Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Twitter: How to Pre-Schedule Future Tweets - Social Media Coaching

"Twitter: How to Pre-Schedule Future Tweets

by guest blogger Eric Herberholz

Often asked is how to best reach and engage your audience via Twitter.
The answer is twofold, in my opinion, (1) choose your words carefully so as to best capture the essence of the message to make it compelling AND (2) include a call to action.

Since the readership of your tweet (your followers, for the most part) is done serendipitously, you can not always be sure that your message will be read. In any case, a good idea may be to time the post (tweet) for lunch time or at the end of the day, when your followers might be taking a break from their work, and dipping into the Twitter stream.

So, you could pre-schedule your tweets. There are several tools to do this with. For example, here are some articles that review these tools:

'7 Ways To Schedule Future Tweets In Twitter' (techie-buzz.com)
'5 Free Services for Pre-Scheduling Your Twitter Updates' (Mashable)
'10 Apps To Schedule Future Tweets on Twitter' (SocialTimes.com)
'11 Websites to Schedule Your Tweets Online for Free' (www.twitip.com)"

Monday, May 30, 2011

9 Ways To Increase Your Productivity While Working From Home

9 Ways To Increase Your Productivity While Working From Home

Nellie Akalp is CEO of CorpNet.com, her second incorporation filing service based on her strong passion to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs in starting and protecting their business. She has formed more than 100,000 corporations and LLCs across the U.S. To learn more about Nellie and see how she can help your business get off the ground quickly and affordably, please visit here.

Whether telecommuting or freelancing, more and more professionals are trading in the cubicle for the home office. We hear all about the perks of the work from home lifestyle — no long commutes, more time with family, conference calls in pajamas, etc. But what about the challenges? It’s not always easy to stay productive in the face of countless distractions.

If you’re working from home, chances are you’re a freelancer, consultant, or small business owner. This means your ability to get paid is directly tied to how productive you are. As a freelancer, wasting time equals wasting money.

Here are some tips on how to stay focused as you move through the workday, while still enjoying all the unique benefits of working at home.

1. Respect Your Own Time

When you work at an office, family and friends seem to naturally respect your schedule. But when you’re working from home, you’ll inevitably get calls at 11:00 a.m. or be expected to handle the daily errands. I’m not saying you shouldn’t wait for the cable appointment or chat on the phone, but be mindful of how easy it is to have time ripped from your workday.

It’s important to set boundaries, if needed. People will respect your schedule, only if you respect it first.

2. Impose Time Limits on Specific Tasks

It’s easy to become distracted, particularly when dealing with a task that’s challenging or a bit dull. If you find yourself losing focus, tell yourself to dedicate just 15 more minutes to the task on hand. Knowing there’s an end in sight might inject new energy into the project. And if not, move on to something else and return to it when you’re in a better mindset.

3. Set Strict Deadlines

Ever wonder why you’re ultra productive when facing a tight deadline, while a simple task can take hours to complete? You might chalk this up to working well under pressure, but it could also be Parkinsons Law, which basically states that a task will expand to fill the time you can give it. Combat this phenomenon by imposing your own deadlines for specific tasks. These can be as complicated as finishing a proposal or as simple as responding to a client email.

4. Log Off for “Power Productivity” Hours

Digital distractions aren’t just limited to Facebook and YouTube. For most, the daily barrage of emails and IMs from friends and colleagues ends up being the day’s biggest time sink. If you’re stuck in your inbox, dedicate chunks of the day when you unplug from your phone and email to get work done. You can log back on afterward and power through the necessary responses.

5. Delineate Your Workspace

Ideally you can have an area dedicated as your office (and preferably with a door so you can shut out unwanted distractions). Creating boundaries not only helps you be more productive "at work," but also helps you decompress during your personal time.

6. Slowing Down? Change Your Environment

If you find yourself stuck (and you’ve already tried the “just 15 more minutes” tactic), change your environment. Go work at the cafĂ© for an hour, or brainstorm at the park. A change in scenery can spark new ideas and give you newfound focus.

7. Conduct a Time Audit

Ever finish up the day and wonder where your time went? If you’re self-employed, it’s important to understand exactly how you’re using your time. Every so often, conduct a detailed audit of your day and keep track of what you did and how long it took. These audits can reveal great insights into your daily workflow and can help you make adjustments where needed — whether it’s getting help for your bookkeeping, dropping an overly demanding client, or condensing multiple trips to the grocery store.

8. Create Task Lists

I tend to have multiple lists running at any given time. One list keeps track of longer term goals (for example, the projects I need to complete by the end of the week or month). Then each morning I also create a focused outline for the day’s tasks. Try to keep your daily list as realistic and uncluttered as possible. Nothing can sap your motivation like staring at an overly ambitious list full of items you can’t possibly complete.

9. Make Your Breaks Count

Whether you’re working at home or in the office, it’s not possible to stay focused for hours on end. Breaks are an integral part of the workday, but make sure your free time counts. Have you ever denied yourself a trip to the gym or lunch with a friend “because you’re too busy?”

Chances are that on that very same day, you spent well over an hour browsing eBay, watching TV, looking at Facebook, checking your online bank account, or organizing your medicine cabinet. Busy work doesn’t accomplish anything and won’t recharge your batteries. So take your dog for a hike, take an actual lunch, or do whatever you enjoy. You’ll not only end up being happier, but more productive as well.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Medina Grand not so grand [Adelaide hotel offers patchy service]

I just love my visits to Adelaide BUT really, as an international city you should scratch visiting on a Sunday.

I arrived from Perth at 10 pm to find it SHUT!! Even the Casino meals were relegated to vending machines between 10 and 6 am...
.
Medina Grand Adelaide

On arrival at the Medina Grand Adelaide from the airport I was greeted by RAIN and a cold chill wind. The front door was closed. Not a good sign and the bell was ignored. Just 1 night staff is always a problem and the young man assigned to the desk was less than helpful.

I travel heavy and he assigned me to a room the other side of the hotel. "How do I get my luggage there?" I enquired... He offered to bring "later"... if that was OK... I said it wasn't and started to take it myself.

He shouted at me... "I will do it SIR!!" but I was by this time cold, a little wet and needing sustenance so I refused his help and carted my luggage to the room...

I was expecting the worst but WOW what a room -Suite 70 - it was as good a room/apartment as I have stayed in in years. Pity about the young night clerk.

Room service was the next port of call... oops!! it finished at 9pm!! Geez are these guys for real 9pm!! A hotel this standard surely should have 24 hour room service.

I love an early start but what Hotel. catering for the business market thinks we get up at 7?? The restaurant didn't open until 7!! but we could have "cornflakes and milk" in the room.

Why was I here?? Well I was presenting my Facebook for Business session. I expected and prepare for the worst of service as the Meeting Room as in the "basement." I have been to venues where the meeting rooms are in the Basement - a better explanation would be the dungeon.

WOW What a surprise. A great room and a great convention attendant Haydon!! The meeting went without a hitch and I was impressed...

So, if you are looking Medina Grand Adelaide - fix the night reception it isn't up to your standard. Put an extra staff member on [add a $1  a room] and how about some "room service.."

Rating: the experience 4/10 the room 8/10 the function team [Haydon] 10/10 total 7/10 but guys - you can do better!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Facebook for Business Sessions

Join the revolution... your customers already have!
The Facebook community would be the world's third largest country with nearly 700 million members!
Already 9 million Australians have Facebook accounts
and these people buy online every second...

Question: Shouldn't your business be
sharing in this latest Internet goldrush 

... this is not a regular workshop, so take advantage NOW

There are more citizens of Facebook than every other country than India and China, but will Facebook really help grow your business? For many businesses the answer is yes, but how to achieve success may not be clear.

Whether you are starting up your business or already have a well established, having a Facebook business page is probably one of the cheapest and possibly most effective ways of growing your business.

Maybe your competition is already doing it... so you need to act quickly and get into the Facebook revolution... and maybe you have missed the boat? then it's time to Think Again!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Which Wolf Wins??

Hear is a story that apply to every day life ....

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a debate that goes on inside people. He said,"My son, the battle between two wolves is inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

The grandson thought about this for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." 


Thanks to Theuns Serfontein on Facebook for the Great story

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Twitter Users

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Twitter Users


1. They Listen First
Good Twitter users will listen to what others are saying, and then join the conversation. Why is listening first so important? You will not add nearly as much value to your followers, or the conversations without it. If you’re not listening, you’re butting in.
2. They Give More than They Expect to Get
The best Tweeters out there give far more than they get. They are constantly passing on interesting items, telling a witty story or using the medium in new and interesting ways. They tweet to give value, not just get value.
3. They Promote Others
Look around at some of the most followed and well respected Twitter users out there – they are promoting others far more than they promote themselves. This builds community and trust, and allows them to promote themselves once in a while and actually have someone listen.
4. They “Mix it Up”
Variety is the spice of life, and it’s no different in Twitter-World. Sharing stories, passing along links, videos, and pictures is a great way to keep it fresh for those who follow you.
5. They Are Interactive
Twitter is a conversation, and most conversations tend to flow better when it’s a two way street. Great Tweeters ask questions, “poll” their audience, take suggestions, and create conversation.
6. They are “Goldilocks” Tweeters
Much like the fairy tail of Goldilocks, effective Twitter users know that there is a “just right” amount of Tweets. They aren’t bombarding their following, yet they have a presence.
7. They Never “Flame" Other Users
In the land of “follow-unfollow” effective Twitter users never get into verbal altercations with someone they are following. If someone is doing or saying something they don’t agree with, they just hit that “unfollow” button and move on.
Try incorporating these 7 habits of highly effective Twitter users and see if it changes your experience for the better. Also, be sure to seek out those demonstrating these habits as people to follow, they will enrich your Twitter experience as well.

For more see: http://smallbizbee.com/index/2009/07/21/habits-highly-effective-twitter/ 

7 Hot Twitter Tips & Trends for 2011

Found these amazing tips at: 7 Hot Twitter Tips & Trends for 2011

Microblogging service Twitter has exploded in growth, with the Huffington Post reporting that it surpassed 100 million registered users in early 2010.[1] Certainly, many accounts are no longer being accessed, but the number of new users seems to be pushing up traffic at a rapid pace perhaps doubling in the past year alone.
Twitter has fewer than one-fifth the number of users than Facebook, but the two social media juggernauts seem to offer little direct competition with each other. With 300,000 new accounts created daily, Twitter’s growth appears only limited by the number of people in the world who have Internet access.
Twitter enthusiasts are always keeping tabs on the latest trends to stay well positioned while tweeting. It isn’t enough to have 50,000 active followers or cull through your list of followers to “unfollow” inactive accounts — to stay front and center, Twitter fanatics must react quickly to even the most fleeting trends or risk missing an opportunity to increase their visibility.
The following is our list of some of today’s hottest Twitter trends:
1. Promoted Trends — You’ve seen them for some time and they’re still hot: promoted trends from the rich, the famous and the not so ordinary. Adweek says Twitter is charging more than $100,000 per advertiser per day for promoted tweets and will be raising its rates this year. Get in on a “bargain” if you have the cash because rates may soon approach the $300,000 and more being charged by YouTube and Yahoo.
2. Field Questions — Businesses are wising up the usefulness of scheduling sessions on Twitter with key company executives who allow followers to ask questions and supply relevant answers. Your only chance to speak with the CEO doesn’t have to be at the annual shareholder meeting.
3. Damage Control — Companies who are getting hammered by negative publicity have learned to use Twitter to manage crises. UPS has had to respond quickly to negative consumer sentiment, using customer service personnel to direct people to positive comments said on other blogs and websites instead of always pointing people to a company statement. Monitoring what people are saying is deepening Twitter trend.
4. Hashtag Heaven — Twitter experts understand the workings of hashtags and carefully select the ones important to them. Hashtags are used by Twitter to arrange search results; daily monitoring of the ones in your industry can help you plan you as you plan your tweeting campaign.
5. Fab Photos — People love photos and are sharing them across Twitter, including pictures unrelated to their own industries. This trend serves to do two things: 1), expand your reach beyond your current followers and 2), put a personal touch on your social media presence.
6. Retweet Requests — The days of asking people for unbridled retweets are over. The occasional one is fine, but the trend these days is to simply tweet what you want, retweet what you like and ask for help on special occasions. Geoff Livingston wrestles with retweet requests and believes that full disclosure is necessary only when commercial tweets are involved.
7. Private Messages – Always under the radar because only you and the person you are in touch with directly know what you’re saying, private messages are the weapon to be used on special occasions to let people know you’re following them or to share a direct message. If you’re a business, you MUST use this option to communicate directly when a customer has a question or a comment. Neglecting this aspect can have you doing a lot of “#3” if you’re not careful.
Not everyone “gets” Twitter, but for those who do it can be a great way to stay in touch, offering ease of use comparable to text messaging. The fifth anniversary of Twitter’s launch is in July 2011 and by then most of these tips and trends will have to be modified again.

References

[1] Huffington Post: Twitter User Statistics REVEALED
[2] Geoff Livingston: Please Retweet This