aliza sherman rants and raves

WeVote08 Tweetup in Anchorage, Alaska - Success!

On my way to the Tweetup

The scene at the WeVote08-AK Tweetup Maia from Own the Sidewalk blog

WeVote08 Tweetup in Anchorage, Alaska

We're having a Tweetup with a little Seemic and Flickr thrown in on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008 at Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge on 36th & Old Seward Highway. This is a non-partisan event, and we'll have voter registration forms on hand!

Here is our FACEBOOK page if you are on Facebook.

Here are the deets:

Voter registration deadlines are creeping up soon ladies and WE Vote '08 is getting the word out on-line and off-line. Join some of the leading women of social media for a series of "tweet-ups" in cities across the country on September 16th!!! Our favorite online rock-stars are getting their friends together in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Houston and Anchorage, and you are invited!! In addition to great networking, you'll get specific information on how easy it is to register to vote and get involved in the process. Learn more at WEVote08.com!

Time is Running Out to Get Registered!

Most states allow you to register up to 30 days before an election. Based on our scan of the data, you have until at least October 1st in every state to get registered. So check the map for your state's deadline! Since we are all busy women, let's just agree that we are all going to make sure we are registered no later than October 1st. No procrastination ladies!

That gives you two weeks post Tweet Up to make it happen!!

Not located near one of those cities - no worries - feel free to create your own voter registration gathering and link to us online!

Get your blog badge here: http://www.wetv.com/we-vote/blogbadges.html

Let your voice be heard!!

ABOUT WE Vote '08

WE Empowers Women is dedicated to providing education and assistance to women and girls so that they can lead a fulfilling life and achieve their full potential

WE Vote '08, part of the network's public affairs initiative, WE Empowers Women, is dedicated to empowering one million women in one year to register to vote!

WE Vote '08 educates women on issues that are important to them, based on our research and findings; issues such as healthcare, education, the economy, homeland security and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition, we want women to make their voices heard at the polls on November 4, 2008! Be sure to stand up for what you believe!

The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community: Nothing beats immersion for a good introduction

The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community: Nothing beats immersion for a good introduction.

Got back the end of last week after a few days in Seattle at BizJam Seattle, the indy business conference and professional network that "doesn't suck."

I don't know if it is Seattle or BizNik (the company that organizes BizJam) or both, but I had an awesome time and met some absolutely incredible people there.

The whole vibe was super friendly and open. I often feel a little left out when people at these things get a little clique-ish, but that wasn't happening at BizJam. Everyone seemed entirely engaged and completely open to meeting new people.

I attempted to Live Twitter most of the sessions I attended. What a job! You can read many of the tweets from the event at Hashtags and Twemes.

Next up: Live Twittering BlogHer later in the week from San Francisco.

The UPS Whiteboard Headquarters

Link: The UPS Whiteboard Headquarters.

Saw a text link ad for UPS Whiteboard Headquarters today, and for the first time ever, I clicked on a text link ad.

The site has some cool gee whiz interactive animation sequences that tell stories to sell UPS services.

You can move around the HQ by selecting your need such as visibility & trakcing; shipping software; streamline supply chain; reduce paperwork; or sell stuff online.

Or you can use the Whiteboard Navigator to go to areas such as Products and Services like Billing Solutions, CampusShip, Paperless Invoice, and Quantum View. You can search by bigger categories like Big Business, Small Business and Environmental. Then there is the Lobby, Theater, Library, Workshop and Break Room.

I don't really have a need for shipping and thus no real need for UPS, however, I did poke around a little because I was curious about the delivery of their message.

Is this an effective advertising/marketing campaign? Here are my immediate thoughts:

1. Click-thru. It got me to click on a text link ad - something I've never done until today. It was on an email forwarded to me by someone I know through NPR.org. I guess I clicked because it was connected to NPR.org.

2. Click around. It got me to click around - if for no other reason than to figure out what UPS was doing.

3. Conversion. It didn't get me to inquire more about UPS services because I'm not their target market.

However, back to the text link ad: Because it was on an email sent via NPR.org and by a trusted colleague, I took the leap to click on the ad link.

To me, what UPS is doing through their animated tours to sell their services via the UPS Whiteboard Headquarters is a bit over the top but interesting as a curiosity.

What really works is the way they delivered their link to me - through the "Email a Friend" feature on NPR.org. This gives their ad link the double whammy of trust: It was on an emai sent to me by someone I know and sent via a web site for a media outlet I know and respect. Smart.

4. Chatter. Regardless of whether or not I personally will partake in UPS's services, what they are doing online right now was a catalyst for a Tweet and a blog post from me. Not bad, UPS, not bad.

What do you think about the UPS Whiteboard Headquarters campaign?

Men Explain Things to Me | Reproductive Justice and Gender | AlterNet

Link: Men Explain Things to Me | Reproductive Justice and Gender | AlterNet.

Partway through Rebecca Solnit's essay about men who explain things to her, I had to stop and sigh. She was able to present her thoughts in a very lyrical, literary way. This is what creative non-fiction is all about.

I was also struck with how I found this article (via a Tweet) the day after I wrote this post: The Art of Self-Promotion. While not the exact same topic, it did touch on gender differences and inherent sexism.

If only I could deliver my thoughts with a bit more flourish. My writing tends to be very cut and dry which works in many venues, but I really just want to improve my skills as a storyteller. Feminist ideas go down so much easier when there is skill in the telling.

Web not posting tweets from people I follow

Link: Web not posting tweets from people I follow.

While I'm bumming that Twitter is currently Tweetless - or at least the majority of the Tweets of people I'm following are not being seen - I'm excited to see a site like Get Satisfaction online.

How many times have I complained that customer service sux these days, especially since many companies have outsourced their customer service lines to fill-in-the-blank non-Native English speaking countries? Hey, I'm not being anti-other-countries-who-don't-speak-English here. I'm being anti-bad-customer-service.

I'm looking forward to exploring the Get Satisfaction site more when I have the time, however, just being able to go to it today to find out why Twitter is having its Tweetless moments this weekend is comforting somehow. Gives me that "oh, good, it isn't just me" feeling as well as shows me that Twitter cares, Twitter is listening, and Twitter is responding. They have a company rep monitoring their Twitterfeed on Get Satisfaction's site and responding to the feedback.

I encourage every company out there who relies on customers to get their feed on Get Satisfaction now and to monitor it diligently. (Wells Fargo, are you listening!?!?)

And all of you customers out there, sign up with your own account and participate. Our voices must be heard!

Podcast - Interview with Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse

Podcast of an interview with Diane MacEachern of Big Green Purse.

via Brighter Planet

PARTICIPANTS (EITHER LIVE OR BY MESSAGE)

ALPHAMOM-Isabel Kallman

BABYFRUIT - Aliza Sherman Risdahl

IN WOMEN WE TRUST - Mary Clare Hunt

MOCHA MOMMA - Kelly Wickham

*MOM-101 - Liz Gumbinner

PARENTOPIA - Devra Renner

*POLITICAL VOICES OF WOMEN - Catherine Morgan

SOUL GARDENING - Tammie Booth

STATE OF GRACE - Grace Davis

all the way from oy to vey

Link: all the way from oy to vey.

I'm getting in touch with my inner, hidden, totally suppressed Jew-ishness with the help of my new Jewgirl bloggy friend. And signing my baby up for daycare at the only local synogogue might be triggering a sudden Jewfest.

From her non-bio:

Katie is a Jewgirl from New York. She lives in Shlock Angeles for now. Not forever. She's not a fan. The driving. The silicon. The mismanagement of fat. Oy, very disturbing. Katie is a comedy writer, a feminist and a food obsessed neurotic.

Katie writes other things, too. She's also bored you enough, so click away. Now. Go. Bye. See you. WAIT. Come back! When you're ready of course. No guilt. No pressure. oh, and don't forget to hit the bloggy blog for the latest dish.

My world, meet Katie...

And did I ever tell you the story about the time I was in grade school and was called on to read a book about Chanukah in front of the class. There was a line about going to synogaogue. And in my perfect, goodie-two-shoes, over-achiever little way, I read the line like this:

"And then we went to syn-a-gog-GOO." I distinctly remember saying that word in just that way a number of times, and the teacher never corrected me until I had finished.

"Isn't it pronounced syn-a-GOG?" she asked.

I was mortified, turned a million shades of red, mentally kicked myself with my Keds, and wanted to crawl into a hole.

Syn-a-go-GOO.

I was scarred for life.

 

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.

Boing Boing: Bacn spreads around the globe

Link: Boing Boing: Bacn spreads around the globe.

This makes me here that dog food commercials in my head where the shaggy dog goes around the house going "Bacon, bacon, bacon, baconbaconbaconbacon....BACON!!"

Maybe what he was really saying was "Bacn, bacn, bacn, bacnbacnbacnbacn....BACN!!"

(Do you think this blog post was just an excuse to gratuitously use the newly coined Internet term BACN? Yeah, maybe...)

Landmark New York City diner seen in 'Spider-Man' is moving to Wyoming - International Herald Tribune

Link: Landmark New York City diner seen in 'Spider-Man' is moving to Wyoming - International Herald Tribune.

What an odd story! I don't even know how to categorize it. I guess I'll put it under Rave. I know the Moondance Diner but don't think I ever ate there when I lived in New York City.

And I'm sure I've been through LaBarge, Wyoming since I lived in Wyoming for 4 years, moving there after 9/11.

There is something so quirky and wonderful about this - buying a historic diner for $7500 and relocating it to a remote Wyoming town. Wow!

ASME's Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years

Link: ASME's Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years.

Happened upon this page of top magazine covers and was riveted.

I'm a media junkie and this perfectly exemplifies the power of images in the media to evoke a certain era in our history or a moment in time.

Fascinating.

Doodle: Scheduling meetings

Link: Doodle: Scheduling meetings.

Trying to schedule meetings or phone calls with numerous people? I just discovered this site because a conference planner needed to coordinate a conference call. So simple. So useful!

YouTube - In My Language

This is such a moving video by an autistic woman "talking" about her native language. Share it with others - even if it were not authentic, it is an incredibly important message.

Geni - Everyone's Related

Link: Geni - Everyone's Related.

Oh my God, Jason Calacanis is brilliant as usual (yes, I'm a big fan of his - always have been, you know, since the "early days.") He is gaga over this site Geni and with good reason.

I've always wanted to build a family tree online but have found the Web-based software to be clunky and confusing. Geni uses Flash to make it so easy a monkey (or I) can handle building a tree with ease.

My dad's mother's side of the family has a tree they've worked out in great detail but the rest of my family tree is not documented anywhere, especially my husband's side and mother's side. I'm hoping this site will help us flesh out our famly history.

My husband, a non-techy type, immediately caught on (although had a little trouble with my PowerBook keyboard). He said that this is an invention that people are really going to use (unwittingly echoing Jason's assessment). My husband also keeps telling me he wants me to invent something like this that can rake in $100 million.

Yeah, I'll keep thinking on that one.

The brilliance of something like Geni is that it is so damn obvious that this kind of intuitive site was needed for the millions of genealogy fanatics out there who were slogging through bad software. But this also brings in all those who aren't really the die-hard family tree builders, too. It is infectious. It is contagious.

The one thing they are missing - a little badge that I can put on my blog that says I've built my family tree at Geni. They've got $100 million - maybe they'll hire me to do a little marketing strategy for them. Yeah, that's it.

Obsessed Over Celebrity Births

Who, me, obsessed with celebrity pregnancies and birth? Not me!

The irony is that when I was miscarrying, I was obsessed over how often pregnant celebrities appeared on magazines and it angered me so much. Now I'm obsessed with reading every detail about celebrity pregnancies and derive some vicarious joy out of the whole thing.

So join me in my obsession, will ya?

Cruise, Holmes Welcome Baby Suri

'TomKat,' Shields In Baby Irony

Baby TomKat and Baby Shields: What are the odds?

Shields gives birth to daughter

More Random and Useless...

...but pretty cool!

I love the Web! Here is a site where you can make a snowflake.

Snowflake Look and Feel

And here is my first attempt!

What does your birthday mean?

Another useless blog thing but hey, I've been boring lately with little to say about life or the world so here it is...

Your Birthdate: December 19

You are resilient, and no doubt your resilience has already been tested. You've had some difficult experiences in your life, but you are wise from them. Having had to grow up quickly, you tend to discount the advice of others. You tend to be a loner, having learned that the only person you can depend on is yourself. Your strength: Well developed stability and confidence Your weakness: Suspicion of others Your power color: Eggplant Your power symbol: Spade Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

South Park Self

Too cute - created this South Park cartoon version of me at:

http://www.planearium2.de/flash/spstudio.html

Steve Jobs commencement speech

As usual, I find out about some current event 3 months after it happens. I must be on a 3 month time warp up here in Alaska.

A good friend forwarded me a link to Steve Jobs commencement speech at Stanford this past June. I enjoyed reading it so thought I'd link to it and excerpt some of it here.

Connecting the Dots
(talking about how a class he took by chance ended up influencing him when designing the first Mac.)
...You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

About Love and Loss
Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

About Death
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart...

...No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

And his ultimate wish for the 2005 graduating class from Stanford University?

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Read the rest of the speech...

Better Than Self-Googling

I just heard of a site that promises to be better than Self-Googling. You know, the thing that everyone is doing in private, the thing that you are doing but maybe not admitting to it: searching for your own name in Google.

Try This: Zoom Info ("People Information Summarized") Note how you can click on the "This is me" link and update your profile.

I'm supposed to be writing my book on blogging so am not going to fiddle with this site but it looks interesting and satisfying for self-Googlers everywhere. Now we can say we self-Zoom.

Let me know what you think since I won't have time to really play around with it until I turn in my book.

Seth's Blog: Clueless

Link: Seth's Blog: Clueless.

Seth Godin draws our attention to the clueless companies giving us bad customer service and trying to dress it up as business as usual. Remember the last 6 months of bad customer service I experienced at Wells Fargo? Clueless was definitely the operative word there.

The Wells Fargo Fiasco, by the way, has finally been resolved by a single attentive, sharp and customer-service driven woman at their Anchorage headquarters. She singlehandedly salvaged our business banking relationship with Wells Fargo by listening, empathizing and then not only offering solutions that made sense but taking immediate action to rectify everything that was wrong. Within 2 weeks, our business banking was functioning properly. That woman deserves a promotion AND a raise. She already has our sincerest thanks.

Finding Other Ranting Women

Link: Pandagon: Santorum wants to knock you up for your own good.

As I continue to read blogs day and night for my upcoming book about blogging, I come across some things that I won't be able to include in my book but must link to or at least bookmark.

I'm enjoying the rants at pandagon.net by Amanda Marcotte like the one about Santorum and birth control:

How does (birth control) harm women? Well, apparently freedom is dangerous for women, since we are, after all, just very tall children who need constant punishment and discipline. Birth control allows women to escape the "consequences" (children are "consequences"--doesn't that make you feel all warm and Hallmark-y) of having sex. [Read more...]

But I won't be able to include this particular blog in my book because my audience is supposedly Christian, white women from the Midwest. Maybe I'm being too cautious here, but better to err on the side of caution than have to redo content.

Seth's Blog: Advice for authors

Link: Seth's Blog: Advice for authors.

In the category of Good Advice from Smart People,
I give you this blog posting from Seth Godin,
marketing guru. I've put some of my own comments
and experiences as "a non-fiction author of 5 books
and working on my 6th" in red.

Advice for authors
By Seth Godin

Always beware free advice. It is worth what it costs!

That said, I get a fair number of notes from well respected, intelligent people who are embarking on their first non-fiction book project. They tend to ask very similar questions, so I thought I'd go ahead and put down my five big ideas in one place to make it easier for everyone.

I guarantee you that you won't agree with all of them, but, as they say, your mileage my vary.

1. Please understand that book publishing is an organized hobby, not a business.
The return on equity and return on time for authors and for publishers is horrendous. If you're doing it for the money, you're going to be disappointed.

I totally agree with this statement and of my 3 books with major publishers, none have made me any money. On the flip side, however, if you can build up a good reputation and demonstrate your worthiness as an author of a book on a particular subject, you can get an advance for your book, usually paid 50% upon signing the contract and 50% upon completion or acceptance of the manuscript. My advances went from $12,000 to $21,000 to $35,000 while I still had a modicum of cache (as opposed to being a Forgotten Web Celebrity), and this money, although technically not payment, did come in handy.

On the other hand, a book gives you leverage to spread an idea and a brand far and wide. There's a worldview that's quite common that says that people who write books know what they are talking about and that a book confers some sort of authority.

Yes, a book can give you credibility but "far and wide" is predicated on so many variables, namely, how will your book be distributed to farflung places and how will you find the time and money to market your book when your publisher suddenly disappears from the mix and forgets your name which happens within a few weeks of release of your book as they have to move on to the next author. To leverage your book, you have to be the tireless and innovative marketer if you have any hopes of your book actually reaching its audience. Otherwise, having published a book does help increase the fees you can command as a public speaker.

2. The timeframe for the launch of books has gone from silly to unrealistic.
When the world moved more slowly, waiting more than a year for a book to come out was not great, but tolerable. Today, even though all other media has accelerated rapidly, books still take a year or more. You need to consider what the shelf life of your idea is.

The snail pace of the book publishing industry is legendary, however, you may have to turn the book around once your proposal is accepted in three to four months tops. Yes, the book still won't come out for another 10-12 months, however, your writing time will most likely be compressed. Since non-fiction writers usually write their books AFTER proposal acceptance, this can mean a lot of all-nighters. Fiction writers, on the other hand, usually must turn in completed manuscripts with a cover letter and synopsis, especially if they are unknown.

3. There is no such thing as effective book promotion by a book publisher.
This isn't true, of course. Harry Potter gets promoted. So did Freakonomics. But out of the 75,000 titles published last year in the US alone, I figure 100 were effectively promoted by the publishers. This leaves a pretty big gap.

Sad, but true. Every public relations department at every major publisher and many smaller publishers have a monthly lineup of too many authors to properly service. They have an antiquated PR formula for most books that includes mailing review copies or galleys to a barely targeted list, making a few followup calls or emails, then moving on to the next author, especially if there is no immediate interest.

This gap is either unfilled, in which case the book fails, or it is filled by the author. Here's the thing: publishing a book is really nothing but a socially acceptable opportunity to promote yourself and your ideas far and wide and often.

If you don't promote it, no one will. If you don't have a better strategy than, "Let's get on Oprah" you should stop now. If you don't have an asset already--a permission base of thousands or tens of thousands of people, a popular blog, thousands of employees, a personal relationship with Willard Scott... then it's too late to start building that asset once you start working on a book.

See my article called: Promoting Your Own Book Because No One Else Will.

By the way, blurbs don't sell books. Not really. You can get all the blurbs in the world for your book and it won't help if you haven't done everything else (quick aside: the guy who invented the word "blurb" also wrote the poem Purple Cow).

I don't think that blurbs are ineffective, though, when it comes to book promotions. Some book reviewers are sucked in by the famous names in blurbs. Case in point, the review of my book PowerTools for Women in Business in Publishers Weekly. The review sucks (she said the book was great for high school students when it is all about women creating balance between work and life missions and goals and includes anecdotes about divorce, illness, children, discrimination and other fun topics that teen girls are thinking about...) however my point is that even the reviewer mentions the "glowing reviews" which were nothing more than the blurbs from high profile women I had obtained. I think most people think that blurbs are legitimate reviews and endorsements when actually they are often favors from other authors who know that every little bit of exposure for their name and their book title name, even on someone else's book, helps.

4. Books cost money and require the user to read them for the idea to spread.
Obvious, sure, but real problems. Real problems because the cost of a book introduces friction to your idea. It makes the idea spread much much more slowly than an online meme because in order for it to spread, someone has to buy it. Add to that the growing (and sad) fact that people hate to read. Too often, people have told me, with pride, that they read three chapters of my book. Just three.

The cost of books and the time it takes to read books are two undeniable barriers to getting your book out there. I just joined a business book club, thinking that the motivation would be there to read at least one book a month. I'm still on page 15 of "Good to Great" and the next meeting is Tuesday evening. This is why I wanted to do an audio version of my "PowerTools" book - but that is a whole other ball of wax.

5. Publishing is like venture capital, not like printing.
Printing your own book is very very easy and not particularly expensive. You can hire professional copyeditors and designers and end up with a book that looks just like one from Random House. That's easy stuff.

Try Lulu.com. I'm looking at them as a way to self-publish one of my book proposals that is in perpetual rejection from book publishers but that I still get emails every month from people asking me when it is coming out.

What Random House and others do is invest. They invest cash in an advance. They invest time in creating the book itself and selling it in and they invest more cash in printing books. Like all VCs, they want a big return.

If you need the advance to live on, then publishers serve an essential function. If, on the other hand, you're like most non-fiction authors and spreading the idea is worth more than the advance, you may not.

Hmmm... unless you're Seth Godin who sold a company to Yahoo, most of us need the advance. I left Cybergrrl once I realized that my business partner was not amenable to selling our company to iVillage or Oxygen. If you've got money in the bank, spreading the idea does sound like fun. But back to the reality check - most of us need the money and the advance can be a lifesaver, even if in the low 5 figures.

So, what's my best advice?

Build an asset. Large numbers of influential people who read your blog or read your emails or watch your TV show or love your restaurant or or or...

Then, put your idea into a format where it will spread fast. That could be an ebook (a free one) or a pamphlet (a cheap one--the Joy of Jello sold millions and millions of copies at a dollar or less).

Then, if your idea catches on, you can sell the souvenir edition. The book. The thing people keep on their shelf or lend out or get from the library. Books are wonderful (I own too many!) but they're not necessarily the best vessel for spreading your idea.

And the punchline, of course, is that if you do all these things, you won't need a publisher. And that's exactly when a publisher will want you! That's the sort of author publishers do the best with.

Amen!

Store Wars

Take a break from slaving away at a hot computer
and check out this...educational video. Yeah, that's
it. This is educational.

http://www.StoreWars.org

Join the adventures of Cuke Skywalker, Obi-Wan
Cannoli, Chewbroccoli and the rest of the Organic
Rebels fighting against Darth Tader and the Dark
Side of the Farm. And if you like the movie, pass it on!

Get Your Daily Om

I have no idea how I found this site - quite
by accident - but it is clearly perfect for
our stressed out lives and work.

Daily Om

Here is an excerpt of the first one I received:

If all people were to live lovingly, positively, and naturally, there would no doubt be less sickness. But, in this age of heavy workloads, complicated interpersonal communications, indoor activities, and pollution, the body begs to be consulted when illness strikes.

When you feel sickness coming on or if you have been dealing with sickness for a long period of time, take time out of your day to sit quietly and relax deeply. When you have reached a state of intense relaxation, ask that which plagues you (be it virus, bacteria, or pain) what it wants.

Talk to it as if it was an entity within you and have a conversation with it. But it is important to listen after you have posed your question; your body has all of the answers. If nothing is immediately forthcoming, ruminate on your life as of late.

Are you avoiding a stressful situation or unconsciously seeking sympathy? That could be the case, but the answer you receive may not necessarily be profound, and it can be specifi! c or somewhat vague. What your sickness tells you may be surprising. However, when you have acknowledged and accepted the answer, your recovery will be swift.

Sign up for you own Daily Om to be emailed to you each day.
Wisdom and advice we all could use!

BlogHer! conference

I am absolutely thrilled. Here it is almost 8am MT
and I'm supposed to be enroute to yoga but I've
discovered an amazing event that I have to blog
about right this minute (instant gratification blogging)!

It is a conference on July 30 in Santa Clara, CA
called BlogHer that will be a forum to
discuss women and blogging, feature women bloggers
and just be a big female-friendly blog fest.

Of course, my move to Alaska may keep me from
attending, but I'll save my pennies and hope for the
best. This is the perfect event for me to be attending
this year, for so many reasons, not to mention that
I'm a blogging maniac and I've been publishing
online for women (and those nice, progressive men)
about women's issues, my life and resources
for women for over a decade.

Go to BlogHer! Maybe I'll see you there...

down came the rain

I'm really glad that Brooke Shields came out
with a book about post partum depression -
"Down Came the Rain."
This is the type of book that should be written
about miscarriage. If only Courteney Cox had
the time...

Excerpt:
"At first I thought what I was feeling was just exhaustion, but with it came an overriding sense of panic that I had never felt before with fatigue. Rowan kept crying and I suddenly began to fear the moment when Chris would bring her back to me. I started to experience a sick sensation in my stomach; it was as if a vise was tightening around my chest. Instead of the nervous anxiety that often accompanies panic, a feeling of quiet devastation overcame me. I hardly moved. Sitting on my bed, I let out a deep, slow, guttural wail. I wasn't simply emotional or weepy like I had been told I might be. This was something quite different. When PMS made me introspective or melancholy or when the pressures of life made me gloomy, I knew these feelings wouldn't last forever. But this was sadness of a shockingly different magnitude. It felt as if it would never go away."

--Brooke Shields, from Down Came the Rain

healthy insanity

I usually don't laugh out loud to the many
many emails I get with "jokes" and things,
but for some reason, this one really made
me crack up. Pass it on!

Subject: 20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity.

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with That.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Smuggling Diamonds"

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."

8. Dont use any punctuation

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity.......
Send This List To Someone To Make Them Smile.
Its Called Therapy.

open heart Web

I met up with some incredible women this past weekend,
all from New York City "back in the day." We reminisced
about the old days in Silicon Alley where we all were
entrenched in the sparkly new Web.

Courtney threw shindigs for those in the know and
those you wanted to know, Joelle wrote about it,
Tery helped create it, Monique was the savvy
entrepreneur, and I tried to make sure
women got involved with it and benefited from it.

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation
for me was talking about how we are so accustomed
to being public about parts of our lives on the Web.
But there are different degrees of openness. I seemed
to have taken the cake with my miscarriage blog.

I'm so used to expressing myself on the Web that
I guess I don't even think about it. Not that I don't
still censor myself a great deal, but I'm also not
adverse to talking about very private topics.
It took my husband a long time to understand this
or at least partially accept this.

My purpose for getting personal online is to hopefully
help someone else, to have someone connect with
the things I say or am going through and realize they
are not alone. Maybe I can point them to a useful
resource. Or maybe they just laugh at something
they couldn't laugh at before.

This blog hasn't really evolved into a part of me.
I haven't found a place for it. My voice is rarely
here. Most of my heart is in my miscarriage blog
for now because that is dominating my life.

At some point, I'll figure out a use for this blog.
Or, if I ever get pregnant and carry a baby to term,
maybe this will become my pregnancy and motherhood
blog. For now, my life is pretty one-track and in
some cases, very dull. At least dull to others.
I cherish every bit of my life, miscarriages and all.
This is my experience. It makes me who I am.
It keeps me motivated to do good work, to touch
people's lives through my work.

This is not the Web. This is Life.

old school

I'm getting addicted to iTunes - I have to limit
my music purchases to $20 a month. My latest
creation is my Dance-O-Rama CD of old school
funk and dance music.

A sampling of the song list...

Back in Love Again - L.T.D.
Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
Brick House - The Commodores
Get Down Tonight - KC & The Sunshine Band
Lady (You Bring Me Up) - The Commodores
You Dropped the Bomb on Me - The Gap Band
Let It Whip - The Dazz Band
Burn Rubber on Me - The Gap Band
Get Down On It - Kook & the Gang
The Groove Line - Heatwave
Word Up - Cameo
Super Freak - Rick James
Boogie Nights - Heatwave
That's the Way (I Like It) - KC & The Sunshine Band
Shame - Evelyn "Champagne" King

Music brings back such vivid memories. This particular
tape reminds me of my first year in college when
my two girlfriends and I called ourselves the
Solid Gold Dancers and would clear the dance floor
with our synchronized moves.Embarassing but true.

Adopt a Wild Horse or Burro

OK, enough whining. Maybe the remote birth control
solution, while sounding more humane, doesn't do
the trick. I'm skeptical about the fact that they didn't
even try, but what do I know about wild horses and
burros?

What I do know is that you can adopt a
wild horse or burro - a very humane solution!

I don't think a lot of people know you can adopt
a wild horse or burro from the BLM - they have
auctions and you can get one for a good price.
The BLM needs a better marketing campaign.

I tried to get in touch with the Wyoming BLM marketing
person but he never returned my calls. I wanted to
suggest that they get Viggo Mortensen to be a
spokesperson for the BLM's adoption program.

If you saw Hidalgo, then you remember the character
Viggo portrayed had a wild mustang and at the end
of the movie, he used some of the money he won
to purchase and then free a whole herd of wild
mustangs.

I think if more people knew about the plight
of wild horses across the country, there would
be more support.

Enough whining - let's do something about this, right?