So, last week I climbed into my office uniform (a NICE set of exercise attire) & did my hair and makeup. We did the interview in my office and then they asked me to go out and play with my dogs – I’m assuming it was to show the lifestyle this kind of career allows me to have, etc. So, thought I’d just let you guys know!

Point 1 – it was fun. Point 2 – it’s nice to know someone thought I had something interesting to say I (how this whole thing started) and Point 3 – it looks like my dogs are going to be on TV! …oh, and Point 4 – I really need to get this blog going – so, this is my attempt at reviving my blog for spring. Plus, I DO have things to say and I hope by saying them, they help you!

In the context of blogging and in laymen’s terms, a blog ping is a signal a blog sends to a (or many) ping server(s) that blog content has been updated.

What is a ping list?

A ping list is a list of web addresses

What is a ping service?

A ping service notifies blog directories and search engines a blog has been updated.

What are the dangers of pinging?

If you use a ping list incorrectly, your blog can be banned and you will be labeled a spammer… er, a spinger (aka a ping spammer). An example of this would be when you update your blog – another ping goes out and technically, your post is not considered fresh content.

Are ping lists always up to date?

No – ping servers come and go, so whatever list is used it should be kept up-to-date.

What does this mean in the context of WordPress?

WordPress makes this easy for you by listing Ping-O-Matic’s server (rpc.pingomatic.com) by default. All you need to do is sit back and let it work for you!

Source: Wikipedia

The concept of mindmapping has been around for centuries. What is mindmapping? Mindmapping is visual brainstorming! If you want to read more about the concept, check out wikipedia’s definition of mindmapping – like I said, I’m going to make this easy for you!

Unbeknownst to me for years, I have been mindmapping my world since I was a child – I naturally drew boxes and lines connecting the thoughts… to me, mindmapping is elementary and very effective! This is a manual drawing of a mindmap you can see on the wikipedia reference, you can click on it to see a larger version of it:

The more sophisticated versions of mindmaps are created using mindmapping software – there are actually many ways to set your goals for 2009 using a mindmap. Here are 4!

4 Ways you can mindmap your 2009 goals:

1. You can get out your pencil crayons and create your mindmap by hand!

2. This is a link to mindmapping templates you can download and print.

3. This is a link for a software trial for FREE.

4. If you’re like me and mindmap your entire existence, Matchware is the place to go for mindmapping software. Note to self: Get an affiliate link  to Matchware one of these days! I use Openmind2. A user of the business version of Openmind2, I have applied this software in all aspects of my business – brainstorming, project management, planning, evaluation, systems, processes… everything!

Okay, I said I’d keep this simple! (I have includes some ideas for each of the categories, plus some of the actual goals I have had in my categories at one time or another. I encourage you to apply them when creating your 2009 personal and business goals – once you get started with these main categories, your creative juices will start flowing!

Here is a sample piece of one of my personal mindmaps I started for 2009. It is really teensy-tiny but if you click on it, you can see it in all it’s glory here:

Following one branch of my map, here is a sample of how I made the divisions:

1. First, I divided it into Business & Personal.
2. Following my Personal line, I next divided it into Have To’s and Want To’s
3. Following my Have To’s, I divided it into things important to me – my dogs and my home.
4. Following my Dogs line, I divided it into their Health and Training
5. Following Health, I next divided it into each of my dogs – I created one line for Billy and one line for Piper (each of them has their own health schedule to follow).

Okay, here are my 5 Tips to Creating your 2009 Goals using a mindmap:

1. Keep an open mind – the sample I gave you was the bare bones first version. In 2009, I want to walk my dogs 3x/day – pretty practical and simple. If I post my most recent version, this simple line has evolved into buying a trailer to pull, updating my passport and planning camping trips in the US this summer! The sky is the limit – maybe you want to backpack the south of France!

2. Make it a dynamic and evolving document – Oops! If you looked at the sample mindmap I created, I put Extreme Self-care under my Want To category. I have since moved it to my Have To category. As an entrepreneur neglecting my physical (and mental) health is NOT an option! Keep your mindmap document moving and changing as you journey throughout 2009 – life throws curveballs, adapt your mindmap accordingly.

3. Make it measureable – Create goals you can measure. This will allow you to review and see how you’re doing every once in a while. For example, I want to walk my dogs 3x/day – this is a goal I can measure. Seeing stagnancy in your numbers is a red flag. What’s going on? Did you take on too much? Has this goal changed? Is this goal overwheling you? Maybe this goal need to be broken down further into smaller steps?

4. Review often – Just like your business plan and marketing plan, your goals for 2009 aren’t doing you any good sitting in a drawer – in the spirit of keeping your mindmap a dynamic, evolving document – you have to examine it with a critical eye at least once in a while! I create my mindmap at the beginning of the calendar year, but it gets a major overhaul every season – spring, summer, fall and winter.

5. Have goals with purpose – If you don’t have a compelling reason why you are doing what you are doing, why are you doing it? Keep in mind all aspects of your life – emotional needs and physical needs. Walking my dogs 3x/day is simple, but there is purpose behind this measureable goal. Reasons why walk my dogs:

- it gives me a break from work during the day – I need to stretch, get fresh air, rest my eyes from the computer
- it gives my dogs a change of scenery – the house and backyard get boring, a busy & tired dog is a good dog
- we practice obedience – both my dogs love to work and when they are walking they are in working mode – that I am able to walk my dogs and they aren’t able to walk me is how I measure the state of our dog walking
- we spend quality time together, it is good for my mental health and good for theirs!

Having quantitative goals is imperative, the quality of your goals is up to you – everyone has their own agenda, what is important to me might not be important to you.

5. Keep it Simple – When you start creating your mindmap, keep it simple. When it comes to mindmapping your life as an entrepreneur, business and personal categories are all you need to get you on your way for a successful and prosperous new year!

How do you set your goals? What works for you? What doesn’t work? Let me know in the comments!

Happy goal-setting for 2009!

Carrie

At the same time, I attended Social Media with Curves this past week – at the first of two preview calls, the question was posed: Are women changing the face of social media? Well, if my experience thus far is any indication – it is. To me, social media is the softer side of what I always felt direct marketing was – the hard sell. To me, social media is the feminine side of marketing – it’s more touchy-feely. Maybe I have direct marketing wrong – let me know what you think!

Darren Rouse said, “When you start using Twitter for the first time it can feel a bit overwhelming, almost like entering a really crowded train station during rush hour on a Friday afternoon”. My feeling: Forget entering the train station, the thought of Twittering gave me stage fright and it was more like entertaining a really crowded train station during rush hour! Eek!

1. To Connect – This was the reason why I started to tweet… really, as intelligent as my dogs are, they can only carry a converstation so far before I need some human interaction during the day! Twittering is for the moment… I like to live in the moment, it works. Twitter nutures feelings of community and being a part of something bigger than we are.

2. To Help – I like to give. I like to help people. If I think I can fix a problem or point someone to a solution, I will try.

3. To Learn – I learn about a lot of events taking place. Hopefully, some day I will be the one announcing them, but not yet! I also learn a lot about gadgets and applications – sometimes I even put my two cents in on an app I find worthy of sharing.

4. To Contribute – Lots of people use Twitter as an unscientific survey tool. People like to be asked what they think – I do too! It really is a great tool for engagement.

5. To Drive Traffic - Jeremiah said Google Analytics indicated Twitter was one of the largest referrers of folks to his blog. I’ve noticed it registering on mine too and hey, as a small biz owner I DO require clients

In the short time I’ve been Twittering, I’ve also met some pretty amazing and intelligent people! They are inspiring, positive, and they nuture my soul. So, in the spirit of Jeremiah’s blog I will ask, how do you use Twitter and how does it make you feel?  Comment below or tweet me: @CarrieAnderson

In conjunction with the Blog Design Package, I’m also through the motions of obtaining a merchant account – I know, the really practical stuff!

My intention is to experience the process of doing this for myself so that I might be able to coach my clients through the process of setting up their own merchant account and make it as easy as possible for them.

I have chosen PSiGate for my payment gateway – Cindy Greenway pointed me in their direction and I value her judgement. So, off I go on my quest for a merchant account…

There are two major tasks to take care of before they will grant my business a merchant account – the application and the products page.

The Application – It’s 25 pages long, but you only need to send about 6 of them – as of today, these are the required pages you need to fax these folks:

• Complete the Home Trust/PSiGate Merchant Application and Agreement. The Signature(s) of owner(s) is required in the Merchant Signature field as well as Guarantors/Owners field on page 2. Signing Officer(s) ownership must be equal to or greater than 51%.
• Complete and sign Home Trust/PSiGate Merchant Agreement (page 9).
• Complete and sign Home Trust/PSiGate Merchant Pre-Authorized Debit Plan form (page 12).
• Complete Chase Paymentech Merchant Application and Agreement.
• Signature(s) of owner(s) required on the second page in both Merchant
• Signature and Guarantor(s) field. Signing Officer(s) ownership must be equal to or greater than 51% ***Only persons in Alberta must complete guarantee in the presence of a Notary Public page. Being in Alberta, I thought this was going to be a chore – it wasn’t. Here’s a TIP: Spend the time making phone calls to different law firms – I found one who notarized that particular page for FREE! Being nosy, I asked why he was free and everyone else wanted to charge me $50 for this service – he said they do it at no cost as a marketing tactic. Great point! – If I need a lawyer’s services in the future, guess where I’ll be going?
• Complete and sign Chase Paymentech Merchant Application and Agreement Schedule “A”.
• Provide a copy of an embossed void cheque for business bank account for each currency. Starter cheques, counter cheques or personal cheques are not acceptable. In lieu of a void cheque, a stamped bank letter including business name, branch, transit, account numbers and currency is also acceptable.
• Provide a copy of business registration or Articles of Incorporation.
• Upon receipt of your application, PSiGate will review all information for accuracy and completion and as per agreement terms conduct appropriate credit and background checks. In addition, a merchant website review is conducted to ensure your website meets appropriate criteria. You will be contacted by a sales representative to review your application.

This is where I am right now, creating the Products Page – it’s almost complete, but I wanted to take a break today and let you know what is required on the products page:

• Proof of domain name registration or site ownership (or lease).  A simple web page print of your domain name registration from one of these two sites should be fine. (http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois OR http://www.cira.ca/en/home.html)
• The business trade name corresponds with web site name. Please include a screen print of the home page.
• Attach a web page printout of a sample product page, and we confirm sufficient description of goods is provided (ex.  voltage requirements, measurement scale, clothing size protocol, purchase restrictions, etc).
• The payment processing page has a valid 128 bit web server SSL digital certificate installed.  A web page print of the certificate details is attached.  If you need to purchase an SSL certificate, PsiGate recommends Geotrust: https://products.geotrust.com/ssl/quickssl_premium.do?ref=12863PSI28&method=retail
• Disclose and display the transaction currency (CAD and/or USD).
• The delivery/shipping policy is disclosed (e.g., if restricted to Canada or another country or any division or area within a country, delivery timeframe, cost)
• The return/refund policies are disclosed.  You must have a refund policy.
• Customer service contact information is disclosed (ex. electronic mail address, telephone numbers – including country code, toll-free and non-toll-free numbers, facsimile numbers, mailing address).
• The country in which the merchant is officially registered and located is displayed immediately prior to completion of a purchase transaction.
• An appropriate Visa and MasterCard acceptance mark is displayed.  Authorized logos may be found at www.visa.com and www.mastercard.com
• The security policy is disclosed.
• The privacy policy is disclosed.
• Upon receipt of your application, PSiGate will review all information for accuracy and completion and as per agreement terms conduct appropriate credit and background
  checks. In addition, a merchant website review is conducted to ensure your website
  meets appropriate criteria. You will be contacted by a sales representative to review
  your application.

So much for my quick update!! I hope this is helpful to those of you who are thinking about a merchant accounts, sales pages, or your web presence – honestly, it looks like a huge chore but it isn’t that bad. I’ll post my success – hopefully, they won’t take too long to review my application!

Oh, and I’ll be offering a Sales Page Package in the near future too!

Sincerely,
Carrie

They fought for our country, they fought for each other, they fought for their families, and they fought for us. If it weren’t for those who laid down their lives, we just might not have the freedoms we do today.

Today, bathed in all my glorious freedoms…

I will spend my moment in silence being grateful that I have the freedom to choose to journey through my day my own way.

I will remember those unselfish souls who fought for our freedom.

I will also remember those who contributed to the war effort. Today I will remember my grandpa, the farmer who worked the fields and gave what he reaped to be shipped overseas to the soldiers, so that they had food to eat… so they could have the strength to fight… for our freedom.

And today, when I am busy realizing my dreams – building my own online business, helping others build theirs, attending a class of my own choosing, hanging out with my dogs, calling my mom on the phone to chat, nurturing my body with healthy food, and nurturing my mind with healthy thoughts… I remember those who fought, those who contributed to the fight, those who are in the field now, and those who will fight for our future.