What’s Filling Up Your Web Hosting Space?

Many web site owners don’t make it a habit to check their disk space. Hey, I don’t do it on every single web site I have either. Maybe because disk space is so abundant and frankly, cheap these days. But if you do max out your web space, your site could be crippled especially if you have blogs with comments and forums where people enter data and gets saved to your site.

You normally don’t have to worry too much about that happening because most web hosts will send you a warning email when your site capacity reaches a certain level like 80% or more.

Some of us have big sites and that’s OK but if you don’t have a very active site, you don’t host a lot of multimedia files, where could all that web space go to?

Here are some other scenarios.

Forgotten mailbox. Your site is a mini site or opt-in page, you did set up email at one time but never checked it. Somehow or another this email address gets on a spammer’s list, or you have set up the email somewhere but simply forgot all about it.

Default mailbox. Most if not all web hosting accounts come with a default address. Some web hosts have this default address active and ready to receive emails. If your host does this and you don’t check it, sooner or later this address will fill up with emails because the default address is a ‘catch all’ address. It receives all emails that do not have a real user. For example, you set up yourname@domain.com but someone (usually spammers) send an email to admin@domain.com the default address catches and stores this. Before long, this inbox eats into your web hosting space. To ‘turn it off’, set the default address to fail or bounce. I prefer fail. If you don’t know how to do this, check with your web host.

Databases. Have a forum or blog that you rarely use or check in on? Spam comments filling it up? Well, deleting spam comments and spam posts reduces your web space too. Database counts as part of your web hosting space.

Backups. Check to see if you have any automatic backup scripts running that saves the backups to your web space. Download the backups to your computer and delete them so they don’t fill up your hosting. Also, if you ever do a backup through Cpanel, download and delete them too. That normally fills space quickly because the backups are like a duplicate of your site.

Next time you wonder where all that space went, check these common culprits. Use the disk space viewer feature in cpanel or your web host control panel to find out where the biggest files and folders are.

Beware of the Social Networking Trap

Social networking, though very popular today, can become a trap that can actually decrease your productivity and suck up hours of valuable work time.

So be careful!

A few of the more common culprits include Twitter, a micro-blogging tool which allows you to communicate with followers (friends) instantly. Another is Facebook, a social networking site that allows you to join a network by geographic location, create a profile and add friends. Of course we all know about the infamous MySpace as well.

There are also other social networking sites, all which are useful in their own right and do offer some valuable opportunities to network. But if you don’t value your time and approach your networking wisely, they can have a negative affect on your business.

If you are like most online business owners, it’s not uncommon to long for a connection with the outside world. These social networking sites offer this adult interaction making them like magnets we can’t seem to get away from. If we aren’t careful we can easily spend hours or in some cases, entire days chatting away with our new found friends. This comes at a cost to our business, Moms!

Instead of putting in valuable work time, that for many of us can sometimes be hard to come by, we waste it away chatting. It’s best to use these sites wisely, by scheduling into your day specific yet limited times to chat.

Just like other areas of our business, we must have a plan for networking too. Ask yourself, “What is my purpose for joining and interacting on these types of sites?” Some people choose to use Twitter as a way of announcing new and exciting information about their business and keeping their customers abreast of what’s going on.

Others may use them for catching up with online friends and as a truly social connection. That’s perfectly fine. However, you’ve got to limit that time if you want to be productive in your business. A virtual water cooler is definitely a plus for us work at home mamas, but even in the real world, a boss wouldn’t let you sit in the break room all day long chatting it up with your co-workers. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to do it either.

Either way, use of these sites can be beneficial to business owners if used for the better of our business or our sanity. Always allow yourself as much focused worked time as possible each day and throw in a little chit-chat but don’t let your business suffer because of it. After all, we all know there will be plenty of distractions in our day without adding another one to the bunch.

More Resources:

Stay focused and on target by signing up for your free Internet Marketing Prescriptions

Beware of Multi-Tasking

Many times we get caught up in the notion that the more things we are doing at once — the more things we will get done. In actuality, the opposite is true.

Many people have fallen victim to the multi-tasking monster. We put too many things on our plate then try to multi-task our way though it all, kidding ourselves that we are getting a lot done. When tasks don’t get your full attention, errors creep in which leads to frustration and then ultimately leads to you spending time undoing and correcting mistakes.

Multi-tasking is not the answer to getting more things in a certain time period. Take a moment and concentrate on not trying to do everything at once. When you set aside time to pay undivided attention to one thing, you’ll be much more productive.

Multi-Tasking has become second nature for many of us and for those of you that are ready to put the Multi-Tasking monster to rest, I have some tips for you.

It is very important that you become more efficient at estimating the time it will take you to finish a task. Its best to always allow for 15 – 30 minutes longer than you think it will take you.

Keep a notebook handy so that you can jot down idea’s as they come to you. This will stop the urge to drop what you are doing and run onto a “new” task before the current one has been completed.

When you are working on a task — stay focused. Turn off the email, ignore the phone and concentrate on the task at hand.

Don’t forget to delegate some tasks if you can. You can take things off of your plate and pass them to others.Take a look at your normal day and see how many times you split your brain-power across multiple tasks. Try to make a mental not about it and then work on some of the suggestions above to become more focused on one task at a time. Your productivity will rise and your stress will become lower.

The Power of Print – Adding Magazine and Newspaper Articles to Your Marketing Strategy

Internet marketers spend a good amount of their marketing strategy focused on web based content.  For good reason, their audience is online, it increases page ranking and provides website traffic and value to customers and prospects.  These are all both necessary and beneficial.

That being said there is tremendous power in print. Print, whether it is a national trade magazine or a local newsletter, opens your business up to a whole new audience and boosts your credibility.

Here are a few things to consider when integrating print into your marketing strategy:

#1 Research appropriate publications.  Head to your local bookstore and peruse the magazine section.  Borders Books, for example, sells just about every magazine imaginable.  Pick up a few issues and read them front to back.  Get to know the voice and the type of stories the magazine publishes.  Check your local newspapers too, find the most appropriate section and spend some time reading the editor’s style.

#2  Prepare your pitch in advance.  Most publications require a query letter.  Your query is essentially your elevator pitch.  Demonstrate your article idea, the benefit of the article and your credentials.  Be prepared to wait.  Some magazines can take up to 6 weeks to get back to you.

#3  Plan ahead.  For most articles you’ll need several sources, images, and a resource section.  You’ll also need time to write it.  If you are not comfortable writing or don’t have time to get it done, consider hiring a ghostwriter but make sure they have experience writing for print.  Web content and print have very different writing "rules."  And each editor will have their own preferences.  For example one magazine may prohibit use of figurative language while the other may embrace it.

Print offers an abundance of benefits to a web based business.  If it isn’t part of your marketing strategy, consider adding it – one or two print articles annually boost business and open new doors of opportunity.

Learn to Monetize that Expertise!

Way too many people don’t know who they are. They don’t know what they want so consequently, they usually live frustrated lives just walking mindlessly through the day doing what someone else dictates.

 

They can’t figure out how to find the satisfaction they are looking for because they’ve never asked themselves what they really want to do. They work to pay the bills and usually settle on something less than what they really could achieve, if only they had the vision.

 

This weekend, I am in San Francisco taking my oldest son Drew to a workshop for experts. Even though he’s 27, his education isn’t finished.

 

We’re here so he can gain the vision he needs to see the potential he has for making an impact on the world by sharing his natural gifting and abilities with others.

 

(It’s hard for most folks to get that vision from plain ole Mom. Know what I mean?)

 

Everyone is an expert at something. If you’re not, you can be.

 

And even though you may not be yet, it isn’t hard to become one these days, especially now that the Internet puts all the knowledge in the world at your fingertips.

 

It amazes me when I meet experts who don’t realize they are experts. They think everyone knows what they know. And when you tell them that others don’t have their knowledge, they don’t believe you.

 

It’s crazy.

 

So I am here this weekend to learn how to encourage experts to get the vision they lack and how to help them share their knowledge, wisdom and expertise…

 

Starting with my expert son who can sell just about any property  on eBay in 14 days.

 

In this economy where fore-closures are rampant, that is life-saving knowledge.

 

And not everyone knows how to do it.

 

If you are an expert and want to learn how you can monetize your expertise, join me in the forum here

www.EducatingForSuccess.com . I may have a few ideas of you. I’ll be back soon.

 

So many books, so little time…

Rhea!

who would love to help you discover and monetize your area of expertise

 

 

 

 

 

How Outsourcing Can Affect Your Retirement

As work at home moms, we are responsible for our own financial futures, which includes our eventual retirement. This can have its positive and negative points. It can be a good thing in that we can decide how we save for our future and be truly in control of that savings. It can also mean that we may not have enough put aside if we do not make the right choices in our business now.

The good news: We are in control of this situation! We can decide when we retire, how much we will have set aside and how our business will continue once that time comes. After all we don’t want to be a work at home moms forever. One day it will be nice to be a foot loose and fancy free, grandma, without the worries and stresses of work.

One way we can accomplish this goal is to outsource in our business. Whether you want to continue working doing only those things you enjoy or just want to be able to take a break whenever you feel like it to vacation with the grandkids, it’s time to start thinking about retirement. It’s never too early to start planning how you want to retire.

Here are some things you can start doing right now to ensure a smooth retirement when you’re ready for it.

1. Determine when you’d like to retire.
2. Determine how much money you’ll need to make when you do.
3. Make a list of the things necessary to keep your business running and profitable.
4. Create a manual of how to’s for your business. Put detailed instructions on how you do things and update this manual as things grow and change in your business.
5. Begin outsourcing certain tasks that can be completed even if you’re not around.

Outsourcing is the key if you want your business to continue at its current pace or growing even more when you’re ready to retire. You’ll need help. You can’t do everything by yourself forever. Think about other businesses, when their owners retire, does the business just close up shop? Nah, they hire other people to run it and your business can do the same.

Side Note: Even if you plan to sell your business at retirement, following the above steps will make your business even more attractive to the buyer and make it easier for you to command a great price for what you’ve built up.

Do you want your business to continue making you money, even if you are retired? It can with some forethought and planning. By creating a plan now, you can easily reach your retirement goals as a work at home mom. How will you plan for your retirement?

More Resources:

To make outsourcing for your business a snap, join us at Outsourcing Sweetie. Learn how to train and hire the right people, quickly, easily and without all the guesswork.

My Favorite Wedding Present

 

For a wedding present, I gave my oldest daughter and her husband a timeshare.

Now before you decide I’ve lost my cookies and cursed a perfectly good relationship before it even had a chance to get off the ground, let me share the details.

I love to go on vacation. My husband doesn’t.

I’m originally from Florida — the tourist capital of America. My husband is from here — the country.

For years, when I went home to visit my family I would take the kids but since my husband had to work, he usually didn’t go with us.

So I’ve gotten in the habit of taking family trips without him. Now that all of the kids are self-sufficient (and most of them are teens), it’s a lot easier.

Then I discovered that it is cheaper for us to spend a week at a timeshare than it is to stay in a hotel. Plus, resorts are a LOT nicer!

I joined RCI, one of the two timeshare companies that allow you to swap your weeks, and discovered that we can stay anywhere we want to.

So I decided that my daughter needs to have a vacation every year and the cheapest way to do that would be the way I’ve learned to do it.

So I bought them a timeshare.

At first, they didn’t know what to say.

I kept waiting to hear, “No, thanks.”

And the first year they were married, they didn’t use their week. So it rolled over.

But this past week, during Fall Break, they decided to use it. They chose to spend the week in Gatlinburg.

They went to Dollywood and the Dixie Stampede, they climbed Clingman’s Dome and went swimming in the indoor pool.

They didn’t have to wash linens because the resort provided them with fresh towels on demand. They got discounted attraction tickets at the front desk. The playground was just outside their door where they could sit and watch the baby while the girls were in the pool.

They had a GREAT week and came back exhausted but happy and restored.

And I bet they spent less than $300.

Just about every morning during that week, I called to find out what they were planning for the day.

I was so glad to hear how happy they all were! After all, when you work all the time and juggle the schedules of a baby with a working husband and active teens, the routine of life can you’re your out.

Everyone needs a break every once in awhile.

But the thing I couldn’t get over was how happy *I* was to be able to make that week happen for them.

That’s why grandparents love to watch others open presents at Christmas. The joy comes in seeing someone become happy because you have given them something they want.

As you get ready to plan out your new year (which I DO hope you do every year, right?), make sure you include at least one week-long vacation. If you can plan two vacations about six months apart, that’s even better.

In stress-filled times like these, vacations serve a valuable purpose and help keep busy moms stable.

If you can’t financially afford to take a vacation, re-evaluate your life. Something isn’t in balance. Relaxation is a necessity of life and if you don’t plan it in, it won’t happen by accident.

 

So many books, so little time…

Rhea!

who doesn’t expect you to buy a timeshare for all your kids like I do

www.EducatingForSuccess.com

 

 

 

Looking to Outsource? – Don’t Forget Your Kids

For those, like me, who work from home with little ones around all the time, you know how hard it can sometimes be to get everything done that needs to be. One way to tackle this problem is to outsource to your kids.

Yes, even children as young as toddlers can be of help to you as a small business owner. Here are a couple of solutions to getting things done in your business and keeping the kiddos occupied, having fun and learning valuable lessons that will serve them well in their adult lives.

Children as young as 2 (or maybe younger in some cases) can complete chores such as cleaning up their room, folding and putting away their clothes, and helping to load the dishwasher. For younger kids (toddler age), take the time to teach them everyday household chores. You might be thinking, “That’s great Alice, but honestly I can do it faster myself.” Sure you can, but remember, doing things faster, isn’t what outsourcing is all about.

For older kids, enlist their help in not only household chores, but your business as well. Here are just a few things that children of all age groups can do to help their small business owner parent:

Filing/Shredding
Adding Content to Websites
Checking Emails
Rewriting PLR Content
Article Writing
Article/Press Release Submissions
Cleaning
Bookkeeping
Packing/Shipping
Getting Mail
Word Processing

Yes, it does take a bit of extra time in the beginning. You have to show them what to do and how to do it, but in the long run it will serve both you and your child well. Enjoy the opportunity to spend time with your children while teaching them. It’s a great experience and eventually, they will be able to do things on their own without your assistance. Although usually by that time we wish they wanted our help more. ;-)

Greet Visitors By Where They Came From

Have you ever visited a site from StumbleUpon, Digg or some other place and be greeted with a message that said something like “Welcome StumbleUpon fan, enjoy your stay and don’t forget to give us a thumbs up.” Its kinda cool isn’t it? It acknowledges your visitor, makes them feel welcome and hopefully they will reciprocate with another vote for you.

The good news is, this is very easy to do. If you run your web site on WordPress, there are a couple of plugins. To make it easy for you, I found two.

• Refer Notes
• WP Greet Box

If you’re using something else, HTML or any site builder this is also easily done but will require some technical elbow grease. Ask your techie to help you with that. Technically inclined? Then check out this short tutorial and code sample.

Creating a Great Home Life

One key to success in life is having a great home life. It can be very discouraging to create a great income if you don’t have anyone to share it with.

My husband and I just watched the movie The Bucket List last night and that message came through loud and clear. If you haven’t seen it, watch it.

The movie does have a few crude words in it unfortunately but the message is great.

(I can’t wait for someone to start producing great films with great messages that are suitable for everyone to watch. Why does Hollywood always have to throw in at least one stupid word, scene or concept that ruins the whole thing?)

Anyway, The Bucket List did a great job of showing the elements of having a great home in the life of Morgan Freeman’s character.

Most of the people I hang around with also have great home lives. They focus on their children, the host family-oriented parties, they are forward-thinking. But not everyone is like that.

Too many people these days spend so much time at work that they miss out on the important things. They miss watching their baby or grandbaby take his first step. They miss helping their daughter ride her first bike without training wheels.

And before long, they attend their child’s graduation and realize the end of that phase is over and he’s off to start life on his own… without you.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Even if you work outside the home, there are things you can do to cement your crucial relationships.

And if you are concerned that your work-outside-the-home may soon be coming to an end, learn how to turn that computer of yours into an ATM like thousands of other folks are doing.

In this day and age, if you don’t figure out how to create your own in come, your security is in the hands of someone else. Sometimes that’s scary.

That’s what I help folks do.

And one of the very cool stay-at-home moms that is in my Inner Circle helps people establish and nurture great home environments.

Her name is Marilyn Woodard and I want you to meet her. More than that, I want you to learn from her how to strengthen your home life.

Visit her site www.CreatingGreatHomes.com to meet her.

Life is too short to live mad at each other, disorganized and unhappy.

 

 
So many books, so little time…
Rhea!

who is convinced that any building can become a harbor for the weary

http://www.EducatingForSuccess.com

 

 

 

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