Selected by literarynobody

• Most Topular Stories

• NBA Star Uses Twitter — And a Platypus — to Prank Sports Media

  Mashable!

  Sam Laird

  16 May 2012 | 1:28 pm

  Around the sports media scene, Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee has a certain reputation: Quirky, unique, a bit out there, something of a laughingstock at times. Reporters and fans love to chuckle at his on-court goofiness. Examples abound, but here’s the best one: a legendary GIF of McGee throwing up a wild shot and then earnestly running back on defense — except his team still has the ball. This week, however, McGee decided to turn the tables on those who love to poke fun at a young millionaire basketball player just trying to do his best. On Monday afternoon, he posted this…

• 5 Effective Tricks to Create a Killer Call to Action

  @ProBlogger

  Guest Blogger

  16 May 2012 | 7:04 am

  This guest post is by Greg Digneo of Sales Leads in Thirty Days. Here’s the dirty little secret: there are actually two steps to building an extremely popular blog. The first and most popular step is to drive traffic by guest posting, social media, and SEO. The far less sexy step is to convert that traffic into loyal readers who will become the backbone of your community.  Who will share every piece of content you produce with their friends.  And who will ensure that every post sparks an engaging discussion. But most of all, they will be the first to buy your products and services. The…

• Startup Swingers: Swapping Founders to Generate Fresh Ideas

  ReadWriteWeb

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Remember "swinging"? Two people in a committed relationship go to a party with a bunch of other people in committed relationships. They all separate, find new partners for the evening and get jiggy. It may sound lurid and gross, but it’s the cool new thing for startup founders. Swapping Ideas, Not Spouses First, let’s be clear. We’re not talking about sex. We’re talking about Founder Swap, a June 1 event in New York where teams from six different startups will get together, trade partners for a day and go home with an injection of fresh ideas. The tagline? “Like Wife Swap but for…

• Zocial Button Set: 72 CSS3 Buttons

  Smashing Magazine Feed

  Sam Collins

  15 May 2012 | 5:39 am

     The idea behind this project was to produce a consistent set of buttons that could be used for the range of social actions frequently taken in Web applications. These actions are often important goals for users, such as connecting third-party accounts or sharing content to third-party platforms, so their appearance has to be attractive and clear. The standard buttons provided by third parties (such as Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud) vary in size, style and interactivity. A consistent button set could reduce a lot of that visual noise and inconsistency. Furthermore, having it in…

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 16, 2012

  Freelance Writing Jobs | A Freelance Writing Community and Freelance Writing Jobs Resource

  Noemi Twigg

  16 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  It’s already the middle of the week – it seems I have lost track of time! I hope that you are all doing well and writing lots. Here are your freelance writing jobs for today. Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Legal Content Writer (CA/Telecommute) Content Writer – Car Import Store Article Writers (Remote) Freelance Writers for Content Marketing Company (Telecommute) Blogging Jobs Business Blogger (Telecommute) Blogger About Sweden Beauty and Cosmetics Blogger (Telecommute) SEM Blogger Copywriting Jobs Freelance Marketing Writer (Boise/Telecommute) Freelance Senior…

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  Mashable!

• NBA Star Uses Twitter — And a Platypus — to Prank Sports Media

  Sam Laird

  16 May 2012 | 1:28 pm

  Around the sports media scene, Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee has a certain reputation: Quirky, unique, a bit out there, something of a laughingstock at times. Reporters and fans love to chuckle at his on-court goofiness. Examples abound, but here’s the best one: a legendary GIF of McGee throwing up a wild shot and then earnestly running back on defense — except his team still has the ball. This week, however, McGee decided to turn the tables on those who love to poke fun at a young millionaire basketball player just trying to do his best. On Monday afternoon, he posted this…

• Register Now to Join Mashable and Partners in Brazil for Rio+Social

  Zoe Fox

  16 May 2012 | 1:04 pm

  Registration is now open for Rio+Social, the historic meeting of social media, technology, global development and sustainability leaders during the UN’s Rio+20 conference. Policy makers, journalists, technologists and environmentalists are now invited to register and apply for accreditation to the free conference. Ten exciting new speakers were added to the Rio+Social lineup Wednesday, including entrepreneurs, UN leaders and philanthropists. Former president of Ireland Mary Robinson and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation chief communications officer Kate James are among the…

• Thirst App Will Change The Way You View Twitter

  Emily Price

  16 May 2012 | 12:53 pm

  A new iPad application called Thirst might reinvent how you look at your Twitter stream. Using its own natural language processor, Thirst filters, organizes, and presents your Twitter stream in an engaging way, helping you find the tweets you want to read quickly and in context. “I wanted to make an app that no matter how often you check Twitter, these are the things you need to see, ” Thirst Co-Founder and CEO Anuj Verma told Mashable. The app is designed so it can be useful for people who check Twitter constantly throughout the day, as well as those who might only check Twitter a few…

• The Facebook IPO Timeline

  Stephanie Buck

  16 May 2012 | 12:32 pm

  If the Facebook IPO were a real person, we certainly wouldn’t blame it for posting braggy status updates. This infographic, created by our friends at mbaonline.com, imagines the road leading up to the decade’s most-anticipated initial public offering, as if it were documented on its own Facebook Timeline. As a Facebook user, give yourself a pat on the back for helping the company make it this far. You are one of 900 million, and you spend an average of 20 minutes per day surfing the network. That means Facebook’s usership logs 16,000 years of combined time on the platform…

• Facebook Fans Get to Pick Bonus Levels in ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD’

  Chelsea Stark

  16 May 2012 | 12:06 pm

  Activision is polling fans via Facebook on which levels will be included as additional downloadable content on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD is a rebuilt version of the classic games. It features seven levels from the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, released in 1999, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, which came out in 2000. Players will be able to skate all over classic levels such as “Warehouse” and “Mall” that have been rebuilt using the old maps. Starting Wednesday afternoon, fans will be asked to pick which of their favorite Tony…

• 

  @ProBlogger

• 5 Effective Tricks to Create a Killer Call to Action

  Guest Blogger

  16 May 2012 | 7:04 am

  This guest post is by Greg Digneo of Sales Leads in Thirty Days. Here’s the dirty little secret: there are actually two steps to building an extremely popular blog. The first and most popular step is to drive traffic by guest posting, social media, and SEO. The far less sexy step is to convert that traffic into loyal readers who will become the backbone of your community.  Who will share every piece of content you produce with their friends.  And who will ensure that every post sparks an engaging discussion. But most of all, they will be the first to buy your products and services. The…

• Get Obsessed with Your Message

  Guest Blogger

  15 May 2012 | 1:01 pm

  This guest post is by Danielle LaPorte of DanielleLaPorte.com. Blog = up? Posts = rolling? It’s time to get obsessed with your message. A quick dictionary moment, to differentiate between your voice, your topics and your message. Your voice is what makes your writing distinctive, compelling, unmistakably you. You’ll carry your voice from your blog, right into your book. Seamless, identifiable. Individual. Your topics are the categories or subjects you write about (Eco-luxe weddings on a shoestring budget! Savvy corporate management, with heart and soul! Thrifty vegan recipes!) Your…

• On the Elusive “Next Level” of Blogging

  Darren Rowse

  15 May 2012 | 7:04 am

  We’ve all heard of it—the elusive “next level” that so many bloggers talk about online. But what is the next level? How many levels are there? Is there an end point in leveling up? These are all worthwhile questions—especially for more experienced bloggers who have spent a lot of time and energy in reaching the level they’re already at. For these bloggers, trying to reach the next level can involve a degree of risk, so the steps that get us toward the next level might be taken slowly and with care. On the other hand, the web isn’t exactly undersupplied with…

• Grab Your BWE Virtual Ticket for $100 Off—24 Hours Left

  Darren Rowse

  14 May 2012 | 5:09 pm

  Wish you could get to Blog World Expo this year, but can’t make it to New York? Me too. I’ll be in Queensland with the winners of my blogging competition, but I know there are plenty of bloggers from other countries, as well as within the States, who won’t be able to attend Blog World this year. Fortunately, you and I don’t need to miss out on the information and fun of the Expo (and if the speaker list for this year is anything to go by, the conference is going to be really impressive). We “remote” bloggers can still “attend” on a BWE virtual…

• Install Your First WordPress Theme

  Guest Blogger

  14 May 2012 | 7:09 am

  This guest post is by Karol K of ThemeFuse. Seeing a headline like “How to Install a WordPress Theme” on ProBlogger might seem strange at first. This doesn’t sound like a “pro”-thing at all, right? If you’ve been dealing with WordPress for a while then this is probably even more than obvious to you. However, everyone starts somewhere, and there are plenty of experienced bloggers who haven’t ever installed a WordPress theme—but would like to give it a try. Maybe you’re installing your first theme right now, and you’re searching for a…

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  ReadWriteWeb

• Startup Swingers: Swapping Founders to Generate Fresh Ideas

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Remember "swinging"? Two people in a committed relationship go to a party with a bunch of other people in committed relationships. They all separate, find new partners for the evening and get jiggy. It may sound lurid and gross, but it’s the cool new thing for startup founders. Swapping Ideas, Not Spouses First, let’s be clear. We’re not talking about sex. We’re talking about Founder Swap, a June 1 event in New York where teams from six different startups will get together, trade partners for a day and go home with an injection of fresh ideas. The tagline? “Like Wife Swap but for…

• Google Goes Back to What It Does Well: Finding Things

  16 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Surprise! Google has completely transformed the way search works again. But this time, it's a kind of search that would have made the old Google proud. Today, starting with U.S., English-language users, Google unveils the Knowledge Graph. Search now looks at the words of your query and identifies the things in it. You're not just searching the Web anymore. You're searching the world. From Words to Things Most of Google users' queries are ambiguous. In the old Google, when you searched for "kings," Google didn't know whether you meant actual monarchs, the hockey team,…

• Read/Write Daily: Bionic Eyes That Can See Clearly

  16 May 2012 | 9:45 am

  Today's theme is improving on life. Nature did a pretty good job of engineering some hardy life forms. But now we're able to tinker with life ourselves. We're further along than you might think. Researchers have lifted the lid on turtle evolution, a perfect demonstration that technology is natural. But now we have our own genetic ideas. We're able to triple the physical endurance of mice in the lab. This paper shows that high-resolution prosthetic human eyes are possible! Here are slightly and greatly more accessible articles about these bionic eyes. We've also developed low-cost artificial…

• Why the iPad Works for Writing

  16 May 2012 | 8:02 am

  When the first iPad launched in 2010, critics were quick to lampoon the device for being geared too heavily toward content consumption. The criticisms weren't entirely without merit, especially considering that the first-generation iPad didn't even have a camera, and external media slots are still nowhere to be found.  Over time, the iPad has evolved into something that's much more creation-friendly. It still doesn't compare to a desktop or laptop computer for many things, but it's great for quite a few others. Writing is one of them.  I happen to write things for a living, but the…

• The Truth About Why Yahoo's CEO Got Fired

  16 May 2012 | 7:02 am

  What's the takeaway from Yahoo's recent CEO fiasco? Don't lie on your corporate bio, for one, and make sure no one else has lied on your behalf. But the real lesson has nothing to do with falsified credentials. Sure, the world will remember Scott Thompson as the Yahoo CEO who got fired over a fake computer science degree, but the context is crucial: A battle with Yahoo shareholder Dan Loeb for control of the company. If not for Loeb, we may never have found out about Thompson's juiced resume, and he might still be CEO. The real lesson is: Beware the activist investor. Four months…

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  Smashing Magazine Feed

• Zocial Button Set: 72 CSS3 Buttons

  Sam Collins

  15 May 2012 | 5:39 am

     The idea behind this project was to produce a consistent set of buttons that could be used for the range of social actions frequently taken in Web applications. These actions are often important goals for users, such as connecting third-party accounts or sharing content to third-party platforms, so their appearance has to be attractive and clear. The standard buttons provided by third parties (such as Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud) vary in size, style and interactivity. A consistent button set could reduce a lot of that visual noise and inconsistency. Furthermore, having it in…

• Smashing Daily #1: Mobile Device Lab, Browsers and Animated GIFs

  Smashing Editorial

  15 May 2012 | 2:24 am

     Editor’s Note: This post is the first in the new Smashing Daily series on Smashing Magazine, where we highlight items to help you stay on the top of what’s going on in the industry. Vasilis van Gemert will carefully pick the most interesting discussions, tools, techniques and articles that were published recently and present them in a nice compact overview. Vasilis goes through dozens of RSS feeds and hundreds of tweets so that you don’t have to. Do you find the new series interesting? What would you like to have? And what wouldn’t you like to see? Let us…

• The Font Wars: A Story On Rivalry Between Type Foundries

  Simon Loxley

  14 May 2012 | 7:09 am

     I had thought terms like “intellectual property” and “intellectual theft” were of fairly recent provenance, so my eye was caught by the latter’s use in a headline of a 1930 edition of the US trade journal The American Printer. The article it headed proved to be equally intriguing, a response by the president of American Type Founders (ATF) to a June 1929 article in the German journal Gebrauchsgraphik by the designer Rudolf Koch, calling the ATF a “highway robber of German intellectual property.” At issue was a typeface marketed by the ATF earlier in 1929 called…

• Taming The Wild Mind

  Marli Mesibov

  11 May 2012 | 8:32 am

     Myths have developed around and researchers have studied how the human brain juggles creativity and organization. Popular theory tells us that the left brain is structured and logical, while the right brain is artistic and imaginative, and that all human beings use predominantly one side of the other. Working in a creative field means challenging that theory, or else challenging the schedules and deadlines that managers impose on writers, designers and other creatives. As a project manager in a UX design agency, as well as a writer, I believe it is necessary to challenge both the…

• Interaction Design In The Cloud

  Erik Perotti

  10 May 2012 | 6:05 am

     Interaction designers create wireframes in tools such as Adobe Illustrator, OmniGraffle and Microsoft Visio. Originally, these wireframes were primitive shapes drawn to represent various UI elements. Many of us cannot imagine life without them. There are, however, reasons to consider moving to the cloud to do interaction design. In short, today’s cloud-based tools are: Optimized for collaboration, Editable anywhere, Interactive, Published in real time, Self-maintaing (the user doesn’t need to update software), Payable monthly, Emailing your old static designs will feel old…

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  Freelance Writing Jobs | A Freelance Writing Community and Freelance Writing Jobs Resource

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 16, 2012

  Noemi Twigg

  16 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  It’s already the middle of the week – it seems I have lost track of time! I hope that you are all doing well and writing lots. Here are your freelance writing jobs for today. Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Legal Content Writer (CA/Telecommute) Content Writer – Car Import Store Article Writers (Remote) Freelance Writers for Content Marketing Company (Telecommute) Blogging Jobs Business Blogger (Telecommute) Blogger About Sweden Beauty and Cosmetics Blogger (Telecommute) SEM Blogger Copywriting Jobs Freelance Marketing Writer (Boise/Telecommute) Freelance Senior…

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 15, 2012

  Noemi Twigg

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Good morning, everyone! Apologies for not being able to post jobs yesterday. We’re back on board today, and I hope you get some good gigs. Have a great day ahead! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing SEO Content Writer (Telecommute) Niche Specialty Writers (Telecommute) Freelance Finance Writer (Remote) Web Writer – Automotive Website (USA) Freelance Writer – Legal (Anywhere) Real Estate Writer (Telecommute) Freelance Health Writer (SOMA) Healthy Home Content Writer (Sunnyvale) Blogging Jobs Versatile Bloggers (Australia) Genius DIY-Hobby-Electronics Bloggers (Online)…

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 11, 2012

  Noemi Twigg

  11 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Good morning, everyone! It looks like it’s going to be a great day today. I don’t know why, but I will not complain about this beautiful morning. I hope it is the same for all of you. Here is the last batch of writing jobs for this week. See you on the other side of the weekend! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Article Writer – Healthcare Writer (Toronto/Telecommute) Content/Article Writer – Home Improvement (Florida) Web Content Producer (Denver) Article Writers Blogging Jobs Wellness Blogger (Online) Eco-friendly Wedding Blogger (Telecommute) Succinct and Funky…

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 10, 2012

  Noemi Twigg

  10 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Good morning, everyone! How are you doing on a Thursday? Just one more day, and the weekend is here again. Let’s rock work today, shall we? Here are your freelance writing jobs. Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Content Writer (Coquitlam) Blogging Jobs Freelance Wedding and Party Planner Blogger (Telecommute) Blogger/PR Writer (Greater LA) Online Review Blogger Men’s Fashion Blogger (San Francisco) Copywriting Jobs Freelance Copywriter with Passion for Travel and Design (Telecommute) Experienced Copywriter (Bay Area) Freelance Copywriter/Profile Writer (NYC) Mining Industry…

• So You Think You’re a Writer?

  Noemi Twigg

  9 May 2012 | 5:30 am

  I have a confession. Sometimes, when I meet people for the first time, and I am asked what I do for a living, I hesitate. I know what I do, but there are moments when I don’t feel like using the word “write” and its derivatives. I still cannot pinpoint the reason, but the next time it happens, I shall certainly think about it again. Has that happened to any of you? Maybe you find it easy to put on the label “writer”, but whether or not you do, what I’d like to share in today’s Grammar Guide is something about some “signs” that writers…

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  FreelanceFolder

• Why You Can’t Afford to Be an Undercover Freelancer

  Laura Spencer

  14 May 2012 | 8:09 am

  I love detective movies. I really do. There’s nothing more thrilling than when the detective goes undercover by blending in with the bad guys. You spend the rest of the movie holding your breathe to see whether the hero gets caught or catches the bad guys. Going undercover makes for great entertainment. Unfortunately, going undercover isn’t so great if you’re a freelancer. You see, as a freelancer, the absolute last thing you want to do is blend in with everybody else. You can’t hide your talent and succeed. In this post, I’ll discuss the importance of standing…

• How Delegating Routine Tasks Can Raise Your Freelance Income

  Laura Spencer

  11 May 2012 | 10:25 am

  Could you use a little more income? If you’re like most of us, you probably answered “yes” to that question. Which of us wouldn’t want a little more coming in each month? In this post, I’ll share a surprising technique to help you earn more freelance income–delegating your routine tasks. When to Delegate We freelancers are an independent breed. We like to “do it ourselves.” That’s probably one of the reasons many of us struck out on our own in the first place. However, sometimes doing it yourself just doesn’t make sense. It may seem…

• How Much Money Can You Earn as a Freelancer?

  Laura Spencer

  9 May 2012 | 9:58 am

  “How much can you earn as a freelancer?” I’m probably asked this question more than any other question when people hear what I do for a living. It’s also a question I dread because there’s no set answer and there are certainly no guarantees. When I worked in a corporate job, I could easily give a salary range for what I did. I could even state my exact salary if I wanted to. As a freelancer, it’s not quite so simple. In this post, I’ll take a closer look at some of the very real issues behind the question of “how much can you earn as a…

• Don’t Overlook these 5 Great Free Resources at Your Local Library

  Laura Spencer

  7 May 2012 | 7:09 am

  Freelancers often overlook the resources available to them at their local library. This is a shame, because most library resources are free to library cardholders. You may remember the library as the place where you did research for your school assignments, but there’s a lot more to most libraries these days. In this post, I share a few free resources from the library that freelancers will find helpful. Most (but not all) local libraries offer these resources to local residents and/or library cardholders. Resource #1: Books and Publications It may seem obvious, but the library is a…

• How to Freelance with Kids

  Laura Spencer

  3 May 2012 | 8:32 am

  Many people are drawn to freelancing because they feel the flexible lifestyle will give them more time to spend with their kids. With summer just around the corner, many schools are about to end their school year and freelancers with school age kids will once again find their kids at home. While it’s true that freelancing work can be flexible, it can also be challenging to get work done while the kids are home. Just how challenging depends on the kids and the freelancer… But there are ways to make freelancing with kids easier. In this post, I’ll provide some easy tips for…

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  FreelanceSwitch

• Why Controversy Can be a Good Thing

  FreelanceSwitch.com

  16 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  As a journalist, I sometimes write columns and blogs that people don’t agree with. Sometimes I feel so lambasted when people leave comments about what I’ve written that I literally can’t read them. I have a pretty tough skin, and I am aware that I’m not always right—but still, sometimes I get angry and hurt. My goal in writing something controversial is to never regret writing it. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, and I try to be as explicative as I can when I know I’m writing about a touchy topic. I don’t have all the answers to everything, but I know that posing the…

• Understanding the Design Audit: Getting the Biggest Benefits for You and Your Clients

  FreelanceSwitch.com

  16 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Signage, stationary and forms, oh my! Businesses can easily create enough visual material to fill up an ark. There’s a logo, of course, and everything it gets applied to, such as: brochures, catalogs, websites, print and e-newsletters, Facebook pages, ads, uniforms, vehicle graphics, and more. When a company is successful, it grows and expands. As it moves from infancy to adulthood, its visual armaments grow as well. One location becomes three, then twenty and so on. Each one brings with it more of everything. More signs. More stationery. More forms. This can avalanche out of control.

• PR Professionals and Journalists: How to Make Everyone Happy

  FreelanceSwitch.com

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  I got a telephone call today at the office from the wife of a certified public accountant. She was pitching me on a story that her husband had just written about the benefits of creating an LLC versus an S-Corp. I listened politely, then told her why I couldn’t run her husband’s obviously wonderful story. I can’t tell you the number of times I get pitches that we would never publish—not because it’s a bad idea but because it just doesn’t fit in the pattern we have already created. The magazine I edit is a regional publication that has a pretty narrow focus. We only publish stories…

• Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck with Shared Office Space

  FreelanceSwitch.com

  15 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  Many freelancers work out of the house. But there are situations in which at least having access to office space is important: Maybe you need a place to meet with clients. Maybe you need a place where there aren’t kids demanding attention. Maybe you just need a safe place to keep gear that pets can’t get at. Sure, for many of these purposes, you can just head to your local coffee shop. But it’s worth considering office space, especially if you can get it inexpensively. Shared office space, whether we’re talking about a coworking space, a conference room you can rent, or even just a…

• 5 Principles to Better Networking for Freelancers

  FreelanceSwitch.com

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Networking is more than just attending events and swapping business cards. Freelancers, in particular, can find fellow collaborators, future partners, prospective clients, and a tribe of fellow freelancers when they network. Networking is about building relationships and like all relationships it takes trust and personal contact built over time. 1. Do a head check first and look inward. The first relationship to consider before you jump into networking is the one you have with yourself. Can you deliver commitments and handle setbacks in a professional way? Do you recover quickly when things…

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  RSSMix.com Mix ID 50439

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 16, 2012

  16 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  It’s already the middle of the week – it seems I have lost track of time! I hope that you are all doing well and writing lots. Here are your freelance writing jobs for today. Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Legal Content Writer (CA/Telecommute) Content Writer – Car Import Store Article Writers (Remote) Freelance Writers for Content Marketing Company (Telecommute) Blogging Jobs Business Blogger (Telecommute) Blogger About Sweden Beauty and Cosmetics Blogger (Telecommute) SEM Blogger Copywriting Jobs Freelance Marketing Writer (Boise/Telecommute) Freelance Senior…

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 15, 2012

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Good morning, everyone! Apologies for not being able to post jobs yesterday. We’re back on board today, and I hope you get some good gigs. Have a great day ahead! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing SEO Content Writer (Telecommute) Niche Specialty Writers (Telecommute) Freelance Finance Writer (Remote) Web Writer – Automotive Website (USA) Freelance Writer – Legal (Anywhere) Real Estate Writer (Telecommute) Freelance Health Writer (SOMA) Healthy Home Content Writer (Sunnyvale) Blogging Jobs Versatile Bloggers (Australia) Genius DIY-Hobby-Electronics Bloggers (Online)…

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 11, 2012

  11 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Good morning, everyone! It looks like it’s going to be a great day today. I don’t know why, but I will not complain about this beautiful morning. I hope it is the same for all of you. Here is the last batch of writing jobs for this week. See you on the other side of the weekend! Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Article Writer – Healthcare Writer (Toronto/Telecommute) Content/Article Writer – Home Improvement (Florida) Web Content Producer (Denver) Article Writers Blogging Jobs Wellness Blogger (Online) Eco-friendly Wedding Blogger (Telecommute) Succinct and Funky…

• Freelance Writing Jobs for May 10, 2012

  10 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Good morning, everyone! How are you doing on a Thursday? Just one more day, and the weekend is here again. Let’s rock work today, shall we? Here are your freelance writing jobs. Freelance Writing Jobs Content Writing Content Writer (Coquitlam) Blogging Jobs Freelance Wedding and Party Planner Blogger (Telecommute) Blogger/PR Writer (Greater LA) Online Review Blogger Men’s Fashion Blogger (San Francisco) Copywriting Jobs Freelance Copywriter with Passion for Travel and Design (Telecommute) Experienced Copywriter (Bay Area) Freelance Copywriter/Profile Writer (NYC) Mining Industry…

• So You Think You’re a Writer?

  9 May 2012 | 5:30 am

  I have a confession. Sometimes, when I meet people for the first time, and I am asked what I do for a living, I hesitate. I know what I do, but there are moments when I don’t feel like using the word “write” and its derivatives. I still cannot pinpoint the reason, but the next time it happens, I shall certainly think about it again. Has that happened to any of you? Maybe you find it easy to put on the label “writer”, but whether or not you do, what I’d like to share in today’s Grammar Guide is something [Read more…]

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  Twitter Fools

• 5 Challenges for Digitally Challenged People

  TwitterFools

  16 May 2012 | 6:10 am

  Summary: Two years ago, my mom’s 80-year-old cousin bought a laptop. At the time, this was huge. And then, at Christmas, she dropped another bombshell: She was thinking about buying an iPad. Because it looked like “the cat’s meow.” She’s a rare case, this one. Many people half her age still think a Foursquare check-in [...] .:: For the rest of the article content, click through to TwitterFools.com ::.

• The best of Twitter in your inbox

  TwitterFools

  15 May 2012 | 11:40 pm

  Starting today, you can discover the best of Twitter in a weekly email digest delivered to your inbox. This summary features the most relevant Tweets and stories shared by the people you’re connected to on Twitter. Stories feature a design similar to the recently updated Discover tab, emphasizing who shared each story beneath summaries to [...] .:: For the rest of the article content, click through to TwitterFools.com ::.

• In-Flight Calling: Coming Soon to an Airplane Near You

  TwitterFools

  15 May 2012 | 10:10 pm

  Hitting the friendly skies doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t make a mobile phone call — at least if you’re flying on one… Source: Alltop RSS .:: For the rest of the article content, click through to TwitterFools.com ::.

• Oneupweb : IPO Madness!

  TwitterFools

  15 May 2012 | 2:09 pm

  I decided to do a little research and compile a list of the biggest IPOs to date. Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast) Source: Alltop RSS .:: For the rest of the article content, click through to TwitterFools.com ::.

• Media Relations Gone Wrong: How Not to Pitch a Journalist (Video)

  TwitterFools

  15 May 2012 | 6:09 am

  The Internet and social media have certainly made it easier to conduct media relations in a more efficient and less intrusive way. At my first PR job I had to type in contact addresses from the hard-copy Bacon’s guide so we could mail merge and send out the press materials. Or stand over the fax [...] .:: For the rest of the article content, click through to TwitterFools.com ::.

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  Copyblogger

• What Does it Take to Write a Billion-Dollar Marketing Story?

  Amy Harrison

  16 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  In 1984, two artists used a simple process to create a story that captivated an audience for years and generated billions of dollars in revenue. That same process is being used today by a master copywriter to attract hundreds of thousands of paying subscribers. With companies creating millions of web pages of content marketing, finding an untold story or a new angle can feel like an impossible task. Especially when you want to avoid creating a story so unique nobody understands it … or wants to pay for it. So how do you create a story that cuts through the noise and strikes at the heart…

• How to be a World-Changing Writer

  Pace Smith and Sonia Simone

  15 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  As a copywriter, you know that words have power. You know words can influence, inform, and inspire. They can persuade your fellow humans to do some amazing things (or to do the wrong things, but we won’t go there today). What you may not realize is that your words can change the world. Here’s something else that’s really cool that you might not have realized … The keys to world-changing writing are also the keys to damn good copywriting. But as you know, good writing doesn’t happen all by itself. So let’s talk about what it takes to be damned good ……

• WordPress Hosting That Means Business

  Brian Clark

  14 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Did you know Copyblogger Media has a WordPress hosting division? Many people don’t, because it’s been a bit under-the-radar. The whole thing started with our frustration with web hosting in general. Specifically, the fact that a lot of “WordPress hosting” amounts to generic one-click installation of the CMS on a standardly-configured box — which simply doesn’t cut it for optimal performance and security. So, last year we decided to manage our high-traffic network of content and product sites ourselves. We did this by bringing into the family a team of people who themselves…

• The Truth About Making Money While You Sleep

  Jonathan Morrow

  14 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  Want to hear about the day in the life of a so-called “successful entrepreneur?” Yesterday, I stayed in bed until about 2 PM. I watched the last few episodes of Mad Men. Around sunset, I took a leisurely stroll down the beach. When I got back, I hung out with a friend for a couple of hours, ate dinner, and went to bed. In other words … I goofed off. And while I was goofing off, my business generated a pretty decent chunk of revenue. You want to know the coolest part? I did absolutely nothing to “earn” it. I didn’t check my email. I didn’t talk to…

• 7 Instructive Content Marketing Links

  Robert Bruce

  12 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  This week on The Lede … Are Content Publishers Waking Up from Their App Dreams Nightmares? An Email Marketing Autoresponder Schedule that Sells 3 Quick Tips To Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking Does Your Domain Say “Trust Me?” Why “Freemium” Fails for Startups: 3 Business Lessons from the Band New Order 5 Basic SEO Truths We Can Learn from Star Wars Peter Shankman on the Value of an Audience If you want to grab more useful links (than the seven we highlight here) every week, follow @copyblogger on Twitter. Are Content Publishers Waking Up from Their App Dreams…

• 

  Get Paid to Write Online

• Words, Words, Words – Aren’t They Just Wonderful?

  Sharon Hurley Hall

  16 May 2012 | 9:18 am

  I’m a writer, but even if I wasn’t, I think I’d still have a fondness for words.  They intrigue me and when I find a word I’ve never come across before or one that simply sounds interesting, I need to find out more. It's a word we all use, but do you know where silhouette comes from? Where has it come from?  What did it used to mean?  Why do we use it today?  Are we using it correctly? I’ve talked a bit about this in the past and we’ve looked at some of my favourite words before, such as ampersand and ubiquitous, but recently I’ve come across…

• Writing Portfolio Survey Results

  Sharon Hurley Hall

  11 May 2012 | 12:26 pm

  I promised you the results of my writing portfolio survey. While they can’t claim to be exhaustive, the stats reveal that: 40% of respondents update when they remember 25% every time they get a new clip 15% at least once a month 5% at least once a week Writing Portfolio – Your Comments Interestingly 10% of those who responded don’t have a writing portfolio and 5% never update it. That surprised me, and I’d have been interested to know why. I think it’s always useful to have some examples of your work handy to show prospective clients. Some people took the time to…

• How To Succeed As A Part-Time Freelance Writer – Part 1

  Sharon Hurley Hall

  9 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  Being a full-time writer may be the primary goal for many writers, but it doesn't have to be I’ve been writing here on GetPaidToWriteOnline.com for coming up two years now. During my time here so far, I’ve tried to mix up my posts, thinking about what I’d want to hear if I was in your shoes. Sometimes I’ll write about my experiences as a freelance writer to date. Other times I’ll provide some information on what I think you should – or shouldn’t – do as a freelance writer. And there have been plenty of times where I’ve just talked randomly…

• Updating Your Writing Portfolio – Survey

  Sharon Hurley Hall

  4 May 2012 | 11:18 am

  Here’s a little fun for the weekend – a one question survey on writing portfolios. I’m wondering, how often do you update your writing portfolio? Click on the image or the link to go to the survey. I’d love it if you’d say why you chose your answer either in the survey comment box or below. Click here to take survey More on writing portfolios: How To Create A Writing Portfolio My Writing Portfolio – A New Approach Writer Without Portfolio

• Freelance Writing Problem #2687: Clients Who (Think They) Know Better

  Sharon Hurley Hall

  2 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  I'm a relaxed writer, but sometimes I've felt like growing a little bigger and getting a little greener... One of the first things any new freelance writer should know is that it’s a career which brings with it some major highs and major lows.  Sometimes you think freelance writing is the best thing in the world, other times you can find yourself tearing your hair out. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m relatively relaxed and laid back, not getting too stressed out over many things when it comes to freelance writing.  However, one of the points that really bugs…

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  Brian Solis

• The Fallacy of Information Overload

  Brian Solis

  15 May 2012 | 6:50 am

  Some of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise.  Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I explore how all of this is affecting us as individuals and human beings. Not a day goes by when I’m not asked about whether or not the social media bubble will finally burst. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Pinterest, this all has to be too much right? More…

• Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience

  Brian Solis

  10 May 2012 | 7:56 am

  Social media is more than a digital water cooler for TV and movies. The global conversation that takes place around events and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer preferences. More importantly, their activity influences behavior. Behavior counts for everything. Studying it is just the beginning of course. In order to understand and eventually steer behavior, we must translate activity into insights and in turn, translate insights into actionable strategies and programs. The Hollywood Reporter recently published an exclusive poll about social media…

• The future of TV is more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that needs design

  Brian Solis

  7 May 2012 | 11:19 am

  The future of television is much more than social; much in the same way that the future of media is too, more than social. Social is a fabric; it connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. But, social however, is not a means to an end. And, as such, the same is true about the working theories driving Social TV. Understanding the role social plays in how viewers connect with programs and other people is essential to defining the future of television. Over the years, I’ve written much about my vision for the long overdue convergence of not only web and TV, but also how the…

• The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business

  Brian Solis

  2 May 2012 | 9:17 am

  I’ve been a long-time supporter of MediaTemple’s (MT)Residence program along with Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, and many others whom I respect. I wanted to share my “7 questions to answer to become a social business” with you here.. Social Media is pervasive and is becoming the new normal in corporate marketing. Brands who get this right are starting to build their own media networks rich with customer connections numbering in the millions. Right now, Coca-Cola has over 34 million fans on Facebook, but they’re hardly alone. Disney follows just behind with 29 million…

• Do Customers Really Matter to Your Business? Prove it.

  Brian Solis

  30 Apr 2012 | 8:21 am

  Frank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinions, he’s certainly bullish on where service needs to be as a function and a philosophy versus where it is today. In fact, he’s gone so far as to call out social media customer service as being a…

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  PR-Squared - Social Media Marketing and Public Relations

• Seven Principles of Content Marketing

  Todd Defren

  14 May 2012 | 11:20 am

  Now that we’ve all agreed that “Content is King (Again),” and Content Marketing is all the rage, maybe it is time to think about some easy-to-follow tenets.  Let’s keep this simple. Follow a 70/30 Rule – 70% of content curated, 30% branded.  Why? Because the rest-of-the-world is at least 70% more interesting than your brand; and, promoting external content builds social capital, makes grateful fans of influencers. All content should be SHAREWORTHY.  Don’t publish junk.  Better to be quiet than to queer the signal-to-noise ratio. All content should benefit…

• Seriously, This Is Gonna Be Cool: The Corporate Social Media Summit

  Todd Defren

  4 May 2012 | 7:05 am

  Next month I’ll be moderating a panel at the Corporate Social Media Summit, which is being held June 13-14 at the New Yorker Hotel in NYC.  It’s gonna be a great time, with an impressive list of corporate attendees, including SHIFT clients such as McDonalds and H&R Block, among many others (Whole Foods! Dell! Lego! Mercedes!). I’ll be moderating the panel on “Reputation preservation and enhancement: Use social media to maximize the impact of your brand.”  I’ll be joined by McDonald’s Heather Oldani, Director of U.S.

• Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

  Todd Defren

  29 Apr 2012 | 5:22 am

• SHIFT Communications Named Digital/Social Agency of the Year

  Todd Defren

  24 Apr 2012 | 9:00 am

  Shameless self promotion time. Hang on. Wow, wow, wow. We are busting at the seams over here.  Today the Holmes Group named SHIFT Communications the 2012 Digital/Social Agency of the Year – with “honorable mentions” in the category going to behemoths like Edelman, Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick. This marks the 3rd time in the last few years that SHIFT has nabbed “agency of the year” honors.  We were the “Agency of the Year” according to the American Business Awards, and the “New Media Agency of the Year” (again via Holmes) back in 2008. Both times we were psyched.  But this…

• What’s Old is New Again: Earned Media Can Be Your Hub

  Todd Defren

  23 Apr 2012 | 6:17 am

  I was catching up with a former client recently.  We launched their company a coupla years ago, and by almost any measure, it is now considered a hot commodity.  They have tons of social media fans, lots of inbound media requests, do a lot of great content marketing, etc. We originally parted ways, very amicably, because they had reached a degree of success that no longer warranted as much proactive effort (and, being a startup, they were wisely watching their burn rate). During our catch-up session, this company representative described a newfound fever within the company to get more…

• 

  MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog

• Should Your Marketing Message Require Reading Between the Lines?

  Matthew Grant

  16 May 2012 | 10:28 am

  Years ago, the political philosopher Leo Strauss wrote an essay entitled, “Persecution and the Art of Writing,” in which he advocated reading some philosophers “between the lines.” For a host of reasons, the philosopher felt that the truth he had to speak could only be spoken surreptitiously or “by means of brief indication.” Of course, one can run into a lot of trouble scholastically when arguing that a philosopher meant to say something other than what he explicitly stated. I mean, how are you supposed to prove that? Strauss insists that a “between…

• Learn These Four Classic Approaches to Marketing Campaigns

  Guest Blogger

  16 May 2012 | 7:03 am

  A guest blog post by Geoff Livingston and Gini Dietrich. A classic marketing strategy mistake is to select tools because they are new or talked about frequently in the media. Fascinated with the latest tool, marketing rounds (what we like to call your team) forget to select media and methods to achieve an objective. Measurable objectives, however, often require selecting a primary approach towards the customer, after which tools are selected based on budget, time, and other resources. There are four common approaches to marketing campaigns today. Direct Community Interaction With…

• Four Tips for Breaking Out of Your Slump Just Like Albert Pujols Did

  Guest Blogger

  15 May 2012 | 7:03 am

  A guest blog post by Maranda Gibson of AccuConference. Former St. Louis Cardinals powerhouse first baseman Albert Pujols traded the Midwest for the West Coast when he accepted a record-breaking deal from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. His start for the Angels was highly anticipated, so many people were shocked that Pujols had done more striking out than anything else since the beginning of the season. That’s right. A lot of money was invested in a man who could hit a home run off any pitcher in either league, but all he had managed to do lately was strike out—until May 6,…

• What the Evolution of Marketing Automation Looks Like [Infographic]

  Guest Blogger

  14 May 2012 | 7:03 am

  A guest post by Irv Shapiro of Ifbyphone. The term “marketing automation” often conjures up images of people waiting on hold or receiving out-of-office responses. However, smart business owners know that marketing automation equals measured results. The term “marketing automation” includes lead management, Web analytics, email marketing, voice-based measurement, inbound marketing, and social media. And marketing automation contains a wealth of opportunities for businesses to… Measure ROI and lead quality Streamline the leads-to-sales process Enhance user interaction…

• Content Management for Marketers: What’s the Difference Between Open Source and Cloud Platforms?

  Guest Blogger

  11 May 2012 | 10:49 am

  A guest post by Roland Benedetti of Nuxeo. Ten years ago, if you asked a group of marketing professionals which content management systems (CMS) they encountered most often, you would probably get a few blank stares. Nowadays, however, everyone knows what a content management system is because marketers use them nearly every day to create content, edit websites, and manage projects. But is there only one type of CMS? Do they all operate the same? Which type is best for which function? One of the biggest differences in CMS solutions is what is called open source vs. cloud-based solutions. Do…

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  Conversation Agent

• Most Marketers Still Not Making Data-Driven Decisions Surveys Find

  Valeria Maltoni

  16 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  How do large corporate marketers collect and use data? Are practices in marketing measurement and ROI changing? How about the integration of digital and traditional marketing? Has the excitement around big data brought about a shift in how marketers conduct their business? These are some of the topics for investigation in a recent study conducted by Columbia Business School’s Center on Global Brand Leadership and the New York American Marketing Association (NYAMA). The short answer: there is still a big gap between where organizations would like to be and where they actually are in…

• Answering Common Inquiries About Content

  Valeria Maltoni

  15 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  Three kinds of inquiries I receive regularly: write about us give us your content allow us to post Many of you find the contact form for consulting work. In that case, I'm happy to provide a quote and scope of work. If that's not what you're after, the quickest way to find out what is accepted for review and publication is by following the link to -- submit your question on the top menu. In all cases, the best outcomes come when the ask is appropriate. Note the term "pro" is part of the word. Making the ask Don't know how to ask? Here's how to write an email that stands out for your review.

• Why Experience is Key to Customer Loyalty

  Valeria Maltoni

  14 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  Whenever I travel, I'm reminded of the many amazing opportunities that come from being able to reach many parts of the world relatively easily. Let's face it, things can go wrong with the weather and with technology. It is how an airline -- or any company, for that matter -- handles customer fairness that will make a big difference to its bottom line. Will they have to discount fares more deeply so people will do business with them again next time? There is plenty of room left for improving customer experience in the travel industry -- airlines, hotels, car services, even airports, with a few…

• Business Lessons I Learned from my Mother

  Valeria Maltoni

  13 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  My mother was Miss Romagna. Her name is Anna Laura. I wanted to have her purple blue eyes and ready smile. She has the welcoming spirit of a woman always ahead of the times and comfortable in her own skin. In addition to being a mother of three (all girls), she has had multiple careers -- accounting, sales, public office, geriatric care, and beautician; some overlapping for years. Mother really gets communications -- the listening part especially -- the organization of work, along with the care of the individual.  Whether she negotiated credit rates or the recovery of the elderly, she made…

• Fair Pay, Participation Value, and The Intention Economy

  Valeria Maltoni

  12 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Do you know the pay scale for your industry? I'm not talking about the job wanted ads -- those may mislead you and take you down the generic path. You're not generic, you have specific skills, and you should be able to calculate market value. Just like with salary, where you don't have a cut and dry answer, interaction and involvement are not exactly the same thing. Community participation has highs and lows, and they may not follow the touted 1% route. How active are people online? Has it changed in the last couple of years? Marketers can optimize campaigns and programs only so far. Without…

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  Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image

• Find Your One Thing

  Mitch Joel

  15 May 2012 | 11:15 am

  Can you sum up your professional you in one or two words? I was very touched watching the documentary, Being Elmo, on PBS' Independent Lens. The movie is about Kevin Clash (the puppeteer behind Sesame Street's Elmo). From a very young age, Clash demonstrated a strong desire to be a puppeteer. While that seems quaint and points to someone who was focused on what they wanted to do in life from a very young age, you can imagine the struggles he faced growing up in Baltimore. While all of the other kids were out playing baseball or causing mischief, Clash was at home sewing puppets together and…

• Can Breastfeeding Save Time Magazine?

  Mitch Joel

  15 May 2012 | 10:01 am

  When was the last time you discussed Time Magazine around the dinner table? I found myself giving a dissertation on mass media at dinner the other night. It all started when one friend leaned into the table and spoke (in an almost embarrassed whisper), "Did any of you see the cover of Time Magazine? The one with the mother and her older child... breastfeeding?" I knew that they were talking about the issue dated May 21st, 2012 titled, Are You Mom Enough? by Kate Pickert. The article about Dr. Sears and the attachment parenting movement has created quite a stir, but I wanted to tease…

• Listen. Engage. Connect.

  Mitch Joel

  14 May 2012 | 11:10 am

  One of the largest gatherings of professional marketers is about to take place. The Canadian Marketing Association's 2012 CMA Summit is happening next week (May 16th - 17th, 2012 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto, Ontario). I'm fortunate to be the chairman of the board of the directors of this association and prior to that role, I was co-chair of these national annual gatherings. Each and every year offered professional marketers from across the globe the opportunity to connect and share. This year will be no exception. All under one roof. During the two days, just some of the…

• The Virtual Self And The New Trend Of Self-Tracking

  Mitch Joel

  13 May 2012 | 8:09 am

  Episode #305 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to. Now, with the ubiquity of smartphones and mobile connectedness, it has never been easier to share with the world our each and every move (look no further than Facebook's one billion dollar acquisition of Instagram). And we're publishing our lives. All of the time - in text, images, audio and video - for the world to see. In fact, it's happening more and more with each and every passing day. Why are we doing all of this self-tracking? It's a topic that has fascinated Nora Young for a…

• Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #99

  Mitch Joel

  12 May 2012 | 6:09 am

  93Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see? My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, the author of Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks), Hugh McGuire (The Book Oven, LibriVox, iambik, PressBooks, Media Hacks) and I decided that every week or so the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see". Check out these six links that we're…

• 

  NYT > Home Page

• Greece Teeters Ahead of New Vote

  By LIZ ALDERMAN and RACHEL DONADIO

  16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm

  Amid warnings of the possibility of bank runs, state television said June 17 would be the date for a new round of elections.

• Bodies Inert, They Moved a Robot With Their Minds

  By BENEDICT CAREY

  16 May 2012 | 12:53 pm

  Scientists reported that a tiny brain implant allowed two quadriplegic people to manipulate a robotic arm with just their thoughts.

• Defense Rests in Edwards Trial

  By KIM SEVERSON

  16 May 2012 | 12:46 pm

  The defense rested without calling John Edwards, his daughter Cate or his former mistress to the stand.

• For Republicans in Connecticut, Hope and Dread as 2 Fight for Senate

  By PETER APPLEBOME

  16 May 2012 | 12:46 pm

  The contest between Linda E. McMahon and Christopher Shays for the Republican nomination in a Connecticut race for the Senate could be damaging to the winner.

• Latin Pop Group Maná Draws Adoring Crowds

  By JENNIFER MEDINA

  16 May 2012 | 12:34 pm

  Maná, a rock group that sings only in Spanish, has been attracting fans, both recent immigrants and others, in the United States for decades.

• 

  TechCrunch

• Why The Internet Doesn’t Make Us Care More About Politics

  Gregory Ferenstein

  16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  American politics used to be fun: frequent political carnivals in the 19th century would mix parties, parades, and political speeches in an endless stream of local civic life. As a result, America had an astonishingly high turnout, between 70-90%, in presidential and local elections. Yet, the Internet has never quite captured the emotional gravity of real-life engagement, and keeps tripping up multi-million dollar campaigns designed to inject life into an otherwise passive electorate. For example, take two technology initiatives that were widely predicted to dramatically increase democratic…

• It’s Time For A Larger iPhone

  Matt Burns

  16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm

  The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Apple is currently ordering larger screens for the next iPhone. With the usual nonsense, the WSJ cited people familiar with the matter and stated these screens measure at least 4-inches diagonally. Production is set to begin next month, they say. The Journal better be right, though. A 3.5-inch screen is just too small now. At this point to say anything to the contrary is pure fanboi nonsense. The standard argument that consumers don’t want a large phone is tired and overused. Besides, it’s effectively proven wrong by the 20…

• More Google+ In Gmail: Improved Circle Integration, Circle Search and Quick Access To Contact Details

  Frederic Lardinois

  16 May 2012 | 12:44 pm

  The folks over at Google just love their Google+ social network and more and more Google+ features have been creeping into Gmail lately as well. Today, Google is bringing even more of Google+ to its email client. With this update, Google is especially focusing on adding a deeper integration with Google+ circles. You will now, for example, see profile photos from people in your circles when you select a circle in the left sidebar. You can click on those images to search for email from a specific contact. In addition, if you really take your Google+ circles seriously, you’ll be happy to…

• Bitly Kinda Says It’s Not Raising $20M, But Sorta Hints That It Is

  Anthony Ha

  16 May 2012 | 12:42 pm

  Is link shortener Bitly raising $20 million in new funding? The Verge says it is. In response to my email, a company spokesperson denied The Verge’s story, but in vague enough terms that it could probably turn around and announce a new round in the next few weeks or months. Here’s what the spokesperson told me: Want to quickly let you know that they’re always discussing potential funding and stay in touch with potential investors on an ongoing basis. Though, this article is not based on any facts. I’ll work with the folks at bitly to connect with you for the next…

• Viacom Gives Up Fight Against Time Warner Cable, Adds Channels to TWC iPad App

  Ryan Lawler

  16 May 2012 | 12:35 pm

  Customers of Time Warner Cable have some reason to rejoice today, as the cable company has gotten the go-ahead to add channels like MTV, VH1, and Comedy Central to its live streaming iPad app. The addition comes after the channels’ owner Viacom has settled its differences and resolved litigation with Time Warner Cable. The legal fight erupted last year, after Time Warner Cable released its iPad app, which lets subscribers stream live shows to tablets inside their homes. While many networks grumbled about the app, Viacom was most vocal in rejecting the app, taking its distribution…

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  SmartBrief on Social Media

• Study: More Brits contact brands via social media

  16 May 2012 | 9:28 am

  Up to 18 million Web users in the U.K.  -More- 

• Developer plans to build underwater hotel in Dubai

  16 May 2012 | 9:28 am

  A hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will guarantee an ocean view to every guest -- because the hotel itself will built on -More- Web Content Manager Corporate Executive Board

• We still like Facebook, Ford exec says:

  16 May 2012 | 9:28 am

  Facebook is a "growing and critical part" of Ford's marketing, says Matt VanDyke, the automaker's director of marketing commu -More- 7 Whiteboard Sessions for every social strategist. Learn how to implement & scale a social program across your enterprise company with this 36-page framework by Spredfast by delivering good customer experience, adopting social media company-wide, gaining insight into your social customer, & showing an ROI on social. Download 7 Whiteboard Sessions.

• Does your company archive its social media activities?

  16 May 2012 | 9:28 am

   -More- 

• Analysis: Google+ needs to leverage search to catch Facebook

  16 May 2012 | 9:28 am

  If Google can harness an "integrated socially enhanced search engine," it has a shot of activating all those inorganically gr -More- 

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  socialmouths

• Why Small Business Have A Huge Advantage Over Brands In Social Media

  Francisco Rosales

  10 May 2012 | 10:18 am

  I currently have the fortune to experience two different fronts of digital marketing. Under Plural, I work with brands and, with SocialMouths I mostly jam with small business, personal brands, and bloggers. One of the reasons I absolutely love this setup is that they are two different worlds in how the social web is approached, how it’s handled and how success is measured. So I’m here to tell you that, despite the ridiculous budgets and unlimited resources, small business has a huuuge advantage over brands when it come to social media. Here are my thoughts: Strategy. Or Not? This…

• How to Display Social Media Buttons

  Brad Shorr

  8 May 2012 | 10:05 am

  Guest post by Brad Shorr from Straight North. Effective display of social media buttons on your blog and website becomes more critical every day: On the people side, social media for business has gone mainstream, so building a community around your company pages opens up huge opportunities for sales, leads and referrals. On the SEO side, social shares are being given more weight by Google and other search engines. Content that is liked, tweeted and +1’d will perform better in SERPs than lonely, unloved blog posts and web pages. This post includes several suggestions for displaying social…

• The 4 Economic Reasons to Rebrand Your Business

  Sookie Shuen

  4 May 2012 | 7:41 am

  This is a guest post by Sookie Shuen from Tomorrow People. How much can your company benefit from a timely rebranding and revitalization? When considering this question, one must keep in mind that rebranding does not necessarily address the wants and needs of the company directly, but rather speaks to the wants and needs of that company’s current and prospective customers.  Therefore, the important factors to consider when assessing the value of a rebrand include equity measurement; market differentiation and accessibility; brand awareness, relevance and vitality; and consumer personality,…

• 10 Blog Conversion Tips From Derek Halpern

  Francisco Rosales

  2 May 2012 | 7:28 am

  This week I want to talk about blog conversion, the art of making your visitors take action whether that means spending more time reading your content, buying one of your products or subscribing to your email list. There is plenty of content out there on how to convert your readers to subscribers and buyers and, if you take your blogging seriously as an integral part of your marketing, you’ve probably read tens or even hundreds of posts about the topic. Me? I went to Derek Halpern for advice on how to improve SocialMouths. Derek is the author of SocialTriggers, where he writes about…

• Video Blogging As A Powerful Lead Generation Tool

  Ryan Critchett

  26 Apr 2012 | 8:56 am

  This is a guest post from Ryan Critchett from RMC Tech. Editor’s note: I usually don’t do this but in this case I thought it was important to point out that, the intention behind this type of content is to showcase real entrepreneurs and their stories of successful use of social media marketing, rather than presenting the usual suspects nobody can relate to, like Redbull or Starbucks. These are real examples you can put into action. The story is told by Ryan and, if you have something similar going on, share it with me. Here goes… It’s no secret, video blogging is a…

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  Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

• Have You Promoted Your Company Today?

  matt

  16 May 2012 | 11:54 am

  The old adage that you have to spend money to make money is very true, yet we all know businesses that do not adhere to this belief. So, stop what you are doing for a minute at work and ask yourself a very simple question, is my company doing all it can to promote itself? If the answer is no, now is the time to speak up. One of the first things you may hear from upper management is that we’re promoting the company within our budgetary means, aka we are spending as little money as possible to get our brand out there. While it is understandable in a troubling economy that small businesses…

• How To Prep Your Customer For A Killer Video Testimonial

  ME Liz Strauss

  16 May 2012 | 5:25 am

  by Sean Rosensteel Video marketing has become an extremely popular approach for generating interest in services or products offered online. With so many affordable tools in the marketplace, videos can be easily produced and distributed online for less than what other mediums (like TV) would cost. Consequently, utilizing the ever-so-popular video testimonial has become a common approach to connecting with prospective customers. And the proliferation of video cameras installed on most computers manufactured within the last few years has made it easy for people to record their own videos.

• Choose Your Winners Wisely and Invest Unconditionally

  ME Liz Strauss

  15 May 2012 | 5:14 am

  Relational Reciprocity I don’t play with every new social media tool. In fact, I ignore most of them. I’ve decided my view is that tools are vehicles for problem solving or uniquely rare opportunities for new learning. The former I go looking for when I need them. The latter show up without warning, but are few and far between. Once the decision is made to participate, I’m in with “both feet.” I’m a saturation learner, always have been. It shows in my 14+ years of dance training, my 8 years of theater, my 35 years of education and educational publishing…

• Getting Organized Without Wasting Your Time

  ME Liz Strauss

  14 May 2012 | 10:40 am

  by Ann Smarty click photo for source A System to Save Time When you run a blog, there are some things you can’t help but spend a ton of time and energy on. Coming up with new posts, fiddling with the template, talking to readers, publishing videos of funny cats you found on YouTube and just had to share…these are the important elements in the life of the average blogger. Certainly, the last thing you want to waste time on is organization. Yet every time most of us set out to organize things, we tend to spend all day on the process. Getting sorted turns out to be more of a hassle…

• 3 Things I Learned, Lost, and Earned by Being Off Social Media for 10 Days

  ME Liz Strauss

  14 May 2012 | 5:23 am

  People or Screens Every morning for almost a year, I’ve been publishing photos of the sunrise over Lake Michigan. Sometimes when the afternoon is worth a photo graph I also publish a photo of the sunset too. On Twitter I greet my friends with a “Good morning, Twitterville” and a kind word. I try to check in with them via Facebook and Linkedin too. Many of my online social interactions help me keep my day moving … as I transition from one task to another, it helps me to stop by Twitter to give my friends a shout out or to take time for a short read and a retweet. Being…

• 

  Forum One Blog Posts - All Blogs

• Mobile Solution: Responsive Design on ictQATAR

  Nam-ho Park

  8 May 2012 | 8:31 am

  ictQATAR is the website for the Supreme Council of Information Communication and Technology for the Government of Qatar, which is in charge of technology innovation and implementation throughout the country. Forum One has worked with ictQatar since 2010 to design, develop, and launch their current English-Arabic bilingual site on the Drupal 6 platform, and has continued to support them with usability and site enhancements since. ictQATAR is the website for the Supreme Council of Information Communication and Technology for the Government of Qatar, which is in charge of technology…

• Nonprofit Technology Conference 2012: Our Reflections

  Brian Pagels

  3 May 2012 | 9:07 am

  After sometime to reflect on the ongoings of NTEN's 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference, we wanted to share our thoughts on what we learned, gained and enjoyed about the conference.  After sometime to reflect on the ongoings of NTEN's Nonprofit Technology Conference, we wanted to share our thoughts on what we learned, gained and enjoyed about the conference. read more

• GovTech Reports on Drupal Adoption

  Mike Shoag

  27 Apr 2012 | 9:31 am

  With over 150 federal government sites powered by Drupal, the open-source CMS is more than ever meeting the needs of big sites. GovTech.com, a top source of government IT news, reported today on the many new government sites that are confidently adopting Drupal as their CMS. Agencies have overcome concerns about security, integration, and departure from Microsoft products. They are now realizing that Drupal’s flexibility make it the most cost-effective solution. Our own CTO, Kurt Voelker, was quoted in the article: With over 150 federal government sites powered by Drupal, the…

• Drupal Tutorial: Pushing Drupal 6 Core Auto-Complete

  Keenan Holloway

  23 Apr 2012 | 2:20 pm

  Recently I had the task of creating a form that utilized an auto-complete text field that filtered on a specific field of a table. This seemed like a great candidate to use the core auto-complete and after a sprint of information gathering I had what I thought would be enough. After delivery I learned that there was one surprise feature. The auto-complete text field needs to be able to have filters applied to it via-form filter dropdown. Recently I had the task of creating a form that utilized an auto-complete text field that filtered on a specific field of a table. This seems like a great…

• Mapping County Health Rankings: Mapnik, Node.js and PostgreSQL

  William Hurley

  16 Apr 2012 | 6:38 am

  The third launch of County Health Rankings has been the most exciting out of any of the three due to the mapping component that serves as the primary way to access the rankings. The third iteration of the County Health Rankings website has a great set of new functionality to get the mapping in place. Mapnik, and Node.js and PostgreSQL — oh my! read more

• 

  NowSourcing.Com » Blog

• Weekly Meme: Socially Awkward Popcorn

  rose

  15 May 2012 | 10:30 am

  I fail at making microwave popcorn, and fail even more at eating it. More often than not I end up burning it, resulting in stinking up the whole office. A mess ensues every time I open the bag because of the delicious, drippy butter that is so enticing. No work gets done because, frankly, popcorn stops everything. So lately I’ve been opting to only popping it after everyone has already left. After several weeks of this practice, I have come to realize just how weird it is. Waiting until everyone else leaves so you can gorge your face with an entire bag of microwave butter-lovers…

• Facebook IPO: Can Facebook Beat the Google Display Network in Online Advertising?

  alexkenemer

  15 May 2012 | 8:47 am

  © 2012 WordStream, Inc., a PPC and Search Engine Marketing tools company.

• The Top 12 Benefits of Digital Menu Boards

  kevin

  14 May 2012 | 12:59 pm

  Value Menu: The Top 12 Benefits of Digital Menu Boards [Infographic]Compliments of QSRweb.com

• The Real Cost of BYOD

  Kristina

  10 May 2012 | 12:12 pm

  © 2012 Xigo

• This Week in Infographics: The Easy Way Isn’t Always So Simple

  Kristina

  10 May 2012 | 7:36 am

  The theme this week reminds me of watching fairy tales as a child. Remember how there was always a shortcut for the traveler? The shorter path was always dark and stormy, and the long path was sunny and lovely – the shortest distance between two points isn’t always the easiest way to get there. The interstate will have more traffic than the back roads during rush hour, and the seven day fad diet will ultimately create more work for you in the long run. Our first infographic takes us back to a “simpler time,” and compares it to today – the topic: poker. Taking a…

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  123 Social Media

• Building a Social Media Dashboard

  Barry Hurd

  9 May 2012 | 9:08 am

  Warning: fopen(http://su.pr/api/simpleshorten?url=http://123socialmedia.com/building-a-social-media-dashboard/&login=barryhurd&apiKey=R_5908e1757bbb2d6bc0b88f47a59d3403) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 503 Service Unavailable in /home/executiv/public_html/123socialmedia.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweetbox/wp-tweetbox.php on line 109 Warning: fread(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/executiv/public_html/123socialmedia.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweetbox/wp-tweetbox.php on line 112 Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not…

• Social Media Policy & Employee Rights with National Labor Board

  Barry Hurd

  12 Mar 2012 | 5:14 pm

  While there are many social media policy documents floating around and we’ve covered the topic in-depth here many times before (see related articles below) - it is always interesting when social media policy is viewed strictly from a legal and labor relations perspective. On that note I want to draw your attention to cases from the acting general counsel of the U.S. National Labors Relations Board. While the NLRB has a very broad goal, its various rulings regarding existing social media policy and regulation is interesting. The most recent report (dated January 25, 2012) covers 14…

• Corporate Social Media Training, cookie cutter = bad

  Barry Hurd

  9 Mar 2012 | 2:27 pm

  On a daily basis we receive inquiries for social media training via webinar and on-demand platforms. The reality of the request is that most of the people want a “canned solution.” The general reasoning goes like this: They have a problem. They need it fixed. They want to buy something off the shelf to fix it. Unfortunately when it comes to corporate social media training, nothing exist on the shelf. There isn’t a single cookie-cutter item that can be universally applied to a corporate footprint that doesn’t cause more problems than it is worth. Typical examples…

• Social Media Training, a guide to no nonsense education

  Barry Hurd

  13 Feb 2012 | 11:21 am

  To help some of our readers I’ve collected a list of training articles that I have written over at BarryHurd.com that detail some of the core elements around types of media and how the interact in both the offline and online world. I typically add an additional article about once a month to this list in an effort to create a holistic resource to raise the common understanding of what ‘social media’ is and is not. This series of social media training documents is also a go-to list of ideas when I am researching client projects or developing tactical plans. If a ‘social…

• Social Media Training – 40 Questions for the Corporate Team

  Barry Hurd

  6 Feb 2012 | 6:26 pm

  There are a lot of questions regarding social media training and how it ties into a larger organization. To help with that I’ve collected some of my thoughts in a free whitepaper that highlights some of the critical areas of impact you should be thinking about. You can read through the list of questions I’ve covered below… but will need to download the whitepaper to get some of my value-added thoughts. Some questions to think about… How much does this cost? What forms of social media will reach our business goals? Are there any “low cost” benefits? What are…

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  Social Business Advisor: Social CRM and Enterprise 2.0

• Free Webinar: Common Collaboration Problems with the CIO of Pabst Brewing Company

  Jacob Morgan

  15 May 2012 | 12:28 am

  This Wednesday the 16th at 10am PST Ben Haines, the CIO of Pabst Brewing Company will be joining me on a webinar to discuss some of the common collaboration problems that organizations face today.  We’re going to try to have a casual discussion around what obstacles organizations are running up against and how they are overcoming these obstacles.  The event is being powered by Cisco which is allowing us to host the event on their platform. Here are the details taken from the event site: Collaboration is not new. In fact, we have collaborated for thousands of years. However,…

• What Would Happen if Your Organization Didn’t Invest in Collaboration?

  Jacob Morgan

  10 May 2012 | 11:40 am

  I (and many others) have spent a great deal of time talking about why organizations should invest their resources in collaboration tools and strategies.  But let’s assume for a moment that you didn’t.  How long do you realistically see your organization going on without making this investment; 1 year, 2 years, 3 years?  Do you really see your organization waiting this long? At this point I have probably worked with, spoken with, and researched hundreds of companies and it’s rare to come across an organization that nothing in place when it comes to collaboration.  At the…

• Implementing Enterprise 2.0 at IBM

  Jacob Morgan

  8 May 2012 | 1:06 am

  I had the opportunity to have several in-depth conversations with John Rooney (CIO of Technical Strategy) and Ethan McCarty (Senior Manager, Digital and Social Strategy) of IBM.  The conversations resulted in our recently released case study on Implementing Enterprise 2.0 at IBM.  Here is an overview of that case study. With over 420,000 employees in over 70 countries, IBM is one of the largest and most recognized companies in the world today.  A company of this size needs to be able to coordinate and collaborate, share business processes, and respond to market demands. In order to make…

• The Twelve Principles of Collaboration

  Jacob Morgan

  3 May 2012 | 10:41 am

  1.  Individual benefit is just as important as the overall corporate benefit (if not more important) Don’t focus on the overall corporate value and benefit when communicating collaboration to employees.  Employees care about how this will impact them on an individual basis.  How will this make their jobs and lives easier? 2.  Strategy before technology Before rushing to pick that shiny new collaboration platform focus on developing a strategy which will help you understand the “why” before the “how.”  This is crucial for the success of any…

• New Study: Only 10 Percent of Employees are Engaged

  Jacob Morgan

  1 May 2012 | 11:52 am

  I don’t like reading things like this, I really don’t.  But today I came across a report released by Modern Survey which found that we have a lot of work to do around engaging our employees.  Modern Survey isn’t the first firm to report low engagement numbers, Gallup and Blessing White (along with others) have all found low engagement rates within our organizations.  The questions, approaches, methodology, and data that all of these firms get is different but the trend and overall findings remains the same.  I don’t think we realize how crucial employee engagement…

• 

  Blogworks: Social Media India, Brand, Marketing and Communication Consulting.

• Episode 2 of #satyamevjayate sees over 50% drop in mentions on Twitter compared to debut episode.

  vishesh

  14 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  We received great response to our analysis of Satyamev Jayate mentions last week and you must be curious to see what happened yesterday. Let me give you the top-line – conversations on Twitter saw a 52% drop over last week and we noted a total of 12565 mentions of #satyamevjayate (only this specific hashtag) In... Read more »

• Analysis of today’s Twitter conversations around Aamir Khan’s #SatyamevJayate

  vishesh

  6 May 2012 | 10:31 am

  The build-up for Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate has been unprecedented and a phenomenal 16700 posts were generated today (upto 15oo hours IST) as the show opened today. We decided to take a peek into Twitter conversations today. Hope you find this useful. Do share your thoughts on what you felt about the conversations today. Twitter... Read more »

• IndiaSocial Summit 2012 Twitter Analysis #indiasocial12

  vishesh

  13 Apr 2012 | 12:36 pm

  IndiaSocial Summit 2012 evoked a fair amount of buzz and conversations online generating over 6000 messages between Jan-April 2012 (of which over 3800 were shared between 2-4 April 2012 – the event duration). Here is a part of the report we prepared for our internal assessment. IndiaSocial summit 2012 twitter analysis by team blogworks View... Read more »

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  Social Media Dudes - Internet & Mobile Marketing Strategies

• 27 Awesome Ways to Get People to Listen to You

  Dennis

  28 Apr 2012 | 8:52 pm

  27 Awesome Ways to Get People to Listen to You   This guest post is by Nick Thacker of livehacked.com. I’ve been creating stuff lately—blog posts, articles, tweets, videos, ebooks, etc.—and I realized something: The biggest struggle I’ve had during it all was getting people to listen. While blogging and submitting articles, leaving tons of comments, [...] Related posts: 3 FREE Ways to Increase Your FaceBook Fans – Often Overlooked 3 FREE Ways to Increase Your FaceBook Fans – Often... 13 Great Ways To Repurpose Your Content! I think you would agree that valuable…

• 13 Great Ways To Repurpose Your Content!

  John

  17 Jan 2012 | 4:59 am

  I think you would agree that valuable content on your website or that was authored by you and hosted on other sites is critical to your success to drive traffic and ultimately make sales. At the end of the day, it separates a good blog from a great blog! So creating great content is job [...] Related posts: Best Ways to Drive Traffic To Your Blog! The following article was written by  Dorothy J Bellisario who... Content Marketing Principles: 3 Highly Effective Things to Incorporate Into Your Blog Posts! One of the things that I learned from my attendance... Related posts brought to you by…

• 3 FREE Ways to Increase Your FaceBook Fans – Often Overlooked

  Dennis

  11 Jan 2012 | 5:40 am

  3 FREE Ways to Increase Your FaceBook Fans – Often Overlooked In my opinion more fans are better than fewer fans.  You can talk about “quality” all you want but you will not change my mind on this one.  The more fans you have the more likely you will develop new business or even create [...] Related posts: Get Better Engagement From Your Facebook Page! Dennis and I have had several people come up to... 20 Helpful Facebook Fan Page Tips! Strategy 1. Life is short!  So have some fun from... 5 Ways Non Business Owners Can Benefit Financially From Social Media 5 Ways Non Business…

• Why Your Blog Didn’t Take Off in 2011 and How You Fix It for 2012!

  John

  7 Jan 2012 | 5:36 am

  Fair warning!  This blog post is not for the meek or the faint hearted! About this time last year, you were like a lot of folks who decided that they were going to follow Gary Vaynerchuk’s advice and  “Crush It” (no slam on Gary…if you do what he says, you are going to be farther [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

• LinkedIn Profile Essentials – Part 2

  John

  5 Jan 2012 | 5:02 am

  This is part 2 of a 2 part series written by Janet Slack.  See Part 1 by clicking here. Today we are looking at strategies that will make your LinkedIn (LI) profile a true asset for your business.  You want it to be a great place for people to learn more about you and we [...] Related posts: LinkedIn Profile Essentials – Part 1 You need a great LinkedIn profile.  It really is no... Getting Setup On LinkedIn! Social media is gaining massive popularity these days due to... 10 Ways To Promote Your Business With LinkedIn! LinkedIn in many regards is the forgotten member of what... Related…

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  Drew's Marketing Minute

• Are you falling behind when it comes to mobile?

  Drew McLellan

  13 May 2012 | 12:04 pm

  I think it is fascinating in a “I don’t get it” sort of way.  We all know that mobile is where digital is headed.  We’ve all repeated the “by 2015, the #1 way we will access the internet is through our smart phones” and yet… it seems like most people are lollygagging along when it comes to getting onto the mobile train. Is your website mobile optimized?  Are you learning more about mobile ads?  Are you thinking about how you’re going to accept mobile payments? Or do you look like this infographic? Browse more infographics.   You might…

• Going viral = out of your control

  Drew McLellan

  8 May 2012 | 5:38 am

  It seems like one of the goals I hear more and more is… “and we want it to go viral.”  I translate that to mean — we want a lot of people to see it. But rarely when someone says they want something to go viral, do they really understand the implications of that.  The biggest one is — the minute it begins to go viral, it begins to take on a life of its own and it is beyond your control. Let me give you a very tangible example.  My daughter and several of her college friends decided that they wanted to jump into the Sh*t People Say meme that was started in…

• 9 Keys to Wicked Awesome Landing Pages

  Drew McLellan

  5 May 2012 | 10:21 am

  Note from Drew:  Every once in awhile I like to open up the blog to a guest with a depth of expertise that I think you’ll benefit from.  Here’s Jason Well’s take on landing pages. A few weeks ago I spoke at SES New York about mobile PPC and SEO. I touched briefly on mobile landing pages. After the presentation one of the attendees walked up to me and said, “thanks for covering mobile landing pages, but most people still need help on their standard landing pages.” He was right. Especially in the B2B world, ‘regular’ landing pages are still critical. While keeping in…

• What can you learn from a small town?

  Drew McLellan

  30 Apr 2012 | 4:20 am

  Turns out, quite a bit. The whole concept of having a marketplace is blurry today.  It used to be — you sold stuff to your neighbors because they were the only ones close enough to buy from you. But today the world is one “global small town” where all your customers can talk directly to each other and every one of them can buy from you or from the guy on the other side of the planet. In their book Small Town Rules (click to buy it on Amazon*) authors Becky McCray and Barry Moltz take a look at what works in a small town and help us understand how those same rules apply to us,…

• What is the next step?

  Drew McLellan

  25 Apr 2012 | 4:31 am

  That’s the question you should ask yourself as you create any marketing piece.  ”What is the next step I want the prospect to take?” Whether it’s a Facebook fan page, an enewsletter, a TV spot or a blimp with your logo on it — you have earned their momentary attention.  What are you going to do with it?  Where do you want to take the conversation/connection from here? Do you want to give them the opportunity to contact you? Do you want them to share your content? Do you want them to ask you a question? Do you want them to laugh so hard that they have to tell…

• 

  The Buzz Bin

• The Best of Booze Memes – LOLz!

  Rosalie

  16 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  THE BOOZE BIN By, Rosalie Morton (@rosaliemo) Meme 101 You might not think you know exactly what a meme (pron. MEEM) is… but if you’re reading this blog you do, promise. I think memes are best described through examples. So consider a few of my recent favorites: -         Angelina Jolie’s leg from the Oscar’s -         What my friends think I do (the PR one is priceless) -         And of course, Tebowing If you still want to get formal, according to Wikipedia, a meme is: - An idea that is propagated through the World Wide Web. The idea may take the form…

• From Driftwood to Décor: How Brand Stories Help Us Connect

  elacy

  15 May 2012 | 6:47 am

  By Emily Lacy (@emstheticket) This past weekend, I visited a shop in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom neighborhood for my regular dose of neo-hippie products. College times past left their mark, and I have a shamefully soft spot for huge patterned pieces of cloth.  Furthermore, much to my parents’ confusion and dismay, no apartment for me is complete without the smell of incense smoking up the place. New apartment calls for new incense, so it was time. Little did I know, I’d also be walking away with a renewed wonder at brands and the captivating stories at their cores. As I was picking…

• Facebook’s New “HIGHLIGHT” Feature Leaked

  Priya Ramesh

  14 May 2012 | 7:47 am

  By Priya Ramesh (@newpr) Facebook’s new “HIGHLIGHT” feature leaked in New Zealand TechCrunch calls it “Reckless New Ads Test” I Paid, Now You Have to Listen to Me (Courtesy: TechCrunch for title caption) At the Facebook Marketing Conference in Feb, Brian Boland, Director of Product Marketing, Facebook revealed that the average news feed story from a user profile reaches just 12 percent of their friends. Business Pages meanwhile only get 16% of their fans seeing each post, which is why Facebook launched its new “Reach Generator” to help marketers buy extra distribution of their…

• Avoid Poor Rankings by Creating Valuable Content

  Jason Poulos

  11 May 2012 | 7:05 am

  By Jason Poulos (@TheSaganaki) If you were to look under the hood of Google you’d be presented with an extremely complex and intricate math formula. Since it’s virtually impossible for humans to keep track of every website on the internet, Google has turned to it’s algorithm to help determine how a website ranks on their search results page. Knowing that their formula isn’t perfect Google periodically changes these algorithms in an effort to provide searchers with the most relevant and accurate content. When this happens, it’s known as an “update,” which in…

• 5 Restaurant Food Trends from NRA

  Jason Stemm

  10 May 2012 | 11:47 am

  By Jason Stemm The annual restaurant show in Chicago offers a peak into the future if you know where to look. Smoked basmati rice, zero calorie noodles and All-Natural/Gluten-Free everything align with current trends, but where are things heading? Here are 5 areas to watch out for in 2012. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Nancy Kruse’s Menu Innovations session is not to be missed. Each year she highlights trends that are driving growth at foodservice. New menu items both limited and permanent were up significantly in 2011, and she anticipates that to continue as operators try to attract customers…

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  Webinar Marketing & Marketing Success With Webinars for Business

• Help My Testis Grow? (testimonials)

  contact@deanhunt.com (Dean Hunt)

  14 May 2012 | 10:45 am

    I need your help… If I have provided any value, info, entertainment etc at all over the past 6 years or so, could you please help me out by sharing your thoughts with me? I put together this video to explain more, and a short summary below the vid. Thankyou. Summary: Could you provide [...]

• The Most Difficult Path My Actually Be The Easiest Path

  contact@deanhunt.com (Dean Hunt)

  5 Apr 2012 | 3:11 pm

  Imagine this… you are looking for success, and you look at your options, there are two clear paths in front of you: Path A is the difficult path, it requires bravery, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and seems more likely to end in failure. Just the prospect of following this path terrifies you. Path [...]

• Comfort Zones are like Coffee

  contact@deanhunt.com (Dean Hunt)

  22 Mar 2012 | 11:16 am

  Have you ever wished you could do something that you are scared of doing? Ever wondered what you are capable of achieving if only that voice in your head didn’t keep talking you out of it? Today I had coffee for the first time in a few months… it hit me hard, my head feels [...]

• Never Up Never In

  contact@deanhunt.com (Dean Hunt)

  15 Mar 2012 | 9:28 am

  I can hear thousands of people saying “that’s what she said” as they read this…. (you cheeky readers)…   Here is the thing though… I used to play a LOT of golf, I was even trained by some PGA professionals, and they always had a saying when it came to the art of putting… “Never [...]

• How to Adapt to a New Culture or Country

  contact@deanhunt.com (Dean Hunt)

  14 Mar 2012 | 8:00 am

   In the past 5 years alone I have lived in 3 different countries and 7 different houses, I have lived in Spain (Madrid), northern and southern England, Nashville, and near the beach in Florida… What have I learned? What did I do completely wrong? What differences have I noticed? Let’s dive into all of this [...]

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  Christopher S. Penn : Awaken Your Superhero

• 2 stories about thinking outside the box

  Christopher S Penn

  16 May 2012 | 6:41 am

  I’ve spent the last two days at the Riverside Company’s annual summit and have been getting my head filled with truly unique perspectives about how businesses operate. Talk about an eye opening experience. While I can’t share any of the specifics of participants’ stories here, there are two generic stories that were shared that are examples of thinking far, far outside the box. A manufacturer of a durable good (I can’t remember which company it was) apparently was facing a plant closure due to environmental concerns. They were faced with having to close the plant…

• Changing the game may not be improving it

  Christopher S Penn

  15 May 2012 | 5:05 am

  Think carefully about the overused term “game-changing”. Let’s say you’re playing tennis, and the game isn’t going so well. You decide that you need a “game-changing move”, pull out a shotgun, and blast the ball out of the air. Have you changed the game? Absolutely. Have you changed it for the better? No, not to mention likely injuring the other player. The game has not improved, but it has changed. Business folks who use the term game-changing are indicating that the way they’re playing the game isn’t working right now, so they’re…

• The 4 kinds of numbers I look at daily

  Christopher S Penn

  14 May 2012 | 4:14 am

  In my daily routine, I’ve plotted out 4 kinds of numbers that I look at daily to see how things are going and give me an instant read on what I need to be focusing on. 1. Conversions: I look at the end results first. I look to see whether anything of value is being generated or not. Examples in your world might include sales, donors, or contributors. 2. Key performance indicators: These are the numbers that are directly connected to my end results. If sales are the end result, qualified leads are a key performance indicator because they’re directly connected, one step away.

• Book reviews: Influence, Deadly Sunset, Ninja Apprentice

  Christopher S Penn

  11 May 2012 | 4:23 am

  I’ve had a chance to read more than a few books I’ve bought or received lately, and I owe those authors reviews, so let’s dig in. If it weren’t obvious, I’m stuffing this post with affiliate links to Amazon, too. Just so we understand each other. Mark W. Schaefer’s Return on Influence I enjoyed Mark’s book quite a bit as I think he did a great job of looking at influence overall. He did his homework for sure, interviewing dozens of people and getting different perspectives on what constitutes influence in the digital age. He also explores Klout and…

• How to keep up with too many social networks

  Christopher S Penn

  10 May 2012 | 3:55 am

  DJ Waldow, Loren McDonald, Cassie Witt, and a few others asked the interesting question yesterday: “Are the growing demands of social media/networks weighing you down? At some point (I think) you have to choose those you get the most juice out of. What’s your take?” Here’s my take. Again, same disclaimer as my post the other day on content sharing: this is not “the right way” or a “best practice”. This is only how I handle it based on my limited time available each day and peculiar workflow. You should test and analyze for yourself. I take a…

• 

  Daily Blog Tips

• Burn the Bridges

  Daniel Scocco

  16 May 2012 | 6:37 am

  First of all keep in mind I don’t support or see as a positive thing the massacres that happened in Central and South America when Spain, Portugal and other European nations started colonizing the continent. Quite the opposite. That being said we can still learn from their strategic and military choices, and that is what this post is about. Hernán Cortés was the Spanish general who was responsible for the fall of the Aztec Empire and sub-sequent colonization of the Americas by Spain. His military technology was far superior, but the Aztec outnumbered his men, and they were fighting…

• The Verge Slams Internet Marketing Gurus

  Daniel Scocco

  14 May 2012 | 9:17 pm

  If you still haven’t seen the piece on The Verge where they slam some Internet marketing gurus pretty hard, well, grab some popcorn and visit the link below, cause you are in for a treat (whether you agree with the opinions of the article or not). The post is titled Scamworld: ‘Get rich quick’ schemes mutate into an online monster, and it runs for thousands of words with a very comprehensive view on the matter. Just to give you an idea on how they didn’t hold any punches: there are pictures and videos of some pretty famous Internet marketers (e.g., Frank Kern and Mike…

• How to Structure Your Posts (and Why You Need To)

  Ali Luke

  14 May 2012 | 4:30 am

  Do your posts seem to be a loose collection of ideas, in no particular order? When I’m coaching bloggers, one common problem that comes up is a lack of structure. During the drafting process, many writers simply sit down and type whatever comes into their head. That’s fine for a warm-up … but it’s not a very efficient way to create a blog post. Think of structure as the underlying framework for your posts. With a strong frame in place, your post won’t sag in the middle or have bits falling off at the edges: it’ll be easy for you to create, and easy for your readers to take in.

• Make Money On YouTube with Affiliate Marketing

  Daniel Scocco

  11 May 2012 | 7:52 am

  A couple of weeks ago I published a post explaining the basic process you need to go through if you want to become a YouTube partner, which allows you to display ads and monetize your uploaded videos. My buddy John Chow followed that post up with an explanation of his approach to YouTube monetization, which is quite different. In his post titled How to Make Money on YouTube John explains that in addition to the money he makes from the ad impressions on the video he also earns by placing affiliate links in the description of the videos. In fact he mentions that the affiliate links earn much…

• First Impressions on Websites Can Be Misleading

  Daniel Scocco

  9 May 2012 | 7:02 pm

  One thing that makes online marketing particularly complex (and interesting) is the fact that you can never be sure about what’s going on behind the scenes of a certain website. That is, you can’t know how many visitors the site has, how much it makes per month and so on. In fact sometimes the first impression you’ll get can be quite misleading, and here are some examples: Number of Comments Until a couple of years ago the average number of comments a blog would get per post was a good indicator of its traffic. Today, however, I don’t think this rule holds true. For…

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  THE BLOGGER'S BULLETIN

• How to Become a Person Who Takes Action

  Deb Lamb

  8 May 2012 | 12:11 pm

  Are you someone who spends more time thinking than doing? You’re not the only one. There are a lot of people who are more thought-oriented than action-oriented. This is not a personality trait that is set in stone. With some work, you can become a person who takes action instead of one who sits on the sidelines. When you find the methods that work best for you, stick with them. You might dwell in chaos and disorganization while more action-oriented people have it together and maintain their organization for anything-work, school, life, kids. Action people typically have more energy at the…

• How to Stay Positive When You’re Surrounded by Negativity

  Deb Lamb

  11 Apr 2012 | 12:28 pm

  If someone were to ask you, you would probably say that you were a pretty happy person. You try to keep a positive frame of mind and stay upbeat. It can be difficult, though, to maintain a positive mindset when you find yourself surrounded by negativity. Here are a few ways you can help keep your positive attitude whenever you look around and find that everyone else is being negative. It’s nothing personal. People can often get into the bad habit of talking negatively. It can be aimed directly at you or simply be about a myriad of other things that are going on in that person’s life.

• Submitting Your Articles Successfully

  Deb Lamb

  11 Apr 2012 | 7:20 am

  After you have written a few articles that you are proud to attach your name to, it is time for you to start submitting them to a few different article directories. There are hundreds of different online article directories that you can choose from. These can be either paid sites or free. Find article directories that are highly ranked in order to build traffic and enhance your notoriety. Selecting a few well-respected directories will allow you to reach the widest possible audience. Here are just a few of the best article directories to consider when you get ready to submit your articles:…

• Structuring Your Articles for Article Marketing Campaigns

  Deb Lamb

  30 Mar 2012 | 4:04 pm

  As soon as you figure out exactly what it is that article directories expect from your content, it is much simpler for you to structure your articles to meet those expectations. You will be able to get into a routine and follow a pattern for your articles, which will make it faster and easier for you to complete for submission. For the most part, article directories have very similar requirements in their submission guidelines. Each will require you to use proper grammar and spelling. Your content has to be unique and informative. The article lengths must typically be at least 400 words…

• 10 Quick Tips for Life Rejuvenation

  Deb Lamb

  30 Mar 2012 | 3:18 pm

  You’re in a rut. We’ve all been there. The only way to get out of it is to shake things up! Add some of that zest and exhilaration to your life that you’ve heard other people talking about. It doesn’t have to be anything drastic. Just find a few ways to bring some simple changes to your life and you will be amazed at how great you feel! Even one small change to your typical routine can make a world of difference in your attitude and your outlook on life. Here are ten ways that you can spice up your life right now: 1. Plan a special “renew and restore” day! Find a date on your…

• 

  the i.d.e.a. brand

• Lessons Brands can Learn from Mobile Apps and Gaming

  Ryan T.

  14 May 2012 | 4:17 pm

  Don’t we all just want to be entertained?  Might just be the reason both mobile apps and social engagement continue to grow like crazy. Chew on these stats: Angry Birds has hit one billion downloads, increasing Rovio’s revenues more than ten fold in 2011, soaring to $106 million Sales in the mobile phone/tablet gaming market in the U.S. more than doubled between 2005 and 2010 reaching $898 million, and according to Mintel are expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2015 Although ...

• Are You Answering Your Customer’s Questions?

  Indra

  11 May 2012 | 4:30 am

  Every year I return from the PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference all fired up with inspiration and new ideas. This year is no different. I need to tell you about Marcus Sheridan. Right now. Marcus, aka The Sales Lion, sells pools (well not that much anymore, but that was, and on some level still is, his business), but I would wager he knows more about content marketing than 75% of the people taking up space at agencies across the country. ...

• HangTen #281: Kick-off May With Movement

  Karin

  8 May 2012 | 11:02 am

  ‘Keeping our toes on the nose of refreshingly current trends, ideas and guerrilla tactics.’ To advance, progress, prompt, arouse, excite. These are just a few of the many definitions for the word “move,” the verb noticeably in the minds of marketers this month. This week we’ve noticed brands spark movement emotionally and others have taken a more physical approach. Get moved, moving, or move someone, it’s our challenge for you this month. 10 Must Text While Driving? We have all ...

• The Power of Children in Video

  Indra

  28 Apr 2012 | 2:57 pm

  Have you heard of Kony 2012? Of course you have. What about Caine’s Arcade? Or Niños Incómodos? These three videos have each hit a nerve resulting in strong viewership, pass along value and media coverage. What is the thread that binds these videos? Children. Each video had a very different goal but ultimately tapped into a common global reaction to the concept of hope. It is human nature to hope for the future of our children. Perhaps mixed with that ...

• HangTen #280: Harnessing Happiness

  Karin

  26 Apr 2012 | 2:25 pm

  ‘Keeping our toes on the nose of refreshingly current trends, ideas and guerrilla tactics.’ Whether in the form of subtle contentment or intense joy, we all demand a daily dose of happiness to maintain our sanity and achieve optimum health. Luckily, a number of businesses, brands and bosses are catching on and chipping in on our quests. They’re tackling the problems and shortcomings that often hinder, and or squash, our state of happiness. Check out the epic office morale boosting ...

• 

  Online Marketing Blog

• Interview: The Future of Cloud Marketing Software with Vocus CMO Jason Jue

  BLarson

  16 May 2012 | 4:50 am

  At TopRank Online Marketing, we are fortunate to provide consulting to quite a few innovative B2B companies that serve other marketers. A great example of that is PRWeb and parent company, Vocus, both long standing clients. In late 2011 Vocus welcomed Jason Jue as Chief Marketing Officer. As Vocus & PRWeb’s Account Manager at TopRank, I was keenly interested in getting to know Jason better and learning his plans for the future – and what better way than through an interview for all readers of Online Marketing Blog to see? In this interview Jason talks about the undeniable…

• Channel Your Internal Marketing Warrior: 4 Tips for Strengthening Your Marketing Plan

  Ashley Zeckman

  15 May 2012 | 3:25 am

  Release Your Internal Marketing Warrior In March of this year I made a decision: I wanted to get healthier.  The problem I have always faced is that I didn’t see the point of exercise, just for the sake of exercise.  Treadmills and stationary bicycles never did much for me, but I was looking for a way to regain some focus and start down a healthier path. About a month ago I spoke with my good friend Ali who had recently started a training program to become a yoga instructor.  She convinced me to attend a class with her and I even though I’ve done yoga before, this was an entirely new…

• 5 Ways to Optimize the Business Value of Attending Conferences

  Lee Odden

  14 May 2012 | 9:37 am

  Are you optimizing your conference experience? TopRank receives a lot of value from having me speak at conferences but you don’t have to be a speaker to realize a positive return from events. Small, large online or offline, there are numerous ways to optimize and maximize your return on conference involvment both in the short and long term. If your company is considering whether to send you to events because of uncertain return or benefits, show them the following list. In fact, if I were running a conference, I’d make sure these tips are shared with attendees, sponsors and…

• Online Marketing News: Take Action on Social Data, LinkedIn Gets the Scoop, Google Reigns Supreme, Google & Big Data for SEO

  Ashley Zeckman

  11 May 2012 | 3:35 am

  Actionable Social Analytics This recent infographic by awareness takes a dive into social analytics.  In an era where virtually every brand is online, it is essential that action is being taken off of the data we are collecting from social networks.  This infographic provides not only some of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that your company should be tracking, but how to calculate these numbers as well.  Examples of the KPI’s your company should be tracking: Brand Awareness & Reputation Marketing Program Effectiveness Lead Generation Effectiveness Use LinkedIn to Get Juicy…

• Holistic Optimization Across the Sales Cycle: Optimize Speaking Events May & June

  Lee Odden

  10 May 2012 | 8:08 am

  When you have a business that relies on attracting new business online the sheer volume of options can be confusing. Should offline advertising efforts transfer to online? Maybe email marketing? What about SEO or the hot topic, social media? So much focus is placed on tactics and channels, that a lot of misplaced digital marketing budget gets wasted or spent inefficiently. To bring some clarity to the myriad online marketing options available, I think it’s worth marketers taking a holistic approach that starts with an essential understanding of goals and customers. Who are your best…

• 

  The Anti-Social Media

• When to Join a New Social Network

  Jay

  14 May 2012 | 9:11 am

  People are making more social networks and normal people don’t  know what to do with them. I should know, because these networks send me every awful press release they write. FaceSpace just passed 200 users! We’re going to beat Facebook in the next millennium! Yeah. Right. So with so many crazy social networks popping out of every God-forsaken corner of the internet, how do you know when it’s time to join one of these new fangled social networks? You know a social network is worth its meddle when the network can be described in a  clear and concise way. If it takes…

• The Worst Facebook Ad Ever

  Jay

  10 May 2012 | 8:48 am

  I get bad Facebook ads every. single. day. Normally, they target me with awful stereotypes  because I’m gay. There’s nothing more exciting than logging into Facebook and seeing your newsfeed surrounded by an underwear party. Well, actually, that is pretty exciting, if you know what I mean. Then I got this image in a Facebook ad for a job searching tool: Oh. My God. This is the stuff of nightmares. Now, when I look at Facebook ads, I see this: Who in their right mind chose that image? It makes me want to stay the hell away from that ad and Facebook. For all I know, I’ll…

• Facebook Wants Your Delicious Organs

  Jay

  9 May 2012 | 8:51 am

  Facebook announced users could list themselves as organ donors on their timeline. This was met with immediate praise by zombies, cannibals, and people who are too short-sighted to see the awful truth behind this move. Soon, Facebook will become OrganBook. Doesn’t that have a lovely ring to it? Whatever the case, this is just another invasion of user’s privacy. Here are a few of the truly awful reasons Facebook wants you to declare that you are an organ donor Facebook is turning us into  flesh-eating zombies - Do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling the newsfeed? As we lose our…

• Content Creation is for Chumps.

  Jay

  24 Apr 2012 | 4:35 am

  You’ve probably heard from so-called content marketing gurus that you need to create your own original content to succeed online. That’s all lies. Unique ideas are for people who are too dumb to figure out how to repurpose someone else’s work. Someone else has already had your original idea. Now just make it work for you Stop creating. Give up while you’re ahead. Just steal everything you need. No one wants original content. Nobody wants to be entertained or educated. They don’t want to be delighted. They just want to see the same crap, day in and day out. So…

• Social Media is like Something

  Jay

  23 Apr 2012 | 4:44 am

  Have you heard about social media? Apparently, it’s a hot new thing, like Web 2.0 or the Information Superhighway. Well, I haven’t heard about social media yet, so I did some research. Social media is like something, but nobody know what that something is. For example: Social Media is like Chess. Social Media is like Marshmallow Peeps. Social Media is like a String Bikini. Social Media is like Ranch Dressing. What. The. Hell. Make up your damn minds! What the hell is social media like? A strategic game? Sexy clothing? Marshmallows covered in a fattening condiment? Social media is…

• 

  all the news that's fit to blog, tweet & post

• 26 Tips: My Latest A-Z Social Media Guide & Other News

  Debbie Hemley

  9 May 2012 | 6:01 am

  I’m pleased to have my 14th article on Social Media Examiner (SME) today!  If you’ve found your way here as a result of seeing the post on SME, welcome and thank you for visiting. By Way of Background: My first post was published on SME back on October 27, 2010 and since that time I’ve written a series of 26 tips, A-Z guides about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,blogs, lead generation, video, customer service, images, mobile apps, google+, pinterest, gamification, and now, location-based marketing. I’ve been writing about social media for the past five years and have seen…

• “Who Among Us”: A Finalist in Biographile’s Short Memoir Contest

  Debbie Hemley

  1 May 2012 | 5:57 pm

  A little over a year ago, after yet another friend in my writing for wellness group at Facing Cancer Together passed away, I wrote this short essay. I shared the piece with many friends at the time and a few months later, I put it away. That is until last week, when I came across the short memoir contest about “Overcoming Loss’ on Biographile’s website and on a whim, I decided to enter my piece. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be a finalist in the contest, to share my memories of the many friends I’ve lost along the way, and the challenges that come with…

• Google+ and Businesses

  Debbie Hemley

  1 May 2012 | 8:01 am

  My new post on GigCoin this week took me to Google+ where I explored the reasons why businesses have been turning to the platform and what they’ve found once they’ve landed there. For this post I heard from a number of small business contributors through HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and Kevin Purdy, author of Google+ The Missing Manual. The post also contains reference to resources: Google+ Magazine published by Andre, suggestions from Josh Lloyd, Cindy King, and getting started on Google+ help from Kristi Hines and Zach Bulygo. One of the personal benefits I receive from writing a…

• Shot@Life: An Integrated Social Media Campaign for World Immunization Week

  Debbie Hemley

  23 Apr 2012 | 5:58 pm

  This week I wrote about the new shot@life social media campaign for world immunization week via the United Nations Foundation. I’ve been writing about social media for a number of years now and this campaign was without a doubt the most thought out and planned one I’ve ever seen. In addition to the fact that this is an extremely important and good cause to support, people who are trying to understand how to leverage a social media campaign will learn a lot from the steps that the UN Foundation has taken to get the word out. Take a moment to check out the post on GigCoin.

• Pinterest and Brands: How They Work Together

  Debbie Hemley

  17 Apr 2012 | 5:33 am

  In a new post published today on GigCoin, I had an opportunity to reach out to a number of brands via HARO who have created presences on Pinterest to find out what has made the platform a good place for them to be. The post also includes a Q&A with Kelly Lieberman who has spent considerable time taking a look at brands and Pinterest. Check out the full post on GigCoin.

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  One Social Media

• The Essence of Branding With Marty Neumeier

  Mike Bal

  16 May 2012 | 10:20 am

  Tweet I was recently fortunate enough to pick the brains of one of the most respected names in branding, Marty Neumeier. Marty has authored a series of three “whiteboard overview” books, titled THE BRAND GAP, ZAG, and THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY, which have been hailed as breakthroughs by Fast Company, BusinessWeek, and Harvard Business Review. ZAG was recently named one of “The Top 100 Business Books of All Time.” You might be thinking that branding doesn’t have a lot to do with social media. If that’s the case, you’re wrong. Your brand is incredibly important to…

• The Easiest Way To Build Brand Buzz Online

  Rob Wormley

  14 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  TweetAccording to a recent Wikipedia search I did, there are about 157 fast food restaurant chains in the great United States of America today. That’s a lot of burgers and fries. As both a consumer and a foodie, I’m constantly thinking about where I can go to get my next delicious meal. So how do I usually decide? I take out my iPhone and do what I like to call a little ‘social investigating’. I consult apps/sites like Yelp for reviews, I use Google to find restaurant websites and menus, and I look to see if the place I’m interested in has a presence on the…

• Friday Clicks [Volume 25] | The Best of the Social Web

  Jeremy Anderberg

  11 May 2012 | 9:53 am

  TweetIt’s nearly Mother’s Day. Have you bought a card? A nice present? Maybe a box of chocolates? Either way, you gotta remember to call not only Mom, but also Grandma, Great-Grandma and any other women in your life who has had an impact on you. Fo real. Do it. Mothers (and women in general) do not get enough credit in our world. Take some time to thank them this weekend and do something nice for them. The Links: Mobile websites are going to continue to become more and more important for marketers. It’s like a breath of fresh air when I come across a great mobile site (take…

• Diversify Your Social Media Portfolio

  Tom Hummer

  9 May 2012 | 2:40 pm

  TweetIn high-school speech class, we’re taught that speeches typically have at least one of three purposes: to entertain, to inform, or to persuade. Whether it’s Dane Cook doing stand-up comedy, a campaigning politician at a rally, or a professor giving a geology lecture, if somebody’s talking, it fits into one of these categories. But this isn’t limited to spoken word– the same can be said for almost anything written, including social media. Try going to your Twitter feed, reading through the top ten tweets, and figuring out which category each tweet belongs in.

• Friday Clicks [Volume 24] | The Best of the Social Web

  Jeremy Anderberg

  4 May 2012 | 9:37 am

  TweetThis was a week of reflection, as it was the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama Bin Laden. 2011 really marked the cementing of Twitter, and social media as a whole, as a (mostly) reliable news source. Two of last year’s biggest news stories broke first on social media – with the Japan earthquake/tsunami and then Bin Laden’s death. I distinctly remember watching the tweets flow into feed and being shocked at how quickly the news could spread. What a year it’s been. The Links: The Guiness QR glass – claiming to be the world’s first…

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  Social @ Blogging Tracker

• 20+ Overlooked Facebook Timeline Tips You Must Know!

  Ching Ya

  8 May 2012 | 8:05 am

  Tweet For those of you who know me, I’m all about ‘details’ when it comes to step by step how-to’s. This week, I’m going to chill a bit as I’m taking a few days off to spend some quality time with my little girl –  she’s 6 months old now and learning how to crawl! So if you could bear with this new mom, I promise more quality content is on the way. Be sure to stay subscribed so you won’t miss it! Without further ado, I’ll share with you some Facebook tips I bookmarked over the months, courtesy of Social @ Blogging Tracker Page. Hopefully they will improve your…

• 9 Steps to Social Media Success for Your Small Business

  Ching Ya

  25 Apr 2012 | 8:03 am

  TweetThis is a guest post by Dominique Molina. Image: MR LIGHTMAN / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Social media has become the centerpiece of how many people use the Internet, and how they do business. When someone needs to find a local business, they’re more likely today to ask around on Facebook than they are to dig out the Yellow Pages. Small businesses that want to get ahead and stay relevant need to tap into the power of social media. Yet, sometimes it’s hard to know where to get started. You can spend hours on Twitter trying to promote your business, without any tangible results. That’s…

• Top 5 Tips to Protect Your Privacy from Facebook Timeline Apps

  Ching Ya

  16 Apr 2012 | 7:10 am

  Tweet I have mixed feelings when it comes to using Facebook applications: I love how effective they are to enhance my Page presence and experiences; but at the same time worry about how much personal data I’ve given out to the developers. Truth is, the more I’m exposed to Facebook applications, the more I realize the importance for everyone to know how to protect their accounts from unwanted apps. Let’s face it, it’s hard to completely shield off from Facebook apps. We need them to some extent in connecting with our Facebook friends. Even so, there are some important tips you should…

• 25 Timeline Ready Apps for Enhancing Your Facebook Page

  Ching Ya

  4 Apr 2012 | 5:21 am

  Tweet For page managers who know how to work with Facebook apps, the new Timeline layout for Pages is a great opportunity to highlight their application tab for maximum visibility and increase click through rates. But for those who aren’t, finding those timeline ready apps can be a massive headache. Before adding any facebook applications to your Timeline (layout) page, there are a few things you should know: NOT all facebook applications are suitable for your Page NOT all facebook applications are free Understand the use of each app before installing Understand each approved facebook app…

• 18 More Creative Tips to Fire Up Your Facebook Page Cover Photo

  Ching Ya

  20 Mar 2012 | 3:26 am

  TweetNote: this is a sequel to ‘15 Creative Tips to Rock Your Timeline Cover Photo for Facebook Pages’. Everyone is busy converting their Facebook Pages into Timeline layout before the official roll out on 30th March. Cover photo continues to be a major issue for many as inspirations are few to occupy that 851×315 pixels spot for brand visibility. Due to that, I’ve decided to write a sequel to earlier post, hopefully 18 more of these tips (with 50+ cover photos from non-big-brand pages) and a BONUS tip near the end can assist you in firing up your new Timeline page layout. Buckle up…

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  VIRALBLOG.COM » Viral ideas.Trends. Inspiration

• 11 Incredible Mobile Marketing Statistics

  Jason Wells

  16 May 2012 | 8:08 am

  Mobile marketing is changing the way marketers, brands, agencies and consumers think about marketing. Smart phones have changed the dynamic forever. No matter whether marketers care about social media, local marketing, email marketing, e-commerce, phone calls or web traffic—mobile marketing is changing them all. If you don’t believe that mobile is changing marketing forever…you’re wrong. Hopefully a few of these stats will open your eyes. There are 7 billion people on Earth. 5.1 billion own a cell phone. 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. (Mobile Marketing Association Asia, 2011) It takes…

• Boobstagram: The Instagram Of Boobs

  Laurens Bianchi

  15 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Creative concepts with the objective to raise awareness around Breast Cancer are always interesting, not just only for the good cause. Normally October is the month when these concepts pop-up on the net. But thanks to the efforts of two Frenchmen, awareness of the cause is coming throughout the whole year. In October 2011, the two created this super simple Tumblr website filled with Instagram boob shots: Boobstagram. It’s all becoming much clearer to me now why Facebook bought Instagram… The more experienced Instagram users might have noticed a few times: boobs and asses may…

• Weekly Recap #19

  Martin Michalik

  14 May 2012 | 1:52 am

  Time flies and since it’s not easy to follow, read and catch-up with everything, we bring you a Weekly Recap from ViralBlog: all of the past week in one place. Last week on ViralBlog among others “Infographic&Video: Instagram By The Numbers”, “A Marketer’s Guide To Pinterest” and “Email Productivity: How To Get Shit Done”. A Marketer’s Guide To Pinterest All eyes are still on Pinterest, the social network that lets users collect and share images found on the Web by “pinning” them on virtual pinboards. This great infographic video shows how…

• Email Productivity: How To Get Shit Done

  Adria Saracino

  13 May 2012 | 9:38 am

  Improving productivity is a never-ending discussion among the business community. Employers want to know how to make their team more efficient and employees want to get more done in less time (so they can work less). There are countless resources out there – everything from tools and articles to actual productivity coaches. Simply Business culled together these resources into an interactive graphic that covers productivity in five different time-sucking areas: Collaboration Travel Email Meetings Workload Click image to open interactive version What I found to be the most useful guide was…

• The Crisis Brings Out The Best In Us

  Dimphy van Heusden

  12 May 2012 | 7:18 am

  Last weekend I wandered across the Utrechtsestraat in Amsterdam. Unfortunately the street is broken up by road works, but nevertheless the street has something peaceful. At this street you will find no branches of the large chains, but only small and self-employed stores. The stores vary from travel shop to mini market (really, the last time I saw such a shop was is Marrakech, where they sell groceries from garage boxes). It is striking how much supply of organic, fair-trade and second-hand there are these days. For years there is research in the coherence between economy and individuality.

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  pamorama

• Does Social Media Improve Google Organic Search Ranking?

  Pam Dyer

  12 May 2012 | 3:55 pm

  If you manage a website, you know the importance of search engine rankings. Since more than 90% of all online traffic is driven by search results, search engine optimization can be vital to businesses. If your site appears on the first page of Google results, it can make a huge difference in brand recognition, sales, and [...]

• Using Google+ for Business [Infographic]

  Pam Dyer

  28 Apr 2012 | 3:55 pm

  I have to admit that I’ve had misgivings about Google+ since it launched last September. How many other social media initiatives has Google rolled out, only to have them die on the vine because of poor execution, lousy interfaces, and decreasing attention from Google developers? Wave and Buzz come to mind, among others. And it’s yet another silo for social [...]

• Top 12 Social Media Insights for Nonprofits in 2012

  Pam Dyer

  15 Apr 2012 | 4:42 pm

  Blackbaud, NTEN, and Common Knowledge have released their fourth annual Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report, a yearly analysis of how nonprofits are using social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. This year’s report highlights 12 key social media insights for nonprofits that are intended to help the sector become more effective at using social media [...]

• Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing [Infographic]

  Pam Dyer

  31 Mar 2012 | 2:28 pm

  The Web has empowered consumers in many ways, giving them new methods for finding, researching, and buying products. Marketing communication as a two-way dialogue emerged in response to these changes in behavior. People no longer rely solely on TV/newspaper/magazine ads, billboards, direct mail, email, banner ads, and other traditional outbound marketing channels to learn about new products. [...]

• Using Facebook’s Timeline for Business [Infographic]

  Pam Dyer

  20 Mar 2012 | 2:58 pm

  All Facebook Timelines will convert to the new format on March 30th, so it’s time to take charge of your business page to get the best results. Facebook has many resources to help you, including: The Pages Overview Guide (PDF) The full Pages Product Guide (PDF) The Pages Learning video, a walk-through with Facebook’s product experts Social [...]

• 

  SocialTimes

• Roundtable: Decoding Taste Through Social Graphs

  Devon Glenn

  16 May 2012 | 9:18 am

  NEW YORK – Whether users are shopping, browsing, or talking about their interests online, the success of the social graph depends on how well companies can interpret the results and use them to predict behavior, said experts at the APPNATION NYC Mobile + TV 3.0 Summit in SoHo this afternoon. continued… New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

• Casablanca To Stream Free Tonight On Facebook At 7PM

  Megan O'Neill

  16 May 2012 | 8:31 am

  Casablanca, the classic 1942 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, turns 70 this year.  To celebrate, Warner Bros. will be screening the film for free tonight, Wednesday May 16, 2012, on Facebook. continued… New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

• Turner Broadcasting Invests In Funny Or Die To “Give People a Laugh Anywhere, Anytime and on Any Device”

  Megan O'Neill

  16 May 2012 | 7:24 am

  Today Turner Broadcasting, home of TBS and Adult Swim, is announcing a strategic partnership with social video site Funny Or Die.  Lost Remote’s Cory Bergman reports that Turner has made a minority investment in the company, which was co-founded by Will Ferrell in 2007. continued… New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

• Roundtable: The Future of the App Economy

  Devon Glenn

  16 May 2012 | 6:13 am

  NEW YORK – Sustainable revenue was on everyone’s mind at the APPNATION NYC Mobile + TV 3.0 Summit in SoHo this morning. continued… New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

• Pinsanity Makes Fun of Pinterest [Video]

  Neil Vidyarthi

  16 May 2012 | 4:27 am

  Imagine someone stole your cupcake or scarf, and then pinned it on their wall.  Imagine they took your quotes, shoes or gardening ideas and pinned them to a literal wall.  Well, you don’t have to, just check out what happens when a Pinterest obsessive goes looney in this new Pinterest video by Comediva. continued… New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

• 

  AdamVincenzini.com

• Tick tock! 10 'real-time' photo search engines

  14 May 2012 | 6:02 am

  Thanks to services like Twitter and Instagram, and the global 'smartphone saturation' phenomenon, live reporting from big events has never been easier. No longer do we have to rely on professionals delivering content and images from these events, we have our extended social networks doing this for us. And, because so many of these updates get fired into the 'public' timeline, virtually any update from anywhere can be found and shared in a matter of seconds. But, with all of this content creation happening, who is making sense of it, giving it some order and structure? You, of course. But,…

• 10 Mandatory Ingredients of Online Video Content (Part One)

  12 May 2012 | 3:55 pm

  This definition of 'great online video content' has to be one of the most subjective definitions in existence. How many times have you heard someone say: "We've produced some great video content for our client."  And then you watch it and shake your head (until it nearly falls off). Is this 'great video content' claim simply based on personal preference and / or original client buy-in? Probably (sadly). Who ultimately decides? The public, of course, but how can you predict performance before hitting publish? Side note: If you only use video in an ad hoc manner (as opposed to treating it…

• Report: Soccer Rules Australian Football Leagues On Facebook*

  9 May 2012 | 12:05 pm

  Sport is a huge part of Australian culture. I was privileged enough to experience this as a marketer of Australia's favourite sport, Cricket, for a number of years (at Cricket Australia). It has filled me with great pride to see the way in which Cricket (in Australia) has embraced (and pioneered) social and digital media under the direction of some old colleagues of mine. Naturally, I've also kept an eye on Australia's three most popular Football 'codes' - AFL (Aussie Rules), NRL (Rugby League) and The A-League (Football / Soccer). And, while there are several HUGE caveats in what you're…

• 10 Innovative Examples of Traditional Media Using Social Media

  6 May 2012 | 12:00 am

  Traditional media outlets are often criticised for not having embraced social media in the way other organisations have around the world. There's a pretty simple explanation for this - the fundamental purpose of traditional media outlets/ brands is to sell advertising space in exchange for exposure to an audience (via content). When that isn't your main source of income, 'giving away' content is a lot easier to swallow which is why automotive, drinks and fashion brands are so fond of social. However, the smarter operators have realised that they can use social media channels and tools,…

• Using the New 'Engagement Rate' Formula to Measure Facebook Page Performance

  5 May 2012 | 6:07 am

  There is still A LOT of confusion out there about what constitutes a 'good' Facebook page. Sure, 'likes' are an obvious popularity metric and a powerful 'trust mark' - if you visit a page with big 'like' numbers you are more inclined to join that page and be receptive to the content being shared. But (and it's a good 'un), this doesn't tell you ANYTHING about how well the page is being managed or how the community interacting with the content being provided. Facebook have tried to make this more obvious with metrics like 'talking about this' (the number of people who have actively…