BitsofKate.com

Oh so true.  Although, extraordinary words are simply superfluous when not backed up by action.  Either way, I will not fall in love with the superficial.

This could not be closer to the truth. We NEED to learn how to WANT more of what we truly NEED and LESS of what we selfishly WANT. I personally have learned to cut back both from an economical standpoint and overall personal-wants standpoint. You learn to do this as what you once took for granted becomes scarcer and in my case, once another human life depends on you. It's a bitter-sweet thing. Verdict: I need to want (and get) more effectively...

via RecoveringLazyHolic.com

This is Dale Carnegie's summary of his book, from 1936.  Most of it seems like common sense but reading it reminded me of our social interactions on the web - both professionally and personally.  Particularly in the social media industry, it seems with just one tweet, we can risk our reputation. 

Much of these items below can serve as a great reminder as to how companies online should interact with those they're engaging with.  The common-sense way of treating people can often be the easiest to do but hardest to remember.

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
6. Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong."
3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4. Begin in a friendly way.
5. Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately.
6. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
9. Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
10. Appeal to the nobler motives.
11. Dramatize your ideas.
12. Throw down a challenge.

A leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
5. Let the other person save face.
6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

This is great!  Love seeing this technology serve a great purpose for businesses and customers alike.  To see my full blog post on this, visit my blog.

Charles River, Cambridge, MA - Took this photo across the street from an academic institution I am dreaming to attend next year for a graduate program.   The goal of getting in to is a long shot but a shot worth taking.  It still surprises me that I'm back in Boston.  What I had pictured years before graduating college was a life continuing in Manhattan where I'd work as a producer for a major network television show.  I was well on my way.... that is until life played a funny little trick on me.  I ended up in Africa and then back to Boston - a place that I called home but vowed to never return to again in terms of residence.  Once you accept that you really can't plan life and you certainly don't have full control, you then begin to truly value and appreciate the little things you once took for granted.  Boston looks a bit different to me these days.  I don't mind the snow as much as I used to (although definitely don't love it) and although I'm not sure if I'll live here forever, I'm okay with discovering more now and working in a field that does more than what TV/Film could have ever done for me.  Look forward to seeing this city with these new eyes as well as in the eyes of a child.  Funny how it all works...

Got this in an email today and had to share considering I currently work in the marketing/advertising industry.  One word for these?  Priceless.

**This One Is A Definite Must Read***

I just wanted to quickly share the awesomeness that is Feedly, OneSuite and WiseStamp.

I know that there are a ton of similar (and perhaps better) tools/sites that exist and these are probably old news but I stumbled upon these three this week and they made me happy.  So for those who are not familiar and could perhaps benefit from them, here you go:

Feedly: I found this as a Firefox Add On which helps me view my Google Reader items in a much easier and nicer way.  I've since made it my homepage so that when I sign on each day, I can not only gather all of the information I want to but tweet it out and share them in an easy fashion.  A more detailed video explaining the benefits is as follows.  (Her accent also doesn't hurt to listen to!)

OneSuite:  I was searching for free fax-to-email numbers but didn't feel like paying a big monthly subscription fee since I don't think I'll need it much.  I did want the option for people to be able to fax items to me since I work for myself and discovered OneSuite where many local numbers are available and to receive faxes, you just pay a $1 a month.  If you want to upgrade to send faxes, you can upgrade later for $2.95 a month.  Since I have a scanner, I don't foresee me having to fax anything in the near future but it's great to have the option to easily upgrade if needed.  The only gripe I have is that in order to sign up for OneSuite, you must buy credits ($10 minimum) first for their overall site/features.  I highly doubt the $10 will then pay for 10 months going forward but either way, you can't beat $1 a month for your own fax number.

WiseStamp:  I had been using the BlankCanvas Gmail Signature add-on for Firefox for some time in order to have an HTML-rich email signature within Gmail.  It worked flawlessly until recently.  After installing an update, it simply stopped working and despite troubleshooting several times, I gave up.  I'm glad I did!  I discovered WiseStamp which blows BlankCanvas out of the water. 

It allows you to put little social network icons so that people can easily connect with you on those sites.  It also can embed the latest blog post linked title from whatever blog you wish to add.  You can top it off with any image you'd like as well..  Why Gmail still doesn't have the ability to insert such signatures is beyond me but WiseStamp takes good care of that in the meantime.

Again, I know none of these are brand new sites/tools but they are to me and I had to share the benefits.