January 10, 2012 by Sandra Rogers.

 Dear Veterans,

View this link to find  great job resources at ClearanceJobs.com

Veteran Career Resources Roll-Up

Source: ClearanceJobs.com

Excerpt:

“Vets aren’t looking for a handout, they’re looking for an opportunity. Defense contractors largely know what a great option hiring a veteran can be – they come with valuable skills, experience and security clearances, often require little training and are eager to jump in, learn the ropes and get to work. Making the transition from service member to civilian isn’t without its struggles, however. And sometimes veterans have trouble navigating the transition. That’s why we’ve developed a host of online resources to help walk vets through some of the basics.  ” (Lyndi Kyzer)

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January 2, 2012 by Sandra Rogers.

Dear Readers,

I’m very excited about 2012 because I’ll be going back to school for my doctorate in Education.  This has been a dream of mine for many years.  I’ll continue to work full-time while I’m attending school.   Subsequently, our organization is looking for volunteer or interns.  If you’re interested in blogging for us about the job hunt, please send me an email.  Additionally, we have several social media platforms that will need tending, such as our twitter account, YouTube channel, and weekly e-newspaper.   While these don’t take up much time, they need to be consistently updated with fresh and reliable content.

We had an intern this past year from The University of Alabama, and she was very helpful.  It also made me think the intern tasks through, so if you volunteer, I have explicit instructions and tutorials ready for you.  Social media evangelism is the current job title for the work that you do to promote something you really believe in online.  The job perk is that you can telecommute—that is you can complete the work online from your home or coffee shop.  We can arrange virtual meetings via Skype to plan.  Basically, the rest of the volunteer work would include reading emailed directions and  logging into our social media platforms to tweet or blog about job opportunities and advice.

As you may have read from my past blogs, we focus on the use of social media as a career tool.  We’d love to hear your stories about the use of these tools for landing an interview or job.  Any takers?  I surely hope so.  Also, don’t forget about all the resources we have shared on our 20-page website: http://brokebutnotforlong.org/1.html.  One of our ideas for an outreach project is to host Job Clubs and invite speakers or demonstrate how to use social media for the job hunt.  Would you like to host a Job Club in your area?  You are welcome to use our website’s resources and informational blog to share with job seekers.  Just let us know.

Thanks in advance for your consideration!

Sandra Rogers,

Founder

sandra@brokebutnotforlong.org

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November 14, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

 By Sandra Rogers

11-11-11 was our 2nd anniversary on the Web!  131 blog posts later and I’m still sending out an S.O.S. on behalf of all the unemployed.  On the car ride home this weekend, I heard the Police’s song, “Message in a Bottle” on the radio.  I realized that’s exactly what I’ve been doing on this blog—trying to send you a life-saver of helpful information or at the very least some inspiration.

For the new reader to my blog, I founded BrokeButNotForLong.org to help veterans, persons with disabilities, ex offenders and displaced workers find employment.   Each day I wonder how I can help the jobless.  Nowadays, the messages I send are delivered via tweets, blogs, Facebook, e-newspapers, YouTube, and Foursquare. My message to you: I am here for you! Contact us.

My current initiative is to create how-to videos for the use of social media as a career tool.  I created a YouTube channel, but it only has one video so far: http://youtu.be/ZylKHxq7H4I.  Our website lists the best tools for social networking for the job hunt, and we’ve blogged specifically about it.  However, I think it will be easier to understand if you see a video demonstration, as some of us are visual learners.

Lastly, I want to thank the 70,000 blog readers that visited our site this past year! I sent the first blog post of my career in 2009 not knowing who would respond or how.  Slowly I began to hear back from a few frustrated job seekers.  I’ve been actively mentoring some and passively encouraging others.  Blogging is akin to sending a message in bottle and you, my readers, are those “100 million castaways looking for a home,” as the song lyrics go.

Best of luck in not only securing your next job, but excelling in your career!
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November 8, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Have you googled yourself lately?  What does the Internet search reveal about you?  As a 21st century educator, I’m building my online reputation with one search engine optimization (SEO) keyword, blog post, tweet, or online project at a time.  In fact, I’ve been wanting to blog about personal branding for some time because blog posts achieve higher SEO status than static websites.   Personal branding is something that most HR leaders profess as essential in today’s job market.   With the plethora of free and simple Web 2.0 tools, it’s fairly easy to create your own online brand.  Currently, I’m developing one for my new company, Teacherrogers Consulting.  Since my name is common, I created my own personal brand—Teacherrogers.  If you google “teacherrogers,” you’ll find all of my online projects and activities.  

Personal branding for a 21st century educator means showing your work online, posting your teaching philosophy, tweeting resources, and engaging in some type of “open” learning and/or teaching environments.  Open environments refer to the various free professional development sessions that I’ve been involved with as an e-mentor.   My e-portfolio hosted on WordPress is my attempt to share my work online with potential employers, students, and peers.  I personally believe that sharing my teaching philosophy with others challenges me to revisit my long-held ideals about teaching.  In fact, it’s a work-in-progress on my to-do-list now instead of somewhere in the back of my mind.

To further identify myself on the Web, I started using my full name: Sandra Annette Rogers.  Nowadays, it’s important to not only put yourself out there, but evaluate how others perceive you.  As for social networking, there was definitely a titanic wave of enthusiasm for Google+;  however, I’m playing it safe on the shoreline to see where the the  first wave riders end up.  My first instinct about Google+ is that it’s a bit too labor-intensive and redundant.  Moreover, I’ve already established many online bridges for personal learning networks (PLNs).   I’m willing to build new ones; I just don’t want to start from scratch!

Are you on the shore or riding the wave when it comes to personal branding?  Perhaps you joined several online learning communities and then never went back to complete your profile or never really got involved.  All these attempts will remain online forever plotting your digital pathway, so make sure you cull your online image from time to time.  Set up Google Alerts on your name or any other phrase; these alerts are sent to your Gmail account.  Let me know if you need any help.

Best Wishes,

Sandra Annette Rogers

P. S. I succumbed to the intrigue of Google+.  I’ll let you know how it works out for me.

Note: This article was previously published on my eportfolio blog on WordPress: http://teacherrogers.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/personal-branding-for-the-21st-century-educator/

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October 4, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

For the past two years, Blogging4Broke has been hosted on WordPress.com through our Web host, 1and1.com, but this blog isn’t widget-aware.  I’m a tech savvy individual but have been unable to add any special social media networking widgets (tools) to this site.   Hence, I really look forward to utilizing all the Blogger.com widgets to make my new blogging platform a powerful place for our readers to share their photos, links, ideas, and feedback.  Even though we receive over 6K unique site visitors to this blog on a monthly basis, there has been very little interaction with our guests on it.  My goal is to use Blogger to attract followers and engage in conversations about effective and innovative job hunting. 

I look forward to this new adventure and can’t wait to visually see those thumb-nail photos of our followers on Blogger!  Here is our new address: http://blogging4broke.blogspot.com/.  I hope to migrate all of our best blog posts to the new site by the end of the year.


Your Blogger,


Sandra Rogers
sandra@brokebutnotforlong.org

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September 24, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Posted in Career Advice, Social Media, Tech Assistance, Job Hunt | Print | 1 Comment »

September 21, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education
By Josh Keller—”Most colleges are underprepared for the wave of veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the largest influx since after the Vietnam War. The same is true of many employers.

It’s not that the colleges and companies aren’t looking for veterans, says Gunnar Counselman, the founder and chief executive of Fidelis College. But they often do a poor job of understanding how to attract veterans and help them acclimate to civilian life once they return, he says.

Fidelis, a San Francisco-based startup, seeks to help military members graduate from college. The company’s students will take lower-division courses at an affiliated online college while on active duty and then transfer to a traditional university. When they graduate, Fidelis will place them with employers it knows are looking to hire veterans.

Colleges and the employers will pay Fidelis for its coaching services aimed at helping students make a successful transition. “It’s like a talent agency for the military,” says Mr. Counselman.”

Sandra’s Note:  This sounds wonderful!   Please share this news with veterans.

Posted in Career Advice, Professional Dev., Veterans, Tech Assistance | Print | No Comments »

September 14, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Teachers Cash In On Their Own Expertise | MindShift
“All told, teachers made over $2 million this past year via TPT, which is fast becoming a sort of Etsy for educators. Classroom activities, printable worksheets, exams even Powerpoint presentations for grades preK through 12 and across just about all disciplines are available among the thousands of items on the site, which got its start in 2006 but recently got a spiffy makeover. The pricing sweet spot for individual items seems to be around $3.50, Edelman says. Customers buy in groups, with typical customers spending about $14 per order about three items.”

To read more, click on the link.

Sandra’s note: I believe this company is legitimate.  It was featured on my professional teachers’ newsletter.  Moreover, I signed up for the  chance to sell some of my teacher-made material.  I haven’t posted any items for sale yet, but they already approved my teaching blog on their site!  Look for TeacherRogers Blog at: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Blogs.

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September 8, 2011 by Broke_Intern.

Thirty-something years after finishing high school, I’m still a student.  Rather than attending college, I accepted a job offer and joined the work force, but I never gave up on attaining my bachelor’s degree.  As a non-traditional student in my mid-thirties, I finally earned an associate’s degree and continued taking a few courses, but I struggled with juggling work, school, and family.  Since my children are now grown, I decided to try college again, only this time I know I’ll succeed because of The University of Alabama’s New College LifeTrack program.

Adult students in the New College LifeTrack program can take courses on their own schedule, and attendance on campus is not required except for the orientation course.  In fact, one of my classmates is a ferry boat captain in Canada.  This program is an excellent choice for active military personnel and veterans as well.  I was very pleased that all of my former college coursework transferred.  In addition, credit may be granted for prior learning.  For example, I received two hours of credit for a course I took through my employer.  Also, credit may be given for documenting life experience learning.  Financial aid is available, and many scholarships are offered to adult learners through the Office of Continuing Studies.

If you’re like me and desire to attain that elusive bachelor’s degree, check out the New College LifeTrack program at The University of Alabama.  My son will graduate from college in May 2013, and my goal is to graduate then as well.  Hopefully, we will enjoy a cap-and-gown photography session together.

Intern Blogger,

Linda McIntosh

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September 2, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

I’ve been working on a list of items needed to prepare for a hurricane.  My friends and family on Facebook have been assisting me with the creation of this list.   Here’s what we have thus far:

1) At least $100 cash to $500 if possible—1s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 50s, 100s and a roll of quarters—because ATMs or credit card machines may not work

2) A large ice chest with ice, healthy drinks, snacks & any extra medications needed

3) A bath tub full of water in case it’s cut off

4) Batteries and flashlights (or solar powered or hand-cranked flashlights),  candles, manual can openers, and don’t assume the batteries in the junk drawer are still good

5) Remove any items around the outside of the house that could be lifted by strong wind

6) A first aid kit—check to see if it still has everything in it

7) An emergency evacuation  plan

Note that you have about 40-50 gallons of fresh water stored in water heater

9) A hose to drain H2O heater

10) 5 gallon buckets

11) Duct tape

12) Ben & Jerry’s or your favorite ice cream!  (Maybe Rocky Road)

13) Make sure your car’s gas tank is full - gas pumps run on electricity, so if the power goes out - no gas (and gas cans if you get stranded)

14) Keep shoes on at all times and by the bed. Foot injuries are most common after storm destruction.  Select thick-soled and closed-toe shoes.

15) A weather radio

16) A small grill that uses those little green propane tanks - or your large back yard grill will do.

What are your ideas to add to our list?  Please post your ideas below in the comment box.  Your comments can be anonymous.  Thanks to all those who shared their ideas.

Your Blogger,

Sandra Rogers

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August 24, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Posted in Career Advice, Job Hunt | Print | 3 Comments »

August 21, 2011 by Broke_Intern.

by Linda McIntosh

On Thursday, August 25, the Mobile Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Mobile Business Expo where members can publicize their organizations. This free-to-the-public event will take place from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the Mobile Convention Center Exhibit Hall. More than two hundred exhibitor booths will be set up, and BrokeButNotForLong will be among them in booth #128. In addition, we are very excited that Still Serving Veterans will be joining us.

Per their website, Still Serving Veterans was created in 2005 to help veterans, including wounded warriors, adjust to civilian life after serving their country. Many veterans return home from combat with severe disabilities and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. These veterans and their families may benefit from emotional and vocational counseling, but sometimes finding aid is difficult. Still Serving Veterans, based in Huntsville, Alabama, has stepped up to provide this assistance. Compassionate case workers assist Still Serving Veterans in accomplishing its mission: “To empower Veterans including wounded warriors, and their families, by helping them reintegrate into the workforce and community via counseling, coaching, guiding, job transition, and assistance in obtaining all Veterans Administration (VA) benefits to which they are entitled.” Still Serving Veterans knows what services are available and can show veterans how to apply for them.

BrokeButNotForLong is collaborating with Still Serving Veterans to encourage companies to hire veterans as well as to provide career coaching. Our  mutual goals for this event include:

* Advocate hiring veterans and persons with disabilities
* Inform businesses of tax incentives for hiring
* Educate businesses of the resources of SSV

Please join us at the Mobile Business Expo in booth #128. Remember, admission is free. Also, if you’d like to make a donation to help us assist veterans in their career search, please use the following link to donate at Razoo.com: Online fundraising for BROKEBUTNOTFORLONG INC.

Posted in Hiring Incentives, Disabilities, Veterans, Philanthropy | Print | 3 Comments »

August 9, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Presidential Update for Companies Hiring Veterans: Obama’s proposed new “Returning Heroes Tax Credit” gives $2,400 to companies for each veteran they hire who has been unemployed for less than six months and $4,800 for those unemployed for half a year or more, administration officials said. And the existing “Wounded Warriors Tax Credit” — paid out for hiring wounded veterans — would be doubled to $9,600 for taking on someone unemployed for six months or longer.

Disabled Access Tax Incentives:  Small businesses are eligible for two tax incentives to help cover the cost of providing reasonable accommodations for employees or customers with disabilities, such as sign language interpreters, readers, materials in alternative format (Braille or large print), the purchase of adaptive equipment, the modification of existing equipment, or the removal of architectural barriers.  For more information about properly claiming this and other tax credits, refer to IRS Publication 334, Tax Guide For Small Business and Form 8826, Disabled Access Credit.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program (WOTC): This program encourages employers to hire targeted groups of job seekers by offering them a federal income tax credit. Targeted groups include: veterans, summer youth, Title IV-A recipients, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), ex felons, SSI recipients, SNAP recipients (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and Long-term Family Assistance recipients.  The WOTC can reduce an employer’s federal tax liability by up to $2,400 per new hire: http://www.doleta.gov/business/Incentives/opptax/.

The VA Training Program allows eligible disabled veterans to receive training or work experience at the VA.  Please visit the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Web site for more information:   http://www.opm.gov/veterans.

Resources for Employment & Disability Information Network (READi-Net) helps employers with the following employment needs regarding persons with disabilities: recruiting services, financial incentives, disability management, employer training, ADA resources, electronic recruiting, and technical assistance.  Therefore, contact your local Alabama Department of Rehabilitative Services (ADRS) representative at 205-290-4457 or www.rehab.alabama.gov/employers.  READi-Net is affiliated with the National Employment Team (NET). Contact them to find out the name of your state disability office.

Troops to Teachers: Our new http://www.jobs2teach.doded.mil Schools can register to gain access to the Troops to Teachers database to search for recruiting new teachers and learn about the tax incentives for hiring veterans.

Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act: Did you get your tax credit if you hired an unemployed worker last year?  Employers who hired unemployed workers from February 3, 2010 to January 1, 2011 qualified for a 6.2 % payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting therm from their share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to those workers after March 18, 2010.  The employer and employee’s shares of Medicare taxes would also still apply to those wages.  In addition, for each worker retained for at least a year, businesses may claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1000 per worker, when they file their 2011 income tax returns.

Federal Bonding Program:  This program provides fidelity bonding insurance coverage to individuals with criminal histories and other high-risk job applicants who are qualified, but fail to get jobs because regular commercial bonding is denied due to their backgrounds.  The US Department of Labor (DOL) created this program to guarantee the job honesty of at-risk job seekers.  Federal financing of Fidelity Bond insurance, issued free-of-charge to employers, enables the delivery of bonding services as a unique job placement tool. Contact your State Employment Service for the for issuance of a federal bond from the DOL.

*****Sierra Group Foundation Project shows specific tax incentives per state: http://employmentincentives.com/state_incentives/state_incentives_intro.htm#fl

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August 2, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

AW2 Community Support Network

This site has the most extensive outreach program for veterans that I’ve seen yet.  Here’s a little about what the site offers:

AW2 Community Support Network
Career Training or Education, Human Resources Support, and Employment Opportunities

Each organization listed in the AW2 Community Support Network offers services that are either covered by insurance or free to AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families. AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families are encouraged to contact these organizations directly for more information about the services they offer.

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July 18, 2011 by Broke_Intern.

by Linda McIntosh

A very interesting article entitled “Pulling off the Ultimate Career Makeover,” from the July 4, 2011, issue of Fortune, emphasizes the importance of personal reinvention in today’s economy, where career changes are becoming the norm.  The article highlights the stories of five people in various industries who lost their jobs because of changes in business paradigms or layoffs.  Rather than becoming victims to their circumstances, these people took control of their situations and reinvented themselves through “learning by doing.”  Their success stories reveal several strategies for changing careers.

1. Pare down your expenses.  When David Kahn, former Blockbuster franchise owner, realized that his business model was no  longer viable, he downsized his home and vehicle.  He recommends going “into survivor mode.”  After a short stint as a Subway franchise owner, Kahn founded Yogurt Mountain and owns 35 stores.
2. Reevaluate your skill set.  Tom Murray, formerly a strategic development and communications director for a Best Buy subsidiary, charted what he likes to do as well as what he is good at in order to determine his next job move.  This exercise released him from being industry specific.  He now works for PointB, a consulting firm.
3. Exploit the power of social media.  When Mike Merrill was laid off from his job as a sales executive at NetApp, he immediately began reinventing himself through blogging and social media, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.  Merrill eventually landed his current job as director of marketing for ReachLocal, an internet marketing firm, after an employee saw one of his presentations on social media.
4. Consider contract employment.  When the dotcom bubble burst, Mae Tai O’Malley lost her job as an attorney.  She began performing legal work on a contract basis and created her own firm, Paragon Legal, which provides project-based legal assignments in other firms.  Her business model is reshaping the legal industry.
5. Update your technical skills.  When mystery writer Paul Levine realized that the sale of used books on Amazon would severely diminish his royalty income, he accessed Amazon’s “Direct Publishing” page to learn the art of e-publishing.  Levine bought the rights to his out-of-print books and now e-publishes both his new works and his formerly published books on the internet.

Of all the strategies explored in the article, exploiting the power of social media was the most important strategy for making a career change.  The “Social Media as a Career Tool” page on the www.brokebutnotforlong.org website is an excellent resource for personal reinvention.  In fact, the website provides a myriad of information about job searching in today’s market.  Additionally, they have a newly formed group on LinkedIn.com to engage job seekers in discussion of the use of social media.

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July 13, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

BrokeButNotForLong, Inc., strives to reduce ex offender recidivism by assisting them virtually with the job hunt.  Hence, our overall goal is to reduce crime. There aren’t many job resources available for them, as is evident in the few items posted here.  Contact us if you have more resources to share, and we’ll post them on our site.

1.  iSeek.org has a Web page on their site specifically for exoffenders on the job hunt. They cover barriers to employment, background checks, and resume writing: http://www.iseek.org/guide/exoffenders/index.html.

2.  H.I.R.E. Resources is a national network for both employers, ex offenders and those practitioners involved in criminal justice: http://www.hirenetwork.org/resource.html

3.  Goodwill Services offers job and literacy training for ex offenders.  They even offer services pre-release: http://www.goodwill.org/goodwill-for-you/specialized-services/people-with-criminal-backgrounds/

4. The Next Step offers job board with “Felon-Friendly Employers”, as part of the Cooperative of Felon-Friendly Employers (COFFE) database: https://www.thenextstep99.com/?ES=Y&EST=exoffenders

5. Jail to Job is a blog for ex offenders with advice from an anonymous author at Believe Publications.  Since the author appears to know what he or she is writing about, and given the recent and ongoing postings, we suggest taking a look at this: http://jailtojob.com/wordpress/.

6.  CV.net provides resume and cover letter writing advice, as well as disclosure rules:

http://www.cvtips.com/job_search_ex_offender.html

7. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Exoffender Resources: This Web page provides to the Department of Labor’s employment sites like the CareerOneStop, as well as information about financial aid and transcripts (including GEDs).

http://www.bop.gov/inmate_programs/itb_references.jsp

8. Those ex-offenders who are veterans should contact their local office of Veterans Affairs for assistance. They have a wide range of programs that can be helpful including rehabilitation services. The Internet website for the VA is http://www.va.gov, or you can contact their national toll free number at 1-800-827-1000. Local offices are listed in the government pages of the telephone book.

9. Employment Information Handbook for Exoffenders from the Department of Labor has a plethora of information on apprenticeships, unemployment insurance, and federal bonding programs to name a few.   

Visit our website for more information: http://brokebutnotforlong.org/13.html

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June 14, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

I recently sat down with Georgia of Georgia Roussos Catering and asked her about branching out from the family tree.  The Roussos family has a long tradition of serving Grecian style seafood, salads, and good ole’ southern comfort food to folks on the Gulf Coast. She’s carrying on the traditional great service, attention to detail, and ambrosial food with a welcoming smile! Her menu reads like a wish-list of last meals on a deserted island with items like pecan crusted chicken breast, smothered pork chops, seafood gumbo and rice, and Roussos famous corned beef to name a few.

Her parents’ original restaurant was located on the causeway on Mobile Bay. Georgia fondly recounted how her dad opened his first restaurant in 1974 after being fired from The Sea Ranch Restaurant, which was also on the causeway. Roussos Seafood Restaurant opened across the street from her dad’s old job and had a line out the door from the very first day!  Unfortunately, Hurricane Frederick demolished the building in 1979, and they relocated to downtown Mobile where they stayed for 23 years.  Georgia’s father, George, passed away in 2000.  In 2009, her oldest brother retired, and they moved the restaurant to Daphne, AL.

Then in 2010, she and her other brother parted and both of them now have their own catering companies. When asked what her motivating factors were to begin her own company, Georgia said that catering is like putting on a party for someone else! She caters to both large and small groups, VIP events like the Senior Bowl, or the bride-to-be.   Georgia strives for perfection to detail.  For instance, she’ll not only plan for the wedding guests’ meals, but for the table settings, and champagne toast. I shared with her the fact that the caterer for my wedding told us we had ordered too much food, which led us to reduce our order, leaving guests waiting while we had to order more food on the spot!

Georgia Roussos Catering has the benefit of having a team with years of experience of working together: Chef Emmanuel Theris has worked for Roussos since 1998 and caterer Mary Myers has worked for the Roussos since 1974.  Georgia considers Mary like a sister; the two instinctively know how to work around the kitchen or room without getting in each others way.  She also has her mother, Zenia’s help, not in the kitchen, but as a primary stockholder! Additionally, she’s very thankful for her husband’s support.

When asked if anything funny happened to her when she first got started, she shared her nervousness preparing food for 6,000 people all day at the Senior Bowl. She called their marketing manager to pitch her proposal.  He accepted since he was already familiar with her family’s service.  Georgia was thrilled but also a nervous wreck. Everything went off without a hitch. Afterwards when she spoke with the marketing manager, he admitted that he was very nervous, too, about her ability to pull off such a big corporate gig! Since then Georgia Roussos Catering has been growing by word-of-mouth, literally from the taste buds of her clients.

Your Blogger,

Sandra Rogers

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May 30, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Dear Readers,

We created an electronic newsletter based on my twitter list of professionals in the following areas: HR career advice, military/veterans,  mental health, physical disabilities, financial education, internships.  Additionally, it includes US and international job boards from a wide range of sources, so check it out! This e-newspaper will update daily!  You don’t have to have a twitter account to read it.  Just subscribe to the paper, and it’ll be sent to your email account.   The newspaper is called the Employment Social Network.  It’s hosted on a free, Internet platform called Paper.li.  Here’s the link: http://paper.li/Broke4Jobs/1306417300#.  This e-newspaper becomes part of our social media outreach which includes a 21-page Web site, this blog, and a twitter account.

Paper.li is another positive way to use social media for the job hunt.  This is an easy way for our organization to share our list of reliable resources from the one thousand individuals and institutions that we’ve been cultivating since January of 2010.  We painstakingly cull every list we post for professional purposes.  For quality assurance, we even went over the list—all 1000—and deleted any that didn’t meet our mission of finding you a job.  This is our first newsletter and in keeping with our “Going Green” ethics, we are pleasantly pleased with the eco-friendly outcomes.  Plus, it looks very professional!  Let us know if you have some twitter accounts you’d like to recommend that we follow.  You can find us on Twitter @broke4jobs or simply leave a message below.

Best Wishes,

Sandra Rogers

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May 7, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Thanks, Sandra, for the chance to share with your readers about http://MuchEnough.com.

At MuchEnough, we believe that everyone has specialized knowledge that is valuable to someone else at the right moment.  Whether it’s your first (or second or third!) language, knowledge of your local geography or history, a skill you picked up at school, at work or through life experience, someone needs to know what you know, and they need to know it now!  If only they could find you…

MuchEnough.com is a worldwide venue that helps people find the right person with the right skills.  Simply schedule time and set payment for the online training/coaching sessions.  While the site itself is in English, we support posts in any language and character set.  It’s is free to join and use for students and instructors. The company pays its bill by charging a small commission fee to instructors when a paid subject is sold through the site.  However, there’s the option to offer free classes.

MuchEnough allows instructors to describe their class, create a profile,  set their availability, and set their fees if any.   The site allows students to search subject listings, schedule time with instructors, and meet and pay online.  To use MuchEnough as an instructor, you register, create a profile page, indicate your availability, and create “subjects” describing what you teach.  On each subject page, you can add resources and learning activities, attach photos, YouTube videos, PDF documents and text.

The goal is to provide a genuinely useful description of your class subject that highlights your knowledge and primes potential students for further discussion online.  We make sure your subject pages are optimized for search engines, so students searching for your information can locate you!  MuchEnough also uses twitter, facebook, and blog posts to promote specific subjects (see @MuchieFirehose on twitter).

Your students can contact you through the site by leaving you a question, scheduling a meeting, or providing community feedback ratings.  MuchEnough meetings can be held using our integrated audio/video chat rooms, via Skype or any other tool you find useful.  The site lists various screen sharing, whiteboard, collaborative editing, and co-browsing tools to incorporate into your session.  We also offer training in each of these tools to get you started (arrange an orientation session).

So, what would you teach?  Please check us out at http://muchenough.com  or find us on twitter @MuchEnough or facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/muchenough.com/15237708111137?sk=wall.  We’d love to have you join our growing community.  Let us know how to adapt MuchEnough to your specific needs.  Be your own boss, set your own prices, and have fun teaching online!

Thanks,

Dave Rogers

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April 28, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

4-27-11 Tornado Tuscaloosa, Al from Crimson Tide Productions on Vimeo.

On April 27, 2011, Tuscaloosa, Alabama was hit by a mile-wide tornado and caused severe damage to the community with 36 fatalities and 600 injured.  Birmingham and other cities in Alabama were affected, as well.  I wanted to share some of the requests for assistance that I’ve encountered today, April 28th, on social media venues.   Natural disasters can be overwhelming for those effected and for those who want to help but don’t know how.  What can we do?  I’ll start this list and hope that readers provide updates.

1.  Donate time, blood and/or money to the Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/.  To find a Red Cross blood donation center near you call 1-800-Red-Cross or go online: http://www.redcrossblood.org.

2.  LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, the largest supplier of blood in Alabama, is holding blood drives to address the current shortage.  LifeSouth also has donor centers in Mobile at 967 Hillcrest Road and in Daphne at 6451 Merritt Blvd.  Call toll-free (888) 795-2707 for more information and hours of operation at these locations.

3. A drop point is being set up to collect goods for those affected by the storms. Anything such as clothing, water, toys, diapers, canned food, etc that can be used by those in need can be brought to Flex Digital, 5330 Technology Lane, Birmingham, AL 35217

4.  URGENT REQUEST—Walker County Emergency Services would like to share the following:  Any EXPERIENCED chainsaw operators who have their own saws can meet at the Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church parking lot (90 Nick-A-Jack Lane, off of North Highway 341). There are Deputies on scene to direct volunteers.

5. MagicCitypost.com which is part of the Birmingham News has a detailed list like this one to offer assistance: http://magiccitypost.com/2011/04/27/tornadoes-kill-dozens-across-alabama-now-is-the-time-to-help/

6. Facebook Group: Animals Lost & Found from the Tornadoes in Alabama, http://www.facebook.com/ALTornadoAnimals?sk=wall

7. Natural Disaster Group on TappedIn.org has an online discussion board for specific requests and members of TappedIn (TI) would like to offer assistance, contact BJ Berquist, at their help desk.

8. Convoy of Hope is a religious organization that is providing  food, water, ice chests and other essentials to the affected areas.  They need your donations: http://ht.ly/4J1JT. They are highly organized.  “One of Convoy of Hope’s strengths is responding to disasters in the United States and around the world, because of our logistical expertise, partners and strong relationships with government agencies and local organizations we can get help to those who are suffering.”

9. Salvation Army: Cash donations to The Salvation Army allow disaster responders to immediately meet the specific needs of disaster survivors without incurring many of the costs associated with sorting, packing, transporting and distributing donated goods.  Salvation Army disaster services are funded entirely by donors, and the Salvation Army uses 100 percent of all disaster donations in support of disaster relief operations.

Credit Card Donations: www.salvationarmyALM.org

Phone Donations: 1-800-SAL-ARMY         (1-800-725-2769)

Donations by Mail:  Please make checks payable to “The Salvation Army” and clearly marked “disaster relief” or labeled with the name of the disaster event you are supporting. Mail your gift to your local Salvation Army or to the nearest territorial headquarters:

The Salvation Army

Southern Territory

1424 Northeast Expressway

Atlanta, GA 30329-2088

10. University of Alabama Acts of Kindness Fund: From the UA President, Dr Witt: Many of you have asked for additional ways you can help. Contributions to the UA Acts of Kindness Fund will be used to help UA students, faculty and staff who need assistance as a result of storm damage.
https://www.ua.edu/advancement/giving/donate/?division=2&account=349

11. University of Alabama-Birmingham  has a special tornado relief fund to assist faculty, staff and students with emergency needs. Donate online at www.uab.edu/tornadorelieffund or by check to UAB Benevolent Fund, (specify tornado relief) Administration Building B-84, 1530 3rd Ave. South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0100.

12.  The nonprofit group, Alabama Possible, has an extensive list of ways to assist vicitims: http://alabamapossible.org/2011/04/tornado-relief-how-you-can-help/

13. Facebook page to assist with returning lost photos to tornado victims: http://www.facebook.com/PicturesandDocumentsfoundafterAprilTornadoes

These are but a few, please post comments for other services being provided to those affected.  On tonight’s news I heard about university students who lost their cap and gowns in the storm.  Graduation has been delayed till August.  Perhaps providing graduation caps and gowns might be another way to help.  As an alumnus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and current resident of the state, I thank you!

Sincerely,

Sandra Rogers

Posted in Disaster Relief, Volunteer!, Philanthropy | Print | 7 Comments »