In Memory of Trinket

Posted on 03. Sep, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

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Just wanted to let everyone know that enjoyed the video of my daughter and her horse Trinket,  She was 30 something years old and thought she was 10.    I found her dead this morning.  She was a great friend to the entire family and will be sorely missed.  Blessings to you my friend.  You know in the Bible where it says we will return on white horses?  I bet she will be right up in the front!

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You Know More Than You Realize?

Posted on 23. Aug, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

I think you do!  If you have a blog, you know more than you realize!

Blogging?

• You had to create and purchase a domain name.
• You had to open up a wordpress account and choose between which theme you wanted to use.  Or you found someone or service to create your blog.
• You have learned the difference between a plug-in and a widget and what the purpose is for both.
• You know what a embed code is and where to place it in order to have video on your blog.
• You know what an API Key is and where you can find it in order for some plugin’s to work properly.
• You know how to add content to your blog and add pictures to your posts.
• You know how to setup Google Analytics to track the amount of traffic that is coming to your blog.
• You know how to setup a You Tube account in order to upload videos to your blog.
• You know how to create a custom signature block for your posts.

FaceBook?

• You know how to setup a facebook account.
• You know how to setup a personal profile
• You know how to setup groups and send an invitation to an event.
• You know how to post videos and pictures on your page.
• You know how to comment on other peoples posts.
• You know how to tag people in your posts.
• You know how to setup a fan page.

YouTube

• You know how to setup a YouTube channel.
• You know how to change or import a different background.
• You know how to create a profile.
• You know how to up load a video, and create a description, and tags for the search engines.
• You know how to send a message and comment on other people’s channel.
• You know how to send friend invites and subscribe to other channels.

Twitter

• You know how to create a Twitter account.
• You know how to create a Twitter profile.
• You know how to change your Twitter background.
• You know how to create groups.
• You know how to send a DM message.
• You know how to follow and be followed.
• You know how to retweet.

So the next time you think that you have very little value to share with other people, you are sorely mistaken.  If you have only had a blog for a week that is a week longer than the person starting today!  Just keep in mine that there are thousands of people coming to social media everyday, and they are looking to learn the things that you may already know.  As a friend of mine once said “there is always room at the bottom!” Why do you think the Social Media Guru’s are always doing training for the beginner?  If you share your knowledge with the people that are just getting started, you will develop a loyal following.

Remember always continue to learn and share what you have learned.  If I can be of assistant to you in any way please contact me, and I would be honored to answer any questions that you may have.  You may reach me at 541-306-3974 or sudden@bendcable.com

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Lauren’s 4H Barrel Run!

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

This is my fifteen year old daughter Lauren doing her first competitive Barrel Race at 4H Horse Fair, in Redmond, Oregon!  That is me yelling in the background?  You know how us Dads are!

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“Head in a Helmet”

Posted on 20. Jul, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

I know that the rule of thumb is to not speak of your religious beliefs in your posts in order to not offend ones beliefs?  “But?” This story is something that I felt needed to be passed on.  About two weeks ago a friend from my church was doing some extreme mountain biking at Whistler Mountain in Canada.  He had been riding with some good friends and they were on their final descent from the summit for the day.  Now from what David said the terrain is very extreme and the path of descent is narrowly tree lined with a large drainage ditch off to one side.  David said that some of the jumps were as much as a, forty foot drop.  (Sounds a little too extreme for an old guy like me?)

Well as I said earlier this was their last descent of the day and things were going just fine.  As my friend David approached a small jump in front of him he was all ready preparing for the much larger jump that came next.  What happened in the blink of an eye in the next few seconds had a very life changing experience for my friend.  As he approached the small jump at “full speed” he did not hit the jump properly and had the choice of hitting a tree of going into a very wet and muddy drainage ditch, because of the huge rain storm from the night before.   As you can imagine David choose the drainage ditch.  As his front tire was sucked into the mud it caused him to fly over the handle bars and do a face plant without having the time to react.  He made an eight inch impression in the soft ground in front of him.  The crash happened so fast that he was unable to raise his arms in front of him or release his clipped bicycle shoes.

David never lost consciousness, but he did see stars and his vision went blurred for a few moments.  As he cleared his head he saw his right hand out of the corner of his full-face helmet and tried to move it and nothing seemed to happen?  Then he realized that he couldn’t move anything! He was a “head in a helmet”! At this point he said that the only thought that came to him was that this was between him and the Lord.  He began to pray out load for the Lord’s will to be done and that he be used form this situation in whatever way the Lord saw fit.  He started to think of his wife and friends and family and how they were going to have to deal with his situation, how he had “let them down”.   David said that he never felt afraid of what the future beheld because he new it was in God’s hands.  He prayed for about fifteen minutes straight.

Soon there after the paramedics arrived and still there was no movement.  About thirty minutes after the crash, the paramedics saw movement in his right leg, soon there after David was able to move his left leg then his left arm.  He was airlifted by helicopter to a Vancouver BC hospital.  Several hours later he regained use of his right arm.  David didn’t break any bones but has some pretty serious nerve and muscle damage in his neck to recover from.

So how does this apply to Social Media and Tribe Syndication, you say?  Here is what I got out of it.  Don’t look to far ahead, we must stay focused on where we are right now and deal with the task at hand.  There is nothing wrong with planning ahead but don’t let your mind get to far in front of you so that you are not dealing with the task right before you.  Always keep in prospective what is important to you.  For me it is Faith, Family and Friends.

In conclusion just think of this if your life changed in a split second and you became a “Head in a Helmet” where would your thoughts go to first?   Thank you for your time, if you find this meaningful, please leave a comment and share this with your friends.

Blessings

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“The Tribal Mindset”

Posted on 07. Jul, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

Tribe Syndication seems to be everywhere in the Social Media arena?  It is just the logical progression of leverage of ones self.

If you look at the recent growth in Social Media the Tribe Syndication concept is at the foundation.  Everywhere you look people are talking about creating Tribes or Mastermind groups, one can only accomplish so much on their own?  The solution was obvious, working together as a Mastermind group or Tribe Syndication can only create more exposure for everyone with in the Tribe Syndication group.

What I want to talk to you today is the “Tribal Mindset” and how it relates to the success of Tribe Syndication.   If the members of your Tribe or Mastermind group don’t have the mindset it will be difficult to succeed.  So what exactly is “Tribal Mindset”?  Well let’s look at the qualities that you should look for in the members of your Tribe Syndication group.

• Reliability is one of the most important qualities that a Tribe member can possess.  It is imperative the members of your Tribe do what they say they will do.

• Diversity is something that makes the Tribe stronger.  You need members that are like minded, but share many different talents and interests.

• Unselfishness is also very important.  The reason for the Tribe is to work together as a whole, to forward the group, not just your self.

• Positive Attitude will create a much better working environment for the Tribe.  It is much nicer to work with people that are having a good time and creating positive energy!

• Drive, willingness to do what it takes to get the job done.

• Communicator, someone how is able to be part of the Tribe.  You need someone who wants to be part of the discussions and has their on unique input.

• Flexibility is also important trait, you need people that are willing to promote the Tribal ideas and not just there own.

These are just a few traits that come to mine, I am sure you can get the idea, from here?  My suggestion is to shop around and find the Tribe Syndication group that is the right fit for you.  Educate yourself so that you understand what it is that you want out of your Tribe and how to go about getting there.  There are many articles out there that you can learn from; you really do need to have some background in Social Media to be effective as a Tribe Syndication member.  I am a member of the Tribe Intensive Mastermind Group. I have been a member for about six months I went from not really knowing anything to now being a leader of one of the several Mastermind groups.  This has been a great shortcut for me to get all the information and guidance that I need to become a player in the industry. This is not a sales pitch, but just my honest observation.

In conclusion, I hope that you have found a nugget or two in this post, and if so please pass this information on.  I look forward to responding to your comments.

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Resilience and Social Media

Posted on 23. Jun, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

Resilient: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.  Now those are words to live by!  I have been reflecting on my Social Media and Tribe Syndication career for the last several days, sometimes it seems like I am going NO Where!  I am taking action; I my Syndicating my Tribe members content; I am adding to my Tweeter followers; I am making new friends and relationships on FaceBook, and I am trying to recruit in to my primary business.  I am spending several hours a week learning from the people that are successful in this industry.   But as I look at my current position I am not seeing much positive results?  No one can relate to that I bet?

I was on a webinar last night and the main speaker made the statement that the Social Media had only been around for just three years.  Wow! I thought this is really a relatively new industry, and the monetization portion is even newer.  So the industry that we are is just truly beginning!  We as relatively new Social Media marketers, I believe if we remain Resilient will be considered pioneers in just a few years.  The key I believe is as the definition says “recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”.  I don’t know that misfortune is the correct word here, but learn from our experiences and then make the proper changes.

In today’s economic climate, there are tens of thousands of people looking for a new opportunity.  The draw to Social Media I believe is much stronger then it was just a year ago.  Now the word is somewhat common place, and for us on the internet that is the word!

One of the allures is that you can start with a computer and internet connection!  And I believe this can also be a stumbling block, because people jump in after watching a video or two of the Gurus in this industry and they believe they will be a millionaire in six months?

Now I am not dashing anyone’s hopes here, I am saying that we must be Resilient to the industry that we are in.  We must bounce back from the lessons that we learned and continue to move forward with action.  Learn from your experiences don’t dwell there, use the situation to make clear and concise decisions, and most of all keep moving forward with action!  Don’t become discouraged with your actions, but use the ones that are most effective for you and discard what is not.

Thanks for listening, I feel better already!  I just need to follow my own words and try to remain Resilient.  If you have ever been in my situation please leave a comment and tell me how you were Resilient to your own situation.  Please syndicate this information if you fine this valuable.

To Our Resilience!

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“Meekness Isn’t Weakness”

Posted on 15. Jun, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

In today’s society “meekness” is considered to be someone or something that is defined by Webster to be “deficient in spirit and courage: submissive”   Now there are some qualities that we should all strive for?  I don’t know about you but that is not the qualities that I would hope that people would see in me as a person.  “There goes Doug; he is one of the meekest people I have ever known”.   Doesn’t sound like something you would be very happy to hear now is it?  Well let’s take a closer look at the virtue and see what we can fine out.

Meekness according to the biblical standpoint is a person willing to put themselves in second place and submit them self to achieve what is good for others. Meekness is the opposite of self-will, self-interest, and self-assertiveness.

This is a sign, not of weakness of character (as some think), but of strength. It requires great self-control to submit to others.  Aren’t these the qualities that we need, to be leaders?  I am not talking about compromising our principles, not at all!  What I am saying is that we should truly listen to what people are saying and not be so concerned about our own position, and send more time helping people to achieve their goals.  Through that we will emerge as caring leaders.  When people feel that you genuinely care they will be loyal to you for a lifetime.

I think that in this social media world that we are all becoming more involved with we need to show the masses that we not only have value to give them, but also that we truly value them as persons, not just as another click on a affiliate link!

I would suggest that we spend some time thinking about our motives, are we showing that we are self willed; self-interested and self-assertive?  This is what our human nature tells us to do.  This is what society tells us to do, lookout for number one, stay strong and bend them to our will!  Now I know that you are saying I am not like that?  But truly look at your day to day actions, are you or aren’t you?

This may seem a little harsh, but let me just say this, as humans we tend to judge others and forget about our own actions. It is much easier to see the faults in others than in ourselves.  Just remember showing signs of meekness, is actually showing that you have self confidence; self esteem and self control.  As a leader these are the kind of qualities that I strive to posses.  Will I miss the mark, sure but it is still something that I am striving for.  So with that said, I hope that you come away from this post with something to think about, in the English language words can have several meaning, and for this I hope that you can now say “Meekness isn’t Weakness”.

I would personally like to thank you for reading my post and if you find it worth syndicating, I would be honored that you did so.

Sincerely:

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Tweet Old Post Plugin

Posted on 10. Jun, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

Hey my folks, I just did a short tutorial on how to install and configure the Tweet Old Post wordpress plugin.
My friend Kimberly Castleberry did a post on her blog about this and I thought I would share this plugin with you all so as it looks to be a great tool to keep our post out there for syndication. If you don’t know Kimberly, you are missing out this gal knows her stuff, I would suggest you go to her Blog and subscribe she is a wealth of knowledge. Please let me know if you found this helpful and pass the information on.

Sincerely

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LOVE, LANGUAGE & LEADERSHIP

Posted on 24. May, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

I attended a very special horse training event this weekend put on by Pat & Linda Parelli.  Now you are properly thinking why do I want to know about horse training anyway?  Well just hang with me for a bit and I will explain.  I was invited by an old friend from Portland to attend this event at our local Epxo Center. I didn’t even know that he had interest in horses; I knew that his wife had a horse, but that was about it?  Well they came over Friday night and sent the night and we had a great time catching up, it had been a couple of years since our last meeting.

We were up early and off we went to the Expo Center!  When we arrived I was surprised at how many cars were in the parking lot.  Well once we got inside there were people milling around everywhere, from what I understand there were over two thousand people there!

Before the event started they turned five horses loose in the arena and let them establish a pecking order, as to who was the alpha leader of the herd.  Horses are herd animals and have an established pecking order as to how is the leader.  Soon Pat Parelli came into the arena and talked about his philosophy of training horses, The Parelli Way.  Pat discussed several of his philosophies and how he had learned these philosophies from several very special men in his life.  One of the main points he made was that you must put the horses needs first and not the result that you are wanting.   During all this Pat was walking around the horses and making eye contact.

Pat got on his horse and started riding around and through the herd and soon he had them following and doing pretty much whatever it was he wanted them to do.  It was amazing they were following him as their leader!   When he stopped they stopped, when he turned they turned they turned.  He even had them going in tandem in a circle like they were a horse drill team.  I must say that I was amazed that he could have so much control over these large animals in such a short time!  As the day went on Pat and Nancy explained their techniques, and that is what I am going to discuss with you as to how they apply in our lives.

LOVE, LANGUAGE & LEADERSHIP

LOVE:

• Understand the individual horse’s needs.  Some horses are extroverts, others introverts.  Some are right brain (unconfident/fearful) others are left brain (confident/dominant).  Each needs a different approach or difficulties ensue.
• Put the relationship and the horse’s needs first-his need for safety, comfort, food play; for bonding, for communication and interaction.
• Learn to flex your behavioral style to gain rapport and respect from the horse.
• Put the relationship first.  When a horse truly trusts you, there is no down time.    Even after long breaks horses remember everything.  It’s like picking up a relationship and conversation between best friends.

LANGUAGE:

• Use equine psychology and an understanding of heard dynamics in terms of bonding and hierarchy.
• Learn the language and way of horses, which is primarily body language and playful interaction.
• Start on the ground, it is better for horses and for humans.  This is the best place to form a relationship, read the horse, communicate and gain understanding.

LEADERSHIP

• Become a good leader for your horse, override predatory tendencies (impatience, direct-line thinking, autocracy, tendency to micromanage) understand the horse’s perspective, put principles before goals.
• Train your horse without punishment.
• Analyze your horse and determine his or her individual Horsenality.  This ensures horses are treated according to their needs for calmness trust and motivation rather than all horses being treated the same.  You’ll learn when to speed up or slow down, to ask more or ask less, when to focus on confidence and trust, and when to focus on advancement.

These are direct quotes from their brochure, but man how this resonates to our human behavior and how we deal with people and become a trusted friend and leader.  If we want our children, and others to follow us, what a great example.  Just take out the word horse and insert human.  If we want to be leaders and good parents these are the keys to doing so.  If we take our own agenda out of the equation and listen to the needs of ours, and act upon them.  We will become the natural leader that people are looking for, someone they can trust and have a bond with, because it is a two way relationship.  Not just what can I gain from this, or my way or nothing attitude.

Well, I hope you get something from this?  It was a very profound experience for me.  The biggest take away I from this is that we must develop Trust in order for people to follow our leadership.  Please leave me a comment and if you find this post useful please send it on.

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Installing the NetworkedBlog Widget

Posted on 12. May, 2010 by Douglas Richardson.

Hey Everybody, here is a short video that shows step by step instructions as to installing the NetworkedBlog Widget.  I hope this helps you simplify the process.  Please leave me a comment and let me know?  Also if you find this useful please pass this on thanks.

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