Sunday, June 9, 2013

Best cheap Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 13.3-Inch Convertible Touchscreen Ultrabook (Gray)

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Social Networking in the Workplace - Is It a Distraction?

With internet usage increasing every day, the question of acceptable social network usage in a workplace environment is something that is becoming increasingly common, especially amongst the so-called internet generation.

This would seem to be because this group of people seem to want to be constantly connected to the outside world, which only became possible around the 1990's when mobile phone technology started to become widely available throughout the world.

Whether or not social networking is a distraction depends largely on what type of job you are actually doing and the percentage of the time that you are dealing with the general public. It also depends largely on how much information you can handle at the same time.

Social Networking in the Workplace - Is It a Distraction?

For example, it would be highly inappropriate to be using such a site on a mobile phone whilst in a retail position serving customers, whilst using such sites in an office environment, providing you are not dealing with clients at the time, is far more likely to be acceptable.

Also, there are some jobs in which visiting social networks is actually a part of the job description and therefore not only acceptable, but part of your work. Such jobs usually include online marketing positions, which is something to think about if you have a good knowledge of the online world.

However, even in an office environment, you would need to have some common sense to ensure that you completed any work that needed to be done, should you choose to use such sites in the workplace.

This is especially true if you are logged in to any sort of instant messaging service, as messages can pop-up at any time in this situation.

However, if you do decide to use social networking sites, whether in or out of work, it is becoming more important than ever to be careful what you say, especially if you have any information on profile pages indicating where you work.

This is because if you have workplace information on social networking sites, people can sometimes see comments as coming from a representative of a company, rather than you as an individual.

Finally, some companies now have policies on acceptable internet usage, so if you wish to use the internet for recreational purposes, including visiting social networking sites, it would be a wise to double check any such policies in advance, otherwise you could be faced with problems at a later time.

Social Networking in the Workplace - Is It a Distraction?
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Article by John Courtenay

Monday, February 25, 2013

Social Networking, The Pros and Cons of Social Networks

Social Networking has become increasingly popular nowadays as there are a lot of sites that offer this service. MySpace and Friendster are two of the most popular sites that aim to build communities of people who share common interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.

THE PROS

A social networking site is like a virtual meeting place where people can hang out and discuss different topics. Anything under the sun, in fact. Some use these networking sites to promote their blogs, to post bulletins and updates or to use them as a bridge to a future love interest.

Social Networking, The Pros and Cons of Social Networks

These are just a few of the reasons why social networking is getting a lot of attention lately -- it makes life more exciting for many people.

THE CONS

However, it would be best to make sure that safety and security are the topmost concerns of the social networking site that you currently use. This is because social networking sites require or give you the option to provide personal information such as your name, location, and email address. Unfortunately some people can take this as an opportunity for identity theft. They can copy your information and pretend to be "you" when engaging in illegal activities. Bad news! So be cautious with what you enter into an online networking site.

You could fall into the trap of someone who pretends to be somebody else. For example, they might offer you a job or want to meet up with you just to get your money. This can lead to cyberstalking, where the stalker uses electronic media such as the Internet to pursue or harass you.

THE CONCLUSION

So take your time and be careful in choosing who to trust so you can hopefully avoid this sort of unpleasant thing happening to you. Apart from that, social networking is great thing.

Social Networking, The Pros and Cons of Social Networks
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Article by Gary Harvey of http://FindHotMarkets.com the Internet's BIGGEST LIST of ways to find hot niches, best selling products and hot markets.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

PNC Bank Online Banking

PNC Bank Online Banking is the service offered by PNC Bank to its customers and accountholders. Through this service, the bank helps you:
Access your PNC Banking accounts any time of the day, from anywhere in the world. Save on time by performing various banking functions over the net.
Banking Facilities Offered by PNC-Bank Online Banking

The Bank has provided its customers and accountholders several facilities through the Internet Banking service. This free-of-cost online banking service helps account holders:
Stay in touch with their finances by providing them a comprehensive summary of their PNC personal, business and investment accounts. View their monthly statements and print and download the statements for the period of up to 36 months. Access their accounts, check their account balances and review recent transactions for accuracy and authenticity. Transfer funds from one account to another over the net. The transfer of money can be done between two PNC Bank accounts or between a valid PNC-Bank account and a valid account at any other financial institution. Receive their bills online. This reduces probability of customers incurring a fine due to delay in bills. Save time and money by enabling them to pay their bills online. Toremaininformed about every event related to their accounts and bills through e-mail notifications.
Additional Facilities Offered by the PNC-Bank Online Banking Service

Through the Internet Banking service of PNC Bank, accountholders can also:
Change their personal information Order for checkbook Make request for stop payments and copies of deposit slips, cleared checks or account statements Sign in for additional services such as Verified by Visa and PNC FYIs & Deals Locate ATMs or branches of PNC Banks Explore product information, tools, articles and special offers.

PNC Bank Online Banking

However, to use PNC Bank Online Banking, accountholders need to register for the service. They can do so over the net through the bank's website.

PNC Bank Online Banking
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Kitz is and internet marketing professional & is working with Veda Informatics, a content development services & web development services company. Kitz also is a social media geek, having vast social network presence over several social media sites.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

What is Networking and Why is it Important in Business?

When I began my networking journey, I attended any and all networking events as time permitted. Every event was fair game! Today I am much more strategic in my networking endeavors. I discovered which events and organizations gave me the best return on my investment of time as well as how to be an effective, caring networker.

In order to know where to begin you must first understand what networking is and why it is important to grow your business. Networking in its purest form is simply talking to people, making connections and developing rapport to grow our circle of influence. Business networking is essentially the same except that our primary objective in business networking is to help us grow our businesses. For most of us, building a network means meeting people we can do business with or who will do business with us, or refer people who will do business with us, are our ultimate goals.

In fact, some of the best networks are those created by people who own and run their own businesses. When you create valuable networking relationships, you build them on a foundation of mutual trust, sharing knowledge, experiences and resources to help one another grow your businesses by either referring one another or doing business directly with one another.

What is Networking and Why is it Important in Business?

It works like this: If you do a good job, one customer might tell three to five of her colleagues, family and friends about you. Whereas, when you build a network of say 10 to 20 strong advocates, they may each tell only one person about your, however your "exposure" is now more than doubled - With the right network, the ultimate in "word of mouth" marketing takes place. You promote your network, and your network promotes you.

Have you ever attended a BNI or Le Tip or other form of structured networking groups? Perhaps you are already a member of a similar group. If not, you might consider becoming involved in one to the fastest growing business networking concepts around. These groups invite business professionals to join on an exclusive basis. That means, that if you are a chiropractor and become a member of one of these groups, no other chiropractor will be invited or allowed to join.

These groups have regularly scheduled meetings (anywhere from monthly to weekly) with a list of rules and objectives to which you must abide. In some cases, a minimum number of referrals is required to participate. In others, simply doing business with one or more in the network is all that is asked of he members. However, keep in mind that for this type of networking to be worthwhile for all parties, each must make every effort to do business with other members of the group.

If this form of structured networking isn't for you, there are other options for finding potential networking venues and partners. Here are some ideas to help you on your way to networking success.

a. Develop a joiners mentality. By that I mean, don't just sign up to get our name on a roster. REALLY JOIN. Get involved. Participate in discussions, events and BE VISIBLE. The saying "out of sight, is out of mind," holds true when it comes to networking. I have been involved in groups and decided to take a hiatus from attending for 2 to 3 months (and sometimes more) only to have people come up to me and tell me they forgot the name of my business so they had to find someone else either through a friend or through the local phone book. BUMMER!

b. Attend networking functions. These can include Chambers of Commerce meetings, after hours socials, ad hoc committees and special events task forces.

c. Get involved in a community service group such as Kiwanis, Lions, Jaycees, etc.

d. Volunteer with a non-profit organization, whose mission you are passionate about and believe in. People who have similar passions will want to do business with you.

e. Host events - I started an event called Goddess Gatherings more than 2 years ago in my home. It is an intimate gathering of women (8 max.) who share a common interest and/or wish to expand their own circles. I invite women who do not yet know one another although they may be familiar with their names. These women are women in my circle of influence either directly or indirectly (they are either members of the 22 groups I belong to and attend regularly or they are part of a circle within these groups). I might invite a "surprise" guest who can entertain the women - such as a masseuse or tarot card reader- or feature a business such as a jeweler or make-up artist. This helps make for a memorable evening and the women either start their own Gathering or look forward to being invited to another gathering hosted by either myself of one of the women in attendance.

f. Look for ways to cross-promote with businesses that complement yours. For instance, a spa might join with a health food store or restaurant and promote their products and services for staying healthy. A salon might join a florist to promote weddings or proms and a realtor might join with a mortgage broker to promote a "one-stop" experience for home buyers.

g. Interview others. A great way for me to network is to interview women for projects I am working on. Since most people are flattered when you ask their opinion about something or experiences in life, this has been a great means of increasing my own circle for various reasons. I might interview a woman (or even a man) about an article or book I am writing, or a seminar I am developing. People love to share their stories. I tape the interview (with their permission, of course) and give them a copy afterwards. It helps to have a list of questions ready prior to the interview, however, unless they insist, I don't give them the questions ahead of time. I have done these interviews via phone, email as well as in person. Many of the women have since.

h. Join an online business or social networking community such as MeetUp, Ryze, Max-in-Common, Linkd In, Open BC, to name a few,. These groups have subgroups made up of people with a specific focus and similar interests. Or you can join a non-specific group to gain more knowledge, exposure and contacts.

Make a point of attending one new networking event a month just to "check it out." Make a list of the people you know, the organizations you have heard and read about and the companies who currently do business with you. These are all great resources to tap into to find new venues to network. Get the local newspaper and look at the organizations and businesses hosting events to which the public is invited. Attend them.

The best networking begins with planning and taking action. Being strategic in your planning is important to your ultimate success as an effective, caring networker.

If you are interested in sharing your networking success stories, drop me a note to heidi@speakingwithspirit.com. It would be an honor to interview you. Who knows, your story could be the subject of one of my articles, or you could even write your own.. Looking forward to hearing from you. Here's to your success in building your network.

What is Networking and Why is it Important in Business?
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©Heidi Richards is the author of The PMS Principles, Powerful Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business and 7 other books. She is also the Founder & CEO of the Women's ECommerce Association, International http://www.WECAI.org (pronounced wee-kÄ«) - an Internet organization that "Helps Women Do Business on the WEB." Basic Membership is FREE. Ms. Richards can be reached at Heidi@speakingwithspirit.com or heidi@wecai.org.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Direct Sales - Network Marketing Meeting Planning Template

Do you struggle when planning your monthly team meetings? Are your sales organization training meetings poorly attended? Is meeting time stressful?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then this direct sales/network marketing direct sales meeting planning template will change your life. There is a simple formula for putting together interesting, fun, keep-'em-coming-back team trainings.

Network Marketing-Direct Sales-Party Plan trainings

Direct Sales - Network Marketing Meeting Planning Template

It does not matter whether you are a party plan, network marketing, or direct sales company, this template for planning meetings will work for you. Most companies have three services which vary from company to company. In any of those business models they are:

Bookings, prospecting, finding business Sharing the opportunity, recruiting Showings or presentations and/or product knowledge After you figure out what your three main meeting topics are, then you can apply them to this three-part template. For the purpose of this article we will talk about a home party plan company. If you are a network marketing company or a direct sales company that does not rely on the party plan for leads do not judge yourself out. This still applies to you. Just divide the meeting up into your appropriate skills as they relate to your business.

Every training meeting has the same 5 parts. In our example, the meeting will be divided into its 5 segments.
Networking time Part 1 Presentations: discuss presentation skills, sales skills, product knowledge Part 2 Opportunity: work on recruiting skills, interview questions, recognizing red flags, etc. Part 3 Bookings: dedicated discussion of finding business, leads or bookings and becoming better at it. Wrap-up
Plan Your Training Meeting
Plug one of your three meeting parts into the template each month. Then further define your training meeting by selecting one of the following presenters to apply to each segment.
An outside speaker A newbie A seasoned rep A consultant who is not that good but did something well Another leader in your organization You A video Home office representative
Now pick a format for each section of the training:
roundtable divide into groups lecture networking game theme combination of two of the aboveBy applying different presenter, different formats, and different material on the same topics that focus on the key skills necessary to be successful in your direct selling business, you will train everyone on what they need and not alienate the seasoned reps with boredom.

The beginning of the training is always networking. The end is a thank you and wrap-up and more networking. Delegate parts of these sections out at each training for the next training meeting. Utilize the skills of your organization to assist with the training meetings. If you have a very social person, then they should be the greeter. If there is an awesome recruiter, then that person may be the one in charge of taking the visitors and new consultants under her or his wing so that they do not feel left out. A sign up sheet for duties is always helpful. Have a routine of passing it around for sign up for the next training. Examples of what should be on it are: clean up, set up, paper products, snacks, beverages, carry stuff to car, and the like.

The networking portion at the beginning is very important. Incorporate networking games or activities into the arrival time so that everyone is forced to chat. Do not have chairs set out during set up. Force the mingling. (Everyone can grab a chair when it is time to sit down.)

Direct Sales Team Meeting Games

There are many networking games that are fun and encourage developing relationships. On colorful note cards jot down something about each person that you know that everyone else may not. As the consultants arrive, they pick a card and try to find their match. The cards may say things like:

Going to nursing school Husband installs carpet Has triplets Etc. "Another direct sales training game that is good for networking is what I call the peanut butter and jelly game. On colorful note cards write matching or complimentary items and people have to find the compliment that goes with their card. For example:

Peanut butter and Jelly Turkey and Stuffing Ham and Eggs
Keep The Comng To Meetings

These types of games are fun and will help people develop friendships. When you have friends at the training meeting, you keep coming back.

Six Sales Meeting Tips
Do not be the presenter every time and do not "add on" when the other presenters are done. The networking segment is very important. Put time into making it different each training meeting. Use themes to generate interest. Keep them guessing by using the different formats and presenters. Delegate and be specific. Tell your presenter exactly what point you want covered, but not what format or how to say it. Chat with the presenters before the training meeting about their topic and what they are going to do.

Direct Sales - Network Marketing Meeting Planning Template
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When you make meeting planning easy with this template and incorporate some fun theme for meetings you will have better meeting attendance and higher over all team sales. Visit: http://www.CreateACashFlowShow.com for more meeting tips.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Social Stratification In United States

Social stratification:

When we speak of social stratification we mean inequality between various groups of people. Inequality exists in all sorts of societies and cultures. Societies are consisted of layers that are hierarchical.

The four basic stratification systems are:

Social Stratification In United States

1) slavery

2) caste

3) estate

4) class.

Stratification systems of slavery, caste and estate have been demolished in modern societies except some tribal societies.

The social class system is mainly a description of how scarce resources (wealth, income, education and occupation) are distributed in society. In other words Class could be explained as an indication of the positions a person may occupy within society, positions which are not equal.Thus, in order to analysis social classes in a society, it is necessary to explain that how these resources are distributed and make social classes.

In spite of the fact that some scholars argue that in developed countries, inequality has reduced rather than previous societies but, social stratification, inequality and class conflict have increasing rate today. In the United States Inequality between rich and poor has increased to the extent that the gap among them is larger than any point in the past 75 years. United States has the largest wealth disparity of any industrialized nation in the world and this disparity is growing larger every year.

In the United States, income is obviously one important scarce resource. Clearly, it is occupation that provides income, and it is education that determines the sort of occupation. At the more extent level, income is related to life consequences, such as the quality and quantity of education, health care, and housing one obtains, and even the how long one lives. So, there is interrelationship between accesses to each of these sources.

in the United States individual income depends on educational characteristics; in 2005 most people with doctorate and professional degrees were in top 15% of income earners. Those with Bachelor degrees had incomes considerably above the national median and people with college degree had less income.

The noticeable point is that, while the population of the United States is becoming increasingly educated on all levels, the conspicuous link between income and educational attainment remains.
Another point is that tertiary education is rarely free; education in elite private colleges for a four year program costs 0,000 approximately. While public colleges and universities costs much less but they are not free. Scholarships and low interest loans by government and universities are available too, but still the cost of education is high for many people.

Overall, educational attainment serves as one of the most essential class feature of most Americans, which is directly linked to income and occupation.

On one hand occupational status is consequence of educational attainment, personal or family income and on the other hand it defines access to other resources including income and health.
Low-wage jobs are associated with those people who have less education. Workers in these areas are unskilled because it does not require education in order to perform these jobs. But, White collar jobs require more human capital, skill and knowledge and therefore produce higher earnings. With higher education it is more likely for one to occupy a professional-level job wherein he or she may earn a higher salary. Therefore, those with less education are more likely to be working in Low-wage jobs.

Each particular job influences on lifestyle; income and prestige that gained from a job determine living environment, the kind of foods, medical care, sort of social networks, entertainment, spare times, and behavior.

It is education that makes upper-middle, middle and lower-middle scores on occupational spectrum; unskilled employees, employees with less than seven years of schooling, high school graduated ones, college graduate, licentiate, MS holders, professionals and experts with Doctorate degree located on different scores of occupational spectrum. So while all functions and positions in society do not determine with occupation, the job role is one of the most important status features in the United States.

Another feature that determines individuals' position in the society is wealth. Wealth is what people own in assets such as houses, cars, stocks, shares, saved money, and lands.

While United States is the second rich county in the world, the distribution of wealth is too unfair. The top 1% of all population owned 38% of the wealth, 10% of population had 71% of wealth and on the other hand the bottom 40% owned less than 1% of the nation's wealth.

Totally, the distribution of wealth is much more unequal than the distribution of income (what people receive in the course of a year by working).

According to these basic elements (income, wealth, occupation and education) which determine the social class of individuals and households, Americans believe in three- class model that includes the rich, the middle class and the poor, while, in reality American society is more diverse, economically and sociologically. It means that there is no clear class distinction between socio-economic strata.

Social mobility:

The most important concept in a class system of stratification is social mobility. In class system, social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement; personal merit becomes more important. In fact, Industrial societies move towards meritocracy and in this kind of societies status consistency is lower than in other sorts of societies. Since societies became more competitive and more meritocratic some elements such as energy, social skills, character, ambition, physical attractiveness, talent, and luck played great role in social mobility and changing social position.

Now the question is that "How much mobility Americans have experienced during their life?"
Social mobility refers to changes in social position which occur during a person's lifetime. There are two ways to study social mobility; Intragenerational Mobility and Intergenerational mobility.
By the first concept, we mean upward and downward movement in social ladder and by second one we refer to upward and downward movement in social hierarchy compared with the previous generation.

In order to explaining occupational mobility, mostly, scholars focus on father-child or household head-child occupational persistence (Intergenerational mobility).

If we distinguished six general occupational categories including upper professional or manager, lower professional or clerical, self-employed, technical or skilled trade, farm, unskilled and service workers, in united states, among men whom born after 1950, 32 percent of men were immobile (their occupation was in the same category as their father's), 37 percent were upwardly mobile, and 32 percent were downwardly mobile. About women, data show that 27 percent were immobile, 46 percent were upwardly mobile, and 28 percent were downwardly mobile. Then, in occupation upward mobility was more common than downward mobility and Comparisons with other industrialized countries occupational mobility in the United States is reasonably high.

According to studies, intergenerational elasticity (IGE) in income between fathers and sons was estimated 0.4 or higher. Totally, actual association between parents' and children's incomes is high.

Wealth mobility is totally different from occupational and income mobility; at first, wealth is important because its distribution is more unequal than the distribution of income and on the other hand it effects on other aspects of family well-being, especially homeownership and investment in children's education. Also, there is substantial intergenerational persistence in family wealth and the correlation is in the neighborhood of 0.50. The disparity in wealth persists between the generations. Thus, people who have no wealth loose opportunities. As an example, inherited wealth can put families in better neighborhoods and school districts than they could afford if they had to rely just on their incomes.

Social class in the United States is affected by individual achievement, as I said, Occupation, educational attainment and income can be earned and increased through a lifetime, but still it is undeniable that the rich have more money, more education, better occupation, better health, and consume more.

As a conclusion we should say that without the concept of social stratification, it is impossible to understand people's behavior, because social class determines all aspects of our life...., our happiness, our religious beliefs, our customs, our interests and hobbies our health and even how long we will live and totally our life style.

Social Stratification In United States
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http://www.futureofchildren.org
http://www.wikipedia.org

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Self-Empowerment Strategies to Overcome Social Isolation

Social isolation and disengagement are becoming epidemic in our society and there seems to be little hope of this trend abating in the near future. The reasons for this are mixed and somewhat complex, however, the outcome is clearer: people who are isolated are not fully enjoying the fruits of living in this "land of plenty" and are denied one of the most fundamental needs for survival - the opportunity to have fellowship and belonging with others. Some writers differentiate between being isolated and choosing disengagement, the former being a result of forces beyond one's control and the latter a choice.

Whatever the distinctions between the sources of isolation, it is just as potent, and as potentially catastrophic, to those in both groups. As a domain of personal power, social isolation and disengagement have serious implications. The realm of collective or social identity is a cornerstone of empowerment and isolation from the social or collective aspect can unravel the whole network of supports required to achieve or maintain personal power. You have likely experienced isolation at various times in your own life. The experience is routinely reported as being unpleasant and alienating. Those forcibly separated or stranded from human contact are often on a fast track to mental and emotional collapse. Those who live among us, and are still socially isolated, fare little better and likely feel even lonelier than those forced into separation from the mainstream.

If you suffer from isolation, whatever the cause, it is important to become fully aware of what it is doing to you and take steps to remedy this condition. According to a recent review of a study by Brummet, Dr James House of University of Michigan affirms that social isolation is hazardous to health and often deadly. The article provides another confirmation, recognized in research over the previous 20 25 years, of the deleterious effects on health of social isolation. Social isolation has been shown to contribute to higher mortality, especially among medically vulnerable groups of individuals. As some attribute one of the chief sources of anxiety to isolation, it is notable that anxiety is linked to physical health problems such as asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, and coronary heart disease.

Self-Empowerment Strategies to Overcome Social Isolation

As anxiety levels increase, the quality of life potentially decreases, particularly for untreated anxiety. Some compare the risk associated with social isolation to those of cigarette smoking and other major biomedical and psychosocial risk factors. Isolated individuals report fewer interactions with others, fewer sources of psychological/emotional and instrumental support, and lower levels of religious activity; however, once the deficiency was removed, adding additional relationships to a social network did not produce substantial or significant increases in health and well-being. This suggests that those most profoundly affected by isolation gain the most with the least intervention. Whether a person has regular interaction with family members, friends or other groups seems less important than that the person has one or more of these social ties.

In other studies, social disconnectedness has been found to be a contributing cause for the increase of anxiety levels among the general population. With increased divorce rates and more people living alone; some suggest that interpersonal trust has become a large problem in this country. Some writers, across disciplines, suggest that the idea of individualism in American culture may be contributing to these changes: "Our greater autonomy may lead to increased challenges and excitement, but it also leads to greater isolation from others, more threats to our bodies and minds, and thus higher levels of free-floating anxiety" according to Twenge. The fact that traditional social institutions and networks don't supply the same levels of social support as in earlier generations is certainly a consideration.

Fewer people turn to church or other networks to meet their social or material needs. Some studies suggest that for many families, the only social institution retaining any importance is the workplace, with employees turning to this network to meet most or all of their social and material needs. While family and community are not exactly disintegrating as some suggest, they are changing in radical new ways. There is a strong relationship between the experience of emotional neglect in childhood and feelings of social isolation or loneliness in adulthood. This may change as individuals adapt to unconventional lifestyles and childhood "neglect" becomes the norm, but not anytime soon.

Many commentators believe that a feeling of belongingness and closeness in communities would likely impact the incidence of isolation; however, the community is not a reliable agent to reach out to the disconnected and disenfranchised. As community empowerment is still just a catch-phrase in most areas, self-empowerment strategies are the only reliable means for each individual to attain some level of connectedness and combat their own isolation.

Self-Empowerment Strategies

Self empowerment means taking your power, so you will have to act powerfully, that is, you will have to start by pushing against your own self-imposed limitations, however, this gets easier the further you progress. Getting started is always the hardest part! Start slow, and you will be amazed at your own accomplishments in no time - just be sure to start. Here is a list of suggestions, somewhat in their order of increasing intensity and exposure to social stressors.

1) You can start on the computer - what a great instrument for connecting people. If you're reading this, you are already starting, you obviously have the skills. Google an online group or community that would have some compelling interest for you. If you're into movies, look for a chat room or forum concerning movies and start getting involved. You can start by saying you haven't been able to get out for a while and you'd appreciate any tips on what's hot at the cinema and let it go from there. You get the idea. One or several of these contacts could turn into a real-life encounter. Maybe the local chapter goes to a movie together once a month, or has a party - here's your chance to venture out a little.

2) Take the idea of common interest a step further. Most communities are full of opportunities to get together, face-to-face, with like-minded souls. It's much easier if you have things in common. Whatever your passion is, make finding an appropriate group that shares it your priority. A casual meeting is probably the best place to start. That will likely develop into other opportunities and friendships, but start not too far out of your comfort zone. Whether it's rock climbing, amateur dramatics, ceramics or speaking Spanish, you'll find courses and clubs in your area (see your local paper or adult education centre for more details). What's more, you'll automatically have a common interest with the people you meet. This is new territory, take it somewhat slow - but take it! volunteering is a good option for a lot of folks as it not only gives structure to your people encounters, it takes the focus off of you and puts it on whoever the recipients of your volunteer efforts may be.

3) Consider a support group or self-help group. If the previous steps are too overwhelming, then you certainly qualify. There are a number of self-help groups that would be appropriate for the symptoms and issues associated with social isolation. Emotions Anonymous, or any other appropriate 12 step program can be a powerful resource to help you transition from isolation to active social involvement. If even this seems to daunting, a paid group therapeutic experience may be the answer. This is a totally safe and protected group activity that would help you gain enough strength to then transition to a self-help group model and from there - the sky's the limit.

4) Establish your "social identity". This is about deriving strength and power from the meaningful groups of which you're a part. Involvement in groups, relationships, partnerships that give depth and meaning to your life are critical. You will have to do some in-depth self examination here to find out where you fit. Throw your fears to the wind and imagine, if you could be involved with any group, organizations or set of individuals in the entire world - who would they be? Then go about making it a reality. Maybe you really want to be part of an academic community - OK - it's yours for the taking. Break the process up into small, manageable pieces. We call that partialization in the mental health business.

5) If you already have a social life of sorts, but simply don't choose to be active with it for whatever reason, you can try altering your usual routines such as meeting friends straight from work/college rather than going home first; try some different activities like museums and galleries, or coffee shops. You can schedule attending events or courses in advance, activities you can't back out of at the last minute. If you really can't make it out, invite friends over or have a conference call with them. You can have an impromptu gathering by asking guests to bring something to contribute like music, food, drink and films.

6) You may be one of the unfortunates who suffer from a true social anxiety disorder or social phobia. If you suspect this is the case, get evaluated and if necessary, get medical intervention. Medication may be appropriate for some who just can't make the changes otherwise. Even a short-term regimen could be beneficial. Some studies suggest reduced dopamine levels contribute to social isolation and the some of the newer antidepressants can address this rather effectively.

7) Feed your spirit - whatever that means to you. For many of us, developing that inner strength, or connecting to a bigger energy source, gives us the motivation and desire to move forward. Some simple spiritual ideas: "I'm not in this alone"; "only unrealistic fears hold me back" and "the universe wants me to be fulfilled". These are simple affirmations that can hold great power and help us get into action. Write your own if these don't work. The point is that it is our old negative ideas that are the real obstacle in most cases. Seed your conscious with new positive ideas and watch yourself take off. These will also speak to your lack of confidence and esteem which play havoc with a social identity and social life. Start to emphasize your positive qualities and learn to appreciate what others admire in you; work those into your affirmations.

8) If you have the stomach for it, you can also utilize your online skills to find a date or companion. It is a rather anonymous way to break the ice and begin to build some rapport, resulting in, hopefully, a face-to-face. Traditional dating agencies are also still on the scene and can make the experience a little safer as well. The way to think of these experiences is a practice run for what will eventually be "the real thing". We often over exaggerate the significance of a date or encounter with another as something that we have to make work. Try to just have the experience, however it goes, and learn from it. There is no timetable to find your mate and settle in. However, you do need to spend time with others and this is a perfectly acceptable way to do that.

Good luck, add to this list as you move forward. In time, the activities involved in breaking your social isolation won't be something you're working on but something you're looking forward to.

Self-Empowerment Strategies to Overcome Social Isolation
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Douglas Frans, Ph.D. Has been a mental health practitioner, educator, lecturer and researcher over a 30 year professional career. His primary clinical work has focused on personal empowerment [http://www.powerleveraging.com/] and compulsive disorders including: addiction and eating disorders. He has worked in private practice settings and also directed mental health, addiction and eating disorder recovery programs. He has practiced primarily from a competency-based perspective. Dr. Frans consults and writes about water quality [http://www.waterqualityreports.net/] issues and water filtration as well.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Facebook Dating Secrets - How to Meet Women on Facebook

I am no dating expert or guru, I am just an average every day guy living a regular existence who has been able to transform his dating life and have a lot of success meeting women. Over the past couple of years I have seen MySpace transform my own and many other people's social lives. Now Facebook has produced an exceptionally great opportunity for any average guy to meet amazing women that they would have never had the chance to meet previously.

First I am going to tell you why Facebook presents this exceptional opportunity for you and then I am going to tell you the how. It is important you do not skip this section because in this case understanding the why may be just as if not more important than the how. Given that over 60% of Facebook users are women let me try and determine why this is the case and why it is critical for your to understand.

Why do women love social networking sites? Back in the old days when we used to live in tribes of around 100 people men used to be depended on for the survival of their family. Women and their children depended on their man to provide for and protect for them, without a man a woman and her family would usually die. There were no social services in those days. Men developed a strongly independence as they had to depend on themselves for their own survival and the survival of their offspring.

Facebook Dating Secrets - How to Meet Women on Facebook

Men who were abundant in the wealth could provide for their family and were seen as attractive as they're men who had great strength and fitness who could protect their family. Men who had leadership and dominance were seen as attractive as they had the power to lead others and provide and protect their families thus men who also possessed these skills also found it easy to attract a female partner.

Women on the other hand had another set of qualities which they developed in order to increase the likelihood of their survival and that of their family. This can be best described as having great communication skills. Women depended on keeping a great relationship with their man for their own survival as losing them would mean certain death. They also had to master the art of communication with their children and families. Over thousands of years this characteristics have been hard wired into our brains so that men and women will excel at certain skills.

Today women can provide for themselves, they can easily get a job and by their own food and resources, they are not dependent on men for survival. Today women's greatest skill is the one they most need to learn if they want to survive in the modern world. Learning how to communicate effectively is the key for men thriving and surviving in the modern world. There is no point in owning a billion dollar technology company or being the biggest, stronger guy in the gym if you can effectively communicate with a woman so that she stays around. Women do not have to wait around for men these days so communication is critical to attracting and keeping women.

Today people still live in tribes except they go under a different name, they are called called social networks today. Networks are a powerful influence over our every day life, the biggest more powerful networks can control an entire city, country or even an entire region. Advertising and media companies which now consist of a majority of female employees communicate with us on a daily basis whether we want them to or not. Communication is key to surviving and thriving in the modern era.

In a nutshell what I teach men is the communication and attraction skills they need to know to build their social network and attract more of the type of women they want to meet. The great news is it can be done very quickly even in a matter of days sometimes as your success building a strong network will often snowball into building up even more. Traditionally only the guys who women were naturally attracted to at a young age or were surrounded by women in high school developed the best communication skills and the biggest social networks.

The reason why I endorse developing skills at meeting women using social networking skills is that it is actually a whole lot easier. People who are in your social circle typically assume you are somewhat alike as like minded people usually spend their time together. If you go to a party filled with millionaires and beautiful women they are going to assume that you are a millionaire who attracts beautiful women even if you are flat broke. If you go to a party full of poor arts students then they are going to assume you are a poor arts student even if you are a millionaire. This works to your advantage because there is already some assumed rapport there because you are in the same social circle. All you need to do now is get attraction so lets talk about how to do that on Facebook.

Introducing the SCAN method

Search is the first step in your quest to meeting an attractive woman in your social circle. Now lets assume you have 100 friends on Facebook who all know around 20 that you don't know and that those people know another 20 people that you don't know. Applying the principle of the Six Degrees of Separation I am going to assume your social network goes five to six chains wide before you lose the connection. If you do the maths you will soon realize you have more people than you think in your extended network. I find it best not to approach new women in my immediate social circle if I don't know they are single because I do not want to upset my social circle.

So for example if I click on my friend John's profile click view friends then find Sophie who is rather attract, then click view her friends this is the degree of separation I am looking for. Close enough to be in touch and still have commonality yet not close enough to upset any of males in my friend circle who might be courting the attractive woman. This is important because you do not want men and women in your social circle working against you, you want them working on your side talking you up and helping you out.

Connect is the next step after you have found a few women who are a friend of a friend then you want to contact them via the send message feature. Warning do not poke or add as a friend until after you have connected with them. There is a big difference between contacting a woman online and actually connecting with her. Does she respond to your message? When then you have made a connection.

I have noticed ever since I started spying on other guys that my "competition" typically do two things wrong. They only write one or two lines and make it generic and the woman does not respond because the guy is a stranger and doesn't offer anything interesting about himself. Some guys make the mistake off writing way to much which telegraphs too much interest and turns the woman off. Each way can be like a cancer to your success meeting women online.

Here is a tip, write 8-12 lines or 2-3 paragraphs maximum, then I recommend you try and shorten it to 5-8 lines by cutting out the fluff and making your words more powerful and more meaningful. You want to make sure you include a call to action in every email you send out to a woman which leads to you both taking the first step. Make sure you only take it one step at a time so as not to telegraph too much interest or put too much pressure on the woman up front. The first call to action might simply be to mail you back, the second might be to ask for her IM or phone number, the third might be to talk to her on the phone and the fourth to meet up with her etc.

Attract is the next thing you need to ensure you are doing. Use emotional language in your writing too appeal to a woman, get her excited to respond to her. Make sure you have a great headline to make sure she responds to your email. It's not that hard because most guys headlines are so bad, try using there name in the headline it will increase your response dramatically. I have already talked about a few of the male fitness indicators in this article so now I want to think about how you can apply them to your profile.

Negotiate is the next step, you need to negotiate talking on the phone and going on a date or to a party together. You are the one who is responsible for this part of the proceedings, you are the man you need to take the lead. Make sure you already have decided where you want to take her before you talk to her on the phone, make it casual and relaxed so it appeals to her. She is single and looking to meet someone but she does not want a guy who is all over her. You have got her interest and built some attraction so now you have to add some logic to give her a rationalization for meeting with you or getting physical with you. I am not saying you need to sell her on the idea, I am just saying you need to state the next step so it makes sense in line with what she is already thinking. Trying saying something like "hey you seem like a pretty interesting person, lets meet at this party/coffee shop I am going to be at on friday night and see if we get along."

Facebook presents a great opportunity to meet a ton of women with no fear of rejection if you follow these simple steps. With just under a million more women on Facebook than men in the United States alone and similar figures world wide this is truly a great opportunity for you to take advantage of.

Facebook Dating Secrets - How to Meet Women on Facebook
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William Walker is an expert at dating and networking using social networks. For more tips, techniques, internet dating advice and step by step instructions on how to meet women on Facebook go here: Internet Dating Advice for the latest on how to attract and date women online including Facebook dating

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Business Networking Meetings - How to Approach People and Five Of The Best Conversation Starters

If you are just getting started in your new business venture, or if you have owned your business for a while and want to expand your reach locally, you want to read every word of this article. It will explain how to maximize your time invested in attending live business networking meetings. When you finish reading this article, and even if you are a person who is shy by nature, you will be able to confidently start conversations and establish the business contacts and referral partners you have come for.

I will start by explaining what business networking meetings are, what they are not, then I will explain the basic fact about business only happening when people interact, and, finally, I will give you five easy conversation starters so you will be able to accomplish more in an hour than you ever thought possible.

What Are Business Networking Meetings

Business Networking Meetings - How to Approach People and Five Of The Best Conversation Starters

Business networking meetings are gathering of local business people who want to establish contacts in the community, and promote their own and other people's businesses. Usually the business networking meetings have at least two parts, an invited talk, and a social. If the social happens before the talk, it is best for you come to the meeting early. That way you can start your conversations sooner and get more accomplished.

Business Only Happens When People Interact

Many of us were told from young not to talk to strangers, that it is unsafe and risky to do so. As business owners we must overcome this fear. We must do it cautiously though. It is all well and good to start a conversation with a stranger in a business networking meeting. It is a safe environment. We should be careful however not to go to the other extreme either. We do not want to be overwhelmed by a person who has taken a liking of us and wants to chat about themselves for the entire allotted time. We must know how to leave a conversation like that quickly as well. I will write about this in another article. For now, let us focus on us being brand new to the meeting and getting the conversations started with the intent to get down to business, and establish useful connections that will be our source of referrals in the near future. Here are the five best conversation starters:

Five Conversation Starters

In this day and age, there is no time for obligatory politeness. You can skip introducing yourself also; you brought your business cards for that. The best way to start a conversation in a business networking meeting is to go directly to the point. Smile and ask: "So, What is Your Business?"

Then transition to asking about what their ideal customer is like. Finally, conclude the conversation by telling about your business, what the ideal customer is for you, and tell them that you came to the meeting to initiate the referrals. With that, exchange the business cards and move on. If for any reason, you are still having difficulties starting the conversation with the direct approach above, here are five additional questions you may want to ask to move the conversation along:

What separates your firm from the competition? What will be the coming trends in your business? Tell me about your most important work experience. How has the internet/Twitter/Facebook impacted your business? What do you enjoy most about your profession?

Here you have it. The best way to start a business networking meeting conversations, and five helper conversation starters. Now that you know how to approach your fellow entrepreneurs, and you know what to do and what not to do, you can go out and test this approach in the next business networking event. Keep in touch with the contacts you gather and your new referral partners will be fun for you and mutually beneficial.

Business Networking Meetings - How to Approach People and Five Of The Best Conversation Starters
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Shannen Lee has been a freelance writer for the last 3 years. Check out her latest writing here on the bronze shower head website, where you can read her review of the best Hansgrohe shower heads.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

What Are the Effects of Social Networking Websites?

"Words can't describe me", is how Adnan Patrawala, 16 yr old teenager from Mumbai, India had described himself on his Orkut profile. However, his kidnappers and murderers got to know a little more of him and ensnared him into a trap which ultimately led to the death of the young boy. This is perhaps an extreme example of the social impact of these social networking sites such as Orkut, Facebook, MySpace and Friendster on today's youth. But there is no denying its presence or its effects in our lives and minds today.

Often these days when we make new friends we do not ask, "What's your number?" Or "What's your email id?" Instead we ask, "What's your MySpace"? or "Are you on Orkut?" Such is the impact of these sites on our lives .The way we speak, the way we interact and the way we think is changing. Words such as scrapping, blogging, teasers---which a few years back wouldn't have made any sense to anybody; but today it's being used with so much spontaneity.

As a matter of fact, Google even has links to sites, which gives the world's most popular acronyms. It is amusing but that is the way it is.

What Are the Effects of Social Networking Websites?

However, these sites fulfill a very basic criterion of humans. It is that of communication. People living in extreme corners of the world are seen to be getting married, friends from far-off places are able to keep in touch with each other and lovers from two parts of the world stay connected with each other's emotional needs. These help us make new friends, stay in touch with the old ones and let us know more about the persons we care... their likes, dislikes, interests and emotions.

There is an element of addictiveness in these sites and the youth are indeed getting endeared more and more into this addiction. The most appealing thing among these sites is that they provide a platform for the individuals to express their views, gives them the freedom of choice and expression... from anti-war campaigns to global warming issues, from Harry potter fan clubs to Osama bin Laden hate clubs... there is everything for everyone to share and speak about.

What else could be more appealing than the thought of being heard not just by your group of friends but to the whole wide world. And that is where I feel these sites are here to stay. It just emphasizes the fact that man is a social being and shall always remain so.

What Are the Effects of Social Networking Websites?
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