Thank goodness Thanksgiving is over. Now all we have to do is get through the rest of the holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving, too much actually. I tend to eat everything in sight as if I’m going to miss something or there won’t be enough turkey for leftovers. It’s like those holiday buffets where everyone scrambles to be first in line, thinking the food is going to run out. We pile our plates to the ceiling because we don’t want to miss anything. Try as we might, we still end up wasting food. After all is said and done, we ask, why wasn’t I more sensible? It reminds me of Social Networking which is a lot like all those buffets you are going to encounter this holiday season. So let me offer you a gift to help you get through your holiday feasts and help you navigate Social

I was shocked to receive an email from a client this morning. Apparently she was on vacation in Spain, had been mugged, and needed me to send money so she could return home. I was shocked not because of the situation, but because I had just spoken to her 6 hours before from her home in Florida. Yes, as you suspect, her AOL account had been hacked. You don’t know how many friends you have until you’re hacked. Everyone in her address book received the desperate sounding email, many figured it out. It’s so embarrassing to have to explain. I’m sure she wishes there was some way to take it all back. Well, there is. What to do if you suspect you’ve been hacked Contact your account provider by phone or visit their security support page. AOL password support at 1-888-797-3738 or visit the AOL Account and Computer Security page. For Facebook support,

Just left this mornings session for NSA Bloggers facilitated by Rebecca Morgan and Ian Griffin. Many thanks to both of you for an excellent session. The National Speakers Association is an industry association focusing on the businss of speaking. The attendance has quadrupled in 3 years. As the world of blogging continues to evolve, attending live sessions has become an important tactic for learning what works in the blogisphere. The session focused on how to monitize your blog, content generation, Search Engine Optimization. A platform survey revealed a 90%  dominance by WordPress,  half of those hosted at WordPress.com the rest self hosted (WordPress.org).  Here are some tips I found valuable: Blog titles are king – Everyone agreed, titles are the key that compells visitors to unlock your valuable content. Keyword inclusion across all posts – To sustain search engine visibility, always include your top keyword phrases in each post. One attendee suggested

Looking for quick way to leverage your online marketing efforts? Intergrate multiple channels. eMarketer article http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008306      

Before we go any further, I’ve just got to ask, “Do you like me?”. Do you really like me? Even more important than the answer to this question is, how do you feel about me asking that question right up front? I was recently invited to visit a Facebook page so I could “Like” the organization. When I arrived I learned I really didn’t have a choice. I was instructed to click the Like button before I would be allowed to access the content. If my opening question caught you by surprize, I’m not surprized. In most social settings, people like to get to know you before commiting to a “Like” relationship. The same is true with online Social Networking. Many novice Facebook business marketers use the Like button inappropriately. Not only are they unsuccessful, but it’s such a turnoff they lose ground from the very start.   What is Like? Social

Making COFFEE Work – When Coffeemakers go bad!

Has poor inbound communitcations make your organization “Hard of Listening”? Take this Virtual Hearing Test to make sure you’re getting the right messge, to the right prospects, at the right time!

Can you imagine the impact to your organization of being mentioned on the front page of the Wall Street Journal? For Lydia Ramsey, author of Manners That Sell, adding the Polish that Builds Profits, it’s more than wishful thinking. Lydia is quoted in today’s edition in an article on one of Lydia’s favorite topics, business email etiquette.

Congrats on surviving the Holidays, but watch out for the New Year Internet Marketing Blitz!

Are you blogging more and enjoying it less? Use these tips to control your message and your brand.