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A lot of people are talking about membership sites these days. There are a number of advantages to creating one; most specifically, it allows you to receive residual income from people coming to your site for membership benefits.

Typically, when you market an information product, most people buy the product from you, pay you once and just go away. You may keep them on a mailing list and send them other offers from time to time. When you put people into a membership site…your customers pay you month after month…and you can make the product more affordable…AND provide a whole lot more content and multi-media experience…such as a video showing people how to do it.

I recently heard a great podcast from Internet Business Mastery  on membership success secrets, and this post is primarily thanks to Jay and Sterling. (if you are not listening to these guys, I highly recommend them).

While the temptation is to rush out and create a membership site right away, here are some success strategies you should consider when making your own membership site.

1) Create a community.

While your customers may initially join your membership site for your “premium content”, give them more than what they bargain for. Surround them with a community. As Jay and Sterling points out, “people came for the content, but they are staying for the community.” This is especially true if you are actively involved to build a caring and supportive community.

Attrition is the #1 enemy of operating a membership website. The more community energy/culture you can build, the less attrition you will experience.

Help the members find the support they need. Encourage new members to ask questions, and old members to help new members feel welcome. Ideas such as a general greeting announcement from all members to say “welcome home” to any new members makes them want to belong.

Choose a membership system where your members can “drill down” other members…much like Facebook, Linkedin, etc. The more you can help them get to know each other..the tighter the bond…the longer they want to stay.

Facilitate local meet up groups. Encourage your members to form their own master mind groups. Facilitate ways for them to have “side ways” communications with each other.

Seed your community with key customers and vendors. This is crucial in the beginning to build critical mass and content. Give key members deep discounts or even free membership for their name/brand/content/contribution to your network.

2) Provide a Step by Step Guide.

Often times, when you join a community site, it can be overwhelming. There’s usually so much content that it is overwhelming. Make your content displayed in an easy “Step 1, Step 2″ format. At the very least, give your members a “Getting Started Guide”. Show them what to do.

Provide your members with a Week, by week guide. A Work Book, or some way to keep them moving forward and on progress.

If your site has technology to restrict access to content until a certain number of days/weeks has elapse since the member has joined, all the better. This content restriction is actually good…as it does not overwhelm your clients (and keep them on your membership site for longer).

One of the top 3 reasons why people leave community websites is confusion. When people get confused, they disconnect…when they do this, then you’ve lost them. Make it simple.

3) Create a Clear Procedure Manual – Systematize everything

Document your process. “McDonald-lize” your operation so that other people such as virtual assistants can follow your process. The idea about creating a membership website is to create residual income…and get your out of the day to day work. By documenting how you create content, how you create events, how you moderate inappropriate posts, this makes it easy for your employees/VAs to take over the task for you, so you don’t have to do it.

Start doing this practice early so the task is not so overwhelming. Create a schedule and stick to it.

4) Be in Integrity.

Deliver what you promise and more. Rise above the mediocre. Give people the “Wow!” This is how your business grows because the experience exceeds their expectation.

Do what you say you will do. This may be a no brainer, but you’d be so surprised how many people in business fall short of this. If you can’t deliver what you promised, then be honest about it. Don’t give excusses. The only way to succeed in this era is complete transparency. Otherwise, your people will talk…and news will spread.

In this age of low trust, your customer has shown considerable good faith to decide to do business with you. They are giving you an A score, and it’s yours to lose. Don’t waste it. Go from A to A++.

5) Provide a Resources Page

Include your rollerdex of vendors, clients, resources, websites, tools, etc that your people will need to be successful.

I’ve gone to so many conferences where the list of websites people share with me was well worth the price of admission. For example, a local media contacts list, where to buy stuff at wholesale, a list of websites/tradeshows to promote your products.

Include videos showing how to use the tools would also be handy.

6) Copy Best Practices

Join other people’s community sites. Don’t be judgemental or defensive. Keep an open mind. Learn. See what other people are doing that you like and dislike. Remember, “if you copy what successful people do…you will get the same results as those successful people.” It’s called mirroring.

Ask questions. Don’t be shy. The only silly question is the ones unasked.

7) Mix up the content.

Provide your content in a number of ways. Use videos, podcast format, as well as writing. Some formats work better than others.

If you are a gardener, then filming may be best. Don’t get caught up in the technicalities of production quality. People are very forgiving (within reason). Focus on the content.

If you are showing people how to use tools online…then a Camtasia video might work better. If you use a mac, I recommend ScreenFlow

Highlight Success
Congratulate and praise success stories from your members. Give them the spot light. Allow them to put up stories about their success. Interview them and put up the audio for others to listen to it. Success breeds success. People want to know “how did you do it?”

9) Keep it Fresh and Exciting

No one wants to join a boring and stale site. Regularly add content, updates…additional field research to your site.

Launch competitions and challenges with your members. Raise the bar. Push your people to be better.

Invite special guests to write articles/content on your site. Better still, host regular “members only” teleseminars/webinars with a special guest and allow members the opportunity to ask questions with your guest.

10) Membership has its priviledges.

Fundamentally, it goes down to “what’s in it for me?”. To keep your members excited and interested about your site, you have to earn their attention. Why should they spend time on your site rather than time with their family?

Give your members special discounts to your products. Haggle special discounts from other vendors to give to your members.

Put together a conference for your members to attend so they can meet one another. People of like mind build synergies, allow the magic to happen.

Make a place for your members to access you…a place where they can ask you questions and that you commit to answering without giving them your personal email address.

Encourgage your members to give each other “members only discounts” to sample/buy each others’ wares.

Maybe create a Join Ventures room for members to cross promote their products to each other’s lists.

Conclusion
I liken the membership experience to joining a guild in World of Warcraft. In WoW, in order to really get ahead, you should join a guild…yet there are thousands of guilds to join…which should you join? Some guilds are better than others. The best guilds are the ones that give it’s members common benefits. For examples, guild members get free stuff from other guild members instead of having to buy it from the auction house. They go on adventures together. Provide escort duties for members to go through difficult areas to fulfill quests.

Remember, there may be other products out there. Other gurus. Other places your members can spend their time, but they have decided to invest their time with you. Respect that. Give them a compelling reason to join, and stay.

Like any other business, owning a membership site is in many ways just like raising a baby. It’s an investment. The more you invest in time and love for the baby, the more it will grow.

Sincerely
George Tran

There seems to be a set pattern in life of friends. There are the friends you will always have for life and can call up at any moment, chat like it was yesterday when you last talked and not speak for another four months.

There are the friends who you had when in college that you cannot hang out with now because they are “not married” and it just feel weird if they do not have a date. You know what I mean.

There are the friends you have who are married but do not have kids. They are great to hang out with but don’t understand when you go on a rant about how cute it was when the child did this or went potty in the big girl potty!

Then there are the friends who have kids close in age to you and it is great! But planning play dates are hard because nap times, mommy need alone time and a diet coke kind of day, or you really just do not want to get out of your pajamas.

Then there is YOUR BEST FRIEND. That’s right your children.

Here are ten reasons why my daughter is my best girlfriend in life:

You can rock out to music together:

Listening to Taylor Swift “Shake it off” ten times in a row seems a bit much. But when you have a tiny sidekick to literally “shake it” by your side then who cares! You can make a fool of yourself and not care because your best friend is too!

You always have someone to tell something to:

I love it because all day long I have random thoughts and will just say them out loud! My little talker will say silly things back like, “hm hmm mom- no way- ok- yup-see ya- bye” all at once like she gets what I mean.

You always have a workout buddy:

My favorite part of the day is when I sleep in and get up with the kids. This means I also get to do my morning workout with them! I love it. It always brings more laughs because not only do I have a copy cat next to me but I don’t feel as lame working out because she is doing much sillier workouts than me.

There is always someone to hug:

It is great having a best friend right next to you because there is always an unlimited number of hugs each day. You can never feel bad when you have someone giving you multiple hugs a day!

You ALWAYS have each others backs…even in the bathroom:

You know the drill, ladies always go to the bathroom together right? Well same applies at home. You can always have someone to talk to, someone to hand you toilet paper, or open and close the bathroom door for your entertainment.

Drives are never filled with a dull moment:

Whether it be singing nursery rhymes, telling them to look outside just to pass driving time, or listening to the sweet sounds of them screaming, you will always have someone in the car to “entertain” your every moment.

Going shopping is a self-esteem builder:

Now that I have a talker on my hands I feel that I can get an honest opinion out of her…

Me: “Do you like this shirt?”

Her: “yup mom i ke it!”

Me: “Do this look good on mom”

Her: “Yup mom peeety!”

Me:”How about this one, do we like it too?”

Her: “No goss let it go”

There will always be a goodnight kiss and story time:

I love reading stories with my little ones. I learn more from the stories than my kids do! I love that there is always someone who needs a kiss and hug before bed. No better friend than that!

You get to play dress up daily:

your inner child comes out. Before kids acting “goofy” implied hanging out playing games and calling it a night. Acting goofy with a toddler means dressing up as their favorite princess character and having tea parties on the porch…daily 🙂

You can always use each other for an excuse!

Lastly the one we know all of us has used more than once on “one of those days”. As best friends you know you can always use one another for an excuse and still love one another afterwards. Tell her sorry I used you and you get a simple “srry k” .

You best girlfriend in right under your nose (literally) . Go out for ice cream, feed the ducks or whatever your best friend loves to do! Chances are she will return the favor and do your favorite things also!

Thanks mom for always being my best friend and letting me use you for an excuse at times!

xoxo

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For my Top Ten Tuesday post I thought I’d take my pet peeves and types of people I find annoying and put them into a list. I do this in a poking fun manner and really don’t mean to offend. If you’re my friend or in my family and you’ve done/ do these things I DO find them annoying but I still love you. *Wink* I know I can be plenty annoying myself and have been the culprit of some, if not all, of these at one point.

1. Not RSVP-ing.

I have to say this is a huge pet peeve of mine. I’m always inviting people to something or other and find it really annoying when people don’t RSVP. It’s fine if you can’t come! But does it really take that much effort to send off a quick e-mail or click ” Not attending”? if I ask for an RSVP by a certain date I’m not just doing it for kicks. Most people need an RSVP so they can plan accordingly.

2. Nazi Mom.

You know the mom. The one who thinks her way is best and if you do something different you’re WRONG. And most likely a bad mother in her eyes. She forces her opinion on everyone whether they ask for it or not. The poor new mom is usually her largest prey.

3. Jay Walking At A Green Light.

Nothing gives me road rage more that someone who jay walks at a green light. It’s usually some punk with their pants hanging down their rear, who walks past the line of cars waiting to go through the light with a slow swagger. It makes me want to revv up and step on the gas every time. No, please. Take your time. I love knowing the color and brand of your underpants. You.are.the.man.

4. Mom who’s life is soooo much harder than everyone else’s. No really.

I’ve written about a “friend” who has always tried to “one up me” with the amount of kids she has or how she has no help or how her life is just so tough. When she had one kid I had no kids, so therefore she trumped me in the tough life category. When I had one kid she had two kids. Trumped again. When I had two kids…yep…she had three. When I mention a busy day ahead she says ” Yep! I have a busy day too. And I have to work.” Oh boy! I guess I have it easy!

I understand that there are moms who really do have it tough!! Much more so that I do. But, give me a break, some moms need to put on their big panties and suck it up! Most of the mommies I know are truly blessed and really have nothing to complain about. Especially if they live in America. As moms we need to support each other and show compassion and understanding. Not try to win the gold medal for MOST HARDWORKING MOM WITH A TOUGH LIFE.

5. Using text language in an e-mail or in comments on FB.

I cannot stand getting an e-mail or comment on Facebook with text language. I find it lazy!

Eatn at da food court n then goin shoppin. L8ter goin 2 da movies w my BFF n hangin out. Wut r u doin 2day?

Annoying much?

6. Not using punctuation when commenting or writing a status on Facebook.

Yet another habit on FB I find extremely annoying. And if you add the text language with it I don’t even bother reading or commenting.

Example:What a day don’t know what to do my car broke down and my boyfriend broke up with me what are you going to don though right

OR even worse:

Wut a day dnt kno wut 2 do my car broke down n my BF broke up wid me wut are u going 2 do tho right.

U.G.H

7. Saying “let’s hang out” but not really meaning it.

Does this only happen to me or is it a world wide phenomenon? I am always having friends and acquaintances who keep saying ” We should get together sometime” and never follow through. And what makes it all the more inconsiderate is when I try to make a date they start back peddling and telling me how busy they are and will have to let me know.

What?!? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it!

8. Taking forever to reply to e-mails.

Ok, I think I’m the only person I know who this really bothers. I’m very attached to e-mailing and Facebook as a way to communicate. I think three days is a good time frame to allow for responding to an e-mail. I don’t get people who take a week or more to reply to an e-mail I send them. Especially if it’s a question or some matter that is relatively important to me.

9. Saying you really want to stay in touch but never actually stay in touch.

I can’t stand it when someone says “I’d love to stay in touch with you!” and then I NEVER hear from them. This goes along with #8. Then when I finally hear from them or they finally respond to an e-mail I sent a long time ago it’s because they’ve been soooooo busy. Obviously busier than me. The fact of the matter is, you make time for what you really want to do. Therefore, if I never hear from you it’s because you don’t really want to stay in touch. Just save your breath and don’t say you want to stay in touch!

This is why I love Facebook. I find it to be such a great way to really stay in touch with people and know what’s going on in their life. This way you don’t have to write long update e-mails to friends and family. If you write a couple of statuses a day then friends and family comment,voila ,you’re staying in touch. And what I don’t get is people who get offended when they find out news about us way later than everyone else! If I don’t hear from you , you won’t hear from me. It’s as simple as that. Staying in touch is a two way street. If you don’t comment on my Facebook statuses, I won’t be taking the time to comment on yours. Oh, and “liking” everything doesn’t count.

10. People who blame their problems on everyone else.

We all know this person. They never take responsibility for anything in their life. They come in all shapes, sizes and genders. If they’re always getting fired it’s because the boss was bad or unfair. Nothing is ever their fault. I really try to avoid these types of people at all cost.

Do you find any of these annoying? Is there something else you’d add to this list?

Do tell!!

First dates are stressful just as they are exciting, and some men really require advice prior to taking this plunge with a woman that they like. By following these first date tips for men, you’re fairly much assured to experience an excellent initial date with that special lady.

1. Plan the perfect date. Even though some websites that claim to give first date tips for men may recommend that you visit dinner and a film, this is not an excellent first date. Rather, attempt something short and sweet. A casual lunch, eating ice cream in the park or enjoying a cup of coffee at a quaint little coffee shop are great initial date options.

2. You ought to dress to impress for the first date, but don’t put on something too formal. A crisp collared shirt, a pair of good jeans and clean sneakers ought to make you look great. You do not just want to dress well to impress your date, but you always wish to impress yourself. If you really feel confident about your look, you’ll exude this self-confidence on your date.

3. Pick up the tab on your initial date, but make certain that you do not spend too much cash. In the event you spend a lot on your first date, your new girl will think that you are merely showing off, or she will expect costly dates each time. Instead of spending a lot of money, concentrate on enjoying the date.

4. Don’t plan for a long date the first time around. A very long date will make both you and the woman feel a bit awkward later on, and it will be hard to make an excuse to escape when the two of you aren’t feeling each other. Plan to get a brief and sweet date the very first time about, then plan something a bit longer for subsequent time.

5. Focus on your girl only whenever you are on your date. Although it may be difficult to not take a look at other attractive ladies while you’re out, doing so will make you appear like a pig to your new woman. Reserve the staring and flirting for whenever you are out with your guy buddies.

6. Try to engage the woman in an interesting conversation, and allow her do most of the talking. Make certain you are really listening, however.

7. Find out much more about your date, but do not make her feel like she is being interviewed for a job. Casually asking her about her life will make her really feel like you’re interested, but prodding her about all of her exes, her family members, or her job is not cool.

8. Show off your enjoyable and playful side. There’s a time and a location to become serious, but your date should be a lot of fun for each you and the woman. Share jokes and funny stories and try to think of other ways to make your date laugh.

9. Don’t get too physical on the first date. You’ll be in a position to know when the lady is interested in kissing you; if she does not show any indications of wanting to do something physical the first date, avoid making a move or pressuring her. She will like it better if you act like a gentleman, and it’ll make her much more likely to give it a chance on your next date.

10. Make sure to phone her the next day. Even though many first date tips for men suggest that you wait a few days or even a week before calling her, she wants to know that you’re nonetheless interested. If you’re, contact her sometime the following day. If you do not wish to do that, at least send her a fast text message.

Peter Mclucas is an avid traveler, educator and writer on a variety of subjects. Watch his video on first date tips for men

Booby traps are lies women believe about breastfeeding that lead to problems, and/or failure, of the breastfeeding relationship. Although normal, breastfeeding does not necessarily come natural. Women seek out information from friends, family members, and the internet.

Not everything they hear or read, however, is true and helpful. In fact, some advice can hinder breastfeeding success.

Let’s discuss the top 10 booby traps that hinder breastfeeding success.

1. “My milk never came in.”
This one is very common and comes in various forms. Your grandmother may even say something along the lines of, “Oh you can’t breastfeed. My milk never came in, your mother’s milk never came in, yours probably won’t either so I wouldn’t even bother trying to breastfeed.”
Did you know that it can take up to fourteen days for milk to come in? That’s two weeks! That’s well after you are out of the hospital and back home. It’s also a lot longer than most people give for their bodies to show signs of milk production.
To help establish a good milk supply, a baby should be fed, on-demand, for the first 6 weeks of life. If your baby shows feeding cues, put him to the breast. Feeding your baby tells your body that it needs to make more milk. Your breasts have a built in supply and demand feature. The more your baby eats, the more they produce. Feeding your baby regularly is the best way to ensure your milk comes in.

2. “I’m not making enough milk.”
Much of the information presented on milk supply comes from a culture that doesn’t understand the dynamics of how breastfeeding actually works. Your breasts do not have to be leaking, feel full, or be engorged to indicate milk supply. A baby going through a growth spurt can cause a woman to believe she has low supply because she watches the clock instead of her baby’s hunger cues. A baby who is fussy and perceived as hungry “all the time” may cause a woman to believe she has low milk supply.
Whatever the reason for the belief, there is one, sure-fire way to know if your baby is getting plenty of milk. Check their diapers. If your baby is making 8-12 wet and 4-6 poopy diapers in a 24 hour period, then your baby is getting plenty to eat.

3. “My baby just won’t latch.”
Did you know that just a you are learning how to breastfeed, your baby is also? It’s a learning curve for both of you. Give your baby some time to figure out how things work. By time I mean more than just a few tries. This could take your team several attempts to figure out (especially if you used any type of relaxant medication during labor). Utilize your hospital’s lactation consultant or your midwife. That’s what they are there for.
Have a lactation consultant check your baby’s oral anatomy. With the discovery of lip/tongue ties, many latch issues are able to be fixed with simple revisions by a local ENT.

4. Timed feedings
“Feed your baby for 20 minutes on each side.” Why? I mean, really, why? There is no scientific evidence to back this suggestion. The best way to feed your baby is to let them guide the feedings.
Nurse your baby on one side until they appear finished. Burp them and offer the other side, if you desire. You could offer the same side again if you want and let them eat from the other side at the next feeding. It’s completely up to you.

5. Supplementing feedings in the first few days or weeks.
The first 10 weeks after birth is the crucial time to establish milk supply. Proper feedings and nursing on-demand ensure you will have good supply that will last throughout your breastfeeding goal.

6. “Breastfeeding will make my breasts sag.”
Actually breasts saggage is based on genetics and not because of breastfeeding. If saggy breasts run in your family, it wouldn’t matter if you never had children, you would still get saggy breasts when you got older. Go ahead and breastfeed. You’re breasts’ firmness isn’t based on breastfeeding.

7. “I will have to change my diet.”
The only reason your diet would need to change is if you or your babies had an allergy or sensitivity to a certain food. Certain foods causing gassiness has not been backed by scientific evidence either.
What if you are a junk food junky? Your breast milk will create and supply the nutrients your baby needs. If you want to clean up your diet because you want to feel better, that’s great. Don’t do it simply because you think you have to in order to breastfeed.

8. Breasts need time to “fill” between feedings.
This booby trap comes from the misconception that breasts are like canteens because they can feel full before feedings and empty afterward. However, your breasts are never completely without milk and as milk is removed during a feeding, more is made.
This is especially helpful to know when your baby is going through a growth spurt and wants to eat every 30 minutes to an hour.

9. If you or your baby are sick, you shouldn’t breastfeed.
If you or your baby are sick, breastfeeding is exactly what you should be doing. Breastfeeding boosts both yours and your baby’s immune system helping your body fight the illness more easily. If your baby is the only one sick, breastfeeding may actually help prevent you from getting sick. Your body will create antibodies in the breast milk to help your baby fight the illness. Those antibodies remain in your body and can prevent an infection from taking hold.
In addition, breastfeeding can provide immunity protection for future illnesses. It has also shown to protect against various forms of cancer.

10. Breastfeeding is easy.
Breastfeeding is normal, but, often, it doesn’t come natural. For many, the process of learning how to work with your baby to develop a successful breastfeeding relationship is overwhelming. Instead of seeking out support or professional help, many women give up. Thus depriving themselves and their babies of the many benefits associated with breastfeeding.
Many cities have breastfeeding support groups. Check with your hospital, birthing center, or local La Leche League [http://web.archive.org/web/20150806021442/http://www.llli.org/]. Attending a support group gives you access to a professional lactation consultant and to other women who are facing similar challenges.

Booby traps can hinder breastfeeding success, but you don’t have to let it. Take a class, talk to a counselor, and join a support group. Work with your baby as you take this journey together. Believe in yourself and your bodies ability to sustain your baby and you will meet your breastfeeding goals.

 

What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of flying, people, heights, clowns, prospecting, etc…? It doesn’t matter what your fears are, the good news is you can conquer your fears!

I am going to share one personal story with you of how I learned to conquer my fears at a very early age.

My father was involved with a civic group in our community. The civic group used to maintain the community pool. I would go to the pool in the evenings, with my father. While he would do daily maintenance on the pool I would use the time to swim and have the pool to myself. Those were great summers growing up. Well anyway I became quite good at performing ones and one and a halves off the low boards. I practiced every night, so I could show off to my friends during the day.

My dad would watch me and asked one night why I don’t do my dives off of the high dive. I told him I was afraid of the high dive. He asked me, “What are you afraid of”? I told him it was too high. He asked, “Can you jump off of the high dive”? I told him I didn’t want to.

My dad started to climb the high dive and told me, “Follow me up and I will show you how to do it”. We get to the top of the high dive and my chest felt tight and my mouth went dry. He talked me out to the end of the board and I remember shaking and trying not to show any fear. He told me to just stand at the end of the board, take some deep breaths and look out at the horizon. I did what he said and began to calm down. He started talking to me as I was staring out over the pool. He said, “John, this is just another diving board, it is no different than the one down below.” “When you are ready I want you to step off the end of the board.” I told him that I was not ready. He said, “I’m going to count to three and you will step off.” He began to count one; two…and then he pushed me off the end. I hit the water and quickly came to the surface and realized that nothing bad happened to me.

Dad hollered for me to come up again. I was a little shaken but went up the ladder and out to the end of the board. Dad asked if I was ready to jump again. I told him I was not sure. He told me to go to the end of the board and take another deep breath and relax. He then began to count, one, two, three…I didn’t jump. He then pushed me off the board again. Once again I came to the surface but this time I felt exhilarated! I quickly went back up the ladder went to the end of the board and jumped! It felt great!

On the ride home I thanked Dad for helping me jump off the high dive. He told me, “John you just learned a fear conquering secret.” I was only in second grade so I did not understand what I had learned. So I asked him what I had learned. He told me, “If you are afraid to do something, just do it three times in a row as fast as you can.” That lesson has stuck with me and I will never forget it. I have used this technique in everything I was afraid of doing. Let me tell you it works!

Within two weeks I was doing my ones and one and a halves from the high dive. I will never forget that summer.

What ever your fear may be, Like the Nike commercials, Just Do It! Do it three times in a row as fast as you can.

 

This will apply to almost any fear you have, whether it is public speaking, flying, prospecting, cold calling, heights, and clowns, whatever it is this will work for you!

John Stone

What is Your Fear?