Help Me Name My New Series (Please)!

Wiley Coyote Help Help Me Name My New Series (Please)!So I’m in the process of fulfilling one of my 2011 Social Media and Blogging resolutions and I need your help, errr…advice.

I’m about to start a bi-weekly series (Wednesday’s or Thursday’s) that calls on my readers to share their pennies on a different question that I’ll ask every time.

I’ll give my 2  or 4 cents worth and then throw it back at my readers to discuss – an “Ask the Readers” type of post if you will – similar (concept wise) to the one Corbett Barr does over at Think Traffic or Chris Ducker on Virtual Business Lifestyle.

Now, when I say discuss, I mean for you to explode the comments section! I’m not kidding. I want to be bombarded by intellect and insight, entertainment, fun, savvy-ness, personality…whatever you got, bring it!

I thought this would make for a great experiment. For one, we get to engage and hear different perspectives and two; we get to know each other better and learn from one another other along the way.

Also, feel free to suggest good discussion topics for the next time round. This Q&A is all about YOU, your expertise (whatever they may be) and your experiences. So, I’ll be counting on you to put your smiles and thinking caps on!

But here’s the thing…

Much like my cry for help in naming my SuperPost Sunday’s, I’m gonna need you to vote on a name for this one as well.

Below are a few names I was thinking of, but as usual, I’m indecisive.

What do you think? Which one do you like (or not like) and why?

Oh, and if you think these are all lame or suck and have a better suggestion, I’m all ears – seriously – “Dumbo” ;)!

Your vote and input is really appreciated.

Thank you my lovelies ;).

Here are my suggestions:

  1. Let’s Discuss  survey 300x298 Help Me Name My New Series (Please)!
  2. Bring IT!
  3. Ask the Lovelies
  4. Tête-à-Tête’s
  5. The Nitty-Gritty

[image credit: (Wiley Coyote) via Manataka.org; (Survey) Cornell University Law School]

Can You See Me Technorati?

technorati logo Can You See Me Technorati?

This blog post will not teach you anything. It’s filled with sarcastic remarks and ramblings and you’ll understand why soon enough.

Yes, this is a rant!

Now allow me to entertain you for a short while.

My Story

The mamoth directory that is Technorati has claimed that my blog is NOT IN ENGLISH – since June of last year. Huh…You can imagine my surprise when I found out I’d been writing in another language this whole time!

Reminder to self: Update resume to include language being used on nittyGriddy (if there was a font for sarcasm, this is where it would be).

So of course, I did what any living human being with extraordinary blogging skills would do. I contacted them to inform them of the problem. Well folks, Technorati is just that BIG that they’re still trying to find the time to get to my emailS.

Relax…the capital “S” is not a typo!

How Not to Provide Customer Support

Since my brilliant plan of sending them a nice little note didn’t work, I then proceeded to join Get Satisfaction, Technorati’s Community-Powered Support. And boy was their support group rep helpful!

I was almost compelled to go deeper and tell her how it made me feel and what my life aspirations were, but I restrained myself as I hear this internet thing keeps your words online forever. Plus I didn’t want to have to wait another 11 months to get life changing guidance from their top-notch team.

That’s right…you heard me! Their official rep replied yesterday to over 15 or so people who had left messages on the forum 11 months ago and have somehow had the patience to continue following up.

If you don’t believe me, go back and click on the link I left you and see for yourself! You’ll find a couple of my comments in there as well.

She asked all of us to delete our claims and start all over. Ha! But to this time choose “English” as the language. And here I was hoping to trick ’em again and click on giberrish!

Well, thank you for your help! The advice was well worth the wait.

It’s funny, but until the email notice letting me know that my comment had a new reply, I had kinda forgotten about it all.

At this point…what the hell have I got to lose by trying again? Screw it, I’ll do it!

It should come as no surprise that there was no “English” option. Unless I missed it but then again my form wouldn’t have gone through had it been a required field.

I’m happy to say that they sent my claim code and asked that I insert it into my latest blog post. I tried to be sneaky and trick them by shoving it into my SuperPost Sunday that I published earlier, but alas…no luck! Their bots are too sharp lol!

The Reason for this Post

And this is why I’ve concocted this lame-ass post. All this witty rambling just to include this code so that King Technorati can see it in my feed:

CJSMGCARPP49

Here’s my Claim “Oh Great One and King of All Blog Directories”. Can you see it now?

Not quite the claim to fame I had hoped for, but what the hell? It’s a claim nonetheless.

Ya think you can index my posts now or is there anything else I can provide you with first?

Sorry, what I meant to say was…

“Claim my frickin’ blog – please! I may want to karate chop your a** but I still think you’re the most complete and best blog directory out there.” (That was me not being sarcastic and trying to give you a real compliment.)

Thank You!

~Hugs and Flying Kisses~

My Digital Signature Can You See Me Technorati?

Anybody else have interesting Technorati stories to share? Don’t be shy. Tell me what language you think Technorati thinks you’re blogging in but in fact aren’t! Did I confuse you there? Read it again. Ahhhh… ;).

SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #13

Newsboy SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #13Hello My Lovelies,

I just realized something the other day – that “lovelies” is actually “Love + Lies”! Yikes but Hmm…;)

Well, let me assure you that my Love for YOU (my most fabulous and intelligent readers) and for this blog is NOT a LIE!

I may not be “IN LOVE” with ya, but I sure as heck love ya and then some lol. Truly! But I think you know that already.

Okay, before I get started, I gotta’ tell ya – “Eyez got a BIG one for ya dis week!”

On the Agenda

One

I’m hoping some of you had the chance to read my post from yesterday, “Are You “A Tad Bit” Obsessed with Facebook?”

The good news is that it’s short – I know you don’t believe me but take my word for it on this one. It also includes a fantastic inforgraphic about Facebook that’s loaded with fun, mind-boggling stats. Oh, and make sure to share your thoughts on how you use Facebook and blah blah blah…

Two

Make sure to check back this coming Tuesday as I’ll be asking for your help in choosing a name for my new bi-weekly series :).

As some of you know, I did this once before in choosing the name for this roundup and I’m hoping to get the same enthusiastic feedback as I did then. I’ll be listing a few titles that I’m leaning towards and I’d love to get your vote on one of them as well as your 2 cents.

Gin Gin, I’m counting on you again! No…not Gin as in alcohol. Jeez! Although I’m sure she likes good wine – but Gin Gin as in Gini Dietrich.

I’ll also be counting on all you guys as well (That’s a BIG fat Please!). That means you too – Jamey and Howie! Don’t get coy on me now!

Three

Brankica over at Live Your Love has started a new bi-weekly roundup of awesome posts – similar to mine, but quite different. Her “Sweet Sunny Saturday” has its own style and is loaded with useful resources. So make sure to head over there every other Saturday of the month.

Last but Certainly Not Least

I know I mentioned this in last week’s roundup but it’s just THAT good!

My friend and excellent business mind and blogger Michele Welch from New Biz Blogger, has written the eBook of all times! Don’t panic…I’m not asking you to buy it – it’s FREE!

the synergy of business and blogging SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #13

The Synergy of Business and Blogging: Top Techniques from 31 Successful Bloggers features 31 of some of the most useful posts from around the blogosphere. Did I mention that one of mine is in there too ;)? So please do yourself a favor and grab a copy!

Topics Include:

  • Establishing business goals
  • Social networking tips
  • Link building techniques
  • Traffic generating strategies
  • Blogging for business
  • Keyword research
  • And tons more!

Michele has done a hell of job and I think you’ll find yourself thanking her 31 times after you’ve read it.

The Goodies – I Mean Reading Homework!

I think I’ve talked – I mean rambled – I mean written – quite enough here! And although I’d love to tell you how frickin’ amazing this week’s roundup is and yadi yadi ya…I’d rather not! Cause if you don’t know that by now then, Pfff…

And so…

“Without further ado and blah blah,” here are this Sunday’s SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

Social Media

The other day a prominent Twitter celebrity was kind enough to re-tweet one of my blog posts.  It was not Kim Kardashian.  At least that time.  Any way, because of his power and influence, my link was promptly re-tweeted by 12 of his followers…

Read this Quora post about “interesting speakers on social media.” It features some of the most well known voices touting each other. It was disappointing to see the same old same old, including the usual lack of recommended female speakers (8 out of 41)…

Not many people have neutral feelings when it comes to Tim Burton – people either love him or hate him. He’s such a conundrum. He’s so hard to pin down. He’s an elite director, but he certainly looks nothing like James Cameron or Steven Spielberg…

“All I need to do to take my business to the next level is get a Facebook page and a Twitter account.” That has become the mindset of many SMBs (Small Minded Businesses). Coupled with that mindset is usually the understanding that financial results are instant…

Blogging Tips

Grapes of Wrath author John Steinbeck once said, “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” He’s right. Successful bloggers are always watching and listening…

If you’ve been following the boom of social media marketing, you already know blogging is an essential ingredient to any social media strategy. Are you unsure about what to write, when to post, how to grow your subscribers…

WordPress has taken over much of the Web, and for very good reason. WordPress makes it very easy for beginners and non-techies to put up their own website without the expense of paying someone else to do the… well, tech stuff…

Earlier this week I wrote about how to get 100 comments on a blog post. The main idea of that post was that if you comment on 100 blogs, some of those bloggers will come back to comment on your blog. You then reply to those comments…

There are so many things you need to do to start a successful Internet business that it is often easy for bloggers to forget about their strategy for the content on their site, and off of it. I believe that a solid content strategy is essential for me…

Take a look around the blogosphere; what do you see? Hundreds of blogs sprouting like wild mushrooms on the forest floor; on a daily basis. Some are here to Crush it! Some do not make it or some just blend in with the rest. Those who do make it…

You’re probably a hacker, and don’t even know it. The term has developed a negative connotation, so many resist the idea. But let me start by breaking down the word. Webster’s Dictionary defines the term Hacker as…

Ever used a butter knife to tighten a screw?’ indeed… Welcome back, I hope you enjoyed the read, and more importantly, now have a better understanding of what we are talking about when we say Hacker. I particularly enjoyed that post…

If you have your blog or website analyzed, either with a free tool, or a professional, you will see some interesting metrics. You will receive a website grade and one of these measurements is readability level. So what is the optimal…

SEO

Search engine optimization, or SEO, doesn’t have to be scary. It can be fun and exciting to put these WordPress SEO tips to use and to watch your blog begin receiving targeted visitors from people who are actively searching for exactly…

2011 is here, and I know many of you have been trying to get your budgets, online presence and campaigns off the ground. I’d love to tell you it’s easy, but I’d be lying to you. Rather than pour a whole bunch of information out today…

Internet Marketing

One of the last people I want to antagonize is Chris Brogan, but I’ve been thinking about this all week so here goes nothing. Dear Chris, You are wrong. Love, Gini. On Monday, Chris had a blog post called “Bigger Ear Marketing for Authors.” In the post he extols…

Who is your target market? That may sound like an obvious question, but you may be surprised to learn that your ideal target market isn’t quite the ten million people surfing the net each and every day like you thought. In reality, your target market…

Quite surprisingly, I’ve never actually owned a smartphone before in my life. I have a three year-old Samsung cell phone, which has been kicked, dropped, sat on, scratched, and one of the buttons doesn’t even work anymore. I know that it’s time…

Link Building

Everyone knows link building and backlinks are key components of good search engine rankings and a website or blog that gets traffic from both the search engines and its peers. There are many forms that traffic backlinks manifest themselves in…

Traffic Building

Bloggers are blogging because they want to get their message heard by an audience, they wouldn’t otherwise have. Getting thousands of people listen to what you have to say is a powerful tool. It’s a fact that a lot of individuals have made fortunes..

MishMash

Have you ever been frustrated when your best writing falls flat on it’s pontificating little face? I feel that way at times. The other day I wrote an article I thought was incredibly well-written. It was a treasure trove of  insightful…

After reading Danny’s post and insightful comments on “Could This Be Your Child?”, I got to thinking about the provocative image used with the post and some of the reactions to the image. So, I wanted to speak to the power of images…

Now you’ve all heard about Aweber and how it’s supposed to be the bees knees of auto-responders? Well I decided against it because I just couldn’t see the value in it. These guys are so up themselves they won’t even offer a free trial! Instead you have to pay…

[image credit: Statesrrg.com]


Are You “A Tad Bit” Obsessed with Facebook?

Alright, so maybe “obsessed” is a bit too strong of a word. Or is IT?

I think by now, everyone and their nana has a Facebook account and by next year, pets will be there too – if some aren’t already.

Sure…they’re nothing wrong with it – Facebook is for almost everyone!

I want to say it’s revolutionized the web but I’m bored with that over-played cliche so I’m gonna’ go a step further and say that Facebook has revolutionized daily life as we know it! It’s like internet crack – the weaker and more curious you are the more addicted you’ll be!

According to this eye-opening infographic by SocialHype and Online Schools, 1 out of 13 people breathing are Facebooking! Not only that, but on any given day half of those people are logged in. Jeez! I’d be ecstatic if 1 out of 100,000 were nittyGriddy’ing ;). But alas, I don’t quite offer the same ground-breaking perks!

But why am I regurgitating those facts to you? Check them out below in what is surely a fascinating roundup of numbers and information.

It seems like there’s no stopping Zucky any day soon. And good for him :D!

Feel free to rant or share your thoughts on this unprecedented global “infatuation”. What is Facebook to you? How do you use it? Do you fall in the “obsessed” category?

Also – have any of you started watching CNBC’s documentary entitled “The Facebook Obsession”? I haven’t yet and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

obsessed with facebook Are You A Tad Bit Obsessed with Facebook?

SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #12

extra boy SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #12Hello My Lovelies,

Welcome back to another great year! Well, I’m hoping it will be or else I’ll try my damn hardest to make it one!

I’m assuming you’re all back to normal working mode and that all the festive drunken-ness and hangovers are well behind you. Unless of course, you had another of those nights yesterday. If that’s the case, don’t let me keep you from your nap!

I have a few announcements for you this week, so bare with me. And yes, they’re interesting – Jeez!

In last week’s SuperPost, I mentioned something about potentially, maybe, but probably not – showing you a picture of a half-naked belly dancing boa handler (you’ll just have to read it to know why). I also said that I’d be listening to creative pleas for why I should post that picture here.

Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you my friends, but I’m still thinking about it lol. I’m not sure how relevant it would be to Social Media, although I’m sure that many Social Medians could generate some ideas for a different kind of article. If, you catch my drift.

A Sharp Shooter’s Plea and More…

However, I would like to give a little BIG shout out to Brankica from Live your Love who left quite the persuasive comment in regards to that. Take a look for yourselves!

brankica comment SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #12

So, had there been a winner to this plea thing of mine, Brankica would have taken home the gold.

Shhhh, not a word Howie!

Your frequent visits and comments rocked but did you not see the subheading of this paragraph? She’s a sharp shooter Howie! It means her aim is spot on. So if we’re smart, we’ll be nice and sweet to her LOL.

In all seriousness though, I’m sorry that I didn’t publish it here and that your trophy is invisible but I”m hoping you’ll forgive me all the same.

Folks, I suggest you start following this up and coming blogger if you don’t already. I read two of her articles this week that I greatly enjoyed.

The first is about a Human Spammer whose name will ring familiar with many of us. He’s been seen on quite a few of our blogs leaving non-spammy looking comments that actually are. In the second post, Brankica compares two of her great loves: Blogging and practical shooting. Two great reads, so make sure to check them out.

My ‘Bloggafriend’ Michele Welch Wrote an eBook!

That’s right! My very talented blogger pal Michele Welch from New Biz Blogger has just published a superb free eBook that all of you should download!

It’s called The Synergy of Business and Blogging: Top Techniques from 31 Successful Bloggers and featured inside are 31 of some of the best posts from around the blogosphere. So please make sure to click that link and download. Trust me, it rocks! And it’s well worth the read and keep.

You’re sure to find some of your favorite bloggers in there with some A+ blogging tips and more! Oh, yeah…I’m in there too :).

Thank You Michele for taking the time to put that fantastic resource together.

synergy ebook SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #12

Taking Alexa

Now, I know it’s not that big of a deal, but I still wanted to say a little congrats to ME for breaking the 100K mark in the Alexa ranking system. I’m now at 98K and I’m smiling.

If you recall from my 22 Social Media Resolutions post, I said I wanted to be at 80K or less by the end of June. I’m hoping that following through with the 21 other “challenges” will help.

Okay, that’s it. I’m done for now but make sure to check back soon (very) for my next post!

And now, let’s move on to the goodies…

“Without further ado and blah blah,” here are this Sunday’s SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

Social Media

Judging by her school-issue personal photo, Twana Florance appears to be a mild-mannered, middle-aged matron from Twin Falls, Idaho.  But there is no Twana Florance. Twana is probably some teenager in a Third World…

It shouldn’t come as any surprise to you that 2011 is the year of integration. This past year you got to play with social media tools and figure out which were most applicable to your business. Now it’s time to stop playing and integrate your traditional, digital…

Blogs are awesome.  I assume you agree with this because you’re reading my blog as well.  A lot of you may have started becoming avid readers and to follow blogs, like myself, with the advent of social media.  In the last two years I have seen…

This post was in my draft folder since a long time. Today i finally got some and completed the list of some awesome women bloggers who are rocking in the blogosphere. I am not going to put in huge bloggers like erica  or lisa irby because…

For any companies who are looking at social media and wondering how it can be best utilized or for those who are already involved but feel they are not making the most of social media’s platforms, the following three examples highlight…

Social media is crap. Social media is a waste of money and time. Social media can’t be measured so we’re just wasting energy. Social media doesn’t offer lead generation. Blah blah blah. I’ve seen a ton of criticism about social media and what it can…

There have been plenty of things you’ve had to buy in the past 45 days so I thought I’d give you some FREE eBooks found around the web to help out your pocketbook and your sanity. Plus they’re really good books so you’re gaining free…

For the last few years, I’ve occasionally guest-edited the free “Ned’s Job of the Week” e-newsletter. If you don’t know about it, it’s a free weekly newsletter that lists job postings sent to Ned Lundquist, ABC, by subscribers (as well as many he finds himself) in the spirit…

I have always been a huge fan of networking both on and off line. I see so many people that are missing out on some really simple techniques to power network and get results from it. Networking really isn’t as difficult as people make it out to be…

Blogging Tips

Leaving comments on other people’s blogs is a useful strategy for sending more traffic back to your own site. If you make an interesting observation or add value with helpful advice, some readers be curious enough about you to visit your blog…

Bet You $100 This Will Work: Ask Your Readers Questions.. Yeah, just like that! Simple as you read. If this doesn’t work, I will give you $100. I’m not rich or anything near that but I’m so sure this will work I want to risk my bank balance for…

One of the reasons that I’m so madly in love with WordPress is the thousands of plugins available. It doesn’t matter what you want to accomplish on your blog, there’s probably a WordPress plugin that will allow you to do it. This list is the 15…

Do you like social media blogs?  Me neither.  They can be dry, boring, pretentious and down right geeky!  I found a social media blog that is humorous, exciting, down-to-earth and, well, a little geeky.  (Face it, when you are an internet social media blogger…

I could write a thousand points/posts on how to build a better blog but I think it’s easier if I just tell you what not to do. Even that is a bit forceful, so how about I introduce you to three blogging stereotypes, and ask – no plead that you do not…

Guest posting is an awesome way to get your name out there, and I think that every blogger should write guest posts frequently. I try to do one every week or two, though I’ve been slacking off the last couple weeks…

I’ve seen some comments left here recently that has left me debating with myself whether I should approve them or not, so I’ve update this post I’ve written in September. In a previous post I explained how you can use blog…

Internet Marketing

One of the frightening things about human behavior is that horrific social practices are often only recognized as such from a distance. Practices like slavery, binding of feet and infanticide—which seem perfectly monstrous to us—seemed normal…

MishMash

“You girls are twits.” “Huh?” “That’s what they’re called. People like you that use Twitter. Twits.” Maybe it’s a sign of maturity (gasp, not me?!) that I chose to ignore and refrain from engaging this conversation that took place in my apartment…

I’m absolutely sure you wouldn’t answer YES to that question yet majority of we entrepreneurs exemplify various forms of laziness in our entrepreneurial journey more times than we would like to come to terms with. So much emotional sentiments…

I blogged in November about these 2 companies that in my view are Conversation Platforms or Conversation Engines that can power the discussions on blogs and media sites way better than anything on Facebook…

Disclaimer: This post won’t be for everyone, but that’s okay.  It’s meant for one specific person: my MeMe. This week is the week of my MeMe’s funeral.  If you follow me on any of the social networks, this won’t come as a surprise to you…

During the 1980s the big joke was Corporate Dilbert Speak. You know what I mean. That’s when we were all cognizant of the shifting new paradigm into total quality corporate governance, while nurturing the proactive leadership process…

[image credit: via Emmett Idaho]

SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #11

Extra Extra Read All About It SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #11Hello and Happy 2011 my lovelies!

I’m hoping that you all had a fantastic New Year’s Eve or that you can at least remember it lol. Thank God for Advil huh?!

About My New Year

As for me, if you recall from my 17 Things About Me post, I was never the big drinker and therefore entered the New Year just as sober as I left the last one. But I still managed to have a pretty darn good time surrounded with great friends, food and music – plus one, half-naked, belly dancing snake handler!

Yes, yes, I know you want pics. But some things are just not meant for your eyes or age hehe ;). Actually, hmm….I’ll tell you what…

I realize that this is a site about Social Media and that sharing is caring. So, if you can manage to come up with an ultra-creative and persuasive reason (in the comments) for why I should show you the half-naked lady shaking it with the boa then I MAY, POSSIBLY, NOT FOR SURE, POTENTIALLY, MAYBE but PROBABLY NOT show it to you!

I love hearing good pleas, so give it your best shot :).

I gotta’ tell ya – I’ve rarely seen a city with so much heart and pride and a people with such a tremendous “joie de vivre” as I have in Beirut. Sure, I may be biased because I’m from here, but I’ve been to quite a few places around the world and therefore firmly stand by my statement.

Alright, enough with my sentimental patriotism and on to more rational Social Media topics.

If you didn’t get a chance to read my 22 Social Media Resolutions for 2011, I suggest you do. Not because I’m highly entertaining as usual (cough plus a little smirk) but because I’d love to hear your thoughts on them as well as your own resolutions – whether they’re Social Media related or not!

Radian6 is Listening

On another note, our friend Lauren Vargas, Director of Community at Radian6, was kind enough to drop by my 9 Free eBooks on Social Media post, to ask my readers and I what topics Radian6 could address in 2011. Now that’s what I call listening to and engaging with your community!

Thank you Lauren for connecting through Twitter and for stopping by to inquire and learn more of what my readers and I are interested in.

If you’re not familiar with Radian6 then I suggest you visit their brilliant site and resources ASAP! The company is well known for publishing 1 eBook a month as well as intuitive case studies, white papers and presentations – amongst others things.

Lauren and I would really love to hear what topics you’d like to see Radian6 discuss or write about next. C’mon boys and girls, don’t be shy.

On to the Goodies…

I realize that not many of you will be reading this SuperPost today seeing that half of you are probably hungover and the other half may be taking an internet break from all things remotely intellectual. But regardless – I still wanted to share some of the awesome articles that I came across this week.

I’m hoping a few of you will have rested enough yesterday and are up and thinking clearly again to go through a few of these kick-ass posts.

And So…

“Without further ado and blah blah,” here are this Sunday’s SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

Social Media

Your customers, prospects, and the people looking for you online don’t care about your company structure. If they find you on Twitter, or leave a comment on your blog, they’re looking for a response from anyone who can help, regardless…

Many of you know that I graduated from uni in September. Even more people know that I spent the better part of this year working on my diploma thesis about Twitter as a tool for Relationship Marketing…

When it comes to driving awareness through social media channels, most marketers think about using tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube videos to reach key audiences. But very few think of leaving a comment on a blog…

Does the phrase direct marketer conjure up sleazy images? If you thought yes, you’re not alone. Both social media marketing and direct response marketing place a focused pitch on the right list (prospects) and understanding…

2010 was a busy year for social media and the web. It began (more or less) with the launch of the Apple’s genre-defining iPad tablet and culminated with the ascent of Facebook as the web’s most visited site. In between we had the fall of Palm…

2010 will be forever commemorated as the year Twitter matured from a cool but undecided teenager into a more confident and assertive young adult. While there’s still much room to mature and develop, Twitter’s new direction…

Being a good web writer has always been a balancing act. During the early years, we had to accommodate webmasters who insisted that we write shorter headlines, shorter thumbnail text and shorter pages. We had to learn about site architecture…

Blogging Tips

Whilst WordPress is a fantastic resource for creating and managing websites, there are many features that it lacks.  Enter the WordPress Plugin system.  No longer are limitations of WordPress a problem.  The open source nature of WordPress means…

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about the authenticity of bloggers. Surprisingly, it’s something that isn’t done much in the blogosphere. There tends to be so much focus on ‘writing great posts’ and ‘creating content’…

I like me.  A lot.  Sadly, readers have not woken up to the amazingness that emanates from within me.  In fact, even when I manage to capture their attention, I seem to lose them just as quickly.  So why, why does someone as charming and as smart…

Every now and then the “a blog is not a business” meme will come around again. Each time someone will challenge me about it. Look, I agree. A blog is no more a business than a book is a business if you want to be strict about it. But why does it matter…

I’ve been blogging for almost a year now, and like every other new blogger, I spend a large percentage of my time reading other blogs. While there are some great blogs out there, I have also read blogs that are otherwise. Most of these blogs…

Bloggers are the Italian Catholics of the Internet; we’re made to feel guilty about everything. We’re constantly told that our work doesn’t matter, that we’re narcissists, and that we’re nothing without our audience. Since content marketers often…

Are you blogging? Or at least reading a bunch of blogs every day? I am… And sometimes it is so hard to keep up with all the new stuff that keep popping up (new for us “brand new blogger”). I don’t know about you, but I keep finding…

SEO

A recent comment on Online Marketing Blog in response to advice on Content Marketing Optimization states: “Why not write less and give more to gain credibility …  reach the audience and the rest will follow?”  It makes sense to create…

Internet Marketing

I’ve talked many times about the importance of list building (and so has pretty much everybody else). The most common way to entice people to get onto the list is to give something away. Usually a free e-book…

Last week I was at an office supply store getting some things photocopied. As I was standing in line, I flipped through the magazine and saw a little box on one of the pages. (To green box on the right is a scan of that box.) As an internet marketer…

MishMash

Contrary to Violet Blue’s disappointing stance about women in tech in 2010, this year saw a terrible new trend, the outright enforcement of the glass ceiling in technology. First there was Michael Arrington’s terribly ignorant rant, followed verbally…

A brand new year is coming, festive songs are in the air and everyone is gearing up for the new year ahead! I’m really psyched up for the upcoming year because there are so many exciting things I have planned for next year. How about you…

[image credit: via The Cauldron]

The Evolution of Blogging

I got tell ya, I just love that Flowtown site; from the content to the design, there’s always a great take away plus some wickedly awesome infographics! The talent there is just endless and a pleasure to come across. Damn, I almost wish I owned that fabulous town ;).

Obviously, my incessant tooting of them would mean for you to go check them out – and regularly.

As you well know, I’m a sucker for kick-ass infographics and Flowtown always manages to create some excellent ones that pertain to Social Media. And this particular one is no different.

What once started as a kind of online journal where people could share their personal expressions and random ramblings to no one or a few has now transitioned into one of the most powerful and vibrant communication mediums on the internet.

Many of us often refer to blogs instead of the mainstream media to get our daily news. For others, it’s become their part-time or full-time job and a main source of income through ads, affiliate links and so forth.

Think about it:

If you want the latest news on Technology – where would you go first? The Tech section of The Guardian or the New York Times or a site like TechCrunchGizmodo and Mashable? I would do the latter.

This cool graphic from Flowtown illustrates an amusing yet insightful time line of where bloggers began and where they (we) are today. Have we evolved to reach our full potential or is there more? It even goes so far as to try and predict the future of blogging as – “micro-blogging bloggers”.

Either way, blogging is not a fad and is here to stay. Where and how do you fit in here? What kind of blogger are you?

Click to Enlarge.

Evolution of the blogger The Evolution of Blogging

SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #10

dear santa define good mug SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #10Ho ho ho my lovelies,

For those of you that celebrate – MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you had a joyous time with your families.

I’m hoping that the fat, white-bearded man stuffed your stockings with tons of health and wealth. If not, call 1-800-BEENBAD collect, and have a chat with one of his elves. Those little green gatekeepers have all the reindeer pull you’ll need.

As for me, Santa was awfully generous this year. But then again – he usually is.

I’ve either been especially good or he decided to overlook all my little imperfections and occasional sprees of naughtiness ;). Either way, thank you St. Nick and THANK YOU my wonderful family of amazing elves. I’m truly blessed.

I actually hesitated to publish this week’s SuperPost. Seeing the holiday festivities, I figured that about 4 1/2 people will be reading this. Plus, the roundup – although kick ass – is rather thinner than my usual ones – especially compared to last week’s gigantic collection.

My excuse for the lack of length and wit today is not laziness, but rather a little BIG thing they call CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY :). So, you’re either sighing in disbelief or devastated at the fact that today’s ramblings have been restricted to a bare minimum – either way, oh well ;)!

But in all honesty, I love writing this roundup and therefore decided that regardless of all the pleasant factors, I would publish it anyways cause the articles listed are well worth the read!

And so…

“Without further Christmasy ados, ho hos and blah blahs,” here are this Sunday’s awesome SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

HAPPY READING AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! WISHING YOU ALL A FANTASTICALLY FESTIVE WEEK AHEAD.

PS: DON’T FORGET TO CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR A NEW AND COOL INFOGRAPHIC AND THURSDAY FOR MY SPECIAL SOCIAL MEDIA RESOLUTIONS POST :).

Social Media

Is your company’s social media strategy really working? Could it stand for some improvement? Whether you feel that you’ve maxed out the potential of your current social media efforts or you feel like nothing you do is really helping…

Social media is often misrepresented by numbers. Followers, website traffic, Facebook  friends, community members, blog subscribers, etc. all contribute to a self-imposed goal that really yields nothing in return. The numbers that are important…

Blogging Tips

Albert Einstein has made many amazing contributions to the scientific world, including the theory of relativity, the founding of relativistic cosmology, the prediction of the deflection of light by gravity, the quantum theory of atomic motion…

About six weeks ago, I knew it was time for me to write another article for this blog. I started getting some ideas down on paper and brainstorming like I always do. A week passed. Richard asked me what the status of my article was…

Blogging is like music you need to play several instruments at the same time, and to get a good sound, you must play them with harmony and coherence. You’re the person in charge of the orchestra – the director and your unique style reflects…

MishMash

This morning, I’m off on a jet plane to San Francisco for a last-minute pitch with my friend and colleague, Merredith. As I zipped over to drop the dogs off for a day of doggie fun and a night of boarding, I poured my car into the glowing pink horizon…

Technology is meant to better human lives. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way; and a perfect case in point is the recent WikiLeaks scandal. I will refrain from debating the legalities and moralities of WikiLeaks as that’s a sensitive issue…

When I was growing up, I was afraid to speak up and barely knew right from left or how to maneuver through the hometown I grew up in. But I was quietly adventurous and used my mind and creativity…

I am not a PR professional. I’ve been exposed to, and used, PR professionals in a variety of ways: * As the owner of a growth-oriented business, * As an author and speaker, and * As a marketing and sales advisor to my clients…

Life — it’s what we do between the time we get here and when we go. We only get one, and despite what other folks might suppose, it’s ours to determine what to do with it. We don’t measure life in hours and minutes. We measure life in memories and moments…

[image credit: Cafe Press]

Crap, I have Nothing to Post!

clock man Crap, I have Nothing to Post!What Not to Expect

If you’re expecting to read another “Where to Get Ideas From When You Have Blogger’s Block” type of post, then I’m sorry to disappoint you.

For some reason, I thought the 8,997,624 posts already written about that would have done the trick. But if you’re desperate, and the usual tips like driving alone, relaxing or connecting with nature haven’t helped, then Danny Brown has some of the best 25 resources for you.

A Peek at My Drafts

I have 60 plus unfinished posts and ideas sitting in my Drafts folder right now! Ridiculous, I know – but what can I say?

In all honesty, about half will get tossed in the trash. Not because the ideas suck or that they’re poorly written – Nope!

But because:

  • There’s one that announces the arrival of the iPad – damn it I just spoiled the surprise for you!
  • Another about Thanksgiving – maybe I can make it so it sounds Christmasy.
  • One about Tweeb – the brand new Twitter Analytics App for the iPhone – Uhh…brand new back in January!
  • Five that just have a title and nothing else – as if I’m gonna’ remember what my brilliant thoughts were at the time.
  • And 50 something others where I simply got lazy or wanted to publish something else first.

Dashboard Posts Crap, I have Nothing to Post!

And here I am, once again, writing about something other than what I already started days, weeks, or months ago.

But I guarantee you, that I will finish and publish the one’s that are worth my time and yours!

It’s Not the End of the World

kids shocked Crap, I have Nothing to Post!

Have you ever not had a post ready and all of a sudden started panicking about what to do next cause you’re on a tight posting schedule?

Luckily, I don’t have a schedule – of any kind for that matter. Although, every one and their mother says I should and they’re right! But that’s what New Year Resolutions are for – so I’ll be working more on that in 2011 :).

In all honesty though, do you even know or remember what blogs publish at what time or on what days?

Let’s say it’s Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s at noon. Would you not come back at 5 pm? Would you not come back on Friday if they didn’t have anything for you Wednesday? Of course you would! You might be a little disappointed but I’m sure you’ll sleep just fine.

If you have a schedule – which I highly recommend that you do (reminder to self) – then do your damn hardest to abide by it. Consistency is good and your readers rely on you. But if you miss a time or day here and there, don’t sweat it.

If you’re not a problogger or a behemoth blogging empire, then probability is that people won’t remember your publishing days anyways. I certainly don’t. And if I do, they’ll occasionally slip my mind.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s not the end of the world nor the death of your blog. Your readers aren’t going to forget you, your business won’t crash, your reputation won’t go to hell, your husband will still love you and your cat will continue to curl up next to you when you type.

Just don’t make a habit of it – is all I’m saying.

Life sometimes gets in the way, but if you’re passionate about your blog and are dedicated enough, then you’ll make the time. You wont stray too far from your self-imposed schedule. You’ll write the next great post with killer content.

Why?

  • Because it’s important to you
  • Because it’s a priority
  • Because you love what you do
  • Because you care
  • Because you’re disciplined

I went on vacation earlier this month and didn’t publish anything for a week except for one of my (in)famous SuperPost Sunday’s. But I managed to keep tweeting, commenting and engaging – just less regularly.

And what do you know? My readers were still here when I came back. Thank you kindly – I appreciate every single one of You :)!

Frequency

What I do notice however, is frequency.

I know that ProBlogger publishes at least one post a day, much like Famous Bloggers and Social Media Examiner.

I know that Danny Brown has at least 4 a week and that Tristan Higbee is like the R2 D2 of blogging.

I know that Mashable will bombard you with 20 or more and that the occasional one from ViperChill and the scientific mind of Dan Zarrella, are well worth the wait.

If Mashable was to go a day or two without publishing, then I’d worry that they’ve been hacked or that Petey took everyone on a 2 day beauty spa spree. But I’d keep coming back.

If Dan, hasn’t published in a week, I know whatever analysis he’s preparing is bound to be insightful.

And if Darren Rowse or Brian Clark go MIA for a few days, then who cares? Whatever they spurt out is like hitting the jackpot anyways. People will continue to wait for the golden pennies to roll.

But again, that’s my opinion and mine alone.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling you to slack off and ignore your blog for weeks on end. Hell no! I’m just telling you to relax and breathe if you miss a scheduled posting.

People are more forgiving than you think and they will return as long as you give them good reasons to.

So what do I do if I have nothing to post?

Well, I just did!

Now it’s your turn!

Do you have a posting schedule? What do you do if you’re late in publishing? Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

[image credit: via EPMonthly]


The Blog Economy of 2010

Ever wonder about the blogonomy? Don’t look so confused! Put 2 and 2 together and you’ll be sighing in no time ;).

So who’s blogging, from where and why?

Below, is a fantastic infographic by the Grasshopper Group, which reveals all you need to know about this year’s blog economy.

One thing I did notice however, is that Technorati is one of the main sources for these statistics.

So my question is, whether this infographic takes into consideration only those English (language) blogs that are listed in the directory? If so, it would be mean a few things. Two of which:

  • Although these numbers are a very interesting take on the state of the 2010 blogosphere, they wouldn’t be an accurate representation of bloggers worldwide.
  • nittyGriddy – as well as a considerable amount of others – will not have been included here. In my case, it seems that my blog is not in English. Ha! At least that’s what Technorati’s been claiming since June 3rd, and therefore (after numerous unanswered emails and forum postings) am still waiting for my posts to become indexed in the mother of all blog directories. Hmmm…

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Where and how do you fit in here?

Blog Economy The Blog Economy of 2010

SuperPost Sunday – Weekly Roundup #9

christmas truck SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #9

Hello my lovely elves,

Well, I’m back from my vacation and slowly trying to get back into work n’ blogging mode.

The blogging part is obviously more enticing. So, I was thinking it’d be best to leave the “real” work for after the holidays. Gawd, I just love it when I have these brilliant thoughts!

Hmm…I’m not sure that my clients will think like me though. I’m quite confident that they’ll have a thing or two to say about that lol.

As you can imagine, I have loads to catch up on. I’ll probably be eating, breathing, blogging for a while but then again – I usually am. But regardless, cause the price to pay for my little spree of fun and laughs is well worth it!

In case you’re wondering by the way – YES – I had a lovely time freezing my tooshie off. Oh, and I also bought a few of Gini’s favorite thing. What can I say? A girl’s gotta’ walk the talk in commanding stiletto’s, right Gin ;)?

So Christmas is right around the corner, and as usual I haven’t even started shopping for presents yet :(. I know, I know – bad Griddy! But I still have another 5 days damn it!

You know what sucks?

It’s that most places in the world start their Holiday sales before Christmas. But nooo…here they start a few days after. Imagine that!

Seriously, do the stores not have an ounce of holiday compassion? Pfff…Pretty shitty for the customer if you ask me, but I guess frickin’ smart for the retailer.

Anyhoo, enough ranting about things I can’t change and on to better stuff…

In the spirit that is Christmas, I gathered this over sized stocking of delicious goodies for you this week. What’s that you say? Do they kick-ass? Well I’m glad you ask…

Here’s my answer to ya:

HELL YEAH, AND THEN SOME!

Actually, this is the biggest SuperPost Sunday roundup to date! I had to make up for my lack of online activity during my little vacay somehow. Plus scoring a few brownie points with my loyal readers that are just so pretty and handsome and smart never hurts ;).

But first, I’d like to shamelessly promote – I mean share – a couple of my older Christmasy posts which I wrote this time last year when I had about 3 people reading this blog. I’ll be grand enough and admit to knowing these folks. And if they read nittyGriddy it’s because I pretty much harassed them – well that and I promised them my blog (after I explained what the hell a blog was) would be the next best thing since sliced bread.

Okay, so maybe I made them listen while I read the posts out loud to them myself but still hehe!

Alright, don’t yawn cause you think the posts are outdated, cause they’re not! They’re actually pretty entertaining – and by that I mean funny as hell or mouth-dropping! So don’t be a schmuck (pretty please), and take the time to check them out, cause I’d hate to have to trick you by republishing them ;). Pfff…As if I would ever stoop…

So here’s me, marketing me.

  • If you want to pee your pants laughing at some ridiculously funny people and things, then The 12 Comical’s of Christmas should do the trick!
  • If you need a little inspiration for Christmas decoration ideas for your home, then Deck the House with Lights of Folly should blow you away!
  • Ever wonder what other people’s Christmas trees look like? Well, 7 Unusual Christmas Trees will definitely satisfy your curiosity and more!
  • Does Christmas Time in Paris sound like something you’d like to see and hear about? I mean it’s not like it’s the most romantic and beautiful city in the world – right?

Okay, now that you’re wishing you were in Paris, sitting in your psychedelically decorated house, in front of your souped up tree, humming the “12 Days of Christmas”… I strongly suggest that you curl up with your favorite pillow and blankie cause you’ll be here a while. Okay, forget the pillow, I don’t want you falling asleep on me!

And so, as the old saying goes…

“Without further ado and blah blah,” here are this Sunday’s awesome SuperPosts on all things Social Media, Blogging Tips, SEO, Internet Marketing, Traffic Building, Online Money Making Tools and more.

HAPPY HOLIDAY READING nittyGriddy’ers :D!

Social Media

Twitter signed on more than 100 million new users in 2010. As they get acclimated to the information network, significant changes in usage are bound to take place. That’s exactly what social media monitoring company Sysomos found…

A recent post over at Forbes claims Facebook and Twitter are replacing blogging. Written by Jeff Bercovici, it uses statistics from the just-released State of the Blogosphere report by Technorati, one of the leading blog resources on the web…

Candid documents released by Wikileaks on Tuesday have revealed all social media experts to actually be “the exact same individual,” the Guardian reported. “Paul from Miami,” as he is identified in Wikileaks documents, appears to be…

Several months ago, I was first introduced to the unbridled rage that some folks are quick to release on those who unfollow them on twitter. It disgusted me. In my mind, Twitter is a beautiful forum that allows us to quickly and conveniently…

In April of 2009, I was scrolling through Twitter and found an article in USA Today, written by Steve Strauss in his “Ask An Expert” column, and was titled, “Should Entrepreneurs Twitter? Uh, No.” As you can imagine, I clicked on the article…

Don’t you hate it when you send out a tweet, especially a question, and all you hear are crickets? You’re out there sending out original thoughts, trying to get people talking, and what seems to be working is quoting other people…

Blogging Tips

Starting an online business or blog can be a challenging task for sure.  The creation of a website in of itself can be an arduous task;  it took me four months for goodness sakes to get my first online business store up and running…

I’ve written a lot here about how much I work on this blog. If you take a look at my Daily Blogging Diary (see the link in the nav menu?), you’ll see that I usually work on my blog from anywhere between 8 to 13 hours a day, and that’s not including…

This is part 3 in a 12-Part series: Read Part 1 – Strategy. Read Part 2 – Passion. Okay, now let’s really get into it.  You have an idea, product, service, whatever that you’re passionate about and you’ve got a detailed strategy…

A lot of the blogs I read talk about productivity. I appreciate the necessity of a topic like this. We need to be more productive so we can 1) make money faster, 2) see other kinds of goals or results faster, and 3) move on…

I’ve often advocated learning from other successful people in your field/niche as a way to become successful yourself. No doubt, I’ve learned a ton from and owe a lot of my success from observing people like Chris Guillebeau, Gary Vaynerchuk…

Blogs have come a long way, and the best in blogging are turning these platforms into brilliant marketing tools, publishing giants, and personal soapboxes with thousands of fans. If 2010 was a good year for…

I wanted to put this section into the first lesson of the upcoming e-course on finding your blogging direction. However, I thought I’ll share it here since Alexa is often taken for granted but rarely used for what it really is – research and analysis…

I talk to a lot of bloggers. In fact I speak to some blogger somewhere almost every day … supporting, encouraging, listening, and helping where I can. And I think I’ve determined the biggest hurdle that keeps people from ever beginning a blog…

Finding an idea to run with for your new niche site can be a bit tricky especially when you’ve been taught time and time again just to load up a keyword research tool. Well, let’s end this single approach to niche creation right here and now…

When Justin asked me if I wanted to write a guest post for DragonBlogger.com, I was so honored because I don’t get many personal invitations to write guest posts, and DragonBlogger was one of the first blogs I subscribed to and started…

Blogging is a game that millions of people from all over the world go into every year. Believe it or not, the number of people going into blogging every year will continue to increase. There are two different types of bloggers…

There’s no limit to what you can accomplish with a little persistence (or a lot). I think I my persistence could be confused with OCD. I’m one of those weirdos who just can’t quit. Even when it seems totally stupid to keep going…

A few weeks ago I was talking to an old friend, who is a salesman living in the midwestern part of the United States, about marketing a few different (process improvement) products to businesses who do not realize that they could benefit…

SEO

Search engines help people find information outside of their networks, get exposed to new ideas, and answer questions that no one around them can. You might be seeing a lot of benefits from social media, but SEO cannot be overlooked…

Search engine optimization, aka SEO, is going to be a crucial vehicle in how you drive traffic to your site.  Sure, there are other vital sources such as social media, PPC and back-linking strategies; however, this article will solely focus…

Traffic Building

Looking back at the start of my blog this past July, I am completely blown away with how fast it’s grown. Apparently, you are too since the questions of how I did it keep pouring in. I am always happy to oblige my audience…

If you just started a blog, or have a relatively new one still sitting in PageRank zero land then I have some good news for you! But first… “I’ve got this idea for a post, oh how epic an idea it is!  Now what shall the title be? Needs to be catchy…

Internet Marketing

When I first started online, I, like many others, was fed and bought into “you don’t need any money to succeed online” fairy tale. I beg to differ. Can you make some money online without a start-up investment? I think so…

MishMash

Search engines like Google have a problem. They call it “duplicate content”: your content is being shown on multiple pages locations on and off your site and they don’t know which location to show…

There’s a lot of negativity around online influence tools at the minute. Things like Twitter Grader, Klout and similar are coming under fire, with common complaints being how is influence decided, what metrics are used…

With enterprise social software platforms still in their infancy, ROI measurements are just now becoming possible with early adopter communities.  While I don’t expect that we will need to continuously re-justify these tools…

Stepping out of the dust, the Stranger stood menacingly still. At lightening speed, the Bandit raised his rifle and fired—the bullet flying through the air and hitting… Oh drat. I was doing so well until I realized why that story I was writing was so cool…

I am sure most of you have heard of the 80/20 rule in business right? It really works in many ways online, so I thought I would outline some of the ways I have found the 80/20 rule to work for me…

  • Thank you – by James Burrell, lifeasanexperiment.com

In 2007, over the Thanksgiving break from the University of Georgia, when my father approached me with the idea to utilize my International Finance and Spanish degrees to help re-brand and revitalize his paint business…

Working from home has become an option available to thousands of people with the transformation of the work place due to the advent of the internet. It is a highly viable option for those indisposed or women starting a family…

There’s been a lot of talk about “story” here at Copyblogger lately. Actually, they’ve been talking about story for about four years, but you might not have realized it. As a content marketer, or even just a blogger who’s trying to figure…

[image credit: Active Rain]

seasons greetings SuperPost Sunday   Weekly Roundup #9