butterfly logo carriefreelance communications August 2009

"helping you find freedom in clear expression"  

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[email protected]                                    *social media coaching
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In This Issue
From carriewriterblog.com
Where's Carrie? Affiliate Marketing Summit
Technology Update
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*Charles M. Schulz (aka "Sparky") the ultimate entrepreneur

About CarolineJaffe-Pickett

Caroline Jaffe-Pickett is an award winning writer and editor, with nearly 100 published articles on topics such as real estate, education, health and fitness, and food and lifestyles. Her work has appeared in magazines such as Redbook and American Health, and newspapers such as Bay Area Business Woman, as well as Our Town and the West Side Spirit (Manhattan Media Group.)  She has a strong interest in the environment (green issues) and sustainability, as well as the arts.
She is the winner of the Heekin Foundation novel-in-progress award, a finalist for the Katherine Anne Porter award for short fiction, and 3rd Place winner for her short story "Art" in the West Side Spirit "The Word is New York" contest.

650-206-2682
[email protected]
carriefreelance.com
carriewriterblog.com
Recently named one of 39 writers to follow on Twitter

In addition to article writing, she  currently enjoys helping clients with new media projects such as  e-newsletters and blogs, web site content,  writing and editing, social
media, public relations coaching, and corporate profiles.




Editor's Note
Life Lessons at the Fan Museum


Greetings!


I'm a Fan
"I'm a Fan..."

In my July issue, I posted a photo in my editor's note of me holding up a planter I had painted myself. In what now seems to be a similar "tradition," here I am at the Hand Fan Museum (yes, there is one) in Healdsburg, holding up my cool new butterfly fan which I sorely needed being that it was 98 degrees. While at first I wasn't sure if this topic even interested me, I found myself fascinated by all the different historical and stylish fans from over the centuries, some made from inexpensive paper, and others costing thousands of dollars and made from lavish materials. This was more then just a visit, as I learned, or rather relearned, 2 valuable lessons:

1. The importance of sampling:
See the tree with the fans hanging on it? This was set up outside the museum, and if it hadn't been there, guess what? I probably wouldn't have gone inside. The tree really got my attention, and in a similar way, (you may know where I am going with this), you can capture the attention of those visiting your blogs and websites with free samples. I have seen it in some places called letting your audience "dip their toes" into your products. So in light of this, I am working on a few new projects: a new e-book which I'll have news about shortly; the continuation of my offer for a free half-hour communications consultation - just email me at [email protected]; and a revamping of my website to make it easier to navigate and to offer more valuable resources for you. So stay tuned.

2. Further thoughts about the butterfly and what about your logo?
People associate many things with butterflies. Change, beauty, art. And they are all these things. One of the main reasons I originally chose the butterfly as my logo four years ago, still holds today: we need to be clear in our communications, and through clarity, we gain freedom. One of my goals to help you with your communications, is to help you establish clear messaging, clear communications tools, clearly integrated communications elements, and clarity in your vision. Because if  you are confused about what you are doing, everyone else will be too, and that's not a good thing. For me, the butterfly expresses this and much more. Also, when you are walking on a country road and you see a butterfly flickering in the trees or in the grass, isn't that the only thing you notice? And don't we all want to get noticed more?

Are your logo, taglines, and written materials working for you, and telling your story the way you want to? I can help you clarify your business identity and tell your story effectively.

So these are my lessons for now from the Fan Museum. Not bad for one afternoon.

facebook logoIf you'd like to see the rest of my photo album from our recent travels, videos, or connect with me on Facebook, visit here or click on the logo. I'd love to connect with you.

affiliatesummit

Where's Carrie?
I'm thrilled to be covering as PRESS, the Affiliate marketing conference in New York City, August 9-11, where I'm lining up some juicy interviews to bring back to you all in my blog and newsletter. I'm still learning a  lot about affiliate marketing, but I'm sure I'll be full of ideas and info when I get back. The three-day conference includes an exhibit hall with affiliate merchants, vendors, and networks, as well as multiple tracks of educational sessions covering the latest trends and information from affiliate marketing experts. The keynote speaker for Monday, August 10 is the incredibly-cool-you-must-subscribe-to-his-blog Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs, and  keynote for Tuesday, August 11 is Peter Shankman, founder and CEO of The Geek Factory.

I'm also excited about attending Social Media Boot Camp on Monday, August 17th, featuring Social Media coach Janet Fouts, infamous blogger Andi Fisher, and Patrick Schwerdtfeger, author of Webify Your Business, who I will be interviewing for an upcoming issue.


 
Technology Update
Box.Net Provides Easy Online File Storage
(I Had 154 MB's)

computer woman

I didn't think I needed an online file storage system. Until last night. What happened was, I had 343 images from several trips we had taken and I had not yet had time to download them. That meant a lot of photos all at once to deal with. You get the picture. The programs that I had been using so far were fine for me, but not for sharing, and here's why:

Flickr: I love this program, but I typically use it to publish selected photos and not an entire roll, as the downloads can take a while, particularly if you are adding captions. Plus, then I would have to sort through the Public/Private account setting, and it's just too time consuming.

Facebook: Same deal, I'm not going to burden my Facebook friends with 300 images. I ended up selecting 10 top images that I really liked and using those, in the same way as Flickr.

.Mac: Worked great for fun collages with cute templates, but could only handle about 40 images at once, and it cost over $100 a year, so I don't have it anymore. Not so worth it.

Kodak EasyShare: This is the software that comes with the camera. The camera is great, the software not so much. It took almost 2 hours to download the photos to Kodak's online gallery, and that's with their newest software. It's nice once the program loads, but anyone with a computer that's a few years old can't use it.

I researched online free online services to upload large files, and the winner, after several hours,  was Box.net.

Here's why:

  • Easy account set up: took 1 minute, and Free
  • Drag and Drop file upload feature: They have a cool "applet" which means that you can drag an entire folder without having to click on individual files.
  • Pretty Fast Download: It took about an hour to download over 300 images, and that on my 4-year old Mac. Not bad, and I could do other work at the same time, it didn't take over my operating system.
  • Nice final product: Here's a screen shot of what you end up with. You can send this file as a link or a web site, and it allows for comments, and links to enhancements such as editing software.

boxnetscreenshot

Try it and let me know how it works for you.