aliza sherman rants and raves

Streetwise Ecommerce is Out!

Duh - Didn't realize my most recent book is out as of this month. For some reason, I thought it was coming out next month. The author is always the last to know!

The terribly wrong message sent by Jessica Seinfeld and Missy Chase Lapine. - By Mimi Sheraton - Slate Magazine

Link: The terribly wrong message sent by Jessica Seinfeld and Missy Chase Lapine. - By Mimi Sheraton - Slate Magazine.

When I heard about Jessica Seinfeld's new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, and her idea about pureeing veggies and stuffing them into foods kids like (brownies, mac 'n' cheese) so they "eat their veggies," I knew something about that disturbed me but I wasn't sure how to articulate it.

That is why I loved reading this article by Mimi Sheraton. She delved deeper into the dishonesty of tricking children into eating what is good for them by hiding it. Worth a read for every parent struggling with a picky eater.

I saying trickery is NOT the way.

Virtual Worlds Forum Blog » Blog Archive » Quick Thought: can businesses track their employees within virtual worlds?

Link: Virtual Worlds Forum Blog » Blog Archive » Quick Thought: can businesses track their employees within virtual worlds?.

I've got to say, I sure am glad I work for myself. Even though I don't stray into parts of Second Life that would be deemed "inappropriate for business," it is still creepy thinking that my boss could track my Second Life as well as my first life if I worked for somebody else.

Operation Hero

A dear friend of mine from Wyoming has a son-in-law in Iraq - a Black Hawk pilot. She and her daughter set up a special "program" enlisting friends to devote 2 weeks to sending something to him in Iraq. The idea was anything goes - it could be letters or postcards or a little gift.

Not knowing anyone personally who is serving in Iraq - and seeing as how this was a favor for a faraway friend who I love - I took this mission seriously. I went out and bought lots of little Alaska souvenirs such as a bear bottle opener, two metal coffee mugs - one with a carabiner handle, a metal bookmark, some tins of mints with names like "Bear Breath" and "Fish Breath," and a t-shirt with bears on it that reads "Homeland Security." I also purchased a dozen postcards with Alaska animals and scenes.

Trying to send something out daily while running a business from home and juggling baby was a feat. I ended up missing some days but managed to get out over half a dozen postcards and the gifts (sent the last batch yesterday, a week late but better than never).

I wasn't sure if he received anything or what he thought of the things I sent. Since I didn't know him, I was uncertain what to write about so just told him about our life here in Alaska, my husband's recent hunting accident and surgery to repair his arm and the story of how my husband and I met.

Then I received this email yesterday from my friend. These are quotes from her son-in-law about what "Operation Hero" has meant to him - the letter was addressed to my friend.

When I read this to my husband, I started to cry. This is what it is all about.

"I have recently been inundated with packages from all over the United States.  I have just got to tell you that I am completely blown away with how many people have sent me things and written me things.  I just want to thank you for setting all of that up and having such great friends that love you so much that they would love me so much just because I am associated with you.  You know some pretty amazing people."

"Let me just report to you all the other people that have been giving me support.  You have amazing friends and that speaks well for you.  I have never known so many incredible people since I have been lucky enough to become your son....

The Risdahls from Alaska have been so completely generous.  They have sent me probably ten postcards, four packages full of Alaska memorabilia, photo CDs, really nice coffee mugs.  What really touches me is that they just report their family news to me as if I was their family.  I don't even know them and it took me quite a while to even figure out how they knew me.  I just think it is so incredible that they are treating me like family, talk about a way to support one of the troops.  I am just so touched by all of the attention I don't even know how to thank them.

....

I guess that I didn't really know how the effects of your efforts in "Operation Hero" would hit me.  I wasn't sure that I needed that kind of attention in order to complete my mission here.  My mission was to get here, be safe, get through this and return home to my girls the same person as I left.  The problem is that it can't happen like that now.  I will continue to be safe and return home in one piece, but I have a much larger agenda and I can't be exactly the same as I left.  The way that everyone has included me and supported me makes me widen my motivation towards my mission.  These great folks have helped me put a face to the citizens of the US that deserve to be protected by someone like me.  I can't stand being away from my girls and that will never change, but since I have no choice, I am happy to serve in this war and expand the list of people in which motivate me to serve.

I am working slowly on properly thanking everyone that has been so incredibly generous to me, of course I am extremely behind on that endeavor. I just thought that I should begin with you and Whitney for putting this together.  I want you both to know that I am blown away and it is hard to feel worthy enough to be so loved by such incredible people.  For all of that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I don't know if I will ever get out to all of these folks the kind of thank you note or letter that would ever represent exactly how touched I really feel, but I know you will be able to help me advertise my true emotion."

(Excerpted with permission from his wife.)

Get your goth name

Link: Get your goth name.

Why is this amusing me to no end? The strangest things amuse.

....a million and ONE dreams

Link: ....a million and ONE dreams.

Looks like I'm not the only one with Stalker Spam. When will these people get a life instead of glomming onto the lives of others?

Stalker Spam 2: The Threats

Give a spammer their 15 minutes of fame, and they threaten to launch legal action against you.

All joking aside, the first comment below was again posted to my blog that has a strong spam blocker on it so it doesn't automatically show up publicly.

The second is a comment the same person posted to this blog - a veiled "threat" against not only me - but my daughter.

Rather than making further commentary, I'll just post these here and make them public record as they were intended.

Comment on my other blog:
I have been traveling on business and was just advised that you have posted on your personal website that I am an internet stalker. Therefore, I am here and now issuing you a cease and desist. Blogs are for people to issue their thoughts without fear of retaliation or labels. Obviously you are threatened by that and have chosen to label and launch a campaign against me upon three of your blogs to this date. I do not have the time to research an deeper but have assigned staff and my attorney from this date further to do such. Govern yourself accordingly.

Comment on this blog:
Glad you had so much perverse fun responding! Have a great surprise coming your way for you and NG. Enjoy!

Anatomy of Stalker Spam

I know I'm not the only person who gets "Stalker Spam" - those ranting, emphatic, obsessive personal attacks in email or in the comment sections of blogs from people who purport to know you. But of course, they never sign their missives - or do so under a pseudonym - clearly rendering anything they say suspect because they can't even be open and honest about who they are.

Anyway, I get them every once in a while and find them strangely fascinating for several reasons:

1. How they actually have the time to follow what I do so closely via whatever I post publicly online. I don't even have time to follow myself that closely!

2. How they string together the patchwork quilt of information they find out about me online and draw farfetched conclusions. Don't they realize that they're missing a major chunk of the facts?

3. How they can get so angry over someone they don't really know based on what they've read online. Hey, I've been jealous of others before, but my thoughts go to "Gosh, I wish I could do that" instead of "Damn them for doing that - let me send them Stalker Spam."

4. How they really believe they are cloaked with anonymity just because they don't post their name. Of course, I won't post their identity here out of...courtesy.

So here is the latest Stalker Spam I received. I've always wanted to dissect these things so I've provided a bit of commentary - in red - just for the heck of it. This was regarding my latest post about my past businesses and making a business idea happen.

urafraud | urafraud@yahoo.com - Oct 5, 1:42 AM

Wow! Moonbow Productions. So if you are so with it, why as your miscarriage documentary been in production for 2+ years.

Guess they missed all my posts about my decision not to work on my miscarriage documentary after I found out I was pregnant for the 5th time. I didn't want to focus on miscarriage while trying to stay pregnant. Of course, after having a baby, who has time to work on anything, much less a documentary?

No movement on your website other than 1 AK job.

Alas, I'm guilty of never updating my own site - the bane of every marketer's existence. Note to self: Update your business Web site.

Trying to get the distance out of the Teddy award….wow!

Hmmm...I guess they mean the logo for the Telly award on the site.

What people really need to pay you for is the art of self promotion.

If only one could get paid for self promotion! I marvel at how some people get really angry at anyone who is good at self-promotion. What is that all about?

When you are not a college graduate, have low self esteem, r a bad mother spends so much time on SL instead of reading to her own child!

Not a college graduate - guilty as charged. As I've posted in the past, after 4 years of college and no clear degree in sight, I wanted to get out in the world and work.

Low self esteem - hey, I've posted very openly about my personal struggle with low self esteem so this is not a news flash. I talk about it in hopes of helping others & to show that even someone who is "perceived" to be successful can still struggle.

R a bad mother - Not sure how they draw conclusions about my mothering skills although I have also been honest about my struggles in this area. What mommy blogger hasn't?

spends so much time on SL instead of reading to her own child! - OK, this one cracks me up. What are they doing - stalking me in Second Life, too?

Of course, they must have missed the posts where I talk about reading so many books to my daughter all the time that I've had to resort to multiple trips to the library to find new books to read to her instead of buying more.

Someone that for the past 6 years has put up blogs to get comments from truly talented women in order to garner subject material for your own books published by Adam Media and blogs such as this.

OK, trying to decipher this part. First, I've been blogging for 4 years (minor detail). Guess they haven't read my 2 books with Adams Media yet. Neither quote women from my blogs, but hey, another minor detail.

Your self esteem is so low that you spend your days on twitter and have convinced the media world that you are still the person that you once use to be.

OK Twitterites, I think thems fighting words, correlating Twitter use with low self esteem! But I'm glad to know that I used to be somebody. Boy, those media folks sure are gullible.

You stated on a mom’s website that you never received any valuable information, yet I’ve seen it someone offer it to you on your blog since you had your daughter and you reshape it into a format for one of your paying blogs posts.

Wow, they sure are following me from blog to site. Again, this one is hard to decipher, but clearly I'm being accused of something bad.

You are a user, and a fraud!

Ah, finally resorting to sticks and stones.

You truly need to start at the beginning of your blog and read everything and give credit where credit is due instead of pilfering ideas.

So maybe they think I've wronged them somehow and stolen their comments off my miscarriage blog and somehow turned it into a paying post on my entrepreneurship blog? Hmmm...

This post might be a “work it post”, but your current employer here needs to check out your other work and compare it to the desparation on your blog and then wonder how you can all of a sudden produce such self confidant advice!

Well, I seriously doubt my very savvy editor hasn't read some of my other blogs. And who among us hasn't felt desperate at times? Guess they missed my posts about my struggles with PPD and also how I've always been good at putting on a confident face when I'm in business mode, doing the things I'm good at in business. Most of us do.

You are a slithering snake, a fraud.

Ouch. Ouch. But I like the alliteration.

You hit it lucky in the 90’s.

I sure did and am still in awe of that to this day.

You are drawing on your knowledge of the internet now, but not your knowledge of being a mom - your advice is potentially leading people down the wrong path!

Ah, I'm now the Pied Piper of Wayward Mom Entrepreneurs leading them down the path to Mommy Entrepreneurship Hell!

Well, there you have it - The Anatomy of Stalker Spam. They'll continue to offer a brief moment of entertainment in my wonderfully busy life. Now let me stop blogging so I can log into SL, avoid reading to my daughter, pull the wool over the media's eyes and pilfer from unsuspecting women as I lead them all to Hell.