5 Best Social Media Tools for Business You’re Not Using

December 10, 2009

Image by chuck-reynolds via Flickr

Tonight at Social Media Club the topic is a deep dive into blogging, a panel discussion lead by Chris Conrey. Prior to the main event, I’m once again hosting Social Media 101.
The Phoenix chapter of SMC has grown significantly in the last six months, and it’s great to see people [...]

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Cultivating impatience in business

December 9, 2009

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I’m not a very patient man. My sense of time has always been a few clicks faster than those around me. This helped me in academics as a kid — but to a point. Impatience breeds boredom. And that leads to a host of issues with less-than-desirable outcomes.
But impatience can be — over [...]

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Strengthen your connections

December 8, 2009

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Don’t underestimate the value of connections. While we (and by we I mean I) sometimes get caught up looking for ROI and hard, measurable facts, some things are more esoteric. Yet just as valuable.
When Google bought YouTube, they thought the asset was the impressions the videos would deliver. What they found [...]

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New FTC guidelines for bloggers are a bigger challenge for marketers

December 7, 2009

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Changes to FTC (Federal Trade Commission) guidelines on endorsements and testimonials were made active on December 1. And seven days later, I’m happy to report that I, a blogger, have not been sued. Neither, chance are, have you.
There was a huge stink about these proposed changes a few months back. Mob mentality won [...]

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Don’t scare off the new people

December 6, 2009

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There are only two types of “visitors” to your website, blog, profile, or account page1: Those who’ve never seen any of your stuff before, and everyone else. Converting the new visitor to a repeat visitor is a key goal for anyone in business. The definition of conversion varies, and we’ll [...]

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A little cleanup to the categories

December 6, 2009

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I spent a LOT of time cleaning up the categories on this blog. Now that I’ve shifted directions a bit, my old structure didn’t make a lot of sense.
I didn’t delete the old stuff1. And none of the old links to content should change at all. But you should notice a [...]

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Clients and consultants both bring skills to the table

December 5, 2009

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As a consultant, I get to work with a wide range of clients. My sweet spot is in transitional periods with an emphasis on making the transition to digital. Last year, I had the pleasure of working with a C-suite executive transitioning from a 30+ years at a single company to [...]

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Passing on the wagons

December 4, 2009

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Perhaps it is my lineage of Oklahoma settlers, but I’m not a big fan of wagons. My mom had a station wagon when I was a wee lad, and I don’t remember liking that, either.
But the wagons I am speaking of are of a different sort. The first is the wagon. [...]

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Being an Expert Is Time-Sensitive

December 3, 2009

Remember when you hung out your very own “expert” shingle? Oh, there’s no doubt that you deserved it. You knew as much — if not more — on the subject than anyone around you. And when the topic of your expertise came up, people immediately thought of you.
You received payment for the work you [...]

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Beware the tyranny of the ways

December 2, 2009

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Right Way
Two dangers here. First is the assumption that your way is a right way. Just because it works for you doesn’t mean it will work for someone else. The second danger is worse: the assumption that your way is The Right Way. In reality, there is no one right way. [...]

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When data is not your friend

November 30, 2009

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Here’s a new question you need to have at the ready: So what? Use it early and often, but use it primarily any time someone throws some stats or analysis at you.
I’m a data junkie. I admit it. I understood just enough in my college statistical mathematics class to prove to me that [...]

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The value of fair-weather fans

November 29, 2009

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When it comes to sports, I’m a classic fair-weather fan. I don’t have a team that I stand by through thick and thin. In fact, my only “team” is the college I attended right out of high school, and then it’s only the football team I care for. And I only [...]

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Surviving in a reputation-based economy

November 28, 2009

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When I walk into a room, I assume I’m the smartest person there. Call it a character flaw if you will, but it’s really a survival trait expressed in the modern world. But my self-described smarts come at a price — I lack the ability to actually do many things. I’ve [...]

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Trying out Google Friend Connect

November 27, 2009

Image by evo_terra via Flickr

Google Friend Connect is by no means new. Heck, it’s not even all that exciting. And for many, it’s just one more failed effort by Google at enabling or facilitating the social web.
Call Google what you will, but I don’t think stupid is a fair description. And GFC seems to embrace [...]

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Avoid monoculture blogging

November 26, 2009

Listen to enough “blogging experts” and you’ll hear a common theme: blog about one thing and one thing only!
I think that’s bad advice.
I’m willing to concede that many bloggers do in fact blog about one thing and one thing only. I’m willing to concede that they probably wouldn’t have as large of an audience as [...]

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One Size Does NOT Fit All

November 25, 2009

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There exists a misalignment of goals between a speaker on stage and an audience member in attendance. And as the size of the audience grows, so does the misalignment. As a speaker, I have to appeal to everyone in the room. If you’ve been to one of my talks, you know [...]

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Flipping for local businesses

November 24, 2009

Two or three beers into an #evfn at Whole Foods in Chandler, Tim Conley points a Flipat me and says “tell me how small businesses can use social media.” The result:

Hunt, Capture & Share by Evo Terra from Tim Conley on Vimeo.
I think I did remarkably well considering my self-induced disability and lack of [...]

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5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks

November 23, 2009

Last weekend, as you know, was PodCamp AZ 2009. My presentation this year was 5 Reasons Your Podcast Technically Sucks. This latest talk is a follow-on to the two prior, 5 Reasons your Podcast Sucks and 5 Reasons You Suck on iTunes. Once again, the subtitle is “… and what you can do about it.”. [...]

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Personality shaping your presentation skills

November 22, 2009

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I spent the better part of my life with little care for how others perceived me. Truth be told, I still feel that way. But I understand that the world makes snap judgments based on initial impressions. I’m the only one responsible for that impression, which gives me the capability [...]

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Raw audio from my presentation at PodCamp AZ

November 21, 2009

Note: This is a repost. The other was all wonky. Couldn’t fix it, so I’m deleting it and trying again. Sorry for the hassle…
Props to Dani Cutler for capturing the audio of my talk, 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks, last weekend at PodCamp AZ 2009.
It’s long, I warn you. And the quality is [...]

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