Nicki LaycoaxIndianapolis Web Developmentwww.SquishDesigns.com

#Tweetsgiving-What Am I Thankful For?

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:48:00 +0000

There really is not a short answer for that question, but I'll break it down into three categories; Family, Business, and Life in General.

Family:
2009 started with the scary news that my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancers are not a new thing to my family, so I am thankful that my Mom is as strong as she is, and that the cancer was caught in very early stages and that radiation was the only treatment that was needed. This incident brought my entire family closer. I am closer now to my Mom than ever, and see how great she is even more than I ever have.

My children, except for a few bouts with the flu, are otherwise healthy and thriving. I am thankful that they continue to do well in school and remain role models for their peers.

Business:
This year has been the biggest year for Squish yet. We moved into our first office after working out of a home office for 4 years. Doors have opened, through networking, that have put us in front of people and companies that have the ability to change and improve everything that we have done in the past. This has been the year that we have learned the most about our business from either mistakes that we have made in the past or just from learning from our peers.

I am thankful for Doc Weesner, Becki Shafer, Barbara Weaver-Smith, Duke Brown and Jennifer Quigley, Robert Glidden, Chad Whaley, Susie Wood and Dan McMichael, Randy Zentz, Jeff Jones Sr and Jeff Jones Sr, Jon Bright, MT and Phil Ray, Doug Karr, Amy Foris, Dan Hill, Jeff Pipkin, Kari Mann, Tom Hirons, and all that have referred business to Squish. I appreciate you.

I am thankful that I was able to be a part of great fund raising, food collection, and awareness events such as the Tyson Foods Hunger Relief , The Susan G Komen Race for the Cure, Indy Zoobilation, The Indianapolis International Film Festival, Salvation Army's Homelessness Bites Apple Fest, Mooresville Kiwanis Taste of Mooresville, Ike & Jonesy's Matt Miller Benefit, United Way of Central Indiana's Live United Give United commercial, and various other efforts around Indy.

I was also nominated for my first two awards ever! NOWIB's Indianapolis Woman to Watch and Blog Indiana's BLINDY Social Media Superstar!

Life in General:
Aside from my children and family, I am so thankful to be in my third year of dating my boyfriend, George. Being my business partner and my boyfriend, we've been through a lot together. The best thing about him is that he helps me see the good in me, helps me to focus on the big picture, and to continue to be better no matter what. The best thing about us is that we are an awesome team. He gives the five dollar answer, I give the five cent answer. He thinks deeply, I bring all those deep thoughts together into one short answer. It just works.

I'm thankful for my health. I'm thankful that I've not had any major home repairs that have needed to be done. I'm thankful that I can still learn and that I can still teach. I'm thankful for my car that runs even after I drown it in water this deep:

There is a lot more to list. I'm hoping that this blog post helps with the fund raising efforts in Tanzania to help with the building of the orphanage, library, school, cafeteria, classrooms, and entrepreneurs. Everyone should have a life to be thankful for. You can donate now if you would like, by visiting Epic Change.

More about Tweetsgiving
Tweetvite to Tweetsgiving

Other Indy folks that are participating in Tweetsgiving are:
Scott Wise
Angie Six
Robby Slaughter
Nila Nealy
Lindsay Manfredi
Michael Reynolds
Jon Speer
Pamela Reilly
Nancy Myrland
Kenan Farrell
Douglas Karr
Amy Stark

#tweetsgiving (#indytweetsgiving) is a fundraiser of a 5013c us Nonprofit, Epic Change. http://tweetsgiving.epicchange.org/. The schedule for this year is for November 24-26, a 48 hour event created by US nonprofit Epic Change. There are two simple ways to participate: on twitter tag what you are thankful for with #tweetsgiving. The attempt is to get #tweetsgiving to be a trending topic, and thus -- encourage participation and exposure. Last year, Epic Change with only a #hashtag and accepting donations online in a 48 hour period, raised over $10,000 for a school in Tanzania. Tweetsgiving 2009 will go partly to create a dormitory/orphanage, library, school, cafeteria and additional classrooms are needed in partnership with Kamptoni in Tanzania. The other portion will go towards funded future change makers and social entrepreneurs in less fortunate conditions. The second way to participate is to donate. Donations can be made online, or in cash form on Tuesday at the #indytweetup at Scotty's downtown.

Simple answer: raise money for less fortunate entrepreneurs, giving everyone a voice.

Ruth Rusie-90 Year Old United Way Campaign Nominee

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:15:00 +0000

Ruth has been nominated to be the spokesperson for a national United Way campaign. Rusie is a 90 year old retired classroom teacher, but never retired from teaching. Ruth has never halted her campaign to eradicate illiteracy; she tutors, is an active voice and member of the Morgan County Coalition for Literacy (an adult literacy program), and active with the United Way Early Literacy program (targeting youth). Although Morgan County is her home, she reaches far beyond the county.

Please view this video and cast your vote!

Congratulations to Ike & Jonesy's for 25 Years in Business!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:18:00 +0000

We are very happy to announce that one of our clients, Ike & Jonesy's, is celebrating 25 years in business in Indy! Here are just a few reasons to become a regular at Ike's:

~Several nights of quarter beer and fifty cent tacos on Thursday nights. Where else can you go and order a huge tray of beer for $5??

~Just about a month ago, we were there on a Tuesday night and I got my picture taken with Gallagher, who was just casually enjoying the live music playing that plays EVERY Tuesday and Wednesday night.

~The age of the patrons is the most diverse of any bar I've ever been in. 21-year old's celebrate their birthdays at Ike's and just a few tables over are folks that are literally 70+ years old! It is amazing.

~It's not just a bar. Ike's has some of the best lunch specials in the city! Today was a grilled portabella mushroom sandwich or Italian sampler platter for just $5.95! You can barely eat at McDonald's for that price these days.

~Free wi-fi! You can bring your laptop in while enjoying a meal and beer, and still get some work done or tell your friends about where you are on Twitter and Facebook!

If you haven't been to Ike's, this weekend is the time to check it out. Saturday is the special MetroMix party, including VIP time! The party starts today, and doesn't end all weekend! Tell your friends, and then come back here and leave me a comment to let me know what you thought!

What a Night-Indy Zoobilation 2009-A Night on Dragon Island

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:10:00 +0000

If you've ever thought about attending Zoobilation at the Indianapolis Zoo, let me just say that you should definitely splurge and buy tickets when they go on sale next year in February. You don’t want to miss out.

What is Zoobilation?
It is Indiana's largest one-day fundraiser. Each year, over $1.2 Million is raised for the zoo. Other zoos have Zoobilation’s but Indy’s is the largest. Yay Indy! It is a black tie affair and everyone is fresh to death (a.k.a. gorgeous, beautiful, stunning)! If you’ve ever wanted to go to the zoo kid-free, and have a fun-filled, classy, night like no other, this is definitely the spot. Indy’s entertainment personalities, executives, and other local celebrities attend this event, so you just might run into that star that you see on tv or hear on the radio!

So, how did I get a ticket to the sold out, hottest spot in town? I’m a Twitterer. Yep, that’s right, I Tweet. I’m one of Indy’s top Twitterers too! (totally just tooted my own horn) I was accepted to join the first ever official Twitter Team that was put together by Indy Hub and the Indy Zoo! It was very, very exciting to hold this title. Thanks to Matt Holley and Karissa Rittmeyer for selecting me! Also, thanks to Chad Richards for being such an awesome Twitter partner. You guys rock!

So here’s a bit of the rundown of what we saw. With 4,200+ attendees and over 70 restaurants and 50+ bars, I didn’t get to see everything because of how amazing every step of the way was… Not to mention the time that we spent in the VIP lounge in the dolphin pavilion watching the beautiful and friendly dolphins. Seriously, a night that can’t be put into enough words. It was like prom for adults at the zoo with endless everything. Yeah, that sounds about right…

Entertainment consisted of Cook & Belle, DJ Slater Hogan, Gamelan Orchestra, Governor Davis & the Blues Ambassadors, Henle and the Loops, Housecats, Living Proof, Peace Train, Sarah Scharbrough, and Sizzlin Gregg Bacon. Arthur Murray had dancers giving dance lessons in the Indiana Live Casino tent. It was truly a happening place! Everywhere you looked, there was either music or dancing!

And the food… Oh. My. Goodness. I have never seen so much food. I’ve been to events that had 20-30 food vendors, but Indy Zoobilation had over 70 restaurants! These restaurants weren’t the average Joe Schmo restaurants either. These were Indy’s finest restaurants. Just to name a few-Ruth Chris, Oceanaire, McCormick & Schmicks, Fogo de Chao, Scholar’s Inn, PF Chang’s, and so many more…

Do you like to drink? Then you absolutely must go to Zoobilation. Olinger Distributing, Coca-Cola, and Miller-Coors donated ALL beverages. I’m talking mojitos, martinis, beer… About every fifth booth was a stand that was nearly a full bar. All the drinks you can drink for the whole evening!

View all

Get your own

Indy has some really great sponsors that make this event possible.
• Title sponsor-Indianapolis Power & Light
• VIP party sponsor-Indy’s own serial entrepreneur, Scott A Jones
• Stage sponsors-Ambrose Property Group
• Chairman’s hospitality suite-Indiana Live! Casino
• Restaurants coupon book sponsor-Barnes & Thornburg, LLP
• Limo wrap sponsors-Margaritaville Tequila, Bacardi, and Luxco Pearl Vodka
• Official hotel sponsor-Omni Severin-The after party was held here! (This hotel is absolutely beautiful and is located right smack in the center of beautiful Downtown Indy. Check them out!)
• Beverage sponsors-Coca-Cola, Coors Brewing, and Olinger Distributing
• Restaurant judging sponsor-Indianapolis DINE Magazine
• Zoobilation restaurants Day at the Zoo sponsor-Citizens Gas
• Zoobilation spa sponsor-Woodhouse Day Spa-They were there giving massages AT THE ZOO!
• Event décor-BMG, Eventfull Planning, and Detail & Design
• Event VIP transportation-Exclusive Limousine

We didn’t make it to the Woodhouse Day Spa nor did I ride the roller coaster-Oh yeah, this is the only fundraiser in town that has a roller coaster and a Sponge Bob Square Pants 3-D fun ride, but we did get to see the komodo dragons, which is where the title of the event came from. They are huge! We had so much fun taking it all in. I forgot my camera, but did have my phone to take pictures with, so above you will see some of my pics and below you'll see the live streaming videos that I got of the dolphins that were the highlight of my night, Arthur Murray dancers, and more. Enjoy!

Indy Zoobilation 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:46:00 +0000

I am happy to announce that I am a part of Indy Hub's first ever Twitter Team for Indy Zoobilation! Indy Zoobilation is one of Indianapolis' largest fundraisers, raising over $1 Million Dollars each year for the zoo!

For more info on the event, please visit the Indy Zoo website.

If you are a Twitter user, you can follow the action or even contribute by using the #IndyZoobilation hashtag, and checking out the Indy Zoobilation Twitter stream. Also, if you'd like to follow the official Twitter team for the event, here they are:
@chadrichards
@rachneely
@jhansondtindy
@careyhart
@mediakath
and me: @nickilaycoax

2008 List of Indianapolis Area Networking Recommendations

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:41:00 +0000

As the marketer of a small business, I have found many ways this year to get my business known. To help those that may need some direction, or are just looking for something new, here are my recommendations:

Social Media:
~Blog. Don't know what to write? Set up Google Alerts and check your email outbox.
~Smaller Indiana and other Ning sites relative to your business. The interaction is priceless.
~Twitter. Twitter. Twitter. If you don't think you should do it... You're wrong.
~Facebook-It's not just for friends. You can also create fan pages for your business and charities.

Local Offline Networking:
~BNI-International Networking. Chapters meet weekly and pass referrals with each meeting.
~Rainmakers-Meetings around Indiana nearly every day of the month.
~NOWIB-For Women only, and has great special interest groups.
~Chambers of Commerce-Local businesses networking. Monthly meetings with other after hours events.

Service Groups and other groups that make our world a better place:
~Find events that are accepting of in-kind donations for sponsorships. If you don't have a large budget, offer your services or product in return for the level of sponsorship you desire.
~Kiwanis-Groups of business people that genuinely care about making a difference in children's lives. Host events and carry out service projects to raise money for children's needs and other family and community catastrophes. There are also branches of Kiwanis for the youth to join; Key Club, Builder's Club, and K Kids are a few.
~Boys & Girls Clubs-These clubs provide a safe place for children under the age of 18 to come after school and receive homework help, participate in sports, and to learn how to interact with other youth under the supervision of approved staff and volunteers.
~Girl Scouts-Everyone has heard of Girl Scouts. Most have eaten Girl Scout cookies. If you have been wanting to make a difference in a girl's life, Girl Scouts is the best way to have a direct effect on a group of girls. So many girls don't have positive influences in their lives, and if you can provide that for one to twelve girls, you will have a whole new outlook on life.
~Local Schools-So many parents are working full time jobs these days, which leaves the classrooms and PTO's short of volunteers. Contact a school near you today to see how you can help.

My biggest recommendation is to utilize social media in every way that you possibly can. Social media is the cheapest and most effective way to connect, stay connected, and stay on people's minds. You must put in the sweat equity to make it work for you. Just having a blog or just having a Twitter account won't cut it. You HAVE to work it.

After you attend events and get those business cards and exchange that first phone call or email, take it to the next level; connect via at least one social media platform. You will learn so much more about your network and their needs if you stay connected online.

If you have questions about anything written here, please contact me:
nicki at squishdesigns.com

Blog Posting From MS Word 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:03:00 +0000

Right now, I am creating a blog post using Microsoft Word 2007.

How is it done? When Word 2007 is opened and you click on the MS logo and select "New", you are presented with the option to create a new blank document or a new blog post. From this screen, click "New blog post".

The next screen you'll be presented with looks like this: My images did not transfer.

You can select your blogging platform from a list of blog platforms. You enter your user name and passwords, hit enter and you are ready to blog!

Other than the images not transferring, it worked pretty nicely!

Chip In To Your Favorite Cause!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:31:00 +0000

Recently, I was looking for a widget that would allow an entire online community to set a goal for pounds lost. The community is Twit2Fit, which by the way just hit over 260 members! What I had hoped for in this widget was that it would allow us all to set a goal for the site, say 300 pounds between the 260 + members, set a date for the weight to be lost, and show a graph or a meter that tracked the pounds lost.

What I found in my research was something close. Research will continue, but what I found is Chip In. This free widget creator can be used for any type of fundraising-non-profits, special causes, getting that new desk in your office, etc... Since I wanted to test it out, I tried to think of something that would be beneficial to my well-being; a VACATION!!! So, below, you'll see the widget raising funds for the vacation that I'm hoping to take in February!

If I've helped you in any way, or would just like to see some great pictures, videos, and blogging from a warm place, feel free to Chip In! :)

Twitter Basic Info

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:35:00 +0000

I've realized recently, from a new friend, that what regular Twitter users know is not common knowledge. Here are a few basic how-to's for those of you that are just getting started and need to know how to have conversations-private and public. This information is for those that are using the Twitter web interface, and not a third party application.

If you go to www.HeartlandCrossingCommunity.com and check my blog post about Twitter, that should also give you some great insight.

Blog post:
http://heartlandcrossing.ning.com/profiles/blogs/twitterare-you-tweeting

To reply to a Tweet, if you hover in the lower right hand corner of the Tweet you are wanting to reply to, there is a small arrow that appears. This puts @ and the persons name in the reply box, you type your message hit send, and it goes to their @replies box. To see people that have replied to you, click on @replies on the right side of your page, and voila! there they are!

For direct messaging (DM), which are private, that person has to be following you. You can DM a couple of ways:

1- Go to that persons profile and on the right side you will see a link that says "message". Click that and type the message, and they will only see it. It will be in their Direct Message tab. 2- Another way is to click the Direct Messages tab on your profile, and select a name from your list of friends, select the person you want to DM, type your 140 characters, and hit send!

When you Tweet either an @ reply or a general message, the entire Twitter network can see it. That is one of the awesome things about Twitter! It's a great PR tool. If you want to have a private conversation just make sure it's in the form of a direct message!

You can also use your phone to text message Tweets. From your profile, click the Settings link.
From there, click the Devices tab. Enter the information, and your
phone is now set up to send and receive messages! You will get a text from Twitter confirming your phone number. Be sure to save that number in your phone as "Twitter" so that you don't forget the number and can Tweet when you are away from your computer!

A tool that I use A LOT is the S hareaholic FireFox add-on.
If you download this add-on, you'll be able to share links without having to visit Twitter, you don't have to worry about shortening the links with Tinyurl or Tiny.cc, it does it for you! It is a must for those of you that enjoy social bookmarking or link sharing via Twitter.

Hope this helped!

Today is World AIDS Day (#WAD08)

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:30:00 +0000

Today, bloggers take time out to research and write about a global pandemic: AIDS.

In the world, there are over 33 million people living with HIV. In the United States, there are over 1 million people with it. There is no cure. There is no vaccine to prevent AIDS. The only thing you can do is be aware of how it is transmitted and protect yourself.

Do you want to contribute to finding a cure? AIDS.gov has some great programs listed. Also, before making normal purchases, including your daily Starbucks, check out Product Red to see if any of your purchased can be made through their partners that offer contributions toward finding a cure.

Use your social networks to help you stay informed on progresses made, and what you can do to help;
MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook all have campaigns.

And most importantly, GET TESTED!!!!!!! Click here to find a testing location nearest you.

Skydeck Helps You Charge For Your PhoneTime

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:45:00 +0000

How many phone calls a day do you make? Are the majority of the phone calls to or from your clients? If so, you should check out a free application called Skydeck.

Skydeck allows you to upload your cell phone bill details and edit each number. How does this help? Well, each time your bill lists a text message or cell phone number that you have entered a contact or company name for, you are able to see how much time you are spending on the phone with them, and if your company is one that bills for phone time as well as actual project time, this will provide you with a great way to track and bill for your phone time!

It also integrates with Freshbooks (which I LOVE), to help you with figuring up how much you are owed, as well as Dial2Do which allows you to import Gmail or Outlook contacts, and your top 100 Skydeck contacts and utilize the talk to text or email functionality to save you typing time and keep you safe on the road!

It's 7:15 a.m.-Social Media=Nicki's News Feed

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:16:00 +0000

I fell asleep on last night on my living room floor with my laptop in front of me while trying to find the perfect font for a logo that we are doing for a new client, working on videos for an almost complete project, and generating some potential business from a new follower that I have on Twitter that is from Chicago. By the way, if after all my raves about Twitter, you still haven't checked it out, it's not too late!

I woke up to my Meatloaf-"I Would Do Anything For Love" alarm at 6:30 a.m. to make sure my oldest was up and at 'em. She was. I helped her fix her hair, then it was back downstairs to see what exactly I left off on last night before I dozed off.

-Check email. My Smaller Indiana folder had one message. Kelly Thrasher had replied to the latest Seth Godin forum discussion-"Anyone interested in meeting Seth Godin?!" Smaller Indiana is trying to get one of the best selling authors of marketing books to Indy!

-Check Twitter- I use Twitter as my news feed. Some things that I was led to from Twitter.
*5 Best Places to Travel in a Recession
*Wells Fargo is the first bank to use social media.
*Even though Obama stopped Tweeting, the amount of followers he is getting is increasing since the election.
*The new Indianapolis Airport ROCKS!
*MSNBC has an exclusive web-only interview with Sarah Palin.

Even if you don't have time to participate all the time, just taking the time to briefly visit a few different social media venues can provide you with a view on current info that you probably won't get from watching the 6:00 news. Try it! It's news you control.

Technology and the New President of the United States

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:33:00 +0000

Over the past few months, especially since President Obama became the Democrat candidate for the race for President, there have been many ways that I have stayed up to date on what was going on with the election.

Twitter
Smaller Indiana
Facebook
Blogs
News stations
News stations websites
Email newsletters from David Plouffe

Tonight, I searched for the best, most up to date source for the campaign coverage. Switching back and forth from ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, as well as getting updates from my network on Twitter, of the best resources for coverage, and watching CNN.com, the Indy Star, and Yahoo.

After Obama was announced President, I found a final resource. Google does everything! (I couldn't get it adjusted to fit properly... but if you click the link at the top of the calendar, you can see the full sized image)

So, Why Should I Blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:34:00 +0000

Last night I was on a panel with 3 of my favorite Indianapolis men; Douglas Karr, Patric Welch, and Erik Deckers. There were approximately 15 students and professionals in the audience at STC-Indiana that wanted to learn more about blogging. Out of the group, only 2 had active blogs. This put into perspective for me, that not everyone knows what blogging is, what it can do for you, who should be blogging, and why.

A woman in the audience presented the following question: I had to write a blog for my class, and I sucked at writing it. How do I know that anyone wants to hear what I have to say?

I didn't address her question last night, but want to let her know if she is reading this; even though you may not think anyone is listening, someone always is. I thought the very same thing when I started. I am a very unique person with a very unique personality. It took me getting active on Smaller Indiana before my audience recognized me, which is why I say use a mixture of not just blogs, but social networks as well.

Since you are in Indiana, check out www.smallerindiana.com. It's great for getting your feet wet, generating new ideas, and building your network. I don't go a week now without someone emailing me saying "Nicki I've been watching you for a while, and I wanted to reach out and see how our businesses can work together or that they'd like to meet me". It's pretty flattering!

Some tips for post generation;
~During your day, recognize the things that make you say "Aha!" Others want to know about those too, and will be searching for them. If that topic has made them go Aha!, and they read your post, you have just gained a fan.

~Set up Google Alerts for subjects that interest you by going to www.google.com/alerts. For instance, if you are blogging about Corvettes, set up an alert for Corvettes! You'll receive information that comes out as it hits search engines, and you'll be ahead of the curve! I have alerts set up for social media, web 2.0, web 3.0, Nicki Laycoax, Blogs, Indianapolis Web...

~Participate in social networking sites and forums. This will help keep your mind sharp and thinking about your next post.

~Watch the news or read websites geared toward your subject. If you blog about food or cooking, watch the food channel and write about what you learn!

If you've got time grab a notepad and a cup of coffee and listen to the conference via Talkshoe!

Blog Action Day 2008-My Plan To Help Change The Path Of Poverty

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:23:00 +0000

I feel that to make a change, you should start with the most primary subjects available to us-our children. Children will live what they learn,
as the old poem by Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph. D. goes:

If children live with hostility,
they learn to fight.

If children live with ridicule,
they learn to be shy.

If children live with tolerance,
they learn to be patient.

If children live with encouragement,
they learn confidence.

If children live with praise,
they learn to appreciate.

If children live with fairness,
they learn justice.

If children live with security,
they learn faith.

If children live with approval,
they learn to like themselves.

If children live with acceptance, and friendship,
they learn to find love in the world.

If we teach our children to be aware of their surroundings, and to be held accountable for their own actions, as well as what they can do with very little
effort, or maybe a lot of effort, things will change.

For instance; I just became a Girl Scout Leader. My girls are 2nd & 3rd graders. The first day that we met, we learned about the Girl Scout Law
what it means and how to apply it to our lives. In our second meeting, we talked about service projects. Each girl gave a suggestion of what we could do to either raise money, or donate items to those in need.

Some suggestions were:
Food Drive
Toy Drive
Car wash
Girl Scout benefit concert to raise money (each girl either plays an instrument, sings, or dances)
The could donate their bikes
Garage Sale and donate earnings
Hot Chocolate or Lemonade Stand
Recycle cans and donate earnings

To summarize, I feel that making all of our children aware that they can make a difference will begin an outbreak of philanthropy. It starts with us to
start that movement. Please check out your local United Way, Boys & Girls Club, Big Sister or Big Brother, Kiwanis, etc... You can make a difference!!

p.s. I contacted one of the area elementary schools and asked if they would ask their students to write a brief statement about what they think poverty is, and what they can do to help. Here are the responses from one 2nd grade class:

Poverty maens to me that they have no muney. Brooke, 7

Poverty means that people are pore. Brayden, 7

Poverty mens or pore. U mite not have ane tals. Ashely, 7

Poverty means to me that evry shoud have homes. Poverty means to me that you have no familys. Kaitlyn, 7

Poverty means to me is sad. If I could hellp I would but I do not know were thay liv. I feel very sad I do not know eny. One that is Poverty if I did I would do any thang for them. I can find a way to if I could. Brooklyn 8

Poverty means to me that you are por and have only one pair of shoes and one shirt and one pair of pants. How I can fix it is by doneateing money and toys and clothes. Katelyn, 7

Poverty means to me that they are very very pore. Poverty means to me that every thing is not what it seems. I will fix it by telling the king. Audrey 8

Poverty is wen famelys have very little money. One of my sister friens went throo that. I felt bad. I am going to save money and send it to people that need it. That is why I go to church school every Sunday I go. Sarah, 8

Poverty means to me that people have no money people that don’t have money. I can try to donate money. Gabriel, 7

What poverty means to me is very impornt. Poverty is horuble. I can chaing poverty by donateing money. Poverty means homeless. Evan, 7

Poverty means to me that people need help. Poverty means to me that kids dads moms need help to. I could fix it by sending in food. I could fix it by sending in money. Olivia, 7

I think poverty is bad! I whis I could have the nolig to think what to do about it. Can you help? Jackson, 8

Poverty means that people have no close. Poverty is ware people are fortunateless. I can help people by donating close and money. Elexis, 7

Twitterfeed

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:59:00 +0000

Just a brief info tidbit:
Twitterfeed informs your Tweeps that you have written a new blog post!

www.twitterfeed.com

Blogging For A Cause-Blog Action Day

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:12:00 +0000

October 15 marks the 2nd annual Blog Action Day. This year's topic: Poverty.

I feel that this topic came at a perfect time with the U.S. economy in the state that it is in. Please, register your blog on the website www.blogactionday.org, and dedicate one blog post to poverty on October 15 to change the topic of conversation, for at least one day. This will make yourself and everyone around you aware that poverty is alive and probably closer to you than you think it is. Please help make a difference.

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

How to Use Twitter for Marketing & PR -Thanks HubSpot!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:55:00 +0000

I attended this webinar yesterday, Friday, October 10. It is approximately 50 minutes long, so if you want to learn more about Twitter, open your notebook, grab a snack, and enjoy all the useful information that HubSpot has put together.

Please feel free to contact me via email with any questions or if you would like me to help you put Twitter to work for your organization. nicki at squishdesigns dot com

The Best Social Media Explanation I've Heard or Seen

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:23:00 +0000

How Many Women Bloggers Are Out There?

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:13:00 +0000

I took these stats directly from the Social Media Buzz blog:

The research from BlogHer and Compass Partners showed some interesting statistics:

35% of women aged 18 to 75 participate in the blogosphere weekly.
Of women online 53% read blogs, 37% post comments to blogs and 28% write or update blogs.
Of women bloggers 58% post entries at least weekly, and of those who actively read blogs, 80% do so at least once per week.
Why women blog?
65% do it for fun
60% to express themselves
46% to get information
41% to stay up to date on family and friends
40% to connect with others
34% as a diary
28% participate in the blogosphere in order to connect with others.

Here's a place where Mom Bloggers go:

And here is a list of the Top 50 Mom Blogs.

With such a large percentage of women bloggers and blog readers, shouldn't your business be blogging-especially if your target market is women?

Tweeterized Signature

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:58:00 +0000

Get tweeterized!

Twitsig.com-Convert Your Tweets To Images

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:08:00 +0000

Trying this out for all you Tweeps!

>Follow me www.twitter.com/nickilaycoax

FreshBooks Is A Breath Of Fresh Air...

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:48:00 +0000

After much frustration, I decided to stop using QuickBooks and opt for an alternative; FreshBooks.

FreshBooks handles:
Invoicing-both one-time and recurring
Cost estimating
Expense tracking
Time tracking
Online payment options for your clients via your merchant
Paper bills sent out with the click of a button
Reporting

It is very easy to set up and is very easy to use.

If you haven't tried it out, and are looking for a painless accounting solution, give it a shot! You can use it for up to 3 clients free and upgrade when you are ready to!

Here's a comment from one of our clients:
Holy crap that is much easier to pay that way! Very nice!

You can also follow them on Twitter! http://twitter.com/freshbooks

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:08:00 +0000

Testing out ping.fm

Are You Bored With Your Music?

noreply@blogger.com (Nicki Laycoax) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:36:00 +0000

I was too! Then I checked out Last.fm You can grant access to your iTunes, and then once you install the plug-in on your PC, you are able to "scrobble" related tunes! It's awesome! Check it out!