A Thorough Checklist for Blogsite & Social Media Promotion

Social media marketing expert Chris Brogan posted a thorough to-do list for anyone who’s serious about promoting their business with their blogsite and on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.. Among the many useful suggestions include checking your site with diagnosis and search tools like WebsiteGrader.com or Summize - and simply posting on other blogs (a tried-and-true traffic building tactic).

Brogan also suggests old-fashioned good manners; avoiding blatant self-aggrandizement and promoting others as you promote yourself among the best ways to build goodwill (much like I’m doing here!).

A terrific article!
100 Personal Branding Tactics Using Social Media

 

 

 

Buzzword Watch: Bacn

Buzzword alert: bacn - yep, that’s “bacon” minus the O. It differs from its less-desirable cousin spam, in that bacn, while also a variety of delicious pork product, is defined as email that you solicited, but still may consider a distraction. Examples include automated messages from sites such as Facebook or CNN breaking news alerts. So, bacn could be categorized as living in the middle ground between your normal email and spam.

NPR: Move Over, Spam: ‘Bacn’ Is the E-Mail Dish du Jour

So now you know.

TweetBeep: A “Google Alert” Tool for Serious Twitterholics

A new gadget for the Twitterholic in your life (me). With TweetBeep, you can create email alerts when domains and phrases of your choosing are “tweeted”. Slick features include user filtering and can report on domains even if they are in a shortened URL, such as TinyURL or Snurl.

Thanks to Mari Smith for the tip!

Follow me on Twitter.

Sun Microsystems Study Shows (Again!) Virtual Offices An Energy-Saving Solution

Here’s a quick post to a new Sun Microsystems press release discussing another recent study demonstrating the enormous environmental and cost benefit to adopting telework programs and virtual workgroups.

Quick adoption by the business community of alternative work enviroments such as virtual offices can have a dramatic and immediate impact on the environment and energy costs. Partnering with an experienced virtual assistant can be a timesaver to any business learning to use the variety of tools to manage projects and teams on the web.

Review the Sun Microsystems press release here.

YouSendIt Launches Outlook Plug-In for Large Attachments

Most know that email accounts have some limit on the size of files you can attach to messages - typically it’s less than 10MB…which is not a lot in the world of YouTube and Podcasts. Many (like me) are fans of file transfer services like YouSendIt - which provides “drop box” service for any large file, bypassing the limits of email attachments (and sparing the recipient a clogged mailbox!).

The folks at YouSendIt just launched an Outlook plugin that sets all outbound messages with attachments above a certain size (that you choose) to be routed via the YouSendIt service. This saves time and allows the user to email with abandon without concern about file sizes… a great idea!

Thanks to TechCrunch for the tip.

Get The Most Out of E-Mail with IMAP

One of the best kept secrets to efficient email management lies in the protocol (how’s that for a $10 word!) that the email system uses. Aside from free email accounts, if you have domain email (you@yourdomain.com) - you’re more than likely using the emailboxes included with your web hosting service.

What most don’t realize is that web hosting email is based on POP (Post Office Protocol). POP is great - but it does have one very important limitation… your messages are never fully synchronized across all the places where you read mail… your desktop computer, your laptop.. your mobile phone.

That’s where IMAP saves the day! With IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol), your message folders are synchronized and identical across all devices. So, a message you send with your mobile phone is accessible on your desktop, etc.. In this age of mobile messaging, that’s a real advantage.

So, if your hosting service only offers POP mail, how can you get IMAP?

There’s a growing number of email-only service providers that do nothing but email. Besides being better able to offer much larger mailboxes and better support, a separate email provider will offer IMAP. Some of the best providers are nominal in cost (and in the case of Google Apps - free):

Mailtrust (Varable rates - outstanding support and reliability
Fastmail ($39.95/year)
Google Apps (Free or $50/yr; free service offers up to 100 6.7GB mailboxes!)

To switch your email while keeping your web hosting, you need to make a “MX” update to your domain’s DNS (something that ProVirtual Solutions can help you with!).

Here’s a recently posted article on the GMail blog that will help describe the difference between POP and IMAP.

Avoid “Gadget Graveyard” with TechForward

Anyone who makes their living using computers grapples keeping up with new upgrades I’m on my 7th cell phone, for example). Over time, most develop a vast “gadget graveyard” of once wondrous devices that lost their lustre or just became outdated over time.

What to do? Web Worker Daily profiled a new company called TechForward that has an ingenious idea…sell guaranteed buyback values on a new device (computers, MP3 players monitors and televisions). As long as the item is in good condition and all manuals are kept, you can get a darned good buck for your trade in. TechForward will salvage parts and/or dispose of the item in an environmentally responsible way…a nice reassurance that your gizmo doesn’t end up in a landfill.

It’s a great idea - and definitely an option to consider when I upgrade something (which is likely to be soon).

Free & Low-Cost Alternatives to Microsoft Office: A Free Presentation

A few months ago, I did a teleseminar for members of DVVAA about free and low-cost alternatives to Microsoft Office. There are lots of options out there - and more becoming available every day!

This 32-page presentation provides a nice overview of what’s available for both in-office workers and road warriors. You may be surprised to find that you don’t need to spend hundreds for a full-featured office suite! Here’s a quick preview of the presentation:

Or… get a FREE PDF download! It’s much easier to read. Click the button…

Enjoy!