Archive for How To
Basic Digital Photography Class
Posted by: | CommentsMy favorite Photography Instructor, Erin Manning, is having an online digital photography class for beginners! You won’t want to miss this! Great for learning how to take good photographs of your cards and artwork.
You can find out all the details including a sample video at
http://www.reneepearson.com/classes/digiphoto101.php
Hope to see you there!
Debbie
Two-Step Owl Punch
Posted by: | CommentsLook at all the things you can do with the Two-Step Owl Punch (#118074). This punch is going to quickly fly to the top of your wish list. In one quick move, our Two-Step Owl punch cuts out all of the pieces you need to build an owl. It couldn’t be easier to create a great accent or focal point: just punch and then layer the pieces.
Earlier this year, Stampin’ Up! released an updated punch design. This new design takes up less room, now has labels on top of the punch as well as on the end, can be locked shut for easier storage and for safety from little fingers. These time-saving features make these punches a must-have whether you need a circle punch or you go batty for bats.
The Owl Punch is available in a punch but also in a digital format as well. Find out more at my store => http://store.debbiestamper.biz
Import Blog Feed to Facebook
Posted by: | Comments
I have one-to-one phone calls scheduled with my Stamping Update Newsletters (SUN) members. During this call a member recently asked me how to import her blog feeds to her new Facebook. I thought that was a great idea. So here is this week’s how to, compliments of Cynthia.
You want to leverage all the work you have been posting to your blog. Great idea! Let’s automatically load all your blog posts to Facebook. Below, I have tried to do my best to give you as much detail as you need, however, you will need to experiment setting up your feeds. As each of these options offer a different advantage over the other. Which one you choose will depend on your circumstances. We begin with the easiest method but it is also the least flexible.
1) Using Facebook – This option will feed your blog into your Facebook Notes.
2) Using HootSuite – I use this application to add content to my twitter and Facebook accounts. It was convenient for me to keep the RSS feed in the same place. Plus I like how the content is added as a Facebook Link instead of a Facebook Note. But not everyone will want to setup HootSuite. Although I highly recommend it and…it’s free.
3) Using Networked Blog – Unless you already used Networked Blogs, this is the most complicated by far. Once you get your blog setup in Networked Blogs, you have a lot more options on sharing your blogs content. In the long run, this is probably the best bet but set some time aside to do this.
To follow these instructions you will need to understand how RSS feeds work. For more details on RSS feeds, please see my blog posts: RSS For Beginners and How it Can Work For You and RSS: How to Find Your Blog’s Feed.
Using Facebook Method
Facebook allows you to quickly and easily import an external blog from another website.
- Step 1: Go to the main Notes application page by finding the “Notes” tab at the top
- Step 2: Select link on left side: Edit import settings or click here.
- Step 3: Enter the URL (web address) of your blog into the text box, and check the box underneath that states that you agree to our Terms of Use.
- Step 4: To complete the process, click on “Save Settings.” Once you do this, your previous posts will appear as notes and any new posts you make will automatically display.
As an example, I import the DBWS promotions into my Facebook Notes.
If you run into any problems visit the Facebook Help page for Importing Notes.
I’ve included the instructions for using HootSuite and NetworkedBlogs in a document that you can download and print.
Join Me on Twitter and Facebook!Download My Onesie Baby Box Tutorial
Posted by: | CommentsI use these boxes all the time at showers for decorations, games and take home gifts. I’ve also used them for small baby gifts such as a rolled up pair of socks or shoes. You can make these boxes in all different sizes as well since this is a basic box pattern. When making larger Onesie Boxes, just use the scissor…s to …cut the sleeves instead of using the Slit Punch. Yea, yea, I know the Slit Punch is retired, but it is not leaving my office. No way, no how! I love the Slit Punch! You can download the tutorial.
Positive Attitude, Apply Here!
Posted by: | CommentsDeveloping a positive attitude will help you grow your business and achieve success. You will also notice that finding hostesses and customers may become an easier task. When you display a positive attitude, others will react to that. They will want to host a party with you and recommend you to others.
Everyone has times when things in their business do not go as planned or as they may want. The announcement of the new Stampin’ Up! colors has sure caused a stir. If you have a positive attitude, you will be able to pass those obstacles and get back on track.
The following are some tips to help you develop a more positive attitude.
Be Proactive
When you notice a problem coming up, do not wait until the last minute to solve it. Be proactive and think of a solution before the problem becomes serious. By keeping a step ahead of potential problems, you will be able to avoid setbacks. What I mean by this is to decide today if you are going to buy the new Stampin’ Up! colors to add to your collection or not. With the decision done and over with, you won’t lament over it and you can move forward with a new positive attitude.
Spend Time with Positive People and Avoid Negative People
I learned this one from my mentor, Ali Brown and the Millionaire Protégé Club. Attitudes are contagious. When you spend time with positive people, you will feel more positive. When you talk to a positive person, you will find yourself in a more positive place.
On the other hand, bad attitudes are contagious, too. You have probably heard the saying “misery loves company”. When you are around people that are constantly complaining, you will find things to complain about as well. Little things that you would normally shrug off will seem to bring your whole day down. You will feel drained of energy. I don’t want that for you and I’m sure you don’t want that either. Do yourself a favor and stop reading the negative posts on the forum.
Once you lose your energy and motivation, it can be difficult to get back into the swing of things. This can have negative implications on your Stampin’ Up! business. Going through periods of negativity is similar to spinning your wheels.
Practice Good Time Management
When you are organized you will be more efficient and able to get more things done. You will know what you want to accomplish each day; and will be able to spend the day working, rather than looking for your hostesses lost phone numbers or email addresses. When I’m unorganized, I tend to get frustrated and then nothing seems to work. Of course, I blame my computer but it doesn’t help.
Be Nice To Others
My Mom made me do this at an early age and I’m so glad she did. Being nice to others will make you feel good about yourself and put a positive spin on your day. Please know I don’t mean that you should let others take advantage of you.
Join or Form a Positive Mastermind Group
Many people are hiring coaches or teaming up with other demonstrators to help them achieve business success. A coach or mastermind group will help you decide what you want out of your business. They will help you set achievable goals and will also hold you accountable for your actions. This year, I joined a formal mastermind group that has nothing to do with stamping and it’s been such a blessing. It has helped me get back to basic business practices. They help me see things I never would have realized before. However, you don’t need to join a formal group to feel connected. Three years ago, I meet a like-minded demonstrator at Convention and we made a commitment to call each other once a month. We would talk through our goals and action lists and we’ve been friends every since. In fact, Class in a Flash wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t meet Amy Barnes.
A positive attitude can help other areas of your life as well, including your health. When you have a positive attitude, you will feel more confident in yourself and your business abilities. Trust me, it will show on the outside and you will feel it in the inside. Give it a try.
Work Smart to Market your Business
Posted by: | CommentsDid you see our Tip of the Month for Class in a Flash members? At Class in a Flash, our planners include loads of helpful documents to do more for your business. Have you noticed that we offer you both PDF files and DOC files. We provide you several options to help you work efficiently and prevent you from having to recreate the wheel, while still providing you with flexibility. Today, we are sharing a valuable tip on using the PDF versions of the documents, and how adding your contact information can help you market and grow your business.
Instructions can be found in our Training Tips Page.
Track Your Tweets
Posted by: | CommentsLet me ask you a question. Are your Tweets bringing in business and building relationships or are you just tweeting away your time? Today I’m blogging all my secrets around tracking your Twitter activity so you can answer that question. Twitter has become not only a great site for connecting with your customers and friends, it’s become a favorite tool of internet marketers and mine because:
==> We can offer tidbits of valuable information to a huge audience.
==> We can connect with prospects and customers on a personal level
==> We can glean market and industry information from tweets
The trick is to know if your tweets are having a direct effect on your profits. The REAL trick, is to track your tweets. Fortunately, because developers know how important Twitter is to marketers, they’ve developed several tools to track tweets. Here are just a few ways to track your tweets:
#1 A standard calendar and an analytics program. The most basic way to track tweets is to record when and what you tweet on a calendar. You can of course use a print calendar however, you can also track them on a calendar like Outlook or Google. Once a week, compare your tweets to your analytics data to see which tweets generated traffic. This way you can determine to a reasonable degree, which tweets make the biggest impact and what days or times of the day are more effective. You can also link to unique web pages in your tweets to make sure you’re evaluating the right information.
#2 HootSuite.com – Love, love, love this application. I use this little application the most because not only does it allow you to track who is clicking on your links but you can also schedule tweets, track mentions and followers and assign blog feeds. It essentially automates pretty much everything.
#3 TweetEffect.com tracks what tweets gain followers for you and what tweets essentially cost you followers.
#4 Tweetie.com is an iPhone application that lets you track your tweets. I don’t use it as I don’t have an iPhone. I’m told you can view and respond to the tweets you follow, post your own tweets, and search for tweets by keyword just like you would from your computer only better because you can do it on the go.
#5 Twitoaster.com is a service that monitors twitter conversations. It works by simply aggregating the conversations and publishing relevant statistics. There’s no charge and it’s actually pretty awesome.
#6 Viralheat.com Viralheat is a paid service with membership levels based on your needs. Starting at $9.99 a month, “Viralheat allows you to monitor, analyze and glean insights at blazing speeds.”
#7 Of course there are dozens of other twitter tracking services including sites like TweetLater.com that let you schedule posts and track mentions and followers.
Finding the service or software that’s right for you may take a little trial and error. Of course, if you’re looking to simply track your tweets and the positive effect they have on your business, the seven mentioned above are a good place to start.
You can find me at http://twitter.com/debbiemcneill. Send me a tweet!
New Tool for You
Posted by: | CommentsWant to share project inspiration with your customers, but not sure how or frustrated with the time it takes? Now it’s easier than ever to share your projects pictures or blog candy that I post here. I implemented a new tool on this blog that makes sharing pictures on your blog, DBWS and emails faster and easier.
Just use my Get HTML Page.
Here’s some instructions for the page:
Instructions:
A) Add your Image URL here. This is a full picture URL starting with http://www.
B) Enter in where you would like the customer to be sent to when they click on the picture.
C) If you need to change the width of the picture, you can do that here.
D) This is the HTML code that is created based on the form information you entered. You would use the HTML code to add a graphic to a blog sidebar.
See my blog article for more details.
I’ll be setting up this new feature with all the new graphic resources I offer to my SUN and Class in a Flash members to help you save time and sanity.
Free Word Processing Software
Posted by: | CommentsOur class planners, includes several Microsoft Word Documents such as the step-by-step customer instructions, customer summary document and a marketing flyer. You can use the instructions to send home with customers so they have the confidence and inspiration to continue stamping on their own. We offer the documents in this format in case you want to change the supplies used or supply only part of the instructions. But, most word processing software programs don’t come cheaply. I use Microsoft Word 2007 but it comes at a hefty price tag if it wasn’t preinstalled on your computer. I wanted to give our customers another option so if you’re looking for a top-notch word processing software that is absolutely FREE, take a look at Google Docs.
Google Docs is Google’s answer to a web based document system. To use the software all you have to do is have a Gmail account or go to docs.Google.com and register for a Google account. It’s free. In addition to word processing, you can create spreadsheets, forms, and presentations.
Once at the Google Docs website the rest is easy.
Step #1 Click on the new document tab in the upper left hand corner.
Step #2 Choose the type of document you want to create. If you’re familiar with Excel, MS Word, and PowerPoint, these document types will look and feel familiar.
Step #3 Once you’ve made your document choice a new document will open. If you’ve, for example, chosen to create a text document you’ll see the same type of toolbar at the top of the page. You can format your content the same way you would a Word document. You can choose your font type, size, and formatting. You can justify the page right or left, highlight, list items, and include text links.
Step #4 The final step is to save your document and here’s one of the ways where utilizing Google documents really pays off. You’ll save your document as a Google document. It won’t really ask you how you want to save your document. And it will store the document in a main folder or you can create sub folders, label them and organize them how you see fit. Whenever you sign into your Google or Gmail account you’ll have access to your Google documents.
Step #5 If you want to export the document and store it on your desktop or hard drive all you have to do is click on the file menu and choose “download as” from the pop up list. There you’ll see you have the option to download the document as HTML, Open Office, Text, Word, RTF or PDF. That means if you’re sending the document to customers, you can download it as a PDF doc and send it to them quick and easy.
Step #6 Here’s the final reason Google documents is a great resource, you can share your documents by simply clicking the word “Share” in the upper right hand of the document toolbar. There you’ll see you have a number of options including sending a link to the document to a person, emailing the documents to a person or persons, inviting people to view the document or publishing as a web page. This makes collaboration really easy.
Google documents is one of those resources that makes creating, editing and sharing documents quick and easy and perhaps best of all, it’s extremely user friendly and it’s free.
Viruses Yuck!
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve blogged about this before but it’s good to repeat it in another view point because when a virus hits your computer your first instinct may be to panic. Or you may simply be inclined to toss your computer out your window and start from scratch. Hold on, before you take drastic action, take a few deep breaths and go through these few tips and strategies to deal with viruses.
#1 Understand what a virus is. According to teach-nology “Viruses are programs that infect other programs, or files containing macros (a series of commands grouped together to automate a complex series of tasks) such as Microsoft Word files, Microsoft Excel files and executable files.”
Contrary to popular belief, viruses cannot infect:
* Plain Text Files
* E-Mail Messages
* Web Pages
* Pictures
* Chat Groups
Like the common cold or flu, a computer virus makes copies of itself, and is unable to exist without a host. The virus will embed itself into the code of the software and isn’t effective or activated until you use the software. Once the program is accessed, the virus is released and will infect other programs and files on your computer. And if you send those infected programs or files to others, they’ll catch your virus too.
#2 Know that not all viruses are harmful. Some viruses simply slow down your computer, or can cause strange things to happen to your computer, like programs starting and ending without you initiating them. Some just collect information from your computer such as adware or spyware.
That being said, some viruses are designed to destroy files, corrupt programs and wreak havoc. While all viruses should be purged from your computer it’s the destructive ones that you really want to worry about.
#3 When you’re infected with a virus. While anti-virus software can often go a long way toward recognizing, preventing and purging viruses from your computer, many experts recommend reformatting your hard drive once you’ve caught a virus. If you know what virus you’ve caught, you can hop online to your software support or tech support site and find the resolution. Sometimes a few steps can clear the problem without too much damage to your files and software.
Finally, the best way to deal with viruses is to not get them in the first place.
* Install an anti-virus and anti spyware program – my fav is Avast
* Don’t open emails from unknown senders with attachments
* Don’t download items from the internet if you don’t 100% trust or know the source (it’s estimated that 70% of the viruses are contracted by downloading stuff from the internet).
* And last but not least, backup, backup, backup! That way if you do get hit by a virus, you won’t lose everything.
Viruses can be a real pain and chances are, if you haven’t already had to deal with one, you will at some point in time. The good news is that if you take measures to back up your files on a regular basis and you pay attention to what’s going on on your computer, you’ll likely be able to catch that virus before it spreads too far.
An Easy & Heathly Habit
Posted by: | Comments
I’m really bad about forming habits, especially healthy habits! So I was so surprised this worked for me that I just had to share with all my demonstrator friends.
We all know how drinking 8 glasses of water a day is a healthy habit. But, you may have a difficult time with as I did. Try this habit out for a month and see if it doesn’t work for you.
- First thing in the morning, gulp (not drink) two glasses of water. FIRST THING!
- Before you leave your office for the day, gulp two more glasses of water. Consider it a right of passage.
That’s 4 glasses of water without even having to think about it. Half of what you need in a day. I started doing this in December and I had no problem following it and getting in my 8-8oz of water. By January, I felt better. REALLY! I know this because when I went to Leadership in Phoenix, I didn’t follow my habit and I felt like I was going to shrivel up and die. I didn’t like the water in Phoenix, no offense Phoenixins.
So give it a try. Gulping is easier than you think once you get going. Here’s another tip. Make sure you glass size is 8oz. 6oz is cheating and those 12oz glasses or larger are just plain scary. 
How To Create An Inspiring Workspace
Posted by: | CommentsWhen you work from home, it is easy for the lines between “work” and “home” to get blurred. You may find yourself constantly interrupted by family, fiends, and neighbors. It may also be harder to concentrate on “work” when you have a sink full of dishes and other chores to take care of. I don’t have that problem, but I understand other do.
Having a dedicated workspace will help you stay focused. If possible, try not to use your workspace for anything but work. Once you step into your workspace, your mind will be on work and your family will know not to bother you. As much as your work area should be business like, it should also be a warm and inspiring space that you actually like to spend time in; otherwise, the time you spend there could feel like punishment. My workspace/craft room are in the same area. I find that it inspires me but others find it distracting…they would rather be stamping then “working”.
Some people like to have a visually stimulating workspace, filled with pictures, motivational quotes, and other items. Think about “your why” – the reason you are working from home, and fill your workspace with objects that represent your reasons. Whenever you are feeling frustrated, simply taking a look around the room will help to motivate you.
For instance, if you wanted to work from home to spend more time with your children, hang up some pictures of them. If one of your goals is making enough money to buy a new car, hang up a picture of your dream car. If you want to take a luxury vacation at the beach, put some seashells on a bookshelf to remind you of your goal.
Other people prefer a clean and uncluttered workspace. If looking at clutter bothers you, visit your local office supply store for some file folders and other organizational tools. At the end of your work day, clear your desk of all papers. When you enter your workspace the next day, your area will be clutter free and your mind will be able to focus on your work (not your clutter).
Aside from the actual environment, creating a ritual may help inspire you to work. Maybe you would like to spend the first fifteen minutes of each work day reviewing notes of what you need to work on that day; perhaps you need to light a candle or some other physical activity that tells your mind you are now in “work mode”.
Setting goals and having a visual tracking system placed within your workspace can also help you stay motivated. Even those that prefer an uncluttered workspace can still hang up a simple typed sheet of their goals. Each day, you can take a look at them to remind you of what you are working towards.
When you are done with your workday, closing the door on your workspace will clear your mind and get you ready for “family time”.
How Staying Focused Can Help You Stay Motivated
Posted by: | CommentsEveryone has times when they lack motivation. On the other hand, you may be so motivated and full of ideas that you lose your focus because you are trying to juggle too many tasks at once. The later is me. I’ve found that multi-tasking may do more harm than good. When your mind is divided by too many tasks, your productivity decreases. Here are some of my tips to help you stay focused and motivated on your business.
Choose a Niche/Specialty
Once you know what your niche market is, you will be able to focus on tasks that will help you with that particular market. Try to narrow your market as much as possible. See my previous blog on this topic.
Set Goals, and Write Them Down
When you set goals for your business, you are defining the direction in which you want to take your business. When you write them down, you are greatly increasing the odds that you will accomplish the goals you have set.
Create a Business Plan
When someone wants to start a brick and mortar business, they need to create a business plan and submit it to a bank to secure a loan. A business plan is a summary of how a business will be organized and a listing of activities that the owner needs to complete. My business plan is just for me to keep me on focus of what I want to accomplish in a given year. My accountant and business coach loves to see this too. I share it with my husband as well so he can help me with staying to task. Creating a business plan for your Stampin’ Up! business will increase your chances of success.
Stay Away From Distractions
It is easy to lose track of time when reading email, blogs, and surfing the web. Set aside a block of time in the morning and evening to take care of email. Try to limit your internet during designated work hours for tasks specific to work, such as research. Wait until you are done with your work to read the celebrity gossip.
Prioritize Your Tasks
When you write out your to-do list, prioritizing your tasks will keep you working on what is important. Some items may need to be accomplished as soon as possible, while other things can wait a day or two. Take a colored highlighter and highlight the things that need to be done ASAP. When you look at your to-do list, your eyes will be drawn to the items that need the most attention. I create a to-do list every day. I prioritize them by adding A1, A2, etc, to the ones that need to be done by the end of day. I use B1, B2, for items that need to be done in the next few days.
Outsource When Possible
As you look over your to-do list, do you notice items that can be handled by someone else? By delegating tasks to others, you will have more free time to work on things that require your attention. I offer class planning and newsletter creation services and I’ll be happy to help.
How To Alter Image Size
Posted by: | CommentsWhen working with project photos or My Digital Studio pages, you will occasionally need to re-size your photos and graphics. If you have graphic software, you can do that quite easily. Unfortunately, graphic software can be expensive, and most people do not have any. If you are among the people that do not have a graphics program, there are a couple sites on the web that allow you to alter your graphics for free.
If you know the dimensions that you want your graphic to be, you can visit resizepic.com. You will see an Image Resizer box. Click on the browse button to browse through your computer files for the picture you want to re-size. Below that box are two boxes, where you can input what height and width you want to change the image to.
Photobucket.com allows you to resize images to predetermined measurements, as well as host photos, create slide shows and more. You’ll need to register for an account with them to use these services. They offer paid accounts, but you only need the free account to do the things mentioned above.
You will find a box on photobucket’s main page that allows you to upload your images. You simply hit the browse button, look through the pictures stored on your computer, and hit upload once you have selected the picture you are looking for. This picture will be uploaded to your album.
When you are viewing your album, you can click on the image you want to alter. This will open a new screen with a large view of your image and several icons, such as ‘rotate’, ‘send to email’, and ‘resize’. The resizing option has several preset sizes, such as “avatar” size to use on message boards as well as a “website” size that you can place on your website. Just choose which size you would like, hit “ok” and your image will be resized.
