Kiva.org hit a major milestone this week -- $100 million channeled to entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world through micro-loans. They now have more than 575,000 lenders loaning money through the site.
Micro-loans are one of the most powerful ways to alleviate poverty -- the adage teach a person to fish they eat for a lifetime comes true.
Kiva created the first online person-to-person micro-lending opportunity. When you visit their site you view requests from micro-lending organizations around the world with entrepreneurs requesting loans in many communities around the globe.
The great thing about lending through Kiva is when the borrower repays the loan you receive the money back. The repayment of micro-loans is +98% -- an incredible testimony to its effectiveness.
As well, PayPal is a supporter and they waive all service fees to transfer money from your account to the borrower via the micro-lending organization.
If you want to donate to entrepreneurs around the world and help alleviate poverty, join the Business With Purpose Network at http://www.kiva.org/team/business_with_purpose
To find out more about micro-loans visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcredit
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Facebook hits 300 million users
This week Facebook hit two major milestones -- it topped 300 million users and became profitable for the first time. The company projects 380 million users by end of 2009.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Choose Facebook friends wisely
I'm sharing this article by Neil Seeman in the National Post today -- written for the medical community but something all business owners need to seriously consider when using social media in business.
Neil Seeman: Choose your Facebook friends wisely
Posted: September 15, 2009, 10:00 AM by NP Editor
facebook, Neil Seeman
With the emergence of the mega-social networking site Facebook, it seems everyone's "friends" with everyone else these days. A fascinating paper by Dr. Sachin H. Jain in the New England Journal of Medicine asks: Is it professionally acceptable for a physician to accept a "friend request" from his or her patient?
There is no consensus answer. In a Medscape discussion prompted by a blog post by Dr. Alok Khorana, one contributor says: "We have a practice page on Facebook that we use to communicate directly with our patients ... don't be scared to be a 'normal' person and talk to your patients."
A dermatologist takes a different view: "I strongly resent befriending patients or their relatives on Facebook or any other social network. Recently I curtly told one person to avoid this as it is unethical and against the norms of the oath."
Similar debates about the limits of friendships, and whether professional-client relationships should extend online, have surfaced in law and business and academe.
Should a senior executive "friend" a 25-year-old new employee? Is it rude to deny "friend requests" from casual acquaintances? And if I accept these people as my friends, must I be continually exposed to their beer-swilling college frat photos? And why do my supposedly mature friends send me juvenile "alerts" about their mundane musings (e. g. "Got a craving for pop tarts ... yummy!")? Or post mushy love-notes to their spouses on Facebook's public walls?
Putting aside the question of whether our online friendships are ruining our real-life ones, it's worth asking, "What is a friend?" This matters considerably in health care, where showing empathy toward one's patient can improve care; and where bonding with a burned-out co-worker, online or off, can improve workplace health.
DEFINING FRIENDSHIP DOWN
When introducing a real friend to a new acquaintance, I often feel the need to call my friend "a dear friend" or a "close friend." "Friend" requires an adjective these days, since otherwise it feels empty. We've dumbed adult friendships down.
In my three-year-old daughter's pre-school, everyone calls everyone in their class a "friend." This is blessed behaviour when seen in children: "Daddy, I need to say bye to all my friends before we go home." For adults, friendships enjoy special status. If you are very lucky, you will make one meaningful friendship for every year you live, and you may have only one or two or three who stay with you for a lifetime.
When we dumb friendship down, on Facebook or in everyday life, we risk confusing people who may misconstrue what is signified by that relationship. This, in my view, is the best reason not to friend your patient or your client. When in a trust relationship (what lawyers fancily call a "fiduciary duty"), your client or your patient may be vulnerable. He or she may consider a curt note from you on Facebook to be threatening. "What have I done to offend him?" they might be thinking. "Will he delay my appointment? Treat me rudely? Refuse to refill my prescription?"
All patients, all clients, are not the same. My mother (Mary Seeman), a physician, suggests that "a good rule to follow is for the doctor always to be 'abstinent' -- in other words, she should not be 'getting something' out of her relationship with her patient other than the satisfaction of doing as good a job as possible. Patients should not be sources of entertainment, information, news, stock market tips, romance, actual friendship or warm feelings."
My view is that professional codes for self-regulated professions forbidding romance with patients (or clients) aim to protect the most vulnerable among us. And vulnerability in affairs of the heart is not always self-evident. Hulking football linemen -- I knew at least two in university -- can cry over a woman who politely denies them a date. "Let's be friends" can be the cruelest of lines.
FREDDY'S FRIENDS
We first learn about the complexities of managing friendships as children. In Who Will Be My Friends?, a children's story by author-artist Syd Hoff (most famous for the 1958 classic, Danny and the Dinosaur), young Freddy arrives in a new neighbourbood and looks for friends. "Who will be my friends?" he wonders. He asks the policeman, the mailman and the street cleaner. But they are too busy working. Unfazed, Freddy saunters over to the playground and asks the boys playing ball if they will be his friend. They ignore him and keep playing.
Only when Freddy starts playing cheerfully by himself -- throwing the ball high and catching it --do the other boys notice him and invite him to be their friend. There are many popular children's books today with a similar plot. In Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, a beautiful fish is shunned until he begins to give away his glittering scales to other fish. I recommend Little Smudge by Lionel Le Neouanic, where a lonely black "little smudge" sulks when colourful squares and circles reject his friendship; yet when he dazzles everyone with his shape-shifting talents, he makes friends. The message: You have to work at starting, and nurturing, a friendship.
THE RULES DON'T CHANGE
The same rules of friendship should apply online and off. A friendship is not the same as a series of client meetings in a downtown office. The spirit, if not the letter, of most professional ethical codes would suggest that "friending" a patient or client on Facebook is inappropriate. I consider it inappropriate since it can invite miscommunication, disappointment and expectations of favouritism.
One never knows whether one of your patients or clients might harbour resentment or disappointment or fear or vulnerability if the online friendship crumbles. This may happen innocently: It takes time, which few professionals have much of, to stay on top of email and social networking correspondence. And to your client or patient, that fragile online friendship may mean much more than it does to you.
Neil Seeman is a writer, and director and primary investigator of the Health Strategy Innovation Cell at Massey College at the University of Toronto. Originally published by Longwoods Publishing ( Longwoods.com)
Neil Seeman: Choose your Facebook friends wisely
Posted: September 15, 2009, 10:00 AM by NP Editor
facebook, Neil Seeman
With the emergence of the mega-social networking site Facebook, it seems everyone's "friends" with everyone else these days. A fascinating paper by Dr. Sachin H. Jain in the New England Journal of Medicine asks: Is it professionally acceptable for a physician to accept a "friend request" from his or her patient?
There is no consensus answer. In a Medscape discussion prompted by a blog post by Dr. Alok Khorana, one contributor says: "We have a practice page on Facebook that we use to communicate directly with our patients ... don't be scared to be a 'normal' person and talk to your patients."
A dermatologist takes a different view: "I strongly resent befriending patients or their relatives on Facebook or any other social network. Recently I curtly told one person to avoid this as it is unethical and against the norms of the oath."
Similar debates about the limits of friendships, and whether professional-client relationships should extend online, have surfaced in law and business and academe.
Should a senior executive "friend" a 25-year-old new employee? Is it rude to deny "friend requests" from casual acquaintances? And if I accept these people as my friends, must I be continually exposed to their beer-swilling college frat photos? And why do my supposedly mature friends send me juvenile "alerts" about their mundane musings (e. g. "Got a craving for pop tarts ... yummy!")? Or post mushy love-notes to their spouses on Facebook's public walls?
Putting aside the question of whether our online friendships are ruining our real-life ones, it's worth asking, "What is a friend?" This matters considerably in health care, where showing empathy toward one's patient can improve care; and where bonding with a burned-out co-worker, online or off, can improve workplace health.
DEFINING FRIENDSHIP DOWN
When introducing a real friend to a new acquaintance, I often feel the need to call my friend "a dear friend" or a "close friend." "Friend" requires an adjective these days, since otherwise it feels empty. We've dumbed adult friendships down.
In my three-year-old daughter's pre-school, everyone calls everyone in their class a "friend." This is blessed behaviour when seen in children: "Daddy, I need to say bye to all my friends before we go home." For adults, friendships enjoy special status. If you are very lucky, you will make one meaningful friendship for every year you live, and you may have only one or two or three who stay with you for a lifetime.
When we dumb friendship down, on Facebook or in everyday life, we risk confusing people who may misconstrue what is signified by that relationship. This, in my view, is the best reason not to friend your patient or your client. When in a trust relationship (what lawyers fancily call a "fiduciary duty"), your client or your patient may be vulnerable. He or she may consider a curt note from you on Facebook to be threatening. "What have I done to offend him?" they might be thinking. "Will he delay my appointment? Treat me rudely? Refuse to refill my prescription?"
All patients, all clients, are not the same. My mother (Mary Seeman), a physician, suggests that "a good rule to follow is for the doctor always to be 'abstinent' -- in other words, she should not be 'getting something' out of her relationship with her patient other than the satisfaction of doing as good a job as possible. Patients should not be sources of entertainment, information, news, stock market tips, romance, actual friendship or warm feelings."
My view is that professional codes for self-regulated professions forbidding romance with patients (or clients) aim to protect the most vulnerable among us. And vulnerability in affairs of the heart is not always self-evident. Hulking football linemen -- I knew at least two in university -- can cry over a woman who politely denies them a date. "Let's be friends" can be the cruelest of lines.
FREDDY'S FRIENDS
We first learn about the complexities of managing friendships as children. In Who Will Be My Friends?, a children's story by author-artist Syd Hoff (most famous for the 1958 classic, Danny and the Dinosaur), young Freddy arrives in a new neighbourbood and looks for friends. "Who will be my friends?" he wonders. He asks the policeman, the mailman and the street cleaner. But they are too busy working. Unfazed, Freddy saunters over to the playground and asks the boys playing ball if they will be his friend. They ignore him and keep playing.
Only when Freddy starts playing cheerfully by himself -- throwing the ball high and catching it --do the other boys notice him and invite him to be their friend. There are many popular children's books today with a similar plot. In Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, a beautiful fish is shunned until he begins to give away his glittering scales to other fish. I recommend Little Smudge by Lionel Le Neouanic, where a lonely black "little smudge" sulks when colourful squares and circles reject his friendship; yet when he dazzles everyone with his shape-shifting talents, he makes friends. The message: You have to work at starting, and nurturing, a friendship.
THE RULES DON'T CHANGE
The same rules of friendship should apply online and off. A friendship is not the same as a series of client meetings in a downtown office. The spirit, if not the letter, of most professional ethical codes would suggest that "friending" a patient or client on Facebook is inappropriate. I consider it inappropriate since it can invite miscommunication, disappointment and expectations of favouritism.
One never knows whether one of your patients or clients might harbour resentment or disappointment or fear or vulnerability if the online friendship crumbles. This may happen innocently: It takes time, which few professionals have much of, to stay on top of email and social networking correspondence. And to your client or patient, that fragile online friendship may mean much more than it does to you.
Neil Seeman is a writer, and director and primary investigator of the Health Strategy Innovation Cell at Massey College at the University of Toronto. Originally published by Longwoods Publishing ( Longwoods.com)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
NOMINATE SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS WOMEN
RBC's Annual Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards is accepting nominations till June 29. I was nominated for 2003 and it was a tremendous honour to have a client think that highly about me and the work we do at unleash pr. So who do you know who is extraordinary -- a co-worker, business associate, friend, family member, client, supplier? Download a nomination form by clicking here completed.
ARTICLE OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESS WOMEN
WOMEN CAN DO ANYTHING accepts articles on the following topics: building wealth, health & wellness, internet marketing, and other business related topics. Send articles ideas and a writing sample to Tracy Matthewman Visit the WCDA website for writer's guidelines.
While you're there, list your business for free in THE DIRECTORY. The site ranks high in Google and receives hundreds of visitors each day.
While you're there, list your business for free in THE DIRECTORY. The site ranks high in Google and receives hundreds of visitors each day.
WINGS and HEROS has launched a new website - www.wingsandheros.com
The new site features a Forum, Marketplace, Profiles of Members, a Calendar of upcoming events. The next WINGS and HEROS meeting is Thursday, May 28, 2009 At 8:00 AM
in Thornhill. Contact Info: RSVP with Sharon 647-298-0112.
The new site features a Forum, Marketplace, Profiles of Members, a Calendar of upcoming events. The next WINGS and HEROS meeting is Thursday, May 28, 2009 At 8:00 AM
in Thornhill. Contact Info: RSVP with Sharon 647-298-0112.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
MAVEN BUSINESS NETWORK -- TORONTO is looking for experts... This is a new business networking group in Toronto. If you are an expert in your field and want to share your knowledge with others this group is accepting applications. You will meet with other experts in a non-competitive forum setting where you exchange knowledge. Full details are available at: http://www.womenspost.ca/mbn
Monday, February 23, 2009
PROSPECTING vs MARKETING DURING RECESSION
For the month of November 2008, the National Federation of Independent Business reported that the number one concern of small business owners is sales or lack of. Twenty-five percent of small business owners polled said poor sales was their main concern. This a 22-year high and is caused not by fear but by results.
Here are some suggestions on how to maintain and increase sales:
Prospect: Increase activities like business networking that get you in direct contact with your prospects. If you make any cuts to marketing dollars do so with marketing that attracts new buyers. Increase time and money for prospecting, though, which gets you face-to-face with people and turns them into business fast.
Increase market share: During a recession, many of your competitors fit into the 25 percent of small business owners who are concerned about sales. Many react by cutting back on prospecting and marketing activities. Knowing this you can capture market share from those willing to reconsider their current supplier.
Look for NOW sales: Flag people who may need your services sometime in the future. But spend your NOW time and money attracting and qualifying near-term buyers. Research how your prospects' needs may have shifted in the down market, and adjust your marketing messages to attract those who need you NOW.
HOW YOUR BUSINESS NETWORK CAN BE YOUR SOURCE OF HAPPINESS
Did you know that happiness is contagious? A recent study found when you surround yourself with happy people your happiness increases.
From 1983 to 2003, scientists from UC San Diego and Harvard University studied 4,739 people to identify happiness clusters within social groups. They found happiness flows through social networks up to three degrees of separation. Interesting, unhappiness does not spread through social networks to the same extent.
The researchers found distance and time influences happiness. When you becomes happy, a friend living within one mile has a 25 percent increased chance of becoming happy, your spouse an 8 percent increased chance, and a next door neighbor, 34 percent.
"But the real surprise came with indirect relationships. Again, while an individual becoming happy increases his friend’s chances, a friend of that friend experiences a nearly 10 percent chance of increased happiness, and a friend of *that* friend has a 5.6 percent increased chance—a three-degree cascade."
From 1983 to 2003, scientists from UC San Diego and Harvard University studied 4,739 people to identify happiness clusters within social groups. They found happiness flows through social networks up to three degrees of separation. Interesting, unhappiness does not spread through social networks to the same extent.
The researchers found distance and time influences happiness. When you becomes happy, a friend living within one mile has a 25 percent increased chance of becoming happy, your spouse an 8 percent increased chance, and a next door neighbor, 34 percent.
"But the real surprise came with indirect relationships. Again, while an individual becoming happy increases his friend’s chances, a friend of that friend experiences a nearly 10 percent chance of increased happiness, and a friend of *that* friend has a 5.6 percent increased chance—a three-degree cascade."
International Networking Day 2009 - Toronto
On Tues, Feb 3 it was International Networking Day 2009 - Toronto. And more than 250 small business owners and professionals gathered at Seneca Conference Centre for a day filled with learning, connections, and word-of-mouth referrals. You can view the expert speakers and more by CLICKING HERE
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