My niece just got a cell phone.  She is 10 years old.  I have no children, so I am not qualified to comment on whether this is a good idea or not.  When she was a “wee one” of about 3, I would call my brother and he would ask her if she wanted to talk to “Aunt Kelly” she would say, “Too Dangerous.” We thought that was funny.  We thought that she had a sense of humor. Even my brother and sister-in-law thought it was funny.

Well little did I know that because she lived so far away, she didn’t remember me, so I was a STRANGER in her world.  So the whole “STRANGER DANGER” thing took on a whole new meaning. We see them and talk to them often, so I am no longer a stranger to her and we spend summer vacation time together.

For the past few years, she would confiscate her mom or dad’s cell phone and shoot me off a photo or a text message and I would be thinking, “What are they talking about?”  Then I would find out it was my niece and not them.  She is quite versed in using a cell phone – she can text better than they can!

Last Saturday, I got a text message from an unknown number, but from the area code that my brother lives in.  My first text, “Hi Auntie Kelly.”  It is my niece (obviously) she has gotten her first cell phone. Within the next 2 days I must have gotten 10 text messages from her.  Then I thought “Whoops I hope my brother’s package includes unlimited texting.”  (Here’s something that will freak you out – an $18,000/month cell phone bill!)

When you get a cell phone for your kids, it is meant to be a “tool” so you can stay connected, for them it is often considered a “toy.”  Last week,  I posted on our Sephone Blog this article about Facebook Places in relation to “Privacy Settings” .  Then when I started this post, I found this one from safekids.org (which is really a great site for all kinds of things.) In particular, this is about your kids telling too much information or their friends telling too much information on where they are, whom they are with, and at what time.  That may be helpful to you as a parent, but it is also helpful to bullies or predators.  Unfortunately, that is the world we are living in.

Our cell phone people (Central Maine Wireless) are the best.  They actually take the time and really help us make the phones work for what we need them for and everybody is different.  So take the time and make sure you don’t get some whopping bill because your kids usage of the phone may not be the same as yours or maybe things you cannot even imagine are happening BECAUSE of that cell phone. Here is a link that Paul shared with me about features you can apply to the phones you can buy for your kids.

Here is an old post (but a great one) to review when you buy that cell phone or even to use as a learning tool for those that have one all ready.  And have a safe and happy Fall 2010!

Summer is a crazy time.  When you live in “Vacationland” which is imprinted on our State of Maine license plates, our region seems to come apart at the seams.  Then our relatives that have moved away decide that they need to come and visit, each weekend is full to the brim.

I confess, I have been distracted.  I haven’t been blogging, but I promise to get better.  So bear with me I will get better.  New post coming!

We all know people that have cell phones and they only have them “in case of emergency.”  Usually, this emergency they are talking about involves them.  They run out of gas, they break down on the side of the road, they use the phone to get help.  I know for me it can be frustrating because if YOU need their help, they don’t have their phones on, so from my point of view they may as well not have one!  But that is a another topic for another day…

But when I woke up to WABI, TV5 and Todd Simcox, he was telling us that we need to “keep an eye to the sky” for thunderstorms breaking out and the potential for some of them being severe.  That made me think about how we get our information and how my cell phone is KEY in me getting it.  So is your cell phone working for you to keep you safe?

You may take your kids to Little League or soccer practice, maybe you are at the beach or the golf course, the one thing that remains constant – your cell phone is with you, right?  Well start thinking about your phone as more than a phone.  You can sign up for weather alerts to go to your phone, keeping you in the loop with the latest warnings.  Now I am a bit crazy with my phone, (right Central Maine Wireless?) I have a mobile facebook application, I have Uber Twitter for my phone, BUT I have an app from the Weather Channel where I can always check on radar and I can use the internet to see the mobile site for WABI TV5 to stay connected to anything that is happening or going to happen.  (Make sure to check with your cell phone provider for options and if there are any additional charges for text or data services.)

This is a simple way to make sure you know when it is time to take cover, check to see if where you are going is in the warning area.  Don’t be overwhelmed, just try one tool at a time until you find one that works to help you accomplish what you need to accomplish.  I started using weather alerts because I am on the road often and I would like to know (especially in winter) what the weather is where I am going, in Maine we often have several weather changes along the way and this can be problematic when it is snowing where you start, raining at the end and freezing rain in between!  Your reasons may be different, but still these things are helpful and real time savers.

*Photo credit clikr.com

You need to be living under a rock if you haven’t figured out that times are tough. Perhaps you personally or your business may not have had financial challenges, but I bet there is someone in your life or a business around you may know that has. (Congratulations by the way!)

So the time is NOW to get creative in how you are thinking.

Some people are particularly good at networking.  Most of these people don’t actually consider it as the LABEL “NETWORKING” because they live, breathe and do it every day, all day.  AND they like to hang out with people that feel the same way. (Don’t we all?)  A few years ago, I met a lady named Sheri,  a mortgage loan officer from Maine Savings Bank,  recently, she started a Sushi Lunch Group that “meets” on Fridays at a local Japanese Restaurant – Ichibans, here in Bangor.  The purpose of the group is simple. Connect and help each other.  No bylaws, no dues, everybody pays their own bill.

Photo credit: pingmag.com

AND it has not only accomplished people getting together regularly and sharing, for me, I have met new people I would never have otherwise gotten to know.  The usual Chamber Business After Hours events, just don’t seem to do that for me anymore.  AND being new to Japanese food, these folks are always more than happy to share with me some of what they have on their plate, so I can try new things easily – also great fun for everybody!

One day as Sheri and I were leaving the restaurant, “Ruai,” one of the owners came up to her and said, “Thank you Sheri for your business and always bringing people in that are new to Sushi.”  (She was looking at me.)

Sheri said, “You are always so nice to us and always bend over backwards – the food is great.  See? We help each other.”  (Big Smiles all around!)

It is also no secret that the restaurant industry has taken it very hard during these times. Seeing Ichiban full of customers and NEW sushi fans is great.  But when people are making choices in where to go to eat, they may not try something different, because they don’t want to feel disappointed,  going out that one time per week (or month).

Thinking “out of the box,” during “out of the box” times is necessary these days.  Regrouping and doing things simply, can be very effective.  You never know, while you are helping yourself,  you maybe helping your friends and neighbors too!! (YAY!)

For years I have or someone close to me has had a subscription to Consumer Reports magazine.  You are making an important purchase and you look up with they think about it.  AND they dont accept advertisements so you feel a certain comfort level in what they report.  I love the format, I love the ease in figuring out what the selling features are with the grid – what I don’t like is the information on the last 3 products I bought using their recommendations.

The first product was a digital camera and it turned out to be a disaster – I ignored my own experience to buy one they reported as “Best Value.” Well Best Value is sitting on a shelf broken and I am too frustrated with the company to send it back.

The next one is a vacuum from Sears – Kenmore.  I absolutely hate it and it wasnt cheap.  Today I was ready to throw it into the river.  If I spent as much time actually vacuuming as I did trying to fix the one I have (that is a year old and I have a housekeeper that hates it so much she brings her own) I would have the cleanest house in the world. I was so frustrated I posted something on Facebook and sure enough I learned another friend was unhappy with this thing, while 2 others told me DYSON was the one I should get!

The other one is a front loader washer.  It has been fixed twice and there are 2 people in my house, no kids.  It doesnt get much of a work out, but it cannot take whatever 2 people can give it.

So now what will I do? First, I will buy nothing ever again from Sears and I won’t ever bother with “Consumer Reports.” I don’t think they are bad people, I just think they are not like me and I don’t need to pay a subscription to somebody that gives me bad information.

And neither do you have to.  User generated reviews are changing how people get information and make decisions.  “Consumer Reports” has an online website where members (you pay) sign up to get information.  I am not doing that, when Amazon has reviews that website companies like consumersearch.com link to for people’s opinions.  YOUR experiences, your opinions, free of charge.

There is a great user generation travel tool called tripadvisor.com that allows the traveling public to provide their experiences easily and for free.  For those of us that use it, we need to also tell the good news when it happens, because oftentimes it is just people frustrated and angry that bother to participate and that is only half of the story.  So if you decide to use these sites, I suggest you put in your two cents worth. Tell the people and products that are important to you that you like them!  It only takes a minute.  Then the time YOU want information from someone you will get it.  Keep in mind information isn’t always accurate, so poke around and check it further before you make a decision!

A not-so fancy site is consumerreview.com and it takes tons of clicks and unlike consumersearch.com the content seems to be organic, meaning a person has to go to that site that has purchased something from somewhere else and tell it.  With a site using an Amazon feed – the people are there anyway and Amazon prompts you for your reviews on products that they sell.

I suggest as this buying season is upon us, you participate in the review process, it is painless and helpful to those of us that really want information.

Happy Holidays and use the internet as the convenience and time saving tool that it is!

Our family is full of Veteran’s and probably so is yours. Everyone, elected officials, celebrities, it is a hip thing to say how much they mean to us

and the freedom of our country.  Right now, it is the season to lower the flag at half staff and tell them we care.  We do. In the meantime, let me tell you a story about my current active duty National Guard Airman.  She is my niece.  Just came back from the Persian Gulf safely, thank God.

She taught me how to use a very special service called Skype.  Now I have heard lots about it, seen it on interviews on TV, but just didn’t know a lot about it and to be truthful, I am just learning how it works, but I have used it enough to know that it does. And so far it is FREE!

Here are 3 quick reasons why you should use Skype:

• It works on any high speed internet connection (DSL, Cable)
• It works whether you have a web cam or not. (audio and video options)
• To subscribe is FREE and if you call another subscriber it is also FREE!

The military reference comes from the fact that Skype is used often by military personnel to connect with family and friends thru video and audio for free.  And that was exactly how I started using it.  BUT there are many other reasons you may want to use it.  A conference call with a client or to stay connected with your relatives that are far away.  With kids growing so fast, we can Skype grandkids, neices and nephews or anyone else we would like.  Skype helps you see and hear them wherever they are.

Bad weather and cannot make a long distance trip to see a client?  The possibilities are endless!

If you have an older computer you may need a webcam and maybe a microphone.  But for under $100 in hardware,  (you know me I love Best Buy) you can be up and going in no time!   The holidays are coming and not all of us can be together so start using Skype and get your family to do it too, you will love it.  Test it on a friend, remember if you are both subscribers it is FREE.  Just like anything, practice makes perfect – by the holidays you will be an old pro — or better than that, you will be a “COOL” pro!

After I wrote this post for my Daily Rant Blog, I figured it may belong here too.  So I am posting it in two blogs, because it is important.

Over the past few months I have heard some pretty crazy stuff. I have had people get frustrated, sound fearful and make bizarre claims about social media, as if it is the demise of the universe as we know it.

The universe?
No.

Traditional Media?
Maybe… talk to me in 10 years, maybe sooner.

Here are a few random comments and I will keep it to 3:

1. Social Media is “narcissistic.”
2. “I don’t want to become like people I know and be on Facebook all day.”
3. “Twitter freaks me out, I am afraid of it.”

Social Media can help you attain your goals:

1. Help YOU navigate the vast expanse of information on the internet that increases ten fold every day.
2. Help YOU find people that think like you and share with them – most of them you may never meet.
3. Help YOU get your own message out in your voice and on your terms – most often for the cost of little of your time.

Does any of this sound so bad?

Social Media is hardly the Anti-Christ, destroyer of all we know as reasonable today, but it may be the transformer or catalyst that moves us into a next level of how we receive and PARTICIPATE in delivering information.

Here are some other truths:

Social Media allows just about anybody to have an opinion, type it into a computer and let the world see it. Like it or not.

Traditionally,  we were SPOKEN TO, fed or preached to… a writer from our newspaper, a reporter from a TV or radio station, someone that told us the NEWS.

Only sometimes from their perspective, it was really opinion, based on the reporters “take on things.”   It’s amazing how many few GREAT, true journalists were in my life, but even they had to rely on information from others and had to translate it.

If you are my age, you have memories before the 24 hour news cycle of cable TV and pressures related to get stories to the listening public – sometimes before checking facts, making sure that the information is accurate.

What social media does is, it invites YOU to participate.  For example: Did you see a tornado and take a quick amateur video of it?  Did you go to an event that no traditional media reporters was able to attend, but you were there with your camera?

And how about your own business?
You know it best.
You know YOU best.

Social Media helps you control your message and support other marketing/advertising you may be doing, your website, your promotions, it answers the questions the customers ask “Why should I spend my ‘hard earned’ at your company, on your product?”  You get to ask what is important to your customer YOURSELF and answer those questions DIRECTLY and be in control.

It isn’t narcissistic, it is reality.  Yeah you get to “toot your own horn” and what is wrong with that?  If you don’t believe in yourself and what you do, then why bother? Your passion is hard to translate expecting others to do it for you in your way also takes time and energy – why not use that time and energy to make the tools of social media work for YOU!

Being from Maine and just like my parents before me, I have seen lots of “progress” while I have lived here.  In fact, I even moved north from the region I was born in, to get away from all that “progress.”  Whenever I go back to my mom’s house, I cannot wait to leave, I hardly know the place much less see many people I know! I am proud to be from Maine, proud of the way I talk and how I think.  It may not be the perfect place for everybody, but it is the perfect place for ME.

And as life gets more complicated,  I find that I long for traditions and things that are familiar to me. Because sometimes life isn’t so easy We have lots of humor and humorous people here.  My dad used to listen to Marshal Dodge of Bert and I albums and roared. My dad was also a friend of Judd Strunk – the folk singer that made the small towns of western Maine famous with a song called “Daisy a Day.” And like the true storyteller Judd Strunk was, this one is my favorite, “The Biggest Parakeets in Town”

Now with YouTube, podcasts, blogs and Facebook, we have all kinds of other ways to stay tuned to the old stories, accents and our old friends.

Here are a couple of some of the new kids on the block that I would like to share with you!  If you are a current Maine inhabitant or “Maine-iac”  (or a Mainer in Exile as I refer to my brother), there are some great resources that can link you to the minds of those doing great things to keep our heritage in tact!

Here is a quick funny tune for you…

Then there is Dickie Baker or Dickie Richards. He has a YouTube Channel.  He has a video cast he does called, “What’s f’Suppah?” My favorite one he does is showing us the recipe for Moxie Boomers.  Of course Moxie being a Maine beverage, he also has some other more random, fun videos, about Cutter Bug Dope and Port-A-Potties.  He is a gem, I don’t know him personally, a friend of mine posted one of his videos and tagged me on Facebook and instantly I was a Fan.

Then, the truly multi-media treasures I JUST learned about are Rose and Trout.  They have a website, blog and weekly podcasts that are just wonderful.  They tune up their downeast Maine accents and have a conversation similar the ones my brother and I used to listen to at Jack’s Trading Post in Farmington.  We used to hide in the back of the store and just love listening to the stories that were told.  Now we do the same at MC’s in Birch Harbor. My brother comes for a visit each year and every day he goes to “the beer store” and I get to do it nearly every weekend in the summer.  The locals  don’t think what they are talking about is funny, it is just their life and we love how they stitch the words and humor together!  It is the “realness” of it all that makes it extra special.  Check out Rose and Trout  – I promise you will not be sorry!

My friend Brett Slater of Slaters Garage just shot a commercial for Dick Stacey.  For all of you that know Dick Stacey’s Country Jamboree on Channel 7 out of Bangor about 20 odd years ago, this is just for you!  Here is a video Bret shot promoting the DVD for Dick Stacey’s Country Jamboree.  And of course, there is Jenny Shontelle with the “On the wings of a snow, white, dove…”  It is a bargain and you can order it now!  I know a few people that I will be stuffing their stockings with that gem of a gift!

Being proud of our heritage and having a sense of humor is something we are desperately trying to hang on to here in Maine, we have lots of folks “from away” that move here because they like it so much only to want to change it to be exactly like the places they left behind.  We like our dirt roads, our small towns without WalMarts, early frosts and our state flag with the motto of “DIRIGO” on it.  (Most of us even know what that Latin phrase means!)

So the next time someone teases you about your accent and asks if you are from Maine – just give them a jolly “YES-SAH” or a “WICKED” with a big smile and know you must be doing something right!

For those of you that read this blog regularly, you may know that I have had various friends sick or pass away within the past year. THAT isn’t what this is all about, it is just an introduction to get us all on the same page.

For anybody that has a serious illness or has a friend or far away person that needs support for their loved one, there is this gem of a website and it is FREE to use.

(In their own words), Caring Bridge,  “personalized websites that support and connect loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery.”

The advocate or patient can make entries about the daily trials and successes of long term illness or conditions.

For the person that is in treatment or in the hospital, everybody that is invited can sign on to Caring Bridge with their email address, and gets notified when updates are made to the blog.

For the caregiver (or advocate), the condition and circumstances are described one time as well as a Journal that helps them vent and tell friends and family just where they are at.The caregiver can privately pause to cry, or save to look at later, but Caring Bridge allows the creator of the blog to control the flow of information.  That is one great thing about the computer.  It is just between you and it.

There is a really nice area “My Story” that tells the “How we got here” for those late comers that need to be brought up to speed.  And the blog entries are kept chronologically and time stamped so the family member of friend can keep track of the events.

Let’s face it, even though we all want to help, sometimes those 20 phone calls after a long day just drains everybody that is truly living the drama. Caring Bridge can be accessed from anywhere there is an internet connection.  Hospital, while waiting for a test or home with your feet up on the couch.

As I said in the beginning Caring Bridge is free to use, which is so great for the people with these insane hospital bills.  But as anyone that owns a business knows it isn’t free to run and to keep running.  There is a place to donate and even though the minimum donation choice on the secure form is $70, they certainly will take less, every bit helps and it is a very special service for all of us to know about.  Here’s how to donate if you are so inclined.

I have used the link for my college roommates husband that has had brain surgery nearly 2 months ago and is still in the throws of it all.  But if you are ever invited to join the Caring Bridge “family.” Please think a moment and give what you can.

A few times over the past couple weeks people have asked me about BING.  What is it?  How does it work? Quite honestly, until then, I didn’t care to know anything about it. All I knew was it was a Microsoft product and I am not a big fan of Microsoft.  Nothing personal, “Bill”  but with all the bugs, viruses and careless products, once I got back to Mac, I realized I was home.  Besides, I use Google I am happy with it.

But for some of the same reasons I didn’t like Microsoft, I guess I shouldn’t really like Google.  Competition is good. It makes us sharper and make better products and if it weren’t for competition we would be sitting around like fat cats, producing mediocre products and services and shoving them down the consumers (that is you and me) throats.

So I checked out Bing.  To you and me, we would call it a search engine.  To Microsoft, they call it a DECISION ENGINE. Their ad slogan is “Bing and Decide.”

So what? You still don’t know what it does, do you?  I had a friend of mine walk me through it and it is kind of neat in some ways. Then I try it on and off when I feel like it.  It pulls together a lot of media (many of which have been purchased or morphed by Microsoft), into one place.

What makes it different from Google?

Click here to read an amusing article in PC World.

Anything with Smackdown in the title and it doesn’t relate to wrestling, immediately gets my attention.

But the minute you log on to Bing, you know it is different.  It is pictures, it is motion and the page art changes every day.  Hardly the static geek look of Google, but if you know your search words, “Who needs all those pretty pictures?” I say.  Bing, like Google allows gateways to their products, Google has maps and street view (great for stalkers and data junkies) while Bing focuses on more lifestyle things.

So I am not saying it is better, I am just saying it is different.  As different as the personalities and marketing strategies of Microsoft and Google.  My suggestion?  Take a few days and give it a try, you may not want to give up your Google or dogpile, but it is good to see what else is out there to use, for FREE!