Easton Ellsworth: Fortune 500 Blogging Project on Blog Business Success Radio

Business and corporate blog specialist Easton Ellsworth of Business Blog Wire discusses the industry information leading Fortune 500 Blog Project, as my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success. The show airs live on Thursday, November 2, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time.

You will learn how the Fortune 500 Blog Project is tracking the use of blogs within the largest corporations:

* Learn which major corporations are using blogs as part of their business strategy.

* Learn how the largest blogging companies use their blogs.

* Learn about the relative effectiveness of their blogging activities.

* Learn how you can partipate, along with me, in developing this important Fortune 500 Blog Project into a blog success story.

The Fortune 500 Blog Project is conducted in conjuntion with the prestigious Blog Business Summit




Easton Ellsworth (photo left) in his own words:

Hello, I'm Easton Ellsworth. I write for Business Blog Wire and serve as Assistant Editor of the Know More Media business blog network.

Let's break me down:

Age: 24 (I know, just a kid)

School: The University of Utah (first-year history graduate student; I got a bachelor's degree in history in 2005 from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah)

Family: Wife, Kid (both beautiful and fun; guess which one wears diapers)

Qualifications: An intense love for research, writing and conversation; a year of experience working from home on the Web; a lifelong interest in emerging technologies.

Responsibilities: Husband, Father, Work, School, etc. For Know More Media, I help to train and mentor our bloggers, regularly reviewing their posts and offering advice as needed. I also help to spread the word about our company.

My Message to You: Folks, I'm young and lack a badge that says "Expert." If that bothers you, then let my blog (Business Blog Wire) be as much a lesson about the learning process as it is a conversation about business blogging. Please teach me what you know; let's help each other become better bloggers - and hopefully better human beings - for having collaborated in that conversation.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for download as a podcast for iPod and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment.

Let's talk about the Fortune 500 Blog Project with Easton Ellsworth and how you can get involved with the study on Blog Business Success.

Tags: Fortune 500 Blog Project, Easton Ellsworth, Blog Business Success, internet radio.

Keyword selection: Choosing the right words

Selecting the right keywords can help give a website a huge boost in visitor traffic. Webmasters who choose the wrong keywords to target often end up with less than desired numbers of visitors. Lower visitor numbers will mean lower overall sales. Fewer total prospects means a lower level of potential customers for the products and services on offer at the site.

Spending some time, effort, and even a bit of money to find the right keywords, will pay off in the long run. Focussing on the best keywords for the site, and improving the site’s ranking in the search engines, will create much larger numbers of visitors. Website owners should always be aware of what searches are finding their web pages.

Employing several strategies in combination, will ensure that the correct keywords for the website, receive the most attention. There are several techniques to determine the most appropriate traffic building keywords for a site. Utilizing as many available keyword tools and methods as possible, will enhance the probability of focussing on the heaviest traffic builders. Instead of spending time on keywords that add few visitors, maximum effort can be put into the keywords that work.



Emphasising the right keywords for your website might be the most important factor in developing a strong traffic flow to your web pages. Gaining visitor traffic from the major search engines is entirely dependent upon your keyword selections. After all, that’s why people use search engines in the first place.

Search engine users are trying to locate sites that provide products or information on their chosen search terms. To get those internet searchers to find your site, you need to include keywords that are part of their searches.

A good place to begin a keyword selection program is by employing such keyword search tools as Wordtracker and Yahoo Overture. By establishing the most sought after keywords, a website owner can be certain that searches are actually conducted for those terms. Being ranked number one for a term that receives no search volume will definitely not translate into any visitor traffic.

After you have determined the major keyword phrases for your site as quantified by the major search tools, it's time for some low tech keyword phrase discovery. Start by writing down every keyword phrase that you think is related to your business and industry. Don't bother editing it as you write. There will be lots of time for shortening the list later.



The next step is to ask your staff, your clients, and even your family how they would find a business offering a product or service similar to that of your company. Add their phrases to your list as well. You might find some duplication. That's a good thing as it shows the importance of those search terms. Real world searchers often look for the unexpected too. Take those offbeat searches into consideration.

Now you are ready to write your onpage information copy, add your site title tags, and develop your site. You can start out your online business with the confidence that you are targeting the search terms that will provide several benefits. Your site will rank highly in the search engines for those terms. You will also rank well for terms you never dreamed of considering as a direct result of your keyword phrase discovery efforts.

The searchers finding your site through Google will represent real customers who are actively seeking your products and services. After all, a number one ranking has no value if it brings in no paying customers.

Selecting and emphasising the right keywords pays off in the end.

Tags: SEO, keyword phrases, Google, search engines.

Book marketing: Free book download offered

Book authors, whether fiction or non-fiction writers, are always seeking new and innovative techniques for marketing their last works. Romance novel writer Jill Terry (photo left) of Wordsmith Extraordinaire is certainly no exception. Seeking new marketing methods for her novels, Jill is offering her latest novel Exposed by free pdf download from the internet.

Jill Terry tells her reasons for the free book download this way:

I’m very excited to announce that my latest novel, Exposed, is now available for free download, to anyone who would like a copy. No catches or gimmicks, just click the link provided below then sit back and enjoy the ride! At 59,000 words, Exposed is a fast-paced, entertaining read that will tug at your heartstrings, while keeping you turning pages until you reach the end. And if I’ve done my job the way I intended, leave you wanting more!

About the novel Exposed, Jill offers this description:

A gripping tale of what happens, when two souls collide and their worlds explode… On occasion, if fate would have it, our paths cross with someone with whom we connect on a plane much higher than that of the average acquaintance. Something familiar and all-knowing sparks between the souls, as if reconnecting with the lost part of ourselves that completes us and makes us whole. The power of persuasion in conjunction with this force can be very provocative and somewhat destructive, as there is no rhyme or reason, only the truth of the feelings it provokes within us.

Novel blurb continued here...

Also available for free download are two more of Jill Terry's novels, as well as some of her short story fiction works.

Jill also welcomes your comments and book reviews.

Offering samples of writing for free is a powerful marketing tool for any writer. Jill Terry has embraced the principle of providing no charge reading access to her books, and the concept is paying off for her and her reading audience.

Giving something to get something is a time tested marketing technique that can be used for any product or service.

Offer free samples today; and give to get.

Tags: Jill Terry, book marketing, free pdf, give to get marketing.

Entrepreneurship: Your future in your hands

Entrepreneurship has made a resurgence, in recent years, as a viable career option for many people. While starting, operating, and managing one's own business isn't for everyone, the pride of independent business ownership appeals to those individuals who want to be their own boss. Making one's own decisions about the current and future direction of a company, and one's own future, is both thrilling and satisfying.

For most of the Twentieth Century, the stress was placed on getting a good job that led to a lifetime career with a single company. Somewhere in the 1970s and 1980s, that idyllic concept flew right out of the window. By the end of the century, it was well established that everyone would have multiple careers with several widely differing employers. During that realization that careers in the traditional sense were fading into history, the older ideal of entrepreneurship made a triumphant return to glory.



Today, we see more and more independent businesses opening their doors, and their websites, to customers. Both men and women are bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. As women made gains in the employment field, vestiges of the old glass ceiling remained as barriers to advancement. As a result, women especially have embraced business ownership as a vehicle to a strong and independent economic future. Often combining homemaking with an online or service business, women are dispaying entrepreneurial skills previously thought to be an exclusively male domain.

Regardless of gender, the idea of owning one's own business is strong and growing ever stronger, with each passing day. Universities and community colleges offer courses in entrepreneurship as a matter of routine. Even two decades ago, post secondary education focussed on employment with large corporations. Today, small business is getting its turn in the spotlight. As the major economic engine, and largest employers, small independent business is the backbone of the economy.

Many large corporations have reduced their workforces in the more developed countries. Following the layoffs, those organizations then offshored many jobs to developing economies in India, China, and Latin America. For longer term employees, who suddenly find themselves displaced through offshoring, outsourcing, and insourcing, entrepreneurship might be the only available option.



Finding jobs later in one's life is never easy. It's even more of a struggle when your peers and their fresh faced children are also your competition. As a result, not everyone can find a career oriented position that challenges their abilities. Many job seekers become disillusioned and give up trying. Entrepreneurship offers a powerful alternative path to success for those who believe in their abilities and don't give up on their dreams and ideals.

Instead of fighting globalization and outsourcing, today's entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunities presented by these world wide forces. The internet has made the entire world a company's potential market. Instead of your niche being only a handful of local people, it's now the entire planet. That previously uneconomic niche market suddenly become a huge one overnight. The internet business format has only begun to scratch the surface. The potential is unlimited for entrepreneurial ventures developed via the microchip and web browser.



Outsourcing of services by major corporations opens up new business opportunities as well. While running a separate department for public relations, marketing, SEO, legal services, and office management might not make economic sense to a multi-billion dollar corporation, it's a powerful income producing enterprise for an independent company. The huge company might even contract your entrepreneurial venture to replace the outsourced department.

Look around for business opportunities every day. Talk to people. Find out their needs in their business and personal lives. Your new company can provide their requirements.

You don't have to have a great new innovative product or service. Instead, you just need one that makes you happy and gets you excited to get up every day. When you love what you are doing, it's no longer work.

Your independent business should be a profitable labour of love.

Tags: entrepreneurship, careers, independent business, outsourcing.

Blogging topics: What you don't post that counts

People often ask me what they should post about on their blogs. After all, one of the greatest challenges facing many bloggers is blog posting ideas. There is also the opposite side of the coin to examine. There are many concepts and topics that are not part of your blog at all; and neither should they be.

A blog should concentrate on a single overarching theme, but it can have several sub-topics. For example, a blog about business should talk about that subject, with additional posts on related areas. A business blogger can include postings on sales, marketing, finance, public relations, search engine optimization SEO, online and offline activities, networking, production, operations, and so on. The occasional post about pets, hobbies, and fun are also very good topics as well, in moderation.



The problem arises when a blog on one overall theme begins to take on the tone of another theme entirely. For example, a law blog that formerly discussed legal issues suddenly adds postings on fishing almost exclusively. Instead of a law blog, or "blawg", the writer now has a fishing and law blog. While some witty types might argue with tongue in cheek that all lawyers are fishing for something, the point still stands. A blog should remain on its theme for the vast majority of its posts.

If you want to write about another major theme, the best approach is to start a second blog on that subject. The power of the keywords won't be diluted in the search engines, and your readership will be less confused. Imagine visiting a craft blog only to discover the writer has switched gears entirely to political blogging. While posting about political issues might move a blog higher in the ephemeral A-List blogging group, it won't help the person's already established standing in the craft blog community.



It's never a good idea to lose one audience for another in blogging. Readers expecting posts on their issues of choice expect postings on that subject. Failing to provide theme relevant posts is simply not listening to what your visitors want to read. A blog is a small business that must listen to the needs and requirements of its client readers. To not provide the desired post product is to lose those readers.

Along with the loss of your loyal fans, following the theme detour, you may also find your blog not ranking as well in the various search engines. One major SEO area of emphasis is on theme relevance. Your blog should include posts that are related to one another in some way. A series of very non-connected posts won't help your blog rise to the top in Google. The search engine giant won't know where to place your blog theme in its calculations. Like your readers, the search engines prefer consistency of theme relevant topics.

Stick to your blog themes, and your readership will stay with you.

Start a second (or even a third) blog if you want to write about two or more entirely unrelated subjects. The upside is you'll gain another loyal group of blog readers. There is definitely nothing wrong with that.

Tags: posting ideas, blogging, blog SEO, theme relevance.

Lifelong learning: After you think you know it all

Legendary Hall of Fame baseball manager Earl Weaver (photo left) once said, "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." As the highly successful manager of the Baltimore Orioles, Weaver took many different types of teams to many American League Championships and to several World Series titles.

He led different teams, that at various times featured great Hall of Fame players like outfielder Frank Robinson, third baseman Brooks Robinson, first baseman Eddie Murray, shortstop Cal Ripken Jr, and pitcher Jim Palmer. He also managed many lesser players during his long career. In almost every case, and with almost any style of team, Earl was successful in getting the most out his rosters.

Earl Weaver never stopped learning new ideas or experimenting with new techniques. If anyone could be said to know all there was was to know about baseball, it would be Earl Weaver. His committment to excellence and to lifelong learning is a prime example of leadership in action. Most business owners, managers, and CEOs would do well to take some managerial batting practice under the tutoring of the master.



Earl Weaver (photo left)

In a recent Blog Business Success Radio interview that I conducted with author, management consultant, and baseball authority Jeff Angus of Management By Baseball, Jeff had some interesting thoughts on the fiery, scrappy, and constantly learning Earl Weaver. Jeff considered Weaver to be superior in managerial skills to virtually every Fortune 500 CEO. In fact, Jeff believed that the very best Fortune 500 CEOs would only be on an even par with Earl Weaver in ability, developing a successful process, and achieving unmatched results.

Okay, you say to yourself as you read the praise for a retired baseball manager of whom you may not even be familiar. You are probably thinking to yourself, it's either time to click to another blog, or read some baseball history. A third option would be to consider a lesson in lifelong learning courtesy of someone at the very pinnacle of his profession like Earl Weaver.

The first question to ask yourself, and one that requires an honest answer, is "Do you think you know everything about your business, career, or your family?" Very likely, the entirely true to yourself response is a resounding "No!". Once that point has been established, you are ready for more lifelong learning.



Many times during our business day, we believe mistakenly that we have all of the answers to our company's varied and wide ranging problems. Of course, that is not the case in the real world, but you might be surprised at the resistance you will encounter if you attempt to make changes to the status quo. Many people are happy with the way things are at the moment, even if the current state of affairs is a disaster that's only getting worse by the day. Some people are uncomfortable with change, and they are content to know what they know, and nothing more. For the benefit of your business or your career, let's hope that you are not one of those people.

To enhance lifelong learning within your business, the first place to start is examine how things are being done now. Take careful notes of all aspects of the business, or at the very least, those within your area of control. Take a page from Earl Weaver who kept a famous box of index cards that recorded as many possible events as could happen in a baseball game. Good records are a must as they provide a wealth of learning and teaching potential.



Try to picture the ideal situation for your business, and compare it to the present one. You will notice the difference immediately, and recognize that perhaps you might indeed not know it all just yet. Create as many possible solutions to the problem as you can think of at the moment and write them down. More ideas will occur to you as you write. We often think through our writing hands. Put the paper aside and sleep on it. Ideas will come to you when you aren't forcing them.

Read management books for new ways of conducting business. Along with those managerial tomes, mix in classic novels, famous poetry, and books on topics seemingly unrelated to your industry entirely. The application of concepts from other fields gives you a powerful jump on your competition who still think in terms of your industry only. Your lifelong learning approach places you several steps ahead of other business leaders in your industry.

Be sure to learn from Earl Weaver that there is no end to learning new ideas and putting fresh concepts in place. Developing a creative and an always curious frame of mind will enhance any business owner or manager's reputation and bottom line.

Lifelong learning is fun, helps people succeed in your organization, and is profitable.

Now that's a World Series of Business Champion for sure!

Tags: lifelong learning, Earl Weaver, Jeff Angus, creative problem solving.

Carnival of the Vanities 214 at Silflay Hraka

The 214^th edition of the longest running internet blog carnival, the well known Carnival of the Vanities continues at Kehaar's Silflay Hraka.

The carnival, and indeed the entire blog carnival idea, was born four years ago at Bigwig's Silflay Hraka blog. It is now back home to Silflay Hraka, as Bigwig's brother Kehaar has assumed the reins with great results.

Carnival of the Vanities is the original collection of blog postings, assembling some of the best and wide ranging bloggers on the internet.

This week's Carnival of the Vanities entries include politics, literature, science, humour, technology, and business.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Vanities as well.

My post is titled "Staff problems: Ending employee disputes" where I discuss how problems between people happen everywhere in your life. Whether at the grocery checkout line, during public events, within families, or at your place of business. Defusing the issues before they morph into an explosive and destructive battle is essential. For business people, staff problems must be solved quickly and without hurting employee productivity and morale. No one said it would be easy.



A great participation option is to simply e-mail your entry to the new e-mail address:

kehaar at silflay hraka dot com

As I suggest elsewhere, hosting and contributing to the various internet blog carnivals is a great promotional idea for your blog.

When you send an entry to Carnival of the Vanities, or any of the many internet blog Carnivals, don't forget to link to the hosted edition. It's not only common courtesy, but helps to increase visitor traffic for all entrants. It also shows your appreciation of the hard work done by the host in preparing the post. Everyone shares in the benefits of the expanded Carnival readership.

Show the Carnival some linky love.

Next week's edition of Carnival of the Vanities appears once again at Kehaar's Silflay Hraka.

In the meantime, head on over to the Silflay Hraka hosting of Carnival of the Vanities and enjoy the posts on offer.

You will almost certainly be introduced to some great new and interesting blogs.

Tags: Carnival of the Vanities, blogging, carnivals, promotions.

Rosa Say: Managing With Aloha on Blog Business Success Radio

Managing with Aloha

Bringing Hawaii's Universal Values to the Art of Business

Author and leadership coach, and well known blogger Rosa Say discusses her ground breaking book Managing with Aloha and how the timeless wisdom of Hawaii can help your business and personal growth, as my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success. The show airs live on Thursday, October 26, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time.


You will learn how the universal values of Aloha can help your business in the following ways:

* How timeless wisdom can be applied to business today with powerful results

* How to work more effectively with your staff, clients, and other people in your life

* How to replace management ideas with those of leadership

* How to take your business to the next level with practical techniques from Rosa Say's personal coaching manual



Rosa Say (photo left) was born and raised in Hawaii. She attended St. Anthony and Punahou schools, and she is a graduate of the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She currently lives on the Big Island of Hawai‘i with her ‘Ohana (Family).

During her 24-year career in Hawaii’s hospitality industry, Rosa worked within the ranks of managers and leaders for Regent Hotels, Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton, and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. She has served as a manager and leader on the opening teams of eight different hotel resorts in the Hawaiian Islands.

When telling her story, Rosa explains that she chose the hotel business because of the wealth of different disciplines one can learn while working for just one employer: Resort operations can include hotel lodging and residential management, food and beverage, banquets and convention services, retail and commercial management, accounting and finance, landscape and golf course maintenance, conservation and natural resources, recreational sports and the spa industry. These name just a few of the learning opportunities Rosa pursued. The stories she tells of her experiences enliven and enrich her speaking presentations.

For her eighth and final resort opening, Rosa set her sights on learning more about land development in Hawaii, and she joined the operational team of the Hualalai Development Company in April of 1996. HDC is owner, developer, and operator of the Hualalai Resort at historic Ka‘ūpūlehu, a 540-unit residential resort community on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast which includes ownership of The Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai. When she left Hualalai in July of 2003 Rosa was serving as vice president of operations.

Today Rosa runs her own company, as founder and head coach of Say Leadership Coaching, a business dedicated to bringing nobility to the art of management and to mentoring the next generation of managers and leaders in Hawai‘i.

Rosa has added the title of author to her credits, and her book was recently released in November, 2004. It is called Managing with Aloha: Bringing Hawaii's Universal Values to the Art of Business

Rosa currently devotes part of her writing efforts to publishing a monthly newsletter for business leaders called Ho‘ohana™, and she publishes Talking Story, a weblog that serves as the online discussion pages of Say Leadership Coaching, open to all who are students and practitioners of the Managing with Aloha business philosophy.

Rosa loves to speak to people who want to change the world of work as we know it, making work a more meaningful, rewarding, and fulfilling endeavor for us all.

My book review: Managing With Aloha by Rosa Say

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for download as a podcast for iPod and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment.

Let's talk about putting the time tested values of Hawaii with Rosa Say to work for your business on Blog Business Success.

Tags: Managing With Aloha, Rosa Say, Blog Business Success, internet radio.

Carnival of the Capitalists at Blawg Review

This week sees a legal approach to the travelling business show, recognized by one and all as Carnival of the Capitalists arrives at the law blawg, and home of the Blawg Review, known appropriately enough as Blawg Review.

This week's edition of Carnival of the Capitalists highlights some of the best bloggers writing on the internet today, as well as some of the best and most popular entries ever to the Carnival.

Blogging topics presented include entrepreneurship, management, market trading, internet commerce, marketing, the national and global economies.

As you would expect from Blawg Review, there are many discussions of economics, marketing, finance, investment, and law.

It's always great to read and discover the many high quality blogs out there in the blogosphere.

We don't always get to them all, and this edition of Carnival of the Capitalists has introduced many of us to some brand new ones; as well as some long time contributors.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Capitalists as well.

It is titled "Problem customers: Fire them" where I discuss how problem customers and clients plague every business large and small. You know who they are after they show their true nature. Usually, however, that discovery of toxicity is made much too late. Fortunately, you do have a powerful option. You can fire those problem customers from your client list once and for all.

If you wish to submit an entry to next week's, or any Carnival of the Capitalists edition, e-mail your entries to the new address:

cotcmail -at- gmail -dot- com

You can always use the handy entry form at Gongol.com where all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Talk about making it easy to be included!



If you are searching for new and exciting ways to expand your blog's readership, you should seriously consider sending an entry to Carnival of the Capitalists.

Merely being included in the company, of the first rate regular Carnival of the Capitalists contributors, will enhance the reputation of your blog.

The extra visitors sent to your blog won't hurt either!

The growth and staying power, of Carnival of the Capitalists, is beginning to catch the attention of people outside the blogging community. Each hosting, brings a fresh assortment of new readers, to the various blogs involved.

The visitors aren't only bloggers anymore.

Readership is expanding to include the mainstream media, various government and private organizations, many businesses, and other interested people from beyond the blogging community.

Many people are introduced to some tremendous blogs that they might otherwise have missed.

Next week's Carnival of the Capitalists will be at the Minnesota and Wisconsin vacation property and real estate blog known as Pine Needle Lawn.

In the meantime, click your mouse over to the Blawg Review hosting of Carnival of the Capitalists.

If the great posted entries don't convince you to click, or the possibility of finding some brand new blogs to read doesn't do it, then visit Carnival of the Capitalists and that's the blawg law. (groan)

Tags: carnivals, capitalism, business, marketing.

Blogiversaries: Blog Business World turns three

My business blogging career here at Blog Business World is now three years old. Having started this blog in late 2003, blogging was at that time, a new innovation in business communication. To a large degree blogging is still not a mainstream business activity, but there are signs of change on the blogosphere horizon.

These three years of business blogging, and half of a year of roller derby blogging before that, have witnessed sea changes in attituded. In the world of blogging in general, and business blogs in particular, blogs have become an integral part of interpersonal internet based communication.



Gone are those early days when almost no one had heard of blogs of any sort. The very term "blog", conjured up visions of angst ridden teenagers, writing personal blogs as diaries for themselves and a close circle of friends. While many people still believe that the personal blog is all that exists, more and more internet users are embracing blogs for an infinite number of purposes.

When I started blogging, my goal was to provide information to others about marketing, public relations, search engine optimization SEO, and about blogging in general. Little did I suspect that I would be building relationships with people whom I would never have met in any other way. I have built wonderful friendships with business and non-business people all over the world. Literally. Most other bloggers have discovered the same wonderful result.

I look at it this way.

If I never found any business, made any money, or expanded into other ventures including Blog Business Success Radio, the friendships I have built made all of the posts worthwhile. I am now enjoying the pleasure of interviewing the very people I met through blogging via the medium of internet radio. In the end, helping people and sharing your life with others is what really matters. I hope I have succeeded.



Of course, blogging truly worked for my business.

Blogging for three years has improved my writing skills as well. My blog has also landed me more freelance writing jobs than I had contracted in the past. Those writing jobs, combined with the blog, have also enhanced my SEO business. In several cases, the link is direct and precise. The articles and blog were the cited reasons for contracting with me. Without a blog, that would not be possible.

Blogs work, and I can say that from personal experience. Don't take my word on it, though, or even my three years of blog posts. Talk to other bloggers, and they may have had even more dramatic results.

Blogging is all about starting a conversation with others.

Those conversations usually lead to other wonderful events in your life.

Tags: blogiversaries, blogging, relationships, friends.

Blog post ideas: Telling a story

Blog topic ideas are often difficult to find, even for the most experienced and prolific bloggers. The careful blog owner always has a few post ideas and possible topics written down, or even stored on a set of index cards. Some bloggers may even have their ideas categorized in alphabetical order. Unfortunately, not all bloggers are that well organized.

When short of topics, one good old fashioned idea is to simply tell a story. Your readers will enjoy reading a good story that involves you or someone to whom they can relate. The tale may be one of business, but it could be a very personal one as well. One important thing to keep in mind is the story should be on a subject relevant to your blog and to your readership. At the same time, the narrative should be told from the heart.

A good short story format is also a powerful way to teach some lessons in business, or whatever is the major theme of your blog. For example, telling of a failed sales representative can underline a sales technique post. Without a doubt, adding real people into your posts will make them more interesting to read. The posts will also help you to connect more personally with your blog readership. After all, one of the purposes of a blog is relationship building, and good storytellers are of interest to almost everyone.



At the beginning of this post, I suggested the concept of storytelling as a posting idea when the well of inspiration runs dry. A gripping tale can also serve to provide an insight into your way of thinking and world view that a standard information post can't begin to achieve. A good story draws the reader into its narrative and its underlying message. After all, people have listened to stories for thousands of years.

The village storyteller passed along the history and great events of the community to a new generation. At the same time, those who knew the tales well never tired of their repetition. The events and characters struck a chord deep in the human heart that never was extinguished. Ever since the invention of the written word, people have been reading them over and over again as well. Stories are that powerful as a medium for sharing ideas and wisdom with others.

Add stories of yourself and other real life experiences into your blog postings.

Your readers will welcome that sharing of yourself.

Who knows, your exploits may one day be told and retold like the heroes and heroines of days gone by.

Tags: posting ideas, blogging, stories, storytelling.

Blog Business Summit: Next week

The well known and very popular blog conference Blog Business Summit 2006 returns next week to Seattle, Washington on October 25 - 27. All of the events take place at the luxurious Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle.

As always, the conference features a top notch group of well known speakers and workshop leaders and workshops where current and future business bloggers can learn more about this powerful communications medium.

From the conference page:

Business Blogging gurus like Robert Scoble, Matt Mullenweg, Jason Calacanis, Mary Hodder, Buzz Bruggeman, Maryam Scoble, Janet Johnson, Steve Broback, John Furrier, and DL Byron have already said they’re available to take the podium during this year’s event, and many more experts will be joining us onstage during the three-day confab.

Conference schedule and pricing:

October 25: Full Day Pre-Conference Workshop
Essentials of Business Blogging, Podcasting and Videoblogging
$395.00

New to blogging or the podcasting phenomenon? Need to get up to speed quickly? This full day immersion will give you all the details you need to take full advantage of the conference (or to go back to the office knowing what moves to make in these critical arenas.)

October 26-27: Full Two-Day Conference
$695.00

Over a dozen sessions will cover the latest in:

Corporate Blogging Policy
Blogger Engagement: Getting Past “Pitching”
Blogosphere/Buzz Monitoring
Tools and Trends: What’s Next for Bloggers?
Generating Traffic and Links
Video Blogging
SEO Strategies for Bloggers
Audience Measurement: Quantifying and Qualifying
And more…

All Three Days (October 25-27): Workshop and Conference
$995.00

Don't miss out on Blog Business Summit 2006.

Register today and take advantage of an extra special discount.

As an event sponsor, I can offer you a special $100.00 discount.

Simply enter the following code on your registration: WHAS06

You will automatically receive the special discount from your conference registration investment.

Don't put registration off another day.

Tags: Blog Business Summit 2006, blogging conferences, Seattle, speakers.

Spilled Milk Management Revisited

Spilled milk management is the mindset among many managers and business owners of failing to move beyond a business problem. Whether a minor setback, or a major company threatening disaster, the response remains the same. Instead of seeking solutions, the spilled milk mindset manager can only focus on what went wrong. As the old saying goes, "Don't cry over spilled milk".

Unfortunately, the logical step of solving the problem is all too often beyond the grasp of the manager who possesses the spilled milk focus. Obsessing over the problem and wishful thinking that it should never have happened is this manager's stock in trade. Missing from their worldview is the fact that disasters happen, and once they occur, the best course of action is to do something about remedying the situation. Instead, the narrowly focussed manager will spend his or her time hand wringing, and watching the milk create an even larger mess to clean up.

Rob May at Business Pundit presents a typical exchange between a spilled milk focussed manager and another employee who is attempting to find a solution.

Rob writes:

There are two ways to respond. The first is what many people do - cry over the spilled milk. The second, is to accept it and move on. Managers that embrace the first option don't deal well with employees that embrace the second. You end up with situations like this...


Manager: Well what do we do now?

Employee: We can do one of three things (explains all 3 options).

Manager: I just wished this hadn't happened.

Employee: Yes I understand, but that is irrelevant.

Manager: Yeah, I know... but I just... why did this happen?

Employee: I don't know. We didn't see it coming, but we have to react. We have to do something.

Manager: I'll have to think about it. I just can't believe this happened.


The whole time, the manager's mind is obsessing about the problem, and can't stop to focus on the solution. The manager becomes so aggravated that, as a result, the problem isn't solved in a timely fashion. Every discussion about the problem revolves around the manager explaining to people how she can't believe this actually happened.

Rob offers sound advice for employees of spilled milk managers:

If you work for a spilled milk manager, my suggestion is that you convince them to move on by pointing out that you can analyze the problem at a later date, devote more resources to it, and understand why it happened and how you missed it.

The manager who can't look past the issue is doing the organization a disservice. By failing to understand that what's done is done, and can't be changed by wishing it away, the manager is failing at the task of problem solving.

Rob suggests telling the manager that the problem can be analyzed at a future date. The danger of this approach is the manager will retreat even farther into the lament for unnattainable perfection. The net result for the organization could be operations brought to a complete standstill.

Spilled milk managers seek control, and are often micromanagers to the extreme. They are also seldom risk takers or innovators. To them, the concept of fresh ideas is an invitation to disaster. Creative thinkers are not held in high regard by this sort of management personality. Indeed, the imaginative employee will be urged to leave the organization entirely. Fear of loss can be a powerful disincentive to change, even though the business climate is in a constant state of flux.



The hand wringing manager is often paralyzed into complete inaction by a wrong turn in a carefully laid out plan. As a result, they are often unable to make decisions leading to potential profits as they are nagged by that fear of loss. All too often, that concern that all will be lost is a self fulfilling prophecy. The concern that an idea will fail will almost guarantee disaster. Resources given to the project will be insufficient in terms of money, time, and personnel. The starved program will then begin life with two strikes already against its success.

Many times the final approval will be given much too late to capitalize on any early entry advantage. At the same time, staff will not be given the opportunity to provide innovation or initiative. Instead, a keep your head down company culture will evolve. In such organizations, mistakes mean termination, so no one dares take responsibility for anything. When the milk inevitably is spilled over the floor, all that is left is the assignment of blame.

Don't let your organization become a spilled milk oriented management model of inaction.

Let innovation and creative problem solving be your company watchwords. That milk won't stay on the floor for long, if it ever arrives there at all.

Tags: creative thinking, spilled milk management, innovation, problem solving.

Carnival of the Vanities 213 at Silflay Hraka

The 213^th edition of the longest running internet blog carnival, the well known Carnival of the Vanities appears at Kehaar's Silflay Hraka.

The carnival, and indeed the entire blog carnival idea, was born four years ago at Bigwig's Silflay Hraka blog. It is now back home to Silflay Hraka, as Bigwig's brother Kehaar has assumed the reins with great results.

Carnival of the Vanities is the original collection of blog postings, assembling some of the best and wide ranging bloggers on the internet.

This week's Carnival of the Vanities entries include politics, literature, science, humour, technology, and business.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Vanities as well.

My post is titled "Creative problem solving: More than either/or" where I discuss how the insistence by many individuals, that there is a good and bad pairing for everything in life, is too narrow an approach. In most instances there are multiple choices, with many of those being some combination of the allegedly good and bad selections. Many people are taught to think in only two sides. Indeed, the media and the political arena are fraught with either/or positions. In business management, the best way to examine problems and solutions is examining every possible idea

Thanks to Kehaar for making this post a Runner Up in the Best Advice Category.



A great participation option is to simply e-mail your entry to the new e-mail address:

kehaar at silflay hraka dot com

As I suggest elsewhere, hosting and contributing to the various internet blog carnivals is a great promotional idea for your blog.

When you send an entry to Carnival of the Vanities, or any of the many internet blog Carnivals, don't forget to link to the hosted edition. It's not only common courtesy, but helps to increase visitor traffic for all entrants. It also shows your appreciation of the hard work done by the host in preparing the post. Everyone shares in the benefits of the expanded Carnival readership.

Show the Carnival some linky love.

Next week's edition of Carnival of the Vanities appears once again at Kehaar's Silflay Hraka.

In the meantime, head on over to the Silflay Hraka hosting of Carnival of the Vanities and enjoy the posts on offer.

Kehaar is seeking a host for the October 25 edition so here's your chance to host the show.

You will almost certainly be introduced to some great new and interesting blogs.

Tags: Carnival of the Vanities, blogging, carnivals, promotions.

Jeff Angus talks Management By Baseball: Blog Business Success Radio

Management By Baseball

The Official Rules for Winning Management in Any Field

Author and management consultant Jeff Angus discusses his best selling book Management By Baseball, and how baseball experience can help your business, as my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success. The show airs live on Thursday, October 19, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time.




You will learn the following to hit home runs in your business:

* How to assemble your team cost effectively (like Billy Beane of the Oakland A's)

* How to best position them so they can succeed (like Joe Torre of the New York Yankees)

* How to use ideas from another industry in yours (like Branch Rickey with the old Brooklyn Dodgers)

* How to be the best you can be regardless of circumstances (like Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners)




Jeff Angus (photo left) is an active management consultant specializing in work for entrepreneurial organizations. He's been an award-winning manager and director in large and mid-sized organizations.

He's currently a Contributing Editor at InfoWorld, a leading weekly publication that covers technical and business analysis of key solutions and technologies that benefit large organizations. He writes the management column for CIO Insight, and a weekly column on sabermetrics (scientific baseball statistics) for The Seattle Times.

His consulting focuses in three areas: coaching failing managers and departments, knowledge management and change management with clients in business, government, & non-profit sectors. While his work is concentrated in the entrepreneurial sector, he occasionally does "Red Adair" jobs for larger organizations that have failed completed or incomplete projects that were done by large global consulting companies.

He's currently promoting Management by Baseball: The Official Rules for Winning Management in Any Field (Harper Collins), and doing corporate presentations and event speaking on the MBB theme.

Jeff Angus Blog: Management By Baseball

Jeff Angus Website: ManagementByBaseball.com

My book review: Management By Baseball by Jeff Angus.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for download as a podcast for iPod and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment.

Let's talk about putting the proven management techniques of baseball with Jeff Angus on Blog Business Success.

Tags: Management By Baseball, Jeff Angus, Blog Business Success, internet radio.

Carnival of the Capitalists at Dispatches From Blogblivion

This week sees another anniversary approach to the travelling business show, recognized by one and all as Carnival of the Capitalists Third Anniversary Edition Part 2 arrives at CotC co-founder Jay Solo's's new eclectic blog known as Dispatches From Blogblivion.

This week's edition of Carnival of the Capitalists highlights some of the best bloggers writing on the internet today, as well as some of the best and most popular entries ever to the Carnival.

Blogging topics presented include entrepreneurship, management, market trading, internet commerce, marketing, the national and global economies.

As you would expect from Carnival of the Capitalists, there are many discussions of economics, marketing, finance, investment, and business.

It's always great to read and discover the many high quality blogs out there in the blogosphere.

We don't always get to them all, and this edition of Carnival of the Capitalists has introduced many of us to some brand new ones; as well as some long time contributors.



I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Capitalists as well.

My "best of" theme post is my most visted from Carnival of the Capitalists 2006 and one of my most popular posts ever.

It is titled "Title tags: SEO by any other name" where I discuss how one of the fastest and often forgotten techniques, to move a blog or web page higher in the search rankings, is to change the page’s title tags. Title tags are the words that appear at the very top of your web browser, and they tell the search engine what the page is all about.

If you wish to submit an entry to next week's, or any Carnival of the Capitalists edition, e-mail your entries to the new address:

cotcmail -at- gmail -dot- com

You can always use the handy entry form at Gongol.com where all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Talk about making it easy to be included!



If you are searching for new and exciting ways to expand your blog's readership, you should seriously consider sending an entry to Carnival of the Capitalists.

Merely being included in the company, of the first rate regular Carnival of the Capitalists contributors, will enhance the reputation of your blog.

The extra visitors sent to your blog won't hurt either!

The growth and staying power, of Carnival of the Capitalists, is beginning to catch the attention of people outside the blogging community. Each hosting, brings a fresh assortment of new readers, to the various blogs involved.

The visitors aren't only bloggers anymore.

Readership is expanding to include the mainstream media, various government and private organizations, many businesses, and other interested people from beyond the blogging community.

Many people are introduced to some tremendous blogs that they might otherwise have missed.

Next week's Carnival of the Capitalists will be at the law blawg, and home of the Blawg Review, known appropriately enough as Blawg Review.

In the meantime, click your mouse over to the Dispatches From Blogblivion hosting of Carnival of the Capitalists.

If the great posted entries don't convince you to click, or the possibility of finding some brand new blogs to read doesn't do it, then visit Carnival of the Capitalists and join the anniversary celebrations.

Tags: carnivals, capitalism, business, marketing.

Conversations with experts: Ted Demopoulos - Free teleseminar

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On andOff-line

Conversations with Experts: What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting

How to profit whether or not you blog or podcast

Wednesday, October 18, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET (no charge, registration required)

Guest Expert: Ted Demopoulos, Demopoulos Associates

Blogs and podcasts can help almost any business, even businesses that aren't online! There are plenty of ways to benefit, both somewhat traditional and very innovative, as Ted Demopoulos found while interviewing hundreds of people who successfully use blogs and podcasts for his latest book. Conversely, some people put a lot of effort into blogging with little success.

Ted Demopoulos, author of What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting and co-author of Blogging for Business, will give you practical advice on how to harness the power of blogs and podcasts for your business pursuits.



Ted Demopoulos' (photo left) professional background includes over 25 years of experience in Information Technology and Business, including 15 years as an independent consultant. Each year he helps organizations make informed decisions through his seminars, keynotes, and consulting services. His clients have included Cisco, Hewlett Packard,
IBM, The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, Motorola, The Singapore Ministry of Education, The UK Post Office, T Rowe Price, TRW, and The Hong Kong Post. Ted blogs at The Ted Wrap.

Register now for this conversation with Ted Demopoulos:

http://www.ConversationsWithExperts.com

If you missed any Conversations With Experts, you can become a monthly member of a private blog. As a member, you gain access to the entire Conversation With Experts audio series of guest experts, past and present. You can also pre-register to purchase a copy of the show, should you be unable to attend.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System and by the All In One Ezine Publishing System from The Blog Squad.

Tags: teleseminars, Ted Demopoulos, podcasting, business blogging.