This blog was first started in late-2004 (my first foray into blogging) and was at its peak during the whole of 2005. Since then it’s been a shell of itself :-)
Well the almost 4 year journey - and boy has it been a ride - is about to come full circle, as HomeOfficeVoice is back on my agenda.
So I thought it appropriate for this ….
More details coming soon on the direction HomeOfficeVoice will take.
Cheers,
Martin Neumann
Darren Rowse over at ProBlogger.net has a couple of beauty articles on mind-mapping.
Now anybody that knows me would fully well know that I’m a massive proponent of mind-mapping - I use it instances in that you would not believe. ;-)
Now seeing the picture I’ve used above you might be thinking to yourself - woah there, my heads hurts. But there’s method to the madness. The guy who basically invented mind mapping, Tony Buzan, has a few book out, so I suggest you check out Amazon. And there are even a good range of mind mapping software out there (but for my mind, nothing beats a good old fashioned pen and paper).
Back to ProBlogger, check out the initial post - Starting a New Blog? Start With a Mind Map - and follow through onto - Discover Hundreds of Post Ideas for Your Blog with Mind Mapping.
I guarantee you’ll have ideas spewing forth in no time. :-)
In this post I’m going off the topic, slightly (but deep down there’s a lot more to think about in regards to my engagement with the lifestyle entrepreneur ethos).
Yesterday, very sadly, a well-known Australian businessman, John IIhan, died suddenly of a heart attack.
He was only 42.
He founded from the ground up Crazy John’s, which he grew into a giant mobile phone reseller across Australia. He amassed 120 retail outlets and had 600 staff. He was worth $310 million and was high up in Australia’s rich list.
At the age of 25 and with only $1000 of his own money he set up the fledgling phone retailer - the story of his first few phone sales are amazing stuff, giving heart to every bootstrappers’ dreams.
They say he was a workaholic.
He had 4 young kids, seemed to be in good health. His life seemed ideal.
Now he’s dead.
Now leaving aside the sad demise of this great Australian, I’d like to venture into a topic that has been on my mind for quite a while now.
Life is short. Why the mad rush to make money? Why the crazed hours people spend, pushing themselves beyond the limits to achieve, achieve, achieve?
They have a group called “slow food” and for good reason (google it) … maybe it’s time for one called “slow business”.
Over recent years, the Eastern ways of Feng Shui have struck a chord with many in the West who struggle day-in, day-out in their home offices and finding a balance.
Wikipedia explains Feng Shui …
Today’s Feng Shui schools teach that it is the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. Feng shui literally translates as “wind-water.”
There are many skeptics when it comes to Feng Shui - and at times I sway to that side.
But … I’m a great believer in many things Eastern. I tend towards Zen Buddhism, and I’m an alternative medicine kind of guy. So I’m giving Feng Shui every chance possible.
So along comes this beauty of a post titled - 50 Practical Home Office Feng Shui Tips
Personally, I don’t believe one should religiously follow every tips as stated - one should be able to pick and chose what feels right for them … what gives them the harmony to carry on in their home offices. It might not be “pure” Feng Shui by picking and choosing but whatever makes your days more balanced and you more happier is what it’s all about.
Thus, I’m picking apart this list and giving you what I think best suits me, remembering that everyone is different.
#3. Move the TV to another room - pretty obvious that one. If you’re serious about your business than Feng Shui or no Feng Shui having a television on in your office in totally unproductive.
#8. Don’t overcrowd the room - Definitely sense this one. I’ve worked in probably one of the messiest home offices in my time and it simply sapped my energy every time I entered the room. Today, I’m very much of the minimalist mindset.
#11. Windows - In my experience - and those of many others - natural light is almost a must in any work from home situation. Being couped up and isolated is not good for your health. Direct sunlight has been proven to give you a lift. If possible, get as much natural sunlight into your office. I can guarantee you it’ll do you wonders.
#42. Organize your desk - I can read a persons mindset by the way their desk is organized. It’s a natural instinct I’ve developed over the years and putting all modesty aside I’m usually 100% right. A cluttered desk equals a cluttered mind. And that’s not good for business.
#50. Make to-do lists to keep your mind clutter-free - this one’s pretty obvious and one that I’ve been working on over recent times. I personally like to do a daily and weekly brain dump - where I simply write down all my thoughts and ideas and things to do. Once written down, my mind can rest at ease at not having to remember it all. It’s all there written down on paper, ready to acted upon.
So there you go. I’m not a total Feng Shui enthusiast (yet) but I like the principles behind it.
Go and read the 50 Practical Home Office Feng Shui Tips and see how you can use it for yourself.
Instant Messanging (IM) is a vital tool for any home-based business owner. It allows you to chat live with anybody from anywhere around the world.
For businesses conducting themselves online, it’s been a boon in getting things done fast. Getting in touch with potential customers, advertisers and other business associates is just a button away.
Sadly, because of all the spam that email gets, IM is quickly overtaking email as a communication tool. For many (and I’m getting to that stage), email is getting very old hat, indeed. Some of the younger generation call it “snail mail”.
I’ve long used Windows Messenger for all my IM needs. But there’s been one problem. Not everyone uses Windows Messenger because their are some great IM clients out there to choose from.
Looking at some of my contacts I have 28 who are on the Windows platform, 21 on Yahoo! Messenger, 9 on ICQ and 5 on AIM.
And that’s when I come across Trillian.
Trillian™ is a fully featured, stand-alone, skinnable chat client that supports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, and IRC. It provides capabilities not possible with original network clients, while supporting standard features such as audio chat, file transfers, group chats, chat rooms, buddy icons, multiple simultaneous connections to the same network, server-side contact importing, typing notification, direct connection (AIM), proxy support, encrypted messaging (AIM/ICQ), SMS support, and privacy settings.
Trillian comes in two flavours - the free Basic 3 version and a Pro 3 version ($25). I’ve been trialling the free version for a few weeks now and am extremely happy with it.
It’s not as cluttered as other IM clients and it brings all my contacts into the one app. As Wikipedia explains…
Trillian connects to multiple instant messaging services without the need of running multiple clients. Users can create multiple connections to the same service, and can also group connections under separate identities to prevent confusion. All contacts are gathered under the same contact list. Contacts are not bound to their own IM service groups, and can be dragged and dropped freely.
It’s faster, easy on the eyes and has quickly become my favourite chat program. And I’m preparing to buy the Pro version tot ake it to the next level - even though the Basic free version is just fine for the majortiy of users.
And No, you cynics out there :-) - this is not a sponsored review, but simply someone coming by an app and being so impressed with it because it does as it says it does and does it well.
I started blogging in late 2004 and realy took it on board in 2005.
It’s funny to say because it’s not so long ago, but those were the days when the blogging community was relatively new and small, it was a fairly new medium and we were all generally in it togther, learning the ropes so to say.
I remember reading a short while back that Yaro Starak of Entrepreneurs Journey nostagically called this period the “golden era” of blogging. I’m not so sure about that but it was a different time.
And now we fast forward to late-2007. And boy have things changed.
The mass of blogs out there today is mind-boggling. Although there are many fine blogs there are many more scrappy blogs that are merely ads wrapped around some dubious content.
There are two kind of bloggers: bloggers whose blogs are their business (ie: they make the vast majority of their income from their blogs) and secondly, there are those who use blogging as a marketing tool for their small businesses.
In the former, you’re up against it I’m sad to say. The Return on Investment (ROI) and time is shockingly low. Low enough that I’ve seen so many bloggers come and go - smart people. People who digged the dream that blogging would pave the way to riches and left shattered and disillusioned and burnt out by it all.
The latter is a different story. If you’re already running a business - and it doesn’t matter what business it is - then there’s hope for you yet.
I like the idea of using a blog as a marketing tool to an exisitng business. Maybe that business came out of your initial foray into blogging: I’m thinking information products, consulting services, online services.
Whatever, it doesn’t matter what business you’re in as long as there is a market and need for it. Using blogging as a tool to get in touch with your market is a great way to build a business.
Okay. There are still many out there that see the dream and want blogging to be their business.
That’s cool. Nothing wrong with that. But be warned: Be prepared for a hard slog.
The trick with succeeding in blogging today is finding an untapped niche - and because it’s so hard to find an untapped niche then find one that is being under served … and then serve it well.
And how do you make money from a pure blog play? Of course, there’s AdSense, which is good if you can churn out post after post and work your way deep into Google.
Then there’s Text links Ads (the big success story for many bloggers over the past 18 months - me inlcuded). But I hear that Google are not happy (And a word to google: you’ll be doing immense evil if you squash TLA).
There are so many other monetization possibilities you can go for and places like ProBlogger.net and others are better at explaining them.
Of course, if you’re like me you can try to make money via blogging by using it as a platform to develop an “online magazine” type of publication - with sponsors and direct advertisers etc., But that’s really for those with a great passion for the publishing game - or those who have always wanted to start their own magazines but the cost was too prohibitive - until now.
I’ll leave you with one final thought. What I hate seeing is bloggers trying to get it both ways. They have developed a cool information product, have it nicely packaged and promote it on their blogs and … they still slap on AdSense and other penny makers and widgets and buttons and many other bits and pieces.
If I can give one piece of advice to those doing this: Don’t! Why would you want to give a prospect a way out of your blog for a few cents when you’re trying to sell a $30, $50 or $100 product?
If you’re selling the one product then focus your blog on that one product. Capture that email. Make a sales pitch. Don’t give them two dozen easy ways to leave your blog.
Blog Carnivals have long been known for their awesome way to get your writing seen, getting in front of new readers and quite simply getting your blog noticed by those in your niche.
Over the years, I’ve seen some blog carnivals come and go - at times they’re high maintenance and you need a decent-sized community to keep it going.
So it’s great to read that today the Working At Home Blog Carnival is turning one year old.
The Carnival was founded, and is being run, by Joe Hauckes who blogs at Working at Home on the Internet.
Congratulations Joe.
So what is a Blog Carnival?
A blog carnival is a type of blog event. It is similar to a magazine, in that it is dedicated to a particular topic, and is published on a regular schedule, often weekly or monthly. Each edition of a blog carnival is in the form of a blog article that contains permalinks links to other blog articles on the particular topic.There are many variations, but typically, someone who wants to organize a carnival posts details of the theme or topic to their blog, and asks readers to submit relevant articles for inclusion in an upcoming edition. The host then collects links to these submissions, edits and annotates them (often in very creative ways), and publishes the resulting round-up to his or her blog.
(source: wikipedia)