21
Feb
Why Bother To RT?
Denyse

First of all if you are not a member of the Twitterverse you may not even know what a RT is.  When you send out a message you send a tweet which must be composed of 140 characters or less.  When you read messages from people you follow you might find one that really touches you in some way.

You might find that it is very interesting, funny, informative, inspiring.  There is a vast amount of ways that a tweet can affect you.  You might read it and it means nothing at all to you.  The tweets that really are profound are the ones that you would like to share with others.  So you click a button that is on your screen that says ReTweet.  That makes it so that everyone in your own personal stream can read it.  At the same time it gives credit to the original author of the tweet as well as your name as the person that RTed it.

It is a pretty easy thing to do, but Why Bother To RT?

First of all, if you found this information useful then it is most likely that someone else that reads your tweets will as well.  Or if you were inspired by a quote, it may be profound and it might have had an impact on your day.  So pass it on so that it can impact others.

The biggest reason why you should RT is that it is the greatest complement that you can give to someone that you are following!  It shows the person that you have RT that you do read their tweets and that you think that they have something to say that is worthwhile.

There is no greater praise to a tweeter to know that you have been to their blog and read it and then you elect to pass it on to other tweeter.

Myself, I am very touched when people take the time out of their busy day and RT one of my quotes or articles that I have written.  We are all so busy today, so one of the most valuable things that we have is time.  We can make more money, and buy new things, but we cannot make or buy time.

So when someone gives up that precious treasure and is willing to share part of it with me, it is a very high complement indeed.  For me, it makes me value the friendship of that person even more and I want to be sure to look for tweets of theirs that I can share with others.

I do spend a lot of time looking for things to inspire others.  I also use these same tools to motivate myself.  There are times when we all need help in getting through a day that is not going as you want it to.  So when someone RTs one of these Quotes it really is uplifting as I know it has helped them and they are sharing it with others.

So why bother to RT?  Do it because it will make you feel good, do it because it is passing valuable information on.  DO NOT do it just for the sake of wanting to have a tweet in your stream.  Do it because what you are RT will help someone.

You can even RT just list of people’s names that others have recommended to you.  However, if you do this, you should also be following these people as well.  It seems silly to recommend someone who you do not even follow yourself.

When some one does RT you, please try to thank them.  I know on Follow Friday this is close to impossible if you have a large following.  It is the right thing to do though.

Looking forward to RTing you in the future!~

Follow me on Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/denyseduhaime

Check out the way to market your self through twitter at http://www.thetwitterfever.com

Category: To Tweet Or Not To Tweet, Twitter Etiquette  Tags: , , , ,  Leave a Comment
07
Dec
What Can Be Said In 140 Or Less
Denyse

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.  The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.  ~Henri Nouwen

This is a small thank you to those of you that have touched me through my Twitter stream.  Today I reached 50,000 followers.  It is with a very humble heart that I share this with you.  13 months ago when I started writing my profile and signing up on Twitter I thought, who is going to follow me and what will I ever say to them?  What I have found in Twitter can only be understood if you connect to others on Twitter yourself.

Who would think that someone you do not even know, that might even live a world apart from you, would ever have really touch you in any way that really mattered.  The followers in my stream on Twitter do that each and every day.  There is never a day that goes by that someone does not ask me how I am doing, and really is waiting for a genuine answer.  They are not saying that just because they need something to tweet.  They are saying it because we have connected!

Within 140 characters we connect in such a way that I never would have thought possible.  We have shared the joys and pains of our lives.  We have cheered at achievements and listened when an ear is all that we can give.  We have reached across the miles, across borders, stretching into countries we will never see, and we have connected in such a way that lives have actually been changed just by tweeting.

I saw the love and caring working at it’s fullest in Twitter when I lost my mother this past summer.  People from my stream that I had never connected with followed her health progress with me.  They prayed and told others and people that were not even following me were praying.  It is not only your followers that touch you, but they ReTweet to people following them, and some of those people in turn also reach out to you to offer you hope and comfort.

When Mom passed on, many of my followers listened to me and offered me love and comfort and encouragement.  Some even shared loss of their own parents with me.  It was a process of healing and these people helped so much.  As in the quote above these people chose to share my pain with me and reached out and touched me with the viral hand of 140 characters.  Often they only gave me a place to share my grief, but they were always there.

Besides, the sorrow they also share in the joy!  Many connect and ask how business is going, how the projects are going, and are interested in what is going on in our lives.  Yes, we even laugh and joke and play tricks on each other, make fun of our funny hats, or dance in the rain, or a number of crazy other things like the week we had a virtual pillow fight!

My Twitter stream is filled with new friends.  A year ago these people were strangers to me.  Today, right now, I could send out a tweet and someone would be there to answer a question or smile with me, or share a moment of my day.  Twitter changes daily, so people will come and go, but the spirit of the people of my Twitter stream will be always with me.  Many people have touched my life just by connecting.

When you follow someone, you actually do yourself a great disservice to not try to connect.  You just never know what kind spirit you may find that will touch your lives as so many have touched mine.

To my followers, I thank you for the wonderful opportunity you have given me to connect with you, to learn from you, to laugh with you and to share moments of our lives.

Follow me on twitter if you don’t already

http://www.twitter.com/denyseduhaime


Category: About Life, Just Thinking, My Twitter Family, Reflecting, To Tweet Or Not To Tweet, What's It All About  Tags: , , , ,  Leave a Comment
30
Nov
Do What You Love
Denyse

Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.  ~David Frost

I think too often people start an on-line business looking to make a killing on line.  They hear stories that they can quit their jobs, and work their own hours and make tons and tons of money doing this.  They listen to the gurus and buy into all of the schemes hoping that this time it will work.

I believe it is the wrong approach to starting your own business.  I have had several businesses in the past and they have all sprung out of doing something that I love.  In the early 70’s to the mid 80’s I ran an Antique business that allowed me to buy things that I loved, research things that I knew only a little about, and keep those things I could not live without and make a profit on those that I could.  It was a great business for a collector and lover of Antiques.  Because I loved it so much, I enjoyed all aspects of it, the buying and the research and the selling.  I was able to succeed at something that I loved and turn it into a business.

I did the same thing when one day at a quilt store I saw the most beautiful lamp shade.  I had to make one for myself, so I figured out how to do it, without taking a class, and it really came out well.  Other people saw the shade and loved it and wanted one.  I loved making them and soon was making them and putting them on Antique jugs and was able to sell them along with my Antiques.  I had again found a way to turn something I love, crafts, into a business.  It was fun, and because it was fun it was not a labor, but something I loved doing.  They were easy to sell, and the selling of something I made gave me a satisfaction that you cannot get from selling something else.

My love of crafts is what started me in my Art Rubber Stamp business.  I had taken a 2 hour class in Rubber Stamping in 1993 and fell in love with it. I was buying just about every stamp that I thought was interesting that I could find.  It was only a few months later that I started to research how to manufacture them and started my own line of stamps with my daughter Laura.  That line is still going today and we now have over 3000 images.  I loved stamping and crafts and it seemed natural to turn it into a business.

Even though you are doing what you love, it is still a lot of hard work.  In the last case, we had to design the product, make the product and then sell the product.  We put in long hours and every single week went over 40 hours.  It was not a quick get rich scheme, it was and still is a lot of hard work.  Yes, I can work the hours I want to work, so that is a big plus.

This is true in anything you attempt for a business.  You have to love what you are doing.  If you are miserable, it will be no different than working for someone else.  You will take it out on family and friends and even worse you will take it out on yourself.

If you are thinking about your own start up, think about what you love.  If you love the internet, then you will like a business that is related to it.  If you love crafts, there are lots of items you can make and sell on line on a craft site or even your own site.  If you love writing, there are lots of marketers looking for freelance writers.  Whatever it is that you love, that is where you should look to start thinking about your own business.

Owning your own business can really be a joy.  That is the secret to it though, you have to allow yourself to have fun with it and to be challenged by it. I know I am every day, and I look forward to the new challenges now as I develop with my daughter our new sites and our new businesses.

Category: How Important Are You to Your Business, My Take on Internet Business, Uncategorized  Tags: , , , , , ,  4 Comments
29
Nov
Twitter Etiquette–Following and ReTweeting
Denyse

If you are like me, you use twitter now in your everyday life.  Just a little over a year ago I did not even know what Twitter was.  Well being a member of the twitter community gives you and unspoken responsibility.   Twitter is micro blogging at it’s best, but to keep it that way we really need to follow some simple Twitter Etiquette.

Etiquette: Following

It does not matter if you use twitter for yourself personally or if you use it for your business, there are some things that you must do.  You must connect with your followers.  It is not just a game to see who can get the most followers.  If you do not connect with any of those that follow you, you have lost the entire point of social media.

It is commonly believed that to successfully market yourself and your business online, you need to develop a large list of followers. Followers are the individuals that will receive your message and updates. I do not believe that this is the correct approach to take to use twitter to market your business.  I think that you need to connect with those that you follow.  In addition to that you need to be constantly adding value to your stream in the content that you tweet.  This can be about business things, but try to offer something to your followers that is unique to you.  You will start to gather followers that trust you.

As in any business, you want to develop a rapport with your customers.  You can not do that if you do not connect with them and get to know them.  They in turn will recommend others to follow you.  Soon you will have a nice number of followers that are enjoying your tweets and look forward to what you have to say about your life, and yes, even your business.

You do not have to follow everyone back that follows you, but I think that is is good etiquette to do so.  You will find, from time to time, that you will need to block someone or unfollow them.  That if perfectly acceptable.  You need to do what feels right for you.

Etiquette: Re Tweeting

I think when you first join twitter one of the most confusing terms is RT.  Simply put this is Re tweeting.  It is when you read some ones tweet that you really like, or something that you think your followers would enjoy knowing, or a relevant news event.  Twitter now has a special web button for this, and it has made RT so much easier.

If you see a tweet that you like, by all means Re Tweet it for others in your stream to be able to read.  By the same terms though, if someone RT’s you, please take the time to thank them for doing so.  I know that you have a limit about of time to spend on twitter, but this is an important step in your connecting.

One thing that I have found is that many times I get new followers because someone has Re Tweeted one of the tweets.  So in addition to adding more valuable content to your followers you are actually helping yourself gather more followers that already like what you are doing.

Good Etiquette on twitter will only make your experience that much more rewarding.  It does not matter if you are using twitter to just get to know new people, cultivate friendships, find those of mutual likes (for example dog lovers), or if you are trying to market your business, you should follow these simple steps and you will be respected as a person who adds value.

If you do not already follow me–please follow me on twitter !

Category: To Tweet Or Not To Tweet, Twitter Etiquette  Tags: , ,  One Comment
21
Nov
Change Up Your Thinking on Your Internet Business
Denyse

I have been marketing online for some time now but I have never
see anything as crazy as this before.  Maybe it is time to change up some of your thinking on your Internet Business.  Are you working too hard selling things for other people. This program just launched this week and it really sounds great.

Today is the day PLR changes forever..

Jeremy Burns has been selling out his PLR packages for many
years now and I really wish that I had grabbed every one of them ever created.  However, I did not know about them until recently.  You know every so often something comes along in the Internet world that you just have to do and you have to share.

This new package just blows ANY PLR package I have ever seen out
of the water.

First off, the crazy part….

Jeremy is giving away a course that should easily sell for $500
without rights for free, but get this… it’s not just free, you
get PLR rights to it also.

http://videodiskgoldmine.com/cmd.php?af=1096511

Then comes the main package.. this takes PLR to a complete new
level. You get 10 “Physical” products all with PLR.

Yes, I said physical PLR, I couldn’t believe it either. It really seems hard to believe as every one is always plugging digital.  You must have seen like I have thousands and thousand of e-books out there.  I mean from the first day that Laura and I started doing some serious Internet marketing people were plugging these books to us.  Yes, we even bought into a reseller package that turned out to be a complete dud.  It was just books that had been rehashed time and time again.  Nothing worse than reading old material not even said in a new way. Have you had that experience?  If you have then you know what I am talking about.


You really should see this now, he explains every thing in a
video at the top of the page, and if your Internet connection is
to slow to play the video that’s OK too, its all spelled out for
you on the site.  I know I personally could not get the video to work in FireFox, but it opened fine in Explorer.

If you ever had any interest in this kind of thing I would suggest that you take a look at this right away because it will be sold out fast
I have no doubt.

http://videodiskgoldmine.com/cmd.php?af=1096511

What if you are brand new to Internet marketing and don’t know a thing about setting up your own web site, or selling products?  Well I almost forgot… There is also 3 hours of video training
included to teach you step by step how to setup the reseller
websites in case you are new and have never setup a website
before.

http://videodiskgoldmine.com/cmd.php?af=1096511

I am pretty excited about this product and that is why I am suggesting that you look into it.  I know that this is not for everyone.  But if you have ever wondered what you are doing selling other people’s products, maybe today is the day that you think seriously what you would like out of your Internet marketing business.  There is nothing at all wrong with doing affiliate marketing, I do a lot of it and it is fun and exciting.  But imagine the fun of watching your own product sell.  Well here is your chance.

Category: Internet Marketing Products, PLR Products, Products That I Think Are Worth Looking At  Tags: , , ,  4 Comments
15
Nov
Chasing the Money Butterfly
Denyse

Is the road to the Internet really paved with green bricks of money?  You have heard so many times that anyone can make money doing Internet Marketing.  If that is true, why have so many people had a problem making that first sale on line.  What do the “gurus” know that you do not know?  What makes them so “lucky” and you are still struggling to make that first big sale?

Are You Chasing After That First Internet Sale?
Are You Chasing After That First Internet Sale?

If you are already making all of the money that you want on line, then I am really happy for you, and you can share with us your tricks and tips.  If you are not, maybe some of the ideas that I have to share might help you make you first Internet sale.

Do you find yourself trying to chase after that first Internet sale without a lot of  luck?  You keep getting email after email that tells you that it is so very easy.  All you have to do is tap into your friends and relatives and they will be your first customers.  I do not feel that is the proper way to go.  Yes, when I was a small child selling Girl Scout cookies, I did ask all of my neighbors, relatives, and friends if they wanted to buy a box.  I did get some “nos”, but it is pretty hard to say “no” to a curly hair little Girl Scout standing at your door.

You are a grown-up and attempting to enter the business world.  Of course, it is the virtual world of the Internet, but it is big business!  You have to be a professional at everything that you so.  You have to enter this venture with integrity.  You must above all be honest.  It will never pay to be dishonest about a product just to be able to sell it.  You can not even stretch the truth.  If you do not believe that a product is a good product, then do not waste your time trying to sell it.  There are so many really great products out there that are worth your effort and that you can honestly tell others that you endorse it. 

If you are real and honest, people will come to trust you and respect you.  If you are always looking out for a great product to promote, your customers will be anxious to hear what you have found and why you think it is a great product.  Do not try to sell to them every time you talk to them.  BE REAL.  Be yourself, and the sale will come. 

I think that there is a lot of value in really researching what you are trying to sell.  I was doing some Affiliate Marketing a few months ago and I got an email asking me if the product was a scam.  I spent a lot of time researching the product and looking at the sites that were suggesting that it was a scam.  I came across a ploy by some Internet marketers to set up an advertisement that said “——scam”.  If you read their blog it would state all the reasons why the product was a scam, and at the end they would in turn try to sell you their product.  The original product had nothing wrong with it, however, they got the buyers attention and in turned tried to force them into a customer.  In my opinion, this is not using honest business tactics.  No doubt it got them some sales, but it left me with a very sour feeling about ever dealing with that business.  I learned a lot more about the product I was originally selling, but I also learned a lot about the type of business person I did not want to be.

Know your products, believe in what you are selling, be honest and truthful and you will be on the way to making contacts that will turn into customers.

Category: How Important Are You to Your Business, My Take on Internet Business  Tags: , , , , , , ,  2 Comments
12
Nov
Are We What WE Think We ARE
Denyse

Are we what we think we are?  Think about that question for a second.  I think that there is merit in that thought.  If you hear all the time that you cannot do something, you start to believe that you are not capable of doing it.  You mind starts to believe the words that are spoken to it over a period of time.

Maybe you have just embarked on a new business enterprise.  You are really excited about it.  You share your  excitement with your spouse, or your friends, or perhaps a close relative.  How they react is going to reflect on how you perceive the outcome of your effort will be.  You might have positive support, but you also might come across some very strong negative thoughts.

You have just shared your dream and someone close to you tells you that it is a stupid idea, or dream or that it will never work.  They have tried to take your dream away from you even before you try to see it blossom in front of you.  If you doubt yourself, you will listen to these negative thoughts.  You will hear the words, that it is stupid.  You will start to think, if they think it is stupid, it must be stupid.  I must be stupid because I thought it was a great idea.

At this point, your mind hears their message clearly and you have reinforced the idea.  You start to believe that you can not succeed that if you try this you will fail.  If you believe that you will fail, before you even start, then you will open yourself up to failure.  You have to believe in yourself and your own ability.  Maybe, the idea that you have will not work, but you will not know if you never have the chance to try it.

You need to talk to yourself in positive language.  You have to erase the tapes that others are playing in your head or ones that you have heard time and time again.  No, not everything that you will try will work.  I know, I have been there.  This is a good thing, because when things do not work you learn from that and you develop skills that will work for you.

One of the most powerful things that you can do for yourself is to let your mind hear new positive thoughts.  Write yourself 3 or 4 affirmations and say them to yourself several times a day.  You might even write them down, or say them aloud.  It is OK to tell yourself something positive about you.  You are important!  Give yourself that stamp of approval that you need.  Let yourself hear the positive thoughts.

You will be just confirming a declaration of the truth.  You have the power within you to succeed.  You might start with something as simple as telling yourself that you are smart and you can do this.  You might use one that affirms that you are worth having good things happen to you.  Another one you might consider is one telling yourself that everyday you are learning more and more and that you are better for it.

Start with affirmations that build you up and make you feel good about yourself.  Then add affirmations about your skills, your business sense, your dreams and how you can make them come true.  If you do this each day, you will soon start to hear the strength in your own positive words and you will change the negatives into a healthy positive feeling about yourself, your worth and your abilities.

You are important and you have the ability to live the possibilities of your dreams.  They are your dreams, don’t let others take them from you with their negative thoughts.

Category: Self Improvement  Tags:  6 Comments
12
Nov
Make Your Own Traffic Jam
Denyse

What is the one way that you can increase your traffic without any cost?  You might think well everything cost something.  You are right, but somethings only cost your time, which is valuable, however spending your time is not an out of pocket expense.

I have found that submitting articles is a great way to get some back links to your sites.  Why do you need back links ?  You need back links so that you can be picked up in as many search engines as possible.  This is very important.  It does not matter if you are just writing in your blog, or if you have an on line business, you need to have traffic.  It is fine to have a blog, but you want people to read it.  It is fine to have a web site, but if you plan to make money from that site you need to have traffic!

You will need to think about your product, what is it you want to sell.  You need to think about your customer base.  Who are you trying to sell to?  Then you need to be able to project that into a short, but informative article.  These articles are excellent to add content to your web page and you should do that.  However, they become a greater tool when you start to submit them to the article directories.

When you submit to article directories you are putting your article as well as links to your web site out there for the world to see.  You have now started to expose yourself to many different venues and people that may have never even heard about you, your site or your product.

It does not matter if you are selling Antiques, t-shirts, baby products, or just trying to tell the world who you are and what you are about.  You still need to have traffic to your site.

This is just one way that you can submit your articles.  Sign up for a article directory, try to find one that is free, and following the guidelines submit your article to the site.

You can submit your article for free at Article Mega Site and be on the way to getting free traffic.  I read one person’s take on this today and they said that for every 50 articles they make one sale each day.  You can see then that you must write more than one article.  Work on it each day, make it fresh, add great content.  You are not only submitting to a directory, but you also now have fresh content to add to your own site.

Have fun with this. Write as much as you are comfortable with, but the more you can write and submit the more traffic your will have coming to your site.  Don’t be afraid of the traffic jam!   You do not have to be a professional writer.  Be real, be yourself, and you will come across as being genuine.

Category: Getting Traffic, My Take on Internet Business, Tools of the Trade  Tags: , , , ,  4 Comments
11
Nov
My Unforgotten Hero
Denyse

We all have heroes in our lives.  Some of them are just a  silent hero, but they are never forgotten.  My Dad is my unforgotten Hero.  He was a wonderful role model throughout his life.

Dad fathers like you are rare.  You are gone now, it’s just been over a year, but your memory lives on.  So do memories of all of the things that you did.  You are one of God’s precious treasures.  You were given on loan to your family, your friends, and your country.  Most families do not have such a wonderful role model to look up to and to respect.

Dad home on leave during the War

Dad home on leave during the War

This being Veterans day is a perfect time to thank you Dad for all you did.  You fought for our freedom in WWII so that your children could have a better life than you had.  You had great dreams for your children and we have all tried our best to make you proud.

You taught us to love unconditionally as you did that to us.  You taught us many lessons, some we did not even know that you were teaching us values we would use throughout our lives.

You had dreams of getting married, and having a family when the war called and you answered the call, not because you had to , but because you thought it was the right thing to do.  You married mom just before you left to fight in those war fields aboard.  You were brave beyond anything we can ever understand or ever know.  God returned you to your wife and you had your family.  I am grateful for all that you have stood for and all that you have done.

I was proud when the Army came and gave you a military send off.  I have always been proud of you!

To all Veterans that have fought for our freedom and to all that are still fighting every day so that we may live in our country and do what we love to do, I thank you all.

Category: Family, What's It All About, Who Is Denyse  Tags: , , , ,  2 Comments
09
Nov
Reflecting–Do We Do It?
Denyse

Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting. ~Edmund Burke

I sent out this quoted tweet tonight and it got me thinking.  Actually a lot of my tweets today were on the subject of thoughts.  How many times we we read a quote and not really digest what was being said.  We quickly Re Tweet it for our friends to share, and we move on to read the next tweet.  Often these quotes are worth more than the brief second of time that we give them.

There are so many powerful words that are passed between us with tweets.  Some of them are by our World’s most famous authors, but often some are just the thoughts of one of our followers.  I have found some very thought provoking ideas being share.  However, if we do not take time to reflect on the words we are reading, then we are just reading words.

I know I am guilty of this in reading other things like emails or even some blog postings.  I am a pretty fast reader and sometimes I find myself skimming the content looking for the juice of the subject.  I especially do this in reading articles and web content.

There are a lot of tweets that go by our streams and we cannot possibly read every single one of them.  So we pick and chose followers that we enjoy reading.  A lot of the tweeting that we do among ourselves is all in fun, and we are relating to each other, trying to break the ice or cultivate a friendship.  We thank people politely for Re Tweet us, and we ask how our friends are and what they are up to.

However, there are tweets that our followers send that are certainly worth those extra few mins while we try to absorb the idea.  We might not always agree with the idea, and that is a perfect time to start a real conversation.  There is nothing wrong at all in having a difference of opinion, in fact sparring is great for the spirit and for the mind.

I am hoping that in the posting that I start to write in this blog will cause you to do some contemplation of my thoughts and you will feel free to add comments of your own.  My thoughts come from my life’s experiences and they are very different from yours.  I know the next time that I read a blog posting, or an email from a friend, I am going to take a second read and think about that person and what their thoughts are and how they affect me.  I have a feeling that I will learn a lot about myself when I do this.

Category: Reflecting, What's It All About  Tags: , ,  4 Comments
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