The Life of Lewister

Should I be more promiscuous?

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:17:00 +0000

Online that is. :-)

My online worlds used to reside so neatly in their boxes. But with joining Seth's program and my public launching of my boss hiring project, suddenly things are spilling out all over.

The tight boundaries and rules I had about how I connected online now make me feel as though I'm being rigid, uptight, pedantic. And people don't like those kind of people. I'm working hard to not be that kind of person. But is mimicking the promiscuous connecting style of others the right way to conduct my connecting?

Now, my general rule of thumb has been that I had to actually know you in a professional capacity before connecting at LinkedIn. And I have to know you at least in the online sense before I'll accept a Facebook friend request. (Which is why there has to be a note!) And I'll talk to anyone on Twitter, but I only follow people (and companies) who are saying something I want to read. Which changes frequently depending on my mood.

So I'm left feeling horrible now because prefectly nice people whom I've never met are sending me LinkedIn requests. And I'm getting Facebook requests with notes from strangers. And I have no idea what to think about the more than 600 followers I have now on Twitter. (Who are all waiting to hear about ... what?)

Am I living in an antiquated world where I want to keep real life just a little separated from online life? Am I being highly rude by not being promiscuous?

Pondering this morning ...

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:02:00 +0000

Defending vs. defensive
Why people keep pushing for federal involvement in things that should be state/local decisions - gay marriage, medical marijuana, etc.
How to make choices between widely varying options in my hire a boss search
Throttling Blogger for four straight days of a problem with custom domain publishing
Finally taking this blog to the big leagues with a custom domain, new template, self-hosting
Just how crazy I am because I want to do everything
Learning to play the ukelele
The need to develop a new/better/stronger password
What gets defined as news these days
How immensely blessed my life is and I should thank God more

Car camo

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Now that spring is here, my car is hard to see again. Not because it's under snow but because it blends with all the green around here. Ha! The greenery just feels different than it does in Texas - much more lush and vibrant. And far wider variety of plants since there isn't quite the same level of heat here trying to kill everything in sight.

The Susan who says "Pbbbt!"

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:54:00 +0000

It's been a crazy few days. Seth blogged about the SAMBA program, talking about my team project and my job hunt site, Susan Hires A Boss. On top of that, I launched a new business serving up games played on Twitter.

And at every turn, there was someone I didn't know waiting to tell me I was doing it wrong - usually in the nice private forum of email. To which I am learning to say, "Pbbbt!"

It's been an effort to be bemused rather than upset by strangers feeling they have the right to tell me my business plan is all backwards, my attitude is pretentious or my tweets are boring. There is no relationship there, so what makes them feel they have the credibility to take up the topic with me?

I have had comments from others - people I know, whose opinions mean something to me. They may have said exactly the same thing but because there's a relationship there, a bond, a history - I take time to listen to them.

To the rest of you, I say "Pbbt". I've apparently started the move from good student to headstrong visionary. I'll let you know when I get to mature and can say something else.

"Pbbbt!"

I'm hiring a boss

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:12:00 +0000

So my six months with Seth Godin is wrapping up soon. Which means I'm looking for my next adventure. And rather than taking the passive, lame-ass way of finding a job, I'm hiring a boss. Pass it on.

Little Miss Match store opens at Grand Central

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Going to be sad to not see this every week after I go home. It's just a happy place!! My favorite thing at the Little Miss Match store is the round that lets you select individual socks to create your own sets. Wish we could do that online too. (Hint, hint!!)

Can you see me on a motorcycle?

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Yikes. I'm willing to take risks, dream big, all that jazz. But when it comes to risks of my person, my body, I tend to get a little freaked out.

I'm afraid of heights (because they are really bad for your health). I hate roller coasters. I get car sick. I panic when I start to pick up speed on skis (maybe I should just snowshoe). Loss of control - not so much my friend.

So (just where am I going with this?), here's my great irony. I love to go fast - as long as I'm on the ground and semi-controlling things. I adore water slides. ATVs are a blast. I drive like a granny to save gas, but speed is good. (OK, I'm still a cautious driver, no matter what. Maybe not so ironic.)

A few months back, I started thinking motorcycles. We have an antique Norton that came to us in pieces (it belonged to hubby's grandfather) and it's being restored to probably better than original. Which led us to realize that we could actually ride it! Hooray!

Which has us making plans to take motorcycle lessons and shopping for helmets, motorcycle jackets and other gear. I'm excited about the class and desperately hoping I like actually driving a bike. Because then, I get to get my own!! Because it's the most important thing, of course, I've been trying to decide on a color. We have a yellow car, a green car and now a red motorcycle. So I'm thinking electric blue. Going to be a blast!!

Spring in NY

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Good things about spring in NY:

It's actually spring. We seem to skip that season in Dallas.
Tulips everywhere!! My favs.
You can open windows. Wow.
No more layers, layers, layers. Cuddle Duds are now packed away.
No humidity. Nice!!
No mosquitos! Nice!! (Was concerned because of the river so close.)
All of which adds up to the fact that I actually go outside. Amazing.

Bad things about spring in NY:

Too much fresh air - bad. Darned allergies. There's something up here that doesn't like me that we don't have back in Dallas.
Still have to have layers, layers. You never know what'll be like outside.
No bluebonnets. Missed them this year. Sigh.
Serious raining. I actually bought rain boots. (First time I've really experienced the "April showers" from the poem.)

Flight 93 memorial a travesty

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:04:00 +0000

So, in an inevitable move, there are plans for a memorial at the site of the Flight 93 crash. And a rush to get it done before the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 plane crash.

Can anyone tell me how the memory of these people is served by taking the land from the owners to build the memorial? It's an irony that the people on Flight 93 died trying to protect others, but the land owners find themselves entirely without protection as the park service makes a land grab.

Would you want to remembered in a way that trampled the rights of others? If we see their struggle to get the plane back as a fight for freedom, how hypocritical is it to take land from people to honor them. And just to be clear, it's taking the land no matter what you pay for it if the owners are forced to sell it.

There's no greater public good served here by taking this land. No necessity met by a change of ownership.

If the people who owned the land wanted to build a memorial, if they approached and said they wanted to donate, even if they approached saying the wanted to sell it because it just didn't seem right to use the land for anything else, that's one thing. But to tell them they have to sell up, no choice about it, nope. Eminent domain run amuck.

At least it's not another case of a developer stealing land with the government's help for a strip mall. Gaaa.

Two tips for Ning

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Can I share a secret with you? Something I wish had known a few months ago?

There are a lot of Ning groups out there. I've landed in a few of them. And you can't log in under more than one email at a time. Ugh. So I'm in Triiibes under one, Sales Club under another and a SAMBA group under yet another. This is a nightmare from a logistical standpoint!! I can't easily switch from one group to another. Sigh. Live and learn, right?

Another tip related to Ning. If you ever start a group, do it with a throw-away email and user name. Because if you participate in the group under your admin address, you can never get rid of that group. If someone came along and offered you money to take over the group, the only way to give them control is to delete yourself from the group. So all the work you put into the group, all your participation would be gone. Poof. Unless you're OK with that, don't participate in your Ning group under the same account as the one you set it up under.

Children's bedding options for easy decor

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Back when I had my mural business, I loved doing children's bedrooms. Adults are much more willing to be bold and daring in a kid's room where they aren't in other rooms. I did rocket ships, a Winnie-the-Pooh tree, a farm - great stuff.

So of course, I loved putting together my latest line of shops, all around children's bedding. There is just so much cool stuff out there these days. When I was a kid, I remember Holly Hobby and Strawberry Shortcake and that was it.

So I have had a blast pulling together these guys with everything from frogs to ladybugs to Disney princesses to trains. I ended up with 25 of them by the time I got done. And there still plenty of room for more, amazingly enough.

Lenses created for SAMBA

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:54:00 +0000

It stands to reason that Seth would have those of us in the SAMBA program busy over at Squidoo. (More pages means more traffic means more page views means more money for Squidoo means more money for charity.)

So we're supposed to be doing a lens a week. Let's just say I'm a bit behind. OK, a lot behind. But ahead of everyone else!! Which is what really matters, right? (Have got to get past the comparing thing.)

Lenses are supposed to cover a concept, book or case study - our choice. A book is the easiest for me, so I've tried hard to choose others, which is part of what's gotten me behind on the assignment. Poo. Not that I don't get concepts, but my standards for what should go into that kind of topic just means I need more than a week to get it done. (Excuses, excuses!!)

Here's what I've completed to date. Definitely different from my general choice of topics. Which is good for me, right? Gives me a more complete diet.

Books - The Red Rubber Ball at Work, Republic of Tea
Case Studies - Water is Basic, (eventually John Stossel)
Concepts - How to Promote Your Book Using Squidoo, Being On Purpose, Brand Position Story

Note the lousy lensranks? Gotta do something about those. Doesn't get me motivated to do more deep content lenses when they don't do well. (Yes, it's my fault. I've also fallen off the promotional train.)

Photo vs. Avatar - the battle continues

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:01:00 +0000

I get a bit of grief occasionally from people (including Seth) because I don't use a "real" picture in online profiles. Apparently being a cute cartoon isn't good enough for some people. (Who've never met me. Maybe I am just a cute cartoon?)

And I'm not the only one who gets grief. I've read posts recently over on the Warrior forum and a blog post from another guy dissing those of us who choose something other than a photo for profile pics.

The guy on the Warrior forum was ranting about how he couldn't take someone seriously if they had a cartoon photo. This guy had a shot of himself in what looked like a pit-stained grey t-shirt. Hmm. Was I taking him seriously? Nope.

The blog post guy was going on about how he wouldn't know who you were if trying to connect at a conference. Of course, his profile picture was a shot of himself that only showed him from the eyes up. I could pick him out of a crowd. Right?

Lots of glass-house owners throwing rocks out there these days whether it's about twitter or profile pictures or blogging. I stand by my philosophy of everyone's right as long as they actually have a strategy for what they do rather than just being a sheep. Baaa.

Me? I just like the cartoon. It's a logo for my personal "brand" in a way that a photo can't be. Get over it.

Multiple twitter personalities

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:42:00 +0000

If you like to read this blog, but aren't a big RSS person, you can keep up with it via twitter now. I started an account just for the blog and am feeding my posts there - LifeofLewister. The Carnival of Squid is also up and running on twitter - CarnivalOfSquid.

That makes four accounts so far. Thank goodness for twitter desktop clients! I use twhirl.

Three movies I'm keeping my eye on

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Way back in the dark ages of 2008, there was this movie that came out called Kung Fu Panda. My lens on that is still one of my top guys and earners. Amazing!

So what'd I learn? Animated movies are great lens topics. And to start early because you need the time to build traffic and fall in and out of Google a few times. So way back at the start of the year, I tracked down my movies to stake out my territory. Landed on UP, which comes out from Pixar in a couple of weeks; Planet 51, from a Spanish company in November; and They Came From Upstairs, a live action flick set for July and starting Ashley Tisdale of High School Musical and Disney fame.

Note that I didn't do one on every kid's movie that's coming out this year. So how'd I pick? (Like I remember that far back!) I believe I was looking for 1) something I would want to watch, 2) powerhouse backing like Pixar and 3) merchandising opportunities.

Key components from my Kung Fu Panda lens that I carried over? (Other than the obvious of the trailer.) Character descriptions, pick your favorite character, screen shots, official sites, videos of reviews and polls, polls, polls. Kids love to vote on stuff!

(The UP movie is another lens that I think will provide great value to readers. It's nigh impossible to search Amazon for "UP" and get relevant stuff. It's been a challenge to collect it all so far.)

Why, yes. I do deliver value

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:43:00 +0000

An increasing portion of my Squidoo portfolio is shops and stores. And when I started out with them, I felt just a little … not sleazy, but like I was sacrificing standards and expectations in order to attempt to make money online.

That feeling started to amplify when I learned more about keyword research and started choosing lens topics just to capture a market niche.

I realized recently that while I might not be creating tons of original content in these shops, the kinds of shops I’m creating still deliver real value for my reader. So they should be things I am proud of. (And not just happy because I make money with them.)

For example, one I created on a whim and just for fun is on novelty cycling jerseys. As I was slogging through the 3,700 options on Amazon, I could see that I was providing a service to anyone looking for something other than a standard cycling jersey. Whether you want a heavy metal band shirt, cartoon character, beer, college, stylish, whatever – I did all the work for you. You can come, scroll through my shop and look at 300 shirts that are exactly what you’re looking for rather than scrolling through 3,700 options at Amazon. Not to mention that I pull in shirts from more than one source to give a pretty complete shopping experience.

So, guilt assuaged. I might not be giving you 20 tips on buying a cycling jersey, but I can help you find the absolute coolest ones out there. (Or beautiful vases, butterfly gifts, children’s bedding, iCarly gear.)

Stop me before I hurt myself

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:24:00 +0000

I'm at it again.

I've made several mental commitments to myself for May, plus some very public ones (like the Carnival!), and now I'm overwhelmed just thinking about what the next month holds.

They're all good goals. They're all important - stuff around finishing projects, making money, delivering value, meeting commitments.

But it's too much. There is no way I can do it all to my usual standard and still have time for hubby and fun things.

I'm learning that this is one of my symptoms, one of the ways I sabotage myself. After all, if I have too much on my plate, of course I didn't get that done. I couldn't finish that over there because I had this new great idea over here that I needed to start.

So I'm trying to stop myself right now and back up a little. Pick the three most important projects for the month, the ones that will get me closer to my goals and just focus on getting those done to the best of my ability given the time I have. That's fair, right? I'd rather have just three things done and done well than to end May with 20 more half finished or abandoned projects.

Which means ... something has to give. I have to drop some balls in order to keep the right ones up in the air. Sorry in advance if you're one of those balls.

Introducing the Carnival of Squid!!

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:45:00 +0000

Announcing my latest Squidoo project - the Carnival of Squid!!

This started as my project for Seth in the SAMBA program, but I've gone a bit overboard with it now. As usual. Wouldn't be a Susan project if I didn't. Everything's explained over on the blog, which link to the first two lenses for the Carnival. If you're a lensmaster, you need to head on over to see if there's a topic you have a lens to submit for or one that tickles your fancy enough to make a new lens.

The whole idea behind this project is to give current lensmasters with great lenses props for those and provide interesting ideas for creating new lenses. Let me know what you think!! (And feel free to let others know to check it out, please.)

Blind people on twitter?

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:04:00 +0000

I’m beginning to think there are a lot of blind people* on twitter.

How else to explain the backgrounds that run horizontally behind the tweets where they can’t be seen? How else to explain – no lie – the guy with the white text on a white background? How else to explain the tiling images that I think were dachshunds based on the legs and butts occasionally visible down the sides of the page?

They obviously can't see what's on the screen.

Do people not actually look at their pages after they edit them? Or do they think it looks right? Or do they just have no sense of … well, anything?

I’m blaming MySpace. Bad design run amuck is creeping into other parts of the internet now. Open your eyes!!! Design is such a crucial part of communication. What are you telling me when your background image isn’t visible or I can’t read the tweets? I’m assuming it’s that you’re an idiot or sloppy or don’t care.

Right?

(*This post is not meant in anyway to be disparaging of people with disabilities. Really, people!! However, I might be comparing bad twitter users to chimps.)

Playing it safe is actually riskier

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:39:00 +0000

OK, so I was talking about making the “scarier” choice yesterday – the idea of actually becoming an entrepreneur.

And yes that’s scary. There’s no security, no benefits, no salary. There might be employees depending on me. There could be a lot of money at stake. There is the risk of looking stupid.

And yet, being an employee could actually be the riskier choice.

How? There’s no security in taking a job. There’s the risk of getting a bad boss or working for a bad company. Or worse, working for a great boss at a bad company and having your boss leave after a year. (Happened at my last two jobs, leaving me with no defenses and utterly miserable.) There’s the risk of falling back into old patterns.

I never found true happiness in being an employee. And I know that’s in large part due to never finding the right situation. But considering the odds of that … .

So please understand that when I say I might be ready to jump off this cliff (how many metaphors can I use!), I’m saying that I understand that jumping can actually be safer (and more fun!) than standing at the top forever.

Happy birthday, Plaid!!

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:44:00 +0000

My boy. He would have been 11 today. We had to let him go a couple of weeks ago. Lymphoma. He looks good in this picture though (outside of being annoyed about looking into the sun). I took it to go in a frame my mom bought to put all the grandkids' pictures in a couple of years ago. The boys wore blue that year. :-) I miss him, although it's hard to think that he's gone still since I'm not home right now. It's going to be tough to go back in July. He was the bestest dog ever.

Closing in on decision time

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:29:00 +0000

We’re halfway through Seth’s program. Yikes!! Where does the time fly?

Which means I’m at a bit of a crossroads. The pressure is on a bit.

Do I go back to being an employee (albeit a better, hopefully more confident and skilled one) or do I take a plunge on an idea and become an entrepreneur?

I’ve definitely ruled out being a freelancer – which by Seth’s definition means that I only make money when I’m the one doing the work. I want to make money in my sleep (on vacation, talking to my mom, etc.), not be dependent on my personal efforts.

So that leaves me with employee vs. entrepreneur. Employee means I have a boss, work for someone else. Entrepreneur means I’ve started a business that makes money whether I’m there or not.

I’ve been battling back and forth with this one. Employee just seems like such a cop-out, like I’ve resigned myself to something that I wanted to change. And yet, employee might be exactly what I am at heart. I talked about this a little before, but now I’m down to the heart of it.

One thing that’s kept me from taking the entrepreneur route in the past was two-fold: fear of failure (duh!!) and dreams bigger than my head could handle. Pretty much the second fed the first. When you have elephant sized dreams, it gets overwhelming trying to realize them.

I have a dream now, a vision that I’m actually excited about. It’s only been three months, but I feel already a different sense. For once, I have a handle on what it takes to eat the elephant, to take this gargantuan idea and break it down into something that makes it real.

And for once, I think I might be ready to do it, to take make the scarier choice. Wow.

Eating an elephant

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:11:00 +0000

I’m working on a plan for world domination right now. Someday, you will all work for me. (Muwhaha!!)

But I have discovered over the years that while I have great ability to visualize where something can go, what it can be, that same visualization serves to undermine the whole project.

I can see the vast empire. What I have a hard time seeing is the very first step towards getting there. The sheer size of the undertaking overwhelms me and I am crushed by the desire to get there already.

My friend reminded me yesterday to remember to eat the elephant. As we all know from the story, the only way to do that is one bite at a time.

So here’s to figuring out which end to start on and keeping my eyes on the next bite without forgetting there’s an entire elephant to eat.

What constitutes change?

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I’ve gotten hung up lately on change.

The title of Seth’s post that got me to New York included the phrase “change your life”. What’s tripping me up now (actually has for two months) is what that actually means.

I think I came here with the expectation that it meant changing me. That what was wrong with my career, my life was something with me. Which is true in a sense in that I am not clear about my purpose, I undervalue my contributions and I focus on doing over imagining. All of which does have to change if I want to change my life.

What I thought needed to change was getting more education, learning, knowledge around certain things, which would then cause people to value me more and give me some idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up.

But what I’m stuck on right now is thinking that changing my life means changing me. As in changing the person I am – a doer. Is it a necessary component of change that I change from doer to visionary? Or does change mean embracing who I am and being better about selecting situations where I can be that at my best?

If I manage the second type of change, I can see where that would change so much for me. To be in situations that allow me to shine, to receive my due, to make a difference. Does that change my life? You bet.

But there is the nagging in the back of my head that still says that changing my life means changing me. As though I, in and of myself, would never be able to shine, be valued or make a difference as I am.

So what truly constitutes change for me?

Loving my miss match self

noreply@blogger.com (lewister) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Have I mentioned how much I love Little Miss Matched? I was first introduced to the socks by Seth’s blog (and he really does wear them every day!) and so of course, I had to do a lens – one on the socks and other gear and another on the bedding and furniture.

Being in New York – home of Little MissMatch – I’ve had the opportunity to track down LMM products to see them for myself and they’re even better in person than I expected. There’s a kiosk in Grand Central Station (a full store coming this spring!) so I got to check out a sampling of items in person and wow!

The colors on everything are vibrant and brilliant and the quality far surpasses my expectations. The fuzzy wuzzy winter gear is amazingly soft and my friend reports the gloves are actually quite warm.
And a lot of it is in the clearance area right now on the site and well worth looking at as options for next winter. I scored socks in the new spring designs and one of my friends got a pair of the flannel pajamas. (It’ll be winter for a while still where she lives.)

Can’t wait for the full store to open in May! I’m hoping they’ll carry some of the bedding so I can check it out as well and report back. But given the quality of what I’m seeing in the socks and gifts, I have no doubt that they’re worth investing in. If you know a preteen girl (or a woman with a keen sense of fun), anything from them makes a great gift idea!!