Regina Pickett Garson of Magic Stream
1. Tell us about your business. What do you offer? When did you start?
I publish Magic Stream - http://www.magicstream.org/ - which I started in `94. It is a self-help holistic wellness resource and literary journal – with a bent toward the arts and healing. The site includes an extensive directory of self-help, holistic wellness and mental health resources. It is utilized by students, professionals, mental health consumers and the general public.
2. Do you have any recent news, products, a new launch, freebies, etc.
I recently moved my site to a host that will allow me a lot more developmental freedom. I’m really excited about the possibilities and have already made a number of upgrades with more to come.
I’m particularly proud of the new Poetry Gallery - http://www.magicstream.org/gallery-poetry.html From the start, I published art and poetry both at Magic Stream. This new gallery highlights them both to advantage. I display original art and high quality prints along with the poetry. I occasionally feature individual artists as well. I’m really happy with the results, response has been positive and I look forward to expanding in this area.
Another new addition is “The Store,” http://www.thestore.magicstream.org/ an online mall. You’ll find all the favorites you’d expect in a top notch mall, including some really great specialty shops, boutiques, International selections, designer clothes, fine Italian crafts and exclusive gallery offerings. Online shopping is changing the way we go to market. Location is not an issue, and neither are store hours. Really great shopping is literally just a click away, and that is especially important for people who can’t get out and about for whatever reason, whether work schedules or physical disability. Even people who live in the most remote areas now have easy access to world class shopping.
3. What are your absolute favorite products or resources you can't live without in your business (or have helped you the most)?
With the work that I do online, a decent computer is an absolute necessity and I certainly can’t live without a good Internet connection.
4. What's your best advice for someone just starting out in online business (getting traffic, article marketing, networking, etc.)?
I really thought about waxing philosophical, but when you get down to it there are a whole lot of nuts and bolts, you have to keep in order if you are going to work with computers, online or off. Firstly, you have to make sure you have good equipment and you have to keep it up and running. Sometimes that is a lot easier said than done. Viruses, hackers, slow connections, aging systems or a computer with a bug can all wreak havoc with your productivity.
Viruses have cost me dearly. You always hear what viruses do to big businesses, but us gals working from home offices get hit pretty hard too – maybe even harder when you get down to actual impact. One of the worst I dealt with, my system was never actually infected, but it had so many viruses go through it, I had to change the way I handled my email.
It doesn’t stop with good virus protection. With any technology related business; you have to spend time and money just to stay in the game. There is not a lot of choice on that either. You have to keep your hacker protection up and going, ditto on your spy ware, pop-up stoppers, and whatever else comes out that you have to protect yourself from. It is constant, it never ends and there is always a new threat with which to contend. You also have to keep your system maintained and up to date.
Additionally, you have to keep up with the trends and how they affect your particular niche. Take time out to blink your eyes in a high tech field and you are behind already. Lady Pens is a good example of a resource you might use to help keep up with the trends, online women networking with other online women sharing information, articles and know how in their own special areas of expertise. The list goes on and on, but I’ll leave it there.
Link to your articles at LadyPens.
http://www.ladypens.com/profile/Regina-Pickett-Garson/152
I publish Magic Stream - http://www.magicstream.org/ - which I started in `94. It is a self-help holistic wellness resource and literary journal – with a bent toward the arts and healing. The site includes an extensive directory of self-help, holistic wellness and mental health resources. It is utilized by students, professionals, mental health consumers and the general public.
2. Do you have any recent news, products, a new launch, freebies, etc.
I recently moved my site to a host that will allow me a lot more developmental freedom. I’m really excited about the possibilities and have already made a number of upgrades with more to come.
I’m particularly proud of the new Poetry Gallery - http://www.magicstream.org/gallery-poetry.html From the start, I published art and poetry both at Magic Stream. This new gallery highlights them both to advantage. I display original art and high quality prints along with the poetry. I occasionally feature individual artists as well. I’m really happy with the results, response has been positive and I look forward to expanding in this area.
Another new addition is “The Store,” http://www.thestore.magicstream.org/ an online mall. You’ll find all the favorites you’d expect in a top notch mall, including some really great specialty shops, boutiques, International selections, designer clothes, fine Italian crafts and exclusive gallery offerings. Online shopping is changing the way we go to market. Location is not an issue, and neither are store hours. Really great shopping is literally just a click away, and that is especially important for people who can’t get out and about for whatever reason, whether work schedules or physical disability. Even people who live in the most remote areas now have easy access to world class shopping.
3. What are your absolute favorite products or resources you can't live without in your business (or have helped you the most)?
With the work that I do online, a decent computer is an absolute necessity and I certainly can’t live without a good Internet connection.
4. What's your best advice for someone just starting out in online business (getting traffic, article marketing, networking, etc.)?
I really thought about waxing philosophical, but when you get down to it there are a whole lot of nuts and bolts, you have to keep in order if you are going to work with computers, online or off. Firstly, you have to make sure you have good equipment and you have to keep it up and running. Sometimes that is a lot easier said than done. Viruses, hackers, slow connections, aging systems or a computer with a bug can all wreak havoc with your productivity.
Viruses have cost me dearly. You always hear what viruses do to big businesses, but us gals working from home offices get hit pretty hard too – maybe even harder when you get down to actual impact. One of the worst I dealt with, my system was never actually infected, but it had so many viruses go through it, I had to change the way I handled my email.
It doesn’t stop with good virus protection. With any technology related business; you have to spend time and money just to stay in the game. There is not a lot of choice on that either. You have to keep your hacker protection up and going, ditto on your spy ware, pop-up stoppers, and whatever else comes out that you have to protect yourself from. It is constant, it never ends and there is always a new threat with which to contend. You also have to keep your system maintained and up to date.
Additionally, you have to keep up with the trends and how they affect your particular niche. Take time out to blink your eyes in a high tech field and you are behind already. Lady Pens is a good example of a resource you might use to help keep up with the trends, online women networking with other online women sharing information, articles and know how in their own special areas of expertise. The list goes on and on, but I’ll leave it there.
Link to your articles at LadyPens.
http://www.ladypens.com/profile/Regina-Pickett-Garson/152
posted by Nicole @ 11:52 AM
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