Get the Job Done Right the first time

(c) 2015 P. Lynne Designs

Today’s post is somewhat of a bittersweet moment.  I am not going to always post things like this, because, for one, it is not in my DNA to upset my readers.  I want the post to be a teachable moment for all, including myself.  The second reason is to inform, not put down, which leads back to the upset part. 

I have mentioned for some time how I was going to switch up my blogs.  Not so much with the format, I am pretty happy with that, even though the format could use a little updating every now and then.  I was going to change from Blogger to WordPress, mainly because I will have more control with a WordPress blog (self-hosting) then with Blogger or the other WordPress platform (yes there are two WordPress formats).  Do not get me wrong, I love Blogger, and it is great for those who are just starting a blog, but it is being controlled by Google.  Google has this tendency of being a bully, and if they feel that you are not following their rules, they can delete your blog in an instant, without so much as an email on why they feel that your wisdom is not worth their time anymore.  Besides that, Google feels like they can change the Algorithm (fancy word for code) any time they feel the wind blow.  It frustrates many a blogger who happens to have the blog on Blogger.  I will explain later in another post.

The point I am trying to make is, when I started out on this blogging journey, I thought I could just create a blog, and that was it. All I had to do was to keep it up, and for the most part I did, but again I was getting restless with the format and Blogger, and I was hearing horror stories about blogs and whole account being deleted by Google, until I had to do something, before I would not have a blog.  So I started creating the format with Host Gator, but I was not getting anywhere because I did not know how to code.  I still do not know how to code very well with HTML, and Joomla is just a foreign language to me, so I started inquiring for some help.  

I am not going to mention any names on here, because they could be reading, and I do not want their rep to be totally ruined, but there is something called integrity and doing the job right the first time.  The first person I asked was actually the results of a contest I won locally.  The person emailed me to congratulate on winning her giveaway, and that she will create for me a custom website.  A $200 package that she was giving away.  I told her what I needed, and she said that she would get back to me.  She never did.  A few months later, I had her as a Facebook friend, and I explain in my status that I was having an issue that needed solving in regards to the website I was creating, and she chimed in that she could help.  I explained that it had to be for free, and she actually explained that she owed me for the contest, so I agreed.   I took to email and explained the situation, and once again she said that she would get back to me, and she never did.  I was devastated and moved on.

Next, this came at the beginning of this year, and with the same blog, which is my Simply Organized Crafts blog, and I donated $10 for an international charity that the blog creator was contributing to.  I found this out by the emails I was already getting from her.  In turn, she was supposed to create this blog for me through Web Hosting Hub.   I gave her the information, and I was not sure of my password on my Google account to access Blogger.  She needed it to transfer files onto the new site.   It is now September, and I have not heard from her since my accident.  I went on Web hosting hub and I cannot get into the account.

My point in all of this, and this is my takeaway for the day is:

·         If you are in any kind of business, make it a point to spell out from the very beginning what your products and services are.

·         If you are in service for someone else, make sure that you do the best job you can possible for that customer or even that friend.

·         Follow through and follow up with everything. 

·         If you cannot do it, tell them you cannot, explain why.  You do not have to make up the why.  Tell the truth.

·         Know your resources.  Is there a business person who owes you a favor or has a service that you do not offer?  Point your client in that direction.  That client may actually come back to you for a service that you DO offer.

·         Finally, if you make a mistake, own up to it.  Correct it by making it right.  Offer to fix it, or if you cannot, offer some sort of compensation (example; a discount, an extra product, refund).

I am sure that to these two people I talked about in this post, what they had to offer me was a drop in the bucket to them, but to me, it was a delay at the start of or continuation of my business.  I could have given them a note of thanks for helping me with my situations, and without them, my business would not have gotten started the way that it should.  Now, if they ever ask me to review their services, I may not give them a fair feedback.  So if you are looking for some sort of feedback on your products and services, do all you can to win over that customer or of it is personal, keep a friend.

  

The Truth about Uber and AirBNB income.

(c)  2015 P. Lynne Designs

(Warning:  Although I am not affiliated with either site, there are links ahead, and I recommend you try one or both of them, with caution)

Ok, I am official back, writing about how to write, and about the world as I see it. 

Today, I want to talk about earning extra income.  Ok, before you turn the page and read another post, or (gasp) go to another blog, please hear me out.  I am taking issue with these two services, and I am not going to back down on my opinions either.  Before I do that, I want to issue some facts about these two services, in case you never heard of them.

Both of these services are popular among the Millennials (ages 18-35).  Uber allows a person to contact someone with a private car to take them to and fro.  The service (and others like it) claims to be cheaper than your typical taxi service, more accessible than your typical train or bus service, and you can make money by registering your own car, and charging the same rate as other Uber drivers.

Airbnb, on the other hand, is the Uber of staying overnight.  You simply contact someone through Airbnb’s website when you want to stay in town.  Any place (other than an apartment) is up for grabs, and you just simply rent a room for the length of your stay (1 night up to a whole month) or a whole house.  You can also register your home as an Airbnb home to earn extra income.

Now before you pack your bags for the nearing Airbnb in Maui or decide that you are not going to drive to work that day, there are some other facts to consider:  BE CAREFUL WITH THIS TYPE OF TRAVEL AND BE CAREFUL OF THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.   This is my only issue with these two services, especially outside of the US.  Why? 

With Uber, taxi companies, especially in Europe, have been protesting, because Uber drivers have been taking their money and their potential customers.  Hey after all, it is free enterprise, so I see no problems with the service.  Taxis charge too much money to get from point “a” to point “b”, and for what?   For example, back in 2004, my family and I returned from Walt Disney World.  We had fun, had to wait on another pilot to fly the plane, because the first Captain forgot his schedule, then a part fell off mid-flight, and we had to return to a burnt room at my parent’s house, but overall, we have fun and the Mouse’s Florida Home.  Anyway, the ride for 5 miles was almost $75!! In Columbus!!! For 5 people!!!  Uber would have been cheaper if it had existed.

For Airbnb, the complaint is from the hotel owners and city officials.   A recent news item was about a woman, who had registered her home with Airbnb.  She went through all the paperwork that was required by the city of San Diego, CA.  She double checked everything.  Next thing you know, she was trumped up with massive charges by the city, claiming that she had no right of running a bed and breakfast without a permit.  Many cities are taking issue with this too, like New York City.  Why?  Because of this so-called Hotel tax.  Look, if a person is stay one night in a city, why should they be charged $100 or more a night?  Also, I have a feeling that hotels and resorts are complaining, because, here again, customers are being taken away from them.

My Recommendations:  As I stated before, I love the concept of both.  I suggest you take caution on both ends. 

1.      Be careful who you except in both your car and your home.  It is not really possible for you to do a background check on Uber, except only except people who register on the site.  I am saying this for the ladies, but guys, because careful too.  As for Airbnb, only except those who register as a guest on the site.

2.      Do not go out on your own and put a listing on Craig’s List.  You are flirting with fire.  Do not answer an ad on Craig’s list either, unless you have done your homework about the person you have rented your humble abode to.  

3.      Follow both the rules of the site and the city where you live.  I feel sorry for the woman who was slapped with fines from San Diego, because she did what they asked her to do in the first place.  The city, state, nor the country should not govern what you can and cannot do in your own home.  If that was the case, a person cannot take in roommates, boarders, or anyone else without a permit.  Requiring a permit for someone other than your family to stay for a night or two borderlines the taking of freedom to do what you want in your own home.   If they (the city) wanted taxes in the first place, they should have told the woman.

4.      Abide to al rules of the road.

5.      Keep good records of all earnings and finally

Be safe and make the most of your new found earnings.   

I took a month off…

This is not my typical blog post.  I am usually the one who is encouraging the potential writer to go after their dreams, by writing what they know, be creative in their writing, and own it.  By owning it, I mean, use correct grammar, research when you are not familiar with a subject, and be consistent in everything you write about.    I hope show a person how to achieve this goal, in hopes the person will learn how to write effectively enough to gain readers, and maybe earn an extra income or even write full-time.

(c) 2015 P. Lynne Designs

It has been a month since I written anything.  The reason is quite simple: I had a car accident, and even though I spent all of 5 hours in ER, my beloved 1998 Honda Accord LX, the one I bought from my parents in 2006, and the same car, my sister named “Jessica” for me, was destroyed in a matter of seconds.  If it wasn’t for the fact I wore my seat belt, my parents would have been mourning my death today.  That was 3 weeks ago, and I thank God for that. 

What I got out of this and bear with me and my dry sense of humor, was dealing with a town with less than the regulated 2 traffic light minimum, Columbus has more than its share of traffic lights.  A town, where the mayor oversees everything.  Columbus has Franklin County Court to do that for them.  I was trying to make light out of the situation, so sorry for those who live in a small town. 

Healing takes a while, and it is even worst when you have a low tolerate of pain. I hurt my right shoulder, and today was the first day I was able to type this long.   Last November, I was helping my mother, because she barely could do anything, and 3 weeks ago, it was my turn.  I have only been at home twice for short periods, and this weekend, I hope I can stay by myself.  

I have a new car, a 2008 Dodge Contour Hatchback, I am hoping to graduate to a 2014 or 15 Honda CR-V or Accord (I love my Hondas), but would not be mad if I have to stick to the Dodge a little longer.  (Note: September 18, 2015- I stand corrected, it is a Dodge Caliber)

I am trying to reinvent the wheel while I am not fully entrepreneuring (not really a word, but a play on Entrepreneurship).  Rethinking some things, taking it easy, but I should be back in full swing by September.  I have some things planned that I hope will generate my income again.   I have found out something in my downtime, the difference between being out sick when work for someone versus self-employment. The difference is, in working for a company, you have someone breathing down your neck, and even if you apply and receive long-term disability, there is pressure for you to return to work, or be replaced.  This happened to me when I had surgery in 1993.  I took short-term leave of absence, then had to switch to long-term.  I was told by my employer that I had to return in two weeks, or risk being replaced.  When you are self-employed, you just have to put on your big girl panties, and suck it up for a while.  In either case, you do not receive any money, unless you do what some experts ask entrepreneurs to do, and that is to have some kind of automatic income come in, even when you have a lean month.  August is my lean month, due to injury.

Well, it is now time to charge up the IPad, but I will have a regular post next time, and I will not take so long writing it.  If I have not taught you anything today (or whenever you read this), always remember to take some time out for you and your family.  It is great to be able to freelance write, create, or whatever your self-employed business is, but what good is it if you are not here to enjoy the moment and the fruits of your labor.  Take care of yourself.

The Cosby Show

(Warning:  I will try to keep this as G-rated as possible because I believe in family-friendly posts.  If for some reason you feel that you cannot read this post in front of your child, you have my permission not to do so)

(Warning:  Affiliate ink ahead).

(2015) Wikipedia.com

I had changed my blog from covering everything that was celebrity based (I.E. Dance Moms) and how I feel about celebrities, to how to write, and my views on the world.  As the title suggests, I have returned for one post ONLY to the celebrity based view, with a twist, it is my view on the world.

My view this time is on The Cosby Show.  I want you to know that this was my favorite show, and I am going to tell you why.  Because finally African Americans were shown doing the same things as White Americans.  We were shown having decent jobs, decent activities, and a decent life.  In case you have been under a rock or did not grow up with a television in the home, the story is quite simple.  It was a story of a man and woman, a WORKING man and woman, who happened to be an Obstetrician and a Lawyer, AND African American.  They have 5 children (4 when the pilot debuted, the 5^th child was added by the 3^rd airing), and they were your typical children, dealing with growing up in mainstream society.   It was a normal life, having dinner parties, celebrating anniversaries, dealing with school, work situations, and disciplining of the children.  In other words, they closely represented my childhood.  My father, who was not quite like Dr. Cliff Huxtable, had a job in the military, then the post office.  My mother was not quite like Clair Huxtable, working as a lawyer, but mom worked in retail.  My siblings and I were your typical kids.  A match made in heaven for me or was it?

A few years ago, I was standing in line at my favorite grocery store, when I saw this headline, “Cosby has another child”.  I thought nothing about it, since I admired this man so much, and since it was on a “rag” paper, and not the Columbus “Disgrace”, my name for the local paper, The Columbus Dispatch, I thought it was a hoax, so I ignored it. 

Next, last year, like so many of you, I saw where Mr. Cosby had written a book, Cosby: His Life and Times (September 16, 2014), and I wanted to get it, one day.  As soon as this book hit the bookstore, a woman accused him of these now famous accusations, and I thought, “This woman is out for money, how dare she?”  As weeks grew and women came forward with the same thing, I kept thinking, “Opportunists, all of them.  They are bitter old hags, who either became so washed-up in their careers, or was turned down by Mr. Cosby, and now that they ran out of money, they want retribution.  How dare they do that to my favorite TV Dad?”  I really got angry when Beverley Johnson, a former supermodel, came out with the same thing, then later lied about it, I was convinced that all of these women was lying about it as well. For those of us who believed Bill Cosby, we all were convinced.  Even his own cast members were on his side.  But, there are several bible verses that talk about things that are hidden or in secret, which will soon come to light, and neither I nor the rest of the world, or even Bill Cosby himself would see this one coming.  A LOCKED COURT DOCUMENT! This is the problem about locked documents, they tell so many secrets.

After we all thought we have heard the last of this case, and Bill Cosby can go back to his college tours, and trying to secure the rest of his retirement, up pops this document, and in it, Mr. Cosby admitted to using Quaaludes on the woman, who was doing the suing, in order to get her to perform (and I am not talking about loosening her up for a part on A Different World, another show that I loved), but to perform sex acts.   I could not believe what I was hearing.  Bill Cosby, Comedian, Television #1 dad, Educator, Hot Dog lover (he loves Dirty Frank’s on High Street, and they have a hot dog named after Mr. Cosby), AND a pervert?  How could he?  Why did he do it?  I sat there, and I cried.  I loved his first HBO Special when he talked about his wife Camille giving birth.  This was the routine that was based off the whole first season of The Cosby Show.  He loved education so much, until he created A Different World, because it gave his television daughter, Lisa Bonet (who played Denise Huxtable), a chance to spread her wings, but came onto her own controversy later on, and the reason why she was fired in the first time.  How can I now look at this show (The Cosby Show) in the same way that I did when the show first aired.  It was my “go to” show when I see that all other shows today that suck, and I need something to watch.   I remember videotaping the final episode, but when I find it, I am not sure I can watch it now.  It was quite comical, as all of The Cosby Show episodes are.

I started to explain the episode, and now I cannot.  I am even sitting here on the verge of tears, that I am so angry at Bill Cosby now.   I read a blog post from Joseph C. Phillips, who played Denise’s husband Martin on the show last week.  He was 29 at the time of the show and he talked about the “parade of women” coming on the set looking for Mr. Cosby.  He also talked about how as a young boy, he admired Mr. Cosby, because Mr. Cosby showed him in many ways how to be a father, an African American man, and now Joseph is very disappointed with him.  That is how I feel too. 

I feel like I was let down, but that is where the bible talks about why you should not follow mankind because they will disappoint every time.   We should aspire to be like Jesus, not man.   Jesus would never do something like this to anyone.  He was compassionate, humble, told it like it was.  He never judged people, which is why I will never understand why certain Christians choose to judge Homosexuals and other people, you would have to read my post of my views on that. 

I do not hate Mr. Cosby, but I do hate what he has done.   He has ruined so many careers including his own, until it was just sick, and he is sick.  The best thing for him to do, is to just retire, and get out of the limelight.  He needs to find a quiet place for him and his wife to just sit, play with the grandchildren, and make an appearance ever now and then.  I am sure there are people who will buy his latest book, including maybe I.  

How to create a post from Your Social Media Status.

(c) 2015 www.dailymail.co.uk

"God decided that I need an early bath. I wanted to fix something that I did not have in the house, so off to the grocery store I went. Ok, it is cloudy, so what, I thought, and went anyway. I got the ingredients, walking up to the checkout counter, and bless goodness, here come the rain, but it stopped. I finished what I was doing, and walked out of the store. Half way while putting the groceries in the trunk of Jessica (yes that is my car's name), God yelled, "Bath time", and down it came. I was soaked from head to toe, so I had to drive home, soaking wet and had to change out of everything, now I am putting my groceries away, but you know what? Thank God that I am able to decide on getting groceries, or even eat out, or even change out of wet clothes into clean ones, because there are so many who can't. I am not complaining, I am cooled off, by God's bath water."

This is what I wrote for one of yesterday’s Facebook status.  It was one of many statuses I have written today.  As it turns out, a couple of the statuses, I am turning them into a post of their own, because they need further explanation.  Stay tuned.  This is for today.

I want to show you quickly how to turn a status posting from any of the social media updates you post (not someone else’s post), into a blog post.  This works, especially if you have a blog that you type any subject in, or if it relates to your niche blog.  For of all, there are a few small rules in order to pull this type of writing off, and they are:

1)      This is for your SM (Social Media) status only.  You could be answering someone’s question or comment, but please use what you are saying, not their SM status to that person, UNLESS you have their permission to post their status to back up your comment you placed under it.

2)      Not all status qualify for a blog post.  So choose wisely.

3)      Be mindful that if you cannot elaborate on a status, leave it along

 Here is a tip:  Use this type of writing when you cannot come up with the subject for the day. 

You should have already written down in your blog planner the subject of the day, especially if you have a niche blog, and that could be done either at the beginning of the year, or at the end of each month.  Don’t worry if you do not have this done.  Writing down subjects for each day that you write your blog, just keeps you better organized, and you can spend more planning out what you ae going to say about the subject.

So getting back to using your SM status as the subject.  My status in Facebook that I mentioned here is not a good status to elaborate on, and here is the reason why:  I just reported what happened for 15 minutes of my life.  It also shows how grateful of being able to do these things, when so many are not able to.   It is more of a tip, and I guess I could use it as part of a bigger post.  Now earlier in my day, I did mentioned how discussed I felt about Bill Cosby, Jared from Subway, and Paula Deen.  In regards to them, I voiced how people should not hold one another in a celeb status of royalty.  You will have to stay tuned for the post.

Oh, I forget and got sidetracked on explaining why you do not write a post on someone else’s status (unless they give you permission to do so)...they may not want you to and the magic phrase “COPYRIGHT LAW”.  Yeah, I know.  It stinks, but this is how this country operates.  However, you could always plea, The “Fair Use” law that is within the copyright law document, but it only protects the social media platform, and not you.  So it is best to stick to your comments ONLY.

So remember that you can elaborate on your status when you cannot find a subject to write about when you have a blog that covers everything or when it relates to your niche blog.  Remember to cover only the things you post, so you will avoid problems down the road, and have fun with your status post.  The good news is you will gain traffic, and that is great if you monetize your blog.  

Dear Diary….

(c) 2015 Google Images

“I had a bad day.  I feel like the world is going to explode around me.   My little brother, AKA “The Bratinator” (I guess that is how you spell it) will not leave me alone.  My older brother, “The Tool” told everyone my little secret.  You know, the one where I wrote that I was in love with a certain guy, I can only describe as “Y” (and dreamy).  I could just die from embarrassment.  Note to self…do not get neither one of these goons a Christmas present next week.   Speaking of which, my parents just gave me the best present of all…We are going to Disney World.  I just wish I could leave the goon brothers behind.  Eww, they just make me sick.  Mom told me that I can bring a friend.  I think I will ask my BFF, Becky.  I hope her parents will let her come.  We will have the best time, just me and her, for 6 days straight.  I would not have to put up with my stupid brothers, ever!!!!!  P. S.  I still love them.”

Did you ever keep a diary?   A diary is one of those journaling techniques from the ‘70s and ‘80s, and I personally never caught on writing in one.  One of the most famous scenes in television history, is when Marcia caught Cindy snooping in her diary.  This was from the Brady Bunch.  In fact, Marcia had two crisis in regards to her diary.  There was an earlier episode, where Cindy gave Marcia’s diary to a book reseller by mistake.  Marcia was upset that everyone in the world would find out that she was madly in love with Desi Arnez Jr.  The diary was found, and Marcia show the entry to him.   As for the later episode, Marcia wrote in her diary that a famous talent agent was coming into town, and Cindy would be great as the next Shirley Temple.  Marcia was actually trying to stop Cindy from snooping.  It turned out that the woman visiting the Brady household was a client of Mike’s.

A diary is a little bit more private than a journal, which should be shared, but today’s journaling can be just as secretive

as a diary.  I think of diaries as more of a look into the personal window into a young girl’s heart and soul. 

The most famous of diaries is not of fiction (like the two Brady Bunch episodes), but of a real life depiction on what life was like for a young Jewish girl, and her recounts of hiding from the Nazis.  I am talking about Anne Frank.  It was not just about her, her family, and the Van Petz Family (Van Daan in the book according to Wikipedia), and how they got along during the day, when they were quiet, but it was how she saw the world from that tiny little window.  Shortly after The Netherlands was liberated from Nazis Germany, Anne’s father, Otto Frank returned to that home away from home, and found her diary, and had it published.  He wanted the world to know what a brave daughter he had before she died in the concentration camps. 

You do not have to be a famous person to keep a diary or journal.  Just start writing.  Write about your day, your feelings, or it can be something specific, such as a food diary, or a project journal.  Talk about your feelings, if you are becoming a mother for the first time, and you want your child to know about the things in life that matter.  These are some ideas.  Where you keep them is up to you as well:  You can just grab a notebook and start writing.  I use MS Word to write in my journal.  If you want to go public, turn your journaling into a blog. 

Journaling or writing in a diary is one of the few forms of writing, where there are no rules.  Have spelling mistakes, but do not make it a habit, or it can spill over into your other pieces of writing.  Free form your writing.  Grammar is also a must, but a grammar mistake every now and then does not hurt.

OK, I made one mistake….The rule is to have fun.  Do not always write serious stuff.  After all, there is a saying that goes, “I know I am in my own little world.  It’s OK, they know me here.”   

So what does freedom mean to you?

(c) 2015 by P. Lynne Designs

Happy birthday to America AND to me….

Well not yet for me, but it is my birthday month, and I am excited.  I got over the hump of a new decade for me last year. (I am 10 years old for the 5^th time, do the math).  I will get to that post later on in the month. 

The birthday baby I want to talk about is America’s birthday (July 4^th), and celebrating its Independence Day.  This is the day that the Declaration of Independence was signed, and freedom from England was a done deal. 

So what does freedom mean to you?

For me it means being able to move freely throughout the country, without question on where you are going, why you are going, what are you going to do when you get there, and who are you going with.  Or is it?  Sometimes I wonder about that.

If freedom means to move throughout the country without being stopped for driving a nicer car and the police stopping you, because they think you stole the car you are driving.  There should not be any problems.  If freedom means being able to walk down the street without a police officer immediately handcuffing you, because you recently walked out of a store, and being accused of stealing an item, or worst yet, shot and killed, there should not be any problems.  If freedom means you can worship wherever you want, without being killed for no reason or having your place of worship being burned to the ground, there should not be any problems.   These are the problems that the African American community, which I identify with, has been going through for the past 4 years. 

Think these are isolated incidences?  It has been a constant on and off situation since slavery was abolished.  I am tired of being treated as a second-class citizen.  We as a race are tired of being treated as second-class citizens.  This is not India, where the class system has been abolished for a number of years.  This is America, the land of the free and the home of the brave.  Where did you think we were going after slavery was done away with, back to Africa? I don’t think so, but yet there are still people, who want us to know our place, especially if you are a black man, but the problem does not stop there.

We are killing each other over territorial rights, this gang does not like the other gang, and people get jealous over the success of others.  When we need the authorities the most, they do not come and take care of the situation.  Do not get me started on the war on drugs.  Yes, the government does a mediocre to fair job on keeping drugs out of the country.  Today, I was listening to the news, and heard about a pill form of heroin. Really now? You drug dealers are stupid enough to get your customer even higher than before, yet killing them at the same time, because they cannot remember when was the last time they took one.  You call it business, I call it stupid. Legalize marijuana?  Nothing like a bunch of weed heads being able to get high without being arrested for possession and doing harm at the same time.  I do believe it is called alcohol.

I do not mean to go off like that, but if we want freedom, we as individuals need to take a look at what does it mean to have that freedom.  Yes, we do have it better than most countries on this planet, but at what cost?  Our founding fathers of this country wanted freedom, to not be ruled by another country, but again are we?  There is more than one type of freedom, and we ALL are not fully free to do that.  When we are all free, this can be a beautiful place to live in, if you let it.