Bullying is one of the largest problems in schools today. Each year millions of kids are bullied by their peers. It is a growing problem that only seems to be getting worse. Now there is a movie appropriately titled “Bully”. This movie was designed to take an up close and personal look at this growing epidemic and the lives of the children affected by it.

There are various forms of bullying:

• Verbal – which includes name calling and teasing
• Social – which includes spreading rumors, breaking up friendships, etc.
• Physical – which includes hitting, punching, etc.
• Cyberbullying – which includes using the internet, mobile phones and other forms of technology to bully someone.

With over 13 million American kids bullied every year, this documentary aims to combat this problem and bring about a better society. The goal is to educate parents, teachers, students and the community in general about how bullying affects everyone.

In 2010, 15 year old Phoebe Prince hung herself after relentless bullying by at least nine students at her school. She received endless emails, texts, Facebook messages and more taunting her. It seemed that even after death the bullying continued as some of the nine students put ugly comments on a Facebook memorial page that was started in her honor. It’s sad it ended this way as Phoebe’s family moved from Ireland to America so that there children could experience American life. A year after that move their daughter committed suicide because of the relentless bullying she went through.

This is what the documentary hopes to educate the public on and to spread awareness far and wide. Something has to change so that there are no more Phoebe’s walking around in fear every day or worse contemplating ending their life to escape a life of daily torture by other kids.

You can learn more about this amazing documentary and the world of bullying by visiting http://thebullyproject.com/.

You got into business to provide a product or service. You also want to make money doing something you love. So what happens when you are stalked via social media and worse your ideas are stolen via these outlets? This actually happens more than you may realize. I completed a survey recently and wanted to know what the thoughts were of the public and those in the business sector on the subject of stalking via social media and this is what they had to say:

• For many the first choice is to block this person from their social media applications. Blocking is a good place to start but you may also want to know who this stalker is and if they are stealing your ideas.
• In order to determine who may be stalking you, begin to check out some of your followers social media pages to determine if they are using any of your ideas. 
• If you find someone stealing your ideas confront them on it and ask them to remove the content from their social media site unless they give you full and proper credit.
• Obtain a Creative Common License (creativecommons.org) for your work. This is a licenses allow creators to communicate which rights they reserve, and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators. 

Ideas are powerful weapons. Granted behind those ideas there has to be a plan of action; a strategic plan but the idea is the catalyst. As with anything, if you have an idea that you are looking to turn into a marketable product, don’t post it out there on social media applications for the world to see and steal. As a person in the business world you have to take measures to protect yourself. Think ahead before you post on social media.

So what do you think about social media stalkers and what would you recommend to handle this issue?

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dr. Carolyn Miller of the blog talk radio show Getting Good at Life. I got to share my tips for increasing your bottom line in 2012. It was a rewarding experience and I feel fortunate to be able to have shared my insights with those who are looking to increase their bottom lines in 2012.

Dr. Carolyn Miller is a psychologist, speaker and life coach who has a passion for helping others live the best life possible. For nearly 20 years, Dr. Carolyn has provided consultation both nationally and internationally in her work with businesses, government, non-profits, churches, and universities. Dr. Miller skillfully employs psychological, inspirational and strategic approaches to her mission of personal empowerment.

We discussed how in 2012 smalls businesses struggles with really making their presence known. Branding was difficult for small businesses because many did not know how to brand themselves. I shared my tips on how to make a change in 2012 and become prosperous.

So what are you going to do in 2012 to get your brand into the minds and hands of your target audience?

Check out this radio chat below to learn more about my thoughts and tips that will make a difference in the small business world in 2012:

In a recent interview with American Idol judge Randy Jackson, we got an inside look into the hit show as well as Randy’s thoughts on those other singing shows.

When it comes to American Idol, Randy feels truly blessed to be a part of the show. He’ll never forget the powerful friends he made in Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul.

“Idol started with me, Simon, Ryan and Paula and that’s what really brought us to our prominence.  So those people are in my life forever, because we did something very unique and we had a chemistry that we lucked out with,” Randy stated about his former Idol judges.

He does however feel he has found another unique group in Steven Tyler and J-Lo. Randy stated that from the time he and Ryan went to breakfast with the two of them that there was just an instant connection and that’s important on shows like American Idol.

What you see on American Idol is real. While the show is edited for time, Randy says that what you see is how they are. When the judges rallying someone auditioning or a contestant on stage, it’s real. They love to see people that you may perceive one way just come on Idol and blow people away. It’s about talent and according to Randy America is full of so many talented people.

As for those “other” singing shows, it seems this Idol judge feels there is more than enough talent to go around. Coast to coast talent spills over and so it doesn’t matter if there are two or three singing shows on television. Plus these shows are on year around so they don’t have a tendency to overlap one another. With Simon and the X-Factor commandeering a large portion of viewers, it should come as no surprise that Simon is looking to recruit Mariah Carey, who Randy manages, for the show.

When asked what he thought of that interesting twist  and would he be upset Randy stated, “No, no, no, not at all.   Look, I mean, she’s her own person. She can, of course, do whatever she wants and she always will do that.  Of course not. Simon is one of my dearest friends in the world, so of course not.” While Idol’s ratings have faltered some, the show is in its eleventh season so that speaks volumes for its sustaining power.

This year the show promises more as the judges put the contestants through more challenges than ever. According Randy, Hollywood week is a must see as they not only challenged the contestants but it seems people were passing out all over the place and the ambulance was called more than any other season. Makes you wonder what those poor contestants had to go through.

Throughout the interview one thing is for certain, Randy Jackson is just as personable and funny as he is on the show. It was a great inside look at the man and the show that captures television audiences each and every season.

Google + Hangouts are fast becoming the hot ticket when it comes to connecting to people all over the world. We like to see people and feel that connection. Even news anchors are getting in on the fun of G+ Hangouts. Recently I was featured on a segment of NBC LA as newscaster Mekahlo Medina spoke of the growing world of Google Plus Hangouts. It was a honor to be featured in this segment for my expertise with G+. Check out the video below:

When running an online business there is so much to do. Just as with any traditional brick and mortar business you have expenses, clients/customers, vendors and more. Keeping track of all your expenses as well as your invoices and billing can be a daunting task if you don’t have a good system in place.

One program that is worth its weight in gold is Freshbooks. This easy to use, online program can save your countless hours when it comes to your billing and expense tracking. With Freshbooks you can send and manage all your invoices from one easy ti use application. Plus you can accept payments online with Credit cards, e-Checks or PayPal.

Are you tired of sending out payment reminders to your customers? Well, those days are over as Freshbooks has an automated reminder system that handles this task for you. If you’re a small start-up, you can get the look and feel of the big boys with professional invoices that can even accommodate your business logo.

Freshbooks is one of the top rate programs for billing and expense tracking. Learn more of what this amazing tool can do for your business by clicking here.

Social media is all around us. As a business owner, chances are you’ve heard of all the benefits that social media has to offer. This information isn’t false. Social media can and does change the faces of businesses each and every day.

Sadly, a lot of businesses still are not using social media and those that are may not be using them effectively. Too often businesses get the mentality that “more” is the better way to go. This isn’t always true when it comes to social media.

Any marketing plan should have a social media aspect incorporated into it. However that plan should not include every social media platform known to man. Why? Because as with anything, if it doesn’t apply to your business then why use it? You need to understand your business audience and on what social media outlets they are interacting. Your audience may be using Facebook and not Twitter. So it seems a waste to post on Twitter right? The answer is yes and no.

You’ll want to focus your efforts on the main social media platforms that your target audience is using. However, just because a social media outlet is not as widely used as another doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it. These outlets can open the door to a new target audience. This is why having a complete and through marketing plan is important. You need to know where to focus your efforts first and why. You then can decide on newer avenues of gaining customers by using other avenues of social media.

Nothing runs smoothly without a plan and in business not having a plan can mean the difference between success and failure. Check out an article that discusses this very topic by clicking here.

Everyday social media is growing by leaps and bounds. It has changed the way we socialize with one another and it’s changing the way people are doing business. Businesses are learning how to take social media and turn it into a benefit for them. Whether it is advertising a sale or special or announcing a new product; social media is changing the business landscape.

Here is an article on how social media and businesses are interacting: Click here to read

Businesses have realized that using social media can literally change their business overnight. You can go from unknown to well known in no time if you use social media properly and effectively. Social media is not all about just posting a message on Facebook or simply sending out a tweet. In order for businesses to harness the power of social media they must make sure that their message is reaching their intended audience. If it’s not then social media is nothing more than a message board without anyone to notice to the message.

Word of mouth in the viral world has taken your every day mom and pop business and turned it into a household name. Granted this doesn’t happen overnight but it does happen with an effective marketing plan. Social media should be an important part of that marketing plan. Many businesses still aren’t using social media and that’s a shame.

Social media allows businesses to reach a wider audience. Businesses can reach new demographics that they normally wouldn’t come in contact with. All it takes is the right message; in the right hand and you’ve got one powerful marketing tool. If you’re not sure how to use social media then there is never a better time then the present to learn how to use these platforms to help you increase business.

Recently, I created a video that would put into prospective my opinion about social media websites like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter and they view the updates or changes which are made to their websites. This was created to help put into prospective how the owners of each website operates when it comes to updates or changes to their websites.

Take a look at the video below and then share your opinion in the comment section. I’m looking forward to the creative opinions that you share regarding how each network views itself.

Music provided by:

Fanatik
“Long range(instr.)” (mp3)
from ” “Kuboniqs” Instrumental LP”
(New Andalus Records)

More On This Album

Wow, it looks like Twitter has done it again by acquiring another company called Backtype (<<– click here to read more about it). What’s so special about this company you might ask. It is an analytics company that can give you detailed information regarding your Twitter activity. Yeah, I know, that are many websites that will allow you to do this so why did Twitter find this company so special?

Great question so let’s see what their website can deliver to you. Once you view the video, please feel free to comment below and then share it with a friend.

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