Category Archives: Communites of people

Hatched Blessings

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“Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch.” ~ Ramona C. Carroll 

As summer slips into fall, I have decided to look back just one more time to reflect on the blessings of the summer, my favorite season of all. Focusing on what is positive in our lives, helps us to live a life fulfilled. Ordinary occurrences can become extraordinary depending on how we view them. By concentrating on our blessings rather than our woes, we live in the present moment, enjoying life to the fullest. Some of the highlights of my summer included: 

  • Returning to childhood for one glorious day of floating down the Yampa River in a tube!
  • Witnessing our child graduate from DeSales University www.DeSales.edu  and recalling all the landmark steps in his life that came before it.
  • Participating in two fundraising events as a member of Kiwanis International. www.kiwanis.org. Knowing that Kiwanis will partner with Unicef to serve children all over the world through The Eliminate Project.
  • Learning that my husband has been invited to coach athletes at the World University Games this coming winter. What a thrill for him!
  • Eating peaches and sweet corn from Paradise, CO that rivals the summer produce I ate growing up in the state of Maryland. I didn’t think again in my life, I would find any as fine as that – but I have!
  • A return to Rocky Mountain National Park for one great day of sharing the splendorous sights with our son.
  • The opportunity to share with others, at several events, what independent publishing is all about.
  • Volunteering at Strings in the Mountains www.stringsinthemountains.org seeing some of the finest artists in the world perform right here in Steamboat Springs, CO.

It is time to say goodbye to summer and I can’t wait to see what a new season in my life has in store. I am sure it will be fulfilling, too.

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Pain Free Writing?

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“..sometimes I wonder all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage …” ~ Graham Greene

CNN news recently took a survey and technical writing ended up #28 on the top 50 list for best paying jobs with best growth potential in the coming years. It also ranked as #5 for lowest stress (quality of life) jobs. My interpretation of these statistics is that if you have the technical knowledge in any field, and can write, it is a fulfilling way to make a living. Interested in seeing how other careers rank on this survey? Go to http://bit.ly/3L5eRk. 

However, I do question whether technical writing is low stress. Perhaps to the reader it is – if the writer has done a commendable job of researching then communicating his points and data to the audience. For a writer who is focused on excellence,  writing is rarely low stress. Editing, tweaking, rewriting to get the words to flow just right, so that the reader can easily follow the writing, is no easy task! 

Some of the basic things it takes to become a technical writer is addressed in a new article, Tips on How to Become an Independent Technical Writer.  Please visit http://bit.ly/aIo1L6. 

Are you someone who has technical or educational information to share? Consider sharing your knowledge through independent publishing! Technical writing is applicable in so many fields – cooking, science, coaching, how to paint, draw or sketch, how to play a musical instrument, computer science, medicine and much more! Wherever your field of expertise lies, there are always communities of like minded people who will search and find and buy your book through the internet, the big wide web of information!

 

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A Change in Landscape

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“I think one of our main strengths lies in being adaptable, hitting smart, things like that.” ~ Franklin Brightwater

You are business owner. So, have you noticed how the landscape has changed? If not, you had better take heed! It is not a change in scenery due to seasonal weather. I am referring to the marketing landscape. It has stepped from an old season to a new season. One that now includes focus on e-marketing (internet marketing). 

Did you know that 88% of marketers are now using social media marketing as part of their overall strategy?  It is for good reason! Internet marketing generates increased exposure for business, brings awareness to your brand, improves search engine rankings, and helps to generate qualified leads. 

How about you? You are in business to stay in business, and that means changing with the landscape, too. It doesn’t mean you need to do completely away with the old marketing strategies of print advertising, direct mail and face to face selling, it means adding a new dimension to the landscape. 

The principles of internet marketing are the same whether you are selling a product or service. Visibility on the internet is the name of the game! If your business needs help in becoming more visible, do exactly what you always do in this day and age of the internet when you are looking for information, search it! Look for an e-marketing company for independent publishers. They can paint a new marketing landscape for you. One that includes e-marketing!

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Reading in the Boat

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“Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music – the world is so rich~ Henry Miller 

Count me in! The City of Steamboat Springs, CO is embarking on an all-city reading program. One of the classics of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, will be the subject of much discussion over the coming weeks. Added to the already jam-packed schedule of events at the Bud Werner Library will be an official 50th birthday party kickoff with cake and tea, a scavenger hunt to find 10 free copies strategically placed throughout the city, discussions and a culminating event which will include the screening of a documentary about this book, with filmmaker Mary McDonagh Murphy in attendance. 

My first reading of this classic was in high school, and it has been on my list for decades  for books I MUST READ AGAIN. Here is my chance! With age, wisdom and a better appreciation for good literature, I can’t help but think my second time through will be even more rewarding than the first. 

People in communities travel in the same circles, and many of this city’s citizens will be in the same company – with Atticus, Scout and Boo! Want to learn more about our city’s One Book Steamboat program? Please visit http://onebooksteamboat.wordpress.com and while you are at it, check out www.steamboatlibrary.org, too.

  

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Old Concept, New Location

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“The thing I would encourage you to do is go where your love is. Go where your heart tells you to go.” ~ Bill Billachick 

Are you one of the many who has been traditionally published but for one reason or another wish to do things a little differently this time around? Perhaps you are disillusioned by the way the integrity of your writing can be changed by your publisher. Maybe you are interested in being more directly involved with the sales and marketing aspect of your publication. Is it that you would like to earn a higher percentage on your sales or do you wish to find out for yourself why, according to Bowker, independent publishing grew a whopping 181 percent between 2008 and 2009? All of these are good reasons for making a switch. 

One of the most valuable skills you will need to know as an independent publisher is how to reach communities of people, through social media marketing, who will purchase your book. 

Although the concept of social media marketing may sound “new age”, it really is an old concept, in a new setting. Instead of locating people that share the same interests as you do at church, at PTA meetings, in gyms, in bars, at knitting clubs or through fraternal organizations – you meet them over the internet and communicate with those like minded people. By building relationships, you will locate potential buyers. 

Don’t know where to start? Help is readily available. Search the internet for  e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. Professionals can assist you in becoming more visible over the internet, which will increase the potential for sales of your independently published book all over the world.

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Nurturing Potential

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“It helps us to all work together, because its the parent and the teacher and the child – its that triangle..”

Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools has stated that the potential is there for students to become super men and super women, if given the opportunity for a great education. Our children’s inability to progress is due to the educators ineffectiveness in fulfilling the needs of the children in the classroom. It is the adults who are failing the children. This is a blanket statement, however, we all know that there are as many good teachers as there are inadequate teachers.

Every child deserves and needs a great education. They are the future of our country and students need to be taught in a way that recognizes and builds upon their strengths and gifts,so they can become global leaders as adults.

David Guggenheim’s new film “Waiting for Superman” will be premiering in New York and L.A. on September 24. This documentary film provides an inside look at education in America, our need for equal opportunity, America’s teachers and some answers to saving schools.

As highlighted in the film, the opportunity to obtain an excellent education should not be dependent upon the chance of winning a lottery to be admitted into one of the new high performing charter public schools.

Obviously, educational institutions can not be entirely held responsible for the success of a child. Parents need to do their part, too. Expose your child to the arts, to museums, to athletics, to faith and to groups of empowering people. A child has the potential to achieve what is set before them – so set the bar high! That way, your child will know you have confidence in their abililities and that you know they can succeed! It is all about nuturing potential.

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Saved by the Book

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“We need to be pro-children and pro-literacy of all kinds.” ~ David Booth

Saved! By former First Lady, Laura Bush! All was not lost when my wishes for a weekend full of literary enjoyment began with a bomb of a book that did nothing to fulfill my expectations. Determined to immerse myself in some good reading, I switched gears and delved into a wonderful  journey that was entitled “Spoken from the Heart.”

From the time Laura Bush was a little girl, literature has been an all encompassing part of her life. As an only child, she found a treasure trove of good times with characters and places to escape to all by herself.  Later on in her life, her positions as a mother, teacher, librarian and First Lady allowed her to share her passion of reading with her twin daughters, students and  others, around the globe. She made stories come alive for children in disadvantaged areas so they could also escape into worlds beyond their own environments,.  She taught students how to make handmade books and  former students became subjects of her own first published book “Read All About It.”

As first lady of the United States, she traveled to many countries, like Zanzabar to spread the good news that private and American funds would place 20,000 books in 16 schools for underserved children.

Laura Bush has always been at the top of my list for favorite First Ladies.  Her book “Spoken from the Heart” gave me even more insight into the wholesome Texas values she was raised with, the fact that she is deeply aware of how blessed we are to have children in our lives and our responsibility to do all that we can to spread the value of literacy around the world.

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You are Worth it!

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“The best thing you can do is be a teacher to young people” ~ Rick Pitino 

Have you ever asked any kind of volunteer “if it is worth it?” In my experience, many will respond “YES,  that volunteer work is both fulfilling and satisfying, and that is payment enough.” 

Last week at our Kiwanis meeting, www.kiwanis.org, three mentors from the Partners in Routt County Program, a program associated with AmeriCorp., visited and spoke with the Kiwanians about the admirable work they do in mentoring children at risk.

The program pairs mentors with children, at local schools, who have been identified as being “at risk” for a number of reasons – perhaps poor family dynamics, drug or alcohol addiction problems, low self -esteem or kids who struggle socially or educationally. The mentors develop comfortable relationships with the at-risk children and they become someone the kids will confide in when things get rough. 

Did you ever wonder what your time is worth, as a volunteer? On average $20.58 per hour! However, it does to vary from State to State. To see what value your state of residence puts on volunteering, please visit http://bit.ly/cxvboF. 

I was glad to hear that these valuable volunteers from Partners in Routt County are compensated by way of a small stipend and the benefits include being able to “pay back” educational debt. It makes volunteering even more worthwhile. However, what the volunteers are paid does not fully compensate for what these volunteers are worth according to the statistics given by the www.volunteeringinamerica.gov  chart. 

By donating their time, volunteers from Partners in Routt County are saying to each and every child they mentor “YOU ARE WORTH  IT!”  And that is like music to children’s ears!! 

Thank you, Volunteers – you are worth it, too!

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Stretch Your Face!

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“Friends have all things in common.” ~ Plato

 Geezum, Crow! Did I ever have my hands full on Friday! It was my birthday and I got inundated with “Happy Birthday Greetings” from  friends all over the globe!  One from Germany, several from Canada, Paris, Norway,  a few from the U.K., New Zealand, Boznia, Australia and even Macedonia, what more could I want? There were messages written by  friends from all across these United States, too!  

My point is really not to crow about my number of  friends. My point here is the value of e-marketing and social media marketing for business. You can reach communities of people, with like interests, all over the universe, through the power of the internet.  My  friends include people who through their own creativity have independent businesses. They are writers, filmmakers, painters, printmakers, independent publishers, just to start the list.  

Some are just friends, caring not that my company provides services for independent publishers, but about me. And you know what? Never underestimate the value of others when it comes to helping to spread the news over the internet! Viral communication travels far, wide and fast – through computers, cell phones, digital cameras and the like.  

In case you are not aware – business has taken on a whole new dimension through the internet! If you are an independent publisher who has not yet become comfortable with the new age of e-commerce and e-marketing, won’t you feel better to be moving ahead into something exciting, fresh and new, rather than feeling stagnant and stuck in the past? 

Even if you are some other kind of business owner, it does not matter! The principles are still the same – becoming more visible to a community of people who share the same interests as you do! What are you waiting for my friend, what are you waiting for? Low cost – far reaching is what it is all about.

 

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