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  • Facebook: An Essential New Tool For Small Business Marketing

    The New York Times has just published an excellent article called: “How to Market Your Business With Facebook.” Some small business owners have eagerly jumped on the social media trend, while others like to keep it old school with traditional email marketing. But in this economy, entrepreneurs need to be as creative as possible about reaching new audiences while stretching marketing dollars, if you are lucky to have any. Getting to know Facebook is a great way to hop on social media’s runaway train, which shows no signs of slowing.

    Of Facebook’s growing cache as a marketing vehicle, The Times states:

    A growing number of businesses are making Facebook an indispensable part of hanging out their shingles. Small businesses are using it to find new customers, build online communities of fans and dig into gold mines of demographic information.

    “You need to be where your customers are and your prospective customers are,” said Clara Shih, author of ‘The Facebook Era’ (Pearson Education, 2009). “And with 300 million people on Facebook, and still growing, that’s increasingly where your audience is for a lot of products and services.”

    This two-page primer on Facebook marketing is a must for small business owners, even if you are already a regular visitor to Facebook.com. As social media sites make it possible for the average person to reach thousands of customers through a little online elbow grease, the time to utilize Facebook.com to the full is now.

    Do you use Facebook to market your small business? Share your success stories or cautionary tales below.

  • All about Dermatology

    If you are contemplating dermatology, you have taken a excellent initial step in finding this article. You have quite a path in front of you if you are thinking about becoming a skin care expert. If you are analytical because you like education or perhaps…

  • The Best Makeup Foundation – How to Look Healthy & Natural!

    Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to Internet Business, do please browse for more information at our websites.
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  • Roxanne Shante: Coming Clean, Saying Sorry, Being Thankful and Fighting Cancer

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    Roxanne Shante: Coming Clean, Saying Sorry, Being Thankful and Fighting Cancer

    In April, a New York Daily News article about how ’80s rap music pioneer Roxanne Shante forced her record company to finance her college education (resulting in a degree from Marymount Manhattan College and a Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell University) tugged at the heart-strings of Hip Hop America. Soon after, a firestorm of controversy ensued when an article on Slate.com debunked the inspiring story.

    Roxanne Shante (nee Lolita Shante Gooden) is widely recognized as the first female hip hop artist to break through the male dominated industry. At the age of 16, she became a household name with songs including ‘Roxanne’s Revenge’ – an “answer” record responding to U.T.F.O.’s popular ‘Roxanne, Roxanne.’

    She offers Blackvoices.com some insight on the controversy and her very real life battle with breast cancer … in her own words.

    In March, I noticed a lump in my left breast, rather small at the time and didn’t really know what I was feeling. So instead of going straight to the doctor’s office, I started asking friends their opinion and trying to go by their experiences. It was such a stupid move. Well, I figured I was just getting older. A hysterectomy in my early thirties led me to believe that I would be fine. Another stupid move.

    I let months go by – five months to be exact. The weight loss of over 40 pounds made me feel like, “Damn, this diet is finally working.” But then I remembered I wasn’t on a diet. So on a bright, sunny day in August 2009, I walked into Doshi center for a mammogram. I put on the gown and stepped up to the machine. As soon as the technician took my breast in her hand, she asked me how long had I had the lump. It’s huge, she said. I made a joke, she giggled, but I was scared and angry that I had waited so long.

    I was in denial. I event went so far as to ignore the letters sent by the lab that read: “Urgent!!! Please contact us.”
    I had gotten a call from the doctor, “I just received your images at my office and they have been trying to reach you for weeks. As soon as you get back to New York, you come to my office. This is your life.”

    I hung up, turned the phone off, walked out on the set and tried to pretend that the call never happen. But they did. And it showed on my face.

    The doctors was a different story, however.

    This is how the week went. Headlines: ‘No Ph.D. Roxanne’s Revenge,’ ‘Where are you Roxanne?’

    It was the ’80s all over again, but this time not to spark a career but to end over 10 years of charities, pushing education and giving and helping people and not too mention 25 years of hip-hop. But that’s nothing new. What about my children ? My 13-yea-old ? What if I die? So Tuesday another mamo, Wednesday ultrasound Thursday the bad news and then the surgery.

    So I felt all eyes were on me to tell women how important it is for them to get checked. It is only by the grace of God that I have been able to survive. I have been blessed to not only have survived the pitfalls of an industry that has destroyed so many, but to also survive just the everyday struggles of surviving all the negative that has come my way .

    Do I apologize? Yes, I do. But I am not asking for your forgiveness. I am sorry about a lot of things that I should’ve done differently. There were quite a few things that have been exposed with that article; the fact that I never received any royalties, the fact that I did go on to attend college (even if no Ph.D. was acquired), and the fact that at 14 years old and coming straight from the group home, I wRoxanne Shanteent on to create a career that even after 20 years of not making a hit record, was still pulling headlines.

    My platform was only telling our young people to educate themselves before getting in this industry, and that your lawyer, accountant, manager and record company shouldn’t all be under one roof or work together. No one ever told me that, so I felt the need to pass that along to our young people.

    And now I have another testimony.

    To be called Dr. Roxanne Shante was and is a privilege. But with that privilege comes pressure. I also had to live and talk like someone with a doctorate–not an easy task at all. I had to make sure that people felt healed and inspired after speaking with me.

    And you know what? I accomplished that every time. But only with God’s help.

    So, yes, I apologize to all those who applied themselves and put in all the hard work that is required to acquire a Ph.D. I admire you all. But don’t discredit all the hard work and sacrifices so many others have also done to also reach their goals.

    I apologize again but I don’t request your forgiveness, because I have already been forgiven by who matters: God. Sorry I can’t hold my head down because my crown may fall off.

    Life begins at 40.

     

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  • Teen Tips for Entrepreneurship

    In this, the third article of a four- part series about youth entrepreneurship, three teens tell the stories of how they started businesses and learned how to find fun while financing their futures.

  • Dear New York Times…

    Posted by: Russell Simmons

    **UPDATE**

    We received a very gracious communication from the NY Times offering to hear Russell’s vision…stay tuned…

     

    I’m outraged that you would publish an article that associates the RushCard with other financial products, some of which prey on the underserved. The article was, in my opinion, unfair, misinformed and bordering on slanderous. The RushCard is not just a prepaid card, it’s an empowerment program that took me many years to build. It was built specifically to help people in underserved communities. It offers more than a prepaid card or a bank account.
     
    Many of our members have low incomes and need to manage their money very closely. We offer free services like budgets, text alerts and online charts for analyzing and tracking spending. Banks don’t offer these tools. Had you spoken with our members, you would have learned that over half of those, who use these services say they save more than $300/year. That’s a lot of money for them.
     
    Our members are left out of mainstream financial institutions and need to rebuild their credit files. You could have learned that RushCard is the only prepaid card that allows members to have their transactions reported to multiple credit reporting agencies, helping them build their credit files. We don’t charge for this either.
     
    Our members struggle with healthcare. Not everyone can afford medicines or treatment. Had you contacted me, you would have learned that we’re bringing out a free drug discount card later this year to help our members with the high cost of prescription drugs.
     
    We would have told you that unlike credit cards and other cards we don’t have hidden fees, overdraft fees or finance charges. We don’t hide or bury our fee structure – it’s all easily available on our website and with every card we send out. Unlike other prepaid cards, we’ve never charged for customer service. We’re more transparent than any other prepaid card. We let you transact in ways the more privileged take for granted.
     
    We have 2 million members. These are real people who see real value in our services. Everyday I read messages from our members who are grateful for the RushCard after having terrible experiencing with their bank or financial services provider. There are thousands of stories of how people landed up with hundreds of dollars of surprise charges from their bank accounts. None of this happens on the RushCard. Had you contacted me, I would have shared these stories with you.
     
    With today’s economic conditions, the underserved communities are being taken advantage of more than before. It’s important that they understand the good and the bad in their options. Your article focused only on the cost, which we keep as low as we possibly can, and not on the array of benefits that go beyond that of any other card, which is why it is a program, and one I’m proud to put my name on.
     
    My empowerment initiatives, which include the Hip Hop Summit’s focus on financial education, and my many charities are there to serve people.  Had you called me, you would have known all this.
     
    Russell Simmons

     

  • Common Myth and Facts About Hair

    This article provides an idea for arresting the problem of hair loss and selecting an appropriate remedy for the same

    There are some common myth about hairs… like herbal shampoo doesn’t contain any detergent, oils makes hair long and healthy.. use of…

  • 5 Women Hotter Than Esquire’s Sexiest Woman Alive

    Posted by: BlogXilla

    Kate Beckinsale, the star of “Underworld” and a host of other movies you’ve never seen,uh, WTF? this is where most of us MET Kate Beckinsale. is anybody with me? do you remember those PANTS!!!out of the five women that the writer picked for this article(all of them are 4 finger beautiful, but) Kate is the finest.

    There should be an addition to the title of all these, the word ‘Famous,’ because lets face it, any of us could come up with at least 10 models that would blow all of these ladies out of the water.

    Click Here For Complete List & Original Story

  • Lowdown on Stair Lifts

    In this article you will find the different things that make up a stair lift. Sort of the nuts and bolts of stair lift design. This article will also offer interesting tid-bits of information that will in the very least offer reading material for bathroom…

  • Don’t Let Your Spouse Control All of Your Finances

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    Financial News Blast for the week of September 26, 2009 – Click on the link for the title to read the article on the given topic:

    1) Don’t let your spouse control all of the family finances: This is a great article on how the entire family should be involved when making financial decisions for the household. When I wrote my book, “Financial Lovemaking 101,” I noticed that far too many American families are allowing their entire financial future to be controlled by one partner. You should be aware of what’s going on with your money, even if you’re not the one making all the decisions.

    2) Harvard Study: A Lack of Health Insurance Causes 45,000 Deaths Each Year: The healthcare reform debate has literally become a matter of life and death. We’ve got to find a way to get this done.3) How to get a home loan with bad credit: Many Americans suffer through credit problems. Where you’ve been doesn’t matter nearly as much as where you’re going. Getting a home loan can open the door to wealth and also create opportunities for you to rebuild your credit. Take a look at this article to find out how.

    4) The most lucrative college degrees: Going to college doesn’t guarantee a strong financial future. It’s going to college and choosing the right major that makes all the difference. Make sure you pick the right major for you and your children.

    5) Financial illiteracy is an epidemic in the United States: Banks and corporations are certainly predatory in their behavior. But you don’t have to allow yourself to be their prey. You must find a way to obtain basic financial literacy, for a lack of financial literacy was one of the primary causes of the 2008 economic downturn. If this epidemic is not managed, we are going to have serious problems for many decades to come.

    Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University, a leading African American speaker and author of the forthcoming book, “Black American Money.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

     

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  • Jerks, Assholes, Idiots and Abusive Behaviors: Recognizing Verbal Abuse


    This article outlines five tactics abusive men use regularly to derail your confidence and prevent you from voicing an opinion about his nasty words, his disrespectful behavior or his sexist thinking. The bottom line goal for Black men of this type is to belittle and insult you so much that you shut down. He wants to be able to treat you any way he likes, and for you to take it without complaint.