"Virtual Life in a Virtual World"

I know I bounce all over the place with this newsletter. It's supposed to be about online business. But, over time, I've come to realize how politics and other things happening around the world affect small business owners on the Web.

Things that either don't affect large corporations, and even things that make them money, have the opposite effect on us. In many ways, we are more like salaried workers than business owners. Therefore, we need to stay abreast of what is happening in many areas.

Online, most of the news this past week seems to have been about Facebook. I worry about people using Facebook. The latest is that Facebook is tracking you online, even after you log out.

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There was a time when I didn't concern myself too much about online privacy. But, I always knew it could come to a place where we wouldn't have any. And, sure enough, over the years, it has.

Facebook's new "Timeline" makes a new profile containing your whole life's story.

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Seriously? How smart is that? The possible problems are mind-boggling.

For one thing, how true do you think those life stories will be? I predict most will end up like a personal résumé.

Yet, I suppose folks will jump in and do it without a thought toward what might come back and bite them in the butt. It's a virtual life in a virtual world - none of which is "real."

I'm also concerned about the time people spend on these activities. Is this what people call life, today? Isn't there something more productive people could do with their time than spend it on Twitter and Facebook?

I saw it when I was in Michigan with my family in August. Their whole lives seem to revolve around "social networks" and Smart Phones. And they go berserk if they misplace that damn thing for a single minute.

Whatever happened to real relationships, with people you actually know - and with whom you meet and interact with face-to-face?

I have many terrific friends I've met online and whom I love dearly. And, I've become close with them slowly - like in real life.

But, thousands of "friends" and "followers" I know virtually nothing about except their promo just don't seem real to me. The people seem meaningless. It's the numbers that count.

Some people worry that robots will take over our world. I think we'll BE the robots - in a virtual world. In fact, I see it already happening. Sad.

Let us know what you think in the "Comments."

SOURCES:

The Sydney Morning Herald
WebPro News

"Things to be Aware Of"

I don't know where August and even most of September have gone. I'm usually encouraging folks to get ready in August and blast off in September for the best selling season for online business. Things just got away from me in this goofy year.

So, I hope everyone spiffed up your web sites and are settling down to business. Hard, I know, with so many disasters all over the USA, but if we live here, we just have to keep on keepin' on. We aren't the only ones having hard times. It's all over the world.

In drought-stricken East Africa, over 29,000 children under the age of 5, have starved to death in southern Somalia in the past three months. The famine there is atrocious.

As you may know, Chamber of Commerce - on the Web™ supports ABC's "Be the Change: Save a Life" program. At the URL below, you'll find a list of organizations contributing to the relief efforts.

This is a horrible, horrible situation. It makes our problems look pretty puny. While our idiot politicians fight over funding relief efforts in the USA, we can help others who truly can NOT help themselves.

If you can, please help - even if it's just a little. We may have to rebuild, but these people are dying a horrible death!

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I'm going to skip the "Online Business" column this week. First, I haven't seen anything earthshaking going on. Second, I want to alert you to some other things that affect our very existence in THIS country. I beg the patience of those outside the USA. If these things aren't corrected, there won't BE any small businesses in the USA.

As most of you know, I am a pacifist. I do NOT believe in sending our youngsters (or anyone else) out to kill innocent people because their government pisses off OUR government.

I've always said, if we had a law that limited fighting in wars to men ages 45 and over, that would put a stop to it pretty damn quick. But, no - THEY want to sit back and pull the strings that kill our children while they make money from it hand over fist!

This does NOT mean I don't support our military. I do. I have several family members in the military. What I do NOT support is having our military out there killing people for no other reason than to make money for the military industrial complex!

But, I digress ... Now, it's all back to our Federal budget.

"Lockheed Martin's CEO wants your Social Security check."

Military contractors are spending millions to lobby the so-called "Super Committee" into saving their contracts by keeping the war budget intact. If the military contractors succeed in keeping the war budget intact, they'll likely do so at the expense of Social Security and Medicare.

That means money that would go to your Social Security or Medicare benefits will instead go into the hands of people like Lockheed Martin CEO Robert J. Stephens, who last year personally made $21.9 million, almost totally from taxpayer-funded military contracts.

Check it out - and have your say

I also encourage you to get involved with the work the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is doing to protect your right to choose which vaccines you want your children to receive, including the legal right to use all, some, or no vaccines at all.

With California's new law pending - which would give vaccines to children as young as 12 without parental knowledge or consent - this has become critical.

It's time we put a stop to these huge industries costing us our lives and our freedoms!

Get involved here

Let us know what you think in the "Comments."

SOURCES:

Be the Change: Save a Life
War Costs
National Vaccine Information Center