Technology Changes & Keeping Up

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Technology is becoming a bad word with some of my friends.  They are afraid of it.  Everyday something new is on the market and they don’t know how to keep up.

Change is part of life.  Many years ago, I was fortunate to be at an event with the wonderful Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, “Change is part of life, we all must accept it”.

Years ago I worked for the Girl Scouts and we used to say it took three years to start change. The first year everyone said, “We can’t do that”.  The second year, “Half of the people said “We can’t do that, the other half said, “We can do that.” and by the third year, most of the people were saying, “We’ve always done it that way.”

I think of the way we are using computers and memory sticks.  I remember when we only had computers in the office, then we were able to move to having computers at home.  Then the laptop was developed and more people could travel with them.  Then memory sticks were developed and people could put their files on memory sticks and carry them with the laptops.  Now we have netbooks and memory sticks.

This week I was at a conference, and normally people would have given you a notebook filled with paper or a CD to take home with handouts.  This week, they said the information was on a memory stick at our places at lunch.

Think of all the trees saved just by putting all the files on the memory stick.

My Toastmaster Club uses Google Documents to keep up with our schedules for speaking. We can all log in and see what the schedule is, and we have access with any internet or Smart Phone.  Cloud computing will eventually do away with the memory stick.

Books are now moving to Kindles and Nooks and Smart Phones and I-Pads and Tablets. Paper Books are moving to E-Books and digital.  School books are becoming digital.

More trees are being saved as this revolution happens, and think of all the children who no longer have to carry backpacks.

Smart Phones and GPS makes finding your place by putting in where you are going much easier.  We are now seeing the Car navigation devices that we had to buy and plug-in being replaced by our Smart Phones.  Home Land lines are being replaced by Smart Phones.  I still have mine, but barely.

Keeping up can be difficult, but just think in three years, we will say, we always read our books on a tablet device, and we always used memory sticks and we always found our way with our smart phones. We always text our neighbors before we come over.

We will be asking, Call on the phone? What is that? I hope not, I enjoy talking to people on the phone and hearing a voice.  Let’s not do away with people as we keep up!

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Utilizing Groups on LinkedIn.com – What are Groups?

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You are on LinkedIn. You have your Profile complete and now you notice there is a Groups Tab.  You click on it, and a whole new World opens up.

Yes, there are specific industry Groups on LinkedIn.com that I highly recommend for those who may not be using these Groups, go and check out this tab.  Some you must ask to be a member and some you just click and you are a member.  Some are closed groups which means the discussion is not on the internet and is not searchable and some are open discussion groups and the discussion topics appear when you search for them on the internet.

Word of warning, there are some groups that are monitored very well and some that will have some flagrant spammers.   You will know  when you click on one of the link’s and it goes to some a strange link that looks like you are signing up to work in a third world country.  If you find one of these spammers, click on them as inappropriate and they will be investigated and asked to leave.

Group discussions can help you will difficult topics and help you learn areas that you are struggling with.  It can also prove you as an expert in an area that others might need help.

Be careful however not to post in a Group things that look like press releases about your own event where you did a great presentation and your wrote your own press.  It is better to have someone else praise your work than you saying it about yourself.

Once you are a member, you can post events for educational courses that might interest those members of a Group on LinkedIn.

I run a Group for District 52 Toastmasters International, so when they  are conducting Officer Training Classes, I post these in the group.  This keeps the members up to date and they can share it with other officers in the District.

Utilizing all forms of Social Media can help an organization become more effective in their communication efforts.  We are receiving more emails and more messages everyday.  Customizing a message in a particular place in a Group may meet our needs and make it quick and fast.

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Using LinkedIn.com May Be Recruiters Hottest Tool!

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Recently I conducted a social media training for District 52 Toastmasters in Los Angeles on social media basics for Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.com.

One of the questions that came up was why be on LinkedIn if I am on Facebook?  Good Question, but the reason is they are two different social mediums.  LinkedIn.com is a professional networking environment and Facebook is more of a friends networking environment.

You need both, but for different reasons. LinkedIn for professional contacts and business relationships, and Facebook for friends and connections from other organizations not professional.

Recruiters use LinkedIn.com to find their best candidates. This has been a known fact for a long time.  For those who are on it, and keep their profile up-to-date and active they know it.  http://blogs.forbes.com/elainewong/2011/01/18/why-linkedin-is-every-recruiters-hot-search-tool/?boxes=financechannelforbes.

The above article makes reference to why other sites which offer job hunters opportunities is not the way to go.  Staying active on LinkedIn and being active in Groups and looking for work in the field of your ability within the connections you have is the best way to find open positions.

Your connections on LinkedIn.com will know of openings before the job sites do.  Keep this in mind.  Job sites are not the place to find the most recent opening, and sometimes, by the time you see the opening, it may have already been filed.

Make your Profile 100 percent on LinkedIn.com and keep it current.  Make your contacts aware of your search, but offer to help others as well.  Do not be the one with your hand out , help others and then your help will arrive.

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Disabled Parking Is for the Disabled – Not Delivery Trucks!

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Disabled Parking is for people who have Disabled Placards, not for Delivery Trucks.  I can’t tell you how often I see a Coke Truck or a Beer Truck parked in the Disabled Parking spot and using the ramp to deliver their goods.  I just wish I could write that $400. ticket.

The other part of the Disabled Parking are the strips next to the parking spot.  These are for people who use vans and must exit out the side.  These strips are not for parking cars or trucks and blocking the van exits.  Once again, I wish I could write a ticket for every person who does this.

And of course the one that I love when you tell someone they shouldn’t park there, “I’m just running in.”  If they can “Run in” they shouldn’t be using the Disabled parking!!!

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Take a Moment and Blow a Bubble With a Whale

Enjoy your life and blow a Bubble with a Whale.  Yes if you have not seen this video, sit back and blow a bubble with a whale.  This is the most amazing video of whales from Japan.  It has been circulating on Twitter for several months.

It is very relaxing and on a Sunday, we all need to take a breath and relax and think about our upcoming week. Blow some bubbles and release some stress.  Look at all of the fun these whales are having.

Finding What is Best For You

This wonderful piece was developed by Box of Crayons, entitled, Find Your Great Work.  Some of you will remember one of Box of Crayon pieces earlier this week.  This is another one and one to help you think about What is Best for You.

We sometimes get locked into things and think there isn’t a way out, but there is.  We just need to get unstuck and move in another direction.

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun.

When you click on the Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun above, you will be taken to a quick little movie that will rock your world.

Michael Bungay Stanier is very witty and he is the writer of the Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun.   Take a moment and enjoy and then do the 8 lessons.  Start to have Fun today.  Because after all none of us are going to make it out of this life alive!  That’s right, we all go out the same way.  Why not have fun!  Enjoy your life have no remorse for what you do today and love those around you in your life.

We do not know how long we have in this life, so hug your family and friends and share your wisdom and laugh.

LA BookWoman Day – Writers Invited

LA BookWoman Day:  Meet Agents and Producers! Get Published! Boost Book Sales through New Marketing Models! Learn Social Media Strategies That Work!

Writers we have the flyer up on the website.http://www.wnba-books.org/la/

You can now go and register for LA BookWoman Day.

We have a special price for early bird people who get in before Feb. 15   sponsored by the Women’s National Book Association, WNBA-LA, which does allow men to join and attend.

As President of this wonderful chapter, let me assure you that this day will be one to assist our writers to be informed about E-Books, Self Publishing, Apps, and new strategies that will impact their book sales.

We will have agents and producers on a panel and a special pitching session to give people a time to pitch their book to an agent or a producer who might want more information, there is a separate charge for this and it is limited to 20 people. (Pitching is $10 per pitch maximum of 3 pitches)

(Special Pitch Training will be held that morning to assist people who want to learn how. This cost is $20)

Space is limited, so I urge those interested to registered now.

More information on the producers and agents will be released in the next weeks.  Watch the website and WNBA_LA Twitter for more updates.

Drinking More Water, Not Soda or Pop!

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Yes, it is that time of year when we all pledge to remake ourselves and lose weight, go to the gym, write our book, etc.

One of my goals this year is to drink more water.  Sounds simple, but when you realize that we are surrounded by ads for soda or pop, depending on what part of the country you are from, it can be hard.  I used to start my day with a large diet soda.  It was cold refreshing and really helped me wake up.

Now I find out that even though it was diet, it had chemicals, which are suspected as to what they are REALLY doing in our body, and I’m not getting enough WATER!  Now 90 percent of diet soda is Water, but it has Carbonated Water, different.

Yes, I realize this is an admission here, but let’s think of the good side of water.  We need it to replenish our bodies and flush out the toxins.  Yes, we all need it to do that.  It helps our cells rebuild and keeps our skin moist.  Ever notice how some people’s skin looks dried out?  It is!!  Not enough water.

Now I admit, I have been a water drinker, just didn’t realize when I drank a soda or pop, I needed to drink 3 glasses of water to counter the one glass of soda.  By the way,  when you drink that cup of coffee, you need to drink 2 glasses of water according to Dr. Oz.

My Goal is to drink  water and hydrate my body this year.  Now that doesn’t mean that I won’t break down and have my favorite now and then, but I will be pushing the Water much more often.

Who knows, my skin might become more radiant, and not look all dried up.  If it is naturally hydrated, then  I will look better and feel better.

Happy New Year! Have a glass of water!

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2011 Post A Day Pledge!!!

Okay, I will try to do my best, sounds like the Girl Scout Promise, to post a day!

For those of you who have pledged to do this with me, may we all achieve our goal of writing and posting to our blogs 365 days this year.  Wait, this is the 4th day, of 2011, make that 361 days to go.  Yea!  I have made it for 4 days this year.

Last night, when I rushed home from work, had dinner, was enjoying catching up with my daughter, I realized I hadn’t posted. Oh, no, stop, hurry and post.

What to write? Didn’t take long to see a note about that pint-sized reality show person who starts fights with her cast members, gets drunk on the beach and is generally abusive in public.  She has a book coming out today.

That was my inspiration to let my old editorial writer come out and share my opinion on the  matter.  Not that anyone cares, except my writing friends, but I achieved my post-a-day.

WordPress here I come and hopefully, my friends will help me stay on track.

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