Although I have been taking a break from speaking, I have been open to the occasional speaking engagement if it was a good fit. When I was asked to speak at Digital Summit, I couldn’t resist. One of the largest interactive conferences in Atlanta with about 1,500 attendees, Digital Summit is dedicated to all things digital: social media, SEO, search marketing, analytics, e-commerce, mobile and general technology.

I will be speaking about e-commerce, specifically about how we have grown 2BigFeet.com rapidly over the last 5 years, doubling in revenues several times over. I’m really looking forward to speaking at the event, and am also excited about attending a few talks. The list of speakers is pretty impressive, representing companies like MailChimp, Twitter, Coca-Cola, Vitrue, CNN, ESPN, The Onion and more.

I’m also excited about seeing some Atlanta friends and colleagues I haven’t seen in a while like John Lawson and Jacqui Chew, who are also speaking at Digital Summit. There are only about 50 tickets remaining, so if you’re interested in attending register now.

It’s the first conference I’ve been to in a long time where I haven’t been speaking. I’m looking forward to just being able to be an attendee for once. I had the privilege of speaking at Converge SE back in 2010, and was extremely impressed with the conference. Gene Crawford of Period Three has done an amazing job organizing it and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this year.

Hopefully I can get some good photos and maybe even a couple of videos to post to the blog, since I’ve been so bad about posting lately. Stay tuned…

But all good things must come to an end and it’s time for me to take a (potentially temporary) break from speaking. While I have thoroughly enjoyed speaking at conferences and events, there are definitely downsides too.

I need to spend time with my kids

The biggest reason I’m taking a break from speaking is the time away from my family. About a month ago, my son said something about me never being home, and that really stung. As Interactive Director at Kelsey Advertising & Design and owner at 2BigFeet.com, I have to travel several times a year for business, so adding a speaking engagement every month meant I was gone once or twice a month for several days – usually on weekends. Taking a break from speaking will mean more time with my kids.

I need to focus on my business

Working full-time as Interactive Director doesn’t leave much time for being the leader of a growing company. I do a lot of high-level work during lunches, in the evenings, and on the weekends. When I’m off at a conference speaking, it’s hard to get any time to work, because there’s always something going on. I am either rehearsing my presentation, at a networking function, or meeting colleagues for lunch or dinner.

Speaking so often over the past few years has taken a toll on my business. Our growth, which was averaging 85% a year, has slowed substantially to around 30%. That’s still great growth, especially in this economy, but I know we can do better. I have projects (like a mobile-optimized website) that have been stalled for months, simply because I don’t have time to work on them.

Conference organizers don’t fairly compensate speakers

Public speaking does have several benefits to professionals. It does help to establish yourself as an industry expert, can be a marketing and lead-generation tool for your business, and can promote a book or other products or services you have to offer. But these are really secondary to the time and effort that goes into planning and executing a good presentation.

A successful presentation can take 40 hours to brainstorm, plan, write, design, and rehearse. Add to that the travel time and expenses, not to mention time away from work and family, and speaking can be incredibly expensive.

Most conference organizers and event planners are really great people, but many of them try to take advantage of speakers (even if they don’t realize they are doing it). I often get asked to speak at a conference out of state, for no compensation at all, and I am expected to cover airfare, hotel, and other travel expenses. And some will even ask you to pay to go to their event on top of that!

But because there are so many young professionals out there interested in professional speaking, events rarely have a problem finding someone to speak. It might not be the best speaker, but they’re free and pay their own way.

Because of the two reasons mentioned above, I simply cannot pay someone else to go and speak at an event.

When I will still speak at your event

I am taking the next couple of months to focus on my family and personal projects, but I am still willing to speak at a small number of conferences or events in 2012, providing you are able to meet the following conditions:

Expenses

All expenses must be covered, including the following.

• Airfare
• Hotel (at least two nights for one presentation day)
• Meals
• Parking
• Mileage to/from airport

Compensation

If you cannot pay me to come and speak, I understand. But unfortunately, I will most likely decline the opportunity. My standard fee for a one-hour presentation (that takes approximately 40 hours of preparation time) is $1,000. Longer workshops or keynote presentations start at $2,500.

This is still a very low fee considering both the preparation time and the fact that I will be losing two days of productive work to travel and speak at your event. If your budget allows, I would love to talk to you about speaking for your event.

• Mobile Marketer Daily
• Mobile Marketing Association
• SMS Marketing Provider

The Social Media Masters series is hosted by Social Media Club and Sensei Marketing.

Other presenters include Patrick O’Keefe on building community, Candace Kemp McCaffery on measurement, Sam Fiorella on building corporate social infrastructure, and many more. Check out the entire lineup of speakers that will be presenting at one or more of the five events in the United States and Canada.

Register before tomorrow, 8/19, and you can save 30% off the regular price using the discount code SMMBE30. Come see me in Atlanta or New York and learn about mobile marketing!

We just saved 15 seconds. But what about our coworker? They have to stop what they’re doing, answer your question, then try to get back to being productive. The problem is that it can take 15 minutes to get back into “the zone.” We just cost them 15 minutes of productivity to save us 15 seconds. Add up all these little interruptions throughout the day and you can lose hours of productivity just by being lazy.

Next time you have a simple question for the person sitting next to you in the office (or across the country via IM), try finding the answer yourself first. Be resourceful. Ssearch Google. Check the documentation. Go through basic troubleshooting steps. Don’t ask for help until you’ve exhausted all your other options. And then, if it’s not an emergency, send an email instead of interrupting them.

I’m looking forward to the interviews, panels, and parties. If you’re at SxSW, find me on Twitter @beley and add me as a friend on Foursquare and Gowalla. I have very few scheduled appointments or panels, so if you want to grab coffee or a drink, just send me a message!

I’ve often thought about him, wondered what he was doing. I even Googled his name, and searched for him on Facebook a time or two. But I never really tried to find him. I never really tried to reconnect.

Tonight his mom, who was like a mother to me, found me on Facebook and soon after I learned that Andrew had passed away. Wow.

What Will You Regret?

I don’t regret many things I’ve done in my life. In fact, the only things that I truly regret are the things I haven’t done. Today, I just added one more to that list. I wish I had reconnected with my old friend before it was too late. I regret not being a better friend.

This has reminded me to never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Hug your parents. Tell your children you love them. Reconnect with an old friend. Do it today, because you may not be able to tomorrow.

Don’t Waste Time

Andrew was my age and died suddenly, before his time. That is incredibly sobering news. I am not one to spend much time watching TV or playing video games, but honestly I do my share of time-wasting. We all do, in our own ways.

I don’t want to waste my life… I want it to mean something. A few days ago, I wondered aloud on Twitter:

I don’t know what it was I was put here to do, but I do know I am going to figure it out. I’m not going to wait until next year, next month, or even tomorrow. I’m starting right now. I am going to make a promise to myself to not only figure out how I want to make a difference, but start doing it.

Don’t Wait For Your Wake-Up Call

We all get wake-up calls from time to time. Sometimes it’s a small one… something someone says just resonates with us or we barely escape a car accident. But from time to time, we get big wake-up calls. I got one tonight.

Don’t wait for your own wake-up call to make changes in your life. Let this little reminder be a wake-up call for you too. Now is the perfect time to take a look at your dreams, your career, your life. Do you wish you spent more time with your family? Do you wish you could start your own business? Do you really wish you could go back to school, but “don’t have time?”

Don’t put it off anymore, because life is short and you may wake up one day and realize your whole life has passed you by. Or you may not wake up at all.

She said, “I have to have the full account number to look up your account.”

Whaaaa???

I said: “You can’t look up the account by my name or EIN?”

Her: “No, I have to have the full account number or check card number.”

Me: “So you’re telling me there is no way in your system to look up my account without one of those two numbers?”

Her: “Right.”

Me: “No one there can look up my account?”

Her: “No”

Me: “Let me speak to your supervisor, please.”

Supervisor: “Hello sir can you give me your EIN so I can look up your account?”

When you’re dealing with customers, don’t say you can’t do something if you technically can. Don’t say something isn’t possible if it is. Don’t lie to your customers.

I specifically asked her if it was technically possible to look up my account another way and she told me no. She also told me no one else would be able to help me. Two blatant lies.

Had she told me it was simply a policy not to look up accounts with anything other than an account or check card number, I would have asked for her supervisor much quicker (and more pleasantly) and the overall experience would have been completely different.

By the way, that’s one of the main reasons I’m no longer a customer of said bank.

SitePoint is having a Christmas Countdown sale, with a new featured special every day. Today they have an excellent marketing bundle up for sale, which includes my book, Online Marketing Inside Out, The SEO Business Guide, and SitePoint’s new Facebook Ads 101 course – all for only $99!

First, Online Marketing Inside Out is an introduction to online marketing, covering topics from planning your marketing strategy, email marketing, website optimization, pay per click marketing, and much more. The SEO Business Guide has everything you need to optimize your website for search engines, and was just updated in October 2010 with the newest information.

Facebook Ads 101 is a brand new course which starts on December 16. You’ll participate in a structured online video course with lessons
and tutorials, as well as have access to a private Q&A system. Once you purchase this deal, we’ll email you a link to enroll. Click on
the link, enroll, and you can start your lessons anytime.

Normally all these products would cost almost $275, so this is a huge discount. If you’ve got a website but need help getting to the next step, or are thinking of starting one, this bundle is for you. Head on over to SitePoint’s Christmas Countdown for more information.

Next weekend I’ll be giving a presentation at IndieConf about effective networking for independent contractors and solopreneurs. Everyone says word of mouth is the best way to get new clients, but who can just sit around and wait for word of mouth to start bringing in the business?

I’m going to be talking about how to use effective networking strategies to land new clients and more work from current clients. I’ll be discussing several different strategies – both online and off.

Why should you listen to me about networking for independent contractors? After spending two years as head of web development and sales for a small company, I started my own (solo) consulting firm that I later sold to Kelsey Advertising & Design in 2006. I have owned or worked in small web consulting firms for the past ten years.

There’s still time to register for IndieConf. Register online and enter discount code “25off” for 25% off regular price. I hope I see you there!

I’ll have a full schedule this year, with a book signing, speaking on two panels, and several interviews and other functions scheduled. If you’re going to BlogWorld, check out my schedule below.

Official Functions

Online Marketing Inside Out Book Signing

Friday, October 15, 11:00 AM
I’ve already had two book signings, but I’m really excited about the one at BlogWorld this year. It will be the first time I meet my coauthor Shayne Tilley in person. We wrote Online Marketing Inside Out by collaborating using Skype and instant messaging, as he’s from Australia. This will be our first official book signing as far as I’m concerned… since you have to have both authors present for it to be official, right?

Panel: Ethics and Social Media Marketing

Saturday, October 16, 12:15 PM
I’m honored to be speaking with good friends Patrick O’Keefe and Jeremy Wright, as well as Jason Baer in a discussion about ethics in social media marketing. We’ll be talking about examples of unethical marketing in the social media space, and discuss how to do it right.

Panel: 5 Strategies Bloggers Should Learn from Online Marketers

Saturday, October 16, 3:30 PM
My panel with Online Marketing Inside Out coauthor Shayne Tilley, author of UnMarketing Scott Stratten, and Scott Fox, author of e-Riches 2.0, will discuss how to determine your most important conversion goals, and how to optimize your blog to maximize conversions.

Parties & Social Events

I’ll also be attending several parties and events, both official and unofficial. If you can’t make it to my book signing or one of the panels I’m on, stop by one of these events and say hi.

UnMarketing Tweetup

Although its an unofficial event, I’m excited about attending Scott Stratten’s pre-BlogWorld tweetup. Scott is speaking on a panel with me and has a new book, UnMarketing. The tweetup is getting a lot of attention and should be a blast. I’ll be heading there straight from the airport on Wednesday evening.

Social Media Explorer Mall Bar Tweetup

Jason Falls’ annual Mall Bar Tweetup is a pretty low-key event, but last year’s was filled with great conversations and interesting people. I’ve got another, private, event around the same time but will definitely make time to stop by Jason’s tweetup for at least a little while.

Mashable MashBash Opening Party

I’ll most likely be at the official BlogWorld opening party, sponsored by Mashable. MashBash sounds like a lot of fun, but will also be insanely packed.

BlogWorld Late-Night All-In Poker Party

I love poker. The only thing better than playing Texas Hold’em is playing with a bunch of other geeks at BlogWorld. Join us for the “official” BlogWorld poker game. Just a warning, friend or not I’ll take your money!

Third Tribe Meetup

Are you a member of Third Tribe Marketing? We’re having a meetup every morning of BlogWorld. I’m going to try to join in every morning. Considering the official parties can often run late, I may not make it every day but I’m going to try. If you’re a member of Third Tribe, check out the thread about the meetup. Not a member yet? Well, you should join!

Find Me, Say Hello

Even if you’re not going to be at one of the sessions or events above, shoot me an @ message on Twitter or email me. I’d love to meet up with you for a cup of coffee or beer.

The True Cost of Free

Nothing is free… everything comes with a cost. There are monetary costs, productivity costs, opportunity costs, and risks (which can turn into costs later).

Before you choose a free (or paid) solution, look at all the real costs associated with it.

If you download a free open-source word processing software, it may take marginally longer to build a document than in the popular commercial software equivalent. That time different and frustration from a slightly less-usable interface can add up over time. At some point, it may be worth it for you to just spend the money on a commercial application.

Another cost to consider is your privacy. When you use free web services, such as Google Anallytics, you are giving another company access to sensitive information, and trusting them to keep that information safe. Giving up privacy is not necessarily a material cost, but it is a cost nonetheless. But there are real costs if that information is compromised or lost.

Tools

Below are the tools we discussed in my presentation. I will add screenshots from the presentation when I get a bit more time.

Productivity and Collaboration

• AVG Antivirus
• Google Apps
• Evernote
• Skype
• LogMeIn
• OpenOffice
• DropBox
• InvoiceBubble
• Google Reader

Marketing Tools

• Google Analytics
• Google Keyword Tool
• Google Trends
• Google Website Optimizer
• Google Places
• Google Alerts
• Google Reader
• MailChimp
• Hubspot Website Grader

Web Design & Development

Gimp
Pixelmator (mac)
VectorDesigner (mac)
Filezilla
TextWrangler
Eclipse
WordPress
Drupal
Adobe Browser Labs

E-Commerce & Web Hosting

I didn’t talk about e-commerce software or web hosting specifically, but I just want to stress that this is an area where you do not want to go the cheap route. I get asked a lot about free or open source e-commerce packages. Yes, there are several platforms available, one being Magento Commerce, but none of them are really free.

E-commerce software is very complex, and holds very sensetive information such as customer details, thier payment information, and your financial information. One security flaw that allows someone to access sensetive information can open you up to severe liabilities.

And both the software and the hosting are critical in being able to make money and reach customers. If a software update renders your website unusable, or your webshite hosting goes down frequently, you could lose thousands, or hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales.

It’s my personal opinion that these are two areas where spending money is definitely appropriate. We have managed dedicated servers with ServInt and Rackspace, and use several different e-commerce packages including Interspire and ShopSite.

Slides

Often times we are so busy with the daily grind that we forget the basics. We forget how to be gentlemen. All it requires is a friendly reminder (the book above is an excellent refresher).

Getting Back to the Basics

Sometimes we get off-course in business, too. In our haste, we sometimes forget how to act. I have always thought of businessmen in very much the same way I think of gentlemen. Handshakes. Principles. Honesty.

Yes, business is about making profits, but it’s much more important to do something you love. To make a difference. To do something your children will be proud of.

Businessmen don’t abdicate responsibility by saying “I just work here” – they take responsibility and show initiative. They choose not to complain, because complaining doesn’t do anyone any good. Real businessmen take pride in their work, and make sure it’s done right. They truly enjoy what they do.

I think it’s about time we got back to the basics of business. I think it’s about time we acted like businessmen (and women).

There isn’t a book titled “How to Be a Businessman,” but maybe there should be.

The lineup of speakers and presentations is impressive to say the least. My good friends Patrick O’Keefe and Wayne Sutton are giving a talk titled “Personal Branding & How to Break Into Social Media” which I can’t wait to hear. There will also be a videoconference with Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist and of course, the keynote with Brent Payne, SEO Director for the Chicago Tribune. There’s a little bit of everything, from business and marketing to social media and development. Check out the schedule to see the full lineup.

Registration closes Wednesday, September 29 so if you’re interested in attending don’t wait! Check out the ConvergeSouth 2010 website or go straight to the registration page.

Several speakers are also hosting dinners on Friday night. There is no fee to attend a hosted dinner, but you do have to buy your own meal. I’ll be hosting a dinner with Jeff Cohen and Trey Pennington at The Summit Station. It’s a great opportunity to network with the speakers and other attendees and enjoy a great meal. If you’re coming to ConvergeSouth, you should definitely register for one of the hosted dinners.

I know the video below is a little old, but I still see way too many choices presented in registration forms, online shopping websites, and in day to day life. If you want to increase sales, consider either reducing the number of choices, or making intelligent choices by default so your visitors don’t have to.

And if you haven’t seen the video below, watch it. It’s excellent.

Upcoming Speaking Schedule

After a couple months off, I’m getting back into a regular speaking schedule. I’m excited to be speaking several times this fall all over the country:

• Tips Bloggers Can Learn from Online Marketers
  September 18-19 – WordCamp Birmingham (Birmingham, AL)
• Free and Open Source Tools for Business
  October 1-2 – ConvergeSouth (Greensboro, NC)
• 5 Strategies Bloggers Can Learn from Online Marketers
  Panel with Scott Stratten, Scott Fox, Shayne Tilley and myself
  October 14-16 – BlogWorld & New Media Expo (Las Vegas, NV)
• Ethics and Social Media Marketing
  Panel with Patrick O’Keefe, Jeremy Wright, Jay Baer and myself
  October 14-16 – BlogWorld & New Media Expo (Las Vegas, NV)
• Effective Networking for Freelancers & Independent Contractors
  November 13 – IndieConf (Raleigh, NC)

I am interested in new speaking opportunities as well. If you need a speaker for your conference or event, get in touch. You can see my entire speaking schedule on the Online Marketing Speaker page.

Email Marketing Live

I’m working with SitePoint on an online learning course teaching the fundamentals of successful email marketing. It will start with the absolute basics, and cover everything from determining what emails should be about to building a subscriber list to designing effective newsletters and testing them to increase conversions.

The course will start this fall and will include lots of one-on-one time with me in a private chat area where I’ll be available to answer questions, review campaigns, etc. I’ll post more information as it becomes available.

Upcoming Books

I was asked to coauthor a book, but with my current schedule and the proposed deadline by the publisher, I had to decline. I did agree to be the technical editor and as an advisor of sorts on the content. I’m very excited about working on the project, though, even if in a lesser capacity. The book is about the business of web design and should be out early next year.

I’m also working on a third book, which I can’t be too specific about just yet. I’m working with a colleague on a book proposal that we’ll soon pitch to a few publishers. I’m pretty excited about the subject matter and that there aren’t any marketing books published in the last 5 years that really cover it.

Blogging

I’ve been blogging much more lately on the Online Marketing Inside Out blog, and here. I’m trying to get into a regular schedule of posting (typically Monday, Wednesday and Friday but this week was a long holiday weekend). It’s going to be a little difficult to keep up the pace with everything else I have going on, so I may have some guest posts, contests, and other fun topics.

Tribune Newsletter

I’m still writing alternating issues of the SitePoint Tribune email newsletter, that reaches over 200,000 web professionals every week. My next issue comes out this Thursday. Subscribe now to be sure to get it.

The first clue was on the outside of the envelope. It addressed my first name (I’m called by my middle name). Could have easily been an oversight, I guess. On the post-it note inside, also addressed to Michael. And as I looked at the newspaper clipping, it had nothing to do with me, personally. It was a fake newspaper article about a local car dealership who was running a “special pricing event.”

This is a car dealership I’ve bought from before, and I have a family friend that works there. I have shopped with them several times looking for new cars. People there know my name when I walk in. I don’t honestly know what’s more insulting, that they couldn’t even take the time to address it to the correct name, or that they actually thought I would believe this was a real newspaper article.

You Can’t Fake Personal

This car dealership went to a lot of effort to trick people into thinking a newspaper wrote a positive article about them. This plays on people’s need for social proof. The personal style of mailing the newspaper clipping and note are intended to build trust and rapport. Only one problem – you can’t build trust on top of a lie.

Instead of building trust and rapport, this car dealership has lost trust with me. How many more people got the same “article” in the mail and instantly saw through the facade? This is a major problem for industries like theirs, that are already seen as less than trustworthy.

Make Deposits, Not Withdrawals

Stephen Covey describes the emotional bank account in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Essentially, every relationship (even business relationships) work like a bank account. Acts of kindness, helpfulness and trust make deposits. Uncaring, deceitful or disrespectful acts make withdrawals. The balance of the bank account is your level of trust with the person or company at any given time.

You can’t make a withdrawal (asking someone to buy something, or even consider buying something) until you’ve made enough deposits just like you can’t open a checking account and withdraw $10,000 before depositing any money. Deposits can’t be fake. In this case, sending a fake newspaper clipping was actually a big withdrawal.

It’s Not That Hard

The really sad part of this story is that it’s just as easy to be thoughtful and truly personal as it is to fake it. I have been in this dealership recently looking at new vehicles for my wife. This dealership could have easily seen that in the file, and found a real newspaper clipping or online article about how interest rates were at all time low or now was the time to buy a car. They could’ve even sent the same newspaper clipping to everyone… as long as it was legitimate.

How Are You Faking Personal?

We’re all guilty of being impersonal from time to time. Look at your business processes – Where are you trying to appear personal? Are you truly being personal, or are you taking a shortcut? Would it really take more time to be truly personal?

The problem with this kind of opportunism is that in a very short time, you can find yourself overloaded and spread too thin. I’m talking about literally overloaded, in terms of the shear amount of time devoted to different projects and priorities.

You might find that your mind is also overloaded. With too many parallel initiatives, it can be difficult to focus and think critically about them. They all suffer individually because of the mental weight of the collective.

But opportunism also has another, even higher, price. The opportunity cost of taking every great opportunity that comes along, is that you will soon be confronted with one you simply cannot take because you are overcommitted. And it may be the one opportunity that could have meant the most to your career or life goals.

So next time you are presented with an opportunity, think carefully about your other obligations before jumping in and saying “yes.” Although it’s difficult, sometimes the most valuable opportunities are the ones we said no to.

But somehow, a break of a few weeks turned into a few months. I stopped focusing on finding speaking engagements, and as a result, by the time I speak again it will have been almost 3 months. A lot can happen in three months! Every professional speaker I know says that you have to keep practicing, keep working on your craft.

There’s also the loss of momentum that comes from slowing down or stopping for a few months. When my book published last June, promotion started out a little slow. The more I traveled and spoke, the more momentum I built up. Toward the end I was speaking 2-3 times per month (which is a lot considering my full-time job and other commitments). Then nothing. For three months.

It’s going to be tough, but I’m already working on getting that momentum back. I do have several speaking engagements already in October (and am still interested in speaking in September if the right opportunity presents). Going forward, I’m going to be sure to not get lazy and lose too much momentum.

What have you gotten complacent about lately?

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett

Blog Blazers: 40 Top Bloggers Share Their Secrets
by Stephane Grenier

Head over to the OMIO blog to find out how to enter.

But it’s more than just a motivational self-help speech. Over the years, I’ve had some amazing opportunities… and it had nothing to do with “luck.” I’ve also, like everyone, had some misfortunes from time to time. But although we don’t have complete control over what happens to us in life, we do control how we handle those situations.

My session is all about how to watch out for opportunities, and when there aren’t any, how to make them. It’s practical advice on how to move from waiting for good things to happen to taking your life by the horns.

Please consider voting for my talk at the SxSW 2011 Panel Picker.

If you think it’s a good idea and want to vote for me, here’s how. It will take at most 5 minutes of your time:

• Create an account
• Check your email and click the validation link
• Sign in to the SxSW Panel Picker
• Go to my speaking event page
• Click – Your vote: Thumbs Up Image

So, how did turning 30 affect me?

30 is Just a Number

I’ve never been one to get hung up on age. Part of that is because I started my first real business at 19, and saw age discrimination first-hand. I had friends, family, bankers, and vendors treat it as if it were just a big joke. I didn’t act young, but I was and had too much of a baby face to pass for much older than early twenties.

Now that business, 2BigFeet.com, is over 10 years old and still going strong. A lot of people told me it would never work and that I should get a good education and a good, “stable job.” I strongly feel if I was 30 or 40 when I started that business I would’ve gotten a very different reaction from people.

I never really liked being “young.” It was always a challenge for me, because I am a very “driven” person and it seemed like my age and youthful appearance often cast a first impression on people about me. It took a long time to prove otherwise — time I feel could have been better spent, honestly.

After spending the better part of my twenties being asked “So, how old are you?” I’m honestly looking forward to my 30′s. I look much older than I did when I turned 20… but it doesn’t bother me. I’m just glad that I don’t get asked “How old are you?” every time I meet someone and tell them I’m an entrepreneur, published author, or professional speaker.

My Life So Far

I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far. I’ve been working for 15 years now. In that time I have started several businesses, some of which have been very successful. I have taught myself web development and online marketing, built a career and a name for myself in this industry, and even published a book on the subject. I’ve traveled all over the country and abroad speaking professionally about my industry.

I also fell in love, got married, and had two amazing children who are growing up faster than I can keep up with. I went to college, became a Kappa Sigma Brother, and made friendships I am sure will last my entire lifetime.

I can’t express in words how fortunate I feel to be where I am right now. I wouldn’t change a thing about my life.

My Next 30 Years

I heard a song by Tim McGraw the other day – “My Next 30 Years.” It is a very moving song and struck a chord with me. It starts:

I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here

Those words really resonated with me… about my life and how I want to spend it. In 30 more years, I’ll be 60. In all reality, I’ll be in my final act by then.

I figure I have 30 good years left (maybe more). The next 30 years are quite possibly the most important years of my life.

What do I want to do? What kind of person do I want to be? How do I want to leave my mark on this world? I don’t have all the answers — nobody does — but I know that every day that passes is an opportunity.

I plan to make the best of my next 30 years…

Save Your Local Economy… Three Stores at a Time

Saving the Brick and Mortars Our Nation is Built On

3. Think about which three independently owned stores you’d miss if they were gone. Stop in, say hello, and pick a little something up. That’s how they stay around.

50. If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month in independently owned stores, their purchases would generate $42,629,700,000 in revenue.

68. For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. In a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.

1. The number of people it takes to start the trend… you.

The premise of this campaign is to encourage people to support (i.e. spend money) in local, independent shops and restaurants. The first time I saw this, I didn’t think that much of it, but then as I was eating lunch the other day (in a locally owned restaurant) I actually read the flyer and it just didn’t sit right with me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for shopping locally. I don’t like the huge chain stores or “big box” retailers any more than the next guy. But I’m also the owner of an small, independent online store and I’m friends with several entrepreneurs who have been fortunate enough to grow their businesses into regional and national businesses.

The Problem with “The 3/50 Project”

The problem with the 3/50 project and any other projects like it is simple. It’s not my (or your) responsibility to save local businesses. It’s the business owners’ responsibility. Initiatives like these put the responsibility on the individual to support businesses that often times are poorly run.

Lots of small businesses will go out of business. They are running on outdated business models, with nothing unique to set them apart from their bigger, or more nimble competition.

Local independent business owners need to find a way to differentiate themselves. Whether that’s based on service, product offering, or some other factor, they are going to have to find a way to make themselves valuable to potential customers.

Customers are never going to shop with someone just because they feel obligated to support them. It’s simply not enough to guilt someone into buying from you.

It’s Not the Internet’s Fault

Another issue I have with this program is that it seems to place a little bit of the blame on Internet companies. One of the key points is that if you shop with Internet companies all of the money leaves the local economy. While it does leave one local economy, it also enters another local economy. And it almost always stays in the United States.

As the owner of a small, independent, but online retailer, I take offense that just by being online and not traditional brick-and-mortar I’m somehow causing these small, local companies go out of business.

The truth is a lot of these local independent retailers and service providers have gotten lazy. They’re used to just doing business the way they’ve always done business, and they’re scared of changing. No amount of community involvement is going to save the business that stuck in the Stone Age.

It’s Just Postponing the Inevitable

Let’s say this initiative works. What happens in five years or 10 years after these companies have been saved from extinction by local patrons who give them money instead of cents spending money with big-box retailers and Internet companies? What happens if these companies ignore the reasons why people were not shopping with them to begin with? Are their customers expected to just buy from them for ever with no regard for price, service, selection, or any other market-driven factors?

Business owners need to take a hard look at why they are suffering, and why big-box retailers are thriving. If it’s not possible to compete on price, and there’s no way they can bring any other value, maybe it’s time to close up shop and go get a job.

How Do You Save Your Small Business?

So what do you do if you own a small, local business? Instead of spending your time and energy trying to guilt people into supporting local shops, look for ways to differentiate yourself. What makes you different? Better? What is your USP?

In some cases, you may not be able to differentiate enough. Local general stores simply couldn’t compete with the big box retailers like Walmart. It seems people just don’t care enough about service or convenience when it comes to some products (like commodities). It may be sad, but it’s just a fact of life. How many local music stores do you see around? I occasionally see a Fry’s in a mall, but they’re few and far between. The vast majority of people are buying their music online now.

Should we still be shopping at local CD stores, just to support local business? Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? You have to keep up with industry trends. Change and grow with your industry. Sometimes that may mean drastic changes to a business, or even the hard decision to get out of an industry.

So, take a hard look at your business and your industry. Are you ready to compete with the big guys? Can you offer something they can’t; can you do something better or faster?

Business is Just Like Poker

People who can’t play the game will tell you it’s all the luck of the draw, but it’s really much more about skill, practice and knowledge of the game.

So are you the type of person that just complains about not being lucky enough, or are you the one that gets in there and learns the game?

I always thought something was wrong with that. I had better grades than most of the students and spent only half the time there. Sure, if I was there every day I might have made a 4.0, but who cares? Is the difference between a 4.0 and a 3.66 really worth half a year?

You might say I was just lazy. Why spend all your time sitting in class when you can find better things to do? While others were sitting in class, I was learning to design, running a printing press, or something else I thought was interesting.

I didn’t do well in college either. By the time I graduated high school, I was already dabbling in different business ventures. My senior year I took an internship and the only thing that saved me was that my boss (one of the coolest bosses I’ve ever had) made it pretty simple… as long as I did my job and met my deadlines I could come and go as I pleased. No set hours.

I was in heaven. I would work until 3am some nights, and not show up for days. For a Fortune 500 company, this was odd to say the least. I think my boss got a good bit of push back from management when HR noticed my odd time logs. She didn’t care, I was getting the job done. After the internship was over I was offered a full-time job in another department, but it quickly turned downhill. I was expected to be there “8 to 5″ and was punching a clock whether there was work to be done or not. I was miserable, and quit to start 2BigFeet.com shortly after that.

I started 2BigFeet and college at roughly the same time. It was obvious which I was more interested in, because I’d excuse myself from class to take calls from vendors or just miss class altogether because I was busy. It didn’t last long, and I left college after just over 2 years. (Side note: 2BigFeet just turned 10 years old in April)

I’ve always thought I was an oddity… I know I’m intelligent but I never quite fit in to the stereotypical mold. Society tells us to do well in school, go to college, and get a “good job.” I always thought that was bullshit… who wants to work for “the man” for 30 years and retire with nothing to show for it?

I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that way. I found this Ted talk by Cameron Herald about education and entrepreneurship. I got chills down my spine watching it. It’s nice to know there are others like me out there…

I know I’ll be giving a lot of thought to what I teach my children (now 4 and 6) about business, finances and entrepreneurship. They’re already earning money (I don’t believe in an allowance) and they’re required to save some and give some away. It’ll be interesting to see if they get the E-gene like I did.

If your children don’t fit the stereotypical mold in school, instead of disciplining them or labeling them as “ADHD” why not take a step back and think about how you can nurture their differences?

AAF District 7 Conference (April 23)

This weekend I’ll be leading two workshops at the AAF (American Advertising Federation) District 7 Spring Conference. In the first workshop, I’m going to talk about 5 online marketing tactics everyone should be utilizing, with practical tips on getting started with each. In the second workshop, I’m going to be discussing social media trends and looking at alternative ways to use social media for brand awareness and public/customer relations.

WIN Luncheon (May 6)

Women Intelligently Networking (WIN!) is a business growth strategy society headquartered in Atlanta, ran by my good friend Taryn Pisaneschi. I’m going to be presenting Email Marketing 101 where I’ll be covering the 5 keys to email marketing success, the secrets to getting emails to convert, and how to build your list without being a spammer.

I’m really excited about this luncheon… if you’re a businesswoman in Atlanta and are interested in coming to the presentation or joining WIN, check out the links above.

WordCamp Raleigh (May 22-23)

I’ll be speaking about online marketing at WordCamp Raleigh in May. My talk, 5 Tactics Bloggers Should Learn from Online Marketers, will cover some simple and practical things bloggers can do (with WordPress) to make more ad revenue, increase email or RSS subscriptions, or sell more products through their blogs.

Converge SE (June 25-26)

Converge SE is “a conference for web professionals who wish to defy classification.” I’m still working on my presentation for Converge, but with rockstars like Neil Patel and Jason Beaird involved in the conference, you know it’s going to be good! I feel privileged to be involved.

But what do you do when you really love everything that you’ve committed yourself to do? How do you choose what to give up when everything that you’re doing is in line with your career goals?

I’ve been struggling with this for a few months now, and I don’t really have an answer. I don’t really want to give up any of the things I’m doing, but I need more time with my family and more time for myself.

So for the next few months, I’m going to try something new. I’m the work on being more productive, and I’m not cut out everything in my life that doesn’t help me reach the goals I’ve set for myself. No TV, movies, video games (not that I was into gaming anyway), or other distractions. I’m going to really focus on the things that are important to me, and try to forget about things that don’t really matter. In 10 years, I won’t miss the TV show I never watched or the time I didn’t spend on Facebook or Twitter…

I’m not going to ignore my family or friends. I want to spend time with my them, but will try to make them productive activities. For instance, instead of watching a movie or TV show with the kids, we can all go outside and work in the yard together. That way we spend quality time together, and also get things done around the house, killing two birds with one stone.

So as of right now, I’m cutting out all television, movies, games (not that I played many anyway), and general web surfing and social media. I’ll still check into Twitter and Facebook once or twice a day but it will be to just manage my account, post something, then get off.

I’m going to limit my meetups and association meetings too – for the forseeable future I’m only going to meetings where I am the speaker. It takes a considerable amount of time between the travel, the meetup itself, and the mingling afterward. I could be spending that time working on projects or with my family.

I’ll also be limiting email to checking 3 or 4 times a day, at set intervals. If you happen to email me or message me on a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter and I don’t respond, pick up the phone and give me a call.

Like Gary Vaynerchuk also said recently, I feel like I’ve lost my focus… like I’ve said “yes” to too many things. Before I start saying “no” to anything, I need to take a step back from all of the things I know aren’t priorities in my life.

We’ll see how it goes over the next few months. With a busy speaking schedule, and even busier list of projects at Kelsey, it’ll be a interesting experiment.

The conference is huge, the parties are over the top, the venue is amazing (who doesn’t love Austin?) and the people are what it’s all about.

This was the first year I was speaking at SxSWi, I had a book reading for Online Marketing Inside Out on Saturday, March 13 at 11 AM (well, a little later because the previous speaker ran into my time slot). So I was incredibly excited about going this year, but decided to take a slightly different approach.

Instead of trying to go to a lot of panels and sessions, and trying to hit all the big parties, I would just take it as it came. The last two years at SxSW seemed to fly by so quickly and it seemed like I never had time to just sit down and enjoy the company of friends or really connect with people. This year I was determined to really make the most of it.

So what follows is a daily recap of my SxSW experience (with many thanks to Foursquare for the helpful history tool!). Be forewarned… it’s long and incredibly detailed. If you’d rather skip all the minute details and just read my takeaways, you can jump to the conclusion.

Thursday

We have a client in Austin, and it was actually a trip to meet with them that led me to my first SxSW in 2008. It just so happened that our client meeting and the conference were extremely close, so we got tickets to the conference. For the past two years we’ve repeated that coincidence by scheduling our meeting around the conference.

We flew into Austin pretty early, and Donna (our client) picked us up from the airport. We went to their offices for a short time and then went to Rudy’s BBQ for lunch. We stuffed ourselves, then headed back to the office to get some work done.

Went out to The Salt Lick for dinner, one of my favorite places in Austin to eat. It’s located in a dry county, but you can take a cooler filled with beer. It’s got a great atmosphere and even better Texas BBQ.

After dinner I hitched a ride to the hotel and checked in. It was 9:45 PM when I got to my room and dropped my bags, so I decided to run over to the convention center to try to get a badge. I ran past Jim Caruso in the Hilton lobby, and he walked with me to the convention center. I barely got my badge before they closed at 10, then Jim and I went to the lounge in the Hilton and had a drink. Chrispian Burks met us there and we hung out for a few before calling it a night.

Friday

I went back over to our client’s office for a while and wrapped things there, then had Mighty Fine Burgers for lunch (owned by the same folks as Rudy’s). We finished up around 4 PM and I headed to the hotel and convention center. I went up to the day stage for Darren Rowse’s book reading of the second edition of his ProBlogger book co-authored by Chris Garrett. I met up with Julie Taylor, Josh Coffee, Patrick O’Keefe, Chrispian Burks, Deb Ng, and Chris.

Someone pulled the fire alarm right in the middle of Darren’s book reading and the entire convention center was evacuated. It was a little funny how slowly people were evacuating. If there was a real fire, I think half the world’s bloggers would have been lost. When we got the all-clear, we went back to the book reading and Darren finished. After the reading, Darren and Chris had a book signing at the SxSW Bookstore. I bought another copy of Problogger Book and got them to sign it.

I went back to the room briefly and then went downstairs to meet up with Jeremy Wright and head to dinner with some friends. He was in the Hilton lounge with a few friends. I grabbed a drink and he introduced me to Loren Feldman of 1938 Media. Loren seems like a pretty cool guy, the kind of guy that’d be fun to just hang out and have a few drinks with. We threw down our drink pretty fast because we were running late and then headed to Roy’s where we met Darren Rowse, Deb, Chris, Patrick, Chrispian, and some others. The food was great, but it was a little dark.

After dinner, we went to Emo’s and I saw Jim Caruso, Courtenay Bird, Scott Lockhart and a few others. The scene at Emo’s was a little… err… different. We didn’t stay there all that long.

We headed to the Driskill Hotel (that’s where all the cool kids said the party was at) and it was packed. I saw lots of cewebrities there like Gary Vaynerchuk, Robert Scoble, Brian Solis, etc. Whoohooo! (note the sarcasm). I stayed at the bar upstairs for a while but then heard a few friends were downstairs at the 1886 Cafe and Bakery. I headed down and the atmosphere was much better. We could actually hear each other talk. We stayed there for a bit then I headed back to the hotel to get some sleep because I had a book reading Saturday.

Saturday

I woke up early to prepare for my book reading, and as I was going over my notes and slides I decided to completely change my talk. Instead of going through several chapters in the book giving tips and tricks, I decided to tell a few stories about our experience at 2BigFeet.com over the years. I frantically retooled my slides to be much simpler and prepared some notes for the talk at 11am.

I got to the Day Stage around 10 minutes before 11, and the presenter before me was still going strong. Book reading presentations are supposed to be 20 minutes, but the time slot is 30 minutes. This gives the AV team time to get the next presenter setup and gives the people in the audience time to get up and leave or new arrivals time to find a seat. The guy before me ran really long, cutting well into my time. At 11am, I looked at the AV folks and they said he was wrapping up. 5 minutes later, still talking. Playing videos. Talking more. 10 minutes… STILL talking. Then as he was playing a video he told us he’d take ONE question after it was over. As soon as the video stopped, he said “I’ve got time for a couple questions” and proceeded to take two, and give extremely long-winded answers.

If people came at 11am for my book reading, I can only imagine what they were thinking. Did it get cancelled? Was it already over?

He finally got off the stage, and we setup the AV and I started. I was a little worked up about going on late and the previous presenter’s lack of respect, so I stumbled a bit over the first few slides. I think it went well as soon as I got into the three stories, and my talk was even covered on HubSpot’s Internet Marketing Blog.

Immediately after the book reading, I walked over to the SxSW Bookstore (a few tables across from the Day Stage) for a book signing. I sold lots of books and met some really cool people… and some really great friends like Patrick, Josh, Julie, Chrispian, Deb and Taryn Pisaneschi were there to support me.

Then we went to Patrick O’Keefe and Twanna Hines’ core conversation, “Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&!“. It was originally submitted as a panel with Patric, Twanna, Darren Rowse and me, but was converted to a core conversation so Darren and I just attended and participated from the audience.

We were pretty hungry after Patrick’s panel, and one of my friends James Paden and Deb Ng had never had Texas BBQ, so I took a group of friends to Rudy’s BBQ (worst bbq in texas) for some brisket and beef ribs. It was me, Josh Coffee, Julie Taylor, Deb Ng, James Paden and Chrispian Burks. We had a blast, and have photos to prove it! We had to take a couple cabs out there, but it was worth it. Next year I’m taking them to The Salt Lick though!

It took a while to get there and back, so not much was accomplished that afternoon. We had RSVP’d for the Old Timers meetup so Patrick, Jared Smtih and I headed over there. We met some great folks like Alyce Lindquist from the Silicon Valley Social Media Club and Brian O’Shaughnessy from Skype.

We left there with intentions of finding a place to eat, but had trouble getting a cab back to the convention center area. When we finally got there we saw Lucretia Pruitt and Allison Worthington in the Hilton lobby. We were all hungry, so we just decided to get something to eat in the Hilton Lounge (food by Finn & Porter). The group ended up being me, Lucretia, Allison, Patrick, Josh, Julie and Chrispian. I had a great time talking to Allison about her BlissDom conference.

From there, we tried to go to the TechKaraoke party but the line wrapped all the way around the building. One of my goals this year was to not stand in any lines… you can waste so much time waiting to get in and there are so many parties going on. Why wait to get into that one cool party? We eventually ended up at the Bellmont bar and had a great time. They had live music and the weather was great, so we stayed outside on the roof most of the time. We closed it down, then went to Jimmy Johns for a late night snack.

Got back to the hotel really late, and suddenly remembered I was going to have to be up early because Patrick and I had RSVP’d for something Sunday morning. I set my alarm and tried to get a few hours of sleep.

Sunday

I had to wake up early for Social Media Breakfast… but of course slept late. I woke up at 9, and was supposed to meet Patrick in the lobby at 9:30 to grab a cab. I jumped in the shower and threw on some clothes as fast as I could. We left the hotel by cab at 9:45, got there, got some grub and sat down at a table with Deb Ng, Chris Garrett and later Dave Barger. The presentations were very interesting and I met a few people afterward. I even scored a free Skype headset they were giving away. We snagged a ride with Patrick’s friend Nathan Wright back to the hotel.

The breakfast lasted until noon, and we were pretty hungry by the time we got back to the hotel. I went to Champions for lunch with Patrick, Chrispian, Julie, Josh and Jared. After lunch I dropped by the blogger lounge and said hello to a few people. Outside the blogger lounge Patrick introduced me to Rafael Marquez of MarketingLatinos.com and he interviewed me for his blog. Then I headed to the Interactive Agency Workflow session. The session started out great, going from requirements gathering and wireframing but seemed to linger about wireframes way too long. Most of the people got up and left about halfway through.

We skipped out a few minutes early and went over to the Twitter Dating panel at the Courtyard Mariott supporting Jeremy Wright (one of the speakers). The panel was hilarious… there was lots of participation and interesting online dating stories (probably helped by the free beer).

After the panel I went back to the Hilton and met up with Joe Hamm and the usual Patrick, Julie, Josh and Chrispian and headed to dinner at Cantina Laredo. We had some awesome gourmet mexican food and then headed to Lanai for the Big Omaha party. Nathan Wright was a sponsor and we spoke to him for a moment when we got there. It wasn’t very busy at all, nice group of people until Gary Vaynerchuk announced his “secret” wine party was there (about midnight). It packed out with hundreds more people and they cranked up the music. I got a pretty bad headache and decided to call it a night… went back to the hotel and got some sleep.

Monday

I think my body was trying to tell me I needed some rest, because I woke up around 7 and felt much better. I got ready and headed to the Blogger Lounge to catch up on some email and work before the sessions. Jeremy came in and sat next to me and we caught up on our SxSW adventures to that point — I think he had much more eventful time than I had at that point! I also talked to Rohit Bhargava and Patrick about professional speaking.

For lunch, Julie wanted to find some gluen-free pizza. She’s gluten-intolerant so she’d been just eating a little of this and that wherever we went. She did some research and found a couple of pizza places in Austin, but none of them close enough to walk to. We took a cab to one of the restaurants she found but it had closed down. We were sitting in two cabs with meters running so we decided to just go to Conan’s Pizza. We original and thought they had gluten-free pizza, but it turns out they didn’t. We decided to eat there anyway, and it turned out to be a very interesting place.

After lunch, we took a few cabs back to the convention center. As Patrick and I were walking through the convention center floor, we ran into Thom Singer and had a great conversation about professional speaking. Thom is a professional speaker and spoke over 50 times last year. He is a wealth of information about speaking and presenting, so I picked his brain for a while and asked a ton of questions.

Patrick and I walked back over to the Hilton and saw Jacqui Chew, who I had met earlier (but when and where is escaping me right now). We decided to head over to the Frost Tower for Gary Vaynerchuk and Brian Solis’ joint wine tasting and book signing. I saw a lot of people there including Courtenay, Taryn, and Jim. Taryn introduced me to Stephanie Lichtenstein and Lindsay Burck.

We were getting hungry, so we decided to find a place to eat. We had a decent sized party, and went to one restaurant that wasn’t going to be able to seat us for 30-45 minutes. They recommended Sullivan’s Steak House which was right down the street, and we got a table there almost immediately. Me, Patrick, Jacqui, Jim, Julie, Josh and Chris all had dinner, and it was great. The service and food were excellent, and they got us in and out relatively quickly. After dinner, Patrick went to watch the premier of MacGruber. We all went to the TechSet party but several of us weren’t on “the list” so we couldn’t get in. Josh, Julie and Chrispian decided to call it a night.

Jim, Jacqui, and I decided to go to the Rackspace Revolutions party, since Jim and I are both customers. When we got there, Jim spotted the chairman and he and Jackie ran off to find him and take a picture with him. I hung around the bar area, and ran into several people like Robert Scoble, who is now working with RackSpace. I also bumped into James Paden, Taryn, Stephanie and several others.

Later that evening, I noticed a crowd gathering around a table. They have hired someone to hand-roll cigars. After waiting in line for about 30 minutes I finally got a hand rolled cigar. After enjoying my cigar, I met up with Taryn and Lindsay. We stayed at the party until closing, when I walked them back to Lindsay’s car. Her car was dead so we asked someone else who just left the party if they could jump start her car. They just got in the car and left. I called AAA and they sent someone out to give us a hand. After waiting about an hour, a tow truck showed up and helped us get her car started. They gave me a ride back to the Hilton and I called it a night.

Tuesday

I went to a few sessions about mobile development and had lunch again at Champions with Patrick, Chris, Josh and Jared Smith. After lunch we went to the Press Lounge to wait for Abby Johnson of WebProNews who had scheduled an interview with Patrick.

After their interview, she asked if I’d like to interview again (of course I would!) so I talked about my book reading a bit. Afterward, I went to one final session on mobile advertising and then went back to the hotel to work a bit. Later that evening I joined Jim, Stephanie Frost, Chris Turner and Jackui for dinner at Eddie V’s. I had Ahi Tuna (rare, of course) and it was amazing.

I decided to go back to my room and work, forgoing the closing party since I had an early flight.

Wednesday

I originally thought my flight back to Atlanta was at 5am, but fortunately that was when I needed to be at the airport. My flight was at 6:55 and I was joined on the flight by lots of Atlantans heading home from SxSW. I sat with Joe Hamm and Stephanie Frost waiting to board.

The Big Picture Takeaways

SxSW was epic as usual. This blog post is a testament to that. This was my third South-by and was by far the most productive. My first year I tried to attend ALL the sessions and ALL the parties. As a result, I was always running around like crazy and can barely remember who I met or what I did. Last year I took it a little easier, but still tried to go to all the parties and meet as many people as possible.

This year I just decided to go with the flow. We made dinner plans at the last minute, hung out in the halls, went to meetups, and generally just bummed around the conference. If you just looked at my schedule, you might think I completely wasted my conference pass… maybe I did. But I got more from this year at SxSW than the two previous years combined.

I spent time with great friends (including some new ones like Deb and Chris), met some truly awesome people, and made some connections that I am sure will be extremely valuable. I stuck by my original goal and didn’t wait in lines to get into a party (with the exception of a short line to have my ID checked).

The overall takeaway for me is to experience SxSW like you’d experience a great little city you’ve never been to. If you’ve never been, you don’t know all the cool places to go see, you just go exploring, meeting people as you go. Not only is it much more fun, but I think you get a lot more out of it that way.

People that Made SxSW Rawk

I met literally hundreds of people at SxSW. I had great conversations, learned a lot, and really had a great time. But there were some people who really stood out and helped made SxSW 2010 really special. In no particular order…

• Patrick O’Keefe
• Chrispian Burks
• Josh Coffee
• Julie Taylor
• Jeremy Wright
• Jim Caruso
• Stephanie Frost
• Darren Rowse
• Chris Garrett
• Jacqui Chew
• Taryn Pisaneschi
• Thom Singer

I’m also excited about participating in my good friend Patrick O’Keefe’s core conversation, Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&!.

I’m also looking forward to hanging out with good friends like Patrick O’Keefe, Jeremy Wright, Darren Rowse, Chrispian Burks, Aaron Brazell, Jason Falls, and many many more — as always. I have some new friends coming to SxSW for the first time this year… Julie Taylor and Josh Coffee. I’d also love to see you there. If you see me, come up and say hi.

I’m notoriously horrible with names (I’m the polar opposite of Chris Brogan in that regard… I think I could forget my own name)… so I apologize in advance if I don’t instantly know your name. I’m going to try really hard this year to remember everyone I meet. Call me out on it and see how I’m doing.

See you there!

• The Changing Face of Marketing
• Using your Website to Generate Income
• Using Social Media to Promote Your Website
• Getting Others to Sell Your Products for You
• Spreading your Message through Online Advertising

The seminar is hosted by Kapital Medya and MediaCat Communications Institute. Last year, David Meerman Scott, author of “The New Rules of Marketing & PR” and “World Wide Rave” was one of the seminar presenters.

I’m excited about the seminar and look forward to seeing some of Istanbul while I’m there!

3 Ways to Dramatically Increase Your Conversion Rate

If you’re an e-commerce retailer or online marketer, don’t miss it. It’s free to come, network and learn. The food’s pretty good too.

No, I’m not that old. I was just fortunate enough that my high school graphic arts teacher made us learn everything the old fashioned way. When I got into graphic arts in 1994, computer-based desktop publishing was around (we had direct-to-plate technology already) but we still had to learn how to do everything old-school before we were allowed to use Aldus Pagemaker on the Mac LCII’s. Yes, Aldus Pagemaker.

I eventually became production editor of our schools newspaper, where I was responsible for everything related to its actual print publishing. I guess the Internet was around back then, but I wasn’t into it yet. I never would have guessed where print publishing would be in 15 years. Never.

The Demise of the Publishing Industry

In the last couple of years newspapers have been going out of business left and right. The Newspaper Death Watch website chronicles the decline of newspapers and print publishing. It reminds me a little of F*$%#d Company back in the dot-com bust days. What is wrong with these people? With production costs going up and advertising revenues going down it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to deduce that there need to be drastic changes or an entire industry could disappear.

Newspapers and magazines have tried everything they can think of, without breaking from their existing business model. They tried increasing advertising costs which led to fewer advertisers. They tried charging readers more for print editions, which drove people to read the same content online. Then they decided to charge for online access, which just drove people to other (free) content providers.

So who or what is going to save the publishing industry? Read on…

Who’s Gonna Save Publishing?

I know, I know. With this being the day Apple announced the iPad, you’re thinking I’m going to say that Apple is going to save publishing. Actually, I think Apple has let us down. Usually an innovator, Apple’s new tablet is just that. A tablet. It surfs the web with new touch controls but is still just an Internet appliance (or a big iPod Touch, however you want to look at it). I think Amazon has done more to save publishing than Apple. At least they created a really easy way to buy and distribute a certain type of media online (books). So maybe the Kindle or other e-ink book readers can save publishing?

Nope. Wrong. They still have fundamental flaws. See, it’s not about the device. It’s not about the hardware. It’s about the experience. Not the same experience, a better experience. We’ve been consuming content on web pages forever, we know how to click links and navigate web pages, but that’s not necessarily the best way to consume content. Neither is a newspaper or magazine, but they’re what we’re used to.

So who or what is going to save publishing? Sports Illustrated is going to save publishing. At least, if the old fogeys that run these publishing companies will open their eyes for a minute.

Companies keep coming out with devices that mimic these experiences instead of backing up and really thinking about all the different content types that are out there. Written articles, photos, video clips, audio clips, RSS feeds, links, tags, the Twitter stream, etc.

Well someone at Sports Illustrated gave it some thought and came out with a really intriguing new interface. It’s just a demo right now, but it’s amazing. Check out the video below:

It doesn’t matter whether it runs on a regular Tablet PC, an Apple iPad or an HP Slate… it’s the software not the hardware.

How Will it Save Publishing?

I don’t subscribe to Sports Illustrated, but I would damn sure pay for the Sports Illustrated application if it works like the video above. Print publishing is doomed. Books are here to stay, but magazines and newspapers are digging their own grave. Nothing can save them.

But it’s not the magazine or newspaper we care about. It’s the content. We’re addicted to content–good, quality content. Photos. Videos. Interactive diagrams. We’ve gotten used to the rich content accessible on the Internet. Print media just can’t cut it. Neither can the e-ink devices like the Kindle.

A software platform similar to the concept by Sports Illustrated on a device like the Apple iPad or HP Slate will save publishing. It has everything we want… it’s easy to navigate, easy to consume rich interactive content, small, lightweight, etc.

We can hold it in one hand with a cup of coffee and read the morning’s paper, or watch our regular news show streamed live on Hulu.

Will They Listen?

Honestly, I don’t know. These old guys in the print industry have been hanging on for dear life to their old ways and don’t seem to even want to change. I’m not sure if they’ll embrace this new technology or not, but I do know one thing. It doesn’t matter.

The technology is here… the software is easy to make. The content is already out there. If the big publishers don’t do it, a small startup will and they’ll come out of nowhere and snatch a huge chunk of marketshare.

Hmmm, I may have said too much already… I’m off to write a business plan and look for venture capital!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Pondering The Apple Tablet’s Print Revolution [Apple] (gizmodo.com)
• No, The Apple Tablet Won’t Save Publishing Nor Will It End ‘Free’ (techdirt.com)
• The Sports Illustrated Tablet Application (hotfootblog.com)

As you might remember from my post last year, I don’t really make New Years resolutions. I am constantly reviewing my goals… I do it weekly, monthly, quarterly and yes, annually. A year is a good time frame by which to set larger goals, though, so I do like to take a little time every year to review my progress and look at what’s in store for the next year.

Looking Back

Looking back on 2009, here are a few of the highlights…

I Wrote a Book

I coauthored “Online Marketing Inside Out” with Shayne Tilley. What a great way to start the year… on January 14, Shayne Tilley (marketing manager at SitePoint) contacted me about the possibility of me coauthoring a book with him (then tentatively titled “The Art & Science of Online Marketing”).

It came as a complete shock but was a great start to the year. Of course, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I never could have imagined I’d have to have all my first drafts in by the end of February! After a few gruelling months of edits and impatiently waiting, Online Marketing Inside Out hit the shelves at the end of May.

I Really Started Speaking

After the book launched, I started looking for opportunities to speak about online marketing, both to help promote the book and because professional speaking has been a long-time goal of mine. With the help of some friends and colleagues, I was able to quickly find several opportunities and kick-started my professional speaking career.

My speaking engagements included a book signing at Blogworld Expo in Las Vegas, several American Advertising Federation chapters, a few trade organizations, and a private college. All in all, I traveled 12,000 miles from June to November (I took December to myself to wrap up projects and spend time with my family and catch up on some projects I’d been neglecting).

Although I do have experience speaking at conferences, it’s been almost 10 years since I’ve spoken to more than 10 people. It took a few times to get back in the swing of things, but once I got used to it I really started to enjoy it.

I’ve already lined up several speaking engagements for 2010 and am still looking for conferences and industry associations looking for online marketing speakers (check out my speaking page for more information).

3 Years at Kelsey

November 13 marked my 3-year anniversary at Kelsey Advertising and Design. When I sold my consulting company to Brant Kelsey in 2006, I never thought I would stay on board for over 3 years.

I’m kind of a rebel… I don’t really fit into the corporate culture. I’ve worked for a few small businesses (less than 25 employees) and it’s easier, but I’m still not comfortable taking orders or conforming.

I’m definitely more of an entrepreneur at heart (obvious by all my other endeavors I guess). Fortunately, the work at Kelsey is extremely exciting and I’m free to do things however I see fit, as long as the job gets done. It’s been extremely rewarding so far and I’m looking forward to many more anniversaries.

I Became Editor of the SitePoint Tribune Newsletter

After five years as editor of the SitePoint Tribune, Brendon Sinclair stepped down. His coauthor, Miles Burke, continued to write issues every other week and SitePoint asked several people to be guest authors to fill in until a permanent replacement could be found.

I wrote a guest issue for October 22, 2009. I enjoyed it so much, I dropped a few hints that if they ever needed someone for a more permanent commitment, I’d be extremely interested. I was extremely excited when SitePoint asked me to be an editor of the SitePoint Tribune and penn issues alternating with Miles.

My first official issue was published on November 23, 2009.

I’m Speaking at SxSW

I found out that I would be doing an official book reading and book signing at South by Southwest in March 2010 in November 2009, but couldn’t announce anything until December 2. I’ve been to SxSW twice now, and it’s been a goal of mine to speak there since I first discovered the conference.

2BigFeet Had Another Record-Breaking Year

In 2007, Tracy (my wife) and I took over sole ownership of 2BigFeet, our e-commerce retailer of big shoes. 2007 was a rebuilding year… we replenished depleted inventory, cut unnecessary expenses and paid off debt. In 2008 we kicked into high gear and more than doubled 2007 sales.

I didn’t think we’d be able to come close to repeating that, but from early estimates (we haven’t really taken a good look at the books yet) it seems we’ve still had a 25% increase over 2008… amazing in this economic climate. We had an amazing holiday season, and are still going strong the first week in January.

Looking Forward

2010 is sure to be an amazing year. Unlike hoards of A-list bloggers, I’m not writing a “predictions” post. I think they’re a crapshoot at best, anyway. As selfish as it sounds, I’m more concerned about what I’m going to do in 2010 than what everyone else is working on.

So what do I have in store for next year?

More Speaking

I’m really interested in more speaking opportunities. I have several speaking engagements lined up already (like a book reading/presentation at SxSW in March) but am looking for more. If you know of any conferences that have a call for online marketing speakers, let me know!

Podcasting Time

I’m starting a podcast about e-commerce and online marketing. I’ve already acquired all the equipment I need… microphone, software, video camera, etc. I’m lining up a few interviews for the first episode and testing out my editing skills (anyone offering video editing services?).

Hopefully by the end of January I’ll have the first episode ready to publish.

My Next Book

By the end of 2010 I’d like to be pitching my next book. I already know what it’s going to be about (mostly business, not just online marketing). I don’t think it’s feasible to have a contract by the end of the year, but it’s not impossible either.

I’m going to be hitting up all my friends who are published and will be asking for tons of advice, introductions to agents, etc. It’ll be a fun and interesting process pitching a book idea, since I was approached for my first book.

I really think the idea is unique… something that hasn’t been done before and yet something that people need to know. I’m excited about both pitching the idea and writing the book.

Unknown Projects

Well, if I gave away all my ideas for 2010, where would that leave me? I need to keep a few aces in the hole so I can have a few surprises for next years post.

Seriously, I have a few ideas that I’m working on that aren’t even close to the point of realization (doesn’t everybody?). They’re exciting, somewhat risky and a little different (at least to me). I’m sure some will be hits, and some will completely flops… only time will tell.

All in all, I couldn’t be more excited about 2010. It’s sure to be my most exciting year yet. I’m most excited about the opportunities that haven’t even presented themselves yet. Looking back at last year, so many things that were the highlights of my year weren’t in my “roadmap” or predictions. They were a complete surprise.

You have to keep your eyes open for opportunities and seize them when they present themselves… After all, we make our own luck.

Have a great 2010!

A lot of people slow down or take vacation, but this is actually my busiest time of year. It may not be normal for interactive agencies, but Kelsey is always slammed with work this time of year. We have so many projects we’re having to prioritize which we are going to be able to work on.

On top of that, this is the busiest time of year for 2BigFeet.com. We’re overwhelmed with orders and are constantly sending out email newsletters and adding new products to the website. We’re so fortunate that we’ve still grown a good 30% over last year despite the economy.

As if I wasn’t busy enough, I just recently signed on to be the co-editor of the weekly SitePoint Tribune email newsletter, and we’re remodeling a bit at the Eley household. Busy times!

Though it’s hectic and busy, I’m loving every minute of it!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

• Online Marketing Inside Out ($29.95 value)
• Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog eBook ($19.95 value)
• The Web Site Revenue Maximizer Kit ($197 value)

At a value of $226.95, it’s a great deal at only $99.95 + shipping. The only downside is it’s only good today, December 4, 2009. You can order the bundle here.

(Disclaimer: NOT an affiliate link but it does include my book so I am a little biased)

I have wanted to speak at SxSW for several years, having been to the conference both in 2008 and 2009, so I’m very excited about the opportunity to both speak at one of the largest conferences in our industry and to get such an amazing chance to promote our book.

I just hope my coauthor Shayne Tilley can make it to Austin all the way from Australia. Not only would it be an excellent opportunity for us to promote the book together, but it would also be the first time I met him in person!

This is my first trip to Myrtle Beach, and I’m excited to see coastal South Carolina again. I lived in South Carolina for a good part of my childhood, and think it is a truly beautiful place.

You can read more information about the Coastal Carolinas AAF on their website. If you happen to be in the area, you can register for the luncheon here.

I really enjoyed writing the newsletter and told SitePoint if they ever needed another guest author, or had a more regular position come available, I’d be very interested and would like to be considered.

I’m excited that SitePoint has asked me to coauthor the Tribune with the current host, Miles Burke. I’ll be writing every other weekly issue, starting with the very next issue, coming out this Thursday.

I’ll be writing about the business side of our industry, client dealings, productivity and anything else that comes to mind. If you’re not already getting the Tribune, go subscribe now.

As I was reading Darren Rowse’s post about a loving fan that virtually attacked him at Blogworld, I realized there’s nothing wrong with having heroes.

I’ll tell you right now that I practically stalk Chris Brogan (he even said so in my signed copy of Trust Agents). I’d drive half a day or fly halfway across the country to hear him speak. Is it because he’s a web celebrity? Because he has 100,000 followers? Because he’s a “social media expert”? No, it’s because he went out of his way to be a friend to me, for no other reason than he is a good person who truly wants to help people.

I feel the same about Darren Rowse, Gary Vaynerchuk, Jason Falls, Ted Murphy and many others. I’d rather hang out with these guys than a superstar celebrity any day of the week.

I’d drive my car coast to coast to be able to spend a few hours with Stephen Covey. His philosophy and book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” literally changed the course of my life. I read his book over ten years ago when I was 18, and it completely changed my outlook on life and priorities.

It’s not just people in this industry either… My biggest hero of all time was my grandfather. When I was a young boy I spent the summers with him and worked in his body shop for $1/day (which wasn’t even decent money way back then!). He was so much more concerned with helping people than with making money. I vividly remember one time when a single mother wrecked her car–her only method of transportation. She didn’t have the money to repair the car, so my grandfather paid for the parts and fixed her car. Free of charge. He told her she could pay him back when she had the money (which he never expected, he just didn’t want her to feel like she was getting a hand-out). I admire his strength of character, his compassion. He was never rich or famous… but he was my hero.

Don’t idolize people because they pretend on camera for a living. Don’t idolize singers because they’re the next pop superstar. Don’t idolize people because they’re popular or rich, idolize them because they help people or do something worthwhile with their life. If you’re going to admire someone, if you’re going to have a hero, make sure you pick them for the right reasons.