I’ve been using selection tools and my delete key to do extractions but sometimes I get frustrated with deleting too much and having to undo then redo so much of the work.  So I decided to explore Photo Editor’s automatic object mask feature.  And wow, has that made a difference in my extractions!  Let me show you what I love about object masks.

Here’s a picture of my house from when we first bought it.  I decided to do something fun with it but I wanted to remove the sky and the foreground grass so I could put my house someplace more interesting.

1. In the object palette, next to the thumbnail of the photo is a white square…that’s your mask.  Double-click on that white square so that it has a double-lined frame around it.  Then make sure you have a paintbrush tool selected and the color black is on your color picker’s top square.

2. Begin ‘painting’ the area you don’t want to show up anymore.  You aren’t deleting it, just masking it.

3. Feel free to zoom in and vary your brush size, hardness, roundness, and angle to get into the nooks and crannies of your extraction margins.  I like to start large and use smaller and softer brushes as I reach the edges of my masked area.  When you paint over the edge, just reverse the colors on the toolbar using the small color swap icon and ‘paint’ with white to reveal the part you didn’t mean to mask.

Have fun playing with your object masks and see how easy it is to correct your mistakes.  Here’s the layout featuring my extracted house as well as an extraction of an x-wing fighter from our trip to the Star Wars exhibit in Ft. Worth last year.

Credits can be found by clicking on the layout.

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Here is an update to ACDSee Photo Manager.

Some of you have had issues when creating Photo Discs and not seeing the organizing on them.  This should fix the problem.

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I am pleased to announce a class offering of Getting Organized with ACDSee Photo Manager.  I have joined with Jessica Sprague and will be offering my class at JessicaSprague.com.   Here’s Jessica’s opinion of ACDSee Photo Manager, "ACDSee Photo Manager by ACDSee Systems changed the way I approach digital scrapbooking. Getting organized with my digital supplies has helped me see new possibilities, complete pages faster, and get great use out of my digital stash."

The class will be two weeks long.  The class starts on Monday, March 31.   The week will start off with a PDF guide and some video tutorials.  (Some things are just so much easier to show than to read about, but I wanted you to have something to refer back too.)    At the end of the week, which is the following Monday, April 7, I will host a live session showing my ACDSee Photo Manager and the users can ask questions live.  The same day, the second week of material will be available: another PDF guide and a few more videos.   On Monday, April 14, there will be a second live session to ask more questions.    Throughout the guide, videos and live sessions you will hear tips and helpful hints.   At the end of the session you will feel comfortable moving around in ACDSee Photo Manager, understanding how you should organize and how to keep up and maintain your organizing!    This is a class for starting out organizing, if you already feel comfortable organizing then you may want to wait for other advanced classes (that if all goes well will be offered.)

How does this class differ from what is on our DigiScrapInfo website?    Connie and I setup this website to be a self-serve find your own information.  We do have a forum where you can ask questions and we help point you in the right direction.  In the Getting Organized with ACDSee Photo Manager class, I will guide you step by step through the organizing process.  I will demystify the organizing process by providing simple instuctions that you can use immediately.   I have taken what I have learned in the last year of helping people and put all the information together into a package that’s personalized for you.

Here is all the information at Jessica’s site about the class and how to register:  Getting Organized with ACDSee Photo Manager

I am so excited to get this course going!  

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Last week there was discussion at DST about  Organizing with ACDsee..anything you wished you had done diferently?

One of the topics that came up was previews.  Some of the people thought organizing their previews was extremely helpful and some thought it was a waste of time. 

I personally love seeing all my previews at a touch of button and being able to narrow them down.  But I am also a kit scrapper, I mix and match a little bit, but primarily use elements/paper from one kit.    I have been recommended starting with organizing your previews since its an easy place for beginners to start

So  I am curious on what you think: 

Do you find organizing your previews helpful?

You can answer quickly with just a yes or no and if you wish you can expand/comment or give a reason.

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You need more, right?

You’re addicted to fonts, yes? Then you need to go here for 1200 free fonts

Go get some more & remember that …

ACDSee Photo Manager 10 makes it all manageable.

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We’re going to explore a few different ways to blend a picture into the background using ACDSee Photo Editor 2008. I was amazed to discover how easy it was when I learned how to do it. Ready?

1. Start with a solid background paper with some texture. I used the black solid from Tangie Baxters new Timeless Masters kit.

2. Drag and drop the image you want to use into your work area. Were using a picture of my daughter from her dance recital.

3. I went ahead and reduced my opacity to 80% on the image, but this is optional.

4. Next to the opacity, click on the pull down menu next to Transfer. You will have the following options: Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Darken, Lighten, Difference, Burn, and Dodge. Play with each of these and select the option you like the best. For this example, I used soft light.

5. I did this first with the image uncropped to see what the effect would be. I will show you some other options as well.

6. I didnt do this to this image, but you can also apply a vignette and manipulate that as well. Try playing with the vignette option by itself, as well as with the transfer option.

7. I didnt end up liking the look of the uncropped image- the black didnt blend in as well as I thought, so I decided to extract my daughter out of the background.

8. If you extracted your image, drag and drop the image onto your background.

9. We’re going to apply a slight gaussian blur to soften the image a little. From the adjustments pull down menu to the right of your workspace, select gaussian blur.

10. Adjust the slider bar at the bottom until youre happy with the result. Remember to go for a very slight blur- just to soften the edges.

11. Repeat Step 4 to blend the extraction using the transfer menu, and adjust the opacity to your liking.

12. Thats it! Heres my finished layout:

I also ended up blending the ballet dancer jpeg into the black background as well.

13. Have fun with your blending! Remember that its a very broad field, and there are many different effects you can use to achieve the look you want. Play with it and experiment with different methods to find one that works best for you.

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I went through and updated the photo book printing and sizes and browsed to see what is new. Here is what I found:

WHCC now offers books in 3 sizes:

8.5 x 11, 10 x 10 and 11 x 14 with multiple cover options.

The pricing of their cute little proof books went up a few cents per page.

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews: WHCC

Walmart has added more photo books and now print 8 x 8 and 12 x 12.

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews: Walmart

Viovio, I blogged earlier about, added a 12 x 12 photo book size.

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews: Viovio

Picaboo has added custom image covers to their series of 11 x 8.5 and 8 x 6 books.

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews: Picaboo

Photoworks has added 7 x 7 soft & hardcover books

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews: PhotoWorks

Photobook Memories: prices have increased

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews: Photo Book Memories

Kodak added new 5 x 5 pocket books

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews:Kodak

and here is there current sale:

Heritage Makers you can now make books with smaller number of pages (21) and larger books (up to 99 pages).

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews: Heritage Makers

Shutterfly has started a new online book gallery so you can view other peoples books!

For more information on prices, sizes and reviews: Shutterfly

Shutterfly’s current sale’s:

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Unbelievable- this is the 10th week we have been working hard on our Photo Manager Organizing. I think we have covered about as much as we possible can do. At this point, we should have a decent dent on our digital clutter. Even last week, we had more “clean up tasks” rather than large tasks.

Our Homework:
1. Back up and Optimize.
2. Go through your folders and remove “repetitive” tags.
3. 15 minutes a day to work on that stash!

All in all, I think that it is time to wrap this series up. However, while the series might be finishes, that does not mean our time organizing is done. Just like laundry, tagging is never completely over. Keep up your “maintenance” plan, with 15 minutes a day of tagging, weekly back up and optimizing, and go through some of the other challenges as you need them. I hope that all of you were able to get some help moving in the right direction from these challenges.
Have fun and happy tagging!

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Ever wanted to make a custom text path yourself? Easily??? Well ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 Beta does just that. Let me show you….

First let’s learn the easiest way to draw paths…

1. Change your colors to Top Color: No color and Bottom Color: Black
   1. How to Choose No Color for Top Color:
2. Then select the Smooth Polygon Tool for curved paths.
3. Then to use the tool: click in your work area, move slightly click again and continue drawing to get a desired path.
4. Tip: When you the edit drawing mode, you can click the Selection Tool and adjust any of the blue points as needed.
5. Important Tip: Do not connect the end of the path with beginning of the path.
6. When done, click on Done or Esc key.
7. Select the shape in the work area, right click and choose Make Text Path
8. 

Tip: You can also use the Polygon tool for straight lines. Just remember not to let the start and end point meet otherwise you got yourself a shape and not a path.

Now Let’s use your new text path:

1. Type in your text.
2. Select your text and choose Path
3. 
4. In the Text Path box, scroll down to find your path and which way you want your text to go (look at the arrows.) Select your path and set your Pen size to 0. Click OK
5. 
6. 

Tip: To delete text paths. When you are in the Text Path box, right click on a path and choose Remove.

I have our ACDSee team busy making you some layouts to show you this feature. So examples will come soon!

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I have asked our team members and friends to gather and create a slideshow of their layouts done ACDSee Photo Editor.  Check this out….

and if you are interest in trying out  ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 Beta

Layouts by Connie:

Layouts by Petra:

Layouts by Chris

Layouts by Kristi

Layouts by Heidi

Layouts by Sue Cummings ~ Designer at Oscraps.com

check out ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 Beta!

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Family Tree magazine recently announced a partnership with Tamagotchi to collaborate on a new project: Announcing Family Tree Kids!

[Family Tree Kids], designed for children ages 8 through 12, has family history-related games and crafts; activities thatll help kids build their family detective skills and learn about their families; and a fun family tree kids can download, fill in with ancestors' names, and print.

A grownups section offers a resource toolkit for parents and teachers who are helping kids with genealogy projects.

Our partnership with Tamagotchi, makers of the popular digital pets, inspired Family Tree Kids! Familitchi, the newest version of Tamagotchis pets, encourages kids to learn about family history.

Free Online Software Brings Photoshop Technology to Anyone Taking Digital Photos

SAN JOSE, Calif. March 27, 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® Express public beta, a free Rich Internet Application (RIA) available to anyone who wants to store, sort and show off digital photos with eye-catching effects. During the public beta period, Adobe will solicit Photoshop Express user feedback on product features and functionality, which will continue to evolve over time. As the newest addition to the Photoshop family line, Photoshop Express has taken much of Adobes best image editing technology and made it simple and accessible to a new online audience. Photoshop Express allows users to store up to 2 gigabytes of images online for free, make edits to their photos, and share them online in creative ways, including downloading and uploading photos from popular social networking sites like Facebook.

Photoshop is trusted technology that has changed the visual landscape of our world. Now, Photoshop Express allows anyone who snaps a digital photo to easily achieve the high-impact results for which Adobe is known, said Doug Mack, vice president of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe. Photoshop Express is a convenient, single destination where you can store, edit and share photos whether youre at home, school or on the road.

Adobe Photoshop Express beta is available now for free via any Web browser at http://www.photoshop.com/express (In its early phases, Photoshop Express is available to US residents-only in English. Users may experience slow performance if accessed outside of the US. Future plans include availability in other languages and countries.)

Simple, Fun and Accessible

With Photoshop Express, digital photos can be uploaded and sorted anytime, edited non-destructively to always preserve the original image, and shared from anywhere, on any Web browser. In a few easy clicks, Photoshop Express empowers anyone to make standard edits, such as removing blemishes and red-eye, converting to black and white, cropping and resizing, and much more.

No experience is required to add special effects that will impress friends and family. In keeping with its one-click approach, Photoshop Express offers tricks like Pop Color which selects an object in an image, mutes the background color of the photo and allows the user to swap the objects color so it jumps off the page. Sketch effects help photos look like drawings and the Distort feature allows you to distort facial features or objects within the images for a comical or artistic effect. Even users with limited photo editing knowledge can simply select what looks best from a line-up of sample photos with visual hints showing different variations of the added effect.

Photoshop Express offers a variety of creative sharing options, including uploading and showing off photos and slideshows in your own online Gallery hosted by Adobe, or conveniently embedding or linking photos to social networking sites and personal blogs without having to leave the application. Slideshows never looked better with animation that makes photos float and fly across the screen, allowing for viewer interactivity and unique presentation styles.

Adobe Photoshop Family

Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop CS3 Extended are at the heart of the Photoshop family, joined by solutions for users at every level who want to bring out the best in their digital images. Photoshop Lightroom addresses the workflow needs of professional and serious amateur photographers. Photoshop Elements provides exciting tools and sharing options for photo hobbyists.

Photoshop Express is the latest step Adobe is taking to leverage the advanced technology that underpins its award-winning creative products and deliver it to new online communities. In early 2007, Adobe also announced the availability of Adobe® Premiere® Express, an online video editing and mash-up tool on partner sites such as MTV and Photobucket. Adobe Premiere Express leverages the functionality found in Premiere Elements, a fully-featured desktop video editing program.

Photoshop Express was created with Flex, Adobes free, open source framework for building RIAs. Flex applications provide a consistent, rich user experience across operating systems and all major browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and others. An Internet connection and an up-to-date Flash® Player 9 are all that are required to experience Adobe Photoshop Express.

SOURCES: Photojojo, GraphicsSoftware.About.com, and DigitalPhotographyReview, as well as the official press release on Adobe.com

Troy, OH - March 27, 2008 Digital Scrapbook Place earned a Rudy Award for its new and exciting Digital Scrapbooking Curriculum introduced at the Photo Marketing Association Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2008. Digital Scrapbooking Curriculum is the first scrapbooking product to win a Rudy award.

The Rudy award, named in honor of Rudolf Maschke, who along with Ed Wagner founded Photo Industry Reporter, the Rudy Awards are bestowed to products exhibited at the Photo Marketing Association trade show that [their] writers judge to be ingenious, fascinating or possessing a certain undefinable off-the-wall quality.

The Digital Scrapbooking Curriculum will demonstrate store owners or instructors how to teach digital scrapbooking classes to customers and students. Instructors will learn about the software and digital scrapbooking quickly and easily with step by step instructions and guidance. Inside there are tools to hold classes, demonstrations, events, crops, tutoring sessions, and assist customers. This curriculum teaches the popular Adobe ® Photoshop® Elements software. The $150 introductory price tag includes the Curriculum as well as 20 student CDs with software trial, graphics, and tutorials. Additional student CDs can be purchased separately.

Digital Scrapbook Place knows that education is a great way to increase sales for photo and scrapbook retailers. Digital Scrapbook Places full range of digital products, including this new curriculum, will keep customers coming back for more.

About Digital Scrapbook Place

Digital Scrapbook Place was founded in 2004 by two women with a passion for digital scrapbooking. The company is dedicated to helping people use digital technologies to capture their memories, create scrapbook pages, and captivate their loved ones for generations.

News recently received from Simple Scrapbooks/Digital Scrapbooking Editor-in-Chief Jennafer Martin:

Simple Scrapbooks magazine is celebrating their Founding Editor, Stacy Julian. As an author, editor, teacher, speaker, and business owner, Stacy has motivated scrapbookers everywhere to enjoy the process of scrapbooking for over a decade. Her latest efforts in this area have led to national media opportunities - likely the first of many opportunities for Stacy to become not just a pioneer in, but an ambassador for the passionate hobby of scrapbooking.

In order to make time for all of these new adventures, Stacys participation in the day-to-day running of Simple Scrapbooks will lighten a bit beginning spring 2008. Shell still contribute articles and pages, but after the September-October 08 issue, shell no longer contribute regular columns or editors notes. Simple Scrapbooks will remain dedicated to Stacys vision in each issue, providing simple solutions for scrapbooking to its readers.

To kick off Stacys new adventures, Simple Scrapbooks has declared the week of March 24-28, 2008, Stacy Julian Appreciation Week. If youve worked with Stacy or been inspired by her, you are invited to celebrate this week by letting her know. Leave a message at 888/HUG-STACY (within the next 30 days) or by leaving a comment on the Simple blog.

Announced recently on Claudine Hellmuth's MyCraftivity blog, as well as her Blogspot blog: Claudine Hellmuth Studio product line announced.

I am super excited to announce that I am going to have a product line with Ranger Industries.

The line will be called Claudine Hellmuth Studio and will be unveiled this summer at the CHA Summer Show in Chicago! That's all I can reveal at this point so I'll have to keep you in suspense a little longer what it is all about.

It is incredibly thrilling to be working side by side with Ranger's chemists to create the products just how I want them to be! I can't wait to share more with you as it gets closer to the CHA Summer Show!

Some great ideas posted in the comments of this post: Ten 10-minute self promotion activities.

Some suggestions include:

• read and comment on blogs in your niche
• send a "how are you doing" email or call to a non-active client/customer
• update your online portfolio
• leave promotional bookmarks and hand them out throughout the day

My answer/comment on Ilise's post was this:

...answer questions in your niche posted on LinkedIn's Answers. I've answered only three questions, but two of my answers were selected as "Best Answers", which shows up on my profile. Nice visibility, and increases exposure for my expertise.

I'd love to get some similar comments on this post - geared toward scrapbooking business self-promotion, of course.  What can you, and *have* you, done to promote your business in 10-minute blocks?

Via Ilise Benun's Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor newsletter, a link to an article by Social Media Marketing Coach, Zita Gustin on one's "Know, Like, & Trust Factor".  Basically it offers thoughts on two styles of networking - the hunter and the gardener.

The hunter approaches networking (meeting/collaborating/referring people for mutually beneficial business alliances) as "going in the for kill (the sale)".  Gustin doesn't think of that approach as networking, but rather "salesmaking".

So what is networking?  It's about establishing a relationship with others based on your/their Know, Like, and Trust Factor - the idea that people do business with people they know, like & trust.  Gustin has this to say on that topic:

And yet, so many people want to skip past the parts about the knowing and liking ... they want to go straight to the part about getting referrals or sales without building to and through the trusting part.

She suggests that to earn trust in a relationship (networking or otherwise), "you must show your character, your integrity, your ability, and your kindness and concern for others."  Then she offers 12 thought-provoking tips on how to inspire trust by revealing your character.  Worth a read.

Denise Wakeman has posted a summary from a recent teleseminar/interview on her blog, Biz Tips Blog: Internet Marketing Tips: Facebook Tips from Mari Smith.

I admit, there's not a lot on this list I didn't know already, but it's a good basics guide to "working" Facebook, or any social networking community/site.  There were a couple of suggestions I knew, but haven't put a lot of effort into developing yet, mostly as a matter of time.  So the list is a good reminder that you can't reap the benefits of that which what you don't work.

Facebook expert Mari Smith suggests setting up a Page for your business.  I have done that for Scrappy Marketing Solutions, but I'm not really "working" it.  Mari also suggests setting up Events for your business - these don't have to be events within Facebook - you could post about real-life events like crops or speaking engagements.  It's a way to spread the word to "Fans" of your business, and your Facebook Friends.

Mari Smith is the instructor for a free online class on Facebook marketing techniques called "Facebook Fortunes" via Podclass.com.  Free is good - you should check it out!

I just received notice from Craftrends that, effective immediately, my Digital Dimensions column has been discontinued due to "changes in their editorial lineup", though they are "open to occasional technology articles for the scrapbooking section", so I am welcome to submit proposals.

SO, if you know of anyone looking for professional editorial content on marketing in the digital age, particularly to a crafting audience, do let me know, or feel free to mention my name.

Not much set-up needed here - Skellie has compiled a super how-to over at ProBlogger: How to Write Posts That Set StumbleUpon on Fire.

If you are using (or interested in using) StumbleUpon.com to increase/drive traffic to your blog, you definitely need to check out Skellie's article.

If you have never heard of StumbleUpon, or hadn't thought of using it in your own marketing efforts, check out StubmleUpon, then go read the article.

Do you Stumble?  Have you been Stumble'd?   Do you Stumble friends' or colleagues' posts?  Do they return the favor?  What results have you seen?  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

by Sara Pedersen

Marketing your small business takes tons of time, years of experience, and lots of money, right? Wrong! Anyone can learn effective marketing techniques that are simple, inexpensive, and best of all, quick! Get in the habit of REGULARLY marketing your biz! The following are some marketing techniques that you can accomplish in 30 minutes or less. Pick a few that appeal to your style. Then, write down each one on your calendar on a specific day you so you WILL accomplish this task.

BE AN EXPERT

Type up a list of your top five favorite seasonal TIPS related to your business and send it to your local paper. Invite the news editor to run the tips along with your contact information in an upcoming issue.

GET IN TOUCH

The next week, follow up that letter with a phone CALL to that editor. Make it short, sweet, and to-the-point. Tell her what you do for a living and what you can contribute to the paper. Offer to be a resource in the future.

BECOME A JOINER

Spend 30 minutes online researching local NETWORKING groups. Make a list of those that interest you. Next week, spend 30 more minutes contacting those you might consider joining.

MAKE CONNECTIONS

Scan your Yellow Pages for companies that might be sources of REFERRALS. Make a list. Another day, spend 30 minutes contacting some of these professionals via phone or e-mail to see if informal, mutually beneficial partnerships or cross-referral programs could be formed.

YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECH

Write your 60-second commercial so, when introduced to people, you can easily and articulately EXPLAIN what you do for a living.

A QUICKIE NEWSLETTER

Send your top five favorite tips (make them season specific) via e-mail to your DATABASE. Don't forget to include your contact info and a "call to action." Try, "Call me today to schedule a hands-on consultation," or "Call today to take advantage of my summer special."

ASK FOR REFERRALS

Develop a simple INCENTIVE program for current clients, encouraging them to refer their family and friends to you. Draft a note and send via e-mail or create a postcard to send via postal mail.

COLLABORATE

Contact another small business owner in the SAME line of work in your area that offers a service that you don't. Agree to send business to each other whenever possible.

THANK YOUR BEST CUSTOMERS

Send a thank-you card to past clients. Include a COUPON for 10% off or a free gift with their next purchase.

Sara Pedersen is a professional organizer who enjoys helping clients organize, simplify, and create time to do the things they love. You may visit her website at www.time2organize.net.

Content provided by OnlineOrganizing.com -- offering "a world of organizing solutions!" Visit www.onlineorganizing.com for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau, get a referral for a Professional Organizer near you, or get some help starting and running your own organizing business.

FYI - I have decided to take a step back from consulting projects for the time being, to concentrate on writing for magazines and blogging projects.  What I'm really looking to do is increase my involvement in contributing to a magazine, working more on the editorial side.  I'm also looking to create a comprehensive corporate blog marketing campaign, perhaps guiding a team of bloggers to share company insights and branding efforts. I have some ideas that I'm eager to share with direct sales companies, particularly.

I am sorry for the inconvenience this may cause scrapbooking business owners - I know how limited the pool is for scrapbooking-savvy marketing professionals.  In fact, if anyone knows of anyone else who offers scrapbook marketing services, especially press release writing and editing, I'd love to hear about them, because I'll need to offer referrals.  Feel free to leave a comment below, or email me privately.

Via Meg Cox's Traditions newsletter, a link to TrashTheDress.com, a rather scandalous yet innovative concept - celebrate your recent marriage by trashing your wedding dress.

Why? Why not? Youve made a commitment to your husband. Hes your one and only true love, right? Then youll never need the dress again. And no, your daughter wont wear it in 20-30 years. So you have two choices:

1. Suffocate it in plastic and throw it in a closet
2. Show your husband how committed you are by trashing the dress, and get some great fun pictures while you do it!

Trash the Dress photo sessions have been featured on Good Morning America and in the New York Times.  So this is quite a bit more than just a meme hidden in the underbelly of the Internet.  According to the NYT, "Christa DiPaulo Becker, 31, said that sitting in 2005 for her post-wedding Trash the Dress shoot with John Michael Cooper, the Las Vegas wedding photographer [is] credited with starting the trend..."  Cooper's concept spread to other wedding photographers, and (also according to NYT), "interest in these photos has even led to the creation of a Web site, trashthedress.com, which Mark Eric, a 35-year-old photographer from Alexandria, La., said he started to display his own Trash the Dress images."

A comment in Meg Cox's newsletter got me thinking about the marketing angles of a concept like this:

It appears to have been the brainchild of a photography studio looking for new income streams, and the idea caught fire with some brides.

"...the brainchild of a photography studio looking for new income streams"...  So.  What tantalizing ritual could you help document in your scrapbooking business?  First, take the easy route and check with local photographers, and see if any of them offer Trash the Dress photo sessions.  If so, try pairing up with them to offer Trash the Dress scrapbooking sessions using their photos.

From there, brainstorm other rituals or traditions you could help customers document...

• a Break-up Book of all the losers they dated, or as a post-divorce therapy tool - consider partnering with a local divorce therapist for referrals
• a Letting Go or "Say Good-bye to..." workshop - what dreams or expectations don't "fit" anymore? (also good for purging clutter or extra scrapbooking supplies!)
• Put a positive spin on bittersweet times - kids starting kindergarten or leaving for college?  Offer a class layout project on "Before I Had to vs Now I Get to" (also good for post-divorce)

Scrapbooking is about documenting the events in one's life.  How can you help your customers tell the stories of non-traditional milestones?  Or put a different spin on the traditional ones?  I'd love to hear your ideas - please leave a comment below!

While checking out my incoming links this morning, I found a link to Heidi Richards' Virtual Woman's Day Celebrations, and a specific post: Women Bloggers to Watch in 2008!

Women are blogging in record numbers these days - so many blogs, so much content and so little time to check them all out. Each month during 2008, I will be highlighting dozens of blogs written by women, on a variety of topics, genres and locations around the globe. These women share one thing in common. They have a goal, a theme and a purpose in their lives.

What a cool idea!  Love it!  Sharing resources AND highlighting other women bloggers.  Sign me up!

Actually, blog owner Heidi already did -- Scrapbook Marketing was listed on her list of Virtual Woman's Day 25 Women Bloggers to Watch in 2008 for January.  Wow - Very flattering and validating.

Heidi has chosen an interesting variety of women bloggers - personal/life coaches, a natural living specialist, home business owners, online marketers, even a money-making math teacher! I'm curious to know how to she found (and chose) them all.  I know I'm going to enjoy checking them all out.

Her list also has me thinking of what kind of "XX to Watch in 2008" I could put together for the scrapbooking industry.  Manufacturers to watch?  Everyday scrappers to watch?  Scrap-bloggers to watch?  And what criteria would I use to choose them as "watchable"? 

Just poking around the other 24 sites, I found a cool wrap-up of a reader-generated list of Home Biz Myths Busted.  What kind of myths could we bust about scrapbooking? (And then publish a press release with the results, of course!)

My gears are turning...  I'd love to hear your thoughts - feel free to leave a comment! 

Something I read recently on a blog reminded me of an article I've been meaning to share here: Steve Tobak's Bloggers beware: You're liable to commit libel.  The basic point: blogs make it really easy to publish your writing (and market your business), but before you hit that Save button, make sure your "facts" aren't fiction.  Bloggers are held accountable under defamation law.

Consider these definitions of libel from Merriam-Webster:

• a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression
• a statement or representation published without just cause and tending to expose another to public contempt
• defamation of a person by written or representational means

And this definition of defame: to harm the reputation of by libel or slander.  See also the Online Defamation Law by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Let's say, hypothetically, someone were to mention me in a blog post, and called me a "one-hit wonder", this could be considered defamation.  It conveys an "unjustly unfavorable impression" of my work - because the statement implies that I was *only* successful at publishing one book, and that I basically disappeared from the industry after that.

Such a statement could be considered defamation because it's not true - I had *three* books published, and have been writing magazine articles for multiple magazines in the industry, for both trade and consumer magazines, for over five years -- not exactly a "10 minute claim to fame".  The statement could also be considered defamation, or libelous, because it undermines my position as an expert in this industry, which could cost me consulting projects.  To imply that I don't have the knowledge to back up my expertise, or that I gained my knowledge by "spying" is just plain factually incorrect.

The point is - if you have a blog, use it wisely.  ANYTHING you publish can come back to haunt you.  Don't publish anything you wouldn't say to someone's face, and don't publish anything that you can't back up factually. 

And if you hide behind the guise of "expressing an opinion", if you don't have your facts straight, you just come off looking stupid.  Or worse, looking like a bully.  But then, my parents taught me just to ignore bullies - they're only looking for attention.