Hottest Summer on Record Globally…So Let’s Have Christmas in July!

Christmas in July!

I don’t know how many of you are sweltering in the July heat like me, but according to CNN it is a record number this year – at least in June and expected to be followed up by July. What’s a girl to do when it’s THIS HOT? Why SHOPPING of course~!!!

You may know I’m a member of Virtual Online Learning a place to learn and network online while making friends. This is an awesome community that is centered around selling on eBay, but covers, oh so much more! I have taken classes on email marketing, blogging, YouTube, Facebook, HTML and even taught a class on Twitter lists! @VirtualOnline is truly a place to take a class, then go right out the same day and make money! My friend, Danna Crawford @PowerSellingMom started it one year ago and the progress is just astounding! There are around 100 members so far and I was the very first! I’m very proud to hold that distinction and encourage everyone who wants to do marketing online to join us! Danna is the woman who told me when I met her that I would be a Powerseller -and WHAT MONTH it would happen! Guess what?! She NAILED it~! And I thought it was impossible!

So back to the topic at hand…. as I wipe my brow and adjust my laptop before it scorches my thighs. Again. THIS hot July is MUCH different than last hot July! Besides being much, much HOTTER, Louise from Herbs-Crafts-Gifts and a helper at Virtual Online, set up a “Christmas in July Sale” for  the members and their stores! What a wise woman! I am one of those that always gets to the Holiday stuff after it is sold out – so my customers miss out on all that good stuff. It always goes MUCH sooner than I think it will and already, things are selling OUT! Now we have all banded together to bring you the good stuff before it’s gone, let you get a leg up, give you the shopping edge! Please go check out the stores below! They all have different items and are separately owned. If you wish YOUR store was listed here, you should join us at  Virtual Online Learning please tell ‘em Anita sent you! And don’t forget to dip your toes into the snow while you’re there!

http://www.meetup.com/Virtual-Online-Learning/

OneCrazyRedhead

bluefrogshoes.com

My-Cubicle-Buddies

HerbsCraftsGifts

IStriveFor5Stars

Pink-Hill-Vintage

AskDanna

elegantkb__W0QQLHQ5fSaleItems

www.yourtealife.com .

EnchantedSpells

GalleriaGifts

Flint-Hills-Clothing-and-Treasures_

ModelSupplies

haunted_american_tours

Flint-Hills-Clothing-and-Treasures_Gift-Ideas

Senior-Rescue-Store

FromYesteryears

Designs-by-Sunnylook

Seasoned-With-Time

Vickys-place-collectible-art-curio

All-Info-24-7/Christmas-Corner

JACQUEES-AUTO-WORKS-AND-MORE

dazys-treasures

Check out the original Holiday Bump

auctionbump.com/holiday

Original Post at Virtual Online by Louise

by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies on Twitter – Follow me!

TwitBlocking – Shocking New Twitter Trend Brings Me To My Knees

Twitter Mafia Judge Bots – How to be Gangsta Spammy

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A Twitter Guide – The Art of the DM

Twitter Lists – How to Make Them Better & Faster

“Trending Topics – What Would You Do To Be A Twitter Trending Topic?”

How To Handle Your Online Business In The Face of Personal Tragedy

Guesting on Warren Whitlock and Ed Philipp’s “Will Your Brand Survive in the Social Media Age?”

Open in your Default Player

Will Your Brand Survive in the Social Media Age?

Tonight, I was lucky enough to receive an invitation from Ed Philipp @EdLovesSumo to be on @WarrenWhitlock and his BlogTalkRadio show, TwitcastRadio.com Use the tag #TCR on Twitter to follow the tweets!

For more information about the webinar I presented via Danna Crawford @PowerSellingMom on @VirtualOnline

Virtual Online Learning: Understanding Twitter Lists http://bit.ly/3mDBZ1 #edu

Joining Virtual Online Learning ? Please say “Anita sent you”! Thank you for listening! Feel free to post questions & I will follow up here or ModelSuppliesBlog.com

by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies on Twitter – Follow me!

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Skin Care – What About Normal Young Skin?

Caring for Normal healthy skin

How old should you be when you start a skin care routine? My skin is normal, do I need a skin care routine?

If you have normal skin, you will still want to keep up a basic skin care regime to ensure beautiful skin well into your later years. It is absolutely essential and considered simply good hygeine to take care of your skin. Soap and water is not enough and it’s not the answer. It’s important not to overdo any of the steps involved and use gentle products at all times since your skin can overreact to harsh treatments.

Step 1) Cleanse – Choose a cleanser for every day that does not use friction, granules or strong chemical exfoliants. Foaming is not important and the surface should feel not oily, not dry or tight after rinsing and patting dry.

Step 2) Tone – Toners can be anything from a boost of vitamins such as Best Ever Toner by ModelSupplies to preparations made for exfoliation and oil removal. Avoid alcohol, high contents of witch hazel or anything drying. Alpha hydroxy acids are popular in exfoliating toners, but they are best used at bedtime only since it reduces your skin’s ability to protect from the sun.

Step 3) Moisturize – Use a light moisturizer that is right for your skin. After applying the moisturizer, wait a few minutes and do the tissue test: if a ply of toilet tissue will stick to your forehead, it is too greasy of a lotion for you. Also, if it feels too oily, listen to your instincts. If your moisturizer is too heavy, it can cause your skin to stop producing oil for itself resulting in dry skin! The great thing is that you will know when you have the right one. Your skin will feel fresh, soft, and effortless.

Step 4) Sunscreen – Use at least SPF 30 sunscreen on your face and body every day! At least your face. The sooner you begin this action, the better. Most Moms know they need to put sunscreen on their children and they should teach them early as part of a routine. It is an action you can take to prevent skin cancer. Start very young and never stop!

Step 5) Masks – When your skin is young and normal, don’t torture it with drying mud masks or take heavy action. Once a week, a nice yogurt exfoliating mask would be great! You really only need to remove dead skin cells, excess oil buildup and get it done as gently as possible.

In the end, you really have the same routine as the rest of us, but with a more gentle product line and a few less steps.

by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies on Twitter – Follow me!

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A Twitter Guide – The Art of the DM

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

I have done a lot of writing about spam DMs or Direct Messages on Twitter recently and it may sound as if I don’t like to get DMs at all. Nothing could be further from the truth! I just adore DMs and prefer them to email, truth be told. Surprised? Don’t be!

The DM is a private conversation. It is ideal for people who have very little time and/or short attention span with its limited character set. A big “up side” to having limited characters is that it can force someone to get to the point, be concise and stay focused.

I used to write long, rambling emails. I used to enjoy reading them from others, too, but I simply do not have time for that luxury anymore. I spend most of my email time battling spam. It takes more time to sift email now and I do not enjoy sifting. It is my own fault since I should use a separate account for those purposes, but I digress.

TweetVisor makes me so happy, I could sing!

I always have TweetVisor up, so I can usually see DMs as they come in and reply instantly whenever I am online. TweetVisor shows everything all at once on one page, so I see my public @replies, too. This saves a TON of energy and effort, plus it allows me to be very speedy in my communications. Most of the time, an @reply on Twitter is great for both parties, lending exposure for both parties and the chance for new followers, but sometimes the conversation goes deeper or gets more involved or personal. How do I know when to take it to DM?

• When you send your email address or other private information, take it to DM.

• When you’re in an involved conversation and exchanged multiple messages that really concern no one else, take it to DM.

• When it would be impossible to follow or jump into the conversation, take it to DM.

• When you want to flirt for real, take it to DM. (Caution, you may get blocked! But that’s the same as real life, isn’t it?)

• When the information you’d like to impart is very specifically for that one person, take it to DM.

• When the subject is private information, take it to DM.

• When sending a link someone requests that you have already tweeted within the past 4 hours, send it via DM to avoid being thrown out of search. (see my article about search for more information)

• When you feel the need to use off-color language, in general, take it to DM.

• If you feel the need to say something negative, keep it out of your stream and take it to DM. (Avoid)

• When contacting customer support or Twitter support about a sensitive subject or complaint, don’t be rude and embarrass the company in an @reply, take it to DM.

DMs are like whispers...

Basically, an @reply or tweet is a shout out and a DM is a whisper. Whatever is said in DM is not general knowledge and should never be shared with someone else. You should never post the contents of a DM or tell someone else the contents of a DM. That is a trust violator that is not easily, if ever, overcome. Don’t overuse the DM, either, or your important messages may not be seen due to an onslaught of automatic DMs, frivolous flirtations and True Twit DM messages clogging the column. Master the art of the DM and it will simplify many areas of your electronic life!

by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies on Twitter – Follow me!

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Holiday Shopping – Time to Start Saving for Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

Black Friday Shoppers rush from bargain to great deal~!

Listen up, fellow laid-off unemployed people~! Are you looking for your blessings in disguise? You may have forgotten about this little shopping gem…

It’s time to start saving for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping days! Black Friday is a shopping holiday in the United States that falls on the day after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday is the Monday following the Thanksgiving weekend. Traditionally, Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the holiday shopping season with wonderful sales!

Black Friday is the fourth Friday in November in the USA

For the past 8 years or more, I have stepped aside at the newspaper where I was employed, being “the one who works” on these holidays. As a result, I have missed the opportunity to buy things at great prices all over my community on Black Friday, the date so-called since that is when retailers are said to break even and begin to make a profit for that year. I have also worked through Cyber Mondays because they were only important to me, the date that online retailers hold amazing sales encouraging holiday shoppers. Mondays were deadline days, so I missed the opportunity to optimize my online sales. I stepped aside because I have no children, did not host Thanksgiving and any number of reasons my bosses and co-workers could dream up. Fair? You know it’s not!

Cyber Monday this year will be EPIC for ModelSupplies!

This year will be different! I’ve got numbers to back me up! I will storm the marketplace! Be unbeatable in the grab for the greatest deal and prepare for my own customers like never before! I will be waiting in line at 5 am in front of an electronics store! I have even done my research, well, ok, eBillMe.com did the research FOR me, but here it is!

Based on the amount of people who know about Cyber Monday – very few are planning to do holiday shopping on that day–however most prefer online shopping over Black Friday’s in store shopping.

“I have heard of “Cyber Monday” as the start of the holiday online shopping season”

M–54%

F–51%

18-24 yr olds 35%

25-34 yr olds 61%

35-44 yr olds 58%

“I plan to do most of my holiday shopping on “Cyber Monday””

M-12%

F-10%

18-24 yr olds 12%

25-34 yr olds 15%

35-44 yr olds 16%

“I prefer to avoid shopping on “Black Friday” in favor of shopping online”

M-51%

F–46%

18-24 yr old 37%

25-34 yr old 50%

35-44 yr old 51%

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are all about Deals and Discounts…

“I will shop for deals or look for coupons. “

Male

Strongly Disagree–2%

Neither Agree or Disagree–20%

Strongly Agree–32%

Female

Strongly Disagree–2%

Neither Agree or Disagree–12%

Strongly Agree–46%

Poll by http://www.ebillme.com

This year Black Friday is Nov. 27, 2009 and Cyber Monday is Nov. 30, 2009.

So there you have it! I guess I will spend more time getting my online store in shape and ready for sales for Cyber Monday! (But I am still going to go out for my first Black Friday!) Either way, it’s time to start saving for that weekend now!

by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies

Resources:

http://www.ebillme.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%28shopping%29 s

http://tgiblackfriday.com/

http://shop.ebillme.com/occasions/black-friday/deals/

http://shop.ebillme.com/occasions/black-friday/coupons/

http://shop.ebillme.com/occasions/black-friday/tips/

by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies on Twitter – Follow me!

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Charity Turns Away Help

They say there’s a first time for everything, but I didn’t see this one coming. It’s no big deal to me, but I think it could hurt charities if they think the way North Shore Animal League did recently. This is an animal rescue charity that has long been dear to me and I have stuffed envelopes with cash and mailed them off to this cause during even the toughest of times for my family. I have made donations to them for well over 10 years.

As you probably know, I have an eBay store and very often, well, almost always have items listed for charity. The items vary, and the percentages are anywhere from 10% – 100% of the auction winnings. While most of my items are in the $10-$15 range, this adds up over time and I believe most of the charities I have chosen are grateful. I have even gotten a few “Thank you” emails! Very nice!

Most of my items are beauty related and I even have my own skin care line, but I try to offer a variety of items. I have recently begun listing an item for sexual health called “Healthy Sense Potent Passion“

Healthy Sense Potent Passion with Horny Goat Weed

and was looking for my favorite charities at the same time as listing. I was just thrilled to see my old favorite charity, North Shore Animal League! I chose them for this listing, thinking how cute it would be for animal magnetism and wondering if I should up the anty for North Shore, perhaps throw in an extra bottle or do incentives. Maybe when I relist it, have to get going now… Well, good thing I didn’t. North Shore Animal League didn’t think my listing was cute at all. They canceled it. eBay sent a notice:

“The nonprofit organization designated within your listing (North Shore Animal League America) has notified eBay that they do not wish to be affiliated with this listing; therefore, we have ended your item.”

North Shore said nothing to me at all. This is a supplement for sexual health. It is not presented as it could be. I relisted the item with a new charity, Prostate Cancer Foundation , and if they do not object to my item and me, I will relist it with incentives of additional bottles. I understand that this may not have been the ideal item to list for North Shore Animal League, but I would have probably changed it to Hyaluronic Acid powder next time out. I am not required to list for charities, but it is a wonderful thing I can do that Danna Crawford, aka @PowerSellingMom showed me how to do it with eBay Giving Works! I was THRILLED to discover that I could help charities without shelling out actual cash. I always have more product than cash as a seller! (If you’d like to learn from @PowerSellingMom join Virtual Online Learning Group and tell ‘em Anita sent you! Lifetime Membership goes up November 1st~!)

I think it’s a little silly for North Shore to burn bridges in this economy. Would it really harm their PR campaign if I donated to them with this item? Have you ever heard of them before this post? What do you think?

Update:

By contrast & to put the positive spin back into my post! Here is a Thank you email from Susan G. Komen for the Cure:

Thank you for selling items on eBay and for choosing Susan G. Komen for the Cure as the beneficiary of your gift.  Our important work is made possible only because of the very generous support of individuals like you throughout the world.

With survivors and activists in 122 Affiliates representing almost every community and city in the country, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the most progressive grassroots organization fighting breast cancer today. I encourage you to get involved in your area.  Please visit our website at www.komen.org or call our National Toll-Free Helpline at 1-877-GO KOMEN to find a Komen Affiliate near you and for answers to your questions about breast health and breast cancer.

Together we will end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.

View your special thank you card by clicking the link below.

Sincerely,

Hala Moddelmog

President and CEO

To be fair, I have listed all types of products for them, and I’m not sure if I listed the above product, but something tells me they would be just as grateful. It is something for charities to think about. There is a scene in “Gone With The Wind” where the “harlot” gives money to Scarlette’s gentle, sweet sister-in-law and she accepts their money, much to Scarlette’s surprise. Sometimes allowing others to give is a gift in itself.

by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies on Twitter – Follow me!

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Healthy Sense Potent Passion

5 “Get Followed Fast” Finds!

1) User Promotions - @Jason_Pollock

Be on the look out for the promotional tweep! Yep, there are many tweeple who love to show twitter love! It can be beneficial for their cause, you and  for them! It’s not conditional love when it’s presented in a playful manner. @Jason_Pollock recently promoted his movie’s hashtag #TYC (and his movie, The Youngest Candidate, btw) by offering to publicly thank anyone who tweeted his movie’s new hashtag! Importantly, he absolutely followed through on his campaign promise to tweet his promoters’ IDs to his 46,000+ followers! What fun! You can bet I promoted #TYC and look, I still am~!

2) Bulk Following Tools – Tweepular

Whether or not you’re a fan of bulk actions, there are tons of ways to take them on Twitter. My favorite, Tweepular, gives you a choice in the matter, however. Choices are still good, right?!  You can weed out those who show “no follow love”, by picking and choosing or in bulk.  Or you can boost your Tweepularity  in bulk or chosen follows introduced on this fantastic website! Either way, it adds up to a higher quality and quantity of followers. Who said you can’t have it all?

3) Research – Socialtoo Reports

Wouldn’t it be great if you had someone to tell you which tweets brought in followers and which drove them away? Socialtoo will do just that for a low flat fee, about $20. In return, you get a comprehensive report of your tweets every single night! It gives a brief summary of numbers, then further details who followed and on which tweet as well as who Unfollowed and on which tweet! Further, there are links to all tweeple and there is a link next to each twerson to follow or stop following – right then & there! The unsuccessful tweets, as they are named, may show a side of your tweeting you don’t want to see – and neither does anyone else, so now you know and you can stop!

4) Directories – Wefollow

Go ahead and list yourself in the directories, tweep! We want to know who you are and where we can find you. Who knows what future use these databases will have? There’s sure to be a heading or three that fits you, so just go to Wefollow and put yourself under the headings that fit you best. Listing under “Wefollow” implies you will follow back, though stars rarely, if ever, do!

5) Timing – Tweet-O-Clock

There’s no better teacher for success, than success. Not sure who said that, but sure I will see it in a tweet soon, so I will revise Use Tweet-O-Clock to find the best time to tweet some of your favorite tweeple…then try tweeting during those times! It’s not rocket science and we always knew that “timing is everything”, but did you think to time your tweets? Lots of people do it, some even automate using Tweetlater.com after finding the optimal tweet times. The chances of getting an @reply from someone you admire greatly improve when you know they’re online. And if many of the people you admire are online & active during a certain time frame, it seems logical that you would find followers during those times that are more relevant and interested in what you have to tweet. Isn’t that all we’re really looking for in the end?

Here’s tweetin’ at you, kid.

by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies on Twitter – Follow me!

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by Anita Nelson @ModelSupplies on Twitter – Follow me!