Are you cut out for working from home? Not everyone is and that’s totally fine; but before you take the plunge and decide to quit your day job, we’ll be going through the thought process that every work at home entrepreneur or freelancer should perform in this week’s series of articles.

Today we’re examining your strengths and weaknesses. And one way to make this self-examination work is to be very honest with yourself when answering these questions. You certainly want to have confidence about your venture and I don’t want to be your dream killer but you need to be realistic or you run the risk of hitting a financial wall of ruin.

1. Are you self-motivated and able to get yourself organized to complete whatever tasks are necessary each day? When you’re working as your own boss from a home office, there’s no manager looking over your shoulder or noting how long you took for lunch.

The responsibility is yours alone and you alone will pay the consequences if deadlines are not met. This is true of any service provider who has client work to perform and is equally true of internet marketers who make their money producing or promoting products. This added responsibility is often enough motivation to get you going in the morning but sometimes an extra push is needed. Do you know who will give you that push?

2. What type of work can you do? What skills have your previous jobs given you that you can transfer to an online business? Each of your previous jobs have been learning experiences so figure out what you learned in each position.

Many work at home businesses tend to be internet businesses, which make any computer skills you have mighty important. But even if you’ve worked at restaurants your whole career, do you have enough food knowledge to start a food blog, write a cookbook, or start a catering business from your home?

3. What type of work do you enjoy? Enjoying your work and having a certain skill set are two completely different things. I graduated college with an advertising degree and in December of my senior year I realized I didn’t like anything about advertising! I still paid my dues working at an ad agency but was it enjoyable? No way!

This list of enjoyable tasks might be significantly different from your list of skills from above but that’s alright. Just keep in mind that pursuing that enjoyable work might take extra training but nothing is impossible.

4. What tasks do you despise? If talking to new people gives you sweaty palms, then being a member of a direct sales company might not be the right fit for you. Likewise, you might be the best salesperson around but if you hate doing your bookkeeping tasks, you’ll be an accountant’s worst nightmare come tax season.

If there’s something you really dislike doing, keep in mind that you’ll have to hire someone else to do the task.

5. How do you handle distractions? If your mom or best friend call you to chat on Tuesday morning, will you answer the phone? How many loads of laundry do you plan on doing while working? Will you still need to work when the kids get home from school?

Setting personal boundaries is an important strength for the work at home business owner because without boundaries, you’ll try to fit personal tasks in between your business tasks. While some people are good at multitasking this way, there are just as many who don’t multitask well and need more focus.

So…did you answer honestly? Is your brain pumping with ideas of how you can work from home? Keep that excitement up and stay tuned for the second installment of this series.

(The charge for owning a website comes with purchasing a domain name and a web hosting package.)

The amazing thing about WordPress is that even though it’s free, it’s incredibly powerful. So much so that I cursed myself 4 years ago when I was trying to learn all its features. At the time it seemed very complicated. Today, I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t learned it.

Beginners beware: there is a slight learning curve to WordPress but it’s well worth your time to learn it.

Customize Your Website with WordPress Plugins

Not everyone needs the same exact WordPress features and that’s where plugins come into play. A plugin is an additional program / piece of code that you can install on your site to add a new, special feature.

For example, WordPress does not come with any social media buttons. All those social media buttons you see on other people’s sites are plugins. Once WordPress was installed, they downloaded and installed a separate plugin / code to make those social media buttons appear.

Thousands of these plugins are free of charge while others with more intense features are paid plugins. If you’re just starting your business, you can certainly get by with the variety of free plugins. When you start earning money and want to invest in a paid plugin, please do your research and search out reviews before parting with your hard-earned money.

Updating WordPress & WordPress Plugins

Just like every other computer program you’ve ever owned, new versions of WordPress and its plugins are developed all the time. Not only do they try to improve the features but regular updates also prevent hackers from breaking into your prized website and wreaking havoc.

How do you know when to update? WordPress will tell you!

When you first login to WordPress you’re brought to your Dashboard. If you see this yellowish rectangle at the top of your dashboard page, it’s time to update your version of WordPress.

The same is true for updating your plugins, except look for that notification along the left sidebar of your dashboard, where it says “Plugins”.

That little number next to the Plugin title? That’s how many of your activated plugins need updating. Simply click on the Plugin link and you’ll see exactly which plugins need attention.

How to Upgrade to the Newest Version of WordPress or Your Plugins

Before you upgrade anything to a new version, create a backup of your site. Many times that can be done via your hosting service and I believe there’s even a plugin to do that for you.

There are 2 schools of thought on the actual next steps for upgrading to new versions of WordPress and its plugins. Some people will argue that updating both WordPress and your plugins manually is best and will pose the least security threat.

Personally, in the last 4 years I’ve been in business, I’ve had excellent luck with clicking on the “Update Automatically” links. In literally 1 minute or less the update is done, usually with no catastrophic results.

That said, occasionally there have been plugin updates that make my site look screwy; for whatever reason the newest version isn’t compatible with my other plugins or theme. So my advice is to upgrade just one plugin at a time and check your site before upgrading any others.

Have a Problem? Ask Your Hosting Provider for Help

Reliable web hosting companies are supposed to backup their servers on a regular basis. This could be weekly or daily, depending on the company and on what package you purchased.

If you upgrade WordPress or any plugins and your site gets messy in the process, contact your host and ask them to upload your site’s backup file. Again, depending on the hosting company there might be a nominal fee for this (it’s a good question to ask prior to purchasing your hosting package).

Last night was the season finale of the most recent season of The Next Food Network Star and I realized that over the course of the last 10 weeks, the judges’ comments and critiques given to the contestants can also serve small business owners, especially those who are just starting out and are still in the planning stages of forming their business.

Here are the top 3 lessons I learned from The Next Food Network Star:

1. Know your POV (aka Point of View). Some business coaches might also call this your USP, or Unique Selling Point. No matter what acronym you use, your point of view is what makes your business special. What makes YOU different from your competition?

Last night’s winner, Jeff Mauro, was the self-proclaimed Sandwich King from Day 1. There was never any question about what he wanted his show to be about. Did he have some sandwiches that missed the mark? Sure, but he stayed true to his passion and his POV and kept trying to improve with each challenge.

2. Be authentic; be yourself. Fellow competitor, Vic Moe, started the show off as Vic Vegas and felt it necessary to add some Las Vegas pizazz to both his food and his personality. Sometimes it worked but there were also some misses.

Once Vic started dubbing himself “Mama’s Boy” is when he calmed down in front of the camera and his food started hitting the mark. Sadly, this viewer favorite discovered his true self a little too late even though he made it to the final three.

3. Your experience can build your credibility. Runner up Susie Jimenez charmed the judges with her tales of cooking with her parents as a child. These loving family memories helped to make Susie likeable and reinforced to the judges that she has the experience and food knowledge they were looking for.

So…where do you stand with each of these lessons? What’s your point of view? Are you showing your true personality or trying to put on a show for your audience? Do you have work experience or lessons to share with your readers / viewers / clients?

I’m going to re-evaluate these things about my own business tonight. I’d love to hear what other business lessons you’ve learned lately so leave a comment below

It’s not an easy answer but we’ve demystified the process with some of our best tips.

Headlines that contain these elements do well:

1.  Use Numbers: It’s much easier for people to skim a numeral rather than a spelled out number. When you use a number it clues people into exactly what they’ll get. It’s also more likely to be reposted and shared on sites like Twitter that have a short character limit.

Example: 10 People From Your Past Who Will Haunt You On Facebook

2.  Make Lists: Lists are easy to skim and make information digestible. Make each point into numbered or bulleted list with subheadings. Lists tell readers exactly what they’re going to get.

Example: Free eBook Tells You 12 Secrets to a Greener Lawn

3.  Ask Questions: When you ask a question it makes people want to read to get an answer. It works well on Facebook or blogs because people can comment and give their input.

You can ask a leading question that sells your business. Let’s say you coach people on setting up an ecommerce business. You could ask a question such as: “Would You Like 2011 to Be the Year in Which You Build the Foundations of your Ecommerce Business for Long-Term Wealth?”

Example: Is Buying a Home Worth it?

4.  Use Emotion: I always thought using emotions meant that you wanted to tug at people’s heart with a heartwarming story. A better way to look at it is how you want your customers to feel when they use your product. You can help them feel sexy, loved, smart, accomplished, important, rich, or good looking. Or, you can associate with negative emotions people want to avoid, such as shamed, embarrassed, incompetent, lazy, etc.

By associating your product with emotions you create a more powerful response that motivates people to read more. Use strong words. The word “remarkable” is better than “great.” Stating that something is catastrophic is more dramatic and unexpected than just saying it’s “scary.”

In this example from Copyblogger, the emotional payoff of taking command of a meeting is that you feel respected.

Example: How to Take Command of Any Meeting

5.  Be Humorous (plays on words, cliches with a twist, etc): To me the best kind of humor is to state the unexpected. It disarms people and piques their curiosity. If you make them laugh you have made an impact.

Example: 4 Things You Love to Discuss that No One Cares About

6.  Promise a solution to a problem: If your product solves a problem that a lot of people have you have a market. Everyone has problems in life and business. They are looking for solutions. Since we’re trying to solve these problems, we’re compelled to read if there’s a promised solution in the headline.

Example: Little Known Ways to Get More Twitter Followers

If you were to write a “creative” headline for this blog post what would it be? Or, share a tip you’ve learned from writing headlines.

Contest! Win one of 5 great prizes from Publicity Spark!

First Place: The Ultimate PR Distribution List (Value $47)

Second Place: How to Create an SEO Press Release Ebook (Value $47)

Third Place: How to use Keywords in Press Releases (Value $37)

Fourth Place: Social Spark Service (Value $27)

Fifth Place: Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers Ebook (Value $7)

Simply tweet or comment below on your most pressing SEO question (or publicity question, or press release question) with hashtag #publicityspark!

Winners will be chosen according to content, and notified on Friday August 12, 2011

You can also still enter Monday’s contest to win Publicity Spark’s Ultimate Online PR Kit (Value $97)! See the details here.

To add some extra spark to the tour, we’re hosting a contest giveaway on Monday and Wednesday. We will announce the winners on Friday. There will also be one grand prize winner at the end of the Blog Spark Tour which we will draw from all the blogs in the tour. To learn more about our Blog Spark Tour and where we’ll be each week, check out our schedule.

Don’t let these mistakes hurt your SEO!

• Not including any links in your posts: Even if you are posting on a site that does not allow clickable links, you can still spell out your site in order get it out to your readers. Some sites will remove anchor links in your posts, so including the complete http://www.XYZ.com link in your post is crucial to generating more clicks to your page.

• Making “click here” your anchor text: Searching click here on Google will result in over 3.1 billion results.  Don’t let your links get lost in the crowd. Make sure your links have some description of what they are linking to, ideally a keyword or phrase that will also increase your SEO.

For Example: Instead of inserting your link like this, “Nike released new running shoes this week, click here to check them out”, change your anchor text so that the link appears like this “Check out the new Nike running shoes, released earlier this week”.

When you use a keyword phrase with a link to a related page it helps that page rank higher in search results for that page. In the above example, if someone typed “Nike running shoes” into Google, the nike.com home page should come up higher on the list of sites.

• Stuffing your post with links: Adding too many links into your post makes it look spammy and will automatically place your release on the editorial hold list on many sites. To avoid this delay, limit your links to 1 per 100 words of text. This will increase to value of the links you choose to include, increase their click-through rates, and stop search engines from assuming your post is spam and devaluing it.

Have a question about our article? Did you learn a new tip? Do you have your own tip to share? Please comment below. We’re looking forward to keeping the dialogue open all week long.

Contest Announcement! Enter to Win The Ultimate Online PR Kit (Value $97)!

Deadline date: Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Contest Rules

You must adhere to all the rules as stated. Shall a winner be chosen who did not complete these rules, he/she will not be eligible to win. To be eligible to win you must be 18 years of age or older.

You must comment below telling us why you want to win the Ultimate Online PR Kit.

For Additional Entries

For additional entries, you may chose to complete any one, or all of the below actions. You must write a separate comment for each additional entry you complete below. (A winner is chosen by the number of comments, not the number of actions taken.)

• Become a fan of WorkingWAHM on Facebook
• Subscribe to the WorkingWAHM RSS feed
• Follow Ponn Sabra on Twitter @PonnSabra
• Follow Janet Thaeler on Twitter @Newspapergrl
• Subscribe to our RSS feed preferably through the email subscription having the same email address on the comment that you have in the RSS feed. To sign up with your RSS feed reader, click here
• Share this page on Facebook with the “Share” button below adding a personal note. Comment below with the timestamped url.
• Tweet about this contest; don’t forget to comment below with the new tweet link.
• SAMPLE TWEET. ENTER UP TO TWICE DAILY:
  GIVEAWAY Win #Publicity Spark #SEO & #PR products & services from @ponnsabra & @newspapergrl http://publicityspark.com/?p=493
• Add a Publicity Spark button to your site,

<br /> <a href=””http://publicityspark/”” _mce_href=””http://publicityspark/”” target=”_blank”><img style=”border: 1px solid #474747;” border=”0? width=”125? alt=”Publicity Spark” src=”http://imageurl.com/image.jpg” height=”125?/><br /> </a>

• Bookmark this post on your browser or your favorite bookmarking site, such as reddit, delicious, or google bookmarks. You can use one of the “Sharing is Caring” buttons below.
• Share this post with your favorite social networking site, such as yahoo buzz, stumbleupon, or kirsty. You can use one of the “Sharing is Caring” buttons below as well.

Determining a Winner

Each comment below designates an entry number. Create a new comment for each entry requirement you complete. We will use Random.org to pick a random winner from the total number of comments below. The winner will be contacted by email. If no response is received in 48 hours, another winner will be chosen. Confirmed winners will be announced in each Friday’s blogpost and on our blog at PublicitySpark.com

If you’re totally brand new and just doing research about how to make money from home, still leave a comment and I’ll try to find some resources to help you out.

FYI – don’t fill your plug up with keyword babble; those will be deleted. Please just give us your name, website URL (family friendly, please) and a brief description of what you do and when you became a WAHM.

WAHDad’s are welcome to join in the fun!

You can read my intro on the Working WAHM About page or you can watch this 6 minute video below

Who’s next to share???

Honestly, it’s so awesome to NOT have to wonder at 5pm what to make for dinner (and let’s face it, at that time it’s either pasta or take out).

However, I do struggle with this because I LOVE to eat yet the rest of my family are picky eaters. Plus I need a recipe to make everything so that takes extra time to look through my cookbooks or online cooking sites.

BUT…I’m done with excuses! With the help of Laura from the Organizing Junkie I am determined to get this part of my life organized – especially since school ends in 2 days.

Monday – pancakes & scrambled eggs
Tuesday – hamburgers & hot dogs with baked beans & roasted potatoes
Wednesday – last day of school – homemade mac & cheese (kids’ favorite)
Thursday – dinner at Grandma & Grandpa’s
Friday – chicken breast sandwich on sour dough bread with cheese & sundried tomatoes
Saturday – dinner out for hubby’s birthday
Sunday – spaghetti with turkey meatballs

Pretty awesome that I get 2 nights off from cooking! Didn’t even realize until I wrote it all down.

If you’d like to join the fun of Menu Plan Monday, click here for the details & to add your site to Laura’s page.

The Benefits of Summer Reading Programs For Kids

In the kids’ eyes, there are a huge number of benefits to taking part in this type of program. Although most kids don’t like the idea of being forced to “work” during their holidays, they do like the idea of the rewards they can get by taking part in reading programs! Most reading programs offer incentives and rewards such as gift certificates, bookmarks or school supplies. And it’s also a good opportunity to spend time with other kids.

You can also turn your summer reading program into a themed event to make it more fun and enticing. Try reading all the books by the same author, reading a specific series, or books in the same genre but written by different authors. Follow your kids’ directions and let them be the guide.

My 9 year old is a horse lover and her grandmother found a series of books called Canterwood Crest by Jessica Burkhart. At first I thought they might be a little bit old for her since the characters seem to be in middle school but she is flying through these books! She got the first ones in the series in February as a birthday gift and she’s nearly done with #5. I promised her #6 would be for her good report card so we’ll be making a trip to the book store this week.

For schools, there are many additional benefits to encouraging students to join a reading program. For a start, it keeps kids learning during the long weeks in which they’re away from school. It helps to keep kids in the habit of reading regularly, which in turn will help them absorb new words and knowledge, which in turn helps cut down on the amount of review needed in September. And, by using organized programs, kids can often get the books for free from their local library, with a reading schedule that’s already laid out for you in advance.

For parents, the new books and incentives will keep the kids busy during the day so we can get some work done! Set up 30 minute increments using the kitchen timer so you can check your emails or write an article while they’re reading. Personally, I work much more quickly under deadline and it’s amazing how much I can do in 30 minutes before the timer goes off!

Finding Local Summer Reading Programs For Kids

The best place to start is with your local library. Find out if they’re offering any reading programs and, if so, for what age groups. Do this ahead of time so that your child can join in from the very beginning. Other places to check with include your child’s school and local universities.

Some of the larger bookstore chains also run summer reading programs for kids. They’re free to join but their meetings, or story times, are inside the store so your kids might start asking to buy new books as opposed to borrowing them from the library. That could also serve as an incentive to sticking with the summer reading program: a brand new book to add to their bookshelves at the end of the summer.

For those kids who prefer to use an ereader, you don’t need to go broke buying books for download. If your library has a website, they most likely have a way to “borrow” ebooks. As always, be diligent with what titles your child downloads, even from the library. My teen’s favorite author writes very dark, depressing books and even though they’re bestsellers, we put a limit on how many she can read.

Life is hard enough without filling your free reading with depressing stories, don’t you think? Especially when the main characters are her age and getting into all sorts of awful trouble.

Starting Your Own Summer Reading Program

If you live in an area without a library or any summer reading programs for kids then you may consider starting your own if there is enough interest among your neighbors and friends. You’ll need to choose a place to meet, and decide how long you want the reading program to last (usually up to two months).

Before you get going, decide on the specific books you’ll want to include in your reading program. Go online to find summer reading lists if you’re not sure where to begin. You could offer rewards to kids who read all of the set books, or it could be less formal and simply a time to discuss what they’ve read, similar to a book club meeting.

You could also keep things very informal within your family and let your children determine how many books to read and the titles. My kids give me LOTS of resistance if I get too bossy and lay out the rules so this is something you could easily put them in charge of. They can make progress charts, keep track of their progress by using colorful stickers from the dollar store, and they can give you a weekly update on their progress while you eat dinner.

Certainly summer reading programs are not just limited to the children! Since kids often imitate their parents’ behavior, why not make a point of choosing a book to read and lead by example? I know that’s tough when you’re trying to get work done but instead of watching television at night, dedicate 20-30 minutes before bed as family reading time.

Even if you choose a cookbook to read for your weekly meal planning, the kids will still see you reading.

Making summer reading fun is important but whatever you do, you’ll be offering great value to the kids by creating your own version of a summer reading program.

Here are some more free resources for summer reading programs:

Family Literacy & You
Scholastic Summer Challenge

I’ve been a Virtual Assistant for nearly 4 years and met Val through some online networking. When she mentioned that she wanted to sell this site, I jumped at the chance to buy it because I can still relate to being the “new kid on the block,” the mom who desperately wanted to work from home but didn’t truly believe it was possible.

Yes, it IS possible to work from home but you have to remember that it’s WORK. There’s no quick fix or easy solution, no matter how many gurus tell you otherwise.

You’ll notice some changes, like the overall design. Although I loved Val’s pinup girl, my personality is much more conservative. Plus, I think this layout will make it easier to find the information you need more quickly.

There’s a lot of work involved in rebranding a website, much more than I realized, especially for a mom whose kids are almost done with school! So please forgive me that all the changes aren’t completed just yet.

As you’ll soon learn about me, I have a tendency to over-analyze things, to want things “perfect,” which causes me to not follow through and finish things. So that’s why I’m just biting the bullet and pushing the “Activate” button to get the new design live.

My brain has been churning with ideas lately, some of which I hope to have implemented during the next few weeks. I’m a real do-it-yourselfer so I’m always fiddling with things, trying to get it all “just right.” No worries though…my goal first and foremost is still to find the best resources to help with your busy life.

Here’s a virtual toast to kick off the NEW Working WAHM reincarnation! Thanks for being here and I hope you stick around so I can get to know about your business.

10 Proven Ways to Optimize Your Facebook Page

By: Terri Seymour

Social media marketing is absolutely essential in today’s online business world. It has taken the internet by storm both professionally and personally. Social media marketing means to market your business with the use of social networks, blogs, message boards, discussion groups, online communities and other such media. Some of the most popular social network sites are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Social marketing involves a lot more than just signing up and pasting up your page. You need to maximize your page’s effectiveness and keep it fresh, updated and alive. Below are 10 things you can do to optimize your Facebook page to make sure your business is getting the maximum benefits.

1. Create an Effective Profile – Do not use a half-done profile. Fill in your profile completely. This is for your business so be professional yet show people you care about your customers and will be there for them. Make sure your photo (if of yourself) is professional. You could also use your logo. Let people know what your business can do for them. Write an effective mission statement. Let your visitors know why they should do business with you but be careful what you reveal for security reasons.

2. Get Your Visitors Involved in Discussions – This is a great way to get your visitors to “Like” you and to keep coming back. Start helpful and informative discussions about topics related to your products or services. For example: if you sell home décor, start discussions about home decorating ideas, budget decorating, home improvement, etc. Encourage people to join the discussions and leave their business signature for more exposure.

3. Customize Your Page – Don’t let your page be one of the cookie cutter pages like everyone else. Customize it to fit your business needs and the needs of your visitors. Use images that brand you and your business and make it enjoyable and memorable.

4. Events and Contests – Keep your page alive and active with special events and contests. Each time a fan RSVP’s the event, it shows up in his profile. And so on and so on. Thus creating a ripple effect for your business.

5. Special Offers and Sales – People are always looking for good deals and special offers so don’t disappoint. Show your visitors you want to give them the best possible deal on your products/services.

6. Multi-Media Integration – Use audio and video content for your page. Audio and video can be extremely effective in capturing and holding the attention of visitors. According to webnox, video is 58% more effective than just using plain text!

7. Make Your Tabs More Memorable – Facebook does allow you to change the usual boring tabs to more suit your needs. Make them unique to your page and business. You can also change the order in which you present your tabs. You can find easy to follow online tutorials on how to do this.

8. Utilize Your Sidebar – Take advantage of your sidebar space. This is a great place for testimonials or newsletter sign-up forms. You can also use this space for affiliate links, a survey for your visitors to help improve your page/business. Add links to your main website or special offers you may have going.

9. Add a Poll to Your Page – People like knowing their opinion matters so add interest to your page with a poll. You can add them using a free poll creator from Vizu. Polls can attract attention and encourage your visitors to interact with your page.

10. Post Regularly – I cannot stress this enough! Do not start your page and then let it sit for weeks at a time. You have to be there every day updating, adding new content, checking things over, and finding ways to improve your page. I recently started using social marketing and unfortunately need to take my own advice on this one. I have just not been involved enough with my Facebook page but that will soon be changing. The hold that social media has on the internet is astronomical so do not be left out in the cold!

So far I am involved with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn so feel free to come over and see me. I would love to see your page as I am learning more about this phenomenal marketing tool. I hope we all can use these types of sites to help each other improve our business and increase our sales!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Terri Seymour has over twelve years online experience and has helped many people start their own business. Visit her site for resources, $1 and $2 resell ebooks & software, articles, and affiliate programs. Sign up for the RSS Feed for a free business ebook with MRR. www.SeymourProducts.com

This article may be reprinted for free so long as the author’s resource box is kept intact and all links remain live and clickable. The Article Source must also be included. All rights are reserved by the author.