10/03/2011
Chelsea Aures @chelseaaures. Congrats! and toss of a pink boa to Chelsea.
The Challenge: Provide a tip on how to use social media to support branding ~ Social Media Changes the Branding Game post.
Our guest judge was BL Ochman of Whats Next? Blog. BL's reason for her decision ~ Constant self-promoting is transparent. If you've been a useful and helpful part of the online community, people are much more likely to cut you a break when there is a problem.
Chelsea’s Branding Tip: I really think using social media has a lot to do with telling the story of the brand and interacting with consumers or clients. There has to be some level of communication involved in social media. it is not just a way to have a conversation, but also to share ideas and collaborate.
Chelsea is attending Dr4Ward’s social media theory class at Syracuse University. Guess Dr4Ward (Bill Ward) is doing some right in his class! I think Chelsea should get extra credit, don't you?
Check out our next contest and you too could win $100!
Challenge: Drop a tip about how a small business owner can use social media to create awarenss PRE Launch. You can go personal branding route or not .. your choice. Guest judge is the small business diva Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends.
The contest ends this Friday , 10-7 .. so click right over now.
06/01/2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
This Friday Fun is dedicated to a very special young lady - Olivia King. Olivia is a typical kid. She's 10, loves school, her friends, her dogs and recitals. She lives in a suburb north of Atlanta. And she's pretty cute too.
But Olivia King is not your average 10-year old. She has Cystic Fibrosis. She needs a liver transplant. Her mom Barb and dad Dean are writing Olivia's story at www.caringbridge.com type oliviaking (no spaces).
Her friends are planning a fund raiser - Olivia King Shoot Out Golf
Tournament - which is part of The American Challenge Golf Tour. This is a Pro-AM tournament where you can play with a Pro. 18 Hole Qualifier-9 Hole Elimination Shoot Out. Top ten finishers qualify for Shoot Out competition.
Date: July 7th, 2007
Time: 8:00a
Place: Orchard Hills Golf Course Newnan,
GA
1st Place Prize: $2000.00 (based on 22 entries)
For more information please contact the tour office 817-232-1773. Sponsorships are available too.
Update Donation Information. Your Kindness Will Help Olivia Raise $185,000*.
Helping Hands Ministry, Inc.
(a Non-Profit 501 (c)3 Organization)
P.O. Box 337 or 135 Main St.
Tallulah Falls, GA 30573
Tel. 706-754-6884
Donations Are Tax Deductible
Mark all donations to the "Olivia King Fund".
Note: Helping Hands does not have the ability for online donations. Helping Hands takes 8% of donations. If you don't
care about the tax break and want to make an online donation please go
to Mom Barb's PayPal Account. Use [email protected] as the email code. Or use the cool, nifty ChipIN widget that Carol Krishner kindly created. See Diva Marketing's right side bar.
*Insurance will not cover the total cost of Olivia's medical care.
We do a lot of talking about building community and relationships through social media. I'm shouting out to the Atlanta Blogger Community ..
Jeneane Sessum, Allied
Scott Burkett, Pothole on the Infoham
Carol Krishner, Driving In Traffic
Ken Leebow, Ken Leebow's Business Card for the 21st Century
Sherry Heyl, An Enterpreneur's Journey
Kevin Howard, Narcissistic Graffiti
Chris Bosese, Chris Boese's Weblog
David Coustan, Earthling
Timothy Moenk, continuous partial attention
Anne Simons, Brand Sizzle
Marilynn Mobley, Remain Relevant in Change
Joe Reger, Joereger.com
Dana Blankenhorn, Dana Blankenhorn and the War Against Oil
Ken Shigley, Atlanta Injury Law & Civil Litigation Blog
Bill Nussey, Email Marketing Strategy
John Waddy, Twentysix2 Marketing Blog
Jed Fearon - Comedian
Jay M. Bernhardt, Health Marketing Musing
Mike Schinkel's Miscellaneous Ramblings
Jeff Haynie,Introspection
Jeff Hilimie, Spunlogic Blog
Grayson,The Spacey Gracey Review
Amber Rhea, Georgia Podcast Network
Dan Greenfield,Bernaise Source
Deanna Sutton,Clutch Magazine
Joel Nunez, HonestyBlog
Lance Weatherby, Forces of Good
Paul Stamatiou.com
The Gang at Arketi Group, Business-to-Business Marketing News
j. brotherlove, the brotherlove.com
Stephen Fleming, Academic VC
Joe Kaufman Koufman, Gumbo Show With Joe
Sorry Joe! By the way Joe broadcasts a mean New Orleans style music show Tuesday nights.
Sandi Karchmer Solow, Marketing Though The Clutter
.. to join together to spread the word to friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and anyone else about this from the heart project. Mom Barb is in the process of setting up an online donation site. If you have any ideas about how to help an awesome kid please drop a comment. Perhaps a mention on your blog or an email to your network? And if you have a suggestion on how to bring smiles to a little girl who is going through what no child should have to endure that would be great too.
Local News .. 11Alive coverage of Olivia King .. video and article.
Sidebar: Atlanta Bloggers, if you'd like your name added to this list, which seems to be turning into a "Where Are The Atlanta Bloggers?" let me know.
Update: Thanks for the link love!
Scott Burkett Sherry Heyl Carol Krishner Lance Weatherby Lewis Green
Update: With the inclusion of Helping Hands Ministry, Inc. coordinating tax deductible donations to the "Olivia King Fund" this raises efforts beyond the local Atlanta effort. I know bloggers have huge hearts, so I'm reaching out to y'all to help raise $185,000 for one sweet kid. If you've stumbled on Diva Marketing through the search engines or links, don't be shy .. you can help Olivia too.
What are you giving your dad this Father's Day? I bet he doesn't need one more tie. How about a donation in his name that will help a little girl give her dad more hugs?
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
Are you feeling lucky this morning? There is a lovely Mars trine Jupiter aspect on Mon. â 6/4. This is considered a very favorable and lucky aspect. Itâs also a very good time to grow your business. Youâll likely feel energetic and ready for action. Trust in your own level of knowledge to know not to fall for a scheme. If the chance is something well thought out and grounded, you just might want to go for it.
On the other hand, the following day on Tues., Venus enters Leo and that spells PARTY, PARTY. The kids are out of school and summer vacations are beginning. So that great idea to grow your business that you had yesterday may feel like too much work.
Try to stay focused on work. Just make sure to make social plans for the weekend. The planet of love also loves drama and is starved for affection and craves attention. So if you donât make plans for the weekend, you just may get the cold shoulder from your partner. Youâll unlikely get away with any excuse. Your partner will know if youâre coming from the heart, so donât even try being nice if you truly donât mean it. Venus has a long time in Leo, except about 3 weeks in July and Aug. It enters Virgo Oct. 8. If you havenât had a vacation in a long time, treat yourself to one.
Sidebar: Noticed that my friends at BlogHer have added an astrology blogger. The Astro Divas, Paula and Donna, are going on year 2 of writing about business astrology on Diva Marketing. They'd appreciate your feedback. Is this something you enjoy? Should Astro Divas continue? Let us know your thoughts and ideas. Thanks!
05/25/2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
.. The Learning Doesn't Stop!
A few weeks 
ago Drew McLellan, The Marketing Minute, invited a group of talented marketers to write a few Insights From The Other Side to help give College Grads A Fighting Chance as they enter the competitive job market. The free little eBook is a quick and inspirational read. Download a copy and use as a graduation card.
Insights is also great for anyone who is between gigs or just needs a shot of atta girl .. you can do it! Special thanks to Drew for inviting me to join in on this project. Toss of the pink boa to all of the authors who contributed!
Aaron Potts Andy Brudtkuhl Andy Nulman Andy Wibbels Ann Handley Ann Michael Anne Simons BeckyCarroll Bob Glaza C.B. Whittemore Carolyn Manning Chris Cree Christine Brown CK Darren Barefoot
David Reich Delaney Kirk Derek Tutschulte Designer Mike Doug Karr Doug Mitchell Drew McLellan
Joan Schramm Kevin Hillstrom Lewis Green Liz Strauss Mario Sundar Mark Goren Mark True
Mary Schmidt Nick Rice Patrick Schaber Paul McEnany Phil Gerbyshak Roger von Oech Rosa Say
Seth Godin Sharon Sarmiento Stephanie Weaver Steve Miller Steve Sisler Terry Starbucker
Toby Bloomberg Tony D. Clark Valeria Maltoni
Shh! Here's a secret weapon for every person entering or in the job market now. I have to whisper this one Girlfriend because this could be what helps set you apart from the maddening crowd. Although it's not very bloggy, I don't want to tip off your competition.
Penelope Trunk at Brazen Careers. Penelope's blog is over flowing with down-to-earth advice and information on what to do on your way to your career, on the job and in between gigs. But there is more. Penelope writes in a story style (Valeria you'll appreciate this blog) that is engaging, fun, smart and oh so well .. Penelope Trunk.
Penelope Trunk's just released book Brazen Careers is more than just advice to the job seeker. If you want to understand what is important to Gen X and Gen Y in the workplace and how Gen X and Gen Y defines success this book is a must read.
June is book tour month. Drop by and say hi, pick up a copy of Brazen Careers and be prepared for a fun, smart and oh so well .. Penelope Trunk time.
June 4, Atlanta
A Cappella Books
484-C Moreland Ave NE.
Atlanta, GA 30307
404-681-5128
June 7, New York City
Tequila Jack’s
1668 Third Ave
Between East 93rd and 94th
(212) 426-1416
June 11, Boston
Location TBD
June 18, Tampa
Inkwood Books
216 South Armenia Avenue
Tampa, FL 33609-3310
(813) 253-2638
June 21, San Francisco
Location TBD
Sidebar: Interested in the youth market? Fleishman-Hillard's blog The Nex Great Thing focuses on that very subject.
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
Mercury enters Cancer Mon. 5/28. It can be difficult for the mind to be objective in the watery emotional sign of Cancer. Feelings may get in the way of logic and be the cause misunderstandings especially with family members. If you have siblings, don’t be surprised to hear “Mom always did like you better!” It maybe difficult to concentrate on work as your thoughts may drift to the past around home and family or to thoughts of all the housework you need to get done.
The Full Moon in Sagittarius falls on Thurs. 5/31. Are you taking care of your physical being? The body needs the proper nourishment and exercise for optimal health. We need the wholeness of body, mind and spirit. It is a good thing to try and achieve a balance of the left-brain and the right-brain.
Look for activities that stimulate the reasoning and logical side with the creative and intuitive side.
This Full Moon is a Blue Moon. It is when there are two Full Moons in a calendar month. It only occurs approximately every 41 months. Since it doesn’t occur often, hence the expression “Once in a Blue Moon.” Since this Blue Moon occurs May 31 in our time zone (Eastern), it may occur in June or July depending on where you live.
05/18/2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
Give my regards to Broadway! Today's Friday Fun is applause .. applause .. applause for the arts in Hot'Lanta.
One - It's increasingly expensive to tell the gang at 42nd Street that the curtain will be going up. So when my friend Sue Chappell, Executive Director of the Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts, sent me an email link to an Access Atlanta article about an important grant the Council had won I immediately clicked to read. The mention was not only a nice acknowledgment of the funding but a bit of promotion for the excellent performing arts programs that Sue
has worked hard to bring to the community.
However, when I clicked into the article, what I found was rather tacky. A key word, that appeared it would link to the Council's website, linked to an ad. The link has since been deleted. But I can't help but wonder how many people were confused and then annoyed. In all fairness, I think those ads are random but still .. how tacky!
Sidebar: Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts a multi disciplnary community arts organization that is NOT a part of government, but supported in its efforts by the community being served.
Two - Congrats!to my friends at the Alliance Theatre who you just might 
find singing and dancing down Peachtree street.
The Alliance Theatre is the Recipient of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award for outstanding regional theater. AJC article. Wonder if their blog put it over the top?
Three - Last night my friend Carol invited me to join her at Symphony. It was a 
great performance and letting the music wash over me was wonderful and much needed. Flipping through the program I found one of the most creative ads I've seen in a long time. In fact at first glance I thought .. hmm where do I sign up for this?
Divas and Divos let's bring this one home to you ... support the arts in your community.
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
Conversations - especially ones on the phone - are bountiful as the Sun enters Gemini Mon. 5/21/07. Although take care not to run off at the mouth. It may be helpful to outline what you want to say and set a timer. You want a productive conversation. Save the idle chitchat for a social occasion. You probably have more than one business call to tend
to.
Avoid the “water cooler” as gossip tends to be plentiful at this time. That’s all you need to slow down productivity. The rumor mill can spread like wild fire.
Energies have a tendency to become very scattered in Gemini. Try to stay focused on the task at hand or you just may find yourself chasing your tail.
Neptune turns retrograde on Thurs. 5/24/07 which may add to any confusion. Take time to go within and talk to yourself instead of trying to get everyone else’s input. Ideas may be more abstract than concrete at this time. Having faith in yourself is key.
04/13/2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
Today's Friday Fun is a beat off the silly and more to the serious side. Girlfriend, sometimes it's good to have an intellectual conversation while sipping a Cognac or perhaps a cappuccino.
This week I had the pleasure of talking with Mark Boslet, a journalist for the San Jose Mercury News, who was working on a story about blogging ethics and civility. Got to thinking .. Civility within the blogosphere. Kindness within the blogosphere. Politeness within the blogoshere. Do you consider those oxymorons?
I don't.
Visit this post on CK's Blog if you want to see bloggers with hearts are big as the world wide web.
For the greater good .. three blogs that focus on ethics and doing good.
Ethics Crisis - The focus is on global business ethics. You are encouraged to anonymously confess the most unethical business thing you've ever done and to rate confessions from "always acceptable" to "never acceptable." BL Ochman is the author.
Zaadz - Is about inspiring and empowering people to reach their full potentional and while do so .. do good. Zaadz Team Blog
Honesty Blog - Honors people who have done good deeds. Joël A. Núñez A. Núñez invites you to tell your story of how someone helped you. Stories are definately a feel good from the heart.
Sidebar: Bloggy transparency .. I've helped Joël a bit with his company.
Civility. Kindness. Politeness. In The Blogosphere.
What do you think? Oxymorons? Or Not?
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
Friday the 13th may have a reputation of being unlucky but the planets are indicating more of a dreamy, I wish I was anywhere but here vibe. It can be a good day to visualize your ideal life, but in if you don’t finish what you had planned to do or heaven forbid you space out too much while driving and neglect to see the cop ready to pull any infraction over then indeed it will be unlucky.
The new moon on Tuesday in Aries is about beginning something new that you need extra courage and strength for. Where have you been hiding in life and playing it safe? Use the strength of the new moon to reevaluate your goals and take an action that stretches your comfort zone.
Be bold in your business plan, Aries wants to be first, where in your business can you position your company as the first to offer something? If you're are in the middle of the pack make a plan to be able to be positioned someplace as #1 or the first to offer or provide something by the time the Sun journeys back into Aries next year.
03/26/2007
Girlfriend, I had a wild and wonderful marketing/business blog week that took me from Atlanta to Las Vegas to Manhattan. Between BlogHer Business and CK's beyond fabulous blogger happy happy time I was in blogger heaven. BlogHer thoughts to come soon. Right now I want to introduce you to a few amazing people and perhaps a new blog or two.
Friday night after the last BlogHer hug Elana Centor, C.B. Whittemore, Megan Garnhum, Marianne Richmond, Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman and I headed off to CK's beyond fabulous blogger happy happy time.
Lori Magno, Accessory Diva,is as divine as the awesome purple diva beads
she surprised me with. In fact she brought gifts for everyone at CK's beyond fabulous blogger happy happy time!
It was wonderful to finally meet David Berkowitz, David Reich and the bella Valeria Maltoni. NYC dear bloggy friends Fard Johnmar and play-writer Alex Geana were there too .. what a treat for me.
I had a chance to talk more with Rebecca Edmonston (CK's fab actor cousin), Mark Goren and Matt Dickman at the apres dinner at Eat. Matt posted photos (bloggers seem to be camera happy people .. just ask Josh) on his Flickr account. Here is the blog link only if promise not to look at me. Lewis Green we missed you. And you too Jane Genova!
It was a joyful celebration of friendship.
Toss of a pink boa to CK for a perfectly beyond fabulous blogger happy happy time.
In bloggy transparency I do have a regret .. I want everyone to live in lets-do-lunch-or-meet-for-drinks location. Comments, email and Skype will have to do until the next time.
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
With the Sun in Aries and the Moon in Gemini Friday was perfect to take action on all your projects that involve communication. Get the word out about what you are trying to do in your business.
If you haven’t been blogging this is a great day to begin. Mars was conjunct Neptune on Sunday; this occurrence happens every 2+ years and represents the beginning of new projects that help others. The reward comes from knowing you are making a contribution. What charity can your business align with that will be a win win situation for both? Monday may start off slow and cranky with the Moon in Cancer and void of course but the rest of the week the energy will support high productivity.
03/02/2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
Sun's out. Rain's gone. It's a beautiful day in Atlanta to play along with another meme. Since I've been tagged not once, not twice, but three times (and feeling some blogger guilt at not responding sooner) here are my Five Reasons Why I Blog. Thanks to Valeria Maltoni - Conversation Agent, Kristie T - Kristie T's Home Business Blog and Kate Sternberg and Allison Kurpius - Fix Your Marketing.
Sidebar: A meme
is a silly, fun game that serves a larger purpose in the virtual world.
Some call it an online chain letter but I think it has a higher
calling. It helps build community and give us an excuse to get to know
each other a bit better.
Five Reasons Why I Blog
1. I blog because I'm curious and learning is never ending.
2. I blog because my network and in turn, resources, are expanded within a global community and I never could have met the people I know know any other way.
3. I blog because it is good for my business and it's worth the investment in terms of positioning, reach and awareness.
4. I blog because it gives me an opportunity to stretch my skills and I would not have the discipline to write on a consistent basis if it were not for the commitment to communicate, connect and help others through the exchange of ideas and conversation while having fun with y'all. Thank you!
5. I blog because of the surprises that blogging brings and I might not have the opportunities that have come my way along with meeting new, wonderful, real friends.
Tag You're It. Please play with me!
Nicole Simon, Cruel To Be Kind - Germany
Josh Hallett, Hyku - Florida
Stephan Spencer - Stephan's Spencers' Scatterings - New Zealand
Marianne Richmond - Resonance Partnership - Missouri
John Harper - The Harper Group - California
.. and one more just for the heck of it and because I think he's becoming the coolest CEO blogger of them all ..
Bill Marriott - Marriott On The Move - Washington DC
Happy weekend .. time to start Friday Fun!
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
Watch out folks. Hang on to your hats! Tomorrow 3/3/07 we have a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse. You've all all heard the stories about people doing weird things on a Full Moon. A Lunar Eclipse can intensify emotions. The effects can last 3-5 days before and or after. Take care not to take out your weird feelings on family, friends and co-workers.
The Moon opposes Uranus and that could add an electrical charge to the emotions as well. Uranus is conjunct the Sun and Jupiter is aggravating this with a square to it and a square to the Moon. You could stay angry with the other person and say to hell with it or you could take a deep breath and decide forgiveness is a better route to take.
A little note off the biz. Watch the news. The Jupiter square Uranus has a lot to do with the fight for the rights of freedom. This is not good for the political or religious scene. Leaders - especially the fanatics - could get agitated and make very poor decisions
The good news this coming week is that the planet of communication turns direct Wednesday 3/7/07. This has been a rough Mercury Retrograde for a lot of people. It started 2/13/07. Communications start to clear up. Important decisions you've been waiting to make or contracts you need to sign can be made. It occurs at 11:45 PM EST so I'd wait till Thursday.
02/16/2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
A birthday toast 
to my pal Bill Neal, the divo who taught me the virtures and vices of how to drink "southern!" Right in time for Bill's b'thday, Lewis Green posted Bill's story in the series To Those Who Serve.
Have some extra budget money to spend .. check out these coast-to-coast conferences about marketing and social media.
Event: New Communications Forum Conference & Expo 2007
Year 3 of the conference includes 4 tracks: Internal Communications, PR & External Communications, Advertising & Marketing, New Media & Journalism
Date: March 7-9, 2007
Place: The Venetian Hotel Las Vegas, NV
Event: American Marketing Association Marketing Workshop
Over twenty two- and four-hour presentations to choose from, including tracks in strategic marketing, CRM, branding, social media and customer satisfaction/value/loyalty.
Blogger Sybil Stershic is conducting a workshop titled - Marketing from the Inside Out: Engaging Employees for Strategic
Advantage on 3/19
Happy Birthday Divo Bill Neal is teaching Introduction to Marketing Strategy on 3/19
Bloggy Disclosure: I'm facilitating a session called - The Good, The Blog and the Ugly! on 3/20
Dates: March 19-22, 2007
Place: Green Valley Ranch Las Vegas, NV
Event: Creating Great Customer Experiences with Lewis Green, L&G Business Solutions/Blog
Lewis Green will lead this discussion and focus on creating great
customer experiences, building customer loyalty and differentiating our
businesses by being known for our customer and client experiences.
Date: March 23rd, 2007 - Noon
Place: Rebecca's Cafa, Burlington, MA
Event: Social Marketing University - Co-sponsored by Public Health Communication & Marketing Program, GWU School of Public Health and Health Services. Presented By Nedra Kline Weinreich, Weinreich Communications/Blog. Included for Social Marketing University attendees! - Next Generation Social Marketing Seminar. Learn about emerging marketing techniques. March 30, 2007, 8:30a - 12:00 p
Dates: March 28-30, 2007
Place: Cafritz Conference Center, The George Washington University Washington, DC
Event: BlogHer Business - "How to Succeed in a Social Media World"
The conference is designed for businesses at all levels of social media integration and includes case studies, roundtable discussions, ask-the-experts micro-consulting sessions and break-out tracks. Divos are welcome!
Bloggy Disclosure: Diva Marianne Richmond & I are Mc'ing something called The Lab on 3/28. On 3/30 I'm leading an unconference panel about Should You Blog?
Dates: March 22 and 23, 2007
Place: Hotel Affinia, 371 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY
Special Discount: $100 off when you enter the code BHBAC-DSC on the registration page
Event: Healthcare Blogging Summit 2007 Spring
Sponsored by Trusted.MD and Transmarx Healthcare. Emphasis is on the practical lessons that that can be applied by healthcare professionals and organizations regarding social media.
Bloggy Disclosure: I'll be leading a panel discussion Creating a Presence – Plan and Develop Your Blog
Strategy and Tactics on Establishing Your Social Media Presence
Date: April 30, 2007
Place: Venetian Hotel & Resort Las Vegas, NV
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
Happy Friday Divas. With the Moon in Aquarius today and the New Moon in Aquarius tomorrow it is an excellent time to gather your friends together and exchange ideas and news.
Mercury is now retrograde; time to reconnect with people from the past and catch up on all your paperwork (as in all those receipts needed for you upcoming taxes).
The Sun enters Pisces on Sunday bringing forth ideas and opportunities to help others. Keep your eyes and ears open for a cause that your company can sponsor or support; it will be a win-win all around. Tuesday is Mardi Gras, the Moon in Aries bodes for last minute plans. Wednesday Venus moves into Aries, sparks can fly with those close to you as procrastination and indecision will get on your nerves.
02/09/2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
When my mom did it in the '70's it wasn't talked about. When I did it in the '90's it was still something people found to be well .. different and a little secretive. But now the shades are drawn and the secret is out and lots of people are doing it and lots more wish they were!
Home-based, Working Virtual, Working Remotely, Working at Home or Working In Your PJs .. yes, Divas, there have been a few of those PJ days for me too. But the commute sure is easy and I'm doing my part to help with the horrid Atlanta traffic challenges.
Kristie Tamsevicius, WebMomz, thought there should be a celebration for home business ownership. So much so that she created a holiday - Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day now celebrating it's 5th year; and although you may not find a Hallmark card - yet - it's become an international holiday sponsored by International Robes.
In addition to a reason to stay in your bathrobe all day, the idea of owning a holiday is a brilliant marketing strategy. If you can make it work. Kristie kindly agreed to an email interview. She lets us in on the back-story of Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day and offers some thoughtful ideas of how to create and promote a marketing holiday.
Toby/Diva Marketing - Now I must admit, that sometimes I work in my PJs. Where did the idea to create a holiday around working in your bathrobe come from?
Kristie T - Five years ago when I published my book, I was looking for a fun way to create buzz. My business partner and I were joking about how entrepreneurs work at home in their pajamas. And then we said, "Hey, we should make a special holiday for working in your pjs and bathrobe or something…" And then we looked at each other and a light bulb went off. And that was how we created "Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day" – a day to celebrate the freedom of entrepreneurs. And it's really caught on. Today the holiday is celebrated in 7 countries around the world.
Toby/Diva Marketing - Your website is WebMomz. Is this a day for women only?
Kristie T - The holiday is for any work at home entrepreneur. It's not exclusive just to moms.
Toby/Diva Marketing - How does one celebrate "Working in Your Bathrobe Day?"
Kristie T - Well by wearing your bathrobe of course on February 12th. We also hope that you will drop by our website, WebMomz and enter to win a plush bathrobe and other cool prizes. There's also a cool press release you can grab and send to your local paper that tells them you are celebrating the holiday. It's a great way to get some free press for your business. And finally, if you are game… we'd love for you to send a picture of yourself working in your bathrobe and we'll post it on the site.
Toby/Diva Marketing - I did a bit of search research and learned that this holiday is celebrated in Britain and in Australia. When you began promoting "Working in Your Bath Robe Day?" what was your original goal? Where would you like to see your holiday go?
Kristie T - When I started the holiday, I never dreamed how big it would become. But it's a fun celebration around a big idea – the freedom of a work at home lifestyle. And I think it strikes a cord for many people.
We registered it as an official holiday. Before we knew it, some Canadian work at home communities came on board, then it was the Australian mums. Then it was moms in the UK, Ireland, and Iceland. This year we had a mom in Bulgaria announce she was celebrating.
It's become a bit of a phenomenon really. I think part of it is because of the element with the press release that gets people PR for their own work at home business. That's the "what's in it for them" piece. I think too that the media is looking for "good news" pieces. This is a fun story and people want to hear that there are good things going on in the world too.
Toby/Diva Marketing - Creating and owning a holiday is a terrific marketing strategy. What advise would you give entrepreneurs who want to develop a 'holiday' of their own?
Kristie T - You need to find a big idea, something exciting that grabs people's hearts and makes them want to be a part of it. Entrepreneurs thrive on freedom. They are passionate about what they do. So that translates into excitement around a holiday celebrating something they hold dear.
Second, see if you can find a sponsor to join with you. Early on InternationalRobe saw what we were doing and wanted on board. Teaming up with a big league company gives you a lot of credibility.
Third, find a way that people can be a part of it. Can they enter a contest? Is there something they can do?
Submit a national press release. Pay the money to have someone write something to catch the media's attention. We get tv, radio, and newspaper coverage every year just from one press release. It's totally worth it.
Let bloggers spread the word for you. This has been key for us getting the word out in a big way online.
Make it official by registering your holiday. You can submit your holiday at Chase's Calendar of Events to make it a real holiday.
And if you don't want to go to the trouble to create your own holiday, see if there is a holiday that you can piggyback off of. If you are a virtual assistant, maybe you want to make a big deal when Secretary's Day comes along with a celebration, a special discount on products/services etc.
I say go for it. Having your own holiday is fun and what a wonderful way to go down in history than to your own special day.
Read More About Creating A Holiday As A Marketing Strategy
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
Be careful of spending money on impulse with Venus square Uranus today. Do you really need that $1,000.00 chair to make your office look better? If you’re having a bad day don’t go home and pick a fight with your partner especially if you were hoping to get lucky tonight. The fight could drag on over the weekend as the Sun opposes Saturn. You could end up skulking around all day and feel sorry for yourself.
This really isn’t turning out to be a great week for good communication. Everyone’s favorite falls on Wed. 2/13/07. Mercury goes Retrograde. This should be an interesting Retrograde as it is in Pisces. Communication may end up really twisted and jumbled up and be understood as something completely different than what comes out of your mouth. The mind wants to dream in Pisces. As standard practice, it isn’t wise during any Mercury Retrograde to sign contracts. In this case it’s a double whammy.
Don’t be duped by anybody painting a pretty picture – it could turn into the swampland in Florida. Hold off till Mercury turns Direct 3/7. Then we have Valentine’s Day 2/14. Please make the best of it – kiss and makeup.
01/26/2007
Friday Fun is Diva Marketing's virtual happy hour from cosmos to
Jack to lemonade. A waiting for the weekend 'playground' time to be
sophisticated-silly. Or sometimes just plain silly.
Today's Friday Fun is Three For One. Girlfriend, so much fun and so little time!
One For One - Ever wonder who is writing all these blogs? 
Wonder no more. Tino Buntic is creating a mosaic of 2000 Bloggers' faces. A. B. C. and X.Y. Z bloggers all together in one photo.
Des Walsh, Thinking Home Business is a few people away. On 2000 Bloggers I am fourth row from the bottom third in - thus far. My 'neighbors' are: stage right Thomas Paine ( a British guy living in Moscow) stage left Jozjozjoz (an Asian American gal); top Juhan suku-uutiset (a guy from Finland); bottom Claudino (a guy from Romania).
Sidebar: Thanks for the photo Des <wink>!
A fun way to add yet another dimension to social networking .. and a very clever project that is sure to lift Tino's traffic. Hope it doesn't blow his server. If you want to add your photo drop a comment.
Two for Three - For my friends in MA brrr! I hear it's wicked cold. Ripple Effects Interactive and Pennsylvania Tourism Office once again have created an interactive website to play around in while we wait for Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of an early or late spring. Not much social media stuff going on but on Feb 2 you can watch, via a webcam, to see if the little groundhog will or will not see his shadow.
Three for Three - 
As this story goes, Drew McLellan was inspired by his vacation to Disney World to create an innovative Disney style eight-part series - "Marketing Lessons from Walt". Creative CK suggested that he spin the "lessons" Disney style in to a formal, transferable format (PDF)and she'd volunteered to help get the buzz going. The deal she crafted: Her very own Disney Micky Mouse ears! Gotta love it .. bloggers helping bloggers.
business astrology for fun -
from The Astro Divas Paula Dare & Donna Page
OK ladies, today is a fabulous day for shopping. With the Moon in Taurus and a strong Saturn, bargains on high priced quality items are piled high; consider it your own personal treasure trove to pick through. The only caution with the Moon in Taurus is you just might want to buy it all.
Mix pleasure with business on Saturday or Sunday, the planets support establishing trust and friendship in business relationships. Launch a new project on Tuesday or Wednesday, the stars are in alignment for success. Now if you haven’t got your blog out into cyber sphere (gasp! Say it’s not true) have it set to go on Wednesday.
