Successful Blog

Cool Tool Review: Eventbrite

by

Todd Hoskins chooses and uses tools and products that could belong in an entrepreneurial business toolkit. He’ll be checking out how useful they are to folks who would be their customers in a form that’s consistent and relevant.

Cool Tool Review: Eventbrite
A Review by Todd Hoskins

Months ago, we looked at Plancast, a great tool that has gotten even better. Plancast allows you to share and learn the events people are planning on attending.

What if you want to plan an event yourself? Eventbrite remains the leader in planning, promoting, and managing your events, especially if you are going to charge a fee.

I love Eventbrite for a few reasons. First, it’s well-designed – it does exactly what you expect it to do. Second, it allows you to collect funds without needing to use a third party. Finally, it takes just minutes to set up an event, email attendees, or place a widget on your site.

eventbrite1

The one downside I’ve experienced is that the search engine results could improve. It makes sense to list the event on GarysGuide and Upcoming as well, in addition to Plancast, Facebook, and Twitter. Eventbrite can be used for setting up registration, than the other services become marketing tools to direct traffic to Eventbrite.

Summing Up – Is it worth it?

Enterprise Value: 4/5 – Even if you have registration on your own site, an Eventbrite page should be set up

Entrepreneur Value: 5/5 – The small cut Eventbrite takes for paid registration is worth avoiding the hassle

Personal Value: 2/5 – Family or class reunion? Sure. Maps, contact info, attendee list – it’s all there

Let me know what you think!

Todd Hoskins helps small and medium sized businesses plan for the future, and execute in the present. With a background in sales, marketing, and technology, he works with executives to help create thriving organizations through developing and clarifying values, strategies, and tactics. You can learn more at VisualCV, or contact him on Twitter.

Spice Your Blog With A Dash Of Old Bay Seasoning

by

cooltext455576688_blogging

By Terez Howard

I didn’t know what Old Bay was until I saw its name on a bag of popcorn in a Virginia Beach gourmet popcorn shop.  (When I reread that sentence, it sounds like the start of a piece of fiction).

But, I’m serious.  I’m from Ohio, and I had never seen it before.  After my trip, I found that my local grocery store’s employees placed the Old Bay seasoning near the fish since the spice is traditionally sprinkled on seafood.  I overlooked it every weekly trip I took to the same store for five years.

So why was Old Bay the flavor of choice for a bag of popcorn?  I’m not really sure.  My husband and I decided that after a sample of this popcorn, we were hooked.  We devoured that bag, and I’ve been craving it ever since.

My point?  Jody’s Gourmet Popcorn got it right.  Jody and her husband, Alan, gave us something unexpected, and we loved it.

Salt, garlic and Old Bay?

This is what I know.  Every recipe I make calls for salt and garlic.  Well, it doesn’t formally call for those spices.  I just cannot imagine a meal without them.  All you knowledgeable cooks, keep quiet!  I know there are ways to spice food without these two.  But they’re my staples, and my family loves them.

When you blog, you have salt and garlic.  You have some general topic, and you create content to support it.  That’s the salt.  You make it unique by peppering it with your personality.  That’s your garlic.  Those are the basics, your staples.  You would not have a decent blog without them.

Now for the Old Bay.  I like to think of this as your own little dose of the unexpected.  I find the most engaging posts I’ve ever read include a little something I cannot foresee.  You can spice up your blog with:

  • A quote from someone famous or not so famous. I read a blog post recently that included a quote from Ernest Hemmingway.  A quote can drive your point home.
  • Results of a study. I find study results to be extremely powerful.  If you’re telling people that they should write more how-to’s, then you could also include how much traffic a blogger has gotten from posting how-to’s.  (You could also conduct your own study).
  • A reference. This can be as simple as referring to a detail someone else made on a blog or in an article.  Link to them, and give your readers a more complete post.
  • A joke. I’m not a comedy writer, but I think most readers are up for a laugh.  A joke can lighten an otherwise heavy topic.
  • A personal story. This one is my favorite things to do because I feel like my life events and blog go hand in hand.  A personal anecdote makes your blog relatable and an enjoyable read.

A little goes a long way

I’m not for drenching a meal in any particular spice.  So, when you are finding your voice by trying to include something a bit unpredictable, don’t over do it.  Every single sentence does not need to be a pun, a quote or another reference.  A dash will do.  Just talk.  Be natural.

How do you dash your blog with Old Bay?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility.  She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small.  She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas . You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Cool Tool Review: Bartering & Alternative Currencies

by

Todd Hoskins chooses and uses tools and products that could belong in an entrepreneurial business toolkit. He’ll be checking out how useful they are to folks who would be their customers in a form that’s consistent and relevant.

Cool Tool Review: Bartering & Alternative Currencies
A Review by Todd Hoskins

What if you could hire a consultant, do a website redesign, or rent office space without spending a nickel?

For businesses that are forward thinking, or just tight on cash, exploring the frontier of bartering and alternative currencies, can not only help you through a cash crunch, it can also make you more connected within the communities in which you are active.

The Barter Network is a one-to-one exchange for products and services. For example, if you need to produce and file an annual report, someone within the network will likely be equipped to complete the task (there are over 20,000 participating members). Instead of paying in dollars, you could trade for one of your gadgets, an installation of your software, or fifteen hours of marketing expertise.

The process of bartering enables you to collaborate and get perspectives from outside of your business, share knowledge, and understand the value of your needs and assets apart from the industrial age notion of everything being measured in government-backed currencies.

Beyond bartering, there are a couple other projects that should be noted. First, TheSwop.com is a service launched last year focused on the exchange of favors for startup companies. “Favor points” are earned or spent, which is means you don’t have to find the exact match as with the Barter Network.

Also, Hub Culture is an organization I have been following for a while. Their Ven currency now has over 1.8 million units in circulation. With a sizable global membership, Ven can be used for a variety of exchanges from classes to Facebook Connect integration. They have a unique vision – worth checking out.

Summing Up – Is it worth it?

Enterprise Value: 4/5 – The only drawback is driving your Accounting (and/or Tax) Department nuts, at least for a while.

Entrepreneur Value: 5/5 – Innovative, connecting, and value-determining

Personal Value: 2/5 – Can you live a month without cash? It’s becoming easier.

Let me know what you think!

Todd Hoskins helps small and medium sized businesses plan for the future, and execute in the present. With a background in sales, marketing, and technology, he works with executives to help create thriving organizations through developing and clarifying values, strategies, and tactics. You can learn more at VisualCV, or contact him on Twitter.

Have You Really Tried Everything?

by

cooltext455576688_blogging

By Terez Howard

My daughter is so stubborn.  In many ways, she is the most stubborn person that I know.  In some ways, it’s good.  I know that no one will be able to make her do something she doesn’t want to do, and far more important, something she should not do.

When it comes to eating, she is stubborn.  Last week, she had a McDonald’s Happy Meal in front of her for lunch.  (It’s one of her favorite things to eat, like any kid!)  And guess what my little girl ate?  One lone French fry.

Right now, you’re probably making excuses for my 3-year-old.  She wasn’t hungry.  She didn’t feel well.  She doesn’t really like French fries.  I can assure you that all of those reasons are far from true.

Micah refuses to eat because she does not want to.  She wants to do something else, like play with her Leapster.  Or, she wants to make me angry.  Yes, I believe that she secretly likes the attention that goes along with my disappointment in her.

I have tried everything to get her to eat.  My husband and I have done rewards, punishments, baby doll mimicking, ignored her, prayed with her, just about anything you can think of.  When I told my mom about this, she gave me one tactic I hadn’t considered.

“I will try anything!” I told her.

Have you done everything with your blog?

Maybe you don’t have many readers.  Perhaps you would like to have a higher number of subscribers.  Do you want buzz surrounding your name?  That’s what I want for my blog and my business.

So, what do you do?  “I will try anything!”

That should be your response, and that certainly is mine.  But recently I took an honest look at my business and my blog, and I have to admit that it’s not where I want it to be.  So, I’m ready to try anything and everything to reach my fullest potential.

I have tried everything.

Really?  Me, too.  I’ve done cold e-mailing, blog commenting, guest blogging, interview requests, article writing and more.  After all that, why am I not where I want to be?

Time for another honest look in the mirror.  I haven’t been organized enough, and I consider myself a very organized person.  Visit my home, and you will see that everything has a place.

With my blog, I haven’t had clear-cut plan to take me from point A to point B.  Do you ever feel like you’re dabbling in a little this and that to surround your blog with buzz?

This and that are not going to cut it.  Trust me.  I believe in trying everything before signing your blog off as no good and starting anew.  I also believe that everything must be organized.  What am I going to do?

I’m going to try to market myself and my blog one way every month.  I am going to spend time focusing on making one form of marketing work for me each month.  My blog will chart what I’m doing and the progress I make.

Any of you other bloggers out there claiming to do everything and not getting ahead are free to join me in this challenge.  I’m determined I will not fail.

What’s your plan for getting your blog heard?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility.  She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small.  She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas . You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Beach Notes: Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

by

Ambition + Skill = Success
by Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

This ambitious bird ( a darter) we saw this week while walking at Rainbow Bay. It looked like it was about to bite off more than it could chew (swallow). The fish it scooped into it’s mouth initially we thought the bird had no possibility of swallowing. The photos show that both skill and persistence do pay off and give success and satisfaction.

How do you turn your ambition and skill into success?

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

Cool Tool Review: Mechanical Turk

by

Todd Hoskins chooses and uses tools and products that could belong in an entrepreneurial business toolkit. He’ll be checking out how useful they are to folks who would be their customers in a form that’s consistent and relevant.

Cool Tool Review: Mechanical Turk
A Review by Todd Hoskins

“Maybe we should hire an intern.” If you have uttered this phrase, or heard these words spoken inside your organization, stop and ask the question: “Would an intern grow and learn from this project?” If the answer is no, you may do yourself a favor by setting up a relationship with a crowd-sourcing service such as Mechanical Turk. Even if an intern is a possibility, how much trouble is it going to be to find one? And, will you get better results with paid labor than with an intern?

Mechanical Turk aims to create large and easy to assemble workforces to complete simple tasks that would otherwise be nearly impossible to finish given their overall volume. “Mindless tasks” often require a mind. Artificial intelligence has become more intelligent, but sometimes tasks are better suited to people rather than computers.

I have used Mechanical Turk to find, categorize, and document scattered information on the web. This could be used for sales leads, research, categorizing the sentiment of blog and forum posts, transcribing audio, tagging content, or cleaning up a database. Once you set up and fund an account, you post a task. You assign a cost per task. If you are not satisfied with the quality of the work, you don’t have to pay the workers. With the thousands of people looking for flexible and/or stay-at-home work, tasks typically get done quickly. The key is explaining the tasks with clarity and details.

Here’s a Best Practices video.

Mechanical Turk is owned by Amazon, so there is legitimacy.

UPDATE: The workers that earn a supplemental income through working with Mechanical Turk may only get paid pennies for a completed task, but the free marketplace means that workers will be inclined to find the tasks that pay best – the most money for the least effort. If you post a task and don’t get sufficient workers, you need to increase your pay rate. It is common for MT workers to make in excess of $12 per hour.

Summing Up – Is it worth it?

Enterprise Value: 4/5 – Quality of the output depends upon the quality of the direction. Even large companies can benefit from the speed and flexibility of Mechanical Turk.

Entrepreneur Value: 5/5 – Minimize your time being focused on energy-draining tasks.

Personal Value: 1/5 – Hmm. De-duping my contact database?

Let me know what you think!

Todd Hoskins helps small and medium sized businesses plan for the future, and execute in the present. With a background in sales, marketing, and technology, he works with executives to help create thriving organizations through developing and clarifying values, strategies, and tactics. You can learn more at VisualCV, or contact him on Twitter.