I’ve just returned from cyber space, or rather the blogosphere. I went searching for ideas, something to write about on this blog about writing good coach ezines & blogs. My goodness, the air is rare up there…

I wouldn’t say I’ve come back empty-handed. I’m just underwhelmed by some of the blogs out there.

Writers are taking the weblog thing too personally. Lordy, give us some good content. Tell me something I don’t know. Share something I can care about.

There, there now; that was just my ugly negative self venting some pent up stuff. Must be lunch time.

One way to search for ideas and inspiration is to go to your favorite blogs, then visit some of their favorite blogs, etc. Or, try searching for key words on Technorati. Technorati is an excellent place to search for blogs in your interest groups. You can search by keywords, exact phrases and even eliminate words from your search. I’ll try again after lunch.

What do you do when you are uninspired? Got any good ideas to share with us? Tell me about some good blogs on writing good ezine content, or some resourceful websites.

My predictions for 2005

More and more businesses and professionals will be
writing and sending out ezines.

Marketing for professionals will be centered around
creating valuable information for readers through
ezines.

Readers will become more adept at deleting
uninteresting emails.

HTML formatting will become the most popular design for
ezines.

Blogs will gain popularity as a means of posting ezines.

Simplicity will have more success than the complex and
fancy.

Short, concise, and personable will prevail for writing
styles.

Quality, information-rich content rather than
promotional materials and ads will guarantee subscriber
growth.

Professionals will need to turn to formatting
specialists and distribution services to handle the
technological issues of ezines.

Continued growth of technology in marketing and
delivering informational products and services for
professionals, necessitating support from specialists.

Of course, I could be wrong! This is the view from
where I sit. But I really believe that those
professionals who are able to stay ahead of the game
through using the Internet, web sites, ezines,
autoresponders and systems that can automate their
marketing will have the edge.

Professionals such as coaches, consultants, therapists,
and any other service provider will have to turn their
information into products that can be delivered through
the Internet: ezines, ebooks, autoresponders,
minicourses, teleclasses and workshops, if they are to
stay foremost in the minds of consumers.

The good news is there are experts available who for a
low fee can help you set up these systems and automate
your marketing.

Here is a highly recommended professional who can help
with your marketing and tech challenges; she is especially
adept at helping with blogs! Denise Wakeman, of Next
Level Partnerships.

Are You Ready for the Future?

While no one can predict the future, especially in
these uncertain times, our January article takes a look
at what you and your organization need to prepare for
possible business environments.

You can read a synopsis here:

If you haven’t already confirmed your order for
January, do so now.

I hesitate to send out anything else other than my warm
wishes for you, your families and your businesses, but
in case you missed previous announcements, there is a
deadline coming up soon for the low introductory price
on my new ebook on ezines. Please take advantage of the
low price and bonus offers.

Secrets of Successful Ezines, the ebook, is now ready!

A gentle reminder that there are only 10 days left to
buy the Secrets of Successful Ezines for $47. The price
goes up Jan. 31 to $87. To buy, click HERE.

Here is what one marketing expert says about this book:

"Secrets of Successful Ezines is something of a
classic, if an ebook can be called a classic!  Thorough
and pragmatic, Patsi Krakoff’s long experience creating
results for coaches through ezines is evident on every
page.  Ezines are the lifeblood in the sometimes Alice
in Wonderland world of the Internet…if you only have
time to make one thing happen…make it an ezine.  If
Patsi and Elge’s passion for making it happen for you
doesn’t get you moving, I’m seriously concerned for
you…"

Andrea Lee
Author, Multiple Streams of Coaching Income

If you are an affiliate, you can earn $25 on each copy
of the ebook you sell to your colleagues and
associates. To become an affiliate go sign up here.

To learn more, sign up to receive the 7-part minicourse
based on the ebook for free, click here.

To participate in a 4-session teleclass and workshop on
creating an ezine that gets results, Feb. 15- March 15,
sign up at www.teledevelop.com.

My sincere warm wishes for your success in 2005,

Patsi

Here is a synopses of a new article posted over at http://www.customizednewsletters.com/featured/index.html.

Here are some brief points covered in the full article:

The Global Empathy Deficit: Two Lessons
© 2004 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D.
Customized Newsletter Services

"…We’ve got a budget deficit that’s important, we’ve got a trade deficit that’s critical, but what I worry most is our empathy deficit.” – Interview in O Magazine with Barack Obama.

Perhaps this is not only a US national concern but a global crisis: people are dividing into camps and fighting one another with no mention of sitting down to dialogue.

We, as global human beings living on a shrinking planet, have to stop the insanity, start talking, and stop the fighting.

The fighting is not only among warring nations. It goes on in corporations, small businesses, between entrepreneurs, in schools, in neighborhoods, and in families. There is a lack of talking, listening, and empathizing between people. This is especially true when they are different from us in some way.

We lose patience with others not like us or not of the same viewpoint. We stop listening. And consequently, we lose our ability to understand and find solutions.

We are missing opportunities for talking and dialoguing about what really matters. Dialoguing of course means listening and hearing what the other person is saying. It is not a monologue. It requires more than listening—it requires empathy.

Lesson # 1 in Empathy

Empathy has several ingredients. Most people understand empathy to be “walking in someone else’s shoes.” It is more than that. Information when communicated to us by another human being is processed through the limbic system in the brain, the center for emotions and memory.

The trick here is not to get lost in our own memories and emotions. This requires self-management so quick that it is out of our awareness. We sense that the reason we feel sad that our neighbor is telling us that their dog died is that we have also experienced loss and know what it must be like for them.

Lesson #2 of Empathy

People usually have a tendency to jump in and want to do something to help too soon. They want to get out of their own discomfort by solving the problem. Often they don’t take the time to really understand what the real problem is before offering solutions. This is how many people come across as NOT being empathetic, when they actually are. They respond too quickly with the wrong solutions.

So, the next important step after lesson #1 (feel the feelings and just listen), is to communicate back to the person that you are hearing them on a deep and personal level.

Simply state back to the person some of what you’ve heard, without interpretation or distortion. This communication requires a deep and honest caring about how other people feel, avoiding judgments and any attempts to minimize the importance of feelings or offering advice.

Like so much, empathy begins with developing ourselves individually, permeates our families and is taught to our children, and then must be communicated with the leaders we entrust to deal with other countries. A continued lack of empathy will result in global degradation.

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Please note: This article and a list of others are available for your use for a small fee, with full reprint rights. You can use the purchased full article as your own, either as is, or modify and blend it with your own materials. Let me know if you need editing or formatting help. You may not use the synopsis without giving credit to the author, myself, including web site url!