2009 has been a year full of changes, adjustments to new circumstances, learning new tricks, returning to the basics and learning something new almost every day. It’s been a wonderful and hard year at the same time, and frankly I have no idea when it has actually reached its finish line. It seems that only yesterday I was taking Robert Hurzek’s challenge to share what I had learned from 2008…

Now that we’re in mid-December, I am once again responding to Robert’s challenge to go through this years’ posts and pick what I believe to be the highlights of each month of this challenging yet always surprising year.
January – Investing in relationships always has excellent ROI

This very post has been a tribute to all the wonderful relationships I have built through my blog. The friends I’ve made, the new things I’ve learned, the support I’ve always counted on, it’s all worth sharing and cherishing.

February – 5 Ways to Make Sure You Never Get to the Second Meeting

In a year with a down-turning economy, everyone kept chasing new business. And some chose worse methods than others, making sure their efforts were in vain. Here was one of the worst examples of a business meeting from 2009. Read, learn and never act like this!

March – Can Twitter create real value for your business?

After spending quite some time on Twitter, analyzing how it works and what it can actually do for businesses, I finally wrote my conclusions.

April – Twilight star needs real online personal brand strategy

Addicted to PR? I should think so, if I am able to find a PR lesson while trying to find out some information about a book and movie series that I love

May – 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Learn Social Media Skills from Stars

2009 has really been the year of stars and VIPs taking over social media outlets, especially Twitter. While some sort of try to start meaningful dialogues, at least once in a while, most of them are here to broadcast and virtually shake hands with those as important or as famous as they are. If you’re going to choose a social media model to follow, stars are not very good teachers!

June – Dearest Michael, Thank You for Everything!

Michael Jackson passed away. Nothing happening in this month seems as important as this event. And all of us who have been touched by his music needed to say goodbye.

July – 5 Social Media Lessons You Can Learn from Bikers

Bikers are indeed an interesting group to watch and learn from. Even when it comes to social media! I actually got the idea for this post while riding a bike Fun and rich in learning opportunities!

August – Why press releases should not be a treasure hunt!

The pressure to innovate, stay interesting and relevant sometimes drives us to go too far and turn an effective tool, the press release, into a complicated piece of writing that you need a key to decipher. The lesson? Innovation at all costs is not the answer.

September – Guilt trips and business emails

A lot of people write business emails to potential customers without knowing how to do it exactly. Trying to guilt customers into choosing your products or services does not really work!

October – Why outsourcing PR services is really a bargain

Companies who could really use PR services sometimes choose not to outsource, as they have the impression this would be the most expensive solution. The truth is outsourcing is sometimes a real bargain and I have proof

November – What feeding stray dogs taught me about word of mouth marketing

Everyone and everything around you can teach you something if you keep your mind open. Here’s what feeding a few stray dogs taught me about word of mouth marketing. They are 5 and sometimes 6 right now and we are trying to figure out a way to not take in new ones…Unfortunately we can’t help them all.

December – 5 surefire ways for tech support to make customers drop like flies

2009 also holds a sort of record when it comes to conversations with customer support. Especially the second part of the year! This post sums up all the top mistakes my friends, colleagues and I have run into.

What have you learned from 2009? I am sure you have great lessons to share! Why not join Robert Hruzek’s What I learned from…. group writing project and tell us all about it? It’s easy:

1. Write a post (or send me the link to an existing post) on your blog with a link to THIS POST (uh, the one you’re reading now). By the way, feel free to be as eloquent (or concise) as you like.
2. Send me an email (rhruzek@sbcglobal.net) containing your name, the title of your post, and the permalink of the post. (To make sure I don’t miss it.)
3. Don’t miss the deadline!!! Sunday, December 20, at midnigh (which is GMT-5 time).

This is my all favorite Latin quote. Your homeland is where you’re feeling good, whatever that means for each of us: prosperous, happy, challenged to outrun others, connected to one’s roots, among friends. I always thought I could live anywhere as long there was a reason to do it: a work opportunity, getting an education, trying something new. I believe I can adapt to any place, as long as there are people I can connect with. That is why I’ve always believed I am location independent.

And I really am! I’ve traveled enough to know I’d have no problem changing countries for a while. Actually, I’d love to move to a new country every six months. Hard to earn a living like that? Not really! I am a PR and Marketing strategist. My clients rarely need my physical presence; they just need my ideas, my written words, my advice. As long as I have an internet connection and my laptop, I can do my thing.

I will probably not move anytime soon. But I could. And that sense of freedom is most precious to me. Just like the sense I could just go out for a walk if I wanted to and postpone work a little. Running your own business gives you that freedom. Or a quick glance at it. Because let’s face it, maybe I’ve postponed work a few times since I’ve started managing my own company. It’s a rare event, but it’s a very real possibility.

The Internet has become my extended home. I have friends and family online. My homeland is slowly moving online. That’s where 50% of it is right now. The rest is the palpable world, which might be a city or another in Romania, the so-called suburbs (the nearby villages where new houses are built), a different country, an isolated island in the country of no one. It’s our relationships that give us the feeling of belonging, not the place where we live. And moving around will not make me less of what I am now, I won’t stop being Romanian just because I live abroad.

Patria ubi bene. The pragmatic approach. Your heart tells you where your home is. The sentimental approach. Your office is where you plug in and start working. The “someone needs to pay for all the fun” approach. But the main idea behind all these approaches is pretty much the same: if we’re happy, we can adapt to anything, new places, and new people. Just as long as we stay connected to all those who are important to us. And given today’s technology, it’s hard not to.

In this day and age, we’re all living a Location Independent Life. And if we’re not, we can easily start living it.

This is my contribution to the Location Independent Group Writing Project. If you want to join it, the deadline is May 27, so hurry up!

It seems like Tuesdays have been the days for most posts related to the WoBM Anniversary Contest, the Blogging and Relationships – Write about the wonderful people you’ve met Group Writing Project. So it’s no wonder you get to meet the winners on a Tuesday

As I’ve kept you waiting for too long, here’s who won and a list of all entries:

The first place and first prize, a copy of IttyBiz’ SEO School, go to Andrew for his wonderful entry Three Special Bloggers.

The second place and prize, a collection of Depeche Mode – The Singles 86-98 in mp3 format, go to Joanna Young for her inspirational piece on microblogging and relationships, Why it’s worth sticking with Twitter.

For the third place, we had a tie. So we’ve decided on having to amazing bloggers awarded: Brad Shorr for the Blogging Relationships are Gold for the Soul post, who will be receiving a copy of Lillie Ammann’s “Dream or Destiny”, and Lillie Ammann with the entry Blogging Friends, but as she cannot win her own book, she will be also receiving the Depeche Mode – The Singles 86-98 in mp3 format collection.

All four of them will also get 2 hours of free PR consulting, but I’ll send all the details about their prizes in an email.

Thank you and congratulations again to everyone who’s been part of this group writing project:

Brad Shorr – Blogging Relationships are Gold for the Soul

Sarah Welstead – 7 Rules for Effective Relationship Blogging

Andrew of Good Honest Dollar – Three Special Bloggers

Joanna Young – Why it’s worth sticking with Twitter

CV Harquail – Tweet yourself like the person you want to be

Jacquelyn – How I started the WParent blog

Lillie Ammann – Blogging Friends

Nithya – Building Strength through Support

Alina Popescu – Investing in relationships has excellent ROI

Important Update

As Brad already has a copy of “Dream or Destiny”, he’s donnated his to a random participant. He’ll be enjoying a Depeche Mode collection instead. We played with some numbers and the lucky winner is CV Harquail – Tweet yourself like the person you want to be. Congratsulations!

Yesterday was the last day when contestants could submit entries to the WoBM Anniversary Group Writing Project Blogging and Relationships – Write about the wonderful people you’ve met. Here’s the complete list of submitted entries. The jury will now go behind close doors and deliberate! Not really, but we’ll be back with the three lucky winners as soon as possible!

Brad Shorr – Blogging Relationships are Gold for the Soul

Sarah Welstead – 7 Rules for Effective Relationship Blogging

Andrew of Good Honest Dollar – Three Special Bloggers

Joanna Young – Why it’s worth sticking with Twitter

CV Harquail – Tweet yourself like the person you want to be

Jacquelyn – How I started the WParent blog

Lillie Ammann – Blogging Friends

Nithya – Building Strength through Support

And my own – Investing in relationships has excellent ROI

If you want to join the WoBM Group Writing Project “Blogging and Relationships – Write about the wonderful people you’ve met!“, you should really do it now. There are only 5 days left until the deadline, February 28. Four and a half if you think today’s morning is long gone. In case you’re wondering what your struggling for, other than your reader’s appreciation and lovely comments, here are the prizes:

1. A copy of IttyBiz’ SEO School
2. Depeche Mode – The Singles 86-98 in mp3 format (I love them and this particular collection holds all my favorites)
3. A copy of Lillie Ammann’s “Dream or Destiny”

Plus the 2 hours of free PR counseling from me included in each prize. And our cool jury: Loredana, Alex and myself.

Don’t forget to play by the rules in the announcement post!

And if you’re wondering who you’re competing against, take a look at the already submitted entries:

Brad Shorr – Blogging Relationships are Gold for the Soul

Sarah Welstead – 7 Rules for Effective Relationship Blogging

Andrew of Good Honest Dollar – Three Special Bloggers

Joanna Young – Why it’s worth sticking with Twitter

CV Harquail – Tweet yourself like the person you want to be

Jacquelyn – How I started the WParent blog

And my own – Investing in relationships has excellent ROI

Good luck everyone and don’t forget time is flying by!

Another week went by since my last announcement about the WoBM Group Writing Project “Blogging and Relationships – Write about the wonderful people you’ve met!“. As the deadline is approaching fast, I’m back with some news and the obvious reminder to publish those posts in time and let me know you’re in for the prizes. Speaking of prizes, Lillie Ammann offered to also autograph the copy of “Dream or Destiny”! So here’s a quick list of the prizes:

1. A copy of IttyBiz’ SEO School
2. Depeche Mode – The Singles 86-98 in mp3 format (I love them and this particular collection holds all my favorites)
3. A copy of Lillie Ammann’s “Dream or Destiny”

Plus the 2 hours of free PR counseling from me which are an extra something for each prize. As I’m sure you remember, winning entries will be selected by a jury whose members are Loredana, Alex and myself.

If you want to play with us, don’t forget the rules!

• Publish an original article on your blog before February 28
• You may only have one entry per blog. If you have more than one blog, lucky you
• Link to the post announcing the group writing project
• Leave the link to your entry on the announcement post

Here’s the list of entries already submitted:

Brad Shorr – Blogging Relationships are Gold for the Soul

Sarah Welstead – 7 Rules for Effective Relationship Blogging

Andrew of Good Honest Dollar – Three Special Bloggers

And my own – Investing in relationships has excellent ROI

I don’t know if I’ve officially mentioned this, but my entry doesn’t count

Happy writing! Oh, yeah, and the clock is ticking!

Time has the bad habit of flying by and the first two weeks of the WoBM Group Writing Project “Blogging and Relationships – Write about the wonderful people you’ve met!” are now history. You all have a little under three weeks to submit your entry for a chance to win one of these 3 prizes:

1. A copy of IttyBiz’ SEO School
2. Depeche Mode – The Singles 86-98 in mp3 format (I love them and this particular collection holds all my favorites)
3. A copy of Lillie Ammann’s “Dream or Destiny”

Just to spice up the competition, all three prizes include 2 hours of free PR counseling from yours truly. The winning entries will be selected by a jury whose members are Loredana, Alex and myself. To qualify, please follow the official rules:

• Publish an original article on your blog before February 28
• You may only have one entry per blog. If you have more than one blog, lucky you
• Link to the post announcing the group writing project
• Leave the link to your entry on the announcement post

There already are three early entries:

Brad Shorr – Blogging Relationships are Gold for the Soul

Sarah Welstead – 7 Rules for Effective Relationship Blogging

And my own – Investing in relationships has excellent ROI

Good luck everyone! And don’t forget, the clock is ticking!

OMG! OMG! The blogger in me turns four today! Four breathtaking and amazing years! Too many exclamation marks, I know, but I really cannot describe how happy and excited I am. I’ve started on Blogger, with the first version of Words of a Broken Mirror and that’s been my home for about 3 years. On the side, I’ve launched a photo blog, Views of a Broken Mirror, also abandoned in the mean time. The photos however are still there for you to enjoy. Right now, besides managing this blog, I also have a travel blog, Travel Spells, a great source of advice, tips, reviews and magical recipes to make your trip exactly what you want it to be and I also manage the PRwave Blog.

About a year and a half ago, I’ve been blessed with my own domain, a very thoughtful gift from my great friend and later appointed big sis, Trisi. I’ve started posting here and in time, WoBM has become what it is today, a PR and Marketing blog that I’m extremely proud of. A lot of people have helped ever since: Trisi with the WoBM logo, Mig and Alex with endless WordPress changes (Alex has also designed the new WoBM look) and old and new friends (who you can easily meet if you browse through the comments) with their constant support and cheer.

WoBM Proudly Announces the 4 Year Bloggiversary Group Writing Project

I’ve realized that today was the big day sometime after lunch. I got overexcited and when clicking the “Write new post” option in my dashboard, it hit me! What better way to celebrate these four amazing years, what better way to reward my friends and readers, than a group writing project? I got some prizes ready for you in the spur of the moment, but before tempting you with what you might get, I’d better tell you what you’d have to do to get it

Blogging and Relationships – Write about the wonderful people you’ve met!

One of the best things blogging has brought to me is tons of wonderful people. They’ve inspired, supported and reassured me over the years. So I challenge you to think of those you’ve met throughout the blogosphere and share what you’ve learned with the class. I’ll start the project myself, by posting my entry tomorrow.

Now for the official rules!

• Publish an original article on your blog before February 28
• You may only have one entry per blog. If you have more than one blog, lucky you
  
• Link to the post announcing the group writing project
• Comment on this post announcing your entry, just to make sure I don’t miss your entry, we can’t always rely on trackbacks!

There will also be a jury, including yours truly, and I hope to be able to announce it tomorrow, along with my entry. Until then, behold! The prizes for the best three post*:

1. A copy of IttyBiz’ SEO School
2. Depeche Mode – The Singles 86-98 in mp3 format (I love them and this particular collection holds all my favorites)
3. A copy of Lillie Ammann’s “Dream or Destiny”
   

Additionally, along with these prizes, you’ll get 2 hours of free PR consulting from yours truly. As you can see, I’ve selected stuff that I can order online and can be delivered to you immediately. This way, you don’t have to wait for weeks to get your prize delivered from Romania .

What do you think? Will you come out and play?

*At the time this post was publishes, I hadn’t confirmed that all prizes could be ordered and paid for by me and downloaded by someone else. I hope I won’t have to change them though

Update

Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz not only confirmed it was possible to have her SEO School as a prize, she also offered to become my very first contest sponsor and give it away for free! So not only is she extremely funny and great at offering marketing advice that people can actually understand easily and start using it asap, she’s also extremely nice

If you do, publish a post about it and besides impressing your readers with the techniques and strategies you put into building your blogs success, you’ll also have a chance to win some really cool prizes!

Alex Cristache of Blogsessive is hosting his very first group writing project and is offering a prize with a branding twist: it’s basically everything you need design wise to build a powerful online brand. And yours truly is in the jury!

On to the Rules

• Your post must be new.
• To be valid, you must include the a specific paragraph mentioning the sponsors.
• Recommended: link back to the announcement post.
• To submit your entry, use Blogsessive’s contact form. Choose ‘Group Writing Project’ in the subject, fill in your name, email address and use the Website field for your , entry’s permalink. Give a short description about yourself in the Message field.

I imagine some of you might have a problem with linking to the sponsors, but Alex got some really cool prizes from those two sponsors for you and we should be supportive. To improve my argument here’s the prize list:

1. One identity package – logo, business card and letterhead design – by Alex
2. One “Personal licence” for the Edge premium WordPress theme, created by Blog Design Studio
3. 500 business cards printed using your newly won design by U Printing

All these goodies will go to the contest winner. Also, there will be 2 consolation prizes, each of 250 business cards by the same U Printing.

Deadline: September 30, midnight

To find out more about this group writing project, read Alex’s announcement entry.

Good luck everyone!