Kids can get a phone call from Santa!

If you know any young children who still believe in Santa Claus, here's a low-cost gift that will thrill them:

A live, personal phone call from Santa! - not a recording - an actual conversation!

All you have to do is go to this website and set up a time for Santa to call.

The calendar just came out, and it's expected to fill up fast. So if you think you might be interested, reserve your time now.

When you set up the call time, you'll be asked for details about the child, so that Santa can make this truly a personalized call.

He doesn't just ask kids what they want for Christmas. He also commends them on their specific accomplishments and encourages them to make specific improvements (all based on input from you.)

I've met this Santa. His former name is Jim. His white hair and beard are natural. He's a big guy who wears red all year round.

But mostly, he's all heart. He and his wife are very much involved in their community, and strive to bring joy even in difficult circumstances.

Last September they set up an early Christmas - brought a tree, presents, and food for a family with young children, whose mother was very sick and was not expected to live till December. It was all videotaped, so that the kids will have a memento of their mom's last Christmas.

Santa Jim truly lives what he espouses. Take a look at his website (that's him in the picture) and get set up for a phone call from Santa.

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On another topic, if you're a professional who wants to attract more clients, please be my guest for a special conference call next Thursday, Nov 29. I'll share specific marketing techniques that are ethical and effective, and will also tell you about my upcoming distance-learning course.

Sign up here: http;//snipurl.com/findnewaudiences.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

List of resources for military families

US military families are facing many problems and challenges - emotional as well as physical.

Here is a list of federal agencies and organizations that can help. Please pass this along to anyone whom you think might benefit:

www.seamlesstransition.va.gov For returning OEF/OIF Vets. Offers info & assistance.

www.battlemind.org Information site providing realistic preview of stress & strain of deployment on soldiers.

www.militaryonesource.com DOD site to assist Vets & their families with day-to-day living questions.

www.centcom.mil US Central Command news letter with current releases from military situations to health benefits for returning Vets & families.

www.military.com Covers all military branches and provides news & updates relevant to the military staff & families.

www.courageafterfire.com From the Bob Dole book, gives information regarding military disabilities.

www.myhealthyvet.va.gov Gateway to Vet health benefits & services, can be personalized.

http://www.ncptsd.va.gov Provides information and FAQ regarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

http://www.va.gov/Environagents/page.cfm?pg=16 Provides information pertaining to combat veterans.

http://www.va.gov/opa/fact/tranasst.asp Information on the transition assistance program.

http://www.ncptsd.org/topics/war.html PTSD & Combat Vet information

http://www.vba.va.gov/survivors/index.htm Survivor benefit information.

http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Topics/Women Information unique to Women Veteran Information.

Dozens of other resources and articles are at Dr. Ken Pope's website.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Black Friday shopping - Get sneak previews of the ads

Here in the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving, dubbed "Black Friday," is the busiest shopping day of the year. In order to stimulate sales, stores offer incredible deals, but only in limited quantity, and only for a limited time. In my town, people start lining up at 4 a.m. or earlier to snap up bargains when the stores open at 7:00.

You wonder why people would stand in line for several hours to save $50 on something they probably didn't need in the first place, and then once in the store start grabbing things left and right.

The explanation is Robert Cialdini's psychological principle of scarcity. When something is available in limited quantity ("only 7 items left") and/or for a limited time ("until 10 a.m. only") it's perceived as more valuable - and all the more so when others are competing for the same item.

When something is perceived as scarce, people feel a sense of urgency. They buy emotionally, without stopping to consider whether the purchase makes sense.

Another psychological principle in this situation is that of "social proof." When we see other people doing something, we tend to do the same - "monkey see, monkey do," as my mother used to say.

For example, if one pedestrian crosses a street when the light is red, then other pedestrians will follow. In retail stores, shoppers in a frenzy influence other shoppers to mindlessly gather up things as well.

Retailers know all this, and do everything they can to get people into the store, competing with one another for the merchandise.

In light of the above, do you still want to venture out on Black Friday? If so, you should go prepared. Get a sneak peak at the newspaper ads that list the blockbuster specials. Here are some websites that leak the deals early. You'll also find online deals (which in some cases are better than those at the actual brick-and-mortar stores):
BF Ads
Black Friday GottaDeal
BlackFridayAds
DealTaker


Pauline
Check out my new marketing course for professionals.

Google trick: Search within a range

When you want to narrow your search to a specific range of dates or numbers, Google has special syntax to perform your search in 1 step.

It works this way: Suppose you're looking for a new printer, costing $80 to $150. Here's what your search would look like:

printer $80..$150

Simply put 2 periods (no spaces) between the numbers, and Google will return hits with printers in that price range.

Want to search a range of prices within a specific website? Add site:nameofwebsite to your search. i.e.:

printer $80..$150 site:bestbuy.com

Range searching is also useful for specifying dates. Suppose you are looking for recent research on a topic, within the last two years. Your search would look something like this:

autism research 2006..2007

And if you want results only from government agencies, your search would be:

autism research 2006..2007 site:.gov

Of course you can get all the same results by drilling down within individual websites, but this Google syntax will get you there faster.


Are you a professional? Would you like to increase your visibility online and attract new audiences? You are invited to a free preview conference call for my new distance learning course. Click here for details.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Store photos online - in case of disaster

The recent fires in California are grim reminders that our possessions can be gone in a flash. If you had 5 minutes to leave your house, what would you grab first?

Many people would grab family photos, heirlooms and other keepsakes. These just can't be replaced by any insurance settlement.

This is as good a time as any to be thinking about storing photos online. Then, even if your computer and all your storage media are destroyed, you can still retrieve copies from the Web.

Here are a few free storage sources online:

MyPhotoAlbum: Unlimited storage space for photos and videos. Your photos retain the original resolution; they are not reduced in size.

Snapfish: Stores photos in both hi-res and lo-res. Lo-res is find for viewing online, and takes less time to load.

Flickr.com: One of the first photo-sharing sites, it is still highly popular.

Photobucket: 1 gig of storage space. Includes options for albums and layouts - e.g., for MySpace. Also a handy place to store images for your blog or website.

MediaMax: 25 gigs of free storage, for whatever you like, not just photos and videos. Convenient and free online backup for documents and other files.

If you're a professional and want to reach new audiences, I'm starting a distance-learning class in January, to help you ethically market your expertise with authority. Click here to learn more and to sign up for a free preview call.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com