The Myth of ‘Great Content’ Marketing Itself
One of the common misconceptions that some new bloggers start out with is that in order to find readers for their blog all they’ll have to do is regularly write quality content.
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3 Mind Power Techniques to Become A Better Blogger
A Guest Post by Steve Martile from Freedom Education.
It’s normal to have a bad day, right? Well sure. But what if you have a bad week or a bad month?
I’ve been blogging for just over a year. And if there is one thing that I’ve learned is that you’ve got to be consistent. You’ve got to be consistently putting in an effort to build your blog. It won’t build itself.
So what about those bad days?
I’ve had them and they’re no good. You want to bounce back quickly. Get out of that rut. The quicker the better. So you can get back to blogging, life and other things.
And it all begins with the proper mindset. Here are 3 Mind Power Techniques to Become a Better Blogger:
Mind Power Technique #1: Overcome Writers Block With A Physical Change
When you’re writing and you get stuck, do this. Get up, walk around and sit in a different spot. See your screen from a different point of view. Sit in a different location and gain a new perspective.
Sound to hokey?
You see one thing that’s true for anyone is that a change in your mindset will change your physiology - your body posture, facial expressions, etc. When you think new thoughts, the chemicals in your brain change. But what many people don’t know is that the opposite is also true. A change in your physiology will also change the chemistry in your mind.
This the same reason why some writers will use exercise as a way to gain […] Read more »
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How to Boost your Business by Developing Bulletproof Trust
A Guest Post by Johnny B. Truant writes from Learn to Be Your Own V.A
The other day, while we were on the phone, a client sent me $500 via PayPal for a series of tech consultations. Toward the end of the call, I noticed that I hadn’t received the money. She thought for sure that she had sent it, but offered straightaway to make the payment again.
I said, “Maybe you want to wait. I mean, what if you’re paying me twice?”
And she said, “Oh, I trust you.”
Which was a really interesting thing to say, given that this was the first time I was speaking to this woman. We had never met in person; she didn’t have my address or phone number; I hadn’t exchanged more than three or four random emails with her. For all intents and purposes, neither of us knew who the other was. But the more I thought about it, this kind of thing happens all the time. Most of my clients never hear my voice. Few have the slightest idea where I live or what my background is, and I’ve only been truly visible online for maybe six months. Yet over and over and over again, people pay me in advance for work they’d like me to do.
It kind of destroys the paradigm of the internet being a skeptical place.
So I thought about it: Why, in a realm where Verisign has to vouch for the security of a website, will customers pay some merchants in […] Read more »
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Microsoft Lobbyists Meet to Thwart Google; Politics as Usual Ensues
Daily Finance, an AOL site, is reporting that Microsoft’s lobbyists hold weekly meetings where the discussion revolves around taking on Google. In attendance are consultants and others who oppose Google. The meetings have become known as “screw Google” meetings by DC insiders.
I used to work in politics. I used to work in DC. These type of meetings happen all the time, in all sorts of industries and with all sorts of issues. It’s not a Microsoft or Google thing. It’s not a Democrat or Republican thing. It’s a politics thing.
Google lobbyists meet to discuss Microsoft, I would assume. If they don’t, then Google should fire them for being crappy at their job.
Move on, there’s nothing to see here. Just politics as usual in the nation’s capital.
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Proposed Bill to Give White House Authority to Control Internet in Emergency
A proposed Bill in the U.S. Senate would give the White House control of the internet in the case of emergency. The bill, S.773 introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Olympia Snow (R-ME) is pretty vague, which is alarming to internet companies and civil rights groups alike.
According to CNET, the bill would allow the White House to declare cybersecurity emergencies. It also allows the government to choose which internet companies they deem “critical.” These companies would then be subject to regulations surrounding hiring employees, information that would need to be disclosed and when the government could take over their network.
What do you think of this bill? Let us know by leaving a comment.
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Facebook to Update Privacy Practices in Response to Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Facebook has been working with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to come up with solutions to concerns that the office has. The updates will take up to 12 months to implement and involve three types of adjustments.
New Notifications
Facebook will work to encourage users to review their privacy settings. The goal is to help members make sure that they’re aware of the default settings and to change the settings to reflect their own preferences.
Additions to Facebook’s Privacy Policy
Facebook’s Privacy Policy will be updated to provide descriptions of a number of privacy practices. Included will be reasons for date of birth data collection, account memorialization for deceased users, the difference between deactivation and deletion and how Facebook’s advertising programs work.
These updates will be subject to a notice and comment period by Facebook members.
Technical changes for third-party data collection
A new permissions model will require third-party applications to inform users about which types of information they want to access. It will also require third parties to get consent before data is shared. Users will have to approve access to their friends’ information. However, friend data would still be protected by their individual privacy settings.
What do you think of Facebook’s plans for privacy updates? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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Bing Offers Up Image Optimization Tips
Over on the Bing blog, Todd Schwartz is offering up some tips on optimizing your photos and graphics for image search. Schwartz says that Bing’s top image developer recommends the following:
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How I Offended Former Australian Cricket Captain Allan Border… and Why that Makes me a Better Blogger Today
A Guest Post by Pamela Wilson from WriteSmart.
When I was a second-year cadet journalist on an Australian newspaper, my chief-of-staff gave me a coveted assignment. ‘I need you to interview Australian cricket captain Allan Border for a story about daylight savings,’ he said.
I grabbed my pen and notebook (both sporting L-plates) and reached for the phone, but in my heart I knew the esteemed Allan Border would never speak to a cub reporter about daylight savings.
I made a few phone calls anyway and discovered he was playing in the Sheffield Match in South Australia at the time. I was convinced now; there was no way he was going to interrupt a cricket match to talk to me.
Like a dog with a month-old bone, however, I called the Adelaide Oval and was put through to a young guy in the change-rooms. ‘Sure, you can talk to Allan. Here he comes now, he’s just finished batting,’ he said.
Picking myself up off the floor and stifling a swear word I promised my Grade 10 teacher I would never repeat, I racked my brain for what to say. You see, I had been so convinced I wouldn’t get to speak to Allan Border that I hadn’t done a scrap of research, nor prepared a single question.
Had I done the research I would have known that he was 3-1/2 years into what would be a four-year Test century drought for him, and I would never, ever, ever have said what I said next. (In my […] Read more »
What Was Really Burning On Google UK HQ Rooftop?
Apparently there was a fire on the rooftop of the Google UK headquarters, according to various reports.
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Aussies! Join Me at MarketingNow Conference in Melbourne [Now FREE]
If you’re in Melbourne Australia (or can get here) on 22-23 September you should check out the Marketing Now conference. I’ve mentioned it previously but since doing so there have been some changes.
Previously this conference was $1000+ to attend - the organizers were going to donate the profits to charity. However they’ve rethought things and have decided to go with a new approach. It’s now FREE - on the condition that you make a $100 donation to charity.
The speaker list is pretty cool and the agenda is one that I think many will find useful.
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