Not only is Facebook a great way to hook up with friends and family, it is an excellent tool for businesses. The Facebook Fan page is a definite must.

Why do I need a Fan page?

1. Pages are public. Some Fan pages are not behind a login therefore search engines can index the page. Hopefully, people will stumble on the result in SERPs, visit the Facebook page, and then get to your site via the link.

2. Pages include links. Because the pages are public, you can get some nice facebook.com link credit.

3. Send “updates to Fans”. One of the greatest features is that you can send “updates” to fans whenever you want. It’s a nice way of building a database of interested users. Send messages about new products, updated website, etc.

4. You control the page. Making the page before a Fan or a competitor is critical. You want to be able to send the messages, edit or remove sections, and control the information to an extent.

5. News feed. When someone joins a Fan page, it’s published in their News feed for all their to read (unless they have turned this off). It makes someone joining your Fan page somewhat viral.

6. It’s free and easy. Making a Fan page takes just a few minutes – add some information, URL, and upload the logo and you’re done.

So, if you are interested in creating an awesome Facebook Fan page, continue reading the Essential Facebook Fan Page Resources. It is full of great information to get you on your way.

A small excerpt:

I came across a pretty good blog post this morning looking for permalink do’s and don’ts from my pal Vicky over at PrairieHarpy. The title is “10 Mistakes Made by Social Media Newbies” and it was written not too long ago (December 2009) by Shari Weiss and is an exceptional list for people just getting into Social Media Marketing.

It made me think about some things that have been rolling around in my head awhile and inspired me to get some of these thoughts out in writing to share with y’all….

Make sure you get over to her blog to read the rest of it. You won’t regret it.

Social Media Kick in the Pants by Erika L Rich

With that in mind, I would like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Carlos Caballo. The following is a humorous anecdote about a day in his life. I just had to share with you and hope that it makes you laugh like it did me.

BEWARE THE SLEESTAK

Just got back from Georgia with my washer and dryer machines. Sounds
like a normal trip, right? Oh, no-things got weird from the very
beginning. Stopped in Shalimar on the way, was filling the Ranger with
Dinosaur Jizz, when this drunk dude comes wobbling up on his bicycle andruns it into the side of my truck! I stepped around, ready to kick some ass, but the dude’s ass has already been kicked. Seriously. Here’s a wrecked bicycle and an even more wrecked guy with a black eye, a busted nose and a fat lip. Somebody had beat me to it.

Call me soft, but I just cain’t kick a man when he’s already down. So I
said something to the effect of “Why don’t you watch whar the hell yer
goin”? and he opened one eye and said, “I was going to Crestview”.
Now, Shalimar is a long way from Crestview, so against my better
judgement, I threw his bike in the back of my truck and gave him a ride
up to CrestTucky. I had to go that way anyhow to get to Georgia.

Damn,it was an interesting study of the human condition. This guy wasn’t “a little bit eccentric” and he wasn’t “local color”- Oh No, he was a specimen of the FULL-BLOWN BURNT-OUT NORTH FLORIDA SLEESTAK.

His Daddy was some kind of War Hero, pilot in the Hair Force, and he
(the Sleestak) was your typical Miltary Brat.  He was entertaining, but by the time I dropped him off in Crestview, I was gladto be shot of him. BEWARE THE SLEESTAK- Don’t give them rides, that’s my advice.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lihin6i3aQQ

1. Deal of the Day - This is one item offered each day at a heavily discounted price. You never know what it is going to be, but you can be sure that it is always a good deal.

2. Lightning Deals – This is great because it offers one item with an expiration time. When the time is up, they move to a new item. This continues throughout the day and here again, you will find deep discounts.

3. Best Deals - Here you will find all kinds of items from various categories that are on sale. You can sort the items by percent off, price and newest items added to the list.

4. Quick Picks – This area shows deals based on things that must be purchased within the hour. New items are added every day.

I guess the next on my list would have to be Siobhan Magnus. She sang “House of the Rising Sun” in honor of her dad. She did a great job and will definitely give Crystal a run for her money. Randy liked the fact that every week she surprises them, taking risks and chances. Ellen said that Siobhan is why she loves music – it’s supposed to move you – she was spectacular! Kara loves her choices, and she really liked it tonight. Simon disagreed with the other judges – he was under-impressed compared to last week.

Tonight the guys sing and I do have one favorite, which I will save for tomorrow’s post. To me, he is the one who is the most humble and least confident. But let me tell you, that boy can sing!

Several past Idol winners have gone on to make several CD’s. Here are just a few you might enjoy.

“Digg! Digg.com that is. I love this bookmarking site. They have a great community and this is the first site I choose to use now when I see an item on the internet that begs “digging”. I decided to wax eloquent on Digg.com because Larry Brauner wanted to know what all his Facebook friends’ favorite service was. Digg is mine.”

Continue reading this article

.

Promise Yourself:

* To Be So Strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

* To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

* To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

* To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

* To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the   best.

* To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

* To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future.

* To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you   meet.

* To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

* To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear. and too happy to  permit the presence of trouble.

* To think well of yourself and proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in  great deeds.

* To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the  best that is in you.

The 2010 Olympics were great. I really got involved in sports that I have never watched before such as the Skeleton and Curling. Since I have begun my internet marketing business, I have been blogging like crazy and that has pushed me to research and read about new and exciting things. I never thought I would have anything to say about the Norwegians and their crazy pants , but I found myself writing about them and then joining their Facebook fanpage!

One thing I have always wondered about but never had the motivation to look up is how the host city is chosen for the Olympics. Of all the cities around the world, how do they choose one? So, I started researching and this is what I found.

Any city that feels they have what it takes to host the Olympics can apply to the International Olympic commission (IOC).  The IOC will then investigate that city over the next ten months.  They will look for things such as:

1. The city must prove that it is big enough to handle Olymp ic games and the huge number of tourists, athletes, journalists and politicians. They must be able to host the games in new stadiums and must be able to house all the people in hotels and provide transportation. They must also be able to provide adequate security.

2. The residents of that city must be convinced that the expenses of covering the Olympics are worth it. The city may raise taxes in order to  cover this endeavor.

3. The media coverage in that city must be highly positive.

If the IOC decides that the city has fulfilled all three points above, it is considered a “Candidate City” and it will move on to the second phase. In this phase, the city sends in an application and fee which can cost up to $150,000. If a city is chosen to host the Olympics, it is a great honor. The city not only is able to show pride for their city and country, they are in the international spotlight and they have the opportunity to bring new jobs to the community and build up tourism.

The 2012 Summer Olympics will be held in London from July 27 through August 12, 2012.  They will be the first city to host the Olympic games three times (it was previously held there in 1908 and 1948).   Applications were submitted in July of 2003 and there were nine cities that submitted bids. These cities were Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

By July of 2005 it was narrowed down to Paris and London. At the end of the fourth round of voting, London won the right to host the 2012 Games with 54 votes, defeating Paris’s 52. Various French publications blamed the Paris loss on French President Jacques Chirac‘s statements before the vote that “We can’t trust people [the British] who have such bad food. After Finland, it’s the country with the worst food.” Two current members of the IOC are from Finland!

My problem lies here, I love to read and learn.  However, you can see by my schedule that there just isn’t time for me to sneak away into my room and read a chapter!! I have tried so many times to pull out my favorite book at bedtime and get a few pages in. But, by the time I have read about two paragraphs, I wake up to find the book on my chest and I don’t remember anything of what I just read.

My discouragement has forced me to find a solution. I came across a company called Simply Audiobooks. It is awesome because now I can listen to my favorite books while driving, or I can download them onto my Ipod and listen to them while doing dishes, cleaning house or whatever. The program runs much like NetFlix does with movies.  I set up a list of titles I want and they send them to me free of shipping. When I finish one I send it back and they send the next title.

Don’t let time steal away your love for reading. Try Simply Audiobooks and you will be glad you did, I sure am!

I don’t blame the Dalai Lama for being hesitant about setting up an account. After all,  last year’s fake account for the Dalai Lama tricked over 16, 000 people into joining it.  But this account is legitimate.  It has Twitter’s seal of approval and has almost 100,000 followers so far. On February 21, Evan Williams, Twitter´s founder, met with the Dalai Lama and persuaded him to join. Williams later tweeted that the Dalai Lama laughed when he heard Williams´s advice to use the social networking site. The next day, the Dalai Lama´s office in Dharamsala, India, set up a Twitter page and sent the first message with information that the Dalai Lama has visited Los Angels.

When Tiger’s sex scandal was explained to the Dalai Lama, he said that all religions have the same idea “when it comes to adultery.” “Whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline, that’s important. . . . Self-discipline with awareness of consequences.”

Tiger seems to agree, saying that in the past he had “drifted away” from the Buddhist values of his upbringing. “Buddhism,” he said, “teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint.”

This seems like a great way for Tiger to curb his appetite for the pleasures of this world. I hope he can learn from his mistakes and find whatever it is he needs to recover from his downfalls. He may want to consider what Brit Hume had to say on Fox News Sunday, “He’s said to be a Buddhist; I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.’”

Whatever he chooses, I wish Tiger Woods the best and hope for a true recovery and reconciliation in his life.