News from BelleRinger PR

THANK YOU, FACEBOOK I became a true fan of social networking when I acquired Louie, my Tibetan Spaniel puppy. Louie's five months old - I believe that translates into something like three human years? We were having major housebreaking issues and I had a lot of questions. I'd just stumbled upon a Facebook group called Chances Are I Like My Dog Better Than You which interested me for its name alone. I was pleasantly surprised that instead of snarky remarks about spouses vs pets I found a community of people willing to help with all dog-related issues. I posted a question about housebreaking and immediately received some very useful - and effective - suggestions. Social networking at its best! I found this photo of a Tibetan Spaniel on Wikipedia. Louie's nowhere near as regal as this beauty.

PUBLICITY TIP I just learned about Squidoo and why we business owners should be using it. Not only is it great for SEO but it's free! Resourceful entrepreneurs can't afford not to use this site. Just write a lense (similar to a blog entry) about a topic you're knowledgeable about - any topic. Business owners often know more about their product than anyone else. So tell the world about it! I'm still working on my first lense. I wrote about KLEAN Bath & Body's sugar scrubs - it's easy to write about products you love . The tech support staff and community at SquidU are helping me iron out the kinks - I'll show it to you when it's completed.

MY SPACE OR YOURS? Everyone knows something about myspace . It's one of those sites and trends that you’re either excited to be part of or embarrassed to admit that you aren't. I've had men ask me if I ‘myspace’. When did it become a verb? It's quickly becoming the gray area between the, "Want to go out sometime," and the "I'm too shy to ask," pick up lines and tactics. Some of these guys seem to think that if a girl ‘myspaces’ they can skip conversation (read relationships) and cut straight to the chase. That’s the first reason I won’t open an account. I started browsing the site recently and got caught up for hours. Some of the trends are pretty shallow and cliché. The most obvious is the user photo. When creating a myspace account you’re given the opportunity to post a user photo that’s seen by anyone who may come across your page. I saw three types, 1) Drunk women holding cocktails - usually the one in the middle is the one whose profile you...

YOU CAN DO THAT OVER THE INTERNET? I used to be a die-hard catalog shopper. (Note the past tense.) I could multi-task - watch TV with my husband while shopping for Mom's birthday gift and listening for the dryer to buzz - while avoiding the horrors of shopping centers and malls. Then one day I decided to add another step to my lazy shopping style by actually looking at those items tagged 'Available online only'. What a find! In addition to Internet specials I found online-only sales! Goodie! Pretty soon I became a die-hard Internet shopper. I discovered all those indie sites and boutiques that sold goodies that couldn't be found elsewhere! And it was so much easier to ship the items back then to return to the mall, find parking, stand in line to deal with surly sales clerks, etc. Three of my favorite sites are SheFinds , WickedlyChic and MissMalaprop .