Halloween

Ok, Let’s take a detour from our common theme….not quite sure what that is but anyway. It is Halloween so how about some Halloween fun?

……………………………………………..ry]

What Halloween Candy Are You? 3-question quiz… I am a Big Hershey Bar!

Halloween Games…fun!

Halloween recipes!

BOOOO….have fun and be safe!

Twitter Tools

Do you use Twitter? If you do, some tools that you mind find useful….

A tool for managing your Twitter friends:

http://tweetybot.com

The 100 most popular Twitterers:

http://twittercounter.com/

Who just unfollowed you and what your last Tweet was before you unfollowed them:

http://useqwitter.com/

This is a Twitter app for Blackberry:

http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/

This is a Twitter app for iphone:

http://twitterforiphone.com/

This is a Twitter app for your Firefox browser:

http://www.naan.net/trac/wiki/TwitterFox

A desktop Twitter app:

http://www.twhirl.org

List of groups Twitterers by subjects.

http://twitterpacks.pbwiki.com/

Upload your pictures to Twitter:

http://twitpic.com

A wordpress plugin for Twitter:

http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress

List of Twitterers by subject

http://www.twellow.com//

What URLS are being posted on Twitter:

http://twitturly.com

Twitterers with the most followers.

http://www.twitterholic.com/

Twitter cookbook with recipes.

http://twitter.com/cookbook

Adobe desktop app for Twitter:

http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/

You can unfollow people who are not following you.

http://friendorfollow.com/

A Tweetcloud of popular topics on Twitter in real time. Words shrink and grow.

http://www.twitscoop.com/

Similar to Tinyurl – shrinks URLS .

http://twitturls.com/

Schedule tweets to be posted at a later date, also can auto thank and autofollow new followers:

http://www.tweetlater.com/

Twitter icons:

http://thenextweb.org/2008/09/16/twitterkeys-enhance-your-twitter-conversations/

Search Twitter for specific topics:

www.search.twitter.com

Twitter app for OUtlook express – useless for me as a Mac owner -

http://www.techhit.com/OutTwit/

Find Twitterers with a similar interests:

http://crazybob.org/twubble/

Group unfollow all of your unfollowers:

http://dossy.org/twitter/karma/

Follow a conversation between 2 Twitterers.

http://tweet2tweet.com/

Whew! There you have it! Tweet away!

Confident Customer Servive

Often our delivery or how we convey a message to an individual could have a big impact on what we are trying to accomplish. When interacting with the customer I believe it is important to offer reassurance and confidence……take ownership.

Some phrases that I offer to a customer when interacting:

1. How may I help?
2. I can solve that issue.
3. I will take responsibility.
4. I am not certain, but I’ll find out.
5. I will keep you updated.
6. I will deliver it on time.
7. The job will be complete.
8. I appreciate your business.

9.Thank you and please <—-always important!

Some simple phrases that will go a long way. Of course one must follow up with results!

The customer is why you go to work. If they go away, you do, too.
-David Haverford

Business Blog – What can it do for you?

As more and more people are geting involved in the blogging world the benefits are becoming more obvious.

What is a blog? “A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically—like a what’s new page or a journal.”

Blogs fall into two general categories:

Personal Blogs: a combination of a personal diary, opinion posts and research links.

Business Blogs: a corporate tool for communicating with customers or employees to share knowledge and expertise.

Blogs are an excellent method to share a company’s expertise, build additional web traffic, and connect with potential customers..

What does Blogging Provide to Small Business?

# Blog software is easy to use. Simply write your thoughts, link to resources, and publish to your blog, all at the push of a few buttons. Blog software companies such as: Movable Type, Blogger.com and Typepad all offer easy blogging tools to get started.

# Blogging is a low-cost alternative to having a web presence. For small business owners without the time to learn web html or the money to hire a designer/developer, blogging offers an inexpensive method to get your company’s name out on the Internet.

# Updating the weblog is a much quicker process than contacting a web designer with changes or doing the coding and uploading yourself.

# Business blogs provide your small business with a chance to share your expertise and knowledge with a larger audience. A powerful benefit for consultants and knowledge workers.

Maybe bloging is in your future?

Source About.com

Starting Your Own Business- are you ready?

I think most of us in the world today would prefer to run our own business for many reasons.

Potential Positives:

1-You are your own boss

2-You directly impact everything within the company

3-You decide how much you are paid.

4-You have control and make the decisions

5-You reap the benefits of success.

Potential Negatives:

EVERYTHING NEGATIVE THAT CAN HAPPEN IS ON YOUR SHOULDERS!

That being said…

Are you ready to start your own business?

If you feel you are ready, some steps in starting your own business.