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Written by Nez
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Wednesday, 12 March 2008 |
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When first formulating what I planned to do, I started to really
look around at what would be a good fit. I'm a part of quite a few
charities, but I wanted to pick something for A Dent In The Universe
that really felt like a custom made fit. And I've found it.
Actually,
when I say found it, I already knew it existed but I guess I didn't
really quite appreciate what it fully was. It took Oprah to bring it to
my attention. I'm not a regular Oprah viewer, but I was interested in a
show recently as it featured ex-president Bill Clinton. The focus of
the program was on giving (as that's the name of Bill's book) and it
featured a range of people all giving in extraordinary ways. Two of
those people were Matt and Jessica Flannery who founded Kiva.
In
case you haven't heard of it before, what Kiva does is provide a
framework for people to lend money, termed microloans due to the
general size of the loans, to entrepreneurs in the developing world.
It's a brilliant concept and one that I think is a perfect fit. Here's
a graph of the loan cycle borrowed from the Kiva website:
What
I love about this is the concept of having the money repaid by the
borrower, and that's where the clincher is in this for me. I don't want
to take the money back out of my Kiva account ever. I want this to
snowball. Every time I make a sale or generate some form of revenue
from this site, 10% goes straight into my Kiva account, and it never
comes back to me. I want it to grow exponentially. Think of it as a
reverse compound interest. The money I put in gets used, put back, then
used again. Perfect!
Find out more about Kiva by clicking on the banner ad above. Kiva is an incredible organisation, and one that I'm proudly supporting.
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Written by Nez
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Tuesday, 11 March 2008 |
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The Dent officially moves on to its next evolution today. Coming in
the next few weeks will be a lot more information on the charity I’ve
chosen for the site and the reasons for choosing it. As you’ll be able
to read in the “About the Site” link above, a Dent in the Universe is
going in a new direction for a variety of reasons.
Below is a copy of that link, to save you from clicking away from this post.
I’ve been actively working in the internet marketing field for years
now. I ran a site called Gooey Technology for many of those years, and
this site for around 3 years. As well as a list of many, many niche
sites.
This site, a Dent in the Universe, was originally created as a
portal for a small group of internet marketers. We began as a group
doing the 30 Day Challenge, and we all still actively participate in
the forum to this day.
2008 is the year of new directions, and a Dent in the Universe is
key to that direction. First off, the site will now be my home on the
internet, combining my blog and the community forum.
Secondly, and more importantly, I’ve decided it’s time for the site
to live up to its name. I’m a very big believer in giving back, having
been a volunteer in various charities and as well as donating to many
over the years.
My plan for a Dent in the Universe is this, 10% of everything I make
through this site will go to charity. Internet marketing has been good
to me, and it’s time for me to share.
10% of every sale of a product, 10% of every affiliate commission,
10% of every bit of advertising revenue. To me, that’s what a Dent in
the Universe is.
More to come.
The site, aside from the philanthropy leanings, will still be about
internet marketing, marketing in general, the latest in technology,
with the odd from left field post here and there.
Also coming will be lots of tweaks and additions to the site. Stay tuned!
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Written by Nez
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Sunday, 20 January 2008 |
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When I got into this internet marketing game a few years ago, 2 of the
first people I stumbled upon (there's a catchy name), were Ed Dale and
Frank Kern with their Underachiever system. I thought these 2 guys were
the key to my success. Quite a few years later, I'm working for myself
and life is good.
Sadly, today I discovered it was all a sham and that they'd stolen
their idea from someone else. Don't believe me, take a look at the
video below and see if I'm right. And Ed and Frank, if you see this,
it's like looking in a mirror isn't it?
By the way, this is my very last post to Gooey Technology. I'm moving my blog over to A Dent In The Universe
and turning Gooey Technology into my web design business. Please come
on over to the Dent and check it out. I currently have an internet
marketing forum set up over there, and I'll be adding my blog to it
soon.
Thanks to Lisa Hartwell for the video.
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Written by Nez
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Friday, 14 December 2007 |
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Well. I've finally done it. I've taken that leap that many don't understand, and I've walked away from my teaching career.
I've
had a very emotional week, but most of the emotions haven't been mine.
For some reason I haven't quite fathomed yet, I've remained fairly
relaxed throughout the whole time. It's hit me this weekend a little,
but on the whole I've just coasted through the week. I'm sure it will
hit me though.
I've had tears at school this week from both
children and adults. The kids have really been so wonderful to me this
week and made me incredibly humbled. And I've had parents all week
coming to see me to tell me what a difference I've made. I really do
feel quite honoured to have people feel so kindly towards me. I know
that I connected with the kids in my classes over the years, but the
last three in particular have really been special. I've seen first hand
the difference I've made to children under my care, and it's made me
realise that my unorthodox way of doing things was really the right
way. I know that my teaching style wasn't for everybody, but I now
realise that the everybody was only ever adults. I've taught in a way I thought was right, and I've taught what I thought was right. And both things are very different to what is supposed to be right.
But
I don't care. I know that in the long run, most of the children I did
teach have taken things away from their time with me that they won't
get in the rest of their school lives. There was a LOT of sillyness, a
lot of laughing, a lot of spontaneous learning and a lot of things I
just wasn't supposed to be teaching. I still covered the
basics, I just put my spin on everything I did. At the end of the day
though, it could never last. I'm so glad that I could make the impact
that I did, but I know that I would always be restricted by what I see
as an education system that is severely out of touch.
So now a new chapter opens.
I've
spent the last 4 years or so running various businesses online part
time. I currently have 4 businesses in different fields (not niches,
fields) that I'm running part time, and now it's time to go full time.
It's time to get serious and time to make each business really work for
me. I've worked very hard to get to this point, and now I'm ready for
it to pay off. My goal for 2008 is to have each of the 4 businesses
outdo my annual teaching income.
So that's annual teaching income x4. A big goal yes, but I figure why not.
The
first step in this is to make Gooey Technology perform the job it was
created for, and only that job. Gooey Technology is my web designing
business, so I plan on moving this blog to a new domain in the next
week and redesign this site for it's intended purpose, and set the blog
up elsewhere.
So watch this space.
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Written by Nez
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Thursday, 22 November 2007 |
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I posted this video a couple of months ago, but with my last day of
school fast approaching I think it bears a reviewing. Many more people
are now aware of my imminent departure, and I'm asked the same question
over and over again, "Why are you leaving?" Most people have asked out
of curiousity, some (which has been ego boosting) have been quite upset
I'm going, and still a few think I'm being irresponsible. But not as
many as a while ago.
Anyway, I'd started telling people to go to
my site and look for the video below, as that explains my reasons in a
far more eloquent fashion than I ever could. The problem there though,
is that many of my friends, family and colleagues aren't particularly
web savvy (which is fine), and couldn't find the post with the video.
So here it is. If you're one of the people asking me the question "Why
am I leaving?", here's your answer. Plus the guy is just hilarious too.
Here's a link to the original post if you'd like to read it, Click Here
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Written by Nez
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Monday, 01 October 2007 |
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For a while now, at least since I announced my decision to spread
my wings and leave teaching at the end of the year, I've been asked why
I'm walking away from my teaching career.
Many people have
asked expecting a variety of answers. A few have even been annoyed at
me. I've had a range of opinions too. A lot of people have suggested
it's all about the money. Some have suggested it's all about the
freedom. And while both of these groups are right in their own way,
there's a larger factor at play that I really need to explain.
I've
been taken to task in the last few days, that I'm being irresponisble
by leaving my teaching career. I've also been accused about not caring
for the welfare of the students in class. What the...?
It's
quite simple. I love many aspects about teaching. I only teach the
lower grades (6 to 10 year olds), and I really enjoy being around the
kids all day, sharing in their excitement about the world around them,
and helping them see and appreciate aspects of the world that would
otherwise be unknown to them. I love that moment when you see in their
eyes that something has just clicked for them. And I love watching them
grow as individuals. But I just can't do it anymore. The system that
controls what I'm supposed to teach is broken and not in touch with the
real world. Of course kids need to learn the basics, and of course
there's a place for it, but it shouldn't be the focus.
I
could have walked away months ago, I don't need to be there anymore.
But I chose to see out the school year so my kids would have the same
teacher until the end of the year. Tell me how that's irresponsible. I
wont lie, I'm going to be very sad when I leave on that last day
knowing I wont see those kids again, as I really do care about them.
But in essence that's my problem. I'm so angry and frustrated by the
state of education that I need to walk away. I never really thought of
myself as a typical teacher anyway, more of a maveric who did his own
thing based on what I thought the kids needed, not based on what they
were 'supposed' to be learning. I've always been more about fun, about
being creative, and being an individual. I don't think any students of
mine over the years have suffered from that approach, quite the
contrary.
So I've been trying to find the words to explain my
feelings more succinctly, and today, I was shown the video below. It's
perfect. All my feelings, thoughts, anxieties and opinions, all rolled
up into an insightful and humourous 20 minute talk. Please watch it. If
you do you'll know exactly where I'm coming from and why I need to move
on.
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Written by Nez
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Sunday, 26 August 2007 |
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I swear that's exactly what's happening. Somehow Bill Gates knows I'm
leaving the fold. I've been a blind follower for years, ever since the
early DOS days.
I've toiled, I've perservered, I've seethed, and
all the while I've championed the cause of all things Windows based.
The blue screen of death became like a life long friend, one who I
thought would be with me forever.
But slowly, in the last 12
months, a new seed was planted that slowly grew until I could ignore it
no longer. First came the tantalising reality of a computer with both
XP and OSX. Then came the slow realisation that the tools on the Mac
were better for my online business.
So I made the decision. I
would buy a Mac. Not just any Mac. A MacBook Pro with a hi-def 17"
screen. And in 2 more sleeps it arrives.
But that's not what this
story is about. Oh no, this is about Bill. He's watching me, I know he
is. He knows I'm leaving him and he's pissed. Ever since the day I made
the conscious choice to get a Mac, Bill's been performing his voodoo
magic on my pc. The day after I made my decision I got my first B.O.D
for months. Then the video card died. Then the onboard soundcard
failed. Then the power supply died. And the list goes on. The B.O.D has
become my daily companion and today was the final insult. I watched my
pc die in front of me. It's dead. My faithful friend of the last 4
years is no more. And it's all Bill's fault.
He's been sending
out his voodoo magic through his software and slowly killing my pc, to
teach me a lesson. But it's backfired. I now see how flawed my system
was, how vulnerable it was to crashes and hardware problems. It's just
made me salivate more for the MacBook Pro winging it's way to me. I
know it's all going to work perfectly. The hardware and software comes
from one company, so simple, so sensible. Why did I wait this long?
Goodbye Bill. Your voodoo can't reach me anymore.
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Written by Nez
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Thursday, 23 August 2007 |
 Now
I'm in no way suggesting that the problem I'm about to tell you about
is a result of what I wrote the other day. I don't believe it is. It's
simply an example of how no matter much you prepare yourself, and no
matter what your mindest is, the monkeys throwing poo still manage a
direct hit. It's all a question of how you handle it.
Last night my
comments system got hit by spammers. It got hit hard. So hard in fact
that I've had to actually delete my comments system. The site had
ground down to halt and it was the only solution. So to all the poeple
that have commented on my blog since ever, I sincerely apologize for
your comment being removed.
Now, I could throw a hissy fit
about it, and rant about the scum sucking spammers and their lowlife
tactics, but really, why waste the energy. What I'm taking away from
this experience is that the comment system I was using is flawed. It's
a positive that I now know about.
I'm about to launch a new site
into a new niche and I expect it to be huge for me. The last thing I
would've wanted was for my shiny new site to be getting great traffic,
bringing in sales, getting great feedback, and then have the whole
thing explode in my face because of monkeys throwing poo.
Does it
suck because my comments system is currently non-existent? Of course it
does. is it the end of the world? No. Can I benefit from having it
happen in the first place? Of course I can.
I expect I'll have
the new one up in the next day or so, until then, feel free to email
me, or better yet, go check out my forum A Dent In The Universe that I run with a few like-minded friends and leave a comment there.
UPDATE: I've
setup a new comment system, and even managed to import all of your
comments. So in the long run, it's all worked out well. I'm on a great
new comment system, and I can use it on my new site too.
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