Annie Anderson | Blog

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I’ve read all kinds of cool things around the web this past week and it’s difficult to pick but a few of those for my first “official” Around the Web post.

Before I get into the topic, let me just say I’ve begun using a non-web-based RSS reader. Until recently, I’d been using Bloglines which is a terrific service and I still really love it. In fact, I continue to add new feeds to it just so I always have a backup of everything to restore my non-web reader should I ever need to or to use when I’m at another computer.

My problem, though (and the reason I’m trying a stand-alone RSS reader), is that it just adds too many open tabs to my browser and then it’s harder to keep track of what I’m really looking at, especially if I want to visit the site of one of the articles in my reader. Then I have not only the RSS aggregator page open but also the pages I’m viewing plus now an article of one (or more) of the feeds. It gets rather cumbersome.

Using a stand-alone aggregator, like Vienna, allows me to open an article for further perusal without messing up what I’m working on in Firefox. I can leave it open and come back to it as needed without interfering with web-based work. And vice-versa.

So that’s my side note for today.
On to the topic at hand . . .

One of the biggest subjects that stood out to me in the past week, are the posts on making money online. I’ve probably read hundreds of them (no exaggeration, either) in recent days (it seems like everyone is talking about it) and so I want to take a moment to point out a book I read a few months ago - The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.

In this book, Tim basically talks about automating your own business so that you can live your dreams. It’s a very interesting concept that deserves a lot of attention, especially with the economy and mortgage issues we’re facing in the US.

One of the ideas I like best is outsourcing. Now, Tim advocates a large amount of outsourcing not only for your business, but for personal things as well. To me, some of the personal stuff seems almost frivolous so I likely will not follow every suggestion in the book but I do think having a team (something I’ve talked about extensively in real estate training programs I’ve done) is worth it’s weight in gold.

There are a few concepts I do not fully agree with in the book but overall, I recommend it if you’re even remotely considering your own business or if you have one already. It will certainly get you thinking and hopefully, taking action.

You can find out more about Tim and the book at his website http://www.fourhourworkweek.com.

Later today, I’ll add a post with links to some good articles I’ve found on this topic. Until then, have fun checking out Tim’s website.

PS - Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

As promised, my review of James Brausch’s newest “Testing” newsletter he so graciously sent me over the weekend . . .

I have never read James’ newsletter until now so I can’t compare this one to any previous newsletter but I must say as far as newsletters go in general, it was an easy read. No fluff and puff which is always nice. No ads for his products (or anyone else’s). Just simple, clean info. I like that.

Frankly, with a newsletter name like “Testing,” I was expecting it to be rather dry and dull. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Though it did have quite a bit of statistical data, it wasn’t boring. James presented his results of the tests he’s been doing in a straight-forward and easy to understand way that was even simple for me to understand - someone who’s a little math-phobic.

The most interesting part of the newsletter, though, was James’ comment that people value money more than time. I find that alarming because money is something we can usually somehow get more of but time is a commodity that once it’s gone, it’s extinct - we can’t get ever get it back and we certainly cannot make more of it.

The second thing I thought incredibly interesting was that half the people in the intern program never complete the first task. That is startling! I mean, here they are getting something for free and the chance to learn some sound business techniques only to quit before they’ve even done anything with it.

Overall, I really enjoyed “Testing,” however, I was a little disappointed at the format of the newsletter. That part was definitely dry and boring. Now, I realize it’s impossible to please everyone all the time but really . . . I’ve read financial data reports that were more visually appealing. Being a very visual person, I like what I’m reading to have at least some character - a bit of color, some distinction between each section - something to make important things stand out.

Bottom line - if you’re an internet business owner interested in learning more about multivariate testing methods and statistics, this newsletter is likely right up your alley.

You can see other reviews here at Testimonials for Testing Newsletter post on James’ blog.

I’ve been using this totally cool service called “I Want Sandy” - a digital personal assistant. Very cool!

Take a look at this . . .

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Hi there!

I’m Annie’s personal email assistant, Sandy.

Annie asked me to drop you a line and introduce myself.

Here’s a note from Annie:

Hi,

I’d like you to meet Sandy. Sandy, meet a friend of mine.

Talk amongst yourselves!

Annie

I help my clients by remembering life’s daily details (meetings, birthdays, to-dos, phone numbers, bookmarks, etc.) and sending reminders just when they need them — so they can focus on what’s important. And I can do the same for you!

Sign up for free in just seconds! Click here to get started.

Sincerely,

Sandy

P.s. If you’d rather I didn’t contact you again, click here.
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This is an email she will send my friends if they wish to sign up. If you want to sign up - it’s totally free to do so - drop me an email real quick or post your name and email in the comments and I’ll see that Sandy contacts you ASAP.

PS - Look for my review of “Testing” - James Brausch’s monthly newsletter. I’ll be reviewing the latest copy that just came out today on Tuesday afternoon.

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