Women’s Independent Press

By Patricia Thibault
Social Security District Manager in Pittsburgh, PA

You’ve probably noticed the unusually cold and stormy weather we’ve been experiencing this year. That makes it more appropriate than ever to recognize National Umbrella Month this March.

National Umbrella Month is a time to celebrate a useful invention used by most everyone. It’s no coincidence that the month comes at the beginning of the rainy season. April showers may bring May
flowers, but the rain starts pouring in March. When the rain pours, an umbrella has you covered.

If you work and pay Social Security taxes, we have you covered too. Whether the storm that hits you unexpectedly is a disability, the loss of a loved one, or an unexpected early retirement (such things can sneak up on you like a sudden storm), Social Security’s umbrella of coverage will keep you protected from the harsh weather.

You qualify for Social Security benefits by earning credits when you work in a job or are self-employed and pay Social Security payroll taxes. In 2014, you receive one credit for each $1,200 of earnings, up to the maximum of four credits per year. Most people need 10 years of work (40 credits) to be eligible for retirement benefits.

The number of credits you need for ­disability benefits depends on how old you are when you become disabled. For example, if your disability occurs before age 24, you generally need 1 1/2 years of work (six credits) in the three years before you became disabled. At age 31 or older, you generally need at least 20 credits in the 10 years immediately before you became disabled.

In most cases, you need to have worked about 10 years for surviving family members to qualify for survivors benefits. Survivors of very young workers may be eligible if the deceased worker was employed for 1 1/2 years during the three years before his or her death.

Umbrellas have been around for thousands of years. Social Security has only been around since 1935. Yet the Social Security umbrella covers an expanded range of services for you and your family. When you need to learn more about disability, survivors or retirement, the place to go is www.socialsecurity.gov. And you don’t even have to grab your umbrella on your way to apply—just do it online from the dry comfort of your own home or office computer.

by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator
www.sba.gov

How’s your business blog doing? Running out of ideas? Struggling to keep it up-to-date?

You’re not alone. In the busy-ness of business, keeping your blog fresh is not always at the top of your mind and not always the easiest chore to check off your list.
The problem is, if you really want to make an impact you have to keep your blog updated regularly to keep visitors interested.

Here are a few other reasons to keep your blog fresh:

•Search engines love to provide their customers with relevant, helpful, and up-to-date content and blogs provide this. Blogs are also less formal than static web content and this conversational tone is akin to the way people query search engines and connect with the content they find.
•An up-to-date and informative blog is also an essential tool in your social media arsenal. If you keep your blog current you’ll never run out of useful tips, insights and relevant information to share with our Facebook and Twitter fans. It’s also a great way to get your audience to engage with your business and each other (via comments), and of course, a great way to drive traffic that you wouldn’t normally get to your website.
How to Keep Your Blog Fresh and Relevant

As a business blogger you don’t need to post five blogs a week; you just need consistency, relevance and a little inspiration.

Here are eight tips for keeping your small business blog current and fresh!

1. Write Within Your Means – You don’t need to write a long blog post (over 500 words) every time. Keep your posts brief if you need to. A great way of doing this is to use “fillers” (posting links to other blogs, event pages, YouTube videos, and so on) and frame them with an intro. Don’t do it all the time but it’s certainly a way to keep content fresh without spending too much time researching and writing.

2. Listen to and Get Blog Ideas from your Customers –Your customers, and potential customers, are your target audience and a great source for blog topic ideas. Listen to them. What are their challenges? How can your skills and expertise help them with their pain points? You don’t need to delve into how your product helps them; do that and you run the risk of sounding like a sales pitch. Instead, focus on your area of expertise and write about what is relevant to your customers.

For example, if you run a law business and get hundreds of questions about “How do I write a will?” or a fashion boutique owner who regularly finds yourself offering your customer’s style tips. Use your blog articles to share your expertise and answer the questions you get every day. In this case the law business could write about “5 Things You Need to Know about Writing your First Will” and the boutique owner might wish to share “6 Tips for Pairing Old and New in your Closet”.

So lend an ear to your customers wherever they are — on Facebook, on Twitter, in your store, in their homes, wherever you come into contact with them.

3. Look to What Others are Writing About – Inspiration can come from a variety of sources, and don’t feel that you have to reinvent the wheel with your blogs. Take the time to follow and read other blogs that relate to your field. What’s going on in the news? Is there a new industry development that’s worth writing about? Oftentimes you can spin a different angle on a topic that’s already been written about, or even reference that blog and weigh in with your comments (but never copy the article).

4. Showcase People – Why not feature willing customers? What they do, why they use you, real simple stuff. What about your team? Do you have any quirky characters or rock star employees that your customers love – showcase them so that your readers can get to know the people behind the business!

5. Invite Guest Bloggers – Take the burden off yourself every now and again while also opening the door to a new voice. Guest bloggers often cover ground that you can’t or provide a useful insight into another aspect of your industry. Guest bloggers might include a business partner, a vendor, or an industry expert. Be sure to give them plenty of advance notice to write the blog, and be prepared to discuss the angle you want their topic to take. You also want to subtly ensure that your quality is not impacted. Don’t be afraid to edit the guest post, just be sure to share the edits with the blogger as a courtesy – most guest bloggers welcome a second pair of eyes to review and polish up their work.

6. Turn on Comments –Simply put, comments are another way for readers to interact with you and each other. Don’t disable them, and be sure to monitor them for SPAM, etc.

7. Develop an Editorial Calendar – This is an absolute must and can really make the process of writing much easier because you do all the planning in advance. Use a simple spreadsheet to schedule your blogs – quarterly plans are good, but a monthly plan can also work. Remember, you don’t need to post any more than one or two blogs per week but having an editorial calendar can help you formulate your ideas in advance. Your calendar should identify your topic, describe the angle you are going to take, and assign an author and a due date. Be sure to check for any industry or market updates that might impact the angle your blog takes. Then, when you’re ready to write the blog you can hit the ground running.

8. Keep it Focused on Business –The number one golden rule of business blogging: never veer into personal musings on how fast your kids are growing up or what the dog got up to at the park. Yes, you can add your personal wit and humor to the tone of your blog, but do keep it focused on your business interests and not your personal life.

By Yvonne Phillips
Feng Shui Business Educator
www.fengshuipublications.com FREE Feng Shui Business E-Book
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Spring is the time of rebirth and renewal, a time to replace the old and quiet energy with new,
vibrant energy. With rebirth and renewal comes change. Allow yourself to experience positive
changes in your home with help from a few Feng Shui tips:

• Throw out those items you no longer need that could benefit another person, including clothes in your closet, knickknacks in your drawers, and books on your shelves. Items that you no longer need only prevent you from moving forward to new ventures. Plus, giving those items to people in need will get you started on a positive path.

• Consider the metaphorical and literal meanings of the word, “open.” Open your windows, your doors, your closets, and your mind. Replace stale air and stagnant ideas with fresh possibilities. Watch the beauty of spring unfold in front of you.

• Being outside breathing in the crisp air is often the number one goal during the springtime. But when you have to be inside your home, bring a bit of the outdoors and the earth elements inside, including fresh cut flowers, branches, natural crystals, and stones. Consider a new coat of paint for your rooms using natural earth colors, such as light yellow, light brown, or sandy.

• Rearrange the position of your furniture and/or your bed for a new direction and flow of energy.

Most importantly, your re-energized home space awakens your mind to the potential of a fresh start, allowing you to consider the future rather than dwell on the past. What have you always wanted to do but didn’t? What are your hopes and dreams? Let your home represent the revitalized YOU.

Chipeta (1843 – 1924)
Indian Rights Advocate and Diplomat

Chipeta or White Singing Bird, was a Native American woman, and the second wife of Chief Ouray of the Uncompahgre Ute tribe. Born a Kiowa Apache, she was raised by the Utes in what is now Conejos, Colorado. Advisor and confidant of her husband, Chipeta continued as a leader of her people after his death in 1880. Chipeta was a peacemaker who did not consider all settlers to be the enemy, often giving food to starving white families. Chipeta lived 45 years on a reservation in Utah, lauded as a wise elder and advisor to other Indian chiefs and an honored guest in the homes of settler families.

Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (1858 – 1964), African American Educator and Author
Anna Julia Haywood Cooper was an American author, educator, speaker and one of the most prominent African-American scholars in United States history.

Upon receiving her PhD in history from the University of Paris-Sorbonne in 1924, Cooper became the fourth African-American woman to earn a doctoral degree. She was also a prominent member of Washington, D.C.’s African-American community. Born into slavery, she wrote “A Voice from the South,” widely considered one of the first articulations of Black feminism. Throughout her long life, Anna worked for the betterment of African American women’s lives, which she saw as the foundation for a more just society for everyone. Cooper worked at Washington D.C.’s M Street — now Dunham High School for nearly 40 years, focusing the all black high school on preparing students for higher education, successfully sending many students to prestigious universities.

Carmen Delgado Votaw (1935 – Present)
International Women’s Rights Activist

Born in Puerto Rico, Carmen Delgado Votaw is a national and international leader in the field of civil rights, particularly promoting equal opportunities for Hispanics and women. Her commitment to the advancement of women in America, especially minority women, compliments her contributions in the field of international cooperation and promoting opportunities for women around the world. She has worked for over 50 years for the betterment of women, children, Latinos, and other minorities throughout the world. In 1996, she wrote “Puerto Rican Women,” a bilingual women’s history book. She received the Veteran Feminists of America Medal of Honor in 1999.

Jaida Im (1961- Present)
Advocate for Survivors of Human Trafficking

Jaida is the Founder and Executive Director of Freedom House,
the first shelter in Northern California for adult female survivors
of human trafficking.
A visionary and inspiration in the fight against modern day slavery, Jaida is making a difference, one life at a time.. Im left her 20-year career as a health care professional to found the non-profit organization. Under her direction, the program offers holistic case management, counseling, educational resources, and job training for victims of abduction and enslavement. In fall 2013, Freedom House opened The Nest to serve girls ages 12-17. This new shelter provides a space to help girls to recapture their interrupted youth in a loving family setting.

Agatha Tiegel Hanson (1873 – 1959)
Educator, Author, and Advocate for Deaf Community

Agatha Tiegel Hanson was the first deaf woman to graduate with a four year degree Bachelor of Arts on Presentation Day at Gallaudet College (now University) in 1893. She was Valedictorian and
delivered her address, “The Intellect of Women” at the graduation commencement.
Agatha was born in Pittsburgh, PA on September 14, 1878. She became deaf due to spinal meningitis and at the same time, she had blindness with one eye at the age of 7.
After she had private school and private tutoring, she attended Western Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb (now Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf) at the age of 13 in 1886. At the age of 15, she was admitted to the Prep School, Gallaudet College in 1888. During her college years, she founded O.W.L.S. (now Phi Kappa Zeta) and became a first president of this sorority.
Until her graduation in 1893, she was only one woman in her graduate class as senior.