Day 371

Yay! Not only did I happen to see one of my Paypal ads on the Internet today, I also found out that Dalmatian Rescue was selected as one of the winning charities in the Paypal FundRazr contest. We got off to a slow start, so I didn't think we actually had a chance of winning. Everyone worked really hard to share the application though, and in the end our efforts paid off. The whole idea of a viral fundraising tool that you use on Facebook is pretty new to most charities, but I think it could be a game changer for many. Once you try it, you realize that there are whole new ways of reaching out to people. Hey, if you've got a charity or a cause that you care about, you ought to go take a look at the FundRazr application yourself. If this tool can raise money to help save Dalmatians. it could certainly help your church or charity as well.

With the year drawing to a close, it's time to start thinking about what I'm going to do in 2011. About this time last year, I decided that it was time for me to quit being such a Luddite and try my hand at social networking. I started this blog. I got myself a cell phone. I even joined Facebook. I don't think the verdict is in yet, but can certainly see the potential in this brave new world. Social networking tools are a super easy and efficient way to stay connected with friends and colleagues. I've already re-established a few business connections that might actually bring me some work in the year ahead. On the other hand, all this social networking can be incredibly time consuming. Once you've got a blog, you've got to keep feeding it with new content. It's very much like putting out your own little daily newspaper. Once you've got a bunch of Facebook friends, you can't just ignore them either. After all the blogging, the messaging and the posting to forums is done, there really isn't much time for anything else.

At any rate, we'll see how it goes. I do know that the house is a bit messier since I started blogging. Things on a time line, like client website updates and getting this post published before midnight always seem to take priority over things that can wait until tomorrow. Even keeping the large printer unclogged seems to have taken priority over basics like vacuuming the carpets and watering the plants. Maybe next year's goal should be to strike some sort of a balance. This is easier said than done, since I'm not a very balanced person. I usually either get obsessed by something or completely ignore it. We'll give it a shot though. Balance is good.

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