Amethyst Answers

web creation and social media training for small businesses

The Joy of A-ha!

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eat the frog

Image courtesy of Photography by BJWOK/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Don’t you just love those a-ha! moments? I had a big one today. Something that I didn’t know how to do, but knew could be done. It took a bit of research, and I’ve been putting it off for weeks. But today, at last….a-ha! It seems so simple! How did I not figure this out before?

More importantly, why didn’t I try before? Have you ever noticed that we tend to put off the seemingly big or difficult tasks that we really need to be doing? But really, the best thing to do is get that big thing over with, and then everything else will be easy in comparison. Some people call this “eating the frog”.

If I had eaten this particular frog much earlier, I could have enjoyed prolonged effects of my great a-ha moment. I could have used this knowledge to benefit other projects that have already passed. Instead, I have my a-ha at the end of the night, so my adrenaline-fueled a-ha is going to keep me awake way past my bedtime.

So take it from me. Eat your frog, and eat it early. Revel in your a-ha moment for as long as you can. You’ll be glad you did.

3 Simple Ways to Get Grounded

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tree roots groundedImage courtesy of Just2shutter / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

We are just a week into the new year, and already I’m starting to feel a little crazy, in a scattered sort of way. It feels like my time is not my own. I rarely seem to know what the date is, and whenever I make plans to get work done, the universe seems to have something else in mind for me. It’s time for me to reconnect, or get grounded.

If you are ever feeling disconnected from yourself, or the universe, chances are you need to take some time to ground yourself. It’s easy to do, and there are so many ways to do it. Here are just a few:

1. Hug a tree

Interacting with nature helps us reconnect to the universe. You can literally hug a tree, or sit on the ground with your palms on the ground as well. You don’t even have to go outside. Find nature inside you via plants and rocks.

2. Grow roots

Imagine you are a tree. Plant your feet firmly on the floor. Imagine roots coming out of your feet. Imagine them digging into the ground (through however many floors they need to go to get to the bottom of the building you are in). Picture those roots digging deeper and deeper into the earth, until they reach the centre. Bring up all that good earthy energy through your roots, all the way up into your body, until you feel grounded.

3. Meditate

Meditating is probably my favourite way to get grounded again. It doesn’t have to be a long meditation, and you can choose from several styles, from “om-ing out” to using a guided meditation. I like going to a group meditation. There’s something powerful about everyone’s energy working together.

There are many more ways to get grounded, so if my suggestions aren’t a good fit for you, don’t despair. Sometimes you just have to get creative. If you have a favourite way to get grounded that I haven’t mentioned, please post below so everyone can benefit!

5 Lessons in Customer Service

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customer service survey

Image courtesy of 89studio / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Back in the spring of 2009, a little boy decided to clean Mommy’s MacBook. He took a bottle of hand lotion and smeared it onto both the screen and keyboard. Much to that little boy’s surprise, not only did it not clean the computer, it actually wrecked it. Completely. The screen and logic board were toast. Luckily, the hard drive was ok, so no information was lost.

This adorable little boy is my son, and he is the reason I decided to get AppleCare on the replacement MacBook. Today, I sure am glad I did. The bottom of the casing was starting to come off, and the top of the case was cracking, so I decided to take it in and see what my warranty would do about it. Not only are they replacing both parts, but they also ran a diagnostic test and decided to replace the battery, too. $500 worth of repairs all for free! Not counting the cost of the plan, which I believe was just under $200. So I’m still saving $300 if you look at it that way.

For me, my experience today is just one of the many reasons I love Apple. And love them or hate them, there are lessons to be learned from the great customer service I received today.

1. Make them feel welcome

As soon as I arrived for my scheduled Genius Bar appointment, one of the many red-shirted staff saw me and checked me in. He didn’t just tell me to “have a seat”, but rather found a chair for me to have a seat in, and let me know someone would be with me shortly. I barely had time to look at my phone when my assigned Genius approached and introduced herself. Darned if I can remember her name now, but let’s call her Jennifer.

2. Listen and understand

Jennifer asked me what brought me in today, and I showed her the various points of concern (the top and bottom of my MacBook). I said I wanted to know if my AppleCare would cover that. Jennifer listened, and understood the problems. Mine were rather simple, but I heard other Geniuses dealing with their clients during some waiting time, and they all listened and made sure they completely understood what the concerns were.

3. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver

Next, Jennifer said something along the lines of “Let’s check it out and see what you are covered for.” My first thought was “Oh, no! Why isn’t she saying it’s covered?!” But what I now realize is she was making sure she didn’t give me false hopes. Could you imagine if she said, “ya, that should be covered” and then it wasn’t? Maybe I was wrong and didn’t have coverage at all, or it had expired. Even if that was the case, I still probably would have been upset, and possibly taken my frustration out on her.

4. Go above and beyond

Once she confirmed I did indeed have coverage (only 89 days left!), she took it a step further. She ran a diagnostic test on my MacBook and discovered the battery was needing to be replaced. And guess what? It’s covered! I was only coming in to get my casing fixed, and now I’m getting a free new battery, too! What an unexpected, pleasant little surprise.

5. Make them feel appreciated

The downside to all of this is that they will have my MacBook for up to 5 days. Jennifer asked if I had any files I needed (thoughtful), so I uploaded a bunch of stuff to “the cloud”. I didn’t realize just how much I was uploading, and it took almost an hour. Not once during that time did any employee ask me to move, or harass me for taking too long. Jennifer left me to do my thing and helped another customer, but first she let me know she would be back for me. I still wasn’t done when she had to go for her dinner break. She told not one, but two other employees about my situation so that they could keep an eye out for when I was done, and she let me know as well. They all came by to check on me, and remembered my name. None of them ever made me feel like I was wasting their time or counter space. They were there to serve me, and I was just as important as any other customer in the store. When I was finally done, one of them was right there, ready to help me.

I walked out of that store a little sad for being without my laptop for a few days, but ultimately really pleased with the experience. I am already a big fan of Apple, and this just reinforced it. I wish I left all stores feeling this way, but unfortunately, customer service is a skill that not everyone has, and not every employer promotes.

What are some of your favourite brands? Why? Share your award-winning customer service stories below.

5 Ways to Tackle Writer’s Block (and any other situation that has you stumped)

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writer's block
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

It’s 8pm as I start to write this post. This seems to be the typical time for me to sit down and start typing. I’ve always been a procrastinator. The trouble tonight, though, is that I haven’t a clue what to write about. Normally, I have an idea percolating in the back of my head as I go about my day. Sometimes the idea changes once the words begin to pour out, but inevitably a new post comes to fruition.

Today, I have not had a single good idea. So I decided that’s what I would write about. We all go through this. You could call it writer’s block, but it applies to many other situations outside of writing. I’ve had lots of “almost” ideas, but they either weren’t quite deep enough, or they were rather too involved for me to tackle right now.

Part of my problem is I’m tired and not thinking clearly. Another part is lack of motivation right now. I figure, if I have these problems, maybe you do to. So, that leaves the big question. How do I get over this hurdle?

Here are five practical suggestions to help you get back on your way.

1. Take a break

If you are beating your head against a wall trying to force you way through a problem, maybe it’s time to step back for a minute. Take your mind off of the task at hand for a bit. Go for a walk, chat with a friend, check facebook. When you sit down again, you will have a fresher mind.

2. Food

Get something to eat, and drink. If you are hungry, it’s hard to concentrate. And dehydration can lead to headaches (among other things). Don’t forget to go to the washroom, while you’re at it.

3. Meditate

Not only can meditation clear your mind, it can also help you feel more awake. Sometimes, when you let your mind wander, you come up with some neat ideas, too. Maybe even the solution to your problem!

4. Surf the web

This is different than taking a break. When I say surf the web, I’m talking about doing some research. Run some words related to your issue through a search engine. You never know what might turn up.

5. Ask for help

So simple, yet so hard to do! Ask your friends, family, or colleagues questions that might help you with your problem. You’d be surprised who might have some insight, even if your topic is out of their field of specialty. Even if nobody has an answer, just hearing yourself talking might trigger something. I can’t count how many times someone has asked me a question that’s been plaguing them, only to realize the answer themselves before I could open my mouth.

Bonus Tip (a la Nike): Just do it

Sometimes you just have to sit down and start. That’s what I did, and look how it worked out!

What are your favourite ways to combat writer’s block? Add them to the list in the comment section below.

Women’s Self-Empowerment Week

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Celebrating women everywhere

Women's Self-Empowerment
Image courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Today marks the beginning of Women’s Self-Empowerment Week. For me, this is a time for self-reflection, as well as appreciation of others.

Personally, I fluctuate between thinking I’m strong, and wondering if I really am. But deep in my heart, I know I have strength. I am a mother and a daughter, a wife and a friend. I am independent, intelligent, and intuitive. I’ll do the rest of my self-reflection on my own, but now I’d like to show my appreciation for other women.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but I’d like to give a shout out to all the strong women I know who:

  • choose to stay at home with their children
  • dared to try something new, even if it might result in failure
  • fight illness with a positive and healthy attitude
  • have launched their own business
  • know how to change a tire
  • struggle with or have overcome depression
  • take time for themselves
  • teach our children and help them navigate the path to their future
  • watch others’ children so they can go to work
  • welcome others with open arms and hearts, and a genuine smile

You all inspire me in various ways, and I am glad our paths have crossed in this lifetime.

Why you shouldn’t make resolutions

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Resolutions is a dirty word

Declare goals
Image courtesy of bplanet / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

New Year’s resolutions are a hot topic this week. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m not a fan. There’s something very rigid about having a resolution. Resolutions also seem to be tied to specific dates, typically starting on Jan 1 and continuing for the entire calendar year. It’s either achieve or fail (now there’s a dirty word for ya). And if you “fall off the wagon” even just once, most people accept it as a failure.

I think it’s time to retire the word “resolution” and embrace a more flexible four-letter word: goal.

A goal is something you plan to work toward. It can be adjusted as you move towards it. Goals can be short or long term and can be set at any time. They can even have stages of accomplishment. Goals are more forgiving when you have a setback.

Successful goal-setting

Now that you’ve decided to make goals instead of resolutions, make sure you are making SMART goals. In case you aren’t familiar with this acronym, you want your goals to be:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Realistic
  • Timely

If you follow this system you are more likely to be successful in achieving your goals.

A final tip

You should also be sure to declare your goals. Write them down. Say them out loud. Let the world know. This helps you stay aware of your goals and accountable for them. You can start by posting one of your goals in the comment section below!

New Year, New Challenge

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Ultimate Blog ChallengeHappy New Year! This is the time of year when so many people set new goals for themselves. I’ve never been one to bother with New Year’s resolutions per se, but I do recognize the need for and benefit of setting goals for yourself. If you don’t plan out a path for growth, you will usually end up floundering around, achieving nothing.

With that in mind, I have decided to take advantage of an opportunity that came my way recently. It’s called the Ultimate Blog Challenge. My goal is to write, post and promote a new blog post every day for the month of January. I’m hoping this will help me improve my blogging skills, so that I will get used to blogging more regularly (in case you hadn’t noticed, I seem to blog in spurts).

What about you? Have you decided on goals for yourself of your business this year? If you have a blog (or are interested in starting one), I invite you to join me on and register for this challenge. Share some of your goals in the comment section below. Getting them out in the open helps keep you accountable!

Observations from the Sidelines

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Children Playing sign
image courtesy of andrewatla

I’m sitting in the play area of every kid’s favourite burger joint, watching my six year old son play hide & seek with five other kids. For all the yelling and screaming and thumping around, I have to say this really is a beautiful thing.

None of these kids knew each other ten minutes ago. Heck, they still don’t. But they are running around treating each other like they have been best friends for years.

The thing that really amazes me is that nobody asked to play and nobody was invited to play. They just started playing.

They make no judgements and don’t care about their differences. They don’t see any differences. It doesn’t matter what their age, gender or names are. They don’t care about hair or skin colour. Short, tall skinny, or not. All they see is “friend”. Everyone is welcome. Just take your shoes off and join the fun!

The parents, on the other hand, are quite a different story. Everyone seems content to let their kids play together. But while the kids play, every single parent here is sitting alone and looking down, myself included. We are on our phones and iPads or reading a book. We don’t look at each other and we certainly don’t talk to each other. I can only imagine what would happen if I sat down next to one of them and just started talking. They’d think I was off my rocker!

When did it become socially acceptable to be so anti-social? Children are always being told to grow up and act more like grown ups. But really, I think I’d rather be more like a kid!

Making Your Blog Posts Picture Perfect

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Q. I’ve heard I should use pictures in my blog posts, but where can I get picture to use?

Silver picture frame
Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A. It’s true, people are drawn to visuals, and having an image to accompany your post can help increase the number of visitors who decide to read it. There are a few ways you can add images to increase visual appeal. Here are a few popular suggestions to consider:

Use Your Own

Certainly the cheapest, this may or may not be viable for you. You will want to ensure your images are good quality. While you don’t need to be a professional photographer, you’ll want to ensure any personal photos you use are lit well and not blurry or grainy (unless that’s the look you are going for). Pro: you have total control over what is and isn’t included in your image. Con: you may not have easy access to your ideal subject matter.

Purchase Stock Images

There are a variety of websites that offer photos, illustrations and any other type of graphic you can imagine, for a cost. This is a good route to go if you are going to get a lot of use out of a particular image, like in a marketing campaign, for example. Prices vary, depending on the size of file, and how generic – or not – the image is. A photo of Donald Trump will cost you considerably more than “senior businessman smiling“. If you are using these photos for blog posts, even at just $4 per photo, the cost will add up eventually. Make sure you are aware of any licence requirements.

Take Advantage of Creative Commons Licensing

This is my favourite option. It’s the best of both worlds. Free, like using your own, but a wide variety available. You may find yourself returning to a favourite source again and again. Or, you can try doing a creative commons search. There is, however, a catch: you must be aware of the licensing requirements that pertain to the image you decide to use. In most, if not all, cases, you need to include an attribution. Depending on where you get your image from, placement guidelines of the attribution could be vague or general (in your source code or anywhere on your site) or they may be very specific and rigid (on the same page as the image, or even immediately adjacent to the image). Usually the attribution should indicate who created the image and have a link to the site where you found it, like I have done for my image above.

Whichever way you choose to go, make sure your images are appropriate for the content you provide.

This post is part of a regular feature series called Tuesday Tips. Every Tuesday, I will answer some of the questions I receive from clients and readers about WordPress, social media and all other things internet-related. If you have a question you would like me to answer, submit it here.

Why Special Fonts Aren’t So “Font-astic”

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Q. Can I use a special font on my website? Something fancy or funky to make my website different from all the rest?

Fonts
Image courtesy of Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

A. This is one of those questions where the answer, technically, is yes; but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. You can designate any font you want for the text on your website. However, if the computer or other device being used to view your website is unfamiliar with that font, it will display a default font instead. One of the reasons most websites use one of the standard fonts, like Times New Roman or Arial, instead of special fonts is because most computers understand those standard fonts and display them properly. These fonts are considered web-safe.

Also, keep in mind you want your visitors to be able to read your content easily. If your font is too crazy, some people may get frustrated and give up, moving on to a site that’s easier to visually process. Simple, plain fonts work best for big chunks of text, like paragraphs. Many visitors to websites don’t actually read every word on the page. Instead, they scan, looking for keywords that grab their attention. If they are having  a hard time interpreting a fancy font, they will likely skim right past it, potentially missing out on something important you have to say.

If you absolutely have fallen in love with a special font that isn’t considered web-safe, I do have some suggestions. One is to use a “fallback” system: specify your preferred font, but also include an acceptable web-safe alternative. This way you still have some control over what font the reader will see.

Alternatively, if you are using the special font for a header, or to highlight a small bit of text, you could create an image of the text, but that opens up a whole new can of worms that will be dealt with in a later post. (email me if you need more info and can’t wait)

So, to sum up, while you have a wide variety of fonts available to use on your website, the lesson I hope you have learned is: choose wisely.

This post is part of a regular feature series called Tuesday Tips. Every Tuesday, I will answer some of the questions I receive from clients and readers about WordPress, social media and all other things internet-related. If you have a question you would like me to answer, submit it here.