It's getting to be the time when I will have to select a new blog/site solution. I've been using Bandzoogle and WordPress in combination and I've not been completely happy with either one of them.

I tried using just Bandzoogle for a while, because they technically allow for just using the core site to post a blog. But I find it really inadequate as I've been a WordPress user for years. That's one of the reasons why it looks like I've only been blogging for a couple of months, when, in fact, I've been blogging for years. The Bandzoogle site erased all of the date information when I imported my past blog!

Not good.

It also doesn't display my posts the way I like. And although they've got some really great templates and allow for custom CSS, I've gotten really sick of code-monkeying. I have so many hats to wear with all of the marketing and PR I have to do right now, the graphic design element is a bit difficult for me. I'm using a template at the moment and I'm frankly not that happy with how crowded my site looks.

On the plus side, I have great mailing list tools with Bandzoogle. WordPress doesn't give me that. If I migrate over to WP entirely, I have to find yet another solution to manage that, and then there's an additional expense. It's not worth either the time or the money and I want a single solution.

And now to WordPress.

Ah, WordPress, WordPress. I have all of the same issues with you. To edit your CSS is just tiresome to me. And if I find a great template or theme, but it seems to me that everyone has a slightly different protocol as to how to comment things out--and what is up with your making me individually delete out manually every single iteration of the custom CSS I tweaked? Why did I have to do that just to get the theme to look the way you said it would in the Preview?

Even then it didn't, quite.

That's why I had to let my subscription to Custom CSS expire, you see. It was just a big ol' reset button for me.

So here I've been, jockeying back and forth between two sets of site stats, two URLs (three, really, because with my FB Fan Page it's become clear that I need to do some direct interaction in order to keep engaged with folks, but that's a whole nuther puddle of wax) just to keep things going--it's so very way not convenient to me. Me no like.

So I am ideally searching for a site host/blog solution that will give me the following things:

• Single-click postability from desktop, iPad , Android
• Single-click comment moderation from above sources
• Mailing list tools from above sources
• Web clipping to posts from above sources
• Post videos with sound and images from above sources
• E-commerce enabled
• Facebook /Twitter integration with Facebook "Like" button included
• Site stats including Google Analytics
• Allows for custom CSS
• Allows for Flash/FLEX integration
• Gives excellent massages

Okay, I guess that last one can be classified as a "nice to have". I'm sure there are quite a few providers out there that fit this bill perfectly!

Let me know in the comments how you think I should proceed. :-D

What's the biggest challenge facing most people in a world that's filled with visual noise?


You know what I mean: we're constantly bombarded with media input, distractions and stimuli. Most people feel that it's hard to "be cool" these days or stand out.

Well, Auryaun.com has the solution!

New! Just for you, the I Don't Suck! Club Official t-shirt and cap are now available in the Auryaun.com store.

Yes, that's right, folks! You too can now be favored by small children, at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, at the store, by your mechanic, by Santa Claus by each other and most especially, BY ME .

You can join the newly-minuted "I Don't Suck!" club here at Auryaun.com!

"But how do I do this wonderful, marvelous thing?" I hear you asking.

It's so simple!

All you do is click on either this link to the Amazon site for a review of my album or this link to the iTunes page for my album --the album in both cases being i am me/am i not? -- and write a cool, positive review, and then let me know about it via email or in the forum!

It's that simple!

We also have super-coolio commemorative Club Swag available for you Don't Suck'ers! Yup, that's right! You get your own t-shirts and caps to wear with pride!

At Auryaun.com the coolest thing is to Not Suck. And to get me an elephant.

First off, let me say that my plans to post each and every day have thus far fallen by the wayside. But Im really okay with that. Im not the kind of blogger that has something to say each and every day, unless I make up some kind of drivel just for the sake of posting.

And thats not a quality post.

Out With The Old, In With The New
So what does one do to get the year started right? One makes Resolutions, right? Yeah? You know, those little promises we all like to break by the end of January?

Right. Those things.

Nah. Throw out the Resolutions. No, waitResolve to never make another Resolution again. Instead, do a little process with yourself, or your family unit, each year. We typically do this on New Years Day. I started ours on NYD but we are completing ours this weekend, for two reasons: first, because I went to this incredible seminar last weekend and learned so much about myself and how I want to proceed I wanted to make sure and include all of that into our process, and, second, because this weekend is a long oneit will give us the time to incorporate everything.

My situation is not the norm. I broke an arrow with my throat, people! Cmon! Ill include a pic of said arrow at the bottom of this post.

But I digress.

Make A List (What, Again?!?)
So, um. Yeah. Yes. Depending on how well you did on your list from the last time and whether you feel you can still use it, just yank that puppy out and use it again. You can add to it or start fresh.

Youll get really good at this, I promise. Its simple brainstorming. Think of it as automatic writing to get in touch with your Higher Self.

Find Your Purpose
The reason you are doing this exercise again is to find your purpose. What are you trying to do?

When I do this exercise each year with my family, I do it in the context of my family, but you can do it in any context that makes sense to you: your business, your career, your body/health/weight loss, etc. Its whatever you want to be focusing your attention on for the next period of time.

Make A Goal
With that in mind, set a specific goal for yourself with a specific deadline. It needs to be really specific and actionable. By actionable, I mean one that you can act upon. I know that sounds obvious, but youd be surprised as you do the exercise how your mind will want to trick you into creating a goal that is vague, not specific and not actionable.

Heres an example: Betty loves to bake. She does the list exercise and finds her purpose is to really go full hog and be a professional baker. Shes excited. She sits down to make her goal and comes up with Become a better cook, or Learn to decorate cakes.

You can see the first one is totally off the mark. The second one is better but its not totally actionable, is it?
I hear you saying, Whats wrong with that one? Okay, she could actually use that one and move forward. I was just trying to see if you were paying attention.

Make A Plan
Now that you and Betty have your goal in hand you are all set to make a plan as to how you are going to achieve that plan. In Bettys case, she might want to sign up for a class of some kind or even take an entire series of courses to learn professional cake decorating.

An important part of this step is to define the whenyou want to be clear as to when it will be completed. Some people have this as the goal step. I like to have it as a separate step. Just a matter of preference. Goals and Plans, for me, are interdependent to each other. This kind of fluidity of thought has been very helpful to me over the years. Your plans can change and you can still reach your goal, you see?

Define The Steps
Then its time for the best part: breaking it all down. Once youve given it this much thought, youve probably already understood a lot of what it will take to get to this part, but you might find you have some gaps. Maybe you know how to begin and how to end, but need to fill-in some of the middle steps. Thats okay. You can do some research, make some calls. Dont expect that this can be completely finished in just a single sitting, although thats great if you can!

You can also make an educated guess as to what you think the steps are and adjust as more information becomes available to you going forward. Thats the beautiful thing about making these kinds of plans! Its just a guide to get you where you want to go. Its your tool.

Create A Project
Much of the time there will be a subset of steps that will form an entire project on their own, such as going to school or creating a new venture, as part of your goal. Treat this as a new goal under your initial one in the same manner above.

Set Touch Points (You Know, That Review Thing)
Youll want to have a regular routine to go over where you are on your progress. How frequently you do this will depend on how you set up your goal. Maybe it should be daily, or weekly. In the case of my family it has traditionally been yearly, but with all of the changes Im incorporating Ill be switching to a daily/weeklysystem.

Ready, Set, GO!
And all you need to do now is put your foot on the gas.

Have you done this kind of process? How frequently do you do it? Do you do it for yourself or with your family? Do you use it in your business? Do you find it useful?

Let me know in the comments below.

Click here to check out the original post. The arrow pic is at the bottom.

Cut a scratch demo over the weekend to hand to a friend and put a previous version of this track on it before I realized that I was not at all happy with how I'd left it last summer when I had to set it aside--wait, was it last summer, or the summer before? Egads. It was 2009!This is still a rough mix. The vocals are scratch vocals, mere placeholders. With the new synth parts I think I need to rewrite the melody to the chorus completely. For those of you faithfuls who were with me during the making of i am me/am i not? this process will be familiar to you--no, I have no shame nor embarrassment in sharing this crap at this point.Nor should I.It keeps me committed to the project. Keeps it moving forward. If I put it out there and half of it is great but say, the bridge totally sucks, then I know I owe it to you guys to fix it.Because I've already put it out there.It's different if it sits on my hard drive. I never have to finish it. It's the ideas that I think are pretty strong but still need some work that I'll put out there.So the formula is something like: < 60% cool (or better) - >40% sucks ass = ready to shareWithout further ado, here it is.[audio http://auryaun.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/picture-postcards-corrected-key-mp3.mp3 ]Picture PostcardsWhy do I keep coming back to the same placeOf being lost and aloneLike a child with no homeI pick through rubble, bits of string, bits sandLocked out and alone, I'm naked coldSearching alleys for lamplightBlistered, beaten, broken, confusedThe dawn breaks gray and forbiddingYou don't get to sweep in at the end like some cavalry hero {riding mounted and glorious}You don't get to sweep in at the end like some cavalry hero {why do you breathe when I cry?}You don't get to sweep in at the end like some cavalry hero {riding mounted and glorious}You don't get to sweep in at the end like some cavalry hero {waving your cutlass}And now my days shift so endlesslyBlack upon whiteThe silence deafening but my heart beats like a knifeYou've moved on again it's easy for youYour picture postcards, you collect them allYou scarcely look back, a fond glance once in a whileYou don't get to sweep in at the end like some cavalry hero {riding mounted and glorious}You don't get to sweep in at the end like some cavalry hero {why do you breathe when I cry?}You don't get to sweep in at the end like some cavalry hero {riding mounted and glorious}You don't get to sweep in at the end like some cavalry hero {waving your cutlass}Your picture postcards in your zoetrope2009 Auryaun Music. All rights reserved.

Happy New Year!

From Auryaun:

So much has happened since the year began! First, I want to thank the winners of the "i am me/am i not?" promo! I loved reading about your stories and I feel enriched by your sharing. I know I have the best fans in the world!

Here's to having a spectacular 2011 where nothing holds us back from pursuing the best of what we want!

Love,
Auryaun
(aka Noelle Hughes)

Video update

The "Deeper Understanding" video is coming along nicely! We are at the point where we could use some help in the following areas:

• Various extras for filming (see below)
• Camera people

The extras we'd like to track down are:

• An elephant
• A belly dancer
• A Maharani

Yup, that's right!

Cool stuff for you if you can find these items.

Bragging rights. Yeah? Who else could say they got an ELEPHANT for a video?!?

We got hoodies. Awesome, faboo, super-thick, high-quality and soft, with the cover art for "i am me/am i not?" distinctive and cool.

We got t-shirts. Your choice of "i am me/am i not?" artwork or "broken heart" art. High-quality cotton-poly blend fabric.

We got travel mugs with the "i am me/am i not?" artwork. Auryaun says, "Been using mine for nearly two years now and I get compliments on it wherever I go. Super coolio."

We got a super-cool CD. Have you heard it yet? Yeah. We bet you haven't. It's really, really, really good.

Auryaun says, "I suck at self-promotion. You suck for not having bought the awesome CD yet."

How to Not Suck

Auryaun here.

Hey what's up with the telling me how much you like my voice or my music but then not writing a review in iTunes or Amazon ?

I know who you are. Talk is cheap. Don't suck.

You Will Want to Know Me

But hey, guess what? I'm gonna be a bazillionaire and you're gonna want to be my best friend. You wanna know why?

No, not because of the video.

No, not because of the album. Although these are incredibly cool and the main reason for my writing this to you.

It's because I got the most amazing fricken idea this weekend. I'm gonna blow your mind all over your kitchen. Nobody else is doing what I'm gonna do.

Not.
One.
Single.
Person.

And then everybody is gonna know about my music and you will be the coolest person you know because you can say you knew me back when.

Your Chance is Now

You not only get to be an early adopter, you get to be somebody who participated in the making of the coolest fricken video ever made.

So who do you know that can get me an elephant?

Preferably to be filmed walking through the Arizona desert with the mesas in the background with a Maharani on its back, but I'll settle for a green screen.

Gotta have the Maharani on its back, though.

Email me .

On Amazon: The CD That Started it All
Auryaun's CD, i am me/am i not? available through Amazon .

As always, we look forward to hearing from you !It's true.

Please comment below if you know an elephant, or know someone who either has an elephant or knows someone who knows or has an elephant, or wants to participate in the video in some other way.

We do also need other extras for the video. Don't forget the belly dancer!

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