The Crafted Webmaster

Links for Artists [Jun 14 -28]

2009-06-28T16:54:04Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about the past couple of weeks:

Now Reading: Life On The Twitter Suggested User List http://ow.ly/ea3L
RT @LiveYourBrand: Social Media Tip: 9 Hidden Benefits of Blogging http://cli.gs/3XAgaY
RT @getsorted: On the blog: strategies to deal with procrastination http://ping.fm/UE7ek
Now Reading: Trunkt.org - Connecting Artists with Wholesale Buyers http://ow.ly/eiHU
RT @spottedsparrow: How to Make a Twitter Background: http://tinyurl.com/n7brew
RT @ConnieGreen: How to Write Articles That Ask For a Call to Action to Build Your List: http://ezinearticles.com/?id=2476378
RT @ArtByChrysti: Artists: 8 ways to be more financially savvy http://bit.ly/fayE2 (via @abstanfield)
RT @shaboom: RT @rockyourday: This post is hitting a nerve - Why You Do What You Do (And Why It Should Scare You) http://tr.im/oEuA
RT @aflyonthewall: CALL FOR ENTRIES!!! Lark Books is looking for 30 Minute Necklaces! For more info: http://dailyjewel.blogspot.com/
Now Reading: How Long Should You Wait to Upgrade WordPress? http://ow.ly/eAia
RT @LuannUdell: “Know Your Paypal” & make sure you when how you are NOT protected (it’s a lot more than you think): http://tr.im/oNnt
RT @FreeYourLifeVA: “YouTube Just Became the TwitPic of Video” http://mashable.com/2009/06/11/youtube-video-sharing-twitter/
A short, yet good read: The 411 on Donating Your Art http://ow.ly/eVVg
RT @GroganJewelers: How to make a jewelry display panel or art mounting board- http://is.gd/15w4M
Selling Handcrafted Jewelry: 5 Quick Jewelry Selling Tips! http://ow.ly/fvKJ
RT @ryantaylor: Found this intriguing- Customers given too many choices are 10x less likely to buy: http://bit.ly/smJ3R
Now Reading: Safety for the Crafter, Part 1- http://bit.ly/sFdUi

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Social Network: TweetDeck’s newest features

2009-06-22T16:57:32Z

Sigh…I just finished creating a video on how to work with TweetDeck a couple weeks ago and what do you know? Out comes a new version with some really cool features to add to the already impressive list of features. But some of those features are things that I’ve been wanting TweetDeck to do for awhile…so I’m not too upset.

Here’s what’s new in this version of TweetDeck (0.26.2)

You can now administrate multiple accounts within TweetDeck. I’ve been using HootSuite in order to do this up until now…so it’s really great that I don’t have to leave TweetDeck in order to see what’s going on in my other accounts.
You can now create a TweetDeck account that will allow you to syncronize and backup your columns between multiple computers. This is really useful if you have TweetDeck on say your laptop and on your desktop and want to make sure that any columns or searches that you created on one machine matches on the other.
There’s also a handy Twitter spam button that can eliminate spam tweets and reports the miscreant to Twitter.

So, if you’re a Twitter user and you haven’t tried Twitter yet, now’s a great time to do so. You can download Twitter for free by visiting the TweetDeck site.

…and now, I’m going to update my TweetDeck video.

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Resources: Links for Artists [Jun 7 -13]

2009-06-14T03:39:08Z

Resources: Links for Artists [Jun 7 -13]

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about the past couple of weeks:

RT @MarketHandmade: Craft Giveaways - The Ins and Outs: http://tinyurl.com/rcq4fk
RT @Thyme2dream: I just updated my Squidoo page: Thyme2dream Crafty Guide to Selling Handmade Online / http://tinyurl.com/dkuubz
Now Reading- Incentives: Giving your customers the biggest bang for their buck- http://ow.ly/dGzE
Hope I never see mine- RT @DesignObserver: I’m not kidding, Your Logo Makes Me Barf: http://twurl.nl/0d7tzj
A good resource- 7 Free Twitter Backgrounds to Download and Customize http://ow.ly/dw5l
Excellent video: Web Design Tips: The Laws of Ecommerce Navigation Design- http://ow.ly/debY
Aimed at jewelers, but good advice for all artists: How to Avoid a BAD Show! http://ow.ly/dlPH
RT: @mashable- Are Twitter Users Inactive? Depends on How You Look at It - http://bit.ly/4yNvJA
Now Reading: When someone googles your name, what do you want to happen? http://ow.ly/ddQM
RT @MarketHandmade: Check out this article from @Lolabags : Video - Incorporate Video to Boost Handmade Sales: http://tinyurl.com/ltnvxq
RT @abstanfield: How to come up with the best Twitter name for you–on the Art Biz Blog http://bit.ly/qCqrU
Interesting Read: To Inject Personality Into Your Twitter Stream Using TwitVid.io http://ow.ly/d6Nb
A Good Read: Quick and Easy Lists and Tips for Organizing Your Office http://ow.ly/d6LH
RT @blackstar: New book: 99 Ways To Make Money From Your Photos, by the editors of Photopreneur http://twurl.nl/xzlwgu
RT @Noadi: Handmade Business - Learning from Failure: Here’s a wonderful video of a talk by Adam Savage .. http://tinyurl.com/luy224
RT @ArtistMarketing: Marketing Mondays: Defining “Success” http://joannemattera.blogspot.com/2009/06/marketing-mondays-defining-success.html
RT @lorimcneeartist: GALLERY PARTNERSHIP MARKETING artist/gallery relationship http://tinyurl.com/lf8kj9 #art (good read by @loriwords)
Art Jewelry Collective: Gauging Jewelry Popularity with Most Searched Keywords http://ow.ly/cMHR
A Great Read: biz ladies 09: starting a business in tough times- http://sn.im/jnaj5
RT @handmadeology: RT @timothyadam Etsy Top 10: Expose Your Shop: http://budurl.com/top10june8 Retweet> http://bit.ly/1aELsk
RT @DarlaDixon Article: Grow your art business during recession http://bit.ly/qr5UF
RT @ancientartist: Ideas for artists who make their own shipping boxes http://ancientartist.typepad.com/ancient_artist_developing/2009/06/make-your-own-shipping-boxes.html

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How to Use the Power of Online Video to Promote Your Business on the Web

2009-06-12T16:14:49Z

I had such a great response to my last teleseminar on Twitter, I’ve decided to do another one next week on online video. I’ve caught up with my friend and resident expert Colin Martin. Some of you guys may remember him as my guest expert from my first teleseminar on search engine optimization (SEO). Well, he’s doing some really cool things with online video and he’s agreed to do a teleclass with me and share how he’s using video to get traffic to his website, build up his search engine rank and a bunch of other things!

You can join us on Tuesday, June 16th at 8:00 p.m. (EST) and learn some of Colin’s online video tips and tricks. Even if you think that creating a video is too difficult, you’ll learn that it’s a lot easier than you think and that it will do some great things for your website traffic and sales. So join on us on the phone lines next Tuesday. Click here to learn more.

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Your Website Copy Stinks: 7 Reasons Why Your Online Sales Stink

2009-06-12T12:15:53Z

Unlike website design, website copy is one of those things that often seems to get the short shrift. People may agonize for weeks over the perfect color scheme or the perfect font for their website. But many times when it comes to website copy, many never come up with anything more profound than “Welcome to my website”. Remember, your website is a 24/7 representative of you and your copy must promote your work in your absence and giving it short shrift is a mistake that might cost you in sales.

In this week’s newsletter, I’m continuing a 7-part series on “7 Reasons Why Your Online Sales Stink“. This week’s article is about why your website copy stinks, how it might actually be preventing sales and how you can correct it.

To read the article, sign up for the Crafted Webmaster Newsletter for free here: http://www.craftedweb.com/subscribe.html. If you subscribe now, you can get my free audio download, “10 Steps to Getting More Traffic on Your Website” and get 10 powerful tips on how to increase traffic to your art website.

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Facebook to offer personalized URLs

2009-06-11T15:10:49Z

If you haven’t already heard, you’ll be able to get your very own personalized username for both your Facebook profile and your Facebook page if you have one starting on June 13th at 12:01 a.m. (that’s right after midnight on Friday).

If your a regular Facebook user you’ll know how much of a welcome change this will be, because up until now, if you wanted to give someone a link to your Facebook profile, it would look like this:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=735894382

And the link to your Facebook page doesn’t look much better:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=44953043089#/pages/The-Crafted-Webmaster/44953043089

But starting on June 13th, you’ll be able to get a nice clean link to your profile or page that you can easily pass around. Like this one:

http://www.facebook.com/nicolette.tallmadge (hopefully, this will be my new username!)

So if you’re a Facebook user, find out more about this change by visiting the Facebook blog and don’t forgt to stand in the virtual line for your spanking new URL!

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Resources: Links for Artists [Jun 1 -7]

2009-06-07T16:00:29Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about the past couple of weeks:

A good read- Selling Handcrafted Jewelry: What are YOUR Customer Service Principles? http://ow.ly/cFmp
Now Reading: Business Advice for Artists, from Artists http://ow.ly/bjHs
RT @PattyHankins: Great post from @blackstar with 5 tips for dealing with unreasonable client requests http://is.gd/PaDK #photog
RT @Yemoonyah: Reading: Why Twitter is the Best Place for Artists to do Business Networking Online: http://bit.ly/ng13k
Now Reading- Selling Handcrafted Jewelry: Closing the Sale Using the “Assumptive Close” http://ow.ly/aXlg
Excellent ideas for those 2000 extra marketing postcards you have- http://ow.ly/aRcY
Interesting Read: 5 Things You SHOULDN’T Do When Approaching Bloggers http://ow.ly/aEuZ
RT @abstanfield: Radio program: Photographing Your Sculpture 6/3 at 6pm ET http://bit.ly/3qtOr
RT @Handmade_News: New in Business Tips Take Advantage of Unexpected Branding Opportunities and Dazzle Your Customers http://bit.ly/43uv6s
A great read: Educating Consumers on “Apples and Oranges”: Teaching Your Way to a Sale Handmade News Business Tips http://ow.ly/aDcB
Now Reading: biz ladies 09: telling your business’ story- http://ow.ly/aD8e
RT @kMTgraphicdsgn: Etsy Advertising - Look To The Ad Directory http://tinyurl.com/llecgo from: @etsymarketing1
Now Reading: Spread Your Wings- Get More Retweet Action Today - http://ow.ly/aCWD
Now Reading: How Would You Promote Your Site if Google Didn’t Exist?- http://ow.ly/aufa
Heads Up jewelers! Make new jewelry out of old at Radical Jewelry Makeover http://ow.ly/au96
RT @GuyKawasaki: Via http://trkk.us/t/?54029 8 Mistakes You Should Avoid In Your Business Card http://trkk.us/t/?54030

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Should I Open an Etsy Store or a Website?: Ask a Question Video Reply

2009-06-02T16:32:51Z

In this Ask the Crafted Webmaster video reply, I talk about Etsy and how you can make it work with your own website.

Do you have a burning question about websites or promoting yourself online? Click on the “Ask a Question” tab at the top of the page and send me your question. I’ll send you an answer to your question personally or I’ll post it here on the blog as a video response.

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How to Use Twitter to Get More Traffic, More Subscribers, and More Customers

2009-05-15T17:56:38Z

Most of you probably already know that I’m a big Twitter fan. This month marks my first full year on Twitter (whoo hoo!) and to celebrate, I’m holding a teleseminar on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. (EST) on how you can use Twitter to get more customers, sales, and subscribers. I’m sharing everything I’ve learned both by experience and from others about how to use Twitter for promotion, sales, and information gathering as well as useful tools and tips.

With the economy still in the doldrums who couldn’t learn a free and easy way to market themselves? Plus you don’t have to spend hours on Twitter or race to get 100,000 followers in order to make it work for you and long as you use Twitter effectively. Click here to get more information about the teleclass. I can’t wait for you to join me on the phone lines next Wednesday!

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Your Website Design Stinks: This Week’s Newsletter Article

2009-05-14T18:31:11Z

Gotta a question for you…are you happy with your website sales? Yeah…thought not. Are sales slow on your online store? Do they exist at all? There’s a number of different reasons why your website sales stink…seven in fact. Which one is keeping your sales down?

In this week’s newsletter, I’m starting a 7-part series on “7 Reasons Why Your Online Sales Stink“. This weeks article is about why your website design stinks, how it’s affecting your sales and what you can do about it.

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What Shopping Cart Should I Use?: Ask a Question Video Reply

2009-05-12T14:35:24Z

In my first ever Ask the Crafted Webmaster Video Reply. I tackle the question of what shopping cart to use to manage your online sales and explain why I’ve chosen KickStart Cart to for my own websites.

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Website Resources for Artists

2009-05-04T23:17:05Z

I’m back! Just wanted to let you guys know that I’ve created a brand new resource center on the Crafted Webmaster blog. There you’ll find links to recommended books, software, websites, and other resources that can help you build a website, shoot a video, set up your mailing list, promote your artwork, and lots of other cool stuff. To access the Resources section, just click on the “Resources” tab at the top right hand side of the screen. Use it well!

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Website Promotion: Distributing Your Video Online

2009-04-08T22:34:16Z

Now that you’ve shot your video and edited it, you need to put it out there on the Internet and even more importantly get people to watch it!

This week’s newsletter article is fifth and final part of a five-part series on “How to Use Video to Promote Your Art Website“. In this article, I’ll discuss the best way to launch your video to the world!

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Computer Maintenance- How to Get Help from Tech People

2009-04-06T16:30:35Z

Sooner or later, you may need to call up tech support to fix something. Perhaps one morning you get the blue screen of death, or you get one of those scary error messages on your screen. Or maybe you try to turn your computer on and…nothing. Perhaps it’s not your computer at all, but your website is completely down and you have to make that call to your web designer or web hosting company.

I’ve been on both sides of that panicky call that something’s blown up and it’s not working and there’s a couple of things that you can do in order to help make that tech support call just a little less stressful:

1. Don’t panic- This is easier said that done when you’re computer’s on the blink and you’re staring down the barrel of a deadline. But things will be less stressful if you don’t freak out. Chances are the problem is not nearly as bad (or expensive) as you think.

2. Check the obvious before you call- One of the first things that your tech person will have you do while you’re on the phone is to check out the obvious causes of trouble, mainly they’ll have you make sure that the computer is plugged in, or that the surge protector that your computer is connected to is turned on. They’ll also have you check to make sure that cables are plugged in and not loose. Or that you’re entering your password in correctly. Or that you don’t have the “CAPS lock” key on while you’re entering in your password. Or that you’re spelling the website correctly. The reason why they have you run through this drill is because a lot of times the trouble is as simple as the computer not being plugged in. So run through some of the obvious causes of trouble before you pick up the phone. If you still have your owner’s manual for your computer, take a look at that and see if your particular trouble has been addressed in the manual before you call.

3. Get prepared- If you have any warranties or service contracts on your computer gather up all of those materials before you call. It will save you a bit of time just in case your tech person requests this information. You may also need the serial number for your computer. These are usually located on a sticker placed on the back, bottom, or side of your computer or they are located in your computer registration paperwork.

4. Be as specific as possible- Simply saying “My computer’s not working” is usually not that helpful to your tech guy (or gal). They already assume that your computer isn’t working properly because chances are that you wouldn’t be calling if everything were fine. What they need to know is “in what way is your computer not working?”. So when you call up, you need to be as specific as possible. Will your computer not start at all? Is the problem that you can turn the computer on but it won’t go past the startup screen? Perhaps you can get past the startup screen but you can’t open up a particular program? When you finally get your tech person on the phone, describe your problem from start to finish, what you’re trying to do when you encounter your problem, if you were doing something before the problem occurred, what your computer does, and if there are any special situations that seem to go along with the problem.

5. Write down error messages- Usually when something goes wrong on your computer, you’ll get some kind of error message that attempts to tell you what the problem is. I not quite sure who writes these messages, but it would be helpful if they were written in something other than early “Geek” so that people without a computer science degree can understand them. But if you can’t make heads or tails of the message, take the time to write them down. While they look like gibberish to you, it may mean something to your tech person and knowing exactly what the message is may help them diagnose the problem just a bit faster.

6. Make note of any recent changes or incidents- Sometimes the cause of your computer trouble is something that’s changed on your computer or some incident that has happened recently such as:

the addition of new hardware (printer, scanner, hard drive, memory, etc)
the addition or deletion of software
a power disruption or power surge
the addition of deletion of a service
software upgrades or security patches

Sometimes changes like this can cause some unforeseen problems with other things that may or may not seem to be related to your problem. When you’re talking to your tech person, make them aware of any changes or additions that had occurred before you started having problems. They’ll be able to tell you if these changes are related to your trouble.

7. Keep notes- A lot of times a call to the support department means that you’ll be spending a lot of time on the phone being sent from one person to another. If you can, keep notes on who you talk to, when you talked to them, and what they’ve done to help diagnose the problem. If you find that you have to keep calling the support department or if you have to a repair person fix your computer in person, these notes will come in handy.

So what tips to you have to survive a call to the your computer support department? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Resources: Links for Artists [Mar 22 - April 4]

2009-04-05T13:00:48Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about the past couple of weeks:

Now Reading: Social Media - Marketing Miracle or Waste of Time? - http://snipr.com/ee3lq
RT @BWphoto: New blog post: Marketing Monday: recession, schmession, 6 things to help http://tinyurl.com/djgehn
RT @problogger: Reading: 4 Principles of Good Design for Websites - http://short.to/2qdg
Now Reading: More Efficient Emails- http://snipr.com/eejag
RT @abstanfield: Fantastic post! Thanks! RT @jolieguillebeau http://tinyurl.com/afa8kt (thanks to @havi) The economy is no excuse.
RT @ecstewart: Use Your Peak Working Hours to Your Advantage http://twurl.nl/nsfm04
RT @markshaw: Powering Up Your Twitter Searches: http://bit.ly/35G4Hz
Now Listening To: The Gaming Of Twitter Exposed- interesting stuff- http://snipr.com/ejbna
RT @leesabarnes: RT @Shama HOT Facebook News. Facebook caves to user gripes over redesign. Watch for another redesign http://snipr.com/ejti9
RT @lisacall: My thoughts on copyright and art images on the internet & facebook : http://bit.ly/ACMgQ - Now back to preparing for carpet.
RT @SteffanAntonas: Liked: The Best Way to Build a Twitter Account? Step by Step. Great data. (via @mashable) http://bit.ly/jpmrL
For all of my fellow sci-fi geeks- RT @leesabarnes: 10 business lessons from battlestar galactica - http://is.gd/oh7Q
RT @inmyheadstudios: Shop Talk Friday: Marketing Advice for Etsy Sellers: http://twurl.nl/8×3i3q #etsytwitter PLEASE RT
Now Reading: 5 Elements of a Successful Facebook Fan Page- http://snipr.com/eyqlz
RT @weborglodge: A good message re: business use of Twitter, worth repeating. http://tinyurl.com/5mqfep
RT @PattyHankins: Great article on How To Avoid Online Artist Predators from @clintavo http://is.gd/q6Xp
RT @doshdosh: Web page designs that convert visitors/browsers into buyers. http://is.gd/q8xB
Now Reading: biz ladies 09: ideas for making upturns in a downtime- Pretty sweet advice- http://snipr.com/f1g6g
RT @MarieStroughter: This is the funniest thing I’ve read today! 5 Kids of People to Avoid on Twitter http://tinyurl.com/d455pd
RT @lorimcneeartist: #arttip: HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT GALLERY http://tinyurl.com/cx7bs7
Jeez…looks like the new Explorer 8 still sucks for some…*sigh* - http://snipr.com/f4139

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Website Design: Remember to check your links!

2009-03-23T13:00:05Z

I got a note from @sophistatiki on Twitter yesterday letting me know that a good many of the links in yesterday’s link roundup were going to the wrong place. I’ve fixed the links and they should all be going to where they’re supposed to now. So if you’ve missed yesterday’s link roundup or got frustrated because they weren’t going to the right place, you can visit the corrected post here. Enjoy and thanks for the heads up @sophistatiki!

Now, yesterday’s glitch happened because I broke one of my own rules for blogging and web design. I launched yesterday’s post without properly checking all of the links (there were a lot of links after all). Before you launch a post, or a new web page, or a newsletter that has links in it, take some time to click on all of the links and make sure that they are going where they’re supposed to. You might not have a reader like @sophistatiki who will take the time to let you know that something’s wrong until months later.

In addition, you might want to take a quick spin around your website on occasion to check for things like incorrect links, broken images, and features that don’t work properly. I wrote a post about the importance of doing periodic check ups on your website a while back ago and it has a list of things that you’ll want to check out. You can read the post here.

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Resources: Links for Artists [Mar 15 - 21]

2009-03-23T12:07:33Z

Throughout the week, I like to share interesting links for artists on my Twitter profile. Here is a list of the links I tweeted about this past week (this was a pretty busy week…enjoy!):

RT @sophiecls RT @DesignPepper RT @eseiberling: Gosh! Napoleon Dynamite’s Guide To Social Networking http://tinyurl.com/c8w4dt
Now Reading- A Missing Piece in the Economic Stimulus: Hobbling Arts Hobbles Innovation- http://twurl.nl/r2zlq3
Now Reading: What’s your super power?- http://twurl.nl/8ba10d
Now Reading: How To Use Twitter Without Looking Like A Total Jackass- http://twurl.nl/yhntdu
Now Reading: 20 Blog Topics To Get You Unstuck- http://twurl.nl/i61xqm
Now Reading: 4 Incredibly Useful, FREE Tech Tools that Artists Shouldn’t Ignore- http://twurl.nl/4hgq8x
Now Reading: Facebook Integration Arrives on TweetDeck- http://twurl.nl/a2ofwd
Checking out the new test version of Facebook integrated Tweetdeck…so far, me really likey! http://snipr.com/e19f1
Here’s a handy list by Randy Dillion: 44 Sites to list and sell your artwork online- http://snipr.com/e1dpe
RT @Cthings1 Have you seen this new website? http://foundhandmade.com/
RT @ecstewart How to Sell Art: Don’t confuse stats w/progress. @clintavo http://clintwatson.net/blog/9304
RT @markshaw: 10 Awesome Ways to Integrate Twitter: http://bit.ly/uMRlx #twitterhelp #newbie
RT @judynaomi: RT @craigrNYTimes Article (3.12) On museums increasing role in supporting arts ed in schools http://tinyurl.com/defalh
RT @etsymarketing1: Like Cafe Handmade? http://tinyurl.com/dg847a If you use it for your Etsy marketing, tell us & we’ll link to you http://tinyurl.com/c5zdxq
RT @lbdesigns: 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business :: http://budurl.com/8mt7
RT @guykawasaki: The Art of the Tutorial http://snipurl.com/e5qxk
Now Reading: Twitter Profile Design Help from COLOURlovers- http://snipr.com/e65ep
#FollowFriday: My retweeters- @LuannUdell, @loongirl, @meganwolfe, @wodieskodie, @ArtByChrysti, @conniegreen, @annieveillette Thanks guys!
RT @lbdesigns: How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business :: http://budurl.com/6g3u
RT @chrisbrogan: RT @JustinKownacki: 5 Ways to Increase Your Blog Traffic: Chris Brogan vs. The Watchmen: http://tinyurl.com/c9c3rr
RT @amcmoore: RT @Marc_Meyer: Wow..99 essential twitter tools and apps. from smashing magazine http://is.gd/nHFw
Now Reading: What Does that Hashtag Mean? New Service Tells You- http://snipr.com/e7vil
RT @markshaw: The 14 Types of Twitter Personalities - Which 1 are You?: http://bit.ly/tmkwv - Guess I know which one I am

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Public Relations: Using Press Releases to Build Traffic

2009-03-21T13:02:31Z

I’ve been learning more about press releases lately and found out a really great thing about them when it comes to your website. Including press releases on your website can be a great way to attract more traffic (and incidentally more press).

Now we all know that we’re supposed to write a press release every time we get some big news or get an appearance in the press (Right? At least we’re supposed to know that). But there’s a whole range of different ways in which you can use your press release that don’t involve big news or a press mention that can pique the interest of other reporters. Plus there are a number of different ways in which you can right your press release that can encourage more traffic, get more interest in your work, and encourage not only reporters to contact you, but your customers as well.

Joan Stewart (aka The Publicity Hound) has a great press release tutorial called 89 Press Release Tips. For 89 days, you’ll receive a press release tip in your email that will show you press release writing techniques, how to effectively distribute your press release to the media or other interested people, and a variety of opportunities beyond the typical “big news” press release that you can use to attract more publicity.

The tips are free and you can sign up for your 89-day course here.

Now if you don’t feel like waiting the entire 89 days for all of your tips (that is 3 months after all), Joan also has the whole course in an instantly downloadable ebook form. You can check that out here.

Image credit: Joan Stewart

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Social Networking: Twitter and Follow Friday

2009-05-17T22:01:23Z

If you’ve been on Twitter for any length of time, you may have seen the phrase “Follow Friday“. What is it exactly? It’s an interesting way to spread the Twitter love for the people you’re following…and possibly get more followers.

Here’s how it works: Every Friday, you send a tweet out with suggestions on who to follow on Twitter. That’s pretty much it! You can make it a little more interesting by building a theme around your suggestions, such as:

New followers
Especially helpful followers
Humorous followers
Most informative followers
Most conversational followers
Followers categorized by medium, location, affiliation, occupation (e.g. Etsy Twitters or Scrapbooking Twitters)

The number of people you suggest is entirely up to you. Some folks suggest only two or three people, others suggest more. To make your Follow Friday tweet more “viral”, place the hashtag #FollowFriday somewhere in the tweet. This will make it easier for people who are trying to find Follow Friday suggestions on Twitter. For example, this Friday, I’m suggesting some of the great folks who retweet me on a regular basis, here’s what my Follow Friday tweet looks like:

#FollowFriday: My retweeters- @LuannUdell, @loongirl, @meganwolfe, @wodieskodie, @ArtByChrysti, @conniegreen, @annieveillette Thanks guys!

So who would you like to spread the Follow Friday love with? Do you participate in Follow Friday? If so, how’s it working for you? If not, why not? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Image credit: Makakmedia

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Social Networking: Tweetdeck’s newest test version

2009-03-19T13:00:48Z

The newest test version of Tweetdeck now integrates your Twitter stream and your Facebook updates! If you’re not familiar with Tweetdeck, I’ve mentioned it a couple weeks ago in a blog post about how to keep up with your social networking without spending hours every day. In that post mentioned that I used Tweetdeck to help me keep up with the people I’m following on Twitter. The ability to group the people you’re following into categories was one of the things that initially attracted me to Tweetdeck. But it was still lacking some of the features that I liked in another Twitter tool that I used called Twirl, so I often bounced from one tool to the other depending on what I needed to do.

Well, earlier this week, the folks at Adobe (the creators of Tweetdeck) came out with a new test version of Tweetdeck that’s quickly made it my favorite Twitter tool.

Here are some of the features in this version of Tweetdeck

It integrates with both your Twitter and your Facebook account, so you can monitor all of you Facebook friend updates as well as those on Twitter. You can even start a Facebook Chat through Tweetdeck.
It has a search function built in so you can search for specific topics that people are twittering about. Plus you can save the search and monitor new tweets as they come in.
You can easily reply, send direct messages, and retweet interesting tweets from the people you’re following by clicking a single button.
You can read the individual profiles of the people you’re following including when they joined, their website address, and the last tweets that they sent.
You can mark which tweets you’ve read.
You still have the ability to group your Twitter followers in categories you define. It’s now easier to add new people to your groups by clicking on the [+] on one of their tweets.
It now has link shortening tools built in (yay!) and you can choose from a ton of different services like Snipurl, is.gd, bit.ly, tinyurl, and more.
It also has pop-up notifications. So if you have your Tweetdeck window minimized in the background, you’ll get a pop-up update and sound alert every time you get new tweets.
It’s also has integrated with some other Twitter services like Twitscoop (what topics are hot on Twitter now), 12seconds (12 second video posting), StockTwits (stock information via Twitter), and TwitPic (posting photos on Twitter).

Now because Tweetdeck arranges all of your information in multiple columns, it still takes up a lot of space on your screen. Plus, it’s important to remember that this is just a test version of the software, which means that there still may be some bugs in it. So far I haven’t run into any problems, but always be aware of the fact that test software isn’t going to be perfect.

If you want to check out Tweetdeck, visit the website at: http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/

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