Successful Blog

7:00 – Becky McCray on Successful Entrepreneurship

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. Relationships with customers, employees, colleagues, coworkers, builders, contractors, developers, and CUSTOMERS — in the form of readers, buyers, clients, and others — are the success of any business.

How do we form the best relationships; bring our best to them; build environments that nurture them; and measure our success?

Join the Comment Box Conference. Ask questions. Discuss answers. Meet people in the comment box. Find out.

Becky McCray

Becky McCray is a small town entrepreneur with boatload of experience online and off. Becky has worked as an antiques dealer, city administrator, nonprofit executive and newspaper reporter. Listen to her talk small business, and you’ll know she brought something to and took some from every career step and life step she’s made.

Currently, Becky is the co-owner of a small town retail liquor store and small cattle ranch. As a consultant, she helps small businesses to maintain their web presence and helps city governments with project management and grant writing.

Today Becky’s focus is

Successful Entrepreneurship

  • Redefining failure and learning from mistakes.
  • Positioning yourself as an expert.
  • Learning to brag on your successes.

Ask me anything about going into business. Small towns – they’re where it’s at!

Becky McCray is a small town entrepreneur. She writes Small Biz Survival about small business and rural issues, based on her own successes and failures. She is the co-owner of a small town retail liquor store and small cattle ranch, and is a consultant to her surrounding small town governments.
Follow @BeckyMcCray at Twitter.

6:00 – Vicky H on Writing for the Web

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. Relationships with customers, employees, colleagues, coworkers, builders, contractors, developers, and CUSTOMERS — in the form of readers, buyers, clients, and others — are the success of any business.

How do we form the best relationships; bring our best to them; build environments that nurture them; and measure our success?

Join the Comment Box Conference. Ask questions. Discuss answers. Meet people in the comment box. Find out.

Vicky H

Vicky H explains the role of technology in parenting this way at her site, Remarkable Parents :
Our site will help you make better use of your precious time. We will help you become more organized and productive. This will enable you to be part of the conversation, instead of fighting it.

“Because … technology tools aren’t just for teens. Adults are using them to connect with each other, to learn new things, and to be more productive at home and at work!”

Technology is not going away and the web is not going anywhere. … Our kids, in this era, have never experienced life without computers. We have some catching up to do, and this is where Remarkable Parents comes in.

Vicky H will be talking about

Writing for the Web

  • Blogging: It’s More than Writing.
  • They Don’t Read, They Skim
  • Monitoring the Conversation?
  • Why Is the Web different?
  • What’s so great about URLs?

Ask this remarkable mom your questions.

Vicky has worked in higher education field for more than 10 years experienced on both the academic side and the Information Technology/administrative side of the college. Vicky writes at Remarkable Parents where she shows parents how to keep with the technology that is part of their children’s world.
Follow @eeUS at Twitter.

5:00 – John Haydon on Social Media and Trust Online

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. Relationships with customers, employees, colleagues, coworkers, builders, contractors, developers, and CUSTOMERS — in the form of readers, buyers, clients, and others — are the success of any business.

How do we form the best relationships; bring our best to them; build environments that nurture them; and measure our success?

Join the Comment Box Conference. Ask questions. Discuss answers. Meet people in the comment box. Find out.

John Haydon

John Haydon is the Social Media Coach and Publisher of CorporateDollar.Org and his fans describe him well. In the words of Rebecca Leaman of Wild Apricot, “John speaks directly to the needs and interests of small nonprofits.” Chris Garrett, Co-author of Problogger agrees “John’s short ebook gets straight to the point and only shows you the most authentic and ethical techniques, keeping the ‘social’ in social media! I would recommend it to anyone, profits and non-profits alike.”

John’s focus today is

Social Media and Trust Online

  • Social Proof -Book marking, testimonials, number of comments, number of subscribers, community involvement.
  • Consistency – Sticking around for years.
  • Being Honest – Just being who you are.
  • Being Afraid
  • Not Worrying — about what other folks are doing

John has had experience with relationships online. “John absolutely knows his Twittering.” – Michael Martine, Remarkablogger.com

John Haydon is sharing his social media common sense at Socialize your non-profit’s social media where you can learn about all facets of the using the social web for your profit or nonprofit organization.
Follow @johnhaydon at Twitter.

4:00 – Easton Ellsworth on Visionary Blogging Improvements

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. Relationships with customers, employees, colleagues, coworkers, builders, contractors, developers, and CUSTOMERS — in the form of readers, buyers, clients, and others — are the success of any business.

How do we form the best relationships; bring our best to them; build environments that nurture them; and measure our success?

Join the Comment Box Conference. Ask questions. Discuss answers. Meet people in the comment box. Find out.

Easton Ellsworth

Easton Ellsworth New Media Consultant is the founder of Visionary Blogging, which advises entrepreneurs and businesses on how to use blogs and social media tools with a better sense of strategy in order to generate superior results. He especially loves using the social Web to change the offline world, which he tried to do as assistant event coordinator for Blog Action Day 2008.

Easton is bringing information on

Visionary Blogging Improvements

How to Improve Your Blogger Attributes, Blogging Skills and Your Blog Itself

  1. Helping others think about and use blogs and social media tools with a strong sense of vision and purpose
  2. Writing blog content that generates results that help your business’s bottom line
  3. Creating an integrated blog/social media strategy
  4. Generating buzz for an online event using blogs and social media
  5. Monitoring the blogosphere and social media websites for maximum awareness of a subject.

Easton’s experience ranges from personal blogs to a huge network. He’s helped us all in some way.

Easton currently writes for The Blog Herald and serves as a promoter and community leader for BlogCatalog and Bloggers Unite. Easton lives near Denver, Colorado with his wife and three children.Follow @easton at Twitter.

3:00 – Mary-Lynn Foster on Podcast and Blog Interviewing Tips

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. Relationships — with customers, employees, colleagues, coworkers, builders, contractors, developers, and CUSTOMERS, in the form of readers, buyers, clients, and others — are the success of any business. How do we form, them; bring our best to them; build environments that nurture them; and measure our success? That’s what this Comment Box Conference is about.

Mary-Lynn Foster

Mary-Lynn has spent 19 years in the radio broadcasting industry, and has had the joy of hosting every shift, in many formats, in five markets. At one time, she co-hosted mornings and hosted mid-days on one station, while simultaneously serving as the Production Director for all five stations in my employer’s group.

Currently, Mary-Lynn is building her own brand in new media, and tapping into her own entrepreneurial spirit as the Vice President and Executive Producer of Bigg Success (biggsucces.com).

Podcast and Blog Interviewing Tips

I have been conducting interviews for 19 years, from when I was a radio show host, to being the co-host on The Bigg Success Show. Over the course of my interviewing years, I have talked with celebrities, news makers, officials, authors, bloggers, experts and more.

An interview is a great way to give your listeners or readers a treat! It is important to keep your audience in mind while conducting an interview, since you are their voice. Here are some tips to ensure your next interview is a home run.

Looking for an interview

  • Make sure the interview topic will resonate with your audience. How can you make the topic fit your format.
  • Look for timely interviews to increase your chances of getting it…i.e. your interviewee has a new book coming out, or has launched a new program.

Requesting an interview

  • Keep your interview request short and sweet. Tell them who you are, why you are seeking them out, what topic(s) you would like to talk about, tell them how much time you’ll need, suggest some times.
  • When suggesting times, keep time zone’s in mind. I usually suggest times and capitalize CENTRAL.

Preparing for the interview

  • Do your homework! Read the book, look for information about your guest online, read their about page on, look for what they have been talking about lately on their blog or in social media.
    • Is there a recent study or news story that ties into your interview topic that you can get your interviewee’s take on?
    • Have a couple solid questions on your topic prepared. Have a couple light-hearted, personal questions to ask as well. It’s always good to bring out your interviewee’s personality.
    • Create a checklist for your interview that includes: time, number to call, your guests introduction, and your questions.
    • Do you know the correct pronunciation for your guests name? Be sure to ask before you begin the interview.

    During the interview

    • Have a conversation. If you don’t get to ask all of your prepared questions, that’s fine!
    • Listen attentively. Your interviewee’s answers will provide you with great follow-up questions.
    • You’ve done your homework, so just relax and have a conversation!
      If you don’t understand a point your interviewee has made, chances are your audience will not either, so don’t be afraid to ask him / her to elaborate.
    • Be careful that YOU aren’t telling the story. Let your interviewee tell the story. Katie Couric did a great with this in her recent 60 minutes interview with Captain “Sully” Sullenberger. She knew he’d said the words “brace for impact.” But during the interview, she said “when you were about to land in the Hudson River, you said only 3 words to your crew and passengers, what were they?”
    • Thank your guest for being on your show / blog.

    Follow up

    • Provide your guest with the link once you have posted their interview, and thank him / her again.

    That’s it! Now let’s talk about it. What questions can I answer for you? What tips do you have to offer?

    Interview Mary-Lynn on her techniques. Go ahead ask!

    Mary-Lynn Foster is an 18-year veteran in radio broadcasting. She is the executive producer and co-host of The Bigg Success Show. She also offers professional voice over and audio production services at Bigg Studio.

    2:00 – Andy Sernovitz on Amazing Word of Mouth for Your Blog

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    The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. Relationships with customers, employees, colleagues, coworkers, builders, contractors, developers, and CUSTOMERS — in the form of readers, buyers, clients, and others — are the success of any business.

    How do we form the best relationships; bring our best to them; build environments that nurture them; and measure our success?

    Join the Comment Box Conference. Ask questions. Discuss answers. Meet people in the comment box. Find out.

    Andy Sernovitz

    Andy Sernovitz is author of “Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking” and CEO of the Blog Council.

    He is President Emeritus of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, teaches word of mouth marketing at Northwestern University, and is CEO of GasPedal. An 18-year veteran of the interactive marketing business, Andy has spent years helping the biggest brands and hundreds of entrepreneurs learn how to do better marketing. He taught entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of Business, ran a business incubator, and started half a dozen companies. Today, Andy will let us in on the secrets of

    Amazing Word of Mouth for Your Blog

    • Word Of Mouth Marketing
    • Ethics and Disclosure
    • Crazy Cool Buzz
    • Dealing with Negative Word of Mouth
    • Offline Promotion of Your Blog
    Andy’s name is synonmous with Word of Mouth Marketing. He writes about it and companies that do it well at Damn, I Wish I Thought of That
    Follow @sernovitz at Twitter.