I read a post over at Mashable today entitled Facebook Now Recommends Friends and stopped by Facebook shortly after to see what the buzz was about. As you probably guessed, Facebook looks at who your friends are connecting with and sees who they have in common that you haven’t yet added. If you’re friends with Carrie and Dan and they both added Susie as a friend but you haven’t, Facebook suggests that you might know her. Simple enough, right?

My first friend that was suggested is in fact someone I know. I have added my girlfriend as a friend and then as I met the girls she grew up with, I added them as friends. It’s no surprise then that they all know the same person from their high school so Facebook thinks that I know that person. I don’t, so I move on to suggestion #2.

Hold on to your seats, folks. Things are about to get weird.

Miles Apart Yet Eerily Related

On only my second friend suggestion, I see something very strange. One of my friends on Facebook is a girl I used to work with 11 years ago in Maryland. Another one of my friends is someone I met at my previous job here in Florida. They both know the same girl that lives in Ohio! What makes this so strange however is that my Maryland friend has always lived in Maryland and hasn’t traveled from that state very much. Similarly, my Florida friend only ventured as far away as the University of Florida for college. Somehow, these two are connected by this third new friend from Ohio.

I didn’t have to scroll far to find another strange match. On my seventh friend suggestion, Facebook pairs a friend I have here in Florida with a guy I grew up with in Maryland that now lives in Costa Rica! I find it simply amazing that when my friend from Costa Rica comes to visit, I’ll be able to introduce him to someone I know locally and they can gossip about the person they both know having never heard of each other before.

All of us being so closely connected is a phenomenon that I could easily understand happening within the same town. You wouldn’t have to go far to find someone that knew one of your other friends since we all have had many different jobs and made a number of connections along the way. However, for this to work on such a global scale is truly astounding.

Be Nice To Everybody!

I live my life with a simple philosophy guiding my interactions–I will be nice to everyone I come across. It isn’t always easy but I try my best to be cordial and pleasant to everyone. It makes their life a little brighter and has a calming effect on my own. This philosophy has never been as necessary as it is now! Facebook has shown me today that we’re all strangely connected in some way. The addition of this friend tool just hammers home how necessary it is to treat everyone with respect since you never know how that stranger will be strangely connected to you.

Attention Readers: Let’s Test This Out

Log on to your Facebook account now. Take a look at your new friend suggestions and see if there are any people there that you’re shocked to see. Are any of your friends connected through you in a strange way? Report back in the comments section below if you see any strange links!

Is it just me or did Digg suddenly get a lot snappier? If you didn’t see the Digg Town Hall a little while ago, there’s a recap over at Webware but a lot of the discussion was on some problems we’ve been having with Digg lately. One of my biggest gripes has been the general speed of the site and the broken functionality that you’ll find when you start using the site for more than just reading some stories.

I looked on the Digg blog and didn’t see any mention of it but I can tell you that the site is definitely far faster than it has been in recent months. I was also pleasantly surprised yesterday when I tried to send a shout to friends and it actually worked! The shout functionality has been very hit-or-miss since it launched but it seems to be working better now. My profile page used to only load halfway as well but that seems to be fixed with the upgraded servers or more bandwidth.

At any rate, I’m pretty excited to see that some things are changing for the better over at Digg and I hope that trend continues. I wrote a post a few months ago named Nine Suggestions To Improve Digg and I am pleased to say that I can cross a couple of them off of my list.

One of the changes I’ve made in my life that greatly reduced my stress is to simply reflect upon my day as it ends and ask myself a few questions. I can easily gauge where I stand professionally, personally and in my relationships with just a few straight-forward questions. I encourage you to try this method as you’re getting ready for bed. Your world will become much clearer one you stop to reflect on your daily actions!

Here are the general questions I ask myself daily for my own reflection. Feel free to add your own in the comments below:

1. Did I Better Someone’s Life Today?
   We’re all very busy people and it is very easy to only worry about yourself throughout your day. Think about the times you drive through a shopping center parking lot and see someone trying to cross the street. Do you slow down to let them cross or do you speed up to get that obstacle in your rear-view mirror? Bettering someone’s life does not take huge donations of time, money or energy. Simple actions like slowing down for someone to cross a street can be gestures of kindness that remind those around you that there are still nice people out there.
2. Am I Closer To Completing My Primary Goal?
   Leo Babauta at Zenhabits.net stresses that we should have a primary goal so that we can accomplish one thing fully instead of juggling a number of unfinished projects. I follow this advice and each day I ask myself if I’m closer to completing that goal. Often times I can site work that I’ve done earlier in the day but when I have nothing to show for progress, this question forces me to think of what changes I will make to ensure I make progress the next day.
3. Did I Accomplish The Small Tasks That Needed To Be Done?
   Setting a primary goal can be a great motivator but I often find myself absolutely engrossed in that goal and neglecting smaller tasks. There often isn’t enough time a day to get everything done without a little planning. Leo wrote another great post about making time for your primary goal but what about those other tasks? Just because I’m working on a new project doesn’t mean I can let things get out of hand in my household. The dishes will pile up, the laundry heap grows and my bills sit in a stack waiting on my attention. Forcing yourself to consciously think about these small tasks will help you stay focussed on knocking them out one-by-one.
4. Do People Around Me Know That I Care About Them?
   I can say without hesitation that this is the most important question on my list. Putting your work above play can be an admirable ability some people possess. The problem is arises when we put work above our family and friends. As an example, every evening when I think about this question I specifically ask myself if my wonderful girlfriend feels loved. Did I make her happy today? Did I speak to my parents today?
5. Have I Planned For Tomorrow?
   Planning is a key aspect of organization and is inherent in most of these questions I asked previously. What if you’re not closer to completing your primary goal? What can you do differently tomorrow that will help towards progrses? Are there dishes in the sink that you can knock out first thing in the morning? When I ask myself this question, I often have a pen and paper in hand to jot some notes. By starting the next day with a plan, my morning productivity goes through the roof! As an aside, this post stemmed from last night’s self-reflection!

What Is Your Self-Reflection Routine?

My questions are short and to-the-point. I think I cover most of the bases with only five questions but are there other things I need to think about when I self-reflect? I’m sure there are so please leave a comment below with your personal questions!

We find ourselves often looking at ways we can save money each month. In fact, one of my most popular posts so far has been 36 Ways To Save Some Extra Cash Each Month and for good reason. Whether you’re trying to pay off debt or ramp up your retirement savings, there’s often not enough money from your normal 9-5pm job to go around. For that reason, I’ve put together this follow-up to my savings post. If you have some additional ways to earn some extra income on the side, please post a comment so we can all learn for each other’s experiences!

Surprisingly, I’ve used most of these below at some point in my life with success. They aren’t all easy and many you’ve thought of doing before. Hopefully there will be something in the list that catches your attention and helps you get ahead! Without further ado, here’s my list of 36 ways to earn some extra income (in no particular order):

1. Become a personal assistant. Many professionals have too many tasks to do in one day and simply don’t have the time to do them all. Tasks might include running errands, stuffing envelopes, taking cars for oil changes, etc. Send a letter of introduction to offices of doctors, lawyers and Realtors® and you’ll soon find yourself with a part-time job doing very easy work.
2. Share your musical talent. Do you play a musical instrument for your own enjoyment? Why not offer lessons? It is very easy to get $20 an hour (or much more) by teaching others what you already know and love.
3. Help Out During Tax Time. Tax time is a great opportunity for extra income if you’re willing to work evenings and weekends. Visit your local tax preparer’s office in December and January each and apply for seasonal work.
4. Help the elderly. Many people don’t want to dump Grandma in a nursing home but still want someone to keep an eye on her. Run an ad in your local newspaper or a free ad on Craigslist.com to advertise your services. Offer to drive your client to doctor appointments, shopping or take them for walks around town. You can also earn a good bit of extra cash by shopping for the elderly while you are already in the store buying your own groceries!
5. Put your writing skills to use. Do you like to write? Consider writing articles for blogs or look for freelance writing jobs on oDesk, Elance or the job board at Freelance Switch. Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Enclose a sample of your work in an email to blogs and sites that share a similar focus to what you’ve written.
6. Tutor students part-time. I studied Finance in college and made $20 per hour tutoring students during my M.B.A. It was great practice for me and the check at the end made it all worthwhile. An ad in the paper could bring the students pouring in for help!
7. Sell other people’s belongings on Ebay. Stores are popping up around my town that sell people’s items on Ebay. You don’t need a retail storefront to do the same job! Just print up some flyers, determine a reasonable percentage that you can charge people and stick them up on bulletin boards around town.
8. Do windows. The phrase, “I don’t do windows” shouldn’t be in your mind at any time. Washing windows can bring in a couple hundred dollars for large houses. Pick a nice neighborhood and drive around knocking on doors. Have a flyer ready to hand to the owner with your rates and keep your tools in the car. Be ready to work right that instance if someone agrees and do a great job. Word-of-mouth works wonders with this part-time job.
9. Loan money you already have. I would guess most people reading this are looking to pay off debt. However, if you don’t have debt and you’re looking to make extra money, loan some of the money you already have saved through social lending sites such as prosper.com and earn a substantial return. Be aware of the risks and try and diversify your loans as much as possible.
10. Hold a community garage sale. Holding a garage sale can be tedious for a lot of families because they only have a few items to sell. Without a lot of merchandise, it makes it awfully hard to get the motivation to sit in the driveway all day. That’s where you come in. Go door to door telling neighbors that you’re going to have a yard sale and you’ll sell their items for a small commission. Determine your rate and provide your neighbors with round price stickers. Have them put the price they’d accept on the sticker and put it on any item they’d like to sell. Run an ad in the paper for a garage sale and put all of their items in your driveway. Keep good accounting of what has sold and who the money needs to go to and you’ll be well on your way to making some extra money.
11. Clean boats. If you live near the water, now’s the time to start contacting marinas and boat owners. Summer is coming and boaters will be hitting the waterways in full force. The only problem is, washing a boat is a chore they just don’t want to do. Enter you. Offer to clean their boat and come up with a price that includes the cleaning supplies. Place flyers in marinas (with their permission) and wait for the phone calls to come in.
12. Sell cars for a used car dealership (with a catch). You have computer skills that can be put to good use here. Contact local used car dealerships and ask if you can sell their inventory and receive a commission without standing on the property and waiting for the buyer to come in. Explain that you’ll go out and get the buyer. Once accepted and you have your agreement in writing, put the dealership’s inventory online with Craigslist or similar sites and have the potential buyer call you directly. Meet them at the dealership and hopefully get the sale!
13. Waiter or bartend. College students have been paying their way for years with these two jobs. You don’t necessarily have to have bartending skills to work behind the bar. Focus on bars that only have beer and wine if you are unfamiliar with mixed drinks.
14. Coordinate mailings for Realtors®. Realtors® are constantly doing mass mailings of letters and postcards–especially now with the market being down. Take a flyer to local real estate offices showing your prices for stuffing envelopes or putting stamps on postcards. Earn their trust by delivering the finished goods back to them and allowing them to be the one putting them in the mailbox.
15. Auto detailing. Similar to cleaning boats, put some flyers up advertising your car cleaning expertise. As with many service related jobs, doing the best service possible will help you get some word-of-mouth clients.
16. Graphic design. Are you an artist with some time on your hands? Create a really nice flyer and get it in local businesses. Create logos, newsletters or business cards and stationary in your spare time to earn extra money.
17. Data entry. Although a little tedious, data entry can earn a fair amount of money online. Look at the freelancing sites listed above for some jobs or consult local real estate offices.
18. Sell your prints. If you enjoy photography, why not make some money while you’re at it? Take pictures that are marketable and put them on sites like snapfish.com to sell your prints. If you do generate some money quickly, take pictures of local businesses and order a 4″x6″ print with a watermark. Mail that print to the business with a letter saying that you can enlarge it for a certain price. You’ll be surprised to see how many owners want a picture of their business to admire!
19. Fix computers. If you know your way around a computer, get the word out that you’re the person to call! Charge by the hour and perform the service in people’s homes. Of course, encourage their word-of-mouth by leaving them with your card and a newly fixed computer.
20. Get that camera back out for Realtors®. Realtors® are getting a lot of mention in this post for good reason–they’re more than willing to outsource a lot of their tasks! Offer to take the photographs for them for their MLS listings or create the virtual tours of the property.
21. Freelance web design. If you have a site or two of your own, why not create sites for businesses around town? A little door-to-door advertising with a professional brochure can get you some business. For more help, read my post “How To Get Web Design Clients.”
22. Deliver phone books. You know how once per year you’ll come home to see the local yellow pages on your doorstep? You may have thought there was a phone book fairy that came in the night but you’re wrong. People like you and I are working part-time delivering the books. Contact your local telephone company to find out how you can take part.
23. Be an entertainer. A friend of mine plays guitar and sings. He just started playing the guitar a year ago but he’s already out performing at restaurants and wine shops around town. The gigs are really fun for him and he earns between $150 and $250 a night (including tips).
24. Clean swimming pools. It’s going to be warming up across the country soon and people will once again look to find a reliable pool cleaner. Get those flyers in their mailbox before they find someone else!
25. Garage sale for Ebay items. A friend and I spent a Saturday morning driving around locally and visiting other people’s garage sales. These people were practically giving items away that we were able to sell on Ebay! You need to be picky when doing this but you can make $200 a morning pretty easily. It does help to have someone at home that can quickly look up items for you on the auction site before you buy. Focus on items that are light and easy to ship and you’ll have a good bit of fun while you make extra cash!
26. Mow lawns. Think summer, people! It’s almost here and soon the grass will be growing and your opportunity will arrive. Get flyers out now to get some clients lined up for the summer. Focus on houses in a row so you can easily go from one to the next.
27. Start a home watch business. If you live in a seasonal area, there’s a great opportunity for you to make money watching houses for absentee owners. Water plants, run appliances, check all doors and windows to ensure they’re locked down and most importantly… collect your paycheck! You’ll want to get licensed, bonded and insured for this but the money will make it worthwhile.
28. Hold open houses. This is my last Realtor® tip… I swear. Realtors® often have more listings than they have time and this presents an opportunity for you. In most states, you do not need to hold an active real estate license to hold an open house! Offer to sit in the homes for the Realtor® and collect an hourly fee. By law, you can’t answer a lot of the questions that are asked of you by your guests but you can quickly call the agent to get answers for her clients. This works out really well for the Realtor® because if you find the buyer, they still receive all of the commission! For that reason, you can often charge $20-$30 per hour to sit there. Remember to take a book or your laptop and use the time productively to make even more money.
29. Be the local handyman or painter. If you’re good with home repair, be the local handyman in your area. Create a schedule of fees for common repairs and get that flyer out to the homes in your neighborhood. Right at the top, put a really catchy banner with one service that you don’t mind doing at a lower-than-average rate. This should get your foot in the door and entice the customer to look to you for further services.
30. Help people move. A moving company is a major undertaking but offering extra manpower isn’t a big deal. Sell your free time (and strength) to people about to move and you’ll make a bit of cash on the side.
31. Create custom cards for families. Sometime in early November, send postcards to homes offering to make custom greeting cards. Here’s the scoop… you visit the home of your customer, take their picture in front of the tree, Photoshop their holiday message on the front and order the cards to be printed from sites like overnightprints.com. You’ll make money for your service and you can upcharge the cost of printing a bit too!
32. Get a roommate. Have an extra room in your house? Visit some online sites to find a roommate and you’ll get a check every month and have half of your utilities paid for as well!
33. Clean houses. I already have you out cleaning the windows of homes but think about taking a step inside as well. This is similar to the home watch business in that you’ll want to get licensed, bonded and insured but if you have the time to clean, you can make some very steady money on the side.
34. Start a blog. I’m convinced that almost any blog can make $100 a month minimum. With Google Adsense, you’ll make money any time people click the ads on your site. Sites like TextLinkAds will pay you whether people click or not! It’s just too easy!
35. Turn old VHS tapes to DVD. This might not sound like much but this is my favorite tip on the list. I did this simply by putting a 3×5 card on the bulletin board at my community mailbox and the phone calls came pouring in. So many people have family videos on VHS and would love to have them on DVD. There’s a trick to really making this work well though–charge a flat rate for the first DVD ($25 in my case) and then charge $10 for each additional copy. You’ll find that someone will buy a DVD and then they will have family members calling you for additional copies!
36. Grow pumpkins for Halloween. This may sound like a silly suggestion but there is good money in pumpkins! Pumpkins are very easy to grow and require minimal upkeep. There are guides online that will help you put your additional land to good use. You can then set up a stand on the side of the road and make a really incredible return on your investment. In the north, pumpkins need to be planted in mid-May so get ready!

How Do You Make Extra Money?

I hope you’ve discovered some new ways to make extra money by reading this post but now I want to hear from you! You are creative and I’m sure you have a great way to bring in some extra cash so let’s hear it in the comments!

One of the most difficult tasks for a web designer is finding that initial group of clients to get your business off of the ground. Once you have a strong base of satisfied clients under your belt and you’ve built up a nice portfolio of sites, it is quite easy to keep a steady stream of income going on the referrals alone. Word-of-mouth will get you more leads than you can manage at times but how do we get that first batch of clients?

Too many web designers make the same mistake (I did too). You see a new business sprout up and you search Google to see if the business has a site already. They don’t! There’s a potential client that desperately needs your services, right? Not exactly.

Who Should You Market To?

In the example above, it seems like common sense to seek out the new business that doesn’t yet have a website but there are a number of reasons why that business is unlikely to hire you:

1. The owners of the business are knee-deep in bills for their equipment, labor, lease on the building, inventory, insurance and so on. Even if you were going to design a fully functional site for $100 (which I don’t suspect you would), that $100 can seem like a huge expense to the new business owner.
2. New business owners may want to wait to see if they can stay in business before investing even more money.
3. First-time business owners haven’t had a site before so they probably can’t see the value in creating one.
4. Every other company in town is calling, writing, faxing and visiting the new store to sell them something. You’ll likely just be more noise in their view.

Just because a company doesn’t have a website doesn’t mean that they are in the market for one. After all, new home builders don’t market to the homeless, do they?

Dig Where There Is Gold. Target Businesses That Have Sites!

I have always found that the easiest clients to earn are those that already have a site. They already know the value of having a site and if you can convince them that an update will make their site even more functional while bringing in more business, you will have a new client on your hands. Don’t market to someone that just paid for a site though. Seek out businesses with sites that haven’t changed in a long time. You can easily check out their history by using The Internet Archive.

You’ve Found A Good Target For Your Efforts… Always Give Before You Receive!

I like to start the process of earning a client by sending a custom letter. Many companies will fire off a template letter or a flyer; those are instantly thrown away 9 out of 10 times. Be different here. Send them a custom letter with a first sentence that is sure to catch their attention. I once earned a restaurant client here by starting my letter with the sentence, “I absolutley love your restaurant–especially the key lime crème brulee!” I’ve shown them that I am a customer that knows about their business already and enjoyed their service. The little touches go a long, long way.

The trick to writing a successful letter though is to always give before you receive! I will take a look at their code and give them a bulleted list of items that could use improving in phrases that they will understand. If I’m looking at a restaurant’s website that has a number of common errors, I will write something along the lines of:

• Your restaurant specializes in Italian food but those two words do not show up anywhere on the first page. We can fix that and you’ll see your results fly up the Google rankings!
• I’ve noticed that a lot of your business comes from carry-out orders. Visitors have to click through a couple of pages to find your phone number. Let’s make it stand out on every page with the heading, “Order Now.”
• The menu on the site is in a PDF format. That’s great for printing and downloading but let’s make the menu an actual web page so people can easily view it within the site.

These tips don’t sound impressive and don’t use technical terms like “search engine optimization,” “header tags,” or “Acrobat Reader” and for good reason. That’s our language. Your future clients probably don’t speak that language so show them that you’re down-to-Earth and easy to talk to! Once you start talking to the owner of the business, you might find that they do speak your language. At that point, feel free to use your usual vocabulary.

Follow-Up On Your Letter Any Way You Can

You’ll hear statistics in marketing textbooks about how it takes nine contacts with a client on average before they use your service. I don’t know if that’s true or not but there are things you can do to increase the chances of earning that business early. You can try to send a second letter shortly after you’ve sent your first with information on a new competitor that just launched a site or perhaps a printout of a site you’ve just completed to show off your work. What I think works better though is a face-to-face meeting.

Prepare yourself with a new set of tools to talk about. You’ve explained already in your letter that you can help that person get more business so be armed with some additional selling points. Talk to them about how you can help them set up an advertising campaign or how you can redesign their business cards at no additional fee to include the website address. Come up with an outstanding new feature for their site that you haven’t told them about already. One way or another, you have to show them that you’ve continued to think about their business.

You’re likely not going to be able to write a letter and then walk in their store a week later and leave with a signed contract. It may take more letters or phone calls but the important thing is to not give up.

You have to walk a fine line to stay in the potential client’s radar without becoming pushy. Remember that face-to-face contact is “pushier” than letters, postcards or emails so try taking those routes. As long as you always have something new to say, you’ll add value in the eyes of the business owner.

Once You Have That Client, Get The Contract Signed Immediately!

It took me a while to learn this but the second I have a potential client agree to use my services, I get the contract printed and I drive over with a pen in hand. Tell your new client that you’re really excited about the project and want to get started right away. That way you don’t seem pushy. Instead, you seem enthusiastic and actually reassure the client that he or she picked the right person for the job!

The Site Is Done And It Is In Your Portfolio. Are You Done?

Just because their site has launched and you’ve added it to your portfolio doesn’t mean that contact with the client has ceased. The best thing you can do is give them a call once every month or two and ask them if there is anything else you can do for them. Start the call with a direct question like, “Hi, Dave. I was just thinking about your business and decided to call to see if you’ve made any changes to the menu that we need to update on the site.” Most of the time, your services aren’t needed at that point but you’ve accomplished two important things:

1. You’ve demonstrated excellent customer service by showing the client that you’re still thinking about them.
2. You’ve opened the door to asking for referrals.

That client on the other end of the telephone might not need your services but he or she may know another business owner that does! By no means should you ever feel bad asking for a referral. It is an extremely easy question. “Well, Dave. If you ever need anything do not hesitate to give me a call. By the way, do you know of any other businesses out there that need a website or something done to the one they already have? I’m always looking for more business.”

Plant that seed in the client’s head. Now whenever they hear of someone opening a business or a company in need of a site redesign, you’re solidified as their first referral.

How Do You Do It? Where Are Your Clients Coming From?

I hope I’ve given you some ideas as to how I get my clients but I’d love to hear from you as well. Any tricks up your sleeve that work? Who’s your target market? Drop me a comment below!

Help Spread The Word! Please Digg This Article!

I started this blog as an attempt to help people and share some of the knowledge I’ve learned along the way. In the beginning, one of the greatest tools I had to get this information out there was to submit my stories to the popular site Digg.com.

I had four of my stories hit Digg’s front page in a short amount of time which sent waves of traffic to my site. This story on flipping houses was a big success and so was my article on 36 ways to save money. One particular story though may be the reason why I can’t hit the front page of Digg any longer.

I posted a story entitled Nine Suggestions To Improve Digg that hit the front page quite quickly. It got a number of comments on both Digg’s own site and my own with people agreeing that Digg has a number of problems.

What Is Different Now?

I continue to post stories and add them to Digg but now I have some unusual activity occur. My stories will hit the “Hot” section of Digg’s Upcoming Stories pages and inch up. Then without notice, my story is completely gone from Digg. It doesn’t appear in the “Hot” section any longer and cannot be found anywhere in “Upcoming.” It is simply buried and gone.

Am I Blacklisted From Digg?

I suspect that I am blacklisted from Digg for reasons unbeknownst to me. I have tried emailing the Digg team a few times this month to try and reach an answer but they have yet to return any of my emails. I searched using Google to find an answer and only came up with a number of people in the same boat that I’m in.

One other method I used was to put the Digg story’s URL in the Ajaxonomy Bury Recorder. I can see my number of Diggs count higher and higher without a bury being recorded but then they suddenly stop. I check Digg’s upcoming section and to no surprise, my story is gone. I have heard many claims that the Bury Recorder is inaccurate so this may be a big waste of time. The only thing I can presume is that Digg has blacklisted my site.

What Can Be Done To Prevent This?

I’m not really sure this problem can be fixed at this point. If there is a bury brigade on Digg, posting a list of buries by user name may be a start. Cowards can bury without recourse now because they are hidden in anonymity. If their names were suddenly unveiled, would they stop their reckless buries?

Even if Digg keeps the veil of secrecy over the names of the buriers, could we at least see some statistics on our submission’s page? A simple counter showing the number of Diggs versus the number of buries would be a great help.

Where Can I Go From Here?

Since I am unable to receive a response from Digg.com, I think I will focus my attention on getting my site more exposure on Stumbleupon and Reddit. They are two fantastic sites but I really feel defeated in giving up on Digg.

I will continue to post the Digg button on my posts until I’m 100% convinced that my efforts are futile. Until that point, please keep Digging my stories and we’ll see what happens.

Have Anything To Add?

As always, I love hearing from each of my readers. Have you had trouble with Digg submissions in the past? Do you have any idea why my stories are gone almost as soon as they are posted? Please leave a comment and let’s get this worked out!

It’s Black History Month in the United States and Canada but did you even notice? Should you notice? This month is designed for us to remember the history specific to Afro-American culture but how many people even pay it any attention? There are a lot of flaws with Black History Month. I think it is great that African-Americans reflect on their history and remember their great achievements along the way but do we really need to provide an entire month?

I saw a local spot on television this morning reminding me that it was Black History Month and was surprised that it was the first time I had heard mention of it. After all, we are twelve days into the month. Before sitting down to write this article, I called an African-American friend of mine that I grew up with to ask him if he knew. His response shocked me–”Oh yeah, it is February. I just didn’t realize. Normally they make a big deal out of it.”

This is a month for African-Americans and my friend provided an example of how it may be an irrelevant highlight on our calendars already.

Why Is The Month Unimportant For So Many Of Us?

The problem with Black History Month is that we’re becoming detached from the history of black people because it is irrelevant to the vast majority of Americans–even black Americans. Whenever we think of black history, we inevitably think of slavery. We must ask though, how many people are affected by slavery? I would argue that it is only a very minute portion of the population that is affected any longer.

Slavery happened so long ago that descendents of slaves aren’t affected any more. People argue that the effects of this deplorable era are present but I would argue the opposite side. If your grandmother’s grandmother died of cancer, could you say that you are affected by cancer? Sure, you have a family history of cancer but you’re not affected unless you actually get the disease. You did not suffer alongside and it is unlikely that any of your immediate family did either.

Segregation is a different story. There are a large number of African-Americans still alive that do remember segregation and were directly affected by it. Do we need a full month to remember the tragedy?

I really don’t know the answer to this question. I would love to poll the older portion of the African-American population to ask their opinion on Black History Month. What do they do to celebrate their own history and reflect on their power to overcome such adversity?

Is Black History Month A Form Of Self-Segregation? Does “Equal” Mean “Same?”

Martin Luther King, Jr. argued that African-Americans are equal. I agree with him. However, I have always looked at “equal” being synonymous with “same” and I must be incorrect. African-Americans have been practicing self-segregation for quite some time now which really baffles my mind. We have a Miss Black America pageant that only African-Americans can enter and it was established to protest the lack of African-Americans in the Miss America pageant. Is this an effective way to show equality? Let’s get this straight–you’re protesting your exclusion to an event by creating an event and excluding others? After all, there are African-Americans in the Miss America pageant; just not as many as you may like.

We also see a number of magazines on the shelves that are created by black people to segregate themselves from the population. Black Enterprise is a magazine geared towards African-Americans in business. Why does this exist? If Business Week created a “White Enterprise” magazine, most of us would look down upon it as excluding the African-Americans. This double standard is ridiculous and needs to be examined by African-Americans everywhere that work to establish equality.

So What’s All Of This About?

That brings me to the point of this post. I don’t think we need a Black History Month. In no way am I against it but I see it as another form of self-segregation. I would love to be proved wrong on this topic so I need my African-American readers to chime in. How are you affected by the history of your people? How do you feel about self-segregation? Should there be a Miss Black America pageant? Similarly, would you be offended if I started a magazine just for white people? I have a ton of questions that I think are very interesting and I would love to get a discussion going in the comments section.

Please share your knowledge, insights and unique experiences with me in the comments section so we can start a valuable dialogue. Please show me how Black History Month is beneficial to your culture and how I can appreciate it more.

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One of the key traits entrepreneurs share is that their minds are never at rest. Entrepreneurs have a perpetual drive to imagine the next big product consumers will want and then race to deliver it to market. We see new restaurants popping up in our towns at a feverish pace or lawn care companies filling our mailboxes with postcards offering to maintain our yards at great prices. This begs the question–are chefs selling food and lawn care business owners selling affordable maintenance for our yard? Perhaps not.

Professors always tell the same story of McDonald’s founder, Ray Kroc. Despite being the founder of the most successful hamburger business worldwide, Ray Kroc would tell people he was in the real estate business. He took pride in purchasing fantastic parcels of land in every town and building a restaurant there. He knew that even if the restaurant failed, the real estate’s intrinsic value would increase over time.

This shift in thinking is hitting entrepreneurs everywhere now. We see websites like Kevin Rose’s Digg.com starting up with the purpose of aggregating news. The site serves a fantastic purpose but there are now rumors of Digg being up for sale. So what business is Rose in? Are he in the web publishing business or the site brokering business? Was he planning on reaping the financial rewards of their site in the form of advertising revenue or was that all a means to an end?

The local newspaper here in Southwest Florida is advertising a number of businesses for sale with the majority of them being service related. Someone looking to buy an existing business can take their pick from quite a few lawn care or pool service businesses. The silver lining here is that these businesses are actually selling! If you’re a budding entrepreneur, starting a business with the sole purpose of selling it cannot be ignored. Here are a few ideas that are working for entrepreneurs here in Florida:

The Classic Lawn Care Business

This business has extremely low barriers to entry which makes it a popular choice for local entrepreneurs. Equipment can be leased very inexpensively and the labor is cheap. Going door to door and offering a free week of lawn care if one month is purchased can quickly build a client list and that’s precisely what your buyers are looking for. By competing on price while keeping your clients happy, you will gain a number of clients through word-of-mouth. Once your client list has built to respectable (and sustainable) levels, this business is primed for sale. Better yet, if you are able to sell without signing a prohibitive contract you can start this business right up again!

Pool Cleaning & Pool Maintenance

Cleaning pools does require some expertise but don’t let this scare you away–it can be bought! If your skill is in business development, spend your time acquiring new customers and hire the people that know about pool maintenance. The goal here again is to obtain a substantial list of clients on a monthly plan. Prospective buyers will want to see this steady stream of income so encourage your first customers to help you gain new clients by offering them a free month of service for any client they bring you.

Help Senior Citizens Live Great Lives

Take a look around and you’ll find many senior citizens in good health that want to continue living comfortably in their own homes. This is a great group of potential clients–they will help you start a business while you help them live better lives! Sign seniors up for grocery delivery or offer shuttle service to take them where they need to go. Once you have built your list of potential clients, consider marketing this business to new retirees.

Get Out There And Build Your Business

I’ve given you three business ideas but there are a limitless supply out there. The key here is to find a business that will allow you to build a client list that pays a recurring fee for your service. Take a look around at what businesses are for sale in your area and then look at the amount of competition out there. I’m sure you’ll come up with a great list of ideas!

Have you started a business solely for the sake of selling it? I’d love to hear your story in the comment section below!

The idea of having a Superbowl Party goes through many minds at some point in late January but implementing a successful gathering requires a good bit of planning. A successful party is a fantastic way to bring your friends together and have a ton of fun but if some key steps are missed, watching the big game together can become extremely frustrating for everyone involved.

I’ve thrown a lot of Superbowl parties in my time and I’ve learned a lot as I’ve gone. There are just certain things that you need to be aware of and prepared for to ensure your guests have a great time–and you do too. In the spirit of Superbowl Sunday, here’s a quick list of the items I think about before my guests arrive. If you have suggestions that work for you each year, please post them in the comments section below.

Accommodations and Entertaining

Get The Basics Down

Have you ever been invited to a Superbowl Party only to arrive and see 25 people standing around a 19″ television? It really puts a damper on the event. Make sure you have a large enough television and at least one chair per person you invite. If you don’t already have a large television, take a look at Vizio’s product lineup for a new set. It is perfectly understandable if a new television isn’t in your budget but if that is the case, keep the party small or let someone else be the host.

Make Room For My Beer

Expect many of your guests to bring their own beer for the big game even if you tell them that refreshments will be provided. Your refrigerator is going to fill up fast so have some coolers stocked with ice to keep their drinks cool. It is a great touch that your guests will surely appreciate.

Spread The Game Out In Your House

If you’re having more than 10 people over, consider turning some TV’s on in other areas of the house. Some people will want to hear the commentators and sitting in the crowded living room will simply be too noisy. As the host, make your rounds so nobody feels ignored if they aren’t in front of the big screen.

Feel Free To Use Any Bathroom

I know you don’t want some of your dirtier friends in your master bathroom but you invited them! Commercial breaks and halftime are rush hour for your bathrooms so make sure you have the space to accommodate your friends. A bathroom line isn’t acceptable at this event so open all of bathrooms to the public and let everyone know where they are. As an aside, I like to stock each one with a plunger to avoid embarrassing moments for my guests.

The Superbowl Shouldn’t Be The Only Game In Town

Let’s face it–at every Superbowl party there are a handful of people there that couldn’t care less about football. To keep them entertained, have a game prepared that encourages them to join in on the fun of watching the Superbowl. I like to have a squares game ready. E-How wrote a great article on setting up a squares game. Just remember to have some $1 bills ready to make change.

Visit Blockbuster If Kids Are Coming

If you know that kids are coming to the event or you have kids of your own, rent a movie or video games to keep the kids occupied. Have a room set aside for them to have their own fun. They’ll enjoy the event but more importantly, their parents will be free to do the same.

Food and Beverage Planning

The Game Starts When Dinner Normally Does

This is an awkward situation for many a party planner. The Superbowl starts right when people are normally eating dinner. I’ve always been a fan of creating a large main-course for my guests that may have arrived on an empty stomach. There are a handful of inexpensive dishes you can create in large quantities so it really won’t be an expensive decision. Consider baked ziti, roast beef or build-your-own-taco stations. Have something available in addition to the staples such as pretzels or chips and dip.

Not Everyone Wants Alcoholic Beverages

Visit Costco and get some soda and bottled water for the designated driver, children and those that can’t have alcohol. You can also make a great punch for the event.

Order Your Pizza Well In Advance

Pizza is one of those items that tends to make its way into the party every year. If you’re planning on ordering a pizza, expect a couple of hours for it to arrive. Instead, call your local pizzeria Sunday morning and order your pizza in advance. Let them know exactly what time you’d like it delivered or when you’ll be picking it up. Call an hour before that time to confirm that it is being made.

There’s Never Too Much Ice

That’s a rule–you can’t have too much ice. It’s cheap so buy what you think you need… then buy two more bags.

Be Aware Of Pathways In Front Of The TV

Before your guests arrive, pick a spot for your refreshments that minimizes people walking in front of the main television. You may find that the kitchen isn’t the best place for refreshments.

Courtesies And Other Things To Consider

Your Neighbors Will Feel Like They’re There

Your party will be loud. There will be a lot of your cars. Your neighbors will notice. These three facts make it imperative that you at least notify your neighbors that people will be coming over. Even better, invite them so there aren’t any hard feelings.

Make Room For Smokers

Pick an area on your deck or back yard that is easily accessible and tell your guests that it is the designated smoking area. Stock it with chairs, an ash tray and matches and insist that people use it. If weather permits, run a cable and put a TV there as well! Not only will it benefit you in the form of easier clean up but your non-smoking guests will appreciate it as well.

People Are Drinking So Be Ready To Call A Cab

Grab the phone book and write down phone numbers to taxi companies before everyone arrives. Never let someone that is clearly drunk to drive themselves home from your house. Be a friend and call them a cab.

Be Ready For Overnight Guests

If calling a taxi is causing a stir, have your guest bedroom sheets washed and ready for use. Make sure you have extra blankets in case other friends think spending the night would be best.

Don’t Start The Cleaning Until Guests Leave

The Superbowl doesn’t seem to end until sometime on Tuesday. Your guests need to get to work in the morning and they’ll feel obligated to stay and clean if you start the process before they are gone. Allow everyone to leave before you clean. Better yet, save it for Monday. You’ve thrown a great Superbowl party and you deserve the rest!

What Other Tips Do You Have?

Those are some of the things I think about when planning my own Superbowl parties but I’m sure you have some ever better ideas! Please share them in the comments below so we can all enjoy this coming Sunday!

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I paid my bills this weekend and was again stricken with my monthly sickness when I saw my Comcast bill. My bill this month was $144 for HDTV, digital cable and cable modem service. I didn’t order any pay-per-view movies nor did I have any premium channels such as HBO or Showtime. I do have the DVR from Comcast but this $144 per month seemed very excessive. I gave Comcast a phone call to find out what could be done. I was prepared to cancel the television portion of my service to save a good bit of money. Long story short, I didn’t have to cancel a thing.

How I Saved Over $30 Per Month On My Comcast Bill

1. Call 1-888-266-2278 for Comcast’s Main Line
   • Press 1 for English
   • Press 2 for Billing
   • Press 1 for Television
2. Ask the agent what you’re paying now including taxes.
3. Ask what you would pay for regular television without the extras such as digital cable and the DVR
4. Show your dismay at the price and ask what you’d pay if you canceled everything but your cable modem service.

At this point, the rep asked me if I had received any promo in the prior year. When I said I had not, she confirmed that in her computer and simply offered to put me on a promo rate of $102 per month for exactly the same service! The promo will last for six months and then I will be returned to my current rate. There are no contracts so I can still change my service at any point.

I was shocked so I tried again. I immediately called back with my parent’s information. I repeated the same steps above with a different customer service representative but this time he was ready to let me cancel my service. I simply asked, “Can you put me on a promo rate since I never received a promo before and thus haven’t had a promo in the past year?” This direct question worked like a charm. He asked me to hold while he checked and within 10 seconds my account was changed to the $102 promo rate!

With Comcast’s somewhat shady tactics in filtering our Internet, here is one way you can make yourself a little happier with their service. The $102 rate I received for my service is before taxes so once those are added in, I’m looking at around $30 in savings per month for the next half of the year. That $180 I will save is definitely worth the 5 minutes I spent calling so I encourage you to do the same.

If this worked for you, please Digg This Article so others can save some cash as well.

Also, if you have any problems, leave a comment to let others know what you’ve encountered. Good luck!