Secrets to Success for a Tot's Birthday Party

I love throwing birthday parties for my child. But, it's a lot of work. There is so much to consider, including the entertainment, arts and crafts, food, invitations, party themes, take home gifts — the list goes on.

This year, I organized a double party bash for my child and her best friend at a child's gym in the area. The experience at the gym seemed to engage children and adults alike. But it was a lot of work.

When planning parties for tikes, especially those 6 years and under, there’s a lot to consider to create a successful soiree. Jennifer Shields, owner of Atlanta-based Posh Tot Events, offers several tips to make your next birthday bash a success.

• Time Frame. According to Shields, a lot of parents plan the party for a three-hour time frame, which she thinks is too long. “The best allocation for a party for 6 to 7 years old and under is 90 minutes,” she says.
• Consider Nap Schedules. “If you are throwing a party for 1 to 3 year olds, it’s imperative to consider the nap schedule, which is about 1 p.m.,” she said. “Have you ever been around a child who is approaching their nap time?”
• Activities that Engage. “You’ve got to make sure there are enough activities, like games or arts and crafts to engage the children and, most importantly, put someone in charge,” Shields said. She recommended a relative. “I prefer arts and crafts over games, though,” she said, because games are hit and miss, but shy and outgoing children alike love arts and crafts.
• Food for Feasting. “You’ll want to feed them,” she said. “But, if it’s a mealtime party, it’s got to go beyond the typical cupcakes and lemonade.”
• Planning Makes Perfect. “Planning ahead is critical,” Shields said. “There is simply nothing more stressful that your guests arriving and the party not being set up properly.”

I’m excited to consider these tips for a party planning pro for the next birthday event. Do you have any favorite tips to share?

Professional Drummers Play and Offer Tips at Annual Workshop

d drum enthusiasts from across the area, Drumstock Spring Session 2011, organized by drummer Brad Kimes, was a resounding and reverberating success at Cypress Creek Marina.

Over 50 folks of all ages found their way to one of the marina’s ideally suited buildings on Saturday to take in a variety of networking and interactive drum sessions with percussion instruments of all shapes and sizes.

The Wood Family of Crofton brought son Mitchell along with fellow drummer pal Matthew Bauckman to gain some insight from the professionals. Both boys, students at Crofton Middle School, have full drum sets and nicely insulated basements where they like to make a little noise.

The family was enthused with the depth of experience and knowledge that was offered to kids and adults alike at this free session where food was shared and friendships were made.

The crowd swayed to the rhythms of conga player Mark Merella. Benjamin Cowan, Parliament Funkadelic drummer (who often accompanies well-known artist George Clinton), did his drumming thing for the eager crowd tapping their toes.

Talent after talent took to the drums. Cowan followed studio drummer, Nucleo Vega, who offered his top-notch instruction materials for sale to the audience. Tips from Vega’s books, touted by Drum! magazine as among the best of the best, were put into play and relished by all. Check him out at www.nucleovega.com.

Baltimore professional drummer, Brian Rodgers, was down for the day with friends and family, including grandson David Byrd, a student at Sudbury Magnet School and a member of the school’s Jazz band. “I play drums, piano and do a little singing, too,” he said.

Drumstock’s question-and-answer session reiterated that Cowan and other professional drummers “got good” not just because they “kept on doing chops all day long.” He said for him, becoming a good drummer is about “finding your groove, moving that body to build up muscle memory, and pleasing the other members of the group you are playing with at the time."

Successful drum playing is much more than tap, tap tapping on the skins. It’s really a combination of music for the whole band, complementing the other instruments and knowing when too much is too much. It can be a fine line.

Music business expert, Nick Costa, closed out the pre-jam session with some food for thought for the wanna-be performers and to those already in the drum world looking to be hired handily for those hot gigs: “If you can’t do it with a smile, someone else will.” And, “You can be the baddest guy in town or the busiest guy in town.”

Finding your fit and fitting in were important tips, above and beyond handling the drumsticks and cymbals like a pro.

Event for women coming to town

A day of professional enrichment, "retail therapy" and delicious food await ticket holders to the 11th annual Conference for Women on April 20.

It will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose Events Center.

Jan Hargrave, an expert in reading body language, will be the keynote speaker. The popular speaker, educator and author will reveal the "hidden messages" used in everyday life. She will also demonstrate how to detect deception and reveal the truth in any conversation.

Hargrave has taught nonverbal communication to employees of Lockheed Martin, Merrill Lynch, Starbucks and other major corporations.

Wichitan Gail Cunningham will open the day's seminar sessions with "10 Success Secrets for Women," tips and tools to achieve professional and personal success.

Other sessions include:

■ "Get a Grip! Time Management for Work and Home." Nancy Marks will help others discover practical methods for getting things done at work and home.

■ "Stress and Strife or a Peace-Filled Life." Educator and therapist Susan Rogers will focus on awareness of stressors, acceptance of limitations and practical tools to attain peace of mind in a more meaningful lifestyle.

■ "Learning to Invest With Confidence." Northwestern Mutual Financial Network representative Debi Walters will provide educational information on making secure investment decisions even in today's challenging market.

■ "Silently Successful in a Multicultural World." Donnie Kirk will show participants how the various cultural groups to which they belong make unique contributions to their success.

■ "Stay Alive Self-Protection Course for Women." Martial arts expert Harley Elmore will focus on the realities of self-defense and demonstrate 10 simple things women can do to reduce their chances of being attacked.

■ "There's an App for That!" L.O. Nelson will cover cellphone applications useful to the business environment, plus hardware and personal applications. The presentation is useful and entertaining for anyone with a smartphone or tablet computer.

■ "Death, Divorce and Other Delightful Discussions." Cyndi Schenk and Leann Haines will address legal matters such as wills, probate, family and criminal law, inheritance, separate property and community property.

■ "English: Damaged Beyond Repair?" Author and educator Dave Rankin will address common misunderstandings about "correctness" in language and how problems can be remedied.

■ "B

Bloggers still composing a story of tweet success, 140 characters at a time

Five years ago today, Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey introduced his creation this way: "just setting up my twttr."

The first comment by Alexander Graham Bell on the telephone - "Mr. Watson, come here; I want you" - wasn't exactly profound, either.

Last month, Twitter laid claim to almost 200 million accounts.

You needn't be intimidated, though, if the ins and outs of the "micro-blogging" service remain lost on you.

According to one survey, 22.5 percent of Twitter users account for 90 percent of the activity. In other words: Even those who have signed up aren't necessarily wedded to the Twitter-verse - at least not yet.

Twitter, originally created as a social-media tool, serves more purposes than one could describe in 140 characters (the maximum for a tweet).

"People can use Twitter to build relationships with clients, get the word out about their products or connect with other Buckeye fans," said Debra Jasper, director of the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State University.

"I follow some of the smartest people in the social-media arena, for example, and they help me stay informed about the latest happenings in my field. It's like having a tremendously talented research team."

Media Invite: Entrepreneurs Share Tips for Success with Students at SIE Summit

ther leading entrepreneurs will address hundreds of Scottish university students at an event to inspire and encourage them to start their own businesses.

The serial entrepreneur will be the keynote speaker at the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) annual student summit at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow on Thursday. Sir Tom will be joined on the podium by Mick Jackson, founder of social enterprise firm WildHearts, Oli Norman of PR and events firm, DaDa, Joanne McLeod of Brewhaha Tea, and Gillian O’Neil of moviecom.tv. Students will also hear from a panel of recent graduates who have gone on to successfully run their own businesses.

Winners of the SIE New Ideas and New Ventures Competition will also be revealed on the day, with over £10,000 worth of prize money and in kind professional business support being awarded.

Date: Thursday 24^th March 2011

Time: 1130hrs – 1700hrs

Venue: The Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

Media Opportunity: Photography and interviews are available between 9am and 1130hrs and between 2pm and 2.45pmand after 5pm. Additional opportunities can be arranged by request.

Please contact Jen Nash (see contact details below) in advance to confirm your

interest in attending or for further information.

A news release and photography will be available on the day.

Established in 1999, the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) aims to foster a culture of entrepreneurship among students in Scottish universities by equipping them with the enterprise skills, and providing the support and resources for students to start up and grow their own business or social enterprise.

Core values, clear vision key to success

Lee Ann Piano of Noteworthy Training Inc. runs a group of local women through Assertiveness Boot Camp during a Women in Business luncheon at Downtown Soiree, Princeton.

NewsTribune photo/Lindsay Vaugh

PRINCETON — Assertiveness isn’t about what you do, it’s about who you are. Lee Ann Piano of Noteworthy Training Inc. shared tips for building self-esteem, communicating effectively and laying a foundation for a more effective life during a Women in Business luncheon Friday held by Princeton Chamber of Commerce.
“It really boils down to habits,” Piano said. “Where you are in your life is really determined by the habits that you have formed, so if there’s something in your life that is not working, you have to trace back and figure out, ‘OK, what is the habit that I need to change?’”
Piano encouraged the women to identify a set of core values — like faith, integrity and compassion — and personal principles, or examples of how to demonstrate those values. Each woman must have a clear vision of who she is and where she wants to go in life to be assertive.
Many people get bogged down by “stinking thinking” like making excuses and negative statements about one’s self.
To break this habit and increase their self-esteem and confidence, Piano encouraged the women to picture their success, practice positive internal dialogue and realize the power of words.
Assertiveness is not aggressiveness, Piano emphasized.
“It’s the middle ground between being a bully and being a doormat,” she said.
“This is what ‘I’ think. This is how ‘I’ feel. This is how ‘I’ see the situation. It’s a lot of ‘I’ language. It’s not ‘You should..,’ ‘You have to..,’ ‘You’re always..,’ ‘You,’ ‘You,’ ‘You.’”

Tips for Building Midmarket Mobile Apps

Mobile business applications are becoming a tool that's critical to the success of midmarket companies, but it's crucial that they contain information that makes them more useful.

To do that, companies are building what's called "context information" into their B2B and customer-facing mobile apps. By context information, we mean adding details such as the user's identity (who you are); your environment (where you are and the device you use); your activity (things you do and what you allow); and your community (whom you communicate with).

For example, legal firms have much unstructured data in word processing documents, email, presentations, spreadsheets, etc. A legal firm that built or purchased software to pull context information into a mobile app could give its lawyers an easier time locating relevant content, whether the lawyers were in court or with a client offsite.

In the spirit of helping midmarket firms build better apps, Gartner Inc. research VP Gene Alvarez has supplied tips that should help companies design better overall mobile applications:

1. Make user profile creation simple. Alvarez suggests building mobile applications that allow end-users to create and modify their profiles at any point of contact and avoid requiring the users to sign up on a separate Website before they can use the mobile software.
2. Know your device. Assuming all devices are created equal or that all networks have equal capacity is dangerous. Surprisingly, some applications ignore basic mobile development best-practices. The apps may require a WiFi connection, for instance, or require a download of files larger than 10 megabytes. Shocking!
3. Ask for community participation. Customers do not want to give up control or privacy. So asking permission before connecting their communities is important, Alvarez says. This is one of the reasons for the increase of the "check-in" model, where the user has to explicitly locate himself or herself in a particular venue before information is transmitted to other people in that person's network.
4. Don't be a nuisance. Organizations need to strike a delicate balance between using enough context information and just plain being annoying. Mobile apps should include controls so users are not bombarded by requests to update, Alvarez suggests.
5. Avoid information duplication. Don't repeat information and sources that are already available. Many organizations think that simply making their applications location-aware qualifies them as context-enriched commerce, but simple location awareness does little to increase customer engagement, Alvarez says.
6. Stay on one platform. Don't require the user to go to more than one interface to complete a transaction such as entering credit card information or changing profile settings. Forcing users to finish on a Website instead of the app they were already on is frustrating.
7. Anticipate users' needs. Avoid just waiting for customers to tell you what they want. Have at least some information about the end user, and use it to improve applications based on that user's preferences and history of interactions.

Finally, it's important to remember that customers will react differently to context-enriched mobile applications, so CIOs should track how customers respond and make changes accordingly.

"You will find out what your users like and don't like about the way you have used context information to improve their experience," Alvarez says, "and you can incorporate those findings into your development plans."