This  event on Social Media and how to make money on the Internet will go from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 10th at Saddleback College, Science and Math Building Room 313.  Registration will open at 1:00 pm.
Please confirm the attendance of you and your guests at 4PillarEvents@gmail.com.

Use the code offer and my name and the event is FREE.

http://tinyurl.com/y2srnbr

Laura and her angel kitties.

Jack and Joshua

Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting Part Two

Zen and the Art of Twitter is a great read. This is part two.

Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from tech companies with neuroscientists, Zen teachers, and others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when registering.

3. Only Add Useful Content

“Do not speak unless you can improve on silence.” — Zen saying

The tools of social media give us countless ways to share content with people across the world. They do very little, however, to ensure that content is useful or purposeful. There is often the belief that to be active and effective on social media one has to post consistently, letting people know throughout the day what we are doing and thinking.

However, just as great music is in part the relationship between sound and silence, we could say that for Twitter and Facebook updates, what matters is not just the content of our posts, but also the amount of space between them. I am sure we all likely follow people on Twitter who may not tweet everyday, but when they do, we are excited to read what they post. It is the quality of their tweets that matters more than the quantity of them.

Lesson: Post not to fill empty space, but to add value.

4. See Differently

---

“Look out from the frameless window of a long pause. Let the images come to you rather than chasing outward after them…. If you want to see differently, you’ll have to look differently.” — Ji Aoi Isshi

A key element to Zen is to focus not only what exists in the external world, but to also be attentive to the internal lens from which we view it. If a cup is filled half way with water, one person could see it as half empty, another as half full. The cup, however, is what it is.

In the same way, we can have a million followers on Twitter, then look at Ashton Kutcher who has over 4 million, and think, “I am way behind” and approach the service with the desire to “catch up.” Or we can have 20 followers, and think, “Cool, twenty people want to read my tweets,” and engage with Twitter from a positive state of mind. The number of followers we have often has little to do with the positive or negative attitude with which we approach the service. What matters is less about our number of followers, and much more about how we “see” or “look” — the mental approach we take.

Lesson: Focus more on the mental approach you take, and less on comparing yourself with others.

Conclusion

---

Of course we are going to use social media, but the real challenge is doing so effectively. There is an old Zen story about a man riding a horse that is galloping very quickly. Seeing him, a woman asks, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” To which the man replies, “I have no idea. Ask the horse!” There are likely days that if someone asked us what we were doing, we might reply, “I have no idea. Ask Twitter and Facebook!”

When we let the horse, or social media, direct us, we get overwhelmed and unfocused, and our time is not spent well.

Twitter and Facebook are incredible tools, but making the most of our time on them requires paying attention to the mental approach we take. When we engage them with a beginner’s mind, a desire to give, a focus on adding useful content, and a positive state of mind, we will likely have more days guiding the horse than the opposite.

To your great success

Laura and her Angel Kitties

Hope you like this article the  Zen of the Art of Twitter.  I thought it was interesting, especially, since I’m in the learning mode and need all the help I can get.

Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from tech companies with neuroscientists, Zen teachers, and others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when registering.

Tweeting is easy. Tweeting and using social media with balance and effectiveness — not so easy. Zen teachings have much to offer those of us who wish to make our time on social networks more rewarding and productive.

We all have days when we engage social media with a focus and sense of direction that enriches our work and life. We find useful content and have good communication with friends, while also attending to other tasks we need to accomplish. We have other days, however, when we lose focus, and get overwhelmed and lost on social media, and find ourselves at the end of the day usually with more stress, and wondering what we actually accomplished.

Below are the top four Zen lessons to help you get the most positivity and productivity out of your social media experience.

1. Approach With a Beginner’s Mind

---

“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s, there are few.” – Zen Master Suzuki Roshi

It seems that more and more people are claiming to be experts of one kind or another, and many of them are using social media. In fact, recent reports suggest that there are now over 15,700 people claiming to be social media experts on Twitter.

There is nothing wrong with experts. I am sure many who claim to be are quite skilled and knowledgeable. However, the question is not only how much we know, but how much are we willing to learn from our time on social media?

The person who thinks he “knows” or is an “expert” is often less open to new learning. In the age of social media, things change so fast that what we knew about a subject yesterday may not apply to today. What matters is less about what we knew in the past, and much more about how open we are to learning today. This applies especially to social media.

Lesson: Rather than focus on what you know when engaging in social media, focus on what you can learn.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4JCv7c/mashable.com/2010/01/12/zen-social-media//r:f

2. Give What You Want to Receive

---

Zen student asks, “I am very discouraged. What should I do?”” Zen teacher responds, “encourage others.”

There are countless ways that social media can help us with everything from our business to our social life. However, while there is much to gain from social media, we could also say there is much to give to social media too. From a Zen perspective, it is important to give what we wish to receive. Want to find more customers for your business on Twitter () or Facebook ()? Help others find customers for their business. Feel like you deserve more praise online? Praise others more. Want more people responding to your tweets? Respond to their tweets more. Tired of reading meaningless tweets? Make the effort to post meaningful ones yourself.

If we approach social media focused exclusively on what we can gain or what we think we should get, we set up a division in our relationships, one that often ends up preventing us from receiving the very thing we seek. When we give what we want to receive, it changes the dynamic such that, ironically, we are more likely to get what we seek.

Lesson: Focus not only what you can gain but also what you can give.

To your success

Laura and her Angel Kitties

Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting Part Two

Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from tech companies with neuroscientists, Zen teachers, and others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when registering.

3. Only Add Useful Content

“Do not speak unless you can improve on silence.” — Zen saying

The tools of social media give us countless ways to share content with people across the world. They do very little, however, to ensure that content is useful or purposeful. There is often the belief that to be active and effective on social media one has to post consistently, letting people know throughout the day what we are doing and thinking.

However, just as great music is in part the relationship between sound and silence, we could say that for Twitter and Facebook updates, what matters is not just the content of our posts, but also the amount of space between them. I am sure we all likely follow people on Twitter who may not tweet everyday, but when they do, we are excited to read what they post. It is the quality of their tweets that matters more than the quantity of them.

Lesson: Post not to fill empty space, but to add value.

4. See Differently

---

“Look out from the frameless window of a long pause. Let the images come to you rather than chasing outward after them…. If you want to see differently, you’ll have to look differently.” — Ji Aoi Isshi

A key element to Zen is to focus not only what exists in the external world, but to also be attentive to the internal lens from which we view it. If a cup is filled half way with water, one person could see it as half empty, another as half full. The cup, however, is what it is.

In the same way, we can have a million followers on Twitter, then look at Ashton Kutcher who has over 4 million, and think, “I am way behind” and approach the service with the desire to “catch up.” Or we can have 20 followers, and think, “Cool, twenty people want to read my tweets,” and engage with Twitter from a positive state of mind. The number of followers we have often has little to do with the positive or negative attitude with which we approach the service. What matters is less about our number of followers, and much more about how we “see” or “look” — the mental approach we take.

Lesson: Focus more on the mental approach you take, and less on comparing yourself with others.

Conclusion

---

Of course we are going to use social media, but the real challenge is doing so effectively. There is an old Zen story about a man riding a horse that is galloping very quickly. Seeing him, a woman asks, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” To which the man replies, “I have no idea. Ask the horse!” There are likely days that if someone asked us what we were doing, we might reply, “I have no idea. Ask Twitter and Facebook!”

When we let the horse, or social media, direct us, we get overwhelmed and unfocused, and our time is not spent well.

Twitter and Facebook are incredible tools, but making the most of our time on them requires paying attention to the mental approach we take. When we engage them with a beginner’s mind, a desire to give, a focus on adding useful content, and a positive state of mind, we will likely have more days guiding the horse than the opposite.

Receive FREE Videos on how to navagate on the Internet and have a successful business. Sign up for these videos from Iduplicate in a pre-launch special. Iduplicate is a world class platform to help you succeed easily. Click link.

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

To your great success

Laura and her Angel Kitties

Jack and Joshua

A new Iduplicate Success Pre-Launch Link Building Video just went LIVE!

Learn how to build links to your blog and web pages to improve your site’s search engine results and page rankings.
Building links will help you get more quality traffic from relevant article sites, blogs and other authority sites to create better awareness, visibility and increase your site’s credibility.

Iduplicate Success Membership Advantage

Imagine the power of having a detailed blueprint or road map showing you how to build out your own top ranked authority blog or website that is designed to grow your list to thousands of subscribers/prospects in record time.

As a member of Iduplicate Success, you will have access to a staff of expert training advisors (worth thousands of dollars) teaching you step by step how to set up a professional personal or business branding platform that can drive huge targeted traffic to your site, grow a quality list of opted in subscribers and convert prospects into customers.

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

This is a key to making a fortune online.

Keyword Focused Blog/Website – Content Rich Platform
Targeted Traffic
Quality List of Opted In Subscribers/Prospects
Conversion Strategies
Lifetime Customers

Learn all of the details inside the Iduplicate Success Member’s Area…
Going LIVE January 19, 2010. Only 6 days away!

To your success online.

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

Laura and her Angel Kitties

Jack and Joshua

Hope you like this article. I thought it was interesting, especially, since I’m in the learning mode and need all the help I can get.

Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from tech companies with neuroscientists, Zen teachers, and others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when registering.

Tweeting is easy. Tweeting and using social media with balance and effectiveness — not so easy. Zen teachings have much to offer those of us who wish to make our time on social networks more rewarding and productive.

We all have days when we engage social media with a focus and sense of direction that enriches our work and life. We find useful content and have good communication with friends, while also attending to other tasks we need to accomplish. We have other days, however, when we lose focus, and get overwhelmed and lost on social media, and find ourselves at the end of the day usually with more stress, and wondering what we actually accomplished.

Below are the top four Zen lessons to help you get the most positivity and productivity out of your social media experience.

1. Approach With a Beginner’s Mind

---

“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s, there are few.” – Zen Master Suzuki Roshi

It seems that more and more people are claiming to be experts of one kind or another, and many of them are using social media. In fact, recent reports suggest that there are now over 15,700 people claiming to be social media experts on Twitter.

There is nothing wrong with experts. I am sure many who claim to be are quite skilled and knowledgeable. However, the question is not only how much we know, but how much are we willing to learn from our time on social media?

The person who thinks he “knows” or is an “expert” is often less open to new learning. In the age of social media, things change so fast that what we knew about a subject yesterday may not apply to today. What matters is less about what we knew in the past, and much more about how open we are to learning today. This applies especially to social media.

Lesson: Rather than focus on what you know when engaging in social media, focus on what you can learn.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4JCv7c/mashable.com/2010/01/12/zen-social-media//r:f

2. Give What You Want to Receive

---

Zen student asks, “I am very discouraged. What should I do?”” Zen teacher responds, “encourage others.”

There are countless ways that social media can help us with everything from our business to our social life. However, while there is much to gain from social media, we could also say there is much to give to social media too. From a Zen perspective, it is important to give what we wish to receive. Want to find more customers for your business on Twitter () or Facebook ()? Help others find customers for their business. Feel like you deserve more praise online? Praise others more. Want more people responding to your tweets? Respond to their tweets more. Tired of reading meaningless tweets? Make the effort to post meaningful ones yourself.

If we approach social media focused exclusively on what we can gain or what we think we should get, we set up a division in our relationships, one that often ends up preventing us from receiving the very thing we seek. When we give what we want to receive, it changes the dynamic such that, ironically, we are more likely to get what we seek.

Lesson: Focus not only what you can gain but also what you can give.

Receive FREE Videos on how to navigate on the Internet and have a successful business. Sign up for these videos from Iduplicate in a pre-launch special. Iduplicate is a world class platform to help you succeed easily. Click link.

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

Part Two Jan. 14.

To your success

Laura and her Angel Kitties

Jack and Joshua

Listen to Mike Ballantyne, a top social media expert discuss the future of the Internet. He wants to continue to  create massive traffic and share with you. Mike is a faculty member of iduplicate.com. You can hear and see more of Mike clicking on this link and getting FREE video January 5-18th.

Don’t miss out on these great blog traffic secrets.

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

Wasn’t he great? Every time I’m around Mike I feel so lucky to be with such a young entreprenuer who really cares about helping people and humanity.

Again, here’s the link to get more and learn how you can be successful on the Internet.

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8
To your continued success.

Laura and her Angel Kitties

Jack and Joshua

Iduplicate Success Members Area’s Preview Videos are now LIVE!

JACK THE CAT, says, my mistress used Iduplicate and learned how to blog about cats. She wants to learn more from other cat lovers and share the information. She’s put my mug up on the Internet to get attention.  Have your master/mistress check out the system so you can be written about in cyberspace without leaving your home.

As Iduplicate was being developed the co-founders shared it with other leading internet authorities and beyond the praise for the information and delivery system, several of them said “you are not charging enough and giving away too much value.”

That being said, there was a moment of temptation to charge more, but ultimately they decided to stay true to their core mission which is to positively affect as many people as possible, by under promising and over delivering.

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

iDuplicate Success “Real Time Results” Chart

ON YOUR OWN                                   IDUPLICATE MEMBER

“How Do I Set Up My Blog?” Professional Customized Blog Installed and Set Up For You
No Internet Marketing Plan Step-by-Step Plan

Un-branded online Personal Branding Platform

Little or No Subscriber List Iduplicate Success     Highly Responsive

Relationship/Value Driven List Building

Not Enough Website Visitors Targeted Traffic Growing Daily

Don’t Know How To Test/Track Systems In Place To Test and Track Your Platform

Spending Money with few results Conversion and Results

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

Once you see for yourself the step-by-step process Iduplicate has laid out you will be anxious to get started.

To your success.

Laura and her Angel Kitties

The cat has finally been let out of the bag.

And this is one BIG CAT.

He’s actually my big cat Jack. He’s so adorable like all cats. He’s been watching me the last months learn about Internet Marketing. He has never seen me at home for such a long time on the computer for hours.  Now, he knows what I learned can be shared with the world.

This is IT! Jack says this is the REAL DEAL!!

The doors are swinging open on January 5th, 2010 for a Special Two-Week Sneak Preview of the Iduplicate Success Private Members Training Platform. This World-Class Internet Marketing -Social Media and Business Training System is the ideal way to jump-start your online business in 2010.

Looking for a “Secret Weapon” for getting you “up to speed” on ALL KEY TOPIC AREAS of Internet Marketing Training?

Do You Know What The Key Topic Areas Are?

Internet Marketing Training
Market Research Training
Blog Training
Social Media Training

* Article Marketing
* Video Marketing
* PR Marketing
* Personal Branding

Search Engine Optimization
* Keyword Research
* Keyword Placement

List Building
Email Marketing Training
Sales Training
Copy-writing Training
Link Building
Affiliate Marketing Training

Conversion Training
* Testing and Tracking

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

What Makes The iduplicate Success Platform So Valuable?

* Ease of Use
* Saves You Time, Energy and Money
* “Real Time Results Platform” Set Up For You
* Training Information Is Sequentially Organized
* Ongoing Updated Content From An Expert Faculty
* Faculty and Member Moderated Forum Discussions – All Subjects
* Reduces Learning Curve and Allows For Clearer Understanding
* Takes The “Guess-Work” Out Of The “What Do I Do Next” Equation

More Reasons To Use The iduplicate Success Platform…

Lessons Include:

* Step-by-Step Video Training on All Key Topic Areas
* Detailed PowerPoint Slides for Increased Comprehension and Implementation
* Selected Links and Resources Associated With The Lesson – Eliminates Searching and Trial and Error
* Time-Saving Tools- Why Spend Hours On Things That Could Be Completed In Minutes
* Discussion Forums – Answering Your Questions- Keeping Your Progress In Momentum
* Homework – Keep You On Track With Your Progress
* Lesson Quizzes – Testing Your Knowledge and Comprehension
* File Downloads – So You Can Learn On-the-Go
* Webinars – Conducted By Our Expert Faculty
* And Much, Much More!
* Right now take a few seconds to get on the
* “Iduplicate Early Notification” email list.  You will soon be receiving links and instructions on how you can claim several powerful Internet marketing- social media training videos and private access to amazing secrets you can use instantly to explode your Internet business.

http://tinyurl.com/y96dlx8

I have learned so much from iDuplicate and will use it to create a life where I can have an income which allows me to write about cats and volunteer my time to helping homeless cats find homes.

To your success.

Laura and her Angel Kitties

Jack and Joshua