“People who respect quality – find each other. “

-Alan Cohen

Thank you to all of my clients who respect quality, I so enjoy working with you!

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I had helped a client awhile back set up their Gmail to work with their existing domain-based email address and learned then that you don’t have to change or use a different email address when you set up a Gmail account.  You can configure Gmail to accept and send out Email through your existing email account/address.

When a friend’s computer crashed recently, taking with it her contacts, email and folders, I suggested she start using Gmail.  That way if she experienced computer issues in the future, she’d still have her email account/history in tact, accessible from any computer.  The other benefit would be that she could retrieve her Email while traveling from any computer.

After recommending Gmail to my friend, I started wondering why with all of Gmail’s virtues, I hadn’t made the switch myself.  So I went about the process of exporting my contacts from Outlook, importing them into Gmail as well as my calendar and adding my existing email accounts to all seamlessly integrate into my Gmail account.  It’s been a few weeks now and with the exception of getting used to the linking of Email conversations on one line, I’ve come to really like it!  I’ve even started using iGoogle – where I can see at a glance – my calendar, recent email messages, local weather and news and my Google Reader subscriptions (feeds and blogs I like to read on a regular basis).

If you are interested in giving Gmail a try, here’s a few reasons to check it out.

Here are some of the Benefits of Using Gmail

It’s Free! – No desktop software to buy, update or upgrade.

Web-Based – Gmail is web-based, so you can access your email and contacts anywhere you have an internet connection and a web browser.

Gigs of Space – Gmail offers users abundant storage space; over 7 GB.

Gmail Chat -  Chat real time with other Gmail subscribers.

Less Spam – Gmail filters spam so you don’t have to.

To learn more about the benefits of using Gmail, visit Barb Girson’s article here.  She also covers the benefits of using Google Calendar to save you time and help you organize multiple schedules.

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Virtual Enterprise is a student-run “virtual” business model created by a team of  students with the guidance of a teacher and outside business partners who help by providing expertise in their respective fields.   The students learn entrepreneurship, business planning, problem-solving, teamwork, economics, human resources, sales and marketing skills.

This years’ project was called “A Yacht of Fun”, you can learn more about this virtual business here…

Virtual Enterprise has been an integral part of Business Education in European schools for decades and in the U.S. there are now close to 200 schools using the program.  Kapaa High School is currently the only school in Hawaii offering the program to its seniors,  however I believe it is a program that should be adapted by all schools as it is an amazing way to give students hands-on entrepreneurial experience.  If you have a high school aged student you might want to ask about it at your school.   To learn more about the program visit www.virtualenterprise.org.

The Kapaa High School Virtual Enterprise program is facilitated by veteran teacher, Chris Farina.  She does an absolutely amazing job of empowering and supporting her students in using their strengths and talents to collaborate and build their own virtual enterprise.

I was especially proud of the Technology Team’s accomplishment this year, with the creation of “A Yacht of Fun” website.  They built the site from the ground up in Dreamweaver which features a great design, shopping cart, photo gallery and Hawaiian music.   Way to go Stephan, Joseph and Bryan!

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I’ve used Lynda.com over the years to improve my skills in Dreamweaver and Fireworks  and I’ve used it with my elementary technology students and my home-schooled daughter, with great success too.  Check it out…

Lynda.com

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While we’re on the subject, I thought it might be a good time to re-print an article I wrote for the Kauai Business Report back in July 2008 on this very topic.  Enjoy….

Is it Time to Update Your Web Site?

Growth is an ever-present, integral part of a successful business. Like a well-tended garden, the growth of your business will remain vital and able to withstand the ever-changing landscape in market and economy. Your Web site is no different — the success of your Web site relies on the quality of attention and maintenance you put into it.  

Think about the ways your business has changed in recent years.  Maybe you’ve re-designed your logo, added staff, moved to a new location, added new products, expanded your service area, or won an award.  Your web site should reflect the growth and evolution of your business by offering current, relevant and valuable content for your customers.

The design of your website should work in harmony with the images and copy to create an “online ambiance” that makes a memorable and aligned impression of your business.  This can include professional photography and copywriting, new testimonials and customer reviews, video, links and downloads of any press or media coverage on your business.

To be most effective, your web site content should be updated on a regular basis.  There is no strict rule as to when you should update the structure (programming/coding) and “look and feel” (design) of your website.  However, every couple of years it’s a good idea to consider your web site’s overall effectiveness and it’s compliance with progressing technologies and browser versions.

When it’s time for a major re-design, be sure to consider the valuable feedback your web site visitors have provided over time, find better ways to organize your information, review your web site analytics for insight into areas needing improvement, and make sure that the search engine optimization of your web site are being reviewed and updated as well.

Whether you do these tasks in-house or outsource them, your web site is a marketing tool that can “work” for you 24/7 – if you keep it updated, current and fresh.

I am pleased to announce that Emagine Web Marketing and the Small Business Internet Marketing Blog have received a major over haul and re-design.  You might notice that Emagine has a new logo and that the portfolio site has been updated with recent projects and combined into one website with the Small Business Internet Marketing Blog.  The Blog categories and posts have been re-organized in the hopes of making it easier to find what you are looking for.

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I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with so many amazing small business people in our  island community.  Thank you to all of my valued clients – thank you for your confidence, support, referrals and friendship.  Thank you to those who have inquired or expressed interest in my services, and to all who subscribe to my blog.   I wish you all success and fulfillment in your lives and with your small businesses.

I hope that you find value in the information shared through my Internet Marketing blog and that you will let me know if there is a topic or subject you are especially interested in or have a question about that you would like me to cover in a future blog post.  I look forward to hearing from you!

With warm appreciation & aloha,

Michelle

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Read the article here…

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Another one of Deepak’s observations that I found particularly reassuring was that with chaos comes creativity.  He pointed out when people (for example our former president) are “so sure” that the way they are doing things is right – there is little or no room for creativity.  When we are unsure and feel the “chaos” of uncertainty we have the opportunity to look for creative solutions and answers.

I found myself relating this to how I feel in my line of work as a website designer.  There are times when I start to work on the design of a new project that it feels like chaos.  I begin with a handful of ideas ripped from newspapers and magazines, concepts scribbled on scraps of paper,  copy from the client, a bounty of fonts and color swatches to choose from,  as well as my perception of the client’s expectations swirling around me – add to that my expectations to create something stunning and brilliant and it all becomes a bit overwhelming.

Sometimes those early stages of the design process tick by ever so slowly as I see the hours racking up on my time sheet – questions like what if I never get it right?  What if the client doesn’t like what I come up with?  What if I burn up the whole website budget coming up with a design?  Not to mention comparing myself with other designers who I admire…lots of chaotic energy and uncertainty abound.

And then there are those moments when out of the seeming chaos everything starts to come together and the creativity begins to flow with little effort.  I forget about the time sheet and just know that the most important thing right here and now is being in the flow of creating a design that reflects my client’s essence and message.  The perfect images reveal themselves, the tools and skills that I need to implement the forming creation in my head all come to mind at just the right moment….and the design starts to take shape and fall into place.  The design may not be what I had originally envisioned but usually it is even better than expected – something unique and inspired… by a little chaos.  Had I been so sure of my abilities from the get go I know the outcome would have been a whole lot less inspired….

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening
that is translated through you into action,
and because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique.

If you block it,
it will never exist through any other medium
and be lost.
The world will not have it.

It is not yours to determine how good it is;
nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep the channel open.
You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.
You have to keep open and aware directly
to the urges that motivate you.

Keep the channel open.
No artist is ever pleased.
There is no satisfaction whatever at any time.
There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction;
a blessed unrest that keeps us marching
and makes us more alive than the others.”

–Martha Graham

There are plenty of times I’ve wanted to give up along the way, but when I look back at how much my work has evolved and consider all that I have learned since launching on this journey of self employment (and self discovery), I couldn’t be more grateful for it all – the clarity and the chaos.

I recognize many other examples in my own life, where it seems like there is so much chaos and uncertainty about what is the “right” thing to do (there are lots of those moments raising a 13 year old daughter).  However, when  I release to the uncertainty and chaos, in time the creative solutions and answers come quietly into view….

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I made the leap of faith to do what I love in 2001 and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  Sure it’s been a lot of work, but it’s been the most rewarding and fulfilling work I’ve ever done.  Enjoy!

How to Learn to Stop Worrying and Love Your Job

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