Dive into the archives.
- Surprise!!! Social Media (and Life) Is NOT A Competition
Spend a few minutes browsing through recent headlines about social media and you will most likely be left with the impression that all of the networks are in a fierce competition with each other. Facebook is the king, with more paticipants than any other. Twitter recently boasted that its users are posting an average of 50 million updates a day. Google Buzz burst onto the scene and the pundits immediately pitted it against the others in comparisons and contrasts. The list goes on and on, with countless also-rans and quickly-developed newcomers waiting in the wings, all hoping to compete for your membership and usage.
Zoom in and take a closer look within the individual social networks and you will witness users clamoring for significant increases in followers and friends, regularly checking numbers and trying a myriad of techniques to grow their counts to what those who are paying attention might call ‘respectable’. Tools that rate, rank and grade feed the frenzy and give us all the ability to measure our success in order to insure that we are doing things ‘correctly’.
A few weeks back I got involved in a conversation on Twitter in which another user (identity to remain anonymous) was tweeting complaints to TwitterGrader (a tool that ranks users based on an algorithm that goes beyond simple numbers). This person was upset because they have almost twice as many followers and updates as I do, yet TwitterGrader listed me in the top 5 in my city while leaving him somewhere further down the list. I told him it really didn’t matter and that this whole thing is not a competition, to which he responded vehemently, “EVERYTHING is a competition! LIFE is a competition!”
Really? Is that the world we live in?
- Is “Good Design” In The Eye Of The Beholder?
I’ve seen quite a few articles and blog posts recently discussing “good design” and “bad design”. It got me thinking about the concept, along with the various categorizations and judgments we who operate under the title “designer” place so easily on the work of others. Is not the determination of whether or not an object of design is deserving of the title “good” a subjective one, formed by preferences and/or opinions? Or is there, in fact, a set of standards or guidelines written in stone somewhere that all design can and should adhere to?
- Don’t Let Your Bad Attitude Or Ethics Ruin It For The Rest Of Us!
The other night my wife and I went to our eldest daughter’s high school basketball game to cheer her on. We took our regular spot up at the top of the bleachers so we could lean back against the wall rather than slouching on the hard wood for the entire game. As we settled in, we noticed a few parents from the other team had the same idea and were setting up camp about 15 feet away. We commenced with the standard smile and nod acknowledgements and then turned our attention to the beginning of the contest. What transpired over the next hour inspired a range of emotions, from anger to frustration to disappointment. And I’m not talking about what happened on the court.
- Social Media Strategy Minus Human Engagement = Business Fail
Last night I went to my daughter’s first Freshman Chorus concert. Of course, my little girl’s voice stood out among the pack, but the beautiful sound of angelic voices blending perfectly together was wonderfully soothing and enjoyable, even though the majority of the songs they were singing were remarkably antiquated and, in my opinion, emotionally sterile. As a musician myself, I am admittedly a bit of a snob, but this was more about a lack of connection with and passion for what the songs were about. Each selection, including the big finale splattered with corny unison hand claps in what I guess was an attempt to display enthusiasm, left me disappointed for my daughter’s personal musical progression. Afterward we discussed the differences between singing well and singing with a passionate desperation from the depth of your soul. This is a perpetual rant for me, and one my family is probably exhausted with. But every time we sit through an American Idol show, or hear another sticky sweet pop song on the radio, or encounter anything else that pits passion against perfection, I can see that they get it, and that’s important to me as their father. If there is one thing I most want my children to carry with them throughout their lives, it is an intrinsic understanding that the pursuit of their passion is primary and that without it they will not only never be completely content, but they will also fall short of giving the world their very best.
At this juncture you are probably wondering what any of this has to do with the title of this post. Don’t worry. I didn’t use the title to lure you here to listen to me rant about musical integrity and passion, or how proud I am of my children. The point is this: whether it’s your own personal endeavors, or your business pursuits, or your new social media strategy, I believe you can only get so far on just doing it well. Without real, personal, passionate human interaction, your end result will always be limited.
- How to Best Promote Your Brand Using Social Media: 10 Top Tips and Ideas!
Whether we like it or not, people – customers- are and will always be the main focal point of any marketing, promotional and research and development efforts. They are, as the quote above clearly indicates, the real assets of any business with which it can’t operate or function without. Therefore, when considering the best practices for promoting any brand or product, through social media or offline, the first thing the company has to consider is its target audience, in terms of demographics, education, backgrounds, likes, dislikes and so on and so forth.
Yet, since the simple marketing mix theory consists of 4 main elements: product, place, promotion and price, the tricky part is figuring out the right mix that suits a liquid medium such as social media.
Therefore, this article will discuss, in details, the best 10 top tips and ideas that can help steer a brand towards success and away from mistakes that might lead to utter failure and losses!
- My Number One Key to Success as a Freelancer
In my wanderings around the internet and especially on social media channels, I have been privy to an abundance of very helpful articles and blogs providing a bevy of tips and tutorials and advice for freelancers. As a full-time freelance graphic and web designer myself, I have benefited from quite a few of these articles, discovering everything from software to accounting practices to pricing advice to freelance peers. As has been my practice from the time the internet became commonplace, I have been continuing my education and strengthening my skills and business thanks to the authors and research that is being offered.
In considering what I could offer to the plethora of knowledge as an experienced and reasonably successful freelancer, I realized that the most important contributor to my achievements has been my passion. My skills have been and continue to be acquired and honed along the way. My education – mostly self-taught – has no end and is driven by my desire for infinite increase in knowledge and understanding. My financial investment has been minimal, if almost non-existent.
But my passionate desire to make a living and provide for my family by doing what I love instead of pursuing something that gives me a nice paycheck with little or no personal satisfaction or fulfillment is the primary reason I am doing it today.
- How To Build Your Online Presence On The Cheap – Step 6: The Do-It-Yourself Website Plugins
In this 6th installment we will briefly go through the process of installing and setting up plugins, as well as some recommendations for which ones to use. This will not be an exhaustive study of what will work best, but instead it should get you started on adding some key functionality and enhancements to your site that will contribute to the growth of your online presence.
- Monthly Mother Lode of MacDaddy Links: August 2009
This is it – you’ve struck the Mother Lode of MacDaddy links! All my Delicious bookmarks from August 2009 compiled and somewhat organized by subject matter. Not claiming to be the TOP links of the month (whatever that is) but these are links I have saved to my own personal bookmarks because I have found them valuable and useful.
- How To Build Your Online Presence On The Cheap – Step 2: Choose Your Name Wisely
As we look at how to choose a name – or how to promote your existing name with your online identity – it is important to rely on your answers to the questions from the previous installment. Be sure to have them in hand – especially your goals. If there is one golden rule I have learned in every occupation and endeavor I have undertaken, it is that you MUST hold everything up against your goals. Before you make a move or a decision, you need to ask the question: will this help me accomplish my goals? If the answer is yes, then go for it! But if the answer is no, don’t bother. I wouldn’t suggest completely trashing an idea or thought just because it doesn’t line up with your goals – save it just in case. You never know – your goals may shape into something that could benefit from the idea later, or the idea may help to birth something that does help your cause.
- How To Build Your Online Presence On The Cheap – Step 1: Start With A Good Brand
Today I am starting a series based on some of the many questions I am asked by clients, friends and others who are realizing they can no longer sit idly and watch the social media world pass them by, or they are already involved but aren’t clear about the best steps. My goal with this series is to give you the tools to inexpensively set up your own online presence from start to finish by using the insights and links and my own experiences as best as I can provide them. While this may seem counterproductive to building my own business as a freelance web and graphic designer, I assure you it’s not. The reality is that many individuals and small businesses cannot afford the services of a professional designer, developer and/or social media manager, so this is an attempt to help them out however I can. A lot of the information I can provide is available online anyway, so it’s not like I’m giving away secrets. I just hope to make it a little bit easier and to save you some time and money along the way.
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