Two-Fer

I am going to share with you two useful tools that you can use throughout your life... or at least for the next six months to five years.

The first is something my friends and I developed. The second is something Google developed. One may argue that though google has a sophisticated and universal tool, my tool is way more useful.

My Tool #1: Personalized Buyer Guide

This blog rarely goes too personal, but I liked this concept enough to share it with you.

When you make a big purchase it usually comes with an owners manual or a buyers guide. Something that helps you get the most out of your investment. People should be no different. During a road trip, while forced to spend unacceptable amounts of time together, some friends and I developed a concept: a "Dating Buyers Guide".

I urge you to discover the things about yourself, and go ahead and share them with people. Create a personalized manual on how to manage being with you successfully. Who wouldn't find something like this useful? There a couple people right now who I would love to know how to deal with.

Here is the start of mine, basically some pointers on how to deal with me.

1. Be bold.

2. Must be able to draw out and facilitate my tender side.

3. Be a tad dependent upon me.

4. Don't be afraid to put me in my place (when necessary).

5. One of the most effective way to show your love for me is through gifts.

If you know me, feel free to add to my list - insight is always helpful.

Googles Tool #2: Google Reader

My love for google reader is far reaching. Google Reader is only going to work if you have gmail. So, for those with out gmail, stop reading and feel sorry for yourself.

When I was a kid my grandma subscribed to Readers Digest. I would read it. I mean, what a great concept; someone else would scour all these print publications and pick the best articles and then you got to read the best of the best. Now imagine that, only personalized and modernized, and the people are reading through the internet for you, and they are your friends who know you best. Sounds great right? It is.

Let me break it down: You find stuff online and you share it with your friends on google reader. They read stuff online and share it with you on Google Reader. You also can get news feeds specific to your interests posted regularly with out having to check various media web sites. Another bonus, you can add blogs to your reader and every time there is a new post, it shows up in your reader.

So, I log on each day to find various blog posts, new stories, interesting articles, and silly sports stats shared with me by my fellow google reader friends, all in one spot.

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There you are, two shiny new virtual gifts that will make your life better if you choose to use them. Enjoy!