It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million people; TV 13 years; the internet four years; and the iPod three years. It took Facebook only 9 months to reach 100 million users. (mashable.com)

According to trendsspotting.com, 96 percent of Generation Ys (who now outnumber the baby boomers) have joined an online social network.

A revolution in people power is going on as we speak and for the first time in modern history, we can choose our news instead of having it fed to us by a third party. This has huge implications for creating the kinds of grassroots movements needed to spark widespread social change.

However, only in recent times has the momentum of social media broken through the barriers of convention and spilled out into the streets. Literally.

The combination of small concealable video cameras, in many cases our mobile phones, and instant uploading and sharing, has meant that events like the protests in Iran have been watched by most of the world, often just hours after it happened.

There is no longer any excuse for not knowing what is going on the world – and doing something about it.

Google has become the portal we use to access any and all information available. And now their ‘Don’t be evil’ slogan is being tested in a showdown with China, where they have taken a stand and said they will no longer censor their search results.

But not all media and software companies have made the transition to the internet with their morals intact – if they ever had them.

MySpace, the first large-scale social networking site, acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp in 2005, has since experienced a decline in users and credibility due to the rise of more accessible and family-friendly social media websites.

And from Rupert’s recent statements on Telegraph.co.uk indicating his desire to monopolise the internet, and to cease indexing his news sites in Google, he clearly does not understand the shift that is going on. Even Bill Gates is struggling to adapt to the open source and free environment that is the internet.

They are scared because they cannot control it. And we, the people, are no longer subject to the old channels of media and information. We are free to find sources that we trust for news and information.

With so much information though, many of us can get overwhelmed. Finding trusted sources becomes paramount. Ultimately though, you have to be critical in your thinking and intelligently filter what you read and expose yourself to, no matter what the source is.

So, how can social media bring about social change?

User Generated Content

Every day, people upload videos, articles and comments, creating a place where anyone can express their views and engage with others without interference.

Organisations like Greenpeace have managed to harness social media to create campaigns that have captured people’s imaginations.

In late 2007, Greenpeace were tracking a humpback whale in the South Pacific with a satellite tag as a part of its Great Whale Trail Expedition, a response to Japan’s Fisheries Agency plan to kill 50 humpback whales.

The whale’s name was chosen in an online poll that garnered attention from several websites, including Boing Boing and Reddit. It quickly became an internet meme (a catchphrase or concept that spreads virally from person to person on the internet), and later was the subject of a TED talk by reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian (www.ted.com).

His name? Mr Splashy Pants!

The rise of real-time search, lead by Twitter.com has created an up-to-the-minute news medium, where people can be informed minutes after an event. When the earthquake happened in Haiti recently, the news broke first on Twitter.com and became a trending topic for weeks as the relief aid flooded in. Many of the main news networks now have Twitter accounts and the possibilities for things from customer support to real- time news reporting are being explored by businesses, the public and governments.

In the wake of the NSW fires, the Australian government has made moves to implement an early warning system on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The point is that when people like you and I get involved and support these kinds of initiatives by either spreading the word, signing petitions or donating money, it can make a difference. A showing of solidarity and online activism can influence government decisions…but only if enough of us get involved.

So jump in to the social media and online revolution and let your views be known.

Websites to check out:

News

• www.Truthdig.com – Stands out as a modern sceptic’s look at the news.
• www.Current.com – Amateur filmmakers and documentary makers submitting videos for user ratings. News for and by the people!
• www.news.bbc.co.uk – BBC News still seems to be maintaining a more mainstream integrity as well.

Inspiration

• www.Ted.com – Awesome thinkers and doers giving seminars on everything from biology to engineering and spirituality.
• www.AshesandSnow.org – Beautiful, inspiring images of animals and people in harmony presented as a wonderful flash exploration.

Social Media and Technology

• www.Mashable.com – A slightly geeky but cool site for social media enthusiasts.
• www.TechCrunch.com – Find out all the latest developments in technology.

Twitter represents yet another move towards this ideal state of information filtering. It’s not perfect but with the right tools it can be awesome.

So here, for those people that haven’t had an experience of Twitter is a simple video explanation. And for those that have, perhaps we can soak up some of the easy-to-follow language to incorporate into our online communication.

This proves it’s smart to make it simple!

We can't seem to get enough

From the outset I want to say I am probably going to offend some people in this article. I am simply fed up with the lying and pretending that goes on with marketers online.

And I’m not just referring to the little guys either.

Sure there are plenty of them, but it’s some of the big guys that are the biggest promoters of the bull.

See, before I joined the online scene I had been reading material by people like Jay Abraham, Stephen Covey (self-help), Bryce Courtenay, Michael Hewitt-Gleeson, Allan Pease and Michael E Gerber. Oh and an awesome crew based in Brisbane called The Results Corporation.

My association to the word “marketing” was based on things like testing, research, honest appraisal of the current marketplace, asking questions, utilizing untapped resources, and creative ways of finding people that want what you have to offer.

So now shift to the online arena and everyone seems to think they’re into marketing!

Anyone can and does setup shop as an “expert”. This hasn’t just watered down the (in my mind) established traditional marketing concepts but rather redefined marketing to mean something along the lines of “sell as many products to as many people as possible for as long as you can, with as little effort as possible”.

The internet has created a mad rush of half competent “entrepreneurs” with dollar signs in their eyes and only one aim: To get more followers and/or subscribers that they fleece for cash . The money is in the list, etc etc. So get the list happening asap and start selling them stuff right now regardless of the quality.

As a result I see a few major mistakes being committed over and over again:

1. Outright lying – If every sales page out there is for real then there are thousands of millionaires sharing their “secrets” just because they want to give something back. If they work so damn well, why are they selling a program to me that shows me how to do it?
2. Selling to everyone – The most extreme practice of this is spamming, but at least spam is obvious. The bulk of pretend marketers fit into this category and typically don’t care who you are but only if you have seen their sales page. Which leads me to…
3. Long drawn out sales pages – You know the ones. Three miles of sales copy, loads of really over-ripe testimonials and lots of guarantees with motivating phrases like, “This price will only last today” and “You will not see this offer ever again” blah blah. Sure a lot of these sales pages do work. But does the product work?
4. Over promise, under deliver – Building something up to be “the turnkey solution to all your money worries” should set off alarm bells for any sane person. More like Turkey!
5. More is better – Giving someone a lot of information is less and less being seen as a great thing. But wait… If you buy now I’ll throw in these three other free products you will have to sift through to find the gems. Thanks but no thanks.
6. No follow up – the second you buy a product you get absolutely zero follow-up that makes sure you get full value. Wouldn’t it be a novel idea to use an auto-responder to follow up and spread the program out into digestible pieces instead of to try to sell you the next thing.

Think About it!

As I see it there are six different categories of marketers online:

1. The real deal – These people are the right stuff. These are the astronauts of Marketing that blaze the trail and continually try to teach us that there is no “secret” but rather principles that can be learned. They give out unbelievable value for free and even better value in their products. Some examples? Seth Godin, Anthony Robbins, Frank Kern.
2. Humble learners – Honest people like you (hopefully!) and me that are in the process of understanding and applying the real principles of marketing and selling. They apply themselves in a sequential manner and are constantly open to new information. Hopefully imparted by the first group.
3. The big deceivers – These are the early adopters that managed to get in early enough to build a big enough list that they really can make enough money to make some of the promises they make, but their products are sub-standard and as a result they have to keep bringing them out and pushing them on to you and me. Either that or they are people that stumbled on a quick way to make cash that only lasts on the short-term.
4. The positive self-helper – These people essentially repackage the works of the new-age or self-help crowd (some of which do the same!) in conjunction with some product or service. They rely on the fact that most people are pretty uneducated and think that being positive alone or using “The Secret” is going to suddenly make you buy their stuff. Yes, it’s better to be positive but in most cases these people sell the illusion of transformation instead of a consistent learning process.
5. Lowly pretenders – These people setup shop and will do anything to appear to be successful in order to sell you something. These people may appear to be pros, but reality they are probably having trouble paying for their electricity, or they will be paying off that Porsche for another 10 years.
6. The rank amateur – These people don’t even attempt to hide their lack of understanding and instead of admitting their ignorance they go on as if we can’t tell. Need I say more?

People in the last four on this list are probably well meaning, but at every step you should exercise critical awareness and use it as a chance to observe what works and what does not work in the real world.

Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.

Stephen Covey

1. Get real with yourself and engage some self-awareness.
2. Admit when you don’t know something – Admission of ignorance is the first step in your education.
3. Tell the truth
4. Share what you do know in a real, caring way
5. Draw on your untapped or unrecognized skills and resources. Write them down and start developing them.
6. Associate with greatness and quality. Have a strong standard for what that means.
7. Don’t settle for less
8. It’s easier to sell something with integrity if you really believe in it. Remove anything that does not make you feel proud.
9. Tell your story honestly.
10. Survey your followers and or subscribers and ask them what their concerns and fears are. Be interested in them and their world.
11. Develop multiple pillars of success. Smart business people know that you need many different ways to attract business and customers.
12. Articulate or at least develop a USP or Unique Sales Proposition. Read more about this here.
13. Develop a mission statement that drives you emotionally to tap into your best. Read more about developing a mission statement.

I’m sure there are more but the underlying shift here is from quick-fix to a principle centered awareness. As long as you have a desire to rush the process and fast-track or control success, the more ineffective you become and the less you are able to respond to the signals and realities of your chosen marketplace. e.g.

• The Rupert Murdochs and Bill Gates of the world that think the internet can be monopolized.
• Journalism that under-utilizes social media
• Musicians that refuse to give any music away online.

So take the time to think clearly and discover the needs and desires of your audience/customers, then engage with them. They will thank you for it!

You are surrounded by simple, obvious solutions that can dramatically increase your income, power, influence and success. The problem is, you just don’t see them.

Jay Abraham

Even more interesting to me is if you could share some real world experiences that add to the conversation.

To the rise of True Marketing!

“The entrepreneur builds an enterprise; the technician builds a job.”

Most businesses don’t work because the people that start them don’t know what they are doing. They know how to make widgets, or install plumbing or create a website but have no idea how to create a business that works.

Michael E Gerber is the author of the best selling book, The E-Myth. He has been working with small businesses for over 30 years and challenges us to start reviewing the way we think about what we do and what our roles are.

An entrepreneur studies the marketplace and asks good questions:

• Is there a need for what I have to offer within this area or if it’s online is their a genuine need for what we have to offer?
• How would I need to make my product or service in such a way as to be original and in demand?
• What are the frustrations and problems that my customers experience?
  

These are the questions that an entrepreneur must ask and they are vital to framing your goals within a context of reality and actual demand.

Most entrepreneurs are merely technicians with an entrepreneurial seizure. Most entrepreneurs fail because you are working IN your business rather than ON your business.

There are 3 main roles in a healthy business. All are necessary, but the key is to get them working in synergy.

1. Entrepreneur – Ideas, strategy and vision.
2. Manager – Reaching goals, hiring and firing, keeping standards, following the plan.
3. Technician – Doing the work, making the widgets. Creating and distributing the products or services.

If you work alone or in a small business the challenge now is to move between these distinct roles so as to get the benefit from each way of thinking and being.

How does this all fit into your marketing strategy? The true spirit of entrepreneurship is to create a solution that solves all the problems and answers all the questions and concerns of your customers. The more confusion you can cut through, the more simple you can make it, the more elegant your product, the more your customers will appreciate you. And by default, how many others they tell in the process.

What are the take-home points from Michael E Gerber’s presentation?

• Invest in documentation and training – This allows you to create a structure that can be replicated and therefore refined. Even if you work only for yourself, you can begin to separate the roles of technician, manager and leader.
• Create a strong business ethic – Part of what makes great businesses is that they have a special way of going about things. It may be a specific  standard or process. It may be a specific packaging with personalized attention. Whatever it is that delineates you from your competitors, do it with commitment and certainty.
• Be objective and start gathering feedback – If you have been doing it doing it, working hard and not looking down the road, feeling that soon it will all happen, perhaps you need to review your strategy. The technician is by its nature enamored by the “work” part of the job and wants to keep going, and going and going… Begin to gather feedback from customers. Create a rewards program for the ones that really take the time to interact and share with you.

E-Myth and Business Development expert Michael Gerber

The entrepreneur is our visionary, the creator in each of us. We’re born with that quality and it defines our lives as we respond to what we see, hear, feel, and experience. It is developed, nurtured, and given space to flourish or is squelched, thwarted, without air or stimulation, and dies.

Michael speaks about being a learner and always growing

“If your thinking is sloppy, your business will be sloppy. If you are disorganized, your business will be disorganized. If you are greedy, your employees will be greedy, giving you less and less of themselves and always asking for more.”

Micheal E Gerber

Official Website

http://michaelegerber.com/

More YouTube Videos

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=michael+e+gerber&search_type=&aq=f

Much of it has to do with the growing younger demographic, but it seems more older people are getting into Facebook as a way to connect with family and friends. Prepare to experience a presentation of the new social media revolution!

The Social Media Revolution

So now you should be asking yourself, “Am I tapping into this stream of social media as a way of promoting my product or services?”

Recent studies show that very few small businesses are using social media as a way to reach out to people.

Reuters

Only 25 percent of businesses say they have used online media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to find and develop new customers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/smallBusinessNews/idUSTRE59759L20091008

CNet News

Survey: Do small businesses use social networking?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10374886-93.html

It also helps distinguish your site in your browsers bookmarks and is also used in some social bookmarking sites as well. Here’s how you can easily create the file and make it show up on your website.

1. Find an image on your computer that will work very small. It should be square and can be a gif, jpg, png, or bmp file. It can have transparency as well. It does not need to be a large file as it will be reduced to 16×16 pixels in size.

2. Visit http://tools.dynamicdrive.com/favicon (new window) and press the Browse button.

You could also try this free tool that makes a favicon from your Twitter profile image. http://www.html-kit.com/favicon (new window)

3. Navigate to the image on your computer and press Open.

4. Click the Create Icon button on the dynamic drive website.

5. In a moment you will see a preview of your icon. If you are happy with the way it looks, press the Download Favicon button.

This will download a file called favicon.ico on to your computer.

6. Login to your WordPress website.

7. Click on the Media tab and select Add New.

8. Press the Select Files button, navigate to the favicon.ico file on your computer and press Select. WordPress will automatically upload the file.

9. When it is finished you will see a small image of the file and down the bottom we are looking for the File URL section. Copy this URL.

10. Click on your Appearance tab and select Editor. Find the theme files section on the left and click on the one that says, Header (header.php).

11. Paste this code below the <link rel=”pingback” href=”/xmlrpc.php” /> line and replace the href URL with the full file path to the icon file we uploaded previously.

<link rel=”shortcut icon” type=”image/x-icon” href=”http://yourwebsite.com/uploadspath/favicon.ico“>

12. Click the Update File button.

You will need to refresh your website page to see the favicon in action. Even then it may not work straight away. The easiest way I have found to test that all is working is to use a different browser to load your page fresh.

If all is done right you should be sporting a spanking new tiny favicon. Yay!

Bookmark Favicons

By itself it has no value except as a way to facilitate change or sharing in some way. To the degree that we get clear on ourselves and our purpose we can create a website that succeeds.

This will help you to see your website through the filter of one of the most important self-help programs ever created. Stephen R Covey, the author of The Seven Habits of Effective People, is one of my personal heroes.

By that I mean that he is both humble and deeply inspired to empower and educate people about the things in life that are truly important and  constant.

“There are three things in life that are constant. Change, Choice and Principles.”

Stephen R Covey

If you have not heard of the book and his work, I highly recommend his books and teachings. Learn more about Dr Stephen R Covey.

Stephen Covey on Choosing Success

So here I re-interpret The 7 Habits through the filter of creating and developing a website:

Habit 1 – Be Proactive

A good website takes the initiative and does not wait for the ok from the world to start or beg for any kind of special treatment. It is driven by a passion and sense that we can create our own destiny.

In a sense it means to be focusing on empowerment and drive. That ethic will filter into everything it represents whether it is a personal blog or a company website. The presentation, content and tone will be clear, unapologetic and confident.

Habit 2 – Begin With The End In Mind

Once you know where the site is going you can design it to suite that aim. Most people do it the other way around. i.e. Make it look cool and then hope that it fulfills the vague plans you may or may not have.

This means you avoid complacency and always look to improve and develop your site. It also suggests knowing who your audience is and not trying to appeal to everyone.

Habit 3 – Put First Things First

This means having the courage to put aside petty desires and whims and place your emphasis on what tells your story and/or communicates to your visitors most eloquently.

An obvious hierarchy, without any extra baggage means that your site will signal clearly what it is and who it is for.

Your site will be easy to read and have clear navigation with a minimum of flashy graphics and unexpected pages and/or pop ups.

Habit 4 – Think Win/Win

The spirit of Win/Win is vital to the success of any website. If you enter into your web project only thinking of what you want, it will come across as being self-absorbed small time and in a word, boring.

You must be able to provide some tangible benefit to the reader and provide solutions to their perceived problems. At the very minimum your site should be entertaining.

Habit 5 – Seek First To Understand and then to be Understood

Create a dialogue in which your visitors are encouraged to submit comments and suggestions. Be open to criticism and feedback.

Poll your visitors and give them incentives for doing so. This information is vital and if taken on board will endear your visitors to you. Once you understand your visitors views and concerns you can edit and refine you copy and site taglines to speak to these issues.

If your site visitors feel understood they will automatically be open to you and your message.

TIP: Create a free download that provides a simple solution to some of their main fears and or concerns and people will begin to think of you as a trusted adviser.

Habit 6 – Synergize

Together with your growing tribe you can work on soving your primary problems in a more elegant way than if you did it alone. Ask for involvement and input. Some may give useful criticism. Others may interact more often and passionately. These people are going to share your message with friends as well as help you grow.

It’s more fun working with a team that includes your customers anyway.

Habit 7 – Sharpen The Saw

Take time out to leave the computer and live! Breathe and stretch. Open your mind to new possibilities and options. Go for a run and listen to inspirational music or audio books. Watch Ted.com and draw in their spirit of innovation and discovery.

This new fresh you will bring more life and passion to the project. It will be there when you get back anyway and you will feel so much better for it. You could also remind your people and customers to do the same thing!

How do you see these principles or habits apply to the process of creating a successful web presence?

Take the time to think and process how you might be more effective right now.

This will show you how to upload and install a new WP theme that you have downloaded. It also covers how to browse the WordPress.org themes site as well.

NOTE: This guide shows the interface from WP 2.8 but also features an admin navigation plugin called “Ozh’ Drop Down Admin Menus” Find out how to install that right here.

1. Start by Logging in to your WP site.
2. Click on the Appearance tab then select Add New Themes.  (To preview themes already installed click Themes)
3. Now we can choose to browse the WordPress.org site by using Search or selecting layout elements like Black, Left Sidebar etc, then click on the Find Themes button. Or we can click the Featured | Newest | Recently Updated to see those options as well.
4. To upload a theme we have downloaded to our computer already click the Upload link.
5. Click the Browse button and navigate to the sopt of your PC where the ZIP file is located. Press Install Now.
6. Once it has been uploaded, WordPress will ask if you want to Preview | Activate | Return To Theme Viewer.
7. Pressing Preview will show you what your site would look like to visitors.
8. Click Activate if you want the new look to go “Public”.
9. You have a new theme for your site!

Screencast Tutorial – Installing Themes in WordPress

Here we show you how to quickly and easily find and add plugins to your self-hosted WordPress website.

NOTE: This guide has us install an important feature to the backend of your site that speeds up your navigation. Highly Recommended!

From the Dashboard after logging in:

1. Click on the Plugins tab. (it’s faster if you click on the down arrow that appears instead of the text link)

2. Select Add New.

3. From the Install Plugins page, you can browse all the plugins within the WordPress.org directory using either Keywords, Plugin Authors, or Tags. In addition we can Upload a zip file or, show only Featured, Popular, Newest or Recently Updated plugins.

4. Enter the exact name of the plugin into the Term dropdown field (i.e. Keywords). See screen shot for example.

COPY and PASTE the name below exactly for accuracy.

Ozh’ Admin Drop Down Menu

5. Press the Search Plugins button.

6. The plugin we are after should be at the top of the list of results.

7. Click the Install link on the right and accept the request WP gives you.

8. WP will ask if you want to Activate the plugin.

We’re done and ready for plugin configuration!

NOTE: Most often WordPress plugin options show up in the Settings tab, but it can vary.

Well I’ve scoured the internet for you to find the best and most inspiring desktop backgrounds.

Listed in order of excellence:(all links open in a new window)

1. Vladstudio – Clean, cool, artistic brilliance. Awesome artist and designer.

2. Desktopography – Awesome artwork. Subtle mixing of graphic elements with natural settings.

3. DesktopNexus – A community based site with a large variety of great quality Wallpapers.

4. PixelGirlPresents – Great quality desktops, icons and iPhone Wallpapers.

5. InterfaceLift – Great selection of natural and artistic designs.

6. BestGamesWallpapers – Images and artwork from Games on the net.

7. SpaceTelescope.org – While not a dedicated site, their Wallpapers section is stunning.

8. DigitalBlasphemy – Not all free but very high quality with a CG and animation style.

9. MyBestDesktops – Mostly natural backgrounds. Animals and landscapes.

10. FlickrWallpapersPool – This is not a website but rather a section on Flickr for desktop backgrounds.

11. HongKiat.com WallPapers Category – very high quality collection of wallpapers for your desktop.

• fantasyartdesign.com – Great artwork and designs.
• visualparadox.com – Computer generated and fantasy art desktops.

Some other Wallpaper sites worth a look…

• pixelhigh.com - Babes on backgrounds.
• dowwallpaper.com – Great selection, good navigation even though too many ads.
• cool3dwallpaper.com – More spacey and 3d style themes.
• coolwallpaper.com – Weird chintzy looking site but a good assortment of celebrity, space and landscape style themes.
• search.ra-gu.net – Strange name and lots of ads but some out of the ordinary desktops.
• fantom-xp.com – Site can be annoying but their are some good backgrounds to be found.
• wallpaperstock.net – Ads and confusion but some good desktops.

Any other great Wallpaper sites I have missed?

Please comment and let me know.