The latest YouTube sensation is this wedding video from a couple in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson wanted to do something different for their wedding procession and boy did they succeed. Almost 9 million people have viewed their wedding video in the past week and almost 45,000 people have commented on the video. Kevin and Jill appeared on the Today Show and the entire wedding party re-enacted the procession on live television. Take a look at the video now and you’ll see why this is one of the most popular videos on YouTube right now.

When you watch this video you can see why it’s spreading like wildfire across the internet. Here’s why it’s the hottest viral video on YouTube this week.

1. It’s totally unexpected. The ushers are standing patiently at the end of the aisle waiting for the ceremony t0 begin and while the crowd is anticipating the arrival of the bride.

2. The music begins and the ushers break out into a dance. The crowd instantly joins in the fun wondering what’s going to happen next.

3. The bridesmaids join in the fun making up their own dance down the aisle.

4. The groom busts through the pack of ushers and bridesmaids and somersault down the aisle.

5. The bride boogies down the aisle to the delight of the crowd.

Everyone is genuinely having fun. The wedding party practiced a little before the event but most of it is improvisational. The crazy dancing totally surprised the crowd and they totally embraced it wanting more. Many even joined in the dancing. There’s no acting in this video – it’s totally authentic.

If you want to create a viral web video then you have to make it fun and real. Surpise your viewers by doing something totally unexpected and entertain them. Be authentic and don’t try to sell anything in your web videos. The best way to turn people off is to try to sell them something because we see enough commercials when we watch televsion.

Make some web videos and send me the links so I can post them on my blog. Have some fun and make a name for yourself!

To your online success,

Ted

The Joomla Project announces the immediate availability of Joomla 1.5.11 [Vea]. This is a security release and users are strongly encouraged to upgrade immediately.

This release contains 26 bug fixes, two moderate-level security fixes and one low-level security fix. It has been 11 weeks since Joomla 1.5.10 was released on March 28, 2009. The Development Working Group’s goal is to continue to provide regular, frequent updates to the Joomla community.

Download your updates here

Click here to download Joomla 1.5.11 (Full package) »

Click here to find an update package. »

If you don’t want to install your own updates, we can do it for you for only $50 until the end of June.  We normally charge $125 for this service. You must be running a version of 1.5.x not the original version of Joomla 1.0.x.

We will:

1. Back up your current Joomla 1.5.x website including the database

2. Install the Joomla 1.5.11 version

3. Test your website to make sure everything is working properly.

Click here if you want us to install your Joomla 1.5.11 upgrade.

A community is a group of people who share the same stories

We’re all part of a community in many ways. The town we live in is our primary community. The people we work with is another community. The people we hang out with is yet another community.

Communities are all around us and we interact with each community in different ways. Just because we’re part of a community doesn’t mean we’re active members in that community.

I live in a small town just north of San Francisco and it’s a fantastic community. But I wasn’t always an active member of the community. For the first 10 years that I lived in my community, I just slept there. I would get up at 5 AM every morning and drive to work south of San Francisco. I would work until 9 PM every night, drive home and go to bed. I worked most weekends and rarely took vacation so I bet I didn’t even go downtown more than a handful of times in 10 years.

When I quit my job 10 years ago and started working from home I became an active member of my community. Today I’m a very active member of the community, volunteering at my kids school, coaching youth sports and helping raise money for the local schools and a community sports field.

For the past month my son’s high school baseball team was on a roll and the community really came together to support the team. His high school is an incredible community in itself. There is a strong school spirit that you just don’t see anymore. The students support each other and attend each other’s events whether it’s a sporting event, a play or a concert. The kids don’t only attend the events but they are active participants.

It’s great to see the stands full at almost all sporting events. During the recent baseball playoffs, hundreds of parents and students were actively cheering at the games, led by the basketball coach! Community members even came even though they didn’t have kids on the team or even in the school.

The student body knows all of the school cheers and is always the loudest student cheeering section in the county. They’re active and loud but they always demonstrate good sportsmanship. They cheer loudly for our team and they don’t taunt the opposition which has become the norm in many schools. It’s a fantastic community and I’m so happy to be part of it.

Last week the baseball team made it to the Northern California Championships and we got to play in the Oakland Coliseum where the A’s play. It was a dream come true for the boys, getting to play on a major league field (the parents were also pretty excited!). The most amazing part was that over 1000 people showed up to cheer for our team. Our school has only 1000 students and the town is about 10,000 people. It was an incredible community event that I’ll never forget.

Everyone hates cold calling because we all hate rejection and cold calling is all about rejection if you’re not good at it. These tips make cold calling much easier and less intimidating.

As I read these tips I realized these tips could be applied to social media. Cold calling and social media are exactly the same. If you try to sell your product or service to someone you just met on Facebook they will probably reject you . When you go out on a first date and ask the woman to marry you, you’ll probably get rejected (unless you’re on a binge with Britney Spears in Las Vegas).

Take a look at these cold calling tips and see if you think they can be applied to social media.

Because the right brain is…

1. Involved in process (not outcome)…

* Before you make a cold call, think to yourself, “My goal is not to make the sale but to create a conversation based on how I can help the other person.”

2. Intuitive (not calculating or manipulative)

* Avoid changing who you are when you make your call. There’s no need to be on “stage” or to sound enthusiastic.  Just be your everyday relaxed self, as if you’re calling a friend.   People know when you’re being genuine, and when you’re not.

3. Flexible (not linear)

* Throw out your linear sales script and generate a spontaneous conversation based on the problems you can help the other person solve.

4. Concrete (not abstract)

* Develop two or three specific problems that you know your product or service solves.

5. Holistic (not compartmentalized)

* Let go of thinking “buyer-seller,” and view the person you’re calling as another person, not as a “prospect.”

6. Open-ended (not rigid)

* Let go of worrying about driving the conversation “forward.” Instead, open your call with a problem statement that generates the response “What do you mean?” or “Tell me more.”

See what I mean? These cold calling tips can be directly applied to starting converstations with strangers on social media sites. You could also use these tips when trying to meet people in person at a social event. The operative word here is “social” which is the same online or offline.

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Workshop 1: Enhancing Your Online Reputation – Thursday June 4th Noon – 1:30 PM

What comes up when you Google yourself or your company name? Is your online reputation positive or negative?

Potential customers will Google you and your company name before they hire you so it’s more important than ever to have

positive search results appear in Google. You need to have current, accurate, and positive information appear in the

search results. Negative comments from disgruntled customers or employees can cost you tons of new business and destroy

your company’s reputation.

In this Brown Bag Lunch discussion, you’ll learn how to control the results that appear when someone Googles you or your

company. We’ll show you how to get positive search results without spending a fortune on Search Engine Optimization of

your website and blog.

This Brown Bag Lunch is from Noon until 1:30.

Sign up at http://www.meetup.com/bayareaim/calendar/10477035/

Workshop 2: Twitter Success: Learn How to Tweet for Business – Saturday June 6th 9 AM – 1 PM

The Twitter rage has everyone tweeting messages, from the silly to the serious. In the right hands, however, this social

media tool rises above ordinary chit chat and transforms into a far-reaching, powerful business tool.

In this dynamic, interactive workshop, we’ll review 4 Twitter success stories and show you how to use Twitter to create a

buzz for your business. You’ll see how companies are achieving their marketing objectives, 140 characters at a time, on a

shoestring marketing budget. These case studies demonstrate the impact and immediacy that Twitter can bring to your

business. Learn how to use Twitter to reach potential customers and devoted fans directly, without paying high marketing

costs. These Twitter-savvy business owners increased their sales, built brand awareness and established strong community

presences, one tweet at a time.

You’ll learn how to adapt these simple yet highly effective Twitter case studies to re-energize your business. You’ll

also learn how to use the top Twitter tools which will help you start making an immediate impact on the social media

scene without wasting your valuable time.

This workshop is from 9 AM until 1 PM.

Sign up at http://www.meetup.com/bayareaim/calendar/10476430/

Workshop 3: Concept To Cashflow – Saturday June 13th 10 AM – 4 PM

Easy steps to start and grow your business online

Ideal for Novice or Beginner Webeneurs and Entrepreneurs

· If you do not have an idea for a business yet we will help you find one!
· If you have an idea we will help you grow it!

The day will begin with an overview of the Concept to Cash Flow system. We will then break into groups and work directly

on your business using this proven system.

This is an ALL DAY monthly event. It starts at 10:00am BE ON TIME and be prepared to stay to 4pm

If you decide to come to this monthly event on an ongoing basis you will gain the benefit of the group getting to know

you and your business thus being able to help you more and more over time as your business grows. Plus, you will receive

a discounted rate.

In this workshop we will take you step by step to actually build and/or grow your business both on and off line. And then

we will not only show you, but help you to fill in all the missing pieces with the Best and Latest techniques of online

business.

· Ideal for Novice or Beginner webeneurs and entrepreneurs
· Receive professional input on your business
· Save years and thousands of dollars by NOT having to figure it out and do it on your own.
· Work in groups with other entrepreneurs all helping you build your business

You must pre-register for this event. It is limited to only 10 participants.

Sign up at http://www.meetup.com/webeneur/calendar/10435329/

Workshop 4: How to Turn Social Media Conversations into Paying Clients – Wednesday June 17th 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Learn how to leverage the power of social conversations and turn those conversations into paying clients for your

business. Special guest, Dominique Lahaix, of eCairn will show us how he finds the right conversations to tap into using

his powerful eCairn application and then turn those conversations into new clients.

Dominique is the Founder and CEO of eCairn, a software company based in Silicon Valley, delivering an innovative social

media marketing platform to agencies and marketing groups. He has previously founded and managed a software startup

specializing in emailing optimization with clients like eBay, HP, Apple. Before, He has lead several organizations in

Hewlett Packard Services (R&D, Consulting and Business Dev) and has 20 years of expertise in managing Technology

organizations. He has published, lectured on IT strategy and KM.

Sign up at http://www.meetup.com/bayareaim/calendar/10477644/

Workshop 5: Making LinkedIn Work for You – Thursday June 18th 9 AM – 1 PM

Making LinkedIn Work for You
A hands-on workshop presented by Ted Prodromou and Sanford Friedman

If you are a professional interested in advancing your career, increasing your business or expanding your opportunities

through relationships, this workshop is for you. Making LinkedIn Work for You helps you understand and develop an

effective online social networking strategy with LinkedIn.

You will walk away with:
1) An understanding of LinkedIn and why you should use it
2) A set of best practices and tips to get you started and keep moving, and
3) An understanding of how LinkedIn fits into your networking and career strategy.

Making LinkedIn and Facebook Work for You is a 3-hour introductory workshop presented by Ted Prodromou of NetBizExperts

and Sanford Friedman of the Friedman Consulting Group. This workshop will teach you:

√ How you can use LinkedIn to grow your business

√ How to get a job using LinkedIn

√ How to become an expert online networker

√ How to create a powerful LinkedIn bio that will attract attention

√ How to effectively use the advanced features of LinkedIn:

* Groups
* Asking and answering questions
* Recommending and commenting on articles
* Recommending colleagues
* Research

This is a hands-on workshop so bring your laptop!

Participants will be limited to 12 people.

Sign up at http://www.meetup.com/bayareaim/calendar/10477346/

Or you can sign up for all of these events and get a personal 30 minute one-on-one coaching session with Ted Prodromou when you sign up for our Total Coaching Package.

I’ve set up at least 50 Joomla websites in the past 3 years and at least as many Wordpress blogs. Both platforms have very strong, active communities that are constantly improving the products based on community feedback.

For small sites Wordpress has become a viable solution which I wouldn’t have said a year ago. Many new plugins and tool have appeared in the past year that make it easier to build a website instead of just a blog.

Joomla has matured and the release of the 1.5 platform last year solved many of the problems with the original version. They rebuilt Joomla from the ground up instead of patching the previous versions. Search friendly URL’s are now built into Joomla and my Joomla sites appear highly ranked in Google with little effort. Adding SEO plugins to Wordpress also makes it fairly easy to rank high in the search engines.

I still prefer Joomla for larger sites because I haven’t found a good menu plugin for Wordpress that lets me create menus with many levels that looks clean. . Joomla lets me create multiple menus located at the top, on the side and at the bottom of the website. I haven’t been able to create multiple menus in Wordpress without custom programming.

I like the way Joomla lets me move content around in different module positions and I can define the module positions in the template. Wordpress is limited how you can display content. Widgets must appear in sidebars and it’s not as flexible as Joomla. I know you can create custom themes for Wordpress but it’s always the main column and 1 or 2 sidebars. I’m sure Wordpress will continue to evolve and become more flexible.

Wordpress was designed to be a blog system and evolved into a content management system. Joomla started as a content management system and continues to grow. Both systems have easy to use Admin interfaces but Joomla has a lot more features so it looks harder to use than it is. It’s like Microsoft Word. You have 1000 features and you use 10 of them most of the time.

To sum it up, I like both platforms and I’ll continue to develop sites in both platforms based on the client’s needs.

The Bay Area Internet Marketer’s Meetup is one year old this month so we’re celebrating with a birthday party! Come join us from 6 until 8 PM! NOTE the earlier start time.

Winemaker Paul Kreider of The Ross Valley Winery will be hosting a wine tasting event at our celebration. The Ross Valley Winery is located in downtown San Anselmo and Paul has been making award winning wines for over 20 years. Stop in and have a glass of wine with Paul at the winery on San Anselmo Avenue. Paul’s website is www.rossvalleywinery.com.

Dominique Lahaix, the Founder and CEO of eCairn, will be our special guest. Dominique will be showing us how to leverage the power of social conversations and turn those conversations into paying clients for your business. He’ll show us how he finds the right conversations to tap into using his powerful eCairn application.

Dominique is the Founder and Ceo of eCairn, a software company based in Silicon Valley, delivering an innovative social media marketing platform to agencies and marketing groups. He has previously founded and managed a software startup specializing in emailing optimization with clients like eBay, HP, Apple. Before, He has lead several organizations in Hewlett Packard Services (R&D, Consulting and Business Dev) and has 20 years of expertise in managing Technology organizations. He has published, lectured on IT strategy and KM.

Register Here