Ever since I discovered the power of energy healing, I have been on the lookout for books that explain how it works. While Quantum-Touch provides superb and effective techniques for using energy to heal ourselves and others, I wanted to know more specifically how this energy stimulates the body to heal itself.

So when I found a book called “Vibrational Medicine—The #1 Handbook of Subtle Energy Therapies” by Richard Gerber, M.D., I knew I had finally found something with answers to my questions. This book explores the etheric body and pulls together research studies with “scientific evidence to substantiate the existence of an extended subtle-energy anatomy” (p. 23).

Dr. Gerber shows how we are beings of energy and then he goes on to explain in detail just how we are made of energy. He postulates that vibrational medicine works by using specialized forms of energy to rebalance specific energy fields that help to regulate cellular physiology.

In Quantum-Touch, we teach that the body uses life-force energy to keep itself balanced and functioning at its optimum level. Practitioners learn how to augment their clients’ life-force energy, which is also affected by emotions and spiritual balance with a generous sprinkling of nutritional and environmental factors.

Dr. Gerber does not advocate doing away with all drugs and surgery, but instead proposes that alternative therapies can greatly augment existing medical technology. He begins his book by exploring what makes up the etheric body and then he dives into particle physics to explain how the body converts matter into energy and why it should be possible to convert energy into matter. He further postulates that, at a microcosmic level, all matter is simply frozen light making up “highly complex, infinitely orchestrated energy fields” (p. 59).

When we practice Quantum-Touch, we focus our energy on specific parts of the body. Dr. Gerber postulates that there is evidence that we can selectively tune our brain/mind transmitter or receiver to specific frequency bands of energetic output and I would like to extend this thought by proposing that we are using our intent to serve as the frequency modulator, much like the dial on a radio.

At the end of Chapter I, Dr. Gerber states that, “Vibrational medical approaches will ultimately be proven effective because they are able to positively influence the human body’s subtle energetic pathways. These pathways include the acupuncture meridian system, the chakras and the etheric body” (p, 68).

The book reads like a textbook, but for anyone who is interested in the mechanics of how Quantum-Touch energy works, it can be a valuable addition to their healing library.

Written by M.Farouk Radwan, MSc

A big part of dealing with people who gossip about you is understanding gossip, the thoughts that run in the mind of those who gossip and the psychology behind gossiping.

In my previous article why do people gossip I said that the person who gossips is someone who carries some resentment towards you and who doesn’t have the courage to face you directly and so he found no other option other than talking about you in your absence.

People will gossip about you if they are jealous of you, if they aren’t strong enough to face you with their concerns or if they feel worthless. Those people try to make themselves more worthy by saying that they are better than someone else.

After all if I am saying that Sam is really dumb then I am only trying to tell people that I am smart or at least smarter than him.

Dealing with Gossip

You now know that the people who gossip about you are really suffering from serious issues and that there is no other explanation for gossiping other than an emotional imbalance that is affecting the gossiper’s behavior. (at least at the time of gossiping).

Maintaining your prestige is one of the very important tasks you must do when dealing with gossipers. If as soon as you heard about the gossip you became mad, confronted them or threatened them then this will only show them how badly you were hurt by the gossip and how fragile you are. (see Why am i vulnerable to life problems).

Instead you must appear strong and not easily shakable. Take few days to calm down and during this period try to assess the size of the damage that could happen to your reputation as a result of this gossip.

Try to understand the main cause behind this gossip and the psychological factors involved in order to be able to predict whether this will happen once again or not. For example if you found that your workmates are gossiping about you because they are jealous of you then expect this gossiping to happen frequently.

The options you have when dealing with a gossiper

After you have waited for few days you can do any of the following options based on how important the person is for you and the underlying causes for his gossip.

• Let him burn: This is one of my favorite strategies, if someone is gossiping about me because of jealousy I just keep sending him good news about me to keep him burning with his own fire
• Confront him: If the gossiper is causing a damage to your reputation and if you don’t expect him to stop soon then call him when are calm. Tell him that you are aware of his doings and that only those who are scared to face one another directly gossip. Most people will apologize and remember your call the next time they decide to gossip about you. Make sure not to threat them because threatening will stimulate their anger and this stored anger will be released through more gossiping. In my book The ultimate guide to break any bad habit i explained how negative motivation can have a strong effect on people’s behavior. Your call will be the negative motivation element that the person will remember whenever he tries to talk about you
• Send him my previous article: My article Why do people gossip shows that the only reason behind gossiping are personal flaws. If the person is not important to you and if he has said really bad things about you then sending him such article is a very polite way of telling him “You are sick”

Preventing gossiping

I am sure you know how bad it feels when you discover that someone is gossiping about you. Because you have felt that already try to stop yourself and the people around you from gossiping.

If you can influence your friends then change the subject whenever they try to gossip about someone and if you aren’t the leader of the pack then at least try to prevent yourself from gossiping about others.

The book The ultimate guide to getting over depression was released by 2knowmself, the book provides a 100% guarantee for feeling better else you will be refunded. 2knowmysef is not a complicated medical website nor a boring online encyclopedia but rather a place where you will find simple, to the point and effective information that is backed by psychology and presented in a simple way that you can understand and apply. If you think that this is some kind of marketing hype then see what other visitors say about 2knowmyself.

When people ask me what separates Million Dollar
Authors from everyone else, I think of several things.
One of the most basic distinctions is simply that they
keep pushing forward in the face of resistance.

The late Olivia Goldsmith, bestselling author of the
novel “The First Wives Club,” is a great example
of what I’m talking about.

I discovered her story while reading Cynthia Kersey’s
wonderful book “Unstoppable: 45 Powerful Stories
of Perseverance and Triumph from People Just Like You.”

Here’s how it’s described in the book:

Goldsmith said, “For me to write, I had to quit my
job, live off my savings, and hope that what I was
writing was not a pile of garbage but a salable
manuscript. I had worked as a marketing consultant
for eleven years and had become the first woman
partner. Although I had a successful career, something
was missing. The painful divorce I was going through
caused me to reevaluate my life. As I thought about
what I really wanted to do, a tiny inner voice said,
‘You’ve always loved reading.’ That’s all it said. I was
afraid to admit to myself that I wanted to write.
Another voice asked, ‘Who do you think you are?’”

Despite on-going battles with self-doubt, Goldsmith
persisted. She committed to “writing five pages a day,
no matter what. If they stunk, they’d be five lousy pages,
and if they were good, they’d be five good pages. Usually
they were lousy.”

After two and a half years, she had finally finished the
manuscript which she wrote by hand. She dropped it
off to be professionally typed. When it returned, it
took her three months to find the courage to pick it up.
“My inner voice was telling me, ‘No one will ever buy it’
and I knew that once I picked it up the hardest part lay
ahead–trying to sell it” she said.

Goldsmith sent “The First Wives Club” to eleven publishers.
But the only thing she received back were form letters
explaining that they didn’t read unsolicited manuscripts.
Finally, she got an editor to read it–only to receive a
personalized rejection letter explaining that the story
was ‘too unbelievable’ and ‘no one is interested in reading
about middle-aged women who get dumped by their husbands.’

Goldsmith, however, believed differently. She began
calling agents, and after several months, finally found one
to represent her. He insisted that she change the manuscript
to make the characters more sympathetic. He told Goldsmith
to give the first wife a cat with leukemia, the second wife a
mentally disabled daughter, and the third wife a baby that died.

She was strongly opposed to making these changes, but
after thinking about it for a long time, she relented. After all,
she figured “He’s the expert.” The agent sent it to his best
contacts at various publishing houses. They all rejected it.

“I was very depressed at that point,” Goldsmith says.
“But then something exciting happened. An unpublished
manuscript had gone out to Hollywood where it was
discovered by Todd Harris who believed in it. He sent to
some producers he knew. Soon, the CEO of Paramount
Pictures bought the rights to “The First Wives Club.” She
liked everything about the book except for three things: the
cat with leukemia, the mentally disabled daughter, and the
baby that died. Goldsmith made the changes and it was
published by Simon & Schuster. The book became a
bestseller and the movie was one of the biggest box office
hits when it came out.

Goldsmith concludes, “My experience taught me a lesson
that I’ll never forget: As long as you believe in yourself
and your own vision, you have something. When you
give up that, you are personally bankrupt.”

“What if Goldsmith had listened to the voices of doubt
that told her she was crazy to try to make it as a writer?
What if she hadn’t been committed to writing five pages
a day? What if she had let the response of the publishers
discourage her and stopped there? What if she hadn’t
been willing to spend months looking for a literary agent?

Nothing would have happened.

So what about you? What’s the vision you need to
recommit to? Whether it’s finishing your book, making
your book a bestseller, landing a major media
appearance, or getting into a major corporation the
answer is the same: never quit.

Here’s a quote I’ve loved for the past 20 years.
Whenever I’m thinking of giving up, it haunts me
with its truth:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful
people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is
almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of
educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone
are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and
always will solve the problems of the human race.”
–Calvin Coolidge

Have you been taking your foot off the accelerator lately?
Have you turned off the engine and pulled out the key?
Then there’s only one thing to do. Get back in the car
and start driving. You won’t have the best, unless you give
your best.

+++++++

All the best,

Steve Harrison

Copyright Bradley Communications Corp. All Rights Reserved.

When I began using Linkedin I didn’t think it would impact my business, boy was I wrong!…Did you know there are now over 147 Million people using Linkedin for their business?

Linkedin…A powerful Business Tool…quick starter guide

When I began using Linkedin I didn’t think it would impact my business, boy was I wrong!…Did you know there are now over 147 Million people using Linkedin for their business?

If you don’t have LinkedIn get started with these three easy steps…

Own a profile that truly represents you…

• List your current and past positions & education along with your tenure there. This helps the right people and opportunities find you.
• Add a profile photo– people never forget a face!
• Add a summary paragraph. Think of it as your professional elevator pitch.
• Don’t forget to add key words in your profile for your particular type of business so that anyone searching for your products or services can find you on Google!  (SEO)
• Also add your company web site so that others may view it and find out what kinds of services you provide…

Do your connections represent your “real-world” network?

• Under contacts, then connections, click on import contacts and notice the people you know who are already on LinkedIn. You can then select who you wish to invite to join your trusted network.
• Upload a contacts file from Outlook, Palm, ACT!, or Mac Address
• View a list of your friends and classmates that are already on LinkedIn.

Leverage the power of your LinkedIn network!

With a profile and connections that truly represents you and your “real-world” network, you’re all set to get the most out of LinkedIn.

• Post a question on Answers and tap into the experts you’re connected to and the entire LinkedIn network.
• Look up someone’s profile before you meet with them. Learn their background and see who you know in common to get off to a fast start.
• Search for Service Providers and select based on trusted recommendations from people in your network. Anonymous web searches to find providers are a thing of the past.

A business blog will help you tremendously with your (SEO) Search engine optimization efforts. Utilizing keywords for your business will make it easier for people to find your content.  As an example I could add Social media marketing in Ottawa as Key words for SEO when people are searching for Social media marketing information particularly in the Ottawa area.

I know that when you are running a small business on your own, you don’t always have the resources to Blog for you and as often as you like.  You probably do not want to outsource that task as you want your blogs to be authentic, in your own style.  It doesn’t matter how often you put out a blog post just as long as you stick to your schedule.  It’s also a great idea to post your blogs onto other blog and social media sites for even more exposure for your business!  I think the best thing to do is to ensure you ad a blog on a weekly or a monthly basis. I have now created a schedule and I write blog posts ahead of time, so I have them readily available to post.  You could also write a list of ideas you’d like to blog about.

Write about topics you know and care about.  A blog should really be an extension of your brand.  You can offer your thoughts and or lend your voice and expertise in a certain area to your target audience.  You could contact other bloggers to cross promote, post your blogs on their sites and you do the same for them.

Mari Smith recommends adding social networking features to your blogs such as Google +, Facebooks share button and Twitters retweet button.  This provides readers with the ability to click on the like button and share or Retweet your content out to their Twitter followers which gives you more exposure for your business.

There are free blogging sites such as Wordpress.com as well as Blogger.com and Tumblr.com.  Wordpress.org provides more flexibility in design, layout and extra plug-ins and widgets.  Blogger.com is owned by Google and posts are more prominent in Google search results.  Tumblr.com provides templates and built in social networks.  On Blogcatalogue.com you will find information such as Blog posts, blog directories, internet search related sites as well as advanced keyword suggestions.  You can sign up for a free account and add your URL as well as Tags about yourself.  When you submit your blogs they must first go through their submission process. Write at least 3-4 blogs and then start submitting!

Happy Blogging!

Blog by Linda Graham

www.infinitechange.com

It’s a bit confusing at first as to what the purpose of this thing is for but you’ll see it’s not as complicated as it seems.

A hash tag can be created by anyone as a way for people to search for tweets that have a common topic. For example, if you search on #TheMentalist (not case-sensitive), you’ll get a list of tweets related to the TV show.

The good thing about the hash tag is that if someone wrote a tweet without putting the words TheMentalist in the main message, it will still show up in your search because of the tag.

The flip side is that if you search using the tag, and someone wrote a tweet about the show without including it, that tweet won’t show up in your results, even if TheMentalist appears in the text. Eg. “Do you think Patrick Jane will find Red John on TheMentalist tonight?”

In a way, hash tags allow you to create communities of people interested in the same topic by making it easier for them to find and share info related to it. Where do hash tags come from?  Hash tags are NOT any kind of official Twitter function. Twitter has not created a list of topics that we can browse through to see if there’s one that interests us.  Any user can create a hash tag by simply adding it to their own tweet.

As you can see, it’s a very organic process that works simply because of a group mindset that people like to categorize topics and this is one way to make it easier to do so.

How do I track topics of interest to me?

The first thing I would do is a basic Twitter search on, well lets use The Mentalist term itself so I can see if someone’s already created a related hash tag.

Results for #Thementalist

·         Tweets ·

• Top
• Refine results »

Mentalist_CBS The Mentalist

With very little evidence, Jane & the CBI investigate the death of a mob boss’ son on 2nite’s #TheMentalist! bit.ly/wfibGR 10/9c @CBS

4 hours ago

Scoop_Ferguson Abigail Ferguson

Big night tonight… @BigBang_CBS 100th episode and #TheMentalist!

1 minute ago

SPNEurope SPNEurope

#TheMentalist – Episode 4.14 – At First Blush – Promotional Photos spoilertv.com/2012/01/mental… via @SpoilerTV

1 hour ago

cbschicago CBS Chicago

Ghost of boyfriends past. Why has O’Laughlin returned to haunt Van Pelt? #theMentalist 9 pm 1/19

1 hour ago

»

Now, I’ve gone through a few pages of results and, while there are plenty of tweets with the term Thementalist in them, I’m finding many that have included a hash tag.

So if I want to create a community of people who will share their love of say the topic of #procrastination and how it affects your health, in which I’ve written a book about, I’ll create my own hash tag.

Note: Before you create your own tag, you might want to search on a few variations to make sure they don’t already exist. Since the tag will use up some of my 140-character limit, I want to keep it fairly short, while still making it precise

Recap…

Definition of hashTag: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.

Hashtags: Helping you find interesting Tweets

• People use the hashtag symbol # before relevant keywords in their Tweet to categorize those Tweets to show more easily in Twitter Search
• Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets in that category
• Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet
• Hashtagged words that become very popular are often Trending Topics

Example: In the Tweet below, @twitter added the hashtag before the phrase “thankyousteve”. The word is now a link to search results for all Tweets containing “#thankyousteve” in the message.

Using hashtags

• If you Tweet with a hashtag on a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your Tweet
• Don’t #spam #with #hashtags. Don’t over-tag a single Tweet. (Best practices recommend using no more than 3 hashtags per Tweet.)
• Use hashtags only on Tweets relevant to the topic

Further Discovery and Reading

• The third party site hashtags.org offers an overview of popular hashtags used on Twitter. Find out about trends, look at graphs, and search to see if the hashtags of your interest exists.

I am writing this in dedication to my family in the memory of my dear mother who passed away on August 8^th 2011.  She was not only our mother, she was our friend, a sister and a wonderful Nani and we loved her dearly.  The angels and the lord have brought her to a place to rejoice with her loved ones in heaven.  May she have everlasting happiness and peace…she will be in our hearts forever.

This is an article written by Doreen Virtue Ph.D.  Her book entitled… “Messages from Your Angels”…

Departed Loved Ones… ›

The Sorrow that you feel as you consider your loved ones who have departed from the Earth level is akin to sorrow related to any change that you cling to wishing that it were not so.  You underscore your sorrow by denying your knowledge that this transition is both necessary and a blessing.  You curse the very formula of birth and death, and desire a different scenario that cannot be.

Your loved ones are never out of reach – not now or ever – for souls are constantly in communication with one another, especially when familial love is involved.  This eternal connection keeps you close to one another through all of existence.  How could it be otherwise, when your very soul tells you that this is so?  Your soul, incapable of lies or capriciousness, knows that all of your loved ones – on the Earth place and beyond – are at this very moment enshrouded in God’s ecstatic joy.  You, who seem joyless, are merely shedding God’s warm blanket in favour of the chill of seeming apart, alone, and friendless.  There is a comfort in your sorrow, and yet we beseech you to reconsider this decision.

For true joining with your loved ones comes from connecting with them in the inner glow of god’s eternal joy.  When you transmit joy to your loved ones, there is a bond so deep that it runs without words.  This connection is the solace that you seek, Dear one.

In a state of sorrow, you are assured of only one condition, and that is more sorrow.  We cannot help you when you have decided upon this state of being.  We merely stand by, ready to assist you the moment that you are satiated with this condition.

The leap from sorrow to joy may seem too large to traverse, and that is why you need our assistance.  Within the space of no-time, we can help your heart to truly connect with your loved ones in the place where they currently reside.  Their souls, like yours, live eternally in union with god and all others.  And that place, as best we can capture in human terms, is called ‘joy.”

When you ask how your departed loved ones are faring, you are inquiring as to whether they are happy or whether they are suffering.  You also ask this question because you fear that you may have disappointed your loved one in some fashion.  You have worry and guilt surrounding your sorrow, and no one to turn to for relief of these conditions.  Yet, we can help you to know that your loved one, like yourself, is enshrouded in joy.

To do so, we will need some moments alone with you, however.  We will need you to seal a space with conditions of quiet and peace.  When you have fixed your Earthly space, call upon us angels to bring your awareness together with your loved one.  We will ask you to breathe deeply, to concentrate upon your heart-space, and to fill it with great joy.  We will ask you to recall joyful moments that you shared with your loved one.  And as your heart warms and swells, you will feel the connection deepen with your loved one.  You meet in that place of joy within your merged heart-space.

And always, even without our assistance, you can meet your loved one in this sacred place of joy.  Do not concern yourself that you are violating any precepts or conditions with this meeting, for your souls are forever merged in joy, despite outward appearances to the contrary.  When you travel with conscious awareness to this holy meeting ground, you go with the blessings of heaven upon you.  You return revived and reassured, and your doubts melt away like ice upon a summer sidewalk, Joy is all there is.  The rest is a preoccupation of the ego, unworthy of your holy mind.

Always, your loved ones have loved you.  Always, your loved ones revel in this eternal love for you.  No room for anger, suffering, or pain of any kind, your loved ones implore you to dedicate your life and your schedule toward the embodiment of peace. …

Social media 101 Twitter Basics

Twitter is the most powerful social network because of the speed in which it can spread messages to the world related to business and social issues.

When subscribing to Twitter be aware of what you use as a name.  Do you want people to find you?  Or would you prefer to use your company name in case you decide to sell your company?  Keep a short name so it’s easy for someone to find you and easy to spell.  You can add your name in your profile for example which will help with key word searching when someone is looking for you if you use your company name.

When we tweet out our message the max is 140 characters.  There is some special software which will shorten our URL’s like Bit.ly to enable more text in our message.

Twitter can be run from a mobile device and you cannot see all conversations unless you add or “follow” others. When we follow others they may follow you which is how you build your connections.

You can have public conversations which can draw others to you.   If you find that some people are not following you it’s best to delete them as if not following you, you cannot provide conversation and content to them.  There is a threshold of followings you are allowed which is 2000 and if the ratio of followers verses followings so deleting the people you aren’t able to interact with will enable you to add others who will. Please note The only automated following behavior that Twitter allows is auto-follow-back (following a user after they have followed you).

Here are some Twitter rules…

• Direct Messages: 250 per day.
• Updates: 1,000 per day. The daily update limit is further broken down into smaller limits for semi-hourly intervals. Retweets are counted as updates.
• Changes to Account Email: 4 per hour.
• Following (daily): Please note that this is a technical account limit only, and there are additional rules prohibiting aggressive following behavior. The technical follow limit is 1,000 per day.
• Following (account-based): Once an account is following 2,000 other users, additional follow attempts are limited by account-specific ratios.

The more you interact, the more conversations or viral power you will have

Tweet good content that people can use and don’t tweet out the same message over and over because people will get bored.

RT – you can Re-tweet others content which you want to share and those followers will love you for it.

DM – Direct message Tweets are prefixed with the letter “D” to indicate a direct message this means it is a private message and not everyone can see it.  You can only send if that person is following you.

Any messages that people send to you will be in your email box or an application like Tweetdeck or Twire, but it can get crazy with a lot of people tweeting.

When people start to follow you, you will also receive a message in your inbox to let you know.

• Email Broadcaster

Auto responder services such as Aweber allow you to send messages directly to your Twitter account.

• Tweet Later is a web site which you can monitor topics which interest you.  Simply type in keywords or phrases and it will keep you informed of related tweets that you have an interest in.

• Twitter Search – Search key words and find anything that you have an interest in.  Perhaps people you’d like to follow

Twitter is excellent for viral marketers.  They can create content worth sharing and twitter is one of the most rapid and free distribution network on-line.

Twitter is the no. 1 tool to keep your finger on the pulse in any market or niche.You can become part of the community by sharing and syndicating others and your own content.  You will get massive exposure if you do it properly and not spam people.

You can advise customers and clients based on the latest trends and info available on the web.  Social media is all about people and their business becomes secondary.

You can monitor what people are saying about you or your company on Twitter which is critical if you have a business as you will be able to address satisfied or non satisfied customers openly.  You’re response can be positive or could harm you so be aware of your responses.  You cannot ignore any negative comments nor positive comments.  You can block followers with negative comments or aggressive behaviour.

To get started on Twitter it’s best to talk to people you know, start with just 2-3 people then build your group.  You’ll be amazed at how fast you can grow your audience.  Remember to tweet great content, be a trusted advisor and monitor your market to see what others are doing.

When tweeting, express yourself and your own personality, interests or business goals.  You want to attract people who are interested in you so BE Yourself.

Keywords

Using names (keywords) embedded in your twitter name is a good way to get found.

Get a dedicated email address with yahoo or Gmail – so you can forward tweets to other accounts after you are set up.

You can follow celebrities if you’d like to.  You can follow anyone.  It’s good to follow people or companies and groups that is relevant to your business if you have one.  Connect with the experts in your field and have conversations with them as others will see what you are tweeting.

When setting up Twitter

Adjust your settings and add your profile along with a picture

You can change your profile any time

Fill out important details on this page to make it easy for people to find you using key word searches (for twitter directory)  In your profile use key words relevant to your business, for example if you have an interest in dogs and you are a dog walker for example you could use those specific words in your profile.

When entering your information in On-Line Bio…you have 160 characters to impress someone ALSO you will want to use keywords in your Bio if someone is searching for your type of content or service.

You will want to set the Time Zone for your country as well.

You can also link your Web site or blog directly from your Twitter account (link to where the best content is) for Free giveaways etc. to your sales or squeeze page.

Some companies create dedicated landing pages for their social media profiles so they control what new contacts see.

You could create a personalized welcome video to introduce yourself and have links to other web sites or social media like FB or Linkedin.

3-5 seconds is all the time you have to impress someone with your website

Don’t tweet too much on Twitter in the beginning.

Important – don’t try to sell anything in the first meeting (first Tweet)  – introduce yourself – research the people and make at least 5 contacts with them before selling anything – solve their problems for them for nothing – they will keep following you.  They’ll love you.

Add a photo – crop of face with a smile

Sending a Tweet

Compose an on-line message using 140 character limit into a box at the top of your twitter page

There is a software you can sign up for and use to shorten your URL’s automatically at http://budurl.com or http://bit.ly that way the URL is not counted in to the 140 characters and you can add more content to your tweets!

Happy Tweeting!!

Social media is not really new anymore, still many people and companies struggle with details which might hurt or can help with on-line success.

Is Social Media Relevant?
In a business Week article titled “The Overlooked Side of Social Media” the Corporate Executive Board mentions…

“Most companies are embracing social media-but too many are wasting their efforts through sloppy management”
More than 70% of companies are already using social media; many are planning to increase their spending on social media across the coming years. Whether for learning from customers, building their brands or a range of other hoped-for outcomes, companies are clearly diving in.
Unfortunately, few have thought very hard about managing these initiatives. In a classic case or “ready, fire, aim,” companies are committing resources to social media efforts with very little process behind them. The result? A hodgepodge of unrelated initiatives, wheels re-invented and resources wasted.
The Corporate Executive Board has found that the best companies recognize understood, mastered, and used efficiently as they journey into the space. That journey has three stages:
Discovery: At this stage, the organization is just finding out about the potential uses (and risks) of social media for its purposes and making initial forays. The goal: understanding (“could this work for us?”)
Experimentation: As an organization does more with social media, the importance of learning efficiently becomes urgent. These bodies should develop and steward a learning agenda for the firm’s efforts, using each initiate to deliberately increase the institutional knowledge of social media use.

Adoption: While few companies currently find themselves in this stage, those that do loosen their managerial posture, moving away from oversight toward support.

The short story: Social media isn’t a fad about to fade away; it’s a good idea for your organization to learn how to use it to your advantage. The best companies will learn faster and get more out of social media by aggressively managing their efforts.

The Best on-line marketing techniques are the ones that help you reach your target market. Even though social networking has been around for years, it’s only over the past few years that it’s become a buzz phrase with over 500 million people now on Facebook and over 1.5 billion people on-line!

Your target markets are jumping in and starting to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and UTube to name a few of the most frequented sites. The process of social media involves the use of technology and identifying and providing valuable conversations. You will need to engage in conversations with relevant groups, follow and engage in conversations in Twitter so that in turn users many follow you back. You need to distribute conversations to the appropriate audience and use messages that will create interest and engagement. Building and sustaining an audience of listeners through relationships using social media is key and continually feeding the audience with valuable information will keep conversations going. You can advertise on social media sites for a price.

What is most important?

The questions you should ask before implementing an on-line presence…

What is my product? My brand? Do I have a website which easily communicates my expertise?
Who is my target audience?
What networks should I join?
What should I include in my profile?
What kind of tools can/should I use to manage my social media site?
What kind of content should I create?
Should I blog?
Have I researched successful companies to see how they are doing business on-line?
How will I create revenue?
What should my company do?
Should we train someone internal to manage the social media sites OR should we outsource?

You will need to answer all of these questions before you proceed…There are many resources available to learn social media marketing strategies which can be a full time job. How do you know if you are doing the right things? There is software which can monitor visitors to your site and your marketing efforts. If your marketing efforts are not working then you have to ask why and make improvements. There are online marketing options which can drive traffic to your site. These include: free publicity; email and affiliate marketing; banner advertising etc. The key to success is to test many different software packages until you find the one that works best for your company.

Here is a list of social media sites which you can use for your business. You may want to set these sites up in your business name only or in your own name so that people can find you, or, have a separate account for both.

www.Facebook.com www.utube.com www.Linkedin.com www.Twitter.com
A few tools worth mentioning…

www.Hootsuite.com You can manage multiple sites including… Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Ping.fm and WordPress profiles, schedule messages etc.

www.Twitterfeed.com Blog with RRS Feed…when your blog is published – auto Tweets

www.Tweetlater.com To schedule Tweets at a later time

www.pingfm.com This site is also free and has multiple profile management of all your social media sites…You can post to all sites at the same time.

For more information about Linda Graham go to www.infinite-change.com
Infinite Change is a new on-line marketing company which provides on-line marketing for her clients on the internet. Linda educates individuals and companies about the importance of social media and how it works. Infinite change also provides emotional support for people wanting to start their own business and will work with you and assist you in designing your web site, your brand and logo and we’ll get you started by implementing social media software and tools. We also offer on-going social media management for your sites.

Luckily, for it, it out-lasted 140 characters and played a vital role of suggesting the possibilities of Twitter in the medical industry.

You do not have to be a fan of the show to understand the premise of what the reference is, as characters within the show used Twitter to update interns from various hospitals during a surgical procedure, not only connecting people but also educating them simultaneously. During a critical part in the episode, via an @reply, it not only suggested a life saving solution, but these fictional doctors were able to receive real-time resources that they did not have within their own institute and were able to save a life.

More importantly…

What if twitter could save real lives in real hospitals?

What if a tool such as Twitter could be the key to a faster and sufficient solution to unifying the medical community? Through posting updates to Twitter’s newsfeeds during surgical procedures to assist in the aid of intern education?

What if, Twitter is just the tool that could broaden the horizon of expertise within Operating rooms or in our Emergency rooms? Is this even feasible?

Social media is not only becoming a part of our offline lives through traditional media. It is possibly opening our eyes to an awakening. It is unveiling a spectrum of promise that may be thought provoking in the present; or it could possibly be a highlight to what awaits us in the future.