It’s customary for many of us, as the year draws to a close, to examine our lives and identify the areas we would like to change. Sometimes we even decide to cut back on activities we enjoy in order to make time and energy for other things.
I started writing From the Desk of Janet Barclay in November 2006, mainly as a way to get a better understanding of what blogging was about. It has seen a lot of changes over the past five years, in its design, in its content, and in my frequency of posting, and I have enjoyed every step of the way.
Other changes during that time include the launch of Your Organizing Business, my blog for professional organizers; the introduction and growing importance of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media to my online marketing strategy; and the increasing success of my website design and virtual assistance business, Organized Assistant. I’m also spending more time with my family, including my new dog, and I’ve rediscovered my love for cooking.
With all of these exciting changes in both my personal and professional lives, this will be my last regular weekly post on From the Desk of Janet Barclay. The current content will remain here for your reference, and I may still blog here occasionally, but for regular updates, I invite you to:
It would mean a lot to me if you’d leave a comment and let me know: What has been your favourite post on this blog?
Every year it seems to get harder and harder to say the right thing. Is it okay to say Merry Christmas? Is it better to say Season’s Greetings or Happy Holidays? Or is it presumptuous to assume that someone is celebrating a holiday at all? Yet not saying anything doesn’t feel right either. I’ve tackled…
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For what seems like a very long time, I’ve been trying to be more active and spend less time sitting in front of a screen (my laptop during working hours, my TV during downtime). I love to walk, but I can come up with any number of excuses not to: It’s too cold/hot/rainy/snowy/windy I’m too…
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When I started my business in 2002, social media as we know it today didn’t even exist. Now, less than ten years later, it has become an essential marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. Unfortunately, some businesses don’t understand the difference between social media marketing and traditional advertising. Traditional advertising is a one-way street….
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I’ve been so busy with client projects this fall that I haven’t had time to submit content to as many crowdsourced or collaborative blog posts as I’d have liked, but I did participate in 17 Best Tips for Attracting Blog Traffic. I was on People in Connection Internet TV earlier this month, and invite you to…
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So far, we’ve been blessed with pretty mild weather here in Southern Ontario, and it’s easy to forget that it’s only a month till Christmas. That means crowded stores and parking lots for the next few weeks, whether you’re shopping for gifts or simply the regular day-to-day needs of your home and business. You can…
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LinkedIn is considered one of the “Big Three” of social media, but it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as Twitter and Facebook, despite the fact that it’s been around much longer. I suspect that it’s because many people use Facebook and Twitter for personal networking rather than, or in addition to, business networking, whereas…
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As mentioned in my last post, I recently attended the POC Conference in Toronto. It was a fabulous experience and, in addition to having the honour of presenting to 70 professional organizers from all over Canada, I heard some excellent speakers, including Joe Roberts, The Skid Row CEO and Margarita Ibbott of Downshifting – Professional…
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A few years ago, a student I knew set up a web page called The Sarah Finder so her friends and family could keep track of her busy schedule. Sometimes I think that’s not such a bad idea! This is what I’ll be up to over the next few days: On Saturday, I’ll be joining…
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In just a few days, we’ll be visited by scary looking witches, vampires, zombies, and Charlie Sheen lookalikes, but we know it’s all in good fun. What’s really scary is the growing number of dangers we face online as individuals and as business owners. That’s probably why the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared October…
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