What happened?

Last week, it was discovered that a very popular WordPress plug-in (Social Media Widget) was compromised with malware. Unfortunately, this was a plug-in that I frequently used for client sites, as well as my own, as an easy way to create icons that link to a client’s various social media pages and other contact methods (most commonly email, Facebook, and Twitter). This plug-in had a very good reputation, and apparently had been downloaded over 900,000 times.

What did I do?

At first, I was only aware that one of my client’s sites had a problem, so I set about to get it cleaned up. Once I realized this was an issue with the plug-in, I quickly set about to check out all the sites I had used it on. One other site was definitely compromised, but others were seemingly ok. For the compromised site, I immediately got rid of the plug-in and implemented a temporary fix. Then I got in touch with all my other clients to discuss the issue and how they would like me to deal with it. I didn’t want to be messing with an important part of their site (layout and contact) without their permission.

What’s next?

I decided that I wouldn’t be using that plug-in anymore, even though the author has since removed the malicious code and swears it’s safe to use again. So, now I had to figure out how to get the important contact info back up on all these sites. I looked around for a new plug-in to use, but none of them were as comprehensive as this one had been. In the end, I decided to skip the plug-in option completely. It’s just a bunch of icons and a bit of code. I can handle this on my own. So I spent a bit of time locating (and in one case creating) icons for all the sites and functions I needed, and then I coded it all myself. Not only does it look basically the same as the plug-in version, but I have more flexibility to customize it to suit each individual site better.

What’s the lesson?

Bottom line, plug-ins can be great tools, sometimes even invaluable. But sometimes it’s better to take a few extra minutes to code it yourself.

Tag…I’m it! Ok, it’s been a few months since I was tagged in Lynn Spiro‘s post for The Next Big Thing, but those of you who know me well know that I tend to procrastinate just a touch. I hope that it’s been worth the wait. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this project, The Next Big Thing is a blog hop giving authors, and now bloggers in general, a chance to discuss their upcoming works. In addition to answering 10 questions about your next project, you tag the person who involved you, and subsequently tag others who will participate, thereby passing the torch, so to speak (or type as the case may be).

As I mentioned, my friend and colleague, Lynn Spiro, very kindly tagged me in her Next Big Thing post back in October (ooops!). Lynn is a professional organizer with a big heart, and I’ve discovered she’s quite passionate about several other things as well.

Now, without further ado, I give you: My Next Big Thing!

What is the working title of your project?

Start-up digital magazine

Where did the idea come from for the magazine?

I’ve had the honour and pleasure of meeting some great people in the early stages of starting their business. There are so many things I have learned that I want to share with them, and vice versa. This magazine will be a great place to share all kinds of knowledge and helpful information from a variety of fields: coaching, organizing, websites, etc.

What genre does your project fall under?

I don’t recall General Awesomeness being a category in the Dewey decimal system, so I guess I’ll have to go with Reference.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This is hard to answer at this point, as the characters would be the contributors, and I have yet to approach these wonderfully talented people yet. But for my character, I’ve always been partial to Janeane Garofalo, although there’s a bit of a height difference.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your magazine?

Practical advice and information for new and almost-new businesses.

Will your magazine be self-published or represented by an agency?

Definitely self-published. The power is all mine!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Haven’t started yet, but luckily, I won’t be writing the majority of the content. Gotta love collaboration!

What other magazines would you compare this to within your genre?

The only other digital magazines I have to compare to would be Going Pro magazine by Stephanie Pollock and Rebelations Magazine by Gina Bell.

Who or what inspired you to write this magazine?

I’m not sure where the inspiration came from…it just sort of popped into my head one day when I was thinking about a million other things. I suppose the above-mentioned mags were a factor in my inspiration.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The great thing about a collaborative project is that the reader will have exposure and access to some great contributors. Each one will come from a different field, or represent a unique niche in that field. These will be great opportunities for readers to connect with experts that may be able to help them with their own projects in the future.

So that’s my Next Big Thing. I hope you’ll stay tuned for the eventual launch. You can be sure I’ll promote the heck out of it when it’s time!

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Now I’d like to introduce you to two more people with a Next Big Thing on their horizon:

Kelvin Cech

Kelvin is a copywriter and freelance content manager at Function Writing Group in Vancouver, BC. Although he doesn’t wear an eye patch, I’m pretty sure he’s part pirate, too. He has previously published The Content Guide: How Copywriters Develop Timeless Content. Check out Function’s blog for details on Kelvin’s Next Big Thing.

Johnna Andrea Tuttle

Johnna is a spiritual teacher and president of Andreas Home Heaven on Earth. She hosts Celestial Living Radio on blogtalkradio.com and has published Celestial Marriage Reflections on Love and Faith. Check out Johnna’s blog to learn more about her Next Big Thing.

Today was a dreary rainy day in Calgary. Even foggy in the morning. I woke up with a headache. Not a good start to the day. The cafeteria at my job was making Sourdough French Toast with a side of Bacon as the daily breakfast special. One of my favourites, and perfect for such a blah day when you’d rather be at home, curled up in a blanket with a good book and a fire going. Soon after eating my dee-licious brekkie, I got some good news. It put me in a great mood, and I decided I would make my own sunshine for the day. Wouldn’t you know, later in the day, I got some more good news, and then yet another piece of good, nay GREAT, news! It seems the universe took the rainy weather, added my sunshine to it, and made rainbows for me!

Lesson: You can take a bad day and turn it around. Your attitude sets your course.

I have not written a blog post in a few months. I could blame it on being sick (which I was for 6 weeks), I could blame it on lack of time (which is never really a good excuse), I could probably think of a million reasons why I haven’t written a new blog post.

But I think the real reason is that I wan’t being true to me. Even though I had only written a handful of posts, I was already deviating from my purpose. I was trying to impress, which takes a lot of energy out of a person! I was trying to seem more business than personal.

So here I am writing for the sake of sharing my thoughts with you. This post may not be perfect, but nothing is. Especially my conclusions.

It’s up! I got my butt in gear and figured out the home page. It certainly isn’t the final version, but it works for now. So please, do me a favour and check out my new website at www.amethystanswers.weebly.com and if you are feeling generous, like it and share it on facebook, tweet it on twitter and just pass it on any way you can to everyone you know!

I’m stuck.

I have this great idea, and I know there are people who could use my services. I have all the platforms to get my message out, but I can’t launch my webpage. Why? Content! I have the layout and framework all done. I even have the majority of the pages done. But the most important page, the home page, that’s where I’m stuck. I don’t know how to best explain and pitch my business idea to potential customers! Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on myself to make it perfect. But also, this part just isn’t my forte.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. Things we are great at, and other things we’d rather just ignore because they are “too hard”. For me, it’s the pitch. For my potential clients, it’s building the framework. We all have talents that we can use to help each other. There is strength in numbers, and when we have support, we can build something extra great! I recognize that I am struggling with my home page content, so I’m going to do something about it. Well, I’m going to do a few somethings about it.

First, I’m going to try to brainstorm some thoughts to get a clearer picture of what I want to say.

Second, I’m asking some friends to help me. Friends who are much better at this particular kind of writing than I am, and who know what I am trying to saying without me actually saying it.

Third, I’m going to throw it out there to you, the reader. If you have any thoughts and would like to contribute to helping make my website great, please feel free to add a comment to this post!

Hi!

Welcome to Amethyst Answers, the blog! I guess the first question to answer is “Who am I?”

So, here’s a bit about me. I started Amethyst Circle Reiki and Wellness in 2010 as a mobile Reiki practice. I have expanded my services to include Reiki classes, Angel card readings, and have added products like homemade healing balms and lip balms.

Now I am launching another stream under the Amethyst heading….Amethyst Answers. I’ve met a lot of people who are just starting a new business like myself, and lots of them aren’t too sure how to set up a facebook page, or a blog, or newsletter. These are intelligent people who don’t need to pay a big marketer lots of money to take care of everything for them. They just need a helping hand to get started. That’s where I come in!

If you need help understanding and setting up accounts with facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, websites or newsletters, I’m your gal.

I’ll help with anything I can, so if it’s not on the list, all you have to do is ask. And if I can’t help, I’ll refer you to someone who can!