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Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:16:16 -0800

My Christmas Story...

Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

Oh, about sixteen years ago, I was spending Christmas as a newly divorced, single mother. I was 26 years old and my son was three. I worked two jobs, just to afford to live in a housing project, in a very scary neighborhood. I had no Christmas tree, I had no money, I had no gifts for my little boy. Not one! Talk about depressing...

Thank God for the U.S. Marine Corps. and a very special friend with a very special family.

That year I stood in line for several hours, waiting to pick out a gift for my son. I was not in a mall or toy store - I was in a public library, standing in line to receive a gift from Toys for Tots. I was happy to stand there, no matter how long it might take.

I met some terrific people in that line. I heard stories of divorce, of unemployment, and of poverty, but everyone I spoke with was happy. No one seemed to be willing to let their financial circumstances ruin the season for them. Having walked in their, feeling wretched, I left feeling on top of the world.

When I got home, I pulled a letter out of the mailbox, sent from a long time friend and mentor. Inside the envelope was a letter and another, smaller envelope. The smaller envelope contained a check and $200 Toys R Us, Jeffrey dollars. The letter explained that every year, rather than buying gifts for each other, they pool their money and send it to someone who needs it. She knew I'd gotten divorced, and what I was going through at that point in time, so that year, her family chose me.

The whole thing brought me to tears. It also brought me to my knees in thanks. Just as I was drying my eyes, a knock came on the door. The guy I'd been dating was standing in the hallway, with a plastic Christmas tree he'd found discarded.

I then realized that just when I thought I had nothing, I had everything. I had people who cared about me. I had toys for my little boy, and a Christmas tree to put them under. Everything I had, I had because people cared about me.

Christmas is about giving. The people that I met that day gave me a new attitude; they taught me something. They shared their cheer with me, and accepted me even though they didn't know me. The Toys for Tots donors gave me a gift to give my son, and the volunteers gave me their time, to see that I got that gift. My friend and her family gave me their love. Instead of giving to each other, they gave to my boy and me.

Christmas isn't about who can rack up the highest credit card bill; it's about making someone else happy. And gifts of yourself mean more and are remembered longer than anything you can get from a store.

Copyright © 2008

The Trii-Zine Ezine

http://www.ezines1.com/triizine

About the Author:
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

Publisher - The Trii-Zine Ezine - Your Trusted Source for Internet Business and Marketing Information. EST 2001. ISSN# 1555-2276

Author of: My Journey A Lifetime of Verse, ISBN: 978-0-61516405-2

Co-Owner: Internet Marketing Mavens
http://internetmarketing-mavens.com

Keywords: toys for tots, marines, christmas, love, gifts, malls

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Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:15:28 -0800

Please join me on the Women For Change Network. I have just created a new group called, "Women's Voices for Freedom." I would like to share it with you. I would also like for you to share it with the women you know.

http://womenforachangecommunity.ning.com/group/womensvoicesforfreedom

This group has been created to offer support, resources and information for women who have been or are in abusive relationships, and for those who know women in this situation.

To all women, I say, "Let's hear your voice!" Share your story, ask for help and find it. You deserve to be loved and respected!

See you there!

Trina

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Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:45:19 -0700

A More Positive Spin
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

You know, I have written many things about the tiny town I live in; some of them negative, so I'd like to give you a different spin on my little town of Nucla, Colorado. The negative commentary I've written has been strictly political. Now I'd like to tell you about how I feel personally. There are two sides to a coin, and I think it is high time I let you see the other side. Fair enough?

Nucla, Colorado is located in the foothills of the San Juan Mountains, of southwestern Colorado. Nucla is 110 miles south of Grand Junction, 90 miles west of Montrose, 109 miles north of Cortez, and 100 miles east of Moab, Utah. Needlesstosay, Nucla is out in the middle of nowhere, or everywhere, depending on your point of view.

I love where I live and would not want to live any place else. (I've been other places.) I came here in 1997, from the mid-west, and have never, for a second, regretted the move.

Nucla is a quiet place, where everyone knows each other. If you were to ask someone here, what kind of truck my husband drives, they'd be able to tell you. Folks here wave at one another as they drive down the road. My son's fifth grade teacher lives across the street from me, and the school's super intendant is my next-door-neighbor.

I can see mountains in every direction. (And I live a block off of Main St.) Even in August, I can still see hints of snow on some of them. The sunsets are awesome! I live in the most beautiful place on earth.

Nucla has no traffic lights, or traffic jams; no rush hour. As I have become quite fond of saying, 'the only time there is a traffic jam is when a rancher is moving his cattle'. You never have to wait for a table at the local restaurant, but parking can sometimes be a challenge.

Sure, one must drive at least 100 miles to shop at a mall, Wal-Mart, or eat at McDonald's, but who cares? The drive is beautiful. Many times wildlife, such as big horn sheep, black bear, deer, elk and golden eagle can be seen along the way. The canyons are breath-taking and the sound of the San Miguel river is quite soothing. Who needs McDonald's any way? That stuff will kill ya.

The road to Grand Junction is extremely windy, and it can be a challenge in the winter, but those of us who have driven it a million times know how to deal with it. That's what studded tires are for.

Crime? What crime would that be? Oh sure, we may have an occasional break-in, or something teenager related, but I can go to bed at night without worrying about locking the front door. I can walk the street at 2 A.M. and the worst thing I may encounter is a skunk.

Deer visit my yard regularly, and keep my trees trimmed. One morning I woke to discover a family of raccoons up in my apple tree. Poor things... they were afraid to come down because my dogs were barking at them.

So, you see, political problems aside, I would not trade where I live to be anywhere else on the planet.

Nucla is a great place to raise a family. If you're just passing through, it is a place worth writing home about.

Copyright � 2008
The Trii-Zine Ezine
http://www.ezines1.com

About the Author:
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg
Publisher - The Trii-Zine Ezine - Your Trusted Source for Internet Business and Marketing Information. Serving online professionals since 2001. ISSN# 1555-2276
http://www.ezines1.com/triizine
http://www.ads-on-q.com/intro
Author of: My Journey A Lifetime of Verse http://stores.lulu.com/triizine
Internet Marketing Mavens
http://internetmarketing-mavens.com
Keywords: nucla, colorado

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Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:40:35 -0700

My Secret Song
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

I am beautiful, smart, healthy and strong...
I am a universal magnet, and this is my song.

Riches come to me effortlessly, every day.
I am a power-house; I am on my way!

I have the best of everything.
And, give thanks each morning I rise...
Life is a gift, abundance the prize.

I am beautiful, smart, healthy and strong...
I am a universal magnet, and this is my song.

I sing from my soul -
The joy with in me, cannot be contained.
I am free to fly; my life unrestrained.

I am the master of my life, not fate.
I set the course to be sailed, with love, not hate.

I give love, laughter and understanding;
Returning to me a hundred fold...
So to you, my friend, my secret be told.
http://www.thesecret.tv

I am beautiful, smart, healthy and strong... I am a universal magnet, and this is my song.

Copyright � 2007
The Trii-Zine Ezine
http://www.ezines1.com

About the Author:
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg
Publisher - The Trii-Zine Ezine - Your Trusted Source for Internet Business and Marketing Information. Serving online professionals since 2001. ISSN# 1555-2276
http://www.ezines1.com/triizine
http://www.ads-on-q.com/intro

Author of: My Journey A Lifetime of Verse http://stores.lulu.com/triizine

http://trii66.stumbleupon.com/review/24993575/

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:38:44 -0700

Do Not Lend Yourself to the Illusion That You Are Helpless
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

So many victimized women today could be free of their abusers, if they could get past the notion that they are helpless to change their situation. The idea of helplessness is a lie, which has been told and perpetuated by the abuser. This is another method they use to assert control.

The only person who can change the circumstances of your life is you, no one else. You can take back your life. There are people and agencies out there who can help, but you have to be the one to reach out and ask for it. No one will ride into your life and save you; you must save yourself.

Psychological abuse is the non-violent method that abusers use to keep their victim under control. They basically program their victim to believe that there is nothing they can do to stop the abuse; that the abuse is the fault of the victim, and that they [victim] need to do all the changing to make life better.

No one deserves to be in an abusive relationship. The only way to stop the abuse is to leave the abusive situation, whether it be temporarily, or permanently. There is no other way. However, I do not recommend making a temporary move, but rather a permanent one, because abusers seldom change their behavior permanently. Promises of change are part of the control issue, and they use it to keep their victims from leaving forever. The abuse cycle works that way. Pain, promises, and temporary change, and the cycle then returns to the pain. Once they feel confident that you're not going anywhere, they return to their abusive behaviors.

Psychologists refer to the promises and the appearance of change as the 'Honeymoon Phase.' To keep you from leaving forever, they start treating you like a queen, and as soon as they feel they've succeeded in keeping you, the cycle refreshes, and the pain begins again.

Do not fall for this. Get out and stay out. You are not helpless. Your abuser wants you to think you are, but you have power. You can change your life to be anything you want it to be. Your perceived helplessness is an illusion created for you to keep you under control.

You deserve to be loved and respected, and don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

My ex-mother-in-law, a victim of abuse herself, once chastised me because I had my ex, her son, arrested for biting me. She referred to the situation as a 'little thing.' Never mind the fact that he left a bruise the size of a softball on the back of my arm, to her it was a 'little thing.'

Why did she feel this way? Well, because she had suffered abuse from her husband for decades, and had been programmed to think she deserved it and was helpless to stop it; therefore, she thought I had done something to deserve being bitten. She ended up committing suicide, feeling that it was her only way out. She was wrong. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, and she could've gotten out some other way. She didn't seek help, and rejected my offers of help because she genuinely thought it was all her fault, and that she was helpless.

Get help. Confide in someone who is in a position to help: a doctor, a friend, a family member, an outreach program, something! There are people out there who can and will help, but you have to take responsibility for your life and seek it out. No one can help you if you don't tell them you need it. Get proactive and ask for help to restore sanity and safety to your life.

Copyright � 2008
The Trii-Zine Ezine
http://www.ezines1.com

About the Author:
Trina L.C. Sonnenberg
Publisher - The Trii-Zine Ezine - Your Trusted Source for Internet Business and Marketing Information. Serving online professionals since 2001. ISSN# 1555-2276
http://www.ezines1.com/triizine
http://www.ads-on-q.com/intro
Author of: My Journey A Lifetime of Verse http://stores.lulu.com/triizine
Internet Marketing Mavens
http://internetmarketing-mavens.com Keywords:

http://trii66.stumbleupon.com/review/12161870/

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:57:00 -0700

Gurus and Internet Marketing Riches
The Problem With Internet Marketing

Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

The real reason that most Internet marketing hopefuls never make it is something none of the gurus will ever clue you in on. Yet, they profit from it every day. That's right, they profit from your lack of profit. I know, it sounds strange, so I will explain.

I will go out on a limb here and say that 90% of everyone who comes to the Internet, looking to stake their claim, fails. They fail, not because they chose the wrong business opportunity either. It is because they market to the wrong people.

Oh sure, the gurus all tell you how important it is to target your market, but you are their target market. They sell you their latest, greatest stuff, knowing that you will promote it for the almighty affiliate dollar, to other marketers, for them. Not only does this make them money, but it usually costs you more than your commission is worth.

But I advertise for free!, you say. Well, you lose because while you're running around trying to get people to buy the guru gadget, you're not promoting your own business opportunity. You are promoting their business.

Promoting your business opportunity to people who already have one is pretty counter-productive, if you ask me. And that is what most folks out there are doing. Traffic exchange owners can verify that. They built their business on marketers trying to sell to other marketers, and it has been a resounding success for them.

Not all traffic is created equal, and that is where many make their mistake. If you are promoting a business opportunity, who cares if you get a million hits to your site, if they all come from others who are trying to market their own business opportunity? They aren't interested in what you've got. They are viewing your site, because they want their site viewed. That's it. Furthermore, if you're using this method of advertising to push affiliate programs, or affiliate products, chances are, that many of the sites you'll surf through are your competitors, not buyers.

Target your traffic to those you want to attract... BUYERS, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY SEEKERS, etc... The reason that the gurus are making buckets of money, and you're not is because you are their target market, and they've got you driving traffic to their stuff. BUY MY EBOOK... GET THIS NEW SOFTWARE... AND OH, BY THE WAY SIGN UP FOR THE AFFILIATE PROGRAM AND MAKE MORE MONEY FOR ME! DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THESE OTHER PROGRAMS TOO, TO HELP YOU GET STARTED ADVERTISING. Meanwhile... your genuine business opportunity gets shoved to the back of the stove and put on simmer, or turned off all together.

It is my opinion that they [gurus] make money teaching you how to sell their stuff, not your own. I'm sure that if anyone used the information provided by gurus, to promote themselves, they would probably be successful, but that affiliate carrot is just too hard for most to resist.

Some teach you about the concept known as the sales funnel. The irony is that while you are reading about it, you're stuck in it. You open the ebook, and you've now entered the funnel zone. Whether you buy more of their stuff, sign up for their programs, or promote their stuff, you are stuck in the zone. They've got you... and your cash!

They've got you so hyped up on how much you can make promoting their latest, great thing, you most likely don't even remember what you've read. You're in your affiliate back office, copying and pasting like a maniac, to promote this thing; the whole reason for buying it, downloading it and reading it, all but forgotten.

Sure, I am cynical; I've been around for awhile.

My tip: Get out of traffic exchanges, and other squirrel cage marketing programs, and get into search engines. Promote yourself.

Copyright � 2007

The Trii-Zine Ezine

http://www.ezines1.com

About the Author:

Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

Publisher - The Trii-Zine Ezine - Your Trusted Source for Internet Business and Marketing Information. Serving online professionals since 2001. ISSN# 1555-2276

http://www.ezines1.com/triizine

http://trii66.stumbleupon.com/review/12161833/

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:54:11 -0700

Book Release

Trina L.C. Sonnenberg, Internet marketer, author and publisher has just released a new book. This book is not in her typical genre of marketing and home business information, but it is a step in the opposite direction. 'My Journey' is a compilation of verse, written over the last 27 years, accompanied by breath-taking photos of southwestern Colorado.

A domestic abuse survivor, Trina used writing as a coping mechanism during her years of abuse. This book is the result of that personal struggle and has been published as a way of offering solidarity and hope to others who are in a similar situation.

Her new book, 'My Journey' is available as a download in PDF format, or in a print version. This is the first book she has authored to be available in both formats.

Past books authored by Trina Sonnenberg (Schiller) are available in ebook format. They include:

Your Beginner's Guide to Syndication

RSS, Blogs and Syndication The Facts vs The Guruese

The DeskView User's Guide

Trina has been writing and publishing online since 2001, with the first issue of the Trii-Zine Ezine (ISSN# 1555-2276) in September of that year. In 2004 she launched the Internet's first syndicated advertising company, AdsOnQ, to expand on her use of RSS technology.

'My Journey' is available at http://stores.lulu.com/triizine

http://trii66.stumbleupon.com/review/12161819/

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:53:03 -0700

Bad Links

Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

You know, this is a subject that really has been simmering on the back burner of my mind for quite some time. However, within the past couple of days, it has boiled over.

Now, I know, as a webmaster, that it can sometimes be a challenge to review web sites and check for bad links, especially if you have a resources type of site with a million links in it. Nevertheless, the one link that should never be bad is your contact link. Whether it be a mailto: link, or a URL to a contact form, the link should be kept current and functional. Otherwise, what is the point in having it there at all?

You see... I have recently been attempting to contact site owners, to discuss the promotion of my new book. I have spent quite a bit of time, writing to these site owners, using the contact links on their sites, and have had at least 30% of them bounce due to 'user account unknown'.

Talk about frustrating!

I wonder if these people realize what a negative impact this could be, probably is, having on them? They could have awesome amounts of traffic targeted to their sites, but how many new customers, clients, or associates will actually be generated if they [webmasters] cannot be contacted be these people? This also erases a multitude of opportunities for repeat visitors and referrals.

Being that I was attempting to contact some government sponsored organizations, I noticed that it is not just the business sector that has this problem. Infact, 50% of the .gov mailto: links bounced. Can you believe it!

I don't return to web sites where the contact links don't work. I leave them feeling like I've wasted my time. If they don't have the time to make sure the link works, why would they have the time to respond to me?

It is a little ironic, but it seems to happen to me quite a bit... I have tried to report broken links on a site, just to get to an error page when I click the contact link, or report a broken link link.

Here's a tip for you webmasters/site owners:

NEVER USE AN AOL mailto:link on your site. Do not use AOL for business purposes. If you do, you may be losing a great many contacts. Set up an email box on your domain and use it for contact. That way, you are incontrol of what gets filtered.

Web site link maintenance is really very important. At least, it should be.

Copyright � 2007

The Trii-Zine Ezine

http://www.ezines1.com

About the Author:

Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

Publisher - The Trii-Zine Ezine - Your Trusted Source for Internet Business and Marketing Information. Serving online professionals since 2001. ISSN# 1555-2276

http://www.ezines1.com/triizine

http://www.ads-on-q.com/intro

http://trii66.stumbleupon.com/review/12161253/

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 04:07:36 -0700

Social Networking

Trina L.C. Sonnenberg

Social networking sites are popping up all over the place, and I have even joined a few of them myself; actually, I think they are a pretty cool concept, when used the way they were meant to be used. However, the one thing that these types of sites lack are real networkers. Real networkers who know what networking really is, I mean.

The problem as I see it is this: People join these sites to promote their business opportunities, not to do actual networking. The reason that I think this happens is not out of any sort of malice, but out of misguided enthusiasm, and guru garbage. There is a difference between advertising a business and networking. That difference seems to elude most people.

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