Okay, I admit it, I stole this… But I’m going to tell you where I stole it from and hopefully they won’t mind. It came from a site called online-tech-tips.com. While this post is about finding good ideas and content, that blog looks like a good one if you’re in need of tech tips. The writer is passionate about his work – that’s a good sign.

Are you a blogger? I’m really not, but I do have a blog. It’s at greenpromoblog.com. I always struggle to either find/take the time to post, and often I’m not sure of what to say. The folks mentioned in the paragraph above tweeted about this list, and I thought I’d share it with you. If you find it to be helpful, or _______, tell me about it. Let me know. Feedback’s a good thing. Thanks in advance. Here goes: (sure wish fb would give us some formatting tools – bold, italic, etc.)  [I originally posted this on my facebook page, www.facebook.com/ted4promos.

Here’s a quick tip for bloggers trying to find new ideas and content their blogs. If you’re trying to write a blog full-time, one problem that can crop up and make you feel like quitting is the inability to find something new and interesting to write about. Of course, if you’re blogging about Politics or Personal Productivity, the content should probably be your own opinions or experiences in life, but if you’re writing about technology or something similar, it’s essential that you can find out about the latest things in your field.

I’m going to be writing this post with a slant towards technology blogs since I write about those topics myself, but you can easily port these tips over to any other genre as they are not specific to technology. If you have any other ideas or would like to add to the list, please feel free to post a comment!

So here is currently what I do to find new blog content or ideas for a blog post:

Read other blogs in your niche – First of all, find out what kind of competition exists in your niche. Since I write about technology, I’ve searched through blog directories like BlogCatalog or Blogarama, blog communities like MyBlogLog or Technorati, etc to find other blogs that relate to my topic. Once I’ve found a couple I like, I have looked over their posts and browsed through their list of sources (most bloggers will site [cite] sources at the bottom of a post). Now you can create a good list of “source” sites, blogs, forums (Yahoo Answers), etc whereby you can search through and find content. If you can add value to a post someone else has written, post it on your blog and make sure to link back to the original source. There’s no way any blogger can write about everything, so pick and choose topics that specifically relate to your blog. Also, browse through comments on popular blogs as readers will usually post alternatives to the item or solution provided in the main post. For example, a tech blogger writing about a program to help recover data from your hard drive will usually get a bunch of comments on other programs or solutions to recovering data. You could use those ideas as a topic for one of your posts.

Social Bookmarking sites – Sites like Del.icio.us, Digg, Yahoo MyWeb, StumbleUpon and many others are great ways to find new blog ideas, especially for tech bloggers. You’ll always find links to startup web sites or cool web apps, etc, etc. However, there are many different topics other than technology, so it’s definitely worth checking these sites out! You can also follow along news sites like Newsvine and Tailrank, which are community-based, but more focused on current events.

Audio and Video Podcasts – This is probably one of the best ways to find fresh relevant content for your blog. Audio and video podcasts have the advantage that you can get a lot more information across in a shorter period of time. There are literally thousands of podcasts that you can watch daily ranging from the latest tech news to animal life in the Amazon! One cool piece of software that you can use to find and watch podcasts is Miro. It’s completely free and has over 2000 channels with videos that you can download to your PC, iPod or media player. You can check out other podcast sites like Twit, TeXtra, DL.TV, Blip.tv, etc.

Google Alerts – This one might sound a little strange, but it really does work! Google Alerts is a great tool to use to find content on the web specifically related to the keywords you choose. You can easily find any mention of your keywords in the news or in blogs. So if you want to know the day a new product is being released, simply create an alert with those words and you can get the information as it happens. This reduces the time it takes to read through lots of news or blog sites trying to find the information you need. [Interesting; I'll have to try this. I wonder if many in the media do this]

Keyword Tools – Every serious blogger should be using keyword tools to uncover the searching habits of readers. That importance of the data that you can get from these tools is simply too great to overlook. There are several free keyword tools out there, including Google Adwords, Overture, and Keyword Discovery. The numbers may not be exactly accurate, but it’s definitely insightful and good to know when writing titles for your post, etc. [another good idea]

That pretty much covers it! I can’t really think of any other way to find topics other than through personal experience or networking with other people. If you have some other method, please share it with everyone!

It’s Ted again… great stuff huh? Got other ideas or comments? Please share!

Just received some great apparel specials – discontinued products. Savings in the 50, 60, 70+ % range. Example: Ladies’ denim shirt, short sleeve, 3 color choices, $7.90 ea at $75% off. It’s while inventory lasts, so take advantage now!

I subscribe to a daily missive from The Roseville Chamber of Commerce here in Northern California. Today’s article is about the new year on the horizon. I got a real kick out of this… Enjoy!

2012: A Year to Forget

The New Year is fast approaching. This is the time of year that I get the most reflective, looking back on my life and on the previous year. “Am I happy with how I’ve lived in 2011?” It’s also the time I look forward to the coming year. At this point, 2012 exists as pure potential. It can be anything I want it to be.
There are so many New Year’s resolution articles written in December that I decided to go the other way. If I wanted to make 2012 just another average year, if I wanted to settle into a nice little rut, how would I do it? Well, here are 12 ways that any of us can make 2012 a year to forget.

1. Get Distracted by Opportunity: Nothing will get 2012 to fly by without anything to show for it like jumping at every opportunity you see. The great thing about this is that it actually looks and feels like you are being productive without ever having to fully commit to any one thing. And because you don’t fully commit to any one direction, you won’t complete anything.

2. Say Yes to Everything: This is closely related to #1. This is all about over-obligation. Are you already maxed out? Great! Volunteer to be a classroom parent with your child’s school, take a night class, buy a puppy, and agree to that project at work that will require you to be in the office on Sundays. If you say yes to every possible obligation, you will have dozens of excuses as to why your life sucks, you don’t connect with your kids, your marriage is failing, and you haven’t accomplished anything truly important.

3. Avoid New Things: In order to make 2012 just another year, it will be important to limit new experiences and new friendships. After all, you’ve gotten to this point in your life without them. By sticking with your familiar life, you are sure to remain stuck.

4. Just React: Living a reactive life is a great approach to mediocrity. Spending each day reacting to email, customer complaints, office drama, problems with your kids or your spouse are all awesome methods of distracting yourself from the real issues you should be focused on. After all, if you’re putting out fires all day, how can you possibly be expected to focus on your health, your relationships, or building a meaningful life that is full of purpose?

5. Hold Grudges: Because relationships are the most important factor in our happiness and our living a meaningful life, it is important for you to do anything you can to neglect or damage your most important relationships. Grudges are great for that. Did your brother borrow money and not pay you back? He sounds like a deadbeat; you don’t need him in your life. Did your best friend from high school miss your birthday party? What a jerk, who needs her? Did you go into business with a friend or family member, only to have it fall apart? What a great reason to cut them out of your life. Forgiveness is for sissies.

6. Blame Them: Your mantra for 2012 should be “It’s not my fault.” Go ahead; say it out loud “IT’S NOT MY FAULT!” Feels good doesn’t it? The best thing about “It’s not my fault.” is that because nothing is your fault, you don’t have to DO anything to fix it. Cool huh? Plus, you and all of the other “It’s Not My Faulters.” can get together to complain about how other people are ruining your lives. Sweet!

7. Assume the Worst: Face it, people are bad. Sure may be a couple of exceptions, but in general, everybody is out for themselves and will take advantage of you to get what they want. In order to protect yourself from this scary world, you have to keep your guard up at all time. Did someone open the door for you and smile? He’s probably a pervert who just wants to look at your butt as you walk by. Did someone offer to help you at work? She’s probably just positioning herself so she gets the credit for all of your hard work. Add this to your other mantra, “Don’t trust anyone.”

8. Rescue Everybody Else: The people you surround yourself with are pretty worthless aren’t they? If you weren’t there to save the day, to fix their mistakes and to rescue them from bad decisions, their lives would be in shambles. Saving other people from themselves is AWESOME! Not only does it feel good to be the hero, it also maintains your power over them, and the best thing is that because you are so focused on saving everybody else, you “don’t have time” to take control of your own life and fix your own problems. Who cares that your life is falling apart around you? As long as you have people to save; people who are weaker than you, everything will be alright.

9. Avoid Risk: Attorneys have a rule that says “If you don’t know what the answer will be, don’t ask the question.” Living by this rule in the courtroom limits their risk and helps them win cases. You should apply a similar rule to your life in 2012. If you don’t know the outcome of something, don’t do it. In order to maintain the status quo in your life, play it safe at all times.

10. Seek Pleasure Above Purpose: Author and concentration camp survivor, Viktor Frankl, wrote that “Those without purpose fill their life with pleasure.” Perfect! In order to avoid any stray thoughts of a purposeful life in the coming year, it will be important to find as much pleasure as possible. Any kind of addiction will suit your needs: food, sex, alcohol, drugs, TV, video games, social media, or gambling. Pick one and run with it.

11. Procrastinate: There is nothing so important that it can’t wait until later. This is especially true of working out, starting to eat better, spending quality time with your kids/spouse, filing your taxes, or figuring out what the heck you want to do with your life. The world won’t end if you push any of those things until tomorrow…or better yet, next week.

12. Believe the Haters: If somebody tells you that you can’t do it, they are probably right. If someone tells you that you aren’t smart enough, good looking enough, you don’t have enough experience, you don’t have the right degree or certification, LISTEN TO THEM. They are just protecting you from making a fool of yourself and from feeling the pain of failure. Imagine the paradise that the world would be if everybody listened to their critics. We should all be so lucky to have someone like that in our lives.

Well, there you have it. By following these 12 principles in the coming year, you are sure to make 2012 a year to forget. Happy New Year!

Are there any principles I missed?

Take the lead,

Jeremiah

New favorite pen! Exciting, eh?    For the past 3 or 4 years I’ve been using the Uniball Jetstream to promote my own business. It’s not fancy, no cute colors, etc., but the quality is second to none, and it writes far better than you’d expect a ballpoint to write. Almost as smooth and effortlessly as a rollerball.

I’ve recently begun writing with a uni-ball 207 Impact. It’s a GEL pen with this bold, soft-feeling tip. It really lays down the ink with a 1.0mm ball, larger than most. It’s available in a cap-off and a retractable, which is what I prefer. No cap to lose. It’s got a rubber grip and a beefy barrel, which holds a nice size imprint, and tight registration of imprint colors is spot-on.

Who ever knew there was so much to pens, right? Pen geek here. Anyway, I’ve seen them for sale in the stores for about $3 to $3.50. I’ve got the cap-off at $2.53 and the retractable at $2.73, both available in your choice of red, blue or black ink. And both with a 100 pc. minimum.

If you’d like to try one yourself, let me know and I’ll get you a sample.

Oh by the way, the entire 207 series features what they call “super ink”, an ink designed with the help of Frank Abagnale (Catch me if you can), in order to help prevent check fraud.

Have a great day!

Much of what we do in the promotional products business involves branding. I just have to pass this along as what I think is a great example.

I’m hooked up to DirecTV for my televisions. So yesterday, I’m flipping through a little brochure they’d just sent in the mail that touts all the services I have available to me, and I see a small photo, barely over an inch and a half wide, maybe an inch or so high. I think I recognize the face as Dan Patrick, a sports announcer of some sort. I’ve seen him before, although I am not sure exactly who he works for. ESPN maybe?

Anyway, so I take a look at this photo, and recognize the logo on his shirt as Nike’s Michael Jordan silhouette, dunking a basketball. This logo is maybe 2mm in size, but immediately, I knew it was Nike. Knew it was Jordan.

So I google nike logo jordan. Takes me to jumpman23, part of the Nike site. What’s the first thing that comes up on the video? Some dude taking off his shirt to play ball. And smack dab in the middle of that shirt is, you guessed it, that Jordan silhouette, all by it’s lonesome.

Now, on a scale of 1 to 10 with regard to sports fans, I’m about a 2. Not a big fan at all. But because of Nike’s marketing, their branding, it was a no-brainer. I recognized their logo at just 2 mm in size. That’s pretty doggone small! And a pretty doggone good indicator of just how good a job Nike has done with regard to branding just one of their many businesses.

(Reuters) – U.S. shoppers who bought jeans, T-shirts and socks lately have had to shell out more cash. They’d better get used to it.

Even as cotton prices recede from all-time highs set in the spring, retailers and clothing makers are set to keep most of the price rises they implemented earlier in the year, when they sought to contain the damage to margins. And most will only offer discounts when they face pressure from their rivals.

Store chains and their suppliers avoided raising prices as long as they could, fearful of a backlash from consumers still dealing with high unemployment and gasoline prices.

But just as they did not pass on all their cost increases, retailers and clothiers won’t hand over all their savings.

In fact, many will try to hang on to any margin gains next year as a cushion against other rising costs, betting that shoppers are growing used to paying a bit more after a decade with little clothing inflation.

“The reality is that we American consumers have enjoyed low prices on apparel for some time,” Robert Shearer, chief financial officer of VF Corp, told Reuters in an interview on Monday. VF makes the moderately priced Wrangler and Lee jeans brands.

VF’s gross margin, which measures the profitability of goods sold, shrank 1.2 points to 45.3 percent in its most recent quarter, due entirely to its jeans business, which only makes up a quarter of company sales.

Gap Inc in May said product costs would go up 20 percent in the second half of 2011, and it could not increase prices enough to make up for that.

Cotton futures trading on ICE Futures U.S. surged to a record high in March after climbing nearly three times in value from the previous year, when the spot cotton contract sat roughly around 80 cents per pound.

The contract has since dropped by more than half, but is still 40 percent above levels of two years ago.

How much prices rise depends on the item and how much cotton is in it. But NPD Group’s chief retail industry analyst Marshal Cohen estimates that basic socks, underwear and jeans prices have gone up by 10 percent or so.

An extra $3 on a pair of jeans may not seem like much, but on a $30 pair of Wranglers, it is noticeable — and can be a hardship for shoppers who also have to shell out 23 percent more on average to fill a tank with gasoline than a year ago.

VF said Monday that U.S. jeans sales were up slightly in dollar terms, thanks to moderate price increases, but it sold fewer pairs, illustrating the fine line clothes makers and stores must walk.

AlixPartners managing director David Bassuk estimates that retailers were at best able to pass off half of their higher costs to shoppers, sharing the hit to margins with suppliers for the rest.

Now VF, Gap and other companies that sell clothes using a lot of cotton — like American Eagle Outfitters Inc and Nike Inc — are telling investors that their gross margins should improve starting in the second half of 2012.

“The benefit from cotton costs going down is going to be reflected in margins. They are not going to lower the prices,” said NPD’s Cohen.

And Perry Ellis International Inc Chief Executive Officer George Feldenkreis pointed out that cotton isn’t the only cost that has risen: labor costs in China, where most clothing bought by U.S. consumers is made, are up, and higher gas prices have raised the costs of getting products to stores.

Given the nine-month-to-a-year lead time in the supply chain, prices will in fact continue to increase gently into the spring. After that, they should stabilize at higher levels.

“There won’t be a drop in retail prices, but price increases will stop” said Nate Herman, vice president of international trade of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, which represents some 700 U.S. clothing companies.

NO ESCAPING COTTON

One thing that may help rein in prices for consumers, to some extent, is competition. Consumers can buy basics like blue jeans from any number of vendors, making higher cotton costs scary for retailers and manufacturers.

Jones Group Inc for one is currently trying to get out of jeanswear, a business which stagnating sales and lower margins has made no longer worth pursuing.

Some companies like Levi Strauss & Co and HanesBrands Inc are experimenting with organic fiber, made of flax and hemp, to contain cotton costs.

But so far, such efforts are rare in the apparel industry.

VF looked into different fabrics but ultimately decided it had to stick to cotton only.

“Consumers, when they pick up a pair of Wrangler jeans or Lee jeans, have certain expectations,” VF’s Shearer said. Experimenting with how jeans feel would “harm the brand.”

But there is another factor that could push prices back down: continued weakness in the U.S. job market and overall economy.

Unemployment is still high and retail sales in recent months have shown only slight growth, meaning some retailers might have to cut prices again, especially if sales in the upcoming holiday season were tepid and rivals panicked.

“The economy and the lack of a recovery will be more likely reasons for prices coming down,” NPD’s Cohen said. “Retailers are going to get competitive on motivating the consumer.”

(Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Bangalore and Phil Wahba in New York. Additional reporting by Marcy Nicholson in New York. Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

We’ve got a lot of great gift products available this year… Godiva, Guess, Coby, Callaway, just to name a few of the many brand name items we have available for you this year. For example, take a look at this catalog, then give me a call – let’s discuss your holiday gifting needs! http://bit.ly/pdeXL5

Don’t know Bob? Or do you?  Find out here.