Really Simple Screw-up

Theresa Reeise | June 28, 2008

RSS: Really Simple Screw-up
By Jen Edwards

RSS stands for "Real Simple Syndication". I obviously haven't put an RSS feed on my blog site yet because If I had you would see this button on my page! (I need to jump on that!)
The RSS Box (a little orange box with white stripes arching like a rainbow from the top left to the bottom right) would symbolize that I offer a feed of my site that can be sent to a viewer's RSS reader (usually seen on your browser's homepage). I use IE (Internet Explorer) and goggle as my email home page, so I can go to my RSS reader (the same symbol you would see in your menu bar in the upper right section of your Google home page) when I log in.
This allows me to see at a glance if my favorite RSS feeds (listing of sites) have been updated. (How nice is that!)
You can also have RSS feeds sent to your blog but I wouldn't use it as the only content to your sight. If you find something that is relevant to your sight and (it'd be best to get approval from the site you want the feed for on your site) is used to inform your viewers of important info, then go for it.
Wp-o-matic is a plug-in you can install to get a full feed; otherwise most RSS feeds will give you just a snippet or brief description of the content. There is also a black-hat technique you can use to increase sales but because it is frowned upon ("black hat technique" hat), I won't go into it and I don't use it.
But if you really must know, just think about it for a bit. I'm sure you can come up with a winning theory! :) If you want to learn more about how to use RSS feeds on your sites for greater benefit, I will leave the nitty-gritty info.for Armand Morin, and other gurus to explain.
Now to tackle part two:I finally went to add my own RSS feed to my blog to make it able to synidate. What you would think is a simple Task for me since I have been able to build a web site, create a forum, and figure out how to make, edit, and place audio on my website pages, has turned into a struggle.
I am sure people will say what?! Go to your wp-admin on your word press blog, click on the design tab section, and then click on the widgets Section. From there click on to "add RSS" feed. You will see it pop up on your sidebar then click the edit tab in the box.
This is exactly where I found trouble! From talking with a friend if you use wordpress.com it sets up the feed for you but if you use wordpress.org, then you need to add your blog feed URL extension, Blog URL, and Blog title. I had no problem coming up with the last two requirement fields, but the last one was a problem. My friend who uses wordpress.com suggested using my blog url and then add /feed at the end because that is what her feed URL stated. So I gave that a try.... "error, feed not recognized"!
So began my frustration and head banging. Well I then went to the "help" section of wordpress.org. Now I love Word Press for what you can do with it. But to find out how to do something on this site is a real pain in the hoo, hoo. Under the help section is a large list of topics but no search box, and who wants to spend the time trying to find the information I need? Not me. Granted I am sure all the content is helpful and probably if I read it all I would be so much more enlightened with the uses of wordpress.org. But Who has time, I certainly don't.
Then I went to the forum tab. There I didn't see much but then, BINGO. I checked out the cloud tag and there was "RSS" in big bold letters. (So many people have been looking up RSS info that the font is much larger than the others!!) I thought I hit the jack pot, but after clicking on that link, my dreams were run over with a double-Mac tractor trailer!
The information that came up on the forum was more people who posted with similar questions and no responses to the questions or I totally had no idea to what the person posting was saying. (I think they were as lost as I was!)
The Google search is always my default answer...all the sites that came up were information to get RSS feeds to your own site such as... if I wanted CNN feed to my site. That is a whole other monster. (if you want info on that let me know, but there are thousands if not more sites that tell you how to do that!) All I wanted to know was what is the extension on my blog url to add the RSS syndication on my site. Now I may be totally dumb. This isn't much of a stretch.
But I got really lucky! I started ticking off my visits to sites to see if they offered the gift of info. I needed and I came across a site called "Blog Rush'". As I was looking into the site, I decided to register for the service (which is really AWESOME!) and as I was moving through the registration program. I was intrigued by the tail of a URL I saw there: ...../?feed=rss2.
Now I don't know if this is what everyone should do but I do know that when I added this to my blog URL, I succeeded in setting up my RSS feed syndication on wordpress.org blog.
To overview... For wordpress.com pr places like blogger, I believe all you have to do is go to your dashboard, then to your design section, then click on your widgets tab and then add your RSS option. Then you will no doubt need to add your URL info, your blog title, and your feed URL which, I believe is just the same as your blog URL and then it automatically adds your extension.
Now for your wordpress.org bloggers... do the same as above but then add the extension .../?feed=rss2 (so http:www.yourdomainname.com/?feed=rss2).
That should take care of it! Happy Syndicating!

Jen Edwards is a WAHM with two children she attributes as the cherry on her sundae! (Not to mention, the sweet syrup, and creamy whipped cream!). Jen lives in Victor, NY (a small suburb in upstate NY outside of Rochester) with her husband of 10 years, daughter Emily (age 4) and son Sam (age 2), dog Gussy, and kitty, Winchester. Although her house is rather “lived-in”, she is finding greater meaning and satisfaction every day! To read more of Jen’s articles and work please visit http://www.kidskeystosuccess.com/blog.

Ten Simple Ways to Drive Traffic

Theresa Reeise | June 28, 2008

Ten Simple Ways To Drive Traffic
This post isn't about being stuck in rush hour traffic, you're late for your daughter's lesson for the tenth time, and you need to move all the cars, buses, and trucks out of the way, ahead of you.
An answer to that scenario... I'd say you are, "S@!t, out of luck!"
However, I received a question yesterday about "having difficulty driving traffic to my site...any suggestions?"
Well, I have been learning to do the very same thing so I'll share with you what I have found out so far...
1- Update your blog as much as possible with as much content as possible.
2- If you can't post every day, it is recommended to have a RSS feed with wp-o-matic (for full content
to be posted not just a title or snippet. I recommend you also write your own content and use this in addition to your own info. offered )
3- Design your blog for SEO:
a) put Adsense on it or other ads
b) make your title match the name of your blog (remember search engines love consistency)
like title of blog "Kids' Keys To Success" so a title of a post would be something like "
Interviews with Kids' Keys To Success". And then you should mention your title of your
blog at least twice in the body of the post.
c) Make as many links to your site as possible with other sites and blogs i.e. (blog roll)
d) us your tag clouds or keywords for your posts (this will make your key words jump out for
the search engines)
e) Have others comment to your posts. This makes more links to your blog for the search
engine to pick up.
f) As it is now, search engines don't love flash graphics, try to stay away from them.
g) Use photos, videos and audios on your blogs and sites because it captures your visitors for a
longer period of time (they tend to stay on your site longer).
4- Write a press release and submit with links back your sites.
5- Write articles and submit so that other people will post on their sites linking it back to your
blog or sites
6- Adhere to the "golden rule"…
7- Do jv (joint venture) with others who have a bigger "targeted list" already built (go to work with another person who has a list the same size as yours and then endorse each others products…it doubles the size of the “target audience for both of you!)
8- Go to www.pingoat.com and submit your blog to a bunch of services for free.
9- Check out Blogosphere (a black box on the front page of my blog, http://www.kidskeystosuccess.com/blog) Man is this cool!!!
10- Oh, How could I forget?... go to http://www.kidskeystosuccess.com/forum and register!
These are just a few but it will get you started. Happy blogging and here’s to flooding your blog with traffic!
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Jen Edwards is a WAHM with two children she attributes as the cherry on her sundae! (Not to mention, the sweet syrup, and creamy whipped cream!). Jen lives in Victor, NY (a small suburb in upstate NY outside of Rochester) with her husband of 10 years, daughter Emily (age 4) and son Sam (age 2), dog Gussy, and kitty, Winchester. Although her house is rather “lived-in”, she is finding greater meaning and satisfaction every day! To read more of Jen’s articles and work please visit http://www.kidskeystosuccess.com/blog.

Adventures In Vermont Cooking

Theresa Reeise | March 6, 2008

A friend of mine (Jennifer Bourassa) recently sent me an awesome cookbook which is a collection of recipes by her dad, James L. Nelson. The cookbook is called "A Taste of Vermont II." Now we all know Vermont is famous for its maple syrup, and this cookbook has some excellent recipes using Vermont maple syrup - such goodies as Maple Walnut Cheesecake, Maple Surprise, and Maple Nut Charlotte to name a few! But the scrumptious recipes don't stop there! From appetizers to casseroles, to breads and soups, this cookbook is chock full of great recipes.
Now this cookbook has a special place in my friend's heart as her dad, Jim Nelson, has passed away, having suffered from many ailments including kidney failure. In memory of her dad, Jennifer would like to contribue all proceeds from the sale of "A Taste of Vermont II" to others who suffer kidney problems.
The cookbook is available for $11, and can be ordered either from Jennifer or myself.
To contact Jennifer Bourassa email her at illumination@ne.rr.com
To contact me my email is tlreeise@comcast.net
Please put "Vermont Cookbook" in the subject line.

Happy Cooking!

Theresa Reeise
Now and Forever Creations
http://www.nowandforevercreations.net

Jennifer M. Bourassa
JAMAC Associates, Inc.
http://www.usbornebyjennifer.com
http://www.safbyjennifer.com
http://www.store.auctiva.com/wahm76
http://www.thekidgalleria.com

Think Green!

Theresa Reeise | February 3, 2008

Think Green! Everyday Items Can be Reusable
by Kandi Traxel

As the world aspires to become more "green", my own household has jumped on the bandwagon. We recycle newspapers, shredded paper, plastic bottles and jugs, etc. Everything we can recycle we do recycle.

Many of the items that are used in our homes every day can be recycled. Paper, certain plastics, soda cans; the list goes on and on. But by the same token, many of those same items can be reused instead.

Here are just a few items that you use in your life everyday and the ways they can be reused:

Water Bottles
If your family likes bottled water, but you don't like the cost, or you would like to find a way to keep those bottles out of the landfills (without overworking the recycling centers), then invest in a charcoal water filter for your kitchen faucet. While the filters will have to be replaced about every three months on average, you can still save money by installing it and refilling all those bottles. You can also refill soda bottles, sports drink bottles, even milk jugs with the filtered water.

Butter, Margarine & Whipped Topping Tubs
There are more uses for plastic butter and margarine containers than I could even begin to list! First of all they make great food storage! If you prefer to use your matching Tupperware for that, there are still a ton of reasons to keep these containers handy.

One of the best ways to reuse these containers is for mixing. I use them for cake & muffin mixes, pancake mixes and even pudding. Just pour in your measured ingredients, put the lid on and give it a good shake. Pop the lid off and pour! You can even give them a bit of a squeeze forming a “spout” to make your mix pour out smoothly! This makes cooking & baking super easy and it's a great way to reuse the containers over and over again.

I also like to use the 3-pound sized tubs for coatings! Make super easy chicken nuggets! Mix up your favorite coating recipe, drop in your chicken chunks and shake, shake, shake! You can do this with any type of coating!

The small, one-pound tubs are perfect for mixing paint, for holding homemade play dough, for sorting beads, and many, many, many other uses! You are limited only by your imagination on what you can do with these handy little containers!

Plastic and Glass Jars
Many companies are now using plastic rather than glass jars. I reuse plastic peanut butter jars to store my homemade sauces and salad dressings. Some brands of spaghetti sauce use very nice decorative glass jars that are perfect for refilling with gift mixes! You can find gift mix recipes with a quick internet search. Top the jars off with a piece of fabric, cut with decorative shears, or use a lace doily and thread a delicate ribbon through it. Tie it on the jar lid and you are all set with a beautiful hand made gift!

My husband likes to reuse jars in the garage for nuts, bolts, stray nails and more! He fastens the lids of the jars to the underside of wooden shelves, fills the jars with the tiny items and then screws the jar up into the lid. They hang there, freeing up shelf space and since they are clear, it is easy to see what they contain!

Baby Wipe Containers
You can buy refill packs for just about every brand of baby wipes. Save the containers and refill them. If you find you still have too many of these handy plastic containers, use them for just about any small item you can think of. They are washable and stackable, and they are perfect for crayons, colored pencils, markers, hair clips, sponge curlers, cotton balls, cotton swabs; the list goes on and on! Use them in the bathroom, the nursery, the garage or even the home office!

Plastic Grocery Store Bags
There are many, many great ways to reuse the plastic bags you get at the grocery store!

I have little trash cans all over the house. I like to have one in each room so that when I am in that room and need to toss something out, I don't have to go into another room to do it. With all those little garbage cans around, I need small liners. Instead of spending the money on new liners, I reuse my plastic grocery bags. They are a perfect fit!

We also save them up and use them when we hold garage sales. They are perfect to hold your customer's purchases, or to wrap breakable items.

These bags make great packing for shipping too! Whether it is for business or you are shipping gifts, they will cushion your items and get them there safely! And unlike newspapers, you don’t have to worry about ink rubbing off and staining your packed items!

Canvas Totes
If you find you have a surplus of the grocery store "can liners", invest in a few basic canvas tote bags. You can pick these up at craft stores, in a myriad of sizes for very little. Use them when you shop for groceries, books, office supplies (or just about anything else) and ask the check out clerk to bag the items in your totes. Give them as gifts and encourage others to do the same thing!

Plastic Meat Trays
Plastic meat trays come in just about any size, from packaging for a single steak, to a large family pack of ground beef. I have reused plastic meat trays to sort all types of things! Outgoing mail, small toys, art supplies; the list goes on and on. And they fit great on shelves! Just wash them out and they are ready to go! The small ones are perfect for organizing the home office!

Foaming Hand Soap Bottles
Why buy a new bottle of foaming hand soap every time you run out? Those can be refilled with just about any type of soap, body wash or bath gel! For an 8 oz foaming hand soap bottle, refill with 2 oz (1/4 cup) of liquid soap, and 6 oz of water. This will save you a ton of money on buying a new bottle each time, and will help keep them out of the landfills!

Magazines
While magazines are a recyclable product, they also make it a lot less boring when sitting in the doctor's or dentist's office! Call around and ask the local clinics if they would be willing to take them off of your hands. You can also try nursing homes. And don't forget all those Highlights for Children or National Geographic for Kids! If they aren't badly beat up or written in, your local children's shelter would probably love to have extra reading material for the kids in their care!

Make an artistic statement!
Art teachers at your child's elementary school are always looking for donated things like cardboard paper towel and toilet paper rolls, juice containers, milk and egg cartons, colored paper, and much, much more! Call your child's school and ask what types of things you can save to donate to the art program!

There are so many things that we can reuse in our homes if we just take the time to think about it and get creative! So the next time you get ready to toss something in the trash, instead ask yourself how you might reuse it! You never know what innovative ideas you can come up with!

Now if we could just find a good use for dryer lint!

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Kandi Traxel is a WAHM and the owner of Shop With a Mom http://www.shopwithamom.com and A Love of Coffee http://www.aloveofcoffee.com

Permission is granted to reprint or copy this article for your blog, web site or newsletter with this byline fully intact.

Posted by Kandi-Shop With a Mom.com at 11:27 PM

Top 7 Mistakes Network Marketers Make

Theresa Reeise | January 17, 2008

Top 7 Mistakes Network Marketers Make by Rayven Perkins

Whether you are new to Network Marketing or you are a seasoned MultiLevel Marketing pro, you might be making one of these common mistakes that will suck the life out of your business, and the fun out of your profession. Look over this list of common mistakes new distributors make and see if you can see yourself doing any of these things.

7) They don't use their sponsor's support
An upline is there to help and support new distributors as they grow their business. The MLM motto: "You are in business FOR yourself, but not BY yourself." Especially in the beginning, new distributors should ask for help as needed, not just for questions, but also for assistance with sponsoring.

Tag-team sponsoring is something many MultiLevel Marketing professionals use to help new distributors. Tag-team sponsoring is where both the new distributor and his sponsor either get together with a prospect online, like in a conference chat, or in person, at an opportunity meeting. The new distributor brings the prospect, but the sponsor gives the presentation. The prospect would then sign up under the new distributor, even though his sponsor gave the presentation.

6) They share negativity with their downline
In all companies, there are negatives. Usually this happens in a time of change for the company. The worst mistake a distributor can make is to send these negatives downline.

When a distributor is upset about something, the correct thing to do is to bring it to the company's attention, or to the attention of their sponsor. Unfortunately, many inexperienced distributors choose to rag on their downline about it. When the distributor does this, their downline starts to turn negative too. They will quit when this happens. A sponsor always needs to remain positive with his downline.

5) They make the prospect feel too important
When a distributor is speaking to a prospect, he should not make it seem as though he is desperate to enroll them. If the prospect thinks that he is a rare gem, and the distributor is in dire need of them, it will make it seem as though it is difficult to sponsor others. Instead, the prospect should be made to feel as though he is being dealt a favor. He should be aware that the Network Marketer is looking for a specific type of person, for example, one that is honest, dependable, a team player, and motivated, and that if they do not have these skills then they should look elsewhere least they waste everyone's time.

4) They talk too much
If a Multi Level Marketer talks too much, two things happen: The prospect tunes him out because he doesn't want to hear any more mumbo jumbo and the prospect feels MLM is too hard for them to do. They feel they have to learn a vast amount of information in order to talk that much, or perhaps the prospect is not a big talker themselves. Either way, it's not good!

3) They tell the prospect without asking
Most MLMers will start out a conversation with a new prospect by going into a prepared speech about their company. This is the wrong way to do it. A wise distributor will not volunteer any information about his opportunity until he knows what the prospect is looking for.

Questions like "What kind of work are you in now? Oh, that sounds interesting! How do you like it?" can get the conversation started. After listening for responses and asking follow up questions, it is easier to offer a solution, such as the opportunity, to the problems expressed by the prospect.

2) They seek people who are dependent instead of independent
If a distributor promises the moon to his prospects in order to sign them up, the prospect will enter the business expecting his sponsor to do all the work. When an distributor goes out and recruits only those who are completely dependent on him, they will not go out and do their business on their own, but will constantly be saying "I don't know anyone" or "when are you going to place someone under me?". The business the distributor is trying to build will crumble from within.

1) They make the opportunity sound too easy
Network Marketing is not easy. It takes time, effort, energy, and real work and commitment. Network Marketers have a bad rap of making the business into a Get Rich Quick scheme, and those who choose to promote their business in this manner are setting themselves up for failure.

When a prospect is told that an opportunity is "simple" and "easy", they expect their business to spring up around them without doing any work and they don't understand that they need to market their business in order to make money. So they get frustrated, and quit. The distributor might not have any trouble sponsoring those who want to get rich quick, but he will have a horrible time trying to retain them, as they move onto the next "sure thing".

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If you found this information on Network Marketing helpful, you may want to view the free MLM section at http://www.stay-a-stay-at-home-mom.com/mlm.html

Also, be sure and get your free copy of the report that is taking MLM by storm: http://promotemlmonline.com/

Top 5 Ways to Get More Datings at Your Direct Sales Home Party

Theresa Reeise | January 3, 2008

Top 5 Ways to Get More Datings at Your Direct Sales Home Party by Rayven Perkins

The very heart of the home party plan business is dating more parties. Without parties, your business is at a virtual standstill, with no ways to generate substantial sales. With your date book filled with scheduled parties, a world of opportunity opens up for you to grow your business and experience financial rewards.

So how do you generate more parties? Here are my 5 favorite ways to get more parties dated during a home party demonstration.

#5 Offer Incentives
As you go about your demonstration, be sure you point out various dating incentives to your guests. Make sure the guests know that they can receive a gift just for dating a party, and another for holding the party. Go over your party plan companies hostess plans, and when possible, show guests the actual items they can receive.

#4 Stack Your Hostess
Play a game of Show and Tell. You can explain hostess gifts to your guests until you are blue in the face, but until the guests actually see what it is that they can receive, it doesn't mean much to them.

Towards the end of your presentation, have your hostess sit in a chair at the front of the room. Take this opportunity to thank her for hosting the party. Then begin to stack her.

Starting with the gift of least value, hand all the items to her one by one that she has received for hosting the party. Give her the conversation starter gift, the dating gift, the hosting gift. Make sure you stack her with all the items it is possible to receive, even if the party sales are not totaled yet. Does your company offer half price items in addition to other hostess gifts? Stack her with those as well.

When guests see just how much they can receive, they are more likely to date a party themselves.

#3 The Theme Book
Your party guests want to have fun! What better way to get them excited than by offering a wide array of themed parties? Everything from the traditional Auction Party to a Banana Split Party, Couples Party, Children's Party or Margarita with the Girls. Get creative and think of fun ways that your guests can come together with their friends.

Print out a simple information page with each of these ideas and put the pages in a 3-ring binder. Leave the binder on the coffee table before and during the party. When your guests find a theme that interests them, they will be happy to date a show with you.

#2 Dating Games
Most home party consultants offer their guests some sort of prize or trinket for coming to a show. Reserve your most sought after trinkets and prizes for a special dating game. At the end of your show, offer the best goodies to your guests for participating in the Dating Game.

Have all the trinkets in a large bowl or decorated box. On each trinket, attach a note. Half the notes should say "Host a Party" while the other half should have a variety of messages ranging from "Draw Again" to "You've Won a Free Item". Tell the guests that participation in this game is optional. Explain to the guests that on each prize is a note, and whatever the note says is what is to be done. If a guest draws a "free item" prize, you will give her a specified free item, but if she draws a "Host a Party" prize, you expect her to date a party tonight.

This really helps to determine which guests are willing to hold a party. Only guests who are willing to consider the idea will draw a prize.

#1 ASK!
This might seem obvious, but the best way to date more parties at your next demonstration is to get into the habit of asking each guest. Do not feel that you are being pushy. The guests expect you to ask them to host a party! One method I have used to force myself to ask each and every guest when they place their order is this.

At the beginning of the party, I make an announcement. I hold out a $20 bill and say "At the end of the show I will be asking each and every one of you to host a party to be eligible to receive all these wonderful hostess gifts! If, however, I forget to ask you to host a show, I will give you $20 worth of product of your choice!"

This forces me to ask each guest, and makes each guest aware, prepared, and even looking forward to my question.

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Did you like these ideas? See the complete Direct Sales Resources section at http://www.stay-a-stay-at-home-mom.com/direct-sales.html

Also, be sure and check out the Squidoo lens here: http://www.squidoo.com/party-plan-demonstration

Happy Thanksgiving!

Theresa Reeise | November 21, 2007

Thanksgiving is upon us! Giving thanks for our blessings - our family, friends, home, and so many other things - is what the season is all about. Take a moment this holiday season to stop and reflect on the little things. Spend time with your children and marvel at the wonder in their eyes! Get down and see the world from their viewpoint. Take time to spend with family - and don't forget to snap those photos to remind you of all the wonderful good times and blessings of the season. Happy Thanksgiving, and may God Bless each of you.

Welcome to Now and Forever Creations

Theresa Reeise | October 21, 2007

We specialize in personalized products. Let us take your photo, logo, graphic and/or text and turn it into a one-of-a-kind unique gift or something special for your home.
We welcome links to your online business. Just visit our link directory and click on "Link Exchange" and we would be happy to include your link in our directory, and would love for our link to be on your site!
Thanks for visiting and check back often for new posts, and new products!

Custom Photo Italian Charms

Theresa Reeise | October 21, 2007

Enough charms to complete a bracelet Grandma can have everyone’s picture to wear proudly on this contemporary charm bracelet.

Purchase this product at our online store!