http://www.herfuture.com/profile/TaniaSantanaSantos

http://www.herfuture.com/profile/EmilyLButler

http://www.herfuture.com/profile/Marie38

http://www.herfuture.com/profile/GabrielleBernstein

http://www.herfuture.com/profile/DeeLoveSolutions

http://www.herfuture.com/profile/Nitika

http://www.herfuture.com/profile/ReenaDesai

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Regardless of who invented the Internet … (Mr. Gore, taking credit…lol!)  Definitely, almost everyone we know has a website.  There are over 300 MILLION domains registered and another 100K+ new domains every day.  The entire planet has 6 Billion people and 1/3 or 2 BILLION are online.  How the hell do we cut through the clutter?

Well, this is just for fun and your browsing pleasure … here are some of the more fun/creative websites we’ve seen in a while.

http://www.jimcarrey.com You HAVE to spend a lot of time on this site, it’s like a treasure hunt … but completely creative and fun.  Way to go, Jim!

http://www.nationalgridfloe.com/ Just coolness and environmentally friendly too!  We think you should “befriend a bear”.

http://demo.fb.se/e/apoteket/sneezeaid/site/index_en.html Does your kiddo have a cold?  Fun interactive site!!!

http://www.parasol-island.com/ Fun Loader and cool site!

http://www.comcasttown.com/ How fun is this?  Imagine your destination like this!!!

http://www.syfy.com/tinman/oz/ A little long on the loading time … but a lot of fun and worth it.

http://www.nike.com/nikelab/site.html?en_US#/ Beautiful, simple flash … great integration.

http://moodstream.gettyimages.com/ Cool Site for “Mood images” if you are on the hunt … good prices too.

My list for cool sites is soooo long, but these should get your creative juices flowing.  Don’t listen to your SEO person that says … NO FLASH.  That’s sooooo 2006.  Today, flash is completely optimizable and, truth be told, if your site is cool … it gets viral.  How do you think I found these?  Certainly not by looking for the products … it’s the buzz,  it’s the entertainment.  If you think you are stretching it … stretch it more.  And, don’t let your resident geek say, “it’s impossible”.  Just look for another tool (you can call me :-)  Remember the doorknob from Alice in Wonderland.

Alice:  “You mean impossible”

Doorknob:  “No, impassible.  Nothing’s impossible“.

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So, what are the rules that would govern a passion turning into Genius? After doing a little blog reading and sharing stories with fellow colleagues and entrepreneurs, here are my humble thoughts on the rules of passion that define true genius in what we do.

Question yourself:

1.  What are the things that I am really passionate about and how do they apply to my life?  This is step-back time.  My personal story is that I actually took a break from Internet Marketing after 10 years in the trenches and asked myself … is this who I am?  Am I saving lives here?  Am I contributing to a better society by running media?  But, I knew it — I know Interactive Strategy like I know breathing.  It’s natural, it’s exciting and it’s what makes me feel good about me.  After taking a hiatus, when I got a call from one of my contacts in the Tourism Industry, and told me he was running a large campaign and didn’t trust anyone but me – my heart fluttered.  My “sign” from the universe was that. Just because I’m not working at saving lives, I did have a gift to be shared and it was for the benefit of those trying to do their jobs.  I am helping, shaping and contributing to a better society by not letting these gifts stay hidden.

2.  Concentrate on your talents for the good, not the dollar.  Now, to my advertising friends, I know we are in a commercial business. And, certainly a decent living must be expected for a full and happy lifestyle.  But, I’m talking about flipping the script. If your business plan starts with how much money you can make, you’re sure to have lost passion for anything but money.  Money is cheap.  True ideas, unique ideas and filling a need in society assures you a living, an abundance.  But you must find out what you want and how you want to affect people’s lives.  The money will follow and the universe always provides to those who believe.

3.  You’d better be having fun!  Even in the most mundane tasks (which all of us hate), give thanks for the opportunity to do those tasks that support your passion.  Contract writing is notoriously boring … but I have made a habit of doing this in a way that promotes my passion and gives thanks for the opportunity.  When I write contracts, I do it out of my normal office environment, have a glass of wine and pour my passion into the thanks I have for the people who want to do business with me.  What a way to shift your passion! Focus on the end, not the task and revel in the small things.  Hate to answer emails ? Well, hell — be glad they are coming!  Passion that is deep and true has to ring through both the mundane and the challenging.

4.  Passion is Inspired, not forced.  There are good days and bad days with your vision, whatever it may be.  If you are a company rolling out a marketing campaign, it’s easy to lose the end passion in the tasks (see above rule).  But, like they say about keeping your eye on the prize, it is the passion you have — whether it be the promotion you get from a genius idea, the vision you see through to fruition with a new product or just “who you want to be when you grow up”. Inspired action comes naturally.  It wakes you up for insane ideas at 2am, it gnaws at your brain and asks for speed of intention.  If you have an off day, and question your passion, reset and revisit.  Do not give up.

5.  People will think you’re crazy, and that’s a good thing.  You see, we all yearn for that comfy life, the 9-5er, and an abundance of free time.  But, when you have a passion for something it’s just in you.  Like Bill Cosby says “Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it and it’s very hard for people to stop you”.  How true.  If all you are risking is someone looking at what you want and asking, “huh?” What’s the harm in that, really?  100 years from now… how do you want your legacy remembered?  That safe, comfy life — or sliding, experiencing and risking it all for the glory of your passion?  I choose the latter.  When I started this company people told me, there are too many internet consultants, education will never work in your industry, and web knowledge is everywhere, you employ no sales staff, your competition will eat you alive … the list goes on.  My answer was, “so?”  I have something unique to share, more to teach than code … more to inspire than a Facebook page. And to tell the truth, you just have to know me to understand my passion for what I do.  I am referral only.  Standing here three years later watching all my passions come to fruition with like minded companies and individuals.  I have more followers and fans than anyone in my industry and I still have no sales staff.  It works.  I live, breathe and give all to my passion.  I hope you do the same.

Internet wishes, and social dreams,

Jenn

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2.  Don’t disparage the work of your colleagues OR your competitors.

3.  Don’t be aggressive in self promotion. Be humble and ask for permission. Certainly use the appropriate way to promote, common interests, cool news, etc.  DO NOT SPAM, that’s the fastest way to burn a bridge.

4.  Don’t engage in a “pissing match”, no matter how rude or provocative the comments may seem.

5.  Mix business with pleasure carefully.  You want to be real … but some things are just better not said on the web.  Use common sense, if you don’t have any — borrow from a friend.  :-)

6.  Keep the joke forwarding to a minimum, you never know who you might insult, or who you might spam.  I mean, we have WORK to do!

7.  Treat everyone and their opinions the same way you would treat your mom. Be polite , funny and articulate.

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In a nutshell, Microblogging is a shortened kind of blogging.  Blogging is more like article writing, and it can go on for as long as you can type, or anyone can stand to read.  :-P  Microblogging was introduced in 2005 as a quicker way to communicate, initially through text messages.  Texting has a limited amount of characters and can be a quick back and forth conversation, same as a Microblog.  Restricted characters and a Mass Audience.  To better explain the microblog and the different types that are out there, I have included below the official information from Wikipedia, which does a far more thorough job of explaining than I could manage for you. :)

From Wikipedia, ENJOY:

Microblogging is a form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically much smaller, in both actual size and aggregate file size. A microblog entry could consist of nothing but a short sentence fragment, or an image or embedded video.

As with traditional blogging, microbloggers post about topics ranging from the simple, such as “what I’m doing right now,” to the thematic, such as “sports cars.” Commercial microblogs also exist, to promote websites, services and/or products.

Some microblogging services offer features such as privacy settings, which allow users to control who can read their microblogs, or alternative ways of publishing entries besides the web-based interface. These may include text messaging, instant messaging, E-mail, or digital audio.

Services

The first microblogs were known as as tumblelogs. The term was coined by why the lucky stiff in a blog post on April 12, 2005, while describing Christian Neukirchen’s Anarchaia.

“Blogging has mutated into simpler forms (specifically, link- and mob- and aud- and vid- variant), but I don’t think I’ve seen a blog like Chris Neukirchen’s Anarchaia, which fudges together a bunch of disparate forms of citation (links, quotes, flickrings) into a very long and narrow and distracted tumblelog.”

Jason Kottke described tumblelogs on October 19, 2005:^[1]

“A tumblelog is a quick and dirty stream of consciousness, a bit like a remaindered links style linklog but with more than just links. They remind me of an older style of blogging, back when people did sites by hand, before Movable Type made post titles all but mandatory, blog entries turned into short magazine articles, and posts belonged to a conversation distributed throughout the entire blogosphere. Robot Wisdom and Bifurcated Rivets are two older style weblogs that feel very much like these tumblelogs with minimal commentary, little cross-blog chatter, the barest whiff of a finished published work, almost pure editing…really just a way to quickly publish the “stuff” that you run across every day on the web.”

However, by 2006 and 2007, the term microblog came into greater usage for such services provided by Tumblr and Twitter. In May 2007, 111 microblogging sites were counted internationally.^[2] Among the most notable services are Twitter, Tumblr, Plurk, Emote.in, Squeelr, Beeing, Jaiku and identi.ca. More recently, varieties of services and software with the feature of microblogging have been developed. Squeelr adds geolocation and pictures to the microblog, while eliminating user accounts, making it an anonymous microblogging service. Plurk has a timeline view which integrates video and picture sharing. Emote.in has a concept of sharing emotions, built over microblogging; with a timeline. Pownce (developed by Digg founder Kevin Rose with three other developers) integrated microblogging with file sharing and event invitations. Following its acquisition by SixApart Pownce has been shut down effective December 15, 2008 while an upcoming replacement “Motion” is in the works.

Other leading social networking websites Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and XING also have their own microblogging feature, better known as status updates.

Users and organizations are also able to set up their own microblogging service. Open source and free software is available for download for this purpose.^[3]

With the growth of microblogging, many users want to maintain presence in more than one or more social networks. Services such as Lifestream and Profilactic will aggregate microblogs from multiple social networks into a single list. Services such as Ping.fm will send out your microblog to multiple social networks.

Usage

Several studies, most notably by Harvard Business School and Sysomos, have tried to analyze the usage behavior of Microblogging services.^[4][5] Many of these studies show that for services such as Twitter, there is a small group of active users contributing to most of the activity.^[6] Sysomos’ Inside Twitter survey, based on more than 11 million users, shows that 10% of Twitter users account for 86% of all activity.

Twitter, Facebook and other microblogging services are also becoming a platform for marketing and public relations,^[7] with a sharp growth in the number of social media marketers. The Sysomos study shows that this specific group of marketers on Twitter is much more active than general user population, with 15% following more than 2,000 people. This is in sharp contrast to only 0.29% of overall Twitter users who follow more than 2,000 people.^[5]

Microblogging services have also emerged as an important source of real-time news updates for recent crisis situations, such as Mumbai terror attacks or Iran protests.^[8][9] The short nature of updates allow users to post news items quickly in real-time, reaching its audience in seconds.

The findings of a study by Emily Pronin of Princeton University and Harvard University’s Daniel Wegner have been cited as a possible explanation for the rapid growth of microblogging. The study suggests a link between short bursts of activity and feelings of elation, power and creativity.^[10]

Microblogging for organizational usage

Micro-blogging has the potential to become a new informal communication medium especially for collaborative work. Over the last few years communication patterns have shifted primarily from face-to-face communication to more online communication in E-mail, IM, and other tools. As more collaboration is being done remotely through technology, there are relatively fewer opportunities for face to face informal conversations. In addition because of time constraints at work due to employee downsizing there is more concern about interruptions along with convenience brought by IM and E-mail.

Many individuals like sharing the whereabouts and status updates in Microblogging. This highlights microblogging’s potential to support informal communication among co- workers. The areas where it looks to impact are the informational effects and the social and emotional effects. The informational effects include increased opportunistic valuable information sharing, expertise realizing, building and maintaining common ground. The social and emotional effects are mainly enhancing the feeling of connectedness among co-workers.

Some microblogging services, like Qaiku provide private channels and permission management tools for organizational microblogging.

Issues with microblogging

The main issues with micro blogging are privacy, security, and integration. Privacy is a major issue due to the concerns of broadcasting social or work information to everyone who follows their feed. About security, people^[who?] are worried about the public seeing possible sensitive work information on public microblogging sites like Twitter. Integration could be the hardest issue to overcome because the company and its employees would have to adopt microblogging into the corporate culture. This would take time since companies would need to recognize its value before they could embrace it.

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Back then, for marketers, Social Marketing was called Brand Management. We wanted to MANAGE the thoughts and buying patterns of consumers.  What was grossly overlooked were the real thoughts and emotional engagement of the buyers.  This was done behind the advertising scene, at kitchen tables and social events.  Let’s look at advertising as a “polite interruption” in the early days.  As television and radio dominated our entertainment, advertising began to adjust to be exactly that — more entertaining.  And for years, for decades, that’s how it was done.

Introduce the Internet.  Initially reserved for geeks and cyber chatters, the commercial world was leery about the medium that could not be controlled.  This medium has been social (or peer to peer) since its inception … we’ve just now caught on to that reality.  So, Brand Managers found another way to control our message:  websites.  Oh, YES!  The duplication of our brochures and catalogs just to control our message was considered the way to go.  Only one problem.  There is still a very social world of chatters, bloggers, etc who would opine about our products and services, and thanks to our constitution can do so without restraint.  At first, most marketers dismissed the online chatters as “unimportant”;  as the rantings of those with “nothing better to do”.  We misjudged the cultural shift that was happening at the speed of the Internet.  Millions of individuals could now find and discuss what they wanted in an honest peer-to-peer format.  Today we have Mommy Bloggers, Silver Haired Surfers and Gen Y who all want it their way, and demand a top experience from brands … an interactive experience.

But still, even with all the statistics about the need for a real conversation, not a contrived campaign — marketers continue to try and control the message, the popularity and the purchase of our products.  But, what has really shifted, the advertising or the people?  I say the people.  While we measure the internet through clicks and impressions – we rely on individuals who are as different as the snowflakes I am watching outside my window.  It reminds me of the old dating Joke, ” Do YOU like pizza?”, “I like pizza too!” Well then, we must be a match.

There are far more intricacies in an authentic conversation than just finding demographics or blanket common denominators.  But, it starts with knowing who YOU are. What are your real qualities and why would an individual want to interact with your brand.  “We have a beach”… ummm .. ok?  What else ya got?  What are the people there like?  Who has the same interests as I do? Etcetera.  Just like the old yarn about “split aparts” where every person has a destined mate … every product and destination has millions of matches.  But, you aren’t reaching them with banner ads, you’re reaching them through conversation.  Real, honest conversation.

And for God’s sake, please do not “pretend” to have a social campaign that is merely your ad agency flogging (fake blogging/posting) to continue to control the message. A recent blow up is Samsung — read about their bust here:  http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/174157. Don’t try this at home kids. Contrived=publicity nightmare.

Believe in your service and product and know that it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea … but that’s ok.  That’s what we are about, us online users.  We just want what WE want – don’t force us.  Talk to us honestly, inspire us emotionally and reap the rewards from a true match.  For the managers and CEOs who are terrified of bad comments from Tweeters or other social users:  I promise you, it’s never as bad as you think.  Even with the most vulnerable brands I have worked with, negative feedback is miniscule.  People aren’t joining your fan group just to be ugly.  They care, or they wouldn’t click.  If you have any negativity, deal with it honestly and above reproach.  But do it, and you’ll be glad you did.  Be honest, be real.  Let them know there are PEOPLE behind the brand. Promote yourself and the love you have for your brand – that is an infectious message.  You’ll hit speed bumps, but what’s life without the challenges that make us stronger?

Remember, dear marketer, you are a person first , and a brand second.

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Known for her practical, creative and down-to-earth approach, Emily’s intimate connection with natural healing also makes her one of the field’s most compassionate teachers.“I’ve stood in the client’s shoes before,” she says, “so I understand how much a client needs support from me, not just in terms of correct technique, but on the human level. Having the courage to change your life and heal yourself deserves respect, attention and compassion. I can assure you that the support you get from me is truly guilt-free.”

Many years ago, a yearlong internship under the tutelage of Saratoga Springs Acupuncturist Deborah Kozlowski introduced Emily to the foundational theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and gave her a rich appreciation of the healing arts. She soon discovered Eden Energy Medicine, which borrows from Traditional Chinese Medicine and other ancient healing traditions, yet offers a unique and sophisticated system tailored to the demands of our modern times. Impressed by the sophistication of EEM, and inspired by the system’s remarkable founder Donna Eden, Emily took years of classes and then joined the Eden Energy Medicine Certification Program.

In addition to her studies with Eden Energy Medicine, Emily infuses her practice with the body awareness gained from a lifetime of dance training, three Yoga Certifications (Ashtanga/Iyengar from Urban Yoga, Prenatal Yoga for Women from Janice Clarfeld and Yoga Trance Dance teacher training from Shiva Rea) and exploration in the Alexander Technique. Emily also holds a Reiki Level II certification, and Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude distinctions from Skidmore College.

Above all, she stresses empowerment in her practice. “Learning that you can heal yourself is a personal revelation. Once you learn these skills, you will have them for life.”

She maintains a private practice in Manhattan, offering workshops, guest speaking events and retreats throughout the East Coast.

Click here to visit her web site.

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Tania will be a special guest speaker at our first Dot Com Diva Unplugged Workshop in NYC, March 4, 2010! Have you booked your seat yet? Space is limited, so be sure to reserve soon!

What are some of the most important foods to eat, that people may be neglecting?

Whole grains, fruits and vegetables particularly due to their fiber which is lacking in the typical American diet as well as Omega 3’s which can be found in salmon, sardines, freshly ground flax seeds and walnuts or a quality fish oil supplement.

What are some quick tips for eating right while on the go?

Preparing the night before or picking a day out of the week to prepare for the week are ideal to have healthy snacks and meals available to you while on the go. Packing small celery sticks, carrots, nuts, seeds or even small healthy meals will enable you to make wiser and healthier meal choices throughout your day rather than waiting until you are famished or dehydrated therefore making poor decisions such as reaching for candy bars or fast food.

What does “work/life balance” mean to you, personally?

Work/life balance has always been important to me, so I make ure to give my career the attention and dedication it deserves during business hours and after my work day is done. I do the things that make me happy such as watch a movie, plan my next vacation or read a great book. Making time for Primary foods, the foods that nourish my soul such as my career, physical activity, spirituality and my relationships, all need to work in synergy.

How do you manage a busy schedule with personal wellness?

First, acknowledging that if I do not take care of my personal wellness I will not be a highly effective, productive and an energetic part of my organization therefore making it a priority to balance my schedule to include not only business tasks and priorities but to also make my personal wellness a priority by scheduling a massage, accupunture, a mani or a pedi or anything else that will make me happy. Having this balance in my life allows me to manage the everyday stresses of life.

What’s the number one advice you would give to professional women, looking to make a positive change in their lives?

Do not overwhelm yourself with unrealistic or grandios goals. Instead set goals that are attainable at this stage in your life, take small steps until you are comfortable to take leaps and bounds with ease. It takes time and effort to make positive changes but the the journey itself is where the reward awaits.

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Your brain needs exercise just like your body does. It’s been said that the more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to process and remember information. Memory exercises increase brain power because in your conscious mind you can only work with what you can remember. The simplest memory exercise is to start telling yourself to remember. If you just learned something new, for example, tell yourself, “Remember that”. Another popular way to exercise your brain is solving puzzles or riddles, which force you to think in unusual or creative ways. Puzzles and riddles help exercise your mind because they involve a host of mental tasks, including mathematics, logical reasoning, pattern recognition, and nonlinear thinking.

Below are a few more tips we have found that help improve your memory:

• Make sure you have music playing for at least a little while every day; while any music is good, research has found that classical music is especially stimulating to the intellect.
• Keep lots of books on hand, and make time to read them.
• Paint the walls of your home interesting, unusual colors or add some wallpaper. Select interesting art, knickknacks, rugs, and curtains. Try to include a variety of textures with things like pillows, blankets, and furniture fabrics.
• If you have the space, put a birdhouse and a bird feeder or birdbath outside your window. Add some brightly colored flowers to your yard or place planters or window boxes outside your windows.
• Don’t forget the flowers indoors, too; the colors and smells will be an added sensory boost.
• Plug in a computer and use it to surf the Internet or play a challenging game; computer games can improve memory in such fun ways you’ll hardly notice the effort.
• Try cooking food from a different culture, or visit restaurants with cuisines that are not usually on your menu.
• Include others in your life. Some research indicates that strong social connections can help stave off depression and Alzheimer’s disease and keep you alert and interested in life.
• Pay attention. You can’t remember something if you never learned it.
• Involve as many senses as possible. Even if you’re a visual learner, read out loud what you want to remember. If you can recite it rhythmically, even better. Try to relate information to colors, textures, smells and tastes. The physical act of rewriting information can help imprint it onto your brain.
• Relate information to what you already know and organize the information.
• Best of all, Be motivated and keep a positive attitude.

“Mental exercise is a key to good memory”. If you tend to stay active, interested in life, and engaged in the world around you, your memory doesn’t have to deteriorate as you grow older. Remember, anything that engages the senses will help to stimulate your mind and strengthen your memory. So touch, feel, smell, and experience new things as often as you can.

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Humor therapy is an emerging therapeutic field to help people heal quickly and it’s a remedy for people who are upset or have emotional disturbances. Humor therapy also has several important stress relieving benefits including decreasing stress hormone levels in our bodies, although the process of how is yet unknown. Research has also shown health benefits from laughter ranging from strengthening the immune system to reducing food cravings. Hospitals around the country are incorporating formal and informal laughter therapy programs into their therapeutic regimens. We all know that humor is our universal language and it is really very contagious. Humor is free and contains no side effect.

Laughter is GREAT for you. What we have to learn to remember is to try and have a sense of humor when we need it the most – on the rough days of our lives. It’s a proven fact that if you manage to find a way to bring your sense of humor to your daily conflicts like your job, your relationship with your spouse and children or your health or financial problems, you’ll go a long way toward improving the value of your life. Additionally, you’ll boost your physical health and well-being and relieve your stress levels. Remember to tune into your favorite comedy programs on TV or listen to your favorite amusing radio jack, read funny books or phone a friend and giggle for a moment! Humor improves our quality of life. So laugh a little!

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