Carl Natale

Why I’m not nervous about public speaking

by Carl Natale on April 21, 2010

I’m not a natural public speaker, but I don’t let fear stop me from getting in front of an audience. Being able to do presentations and speak in any room is a needed skill if I’m going to succeed at anything. I sum up my methods in my latest WorkAwesome.com blog, “Stop Being Nervous About […]

I’m sorry for passing along this piece of Steelers trivia. But I could resist passing along this tidbit that only Steeler Nation citizens could appreciate. But the Steelers say Limas  Sweed acknowledges “personal issues”. Like not being able to catch a football without a peach basket? Sorry. Uncalled for. But Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com has […]

What we need to learn from Ning

by Carl Natale on April 19, 2010

Ning offered free community tools to organizations. You could add quickly some membership-based tools such as forums, newsletters and blogs to your website. It was almost a no-brainer for some clubs and small businesses. It was free. Note that I use the past tense to describe Ning. It’s now a fee-based service. Mashable has an […]

What to look for when you buy a bike

by Carl Natale on April 18, 2010

Last week I interviewed John Grenier, owner of Rainbow Bike & Fitness in Auburn, about buying a bike. Today it’s published in  the Maine Sunday Telegram Outdoors section. We had the type of talk that makes me glad I can continue this column. I enjoy talking to people working in the outdoors business. In almost […]

How I could afford to quit my day job

by Carl Natale on April 15, 2010

It’s by getting freelance opportunities at sites like WorkAwesome.com. They just published my first blog entry, “If You Want to Quit Your Job, Get a Plan in Place.” It shouldn’t surprise you that it’s about how I was able to create a plan that allowed me to quit my job and start freelancing. WorkAwesome.com is […]

You manage communities – not own them

by Carl Natale on April 14, 2010

Mashable has a list of “10 Fresh Tips for Community Managers.” It’s a pretty good read worth your time. Overall, it puts you in a frame of mind that might seem counter-intuitive. When people create communities, often their first instinct is to enforce standards. But communities tend to choose their own standards and direction. Basically, […]

It’s with mixed feelings that I read about Santonio Holmes going to the Jets. The man showed questionable behavior off the field. But on the field he was very dependable. I hoped he would avoid becoming a full-time knucklehead. But with reports of him being accused of hitting a woman with a glass in a […]

Rowing: Just for the shell of it

by Carl Natale on April 4, 2010

I wanted to find out about rowing for my last Ask an Outdoorsman column in the Maine Sunday Telegram. It was a very fun interview with Lorna Perry at Echo Rowing in Eliot. She had a lot of passion for the activity and what you get out of it. I always thought of rowing as […]

So now what

by Carl Natale on April 1, 2010

I knew Burley would wake me up early. His bladder didn’t care that I didn’t have to get up and start working anymore. All he knew was that it was time for him to eat and go outside. OK, I needed to get up anyway. Even if it was 6 a.m. It still was sleeping […]

Do competing clients have value for freelancers?

by Carl Natale on March 24, 2010

I was surprised one day when I was talking to a marketing consultant about her clients. I asked if she pursued a niche – a certain industry. She said no because she only has a client in each industry. She won’t take competitors on as clients. This puzzles me a bit. I would think being […]