2008 April — Allison Reynolds

April 24, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Scarcity, Hype and Self Pity – My Beechworth Story

Beechworth Bakery - Bill Thompson I so was not going to post this, but blergh what the hey, in these days of extreme transparency why not let it all hang out a bit.

Writing a blog under your own name means that some of the real life stuff that happens will eventually, somehow, seep into the bits of information you really want to blog about. I learned from Caroline Middlebrook’s blog on the effect of being honest about real life events. Mind you what is happening in my life at the moment is nowhere near as traumatic as what was happening to Caroline, but still it is having an affect.

Cutting a long story short, the large multinational TLA IT company I work for has outsourced their entire network division to another large multinational IT TLA. This is proving to be a very difficult process and day 1 is May 1st. This means I am working my butt off (despite my regular tweets on twitter) and dealing with the angst of 70 people, most of whom are lost, disillusioned and pretty much at the end of their tether as the debacle transition drags on and on.

Now mix that with my desire to go to the Immediate Edge Beechworth conference which runs from the 26-28th of April. Right through the middle of me having to herd cats and hand out Kleenex. I knew this some months ago when the conference was first announced and I was cool with it. “it’s OK” I told myself ” There will be other conferences, probably not this year, but one day”.

It is NOT OK I want to be there *stamps foot*. I want to hang out with the smart people and learn all the stuff they know. I want to meet people I let influence me, in person, shake their hands and have a laugh. I want to learn the “secret sauce”. I sound like a 5 year old with all the “I want” statements, but I really DO want.

Stepping back from myself here, I know that I am being manipulated by stuff.

Scarcity – the thought of a one off or a special event will motivate people more than a season ticket. How many people buy a season ticket and only go once or twice. Gym memberships and membership sites of all kinds bank on the fact that only 20% or less of the population will be motivated enough to use their membership to its full potential.
Hype – the crowd that I hang out with and give permission to influence me are mostly going to Beechworth. They get excited…I get excited
Self Pity – I was watching Tony Robbins’ TED Talk (and I am no Tony Robbins Fan grrl) and one of his statements jumped out at me in relation to how i am feeling. While the circumstances conspired to stop me getting to Beechworth it was me who was not resourceful enough to make it happen. No point pitying myself, it is time to look at and learn from this experience.

So [goddam it, huge chunk of blog post disappears due to WP throwing toys out of the pram] from memory I said, I can recognise why I feel this way, and it is the sort of urgency and desire I want to engender in others when it comes to making them buy things. Also, if I really want something and feel it is worthwhile then I should be pushing harder to make it happen.

Apologies for the self-absorbed meanderings!

/end rant

Filed Under: Me-anderings Tagged With: beechworth, ed dale, hype, immediate edge, scarcity, self pity, ted talks

April 23, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-23

@DanRaine Pick me up a Macbook Pro please… #
Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking? #
@liubinskas nope…always do it #
@webword me either lol! #
@stilgherrian that cracked me up … #
@harmonicbarbie with the HK dollar being linked to the US dollar, Australian dollars should go a looooong way at the moment…Canadian $? #
@TroyMcDonald you have a HUGE head http://twurl.nl/bh4kp1 #
@liubinskas read globers as gobblers….still made sense #
One week till my last day with this large multinational TLA IT company…start the next day with a large multinational TLA in the same p … #
@harmonicbarbie from what I understand the Macbook Pro in Australia is horribly overpriced com[pared to US etc.. #
@gurubob too true...mentally fatiguing as your left brain keeps cycling through trying to move from unfinished list to finished list #
@harmonicbarbie you will be ASSIMILATED by the HAPPY FACE...feel your facial muscles pulling up into a cheerful yellow faced grin #
At times like these it is best to ask "What would McGyver do" #
@AndrewNez Russel Coight Top Bloke! #
@Bill_Thomson wondering what call you are talking about #
@pureCaffeine sorry I am 25klms away #
If anyone is planning to shop at Myer today or tomorrow, I have the flyer here for Family and Friends discounts. DM for a copy #
Can you not see Frank Kern joining this religion? http://www.dudeism.com/ What do you think ? #
home ...thank gawd #
If you aren't living on the edge, then you are taking up too much room [insert affiliate link here] #
Cooking a roast chicken dinner tonight, too many nights eating out have put 300grams on me… well that and only hitting the gym 1in 5 days #
@AsbjornRiedel you are a superman! #
@dekrazee1 they will be offering with a rubber check or a way to get your bank details…watch out #
@gurubob yes…never look up mung *gags* #
@john_reese http://www.wikihow.com/Count-Sheep #
Retweeting @lu_lu: i just want some w … <– what does Lu_lu want that she can pay with 5c pieces and starts with a W… #
If you are standing still, you are going backwards fast. – Jack Gibson #
@lyynx hilarious! #
@sethyates I used to work at the casino….ran their voice network #
Ahh Fail Blog you amuse me http://twurl.nl/l6fgfm #
Looking for my ugh boots #
@john_reese There are those suited for a single focus, and some like me who love to spread out all over. Both have their place #
Is your PENI handicapped? <– hhahaha love viagra spam #
Poll: Sphynx Cat or Furred Cat? http://twurl.nl/t56q84 #
Retweeting @gurubob: @Ed_Dale Make sure to give Dan a hearty Melbourne welcome from GuruBob! <– with tongue #
@Bill_Thomson heh if you get a photo of same, make sure you post it somewhere! #
Blogging from the North Pole http://twurl.nl/stggyg Cool! Do you think they saw Santa Claus? #
wow tokyo-ites love twitter http://www.twitterlocal.net/stats #
yay! Sydney is beating Melbourne in Twitter posts… all is as it should be #
@DanRaine As long as they wore the rubber gloves and you didn’t clench it should all be OK. Welcome to Australia! #
in 2 years, 7 months, 8 days, 13 hours, 16 minutes I will be leaving corporate life….meanwhile I am off to sleep away 8-10 hours of that #
@andrewbarnett I think we need to battle to teh death…after the anzac day long weekend though #
@andrewbarnett actually it would be so easy to rort the numbers with a no-follower account. #
LunaKit and I are isin bedz…nite! #

Filed Under: Distractions

April 22, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-22

I am sooooooooooooo hungry #
@griffmiester arggghhhhhhh #
@griffmiester I knowwwwwwwwwwww…..do do do dododo dododo *clap* *clap* clap* #
@aeoth try graysonline.com.au #
@griffmiester how’d the presentation go? #
I can see @silkcharm and I can see @problogger and I can see you too @sethyates #
going through the arched window #
@harmonicbarbie they get the ghey #
@harmonicbarbie lol sorry…it is an internet term that is best describeed by urban dictionary http://twurl.nl/p38ql6 #
@harmonicbarbie hehe…if I am saying it…it is probably innapropriate #
time to head on out of here #
arghh my timeline is all over the place….the space time continuum is broken, where is my flux capacitor #
going out with sisters and mother….first time in nearly a year(?) ….being a good westie and hitting up Mounties for the beestro #

Filed Under: Distractions

April 21, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-21

eating an apple and doing expenses #
home….today rated about a 4.5 out of 10. Totally sucked #
@Bill_Thomson Too true Bill and thanks #
Cooking home made pizza and taking a couple of panadol for a pounding headache #
@danraine bloody twitter is broken so I never got the message re the test ….just incase you were counting on the numbers #
Retweeting @pureCaffeine: Fix missing tweets (auto unfollow/follow) http://twitter.bodyvisual.com/missing/ (thanks @goaldeebug) yay! #
Chicken and broccolli pizza …tum! #
hahah read the following presentation as "On Photocopying" http://tinyurl.com/49x9rf #
@preneur that is an awesome idea and one I was thinking about for Aussie wood pens…I would so buy one #
@preneur @Bill_Thomson http://twitter.bodyvisual.com/missing/ #
Kicking back with a decaf and StumbleOn movies… #
and StumbleOn is down #
@WillHughes women looking for a partner who can cook AND clean #
@nickhodge aeoth is so waving around his e-penis #
@aeoth that is not such a bad thing if you have something to wave about (hides her 8800GTX) #
@NickHodge yar i knows #
@NickHodge I has SLi….nom nom nom #
shit now I am waving my e-penis around #
@NickHodge heh hardly….X2 Dual Core Processor 6400+ at 3200MHz #
@Bambi_C gop here, do this..it will work for a bit http://twitter.bodyvisual.com/missing/ #
@Bambi_C gop = go….my fingers are gibberers #
@lyynx have you cleared your twitter cache? #
deleted 6000 emails #
i can has sleeps now #
>}}}}}:-
http://tinyurl.com/4kz27d #

Filed Under: Distractions

April 21, 2008 By Allison 3 Comments

The Day That Twitter Died.

[Not to be confused with the "Death of Twitter" which will be announced by some internet marketer soon]

If you are in the know then you already have a Twitter account. There are plenty of pieces written on the joys of Twitter. How it is micro-blogging, life in 140 characters, indispensable for those that want to keep people in touch. Or as the oldies (certainly not this spring chicken) would say, very Gen Y.

Seriously though, why would you want to keep the world abreast of your every waking moment, or follow those that do?

The Twitterer

You may tweet on about the crap day you are having, or the time it took to get to work this morning, but you also occasionally link to something cool you saw, an opinion piece you wrote or something you want to buy. Why is that important to those that follow you? Because in following you they have voluntarily put you in a position of influence.

Now not everyone on Twitter knows, cares or understands that, but to those who want to get that much closer to their audience/market, Twitter is an invaluable tool just for that very reason. Using Twitter removes the 6 degrees of separation that can exist in other mediums, and allows you to whisper directly into the waiting ears of your your followers. This is pretty powerful stuff.

Who do you Tweet to…and why?

The Tweetee

As a consumer of tweets do you have any responsibility? Not really. You can lurk, and compile and consume. Sure it doesn’t add much to the Twitterverse to just exist, but you are under no obligation to contribute to the many voices and opinions.

The term “silent majority” wasn’t just something some guy made up one day. Society is mostly silent, and even the anonymity of the internet will not induce them to tell us what they had for breakfast. Be aware though, if you are following many people and few follow you, then you could be marked as a potential spammer and blocked by people you would like to follow. It is in your best interests to say something, anything, so others will find you interesting enough to allow to influence them.

I hand pick those I follow because I am interested in, and learning from, their informative tweets. If you talk too much garbage I am going to let you go.

At the time of writing Twitter is experiencing some form of malfunction that has interfered with the normal ebb and flow of statements and replies. Twitterers and Tweetees are seeing disjointed conversations (if you have ever used IRC and been through a Netsplit you may have a bit of an idea what I am talking about). This has brought home to many just how much they rely on the words and opinions in real-time of those they follow. You don’t always know what you’ve got till it’s gone is working right now in Twitter. let’s hope they get it together soon before the chattering crowd finds another medium to get up close and personal with each other.

Filed Under: Tools Tagged With: allison reynolds, influence, tweet, twitter

April 20, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-20

think my internetz tubez are on the fritz #
ponders on a site that hase an animated favicon…wonder how they did that #
Blogged Indie Clothes – Do NOT Tell My Mother: Erm yes well Indie Clothes lovers a "friend&q.. http://tinyurl.com/6b3rxh #
You spraying cockroaches @stilgherrian ? #
Oh wow Twitter just spat out a heap of tweets in all sorts of odd order #
@stilgherrian retract that….you older tweet came in after I posted #
ok this is funny but I do NOT know why http://twurl.nl/0qeve3 #
going to gym #
back from gym, was watching the 2020 summit on the walking machine. #
eating pitted dates and drinking decaf #
Exercising brain playing online mahjong #
@NathanRidley I hope so because her one looks like a huge mess of jumbled words to me…way too busy and cluttered #
Beware the iconoclast ! points at @stilgherrian #
@NathanRidley please don’t make it mega cluttered Most people buying from them are web n00bs and shouldn’t have to fight through crap #
getting my tattoo touched up tonight…feeling unmotivated to get ready though #
@griffmiester nice…im totally like 3 #
wtf…carlton is winning? #
all cool…I tipped them to win…resume normal transmission now #
Back from tatooist…he had a headache so I canned it til he felt better #
@Marketing_Queen Yep…learned my lesson 10 years ago when i got my nipple pierced by a woman with a headache…took her 4 goes to get it #
@Marketing_Queen straight…closest I have ever come to fainting #
from http://xkcd.com/305/ comes http://wetriffs.com/ I LOVE THE INTERNETZ #
@Marketing_Queen I can’t see nick hodge twittering at all #
reminds me of an IRC netsplit #
@aussienick ouch #
@aeoth im still not getting his tweets #
@andrewbarnett I can’t see you either #
ok picked up some of the covo via quotably.com but bleh…bed time I think….twitter heal thyself! #

Filed Under: Distractions

April 19, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-19

@OzaMeilleur OZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA good morning to you! #
Playing online mah jong while eating raisin toast + banana. Drinking a nice hot decaf #
@lyynx you dcreate the page then go to feedburner or the like and link to it …it should pick up automatically #
To-Do List …move new domains onto my nameserver, install wordpress blogs on all, install storestacker on all. twitter incessantly #
@kerryank I have been pondering your use pic for ages…is it a blue frog? #
@kerryank well I put up a test one just to get my head around it. I have to work out how to integrate into current site theme #
@kerryank this weekend is where I will be trying to get some decent enough to make money from any traffic #
@kerryank it is software that bolts your affiliate ebay, amazon, clickbank and adsense accounts to whatver keyword products you give it #
@allisonr it is not an ecommerce solution for your own product #
@kerryankThat’s the one #
im having a twitter shocker…kick in decaf..kick in #
@kerryank ooh tell me how you go with that…most interested! (and good luck #
All domains on my nameserver – tick #
@aussienick that is totally fucked #
@griffmiester camtasia does it #
Task list 13 WordPress Blogs installed – Tick. Now for the crap part…upgrading to 2.5 #
Choosing Themes while each upgrade happens…makes the process a little less boooorrrrriiiinnnnngggg #
@andrewbarnett im not going to maintain them all myself they are mostly front ends for niche shopping portal thingos (I think) #
@andrewbarnett i dont know about mu …reading now for what it is all about #
Now this looks like an awesome competiton…if you have time http://twurl.nl/bkdte7 #
@andrewbarnett is that multiple blogs on subdomains or on their own domain? #
@andrewbarnett 12 hours sleep has made me dopey… #
@stilgherrian not racism…stereotyping yes #
@andrewbarnett still thanks for that… I was thinking about that when contemplating what domain would be good for subdomains #
Retweeting @DanRaine: Getting ready to give $20,000 worth of prizes to Thirty Day Challenge members… *allison’s reaction* WEEEEEEEEEEE … #
@ShannonCole night Shannon #
http://twurl.nl/cw525x <– just checked to see how Twitter’s Buzz is growing #
http://twurl.nl/wo1zzt <– twitter vs facebook . Now that is an interesting result! #
@dekrazee1 watched that a week or so ago…so dry, so witty, so fiunny! #
@Ed_Dale has a chubby! http://twurl.nl/pi4mt3 #
@Bill_Thomson I am teh queen of the double entendre *wink* #
@Bill_Thomson say no more #
@john_reese here here, totally agree #
@Bill_Thomson Ahh Bill how I wish I could. My "day job" interferes right at the wrong time. #
need moar bandwidth…used 11 gig in 8 days #
@Bill_Thomson Aww thanks Bill…keep us all updated by twitter while you are there please #
@AndrewNez Second Bill’s comment ! Love the blog! #
@AndrewNez especially love the ted ledgend pick favicon #
@harmonicbarbie have funnnnnnnnnnnn! #
Still updating blogs to 2.5. … #
@stilgherrian http://twurl.nl/cqzfgl <– like that? #
@stilgherrian http://twurl.nl/23bu0c <- or that? #
@stilgherrian http://twurl.nl/5py1nz <– or maybe that? #
@WillHughes but did it fire blanks? #
Yep the AFL and NRL need to set up twitter bots for scores. #
24 blogs updated to 2.5…time for a decaf! #
@stilgherrian excellent…it is hedgehog not porcupine…which will probably help with your search #
swans are going down the toilet #
@stilgherrian yes I think whoever made them wasn’t on mothers little helpers #
Retweeting @lu_lu: sitting in the waiting room shivering you would be shivering too if you knew someone was about to milk your anal glands. #
@lu_lu you going to put that on YouTube? #
my twhirl keeps failing to update #
@wembley ahh thanks…as long as it isn’t me #
Feeling weird reading the fansite of someone famous I know… #
Updated weekly video on my blog http://twurl.nl/vf06ux #
whatever just erupted from the bowels of my cat smells like death and hell…and she just sits there smiling serenly #
Bed time…a very productive day. Tomorrow setting up stats and forums on blogs…and buying school shoes Fun! #

Filed Under: Distractions

April 19, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Glorious Failure

Those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed. Lloyd Jones

Have you ever wanted to succeed at something so badly only to have it just flop like a really bad souffle. That is the way I think about my attempt at setting up a fund raising site for research into Multiple Sclerosis. Even though I think the principle behind the site is sound, I think what I know know about internet marketing could have helped.

Let’s do a recap on the site.

Name: www.netxperiment.com

Explanation: The site allows for people to donate as little as US$1 and nominate words linked to a URL. The more you donate the bigger the font those words are printed in. The contributor cloud is the domain’s home page and where all of the contributors are displayed.

The site was supported by a blog I was writing that kept up to date with the latest MS information and news/links to other MS related sites. The blog was quite popular and through the blog I was drawing interest to the Netxperiment page.

The site launched well and soon had a PR3 rating which made it more attractive for online entities to grab that link.

Then several events hit in succession that put all work on the site on hold.

During the launch I started to experience some migraine like headaches. I don’t usually get headaches so this was something notable. After they did not abate it was determined by my neurologist that I most probably had a brain fluid leak. I spent some 3 months laying down in the dark not doing very much due to confusion and pain the headaches were causing.

I slowly recovered and tried to pick up the reins again and relaunch, but again circumstances intervened and I had to let things go again. This time my son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Totally unexpected (he had kept some things hidden very well) and top priority as you can imagine.

Here we are down the track and things have returned to some form of normality (as normal as it get around here) and I am looking at what i can do to relaunch and renew interest in the cause.

So what is the plan?

Drive more traffic to the site using what I have learned through niche marketing
Get more people involved with creating buzz
Approach some big names to see if I can be linked to a product launch and garner a small amount of their sale
Raise my profile so people are more trusting of my motives to raise the money

To that end I have purchased www.multiple-sclerosis-symptoms.info and www.multiple-sclerosis-symptoms.org (both .com and .net are long gone) on the basis of 440 searches a day on that phrase. It will be a little bit of work to get them up in the top 10 due to the hyphenated names and the lack of .com but I will give it a shot.

Next will be the creation of the network of information articles and possibly revival of the blog, and a revamp of the site itself. I need to raise the site to appear as “professional” as possible if I have any chance of attracting a big name angel to help in my goal.

If you have any suggestions, or are willing to help me out, please leave a note in the comments section. Of course if you wish to donate to the cause then please read the instructions on the site and donate away!

Filed Under: Projects Tagged With: allison reynolds, multiple sclerosis sypmtoms, netxperiment

April 18, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-18

@andrewbarnett oooh I manage one of you guys…GORGEOUS eyelashes #
@Ed_Dale Hair is looking Tyra Banks fiiiiine #
I believe wealth accelerates when one stops being afraid to NOT pursue some great ideas (@john_reese said) #
Lotus Notes failure ….lotus notes failure… aeeiiiieeeee productivity drops to zero #
My 6 IBM shares are looking good after the earnings announcement yesterday. Gone up $50 ea since I bought them 6 years ago #
OMG TED talks is coming to Australia!!! #
sorry guys in a meeting here is the URL for the TED talks in Australia http://twurl.nl/xcl2xc #
pissed off early because tomorrow is saturday ….yay!! #
@smallkathryn reminds me of the threesome I had with two vietnamese foot masseuses. Those women know how to inflict pain and not leaveamark #
heh found my old blog post about the threesome with the vietnamese masseuses http://twurl.nl/xwhtqf #
@stilgherrian lol…was that you? *giggles* #
@stilgherrian read them both and like the way you think thankyou for you input to my children’s future #
I love coriander #
@mikemindel recently I have been having that issue too, and the cookie timing out immediately. I put it down to a flock incompatibility. #
@mikemindel if you requery it all works #
cut-paste-save cut-paste-save cut-paste-save …getting my $1 worth #
time for a decaf #
last ad…must remember to go to the chemist toorrow #
making myself happy by looking up keyword phrases #
interesting…atheists are no longer the most despised religious group in the USA http://twurl.nl/mb41yx #
@dailytwitter have you net read Stephen King’s "the Mist"? Watch out for pteradactyls #
to quote Rodney Rude…you know what I hate? Bloggers who don’t attribute or link to their source…that’s what i hate #
@dailytwitter oh its some of his earlier stuff so a bit …amateurish in bits… I believe they made a movie of it. http://twurl.nl/v1nr3p #
@dailytwitter Yes …a little lighter maybe *snickers* #
@NathanRidley welcome about Nathan! #
@NathanRidley aboard too lol #
@stilgherrian that’s fine to ask if you have a 12 inch dick and are gorgeous. #
@dailytwitter Yes that is my idea. I have MS and started to raise money last year, then my son was diagnosed as being bipolar so I let it go #
@stilgherrian I will pick it up again when I get more momentum…it does give pr2 links for a dollar if you wanted to donate #
@stilgherrian oops miss tweet! #
@dailytwitter I will pick it up again when I get more momentum…it does give pr2 links for a dollar if you wanted to donate #
@stilgherrian Cleo Batchelor of the Year? #

Filed Under: Distractions

April 17, 2008 By Allison Leave a Comment

Twitter Updates for 2008-04-17

@john_reese wow in australia nachos would be 12-15 in a restaurant and we are almost a $1- $1 exchange rate #
this meeting has the ghey fer sure #
totally relieved that @stilgherrian did not tag me for hhis 8 facts fun #
retweeting @gurubob: Simplicity, carried to an extreme, becomes elegance – Jon Franklin; love this quote, thx Rob! (@harmonicbarbie said) #
home from another day in hell #
@lyynx u is my bestest friends for evas #
ok combination short soup devoured…time for some serious surfing #
1st Watching @SilkCharm on Australian TV explaining Social Networking Sites to plastic TV morons http://twurl.nl/ert1gi #
http://twurl.nl/8ngf1m <– discovered my blog is number 2 dor search term "how to turn a website idea into a reality" in the uk #
dates and a decaf for dessert #
watches @innes movie and can’t help but think of Star Wars Kid #
@angesbiz who what where how? #
I swear I stopped following that bitch… #
http://twurl.nl/gslnzd <- too much time on your hands, a couple of hundred bottles of wine? A love of Super Mario? Win! #
4@stilgherrian ia that like "my arse , your face" kind of thing? #
@cmiddlebrook Thankyou for the comment on the blog. Much Appreciated #
@aeoth aww…but you can’t kill kids in red alert 3….ripped off! #
Lisa Hartwell has gone crazy on my Fun Wall #
pinned down by my bald purring pussy.. #
@audiomarketing heh was fun seeing the emails come flooding in #
@audiomarketing yeah i have sworn off walls unless I am making a personal post on an individual’s..too easy to get everyone #
Looking for some ideas for my friend’s coffee shop site video. What would you like to know about good coffee? #
<— drinks decaf so is not up with all the java palava #

Filed Under: Distractions

The Twitterer

The Tweetee

So what is the plan?

The Author