Lip-Sticking

Smart Woman Online: Sally Ward

This Smart Woman Online Thursday we're so proud to bring you a lady of great intellect and dedication. Sally Ward of Wellspring Coaching and Consulting has inspired us on many an occasion. Her warm, friendly smile is one of the things we like most about her. The approach she has to time management, setting boundaries, and just learning to deal with life, is worth studying, and that's why we asked Sally to participate today.

Lucky Jane, to have a flourishing business, and to know someone like Sally, who shares her valuable coaching in a monthly newsletter than reminds us where to put our focus: on US, because once we do that, we can handle family, friends, business, and pleasure. Take her quiz to learn more about yourself. And, read on for an impromptu coaching session:

Lip-sticking: You're an especially busy lady, Sally, but you still find time to write a newsletter. The most recent issue, which Jane was so impressed with, gave pointers for busy folk on time management. This seems to be a huge issue today -- can you shed some light on why time is getting away from us?

Sally: A big reason why time slips away is that people are so busy rushing, multi-tasking, and loading ever more onto an already full plate that they don’t take the time to plan and prioritize. Only 3% of adults have clear, written goals. But those folks accomplish 5-10 times as much as people with equal or better education and ability who haven’t taken the time to get clear about their goals and write them out!

Lip-sticking: Time management...what is it, really? We're puzzled. Business professionals have always been busy. There are still only 24 hours in the day...and the Internet is supposed to make life easier. What's wrong with this picture, in your opinion?

Sally: You can’t manage time. What you CAN manage is your beliefs and actions within a period of time. It’s not possible to create another hour in the day, but one minute of planning can save up to 10 minutes of execution. So the idea is to look at how you can use time more effectively. When I ask people to identify where their time goes, they often discover they’re spending too much time managing e-mail and surfing the net. I use the banquet principle: focus on the main dishes and try not to get too seduced by all the sides and desserts!

Lip-sticking:Tell us a story -- our readers really like stories. Do you have a story about helping a client move forward...manage time better...get more connected to their inner self? How do you help folks do that?

Sally: I help busy, hard-driving people work smarter, not harder. The main thing is to drill down and discover what’s most important. What one goal, if they completed it, would have the greatest impact on their professional life? on their personal life? It’s a process of helping clients identify what they value, noticing what works and doesn’t work for them, and magnifying their strengths so they can tap into their full potential.

One of my executive clients came to me complaining about a lack of work-life balance and rocky relationships at work with subordinates. We worked on her leadership and communication skills. Lo and behold, once she was performing better at work, she was able to cut herself some slack and enjoy more free time.

Lip-sticking: Coaching -- recently at RPCN, we talked about the differences between coaching and consulting. It seems as if there's a thin line there. Can you shed some light on why you call yourself a coach instead of a consultant?

Sally: I do both coaching and consulting. The main difference is this: a consultant comes in, studies the situation, and makes recommendations as to what a client should do. Coaching is a powerful partnership that enables the CLIENT to find answers. It deepens the lifelong process of learning and effectiveness, and maximizes human potential. As a coach, I provide tools that help successful people achieve their goals faster and easier than they would if they were working on their own.

Lip-sticking: Do you think women are really better at communicating? Does that make a woman a better coach? What do you do that is different from what a male coach would do, if anything? We're sure you don't position yourself as any specific 'gender' in your work (though you are a specific gender), but we're wondering if you find your work more rewarding because of your gender?

Sally: I get fired up about my work because there’s nothing more satisfying than partnering with people to achieve their most meaningful goals! It doesn’t have a thing to do with my gender. Great coaches excel at listening, being curious and asking powerful questions, acknowledging, challenging, and holding their clients accountable for their goals. It has to do more with the person and their training than with gender.

Lip-sticking: So...let's talk technology. We think your website is fab! The color is especially welcoming. How did you decide on this design and color scheme? Would you consider it 'female-friendly'?

Sally: Thanks, Jane! Glad you like it. I used color and curved lines to convey the dynamism and energy that characterize the personal change and forward momentum in coaching. I test-marketed it with a group of executive women whose feedback helped me get it right. So yes, it’s female-friendly! [we agree!]

Lip-sticking: Speaking of being female-friendly, can you give us a short lesson on how to set boundaries. We feel that's an area women are not clear on. Most women think they have to take on the whole world. What can you offer us to help us know what boundaries we can set and how to set them?

Sally: Boundaries are the lines you set to protect your time and energy. The place where something annoys you or upsets you is the place where you need to set a boundary. Many women run themselves ragged trying to please, being nice, and meeting everyone else’s needs. They end up feeling resentful and angry. It’s OK to ask for what you need and to say NO. The more competent and successful you are, the more people will ask and expect of you, and the more you need good boundaries in place in order to stay at the top of your game.

Lip-sticking: Naturally, we are not into male-bashing at Lip-sticking, but we do think there are many men out there who still don't get it. In your work, do you deal with men who are still stuck in that old Dick and Jane world of the 20th century? Do men call you 'honey'? How do you handle it when that happens?

Sally: !Coaches "get it", so I'm fortunate to have an enlightened bunch of colleagues. But every now and then, I'll run into a man who likes to diminish women. My husband and my parents can call me ‘honey’. For everyone else, it’s ‘Sally’ and I have no problem telling them!

Lip-sticking: Now, we have to ask...one lady to another, do you like shopping? How about shopping online? What was the first thing you ever bought online and how has your online shopping changed since then?

Sally: I enjoy shopping on vacation when I don’t have to find something in particular. I use online shopping when I have a specific item in mind and want to access it quickly. The first thing I ever bought online was a book. Now I’ve graduated to buying services online. I sampled and purchased my client management system over the net and it’s great.

Lip-sticking: Share an inspirational quote with us: then tell us how this quote has impacted you in your life.

Sally: "You get what you decide." I’m not sure who originally said this, but I can tell you it’s true. Where I am today is based on the decisions I’ve made (or lack thereof) and the goals I decided to set for myself. I can and do make conscious choices about how I want my business and personal life to look. Then I go about creating that, and I help my clients do the same.

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What's left to say, dear readers, except: what's not to like about Sally Ward?

Jane Tries to Keep Up

Countdown to the wedding, dear readers. We are hoping to have pictures on Monday of next week. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, we have some valuable announcements today...and will have an uplifting, informative Smart Woman Online tomorrow.

Today, we're passing on some information from around the net. First, Andy Wibbels, a Smart Man Online from last summer, is asking business bloggers for their blogging success stories. Check out his note on his blog at Easy Bake Weblogs. This will be content for his new book, Blog Wild. We like the title!

Next in line is the newest offering from business entrepreneur, Jeremy Wright. Titled, b5media, this new site has a lot of promise. We'll be watching -- and we know you will be, too. Better yet, why not join, and let us announce it? Jane is mulling over what we can do with b5media...but we know all of you have LOTS to contribute. Go to it!

We are also very excited (and proud) to announce the latest from our good friend, Elisa Camahort of Worker Bees blog. Now, industrious and talented girl that she is, Elisa is writing for the Hip and Zen Pen, a new blog on modern lifestyle, part of the Hip and Zen website, where they offer "modern life products that nurture the body and soul." We like that a lot! HOp over and take a look...we're lusting after the Yoga Glow Guide.

In keeping with the whole marketing to women online theme, and what women do online, always attempting to show you what's female-friendly and what isn't, we offer you the latest in the Girl's Know How series, from our dear, delightful friend, Ellen Langas Campbell.

Written for girls from 9-12, this entertaining and inspiring series gives girls a positive outlook on all the wonderful things they can do in life. We think everyone will want this new book, Raising the Roof, which "tells the story of fifth-grade friends Tori, Angie and Kelly who, after losing their clubhouse to a rival neighborhood group of boys, are inspired by Lucinda Alvarez, the head of a major construction company (a character based on Linda Alvarado, President of Alvarado Construction, Colorado) to build their own."

Now, what's not to like about that?

Jane Gets Fit by Five

This week we must admit that our mind is elsewhere. That would be in Erie, CO. Thursday we leave to spend the next week with our daughter and granddaughter. It's wedding time!

We will try to pre-post for the blog, but no promises! In the meantime, we would normally invite you to visit the Carnival of the Capitalists this week -- the schedule said it would be over at the CIO Weblog but the reality is quite different. The gents over at CIO Weblog are clueless about posting a Carnival. We hope they have Matlock or Columbo (which dates us, we know), or CSI (ha! fooled ya!) on the case. In the meantime, Jane will give you something nice to look at...

In today's post, Jane Gets Fit by Five-- having only five days to get fit enough to travel cross-country and kick our heels up at the long-awaited wedding.

Day one: we finish the laundry.

Day two: we get out the luggage and try to figure out which suitcase(s) to use.

Day three: we contemplate the items we've chosen to take with us, wondering if maybe that outfite, and those shoes, instead of this outfit and these shoes, might be better.

Day four: we decided it doesn't matter -- the wedding is for the bride! And she will look fabulous!(see pic, here -- she is the one in the black dress)

Day five: Colorado, here we come!

What's not to like about that?

Jane Gets Around

One of the funnest things about the blogosphere -- yes, we know there is no such word as 'funnest' but we happen to think it suits better than 'most fun', thank you -- is discovering exciting, interesting, new blogs with truly useful content.

Jane has many blog friends, we often talk about them here, but in the true spirit of learning how to market to women who shop online, we spend a goodly amount of time clicking through blog after blog, on a mission. That mission is to understand what other bloggers consider useful, and to discover other blogs we can bring our readers, to help you in your marketing efforts. We hope you are focusing on women, because women shop online more than men (don't trust all the stats and reports saying otherwise -- number crunching is not enough to judge who's doing what, and where). If the reports saying men are spending more $$ online than women, are true -- we have told you why: it's because men have the money to buy more high ticket items.

Reality seems to support Jane's view: that men are happy to let their wives, mothers, even sisters do their online shopping for them. When they do go online to shop, they click in to a trusted site, and get out quickly, the better to go back to their games and fantasy football.

We rest our case.

This weekend, as Jane surfed the net, we visited our good friend John Jantsch, over at Duck Tape Marketing. From John's site, we were directed to this site, with an excellent list of PR sources online. We share them in order to help you direct your marketing messages to the right people.

Jane also visited our good friend Zane, over at Conference Calls Unlimited. Zane was recently interviewed by the esteemed Debbie Weil, and has that interview on a podcast. We think his comments on blogging are educational.

Next in our cruising around online we ended up at Holly Buchanan's excellent blog, which serves much the same community Lip-sticking does. We feel a special partnership with Holly. She has a blog post on Tips for Marketing to Women Online that we only wish we had written! That said, who better write it, if not Jane? Holly, of course! (or Michele Miller, who has been very busy on her blog, also.) The marketing to women online arena is plenty large enough for two, three, four...let's say a nice number of folks. When we meet such talented ones as Holly, we can only say, "Hurrah! Another excellent voice!"

You, dear readers, would do well to visit Holly's blog and read her post. She takes her message (this time) from Dancing Elephants -- a site we thank Holly for sharing.

What's not to like about that?

Jane Talks Story and More

When we started this blog so many months ago, we had no idea it would become so important to us. We expected it to be much like a newsletter, informing readers about the latest and greatest in the marketing to women online world. We attempted, for the most part, to stay true to that cause: instructing and reporting on what women do online. And, we felt good about being able to bring the right information to you -- the readers interested not only in marketing to women online, but in women's issues.

Now, we feel fortunate to be in the company of some truly marvelous people. We are amazed at how wide our reach is today -- thanks to the blogosphere, and to a few, good friends. One is a lady we met at the Blogher conference -- after exchanging emails for many, many months. Toby Bloomberg is who WE really want to be. She's talented, savvy about marketing, friendly to the nth degree, warm, and gorgeous -- in a twin sister of Jodie Foster kind of way. We often find gems of information at Toby's blog, Diva Marketing. Gems such as this latest report on ABC Radio, which says they are beginning a radio show with a focus on women's issues.

If, as written about in Media Buyer Planner, ABC Radio is really interested in the women's market, we challenge them to contact Toby's list of marketing to women online bloggers (thanks for including us, Toby-- we are proud to be in such austere company). We wonder -- if all the ladies in that list banded together -- what marvelous things could we bring to ABC Radio?

Along with our admiration of Toby, is our fondness and admiration for Rosa Say of Talking Story. (notice, dear readers, how all of this ties in with our core purpose -- ro report on what women do online; though this particular post is not about shopping -- do not mistake it for frivilousness; rather, notice that the give and take of building friendships online inspires us to share things, especially stories, and that though we may not advertise where we shop, on our blogs -- believe that we most decidely do talk about such things in email and via Skype.)

Today, our dear friend Rosa has a post written by yours truly, Jane -- who was allowed to write in the voice of Yvonne. Rosa is providing a way for many of her blogging friends to write about learning, lifelong learning, in her monthly Ho'ohana. You must visit Rosa's blog to learn more -- in keeping with the focus of this month's Ho'ohana, we hope you enjoy the writings as much as we do. We hope you take away some new perspectives. We hope you contemplate the lessons life has taught you -- and that you will think of sharing them, in a blog post of your own.

Jane (aka Yvonne) wrote about the Art of Reinvention, because we have reinvented ourselves oh, a half dozen times, in our life. We know others who have gone through the reinvention process far more...and some, far less. Interestingly, we believe that reinvention is an art. And that every day is another chance to begin. Our post yesterday prepared readers to think positively, and open their hearts to reinvention.

Women are masters at this. We think men are similarly inclined. We think the ultimate goal is... well, do read our lifelong lessons on Talking Story today. And let us know if you agree.

What's not to like about that?

Jane Shares Inspiration

It's Saturday, a lovely sunny day here in Upstate NY. Fall has arrived, and we, for one, are delighted!

Jane is basking in the cool breezes, the smell of leaves turning colors (if one can attribute a smell to Mother Nature's housekeeping), the feel of sunshine streaming through white clouds that drift in a clear blue sky, and the feel of a sweater on her back. We are quite fond of sweaters, by the way. We even wear them during the dog days of summer, though we reserve the long-sleeved, turtlenecks for fall and winter.

Today, in an effort to help you with your marketing to women online, we offer one serious but inspirational thought. We feel compelled to offer this today as a result of several meetings in the last few weeks. Our business (over at WME Books) is growing nicely, and as it grows, we have the privilege of learning so many valuable lessons from our new clients. We are learning what customer service really means, we are learning the value of face-to-face meetings, and we are becoming more confident in our own abilities.

Just yesterday, at an RPCN meeting, where our alter-ego, Yvonne, holds the office of President this year, we had a roundtable discussion with 4 coach's. Two women and two men, all members of the ICF, chatted about the differences between coaching and consulting. The end result was recognizing that there aren't very many differences, and in a perfect world our organization and theirs should stop trying to compete with each other, and join forces to enable each other.

Which got Jane to thinking...why can't more people learn this fundatmental rule: that helping your competitors succeed is the best road to success for yourself?

From our store of funny stories, inspirational sayings, and just plain good advice, Jane offers these gems, taken directly from an ancient (but still useful) issue of Bits & Pieces, the magazine that motivates the world, quoting Christian D. Larsen, author of the Optimist Creed:

Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.

Make all your friends feel there is something special about them.

Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others.

Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.

And, from Jane, ask yourself, What's not to like about that?

Smart Man Online: Bob Cargill

Dear readers, what a treat we have in store for you today. Jane picked a particularly marvelous gentleman for our Smart Man Online interview this week. A man with over 20 years in marketing, who has adopted blogging as a pro-active, positive tool to communicate with customers, vendors, and clients online. He understands marketing to women --online and off -- as you will see towards the end of this interview.

Bob Cargill of A New Marketing Commentator is -- first and foremost -- a true gentleman, with a great smile. [Jane, and most women, LOVE smiles. We swoon for a man who looks us in the eye and greets us with a smile.] Bob is also a Past President of the New England Direct Marketing Association, a Past President of two Toastmasters clubs, and a graduate of the Metro West Leadership Academy. Whew! Jane is exhausted just reporting all that!

We know that Bob is a runner -- in fact, he's run 10 -- that's right, 10, marathons [four for charity] and several hundred road races. We hear he's run the Mount Washington Road Race, a 7-mile run up the tallest peak in New England!

Bob is one of our original blogger-buddies. His insight into blogging is one reason we wanted to feature him this week. Another is because he always makes us feel special, so we thought we should do something special in return.

Lip-sticking: How did you get started as a blogger?

Bob: My "born on" the blogosphere date is February 17, 2004, my first day on the job at Yellowfin Direct Marketing. I had been reading other people’s blogs for a few months and thought it would be a great idea to blog about my own life as an agency creative director. I’ve always been a proponent of open, candid communication, so the temptation of sharing what I know and do with an unlimited universe was just too hard to resist.

Lip-sticking: What has blogging done for you?

Bob: My career as I knew it changed – for the better – the day I discovered blogging. Writing A New Marketing Commentator (formerly known as A Fine Kettle of Fish) has given me a public platform from which to disseminate what I have to say about my profession. It’s an incredibly powerful feeling to know that if you have a strong opinion or interesting perspective, you can put it out there to an audience of your peers and – if you’re lucky enough to have it resonate with them – watch it propagate almost instantaneously.

Blogging has made it possible for me to connect and establish relationships with people (and organizations) who might not otherwise have given me the time of day.

Lip-sticking: What are some of your highlights of your life so far in the blogosphere?

Bob: Well, being quoted about blogging in The New York Times twice in less than two months has to be up there as one of the more exciting times of my career, not just of my life as a blogger. The fact that such a prestigious newspaper came calling goes to show just how much attention even a small blog like mine can attract. Then there’s the story about Bob Bly, a fellow direct marketing copywriter who was very critical of blogs in an article he wrote for DM NEWS. After I read it, it wasn’t long before I gave several prominent bloggers a heads-up – including you, Jane – and wrote a letter to the editor of the publication, rallying to the defense of the blogosphere.

Ironically, not long thereafter, Bob launched his own blog, which has been a rousing success from day one. And finally, there was my article, Why Advertising, Marketing and PR Pros Should Blog. As soon as I posted it on my blog, it took off like wildfire. To this day, if you were to look it up on Google, it would show up on dozens of other Web sites and blogs. Who knew it would be so popular?

Lip-sticking: How does blogging fit into your professional life as a direct marketing creative director?

Bob: Frankly, it’s not easy to find the time to blog regularly, as my first responsibility as Creative Director here at Newport Creative Communications is to our clients and staff and to the many different fundraising programs we work on together. I can’t tell you how many late nights I’ve spent writing my blog while Jay Leno is delivering his monologue in the background. It’s no laughing matter. But seriously, blogging is well worth all the long hours. I’ve been able to have many of my posts republished as full-length articles in popular trade publications and even in my hometown newspaper.

Blogging keeps me fresh, too. If I’m not up to speed on almost everything to do with advertising, marketing or fundraising, my writing – and, consequently, my reputation – will suffer. So with the freedom of the blog comes a great deal of responsibility. It’s a mixed blessing.

Lip-sticking: What role can blogging play for those in your industry?

Bob: I don’t think it will be too long before the marketing communications agency that isn’t blogging – on behalf of both itself and its clients – will be an anomaly. Blogging is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to interlock a circle of like-minded people – customers, prospects, colleagues, peers, whomever. Blogging breaks through the corporate-speak and helps an organization put on a refreshingly new, trustworthy face, which is more important than ever today, given the fact that buyers have become so desensitized to anything resembling the traditional sales pitch.

Because a blog is such an open, authentic communications vehicle, its trust factor is high from the get-go. And by giving readers the opportunity to post their own comments, those advertising, marketing and PR pros who are blogging can be held accountable for their claims – which audiences appreciate and respond to favorably. Blogging levels the playing field and creates a win-win situation for all concerned. Think quid pro quo.

Lip-sticking: How do you think blogs fit into the nonprofit landscape?

Bob: If fundraisers are looking for a good reason to blog, they need look no further than the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, from Louisiana to Florida, where Katrina’s fierce winds and brutal, punishing rain resulted in one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States. Blogs are perfect for disseminating key, timely news and information to an audience of readers who are already interested in what you have to offer or – in the case of fundraising – ask of them.

Blogs are really tailor-made for nonprofits, organizations that typically don’t have big budgets but do have a lot to communicate to a passionate, engaged constituency. Blogs allow nonprofits to draw out invaluable feedback, establishing a mutually-beneficial dialogue with donors, prospects and friends, increasing the potential for more successful fundraising, activism, participation and volunteerism.

Today, there’s certainly no reason for any organization, nonprofit or for profit, involved in the business of providing disaster relief not to have a blog in its communications toolbox. A perfect example of how a blog can be used as an emergency response to a natural disaster is The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami (or SEA-EAT)blog, which was launched just days after that dreadfully fierce wave mercilessly struck and ravaged southern Asia late last year.

Lip-sticking: Do you think blogging can really be as personal as, say, a phone call or an in-person meeting?

Bob: I suppose no communications medium can ever compare to an up-close and personal conversation in which the sender and receiver are physically present, but you still can’t underestimate the power of social software. The Cluetrain Manifesto, which was published about six years ago, had it right when it said that people, thanks to the Internet, are "discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed and that markets are getting smarter faster than most companies." Whether traditional business likes it or not, blogging is an inevitability.

Blogging is that new kind of global conversation that the authors of The Cluetrain Manifesto wrote about way back when.

Lip-sticking: A lot of people still think blogging is just for kids. What do you think?

Bob: Up until a few years ago, most blogs may have been online journals kept by teenagers and young people, but that was then and this is now. Given that today the likes of Donald Trump, Mark Cuban, The Sierra Club, BusinessWeek and the vice chairman of GM, Bob Lutz, are blogging, there’s no reason anyone shouldn’t be able to see at least the potential of blogging as a bona fide business communications tool used by and for grownup professionals. Heck, Debbie Weil even has a blog written exclusively about, as she calls it, "the corporate blogging phenomenon."

Lip-sticking: Do you think there are differences in how men and women blog?

Bob: I’m guessing that more women than men, especially businessmen, are good at blogging, because instinctively, women are simply better at expressing themselves freely. Perhaps that’s what makes blogs even more revolutionary than even we bloggers may realize: Over time, not only will blogs give the corporate world a reason not to speak in jargon, legalese, and platitudes, but it will also help close the communications gap that still exists between the two genders. Who knows? Maybe blogging will help expose a kinder, gentler side of business.

Lip-sticking: What are your future blogging plans?

Bob: At Newport Creative Communications, I’m working with my colleagues on a fantastic, new blog about fundraising for nonprofit organizations, which we’re just a few weeks away from launching. At the New England Direct Marketing Association, we’re considering publishing a blog to promote our next annual conference (June 14-15, 2006). And, yes, I’m continuing to do everything I possibly can to keep up with A New Marketing Commentator, my own blog, which is how I initially hooked up with you, Jane.

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Jane is waiting with eager eyes to see what new fundraising blog Bob is talking about. We will be visiting A New Marketing Commentator every day until we see that announcement.

What's not to like about that?

Jane Sighs over The Gap

Today's friendly  Fit by Five will be focused on the new Gap website. Jane has to admit...we were so totally thrilled by the new Gap site (as reviewed at ClickZ by Bryan Eisenberg, a web marketer in the know) until we did our due diligence and...tried to shop there.

We now have to admit that while some of the new features of the site are marvelous -- exactly what Jane has been waiting for -- other aspects fall short of being female-friendly. Let's face it, the people most often shopping at the Gap are -- drumroll, please -- women! Moms, teens, Grandmoms, college girls...you name it.

Women know the Gap, we trust them, and we expect value for our time. Unfortunately, you will only get half-value if you shop at the Gap. And, as we have been telling you for some time now -- half is just not good enough. BTW, don't try this at home, just yet. The site is still under construction.

Here's the skinny: at the new Gap, Jane was especially excited about their new tool, which uses AJAX to make the shopping experience more friendly. This tool displays items in the different colors the item comes in-- on a rollover! Most clothing sites show you the different colors, just as catalogs do, but you don't actually SEE the item in the other colors. The web traditionally displays the color boxes -- as if one is able to conjur up an image of the item in the other colors. Catalogs sometimes provide smaller photos of the item in the other colors...at this new Gap, one needs only roll their mouse over the color box and SEE the blouse, dress, pair of jeans, in the different colors, on an actual model.

Tres' cool! And, very helpful. Jane has often longed for just such a shopping experience, online. Kudos to the Gap for this tool.

Now, on to the other good and not so good things.

GOOD: the option to have ALL items in a particular category displayed on one page. So much nicer and easier than continually clicking buttons to go to another page. Even with broadband, that wait is annoying. How much nicer is it to just scroll down?

GOOD: the overlay of fabric texture on items that have patterns or designs. In the women's section, we we happy to see skirts, blouses, sweaters, and even pants, with a small circular call-out showing the type of fabric the item came in. Quite helpful since the actual items are so small, until one clicks the 'see other views' button.

GOOD: the fact that their rollover tool depicting colors tells you the color -- in two instances when Jane rolled over the color box, the actual color in text seemed different than the color in the image. For instance, a blouse in "eggshell blue" looked decidedly mint green to us. That might be a NOT GOOD, also, since it leaves the visitor confused about what color she is actually looking at.

NOT GOOD: Jane considered purchasing a purse -- noted as a hobo bag -- but since The Gap did not give us a size (the description said 'one size') we chose not to purchase. An item such as a handbag or purse needs to include the dimensions INSIDE and OUT! More's the pity because we really did like the purse. <sigh>

Not Good: the fact that the Gap is marketing to teens and college kids. Despite their 'wear to work' category, none of the models on the site are over 25 -- and many look like barely old enough to drive! Not to mention -- professional women don't wear short skirts to work, Gap! And, we gave up tight sweaters in our teens! Well, maybe we'll don a particularly fancy, beaded, or sequined sweater for a special occasion, and allow it to dip below **there** or cling seductively -- but every item in the Gap store (at least online) seemed to display that come hither glance. Except a few of the blouses. Regardless, Jane would like the Gap to enlist the aid of the Dove marketers and talk about marketing to women who shop online, using some REAL women. Women who take pride in their appearance but left size 2 behind long ago! [graphic courtesy of Women in the Fire Service.]

NOT GOOD: the fact that twice while trying to open the link informing us how The Gap protects our information, our computer froze and we had to reboot! Now, Jane admits this may not be a problem with the Gap site -- it may be an internal problem (but no one else in the office experienced it) or it might even have been a problem with the Internet, stranger things have happened. We, however, remain convinced the glitch was brought on by trying to open the link on the Gap site. Which is another reason we are not eager to return. That and the fact that on checkout, we did not have the option of returning to complete our purchase. We were in quite a rush the day we did this, and we found ourselves out of time at checkout. Rather than offer to save our information and let us come back later, the Gap asked us to fill out form after form. In fact, we did fill out the requisite forms, but when attempting to open the 'how we protect your information' link, our computer froze (as noted earlier in this paragraph) and we had to reboot. Hence, ALL the information we'd typed in was gone! And, so were we.

There is a great deal not to like about that.

Jane Falls in Love

Dear readers -- Jane is in love! With the new Gap.com [still in redesign -- we will announce the re-launch when Gap does]! We were going to post about it today -- show all of you why this new site is so female-friendly, but then...a greater cause came our way.

We are saving the love for a later post, perhaps tomorrow -- in a Fit by Five. Today, once again, we wish to announce support for the hurricane survivors. Somehow, marketing to women online seems a trite thing -- in comparison to the clean-up efforts in the hurricane zone. Marketing to women online is the best way to get your message out, via our enormous word-of-mouth buzz, which means our purpose, here at Lip-sticking, is not in vain.

We matter. We matter because you matter. What we think is important because you make it so. And, with that thought in mind, we offer you yet another surprising way to help the survivors of Katrina. Over at Susan Getgood's blog, there is an eBay auction going on, offering a very neat bonus...with proceeds to support rebuilding the broken lives shattered by Katrina.

This auction is being supported by HP...yes, that HP...and success will be determined by word of mouth marketing. Susan has kindly included Jane in her list of blogs to help get the word out. We feel honored and privileged. We could not refuse -- it's a perfect way to showcase marketing to women online. THIS is what women do -- on and offline -- they talk to each other. They support each other's causes. They rally round the flag and country and motherhood and apple pie. They make sure the world does what it should -- for folks in need.

Join us. We'll welcome you with a warm embrace. And, we'll be sure to visit your website to see what neat things you have to buy.

Say...what's not to like about that?

Jane Announces Support for Katrina Survivors

This in just yesterday from our Smart Man Online, Tris Hussey:

"A friend of mine, and fellow Colby alum, just e-mailed me to ask if I could spread the word about a concert in NYC Tuesday for Katrina relief—From the Big Apple to the Big Easy—looks like a great bill of performers ... Diana Krall, Elton John, Elvis Costello ... lots more.  This is a Pay Per View event with proceeds going to charities like Habitat for Hummanity and the Bush-Clinton charity. "

Now, isn't that better than a booby prize? We hope so.

There is nothing not to like about Tris and this announcement.