Author: Haydee Montemayor

The Best Kitchen Spoons for the Tactile Cook

You know how when you’re sick, a bowlful of soup seems to do the trick to lift up your immune system and your mental framework so that you feel a little bit better? We know that the actual soup is important to this slow but steady recovery process. However, have you ever stopped to wonder that the simple act of using a spoon to serve yourself this simple, but tried-and-true goodness is part of the magic? There’s something about spoons and soup that has a dynamic quality. But every good thing has a unique trail, that often-times goes unnoticed.

Take the serving ladle for example. It is time and time again responsible for allowing you to savor a yummy soup, but often, we don’t pay much attention to it. Well guess, what? There is a spoon and ladle set which you won’t be able to ignore once you see it, and ESPECIALLY once you touch it. It is Rachael Ray’s 2 Piece Lazy Spoon and Lazy Ladle Set.

: My favorite kitchen spoons and ladles of all time!

Spoon Full of Love

After the first touch, you’ll be in love with this set. Nope, I’m not exaggerating. Many people think this a worthy set to fall in love with because it has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on Amazon out of 266 reviews (at the time of this post).

This set is a 2-piece set. It consists of a spoon and a 1-inch deep ladle.
The spoon and ladle each measure 11 inches long by 2 inches wide and weigh 8 ounces collectively. They are by no means flimsy spoons. They have a very nice weight to them. There are some people who may say that they’re too heavy, especially the ladle, but I don’t think they are at all! Are they heavy? A little, but not uncomfortably so. What is “too heavy” anyway? As a matter of fact, I believe that the weight complements your ability to balance whatever blazing-hot meal you’re serving without fearing that you’re going to spill it along the way.
Its high-grade silicone construction flexes just a tad to allow you to scoop up food at the bottom of the pot in a similar way that a spatula would.
The construction is very gentle on all of your pots, whether they’re non-stick, ceramic or stainless steel, so forget about ever scratching any of your prized bowls, pats, pans or dishes with these huggable pair.
These spoons hold up very well and can withstand heat up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
One of the best features of these spoons that they have a perfect-sized notch on their handle that allow you to perch the spoon on the rim of your pans between usage to avoid drips keep your stove and countertops clean. And guess what? You’ll never scorch yourself with a hot-spoon…. even if you leave it for hours resting on a rim of a pot or pan on a stove.
This set is dishwasher-safe
And if this weren’t enough, they come with a limited lifetime warranty.

These are just some of the main reasons why these spoons are of great value in your kitchen.

Adding a Splash of Color for Your Kitchen

If you’re very interested in having a set that matches your decor, this set is available in:

blue
red
green
orange
purple

But no matter what color you choose, you’ll be a little spoiled and won’t want to use any other serving spoons. It’s a drag having them in the wash and having to use any other spoon. These are so well loved, that it’s awful being without them. When I go to other people’s home’s and help serve any meals… it makes me truly miss this set. It’s SUPER silly of me to think this way, I know, but if you try them, you’ll probably understand why I’m in love with these spoons.

The only people for whom these spoons might not work well for are people who are left handed, because they’re shaped to the contours and grip of a right-handed person. But if you’re a right-handed person… it’ll seem that these spoons were made for you.

If you’re a Rachael Ray Fan, or even if you’re not, take a look at what joy they’re to work with.

These spoons are useful for serving hot meals, for parties and picnics and for serving yourself cold meals, like pasta salads.

I love having a good repertoire of kitchen tools, but I have to say that hands down, these spoons are my favorite kitchen utensils. Why? They’re like a little pamper and caress while you’re cooking.

Handing the Spoon Over To You

So now that I’ve shared these simple but truly loved kitchen utensils of mine, tell me:

What is your favorite kitchen utensil? Why?
Do you own this Rachael Ray spoon set? If so, what do you think of it?

If there is someone who loves the kitchen in your life or could love it a little bit more if they had lovable kitchen items like these, please feel free to share this article with them. And… don’t forget, it’s never too early to start Holiday shopping, and these spoons make awesome stocking stuffers, although for someone like me, who loves these spoons as much, they could potentially be the main Holiday gift.

What Can Bring You Momentous Joy and How to Best Share This Joy with Others?

Oftentimes, we go through life waiting for something grandiose to happen. Without realizing it, we sit around expecting fireworks… of our big moment, our big break, the better house, the better car… but all the while, the most important thing in our life is right there, in front of us.

Cameras are great and all, both for recording and taking time-lapse photos, but seeing good change happen right before our very eyes is magical … to the point that we really don’t believe our eyes! This happened to me this weekend. My baby boy grew right before my very eyes. Several times, I put him down to sleep or down to nap and he woke up different, bigger, wiser and more mature. His hair texture changed from that of a nicely combed baby to that of his father’s straight, but surprisingly unruly hair. This weekend he made it pretty clear as to whether he wanted his father or I to carry him. He crawled decidedly to caress our dog. He patted my hand rhythmically along for the first time, making a rhyme that I’ve said everyday to him for most of his life come alive because he brought me to the present moment. He let us know nonverbally that he prefers sweet potatoes, corn, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in that order. Out of about twenty pictures posted from him, he repeatedly let me know which his favorite was by touching it. My baby’s eyes are still deciding what color they’ll be. Regardless, they’re the most mystical and mesmerizing color I’ve ever seen… and looking into my baby’s eyes and having him really gaze back is breathtaking.

Cherish the individuality and uniqueness of those whom you love.

Tonight, as I rocked him to sleep and sung the lullaby my grandmother would sing to me, I whispered the majority of the song. I was so choked up and in awe that something so precious could be mine. I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve this gift. As I half-sung to him, however, he smiled back and I was uber grateful that even though he’s grown, he is still a baby, my baby, and I still have a few “seconds in eternity” to enjoy him as a baby. And tonight, as I am about to go to sleep, I am immensely thankful for having this bundle of joy in my life who brings me to the “now,” moment by moment.

What Brings You Momentous Joy?

While I fully realize that this blog post is not the most momentous post you’ve ever read, if you have a child or if you have someone whom you love and treasure, go seek out your most joyous moment by loving them to the point that it brings you tears of joy… that will be one of the signs that you are truly and deeply blessed by the Divine. And please, as tempting as it may be, don’t take any kiss, caress or embrace for granted. 🙂

Please take a moment to share that magical, sweet moments that make you thank Life that you’re alive in the comments below. They’ll bring me joy just reading about them. And, if you want spread a little inspiration for stopping to see the beauty in those whom we most love, please share this post with them.

Is the movie “Instructions Not Included” worth your Time?

: There are movies worth recommending.

Is the movie “Instructions Not Included” worth your Time?

What makes a great movie a great movie? If I told you those elements now, I would be revealing too much about what makes “Instructions Not Included” great.

People tell me I’m very picky when it comes to considering that a movie is awesome. And even though “Instructions Not Included” isn’t 100% my cup of tea, since there are scenes that I can definitely do without, I still recommend that you watch it, without the kids.

There is one major caveat that I’d like to state and that is that some parts of the movie are in Spanish (although there are subtitles in English to allow you to keep up). Also, some of the humor is predominantly from the Mexican culture, which means that you won’t be able to understand every joke. Yet who does? There are many times when im listening to comedians, no matter what language, and their jokes ellude me, but the ones that I do understand are worth the laughter they bring me.

Eugenio Derbez is a Mexican comedian who has been sharing his great comic genius through shows like “Al Derecho y Al Derbez” starting in 1992, “Derbez en Cuando” in 1999 and “Familia Peluche” most recently to Spanish speaking homes. Derbez has a special gift of bringing several characters of his creation to life, that are now ingrained in the mexican culture.

If you know of Derbez’ work, that means that when you go to see this movie, you have the unspoken expectation that the movie is going to be a hoot, but even though the movie is funny, it’s more than just a comedy.

The basic story line is that Eugenio is someone has multiple intimate partners, one of which results in the birth of a baby girl. The baby girl’s mother drops off the baby with Eugenio and Eugenio then has to learn to be a dad.

As any parent can tell you, or your parenting skills have informed you, raising a child requires a lot of involvement, both physically and emotionally, but the bonding that occurs is beyond magical. This movie portrays that well and that’s what contributes to its greatness. There is magic in the script, the directing, the acting and the evolution of the story.

Like many of us, Eugenio had a dream of seeing a project of his imagination come to life. He worked on this movie project for ten years until it was just right to be birthed into the world.

I don’t know what the exact criteria for getting an Oscar nomination is. What I do know, is that this movie is deserving of an Oscar. I’ve seen many Oscar winning movies, and I have anxiously been waiting for the movie to get better at some point only to literally sit in the dark, after the movie is over, asking myself, ‘Is there all there is to this movie?” simply because the movie never got better. Yet when “No Instructions Included,” was over, I was blown away!

The first thing that I wanted to do was to show my family that I love and treasure them.

The second thing I wanted to do was immediately congratulate Eugenio for a job we done. Hopefully after watching it, you too feel like it was worth your time.

Now It’s Your Turn

After you watch the movie, please feel free to leave your comments about what you thought about the movie below.

Are You Afraid of Your Destiny and How Can You Feel Confident in Your Future?

Caroline Myss is always one someone that serves “aha!” moment after “aha!” moment. This week she spoke of the reason why people fear their destiny. Read about what she has to say about fate vs. destiny:

Who is driving your train?

“If you’re going to talk about destiny, you have to talk about fate… because the two go hand in hand together. And the difference is…

Your fate is like riding the train of your life in the caboose and your destiny is like driving the engine. You can only have one engineer and that’s destiny.

So people who live their destinies are people who are very strongly individualized, they have a really strong sense of themself, they have a strong sense of who they are, and they know how to make a decision. But more than making a decision, they know how to handle the consequences of the decisions they make, and that’s what’s people fear. When they think about upping the notch of the next level of their life, we have an inherent knowledge that it means ‘I have to make stronger, more far reaching decisions.’ And it’s not that the decisions are that difficult, it’s that we fear the consequences of the decisions. And people who have a strong sense of destiny can handle the consequences of their decisions.

People who have “fate,” they let other people make their choices for them. And thus, they end up wherever it is they end up in life. They’re kind of dragged along at the end of the train. And they have to figure out what port they’ve arrived in because they’re not driving their own [train], and they’re not doing their own calculations. Other people make their decisions for them.

They’re in the hands of fate. And it’s very frightening for other people to take charge of their own life. But they fear it because they know ‘If I take charge of my life, a lot of the ways and relationships that I’ve had are going to fade away, I will let go of that.'”

Your Reflection Space for Nurturing Your Spirit

So are you driving your engine? Or are you placidly and hopelessly sitting on the caboose of your caboose? Let me know by leaving a comment below. What was your favorite “aha” moment?

10 Day Social Media Challenge: Day 10: Where are Your Social Media Efforts Headed?

Where are Your Social Media Efforts Headed?

As I commented on my post Why You Should Invest the Time to Write a Blog, having a blog isn’t difficult, what takes time, patience and dedication is maintaing a blog. However, if you’ve found a niche that you’re passionate about, it won’t be a surprise if you find yourself completely engaged with the work that you do and work more than you had anticipated. As Natalie Sisson herself has said, there have been many times, when her friends have had to take the computer away from her so that she stops working. A new common request for you may be “step away from the computer.” Trust me, I’ve heard something very similar. But isn’t that lovely? Having something that your’e soooo passionate about that you don’t want to stop? That’s the beauty of blogs. And especially, that’s the beauty of working on something that truly inspires you.

Steering Blogging in the Right Direction

However, just like with anything we value, we want to keep healthy tabs on how our blog is doing. Not to the point that your’e obsessive compulsive about it, but just so that you’re seeing the direction that you’re going.

In other words, even though you may think that you’re on the cruise control heading down the right highway, you MUST take a moment to check out the dashboard and the windshield to make sure that you’re going to make it in one successful piece to your desired destination.

This means, that if something is obstructing your view (and hopefully that something isn’t you), you must remove it. Stop and ask yourself the following questions:

Are you getting good gas mileage ?
Or have you traveled very few miles despite an exaggerated and abnormal amount of driving (once you’ve established yourself in your market)?
Are you taking some time to refuel?
Are you being kind on the road?
Have you ensured that your windshield is clean so that you can see clearly?
Are you balancing, rotating and providing air to your tires so that they provide you with a smooth and safe drive?
Are you spinning your wheels?
Have you run out of steam?
Are you putting on your turning lights so that your followers know where you’re headed?
Are you reading the road signals correctly?

No matter how pleasant the drive, make sure that you analyze your dashboard often.

Tools for Tracking Your Social Media Efforts

In today’s blog post for Day 10 of the 10 Social Media Challenge, Natalie asks us:

How are you measuring and tracking your social media efforts online?

Currently, I’ve installed Google Analytics on my site and I love seeing the uphill curve on my graph. The statistics on my site are on my WordPress dashboard, so I can glance on them with ease whenever I want.

In addition to Google Analytics, I’m planning on using the features on Hootsuite for tracking and for steering my presence online better. This can be done by setting up tabs, using keyword search to find where your’e mentioned.

I have already set up Google Alerts. I had already signed up to be alerted with some keywords, today I added additional keywords. It is such an easy tool to use and I will definitely be using this more strategically. According to Google, this is what you can use Google Alerts for, although the sky is the limit:

find out what is being said about their company or product.
monitor a developing news story.
keep up to date on a competitor or industry.
get the latest news on a celebrity or sports team.
find out what’s being said about themselves.

In the future, I hope to expand my audience to the point that I use Klout to see how I stand. Hopefully, I stand alone and successfully. 🙂

A service that I had signed up for, to monitor my own reputation, was Naymz. With it, you get a “RepScore” which indicates whether you’re considered a builder, established, a top member or an elite member. This is similar to Klout’s “Klout Score” that ranks how influential you are. In addition, you can find out if your peers:

Think of you as honest
Would Recommend you for a Job
Would Like to Work with You
Wrote an Endorsement
Would be Willing to be a Reference

You can find out this type of information by linking your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. So there’s much to explore in a service like this. However, my two cents are that your worth cannot be fully determined by either one of these services. There’s more to your value than that. 🙂

On another note, one interesting piece of information that Natalie shares is that:

Facebook Insights in particular now, allows you to track your reach, engagement and individual post metrics showing you what times of day you’re getting the most success and what type of content your audience responds to most.”

So in the future, I plan on paying attention to Facebook Insights so that I can get insights that are helpful but that I couldn’t find otherwise.

What Direction is Your Blog Heading?

When blogging, it’s important to remember that although you are in the driver’s seat, your audience has a very important and useful say in where your travels will lead you.

So now it’s your turn to ponder…

How are you measuring and tracking your social media efforts online?
How will you continue monitoring your social media strategy?

Please leave a comment below, letting me know, and if you find that these tools can benefit anyone, please share this post with them.

10 Day Social Media Challenge: Day 9: Why You Should Invest the Time to Write a Blog

Why You Should Invest the Time to Write a Blog

Have you ever stopped to wonder that the majority of the things that we do in our lives are really not sustainable financially? In other words, many of us trade our time for our money… we are paid a predetermined amount either by the number of hours that we work or worse yet, regardless of the tireless hours that we work.

Blogging is a venue, a platform by which you can leverage your skills, services, knowledge and products. Translation: You can make money in your sleep, when you shower, when you have fun, when you eat, etc., once you have established yourself as a blogger.

In Day 9 of the 10 Day Social Media Challenge, Natalie Sisson asks:

How will you build a blog with purpose that you can also profit from?

The simple answer to that question is that I have to continue taking enough pride in my work, in my mission and in my value so that others perceive my work helpful. Furthermore, I have to continue doing what Natalie so highly recommends and that is, to continue perfecting my blogging craft/art/science. Yep, it’s all three.

You have something important to say… no matter what the medium is.

What’s Holding You Back from Writing a Blog?

For many of us, finding something purposeful to blog about that will solve a need or a problem for others can be challenging, but there are coaches like Natalie Sisson, and books on Amazon that can show you in much greater depth how to go about finding your niche. If you really want to get into the nitty-gritty of niches, and how to go about using the knowledge that you acquire from them to build a sustainable business, Pat Flynn, from the website www.smartpassiveincome.com, is your man. (Natalie Sisson, of course, is your lady. :)) Pat is such a respected expert at all of this that I can’t yet fully wrap my brain around all that he has to share. However, what I fully enjoyed about Pat was his book Let Go, which you can find on Amazon. To me, that book represents the modern-day inspirational story given the economy that we have been in for the last several years. It will be THE best $2.99 you’ve spent in a long time.

Aside from having knowledge of what you have to offer and being inspired, in order to start a blog, you need most importantly have faith in yourself.

Dany Iny, from Firepole Marketing says this:

“Focus on ONE topic that will be of interest to ONE group of people. Then, when you start gaining popularity, you can branch out to include related topics, by leveraging the halo effect.”

What he means by halo effect is that if you do a REALLY excellent job in providing value to your following, and you come off as an expert in your topic, people will believe that your knowledge is more vast than your specialty topic. In essence, what you can do, is leverage your authority so that it works in your favor, and snowballs, as you write about multiple subjects.

One of the most common fears that people have is “putting themselves out there.” Natalie has the perfect response to that (which ironically is #2 on her list of top 24 lessons she’s learned as a blogger:

Get Over Yourself. There’s over 200 million blogs out there, if you’re going to create one make it epic. But don’t get hung up on writing your first post because you’re worried about `exposing yourself’. They probably won’t find it anyway. So take the plunge and hit publish.

Is Having a Blog Difficult?

Amazingly, the answer is no. There are people who claim that you can have a WordPress website in 15 minutes, some have even brought that time down to 7 minutes. So judging by those standards, it’s not difficult.

However, as with everything in life, the difficult thing is not “starting” something, but rather being consistent. It’s like a marathon, anybody can start it, but not everybody will finish it. The point with blogging is starting and finishing, starting and finishing, every day so that your blog is a little bit better today than it was yesterday.

But if you’re committed to starting a blog and feeding it, then here is a useful link by Michael Hyatt called, Launch a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 20 Minutes or Less.

How Can you Write a Rave Blog?

One of the nice things about learning anything new is that the internet can help. Chris Brogan has a great list of 40 Ways to Deliver Killer Blog Content.

And it’s not that she is the host for this 10 Day Social Media Challenge, but Natalie’s website www.suitcaseentrepreneur.com has a treasure load of resources which I have barely begun to tap into. To start off, you might want to read her EXCELLENT compilation of what she has learned in Top 24 Blog Lessons Learned in Two Years. She has been a great inspiration which I found at exactly the right moment in my life. And perhaps it’s YOUR moment! Voice your gifts, the world is waiting to listen, make them easy to find you.

Identifying Your Blogging Strategy Now Versus Later

Before any great thing in life, it’s important that you put thought into the WHY you will be starting what you’re starting. Make sure you devote some time to this.

After thoroughly thinking this through to the furthest point that your imagination, research, intuition and drive allows you, answer this question and share your comments below:

How will you build a blog with purpose that you can also profit from?

After you get a little head start on your blog, no matter how small, pay it forward and share your ‘how to start a blog’ teachings with others, including this resource. Happy Blogging!

10 Day Social Media Challenge: Day 8: How To Use Pinterest as the Treasure Box Where You Keep That Which You Cherish and Why You Should Share Some of these Things With the World

How To Use Pinterest as the Treasure Box Where You Keep That Which You Cherish and Why You Should Share Some of these Things With the World

Do you remember the days when you would marvel at someone’s photo album, peruse a year book for hours on end, or take great care of a toy or object that someone loaned you? Pinterest, is in many regards the modern-day version of people showing you visually, what they most care about and what they’re most interested in all in one swoop. On Pinterest, the importance of the visual, in all of its forms is heightened, and the noise of chit-chatter is lessened…. so that what you experience is like the encyclopedia of what the world finds beautiful. Better, yet, it’s the photo album of the world. But you know what? It’s the incomplete version of the album unless you participate and pin on there what you find the most beautiful.

Give meaning to your persona and your business by adding meaningful pictures on Pinterest.

In Day 8 of the Social Media Challenge, Natalie Sisson invites us to take a good look at the reasons why Pinterest could be beneficial for our brand and blog by asking us:

How can you use Pinterest to create a compelling visual brand story that people love and drive new leads and sales?

One of the amazing things about Pinterest, is that it has the ability to encourage people to “spend around $140-180 through purchases they make via Pinterest, compared to around $70 for Facebook users.”

What is Holding You Back from Using Pinterest?

The first moment that I went on Pinterest, I fell in love. In minutes, I was using the “Favorite” button, creating my own categories and just marvelling at how many wonderful recipes, craft ideas, fashion, quotations and everyday tips were on there. So, if you’re thinking you’re going to have trouble doing this, don’t worry, because Pinterest is SUPER intuitive.

When I created my blog, I was unsure as to how whether I should use the Pinterest I had created or create a special one exclusively for my blog. Thankfully, Natalie answered this question with today’s post. It’s better to sign the Pinterest Business page and start building a visual story for your brand and business

How Can you Be Effective at Curating Your Pinterest Account?

You can effectively curate your Pinterest account by linking the Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and You Tube account of your choice. You sill still be in control of which pins are posted. Pinterest can be a great platform for you sharing your products and services through images. And when you write that ebook or book you’ve been longing for, be sure to include the cover on Pinterest! It’ll be something that you will definitely want to share. If you’re an affiliate for any services that you believe your audience can benefit from, you can add images of those services too, to increase exposure to those items.

You can also be efficiently pin items to Pinterest by using the “Pin It” extension tool Pin It Bookmarklet that you can set up in your browser so that you can quickly have access to this tool regardless of what page you’re on.

In order to add some pizzaz to your Pinterest board, you can used the Pinstamatic tool which can help you add maps, quotations, Spotify tracks and stickies on your pictures in order for you to prep Pinterest images with ease.

And if you’re pressed for time, and you simply want a snapshot of your webpage, with a tad of patience (e.g. waiting for just a couple seconds), you can use the Pinstamatic tool to take a snapshot of any website you want. You can then preview that image and/or pin it on your Pinterest board if you sign up for Pinstamatic’s service through Facebook or Pinterest. Or, if your’e the cautious type, who doesn’t like to give away access to your accounts, you can right click on the preview of that snapshot, save it on your computer, with your other photos or blog post pictures, and ‘PRESTO!’ you can then sign into your Pinterest account on your own and add those images. And you know what? This Pinstamatic “camera tool” can be the “camera” that you use to take pictures of your own blog/website simply to see and remember what your website looked like on one particular day. Or perhaps, you want to take a picture of a blog post that was featured on a famous site, take a snapshot of a guest blog post you wrote or an article that was written about you to keep it as a memento. This tool can be it. And, why not take notes on anything you want to treasure… like a blog, or a site… that has a lot of useful information? This could be your “note keeper” tool, also. Of course, I would highly recommend storing any of your treasured items in a blog post or using another tool that already stores them in a cloud for you. The neat thing is to have options and resources at your disposal so that you can choose from depending on what your desired outcome is.

What Should You Post on Pinterest?

It’s very tempting to pin traditional photos on Pinterest, since they’re the logical visual we associate with this platform. However, it’s important to include infographics, videos and text, in addition to photos. And if you haven’t discovered it yet, Picmonkey is an awesome tool for turning any photo, yours, or those that you can legitimately use on the internet to enhance them and convey the message you want to share with your audience.

And, just like any other platforms, be sure that you take the time to visit other people’s boards and pins in order to network and take interest in what others have done by using names, tags and hashtags to notify someone that what they’ve taken the time to curate, is something that you enjoy.

Pinterest is DEFINITELY not a platform where “reading” other people’s posts will seem like a chore, because amazingly, all the visual’s in someone’s board can practically immediately tell you if your’e want to spend the time going through that person’s Pinterest board or not. It will be very clear, very quickly if they’ve made a good impression on you or not.”

Interesting and Little-Known Facts that Will Help Your Pinterest Exposure

Use vertical pins, since they get repinned more often since they’re long and take more space in the Pinterest newsfeed and therefore get more eye-ball exposure
Create different boards to keep everything organized.
You can know when your website receives a new pin on interest through PinAlerts, so make sure you sign up for that service. Through Pinterest analytics, you can take monitoring your Pinterest account to the next level by knowing exactly who pinned from your website and then follow up with them as a way of showing your appreciation

Pinning some Reminders to Your To-Do List so that You Can Use Pinterest with Joy

in sum, using Pinterest is one of those “should-do’s” that will be a joy. Why? Because when you take the time to show the world what you love, treasure and like, especially in a visual form or in a form that you “craft” by using the enhancement tools mentioned above, there’s an inherent passion that shines through. So, while I’ll happily dedicate myself to implementing the tips mentioned above, now you tell me:

How can you use Pinterest to create a compelling visual brand story that people love and drive new leads and sales?
Do you have any success stories in how Pinterest has helped your brand?
Do you have any tips to better use Pinterest?

Please leave your comment below. I look forward to hearing from you. If you find that this information can help people curate what they think is meaningful and beautiful in the world so that the world’s photo album is complete, make sure you share this article with them.

10 Day Social Media Challenge: Day 7: Is Being on You Tube Worth Losing Your Fear and Discomfort of being in Front of a Camera?

Is Being on You Tube Worth Losing Your Fear and Discomfort of being in Front of a Camera?

When I was little, I was the type of girl who would love to get her pictures taken. Any camera had my smile, my attention and my flirtatiousness. Fast forward to now, and I don’t love pictures or videos very much. I am therefore quite hesitant to put photos of myself on You Tube. Unfortunately I am not particularly fond of my voice either. I wish my voice sounded more like Natalie Sisson’s voice. 😉 But I haven’t been as graced. Regardless, I have been reading several books this summer that talk about the great platform that You Tube is and the fact that it ranks fairly high with Google.

On day 7 of the Social Media Challenge, I am happy to see that Natalie puts it very plainly for us when she says

So hands down you need to be creating video. There’s nothing stopping you from creating a professional three-minute video that sells your business and acts as an online brochure for what you do.“

To convince us even further of how important You Tube really is, Natalie asks us:

How are you using YouTube to create powerful videos and gain more subscribers, fans and new business?

There was a time in my life when I could have sworn that I would never upload a video to You Tube, however by taking the risk and courage to be on a You Tube video, not only can I get exposure for my blog, but most importantly, I can povide value to others.

Sometimes getting rid of your camera shyness can be worth it.

Can You Tube be a Substitute for TV?

Yes! Without a doubt, You Tube can replace television if you are willing to make some tiny sacrifices. Of course you won’t be see your new episode of your favorite show live and when it airs, (but thankfully many TV networks provide their top shows for free on their network website, such as ABC and NBC), but what you will be able to find is a deep and rich treasure chest of knowledge.

Types of Videos You Can See on You Tube

Trust me when I say that this is just the tip of the iceberg as to what you can find on You Tube:

how to decorate cupcakes
how to do your hair
tips from your favorite bloggers
how to learn a computer software program
how to use social media platforms
how to fix your kitchen sink
live webinars
conference by famous keynote speakers I’ve paid hundreds to see.
segments from your favorite childhood show
highlights of some of your current famous shows

Suddenly, we have access to information that before You Tube existed, we would have needed to may money for.

You Tube has grown up and it’s much more than just a place to upload your funny or not so funny home videos. It is a place that has become the largest classroom in the world. What is most valuable is that according the the different learning modalities that there are,

What Resources Can You Use to Record Your Own You Tube Videos

With all the names of services being thrown around that can be used for recording You Tube worthy videos, it’s hard not to get confused. Thankfully, there are four simple choices that can fit your needs depending on the type of computer that you use:

As with everything in life, try out the various video recording resources and see what works for you. And don’t forget that your video camera, Flip camera, iPhone, iPad or iPod with camera can be good resources also.

Ensuring that Your Business is Camera Ready

Knowing how Important your presence on You Tube is:

How are you using YouTube to create powerful videos and gain more subscribers, fans and new business?
how do you plan to share it?

If you feel so inclined, please share this article along with the following resources to people who you think would make the largest classroom in the world even better by teaching and inspiring on it.

34 Ways to Use Youtube for Your Business

7 Ways to Create More Engaging Videos that Rank Higher on Youtube

8 Ways to Maximize Your Youtube Marketing Results

10 Day Social Media Challenge: Day 6: How to Use Google Plus to Expand Your Ability to Listen to Several of Your Inner Circles

How to Use Google Plus to Expand Your Ability to Listen to Several of Your Inner Circles

Have you ever been insecure to approach someone either because of their beauty, fame, reputation or history with you? If so, you’re not alone. It does take courage to show up fully in your life for the people that you know and have been part of your inner circle for your entire life. It also does take courage quite a bit of courage to put your often insecure self out there and present yourself to the people that you don’t know… especially the world.

In Day 6 of the Social Media Challenge, Natalie Sisson asks us this question:

How are you using Google Plus to tap into your network and establish your authority?

Currently, I’m not using Google+ for either of these two reasons given that I just joined a couple of days ago. However, I have been a big fan of Google and all of their products, but I hadn’t jumped onto the Google+ bandwagon until this week. So even though knowledge of Google+ is limited, my first impression of it was grand and I’m really looking forward to using it more in the near future.

What Makes Google+ Super Valuable

For me, Google has always been superb at providing ease of use and value. Google+ is definitely not the exception. Many experts have been saying that it will be the next great thing, and who doesn’t want to be a part of that? 🙂 But seriously, the Google search features, innovation, market dominance, Hangouts (watch out Skype), Google Drive and the plethora of Google services that are too lengthy to list, makes Google+ a promising place where one can focus much of one’s energy all at once without hopping from site to site. This, in and of itself, provides a huge boost to productivity.

Let your light shine bright and join other peoples’ circles with glorious and attractive confidence.

Something Amazing I Discovered about the Type of People Who Use Google Plus

Each of us has their own unique circles of family, acquaintences and friends. Let me tell you a little bit about my circle. When I signed up for Google+ this week, do you know who was there?

Amazingly, under the “Recommended People to Add” I saw people whom I personally know who fell into three categories:

People who value their business and their customers and want to reach out to them, such as Natalie Sisson
People who like innovation and are more prone to keeping up with important trends in a multitude of industries such as graphic design, photography, social media, entrepreneurship and human resources
People who push the envelope and who because of their knowledge and increasing experience, are not comfortable just sticking with the status quo. They have leadership qualities in them no matter if they’re leading their life through example and are building a following or if they are shouting their messages worldwide (like a couple of people in my circles).

Perhaps this analysis is unique to my circle of people (or maybe it’s just pure coincidence), but I suggest that you analyze if the people in your Google+ account (whether currently or when you take the plunge and get an account) do in fact fall into these three categories mentioned above. Please be sure to leave a comment below sharing your experience.

The Best Way for Creating a Google+ Page

A Great Resource for setting up Google+ is called How to Create a Google+ Business Page. It has a few important tips for setting a basic profile. Most importantly, be sure to add HubSpot to your Google+ circles in order for you to get important updates about how to improve using Google+ in the Circle.

Your Turn to Wrap This Circle Up

It’s always neat to have something to look forward to in life. That’s why I hope that you are as excited as I am in sharing a couple of things:

How are you using Google Plus to tap into your network and establish your authority?
What type of people are in your Google Plus circle?

If you find that this information is useful for any of your Google+ circles, be sure to share it there and in your other social media platforms. After all, we as people, and our unique messages are what keeps the world interesting. So come join me in my circle. I look forward to hearing what your unique message is.

10 Day Social Media Challenge: Day 5: Are You On Track for Communicating Well on LinkedIn Professionally and Personally, and How Can You Tell?

Are You On Track for Communicating Well on LinkedIn Professionally and Personally, and How Can You Tell?

Remember when your resume was a private file in a folder in your home or in your home computer? Those days seem to be far from over, and for many people, it’s a good thing.

LinkedIn is a service that allows you to network online. In the business world, and according to the dictionary,

“a network is a group of people who exchange information, contacts and experiences for professional or social purposes.”

In Day 5 of the 10 Day Social Media Challenge, Natalie Sisson asks us to ponder on this question:

How are you using LinkedIn to establish your credibility, build your professional rolodex and attract new clients, partnerships or business?

Is LinkedIn Providing You a Good Foundation for Your Networking Communication?

To Create or To Not Create a LinkedIn Profile

I have to say that for the longest time, when I worked for corporate America, I used to be very apprehensive about creating a LinkedIn Profile. I would question myself in the following ways:

Why create a LinkedIn profile if I already have a job?
What if my boss sees my profile? Will he think I’m looking for another job?
Why would anybody want to put their resume “out there,” with their address, phone number and all?
What can LinkedIn provide me with?

But, after talking to a dear and long-time friend, he shared his experience and his benefits for creating a profile and I did. You might be asking yourself, did I expose my picture, resume and all? Nope.

So to answer Natalie’s question… I haven’t used LinkedIn much at all. I’ve only opened it a couple of times. Truth be told, I haven’t really seen for myself how LinkedIn can be beneficial for me, personally. I know and agree 100% that it has been very beneficial for other people, but based on where I’m at in life, right now, I will add enhancing my LinkedIn profile to my to do list and will complete it after I become more adept at working with Twitter, Facebeook, Pinterest and Google Plus, in that order, and based on the analysis for what my goals are. Be sure to analyze which social media platforms are best for your audience and work on them accordingly.

How Might LinkedIn Benefit You?

There are people who have reaped great rewards such as:

getting a new job
getting references
interacting with CEO
creating business partnerships
increased their business
found friends

Of course, there are many other benefits and some people have been very “lucky” and make contacts with people that they couldn’t have reached in a million years.

How to Enhance Your LinkedIn Profile

Natalie Sisson suggests having a personal profile and a business profile. What’s better yet, is in her blog post for Day 5, she provides a great checklist for improving your LinkedIn profiles.

In order to take your LinkedIn page to the next level and see how you can use it creatively, be sure to read this article titled, 5 Creative Ways to Use LinkedIn.

With everything going on in your life and business, you can get the nitty-gritty FAQs for how to best implement a business LinkedIn page by reading the following page, 10 Questions to Ask When Creating Your LinkedIn Company Page.

As with all social media tools, it will take knowing yourself, your audience, your resources, your creativity and your evolution to used LinkedIn in the best manner both professionally and personally, so be patient and diligent enough to tweak these profiles until they reach the greatest impact.

Your Turn to Make Contact

What was your one take-away from this article regarding how to use LinkedIn?
Given it’s room for creative potential, how have you used LinkedIn successfully?

If you so feel inclined, please share this article with your network.