Breaking Even, Inc.

An All-Business Approach To Blogging- Part 1 of 2

This piece was originally published in the Ellsworth Chamber Of Commerce newsletter.

Blogging has come a long way from computer savvy types writing their personal lives for all to read online. In the past few years, blogging has become a force itself, gaining credibility as it becomes mainstream and breaks some major news stories before traditional media. Some bloggers are now considered experts, intellectuals, and even celebrities.

A blog, which is short for “weblog” is a type of web site where entries are listed in order of date. Entries are used to share ideas, thoughts, and web site links. All entries (called posts) are archived and searchable by date and keyword, making information easy to find. They can be categorized by type of weblog (a photo blog is a photolog for example) or by genre (such as political, personal, or business). Blogs can be found through a search engine like Google or blog directories like Technorati. Between 27-45 % of Americans currently read blogs and this number continues to grow. Worldwide, bloggers (people who write blogs) number over 112 million. More information about blogs and how they work can be seen in this short video: http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs. The best way to understand the purpose of blogs, however, is to read a few; many of your favorite authors or journalists as well as larger companies have their own blogs.

Blogging may seem to be a frivolous way to spend precious business resources of time and personnel. There are ways, however, that your business can benefit from a blog. The first part of this series will discuss how blogging increases your web presence. The second part of the series will explain how blogging can enhance relationships with your customers as well as ways to start a blog for your business.

It may not be news for you to think of your business web site as a publication. To move your web site beyond general information, however, you must consider how you use the internet. You probably don’t use the internet to search for new businesses or ways to spend money but instead, you search for answers to questions. If your business web site provides this information, your web site is more likely to come up in a web search and people are more likely to visit it. Also, updating your web site regularly with information will keep customers coming back to your site to see what else is new. According to some studies, blog readers spend longer on a web page and often have more disposable income than other web users, making them exactly who you want to attract to your site.

Blogs can help with the age-old questions small businesses struggle with: how to get people to their web site and how to keep people coming back. Your business blog could be used answer some frequently asked questions, highlight new products and upcoming events, or instruct people on how to do something with a product you sell. These strategies will no doubt increase your web presence and, more importantly, your web traffic. 

Next Post: How blogging can enhance customer relations and how to get started blogging for your business.

Shameless Promotion

Due to the serendipitous nature of subscribing to lots of feeds, I ran across a blog discussing the fineness of Madeline Peyroux, an musical artist I happen to love. I commented and then ensued a discussion with a woman who likes the exact kinds of music I like. Her blog is The Laundry Is Never Finished, her name is Jennifer, and she and her blog are fabulous. We are exchanging mix CDs in the mail this week. Horray internet friends!

I participated in this week's Carnival of Personal Finance this week hosted by Mrs. Micah. I credit the title Ten Things You Need In Your Kitchen (Besides A Good Cook) for actually driving traffic my way this week.

Madison at My Dollar Plan listed one of my posts on her blog a few weeks back. Her doing so doubled my traffic so I wrote her to thank her. She not only wrote back but offered to link me again and did so yesterday. Another big traffic spike. It's people like this in the blogging community (and more specifically the personal finance blogging community) that make me proud to be a part of it. So help me return the favor and check our her blog. There's a reason it gets so much traffic.

I'd also like to give a shout out to one of my current favorite blogs, Cheap Healthy Good. Except for the dislike of mayonnaise, I agree with everything she says and laugh at least once every post. Do subscribe to this blog if you like food, fun, and good healthy recipes.

And the Blood Drive Contest is almost over, folks. People have written with compelling reasons why they can't participate (which is fine, not everyone is able to give blood and shouldn't put themselves in a bad medical situation by trying to do so) but come on! If no one participates, I guess I'm keeping the book from the giveaway all for myself. So comment on this post if you want to participate. Still a couple more days to give if you're thinking about it. I did mention the free book, right?

A Letter To My Younger Self

Cheap Healthy Good had a letter to her younger self this week that made me laugh... and think about what I'd say to my twelve year old self.

Dear Nicole,

I know you are really expecting some divine intervention in the way of instruction as to what you're supposed to do with your life. You are figuring that Bernadette peasant chick from long-time-ago France got a sign from God and that you should get one too, gosh darn it. Let's just say either God's really subtle or that it's not happening. And that's ok.

I know this because I am you, only years into the future. I'm the 27 year old you more specifically. Don't worry, that's not nearly as old as you think. You know that list that you made of things to accomplish by the time you were 25? The list is still in your mind but you really need to give yourself more time to get there. You have, however, crossed a few things off the list. You've learned French and you are kind of a writer. I'll get to that in a little bit.

So you've just consulted a fortune teller you met in Old Orchard Beach on the last family vacation who told you 1) That you'd be a doctor or a teacher 2) that you'd have a hard time in your early 20s and 3) That you should trust someone with an initial of "A". You wrote these things down so you'd remember, in case she happened to be right about one of them. She was right about one thing; you did have a rough period in your early twenties. Don't dread it though; remember that deep down, you are a very happy person and have no regrets. You also don't worry about things in your adult life, which drives many people you know crazy. You are lucky. Just remember to take care of yourself always.

Let's get to the details you're curious about. You're not married yet. I know you think about that a lot, wondering if there is someone out there for you to share things with. The fact that you're not married says less about you being a weird person that boys don't want to marry and more about not having the luck to stumble on the right person. Someone asked you to marry them at one point but you had the guts to know that it wasn't right. You live with your boyfriend now and Mom and Dad are ok with it. He's not what you expect but he's wonderful. As you predicted, you don't have kids and aren't sure if you want them at all. You do love having a dog though, and your dog loves you.

You've traveled a little like you've wanted to and you will travel more. While you haven't written a book, you have written things that people read and enjoy. I won't get into the technicalities but there will a new technology that'll let you write and let other people all over the world read it. You'll love doing it.

I know you think about the bigger world out there and how you fit in a lot. I know that you feel a little weird because you are saying things no one else is saying. You will meet people in your life that'll value that about you. You'll have many friends and you'll stay close to your family. You are still friends with Robby and Laura, and you make new friends wherever you go.

I'm not sure you really want to know all this. There is actually a lot I'm not telling you that I'll let you figure out. Just keep being who you are. You turn into a great person that people want to know and be with. You won't ever be lonely, so stop preparing yourself in case you are. Trust your gut, you inherited the whole being right thing from Mom. And like I said, take care of yourself. Your friends and family will help but it is up to you to steer the course of your life. And you are not a bad drive at all.

Love,
Yourself

How I Get Motivated To Save: Reverse Psychology

Do I Really Need More Stuff? I Guess I Just Don't Care

There is a story in our family of my first Christmas, or one of them anyway. I open a gift and begin playing... with the box. After waiting awhile for me to get tired of it (apparently I wasn't), my parents show me the toy in the box so I begin playing with that. They have to practically force me to open my other gifts, which they think is pretty funny. Little Nicole would have been just as happy with the box.

I've been thinking hard of a post to submit to the Summer Savings Contest at Bible Money Matters. One of the categories is motivation to save money. So I've been giving this a lot of thought.

At the same time I'm mulling this over, I think of all the advertising I'm exposed to about Father's Day. The need to make Father's Day special. The need to find Dad that perfect gift.

You may or may not know that my dad died in November at the age of 51. This is my first Father's Day without him. "Well, at least I don't need to get him a gift." I thought, attempting to look on the bright side of a not very bright situation. But wait a minute, I don't usually buy him a gift. . .

When my dad was alive, the thought of buying him one more knick knack did not seem right. Besides going to his camp, golfing, and hanging out at home with my mother, my father had no hobbies. He didn't read. He didn't collect things. He wore the same pair of jean shorts all summer until they wore out. My gift on Father's Day or most any other occasion was often just showing up, sometimes even with a card. He never gave me any indication that this was anything but fine. He was always grateful that I could drive from wherever I was living and just hang out for the weekend.

So I play with boxes; I don't buy my father a Father's Day present; and I move all the time. What a bizarre person, you're probably thinking. There must be a point for my little stories.

Here's my point. My motivation for saving is simple. I ask myself what I'd use the money on. More stuff I'd have to pack in a box a year from now and move a few hundred miles then unpack again? A gift my father wouldn't even use or remember? If I didn't buy stuff, I guess I'd just have money which sits in a bank somewhere. I wouldn't be buying more things to strain the environment, exploit workers, or take up space in my life or others' lives. Saving becomes pretty easy when you look at it like that.

So my motivation is a lack of motivation to buy and need more and more and more. Is that yours as well?

See a great video "The Story Of Stuff" (as blogged by Get Rich Slowly and other bloggers)...

A New Website For Me!

I made the plunge a few weeks ago and decided to finally do it: get my website designed for me.

You may say, "Don't you know how to design websites, Nicole, I mean you work for a web company!" Here's the thing. I have no design experience. (Why do you think I'm using a template that came with Typepad?) I create the content, folks. I write, podcast, edit video... I don't do cms or know how to use a frame. (I only know these things exist and can use them in a sentence to sound smart).

As far as design, I know what I like, but not exactly what I want. In short, I'm a nightmare client.

I'm paying the company I work for to design the website for me for several reasons:

1) They do a great job. I've seen the thought my coworkers put into other people's designs and I want a product like they put out. Plus they understand me and my blog pretty well from our daily interations.

2) They're affordable. My custom designed Joomla! site is going to run me about $1,000, which is a reasonable rate from what I've seen.

3) I may not be able to design a nice-looking site from the ground up by I can sure mess with a created site. Since I work with Joomla on our newspaper sites, I have an idea of what can be done with my site.

4) Having my own site will teach me a lot of the web stuff I've been avoiding... but not having to set it up takes a lot of it off my mind.

5) Free software means nothing I have to buy... though I did order a $20 Joomla! book to teach me a little more.

Anyway, so if you know anything about websites or Joomla! (I'm going with version 1.5 for you computer types), if you can think of things I should include when I'm thinking about all this, please comment or email me. Suggestions from others are so helpful when you are doing something like this!

And don't worry, I'll try not to turn into more of a nerd then I already am.  

Budgets Are Sexy!

I forgot to mention this morning my crosspost at Budgets Are Sexy. The guy who writes it totally cracks me up so it was fun that I got to put something on his site while he's marrying/honeymooning with Mrs. BudgetsAreSexy. Enjoy!

June Blood Drive

You may remember a few months ago that I gave blood at the Red Cross and thought the whole thing was a pretty good use of my time. This month alone, I've gotten two phone calls and one postcard from the Red Cross asking for another donation.

I remember my Dad getting a lot of phone calls for blood donations because he was AB negative, which is fairly rare. But I do know the Red Cross needs blood of all types all the time. In light of recent events and due to the drop in blood donations during the critical summer months, I thought I'd launch a challenge with this blog: The June Blood Drive.

The goal is 50 pints of blood for the Red Cross by the end of June. Can you give a pint? 

To let me know you've donated, comment on the blog or email nicole @breakingeveninc.com and let me know that you have. If you want to take a picture of your "I Donated Blood" sticker or you showing Oreos in your mouth moments afterward to prove your story, go for it. I could always use cool blog art! I trust in your honesty because what sick person would lie about a blood donation?

The prize is a book I picked up in Boston, pre-windshield incident. "Nickeled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America". It's a fascinating read (I'm half way through in two days) and interesting from both a personal finance and anthropological perspective.

Ready, set, give! Contest ends June 30.

May Movie Giveaway Winner

Congradulations to Randy Devost who won the May Movie Giveaway contest. Here are some of Randy's favorite forms of cheap entertainment, both on and offline:

Cheap Online Entertainment

• Subscribing to YouTube vlogs (for some) is in many ways better than TV. Cable and Satellite subscriptions are SO EXPENSIVE! Some YouTube favorites of mine are: What the Buck Show, ThoseLilRabbits, Rocketboom, Leslie Hall, etc. I’m interested primarily by shows that make me laugh and inform me on what’s going on in popular culture. You can also watch regular TV programming for free using services like: Joost, Hulu, etc.
• For those who seek the latest dance trends, there are those sharing new dance styles online. Here are a few that are fun to learn and alter upon: Sydney Shuffle, Tektonic, C-walk, Le Tabarnak, etc. Upload your own!
• Using Flickr to create photo slideshows of goals you feel like are impossible and then sending them off to your most critical friends may help add viability to your convoluted fantasies. My last, “Shack on a Wharf,” is about how I dream of converting a fishing shack into my home.” What’s nice is that letting yourself dream helps you stay happy and keeps you motivated for the future. “Life is never bland with dreams at hand.”  -Randy Devost

Cheap Real World Entertainment:

• Learning a new card game with friends
• Running, swimming, hiking, biking, fishing, etc.
• Inviting friends for a night of board games. Have everyone bring a new or strange board game found in grandma’s attic or from a yard sale!
• Sewing parties for guys and girls!
• People watching (malls, public transportation, public squares, etc.)
• Playing “makeover” and letting your friends dress you up.
• Internet cafés or finding new WIFI zones. jiwire.commay be of help.

Thanks to those who participated and thanks to Randy for fun suggestions. Next time you're bored, try a few off that list!

In June, I'm launching another contest. The prize this time: the book "Nickeled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America. I'll make a page for it later today. It'll be a random drawing and it will involve blood. Stay tuned!

Having Way Too Much Fun With Food

The following guest post was written by Randy Devost, my high school penpal and good dear friend. He lives in Quebec, where he lives a cool French and artistic existence. You can email him at randy.devost at gmail.com.

My General Philosophy on Food: I believe most Americans live on a “snacking” diet. Instead of trying to change that by starving ourselves with bland vegetables, “diet” products, and the absence of food, we ought to indulge in healthier snacks! Certain drinks and foods, along with a rigorous weekly exercise of one’s choice, can improve our health enormously.

·        Make your own Italian Sodas! Buying a case of Schweppes brand soda water and adding Torani syrups is an economic and healthy way to enjoy a gourmet soda.

·        For the brave and experimental: mixing teas with floral water, large tapioca pearls, juices, sugars, yogurts, gelatins, milk, spices, etc. (I inspire from Pearl Milk Tea and Lassi drinks.) The goal is to make the most exotic and intoxicating non-alcoholic drink possible.

·        I learned this one from my Mexican friends—a bag of apples with Tajin fruit seasoning is a great way to spice up the ordinary!

·        Forage for your food! Referring to traditional Native American gastronomy is often helpful. (Here’s a list I came up with for us Mainers. We should grow the list as big as possible!)

o       Clams

o       Perrywinkles

o       Mussels

o       Sea Urchin

o       Blueberries

o       Strawberries

o       Dandylion greens

o       Hazlenuts

o       Beach nuts

o       Choke cherries

o       Wild apples

o       Mushrooms

o       Fiddleheads

o       Raspberries

o       Blackberries

o       Wild spices

·        Snacking on toast is cheap! Cheap! Cheap! Depending on the “bread and spread” you use, it can be relatively healthier, and less costly, than a slice of cake or a bowl of ice cream. Here are some spreads I’ve enjoyed over the years:

 

SWEET: butter & Nutella, Peanut butter & fluff, Peanut butter & mollases, Tahini & honey, Butter & cinnamon sugar,

SAVORY: Vegemite, Creton, Hummus,Veggie patés, Cheese-Whiz, Brie or Camembert cheese

·        Popcorn doesn’t have to be boring or bland! I prefer popping popcorn using the classic air popper or even in a pan on a stove. Here are some of my favorite toppings:

 

o       Grated parmesan cheese

o       Lawry’s brand season salt

o       Chili powder

o       Jalapeno oil

o       Sesame oil

o       Black pepper

o       Cayenne

o       Sugar

 

Got any snacks to share? Do tell!

Nicole's State Of The Economy Address

I'll be the first to admit that I have little to no-pull in terms of making people think one thing or the other about the economy. I do, however, come to a point where I have collected some cool links that just need to be shared.

I'll cover the economy in seperate sectors of the agreed-upon needs of all people: Food, Water, Clothing, Shelter, and Love (and I'll throw in Government just for fun!).

Food

Food price inflation may not be as bad as we thought (check out inflation explained at Debt-Free Revolution). I also read a completely hilarious blog about media mass hysteria about food prices meanwhile the average barbeque meal only cost $1.65 more than last year... if you know who wrote this post let me know, because I lost the link! Even the Wall Street Journal has reported rice futures going down.

Water

My friend Sarah sent me this fabulous SIGG water bottle for my birthday. It is amazing. It keeps my water cold and crisp and does not leave a plastic aftertaste in my mouth...and, of course, it's refillable. I don't normally endorse products but here's the store if you want to buy one.

Clothing

Apparently, the New York Times is having a hard time believing that Sarah Jessica Parker's newish Bitten line of clothes is so wonderful. They seem to think that attraction towards inexpensive clothes is a phenomenon in these economic times. Those of us who love women's magazines though have seen a "Bitten" example in every issue for at least the past year. Ok slight exaggeration but SJP (and women wanting cute cheap clothes) is here to stay.

Feeling left out menfolk? Please don't: LL Cool J has got your back! (from USAToday.com)

Shelter

If you want to understand how this whole housing debaucle happened, listen to this hour-long program from This American Life. Great storytelling, which you can expect from TAL but makes this whole thing way more understandable.

And if you're a renter, feel free to get angry. Read this fabulous post by Baglady to see why this housing crisis will effect us all whether we rent or not.

Love

Ah, poor Anne Heche. She may love her kids but can't afford to pay child support. OK, if she can't afford it, I think that pretty much lets everyone else off the hook, too. (I have no sympathy for celebrities who make more money in one day then I have in five years then waste their money. Where I'm from we call that gaspilleuse!)(from People.com)

But in the good news bin about love, people apparently love and appreciate small businesses enough to actually pay in a pay-as-you-wish situation. (from Freakonomics blog)

And according to a recent Gallup poll,almost 50% of us are happy and thriving. How happy? People are working on an index for that! (from Freakonomics blog)

Government

Haven't spent your new government stimulus check on a new Wii or a crazy night in Vegas? Good for you! Here are some more productive things to do with it. (from Mighty Bargain Hunter)

And guess what? The government is doing something about credit card companies (from Debt-Free Revolution).

Need even more government fun? Now you can actually prove if you could do a better job then your Congress people. Balance the federal budget...it's a new game called Budget Hero. (Freakonomics blog)

To summarize: things may or may not be as awful as we thought, but we certianly can't control everything. Might as well smile and wave...

Image from www.shorpy.com.

 

Review of MaineCreates.com

I met Matt Zito at that SMBIZ4ME Conference I went to last week. I had done a little work before with Maine's Creative Economy (one of my old bosses is on the Maine Arts Commission). I enjoyed talking with him and the idea of having a place online to connect with other people in Maine who have similar "creative" work. (Myspace is great for music and film but kind of leaves out other professions as far as major networking opportunities.)

Here is my take on www.mainecreates.com.

The Bad

The site is a little cumbersome (I have been trying to add to my ideas unsuccessfully for about ten minutes, though I am admittedly not the most web-saavy person). It is hard to browse for something unless you know specifics. For example, I can look at all the cabinetmakers on the site or all people in Ellsworth but there seems to be no "here's everyone" place on the site (you have to select one user at a time). The very specificness of the categories also makes it on one hand, easy to glimpse what people specialize in but on the other, harder to just "run into" people.

The other thing about the site is you can only have 10 connections total. (That seems to mean ten people/profiles, though I'm able to send messages to people I'm not connected to, it just involves an extra step). Limiting the number of connections seems odd; the more connections you make on a social networking site, the longer you stay on it, right? I'm also unsure about how the site determines my "possible connections". Is it by location, or perhaps similar work?

And the site will start charging for access after a year. Hopefully, the revenue can be generated by advertising or some other way besides charging users in the future.

The Good (Because despite my long paragraphs above, the site is mostly good)

Mainecreates.com is clearly a site with a lot of thought put into it (both in design and information organizing). This is clear because people are joining it in addition to myself. (It's less than a month old.) The creative economy is a dynamic part of Maine that needs to be celebrated and needs to connect people.

On a more selfish end, I enjoyed how easy it was for me to create a profile as well as how easy I found people I knew (or people I want to know). If you live in Maine and have a creative job, sign up for an account. It's free and you might meet some people to collaborate with.

I also see that Matt is taking every opportunity to present this site to people (he wasn't impatient talking to me at all, even though I'm just one blogger). The guts to go out on a limb for people who don't have a ton of money but need representation (I'm guessing most creative folks in Maine do their craft as a supplement to their income).

So spread the word about this website if you know someone who could benefit.

Liked this post? See related post: Getting Up In My Business (SMBIZ4ME Conference)...

Are You Twitter-petered?

Behold The Addictiveness of Twitter And You Too Can Have One More Website To Check

For those of us who are online a lot (or just like being online), it's fun to have a few websites you can visit and have a good time with while feeling as if you're getting something accomplished. People seem to like having things they can check. Sean's obsession with checking his email (at least five times a day) is one such example. A couple of my friends obsessively monitor Myspace pages or surf bored.com. And now, we have Twitter.

Twitter is a social networking site for lazy people. (I lump myself in this group; writing and maintaining this blog take up enough of my time that social networking goes to the wayside a bit.) You have a tiny profile (here's mine) and can send little 140 character messages to people who are following you. That's about it.

I don't know even half the people who are following me. I know only a few of the people I am following. But I broadcast my little messages to the world anyway. Twitter has brought a little traffic to my site, not enough at this point to make it worth the thought I put into my little messages. But it is still oddly addictive.

I think bloggers like Twitter because it let's us get out of our niche and be a little more personal (though shameless self promotion, myself included, does happen). Also people are using it sort of like an online "word of mouth" (See Harnessing the Power of Twitter (SheGeeks) or The Power of Twitter (Miss 604) for more info about this.)

It has some interesting implications and takes little of my time for it so I guess I'll remain a little twitter-petered. (For those of you who get why I used a random Bambi picture, go you.) I'm breakingeven on Twitter if you want to tweet with me. And if you have unlocked the hidden powers of Twitter, do share!

Just think; one more thing online you can check besides your usual haunts... 

Image from www.distractedglobe.com

8 Random Things About Me

I've been indirectly tagged by Being Frugal so I've decided to go with it. Here are eight things you probably don't know about me:

1. I am a great cook but a horrible baker. I try to make substitutions when I bake (like when I cook) but that doesn't really work. I get really nervous about baking in general, even cookies. My best cooking work: crepes and "meal with whatever is in the house"

2. My guiltiest pleasures are really bad television, gossipy magazines, and silly movies. I'm intellectual in most other ways but I only feel entertained when things are a little silly.

3. I hate working out. If I was naturally skinny, I'd never do it. (On the same front, if I could, I would eat Chubby Hubby everyday.)

4. I am just like my father. I inherited his looks, his raunchy sense of humor, his constant introspection, and his love of life.

5. My college thesis was examining long chained fatty acids in a sediment core from a Russian lake to determine plant life over the course of 30,000 years. And now I work for a newspaper and have a personal finance blog. Horray for a liberal arts degree.

6. My favorite possession is my grandmother's engagement ring. I have worn it daily since I was 12 years old.

7. I love having a dog way more then I ever let on. I love having her follow me around like my personal "entourage" and I love how she snuggles next to me when I nap. Had I known how wonderful having Sadie would be, I would have gotten a dog much sooner.

8. Sean and I met online. He said he wanted to go out with me because in my personals photo, I "looked happy". (I also found Sadie and my last and current jobs online. Horray for the internet!)

If you're reading this and have a blog, consider yourself tagged!

Getting Up In My Business

SMBIZ4ME Governor's Regional Business Conference Was Interesting, Worth A Day Off

I took the day off work Wednesday to attend the SMBIZ4ME Conference for a few reasons: 1) It was only a half hour's drive away. 2) I heard it was going to be good from a few people. and 3) It only cost $25 and one day off to attend. As someone who has already heavily invested in my brain but knows little about business, I figured the price and the opportunity to network with people in the area would be invaluable. It was.

The vendors set up over breakfast and gave me something to do when I first walked in and was getting my bearings. (I can be social; I just sometimes need to ease into it). I made a few good connections with some Maine publications that were at least theoretically interested in my writing as well as met the guy behind Mainecreates.com. Mainecreates is a social networking site for Mainers involved in the creative economy. (I got on the site to set up a profile when I got home but I see I will be charged for it after a year, which I'm not really down with. But it is a good idea so I set up my own account there.)

In my first seminar, I met Melanie Brooks, who just got hired at MaineBusiness.com. It's a division of MaineToday (another newspaper) but it's focused on business content. She's a blogger, I'm a blogger. She suggested I crosspost on their site. So I'm trying that out to see if that'll be a good use of energy. (Really I want to end up as one of their featured bloggers, I'm competitive like that.) Melanie was fun, energetic, and into blogging; she seems like the kind of person I'd hang out with if I lived closer to Portland, though though the blogosphere can at least be a virtual friend.

All this happened in the first two hours. Did I mention there was all the free coffee I could drink and croissants I could eat? (Out of restraint, I had one croissant, ladies and gentlemen, with an apple chaser).

Meeting a lot of people who are all either thinking about or running their own businesses and having to give my "elevator speech" about my blogging consulting/web content creation business allowed me to not only realize that I actually did have a good, original idea but that I do really believe that I can do it.

As with any event of this nature, there is some golf clapping, boring speech listening, corporate sponsors to thank profusely, and a couple snotty people but that was all minor. (One PR woman in my last seminar seemed ridiculously jealous of me and conducted herself in such a way that I wondered, is she actually a PR person?)

Overall though, I met some wonderful people and got some great ideas. I left feeling energized, even though being nice and civil to people you barely know all day can be fairly exhausting.

Have you had a rockin' professional development day recently?

Movie Contest Winding Down!

It's officially the last week to submit your favorite form of cheap entertainment and why (250 words or less, kind of like a what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation essay in grade school). Email it to me and you'll be entered to win free movies and a loving link to your blog or website!

Because who doesn't love free stuff, especially free cool stuff? Looking forward to reading your entry!

Click here for additional contest info.

Some Updates On Projects

Project: The Zen And Art On Coupon Clipping
Time Elapsed: Two Weeks

So far, I'm a little discouraged on this project. I find that I haven't been able to use a lot of the coupons I've clipped. Often, it seems the store brand still beats my name brand coupon. My last shopping trip I saved...$2.38 with coupons. My Grocery Game savings the same trip were around $10, and I don't really have to do anything for that except print off the list and pay $5 a month. (and hey, saving me $10 in an average week means that it pays for itself and then some for sure). I'll keep clipping coupons though and give this a solid month to trial to see if it's worth my time

The one exception to coupon discouragement is the $8 Hills Science Diet Dogfood I got from Spending Less 101. That website points you to coupons you can get online. I waited until the food was on sale ($5 off this week) and I saved $14 on my finicky dog's healthy food: $17 of food will now last at least two months for her.

Project: How To Get Rid Of Carpet Odors
Time Elapsed: Two months

Thanks to everyone who participated in this, including Debt Free Revolution and Bouncing Betty who suggested Odoban from Home Depot. As the daughter of a small hardware store owner, I hate HD but I went to get this product. $8 and only about 1/8 of the bottle later, smell is gone. Completely.

Project: Blogroll Update
Time Elapsed: Too Long!

I finally updated my blogroll with new (well, not so much new as new to me) blogs that I read all the time.

Personal finance-y blogs: Being Frugal, Cheap Healthy Good, Debt Free Revolution, Girls Just Wanna Have Funds, My Small Cents, Northern Cheapskate, Spending Less 101, and The Baglady.

Other great blogs: Intelligent Travel, Shorpy, Hoarded Ordinaries, and Satellite Sisters.

If I haven't added your blog or website yet and I clearly read it and comment on it all the time, let me know!

There I got all those updates done like I've been meaning to! Whew! Now anxiously awaiting five o'clock for the weekend to start... Happy Friday!

Travel Special: Podcasting And Driving

Podcasting's Just Another Word For Trying Audio Out

This audio (5 minutes) is me on the road. Want to hear my voice? Hankering for some Nicole-isms? This is for you! (It's acutally about saving money while on road trips.)

My Six Word Memoir

What Would Your Six Words Be?

Clever Dude posted a six word memoir challenge on his blog. I'm tagging Give Me Back My Five Bucks, Northern Cheapskate, The Baglady, My Small Cents, and Debt Free Revolution.

My Six Words: Do Your Best And Be Happy!

Bland, yes, but also true.

If I didn't tag you, please participate anyway by leaving a comment and a link to your blog/web site!

Rockin' vintage photo from www.shorpy.com.

Why RSS Rocks

It's RSS Awareness Day!

Happy RSS Awareness Day! Thanks to Centsible Shopper for making me aware of it.

What the heck is an RSS feed anyway? Have you ever seen this orange logo anywhere? Well that's just one of the major ways to indicate that a blog or website site has an RSS feed.

RSS (which stands for Real Simple Sindication) a way to keep track of all the blogs and websites you like without having to go to each individual website everyday. Neat, huh?

If you have many blogs you read everyday for example, going to visit each website could take hours. With RSS, you can “subscribe” to a website or blog, and get all the new headlines from all the sites and blogs you like in one list.

That one place where your RSS list is created is called an RSS Reader, and it gathers all the headlines from all the websites and blogs you have subscribed to.

How Do I Put An RSS Feed on my blog or website?

Most blogging software comes with a way to incorporate them into your blog easily but if you need to go it alone, here is an article about how to make one.

How Do I Subscribe to an RSS Feed?

1. Get an RSS reader. Here is a list of them. Being a Google stockowner, I use a Google Reader. You just download your reader of choice as you would anything else. (Don't worry; they don't take a lot of memory or anything!)

2. Go to www.breakingeveninc.com (or your other favorite blog- sorry couldn't resist some self promotion). Click on the orange icon (see picture in this blog), click "RSS", or click "subscribe to this blog's feed".

3. You click on your reader of choice to tell my feed how it should deliver the content to you (in my case, I click the "Google" button).

Then you're done. The latest content from Breaking Even, Inc. is in your reader. You see just the headline and click on it to read more of the post.

RSS feeds allow me to keep track of about 100 blogs and websites daily so I know what's going on in the world of personal finance and Maine (well, mostly).

As a blogger, I appreciate any web traffic I get but I do get a special s