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Links: 20th Wedding Anniversary 2009 Edition

Yesterday was my 20th wedding anniversary. Wow. Two decades of marriage. I’m very lucky to have Paul as a partner in life, parenting and silliness. Yes, I’m up for many more! I just hope he can handle me!

• What books do people proselytize about?
• 10 steps to get your e-mail inbox to zero every day [Link: Aliza Sherman]
• How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live: I watched #tonys on Twitter last Sunday and it was quite an experience different than what I am used to on Twitter.
• Social Networking Medial ROI Calculator

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 40 Fantastic Sand Sculptures
• How to Plan a Vacation Using Social Media: Note to self… remember this when I finally manage to plan one.
• Guess the Logo: Love these games.
• 8 Weird and Wacky Items Sold on Amazon.com

Links: The 10 Commandments 2009 Edition

• To call or not to call? Should you follow up with an editor after sending PR? Mixed bag.
• Why you want a Dwight Schrute in your office
• 115 Marketing Strategies for Small Business
• Make a Monitoring Dashboard to Track Online Conversations.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 10 Plagues Wine Glass Markers: Wish I had found these before Passover started.
• The Ultimate Matzoh-Ball Game
• Kosher Coke is not just for Jews: Excuse me? No, the regular Coke tastes better than the one without corn syrup. Or maybe the fact we can’t get this in cans or smaller bottles is the problem because they go flat the minute you open them.
• LED: Easter Eggs: Happy Easter to those who celebrate.
• Easter-themed Rube Goldberg Machine. From the too much time department.

Links: Roaring March 2009 Edition

• Getting Things Done with Twitter: Don’t like the idea of paying through Twitter.
• Twitterfall: A New Twitter Tool for Journalists: I get nervous about new twitter tools because they can boost your addiction and time spent on twitter [Link: Esther]. And a link to Twitterfall.
• Becoming a Great Programmer: Use Your Trash Can by Esther Schindler.
• What the Hashtag? Can’t figure out what the # means in twitter? Wonder no more.
• Word Count Plus FireFox Plugin: Counts number words in selected text and total.
• How to Be Likeable: 10 Things You Can Do Today [Link: GL Hoffman]
• SPOGG: Society for the Promotional of Good Grammar
• Poll: What is the first media outlet you look/listen in order to get your news on a daily/consistent basis? Saddened (but not surprised) to see print low on the list. Created with twtpoll (multiple choice only).

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 12 Awesome Foosball Tables: WOW. Hubby would love one of these, but they’ll remain admired from afar just like his favorite Corvette ‘61.
• The Great Pyramid PC Mod: Cool.
• 10 tips to give up Facebook during Lent
• Evaluate tech purchases: Retrevo and Wize [Link: Web Worker Daily]

Links: President’s Day Edition 2009

• TweepSearch, PeopleBrowsr: Twitter tools for finding folks by name or keyword [Link: WebWorkerDaily]
• Why Facebook Is for Old Fogies
• Blog Post Ideas That Always Generate Buzz
• Why I Can’t Afford Cheap and Upgrade Me: Most of us watch what we buy and look for deals. But cheaper doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. It could mean buying the cheaper item three times to a pricier item’s one time. [Link: Disassociated]
• PR 2.0: Twitter Tools for Community and Communications Professionals
• SearchMe: Visual search.
• Why one business choose one business over another? 70% departed because they didn’t like the human side of doing business with the prior provider of the product or service! Stat from Guerrilla Marketing Blog. Not only does a competitive advantage matter, but also connecting and building relationships with clients.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 50 Best Web Sites 2008 according to Time and the list all of them by most popular. Yes, some of the below come from Time. Great stuff.
• I like totally love it: “The site allows users to publish and share products with the broader public which they find cool, innovative, exceptionally beautiful, or just weird.”
• Nymbler: Enter six names you like to get ideas for more names you might like.
• Ffffound! Image bookmarking — sharing beautiful images.
• Lookybook: Look through children’s books before buying them. YES!

Links: 2008-11-21

• Twitter PR: Fabulous and easy to get presentation without sounding dumbed-down. I’d love to take Corrine Weisgerber’s social media PR class.
• Social media will not kill PR, but it does expose industry weaknesses.
• What’s Your Least Favorite Part of Freelance Writing? Mine: Phone interviews.
• Your First Steps to Becoming a Writer: Mine was submitting an article in a newsletter contest. Today — I suggest blogging and contributing articles to article sites, blogs, and non-profit organizations.
• PR Pap of the Day: Funny, but serious.
• Do You Know Your Style Guides? Some, yes. Some, no. Most familiar with AP and Harvard styles.
• Dumb Things Small Businesses Do That You Can’t Afford: One is the worst number.
• 10 Tips on Querying Magazines and Websites.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 911 is serious business, but these callers abuse the service. 911callers posts recordings of legitimate calls and wacky calls as a lesson in what to do and not to when calling 911.
• delivr: Create free ecards from thousands of photos.
• Old-school Nintendo game done in paper.
• Smub.it instead of use URL shortening services.
• Argh! Guess Your Number figures out my number [Thanks, Steve].
• One Sentence: True stories in one sentence. Funny stuff. Steve’s fault, too.
• Guitar Hero by bike. Hot damn! [Link: Jason]
• Top 5 Black Friday Shopping Tips.

Links: 2008-11-14

• Hocus Focus: Expert advice on dealing with coworkers and managers with short attention spans.
• The Beginner’s Guide to Finding a Job with Twitter [Link: Ritu] Figure in today’s economy — job seekers need all the help they can get.
• The Top 5 Mistakes Internet Marketers Make on Twitter [Link: Ann] Applies to ALL businesses not just internet marketers.
• Six Challenges for Journalists.
• DailyLit: Read books by email or RSS.
• Tech Writing Careers — The Raw, Unvarnished Truth.
• How to Start Your Freelance Writing Business: The Costs.
• The Thief Who Stole November: I do love this month. Less stressful than December and Thanksgiving is an awesome holiday.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• BuyBackMadness: Exactly as it sounds.
• StubHub: Buy and sell tickets without paying crazy fees like the other company charges. Darn it. No A Chorus Line tickets available for Dallas.
• Greenzer: Greened products for sale. Find what you need and ensure it’s green.
• Feministing: Women discuss issues related to their lives.
• Cyberhomes: Excellent resource for finding houses for sale. I’m not in the market for a new house, and yet it had me wasting time looking around.

Business Client Gift Ideas

I wanted to send my clients a little something as a thank you now instead of waiting until holiday time. Every day, I’m grateful for them and I want to show it. But what? I don’t want to send food especially since I’m in Texas. Besides, you never know who has what food allergy.

Searching for business gift ideas yields sites full of keywords and little else. Should I get something in bulk and imprint my company’s name on it? Or is that vain? I use things with company names on it — it’s a matter of finding something people will use.

Still have to consider shipping costs as all clients are not local — except one. Go with the bulk thing and just not print anything on it? Because I need to send a few, it would be tough to personalize it for each person. I don’t know all of their interests.

• Baskets: I send these occasionally — not in bulk. I’ve sent them to clients who had surgery or as a special treat. Not all contain food.
• Charitable donation: I appreciate it when people do this. But usually, it’s friends and family — not business contacts. I can see the good and bad side to this.
• General business book: Too bad my Outlook book doesn’t sell in the U.S. as I think most of my clients use Outlook. Another idea: Book of inspirational quotes.
• Gift cards: How to get one place that everyone uses is the tricky part. Coffee? Not everyone drinks coffee or tea or eats the giant treats. Amazon? Not everyone likes shopping online.
• Pen: Too boring? We have too many of them? As a writer, it would be appropriate to give.
• USB flash drive: These are wonderful tools and a person can use more than one.
• Rumors has a category for business gifts and they range from $3 to $$$. I like the selection, but nothing rings with me.
• Cowboy Chuck has business cartoons that make you smile.

I like the card sending services that let you enter your handwriting. However, I don’t like their sales and pricing process. I’ve yet to find one that lets you do it on your own and not pay a service fee. I’d rather pay per card and not participate in a pyramid scheme.

What do you think? What did you like receiving? Or what did others receive that they liked? Will keep adding gift ideas as I find them.

Links: 2008-05-09

• Memory Improvement Tips
• Top 10 PR Tips for Small Businesses
• Write with Authority and Inspire Trust
• The best time to submit news
• 8 violent truths about freelancing part one and part two
  
• 178 ways to improve your internet writing tips
• 2008 Webby Award Winners
• 50 greatest entrepreneurs of all time: Every person I could think of is already on the list. Anyone missing?

And for fun ‘cuz you’re allowed:

• Twitter cartoon and other funny Geek and Poke cartoon [Link: Buzz Bishop]
• Twitter Club
• Internet Pinball Database: My hubby’s favorite: High Speed.
• 32 places to find free shipping. Gotta love it especially when Amazon may be forced to charge tax to Texans.

Gas Station Usability Problems

I go to various gas stations to fill up a thirsy car. The one in my neighborhood takes longer to use because of its strange set up. Most gas stations have the screen and buttons next to each other.

Not this one. The buttons appear near the nozzle and the credit card slot. The screen sits in the middle like most gas station screens. It’s tough to notice the buttons because the panel is slightly covered (indented area) like porches with a roof cover.

To make it more difficult to use, four arrow buttons appear on both sides of the screen. You use these mainly for yes/no questions. But you enter your zip code, other information, and press “Enter” on the other panel.

It feels like a “left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing” situation. I’m sure the designer moved the buttons and credit card slot to its location as protection from weather. But really. The screen and panel should be together, which is what most gas stations do.

Moral: Ensure your content and interactive parts — especially a shopping cart — of your site work together and intuitively. Quick and cheap (free really) way to do this is to have friends and family test the site.

Links: 2007-12-21

• Design of Desire: On Thanksgiving, my daughter was talking to a family friend about her interest in psychology as a college major. We learned from one of the relatives that she knows a psychology who works at a major retailer who studies buying motivations. Fascinating!
• Best cell phone deals from Consumer Reports: I’m ready to terminate my cell phone service as my provider’s data coverage is unacceptable. This article covers options for those who want to terminate early plus other advice.
• The 56 geeks
• Fimoculous lists for 2007: I’ve looked forward to checking out this site every year for the past few years.
• WOWIO: Free books + free minds. Not obscure stuff either. Edgar Allan Poe, Dr. Seuss, Vonnegut, 20,000 Leagues… The books are legal copyrighted ebooks from publishers.
• 15 cool word illusions: Exercise those peepers.
• The Toys of Our Childhood