Influence

"I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how ‘You´ made them Feel" -- Maya Angelou

Most Intense Commercial Ever

It’s an ad for insurance in Thailand, but that’s not important. This made me cry. Push play or go to YouTube.

And as long as I'm putting up tear jerk video's I might as well post this one too.. IF you haven't seen it yet, be sure you have a box of tissues handy. It's a beautiful but sad story of love and sacrifice told through a Japanese music video.

Fridays Finds

It's time for another issue of Fridays Finds. The one day each week when I share with you some of the many unique places I find on the web. The sites listed could vary in content from funny to educational, or bizarre to just plain enjoyable. Some might be commercial sites selling unusual items and others might be freely sharing whatever information they have. I'll include a description with the link to give you an idea of what to expect if I have the time. Otherwise you'll be on your own. But, in most cases you should be able to figure out what to expect by the name of the site; although some may surprise you. So climb aboard, fasten your seatbelts, keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times - but please have fun!

1. http://www.librarything.com/

2. Collect Things?

3. Girls Gadget Guide

4. eMail Our Military

5. Cardboard people

Do you have or know of a unique and interesting site that you would like me to add to an upcoming Fridays Finds? email me and let me know.

Thursdays Thinkers

I've made this a regular feature. Every Thursday I post at least one, but probably more, questions to get you thinking. Leave your thoughts or comment on others responses. Let's have a dialog! Here's todays questions:

1. A stitch in time saves nine what?

2. Does killing time damage eternity?

3. If you were able to own or have one thing that a friend, colleague, or neighbor has, what would it be?

4. If you could modify one thing about your current car (and no, junking it and starting over would not be an option), how would you make it be different?

Now it's up to you.. go to the comments section and leave your answer for one, or two, or all of todays questions. Then check back later to read what others have said. Have a great Thursday!

The pleasure of being on top!

This is the way my investment tournament win was reported on BigSmarty.com:

EZ Money Wins First-Ever Shootout Tournament

After 5 exciting weeks of trading EZ Money pulled off an EZ victory against Top Leader who went down in a final flurry of trading today. EZ's portfolio ended in a modest 6% gain for the week compared with other porfolios he has shown in earlier weeks. EZ made steady gains throughout the final week ending at $106,493. Top Leader ended the tournament at $100,806 (down $222 for the day).

Each of EZ's 5 matches were strkingly different. The first week EZ ended with a portfolio of $102,701, which was less than $1k over donnyboy. In the 2nd week EZ finished at $104,756, a $6k difference with jujubee's ending portfolio of $98,663. Gidget was EZ's 3rd heads-up match, and finished the week at $89,833 against EZ's $115,820, a 26k difference.

The fourth week was an exciting contest with two apparently equally-matched players. They even traded some of the same stocks. OvertheRainbow$$$ shot ahead in the first day to $163k against EZ's $157k. Rainbow was ahead by over $6k on Tuesday, but lost her edge by a mere thousand dollars on Wednesday and never recovered her lead. By Friday EZ was at $181, and Rainbow was at $162, lower than any portfolio since Monday.

Week 5 started with Top Leader just under EZ. Both were in the red at the end of the first day. They seemed to swap trading days throughout the week, but both ended with some serious last-minute trading. Top Leader could never quite catch up.

The next Shootout starts the second week in October with impressive cash prizes.
----------------

I'm inviting everyone to come join us for the next round of tournaments. Why would you want to? Well, one great reason is because they pay cash prizes. $1,000 for first place in most of the tournaments. And at least up to $50 for placing in the top ten of a weekly contest. Another reason is because they are great fun. It's like combining Fantasy Football with investing. One more reason is you can learn a lot about how to manage your investments without any expense.. the tournaments are FREE and you don't use any real money (you just get real money back when you win)

Join us, please.

eBay Tips and Tricks

One of the most effective and least used tools to generate traffic to your eBay listings is the About Me page. I can't stress this enough.. If you're on eBay, you need an About Me page.

I can hear you all asking "why?" eBay is a community and all eBay users are members of that community. Checking out the About Me page of people you conduct business with gives you an opportunity to get to know them. Because eBay is cyberspace market, you have no other way to get to let prospective bidders know that you're a real person.

Think about it.. you shop at some stores because you like the people who work there. An About Me page takes the first step towards establishing a professional and trusted identity on eBay. So, if you don't have an About Me page I want you to go create one as soon as you finish reading this post. It doesn't have to be a work of art; just get something up there to tell people who you are. You can always go back later to edit or redesign it.

When you plan your About Me page consider adding the following:
-Who you are and what part of the world you live in. (it's not necessary to give your home address or phone numbers)
-Your hobbies. If you collect things, this is the place to let the world know.
-Tell whether you run your eBay business full-time or part-time and if you have another career, share that information too.
-The type of merchandise you sell (or buy) should be mentioned. Promote youself here. Tell the reader why your products and service are highly valued.
-Include your most recent feedback and a list of your current auctions.
-If you have an off-eBay business with a website, your About Me page is the only place where eBay will allow you to include a link to your website. Be sure to take advantage of that and include a link.

To create your About Me page, click on the Me icon next to any user's name, scroll to the bottom of their About Me page and find the line that reads "To Ccreate your own About Me page click here." or type in the following: http://members.ebay.com/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?AboutMeLogin then follow the simple preformatted template for your first page and work from there.

Good luck!

Believe...

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." ---Mosiah 4:9-10

Top Dog

Well I did it! After 5 weeks of difficult trading I walked away the winner of the first ever BigSmarty Wallstreet Head to Head Shootout Tournament.

I struggled this week but managed to keep a modest lead on my competitor until Friday when I was able to widen my lead. I finished with a $6,466 gain. My competitor finished with a $2,817 gain.

The amazing thing is that even though he lost to me, his gain was almost 3% for the week. Why do most people settle for a 2 to 5% gain a year when it's possible to make that in a week? If I averaged 2.8% each week I could grow my money 140% each year (and yes that includes taking a couple weeks off).

Does doubling your money every year sound good to you? Let me show you how.

Fridays Finds

It's time for another issue of Fridays Finds. The one day each week when I share with you some of the many unique places I find on the web. The sites listed could vary in content from funny to educational, or bizarre to just plain enjoyable. Some might be commercial sites selling unusual items and others might be freely sharing whatever information they have. I'll include a description with the link to give you an idea of what to expect if I have the time. Otherwise you'll be on your own. But, in most cases you should be able to figure out what to expect by the name of the site although some may surprise you.
So climb aboard, fasten your seatbelts, keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times but please have fun!

1. eBay sniping tool

2. 3D textmaker

3. Online Jigsaw Puzzles

4. Americans for Mitt

5. Blogger Play

BigSmarty.com Launches Web's First Stock Trading Social Network

GREAT NEWS!!!!!

Earlier this month BigSmarty.com officially launched their new stock trading tournament site, where participants can create customizable portfolios, find friends with similar interests, and win cash and prizes playing FREE in the ultimate fantasy stock market community.

Available now on the site are cash tournaments, including BigSmarty Challenges - Join monthly and weekly tournaments where you start with $100,000 of virtual cash in your tournament portfolio. Buy and sell stocks in real-time. The top 3 largest portfolios at the end of the tournament win REAL CASH! Place in the top 10 and win player points to compete in even higher cash prize tournaments. Additional new games are also available at BigSmarty.com, such as Wallstreet BINGO, where players find 25 stock symbols they think will go up. You can create your own BINGO card and watch it grow, winning you Cash and Player Points whenever you score a BINGO.

BigSmarty offers more than stock trading tournaments and games. With our Community features, you can create a profile about yourself and meet people online. You can maintain a buddy list, chat live, or email through BigSmarty's internal mail. Upload a photo of yourself for other members to see. People can click on your image and add you to their buddy list or send you messages.

Practice Portfolio: Want to convince yourself that you're ready to invest a chunk of your hard-earned money in the stock market? Here's how. Set up a practice portfolio in BigSmarty Wallstreet, our online virtual stock exchange, where you'll trade real-time with virtual cash and have a lot of fun in stock trading tournaments.

Join and play for FREE. Big Smarty.com is Your ultimate, free stock-trading community - it's Fun, Free, and For cash.

Thursday Thinkers

I'm making this a regular feature. Every Thursday I'll post at least one, but probably more, questions to get you thinking. Leave your thoughts or comment on others responses. Let's have a dialog! Here's todays questions:

1. If you could organize a family reunion with all of your dead relatives, where would you hold it and who would be there?

2. Name the grossest thing you have ever put in your mouth.

3. What do you think is the most soothing sound?

4. If your life was a sitcom, what would the title be?

Now it's up to you.. go to the commentssection and leave your answer for one, or two, or all of todays questions. Then check back later to read what others have said. Have a great Thursday!

The Littlest Angel

The Littlest Angel

Kenadie Jourdin-Bromley was born on Feb.13, 2003 and weighed just 2 lbs, 8 ounces. Young Kenadie was not expected to survive long but years later she is still with us.

At the age of 8 months, Kenadie was diagnosed with primordial dwarfism, a genetic condition that is believed to affect only about 100 people in the world.

She isn’t expected to grow past about 30 inches or weigh more than 8 pounds. Her family maintains an enchanting website filled with photos and Kenadie updates. The site can be viewed here.

The photo above is of Kenadie and photographer Gary Parker.

It is believed that Caroline Crachami, the Sicilian Fairy, was the first documented primordial dwarf. She toured Europe in 1824 and passed away that same year.

 

10 tips for buying and selling success on eBay

1. Build A Positive Feedback Rating
Having a good feedback rating makes other eBayers comfortable doing business with you. I won't buy from someone that has less than 98.5% positive feedback. Keep your feedback rating high and you'll continue to have lots of customers.
2. Be generous with your feedback
Post feedback quickly and leave specific comments. Leaving a comment that says: "great seller," is nice –but it is more helpful to say, "Item arrived quickly in perfect condition, just as described." Or: "Quick Professional transaction –good email and just what I ordered." If the seller sells something specific you can mention it such as: "Beautiful Print –I will enjoy for many years."
This type of feedback is very helpful to future buyers and it tends to get you better feedback comments in return.
3. Create an About Me page on eBay
eBay allows you to create a page to describe you and your family or even include your pets, hobbies, interests – basically anything you like. If you have a web site, this is the only place on eBay where you are allowed to place a link directing buyers to your web site. USE IT! The About Me page is searchable on outside search engines like google and yahoo. This can help generate traffic to your listings so be sure to mention the types of things you sell.
4. Understand the rule of odd cents
Most people bid in even numbers. If the bid increment is 50 cents, make your bid .52 or .53. This way you will just outbid someone by a few cents instead of a large increment. This is very important when sniping (see next item)
5. Learn to snipe
eBay’s proxy bidding system allows you to set your highest bid and then forget about it. eBay's system will keep bidding the minimum increment up to your maximum. This is fine if you know exactly how much you want to pay for something. If you are not sure how much you want to bid or if you know an item will be hot, then learn how to snipe at the last minute. Here is how to snipe:
Open one window with the auction description. Open a second window and place the highest amount you will pay for the item and hit "Review Bid." Now enter your username and password –but don’t hit "Place Bid" yet. Wait until 15 or 20 seconds before the auction ends. (Refresh your first window to see the time left). At the right moment, hit "Place Bid." With luck your bid will arrive at the perfect time to beat out your competition.
6. Search Completed items
To find out what a product is worth, it doesn’t do any good to find prices for on-going auctions as this could change minute by minute. Searching Completed Items (from the eBay search box) is the best way to determine an item’s worth or value.
7. Become an expert in your field
Become an authority on what you do in your online auction business. If you sell printer ink cartridges, you want to be thought of before anyone else.
When you become an authority in your field, a whole new universe of business and opportunity is opened up to you. I buy certain types of things on eBay from the same sellers over and over. I wouldn't dare do business with anyone else, not when they have proven themselves and their product.
You want to earn that same type of position in the minds of eBayer’s for your niche. Also continue your auction education. Read books and training manuals, visit the chat and message boards, attend an eBay University when it comes to your town, go to eBay Live, and keep learning all the time.
8. Master the art of writing an effective auction headline and item description.
Your headline is your advertising and your item description is your salesperson. On the web, how your potential buyer perceives you and your product is everything.
Be sure to use descriptive words in your auction title (headline). Common words like Rare, Unique, Powerful, New, Unusual, Stunning, Top Notch, First Class, etc. are not as effective as more precise brand names, model numbers, sizes, etc. Use common words (like those above) only when you have enough space for them in addition to the precise description terms. Just be sure not to exaggerate. Don’t call something ‘rare" if it is not.
Copy writing is the art of showing you and what you sell to your buyer in the best possible light. It’s the most important thing you have going for you. If your item is used and has a crack in it.. be honest and say so.. but minimize the negative aspects of it.
9. Learn simple HTML commands to spice up your auctions
Don’t be afraid of HTML. Anyone can do it. You can make your text bold, increase or reduce the size, add color backgrounds, etc. by typing a simple html code within your listing. Go to: http://echoecho.com/ or http://www.davesite.com/ for simple and free online tutorials on how to do HTML.
10.Take the time to take good photos
Here are some simple tips to take good digital photos:
Clean up the area around the subject or use a backdrop
Always use a tripod to make your photos sharp
Avoid clutter in the photo
Shoot outdoors on a cloudy day or in open shade. Don’t shoot in direct sunlight, as the contrast is too high
Indirect window light is also excellent. I often shoot objects ona table next to a window with a white or gray sheet for a backdrop
Get reasonably close to the object
Show a close-up of any repairs or defects
If relevant, show the product being used.
If size is an issue, show some thing such as a coin or a ruler toto indicate dimensions.

Bonus 11. Use multiple photos. The more photos you have the better. Buyers want to see your items before they bid so take photos that show it from multiple angles. Upload your photos to a free hosting site like photobucket or flickr and use html to pull the photo into your listing. eBay can host them for you also.. but they charge a fee.

Good luck!

Just for fun: Someone Tries to Sell Belgium on eBay

Thought for the day

My body is a temple, my mind is the Holy of Holies. - Unknown

Our minds are all we've got. They are the source of who we, both personally and professionally, are. They determine our success or failure. They are our strength and our weakness. - Mark Victor Hansen

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You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Catching up..

It's been a busy week. I was so involved in the investment tournament that I missed making a couple blog posts. So today we'll get caught up with what was missed.

Normally on Fridays I do a feature called "Friday's Finds" where I share some fun and unique websites that I have happened across on the web. I've missed it a couple time so in the spirit of sharing.. here's a short Saturday episode of Friday's Finds:

1. Create a Simpsons-style avator.

2. Virtual Etch-a-Sketch.

3. Calvin and Hobbs Forever!


To update you on the results of my investment shoot-out, my wife made 10 transactions on friday but couldn’t reach the pot of gold in her battle with me. She ended the tournament with $162,186. I was able to grow my portfolio by nearly $7k on friday for a grand total of $181,101.

We both started with $100,000 last monday. By winning this week, I move into the Championship round with the CEO of Big Smarty Wallstreet. Wish me luck.. I can use all the help I can get. Of course I have the anaylitical power of "The Mentor Center" which helps to identify stocks with great buy signals. So I am sure I will do great. But win or lose, it's an honor to have made it this far.

Please stop by and join us in an upcoming weekly tournament. We are mostly non-professionals with an interesting in helping each other make better investments. We have weekly, daily, monthly tournaments and we play other games like Wallstreet BINGO and Lucky 7. All the games and tournaments are FREE so don't be afraid to register and keep an eye on us! Use the BigSmarty links on this page to find us.

Hurricane Humberto

Our family and friends thought we were crazy two years ago when we announced that we would be relocating from snowy Utah to hot, humid, hurricane stricken Southeast Texas. We bought our beautiful little 10 acre ranch only a couple months after Hurricane Rita had ripped through the area. The home we bought needed to replace the roof and make other "Rita damaged" repaired before we could proceed with the purchase.

So with that in our recent memories you'd think we would keep up to date on the storms blowing our way. But noooo, not us.

Late yesterday afternoon a friend stopped by to check on the horses he pastures here. He informed me that a storm was on Houston's doorstep and would hit us during the night. I immediated checked the computer and sure enough there it was. Satellite photos were showing the storm moving right up the highway to our little paradise.

I quickly tied down a few things and opened an irrigation trench that goes around one side of our house to prevent it from flooding. Then we had dinner and watched a dvd. The air outside was calm but dark. The storm hadn't hit when we went to bed about 10:30 and I figured it had stalled somewhere.

When I woke up this morning the air was still calm but the clouds had started clearing. Not a drop of rain nor a gush of wind had passed through during the night. The storm hit about 50 miles south of us in the Beaumont area and pushed eastward into Louisianna. Power was lost in Beaumont. Read the news here.

We have a lot of friends who live there. We are part of the Beaumont Stake. So we will be seeing if anyone needs our help with clean up etc. But for our family and friends... we are well, we are safe. Our first experience with a hurricane was not much of an experience at all.

Civil War Update

As all of you know, my wife and I have been placed into the same bracket on a head to head investment tournament this week. It's really an honor to have reached this point. The tournament is down to only 4 players and our household comprises 50% of that! Amazing!

I took an early lead on Monday when I put all of my money into one stock that I felt would skyrocket. It did, and my portfolio grew by over $70,000. My wife is a very good investor herself and had picked the same stock. She played it a little safer and made about $69,000.

Then I got careless. Because I am going head to head with my wife, I tried to second guess her strategy. She usually takes more risks than me and I assumed she would continue to press me. Although I usually will take a profit and wait for the next big one, I jumped into some other investments and they lost me about $10,000. My wife, on the other hand was the cautious one and she took the lead as my stocks fell.

Tuesday I made some headway but I couldn't catch her. She had a $7,000 lead on me coming into Wednesday. This is where I had a little luck with some smaller investments that I worked over and over. Buying and selling all morning today until by 12:00 noon I was again in the lead. As of this moment my portfolio is at: $174,679.28 and hers is at: $171,077.62

Join us for some investment fun. We're all amatures and the tournaments are FREE!

I've learned a lot about investing in the stock market just by playing in these free tournaments. You'll have fun and learn more than you can imagine. Write me for more info.

Can't we all just get along?

Yahoo reporter Caroline Levchuck recently published her list of "Ten Ways to Lose Friends and Alienate Coworkers". It was humorous but honest and I wanted to post the list here. To read the full acticle click here.

Surefire ways to test the boundaries of your on-the-job friendships:
1. Eat stinky snacks.
2. Make endless meeting requests.
3. "Reply to All" all the time.
4. Pump up the volume. (computer/radio)
5. Be the office boozehound.
6. Take super-long lunches.
7. "Borrow" magazines or newspapers.
8. Use your manager as a referee.
9. Avoid attending company gatherings.
10. Always have the last word.

The thing that is most humorous is how obviously self centered many of these things are. Doesn't it make sense that to get along with others we need to consider their feelings and needs? In a business setting don't we realize that we need to be team players? What's wrong with us these days that we don't recognize such simple truths? Will future generations need a Yahoo article to learn how to deal with simple daily routines? It's something to think about. And laugh about.

Choices

Dwight D. Eisenhower said that "The history of free men is never written by chance but by choice, their choice." When your today becomes your yesterday, you will look back and realize that that day was a result of your choices and your choices only.

Civil Wars - It had to come to this

My wife and I have been participating in a wall street investment "shoot out" tournament for the past few weeks. We knew that if we continued winning in our respective brackets that we could end up going head to head against each other. Well, it happened. This next week will see us battling each other to see who can grow a $100,000 investment portfolio the largest in one week.

We usually help one another to find the best stocks for our different portfolios. Next week we will be doing our investigative work in secret. It should be interesting. Actually, I think my wife will win by a landslide. She takes greater risks but often sees the greater returns because of it. I am more conservative but able to make steady gains. I'm excited to go head to head with her.

I expect that we will both do well. Come watch our portfolios grow. Better yet, join us in a weekly tournament to test your investment strategies. The tournaments are FREE. We'll set you up with $100,000 virtual dollars that you can invest in the real stock market. Join our community and learn to make money on Wall Street.

Click here for a free membership to BigSmarty Wallstreet.

Look for the Shoot Out Tournament. My ID is EZ Money.

Friday's Finds

It's time for another issue of Fridays Finds. The one day each week when I share with you some of the many unique places I find on the web. The sites listed could vary in content from funny to educational, or bizarre to just plain enjoyable. Some might be commercial sites selling unusual items and others might be freely sharing whatever information they have. I'll include a description with the link to give you an idea of what to expect if I have the time. Otherwise you'll be on your own. But, in most cases you should be able to figure out what to expect by the name of the site although some may surprise you.

So climb aboard, fasten your seatbelts, keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times but please have fun!

1. Animal webcams

2. eBay Auction Sniper

3. Letterpop

4. Worried About Alien Abduction?

5. Create an adventure here.

Thursday's Thinkers

I'm going to make this a regular feature. Every Thursday I'll post at least one, but probably more, questions to get you thinking. Leave your thoughts or comment on others responses. Let's have a dialog! Here's todays questions:

1. You see an elderly woman shoplift bacon at the grocery store. Do you report her to the grocer?

2. What is the "Good Life"?

3. If there anything you care enough about to give your life for it? How would the giving of your life affect the other things you care about?

4. How committed are you to obeying the speed limit?

Office Humor

Just some office humor for Wednesday. I hope you enjoy but mostly I hope your day isn't like this:

Off Track

My life and hence my schedule has gotten off track the past week and a half. I woke up this morning thinking it was Monday and only just realized it's Tuesday. I typically feature an eBay Tips and Tricks column on Tuesdays and I am totally unprepared for it today. So here is some general advice for you eBayers out there.

1. Set up an eBay Store. You'll never achieve the success you want without one. The cost is minimal and even if you don't list store items it will display all of your auction and Buy It Now listings together. This is great for buyers who want to browse.

2. Learn some HTML. It doesn't take a lot of knowledge about HTML to be able to dress up your listings and give them a more professional look. eBay buyers like to shop in the stores and listings that are pleasing to the eye. Make yours pleasing. This is one of my favorite sites to learn some basic html code.

3. I recommend using whatever FREE tools eBay offers. Selling Manager has some wonderful time-saving features and it's free with a Store subscription. Use it! Use the marketing tools that are available on your Manage My Store page. The listing header, Promotion Boxes, Cross Promotion Displays, etc. They will all help to generate traffic to your store and listings!

Good Luck!

Thought for the Day

"A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done." -Vince Lombardi