Continuing my little expose on how I’m doing in wally world as a WAHM, I’m going to further expound on my adventures in Twitterville.

First, I’m going to say this work-at-home Gram from Dysfunction Junction, CT is finding it’s a ton of fun ~ I enjoy getting the little pop-ups on Twitterfox, and getting to know the personalities of all my Tweeps.  While working late at night, I haven’t had the opportunity to watch the Olympics.  However, there’s one gal who updates regularly, every 10 minutes or so, on what exactly has been going on!  She’s so entertaining (besides being the author of a terrific blog, Send Chocolate, that I suggested last night that she bottle all the commentary on the Olympics into an eBook!

But I digress.  Seriously, Twitter is an excellent platform for micro-blogging and marketing your product, be it a blog, service, eBay store or mission.

If you find yourself in a position that you need to understand your target customer as well as keep up with various ways of marketing to those potential customers, Twitter is one of the most powerful and popular tools out there right now!  This new type of network communication has been taken up by companies and individuals alike in recent months and for good reason.

To get a better understanding of Twitter, let’s first take a look at the format.  Essentially, Twitter is a program that allows you to make very small, public posts.  Because these posts are so limited (they max out at 140 characters) they can easily be sent to a number of different locations all at once.  When you have written a Twitter, it can appear on the twitter website, on short message services, instant messaging sites or even on third-party applications like Facebook or Twitterific.  Folks can even add a script to their blog or website to show their most recent posts and the posts of others!   I have a blue widget box on my right sidebar.   Your Twitter messages, also known tweets, will appear to anyone who has chosen to follow your updates.

There are several advantages to this type of communication.  The first thing that you’ll discover is that it allows for a much more immediate relay of information.  The shortness of the message forces you to be very brief, and this alone can create interest in those reading.  Because tweets are so short, they often lead to frequent posting, which is excellent when you’re looking to communicate with people and to get to know them.  While Twitter is, by default, public, you can restrict the people who see your material with the ease of checking a box in your profile.

Actually, although I rarely have to do this, last night and so far tonight have been the exception.  I believe it’s a full-moon this week, and true to form, the crazies are coming out of the walls.  I, along with a few of  my fellow Tweeps, have had to block several people.  If these folks have a trillion people that they’re following, and only 1 or 2 followers of their own and no website listed - that’s a sure sign of a Spammer or bored teen, and an instant BLOCK.  But don’t let that discourage you.  It happens in e-mail programs too.

You’ll find that not only can you post tweets, you can also receive them.  Once again, the immediate nature of this service lends greatly to its appeal.  Want to follow someone’s updates and see what they are up to with their business or life in general? Simply sign into your Twitter account, type in their Twitter address or username and click the “Follow” button.  That’s all there is to it!

The amount of time that’s spent reading the messages is very short, and you can be in contact with people a great deal more than you otherwise might be. In essence, you can get to know each other much more quickly than if you were just reading each others blogs or profiles.  The look and feel of an instant messaging service helps add to this ability.  Think about it for a minute, do you feel more connected to those on your messenger list than the blogs you read? Twitter is the same way.

I used Twitter extensively this week with my website designer for my Virtual Assistant website.  We both are on Twitter and when I sent her an e-mail either responding to her design questions, or making suggestions on the site design myself, I sent her a Tweet to let her know that ‘you’ve got e-mail.’  Simple!

For many, whether they’re looking for friends, clients, or someone to help them out with a problem or workload, getting in touch with others is important.  With Twitter it’s never been easier!

Don’t forget to Follow Me!

Do you sell on eBay, or are you an eBay Store owner or Boutique Shop Owner?  I belong to the Auction Sellers Motivators forum ~ a great source of information for ebay Sellers.  It helps me tremendously with my Moomette’s Magnificents eBay store, where I’m a Power Seller.

Businesses Growing Together would like to invite all ASM members to participate in their Holiday Specials and Discount Offers online discount pages.

The holidays will be coming upon us fast! This is an ideal opportunity for all of us to collaborate in promoting our stores though our 2008 Holiday Shopping Directory. This is completely FREE advertising and promotion! Everyone who owns an online store is welcome to join!

BGT has made it easy for you to register. Simply go to http://www.businessesgrowingtogether.com/Discount/1

and click on the form to submit to participate in this event. Feel free to click around the site and see all the stores that are currently registered by store name and by category.

BGT has made it easy for participating stores to promote this event by providing a short URL to pass on to shoppers – www.Savings-Online.com

BGT is also providing several different size banners and buttons along with the coding needed for participates to post in forums, emails, blogs and where ever else they want to promote the 2008 Holiday Shopping Directory.

Online store registration is open now. The 2008 Holiday Shopping Directory will open to shoppers on September 15, 2008. They are anticipating 200+ stores to be in the directory then so register early.

Awhile back I wrote about how Baby Boomer Gram is trying to keep up with technology and the times.  You can read my post here.

As a mom of then teenagers, and now young adults, I’ve had to learn to use AIM Instant Messenger to keep in constant contact; then I had to learn how to text message on my cell if I wanted to know if the kiddos were still alive, and it goes on and on.

My latest feat is that now I am …. Twittering!  Even my kids don’t Twitter, yet  ~ so I’m ahead of the curve here!

Here’s a great tip for WAHM moms, or any online ebiz, or ebay store owner.

Would you like to earn auto-pilot commissions every time you post to your blog? And at the same time use the Power of Twitter to drive massive amounts of traffic to your blog.

I know it sounds like a fairy tale, but it just became reality, with the launch of John Merrick and Soren Jordansen’s new “Tweet My Blog“.

Just by using the powerful free plugin, you will be promoting your affiliate link on auto-pilot. In other words, you can earn commissions just for posting to your blog.

But that’s just one of the many benefits of using TweetMyBlog, visit the page to learn more - and grab your free copy today.

And… Even though they are giving this plugin away for free, you should take a close look at the special offer they have in store for you when join. I instantly grabbed my own copy, and I know it will skyrocket my marketing power when using Twitter and Wordpress.

I don’t know if they’re are going to keep this free forever, I certainly feel they could start charging big bucks for it. So, grab your copy today, while it’s still free - and start using it before you competition does!

Today is Tuesday Toot Day!

What does that mean? Well, it means every Tuesday, you get to post an accomplishment that you have done. As moms sometimes, we are quick in praising our kids and others about their accomplishments but we are “shy” when it comes to our achievements so … here is our chance.

Tuesday Toot ~ Contests, Freebies ~ Giveaways
Round Up Feature

As a new feature on Moomettesgram’s Musings, I’m going to be offering various contests and tips on where to get Free products you can use, as well as Giveaway information!  There’s a new tab up above the first post, captioned “Contests.”  (I can’t seem to get ‘Giveaway’ to fit in there.)

You’ll find links to various favorite sites where you can enter contests and giveaways, and hopefully have some fun and save some money to help out in today’s downswing economy!

I might possibly do a Weekly Roundup post to include in there if I get enough notices!

Let me know if you have a contest or giveaway going on, either now or in the future, and I’ll be happy to add it to the weekly roundup.

So whether your a Mom of a young family, or a Baby Boomer, Senior or Retiree ~ Good Luck!

‘Contest! Prize Package worth OVER $2000.00′ ~ Mom’s United in Business

Mom’s United in Business is holding a contest!

Contest Deadline: Friday August 15, 2008 11:59pm EST
Winner will be chosen via random drawing and announced Monday August 18, 2008

Prizes have been generously donated by members of Moms United in Business.

The super Prize Package is worth over $2,000.00 !

We are not merely a business community, promoting women and their businesses. We are an organization of motivated and energetic women offering inspiration and support not only as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and/or friend, but as a woman in your own right!

We believe that by following our own dreams, listening to the whispers of our hearts and by nurturing ourselves we are then able to give more abundantly to our families and our businesses.

We are dedicated to supporting you as both a Mom and a Business Professional. As we all know, the key to a successful business is networking and to a successful life is balance!

If you’re serious about your business ~ Join MUIB today!  It’s FREE!

VOTE FOR ME ~ KEEP ME ON TOP ~ I’M A TOP MOMMA ~

Click the Button to Keep Me On Top!

Are you looking for a terrific, friendly forum to join to network your WAHM business? Then look no further!

I’ve been a member of Smart Moms ~ Smart Business for quite some time now. The ladies are really friendly, intelligent and quite helpful. It’s one of the few forums that I find myself revisiting and participating in quite frequently for all the helpful business advice, family discussions, cooking tips and camaraderie.

Work At Home Moms - Smart Moms ~ Smart Business, LLC
is a resource for women; teaching how to create multiple streams
of income by working from home. Free tips & tools, forum, eBook,
and consultation.

Sign up for the lively forum discussions, and don’t forget to get the helpful Free eBooks that are available for download!  Tell them I sent you!

In a previous post I mentioned how I’m an infamous list maker. I think it’s safe to assume that most women probably are. I have all kinds of lists ~ for my cubicle job, household lists, my eBay store, online boutique Shoppes site ~ even a Bucket List!

My next top priority is to make an effort to get my Virtual Assistant business off and running, so I can retire from that day job that I keep talking about.

I have yet to order business cards for my VA business, but when I do, I’m going to order from Visa Print. They always have some sort of Special Sale going on. I’ve ordered the Free Business Cards for my Shoppes site there, as well as my eBay store. I like to include a business card when shipping out items from my eBay store, thanking my customers for their purchase, and reminding them to leave Feedback for me if they are pleased with the transaction. In the past, I also had cards made up for the various Affiliate companies that I once was an independent consultant for.

What I like about Vista Print is the fact that I can order cards from either their templates, or upload my own, like I did here.

I can even get note pads, address labels and car magnets with my company’s name! I did opt for the cute little gold-finish business card holders which fit easily in my purse.

I’ve been reading on many blogs that those who attended BlogHer ‘08 were passing out business cards.

Many moms use them as “Mommy Cards” to give out to the moms of their childrens’ friends! What a cute idea!

When my own daughters were younger, I printed ‘babysitting’ business cards for them to hand out to put up on the refrigerator, and even passed out a few myself to co-workers who were in need of a sitter. Now you can have them made up for Free at Vista Print!

Check them out!

Interested in saving money with the downturn of today’s economy?  I know I am!  Whether you’re a young mom or a mid-life Boomer like myself,  every penny helps.  I even take advantage of Senior Citizen days and discounts, whenever I can!

I’ve added a new content section featuring Freebies & Contests!  Check in often and see what’s new!

For starters, visit My Savings, as I’m sure you’ll find something of interest ~ whether you’re shopping online, or looking for FREE Samples, Coupons, Sales,  and Special Offers & Deals!

It’s amazing how time passes so quickly. Many of you may be aware that I really like hot, humid weather. My loyal readers know I live in New England, but I really believe I was meant to live down South.

When the kids were 11 and 7, we took them to Orlando in August for a family vacation. It wasn’t as crowded as in the winter months, and many of the children who live down south were already back in school. August was considered “off-season,” so our rates were really reasonable

Reminiscing about what a fantastic time we had taking in all the things to do in Orlando, my oldest daughter is already making suggestions that she would like all of us to take a family vacation next year. By then, my soon-to-be-born grandson will be old enough to be portable, and ‘Lil Moomette will be at a great age to enjoy all the activity. Family vacation includes Charming Son-in-Law’s parents from Vermont.

Now that my daughter’s a married Mom herself, I’m passing the baton, and am going to suggest that she obtain all the online travel guides from Trusted Tours & Attractions and make arrangements for everyone. I’m even going to hint that since I Love New York, I wouldn’t mind her looking into things to do in New York for my Birthday, which is in January and taking some New York City tours.  It would be a terrific opportunity to visit the shopping district and do some serious shopping to stock my eBay store, or spend New Year’s Eve in the Big Apple!

Planning your next vacation? Looking for ideas on what to do?  Sign up for the Trusted Travels eNewsletter and enter to win a $150 iTunes gift card Offer ends July 31st, 2008.

Posh is an adjective, with a dictionary meaning of “smart or fashionable^[1]“, “elegant, stylishly luxurious^[2]“, “spruced up, smart or polished^[3]“.  Answers.com

Are You a Posh Mama? I am!

Come see what everyone’s talking about!

…Posh Mama is an upbeat community exclusive to women around the world from all walks of life.  You don’t have to be a mom to be a Posh Mama!

Registration is FREE! Join now, and then stop by and visit Moomettesgram at My Place!

Posh Mama Online Magazine and Social Network is a positive and upbeat community made up of women from around the world. You will feel immediately welcomed as it is the sweetest spot on the ‘net. Come hang out, network and make some great friends at www.poshmama.com.