Many of us grew up devouring Gilbert Morris’s novels – he’s been penning inspirational historical romances for over 30 years, and has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide.

We had the honor of creating Gilbert’s first-ever website and blog, gilbertmorris.com.

Gil – as his friends call him – decided to enter the online world in a big way; in addition to his website and blog, he is the proud owner of a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a Pinterest account. Who says Pinterest is just for girls?!

The Water Wheel Series

At 80-something years young, Gil is a social media neophyte, but he’s game to learn the game. We’ll be assisting him with the online promotion of his upcoming novel, The River Rose (releasing June 1 from B&H Publishing Group).

About the Author

Although he didn’t write his first novel until he was almost 50 years old, once he started writing, Gil became rather prolific (and that’s an understatement). He has written an average of one book per month over the last 20 years. Yes, you read that correctly: a book a month!

When I interviewed Gil, he told me:

“In each novel I write, I make sure that the history is accurate, that there is romance, that someone gets converted, and that someone wins a victory in one of the struggles that Christians face.”

Does Gil have plans to retire?

No! He vows he will “never retire.”

You’ll want to join Gil’s e-mail list so you you’ll be the first to receive announcements about his upcoming novels. We have some fun giveaway contests planned for Gil’s subscribers, so act now. It’s free and it only takes a few seconds to click this link and add your name and email address to the form: http://gilbertmorris.com/news.htm

Be an ‘influencer’

We’re also developing an “influencer” list for Gil. If you’re a fan and are interested in being a reviewer for Gil’s future virtual book tours – or you just want to spread the word about his latest books, please email me: laura@bloggingbistro.com.

Put “Gilbert Morris Influencer” in the Subject line, and be sure to include your mailing address. There will be plenty of opportunities to join the “influencer” list (remember, he writes a book a month).

Pin Gil!

Finally, if you’re on Pinterest and have read any of Gilbert’s 228 published novels, be sure to pin pictures of your favorite book covers to your account (and to follow Gil’s boards, of course).

Ready? Set?

Let the online Gilbert Morris fan club begin!

P.S. What’s your favorite Gilbert Morris novel of all time? Tell us about it in the Comments.

Welcome to Pinterest Prep School, Session 6. Our guest columnist, Teresa Simon, continues her instruction on copyright issues related to Pinterest.

If your content is pinned or repinned on Pinterest without your permission or without crediting you as the source, here are some suggested next steps.

1.  Be Clear on What You Are Trying to Accomplish

Do you expect the pins to be removed entirely?

Or would you be satisfied if the user changed the associated URL to credit you as the source?

While it’s possible that some are intentionally trying to profit from your work, many users are probably unaware that what they are doing is wrong and hurtful to you and would be happy to make corrections once notified.

2.  Take Action If Necessary

Based on what you are trying to accomplish, you can:

• Add a comment under the pinned image asking the person who pinned it to either remove the pin entirely or update the associated URL to credit you as the source (provide them with the correct link).
• Report the infringement instance(s) to Pinterest directly using the process outlined in their Pinterest Copyright/Trademark guidelines.

Also in this series

1. Getting Started With Pinterest
2. 3 Reasons I (and 11 million other people) Like Pinterest
3. 3 More Reasons to Love Pinterest
4. Three Tips for Avoiding Copyright Infringement When Using Pinterest
5. 5 Ways to Protect Your Content from Copyright Infringement on Pinterest

………………………………..
Teresa Simon has worked for over a decade in management consulting and for Microsoft. She’s currently on hiatus with her young children and works as a freelance writer. She has written for Focus on the Family and blogs about using everyday life to teach kids about God.

Follow Teresa on Pinterest or visit her at blessedwithanest.com

Infographics have exploded in popularity over the last couple of years. They are a novel way to present information and to create compelling content.

• Have a post you need to repurpose? Turn it into an infographic!
• Are you tackling a dense subject with a lot of data? Create an infographic to make it more interesting and easier to digest.

Infographics are also great for maximizing your SEO strategy, since compelling infographics are readily shared on social media and other sites such as Pinterest, helping your content to go viral.

However, not all infographics are created equal. Don’t expect to just be able to throw some numbers and a few clip art icons together and to have your post catch fire.

Just like with writing a good blog post or creating a good WordPress theme, there is a lot of work that goes into creating a good infographic.

Here are 5 elements of a good infographic:

1. It Looks Good

Obviously. Infographics are bolstered by their visual appeal. The more visually compelling and interesting an infographic, the more response it will get from readers. Take care to put good design principles to work in your infographic. If you don’t know what those are, spend the money to hire someone who does.

2. It’s More than Just Stats

(bad)

A list of data with clip art icons does not an infographic make. Simply putting a few icons next to blocks of text is not interesting. A successful infographics incorporates data into a larger design. The text and the graphics become one larger image that relies on all its parts to be compelling.

3. It Uses Clever Graphics

(good)

Anyone with Excel can create pie charts and bar graphs out of data. A successful infographic finds a clever way to present the data. Financial stats can be presented as large piles of money, an oversized baby bottle can be used to show information about children, and so on. The graphics should be interesting yet also relevant to your topic.

4. It Tells a Story

Infographics should be more than just a collection of facts. They should tell a story by putting the information into context. Don’t just tell your readers how many people are on Facebook, or how many referrals come from Google Plus. Tell them why they should care. Tell them what it says about the average Internet user, or what it means for Internet marketing. Tell the story.

5. It’s Easy to Understand

Don’t go so crazy with graphics and trying to tie together lots of complex data that your readers need a Rosetta stone to understand your infographic. Make the design clean and easy to follow. Highlight the data so that it is easy to digest and put into context. Your infographic should be easy to understand and tell a story at a glance.

How have you used infographics on your blog or Website?

What other elements do you think are important to creating a successful infographic? Tell us your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Check out Blogging Bistro’s vast array of social media infographics:

……………………….

Sarah Rexman is the main researcher and writer for bedbugs.org. Her most recent accomplishment includes graduating from Florida State, with a master’s degree in environmental science.

If you are a blogger, photographer or have some other business that relies on the Internet for content distribution, it can be very frustrating to discover your work is being propagated throughout Pinterest without crediting you as the source.

This can happen, for example, if someone reposts your images to their site. Others then pin or repin those images onto boards in Pinterest. When people click on the image in Pinterest, the link takes them to the other person’s site, not yours. This means potentially no credit for your work and a huge missed opportunity for driving traffic to your website.

So what can you do to prevent this from happening? Here are five suggestions for proactively protecting your content from intentional or unintentional misuse on Pinterest.

1.  If you don’t want ANY images from your website or blog to be pinned, you can embed the following code into your site.

<meta name=”pinterest” content=”nopin” />

When a user tries to pin from your site, they will see this message:

“This site doesn’t allow pinning to Pinterest. Please contact the owner with any questions. Thanks for visiting!”

2.  If you are going to allow people to pin from your site, have a clearly defined policy on how your content can be used. Make your policy easy to find and make it easy for people to contact you if you are requesting they get your permission before using your stuff

3.  Add a Pin It button to your blog or website to make it easy for people to pin from your site directly. Pinterest provides instructions for adding a Pin It button to your website in their “Goodies” section.

Whole Foods uses the “Pin It” button to make it easy to add their recipes to Pinterest Boards.

See bottom right of image for a closeup view of the “Pin It” button.

4.  Add a watermark feature with your brand and URL directly onto your site images.

For example, House Beautiful has embedded their branding as part of this image so it’s visible no matter where the picture ends up.

Even better is to also include a watermark of your URL in case the source link is not provided when the image is re-posted or pinned by others.

5.  Proactively monitor your content on Pinterest. Much like monitoring your credit to make sure things are in order, periodically conduct a search for your content within Pinterest.

This can be done by typing in keywords related to your business or area of interest in the Pinterest search field. See what comes up and whether or not pins with your content are linked directly back to your site as the source.

Do you have other ideas for protecting your content online?

Has Pinterest changed how you provide content on your website or blog?

Also in this series

1. Getting Started With Pinterest
2. 3 Reasons I (and 11 million other people) Like Pinterest
3. 3 More Reasons to Love Pinterest
4. Three Tips for Avoiding Copyright Infringement When Using Pinterest

………………………………..
Teresa Simon has worked for over a decade in management consulting and for Microsoft. She’s currently on hiatus with her young children and works as a freelance writer. She has written for Focus on the Family and blogs about using everyday life to teach kids about God.

Follow Teresa on Pinterest or visit her at blessedwithanest.com.

Copyright Violations? No Way!

By Teresa Simon
Guest Columnist

A current concern regarding Pinterest centers on the potential for copyright violations. In simple terms, copyright infringement occurs when someone’s content is used without permission.

When you agree to the terms and conditions of being a Pinterest member, you agree to respect and uphold copyright and other laws related to content. That means you (not Pinterest) are responsible for any copyright violations that may occur when you pin or repin content.

Here are some guidelines to help avoid copyright infringement when using Pinterest.

1.  Ensure you are crediting the original source when pinning or repinning content to your boards. Pinterest’s Pin Etiquette guidelines note that Pins are most useful when they have links back to the original source. Finding the original source is preferable to secondary sources like image search results or blog entries.

Many website owners and bloggers repost images from other sites. They may or may not cite the source. Whether pinning or repinning, it’s always a good idea to follow the link trail back to make sure you are referencing the original source.

2.  Check the original source for a copyright notice or instructions on how content can be used. Site owners sometimes specify guidelines for how their material can be used.

If content can be used with permission, contact the owner before pinning it to your boards. If material can be used if the source is credited, pin the image directly from the owner’s site and not a secondary source.

3.  As with the pin in the image shown, you can also consider listing the source directly in your comments for the pin. This pin points to HGTV instructions for how to frame a plate glass wall mirror.

Do you have other suggestions for avoiding copyright violations on Pinterest?

Also in this series

1. Getting Started With Pinterest
2. 3 Reasons I (and 11 million other people) Like Pinterest
3. 3 More Reasons to Love Pinterest

……………………………….

Teresa Simon has worked for over a decade in management consulting and for Microsoft. She’s currently on hiatus with her young children and works as a freelance writer. She has written for Focus on the Family and blogs about using everyday life to teach kids about God.

Follow Teresa on Pinterest or visit her at blessedwithanest.com.

If you’re not familiar with Davis Bunn’s work, this would be a great opportunity to get introduced to him. Davis is one of the smartest authors I’ve ever known (he’s a lecturer on writing at Oxford University when he’s not busy penning novels and screenplays).

Unlike many novels, where you can guess the ending after reading the first page, Davis’s stories always take unexpected twists and turns. His writing is a feast for word lovers.

Both books are published by Christian publishing houses, but they’re not the cheesy, “Protagonist comes to faith and everyone lives happily ever after” variety. There are guns. And spies. And jaunts around far off countries. Stuff that “Call of Duty” players might enjoy. Some of the characters are Christians. Many are not.

I would characterize Davis more as “a Christian who writes novels” as opposed to “a novelist who writes Christian books.”

OK. Back to the free books, which I know you want. To become an “influencer,” you simply agree to help spread the word about Rare Earth or Hidden in Dreams, or both.

What’s in it for you?

In exchange for being an influencer, you get a free copy of Davis’s book BEFORE it gets shipped to bookstores. You can either keep the book or give it away.

Here’s the really easy part. The first 100 people to contact me (Laura), get put on Davis’s influencer list. That’s because I am in charge of the list.

If you are part of a group and everyone in your group would like a copy, please send me the mailing addresses of EACH individual in your group.

And, if I’ve already contacted you about participating in Davis’s upcoming blog tour, you’re already on the list. However, if you’d like to request an additional influencer copy on behalf of a friend, just send me that person’s mailing address.

What I need from you

Please email me the following three items by Friday, May 4, 2012:

1. Your postal mailing address (U.S. preferred)
2. Which book you would like to receive, if you have a preference.

Rare Earth (Book 2 in the Marc Royce series… Book 1 is Lion of Babylon). Rare Earth can be read as a stand-alone story, so if you haven’t yet read Lion of Babylon, you won’t miss anything critical. Shipping to stores June 11, 2012, from Bethany House Publishers.

Hidden in Dreams (Book 2 in the Dreams series… Book 1 is Book of Dreams). Hidden in Dreams can also be read as a stand-alone story). Shipping to stores mid-June 2012, from Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.

3. One-to-two sentences about how you plan to share the book(s). See the list below for 15 fun, easy ways you can spread the word among your circles of influence.

15 fun, easy influencer activities

1. Put the book on your desk at work and give it to the first person who asks about it.
2. Give a copy to the father figure in your life for Father’s Day.
3. Read and discuss the book with your book club, small group, or neighbors.
4. Host your own version of Oprah’s Book Club. Have an in-person or online book discussion.
5. Donate a copy to your church library, public library, or bookstore and ask the librarian to display it in their “new books” section.
6. Leave a copy in the waiting room of your doctor’s or dentist’s office. Put a sticky note inside the front cover, inviting the recipient to read it and pass it along to a friend.
7. Review it for the newsletter of your association, company, or church.
8. Give a copy to your clergyperson or a church leader.
9. Write up your thoughts about the book and email it to your own ‘influencer’ list.
10. Post a mini review to Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, christianbook.com, goodreads.com, shelfari.com… you get the idea.
11. Mail a copy to an overseas missionary or send it with someone who is going on a short-term mission trip.
12. Tweet or post a Facebook update about the book. Be sure to include a link to www.davisbunn.com so people can learn how to order.
13. Invite Davis to make a “virtual book tour” visit to your blog, online discussion group, or podcast.
14. Send a copy to your local government representative.
15. Give a copy to a pre-Christian friend.

Davis recently received a note from a man who wrote:

“I am not yet a Christian, but am trying to get to know God better. Someone sent me a copy of Book of Dreams and I found so much that resonated with me as truth… and something I needed to know more about.”

Davis responded:

While both Rare Earth and Hidden in Dreams have a Christian message, my foremost aim in writing them was to build a powerful link between strong entertainment and a message that lingers long after the book is set aside. Whether that message is one of healing or inspiration or challenge, my hope is to bind each reader more closely to his or her walk in faith.

Ready to become an influencer?

• Email Laura Christianson right now: laura@bloggingbistro.com, or call me at 425.244.4242 (after 10 a.m. Pacific time).
• Be sure to include your mailing address, the title of the book(s) you’d like to receive, and a sentence or two about what you plan to do.

Thank you so much for helping Davis and me grow his network of readers.

Tweet This:

Get free influencer copies of upcoming novels RARE EARTH and HIDDEN IN DREAMS by @davisbunn. Order yours now: http://ht.ly/aAJzA

1.  Pinterest Helps You Learn About Yourself and Others

After you’ve been pinning for a while, you start to notice a few trends emerging in your boards. They become a visual journal of what matters to you and what you like. My “Kitchens” board, for example, testifies to my love of white kitchens. And I apparently have a thing for stripes.

You can also learn some surprising things about friends and family.

• Books they find interesting.
• Hobbies they’d like to take up.
• Places they hope to visit.

If you’ve been pinning for a while, have you noticed any trends about yourself?

Are there things you’ve been surprised to learn about yourself or others?

2. Pinterest Has Potential to Be Useful on a Private Level

So far, Pinterest boards are public (meaning everyone can see each other’s content). But what if you could create private boards on Pinterest?

The company recently announced updates to their Terms of Service including “language that will pave the way for new features such as Private Pinboards.”  This is exciting.

Imagine if you could privately pin about the more mundane things in your life to keep track of research on cars, schools, or market analysis for a business idea?

While there’s something warm and fuzzy about sharing your interests with a community of like-minded people, sometimes you don’t want the whole world to know what you’re up to.

It’s unclear what Pinterest will develop (or when), but for now it seems they’ve heard our pleas for privacy. Stay tuned.

3. Pinterest has Big Potential for Business & Marketing

In the gap between where you are in life and where you want to be lies a huge opportunity for marketing departments.

Pinterest allows people to find and share things they like, need, or hope to have.

Savvy companies and bloggers are quickly stepping in to find ways to meet those needs with their products, services, and DIY know-how.

Here are just a few of the ways you can use Pinterest for marketing and business purposes.

• Marketing & Product Placement   Pinterest marketing takes place when users voluntarily pin and repin your content, driving business to your website.

Your goal is to create visually appealing images that showcase the benefits of what you are offering. Successful marketing shows customers what’s in it for them.

If you have a blog, include an image in your post that visually captures the essence of your entry. For example, this Pin instantly communicates the blog owner can help you make your own pillow with custom wording.

Own a shop on Etsy? Ask friends or satisfied customers to pin images of your products with the link back to your shop.

• Market Research   Why not use Pinterest to find out more about your user demographic? Who is using and pinning your products? What about your competitors’ products? What types of pins are most popular in your area of interest or business? A little snooping can yield a lot.

• Networking   You can also use Pinterest for networking. Find others with shared interests and goals. Then promote and link to each other to build your community or customer base.

These are just a few reasons to give Pinterest a chance.

Have you tried Pinterest?

How has it helped you?

We’d love to hear from you!

Also in this series

1. Getting Started With Pinterest
2. 3 Reasons I (and 11 million other people) Like Pinterest

……………………………….

Teresa Simon has worked for over a decade in management consulting and for Microsoft. She’s currently on hiatus with her young children and works as a freelance writer. She has written for Focus on the Family and blogs about using everyday life to teach kids about God.

Follow Teresa on Pinterest or visit her at blessedwithanest.com.

When Teresa Simon and I started getting acquainted six months ago, she told me about a cool new social network she was addicted to, called Pinterest. I suggested that Teresa write a guest post introducing my readers to Pinterest. She agreed, and the result is not one, but FIVE superb, informative articles. I think you’re going to love them as much as I do.

Today (Part 1) Teresa shares why she likes Pinterest.

By Teresa Simon
Guest Columnist

Although I initially resented needing an invitation to use Pinterest, their marketing tactic worked. The junior high kid in me didn’t want to be left out of the cool kid’s party. So I found my way in and soon discovered many reasons for Pinterest’s popularity. Here are a few.

1.  It’s Aspirational & Future-Oriented

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which focus on current or past versions of you, Pinterest is aspirational and future-oriented.

No embarrassing high school pictures popping up unannounced.

No filtering through vacation photos to find the most flattering versions of yourself to post (don’t act like you don’t do that).

Pinterest allows you to curate a vision of yourself and your life that reflects your hopes and dreams. This is why Pinterest home décor boards are so popular. They showcase how you want your home to look as opposed to how it really looks right now.

Coco Chanel once said the home interior is “the natural projection of the soul.” If she was right, you might come to my house and mistakenly assume I love 80s gold hardware, have misplaced my cleaning products, and like old carpet. I don’t.

But thanks to Pinterest, I can just redirect you to my “For the Home” board where you will see my “real” style (the style I’d have if time, budget and decorating sense were not in short supply).

2.  It Can Save You Time, Money and Organizational Sanity

For those who scoff that Pinterest is just another waste of time, here is my case study on how it can actually save you time, money and sanity.

If I had known about Pinterest before I started my kitchen remodel, perhaps I wouldn’t have spent hours scouring magazine racks only to end up with one $12 magazine containing two pictures worth keeping. $12 for a magazine!?

My family would have been spared the piles of paper inspiration popping up all over the house like unwanted mole hills.

And it wasn’t just kitchen pictures. There were recipes, parenting articles, DIY projects and all other kinds of tidbits I’d torn from magazines and stashed for “future” reading. Even when I tried to corral it in all notebooks, they just ended up being heavier versions of paper piles.

But then along came Pinterest! A virtual, clutter-free collection of pictures and ideas. No more expensive magazines and paper piles! No more searching through a cascade of bookmarked links in your “Favorites.”

It’s free. It doesn’t take up storage space in your closet, and you don’t have to move your piles of Pinterest off the dining room table when it’s time for dinner.

See, it’s good for you!

3.  It Doesn’t Require a Mental Forklift

In an age of information overload, there is so much text to mentally sift through on a daily basis. It can be exhausting.

Pinterest is great because there’s little, if any, text to read. You can just quickly scan pictures to find what you like and filter out the rest. You only have to “follow” things that are interesting to you.

You might even find something inspiring out there. Like this art I found. A sunny reminder there is always choice in how we respond to things.

Image Source: Pinterest via Etsy

These are just a few of the reasons I find Pinterest so useful and fascinating. Coming in my next post: three more reasons to love Pinterest.

……………………………….

Teresa Simon has worked for over a decade in management consulting and for Microsoft. She’s currently on hiatus with her young children and works as a freelance writer. She has written for Focus on the Family and blogs about using everyday life to teach kids about God. Follow Teresa on Pinterest or visit her at blessedwithanest.com.

If you’re scratching your head and thinking, “Huh? What’s Pinterest and how do you pronounce it?”

The short answer is:

Pin + Interest = Pinterest

Pinterest is a virtual corkboard where you “pin” pictures of your favorite anything.

On the Blogging Bistro Pinterest account, we pin social media infographics. Because pinboards can get cluttered in a hurry — particularly with those gigantic infographics that are currently in vogue — we’ve created separate “boards” for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, and Blogging infographics (among others). We even created a board called “Infographics About Infographics.”

It doesn’t take long to set up a Pinterest account and to master the ins and outs.

Our friends at Brain Host provided us with a free downloadable e-book, Promote Your Website With Pinterest.

The 22-page book clearly explains:

• How to set up your Pinterest account
• An essential glossary of Pinterest terms
• How to get the most out of Pinterest
• Content marketing strategy case study: Epicurious.com

Download the e-book now and read through it. It’ll help you prepare for tomorrow’s post, “Three Reasons 11 Million People Like Pinterest.”

Cloud computing is revolutionizing the way businesses do business.

Cloud computing allows storage and restoration of all the contents of your computer or a company’s computer system. Whether you’re planning to store data, documents, video files or more, compared to local hard drives, flash drives, and on-site backup systems, cloud computing means less potential for data loss, more storage space, and greater ease in data sharing and collaboration.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing means using Internet-based software to connect computers, back up computer contents, and access and store data remotely.

Using a cloud-based storage system means files are still accessible even if computer hardware fails.

Online computing “cloud” services allows users to upload, share, store, and maintain data from photos to business documents safely and securely. Multiple computer access can be provided to users at the same time.

Cloud computing delivers hosted services via the Internet. These services include infrastructure, platforms, and software services.

How does Cloud Computing Help Business?

Utilizing cloud-based storage means that globally-located business teams can work on projects and share data as if they were sitting in the same room. Even when all business partners are working in the same location, cloud-based storage secures their files, guards against loss, and allows less workplace redundancy.

Cloud access means everyone can have the same information instantly, assisting in work completion and speeding productivity. No more waiting for a document to print, or arrive via email.

What Cloud Programs are Best for Business?

Among the most popular cloud-based programs are online backup services for data storage and retrieval such as Carbonite, or Apple’s iCloud.

Web-based office suites like Google Docs allow work files created with disparate software to be easily and cleanly accessed.

Cost-to-Productivity Ratio for Cloud Computing

While different cloud storage and service providers charge a variety of amounts for unlimited storage and access, many applications are free. Deciding how much storage your business needs, or what applications will most benefit your business team, from accessing uniform data files to the storage of client documents, will help you determine the best use of cloud computing for your business.

Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing

While cloud storage and service systems can save time and money, and allow the flexibility and convenience of accessing files worldwide, security concerns should also be considered in regard to the presence of hackers or third-party companies and the possibility of cloud-based systems being temporarily inactivated due to maintenance issues. In most cases the pros outweigh the cons. The cost of a web-based storage is less than physical local hard drives and the time spent on emailing documents or saving to a USB drive.

Businesses can provide much greater access for employees both on and off site through Cloud storage, and back up important documents and data seamlessly.

In addition, cloud computing allows an increased capability for sharing information with subject matter experts or business associates with whom information sharing might be considered problematic without this simple access.

Having all essential work documents in one storage location assists with flex-hour employees and employees working in different time zones as well. It also prevents the costly upgrading of computer hard drives and portable storage systems, and prevents the waste of staff time due to backing up procedures.

Take it to the Cloud

Cloud-based storage and software means that businesses can potentially expand globally with less expense, less inconvenience, and with more productive use of a business team’s time. The future of business storage is definitely heading upward — to the cloud.

…………………………….

Eric Greenwood is a technophile whose interests in the cloud computing movement have led him to study everything from software as a service to online storage. Get more tips and advice on the blog, Online Storage.