There have been accusations made in the media, and more specifically from a couple of pin head (to borrow a term from O’Reilly) celebrities, that the Tea Party movement is actually about racism. They have some how managed to mangle the message of the Tea Party movement to say that we don’t like this President because he happens to be black. The fact that President Obama is black has nothing to do with the fact that he is raising taxes. It has nothing to do with the reality that most people in this country do not like his brand of health care reform. Being black has nothing to do with his belief in global warming, (even though it has been dis-proven time and again) and his Cap and Trade bill that will cripple small businesses and families if it ever passes.

The Tea Party is about lower taxes, cutting government spending, cutting government in general. The Tea Party took it’s name from the Boston Tea Party. Garafalo and O’Donnell accuse the Tea Party of being “anti-intellectual”, and state that they have no idea what the Boston Tea party was all about. Guess what ladies, it was about lowering taxes on the people, it was about defending the people from an overpowering government. Get a clue, or better yet, a history book. I say the Tea Party Movement, with it’s peaceful intelligent protests, it’s stand for just taxation, smaller government and personal responsibility, is acting just as our founding fathers intended.

Side Note: Personally, I think it’s great that we have a black president, I just wish it had been Condi Rice or Ken Blackwell! Maybe next go round…

1.The first post I have for you includes 9 tips for Small Business Bloggers. Very interesting read:
9 Tips for Creating More Small Business Blogging Ideas

“We all know by now that consistent small business blogging can drastically improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and overall web presence. Additionally, a small business blog can increase your opportunities to interact with (and highlight) your customers and provide an additional occasion for you to share your expert knowledge.

Unfortunately, nothing stops a would be small business blogger faster than a perceived lack of time, and the frustration that comes with a lack of ideas to blog about.”… I don’t want to repost the whole thing here, so follow the link I have provided, but you get the gist, the author has some really great ideas for you!

2. You all know that I think LinkedIn is a great marketing tool. This gal has a great post on 5 methods to getting the most out of LinkedIn.
Here’s a tidbit from her post which I have linked to above: “LinkedIn, however, stands apart from the crowd. The roots of popular sites like YouTube and Facebook are founded on the entertainment side of things. But since its creation, LinkedIn has been geared toward the professional business crowd.”

3. The basics of social media marketing: Face book and Blogging. Lee Odden did a great post about this back in September. His post Social Media Marketing Basics: Facebook & Blog Promotion has a lot of relevant information for Fan pages of small businesses. Check it out when you’ve got a few.

4. Here is a great post from over at Mashable - Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them This post also has a great list of other posts at the bottom that you might want to check out. This is common sense stuff, but it can’t hurt to hear it again.

5. This post is also found on Mashable, I wanted to include it because it lists all the best places to promote your blog. Really a great resource! Top 20 Ways to Share a Great Blog Post

Of course this isn’t all the knowledge of the web, but these bits and how to’s will give you any needed boost for your business blog. It’s a great tool when you know how to use it, so get your studying done! I’ve already done the research!

This will be important for businesses, and of course cleaning up your page on Facebook and getting it ready are all good recommendations. Fine, go do it then. But you have to remember that your site is only as good as the effort you put into it. Your business site is an extension of your business. Your Facebook page is only meant to promote your website, not replace it.

There are some things that should be happening before you ever bother with a Facebook page. The number one thing is SEO. If you have covered your bases with a good, thorough approach to organic optimization on your site, then perhaps it is time to add social media. Let’s not forget, however, that SEO is an ongoing process that continually needs to be assessed and tweaked.

Have you joined LinkedIn? This step is not only good for your business, but it is good for your career in general. Making the effort to fill out a full profile, and perhaps add to those of people you have worked with and for might not be as fun as Facebook, but should give you a better ROI of your time.

Google including Facebook status results will probably provide a small boost for some, but why not take matters into your own hands and make sure your site has all the bases covered. Invest in some quality SEO. The tried and true will never fail you.

Ben Stiller Attempting to explain Twitter to Mickey Rooney. To me, this is the epitome of how society has embraced this new form of communication. The Middle age folks actually took to Twitter first, then the younger generation, and now, some of the older generation are starting to check out Facebook and Twitter, but many find it less interesting than actually speaking to someone. Maybe they have a point. Maybe actually talking to the people around you is more important than Tweeting or Texting someone else. I know I have nieces that would rather text whoever than sit and have a good conversation with the people right in front of them, and while this make shock you, I think it is pretty rude. I think maybe we need to step back and remember the REAL people in our lives, not just the “cyber” people, even if some of the real ones are your “cyber” friends. Just saying…

All that being said, watching Ben Stiller try to teach Mickey Rooney how to Tweet is pretty funny, don’tcha think?

We are currently hiring for two positions:

IT Customer Support
and
Graphic Design Manager

The IT Customer Support person we are looking for needs to really enjoy people and communicating with them as much as they enjoy all things tech. We try to provide our clients with the best possible customer service, so this part is even more important to us than your technical skills.

TKG is also looking for a Graphic Design Manager who wants to be a part of a team. You need to have at least two years experience designing for web and print. If you’re interested, we’d love to see your stuff, so pass along your portfolio when you submit a resume.

Benefits include medical insurance, life insurance, 401k, paid vacation and holidays, a bonus system, great team members, and the occasional game of pool, foosball or darts! More information on both of these positions can be found at the links above or inquire with Stacy Hoffman. We look forward to making you part of the ever growing Karcher Group!

If you have been following my series on mommybloggers, you will recognize the name Loralee Choate. She was recently invited to the White House to discuss her views on health care, based on several posts on the topic she had written for her blog.

Mrs. Choate has an interesting blog post on Self Promotion. Even though she is a mommy blogger, I felt that some of the tips she gives can be applied to any blog, even business related.

Promoting your blog can take a lot of time and effort, especially if it is a blog related to your business. Deciding which venues best suit your business blog, such as Facebook (which many companies do), Twitter, or just being active in the ‘blogosphere’ can be tricky. You don’t want to come across as pushy or obnoxious, so take your time. The best self promotion, or business promotion on a blog is just to write quality posts. Interact within your online community, and people will return the favor. If you have customers ask a question on your blog, be prompt in answering. A business blog should be there for the benefit of your clients, so make yourself available to them.

A blog may not lend itself easily to every business site, but if you do have one, don’t neglect it, as it is a great way to find new clients, and make sure the ones you have are happy with your product or service.

Starting a blog can be tricky, and gaining followers is not an easy task, especially if you don’t happen to be particularly funny or have great writing skills, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. I’m sure you’ve read a blog or two where the writing was not always top notch, but you were interested in what was being said, so you overlook the horrible spelling or grammar little flaws. Knowing your audience, or at least who you think your audience is likely to be, will help you create blog worthy content.

Here are a few pointers to get you started, or moving in the right direction:
1. Know your audience- write for them, not for the whole world.
2. Be honest, if you aren’t, people will call you on it, and then never return to your blog.
3. Be a good tribe member, visit other blogs with related material, follow the ones you really like and join the conversations.
4. Realize that a blog is not going to just be you writing, hopefully you will begin conversations with your readers, so be sure to moderate your comments regularly, or they’ll get bored and leave.
5. Try to be concise, don’t waste your words. Use bullets when it makes sense.
6. Images help, and good photographers tend to really gain followers, as photos bring a blog to life.
7. Create interesting headlines and subheads to attract readers’ attention. I know when I am reading comments on a blog I will quite often click an interesting headline in one of the comments.
8. Practice and refine your writing skills.
9. Post often, readers will check back for more info, more story, whatever, if you have captured their interest. You’ll lose them if you don’t have…wait for it! Oh yes - FRESH CONTENT!
10. Be yourself.

Put these simple rules into practice and you will be an active blogger, which is good for your business, and hopefully, your bottom line. If You’d like more information, there is a great article over at WebProNews. Check it out…

While I can totally see social media networks being the fastest at reporting, I don’t think they yet have to greatest capability for getting news out to the masses. Yes, news items, especially hot topics will be tweeted and retweeted, and word can spread very fast, but they’re not going to replace television crews any time soon. Nor will they replace newspapers for some of the more mundane local happenings. Newspapers still serve a purpose when it comes to local news, at least and will for the time being. As social media grows up, I do see national events being reported and sought after more on social networks than in actual paper copies of any newspaper.

Another aspect of this is credibility. Whatever opinions we may have about mainstream media, we do have good reason to expect some level of accuracy and fact checking. There are standards for this that newspapers, for instance, live by. However, with Social, there is no such requirement. I think this will slow the pace at which we actually believe significant news that we receive via Social Media.

There is a debate going on over at Web Pro News, pretty interesting… check it out. But tell me, do you think Social Media is outpacing traditional media in terms of first reporting to the masses? Personally, I still like the “paper” paper.

*natural SEO
*pay-per-click
*link building (including content distribution)
*local SEO
*social media marketing strategies
*analyzing & interpreting website data/stats
*tracking search engine rankings, link popularity, saturation, etc.

Then send a copy of your resume to Stacy Hoffman @ s@tkg.com or fill out our SEM Job interest form.

All workplaces have thier benefits, but if you are familiar with TKG at all, you know most of us thrive in a laid back environment. If you love your jeans and your tunes, you’ll fit right in around here. We have some great benefits to offer someone with the right talent, including: medical, dental and life insurance, a 401k plan, bonus structure and paid vacations and holidays. The pool and foose ball tables don’t hurt, either.

2. Health Care “Reform” - This healthcare bill, which has passed both the House and Senate, even though the two bills that passed look nothing alike, had the potential, and if passed (though unlikely now) will create more taxes that begin immediatley, even though the programs they are supposed to fund won’t begin for several years. They haven’t decided what the programs will be, or who they will benefit, but the bills have passed, and now you and I get to pay for whatever the Dems decide (behind closed doors - nice transparency) will actually be in the bills. I pray that the American people speak out LOUD and CLEAR and tell them that we won’t pay for Abortion, and we don’t want the public option. Also, if we opt out of a healthcare plan because we choose to do so, it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL to fine us for it!

While things may seem to be looking up with the election of another Republican in a formerly Democratic seat, there are still some things we need to do to ensure that these bills do not pass. It’s time to do something about both of these bills. Call, write, email, whatever communication you like - your representatives need to hear from you! We can still influence the voting for Cap and Trade, and we can still be heard when it comes to the Health Care Reform bill.
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

I would love to see a light at the end of this crazy spending tunnel we’ve been put through. I think that is coming with the 2010 mid term elections. At least it should give us some room to breathe when there are more folks on both sides of the aisle, rather than one party having all the control. I am also hopeful that some new blood will be elected, no more of the same old “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” politicians. Enough is enough already. Here’s hoping 2010 is not a year of bailouts, taxes and budget deficits so deep we’ll never climb out of the hole. Here’s hoping 2010 brings with it a little common sense.