QlubbHouse

Outlook - the Vexing Problem Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:47:00 +0000

We discovered that Outlook mail client adds strange characters to the front of emails(see the past post). So we have been trying to write out own patch to this problem (the problem lies in a Rails mail library gem). We thought we had it conquered a few days ago, only to realize that Outlook 2006 was adding yet another different set of characters (Microsoft, you!!).

So our developers were at it again last night and we think we have this problem nipped in the bud this time. So if you use Outlook email client - let us know if you see the issue arise. Please send us your Outlook version, Word version and the offending characters!

Outlook client issue fixed

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:28:00 +0000

Over the past month or so, we and our users noticed that emails that originate from Outlook clients added an annoying header characters in front of every email.

We isolated the error to a common Rails email library. After much waiting for the library to be fixed, we decided to take it upon ourselves and actually write our own code to strip it out. So today, I am announcing that finally Outlook users and their Qlubb members will not have to see this extra (frankly ugly) text. Thank you everyone for your patience as we figured out the best way to resolve this issue.

Meet Qlubb Users - Tastecasting

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:56:00 +0000

I wanted to introduce our Qlubb community to one of our most active users - Tastecasting. Tastecasting is a really interesting member-based club (in 22 cities!) that combines social networking with local restaurant reviews.

Tastecasting organizing tasting events at local establishments, signs up members to attend, and afterwards, members twitter, blog, FB, Flickr to post their thoughts, reviews and photos. To organize these many events, Tastecasting has been using Qlubb to arrange the event, post background information about the restaurant, send out RSVP's, schedule volunteers, send reminders and share photos.

Tastecasting has clubs in Austin, Aspen, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, El Paso, Indianapolis, Kansas City, LA, NY, Pittsburgh, and Tucson. Each of these Tastecasting clubs has create a unique Qlubb!

So welcome Tastecasting to the Qlubb family.

See the press release that was sent out today. http://www.tinyurl.com/Qlubb-tastecasting

Updates on Qlubb

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Happy Summer Everyone!

This has been an exciting month for Qlubb - We saw a surge in usage in May and June, reflecting the end of the school year rush in parties, celebrations, fairs, graduations, barbeques, etc.

Here at Qlubb, we have been busy working in the background, building some really cool features that we will be launching in a few weeks. In the meantime, we have also taken much of your advice and have deployed some of your suggestions. As you use Qlubb you will notice some near navigation features (previous, next event navigation in the event page) and the ability to delete an event from the event page. We will be releasing these minor enhancements throughout the summer weeks.

So let us know what you like/dislike! We love the summer lull, because as you relax on the beach, we are busy working on tons of new features that will be ready when you get back and are re-charged for the new school year.

Happy Summer

Happy Teacher's Appreciation Week

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:39:00 +0000

Teacher’s Appreciation Week starts today and ends this Friday. As the mother of two young children just starting formal school, I look forward to this week’s activities. Why? Because next to my husband and I, my children’s teachers are the most important adults in their lives. In fact, if it weren’t for the weekends, their teachers would almost spend more waking hours with our children than us!

If you have ever spent some time in the classroom, volunteering or observing, you quickly realize what a difficult, yet extremely important job these teachers perform day in and day out. It’s takes a special person to entertain, educate and inspire 20 young olds without resorting to candy bribes, time-outs, and video game privilege threats!

For this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week at my son’s preschool, I organized a week-full of food-related activities ranging from special snacks during the day to hosting a breakfast one morning and a parent-catered lunch on Friday. For teachers who often grab and zap microwave meals or snack on junk food, having special food during the day and special meals is a treat that is deeply appreciated. Normally, using old school methods (email, sign-up sheets, phone calls), organizing these meals and snacks would be a huge undertaking with a lot of coordination. But with Qlubb, I spent 15 minutes setting up the 5 events (meals and snacks for each day), listing out what volunteers should bring and do. 14 different families volunteered to help cater food and setup – with not one phone call, not one email, no miscommunication. With Qlubb, I also didn’t have to worry about nagging or reminding the parents of these tasks, because Qlubb is going to do it automatically, the day before the event.

At the end of the day, everyone is happier. Volunteers are clear on their tasks, organizers don’t have to worry about coordination and communication, and teachers are happy to have 5 days of
special events thanking them for their hard and important work.

Happy Teacher’s Appreciation Week – Bon Appetit!

Back-End Upgrade Completed

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:01:00 +0000

This morning we completed a server upgrade that included a migration to Rails 2.0. Why did we embark on this upgrade? For many reasons from performance, for greater usability, automatic implementation of REST APIs (allowing us to easily integrate with many other 3rd party web services/applications), among others. Our rapidly growing base of users and our planned features necessitated that we implement these back-end changes as soon as possible.

Without boring you with too many details, we just wanted to give you a heads up today as you check on your Qlubbs. We hope you notice some of the new navigation features, but mostly, we hope you don't notice anything significant except for faster performance. As always, if you run into problems, please let us know at feedback (at) qlubb (dot) com.

Happy Qlubb-in

Email issues yesterday

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:09:00 +0000

We had some email issues yesterday. Apparently our "lockfile gem" was acting up and some group emails were not getting sent. Fortunately we were able to find the error last night and sent out all the backed up emails. There may have been some duplicates sent out too. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Productive Magazine: Managing a Group - When You're Not Really in Control!

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:35:00 +0000

We were recently published in Productive Magazine in an article by our own Andrew Yang about how to be productive in groups. Check it out! It gives some great tips on how to make your group productive, even if you aren't their "boss".

Qlubb Helps Group of Miners Explore Abandoned Mines

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:39:00 +0000

One of the most interesting things about working at Qlubb is to see how groups of people use our service. It truly is fascinating to see the diversity of things that groups of people do together in their spare time.

I contacted Alan Davies, the founder of the Pitmen crew a few months ago and was fascinated to learn about his hobby. He lives in the UK and loves to get his group together to explore old abandoned mines. His hobby is equal parts excitement, exploration, and history. He uses Qlubb to help organize his group of explorers. To read more about the article, go to the writeup in Mining Magazine.

To view the article through their reader, go directly to: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/2aa69a69#/2aa69a69/40

Qlubb Video - A 6-Year Old and Her 3-Year Old Brother Explain Qlubb

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:20:00 +0000

We enlisted a few cute kids to describe the Qlubb service. If you like it, please feel free to forward to others who might appreciate it. The link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grWsHvICxiE. Enjoy!

New features - recruiting more members and new administration features

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:37:00 +0000

Greetings fellow Qlubbers.

Late last night we added some new administration features to Qlubb. Now only the founder of the group and any users designated as administrators can access the admin tab in the Qlubb. All other users will not see the admin tab at all. For those of you who the founder is still administrating the site, there is no change. For those Qlubbs who have non-founding members editing the Admin section, they will need to be added by the founder as an admin. This is done easily by the founder by clicking on admin and scrolling to the bottom of the page and designating which users are founders. In this section you may also ban users. Banned users will not be able to log into or access the Qlubb.

So in summary, the admin features are automatically turned on. The only user visible change is that non-founding members now can't see the admin button. If the founding member wants to have more administrators (i.e. see the admin button), all they need to do is:

1) go to the admin screen
2) select which users should be administrators

Another great feature we added is the ability to request to join a Qlubb. In order to do this you need to turn on the "public" page feature which publishes an additional page for non-members to access without a password. It displays items which are marked as public on this page. So don't worry about turning it on and having your photos and names suddenly displayed. You have to explicitly note which users and photos you want as public before they ever show up there.

On this public page is a button saying "request to join". A non-member can fill out their email address and a short note and it gets sent to the administration screen of the Qlubb. The admin can then approve or reject the user request. So, in order to recruit more users, all you have to do is:

1) turn on "public" functionality in the admin section
2) decide (or let your users decide) which pictures, events, users you want to make "public"
3) publish or pass around your link to your public page (e.g. http://myclub.qlubb.com/public)
4) wait for people to request to join (they fill in their name, email and a short note)
5) view the queue of people who want to join by looking at the admin section of the site
6) approve or reject users

It's easy.

If you have any questions with any of these features, please don't hesitate to contact us help@qlubb.com. Give it a try and let us know if you have any questions or comments.

Please nominate us :-)

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:41:00 +0000

Hello fellow Qlubbers. We hope you enjoy using Qlubb. If you like Qlubb, please let your friends and acquaintances know. Nearly everyone in the country is a member of at least one club or group so spread the word ;-). The more the merrier. If you have a moment, please also nominate us for the Webware 100 awards at http://www.webware.com/100/. Thanks for your continued patronage!

Sign of the Times

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Qlubb has always been about helping groups of people get online and more productive. We've been ecstatic to hear many of the stories from our users who find our solution to be helpful and easy to use. Recently, I interviewed the Qlubb founder of "Second Citi", a group of people who were recently laid off from Citibank. These days, you can't go a day without hearing about a massive layoff from a blue chip company. People who never were laid off before, people who had always done a great job, are now suddenly forced into a community with little support. Even finding each other's email addresses to communicate becomes a challenge.

Qlubb has been a great help to Second Citi because it's so easy to use and helps provide a central place where they can get together virtually, plan events, share tips and links and communicate with each other. To read more about how Qlubb has been helping Second Citi, please read the story here:

Sorry about the slight email delay...

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Hello fellow Qlubbers.

We've been growing so quickly that we exceeded our estimates for our monthly email quota from our email provider. This caused emails to get queued up for a few hours before we realized. We have upped our quota and now email should be flowing smoothly now. If you had try to send an email earlier and it didn't go through, it should have gone through by now.

Sorry about any inconvenience!
Qlubb Staff.

Expert Series: Leaders Lead the "WHY"

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:01:00 +0000

This week I would like to introduce you to C.C. Yin. Wearing many hats, including that of the California Lottery Commission, McCain2008 campaign et al, C.C. is also the Chairman and Founder of APAPA (Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association) and the owner of 20 McDonald's franchises with 800 employees in Northern California. With over 30 years of leadership experience that spans the not-for-profit arena (APAPA), politics (McCain2008) and the for-profit arena (McDonald's), C.C. has taken some time out of his busy schedule to give us some insight into what makes a good and effective leader.

[Qlubb] Hi C.C. So, let's start off with a basic question - what is a leader?
[C.C.]In any organization, there are the leaders, the managers and the community. The leaders provides the overarching "WHY" of the organization. The "WHY" provides the spirit and mission. A good leader's job is to keep the "WHY" clear and in their member's mind at all times. When an organization loses its "WHY" it loses its shared values, goals and eventually loses its membership and energy. Managers, on the other hand, determine the "HOW" to achieve the "WHY" and work with the members of the organization to execute the "HOW".

[Qlubb]Having led a wide range of teams and groups, what do you think makes a good leader?
[C.C.] I think a good leaders needs 2 essential things. First, he/she needs to have a good heart; meaning that the person must be fair, honest, responsible and diligent. Second he/she needs to have a good head;meaning that the person must be be interested and curious in acquiring knowledge and the application of that the knowledge. Management and leadership skills can be acquired over time, but need to be built on a foundation of a good heart and a good head.

[Qlubb] Can you describe how good leaders can influence their groups? And how it differs between not-for-profit and for-profit organizations?
[C.C.]A leader has two fundamental powers. The first one is personal power which comprises influence, member respect/admiration, and charisma. The second one is positional power which comprises influence and respect that stems from a organization process, structure or system. In a for-profit organization (business), 80% of your influence/power stems from positional power; the remaining 20% is your personal power. In a not-for-profit organization, the influence is the exact opposite. 80% of your power stems from personal power and only 20% from position power. In either case, personal power is the best type of influence but is harder to achieve as it stems from experience, success and reputation. Personal power will survive through changes, hardship, and times of uncertainty. Positional power is a somewhat artificial or forced power and can change due to organizational and structural events. But if you don't yet have the personal power (due to inexperience, reputation, etc), then you have to rely on positional power.

[Qlubb] How do you manage and lead your for-profit organization?
[C.C.] With over 800 employees located in 20 different location, communication is critical. Because my business is a people and services business, frequent and clear communication is critical to success. Though we rely predominantly on face-to-face meetings and phone calls, we are slowly moving to Internet-based systems (including email, websites and services like Qlubb). I have both a hierarchical command-and-control structure and a horizontal group that acts as a check-and-balance.

[Qlubb] How do you find your organization's future leaders?
[C.C.] It is important for me to grow my organization's future leaders internally. Over the years, I have developed a team that is similar to a family and we work towards a similar goal. It takes time, but in the end, home-grown leader share the same values, understand the processes, and work towards the same mission (the "WHY").

[Qlubb] C.C., Thank you for your insight. Is there a website that we can find out more about your organizations?
You can find out more about Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association at our website. www.apapa.org

Expert Series: The Leader in You

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:45:00 +0000

Hello Fellow Qlubbers.

I'm pleased to introduce Mary Ann Rettig Zucchi. She's the founder of Jupiter Consulting Group and someone I have worked with in my past life. She's going to provide some great insights on leadership and teams. While she's coached great leaders in business, many of the same principles apply to anyone who's leading a team - from the PTA to even the small neighborhood watch group.

[Qlubb] Hello Mary Ann. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do?

[Mary Ann] I work with leaders and teams in organizations big and small to bring out the best in individuals and groups, allowing them to enjoy greater success and satisfaction. Along with several other experienced organizational development professionals I founded Jupiter Consulting Group, an international firm dedicated to “adding life back into work.” We’re passionate about promoting the authentic, productive relationships in organizations. Toward that end, we provide coaching, facilitation, leadership and organizational development services.

I have been consulting with a broad range of industries in the US and abroad for twenty years. Prior to earning my master’s in Adult Education and doctorate in Counseling Psychology from UC Berkeley, I spent several years as a leader in a non-profit service organization. And like so many members of Qlubb, I’ve been known to wear a few hats at once—soccer mom, room parent, and college admissions volunteer to name a few.

[Qlubb] In your years of professional consulting, you've worked with many top leaders. What do you think makes a good leader?

[Mary Ann] While there is no cookie cutter for becoming an effective leader, the best do have several things in common—authenticity, commitment, self-knowledge. Rather than trying to be someone else (like their predecessor, for example), they learn how to lead authentically using their own unique style. They care deeply about the group they are leading and know themselves well enough to identify how they can best serve the goals of the group. As leaders they are able to “get up on the balcony” and see the big picture without becoming mired in the nitty-gritty details.

[Qlubb] Bringing it down to earth, most of our users are leading groups in their extracurricular lives. We have leaders ranging from room parents to Little League coaches to mother's groups to video game players. Are what makes a good leader different for your everyday person leading an extracurricular group?

[Mary Ann] The core characteristics are the same. I do think that effective leadership for any type of group calls for a realistic assessment of what one can reasonably take on given his or her full range of commitments. In my experience, volunteer leadership is most effective when roles are clearly defined and tasks are appropriately delegated. In addition to preventing burn-out, spreading the responsibility builds involvement and commitment on the part of other members and encourages the development of future leaders, all good things for the group.

Extracurricular leadership allows some to bring their professional expertise to an entirely new arena of interest (e.g. an IT marketing person with web design expertise who takes on designing a Cub Scout website) while others welcome the opportunity to use skills that they don’t get to use at work of in other areas of their lives (e.g., an accountant who enjoys recruiting new members or coordinating volunteers). Leadership roles are most gratifying when the responsibilities are in line with what one hopes to get out of his or her affiliation with the group.

[Qlubb] Most everyone has either founded or led a group. First of all, can anyone be a good leader?

[Mary Ann] Any one can be a good leader as long as he or she genuinely believes in the mission of the organization, is committed to advancing it, and brings enough self-knowledge to know what to take on and what to delegate.

[Qlubb] What advice do you have for the average person out there who is leading a group of people?

[Mary Ann] Make sure you know what your unique strengths are and focus your energy leveraging those. If you are great at mustering volunteers and energizing members of your group but don’t even bother to balance your own checking account, get out front rallying folks and find someone else to deal with the finances. Whether it is in an all-volunteer organization or running a company, the most effective leaders are very conscious of how to use their strengths to maximum effect. They are smart enough to find others to fill in any gaps.

Keep it fun! If you find your role as a leader to be more draining than energizing, it is time for a change. Chances are you are either spending a lot of time and effort on tasks that don’t play to your strengths or you need to spread the responsibility around a bit more in order to bring back the joy. Remember why you got into this in the first place!

[Qlubb] How does one know that they are being a successful leader (or at least on the right track)? Is this something that can be measured? Does it depend on what the followers think, akin to a popularity contest?

[Mary Ann] Successful leadership is marked less by the popularity of the leader than by his or her ability to foster the commitment, alignment and involvement of members in moving the organization forward. Rather than dictating results, successful leaders identify optimal ways in which they can serve their members and support the group’s goals. While remaining true to themselves, they adapt their leadership approach and style to the context and desired culture of the group. I would not expect successful leadership of the local VFW Post to take the exact same form as effective leadership of the neighborhood organic food collective. Checking in with a variety of group members, listening to their concerns and seeking feedback while holding regard for organizational goals and principles helps leaders stay on the right track.

[Qlubb] Thanks for your words of wisdom Mary Ann. Can you point our readers to your website (or a set of resources) that you think might be helpful? Thanks.

[Mary Ann] To learn more about leadership, visit our website. You’ll find recommended resources under the “How we connect” tab.

A D D I N G life B A C K I N T O work

Organizing - Make Life Simpler

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:46:00 +0000

This week we are speaking with Laura, the professional organizer behind www.orgjunkie.com.

[Qlubb] Hello Laura. Please tell me what you do and how you got started?

Hello, I'm a Professional Organizer as well as a Professional Blogger. I blog about all things organizing on my site "I'm an Organizing Junkie". Organizing is something I'm passionate about and it also makes me very happy. I love sharing this crazy passion of mine with others. My blog which started out as a hobby in May of 2006, turned into an amazing opportunity that allows me to stay home with my 3 awesome kids.

[Qlubb] How do you define someone who is in need or organization?

I would describe that person as someone who is constantly frustrated by not being able to find things that they are looking for, someone who is constantly late, someone who can't invite guests over for fear of them seeing the state of their home, someone whose bills aren't paid on time, someone who isn't at peace with their surroundings. The thing about disorganization is it pretty much impacts every area of our lives.

[Qlubb] How does one know if they can do it themselves or need outside help?

I honestly believe organizing is a learned skill. I don't believe it was a genetic ability that I was born with but something I learned to do out of necessity and desire. The thrill of success and accomplishment eventually led to my passion for it. If you are having trouble getting motivated or figuring out where to start, calling in some reinforcements might be just the push you need. Consider inviting a friend over to help you view your space with fresh eyes and give you a hand or consider hiring a Professional Organizer. A Professional Organizer will bring a lot of passion and excitement to your space and will get you excited about the possibilities.

[Qlubb] Some people like to get organized but then creep back (sometimes unwittingly) into disorganization? How does one stay on track?

This happens to everyone eventually. Organizing is an ongoing process. Life happens. Things change. A marriage, a new baby, a birthday, Christmas, etc. Events such as these can lead to new stuff and new agendas resulting in systems that need to be tweaked to accommodate changing needs. That's okay, don't sweat it. Just start back at the beginning of the PROCESS and you'll be back on track before you know it. You can find more information on my 7 step organizing process here.

[Qlubb] What do you look for when reviewing organizing products?

I look for products that fulfill a need, that make life easier, simplier. I want them to be practical and functional and not just a passing phase.

[Qlubb] What are your favorite organizing products? Why?

My favorite organizing products are hands down dollar store baskets. The functionality they provide at such a low price point gets me so super excited. They are perfect for drawers, cupboards and closets alike. They also come in all shapes, sizes and colors. My other favorite two organizing products that keep me on track time wise are of course my central kitchen calendar and my planner. Both wonderfully practical yet simple tools.

[Qlubb] How can our readers find you?

Readers can find me at my blog, www.orgjunkie.com. Stop by and say hello!

Organizing for America - Inauguration Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:39:00 +0000

As with most mornings, I get up early to monitor Qlubb activities and usage. This morning was no different; except that I was also listening/watching inauguration activities. After the official swearing-in ceremonies, I observed a spike in Qlubb usage. While it could be due to a wide variety of reasons (e.g., marketing programs, daily usage patterns), I want to believe that Qlubb-goers were inspired by Obama’s call for change and for grass roots organizations to make a difference.

Regardless of your political persuasion, this past political season has demonstrated the power of grass root organizations. Even the smallest, most localized group can make a significant difference in our communities.

Qlubb was started to embody and channel that “can-do” attitude of groups. Our mission all along has been to help real-life groups get organized to get stuff done. As a community leader, I know how hard it can be to organize people and activities-it really is like herding cats sometimes.

So in the spirit of “Yes We Can” – I challenge you to start a Qlubb for your local group. Whether you are part of a religious group, women’s shelter, junior league, schools, boy scouts, community activists, union, etc, create a Qlubb, organize activities/events, recruit volunteers and ultimately affect change in your community.

Though we sometimes feel like a "skinny guy with a funny name" unable to affect change, don’t underestimate the power of your Qlubb.

Send me your stories of how Qlubb empowered you and your groups to effect change. I'll publish submissions regularly :)

“For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.” President Obama, January 20, 2009

Expert Series - Organizing as a Way of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:30:00 +0000

Hello Qlubbers!

We're pleased to discuss how to get organized with Ramona Creel. Ramona is a NAPO Golden Circle Member and a founder of OnlineOrganizing.com. Started in 2000, OnlineOrganizing has grown into a nationally recognized organizing resource that provides tools for both professional organizers as well as people who need help getting organized.

[Qlubb] Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into the organizing business?

[Ramona] I was a social worker in my previous life – I ran a welfare-to-work program at the Atlanta Housing Authority, and I was the resource gal – if they needed education, job training, health insurance, child care, whatever, I could find it for them – I’ve always enjoyed helping people find solutions to their problems, and I’ve always been naturally organized – so when I got ready to leave social work, organizing was the perfect match.

[Qlubb] You work with a lot of professional organizers. When is it important to hire a professional organizer?

[Ramona] When you just can’t do it on your own – it’s just like hiring a personal trainer – if you can exercise regularly and achieve the results you want on your own, great – if you can’t, you ask for help.

[Qlubb] Many of our best users are people who like to be organized but are pressured by time and other commitments. What is your best advice for these folks?

[Ramona] Organizing isn’t something you fit in after all of your other commitments – it’s not a one-time activity, it’s a way of life – it’s like healthy eating or frugal spending or daily exercise – it is vital to your quality of life and should become a habit that accompanies all of your other daily routines.

[Qlubb] Have you worked with anyone who was too organized? Can you have too much of a good thing?

[Ramona] Nope – you can be too compulsive, but that’s not the same as being too organized – continually rearranging things or obsessing over unimportant details isn’t organized, it’s a waste of time – being organized also means knowing when to STOP organizing.

[Qlubb] How do you know when a group of people (such as a team, a playgroup, etc.) are organized?

[Ramona] When they function effectively enough to allow them to do the thing they actually gathered for instead of always dealing with administrative details – good organizing skills allow a group to spend their time on their work or play or whatever their purpose is – if that’s happening and little details aren’t falling between the cracks, they’re organized.

[Qlubb] Do you have a favorite piece of advice for a group leader or group members that helped them be better organized?

[Ramona] Communicate! The biggest cause of disorganization in a team is failure to tell people what's working for you and what isn't - folks are so scared of sounding like a complainer or insulting another person or (in the case of an employer) making the boss angry, that they aren't honest about what they need to get their job done effectively -- but if you allow other people to eat up your time and disrupt your routines, and if you don't speak up when a system isn't functioning properly, it hurts everyone - learn how to open your mouth when something isn't working, and everyone will benefit.

[Qlubb] How does someone who is organized get someone else that they depend on to be more organized?

[Ramona] They can’t – you can offer suggestions and assistance, you can serve as a positive example, but you can’t MAKE someone else get organized – they have to a) see the benefits to getting organized, b) see that their current situation isn’t working, and c) be willing to change – if any of those factors is missing, don’t waste your time.

[Qlubb] Where can a person who wants to be more organized find out more information?

[Ramona] Well, our site, Online Organizing is filled with resources – free tips and articles, as well as do-it-yourself organizing products and referrals to an organizer near you (if you need more help) – I also suggest a trip to the bookstore or library – tons of great books out there discussing the many aspects of being organized.

Displaying Ads in Qlubbs

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:41:00 +0000

Happy New Year everyone.

Though it's only the 9th day of the new year, we have been on a tear. With just had a huge spike in new users - I guess everyone REALLY does want to get organized as part of their new year's resolutions! Add to that, our development team has been releasing so many new features (yes, the 30-day calendar really does ROCK).

Many of you have asked me in the past on how we pay the rent? Yes, our investors have been very generous and very patient - however, we can't live on the unconditional generosity indefinitely. At the same time, I also very personally understand the budgetary limitations of real-life groups and so the core Qlubb capabilities will always remain free.

So in order to keep the servers humming and lights on, we will be rolling out display ads on our Qlubbs over the next few days. We are doing it gradually so that we can monitor the quality and appropriateness of the ads to our thousands of Qlubbs. I am sure, that despite our best efforts, some inappropriate ads may be displayed - please be patient and let us know ASAP. We'll address these ads immediately.

Let me know what you think of our ads.

Expert Series - Personal Organizing Made Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:49:00 +0000

In our second expert series, we are speaking with Dena Pasis, About.com's guide to personal organizing. Dena has over 11 years of personal organizing experience, helping many people attain their organization goals.

[Qlubb] Welcome Dena. Tell us a little bit about yourself - how you got started and what do you do now?

[Dena] Hi Andrew, thank you for interviewing me. My passion for organizing began in my early twenties when I realized that the clutter in my outer world was creating inner turmoil. At first, I solely concentrated on organizing my personal space, and then I incorporated my talents into the workplace both in office settings and at personal residences. Currently, I am guide to personal organizing on www.about.com, and I am an office manager at a home organization and storage products company.

[Qlubb] I noticed in your blog you talk about people needing to "desire" to be organized. What have you seen are some of the reasons why people want to be organized?

[Dena] A few of the reasons why people want to get organized is to eliminate the clutter in their lives, keep better track of day-to-day events and create function in their current storage spaces.

[Qlubb] Is it possible to get someone to want to be organized who wasn't beforehand? For instance, how might you get a spouse or colleague to be more organized?

[Dena] I definitely think that someone can become organized who wasn’t beforehand. I also think that one of the best ways to encourage organization for a spouse or colleague is to lead by example. If you lead an organized life, hopefully your good habits will inspire others. Another helpful option is to provide your spouse or colleague with the tools that they need to help them get organized. For example, you could recommend a product to them that you find helpful or introduce them to an organizing system that you utilize.

[Qlubb] Most of the people who start using our service are people who are organizing a group of people. What tips do you have for these people to help get a group of people organized?

[Dena] To encourage group organization, I would recommend that the group leader devise an organizational plan, invite everyone to participate, offer weekly motivational tips and encourage open communication for the participants to express their feedback.

[Qlubb] For many people, organizing is a chore. Are there any tips for making it seem less like "work"?

[Dena] In order to make organizing seem less like a chore, it is helpful to pair a pleasant task with your organizing task. For example, if you listen to your favorite music while organizing your bedroom closet, it can make the task more enjoyable.

[Qlubb] What is your favorite organizing product that you use or that you recommend others to use? Why?

[Dena] One of the products that I use on a regular basis and find extremely helpful to organize my day-to-day events is The Personal and Family Grid Organizer by BusyBodyBook®. (See full review)

This product allows me to easily coordinate my work schedule, social activities, bills, dinner menu and to do’s for each day of the month.

[Qlubb] How can people find out more about getting organized?

[Dena] I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in getting organized should visit my website. As a guide to personal organizing on www.about.com, I provide weekly newsletters, blogs, tips, reviews and articles that will assist and encourage people towards their organizational goals.

[Qlubb] Thanks Dena for taking the time. It's a busy time for people in the professional organizing community and so we appreciate your time. Happy New Year!

Expert Series - Organizing With the Experts

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:47:00 +0000

Happy New Year Everyone.

We're kicking off a new series of interviews with experts! Our first series will be on organizing experts - people who help others get organized for a living! Our inaugural guest is Krista Colvin. As owner of Organize in Style llc, she helps women organize their homes and offices. As the creator of www.TheShebang.com, The Smart Woman's Guide to Doing it All, she inspires women to get it and keep it together. Krista is the lifestyle expert for AM Northwest, & co host of The O Myth, a Blog Talk Radio show. She is a guest blogger for Working Mother Magazine and Online Organizing.

[Qlubb] What do you do and how did you get started being a professional organizer?

[Krista]I'm a lifestylist and organizing maven... which basically means I believe in organizing the whole shebang! Simply put, I help people get it and keep it together based on their personal organizing style.

After teaching high school for 13 years I decided to take what I dubbed my "Domestic Diva" leave of absence. After about a year I got antsy and discovered via many hours of HGTV that professional organizing was a 'real job'! From there I launched Organize in Style my consulting and hands-on organizing business then later developed The Shebang- The Smart Woman's Guide to Doing it All!, which is an online lifestyle management program.

[Qlubb] Why do people need to be better organized?

[Krista] Being organized takes the 'overwhelm' out of life's craziness. A simple clearing of a paper pile may be all one needs to feel in control or a complete office re-do may be the answer. I believe we each have our threshold and when it's out-of-whack, we feel it.

[Qlubb] What have been the top three favorite tips you've found help someone get organized?

1. Piles are just flat files- if you loathe filing consider tossing the paper in a box. This works best with financial statements or bank statements or paid bills. They will still be in chronological order and you'll easily be able to reference them if need be.

2. Create paper systems based on your organizing style. I believe people are filers, pilers, or into binders. Determine which style suits you and the task at hand, then create a simple system.

3. Just because your mother did it that way, you don't have to! For example, there's nothing wrong with keeping the peanut butter with the bread if you make PB&J's everyday.

[Qlubb] Many of our members are balancing work, family and their group activities. What advice do you have for them to stay organized in three separate, busy contexts?

[Krista] As much as we'd like to keep our work, family + group activities separate, that rarely seems to be the case. We don't lead 3 different lives, so the key is to integrate and manage them the best we can.

work- Make the best use of your time. Asking yourself "is this the BEST use of my time?" will have you knock out the "Must Do's" instead of the "Could-Do's."

family- Create routines and have simple systems in place. Implementing a daily 5 minute pick up-clean up session for the entire family is the key to staying organized.

group activities- Keep it simple! Make sure everyone has the needed information in a clear and concise manner.

[Qlubb] For our team leaders and organizers, what tips can you offer for them to help get someone else in the group to be better organized? What "buttons" do you push to help someone get organized and most importantly, stay organized?

[Krista] Organizing someone else... hmmm always a can of worms :) First remind yourself that we each have different organizing styles so what works for you will not always work for someone else. I suggest setting the system up for the end user. Create something simple. Don't go crazy with the details.

Setting deadlines to include specific time due, for example, Tuesday at 11am, helps keep your group members on task. Most people know what they need to do but put it off until the last minute. When setting the deadline consider that some will need to push out the due time as they may have underestimated the amount of time to complete the task.

[Qlubb] Thanks Krista. We really appreciate your advice. Happy New Year to you and all of our readers!

Happy New Year, Now Let's Get Organized!

noreply@blogger.com (Qlubb-CEO) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Happy New Year to everyone!

After a wonderful and busy holiday, I am so glad to be back in full-force. 2008 was good, but I am really look forward to an awesome 2009.

Though New Year's resolution are often broken with the first few weeks of the new year, I always find the resolution-making process to be an entertaining and inspiring process where I can set lofty, aspirational goals - hey a girl can dream!

As many of us draw up resolutions, a good one is to add a bit of order into our lives. So many of us have so much going on at any one time that we often find ourselves a little less connected, a little more frazzled and ultimately, scrambling to stay on top of our lives.

So to help jumpstart our resolutions to get a little more organized, Qlubb would like to offer you the chance to receive Sprinkles Cupcakes. All you have to do is refer a friend to Qlubb. If he/she creates a Qlubb with 5 users, we will send you a gift card to Sprinkles Cupcakes.* So it's not great for the losing weight resolution, but oh those red velvet cupcakes... So, what are you waiting for, refer a friend now!

* If you do not live near a Sprinkles, no need to worry. We will send you Sprinkles cupcake mix, made with the same high-quality ingredients and with their signature toppings.

Here's to a wonderful and ORGANIZED 2009!

New Calendar functionality

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:53:00 +0000

Hello fellow Qlubbers.

We rolled out the beta version of our new 30-day calendar functionality. Due to popular demand we released a month by month calendar view which should help you visualize your upcoming events.

PLEASE HIT SHIFT-RELOAD when you are on the Qlubb pages to make sure your browser cache is updated. Your browser will often store a copy of the javascript browser code on your browser so that it doesn't have to reload it each time. This is a performance advantage however, when updates are made to the code, your browser may be using an old copy of the cache to access our new functionality. All you have to do is hold down the shift key as you click on the "reload" or "refresh" button on your browser. That will force your browser to get the new code from our servers.

Also in this release, we have introduced a new panel called Act Now. In this panel it shows all of the things you should respond to, such as RSVP's not yet responded to, tasks that you can volunteer for as well as reminders for tasks you have already signed up for.

We hope you like our new layout as well. It's meant to increase function. If you've embedded videos and done other formatting you may have to make a few slight adjustments given the new layout. Please let us know at help@qlubb.com if you have any questions!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Group Organizers Can Go On Auto Pilot

noreply@blogger.com (Andy) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:37:00 +0000

Hello Fellow Qlubbers!

We're happy to announce a new "autopilot" feature which enables group organizers to put their whole schedule up and then let the reminders and delayed invitations/RSVP's do all of the work. Book clubs, soccer teams or any other group that has an upcoming schedule of activities can publish all of their events on their own Qlubb website and then set up timed invitations to invite people throughout the year.

For example, if there's a monthly game, a timed invitation can go out the week before asking them to RSVP for the game and to sign up for the various volunteering spots for that game. A final reminder can go out the day before to make sure everyone is reminded of the game.

We know that this feature will help many organizers do all of their upfront planning so that they can sit back and let the reminders tell them what they need to do and when.

If you have any questions, as always, please let us know!