It’s Freedom Friday. Please proceed to place your hands in a fashion perpendicular to the ground and wave them in a casual fashion.

Those of you who got that joke are experiencing side-splitting laughter. Those of you who don’t may comment to this post that I may laugh, point, and explain.

Although you still won’t find it funny….

Anyway, all joking aside…. I found yet another post to the Goldblogger site that fully explains why you should Make Sure You Have Permission To Syndicate Other People’s Feeds On Your Site.

Please respect other people’s content. Personally, I think RSS Equalizer is not a bad tool… used properly like over at the IM4Newbies site. But jacking people for their feeds when they post their express wishes for you not to?

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

I’m not involved in their discussion and I have no idea what went down, so I can’t take sides… but I can say… make SURE you have permission before you display other people’s feeds on your site. For most sites that allow it, there’s normally an indication… they see a win-win situation. For people that don’t want their feed displayed, sometimes it’s a bandwidth concern. Other days it’s a content concern – they, rightfully so, feel they should be able to retain control over their content.

But anyway. You didn’t come here for my lectures… you want some free tools, articles and news. And you want it, right now.

Well you’re gonna hafta wait until my next post! Nyah!

(See you in Five.)

Okay, here’s the last one for today. Even if you can’t afford John Reese’s Traffic Secrets package at $1000, you’re missing out if you don’t follow his blog and newsletter. Very motivating stuff.

Now I’m going to take a nap. Go read it.

Go on.

Useful article about your web design.

I got a deal for an extra month of web hosting from my current web host. If you’re looking to start a new site, check this out. My new sites, among them, this one FreeTrafficTip.com, have not had any of the problems I experienced at my old site. And you know me – I’m a cheapskate.

But even if it were twice as much, I’d pay it for this kind of service.

Free Ebooks for learning internet marketing Basics. This should catch you up if some terms I use are unfamiliar.

Thank you all for your warm wishes. I never realized how popular this site was, stats aside, until I got this outpouring of caring. I am truly overwhelmed.

I begged the doctors to let me try another course of action for the time being. I’ll be re-evalated in two weeks, and I’ll let you know then.

And yes, Dr. Mani, I’m resting. I’m not even typing this myself. You happy? ;-D

Because I’ve been given strict orders about resting, the long descriptions I was going to write about free tools to help you work as if there was no tomorrow will have to be filled in later.

So, Number One – Free Crash Course on Ezines – free only you if you hurry, last I checked there were only 30 spots.

So, where was I going with that last post?

I got a little personal, which I do from time to time, because I want you to know that I’m a real person. That hopefully reduces your fear of commenting in my blog, and posting to our community forums – if I can help and time permits me I will- if you’re a client of mine, I will make time. I’m a hands-on person.

Here’s where I was going.

When it comes to your business, no matter how small it is, one really tiny change in your outlook can help you succeed tremendously. That small change is, living like there is no tomorrow.

Let’s face it… just like in a regular job, try as you might, there are some things that just won’t get done. If you’re running the whole thing largely on your own, maybe you can’t give a personal response to each and every person you sell your book to, in order to make sure they got it. But you can set up an autoresponder.

Maybe you can’t create a special version of your site for each person who stops by. But you can let them personalize your site to suit them.

And perhaps you can’t be all over the web at once. But you can syndicate yourself.

So today the focus is going to be on saving and organizing time, and the tools that can help you do it. Most of them are free.

A very easy thing you can do, when you start your at-home workday is ask yourself, what has to get done today? Then ask yourself, what is most important, and what is most urgent? Then sort each list by what will take you the least amount of time.

In the 7 Highly Effective Habits of Highly Effective People, Steve Covey writes about this. It’s nothing new. But do you use it?

Myself, I forget sometimes. But that one little question, “what if there was no tomorrow?” helps me prioritze what to do today, what to do my best to get to when I can, and what to task to another person, if I can.

And day after day, the answer to that question is – I need to do the things that make me money, then the things that save me money, followed by the things that fulfill my life’s purpose. And now that my life’s work and my life’s purpose are the same thing, the first two things normally take care of the last one.

So what makes me the most money? Strangely, it takes the least amount of my time – completing the day’s consulting tasks, marketing my books and promoting any affiliate program I am in, usually in a 90:10 ratio. That is followed by what saves me the most money – aquiring the knowledge to run my business better.

Whether that means compiling Google research, or studying what else will get the most traffic to my site, with the least effort, I make sure I get the knowledge I need to do the best job I can.

What saves time and money more than that?

I’ll be back later with more of the tools I use that might help you as well.

Freedom Fridays is here. Yay.

If you’re new to the feed or the site, you should know that on Freedom Fridays, we talk about free tools for your business, the freedom of working for yourself, full or part time, or something in-between. I’m hoping to do all of the above today for reasons that will hopefully become apparent in a few minutes.

I’m having some issues with my back again, as always. It may mean that I’ll get admitted to the hospital. In that case, I’ll have a colleague push through my saved updates to you and I’ll keep going when I get back. I might be offline for several weeks, but I’ll still be giving client support by email, via phone, and in the forums, though it may be slightly slower than usual.

Before I get started, I just want to take a few minutes to thank everyone for their well wishes during my brief bout with the flu, and of course, the on-going degenerative issue I have with my back.

People keep asking me how I can do it, how I can still work with a weaker-than-normal immune system, with the back problem that affects my entire body, and keeps me from being able to type at times. How do I keep up?

Sometimes I can’t. When I can, I do. It’s really that simple.

And as anyone who purchases my books can tell you, I just do my best. That’s all you can ask of yourself. Sometimes you’ll be late updating a site. Other days come and you’ll somehow miss an email here and there. It happens. Ironically it happened more when I was in better health. I used to really beat myself up about it, and I’m not perfect. So sometimes I still do.

But at the end of the day, what else can you do? You keep going.

My condition is kind of serious this time and there are talks of surgery. There have been before, but I’ve always been really cautious about being under the knife for my spine. It has never seemed like a good idea to me. This time I might not have a choice.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I want you to realize something. Whether you’re sick or you’re well, whether you’re busy working a full-time job, whether you have a family to consider or you’re on your own, it is entirely possible to start a home business, or for you to get more traffic to your site to make sales. I’m living proof.

Do I make lots and lots of money? That depends on how you define lots and lots. To some people, a lot of money is a million dollars. No, I’m not a millionaire, though in a few years, I have a pretty decent shot at it. I don’t even make two hundred thousand dollars a year. And even though my present income is a fortune to some people, most of my money goes to doctors bills, assisted living expenses, and medication.

So I really am just like you. Only difference is that I work from home, and I’m the boss of myself. It seems like an ideal situation, but it also means that all the responsibility falls on you. If I ever fail, it will be my own fault, in one way or another, even if it’s not directly my fault because I expose myself to a situation I can’t control.

And that is, strangely, the most freeing feeling there is. Because your destiny, good or bad, is in your own hands.

The only way in which I’m not like you is that I have no choice. I work from home and sell my books or I have no income. I can’t work a regular job and I’m too “rich” for welfare – and unless the time comes when I can’t breathe on my own, I’ll remain too proud for a hand-out. It makes for a great motivator, but it can be stressful at times.

And here is another way that is relevant to you.

What would you do to succeed in life if you had no choice?

If you HAD to make your business work, what would you do? Invest some time in learning more about your field? Make your kids employees? Buy that service for your site that you’ve been putting off? Remember to write off your ebook purchases as a business expense? (I’m not a lawyer or an accountant, but you really should contact yours to see what you can write off. The savings in one year helped me buy what I needed to become an expert.) Finish writing your ebook?

Thiink about that for a few minutes and I’ll be back to show you where I’m going with this.

Are you there Google? It’s me, Tinu.

Sit down.

No. Over there. We need to have a serious talk, and I don’t want you wooing me with your fabulousness. This is serious.

It’s about the Gmail invites.

I know, I said I wanted them. Not so much to give out as to torture my friends with, and make them pay me back money they owe me, or extort generous favors from colleagues who don’t have it. I hate that everyone is going to have the chance to enjoy my bliss one day.

It’s not fair! There! I said it! You happy?

So no, I don’t want to give my Gmail invites away. But then you moved the notification to the top of the page with that can’t miss white lettering on blue background…. almost as if to say.

“oh. Maybe you didn’t hear me. I SAID you have GMAIL INVITES. Give them out Right Now!!!”

And I got the hint. Oh yes. I was feelin’ you. Giving is good.

But dude. You’re starting to freak me out. I gave away four, and you replenished my supply. Is this a trick? Because the whole reason I hoard my invites in the first place is because you make it seem like I’ll never have invites again.

Is this because of the feedback I gave you? I really wasn’t expecting anything but–

Wait.

Wait a minute.

Are you coming out of Beta?

You wouldn’t.

You Couldn’t.

Haven’t I been good to you? Why must I share you with the world? I know about all the late night partying with other geeks around the world in the beginning. *insert dramatic sob* But then you started cahorting with other people… good people… REAL people…

How am I supposed to compete with that?

Oh blah, blah, blah – “we didn’t come out of Beta last time we moved the notification”. Whatever. *looks down at hands in defeat* I’m just going to ask you for one small favor….

*crosses to Google, sits*

Keep something special just between you, and me, your faithful Beta user and suggester of features. Some nice little wink or nod that all the other kids on the playground won’t ever see, that they can’t have unless they pay for….

Something… sacred….?

To make me feel… Special… again?

I have to go now. I just can’t take the fact that you see other people… *lip quivers* I don’t even want to LOOK at you…. right now…. *a tear falls*

*exits stage right*

My knees are sore from praying. I never dreamed this could happen. I have to be out of the Vegas area by November 14th at the outside. Why?

Because as I found out from Andy Beal‘s recent post over at SearchEngineLowdown.com they’re coming.

And Henderson isn’t far enough away…

Well, color me working too hard. Not only is it Friday it’s Labor Day weekend.

What’s the biggest Google Secret EVER? Catherine Parker went out on a limb and told the whole entire world. Please give her your support. Catherine, you’ve a brave woman. And in my prayers…