SSOR - Stop Stealing Our Rights!

If tyranny and oppression come to this land, 

it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. 

James Madison

Losing the Freedom of the Internet

The Congress and the House of Representatives have come up two separate bills to further curtail our freedoms. I guess it is just too hard for the poor peeps to tackle something important, like sending jobs overseas, corruption on capitol hill, the environmental dangers posed by fracking and the XL pipeline, climate change, the disappearing middle class, etc.

Oh, but they have time to write the bills that will take away the few pleasures left to the public that is struggling to work, live and pay taxes.

Congress is about to pass Internet censorship, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed to it. We need to kill the bills - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity.

S.968 - PROTECT IP Act of 2011

PIPA - Establishes process by which a website is taken down because the Justice Department (DoJ) says the site is conducting infringing activities. The DoJ or the copyright owner would begin legal action and the DoJ could demand that search engines, social networking sites and domain name services block access to the targeted site.This could all be done without anyone being heard by a judge.

Stop Protect IP Adresses (PIPA) - Read the bill here.

H.R.3261 - Stop Online Piracy Act

SOPA - Basically the same as PIPA, with some additions: . . . against any site they deem to have "only limited purpose or use other than infringement," . . . It would also make unauthorized web streaming of copyrighted content a felony with a possible penalty up to five years in prison. This bill combines two separate Senate bills -- S.968 and S.978.

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) - Read the bill here.

People are saying these bills will break the Internet.  In protest many of the large websites, like Wikipedia are "blacking out" their websites tomorrow 1/18. I have decided I will add this post to all my blogs as a public service announcement,

Click the infographic below to take action.  

Do it today. 

MLK: We are Approaching Social Doom

Over 40 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and this nation lost one of the greatest leaders for peace and non-violence since Gandhi. We do not celebrate his death today, but rather his life.

Reverend King's words still resonate with reason decades later; they still inspire new generations of folks to action.

~~~~~~~~~~ Words to Live By ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"The time is always right to do what is right."

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom."

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood c an never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God bless you, Reverend King. I am glad you lived, even for such a short time during my lifetime. I wish your journey could have lasted much longer. I wish you were alive today to guide our nation and our people. We need you and your wisdom, especially your thoughts on war.

Tags: mlk, 40 years ago, martin luther king jr, words to live by

Most Useful Posts of 2011

Who's Blogging What has put together a list of posts from 2011 that their readers found to be the most useful. There are posts for Social Media, Search Marketing, User Experience, Email Marketing and Web Analytics.


Here are a few random choices of mine, sort of a preview of the posts on the Social Media tab.

• 7 Sneaky Ways to Use Facebook to Spy on Your Competition [Kissmetrics]
• 9 tips for building a Facebook fan base from scratch [Smart Blog]
• 8 Cool Marketing Campaigns Using Facebook Places [All Facebook]
• 7 Steps to Increase Facebook Fans [HubSpot]
• 15 Ways to Get 'Liked' on Facebook [Practical Ecommerce]
• How to ensure that your Facebook Wall Posts are SEEN (Edgerank) [Social Media Club]
• 35 Great Inspirations & Apps for Your Facebook Page [Appstorm]
• The Photo Strip: Facebook's Most Underused Free Ad [Blueglass]

To see the complete lists of posts and bookmark the page for future reference, click this link: The most useful posts of 2011 (Who's Blogging What).

Free eBook on Driving Traffic, Leads and Sales

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This 52-page ebook gives you access to:

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Free and useful information for marketers. Add it to your library.

Have it All or Get What You Need

I read The Working Woman’s GPS, When the Plan to Have It All Has Led You Astray, by JJ DiGeronimo. GPS in this instance is short for Goals with a Sense of Purpose and Self (GPS). 

JJ lived in the generation that developed the Have it All mindset. The battles for equal pay, equal treatment under the law, being valued as employee versus a “girl” had been waged and won. 

Ms. DiGeronimo learned through cultural experiences, advertising, society, as well as through interacting with other women and men, that she could have it all. She could have a challenging career, flawless husband, picture-perfect life; quality spare time for self, friends, community, philanthropy, hobbies and, of course, children. Whew!

Like most women, JJ did everything perfectly, for a while. Then she realized she was exhausted, over-committed and her life had become a tangled web of strings, with each string becoming a drain on her energy and time. In short, there was no joy in JJ’s life.

The path she followed on her journey from have it all to get what you need is detailed in her book.  JJ DiGeronimo developed a personal inventory that facilitates placing your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors into categories. For each person, answer how they make you feel, if the person gives you energy or drains you. More importantly, does this person support you? At the end of the inventory, you know who is behind you 100% and who is a good time friend. Next, JJ looked at assets and resources. Assets are what you bring to the table and resources are whom you know. One more inventory clarified feelings, commitments and risks that are present in everyday life. 

JJwent to other woman and listened to their stories. The inclusion of these women and their lives changed the book from a tangled web of strings to a tapestry of great beauty and utility. Find the support you need and add your threads to the tapestry at PurposefulWoman.com.