Google’s Marissa Mayer with the top questions as selected and voted upon by the Digg community

Top Ten Financial Resolutions to keep in 2010

For many, the magic of the holiday season begins to fade as soon as they realize how much they spent over the holidays and calculate how big their credit card bills are going to be. On the bright side, the New Year offers the perfect opportunity to set attainable financial goals. Following are some examples of financial New Year’s resolutions worth keeping:

1. I will make informed financial decisions, understanding the difference between wants and needs.
2. I will communicate with my family about money matters so that we are all working toward the same goals.
3. I will be aware of the effects of advertising on the financial decisions I make, and resolve not to be influenced by them.
4. I will take care of my finances today by tracking expenses and creating a budget that is flexible and realistic.
5. I will take care of my finances tomorrow by saving for my future.
6. I will meet the credit obligations I have made on time and as agreed.
7. I will continue my personal education about financial health, budgeting, credit, and personal debt.
8. I will plan for periodic expenses, including the next holiday season.
9. By setting a good example, I will teach my children the importance of budgeting, saving, and the wise use of credit.
10. Finally, if I am over-obligated, I will take the necessary steps to seek assistance.

Cybercrime Prevention in 2010

Cybercrime Prevention
– Have antivirus software, anti-spyware and firewall
– Never respond to spam
– Don’t open suspicious emails or attachments
– Never provide passwords or personal information to unsolicited emails or Web sites
– When asked to ‘allow’ or ‘deny’ an application access to the Internet, choose deny unless you are confident in the safety of the site you are accessing
– When shopping or banking online, make sure website contains an “s” after http (as in https) . Look for the ‘lock’ icon in lower right corner
Sources: Symantec and Trend Micro

The Secret To Success…Passion

I get asked frequently, in this economy, “How is your business doing?” I tell all, “That we are thriving and that most of our clients are thriving.” They then ask, “What makes the difference?” I then give them the advice Jon  Gordon articulates, The strongest may survive but it is the passionate that will thrive. If you want to be successful today you must do the tough thing and prune your team, and then load your team with passionate people… and most of all you must be passionate yourself. In the past maybe you could be lukewarm and mediocre and still be successful. Not anymore. Now, in today’s competitive environment, your passion and your purpose must be greater than your challenges. You have to be willing to work harder, run faster, drive further, study more, practice longer, lead better, sweat more, love deeper and this requires passion. Passion wakes you up earlier. It dials your phone one more time to make one more sale. It rallies your team together when times are tough. It moves you to see one more patient after a long day at the hospital. It provides legendary customer service. Passion transforms workplaces.

But what about someone who has a low paying job or who is in a job that quite frankly is hard to be passionate about you might ask? I get this question often and my answer is: “It’s not the job or the money you are being paid but the passion that you bring to your job that matters.” After all, I’ve got fast food worker clients who are more passionate about their jobs than some of the professional athletes making millions of dollars that we serve.

If your people aren’t passionate about the work they do and the people they work with, and if they aren’t passionate about your brand and mission, then you need to let them off the team so they can find another team where they can live their passion. This is good for them and it’s good for your team.

By letting disengaged employees off the team you make room for those who are passionate about your team and organization-and with a company filled with passionate people you will thrive while others merely try to survive.

Wayne T. Essex PhD. – Essex & Associates



Is your website paying for itself?

Search Engine Marketing

If you have a website and you have relied on traffic that happens across your site you are doing yourself a terrible injustice. You should be seeing at least 1/2 of your traffic coming in through search engine traffic. Search engine traffic doesn’t just grow over time. You need to position your site with search engines through search engine registration and optimization, we call this the “organic search”. It is much cheaper than paying for ad clicks and should bring you a greater return over time. Here’s my top 10 list on Search engines and how they rely on the following items to find a site and help you gain good positioning:

1. Meta tag data – the keywords that place a customer or viewer to your site, required for every single page, 20 meta tags per page

2. Description tags – your site descriptions on every page of your site

3. Title tags – the titles that show up at the top of your windows

4. Content – the more pages the better, link your pages to each other and add relevant data throughout your site to gain better positioning. Make sure you have strategically placed the proper words throughout your pages that attract the right viewers

5. Site map - every site should have one, it will get you the positioning you are seeking for your website

6. Alt tags – make sure all of your images have been tagged with accurate names

7. Social networking – sign up for free sites like wordpress.com, twitter.com, facebook.com, myspace.com, linkedin.com, they bring much needed traffic and give you saturation in the marketplace, more is better

8. Monthly SEO services – this will help maintain positioning with the search engines and keep you at the top of the lists. This could run between $350 -$1500 per month

9. Tracking and reporting – Google Analytics is one of the best resources on the web today and it’s free to use.

10. Competitive analysis – Know what your competition is up to, look at their keywords and study the algorithms. A good SEO marketer can help you with this type of reporting

Search engine traffic doesn’t just grow over time. You need to position your site with search engines through search engine registration and optimization, we call this the “organic search”

There’s a lot more that can be done to improve your site, for instance, if you have an e-commerce site, is it built to attract an audience? Does it have all the tools mentioned above to allow it to be found by search engines? Have you taken the time to study the link popularity for your particular industry? If not than maybe you should consider an extreme web makeover….give me a call, I would welcome an opportunity to get your website to it’s rightful place of pulling it’s weight in the marketplace. Don’t waste another dollar on your site until it starts paying for itself!

You can contact me at dwade@dougwadedesign.com or go to my website at www.dougwadedesign.com

Accepting Change

What sets an employee apart from the rest? There is an attitude that you can display that makes you a valuable employee, consider this:

Accepting Change
It’s a common trait – people don’t like change. But in our fast-paced world, change is inevitable, especially in your career. Even if you’re not planning on making a career change in the near future, your employer may have a different idea for you. Here are a few tips to help you cope if change comes your way.

First, expect your job description to evolve. Companies are constantly growing, presenting the need for employees to change or to take on additional responsibilities. Be flexible and accept changes as opportunities for you to gain experience in new areas.

Next, check your attitude at the door. Many times employees react to changes they don’t like by adopting the “I’ll only do as much as I have to” attitude. In the end, though, no one is hurt except for your image. Accepting change and moving on with a professional attitude will demonstrate an ability to be flexible, helping your image in the long run.

Lastly, change is more easily accepted if you understand the reasons behind them. If your manager communicates an upcoming change to you, ask why the changes are coming and how they will benefit the company. Avoid appearing resistant, but rather be excited about new challenges.

Overall, take on change with an open mind. While adjustments may be difficult, an optimistic point of view will help make any transition easier.

This post was from Christian Jobs weekly – ChristianJobs.com

The Viral Underground

Do you think that you will be able to survive the new economy?. Would you like to get “more with less” money to spend? Businesses and individuals are suffering right now and nobody seems to have the answers.

Internet Statistics

I want to spell it out for you. If you are 15 or 50 years old, you are most likely experiencing the world of the internet. It weaves it’s way into every fiber of our culture these days. Why is it so important and having so much significance in our lives? Because it’s an organic tool to make your voice heard. It’s a viral community of people sharing and distributing information. It allows us to interact with our favorite TV shows, play games and email each other. Most of it pointless, but a lot of information that is relevant to where you are right now.

Life has not been the same since 911. Capitalism as we knew it, is gone. Big business and small business alike are all experiencing the same dilemma, how to get “more for less”. The money is tight, and not worth the paper it’s printed on, credit is maxed, loans are sparse, but you know that you need to take your product or service to market fast.
The internet offers hundreds of solutions to help you grow and maintain your reach. You don’t have to spend a million dollars on the next superbowl ad to communicate your message. The internet has a smorgasbord of options, consider the following:

1. Corporate video (if you don’t have one – shoot one) and post it under Youtube.com – the account is free, don’t forget to link people back to your website, www.sendwork.com

2. Podcasting – iTunes will let you sign up for free, just post your audio or video to the site and start reaching a new audience

3. Blogging – start sharing what you know, people are starving for good information, and link them back to your website, www.theguru.com

4. Online newsletters - got a mail list? You need to keep people informed, don’t let them forget about you, frequency is very important

5. Texting - did you realize most phone services will provide you with texting options that allow you to broadcast to everyone on your email list. You can fire this out from your website in just seconds

6. Distance learning – do you have to travel and spend countless hours and money to make presentations? You can do this via the internet, you can access video, slideshows, whiteboards and more with state-of-the-art webcasting tools

7. Desktop support – do you drive all over the city trying to solve the most mundane computer problems? Webex.com allows you to remote desktop right into your customers PC and fix the problems without leaving your desk

These are just a few of the ways you can weather the storm and the “new plan” of 2009. Please send me a note if you need any assistance in tackling your marketing giant this year, I would welcome the opportunity to serve you.

Graphic design as a career

What Do Graphic Designers Do?

Graphic design is everywhere. When it’s good, it has a way of feeling organic—like a natural part of our environment. However, if you stop to notice the lines and colors in ordinary objects, you can see that someone put thought into making them both functional and appealing. A quick survey of almost any room, city block or town square will yield several examples of graphic designers’ work. Graphic designers influence how we view the world using colors, illustrations, photos and fonts. Look at a book or magazine, go to a coffee shop, or take a drive. When you do, you’ll encounter graphic design. From company logos, to road signs, to product packaging, design is part of our everyday lives.

What Graphic Design Tasks are required?

In a graphic design job, you may be responsible for the following kinds of tasks:

• Brainstorming and mocking up design ideas
• Presenting ideas to clients
• Meeting with clients and adjusting designs to fit their needs or taste
• Projecting budgets and schedules
• Using computer software to execute designs
• Working with others, such as printers, programmers, developers or other technicians, to complete the final product

What skills are needed?

Artistic Sensibility - In the last few decades, computer software and technology have revolutionized the graphic design industry. Even so, there is no substitute for artistic sensibility. Knowledge about design elements, such as color and composition, is vital for graphic designers. Artistic ability and creativity are essential.

Technical Skill – A graphic design job requires the technical skills to use design software programs such as Adobe CS or web development tools like Joomla Content Management (CMS). You may learn other specific software in graphic design school; however, a general interest in computers and an aptitude for learning new technology will be beneficial. As technology continues to develop, graphic designers hoping for longevity in the field need to be able to adapt.

Communication Ability – Sometimes known as visual communication, graphic design requires the ability to effectively present ideas—both verbally and visually. You’ll need to be able to sell your ideas to clients and work with them to achieve the end product they want.

Organization – Graphic designers need to be organized in order to meet deadlines and stay within a budget. General business skills will come in handy, since many graphic designers work on a freelance or contract basis.

Problem Solving Ability – Graphic design is a brainteaser. Choosing just the right fonts, colors and lines to create a balanced composition, while simultaneously conveying meaning, is complicated. In order to succeed in a graphic design job, you’ll need to have strong problem solving skills and love a good challenge.

Is a graphic design job right for me?

If you have a good eye for color and composition, a love of technology, and skill in communicating ideas, a graphic design job will allow you to combine all of these elements in your work. A career in this field may be just right for you.

Web links for local schools:

Sinclair Community College
School of Advertising Art
Columbus College of Art & Design
Art Academy of Cincinnati

Types of jobs to apply for:

• Web Designer
• Web Developer
• Internet Specialist-Internet Marketer
• Presentation artist
• Video production
• Commercial artist
• Print designer (brochures, stationery, logos, posters, signs)
• Film production
• Ad agency
• Marketing communications

for more information

Internet Marketing – How to stay financially sound in 2010!

I am sending this message today to encourage you to consider “ramping up” your web marketing efforts and allow me to help you do it. I have seen increased success in the following efforts and the cost is much lower to bring in satisfied customers:

1. Search Engine registration and optimization – or being found at the top of the search engine results (Google, MSN, Yahoo)
2. Google analytics for tracking hits daily
3. Meta tags, description tags, alt tags and strategic creative writing for your website
4. Additional links, site maps, additional content pages for increased visits
5. Social networking links, adding a blog, Flickr, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter to your site links
6. Ad clicks for reciprocation with related sites
7. Networking between related sites, online directories and groups in your industry
8. Web-based storefront software with marketing tools integration

<blockquote>
The economy is tight and we need to be creative and cost effective when marketing today.</blockquote>

The economy is tight and we need to be creative and cost effective when marketing today. Whether you are seeking to reach new customers, sell more products and services or raise money for your organization you should not ignore this service. I would love to sit down with each of you in the next few weeks to discuss how we can assist you in your web marketing efforts, please contact me for consultation today.