Thursday, January 24, 2008

The Women's Congress!


Today I had the opportunity to attend DAY One of The Women's Congress, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida.

The overall theme of the event is "Your Network, Your Success." The purpose of the event was to be a catalyst for your success as a leader and entrepreneur and showcase the commanding buying power of businesswomen across industries, disciplines, careers and cultures.

The first words to come to my mind are INSPIRING, ENERGIZING and ENTHUSIASITIC.

Inspiring because of all the great presenters who spoke on a variety of topics. The ones I had the chance to listen to were:
Suzanne Bates who shared her strategies for "How to Speak Like a CEO"

Lena West who talked about Social Media for Entrepreneurs

and Vicki Donlan spoke about "Why it's Time for Women to Lead!"

Some of the programs I would like to have heard included and didn't have time for (I was too busy networking):

Back to Basics, Innovative Direct Mai, PR and Promotional Strategies for Increased Business Growth with Marsha Friedman and Joy Gendusa

Getting the Green Light: The Art and Science of Closing the Deal with Joy Baldridge

Fashion Meets Math with Janet Wood and Kathy McFadden of Fashion Fit Formula

I was ENERGIZED by all the amazing women I met and/or reconnected with including my dear friend Susie Levan, Publisher of Balance Magazine, Mark and Mira Halpert of 3D Learner, Nicole Wild of You're One in a Million, Linda Peterson of Peterson Harley Davidson, Lorna Owens, Author, Megan Connolly of Medelia Communications, Lisa Cherry-Perks, of the Opus Group, Rita Poyo of Women Presidents Organization, Marj Weber of Score Miami, Cheryl Culbertson, Coach, Jan Knight of Women's Wealth Strategies, Louise Harber of BizLanguages.com, Judith Glazer of Benchmark Communications, Kay Cioffi of Tex Zen, Susanna Goldstein, MD of Brain Aerobics, Bradley Clark of Living Celebrations, and Kamila Velan of Ethical Markets Media.

In additon, I (and several other attendees) enthusiastically swung a few clubs with Teresa Zamboni and Lynn Stellman of Ladies Links Fore Golf and listened to 3 great keynote presentions by Lisa Bodell of Future Think, Cordia Harrington, The Bun Lady and Rosa SugraƱes, Founder of Iberia Tile.

All in all, it was time well spent and I cannot wait until Mary Wong, Karen Vogel, Chyai Mulberg, and their team of professionals put the next one on! You can be sure I will be there. Who knows, they may even let me speak ...

Warmest regards,


Heidi

Monday, January 21, 2008

eMonday Woman Interview with Susan Daffron

This week we have the pleasure of getting to know one of our newest members of the Women's eCommerce Association, Susan Daffron, President of Logical Expressions, Inc. and Author - Web Business Success, Happy Hound, Happy Tabby, Vegan Success and avid IdeaWeaver software user

Hi Susan!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Susan Daffron and I am the president of a book and software publishing company called Logical Expressions, Inc. In addition to producing our own products, we help people create information products such as books, Web sites, and audio products.

2. What would you say is your "claim to fame"
I think my "claim to fame" is an ability to explain even technical things in an easy to understand way. That's probably what my clients and readers of my books and articles compliment me on the most. As far as our business, many people are intrigued by the fact that we run our business from a log home that is about 45 minutes from a small rural town in Idaho. We live on 40 acres of land and can't see our neighbors. A lot of people find that bizarre, but we love it. (In fact, the reason we started our own business in 1994 was so we could leave the city and live anywhere we wanted.)

3. What do you enjoy most about your profession?
Being a publisher means that every day is different. Today, I wrote a press release and revised a Web page. Last week I designed letterhead for a new project we're working on. Tomorrow, I'll write our weekly Publishize newsletter and work on the layout of a new Web site we are creating. As a small business owner, I do everything from designing ads to paying bills.

4. What are some of the trends you are noticing in your profession/industry?
The publishing industry is changing dramatically. In fact, a lot of books you read about self-publishing are becoming seriously outdated. Thanks to short-run digital printing, people can publish a book without a huge cash outlay for inventory and set up. It's so much less expensive to create a book than it was in the past. Plus, the horrible waste inherent in printing thousands of books that may not sell is eliminated when books are printed one at a time only when a copy is sold.

5. From where do you draw inspiration?
From books. Like a lot of writers, I'm a reader. I love libraries and I have bookshelves full of business books that I refer to all the time.

6. What one thing would you like to learn this year?
Although I have done a lot of it, I continue to learn more about writing copy all the time. I come from a technical writing background, so I find writing compelling copy somewhat difficult because tech writers have a tendency to "over-explain" everything, instead of focusing on benefits. Copy writing is a different breed of writing and I'm looking forward to getting better at it. (At least, I'm getting lots of practice!)

7. What are your personal/professional goals for the next 6 months, year?
To continue to get the word out about our books and software. I will be doing blog tours for our books, and am lined up on a few online radio shows and podcasts as well. Plus, we are launching a new national pet rescue organization that will provide educational information and business tools rescuers need to save the lives of more animals in animal shelters and rescue groups. I'm really excited about that, since I think I can bring a lot of great information to people who need it.

8. What do you like to do for recreation?
This area is a recreational paradise. There is a huge lake and a ski resort nearby, and thousands upon thousands of acres of forestland for hiking. In the winter, we downhill ski, cross-country ski, and snowshoe. In the summer, we hike, sail, kayak, and garden. (I have a fairly large organic veggie garden that I really enjoy because we are vegan.)

Plus, as I said, we have our own 40 acres of forested property, so all year every day we take our four dogs out for a walk on the trails we have cut through the trees. (I always say that our dogs were really lucky that we adopted them; our place is "dog nirvana.")

9. What book(s) are on your nightstand?
Okay, this is kind of embarrassing. When I saw this question, I went and counted all the books on or under my nightstand. There are 62, most of which I've read. I have about 10 that are still in the "to be read pile." Our local library has a used book sale the first Saturday of every month and let's just say, we are SO there. I am a tremendous consumer of what I refer to as "junk novels." If it's a mass market paperback, I've probably read it or will read it.

10. What is the one thing you would like readers to know about you? About your company?
We do our best to create the highest quality products and services we can. Our company has been around since 1994 and is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the Online Reliability program, so unlike a lot of businesses that operate online, we are not some fly-by-night operation.

I think in an increasingly impersonal world, knowing that there are real people who care behind a Web site is important. And our Web site is www.logicalexpressions.com by the way ;-)

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Seeking Information for a New Book

Jessica Mousseau, of JM Writing & Editing is seeking information for a book she is writing. The topic: women’s rights. Part of her research includes a web poll or survey.

In her own words … “(I) discovered I should do a MASS interview/survey to people all over the world for several reasons:

1. Make sure what I’m writing about is valid.
2. Find parts of the argument I’m missing.
3. Discover topics more important than this.

I’m looking for a large, diverse group of women to fill out my interview form. If quotes are chosen, those individuals will have to sign a consent form knowing their work will be in published form.

Also, please spread the word on your blogs, forums, websites as well. The more people I get, ultimately the better the result will be.”

Her poll is at: http://jmwriting.booksurvey.sgizmo.com

If you are passionate about Women’s Rights and want to support Jessica’s efforts, feel free to copy and past this blog post and send it along to your circle, post on your blog and write about it in your newsletters. Let’s see how many women we can help Jessica touch!

Warmest regards,

Heidi

ps. thanks to Anne Wayman for posting this on her blog The Golden Pencil - I got a Google Alert about women bloggers and came upon this post!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Women Bloggers to Watch in 2008!


"We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don’t know where you’re aiming, you don’t have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, she cared."
Mary Kay Ash



Women are blogging in record numbers these days - so may blogs, so much content and so little time to check them all out. Each month during 2008, I will be highlighting dozens of blogs written by women, on a variety of topics, genres and locations around the globe. These women share one thing in common. They have a goal, a theme and a purpose in their lives. Please do stop by their blogs, check them out, leave a comment and see how many great relationships you can develop online in the next 12 months.

Here are the Virtual Woman's Day 25 Women Bloggers to Watch in 2008 for January:











































Look for our next 25 in February - the Baby Boomer Bloggers....
Until then, let your fingers do the walking ....


Heidi


Monday, January 7, 2008

How to Turn Your Blog Into a Book - Free teleseminar


Join us Wednesday, January 9, 2008 at 2pm Eastern Time (1pm CST, 12 Noon MNT, 11 am PST) for “How to Turn Your Blog Into a Book… and other Business Marketing Ideas” with Kathie M. Thomas.

Kathie Thomas is professional speaker, author, business coach and mentor who frequently speaks at public seminars and workshops throughout Australia about working virtually. She is also a Steering Committee member of the OIVAC and was Master of Ceremonies for the inaugural industry awards presentation at the Convention in 2006.
The founder of A Clayton's Secretary, established March 1994, Kathie Thomas pioneered the Virtual Assistant industry in Australia. The network was formally established in April 1996. Prior to establishing her business she had a background of 23 years' secretarial/administrative experience in the corporate world, working for CEOs and MDs as well as project groups.

Kathie is author of several 'how to' books about the Virtual Assistant Industry and operating a business at home, and with articles published in many business and Christian magazines over several years. Her latest book is titled "Worth More Than Rubies: The Value of a Work At Home Mum". She also authors several blogs.

In 2007 Kathie was inducted into the Baby Boomer Diva’s Web of Fame (http://www.babyboomerdivas.com/) and was recently nominated for Australian of the Year for 2008. You can read more about Kathie at http://www.kathiethomas.com/.

Kathie will share her blogging journey, including why she started blogging, how she uses blogging to promote her other business ventures, how she turned one of her blogs into a book and more!

Two ways to participate:

If you are attending via the teleconference bridge line, here is the information you need:Conference Dial-in Number: (641) 715-3840 - Participant Access Code: 361467#

If you are attending via the web conference room, go here:
http://www.wecai.org/eWednesdayChat.exe. Just type in your name and enter the room (no password needed). If you have not attended the event via our conference room before, you will need to download it and save to your desktop so you can access it tomorrow. If you wish to participate verbally, you will also need an external microphone.

Hope to see you all there!

Heidi

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO – The WECAI Network
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Check out the latest issue of WE Magazine for Women!
Have you taken the Women Business Owners Survey Yet? Lots of freebies at for sharing your feedback.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

2008 Bloggie Awards Now Accepting Nominations!


Today I was surfing the web and found the 2008 Bloggie Awards and wanted to let you know about them!


The Bloggie Award is an annual weblog award that was created in 2001 to honor the best blogs. This is the annual non-profit competition that determines which blogs are the best of the best. And since all the Bloggie winners are chosen by the public you can submit your favorite bloggers in several categories for recognition.


Here are the Categories:


Best African Weblog *NEW!

Best Art or Craft Weblog *NEW!

Best Fashion Weblog *NEW!

Best Gossip Weblog *NEW!

Best web application for Weblog

Best Asian Weblog

Best Australian or New Zealand Weblog

Best European Weblog

Bes Latin American Weblog

Best Canadian Weblog

Best American Weblog

Best Photography of a Weblog

Best Food Weblog

Best Fashion Weblog

Best Weblog about Music

Best Gossip Weblog

Best GLBT Weblog

Best Entertainment Weblog

Best Sports Weblog

Best Computer or Internet Weblog

Best Topical Weblog

Best Teen Weblog

Most Humorous Weblog

Best Writing Weblog

Best Community Weblog

Best Group Weblog

Best-designed Weblog

Best-kept Secret Weblog

Best New Weblog***

Lifetime Achievement

Weblog of the Year


I have already cast my votes for several bloggers out there!

If you are so inclined, your vote for the WE Magazine for Women (www.wemagazineforwomen.com) as the Best Designed Weblog designed by my good friend Heidi Caswell of Connect Simply Blog would be AWESOME! Heidi has designed two blogs for the Women's eCommerce Association and is working on a third. She is a great resource and someone I highly recommend. And she deserves the recognition. And of course, We Magazine would love to increase readership as well!

But you have to hurry! You only have until 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5) on Friday, January 11, 2008, to nominate your favorite weblogs.
FYI:The contest is open to any weblogs that existed for a period of time during the year 2007, so weblogs that were discontinued during 2007 are also eligible.

Results will be announced on January 22, 2008.

Go to 2008 Bloggies and nominate your favorite blogs.