Category Archives: Sharisax Is Out There

Online Relationships Lead to Lots of Learning: Guest Post on Art of Selling from one of my new fav Tweeple

Justice Marshall aka @SocialNature on Twitter believes that relationships are the foundation of business and happiness, and that makes lots of sense as Justice and I are Tweeting one another — learning from one another — and supporting one another.

When Justice recently Tweeted about a conference he’d attended about the Art of Sales in response to one of my Tweets on the Art of Marketing, I asked him to Guest Post his findings.

Voila . . .

There are no bathrooms in New York:

What I Learned at Art of Sales, Vancouver BC 2009

When Shari asked me to write a guest post on What I Learned at Art of Sales in Vancouver BC, 2009  http://www.theartofproductions.com/events-salesVancouver09.html it naturally made me ask myself “What DID I learn?”

I don’t generally take notes at these sorts of events (not my learning style) so I have to look inside my brain to see what stuck. And as I look inside, I notice an internal distinction between what I learned… and what I enjoyed.

I certainly enjoyed all four of the presenters. And interestingly, the speaker that I learned the most from was also the least interesting in terms of presenting style. He sat at the side of the stage and basically gave a slideshow. But his slideshow rocked. Max Lenderman — http://www.experiencethemessage.com/ — taught me something new about experiential branding, with visual examples and stories from all over the world.

Dipping their toes in

I work mostly with natural health and wellness businesses. These folks are accustomed to more “traditional” forms of advertising and marketing, and are now dipping their toes in the digital and social media spheres. My mission is to help them use social media to support what they’re already good at, and tie it all to their overarching business vision and objectives.

Along the way, I also get to learn about and influence their strategic planning process. In his presentation, Max showed me —

How some companies are creating remarkable branded experiences in real life that can be extended and deepened through digital mediums like social media.

His most striking examples were pop-up stores and unusual branded installations like the Charmin public restrooms in Times Square.

Smart brands worldwide are creating events and contributing and participating in the lives of people in ways that are way more far-reaching than being just about the features and benefits of any particular product.

It got me thinking —
  1. How can my clients bridge the gap between real-life and social media in a meaningful way?
  2. How can we create deeper branded experiences, drawing people into something that is valuable, compelling and worth sharing?

So – What did I learn?

I learned to stretch my thinking about what a branded experience can be. I learned that branded experiences can be pretty elaborate… and pretty far removed from the original product offering. Branded experiences can take a wide (and long!) meandering path. They can be generous, humorous, touching and inspiring. The best branded experiences work on a feeling level, and push the envelope of conventional marketing and PR thinking.
Nearly half a year later what I learned is still sticking, and has in fact taken root and continues to grow.
Shari – Thanks for asking!
(Justice Marshall is a Social Media Director and Web Strategist for Natural Health and Wellness brands. Find him on Twitter @SocialNature
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Marketing Should Be the LAST Department to Be in Social Media

Social Media Marketing is the BUZZ these days, and that IS what this article is all about: However, according to Axel Schultze. Chairman of the Social Media Academy, and my instructor for the first Leadership Class of 2010:

“Marketing is only ONE component. We must shift in all departments. Social Media initiatives cannot work without a buy-in from all areas of an organization.”

That being said, the Marketing and PR people in an organization are those responsible for the communication functions, and as such need to be aware that what’s worked in the past just isn’t working anymore:

  • For one thing, Advertising isn’t working because there’s just too much of it.
  • People no longer believe the glitzy productions that advertisers are throwing in our faces. We may be entertained, but we don’t “buy it.”
  • Ads no longer stick with us. Marketers “assume” that consumers are listening.
  • The Push Era is over: Broadcasting one-way messages leaves us out. Marketers today must listen to us, bring us in, and then we will listen to them.

Here are more of my take-aways from our last class session on

“The Changing Face of a Marketing and PR department”

1. Brand “attitude” has changed. It is all about PEOPLE identifying and associating themselves with brands. We are drawn to the people we see in ads.

2. We need to forget distinguishing between B2B and B2C: we are all customers of someone else.

3. When we market today, it is an US to US.

4. Beware of simply adding social media as a new “tool”; you may find you are simply making noise.

5. Companies cannot outsource social media and expect the best results; an agency cannot discuss topics in a forum without involvement of the sales, procurement, and support teams.

6. Planning is critical and should begin with ASSESSMENT, i.e. who your customers are, where they hang out, what they talk about, and what they need.

7. Biggest mistake is jumping in without knowing what you are doing; you need to strategize before you go too far: Goal, Mission, Benefits, Action Programs, Reporting — all need to go into developing strategy.

8. Social media plans must include ongoing research: monitoring, lead generation, internal escalation [responsiveness to leads].

9. Traditional “roll-outs” no longer work. Customers need to be part of the planning and implementation process. Customer Advisory Boards have always been powerful, but today they are HUGE, i.e. your entire customer base can play this role.

10. The distinctions between PR and Marketing are dissolving; the social media marketing team must build relationships with bloggers, traditional press, industry associations, educators, users and key influencers wherever they are to be found.

In this New Era of New Media, if a company does not have a Vision and a Strategy, the tools do not matter. Working with and through the consumer community is the path to success in the New Future.

Anyone hear of any valuable social media planning tools that have worked for your organization?

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Ad Agencies Can Survive . . . IF . . .

. . . if they follow this advice from the Forrester Research group [independent research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice to global leaders in business and technology].

Noted marketing blogger Edward Boches wrote about THE FUTURE OF AD AGENCIES from the Forrester point of view in a recent blog article.

As a long-time teacher of advertising to college students, I threw out all my textbooks last year [for which I was applauded by Seth Godin], and I now depend on Twitter to send me links on Advertising’s Future.

Here’s what the agencies MUST DO:

1. Understand HOW and WHERE to engage Today’s Consumer . . . and coach their clients to get engaged.

2. Because consumers trust consumer more than brands, companies need to mobilize their fans and followers to be the organization’s cheerleaders.

NOTE: Consumers are now the “creators” and “sharers” and “distributors.”

3. LISTEN. LISTEN. LISTEN: 3.5 billion brand conversations happen every day.

4. Firms must be more honest and authentic: (a) only 5% of people say they believe ad claims and (b) half of consumers say brands don’t live up to promises.

5. Forget MASS anything; it’s all about customization.

6. Learn Digital or Die

7. Measure as much as you can: learn analytics and USE them.

8. Social media does not promise to do everything; there needs to be integration with traditional vehicles of communication, but “pushing” tactics don’t work. It’s now all about Inbound, i.e., the customers pulling in a company’s message.

9. Successful agencies will think more about community than campaigns, learning to crowdsource.

10. Clients need IDEAS, INTERACTION, and INTELLIGENCE.

Did we forget anything?

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Can Social Media Predict the Academy Award Winners?

Chicken or Egg: Which came first?

If I write this blog article about how Jeff Bridges should win the Best Actor Oscar for his authentic portrayal of a washed up, alcoholic country singing legend in the semi-romantic film Crazy Heart –

(1) Will my article get lots of new readers after he wins?

OR

(2) Will he win because I wrote about him?


If you join LinkedIn and completely fill out your profile, enter regular updates, answer questions, and participate in LinkedIn groups –

(1)Will someone find you and offer you the Job of a Lifetime?
OR
(2)Will you connect to some really bright, supportive people who help you create the life you always wanted?

If you spend an hour a day on Facebook –

(1)Will you be found by your long-lost high school buddies [or significant other]?
OR
(2) Will you participate in ways to deepen your current relationships?


If you keep your Tweetdeck desktop application open throughout the day and check it periodically –

(1) Will you accrue 15,000 followers
OR
(2) Will you discover amazing information AND people you could never have found any other way?


Which comes first?

Knowing how to do something OR learning what needs to be done in order to do what you want done?

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Social Media Sites Surpass Porn, and J-students Take Note

This summer I’ll be teaching a social media course for journalism students at Laney College in Oakland, and I got the opportunity to promote the class for the students in the Mass Media & Society course.

Here is the lovely story written by campus newspaper editor Tracey Tate:

Weiss spreads the word about social networking

By: Tracey Tate
Posted: 2/18/10
Laney Tower

“I unfriended you, posted it on my wall and tweeted it to all my followers.”

If that statement sounds like “Greek” to you, then you should have been present at “Making Sense of Social Media” presented by Shari Weiss, social media evangelist, on Feb. 9 in Journalism Department Chair Burt Dragin’s Mass Media and Society class.

An English teacher at Laney, Weiss is on a mission to spread the word about the benefits of social networking. She defines Social Media as “internet tools and platforms for sharing and discussing information.”

The top four social networking tools Weiss considers noteworthy are the following:

Facebook – the source of “unfriend,” which was 2009 “word of the year” in the New Oxford American Dictionary

Twitter – where one communicates via ‘tweets’ to their followers, a micro-blog

Blogging – a personal diary or web log

LinkedIn – a professional networking website

When asked how Facebook compared to MySpace, Weiss made this comparison

“MySpace is like being at a bar, Facebook is like being at a backyard barbecue and LinkedIn being at the office.”

With employers now checking out potential employees on the Internet prior to hiring, Weiss’ analogy about the world of online social networking was timely for a room packed with college students. “Once you put something on the Internet, you can’t get it back. It’s there forever,” Weiss said.

She told an anecdote about a woman who had her professional reputation slammed on Yelp and emphasized the need for everyone to be Internet savvy. Weiss then encouraged the audience to understand the importance of building a positive presence on the Web so that any negative information online will be “buried” by the good dominating the bad comments.

How “worthwhile” is social networking?

Conversation ensued about the worthiness of social networking. Student Naytasha Howard asked if social media would ever outrank porn on the Internet. Weiss and others in the class quickly responded, “It already has.” Others chimed in about the value of social media. Student, Christopher Fitz said, “Social Media is a tool to enrich our lives.”

Enrichment is exactly what Weiss promotes as a social media evangelist. In a time when self-promotion and viral marketing is becoming mainstream, using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for business purposes are tools that Weiss believes are indispensable for promoting one’s business or self. Keys to successful promotion include building a loyal community of followers on Twitter, building a fan base on Facebook and joining discussion groups on LinkedIn.

When asked by Weiss “Why do we care about social networking?’ several viable reasons were given by students. Kale Williams responded that every decent job has found has been through friends and that he just received an internship from his Facebook posting.

Marketing efforts for big companies turning to social media

Weiss emphasized the value social media for business purposes with the example Pepsi, who was a missing regular in this year’s Super Bowl commercials. When the decision makers at Pepsi did the research, they realized that they were not reaching their target audience by spending $2.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Their marketing dollars would be better spent using social media.

In a society where the virtual highway is getting wider and the traffic speeding up exponentially, social networking has become a necessity, not a pastime.

To connect with Weiss on her blog, go to sharisax.com. That’s sax as in saxophone, which Weiss plays in her spare time.

© Copyright 2010 Laney Tower

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Everyone Is Someone’s Customer: Use Social Media to Reach Them, Listen to Them, and Learn from Them

Too often companies forget the second part of this scenario:

Firms are in business (1) to make profits by offering products and services

(2) to satisfy the unmet needs of their customers.

Too often they are so immersed in organization-centric thinking, that they don’t even realize their products or services may no longer be in sync with the marketplace, i.e., no one really likes their offerings/brand/support anymore.

This is where Social Media fits into Modern Business:

We are all customers. Everyone is a customer of someone else.

“Social media is important for business because the discussions between so many people bring information to us. We want people to talk and we want them to listen to us.” — [all quotes from Axel Schultze]

In the second meeting of the Social Media Academy Leadership class, Axel discussed how various social media “tools” [ i.e., sites/ platforms] enable businesses to grow their networks.

“If you have products or services, you can have conversations with people who use them. People may not be looking at your advertising, but if you ask someone what they think of your product, you will probably get an answer.”

WHERE DO YOU HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS

or

Which sites do you use?

The common wisdom is that you go where your customers are. These days, the most popular hangouts are Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Business people need profiles on each of these sites, and businesses can have them as well.

“The demarcation between personal selves and business selves doesn’t really make sense any more. We need to take down these walls.”

The key to online presence building is to be deliberate, thoughtful, and very careful about everything you post online – no matter what the site or platform.

Four Social Media Objectives:

1)    Extend reach with tools
2)    Intensify the depth of your relationships
3)    Broaden your knowledge
4)    Revitalize your influennce

“When you do a survey, you get certain types of people who choose to respond. When you make telephone calls, if you have 20 effective conversations in one day, that is a good day. But with social media, you could easily have 200 interactions in a day.”

LEARN FROM YOUR MARKET: Get your hands around the Concepts. The tools may change, but you will be able to navigate the waves of innovation and continue to build on your experience to get the most from each new communication opportunity.

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Social Media Enables Companies to Become Part of the Recommendation Chain

Social Media is all about seeing what others are saying


“The snowstorm is over. Everything is white. So now what?”

How do we make social media relevant to company executives? Everyone hears the buzz, but many companies do not understand today’s marketing environment, and they don’t know where to start.

That’s where programs like Social Media Academy fill the void — teaching business leaders all over the world to look, listen, and learn how to implement successful social media strategies.

I’m enrolled in this year’s first 7-week Social Media Academy Leadership session and will be sharing regular reports on what I’m learning.

Social Media: not about its tools, but its implication for business

Company leaders must rise above the “local noise” and buzz about social media, so they can take a global view. Different types of companies have different needs. Whatever the company, though, it is important to understand that Social Media is not a campaign, but it is a State of Mind. It is about empowering employees, not just about having everyone Tweeting all day.

Customers have changed, but sales/marketing has not

Thirty-forty years ago, people had different levels of trust. They’d go to vendors and take their word for it — and their products. People no longer ask experts; they ask their friends.

“I want to see what others say: that is Social Media.”

Now 60-80% of purchases are made because of recommendations. Businesses need to be part of the Recommendation Chain. Social Media is where customers meet customers for experience, skill development, and failure prevention. When a company builds a product or service that people are asking for . . . How COOL is that!

Create a better customer experience

Lay the foundation for your social media strategy– plan by understanding the dynamics of the market before diving in. There is no rush: Look, Listen, and Think before acting.

Social media is personally empowering. It is not just for the elite; anyone can do this. Take care of your connections and leverage them.

If you don’t follow the road your customers are taking, you will lose them.

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Turning Your “Passive” Passion Into “Active” Income: Towards a More Collaborative Future

Want to make money online sharing your passion?

Is this you?

“I absolutely love animals, children, cooking, gardening, investing, ______[fill-in your own]_________. But how can I make money doing it?”

George Kao recently conducted a Teleclass outlining the principles he follows to make a living by helping others do just that- put their passions to work for them.

Interestingly enough, George told us that one year ago he was an unknown in the field of Social Media thought leadership. Now, however, he has 692 fans on his Facebook Community Page — and many clients who are building successful online businesses.

@georgekao: I’m a Big Fan!

My Take-Aways from his February 2010 Teleclass:

“Making a Great Living Teaching Your Passion and Expertise”

1. “Work should be a passionate expression of ourselves”

I’m reminded of Margaret Mead’s famous discovery reported in Coming of Age in Samoa that for the indigenous people there “Work was Play and Play was Work.” Every islander was excited to get up in the morning to “get to it.”

2. “I want to make a living — not a killing”

Many internet marketing gurus train their clients using language like “getting that sale” and  “making a killing.” George wants his competition to thrive along with him. Money is important, but a distant second to Love. If you come from that place, you are bound to be more authentic — and more successful. We do deserve to be paid well for being helpful.

3. “There are three facets to business success online: Social Media, Teleclasses, and Partnerships”


Building profiles and communities on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter will help spread news about you and develop relationships. When people find you on these networks, make certain they know what to do next.

Teleclasses will demonstrate your expertise and gain you clients. Recorded telecasts can be turned into e-products for sale or gifts for new subscribers. Live teleclasses provide for more participation and less procrastination.

Partnerships will help you learn as you are growing your business.

4, “Position your business around personal or business drivers

People want four basic things: (a) money, (b) relationships, (c) health, and (d) children. Each of those broad categories includes subsets, e.g. money:insurance, etc.; relationships: romance, etc.; health: fitness, nutrition, etc.; children: family, etc.

Organizations, on the other hand, want two things: more business and more efficiency.  A third driver — for more progressive firms — is to provide Joy in the working environment.

If you can position your expertise/passion around any of these areas, you can build a business.

5. “When planning, think about The Client Onion”

Building a client base can follow five steps that were described as layers of an onion.

  • First is the outer layer — the public, where you might offer free services to a broad base of people.
  • Second are your subscribers who have recognized your value to them.
  • Some of these fans will become customers who buy your standalone products, e.g. ebooks, whitepapers, programmed learning modules, etc.
  • Fourth are those who will decide to participate as group clients
  • Finally, your best clients will take advantage of 1-to-1 coaching services.

What’s your Passion? What’s keeping you from putting that passion to work for you?

Need a bit more coaching? Contact George and start by listening to one of his free teleclasses.

PREVIOUS STORY FEATURING GEORGE KAO: “Get Paid, Get Laid, and Don’t Die — What People Want”

DISCLAIMER: I’ve only known about and followed George for a few months, and I’m a great fan, but not yet a client. I say “not yet” because I just may take that step myself.

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How Many of These Social Media Questions Can You Answer?

My Laney College students are participating in social media to build writing and reading skills. For many of them, however, this is a significantly new experience, i.e., creating blogs and signing up for Twitter.

What is Social Media and why is it important?

and . . . here are many of their other questions:

Where can and will SM take me?

How did Social Media get so big?

Is it possible to become famous on SM?

What percentage of SM is business?

How much time do/should people spend on SM?

Who started SM?

What makes SM important?

Why are people addicted to SM?

Can SM help better the world?

Is SM safe?

What are the most popular blogs?

Who can read my blog?

Are all SM sites free?

Why has SM become popular?

What is the average age of a person using SM?

What is the main reason for using SM?

How can you detect if someone is insincere?

Today I am conducting an introductory Social Media workshop for a Mass Media & Society course at Laney. I will begin asking them to tell me which of those questions they would most like answered.

Then I will chat and show the slideshow below.

And, finally, I will ask THEM to answer any of those questions . . . and I’ll be posting their responses.

Here is the slideshow on

Making Sense of Social Media

NOW . . . FOR THOSE ANSWERS: from the students AND from any of you readers. Please do add your thoughts.

photo credit Howard Blum

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WHY People Do What They Do Online

The Science of Social Media Marketing:

WHY THINGS GO VIRAL

To find out, you can read student Synang Chhan’s Tips on Going Viral, but you may also want to know the scientific, i.e. observed and verifiable reasons behind the huge audiences for some Internet content — besides the fact that they are just plain funny.

Social media scientist, Dan Zarrella, conducted a webinar highlighting his research results into peoples’ behavior on the Internet. Here is what we learned to help us with our marketing strategies:

1. MYTH: Ideas spread because they are good. In reality, plenty of good ideas go nowhere, while some bad ones spread like wild fire.

2. MEME: The term is used to describe ideas that spread from person to person. Our world is made of memes — contagious units of our culture. MEMETICS is the study of cultural transfer.

3. EVOLUTION: Who or what survives? Those who compete best. What is evolution? Variation + competition = Evolution.

4. ITERATION: Try lots of campaigns and stick with what works.

5. IDEAS: These must adapt to pressures of society and be easily remembered. Ideas will be successful based on two factors: Longevity and Fecundity [# of offspring]. When you construct a campaign, you need to decide whether you are going for Long Term or for Quick Spread.

6. SOCIAL EXCHANGE: Every human action is an exchange of value.

“The more valuable an activity shared between members, the more frequently members will interact.”

7. SOCIAL PROOF: We learn by copying others. We value things that others value: because we think they know what they are doing.

8. INFORMATION VOIDS: Don’t let “voids” develop around your brand — that’s where rumors develop. Just think about Tiger Woods.

9. VIRAL: Self-replicating. Give people a reason to replicate. For example, the only way by saving a victim is by spreading a message.

10. REMIXING IDEAS: Your brand should be a box of crayons, not a rubber stamp, so that people can input suggestions — for something totally new that could go viral. Make New structure for Old content, e.g., modern Romeo & Juliet film. Make New content from and Old Structure, e.g. using an old ad design for a different product.

11. FUNNEL OF MARKETING: Exposure at top, then Awareness, and at the base is Motivation. Here is one of Dan’s articles: science of social media marketing

12. SEEDING: To gain exposure, you must reach a lot of people. Big Seeds = giving information to influential people. If you “seed” to influencers, your growth is exponential. Basic PR/Marketing strategy: Find and target Influencers.

13. COMBINED RELEVANCE: Why do people share? One reason is because friends find things [e.g. links] that are appropriate in more ways than one. For example, if your friend’s hobby is photography and she likes yoga, then you would definitely want to send photos of yoga poses you found online.

Why do YOU do do what you do online? For example, why do you retweet? The answer is scientific and the next post will show you how.

photo taken at Sausalito Art Festival 2009 – Judge’s first place pick at show

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Here’s How Social Media Works — To Build Relationships & Knowledge: and improve customer service, as well!

Chatting with friends has long been one of my favorite activities — and meeting new friends to chat with increases the joy.

Is it any wonder, then, that Social Media is my Passion?

My online activities in the past year have introduced me to so many wonderful new people from whom I’ve probably learned more than spending the same amount of time in classrooms and libraries.

Here’s today’s story:

1) My email box contained a blog post entitled ” . . . because I’m the customer” — written by Australian blogger & social media enthusiast Sharon Clews.

2) I met Sharon online after following a link on my Twitter stream, and reading one of her first posts.

3) We connected on LinkedIn and have chatted about our mutual passion: Spreading the Word about the Wealth of Opportunities possible with Social Media.

4) We now read and comment on each other’s blog posts — and I believe we add value to each other by sharing insights and suggestions.

5) I read her latest post with great interest BECAUSE it was so true and so relevant:

“I have always failed to understand why one of the most basic abilities as people; human interaction, is so difficult for some people.”

“The most amazing thing to me about customer service is that is free! . . .  It is one of the truisms of my life. It costs me no more to smile or nod or ask someone if they need help.”

“Any retail experience is not just about what things cost. I am saddened that in a world of over consumerism more people don’t vote with their feet. That we mostly still search for the bargain of a lifetime and then moan about the service we get whilst doing it.”

Here’s the REST OF THE STORY:

What’s your latest social media relationship success story?

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Laid Off and Bored? Use Your Brain and the Net to Become an Expert

One of my Loved Ones was laid off recently, and now tells me he’s bored.

NO WAY!

NO HOW!

NO EXCUSE!

Not in Today’s World where so much is at our fingertips.

Just DO IT is the Common Mantra

Suggestion One: Do NOT just “fill empty spaces” — i.e., don’t DO, just to DO.

Suggestion Two: Give yourself a goal: Use your computer to become an Expert.

Suggestion Three: Research your industry to discover challenges/issues/problems that you can solve — or learn to solve.

Suggestion Three and a half: Join and build strong profiles on popular social media sites including, but not limited to, today’s Top Three: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (so that you can become a more effective researcher).

  • Ask questions about your industry and your interests on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites.
  • Build relationships with people who answer your questions.
  • Look on LinkedIn and Ning for groups of people with similar backgrounds, and then join the conversation.
  • Build relationships and look for opportunities where you can help others.
  • Check out the websites of prospective employers; then look them up on LinkedIn to find more information that you won’t find on their websites — especially LinkedIn members who now work for the company and those who have left.

Suggestion Four: Think positive; use your brain and good intentions to become productive, happy, and valuable to yourself and others.

PS Check out these two previous posts: Updating your LinkedIn profile and Twitter 101 lessons

Your turn: What advice can you offer my bored Loved One?

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