The Blog

365 Things Lighter: Last Year’s New Year’s Resolution Results

By • December 29, 2011 • Good For You • Leave a comment

Last year, I made a single New Year’s resolution, which made it easy to remember: get rid of one thing per day in my life. This is not some noble ‘I want to be less of a consumer’ (that is partially true though) or like I’m some crazy hoarder. I just wanted to see psychologically how I’d do letting things go.

Now like you, I’ve read these blog posts about people living with extremely few possessions (The 100 Thing Challenge for example) and if you’ve ever been to my house (or my office for that matter), you know I will never be that person. I love those people, I admire those people but I won’t be one. I was moved into my house for a week and people thought I’d been living there for years because I settle in quite quickly: my art on the walls, my dishes in the cabinet, my shower curtain in the bathroom. I smile at seeing these things, and having them makes me feel kind of like a dog marking its territory… though much less gross.

But the idea was for me to spend the year looking at my stuff. Each item I picked up, I wondered, does it have a purpose? Does it make me happy when I use it? And I thought if by the end of the year I was 365 things lighter, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. I had a few rules for myself:

1) If something got replaced, it didn’t count. Like when my DVD player kicked it and I got another one that was a net zero stuff change.
2) Every item counted as one item. No extra points for big stuff or expensive stuff: whether it was a pair of earrings or a moped, it counted as one.
3) To keep my honest, I’d take a picture of each item with my cell phone. At the end of the year, I should have 365 pictures in the folder.

A few of my own patterns I noticed this year:

1) The first two months were easy. It’s almost like I was looking for an excuse to get rid of some of this stuff.

2) It was most easy to get rid of things in parts of my life where I felt really secure. Clothes for example. Now I’m no fashion model but over the last few years, I’ve had the revelation that I’m healthy and happy and have accepted what I look like. I’m ok with never being a size four again so seeing those clothes that will never fit go was quite a nice feeling. Areas in my life I was less secure in (electronics/technical stuff for example) was harder since I stupidly seem to feel like having every possible cord invented by man may make me more technologically capable. It won’t of course but it was interesting to see what areas were easy to clean out and which weren’t as a way to see which areas I had a lot of internal (versus external) validation.

3) Getting rid of my father’s moped was not nearly as hard as I expected. It’s kind of a weight off actually. I sold it to a nice local guy who has already got it running. I’m glad it has a good home (which I know sounds like a puppy you give away to go live on a farm). But even if he junked the moped tomorrow, I know it had a good run and that my father’s memory is not attached to any item.

I wasn’t as good at photographing everything as I thought I had been so I still have to do a ‘surge purge’ still for about 50 items (this won’t be hard, I can already think of things I didn’t see in the photos I thought I had already gotten rid of!). But all in all, I look back at these photos and seriously don’t miss any of it. I even had to click on some of the thumbnails because I wasn’t sure what the thing was. How can I miss it if I can’t identify it? :^)

Anyway, it was a good resolution because it wasn’t centered in something negative (I should lose weight, I should floss daily) but in something sort of neutral. It also was a good psychological exercise for me. And whenever I’ve told people about it, they seemed to like the idea so I thought I’d write a post about it.

Now if only I could figure out what to do for next year…

Marketing Monday: I Don’t Know Where To Start

By • December 5, 2011 • Marketing Monday • Leave a comment

The internet is a big world, with an increasing amount of users and over 255 million websites. (Check out this mind-blowing infographic if you want to quantify how overwhelmed you should feel.) What I hear from people when they first meet me and find out I’m into internet marketing, they say “I don’t even know where to start.” Or maybe something like this:

Sorry I haven’t gotten the material for you for my email newsletter, I just don’t know what to write.

My friend/high school kid/boyfriend set up my Facebook page… so what do I do now?

I have a WordPress blog but haven’t touched it in months.

Really it’s the same idea of “I don’t know where to start”… just much more specific. You know you need help but what exactly you need help with is unclear. Some ideas for you:

Look at what other people are doing.
Now I’m a big fan of running your own race but sometimes, your ‘competitors’ are doing things that are 1) cool and 2) work. Why would they spend the time/money on them? Because it either reaches their target audience or it directly makes them money, that’s why.

If you are stuck on what to write for your real estate blog, Google ‘real estate blog’ and find some cool ones. Read them, and you’ll no doubt get your own inspiration.

Baffled by how some restaurants use Twitter? Follow some. See which tweets get the most reaction and you’ll come up with your own idea based on it.

These people you are inspired by can be in your geographic area (other businesses in Bar Harbor Maine) and/or in a similar industry (professional kite flyers). Generating ideas are like doing exercise, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Suddenly, you’ll start having your own ideas just walking down the street, you really will.

Just try it.
How many people do you know who are waiting until their website looks perfect or their Facebook page has a custom design before posting? I know quite a few.

The perfection excuse (waiting until perfect conditions exist to act) keeps us all from doing what we can do in business and in life. Unless you call someone a jerkface on social media or take down your whole website, it’s all fixable. Just remember, 1) back up and 2) have a geek to call in case you need a bailout. Otherwise, experiment away with this stuff. We’re all experimenting here because the landscape changes all the time. This is not a test. You will not be fined for not completing your LinkedIn profile or laughed out of town for uploading only 20 photos without captions to Flickr.

So I hope this pep talk/kick in the pants helps you a bit on where to start, mainly that there are no right answers and doing something is much better than doing nothing!

Once you get comfortable, step back and become purposeful.
So you’ve got some traction on Facebook, how can you use this for your business? Schedule out your sharing, thinking about what you say, why you’re saying it, and what in the ideal world people would do related to your business.

Let’s say you share a product photo every Friday. Why not add a caption about the product and a link to where to buy it on your website? Why not give away a sample to the person who leaves the funniest comment?

So think about yourself as having gotten pretty good on the treadmill, and now it’s time to add interval training to help yourself get down to your goal mile time. (Can you tell I am on a bit of an exercise kick lately?)

If you are busy or uninterested, build your team.
This ain’t my first rodeo people. If you come to me blocked, I can give you places to start. Then, based on what you know about your business, we can figure out which ones could actually work.

I also can give you some perspective of ‘normal’. From helping dozens of businesses, I have seen their web traffic, social media growth, email open rates, etc. I also know how to snoop around a bit and tell you, for example, that your 25% email open rate is actually pretty good (in most industries anyway). Sometimes people think they are totally behind when really they are actually fairly typical… and just need to know how to do more.

The thing with social media is people sort of get it. Just like I sort of get payroll, taxes, and basic business law I suppose. But I have a payroll service, accountant, and lawyer so I don’t have to invest my time learning really specific skills that won’t make me more money. Hiring someone like me could be a good investment not only in your business but in personal sanity. And whether it’s this company or someone like us, it can be a good investment for you if you just don’t have the time or the interest.

Some things I do for inspiration:

So I hope you now feel inspired to start, whatever it is you’re thinking of starting! If you do, share in the comments so we can all be inspired by you.

Friends And FreelanceSwitch: Why I Am So Lucky

By • November 16, 2011 • Current Affairs • Leave a comment

For 24 hours (yesterday) the story of my business was on the front page of a major website. I’ve gotten so many calls, emails, and social media messages congratulating me (that I’m still following up on) but I think it’s only right to explain the reason for this ridiculously good luck.

A brief moment on the 'home page' on FreelanceSwitch. I'll take it!

A brief moment on the 'home page' on FreelanceSwitch. I'll take it!

Melanie Brooks, the author of the article, has been a colleague, mentor, and friend since I’ve met her and I’d like to write a short ‘love’ letter about her.

What drew me to Melanie at the small business conference we met over four years ago at was her enthusiasm. Nothing fake about it, she was genuinely into what she was doing. She was also smart, funny, and warm. It was one of those ‘instafriends’ situations but as we talked, we learned we actually had a lot in common. We both worked in newspapers, had ridiculous online dating stories, and were known as the ‘tell it like it is’ person in our respective social circles. Mel is a true kindred spirit and I am lucky to have gotten to know her as well as I have (and to continue getting to know her).

But what I am most thankful for about Melanie, even more than her writing this article, is that from the moment she met me, she believed in my business and in me. Some days even more than I did. She is one of the few people in my life who never thought I was crazy and went so far as to actively support me in my venture mainly in the way of dealing with a teary or exhausted version of myself. (When you can call someone crying, you know they are worth keeping around!)

While it’s nice that people are congratulating me, telling me they ‘always knew’ I could do it, I will always remember the few people who said it first. Melanie Brooks was one of those people. And as one of the smartest people I know, I believed her.

Ok so my point is while I’m flattered that  I even got on this really cool, well-read website, the friendship that got me there means the most. And that makes me tear up a little. Maybe I should call Mel crying. :^)

You can read the full article here on FreelanceSwitch.

A Playlist For My Dad: Four Years Later

By • November 11, 2011 • Family and Friends • Leave a comment

Some Fridays on this blog, I write about whatever I want. Because I can. :^)

Happy Veteran’s Day! I am so proud of the people who have served and grateful that their sacrifices have made my life possible. Thank you, veterans.

I usually get a lot of condolences this day every year about my father so it’s natural to think he was a veteran. He was not, he just happened to have a fatal accident on Veteran’s Day four years ago. (You can read about it here if you want.)

I also blog about this every year (I’ve had this blog since before the accident even):
http://breakingeveninc.com/about-me/one-year-later/
http://breakingeveninc.com/family-and-friends/two-years-later/ (This one in particular gives a good back story and even has a picture of my dad in it.)
(I think I must have just ignored this last year because I can’t find the post!)

Part of the reason I think I do this is that I like to take some time on this date every year and think about my father. (I usually even try to do something he would have gotten a kick out of, like drink a red wine with an ice cube in it or have a frozen Snickers bar.)

And the other part of why I revisit this every year (and a less all-about-me reason) is that I somehow want to take the shame out of grief. As a society, we don’t grieve publicly so I’ve tried to do things like write about how I joined a support group and letting people in on what you shouldn’t say to someone who is grieving. I like to be public about it not because my struggle is somehow more important or difficult than anyone else’s but because I want people to know their feelings are normal and it’s ok to talk about them and otherwise deal with them.

This year, I thought I’d change up the format. Dad, this playlist is for you. (Well, more accurately it is for me about you.) Because music helps.

Father Daughter- Paul Simon
I could totally picture my dad saying ‘Trust your intuition, it’s just like going fishin’.” He was kind of cheesy… sort of like how I’m kind of cheesy.

Cap Enrage, Zachary Richard
In case you don’t speak French, this song is about a shipwreck and someone drowning, thinking of their loved ones and what they wish they could say: “I love you, I’ve never loved anyone as much as you.” It took me a couple years to be able to even be able to listen to this song again. (Song starts about one minute in)

Life Ain’t Always Beautiful, Gary Allen
I found this song after everything happened. It’s a good one and I bet my dad would have liked it too.

Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground, Willie Nelson
This is the song my sister and my father danced to at her wedding. We remember thinking it was a slightly odd choice I think (Dad’s idea) but reminds me of him whenever I hear it and ends up being quite fitting.

Stop This World, Diana Krall
The last Christmas he was around, I remember putting Diana Krall’s CD in my dad’s CD player and him realizing my taste in music didn’t totally stink. He made me copy a bunch of my CDs so he could listen to them in his truck.

Every Day, Stevie Nicks
The other day when I was running, this came on shuffle on my iPod. It made me smile and think of Dad so it is in the mix.
http://youtu.be/IG2r3MMzm2Q (Stevie, you’re killing me by not letting me embed!)

I’m sure I’ll think of tons of other songs once I publish this. My dad loved 70s rock for example and I’m sure some Elton John or Janis Joplin song may come to mind at some point.

So if you are missing someone, I hope you take some time today and remember them, with music or otherwise. Losing someone requires a constant recovery process that is never quite over but we can take comfort in knowing we share it with many other people out there.

Anyone else have good songs to add to my playlist here? Maybe a good remembering someone song or something my dad would have gotten a kick out of (if you knew him that is)? 

Why Flash Websites Stink

By • October 28, 2011 • Web/Tech • Leave a comment

People ask me sometimes: Do you do Flash websites?

I don’t. And I have better reasons then being too lazy to learn Flash.

For those who don’t know, Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. (Thanks Wikepedia.)

If you want to see some websites that run on Flash, here’s some examples:

http://www.louisvuittonjourneys.com/legends/

http://www.dietcoke.com/

http://www.theoleg.com/hes/ (Which is actually Herbal Essences, you couldn’t tell from the URL there)

If you look up ‘flash websites’ in any search engine, you’ll see there are plenty of beautiful looking Flash websites out there. So why am I a hater when it comes to this technology?

It’s expensive (and usually overkill) for the average website.
Most people I work with are small businesses who can’t afford to pay a lot for a website. When a Flash website loads, it’s basically like running a mini movie in which every frame has to be thoughtfully put together. You need special software, and expertise. Flash websites cost double (or more) than your typical CMS website.

If you have an interactive game or a vodka empire to fund your website design, go for it. But if you are a small business owner who just wants your website to be findable by the average person, Flash is likely too flashy for you.

It’s not search engine friendly.
When a search engine like Google looks at your website, it’s not looking at your pretty fonts or your bold color choices. It sees how your site is organized as well as page tags, titles, descriptions, and written content. Search engines have a hard time reading Flash websites (you have to go out of your way to make them search engine friendly). And since search engines are what drives a majority of website traffic for many businesses, few people want to decrease their likelihood of being found.

It’s not customer friendly.
Flash websites can take 2-5 times as long to load as regular websites. And most people don’t like to be kept waiting. Here’s one company that switched away from Flash just for that reason.

Also some devices can’t even load Flash (like Android phones, though there are some workarounds), alienating a whole group of customers for you. Only recently has Flash become supported on iOS devices (re: Mac). HTML and CMS websites show up on any device that can access the internet.

Flashy can equal sketchy.
 Flash websites to me kind of remind me of those people who get really excited about Powerpoint’s features. You know, every slide is a different background, they have a different transition for every slide, etc. As your potential web developer, I want to spend the time making your site clean-looking, useful, easy to navigate, and informative. In other words, the information on the actual slides are what’s important to me, not how clever you can be about it. I think part of me just thinks things that are overly filled with bells and whistles are trying to conceal something, like the flashing lights on some Vegas venue trying to cover up a decaying facade. My personal bias but certainly a reason.

Proprietary stuff is not something to build on.
There is lots of software on the internet that is open source: OpenOffice and WordPress are great examples. The obvious benefit to open source is the whole free (or really cheap) aspect but something even better than that: there are hundreds of thousands of people all working on making it better.

Adobe owns Flash. If there is a bug with some Flash update, we have to all wait for Adobe to fix it. Bug in your favorite open source software? Gets fixed almost instantly (or post it on a forum and someone will tell you a workaround).

Experts in the web development field don’t like Flash.
When I don’t like something, sometimes I wonder “Is my judgement bad?” But when enough other innovative people don’t like something, I feel better.

Why Steve Jobs Didn’t Like Flash: http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/
Why Google doesn’t like Flash: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-06-05/tech/30022631_1_seo-death-google-adobe-labs
Why designers hate Flash: http://www.arctickiwi.com/blog/10-reasons-why-we-hate-flash-on-the-web

You don’t need Flash to have a dynamic website.
You can have, say, a Javascript slideshow. You can have video on your site. You can have drop down menus. There are plenty of ways to have some ‘cool’ factors on your website without using this software.

So if you are considering a website or a redesign, please know that friends help friends say no to Flash.

More information on website types can be seen here: http://breakingeveninc.com/website-types/
More on website costs in this month’s Website Magazine: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/pages/your-designer-makes-what.aspx