As is my routine at this time of year, I’m reflecting on everything that has transpired business-wise over the past three quarters. This ranges from reviewing our achievements versus goals, the technology that we use, the effectiveness of our processes and so on. This time just as I was starting this process, Chris Brogan wrote an interesting post about the amount of literature, digital or otherwise, that we consume. He questioned whether we are getting everything we could from this knowledge because the ever increasing volumes could be diluting our learning. With that in mind, he challenged his audience to read just three books from November 2012 until the end of October 2013.
Is It Time to Declutter Our Technology Habits?
October 31, 2012 by 11 Comments
The Interest List Imbroglio
October 30, 2012 by 16 Comments
Over the last week or two, those in the social business sphere have been inundated with a rash of messages, posted on personal profiles and business pages alike, deeming interest lists as the savior to decreased Edgerank and overall interaction. Alas, these posts took the spirit and real value of interest lists and diminished real value with incorrect information which might actually diminish levels of connection, interaction and eventual engagement.
Increase Productivity with IQTell
October 29, 2012 by 6 Comments
How many of us social space professionals are constantly searching for a way to increase our productivity in this fast paced world we live in. There never seems to be enough time to completely get everything done without getting up early and staying up late. Well I can say that I have found a tool (app) that has greatly increased my productivity, and made my life much more organized. Let me say that I have used numerous different time management tools in the past, but this one really seems to go beyond the time management, virtual assistant role. Let me introduce….
Integrate Your Marketing to Maximize Your Dollar
October 28, 2012 by 6 Comments
Simply put, traditional marketing isn’t enough today. I’ve had businesses in the past call me to help put out a direct mail piece. “All I want is to say I’ll help fix their snowblower for winter”…. So I ask some more detailed questions, “Who is it going to?” “What message do you want to send?” “Where will it take them?” “What is the call to action?”. Sometimes the response was, “Huh, I didn’t think of that.” Most of the time they didn’t care about those questions and wanted to send it to EVERYone. That’s like pointing a shotgun in the opposite direction of your target and hoping some of the shot meet the target. Not happening.
A New Entrepreneur Needs Your Advice
October 27, 2012 by 18 Comments
How many hesitate starting a business for fear of losing everything? Statistics indicate the odds are not in favor of new startups, with the failure rate as high as 70%. So, why bother at all? To answer this question, let us look at a real life example – a close friend of mine who recently decided to launch his own venture.
Meet Kevin the engineer.
Build a Social Media Community without a Credit Card
October 27, 2012 by 7 Comments
So as many of you know the creation of SteamFeed.com was based on the intrusion of what have become known as “fauxperts” into the social space. A lot of information has been shared by the SteamFeed authors about what NOT to do when building a social media community. I thought it might be a good idea to take some time and discuss some things you CAN do to build that community. Keep in mind that there are some common fundamental goals and outcomes that you are trying to achieve. However, how you get the results can vary greatly. Of course the use of a credit card in purchasing followers, friends, seeds etc is not something you want to pursue. Lets look at some alternatives.
Why (and How) to Join Tweetchats
October 26, 2012 by 11 Comments
Tweetchats are special gatherings that happen on Twitter.
They’re driven by a hashtag that charactertizes the conversation topic, but more importantly, there’s a community around the hashtag that keeps it very much alive.
Tweetchats are extremely informative, keep you up to date on current trends, supportive and social. I can’t say enough good things about them. A frequently used metaphor to explain Twitter is how it is like a digital cocktail party, but tweetchats truly bring meaning to this description. People even enjoy pretending they’re passing around drinks or munchies (or disclose what they’ve actually brought to the laptop) as they greet each other. Chats are one hour long events that happen at pre-determined times once a week, but the conversation can carry on by using the same hashtag.
The Importance of Social Media Content Calendars
October 25, 2012 by 12 Comments
Social media can be quite an overwhelming to-do list of items. One can easily be buried, never to be seen again.
Whether you work in business to business or business to consumer or even consumer to consumer, social media is a daunting task of content, engagement and creating an experience that facilitates the customer journey. Where engagement can be rather simple in starting, continuing or taking a conversation to the next level, content is difficult. There are always many options for content, whether this be video, podcasts, written blogs, or photos.
Social Media’s Spin on PR
October 24, 2012 by 4 Comments
I am not old enough to remember when PR first came about, however it seems to me those that do still think PR is about control.
News Flash: Publications no longer own the flow of media. Breaking news is no longer delivered via newspapers that arrive on your doorstep a day after the event. News breaks on Twitter; news is shared and discussed on Facebook, not the water cooler.
Are Successful Entrepreneurs Just Lucky?
October 23, 2012 by 34 Comments
My vision for this post is, via your comments, we will inspire one another to reach a little higher for our goals, dig a little deeper for strength, and reflect internally a little more deliberately for clarity of purpose and mission. You’ve Determined You ARE an Entrepreneur. Now What?
I’m no expert on entrepreneurship. Really, I’m just a dude with a dollar-er-fifty cents-and a dream.
Let’s Get Social
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