Through a Twilert I had running I found Jenna Frye (@jenna_frye). I managed to make it to her blog where I read this:

"Due to recent self-reflection, I realize I'm learning a lesson: my job should not be how I measure my worth. I have so many skills and traits so I need to seek a job that compliments who I already am, not vice versa."

Who are you without your job @ jenna-frye.com

I think we'd all be better of if we all learned the lesson now that our job does not define us. I said that for years without actually meaning it. When I dug deep and took it for truth and started living it life got dramatically better. I still work. I still pay bills. And work and life are both still hard at times, but what defines me - what makes me - is outside any 8-5 work.

I still love doing what I do. Wearing, with pride, all my well-worn and varied hats. Getting comfortable in the new ones that I'm just breaking in. Looking forward to putting on that new hat for a while too. I don't just do one thing. I do many. I'm better at some than others. I enjoy some more than others. But I'm not defined by what I do to make money. I'm defined by what I choose to be defined by. I make money so that I can do those things.

By the way, if you're looking for someone to do PR, think about Jenna. She might be a good fit.

A few years ago it was really common for sites to open a new window (and later a new tab) for any page that was on a different web site. As a developer and designer I never really liked the idea but I did it too. Some clients specifically mandated it for legal reasons, but that's another topic.

As a site owner it’s normal to want to keep people on your site, just like a retail store wanting to keep shoppers in their store. That’s all well and good. But what you need to do is serve your customer—and serve them well. That may mean that you recommend they read an article on another site or—heaven forbid—actually buy something from another site.

I remember an experience I had at Advance Auto Parts. It was a Saturday morning and I needed a part to fix my car. They didn’t have it in stock but could have it in the store Monday. Well, that wasn’t going to work. I needed to fix the car. So instead of just throwing up his hands and saying, “Sorry, you’ll just have to wait,” he picked up the phone. He dialed a familiar number and said, “Hey Frank, this is John at Advance. I’ve got a guy here who needs an valve cover gasket. We’re out. Do you have one?” He then proceeded to give the details. Short pause. “Great. Thanks, I’ll send him over to you.” I got back in my car and drove literally across the street to their competitor O’Reilly Auto Parts. I went in the store and the part was waiting for me. I paid and went home and fixed the car. So now, whenever I need a part for my car I go to Advance Auto Parts first. Not O’Reilly. Why? Because Advance helped me out. O’Reilly just sold me the part. 

This was inspired in part by this article at Understanding Your Customers. Here’s a quote:

“Don’t be afraid to link off your site, as long as it’s relevant and rewarding. If you’re truly offering a great product, people will appreciate your link generosity and come back to your page even more excited to try out your product.” (empahsis added)

They use MailChimp (one of my favorite products) to prove their point. Enjoy!