LOCAVORE Word of the Year in 2007

I received the following in an email today. I love to share such interesting and productive ideas to the world on the internet. It is something to think about, smile at our new word and maybe make plans to make our 2008 a year to ingest some healthy eating habits.

In this plate of food I see the entire Universe supporting our existence. Locavore is 2007's word of the year. The New Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore, a person who seeks out locally produced food, as its word of the year.

The local foods movement is gaining momentum as people discover that the best-tasting and most sustainable choices are foods that are fresh, seasonal, and grown close to home. Some locavores draw inspiration from:

<http://ucsaction.org/ct/-pwiOOd16SSq/ the 100-mile diet or from advocates of local eating like
http://ucsaction.org/ct/-7wiOOd16SS1/ Barbara Kingsolver.

Others just follow their taste buds to farmers' markets, community supported agriculture programs, and community gardens. Check out: <http://ucsaction.org/ct/GdwiOOd1bYAF/ Local Harvest to find sustainably grown food near you, and make a New Year's Resolution to be a locavore in 2008! This article was apparently written by: Thanks Margaret for sharing.

Margaret E. MacDonald
Western Organization of Resource Council
220 South 27th Street, Suite B
Billings, MT 59101
406.252.9672 ext. 208
406.252.1092 FAX

Looks Whos on Line

LOOK WHO'S ONLINE CO-OP OFFERS WEB SITE OPPORTUNITIES

Published: January 16, 2008

By Stacy Nadelman

Pilot staff writer

Not ones to let a good opportunity stay secret, Karen Clark, Jude Hodge and Bill Johnson have started a new organization to help Curry County businesses or online entrepreneurs promote their businesses – at no charge.

Their organization, Look Who's Online, is an advertising co-op with the only expense to members is the cost of advertising the co-op in local press, which will be divided among its members.

They will hold a meeting, open to the public, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, at the 360 Event Center, located at 15711 Highway 101.

"It's like a Yellow Pages in a way," Hodge said. "I think it's a service that's needed in the community.

Hodge sells Global Positioning Systems (GPS), manages her husband's business Web Site for Dave Hodge Cabinetry and owns Surfside Espresso at the port. She is currently a top ranked Platinum PowerSeller with eBay and has been published in Networking Times, Cutting Edge Media, Money, Makers Monthly, Net workers Advantage and is a contributing author in "Build it Big," a book published by Dearborn Publishing for Direct Selling Women's Alliance.

The idea came about when Hodge, read of an eBay class being offered by Clark. Hodge, a certified eBay educator herself, called Clark to discuss their common interest.

"Not many people do this locally," Hodge said. "I had to meet her!"

They met a few days later and talked about the need for more people with a "Web presence" in the area.

The most important thing they discussed, Hodge said, was the fact that they were both successful selling online and that there were probably others locally who sold their products on the Internet as well.

"But without a directory how does one know who is online?" said Hodge.

"The main thing we wanted, was to do this purely for networking," said Clark, who currently teaches eBay classes at South Western Oregon Community College. She's been featured in a book called, "Using Technology in Business" and manages two Web sites, one for Win Chuck River Store and the other, King Fisher Electric Boats. She also manages an eBay store.

Johnson, who was introduced to Hodge by Clark after attending Clark's eBay workshop, thought the idea of having an online directory for the Brookings-Harbor area was great. He joined the women, bringing his expertise in merchant accounts and they all spent a year formulating a Web site with the catchy name: LookWhosOnline.com. They then contacted the Brookings-Harbor Chamber of Commerce – and voila, they were in business.

"It's a way for brick and mortar businesses to market their existing Web sites," said Johnson, who's been an outside sales representatives, owned several businesses and been in mid management positions for two Fortune 500 companies. He currently owns Western Merchant Services, acting as a consultant for merchants who process credit cards at their location or on the Internet.

Look Who's Online is endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce. They are associated with the Chamber as a committee within the chamber, said Hodge.

"It's kind of like a Chamber of Commerce for online businesses," she said. "Our goal is to help everyone to become successful."

Clark, Hodge and Johnson will hold monthly meetings to teach anyone who is interested in becoming a member of the online co-op anything they need to know about advertising on the Internet.

One can visit the up-and- running Web site at www.LookWhosOnline.com.

For more information call Clark at (541) 412-0909, Hodge at (541) 251-2814 or Johnson at (541) 412-2780.

Adding Listings to My Website

Adding listings to my website

Whew! I have decided that in 2008, I will make the effort to get everything I sell on eBay will also be offered on my website. I have always found this double listing a big pain in the behind! Doing it over and over has finally made it easier to do. I have climbed over that humangous giant learning curve that only very mature internet users can appreciate.

I must've put in at least 50+ listings in the past two days. It does me no good to have all this stuff for sale and not offer it to every avenue that I have. Of course, I have to adhere to eBay policies and not advertise my website on my listings, but maybe someone will run into me on a browser. I make sure that each invoice I send to an eBay buyer has my website clearly posted on it with the information that I do offer FREE shipping on my website for most items.

At least I don't have to pay to list on my website so it is only my time that is spent. With my new expertise on double doing, I will continue to do each and every listing on both sites at the same time....well sorta the same time.

Open up these sites all at once on my computer:

• 
  open up either eBay or Turbo Lister


• 
  open up my photobucket sit


• 
  open up my listing site on my website


• 
  open up my excel sheet for inventory data

Then the process goes like this:

• 
  copy description from eBay or Turbo Lister item


• 
  paste description into the website listing place


• 
  take the thumbnail size picture address of item from Photobucket


• 
  paste it into my website place for that size picture


• 
  take the websize picture address of item from Photobucket


• 
  paste it into my website place for that size picture


• 
  check part number from excel


• 
  use that number for website identifier number


• 
  check price from excel sheet


• 
  use that price in my website

I can improve this operation. I haven't figured out how to use slide shows on my website. Maybe I can't, but I think it is possible...it should be.

I do know that when I have pictures put into the description area of my eBay listing, I can simply copy them over to the website.

If any of you have something to add to this to make the process simpler, I'm here ready to soak it up. I find doing this business in my home isolated from other internet users, I sometimes figure things out the wrong way. LOL

I am also using Turbo Lister to build listings for items that I do not offer on eBay. It gives me the space to do some changing of fonts, colors and to add pictures into the description area. I then copy and paste the listings into my website.