Getting into bed, I wasn’t ready to sleep yet. Why do you spend all that time and energy playing all of those games, just to lose in the first round of the playoffs? I know it wasn’t their intention – but it was still tough to watch….And then I changed the channel to CNN. The first Chilean miner of the 33 trapped underground was making his way to the surface. The wheel was spinning, and with each rotation, the first rescue was another foot closer to becoming a reality.

Family members waited nearby. The miner’s wife and child stood with smiles on their faces. Anticipation was mounting as the time passed. It would take 15 minutes to go from underground to surface. I guess after over 60 days being trapped, what was another quarter of an hour? I have to say, as each minute passed, I found myself holding my breath and praying that nothing went wrong.

The little boy waiting for his dad just kept smiling as rescuers talked with him. Finally, Miner #1 reached the surface. After a minute of getting him out of the protective cage, he finally got to touch his family once again. The little boy, with tears flowing from his eyes, probably will never smile or be as happy as he was in that moment.

You think about everything these men and their families have been through over the last couple of months, and it gives you a serious reality check. Here I was, laying in a warm bed with my wife at my side, just minutes before, angry at the world because a baseball team lost. It’s moments like the ones being witnessed over the last 14 hours that everyone should stop and think about what’s important in life. For me, it’s being able to love my family and enjoying the company of good people. It’s about learning new things in life, making people laugh, and doing what you love. It isn’t about making the most money or being famous. And “most important” certainly isn’t being on the winning side of a baseball game.

We decided to pull them out of the closet and consider hanging them on the wall in our living/dining rooms. Only trouble is…we must lack the ability to fully see our plan through. It’s now four hours later, and I’m sitting here typing away. Christy is laying down with a headache, and our dog Riley seems to be the only one with any energy (If only she could use a hammer and nails). I think she might do a better job of hanging the pictures anyway.

I think we’re trying to get too artistic. Real Simple magazine makes it look easy, but in all honesty, it’s more Real Difficult than anything. Oh….but the grocery list is done for the week. Although, we still have to actually make it to the Harris Teeter and buy the food on that list. So there you have it…another project unfinished. What to do….What to do…

Here are some highlights of the study:

Most Familiar Social Media Tool

Social Media Usage

General Statistics

Perhaps the most important statements of the study are…

“The mantra of the blogosphere is ‘conversation.’ Blogs that are unattended lose their audience. In the 2007 study 85 percent of those charities with blogs accepted comments. That percentage rose in 2008 to 88 percent. The latest study shows 90 percent of charity blogs accepting comments. These organizations realize the importance of the conversation and want to engage their audience.”

“For volunteers/donors looking to have a conversation online about particular aspects of the charity’s mission, this increased interaction through comments can be significant. With more and more non-profits moving into multiple channels of social media, those that don’t allow for conversation will quickly be passed by.”

“Fifty-six percent of those without a blog in the 2009 survey planned to add one in the future, making blogs a permanent tool now and for the forseeable future.”

For a look at the entire study please click here.

What can JLC Writing Services do for you? Is your organization/non-profit/business/company ready to start blogging? Let’s discuss your options!

From John Tosco:

Dear TMP Friends:

It’s not often that I invite you to participate in a high-quality musical event as deeply important as the one I’m about to describe.

You see, my friends Turner and Tara Simkins have an 8-year-old child, Brennan, that was diagnosed with AML, a form of leukemia, two years ago. After having had a relapse and almost losing hope last fall, Brennan is currently in remission, due to a first-of-its-kind protocol that was funded through innovative-research investment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. He was the first patient in this ground-breaking study that could now save the lives of countless other children.

The trick now is to keep Brennan healthy. He is a fragile little egg. The Simkinses, not wanting to be caught off guard as they were when he relapsed, are being very proactive in investing in new treatments that could potentially help him down the road, and will definitely help others.

That’s where you come in, and thus, my invitation to you. I want to invite you all to a one-of-a-kind benefit concert featuring world-class guitarist Tony McManus (deemed the “Jeff Beck of acoustic guitar”) on August 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Allison Sprock Gallery at 600 Queens Road to benefit Press On, a research fund to help Brennan and another little boy, Patrick, fight pediatric cancer, specifically AML and neuroblastoma. Tickets for the event are $100 per person and $175 per couple, and 100% of the monies raised goes to Press On’s targeted protocols. It’s these protocols that are keeping Brennan, Patrick, and others like them alive.

Tony is flying in from Toronto, donating his time and incredible talent, to make this event not only a rewarding one, but also a musically memorable one. I’ve heard Tony. He’s unbelievable. You’ve got to hear him, too.

Here’s the link to click on, see details, purchase tickets, and print the invitation to spread the word.

 http://web.me.com/jasemail/12_Bands/Charlotte_-_TONY_MCMANUS.html

If you are unable to attend, please seriously consider making a donation. It would mean so much.

I hope to see you at the concert.

Gratefully,

John Tosco
ToscoMusicParty.org

Google Me will link your Google profile page, while YouTube users will help grow the network as well. Recently reported by Chris Crum, WebProNews.com, Google will soon require YouTube users to link their accounts to a Google account. You should see an immediate impact on the social networking front as a vast majority of these accounts will probably make their way to Google Me.  View This Poll

Companies could benefit by being at the forefront of this next social networking site (Better to figure it out in the beginning and get established while your competition spins its wheels and plays catch-up). Businesses spend a lot of time focusing on Google and getting to the top of its search rankings. Establishing yourself on Google Me is sure to only help your Google factor.

Check back for updates on the Google Me saga….Or better yet – subscribe to my blog feed to the right.

With so many online applications to consider, business owners must ask themselves, “Is this going to benefit my business?” I’ve written in a previous post about why a Blog is important, but who can benefit from entering the blogging realm?

Online Businesses

If your main presence to the world is through your website and you lack any physical storefront, you should be blogging.

New Businesses

Did you just launch your business in the past year? Consumers will almost expect you to be reachable online if you are a new company. How many commercials have you seen that show you where to find them on Twitter and Facebook? You should be blogging.

Existing Businesses

Are you turning away business because you are so busy? If so, don’t worry about blogging. But if you are like the majority of us, you don’t want to miss a chance to bring in new clients and expand your company. You should be blogging as well.

But I Have a Website

A website just isn’t enough these days. Your blog is a great solution to provide updated content, coupons and to expose yourself as an expert in your industry. At the very least, you are providing another avenue for people to find out about your services.

Later this week, I’ll talk about specific types of businesses that should be blogging and how they can utilize their blog to reach out to customers.

According to research from Nielsen, Americans are spending a quarter of their online time using social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs. The numbers equate to a 15.8 percent increase from a year ago. Double-digit declines were seen in email and instant messaging.

The numbers continue to reveal the importance for businesses of varying sizes to include social networking into their marketing and advertising budgets. The Nielsen research serves to give an open view into a consumer’s digital profile and online trends. Knowing that customers are mostly looking at social networking sites when online, a business should explore all creative possibilties to reach out to a potential client.

For more information on the Nielsen research visit the full article at WebProNews.

If you are interested in exploring ways to grow your business online, please contact me today.

Photo Credit – Image: FloatingLemons / FreeDigitalPhotos.net