From the category archives:

Business

So I bought Mr. Ng a smoker for Christmas. It arrived about two weeks in advance and he used it for the first time on Superbowl Sunday. Except that a couple of hours into some ribs the side box door fell off and couldn’t be repaired. So I contacted the place I ordered it from, [...]

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Top 5 Pros and Cons of Being a Web Based Worker

by Deb Ng on January 20, 2012

I consider myself very fortunate in that I work from home for a company in California. As you can imagine, working remotely has many perks which I list here from time to time. However, over the past couple of weeks I developed the Web Worker Blues as I dealt with spotty Internet connections at home [...]

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This is the time of the year when my commuting into the office, full time employment peers tell me how lucky I have it because as a work from home contractor, I get flexibility over the holidays. This is true. I can make my own hours, if I’m so inclined. And I’m also extremely fortunate. [...]

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If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you know email is the bane of my existence. At this point, I get so much of it, it’s difficult to stay on top of and things inevitably fall through the cracks. While I try to respond to everyone who sends me an email (on both [...]

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25 Essential Conference Networking Tips

by Deb Ng on October 3, 2011

I’m not an expert networker.  I’m sort of shy about approaching people and often worry about saying the wrong thing in conversation. I try to portray confidence, but the truth is, I’m not always confidnet in my ability. I practice though. As a freelancer I knew I needed to meet the right kind of people [...]

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The Opt In: Asking Permission is Good Manners

by Deb Ng on September 1, 2011

Over the past few months, I’ve been added to more Facebook groups than I can count on hands and feet. No one asked my permission mind you, they just added me. I’ve also been added to newsletter lists, mailing lists, affiliate lists and email groups.  Again, no one asked me. Allow me to explain the [...]

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Do You Check Yourself?

by Deb Ng on August 19, 2011

This post is about email, the email you might send to your favorite blogger or social media enthusiast, or someone you’re seeking advice or need a favor from. As I catch up on email after a week away, I find I’m getting a little stressed out.  I wonder if people who send email read what [...]

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On Trying to Unplug

by Deb Ng on August 15, 2011

It’s 5:00 a.m. I’m working in the dark and my soundtrack is a snoring husband and the pound of the surf outside the sliding glass doors of my hotel room. When we booked this family vacation, our first in five years, I had every intention of unplugging and leaving the laptop at home. Then The [...]

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When you work at home you tend to spend more hours at your job.  Your work calls for you.  You sit down at 8:00 a.m. and work until 6:00 a.m. and sometimes you work longer days than that. You also stop a lot during the day, especially if it’s summer time and kids are home. [...]

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On Being Accessible…but Drawing the Line

by Deb Ng on July 11, 2011

My office line rings day and night, and all hours of the weekend.  I try and answer it whenever I can but there are times when I hear it ringing on a Sunday evening and think, “Sorry guys. I’ll catch you tomorrow, it’s family time.” and head outside for the pool. I receive Twitter and Facebook DMs [...]

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