Business and the Importance of Writing

As a business owner, you are well aware of the old adage, "Put your best foot forward". So, how can you do exactly that?

Most business owners are totally unaware just how important having great written materials are to their business.

For example: You're at a networking function and an important contact gives you his/her business card. The card is either too plain and doesn't have all the crucial information on it, or the colors are garish and prompt you to toss it in the trash. It's the same thing as if they wore a suit after it had been wadded up in the closet for a month. First impressions are everything.

Or, perhaps you have a brochure to give to a potential customer. Oops, there is a typo. What does that say about your business?

The bottom line is: whether it's a brochure, a business card, or web content, those are the written materials that will keep giving long after your customer or client recieves it. That is why you need an articulate, smart writer to create marketing and corporate materials in YOUR voice.

What are the Benefits?

Since you are outsourcing your writing there is no need to create a full-time writer position within your company. That means you SAVE money due to:

* NO Worker's Compensation insurance

* NO Employment Taxes

* NO Benefit Expenses

* NO Costly training or attrition

What other Benefits are there to outsourcing a writer?

* You retain the services of a writer that has over 15 years of Human Resources and general business background

* I am an award-winning, published author

* I have written numerous books for other clients ranging from Fiction - Non-Fiction

* I have written for individuals and corporations

* I have REPEAT business

Try me out, you'll be glad you did.

Found this Great Site Today and I Want to Pass it On

Want to send support to soldier in harm's way but have no idea what to send, who to send it to, or how to send.....Check out this website for answers to these questions.

www.anysoldier.com

Frequently Asked Questions and maybe some answers:

This started in late July 2003 when we became aware that our son, Sergeant Brian Horn with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, was still living under extremely harsh conditions. His unit parachuted into Northern Iraq on 26 March 2003 (Brian spent his birthday on that plane) and 5 months later was still sleeping on the ground. We never knew this, it wasn't told to us by Brian or any of his soldiers. It was by a report and pictures in Stars & Stripes!

Our family was sending Brian boxes of stuff to help him with his lack of food and simply to show support. We learned that he was handing out a lot of the stuff we sent, he was always asking for more to help the guys he was with. Brian's father, Marty, did 20 years in the Army and is all too familiar with the feeling of non-support, and did not want to see his son or the other soldiers feel the same garbage shown him during the VietNam era. We decided together to send boxes addressed to Brian, but with the added line of "ATTN: Any Soldier" so he would know those boxes weren't for him, they were to be passed around. We contacted all our friends and relatives, using email to keep them informed on what and how to send support. We decided on August 26th to post a web page instead of bothering everybody all the time with email, they could simply check the site when they were ready to help.

The domain name of "AnySoldier.COM" was not available, but "AnySoldier.US" was, so that we became.

Brian's Aunt in North Carolina contacted a radio station, WBT, and the good folks there got involved, even doing radio interviews with us several times. That changed everything. The folks in the Charlotte, N.C. area jumped at the chance to help the soldiers of the 173rd and support started in a big way. We then added up to 7 contact soldiers in Brian's unit to help distribute all the packages.

As Christmas neared we saw a need to expand our effort beyond Brian's unit, and on January 1st we changed the web site to include ANY soldier. That turned out to be not the best decision as we were told that Airmen, Marines, and Sailors wanted to be part of this successful effort also. And so now they are.

We will retain our name in honor of the soldiers we started this for, who left Iraq in February 2004. Any Soldier Inc. is very proud to be a part of thousands of service men and women's lives, and we enjoy the enthusiastic and generous support of folks around the world.

Any Soldier Inc. is different from every other effort in a number of important ways; it was started by a Combat Infantry Soldier on the ground in Iraq who gave excellent suggestions on what to send, it is run by a retired Army soldier who knows the look on a soldier's face when they get mail, and when they don't.

It is a completely volunteer effort where you have the chance to show your support, in whatever way you want, directly to soldiers you select, and that is why this is so successful. Any Soldier Inc. will continue to grow, improve, and with your help, make the lives of our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors just a bit better in that they will know we care and appreciate their sacrifice.

In September 2004 we were finally successful in acquiring the domain name "AnySoldier.com" and started to migrate away from AnySoldier.us to help avoid the confusion many folks had over the "dot US" name.

In August of 2005 we aquired AnyAirman.com, AnyMarine.com, AnySailor.com, and AnyCoastGuardsman.com domain names and started work on offering 5 service-specific versions of the web site.

"Freedom isn't free! Just ask Any Soldier !"

How does this work?
You select one or more soldiers from the Where to Send page. You will notice the Soldier's address includes the line, "ATTN: Any Soldier" . The Soldiers are volunteers for this effort, they will see the "Attn" line, and will put your letters and packages into the hands of Soldiers who don't get much or any mail. This effort is 110% voluntary.

We provide help on the What to Send and How to Send pages.

You send your support, and maybe some stuff, directly to whatever unit or units you want, you don't send us anything. PLEASE read the entire web site before you send anything as we want you to be informed and comfortable with this effort.

Can I email the Soldiers?
We never release email addresses, sorry. It is our policy so as to protect the contacts from huge amounts of SPAM.
We do suggest however that if you wish to email with the Soldiers that you send your email address in your letter or package and let the Soldiers contact you.

Can I send homemade cookies? I make the best in the world!
No, not unless you send to a Soldier that knows you.
We warn the Soldiers to not eat anything that does not come in a factory sealed package.
This is really a sad sign of the times, but you can understand that for safety reasons it has to be this way. The Soldiers will throw out any homemade items so please don't waste your time or money sending the most bestest cookies ever made.

Can I just send letters? How do I and what should I say?
There is not one thing on this site, or anywhere, that requires you to send stuff.Letters are THE MOST requested thing by these Soldiers.
So, all you need do is send a normal letter in a normal envelope with a normal stamp.Tip: If you want, put your email address in your letter, many Soldiers can and prefer to reply that way.

What to write?Too easy: like you are talking to a friend, because that is what that Soldier is going to be to you real quick.It is also VERY helpful if you leave your full return address as part of your letter, envelopes tend to get trashed quickly.

Can I use this site to complete OUR project?
You sure can!However, you MUST use the address *exactly* as we send it to you including the attention line under the contact's name.
Our contacts trust us and we work hard to offer you the most accurate addresses possible. Other organizations gather addresses from anywhere; the woman down the street who knows a girl that has a cousin in Iraq...etc.Our mission is to get support to the troops, and that includes getting supporters addresses they can rely on. Don't waste your time and money on organizations who pass out expired or invalid addresses.

Our contacts look for the attention line in their mail. Your project or organization will use the addresses as you get them from us. Do not 'rebrand' Any Soldier®.

Can you help me find a Soldier, Marine, Airman, Sailor?
Sorry, no. Two suggestions:
1. Find the unit's web page and contact them that way, or2. Use the locators:
ARMY
(703) 325-3732
AIR FORCE
(210) 652-5774
NAVY
(901) 874-3388
USMC
(703) 614-3144
Coast Guard
(202) 493-1697

Can you send me the names of Soldiers who want to get mail?
No. In my 20 years as an Army Sergeant, I can tell you that I don't support this idea one bit. First of all, lists like this are usually bogus. "Soldier, sign your name on this list."

Also, if a Soldier is really lonely, he isn't about to advertise that.
Another reason is that I have seen this backfire in a big way.A Soldier's name is on a list and he has no idea that he is advertised.Worse is when his family is identified as not caring about that Soldier. Not good.

Let a Soldier contact you if he/she wishes.

Do I get a tax deduction for the money I spend supporting the troops?
Normally, no. Donations (monetary only) direct to Any Soldier Inc. are deductible. However, we are not tax consultants, not even close. If you are concerned with the tax effects on your support, please consult with a legitimate tax wiz before you take the plunge.

Does this include Reserve and National Guard units?
Absolutely!!! While in a war zone, they ARE Active Duty!

Doesn't the government give the Soldiers everything they need?
I get this a lot, and it is a good question.
First, define 'need'. Does your employer give you everything you need to do your job? Then why did you buy that briefcase/laptop/day planner/space heater/lava lamp on your desk?You get the picture, you got those things to make your job easier or better.

Also, ever go to your local store and they were out of what you went there for? And you don't even live in a war zone! They do!!

For Scouts:
Can Scouts use AnySoldier.com? You bet. AnySoldier.com's President is an old Eagle Scout. If you want to do a project with your Scouts, it might be helpful to read the next item, "For Teachers". Need more help, fire me an email.
Working on your Eagle Project or Gold Award and want to use AnySoldier.com as a basis? This is a popular idea and you will join a large number of new Eagles who have already done this.

The steps I recommend:1. Read ALL the home page, FAQ, and How to Send pages first.2. Spend at least one hour reading entries in the "Where to Send" page so you have a good feel for the contact's wants and needs.3. Talk to your parents about your project and your plan.4. Draw up your plan, keeping in mind all steps in your project (advertising, collecting, sorting and packing, and postage), then send to me by email.I will assist any Scout working on their Eagle or Gold, you can count on that.

For Teachers:
We get questions all the time from teachers if using AnySoldier.com is a way their students can write letters to the Soldiers or how to go about it.
Too easy.

Start by reading ALL the home page, then the FAQ (this) page. It will help a lot if you do your homework prior to using this site or trying to organize any effort to write to the Soldiers. There are any number of ways you can have your students show their support of the Soldiers, but here is a suggestion:

Make it a homework assignment for the students to read the AnySoldier.com web site.We *strongly* encourage that their parents also be involved in this.Ask the students to pick their favorite contact, and write a short note why.Then have an in-class discussion on the web site, and set up some kind of competition on who the best contact(s) are (this can be by a drawing by young students, a paper by older ones, or a debate by even older students) and the class picks the contact(s) the entire class will then support.

This really gets the students to not only get behind your idea because they will quickly learn that they CAN make a difference, but will then be smart enough to help you pull off your intended project. With luck, this will spark not only their interest, but may help getting their parents involved.

Another often asked question is can they send all the letters/drawings in one package to the same address, or do they need to be in separate envelopes? The answer is both. Either way works. Be mindful that you don't want to send 37 letters to a contact that is supporting only 3 folks...

Many more questions and answers for you on the website...Take a look today and make a difference!

My First Love Photography

I have finally begun work on my Photography Blog today. So many of my projects I have been involved with have included my photography in one
style or another.

Samples of my different styles and some examples of past projects will be able to be seen now at www.fullcirclephotography.blogspot.com.

Photos can now be purchased by contacting me at mssphotography@aol.com.

Looking for something special and do not see on my blog? Just ask and I might have what you are looking for in one of my photo library collections.

Hope you all enjoy.

Decorating for Halloween

Halloween is not just for kids, it is a holiday that is fun for everyone. Just as many adults celebrate this holiday as children, and they enjoy it as much if not more.

Choosing a costume is the biggest part of celebrating Halloween; however decorating for it allows you to use your imagination in ways that may not be appropriate any other time of year.

Adults that love this holiday go to great lengths to decorate their homes, offices and even their cars. Choosing the right decorations are critical.
Many people who are environmentally conscience want to decorate their homes, however they do not want to purchase anything that can do harm.
Organic Halloween decorations are fast becoming the most chosen form of decoration by those who have ‘gone green’ because they are all natural, organic pieces that can be found in many different shapes and sizes.

These decorations can make all the difference when you are decorating your home or office Halloween party. Organic Halloween decoration are inexpensive, non-threatening to the atmosphere and just plain fun to decorate with.
You can use them to decorate windows, walls, and doorways and all are 100% safe, this is a great way to decorate, especially if you have small children in your home.

Halloween is the second most celebrated holiday of the year. When the season arrives, Halloween shops open all over cities and towns across the country. They offer an assortment of decorations from humorous to very scary. When you have small children, you want them to enjoy the Halloween season, not be traumatized by it.

Let’s face it, when you purchase anything organic these days, it seems like you are paying triple the cost of regular items and this is why a lot of people do not buy organic merchandise.

My name is Kelly; I am the author of Kelly’s Kolumn. I create organic decorations for each season, and I offer them at a very low cost. All of my decorations are environmentally friendly because they are all edible. They are safe for small children because they are made from all natural ingredients. In today’s world, not too many people can make that claim.

The best part is that when Halloween is over, the children can add the decorations to their bags of candy!

If you are interested in ordering your organic decorations, email me at kelly_howe_3@yahoo.com

It is important to place your orders early as all orders are shipped in mid September to assure delivery by October 1st.

Word of Mouth Programs & Paid Online Surveys

This morning on Good Morning America they had a segment on paid online surveys. Most you can make money or obtain great gifts. They are some of the survey sites that I am setup for and I can say I do make money and actually learn something new form the surveys. You earn points for every survey and that will lead to the gifts or the cash.

Enjoy!

Take a look the list at:http://www.womenforhire.com/survey

Have you dreamed of writing "The Great American Novel"?

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Shopping with Children

Kelly's Kolumn

Shopping with children can be a frustrating experience. For some parents shopping with a hard to manage child can be a nightmare. When the child is told that he or she cannot get a certain toy, the situation can swiftly turn into a very loud and embarrassing situation.

Children need boundaries; they need structure and rules in order to be able to deal with everyday, however for some children, enforcing the rules that are set may become a battlefield of resistance. It is important to remember that saying no does not mean you are bad parent.

When a baby is born, it is very easy to give in to the urge to spoil him or her. It is not a problem when they are infants, however as they get older, and you start to say no, you may find yourself in a situation that many parents face – a screaming demon on the floor of the department store, thrashing around and turning colors until they get what they want. It is at these moments that you need to gather your strength and just simply walk away.

Tell your child that he or she will not get what they want by acting this way, and that it is unacceptable behavior. Tell him or her that you do not want to see them acting this way and simply walk around the corner of the isle. This may seem harsh, however IT WORKS!!! When they do not have your attention, and strangers are looking at them horrified, they will stop immediately.

If they do not stop, then it may be necessary to remove the child from the store. Sit him or her in the car and tell him or her that he or she will not be allowed back into the store until he or she can behave properly. If the behavior continues, simply leave the store and drive home.

Don’t think that other people in the store will judge you, because many of them have been there themselves and know exactly what you are doing. For those who don’t, they will face the same situation at one point in their lives.

It is also important that you do not lose your head in public. Children know how to push our buttons. Often times, we just give in and give them what they want just to get a little peace and quiet, and children knowing that we crave this will keep on pushing buttons until they get it what they want.

If your child is prone to this type of behavior, setting the ground rules before stepping foot in the store will forewarn them that there will be consequences to their behavior.

Tell your children that if they do not behave in the store we will leave immediately and they will not be able to go with me the next time you shop, and if they misbehave, then they go to the babysitter for the next shopping trip.
It is important that you associate the punishment with the offense. In other words, do not take their television time away for misbehaving in the store. They will probably forget what they did wrong by the time they get home anyway.

You will most likely have to remind them why they are going to the babysitter. Depending on their age, he or she will not remember what triggered you to hire a babysitter. It is important that you do not get angry when reminding them, simply tell them that their behavior was unacceptable on the last shopping trip, and that there are consequences for the choices that they make.

What to do…what to do…

Kelly's Kolumn
The summer months are here and the kids are on vacation from school, however just because they are on vacation doesn’t mean that you are, especially if you work from home.

This is the season that is most chaotic, more than Thanksgiving and more than Christmas. Finding things to keep your children occupied is going to be a feat in itself.

There are a lot of things that you can do if you have a creative streak; all you have to do is think about it. Ask your kids for their opinions- they’re the ones who will benefit from it and use it the most.

Create a kids closet – creating a kids closet is simply taking a room in your home and turning it into an art room. Stocking it is as expensive as you would think. Visiting your local dollar store will yield you all of the stock you needs, however if you want more, take uncooked macaroni and dye it different colors with food coloring. (Make sure the macaroni has dried before using it or you will have a horrible mess)

Place a corkboard on one wall of the room so your budding artists have a place to display their art collection. Make sure you have plenty of tape to hang it up with.

Set up a play area in the yard that will allow your children to play in, and if you have one, a pool. It will be very important that they are supervised even it the pool is small. Having a laptop will assist you in supervising and you will also be able to get your work done.

It is important that you create a balance in between your work at home job and your stay at home kids. There will be times when you will have to put your work on hold to keep your kids occupied. Take a few hours to take them to the park or the lake. Explain to them that your work is very important and that it needs to be done on time.

Save your big or difficult project for when your kids go to bed. You will be able to concentrate better if there is no noise or chaos around you.

It will be necessary to rearrange your work schedule when summer vacation rolls around, however it can be managed and you will be able to get your work done with a little time management.

We once again would like to introduce you to another addition to our group!

Her Name is Shirley Bongbong and she comes to us from Philippines . Yes, that is what I said. I am excited because she comes to us, bringing once again, new service offering to our team.

Her specialities include handling client emails, data entry, research, writing essays and blogs, transcription, and other projects such as Quest and Quickbooks.

Customer support is very important to her and would like help your Company with email support, live chat support, and anything else in the customer support area.

She even handles Captcha work.

Here are some of her current blogs to take a look at:

http://www.love-a-date.com/
http://www.blogwrite.org/
http://www.writeblogs.net/
http://www.blog-an-ad.com/

Please help me wish Shirley our best and hope she can be of help to your Company.

Are you looking for a Freelance Job?

Well, if you are, then Full Circle Admin can help you..We have a Service that checks all the freelance boards (over 50) and finds particular jobs for different people with different skills.

Whether you are a poet, article writer, ghostwriter, blogger....We can look at the boards and find the jobs that you are looking for and email them to you...It takes time to do so let Full Circle Admin, do it for you.


There are many different options we have available so if you are interested in this service....Email mssphotography@aol.com to find out what we have available and the different plans we have.