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Watch this episode in Flash above, or download here: MP4 download link On behalf of all my Boing Boing and Boing Boing tv colleagues, I'm excited and proud to announce the debut of a new series within our daily video program: BBtv World. This ongoing series will feature first-person glimpses of life around the world, told through the lenses and voices of Boing Boing editors, guest collaborators -- and through the people in these places, their own stories, their own way. When we can, we want to place the camera directly in the hands -- literally -- of the people whose lives, cultures, and lands we're visiting. We're kicking this off with an episode I shot during a recent visit in a K'iche Maya village in the highlands of Guatemala. I go there a few times a year to work on sustainable development projects with an international nonprofit managed with local indigenous leaders. "El Molinero," the title of this debut piece, refers to the corn mill where young girls go every day to grind soaked, hulled corn ("nixtamal") into soft dough for tortillas or tamales (in K'iche, the dough is "k'osh"). The old machine -- hacked together by local craftsman from various components -- is extremely loud, spews smelly fuel exhaust, and like many aspects of daily life and work here, is not neccesarily safe. The K'iche girls you see in this episode helped me shoot some of what you see. In future episodes, they'll tell their stories themselves, and we'll visit other places -- Tibet, Africa, Mexico, China, India, and Japan, to name a few of the destinations planned. Tech note: some of the footage used in this episode was shot on micro-mini digital camcorders donated for review purposes by Pure Digital Inc. (the Flip camcorder) and RCA (RCA Small Wonder). I'll post more about the tests on those devices, and how the people here are using each of them in experimental "distributed documentary" projects. SPONSOR SHOUT-OUT: The BBtv crew wishes to thank Microsoft for underwriting this episode, and generously supporting the launch of the "BBtv World" series. In this ongoing video series, we will be looking at the intersection of social causes & technology around the world from a number of perspectives. Through their new "i’m Initiative," Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world’s most important social causes when users email or IM with tools such as Windows Live™ Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail®. For more information, visit imtalkathon.com or im.live.com. Related posts from the Boing Boing archives: NPR Xeni Tech - Guatemala: digital archives may help find "disappeared." NPR Xeni Tech - Guatemala: Unearthing the Future. "A Database for the Dead." NPR Xeni Tech - Guatemala: "Storm Victims' Remains Exhumed" NPR Xeni Tech - Reporter's notebook: Guatemala NPR Xeni Tech - Guatemala: Project Builds Grassroots Tech NPR Xeni Tech - Guatemala: Unearthing the Future (and new podcast)

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In the introduction to this series, I explained the difference between trying to create marketing that attracts, which is dangerous and usually futile, versus creating safe marketing that actually works. Then, in the second post, I got into more of the nitty-gritty of identity, and why it s so much more better than talking about anything else. Time to finish up talking to the ego. Remember that true attraction is about love, which scares the heck out of the ego. I explained that what the ego needs to feel safe enough to listen to your marketing is identity, the problem, and assurance. I covered talking about identity in the second post, and so let s get down to the problem and to assurance. The problem with the problem. Talking about the problem is usually one of the first bits of advice you hear from a marketing experts and teachers. Well, it s true, the problem is important to talk about, but not for the reasons you think. Often, the problem is discussed as a way to trigger people emotionally so they will react to what you re offering. Which is true, to a point, but it doesn t feel very good. That s the very essence of manipulation. Also, I ve discovered that many people in transformational businesses shy away from talking about the problem because they want to focus on what s positive or on being inspirational. Which isn t bad in and of itself, except it doesn t work. There is another reason why talking about the problem is so important, that has nothing to with being negative or with manipulation. It has to do with one of the most powerful healing dynamics available to humans. The path to healing: being witnessed. Most of us, in our struggles, are told a number of things: It ll be okay. Or Suck it up, get over it. Or Don t be such a downer. Or Hey, I ve got this great solution for you. Rarely are we given permission to just be seen where we are. Hey, if I m struggling with something, the first thing I like to receive is just some simple empathy, that let s me know that you see me as I am. I know this in-depth first hand because my wife has been healing from a chronic illness for close to ten years. Thank God, she s 90% better than she was five years ago, but it s been a long, long road. And many of the people we met, the first words out of their mouth whenever the subject came up was: Oh, have you tried Yuck! That feels horrible! And yet, they mean well. But, our reaction, and especially Holly s, was to shut down and turn away- just because it s too much to take in constantly. The fact is, we re already expending a lot of energy and effort on the healing process. It s just not honoring of people to dump solutions on them. However, empathy, truly seeing people, provides such a sense of relief, immediately. Think about it. Think of something you re struggling with in your life. And then imagine me saying to you: Wow, I m guessing you feel really (sad, frustrating, angering, painful) to be in that situation. When someone is seen like that in their struggle, then they know they are accepted- that it s okay to be there, and they aren t being judged or pushed, or told not to feel what they are already feeling. This brings in a sense of spaciousness, that allows them to start to be able to listen to what you have to say. It also brings in a huge sense of relief. When empathy for the problem is combined with recognition of their identity, it s a deeply healing process- and you tend to have their complete attention. But only if it s authentic. What about reassurance? Ordinarily reassurance falls flat. Hey, you re going to be just fine! You can absolutely lick this problem! Yeah, whatever, buddy. We have the yeah, whatever reaction, if the reassurance comes out of nowhere. If I have no sense that you understand what I m going through, then I m not going to believe your reassurance. But, when it comes on the heels of identity and empathy for the problem, it s actually very welcome. Oh, you do see me, and understand me, and get my problem, and have empathy. And you still feel hopeful that it s going to be okay? Whew, what a relief. They have room to believe you. You now have a foundation. By authentically, and from the heart, communicating identity, empathy for the problem, and assurance, the ego can relax and breathe. This means your prospective client, whether they are reading your webpage, or talking to you at a networking event, is going to feel more spaciousness, and that frenetic impulse we have in our society to just run off and keep moving will have dissipated some. So finally, finally there is room to talk to their heart, which is where the real connection happens. And this is where people happily step into becoming clients, or subscribers, or what have you. In the next post, I ll start to explore how to speak to the heart in an authentic manner. But for now, tell me: what have you learned about talking to the ego? Any examples in the world you ve seen where it works? Or where you ve seen marketing fall completely flat because these elements are missing? Click here to listen to the podcast. (About four minutes.) Do you have to hide behind pillows and incense in a meditation room to maintain your spiritual heart in business? Or maybe your heart has something important to say about the details of your marketing? Perhaps you should download Getting to the Core of Your Business.

On Friday I wrote about why trying to create attractive marketing can lead you down the path to hype, and how marketing really needs to be safe. A kinda weird thought, I know, but check out the post, and it should become clear. As always, feel free to argue with me. But, that s in the past. Today is a new day, ain t it? Understanding the difference between Ego and Heart. Your clients (clients-to-be) have both an ego, and a heart. The heart is their access to their deeper spiritual nature: their values, their dreams, their aspirations. The heart is nourished by love and wants to be in service. The heart avoids any break from truth, integrity, or sincerity. The ego is the more superficial and physical aspects of the person: their needs and greeds, their addictions and desires. The ego constantly strives for control and pleasure and ease, and to belong. The ego avoids any sense of submission, danger, or the unknown. You can begin to see the problem in creating marketing that speaks to both, eh? There is a trick to it. Talk to the driver. Unless your client is a spiritually enlightened master, for the most part their ego is going to be driving the car. This isn t to say that they, or you, or I, don t have moments of transcendance- maybe long moments- when our heart is really what we re following. But probably not when they re reading your marketing. Why not? Because your business is here to solve a problem of some sort- especially if you re a transformational business, the problem is probably a biggy. So, if they are looking at your marketing, considering your business, they are probably face-to-face with their problem. Which means they are feeling vulnerable, unsafe, helpless, out-of-whack to some extent. So talk to the ego first. What soothes the ego? Three things: identity, problem, and assurance. (1) Identity- speak to who they see themselves as. This can include demographics and psychographics. Basically, you want to do what you can to assure them that you see who they are, and that you get their tribe. This is so important- more critical than speaking about the problem, and especially more important than talking about your solution or anything about what you do. People want to be known, to feel seen. At the heart level tribe isn t so important, but at the ego level it s ultra-important. This harkens back to our earliest days on the planet, when belonging to a tribe meant life, and being cast out increased your chances of death quite significantly. Some examples: At Counseling For Moms, what does Karen do to identify the tribe? Or, how about at the Smartist Telesummit, what does Ariane do to help you to identify if you re in the tribe? Or how about our own site, Heart of Business, what do we do to help you feel like you belong? In the next post I ll get to the problem and assurance, but for right now answer me this: who are you trying to reach? What s your blog/website/business tribe? And what have you done to help them feel like they belong and are welcome? Click here to listen to the podcast. (About four minutes.) Do you have to hide behind pillows and incense in a meditation room to maintain your spiritual heart in business? Or maybe your heart has something important to say about the details of your marketing? Perhaps you should download Getting to the Core of Your Business.

Go head, do it. Search for attraction and marketing. You ll see that nearly every marketing guru up and down, left-right, forward-backward, is all about telling you how to make your marketing attractive. I m telling you: Stop! Stop please stop. It doesn t work. You can t make your marketing attractive. Huh? Well, okay, sure. You can bring some beauty and aesthetics to your marketing. But that s not what we re talking about. We re talking about some magical power of AtTrAcTion that is supposedly going to hoover up new clients for you, sucking the money out of their pockets, and their loyalty out of their hearts, and sticking it to your business. Okay, I know you don t actually want to do that to people. But, looking at the number of people trying to create marketing that attracts you d be surprised how far desperation will take us. So let s talk about it. What is attraction? Attraction has to do with love, yes? Attraction is the force of gravity, that unnamed, and never-understood province of the Divine, of Cupid, of lovers, and parents, and good friends. It s the magical chemistry that is part pheromone, but only part, because the other part is that mystical bit of attraction that comes from love. You can t manufacture love. You can t. You either feel love, or you don t. You receive love, or transmit love, or give love. But you can t create it. So if you can t create love, you can t create attraction. Sorry, you re in a spiritual realm now, and no amount of mumbo-jumbo is going to create love. However, you can put yourself in a state of readiness to receive love. And that s a far larger topic than this blog post will cover. So let s move on to marketing. If not attraction, then what? If your marketing isn t about attraction, then what is it about? Well, let me answer that question with a question: when you fall in love, what happens? That s right, you freak out. Love is scary. Connecting with the obliterating power of love, of that deep Divine attraction, however it s manifesting in the world, scares the bejezus out of the ego. That s what s happening to your clients. Your clients have felt some sense of attraction towards you. No not THAT kind of attraction- and yet there is love involved. And perhaps they sense that their life will change in some way, large or small, through engaging with your business. So unconsciously they get scared. That s clue about your marketing. Your marketing needs to provide safety. Yes, safety. The ego is scared, or distracted, or busy. If your marketing, which is one of the physical manifestations of your business in the world, helps your clients feel some sense of safety, then they just might feel okay about trusting the attraction they feel to take the next step towards engaging with you and your business. So, forget about attraction, except in terms of how your heart shines. Instead, let your marketing focus be on creating safety. How do we do that? I ll be exploring some of the most common ways over the next few blogs posts. In the meantime, take a look at your own marketing. How are you helping potential clients and customers feel safe? Or are you? Can you spot anything that might scare them off? Update!  I just added a podcast of this post. Click here to listen. (Less than four minutes). Do you have to hide behind pillows and incense in a meditation room to maintain your spiritual heart in business? Or maybe your heart has something important to say about the details of your marketing? Perhaps you should download Getting to the Core of Your Business.

Everyone wants to live surrounded by beauty. Beauty soothes the soul, and lifts the spirit. It inspires us and keeps us healthy. We all want beauty. Unfortunately, this desire to have beauty means that you can spend a great deal of time creating a unique and beautiful web design that people actually avoid. How can you spend so much time on beauty, sacrifice so much money with a designer, and still end up with a mess? Read this article. Listen to the podcast- around six minutes. So, how can you bring beauty into your web design, without bringing in Michelangelo? By the way, don t miss the pre-release price for Creating Heart-Centered Websites. Check it out and see if it resonates with you.

Are you like most of us, and stutter, or gloss over, asking for money from your customers? It may seem silly, but asking for the money can be really hard to do. Unfortunately, that leaves you out of integrity with yourself and your customer. But, it s not because you didn t ask for the money. Where did you go out of integrity? Where is the problem? Read this article. Listen to the podcast- around five minutes. Now it s time to get out there, and ask for the money and get paid. Your customer will be much more comfortable By the way, don t miss the pre-release price for Creating Heart-Centered Websites. Check it out and see if it resonates with you.

Every month I spend my business money on training and education. Books, classes, audios, products. It costs a pretty penny. There was something I learned when I was a magazine editor, that most business people don t know. If you know it, too, it can help to lighten the load of your training budget. What did I learn as a magazine editor? Read this article. Listen to the podcast- around five minutes. So ready to act like an editor? By the way, don t miss the pre-release price for Creating Heart-Centered Websites. Check it out and see if it resonates with you.

Every website has a home page- but does yours welcome people in, or shut people out? The art of making someone feel welcome at a party is skill, for sure. We ve all been to parties where the ambience is a little frosty, or awkward. People chat idly for a little while, drink your sparkling water, and leave. You don t want that happening on your website. So, what do you put your home page? Time to make your home page truly welcoming. Read this article. Listen to the podcast- around six minutes. Time to get your home page written, right? By the way, don t miss the pre-release price for Creating Heart-Centered Websites. Check it out and see if it resonates with you.

Have you put off, or given up entirely, the idea of writing that book, or creating a CD or DVD, for your business? Maybe you ve let that idea slip away because you thought your business wasn t suited to it. I mean, what you do is so individual and personal, or too complicated to explain, or so intuitive in nature, that it can t be captured in a product. Or maybe you already sell a product, and you can t imagine what a book or CD would possibly do for your business. These kinds of products- books, CDs, DVDs and their digital downloadable equivalents: pdfs, mp3s, mpegs - are called information products, info products for short. And, if you are putting off creating one, you are doing a disservice to all the people who are waiting for you. You better find out why and how to create an info product for your business. Read this article. Listen to the podcast- around five and a half minutes. So, who are your wallflowers? And what s your info product?

Are you taking the Big Gulp? The Big Gulp is what happens when the new doctor has been through years of school, amassed a six-figure medical school debt, and graduated with her friends and colleagues. She excitedly rents a space to open her medical practice, hangs out her shingle, and waits for clients. I bet, even if you aren t a doctor, that you re familiar with the Big Gulp. There are a lot of reasons for the Big Gulp- lack of business knowledge, lack of marketing knowledge, fear of failure, financial pressures, fear of failing her patients, even fear of success. But, as a doctor might say, those are just symptoms. They aren t the true cause of the Big Gulp. What causes the Big Gulp? And what cures it? Read this article. Listen to the podcast- around six minutes. So, who are likely Master Mind buddies for you?

You know that thing-a-ma-jig that dangles on the end of your emails? That s right, your email signature. Does it really deliver? Do people really click through your link to your website? Here s another question; do you click through other people s signatures? And if you don t, why does your signature read just like the ones that you don t click through, either? Are you wondering if there is a way to write an email signature that really delivers? If you are, then Read this article. Listen to the podcast- around five minutes. Ready to go change your signature? Go for it right now.

I want you to imagine you re a paramedic. You drive up in your ambulance, and turn off the siren. Looking out through the windshield you see a car has smashed into a bus, and flipped over on its roof. There are people milling around, all of them pointing in different directions, Come here first! This person needs you first! There s just you and your partner, and more people than you can easily count need help. Dispatch has already told you that the system is Level 0 - meaning all the other ambulances are tied up. No backup, and too much to do. What do you do? You have priorities in your business- but everything is screaming for your attention. What do you need to do before you bring in backup? Read this article. Listen to the podcast- around seven minutes. So, what does triage look like in your business? And what are you going to leave by the side of the road?

You already know you should be writing articles for your business. But, how do you do it? You watch as all these big name writers churn out article after article, seemingly effortlessly, and meanwhile your just wanting to write even one that is spot-on, and really helpful for your customers. And it wouldn t be a bad thing if it helped your marketing, too. If you want to know how to write articles that will be read, remembered and recommended, then you ll need a keyhole, a drama and a stepladder. What can I say? Read this article. Listen to the podcast- a bit over five minutes. So, can you write an article this week using the keyhole, drama and stepladder?

Can you give it to me for free? If you ve been in business for more than five minutes, you ve probably heard this one from somebody, in some form. Are they a con artist? Do they genuinely need help? You ve got your values- you are doing this thing called business because you want to help. But if you give it all away It can be a very uncomfortable situation- but there is a way to deal with freeloaders. And it s as easy as one two three then back-up to one. What am I talking about? Find out: Read this article. Listen to the podcast- a bit over five minutes. So, how are you dealing with freeloaders?

How can you charge for spiritual teachings! They should be free! It s all the rage to use spirituality and other intangibles in your business, especially in service businesses- which seems to be provoking some rage from folks. Like the email a friend of mine received at the beginning of this paragraph. Whether or not your consider yourself a spiritual teacher, you ll want to hear the surprising answer to whether you can charge for spiritual teachings or not. Find out: Read this article. Listen to the podcast- right around five minutes. How are you integrating spiritual teachings into your business? And, are you making a living?

Are you violating child labor laws with your small business? I don t mean are you using a sweatshop to produce your products. I mean- how long has your business been around, and are your expectations of it reasonable? How long does it take to get a business going? Find out: Read this article. Listen to the podcast- just shy of seven minutes. Where are you in developing your business? And, what do you think it truly needs to thrive (in addition to some of your patience.) Let me know.

I m sure that, like me, you never get scared in business. Of course, we all know that s a bunch of baloney- we all get scared. Depending on where your business is, fear might even be a daily visitor. Is this a curse? Are you doomed? Is something wrong? You have to start dealing with fear much differently. But how? If you ignore fear, it ambushes you at night. If you let the fear in, it s easy to freeze and collapse. There is another way to deal with fear, and get it off your back. Read this article. Listen to the podcast- just a about seven minutes. How are you handling your fear? What are you hearing? I d love to hear from you.