We have had a chance to make a trip back to the Islands this summer. Hawaii is a magical place, full of beautiful ocean views, tree, flowers. But that is not what appeals to me most, as I grow older. The Spirit of Ohana is what makes the trip worth it.
There is a spirit of Ohana I witnessed on a trollie ride to Hilo Hatties. A mother, and her three small children, were riding the trollie. Depending on where you go, you can ride the trollie for free, or just a tip to the driver. For her, it was a way to make tough times work better.
For me, it was a chance to play "peek a boo" with her one year old on our 30 minutes ride to Hilo's. The beautiful child made me feel young again. Even her mother laughed, when she figured out who her child was laughing at. I have granddaughters that age. The spirit of Ohana is in the young.
There was a spirit of Ohana in the ukelele music of a local who played at the Barefoot Bar and Grill last night. He picked up on the fact we could sing with him,sometimes in Hawaiian. He brought a sense of Ohana back to me, as he sang his version of Iz's "Somewhere over the Rainbow." Iz left this world in 1997, but still touches my soul. Whereever you are Iz, there is such a place.... Mahalo.
We had a chance to teach our new Hawaiian friend to say "yeehaw" like a real hillbilly, and gave him some local lessions on the pronunciation of "Missouri". And we all laughed about a journey up the road to Hana. He remarked, "did you ever figure out what we were supposed to find there?" The spirit of Ohana lives in the stories we told, though we grew up 3000 miles apart.
And there is the spirit of Ohana with my own extended family here in the Islands. We get to take Dad back to Pearl at 83 years old. It was the place that began his Marine career, as they prepared to leave for Japan. Not long afterwards, they went to the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. Last night, he remarked to us all "I'm so glad I came back." It might help you to know that he can no longer see the beauty of Oahu, as his sight has diminished.
I invite you all to look for the spirit of Ohana all around you. Til next time,
Ray Province
The Celtic Ozarkian
www.celticozarkian.com
www.celticozarksolutions.com
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Irish Music Be Praised
I was listening to some hillbilly Ozark music today. I am reminded that we Ozarkians owe a debt of thanks to the Ulster Irish who settled the Ozarks in the 19th Century. Thanks to all.
Early settlers of the Ozarks quickly picked up on the fiddle music . The jigs so common in hillbilly dance are also connected to the Celts. The Reels also have a link in Irish music.
Add the washboard, jawbone harp, and other Ozark instruments, and you have a genuine Irish Ozark music connection. We did not much with the pipes, or penny whistles though. But you can hear old Celtic rythmns in the music.
Thanks to the Celtic folk who came with a fiddle in hand, and a dream in their heart.
Raymond C. Province, M.A.
Celtic Ozark Solutions
Raymond C. Province, M.A.
Celtic Ozark Solutions
Early settlers of the Ozarks quickly picked up on the fiddle music . The jigs so common in hillbilly dance are also connected to the Celts. The Reels also have a link in Irish music.
Add the washboard, jawbone harp, and other Ozark instruments, and you have a genuine Irish Ozark music connection. We did not much with the pipes, or penny whistles though. But you can hear old Celtic rythmns in the music.
Thanks to the Celtic folk who came with a fiddle in hand, and a dream in their heart.
Raymond C. Province, M.A.
Celtic Ozark Solutions
Raymond C. Province, M.A.
Celtic Ozark Solutions
Location:U.S. 40,Columbia,United States
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Ramp Up Your Presence
So you are ready to ramp up your social presence in the webosphere. Well, here are some sites that can help you get going. They are 40 of my favorite social sites on the web. I also use these to help my customers. No tricks here.
The reason most people fail on these sites, though, is that they never use them. Weird, right? They may set some up, add a couple of bits of data, or a link or comment, and they are done. They just sit back and wait for the new contacts to come rolling in. Wrong!
You really need to be commenting on, uploading and ranking different newsworthy articles. You can also create a member profile that directs traffic back to your company's Web site. You need to ask people questions, respond to other people’s comments. Social media branding is not about “set it and forget it.†So, If you are not going to put some time into these sites, don’t waste your time! Hire someone to help you. Better yet, let’s have a discussion about what my company can do to help you!
1. Reddit: Upload stories and articles on reddit to drive traffic to your site or blog. You will need to use this one often. Make the uploads relevant to your business. A great cupcake article won’t sell your power tools!
2. Digg: Digg has a huge following online because it is really easy to use. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more. As a technology company, it is one my my favs.
3. Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites here. This is always a good one to tag when you have added fresh content to your website.
4. StumbleUpon: You'll really get some great mileage out of this site by adding the toolbar add on. Then, you can mark great info as you browse the web. Don’t just use this one to mark your stuff.
5. Technorati: If you want to increase your blog's readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Business, Entertainment and Technology.
6. Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone. You could very well build the next Facebook of your niche.
7. Squidoo: According to Squidoo, "everyone's an expert on something. Share your knowledge!" This is the best site in the world for building pages about your business.
8. Furl: Make Furl "your personal Web file" by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features.
9. Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services.
10. WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company's services with the public for free. It makes you look like a mini encyclopedia.
11. YouTube: Video is getting watched more and more each day. You really need to be making videos and video blogs about your company. (called vlogs).
12. Ma.gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma.gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized.
Professional-Networking Sites
Sign up with these online networking communities as a company or as an individual to take advantage of recruiting opportunities, cross-promotional events and more. These are the sites to really talk about business on. You’re not trying to be everybody’s friend. Build some real business connections.
13. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site for professionals to meet and network around business.
14. Ecademy: Ecademy has one of the best chat rooms around for connecting with business. And, it will be more productive than just Facebook.
15. Focus: Focus is a business destination where business professionals can help each other with their purchase and other business decisions by accessing research and peer expertise. Most importantly, Focus provides open, quality information for all businesses that is freely available, easily accessible, and community powered.
16. YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates. In return, you can also look for work, if you are still working while building your fortune!
17. Xing: An account with networking site Xing can "open doors to thousands of companies." Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to "find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels."
18. Facebook: is rapidly becoming one of the biggest sites in the world. Just be careful not to push business too quickly here. Give people some free help to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Also, build a business Fan Page. Leave your personal page for your friends and family.
19. Care2: Care2 isn't just a networking community for professionals: It's touted as "the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference." If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.
20. Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.
21. MEETin.org: Once you've acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.
22. Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.
23. Ziggs: Ziggs is "organizing and connecting people in a professional way." Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company's presence online and further your own personal career.
24. Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.
25. NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You'll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.
26. Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.
Niche Social-Media Sites
These are the sites you want to use to build a link to other professionals in your business.
27. Pixel Groovy: Web workers will love Pixel Groovy, an open-source site that lets members submit and rate tutorials for Web 2.0, email and online-marketing issues.
28. Mixx: Mixx prides itself on being "your link to the Web content that really matters." Submit and rate stories, photos and news to drive traffic to your own site. You'll also meet others with similar interests.
29. Tweako: Gadget-minded computer geeks can network with each other on Tweako, a site that promotes information sharing for the technologically savvy.
30. Small Business Brief: When members post entrepreneur-related articles, a photo and a link to their profile appear, gaining you valuable exposure and legitimacy online.
31. Sphinn: Sphinn is an online forum and networking site for the Internet marketing crowd. Upload articles and guides from your blog to create interest in your own company or connect with other professionals for form new contacts.
32. BuzzFlash.net: This one-stop news resource is great for businesses that want to contribute articles on a variety of subjects, from the environment to politics to health.
33. HubSpot: HubSpot is another news site aimed at connecting business professionals.
34. SEO TAGG: Stay on top of news from the Web marketing and SEO (search-engine optimization) industries by becoming an active member of this online community.
General Social-Media Sites
These are the great old standbys that have been helping people build an online presence for years. Don’t leave them out of your portfolio.
35. Wikipedia: Besides creating your own business reference page on Wikipedia. You can also add expert articles on your subject matter.
36. Newsvine: Feature top employees by uploading their articles, studies or other news-related items to this site. A free account will also get you your own column and access to the Newsvine community. Kind of like a news press release.
37. 43 Things: This site bills itself as "the world's most popular online goal setting community." By publicizing your company's goals and ambitions, you'll gain a following of customers, investors and promoters who cheer you on as you achieve success. It is also a great site to help you build a folowing for your company. Hit this one around once a month.
38. Wetpaint: If you're tired of blogs and generic Web sites, create your own wiki with Wetpaint to reach your audience and increase your company's presence online. You can easily organize articles, contact information, photos and other information to promote your business.
39. Twitter: Is a social networking and microblogging service that allows you answer the question, "What are you doing?" The secret to Twitter is adding personal stuff, as well as professional stuff.
40. Yahoo! Answers: Start fielding Yahoo! users' questions with this social-media Q&A service. You can become an expert for the Yahoo gang.
Well, here are 40 sites that can help you ramp up your social presence. Don’t forget, though ,that you will need to spend time each day on some of these sites. My recommendation is that you do 30 min a day. You’ll be happy with the results.
Ray Province is an IT programmer and owner of Celtic Ozark Solutions, an IT company specializing in website content, social media, and SEO. You can check us out at www.celticozarksolutions.com.
The reason most people fail on these sites, though, is that they never use them. Weird, right? They may set some up, add a couple of bits of data, or a link or comment, and they are done. They just sit back and wait for the new contacts to come rolling in. Wrong!
You really need to be commenting on, uploading and ranking different newsworthy articles. You can also create a member profile that directs traffic back to your company's Web site. You need to ask people questions, respond to other people’s comments. Social media branding is not about “set it and forget it.†So, If you are not going to put some time into these sites, don’t waste your time! Hire someone to help you. Better yet, let’s have a discussion about what my company can do to help you!
1. Reddit: Upload stories and articles on reddit to drive traffic to your site or blog. You will need to use this one often. Make the uploads relevant to your business. A great cupcake article won’t sell your power tools!
2. Digg: Digg has a huge following online because it is really easy to use. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more. As a technology company, it is one my my favs.
3. Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites here. This is always a good one to tag when you have added fresh content to your website.
4. StumbleUpon: You'll really get some great mileage out of this site by adding the toolbar add on. Then, you can mark great info as you browse the web. Don’t just use this one to mark your stuff.
5. Technorati: If you want to increase your blog's readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Business, Entertainment and Technology.
6. Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone. You could very well build the next Facebook of your niche.
7. Squidoo: According to Squidoo, "everyone's an expert on something. Share your knowledge!" This is the best site in the world for building pages about your business.
8. Furl: Make Furl "your personal Web file" by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features.
9. Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services.
10. WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company's services with the public for free. It makes you look like a mini encyclopedia.
11. YouTube: Video is getting watched more and more each day. You really need to be making videos and video blogs about your company. (called vlogs).
12. Ma.gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma.gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized.
Professional-Networking Sites
Sign up with these online networking communities as a company or as an individual to take advantage of recruiting opportunities, cross-promotional events and more. These are the sites to really talk about business on. You’re not trying to be everybody’s friend. Build some real business connections.
13. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site for professionals to meet and network around business.
14. Ecademy: Ecademy has one of the best chat rooms around for connecting with business. And, it will be more productive than just Facebook.
15. Focus: Focus is a business destination where business professionals can help each other with their purchase and other business decisions by accessing research and peer expertise. Most importantly, Focus provides open, quality information for all businesses that is freely available, easily accessible, and community powered.
16. YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates. In return, you can also look for work, if you are still working while building your fortune!
17. Xing: An account with networking site Xing can "open doors to thousands of companies." Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to "find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels."
18. Facebook: is rapidly becoming one of the biggest sites in the world. Just be careful not to push business too quickly here. Give people some free help to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Also, build a business Fan Page. Leave your personal page for your friends and family.
19. Care2: Care2 isn't just a networking community for professionals: It's touted as "the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference." If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.
20. Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.
21. MEETin.org: Once you've acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.
22. Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.
23. Ziggs: Ziggs is "organizing and connecting people in a professional way." Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company's presence online and further your own personal career.
24. Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.
25. NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You'll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.
26. Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.
Niche Social-Media Sites
These are the sites you want to use to build a link to other professionals in your business.
27. Pixel Groovy: Web workers will love Pixel Groovy, an open-source site that lets members submit and rate tutorials for Web 2.0, email and online-marketing issues.
28. Mixx: Mixx prides itself on being "your link to the Web content that really matters." Submit and rate stories, photos and news to drive traffic to your own site. You'll also meet others with similar interests.
29. Tweako: Gadget-minded computer geeks can network with each other on Tweako, a site that promotes information sharing for the technologically savvy.
30. Small Business Brief: When members post entrepreneur-related articles, a photo and a link to their profile appear, gaining you valuable exposure and legitimacy online.
31. Sphinn: Sphinn is an online forum and networking site for the Internet marketing crowd. Upload articles and guides from your blog to create interest in your own company or connect with other professionals for form new contacts.
32. BuzzFlash.net: This one-stop news resource is great for businesses that want to contribute articles on a variety of subjects, from the environment to politics to health.
33. HubSpot: HubSpot is another news site aimed at connecting business professionals.
34. SEO TAGG: Stay on top of news from the Web marketing and SEO (search-engine optimization) industries by becoming an active member of this online community.
General Social-Media Sites
These are the great old standbys that have been helping people build an online presence for years. Don’t leave them out of your portfolio.
35. Wikipedia: Besides creating your own business reference page on Wikipedia. You can also add expert articles on your subject matter.
36. Newsvine: Feature top employees by uploading their articles, studies or other news-related items to this site. A free account will also get you your own column and access to the Newsvine community. Kind of like a news press release.
37. 43 Things: This site bills itself as "the world's most popular online goal setting community." By publicizing your company's goals and ambitions, you'll gain a following of customers, investors and promoters who cheer you on as you achieve success. It is also a great site to help you build a folowing for your company. Hit this one around once a month.
38. Wetpaint: If you're tired of blogs and generic Web sites, create your own wiki with Wetpaint to reach your audience and increase your company's presence online. You can easily organize articles, contact information, photos and other information to promote your business.
39. Twitter: Is a social networking and microblogging service that allows you answer the question, "What are you doing?" The secret to Twitter is adding personal stuff, as well as professional stuff.
40. Yahoo! Answers: Start fielding Yahoo! users' questions with this social-media Q&A service. You can become an expert for the Yahoo gang.
Well, here are 40 sites that can help you ramp up your social presence. Don’t forget, though ,that you will need to spend time each day on some of these sites. My recommendation is that you do 30 min a day. You’ll be happy with the results.
Ray Province is an IT programmer and owner of Celtic Ozark Solutions, an IT company specializing in website content, social media, and SEO. You can check us out at www.celticozarksolutions.com.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Springfield Catholic Irish Girls Win State Soccer Title
For the first time in history, a Springfield MO team won the State Soccer Championship. Hard fighting Springfield Catholic showed all their fighting Irish to become that team. They beat St. Louis based Trinity Catholic to claim the Class 1 crown.
St. Louis has long been a stronghold for girls soccer. In fact, the team from Trinity beat Catholic last year for the title. So, this was a real grudge match for the girls.
St. Louis has long been a stronghold for girls soccer. In fact, the team from Trinity beat Catholic last year for the title. So, this was a real grudge match for the girls.
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