Speaking of coffee, how many of you use wi-fi hot spots when you grab a cup? Do you think twice about security when you hook up? 

I had a client last year who struggled with multiple hacks to her personal computer and websites after using public wi-fi on a cross-country trip. It really was a nightmare. She ended up pulling all her websites down and went back to focusing on her business locally. It was a really frustrating and unfortunate situation. 

Last night, I stumbled across this infographic posted over on Mashable that I wanted to share with you all. It points out some very valid scenarios that DO happen when you access your information on public networks or in public places. 

Image via ThreatMetrix and Mashable

Sometimes when you’re in a rush you tend to make do with what you have. If you just need to hook up and do something quickly it’s easy to forget about some of these things. A quick work session could turn into a nightmare if you’re not careful.

I’m sure we all can think of someone we know who would pop that USB drive into their computer to see if they could find out who it belonged too. It may seem innocent enough… but chances are, if someone actually lost that USB drive they’d come back and be able to claim it in about .02 seconds by describing it to the staff. Don’t take that chance!

SO, how do you keep your information safe?

As noted in the infographic it’s important to keep your software up to date. I’m not just talking about your antivirus software but your system’s core files. When Windows or Apple notices popup letting you know there are updates to be run on your computer make sure you take care of them in a timely manner.

If you do a lot of ‘on the run’ type work sessions in public places look into purchasing your own wi-fi device. $20-30 a month may seem like a lot but if you find yourself using public wi-fi frequently it’s an investment you really should look at making. Not only for yourself and your business but in order to keep your client’s info. safe as well

I’m off to enjoy a second cup of coffee and get busy on client projects! I hope you all have a wonderful day and don’t forget to thing twice when you connect to public wi-fi.

P.S. I know some of you maybe wondering where I have been the last several months! I want to explain my absence, my Husband and I purchased our first home in December. We spent January fixing up the things that needed attention and then we moved in. Since the move I have been busy with home projects, rebranding and redesigning my business and working on client projects. It’s been an exciting and busy time. Things are finally starting to settle down and I’m hoping to be back to my normal schedule of blogging and sharing goodies. I’ll have more to share in the coming weeks on the business changes, you’ll want to stick around!

Click to enlarge
Via NowSourcing

Personally, I can vouch that Pinterest is HUGE for referrals. Pinterest brings me more traffic than Facebook/Twitter combined. I’m also one of those G+ users who spend less than 5 minutes on the social network per month…

Where is your favorite place to hang out? Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, (I was a huge fan of Instagram until they changed their Terms of Service), Google Plus, LinkedIN? Did you (or your business) reach your Social Media goals or any big mile stones in 2012? I’d love to hear about them, leave me a comment and let me know!

So, you’ve updated to WordPress 3.5 but now you’re freaking out a bit because now that you’re up to date you’re trying to write a blog post and… oh. my. gosh…

1. You can’t add or access your Media
2. You can’t add a link
3. You can’t even access the old HTML tab which is now labeled… “Text”?

Also…. You realize, while you rock at posting on your on blog that, well, in all honest you really aren’t the geeky-coding type person and you’re not sure where to start or even what to search for to figure out how to rescue your broken blog…. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.  (It’s okay I know how you feel, that used to be me too).

I ran updates for my clients over the weekend and everything seemed hunky dory until I got a message on New Years Eve letting me know something was up on one of my clients sites. 

After quickly logging into the website with the issue sure enough it was having problems with the Media menu, adding links and accessing the ‘text’ tab. 

I did a bit of digging and found several other people with this issue, it’s actually a very common error with the 3.5 upgrade — One of the updates in this upgrade was another change in the way that some of the JavaScript is processed.

Some users are having issues with just the media buttons, others with just the ‘Text’ tab or using buttons in their WYSIWYG editors. There is a temporary fix if you’re having any of these issues, you’ll need to access your Core WordPress files via your File Manager or FTP to try this little patch.

Before you think of making any changes to ANY core files in
your WordPress site it’s important to have a backup.

Please, do not attempt to make these changes
unless your website has been fully  backed up.

Any changes that you make to your core files are made at
your own risk.  I can not be held responsible for any
errors that may occur if you use these code snippets.

Log into your cPanel and access your file manager. You’ll need to find your WordPress website’s folder and in that main folder there is a file called ‘wp-config.php’ open that to edit it. You’re going to want to scroll down to the bottom portion of the file and look for this line of code:

/* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */

Now, just above that line add this:

define('CONCATENATE_SCRIPTS', false);

It’s really, REALLY important that you don’t add or delete anything else.
An extra character (or one removed) can cause havoc on your blog.

Save your file and keep your cPanel/File Manager open just in case you need to restore the original wp-config.php file. Open a new tab or window and test out your WordPress site to see if your problem has been resolved.

If you’re not comfortable editing your wp-config.php file ask your Virtual Assistant or even another blogging friend who maybe more comfortable making a change of this type. I can not stress enough how important having a backup of your website is. Please, make sure you have a backup before making any modifications to core files. You’ll never be sorry you had an extra back up, you’ll only be sorry you didn’t have one.

Happy Blogging!

Could you imagine where we’d be today if any one of those people gave up the first time their plans didn’t pan out? (You know, aside from going nuts since your children probably wouldn’t be watching a Disney cartoon right now while you’re trying to blog *wink, wink*).

Just  because something doesn’t go right the first try doesn’t mean we should give up. Pick yourself up, readjust your sails and keep moving forward. “Failures” are just opportunities for us to step back, evaluate what we were doing wrong and trying something different — That’s all! A failure doesn’t have to define you OR your project, don’t let it, you’re better than that. 

I’d encourage you all to bookmark this video, add it to your YouTube favorites or a motivational playlist. When you’re feeling defeated come back and watch it. Just think of the great things we have today that are here because in those moments of HUGE disappointments these amazing people didn’t allow their rejections or failures to define them. They got up, they readjusted their course and they still made  great things happen! You can do it too, get up, dust yourself off and readjust those sails.

via Social Caffeine

Pretty crazy that of 45 hours 17 could be considered unproductive… Yikes. Time to unplug while you work, I’m sure that has to do with all our multitasking! 

If you’ve been reading my blog over the last year you already know I’m a big fan of checklists. They’re great. They keep you focused and on task (well, they do for me anyway). The bonus that comes with that is the sense of accomplishment when you get to check things off. Even if your list ‘feels’ a mile long the act of crossing things off feels really good, progress is progress no matter how small it may feel.

Any tips for staying focused and productive? My best ‘quick tip’ to boost productivity is to set times through out your work schedule to check your email and only check it during those times. It’s so easy to open an email and find yourself ‘off task’ because you’ve decided it would only take you a ‘quick second’ to take care of that item. Just STOP that, it’s highly unlikely that the world will stop spinning if you only check it during your scheduled times.

Hope your monday is productive and don’t work too hard!

Have you ever needed to create a PLAIN HTML link for sharing your content on Linkedin? You know, one that functions similar to the ‘Share on Facebook’ or ‘Tweet on Twitter’ links? Have you *tried* searching for that? I have. It wasn’t fun, I can’t even begin to tell you how many links I found that required use of JavaScript or that simply linked back to the LinkedIN share button generator which, wasn’t what I needed.

I searched for the code and to save you all from the unnecessary (and time consuming) Google/Blog Hop I’m going to lay it all out for you right here, right now. After reviewing this blog post you’ll be able to create your own Linkedin Share links, just like this one, which will open a share window that looks like this:

I’m also going to share with you a couple other cool things I found while I was on the search.

Perhaps right now you’re just scratching your head wondering ‘Why not use a Plugin?’ Well, that’s a great solution if you’re using WordPress — But what if you’re coding up an image map, an HTML page for a squeeze page or you’re in the process of making a custom Facebook tab? If you’re using something like the StaticHTML or another iFrames style app, a simple HTML link is what you need.

How to Create Plain HTML Links to Share Content on Linkedin

Here’s the coding format for a PLAIN TEXT, HTML link to share your content on Linkedin:

<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http://YourContentsURLGoesHere.com&title=Article Tile Goes Here&summary=Put your summary here" target="_blank">Your Text Link Here</a>

Here’s the coding format you’ll need to create an IMAGE link to share your content on Linkedin:

<a href="http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http://YourContentsURLGoesHere.com&title=Article Tile Goes Here&summary=Put your summary here" target="_blank" ><img src="http://www.YourImageURLGoesHere.com/image"/></a>

How to Create a Linkedin Share Button with a Share Counter

Now, perhaps you’re still working outside of WordPress but you want one of those fancy-shmancy Linkedin share buttons that have that cool little ‘share count’ bubble. You can generate those over here, on Linkedin’s website. All you have to do is fill in the form and click ‘Get Gode’ and you’re all set!

How to add a Linkedin Widget to your Website

If you’re an active user on Linkedin you might want to look at adding one of these cool LinkedIn ‘Profile Cards’ to your website:  

You can also view all of Linkedin’s widgets and tools here. 

Do you have any tips to share about Linkedin? I’m not as active there as I’d like to be, I spent some time this weekend updating and sprucing up my profile. It’s far from ‘complete.’ My plans for the new year include revamping my entire Social Media presence, with that, you’ll see me becoming more active on Linkedin.

Before you go, even if you don’t have any great Linkedin tips be sure to leave me a comments with your Linkedin profile URL. I’ll make sure I drop on by and connect with you.

It’s a little dusty around here, please pardon my absence and the lack of posting. It has been a busy fall for both my business and for our little family. I promise, I haven’t actually dropped off the face of the earth!

The new year isn’t that far off and I’m already working on some big plans for next spring. I’m definitely looking forward to some exciting changes around here.

In the mean time though, be sure to stay tuned–I have a few posts lined up for the coming weeks!

P.S. I hope those of you in the US had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend!

My youngest decided Saturday evening, while visiting his Nannie, that 6pm was a great time for a nap … Which turned into an after midnight bedtime. All of which was followed by a napless Sunday and crashing around 8pm, in the van, without any sort of evening snack. If you’re a parent you may see where this is going.

This morning he woke up crying at 2:30 hungry and thirsty. Party time… YAY, oh, wait, so much for those plans of waking at 6am and getting ahead on my busy week!

It’s just now 10:30 and I’m sitting down to get busy. Within the first 2 minutes on Twitter (which, I’m the first to admit can be a huge time suck for me) I came across two tweets that kicked me back off of twitter and over here to my blog:

Finished last will always be better than Did not finish, which always trumps Did not start.

@ChrisVoss

Email a friend a list of what you intend to accomplish today and followup with them when the day is done.

@CoachLindaLuke

Thank you for the morning (err, almost afternoon) kick in the rear to get me going! I’ll admit this month has been crazy busy for me and I’ve been suffering from blog related procrastination. After reading these tweets I figured today I’d share a post with a few things that work to get my days going when I’m dragging and procrastinating:

1. Clean OFF your desk (or work space), grab something to drink, find some good music and settle in
2. Map out your To-Do list for the day
3. Prioritize your list — If you have some larger projects to tackle look at possibly breaking them down into smaller steps
4. Grab your timer & set some quick goals so you don’t spend too much time on any single project
5. Reward yourself for hitting your goals, if you knock out those 2-3 top tasks for the day awesome, run over to amazon or pull up iTunes and grab a couple new songs for your work playlist. OR, if you’d like some fresh air contemplate running out of the house for a quick coffee or smoothie. (This works wonders when I’m putting a project off, I’m easily motivated by good music and good coffee)

That should at least get you headed in the right direction — Just don’t get lost if you step out for that coffee or smoothie! Come back and tackle the rest of your to-do list.

I’m off to finish planning out mine– I’m hoping for a highly productive day. Even though I started out slowly I ate my frog and posted to my blog. Happy Monday everyone!

Five years ago, I had an 8-1/2 month old and my husband and I were expecting our second child.  I decided that it was time to quit my ‘real job’ and stay home.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved my job… it’s just that working an inner city EMS job wasn’t exactly ideal for this Mom anymore. It was great though and no two days were EVER the same. There is something about helping others that is very satisfying. I can’t tell you how many times I was puked on, bled on or verbally abused by patients–none of it mattered. I loved my job. in fact I was also the little girl who preferred to watch Rescue 9-1-1 over cartoons in grade school. I would sit and wait for our neighbor, a paid firefighter and paramedic, to come home from work to tell me about his day…

Quitting a job I loved so much was difficult for me but I’m so glad I did. I took a step in faith and launched my own business. At that time I had already been working as a Virtual Assistant for several years as part of another company and decided it was time to try it on my own. It was scary, it was exciting. Would I have enough clients? Would I be able to work enough hours? Would I even be successful on my own?

Five years later. Yes, FIVE, it has worked out. I have done more than I’d imagined, I have been successful. I am successful because I am relatively busy, I have clients and customers who trust me and respect my opinions. In fact, I even have a waiting list, people WANT to work with me. Do you know how amazing that feels?

I am so grateful that I have had such awesome clients over the last five years.  I have learned a lot and am grateful for how far I have come. I definitely couldn’t have done it without the support of other work-at-home-moms, friends and family. Thank you all so much!

This month has been a very busy one for me. I’m working on a few projects that I will be sharing with you all very soon. I’ve been busy putting the finishing touches on an AWESOME  Joint Venture project with none other than my sister, Michelle.  I’m participating in a Summit next month and will be sharing details on that very soon.

Today, I’m taking a break and celebrating 5 awesome years. I’m grateful for every one of my clients, I would not be where I am today without each of you.

Thank you, so much– Here is to another 5 years!

P.S. If you’re curious about Joint Ventures (what they are and how they can help your business) be sure to check out the free webinar at JV Profit Formula next week!

Are you using twitter for your biz? I’ll be the first to admit I’m no Twitter Expert. I’m more of a Facebook fanatic. Twitter tends to suck me in and I realize that 10 minute check up just turned into 4 hours. No, really, I get lost clicking links… it’s a huge problem for me… On the bright side though… I find some really cool stuff.

I came across this great article full of twitter tips by Jill Hart today over on Ezine Articles and wanted to share with you all.

Below are ten tips to help shorten that learning curve.

1. Choose a Meaningful User name 
If possible, grab your business name as well as your own name for use on Twitter. Having an easy-to-find and easy-to-remember username is essential.

2. Brand your Twitter page 
Don’t leave your Twitter page boring and plain – spice it up. Make sure you add your logo, contact information and any other information that will be helpful for customers and visitors to your page. You can use a website such as TwitBacks.com to create a free or very low-cost background to bring life to your page.

3. Learn the Lingo 
Twitter can be very useful, but it can also be very frustrating… especially if you have no idea what all those little symbols mean that fly across the screen. Take the time to research the meanings of the tags most often used on Twitter. One great place to do so is right on Twitter itself: go to help.twitter.com/portal

4. Follow industry leaders 
Veteran entrepreneur Diana Ennen shares this tip: “I love to follow industry experts on Twitter and gain all their business insight. It’s almost like being right there in their office and getting in on their trade secrets. Not only do they post tips and how to information, but often share their business successes and mistakes and that allows me to learn from them. It’s so worth it!”

5. Interact 
Don’t be shy! Take a few minutes each day to comments on what others are discussing or to throw out a question or idea. You never know when a topic is going to spark a response and help you build relationships with customers and your fellow Twitter users.

6. Don’t make it all business news – be YOU 
It’s great to share about the things going on in your business and you certainly will want to share specials, discounts and other items of interest to your customers. However, as a small business owner you have the unique ability to put a personal face on your business. Let your customers and readers get to know a little about you as well as your business.

7. Run Contests 
Twitter is a great fast-paced way to a run a contest. By having a great prize you can create a viral network of “tweets” about your company and the giveaway you’re holding. Sit down beforehand and plan out some great 140 character tweets that you can use throughout the giveaway time – whether that be minutes, hours or even days.

8. Share 
Make your Twitter feed a worthwhile read for your customers. Share tips that apply to your target market, links to articles and other informational tidbits. Create a #hashtag for your business or topic (see #3 above) so that you can track re-tweets and mentions of your posts.

9. Be Thankful 
A great way to make friends and build contacts is to thank others who re-tweet (RT) your posts. Send a shout-out saying thanks or feature them at special times like FriendFriday (#FF). They’ll know that you’re grateful and you’ll build a community that supports you – and each other.

10. Promote Others 
Contrary to popular belief it IS in your best interest to work together with other entrepreneurs and to help spread the word about great things that they may be doing. Not only will people be drawn to your Twitter feed for great information, but they will see that you’re willing to share about more than your own interests. Another great benefit is that those you help promote will one day be there to help promote you as well.

Twitter is a great marketing tool for work-at-home moms. It can help drive traffic to your website as well as aid you in building relationships with your target market. Use the tips above to help guide you in how to best use social media to benefit your business and your customers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4330106

What are your favorite Twitter Tips? I love to share articles I find useful or tools that I stumble across.