Should You Get A Blog?

Should You Get A Blog?

by: Andrea J. Lee

A blog is a type of website. It allows the website owner to easily write messages that get posted to the site automatically, often in a journal or diarylike style. A particularly appealing thing about blogs is that your readers can comment back to your posts fairly easily, and a continuous stream of fresh conversations result. (This is a good thing.)

Here are three reasons to consider getting a blog:

1.To Replace Your Ezine

If you currently publish an ezine, you may wish to consider replacing it with a regularly published blog. This means using your blog to publish journal entries, and then when it comes time to communicate with your subscriber list, you excerpt some items from your blog, and send those out as your ezine.

This saves you from creating special articles only for your ezine. In many cases it becomes easier for you to write in blog format (short and sweet) so you save time. Readers enjoy the practical, ‘reporterlikeก nature of blogs instead of ezines, and gradually come to feel that they are in conversation with you on a daily basis. You become part of their everyday circle of friends and associates, which leads to you becoming their natural resource on the topic of your expertise.

2. To Create a Quick and Dirty Learning Environment or eCampus

For those of you who offer TeleClasses or other programs that want to have a web page of learning resources, links, class notes and audio, etc., a blog can be a great way to bring together an eCampus.

If you offer a workshop, coaching/consulting, or even a software solution, and you want to instantly add value to your clients, create a กclient/student resource pageก using a blog. This becomes an environment that the students can play in, study more, and soak up your materials. Your clients continue to benefit from your expertise even though you’re not physically there; they do it at their pace, and at little cost to you.

Once again, because blogging makes it easy for you to continually update your website without mucking around with FrontPage or DreamWeaver, you will save time and energy publishing to the Internet.

3.) Just For Fun, And To Be Cool

Letกs face it, a large part of the reason you’re wondering about blogs is because it sounds cool, right? And new stuff is fun. So why not try it just because? Sometimes itกs enough to try something because it stretches you, keeps you limber and awake to possibilities. Thereกs nothing wrong with playing, UNLESS you fool yourself into thinking your business is improving, or you’re somehow paying the mortgage while you play.

Rest easy, thereกs no pressure to get a blog. Not getting one won’t negatively impact your bottom line. So although the technology can be entrancing, stay focused… what are you selling to who? How is it going? That said, do stay curious about new technology. Part of your chosen profession as an online biz owner means modeling for others by staying abreast of new things.

With that in mind, see some fun blogs at the blog search engine: http://www.blogsearchengine.com/

About The Author

Andrea J. Lee coaches entrepreneurs and online business owners. As Thomas J. Leonardกs General Manager, she helped build and manage the largest network and trainer of personal and business coaches in the world. Now the CEO of Andrea J. Lee Group of Companies, she writes, speaks and consults on Marketing, Internet and Business systems. For more helpful tips, visit www.39lessons.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on May 04, 2004

by Andrea J. Lee

Overcoming Frustration with Technology

Overcoming Frustration with Technology

by: Andrea J. Lee

For whatever reason, when we get a new boost in productivity, whether that be from a tool, technology or technique…we quickly forget how much more efficient itกs made us. Itกs human nature. Itกs like the commuter who gets angry about how bad traffic is, but forgets what a pain it was to wait for the bus. Or the cell phone user who complains about a bad connection, and forgets about the days when he had to fish for spare change to make a call from a pay phone.

Itกs much the same with technology.

If your plan for your online business is in a long term one, thereกs no getting around it: You will have to find a way to overcome the frustrations you will have with technology. Itกs inevitable.

Here are some simple tips for dealing with the frustration

Slow down.

Letกs start with an analogy: When you’re driving a car at 100 miles per hour, a small thing like a bumblebee hitting the windshield can cause you to lose control and crash. How does this translate to online frustration?

When you’re straining your systems and technology to work faster and better for you, the smallest technical glitch can have a bigger impact on your performance than seems logical. Thatกs because you are pushing for กmore, faster and betterก in the first place.

The solution is to slow down. What this means for you as a carbonbased being is: take a stretch break, breathe a couple deep breaths and generally loosen up. Lighten your grip on the intensity you are trying to sustain, both for yourself and your systems.

Concretely, this may mean taking care of your email just a little bit slower. Typing not quite as fast. Or giving yourself an extra hour to set up your new audio recorder. The extra time spent is worth it if it means you don’t have to clean up a tangle later. This may seem counterproductive, but it gives your tools time to do their work for you. Sometimes you have to slow down to get to your destination sooner.

Change channels.

Online frustration is something most people experience from time to time, and this includes your suppliers or contractors. If you have a virtual assistant, you likely know this first hand. The next time you, a colleague or assistant experiences frustration with technology, suggest they กchange channelsก. This means exactly what you think it means, that is, switch tasks.

If your technology is acting up, try switching to an activity that comes naturally to you before going back to solve the problem. Thereกs no point forcing something to work when it is resisting you. Go where the energy is flowing by changing channels.

‘remember when.ก

Yes, a little reminiscing can be the perfect medicine when you’re struggling with technology. As you try to set up your email account for the 12th time, consider the fact that just 10 years ago, thousands of small business owners did not have email, and did all their correspondence by mail, telephone or fax. Do you remember your กmail inboxก in the last office you worked in? How about letter openers, overflowing voicemail boxes or wet sponges to seal piles of envelopes? Remember when we used to get paper cuts on a regular basis?

With the increasing growth of the personal development movement in the last 10 years, many of us have learned to become more selfaware and handle anger, frustration and other strong emotions with techniques such as meditation, journaling or even prayer.

But because the Internet is a newish modality, sometimes we forget to apply these relaxation techniques to handle กcyberก stress. The next time you have the technology blues, stop. Don’t struggle. Instead, become childlike slow down and enjoy, play awhile, and laugh a little about the wonder of it all.

About The Author

Andrea J. Lee coaches entrepreneurs and online business owners. As Thomas J. Leonardกs General Manager, she helped build and manage the largest network and trainer of personal and business coaches in the world. Now the CEO of Andrea J. Lee Group of Companies, she writes, speaks and consults on Marketing, Internet and Business systems. For more helpful tips, visit www.39lessons.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on May 04, 2004

by Andrea J. Lee