Raising the (Social Tool) Bar

I?m sure at some point you?ve all noticed a toolbar located at the bottom of a website. Sometimes I don?t like how they look, but I?ve personally used Wibiya on my own site, TheWebBlend.com because they do offer some great features that can dramatically increase your number of visitors and page views.#160; Installing one of [...]div class="feedflare"
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Change Your Point of View for Success

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img src='http://rss.buysellads.com/img.php?z=1259904k=f7b7931ec28da9e4ff2580bfd4eddb18a=27601c=934555451' border='0' alt='' //a/pbr /pimg class="imageborder aligncenter size-full wp-image-27602" src="http://freelanceswitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/photodune-1250478-walk-xs.jpg" alt="" width="548" height="365" //p
pI really liked what blogger Emily Heyward had to say on her recent FastCompany.com blog post called a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1826268/desks-where-creativity-goes-to-die"Desks, Where Creativity Goes To Die/a. The SXSW attendee stepped outside of her comfort zone at the conference and learned a thing or two./p
blockquotepInitially, I tried to attend talks or panels directly related to my industry and clients, but each time the information felt like things I already knew, and instead of feeling inspired, I just felt tired. ?a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1826268/desks-where-creativity-goes-to-die"Emily Heyward/a/p/blockquote
pBy seeking out experiences that had nothing to do with her own personal day-to-day, the SXSW conference became more meaningful to her. I also find that when I attend talks or lectures about the industry I work in, I hear the same things over and over again. Like Emily, we all need fresh thinking. Below are some of the ways she suggests stepping outside of your comfort zone, as well as some tips I?ve learned along the way./p
h3Leave the Office/h3
pI have a a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/freelance-news/commentary-analysis/myths-working-at-home/"home office/a and a work office. At home, I freelance and run the magazine I co-own, and at my work office I edit a monthly regional magazine. My work office is less than ideal. It has no window and the door sticks when I close it. Some days when I?m really busy (like yesterday) I don?t see the sun all day. And I hate it. I try to get out of the office at least once a day. Most of the time I can do it, even if it means a quick walk around the block or down the street to grab a coffee or cookie.span id="more-27601"/span/p
pBut when I?m on a roll?and I know you know what I mean?leaving the a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/freelance-news/commentary-analysis/home-office/"office/a just doesn?t happen. Fresh air and a different perspective than the four beige walls that surround me are necessary when I?m stuck. And it almost always helps./p
blockquotepThe same is of course true for travel and time off, but even on a very small scale, leaving your personal space for just a few minutes can make a huge difference in generating new ideas. So don?t underestimate the power of a change in scenery. ?a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1826268/desks-where-creativity-goes-to-die"Emily Heyward/a/p/blockquote
h3Don?t Specialize/h3
pAt Heyward?s a href="http://redantler.com/"branding and design consultancy/a, they have purposely stayed broad in terms of the types of clients they work with. I?ve written about the a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/interviews/find-your-niche/"necessity of a niche/a before, but for some people (like those who do graphic and brand design, for example) a broad array of work and clients is a good thing./p
pI think specializing is a little bit different for freelance writers out there?as the more they write about a topic the more of an expert they become. A graphic designer, for example, can probably only create so many logos and websites for people who make cupcakes for a living before they get burnt out creatively. Having a a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/freelance-news/commentary-analysis/compelling-marketing-materials/"variety of work/a to display to your clients shows off your versatility./p
h3Stop Reading Business Books/h3
blockquotepOkay, there are some business books that are really great, and I?m not saying NEVER to read them. But if that?s all you?re reading, I will kindly suggest that you?re wasting your time. ?a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1826268/desks-where-creativity-goes-to-die"Emily Heyward/a/p/blockquote
pI always get nervous when I go to someone?s house and all they have laying around are self-help books. The same goes for business books. I had a boss once who became slightly obsessed with one business book in particular, and started planning the future of his entire business plan based on what one author had to say. Business books are not the Bible!/p
pI love to read, and I do it for pleasure as well as business. It?s a balance, and I always keep my skeptical hat on when reading advice from anyone. No one person can offer everything you need to know about being successful. What works for them doesn?t necessarily work for you. Take nuggets from many people, try out their advice here and there, and make your own assessments./p
h3Clean Your Desk/h3
pOur magazine runs in a five-week cycle. After one issue goes to press, my desk is a horrible, a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/start/freelance-failure/"terrible mess/a. My mother has even visited me at work and started to pick up around me?which messes up my super intricate filing system, mind you./p
pAndy Rooney once said something to the effect that the most productive people he knew had the messiest desks. I?ll take that as a compliment. But once an issue is done, I make time to clean my desk off and organize. It?s a good way to symbolize the end of one project and the beginning of another one. And if I didn?t do it, I would literally become buried under piles of papers, books, Tupperware, and who knows what else. Staying organized really does save you time and stress. How often have you said to yourself, ?But it was right here! I just saw it!? when looking for something important? Yeah, I thought so./p
pDo you have any tips to add to this list? We?d love to hear them./p
pemPhoto credit: a title="Attribution License" href="http://photodune.net/wiki/support/legal-terms/licensing-terms/"Some rights reserved/a by a href="http://photodune.net/item/walk/1250478"xilius/a/em./p
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6 Fool-Proof Steps to Make More Money With Your Website

Every website has a bunch of web pages which get more search traffic than others. These pages are constantly visited daily by�new visitors, people who have never seen the site in question before.�I call these ‘money pages’ because they are a reliable source of immediate and future income.
But they’re not just ‘money’ because they bring [...]

6 Fool-Proof Steps to Make More Money With Your Website

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Keep Your Analytics Data Safe And Clean

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An Essential Marketing Principle: Give Before You Try to Get

Experts have talked about this before. How many times have you�read about�the importance of ‘adding value’ for your�audience?�How many times have you read about ‘building trust’ with your readers/prospects?�
Many, many�times. You know�it well. Every marketing guru has spoken about this topic. I’m sick of hearing it.�But�it STILL�bears repeating.
Because some people still don’t get it. [...]

An Essential Marketing Principle: Give Before You Try to Get

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How to Work at Home When Your Life Is a Complete Madhouse

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pI?ll be honest? my home life is completely insane. My house is like a zoo with two feral monkeys on the loose, tearing apart everything they can get their little hands on. /p
pThere are spills, wrecks, crying jags, minor explosions, loud thumping sounds (heads on walls probably), and occasional horror-movie-style screams. It?s amazing that two tiny people can create so much chaos./p
pMy wife does all she can, but she?s outnumbered. I provide back-up, but I?ve also got a job to do. In spite of all the madness, I still somehow manage to write for several hours each day. /p
pSpeaking of which, I should get started on some work right now while they#8217;re eating pancakes. Here are 5 of the ways I keep from going completely nuts and manage to keep my freelance writing projects on track.span id="more-26140"/span/p
h3Tip 1 ? Don?t Get Stressed/h3
pEven when your life is absolute madness, there are always ways to de-stress. Maybe it#8217;s exercise, soothing music, meditation, games of computer solitaire ? whatever works to get your mind off the insanity. Find one or two things that help you de-stress and schedule short sessions throughout your day. If you don?t schedule them, they won#8217;t get done./p
pAlso, make sure they?re not in any way bad for your health. A fifth of Jim Beam each day might cure your stress, but you?ll end up with worse problems. Taking potshots at birds through your office window may help you stay grounded, but it?s dangerous and illegal. Drilling a tiny hole in your forehead may make everything all right, but? you get the point./p
h3Tip 2 ? Be Here Now/h3
pKids operate on their own time. You have to be on that time with them. You also need to be focused on your work. If you work at home, they?re going to distract you and you should let them. When they need something, stop work and forget about what you were doing. When you#8217;re with the kids, be only with the kids. When you#8217;re working, be only working./p
pThis shifting of gears is a bit tricky at first. In fact, switching too much actually adds to your stress. If I can?t work 30 minutes or more, I don?t bother trying. The reason is that working in 15 minute chunks alternating with taking care of kids leads to mental meltdown. It?s better to work only when you have a reasonable stretch of time, even if you have to wait for it. /p
h3Tip 3 ? Rearrange Your Sleep Schedule/h3
pThere are two ways of doing this ? get up early or stay up late. /p
pYou can get up while the world is still dark outside and watch the morning joggers while you work away. You?ll get several precious hours done before the first child wakes up and starts harassing you. Or you can wait until the kids are tucked in and snoring, and then get down to business./p
pI#8217;ve made the shift to mornings even though it#8217;s painful for me. I#8217;m used to it now and it#8217;s a much more productive time for me. Experiment with it and find out what works best for you. Just make sure you get enough sleep. If you#8217;re zombified by sleep deprivation, you#8217;ll make things much harder for your brain (and your patience)./p
h3Tip 4 ? Give Up and Go With The Flow/h3
pAs a writer, I?m obsessed with deadlines and the work I have to finish today. But through my hectic family life, I#8217;ve learned how to let things go completely and forget all about it. Somehow, it gets done. Learning to give up on the idea of controlling things in your life is an important skill to learn when you#8217;re a parent./p
pOf course, you can?t let go too much or else you#8217;ll never get anything done. I set hopeful deadlines for myself and realistic deadlines for my clients. The work usually gets done somewhere in-between. If there#8217;s a sick kid or an emergency afternoon playing at the park, it helps to have the leeway./p
h3Tip 5 ? Remember Your Passion/h3
pWhat keeps me going even though my house looks like a tornado and Godzilla hit it at the same time? My passion for writing. If you keep in mind why you do what you do, it#8217;s much easier to work anytime you#8217;re allowed to. When my time gets squeezed into a few small hours at night when reasonable people are sleeping, I come alive. Keep your mind focused on doing what you love to do and you?ll get through it. /p
pstrongDo you have any ideas on working at home with your active children underfoot?/strong/p
pemPhoto credit: a title="Attribution License" href="http://photodune.net/wiki/support/legal-terms/licensing-terms/"Some rights reserved/a by a href="http://photodune.net/item/kids-paining/1242154"innershadows/a/em./p
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9 Stand-Out Real Estate Themes for WordPress

A friend of mine just earned his real estate license and now he’s in the process of setting up office online. He’s already familiar with WordPress, so he came to me and asked if I had any advice on using WordPress for a real estate website. WordPress is really the hot ticket for building real [...]

9 Stand-Out Real Estate Themes for WordPress is a post from: Tutorial Blog

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