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.

Twitter Tip: How to Reply to Other Users

The Twitter Blog has a great explanation of the “@” reply feature. I had been using it, but it can be confusing, as it’s easy to assume that they go to the target user only. The thing to know is that “@replies” are visible to all, much like replying to one participant in a group conversation (the analogy used by the Twitter folks.

To reply ONLY to one user - you use the “direct” feature by starting your message with “d” - as in “d usernamehere”.

Good to know!

Marketing via Twitter

I’m fast developing a Twitter addiction - I’m just hooked on tweets!

Well - thanks to a tip on Nancy Marmolejo’s terrific Viva Visibility blog, I found a great post listing some handy strategies for using Twitter for marketing. Now Twittering counts as work!

Follow me on Twitter

Digsby Unifies IM And Social Media Messaging

If you struggle with juggling different IM networks and social media and all their applications running on your computer at the same time… do yourself a favor and check out Digsby. Digsby is a single application that delivers all the major IM networks: Google Talk, AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ & Jabber - along with an email notifier AND Twitter, Facebook and MySpace alerts - all in a single interface. Digsby also announced today that it now supports Facebook chat in addition to notifications.

In addition, Digsby offers customizable widgets you can add to your blog or website that allows your visitors to IM you from your website. You can see it in action on this blog —>

Read the C|Net Review of Digsby here.

Late to the party: learning to use Facebook

Late to the party, indeed. I just now am beginning to scratch the surface of Facebook. I spend quite a bit of time on LinkedIn (which I love); but have so far spent no time exploring the capabilities of FB… always assuming it was more of a personal thing. In my ignorance, I never bothered to really see what it can do. And it can do a lot. I am surprised by the number of people that use it excusively (and very effectively) for business and that it’s actually very useful - not merely a social distraction.

Along with my “discovery” of Twitter last week (which is surprisingly addictive), I feel I’m making some social networking progress these days. Next week: Squidoo.

Many thanks to Erin Blaskie - who patiently helped me see the Facebook light.

So - since I’m new, I’m still light on friends… please visit me. ;-)  Anyone else feel behind the curve with Facebook?

Brush with Greatness: Andrea Kalli Reads This Blog!!

I’m so jazzed… Andrea Kalli - Virtual Trainer extraodinaire and Podcasting, SharePoint and Exchange guru was kind enough to post to IVAANet about this blog. I’m honored.

Check out Andrea’s virtual training services on Podcasting, hosted Exchange and SharePoint. She’s unique in the VA world. Her teleclasses are great too - she was kind enough to do a teleclass for our DVVAA membership about blogging. It was a big hit!

Thanks again, Andrea.

Web Worker Daily » Archive Continuous Innovation in the Online Office «

A terrific article at WWD about innovation with online apps exceeding that of their desktop counterparts (posted via bookmarklet).

Link: Web Worker Daily » Archive Continuous Innovation in the Online Office «.

A Few Thoughts on Choosing a Blog Platform

I am sure that I sound like a broken record to my clients about the value of having a blog. I often say the question isn’t whether to have a blog (there’s no reason NOT to have a blog), but how to blog. There are a multitude of options and choices - all of them good and each provide great search visibility. However, a honest consideration of not only desired results, but also one’s working style, personality and technical savvy - are all things to think about before selecting a blogging service or software.

Before choosing a blogging option, I’d consider the following questions:

#1:  Purpose: Are you looking to build a community with lots of comments and guest authors?  Or are you just seeking a way to voice your opinion and showcase your knowledge? 

#2:  Service Provider vs. Self-Hosted: Do you like the ease and peace of mind of having the blog hosted and managed elsewhere? Or, do you prefer having the customization options and control of self-hosting?

#3:  Cost: Are you looking for a free solution? Or are you fine with paying a subscription fee for a few extra bells & whistles that make blogging more convenient?

#4:  Customization: Are you determined to have a fully customized blog that blends with the rest of your site (and are OK with paying for some development)? Or, are you looking to have a simple setup at minimal time and cost?

I have worked with every major blogging platform - Blogger, Wordpress (hosted & installed) and TypePad - the three big players in personal and small business blogging. They all have their strong points - and all are great choices. Based on my experience, here’s the pros & cons of each:

Blogger

Blogger Pros: 

• The utilitarian’s choice… everything you need, nothing you don’t.
• Free
• Instant setup - I recommend it as a starter blog
• Easy to use

Blogger Cons:

• The navigation bar at the top of the screen can’t be removed
• I have experienced issues working with the feeds generated by Blogger - especially when attempting to display headlines on other sites.
• Limited customization options

Wordpress (hosted & self-hosted versions)

Wordpress.com (Hosted) Pros:

• No installation needed - it’s hosted by Wordpress
• Free
• Great bells & whistles for a free service

Wordpress.org (Self-Hosted) Pros:

• Free
• Flexible - endless possibilities for expansion
• Loads of plugins, themes and access to CSS for ease of customization

Wordpress Cons:

• Self-hosted version requires installation on your webserver - with the attendant need for maintenance time
• Appearance - some themes look great - some are somewhat clumsy looking
• Requires a willingness to sometimes wrestle with it to get desired results
• Free plug-ins offer loads of options. However, many don’t play well with each other and can unexpectedly break your blog for no obvious reason.
• No technical support - only a support forum of other users

Typepad (this blog is on Typepad)

TypePad Pros:

• Easy to set up, great support
• Visually elegant - Themes look great in any browser - easy to read
• Easy to add content and widgets that offer connectivity to other content
• Maintenance-free!
• Easy-easy-easy to use
• Terrific convenience features
• Upgrading to an enterprise-level blogging solution (Movable Type) easy.

Typepad Cons:

• Monthly fee based on selected service level.
• Flexibility comes at a price - access to advanced template and CSS customization options require higher-cost subscription levels.

Basically, any blogging choice boils down to flexibility vs. convenience. My previous blog is on self-hosted WordPress… and even I got tired of wrestling with it to get it to do something I wanted it to do (and I LOVE doing this sort of stuff). I ended up wondering if that was the most effective use of my time… so I switched to the TypePad format. Clean, easy & simple - for me, convenience won out.