Carma Spence's Blog, page 222
June 11, 2012
You need an opt-in list
In this excerpt from my Sell More Books video, currently avaialble for free at www.dragonwyze.com/sellmorebooks, I talk about the importance of having an opt-in box on your website and building your opt-in list:
For more information about opt-in list-building, check out these previous posts:
Top Tactics for Building a Profitable Opt-In List
Video: Make your opt-in box attract your website visitors’ eyes
Video: Creative professionals need...
May 15, 2012
Be a frog … in a good way!
I read this story about how tadpoles become frogs and I love using it as an metaphor for how we should look at obstacles in our lives. I recently included this story in a speech I gave at the Toastmasters club and thought I’d share it with you.
May 13, 2012
Random web searches
[image error]This morning, I accidentally hit the space bar in my browser and the list of suggested search terms was as follows:
hollywood walk stars
windows system32 config system
hollywood walk of fame
cuban restaraunts in celebration florida
eating too much
praise the mighty name of jesus
membrane bioreactors and molecular seives
book excerpt charlotte’s web
(The spelling mistakes are not my own.)
This means that the people who entered these search terms … and there would more than one for each term for these to...
May 11, 2012
Nobody Help Me
[image error]Last night, around 12:15 am, I heard someone crying out in the alley behind my apartment. At first, I heard him say something about mercy. Then there as a loud bang and he started shouting, “Nobody help me!” This would be followed by a few explicatives.
As he passed the Red Rum dog, the dog began to bark. “Red rum! Red rum! Red rum!”
The man cussed at the dog and continued to shout, “Nobody help me! Oh God! Nobody help me!”
He pounded on a door and shouted again, “Nobody help me m_____ f_____!”
A...
May 2, 2012
Poetry in slow motion
[image error]Every morning I take a walk around town or along the beach for 40-60 minutes. I always take my camera with me just in case I see something I’d like to share with others or use as inspiration.
This morning, while walking back home from a workout at a local Curves, I took this picture along Alamitas Ave. There was something compellingly intimate about how these two lilies were growing together that stopped me in my tracks. After posting the image on Facebook, the following poem came flowing out....
March 20, 2012
What Green Lantern taught me about courage
[image error]Yesterday, I watched Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds as the DC Comics hero. It was a fun flick … but it also had a pretty profound underlying message.
The premise of the story is that there is an intergalactic police force who harnesses the green energy of will to keep the peace. Their biggest enemy is Parallax, who harnesses the yellow energy of fear. You see, fear is the natural enemy of will.
And, if you think about it … that's very true.
[image error]At one point, Sinestro (one of the green lantern ...
March 6, 2012
Evolutionary reluctance
[image error]In the most recent issue of Penn State's Research magazine, which I receive because I'm a member of the National Association of Science Writers, there was a little article that caught my eye. It was titled "High school biology teachers reluctant to endorse evolution in class."
I find this concept somewhat shocking. According to the article, "the majority of public high school biology teachers are not strong classroom advocates of evolutionary biology … despite forty years of court cases that h...
February 26, 2012
Half-Birthdays
[image error]Today is my half-birthday.
How do I know? Well, today also happens to be my father's birthday.
When I was little, I used to get ViewMaster slides for half-birthday presents on my dad's birthday. My favorite ones involved Winnie-the-Pooh and the one I best remember is Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree.
Receiving these gifts made me feel special and connected. I was Daddy's Little Girl and I thought the world of him. To this day, I feel a special connection to my father and have been missing him ...
February 19, 2012
Interesting exchanges
[image error]I've just had the most interesting day filled with wonderful and, at times odd, male attention. In fact, some of it was so odd I just have to blog about it!
The day started off with a nice IM chat with someone I've "met" at OKCupid, a dating website. It was filled with light-hearted fun and laughter. Very pleasant.
But that's not what I want to blog about.
Ever have a snippet of time that you thought was going to go one way, only to have it go in an altogether different direction?
That's what I w...
February 18, 2012
Loyal to the garden
[image error]I had an interesting dream last night. I dreamed I was working for a computer company that had a big office building with very few people working in it. Some of my friends from past jobs worked there. I was only there temporarily but, was doing my best work for them.
One day, I go to the break room and I happen upon this guy I like (currently). He's someone who has stopped contacting me so, to respect his space, I don't actively acknowledge him and go about my business getting a cup of water.
H...
