Flying to the Other Side of the World…

What’s the longest plane ride you’ve ever taken nonstop?
Los Angeles to Sydney has to be right up there. Ours was
a little over 14 hours, but the strangest thing is we left on
a Thursday and landed on a Saturday. I’m finding it very
strange to be a day ahead of my friends and family in the
US.

Like right now, it’s 10:00 Wednesday night but 4:00
on Tuesday morning at my daughter’s house in Colorado.
If I’m ahead by a day, why do I feel like I’m always behind?
I guess it’s like learning a new language…until you get the
hang of it, you first think in your native language and then
translate it to the new language in your head before you speak
it. Eventually you actually can think in the new language.

Anyway, that’s what I’m hoping. Thank God for the internet,
though, because I just downloaded a widget off of Yahoo
Widgets that puts clocks on my desktop for any big city in
the world! So far I have Denver and London (for all the UK
friends I’m making on my social networks). At least it cuts
down on the brain damage.

Want to Super-size That?

Our flight was typical…crowded, noisy (a baby close by…
good practice for testing my patience since my grandchild
is due in June:) and LONG! They offered me five more inches
leg room as we checked in for just an additional $188.00.
I felt like I was at McDonalds (Would you like to supersize
that?) If you haven’t flied in a while, wait ’til you see first class!
Now that’s livin’!

I’m NOT complaining though. The flight was smooth, landed
early and to watch my first sunrise on the other side of the world
was INSPIRATIONAL! Customs and Immigration was surprisingly
layed back…probably because Joe is an Australian  (not like the
USA when Joe was turned back in Atlanta, GA.
Haven’t heard that story? It was an eye-opening doozie!).

Unlike the last time I flew to Sydney 28 years ago, all of our
luggage made it, although the box we had to pack and send
because of our overweight suitcases (Watch part 2) was busting
at the seams. Nothing lost, however, that we know of.

Vices are Expensive in Australia…Monetarily and Psychologically.

Unintentionally, we got sidetracked by the Duty Free Store when
their 2 for sale on liquor (grog as they call it here) caught our eye.
It was the very pleasant sales woman that sealed the deal, convincing
us of the great bargains we were getting. As it turned out, it WAS a
good deal as liquor (especially American imported liquor) is VERY
expensive here.

Just as a side, cigarettes are expensive too. One pays dearly to
indulge in vices here! (You should see the pictures
hey have on the cigarette packs!…warning of horrible diseases as
well as SHOWING pictures of them…totally gross!) I was surprised
to see small scale gambling as well, once again with warnings of
of the horrible affects of gambling addiction. (They make it hard to
feel good about vices here;-D)

Getting Lost… Easy to do In Sydney!

Getting a car to rent at the airport was fast and easy…Budget
priced (hah) and unlimited mileage. It was a perfect car to get
lost in Sydney for a couple of hours before we found the beach
we were looking for…Bondi Beach which was the first place my
hubby jumped into an ocean…EVER and so it brought up fond
memories for him. It now brings up fond memories for me!
Come back for part 4 as we’ll take you on a tour of the 6th
sexiest beach in the world!

CLICK HERE to view Part 1 and 2 of the Grand Australian Adventure

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Hang around here for a while and you’ll meet the most interesting women!

For example, several weeks ago, a good girlfriend invited us to dinner to meet a multi talented musician, author, poet, actress, activist born in Southern Colorado near the New Mexico border from an educated and  political Hispanic family.

Her name is well known in New Mexico circles, but not just as an entertainer. She’s not afraid to speak up and take action when her people and community need a leader to bring attention to the plight of the rural areas of Colorado and New Mexico. She has become the keeper of the language and culture of the people.

Her Name: Veronica Ortiz. In some circles she is known as “The Gypsy Nun”.

We were treated to a delicious Cuban dinner, an eclectic and fun mix of guests and a performance of delightful and beautiful songs sung in spanish, a soothing voice and a strumming guitar. It was a delightful evening, but even more engaging were the stories told by this greying woman of the world, who now sticks close to her home of  El Rito, a rural setting, which, while beautiful, is suffering from lack of water as a result of drying up wells from years of drought.

It’s a Problem. People Need Water!

And the discussion was…how is it possible that the government in this great United States of ours, one of the richest nations in the world, cannot seem to provide for the basic needs of it’s people! People Need WATER! And because this is an aging and economically depressed rural area, the people cannot afford to pay for the infrastructure needed to pipe in water. The problem is falling on deaf ears.

But rather than dwell on it, Veronica just does what she can to help her community AND she has many stories to tell of her younger days growing up on a sheep ranch in a family of 13 children. She talks with a focus on the benefits of her experiences…

as a nun in training at a Benedictine Convent…

Deciding to leave the order to travel and follow her love of music and creativity…

The consequence of that ending in divorce and separation with her children…

Winning recognition and awards as an artist, actress, as well as activist…

As a multimedia maven and as a natural communicator, I am passionate about revealing the remarkable stories of GutZy Women!

Our stories are important and for many years were hidden away from the history books, but couldn’t be stopped as women LOVE to talk and we pass stories on by  word of mouth, woman to woman and then pass the down to our children. But often they get lost, as they have in my family.

Just exactly why I LOVE this medium called the internet with all of it’s capabilities to communicate, connect, educate, archive and inspire! Won’t you join us?

Don’t forget to come back when Part 2 is unleashed! 

In the meantime, there is much to gain from the TONS of INFO at my website

AND, there is MORE to gain from Veronica’s Wisdom…

Obviously it’s something that has to do with thin air, but what?

Take your best shot with this multiple choice quiz:

A. Spiritual gurus on a mountain summit manifesting cool things out of thin air?

B. Altitude sickness sufferers collectively test a new inhaler that works in the thin air of the mountains?

C. Experienced climbers gather to brainstorm ways to lessen the affects of thin air in order to reach the summit?

D. None of the above.

Trick question, actually, because it’s a bit of all three …

But before you continue reading the article, I would LOVE to hear YOUR first guess as to what is a Thin Air Summit? Come on, be creative! Could be fun.

In truth, The Thin Air Summit is the evolutionary outcome of an eclectic group of new media enthusiasts originally coming together to plan a “Podcamp.” But just as new technology and media morphs at the speed of light, so has the nature of this event , scheduled to happen in November 2008 in (drum roll please…) DENVER, COLORADO (Thin Air…get it?)

So what is a Podcamp? How is it different than a “New Media Conference”?A PodCamp is a usually a free “BarCamp-style” community UnConference (which just means an “unorganized conference,” shortened to the word UnConference.) for new media enthusiasts and professionals including bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, social networkers, and ANYONE curious about new media.

A BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering of people born from the desire of each to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from participants.

The first PodCamp was held September 8-10, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. They’re now being held regularly all over the world, so they’ve proven to be quite popular events.

PodCamps aren’t just about podcasting.(I know…this gets confusing, with alll these new terms, so bare with me).If you’re interested in blogging, social media, social networking, podcasting, video on the net, audio, or you’re just curious about new media and how you can use it in YOUR endeavors, you definately want get involved.

If you’re eyes glazed over when you read those terms, it’s OK, you aren’t alone. 

You just haven’t read up on some of my other articles or watched my videos yet. It’s all there in short and simple, easy to understand articles. Hey, It’s important to your future success, especially if you run a  business or compete for donation dollars.

Then when you feel a bit more confident and don’t want to sit on the sidelines any more, please join in.

When Patti Serrano invited me to join her in crashing the Denver party and after a couple of “meetups” I’ve met some very “media savvy” men and women who will become incredible resources for me, as well as those I serve.

OK, so what makes the Thin Air Summit different than a Podcamp is that it has morphed into a “real conference” as opposed to an “Unconference” (an “unplanned” conference is now been shortened to the word: Unconference).

In other words , it IS an organized event  which will include experts in their fields to give primarily EDUCATIONAL presentations divided up into 3 different tracks: text, audio and video . The individual sessions will provide practical information relevant to creating better content in that particular medium.

They’re also planning some panel discussions. The panels will bring all three tracks together and be focused on new media topics that are relevant to all - both the practical, such as monetization, and the philosophical, such as “What is New Media and Why is it Important”.

So what’s in it for GutZy Women (or Brave Men ) like you?

Many of you might experience a fear or frustration when it comes to technology and multimedia marketing. The first step to getting over it is education. The next step is taking what you have learned and implementing it.

Sometimes, we need a little handholding, mentoring, inspiration and support in actually taking the action necessary to move forward.

The Thin Air Summit will be an UNBELIEVABLY VALUABLE place to be to learn, be inspired, connect, ask for help and the price is definitely right…LIKE FREE?

If the organizers hear from you powerful women and Enlightened Men out there who believe it’s important to include a greatly diverse bunch of qualified presenters, If you DO feel that way, there just might be a good showing of well qualified women speakers on stage at the event.

So forget all those expensive, overdone conferences that make your cash vanish into Thin Air! Rise to the Summit challenge. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone even if you feel it’s going to be too “techie” for you.

Events like this are a great opportunity to network with people who can teach you, mentor you and learn from you as well. As a matter of fact, the organizers are now in the process of looking for great presenters. Maybe you’re one?

^{In the mean time, what’s  your version of what the Thin Air Summit could be? Let’s hear your ideas in the comments down below… (Let’s keep it clean, OK?)}

People, young or old, male or female, seem to be AMAZED when anybody over the age of 50 creates a successful online presence or business. There’s such an “awe” factor that exists when people find baby boomers or older who “get it” and are actively taking part in online commerce, podcasting, blogging, social networking, vlogging, etc. 

It’s quite understandable since personal computers and the internet didn’t even exist when WE were growing up. And even though the “Women’s Movement” was on full blast with women joining the workforce at a rapid pace, the “technology” jobs were more than likely being taken by men.

Science and technology industries are still dominated by men (and in the case of the Internet, “younger” men). That paradigm is slowly changing, thank goodness! 

My point being that women ARE becoming more and more active and visible on theNet and in my experience ESPECIALLY in the social networking communities and the blogoshere. The ease of new internet technologies, software and platforms have a great deal to do with that. But the perception is that it is the younger generation, of women , once again, who are dominating that arena.  

So when women in their 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s are ROCKIN’ ONLINE, some people FREAK that these “GRANNIES” “get it”. 

And GutZy Women LOVE IT! 

Because my PASSION is finding and developing friendships as well as professional ties with GutZy Women of the web who have BrainZ, HeartZ and GutZ, every once in a while, I run across “Grannies” who are doing AWESOME things online and off. Their products, services and perspectives are incredibly valuable to women (and brave men) who are anxious to keep up, compete, learn, be inspired, or befriend and I would like to introduce a few of them to you in my next post.  

In the mean time, please introduce us to any internet savvy queens of the silver generation you know by entering their names, websites and niches in the comments below, or email me at deb@gutzywoman.com 

So what’s age got to do with it? EVERYTHING & NOTHING! 

We gain unique perspectives and a wealth of wisdom, knowledge and life experience from those who have the gutZ to step out of their comfort zones, become lifetime learners, and step up to lead, teach and mentor future “Grannies” in the quest for financial freedom and gender equality. Check back tomorrow …I can’t wait to introduce them to you!

 In the last article I wrote about how nonprofit entities need to engage people they want to attract to their organization in conversations that their readers want to engage in. So here’s 6 smart content ideas that can help you develop a comprehensive involvement strategy…

1. Capture email addresses from your visitors and send a regular, relevant, motivational enewsletter that describes the excitement of what is happening in your organization—one that invites involvement. Once you have captured a visitor’s email address, you’re on your way to turning those visitors into friends of your organization.

2. Ask your visitors to become offline and online volunteers. Online volunteerism is an innovative way to get people involved. For example, an online volunteer could be asked to become an e-advisory board member, giving your e-advisory board the privilege of shaping your online strategic direction. The secret here is to develop meaningful connections that encourage regular involvement.

3. Create online polls. Use technology, such as Instant Messaging and Chat, for the facilitation of online focus groups and benefits testing. Use surveys to solicit both general and specific information from anyone who logs on to your site. Your friends want to give you feedback, however you must first politely ask for it.

4. Tap the power of viral marketing. This is where you click on a box that asks “Would you like to share this article with a friend?”—after which the person types in his or her friend’s email address. This promotes great interactivity and exposes your site to someone who you, in all probability, never may have reached.

5. Keep it personal. When you solicit comments from visitors, make sure the user addresses a real person. When you solicit comments from visitors, make sure the user addresses a real person…not webmaster@, info@ or support@… Instead, it must be attn: Chris@…or Melissa@…etc.

Your website is your ultimate direct marketing vehicle—and your unique opportunity to stay up close and personal. A basic principle when implementing new technology is that it should enhance the facilitation of conversation with people, not put up “techno walls” that make it more difficult to carry on a conversation.

6. Develop communication strategies at all levels within your website with:

Visitors Friends

Volunteers

Members

eNewsletter and other eCampaign recipients

Donors

Annual Donors

Mid Donors Major Donors

Corporations and Foundations

Planned Giving

Stay tuned for the next article where I’ll give you even more great ideas and read more here: