Bullying is one of the largest problems in schools today. Each year millions of kids are bullied by their peers. It is a growing problem that only seems to be getting worse. Now there is a movie appropriately titled “Bully”. This movie was designed to take an up close and personal look at this growing epidemic and the lives of the children affected by it.

There are various forms of bullying:

• Verbal – which includes name calling and teasing
• Social – which includes spreading rumors, breaking up friendships, etc.
• Physical – which includes hitting, punching, etc.
• Cyberbullying – which includes using the internet, mobile phones and other forms of technology to bully someone.

With over 13 million American kids bullied every year, this documentary aims to combat this problem and bring about a better society. The goal is to educate parents, teachers, students and the community in general about how bullying affects everyone.

In 2010, 15 year old Phoebe Prince hung herself after relentless bullying by at least nine students at her school. She received endless emails, texts, Facebook messages and more taunting her. It seemed that even after death the bullying continued as some of the nine students put ugly comments on a Facebook memorial page that was started in her honor. It’s sad it ended this way as Phoebe’s family moved from Ireland to America so that there children could experience American life. A year after that move their daughter committed suicide because of the relentless bullying she went through.

This is what the documentary hopes to educate the public on and to spread awareness far and wide. Something has to change so that there are no more Phoebe’s walking around in fear every day or worse contemplating ending their life to escape a life of daily torture by other kids.

You can learn more about this amazing documentary and the world of bullying by visiting http://thebullyproject.com/.

I had the opportunity to participate in a Google+ hangout where we got to hangout with T.D. Jakes. He was discussing his new book “Let it Go“. This was an amazing experience to talk to a man who is changing the lives of people everywhere.

His new book “Let it Go” discusses how we can protect our minds from the stress and anxieties of life. His inspiration for this books was his great understanding of how stress and pressure have taken a toll on peoples lives. He stated that often it’s so hard to let things go. We end a relationship and it’s hard to let those feelings go. We hold onto anger and resentment instead of letting go of the past and giving forgiveness. He said it’s o.k to be angry but not when you stay angry. So this book was written to help those dealing with these issues.

He discussed how when it comes to celebrities and athletes they live in a different world so their anxiety and stressors are very different from those who are not in that world. He spoke of the late Whitney Houston and how he knew of her struggles and was rooting for her but he wasn’t privy to the downward spiral that she went on. He was there when she was on the rebound and was working to rebuild her life. He knew her mother very well but met Whitney while she was filming Sparkle. In his eulogy at Houston’s funeral he wanted the family to know that death wasn’t the end. She will live on and in the end death does not win because love lives on even when a person is no longer here. He gave Houston credit for not hiding her struggles from the public. While she battled her own demons she never hid them from the public.

He discussed his movies based on his book Woman Thou Art Loosed. He wanted the movies to show how women use their faith as a catalyst in their everyday experiences in life.

When it comes to social media, he said he feels social media has positives and negatives. He said it is positive in that it allows people to gain knowledge and information but the downside is when people use it for negative things.

This was a great opportunity to talk with a man who has influenced the lives of so many people. I am glad I was able to be a part of it. This is a great example of how Google+ is changing the way we interact with people. Under normal circumstances we may not have been given such a wonderful opportunity to meet this amazing man.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Kim Beasley

HERE’S TO ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS! WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!

It’s Administrative Assistant’s Day! It’s time to celebrate those assistants that help our businesses run smoothly each and every day. Today’s administrative professionals wear many hats. They are no longer just a secretary or a receptionist; they are more than an executive assistant. They are the face and voice that is on the front line of the business each and every day. They are the one that most of your customers may deal with.

Today is a day to give thanks to these professionals for the countless hours they put in for you and your business. There are many ways to celebrate these unique individuals. First and foremost the most important thing is to just say “thank you”. Let them know how much they mean to you and your business and how much you appreciate all that they do.

In addition you can thank them in many ways including:

• Sending them flowers.
• Taking them out to breakfast or lunch.
• Hosting an in-office breakfast or luncheon in their honor.
• Sending them a gift certificate to places like Amazon.com so they can get a great book.
• Giving them a gift certificate to their favorite lunch spot. 
• Letting them off early.

The possibilities are endless and will vary depending on your business or location but the most important thing is to let them know you appreciate all the hard work that they do for you.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Kim Beasley

What does it look like to be connected? Glad you asked. It means that you are:

• Participating in Google+ hangouts
• Circling people of interest
• Sharing post that others might find interesting
• Sharing photo that can brighten others’ days
• Commenting on and +1ing the posts that others share

You got into business to provide a product or service. You also want to make money doing something you love. So what happens when you are stalked via social media and worse your ideas are stolen via these outlets? This actually happens more than you may realize. I completed a survey recently and wanted to know what the thoughts were of the public and those in the business sector on the subject of stalking via social media and this is what they had to say:

• For many the first choice is to block this person from their social media applications. Blocking is a good place to start but you may also want to know who this stalker is and if they are stealing your ideas.
• In order to determine who may be stalking you, begin to check out some of your followers social media pages to determine if they are using any of your ideas. 
• If you find someone stealing your ideas confront them on it and ask them to remove the content from their social media site unless they give you full and proper credit.
• Obtain a Creative Common License (creativecommons.org) for your work. This is a licenses allow creators to communicate which rights they reserve, and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators. 

Ideas are powerful weapons. Granted behind those ideas there has to be a plan of action; a strategic plan but the idea is the catalyst. As with anything, if you have an idea that you are looking to turn into a marketable product, don’t post it out there on social media applications for the world to see and steal. As a person in the business world you have to take measures to protect yourself. Think ahead before you post on social media.

So what do you think about social media stalkers and what would you recommend to handle this issue?

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dr. Carolyn Miller of the blog talk radio show Getting Good at Life. I got to share my tips for increasing your bottom line in 2012. It was a rewarding experience and I feel fortunate to be able to have shared my insights with those who are looking to increase their bottom lines in 2012.

Dr. Carolyn Miller is a psychologist, speaker and life coach who has a passion for helping others live the best life possible. For nearly 20 years, Dr. Carolyn has provided consultation both nationally and internationally in her work with businesses, government, non-profits, churches, and universities. Dr. Miller skillfully employs psychological, inspirational and strategic approaches to her mission of personal empowerment.

We discussed how in 2012 smalls businesses struggles with really making their presence known. Branding was difficult for small businesses because many did not know how to brand themselves. I shared my tips on how to make a change in 2012 and become prosperous.

So what are you going to do in 2012 to get your brand into the minds and hands of your target audience?

Check out this radio chat below to learn more about my thoughts and tips that will make a difference in the small business world in 2012:

In a recent interview with American Idol judge Randy Jackson, we got an inside look into the hit show as well as Randy’s thoughts on those other singing shows.

When it comes to American Idol, Randy feels truly blessed to be a part of the show. He’ll never forget the powerful friends he made in Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul.

“Idol started with me, Simon, Ryan and Paula and that’s what really brought us to our prominence.  So those people are in my life forever, because we did something very unique and we had a chemistry that we lucked out with,” Randy stated about his former Idol judges.

He does however feel he has found another unique group in Steven Tyler and J-Lo. Randy stated that from the time he and Ryan went to breakfast with the two of them that there was just an instant connection and that’s important on shows like American Idol.

What you see on American Idol is real. While the show is edited for time, Randy says that what you see is how they are. When the judges rallying someone auditioning or a contestant on stage, it’s real. They love to see people that you may perceive one way just come on Idol and blow people away. It’s about talent and according to Randy America is full of so many talented people.

As for those “other” singing shows, it seems this Idol judge feels there is more than enough talent to go around. Coast to coast talent spills over and so it doesn’t matter if there are two or three singing shows on television. Plus these shows are on year around so they don’t have a tendency to overlap one another. With Simon and the X-Factor commandeering a large portion of viewers, it should come as no surprise that Simon is looking to recruit Mariah Carey, who Randy manages, for the show.

When asked what he thought of that interesting twist  and would he be upset Randy stated, “No, no, no, not at all.   Look, I mean, she’s her own person. She can, of course, do whatever she wants and she always will do that.  Of course not. Simon is one of my dearest friends in the world, so of course not.” While Idol’s ratings have faltered some, the show is in its eleventh season so that speaks volumes for its sustaining power.

This year the show promises more as the judges put the contestants through more challenges than ever. According Randy, Hollywood week is a must see as they not only challenged the contestants but it seems people were passing out all over the place and the ambulance was called more than any other season. Makes you wonder what those poor contestants had to go through.

Throughout the interview one thing is for certain, Randy Jackson is just as personable and funny as he is on the show. It was a great inside look at the man and the show that captures television audiences each and every season.

Google + Hangouts are fast becoming the hot ticket when it comes to connecting to people all over the world. We like to see people and feel that connection. Even news anchors are getting in on the fun of G+ Hangouts. Recently I was featured on a segment of NBC LA as newscaster Mekahlo Medina spoke of the growing world of Google Plus Hangouts. It was a honor to be featured in this segment for my expertise with G+. Check out the video below:

Businesses today must be more “social” when to comes to doing business. Customers want to interact with people and they want to get to know the businesses that they are dealing with on a social level. Any business who does not do this is only hurting themselves at the end of the day. This is a vital part of doing business today in an era of technology.

Mark Zuckerberg,CEO of Facebook explained it best in this video clip:

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We all want to feel connected to someone and something. So it’s only natural that this is spilling over into the business world. Why do you think more and more businesses are creating pages on Facebook, Google+ and other platforms? It’s because there is something very powerful about being social.

Ask yourself how social you are with your target audience and current customers? What can you do to become more social?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Kim Beasley

Everyday there are violations of copyright going on all around us. With the evolution of the internet, the doors have opened even wider with possibilities for copyright violations to occur. Places like YouTube have been a common place for copyright infringements to occur as people use music and pictures to create the next YouTube sensation.

YouTube has taken extra precautions to make sure that copyright violations are caught promptly however it doesn’t always mean having your video banned. Sometimes the artist, musician or creator can actually allow your video which features their work to go live. Why? Because word of mouth advertising is sometimes the best advertising there is.

Watch this video from TED to see how YouTube’s system works:

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