, that's my puzzle.
The good news is, my husband is the boss--no one above him for me to sway. And, he is amenable to my interest, but he too, is wary of how my involvement might go awry.
It's an old-timey factory, in the mid-west, manufacturing leaf spring suspension for all types of vehicles. Hot. Grimy. Still doing things the way they were done fifty years ago. Furnaces. Steel. And men with large, loud machines.
More good news. I have factory experience so I can empathize with the life of a factory worker. And I have heavy equipment and foundry work in my background so I am not completely out of my realm. Plus, I have a ton of small business experience. And I am not in any dire hurry.
Where do I start do you suppose, to fortify this old yet healthy business? A business plan? More attention to a web presence? Hours rambling through old records to get a rich feel for what is what?
I should probably mention that I live 2,139 miles away from the factory ...
What do you think? Cautions? Impressions? Advice?
Has anyone switched to Credo as a service provider? Any reports?
I've been watching a lot of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". The half-hour episodes are perfect at night for clearing my mind before sleep.
These shows are 50 years old, and they've got me to thinking--about how things we do and say can really stick around. In ways we don't imagine at the time of our actions.
This morning I Googled myself. Haven't done so in awhile, but have been thinking a lot about search engines and ranking and so on. Well, this time I found an old version of my resume among the hits. Something I'd posted on a website I owned a long time ago. It's still sitting on a server somewhere, and now you, too, can read my vitals (luckily all the contact info is out of date and I never followed the old practice of including a social security number on my resumes).
Anyway. Like I said, I've been thinking a lot about the trails we leave.
Just surveying for interest.
At last count, I own 37 different kinds of adhesive, miles of ribbon, mounds of glitter, and a veritable forest of artsy paper.
Would you like to join me and a small group for an evening of business chatting and low-key crafting? On the order of your grandma's Ladies Aid Society, but fresher.
I think there needs to be some new category or rating or something here.
This new category would be for those times when someone's actions exemplify the credos of the Biznik Manifesto. In particular when the Manifesto says, "We Believe in Self-Interested Altruism--Give to the group without expecting any return. Karma will come and get you. Karma will hunt you down" and "We Believe in Collaboration, Not Competition".
An example of when I've been Bizniked is when Angi Carlston referred me to someone who is in the same business as she, but offers it in a way that is a slightly better fit for what I need.
And when Elizabeth Lee took the time to send me a personal Best Wishes note for an event I hosted--and Elizabeth and I don't even really know each other, we've mostly only crossed paths here on Biz Talk.
See, such actions seem to me to be on an even higher plane than referrals or introductions. They seem like the true essence of Biznik. And leaving a "compliment" for a member doesn't seem to fit quite right nor do justice.
I'd love to be able to message all of my network at once. And, to send a message to multiple folks, perhaps by way of that slick auto-fill/drop-down thing that appears in the "Introduce to a friend" feature.
I am working on a concept for an event and some questions have emerged.
Is there (going to be) a way to officially co-host and event, so that both hosts can be factored into the Biznik site? I know that Biznik 2.0 has a long wishlist of website and membership features; this would be a great one to have--since an event host gets certain Biznik "activity" credit and because someday there might be a way to leave feedback about an event host. And, it would also add to both host's profiles the info about events they've offered. Maybe the "activity" credit gets split 50/50 between the hosts?
Does Biznik distinguish between event fees and supply costs? I am intending for this to be a free event, but there *is* a minimal per-head cost involved in producing it, which I would like to recoup. I could collect this through the Biznik sign up page, but then my guests would be paying about as much in transaction fees as I want to collect for supply costs, which seems wrong somehow. But I don't want to sidestep giving Biznik its due share of things ... Is there an easy and fair way to address this? Or is the simplest thing that I just buck-up and pay the supply costs myself and thereby keep this in the category of a Free event?
There used to be a Biznik PDF about hosting an event, which I can no longer find. I imagine it is out of date what with the new marvelous Biznik registration/RSVP system and membership categories, but as I recall there was some great food-for-thought in there about event promotion and so on. Is there a copy floating around or something similar in the works?
Cheers and thank you.
I'd love to see a section of Event descriptions that was dedicated to describing the venue for the event--things like parking tips and whether or not food and drink are readily available.
I know there's that little section to the right of the main event description where the venue's address is displayed with the Google map above and that's Great. But I'm looking for the "insiders' tips", stuff that might not be found on the venue's website. And I'm thinking that if it had its own section--perhaps below the event description--such valuable tidbits could be added without detracting from a pithy event blurb.
I'm thinking about hosting a Biznik event especially for introverts and maybe for virgin Bizniks (those who've never attended a Biznik networking event).
See, it's taken me decades to outgrow and overcome my early years that programmed me into believing that "shy" is a handicap, and come to a place where I now see that my introverted nature is a valuable part of who I am--a part that just requires certain provisions.
Shyness/introversion in and of itself is not a handicap, but I believe that many prevailing beliefs and forces make introversion into a handicap. As well, most social events are geared toward the extroverts (uh, duh--since naturally most events are spear-headed by extroverts).
Having come to realize that the attribute of introversion is not a bad thing, I've been able to find social skills and other ways to take my quiet nature into "networking" settings, but it's almost always a chore to do so; I almost always have to drag myself into such situations--even though I often have a good time.
I know I'm not the only one in these shoes. And I know that there are certain elements of "events" that make me more or less comfortable. For example, very, very large events and/or those with a large degree of randomness to them, are very, very hard on my psyche. And some venues are more hospitable to my quiet, observing nature than are others. And noise levels affect me. And so on.
I keep putting myself out there because I typically do have compelling and satisfying interactions with others. But, like I said, it taxes me.
So I dream of events that are designed with us introverts specifically in mind. And I wonder if you do, too. And if you do, what qualities would they include?
I include virgin Bizniks in these thoughts, because I suspect that for many of you/them, that first foray into a Biznik happy hour can be full of curiosity and puzzles about how is this Biznik networking thing done--so maybe you're/they're not introverted per se, but, well, losing virginity can be an awkward, uncomfortable moment.
Anyway. What do you think?
Usual MS products, including Office Professional 2007 or Project Standard 2007.
The thing is, I just completed a usability study for Microsoft and the Grand Prize is anything from their Gratuity List. But, I don't need anything from that list--do you?
I can send you the entire list if you like the sound of trading your product/services for something from the list.
Have you been disappointed lately by a business' service or product? If so, what did you do about it?
Based upon a favorable impression from the content of a website, yesterday I purchased $10 worth of cupcakes as samples; I was contemplating ordering 100 cupcakes for an upcoming party. After dinner last night, we sliced into the pretty little cakes--with great anticipation--and started munching the first one.
What DISAPPOINTMENT! Dry, dry, dry.
Next cupcake, boring, and dry. Next, and next, and next--pretty much the same.
This, on top of the fact that the bubble-headed young women who were staffing the store couldn't provide info about custom orders, nor any printed materials about the products/services.
All in all, what I'd expected from perusing the business' website, just wasn't there. I could be cranky about the almost $10 in uneaten crumbs left on my kitchen table, but mostly I wonder if the business owner has any idea how disappointing the product and the shopping experience were.
What do you think?
Have you had a similar experience lately, and how did it all turn out?
How do you ensure your customers' satisfaction?
I love these guys' designs, and they are having a summer sale until Aug 26. (Yeah, they're based in the UK and yes they ship to the US.)
http://www.streetcards.com/
This is where you can get official Gaping Void cards http://www.streetcards.com/streetcards_pz1.php?styleId=53
Per their promo email, their Summer Sale details:
A. if you place an order for 100 streetcards, we'll upgrade you to 200 cards
or,
B. If you place an order for 250 streetcards or more, we'll Matt Laminate them for FREE
or,
C. If you place an order for 250 streetcards, we'll upgrade you to 500 cards
Simply choose option A, B or C and email us once you've placed your order, quoting which offer you'd like... this offer applies to all re-orders too, if you would like to re-order past designs please email: reorders@streetcards.com If you can find your original order number, that would be terrific, but if not, we'll find you on our system somewhere - we have all streetcards orders since day one.
Come teach your small, private classes at my place, and include me in the mix in exchange for the use of space.
A variety of things could be taught in the space--we've a large open indoor space, a blackboard, a pinboard, an open kitchen, work tables, and an amazingly private and deliciously natural outdoor space--so the possibilities are large.
What I especially seek are Pilates mat classes but other forays into "education" are intriguing, too--writing, photography, wooo-wooo goodies.
Drop me an email with your ideas/interests and we'll see what percolates.
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