Archive for #blog30
Planning and Organizing Ideas With OneNote and Dropbox
Posted by: | CommentsI suspect I’m not terribly different from most entrepreneurs. I’ve got a lot of balls that I’m trying to keep up in the air. Not only that, I continually get new ideas. Some of 
them are crap, but some of them are actually things that I plan to implement. I’ve tried a number of ways to keep my planning, my projects, and my new ideas organized.
One of the things I do is use binders. Each project has its own binder, as does planning. This has been a relatively useful way to keep track of ongoing work (when the labels don’t fall off the binders).
New ideas were little harder to track. For a while I was doing the Post-it note method. Every time I got a new idea I’d write it on a Post-it note and stick it up on the wall next to my desk.
This didn’t work for two reasons. One, after a while the Post-it notes just became visual noise; I just didn’t see them anymore. The second reason is the mental clutter they caused me. Although I can block out the content on the Post-it notes, I still knew they were there. Although I wasn’t consciously aware of it, it was causing me constant stress.
I moved away from the Post-it notes to whiteboards. Now whenever a garden idea I could just write it on the whiteboard. The nice thing about the whiteboard is it’s one continual surface so it’s less visually cluttering than Post-its.
However, the whiteboard method isn’t perfect either. It’s great for recording an idea as it occurs to me, but what do I do later? Eventually the whiteboard gets full. I needed some way to deal with the ideas.
Then I thought about Microsoft OneNote. This is a software program that comes as part of Microsoft office. I knew it was part of the package but hadn’t looked at it. Last week I decided to open it and take a look. I’m glad I did. Read More→
Are Large Corporations Beating Small Business At Social Media?
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes I feel like I’m living a slightly schizophrenic life. As a marketing consultant specializing in social media, I spend a large chuck of my life immersed in the online 
World. I’m connecting with other online experts, and using each of the tools. I’m looking at how other businesses are marketing themselves online. I’m online for hours a day. And even when I’m not talking to other marketing experts, I’m dealing with online business people who know what they’re doing.
But occasionally I need to get off my ass and actually leave my office. When talking to business owners in the real world, I see an entirely different perspective. In the last several weeks I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with business owners were still trying to decide whether or not they need to bother with a website, never mind things like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
These two extremes in my life, have got me to thinking. One of the big rallying cries around social media is that it levels the playing field. Because most of these tools are basically free (as in no cash is needed to use them) it meant that solopreneurs and small business owners could easily compete with large corporations.
And on the surface this is true. After all, we can all create a Facebook account and set up a fan page, but only major corporations can run a television spot during the Superbowl.
However, when we dig deeper I believe social media is actually widening the gap between large corporations and micro business. Read More→
Blogging Boomer Carnival #166
Posted by: | CommentsThis past week my son’s school held their annual Grade 6 Breakfast. The kids are moving onto a new school next year so this was their “graduation” ceremony. They had a kids-only portion and then parents were invited for the formal part of the event that included awards and certificates.
My smart ass son thanked the academy as he got his award. Wonder where he gets that from?
This week I am honoured to be the host of the weekly Blogging Boomer Carnival. The Carnival is, as its name implies, a collection of bloggers who also happen to be baby boomers. We write on a diverse range of topics, all from our own perspective on life. And each week, we select our best post from the past week (or so) and submit it to be included in the Carnival.
You job, dear reader, is to visit these blogs and read what my boomer friends have offered up. If you are so moved, you are encouraged to leave your thoughts in the form of a comment. After all, the power of blogging that it’s not a one-way communication by the authors. It is a conversation, but only if you participate.
Here goes:
Trying to decide what’s next in your life? Should you go for what you really, really want this time, or settle one more time for the same old same old? Here’s what the Midlife Crisis Queen thinks about that!
There is a new trend in vacations, it’s called the “Mancation.” Think of it as the travel counterpart to a “man cave.” More at LifeTwo.com.
Cropped pants – They’re a fabulous alternative to shorts for Boomer gals, so long as you pick the right shoes to complement them. This week the Glam Gals at Fabulous after 40 have some “ soleful” advice on shoes that work with cropped pants and ones that don’t.
It’s All About Aging wonders why women seem to need to improve their inner beings every 5 minutes or every other page of a magazine? And where men go to get in touch with their inner selves?
A couple of weeks ago, Janet at Gen Plus chimed in with her reaction to the Gulf Oil Crisis. She’d like to point you to the comments to that post — primarily the excellent explanations of the challenges in “plugging the hole” by a retired oil tanker captain, and a weigh in from a heavy equipment operator. You may have your own thoughts to share.
Would you leave your body to medical science? Ann at Contemporary Retirement is seriously considering it.
Why do authoritarian tendencies emerge only during bear markets in stocks? SoBabyBoomer tells us about the fear factor experienced during tough times.
How do you manage your use of Twitter once you are following more than a couple of hundred people? You need to use an aggregator. Two of the top ones are TweetDeck and HootSuite. Which one is better? Read the Baby Boomer Entrepreneur’s review to find out.
Enjoy!
Andrea J. Stenberg
7 Reasons to Have a Facebook Fan Page For Your Business
Posted by: | CommentsAre you still on the fence about creating a Facebook Fan Page for your business? You shouldn’t be. Here are seven reasons why your business needs a Facebook Fan Page:
According to a recent report by Syncapse, on average, Facebook fans spend an additional $71.84 on products for which they are fans compared to those who are not fans.
Syncapse also tells us that Facebook fans are 28% more likely than non-fans to continue using the brand.
Facebook fans are 41% more likely than non-fans to recommend a fanned product to their friends. (Syncapse)
It’s not just for kids. Facebook has more than 400 million active users and 61% of those users are aged 35 or older.
According to a recent study, more people are visiting Facebook than Google. You wouldn’t skill having your business listed on Google? Why miss out on Facebook?
People are spending more time on Facebook. According to a study by the Nielsen Co. research firm, the average user spent 1 hour, 21 minutes on Google during April 2010 while, Facebook users were logged on an average of 6 hours
Did I mention it’s free? There’s no up-front cost to creating a Facebook Fan page other than your time. And since you can easily repurpose other materials (from your website, blog, YouTube), the time factor doesn’t need to be huge. And when you consider the value of a Facebook fan page, isn’t the time spent a valuable investment?
Andrea J. Stenberg
Do you have a Facebook page? Tell us about why you created it and what you’re doing with it. If you still don’t have one, tell us why not. And while you’re at it, why not check out the Baby Boomer Entrepreneur fan page.
