Search engines remain the leading method for finding information, products and services on the internet. Over 10 million searches were performed in August 2009 alone (source: Nielsen). Therefore, understanding how search engines work is important if having potential customers find you via search engines is ONE of your lead generation strategies (keywords: “one of”).

I will be posting a series of resources and videos that will help you better understand search engines and determine how much you are willing to invest in services & strategies for improving your search engine ranking. First, watch this 5 minute clip explaining the purpose of search engines, how they’ve evolved, and how they deliver & determine results to your queries (in general). The clip features Terry Winograd is Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University (Copyright: British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved).

Video URL (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDHih81zX0)

No related posts.

Life changing? Dramatic. I know. However, stick with me.

The start of the year is a great time to review and adjust your business budget. If your 2009 budget included ongoing expenses for software that allows you to invoice, accept payments and manage your expenses, you may be interested in considering the following web based application for 2010.

Freshbooks

The website states that it’s the “fastest way to track time and send invoices.” Before signing up, I initially thought “Sure. That’s what they all claim.” After signing up for a free trial, I quickly began to believe the hype. The user interface is much more effective than the average desktop application with a third party web interface for invoicing. It is unbelievably simple. There are simple tabs for creating new clients, new projects, new invoices, and new estimates. The invoices look professional and include simple buttons that allow your client to quickly pay online. There’s automation included for payment reminders and alerts. It also allows you to create estimates and quotes and have the client review and accept them online. Also, the integration with third party and mobile applications seem to be endless. After using the tool for less than a week, I quickly realized how much time (and money) I’d saved compared to my previous invoicing and time tracking application. Freshbooks is certainly worth a review. Particularly if you are a service provider (www.freshbooks.com).

Related posts:

1. Free Keyword Research Tools
2. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 6 – Dec 12)
3. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 13 – Dec 19)

Why is everyone so serious?

During the past 10 years, I’ve been excited to experience many new developments and trends in technology: iPhones, Blackberry, mobile apps, social media exploded, Tivo, wi-fi became (more) readily accessible, everyone and their Mama (literally) started a blog, everyone and their cousin started to video blog and Gmail allowed you to store more than 10 email messages on Google’s mail servers. As I look forward to 2010, I’m excited about the plans for Websmith Group: we’re growing & hiring new developers in 2010, launching new web/mobile applications, launching a new version(s) of our clinical outcomes system (more about that in the months ahead) and starting a new training series. All exciting stuff.  However, my only resolution for the coming year is to have more fun and inspire others to do so as well.  I believe that innovation, creativity & fun work together brilliantly.  In 2010, I encourage each of you to make an effort to do more of what you love and have a blast doing it.  No matter what.

My childhood may be over, but that doesn’t mean playtime is. ~Ron Olson

GLOSSARY: A Mother’s Pinch = A big ole pinch or as much as required.

Happy New Year!
-Kishau

Related posts:

1. The 6 Deadly Sins of Starting an Online Business
2. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 13 – Dec 19)
3. Last Minute Gift Ideas (Subtitled: Opportunities in Disguise)

New Year. New Resolutions. New Book List. I read often for professional development, personal growth and entertainment purposes. At the start of each year I create a wish list of books that I plan to read during the year. Recently, due to ‘packed schedules’ and ‘tired eyes’ at the end of the day, I’ve developed a preference for audiobooks that I can listen to while traveling or exercising. However, some books are reference guides and are better digested in print.

This year I wanted to include some less known titles and titles that I may not have considered. Yesterday, I asked my Twitter friends the following question:

“What was the best book you read (heard) in 2009 (fiction or non-fiction)?”

Here are the recommendations received. I’ve provided links to the audiobook (if available) or print book. Thanks to all that have responded! I’ve added each of these titles to my wish list and you should consider them as well. Also, feel free to add your book recommendation(s) in the comments area!

2010 BOOK LIST

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• “Wired for Thought: How the Brain Is Shaping the Future of the Internet” by Jeffrey Stibel
• “Survival Is Not Enough: Zooming, Evolution, and the Future of Your Company” by Seth Godin
• “Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy” by Dev Patnaik
• “Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion” by Gary Vaynerchuk * my recommendation *

MARKETING: THE SCIENCE (ART) OF

• “Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy” by Martin Lindstrom
• “Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable” by Seth Godin

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

• “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions” by Dan Ariely
• “Keep Going: The Art of Perseverance” by Joseph M. Marshall III * my recommendation *
• “Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else” by Geoff Colvin
• “It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff” by Peter Walsh * my recommendation *
• “Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You – at Work and in Life” by Spencer Johnson * my recommendation *
• “Thrift and Generosity: The Joy of Giving” by John Templeton Jr.

CREATIVITY & IDEA DEVELOPMENT

• “Walking in This World: The Practical Art of Creativity” by Julia Cameron
• “Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement” by Bill Duggan
• “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive & Others Die” by Chip Heath, Dan Heath * my recommendation *

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

• “The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves” by W. Arthur
• “Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today’s Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves” By Adam Penenberg
• “Googled: The End of the World as We Know It” by Ken Auletta

POLITICS & ECONOMICS

“Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is Another Way for Africa” by Dambisa Moyo

WRITING

“How To Write Successful Fundraising Letters” by Mal Warwick

FICTION

• “The Hour I First Believed” by Wally Lamb
• “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Díaz * my recommendation *
• “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett

Related posts:

1. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 6 – Dec 12)
2. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 13 – Dec 19)
3. REVIEW: (Work) Life Changing Web App for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

While you were out Christmas shopping, traveling and trying to stab, cut and bite your way into your children’s new toys, content creators were pushing out new tips & resources. Today, you’re probably exhausted, possibly injured or in a food coma. While you recover, take some time to think about your plans for your business during 2010. Also take some time to read the top (IMHO) resources, found during the week of Dec 20. I believe that each provides valuable, accurate and timely information regarding enhancing your business, website, blog and/or social media presence.

TIP: Realizing that there are only 24 hours in a day and a significant portion of that is used for work, eating, sleeping and working off the 15 pounds you’ve gained since Thanksgiving, you may wish to create a “To Read” bookmark folder in your favorite internet browser, then save (bookmark) the following links into that folder. Once you’ve read the article, you can print & save your favorite articles, then delete the item from the “To Read” bookmark folder. This will help you manage your list of articles “To Read”.

On Personal & Business Development:

1. “5 Time Wasters related to Planning (and a Poll)” by Bob Bessette (TotallyUniqueLife)
2. “How To Create Measurable Objectives” by Amber Naslund (AltitudeBranding.com)
3. “5 Ways to Grow Your Local Business with Social Media” written by John Jantsch (American Express Open Forum)
4. “If Your Business Sucks, Don’t Blame the Market” by Jonathan Fields (JonathanFields.com)

On Website Development & Enhancement:

1. “6 Website Redesign SEO Secrets Your Developer May Not Know” by Jill Whalen (ISEdb)
2. “Interface Design Inspiration | 30 Impressive Ways to Design Sign-Up Page/Form” by Deep (dzineblog.com)
3. Resource: Use browsershots.org to see how your site looks on different browser versions and operating systems. (Quick Tip from Kishau)
4. “Why copywriting is like selling (part 7)” by Otis Maxwell (OtisMaxwell.com) * NOTE: Click here for Part 1 of the 7 part series *
5. “Annual Checkup: Who Owns Your Domain Name, Really?” by Kishau Rogers (Websmith Group) … Yes. I did.

On Social Media:

1. “100 Tips Essential to being a Smarter, Better Twitterer” by Jim Grygar (JimGrygar)
2. “Listening Posts: The Six Free Listening Tools You Cannot Do Without” by Debra Askanase (eJewishPhilanthropy.com)
3. “Adding Value with Online Community: Listen to the Webcast On-Demand” by Evan Cook (SocialMediaToday.com)
4. “10 Top New Web Services of 2009 (From My Perspective)” by Louis Gray (LouisGray)
5. “Social media marketing explained in 61 words” by David Meerman Scott (WebInkNow)

On Blogging:

1. On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas by Jonathan Morrow (CopyBlogger)
2. “The ‘It Factor’ – How to Get It as a Blogger” by Darren Rowse (ProBlogger)
3. “If I Were a Realtor” by Chris Brogan (ChrisBrogan.com) * NOTE: if you’re in real estate, the tips provided in this post should be seriously considered. IMO. *

Related posts:

1. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Nov 29 – Dec 5)
2. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 6 – Dec 12)
3. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 13 – Dec 19)

In April 2009, Epsilon explored consumer behaviors and attitudes about permission based email by surveying over 4000 consumers in 13 countries. Many small businesses are shifting their marketing efforts toward digital communications such as email and social networks. While traditional forms of marketing are still used, the low cost and real-time nature of digital communication is attractive to businesses with shrinking marketing budgets. The survey reveals that email remains the primary online communication tool for consumers; well above the usage of instant messaging, social networks, text/sms, and other online communication channels.

Spam, in general, was previously defined as unsolicited email contact. The definition of spam has been expanded to include irrelevant messages and “contact saturation” (i.e. too many emails). Also, 26% of the survey respondents define spam as “any email that tries to sell me a product or service even if I know the sender.”

To avoid being tagged as a spammer and having your emails thrown into the same folder with the Viagra and Nigerian spam emails, consider using the following techniques:

1. Double Opt-in.

When someone subscribes to your email, use a double opt-in process that requires that they check their email and confirm their request to subscribe to your newsletter. This reduces the number of accidental subscriptions and subscriptions from anonymous subscribers. You want your mailing list to contain real people that have explicitly requested your information.

2. Set Expectations Upfront.

On your newsletter subscription page, indicate how often you distribute your email newsletters. Also, indicate the topics covered in the newsletters. If you use the newsletters to promote specials, discounts or new products and services, indicate this upfront. People will not subscribe if they define spam as “any email that tries to sell me a product or service even if I know the sender.” This may seem bad, but it’s good long-term as it avoids you and your email being tagged as spam. Also, it helps prevent “overinflated” mailing list numbers. Would you prefer a mailing list with 100 engaged subscribers or one with 10000 subscribers that block your email on a regular basis?

3. Clear Unsubscribe Process.

Always display the unsubscribe link in a visible location. This link is traditionally located in the footer of your email communications. Also, ensure that the unsubscribe process is automatic. Removal from the mailing list should occur upon clicking the link, not after surveys & polls are taken. Many people will click the link and not answer any further questions about their reasons for unsubscribing. If they remain on your list, you risk being accused of spamming them because in their mind, the email is unsolicited. Gathering data on their reasons for unsubscribing is valuable, but ensure that the unsubscribe process is not delayed with surveys and questions. The individuals that are willing to answer further questions or interact with your business will respond.

4. Monitor your Engagement Stats.

Most mailing list tools include statistics that indicate your open rates, bounce rates and email flagging (blocking) numbers. Monitor these numbers on an ongoing basis. Develop an ongoing process for removing subscribers that NEVER open your emails or have blocked the emails.

5. Focus on the Right Numbers.

2009 was the year where everyone coveted 1 million Twitter followers, Facebook fans and newsletter subscribers. Everyone. People monitored their “followers” like physicians monitor blood pressure. In 2010, focus on engagement numbers. How often are people responding to your emails with questions or comments? How often are the emails opened? Did anyone purchase a product or service as a result of receiving your message? Are you getting an increase in promising leads? As a small business owner, these are the numbers you should be focused on. Your marketing plan should include an ongoing strategy for improving those numbers. This is relevant if you have 50 subscribers or 50,000.

6. Offer value.

Be useful. Consumers receive hundreds of email weekly, sometimes daily, containing business information, personal communications, newsletters, retail offers and offers for Viagra and Cialis. In 2010, to remain effective, you must determine how your email communications serve value to your target audience.

Feel free to provide your comments and feedback on how you’ve structured your email marketing campaigns.

Best Wishes,
Kishau

Data Source: Epsilon Global Consumer Email Study (April 2009)

Related posts:

1. Introducing Blippy (Subtitled: It’s Silly Season)
2. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 13 – Dec 19)
3. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 20 – Dec 26)

First the bad news; it’s December 22 and you’ve officially waited until ‘the midnight hour’ to complete your holiday shopping. I’m not judging. I am the President and Founder of the Last Minute Shoppers Coalition. I also bring good news. You can still get it done without increasing your stress level, doing battle in traffic or throwing caution to the wind and purchasing CVS gift cards for everyone.

I’m sure you’ve read the countless articles on last minute gift ideas; I will post a few of them at the end of this article. Why reinvent the wheel? Yes, I’m in holiday mode (otherwise known as “lazy). However, I do wish to focus on some ideas that you may not have considered:

1. Your Time

According to the U.S. Census reports “Nearly Half of our Lives [are] Spent with TV, Radio, Internet, Newspapers.” And a great percentage of what’s leftover is spent working or thinking about work. The holidays offer a great opportunity to reconnect with the people that mean the most to you. Think of an activity that involves every member of your family. Go skiing. Play card games (if your family is capable of playing cards without fighting LOL). Bring out the old board games. Cook some great tasting foods & snacks and call it an event. Being attentive to those around you is the greatest gift you can give.

2. Your Creativity

There are many tools and software programs available that allow you to store your photos and video. Many times we take tons of pictures, but they never get shared with our extended family. Organize your photos and video and give the gift of “great memories”. Create a scrapbook. Or create a DVD or CD archive of the photos you’ve taken during the year. Memories are priceless and can not be recreated. You are fortunate if you have them in digital format and you should share them with those you love.

3. Your Appreciation

Fabulous looking note cards are readily available. You may already have some at home collecting dust. You can use your note cards to express your appreciation to your friends and family members for a specific memory that they shared with you during the last year. Real personalized notes are rare. There are handwritten notes. And there are personalized notes. The receiver should know that the note card couldn’t have been given to anyone, but them.

Each is a priceless gift in its own right. Also, each is appropriate to give to those that are important to you both personally and professionally. However, if you must shop ’til you drop, here are a few additional last minute gift ideas:

1. “Five last-minute gifts you can print!” by Rick Broida (CNET News)
2. “101+ best holiday eco-gift ideas” by Laurie (ecoki)
3. “Mashable’s Holiday Gift Guide” by Matt Silverman (Mashable)
4. “Last-Minute Gift Ideas: There’s Still Time For Christmas Shopping” (HuffPost)
5. “Top 10 Best Christmas Gift Ideas 2009″ (Squidoo Lens)

Happy Holidays!
Kishau Rogers

Related posts:

1. The 6 Deadly Sins of Starting an Online Business
2. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 13 – Dec 19)
3. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 20 – Dec 26)

Here are a few resources that I believe provide valuable, accurate and timely information for developing your business, website, blog and/or social media presence. I’ve included resources from well known sources, as well as a few less popular sources. In 2010, be sure to diversify your online resource library by supporting your smaller, less known blogs & websites.

TIP: Realizing that there are only 24 hours in a day and a significant portion of that is used for work, eating, sleeping, drinking coffee, and Christmas shopping you may wish to create a “To Read” bookmark folder in your favorite internet browser, then save (bookmark) the following links into that folder. Once you’ve read the article, you can print & save your favorite articles, then delete the item from the “To Read” bookmark folder. This will help you manage your list of articles “To Read”.

On Web Development, Business Development, & Marketing:

1. “50 Ways to Foster a Culture of Innovation” by Mitch Ditkoff and Val Vadeboncoeur (Idea Champions)
2. “Be Your Own Publicist” by Tamara Monosoff (Entrepreneur.com)
3. “Interaction with Consumers is a Must for Businesses” by Scot Duke (MrBusinessGolf)
4. (eBook) “What Matter’s Now” Conceived by Seth Godin
5. “The Web’s Most Illogical Arguments” by Robert Strohmeyer (PC World)

On Blogging:

1. “13 Types of Posts that Always Get Lots of Comments” by Darren Rowse (ProBlogger)
2. “5 Reasons Why You Should Comment on Blog Posts” by Misty Belardo (BitRebels.com)
3. “The End Of Hand Crafted Content” by Michael Arrington (TechCrunch)
4. PODCAST: “CobWEBs Daily Edition: TechCrunch, content & retweets stacked like McDonald fries” (includes a response to the TechCrunch article above) by Sean P Aune (SeanPAune.com)

On Social Media:

1. “6 Ways Zappos Uses Twitter To Increase Sales” by Jeff Bullas (JeffBullas.com)
2. “Social Media Forces Businesses To Go Two Way” by Willis Wee (Penn Olson)
3. CONFERENCE NOTES: “Communities, Word of Mouth, Real Time at #leweb: what else!” by Patrick Attallah (Media’Zbiz)
4. “Get More Friends, Followers, Hits, and Readers Using Google Sidewiki” by Damond Nollan (DamondNollan.com)

On Graphic Design, Art & Photography (Inspiration):

1. “40 Inspiring 404 Error Pages” by WPSmash (WPSmash.com)
2. “100 Outstanding and Inspirational Infrared Photos” by WebDesignerDepot (WebDesignerDepot.com)
3. “Daily Inspiration #383″ – Inspiring Images provided by Fabio Sasso (Abduzeedo)
4. “50 Typography Logos With Letters (They’re Good, Too)” by Wes Wilson (BrandStack)

Related posts:

1. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Nov 29 – Dec 5)
2. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 6 – Dec 12)
3. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 20 – Dec 26)

I’ve recently learned about a new social media network that allows you to share your credit card purchases with your family, friends or strangers. My initial reaction was … Um, Why?

The service is called Blippy. It’s currently in beta, but it has already been labeled “The Twitter for Credit Card Purchases”. To use the service, you connect one of your credit cards with your Blippy account. Then, each time you make a purchase using that card, your friends and/or network of strangers will see what you purchased and where you made the purchase. Sounds fancy. And stupid. And noisy. And potentially dangerous.

I’m sure some social media ‘guru’ will identify a higher purpose for this service, but I can’t. And I tried. Even if I assumed that most people wouldn’t share their purchasing history with perfect strangers, I still can’t find the value in passively (automatically) sharing your purchases in real-time detail, to anyone. If I called my Mom and told her about every purchase I made, she would block my number. And I would do the same. If the purchase is notable, I tend to phone, text or email the people that would be interested (a very short list of people). Imagine all of your friends, coworkers, clients and a few random strangers walking up to you on the street and saying “I just purchased a $3.96 latte at Starbucks.” At some point you’ll respond “So what!” or “You’re at Starbucks again?”.

Imagine a world where everyone is sharing every single detail of their day, simply because innovations in technology allow them to do so (i.e. for kicks and giggles)? The more noise created, the harder it is for you, as an entrepreneur, to get your message through the tsunami of irrelevant data and noise. Now more than ever, it is important for entrepreneurs and business owners to provide authentic engagement and value to your target audience. Before you share any information on a social network, particularly for business purposes, ask yourself:

1. Is this something I think my audience will want to know?
2. Is distributing this information important to meeting my business goal(s) or mission?

If the answer is no to both questions, think twice about sharing.

Source: Introducing a Twitter for Credit Card Purchases (New York Times)

Related posts:

1. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 13 – Dec 19)
2. New Rules for Email Marketing (subtitled: Don’t be a spammer in 2010)
3. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 20 – Dec 26)

There’s so much valuable information and personal stories online that can help you in enhancing your website, business, and blog. I believe that business development and effective website development go hand in hand, so this week I’ve included a few business development, leadership and marketing resources.

Check out my favorite articles, found during the week of Dec 6. I believe that each provide valuable, accurate and timely information regarding enhancing your business, blog and/or social media presence.

TIP: Realizing that there are only 24 hours in a day and a significant portion of that is used for work, eating, sleeping and drinking coffee, you may wish to create a “To Read” bookmark folder in your favorite internet browser, then save (bookmark) the following links into that folder. Once you’ve read the article, you can print & save your favorite articles, then delete the item from the “To Read” bookmark folder. This will help you manage your list of articles “To Read”.

On Business Development, Leadership & Marketing:

1. “Three Ways to Keep Your Ego in Check” by John Baldoni (Harvard Business Publishing)
2. “We Should All Get It Wrong Like Apple” By Jonathan Weber (The Big Money … from Slate)
3. “Why Free Trial Offers Aren’t Always the Best Choice” by Howard J. Sewell (Connect Direct Inc.)

On Blogging:

1. “Ghost blogging: Just don’t do it” by Neville Hobson (NevilleHobson.com)
2. Panel Notes: “Ghost Blogging, Tweeting, Content Production – Ethical? Does It Matter?” Posted by Susan Esparza (Bruce Clay, Inc)
3. “A Screamingly Effective Blog Disclosure Policy: How (and Why) To Get One” by Kelly Diels (Problogger)

On Social Media:

1. “5 Ways to Get More from LinkedIn in 2010″ written by Kristin Burnham (CIO)
2. “Are Your Facebook Fans Truly Engaged?” By Valeria Maltoni (Conversation Agent)
3. “10 Ways Social Media Will Change In 2010″ by Ravit Lichtenberg from Ustrategy.com (ReadWriteWeb)

Related posts:

1. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Nov 29 – Dec 5)
2. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 13 – Dec 19)
3. Weekly Roundup: Website and Social Media Resources (Dec 20 – Dec 26)