New ideas for online job search

Good Morning America promotes LinkedIn for job search.

If you're looking for a new job or career change, get LinkedIn. So says Tory Johnson on Good Morning America. This article suggests several ways to develop your online electronic profile to connect with the right people and find the right job for you.

I've always heard that the best jobs are never advertised. They are filled by people who are connected to people in the know. Yes, word-of-mouth advertising works -- even when it comes to job hunting.

Check out my profile on LinkedIn and link to me or recommend me.

By the way, my son is in the job market as a Web Sphere expert. (hint hint)

If you hate spam, you'll love this!

Man Described As Top Spammer Arrested

A 27-year-old man described as one of the world's top spammers was arrested Wednesday, a development that federal authorities said could lead to an immediate, perceptible decrease in the amount of junk e-mail winging its way across the Web.

He's one of the top 10 spammers in the world," said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft Corp. lawyer who is senior director of the company's Worldwide Internet Safety Programs. "He's a huge problem for our customers. This is a very good day."

Robert Alan Soloway's arrest came a week after a federal grand jury returned a 35-count indictment charging him with mail fraud, wire fraud, e-mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. He's accused of using networks of compromised computers to send out millions upon millions of junk e-mails since 2003. He continued his activities even after Microsoft won a $7 million civil judgment against him in 2005 and Robert Brauer, the operator of a small Internet service provider in western Oklahoma, won a $10 million judgment, prosecutors said.

U.S. Attorney Jeff Sullivan said Wednesday the case is the first in the country in which federal prosecutors have used identity theft statutes to prosecute a spammer for taking over someone else's Internet domain name, and it would mean at least an extra two years on Soloway's sentence if he is convicted. He could face decades in prison, though prosecutors said they have not calculated what guideline sentencing range he might face.

You can read the rest of the article at Forbes.com.

I think the key here is the identity theft charge. That's exactly what spoofing is. And it's incredibly damaging to the businesses who have had their domain names compromised.

We'll see where this goes and how long it takes to get there. But for now. . . chalk one up for the good guys.

By the way, let me know if you notice "an immediate, perceptible decrease in the amount of junk e-mail" you receive.

Connecting old friends, thanks to Google

My passion for the Internet is fueled by my belief in its amazing ability to connect people who might not be connected otherwise -- and to keep them connected. Now and then something happens to reinforce my belief and fuel my passion again.

I lived in Nebraska for a few early-elementary-school years. I had a best friend named Tracy who attended the same Catholic school I did. We were nearly inseparable, athough we lived in separate towns. We were like Rose Red and Snow White-- a story I loved when I was a child. We moved to Colorado and eventually I lost track of her.

Over the years I've often wondered what happened to the cute, spunky blonde I used to play Barbies with and sing Beatles songs with (we actually sang "Lady Madonna" for the nuns in 2nd or 3rd grade). So on a whim a couple of weeks ago I decided to go looking for her. No, I didn't use one of those reunion sites, like classmates.com or reunion.com. I Googled her brother.

Why her brother? I figured that if she had gotten married she might have changed her last name, but her brother wouldn't have. Plus, her brother has an unusual nickname and I knew a little of his history -- like he was a football star in college and played a little pro ball.

I found a few references to someone with his name in the area of his college town. I was happy to find a couple sites with contact information for him, including an email address. So I sent him an email asking if he was Tracy's brother and giving a little information about me and why I was asking.

I was so excited when, a few days later, I received a reply telling me that I was in the right place and giving me her email address!

Now my childhood best friend and I are getting to know each other all over again through email. We haven't talked on the phone or met face-to-face yet, but I'm sure that's coming.

Thanks Google!

Seth Godin shamed me

Yes, Seth Godin has shamed me.

In a recent post on his blog, Seth Godin talks about how important it is for business people and business consultants to read business books and business blogs. He asks the following questions:

If you went to a doctor who told you that she hadn't read a scholarly article or taken any training since med school, would you stick around? What about a lawyer who doesn't read law journals or a dentist who never bothered to read up on the newest case studies?

With those questions, Seth shamed me into reading more. Don't get me wrong... I read, and I read a lot. And I love books. I own a lot of books. But I have to admit, I don't really read them. More often than not, I skim them, read bits and pieces, read chapters that really interest me at the time, but I don't really read them.

At the beginning of the year, I sat down and set a few goals for myself. One was to read at least one book a month -- 12 books during the year. I didn't specify that they be business books -- just books.

I recently participated in a survey for a grad student who's writing his thesis on the mind of the entrepreneur (scary subject). One question on the survey was "What goals do you have to help you become your Ideal Entrepreneur?" My answer: Read one book a month.

Like I said... I read a lot. Not just books. I read other blogs everyday. I have my favorites listed in my feedreader. I have e-newsletters I subscribe to. I get business publications and magazines. It's tough to keep up on all the information and opinions available, but I try. Sometimes I think I could have a full-time job just reading.

So I've renewed my commitment to really read at least one book a month. Every night before I fall asleep, I'll read for a few minutes. (Typically, I play solitaire on my pda to disengage my brain.)

So what am I reading now? All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World by Seth Godin, of course.

Monetize your blog

If you're wondering how you can make money from blogging, I found a couple of articles that offer more than the same ideas everyone else talks about like Google's AdSense. Don't get me wrong... I like AdSense, but I was looking for more. I'll be checking out a few ideas from these two posts like Kontera’s ContextLinks and CafePress, and I'll report back on which ones I've tried and whether or not I see any results.

Tips for Earning Money through Blogging
More Ways to Monetize Your Blog

If you've ever wondered just how much money can be made from blogging, take a look at Paula Neal Mooney's list of blogger salaries. Notice that the range is very wide, but there's hope.

Brainstorm: Has your email been spoofed?

The May issue of Brainstorm! is out.

• Email spoofing: A spammer's best friend
• More Smart Tools: Our favorites for your business
• Recommended book & blog: Duct Tape Marketing
• Kayda the Newshound: Updates, news & announcements

The wisdom of Dave Barry

A friend emailed this to me today. I thought it was so clever and insightful, just enough humor mixed into the truth, that I just had to post it.

16 THINGS THAT IT TOOK ME OVER 50 YEARS TO LEARN
by Dave Barry, Nationally Syndicated Columnist

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved and never will achieve its full potential, that word would be "meetings."
3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
5. You should not confuse your career with your life.
6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
7. Never lick a steak knife.
8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.
9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.
10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.
12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.
13. A person who is nice to you but rude to a waiter is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)
14. Your friends love you anyway.
15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.
16. Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

I'm a "Slash"

There is a growing trend for individuals to expand beyond one career. The old model of “one job, one company” for life is out the door. Marci Alboher’s new book “One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success“. She introduces us to the individuals who define themselves as ’slashes’. What are ’slashes’? It is a person who expands beyond one career, one job.

Whether they are a policeman/landscape designer, lawyer/chef, actor/web-designer these individuals do not limit themselves to one career. This allows them to live a more fulfilling life by pursing their passions, and not allowing one career/job wear them out. It’s not surprising that this population of the workforce is growing because in reality is anyone truly one dimensional? I find it hard to believe so.

Marci has adopted the “slash” as well - a former lawyer and now a author/speaker/coach. This book is a must read for those who aren’t happy with their current situation in life and want to pursue multiple careers.

From Publishers Weekly

For those already slashing through multifaceted professional lives, Alboher's collection of profiles of people juggling multiple roles may offer the comfort of knowing others are doing the same. For those recently separated from a job or seeking greater fulfillment from life, Alboher's fascination with people working through dual existences may reveal an alternate path to success. Like the psychotherapist/violin maker she interviews, Alboher has abandoned an easily described career as an attorney to become a journalist, author, speaker and writing coach. Her book is less about making career changes than changing how one defines a career and making adjustments for a more satisfying life. After focusing a bit too intently on how multilayered careers get their start, she segues into more action-oriented advice, including experimenting with different identities before making career-altering changes; how to keep income flowing; and how to market oneself once one adds a slash or two to one's job description. When the disparate threads of one's life are woven together in this way, she argues in this creative and satisfying guide, "the whole of you comes out."

Thank you Biz Book Talk.

Should you stop blogging?

I've pointed out reasons why you should blog and reasons why you shouldn't. Now, Pete Blackshaw at ClickZ gives you 10 reasons to stop blogging.

So, if you've started a blog but are wondering whether or not to continue, these are some really good questions to ask yourself. Regardless, don't just let your blog die of unnatural causes -- neglect, boredom, disinterest. Make it a concious decision you'll feel good about.

Postage Increase

You probably already know that on May 14th the cost to snail-mail a letter is increasing by 2 cents from $.39 to $.41. I guess this is because more people are using email rather than regular mail, although you'd never know it by looking in my mailbox.

The post office has issued a new stamp, called "The Forever Stamp" to compensate for this rate hike - or maybe make us feel better anyway. It will be good for mailing a letter that weighs less than 1 ounce no matter how much the rate goes up -- FOREVER.

Of course, you can't buy this new stamp at the current rate of 39 cents. It'll cost you the new rate of 41 cents.

Seems to me you could save money by paying your bills online and emailing more rather than driving around looking for the cheapest gas in town so you can make it to the post office to mail a letter.

By the way, if you're planning any sort of direct mail campaign, you might want to send it out before Mother's Day.

Hope you get your two cents worth.

I'm Stupid

I just took an online quiz to tell me if I was stupid or not. It had such a creative title - The Stupid Quiz - that I just couldn't resist. The short story is that it told me that I'm not stupid:

Gee Gosh Wow! Congratulations, you are NOT Stupid. Not by a Longshot. In fact, you are a "Brainiac!" (If you know who Brainiac is, you are however, a Nerd.)

Despite what the quiz said, I AM STUPID! Stupid enough to get sucked into the stupid quiz, anyway.

The actual quiz was kinda fun, but getting the results was painful. I had to spend time rejecting all the "free" offers before I could get to the end. And it made me enter my name, address, phone, email, hair color, shoe size, favorite taco sauce, grandfather's maiden name, etc. At least I didn't give any -- NOT ANY -- real information (I said I was a blonde). So I'm not that stupid.

By the way, I deliberately left out the link to the quiz here. If you go looking, it's easy enough to find. Then you can join the crowd and be stupid too.

Now... to run an anti-spyware scan.