<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>The Ausmerican</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<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>Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:02:13 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Next assignment &#8211; Rome</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2012/next-assignment-rome/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2012/next-assignment-rome/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:07:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Expat Professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moving Sale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trailing Spouse]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=558</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well time in New Zealand is coming to a close and we have commenced our packout activities in full swing hence the items for sale in previous posts on here. Casual readers please disregard  We are off to Rome later this year, this will be a massive cultural shift after living in the antipodes and feeling much more culturally comfortable for the last three years but an experience we are looking forward to. Work will be a challenge I&#8217;m sure as I contract my work space from a full room in a four bedroom house dedicated to my work to maybe a kitchen table or a closet in our Italian apartment. Time will tell! As always staying connected and productive during the move will be the greatest challenge. I&#8217;m currently scanning any paper I need to keep, disposing of almost all paper. Books are another heavy commodity that can now be eliminated. As much as I hate to let go of many of my ready references and motivational works, I&#8217;ve decided to go and audiobook and eBook all the way. Kindle, iPad and iPods weigh much less than my 6 shelves of books. I&#8217;ll be posting all the titles up [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2012/next-assignment-rome/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>LinkedIn Maps</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2012/linkedin-maps/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2012/linkedin-maps/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:07:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Thinking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=516</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[LinkedIn has a cool feature known as LinkedIn Maps. It allows you to graphically view your network. You can see mine below. What I like about this tool is that at the high level view you can see the clusters of your network shown by color differences. You can identify and name each part of the network to help you analyze further. When you zoom in, you can see the members and the connectors within each cluster. Hovering over each one of the dots shows you the details of your connection. The larger the dot, the more connections. You can see the relationships between clusters. I&#8217;ve used this function to help identify important connectors in my network and build new connections. More than just pretty lines, LinkedIn Maps is a cool tool. &#8211; Check it out here: LinkedIn Maps]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2012/linkedin-maps/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>USA &#8211; Australia &#8211; New Zealand Business opportunity development</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/usanz-opportunity-development/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/usanz-opportunity-development/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:46:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[export]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[opportuniy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=510</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For those that know me and have worked with me, you will be aware of my passion for assisting unique and growing small businesses and for helping to identify and nurture potential business opportunities in domestic and export markets. I&#8217;ve recently incorporated USANZ Extended Marketing LLC to formalize these efforts by actively networking known and trusted businesses on my &#8216;RADAR&#8217; with each other, and with evolving opportunities that I uncover. My goal, as always is to identify and recognize a potential opportunity and add value with little or no cost to the RADAR business. Where these or other opportunities lead to on-going relationships I seek to represent the organization for mutual gain. Under this premise, I actively promote unique American, Australian and New Zealand businesses through The Ausmerican, the USANZem blog, and through the Regional Business Talk Radio podcast programs. Readers who are aware of unique businesses in the USA, Australia and New Zealand are invited to submit details to the USANZem Business RADAR by clicking: SUBMIT  If accepted, we look forward to working with you or the company to help identify and build export business opportunities for small and medium business. Thanks Jeff &#160;]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/usanz-opportunity-development/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What makes an entrepreneur?</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/an_entrepreneur/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/an_entrepreneur/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2011 03:46:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Expat Professional]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Portable Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=500</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A great series of articles from Mark Suster from his Both Sides of the Table blog describing the makeup and attributes of entrepreneurs. 1. Tenacity – the most important attribute of an entrepreneur is never being willing to give up. 2. Street Smarts – getting out and understanding customers is far more important than book smarts or computer research. 3. Ability to Pivot – it’s not good enough to be tenacious and smart.  You also need to be sure you have a great product/market fit and that it is a big enough market to make money.  The best entrepreneurs fine tune their product and their business model until they find this groove. 4. Resiliency – being an entrepreneur is sexy … for those who haven’t done it.  In reality it’s gritty, tough work where you will be filled with self doubt.  Entrepreneurs are survivors. 5. Inspiration - Tenacity + street smarts is not enough without inspiration.  You need to lead teams and convince others to move mountains when by all means they shouldn’t believe they can. 6. Perspiration - We all know people who can stand up at a conference and deliver a rousing speech or who sound awesome in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/an_entrepreneur/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Warrior-to-Entrepreneur (W2E) 2011 Business Plan Contest</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/warrior-to-entrepreneur-w2e-2011-business-plan-contest/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/warrior-to-entrepreneur-w2e-2011-business-plan-contest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:58:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=493</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Warrior-to-Entrepreneur (W2E) 2011 Business Plan Contest &#8211; The American Small Business Coalition The Warrior-to-Entrepreneur (W2E) 2011 Business Plan Contest is an opportunity for injured and disabled Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan, interested in or already starting their own business, to connect with business leaders and resource partners to help bring their vision to fruition through advisory support, financing and more. The American Small Business Coalition &#8211; www.TheASBC.org  is a relentless advocate for small and minority business and their initiative to conduct the Warrior-to-Entrepreneur Business Plan contest is a great opportunity for returning veterans to realize their business goals. Click here for contest rules and to submit your plan!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/warrior-to-entrepreneur-w2e-2011-business-plan-contest/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lists, Lists, Lists &#8211; Contact management gone awry?</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/lists-lists-lists-contact-management-gone-awry/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/lists-lists-lists-contact-management-gone-awry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:49:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Small & Micro Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Contacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CRM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Organization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Productivity]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=74</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We all know about lists, right? We are on them, we make them, we print them, we send them, we build them…I could go on, but in the context of our Contact Management or CRM system what are lists, why do we need them and most importantly how do we know they are accurate? Cause or effect? In the context of this article, when I refer to a list I mean a list of individuals or organizations and typically some related information like their contact details, what they do, the products they sell, the color of their hair or whatever is important to your organization, or the person reading the list. Lists can be the output of your activities; sending someone a list of names. Or they can be an input; A list of delinquent debtors for example. Cause or effect. If you are generating a list, there is an obligation on your behalf to ensure the accuracy of the information you are providing, so how do we do that? List output One approach to ensuring that data included on lists is complete and accurate is to continually and constantly review the entire database, regularly scouring the data and confirming [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/lists-lists-lists-contact-management-gone-awry/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Interview on Collaboration Tech Talk</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/448/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/448/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:00:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Podcasts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thinking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was interviewed recently by Gary Vaughan on his Collaboration Tech Talk podcast. The subject for discussion was the use of collaboration technologies in a telework situation and amongst other things we discussed the use of Blog Talk Radio in comparison to Talkshoe.com for podcast hosting. Both platforms provide a conference bridge to facilitate the call and both have a host control panel to manage the incoming callers. Features and content aside, I&#8217;m interested in audio quality and the listening experience. As a regular podcast listener, even if a program has very compelling content, I&#8217;m reluctant to listen to programs that 1: sound bad and 2: impose excessive or disruptive advertising content. On the second point, BTR imposes a 30 second pre-roll advertisement on the listener at a typically higher audio level than the host and caller. These adverts aren&#8217;t present on all programs so I assume it&#8217;s a host option? On the first point, I think the (audio) quality of  podcasts is generally &#8230;and being diplomatic here, less than ideal. The adage of &#8220;content is king&#8221; only holds true to the extent that people will actually listen to it, and if the audio quality is bad, you will loose [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/448/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Kindle Spam Highlights the Worst Side of Easy Self-Publishing</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/kindle_spam/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/kindle_spam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:41:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Thinking]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/kindle_spam/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Originally published at: blogkindle.com The Kindle has done a lot to bring publishing from fantasy to reality for new authors everywhere. In an industry previously dominated by publishing houses that have a track record of refusing to take risks on new things, it provides an easy way for somebody to get their work out there and let it stand on its own merits. This is not without its issues, however. Under the old system we had some regulation, even if it was ridiculously over-restrictive. Now, we can only hope that the best rises to the top. The downside of the Kindle and its self-publishing options has generally been seen to be a lack of editorial input. Bad books get published, poorly edited books get published, basically anything that people churn out can hit the digital shelves the day the author hits the Submit button. Unfortunately, that’s not really all we have to worry about. There were always going to be a few less than original titles that were meant purely to get the most cash for the least effort and to hell with the customer, but now a method has been devised for anybody who wants to put in the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/kindle_spam/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Do the Work</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/do-the-work/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/do-the-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:34:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=407</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do your work; not just your work and no more, but a little more for the lavishing&#8217;s sake &#8211; that little more which is worth all the rest. - Dean LeBaron Russell Briggs &#8211; Harvard I heard this quote for the first time in the eighties when I was a regular listener of Earl Nightingale; The Strangest Secret, Acres of Diamonds and other great programs that inspired, motivated and shaped my life. &#8220;Do Your Work&#8230;&#8221; is a philosophy that I&#8217;ve regularly applied in my work life, and it speaks of customer service, exceeding expectations and over delivering on requirements. I&#8217;ve used the quote as an internal mantra for many years and that&#8217;s probably why today, as I was listening to &#8216;Business Tech Weekly&#8217;, a podcast, by Cliff Ravenscraft and Andy Traub, and Andy mentioned &#8220;Do the Work Community&#8221;, his words jumped out at me. Andy is building a community around the book, &#8216;Do the Work&#8217; by Steven Pressfield. I hadn&#8217;t heard of the book but having listened to Andy and Cliff long enough I trust their judgement and decided to download it, the Audible.com version was an easy listen and I have to say thanks Andy! Do the Work applies [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/do-the-work/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Tragedy that Forges Brotherhood</title>
		<link>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/tragedy-forges-brotherhood/</link>
		<comments>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/tragedy-forges-brotherhood/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:03:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeff Porter</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/?p=369</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A broadcaster in Christchurch described yesterday as “the darkest day” in New Zealand’s history outside of wartime. The earthquake was unmistakably tragic and horrifying, and the people of Christchurch need every prayer and ounce of support we can give them. But as the ground turned liquid and the walls around us crumbled and the steeple that literally defined the city crashed to earth, a miracle occurred in Christchurch yesterday. The U.S.–New Zealand brotherhood was forged anew in a way none of us could have foreseen. An article by Ernest Z. Bower,  senior adviser and director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. gives a poignant overview of the events of February 22nd. and describes one positive outcome of this terrible tragedy. Read the full article here.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.ausmerica.com/blog/2011/tragedy-forges-brotherhood/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

