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	<title>The Ausmerican</title>
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	<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog</link>
	<description>- Issues facing; Expat professionals, Trailing Spouses, Portable Businesses, Near Retirement Professionals .... and other stuff of professional and personal interest.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:04:57 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Life in a Flying House &#8211; Expat Student Scholarship</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/life-in-a-flying-house-expat-student-scholarship/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/life-in-a-flying-house-expat-student-scholarship/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:59:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Expat Professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recreation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailing Spouse]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=283</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 2009, Clements International, launched a scholarship program to give back to their clients and the expatriate community. Now in its second year, the 2010 Expat Youth Scholarship offered participants a chance to use their experiences living in a foreign country to imagine where their journey might take them next. The scholarship’s theme, “Life in a Flying House,” is inspired by the idea that expat students who spend their childhoods moving between different countries and cultures develop rich life experiences. This year Clements received over 500 entries and will be awarding a total of $10,000 in scholarships to six, talented students from all over the world! The winning entries are amazing and will be posted online for the world to see at www.expatyouthscholarship.com once the finalists are announced. Details about the 2011 scholarship will be announced in coming months, so any expats with student children should check this out via their Facebook page (with over 500 fans!): Win $100 for using Facebook Become a fan of Clements International AND the Expat Youth Scholarship to be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card! You can sign up to receive e-mail updates at www.expatscholarship.com or follow on Twitter ______________________________________________________ About Clements [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/life-in-a-flying-house-expat-student-scholarship/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Inbound Marketing – huh?</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/inbound-marketing-huh/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/inbound-marketing-huh/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:30:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Portable Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retirement/Work at Home Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Talkcast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Startups]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=262</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I listened today to a presentation by Gharmesh Shah co-founder and CEO of HubSpot, blogger at OnStartups.com, and author of the book Inbound Marketing.  I&#8217;ve listened to the Audible.com version of the book once and will definitely be going over it again. To give you some insight into the book and where Gharmesh is coming from, have a listen to the presentation below. Although the focus of this talk is on Startup companies, and specifically online software companies, but it has a great deal of relevance to anyone with an online presence, isn&#8217;t that you? ..if not, why not? A few key points from the presentation: Risk:  Assuming you have conceived your business or product, can you actually build it? Can you market it? Will anyone buy your product or service? He introduces a concept of smarketing (sales + marketing). Charge early.  Start selling now! Not only because the revenue is important, it&#8217;s not at this stage, but the data from paying customers is exceptionally valuable. Sell often, because you want reliable, negative feedback too.  Selling early tells you whether people will buy — selling often (i.e. charging smaller amounts in regular intervals) tells you whether they’ll stay.  Let customers [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/inbound-marketing-huh/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Nostalgic Gastronomic Adventure</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-nostalgic-gastronomic-adventure/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-nostalgic-gastronomic-adventure/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:51:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Recreation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailing Spouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Train]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=237</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the best things about being an Expat Trailing Spouse is the opportunity to experience something truly different, exciting and in this case I sense somewhat embryonic. This weekend Lori and I took part in what was described as a Nostalgic Gastronomic Adventure &#8211; Kapiti Vintage 2010,  as part of the annual &#8216;Wellington on a Plate&#8217; events. We boarded a vintage train at Porirua, a seaside suburb north of Wellington, took a slow, relaxing, rattling journey north over the next couple of hours to Otaki, a region long renowned for fresh food and beautiful countryside. The region is more broadly known as the Kapiti coast after the name of the island to the west. On arrival at Otaki, we crossed the tracks and walked a couple of minutes with our fellow passengers to The Milk Station, a heritage building still under renovation, but taking on the form of a Tuscan Villa by its owner Lyndia Wood. Having been transported in time and place, the next four hours was spent enjoying a slow lunch, with great company and magnificent food prepared by local Chef Simon Wislang from local ingredients from the &#8216;Food Artisans&#8217;: Apple Quarters Fine Foods Coral Tree Organic [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-nostalgic-gastronomic-adventure/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Story of  Trailing Geek</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/224/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/224/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:16:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Expat Professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailing Spouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Academia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JobSearch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TrailingSpouse]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=224</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A recent Trailing Spouse blog post by the Trailing Geek caught my eye for a number of reasons; 1) it wasn&#8217;t just the ever so common re-statement of the problems we all face as Trailing Spouses 2) it offered solutions to problems 3) it was posted by a Trailing Spouse from academia, who is not an expatriate 4) it specifically addresses job search issues The Trailing Geek has moved with her partner to &#8220;Smallville&#8221; after leaving &#8220;Metropolis&#8221; so her partner can pursue her Ph.D. at &#8220;Pleasant U.&#8221; She embraced the Trailing Spouse situation and immediately did 3 things: 1. A sprightly happy dance. 2. Informed her employer at that time, Company X. 3. Started looking for jobs in Smallville. The point here is – immediately! So many Trailing Spouses leave their action for job search until after they arrive. Job searching takes time, it requires relationship building so it makes sense to start as soon as you know about your impending move&#8230;even if you don&#8217;t know where you are going. In the case of the Trailing Geek he knew where he was going and he knew what he needed to do. More specifically, notifying your current employer gets them on-board [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/224/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A social creation from the beginning</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-social-creation-from-the-beginning/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-social-creation-from-the-beginning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:42:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[www]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=34</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I came across this quote recently relating to the creation of the World Wide Web. Only as we begin to embrace web 2.0 and social networking are we starting to see this vision coming to life. &#8211; Jeff &#8220;The web is more a social creation than a technical one. I designed it for a social effect — to help people work together — and not as a technical toy. The ultimate goal of the Web is to support and improve our weblike existence in the world. We clump into families, associations, and companies. We develop trust across the miles and distrust around the corner.&#8221; —Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving The Web]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-social-creation-from-the-beginning/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Attention MALE Trailing Spouses</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/attention-male-trailing-spouses/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/attention-male-trailing-spouses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jul 2010 07:43:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Expat Professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailing Spouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MaleTrailingSpouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Survey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TrailingSpouse]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=186</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Trailing Spouse Network Member Dr. Nina Cole, an Associate Professor at Ryerson University in Toronto is currently researching what HR departments can do to help male spouses on international assignments. Her research team is hoping to recruit male spouses to be featured in an article that they are preparing for publication. They require a brief description of why you joined the Trailing Spouse Network and how it helps you as a male accompanying partner. If you are a Male Trailing Spouse and you would like to participate in this initiative, please visit the Trailing Spouse Network on LinkedIn and respond to the discussion on this subject. http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=104868 Thanks Jeff]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/attention-male-trailing-spouses/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Microtrends</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/microtrends/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/microtrends/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:56:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trends]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=174</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Back in the 80&#8242;s John Naisbitt introduced us to Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives, he pointed out that we were all part of a global economy and as such, massive global changes were underway that would shape a an information age. Further, he theorized that the bigger the world is, the more powerful its smallest player – and hence the rise in power of small businesses, the blogging phenomena and other empowerment&#8217;s of individuals. Now, the Microtrends. Mark J. Penn, the guy that identified &#8220;Soccer Mums&#8221; as a crucial constituency in President Clinton&#8217;s 1996 reelection campaign, recognizes that trends in society that reach a critical 1% mark have the potential to significantly influence the world around us. These sometimes counterintuitive, and somewhat invisible actions by small groups are shaping the world around us. Now I&#8217;m not a numbers guy, and I&#8217;m certainly not a trend watcher, but I am fascinated by factors that affect business or stimulate new ideas. This is what lead me to read John Naisbitt back in the 80&#8242;s and 90&#8242;s and when I glanced at Microtrends in the airport bookstore I had to have a read. I can rarely sleep during the 20+ hours [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/microtrends/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Dream or a Plan?</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-dream-or-a-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-dream-or-a-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:57:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Expat Professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Portable Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retirement/Work at Home Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailing Spouse]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=169</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Why didn&#8217;t Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. give an &#8220;I have a Plan&#8221; speech? According to Simon Sinek, it&#8217;s because &#8220;People don&#8217;t buy what you do, they buy why you do it&#8221;. Dr. King&#8217;s message leading up to his famous speech on the Capitol Mall in 1963 wasn&#8217;t a direction of what was needed to be done at that time, it wasn&#8217;t an action plan,  it was a consistent message of &#8216;here&#8217;s what I believe&#8217;. As a result, without the benefit of Facebook, or a web-site to check the details of when and where, people gathered to hear his dream because it meant something to them, they were ready to buy. We all get caught up in our businesses by talking about what we do; extolling the features and benefits of our products or services, but does our passion show through? I guess this has been expressed in other ways over the years and I recall &#8220;selling the sizzle, not the steak&#8221;, or differentiating between features and benefits, but it all comes down to &#8216;what&#8217;s in it for me&#8217;? Of course this differs from one person to the next but passion sells, it&#8217;s contagious. If you truly believe in why [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/a-dream-or-a-plan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Communication is a two way activity</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/communication-is-a-two-way-activity/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/communication-is-a-two-way-activity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 May 2010 05:31:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Expat Professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Portable Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retirement/Work at Home Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=72</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve had a few experiences recently that have reminded me of a comment that a mentor shared with me years ago &#8211; &#8220;Communication is a two way activity&#8221;. What did he mean by that? His comment came about as we were reviewing a status list of a project, trying to tick items off the list that were complete. The list was a mess. It had grown to a point where items were marked complete when they were not&#8230; and vice versa. Project staff had been reading what they were supposed to do on the list, doing it, then marking it complete. You might expect that this is exactly what you want done to progress the project, right? But the communication was too simplistic. People were interpreting the work to be done but this didn&#8217;t always align with what the project managers were expecting to be done. There was the appearance of communication via the list, but we were not communicating, we were simply stating our version of events. Any form of communication should contain a message, the recipient should respond with their understanding of what they heard, the originator should then acknowledge the response or make any corrections in the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/communication-is-a-two-way-activity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Trailing Spouse on Wikipedia</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/trailing-spouse-on-wikipedia/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/trailing-spouse-on-wikipedia/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:14:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>JeffPorter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Expat Professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailing Spouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wiki]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=83</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[An entry has been created on Wikipedia to define and help bring attention to the Trailing Spouse phenomena. You can access the article by searching Wikipedia for &#8220;Trailing Spouse&#8221; or directly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailing_spouse I welcome feedback, additions and suggestions to the article so please, anyone who feels the article needs corrections or additional detail please feel free to edit the article directly (please respect the Wikipedia Guidelines). Alternatively, use the article discussion page or contact me directly. In the time it&#8217;s taken to write this posting the article has already been tagged with this header: &#8220;This article may not meet the general notability guideline. Please help to establish notability by adding reliable, secondary sources about the topic. If notability cannot be established, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted.&#8221; I look forward to your assistance. &#8211;Jeff]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2010/trailing-spouse-on-wikipedia/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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