After my last post in which I ranted about the ten things that people do that showcase their insecurity, I thought a little positivity was in order. While noob practices run rampant, there are a number of spectacularly gracious people out there from whom we could all learn a thing or two. It's not about being "nice". God knows, I have never been accused of that nor is it something to which I aspire. Nope, it's about having respect for yourself and others and having the genuine desire to see others do well. I call it generosity of spirit; you can call it whatever you want. Now quick, before the chorus of angels starts up and the halo floats down...

Amanda's Top 10 Ways to Showcase Your Gracious Self

10. Stay in touch via email and social media, even when you don't need something: A quick greeting or shout out shows that you care enough to keep in touch. Pinging only when you need money, a job, a reference, bail money - not so much.

9. Invite discussion in your social media spaces, especially your blog and Facebook page: Make your social spaces interactive, it's more fun for everyone and makes you the host with the most. I once saw an FB bio from a social media newbie that said "welcome to my page, make yourself at home". I was impressed - he got it intuitively and he proved to be a good host!

10. Respond to your social media responses: It always irks me when people post something and then don't bother to respond to members of their community who have taken the time to comment. That's just rude. Thank people for commenting and if they added something of value, ask questions to engage them further.

9. Pass on job opportunities, media queries, interesting articles: It's the information age and we're inundated with the stuff. Nevertheless, there are a lot of gems that while not useful to you, just might be of use to someone else. Passing on relevant bits to friends, acquaintances, colleagues, clients, and prospects lets them know you're thinking of them.

8. Strive to be better for your clients: A lot of people focus on how to get more out of their clients. I propose that we focus on how to give more. I know a very successful realtor who makes it his mission to stay on top of trends and opportunities in the real estate market, believing that his clients deserve the very best. No wonder that he has a thriving business and a large fan base.

7. Refer clients to your competitors: What craziness is this?? Hear me out. If you're committed to providing your clients with the best, you'll refer business that is not your forte on to colleagues who have a proven reputation in thatarea. It's a win-win-win. The client gets top notch work, your colleague/competitor thinks you're swell, and you get to avoid looking like a no-talent, know-nothing. It's a good thing, as Martha would say.

6. Offer your expertise...for free: I can hear the collective gasp already. There's a lot to be said for offering your advice and maybe a few tricks of your trade free of charge. Whether your sharing with a non-profit group, a student, a prospect, or even a competitor, feel solid enough in your own value that you can afford to share some of what you know without diminishing what you have to offer. Internet and social media celebs have built careers on this premise. You can too.

5. Don't drink your own Kool Aid: There will be times when the world will adamantly agree that you are fab. Inevitably, as soon as fab status sets in, the haters come out to play. Keep a level head and be secure about who you are and the haters and trolls can't touch you or taunt you into actions that are less than gracious. I know one tech celeb who is fawned over and denigrated in equally huge measure but he never wavers from his thoughtful trademark approach.

4. Work well with others: I am the last person to join hands, sit in a circle, and sing kumbayah, but I do have a soft spot for certain collaborative efforts. Joining up with complementary talents for a project allows you to realize the tremendous talent others have and humbles you to your rightful place as a cog in the wheel. Seeing yourself as a small part of the whole can counterbalance those myopic world domination goggles that are so common among solopreneurs.

3. Put away your cape every once in awhile: It may be that the world sees you as superentrepreneur but if that's all they see, they'll start to doubt your authenticity. Let your inner Clark Kent show now and then by disclosing a quirk,uncertainty, or failure - you know, the human stuff. I once referred to it as strategic vulnerability which seemed to go down well with the aggressive, war room types so if that term makes you feel better about revealing your inner pansy, go for it.

2. Eliminate the degree of separation: You don't have to be Kevin Bacon to be a connector. Most of us have a huge network of cool, talented people who would benefit from getting to know each other. One very successful financial advisor in town spends at least an hour every day connecting people in his network. No kidding! He's happy and prosperous so he must be doing something right.

1. Appreciate absolutely everything: Yep, everything. Say thank you for small kindnesses that are shown to you everyday. Appreciate the crap that comes your way, forcing you to be a better person whether you like it or not. Revel in the stunning magnitude of technological advancement that makes the world such an exciting place to be right now. Mostly, be grateful for the simple fact that you were lucky enough to wake up this morning and give it all another go.

We've all got thoughts and impulses that don't always make us proud. It's like our own little garden of good and evil going on in there with much of the evil fueled by insecurity. Where it all starts to go awry is when we act on those impulses (consciously or not), causing pain or embarrassment to others and shaming ourselves. While there are an infinite number of ways that you can unleash your inner neediness upon an unsuspecting world, these are my favourites.

Amanda's Ten Favourite Ways to Let the World Know You Feel Inadequate:

10. Win an award and fist pump madly without thanking the donor or acknowledging the prowess of the other candidates.

9. Lose an award, contest, or job opportunity, and refuse to congratulate the winner and thank the judges for their consideration.

8. Post your latest project or achievement on Facebook/Twitter/Blog/Press Release without acknowledging the people who helped you accomplish your amazing feat.

7. Start most sentences with "I" - so simple yet so effective.

6. Talk incessantly about your latest car, vacation, or house to someone who does not enjoy the same financial freedom (or love affair with credit) that you do.

5. Pontificate to someone about something of which you know nothing, but they know quite a bit - this works particularly well if you speak loudly and you are older/they are younger, you are male/they are female.

4. Be an attention whore (almost as beloved as clowns). Describe your harrowing medical dramas, celebrate the clipping of your toenails with cake and balloons (see? clowns), or post melancholy/dire/sexually suggestive entries on Facebook and watch them come (go) running.

3. Tweet (on the Twitter) incessantly about where you're checking in and with whom you are socializing, oh so gaily. "#tea with the #queen in #yyj" name dropping in 140 characters- Sweet!

2. Whatever you do, don't take responsibility. Make excuses as if your life depended on it (well, your ego does) and make every effort to blame someone else. In a pinch you can blame the weather (It's SAD), the moon (it's full), the booze (it's good), or the world (it hates you).

1. And here at last, my #1 way to unleash your inner wretch for the world to see. Disrespect your friend, spouse, parent, or child publicly. Slice through those delicate bonds of trust like a chef at Benihana's by spilling secrets, mocking, making condescending remarks, and acting lasciviously (toward someone other than your spouse). This is the hallmark of the truly insecure and the one most likely to evoke disdain and revoke intimacy privileges. You like sleeping on the sofa, right?

While we all know one (or a dozen) people who let their insecurity fly as above, chances are good that we've also wallowed in the fetid waters of small character, once or twice. Lest you think I hate everyone and everything they do, let me reassure you. I have met tons of spectacularly gracious, respectful people of all ages, education levels, and socio-economic backgrounds. I'll tell you about them next time. For now, I leave you with a song.

Just in case you haven't heard, we now live in a global village. I always think that sounds a lot more exotic than what my life looks like, but I must admit that with clients and associates across the continent, and projects as far away as South Africa, this does seem to ring true. All this distance can make the collaboration and approval process a little tricky if you're not using some of the web's nifty tools to facilitate sharing. In the spirit of sharing, let me tell you about the following tools (most of which are free or modestly priced) that make working in our global village a whole lot easier...

Dropbox - Ever tried sending huge image, audio, or video files via email? Yes, that's fun in a bucket. Ditch the bucket and try Dropbox. It's a super easy way to sync and share files and even store them online. I use this regularly to receive video files for client projects - indispensable!

Wistia - Another cool app that facilitates the sharing of video files but this one also allows for editing collaboration and even tracks viewer activity. I've used this a couple of times with great results and I know a few videographers that adore it. I trust them and so should you.

Skitch - Screen capture and image sharing made easy. Skitch allows you to capture the screen shot, make notes on it wherever you want, save it, and send it via email to anyone you like (or don't like, as the case may be). It saves a lot of tedious page description and explanation and is also useful for documentation of dynamic stats and search engine rankings. Trust me.

Bounce - We all have an opinion and those of us who create the copy, layout, graphics, or functionality of a website have no problem sharing our views on existing websites. Bounce lets us critique our little hearts out and share our constructive criticism with each other as well as allowing us to easily illustrate do's and don'ts to clients.

Notable - I kind of think of Notable as a mashup of Bounce and Skitch. This is the king of apps for web design teams as it provides for commenting on all aspects of a site, including code. It also is iPhone friendly...cue the angels singing...yeah, I knew that would get you.

Recurse - If you don't spend your life building websites, it can be hard to picture the finished product when your web designer is showing you mockups. Recurse is an elegant application that presents your static page images in such a way that clients can more easily understand the workflow, tiers of navigation, and eventual look and feel of the site. Approvals made easier!

Tom's Planner - I will never forget having to create an elaborate Gantt chart in university. Let's just say that I am Excel challenged and leave it at that. Tom's Planner is my dream come true - the perfect project management tool that creates gorgeous timelines and charts that can be shared, adjusted, and saved in just about every way you can imagine. Tom, you are my hero.

Freshbooks - Are you tired of hearing me wax poetic about Freshbooks? Too bad. They consistently win a spot in my "must have apps" lists. Unlike the others in this post, Freshbooks isn't about sharing graphics, videos. or timelines. Nope, this is all about the $$$. Time tracking by project and task makes billable teamwork a breeze, and when it's time to bill the client, the information is all there and can be prepared for the client's viewing at the touch of a button. Love, love, love Freshbooks.

Those of you who are dedicated readers of my blog (Hi Mom!) may have noticed that for the last four or five months, I've not written a thing. You see, I became busy with clients and new projects and developments in my personal life. (Sh)it happens and boy, did it this summer, but as the dust settles and I find my new groove, it's become apparent to me that in order to share all the exciting concepts, apps, and news related to tech/online marketing/social media and real estate marketing, I need to start blogging again.

There are a lot of cool things happening online right now and it's an exciting time to be in PR/Marketing. I'll do my best to share all of it with you and I'd really like to see any comments or questions you might have. I'm not a fan of one way communication, nor do I see myself as the great pontificator. Engagement, interaction, and connectivity is where it's at. Let's give it a go!

Amanda