How many times have you heard this?

Maybe you’ve bought a List Building Program.

Invested in pop-ups, added your opt-in box in multiple places, tried header/footer options…blah,blah, blah. You get it.

Before we get into this plugin, which is still FREE… I just want to talk for a few minutes about this whole ‘list building’ thing.
Bear with me- it won’t really be a rant, just some insight and hard-learned lessons!

When I started this blog 4 years ago I already KNEW I was supposed to be building my list.
I was just  a total skirt about it.

Because I wasn’t really sure where I was going with this site and I didn’t know what type of free offer to provide, I wasn’t really smart about “building my list”.

More than not being smart, I was letting FEAR get in the way.

Fear of offending someone.

Fear of NOT getting subscribers.

Fear of GETTING subscribers… (now what? What do I email them about? Do I have to do this weekly? Do I name my newsletter?)

Fear of SELLING to my subscribers.

Fear of UNSUBSCRIBE.

You get the point.

I won’t get into the psychology of “FEAR” here (my ego still can’t swallow that I allow FEAR to get in the way. On a DAILY basis)- but at some point you simply have to “suck it up soldier”.

And in the wise words of NIKE, Just Do It! (yes, I totally just quoted a commercial).

The reality is…

You’re GOING to offend someone.

You WILL get subscribers.

You’ll FIGURE out your mailings (I’m still working on that one).

You HAVE to sell to your subscribers (you’re in business, right? Just don’t be a numpty about it).

You WILL get people unsubscribing.

Once you’ve accepted these facts AND… understand that it’s just part of building a business, it’s much easier just to get on with things. STICK WITH IT! Measure what works, what doesn’t and ALWAYS provide value (free OR paid!).

Onto the Plugin! 

First, you WILL have to opt-in to receive the plugin. But once you see this, I don’t think you’ll mind.

The plugin is developed by a company called LeadBrite.

LeadBrite is a new company started by Clay Collins. I’ve been following Clay for a couple years now and just like his style. Gone are the days of simply mailing and launching shit. I’m all about people who engage, blog and share (call me an idealist- but I think you’ll agree the smarmy ways are more a thing of the past now).

Enter “Welcome Gate”

What is Welcome Gate? Let’s just go straight to the video, shall we?
(And if you’re wondering when I’ll put “Welcome Gate” on this site- the answer is next week! Just tweaking a few things).

Enjoy the video- let me know what you think!

Mind you, we’re not just talking about constantly reading- I’m usually reading anywhere from 3-5 books at a time (totally depends on my mood, what can I say? The 10 years I spent in the book industry just made me that much more of a fiend).

SO, to me, it makes PERFECT sense that I start sharing some of the things I’m reading with YOU!

No, I’m not going to start doing fiction book reviews here (truth be told I probably read more non-fiction now that I do fiction, but I’ve always got one novel I’m reading for those times when my brain just CANNOT handle any information and I need to shut it down to go to sleep!).

The books I review on this site will be relevant to business, marketing and claiming your space in the world with what you have to offer.

I’ve actually got a few books lined up to share on The WordPress Chick with you, but after having done “My Manifesto”, I knew I needed to start with “The Fire Starter Sessions” by Danielle LaPorte.
This is “THAT” kind of book.

You know the kind I’m talking about.

Where you want to highlight, make notes in it- TEAR out specific pages and pin them above your desk?

I’ve actually already ordered this book for a couple friends.

Yep. It’s THAT GOOD!

Onto the review.

The Fire Starter Sessions

The first thing I HAVE to start with is the way this book is laid out. THANK YOU!

The pages are not laid out like a typical book- they’re laid out more like a blog post  (a well laid out blog post).
There are HEADLINES, BOLD statements, italics, lists, white space (when needed), FULL pages with ONE statement.

You get the drift.
(see what I’m doing here? I actually prefer writing EMAILS this way now too… it’s SO much easier on the eyes and simply more fun to read. go figure)

I don’t quite remember when I started subscribing to Danielle LaPorte’s blog, probably a little late to the game on that one, but I’m a firm believer that “when the student is ready, the teacher appears”.

Danielle’s blog was one of the first marketing blogs I’d come across where she gave solid, tangible, awesome content- but was also a ‘real person’. She shared her ups & downs, frustrations, successes… all of it (and she’s got a saucy romance going on with the English language! The woman can WRITE!).

It was beyond refreshing. 

There weren’t ‘packaged coaching’ programs, three different levels of high-end programs you could join (for a few months of mortgage payments, your first born and the commitment to join the ‘herd’) or anything that remotely resembled a ‘one-size’ fits all solution.

The book is divided into 3 parts (and multiple ‘Sessions’ in each part).

Part 1 – MOJO
Part 2 – MOXIE
Part 3 – RESULTS 

I was hooked at the disclaimer.

We all love stories (don’t even say you don’t, you know you do). Danielle shares stories in that way that makes you take a deep breath and let out a huge sigh, knowing you’re not the only one (questioning giving up the gig that EVERYONE else thinks you should take, stick with, commit to, etc.).

Time to make a BOLD STATEMENT of my own.
I’ve always had the feeling that there is something specific that I’m supposed to do with my life – and it includes speaking and teaching to the masses. 

Back to the book.

In Session 2, The Metrics of Ease, one of my favorite sections was:
“Have Bright Faith”
The kind of faith that is the “Holy cow, I’m standing at the beginning of something that is so insanely ripe with potential that I wanna get naked and roll all over it right now while singing rock opera… kind of faith”.

Oh- and did I mention that the book comes with worksheets?
It TOTALLY does!
And none of them are named “Your 5 Year Plan, Goals, or Your BIG Vision” (no, not dissing any of that… but there’s something about that language that makes me want to just take a nap).
Try THESE on for size:

• Passion Play
• Deconstructing Fear
• The Stop-Doing List
• What Business Are You Really In?
• Freely Associating With Money

And that’s just a sampling… there are 19 worksheets in the book…which, clearly, is so much more than a book.

I think my friend Steve summed up this book better than any review could…”I’m almost done with The Fire Starter Sessions and I don’t want it to end! I want more!”
To which of course I replied, “did you do all the worksheets?”… haha.. he’s got a little more time with ‘The Fire Starter Sessions’ (I’m just starting my worksheets… on reading #2).

Creating, building and BELIEVING in your own business takes SO much more than good planning and the right tools.

The Fire Starter Sessions is for ANY Entrepreneur who knows that the way things have been done (interpretation: Old School) isn’t working anymore, doesn’t ‘feel right’ (not that you need it, but this book gives you permission to TRUST YOUR GUT!) and who wants to play a bigger game- WHATEVER that looks like!

There you have it.
My first ‘official’ book review on ‘The WordPress Chick’.

And now that the lovely state of California has wised up on this whole affiliate thing, you can purchase your OWN copy of “The Fire Starter Sessions” by Danielle LaPorte through my Amazon link below.
And if you’ve read it- LET ME KNOW what you think! I’ll be posting my review on Amazon too!

Can you ever have TOO many fun icons?

Yea, I’m going to go with a “No” on that! These aren’t brand new sets, they’re just revamped and updated social media icon sets! I actually do have some fun new summer icons coming out that I can’t wait to share with you (in addition to being a geek about the visual stuff on the web, I’m a TOTAL nut about ‘seasons’.
Summer time?
I have Hawaiian scented candles, air freshners, you name it.
In the fall? I’m all about pumpkin & apples & cinnamon. You get the idea).

So, of course the next set of icons will be summer related! I’m SO all over the sunshine right now (think it hit about 80 here yesterday… got in a little pool time. It was quite lovely if I do say so myself!).

ANYWHO…

This will be a super quick post- but I just wanted to make sure to let everyone know that I’ve updated the coffee icons to include a Pinterest and Google+  icon! I may be adding an email and ecommerce icon,  at the request of another reader. What do you think? Is that something you’d be interested in?
Let me know!

And I’ll be adding some more blogging icons to the WordPress blog icon set I released last year. So stay tuned for that too!

Don’t Miss the NEXT set of FREE icons!

Name:

Email:

You can download the coffee icon sets with the added Pinterest and Google+ icons below. Make sure to subscribe to the site so you don’t miss out on the next set of icons!

[button_round color="glossy-grey" url="https://s3.amazonaws.com/wpc-downloads/Coffee-Cup-Icons.zip"] Download Coffee Cup Icons [/button_round]

[button_round color="glossy-light" url="https://s3.amazonaws.com/wpc-downloads/Iced-Coffee-Icons.zip"] Download Iced Coffee Icons [/button_round]

In other words, are you doing it YOUR WAY?

Clearly this seems to be a pattern for me these days (my recent Manifesto posts) and a question I seem to be asking myself quite often.

Am I doing things MY WAY?

And no, I don’t mean in a half-ass, throw all caution to the wind kind of way.
I mean, “does this FEEL right for ME?”

No… I’m not going to get all “Woo Woo” on you (again). This is about really looking at what is right for YOUR business and YOUR brand.

Let’s take my site as an example.

The WordPress Chick

There’s not a whole lot of guessing in terms of what my site is about, right?
But WordPress is a pretty big niche… (I think if I knew how big WordPress was going to be when I purchased the domain name not sure I would have proceeded – it’s that fear thing again. Fortunately, as they say, ignorance is bliss!).

But, that I’ve been able to carve out a space in this niche is pretty friggin awesome!

BUT… when people come to my site, do they REALLY know what I do?

• Who I help?

• HOW I help?

• What I sell?

• What I teach?

Not so much.
ERROR Will Robinson!
(reference from ‘Lost in Space’.. OLD TV show.. before my time too… I’m just a geek about quoting things).

What does this mean?
Well, as I’ve been doing all this self-reflecting and declaring of BIG statements- it means I need to get my shizzle together on this site and make it crystal-frickin-clear what I do here.

No, I’m not changing themes or anything (that is a LOT of work doing a full site makeover… you’ll be seeing these colors for a while)- but I’m going to change up the homepage (in a pretty significant way), am moving a LOT of my videos somewhere else (coming soon… and nope, it’s not the video club.. more on that later) and am tweaking the way I do things in my business.

I think more than ANYTHING, as you’re building your business, your site, your brand, you CANNOT compromise when it comes to the way you do things. I don’t care how many guru’s, coaches, six-figure bloggers tell you otherwise.
Doing what someone else says you SHOULD do, when you know in your GUT it’s not who you are or what you WANT to do, will ultimately lead to misery and a lesson you don’t really need to learn.

And I’m not talking about those lessons where we gain wisdom and insight.

I’m talking about THOSE moments.. you know the ones…

“I’M NEVER doing something like that again” or, better yet, “I KNEW that wasn’t right, but I didn’t trust my gut” moments.

Ever had those moments?
Duh.
Of course you have (and feel free to share them below… there’s certainly something refreshing about sharing our mistakes publicly… all of the sudden they don’t seem like ‘mistakes’ anymore).
But I digress.

Back to Frank.

Whether or not you’re a Sinatra fan, you’ve probably heard the song “My Way” (if not, watch the video below, just a classic!).
The idea to create things that “Frank” would approve of came when I was talking to a good friend & fellow marketer about marketing, being yourself, blah, blah, blah.
(gone are the days of smarmy, crazy, hypey IM launches… they just don’t cut it anymore! AMEN!)

And it just seemed FUN!
SO now I have ‘Frank Approved’ posts.

I’ve always said I want this song played at my memorial service someday (might seem morbid, but it’s certainly a statement I intend to live up to), so I decided to make sure I’m LIVING my life and growing my business…

My Way.

So I’ve been playing with a few different calendar plugins and was completely geeked when I found this! Not only does it create an awesome looking calendar, but it also allows you to put a list of your events into a widget!

This plugin has tons of great features, but of course I figured the best way to demonstrate this plugin was to simply show you. There were a few different things I was looking for with a Calendar plugin and having already bought a few different plugins that looked cool, but didn’t really have the exact functionality I was looking for I figured it would make more sense to go back to the WordPress.org plugin directory (it had been a while since I checked the free calendar plugins).

So some of the features I was looking for with a calendar plugin were the availability to show the calendar by day, week or month as well as simple color customization (remember, I’m the geek about the visual stuff!).  I also wanted there to be a GOOD option for adding the calendar to widgets, setting recurring events and creating categories.

This has ALL that and WAY more!

Adding the calendar to your Site:

• To add the calendar to the page, you’re just going to use the shortcode “[calendar]” (don’t include the quotes though- I had to do that for the purpose of this post otherwise the calendar would pull into this page).

• To add the events to your sidebar widget, just add the shortcode “[eventlist]” to a text widget (you’ll see both of these demonstrated in the video).

[button_square color="grey" url="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ajax-event-calendar/"] Download Ajax Event Calendar [/button_square]

Take a look at the video to see how easy this is to install, set up and use.

Out of curiosity, I decided to look up the definition of Manifesto, just to make sure I wasn’t just having a Jerry Maguire moment. Here is the definition of Manifesto (according to Merriam-Webster):

Now that I’m a few days away from my rant, I’ve had some time to digest things.
(and btw… that felt REALLY good to do! Scary… but good!)
In the past year I’ve done a LOT of personal work (which has been ridiculously hard at times but the reward has been SO worth it!) which has also, for lack of a better word, forced me to take responsibility for my life in a way I’d never even thought possible (or necessary for that matter).

Don’t get me wrong- I’ve never been someone to pass the buck. I can remember when I realized it was just easier to say “I screwed up. I’m sorry. What can I do to fix/remedy the situation?” Doesn’t really matter if it was work or in my personal life – it ALWAYS felt better. This is a message I’ve been instilling in my kids for as long as I can remember.
(this is smacking of avoidance right now… so I’ll just move onto My Manifesto!)

You can actually ‘watch’ My Manifesto in the video below or read it. I figured if I’m going to GO BIG, then I may as well go for it all!

I’ll be printing this too and posting a picture! think I may do this poster size… hmm… (that’s for the creative in me!).

Lastly… PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE share your OWN Manifesto if you feel inclined to create it.

My Manifesto
by Kim Doyal

If it’s not FUN, I’m NOT doing it.

I will CHOOSE the clients and partners I work with. If it’s not a good fit, I’m wishing them well and moving on.

The QUALITY of My Life MATTERS.
Naps
Baths
Floating in the Pool… Are GOOD for my SOUL

My business thrives when I do what I ENJOY.  I start EACH day doing things that make me HAPPY.

CREATING and TEACHING is what I was MEANT to do.
I don’t have to be perfect to SHARE MY GIFTS WITH THE WORLD.

I Will Use MY VOICE!
Keeping quiet serves no one

My TIME and TALENT are NON-NEGOTIABLE

Guilt is a wasted emotion.

I CHOOSE to LET IT GO

TRUST & FAITH
Will ALWAYS be my FIRST choice

I know what MY INTENTIONS are
I will HOLD My Intentions as the FOUNDATION for EVERYTHING I do

Being LIKED by everyone is never a worthwhile GOAL

I will ALWAYS choose
Being KIND over
Being RIGHT
Even with MYSELF

Bad MOMENTS, Bad DAYS, and Bad WEEKS Happen.
This is simply LIFE. And it ALWAYS gets better.

My PRIMARY source of income in my business comes from MY PRODUCTS & TRAININGS.

NO.
Is a complete sentence.

I START my day with Exercise.

Life is BETTER when I do this.
I work better.
I laugh more.
I feel happier.

… and it’s O.K. to rest if that’s what I need.

DAILY meditation

Keeps me grounded and PRESENT throughout my day.
… as hard as it can be.
5 minutes is better than no minutes.

MY STORY
Is worth telling.

There is ALWAYS

Something to be GRATEFUL for.

Shame SUCKS.

Vulnerability is hard, but worth it.

Life feels SWEETER when I TRUST this.

I will

NEVER,
EVER,
EVER,

GIVE UP.

I appreciate good WIT & SARCASM.

Life is TOO SHORT to be so SERIOUS.

I

BELIEVE

In myself, in my KIDS, in Miracles, in happily every after, in laughing until it hurts, in loving with my WHOLE heart, in family, in LIFELONG friendships, that READING makes life richer, in TAKING RISKS, that it’s O.K. to get paid WELL, that creativity is NECESSARY for growth, that asking for help is NOT a sign of weakness, that smart women ROCK, that kind men are wise, that peanut butter & chocolate together are DIVINE, I am BLESSED, that hairstyles from the 80′s should NEVER come back, the word dillhole is just funny, Snoop-Dog needs his own dictionary (fo-shizzle), laughing babies can make ANYONE feel better, there’s no such thing as TOO MUCH coffee, the soundtrack to my LIFE would be a best-selling album and that EVERYONE should write their Manifesto.

It’s no secret I enjoy doing video!

O.K… I should clarify… I enjoy doing SCREEN capture Video! I know I need to get my mug in FRONT of the camera. And I will, it just means I need to start getting READY beforehand (fortunately my daughter is a rock star and will dry & flat iron my hair when she’s home! Anyone with thick hair will appreciate and understand that this is the ULTIMATE gift!).

Anywho… let’s get back to video!
I’ve been talking about WordPress and video and doing more teaching about this for a while. Well- wait no MORE! The time is here!

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the past couple of years you KNOW that at SOME point you need to start doing video. A lot of people may think that video isn’t relevant for their niche or market, but that’s absolutely NOT true!
Because I primarily do screen capture video I kept telling myself that I didn’t really need to get in FRONT of the camera – and I could probably continue going about things without ever doing that.

But where’s the fun in that?

I’ve got a few ideas for some really fun (or funny, IMHO) videos and I’ve started working on them already. You’ll get a glimpse into my personal life as well as my sense of humor (maybe more of a glimpse? Especially if you read part 1 of My Manifesto post!).

If you’re NOT sure where you should start with video or even HOW to start with video- then this webinar is for YOU!

Webinar details

I’ll be the guest presenter on a webinar this Thursday, March 22nd with Tea Silvestri (aka, The Word Chef) where I’ll show you HOW to get started with video & WordPress!
This is a totally free webinar! Click the button below to register.

[button_round color="green" url="http://bit.ly/word-chef-webinar"] WordPress & Video Webinar [/button_round]

Oh for the love…
I’m sitting here with butterflies in my stomach (the kind you get when you’re excited & nervous at the same time) and less than steady hands. I thought about starting this last night, but knew I’d have more courage in the morning.
So here I am.

It’s Sunday morning, I’ve finished my coffee (both cups), enjoyed the paper and am listening to Brene’ Brown’s new TED talk (just posted this month) called “Listening to shame” (I’ll embed the video at the end of the post. Take the time to watch it, it’s SO worth it!) for the 4th or 5th time.
Somehow it’s giving an me extra boost of strength to post this.

Clearly this isn’t going to be the type of post you’re used to reading on “The WordPress Chick”.

And that’s O.K.
I’m really doing this for me and trusting the pull that has brought me here.

I will tell you this is going to be LONG.

BUT... it’s hilarious and profound at the same time.

If this resonates with you- in ANY way- leave me a comment.
In the last year I’ve realized that sharing is more powerful than I ever imagined- and there’s a freedom & letting go that happens when we share.
Nuff’ said.

Here’s how this ALL came about.
It was one of THOSE days… You know what I’m talking about. One of those moments when you feel like crying (I did), curling up in a ball (I did) and punching someone in the face (I didn’t), all at the same time.

Fortunately a post by Ash Ambirge’ over at ‘The Middle Finger Project’ showed up with an audio clip (my friend Steve has now set this as my ringtone), which helped me move from angst to anger (not always the smart choice- but certainly makes it easier to finish working).
(Click the “Business is Bad” below to hear the clip)
Business is Bad

Then I inserted my foot in my mouth. I was SO fired up and pissed off about something that I got on my high horse, wrote the email and hit ‘send’.
Crap.
I knew the second I did it that I should have saved it as a draft and revisited- THE NEXT DAY (so awesome that as I write this I’m NOW remembering you can ‘unsend’ a message with gmail).
Oh well.
The consequence came (nothing horrific) and then one of my favorite words popped into my head.
NEXT.

What followed is something that has been whispering to me for a couple of years now.
(this isn’t even the woowoo part… hang in there, it’s coming)

STEP IT UP GIRL!

Yea, not really a whisper anymore.
It’s more like a shout and I can’t cover my ears anymore pretending I don’t hear it.

What you’re going to read below is a skype conversation I had with my good friend Steve O’Sullivan. Steve has an online business (he’s relaunching his site, so more on that later) and is also my cohort for the “WordPress Video Club” (coming SO soon!). He’s also stellar at pointing out what I’ve created and what I’m capable of (a virtual bow & hats off to you my friend!).

This conversation was later on in the evening on the same day I mentioned above.
Here’s my warning and disclaimer:

Warning: You’re probably going to get more of a glimpse into my personality than you ever have (or possibly wanted) as well as my sense of humor. There’s also language <swearing> that I don’t normally use on this site (I’ve yet to meet a plugin that makes me swear… close, but not yet).

Disclaimer: My ‘one of those’ days that I’m referring to came after I’d just about had it with a client, so it only makes sense to let ANY client I’ve EVER worked with know three things:

1. If you think this is you, it’s not. I can pretty much bet the farm this client doesn’t read this site.
2. Without you (my clients), I wouldn’t be where I am today- and I’m grateful for it all.
3. It’s time for a change.

So, without further ado, here is the skype conversation that birthed My Manifesto (part 2).

[3/6/2012 7:48:26 PM] Kim: oi!

[3/6/2012 7:49:07 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: Oi?

[3/6/2012 7:49:38 PM] Kim: how YOU doin?

[3/6/2012 7:49:43 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: LMAO

[3/6/2012 7:49:55 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: good, how YOU doin?

[3/6/2012 7:50:09 PM] Kim: um…

[3/6/2012 7:50:15 PM] Kim: still hating that client.

[3/6/2012 7:50:16 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: what’s up in the house YO!

[3/6/2012 7:50:20 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: fuckers

[3/6/2012 7:50:25 PM] Kim: realize though that that is ALL I’ve been focusing on

[3/6/2012 7:51:00 PM] Kim: no wonder I keep attracting MORE clients

[3/6/2012 7:51:07 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: ya, welll

[3/6/2012 7:51:11 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: thats what happens

[3/6/2012 7:51:17 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: ugh!

[3/6/2012 7:51:19 PM] Kim: well what????

[3/6/2012 7:51:43 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: you get more of what you focus on

[3/6/2012 7:51:53 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: whether you want it or not

[3/6/2012 7:51:54 PM] Kim: totally!

[3/6/2012 7:51:58 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: sucks, huh

[3/6/2012 7:52:02 PM] Kim: clearly I was confused..

[3/6/2012 7:52:31 PM] Kim: yep, BUT… at least I’m catching myself sooner

[3/6/2012 7:52:50 PM] Kim: can you handle some woowoo?

[3/6/2012 7:52:58 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: always

[3/6/2012 7:53:00 PM] Kim: haha…

[3/6/2012 7:53:10 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: how bout some woohoo!

[3/6/2012 7:53:41 PM] Kim: I honestly feel like I’m SUPPOSED to do something kind of drastic…. I don’t mean crazy or anything, but SERIOUSLY put it out there that I’m NOT taking clients.

[3/6/2012 7:53:53 PM] Kim: kind of change things around on thewphick..

[3/6/2012 7:54:08 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hick>

[3/6/2012 7:54:15 PM] Kim: so on the services page TOTALLY change it up. State that sites START at 2k….

[3/6/2012 7:54:23 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: 5k

[3/6/2012 7:54:27 PM] Kim: LOVE IT!

[3/6/2012 7:54:32 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: yeah!

[3/6/2012 7:55:08 PM] Kim: And I’m REALLY going to just lay it on the line..how I work, etc. I think I need to get CRYSTAL CLEAR on what my business IS, not what I keep doing.

[3/6/2012 7:55:14 PM] Kim: which means….

[3/6/2012 7:55:21 PM] Kim: no more time on revamping proposals.

[3/6/2012 7:55:27 PM] Kim: i won’t need them

[3/6/2012 7:55:34 PM] Kim: No more phone calls with clients

[3/6/2012 7:55:39 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: totally!

[3/6/2012 7:55:58 PM] Kim: Create a publishing calendar for posts, products and PAID webinars

[3/6/2012 7:56:08 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: what? PAID?

[3/6/2012 7:56:15 PM] Kim: Have a CLEAR newsletter structure that goes out FUCKING WEEKLY

[3/6/2012 7:56:18 PM] Kim: hell yes

[3/6/2012 7:56:19 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: <sarcasm>

[3/6/2012 7:56:23 PM] Kim: I know..

[3/6/2012 7:56:34 PM] Kim: Set affiliate income goals

[3/6/2012 7:56:37 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: fucking weekly instead of fucking weakly

[3/6/2012 7:56:40 PM] Kim: start writing guest blog posts

[3/6/2012 7:56:46 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: what?

[3/6/2012 7:56:46 PM] Kim: amen!

[3/6/2012 7:56:57 PM] Kim: what do you mean, what?

[3/6/2012 7:57:00 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: and get more famous?

[3/6/2012 7:57:07 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: <sarcasm>

[3/6/2012 7:57:10 PM] Kim: FO SHIZZLE DAWG!

[3/6/2012 7:57:17 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: TLMFAO

[3/6/2012 7:57:23 PM] Kim: Start using my FUCKING VOICE

[3/6/2012 7:57:35 PM] Kim: Take a stand against the shit that I think is bullshit….

(removal of REALLY inappropriate content… trust me)

[3/6/2012 7:57:59 PM] Kim: i know, i know…tmi

[3/6/2012 7:57:59 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[3/6/2012 7:58:00 PM] Kim: too bad

[3/6/2012 7:58:02 PM] Kim: YOU started it!

[3/6/2012 7:58:16 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: I know, you set me off!

[3/6/2012 7:58:25 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: its totally your fault

[3/6/2012 7:58:34 PM] Steve O’Sullivan:

[3/6/2012 7:58:41 PM] Kim: that’s good though… because at least we’re having fun right now!

[3/6/2012 7:58:46 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: fer sure

[3/6/2012 7:58:52 PM] Kim: ok.. back to my mini-manifesto….

[3/6/2012 7:58:59 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: yep

[3/6/2012 7:59:29 PM] Kim: Start publishing a KICK ASS PODCAST again AT LEAST twice a month with my famous-maker friend….

[3/6/2012 7:59:38 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: we could do that

[3/6/2012 7:59:53 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: shit, still have to edit and post that last one

[3/6/2012 7:59:54 PM] Kim: Launch the MOST phenomenal WP Video Training available on the Web TO DAT@

[3/6/2012 7:59:55 PM] Kim: date

[3/6/2012 8:00:07 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: I like DAT@

[3/6/2012 8:00:17 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: D@TA

[3/6/2012 8:00:23 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: D@T@

[3/6/2012 8:00:24 PM] Kim: Which we will BOTH earn at LEAST 5k a month from

[3/6/2012 8:00:37 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: works for me fo shizzle

[3/6/2012 8:00:47 PM] Kim: Have a FULL Shop on my site where people can buy killer products produced by yours truly

[3/6/2012 8:01:06 PM] Kim: Hit the road to some COOL conferences…. no smarmy marketing!

[3/6/2012 8:01:18 PM] Kim: Start producing this kick ass content on my new mac….

[3/6/2012 8:01:31 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: I like this new attitude

[3/6/2012 8:01:50 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: it’s the REAL Kim Doyal

[3/6/2012 8:02:05 PM] Kim: I’m not exactly sure where it came from….no.. that’s not ture

[3/6/2012 8:02:07 PM] Kim: I do know

[3/6/2012 8:02:12 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: contrast

[3/6/2012 8:02:19 PM] Kim: yep

[3/6/2012 8:02:46 PM] Kim: and CHOOSING to believe that we are SUPPOSED to do what makes us happy.

[3/6/2012 8:03:14 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: what a concept

[3/6/2012 8:03:17 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: 1

[3/6/2012 8:03:18 PM] Kim: I was reading the Wayne Dyer bk earlier and he refers to what James Twyman does in the Moses Code..I AM THAT I AM

[3/6/2012 8:03:38 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: good movie! did u wat ch it?

[3/6/2012 8:03:44 PM] Kim: It is when I TRUST that I am MOST happy.

[3/6/2012 8:03:51 PM] Kim: watched part of it. Need to finish it.

[3/6/2012 8:03:57 PM] Kim: I read the book though

[3/6/2012 8:04:00 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: cool

[3/6/2012 8:04:26 PM] Kim: i was working on my taxes stuff last night before my tax guy got here…know what I realized?

[3/6/2012 8:04:37 PM] Kim: I doubled my income from 2010 to 2011

[3/6/2012 8:04:43 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: SaWEEEEEEEEEET

[3/6/2012 8:05:16 PM] Kim: i haven’t added up my total expenses though

[3/6/2012 8:05:21 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: that’s the killer

[3/6/2012 8:05:24 PM] Kim: no.. not bad at all considering I didn

[3/6/2012 8:05:30 PM] Kim: didn’t have a clear direction or focus

[3/6/2012 8:05:37 PM] Kim: I FULLY INTEND TO DOUBLE MY INCOME this year

[3/6/2012 8:05:46 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: now that’s what I’m talkin about!

[3/6/2012 8:06:02 PM] Kim: I haven’t felt this fired up in a LONG time.

[3/6/2012 8:06:09 PM] Kim: feels good.

[3/6/2012 8:06:14 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: awesome

[3/6/2012 8:06:21 PM] Kim: because it’s not hype… it’s coming from a much deeper place.

[3/6/2012 8:06:43 PM] Kim: did you read Danielle LaPorte’s post on burning the boat? (did I send it to you?)

[3/6/2012 8:07:05 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: I subscribed, but I’m behind on my email

[3/6/2012 8:07:13 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: have 4000 i havent read

[3/6/2012 8:07:21 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: not kidding

[3/6/2012 8:07:23 PM] Kim: are you effing kidding.

[3/6/2012 8:07:23 PM] Kim: haha

[3/6/2012 8:07:27 PM] Kim: jeeze dude!

[3/6/2012 8:07:27 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: not kidding

[3/6/2012 8:07:40 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: I get a shitload of email

[3/6/2012 8:07:40 PM] Kim: have you heard that analogy of burning the boat?

[3/6/2012 8:07:43 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: yes

[3/6/2012 8:07:51 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: no going back

[3/6/2012 8:07:55 PM] Kim: yep.

[3/6/2012 8:08:03 PM] Kim: thinking I need to do that

[3/6/2012 8:08:40 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: that’s brave

[3/6/2012 8:08:52 PM] Kim: or stupid…

[3/6/2012 8:08:54 PM] Kim: no

[3/6/2012 8:08:57 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: LOL!

[3/6/2012 8:09:04 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: you crack meup

[3/6/2012 8:09:09 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: me up?

[3/6/2012 8:09:09 PM] Kim: somethhing keeps pulling me back to this

[3/6/2012 8:09:39 PM] Kim: have to copy & paste something I shared with Susan that was in Wayne Dyer’s book…

[3/6/2012 8:09:45 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: k, please

[3/6/2012 8:10:03 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: guess you like the book, eh?

[3/6/2012 8:10:15 PM] Kim: um..duh!

[3/6/2012 8:10:19 PM] Kim: I love Wayne!

[3/6/2012 8:10:20 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hehehe

[3/6/2012 8:10:32 PM] Kim: I’m going to meet him again at some point before he leaves this planet…

[3/6/2012 8:10:40 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: excellent

[3/6/2012 8:10:46 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: I’d love to meet him

[3/6/2012 8:10:47 PM] Kim: I shared this with her because she’s always told me I have a ‘spark’

[3/6/2012 8:10:56 PM] Kim: I actually did meet him in SF in 04

[3/6/2012 8:11:01 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: nice!

[3/6/2012 8:11:17 PM] Kim: told him his work was getting me through the losing my husband..

[3/6/2012 8:11:33 PM] Kim: he told me “you know he’s still here with you”…and gave me a big hug

[3/6/2012 8:11:40 PM] Kim:

“My objective in this chapter and the next is to inspire you to recognize that a spark- a tiny fragment of the creative source of the universe- is located within you, and to help you increase the power of that spark so it becomes the primary force in your everyday life. Review the first chapter and affirm your willingness to change your concept of yourself to help you recognize and increase that spark. Then dedicate yourself to exploring this higher self I’m writing about”.

[3/6/2012 8:11:41 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: sweet

[3/6/2012 8:12:05 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: excellent!

[3/6/2012 8:12:12 PM] Kim: it TOTALLY struck a nerve…

[3/6/2012 8:12:14 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: and BTW, you do have that spark

[3/6/2012 8:12:28 PM] Kim: because the other thing she keeps saying to me is “Just be willing to believe”….

[3/6/2012 8:12:32 PM] Kim: thanks..

[3/6/2012 8:12:32 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: You ARE The WordPress Hick

[3/6/2012 8:12:36 PM] Kim: hick?

[3/6/2012 8:12:42 PM] Kim: hahaha….

[3/6/2012 8:12:44 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: that’s what you wrote before

[3/6/2012 8:12:48 PM] Kim: where?

[3/6/2012 8:12:51 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: had to slide that in

[3/6/2012 8:12:54 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: for a laff

[3/6/2012 8:13:08 PM] Kim: probably would have had more effect if I knew I did it

[3/6/2012 8:13:11 PM] Kim: haha

[3/6/2012 8:13:27 PM] Kim: Cuz here’s the deal….

[3/6/2012 8:13:31 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: its way back in the thread

[3/6/2012 8:13:36 PM] Kim: “What If?”….

[3/6/2012 8:13:37 PM] Kim: right?

[3/6/2012 8:13:42 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: for sure

[3/6/2012 8:13:51 PM] Kim: WHAT IF we chose to believe in ourselves?

[3/6/2012 8:14:17 PM] Kim: WHAT IF we decided we ARE the same as “I AM THAT I AM”

[3/6/2012 8:14:34 PM] Kim: then there is nothing we cannot do.

[3/6/2012 8:14:53 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: I do believe it’s true

[3/6/2012 8:15:28 PM] Kim: If we pay attention, we get confirmations & signs from the Universe ALL the time

[3/6/2012 8:16:12 PM] Kim: being the total emotional ball that I have been lately, I almost sent this little poem to Susan that I found on Pinterest… then I have to share what she wrote when she replied to the Wayne Dyer excerpt

[3/6/2012 8:16:35 PM] Kim: dammit… on my desktop….

[3/6/2012 8:16:51 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: K, what isssssssss it?

[3/6/2012 8:16:54 PM] Kim: brb…

[3/6/2012 8:16:58 PM] Kim: i don’t know it by heart…

[3/6/2012 8:17:00 PM] Kim: i’ll be zippy

[3/6/2012 8:17:18 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: k

[3/6/2012 8:17:38 PM] Kim: ok- let me send it

[3/6/2012 8:17:45 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: k

[3/6/2012 8:17:50 PM] *** Kim sent 3237030952085573_wVvoZWnl_f.jpg ***
(Here was the quote/poem- it was an image)

I asked God for a flower, he gave me a bouquet
I asked God for a minute, he gave me a day
I asked God for true love, he gave me that too
I asked God for an angel and he gave me you

[3/6/2012 8:18:15 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: sweet

[3/6/2012 8:18:33 PM] Kim: totally, huh?

[3/6/2012 8:18:40 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: yes

[3/6/2012 8:18:50 PM] Kim: so this was her reply to that excerpt:

[3/6/2012 8:19:35 PM] Kim: “emoticons suck on my mac but I would be sending you a little angel with a big smile if I could”

[3/6/2012 8:19:59 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hahaha

[3/6/2012 8:20:07 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: that’s nice

[3/6/2012 8:20:13 PM] Kim: I had bolded the spark & highlighted the ‘willingness to change your concept of yourself’ and she wrote this..

[3/6/2012 8:20:14 PM] Kim: I think you are on another dimension with this issue and your are getting ready to expand even more and so this is being highlighted in your life for you by the Universe!

[3/6/2012 8:20:49 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: ohhhhh

[3/6/2012 8:20:53 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: ooooh

[3/6/2012 8:21:02 PM] Kim: of course now I’ll have to send my sappy little pinterest quote to show her

[3/6/2012 8:21:23 PM] Kim: was that an “oooh….. aaaah…..ohhhhhh”

[3/6/2012 8:21:44 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: oooooh

[3/6/2012 8:21:54 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: not an ohhhh

[3/6/2012 8:21:59 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: fingers failing

[3/6/2012 8:22:01 PM] Kim: haha….

[3/6/2012 8:22:06 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: and brain too

[3/6/2012 8:22:07 PM] Kim: fekkin fingers

[3/6/2012 8:22:09 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hwhwh

[3/6/2012 8:22:17 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: that was supposed to be hahaha

[3/6/2012 8:22:21 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: ONG!

[3/6/2012 8:22:26 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: OMG!!!

[3/6/2012 8:22:30 PM] Kim: I totally want a milkshake….but so don’t want to go get it

[3/6/2012 8:22:42 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: OMG, that sounds goooooooooood

[3/6/2012 8:22:55 PM] Kim: like that detour? yea… jack has a YUMMY Oreo shake…

[3/6/2012 8:22:55 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: that’s for delivery please

[3/6/2012 8:23:06 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: totally

[3/6/2012 8:23:23 PM] Kim: too friggin bad they put the DAMN CALORIES on the friggin menu at the drive thru! who’s damn idea was THAT?

[3/6/2012 8:23:43 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: LMAO some feckin dietician

[3/6/2012 8:23:58 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: dieticians out of my stomach!

[3/6/2012 8:24:11 PM] Kim: what the hell? Like we don’t know we’re poisoning our bodies with that shit already? you have to make us feel GUILTY about it?

[3/6/2012 8:24:23 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: MORE guilty

[3/6/2012 8:24:35 PM] Kim: were you here when I saw the pinterest quote about men & getting the milk for free?

[3/6/2012 8:24:43 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: nooooooooo

[3/6/2012 8:24:49 PM] Kim: you will love this…

[3/6/2012 8:24:58 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: gimme

[3/6/2012 8:25:00 PM] Kim: and I’m paraphrasing

[3/6/2012 8:25:45 PM] Kim: To all the men who think “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? Many women are choosing to stay single as opposed to getting married because they realized: “Why buy the pig when all you get is a little sausage?”

[3/6/2012 8:26:06 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[3/6/2012 8:26:13 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: that’s great!

[3/6/2012 8:26:21 PM] Kim: that’s what I thought! LOVED it!

[3/6/2012 8:26:37 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: funny!!

[3/6/2012 8:26:45 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: Oink oink

[3/6/2012 8:26:56 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: (bacon)

[3/6/2012 8:26:59 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: oh!

[3/6/2012 8:27:06 PM] Kim: i thought that was priceless!

[3/6/2012 8:27:08 PM] Kim: ooh..

[3/6/2012 8:27:13 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: (pig)

[3/6/2012 8:27:15 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: noooooooo

[3/6/2012 8:27:23 PM] Kim: think I should do a Jerry Maguire post and go all cookoo manifesto…

[3/6/2012 8:27:24 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: (oink)

[3/6/2012 8:27:29 PM] Kim: or whatever the hell he did…

[3/6/2012 8:27:40 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: Charlie Sheen?

[3/6/2012 8:27:56 PM] Kim: haha… nah, he just went postal.

[3/6/2012 8:27:57 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hehehehe

[3/6/2012 8:28:12 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: totally fucking postal

[3/6/2012 8:28:59 PM] Kim: omg. i totally want an oreo shake now…

[3/6/2012 8:29:12 PM] Kim: guess I can blame some of this on hormones…

[3/6/2012 8:29:13 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: shut up!

[3/6/2012 8:29:22 PM] Kim: but not all of it…

[3/6/2012 8:29:27 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: how do you make a hormone?

[3/6/2012 8:29:28 PM] Kim: too much of a tugging

[3/6/2012 8:29:49 PM] Kim: is this a joke or a question?

[3/6/2012 8:29:52 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: joke

[3/6/2012 8:30:06 PM] Kim: good… because I don’t have an answer

[3/6/2012 8:30:07 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: don’t pay her

[3/6/2012 8:30:14 PM] Kim: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[3/6/2012 8:30:17 PM] Kim: i needed that…

[3/6/2012 8:30:24 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: sooooooooo bad!

[3/6/2012 8:30:54 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: all i can think about now is ice cream

[3/6/2012 8:30:59 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: butthead

[3/6/2012 8:31:05 PM] Kim: I KNOW! me too….

[3/6/2012 8:31:09 PM] Kim: dammit!

[3/6/2012 8:31:11 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: shit!

[3/6/2012 8:31:30 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hey, are we meeting tomorrow?

[3/6/2012 8:31:35 PM] Kim: hell yes we are

[3/6/2012 8:31:48 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: K, I have you in my calendar, but don’t remember doing it

[3/6/2012 8:31:54 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: losing my mind, I think

[3/6/2012 8:32:04 PM] Kim: was going to see if my neighbor could do the pickup- could you come over around noon? I’ll have to pick Britt up around 3:30-4

[3/6/2012 8:32:24 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: already have a noon appt

[3/6/2012 8:32:26 PM] Kim: she’s taking a science test… she’s able to use notes if she takes it after school (before the rest of the class takes it)

[3/6/2012 8:32:30 PM] Kim: no prob

[3/6/2012 8:32:48 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: how did she swing that?

[3/6/2012 8:33:20 PM] Kim: think the teacher just offered it to the class. The smart ones acted on it

[3/6/2012 8:33:30 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: excellent

[3/6/2012 8:34:04 PM] Kim: totaly, huh?

[3/6/2012 8:34:14 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: yep[

[3/6/2012 8:34:18 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: a;oi’0pqa9u4t-q9cm 4

[3/6/2012 8:34:24 PM] Kim: Alex is JUST now leaving work

[3/6/2012 8:34:26 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: my fingers r gicvin out

[3/6/2012 8:34:31 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: no shit?

[3/6/2012 8:34:35 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: wth?

[3/6/2012 8:34:37 PM] Kim: till tomorrow?

[3/6/2012 8:34:45 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: yep,

[3/6/2012 8:34:49 PM] Kim: yea.. but he’s glad because he got a bunch done

[3/6/2012 8:34:50 PM] Kim: ok!

[3/6/2012 8:34:53 PM] Kim: thanks for listening

[3/6/2012 8:34:57 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: anytime!

[3/6/2012 8:35:02 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: you know that

[3/6/2012 8:35:16 PM] Kim: I do…thanks.

[3/6/2012 8:35:17 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: technically, thanks for readying

[3/6/2012 8:35:21 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: reading

[3/6/2012 8:35:23 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hehehe

[3/6/2012 8:35:24 PM] Kim: zip it…

[3/6/2012 8:35:27 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: lOL

[3/6/2012 8:35:30 PM] Kim: or zipy it..mr. typo

[3/6/2012 8:35:32 PM] Kim: you’re worse than me tonight

[3/6/2012 8:35:37 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: yer soooooooo funny

[3/6/2012 8:35:38 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: and fun

[3/6/2012 8:35:39 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: and y

[3/6/2012 8:35:43 PM] Kim: dito…

[3/6/2012 8:35:45 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: thanks

[3/6/2012 8:35:47 PM] Kim: we need our own dictionary

[3/6/2012 8:35:53 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: totally

[3/6/2012 8:35:57 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: new words and extra letters

[3/6/2012 8:36:15 PM] Kim: ANEB

[3/6/2012 8:36:17 PM] Kim: that was my AMEN

[3/6/2012 8:36:20 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: whf?

[3/6/2012 8:36:25 PM] Kim: and it was TOTALLY unintentional

[3/6/2012 8:36:30 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hahahahaha

[3/6/2012 8:36:34 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: perfect

[3/6/2012 8:36:42 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: ř

[3/6/2012 8:36:49 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: 缫

[3/6/2012 8:36:56 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: chinese food

[3/6/2012 8:37:13 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: k, see you tamale

[3/6/2012 8:37:23 PM] Kim: peace out!

[3/6/2012 8:37:25 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: (icecream)

[3/6/2012 8:37:32 PM] Kim: DAMN YOU

[3/6/2012 8:37:33 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: peaces out

[3/6/2012 8:37:42 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: thanks!

[3/6/2012 8:37:43 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hehehehe

[3/6/2012 8:37:56 PM] Kim: |-)

[3/6/2012 8:38:02 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: sounds good

[3/6/2012 8:38:09 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: (^)

[3/6/2012 8:38:18 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: (pi)

[3/6/2012 8:38:20 PM] Kim: you poobutt….

[3/6/2012 8:38:25 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[3/6/2012 8:38:31 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: true dat

[3/6/2012 8:38:39 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: (d)?

[3/6/2012 8:38:45 PM] Kim: we could go on for hours with juvenille names here…

[3/6/2012 8:38:55 PM] Kim: night night!

[3/6/2012 8:39:00 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: i need a nap first

[3/6/2012 8:39:06 PM] Steve O’Sullivan: ttfn

There you have it.
Typo’s and all. I wanted to keep it as in tact as possible… (hence the length of this post).

Ever been there?
Had a moment or time when you KNEW you had to make a change?

Let me know.. leave me a comment below!

And stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow… My Manifesto!

Here’s a couple other things I referenced and one I didn’t:

Quote by Erika Napoletano (she effing ROCKS! Her new book is on the way!):

Post by Danielle LaPorte (preordered her new book too!)
“What boat do you need to burn? A testimony to your future”

New TED Talk by Brene’ Brown: “Listening to shame”

I’m was going to include what’s been going on over at Copyblogger, since StudioPress is part of Copyblogger Media (just makes sense!), but think this will be long enough as it is. Stay tuned for a post on the new Premise 2.0 plugin! (Which now has membership options!)

O.k.- let’s just jump into things, shall we?

StudioPress Child themes

There has been a handful of new child themes released as well as a couple of revamped, updated themes. What’s great about all the new themes is that they are all responsive themes! Meaning, they’ve been built so they can easily be read on different devices! Tablets, phones, computer, etc. Pretty handy, huh?

Each of the themes gives you a preview of what they’ll look like on different devices, which is GREAT!
Josh Byers has written a few great posts over on the StudioPress blog that will give you more info. on responsive design. These posts are definitely geared towards developers, but even if you’re not a developer and want to understand what responsive means in terms of the web, you want to check these out.

2 Indespensable Elements of Excellent Mobile Responsive Design
How to Make Your Website Respond to Different Mobile Devices
Mobile responsive Design: The Flexible Grid

 Here are the latest Child theme releases (free if you purchased the pro-plus package):

 Here are the latest Marketplace Child theme releases:

One thing I’m LOVING about all of these new themes is that they make it VERY easy to integrate different marketing elements into your site! The opt-in box that is included on many of these themes is a GREAT new feature! It’s styled to match the theme (and of course you can change the colors and modify them). You’ll notice that there are some different styled widgets and widget positions too.

I’ve actually had a chance to work with 3 of the 4 new StudioPress child themes- eleven40, Balance and Focus. So far so good! I’m currently using Balance for a client site and Focus for one of my sites (also getting a makeover! Not this one…  ). I think I may be using Streamline for an upcoming client site as well, so I’ll keep you posted!

I’ve purchased all three of the Marketplace child themes, but have really only had the chance to work with the inSPYR theme and Cre8tive Burst. I’m using inSPYR on a client site- and holy moly there is a LOT to this theme! It also comes with 6 colors, 3 layout options, 3 style options and more! I’ll be playing with the Production theme soon! I’ve been waiting for a video theme for Genesis for a while now and here it is!

Plugin Releases (these are both free plugins):

 Simple Social Icons

This is one of the EASIEST ways to add social media icons to your site! And, you know me and the visual stuff, you can customize the color of the icons! WOO HOO! How many times have liked icons but they were the wrong color and without using image editing software you were out of luck? Not any more! SOOO easy to use!

Genesis Media Project

This plugin wasn’t developed by StudioPress, but it goes hand in hand with the new Production Child theme in the Marketplace and was created by Nick the Geek (that’s what he goes by), who also developed the Production Child theme. I’ll be doing a video on the Production theme and the Genesis Media project VERY soon! The plugin creates a Video Post Type (which I would be using right now had I installed it..  I want to play with it before I put it into use here). Which, if you’re not sure what custom post types are, basically in addition to seeing the ‘Posts’ option in your dashboard, you would also see one titled ‘Video Post’ and it will have additional options in your post editor. Cool, huh?

 Well.. there you have it! Below is a slideshow/video that shows the themes a little better (of course you can click the images above to go directly to the theme demo too!).
Needless to say StudioPress has been busy! It’s certainly hard to keep up with them.

Most shortcode plugins come with built in button options- and they work great, but most don’t have the quantity of options available and some aren’t quite as easy to use as MaxButtons Pro.

Before you watch the video, I want to address shortcodes in general for a minute (bear with me, it might be a bit of a rant).

If you’re NOT sure what a shortcode is, here’s the definition on WordPress.org (then I’ll give you my definition):

A shortcode is a WordPress-specific code that lets you do nifty things with very little effort. Shortcodes can embed files or create objects that would normally require lots of complicated, ugly code in just one line. Shortcode = shortcut.

Here’s MY definition of a shortcode:
The ability to add super cool functions to WordPress WITHOUT needing to know code!

Here’s the deal.

I left a comment on a site once inquiring about shortcodes (if they would be added, etc.). I got two responses back- one was very nice (in terms of why they wouldn’t add shortcodes) and the other comment was kind of like (and I’m paraphrasing here)  “you don’t need to use shortcodes when you can use html for the same thing” (but was much more condescending than that).

No shit Sherlock.

HOWEVER… there are THOUSANDS of WordPress users who DON’T know how to use html, never WANT to use html and could care LESS about html.
I’m not suggesting that you go nuts and add TONS of shortcode plugins to your site.

What I’m suggesting is that you weigh your options.
There are plenty of plugins on the market to compare- some do a LOT and some do just a few specific things.
Determine what YOUR needs are and go from there.

One word of caution… (and then the video…promise):

I’ve tested a few of these on this site and have narrowed it down to which ones make the most sense for me to keep. Problem is I have to either go back and edit a few posts (where I’ve utilized the plugin I don’t use anymore)- or leave both.

If possible, have a dummy site where you can TEST plugins (most basic hosting packages come with options for a few domains or even an additional install.

Enough of that.. here’s the video on MaxButtons Pro.