Happy and Healthy New Year! 2010

I wanted to wish everyone a healthy and happy new year! I started this blog a few months ago, and have had probably the most action packed year of my entire life. I was originally going to recount everything, but as I was typing it I realized that no one wants to read a bunch of stuff that happened to me.

I do hope that all of my readers have a wonderful weekend and a blessed new year. There are a lot of big things that are going to happen in our Church, our Country, and our worlds this year. I know in my own life I have a baby coming in a few days which will surely provide quite a bit of excitement and adventure. With all of these events I hope to publish a blog that helps all of us, in some small way, battle against the forces of evil, Satan, and help bring greater Glory to God.

I thank you for your comments so far, your readership, and look forward to all that 2010 has in store for us. And as we approach the dawn of this new year I ask that Saint Michael, Prince of the Heavenly Host, Mary - Queen of Angels, and all the other angels pray for us & Defend Us In Battle!

My New Year's Resolution...

...is to learn Swedish.

Because I need to be back in that headspace of learning something completely foreign for the first time. Hopefully it will make me a more understanding teacher.

Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous new year 2010

Just two hours to go.. and bang! we're in the new year.. i feel i'll be leaving so much behind, so many moments of joy and sorrows which had continuously changed our lives in multiple ways throughout the year.. but though it feels like we are going away, somewhere so far way from something we've lived with.. its actually just a jump we're taking into a year full of new hopes, and eagerness to improve on so much.. i feel its a great way to motivate oneself.. :-)

In the coming year i plan to stay focused and be realistic on matters most close to my heart and work instead of living in a realm of fantasies all the time.. what do you plan to do? tell me next year! :-)

Wishing all my readers 'A very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2010, in my last post of the year :-)

Scott Anthony on Disruptive Innovation

An interesting interview with Scott Anthony, president of Innosight, on disruptive innovation.

"Disruptive innovation is a particular type of innovation that occurs when an innovator brings to a market an innovation that is simple, convenient, accessible, and affordable; changing the game"

"Disruptive innovation will result in major changes but they don't often rely on technical innovation, in fact many times the technology is quite trivial, it's the business model, the way a company organizes and acts that drives disruption"

Questions to identify opportunities for disruptive innovation:

1. "Look for markets where there is some kind of constrains that inhibits consumptions, where is there something that makes it difficult for people to solve problems in their life. Sometimes they don't have skills, money, access to the solution and sometimes it just takes too long."
2. "Try to identify where people have important unsatisfied jobs to be done, where there is a problem that the customer can’t adequately solve today. If you can find that frustrated customer and ease their pain, you often times have the ticket to disruptive innovation."

"After you have looked for constraints consumptions and you have targeted that job to be done, think about how you can play the innovation game differently. Remember is not about doing it better, it’s about making it simpler, cheaper, more accessible, and more affordable, that's what disruption is all about"

"Think about the markets that you are going to analyze, looking not necessarily at the most demanding customer today, but thinking about people who are relatively undemanding, or people who are not consuming anything at all"

"Focus groups can be a simple way to begin a conversation with customers. Customer observation can be really powerful, because sometimes the customer simple can't tell you what you want. Sometimes you got to give customers something, a very early prototype and let them co-develop the product or service with you. Sometimes you got to do more detailed quantitative research to really pinpoint what are the points of frustration in the market and where are opportunities to do things differently"

"Take a simple first step. Invest a little, learn a lot. Don't spend huge money upfront because the only thing you can be sure of is that your first strategy is wrong, so if you invest too much too soon, you are looking into a path that is fatally flawed"

More videos on disruptive innovation:

Clayton Christensen on jobs needing to get done

FOUR WARRIOR BODYWEIGHT WORKOUTS - VIDEO

The workouts in the my Warrior Bodyweight Workout Series are amazing for developing pure strength and conditioning, while getting ripped. These challenging workouts can be done by both Men and Women and if you are just beginning, cut the prescribed reps/time in half.

Make sure to warm up and stretch before and after each workout.
Connect with your inner WARRIOR!!

GLADIATOR WORKOUT



ONE MINUTE INTERVAL PER EXERCISE - DO AS MANY REPS AS YOU CAN - PERFORM 2 ROUNDS WITH REST


GLADIATOR CIRCUIT
1.INVERTED ROW - OVERHAND GRIP
2.PUSH UPS
3.SKIPPING
4.PRISONER SQUATS
5.DIPS
6.SKIPPING
7.BACK EXTENSIONS
8.CRUNCHES
9.SKIPPING
WORKOUT TIME: 18 MINUTES
 

SAMURAI WORKOUT



SAMURAI WORKOUT
GIANT SETS -
PERFORM EACH SET TWICE WITH NO REST IN BETWEEN - REST 1 MINUTE BEFORE GOING TO SET 2

BEGINNER - CUT THE REPS IN HALF AND REST AFTER EACH ROUND


SET 1
CHIN UPS - 20 REPS
CLOSE GRIP PUSH UPS- 20 REPS
SPLIT BOX JUMPS - 20 REPS


SET 2
ALT LUNGE - 20 REPS
BENCH DIPS 20 REPS
SPLIT BOX JUMPS - 20 REPS

SET 3
GOOD MORNINGS 10 REPS
BICYCLE CRUNCHES 30 REPS
SPLIT BOX JUMPS 20 REPS



VIKING WORKOUT



VIKING WORKOUT


INVERTED ROWS - UNDER HAND
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
REVERSE LUNGES
PARALELL DIPS
HIP RAISES
CRUNCHES
BURPEES

ADVANCED 3 ROUNDS
PERFORM EACH EXERCISE FOR ONE MINUTE EACH AND REST FOR 1 MINUTE BETWEEN ROUNDS - COMPLETE 3 ROUNDS

MODERATE 3 ROUNDS
PERFORM EACH EXERCISE FOR 30 SECONDS EACH AND REST FOR 1 MINUTE BETWEEN ROUNDS - COMPLETE 3 ROUNDS

BEGINNER 2 ROUNDS
PERFORM EACH EXERCISE FOR 30 SECONDS THEN REST FOR 30 SEC AND MOVE ONTO NEXT EXCERCISE - COMPLETE 2 ROUNDS


SPARTAN 450




SPARTAN 450 WORKOUT
3 ROUNDS - ADVANCED
2 ROUNDS - MODERATE



PULL UPS 20
SPIDER PUSHUPS 20
FORWARD TO REVERSE LUNGE 20
BENCH DIPS 20
SUPERMANS 20
BICYCLE CRUNCHES 25
JUMPING BOX JUMPS 25


Now it's your turn
Good Luck

Funk Roberts

MLM Business Lead-3 Things Not To Do To Generate Leads!

As networkers who need a steady funnel of mlm business leads to talk to, while its good to know what to do to generate a mlm business lead, sometimes its helpful to know what NOT to do. This will save you lots of failure and frustration in the long term. So, let's check this out.

3 Things Not to Do If You Want MLM Business Leads to Join Your Opportunity

By Nadia Waquokka

Even though doing nothing is worse than doing something, in network marketing how you approach your possible MLM business leads can make or break your business. Here are 3 things you should avoid doing.

Cold calling should be avoided at all cost. Honestly, how interested are you when some stranger tries to pitch you a great opportunity or product over the phone. Mostly during those very few hours you do not have to work and can finally relax. They do not know you so they do not care about you, let alone your business opportunity. If you are going to use the phone to generate more MLM business leads, make sure you only contact people who are interested in you or your opportunity.

Handing out flyers is not only bad for the environment, you will hardly generate any new MLM business leads this way. Most people accept a flyer out of politeness, glance at it (if that) and throw it away seconds later.

As a network marketer you have better things to do with your time and money. You are better off going to a marketing convention, talking to other marketers one on one and handing out business cards. Do not try to blatantly pitch your opportunity to them though, hoping you will get new MLM business leads immediately. When people remember your name, you want them to remember you and how much knowledge you have, not how you tried to turn them into your MLM business leads like every other Tom, Dick and Harry.

Unless you are a loner and want to get rid of what little friends and family you have left, do not try to turn friends and relatives into MLM business leads. They care about you, but they honestly could not care less about your MLM opportunity. So even if they do join your downline, as a favour, they will never make you rich. You should only look for MLM business leads that are willing to work on building their own downline.

The best way to generate quality MLM business leads to join your downline, is to copy what the top earners are doing. Find out exactly how they get new MLM business leads day after day at Automatic Money System.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nadia_Waquokka

I hope you found this helpful!

To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
Skype: Monique371

Most people who read the ebook, Success in 10 Steps and coaching from from Mentoring for Free find why their lack of success in NOT their fault. Click here to get your copy
http://mentormonique.mentoringforfree.com/?mad=36000

Thinking Field Trips: A Visit to the National Portrait Gallery

Weirdest thing.

I take a five day break from blogging (my first break since last February), and I actually wind up with MORE page views and readers than I have all year. Hmm. Maybe I should take breaks more often.

I use the term "break" lightly, as anyone else out there with three little kids will understand.

Yesterday we took the tykes to D.C.

Visited the National Gallery of Art and the Portrait Gallery. I used to live in the District and I can't begin to count the number of hours I've spent at the NGA; but the Portrait Gallery has been closed for the longest time as it was undergoing extensive renovations. This was the first chance I've had to visit since the re-opening.

And I'm glad I went.

Two exhibits in the Portrait Gallery present a perfect opportunity for students to learn about the nature of biography and representation through visual images.

The first is the collection of portraits of American presidents. You can browse through the images on the Smithsonian's site. On the website, each portrait is accompanied by a biographical sketch of the president's term; in person, audio and video recordings bring the leaders to life.

And there's something for everyone. Personally, I liked the audio collection of FDR's Fireside Chats. One of my sons liked the lifemasks of Lincoln; the other thought Andrew Jackson looked like a vampire.

The second exhibit was the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Situated directly across the hall from the portraits of presidential power, the portrait competition exhibits the work of all those anonymous Americans whose portraits are no less distinct nor distinctive. The whole exhibit feels like the visual equivalent of a Terkel book; that is to say: these portraits represent a peoples' history in their "own words".

Right now, my boys are in the dining room drawing portraits of one another. Learning by looking and by engaging with looking. All to often a skill we fail to appreciate in the classroom.

While most field trips to Washington, D.C. involve a visit to the NGA or the Air and Space Museum, I encourage you to walk off the Mall a little bit and seek out all the faces and stories waiting for you at the National Portrait Gallery. Or visit the gallery online and see what the digital realm has to say about the ways in which we present ourselves and each other.

The Fellowship...

Frodo: "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."

Sometimes in our journey in life we find ourselves on "the bottom" looking "up." We don't always know how we got there, how we are going to get out, or why God would even let us get to that point. We wonder how we can ever over come evil, and we feel as if the battle is lost. We get the feeling that the only thing we can hang out hat on is the fact that we are still breathing, at least for the moment.

So how do we push on when we face a situation like Frodo? How do we pull ourselves up when all we can think is that we wish we weren't in the position we find ourselves in?

I know that you can guess the answer... it is of course God. But how do we get from despair to God? As Catholics we have a multitude of paths - they are called the Saints. They are models for us to follow that are paradigms of the "despair to God" journey-hero. They have decided that they will take the time given to them by God, and use it FOR God.

We know in these hard times that the will of evil is at work. We feel it, we are affected by it, and we find ourselves succumbing to its force... but we have the choice of how to spend our time, even in the midst of evil - while we face it head on. We must look to the Saints, to our faith, and to the teaching of the Church to guide us, and to encourage us. We have encouragement, and must believe that we are meant for the life we have. God will prepare our way, and with him the burden of our life is light - even when we feel it to be heavy. Dark times always lie ahead in this world... so we must prepare. Our goal and our light is heaven... but we first must accomplish our life.

A good time to prepare ourselves is right now. The time of Christmas, after Advent, and before Lent. We are still reveling in the mystery and joy of Christ's birth and not yet faced with the "desert life" of Lent. Therefore we should ride this wave of joy and commit ourselves to happiness and prayer. We should take the opportunities such as the New Year, the Marian Feast Day, and the time of winter to strengthen our faith and solidify our commitment to God. We are human, as such weak, and therefore susceptible to the wickedness and snares of the Devil. When Lent comes, we face tests - we face the desert where we must encounter not just evil - but ourselves. Therefore we must prepare ourselves so that when Lent arrives, we are conditioned well enough to face the athletic pursuit of the Lenten Season.

So as we come to this time ... let us heed the words of Gandalf and decide for ourselves what we will do with the time given to us. We can rest in the knowledge that it was meant that Christ die on the cross, so we can face Good Friday, the showdown of Lent, with courage - that is very encouraging. Yet, we must prepare ourselves enough to reach Good Friday in such a way that our soul is properly prepared for the Triduum. Let us use this time wisely...

The Secret of Internet Marketing Business Success (Part 5)

Bring lots of visitors to your Blogs/Sites
You've done a thorough market research, you've created your own digital product, you have to write a sales page is very interesting on a website that sells - what next?
If all you have done this, the next step is to bring prospective buyers, or in internet marketing is often referred to bring "Traffic".
There are 3 ways to get Traffic:
1. You can buy / pay
2. You can get free Traffic
3. You can "steal" Traffic
Each of the 3 ways above have advantages and disadvantages of each. Everyone will want to get something for free. Free traffic such as writing articles, forums and Yahoo Answers are usually not too quickly bring traffic, traffic is not as fast as Google Adwords pay the instant nature.
Consider what you want, treat it like a business, not a hobby. If you want to promote your business, you'll advertise, right? Surely you do not rely solely on free promotion through word of mouth alone.
Google Adwords or often referred to as PPC (Pay Per Click) is a campaign run by Google where we will be charged USD 0.01 - several dollars per click. This is very effective and instant, but a beginner must be careful to set the cost of this advertising because it can be very expensive and the result is not necessarily in accordance with the expected sales.
Free traffic is very effective is to write articles of 300-500 words that contents of tips to solve problems of information seekers. At the end of the article, we can insert our website address so that information seekers can visit for more detailed information. In addition, an author is usually regarded as an "expert" in the field.
www.ezinearticles.com is the main place where we can send our original articles written, and all without any fees. Our article will be reviewed by an expert in the field respectively. If eligible, your article will be incorporated into the aritkel ezinearticles.com directory so it can be accessed by information seekers around the world.
EzineArticles addition, there are several other good sites for you to submit an article like www.GoArticles.com.
Stealing or "steal" the article is an advanced technique in which we invite the cooperation (Joint Venture) an internet marketer who has had thousands of names in their list. If you also have thousands of names and similar products, you and your partner can work together with the principle of "win-win solution". You and your partner will get a list of additional names in an instant.

Choosing Windows Web Hosting

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of hosting, then you should take a look at the following information. This enlightening article presents some of the latest news on the subject of hosting.

Windows / XP Web hosting provides web hosting on Windows operating system platform. Microsoft Corporation provides host based software operating system for servers. Windows XP web hosting programs are considered to be easy to cope with, reliable and inexpensive.
The simplicity of the Windows XP operating system is what stands out with these applications. Windows provides its users with friendly, recognized environment that is easy to work with. Today as so much work has been done by developers it's very easy to administrate your site with using Windows / Server Side operating system. The Windows / NT platform is also frank. You also should know that reliability of any platform, same as Windows / NT platform, depends principally on maintenance and technical knowledge.
Windows / XP platform is scalable and very cost - play hardball because at a relatively low price you onus set up a fully functional Internet server with Windows XP in a matter of hours.
The big question is what do you want your web - site to do?

Think about what you've read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about hosting? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

Interactive websites usually rely on ASP ( Active Server Pages which allow scripts on a web page to be run on the server before the files are transmitted to the client ), PHP, or Perl ( Practical Extraction and Reporting Utterance which is a scripting language used for receive and process inside story stored on web page forms ).
And if you prefer ASP most of all Windows / XP - based web hosting is the perfect choice for you. There are also some more unrivaled Windows available applications such as Access, MS SQL, Windows Media and Virtual Basic scripts. Windows XP offers benefits over other operating systems. Using these benefits gives you an opportunity to be productive and publish your information on the Internet rapidly developing your website or web application.
Windows XP server packages have great programs for individuals who are familiar with MS Windows XP software. The server package for hosting even allows for optimization of hard disk space and RAM which eliminates computer lock - ups while loading web applications.

Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about hosting. The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what's important.

HOW WAS YOUR LUNCH OR DINNER TODAY?

Did you eat something healthy? How is your post-Christmas diet coming along?


In 2010, you need to go after your fitness, nutrition & wellness goals with passion. Oprah admitted she didn’t achieve all of her weight loss goals for 2009.

We all need help to get there. You do not have to do it alone. As any successful person will tell you, in order to achieve your goals you need a team behind you.

Having a personal trainer, wellness coach, nutritionist, yoga instructor and supportivefriends, maybe just what you need to achieve your fitness, weight loss & healthy eating goals.

Let the FIT, FIRM ‘N FAB team help you get there.

Achieve your weight loss goals now! Change your eating habits! Feel better about yourself!

Join the FIT, FIRM ‘N FAB crew in January for our Fitness Weekend Getaway for Women (don’t worry all the activities will be indoors!) and our new 8-Week Online Body Transformation Program.


In 2009, you looked after everybody else. Now it’s your turn. Give back to yourself.

Don’t let another year pass you by without achieving your weight loss, fitness & better nutrition goals.

Lose weight. Eat better foods. Be healthier.

Sign up now for FIT, FIRM ‘N FAB 2010!

Have a happy & healthy New Year!! We hope to work with you soon!

Davelle, Funk & Laura

P.S. Sign up this week and take advantage of our Boxing Week special for you - holding over our early bird pricing. Don’t delay CLICK HERE NOW!

P.P. S Sign up with us now and work off all those holiday treats!

P.P.S.S. Convince a friend to sign up with you and we’ll give you a special gift!

WWW.FITFIRMANDFAB.COM

GUYS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A NEW STYLE, NEW BODY AND NEW ATTITUDE?

The New You Crew Video - Episode 1

Check out Funk Roberts  (3:11) demonstrating a great Kettlebell back exercise
The New You Crew - Ryan Shanahan, Tiffany and Funk Roberts




Funk Roberts

Business Writing Tip: Dealing With Company Politics

By and large, the most successful employees are those who learn how to operate effectively within the political climates of their organizations. And while this is true for all job specialties, it is especially so for Business Communicators who must be alert to the political ramifications of how and what they communicate.

Ask any Business Communicator about his or her job and it's a good bet most will mention how the influences of personalities, hidden agendas, and turf wars often forces them to walk through a mine field of political intrigue.

Granted, political influences can be very stressful and demoralizing. And for writers in Business and Industry, learning to deal with these influences is just as critical as refining one's virtuosity with the written word.

Unfortunately, many communicators deal with company politics by adopting a writing style that is ambiguous and boilerplate-intensive. But writing in this manner in hopes of anticipating and appeasing objections often leads to communications that lack focus and purpose. That said, isn't it then more logical to “play it straight” and deal with objections in the editing process?

The upshot is that Business Communicators are rarely in a position to control the politics in their organizations; however, they can control how they approach their jobs. Simply put, this means writers should work to exert their influence by functioning as good wordsmiths as opposed to engaging in political gamesmanship.

But what does this mean in practical terms?

First of all, be task-oriented. Identify your writing objective, and write accordingly. Let others argue and debate the "between the lines" issues.

Second, don't willingly allow yourself to be drawn into political games. You probably are not privy to all the inside information, so you will be at a disadvantage.

Third, re-evaluate your writing approach. Over time, company politics may have adversely and unwittingly influenced your writing style. Look over a sample of your past communications. If they seem unclear and esoteric, then changes are in order.

Fourth, rely on your own chain-of-command. Be mindful that submitting politically sensitive communications without prior approvals and sign-offs, will likely put you at odds with the people who can support and protect you the most.

Finally, be careful with whom you choose to align yourself with. Hitching yourself to a "rising star" may seem politically expedient, but should that star fade, where are you?

In the end, the best advice is to tread carefully through political mine fields. Company Politics may be an intriguing game to you, but it can also be professionally hazardous for the ill-prepared.

Jack

Think2010: Series recap

We kicked off the Think2010 blog series 14 weeks ago with the idea of helping you prepare for the coming year by devoting one post each week to big-picture, forward-looking themes supported by actionable tips. Over the course of the series we've covered topics such as relevance, speed, experimentation and innovation. We've discussed the multiple roles that search can play, how to use data to better connect with customers, and the importance of staying focused on the fundamentals. We've also deliberately infused the series with perspectives from thought leaders both inside and outside of Google in order to give you a range of insights on the changing face of marketing. You can find a more in-depth version of this same conversation taking place on our Fast.Forward. YouTube channel.

As our series comes to a close this week and we prepare to usher in 2010, we'd like to thank you for reading and leave you with some parting thoughts. Here's what a diverse group of industry leaders have to say about the new marketing landscape and the vast opportunity that they believe lies ahead for 2010:

(click here to view video)

From the Think2010 team -- best wishes for a prosperous and successful 2010.

Posted by Miles Johnson, Inside AdWords crew

BusinessScript - COBOL-izing JavaScript?

My friend Scott Francis recently posted some thoughts on Server-Side JavaScript over on his BP3 blog... We're both Lombardi Teamworks affcianados and well aware of the advantages of using the same language on both the Client and the Server.  It's a safe bet that JavaScript is here to stay.

JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich to give Web designers and part time programmers a "glue language" for adding dynamic behavior to HTML coded Web pages.  Brendan succeeded beyond his wildest dreams in making Web pages dynamic... but not so much on his goal of creating a language that was easy to use by amateurs and novices.

My work involves a lot of interaction with business people who aren't frequent programmers... and I often introduce them to JavaScript.  Mostly they "get it"... but usually they get a bit frustrated at the tedium required to do really common things.

Try explaining to a business person turned part-time programmer the JavaScript (and DOM knowledge) needed to add two numbers that were entered on a form and display the result.  It's painful... especially if the business guy already knows how to do the same thing with a spreadsheet.  It only gets worse if they need to deal with currency math and nicely formatted outputs.  Simple things are surprisingly hard to do.

A relatively easy answer to this problem is to guide business folks towards business-focused application development suites - Essentially use a tool to generate forms and spreadsheets and let the tool figure out how to transform the input into a Web-based application.  This is certainly a viable approach - but it's generally a proprietary approach.  Language-based approaches like JavaScript tend to be "open" approaches... the skills that you learn can be applied to products from a number of vendors.  Tool-based approaches tend to be "closed"... the skills that you learn to master one vendor's tool aren't easily transfered if you switch to another vendor's tools.

That's why I'd like to see an Open-Source-Business-Friendly dialect of JavaScript.  Despite the "no coding necessary" promise of many vendor's tools, you almost always have to write a bit of code somewhere... and I'd like to see that code written in a scripting language that is a lot easier for me to teach to business folks who are occasional programmers.

From my own experience, I can state that JavaScript becomes a lot "friendlier" to business folks when you augment it with the "right" function libraries... and there are some tremendously great JavaScript function libraries out there.  I also know that JavaScript becomes a lot "friendlier" to business folks if you don't mention some of its features - If you want to clear the business folks out of a room, just start discussing anonymous functions.  Many of the folks that I teach a bit of JavaScript get off to a pretty good start, but then they start googling for additional answers and get hopelessly lost.

Perhaps we need a brand-new language that is as explicitly focused on developing business applications as COBOL was... Probably something that generates JavaScript (so it will run in every browser) but something that isn't quite JavaScript to keep "occasional programmers" from hanging themselves with some feature or technique (found via Google) that they don't quite understand - let's call it Business Script.

I'm not smart enough to design Business Script - I see people struggle and I can make suggestions, but I don't really know the root causes of confusion.  Professional Programmers are pretty happy with the status quo...  so my bet is that the successful design of Business Script will have a lot more to do with the Psychology of Programming than with Software Engineering.  BusinessScript needs to be more, and less, than JavaScript - but it's not going to be easy to figure out the right mix.

MLM Business Lead-How To Generate MLM Business Leads Who Are Seeking an Opportunity

As network marketers, we all know how important it is to have a steady funnel of mlm business lead to talk to about the mlm opportunity or products/services.

I came across this article which offers some valuable advice about how to generate your own leads. It is good stuff and I know you will benefit from it.

To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
Skype: Monique371

Most people who read the ebook, Success in 10 Steps and coaching from from Mentoring for Free find why their lack of success in NOT their fault. Click here to get your copy
http://mentormonique.mentoringforfree.com/?mad=36000

You Can Generate Your Own MLM Business Leads That Are Opportunity Seekers

27.12.2009 | Author: brittanyjones2 | Posted in Uncategorized

Finding good business leads that are MLM opportunity seekers is one of the most challenging aspects of building a network marketing business. Many people online are looking for income but not necessarily through the MLM industry.

Very few people have much success recruiting family and friends. Unless you are a person of great influence this is just very difficult to do. Passing out business cards, or cold calling off a lead list, is not a good use of your time and money.

It’s a timing issue with most people. If they’re not of the correct mindset at that moment of approach it’s a challenge in getting them to change that mindset. You need to locate people who are seeking an mlm business now.

Many people trying to build a network marketing business now purchase leads. This does have possibilities but has some problems as well. Many of these leads are old or are not that targeted towards your type of business.

That leads us (no pun intended) to perhaps the best way to find good business leads of MLM opportunity seekers: generate them yourself.

The lead you purchase are generated mostly in a way that you can do yourself. You just need to put a lead generation system in place. Those that are making hundreds of thousands of dollars selling leads have figured this out.

The leads that they generate are basically from websites they’ve built with web copy and content designed to pique the interest of readers so much that they are compelled to give valuable information.

The advertising and marketing strategy of the website is such that people will be inclined to give you their name and email address in order to get more information (and perhaps some free stuff you offer) about how they can achieve success with your business opportunity.

So how do you generate your own leads? You’ll need to advertise and draw traffic to your sites where you capture the visitors. You can do this in several ways.

You can get leads from internet search engines like Google AdWords and Overture. Whe you use pay per click advertising your visitors are target.

You set your budget and set the price you are willing to pay for each sales lead. You then only pay when your customers click through to your site. You are guaranteed to receive interested prospects because you only pay for performance: pre qualified clicks and visitors.

You should also use article marketing and blogging. Adding fresh content to your site is a tremendous aid in driving traffic to the site. By constantly updating information to your site it will become known as one that reader’s can benefit from.

The articles and blogs will have various keywords in them to give you high placement on the search engines and backlinks to drive people to your site.

Louis Martel is the owner of one of the most popular mlm business websites on the internet today. To learn secrets most mlm opportunity seekers will never know visit it right now. http://www.LouisMakeMoney.com

Value network analysis and positioning

There is an increasing need for companies to gain insights into what is actually happening around them and where value can be created and captured. Linear value chains have in many cases been replaced by complex, interdependent and dynamic relationships between multiple sets of actors in different industries, different parts of the world, using different business and revenue models.

The increased turbulence creates threats and opportunities for organizations to respond to and quickly reconfigure its business models and with that its different roles in relation to external actors. To capture opportunities more quickly than rivals do, organizations must have agile business models and constantly analyze where value can be created and captured.

An intricate network of roles and relationships

The value network surrounding an organization comprises of different stakeholders and organizations (nodes) that have an effect on the outcome of the organization's activities. Between the nodes are different forms of formal and in-formal relationships connecting the nodes, forming the network. In contrast to linear value chains and One-Sided Business Models, such as buying ingredients to sell lemonade on the driveway, the number of different actors having multiple roles creates an intricate network of roles and relationships.

Nodes with multiple roles

One actor in the value network can simultaneously be a value provider (e.g. out-licensing important technology, co-educating customers, partner in working towards establishing a standard, co-developing new technology, supplier of services, providing user data), a value recipient (e.g. in-licensing technology, buying products and services, having access to process knowledge and technical know-how, benefiting from complementary products and services), a value neutral (e.g. competing with similar products and services, providing substitute technology, products or services, non-connected experts, authorities and regulators, standardization bodies). Additional to the complexity of nodes having multiple roles is that roles, relationships and business models are constantly changing.

Different business and revenue models

Each of the actors in the value network has its own business and revenue models and actors outside the industry may at any time enter with business models disrupting the whole industry, such as Apple entering the music industry or Google entering the navigation technology industry. Organizations need to constantly monitor actors in the value network, at the edges of the industry and potential outside actors that could for example provide something at a much lower cost or even for free. A good question to ask is what an industry outsider would do to take advantage of the weaknesses in existing value network and business models? Some examples of potentially disruptive business models:

• Give away or subsidize hardware to sell software or services
• Give away or subsidize software to sell hardware or services
• Give away or subsidize services to sell hardware or software
• Give away one version of the hardware, software and/or service to sell another
• Give away or subsidize hardware, software and/or services, supported by advertising
• Give away or subsidize hardware, software and/or services, sell access to 3rd party

For more examples: 50 Business Models built on Free

Mapping the value network

To understand the value network, an organization should for every value proposition map out each and every actor that could have an effect on the outcome. This should initially be done as broadly as possible generating a very long list of actors. Different approaches can be used to identify actors such as:

• Roles in relation to one’s own organization "all suppliers, partners, competitors, customers, substitutes…"
• Type of organizations "all incumbents, SMEs, start-ups, research institutes, university research groups, governmental organizations…"
• Different forms of activities or expertise "content idea, content creation, publishing, distribution, content aggregation…"

The next step is to categorize each actor in the list to make it more manageable. This can be done in the style of a mind-map or in Excel lists that are perhaps more easy to sort and filter. The way to categorize and group actors is very situational specific and the approaches above can be used as a starting point.

Analyzing the value network

It is important to understand how value is converted from one form to another across the value network. Ideally each actor and relationship should be analyzed and a starting point is to analyze each group of actors and each identified key actor:

• How do value move through the network?
• Where are the bottlenecks?
• Who are benefiting from whom?
• What values are provided from each actor?
• Who are the main value creators?
• What are their objectives and strategies?
• Where are the unique assets and capabilities?
• How well are assets being used?
• How well are the values being realized?
• Who are the main value recipients?
• What do the value recipients need to compromise?
• What social value or cost is generated by each actor?
• Where are the main costs and risks of each actor?

With an understanding of the value network the next step for an organization is to analyze its own position in the value network.

Analyzing one’s own position

Based on the value network analysis the organization can start evaluating its own situation and different alternatives for adjusting its position in the value network:

• What roles and relationships is it dependent upon?
• What are the value propositions (including benefits) it provides to other actors?
• How are different external offerings affecting own value propositions?
• What are the financial and non-financial transactions in these relationships?
• How will success increase other actors' success and vice-versa?
• How will the organization enable other actors to win versus their competition?
• How can it change the game to its own and others advantage?
• How will its position evolve over time?

Positioning through strategic moves

Based on the existing and sought for position, the organization can then use strategic moves to affect identified actors, formulate alliances and partnerships and change its business models, to manage the value network:

• Who to collaborate with, for what purpose, in what form?
• Who to form strategic alliances with?
• What to bring to the table and what to expect from the collaboration?
• What actions to take to affect other organizations or relationships?
• How to adjust value propositions and business models?

Turning turbulence into an advantage

To understand the current and future capability for value creation, it is essential for every organization to understand the surrounding value network and how value is converted from one form to another across the network, and adjust its business models accordingly.

Opportunities arise from strategic moves and from pure luck. The challenge is for organizations to have agile business models to be able to act on these opportunities. I believe that organizations that really understand their different roles and surrounding value networks can turn the turbulence into an advantage.

Music Monday- ♫ Jennifer Lopez - Waiting For Tonight ♫

I selected this video for this weeks MM, as we all know this is J. lo's version which was released in 1999 few days before the millennium new year. It also reminds me so much of my years as a newly married and being pregnant!.. so i guess i was enjoying every bit of the times as well as the song. Every new years is much anticipated and so is this year which is to come in just 3 more days! how fast the years pass by, isn't it? The last month of the year gives us the chance to contemplate our year gone by and make an attempt improve in the coming year.. so lets all make a resolution never to be broken. I haven't decided mine but would surely like to know yours??

Hope you enjoy the video while you think of a resolution.. happy MM :-)

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

MLM Business Lead-Sponsoring Isn't Like Selling

When you are out prospecting and talking to a mlm business lead, always remember this as you look to build your mlm business: sponsoring isn't like selling. They are two different entities. Here is what mlm generic trainer Tom, Big Al, Schreiter has to about this in his own words:

Sponsoring Isn't Selling:

When you buy something, you give the seller some money, receive your merchandise, and the deal is completed. That's it.

When someone asks you to join their network marketing company, this isn't a simple, one-time transaction. You are being asked for a long-term commitment. You'll want to know more about the program, the people involved, etc. You want to be comfortable with everything before you make this major decision.

That's why "selling" doesn't work well when sponsoring prospects. What works better is "relationships." Your prospect will more likely join if he knows, likes and trusts you. This is one of the main reasons people join.

If you want to be an effective recruiter, concentrate more of your presentation on relationships and less on features, benefits, and facts about your program.

Tom, Big Al, Schrieter
http://www.fortunenow.com

I'd say this is excellent advice from Tom. Always remember that mlm is a relationship business as my mentor, Michael Dlouhy would say!


To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
Skype: Monique371

Most people who read the ebook, Success in 10 Steps and get help from Mentoring for Free find why their lack of success in NOT their fault. Click here to get your copy
http://mentormonique.mentoringforfree.com/?mad=36000

Clayton Christensen on jobs needing to get done

Some great and entertaining thoughts by Clayton Christensen in short sound bites presented at TechPoint's Innovation Summit on September 29, 2009.

"Very often why companies found that they have lost their ability to innovate, isn't that there aren't good ideas coming in, but it's the shaping process confirms everything to what the company is good at doing, instead of what fits the market needs"

"The idea that we should focus on understanding the customer and give the customer what she needs actually contributes to the failure of new innovations. The unit of analysis in coming up with great ideas are the jobs that are sitting out there needing to get done for which our products or services might get hired"

"I wonder what job people hire a milkshake to do for them..." "...it turns out that the competitor is not Burger King milkshakes but bananas, donuts, bagels, snickers bars and boredom"

Related videos:

• Mark Johnson on Business Model Innovation and his new book Seizing the White Space
• Scott Anthony on Disruptive Innovation

The Secret Of Internet Makketing Business Success (part 4)

Build Simple and Interesting Website

You'll want to have a very sophisticated websites, full color, complete with video and animation are not ...?
The fact is: a colorful website, video and animation is NOT GOOD for sale!

Why ... ...? Because visitors will not focus on what you are offering .., they are busy watching the color, video and animation that you serve. Focus to what you offer ... .. SALES!

The successful Internet marketers recommend that your website should:

• 
  Text black with a white background. 
• Limit the maximum number of fonts only 2 kinds. Do not be tempted to use more than 2 different font types.
• If you use images, make sure the file size is not too large making it easier for your visitors to a website.
  Avoid the pop-in, pop-ups, banners and so forth that may be able to divert the attention of your website visitors. 
• Avoid the use of color / graphics overload 
• Ensure There Opt-in form to gather prospect names. 

Remember, your main goal is to invite visitors to read what you offer, so they decided to buy from you, not make them impressed with the graphics and animation on your website.

Offer solutions for your website visitors who need them. A report in the form of "Free Report" or 5 Simple Tips For ... .. highly valued by information seekers.

Software like Dreamweaver, NVU and Microsoft Front Page can be easier for you to build a "money making" websites in just a few hours.

You want to be a successful Internet Marketer who is not? You do not need to be a web designer or web programmer to succeed in Internet Marketing business. All can be outsourced.

THE WIDENING RANGE OF REVENUE SOURCES IN NEWS ENTERPRISES

It is obvious that both the offline and online news providers are in the midst of substantial transformation and that the traditional means of funding operations are no longer as viable as in the past. This is disturbing to the industry because it has enjoyed several decades of unusual financially wealth and few in the organizations know how to find and generate new sources of revenue.

The financial uncertainty facing the industry is not unusual, however. We tend to forget that news has historically been unable to pay for itself and was subsidized by other activities. In the past newspapers and other news organizations engaged in a far larger range of commercial activities than then they do today and publishers had to be highly entrepreneurial and seek income from a wide variety of sources in order to survive.

The initial gathering and distribution of news was paid for by emperors, monarchs, and other rulers who needed information for state purposes. Later, wealthy international merchants hired correspondents to gather and relay news that might affect their businesses. When news became a commercial product, newspaper publishers subsidized the operations with profits from printing books, magazines, pamphlets, and advertising sheets, income for editors from shipping and postal employment, profits from operating book shops and travel agencies, and subsidies from communities and political and social organizations.

Today, however, news organizations are struggling to maintain themselves and develop digital operations by primarily focusing on the two revenue streams they have known in recent decades: subscriptions and advertising. Many people are being disappointed because those are failing to provide sufficient financial resources to sustain their operations.

The need to seek income from multiple sources is clear, but runs somewhat counter to the values of twentieth-century professional journalism, which denigrates commercial activity and thus engenders organizational resistance to new business initiatives. Continuing staff reductions and other budgetary cutbacks are eroding some internal opposition, but are rightfully leading to questions about how far one goes down the commercial road before news gives up its independence.

In both the online and offline news worlds, a wide variety of revenue generating activities are appearing—some based on traditional subscriber/single copy sales and advertising sales—but many others moving into new areas of monetization.

Many news organizations are increasing the range of advertising services provided to sell and create ads for their own media products, but also to provide clients services that can be used in competing products as well. New types of advertising offerings are being created to link across platforms, sponsorships of online and mobile news headlines are developing, video advertising is being offered online, and special “deals of the day” advertising spots are being offered.

Some organizations are increasing their product lines producing paid premium products and niche content for professional groups and persons with special interests; some are providing business service listings for a fee; others are creating a variety of non-news products; still others are operating additional business units creating paid events, running cafés, book and magazine shops, and providing training and education activities.

Sales of other products and services are being increasingly embraced through e-commerce (linking published reviews films, performances, and recordings to sites where customers can buy tickets, DVDs, CDs, etc.), creating and selling lists and databases of local businesses and consumers, producing special reports and books, selling photographs and photography services, and even selling items such as computers and appliances.

A growing number of news organizations are seekings subsidies though reader memberships and donations and grants from community and national foundations.

These are healthy developments because they increase the opportunities to create revenue that can fund news activities. Obviously, the abilities and willingness of different news enterprises to engage in the range activities vary widely, but the fact that they are appearing show that news organizations are beginning to adjust to the new environment and becoming more entrepreneurial than they have been for many decades.

What is needed now is not knee-jerk opposition to these efforts from news personnel, but thoughtful development of realistic principles and processes to minimize any negative effects of these new initiatives on news content so that trust and credibility are not diminished.

Term 1 Classes - A retrospect

Finishing the first term felt like a real accomplishment. One of the things many of us don't do enough at HBS is reflect on what we've learned. I thought I would take a moment to capture what my first HBS classes taught me...

Finance 1- My takeaway from this class was basically about valuation. The fundamentals of how to value companies, projects, and assets. As consumers, we value things in very different ways. For example, we may buy an iPod for $99 because it's on sale or because it just feels like it's worth it. If we're going to rent an apartment or buy a house, we look at nearly identical units and compare the recent selling prices. Projects, companies, and assets though are a lot more complicated, and often much more unique (not to mention much higher stakes). For example, during the semester Disney bought Marvel Comics for $4 Billion. How did they settle on $4 Billion? Why didn't they pay $3.5 Billion or $4.5 Billion? That 500 million dollar difference is very substantial, and while human dynamics and negotiations are probably a significant part of the equation, the art and science of valuation is fundamentally critical. To me, that's what Finance 1 was all about.

FRC (Financial Reporting & Control) - A class many people simply label as "accounting," but in reality, is much more schizophrenic. The term started with basic accounting principles and applications (balance sheets, income statement, cash statements, t-accounts, etc.) but zigged and zagged into incentive structures, roles of auditors, management compensation structures, etc. The unifying themes were how to measure and analyze performance, how to design measures that drive performance, and how to best communicate those measures with the capital markets. The class is definitely not preparing anybody to be a CFO, but would at least do something to help one understand and communicate in CFO language.

TOM (Technology & Operations Management) - A class about how to use operational design to improve any process. Most would associate this concept with manufacturing, but as this class continuously emphasized, operational concepts can be applied anywhere. Our cases represented a wide variety of topics, such as the restaurant Benihana, a cranberry production case, and a consulting firm. My personal takeaway was that profit can come from a lot of places, and operational design improvement is often overlooked as a source of profit. Managers tend to look at sales growth, human resources, and business development to squeeze out profits, but improved operational design can be a great source for increased corporate profits as well. However, since cultural change is often necessary to achieve true operational design changes, this can be one of the more challenging endeavors for a company, and is therefore often neglected.

Marketing - I found this class to be the most interesting overall. Before HBS I used to associate marketing with advertising, but of course, advertising is merely the facade of marketing. In this course I learned how businesses approach customers and competitors, and how products are defined for the market. We mostly used the "Four P's" as our framework: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Take Coca-Cola for example:

• Where does it want to push its product most? In supermarkets? Vending machines? Spectator sports? Restaurants? That's where is has been doing it. But it could also do home delivery (like water companies), or through the mail (like Wine clubs), etc. The latter options may sound silly to us today, but that's only because we live in the world that Coca-Cola has successfully carved out for itself - and that is called "Place" - where are you are going to sell? It's not so obvious for every product (think for example software).
• What about what form will it be sold in? Cans? Bottles? Bulk or individual? Perhaps it will be sold in a powdered form? If that sounds crazy - look at Gatorade's powder success. Or perhaps they want to just license and sell the syrup - AKA restaurant and food court machines. These questions revolve around the question of "Product." To add to the complication, the Product is also more than the physical manifestation, but also the experience it represents. If you look at Coca-Cola commercials, you will notice they rarely push how great tasting or refreshing Coca-Cola is, but that it brings happiness, and that it brings people together, etc. So is the product really a soda, or is it a smile in a can? What is the product?
• How much do you sell your product for is an obvious business decision. However, what pricing model you use is not so obvious. A few years ago Coca-Cola created a vending machine that increased the price when the temperature was hotter. This was met with public outrage, and cost Coke a lot of public relations points. The idea was immediately cut. However, we already pay different prices for Coke in different places. We pay more in convenience stores than we do in Supermarkets. We pay more in ball games than we do in restaurants. We even already pay more for vending machines in different places. For example, on average, Coke costs more in vending machines in subways in the inbound areas than it does in the outbound areas. When you're already in the outbound area, alternative purchasing points are accessible, and thus the law of supply and demand is in effect. All these questions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the question of "Price." Not to mention questions of pricing to distributors, bottlers, etc. etc. etc.
• Will Coke sell more by increasing consumer demand through commercials, or will it sell more by giving supermarkets greater discounts and winning more shelfspace away from Pepsi? These are both forms of promotions. In general, we studied a lot of "push and pull" strategies. In a push strategy, the product is pushed more onto the consumer by providing retailers the promotion, thereby putting the product at eye-level shelves, or putting out promotion signs at the retailer, or giving reduced prices at certain stores. A pull strategy creates demand at the consumer level, so that the consumer comes to the store looking for that product. In this strategy, more is spent on creating brand awareness and demand. This, and many other topics, touch on the question of product "Promotion."

Overall, I found Marketing to be a very insightful class. Marketing as I learned, is about influencing people's behavior, and is therefore perhaps one of the most important business skills to have for a generalist.

LEAD (Leadership & Organizational Dynamics) - A class I thought would be relatively boring at first, but proved to be one of my favorites (largely perhaps because of a great professor). As one of the few students in the class with real leadership experience, the dynamics were very different than the other classes. The personal challenge for me was how to convey my own experiences and add value to the class, while also staying open minded and listening respectfully to ideas by those who have no significant leadership experience. My favorite module in the class was how to impart change on large organizations. Examples were General Electric, Nissan, and Scandinavian Airways. Overall, this was perhaps the most complicated and intensely focused course of the five, since it fundamentally studied humans and psychology, which is infinitely more complex than marketing and accounting.

I'm looking forward to term 2 classes, which will be Finance 2, Leadership & Corporate Accountability (i.e. ethics), Business & International Economics (i.e. macro-econ), Strategy, and The Entrepreneurial Manager.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Happy Holidays

We'd like to send our best wishes to all our publishers around the world. Wherever you're spending this holiday season, we hope that it's filled with much love, warmth, and happiness.



Happy Holidays!

Posted by Dia Muthana on behalf of the Google AdSense Team

Santa's on Twitter

NORAD + Google Maps + Twitter + Santa = Christmas Eve Geography Lesson

Merry Christmas from my home to yours :-)

Can you believe its Christmas once again! the time of the year when PEACE, LOVE, WARMTH and JOY fill the air and celebrations go on merrily throughout the world. Writing this before retiring to bed as i have lots of activities once i awake. Aryan and Alisha's gift from Santa Claus is hidden away (hope he doesn't read this, my clever and curious son!) and will be kept under their pillows before they awake. Am so excited that this year Alisha (3 yrs) is able to understand a little about Christmas and knows Santa Claus very well and i cant wait to watch her excitement when she opens her gifts! We will obviously have a family day tomorrow and lots to feast :-)

Here's wishing all my readers lots of peace, love, warmth and joy on this day and throughout the year.. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE :-)

MLM Business Lead-How To Generate Business Leads on Myspace

As folks who have a network working home business, I'm sure you know the importance of having a steady of mlm business leads.

Did you know that Myspace can be a place where you can gather as many mlm business leads you need to your heart's content? Let's discover now how this works.

Home Based Business Leads 101 - How To Generate FREE Home Based Business Leads Using Myspace By Jayson Shawver

Searching for free home based business leads? Do you have a myspace account? If not you are throwing money away, that's right you are flushing thousands and thousands of dollars down the toilet right as we speak!

But that's ok, maybe you didn't know about myspace or maybe you just thought it was a free site for teenage kids with goofy hair and black clothes.

Well to be completely honest with you when it comes to generating free home based business leads it simply does not get any better than this. Here are some interesting facts about myspace.com that you'll want to know.

It's the world's largest social NETWORKING site, it is the 6th most visited site on the entire internet, and it now has over 212,000,000 users! Do you think you might want to learn how to tap into a little bit of that traffic and start generating some free highly responsive, laser targeted leads for your business?

The best part is, it's completely FREE! That's right, you will never have to spend a dime to grow your home based business here.

Listen, quality free home based business leads are hard to come by. In fact I doubt you'd ever find anyone willing to just give you free leads by searching online, but what I will tell you is that if you learn just a TINY bit about social network marketing ,it will forever change your business and your financial situation.

When you learn to generate free leads on myspace the best part is that these aren't you average everyday butchered, run down, and over worked leads. These are highly qualified, laser targeted, fresh leads who are literally begging you to join your business.

Why, are they begging to join your business?

Because they're buying you! That's right, you're in the business of networking and myspace is a social networking site. If you haven't learned this already in network marketing or the home based business industry people aren't buying the products, or the opportunity, they are buying YOU!

Forget everything you've been taught about the industry when it all comes down to it, it comes down to you. And social networking sites just happen to be the best place online where you really can express yourself for who you truly are. If you don't know how to do that, invest in some coaching or personal development but as for the rest of you, the most important thing you could possibly do right now to start generating an abundance of free home based business leads is to learn how to market on on these sites!

Want more information on generating laser targeted, FREE leads for your business? If you'd like to learn EXACTLY how to turn your myspace account into a high performance, lead generating machine without ever spending a dime on advertising be sure and claim your FREE 5 Day Myspace Home Based Business Secrets Bootcamp by simply clicking here.

About The Author: Jayson Shawver is an Expert Myspace Marketer/Online Home Based Business Coach whose greatest satisfaction in life comes from helping struggling home based business owners harness the power of the internet to exponentially grow their businesses through the roof. If you'd like to learn more about Jayson or how to harness the power of the internet to generate an absolute abundance of laser targeted, highly responsive, free home based business leads today please visit: http://www.spacemlmsecrets.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jayson_Shawver

I know you found this information about Myspace helpful. Now, you can head over and generate as many mlm business leads that you need.

Have a Merry Christmas!

To Your Success,
Monique Hawkins
540-858-2885
Skype: Monique371

Most people who read the ebook, Success in 10 Steps and get help from Mentoring for Free find why their lack of success in NOT their fault. Click here to get your copy
http://mentormonique.mentoringforfree.com/?mad=36000

Guest Post on Bringing Tech to the AVID Classroom: AVID Is Awesome, But...

Here's the second in our series of Weds guest posts on TeachPaperless. Today's blogger is teacher Ben Knaus.

Ben is a middle school AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) elective teacher and coordinator at Cityview Performing Arts School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He is in his tenure (third) year of teaching, 2nd year with the AVID program, and 8th year working in a school (all at Cityview). Ben is also a devoted husband, father of two beautiful little ones, and a huge technology fan. In his spare time, he is an adjunct professor at Saint Mary's University-Twin Cities co-teaching (with @wwolfe105) the Technology in the Classroom course in the Master of Instruction program. Ben also blogs at LearnTeachTech.com and posts on Twitter as @learnteachtech.


What is AVID?

"AVID is a fourth through twelfth grade system to prepare students in the academic middle for four-year college eligibility. It has a proven track record in bringing out the best in students, and in closing the achievement gap. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination." [Source: http://www.avidonline.org/info/?tabid=1&ID=549]

Basically, AVID takes students who wouldn't normally be thinking about college, who have parents who didn't go to college, or who need an extra push to get to college and gives them the skills they need to make to college. How many times did I write college? Four. Yes, four in one sentence. Did I mention there is a push in the AVID program to attend college?

Why is AVID Awesome?

AVID is awesome because students who don't know how to be highly effective students get the skills they need to be highly effective. In the AVID elective class, we learn questioning, note taking (Cornell Notes), discussion and debate, public speaking, organization, and study strategies. We also learn a lot about colleges and careers from field trips and guest speakers.

I love just about everything in AVID. One of my favorites is that we have tutors. We have four adults (2 college students, 1 retired teacher and 1 adult from the business world) who help twice a week. They guide students on questions from other classes and ensure that they are getting the necessary support. The students eventually take over the tutorials and run them with tutor assistance. It's an amazing process to watch and be part of.

The other amazing thing is that I get to work with the AVID students for up to three years. I'll have the 6th graders until they leave for high school. The program and the class structure build relationships, which is the key to being successful in any area and I preach this whenever someone will listen.

But... The Technology

There are 8 general standards in AVID that are broken down into 42 objectives. Here's standard 2, objective 6:

"2.6 Refine research skills, including the use of technology, for all academic classes."
[Source: AVID Standards, link not available]

Out of 42 objectives to meet, only one deals with any sort of technology.

There is a serious lack of technology built into the program.

How many jobs have you had where you don't use some technology during your work day? How many college students do you know that don't word process, take notes on a computer, or research regularly on the Internet? How do you expect future college students to be successful if a college-prep course isn't requiring technology? (See how we use questioning in the AVID program?)

So, what's the solution? In my dream world, every AVID student would be given a netbook to use at school and at home. I would also request the City of Minneapolis to give AVID students access to Wireless Minneapolis. This proposal would give the students access to everything they need both inside and outside the classroom, 24 hours a day.

In the real world, AVID students need access to computers, at the very least, in the AVID classroom. No student, especially the typical AVID student, is prepared for college if they don't have the basic technology skills needed in the world outside of the school.

And since when is school not part of the real world? (Again with the questioning...)

That said, what am I doing now?

We use the Promethean board in the room for note taking and brain storming.

We use Activexpressions for short answer responses.

I have students use Wordle to brainstorm and reflect.

After the winter break, I'll have students start portfolios using eFolioMn and, hopefully, start some blogging.

Personally, I blog, Tweet, research, and RSS constantly to find new ideas, concepts, and strategies (both tech and non-tech) to bring into my classroom. That's done with two old eMacs, a teacher iMac, and my personal MacBook.

Finally, I've covered my back wall with whiteboards. We don't use chart paper for group work or other activities. The students just start writing on the wall.

How fun is that? (Sorry, had to sneak one last question in!)