Successful Blog

Social Media & Blogging-Panel of Questions (Part 3)

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors to help manage their social media marketing & promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one book author I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list.

I am mixing things up (again! – you can read part 1 and part 2) for my weekly blog post . I thought I would ask a few of the authors I have highlighted to offer their strategies and tips regarding blogging and social media.

Panel Discussion about Blogging and Social Media

Here are the authors offering their own insights and strategies regarding blogging and social media:
Kimberly Wiefling – Executive Editor of the Scrappy About Series, is a proven expert in enabling people to achieve what seems impossible, but is merely difficult. She is the author of one of the top project management books in the US,”Scrappy Project Management: The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces, a book growing in popularity around the world, and recently published in Japanese by Nikkei Business Press. And the newest in the Scrappy About series, Scrappy Women in Business.

She founded Wiefling Consulting, LLC, a global leadership and business management consulting firm, in 2001. She currently spends about half of her time working with high-potential leaders in Japanese companies as the Executive Director for ALC Education’s Global Management Consulting Group, an organization based in Tokyo, Japan. Her work includes facilitating leadership, communication, teamwork, innovation and execution excellence workshops to enable Japanese companies to solve global problems profitably.

Miranda Marquit is a blogger and freelance writer working from home. She has five years experience in the blogging and social media space, mainly providing content and support for corporate blogs. Miranda understands the importance of blogging and social media in online marketing and community building, and enjoys interacting and networking via the Internet.

In addition to professional blogging, Miranda is a freelance writer with a Journalism degree. Her work has appeared in national magazines and on news Web sites. She is also a columnist for her local newspaper. Miranda enjoys reading, music, travel, and the outdoors. Her favorite activities involve using her hobbies as a way to spend time with her husband and their six-year-old son. Miranda lives with her family in Logan, Utah. She is the co-author of Community 101: How to Grow an Online Community.

Karen Pierce Gonzalez
Since 2000, Karen Pierce Gonzalez Public Relations has provided public relations services for businesses, non-profits, art and culture organizations and individual professionals locally, regionally and nationally. Founder and president Karen Pierce Gonzalez has twenty-five years experience in the media having worked as a journalist for such media as the San Francisco Chronicle, Marin Independent Journal, and Point Reyes Light, newspapers as well a numerous local and national magazines, including North Bay Biz and Australian Trade Community Journal. She knows what makes the news and what does not.

Karen specializes in identifying newsworthy angles about her clients’ events and activities and obtaining news coverage from appropriate media outlets. She also helps clients maximize their advertising budgets by developing media sponsorships. She works with clients to utilize these sponsorships to generate the community support of businesses and other groups.

She earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in anthropology linguistics and in creative writing from Sonoma State University. A published fiction and non-fiction writer with numerous awards to her credit including a 2006 Pushcart Prize nomination, 2006 Editors’ Choice Farmhouse Magazine, 2005 National League of American Pen Women award for fiction, 2004 National League of American Pen Woman award for creative nonfiction, and 2002 California Writers award for nonfiction, she is also the author of “Family Folktales: Write Your Own Family Stories” and is CEO/Publisher of FolkHeart Press.

Here is what they have to say about blogging and social media:

How long have you been blogging?

KW: I started blogging in Sept. 2006 when I helped co-found the first university-affiliated blog on project management: http://svprojectmanagement.com/author/kwiefling And I started my own blog in January 2008 when I had a new year’s resolution to expand my business using the internet. I now also write for several other blogs once every 2 – 3 months: Career Shorts, Whole Life Well Being and Project Connections

MM: 5 years

KPG: Five years.

What subjects do you cover with your blog?
KW: Business leadership
Global business leadership
Project management
Program management
Well being
Breakthrough thinking
Personal and professional development

MM: Mostly personal finance

KPG: Folkheart Press covers folklore-related topics (folk art, food lore, folktales, folk festivals, etc.)

Why do you blog?
KW: I love to write, and I learn when I write. And I believe it makes me more well known, which increases my value to my clients and my agents.

MM: I enjoy writing. Plus, it’s my job — I’m a professional blogger!

KPG: It is a way to introduce others to the world of folklore and to Folkheart Press. In today’s cyberspace world, it is important to have a presence.

What is the one blogging tip you have to share with others?
KW: Write about topics about which you have personal knowledge and experience, and keep the tone conversational and authentic. Don’t write a newspaper article style blog!

MM: Write about something you enjoy.

KPG: Make the blogs fun and brief. No one expects to read a novel when they visit a blog.

How long have you been using social media (twitter, facebook, linkedin) for your business?

KW: About 3 years

MM: 4 years

KPG Five years.

When it comes to social media— do you prefer one platform over the others?( facebook, twitter or linked in)
KW: I use Twitter to update my personal and professional connections about my status. This pushes automatically to Facebook, Plaxo and LinkedIn.
I use Facebook Fan page for Scrappy Women in Business book, and updates push to a Twitter account that I have linked to that.

MM: I actually really like fwisp, a social media niche site devoted to finance. I do like using Facebook and Twitter, though.

KPG: Facebook

Why do you like one of the others?
KW: Twitter is quick and easy, and seems to be the micro-blogging platform of choice. I can also monitor mentions of my key words on Twitter using Social Oomph.
Facebook is “cool”. Linked In is more business serious, but that’s not my style. And Plaxo is not a player really.

MM: I like fwisp because it has good spam controls, and it offers a range of stories in the personal finance blogosphere. Finding good social media communities in your niche is, I think, important.

KPG: Facebook allows for website link images which adds value to the posting.

What is one social media tip you have to share with others?

KW: Keep in mind that your life isn’t nearly as interesting to other people as you might think. Choose what you share with that in mind lest you be one of the people we make fun of for tweeting “My cat rolled over.” or other trivia.

MM: Choose a few social media communities and focus on those. Don’t try to build a good account at every site or group ; you’ll never be able keep up with it all.

KPG: Be informative and don’t sell, sell, sell. It’s annoying.

Thanks ladies for these great, helpful tips and for sharing your strategies about blogging and social media.
And if you have tips and resources that help you, please add to the discussion.

Social Media Book List: Panel Discussion about Blogging & Social Media

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A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors to help manage their online book promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one book author I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list.

I am mixing things up for my weekly blog post at Successful Blog. I thought I would ask a few of the authors I have highlighted to offer their strategies and tips regarding blogging and social media.

Panel Discussion about Blogging and Social Media

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The panel consists of the following people:

Lou Belcher is a writer, author, blogger and photographer. She is dedicated to meeting the needs of writers and artists in Florida and beyond. Her gallery of her latest photography and fabric art can be seen at Lou Belcher’s Gallery. Ready, Set, Tweet is the title of her latest book.

Billie Sucher is a nationally-known career transition expert, outplacement consultant, professional résumé writer, speaker, author, poet, and prolific blogger for Career Hub. For over two decades, she has provided professional career management services to organizations and individuals (entry-level to executive-level) throughout the country.
Sucher holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from Drake University and numerous industry certifications including International Job and Career Transition Coach, Career Management Alliance Credentialed Career Manager Distinction and William Bridge’s Transition Management Certification.

Liz Goodgold is a marketing and branding expert, speaker, and author, with more than 25 years of experience working for such major companies as Quaker Oats, Times Mirror, and Arco Oil. Currently she is Chief Nuancer and CEO of The Nuancing Group, an identity-consulting firm that helps companies understand the nuances of naming and branding.
Some of her clients include Proflowers.com, Fair Isaac (of the FICO score fame), Univision (largest Hispanic Media conglomerate in the world), and Sharp HealthCare (2008 winner of the prestigious Baldridge Award.)
She also works with a myriad of corporate clients and entrepreneurs for whom she has developed compelling product names, taglines, brand identities, and Internet domains that have generated flawless recall and increased market share.

Deepika Bajaj is Founder and President of Invincibelle, a company empowering women and a diverse, multigenerational work force to thrive in a multicultural world. Bajaj is also co-founder of ActiveGarage, the company behind 99tribes.com, a Twitter discovery search engine, helping people find and discover people who share your interests.
Prior to starting her company, Bajaj spent more than eight years in telecommunications consulting and corporate marketing. She has served on the Boards of various professional organizations, including the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and Women in Intel. The author of DiversityTweet: Embracing the Growing Diversity in Our World, she is at work on a second book about her experiences as a global citizen and what is shaping the new voice of diversity.
Her upcoming new ebook “PINK and Grow RICH” speaks of 11 UNREASONABLE RULES for success for women leaders who live and work in a multicultural world. She speaks and consults on diversity, blogs at www.deepikabajaj.com and writes a column on social media for ActiveGarage.
She is the winner of 2010 IWE Entrepreneurship Achievement Award. Bajaj received a bachelor’s degree from Bangalore University in India and an M.B.A. in marketing from Fordham University in New York.

Let’s Start the Discussion


How long have you been blogging?

Lou: I put up my first blog post on Florida Book News in November of 2007. After that, I started my two other blogs: Brevard Art News and Writer’s Creative Studio.

Billie: Four-plus years! I was invited by Louise Fletcher, founder of Career Hub, to become one of the ‘charter’ contributors to a blog that offers ‘free advice from career experts.’ That was in early 2006, and I have been contributing articles on a consistent basis since that time. I love Career Hub and mostly I love it because it is a way of ‘giving back’ by sharing my knowledge with anyone who will stop by and read it! J And beyond that, the content from its many contributors is solid career wisdom! At the time Louise asked me to start blogging, I knew nothing about weblogs  and with her help and encouragement, I jumped in. I fully credit and will always be grateful to Louise Fletcher, President of Blue Sky Resumes, for getting me involved in the blogging world.

Liz:I have been blogging on and off for 2 years.

Deepika: I have been blogging since 2007. So, it has been close to three years.

What subjects do you cover with your blog?

Lou: Florida Book News covers what’s happening in the book world in Florida. It announces book signings; writers’ conferences and workshops; news about authors and their new books; and information about writing organizations. I also post book reviews from time to time.

Billie: I love to write about multiple career-related subjects, ranging from career transitions and job loss to resume writing, interviewing, networking, job search and personal branding. I write whatever career-wise I happen to be thinking about at the time. I think my first blog took me about five hours between the time I first thought of it (it was about Career Fear) to the time I posted it. Now, I simply write and it takes me very little time to make a post, be it on the Career Hub blog or on my own blog, www.billiesucherblog.com. Just recently, I had the good fortune, thanks to Teresa Morrow’s efforts, to make a post over on www.careersuccessradio.com. That was a rather lengthy post, though, on Career Transition Management, so I am parceling it out in multiple posts.

Liz: Since I practice what I teach, I only write about branding and marketing. I advise all folks to limit their blogging to their niche.

Deepika: I am passionate about blogging about social media, entrepreneurship, travel, corporate culture, marketing, leadership, globalization, diversity, work life balance and tribes.

Why do you blog?

Lou: I started blogging originally to help artists and authors get the word out about their books and artwork.

Billie: One reason: I love to share information – it’s that simple…you never
know whose life you might touch through your words, your thoughts, your ideas. Not everyone can ‘afford’ a career counselor, consultant, coach, resume writer, etc…so this is my way of sharing information in a venue that makes sense to me. I expect nothing in return….well, I guess I do enjoy a comment every now and then!

Liz:
~To boost my on-line brand, presence, and visibility
~To increase search engine results
~To broaden my reach
~To recycle and reuse the information in all sorts of other media
~To stay fresh and current

Deepika: It is medium for me to express, share myself, share my experiences, insights and work with people. Most importantly it helps me develop my skills as a writer. When I started to blog, I thought I would stop at some time – but I think this is one of those things that grow on you. I am hooked.

And the fun is really to amplify some work from my network or role models – it is one place I can highlight who are the people I trust, follow and respect.

The real kicker is that I could share from my entrepreneurial adventures to cooking mishaps – I could be fully human and share from a wide range of experiences that entail living a full life. You can bring your entire personality to it. And have your community respond and connect with you “meaningfully”.


What is the one blogging tip you have to share with others?

Lou: The main blogging tip I give to others is to keep it short. When writing for the web, it’s important to write short segments. You only have a couple seconds to grab the attention of the reader and it’s good to make your blogging conversational, interesting and easy to read.

Billie: Be your very best authentic self online and write like you speak.

Liz: Write amazing, sexy headlines! Compare Financial Planning 101 to 7 Surefire Ways Guaranteed to Save You Money!

Deepika: Share Authentically – say things as they are. Don’t try to look good or make an impression. Your readers will find out that you are faking it – there is no bigger turn-off than ingenuity.

How long have you been using social media (twitter, facebook, linkedin) for your business?

Lou: I’ve been using Twitter longer than Facebook, but now I use them simultaneously.  I think I’ve been using them for almost two years.

Billie: Blogging: Four+ years
Twitter: since March 2010;
LinkedIn, about two years.

Liz: I was quick to start building my LinkedIn network and still chuckle today when someone accepts an invitation that was extended 2 years ago! I’ve only been on Facebook about a year and still mastering its power.

Deepika: Two years now. I have also launched a website www.99tribes.com that helps twitter users discover other twitter users that share similar interests.


When it comes to social media— do you prefer one platform over the others?( facebook, twitter or linked in)

Lou: I wrote a book (Ready…Set…Tweet! A Speedy Guide to Twitter) about Twitter, so I guess I should say that I prefer it. It’s a quick and easy way to reach a large group of people with your message.

Billie: Love Twitter…(and blogging)…I like how one can write a blog post, make a tweet with #in about your post and in seconds, it updates on LinkedIn. (Is that a social media trifecta?) J  Whatever it is, I like how it all works together to share a message.

Liz: I tend to be a LinkedIn girl because it is all business all the time; I find it easy and straightforward.

Deepika: I found that you can tie your blog, twitter, linkedin and facebook. So, by just focusing on your Blog you can create value for all your networks. I believe that it is important not only to have presence in all these platforms but also to focus on strategically using them to create a engaged community of users who drive value from what you share.

No one is interested in your lunch menu or your feelings – What people would like to find is something that helps them take care of their business, family or personal development concerns – it is about THEM not YOU.

Why do you like one of the others?
Lou: After I set up a page for Florida Book News on Facebook, I began using it more. When I post an announcement on the blog, I go to Facebook and let people know about the posting. They work well together.

Billie: Love Twitter because of its brevity – it’s quick, fast, now…also love how it has ‘made me’ become a ‘crisper’ writer, thinker in sharing information…and mostly, I love it because you can deliver brief chunks of information in a bite-sized format to help #jobseekers learn. (At least that is my purpose on Twitter for 99% of my tweets.) The job search is #overwhelming for many….I like how #Twitter necessitates keeping your message short/sweet within the 140 character confines. In my newest book, *Happy About the Career Alphabet, An A – Z Primer for Job Seekers of All Ages, 800+ Fast & Easy Tweet-style Tips* I wrote all 805 A – Z entries as #tweets to make it easy for job seekers to amass a large volume of knowledge about career search in a minimal amount of time (about 60 minutes) …plus I understand from my clients, this tweet-style book is very easy to read on Kindle!

Liz: Answered this question above.

Deepika:I prefer an integrated version and so particularly don’t like one over the other. I do believe video/youtube is one platform that it not used to its fullest potential.
I believe in building communities and tribes and they are focused on “shared interests” NOT “preferred platform”. People use these tools to connect but want more meaningful and personal interactions to develop lasting relationships. So, my focus is to help build relationships that last and any tools that fits the vision works.

What is one social media tip you have to share with others?

Lou: I think the best advice for social media is to be generous. Talk about others and promote others more than yourself. Post valuable, informative, entertaining information and people will follow you.

Billie: Don’t be intimidated by it…jump in, learn, do – find your voice!   In my opinion, social media is a tool, a resource… and simply a part of doing business in the 21st century. #Thanks @TeresaMorrow!

Liz: Specialize your status update to the channel. For example, sharing my traveling schedule on Twitter makes sense so that folks can attend one of my speeches in another city, but it’s less valuable on LinkedIn. On other sites, It’s all about value: share ideas, suggestions, views, or your expertise.

DeepikaSocial Media can be overwhelming but it has created a tremendous opportunity for anyone to be a leader. There is no test to pass, no permission needed. Before you needed millions of dollars to get on Television. NOW you need ten dollars to create a video. So, if you care about something, you can get up and lead.

If you are still reading this, you might want to check out my series on Social Media and Tribes on ActiveGarage.

Thank you ladies for contributing your valuable ideas and tips for the readers!

So-what would be your tips about blogging and social media? Please comment and join in the discussion.

December Content Strategies

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Mack Collier, writing at The Viral Garden, has a very informative post about how to get the most out of the blogging “lull” in December:

Use December’s blogging lull to your advantage – The Viral Garden

Here’s five ways to make the most of December’s blogging lull:

1 – Re-evaluate everything. Go back and look at what your blogging results have been for 2009. How did traffic do? Subscribers? Comments? And how did these metrics tie back to your blogging goals? Put your blogging strategy for 2009 on trial, and then tweak it for 2010. Set goals for your blog. But make sure that those goals tie back into your larger focus for your blog.

This is always good advice. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”, right? Have you done your measurement? How do you track your traffic and how your readers navigate your site? I use a combination of Sitemeter (the free service)and Google analytics. Sitemeter is great for me because it is much closer to real-time than Google, and I like to keep an eye on my referral logs.

2 – Ramp up content. David Armano advises doing this, using the Holiday vacation to push out as much if not more content than usual, with the thinking being that since many other bloggers are slacking off, your content can more easily be seen. We are going to keep looking for content to share with our networks, and if you keep creating great content while everyone else slacks off, guess whose posts will be shared with my network? Use December to increase your blogging visibility.

This is a no-brainer, but time can be an issue. Like the old saying goes, the best time to plant an orchard is 10 years ago, the best time to prepare for the December lull is earlier in the year. How do you do that? Well, for one thing you can compile your posts on book reviews as you do them, creating an uber-list for gift-giving ideas. And use those Amazon links to generate a little extra money for your own holidays…

3 – Use December to get a blogging jumpstart on 2010. Hey we all want to spend time with friends and family during the Holidays. Work in all forms seems to take a backseat…But if nothing else, use that last week of December to get your content in order to hit the ground running in January. Most people won’t begin to get back into reading blogs regularly until Jan. 4th (a Monday), and this is when many bloggers will begin to get back to writing. Use December to have at least one week’s worth of posts already written for January, so that way first thing on Monday the 4th, you’ve already got fresh content waiting on readers, while many other bloggers are thinking about getting back to writing.

Again, get out your calendars right now and jot yourself some notes for August, September, and October 2010 to write some draft posts that you can complete for that first week of 2011. Getting a head start like this is a real motivator and can help you get a jump on your competition next year. And remember, in the US November 2010 is an election for the Congress, who knows what might happen. Uncertainty will likely be highin January 2011 – think about how your business can capitalize on that.

4 – Experiment. Every year I spend the final week of the year spending time with social sites/tools that I’ve been meaning to try out, but just haven’t had the chance. … December is a great time to examine different tools and see if they work for you to complement your blogging efforts.

If you have done your homework and prepared for your December/January content, then this is a great time to play around with all of those applications that you have been meaning to try. In addition, this is great new content! Blog about your experiments, and create conversations with your readers and social media network about what works and what doesn’t.

5 – Become a commenting superhero. Remember, traffic is going to come to a crawl on many blogs. … If many people aren’t commenting, this is your chance to get noticed. And not just with other readers, but by the bloggers themselves.

Commenting is definitely one of the best network- and traffic-building strategies. It is time-consuming and feels like real work sometimes, but it can also be fun and can pay off in increased traffic for your site, increased credibility and authority for yourself/your company and may even lead to guest-posting offers.

What is your December strategy? It’s not too late to do at least a couple of these activities this year.

(cross-posted at stephenpsmith.com)

The Complete Metaphor Project Listing and Winners

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What Teachers and Learners!

What’s Your Metaphor?

When we know something well we have internalized what it’s about. That makes us flexible with our thoughts and our models. It offers us an ability to be fluent when talking about the subject. Our experience and knowledge allows us to teach others how it works.

When a concept or practice is simple, teaching is often an act of simple demonstration. When the concept or practice multi-layered or complex — when it’s process and information, people and data — sometimes a translation or a comparison that takes a person from the known to the unknown has a better chance. . . . That’s when a great metaphor comes in handy.

Thanks again to Char and Derrick for inspiring this project.

Welcome to the Complete Metaphor Project List!

Thank you all for being a part.

BONUS: 10 Winners

These ten contributors, selected randomly by a man, who paid so little attention that he doesn’t know what this contest is about, will receive an autographed copy of Lorelle’s book “Blogging Tips — What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging.”

If your blog’s name is listed below, please email me, using the subject line METAPHOR WINNER and include your email address and postal address. We’ll ship the book to you.

Congratulations to the winners!

Everyone won will all 50 metaphors! You drew unforgettable pictures with your words. Thank you, again!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Metaphors Post Four — We’re Good at This!!

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The Metaphor Project: What Fun!!

This list is the fourth set of metaphors you’ve sent. I’ve gathered all I could find in every corner where they might have come together. I’ve visited most and hope to read the rest today. Each one I read makes the experience even better.

To think that Derrick’s Pizza Makers and Char’s Famer’s Market got this whole thing going is quite the statement of how the blogosphere works. A great idea takes hold and gets growing — each one inspiring another.

Check this new batch out and pass them along to your readers. The more ways we look at blogging the better we’ll be able to explain it when we need to.

Oh, I hope I found them all.

Because this project spread so quickly and not all links are making their way to me, if you’ve written a metaphor and you’re not on the list, please email me a link.

This weekend, when I’m sure that I have them all together with none missed, I’ll compile the entire lot into one list. (If you sneak one in late I’ll add you, you know that.) That’s when I’ll announce the winners of the ten copies of Blogging Tips That Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging by Lorelle VanFossen.

Thank you for all of the submissions to The “What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?” Group Writing Project.

In respect and gratitude to all who took part and all who blog, here’s my metaphor:

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

The First Submissions: Your Blogging Metaphors

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The Metaphor Project: What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?

When a nonblogger asks, “What is a blog?’ How do you answer? Have you tried using a metaphor? Would you mind sharing yours? A few bloggers have.

The first submissions are in. Like the blogs they come from, each metaphor is a unique representation of the writer. We see blogs almost everywhere. They are a County Fair. They’re underwater. They’re a line of koalas. Like life, blogging seems to lend itself to metaphorical explanation — maybe more easily than it does to a straightforward definition.

These are the first submissions to The “What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?” Group Writing Project. I’ve discovered some great new blog writers and fun ways to talk about blogs. Just look at the titles! Check them out and pass them along to your readers. The more ways we look at blogging the better we’ll be able to explain it when we need to.

Let’s find some more.

Because this project spread so quickly and not all links are making their way to me, if you’ve written a metaphor and you’re not on the list, please email me a link. If you’ve already done that before noon on May 31, please forgive me and send it again. (I had dental surgery yesterday . . .)

Be a Part of the Project

So, what’s your blogging metaphor? Join the project. There’s still time to be a part – I’ll keep adding to this list until June 5th at Midnight Chicago time (GMT-6hrs.) Here’s the original post for the background — the whats and the hows.

C’mon tell us. How would you explain blogging to someone who knew nothing about it? What’s your blogging metaphor?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.