I love reading books on everything. My Kindle has a large selection of books from all sorts of topics. Each month I plan to read at least 5 that pertain to the life topic of the month. After I finish the book. I’ll write a more thorough review.

Side Note: Today is Read in the Bathtub Day.

6 Relationship Books

Here are 6 relationship books I’ll be reading on my Kindle this month.

Love Your Body

by Louise L. Hay (I purchased the Kindle version)

I truly believe that before you can love someone else, you have to love yourself. Part of that includes loving your body. I struggle with this every single day. I’m trying very hard to say good things to myself but every day I find myself being so mean to me.

I feel guilty that I let myself gain weight. I’m mad at me for not stopping it sooner and for not having control. I’m constantly telling myself that no one is going to like or love you when you look so fat. Yes, not nice, but reality. So, this is the first book I’m going to read.

Love Your Body is $.89 for the Kindle version now.

Choosing Me before We

by Christine Arylo (I received a copy of this book to review and I bought the Kindle version)

This book teaches women to find the relationships they want by exploring what they want in themselves.

Power Friending

by Amber Mac (I purchased the Kindle version)

Power Friending is about building authentic relationships in social media. Think of your audience as your friend.

The Self-Centered Marriage; Screamfree Marriage

by Hal Runkel (I purchased the Kindle version)

Hal Runkel wrote the Screamfree Parenting book which I love, so I’m very curious about his book about marriage.

The 30-Day Sex Solution

by Victoria Zdrok Wilson (I purchased the Kindle version)

I think the title pretty much says it all.

Relationship Saboteurs

by Randi Gunther ( I purchased the Kindle Version)

Helps you overcome some of the toxic emotions and behaviors that do not equal a healthy relationship.

Let’s Talk About Relationship Books!

Do you have any suggestions for other relationship books I could read? Have you read any of the 6 books above?

Project Balance Books on Amazon

Recommended for you

October 6, 2011

Amulet Books Hooked My Son From Page One!

January 31, 2012

Project Balance Update – January 31, 2012 – Month 1

December 15, 2011

Books For Teen Boys; This Is Teen

6 Relationship Books I’m Reading This Month #ProjectBalance originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

AMD Tech Mom Summit

AMD Tech Mom Summit 2011 in Austin, TX at AMD

AMD Technology

I have always known that AMD made processors for computers, but I had no idea of the other industries that they touched. As an AMD Tech Mom, we saw many of the different technologies that AMD powers.

1. Movies. This surprised me the most because I couldn’t imagine how AMD would impact the movie industry. Robert Rodriguez, of the Spy Kids fame is harnessing the power of AMD technology in his film making.

2. Commercial Products. AMD technology is found in products like slot machines and digital signage.

3. Gaming. Have a Wii or X-Box? Then you are using AMD technology to power both the computer and the awesome graphics.

Example of an AMD Fusion chip showing how small it is.

4. TV on your PC. AMD technology is also bringing TV to your PC with TV tuner cards for your PC.

5. Steady Video. Yes, AMD will help give you steady video. According to AMD,

Steady Video technology designed to eliminate shakes and jitters during the playback of home video.

Here is a great video showing the difference between using Steady Video and not using it.

6. AMD in Tablets. You will find AMD technology in Windows-powered tablets. (disclosure: I am a Windows Champion)

Acer tablet with AMD technology running Windows 8.

Downtown Austin, TX

The AMD Tech Mom Summit was held in Austin, T. This is a view of downtown Austin from my hotel room. I love the skyline of Austin.

The AMD Tech Mom Summit was in Austin, TX.

And here it is at night.

Downton Austin at night.

AMD Tech Mom Summit Instagram Style

You will hear a lot more about AMD technologies in the next year.

Disclosure: I am an AMD Tech Mom and I receive product and conference sponsorships in exchange for my participation as an AMD Tech Mom. All opinions are 100% my own.

Recommended for you

October 7, 2011

A Few Pics From My Austin Trip

August 30, 2011

Tech Companies Supporting Women Should Be At BlogHer

November 10, 2011

Tech Mom Bloggers List; Get The Skinny Scoop!

Tech Mom Bloggers Join AMD For 2nd Tech Mom Summit originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

I try to pretend that my Klout score doesn’t matter to me, but when everyone is asking for it, it’s hard not to care. Klout said that they adjusted the algorithms to better reflect influence.  At one point I was a 71 and I worked hard for that 71. Now I’m a 55.

Feels Like School

This feels like a school going in and deciding to change everyone’s GPA because they figured out a better way do the scores. But at the same time, the colleges are still looking at the grades based on the old system of A, B, etc.

So for example sake, lets say I was getting an 95 and that is an A average on the old algorithm. The colleges are excited and knocking on my door. Should I focus solely on my grades? No. But the schools will put a lot of emphasis on it as a way to weed people out in the beginning. I’m getting an A…awesome.

Then the schools decide that they need to change the algorithm they use to better reflect your total picture, but they aren’t going to tell you what those things are.

Now, I get my new grades and I’m averaging an 84. The colleges drop me like flies. So, I haven’t made any changes in what I do, but now I am not worthy of the 95? But yet, you won’t tell me what the scores are based on so, I have no idea how to improve.

Does Your Klout Score Matter?

If Klout wants your Klout score to matter (which I’m sure they do,) they can not randomly decide to change all of our scores. I don’t know what the answer is because I have no idea what they scores are based on.

By making the Klout score changes they just did, put less value on the Klout score in my book. I’m still the same person online yet I’m worth 11 points less now. And they didn’t expect that would be a problem when they have been trying to put a great deal of value in the Klout score?

Pretending I Don’t Care!

I am trying really hard to pretend that I don’t care about my Klout score, but damn, the truth is, when I see that 55, it DOES bug me. I feel like I did something wrong yet no one will tell me what.

But I can tell you one thing, I am looking at my Klout score less than I have in the past. If a Klout score can change so drastically, it isn’t very reliable and I put less value on that. Now, let me go watch my PeerIndex.

Let’s Talk About Klout Score!

How about you? Did your Klout score go down or up? How did that make you feel?

Recommended for you

June 3, 2011

Your Friends Can Help Your Klout Score

December 16, 2010

Your Klout and PeerIndex Are Something, But Not Everything

November 3, 2010

Wordless Wednesday – Celebrating My Klout

Klout Score; Trying To Pretend I Don’t Care! originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

According to the SheStreams site, it is a conference

spans two days of informative and engaging sessions intended to catapult women and brands into the future of social technology.

That sounds like the perfect conference for me. I wish I could go to every conference, but there just isn’t the time. My family wants me around some of the time.

Check out the list of speakers.  If you look at the sample sessions list for the Agenda, there are some really different sessions like,

• Creating Your Own App to Build Your Brand
• Turning Traditional Radio Into Interactive Social Media
• Connecting With Moms Via Video

Let me know if you are attending the SheStreams conference!

Recommended for you

January 23, 2011

Heading to Blissdom Conference

September 16, 2010

The #1 Reason to Attend BlogWorld Expo

July 7, 2011

Marketing to Moms is Not a New Concept

Have You Heard of the SheStreams Conference? originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Recommended for you

September 27, 2010

Going to Blogalicious? Attend My Social Media Tools Session

June 21, 2011

How Social Media Has Significantly Change My Life

December 18, 2009

How to Check Your Real-Time Social Media Mentions for Free

Tech Tools For Social Media Tribe Building originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Photo by James Vaughan

Marketing to Moms is Two-Way

The difference today is brands are no longer only marketing “at” Moms. The dialogue is now two-way. Moms are talking with brands about the products we use. Moms are influencing the next generation of products by telling brands what we need instead of brands telling us what we need.

According to the The BabyCenter 2010 Mom Social Influencer Report,

• 18% of moms who use social media account for 78% of the influence
• Motherhood is the #1 trigger for social media usage
• Social moms are most influential in their native environments

As The BabyCenter 2010 Mom Social Influencer Report has shown, the #1 reason women go online is motherhood. Being a first time Mom can be very lonely. We often leave office jobs where we have daily contact with other adults and are within days thrown into an environment where the only person to talk to is our baby. Women are social creatures by nature, therefore, women seek out others online more than men.

Image from Microsoft Images

Moms and Technology

As a mom who writes about technology, I always thought I was in the  minority when it came to making decisions about purchasing technology for my family. These statistics clearly show that I am not alone and women have a lot of influence in the decision-making when it comes to purchasing technology for our families. Tech companies need to be marketing to moms.

• Women influenced $90 billion-worth of consumer electronic purchases in 2007 (Consumer Electronics Association, 2007)
• 66% of PCs are purchased by women (compiled by Marketing to Women Conference, 2009)
• 51% are Moms (Mindshare: Ogilvy & Mather)

If you have dismissed the marketing to moms concept as a fad, you better think twice. Marketing to moms is not a new concept and it isn’t going away. If you want your product in the home of American families, you need to be marketing to moms.

Let’s Talk About Marketing to Moms!

In your family, who makes the majority of decisions when it comes to products used in your home? What brands do you feel do an excellent job of marketing to moms? Any brands that you would like to see marketing to moms more?

Recommended for you

September 30, 2010

Technology Brands Reach Out to Women

December 16, 2010

AT&T Power Moms Share Our Love of Technology

May 4, 2011

Take AMD Quiz? Find The Perfect New Computer? Yep, It’s That Easy! (Video)

Marketing to Moms is Not a New Concept originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Thank you to BING Social Search for sponsoring my post about social media. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I can’t imagine my life without Social Media. Social Media has changed every aspect of my life and I believe for the good.

Social Media Changes

1. My Husband. I met my husband through AOL which was the early stages of Social Media in my eyes. We met in the Romance Connection room. I never realized it would be the beginning of a Social Media filled life.

2. Me as a Mom. In the early years when my kids were little and I was a new stay-at-home mom, I found comfort in forums and chat rooms with other moms. I do not think I could have survived those early years without that support.

3. Career. This is where some of the most significant changes have happened. When I was a stay-at-home mom, I found a mother’s group and quickly became very involved at a national level as Technology Director. This was my first real experience as a community manager in Social Media. I connected stay-at-home moms with similar interests across the country. I was hooked and haven’t looked back yet. The amount of career opportunities that have come my way due to Social Media are so many that I couldn’t possibly name them all here. Let’s just say that I owe my entire career right now to Social Media.

4. Friendships. I have met some of my best friends through Social Media. I have been able to travel to many conferences and meet so many people and all of it is due to Social Media.

Social Media is a huge part of my current life. I do spend a lot of time online, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I am teaching my kids to respect the Internet and to use Social Media wisely. Social Media is not going anywhere and the next generation will not know it any other way. Social Media has made me realize how small the world really is and how similar we all are no matter where we live.

Let’s Talk About Social Media!

How has social media change your life?

Recommended for you

September 27, 2010

Going to Blogalicious? Attend My Social Media Tools Session

December 18, 2009

How to Check Your Real-Time Social Media Mentions for Free

April 16, 2010

Join Me at Blogalicious DC – Women in Social Media: Creating Your Digital Footprint

How Social Media Has Significantly Change My Life originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Klout Score Topics of Influence

Klout just added a new feature where you can give someone a +K in an area of expertise (or topic) if they influence you in that area. For example, you can see in my Klout profile below that I am influential in social media, blogging, parenting, real estate (where that came from I’ll never know…), moms and fitness (plus 5 more, but for the example we’ll look at these.) So, if you think I have influenced you in some way about fitness, you can give me a +K in fitness.

Giving +K to Influencers

If you want to give me (or anyone) a +K, you click on Topics in their profile and you will see something like this:

Notice the Give +K under scrapbooking? I could give BigPictureClass a +K by clicking on that button. I already gave them a +K in creativity as you see in the top one. Everyone who logs in gets 5 +K to give away per day.

The BlogWorld Expo Blog has an aweseom post with details how the +K works or check the Klout blog for more information.

If you’d like to give me +K in any of my topics, check out my Klout Profile.

Let’s Talk about Klout Score!

Have you used Klout? What are your thoughts on the new +K?

Recommended for you

December 16, 2010

Your Klout and PeerIndex Are Something, But Not Everything

November 3, 2010

Wordless Wednesday – Celebrating My Klout

December 1, 2010

Gift a Box of Hershey's Chocolate and You Will Have Many Friends

Your Friends Can Help Your Klout Score originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Doing Disney Alone

If you are ever considering going to Disney World alone, there is plenty to do. I chose to spend my time laying on the beach at the Grand Floridian hotel.

Laying at the beach at the Grand Floridian hotel at Disney.

The weather was beautiful for March, It was about 78 degrees, a slight breeze and clear blue sky. You couldn’t have asked for better weather. I realize that many of you may be thinking, “but you were at Disney World! How could you lay around?” Well, there is a lot to be said for relaxation. I really needed to just relax. I’m not much of a crowd person and it is Spring Break time, so the theme parks were crowded. The hotel was not.

I arrived on Thursday in time for the first dinner which was held right on the beach at the Grand Floridian hotel. Even though Orlando is not near the water, they have created a gorgeous beach atmosphere on the Disney property. This is the sunset we watched during the dinner.

Magic Kingdom After Dark

If you are staying at a Disney property, you can stay at any of the Disney theme parks that are open past the regular closing time. Check with the front desk to find out which theme parks are open late during your stay. I headed to Magic Kingdom with Cheryl and her family after the beach party.

I have been to Magic Kingdom many times, but I was either pregnant or with very young kids (or both). Someone always had to stay back and watch the younger kids, so I’d never been on many of the rides. Cheryl’s family introduced me to the basics of Magic Kingdom.  Here is a quick video of my Magic Kingdom adventure.

I also went on the Peter Pan ride (so much fun), the Haunted Mansion ride (almost got stuck) and one other ride which I can not remember right now, but I know it had a big dip in it. (Cheryl?)

That was day 1 at Disney World and it was quite a day. Tomorrow I’ll give you highlights of the conference portion of  Disney Social Media Moms.

Disclosure: I received a free park pass and gifts as a guest of the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration (I did pay to attend the conference.)

Let’s Talk!

Have you ever been to Disney alone? Would you ever go to Disney alone?

Related articles

• The #DisneySMMoms Recap Show – Mar 23,2011 (blogtalkradio.com)
• Wordless Wednesday: Breakfast at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Cafe (wmljshewbridge.blogspot.com)
• Disney Social Media Moms Conference 2011 Recap – Day 1 #DisneySMMoms (crazyadventuresinparenting.com)
• A Grand Welcome (fromdatestodiapers.com)

Recommended for you

March 23, 2011

Wordless Wednesday Disney Instagrams

March 8, 2011

Celebrating Disney's Mars Needs Moms Opening

December 18, 2009

How to Check Your Real-Time Social Media Mentions for Free

Doing Disney Alone, Disney Social Media Moms Celebration originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

• Carrie Ferguson Weir,
• Ana Flores
• Tsh Oxenreider

Think about where you want your site to go. Grow it, write more?

You will need help to grow your blog.

Number of large blogs that are solo? Almost none.

You need help from a community.

Collaboration

Collaboration means more than one person working together towards a common goal.

One blog that has more than one editor.

Benefits of Collab – strength in numbers, 1 message with many people spreading the message

In your niche, get a group of bloggers in your niche to answer questions collaboratively about your niche to create a collaborative site.

A joint effort toward a common goal.

Curation

Curation is fancy word for news judgement. example – gathering best posts about a certain topic and repost with permission

Benefits of Curation – increases your authority in your niche, good networking tool

Blogosphere expands as more people joins and it grows. There is room for everyone.

Collab & curate you work together toward a common good.

Sharing link love, spreading another person’s message and working with others

They in turn, share their traffic with you by linking to your site. It sends traffic to both sites.

Know why you want to bring in contributors (what will each talk about to bring new info to your site)

Send out a specific call to action. Do not just ask people to write for you. Be sure you know what you want them to write about.

Have “experts” on the site to answer questions.

Be sure you know what experience you want them to have.

Have an editorial calender and post length & be clear about what you will be offering them. Have a style guide for your writers.

Could request a sample post when looking for contributors. Give them a subject & deadline to submit sample post.

Have an agreement with your contributors. Can be simple – an e-mail with the expectations and payment and they return with “i agree”

Benefit of writing for a collaborative site:

• Writing on a collaborative site can get your work out there.
• Can bring traffic to your site.
• Show that you are an expert in your niche.
• Help you to improve your writing.

Curation

How to find content for Curation?

• Look at other blogs in your niche
• Use google alerts
• Search Twitter
• Recommendations from others in your niche.

Then asked to republish the post with some changes or maybe a different angle.

Tools to Curate:

• Storify
• Scoop.It
• Amplify (See my Amplify page)

Legal – don’t take anything that is not yours.

Things to help your writers/contributors

• editorial calendar
• staff only area
• style guide
• themes for month if want to give ideas.

Anyone can collaborate. Doesn’t matter how many readers you have.

Give creative pitches to bloggers to ask them to write for you.

If you treat them well, they will want to do good for you.

Is bigger and more always better? Depends on what you want for your site. The bigger, the more work & more traffic, but will take a lot more time. You need to decide for yourself.

Creative Common for commercial use if making money on your site (Flickr)

Duplicate content: Hurts the 2nd site more than the first. Change at least 20% of the post to be safe. Link back to the original post.

Related articles

• Tumblr Adds Curated Topic Pages For Better Content Discovery (mashable.com)
• 4 Promising Curation Tools That Help Make Sense of the Web (mashable.com)

Recommended for you

January 26, 2011

SEO & Analytics Session at Blissdom

January 26, 2011

Blissdom: Advanced Branding Session With Maya & Alli

January 23, 2011

Heading to Blissdom Conference

Collaboration & Curation Session #Blissdom originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.