Over 40s-online

How to Win Friends and Influence people with Social Media

2010-05-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Social media or Web 2.0 as is it is known in tech-speak, is changing the world, as we know it, at a rapid rate. Early adopters have defined its impact.

5 years after the launch of Youtube and a mere 3 years since the emergence of Facebook these originally quirky mediums have become ubiquitous. This poses a potential problem.
If so many people are communicating and sharing their content how can you stand out from the crowd and have your message embraced?

Clearly define your objective. Are you communicating largely irrelevant incidental occurrences in your life? If so there is probably a very small audience that will care to tune in.

Are you pitching your latest business venture to all and sundry and hoping the pure volume of your message will be heard? If so it is likely you will attract like-minded people who will send you an endless stream of solicitations.

Are you communicating to a specific niche target audience and interacting for mutual benefit?
Many people are embracing social medium forums in order to win friends and influence people to join their ‘tribe’. Invariably they go about this task in a counter productive manner.

Some suggestions that might help you achieve your goal.

Attract friends and followers, not for the purpose of building a large list, but rather for the purpose of creating meaningful dialogue.

Your approach needs to be one of selectivity. There are a multitude of people with similar interests to yours. Frequent the same forums.

Comment on their blogs, and be genuine when you communicate with them. Mass automated responses are usually recognized for what they are. Many will consider them lacking authenticity.

Ask for help. Most people are flattered when asked for advice and will willingly share.
Be consistent with your message.

If you have numerous Web Sites and Blogs and Social Media pages, avoid having them all linked.

Offer something as a valuable give away before you request a favor or solicit for business. This can be an e-book, or content rich download. You can guide them to your site for the download link, but let them choose to investigate your site rather than tricking them into a click.

Be different. The easiest way is to simply be yourself, natural, open and genuine. Let your own voice be heard.

As you build your connections you can ask that they recommend and share your links with their networks, and after the trust has been established, the true power of online networking will reveal itself.

It is highly unlikely that interactive networking is a fad, and the sooner you embrace it the more chance you will have to share your message.

Have You Joined The 'Whatever' Generation?

2010-01-28T00:41:00.001-08:00

It doesn't seem that long ago that the one word, concluding punctuation mark, 'whatever' entered the common lexicon. What would once have seemed abrupt in the extreme became the deflection of choice for a generation. Any conversation that needed immediate termination could be executed with the briefest of eye brow raise and the barely audible 'whatever'.

Like a Seinfeld comedy sketch a whole generation embraced this 'in-joke'. What might once have appeared rude or condescending became a rallying call flavored in irony for the apathetic and ambivalent.

Catch phrases act to bond like minded people. A tipping point is reached with inter-generational and cross cultural participation. Suddenly everything is 'whatever'. Debate and rational analysis default to 'whatever'

The interesting thing to me is this: If that little voice in our head that guides our impulses starts to mutter the 'whatever' mantra, that's when the curse of ambivalence kicks in. Ambivalence is the 'devil may care' attitude that abdicates all responsibility for our actions and consequentally our results.

We all have a couple of throw away phrases that we catch ourselves repeating. We sometimes pick up on the repetitive aphorisms of others. 'I'm such an idiot'. 'Life's a bitch' 'S**t happens' (**LOL!) 'Whatever'

Listen to yourself and notice whether your language is tilted toward the enthusiastic or the ambivalent. Ultimately (side bar; my least favorite word) our self talk defines our attitude to life and it's worth the occasional pause to reflect on the phrases we use and how they impact on our lives.

What do you reckon? Let me guess. WHATEEEEEEVER!

Free Gift-#1 Read E-Book in History!

2010-01-25T00:27:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of Seth Godin of Purple Cow fame. Most marketers ask you to opt in to their auto responder and in return they'll offer you something of value. I prefer the other approach: Offer something of value first and if you like it then opt in and build a meaningful connection.

Click on this link and when the page opens hit 'Get it" at the top of the page. simple. Then perhaps you can opt in on the right and receive on going quality content as I find it.

CLICK HERE: "IDEA VIRUS"

What's this Blog all about?

2010-01-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks for dropping by. There's an accumulation of thoughts, some resources, and above all forum to connect with like minded people for joint Inspiration.

There will be some scribbling about Leisure, Travel, Health, Online Business, Motivation etc

Would love to hear your comments

Cheers Kiaran

Below is the original Blogpost for this site which is a more comprehensive outline of our objectives.

ORIGINAL POST

Did You Know?

2010-01-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share this video with you. It's had over 8 million views to-date. It got me thinking-If we're not embracing change we're in danger of becoming out of touch with the world we live in, quicker than you might imagine. There's no moral or anything to preach here, but I think you'll enjoy.

Let us know what you think below
Cheers Kiaran

This is not a dating Blog! Laughing out loud (LOL)

2010-01-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

Yes I know all you hip over 40s knew what LOL was-took me a while to figure it out I confess.

It's recently occurred to me that the number one search result for over 40s online is in the realm of dating agencies and such like. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the idea and if I was single perhaps I'd venture into that world, but I admit to being surprised at the prevalence of search results almost exclusively on this topic.

Surely there are other areas of interest for this demographic, which incidentally encompasses half the population.

this Blogsite is still finding its voice and I'd welcome any feedback regarding what you'd like to read about-if anything. I'll assume if you've landed on this site albeit momentarily there was something you were hoping to find.

So, before you mowsy off (spellcheck didn't like that word!), let us know what you'd like in the area of content for the over 40's. Obviously we can't be everything to everyone but as we build this little online community in the dark recesses of cyberspace, i'd like to increase the odds of you returning!

So let us know if laughter, music, celebrity gossip-urgggggh-I hope not, health, fitness, travel (my passion), inspiration or sport takes your fancy, or whatever you'd like to find at this Blog.

Finally I have a little tongue in cheek observation to make. Whilst Googling 'over 40's online' to see what comes up, I did indeed find that 9 out of 10 page one listings were for dating sites etc, yet this humble (or not so humble!) blurb did come in at #1! LOL......

PS: there's a brand new social media site similar to Twitter, but obviously fresher and so far less spammy that I'm checking out called 'youbuzz'. it's the brainchild of Aussie Darren Gaudry, well known in online circles.

If you'd like to pop over and check out you can click here. If you haven't embraced Twitter or Facebook etc but want to venture into this sphere I think you'll find it a less cluttered and pretty friendly forum. My link is www.youbuzz.com/mypaidvacations

Thanks for visiting and as always I'd welcome your comments-especially the positive ones!
Cheers Kiaran

New Year Resolutions!

2010-01-02T23:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another decade (technically we've got another year to go before the new decade actually starts, but let's not quibble!) What's your intention for 2010?

That question didn't exactly roll off the tongue did it? We're most used to saying 'what's your goal?' but I think intention has a bit more substance to it. Some goals can be little more than a wish and a prayer. We set vague goals daily. Some get done, some don't. So what?

Tell your kids that you intend to get something sorted out right now, and you've got their attention!

Enough of the semantics. The most common resolutions that kick off in early January usually include losing weight and getting more exercise. Not incidentally the same thing. I wrote a Blog awhile back where I discussed the relative pointlessness of exercise in contributing to weight loss, certainly compared to diet.

By late January the gym Memberships have been purchased, the body somewhat detoxed, a couple of Kilos lost and a few aching joints to show for our endeavors and before you know it we've defaulted to our usual comfort zone, and on the cycle goes.

Is this your story or am I totally off base? It seems to make sense to start off the year or deade with fresh resolve, yet there is no particular reason to begin in January as opposed to March, yet who sets resolutions in March?

The bigger question is Why? Why should you bother? If it's out of some token sense of guilt that you feel a little out of kilter with your perception of societies' expectations, then it's unlikely you'll really give a damn after the initial adrenelin rush wears off.

If however you can find a really compelling answer to the 'Why' then the whole game changes.

If for instance it occurs to you that continuing to smoke could significantly decrease your odds of seeing the Grand-kids grow up, then your Intention to give up the cigarettes may just be strong enough to make it happen.

If you're struggle with weight loss has been never ending then maybe a candid warts and all assesment by your physician may be the catalyst for change.

Perhaps you've wanted to go into business for yourself and drop kick the 9-5 into Timbuktu (or however you spell it) but you've dragged your feet, procrastinated, let doubts and fears pervade your dream and again defaulted to the comfort zone of sitcom TV instead of taking some meaningful first steps toward that dream. Then perhaps a different answer needs to be found.

If not now when? Are you prepared to cop another 10 or 20 years of office politics. Are you happy to meander towards a subsistence pension in 5 or 10 or 15 years?

What scares you? What exhilarates you? This is the key to your success or failure in accomplishing your New Year Resolutions.

Find a big enough why and virtually anything can be accomplished, else ambivalence kicks in and you're destined to taxi down the run way of life indefinitely without ever reaching critical speed to take off. - Sorry for the metaphor-speak-but there's a hint of truth in there I reckon!

Best Wishes for 2010 and I hope your compelling Intentions happen for you.

Cheers Kiaran

Stream Movies Online?

2010-01-02T02:54:00.000-08:00

If you're like me and finding that free to air TV is pretty average especially this time of the year and even Pay TV is erratic in its program quality, then you may want to check this out.

A pretty simple way to access thousands of movies online. If you've got Broadband, then this is what your kids are probably already doing.

The link's below. There's a pretty low almost nominal fee to get access, which you can easily recoup by simply referring others to the site below. I'll be doing a Blog in the next day or two on the subject of Clickbank and how you can earn decent affiliate fees, simply by referring others to sites that you recommend.

Stream Movies Online: Click Here!

You do nothing and earn an affiliate fee if they chose to purchase from clickbank. Not only that, - it's FREE! As always my goal is to source as many free resources that I can find in order for you to succeed in your online ventures.

My primary business online at present is MY Paid Vacations-simply because it ticks all the boxes regarding value for money, and supporting my passion for 5 star travel. For details click the box to the side and I'll tell you everything I know, and I think you'll be impressed.

Cheers Kiaran-I hope the New Year has Kicked off well for you!

Click Here!

Seasons Greetings and Hope You Have an AWESOME 2010!

2009-12-23T22:02:00.000-08:00

Thank you for visiting my Blog during what for some was a fantastic 2009. My hope is that you and your family have a great 2010 and your aspirations find fulfillment.

Some of you may have had the best year of your life and some alas the worst-that's the swings and roundabouts of this merry go round we call life. I welcome you to re-visit next year as we build our community of like minded individuals for common, Inspiration and Motivation with my goal to make it an AWESOME-2010

As always I welcome your connection-Cheers Kiaran-here in currently very summery Perth-not a snowflake in sight!

Primo Vacations-What's The Story?

2009-12-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

I hesitated before scribbling this post as it's a little out of character with the theme of this site, yet upon reflection perhaps it matches very well. Confused? Sorry it's midnight and it's been a long day.

One of the reasons I'm online is to fund my passion for travel. I have an interesting offline life that I enjoy and supports my life balance. However there are constraints mostly time and lack of career security that have guided me towards the online world of infinite potential to complement my overall aspirations.

The point of this ramble is the belief that many of you perusing this Blog may share a similar mindset to mine. Perhaps you have a contented relatively fulfilling life, but at the same time feel there's potentially more within the scope of your achievement and you're either actively or vaguely searching.

If that's not too Zen or nonsensical then here's the crux of this Blog.

You may want to take a serious look at this spanking brand new vacation opportunity. Check it out and if it intrigues you then either contact me directly OR click on the link for a REQUEST A CALLBACK and my PBA will get back to you.

Cheers Kiaran-hope your day is progressing outstandingly well!

PRIMO VACATIONS-THE STORY EXPLAINED

Or Pop over to my other Blog dedicated specifically to Primo

Deciphering Your Twitter Activity

2009-12-11T04:39:00.000-08:00

I have a love hate with Twitter. Actually more of a mild sense of goodwill versus mutterings about how pointless and banal it all is!

Yet I accept the need to embrace and ADAPT in order to weave this ubiquitous social medium into my life. And there is no doubt that we haven't scratched the surface regarding how you can leverage the likes of twitter to achieve any number of great tasks.

This is a quick post: If you have more than 50 or so followers on Twitter you might want to check out the application below called TWITIN-Yes I know! How many more variations of the tweet word can they come up with?

It's pretty self-explanatory. you input your Twitter name and you can check out who's following you back, and who isn't! How many are actual fans-ie interested in your commentary and advice on how to better position yourself within the organization. I'm not a big fan of trying to chase lots of people to try and build volume-it's almost a request to get spammed, but you do have the facility to niche target your area of interest. E.G those who Tweet specifically about: sport. politics, Celebrities (why!!!?) or marketing or about their city.

to me this is a more engaging audience to hook up to and whilst many won't play the game of You follow me and I'll follow you, that's not an issue anyway until you reach 2000 people you follow. Confused? Don't be. By the time you're following that many you'll understand the game-suffice to say that once you reach that number you need to have at least a 90% Following you ratio-otherwise you can't follow more than 2001 people! Funnily enough life will still go on!!

They also have a pretty neat twitter badge which I've added to my Blogs as you can see on the side.

Keep in touch-and contact me if I can be of some value to you-Cheers Kiaran

Social Media-Benefits Even for the Reluctant

2009-12-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

Why are you Online? Is it to kill time? To connect with people of similar interests? To vent your frustrations to an unknown audience? For Business reasons? Research and study?

Surfing the Net has become a ubiquitous activity. When did you last look up the Yellow Pages? Or use a Dictionary? Our lives are changing rapidly and our means of sourcing knowledge is impacting and permeating every aspect of the economy.

There are dangers of ignoring 'the elephant in the room' however. There was a time a decade or so ago when it was kind of cute to rebel against the mobile phone. A generation is beginning to realize that adapting to texting, email and social networking is virtually imperative if they wish to maintain contact with kids grand kids and extended family. How many Christmas cards are you expecting this year? Less I'm guessing than 5 years ago.

At some point we all make decisions whether to embrace or rebel against a technology. We can try ignoring it for awhile but eventually we are forced to confront it. We make decisions NOT to smoke or NOT to email or NOT to Facebook.

This is not a choice of right versus wrong, but our choices determine how connected we are to our community. I'd love to have the time to randomly call up friends, relatives, former sporting acquaintances, previous work colleagues and interesting people I've recently been introduced to, but alas I don't have 10 hours a day to chew the fat and nurture these relationships. And neither I guess do they.

What happens therefore is that these relationships wither on the vine and are sporadically rekindled at weddings and funerals. In times long gone you could go down to the 'Local' Church or Market and maintain dozens of relationships-for most these times are gone.

The value of Social networking is not that it affords the opportunity to broadcast drivel to the world, rather that relationships can be renewed, cultivated and new ones engaged in relatively easily. I still don't have time to engage directly with thousands of Online Connections, but I can keep in touch with those that allow me albeit fleetingly pop up on their Twitter or Facebook forums.

The challenge today is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep in touch with those who are not in our immediate circle so I encourage all those who though reluctant to embrace social media technology to consider giving it a go-you might be surprised at who connects with you-and if Online interaction is not textured enough for your tastes, it can certainly facilitate face to face 'catch ups' offline.

Hope your day is progressing well-always welcoming of comments-Cheers Kiaran

Url Shorteners

2009-12-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to a random recent Blog regarding Url Shorteners. This is almost a pre-requisite of any Blogging, Tweeting or Facebooking-the ability to condense long ugly Url's into a small neat space.
URL SHORTENERS-MINI BLOG

Cheers Kiaran

Random Act Of Kindness Experiment

2009-11-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

'tis the season to be merry, over indulge, connect with family and friends and midst the dizzying glitz of consumerism to perhaps pause momentarily and contemplate the flip side of this coin of indulgence. Perhaps now's also the time to try something a little of kilter. Imagine the impact of a few Random Acts Of Kindness this month on both YOU and the recipient.

This is not a Mother Theresa manifestation of altruism I'm talking about just perhaps a token gesture here and there, that's spontaneous. The ripple effect may surprise you. My recent Blog on Life Matters is a little more descriptive.

Hope I'm not pontificating-I'd welcome your feedback if you've done something Random recently, how'd it feel?

Hope this crazy time of the year is treating you well-Cheers Kiaran

Blogging

2009-11-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you're on Facebook, Twitter or My Space sharing your thoughts about your area of interest and finding that people are just tuning you out. It's debateable if the above social media networks are the ideal forum for niche blogging.

I may be interested to learn that one of my network associates/friends has started a new business, but its unlikely I want to read 10 posts a day telling the world how great it is, which is really just spam disguised as banter. An occasional mention and link to a blog however is a different story.

When I have time to idle and browse i may be inclined to pop over to John's Blog and read his thoughts on Thai cooking or motorcycle maintenance. Alternatively I may pop over from time to time to see how Jenny's book publishing endeavors are progressing. It's not that I am not interested in what my connections are up to, it's just that I don't have time to engage incessantly and as we become more and more interconnected there is less time to 'waste'.

If you have more than 100 Facebook or Twitter connections then you may need to be selective. I feel guilty 'hiding' comments from some of the above but it is a necessary evil.

A Blog can be as simple as a ramble about some topic of interest or an in depth article. It's free to post and remains in the digital sphere indefinitely. Over time like minded people will start tuning into your Blogs and engaging. Initially it may feel isolating as there is no sense of anyone actually participating, and you're unsure if anyone's actually reading your Blogs, but patience is rewarded.

It's very easy to get to page 1 on Google for a Blog as simple as this. What that means is that you will attract far more page views over time than you can possibly imagine. A Facebook comment may have an immediate acknowledgment but a blog may be viewed thousands of times.

So I encourage you to set up a Blog-this is on the Blogspot platform and incredibly easy to use, and don't worry if anyone's interested, you'll probably surprise yourself with some of the content you consign to paper and over time niche communities will develop accordingly around you.

I appreciate any feedback unless it's nasty! If any of this material engages you then I would welcome you to RSS or connect on Twitter or Facebook. Hope your day is progressing as you'd like

Cheers Kiaran

Starting A home based Business? Warning!

2009-11-26T04:28:00.000-08:00

Google Home Based Business Opportunities and you'll find a billion plus webpages-Wow! Where do you start?

The point is that despite some occasional stigma that running a business from home is somehow less worthy than working out of a big loud shopfront or city center office-The reality is that broadband connectivity has utterly changed the commercial landscape in the last few years.

More people are taking the opportunity to opt out of the 9-5 'rat-race' and embrace a less restrictive and more family friendly route to financial security. there are millions of opportunities to succeed or fail! Where do you start? There are so many compelling and seductive business opportunities that seem potentially perfect and yet....

Some research will reveal a troubling statistic. It is suggested that 90%+ opportunity peddlers will fail to achieve any measure of tangible success. Why is this so?

Hype sells. Alas by definition hype is the personification of gloss and exaggerated claims. It is hard to navigate through the mass of distractions that are eagerly soliciting our attention. each opportunity is pitched as the Ultimate, Best, Fantastic and of course Limited opportunity in the universe.

If there is a secret to building a successful online venture, then I would suggest that it is more important to establish an effective self branded 'Funded Proposal' than actually finding the ideal business. What?!

A funded proposal is a template or system for funding your lead and marketing costs, and is imperative unless you have deep pockets and are an expert in traffic generation tactics. No traffic = No business.
I cannot stress how important it is however that you brand YOU, not your business.

The good news however is that My Pet Monkey could make a pretty good fist of succeeding online by copy and pasting this system into his business model. This may all seem a bit obscure however I am happy to clarify if you'd like to connect. I don't want to take up too much Blog space here on the subject.

If you already have an online business, then this system will allow you to literally explode your penetration and visibility, and if you don't yet have a business, then you can actually dip you toe in the water and start your online ad-venture by promoting the system itself.

Having just read back this Blog it does all seem a bit vague-Sorry about that-Hook up below for more information. Remember this is a free resource and I will endeavor to provide as much useful content as I can to assist you in your online endeavors. Hope life's treating you well

Cheers Kiaran

email:

New Self Growth Resource Site

2009-11-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

I've just hooked up to this site and I think you'll like it. It's not at all salesy but a great resource for inspiration with great content. Plus you get your own page FREE-check out mine if you like. It's not too flash I just threw it together quickly so that I could get the word out.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/kiaran_finn

Let me know your thought or connect via that site if you like. I'll be adding some more content here very shortly that I think you'll find useful.

Thanks for your support-cheers Kiaran

Over 40s Exit to Retitirement Strategies

2009-11-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

If you've successfully negotiated life's ebbs and flows and are in your 40s or 50's, then your chances of getting to 90 are pretty high. That does however pose one significant challenge. How you fund potentially 30 plus years in this golden cycle? Previous generations had a retirement expectation of maybe 10 years or so. They also had a more frugal attitude.

Here's an exercise for you. If you would like to retire on pretty much the income you are currently on, then you need to accumulate approximately 15 times that figure in order to live off the interest. If you are a couple and like the finer things in life, such as travel, going to restaurants, supporting the kids and grand-kids, and perhaps indulging in some hobbies such as Golf or Art, then it's not unreasonable to expect an annual maintenance figure approaching $100k.

Very few people will ever squirrel away $1.5 million in after tax savings in order to fund this type of lifestyle.

There are basically 5 strategies available to us:

Save-forgo current pleasures in order to hopefully live long enough to enjoy future wealth! Urggghh!

Inherit! Not a strategy for the motivated individual!

Lotto. Good fortune has its flip side, and in this instance, the problem is that there is a higher chance of being run over by a truck on the way to buy the ticket!

Hope! Actually hope is not a strategy but alas is the default for many.

Invest. Create a passive income through some form of leverage. Property, Shares, Business, Greyhounds, Racehorses, Music, or some appreciating asset. Investment can include investing TIME in knowledge accumulation, MONEY to launch a business, or ENERGY connecting and building community networks. (Incidentally I'm not specifically recommending any of the above-although if you do have potential million selling jingle/song in your head-go for it!)

The tone of this Blog seems bleak, but that is unintentional. Longevity should be celebrated, yet many that I've spoken to about the subject seem a little daunted by the consequences. The good news however, is that it's never too late to embark on an adventure. colonel Saunders started Kentucky Fried Chicken in his 60's and Ray Croc launched the franchising arm of MacDonalds in his 50's!

Let us know what your strategy is and how it's working for you. I'm online to Inspire and BE inspired.

Cheers Kiaran

FACEBOOK
TWITTER

Over 40s Travel

2009-11-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

What's your favorite travel destination or style of holiday? Have your tastes changed over the years? I remember a time when the Costa Del Somewhere's of the world appealed. Amber Solaire sunscreen that smelt like candy from 100 yards, copious amounts of beer and spirits consumed poolside and foggy recollections of 80' Disco beats. Great memories but at the same time the prospect of embarking on such a journey today would be an absolute nightmare!

Recently I've travelled to Sentosa just off Singapore at a Spa Resort next to a PGA Golf course. Major pampering close to the hustle and bustle of the metropolis but isolated enough for some R & R tranquility. Everything is super clean and modern, but with the benefits of being in the tropics.

Previously we did Phucket. Probably a little too reminiscent of those 80's vacations, except with the benefit of outstanding Thai food. Lots of beached human whales wallowing on the beach or wandering semi clad into the local restaurants...urgggh! Cheap, warm and pretty friendly but with a seedy underbelly that seems to surface when the sun goes down. Probably best left to back packers and lonely hearts.

Europe. Now we're talking! Not everyone's cup of tea in winter but awesome variety and depth of experience. Jump on a train in London and a few hours later you're in Paris getting photo opportunities alongside the Eiffel Tower, accommodation a little Xee and usually cramped but forgivable. Another train trip to Amsterdam and another unique experience, mostly enjoyable as long as you don't have a bicycle phobia. Pretty liberal and plenty of watering holes to savour. If sport's your thing you'll find a multitude of sports bars with wall to wall plasmas covering every conceivable sport.

An over night train and a chance to catch up on some zzzz's gets you down to Munich. Late September and you're in Beer Festival mode with half the local populace clad in lederhosen. Quite bizarre. A mix of historical and modern architecture, a stones throw from the Bavarian hills. Great for a couple of days shopping and sight seeing.

Then a stunning train trip to Vienna. Views to kill for. For those with a few cultural interests this is the place to be. One of my favorite cities. Architecturally interesting. Major restoration projects makes it feel like you've gone back in time a couple of centuries, you can taste the history.

Finally another train trip down to Venice. Initially disappointing, until I accepted that the locals mostly resent their reliance on the tourist dollar. As unfriendly a destination in Europe as I've ever experienced. However after a day or so I started to empathize a little. Their city is sinking and its demise is the fodder of an amazing tourist industry. Travelers from all over the globe swarm into the crumbling city to gawk, take photos and tramp across the narrow cobbled streets, totally enveloping and diminishing the local culture. Paradoxically a must see and do European experience.

Coming soon the launch of a new Global Holiday Program that I 'm using to indulge my passion of annual world travel. To connect and find out more drop us your contact details or just Facebook or Twitter me. Hope your day's going well!

Over 40s Inspiration and Empowering Wisdom Lessons

2009-11-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

This a link to my other Blogging platform: Kiaranfinn-Online-which you might find useful. The link below however is a link to a compilation of 30+ thought's and ponderings of some of the greatest of world leaders, philosophers and social Icons of the ages. Some of the messages are incredibly powerful and I suspect timeless.

If any of this resonates-then just connect or RSS us on the box next to this-or maybe leave a comment
cheers Kiaran

30+ Wisdom Thoughts From the Ages

#3 Google ranking out of 18 million!

2009-11-09T21:36:00.000-08:00

No this isn't a self indulgent pat on the back! Blogging is not complicated. A few minutes of quality information can get your message in front of a tonne of searchers for free!

The above Blog was submitted just two weeks ago and is already on the same front page as PAID advertising.

Creating your online presence is not complicated, if you tune in to what works. Reinventing the wheel in a universe where wheels become obsolete very quickly can be a a soul destroying strategy.

As per my Facebook profile. I'm online to have FUN, Inspire and be Inspired. All connections are valued, half my online energy is leeching information from all those clever 'wheel inventors' and the other half offering my help to those that want it.

So if any of this resonates just RSS us on the side and/or connect on Facebook or Twitter. My experience to date is that Facebook probably offers more solid connections than Twitter-although I have unearthed some useful resources on that medium.

Keep having Fun-or start if you're not!!

Cheers Kiaran

Excercise For Fitness-Health-Fun. Starting Over

2009-11-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

Exercise for fun? Is that what you call an oxymoron?

Do you remember a time when your body was awash with those great natural drugs called endorphins? If not you missed out on a pretty crazy rush of euphoria that for many became so addictive they spent most of their waking hours running on treadmills, doing countless situps, cycling to work after having had the morning 2 k swim!

Such madness! Yet a lot of us secretly admire their energy and dammed fit bods, whilst justifying our less edifying inactivity by labeling them narcissistic with too much time on their hands!

Most excersise routines are adaptive to stress, meaning that gradually increased loadings not only increase our capacity to do more, but amazingly increase our desire to hit pain thresholds. Alas this doesn't happen on day one.

Remember your first aerobics session in 2 years? The pain! Especially for the next 2 days after. Muscle soreness. stiffness, cramps...what fun,,,NOT! Why bother? Yet a month or two of consistent exercise brings its rewards. That first day when you actually feel buzzed after a workout. The real progress is apparent when you have to miss a session and you actually feel bad. it truley is addictive.

Like most things in life the motto 'Use it or Lose' it rings true. A week or two away from the routine and the body and mind rebel and resort to the default. Ie: desire for couch beer/wine and pizzas!

Which exercise routine is most effective?

There needs to be some stress threshold involved, other than boredom. 100 bicep curls with 2kilo weights isn't going to cut it. A stroll in the park intermittently broken up with some Frisbee throwing to the dog is equally unlikely to produce much benefit except perhaps for Rover!

Most new routines probably won't be enjoyable initially, but you need to work out what would you probably enjoy doing if you were a bit fitter?

Swimming.
Low stress, unless you're a poor swimmer in a deep pool! Fairly time consuming though as you need to do a lot to get much benefit.

Power walking.
The benefit is that you can build up your distances gradually and can probably do anywhere. To maximise the benefits it may be useful to include some hills.

Running.
As above although you will need to be aware of potential injury. If possible it might be preferable to start on grass and build up slowly in order to gauge joint and ligament strength.

Gym.
My choice. Most gyms have a duty of care responsibility and will ensure that you are medically ok before they assign you a program. The downside is that you will need a budget, probably not too exorbitant and some inconvenience issues. The upside is that it can be motivating (once you've overcome some initial fear of the unknown) to be in an environment of music and common sense of purpose.

Contrary to popular belief, most gyms are frequented mostly by normal people, and the preening, or bodybuilder types are actually in the minority and often frequent more hardcore facilities anyway.

Personal Training.
Again if your budget, which will largely be dictated by the importance you place on achieving your desired results, will allow, it can be very beneficial to get a half dozen personal training sessions to kick start. Most gym newbies have very poor techniques and are counter productive if leading to injuries. Also a personal trainer will motivate you to push through some of your limitations. Once you've done a month or so those endorphins will come to your aid and keep you self motivated.

Golf.
I'm dubious of any significant benefits from a purely fitness point of view from golf as there is too much standing around talking and occasionally swearing to really make progress

Tennis/Squash/indoor Soccer/Netball etc
Once a basic level of fitness has been attained, then the merits of team sports are obvious. Camaraderie. The motivation to work harder. Enjoyment-mostly. Be wary though of joint and ligament injuries as opposed to general muscle soreness. The latter is an adaptive response to becoming fitter, the former is defeating the whole point of the exercise.

Let us know what your exercise of choice is. if you don't have one I encourage you to venture in to the unknown. The benefits will undoubtedly amaze you. More energy, likely longevity, some social benefits, less stress, increased strength and stamina and a myriad of other plusses.

If you relate to any of this please RSS or connect on the side boxes.

Cheers Kiaran

Social Networking For The Over 40s

2009-11-08T00:41:00.000-08:00

Once you get past the jargon and labels such as 'Web 2.0', 'Consumer Generated Media', 'Content Syndication Platforms' and other assorted gibberish, you start to realize that Social Networking is simply the most basic of human interactivity that has been around since the dawn of society.

Once upon a time it was the Market Square, or the Church. Today we a have simply moved from 6 degrees of separation to just ONE! In the past you might have a network of relatives, friends and casual acquaintances that might add up to perhaps a few hundred. With the arrival of broadband connectivity you can literally be linked to thousands directly, each of whom is linked to thousands.

The result is that your message can be spread virully in a matter of hours to literally millions of people. (Assuming your message is compelling enough for anyone to care!) Am I exaggerating? On the contrary, the above numbers are conservative. Remember Susan Doyle? Someone uploaded a 5 minute video to Youtube of her performance on UK Idol and within 7 days it had been seen by upwards of 30 million viewers!

Social networking ensures that there is no reason to feel isolated anymore. whatever your interests, proclivities, age, race, creed and peculiar interests, there are probably millions online that you can identify with.

How do you find this rare breed of individual?

Twitter. There are people similar to you twittering daily about all mannar of both interesting and banal subjects. Start engaging and responding.

Facebook. This doesn't need to be the preserve of generation Y, and isn't. If you think you don't have anyone who's be interested in following or befriending you, I guarantee you're wrong. all you've got to do is to start requesting acceptance to other people's Twitter or Facebook networks. How?

Well what interests you? For example gardening or recreational fishing. Google the subject. Jump on a few websites. Leave a few comments. Most of them will have a Facebook or twitter icon for you to click and connect on. Once you've been accepted, start leaving the ocasional responses to their comments. Before long some of their connections will start requesting to be you friend or follower. Because of the fact you have similar interests.

The label 'friend' is a bit of a misnomer. It's more of a loose connection that can over time be developed into a meaningful contact. Friend is a warmer label however.

Ezine Articles. Not so much a social networking forum, but if you start throwing together some 400 word articles on your topic of interest, regardless of how obscure you will attract views many of whom, yes you've guessed it will want to 'follow' you on Facebook or Twitter.

Youtube. For the marginally more adventurous. If you have a camcorder, it's pretty easy to do a 2 minute recording of your dog fighting with the cat, or a cool sunset, or a brief introduction to your town, upload to Youtube with a link to your Free blog or Twitter account, (or website -if you want to be fancy! LOL) and potentially drive thousands of people to check you out. it's called engaging.

Like most things in life however you've got to give before you get Start being interested ie comment on other people's blogs, twitters, youtube channels etc and after awhile many will reciprocate. it's human nature.

I have only touched on a couple of mediums here. There are numerous niche networking sites including friends reunited, and hub pages, I didn't mention My Space. But if you make a start with the above examples plus perhaps a little Blogging (see my previous article: "How To Build A Blog" before long you'll be as engaged and connected as much as you choose to be.

Thanks for stopping by-I welcome you to RSS me on the side box or connect on Facebook or Twitter!
Cheers Kiaran

#23 out of 6 million google webpages!

2009-11-06T00:29:00.000-08:00

Google 'over 40s online' and there are an amazing 6.3 MILLION pages. In just a couple of weeks this modest Blog has hit #23 on page 3! So what? Well the big deal is that nearly every other page listed higher is for dating services. Is that the only online topic that interests this generation? Surely not.

Let's get this party started and help us get to Page 1 and start engaging our group demographic (half the population mind you) in some common interests.

So if you have a modicum of interest in developing this Blog and sharing thoughts RSS the box just next to this maybe make a comment preferably a favorable one! Also if you're Facebook people or maybe thinking about it pop over to my site and add me as a friend so we can share common points of connection.

Thanks for dropping by Kiaran

Facebook or Twitter, Why Bother?

2009-11-04T00:40:00.000-08:00

Do you really care what some distant acquaintance thinks about the weather or the economy, or last nights episode of celebrity chef? Probably not, yet you may be missing out on a fantastic medium for connecting with really interesting like minded people if you totally reject this type of forum. If you can't beat them why not join them!

The beauty of Facebook and Twitter is that you can pick and choose exactly who you want to engage. If they bore you with their inane commentary, then you can HIDE their comments for a week or so, or simply give them the bullet! A bit easier than in the Offline world. Guess what? They won't even know.

Facebook I find is a little more sociable and whilst many do pitch their home based business ideas or try to foist their political opinions on you, if you have a reasonably eclectic group that you occasionally engage with it can be not only entertaining but also quite informative.

News will hit these networking sites, often hours before main stream media. You can upload photos or small video files and engage rapidly with a vast array of people.

Twitter is potentially more anonymous. Many use it purely to build a data base or audience so they can blast them almost spam-like with messages on an hourly rate. If you don't buy in too much to the concept of building thousands of followers unless the perceived increase in social status is your objective then it can serve a purpose of sharing your 'content' with like minded people.

To connect with long lost friends, or relatives they can be fantastic mediums, and you can choose to indulge daily or weekly or once in a blue moon. I like that you get a reminder of peoples' birthdays so you can send a meaningful comment and online card.

I do use these networking sites for some business activity, and I do 'Follow' people that I can learn from with no expectation of a reciprocal relationship, however my main objective is to simply engage and connect with like minded people for Fun and Inspiration.

If any of this resonates please connect below. Hope you're having a great day!

www.facebook.com/kiaranfinn

My other Blog sites are:
http://kiaranfinn.blogspot.com-A bit of naval gazing wry social commentary not to be taken too seriously!

http://kiaranfinn-online.blogspot.com-My training Blog for new Online Marketers

http://kiaranfinn.wordpress.com-Only of interest to those pursuing a fulltime business Online.

How's Your life Balance?

2009-11-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is an article I published to Ezine Articles a couple of months back, but thought it might fit appropriately.

Midst the hustle and bustle of nurturing our careers in order to pay the mortgage, support the kids and animals, do some renovations, take an occasional holiday, oh and of course put some 'excess' funds away for the rainy day-(who's got excess funds anyway?)-do you ever feel that there doesn't really be time to do the important non-work stuff?

What stuff? You know, the stuff you'd want to do if your crystal ball told you you only had a couple of years left in your mortal coil. Perhaps indulgence in your art or sculpturing. Perhaps writing that novel you've been talking about for twenty years. Trekking through Nepal, renewing your vows, taking up Yoga, doing that course in NLP, or any number of seriously important non work activities that just never seem to get done.

Maybe it's time to take a step backwards for a moment and observe whether or not these are flights of fantasy that need to be consigned to the 'will never happen' basket or to decide that perhaps it's time to naval gaze for a bit and decide if there any new life directions that need to be taken. If not now, then when?

Here's the article, hope it resonates a little. If so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have a great day!

Why is it that so many people love Fridays yet don't like Mondays? This is not a trick question, as the answer perhaps seems obvious.

Many millions of commuters identify the daily grind of competing with the masses as a necessary evil in the pursuit of the wherewithal to pay for life's bare necessities.

The weekend however provides the opportunity to indulge in social activities. Catching up with friends for drinks, coffee, meals and good banter. Perhaps to pursue hobbies and crafts. Paint landscapes, re-build old cars, write the grand novel go for long treks with loved ones whilst contemplating the marvel of life.

The reality of course is somewhat different. Monday comes around all too quick. The weekend is spent cleaning, gardening, taking kids to sport, paying the bills, catching up on the news and worrying about work.

Is your work complementing your life or getting in the way of family time and meaningful endeavors. Are you energized, enthused, motivated and empowered or stressed, frustrated, constantly tired, and on edge? If so surely there's got to be another way. Is the alternative to work, the pursuit of a hippy life on some commune?

Millions of people are now searching for alternate solutions to the 40-hour week x 40 years to retirement existence that will be the default life for the masses.

The exciting news is that we currently live in the midst of greater opportunity and accessibility to knowledge than ever before in the history of the human race.There are more choices available regarding how to spend our time and earn a living than we can count.There are people working in their pyjamas at home earning more money and spending less time doing it than most of their friends spend just commuting to and from their labour of love

One of the great paradoxes of life, is that so many will spend their precious and finite hours in quiet desperation working to a plan that if successful will not even provide them with their desires.

Life balance is precious. There are alternate ways to live your life. Change jobs. Learn a new language. Live abroad for a year. Work from home. Try something new. Just do something different once in awhile!

Create Your Own Blog in 5 minutes

2009-10-27T01:25:00.000-07:00

Facebook can be a good way to connect with your social network, but if you're looking at taking a few tentative steps into the Online world and aren't quite ready to start building web-pages (more about how to build your own 100% free website in a day or two), then a simple Blog like this can get you started.

What are you interested in, that someone else on the planet might also be interested in? Gardening, Movie Reviews, Holiday destinations, Parenting, body building, History, Celebrity gossip (god forgive!).

Just put a few thoughts together, click on a layout that you like and follow a few prompts from the Blogger settings and a way you go.

The benefits of a blog is that it's simple to set up. Really! It costs nothing. You can edit the information whenever you like. You can add the odd quote or put together a dozen articles at a time, and you can start to create a 'Profile' Online. Like a stone dropped in a lake, the ripple effect goes on and on. Over a period of time your comments and profile will start to be found in the most diverse of places, by people with similar interests. If you choose to you can gradually move in to more adventurous pursuits, such as writing an Ebook perhaps, or building an online business, or using your Blog to complement your Offline business and activities.

Google blogger or Blogspot, follow some really simple links and you can have your own Blog up in the next 10 minutes!

If you want to check out my other Blogs, then just click through to http://kiaranfinn.blogspot.com and http://kiaranfinn-online.blogspot.com. http://kiaranfinn.wordpress.com. Different style Blogs but equally similar to create.

If you like anything I've shared then please connect and share your stories and hopefully I can add some value to your life and vice versa.
Kiaran

What's Your Most Effective Weight Loss Experience? Diet Versus Exercise.

2009-10-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Like it or not we are a society obsessed by body image. The glossy magazines would be pretty empty if dieting went out of fashion. I've covered the craziness of the dieting industry previously on my Life Matters blog site, this article however is more about the results that you've had over the years.

Let's forget about the celebrity pseudo diets or steroid fueled action star experiences, what actually works?

Incase it needs stating, this is a Blog not a medical journal, and my comments are based essentially on my own research, and incidentally I've rarely encountered a middle aged medic whose physical well being made me envious! Hence my reluctance to follow their dietary advice.

Here's a categorical, unambiguous statement that I am 100% convinced is true and it relates to the biggest mistake that most weight loss enthusiasts make. Are you ready!

Diet is Ten Times More Effective than Exercise

Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the biggest advocates for the benefits of exercise you'll ever meet. For stress relief, strength and conditioning, heart and lung function, and for some pleasure. But, unless you're a navy seal or triathlete, it's of marginal benefit to your goal of losing more than a few grams. More than likely your 5k walk around the block will stimulate your appetite and one measly slice of toast later, and all the good work's undone.

All things being equal it's what you eat that matters. Obviously if you are a slob by nature versus someone who is naturally active, by default your base weight will be higher.

If you're under 25 you have the benefit of a faster metabolism and if you are a gym junkie, your muscle mass will ensure that you don't need to be worried. As you get older nature becomes a cruel master!

I'm a gym advocate, by choice. 40 minutes a session 3 times a week. I lift heavy, with short recovery and thoroughly enjoy it, which has ensured I could get away with eating more than my share of biscuits, and drinking a few Guinnesses without being too paranoid about obesity.

6 months ago however as I approached 100k's it occurred to me that it wasn't all muscle mass and my waist was moving past 36 inches. It was time to take action. 7 weeks later I had dropped 10k's was back to a 32 inch waist (first time in about 10 years) without losing any strength in the gym.

What's amazing is that it just wasn't hard. Not complicated, and didn't involve protein shakes, pills, or ANY additional exercise.

My experience has been that there are 3 main keys to sustainable weight control.

Reduce Carbohydrates especially Simple Carbs (ie sugar) but also Pastas and Pizzas and foods laden with sauces.
Eat smaller more frequent meals.

Embrace hunger occasionally.

This won't sell many diet or cook books but I guarantee absolutely works and is sustainable.

I think you'll struggle if you label diet as an ordeal that you must go through, which is why I'm dubious of dramatic detox diets. I stand to be corrected but everything I read suggests it's all nonsense, unless you have kidney and renal failure.

Eating large meals and continually grazing all day on, apples and chocolate, and sweets and nuts is simply a habit. like most things in life I believe if you just make a DECISION, that's it. It's time to make some changes, change your mindset, stop talking about your diet, just embrace and enjoy the experience, (and yes even temporary hunger pangs can be enjoyable, feedback that you're making changes), then when you do go out have a great meal and bottle or two of wine, it doesn't really matter.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. This is simply my experience. What works best for you and has it been sustainable? Or do you really care!!

Looking for A Bit of Motivation to Get you going? Here's a warm Up!

2009-10-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Takes a minute or two to get going but this Video has prompted literally millions of people to re-look at their lives and get back on track to achieve their forgotten aspirations. Hope you enjoy. Please connect and share your thoughts K

Why Wait Until New Year To Make A Resolution?

2009-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a little exercise you might like to try. It will change your life.

Pick 5 things you'd like to achieve in the next 3 months.

No really, play the game! Write them down.

Now ask yourself, are they potentially achievable?
If yes, then ask yourself, do you really, really want to achieve them?
The achievement of which 2 two would have the greatest impact on your life?
Here's the deal breaker. Imagine there are no maybe options, that from now on there are only yes and no options available to you. Can you make a Yes or No decision this instant that you will find a way to achieve your top two goals within 3 months?

Most people don't fail to achieve their goals in life, they simply defer thinking about them and pretend that next week, next year, someday the exact perfect moment will arrive and Bingo! Voila! Hey Presto you'll attain your goal.

Deep down we know it's self delusion, but at least it allows us to stay snuggled up in the prison of our comfort zone.

Here's an example:

You've always wanted to see in New year in New York but.....
You've stacked on about 10k's in the last few years but....
You've wanted to reconnect with some old friends or family members but...
You've wanted to quit your job but....
You've wanted to start dating again but....
You've wanted to write a novel but...

Everything that follows the but.... is the limitation that will forever incapacitate and kill our ability to succeed.

So what's this all got to do with a Blog for over 40s online?

Get off your but (pun intended) make a decision today, now. It takes a spit second to make a decision and an eternity to avoid, and understand that we live in a world of unimaginable resources a mere click away, to encourage, inform, inspire, and motivate you to achieve literally anything you want.

My father went from being an 80 a day smoker to a non-smoker in an instant. As a child I remember the day he said that's my last cigarette, I'm now a non smoker. No fanfare just a decision. There is nothing that you truly want to achieve that hasn't been accomplished by someone more unfortunate than you or I? Make a decision, then figuring out the HOW is pretty easy. This forum is offered as a resource for like minded people to co-inspire, motivate, share strategies and connect in the common goal of achieving our goals.

Let me know what your top 2 aspirations are for the next 3 months, I'd love to hear your story and perhaps contribute to your success.

I need your Help!

2009-10-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

I am putting together some content to help Newbies and lapsed Onliners engage meaningfully and benefit from the myriad of resources available.

My starting point is to research and provide valuable Reviews and Information on topics of interest to the over 40s online. Essentially I want to unearth as many useful free resources as possible and share your insights. This blog will only really work if people contribute, hint, hint...

The initial topics that I will be focusing on will be: Health, Fitness, Leisure, Travel, Work From Home, Internet Marketing for Over 40s, and useful Online Shopping sites. There is a limit at how much diversity I can cover, but if you have ideas such as Online Dating Services or Genealogy (not an initial plan I might add), then i will endeavor to provide as much valuable information as I can in these areas.

Please connect if you would like to engage with this new community, I'd love to hear your story.

Over 40s-Online

2009-10-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Are you Over 40-Over Worked, Over Weight, Over Stressed, Overwhelmed, Under Appreciated, Unmotivated?

I certainly hope not!!

If however there's a bit of truth in there that defines your current situation, well then here's my message.

LET'S GET INSPIRED!

Sorry to be ageist! Whether you're you're 17 or 70, in the world of cyber space, the opportunities and resources are exactly the same. What's different of course is the mindset. If you were born with a mobile in your hand and connected to the Internet, there is a confidence and appetite for evolving with the technology and embracing it.

The previous generation has jumped on board with more trepidation and self consciousness, and is often slower to embrace the myriad opportunities. They hook up to My Space after its become uncool. Facebook only after it's ubiquitous, and YouTube at the prompting of their kids.

Despite the slow start a lot of us are starting to acknowledge that maybe it's time to get rid of the learned helplessness and stake our claim!

This is a resource Blog for this segment of society and will cover Health, Leisure, Travel, Exercise and Work from Home Opportunities to enable you to reclaim that under-rated quality called Life-Balance.

Most importantly it is a resource to help build connections and mutually inspiring relationships. so if you feel any sense of empathy please connect and contribute.

So if your attitude to life is that it's about having a positive, fun and empowered experience during this all too short journey, well then I welcome you to hook up, and let's get inspired!

(http://www.whoiskiaranfinn.com)