Chasing a Dream

Getting Started with Blogging for an Off-Line Business

2009-04-09T13:17:20Z

OK, now that I’ve got your commitment to use blogging consistently for your business web site, how do you do it? Well, there are at least two aspects to how you approach this:

Blogging to draw customers to your off-line business (marketing)
Blogging as a new stream of income for your business

Of course these two aspects are not mutually exclusive. But, most people will initially approach what they do with one tendency or the other. You can always add the other aspect later. If you are building from an established off-line business, then the natural step would be to start by developing an on-line presence and identity for that business. As you develop that, and start getting an on-line reputation for content to build on your off-line business experience, then you can very easily extend your blog into becoming an income stream of its own. As most business owners know, it is always good to have multiple sources of income to help level out the hills & valleys of income when you are running business.

To get you started with more details about how blogging can be built into an income stream of its own, I’d like to personally recommend Yaro Starak’s just released Blog Profits Blueprint. It’s a free download PDF with a detailed description of how he developed his online business strategy & tactics he used to implement them. If you are serious about using blogs to expand your business on-line, I would seriously consider registering for his blog mentoring program, Blog Mastermind, which should be released next week. You can register now for early notification of its availability.

Be sure to visit Entrepreneurs-Journey and read how he made $6549.52 from blogging in March, 2007. It should give you plenty of inspiration of the possibilities blogging has to expand and enhance your business model.fuck cartoon
boot virus removal
georgia breast lift
free handjob in nylon
korean girls in the nude
black leather sex boots
naked ass
realistic animal dildos
hot teen cam
free filipina sex videos
horny french maids
cunt suck
boys tighty whities
leather granny boots
visa accepted winston cigarettes
donkey penis
is it safe to swallow cum
free breast implants
msn photo swap messenger
yo slut
cum stain
latin maids getting fucked
children’s cowboy boots
zoofilia sexocon animales
old town tattoo studio kissimmee fl
private military contractors
chubby old women
gothic adult webcam
open mouth sex
shit swap
swatch paparazzi watch
dirty pair hentai
hot brunette toying
female whipping scenes
skinny free porn
first time amateur lesbians
latina trannys
bree olsen video stripping
filipina sex blog
futbol fans in brazil
little hottie
chubby checker twist
horny granny fucks horny young guy
nina hartley facial
health insurance international student travel cover
girls gone wild video
granny fingering
cigarette torture
free videos granny fucks
hip replacement surgery compression stockings
brunettes in panties
sexy brunette sex
office strip
boy first time sex
8 year old girl birthday party
naked girlfriend
free pornstar videos
nude latino studs naked latino men
free sexcam florida
dirty lesbian maids mature
group pissing
college colorado health insurance student
fart in your mouth
naked butts
giant dog collars
dragon ball sex toon
sexy brazil
make me gag
double up poker
nude beaches greece
tight long skirts
yovo olsen twins
mom daughter porn
lindsey lohan nipple slips
ebony incredible pass
incest chat sites
japanese free school girls
animal sex movies
filipina chat
hot web cam girl
big tits bbw porn
young male cocksuckers
spin doctors jimmy olsen
chubby hot
home made porn facial
dog training supplies
chubby + orgy
adult beastiality
free proxy clicker download
ebony bitch
brown eyed girl
rawhide dog treats
mature office lesbian
hairy black girl
wife likes risky sex with lover
videos of girls wearing thongs
teens using dildos
erotic corset lingerie
olsen twins are naked
free bikini teens
bump on penis
black cock interracial photographer sweater
mom suck
school girls pussy
teen models bikini
tranny fucks guy
sexy blonde coeds
ladies in leg casts
free incest movies
smash mouth michigan
teachers fuck
interracial nude
thongs for young teens
caught masturbate
male to female transsexual vaginal sex
ffm femdom male humiliation
ariel nude
flex appeal lexington ky
redhead lapdance
ebony models in thongs
triple fuck
cosplay sex
northern virginia breast enlargement
my first pelvic examination
topless maid costume
giant gay black cocks
tight pants young girls
large mens clothing
black bitch galleries
anal mom
teen puffy nipples
upskirt office
girls with small breasts
filipina hard fucked
wifey swallow cum
sex machine jodi
extreme piercings
japanese schoolgirl panties
female serial killers
how to make penis bigger
nude gothic babes
www. chicks wiyh dicks
fat girl sex
orgasm female
hawaiian porn
porno free movie clips
interracial bukkake
fuck granny
young teen cheerleaders
fuck granny
my first cock
mom looked at my cock
big ass anal
girl scout swap kits
breast enlargement staten island
teen in black stockings
ghost orchid tattoo
self hypnosis to quit smoking
dirty couples
how to eat your own jizz
www. old cunt and young cock .com
fuck dog
teacher upskirt
skinny flat girls
horny tgp
older granny sex
ladyboy cock
horny renee
nice tight butt
amy reid mr big dicks hot chicks
bisexual swingers
amature korean nude
hq erotic
bisexual femdom
twink fuck
gay men naked
smoking age
blouse fetish
clit licking close up
bbw porn videos
pro anorexia gothic pictures
hand
dickies girl red 34 capri sz1029 new gothic punk
celebrities who quit smoking
healing throat from acid
handwriting recognition tablet pcs education school student
fine ass chicks
interracial sex black guys fucking blonde girls
shaved dick
lesbian sucks pussy
closeup female orgasm
female orgasm sound
free porn toon
animated teen chat rooms
dirty sexy dancing
daddy slut
horny fat chicks
celeb vids
interracial sex short stories
hot chick deep throat swallow
fat women young stud
zac efron nude
penis pain
thick bitch
medical bondage nurses
male feminization maids
enormus penis
stocking glamour nostalgic glamour
erotic asphyxia
free gay cum shots
lolita lover
amateur sex cams free sex sex
naked latino men
busty teen sex
filipina single women
extreme female orgasm
soulja boy tell’em
horny police women
free sexcams no e-mail
gothic whores

Why Your Business Needs a Blog, but You Should Not Have One!

2007-05-30T10:36:02Z

Blogging can serve your business goals in many ways. However, you must recognize first it is all about communication. Or a little more accurately, a conversation. It is not a place to post re-hashed marketing materials, or to overtly sell your product! OK, that is about content… there is one more important piece than even the content when it comes to blogging: consistency & communication. Blogging requires commitment to producing good content. Producing good content takes time. If you aren’t going to make the commitment to regularly posting to your blog–or having a staff member responsible for doing so–then don’t do it! Nothing looks worse than a blog on your web site with the last post being months ago! You don’t have to post daily, but if you really want to build something with it, I recommend that pace. It will get you in touch with your customers in the marketplace and get you feedback you may have never received through another channel. Weekly is probably the lowest post rate I would like to see for a business, and something in between is perfectly fine.

Now, saying this, I’m coming off a week of no posts… which brings me to my next point: blogs are about communication. Communication is a two-way street, you have to listen as much as you speak… or as the old saying goes, you have two ears and one mouth, so maybe you should listen twice as much as you speak. Translate that into blogging by getting out and visiting your peer blogs and others that are in your line of work or related and get into the conversation. There is plenty of business in this world for everyone to have their piece. And when it comes to blogging, I can bet most of the other bloggers out there are not your competitor down the street!

Another part of this is you need to tell your regular readers & subscribers what is happening in your business or personal life if it is going to interfere with your regular schedule. If you look back at my last post, you will find I put a short two-line note at the end warning that there might not be any posts for the next week as I was preparing to sell my home. People understand changes in what you do… when you tell them! (I am thankful for my faithful readers, and have amazingly increased my subscribers over the past week!) If you don’t, they will just go away not knowing what happened and feeling like they’ve been left out in the cold. I hate to say it, but that is the experience I’m having right now in trying to sell my house… and I haven’t even listed it yet! Have you ever lost a customer before they walked into your store? That’s what I’m experiencing now–from the customer’s point of view.

While I still have more work to do on the house… I’m going to try and get back to my daily posting schedule. Though it may be spotty… I warned you!

Passion

2007-05-21T01:54:49Z

We must have passion. Be it for our work or in our relationships. Without it, we have no inspiration to drive us forward. I have been searching for mine, for a long time. I’m about to make a major change in my life in order to further my search for my personal passion. You must find yours if you wish to be successful in life… in LIFE, not just business. Your business may be a major part of your life, but don’t let it become too much. Remember your family, your friends and your loves. People come first.

This morning, I was reading Mike Sansone’s latest Dialing 8 post, and was led to reading some wonderful work of Kammie Kobyleski’s Passion Meets Purpose blog. The first post I happened to read was, The Search for Passion & Purpose. Kammie tells us how we should live life passionately. I don’t want to give it away, but the fourth paragraph of her post hit home for me. But, as an insight, she tells us, “To live out loud and play full out!” Many of us in business don’t play enough! We need to remember the child we once were…

Posts may be light for the next few days. Tomorrow I’m listing my home for sale, and I still have things to do to get it ready.

How Brick ‘n’ Mortar Businesses Can Use a Web Site

2007-05-18T02:01:23Z

For all the information on the web, it seems when you are running an off-line or brick and mortar business, it seems difficult to find useful web resources on how you can leverage the web for your business. Everything seems so on-line business oriented. Here, you don’t have to worry. I hope to provide you with both some ideas on how you can use the web to your advantage, as well as point you at some resources.

There are some core reasons for using the web to improve your business:

Marketing

Even if the product you sell can only be delivered in person to your customer, common with a service-based business, having a web site helps people find you. Combine the general concept of marketing with tools like Google Maps, and your stores need to be findable in that interface! I did a test search for “Chinese restraunt Boulder, CO” and found many restaurants to choose from. I doubt they would deliver to my current location in Tennessee… but, I’ll also bet there were many that did not show up in the list because they did not investigate using the web for their restaurant. It’s the modern day yellow pages… and a lot cheaper!

eCommerce

Online sales! For those of you with products that can be shipped, or perhaps a service that can be purchased as a gift card for a local customer. It’s a must, even if you don’t sell electronic goods. Just check out eBay and the millions of dollars that pass through there daily! An online store can be simple, or as complex as you want to make it.

Vendor Research

If you are selling off-line, you need product to sell. Buy it online in bulk or wholesale, and sell in your physical stores. You may have current vendors that would welcome you doing business via their web site, as it make work easy for them too.

Networking

Meet other business owners. Either friendly competitors or peers in another market. You both can learn from each other. They may have run into a problem you have recently, and already solved it! If you own a franchise, this is great way to make connections with other franchisees. Of course you can meet other businesses that might be compatible with yours so you can send each other customers. That’s what networking is all about.

Customer Support

Today, many people look to use a businesses web site first for support before picking up the phone. Having great information about your products, and solving potential problems in their use just raises your value in your customer’s eyes. I love it when a vendor as a knowledgebase of questions that previous customers had, with the answers already there! I not only look for my current problem for solution, but browse the categories so I know what is there in case I need to return.

I hope these have given you some ideas to research and inspire you to use a web site for your brick and mortar business. Here’s a few great resources I found on entrepreneurship and business:

For other blog resources specific to your product, service or field, try searching for your product name and ‘blog’ in your favorite search engine. I also recommend reviewing online blog directories such as Technorati or Blogflux. One of the reasons I suggest in researching blogs in your field, is because it becomes very easy to network with other like-minded people whether it is the publisher of the blog or other commenters on the site. It becomes a very natural community of people with a common interest. Speaking of which… get involved! If you find a site you like and read something interesting, make a comment! Join the fun! Feel free to comment here and add to the list of ways the web can be used for off-line businesses. Everybody wins from sharing information!

WordPress 2.2 Upgrade, Google Analytics Update, and other Statistic Issues

2007-05-17T01:45:43Z

I’ve been seeing various posts around that WP 2.2 had been released, but I was under the impression it was going to be delayed longer than this. I guess they’ve put the push on to get it out, because I just downloaded it! Go get your WordPress 2.2 today! I have not installed it yet… I will install it on my development server here at eh house first, make sure everything works… then upload. I know not everyone has this flexibility–but, you could… I’m using a 10 year old box to test on! If not, be sure to carefully follow the upgrade procedure. The most important step being to backup your database.

I noticed this morning that Google had given my access to the new Beta Google Analytics interface that they are rolling out. First impressions are that it’s pretty and makes better use of space, but I haven’t evaluated it in detail for functionality yet. I ‘ll do that this weekend and give you a report!

Speaking of statistics… is anyone else wondering why different stats packages don’t give identical or at least reasonably close numbers when comparing well-defined categories of information? Either they all have different definitions of the terms, or none of them knows what they are doing! As you may have noticed with my end-of-month analysis for April Stats Update, there was quite a bit of variation. And it continues… while I spotted some configuration issues on my part in some places, many are just big questions. I’ll give you another wrap-up on my stats again the beginning of next month, adding my evaluation of HitLinks to the mix. I’m paying for that one, so it better come out good! Being logical minded as I am, I don’t understand the variation. I’ll probably have to pick a day and do a manual analysis of the logs with a spreadsheet to compare.

PS–The stats for the past couple days here have been weird! yesterday, the pageviews were triple the day before! And today… almost nothing! Very strange two days.

More Top 5’s and a Few Fans

2007-05-15T01:56:53Z

I need to get back to the real subject here, but I will continue to spread out my Top 5 selections over the coming weeks.

I need to explicitly give thanks to a couple sites that have included me in their Top of the Top 5 postings:

John Crickett’s Top 5’s - Blog Posts About Business, where he categorizes all the business related selections. John also gave me a great idea which I’ve passed on to Darren Rowse… include a category field in the submission form next time he does a group writing project.
Joe Rawlinson’s post, Weekend Reading - May 12th is another great selection of business oriented posts. Hey! These selections are turning out to be on-topic for this blog… funny how that works!
Darlene McDaniel’s guest post, Top 5 Writing Project - Good Stuff! at Small Business Boomers, another small business oriented blog, lists her selection of posts focusing on blogging resources for small business. Darlene’s own blog, Tough Questions? Great Answers! is also another great resource. I see it’s a member of the b5Media Business Channel… Guess I’ll have to check that out, as should you!

Here are five more of my favorite selections:

Back to business tomorrow…

Chasing a Dream is a Do Follow Blog

2007-05-14T01:44:03Z

In checking out some of the ProBlogger Top 5 entries, I visited Susan Drigger’s Top 5 Sins post, and while there noticed a nice little icon, “No Nofollow, fight spam, not blogs” that reminded me to check the no follow status of my comments. Oops! WordPress strikes again… it was there! With the addition of the DoFollow plugin from Semiologic, comments and track backs are now nofollow-free.

Some of you are wondering, “What’s the big deal”? If it’s built-in to WordPress by default, it’s got to be right. That’s a matter of opinion. Google introduced the concept of using an attribute rel="nofollow" on links in 2005, to theoretically help reduce comment spam, and create more accurate Page Rank. However, many disagree that it has had much influence on comment spam, and we feel people should get link credit for posting comments. If you would like more information on the controversy, you can check Michael Hampton’s May 2005 post, Nofollow Revisited. It covers the story well, from the intent, how it is supposed to work, and why it doesn’t work.

If you would like to join the Do Follow crowd, as I have–note the new “U Comment, I follow” icon (courtesy Randa Clay Design) in the side bar–visit the No Nofollow | I Follow | DoFollow Community at BumpZee.

Get Your Own Domain Name

2007-05-12T20:37:34Z

As I introduced in my post, Entrepreneurs Developing Web Sites Must Address These Top 5 Potential Pitfalls, it is an absolute must for small business entrepreneurs, freelancers and other soloists to own their domain name. Your domain name is your business when it comes to a presence on the Internet. Even if you don’t want to pursue setting up a web site now, register your domain name so it will be yours when you are ready.

What is a Domain Name?

Before you can own one, you need to know exactly what you are getting. A domain name is an easy to remember name that represents a company’s computer services on the Internet. I’ll give a couple examples in a moment, but the first thing I want to point out is, what we are talking about is an over-arching name, that includes potentially, multiple actual computer servers. Most people naturally think of www.CompanyName.com to represent a companies web site. But, note that the domain name is also used for other services, most commonly Email & FTP (File Transfer Protocol) services. The actual domain name portion in the example above, is: CompanyName.com, where the www refers to a specific computer, usually a web server in this instance.

When you purchase a domain name, you get the right to use the name for the period of time for which you pay the registration fee. Usually for one to five years on initial registration, though on renewals you can go up to ten years. If you are securely in business, I highly recommend you always register your name for the longest time period offered. That way you don’t lose it by forgetting to renew!

How Should I Choose a Domain Name?

Logically, from my example above, you would probably select a name including your current business name if you have one. If you are in the early stages of planning a new enterprise, you have the opportunity to investigate name availability as you choose a name for your business. I would work on developing a business name in parallel with selecting your domain name. By doing both at the same time, you insure yourself of the availability of your name. You might even have the opportunity to choose a non-obvious name, like Yahoo!, if appropriate for your business. A name such as this requires a significant amount of marketing to develop a brand image, but it is obviously unique, and will stand out against your business competition. You may need to hire a brand name expert for that purpose, and I highly recommend such an expert if you choose that route.

The technicalities of the actual name are fairly straight forward. You choose a generic Top Level Domain (TLD), such as .com, .net, .org, .tv, or a country code TLD, such as .us, .ca, .au (United States, Canada, Australia). A full list of all the officially authorized current domain names is available. There are restrictions on the use of some TLDs, in particular the country codes, which may only be available if you are actually doing business in their country, or require a standard second level name like .co.uk.

Th original .com, .net & .org are pretty much open for any use now, but the selection of names is highly competitive. However, most consultants still recommend as do I, the .com domain for commercial businesses. I would seriously consider also purchasing the equivalent name in the .net & .org TLDs as well as a safety measure against a competitor stealing it. Unless you have a registered trademark, a fight over a domain name is not easy. I would just choose another and move on if it is not available.

As an example of a domain name selection, my own, cdchase.com, is derived from my first & middle initials and my last name. I wanted to keep it short, yet recognizable. I often stylize the domain in print: cdChase.com. You can do the same for print marketing materials, which should always have your domain name! Recently, I have considered purchasing longer forms of my name, but have yet to do so. One that used to be available is no longer… however, if it goes into disuse, I will obtain it.

Tom Brit has some excellent hints in his post, Picking a Domain Name is Harder Than You Think.

You too, can try to purchase domain names that are already owned, but not yet in use or bid to buy them. There are several companies that specialize in this business and there are people out there that actual collect domain names for the prospect of selling them for profit! One of the leaders in this field is Sedo, where I have a domain name parked for resale, ChattanoogaCountryHomes.com (though last night I came up with an idea to use it, so I may retract it!) Parking is a means of putting your domain name somewhere and potentially getting income from it based on searches finding it, and it having paid advertising on it.

How do I Register a Domain Name?

Registering the name itself, is easy once you have determined it’s availability. Most Registrars have tools on their web site to check the availability of a name, so you can start there, and when you find one you like, you click buy it! The tricky part is getting a good registrar. There was recently a case of a registrar (RegisterFly) going out of business… leaving the domain owners registered through them high and dry! The registrar is the technical center of making the domain name system work. So, if they are not providing the services reliably, your web site won’t be reachable. I recommend choosing only an ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) accredited registrar . I use a third-party registrar & DNS services company, DynamicNetworkServices (DynDNS), that allows me to manage my domain name separate from my web host & email services. This allows me some flexibility in the management of my web site & email, as well as other services. Doing this independent of your web host is not that complex, and I highly recommend it. However, most people will choose to purchase their domain name, DNS services, email & web hosting services from the same provider. At least the first time. I will admit I did so too! It’s convenient and easy. However, from a business perspective, I like the idea of specialists handling my services independent of each other. They can focus on what they do best and provide reliable services and flexibility. I would personally recommend choosing from the leading registrars, adding my own due to personal experience with them, and the elimination of one (eNom) due to the relationship with the above mentioned RegisterFly pending class-action suit:

Dynamic Network Services (My registrar)
Go Daddy Software
Network Solutions
Tucows (provide services to Dynamic Network Services)
Melbourne IT
Schlund + Partner
Register.com
Wild West Domains (part of Go Daddy)
Moniker Online Services
Domain Doorman
The rest of the top 50 market share registrars…

In conclusion…They’re cheap! Buy more than one! You can point them all at the same place initially, then develop specialty sites later. This will help with Search Engine Optimization and marketing. You should own any trademarked product names that you have. If the name is related exclusively to your company, you should own it as a domain.

Well, that should get you started… I probably should have broken this up into multiple posts, but I was on a roll! Feel free to ask any additional questions that you may have. I’d be happy to help!

Contact

2007-05-12T00:23:02Z

If you have a need to contact me, such as report a problem with the site, some personal consulting or want to offer me a million dollars to work for you… Just use the form below, and I’ll reply as soon as I can.

Contact Form