Fabulous new look, Fantastic new website, Incredible new blog: Same great people!

To see all this excitement click here

Where Do You Live?

I think of my blog as my house…I’m just moving in right now, so pardon my dust….I haven’t been able to completely decorate and set up my “rooms” but I am getting there (“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” ~Mark Twain). While I get my house in order, I take “party” breaks. Where’s the party you ask? It’s over there at Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin! (I particularly enoy the Twitter Party – so many interesting people and information just flies around the room!)

When I’m at the party I talk to as many guests as I can (always having meaningful conversations), I always pass on stories and witty anecdotes (giving credit of course!) and, when it seems appropriate, I invite some of them back to the house…You never know, they might just get ideas from my “decorating” style!

Social Networking is the Party, Blogging is your house!

1. Keep your house clean, interesting, stylish and up-to-date. You really never know who is going to drop in!

2. Go to the party! Jump in – find people with common interests and talk to them. Invite your friends! Ask them to “follow you” to the party.

3. Think like a host; If you offer up something for the buffet, stick around to hear what people think and talk to them! If they criticize your dish, that’s OK- you’ve been empowered to improve upon it for the next party! Be present, available and valuable in your circle

4. When you get back home, write about your experiences -share some of the knowledge you gained (always give credit to your new friends and provide links to their “house”).

OK, kinda goofy – but hey, it’s my house!

Bear with me…

So I am making the switch from Blogger to WordPress. Haven’t figured out how to get my archives over here and I realize my blog is looking brand new and “skinny”. Bear with me! I will populate soon.

Meanwhile – enjoy some of the posts I placed in my pages…

See you soon! and WELCOME!!!

D :)

WhatToPost Syndrome

I suffer from “What to post” syndrome. I sit down to post and my mind suddenly is a blank. I forget what I do for a living…I forget what I like, what ignites my passion, what clever and witty things I talked about with my clients, friends and family that day. I finally walk away from the computer and immediately become the witty, inspired person I know that I am. I Rush back to the computer and…yep, you guessed it. My symptoms return…

I sought help on Chris Brogan’s blog.  As I knew he would, he came through for me. Just what the doctor ordered! I’ll share his tips here for my fellow syndrome sufferers:

How to Blog Almost Every Day

October 10, 2009 · Chris Brogan

I put up a blog post (almost) every day, and sometimes, I put up more than one a day. On top of this, I write for clients, write for other projects, work on books, and other things. Some of you don’t have all these other writing commitments, but still want some ideas on getting more writing out the door. Here are some thoughts into my process that I hope will give you a framework for writing a blog post (almost) every day.

How to Blog Almost Every Day

1. Read something new every day. Need a starting point? Try Alltop. (Hint: read something outside your particular circle to get new thoughts).
2. Talk with people every day. I get many of my topic ideas from questions people pose to me, or through conversations.
3. Write down titles and topic ideas in a notepad file. ( I’ve given you 100 blog topics and another 20 blog topics just to get started.)
4. Maintain a healthy bookmarking and revisiting habit. I use Delicious.com
5. Find 20-40 minutes in every day to sit still and type.
6. Follow an easy framework. Here are 27 blogging secrets to start you on what I mean.
7. Get the post up fast, not perfect. You can edit if you have to, later. Perfectionism kills good habits.
8. Dissect other people’s posts to understand what makes them tick. The more you understand of HOW they write, the more you can take the best parts of it into how you write. (hint, my 27 blogging secrets post gives you my patterns.)
9. Find useful and interesting pictures. I use Flickr photos licensed under Creative commons for most of my photos. This helps me sometimes get a great photo for a post I already have in mind, but it also gives me post material sometimes.
10. Think about what your customers and prospects need. I write from the perspective of the communities I serve. Every post is aimed at something I believe will be helpful to my community in some form or another. This focus takes some weight off my worries about what I should write about or not. I write about what my community needs.
11. Mix things up by sometimes blogging on paper first.
12. Mix things up by writing guest posts for sites that aren’t like yours. This gives your mind new formats to think about. I did this recently as part of a project and I loved it.
13. Mix things up by changing the lengths of your posts: some long, some brief. Learn what makes an impact how.
14. Never worry about throwing up the occasional “best of” post, once you get enough material. Example: here’s My best advice about blogging.

It’s not going to be easy to kick this thing. I didn’t get her overnight and I won’t be cured overnight. However, I am grateful to Chris (and others) who truly help us frustrated, well intentioned bloggers. I aspire to get well and get posting!

Wish me luck

P.S. If you have more tips please (!) comment!!!

What is a ThinkMap?

Thoughts are happening every minute – it’s impossible not to think. Allowing and inviting postiive thoughts is advisable, but the negative ones find their way in too. Everyday I hit the ground running- traveling with my thoughts. While I know I can’t control them, I can acknowledge both the positive and the negative thoughts,  redirect them if necessary and embrace them when they inspire me. It’s the choice to allow my thoughts to roam freely that contributes to my creativity and passion.

ThinkMap is an insight into those thought travels I have during my day. My heart’s desire is that my maps provide occasional inspiration, a spring board for your own greatness and maybe a chuckle or two!

Feel free to comment or contact me with your own maps – I am happy to publish them here.

Cheers!

Denise