Bloggers are the new journalist.

I recently started writing for Technorati (blog love baby :-) and I just love the way things are done. It's as if you are a journalist chasing down your next story. This made me consider journalism, as in before Social Media and blogging were popular.  I then realized the blogging and Social Media has made great in roads in taking the place of traditional journalist media coverage. It seems as if bloggers are breaking stories before traditional media channels. Some stories that bloggers cover are never addressed by traditional media channels.

 

Personally, I hardly ever watch the news or listen to the new on the radio because by the time evening news is due to start I’ve read about all of the news and the hottest stories Online, by way of Social Media, Blog or website.  Amazingly, some of the stories that I felt were compelling, interesting and very news worthy never make the cut for the evening news.

 

I wrote a story yesterday about NASA and the lax security of the computer systems. It was really scary stuff and this story was NOT on the news, yet the story was absolutely buzzing online and on blogs. This leads me to believe that it is a possibility that traditional news sources only scratch the surface of the stories that need to be told. Furthermore, as time progresses will people even feel a need to tune in to the local and or world news anymore? So I wonder if Web, Social Media and Blogs really have replaced traditional sources of news and journalism? What are your thoughts? Do you watch traditional news? Or do you catch up on everything online?

 

As usual, I welcome thoughts, opinions and dialogue good bad ugly or indifferent. Feel free to leave me comments on this page, on Twitter, or post directly on my Facebook Wall.

 

Blog Love: Who cares about your stinkin' blog...

 

I never fancied myself a writer although I’ve always done quite well with scholarly writing.  While attending school, the Professor actually understood what the heck I was talking about which was a plus and helped with the grades a bit. However with that said, I never pictured myself as one that wanted to write excessively.  So the initial thought of a blog was like.. "umm…uhhh… Are you kidding me?? "

So imagine my surprise when I started blogging and not only did I enjoy it people started to subscribe, read, talk about and ask questions. Guess what? I love that as much as I am loving to blog.  I recently had the opportunity to speak with some people about blogging that are considering getting started with a business blog. There were three primary concerns of the people that I spoke with, those were:

How do you continue to come up with relevant content?  Relevant content is not limited to only what my business is but what I think would be beneficial to my audience. A prime example is, a food segment that I write called Foodie Fridays, which is totally not relevant to Marketing yet it has become VERY relevant because my readers LOVE the Foodie Fridays segments.  As a matter of fact I just noticed that last Friday's Foodie Friday recipe for Penne with Spicy Vodka Cream Sauce has received over 3,000 post reads in 5 days. WOWzers (yes as a blog writer I can and will make up word like wowzers.. #justsaying) on that number! Food is not relevant to Marketing, but Food is relevant to people in general and in particular to my readers. So finding relevant content for your blog is contingent upon you engaging and finding out what your readers like.

 

Do people care about what you are saying? There is always someone that cares about an issue of importance to them. So the goal is to write about subjects that are both relevant to your audience and that they care about. My thought process before I post anything is, can this actually solve someone’s problem or dilemma? Will they care? Do I actually care? Or is it funny? If I can answer yes to any of these questions I will post, if I answer no then I do not post or write about that subject. Very simple.

 

Does it have to be written in a formal format? I find that the blogs that I write that are the most formal, people DO NOT read. I think there should be a certain degree of formality, as in sentence structure and basic grammar but for the most part people that read my blogs usually want a less than formal view or perspective on something. This is, however a part of getting to know your readers and engaging with them. So I stick with conversational style, it has worked great so far. I keep it simple; I really want my blog to read as if I am talking to the reader over a cup of coffee, not as if I am lecturing them atop a perch. What is a perch anywayzz? How does one get atop it? Sorry, Digression happens. But you get the picture.

The leave behind: Although you are the person providing the content for the blog, the main purpose is to supply information of value to your audience....

As usual, I welcome any and all opinions good, bad, ugly or indifferent. Feel free to leave comments to me on this post, Twitter, or directly on my Facebook Wall.

Social Media is now a part of every day life, but ...wait a minute.....

Social Media as we know it is relatively new but has quickly become a huge part of our every day life. When I say social media I am not just talking about Facebook and Twitter but about the vast array of additional social media channels that we use.

 

People don't really go to traditional media channels as they did, just a short while ago.  We actively seek out a Facebook Page for updated information and Blogs for the perspective of our peers and experts on a variety of topics. I very seldom even go to a website for information. Personally, I have minimal interest in a companies website, because as up to date as the information maybe it is still not as up to date as the status update that was posted to Facebook about an hour ago or the blog post created recently. The ever-growing need for the most up to date information has allowed Social Media to invade our lives and our entire being. Both of which I have absolutely no problem with, as I am a lover of all things technology related and Social Media more so.

 

One of the issues that I wonder about is, what about the people that are not embracing technology as quickly as others. What about the people that are not online? What about those that aggressively resist the thought of Social Media?  A friend asked me a question yesterday that was presented to her about business "How do you connect with people that are not online.  Cold Calls? Print?" More importantly, how are these people gaining their information? Newspapers? Yellow pages? How are they connecting to the avenues and channels that are best for their businesses?

As a person that is technology focused I am constantly thinking of ways to create avenues to merge offline marketing with online marketing because it is essential that if you have traditional brick and mortal location that you not only be online but be heavily involved with social media. It is just not optional anymore. Technology and more specifically Social Media is growing at at rate that companies that are tech savvy are having a hard time keeping up, so how would companies that are tech novices catch up at this rate? How do we as marketers convince companies that are not online, that are using traditional means of marketing and advertising that they are indeed placing themselves behind he 8 ball? Or is that just my opinion? Is there a solution? Is this even a problem that needs a solution? Maybe it’s all good?

 

Curious about your thoughts and opinions? I welcome any and all opinions, questions, and comments, whatever. Good, bad, ugly or indifferent. So feel free to comment here, on Twitter or directly on my Facebook Wall.

 

 

Content Creation vs Content Curation

There seems to be a new wave in Blogging and that is Content Curation, which is providing essential bits of stories.  The goal of content curation is to provide the information that you think your followers would like using various sources of original content. There seems to be a lot of mixed messages and opinions of content curation by creators of original content.

 

As a provider of both types of content I feel that both are very essential parts of providing useful, relevant and essential content to your followers. As an original content provider I love to provide original, what I believe witty and sometimes-sarcastic content in my own tone of voice to people that have an interest in following and reading my dialogue. This original content is not strategically planned but more so created on a whim of what I think would be cool to say, what's relevant and what information is currently int he news that I believe people would be interested in hearing my spin on.

 

On the other hand I am also involved with curating a lot of information because as an Internet Marketer as much as we can sometimes believe we know everything about everything, we do not. I know I am very willing to embrace the ideas and ideologies of others because even If we are on the same page about something’s, peers or other people in your industry can add a different spin or flavor to an idea. This is one of the reasons that I curate information as well as create. It allow me to offer a different perspective on ideas and provides a great source of information to my followers that I feel would be beneficial to them regardless of the source.

 

I love my information to be curated because I feel as if my information has gone beyond just my readers/follower and can then be beneficial to others. The key to curation of others original content is that you should always give credit to the source of the information.

 

What are your thoughts? Should all information provided be original content created by the provider? Or do you not care? Does it minimize the effectiveness of the information if the curator is not the content creator? If you created original content do you care if your information is curated?

 

As usual, I welcome thoughts; opinions so feel free to respond to this post, on Twitter or post directly on my Facebook Page. I love to hear opinions, good bad, ugly or indifferent.

 

 

Technology overload...I know but....I have to...I JUST can't help myself

I planned on creating a bit of a tongue in cheek post about computers taking over our lives. As a giggle, giggle, chuckle, chuckle post and then I started thinking about it as I was talking to my wonderful Facebook friends.

 

I posted that I was in need of a weekend away, so I could catch up on sleep because I only seem to genuinely relax when I am away in a different atmosphere. My friends said, hey Anise, turn off your computer, and cell phone then take a nap. "huh...turn off my computer?" What's that like?  I occasionally turn off the computer, usually when I am trying to grab that elusive uninterrupted 4 hours of sleep per night.

 

I started to think more now about how many other people are on technology overload. I'm not saying that I plan to change it, as I really love to wallow in technological advancements, revel in computer gadgets, bask in the warm to overheated laptop and mentally rejoice at the sound of the cell phone buzz from an incoming text.

 

Technology is evolving and growing, the need to do more, learn more and embrace more will not diminish in my life. As we speak, I am ready to move toward my next project, Blog Post, iFrame App, Second Life Integration..blah...blah...the list goes on. Is that normal? Am I a Tech Zombie? (hehe)

 

Will all of that said, should we all be concerned with overuse of technology? Is it a problem? Like a disorder? <cheap shot coming>If it's a disorder will pharmaceutical companies try to give us a medication for it? </cheap shot over> Should we worry or just go with it?

 

I welcome all thoughts and opinions, good, bad, ugly or indifferent. Feel free to comment or post directly to my Facebook wall.

 

 

Foodie Friday: Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce

Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked penne pasta
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 (3.5 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In large skillet, heat oil over moderate heat. Remove casing from sausage and add to skillet. Cook, breaking up the meat, until brown. Add garlic and red pepper and cook, stirring until garlic is golden brown.
3. Add tomatoes and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add vodka and cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and add pasta, toss for 1 minute. Stir in fresh parsley and serve!

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 435 | Total Fat: 18.4g | Cholesterol: 29mg

 

What to Drink?
	Sangiovese

 

For more recipes go to AllRecipes.com

 

 

 

 

It's NOT a conspiracy, it's Technology..Get over yourself

I am a great lover of the Internet and all things Technology related. So when there is technology to be found, learned, embraced I am all for it. It's exciting to me so I love to share! Technology, Social Media and Internet Marketing is my intellectual soulmate. 

When I share information, I get amazing feedback mostly. However, sometimes I get responses from people that feel as if Technology is a conspiracy created specifically for the government to spy on them. Ummmm....Seriously tho ( YES I SAID THO and spelled it wrong on purpose. )  REALLY? Technology as an entire huge money making industry was created specifically to spy on YOU? One person of many billions in this huge world? Ok, I'm thinking of a nice way to say Get over yourself, really in the spectrum of life and technology, you truly over value your importance. Is there a nice way to even say that?

Technology is something to be learned, embraced not feared. Things are advancing so fast that one month of fear could set you back years in the world of expanding technology. Do we all not feel the urge to just reach out and learn something new, hit the number 2 on the Google page to advance to the next screen, find out What, Why and When in regards to Technology? Shouldn't we all want to know what's next? 

 

 

My philosophy about Technology is "What's next....What's Next...What's next" in the famous words of Drinking With Bob. 

What are your thoughts about technology? Are you affraid?  Do you believe it's a conspiracy from the government to obtain your Private Information? Or do you want to embrace it?

 

<Side note>

• The Government already has your private information.
• They don't care what you're doing.
• Privacy as you know it is over. 
• Get over yourself, you're not that important. 
• I say all of this with love 

</Sidenote over>

Let me know your thoughts, I welcome them with technology embracing open arms. Remember, you can leave me a comment here or post directly on my Facebook Wall. I welcome all opinions, good, bad, ugly or indifferent.. 

 

 

The Future of Web: #Augmented Reality, #Semantic Web & Virtual World, What's next? Are we ready?

I have always seemingly had a love for the Internet.  When I first experienced the burst of information by way of what was then called the World Wide Web, I was immediatly hooked. I found that I could search for hours upon hours finding, reading and exploring new bits of information back when the Internet was very text focused.  The Internet has evolved so much in a matter of 15 years or so that it's amazing.

Early Internet


Web 1.0 -3.0


The growth in the last 15 years has been astounding. We've gone from primarily text formated information online to having the ability to make an avatar of ourselves and literally jump right into the net.
There is also technology that allows the net to jump out at us. Amazing stuff!

Second Life: Virtual Worlds


The Semantic Web, The future


Augmented Reality


This super quick technology growth has me thinking,  what's next with the web. Where could we possibly go from here. What cool things would you like to see next? I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, rants..whatever..so feel free to share your opinion, good, bad, ugly or indifferent in the comments section or you can post directly on my Facebook Wall.

Social Media is a conversation: Some Still don't get it....

I am a serious advocate of Social Media, Blogging and all things Internet Marketing related that are positive. I will admit to indulging in some things that are not postitive and somewhat stupid in an harmless way. What?? Don't judge me...nothin' wrong with a little stupid fun if it's harmless and makes me laugh. 

Well, upon my quest of getting more into Social Media from a business perspective I started to analyze and take notice of some trends. One thing that I did notice is that  a lot of people really do get it, they are embracing it and living it for their companies and small businesses. Then there are the OTHERS. Yes I am going to refer to them as THE OTHERS like on LOST. No I wasn't a LOST Fanatic, but I do remember people that were referred to as THE OTHERS, which is sort of at the point that I was LOST as a fan due to the weirdness. Digression, sorry. Which brings me to the point of the Social Media OTHERS. The people that still don't get it. 

Social Media is about engagement, to use the words of the amazing Brian Solis. In it's simplest form Social Media is a conversation, a social conversation between yourself or company and the people that are following you. That's it! 

As with any conversation, the goal is to connect with people, listen to what they are saying and respond accordingly. Simple, right? These are coincidentally things that traditional marketers have NOT done in the past gazzilion years and why Social Media is still so out of the comfort zone of many companies. The days of yap, yap, yapping your message to your customers is over. However we will leave that subject for another blog post.  

Things that are needed in a conversation:

• Listening: Listening to conversations on your social media channels are essential to find out what interests your followers. 
• Responding:  It is essential that you respond to what you are listening to or followers will feel ignored.
• Dialogue: Talk to your followers, I mean really talk to them. This is after all a conversation. 
• Observering: Keep your finger to the pulse of what your followers like and dislike. If you have absolutely no response to a post or conversation, keep that in mind for the next post and conversation on that same subject.
• Respect: Respect what you've observed, if you find that your followers were not big on a certain post or line of conversation. Respect that!

Remember, Social Media is a conversation, so in your everyday life there are thing that are done automatically when having a conversation that can and should apply to social media. Don't think of social media as a tactic, think of it as having a conversation. With that said, take a look at things that DO NOT create a great conversation.

Things that do not create a great conversation:

• Not Listening: Some business pages DO NOT give followers the ability to post on the wall. This is a one sided conversation and equivalent to talking to an audience with ear plugs in. #FAIL
• Not Responding: You can't respond if you haven't listened. Let your followers post to your wall. #FAIL
• Lack of Dialogue: It is essential that there is conversation or else it is not social media. If You are blah..blah..blahhing your message at your followers old school marketing style. #FAIL

Open the lines of communication, you will be happy with the conversation. That's a good initial Social Media Strategy.

As usual, I welcome your opinion, good, bad, ugly or indifferent. So fee free to comment or post directly on my Facebook Wall. 

Technology, Social Media and Employment: The effects on the traditional workplace.

My love for technology has allowed me to embrace all that it has to offer. This is not as common in my age range because my generation did not grow up with computers. I had my first opportunity to dabble with computers at the local Community College in Philadelphia where I attended in 1985. I had a huge geek crush on cool but Geeky guy name Raymond that we called Chris. I never really understood the name thing? Go figure. Well computers then were rather large, had no mouse and used HUGE floppy disks as a means of storage. Well we've come a long way baby.

 

The Second wave of technological enlightenment came during the Internet Revolution, or as it was called then The World Wide Web. At this time I had a huge grandfatherly crush on a guy named Bob who I listened to endlessly as he discussed how the World Wide Web would change the world as we knew it. So right he was...so right he was.

 

We are now nose deep in the biggest change that i've seen and that's the worlds total obsession with Social Media. There is not one industry or person that has not been changed by Social Media. Every aspect of life seems to revolve around Social Media and it is causing a firestorm of growth and changes to life as we known in every industry imaginable.

 

One of the changes that I believe we are just now starting to see is how Social Media is changing in the workplace.  This could be viewed as good or bad depending on your perspective.

A few of the dynamics, that I believe will totally change how we employ people in America is Social Media, Super Quick Technology Growth, Competition and The Economy. These things are changing the need, demand and overall ebb and flow of the workplace. These four things will force companies to use creative means to obtain a work force and that will mean Freelancing, Consulting, telecommuting options and an influx of road warriors to carry out the many tasks that will be needed for companies to be competitive and relevant in their industries. This could be an amazing opportunity to people that have been longing for freedom from their cubicle.

The US Telecommuting forecast shows an additional 29 million telecommuters will enter the remote workforce between 2009 and 2016, totaling to 43% of US workers.

 

These trends will force workers that have not embraced the change to be more flexible, consider different options about employment and open their minds to different avenues of employment such as telecommuting and freelancing. Times are-a-changin' we must see the transition and be willing to change with the new ebb and flow in this techological age of Employment, Social Media and Technology growth. As workers, Consultants and Freelancers this could be the freedom that you've been searching for. However, people that are resistant to change and like a traditional work environment,  this could be more challenging.

If you are currently looking for new opportunities that may include Consulting, Telecommuting, Freelancing or if you are trying to get experience in a NEW Industry you should consider working on your online presence. Set up a Free Google Page, an Online Resume, Create a Facebook page, Twitter presence and even a Blog.

Some of the things that I have set up to to increase my consulting opportunities are:

• An  Google Profile
• An Online Resume 
• A Blog
• Facebook Page
• Twitter

If you think that you would be interested in exploring some of the options presented due to changes in Technology and  Social Media. Take a look at some of the options below. Some skill sets that offer the greatest flexibility to Freelance, Telecommute or Consult are :

1. PHP

2. Translation

3. HTML

4. Graphic Design

5. Website Design

6. SEO

7. WordPress

8. MySQL

9. Photoshop

10. CSS

11. Social Media

12. Virtual Assistant

 

As usual, I welcome your input, good bad ugly or indifferent. Feel free to leave a comment or post directly on my Facebook wall.

Sources:

http://www.suitecommute.com/research-and-statistics/statistics/of-telecommute...

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/employment-trends-3046.html

http://www.telecommutenews.com/current_telecommuting_news/donanza-publishes-3...

 

Clothing line for tech lovers

http://www.Facebook.com/AniseSmithMarketing
http://www.AniseSmith.co

Amplify’d from mashable.com

Wired Fashion: 10 Items of Connected Clothing for Gadget Lovers

1. iTee

Said to be "perfect for men and women with a digital lifestyle," the "iTee" from Aussie co iClothing boasts a pouch for your 'Pad. Would you wear it?

2. Rusty Wired Series Swept Away

Rusty's "Wired Series" boasts built-in machine washable earphones. The "Swept Away" hoodie is pretty in pink.

3. SCOTTeVEST T-Shirt

A classic tee with a high-tech twist, this boasts a zippered chest pocket for an iPod, iPhone, or similar portable gadget, a "Personal Area Network" for built-in wire management, and two further side seam pockets.

4. Rusty Wired Series Noise

More from Rusty. This is a cross between a shirt and a hoodie, and includes those cool built-in earphones.

5. iDress

Another iClothing offering, the iDress is a sateen LBD with a difference. That difference is, as you've likely guessed, a pouch for your iPad! iClothing claims it will take you "from the office to the cocktail lounge," but we're not sure you'd get that far if the Fashion Police are on patrol.

6. Koyono Work Premier Made for iPod Coat

Not only does Koyono's coat have "the perfect number of pockets to manage your gadgets," but thanks to its "Elektex" smart fabric interface, it boasts integrated five-button iPod controls. The future is now, man.

7. Rusty Wired Series High Voltage Dress

Although in most parts of the world it might be a little chilly to sport this dress, come summer we think this garment, again with built-in, waterproof earphones, will fly off the shelves.

8. Mohan's Custom iPad Suit

New York-based custom gentlemen's tailors Mohan's offer an iPad pocket option for a more satorial take on gadget-friendly clothing.

9. SCOTTeVEST Travel Boxers 2.0

You need not be without your precious phone even when you're down to just your undies with SCOTTeVEST's high tech boxers. The front pocket is designed to fit a smartphone while the back pocket will conceal a passport, credit cards and the like.

10. Cute Circuit M-Dress

The M-Dress is not just a garment, it's a "functional soft electronics mobile phone." It accepts a standard SIM card and can make and receive calls. To answer a call the wearer simply lifts a hand to the ear, and to end a call, puts that hand back down. It's due to be available this year, so it might not be long before you hear the once-unlikely line, "excuse me, my dress is ringing."

See more at mashable.com

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#Twaggies making Tweets visual & funny

http://www.Facebook.com/AniseSmithMarketing
http://www.AniseSmith.co

Amplify’d from twaggies.com

A friend told me there’s a place like twitter called “outside” where people favorite each other by making eye contact and smiling. Unfollow. -  @shanenickerson Read more at twaggies.com

Twaggies Read more at twaggies.com

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If its free its for me, Free #MobileMe?

As an Internet Marketer, I am always looking at services and products that make my life easier. While attending Grad School at Full Sail University #FSIMMS I started using Mobile Me and really do like the service. As an Apple service It is on par with the companies other exceptional services.

I do also use additional hosting services so offering MobileMe for FREE would be a great thing as I plan to continue using the service. I'm sure that many of my fellow Alumni and friends that have dropped the service would be very willing to pick it back up especially if its FREE.

IF IT'S FREE IT'S FOR ME!! Kudos for Apple

http;//www.Facebook.com/AniseSmithMarketing
http://www.AniseSmith.co

Amplify’d from news.cnet.com

More rumblings point to free MobileMe in April

Once again there are reports that the long-rumored free version of MobileMe will arrive in April, some three years after the paid service became generally available and months ahead of initial estimates for when Apple planned to revamp its Web suite.

In a story this morning, blog iLounge cited a person it called a trusted source at a major educational institution as saying that the institution was unable to buy MobileMe subscriptions. Additionally, the source said Apple was planning to release a revamped version of the service as soon as next month. In the interim, Apple is said to be encouraging users who wanted to get their hands on a paid subscription to use Apple's free, 60-day trial instead, since the new version of the service, according to iLounge, may be "quite different."

MobileMe, which costs $99 a year, had originally been introduced as a replacement for Apple's .Mac service (which had formerly been dubbed iTools). Among MobileMe's hallmark features was a sync service pitched to consumers by Apple CEO Steve Jobs as "Exchange for the rest of us." It synced bookmarks, contact information, and calendar information across devices. Read more at news.cnet.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bvf7s

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Beware of #Facebook Chat hijack

http://www.Facebook.com/AniseSmithMarketing
http://www.AniseSmith.co

Amplify’d from www.allfacebook.com

ALERT: Facebook Chat Hijackings Continue To Spread

We’re seeing lots of people warning about — or at least apologizing for – chat hijackings.

The latest one says “Hey, check out this girl, lol, she must be out of her mind for making that video!” and includes a shortened bit.ly web address.

That URL leads to a Facebook page running an application called Congood. Clicking “allow” on the permission box leads to a page that flashes a picture of a woman’s back side for less than a second before popping up a menu of three different affiliate schemes.

Clicking on any of the three choices exposes you to malware and leads you down a path that earns the scammer a commission if you go through the whole exercise. Instead of wasting time playing the game, filling out a marketing survey or trying out customized profile layouts, close the window and go clean up your Facebook page — get rid of the application installed in your account, and delete any references to it in your news feed.

And the next time you feel tempted to check out a link you’re unsure about, try running it through the AVG scanner first, like our friends at Facecrooks suggest. Report all dubious-looking applications to Facebook security. Read more at www.allfacebook.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bvepu

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Foodie Friday: World's Best Lasagna

World's Best Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 448 | Total Fat: 21.4g | Cholesterol: 84mg

What to Drink?
	Sangiovese
	Negroni Cocktail II

More recipes atAllRecipes.com

MS Office to Integrate with #Facebook

http://www.Facebook.com/AniseSmithMarketing
http://www.AniseSmith.co

Amplify’d from www.allfacebook.com

Microsoft Office 15 Aims For Facebook Integration

Microsoft wants the next version of its Office productivity suite to include Facebook integration.

The integration could simply include messaging or chat, like ZDNet suggests in its headline about Office 15. However, that might be only one of several interfaces. Microsoft Front Page, and possibly Word, could have an option to upload pages to Facebook; Outlook could synchronize with Facebook’s new messages platform; and, of course, Microsoft Messenger could tap into Facebook chat.

See more at www.allfacebook.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bv0hq

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Privacy is a thing of the past, get over it.

I hear people go on and on and ON about Privacy, this one is invading my privacy, that one is invading my privacy...oh here we go with Facebook invading our privacy again. Well Privacy as we've known it is a thing of the past. We ALL literally have a good portion of our private information out there for everyone to see.We have become a very "Social" Society which means there are certain trade offs that happen when we become so social.  If you think about the word social for a minute, it means that were are establishing relationships with people, learning more about those people which sharing more about ourselves. Hence when you share, more information is revealed and this means LESS Privacy.

Although Privacy as we've know it Pre-Social Media is over there are things we can do to insure a certain degree of privacy. One of the things that i've noticed was most of the people that yell the loudest about their privacy being invaded are the same people that have NOT set their privacy settings accurately to insure privacy on their Facebook page in particular. Facebook tends to get a bad rap for invading the privacy of its users, however I've found Facebook to have outstanding privacy setting that when utilized gives great options as to the amount of information that you chose to share or not. The key is that you must set this up yourself it's not automatically set to your preferences.

 

Anise Smith Facebook Privacy ebook

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I think the ultimate goal is that we should all find out  more about the privacy settings of any and all social media channels that we are using,especially Facebook and determine the degree of information that we expose to others. As we become more social and utilize more and more avenues within social media we have to be aware of the information that WE share as well as the information that is shared about us with or without our knowlede.

Privacy as we've known it to be 15 years or so ago is over, but there are steps you can take to share what you want to share ONLY.

 

 

80% of toddlers age 0-5 are online

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Report: 80 percent of toddlers use the Internet

You know how most millennials have used the Internet since they were kids? Well, the next generation is browsing the Web practically at birth. A report released Monday said that nearly 80 percent of children in the U.S., between the ages of 0 and 5, use the Internet on at least a weekly basis. Television use is still the most popular form of media among toddlers, according to the report from education non-profits Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Sesame Workshop. Read even more analysis on the study at Mashable. Read more at www.prdaily.com

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Blog Love: The Accidental Blogger ...

While attending Full Sail University studying for my Masters Degree in Internet Marketing one of my Course Directors mentioned Blogging as a way to connect to people in your areas of expertise.  At that time I was, maybe midway through the very intense and Accelerated One Year Masters Degree Program and I could not see writing anything else, especially in a recreational manner.  Honestly who could give that thought after writing and creating multi-media presentations about search engine optimization, quality scores and various new media marketing technologies.

 

Imagine my surprise when I immediately started a blog, literally right after graduation. I mean, really I graduated July 2, 2010 and that night I started aggressively pursuing my plans to blog more. Of course at this time is was due to wanting to get my business moving, increase my brand exposure and connect and grow my Facebook Fan Page.

 

Here I am, just 8 months later moving toward Blogging Professionally.  Go Figure RIGHT?? Not only have I increased my brand exposure, got my business moving and grown my Facebook Fan Page, I genuinely LOVE Blogging.

 

Blogging allows a person or company freedom of expression, an opportunity to speak about things they feel passionate about.  Most importantly for me, I get to blog about the coolest things in the world of Internet Marketing. My ability to look at some of the marketing strategies available in the industry, check out the coolest gadgets and social media tools is a huge part of my day. The added bonus is that I get to share my knowledge, opinion and insights on the things that I love and people actually listen. :-)  Wow, image that?

 

So to sum it up, I am Anise Smith The Accidental Blogger but loving it!

 

Do you have a story about how you blundered into blogging? If you love it? Hate it? What do you blog about? I would love to know, so feel free to share your story in the comments section or post directly on my Facebook wall. As usual, I welcome opinions, good, bad, ugly or indifferent.

 

My Blogs

• http://anisesmith.posterous.com/
• http://anisesmith.com/
• http://qranisesmith.tumblr.com/
• http://anisesmith.amplify.com/
• http://anisesmith.blogspot.com/
  

MicroCenter takes $200.00 off MacBookPro

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MicroCenter Takes Up To $200 Off MacBook Pro

Here’s a quick heads-up for you on this Monday afternoon. MicroCenter will shave off up to $200 on your purchase of one of those new MacBook Pro laptops. That’s handy.

There’s no “catch” nearest I can tell. No having to buy a year’s magazine subscription, no having to pay for some additional warranty.

That means you can get an entry-level MacBook Pro for $1,099 (down $100), or the top-of-the-line model for $2,299 (down $200). Read more at www.crunchgear.com

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Close ur office door & watch flashmobs

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15 Fab Flash Mob Videos on YouTube

1. Bristol Lightsaber Flashmob – The Official Video

2. The Liverpool Street Station T-Mobile Dance

3. Frozen Grand Central

4. Sound of Music at the Central Station Antwerp in Belgium

5. Flash Mob in “Stary Browar” Poznan, Poland

6. Bondi Beach Towel Surfing – Flip Video Flash Mob

7. Official Haiti Flash Mob – Hollywood

8. Michael Jackson Tribute – Montreal Flash Mob

9. BouncE Flash Mob – Grona Lund

10. Latvian Flash Mob Folk Dance in Riga 2009

11. Proposal in Washington Square Park

12. Mukhtars Fødselsdag – Flash Mob – Bedre Bustur

13. Domino Day Flashmob – Cologne

14. Supermarket Flashmob

15. Oprah’s Kickoff Party Dance with the Black Eyed Peas

See more at mashable.com

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