1. Editor's Musings
2. Article: Summer Time, and Your Business Image is…Sleazy? By Lynda Goldman
3. Internet Sites Reviewed
4. Recommended
5. Freebies and Other Good Deals
6. Joke of the Week

1. Editor's Musings

When poet Robbie Burns said, "Best laid plans o' mice an' men gang aft agley," he could have been talking about my site transfer experience. I planned so well for weeks in advance, determined to have a seamless transfer. Ha! Dream on!

My new host, who came well recommended incidentally, started losing my email the instant the domain was transferred.

After five days of having my frantic telephone and email messages (from another account) completely ignored, I switched hosts for the second time in less than a week. If anyone has ever transferred an ecommerce web site that requires re-installing a number of complex CGI scripts, they'll know just how much work this sort of thing can be.

Anyway, the second host is a blessing. Excellent tech support, lots of features, affordable packages and a good, stable server with little down time. It's Hosting Matters at http://www.hostmatters.com if you're interested.

And as for the guy who lost my email, about ten minutes after I asked for a refund, he contacted me and remarked that some people have different communication requirements than others!!!

Go figure.

2. Article: Summer Time, and Your Business Image is…Sleazy? By Lynda Goldman

(Lynda is a business image consultant. Her article follows:)

In Canada, a young female lawyer was asked to leave the courtroom because she was wearing a v-neck t-shirt under a pinstriped suit. The female judge said that the lawyer was dressed inappropriately for court. The lawyer and those who defended her argued that her t-shirt was not too low-cut. I saw things differently, as I explained in this letter to the editor which was published in the Montreal Gazette.

Lawyer Guilty of Fashion Confusion

I wish to raise a different objection to the courtroom attire of lawyer Laura Joy. While her suit was a formal pinstripe, her v-neck top could best be described as "business casual." As the courtroom is probably the most formal place for professional interaction, I believe business casual is not the best choice to make the right impression on the judge, opposing attorney and other actors.

As a business image consultant, I see many similar business "casualties." Wearing a t-shirt with a formal business suit is akin to wearing sneakers with a business suit it makes the whole outfit more informal. There is rampant confusion about what is "appropriate" business attire in today’s workplace. Ms Joy’s clothing choice is certainly not a criminal offence, but in a formal courtroom, it could be judged as a style misdemeanor.

With summer heat and humidity to content with, one thought comes to mind: shedding our clothes. What a joy to change long sleeves to short, switch to short pants, and shed our heavy shoes for sandals. And in a business casual work environment, all this is possible, isn’t it?

Well…maybe. It’s all too easy to look unprofessional in the quest to look and feel cool.

Today we offer some guidelines on how to project a polished, professional image when the heat is on. We’ve already seen one end of the spectrum. The controversy about Lawyer Laura Joy’s outfit underscores the importance of projecting a professional image from head to toe. Changing one element of the outfit wearing a t-shirt or casual shoes makes the outfit informal. In a conservative industry such as law or finance, this may make you appear less professional.

At the other end of the spectrum is the high-tech world, where "business causal" was born. Maria Anzini is Director of Worldwide Customer Services & Product Support for Speedware, a high-tech company. She says that business casual can present a problem, particularly in summer.

"We’ve come a long way from the suit. If we deal with another high-tech company, we dress casually. But for meetings with other clients, women will wear a suit, or skirt and blouse, and men will wear a shirt and tie."

Since Speedware employees are mostly in their twenties, they tend to push the extreme, Anzini says. "When a client meeting comes up or customers come on site, some employees are not dressed properly. We hate to have to police people. We want to people to be responsible and dress properly for themselves as much as for the company."

Here are some of Speedware’s guidelines:

No: baseball caps, cut-off jeans, t-shirts (polo shirts are fine) jogging pants, tank tops, navels showing

OK: Jeans (must be clean!), t-shirts, sandals, Bermuda shorts, Dockers, polo shirts

Where do you fit in? Do you work in a more conservative area, such as law or finance, or a more casual atmosphere, such as a high-tech company? Here are some tips to avoid style misdemeanors wherever you fall in the continuum:

1. Remember it’s “business” before “casual.’ A good definition of business casual is to change only one or two items of your wardrobe. Women who generally wear a suit to work can wear a pantsuit or a jacket and skirt. Men who normally wear a tie with a jacket and pants can remove the tie, but keep the collared shirt.
2. Wearing lighter fabrics will help you look and fell cooler while projecting a polished image. Lightweight wools, fresh cottons and linen blends work well. Be careful of all-linen suits, as they wrinkle very easily.
3. Think about what body parts you are revealing that you don’t normally reveal. Revealing too much skin makes anyone look unprofessional. Women can wear tank tops or sleeveless tops under a jacket or light sweater, but be careful of wearing them alone. And remember that not many people have attractive toes especially men!
4. Fashion trends make it even more difficult for women to project a professional image. This summer's ruffles, soft gauzy fabrics, sexy sandals, and the latest navel-revealing styles make it difficult to resist the latest trends whether they “work” in the workplace, or not.

5. Socks and stockings - what stays and what goes? Men, please don’t give up on socks. I’ve seen men who define business casual as wearing a business suit with no socks, or wearing sneakers and sweat socks with a jacket and pants. Ouch! Your socks and shoes complete your outfit and need to be at the same level of formality as the rest of your outfit. Socks should match the color of your pants. Men never wear white socks, or a contrasting color in your socks. Don’t match your socks to your shirt or tie. Your socks and shoes should not attract undue attention.

   You don’t want people focusing on your feet when you are trying to conduct business!

6. Women: the sticky- stocking situation: To wear, or not to wear panty hose in the summer? It depends. Most women dread pulling on pantyhose on hot humid days. The best advice is to think about your role for the day, and your company’s dress policy. If you work in a conservative industry and will be meeting with clients, wearing a business suit without stockings looks unfinished. Also, although it may be hot outside, offices are air-conditioned, and your bare legs might be cold by the end of the day. On the other hand, if you work in a casual or creative atmosphere, or are working at your desk, it may be fine to go without stockings

   .

   Two ways to ease the situation: When wearing a pantsuit, it won’t be very noticeable whether or not you have stockings on. You can also get away without pantyhose by wearing a longer summer skirt with a jacket in a lightweight fabric.

7. Think about your role for the day. If you work with clients, how do your clients expect you to look? During a summer heat wave, looking polished and professional may take more thought and planning. For example, you may want to leave a jacket in your car or in the office to put on for client meetings. Similarly, men may want to keep an extra tie handy, and women could keep a change of clothes or extra pantyhose to don if a meeting is called
.
8. The bottom line: Don’t lose your professionalism in the heat of the summer. With more relaxed summer hours and thoughts of summer vacation in our minds, we may get a bit too relaxed about how we present ourselves. Put a little thought into a comfortable yet professional business wardrobe that will keep you looking your best in the dog days of summer.

Have you ever failed to get the job or contract you expected and wondered why? It could be that you did not make a great first impression.

Find out how you can make a great first impression to get the job or land the next BIG deal. Read the book, “How to Make a MILLION DOLLAR FIRST IMPRESSION” by Lynda Goldman. It’s filled with simple techniques that can have a big impact on your career. Lynda is a highly successful author of 27 books. Sign up for her FREE online newsletter at www.Impressforsuccess.com

3. Recommendations:

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To check out his site that's jam-packed with THE EXACT INFORMATION YOU NEED to start, build, and grow your very own, profitable Internet business, I highly recommend visiting this link

This guy really knows what he's talking about!

3. Book Recommendations

Released on June 22, this new book is controversial, to put it mildly. Already its ranked #2 at Amazon and it has attracted 292 reader reviews! Coulter takes pot shots at the liberals (and the media), without sparing sarcasm and irony. As one reviewer put it, you don't have to be on the right to read this book, or even to laugh out loud at some of the quips. There's food for thought for all of us. Another reader called it rare entertainment, regardless of what side of the fence you sit on.

Not everyone agrees, however. Another reader wrote that she abandoned the book half way through, tired of the ranting and hate.

Hate or facts? You be the judge. Click here for more info

Internet Sites -- reviewed by June Campbell

*** The Hunger Site
Click to help provide free food to the world's hungry. It costs you nothing.
http://www.thehungersite.com/

*** World Justice Anti-Spam Lawsuit
According to this site, a US law firm is investigating the possibility of a class action lawsuit against spam vigilantes and others who damage legitimate businesses via spurious spamming complaints. The site provides a link where you can file your complaint, if you have one.
http://www.worldjustice.com/antispam/

*** Reality Click
Corporate America is listening. At least a little bit. Rant and rave about the products you buy, read the best and worst of customer service stories.
http://www.realityclick.com/

*** Small Biz Tech Talk
Plenty of informative articles and resources to help small businesses get the most out of their technology.
http://www.smallbiztechtalk.com/

*** MIB
What does the insurance industry know about you? This insurance buyer's advocate will run a database search to find out what information is in your record. Available to residents of US, Canada, and other countries.
http://www.mib.com

*** World Webcam
Web cams from around the world. Each time the cam refreshes, you get a view from a different location. Very cool!
http://www.webworldcam.com/

4. Freebies and Good Deals

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6. Joke: Justifiable

A man visited the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to renew his license. After several hours of long line-ups, surly clerks, and inane regulations, he finally left and stopped at a sporting goods store to pick up a birthday gift for his son.

"Will that be cash or charge?" asked the clerk, wrapping the baseball bat the man had selected.

"Cash," snapped the man rudely.

Then, he apologized for his rudeness, explaining that he had just come from an unpleasant session at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

"I understand," said the clerk, adding,"Shall I gift wrap the bat or are you returning to the DMV?"

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