If you go to Carl’s site you will see in his About Me column that carlocab.com was actually born a year ago. Are you with me? That actually means that he was 13 when he decided to unleash his talents on the blogosphere, and the world has never been the same since. Carl seems quite candid as he lets on how his father inspired and helped him to navigate the world of the internet and more specifically internet marketing. Phew! At least there was some input from an adult here. He also makes us privy to his failures as he first blogged about tech issues, gossip news, then health etc. before his make money online venture. Importantly too he lets us know how he and his father thought about the appropriate name for weeks in order to find that best wording that would make his blog stand out and draw curious viewers.

This kid appears to be the real Mckoy. His posts contain some serious stuff explained in a comprehensible way. One, which of course is a hit, is “How I snatched the throne in Google”. With a heading like that how could you not click the link? He does make assumptions that you know the meaning of the internet marketing terms for eg. SEO and permalinks, but if you don’t you really shouldn’t be on Carl’s site or any other internet marketing one for that matter. Not yet, learn the basics first then come back because then Carl makes it look easy. As he says, “all you have to do is know the basics and treat Google like a 3 year old boy looking for the cookie jar in a big kitchen.” Out of the mouth of babes!

He gives some sensible tips which include of course “Think of a catchy, entertaining and easy to remember title”. He certainly put his money where his mouth is. Now I realize that I definitely need to jazz up my title.

What caught my attention though were the comments on content which I found in two different posts. The first is “Start Posting Real Content – The Real Challenge” He states, “Keep your promises, research and be sure about your facts and give them the REAL content.” Okay, that is sound advice, but then he tells us elsewhere “If you generate more and more content, do you think your traffic will also increase? Nah.” Ouch what is happening here? If my writing is fantastic, brimming with useful facts that persons are just dying to learn, I won’t get visitors to my site. Why not? Carl gives us the answer, “with the right marketing, it will. Marketing without content, is dumb. So I consider content, as part of marketing.”

As I absorbed more and more of Carl’s tips I wondered to myself whether this child went to school regularly, whether he slept and whether he was indeed the real McKoy. His writing was good and his tips were sensible, practical, intelligent, even arrogant but in some case also tinged with a kind of adult cynicism. Take this gem, “Our passion is to make money – not writing. So why do you need to be passionate about your niche? You can always hire writers who are passionate enough to write good articles for you.” Again he is good to his word, as I learned later that Carl does have guest writers.

I was still uncomfortable and did some further research to discover that Carl himself anticipated the skepticism. He points out on his blog that he learned the hard way about the importance of getting enough sleep. He has some strong detractors however who doubt whether he is the true person behind the blog. There is some suspicion that it could really be his father who is himself a marketer. Young Carl and his dad have conducted interviews, responded to queries and engaged in other public relations activities to dispel the cynical, distrustful, bloggers who certainly aren’t as successful as him. They would be pleased to note that I found a dead link on Carl’s site. Carl has discovered rather early that in the adult word, life is not easy.

We have no evidence to prove that Carl Ocab is not the real thing and so we have to accept him as a 14 year old internet marketing genius who credits his father a lot for his success. We certainly hope however that he is living somewhat of a normal life of a teenager. It is not necessary to take on the adult lifestyle too soon and it is not possible to reclaim your childhood.

One last point, have you all noticed that the successful bloggers are usually those who blog about making money online? Go figure!

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Figures, Fractions, Signs and Symbols are part of the exciting world of mathematics. Some kids dislike math with a passion and this sometimes has to do with a simple fact – the way they have been taught. Maybe it was just one bad experience in elementary school but somehow it served to seal their fate and from then on math was just a bad word.

How about considering these methods as we introduce our kids to the world of mathematics:

1. Be positive about math – Our kids like to imitate us; if we send a negative message to them about our own experiences they may simply accept it and believe their own experiences will be the same. So do not groan about how much you hated math in school and definitely do not make flippant comments like you were lucky you learned to count as that is all that you need in life.

2. Treat math as exciting – Use bright objects to explain basic concepts of addition and subtraction. This is the nice thing about math. It opens you up to a world of opportunities. I used my floor tiles to explain the concept of area. Apples and other colorful fruits can be used to demonstrate addition and subtraction easily. Fractions are better understood when they can be visualized so use their regular picture puzzles to explain fractions – they are pieces of a whole so why not? The same thing applies to pieces of apples and oranges. Flash cards and games also spark interest – some teachers/parents swear by the math smart card games. Download some of the free math worksheets and resources online; some are very creative. I cannot emphasize this enough; the internet has a wealth of fun math resources. In fact I just noticed one by Waltzing Matilda that could be useful. For more ideas Click Here! .

3. Treat math as part of playtime – This is an extension of number 2. This should alert you that you can take math outdoors. As you walk or bike outside you will notice the house numbers on both sides of the street. Use this as an opportunity to explain odd and even numbers. Encourage kids to count their toys – eg.cars, dolls, action figures, lego pieces. Purchase stimulating toys such as puzzles and spatial toys such as shapes and blocks to bring out that interest in geometry. This allows you to integrate math without appearing to be pressuring them to learn. This affords me the opportunity to publicize World Maths Day which takes place the first Wednesday in March. There students of all ages from all over the world go online (it’s free) to play mental math against each other. Last year 287,000 students from 98 countries participated to answer over 38 million questions. This year they hope to break 50 million questions.

4. Treat math as part of their daily lives – Math has practical uses and kids must understand this early on. If they get an allowance they will need to count their money and if they spend any they’ll need to get the right change and understand how much is left over. They are growing and they will love this fact. Let them fill out their own height chart. When they are helping you in the kitchen, let them help you measure the flour to bake cookies. They can also figure out how many slices of pizza each person can get or how many batteries must be used out of the pack. to power their toys. These are just a few simple ideas.

5. Combine math with reading – There are quite a few nice children’s books out there about math and who doesn’t like a deal. Imagine it’s a 2 for 1 deal you are getting, with the opportunity for your kid to enjoy reading and math at the same time. The Sir Cumference series comes to mind with its attractive illustrations and adventures. Less than Zero is another. It gives a good introduction to the concept of negative numbers. Also One Hundred Hungry Ants appeals to kids too. Well who doesn’t love bugs? Check out amazon or barnes and noble online. Read reviews and remember to ensure that the reading level is not more advanced that necessary to get the math concepts across or else that will just take the fun out of it and make your children frustrated.

Sometimes it originates out of your own needs, or it may be that you just have a unique talent or you had too much of the stuff lying about or you were just in the right place at the right time. What is this all about you may be thinking. Well have you ever enjoyed an unusual product or a service and then wondered, why didn’t I think of that? Well here is a catalog of 5 unusual and successful businesses which you just didn’t think of.

1. Toy Rental – If you have two or three young kids, you sure do have lots of toys cluttering your house. Why not rent them out like this mom who formed Baby Plays did? Make sure you test them for lead paint though.
2. College Storage and Shipping – Those of you who study away at school know that right before the summer you have to pack up and move out of your dorms and storage is often a problem. These students formed Boxmydorm to store and/or ship your college stuff comprising anything from fridges to futons.
3. Geese Police – Some golf course and park operators really find that geese can be a nuisance. This former golf course superintendent is now earning six figures as he needed to find something that his border collie could do.
4. Infant Stimulation – When this mom was expecting her first child she became interested in products that would stimulate her baby and Geniusbaby.com was born with gift baskets containing developmental products not the usual lotion and powder.
5. Personalized Chocolates – This lawyer and his interior designer wife bought out a business which provides Hershey candy bars with personalized wrappers with everything from your baby’s birth announcement to for your 16^th birthday chocolate bar all wrapped up with your photo on it.

Parents, teachers, test prep companies and standardized test tutors beware; the College Board is at it again. A recent CNN news article highlights an issue that many do not take seriously as they prepare for the dreaded standardized tests. Many kids either through a test prep company or through friends or otherwise, try to acquire past tests in order to get additional practice. Watch out! This can have dire consequences as the test prep company being sued by College Board has discovered.

The prep company in Dallas was sued for allegedly using the 2007 October PSAT test material as a part if its test prep curriculum. The PSAT or the Preliminary SAT is another of those dreaded standardized tests that so many kids have come to abhor. This test has two benefits though.

1. It is truly a practice test for the SAT reasoning test in that it incorporates actual past SAT questions and;

2. It allows kids to receive a scholarship if they perform at a certain level. In fact the test is actually known as the PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test).

In light of the second benefit some kids really do try to perform well on this test. Quite a few high school counselors encourage the students to take the test both in the October of their sophomore year and the October of their junior year so that they get double the practice The scores obtained in the junior year are the ones which are taken into consideration in deciding whether the student qualifies for National Merit Scholarship recognition. The maximum score in each of the three sections of the test is 80, so the maximum possible score is 240. There is a cutoff score in each state which is set each year and this determines whether a student will get recognition in the National Merit Scholar Program.

Now if you check the College Board website store you will notice that you can buy the most recent PSAT test booklets for $3.00. So some may be wondering, then what is the big deal? The fact of the matter is that even though you may buy the test, the material comprising the test is copyrighted and as such should not be reproduced, copied or replicated without permission of the owner, who in this case is College Board. It means that the widespread photocopying and distribution of standardized tests materials can lead to legal woes.

There is legal authority for the view that some copying and distribution of copyrighted material is allowed to a limited degree if the use of the material is fair. As to whether the use is fair depends on the particular circumstances. Once the use has a commercial characteristic however, it is hardly likely that it will be considered fair.

One might argue that since these tests are being sold by College Board, the questions would be of no future use. Tutors must remember however, that although College Board is a non-profit organization, it is also in the test prep business. It actually offers an official SAT online course for $69.95 so tutors and test prep companies College Board is your competitor. Once again BEWARE as not only could you face lawsuits but your students could experience the unfortunate embarrassment of having their scores cancelled by College Board.

Source: The Brand

There are some kids and parents who simply hate College Board. That is the examination board which manages the SAT, PSAT, AP and other standardized tests which all high school kids must plod through if they hope to make it to college. They are quite sophisticated as they invite kids to set up an account online where they can register for their tests, get questions for the day, sit a practice test and get their scores online. Kids however hate them. These are some of the complaints I have heard from kids.

I hate College Board (CB) because:

1. The SAT is 4 hours long.
2. Imagine I am doing a test that is 4 hours long and one section isn’t even scored and I don’t know which one it is.
3. Who can write a sensible essay in 25 minutes?
4. CB says the scores would be out on the 14^th so why aren’t my scores out yet?
5. My CB score report says I omitted 2 math questions and I know I didn’t.
6. CB charges $50 to hand score my test.
7. CB says that they will hand score my test and get back to me in 3-5 weeks. It is now week 7 and no word from CB.
8. CB says my score is unchanged so now I am out $50.
9. CB sucks I got a lower score than I expected so I paid $50 to hand score my test and now my score has gone up by 100 points.
10. CB sends all my SAT scores to colleges and in my first test I did horribly.

Some of these kids have a point. For example 4 hours is just too long. Ok, it is not quite 4 hours more like 3 hours and 45 minutes but those last 45 minutes must seem real drawn-out. After a while it must take an extra special effort to focus on those trick questions as diminishing returns would have started to set in.

What is quite amusing is that the letters SAT mean nothing. That is right SAT stands for nothing. Some people might think that is quite appropriate but the truth is when it was first administered in 1926, it was called the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Then it lasted under two hours. The test under went several changes over the years including a name change to the Scholastic Assessment test as a result of the view that the test did not really assess a child’s true abilities or indeed intelligence. Now the test is simply known as the SAT Reasoning Test. Some people may argue that it should be called the Stamina Ability Test.

If you are Sick And Tired of the SAT you may consider looking at the ACT which is also a standardized college entrance test but for you SAT and CB haters, the ACT is around 3 hours long if you do not take the writing test. Yes the writing section is optional so far, but even if you do take it, you are allowed to complete it in 30 minutes and that still takes you to under 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Luckily for me my mother has baby, soft skin and I seemed to be blessed with her genes. I do still take steps to protect my skin however. These are the ones I’d recommend:

1. Bathe in tepid instead of hot water. Hot water dries out the skin.
2. Moisturize your skin daily. I use Neutrogena body oil right as I step out of the shower.
3. Use a hydrating lotion on your face. I discovered Immune Perfect which contains vitamin E and melanin and it is excellent. I use it both at morning and at night before bed.
4. Take omega 3 fatty acids everyday – consult your doctor first
5. Drink lots of water
6. Wear a long scarf or a balaclava that can be wound across your lower face when it is windy
7. At night crack the window slightly or use a humidifier to add moisture to the air as you sleep

I have a friend who tells me that in the winter she bathes in the night and then uses Vaseline pure petroleum jelly all over her body. I have never tried it but my son tells me that if his skin is cracked or really dry he uses it to treat the dry skin but he doesn’t use it on his face before heading outside as it leads to darkening of the skin. Yes the sun’s ultraviolet rays are effective in the winter even though it does not feel hot. The snow is very reflective and ultraviolet rays still come through and reflect very well off the snow. So if you are going to be outside for more than twenty minutes you should use sun screen.

Let me remind you about Immune Perfect which is a product under the Frownies brand. I love it because it has no artificial products not even fragrance. It is a cream with a brown, muddy color and watery consistency and it is expensive but it leaves your skin feeling so hydrated. The package describes it as the only product with water soluble melanin developed at Yale school of medicine. All I know is if the winter leaves you with dry, patchy skin and uneven skin tone like it did with my son, this is the product for you.

1. Thermal Underwear - some people call them long johns. The modern ones are now quite light and comfortable and they are found in cotton, polyester, polypropylene or fleece,
   
2. A warm everyday coat - some people swear by down coats which are really warm, others think ski jackets are the way to go and I personally prefer wool jackets. If you are prone to feel cold get the warmest coat you can find,
   
3. Fleece jacket for the milder days (with or without a hood),
   
4. Sweaters/sweatshirts and turtle necks will be everyday wear under your coat and fine for indoors when you remove the coat,
   
5. Waterproof Gloves - I like those with the thinsulate insulation with makes them both warm and easy to move,
   
6. Scarf,
   
7. Hat with ear coverings (if your jacket has no hood),
   
8. Waterproof boots with soles which can handle the icy ground and the soft slushy, melting snow,
   
9. Raincoat with a hood - I prefer these to umbrellas which do not protect you fully when it is windy,
10. Corduroy and jeans are staples for guys and girls,
11. Tights worn over thermals are nice for girls who wish to wear skirts,
12. Lip Balm - though not an item of clothing you should take it with you everywhere to prevent chapped lips.

I was surfing one of my favourite sites last night, that is, collegeconfidential.com which I have already referred to in an earlier post and I found an interesting discussion on helicopter parents.

The term is used to describe parents who hover, like a helicopter, over their kids. They are inclined to do it all for their children and run the risk of failing to allow them to learn to make their own decisions and accept the consequences of their actions. Many of us find it hard to step back when our children complain about teachers, coaches or counselors and before you know it we are on the phone or email airing our feelings and trying to make things right for our children. If we were to stop sometimes and ask the children themselves we could very well learn that they just want someone to listen to them vent. They don’t always want us to do anything but listen and perhaps sympathize. Sometimes they may even ask for and follow our advice.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is in no way advocating a hands-off approach to child rearing but as in so many things, it is necessary to strike a balance. Indeed when we see the horror stories like the recent shootings at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and Virginia Tech, we feel justified in keeping in touch with our kids via phone, email, IM and wearing our protective hat. But that is just it, we only need to wear a hat not a full suit of armor in which to smother our children.

Some of us feel that when we were kids our environment was a lot less dangerous and the prudence we show today was not so crucial back then. While that may be true we need to wear our protective hat in a sensible way by teaching our kids to be responsible for their lives, by giving them chores, letting them get involved in a activities outside the home, making decisions about their courses at school and yes dispensing punishment and/or allowing them to be penalized for their irresponsible actions.

This reminds me to give you a heads up on a blog for parents who are considering taking their kids to daycare or who want to go into their own business of providing daycare (See post below). The blog, daycaresdish.com discusses a range of topics from how to set up a contract for daycare, what to look for when visiting potential daycare to the pros and cons of different types of daycare centres. So check it out.

Before you go, take the quiz referred to on collegeconfidential to see if you are a helicopter parent. This one is linked to the college application process.

Do you search college websites for your child? YES or NO
Do you have a strong influence over the courses your child takes? YES or NO
Do you play the lead role in planning your child's activities? YES or NO
Are you planning to prepare your child for campus interviews? YES or NO
Do you plan on directly contacting faculty or coaches? YES or NO
Do you review the publications colleges send to your child? YES or NO
Are you planning to write your child's application essays? YES or NO
Do you meet with the high school counselor without your child present? YES or NO
Have you helped your child find a job? YES or NO

If you answered YES to more than half of these questions … you are hovering and may jeopardize your child from growing into a self-sufficient adult.

Gosh one of the things I have to keep reminding myself about is the mantra of the blog experts and moguls: traffic, traffic, traffic. So I have found myself exploring some sites which claim to give advice in this regard. One such site is RSS Hugger. The background colour is black with orange text. The site and the name are pretty cool. The whole point of it though is to encourage bloggers. They actually promote blogs for free if the blogger reviews their site. So you see the justification for this post.

One of the nifty things about the site is that it contains a list of new feeds and the top 100 feeds. Some of the topics are pretty unique and this adds to the hugger’s environment as a place for bloggers and regular surfers to just hang out. It is highly recommended.

Yesterday a high school classmate of mine called to tell me that her daughter had had been accepted to boarding school in the USA. When my son considered applying to boarding school some years ago, I had no idea what the process involved and I contacted friends, consultants, discussion forums and boarders themselves to educate myself about the process and the advantages/disadvantages of boarding school itself.

One surprising fact I discovered was the sheer volume of boarding schools throughout the United States. There seem to be hundreds. Therefore it is important to know what you and your child are looking for in choosing a school. Boardingschoolreview.com lists a wide range of schools of various categories including single sex, coed, military and so on. Another source of information is the TABS website. The Association of Boarding Schools has a membership of approximately 300 boarding schools comprising schools not only in the US but also Canada, England, Switzerland and even Jordan.

Most of the schools will have a website from which you can source more information and contact admission personnel who can answer your questions directly. The schools are usually very willing to send catalogues and other instructive materials. One important question you should ask is about their application requirements, especially testing such as the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) or the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) . Both tests are approximately 3 hours long so preparation is necessary. Order or download the study guides available from these sites. Also Amazon.com has reviews of several prep books for these tests. If your child is going to sit the exam he must be familiar with the types of questions he is likely to face. It is important too that he develops test taking strategies as they pertain to time management and question choices or even question omission as points are deducted in these tests for wrong answers. If you can afford it, get a reputable tutor to guide your child with the practice tests.

Of course, the outcome of the standardized test is not the only basis for admission to these schools. Therefore please do not harangue your child if he did not score in the 99^th percentile. The selection process is not predicated solely on academics and the result is definitely unpredictable.

The following are all taken into consideration:

1. The application itself,
2. The school transcript,
3. Recommendations from certain teachers,
4. Feedback from interviews conducted (sometimes these are done via telephone)
5. Test scores

In other words the test is but one element to be considered and believe it or not, there will be cases where a child who scores in the 99^th percentile, is not admitted. It is important that your child be himself in his application and let the school admission officers get a genuine feel of who he is and why they should want him to be a part of their school.

Discussion forums like collegeconfidential.com were very helpful in contributing to my understanding of the experiences of applicants, successful and unsuccessful alike. Many participants there highlight the importance of visiting schools to determine their suitability. For international students this may not be an option, but interestingly many schools actually invite successful international applicants to visit before they indicate their acceptance. Yes, many of these schools are well endowed and they pay travel and other expenses for this purpose as they are keen to ensure that their school population is diverse.

This brings me to a final word on tests. Remember if you are a foreigner and English is not your first language then the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) will be required.

The question of cost of attendance to these schools is itself a biggie and of course a major topic by itself. All I will say here is that many of the schools do offer financial aid and their policies in this regard are best determined by contacting the schools.

It is in my view very important for parents to spend time with their kids especially in their early years. Indeed those are the years when kids enjoy being around moms and dads who are not yet deemed “uncool” and when they ask us every question under the sun and when our own questions will be answered sometimes in the funniest of ways not just with the monosyllabic “yes” or “no” response. So it is a period in our children’s lives which we should enjoy.

Leaving an infant and returning to work is tough for parents; and even for parents with older kids the notion of day care or after school care is unpleasant. In many cases if there is no family member willing or able to become the child’s caregiver while mom and dad are away at work, the costs of ensuring that the child is looked after can be quite significant. Indeed some friends have told me that it often makes sense to give up the salary of one income earner and have that person stay at home as in the long run the salary will be consumed by child care costs anyway.

One of the reasons the idea of working at home is so attractive to parents is that it allows them the time and freedom to be available for their children and family in general. That it would also add to the family income is a huge bonus. The fact of the matter however - as every serious analysis of work at home businesses will attest - the internet now facilitates the quick and easy start ups of business but it does not guarantee success. Indeed the work at home scams appear to be more widely available than legitimate work at home businesses. So beware!!

There have been stories however of moms and dads who have prevailed in the work at home world and in all cases they have demonstrated that it takes hard work and perseverance. Sometimes there is a bit of luck too but one thing comes across loud and clear: if you have a passion you can turn it into a dream job.

One such story which was reported by Isabel Isidro is that of the creative Charlotte Fowkes who upon receiving her pink slip parlayed her passion for arranging baby products decoratively to look like cakes into a wholesale and retail online business. Yes you heard it right here, she makes diaper cakes.

Another example is that of Monique Howat of Canada who enjoyed inspiring people and turned that into her Confident Girls business, an award winning new business in Ontario, Canada. The business has continued to grow and has become a successful youth motivational program.

This is not only an option for women but there are now dads, retired persons and even teens who have turned their passions into successful businesses. Yes teens are successful entrepreneurs too. If you have ever used or seen Jojoba All Natural Hair Oil you may not have known that it was created by thirteen year old, Jasmine Lawrence. I guess this CEOmum can call them CEOkids.

If you are considering marketing your hobby as a business, remember these three little tips:

1. Believe in yourself as there will likely be some tough times and you will need to be confident to get through those times,
2. Enjoy yourself, remember it is your passion. If you lose that then you may lose the business,
3. Be willing to ask for help when you feel that you are in over your head. Businesses require all kinds of expertise including financial, marketing and perhaps internet experience.

Source: The Wall Street Journal Online

A number of persons have enquired about my entry into the world of blog writing and whether I knew much about the internet before I got going. Most of them have asked because like me they do not find their office jobs that fulfilling and they would like to find something else to do which perhaps could earn them some extra money or could just allow them to find an outlet to express their passion.

Well firstly I never knew how to get started as I had no idea how to create a website and didn’t want to start out by investing money in employing a web hosting service but of course my teenage son knew about the free blog provided by Google's Blogger and guided me in the setting up process. Secondly, most of what I learned about the internet I gleaned from reading articles, discussion boards and help sites online. To be honest, prior to blogging I was quite competent at web surfing, using email, creating hyperlinks and joining affiliate programs etc. Since I knew very little about programming however and given that my mind would wander when faced with high tech jargon I knew I had to do a crash course in familiarizing myself with the language of the internet.

I quickly tapped into the rich resourceful websites available online. I learned about search engine optimization often referred to as SEO, inserting meta tags and creating sitemaps so that search engines like Google and Yahoo could locate my sites and I came across the websites of some noteworthy bloggers such as Steve Pavlina and John Chow.

Pavlina states that he launched his blog on Oct 1st, 2004. By April 2005 it was averaging $4.12/day in income. Now it brings in over $1000/day (updated as of 10/29/06). Chow who dubs himself the dot com mogul boasts that while in the first month his site made $352.94 in its first month as a moneymaking blog, it was earning him $8,545.25 six months later.

You should be careful that you don’t get too excited about this as both these bloggers have pointed out that it took hard work to achieve this. In fact Chow has suffered because it seems that he has flouted Google’s policy, so they lowered his site rank. To get persons to visit his site he engaged in a heavy advertising campaign in which he linked to those sites which reviewed his blog, charged $400.00 to review the sites of others and horrors of horrors he charged to have something called no-follow tags removed from users’ blogs. No follow tags were created by Google. These in the ordinary meaning of the words are tags which are labels or markers to tell the search engine not to follow the link. So in the case where someone links to your blog with the no-follow tag, the search engine will not count links to that site and so the links will not serve to improve your page rank. Since this is a Google blogging platform, no-follow tags are added by default.

Both Pavlina and Chow have their own websites. Pavlina discourages the use of free blogging sites like Google’s blogger to make serious money as he says you do not have enough control. Yet Court points out in his warning to them “Not a single one of the sponsored links found on [their] ..sites has a ‘no follow’ tag.” By inviting the public to pay to remove the tag Chow seems to go too far, as by following the links users' sites may gain higher ranking than those complying with Google’s policy.

One can’t help but smile at Cho’s chutzpah though. At first I was a bit shocked at the in your face advertising on his site, there a huge blocks of ads everywhere. Then I became intrigued as I noticed most ads had dollar signs and the words “money” or “free”. I downloaded his free report on making money with google adsense and found the tips quite useful. What is most interesting is that he is promoting Google’s advertising site while being punished by them. He is obviously an entertaining character who enjoys life and good food as revealed by his commentary on his dining experiences.

Since I have now only written three articles so far on this blog which I started this month, I am obviously a newbie but I have learned quite a bit in the two days I have been looking at Steve and John’s site. Chow’s recent blog income report is mind boggling with his earning for the month of January 2008 totaling over $30,000.00; but in both cases they are brutally frank that very, very few online entrepreneurs gain significant income from their sites. In fact the figures they quote are between 1 and 2 %. This is not comforting.

I got started writing this blog for a number of reasons:

1. I enjoy writing
2. I wanted to test whether I could make any income from writing
3. I have lots of ideas to share and hope these could perhaps help readers
4. I wanted to learn more about e-commerce and the internet as a whole

Hopefully I will become a part of the small percentage and earn some good money but if not I will still enjoy writing, sharing and learning and in so doing invite some of you to start blogging too.

A friend of mine recently asked me whether I knew of any books that she could buy to teach her kids to read. I found an old phonetics book that I had used to teach my son and which I don’t think is any longer in print. She specifically wanted a book as opposed to cd, dvd or other technological means. She wanted her kids to learn to read from a book because she said she wanted them to learn to love books and she felt that she could and should supplement what the teacher was doing in class.

I have no problem with the new popular learn to read software and other products which are now in vogue but I do think that my friend has a point. Those of us who used the old fashioned phonetics books with their rat, cat and bat starter words really interacted with our kids as we helped them to identify and pronounce short I’s and long A’s. The fact of the matter is however that the world has gone tech and like it or not our kids will have to function in a technologically oriented world. This begs the question whether books will become obsolete. I personally don’t think so. There is something about reading a new hard cover book which is very comforting. Also sitting on the plane or train with a paperback makes the time fly and the journey seem shorter. And who doesn’t like to see a study or even a book shelf stacked with beautiful books?

Here are some methods which I used and which could assist your kids to enjoy reading:

1. Read. Kids like to imitate their parents. If your kids see you reading regularly they will become curious and want to be able to read too.
2. Acquire lots of books. You can join a book club so that you can purchase them cheaper or buy from the bargain section of the book store. Kids like variety especially when the books are a part of a series. Read the stories first because kids love stories they will enjoy. If the books are dull and boring the kids will resist.
3. Join the library and take your child and sign him or her up too. He or she will enjoy returning the books and choosing new ones.
4. For kids just learning to read, buy a pack of alphabet letters and designate a letter for each day then have them identify objects they see throughout the day starting with the specified letter. X days and Z days can be tricky but not impossible.
5. Buy books that contain word puzzles such as find a word, unscramble the word or simple crosswords.
6. Buy books that are packaged with cds. This allows those parents who have hang-ups about technology outpacing basic book reading, to merge the two. Also it helps kids a lot to recognize whole words by sight when the books are read out loud on the cd player while they are reading too. In addition it helps us to rest our voices and protect our throats. Sometimes reading aloud leads to hoarseness.
7. Buy the dvd or take you kids to the movie about a book he has already read. Movies are not to be seen as an alternative to reading, rather they are to be treated as supplemental. The movie brings the book to life and often the kids will want to read the book over and over again.

We must get involved in our children's lives. Our main role ought to be that of an inspirer, guiding and motivating, not an enforcer, pressuring and compelling. This is consistent with my CEOmum premise.

I decided to name this blog CEOmum after I had a discussion with my teenage son. He informed me that I am his CEO in charge of his overall life with responsibility for the executive matters and all things financial and legislative. While I agreed to an extent, I also uttered the usual platitudes pointing out for example the need for him to become more organized and to start taking responsibility for his decisions and ultimately his life. Then I got to thinking about the role we play as mothers.

Even in this so called liberal age we moms are often bearing the load of multiple jobs. We do our nine to five job, come home make dinner, check that home work is done, do laundry, listen to complaints or maybe just concerns about school, friends, extra curricular activities, SAT's, college plans etc. This often leaves us exhausted and I ask myself do we always have to be supermom? If we want our kids to become responsible adults, isn't it up to us to demonstrate to them that we can also manage our time responsibly? Five ways to address this are set out below:

1. Insist that the dads chip in. We are often to blame for allowing them to come home from their nine to five jobs, eat dinner, watch tv and generally relax while we keep working until bedtime.
2. For those of us who are single parents, we may need to exercise our talents a bit more. We may need to get our kids actively involved in taking on more chores. Cleaning their rooms, doing laundry, making light meals are not too difficult for teens and doing these on specified days every week can help them to learn how easy being organized can make their lives.
3. Have a family dinner at least three times per week where you arrange beforehand that the family will discuss issues that concern them or events that have an impact on each person's life.
4. Invest in a planner for your child. Some huge desk planners are available at book stores. I have found the huge desk pads to be more effective that the book/diary types. Encourage them to write down important events including the chores referred to above and homework deadlines and let them be responsible for meeting deadlines.
5. When your child asks for help, do not help by doing, help by asking. Ask questions that will help him or her to come up with ideas to resolve the problem.