Mac is too easy

Occasionally I wonder why I bought a Mac when we have always been PC users. I love my Mac, but there are times when I can't figure out how to perform a simple task. The thought crosses my mind that it would have been easier to just stick with a PC. I hate to admit it, but I spent the last 2 days trying out different drivers for the Multifunctional Color Samsung CLX-3170 FW network printer. After installing the driver that came with the computer, going to the Samsung site and downloading their driver for Mac, troubleshooting, and checking online blogs, I found the solution.

One of the blogs led me to the Mac HD Library folder that contained a printer folder. To my amazement, there was a folder for Samsung. I installed the series CLX-3170 driver. It asked for the network location which I supplied. It took less than 2 minutes and my printer worked! I should just remember that there is usually a very simple solution with the Mac. It's just too easy.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Credentials

What qualifies you to provide the product or service you offer? Do you have a natural talent, years of experience, a degree, or certification to provide a specific service? Having a degree or certification can give you confidence and needed training, but what do customers respond to? I think it depends on whether you are offering a product (something tangible) or a service. Whether you are providing a product or service, word of mouth, reputation, integrity, and a strong network are vitally important. But trust is even more important if you are providing a service. You might provide a limited "free" product or service, but the customer still needs to trust you as a person. In his book, "Free," Chris Anderson discusses the virtues of offering something for free. His book is even available "free" on iTunes. Giving something free works best if you have a product people can see and touch. A free service is only as valuable as the person offering it.

I have degrees, certifications, and qualifications, but in my business trust is most important. Certifications are only as valuable as the organizations that provide them. Your customer needs to know the qualifications of the provider, how the certification is relevant to the service being provided, and what kind of training you received to get the certification. A formal education is easier for a customer to understand if they respect the institution that offered the degree. Natural talent is harder to quantify, but it is at least as important as formal training. Testimonials provide some verification for experiential qualifications, but there is often no way to verify their validity.

What credentials do you find most useful in your business? Whether you own a business or work for someone else, you have methods for identifying your expertise. A job seeker might use a cover letter and resume, while an entrepreneur would use business cards, brochures, and a business plan to show off their credentials. Often face-to-face contact and word of mouth show your customer your integrity better than the papers your credentials are written on. Whenever possible I hand a card, brochure, or sample product to a person so they will remember who I am and what I can do for them. Social networking and blogging can also tell your customers a lot about who you are as a person and help them feel connected to you on an ongoing basis.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Transparency

“Is lack of privacy an “opportunity for entrepreneurs?” If we haven’t had privacy for years and we want to have an ethical business, is a high degree of transparency to our advantage?” as Shel Horowitz points out. I think the transparency of the Internet and social networking can provide needed accountability. As I began to read about the lack of privacy on Google and Facebook, I felt a little bare. Then I realized that I really had nothing to hide. If I say something I regret, then maybe I needed to know that I had it in me and do something about it before the thought snowballs. I like the idea of letting people know who I am and knowing whom I am doing business with. We can accept a certain amount of humanness as we grow as entrepreneurs in our businesses and careers.

Some of my identity such as my birthdate, social security number, personal phone number and address needs to be protected as much as possible, although I can find much of it in a Google search. I don’t know how it got out there. In fact, I signed up for Google Maps and Google found websites I didn’t remember I had. I signed up for various sites to find out how well they worked and then dropped them, but the imprint is still there. Sometimes I feel like everything I ever wrote it still out there. I can see how much my writing has improved, but it can be a little shocking to find things I wrote four or five years ago still hanging out on the web. I guess part of transparency is seeing the growth through the years.

I have made it my business to be an advocate for healthy business practices and healthy employees. With so many corporations and businesses cutting back on customer service while taking advantage of a needy workforce, I want to support ethical businesses. Sometimes paying the cheapest price now costs more later in loss of jobs, economic fluctuations, and social problems. I like reading that Shel Horowitz supports ethical business practices as I do. I also like the fact that as entrepreneurs we will be accountable to our readers.

This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Entrepreneurship is a Growing Trend

Entrepreneurship is growing as a career path. According to the Kaufman Index, the downturn in the economy seems to be driving more people to start their own businesses when they find themselves unemployed. As a result there is an increase in the number of businesses that tend to generate smaller incomes. Owners of these businesses may face greater financial challenges due to lack of capital to invest and less business experience. But it doesn't take a high level of education, years of business experience or a lot of money to be successful in a business. Some factors that may help overcome lack of capital are:

• Strong network
• Filling a need
• Products that are affordable
• Passion
• Drive
• Time to work on the business
• Strong family support system

Those entrepreneurs who are struggling in this economy may be able to tap into their resourcefulness, and need to succeed to make their businesses work. Struggling entrepreneurs may bring much needed creativity and new perspective to their problem industries. With the current level of unemployment and with corporations failing, there must be something wrong with the way we are doing business. We need a new way of thinking and working. The upcoming young and older entrepreneurs will provide impetus for change regardless of how much money they make. Tapping into the strengths of diverse cultures may bring different ways of doing business, such as:

• Families working together
• Communities supporting local entrepreneurs
• Small businesses cooperating and collaborating
• Trading services
• Community small business centers

I believe one of the biggest obstacles many of these businesses face is a lack of business knowledge. With the current level of job loss a growing number of people want to start their own businesses. Often they have a skill that they are very good at, but don't know where to begin to get information for starting a business. Many artisans and people with expert skills lack the understanding, interest, organization, and communication skills to plan and implement necessary business tools. Each of us uses a different measure of success. Having a simple plan, support systems, and accountability will help new entrepreneurs find success.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Affiliate Websites

I tried Google AdSense, and I didn't like the ads that dominated my website. I moved them out of the way to the bottom of my blog. Now they are not a nuisance, but they have little chance of producing revenue. I will take them off soon.

I am much more interested in the affiliate programs. As an affiliate, I can choose companies that I use and respect, and I control the size of the banner or link. I can place adds and links in the text and/or on the sidebar. I enjoy sharing business tools that I have looked at and can review myself or get feedback from readers on their value. Here are some sites that will get you started as an affiliate.

Commission Junction (probably the best known)
Connect Commerce (Google)
Linkshare (I'm not familiar with this one)

Each affiliate site has their own set of rules to follow. They are all similar, but you will want to read the agreements before you sign. You will need to give them your business EIN or social security number for tax purposes. Each company has rules that you need to follow to continue doing business with them. Again each is similar, but there are important variations. Here are a few examples.

Vista Print (It's my link, try it!)
Allows you to click on your own link and get commission from the products you buy.

Quickbooks
Doesn't allow you to click on your link, they require their link to be placed ahead of a competitors link, and they have a really nice button for "greener" products.

GoDaddy
Has some REALLY big banners, so watch what you choose, they have different sizes, styles, and specials to choose from.

Watch your email for changes and updates from your affiliate partners. I will be adding more soon. It does take time to set them up.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Living Naturally

In the last few years I’ve become more aware of how our lives and careers impact the environment. From reading websites like the New American Dream and Green Career Central to learning that my daughter chose to use cloth diapers and cloth napkins rather than disposable, I can see how many small changes make a huge impact on creating a healthier planet. Recently my four-year old grandson was visiting recently and asked, “Nona, what happens if the earth gets sick?” The question surprised me but I told him that the earth is getting kind of sick, and we are cleaning it up. Our children remind us how important it is to create a healthy planet.

I’ve been thinking about ways that I can enhance my coaching business by offering a tangible product that promotes healthy living and a healthier planet. In business seminars they say that when times get tough people want a band-aid rather than a vitamin. I have been offering the vitamin in the form of coaching, classes and workshops that support strategies for long-term success, but I realized that in our present economy people often want something to make them feel better now.

So I started looking for band-aids. Products that taste good, are safe for the environment and have healing properties. I began researching companies I was familiar with that are known to have products that are healthy and safe for the environment. I was having difficulty finding a product that fit the niche I was looking for. Then I remembered a delicious Cucumber Dill Dip that I bought at the California State Fair from a Watkins Associate. Watkins products have been known for their healing and environmentally safe products since 1868. Watkins products are soothing, safe, and have the NPA and DFE Certifications for providing natural products that are designed for the environment.

With an investment of only $39.99 I became a Watkins Associate and started using Watkins products at a 25% discount. If you are interested in joining me in creating A Greener Business through using and promoting Watkins products, you can contact me by phone or email for more information. If you just want to try some products use the Watkins website www.watkinsonline.com and enter my Watkins Associate ID # 384397.

I started my business to use my passion, training, and experience to provide a service that I felt was important. I'm living my dream everyday. My passion drives my business rather than my business driving me. If you are a person with an entrepreneurial personality, you may be driven to own a business and then find a product or service that fits your lifestyle. What drives you to work at what you do?

With Love and Happiness,
Nancy Miller, M.S.
Watkins Associate
ID #384397



This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Free Webinars for Entrepreneurs

Sramana Mitra, entrepreneur and Forbes columnist will be offering a free webinar on sales strategies June 9, 2009 10:00 AM. Visit her website http://www.sramanamitra.com/

http://www.insideview.com/WEBINAR/SRAMANA/

Visit her website: http://www.sramanamitra.com/ for other free webinars.


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Affiliates

I have been hearing a lot about affiliate programs lately, and I've been thinking about adding advertisers that I use or that seem to fit with the content of this blog. At a recent conference, one of the presenters discussed the money earning power of Google AdSense. I'd been avoiding such open advertising, but decided to try it out on this blog first since it is related to doing business. After spending about an hour and half reading about the program and feeling like I was probably wasting my time, I signed up. Even though I was skeptical, I didn't want to sign up without some clue about what I was signing up for. I was surprised to find that Google had some good policies such as not allowing their ads to go into popups, unsolicited emails, or adult content. Google allows you to put the code for your ads anywhere on your website or you can use their simple process. Obviously if the ads are not very visible, you won't get the pay per click revenue.

After taking the plunge and signing up for AdSense ads that were supposed to be related to this website, I found a list of ads that were unrelated such as earn big $ to work at home and templates for $335..and up (at least they said up front that they were charging.) I deleted the ads and added "monetize" again. I'm not completely happy with the ads since one ad didn't spell "custom business plans" correctly. Another advertiser claims you can become a successful Life Coach in 30 days by listening to his CD's at home. Typically certification from reputable coaching programs involves home study, coach training, supervised coaching, and a test. While a person with a graduate degree in a psychology or counseling could step into coaching through self-study, not everyone has the training and background to be a coach without going through a rigorous program. While I would not endorse any of these ads, they don't appear inappropriate for a business website.

Since Blogger is part of Google, they make it very easy to "monetize" your blog. I like the fact that it is also very easy to delete the ads if I don't like them. I will continue with AdSense and see how I like it. I don't think I will have these ads visible enough to make them very profitable. It's easy to insert the ads after every post and on the sidebar. The options are simple to apply and change. I chose to put the ads on the sidebar after all of my links and blogroll. Less intrusive, but also less profitable. You can take a moment to click on the ads and see how AdSense works. Google policy asks that the publisher not click on their ads, so I will go to each site to see what I am advertising. Let me know if you should have any problems after clicking on the ads. Just post a comment.

I will be soon begin adding affiliates that I use and/or am familiar with. I will also report on the different ads posted on this site. Let me know your experience with affiliates. Are you finding them profitable, intrusive or both?


This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. Contact us for more information.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Social Entrepreneurship is growing

The concept of Social Entrepreneurship is growing. Entrepreneurs who are able to earn a living while improving the economy or working conditions of people all over the world. Seeing products, colors, and styles from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia brings us closer to the people and cultures who made them. Social Entrepreneurs are bringing Artisan's crafts from developing countries with rich culture and tradition to the United States. Other social entrepreneurs such as Tom's Shoes and One Laptop per Child give a product each time you buy one. Social entrepreneurs are going all over the world to use their business expertise to build positive relationships while helping to economies one person at a time.

In the United States we don't have the mass poverty that is seen in developing countries but we have a growing number of people who are poor and disenfranchised. Social entrepreneurs have an opportunity to teach people the skills they need to end the cycle of poverty and give them a place in their communities. Teaching people Gardening, Crafts, and Business Skills empower them to use their talents and gain much needed economic opportunities.

While teaching an entrepreneurship through gardening class, I found that the women in the group were very enthusiastic about growing vegetables and having healthy produce for their families. Gardening takes work and responsibility, but it is a healthy way to de-stress.

What opportunities do you see for doing business while helping your community and the planet?

This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Coffee Shop Networking

Networking is all about making connections, developing relationships, and building trust. The beauty of coffee shop networking is that you can connect with someone you've never met before or someone you have an ongoing relationship with over coffee or a cup of tea. The purpose of coffee shop networking is to share interests and then just see what happens. I've developed and maintained my best working relationships at a coffee shop. With no agenda or sales pitch, it's easy to find ways to connect.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with someone whom I hadn't seen in 2 or 3 years. I recently found her through Linkedin. It took some maneuvering to find a time that worked for both of us, but it was worth the persistence. She is working with Freedom from Hunger, a nonprofit working to fight world hunger, and I am working with a local food bank supporting economic empowerment through gardening. We had so much to share and it seemed like I could talk and listen all day. The time was too short, but I felt a lot of support for the work I am doing and learned about a wonderful organization fighting world hunger. Through our busy schedules, I'm sure we will meet again. Once you connect at the coffee shop, it seems like your paths continue to cross.

When I talk to people who love their jobs, it is usually because of the relationships they developed with the people they work with. Today I had a coffee shop meeting and made a new connection. I met someone who wants to start a garden at his church to help the community. A visionary director said she was meeting with people she wanted to work with. We agreed that finding the right relationships were the most important part of making a project successful.

This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Evaluate Your Plan

With businesses struggling, counting every penny, and multitasking at a faster rate, when is there time to plan? It's easy to skip over evaluating your marketing plan, your product, your customer, your service, your budget and especially yourself. Wow! It does sound a little overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Taken in one sentence, planning sounds pretty meaty and time consuming. Break it down to a conscious lifestyle and way of doing business, planning is as natural as having lunch. But just like waiting until you feel like you are starving to think about lunch, waiting until you are in a crisis to think about planning can leave you feeling hungry.

It takes a little time initially to think about what drives you. But if you know your values, strengths, and why you are in business, you will be driven to succeed wherever that success takes you. As long as you hold the steering wheel, and you drive your business or career rather than letting it drive you, success will be at your fingertips. Marketing is important in the process, but it shouldn't BE the process.

Marketing plans are in the news. The March 20, 2009 Sacramento Business Journal article, "Get your marketing plan in order," suggests several steps for evaluating your marketing plan. Lori Prosio suggests: Analyzing your current situation; Knowing your target market; Setting attainable goals; trategic and practical planning; Budgeting; Evaluating often; and Seeking a professional consultant when needed. These are excellent steps that should be applied to your full personal/business plan. Putting your money into marketing without evaluating your business success plan regularly is like paying a resume resume writer before you've decided on a career path.

The trend is to market harder, better, and by whatever means necessary. But marketing should be your trunk full of goodies, your tool box, or persona, not your steering wheel. When your business becomes more about marketing a product, than having an excellent product to sell, you have gone too far. In her March 25th Roundtable discussion, Sraman Mitra emphasizes the need for an excellent product first. You as the business person are at the beginning of the plan and your marketing strategies will follow your product.

This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional or contact Nancy for more information.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Product

Your purpose for doing business

Some people are born entrepreneurs. They want to be their own boss, start something new and follow a process, take on a risk or challenge and see what happens, or just try something unique and different.

Born entrepreneurs want to have their own business and will find something to produce, a service to provide, or market someone else’s idea. If one business fails they will start another sometimes very different from the first one.

Executive entrepreneurs have a service or product that they believe will be profitable. They start a business so that they can work independently to provide the best product or service. Often they work for someone else until they have the expertise, network, and financial independence to take off on their own.

Creative entrepreneurs have a business so they can do what they love. They might work for someone else until they get their business started, or they might continue to maintain a paying job while following their passion. The creative entrepreneur has a business sell something they like producing or to provide a service they feel is important.

Before investing in a business, it is important to know why you want to start a business. Are you motivated by a bigger paycheck, lack of work, or by filling a need. Knowing why you want to start the business will help you determine how much time and money to invest, how you will measure success, and how you will market your product or service.

This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only. Contact informaiton at www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Facebook

Join the Entrepreneur's Networking Cafe group on Facebook. Share resources, information, news, and events of interest to all of us who think like entrepreneurs in our work and businesses. If you are a creative independent thinker who is always coming up with ideas, you will fit very well in the group. This site is not for marketing, but if you have real information about how you are succeeding, what success means to you, or how you balance your life and work, you can also include your business name and web address. The best way to market yourself and your business is by sharing useful information, products, and resources.

We had fun meeting at the coffee shop with amazing results. Our small group found so many connections that the meeting resulted in internships, tours, presentations, and Jewelry and craft shows.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Vision

Most people don’t wake up in the morning and think about their vision. I do. I wonder if I will wake up with clear or cloudy vision, and that’s just my eyesight. I was born with cloudy lenses. I didn’t have a clear picture of the world or my place in the world. While most people aren’t born with cloudy eyesight, many of us go through our lives without a clear picture of what we want. Like the sand on the beach, we sometimes wait for the next tide to pull us in another direction without really knowing where we are going.

When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do or be. I can hardly remember having any dreams, goals, or plans. I waited for opportunities to come to me. I still had cloudy vision, and no idea who I was or what I wanted. Some people seem to know from an early age what they want to be. They seem to have an internal map providing a direction and sense of purpose. They may even demonstrate remarkable talents at an early age. But just knowing your talents and abilities isn’t enough to clarify your vision. Your talents are the abilities that you are born with, and your vision lets you know how you want to use those abilities.

Vision
The ability to see
-Encarta World English Dictionary

Having vision is more than the ability to see with your eyes. Your vision is your picture of the future. Your vision includes your dreams, expectations, and unconscious desires. Honoring your vision and valuing your dreams gives rise to your imagination and creativity.

Vision
“the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom.
-New Oxford American Dictionary

I call this a vision map. Whether your map is clear or vague, you have some kind of picture or expectation for your future. You may have a picture framed by fear of the future and limiting beliefs, or you may see a world full of opportunities. But even people who have a very clear picture need to broaden their landscape. Like taking your camera lens from zoom in to zoom out, we need to take time to look at the bigger picture. If you know what you want to do, what you like about the things you are doing, and where to look for opportunities, you will stay resilient and ready for the future.

Having a clear vision of your expectations opens up opportunities for living in the moment, challenging limiting beliefs, and changing course to adapt to new opportunities and adventures. If your vision is unclear or you are experiencing difficult life transitions, contact Nancy Miller, MS., LifeWork Coach.

This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Your Story

What’s your story? You have a unique and interesting story to tell about your experiences, hopes and dreams. Your story includes your successes, challenges, credentials, and the people who helped you along the way. Your mentors, partners, and heroes helped shape your path, and your family, culture, and environment were a springboard for your career. Whether you feel like you took a bungee jump off of a cliff or a gentle climb through a bed of roses, your environment gave you challenges and opportunities that helped you build the character and resilience for finding where your dreams can lead you.

This month in the LifeWork Planning Guides we will develop a Personal Summary. Your Personal Summary is the first step in your LifeWork Success Plan. Your Personal Summary will give you a good start on your personal/career portfolio or the executive summary for your business plan.

In the business plan this would be the Executive Summary. It would be placed at the beginning of your business plan, but it would be completed when you finish your plan. This section can be completed now and then later you can condense, revise, or add to it after you have completed your LifeWork Success Plan™. Your LifeWork Success Plan™ is your personal business plan that can be used to help you stay focused and motivated in your career, or it can be used as a preliminary business plan. You will decide whether to share it, or keep it as your own career inspiration.

Your personal summary is the story of you. You have natural strengths that you were born with as well as skills and character that you developed over your lifetime. Your story includes not only your skills and abilities, but more importantly, what brought you to the place where you are today. Take a moment to think about who you are and why you are doing the work you are doing. Even better, write a paragraph or two (or several pages) on what led you to do what you are currently doing. You will find motivation and inspiration in your own story. Most people don’t like to think about a business plan, but your personal plan is about you. Enjoy yourself!

LifeWork Planning Guides™ help you stay motivated and inspired to do the work you love to do. When you complete the 12 months of LifeWork Planning Guides™, you will have completed the 12-step LifeWork Success Plan™ To receive your next LifeWork Planning Guide™, sign up through PayPal with no obligation. The first month is free. LifeWork Planning Guides give you an affordable guide to developing a plan for success in your life and business.

This website is intended for informational purposes only. Comments are open to the public and not endorsed by the author. For career advise, coaching, or counseling, please seek out a professional who can meet your personal needs.

Nancy Miller, M.S., Career Management Consultant
Copyright Center for LifeWork Design © 2007
Reprint by permission only – www.centerforlifeworkdesign.org

Think like an entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs are innovative, hard working, and willing to take calculated risks. Successful entrepreneurs research, plan, develop a product or service, and then market creatively. They invest time and money when needed to meet their own success goals, and re-evaluate their goals regularly.

Whether you are working in a career you love, looking to transition into something new and different, or starting/maintaining a business, you need to think like an entrepreneur. Introverts and extroverts may find very different ways to market their products and skills, but everyone can develop a network. Your network is your interactive support system for finding your personal/career success.

People of all ages are using technology for information, socializing, and learning. The internet is a fabulous tool for researching, playing, and building a social network, but it is not a substitute for real people. Anonymity on the internet can be fun, exciting, scary, or a deterrent to your career success depending on how it is used. Having a Real Person Network is a necessary addition to having an online presence.

Whether you are building a business presence or looking for a job, the internet is a good place to start. But with all of the marketing toward the use of the internet, you can easily be lulled into thinking that it is your best business/career resource. The Job Market section of today's Sacramento Bee describes internet tools such as CareerBuilder and says, "To maximize visibility in front of employers, job seekers should use these job-search options." While the internet tools described can be very helpful to a job seeker, they should not be relied on too heavily. There are jobs and careers that use technology more than others to seek out employees, but trust and face-to-face contact are often much more important than the internet.

Beware of putting your resume on sites like Careerbuilder.com. Many websites ask for personal information, and send back hundreds of unwanted emails. Remember to not provide your address, social security number, or personal references with your resume on any online sites (with the exception of possibly government websites or secure sites that you have thoroughly checked out.) Make sure the website you are using begins with http:// and then the site you are looking for to avoid having your information hijacked by phishing and scams. Use common sense and caution when using the internet and social networking sites. You may find that you are not as anonymous as you think you are, and you need to know where your information is going. With the internet, you might be surprised where your persoanl information ends up.

Enjoy your adventure in networking. There are so many ways to network that there is a place for everyone to find connections. Successful networking means looking for people and places where your interests, values, products, and services find common ground.