Productivity @ Home

Social Media Do's & Don'ts for College Students

Over at UniversityParent.com, there is a terrific article entitled Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for College Students.  The facts and ideas presented in this column are important to review with your children of any age who may be using Social Media.  Around our house, my kids are constantly reminded that their Facebook pages are their "online resumes" -- future college choices, employers, and even their own parents will be closely watching their online activities and judging their characters as a result.

The information in this article is also pertinent to adults of any age who are active online.  Think twice before you type, post a photo or video, or hit "send". 

Working From Home: Interview with Maria O’Brien

Today's guest column is written by Brian Killian.  Brian is a freelance writer.  Follow him on Twitter.

Maria O'Brien is a stay-at-home-mom and a writer who happens to be one of the top earning writers on eHow.com, a site full of helpful "how-to" articles written by ordinary people. It's one of the many popular websites that share revenue with those who help create the content for the site.

Here's how it works. These websites rank highly in the search engines where people are looking for answers. They make money with advertisements on the site. They share a portion of this advertising revenue with the content creators. Those with the most popular or useful articles get the biggest share. People make anywhere from nothing to thousands of dollars a month writing for these sites. Maria make over $2000 a month.

She graciously agreed to answer a few questions I put to her via email (my questions are in bold).

Are you a full time Mom?

Maria: Yes, I stay home full time with my three children, ages 2 to 6. We do some homeschooling and they go to a Montessori Atrium one day a week. In the fall, they will be in a Catholic school/ preschool three half-days a week.

How are you able to stay at home and also earn money?

Maria: I started by freelance writing and grading English papers from home, doing about 10-15 hours a week while the children slept, or played quietly. Now, I earn money through online writing and marketing, earning more money than before while often putting in fewer hours. Residual income, through sites like eHow.com, allows me to work less while earning more over time.

So anyone can write articles for eHow?

Maria: Yes, anyone who can write coherent sentences and knows how to do things (that's virtually everyone, right?) can share their knowledge and earn money at eHow.com.

Is the Internet a God-send for men and women who need to stay home and still make money?

Maria: The Internet has been a huge blessing in my life as far as allowing me to continue writing, both for myself and for freelance clients, since deciding to stay home with my children after the birth of my oldest. Thanks to the Internet, I am able to generate a very good secondary income to help my family. Even for people who would rather make candles or sell crafts, rather than write, the Internet is an extremely useful and powerful tool to connect with buyers as well as suppliers. It's hard to imagine modern commerce without the Internet.

What are the main benefits of using websites like eHow to create income?

Maria: There are many benefits to writing for sites like eHow.com to create income online. The site is already well established and ranked by the search engines, so your content will start earning money more quickly than if you were to start a site from scratch. With content sites like eHow, you can write on virtually any topic and explore the profitability of so many niches at once. Another great thing about the site is that your content continues to earn money indefinitely, so your earning potential is very high compared to sites that pay a flat fee for content.

Isn’t everything on the Internet a scam?

Maria: No. There are scams everywhere, but there are also legitimate money-making opportunities and eHow, owned by the well-established Demand Media company, is one of the most legitimate, trustable online sites I've found.

What is passive income?

Maria: Passive income is money you earn from previous efforts and that keeps coming in without continuous work on your part. Or put another way, passive income is money you earn when you're sleeping.

What is your advice to others who need to make some extra money?

Maria: Try several things to find your own niche. I personally love writing and marketing online, and think it's an excellent way to make money and build a long-term passive income. But try several things to find what you're good at, what works well with your family schedule, and brings you joy.

Maria recently shared that she has just made her last student loan payment using her eHow earnings, and about two years ahead of schedule!  Maria also helps others to increase their web earnings with an ebook that she wrote that reveals how she earns over $2000 a month on eHow. Click here to check it out.

To see some other websites that pay money, see this article.

TED Talk: Clay Shirky - How Twitter can make history

Loved this talk on innovation in communications via Social Media and how it's changing societies around the globe.

Getting Things Done with New Google “Tasks” Feature

I’ve been a fan of Google’s Calendar feature for a few years, as well as a user of Gmail for all of my email needs since before it came out of beta testing.  Google recently answered one of my personal productivity “wish list” items with its launch of a new “Tasks” management system. 

The Tasks, available from Google Labs, enables you to add items to a virtual “to do” list, assign due dates, and document details in notes.  The feature even gives “type A” personalities like me the satisfaction of checking a box when you’ve completed a task and seeing it crossed off your list.

I have been using Google Tasks with both my Google Calendar and with Gmail.  A wonderful feature of the application is the ability to quickly and easily create a task from an email in just a few clicks using keyboard shortcuts.  I tend to keep my email inbox stocked up with items that need my attention, so this new Task feature enables me to confidently add them to my “to do” list and then move them out of the inbox and into files without fearing that I will forget to complete the necessary action item if it’s not sitting in my inbox.

If you are already using Gmail, you will need to go to the “Settings”, click on the “Labs” tab, find “Tasks”, select “enable” and then scroll to the bottom of the page and save your changes.  Once you’ve done this, you can add a task either by keyboard shortcut or by selecting “Add to Tasks” from the “More Actions” menu directly above the email you are reading.

Because the task list resides online, you can access it anywhere you have internet access simply by signing into your Gmail account. If you are fortunate enough to own an iPhone, you can easily access your Google Tasks from your phone.

For a complete overview of the Tasks feature, complete with images and easy to follow directions, visit the Official Gmail Blog.  To integrate Google Tasks with your Google Calendar, visit this post.  The simple integration of these powerful tools and their ready access continues to please this Geek Gal.  I love having access to my data and to do list at any time.  It turns waiting situations into opportunities to cross tasks off of my list, which is always a good thing in my book!

Got My Mac On

Couldn't help but share!  With a fourteen year old who's begging for a "hand me down" iPhone, I may be compelled to trade up.  How have I lived this long without a video phone and copy/paste?  Sadly, as an AT&T customer, tethering is not in my immediate future...

Have you gone iPhone yet? 

Bargain Alert! Flip Video Ultra for $49.99

One of my favorite gadgets, the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 30-Minutes (White) is on sale today at Amazon for less than $50. This is the camera I use regularly to film my boys and other exciting happenings in my life. It's small enough to tuck into your pocket, so you'll always have it with you when fun breaks out. Here are a few of the technical specs:

• Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital zoom
• Holds 30 minutes of full VGA-quality video on 1GB of built-in memory; no tapes or additional memory cards required
• Convenient USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy viewing and sharing
• Built-in software lets you easily e-mail videos, upload to YouTube and AOL, and capture still photos from video
• Watch videos instantly on TV with included cable

If you're looking for a fun graduation present or something cooler than a tie for Father's Day, I'd recommend the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 30-Minutes (White) as a great gift idea! Here's a video my son took this weekend at a concert under low lighting conditions. The camera-work is a bit unsteady, but you can hear that the sound is terrific:

Dictionary for Dads

On Tuesdays,I share my thoughts on Family Life.  Today's guest article was submitted by Robert Livingstone, Co-Founder and Vice President of Dictionary for Dads.  His website looks to be a comprehensive resources, filled with resources for not only dads, but anyone interested in family life issues.

Dictionary for Dads arose amid concerns of every day fathers who sought to promote their knowledge, education, experience and resources as it pertains to becoming an excellent father. As an organization, our goal is to assist fathers in raising healthy and happy children and nurturing a great relationship with them.

Having experienced many dilemmas as a father of three I made a very clear assessment that there is very little quality literature available for dads today. The role of a  fathers at times becomes so complex and I personally could have used some direction like a Dictionary For Dads

Dictionary for Dad’s provides resources and information which  are fundamental in assisting men in making informed decisions based on education, research and practical experience all provided by Dictionary for Dad’s. In doing so, we strive to reinforce the positive male role model in our society while increasing the social welfare of children throughout our world.

We understand that parenting is often complex and confusing with many variables including but not limited to nutrition, medical, psychological, developmental, environmental, marital, social and academic. It is our aim to provide every dad with education, information and resources for all dilemmas when they occur.

Dictionary for Dad’s believes that the label of a “dad” is one which is earned not one that is provided through birth.

For additional information visit http://www.dictionaryfordads.com/

The Price of Productivity

On Thursdays, I share my thoughts on Finances.

Yesterday's USA Today article entitled AirTran's in-flight Wi-Fi service takes off with test flight caught my eye.  Who among us hasn't bemoaned the hours stuck on an airplane without a wireless connection as a complete "waste" of three, four, or even a dozen hours? 

I don't know why I would have expected airlines to be giving wireless connnectivity away, but for some reason the $12.95 price ($9.95 for flights less than 3 hours in duration) shocked me.  Is it worth $13 to be able to get online during a flight, check email, and perhaps get caught up on a few blog posts? 

I suspect it depends upon whose paying the bill.  For those corporate employees with expense accounts, it seems like a no brainer - get online, remain connected, and don't lose half of your workday.  But for those of us who work @ home, we need to ask ourselves the cost benefit ratio of plunking down that money and how productive we plan to be with that time. 

I have used recent flights to review books submitted to me, to edit my own manuscript, or even to watch a movie onboard and write a review of it for one of my websites.  The time offline doesn't have to be a time dump if you plan ahead and bring work with you that can be done without an internet connection.  I also wonder if Air Tran's pricetag includes wifi while at the gate, where one could frequently spend multiple hours waiting for take off.  In certain instances, if that were included in the price, I might -- on occasion -- invest in the price of on-board wifi.

Will you pay the price airlines are asking for a few added hours of productivity?  I'm not sold...yet.

Learn and Do Everything in Less Time

On Wednesdays, I share my thoughts on Learning and Professional Development.

A big thanks to Kelly from ClearViewEducation.com for calling to my attention their recent post entitled 100 Awesome Cheat Sheets to Learn and Do Everything in Less Time.  Since personal productivity is all about "Getting Things Done", this is the type of cheating that works for me!

The Cheat Sheet list includes a broad cross section of topics including hobbies, productivity and organizing, finances and home and garden.  The "Laundry 101" Cheat Sheet is going to get printed and posted in my laundry room alongside the "Cleaning Cheat Sheet" so that I can spend more time enjoying the "Wine and Food Pairings" Cheat Sheet!

Is compiling lists of things that will make life less complicated cheating?  I call it good time management and recommend you head over and check out 100 Awesome Cheat Sheets to Learn and Do Everything in Less Time today.

Have a post to share?  Email me any time at lisahendey@gmail.com if you have a tip on personal productivity that will help our readers!

Putting Your Best Face Forward on Google

Have you “googled yourself” lately?  Some may think taking time to look up your own name on any major search engine is vanity. But for many who use the web as a business and networking tool, checking up on your online presence is as important as making certain the information on your business card is current and correct.

Last month, on its official blog, Google announced an enhancement to its user-created “Google Profile” feature that gives you increased control over the search results yielded in a Google search of your name:

To give you greater control over what people find when they search for your name, we've begun to show Google profile results at the bottom of U.S. name-query search pages. These results offer abbreviated information from user-created Google profiles and a link to the full profiles. We've also added links so it's easy to search for the same name on MySpace, Facebook, Classmates and LinkedIn.

If you are concerned with your online presence on the web, now is a good time to spend some time refining your personal Google profile.  Chances are, if you are a preexisting Google user with an account, you may already have the beginnings of a profile created.  To create or add information to your Google profile, simply go to http://www.google.com/profiles and either create a new account or edit your profile with the information you would like included.  My profile, located at http://www.google.com/profiles/lisahendey includes my personal bio, links to all of my websites, and contact information that is visible only to my pre-approved contacts.  You may edit your contact preferences to provide this information to a more broad or very limited audience, or keep it entirely private.  Additionally, if you use Picasa, Flickr or other online photo services, you may choose to include photos on your Google profile.

Some in the blogosphere have already begun speculating about the detrimental effect of this move by Google as yet another power grab:

But someday, when Google needs more ad revenues, the walls within Google will fall.  Its spiders follow the links you gave it — it will classify your Flickr photos, root around in your blog posts and Twitter feeds, check out your friends and then it will be able to build a very complex profile of you in order to sell you to advertisers.

I’ve chosen to disregard these dire warnings and to update and refresh my personal Google profile with the information I want “out there” on the web.  Additionally, I use the Google Alerts feature to receive a daily email update on the latest Google results for my name.  Very frequently, these alerts have brought to my attention reprints of my articles, my name mentioned on blogs, and other circumstances where someone has written about me.  If you own a business or have your own website, you may also want to set up alerts for your website or business name to keep on top of this flow of information.

What do you think about the prospect of Google holding so much information about your personal data? If you’ve set up a Google Profile, what do you think about this service?  Does it concern you as it does the blog writer for Wired, or do you consider it a “fact of life” in today’s information age?