For My Writer Friends...

I thought you might be interested in two writer sites I have been following for years via email.

The first is Nick's Writing Blog.  He shares interesting tips related to the publishing industry and his personal experiences and his site has a freelance board.  Learn more here.

The second is Trent Steele's WriteStreet.com.  On this site you will not only find useful publishing tools to help you improve your writing skills and create your best work, but there is also a forum where you can meet fellow writers like yourself!

Both sites have partnered with one another.  Definitely worth checking out!

7 Things You Worry About When You Shouldn't

Ever feel yourself getting upset over the littlest of things?  Do you often worry about things that end up not even being a big deal?  Why do we bother over issues that really are meaningless and will not help us or our families if we choose to waste time and money concerning them.

One.  Worrying over things beyond your control like incidents that happen on the job, at home and elsewhere.

Sometimes things happen unexpectedly and so situations like this are inevitable.  Of course, you want things to run smoothly, but we don't always get what we want in life.  Mistakes happen, people lose their cool, get sick, and leave.  Cursing, crying, and bad-mouthing about those people and things we can't control is going to accomplish what?  A negative energy that comes from you and then infects anyone you comes in your presence.

Two.  People we don't like.

You might worry over someone or a group that you don't like finding out that you don't like them.  So you worry that your negative mannerisms or words are going to get back.  If so, then what?  You are going to worry about coming up with a lie or something else to cover up your feelings?  People who are unlikeable really don't care too much what others think. 

Three.  The price of things fluctuating.

A guy on the radio alerts you to yet another inflated price on something that should be cheap.  A woman warns you about losing money on a stock.  Meanwhile, you don't typically buy any of these things.  So why are you so concerned?  Oh that's right, because someone has convinced you that you should be.  Can we say, brainwashing?

Four.  Death.

It's unfortunate that yet another person has died in your family, but some people just want to use a tragic situation to start trouble and get you to worry.  For instance, a relative wants you to come to a funeral.  But you can't make it, so you tell him or her.  He or she doesn't sound so understanding about your absence.  You don't like his or her reaction, so now you worry whether or not your relative will still be nice to you.  To make matters worse, another relative calls to tell you that a certain disease runs in your family, and "You better...and you might want to..."  So you start thinking about what he or she said over and over again.  When your body has a minor setback, whenever that might be, are you going to worry yourself to death about it?

Five . Someone else's illness.

Not your body, so why are you worrying yourself sick?  The person doesn't listen to advice, doesn't want help, and makes excuses, not your problem.

Six.  Wild animals, crazy insects and the boogie man coming to get you and your family.

So you heard a report about something crazy in the forest and you also became captivated over a photo on the Internet with a caption that read, "Their here."  Now what?  You spread the word all over the place upsetting people about something that you don't even know is true or not because you didn't bother to do any research.  To make matters worse, some big black bug is crawling around on your floor so you kill it and then you tell everyone in the family to be on the look out for more in their closets and beds and maybe this is a sign that something bad is going to happen.  Don't you think you are over-reacting just a little?

Seven.  Celebrities and other people who the media says is important--really?

You don't know that A-list actor or that D-list singer, but you worry that they died as a result of an organization murdering them and so now you stay up late all night thinking about them.  Then you scare people with stories about staying at home because some people got shot up the other day and maybe your neighbors might be next.  And as if that isn't good enough, you tell people to watch this show and that show to learn more about people who they don't know or even care about because this thing or that thing happened to them and it might happen to those you know.

We have all been guilty of this sort of behavior at times.  It's one thing learning about something and then sharing useful information with others.  But when one is inciting fear, mayhem and just plain insanity over things that none of us can control, there is a problem.  We should all remember to be wise before we share stories.

Turn your worries over to your Creator.

Truth-Seekers: The Scripts Man/Woman Comes Up with for Our Nation

Just Because it's a New Year Doesn't Mean...

Just because it's a new year doesn't mean...

1. You are going to do anything different this year.  But it feels nice telling people that you are.

2.  You are going to look any different, but if you keep telling yourself you are, well we will just keep your lie a secret.

3.  You are going to have less challenges, because the older you get, the more you have.  The more you do, the more the stress.  The more you talk, the more you will be held accountable.

4.  Your family is going to listen to you, share concerns, or even bother with you this year.  Most likely, they have enough going on in their lives.

5.  You are any closer to God than last year because you attend church a little more, participate in a spiritual fast, and give away more money and time this year.  Keep in mind, God wants a personal relationship with you and sometimes simply listening to HIM and doing what HE says is all that is required.

Lastly, just because it's a new year doesn't mean...

6. You are finally being fed the truth from deceptive family, friends, co-workers, media, etc., instead, it just means they are orchestrating yet another way to cover for self, make you look like a fool, and dumb you down so they can get what they want, so wake up to those of you who are still sleeping!

Thanks for stopping by, and oh yes, Happy New Year!

Nicholl

Twitter

Keeping with my last blog entry regarding social media giant, Facebook, I came across this interesting link about Twitter.  It looks like everything you ever said would be available for you to check out in the future.  Beware liars!

Also, I took the following statement out of the link, I think this sums it all up:

"In 2010, the Library of Congress pledged to preserve every public tweet as a matter of record — a significant undertaking, given that some 400 million tweets are dispatched worldwide every day."

Did you know that they did this back then?  I don't believe this was on every front page newspaper, advertised anywhere, or a main topic on your favorite Internet browser.  Most likely was buried somewhere behind some irrelevant celebrity gossip. (sigh)

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/twitter-lets-users-claim-their-personal-history-1

Since Leaving Facebook...

I will tell you that I actually feel more free mentally since leaving Facebook.  You see, I spent time, sometimes too much time, catching up with people over the years on Facebook at one time I had over 800 plus friends then in later years I purposely only connected with less than a 100.  I grew weary of trying to stay on top of the latest events in people's lives so I could converse with them while doing daily activities offline.  I would think, "Oh this would be good to share...what about that...don't want to say this...wonder what this person is doing."   I would find myself at times having a dream about this person or that one.  But oftentimes feeling burdened to pray and share, there is indeed an energy of sorts that is generated between connecting and disconnecting with people whether on or offline.  But I knew my time on Facebook and other sites  was limited.  You just know these things when you pray for purpose, wisdom, etc. when dealing with others.

Some of you might feel burdened by your Facebook network for a number of reasons.  It just isn't mentally healthy to view so much about someone else's world and partake in any and everything he or she posts up.  Before long, you find yourself idolizing certain people or worse stalking them.  Not everything I saw on Facebook was good, encouraging, or helpful.  Oftentimes, I saw people wearing too many different faces and personalities or some having far too much to hide so they came off as boring--more interested in what you have to say then participating in any meaningful dialogue.

For some of you reading this, you may honestly feel like you need to disconnect.  Don't make an announcement to your network unless you are certain that you want to leave, because people will try to get you to stay--that's what held me up in the past.  If you should start the process to disconnect, you may want to collect email addresses and phone numbers before you do.  Disconnect with those individuals that you know you don't ever want to be connected with in the future whether on or offline just in case there is some kind of future marketing plan to lure you back in with select faces-I deleted all connections before I left.  Also, remove  videos, images and other information in albums.  As for all your status updates, you might want to copy those you like, delete some for whatever reason, and then delete your account.

For me, FB another fad that lost its shine, no regrets.

Nicholl

Something to Think About...

You learn a lot about relationship, family, health, wealth, business, and more when you ask questions.  Now I know for some of you reading this, what I just said was simple—too simple.  But are you doing it?  Are you really setting aside time out of your day to meet, not only with your team at work, but what about those who are going through trials and asking questions?  What about an unhappy, stressed partner, do you really know what is going on with her or him?  Do you make time to research issues about your finances and children?  Why is Johnny acting the way that he is?  Why do I keep coming up short when it comes to paying bills?   

Honestly, how much time does one really spend interviewing self and those closest to him or her compared to television watching, radio listening, cell phone talking, etc.?

We have all been guilty of neglecting children, partners, tasks at work, and more for a period of time or for some weeks and worse years!  We usually play catch up when we are left with no choice.  You will make the doctor’s appointment when the pain gets bad enough to make you go.  You usually want to sit down and talk with someone when they start making verbal threats.  You will find the time to teach and play with a child when there is no one else in his or her life who cares like you do, when grades are suffering, or when the temper tantrums become frequent.   

Oh we will make the time when our backs are up against the wall, won’t we?  

Motivation to do what’s right, to ask the right questions, to make the hard decisions, among other things, come in ways we like or don’t like, but it comes.  You will do what you are putting off sooner or later!  One day, you will have to come to face with an enemy of sorts that will demand that you make a decision, act on an issue, or bring peace to a situation.  Now how you react when your test comes is another story.

Nicholl McGuire

Do you seek truth beyond what you see and hear in mainstream media?

Seek truth in all its forms.  
http://truthmovement.com/

Commentary about making money online

Hello,

Today I'm sharing my thoughts about online business money-making with those of you who are interested or are currently making additional income from home. What troubles me about these matters of making extra money, is the fact that I tried numerous ways for years (over a decade), and I can tell you that none of them, make you rich unless you are one of those who know how to do some sneaky tactics to increase your wealth.

I am sorry to bust anyone's bubble who is a recent home business seeker, but those that in fact are claiming to be rich from affiliate marketing such as selling e-books (they didn’t create), marketing others’ business links, typing, or writing online is lying.  Those that are deemed successful, an expert or a guru, are actually using various software programs and deceptive tactics in order to increase profits. Some may even go so far as to steal other people's information on the Internet, duplicate, and then create a website or other things to profit.   It’s not right!  I speak from experience.  I just wish that there would be more people who would speak out against some of these individuals and companies deceptive practices, faulty products and misleading advertising.  Even some legit software programs that help with organizing, posting, researching, and more tend to have problems--in fact, they end up being rip-offs.  Do visit Warrior Forum to find out what others are saying about these products that promise to do a lot for your endeavors.

My sincere prayer would be that people would contact the Better Business Bureau, go to RipoffReport.com and other consumer complaint forums and sites just to let people know that their business ventures are not working.  Certain companies are not giving them the monies that they had hoped to attain.

Some legit affiliate marketing businesses I had connected with over the years, but monies were dismal or not at all include:

Amazon

Commission Junction

Link Share

Roi Rocket

Share Results

ClickBank

I marketed into the wee hours of the morning soon after joining and tried all sorts of strategies over the years to increase traffic to links.  I sent links, attached links, embedded links, shared links, posted links, etc. consistently at times to increase revenue, before the Google changes, but still so-so-results.  Pennies on the dollar folks!   Sometimes I saw dollars, like my first $100 (sigh) but that took months to reach on Clickbank.  Then I heard about marketers stealing commissions by messing with affiliate links.  So cloaking one's links became a big deal.  There are thresholds to reach and it can take years to reach them.  People just don’t spend money on books like they do everything else.  So marketing an e-book isn't a good thing unless one has an established network, is known, and has big money to spend on advertising.

More online sellers, marketers, writers, typists, customer service reps. and others need to come out and say, “I receive pennies on the dollar.  That company is no good, they ripped me off!”  I know that it can be disappointing to share such information, but the truth does set you free.  Then you are able to pursue other endeavors.  So I am encouraging someone to comment below about your experiences working from home.

It is our responsibility as business owners, entrepreneurs, whatever you call yourself –a representative affiliate marketer, customer service rep. or writer—it is our jobs to let people know the truth about these different companies. I've already done this on my blog.  Take a look around.  There are a number of companies that I’ve talked about in the past.  

Note: Please be advised since some of my postings on this blog, I haven’t been pleased with Bukisa’s site and found that they haven’t been paying many writers since my last check (and that was a very small check in 2009).  Every time they upgraded their site, the Adsense connection would need to be reconnected (knocking one out of potential revenue) there is still a problem to date (11/28/2012) and the “contact us” section doesn't work either.  Yet, they still continue to showcase writers’ work.  Someone or a group should investigate and call for them to shut down.  One site I used to be connected with, did just that.  Too many complaints filed against them.  Just when I was ready to complain to BBB, they were gone.

Another site I am not too happy about is Xomba, they too permitted writers to publish their material, but I have never seen a check from them and I have been on that site for years!

Feel free to look up my personal experiences working from home. The information is on this blog to help individuals so that they aren’t spending hours and hours and hours working on different projects hoping they are going to make lots of money.  

It seems some of these online businesses, the minute they pay out a nice sum of money, the next thing that happens they are finding some fault with your account.  I have learned the hard way that they do this, because they don't want to pay out another check especially if you are a monthly $100 earner.  It’s not right to cut off workers when they are consistently bringing traffic to one's website!  I realize that errors can be made on a select piece, misunderstandings, or an individual makes an error, but cutting people off entirely just because payouts are too large and a company can’t meet demand—ridiculous!  Go out of business, but don’t keep using worker’s material, links and traffic to fund your site!

These companies should always pay their people and pay them fairly and not create situations where websites go down during peak seasons, because they don't want large payouts.  I also noticed that links are tampered with or programs are created so that affiliate marketers, writers, and others who work online, pay is cut.  

I personally want to start a class action lawsuit, a protest, or something against these sites that claim they will pay people, but then figure out ways to manipulate people out of pay.  For instance, when a survey company I joined in the past realized they couldn’t keep sending checks to us survey takers and our voices were getting louder about, "Where's our checks?"  They came up with a point system, I personally hated the idea--just pay me! The point system threshold, of course, is hard to reach.  Instead of paying us with checks, they offered a selection of gifts to choose from claiming that is what the people wanted after a survey went around.  I doubted that.  Then another company did the same.  So I stopped taking surveys with them and apparently many others did too, because I don't see their advertisements anymore--yeah!  Now with other survey companies, what they would do is limit how many survey takers were qualified to complete a survey in an effort to not only limit their sample audience, but to control payouts.  Many cash surveys that I once qualified for, nowadays I don’t.  I find it highly unusual since nothing has changed much in six years personally for me and the surveys are typically the same back when I did see checks.  So I rarely, if ever, take surveys with any businesses paid or unpaid.  Besides, thanks to all those people who willingly hand over their personal opinion on merchandise for free on popular department store websites, they are cashing in on that too without needing to pay shoppers to fill out surveys.

There are so many sneaky tactics that many companies use to target stay-at-home moms, retirees, students, and the elderly in order to make profits, create loyal customers, and tap into family circles they otherwise couldn't have reached.  They practically get people to volunteer to help them despite promising profits.  

Many shady multi-level marketing corporations, article farms, vanity publishers, product/service businesses, and more come up with strategies to get people to spread the word about their businesses while not keeping their promises, rewarding loyal customers, or assisting those who are marketing their businesses   Phone calls and email go unanswered, marketing tools are scarce, limited or don't work, and checks are not in the mail.   

If I am due a discount as a loyal customer, then why do I have to pay regular price like everyone else?  If I am told a site is going to permit me to make money using my Google Adsense account, then why do I not see the tracking or monies earned from the site?  If I am told that I will receive a commission for work rendered, must I have a threshold to reach and why doesn’t a company do more to assist its marketers?  If I share my link with family and friends, why do I have to keep track of this, test the company to see if I will get a commission, and then contact them when I realize I never received payment?  

Some businesses do very little so that numbers stay low and profit made never makes anyone rich.  I think, by design, they hope that you will stop working, writing, marketing etc., yet still come to their site as a consumer in the hopes that you will click on an ad, make a purchase and do other things without paying you a dime as an independent representative or affiliate marketer.   It is simply much easier to have a consumer, rather than a money-making representative for some businesses.  They think, "Well she might not be selling for us, but we have her and those she knows as customers."  

Please do your research and find out more about the companies you are affiliated with whether you type, write, sell, or do something else online.  Find out what others are saying by conducting a keyword search using the name and words like "complaints, reviews, lawsuits, ripoff, scam..."

Feel free to subscribe to my blog.  I periodically list information to help writers, sellers and marketers who work online.

Well I guess this is it, I just wanted to share that information. And thank you so much for stopping by my page.

Nicholl