Your Ning Page Done Your Way

Did you know you can change the order of the content on your personal Ning page? I'm sure many of you do, but one thing that I've noticed is that a lot of pages I visit keep the content in the order that Ning provides.

When you first join a Ning network, you are given a standard personal page, but you are not restricted to displaying your content in this order. With a little bit of tweeking to your personal Ning page, you can more-effectively show who you are and what you do.

After you have selected a color theme/background and added your photo/image, it is important that you rearrange your content so visitors can immediately see you. Ning breaks up the content into categories such as "Latest Activity," "Comment Wall," and "Profile Information." Your Profile Information box contains all the important information about who you are -- your company name, website, bio, and links to connect on social media sites. Ning places this section near the bottom of your page, but this information should be at or near the top. It should be one of the first things your visitors see.

If you are blogging on your Ning network, your blog section should also be near the top of your page. I like mine under my profile.

In addition to these two sections, it is a good idea to add sections with your photos and/or videos.

Ning has a link in the left column for "+ Apps." These are various applications you can add to your page to make it more interactive. The app called "My Text Box" allows you to add extra sections to your page to include customized content. You can include more photos, video, widgets, etc. HTML is allowed. Type "my text box" into the search box to locate this app. On my page, I've used this app to add a banner linked to my website and a short description about myself, and I've placed this section first on my page above my profile information and photos.

I choose to put the "Latest Activity" and "Gifts Received" sections at the very bottom of my page below the comments, but you may prefer to have it in a different position on your page.

There are many ways to configure your personal Ning page. Do restrict yourself to what you've been given. I hope that this post is beneficial in helping you to organize your Ning page.

About a year into writing my memoir, black and (A)broad: traveling beyond the limitations of identity (available on Amazon as ofSeptember 1, 2010), I decided to travel the road of independent publishing. Notwilling to play the traditional game of sending hundreds of query letters toacquisitions editors who don’t have the time to acknowledge that they’ve evenreceived them, I chose to invest my time and fragile pride into a moreproductive enterprise: saying what I wanted to say in my own voice and on myown terms.

A fellow writer warned me that if I took this route, I would ruin my credibility as a writer. “No major publishing house will ever sign youif you self-publish. You’ll stigmatize yourself as an author.” Realizing thatthere might be some truth in her admonition, I forged on and in the processlearned a helluva lot. In this five-part post, I want to share what I know tobe the five essential I’s of independent publishing: investment, identity,involvement, innovation and inspiration.

This week’s topic is investment.

I wanted to be taken seriously as an author, so my first step was to take myself seriously. I did this by investing time as well asmoney. I made the time to ask and answer these essential questions: did Ibelieve in my writing talent? was I passionate about my idea? was I willing towrite (for years if necessary) without being paid? was I willing to write abook knowing that I may sell it only to my close friends and family? was Iwilling to revise my work until I was satisfied that my message was clear?

Yes, I’ve also invested quite a bit of money, which I earned through my side gig as a freelance translator, proofreader and editor. Whatbetter way to invest every cent of my earnings than in my own project? If Iwanted my potential audience to reciprocate,yes""> I had to releas a quality book. Here’s the breakdown of mymajor investments in euros:

650 for a professional writing mentor (www.joparfitt.com) She’s brilliant, by the way.

400 to commission a professional artist to design my book cover.

600 for marketing (media releases, keyword optimization on blog, branding)

750 for professional layout of book cover and internal pages

150 set-up fee on Lightning Source

300 to cater upcoming launch party

300 for press shots (Natalie Carstens at www.tigscreations.com made me look stunning)

That’s not counting the countless hours of writing.

So far, my time investment has paid off. I’ve accomplished what hundreds of thousands of writers have not: I’ve written a book on a topicthat I’m passionate about. I’ve controlled every aspect of my own creative lifefrom determining when it will be published (September 1, 2010 on Amazon) to itstitle (black and (A)broad: traveling beyond the limits of identity) to itscover to its contents. More importantly, I can say, with my chest out and mychin up, that I’m an author.

Whether or not the financial investment pays off remains to be seen. In the meantime, come back next week for part two of the fiveessential I’s of independent publishing: identity.

check out my blog http://www.blackandabroad.com

url: http://www.cocoababies.com

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This shirt is so fly. It has an Egyptian (Afrikan)woman in a yoga stance. Pictures such as these were found on the walls of Egypt which proves that we were doing yoga way before other peoples were. We are all born goddesses and it is in each and every one of us to do God or good things. Purchase yours today at SoulSeed Tees.

I must admit that in the past I was a tad judgmental about bloggers. I didn’t get it. Every blog I’d ever read sounded like a journal entry. I would often find myself wondering ,who were these blog people and why do they think that everyone cares about the minute details of their lives?”

Well, my little sister sends these emails every once in awhile. They started back when she was in college. She sends them to her close friends and family, myself included. They just give a brief detail of where she is and what she’s been up to since the last time she wrote. Back when she was studying abroad they included such detail that I started saving them. I thought, “ she’s going to want to look back on these some say, or maybe I will.” They were more than just a catalog of events, but read more like journal posts. Well, She’d written so many of them that I said she should create a blog. Of course, having such an anti-blog attitude, my suggestion was taken with some skepticism.

When I mentioned the idea to my husband, he said that I should write my own blog. I immediately adopted the role of skeptic. What on earth could I possibly have to say? I mean, sure, a can talk for hours, but I am a horrible typist. I have a the grammar of a 4^th grader, despite the BA in English, and I haven’t tried to put coherent sentences together since I turned in my thesis 7 years ago. Then it hit me. I stopped writing. Not only had the creative writing stopped, but even my journaling had become sporadic. I used to write every single day. I really miss it, even if I never was very good.

So, I have decided to take my own advice. I’m starting a blog. About what, you may ask… well, about taking my own advice. I spend a great deal of time at work, as part of my business, and in my personal life dishing out advice. Every once in awhile I’ll say something, and immediately think, “wow, I should listen to my own advice.” Then, the moment passes. I forget that brief moment of clarity. It is almost as if by speaking the words aloud the woman or women that I am speaking to physically pluck the thought from my mind, place it in their purses, and leave with it. From this point on I will write down my advice as soon as realize that I’m giving it. Then I will figure out where it fits into my life. I will take action. Then I will post it on the internet. Score one point for narcissism.

This is not to say that I will be blogging every day. It simply means that I’m looking forward to finding out what the outcomes of my own advice may be. Perhaps there will even be a few of you out there who have fallen prey to one of my so called nuggets of wisdom and you want to put your two cents in. That would be great too. Often we have the best of intentions. We make a suggestion and we don’t realize that we have just changed someone’s life forever.

This time I’m going to change my own life. I’m going to take my own advice.

Stay tuned…

Lina Williams, Sexy Lifestyle Advisor

Do you dread going to work? Feel like you were made to something else with your life other than working for “the man?” Or is your hobby starting to pay you more than your day job? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then it’s time to move on and follow your purpose. But first, we must identify the risks and rewards of quitting your day job and becoming an entrepreneur. Finally, we will learn 10 key strategies for implementing your purpose because although entrepreneurship may be calling you, are you really ready for it?

Okay! Let’s be real, here. There are risks to quitting one’s job, but many are just plain myths that need debunking because they are preventing you from following your purpose. Here are the top five myths to reasons why not to quit your day job:

· I will have no Health Insurance

· I will lose or not have Retirement Funds

· I will be homeless

· I need thousands of dollars to start my business and to survive

· There is no security in entrepreneurship

Now here is reality. First, you can purchase private health insurance that may cost more, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Google health insurance options online such as www.ehealthinsurance.com or call your local insurance agency such as Nationwide Insurance or State Farm. Second, you can rollover your 401(k) plans or others into a ROTH IRA. Talk to your financial advisor/planner for more information as they are a resource that everyone should use to help make sound financial decisions like quitting one’s job. Third, your home can be protected through insurance and other special programs. Again, speak with your financial advisor/planner to learn about your options. Fourth and most pivotal to your success, is plan, plan, plan, budget, budget and here, again, is where your financial advisor/planner will come in handy. Are you beginning to see a pattern here? Visit your local Small Business Administration technology center or go to their website at www.sba.gov. They can provide you with a plethora of information on funding options and more. Finally, tomorrow is not promised to anyone. If you plan smartly and be clear about your objectives, quitting your job will not lead you to the unemployment line.

Now, as previously stated, you must plan smartly and be clear about your objectives. Quitting your day job is a big step, and one must not become caught up in the myths about the rewards of being your own boss. So, here are some myths about the rewards of quitting your day job.

· I don’t have to answer to anyone

· I can set my own hours and work when I want

· I have an idea that is going to make millions

· I can go on vacation when I want to

Stop right there! If these are the reasons you want to quit your day job, you and your family are in trouble. The reality to entrepreneurship is that you do have to answer to someone – YOUR CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS. Entrepreneurship is not an 8 hour job, but a 24 hour job. Most businesses, depending on the industry, do not see a profit for the first 2-5 years. And can you say TAXES, EMPLOYEES, MARKETING and RENT/LEASE FEES? Finally, who’s going to cover the shop when you are on vacation? Many entrepreneurs have not made that leap to business owner where the company can now function without the owner/founder’s presence. You are the sales clerk, janitor, cashier, secretary and CEO until the business has “arrived.”

The bottom line is that the decision to quit one’s job is very personal and subjective. It is not something that can necessarily be predicted as being the right thing or the wrong thing to do at the time of the decision-making process. But is something that can work to you and your family’s advantage if it fits in line with your purpose and with careful planning.

So, are you ready to turn in your resignation? Wait! I want to leave you with 10 key strategies for implementing your purpose before you take that leap of faith into entrepreneurship.

10 Key Strategies to Implementing Your Purpose

1. Create a list of the things you are good at and enjoy doing: What is your calling? Write down your vision

2. Create a list of pros and cons about your current job: Be real and not just make up excuses here. Perhaps you will find that you might not need to leave the job just yet, but can leverage a raise or a newly created position tailor-made for you.

3. Plan a long-term and short-term list of goals that relate to 1 & 2: Speak with a counselor at a local women’s business center to help with this.

4. Tell your Crying Angel Network or your business consultant/coach your ideas and goals: Get a fresh perspective from someone who is not your family or circle.

5. Before quit job, see if you can negotiate a part-time deal: Don’t leave until all avenues have been exhausted – keep a part-time job until income from purpose super cedes or matches income from job.

6. Research access to capital: Capital can come in many different forms such as friends, family, loans, and savings. Bottom line: you must have a money plan.

7. Live within your means: You should start a budget and have been living by it at least 3 months before quit your job, if possible. If not, call your financial advisor/planner immediately.

8. Network, Network, Network: You can use the traditional (i.e., BNI groups, workshops & seminars) and/or non-traditional (i.e., post office, birthday parties, grocery store), but you must learn how to network and use your net to work for you.

9. Talk to your spouse before you jump into the water: Get their support or understanding, if not both, because this decision will impact them for a long time to come. They need to know where they stand in all of this because they will be making sacrifices with you. This is not about just you.

10. Keep a sense of humor because you are going to need it: That’s right! Laughter is the remedy for insanity and depression, so keep laughing and enjoy the journey.

One of my favorite inspirational quotes says, “Ambition knows no obstacles” (Chinese Proverb). I want to add to that that ambition is a curse without careful planning. That is not to say that you will be able to plan everything out, but when the bumps come up - and they will - you, your company and your family will be better equipped to handle them.

~Copyright © 2010 Rebekah L. Pierce. Mrs. Pierce is the Founder and President of The Girlfriend Connection (formerly Average Girl Magazine LLC). She is also a playwright, former radio talk show host, motivational speaker, teacher, wife and mother. Visit www.thegirlfriendconnection.yolasite.com for more information.

I again received a blog post from Dante Lee Ceo of Diversity Media Group. His blog post, often short and sweet are also packed full of practical business ideas and tips.

This latest blog post doesn't disappoint. He offers practical and immediate tips on how simplicity is always the best practice when selling services online.

Check out his blog post here:

http://www.dantelee.com/2010/07/why-90-of-people-i-market-to-buy-what.html

Be empowered.

Katrina

MillerCoors has announced it's 2010 Business Plan competition and the grand prize is $100,000

Check out this blog post from Dante Lee for further details.

http://www.dantelee.com/

We’ve all probably gone through this feeling at one time or another – amidst all the hustle and bustle of a seemingly great life, you still feel like something is missing. There’s that little part of you that feels restless, even while everything else seems to be in place. Your mate and the kids “seem happy” with the job you are doing, home affairs appear to be running smoothly, and your career may even be at its peak. Yet something still just doesn’t feel right, and you can’t quite figure out what that is.

You may be feeling this way because you have given blood, sweat and rivers of tears for the people you love but not for the person you should be loving the most – yourself! This does not mean that you should only be thinking about yourself from now on. However, you, as the beautiful soul that you are, personally need undivided attention – you need to feed your body, soul and spirit because together they comprise the only YOU there is!

Most women find it difficult to focus on themselves and their needs due to societal conditioning. They constantly worry too much about things falling apart if they let go of feeling responsible for everyone else. But think of how things will go completley haywire if you run your energy into the ground by attending to the needs of others and not your own. Pretty soon your body and spirit will have to step in and create “me time” for you. This could mean that you will fall ill, begin to forget the important things or just feel plain’ole worn out.

When deciding to make the most important decision and the extremely valuable move to commit to your own personal needs and wants; you must be ready to release the “small ideas” you have had about your life. This is not about measuring up with some parameters for comparison – your happiness is not about keeping up with the Jones’; it’s about attaining daily habits and routines that allow your spirit to sing…everyday. Life is not an uncharted race of trying to beat out somebody else; it’s about being happy with where you are in your life at any given moment.

You are a unique individual with needs that are different from everyone else. When you begin to focus on these, you will be amazed at how much better you will feel and how all of your relationships will improve. Attending to our own personal needs and wants helps us identify where we have been standing in our own way and allows us to grow into the spirits that we have always wanted to be. Once you set out on the course to “radical transformation,” you may not like what you find immediately, but the journey of identifying your truth then living your life from it will be the greatest reward.

Be aware that you will definitely feel “uncomfortable” in the beginning. Beginning to take time out for you when you are use to doing things for everyone else can make you feel so guilty. And if you grew up in the church…you will struggle with the falacy of “by doing things for yourself, you are not being a good Christian”…NONSENSE!!!

Once I started to peel back the layers of my personality, removing the shackles of society, and discovered that I was not perfect…it was damn near devastating. I had such a hard time shifting my focus to me when all my life I had seemed to focus on everything and everyone else. But it has to be done, the choices and decisions you will begin to make will determine the roadmap ahead. Like me, I feel that once you really begin tothink about it, you will want to take on a path that will lead you to a greater sense of self-awareness, connection/reconnection you’re your truth and the courage to live your life according to what “feels good” to you. Take a look below at these “radically transformative tips” that will help you focus on yourself so you can begin to enjoy your life:

1. Devote exclusive time for yourself each day. Set a definite hour for yourself alone and bask in an activity that you absolutely love. It can be time in the tub, a walk in the park, a manicure at the salon, sitting on your patio sipping coffee and doing nothing else – whatever it is that pleases you. Do something strictly for pleasure and not to move you further along in your career or in your relationships. This time is strictly for you. Learn to play…hell, by a set of jacks or a tonka truck and get busy. You could also use this time to reflect in your journal, dream the biggest dream you can imagine, and write down all of the things you will do and have once your dream is realized.

2. Give value to your overall needs, and be in-charge of them – the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional. Don’t make the mistake of thinking these needs are dependent on someone else or that you can only have satisfaction and happiness when somebody else does something to you or for you. You have the power within yourself to attain these needs and that is the only way you will become a whole person. Want to strengthen your relationship with self and show up to a dating situation whole…then (excuse my slang) but…get-chu some bidnez! Making the other person 100% responsible for your happiness is not attractive nor is it healthy.

3. Feed your mind, body and spirit with good and healthy things. Find positive energy to stimulate you, positive thoughts to motivate you and positive people to be around. Feed your body well – eat healthy, taking in lots of fruits and vegetables and get plenty of water. Do like I do, since I don’t like to eat them, I blend them and drink them all together. Feed your mind with informative material. Read lots of motivational books, listen to audiobooks and attend pleasurable events. I’m not one to read the newspaper or watch the news. How do I stay up on current events you ask? Trust me, there are tons of others who enjoy feeding their mind and spirit with the negativity of the world…if I want to know, I’m sure they will be willing to share. If you can’t detach from the news completely, at least limit the amount of time spent watching, listening or reading the news.

4. Limit your time on the TV – if you need to, watch the “feel good” programs that let you laugh about life and stimulate your spirit. Listen to soothing music. Music has that magical ability to relax or stimulate your mind, depending on what you need at that particular moment.

5. Spend time doing something you love. If you are able to do it daily, do so. It can be a hobby like people watching (oh wait…that’s one of mine…giggle) gardening or a creative pastime like painting, pottery or craftworks. Whenever your creative outbursts are at their peak, translate that into action; whatever that means to you. It’s always nice to be doing something beautiful.

6. Create your own gratitude journal. Did you know that a lot of bestselling motivational books started from the authors’ personal gratitude journal? You can begin to write down even just five things you’re grateful for each day. Pretty soon, you’ll see your list growing and you’ll begin to notice how good it is to focus on the positive things in this world. I bet you’ll be writing longer reflections and short stoties in no time because you’ll be writing about the good things rather than dwelling on the occasional obstacles of life.

There really is no better way to take good care of yourself than focusing on your needs and wants. Feeding yourself constantly allows you meet the challenge of each new day with a positive attitude and a happy heart – fully content with where you are at each present moment. And when you are ready to kick it up a notch and “Radically Transform” your life…you know where to find me. You can reach out to me directly or radically transform in the comfort of your own home. The choice of HOW you do it is yours…all I ask it that you step up to the plate and “MAKE IT HAPPEN!”