Dear Women (and Brave Men) of GutZ, BrainZ & HeartZ,

When I heard that Janet Beckers, Founder of Wonderful Web Women, totally lost all of her websites…and I’m talkin’ GONE…because her website provider just DISAPPEARED, I had a couple of reactions.

1. Since she is a friend and colleague of mine, my heart went out to her because after having been an internet marketer and “evangelist” for over 10 years, this happening is like your worst NIGHTMARE!

2. I got nervous because there is so much content on my GutZy Women website that if that were to happen to me…I would have a heart attack! That is YEARS of work!

So as I followed how she and her incredible team were going to deal with it, I was in AWE of how Janet, in particular, overcame such a wrenching experience!

After screaming, crying and bemoaning her fate, she got right back up and turned lemons into lemonade. (Actually she went even a step further and turned it into Margaritas…now that’s the kind of GutZy Woman I’m talkin’ about

Her story is all over the place…on her website, on her blog, etc. So I’m not going to repeat all the details. But what I want to bring to your attention is the fact that she will be taking what she learned from this horrifying experience and showing YOU and me how to not make the same mistake!

So if you have a website or two…I would highly recommend that you listen to what Janet and her Geekess Supreme, Charly Leetham, have to offer in the way of preventing that from happening to us and what to do if (God forbid) it does.

The teleclass is LIVE tonight in the US and Tuesday morning in Australia. It’s free…so if this is something that can be extremely valuable to you…These two ladies KNOW whereof they speak!

Click here to register …NOW! It’s happening soon!

http://tinyurl.com/donotdisappear

Sincerely,

Deb Ducic

aka GutZy Woman

She did it! My daughter graduated from high school!

Graduation parties abound this time of year. GRAND celebrations…not just for our kids, but for us parents as well, who seriously questioned whether OUR child’s turn would truly come to pass.  There were times…

Like the day the report card came in the mail. “You skipped 6th hour 22 times? Unexcused absences how many days? Why wasn’t I notified? How is this possible? You’re grounded the rest of your life. AAARRRGH!”

The inevitable conversations with school adminstrators and councelors only served to strengthen my daughter’s resolve to find an alternative solution. Sitting in overfilled classrooms, listening to uninspired lectures, dealing with kids intent to disrupt, sick of the pressures of sex, drugs and alcohol, she’d had enough and wasn’t willing to do it anymore.

I FREAKED!

But thanks to the University of Miami’s College Prep Online High School, we found an alternative and a good one at that. I was a bit nervous about it, as the cost was a shocker and self-discipline was required. But since it was mid - semester, there weren’t alot of alternative solutions for her to remain a student.

Turned out to be the best move we could have made.

It was a turning point in her attitude and determination to do well in school. She went on to enroll in a dual credit program between a local charter school and the colleges in town. This last year, she completed not only high school but now has full year of college credits for the classes she finished at the local community college (with flying colors, I might add!).

So here’s my point…

GutZy Women is about helping people (especially the female type) get over their fear & frustration of computer technology and the Internet because it is the single most powerful educational tool in our world today. It allows you stay at home, yet have access to the most up-to-date information and the most knowledgeable people across the world.

It changes the way we live, learn and do business. Sometimes, as in my daughter’s case, it provides solutions. But for those of us who grew up in a different world, it’s not an easy thing to change our thought patterns.

How different the world is today for our graduates than in my day!

• I had a very hard time thinking, at first, that my girl would miss out on traditional high school life. Like sports, running for queen, school functions, annual signing, etc. But she didn’t! She had even more amazing experiences because she wasn’t afraid to step out of the box.

• I’d had a very hard time dealing with her coming home and telling me she couldn’t sit in a classroom, listen to lectures, put up with the way the kids treated each other and wanting to try an alternative to traditional high school. But she didn’t. She knew what she wanted and went after it.

• I was worried that she would have a hard time with the self discipline of online high school as well as waitressing part time. But she wasn’t. And now our daughter understands what it takes to live successfully in the world.

We are SO PROUD of her! She is an AMAZING, determined young woman!

Our hearts are exploding with joy that she represents the next generation of GUTZY WOMEN!

CONGRATULATIONS to all the new graduates, but especially to you parents out there who have survived it .

Here’s to us…HALLELUJAH!

“Free is such a powerful force in innovation”

Think about it…the financial risk is removed when something is free. Removing risk is powerful! We are much more easily motivated to take action when there is nothing to lose. But have you ever thought about how if something is free it encourages us to be innovative?

It intrigued me because although I know the word “FREE” is a proven motivating word in sales, I never looked at the fact that FREE is one of the great motivating factors behind the innovation of the Internet.

Now, FREE is one of those words that sets off the SPAM filters. The word is WAY over-used at this point and has become one of those words that sets off the skeptic in all of us…and yet:

FREE “giveaway” promotions are the latest and greatest in getting people to subscribe to your list. People sign up by the hundreds or thousands.

FREE information, free entertainment, free phone calls across the world, free software, free graphics, free hosting, free consultations, free samples…Just about everything that exists is given away FREE these days.

FREE helps “newbies” get started in the learning process of creating and interacting on the internet. FREE helps “intermediates” grow and start to compete with the “experts”.

FREE helps the Mom & Pops compete with the Mega Corporations.

FREE helps the “experts” create their Maven status, warp speed their viral marketing and position themselves as generous “good guys”.

FREE lets us spend our money on other things like gas & food

FREE makes us crazy when we’re on the other end of the deal…trying to make money.

Never-the-less, below is a list of some “freebies” I’ve used myself and like or have had other GutZy Women tell me they like.

 Check them out! And if you get some value out of these FREE tips, feel FREE to subscribe to our FREE RSS feed, or our FREE newsletter, or FREE social networking site for more FREE tips, strategies and valuable information.

1.   Website builders:           

      http://www.weebly.com

      http://www.webnode.com/en

2.   Resize & Optimize pictures:         

      http://www.shrinkpictures.com

3.     Public domain image resources:

       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain_image_resources#General_collections

4.   Cover generator for ebooks, CD’s etc.           

       http://www.groundbreak.com/graphics2.html 

5.   Internet Calling:     

    http://www.skype.com 

6.   Live Video Broadcasting:      

      http://www.mogulus.com                        

      http://www.ustream.com 

 7.   Podcasting:    

     http://www.talkshoe.com     

Obviously this is a very short list compared to what’s out there, so why don’t you ADD to the list with YOUR favorites in the comments section below. I can just feel the Innovation coming on! For MORE innovative articles and videos click here:

 I am an Omnivore. What are you?

You can find out by taking a survey on the PEW Internet & American Life Project website. You probably already have a good feel for what kind of “techie” you are (or not), but you can see where you fit in with other Americans AND for those of you who are in “the business” you’ll find it valuable as well. Obviously, I’m fascinated enough to write about it.  Apparently I belong to only 8% of the American public who are deep users of Web 2.0 applications and mobile applications they’ve lovingly named “Omnivores”. 

Omnivores are a subset of people who fall into the “Elite Tech Users” categorywhich make up 31% of American adults. We are the most active participantsin the information society, consuming information goods and services ata high rate and using them as a platform for participation and self expression.We have a deep and varied tech appetite, which is why we are called the Omnivores. Most Omnivores are in their twenties (Where did I get lost?:) and nearly all have high-speed connections available at home or work. We are highly engaged with video online and digital content. Between blogging, maintaining our Web pages, remixing digital content, or posting our creations to our websites, we are creative participants in cyberspace. 

PEW divides Americans up into three main categories, as well as 10 subset groups and I’m sure you’re dying to know which group you belong to! Be sure to take the survey to find out, but in the meantime… Here’s the breakout according to the report written by John B Horrigan, Director of research for the PEW Internet & American Life Project, based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between February 15 to April 6, 2006, among a sample of 4,001 adults, 18 and older. 

·                     Elite Tech Users (31% of American adults)

·                     Middle-of-the-road Tech Users (20%)

·                     Few Tech Assets (49%) 

Go take the survey, then come back tomorrow for some fascinating highlights and conclusions of this study.

To Learn More About Women, Technology & the Internet, CLICK HERE

As of July 1, 2006, males outnumbered females through age 41. Starting at 42, women outnumbered men. At 85 and older, there were more than twice as many women as men.

$61,081 is the median earnings of women working in computer and mathematical jobs, the highest for women among the 22 major occupational groups.

5.6 million was the Number of stay-at-home mothers nationwide in 2006, up from 4.6 million a decade earlier.

84% is the proportion of women with computers in the home in 2003 who made use of that computer, 2 percentage points higher than the corresponding proportion for men. This reverses the computer use gender gap exhibited during the 1980s and 1990s.

American internet users have embraced online shopping because they say it’s convenient and a time-saver.

Two-thirds (66%) of online Americans say they have purchased a product online, such as a book, toy, music, or clothing. Attitudes and perceptions play a key role in whether online users choose to purchase products online… 

**78% of internet users either agree (53%) or agree strongly (25%) with the proposition that shopping online is convenient for them.          

**68% of internet users either agree (47%) or agree strongly (21%) with the notion that online shopping saves them time.

At the same time, most online Americans have high levels of concern about sending personal or credit card information over the internet.

While the number of e-shoppers continues to grow, there is still widespread concern in the internet population about the safety of financial and personal data online.

Read this article in its’ entirety with more interesting statistics here: