Tech

Calm before the storm. Next weekend is kuuuhhraazzyyyy. Not only is it my youngest child’s birthday, but it felt like everyone wanted to schedule something that weekend. I’ll be heading to a family event with my mom and one unhappy son while hubs and son go on a scout camp out. Then, Sunday is the birthday / movie party for my baby. Dang, I can’t believe it’s been eight years since I held him in my arms for the first time.

Photo by sxc.hu user ba1969

Happy Easter to all who celebrate. Here’s an Easter smile: 10 Geekiest Gadgets to Celebrate Easter.

Brain food…

• 40+ free ebook tools for authors: Mah-velous list. [Link: Porter Anderson]
• The Comfort of Bad Reviews (That Aren’t Yours): Even the classics get bashed. [Link: Therese Walsh]
• Spring cleaning (and organization) for your social networks: By Cousin Sarah Evans. OK, She’s not really my cousin, but I wish because she’s awesome and thanks to her, I dumped big files in Gmail with Find Big Mail.
• 4 PR Lessons I Learned from Saved by the Bell: Yes, that show. I loved it and admit having the theme song on my MP3.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Book rug: <3 this rug by Pamela Paulsrud. She has other book sculptures — just click prev/next. My second fave is alphabook. [Link: Bitrebels]
• iPaw’d: I’d get this for my dog, but she doesn’t hear very well anymore. [Link: Bitrebels]
• 8 Snarky Song Charts Cleverly Illustrated: I had seen “Friday I’m In Love” before, but not the others. Delightful collection. Prepare for songs to play in your head.
• World’s Biggest Pac-Man: Holy, Inky, Blinky and Clyde!!
• The 20 All-Time Funniest Twitter Bios (part 2): S P E C T A C U L A R V E R N A C U L A R

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

In coming home from a long doctor’s appointment, I decided to take the tollway for most of the way to get home faster. I rarely drive on the highway, so you’d think I’d be more alert about the exit. Yep, I missed it. I caught the sign for the exit, but thought I wanted the next one. And, of course, it was further than the usual distance to that exit taking me a bit out of my way.

Photo from sxc.hu user maavi

How did I miss it? I had too much on my mind with paying attention to cars, looking for exit signs and noticing all the construction I hadn’t seen before. I had too many filters in my mind getting in the way of the one filter I needed — the right exit.

A Filter Problem

I use Gmail more than meryl.net email. The meryl.net email has been around for years meaning 100 spam emails come in daily. The email app does a good job of diverting spam into its dump out of the way. Still, spam messages clutter email on the mobile device, which makes it harder to identify good emails. Gmail relies on all of its users in creating effective spam filters, so I rarely see spam in Gmail outside of the spam folder.

Some of my regular email newsletters stop appearing where they should. They ended up in the trash despite having their assigned labels, which should’ve filtered them to the label folder. Gmail, why are you throwing away my good email? I studied the “delete” filters to see if something confused Gmail like my multitasking on the road did to the point that I missed the exit. Having used Gmail since 2004, the list of filter felt like a mile long. (It’s still long after the clean up, but it’s more efficient and updated.)

Fixing Filters for Fitter Filtering

Time to take Gmail filters for spring cleaning. I remove every filter that deleted an email and clear many label filters. The only ones that remain — it’s still a bunch — are the ones most recently created. The nice thing about Gmail’s filters is that appear in the order they were created. So the top ones are old and go bye-bye.

When I unsubscribe to an email newsletter, I also delete the filter. But sometimes I forget. This cleaning helps clear those. I prepare myself for piles of emails showing up in the inbox after the filter wipe out. Anytime an email comes into the inbox, I either unsubscribe or create a new filter. It’s hard to let go of some email newsletters, but I tell myself that a cleaner email account is more important than subscribing to the email newsletter just in case I get around to reading it.

I’m paying attention to my actions when reading emails with several labels (email newsletters, for example). If I delete them every time, then I unsubscribe unless there’s a reason to keep them such as the rare coupon. If an organization sends too many emails, I see if they have another subscription option to get fewer emails or unsubscribe. (I don’t think any organization needs to send an email more than once a week aside from the Groupon types.)

Inbox, Spam and Domains

The only emails coming into the inbox are the quick ones that I read and delete in an instant from looking at the subject lines (Groupon is one). I also try to avoid creating filters with subject lines or @domain.com with no user name. For “@domain.com” filters, I limit those to clients from companies unlikely to have unrelated emails coming from their domain. For instance, if I had a contact at Apple, I wouldn’t create an “@apple.com” filter since it’s plausible I’d receive newsletters and notices from that domain. In this case, a filter with the contact’s complete email address works best.

I also bring back the spam folder. I had done away with it and told Gmail to send all spam to trash. But after the filter clean up, I want to check the spam folder for anything that slips through.

You can apply these steps to any email account with filters.

Results: The two email newsletters that kept landing in the trash stopped going there. I also have fewer emails coming in since I shed some of the email newsletters.

Next: Cutting down on checking email. I’ve been working on this habit all year and have improved a little. But I still check emails too often. The problem is that I need Gmail open most of the time so my husband can reach me through Google chat. I tried the chat window pop out, but it felt awkward. Even with the pop out, Gmail must stay open or else it closes the chat window.

Multitasking has its strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes when the brain or filter has too much going on, it can let something slip through. Choose your multitasking activities wisely. Sometimes it’s more efficient to focus on a single task than to do many. Or in Gmail’s case, clear the filter cobwebs so it can make better choices.

P.S. Instead of checking emails this morning, I wrote this blog post. Now let’s see if I can work for a couple of hours without checking email. (Oh, boy. Help!)

What tips do you have for managing emails more efficiently?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

My older sister aka Aunt E celebrated her birthday this week. Here’s to many more happy and healthy ones.

This week is the third year in a row that my sons will attend the Dallas Auto Show. My older son loves, loves cars. The younger one likes cars, but nothing like big brother. Part of it probably comes from his wanting to be like big brother. Older son loves Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porsches. Uh oh. I can’t resist this upcoming cliché. You’ve been warned… “Oh, my.”

Bet we’ll have a couple of more model cars coming home to join the collection.

Struggling to make Springpad or Evernote seamlessly work with my process so I can stop relying on Gmail drafts and contacts for notes. Now that I have a tablet, I’ve been looking into this. Springpad requires having the web site open to edit or read notes. Evernote isn’t free. I have Gmail open all the time, so it’s easy to access drafts and contacts (I have notes in contacts). Downside is that you can’t view drafts on other devices. How do you organize your notes?

Brain food…

• What do newspapers pay? WordCount talks newspaper pay rates and shares resources.
• Emotionally intelligent signage on a box: Talk about thinking outside of the box. Brilliant.
• QR Code Generator: Other than the obvious, who’d use this? How?
• Top 100 Social Media Colleges: I love reading about colleges and checking out their programs… that is, until now. Oldest starting the college search thing. That takes the fun out of it. [Link: Mazi]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Yarn Ferrari: Patience in action.
• Cover Letters from Hell: Love the side comments from the editor, too. [Link: Deb Ng]
• Star Wars If Dr. Seuss Had Created It: Guess who would say, “This body is old, but it’s all I’ve got. When 900 you, reach, look so good, you will not!”
• 8 Actors Who Look Exactly the Same on Every Movie Poster: Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Will Smith, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise.
• Google Exodus: Hilarious video. In honor of the upcoming Passover and another viewing of The Ten Commandments (Affiliate).

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

My family doesn’t have ancestors from Ireland, yet Dad and I always wore green on March 17. Dad went to the extreme and wore a striped green suit to work. He also had a button that said, “Kiss me, I’m Irish” and a couple of others. (He wouldn’t get away with that kiss me button today with sexual harassment policies.)

My ancestry is tricky to trace as many of them came over from Europe and Russia in the late 1800s and early 1900s. However, Facebook connected me with some relatives on my mother’s father’s side. In ONE day, my family tree tripled. The top of this image shows the family tree before I found my cousins on Facebook and the bottom is what I added based on our conversations in Facebook.

Amazing, eh? Despite all of its flaws, Facebook is an incredible resource as so many friends and family members who aren’t social networkers actually use Facebook.

Brain food…

• Be Authentic: Why the World Needs You to Be You: I wish I could remember where I read a conversation between two people and one person convinced the other to stop ignoring a difficult part of her life. Face it head on. It made a difference in her writing.
• The Bare Bones Guide to Twitter: Get what you need to know and not a drop more. [Link: Lydia Ondrusek]
• Browser Evolution – The History of Web Browsers [Infographic]: Wow! I started using the Internet around 1993 with Internet in a Box and Mosaic. This chart begins in 1994.
• Prithee, Inform Me: The Rules of Writing: Kurt Vonnegut’s eight rules for fiction writing. A keeper.
• 100 Exquisite Adjectives: Need to study these. Not familiar with some, but I like ‘em! Can’t use words like these in writing because they’re not well known.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Another 12 Modern Bookcases: I love the US map bookcase. Don’t think I could handle such a bookcase as I like my books in a neat row. Here’s the original 15 coolest bookshelves.
• 12 Most Creative Objects Inspired by the Rubik’s Cube: That puzzling puzzle from the ’80s has a new lease on life… as a bunch of other things.
• Celebrate Pi at piZone: If you enter your email address, you’ll add another digit to Pi. I did this and my position is my birthday (month and day) with the #7.
• Stop-motion chess game: Builds up… give it time… [Link: Guy Kawasaki]

Where are you from?

“Mom, I had fun,” said my youngest. That alone made last week’s family night out to the Texas Tornado hockey game worth it. Oh, they lost to Topeka Roadrunners, but being there provided a memorable experience for my husband and our two sons. Our teen daughter had no interest in going.

And all that in spite of my older son refusing to eat the BBQ buffet meal and my husband standing in line for an entire period. One of my clients invited us to the hockey game as part of its partner appreciation. We didn’t sit in the normal seats in the crowd. We went to a reserved area on the ground level behind one of the goals. It had tables and chairs and a buffet along the back wall. Popcorn, baseball hats, signed hockey sticks, pennants and programs decorated the black and gold tables.

I had an it’s a small world encounter when I entered the area. It was one of the tennis coaches who taught several of my classes a few years ago. Her husband also works with the client.

NHL vs. NAHL Experience

I’ve attended a Dallas Stars hockey game. The NHL Stars have nothing on the NAHL Tornadoes. If you’ve been to a major league and minor league baseball game, you can tell the difference. It’s the same way with the NAHL hockey game. Smaller arena, more entertainment, closer to the action. Although I grew up a big sports gal, hockey didn’t make my top list of sports. The Dallas Stars didn’t come to Texas until I was a teen and hockey wasn’t popular in Texas.

Watching the game on the ground level is a whole different experience than watching it way high up in the stands like I did with at the Stars game. At one point, I jerked in response to the loud crashing of players into the window near me.

Intermission

During the intermission, the boys got into a Porsche and rode in it around the ice. That may not sound exciting to you, but my boys — especially the older one — LOVES sports cars. It was the first time he rode in a Porsche. The girl on the other side of the cheerleader in the photo is the client’s daughter.

After that, the fans threw hockey pucks to try to get them in a small bucket in the middle of the ice. It was wild watching hundreds of flying pucks and only two landing in the bucket.

And another small world thing happened during intermission when kids from an elementary school choir sang. That elementary school was my kids’! What are the chances of that? First, the arena is in Frisco. The school is in Plano. Second, the Tornadoes played 34 games at that point. About half of that would be home games. So out of roughly 17 games, they sang at the one we attended.

I also met Ike, the team’s mascot. I’ve got a thing (no, not a fetish) for Mascots since seeing the San Diego Chicken when I was a kid. The chicken came to a Texas Rangers game and I had a blast watching his antics.

Freelancer Feels Like a Part of the Team

As a freelancer, I don’t have opportunities to attend corporate events like I did when I worked in the corporate world. One event took place at the old Texas Stadium in Irving (pre-Super Bowl 45 stadium) and one at Las Colinas Studios where TV shows film. Imagine how it makes a freelancer feel when she’s invited to a client’s event. One thing’s for sure — it makes you want to work harder (I already do, but it gives you renewed energy) for the client knowing they appreciate you.

It’s a Teeny, Tiny World

Though a local company (my only local client — Hint: Look on the window of the Porsche), I met Frank online. He created Fib or Not and hired me to do the copy for the game. Later, we discovered we lived within a mile of each other. When we first met, the little guy and girl in the Porsche were babies. Fast forward a few years, they are one year apart in grade at the same elementary school and we run into each other at school events.

Brain food…

• Phlixie: It’s tedious to find captioned instant download movies on Netflix. Phlixie is doing what Netflix should’ve done. They hope to expand it to other services. Yeah!
• Reading Judiciously: When I read — especially nonfiction — I try to look at the author’s writing and learn from it. Tough to do because you want to absorb the material, too. Kind of like multi-tasking brain. [Link: Elizabeth S Craig]
• The Query Letter That Won Me an Agent and a Four Book Deal (And Why It Was So Successful): That says it all.
• HTML5 Cheat Sheet: I still rely on my old yet in great shape VisiBone HTML card. It has high quality lamination.
• Claim Your Oscar: Worried about giving away too many trade secrets? Need not to worry.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Parents Shouldn’t Text: That should be “SOME parents shouldn’t text.” I think I’m a decent texter. Training my son on texting etiquette. [Link: Bitrebels]
• Light Show: Sensational!
• 13 things worth knowing about Super Mario: I had the mini Donkey Kong arcade toy. Memories…
• A cartogram done in real 3D: The material used? Legos. My mom has an beautiful book of map art. This will need to be in the next edition.

It’s human nature for people to not look past someone’s speech to discover the person first. I know it because I live it. Oscar winning film, The King’s Speech, echoes this message. Zach Anner, co-winner of Oprah Winfrey’s Your OWN Show, reinforces the message that people with disabilities want others to see them as people first.

It’s happened many times in my life. People giving me all kinds of looks as soon as they hear my deaf accent.

Nod … Nod … Nod …

Saying, “What?” also stresses me because it gives  people another reason to think I’m less than intelligent. Of course, everyone says, “What?” However, add the accent to that and it sends a different message than a simple, “I didn’t catch it the first time.”

No wonder many people like me have “head nod syndrome.” We’d rather nod our heads to indicate we understand when we don’t because we don’t want to make trouble or risk others seeing us as inferior.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” While true most of the time, people with disabilities know that humans often judge the wheelchair, the stutter and the monotone voice before the person.

Qualifying for the Job

On Your OWN Show, Zach Anner mentioned that he didn’t want people to think he got this far just because of his wheelchair.  Some think people with disabilities get a pass to meet diversity quotas or some other reason. Although it can and probably happens, it wouldn’t happen repeatedly because we need to be able to do the job.

Many people with disabilities are harder on ourselves than anyone ever could be. Growing up, my mantra was “Keep showing them you’re just as good or better as anyone else.” Had I been born with hearing, I may not have had the successful life that I have. That mantra is what helped me work for what I have.

Oprah along with co-hosts of Your OWN Show Nancy and Carson were right to worry about Anner’s stamina. Oprah explained that doing a TV show is grueling work. Even Anner worried about that when he found out he was a finalist for the show. When I was a kid — like most little girls did, I wanted to be an actress when I grew up. Of course, I later realized it wouldn’t happen.  I never expected to have a career in front of the camera, on stage or on radio because I don’t have the speech quality needed for these jobs.

What about the whole “set your mind to it, make your dreams happen?” Even if I wanted to be a news reporter or in a front-of-the-camera job, it still demands high quality speech. I took speech therapy for years, and no therapy can fill in the key component that helps speech: hearing. However, I’ve been on TV and did a couple of plays. They were memorable experiences.

I also appear in BBS: The Documentary. Director Jason Scott asked if I would be offended if he added subtitles to my portion. I thought it was a great idea. In fact, Cupcake Wars sometimes adds subtitles for French pastry chef’s Florian Bellanger’s comments. Good for Cupcake Wars. The show didn’t let Florian’s accent stop them from using his expertise, which enhances the show.

It’s Business

I never considered having my own business and fell into it. I love the work. I love the clients. I love the diversity. Thank goodness for technology for making it possible and allowing people to see me as a business person first.

Marlee Matlin stars in the upcoming edition of The Celebrity Apprentice. It will be interesting to see how she handles business especially since people rely heavily on cell phones. I read somewhere that contestants must use the speaker phone to avoid legal issues. Well, if she’s like me, she’ll be sending text messages — if that’s allowed.  So it’s not just about her dealing with challenges, but also the rules of the show and the contrived situations.

An uncaptioned preview (Meaning: this is how I interpreted the preview without the words to go on) of The Celebrity Apprentice showed Nene Leakes fake signing as if she was mocking Matlin. Though negative, you have to give Leakes credit for treating Matlin like any other contestant. They mock each other all the time.

What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Talk about jam packed week. I’ve done so much writing that I’m tapped out with nothing to share. I don’t want to waste your time with mindless babble. Oh, the Texas Tornadoes refers to the minor league hockey team. Family going to watch them play courtesy a generous client. (The only local client, but we met online.)

Brain food…

• Plagiarism is Not The Sincerest Form of Flattery: This is scary. Writers read a lot. So it’s plausible that ideas stick in our heads that by the time we pull them out, we think they’re original not recalling the origin of a source.
• IBM AbilityLab Voice Transcription Manager Research Project: [Link: Deborah Edwards-Onoro]
• 10 Tips on How to Find a Job the New Way: Everyone should know this regardless whether straight out of college or a long-time corporate vet. I think it was monster.com that I used in 1995 when I was looking for a job back home in Texas. Though few used it, that’s now how I landed the job. How? Word of mouth. Someone referred my husband to several companies and he connected them with me.
• How to Grow Your Reader Community with an Author Blog: Start before the book ever comes out.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys: Barbie? That wasn’t my kind of toy. I preferred (still do — add flying objects, too!) remote control cars.
• Most Popular Fonts by Operating System: Still waiting for Comic Sans to be just “sans.” [Link: Bitrebels]
• 12 Funny Animal Fails: lol! (Or should that be wof — woofing out loud?)
• 12 Hilariously Ironic Signs: Hey, nobody’s erfect.
• Playable Angry Birds birthday cake: Made with a lot of patience. [Link: Mark Hurst]
• Don’t You Want Me: Atomic Tom video — how many ’80s movies can you find? [Link: Mark, too]

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day last Monday (we won’t debate the merits of whether it’s a valid holiday or not), I want to thank you for reading and commenting. Because of you, I keep on trekking and sharing what I learn along the way.

Artwork by Marko Schmitt

Brain food…

• How Kindle’s new Public Notes could change the way we read ebooks: This will be an interesting feature. I hate writing in books because I like them clean, bright and wrinkle-free. So far, I haven’t made notes in the three books I’ve read on the Kindle — but all were fiction.
• Confessions of an Ex-mill Writer: Tempted to join a content mill to get writing experience and build up your portfolio? Stop. Do not pass go. Read this first. If you still want to do it, more power to you.
• How to Avoid the Most Common and Dangerous Passwords: I hope you’re not using the same password at all the sites. What if one site is hacked?
• 110 Ideas to Get More Freelance Work and Generate New Client Leads: Nice list organized in several categories.

For fun because we’re allowed…

• Think Snow: Sick of winter, ice storms school cancellations? Me, too… and so are the subjects in these hilarious photos.
• 7 Sites You Should be Wasting Time on Right Now: Nintendo does Great Gatsby. Ha!
• 13 Funny School Names: There’s always more to the story… based on my experience in seeing “General Hooker entrance” in Boston. General Hooker was riding on a horse at that entrance.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners are natural born sales people whose excitement knows no bounds when it comes to closing deals, building strategies and devising marketing campaigns. But what about … accounting? It may feel like drudgery, but managing the business side of a business is absolutely crucial if that business is going to blossom.

Technology allows us to dispense with pencil and paper, dispose of double data entry, empty overstuffed file cabinets and do away with long nights chained to the office desk checking and double-checking rows and columns of figures. One of the more popular tools is QuickBooks from Intuit, an accounting software program. The program streamlines the accounting process.

Here, we’ll explore five ways to make the most out of QuickBooks.

1. Choose the Right QuickBooks Product

Venturing into QuickBooks requires reviewing your unique needs and studying the program’s offerings so you don’t pay for more than you need. You’ve probably noticed QuickBooks offers several options:

• QuickBooks Online provides basic invoice creation, sales tracking, data backup and support. It comes with a 30-day free trial.
• QuickBooks Premier contains industry-specific reports and tools tailored to a specific business type for more fine-grain control, in addition to forecasting and planning tools.
• QuickBooks Pro targets businesses that are up and running that don’t need as much tailoring or features as those in Premier.
• QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions is the most advanced plan. This includes expanded user controls, enhanced customized reporting and customer snapshot features that lets you view customers’ purchase history and outstanding balances.

So, which plan do you need? Here are a few important factors to consider before you buy:

• How much is feasible for your current budget?
• Are you working on a PC or a Mac?
• Will there be multiple users or one user?
• Do you need to track multiple locations?
• Do you need a better way to track employee time?
• Will you be using the software for payroll purposes?
• Are you interested in detailed analysis of sales and profits?

2. Customize QuickBooks

After narrowing down your QuickBooks selection, you’ll discover a wide range of customization options. The latest version of QuickBooks Premier, for example, has features designed for specific types of organizations, including general business, contractors, retail, manufacturing and wholesale, and even nonprofit.

You must also consider who will be using the software on a daily basis. Other employees may not need access to certain information or controls, so you can customize your settings to give other users more or less power. Keep in mind that you might need to train people to use the software.

Other custom options include interface layout, designs and colors, which not only affect the basic look and presentation, but also provide better organization and visual reminders. Setting up favorites, to-do notes and alerts can keep you on-task every day.

3. Integrate Your Accounting Software and Payment Processes

One of the major benefits of QuickBooks software is the ability to connect the program with other business processes, allowing for a one-source solution that can save you time, money and hair-pulling. Synchronizing your payment and accounting processes can eliminates double data entry and provides accurate, immediate reports.

With today’s customers using the Internet to shop, pay bills and place orders, online payment processing capabilities from companies like BluePay help expand sales and improve profits. With QuickBooks, you can integrate your accounting processes with major online shopping carts, so that you have the data you need to track online purchases, invoices and other customer details without having to manually enter the information.

4. Protect Your Business Assets

No business is 100 percent safe from fraud. However, taking the proper precautions and securing your assets as much as possible can cut your risk. Fraud occurs in many different ways, from electronic credit card theft to payroll theft. Unfortunately, small businesses are often susceptible to fraudulent activity, lacking the extra funds required for advanced security plans, or not having enough money to hire more qualified, trustworthy employees.

Security is crucial when using accounting programs that give access to business information to multiple users. As covered in Customization, it’s important to edit your privacy and admin settings to limit user control. Don’t give your employees more access than they need, no matter how nice they are.

Use QuickBooks’ ability to track employee hours and ensure your workers are making the most of their time. You can also use QuickBooks to track employee discounts, minimizing the risk of abused privileges.

Set up separate logins and passwords for each QuickBooks user, and make sure the admin password remains safe. While having all of your information in one place is useful, it also requires extra security precautions. Don’t let fraud be as easy as clicking a button.

5. Take Advantage of Educational Tools and Support

With all the different features, options, tools, reports, passwords –- it looks like QuickBooks complicates accounting rather than simplifies it. It feels overwhelming, but just take it one step at a time and it’ll pay off. Although you won’t learn everything at once, just one new discovery of a function can change the way you do business. Continue to grow from there, and take advantage of the tools and support systems that you can find on the Internet and Intuit’s website.

QuickBooks tutorials can walk you through the entire process so that you can go at it on your own. QuickBooks has training sessions that connect you with experts for consulting services and instructor-led classes. Certification programs are available if you’re already a QuickBooks pro and you want to deepen your knowledge while demonstrating your expertise to clients and employers. Online support or advanced support plans give you access to the resources you need if an issue ever arises, so that you can reduce downtime and keep your business up and running.

With the right QuickBooks product, customization and training, you can gain a tighter grip on all of your financial and accounting processes and greater control over your business, no matter your needs. With your finances in order, you can focus your efforts on the core of your business for growth and success.

About the Author: Jacqui MacKenzie is a writer for Straight North, a Chicago Internet marketing agency that works with BluePay, a company offering credit card processing products. To learn more about payment processing industry, follow BluePay on Twitter.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

I mentioned last week that my daughter made her first appearance right after the Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl. Wow. 17 years. And by this time next year, she might have a decision where she’ll be going to college in the Fall of 2012. I hope we’ll be done with the college application process. Looking at the list of things to do during the junior and senior years is the fastest way to give a heartburn to a parent. I think Tums is calling me. (I prefer Dicarbosil, but they’re no longer on the market.)

As hard as we might live in the moment and appreciate each day, time races on at high speeds. (That’s the best I could come up with to avoid the tired “Time flies.”)

Best headline from “North Texas” ice week: “Snow MG!”

Speaking of OMG, Bitrebels listed me as one of Twitter’s Top 75 Bad*bleep* Women. (I have three kids, you know. This is a safe for work website. *grin*) I followed over half of these great women before the list came out, so I’d say it’s a valid list — not another popularity thing. Me and popularity never go together. OK, better stop with the self-deprecating business before it spins out of control. Anyway, thank you, Bitrebels.

Lots of brain food this week! Not to worry,  it won’t take up your weekend.

Brain food…

• Nancy Pearl’s Rule of 50 for dropping a bad book: Writers, another reason why those first few pages must grip readers. Readers, we have so many books to read — don’t waste it on the ones that don’t captivate you. [Link: Daphne Gray-Grant]
• Amazon Kindle Firmware 3.1 Update: Right now, the update is only available to the latest generation of Kindles (third). I hope they plan to make it available for earlier generations as I’ve been longing for print page numbers. If I can upgrade to 3.1, it’ll be another reason to like the Kindle. It’s growing on me.
• 40 Ways to Build Trust in Your Brand: Excellent tips for every business.
• How Your Name May Cost You at the Mall: Fascinating. Those of ya with last names R through Z (women, go based on your maiden name), what’s your experience? Thinking about it, I don’t recall doing anything in alphabet order other than lining up for 5th grade and high school graduations.
• How the Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie Can Help You Improve Your Problem Solving Skills: I remember trying to read this book in high school as I’m an Agatha Christie fan. I couldn’t get into it. But of course, that could change today. Anyway, I love Avil’s use of the book to share lessons learned.
• Post Super Bowl Twitter Hangover: Frank’s experience of using social media too much during the Super Bowl is a lesson we need to learn. This is one reason why I stop participating in Twitter chats. It took time away from family and getting things done and didn’t pay off enough to make these sacrifices.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• What Lies Are We Telling Our Loved Ones: Hmm… don’t think I’ve committed these… am I lying to myself now? [Link: Guy Kawasaki]
• Chart: It’s Valentine’s Day. What Should You Get Him? Not Kosher, but funny.
• The Social Media World Before Twitter and Facebook: I used bulletin board systems (BBS). In fact, I met my husband through one. I wouldn’t tell people this in the ’90s, but thanks to the Internet and social networking — I shout it from the social media rooftops.

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