Blah..Blah..Blog..Rantings by Merle

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

“10 Proven Ways to Optimize Your Facebook Page”

©Terri Seymour

Social media marketing is absolutely essential in today’s online business world. It has taken the internet by storm both professionally and personally. Social media marketing means to market your business with the use of social networks, blogs, message boards, discussion groups, online communities and other such media. Some of the most popular social network sites are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Social marketing involves a lot more than just signing up and pasting up your page. You need to maximize your page’s effectiveness and keep it fresh, updated and alive. Below are 10 things you can do to optimize your Facebook page to make sure your business is getting the maximum benefits.

1. Create an Effective Profile – Do not use a half-done profile. Fill in your profile completely. This is for your business so be professional yet show people you care about your customers and will be there for them. Make sure your photo (if of yourself) is professional. You could also use your logo. Let people know what your business can do for them. Write an effective mission statement. Let your visitors know why they should do business with you but be careful what you reveal for security reasons.

2. Get Your Visitors Involved in Discussions – This is a great way to get your visitors to “Like” you and to keep coming back. Start helpful and informative discussions about topics related to your products or services. For example: if you sell home décor, start discussions about home decorating ideas, budget decorating, home improvement, etc. Encourage people to join the discussions and leave their business signature for more exposure.

3. Customize Your Page – Don’t let your page be one of the cookie cutter pages like everyone else. Customize it to fit your business needs and the needs of your visitors. Use images that brand you and your business and make it enjoyable and memorable.

4. Events and Contests – Keep your page alive and active with special events and contests. Each time a fan RSVP’s the event, it shows up in his profile. And so on and so on. Thus creating a ripple effect for your business.

5. Special Offers and Sales – People are always looking for good deals and special offers so don’t disappoint. Show your visitors you want to give them the best possible deal on your products/services.

6. Multi-Media Integration – Use audio and video content for your page. Audio and video can be extremely effective in capturing and holding the attention of visitors. According to webnox video is 58% more effective than just using plain text!

7. Make Your Tabs More Memorable – Facebook does allow you to change the usual boring tabs to more suit your needs. Make them unique to your page and business. You can also change the order in which you present your tabs. You can find easy to follow online tutorials on how to do this.

8. Utilize Your Sidebar – Take advantage of your sidebar space. This is a great place for testimonials or newsletter sign-up forms. You can also use this space for affiliate links, a survey for your visitors to help improve your page/business. Add links to your main website or special offers you may have going.

9. Add a Poll to Your Page – People like knowing their opinion matters so add interest to your page with a poll. You can add them using a free poll creator from Vizu. Polls can attract attention and encourage your visitors to interact with your page.

10. Post Regularly – I cannot stress this enough! Do not start your page and then let it sit for weeks at a time. You have to be there every day updating, adding new content, checking things over, and finding ways to improve your page. I recently started using social marketing and unfortunately need to take my own advice on this one. I have just not been involved enough with my Facebook page but that will soon be changing. The hold that social media has on the internet is astronomical so do not be left out in the cold!

So far I am involved with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn so feel free to come over and see me. I would love to see your page as I am learning more about this phenomenal marketing tool. I hope we all can use these types of sites to help each other improve our business and increase our sales!

About the Author:

Terri Seymour (also known as “The eBook Lady”) has over ten years online experience and has helped many people start their own business. Visit her site at http://www.seymourproducts.com for resources, $1 and $2 resell ebooks & software, articles, affiliate programs, RSS feed, and a free business ebook with Master Resell Rights.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

“New Twitter vs. Old Twitter – “Who to Follow” Feature”

Image via Wikipedia

The absolute best thing about Twitter is the connections you make with other people. The new version of Twitter has a new menu item called “Who To Follow”.

Old Twitter

Old Twitter included the following options under “Find Friends”.

New Twitter

The new version of Twitter now calls this “Who To Follow” and it does not include the option to “Find on Twitter” or “Invite By Email”.

In the new version, click on Who to Follow.

You are given three options: View Suggestions, Browse Interests, and Find Friends.

Let’s look at “View Suggestions” first. Click on the link that says “interesting accounts” to see some suggestions from Twitter.

The next “Who To Follow” option is “Browse Interests”. As you can see in the screenshot below, there are categories to choose from and Twitter will also suggest certain twitter accounts.

The final option under “Who To Follow” is “Find Friends”. This option allows you to connect to various email accounts you own as well as LinkedIn. When you click on one of the choices, you will be presented with a screen to enter your login information. For example, if you choose Gmail, you’ll need to enter your Gmail login to access that account. Only those people who have agreed to be found by email address will be shown.

Monday, March 14, 2011

“How to Use Video for Business Promotion”

Everyone loves watching videos online. If you need proof of that just look at the success of YouTube. Here are a few stats “2 billion videos viewed per day, 24 hours of video uploaded every minute and the average person spends 15 minutes per day on YouTube.” Fore more see http://www.viralblog.com/research/youtube-statistics/ Now put that in your pipe and smoke it. Beginning to see some marketing potential here?

If you have a business and a website, then you've likely considered video marketing. If you haven’t, you really should. Once you're convinced of the power of video the next step is to decide how to use them to promote yourself. There are a number of ways to implement video marketing into your marketing plan.

Try studying videos done by others in a similar niches to get those creative juices flowing and spark some ideas.

Here are just a few ideas:

1.Testimonials – Ask your customers or clients to give you quick 1-minute videos of their feedback. You can also interview them about your business for a more structured testimonial.

2.Product Demos – One of the biggest drawbacks to buying online is that you can't actually test the product. Bypass that objection and demonstrate your product on video to help increase sales.

3.Case Studies – If you're involved in some kind of before-and-after (website design, fitness, SEO, etc.) case studies are an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise. Seeing an example helps the potential customer understand exactly what impact your service or product can have on their business.

4.Product Reviews – Video brings an added element to product reviews, particularly if you're reviewing a physical product. But hearing you talk about a book or piece of software is effective too.

5.Education – Use video to educate your market on the use of your products. Lead them towards the sale by answering their most frequently asked questions and objections.

6.Entertainment – People love to be entertained! If you can entertain in your video and combine that with a call to action, you'll have a winning combination. If it’s funny people will be more likely to pass it on to their friends.

7.Webinars – If you provide webinars or other video presentations to your market, capture them via video and offer a replay to generate leads or even sell as a product.

8.Commercial – Done correctly (meaning compelling with a clear call to action), commercials for your product or service can be very effective.

9.Business Overview – One of the first things many people look for is who they are buying from and what they stand for. Let your potential customers learn about you and your business through a business overview.

As you can see from the list above, there are many ways to use video to promote your business. Just creating video is not the only step to effective marketing. You must craft a video that responds to the wants and needs of your market. What’s in it for them? They are looking for solutions to problems and questions. It's your job to figure out how to use a video to solve issues, answer questions, provide the right solutions and lead them to the next step.

Friday, February 18, 2011

“Google Now More Social Then Ever”

Image via Wikipedia

How would you like to search Google for something and get the opinions of people you know and trust right along with the normal search results. With Google you can. This service was first launched back in 2009 but social results were only shown at the bottom of the page. Now they’ll be mixed in with the regular search results.

In order to see posts made by those in your social network you’ll need to make sure you’re logged into Google before starting your search. So if they’re sharing things on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or their own blogs and it’s relative to the search you’re doing , it will come up.

If you’ve been doubting the power of social media marketing, with Google now putting more emphasis on it, all of those postings you’re making on Facebook or Twitter could now help you to be found higher up in their search results. And as Martha Stewart likes to say “That’s a Good Thing”.

For more see Google’s Blog Posting at:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/update-to-google-social-search.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FMKuf+%28Official+Google+Blog%29

Or watch this helpful video.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

“Podcasts, Online Radio Shows and Recurring Video Casts: All Great Ways to Promote Your Business”

Part of promoting your website business is getting in front of as many people as possible. While you are there, give them something interesting to read, listen to or watch that will direct them to your website through a link. One of the ways that people like to hear about new sites is through podcasts.

What is a Podcast?

A podcast is a multimedia tool that people can follow. Think of it as audio or video information that you can listen to or view on your computer, your iPod or any other multimedia enabled device. It’s like having your own radio show on your website.

Podcasts can be syndicated using RSS (really simple syndication). This is the same process that people use to keep up with blogs and websites. The RSS feed allows them to receive updates when changes are made on the site so they don’t have to visit every day.

See http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/what-is-a-podcast.htm

http://www.podcasting-tools.com/

Creating your Podcast

There is software available to help you create your audio and video files. You can embed code for them on your website so others can view them.

Beyond the technical aspects, the purpose of the podcast is to present interesting information to your readers in a new and unique way. People browse the Internet to find useful items. They like to read, but would admittedly like to watch or listen as it is a more convenient way to get the same information.

So what will make your podcast stand out? Use engaging dialogue, present relevant topics and use visually appealing props and sets for video casts.

See http://www.podcastrevolution.com/

Going Viral

For one, don’t forget the keywords. You want people to be able to find your podcasts when they use their search engines. Even if you are using mainly audio, include keyword optimized titles, tags and links in your podcasts.

Submit your podcasts to directories. Use every avenue to get yourself in front of the public. That includes creating press releases to announce your podcasts if you are introducing them for the first time. Optimizing your press releases and submitting them to free press release sites keeps people finding them even after you are through using them.

Let your existing customers in on the new podcast. Use your email list to keep them in the loop as you unroll your podcast project. Give them links directly to the podcast so they can view it and hopefully pass the link on to others.

Your podcast can be turned into a radio show with regular guest spots. Interview other business owners in your niche and notable online personalities who would be of interest to your readers. A recurring show can increase your traffic and your following.

Want to get people to your website? Create a podcast. Turn it into a radio show or recurring video cast to create a following and gain more traffic to your business.

See http://www.masternewmedia.org/podcast_directory/

http://www.podcastalley.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=109

Related articles

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

“5 Fresh Innovative Marketing Ideas”

Guest post by Terri Seymour:
©Terri Seymour of www.SeymourProducts.com

When you own a business it is extremely important to get your name and business brand out to the public. We, as business owners, are always looking for new and cost effective ways of doing that. We do not want to settle into a routine because it works. We should always be looking for fresh new ideas to spread the word about what we offer with our business.

Below are five innovative ideas that you may or may have not yet seen to help get you more traffic, more sales and more income.

1. Introductions in Blog and/or Ezine – This is an effective method of cross promoting for you and fellow online business owners. Search for sites that compliment (not compete with) your site. Email the owner and introduce yourself, let them know a little about you and your site and then ask them if they would be interested in a cross promotion with you. You would introduce each other on your blogs/sites/ezines and tell a little about their business. This would be better than just an ad because it adds a personal touch which people tend to pay more attention to than just ads.

2. Swap Article Resource Boxes – if you write and submit articles, swapping resource boxes with other article marketers could be a great way to increase your traffic, sales, etc. As with the introductions, search for complimentary businesses and then contact the owner. A good place to start would be some of the better article directories. Find quality articles and consider contacting the authors for your proposal.

3. Compile an Article Portfolio – Article marketing is very effective and by compiling your articles all in one convenient portfolio would be a good way to get more of them used by ezine publishers, webmasters, etc. Group your articles together in one large word file. Then convert it to pdf. This is a great way for people to be able to access your articles easily as well as choosing the subject they are interested in. Provide download links to your portfolio in your email signature, on your website, in your ezine, on your blog. Post in on forums, your Facebook page, twitter, etc. The possibilities are endless!

4. Ad Pool – Contact a group of fellow blog owners, ezine publishers, etc and discuss the possibility of forming an ad pool with them. Each person puts in an ad and you all rotate the ads in your ezine, blog, etc. Be selective in the types of ads you accept so they are taken more seriously by your readers.

5. Swap Video Ads – This would be similar to link exchanging and ad swapping but taking it a step further. Choose complimentary businesses and you can actually help bring each other more business by swapping video ads for your site or blog.

It’s not always easy to find, new innovative ideas for your marketing campaign but by putting a new spin on some old ways, it can turn out to be very successful for your business. Helping yourself by helping others is always a plus and the above mentioned ideas all will help you accomplish that!

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Terri Seymour (also known as “The eBook Lady”) has over ten years online experience and has helped many people start their own business. Visit her site at http://www.seymourproducts.com for resources, $1 and $2 resell ebooks & software, affiliate programs, free ezine and free business ebook with Master Resell Rights. http://www.seymourproducts.com/free.shtml

Monday, January 24, 2011

“Government ID Card???”

Image by clappstar via Flickr

We all know how well the government runs things. Just take a look at the Social Security mess or how about this country’s debt. Let’s just say there are something’s better left alone. Take the Internet for example. We all know that if the government took control of it what a nightmare it would become. Well, hold onto your seat as Mr. Obama has a plan for that too as announced last week by his administration.

Right now when you buy something online, pay a bill or leave comments on a discussion board you go to each site and log in with a separate user ID and password? In this new proposed plan by “Big Brother” you’ll be issued a “Internet ID Card”. This “Smart Card” will have its own user ID and password to verify your identity and track everything and anything you do online, all in one central location. How does that sound? Greeeeaaat. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Who wants the government snooping over their shoulder every time you post on Facebook or purchase something for personal use. Maybe it’s just me but I’m thinking it’s none of their business.

Is it me or does it seem that the government is sticking their nose in places they just don’t belong. The Internet ran just fine all these years and one of the reasons it has is that it has been allowed to grow without government intervention. Each day in this country we are losing more and more of our personal freedoms. With each new stupid law that is passed, you and I lose. It’s time for people to wake up and see exactly what is going on or it won’t be long before just being out after dark may have you in handcuffs.

What do you think?

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

"Getting Back to the Basics of Social Media"

If you run any kind of business and aren’t implementing some sort of social media marketing in the mix you’re missing out on a lot of traffic and new customers. You don’t have to have a masters degree to get started in social media, you just need to know the basics.

More WebProNews Videos

Thursday, December 30, 2010

“Don’t Pay for Pricey Graphics”

One of the most important pieces of real estate you'll ever have on the 'net with your name and product on it. Squeeze pages are where the rubber meets the road as far as growing your list of leads and potential customers.

Most marketers invest a lot into squeeze pages in order to make them as attractive as possible to the reader – the person whose name and email address the marketer wants to collect.

This can involve fancy banners and buttons, images that are meant to excite and compel the reader, and colorful and inspiring headers and footers. This means that graphics and images are needed but professional graphics can be expensive, and when you're starting out in your marketing entrepreneurship, you might be on a tight budget.

Here's what you can do:

First of all, remember that while fancy graphics are certainly eye-catching and that you do want to get the full attention of your reader, you can approach the situation from a different, less expensive angle. You only need to think outside of the box a little.

If you want to use images on your squeeze page, or any other page for that matter (and believe me, you should want to do this), check out some of the great websites that offer free stock photos. There are some convenient websites where you can get small images, which actually aren't all that small, to use however you see fit.

Resources:

Search the Free Stock Photosphere

Free Photos Bank

Free High Quality Clipart

Every Stock Photo

Royalty Free Stock Photos

The photos you'll find are nice and there are thousands upon thousands available, either for free or a very reasonable price. Once you get your photo images, you can insert them on your web pages or your autoresponders and add your own text.

Another option you have is to use open source graphic programs. These are programs that give you access to all that you need to create your own graphics. Granted, these might require you to have a little bit of computer knowledge, but some open source graphic programs are very user-friendly and allow you to create some great images that can include banners and buttons, icons and everything else you might need to build the look and feel that is right for your squeeze page or other pages.

Finally, don't forget that there are websites that offer free or very affordable clip art. Gone are the days of lame clip art that looks elementary in nature. You can find clip art graphics that convey meaning and help to build confidence among your readers.

The whole point of using graphics on your squeeze page isn't to overwhelm or even impress your readers, really. It’s to give them a feeling of excitement. Interesting images, photos, icons and banners can do that, as can headers and footers that announce your place in the world of marketing and the quality of your products along with the viability of your opportunity.

Graphics are important, but they don’t need to be budget-busters. While you're on a budget, you can still have graphics that light up your web pages and make your readers want to take the next step of providing you with their contact information or of making a purchase or joining your opportunity.

Your squeeze page is one of the most important pieces of real estate you'll ever have on the 'net with your name and product on it. Squeeze pages are where the rubber meets the road as far as growing your list of leads and potential customers.

Most marketers invest a lot into squeeze pages in order to make them as attractive as possible to the reader – the person whose name and email address the marketer wants to collect.

Here's what you can do:

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Free Report- PLR FAQ for Bloggers

If you’re a blogger and short on time, who isn’t these days, PLR (private label rights) can be one of your best friends. These are reports, and or short articles that are purchased and can be modified and used as your own. The hard part is finding high quality PLR as there’s a lot of junk out there.

So once you find it, how do you use it in the course of your online biz. Let Nicole guide you along in this 18 page report “PLR FAQ for Bloggers” Download it and give it away from your own site or blog.

Some of the topics covered include:

Who can benefit from PLR?

What are the Pros and Cons of PLR?

Rewriting/Tweaking PLR.

Why should you customize your PLR? What’s the benefit?

What is the best way to customize PLR for your own use?

Can you tell us step by step how to customize it?

PLR and the Search Engines

Will using PLR content hurt your search engine rating?

PLR & Duplicate content penalties...truth or fiction?

How to Use PLR in your Business

What are 2 simple ways to use PLR articles?

Download it now:

http://www.merlesworld.com/e-books/PLR_FAQ.pdf

Related Resources:

Friday, November 26, 2010

"Place Search: Google’s New Local Search"

Have you heard the latest Google News? They have essentially merged the organic listings with the local listings and restructured the page, calling it "Place Search". Listen in as Brian Combs, the CEO and Founder of Ionadas explains it all.

More WebProNews Videos

Monday, November 15, 2010

“How to Plan & Profit From Facebook Advertising”

This free PLR report will show you the ins and outs of advertising on Facebook. What looks like a difficult subject is broken down so that anyone can understand and implement an ad campaign.

Here’s what’s included:

1) 8 page Report

2) Printable Planning Sheets

3) Squeeze Page for Building a Mailing List

4) Professional Ecovers

Topics covered:

What are your Goals?

Who is your Audience?

Design Your Ads

Establish Your Budget and Pricing

Track the Data

Download Your Copy Now and get your Facebook ad campaign up and running today:

http://www.merlesworld.com/e-books/Facebook_Adv_PLR.zip

Friday, October 29, 2010

" Free Report- 7 Reasons Why You Need to Offer Your Own Coaching Program"

Interested in offering your own coaching program? Download this free report that lays out the steps for you. From inside:

Free Report!

"This report operates under the assumption that you already have an online business and are looking for opportunities to grow and increase your bottom line. Coaching offers this potential and much more. If you’re not familiar with coaching or the coaching concept, take a few minutes to learn about the industry."

http://www.coachingplrcontent.com/members/go.php?r=57&i=l3

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

“Free Ebook- How to Get Incoming Links?”

If you have a website and want traffic it “aint gonna” happen without links. Yes, that’s right. Without other related sites linking out to yours Google won’t even look at it. The more incoming links, the more popular your website is considered and the higher it will move up in the search engine rankings. Yes, links are good people. You need links.

So how do you get these incoming links? There’s plenty of ways, but you have to be creative about it. The days of just asking for a link and getting it are long over. You can write short reports and ebooks, write short articles, guest blog, post on forums, comment on other blogs. The list goes on and on.

In this short ebook Nicole Dean got Experts to Talk about Link Building
and share their best tips and tricks, for getting those incoming links you so desparately need.

Download it and give it away to others if you like it.

Right click on this link to save it to your own server.

http://www.mcpromotions.com/ebooks/LinkBuilding.pdf

Sunday, October 10, 2010

“Advanced Article Marketing Skills”

Now that you have a few articles under your belt and have a handle on basic techniques for promoting them, it's time to take a step up and tackle some advanced skills. These activities will take your article marketing efforts to a whole new level:

1. Approach editors directly.

Once you've proven your ability to put out high-quality articles on a consistent basis, it's time to see if you can bypass the middleman (the article directories) and provide regular content to a newsletter, blog, or website. Locate editors of publications or blogs in your niche. Pull together a short list (with links) to some of your favorite pieces that would be appropriate for their audience, and email them a short note introducing yourself, presenting the links to your material, and asking if they'd be interested in receiving regular, exclusive content from you for publication. The benefit for them is that they know they can count on quality content that isn't appearing elsewhere on the Internet; the benefit to you is that you can reach a target market on a regular basis, thereby compounding the "expert" effect.

My favorite resource that teaches this method can be found at:
http://www.ebookprofitscoach.com/how-to-blog-tour.php

2. Include appropriate keywords.

Keywords are words or phrases that a potential reader would use in an online search engine to look for information on a specific topic. By using keywords, you have a greater chance of someone being linked to your article from an online search engine, thereby potentially increasing the traffic to your site.

The key to keywords (pun intended) is to think like your reader would think. For instance, if you want to draw people to your handmade greeting card site, you might want to include keywords and key phrases in your article and title such as:

greeting cards
greeting card use
sending greeting cards
occasions to send greeting cards
selecting greeting cards
handmade birthday cards
anniversary cards

While keywords are no guarantee that your article will become the number-one ranked link on Google, it will certainly help people find you in the vast wasteland of the Internet.

3. Re-use your articles in other media formats.

Once you have a group of targeted articles, re-use them by recording them as audio or video and releasing them online. Some people simply respond better to other forms of communication, so by providing a variety of media types, you expand your reach. It's just another way you can connect with your target market in the way they prefer.

Article marketing is a rich and complex strategy for drawing your audience to your site. There are so many different ways to continue to market your articles that you could spend all your time finding new ways to leverage the work you've already created. The best part is, there's something for everyone!

Monday, September 27, 2010

"Postup.com: Sorting Through the Noise on Social Networks"

Image via Wikipedia

Long before there was Google Adwords it was Overture, and before pay-per-click search engine marketing was even born, there was a website called Goto.com. If you've been marketing products/services online for more than 10 years, you might remember that Goto.com was the original and one of a kind when it came to bidding on keywords and ranking for them in search results.

Fast forward to today, and the same man responsible for Goto, Bill Gross, the team at Idealab and other investors, are attempting to strike gold twice with the invention of Postup.com. A concept very similar to Google Adwords, but this time for Twitter and other social networking platforms. When first launched, they were called Tweetup and were only for Twitter, but they've since changed the name and included other social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.

It is a self service bid-based marketplace that runs on a patent-pending platform. At the time of this writing, it's only available to those in the U.S., but eventually plans to go international.

The concept is simple really. You sign up, bid on keywords and your posts will appear in Postup's sponsored results when a search is done for that phrase. They'll also appear on a number of particular sites and other Twitter third party apps, such as Twitterfeed and Tweetdeck. Partners also include Answers.com, Seesmic, Popurls, TechCrunch and more. They've also recently purchased Twitdroid, a Twitter app for Android phones.

With the help of multiple distribution channels, Postup's search results will be widespread and viewed by millions. This is a great way to not only display sponsored posts, but also grow your base of Twitter followers and "friends" all at the same time.

To sign up, you'll need a credit card, although initially it won't be charged as all bids are set to “0” by default. Unless you decide to place a bid, they'll remain that way. An email is sent that must be confirmed to complete the account activation process. Right now it's based on CPM, cost per impression, but that may change down the road into cost per
click.

At the time of this writing, Postup is still collecting stats and bids, but they are live on a limited number of partner sites. Right now, search results are organically optimized, but in the future bidding will open on keywords and you'll have access to an account page to edit settings and bid on keywords. Many factors are used to determine relevance such as how much is re-tweeted, popularity of posts and more. They also give users what is called "Authority Ranking" based on the topic they mostly post about. The best posts will go to the top of search results.

You'll also want to make sure your social network bios are up to date and reflect your areas of expertise, as it's used by Postup's search function to help establish the quality of your postings and ranking. Third party Twitter clients and websites who partner with Postup to display their sponsored posts do receive a cut of the ad revenue. There are four formats to choose from.

1) PostUp API- For apps and clients
2) PostUp Twidget- For Content Pages
3) PostUp Search Field- Search without leaving your site
4) PostUp Sign-Up Widgets

As you can see, for Postup to be a success, they need to have a multitude of distribution and partner sites. They've been hard at work getting all of their "ducks in a row".

As everyone knows, Twitter has launched their own "Promoted Tweets" program which now puts Postup as a direct competitor. Twitter has also announced they will not allow third party networks to place ads in their timelines. Twitter users are able to, just not third parties. According to Twitter, they made this decision to preserve the integrity of the user experience. Twitter's chief operating officer stated:

"We will not allow any 3rd parties to inject paid ads into a timeline on any service that leverages the Twitter API."

So how will these new rules affect Postup, if at all? Well, third party apps can still run next to and around Twitter feeds, even next to Twitter search results, but they must be separate. This does put Twitter in control of who's running ads in their timeline, and they can block the API access of anyone not playing by their new rules.

According to Postup's Blog they state they do comply with Twitter’s new terms of service. For more, see their blog at http://blog.postup.com

So for now it looks as if Postup has found a way to work with Twitter's new rules. It's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out. This may also explain why they've decided to branch out into other social networks,
and not put all of their eggs in one "Twitter basket."

The Internet is often compared to the Old West Gold Rush days, and in some ways maybe it is. Goto.com was a brilliant concept back in the day, and it's possible that by taking the popularity of Twitter and other social networks, and merging it with sponsored ads, gold may be struck twice. I for one can't wait to find out.

For more information see: http://www.PostUp.com or
follow them on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/PostUp

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

“Kindle”- The King of Reading Devices and My New Toy

Amazon Kindle e-book reader being held by my g...

Image via Wikipedia

I've been wanting a Kindle for years. So when they came out with the latest version, (3) which includes 3g and wireless I finally broke down and bought one.

Due to the demand for the nifty new gadget I had to wait about a month to receive it.
The day it arrived in my mailbox my heart was pounding with delight as I opened the little brown package. There it was in all its glory. A small marvel of a machine capable of holding about 3,500 ebooks. Wow!

Say goodbye to overstuffed bookcases and books on the floor. Now it's possible to carry a complete library right in the palm of your hand. My first impression was that it was a bit heavier then I thought it would be but still light enough for prolonged use.

Now I must admit I'm a "book junkie". I love paper and buying books from Amazon is one of my many obsessions. So how will I feel with e-books no longer being allowed to touch and smell a "real book"? Only time will tell.

So far I'm impressed with the battery life. I charged it when I first got it and it's been weeks and I've yet to plug it in. Amazon states that with wirelss off, battery life should be about a month. With it on, about 10 days. That's still a long time. With so many electronics it's annoying to reach for one, only to find it has a dead battery. So far the Kindle has always been ready when I am.

The unit I purchased comes in at 7.5"x 4.8"X0.335" with the screen size about 6". I paid 189.00. There is a cheaper unit for 139.00 and the Kindle DX at 379.00. My logic was to choose the middle buying point as it seemed to have all the features I was looking for.

One of the improvements with this new model is the high contrast E-Ink screen thta boosts 50% better contrast. It's also 15% lighter and weighs less than a paperback. The Free 3G Wireless has no monthly or annual contracts and gives you global coverage.

The built in Wi-Fi allows you to connect at Wi-Fi hotspots. There also were some enhancements made to the PDF reading ability. And I'm really excited about the new WebKit-Based-Browser which allows me to browse websites. Amazon has not overlooked the importance of social media and now allows you to share meaningful passages of books with friends and family via Twitter and Facebook integration.

If I'm particularly lazy I can choose to have whatever I'm reading read out loud to me in a male or female voice. Pages turn automatically when content is being read. Great, no physical labor on my part.

Now I admit I'm hoping to find a lot of free ebooks (and so far I have) and not have to spend a ton of money obtaining reading material so the free book samples are great. I can download a sample chapter and decide if I really want to part with my hard earned cash for the rest of it. Anything I do purchase is automatically backed up for me at the Kindle Store in my personal library. I can delete books off my Kindle and re-download them at anytime.

Charging of the device can be done via plugging it in or with the USB port on your computer. Now I admit my vision is not what it use to be so I do like the fact that text size is totally adjustable. There are also three different font styles to choose from. It's also easy to add personal notes to text or export certain passages. It may not be a yellow highlighter but hey, it works.

Documents can be emailed to your Kindle with the personalized email address Amazon gives you with your purchase. The Kindle can read documents in these formats: HTML, Txt, Word Docs, PDF Docs, and pictures in Jpeg, Gif, PNG or BMP formats.
I don't think I'll run out of reading material anytime soon as Amazon has over 670,000 books for my downloading pleasure. Including over 1.8 million free out-of-copyright titles. The Kindle includes 4G of storage so I don't think I'll run out of space either.

Listening to music and podcasts is also possible and can be played in the background while reading. Transfer of files can be done with the included USB cord.
Look, there are a lot of choice when it comes to choosing a book reading device but I'm loyal to Amazon. They were there in the beginning and I believe they'll be there in the end. It's a strong company that makes buying books a breeze so when it came time to purchase a reading device it was an easy decision.

I personally love Amazon and have been buying books from them from the very beginning. I'm a loyal customer, period. As the weeks fly by I'll share my thoughts and experiences with my new favorite toy and where free books can be found. So far I’m pleased as punch!

Buy your own Kindle using the link below:

Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, 6" Display, Graphite - Latest Generation

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

“Top 10 Article Directories”

So you’ve written a great article that you’d like to use to drive traffic to your website, but how do you get the word out? Fear not my friend, Merle is here to once again save the day. Ok, that might be a bit dramatic, but it sounds good.

Article directories are the key to getting your article in front of editors, bloggers, and newsletter publishers who are in need of high-quality content for their audience. There are literally hundreds of possible directories, some large and some small, some targeted and some general. To save you some legwork, here's an overview of the ten largest online article directories, and details on their submission process.

1. http://EzineArticles.com

Ezine Articles is by far the largest and most popular article directory. Ezine Articles is one of the oldest article directories, and its age serves it well. Since its inception in 1999, millions of users have logged on to submit and download articles. There are more than 30 parent categories with dozens of sub-categories on every imaginable topic. Don't let the size scare you; this is one of the first stops when editors need content, so your chances of being picked up are high. And the sub-categories and search functions make it easy to target articles. Submission is free, although you are allowed ten article submissions to start. Further submission credits are awarded, based on quality.

2. http://ArticlesBase.com

ArticlesBase.com has one of the highest site traffic rankings from among article directories, and it boasts more than two million articles. Front page listings include “Editor’s Picks," highlighting six of the most popular articles, and “Latest Free Articles,” which is updated frequently. Writers can find Article Writing Tips and an Author Spotlight which showcases the talents of various writers. Submission is free.

3. http://ArticleSnatch.com

ArticleSnatch offers a huge selection of free reprint article categories including several less-common sub-categories such as Humor, Language, Philosophy, Poetry, Ethics, and so on. These well-defined sub-categories make it easier to categorize your articles according to your specific niche. Submission is free.

4. http://www.GoArticles.com

More than 185,000 authors have submitted more than two million articles to GoArticles.com since it was founded in 1993. As part of the Jayde Online Network, GoArticles.com considers itself “The Web’s Largest Free Content Article Directory.” Whether that’s true or not, it is one of the largest and definitely a place to submit your articles for potential publication on other sites. Submission is free.

5. http://www.ArticleAlley.com

Article Alley offers dozens of categories, including automotive, business, dating, fashion, and music. Submission is free.

6. http://www.ArticleDashboard.com

Article Dashboard has one of the largest category listings for free reprint articles online with thousands of available articles. What really sets this site apart, however, is their free Article Dashboard software. The software allows users to start an article directory of their own at no cost. Submission is free.

7. http://www.IdeaMarketers.com

This one is my personal fav. While IdeaMarketers is one of the top-ranked article directories, they are much more focused on quality than similar sites. Not only is the layout more professional than many other directories, but IdeaMarketers offers a Bid-For-Promotion System that lets writers pay for more prominent placement of their articles, which can dramatically increase the number of times an article is published. Basic submission level is free. This is also a great place to archive all of your documents in one place.

8. http://www.Amazines.com

Amazines is one of the oldest article directory sites with hundreds of thousands of free articles in a multitude of categories. In addition, they also offer a huge free ezine directory, blog directory and article feeds that webmasters can use to add automatically updated content to their sites in minutes. Submission is free.

9. http://www.ArticleRich.com

Article Rich is a clean, easy-to-navigate article directory that’s been online since 2005. Boasting over 360,000 articles by more than 75,000 authors, the site includes a number of popular categories. In addition, the front page highlights 20 featured articles as well as two featured authors, adding the potential for greater exposure for you and your articles. Submision is free

10. http://www.SearchWarp.com

Another long-time Internet resident, Search Warp allows a variety of topic categories. But unlike some of the other article directories, they don't accept what they consider to be “high-spam topics” or those promoting such concepts as gambling, casinos, pharmaceuticals, prescriptions drugs, lending, mortgages, credit cards, SEO, affiliate marketing, network marketing, MLM, and several other taboo subjects. Submission is free.

There are many more article directories available online, but consistently submitting your site to these top 10 article directories will ensure you a tremendous amount of exposure and help build your online reputation as you attract targeted traffic to your website or blog.

Additional Resources:

Create Video for your articles with voiceover, animations, all the graphics and submit it to 17+ top video sites in 3 minutes flat- Click here to find out how http://www.articlevideoroot.com/specialoffer/msmerle

Just a quick note to let you know where you can get 75 free private label articles: http://www.mikesteup.com/x.cgi?a=r&id=1&aid=6172&p=9

Do You Write Articles? Do You Want To? Grab This Free Tool And Start Cranking Out Articles In 10 Minutes Or Less! http://articlewritingassistant.com/members.php?id=5960

Thursday, September 2, 2010

“Why spend over $1,000 when you can learn online copywriting free?”

Have you seen the prices on some of these copywriting courses lately? $600, $800, $1,500! Whether you’re an aspiring copywriter, a new freelancer looking to improve your skills or a website owner/manager who writes your own online copy, that’s a lot of money to spend.

Why spend over $1,000 when you can learn online copywriting free?

You can lay a firm foundation for online copywriting simply by attending this free, 10-day event. It runs September 1 – 10, 2010 and is produced by Chris Cobb and Karon Thackston. They decided to broadcast each session free for 24 hours so as many people as possible could hear this vital information.

That’s almost $300 worth of expert teaching for absolutely nothing. No strings attached.

Are the sessions taught by nobodies? Absolutely not! Here’s the lineup of speakers. I’m sure you’ll recognize more than a few of these names.

Kevin Hogan on the Science of Persuasion
Michel Fortin on Sales Letters 2.0
Lynn Terry on Blogging
Jeff Herring on Article Writing
Shannon Cherry on Press Release Writing
Brian Massey on Landing Page Creation

and

Karon Thackston on Knowing Your Target Audience, Basics of Online Copywriting, Headline Creation and SEO Copywriting

Get all the details and the complete schedule when you click over to Online Copywriting 101 now http://onlinecopywriting101.com/dap/a/?a=1424

You’ll also get your free pass to this world-class beginner’s copywriting event so you can attend at no cost to you.

Here’s to your success!

Merle

http://onlinecopywriting101.com/dap/a/?a=1424

Monday, August 30, 2010

"Living without Facebook, Twitter, and IM – Is It Possible?"

"Facebook, Twitter, and Instant Messaging have become natural parts of our everyday life. They also play key roles in many businesses. But is there a downside? Can they dominate too much time?" Watch the video and see if you have a problem

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