We’re working on some projects together and muddling our way through “the system,” attempting to figure out the best way to use all this “fancy” technology. We talk it all out on a regular basis and change our tactics in mid-sentence. Today, we hit a breakthrough! And when the light bulbs over both of our heads beamed brightly, I said, “That’s it! Now you’re thinking like a 14-year old!” (Yes, she came up with the idea first, but then, I’ve a got a few years on her and she lives with a 14-year old…)

We both laughed heartily over my statement, but, in fact, that seems to be the secret here. Young teens have grown up with technology. Many of them went to toddler computer classes or just banged away on the computer keyboard at home, the way many of us older folks banged on the piano or just dialed our friends on the rotary phone (Remember those?) and talked for hours. By the time they could read, write and comprehend, there was My Space and then Facebook, then You Tube and a host of other things that I haven’t figured out yet. It wasn’t some strange, new technology, it was part of their world and they were instrumental in its growth.

Adults saw those online social “things” as cute, “just for kids” and probably timewasters, but at least they weren’t tying up the phone lines. Now, they all have cell phones (for emergencies and so parents can find them when they are holed up in someone’s basement playing video games), but they use the phones to text message their friends in the next row or the next classroom. Woe be unto any parent who has not gotten “unlimited text messaging” on their kid’s cell phone! Kids are messaging at a rate of hundreds of messages per week or even, in some cases, per day! Each “OMG” and “Really?” sent by themselves, count as one message. Get the picture?

Anyway, these kids think differently. Their brains work differently. We used to get yelled at for listening to music or watching TV while doing homework. I’ve seen this generation text message, play video games, and carry on a conversation with someone in the room, all at the same time! Are they giving their full attention to any of it? I can’t be sure of that, but they seem to be holding their own.

I’ve also heard stories of as many as five 12-year old boys sitting together SILENTLY in a room with their laptops!! Where I come from, you wouldn’t find one 12-year old boy sitting quietly, let alone five of them. But in their minds, they were very noisy—chatting to each other on their laptops and playing computer games. It is a different generation, indeed!

Their lives revolve around technology. There’s hardly a thing that they do that doesn’t involve a computer and, when it comes to connecting with people, their thinking is all about connecting online. This may be truer in the case of boys than girls, simply because girls tend to be more chatty and more comfortable with face-to-face contact. Technology has given the males the “out” that they have craved for generations! Perhaps, this is also why the overwhelming majority of internet marketing gurus are male.

What is also fascinating about this online connectivity is that we are now able to “chat” with and “get to know” people from all over the globe without even thinking twice about it. My 16-year old stepson has been creating computer games with other guys for several years. He is the youngest of the group and the only one in the U.S., yet he is the “boss” of the operation!

Gradually, the “senior set” is coming into the online world, too. I have a dear friend who is nearly 80 and she doesn’t let a day go by without checking her email and corresponding with associates. She is also a world traveler and founder of a non-profit that builds orphanages, schools and hospitals overseas. (www.HelpForGhana.com)

These days, if you want to be marketing savvy, you absolutely must learn how to use the internet, email, and online social networking sites. While we are so distraught about the current economy, the news doesn’t mention that there is a whole other economy that is developing and doing quite well. It is global and it is online.

When you begin to incorporate “online” into every business idea and marketing tactic, you just might be gaining that youthful glow because you are now thinking like a 14-year old!

As business people, it is imperative that you check and double-check ANYTHING you send out to promote your business. I can understand if you are doing a quick chat or text message with a friend. That’s private.

But in business, it’s all about credibility. You may be very good at what you do and you always want to put your best presentation forward. If you don’t take the time to present yourself well, you may leave doubt in the mind of a potential client.

Would you choose to do business with the limo that has a dent in the side and a few scratches? Or the shiny, new-looking one?

If you are looking for a surgeon, would you choose the one who wears an old plaid hunting shirt and dungarees with holes in the knees and has an office with beat-up furniture from the 1960′s? Or one who has clean office with modern furniture, wears dress slacks, a dress shirt and a white coat?

It is no different with your marketing pieces.

A poorly written email could cause the reader to hit the delete key before they are finished. A poorly written sales letter, or brochure, are certainly destined for the trash bin. And, let’s face it, no one has time for a poorly written website.

You can talk about the Law of Attraction all day long, say affirmations, meditate, etc, but if you are not presenting yourself in line with what you want to attract, it’s a bust.

If the technical side of writing is difficult for you, what can you do? It’s all well and good to find a friend to look over your latest writing, and if they are an exceptional writer, that may be sufficient. Otherwise you want to hire a professional editor.

An editor will go through your writing and make sure that you are getting your message across to your audience. They will check your grammar, punctuation and spelling to be sure everything is correct.

With a small item, it won’t cost you much, but will enhance your presentation and probably increase your response rate over time. If you are sending out frequent emails or marketing pieces, you may want to keep an editor on retainer. In other words, you pay them, up front, x amount of dollars for x amount of hours of work. That way they are available when you need them.

The little money you spend will be well worth it. You can feel confident that you are presenting your business, and yourself, in the best light possible and are attracting the quality clientele your seek for your business.

Happy Attracting!

Faye

Today I am entering the “Blogging Age.”  This is my very first official blogging message and my very first ever official blog.  (Is there a special gift or celebratory action that occurs at this juncture in a person’s life, beyond just “the act” itself?)

I have to admit that it feels a little intimidating.  I’ve written feature articles for newspapers and magazines, but there is definitely something different about posting on my own blog. It’s all mine and it’s also all yours to comment on and ponder.  It feels much less anonymous than being a freelance journalist.

I’ll be posting some articles I have posted elsewhere, that really are worth pondering, and are unrelated to my work as a writing coach, editor and freelance writer. I will also be posting articles directly related to writing and editing.

Like many people who start blogs, my hope is that many of my readers will also peruse my websites and perhaps have a reason to utilize my services, join my internet-based business, or tell their friends to do the same. And why is that? Oh sure, we all want to make money and I’m no different in that regard.

However, I’ve made money doing all sorts of things and found out that the money wasn’t nearly as important to me as the impact I was having on people through my work. My passion is to empower people to move forward in their lives. I have changed my career many times over the years because I was not able to fully empower people through the work I was doing, regardless of whether I was making thousands of dollars in a very short period of time or barely making ends meet, or anything in between. In the end, it just wasn’t about the money.

It has taken me a long time to get to the place I’m at now — where my passion and my prose meet in the garden of creative empowerment.

In line with that never-ending life mission to empower others, my passion is to help people get their message out in a way that their audience takes action—whether I am writing marketing copy, editing books or coaching folks to get their books written.  I do truly love it all!

So, in the doing of it, in the process of empowering you in your business, your work, your mission, your passion, we all gain, and others gain too, because we are all working towards making the world a better place on a multitude of levels.

Let me know if I can support you in moving your mission forward, especially if it involves writing or editing.

Enjoy!

Faye