At the beginning of every academic year I usually buy a new calendar so that I can note all the important dates through the following June. Younger members of the family, whom one would hope could do this for themselves, swear that they aren’t allowed to write anything but homework assignments in their daily planners.
The handiest format to manage multiple schedules is a grid with space for each family member. I’ve complained in the past that most of these calendars feature dancing hippos, as though someone managing three or more schedules was in fact childlike.
I’m pleased to announce that yesterday I found a dignified new calendar with spaces for five people’s schedules. The Day Runner Mom’s LifeTracker™ is blotter-size, with 3 1/3 x ½ inches to each person’s daily appointments.
Instead of balloon and candy corn decorations, it sports a tasteful abstract chocolate brown and sage design. In other words, if I had to manage multiple schedules at work as well, I wouldn’t be ashamed to put this calendar on my desk.
Also, it has an absorbent finish instead of a glossy one. Glossy paper looks prettier, but only until I forget how slowly it absorbs ink. Then I turn over the page before the appointments have dried, and I smudge the entire month.
My sole quibble with the LifeTracker is that it only runs through June, 2011. Usually academic calendars run through the end of the following year. If I end up loving it, I won’t mind going back to the store next summer, but I would have appreciated the flexibility to procrastinate a month or two.
Like the Post It Weekly Planner pictures and product information about the LifeTracker are hard to find online. I like to think that’s because it’s such a hot new product that Mead’s web designers haven’t caught up with the product designers.
A word from the calendar aficionada: if this sounds good to you, I advise you to get your Mom’s LifeTracker early. Last year another Mead product, the five-star flex hybrid notebinder sold out in August and wasn’t available anywhere until October.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Resources for People Who Hate Networking
Maybe this is why I quit real estate: I hate networking.
Don’t get me wrong. I do it. My business card is attractive; I hand it out proudly. I send out lots of holiday cards. I go out of my way to get together with people. I forward interesting articles. I lend out my books (note: a few of them I do want back, okay? You know who you are.) But networking itself, getting on the phone and asking for favors, is so darned uncomfortable.
So I typed “hate networking” in my search engine. Here are some interesting results in case you hate it, too.
Networking for People Who Hate Networking by Penelope Trunk. You may especially enjoy point #5, “You don’t have to get off the sofa.”
How to not hate networking on Gravity Blog. I liked this one because it reminded me of the advice I often give out-of-shape people: people are not really going to look down on you at the gym. 80% is just showing up. And going back.
Crazy Networking at MeetUp.com. This looks like fun. I want to try it next time I’m in Toronto.
7 Networking Tips for Generation Y. Rebecca Thorman gives a good justification for that expensive haircut you wanted anyway.
Networking for the Networking-Phobic by Susan P. Joyce. Joyce offers several practicable and novel networking ideas. This is my favorite, “Take your lucky charm(s) with you. Scientific research shows that they do help you feel more confident!”
Ladies, only read this one when you’re exhausted. Why Men Have Stronger Professional Networks than Women by Kevin Fogarty. I like an excuse to say, “So that’s why it’s not working out.”
And here’s a tip: I met a woman at a cocktail party. Her first question to me was, “What can I do for you?” It was a little contrived, sure, but I liked it better than if she had set me on guard by immediately delivering her elevator pitch. I’ll try it someday soon.
Don’t get me wrong. I do it. My business card is attractive; I hand it out proudly. I send out lots of holiday cards. I go out of my way to get together with people. I forward interesting articles. I lend out my books (note: a few of them I do want back, okay? You know who you are.) But networking itself, getting on the phone and asking for favors, is so darned uncomfortable.
So I typed “hate networking” in my search engine. Here are some interesting results in case you hate it, too.
Networking for People Who Hate Networking by Penelope Trunk. You may especially enjoy point #5, “You don’t have to get off the sofa.”
How to not hate networking on Gravity Blog. I liked this one because it reminded me of the advice I often give out-of-shape people: people are not really going to look down on you at the gym. 80% is just showing up. And going back.
Crazy Networking at MeetUp.com. This looks like fun. I want to try it next time I’m in Toronto.
7 Networking Tips for Generation Y. Rebecca Thorman gives a good justification for that expensive haircut you wanted anyway.
Networking for the Networking-Phobic by Susan P. Joyce. Joyce offers several practicable and novel networking ideas. This is my favorite, “Take your lucky charm(s) with you. Scientific research shows that they do help you feel more confident!”
Ladies, only read this one when you’re exhausted. Why Men Have Stronger Professional Networks than Women by Kevin Fogarty. I like an excuse to say, “So that’s why it’s not working out.”
And here’s a tip: I met a woman at a cocktail party. Her first question to me was, “What can I do for you?” It was a little contrived, sure, but I liked it better than if she had set me on guard by immediately delivering her elevator pitch. I’ll try it someday soon.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Trust Me
"Bob said that in the old days, a handshake was good enough to seal a deal," said a relative over dinner, talking about Bob's experience growing up in textile country, back when Americans still made clothes in North Carolina. "They didn't need any lawyers."
I remembered old home ec books, with instructions for turning old dresses into jumpers, and making dad's old shirts into pinafores for little girls.
"Clothes were expensive in those days," I said. "Things were cozy. Manufacturers all knew one another. They could agree on a handshake."
"It's only when outsiders got into the industry that not everybody knew one another. Then they needed contracts to spell out their expectations. Those outsiders shook things up, and they drove prices down."
The relative did not appreciate my opinion, but her husband, an attorney, did.
I've been thinking about trust lately. As I said, I have a great idea. To submit a patent application, I need an engineer to think it through. But how do you find the right engineer, somebody you can trust not to steal your idea? You don't look them up in the Yellow Pages. You ask around. And when you find what you hope is the right person, you draw up a paper agreement, just in case.
Which is Poorly Made in China, a new book by Paul Midler, fascinated me. Midler lives in southern China. He negotiates and performs quality control on behalf of US importers of Chinese manufactured goods.
He describes how, after a couple of shipments, Chinese producers begin a process Midler calls "quality fade," subtly and gradually substituting less expensive materials or processes. Or when the importer gets a big order from an American customer, the producer announces a price hike. Or increases production runs and exports to another country.
Is it that the Chinese producers have no respect for the paper contracts they sign? Or is it that they view Americans as capitalist running dogs who deserve to be swindled?
Minutes after I closed Poorly Made in China, I picked up the Star Ledger and read Kelly Heyboer's article about Centenary College's closing its Chinese and Taiwanese satellite campuses. Cheating there was so widespread that administrators declared that they could not confer the MBAs the students had enrolled for.
Until it's violated, we don't realize how much we rely on trust, nor how expensive it would be to have to police every transaction.
Midler says that the Chinese are only able to copy Western products, but Heyboer describes wristwatches that allow people taking competitive entrance exams to share answers. I doubt Americans are making or using those. Not yet.
How do you guard against Dick Tracy watches in exams? Make everybody test naked?
Anyway, you can be sure I won't outsource my patent application to China. Keep your fingers crossed for me, ok?
I remembered old home ec books, with instructions for turning old dresses into jumpers, and making dad's old shirts into pinafores for little girls.
"Clothes were expensive in those days," I said. "Things were cozy. Manufacturers all knew one another. They could agree on a handshake."
"It's only when outsiders got into the industry that not everybody knew one another. Then they needed contracts to spell out their expectations. Those outsiders shook things up, and they drove prices down."
The relative did not appreciate my opinion, but her husband, an attorney, did.
I've been thinking about trust lately. As I said, I have a great idea. To submit a patent application, I need an engineer to think it through. But how do you find the right engineer, somebody you can trust not to steal your idea? You don't look them up in the Yellow Pages. You ask around. And when you find what you hope is the right person, you draw up a paper agreement, just in case.
Which is Poorly Made in China, a new book by Paul Midler, fascinated me. Midler lives in southern China. He negotiates and performs quality control on behalf of US importers of Chinese manufactured goods.
He describes how, after a couple of shipments, Chinese producers begin a process Midler calls "quality fade," subtly and gradually substituting less expensive materials or processes. Or when the importer gets a big order from an American customer, the producer announces a price hike. Or increases production runs and exports to another country.
Is it that the Chinese producers have no respect for the paper contracts they sign? Or is it that they view Americans as capitalist running dogs who deserve to be swindled?
Minutes after I closed Poorly Made in China, I picked up the Star Ledger and read Kelly Heyboer's article about Centenary College's closing its Chinese and Taiwanese satellite campuses. Cheating there was so widespread that administrators declared that they could not confer the MBAs the students had enrolled for.
Until it's violated, we don't realize how much we rely on trust, nor how expensive it would be to have to police every transaction.
Midler says that the Chinese are only able to copy Western products, but Heyboer describes wristwatches that allow people taking competitive entrance exams to share answers. I doubt Americans are making or using those. Not yet.
How do you guard against Dick Tracy watches in exams? Make everybody test naked?
Anyway, you can be sure I won't outsource my patent application to China. Keep your fingers crossed for me, ok?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Who's David Foster Wallace?
I heard a piece on Weekend Edition about a site called IWriteLike.com. You put in a sample of your writing. The site parses it and tells you which writer your writing style resembles.
I submitted this entry and IWriteLike told me I write like David Foster Wallace.
Who's he? Hee hee.
I submitted this entry and IWriteLike told me I write like David Foster Wallace.
Who's he? Hee hee.
I write like
David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace
I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!
SCORE!
I have a great idea for a patent...at least my family thinks so. I need an engineer to work with me on the design. I think I know how to proceed, but what if I overlook a problem or an opportunity?
I called SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives.
How SCORE Works
SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small business start, grow and succeed nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
SCORE has 364 chapters and 12,400 volunteers throughout the United States and its territories. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate time and expertise as business counselors.
My appointment is next week. Even if my idea is not the huge success we all hope for, it's fun to dream. Please keep your fingers crossed.
Here's how to find SCORE Offices near you.
I called SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives.
How SCORE Works
SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small business start, grow and succeed nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
SCORE has 364 chapters and 12,400 volunteers throughout the United States and its territories. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate time and expertise as business counselors.
My appointment is next week. Even if my idea is not the huge success we all hope for, it's fun to dream. Please keep your fingers crossed.
Here's how to find SCORE Offices near you.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Comparison Shopping: Permission-Based Email
I've been thinking for a while about getting a Constant Contact account, especially now that I've taken on a big volunteer project (but that's a posting to itself.)
Constant Contact is a permission-based email service. You can use it to send emails to people who have agreed to received your emails (no spamming). You get good reports back as to how many people received and opened your emails. For small organizations that send out limited numbers of emails, the charge is $15 a month, which seems pretty reasonable.
But as I mentioned before, today is the last day to renew website domains before the price goes up. As long as I was at GoDaddy I thought I would update my profile. Under the "Support and Community" tab they had an Express Email forum for permission-based marketers.
I spent at least 10 minutes flipping around on the site trying to figure out if they charged for Express Email. Finally I had to resort to Google, whereupon I learned that Express Email offers all the features I wanted from Constant Contact for half the price or less. (One month is $7.99/mo; thirty six months is $6.39/mo.)
The main difference is that with Constant Contact I can send unlimited emails. GoDaddy would limit me to 500/mo. If you start receiving oodles of professionally-formatted emails from me, you'll know why.
Reminder: renew your domains today to avoid the 7% price increase.
Constant Contact is a permission-based email service. You can use it to send emails to people who have agreed to received your emails (no spamming). You get good reports back as to how many people received and opened your emails. For small organizations that send out limited numbers of emails, the charge is $15 a month, which seems pretty reasonable.
But as I mentioned before, today is the last day to renew website domains before the price goes up. As long as I was at GoDaddy I thought I would update my profile. Under the "Support and Community" tab they had an Express Email forum for permission-based marketers.
I spent at least 10 minutes flipping around on the site trying to figure out if they charged for Express Email. Finally I had to resort to Google, whereupon I learned that Express Email offers all the features I wanted from Constant Contact for half the price or less. (One month is $7.99/mo; thirty six months is $6.39/mo.)
The main difference is that with Constant Contact I can send unlimited emails. GoDaddy would limit me to 500/mo. If you start receiving oodles of professionally-formatted emails from me, you'll know why.
Reminder: renew your domains today to avoid the 7% price increase.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Organic SEO in a Nutshell
The quote below about search engine optimization appeared in Mentor Solutions LLC's newsletter for plastic surgeons. The article gives some concrete ideas for attracting internet visitors by focusing the search engines on your website.
(I)f you are not appearing on a SERP for the keywords related to your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. You are doing business on a street that isn’t on the map and that might as well have road blocks at all of its entrances.
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