hold on to your hats people

I’m leaving my little island tomorrow and heading to the big one. That would be Manhattan. I’m just a little bit excited.

I’m going to NYC for a benefit honoring the Bonobo Conservation Intitiative and featuring one of my favorite clients, Bonobo Kids. Here’s the flyer for the event. If you’re in NYC, I’d love to see you there.

don’t blog alone

Now, why would you want to do that? The point of blogging is to start and be part of a conversation (and not with yourself). Successful blogs share information, provide guidance, make people think and create relationships. Blogging is networking – each blogger reaching out from their own piece of the internet.

Here’s how to not blog alone:

1. Ask questions on your blog, write as if you are having a conversation, reach out to your audience.

2. Read other blogs. What are other people blogging about – in your industry, in tangent industries, in your areas of interest?

3. Comment on other people’s blogs. Let them know you were there. Sure, they have stats that count visitors, but that is so cold and mathematical – there is nothing like hearing from real people. I have met some of the most wonderful people by starting conversations with other bloggers.

4. Spread the word. Participate in social networking and social bookmarking sites – tell us what’s good and what’s not, let your opinion be heard. Do it – if you see something good, share it…many blogs have bookmarking shortcuts right there at the end of their posts (see below for a stunning example of this technique).

5. Be nice. No one likes a negative, mean-spirited, rude, self-serving, spamming creature. If you don’t like something, that’s fine…walk away quietly and don’t come back – that’s your prerogative. You can have differing opinions, but don’t hurt people.

6. Keep writing. One of my favorite business coaches, Bonnie Marcus, talks about ‘connecting with passion and purpose’ – she’s talking about sales, but I like to apply it to blog writing/authoring. If you write with purpose about your passions, you will attract people with the same passion and purpose (or at least a good dose of respect for your passion and purpose).

7. Give good blog. Seriously, good content, real information and the pursuit of conversation and community – these things bring bloggers together.

What did I forget? You tell me, how do you not blog alone?

does google know everything that i do online?

Ummmm….Yes. Your internet participation is recorded in total for better or for worse: web pages, blogs, comments, emails (in some cases), reviews, social network pages, profiles…and on and on.

• When people talk about you, it is duly noted and forever findable.
• When you talk, it is duly noted and forever findable.

For Better.

1. This increases your site ranking, your visibility, your importance in the web world.

2. People can find you, in other words, your searchability also shoots up.

For Worse.

1. Everything is recorded – this means even emails in some cases – depending on the sort of server they exist on (for instance, some community servers are live, online and searchable).

2. People change, grow up, get smarter…but those old emails, web pages, blogs, comments are cached and keep hanging on.

What to do.

Well, you can erase cached pages, but I’ve heard it’s a pain. Better yet, look ahead. Be very mindful of your web presence. Think before you speak/write/post/share/comment. Without becoming a paranoid freak, try to remember that people will see what you do online…

Remember, web participation is vital to online marketing, so don’t stop…just interact responsibly.

what’s going on at Technorati?

It’s been several days now that Technorati favorites have been down…if anyone out there knows what’s going on or when it should be back up and running, I’d love to hear all about it…

do I need a copywriter? (prizes included)

Important question, here’s a questionnaire to help you decide:

1. Are you a start-up or are you adding a new product, service or branch to your business? If you are, you will need to create marketing collateral (content and design) to tell the world about your new venture. This can be done through a new web page, website, brochure, blog or with advertising and/or live and online social networking. And the content is critical: if people can’t easily understand and get excited about your new business – your announcement is useless.

2. Does your business need a face lift, a new perspective or a lifeline out of the 80’s? Using a professional writer is a great way to rehab your message and your marketing plan. If you can talk about what’s current, a good copywriter should be able to capture your excitement and expertise, add solid research and pull it together with their new perspective.

3. Are you so busy running your business that you have no time to market your business? A copywriting/marketing professional can handle this for you – and, I encourage you to let him/her. I’m a strong believer that people should do what they know. Why spread yourself thin trying to learn another profession…hire someone else to do that – your industry needs you right where you are.

4. Can you write? For many people, the thought of a blank page is Terrifying (yes, with a capital ‘T’). The stress it causes is bad enough…how about the time wasted while you stare at the computer and/or do everything in the world to avoid this writing task that looms heavily over your shoulder. (Think eating everything in the kitchen, watching 50 youtube videos in a row or playing online solitaire for five hours until you win.)

5. Do you think you can write? I hate to be harsh here, but…to quote one of my favorite movies, ‘Everyone thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor, but they couldn’t possibly all.” [First one to guess the movie, gets a prize - one of my favorite writing books of all time!] Same goes for writing – many think they can, and they can’t. Ask someone who will tell you the truth, better yet, ask a few people (not your mother). Get some honest opinions. If you can write, write. If you can’t write, call a professional copywriter.

6. Do you want to blow the competition out of the water? In the world of Web 2.0, content is critical. You may know your industry, but you have to be able to communicate with words to make the social web work for you – or to make any marketing effort work for you. A professional copywriter who understands social bookmarking, social networking and blogging, can take your business somewhere that your competition hasn’t even considered going. And, if they have gone there, well then, you’re still in the game.

7. Do you need a marketing department, but can’t afford to keep one? This is the beauty of freelance. You don’t need to pay the freelance copywriter’s vacation, health insurance and other benefits. This is fee for service, pay for what you get…whenever you need it.

web 2.0: if I give it away for free, how do I make my money?

I admit, it does seem a bit backward, this whole 2.0 thing. Basically, you give away top-notch information, via your content – articles, video, etc. – and then you become a wild success…but the question that comes up over and over again, is ‘HOW?’ How do you make money if you are giving away your expertise for free?

I love what I just found, because it gives such a great example of how 2.0 works and it essentially answers this question. Ron Miller spoke to David Meerman Scott, who is the author of the bestselling book The New Rules of Marketing & PR (and also a fellow Contributing Editor at EContent Magazine)…and David illustrated the point with this:

“This idea is not new. Starting in the 1960s, the Grateful Dead encouraged concertgoers to record their live shows by establishing “taper sections” where fans’ equipment could be set up for the best sound quality. The band encouraged Deadheads to trade tapes and make copies for friends. The cult of a Grateful Dead concert became a pre-Internet World Wide Rave driving millions to the band’s live shows over thirty years of touring and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. “

Brilliant. That’s exactly it. You give it away for free, so people take it. IF THE CONTENT IS GOOD (mind you this is a rather large necessity for success), THEY GIVE IT TO ALL OF THEIR FRIENDS. All of these friends want more now that they know about you…so they come and they see you for themselves and they tell their friends and they want more…and they ALL buy your goods and services.

If you want to read Ron and David’s entire interview, “The Press Release is Dead: How Web 2.0 Could Save PR and Marketing” click here.

blogs are a good thing

When I talk to clients about using a blog to grow their business, sometimes – not always – but sometimes, people say mean and nasty things about my dear friend, the blog. Like this:

‘Aren’t blogs where people go to talk about what they did on a Saturday night?’…and this…

‘I read that the average blogger is 12 years-old.’….and this…

‘Isn’t that like a chatroom? Chatrooms are creepy.’

First of all, if I wrote about what I did on a Saturday night, no one would read my blog (think 2 kids under 3). Second, with over 80 million live blogs, that 12 year-old stat still leaves us with plenty of blogs to work with, yes? In addition, the kind of blogging we’re talking about here should be in a different category entirely. And, finally, YES, chatrooms can be creepy, but a blog is very different. Most importantly, the author is in control, not the community – and, here’s the kicker, the author can moderate comments. Blogs also have mechanisms (plug-ins) that catch comment spam. So, while blogs are a place for connection and conversation, the blog author has final say about what can be published. And creeps are usually not allowed.

Here are some fantastic blogs that do wonderful things, which to me, means sharing information, entertaining, connecting, starting conversations and fighting the good fight:

1. www.ecochildsplay.com – great info on everything non-toxic for kids

2. www.dooce.com – raw, human, delightful, sweet, sorrowful, HILARIOUS

3. www.debbieducic.com – supporting women as they grow their businesses, helping them overcome their fears of technology, full of great easy to understand info

Check ‘em out!

Networking all the time…

We were up in Boston this weekend – and I purposefully and painfully left my computer at home with the intention of not working. But people looking for marketing and websites and blogs just appear before me…it’s fantastic.

The truth is that these potential clients ‘just appear’ for everyone, all the time. But, you have to be looking, or at least you have to have your eyes open. I didn’t think I was finding them on purpose, but then I thought about it a little more, and realized that I am doing some things…here they are:

1. Ask. Whenever I meet someone new, I ask them questions. ‘What do you do?’ is most often the first and it leads to many others, ‘how do you market that?’, ‘do you have a website?’, ‘do you spend time on the internet?’ Find out who this person is business-wise and beyond.

2. Listen. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t listen to their answers. The connection between you and them exists in their answers, when they tell you what they want, when they tell you what never works.

3. Talk. When you ask someone what they do, they’re going to ask you the same thing. Be ready to tell them exactly what you do in a compelling and concise way. An ‘elevator speech’ if you will. The chances of you talking to someone in your exact profession are slim, so they will probably be intrigued that you can do something they can’t – like writing and navigating the web, in my case.

4. Friends and Family. Interesting, but true. I get a lot of business because my friends and family are good at singing my praises. When one of them hears of someone looking for writing, a website or any sort of marketing, they have no qualms about thrusting me in front of the person shouting, “Julie does that! You have to talk to HER!”

5. Love What You Do. I’m told that my passion and excitement for writing, web networking and marketing are magnetic. This thrills me because my work thrills me. Every person and potential client is a master puzzle waiting for the greatest solution. Too much fun.

Mac Users and the Thesaurus

The Thesaurus.com conundrum continues…but I have great news for Mac users. Built right into my MacBook is an extraordinary reference library, complete with a thesaurus. Now, it isn’t quite as stupendous as the thesaurus.com of yesteryear, but it’s pretty darn close.

Besides the thesaurus, Mac’s reference tool even connects to Wikipedia – that mother of all Wikis. This thing makes me look incredibly smart on an hourly basis.

I’m loving it, I’m working it…and it’s working for me.

(and, yes, I wanted the image to be that big – that’s how happy and grateful I am)

a good mentor is invaluable, whatever a good mentor is

I used to have these little daydreams that this incredible, powerful, well-connected, confident, loving, helpful, Julie-infatuated woman would show up and be my mentor. She would tell me everything that I needed to know, she would introduce me to people I needed to know, she would burst me on to the scene.

Hmmm….well, she never actually showed up. Not in the form I thought she would, anyway. She shows up in  a lot of different people. Advice from colleagues, the support of my dad, how-to articles that inevitably make their way into my browser at exactly the right time. I think, for a little while, I waited around for her. I just sat there – waiting.  And then, I got off my ass and became her. I don’t think it was a conscious decision. In fact, I’m just realizing it as I write. I got to a point where I had no choice but to do it myself. Everything else just fell into place. This patchwork mentorship happens on a daily basis – I find everything I need to know, I find the people I need to know, I burst myself onto the scene.

And while I try not to vilify myself for my weakness, I still wish for Her some days. So I am her for other people (as best as I can be). When the opportunity arises to give back, to guide, to make someone’s way a bit smoother – I’m there. I’m part of their piecework. Does that all encompassing mentor exist? I’m sure, I mean, I’ve heard tell. But now – I’m thinking, She doesn’t necessarily have to be. I’ve learned that I can hold my own hand, all by myself.