4/7/09

Friendship in the Online Marketplace

Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.
~ Woodrow Wilson

Today's OLA Tuesday Tidbit is about Friendship in the Online Marketplace. Why should you get to know your fellow sellers & buyers? Because, often times, these are the very people who can provide you with advice, knowledge, support, motivation, inspiration, challenges, & friendship.

Social networking is a hot topic right now. How many venues or forums are you a part of? Aside from OLA, I am a member at Twitter, Seller's Arena & Online Sellers United. By far, OLA is my favorite, as I've been there the longest, & had the chance to more fully develop acquaintances there. (How did I ever manage at eBay for 9 years without social networking???) These relationships are all a work in progress, however, as new forum members are joining every day, & seasoned members are socializing more, providing opportunities to meet people I never would have met without my internet connection.

Some would argue the other side of the coin... that you're here to do business, not to make friends with potential competitors. I disagree! There's enough online pie for everyone to have a slice, & by sharing our experiences, we can all learn from each other & grow both personally & professionally. And I'll tell you, I like having friends all across the country!

One day, I'm going to wiggle my toes in Florida sand with CaptDonna. And if I ever am fortunate enough to visit Washington State, I want to see Curiocache & her mini horses. On the way, I just might stop by Oregon & surprise Ragmop! Or swing south and knock on Supergranny's door. The possibilities are endless! (And if I didn't mention you, please don't feel slighted... you're on my list, too!) Oh, did you know that I almost got the chance to meet Draggontagger? A longtime friend had a car breakdown about 30 minutes from DT. She was so helpful, telling us all about the local amenities & offering assistance if we needed it. I was sorry that I didn't end up driving to rescue my friend in Iowa, & sorrier still that I missed having coffee with one of my online buddies!

I've been talking lately with another couple of friends about gardens. Aesthetics48 has a lovely garden, & posts photos and tips in her blog. Sunflowerranch has also become one of my favorite bloggers, with her story-like posts. (It's no wonder that she's a book seller!) Do yourself a favor & get to know both of these ladies. They're OLA veterans, who are always ready to help with technical issues, trading advice & everyday chit-chat.

Stay social! And get to know your fellow members. You never know when you'll need 'em! (Or they may need you.)

In our garden talks, I was begging for advice on how to keep critters out of my garden. Aesthetics hit it right on the head with her reply, "I just try to plant enough so they will share with me". So with her good advice & without further adieu, here are photos of my newest garden friends...LOL!



The Eye Candy

Morning Dove
&
Cardinal














The Bandit


(Look, he's even smiling!)









The Flying Squirrel

Our evening
entertainer!










The Exterminator

I know, it's not the best picture... this hawk is elusive!


And the trouble-makers...









And the Stinkers, (the skunks), I am not hanging around long enough to get a photo! LOL!





So make a new friend today, & be sure to stop by
FLEAPIRATES PLUNDER to browse for all your vintage collectibles!


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You had me so laughing with your pictures of all those critters! It is probably funnier for me because you have been following some of my posts about gardening too. I compliment you on being able to get that picture of that sneaky racoon too. They just tear away at the siding on my house! Has cost me $200.00 a year to get my siding fixed. They attack every spring! :(
Oh my goodness! *Blushing* you are too sweet to mention us all at OLA.

Sunflower Ranch said...

Flea, your post is delightful! And thank you for the sweet kudos, too! I agree about the social networking aspect of OLA, it's incredible! It is wonderful knowing people all across the country and being a small part of their lives. As to your critter problem, I like that you are taking it all in stride and following Ace's advice! You will have to keep us posted on their antics. I absolutely LOVE the photos you posted!! Keep trying on the hawk. They do keep to themselves and aren't as sociable as the others. The smiling raccoon is too funny!!! And the Troublemakers. Kind of like the old Dead End Kids in the classic movies!! Cute but bad!! Thanks again for a great post!! :)

Supergranny said...

What a wonderful post. I would welcome you with open arms:)

Here's a couple of critter deterrent ideas but not for those pesky squirrels. Before we sold our big house, we would have raccoons dining at our pond on our gorgeous decorative fish. It was a good thing that we always had teeny tiny little baby fish at various stages of growth.

Kill slugs by spraying them with a mixture of 1 part water and 1 part white distilled vinegar.

To catch moths use a mixture of 2 parts white distilled vinegar and 1 part molasses. Place mixture in tin can and hang in a tree.

Keep rabbits from eating your plants. Put cotton balls soaked in white distilled vinegar in a 35mm film container. Poke a hole in the top and place in the garden.

Love your post!!!!

Fleapirates said...

Wow, Sg! I will have to try that cotton ball in the film canister trick & see if it works on chipmunks! I didn't get a single cherry tomato last year thanks to those buggers. LOL!

And A's, the raccoons 'round here are so accustomed to humans that they will walk right up to you. We had one last week that we were shoo-ing away from our door, & he tried to PLAY with the broom!

Thanks for keeping up with my blog, ladies!

Sunflower Ranch said...

Flea, it's always a pleasure to read a good post & it's fun following the latest news from the front lines of The Battle of the Critters. Good luck with all that!

Hidden Treasure said...

You have a way with words, as a former teacher I give you an A+ on that Blog. You also hit the nail on the head! There are many new comers who feel like they are imposing with their 20 questions and their frustration at the "starting over" again. BUT! You make it easy to feel like you could just fit in. OPEN ARMS...FRIENDLY , WELL PUT ADVISE and EMPATHY..cause you been there!

Thank You so much for sharing you knowledge, your passion and your friendship with me... you are a Treasure!

Sherrie
Hidden_Treasures1

Oh, And Critters? Boy do we have a few... I have many gardens and they range from the ones you listed to the slugs I try to drown in beer (if I didn't sneak it first..;)...lol) Or the moles who burrow and your roots go unearthed or the deer, though pretty are big pests and...Oh don't get me started.. The best garden I have that is thriving is my Herb garden. The bests do not like the smells or the tastes.

I dry them cook with them and even decorate with them because I am a primitive decorator...smells good too!

Thank You for all you've helped me with!