Tuesday, October 31, 2006

You're Invited...

You're Invited...


To a Book Chat


moderated by Rachel Ramone of


The Phenomenal Women Yahoo Group

for

Author: D.S. White







Where: phpMyChat Chatroom in the "Default" Room, register here


When: Saturday, November 4, 2006 - 8 PM (EST)


How: Register now or tomorrow before chatting, then click above-mentioned link


Objective: To find out more about the book (the message),

the purpose (is it about the buck, the notoriety, the talent or what?)

and the author (what makes her qualified to expound thusly?)


A note from the author:

Hi Folks,

If you've already purchased copies of AIJAN, I thank you and hope to see you there. If you've not had time but would like to participate you may still do so by reading the excerpts provided and/or purchasing the eBook.

Now ya'll don't show up just to show up ... come primed with questions to make me think, laugh and/or squirm ... everything's fair game, except for the dreaded ... "Umm... whatchu wearing ma?" ...LOL...

Peace,

Dee
I am who I am, by the grace of God.


P.S. Be sure to check here for the latest updates.

Friday, October 27, 2006

The Beauty of Gold

Gold, since ancient days of Egypt it has been a desired commodity. Having it signified a certain cachet and the more you had, the more important or wealthy you were deemed.

Nothing much has changed in that aspect in today's world. Well ... maybe no one will bow down and worship you because you have on a pair of gold earrings or a gold bracelet.

However, gold has retained its value in that it is considered a unique investment. With the use of a reputable investment company, one can buy gold or any other precious metal (available in coin or ingot form which is pure bullion cast in a convenient size and shape) and as such diversify their investments, protect wealth and preserve their purchasing power.

For over 30 years, the Monex companies have been America's gold and precious metals investment leader backed by a large and dedicated staff of hard asset professionals committed to serving your precious metals investment needs via a convenient market and competitive precious metals prices.

Girls Most Likely: A Novel

by Sheila Williams
Published by One World/Ballantine


paperback US$13.95
ISBN: 0345464761


About the book:
"We didn't know then that the dramas we imagined weren't even warm-ups for what real life held for us."

From the fifth grade to their fifth decade, Vaughn, Reenie, Susan, and Audrey have shared secrets and dreamed dreams -- their lives connected like silk threads through rich fabric, pulling but never breaking at life's unexpected twists and turns. Meet the girls most likely

To Write the Great American Novel: Vaughn has a flair for words that makes her the unofficial diplomat of the foursome. She's great at keeping it together for everybody -- but herself.

To Marry a Prince: Sassy Reenie can break hearts as easily as she can take out a bully without breaking a nail. But her live-for-today attitude leads to a tragic mistake that will haunt the girls for years.

To be Famous: From the ashes of a ravaged home life, amid rumors and bad feelings, Susan rises to fame as a glamorous network anchorwoman, proving that success is the best revenge. But forgiveness is another matter.

To Run the World: Audrey is the ultimate overachiever, but this takes a devastating toll on her health, her career, and her family. Perfection is a race where the finish line keeps moving. What will she sacrifice to win?

Girls Most Likely is an emotional, uplifting, often hilarious glimpse into the lives of today's ever-changing African American women, sustained by love, laughter, and sisterhood.

Read an excerpt

About the author:
Sheila J. Williams was born in Columbus, Ohio. She attended Ohio Wesleyan University and is a graduate of the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Sheila and her husband live in northern Kentucky.

For more information, please visit the author's Web site at www.sheilajwilliams.com.

A Word about Subscriptions

I just opened my Feedblitz subscription email and had the laugh of my life! Blogging buddy (and I use the term widely) over at Fugetaboutit!!! shared some early morning husband and wife interaction that I absolutely must pass on. For those of us single folks ... something to look forward to? Who knows...

Anyway, time to get your laugh on! You might even want to check out a few blogs at Feedblitz and get yourself a subscription or three.

***

My wife is some kind spy or something...

“Uh… honey… why is there a miniature satellite dish in your dressing area?”

“What are you talking about Calabrese?”

“What is that? It looks like you’re trying to track incoming missiles.”

“It’s a diffuser.”

“What do you need a diffuser for? Is something about to go off?

“Something is about to go off all right.”

“What, I can’t ask a simple question?”

“Why are you bugging me? You know better than to bug me when I’m trying to get ready.

“I was just curious. A guy can’t show a little interest in his wife’s weaponry?”

“It attaches to the hair dryer numb nuts.”

“The hairdryer? Come on, seriously, what is that thing?”

“I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Oh I get it. It’s a secret. You could tell me but then you’d have to kill me.”

“No, I’ll kill you because you’re annoying me.”

“What is all this crap? It looks like James Bond has moved in with us.”

“It helps keep my hair curly.”

“But your hair is naturally curly.”

“It doesn’t naturally curl the right way.”

“Uh... isn’t curly just curly? Plus I thought you wanted to wear your hair straight.”

“I did.”

“But now you want it curly?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to all the other weapons you had here? What happened to that stuff that makes your hair straight?”

“Listen up Calabrese. You are not going to talk about my hair on stage. You are not going to write about my hair in your blog. You are not going to mention my hair to anyone. Capiche Calabrese?”

“Are you part of some secret government agency?”

“Knock it off Calabrese.”

“You’re no fun today.”

“I am trying to finish curling my hair.”

Before You Pop the Question

So, the online dating arena was a big success. You’re ready to pop the question, but first you need the prerequisite diamond engagement ring.

Located in the world famous diamond district of Manhattan, Primestyle.com offers the finest selection of Quality Diamonds & Jewelry at Low Prices. In their own words, “we ensure that you will NEVER PAY RETAIL PRICES AGAIN...PERIOD!”

Okay, so you’re ready to propose, you’ve got a probable jeweler, so you walk in and pick the biggest and brightest diamond you can afford … right? NOT!

The clearest diamond of the highest Karat does you no good if it’s set in yellow gold, when it should be white gold, or if it’s the traditional stone, when it should be pear-shaped or if the design is clunky when it should be delicate and barely there.

Before you spend a dollar, take her personal style into consideration. Then and only then will you have … the perfect ring … for her.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Excerpt: Men, Love & Sex

What Makes a Man Fall in Love?

Why we can't let love in until you've shown us the way -- and the simple words that can unleash our deepest affections.


Question: Guys, do you believe you've met your soul mate?

Yes, I'm with her right now.................................. 53 Percent

Yes, but we're no longer together:........................ 14 Percent

Yes, but we were never together as a couple:......... 9 Percent

No:.......................................................................... 24 Percent


Think of a great relationship as though it were a great meal: A delicious, meaty steak of sexual passion accompanied by a fine, delicate wine of romance and commitment. Both of us want it all -- the perfect, satisfying course. And we need both -- steak by itself is dry and unsatisfying; and wine will get you tipsy, but it won't satisfy your hunger. Now, before the metaphor police revoke my license, let me simply push this analogy a little further: Men are a little more focused on the meat of the relationship, and women a bit more on the wine. But both sexes want to get up from the table completely satisfied. Need evidence? More than three-fourths of men believe in soul mates (see above). And when we asked our guys to choose between meeting the love of their life or having amazing sex for six months, 92 percent chose falling in love. (The other 8 percent were probably Maxim readers.) Consider what these three men said about the experience of falling in love:

  • "We need to feel love, loyalty, and chemistry above all else," says Ian, 31.

  • "Men also feel the butterflies and giddiness that women do when they're in love," says Robert, 26.

  • "Women don't realize most guys are in love long before they are willing to admit it to anyone," says Drew, 30.


So why then does it always seem like women are leading the relationship toward commitment, and men need to be dragged along like a preschooler to a dentist appointment? Because in the early-on Stratego game of dating, we need to see where you're moving first. Consider this: Less than half of men say they're typically the first ones to say "I love you" in a relationship, and more women than men initially broach the subject of taking the relationship to the next level.

That points to the notion that what men really want when it comes to love is your assurance -- your permission, really -- that it's okay to let the butterflies out of the cage.

Michael, 37, a restaurant owner in North Carolina, says he's cautious about expressing himself early on -- not because he's complacent or wants to play games or wants to make the woman squirm like a mouse in a cat's mouth. He holds back because he's waiting to get the signal that it's okay to press the accelerator.

"I love to hear that I'm her dream come true, or some version of that, if that's the case," he says. "I need a little praise and attention, just as much as she needs it from me. That's the sign I need. Then, I know I can give her what she needs."

Chris, 29, a recently married public defender, agrees. "Men need to be told that they're wanted," he says. "Women forget that if they like a nice guy, that the nice guy might be too nervous to tell them what he feels." And then he added this interesting insight: "Women need to be more open to being hurt the way guys are every day."

Hold on a second. Guys are hurt more often than women?

Hmm. Think about it: In the romance game, it's usually the man who makes the first move (usually after you've dropped him countless hints waiting for him to finally pick up on them). But in doing so, men open themselves up to more rejection than a telemarketing trainee. And believe me, even George Clooney has a psychic master list of turn-downs that he still winces over from time to time.

So once a man has crossed that first barrier -- okay, you like him, it's safe -- he's reluctant to cross the next. Like monkeys in a lab, we've been shocked plenty of times before, and if we're in a safe place with you, we're happy simply to stay there. So it's a delicate balance -- a woman needs to signal that it's okay for him to take the next step, without making him feel as if he's being pushed toward it. Let him know that you feel there's something really special between you. Let him know it's okay if he lets himself feel that, too. But proceed cautiously -- there's danger ahead, as you'll see.

How Do I Know Where This Relationship is Heading?
I've been seeing a guy for about three weeks, and I feel like it's going to be pretty serious. After the first two dates, we've been seeing each other a lot. Last week, we got together twice during the week and twice on the weekend. I'd like to talk about where this is headed, but I don't want to scare him away. I just want to make sure we're both on the same page about where we are, whether we're seeing other people, and where this might go. What's he thinking?

He's thinking that, three weeks into dating, he doesn't want to have this conversation. To him, that's a relationship birth announcement. Today, we welcome the birth of a beautiful committed couple, weighing in at eight dates, two movies, and six orgasms (five for him, one for her): It's Bob and Cindy! Congratulations! It's too formal, too official, too planned. And that formality serves as the fire extinguisher to the initial spark he's been feeling. "The only thing worse than a woman who doesn't show any interest after a few dates is a woman who shows too much," says Anthony, 25. Terry, 32, adds: "Slow down. Please don't tell us that you love us after three weeks." Think of it this way. You know how you don't like when he skips the foreplay and goes right to the sex? When you talk about the status of a relationship too early, it's like skipping the foreplay of pursuit and going right to the private parts of commitment. If he's seeing you four times a week, then it's a good sign that your relationship is headed in the right direction. Just let him have some fun -- and some mystery -- while he's getting there.

How Do I Know When It's Time to Tell Him my Feelings?
I've been seeing a man for only two months. Perfect guy. He's funny, has a great job, I love hanging out with him. We even took this great weekend vacation together and everything seemed to click. I just have this feeling that this is going to work, and I'm pretty sure he feels the same way. I don't want to blow it, and while I obviously don't want to pretend to be somebody that I'm not, I also don't want to do anything that could jeopardize the relationship. Any hints for how to take things from here?

Two months may seem like a blip on the relationship radar, but for some guys, that qualifies as a full-fledged era. At this point, men certainly want some honesty. "If she is more open with me, I'll be more open with her, especially at the beginning when you're both feeling each other out, emotionally," says Warren, 33. But that comes with a caution. Feel free to be honest about your feelings, but don't make assumptions about his. Don't use the word us. At this stage, you'll solidify your primo status if you talk about what you like about him, what you get out of a relationship with him, what turns you on about him. Us scares him; him excites him. (Yes, we're our own favorite subject, but that's just human nature.) It's a way of saying you love the relationship while giving him the ego-boosting rush he craves -- all without making him think you're brushing up on the four Cs of diamond shopping. At this still-early stage, that's a secret to tip-toeing between giving him permission to love and giving him a reason to leave.

Should I Give Him an Ultimatum?
My live-in boyfriend and I have been seeing each other for about a year and a half, living together for somewhere around six months. I'm 31 and my family is giving me a hard time -- like I should just go ahead and move on if he's not going to be the one because I'm wasting time. My best friend even says to me that there's no way he's going to marry me because he's getting all the sex of a nonmarried relationship without the commitment. I've debated a lot about giving him an ultimatum or a deadline, but something tells me that's a bad idea. How will I know if he's ever going to be ready to make the next step?

You may think that men are afraid of the marriage commitment because we want to leave options open, because we're waiting for something better, or because we fear it'll be the official end of hot-tub sex. Jay, 30, says a man's hesitation isn't about indifference; it's actually the opposite. "Men are just as unsure about the relationship thing as women," he says. "I'm getting married in a couple months to a woman I love deeply, who I know will be a fantastic wife and mother to my future children. Is she my soul mate? Tough question, but if not, she's pretty darn close." When we decide we want to be married, we want to do the right thing -- for both of us. So should you give him an ultimatum? I don't think so. If you've been honest with him about your feelings for him -- for him, not for "the relationship" -- then you're probably at the point in your relationship where you should be able to ask him straight up about his feelings for you. If he can't tell you what he thinks and what he feels, well, that's probably your answer.

Reprinted from: Men, Love & Sex: The Complete User's Guide for Women by David Zinczenko with Ted Spiker © 2006 David Zinczenko. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling at (800) 848-4735.

David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine, has written op-ed pieces for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today and is a frequent guest on the Today show, talking about men and relationships. In 2003, People magazine named him one of the "50 Most Eligible Bachelors." He divides his time between Allentown, Pennsylvania, and New York City.

Ted Spiker, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Florida, is a contributing editor to Men's Health. He lives in Gainesville, Florida.>

For more information, visit www.menloveandsex.com or http://www.rodalestore.com/

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Excerpt: How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk

The following is an excerpt from the book How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk
by John Van Epp, Ph.D.
Published by McGraw-Hill; September 2006;$22.95US/$26.95CAN; 0-07-147265-7
Copyright © 2006 John Van Epp, Ph.D.

Idealization: See No Evil

Unhealthy emotional needs lead people to develop one of three relationship patterns that attempt to interpersonally resolve what can only be fixed intrapersonally. In other words, when you do not deal directly with your issues, they often become embedded in your relationships. At that point, you may no longer recognize them as your own issues, because they have become clouded by the dynamics of the relationship. You plunge forward to fix the relationship, all the while needing really to fix yourself. Regrettably, it does not work and your relationship continues to suffer. This will repeat until you identify your own problems and make the necessary changes within yourself.

The first pattern, idealization, occurs when you avoid feeling disappointment and pain by always looking through rose-colored glasses. A perfect example of this was a young woman, Ellie, who had grown up in a home where her mother died and her father subsequently remarried. During her adolescence, her father was tragically killed. His second wife favored her own children, leaving Ellie starved for love and attention. It was not surprising that Ellie soon met and married a man whom she had known only a short time. During their brief courtship, he lavished her with praise and adoration, calling himself Prince Charming.

No doubt you know this age-old story of Ellie (her good friends knew her as Cinder Ellie, although most refer to her as Cinderella). She idealized everything! It was her way of surviving the atrocities of her family life. The beloved Disney version began with Cinderella waking up to the singing of the bluebirds and joining in with her own song, "No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."

I do not mean to tarnish the ending of this fairy tale, but seriously, don't you wonder whether Ellie looked at her prince through the lenses of overidealism? She wore clothes made from bluebirds, rescued trapped mice and dressed them in cute clothing, and never seemed to complain, even when she had to work all day and night! Maybe she was so determined to live her dream that she overlooked certain warning signals in order to fulfill her idealistic wishes. Idealism always becomes dangerous when it blinds you to reality.

Her prince was a wealthy, royal only child who was looking for the perfect woman. Men with the prince's profile usually turn out to be controlling, narcissistic, and emotionally abusive. They often have an extreme swing from infatuation to detachment as soon as some imperfection blemishes their ideal love. Ellie's idealism ultimately was leading her into the exact same family dynamic she experienced within her family of origin.

Your unhealthy need for idealistic love can be broken only by your individual efforts to face your pain and those who afflicted you, and to deal directly with the loss of having never been shown the love you needed, wanted, and deserved. Many times such efforts require courage to feel the loss as well as to face those who hurt you. A better blend of reality with idealism and the caution to test the one you trust over time will help distinguish an illusion from a genuine dream.

Rebounds and Crash Landings

Are you too trusting, always seeing the good and jumping to positive conclusions too quickly? Do you get into a relationship and immediately become swept away by the furious waves of attention and love? Do you find yourself enamored with this prince or princess, spending every free moment with that person, constantly conversing by phone or computer, or just talking to him or her in your head? If so, then you need to step back and look at your track record. If you have a history of these dreamy love attacks that end up spiraling into nightmares, then you may be avoiding some of your past pain by projecting your ideals onto a prince or princess who is nothing more than an ordinary frog.

Tonya had just ended a five-year relationship when she had her Cinderella nightmare. It began when she was approached by Will in a local club that she frequented. Will worked there and had talked briefly with Tonya in the past, but he had never engaged in any in-depth conversation with her. That night, however, Tonya started to tell Will, who listened intently, the tale of her long and rocky relationship. After an hour or so, Tonya remarked how understanding and attentive Will was and what a contrast this experience was from what she was used to. They went out that night and continued to talk until sunrise.

This began a romantic whirlwind that, after just thirty days, led Will to ask Tonya to marry him. She responded with an enthusiastic yes, having come out of a relationship with a commitment-phobe, and they made plans to move in together and save money for the wedding. Tonya confided in me that although Will had a long history of failed relationships, he had never truly been in love and no woman had ever made him feel so good. When I asked how many skeletons were actually in his closet, she blushed and disclosed that he had been with more than a hundred women. I warned her about the ways history repeats itself, but she acted hurt that I was not happier for her.

The day he moved in with her was both his first and his last. He brought a chair that Tonya did not think fit the decor of her home. When she tried to talk with him about this, Will snapped that it was his chair. Tonya retorted that it was her home. At this point, Will realized that she thought of the house as hers and not theirs.

Nothing was unusual about this kind of an argument. In fact, you would expect it to occur under the circumstances. But as a result, Will lost all feelings for Tonya and decided to move out the same day he moved in. Tonya was crushed (although I thought she was really spared). She couldn't understand how someone could feel so strongly in love one moment and then be so ice-cold the next.

Tonya encountered the unhealthy effects of idealization. How did this happen? It began when she was reeling from the rebound effect of her previous relationship and in her pain had concluded that no good men were out there, at least, none were available. You might think that this mentality would have made Tonya apprehensive about the sincerity of a man approaching her, but instead, it only ratcheted up her hopes for a perfect love. When Will treated her in ideal ways, she projected onto him all of her dreams of true love, and like a tightly wound spring, burst forward in her dependency and commitment to a man she really didn't know.

Will also suffered from idealization. He had a chronic and long-standing narcissistic condition, much like his father did. As the youngest, though, he did not overtly display his father's temper. Instead, he was a charmer. Narcissists do not appear self-centered at the beginning of a relationship. Will, for instance, craved ideal love, and his ego was inflated when Tonya looked at him as "the perfect lover who could meet her needs better than any other." This made Will feel like a god in Tonya's life during the first stages of their relationship.

Only after some time do narcissists reveal their extreme demands, a kind of "buy now, pay later" arrangement. Once one disappointment blemishes the relationship, the narcissist can never retrieve that fantasy feeling of true love. The benevolent god becomes depraved and angry, exacting obedient love while never feeling satisfied or fulfilled. This is why Will was so amazing in the beginning of a relationship but so quick to quit whenever something went wrong. Narcissism lacks resiliency; so when the first flaw appears, love begins to die.

Copyright © 2006 John Van Epp, Ph.D.

Author
John Van Epp, Ph.D., conducts seminars and workshops worldwide on marriage and relationships. His popular video program, How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk, is being taught by certified instructors internationally in thousands of churches, singles organizations, educational and agency settings, and throughout the military. He has been happily married for more than twenty-five years. Visit his website at www.johnvanepp.com.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Customer Profitability Software

Acorn Systems, a profit improvement company has just released Enterprise Profit System and Activity Based Costing (ABC) their latest customer profitability software.

With use of these products, elusive information becomes readily available which makes cost reductions and profit improvements an ongoing process throughout the organization.

Thus companies are able to meet and perhaps exceed their profitability benchmarks on a sustained basis. According to Acorn Systems, the size or type of the organization does not matter: medium-sized business, government organization or multi-national corporation they are equipped to directly interface with your organization's existing sytems.

Introducing: The CondoList Program

CondoCompany.com recently launched a new online product: The CondoList Program. With this program, sellers, purchasers, renters and lessors have the ability to seek out and find the name of the listing agent or condo owner thereby cutting out the middleman problem.

That way folks interested in Seattle Condos can run a search and be well on their way to selling, purchasing, renting or leasing with a lot less hassle.

Savvy decision by CondoCompany.com

Non-Traditional Schooling

For those of you who have problems or not enough time in your day to physically attend traditional college classes. Have you ever seriously thought about attending an online college?

Online colleges are a viable option for the goal oriented, time management type of individual.
With an online university, one can study from anywhere and any country: home, library or, laptop — the 50 states of the U.S.A, England, Canada etc. and obtain the same excellent education across the board at one’s convenience.

Accredited schools like Capella University are good candidates for enrollment.

As a national leader in online education, Capella University meets and exceeds the criteria of the most hard nosed seeker, in that it’s been around since 1993 and it offers 76 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate specializations: business, information technology, education, human services, and psychology for graduates and business and information technology for undergraduates.

While it may not be the answer for everyone, having the option to obtain a degree via an online college makes for a wider reach education wise and a positive move forward for adult learners in particular.

Meet Epocrates

A CA-Based Company that has just launched an online directory geared to the healthcare industry.

With the use of Epocrates online, Protonix and over 3,300 other drugs may be researched with the click of a mouse.

The Web site makes available dosing, pricing, potential drug interactions and Medicare Part D formulary coverage from any computer with an Internet connection.

The report from clinicians is that they rely on Epocrates products as their main source for all clinical reference needs and that it saves them up to 30 minutes a day. This can only result in safter conditions for patients and the return of the focus where it belongs: care of patients.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

A Vision of Futuristic Health

Take one daring company, a CEO with vision, gidgets, gadgets and techies ... "oh my" and what do you have?

A privately owned CA-based company by the name of Epocrates with an online reference site where the specifics on over 3,300 drugs, for e.g. Plavix can be obtained by a simple site search.

Said information was previously available via PDA, but with the advent of Epocrates Online the necessary, life saving information is available to the average healthcare professional at a great price: FREE!

For the healthcare professional who desires more than the dosing, pricing and formulary information provided in the FREE version, a premium subscription is available. With the premium subscription comes 400 alternative medicine monographs, patient education handouts, pill pictures, pill identifier and hundreds of medical tables and calculations.

As to the purpose of branching out into the online arena?

No better one to find out from, but the chairman and CEO , Kirk Loevner, who was quoted as follows, "Epocrates Online also provides us with the opportunity to develop content and services that are optimized for an online platform".

Here's to the future of healthcare, may more companies like Epocrates emerge.

Degrees of Marketing

Many adults today find themselves fighting the time machine. Time to do the dishes, time to get work done, time to spend with family, time to pray and worship, time for self improvement, time for exercise, time to sit and think, time to volunteer or time to further their education.

With the use of accredited distance learning schools like Capella University, around since 1993, you could have the opportunity to obtain a degree without leaving the comfort of your home.

Not a resident of the U.S. of A?

No problem. Capella University is available in all 50 states and 63 countries.

What should I study?

You've got choices: Capella University offers 76 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 16 certificate specializations. Say for instance, you were interested in obtaining a marketing degree you'd be covered.

But are they any good?

Well they are considered a national leader in online education and currently have 16,000 students. Is that good enough for you?

Right about now, I bet someone is thinking, What in the hay does this have to do with online dating?

I'm so glad you asked.

Merriam Webster defines marketing as:
1 a : the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market b : the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service
2 : an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer.

Now we can all agree that having any success in the online dating arena takes a certain amount of savvy but most times it seems to be just trial and error. So what if we understand and employ marketing techniques within our online search?

For instance, if we see enrollment on a dating Web site as the process, our introduction and/or description as our sales pitch, the man or woman we aim to attract as the market, and ourselves as the product we've identified the key factors in our marketing plan and are ready to begin.

Knowing our product:
As with any marketing plan you must know your product and to whom it appeals. Now where marketing yourself differs from marketing other products is that, due to survey results or consumer reaction you can't be recalled, discontinued or revamped. Ergo, know yourself, your style of communication, your dating/relationship do's and don'ts and stay with them. The honesty of being true to you will ring true loud and clear.

That being said, how does that translate into a plan of action? Here are some questions to ask yourself before setting up your profile:



  1. Why am I using the online arena? Lack of time, shy, overweight, last resort, no prospects in your immediate vicinity? Why?
  2. Which dating site should I choose? Have I done the necessary research to choose the one(s) that suit(s) me?
  3. What do I expect the dating site to accomplish? It will not chauffeur him or her to your house
  4. Do I have a targeted deadline or am I in it for the long haul?
  5. Do I have realistic expectations of what enrollment means?
  6. Am I just dating or relationship minded?
  7. Am I willing to relocate in the name of love?
  8. What ethnicities am I willing to date?
  9. With What religious backgrounds am I comfortable?
  10. Do I know what's safe and unsafe to place in my profile?
  11. What are my deal breakers? Kids, pets, smoking, religion, weight, ethnicity, location, financial income, education? What?

I'm sure there are some I've missed, but you get the idea. Once you've answered those questions (honestly) you're ready to begin your enrollment. Whichever site you choose the following tips work across the board as ingredients for the "perfect" profile:

  • Upload Clear, concise, recent picture (no cutoff arms or hands, no blurry resolution, within a year, six months preferable)
  • Make sure it represents the you you would like to meet
  • Use your mental attributes (sense of humor, proper spelking/granma)
  • Hobbies (create a meeting ground by mentioning your hobbies)
  • Be positive, reinforce likes not the dislikes
  • Practice honesty but not info dumping

Right about now, someone is probably thinking, now she's really taking this thing way too seriously. To which I say, where there's smoke, there's fire or Evan Marc Katz of e-Cyrano.com, Dr. Phil of Match.com and Star Jones of AOL would all be out of jobs.

You may or may not be interested in obtaining a marketing degree, but hopefully this post has explained the degrees of marketing.