…I did a post on ‘top 10 tactics and tools for tightening your tribe‘ with social media. ‘Tightening your tribe’? What the heck does that mean. Well, in order to understand the reference you’d have to drill down on Seth Godin‘s book ‘Tribes‘ which I have been reading over and over again this summer. Here’s what the summary in Google Books says about it:

In this fascinating book, Seth Godin argues that now, for the first time, everyone has an opportunity to start a movement – to bring together a tribe of like-minded people and do amazing things. There are tribes everywhere, all of them hungry for connection, meaning and change. And yet, too many people ignore the opportunity to lead, because they are “sheepwalking” their way through their lives and work, too afraid to question whether their compliance is doing them (or their company) any good. This book is for those who don’t want to be sheep and instead have a desire to do fresh and exciting work. If you have a passion for what you want to do and the drive to make it happen, there is a tribe of fellow employees, or customers, or investors, or readers, just waiting for you to connect them with each other and lead them where they want to go. 

Seth says that in order to start your movement, all you need is the message and the tools to share it. When he discusses social media, he refers to it as a tool for ‘tightening your tribe’, hence the title of my series. Godin does not, however elucidate on tactics and tools much beyond mentioning Facebook, Twitter, and Basecamp…

Being the social media tactician that I am, I decided to mindmap those tools and for the next 10 weeks starting on Monday, there’ll be an original post to the series. Stay tuned! I’ll work hard to make it worth your while!

This afternoon, I thought I was heading to a personal digital coaching session on Google Reader for local anchorwoman Erin Davisson of WFRV TV in Green Bay. Instead, unbeknownst to me, it was Erin’s intention to interview me for an upcoming news segment…

Fortunately, I’m always ready to talk about the power of ‘personal news aggregation’ using Google Reader and I had no trouble giving Erin 50x more content than she’ll ever be able to use! Erin was also kind enough to give me a tour of the studio and sit for this picture. Now I’ll have to ask her to autograph my blog…

:-)

PS Be sure to tune in Tuesday the 14th at 5:00 to see the segment!

Image representing HubSpot as depicted in Crun...
Image via CrunchBase

I had a great connect with an old friend who is a real estate rockstar in Barrington, IL. She’s not willing to accept anything less than being the dominant player in her industry and she’s looking at social media as a way to help her accomplish her objectives. Couldn’t help but think of her when I saw this article…

“Brian Halligan is the founder and CEO of HubSpot, an Internet marketing software company that helps small and medium-sized businesses get found on the Internet and converts website visitors into leads and customers. He is also the author of Inbound Marketing: Get Found In Google, Blogs, and Social Media.

It used to be that you could efficiently grow your businesses by interrupting potential customers with outbound marketing methods like cold calls, email spam, and advertising. Today people and businesses are tired of being the targets of so much outbound marketing and they’re getting better and better in blocking it out.

At the same time, people and businesses have fundamentally changed the way they shop and learn, turning more and more to Google, social media sites and blogs to find what they want. Inbound marketing helps companies take advantage of these shifts by helping them get found by customers in the natural way in which they shop and learn. The following are Brian’s five steps to help you get “get found.”” Source: How to Get Found : The World :: American Express OPEN Forum

You can go to the source and read more, but just in case, those 5 ways are:

  1. Be remarkable
  2. Create content
  3. Optimize content
  4. Promote content
  5. Measure results

As for my old friend, she certainly has 1 and 2 down cold — I’m hoping to get the chance to help her with numbers 3-5… ;-)

In the meantime you can use the site tools [comments, contact form, call button] to contact me if YOU are an entrepreneur who wants to be found!

Image representing WiseStamp as depicted in Cr...
Image via CrunchBase

Things we’ve been tracking in the past 24 hours…

 

Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase

Things we’ve been tracking in the past 24 hours…

 

This icon, known as the "feed icon" ...
Image via Wikipedia
Google Reader is the killer app for ‘personal news aggregation’ for ‘thought leadership’ marketing. It all comes down to effectively managing rss feeds…

What is RSS?
An RSS Reader is a simple and easy way to read your favorite news site or blogs. Instead of going out to these site to read the most recent stories or posts, the newest stuff comes to you, all in one simple page. Even more convenient is having a Reader which is online, reaching it from any place in the world.

In my eyes Google Reader is one of the best online RSS Readers on the web. For the first time user, just getting used to the whole RSS thing, this post will talk about: a) How to subscribe to a feed b) view your feeds c) the cool features built into Google Reader and d) just some nifty little tricks you can use while you’re at it. Remember, being a master of your RSS feeds is also a very important way to build up and maintain powerful social media accounts :)

The first thing you would have to do, is head over to reader.google.com and sign up for a free account. From there, you would want to start building up your subscriptions.

You can follow the ‘via’ link above if you’re just getting started with Google Reader…

Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase

Things we’ve been tracking in the past 24 hours…

 

Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...
Image via CrunchBase

Last week, I finally got control over my Facebook place and immediately I went to merge it with my page. No joy! I brought the issue to the attention of Facebook and this was there response: “We are aware of the problem that you described and apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, we do not have a specific date for when this issue will be resolved but hope to fix it as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience.”

Is it possible to love a phone? Oh, yes — I looove both of these… 

The Nexus S 4G from Google offers a stripped-down Android experience free from unnecessary pre-installed ‘bloatware’ apps common on many other phones. This highly customizable device is ‘pure Google’ and many Android users will prefer this experience to the bells and whistles other manufacturers load onto their phones. It can still take advantage of Sprint’s 4G WiMax network, offers a beautiful 4-inch slightly curved display, and will always be the first phone to get Google’s Android software updates. For hardcore Android users who want to keep things pure, this a great choice.

The HTC EVO 4G was the nation’s first 4G phone, and though it is a year or so old and is likely to get superseded by the EVO 3D later this month, it still packs a fair old punch. Sporting a large, bright 4.3” screen, this phone lets you take advantage of Sprint’s speedy 4G WiMax network. You’re also likely to find your monthly cellular bills with Sprint are lower if you choose your plan carefully. With an expected update to Android’s 2.3 Gingerbread operating system in the next few days, the EVO 4G will still keep you ahead of the pack for a while yet.

For almost a year, I was thrilled with the Evo but then Cindy Otley of Sprint in Green Bay tempted me with the Nexus S. Never have I been more ecstatic about a device — or at least not in recent memory! With more speed, more memory and less crapware, the Nexus S is the Android phone that beats them all, especially when combined with the Sprint network. Call the Oneida St. Store @ (920) 497-2181 ‎and let Cindy hook you up…

Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase

Let me count the ways…

“When technologists of the future look back in time, they’ll remember 2009 as the year Google got serious about an internet operating system, speeding up the web, and indexing EVERYTHING in sight. Take a look at the year 2009 in Google.” Source: This Year in Google: The 2009 Edition – Google – Lifehacker

No company produces more good, empowers me more, or innovates more. Go to the source for a reminder of what Google delivered this year…

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

It’s an online magazine rack with many of the world’s top sources gathered together by category. It’s an excellent place to shop for great content for Google Reader, too!

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 16:  Eric Schmidt, ...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

All the topics that interest US in the past 24 hours…

 

Groupon logo.
Image via Wikipedia

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has announced that the search giant will launch its Groupon competitor on Wednesday, starting with Portland.

The news that Google is getting into the daily deals space is not a surprise. Google attempted and failed to acquire Groupon for $6 billion last year. A few months later, Mashable exclusively learned that Google was developing a Groupon competitor called Google Offers.

At the D9 Conference in Palos Verdes, California, Schmidt and Stephanie Tilenius, Google’s VP of commerce, demonstrated the company’s new product. It’s just like Groupon in that it provides users a daily deal from “thousands of merchant partners.” Google showed off a deal for $10 worth of Floyd’s coffee for $3 on stage.

The big selling point for Google Offers is that it will integrate seamlessly with Google Wallet, the company’s NFC-based payment system launching this summer. Instead of printing out a coupon or barcode, completed offers are put into a user’s Google Wallet, where they are automatically saved and redeemable. Eventually they will be utilized automatically through NFC.

Google Offers will be available Wednesday in Portland and eventually will roll out to New York, San Francisco and other cities during the summer.

Bye, bye Groupon…

Image representing Google Reader as depicted i...
Image via CrunchBase

Are you still getting email newsletters? I’m doing everything I can to eliminate them and keep my inbox for ‘just in time’ information only. Wait! Where do I get the information which was contained in those newsletters? Through newsfeeds. Here’s a post that might help you get started…

“Do you have a huge number of blog and news feeds in your feedreader that you can’t possibly keep up with on a daily basis? Or, on the other end of the spectrum, have you resisted deciphering those three little letters, RSS, and continue to check your bookmarked links regularly to see if your favorite web pages have updated?

Now there is a new — and incredibly simple — solution. Guy Kawasaki, whom I used to read in Macworld Magazine when he was the original brand evangelist, recently started a new network of websites called Alltop.com. Based on the popurls model, the sites — each focusing on a specific topic — show the latest five posts from a wide range of news sources and blogs covering that topic, all on one page. Topics include celebrities, health, “green,” social media, small business and many others.

I suggested to Guy that he create a “nonprofit” topic and worked with him to identify news and blog feeds that should be included. And that’s how nonprofit.alltop.com was born.”

Whether you take the Alltop approach or use the free Google Reader to subscribe to feeds — just do it! Getting newsletters out of your inbox and into your browser is a great way to resist following the rabbit trail of an interesting newsletter in the middle of your work. Save your inbox for action and your newsreading for a newsreader! Contact me if you’re interested in learning how to make the switch…

Image representing Steve Ballmer as depicted i...
Image via CrunchBase

All the topics that interest US in the past 24 hours…

 


Image via Wikipedia

Firefox is my primary browser, although I use them all…

“What makes Firefox different? Most importantly, we’re open. That means anyone around the world (and we have thousands of experts watching our back) is able to look into our code and find any potential weak spots in our armor. 

And when we hear about a problem, we roll up our sleeves and get to work fixing it right away. It’s in your best interest (and ours) to take care of the issue, even if it means admitting we’re a little less than perfect.

Simply put, your security is our top priority.” Source: Mozilla Products | Security

Besides security in addition, it’s one of the fastest browsers available and it’s the most extensible. Second favorite? Google’s Chrome. Least favorite? The one most people use: Internet Explorer. Ask me why!

Lifehacker
Image via Wikipedia

All the topics that interest US in the past 24 hours…

 

Benjamin Franklin
Image via Wikipedia

All the topics that interest US in the past 24 hours…

 

a chart to describe the search engine market
Image via Wikipedia
Concerned about best practices for search engine optimization [seo]?

The primary goal of your search engine optimization (SEO) is to drive relevant people that are interested in your industry or company to your website.  If you follow SEO than you know how fast things change.  You also know how hard it can be to keep all with these changes.

SEO is actually a relatively simple technique that requires small changes based on major changes the search engines announce. I bold major changes because the changes really need to be major to affect your overall website rankings and SEO strategy.

Here are nine SEO techniques that you should always follow regardless of the changes the search engines are continuously making.

You can follow the ‘via’ link above to go to the source and read the rest of the article if you’re interested in learning more…

Cloud computing icon
Image via Wikipedia
Cloud computing offers a lot of benefits to small-medium business and other cost conscious organizations. Here’s how you can avoid some of the risks…

With Cloud Computing becoming more widely utilized, it is important for organizations to understand ways to maximize benefits and minimize risks of a move to the cloud. This paper details the significant benefits that Cloud Computing brings and provides guidance to IT decision makers to help their decision making process. This is especially important given the plethora of vendors in the marketplace today. Buyers need to appreciate that assessing individual providers is critical to the success of Cloud Computing programs.

Go to the source to read the article: rackspace.com

If you seriously want to understand the benefits [and pitfalls] of cloud computing, go to the source. If you want to apply the benefits and avoid the pitfalls in your organization, ‘connect with me’ to discuss your scenario…

Google Calendar is a contact- and time-managem...
Image via Wikipedia

The folks at Lifehacker took a poll on the top calendaring applications. Here are the results…

“Nothing’s more important to your productivity arsenal than a solid scheduling tool, and considering so much of what we do happens at the computer, a good calendar application is just the thing to bring order to your agenda. On Tuesday we asked you to share your favorite calendar application, and today we’re back with the five most popular answers. Keep reading for a detailed look at the top five and to cast your vote for the calendar tool you like best.” Source: Hive Five: Five Best Calendar Applications 

Me? I use Google calendars — the free one associated with my Google account as well as my business calendar in Google Apps. Go to the source to read the whole article — it’s worth it!

Start a Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑