Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Feb 3, 2012, 3:44 pm
Something I thought of this morning. Happy Friday.
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Oct 28, 2011, 11:48 am
People ask me sometimes: Do you do Flash websites? I don’t. And I have better reasons then being too lazy to learn Flash. For those who don’t know, Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. (Thanks Wikepedia.)...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Oct 24, 2011, 11:44 am
I think I have most appreciated about writing this blog is that it’s connected me with so many cool people… and it allows me to keep in touch with far flung friends who (*gasp*) actually seem to read and enjoy it. One of those people is Matt Baya, a formerly local web developer I have become goo...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Oct 7, 2011, 8:03 pm
It’s been a couple weeks since Social Media FTW, an annual social media conference in Maine. This year was the third year and I took some notes that you might find fun from a couple presentations I went to: Session 1: Elijah Young, http://blog.fandura.com A bit about blogs: There are 133 millio...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Sep 5, 2011, 2:33 pm
I’m taking the hiring of my first full time employee very seriously. As my friend Ogy put it, this is an important decision because I am essentially doubling my company. I can’t help but think more about this on Labor Day. Jennifer Hooper has done some fine work here at Breaking Even Communicat...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Aug 17, 2011, 3:33 pm
This post was inspired by my friend’s father, who wants to get into selling comissioned poems online and wanted to know my thoughts. I am always so excited when artists want to get online and sell their craft, whether it’s some fixed item (here’s a painting I’ve already done for $X) or some...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Aug 3, 2011, 2:06 pm
What kind of a website do you need for your business? Well, good news is you’ve got choices! The way I see it there are three types of websites. 1) HTML (hypertext markup language) sites- Old school, hand coded. 2) Template sites- Plug and play. Click, click, click you’re done. 3) CMS (cont...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jul 22, 2011, 11:59 am
It was bound to happen. I give monthlyish presentations, and most of the time, they go really well. I feel it. The group feels it. People come up to me afterwards and chat. It must be on a very small level what it’s like to be an actor or musician after a great performance. My own groupies! (ha, t...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jul 15, 2011, 12:00 pm
When you disappear from a blog for a few weeks, people wonder, what’s going on? Is everything ok? To give you some perspective, I live in a town that is 80% closed in the winter. Some stores literally board up their windows, so sad. But for three months, this town quadruples in size, you can hea...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jun 16, 2011, 3:32 pm
The most common question I get over email: “How can I improve my site’s rank in search engines?” I’ve sent variations of this in about fifty emails but thought I’d finally write this up and put on the website. A few things to know. 1. Anyone who promises you page 1 ranking in Google is fu...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jun 9, 2011, 3:48 pm
You know what the problem with Too Cute Tuesday has been lately? We’ve been getting together and crafting then I start the blog posts that stay in ‘draft’ form. Bummer! I did know that I had to write about this week’s craft though. So little known fact: I love Chinese baked goods. They are ...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - May 25, 2011, 1:13 pm
Before I became a business owner, I always marveled at the sheer number of microbusinesses in Maine, specifically those with one employee (the owner). “They could grow if they could hire help” I thought, kind of naively. This month, I hired my first employee. This was a needed and welcome chan...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - May 16, 2011, 1:26 pm
I got my last pair of glasses when I was 14. Up until recently, I only needed them when 1) exhausted or 2) driving at night. Kind of bland but functional, I’ve worn them on and off for years. Of course, now they are pretty scratched not to mention a bit unstylish. Uploading a photo and my pupil d...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - May 5, 2011, 3:02 pm
Editor’s Note: Too Cute Tuesday Saint Louis sent in this post. Thanks to Sarah for sending it in and keeping the crafting going in the Midwest! Tada. We here at Too Cute Tuesday St. Louis love springtime (even though mostly it has just beenrainy here). And with springtime comes Easter, and with ...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - May 5, 2011, 12:09 pm
I wrote this Monday but am only realizing now I didn’t hit publish. *sigh* One of those weeks! Two weeks ago, I found several emails that I hadn’t gotten earlier that were almost a week old from prospective clients. It made me wonder what other important business I was missing. When realized t...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Apr 26, 2011, 2:49 pm
Today, I am thirty years old. When I was fifteen, I made a list of things I was going to have done by today. I can’t find this list anywhere but I remember making it and the few things I remember from it will probably give you an idea of what it was like: 1) Live in France and learn to speak flu...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Apr 25, 2011, 1:53 pm
I think most business owners are excited about the idea of using the internet to do targeted marketing. Search engines like Google have allowed us to do pay per click advertising to a certain demographic in terms of location and search terms for years. (Ex: target this ad text to people searching �...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Apr 22, 2011, 10:56 am
So I have an informal goal from everyone I meet and become friendly with: learn a recipe from them. It’s not something I disclose or even have said out loud (until now) but something I’m really happy I’ve actually done over the last ten years. It all started with Madame Granier who was my hos...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Apr 19, 2011, 10:20 pm
My favorite part about Too Cute Tuesday is when people send me stuff and say ‘You guys should try this!” My friend Sarah C. sent me this link for Bacon Jam, a Foodista recipe which sounded just ridiculous enough for our group. The most interesting condiment we've attempted. Photo from Foodista...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Apr 12, 2011, 11:41 pm
Mustaches on sticky paper, how much more fun did you have this Tuesday? I am going to call this early and say 2011 is the year of the mustache in terms of pop culture America (I would have to say it’s sharing its title with bacon though). Had I planned this a little better, we honestly could have...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Apr 11, 2011, 10:12 pm
I never know what to tell people when they want instant gratification in our work together. In a world of people who tell them they can get them they can get a number one ranking in Google, who am I to tell them none of it is a guarantee? Yeah, I’m a bit of a killjoy. Sorry about that! I realize ...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Apr 5, 2011, 10:29 pm
Just when you think you’ve got your crafting planned out, suddenly you see something on Twitter. Our bars, with the exception of Andrew's really perfect one in the middle there, were a bit less than perfect. But delicious. Sprinkle sea salt on top for artisnal touch. In my case, ‘homemade ...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Apr 2, 2011, 12:02 pm
If you like being in the water but are bored to tears by the thought of doing laps, I’ve got the sport for you: underwater hockey. Here’s how I got into it recently. I’ve had a lot of work the past two months so when I’m not working, I’ve really been trying to have my fun away from my com...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Mar 22, 2011, 12:26 am
I have three workshops coming up in the next three weeks. Add to that two speaking engagements and a regular workload and you’ll see why I’ve been forgetting to do my usual checklist of event promotions. Here are some of my favorites: 1. Have online registration. If people can order and pay for...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Mar 17, 2011, 3:26 pm
So the good news is, while I used to write this business update every week, I now seem to be writing it every month. I’ve been doing this because I’ve actually had a lot of work to do. (I know, *gasp!) But it really does help to have some kind of check in with myself, since I don’t have a wee...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Mar 15, 2011, 6:58 pm
Dorrie may have cheated by using the mixer but the results were still delectable.   Due to Nicole’s travel schedule, Dorrie took over the Too Cute Tuesday reins and made her famous Irish soda bread in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s her post: Due to the fact that the puppies ate m...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Mar 15, 2011, 6:35 pm
Usually if I haven’t been writing blog entries it’s because I’ve been doing other interesting things. I spent last week working really hard so I could take a vacation in the form of a slightly extended long weekend. Two of my college friends Bailey and Jeremy (now married to each other) bought...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Mar 1, 2011, 1:37 pm
The idea of A/B testing has long been used with designers but definitely has applications with online marketing as well. It was my friend Lynn Cyr, a user interface designer, who introduced me to the concept via a blog. A/B testing is simply testing two versions of the same email newsletter, landin...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Feb 23, 2011, 9:20 pm
This week, we decided to junk our initial plan when we saw the Too Cute Tuesday Saint Louis branch had a better idea: Homemade marshmallows. Not very difficult, these were all the rage a Christmas or two ago when I saw them in higher end gift giving magazines. Sam got ready for the process of sprea...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Feb 22, 2011, 12:03 am
I break from my normal Marketing Monday format for the following public service announcement. I feel this is necessary after helping several people get access to their websites recently. I don’t want you to ever be one of them. I thank Matt Baya for his contributions to this post. Many people ke...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Feb 15, 2011, 11:03 pm
We love a nice, recycled craft as much as the next group which is why this Readymade idea was perfect to do this week. We all crashed Dorrie’s house, even though she’s away for the week and even left her a little present. More on that in a bit… The materials, ready to go. By the way, this po...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Feb 14, 2011, 10:52 pm
I heard a story on NPR that the average person spends $150ish on Valentine’s Day. The number seems to vary based on what article you read but I couldn’t help but think this is kind of ridiculous. Yeah, I’m not very romantic but, ignoring romantic love, I’m not completely repulsed by Valentin...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Feb 7, 2011, 8:54 pm
My theory is companies aren’t trying hard at SuperBowl commercials anymore because of the whole internet marketing movement. That said, I had some fun last night watching some commercials anyway! Here they are, in no particular order: The ‘Aww, clever!’ Commercial I laughed out loud because ...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jan 31, 2011, 7:51 pm
Every Monday, I talk about internet marketing. I profile companies, interview people, and answer questions. Please let me know if you have an idea for a future post! I thought it might be fun to do a post about some recent (and frequent) questions I’ve gotten both via email from clients and durin...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jan 25, 2011, 10:43 pm
It’s been a busy week already so yesterday, I had an email conversation with Sarah, who heads up Too Cute Tuesday in Saint Louis because I was feeling a bit more uninspired than usual. “Making butter is always fun.” she said, and her group did this a couple weeks ago. That Sarah, she’s good...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jan 21, 2011, 4:05 pm
Let me start out this story by saying I’ve never been good at origami. Ever. I remember in junior high, we had the gifted and talented teacher come into our classroom every few weeks or so to do things with us like tangrams, engineering projects with toothpicks and marshmallows, and of course, ...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jan 17, 2011, 9:35 pm
Have you ever looked at your website on an iPhone, Blackberry, or Android phone? Have you looked at your website on an iPad? You might want to test it out because more and more people are getting to your website that way. Wikipedia's mobile site gets rid of the sidebars but still let's you do the m...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jan 13, 2011, 10:28 pm
So my mom got me a Flip video camera for Christmas. She figured it would be good for my business. And rightly so… only I haven’t used it for business yet. I’ve instead been videotaping my dog because she’s wicked cute. A couple of my friends have found the reason for some of my videos intere...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jan 12, 2011, 4:57 pm
Every Tuesday, it’s an easy craft, cool cocktail, and fun friends. To learn more check out the archives at www.toocutetuesday.com or the Facebook page. I may not have a kid, but I have a small cute model willing to try on my bib. Go Gidget go. You may remember our first foray into fused plastic ...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jan 4, 2011, 10:55 pm
Every Tuesday, it’s fun friends, a (relatively) easy craft, and a refreshing cocktail. To learn more, check out the Facebook page (we post additional photos there), the Too Cute Tuesday archives, or our new Etsy store. My sister just had a baby and somehow it came up that we ought to ma...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Jan 3, 2011, 10:34 pm
I have had several artists recently ask me about selling their work on their own websites. The problem is an ecommerce website is some of the additional costs that they require: Secure certificate: The little padlock that shows the website is ‘secure’. Prices start at around $10/year  and go h...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Dec 31, 2010, 3:20 pm
It’s been awhile since I’ve written my ‘this week in business’ series. A few large things that have happened in 2010 just to recap (some new stuff, some not so new stuff): I signed the papers and will be officially incorporated in January. I began working for a friend managing a couple of h...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Dec 28, 2010, 5:55 am
To anyone just starting to use Twitter, it can seem like some exclusive club of short hand and something called hashtags. Hashtags are basically a pound sign followed by a word. Here are some examples: A few examples of hashtag use on Twitter. A hashtag can have a few functions in Twitter (for ca...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Dec 21, 2010, 10:48 pm
Too Cute Tuesday is a craft, a cocktail, and friends. To learn more check out the Facebook page or check out the cooking related Too Cute Tuesday posts in the archives. Candied pecans cooling on the sheet, absorbing their own deliciousness. Jen and Dorrie taste our wares, and Sparks hopes they'll ...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Dec 20, 2010, 11:05 pm
Every Monday, Breaking Even profiles a business, non-profit, or blog doing cool things online. Have an idea? Let me know! Netflix is causing 1/5 of internet traffic after the workday. I bet if people could sneak it more easily, it would also be affecting traffic during the work day too. I heard th...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Dec 14, 2010, 11:03 pm
Every Tuesday, we craft, have a cocktail, and enjoy each other’s company at Too Cute Tuesday. To learn more, check us out on Facebook, check out our archives, or start a Too Cute Tuesday chapter in your town. While I was on my vacation, I got an email from Dorrie about a great Christmas craft for...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Dec 13, 2010, 10:40 pm
You may have noticed I’ve been absent. I took my first full on vacation in two years this last week and went to Las Vegas. I spent a total of 3 hours online the whole time I was there, mostly keeping ahead of email. The rest of the time, I just took it all in. The Fountains at The Bellagio are al...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Dec 1, 2010, 3:43 am
Too Cute Tuesday is a weekly event involving a craft, cocktail, and friends. To learn more, check out toocutetuesday.com or check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/toocutetuesday. Every year, we make Christmas cookies from Dorrie’s grandma’s recipe for annual sale at Dorrie’s store. Her...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Nov 29, 2010, 5:35 pm
A new project I’m working on requires me making some landing pages, which is making people in my life wonder, what is that? A landing page is a page you send people to, usually an internal page of your website with more targeted information. Let’s say you ran an ad about gardening tools. You c...
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Nicole O. posted an article on Breaking Even - Nov 24, 2010, 9:48 pm
Every Tuesday, it’s a craft, a cocktail, and friends. To learn more or join in, check out the Too Cute Tuesday archives and the Too Cute Tuesday Facebook page. A couple weeks ago, Sue brought over a whole bin o ribbon. “My aunt gave this to me- we should do stuff with it.” So these last two ...
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