Living Life Abundantly

There are certain things from childhood that just stay with you…When I was a kid, I went to summer camp at the YWCA, where I met all of these wonderful kids that I thought would be my lifetime friends.

We use to sing “That’s What Friends are For” and I guess I really took it to heart lol. Once we hit 5th and 6th grade we out grew the Y, went our separate ways, and lost contact with each other. So much for lifetime friendship right? Maybe not.

If Myspace isn’t good for anything else, its certainly good for reuniting long lost friends. Thanks to Myspace, I reconnected with Lisa!

Lisa and I went to the Y together and we had not seen each other in over twenty years…(that makes us sound so old omg)… We sent several messages back and forth and said lets meet up but we never did. You know how sometimes life gets in the way…

Anyway, we finally talked on Friday and decided to meet for lunch this Sunday

On my way to meet Lisa, all of the songs we sang at camp came to mind. There was a song that we used to sing every morning in the “friendship circle”, called “It’s a Beautiful Day.” That song is etched in my brain forever… considering the weather and occasion the song was more than appropriate for today.

It goes a lil something like this:

See the sun shining in the window

it’s gonna be a beautiful day

can’t you hear the song birds singing

I want to sing out loud and say

it’s a beautiful day

for running in the sun

a beautiful day has just begun

a beautiful day

to do what I want to do

its a beautiful day just to be alive

it’s a beautiful day

so glad that I

got a beautiful day

and I want to share it with you

Lisa was there in the lobby we recognized each other right away. There were no awkward moments its like we somehow picked up where we left off in 1987. We laughed and talked and had so much fun. On my drive home I thought yup… It’s a Beautiful Day!

A Reason, A Season or a Lifetime

People come into your life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime.

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered, and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
—Reason Seaon Lifetime Author Unknown

Special Dedication to Lisa and all of our folks from the old West LA YWCA…

Last month Myspace.com rolled out its data availability user interface enabling Myspace users to share information such as pictures, videos etc…from their profiles across the Internet, or at least on Yahoo, Twitter, Photobucket, and Ebay.

Of course this seemed like a great idea at the time to the folks at Myspace…Apparently they were unaware of a serious security glitch in the system. It seems that profiles set to private on Myspace aren’t so private after all. Celebs on myspace have discovered that their private photos from their private Myspace profiles have been leaked all over the Internet. Yup, celebs really do have and check Myspace pages.

Supposedly, the problem has been resolved and the data availability interface has been deactivated. The lesson in this is, if you don’t want it seen, don’t put it on Myspace; even if your profile is set to private. Is there really any privacy online any more?

Check Out: Charm School for Girls on Myspace»

Everyone has a Myspace profile. I was shocked when I received a Myspace message from my eight year old niece, even she has a Myspace profile. I’ve been a Myspace member for years, way before it was the “in” thing. I was introduced to Myspace via a class I took at UCLA called the Musician’s Crash Course. The prediction then was that Myspace would be the next big thing and the prediction was correct. Myspace has become part of American culture, so much so that Myspace is going mobile.

MySpace URL: Myspace.com/Marenda

According to Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President at Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm:

• Myspace is the largest online social networking portal on the web

• Myspace has 61 + million registered users with 21+ million unique visitors

• Myspace is the second largest destination on the web, by page views

• Myspace splits 50.2% male, 49.8% female

• Myspace reaches more men online than ESPN.com & reaches more women than iVillage.com.

• The primary age demographic is 16-34

• Myspace has 1.4 million registered bands and over 350,000 band blogs

• Myspace attracts 220,000 new registrants daily

• Myspace has 50,000 groups including fashion, health, wellness, fitness, sports and recreation, music, film, TV, etc.

Considering these statistics its obvious why many businesses have jumped on the band wagon in hopes of striking Myspace gold.

The problem with most businesses that create Myspace profiles is that they fail to understand Myspace Member Mentality (which is ever changing). The one principle in Myspace User Mentality that never changes is that Myspace Members are not particularily interested in being sold anything.

Discovering something new is part of the Myspace experience. Introducing a new product, service, business, or website to Myspace Members requires a persuasive yet subtle personal touch.

Will people buy products they discover on myspace? Absolutely. I have been a member of Myspace since 2004 and in that time I have bought books, music, made donations, and supported various businesses that I discovered on Myspace. The businesses that I supported did not solicit or spam me. In a few instances they responded to something I wrote in a blog and I discovered their product by visiting their blog. It pays to take a genuine interest in others and to actively participate in the community.

Any business that hopes to gain new customers via Myspace or any other social networking site must trade in the impersonal corporate attitude for a more personable personality. What works in the office, at the store, or in print advertising does not necessarily work for Myspace profiles. Myspace is about connecting with people.

Members of social networking websites like Myspace are interested in first and foremost their own motives, whether its self expression, finding a date, sharing life experiences, or promoting their business. Secondly, members of social networking sites are usually interested in networking with like minded individuals with similar interests and goals, not entities that are trying to sell them something.

In order to effectively promote your business on Myspace you must:

1. Have a clear understanding of Myspace Member Mentality and adjust accordingly.

2. research, study, and identify your target audience.

3. Create a profile that reflects the interests of both your business and target audience.

4. Complete all sections of your profile not just the About Me section. Take the time to include a headline, include who you’d like to meet, list your interests, your website links, company information, add your favorite music/movies/books. Make your profile professional BUT personal.

5. Your profile should include a picture(s) of people not products or logos.

6. Commit to social networking not selling.

7. Actively participate in the community.

8. Avoid pushy sales tactics.

9. Never spam.

10. Add relevant content to your profile frequently that coincides with your target audiences interests while cleverly tying in your business (products/services).

11. Focus your efforts on creating interesting content that will intrigue, engage, and call your Myspace friends to action.

12. Offer your Myspace friends freebies and incentives.

Create a Myspace marketing plan using the chart below as a guide. Each box in the chart is a means to connecting with Myspace members and promoting your business. Follow thru and follow up, be genuine, and you should find success easy. Avoid the urge to just add anyone to your friend list. When it comes to adding, requesting, and accepting friends keep your target audience in mind and make them your #1 friend priority.

Video is not listed on the chart but is another very effective means for communicating with Myspace members and for creating viral marketing campaigns.

Myspace is a great outlet for self-expression but too many girls ditch common sense when customizing Myspace profiles. Some things are better left unsaid and unseen on Myspace. There should be an etiquette guide or Charm School for girls on Myspace.

Posting pictures, blogs, and comments for the world to see filled with too many intimate and personal details can be dangerous. Sexual predators use information provided on profiles to lure girls into twisted fantasy turned reality scenarios.

When creating and updating a Myspace profile, girls need to remember that Myspace is one of the most popular websites in the world and not everyone on Myspace has honorable intentions or motives.

Eyewitness news discovered sexual predators with their own pages on the popular web site MySpace.— abclocal.go.com

Myspace is not Las Vegas! What happens on Myspace does not always stay on Myspace! This is something girls must keep in mind when uploading re-enactments of “Girls Gone Wild.” All someone has to do is right click to save posted pictures. Think about it…those same pictures can be manipulated and used by others.

Explicit photos and details about sexual exploits are totally inappropriate for Myspace profiles. It does not make a girl seem cool, hot, or sexy having suggestive pictures and foul language on a myspace profile. In fact, it looks BAD and implies a lack of self-respect.

Another important matter to consider is that many employers, colleges, and military recruiters are now researching applicants via Google and Myspace.

A risqué profile may deter potential employers or raise the eyebrows of current employers, especially if the company you work for is listed on your Myspace profile.

A general manager at an Olive Garden in Orange City has lost her job because of a picture posted on MySpace.com.—cfnews13.com

An inappropriate Myspace profile can easily have an impact on college admissions and/or your academic career.

Would-Be Teacher Denied Degree Over ‘Drunken Pirate’ MySpace Photo.— foxnews.com

It would behoove a girl to contemplate what the content she provides on her Myspace profile says about her and her character in general. While Myspace is meant to be a fun social networking community it can be damaging if used unwisely.

A popular show on VH1 called The Flavor of Love Girls Charm School starring Mo’Nique teaches its students ten interesting commandments. The following three Flavor of Love Girls Charm School commandments should be considered when creating and updating Myspace profiles:

Myspace profiles can be fun and creative without being raunchy. Each section of a Myspace profile is an opportunity to convey personality and individuality. What does your Myspace profile say about you?

Be careful. Be safe. Avoid including any personal details or potentially embarrassing content on your profile as it may come back to haunt you.

If you are or have been involved in questionable activities, Myspace is probably not the place to chronicle your adventures. The bottom line is, to include any possible self-incriminating information on your Myspace profile is not the smartest thing to do. It is just plain stupid!

Out of respect for minors browsing Myspace, out of common sense, and decency, avoid including sexually explicit or implicit information whatsoever on your profile! It’s almost like an invitation to trouble.