Inspirational Business

Starting Your Own Blog or Website is Easier Than You Think

Over the last few years, I've been able to help inspire quite a few of you to jump into the blogosphere. The thing that I usually hear back from those that took the plunge is, "Wow, Jaya. That was so much easier than I thought!" Still, I get emails from readers just starting to dip their toes into the subject, who are so afraid to try it out. Usually, they're just inexperienced. Often, they have some emotional baggage that tells them they aren't good at computers. Both of those problems can be solved with jumping in (with both feet) and practicing.

Do-it-yourself internet marketing will always give you the most bang for your buck because it's so much less expensive than traditional print advertising. Especially in this economy, you need to still be marketing, but in ways that are inexpensive and that also give you control to be flexible. These are some crazy, changing times! You've got to be able to adapt and change approaches on a dime. Internet marketing helps you do that. If you can learn to update your own website, blog, newsletter, and Twitter page--you've got tremendous power over your business.

 
For our website, I use InspirationalWebHosting. I've been on-line since 1999 and have tried various template-based ecommerce website services. Several years ago, after being very frustrated with Go Daddy's clunky website builder, I found Inspirational Web Hosting. I like them SO much, that I contracted a licensing deal with them and they are our official web hosting division. They handle all the back end support and billing. They have a design team, too. Although what I like best about them is that it's really easy to do yourself! It's very similar to Microsoft Word. There are a few things that are unique to website building that you'll learn along the way, but it's geared towards business owners, not techs. If you're curious, sign up for a free 10-day trial and bang around on it!

I've been using Typepad to build and host my blogs since 2006. They've gone through a few evolutions since then, but I find their platform to be easy to use and I don't have to hassle with uploading it onto my website servers. They let you use your own domain name. They have predesigned templates (so you can start right away) or you can create your own design. They've got good customer service via email. Some recent changes they've made make it nimble and efficient. I highly recommend them. They have a free trial, too.

Setting up your first blog template will take a few hours, mostly so you can learn to navigate through the different settings. Creating a custom banner (I use Picnik) and layout will take longer. I spent six hours starting up a new blog today, most of that time was spent obsessively tweaking my banner image and fonts (artistic fun for me.) It's a personal food & wine blog, although I think it would be wonderful to meet some new professional connections, too. The wine & hospitality industries are the heart & soul of my local community.

If you click through to Sonoma Bon Vivant, you'll see that I just have one post up (as of this writing.) I'm showing you my unfinished blog because sometimes people procrastinate, rather than just start getting the word out. Remember: You don't have to be perfect, you just have to start. Your first attempts might look rough at first. That's okay! Edit it later. Surely you've heard that same advice about writing, and blogging is no different. Rough draft first. Edit for a final draft later.

Building a blog or website is similar to painting the Golden Gate bridge. By the time you're finally, "finished," you're going to want to start over and update it. That's because your skills will have vastly improved along the way! You'll have to take my word on it, but by the time you've gone through the initial learning curve, it really starts to get fun. Those of you who are aesthetically-inclined will really gravitate towards it, once you learn how. Again, the important thing is to just get started.

The best getting started article (for the step-by-steps) is one I wrote previously: Geeky Like Me: How to Start Your Blog and Why. It's still the exact same set up that I personally use and it's been working for 3.5 years. Many people have emailed me to say that article held their hand enough that they were able to start blogging.

Need more help than that? I'm here for you. Now that I've got a good program that will let us both be on-line and screen-share remotely, it's easier for me to teach you. I'm of the "teach a man to fish," school of coaches. Happy to do some of the geek bits while you watch, what I really want to do is empower you to do this for yourself. We'll be using the same services I already use and that I know will work well for you. Together, we can get you trained and get your site done.

If you'd like me to personally work with you, I'm prepared to give you a competitively low price (what you'd pay for a web geek, not my usual consulting rate.) Email me so we can discuss your needs. I'm ready to roll up my shirt sleeves, if you are!

Super Affordable Headshots for the Internet

Have you been putting off getting a professional-looking headshot for your business? Wow, but do I have a great resource for you!

Since I got back from speaking at the IECSC show in Vegas, I was thinking about how two people came up to me to say how I look so much younger in person than in my photos--something I hear quite often. It's a compliment, but one that sure made me want to get new pictures taken! This week, I was reading Erin Ferree's blog (a branding expert I've worked with) and she wrote a great article called "How to Get an Affordable Headshot." What did she do? She went to the mall and got her photos done at one of those chain store family-oriented studios that people take their kids to. She got her 8x10 headshot for just $18!

Yesterday, I Googled for a "mall portrait studio" in my area and a coupon for JCPenney Portrait Studios came up for a free 8x10 portrait and free sitting fee (good until 9/1/09.) I called and made an appointment for this morning. They asked me what color background I wanted (white) and told me I could also bring one change of clothes if I wanted. They suggested solid colors. I was scheduled and confirmed. So easy!

When I arrived this morning (at the Santa Rosa, CA studio) they gave me a warm welcome and told me my photographer was getting ready for me. Marsha brought me into a private room with good lighting and a seamless white background. I told her I wanted my photos to be "Happy, friendly, and bright. Smiling. Not too serious." Then she guided me into some easy poses and photographed me. It took fifteen minutes at the most.

Upon re-enentering the lobby, I was told that my screenshots would be ready momentarily (they were.) I viewed them on their computer, while the front desk manager helped me select the best one to be printed. I asked her if I needed a special release form for internet usage, and she said no; I could freely use my images for websites, blogs, twitter, etc. She also explained that if I just wanted small low-resolution photos, I could pay $4.99 and they would email me download links for all my screenshots. Great! What a super bargain:

• Free sitting fee with coupon (regularly $9.99)
• Free 8x10 print with coupon (regularly $9.99)
• Smiles by Wire low-res downloads $4.99

And the quality of the photos? Super! Here is a composite of my 3 favorites:

I can hardly believe that I spent just five bucks today on my new photos! I hope you like them, too.

If you've been procrastinating on getting updated photos because of either time or money, I strongly suggest you give the mall photography studios a try. If you use that coupon-link I shared above, your financial risk is zero. Show us that gorgeous face of yours!

Are You Using Twitter for Business Yet?

If you don't know what Twitter is yet, here's a short video called "Twitter in Plain English," that will explain it to you.

If you're reading via RSS or email, click here to watch the YouTube video.

Those of you who know what a geek girl I am might be surprised that I just started using Twitter yesterday. Usually quick to test out new internet marketing tools, I thought I'd wait and see if this Twittering thing would flame-out. But from what I'm seeing online, Twitter is here to stay for at least 2009 and beyond. I'm seeing plenty of social evidence too. Just as people mention who said what on Facebook at dinner parties now, I'm hearing people talk about their Twittering friends and business connections. So I decided to check it out.

Although Twitter can be used as social tool to keep in touch with friends, I'm interested in it's potential as a business community builder. NO-I don't mean a spamming machine, although I can already tell there's plenty of that on Twitter. I'm thinking about it can be used as customer service system. A few potentials I see:

• You can provide a health or beauty tip of the day.
• Share a link to a resource you just discovered.
• Promote new products or services.
• Announce when you've got a last-minute appointment opening.
• Customers can ask questions about products or services they've bought from you.
• Invite people to come join you and your coworkers for a casual get-together.
• Get to know your customers' personal interests and deepen your relationships.

One thing I like about Twitter is that the interface is pretty easy to use, and the content that you write on it is really short--only 140 characters! It's a perfect solution for those of you who've thought about blogging, but don't have the time to write full articles. Tweeting is very quick and fun!

Ready to check it out? Do these 3 steps, that can be completed in 30-minutes or less:

1. Click on this easy-to-understand article called Twitter 101 for Business. It walks you though setting up your account and explains how to use the features.
2. Create your free Twitter account. (Tip: You can create a company-named account and/or a personal account. I did both.)
3. Follow me on Twitter, so I know you're joined! Here is my Twitter profile:
   http://twitter.com/JayaSchillinger

That's it! It's easy to set up and there's no cost.

For those of you who are already Twittering, let me know how it's working for you. You can send me an email or comment on the blog, but your tweets would be especially welcome!

What Not to Do: I Accidently Put Sexy Pictures on Facebook

The other morning, I logged into Facebook to see what my friends were up to. I nearly spilled my coffee when I read enthusiastic comments from my guy friends on my wall:

"Nice choice!"

"I almost got down on one knee after seeing that first one."

"There's got to be an easier way to remove your thong than that!"

In disbelief, I looked closer and saw that they were commenting on 4 photos it looked like I uploaded to Flickr. The closely cropped photos were of a woman doing some contortionist tricks with her high heels and a skimpy thong. What?! I quickly clicked through and landed on the Flickr page for an exhibitionist female in Italy who has the same Flickr user name as me. The mistake was mine, as I'd tried linking up my Flickr photos to my Facebook page. The instructions weren't precise. I entered my account's "user name," like it said to, but it pulled photos from her "screen name." It's a loop hole the size of the grand canyon that two people can end up with the same names that way, but I'm chalking this one up to Mercury being retrograde. My computer has been playing tricks on me all week.

I cannot tell you how relieved I was that I'd previously made the decision to keep my business and personal friends separate on Facebook! It was embarrassing enough that my friends saw it. After the initial shock, I roared with laughter at the realization that the guys actually thought I posted those pictures. It was a close call. I would have been mortified if that had happened on a professional networking site.

So while that humiliation was self-inflicted, another big reason you should keep your Facebook page separate from business is that you can't control what your friends write on your pages. It's fun as a virtual cocktail party, where you can exchange jokes, rants, and those silly quiz results. But you just don't have the same level of privacy control as on other social networking sites. An inside-joke your best friend from high school makes on your wall might be misconstrued by someone who just met you. And do you really want to feel like you have to moderate comments on your own page? Too much work. Facebook is meant to be casual, not corporate.

The whole phenomena of social networking is built around the idea of living and working more transparently. People like to know who they're interacting with. I think it's a compensation for the fact that we spend less time in person now and more of our communications take place on the internet. I like that whole concept and lead a pretty transparent life. I'm comfortable sharing my personal blog and some of my Flickr photos with anyone who wants to get to know me better. Yet I think it's better to not mix all of one's social groups. LinkedIn and Naymz are much better designed for business use anyway.

Here is a must-read article on how to set your Facebook privacy controls: 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know

So how do you keep your Facebook personal friends separate from business without hurting anyone's feelings? It can feel a little awkward to tell someone you don't want to be their "friend." In real life, you probably are friends with your customers. I am. Yet you've got to put in a boundary somewhere and it actually feels easier if you have a standard policy, rather than pick and choose. That's especially true as your personal friends might also be friends with your work-related friends. Even if your other friends are mixing business and personal on Facebook, I suggest you make a decision about the true context of how you know someone. It's better to error on the side of more privacy than less.

Here is what I suggest to set a better personal vs. work boundary:

1. If you've already mixed up business and personal on Facebook, don't be shy about undoing it. If you "un-friend" someone in Facebook, they won't receive a notification. So if it's just a couple people that you don't interact with anyways, they won't even notice you're gone. If you're still worried about their feelings, then just send them a note explaining that you've made the decision to separate business and personal. Trust me, they'll understand.

2. Create a professional networking page instead. Then you can explain that you still want to link with them without dropping the connection altogether. I like LinkedIn best, but Naymz is is good, too.

3. When business friends ask to add you on Facebook, politely decline. Be bold. Don't just ignore their request, because people will notice your lack of response. Instead have a friendly reply at the ready, explaining your decision and suggest you connect on your professional networking site.

4. If you haven't already, set all your Facebook settings to "friends only." Follow along with this article that will walk you through it step by step. 

Have you had an embarassing Facebook or other social networking moment? Post your story in the comments box below. We could all use a good laugh and learn from your mistakes. I know what I learned: showing your thong is embarassingly wrong, whether it's your thong or someone else's!

Internet Plagiarism: Flattery or Foul Play?

by Jaya Schillinger

Are you keeping tabs on your internet presence with Google Alerts? Having gone through a round of copyright infringements lately, I can't stress the importance of this enough.

In the last couple of months, I've discovered a few blatant acts of plagiarism. Here are just 3 examples:

Another company in California advertising themselves as Inspiration, Inc. When I followed up on a Google Alert, I landed on a website for a haircolor product company webpage with our corporate name on it. Since state laws only allow one company to register the same corporate name, I immediately knew this other company was bogus. They had a phone number and email address on their site, so I called to speak to the owner, and also emailed a cease-and-desist letter. It turned out that they were a product distributor who didn't think their name was marketable, so the owner just picked a name to use, which happened to be ours. They seemed clueless about US incorporation laws, and thought they could just add "Inc." to their name without legally being registered as a corporation. A few phone calls and emails later, they did remove all mention of our company name from their website.

At a meeting with my consulting colleagues last week, one of my friends discovered that a wanna-be competitor had blatantly copied all the text, photos, and layout of their website. We were stunned to read that the violator hadn't even bothered to edit the text, as the copy said they were business partners with my friends. We were stunned that a professional in our niche industry would make a public claim to be affiliated with us. To gather the offenders true contact information, we did a domain name search at GoDaddy to see who the website was registered to, and my friends made a phone call and sent a cease-and-desist email asking that the site be removed. The owner of the site did reply, without offering an apology, claiming not to know what her webmaster had done. Clearly, that doesn't ring quite true, but the site was removed as requested.

This weekend, we were alerted that someone on our email list had copied an article that Laurie wrote and sent it out to her own list, carefully removing the author's name from the top & bottom of the article, as well as posted it on their website. We do get requests for republishing rights (which is flattering) and will grant permission when asked. But this was truly an act of plagiarism, where the article was being passed off as being written by the person who copied it. I had to send a cease-and-desist email requesting that Laurie's article be removed from their website and a correction announcement be sent to the newsletter list. The company that breached copyright laws did comply with my request, so it's cleaned up now.

There is an old addage that mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery. There is some truth to that, but there is a difference between being inspired by something and borrowing elements of it, and breaking copyright laws. For those of you that have labored for countless hours developing your website content and brand, you immediately understand how plagiarism really does feel like a theft. In effect, a plagiarist is attempting to bypass creating their own content to save time and money, by stealing the results of your efforts.

Beyond the annoyance factor of feeling like your creativity is stolen, there are other important reasons why you need to protect your intellectual property. One key reason (that stands up in court) is when a competitor might be confusing your customers by appearing as if they are you. Trademark laws do allow companies to have the same name, but not the same name, logo, and industry--especially if they are in the same geographical proximity. This is to prevent the financial losses that could occur if your customers mistakenly (or purposefully are led to believe) that the other company is your company. Read this article on trademark infringement.

It might seem a bit heavy-handed to have to send a cease and desist letter whenever you find someone treading on your copyrights and trademark. But don't let infractions you discover go unchallenged. If you allow a transgression to go unchecked and the other company continues to plagiarize you, you can end up weakening your own legal case. The court will ask what you've done to alert the competing company, and you will need a track record of what steps you already took to address the situation. The court might not be as inclined to defend a company that took no actions toward defending itself. Read this article on internet copyrights and sample cease and desist letter.

In case you missed my past article, be sure to read Monitor Your Presence with Google Alerts. It will only take about 5-minutes to set up the free service at Google, and could save you big legal headaches down the road.

Confused by copyright laws? I know that some of you are concerned about protecting your rights, but also that you are concientous about not accidently breaking copyright laws yourself. Bottom-line, you should never use text from the internet unless you have been granted written permission. Never ever right-click to save photos from the internet to use for your own website. Always buy royalty-free images from a site like iStock Photo where usage permissions are granted to you at the time of purchase. Read this simple article Copyright Law: 12 Do's and Don'ts.

So protect your intellectual property. The internet is the best thing ever for small business. But not everyone is as scupulous as you, and it's so easy for them to steal your hard-earned content. Now go get your Google Alerts set up right now.

Don't Get Scammed Out of Your Domain Name

Having just come though a very unpleasant situation where I had to personally negotiate with a website designer who was holding my client's domain name hostage, this article really hit home.

All Business Owners Should Read This:
Download Squad Article: "Scammed Out of Your Domain?"

The incompetent and passive-agressive website designer I had to negotiate with had registered my clients domain name in his OWN name. When he turned into a flake, and was extorting payments from her for work that was never completed, she wanted to regain control of her site and find someone new to work with. That's when we discovered that he had purchased her domain under his own name, and he was the only one who had the powers (and passwords) to control the domain name's usage.

It was a lack of experience at the root of this, as she didn't know this this had happened and probably wouldn't have understood the implications if she had been asked her preferences at the time. We found out later, after there was bad faith and tension under way. I had to step in like a mother bear protecting her cub and handle it (and it looks like we've got the transfer in her name now.)

The good news is that she learned a whole lot from this aggravation, and has even decided to rebuild her own website using the easy template-based website builder I use (and my company offers.) She went from being a website victim to becoming a website creator, with just a little effort--and tons of motivation to be in control of her own site.

Similarly, I've seen my husband suffer from not having control over his information before too. In his case, it wasn't beeing scammed so much as friends who were "helping him," assumed he would never have the skill level to do his own tech work, and they never gave him log-in and password information for important website services. (He should have known to document that up front.) Later, when he needed access to those services, he couldn't even remember what friend had set them up. He was locked out of things he needed.

Seriously, this is a very common scenario, and you need to understand how this works. Read this article, it's very important: Scammed Out of Your Domain?

Only 15 Seconds to Get Your Website Seen

Did you know that the average person will spend less than 15 seconds reading your webpage? So much for all that perfectly-precise text where you describe absolutely everything you do in loving detail! Guess what-no one's reading it. They're skimming. Are you skimming now?

Last year, I bought some website traffic analysis software so I could tell how my search engine placement is going and see what my popular pages were. I about fell over dead when I realized how quickly people click in and out, especially because I do some pay-per-click advertising that costs me over $1 per click! Being a detail-queen myself, I had to completely re-think my copy writing.

To be the most effective, your website copy should be written for 3 types of website readers:

People that skim:
Most people surfing the web are skimmers. To speak to them, employ a combination strategy for easy readability:

headlines (big and small)

bold text on important words

text boxes with small bits of copy

photos with word captions

bulleted lists

If your page is skim-friendly, a reader should be able to understand the main benefits of what your business does, without ever having to read the tiny text.

People that love details:
If you've got someone's attention with your headlines, then you want to deepen their interest with the small text. Don't put very much detail on your home page. Put the detailed information a level or two deep, in the places where someone is looking for specific information. Remember, you want to break up the tiny text with lots of breaks for skimmers.

Computers that determine your search engine placement:
One of the best ways to improve your search engine placement is to include lots of keywords in your writing. (Don't be obnoxious and type your keywords in a nonsense fashion. That can get you banned from search listings.) Do use your relevant keywords on every page, in the headlines and in the details. And here's a trick you might not know: if you use bold font for your keywords, it can help your results. Detailed articles & newsletters (with your keywords) work well too. Go ahead and build your site deep with rich content, just don't lose the skimmers by putting the detail up front.

When you strike a harmonious balance of all three types of website copy, you should notice better results. When I focused on keywords, Google bumped me up to the 2nd page for "small business coach." When I revamped my home page, my newsletter subscription rate tripled. When I started archiving my newsletter articles, I noticed that I got more traffic from people searching for those specific topics. Try some of these small changes, and watch what happens.

BTW, we just redesigned the Inspiration, Inc. home page to be even easier to read "at a glance." What do you think?

Geeky Like Me: How to Start Your Blog (and Why)

I joke around all the time about what a geek I've become, since I write for 3 blogs now (in addition to my website.) The truth is that I love writing, and internet technology has provided a fun platform that allows me publish instantly and affordably. Also, no trees were harmed in the writing of this article. That's not just geeky--that's smart!

People often ask me how to get started. This usually occurs after they read one of my blogs, but especially after I tell them how happy and relieved I am that I don't use Constant Contact anymore for my newsletter. Don't get me wrong, I think Constant Contact is still the best typical email newsletter service, but there were a few drawbacks that really started to wear me down:

Writing 3-4 "formal" articles per monthly issue became laborious. It took 8 hours to write and format each one.

Inserting photos and formatting wasn't all that easy.

Anyone with a GoDaddy-based email account, couldn't receive them. I couldn't even receive my own! (They block Constant Contact emails at a server level.)

"Open rates" dropped to about 40% overall. It's not just GoDaddy, many ISP's consider all Constant Contact mail to be spam, even when people legitimately sign up and want to receive your list.

Posting past issues of my newsletter on my website was really difficult.

So I was getting frustrated by the technology, even though I loved writing and developed a strong readership. In short, I was ready to dump the system I was using. Blogging was on the rise at that time, and new technology started making that easier.

It's been a year since I switched, and I'm thrilled with the results:

Blog-style writing is more informal and freeing.

I write about 7 posts a week (over 3 blogs) and it's fun, not hard.

My articles are posted instantly, with very little formatting (unless I want to get fancy.)

I get listed in the top 3 on Google all the time because I write quality content.

My blog posts are converted into a weekly email newsletter automatically.

Bottom line: I thing that blogging is a lot easier and more effective than sending email newsletters.

Ready to look into it for yourself?

I'm going to tell you the key resources I use for my blogs. It's so easy, you should be able to figure it out from this list.

1. Buy a domain name for your blog.
It's not a requirement, but it's much nicer if you do give your blog it's own name.
Resource: GoDaddy.com
Price: $8.95/year

2. Use blogging software.
For me, it's all about ease-of-use right now. I like Typepad, where you build/author/host online. There's no software to download, and you don't need a website. You can write articles ahead of time, and save them as drafts to be sent out later. Sometimes I write a few a week, but when I can write more, I save them. Then when I'm traveling or busy, I still have new blog articles appearing automatically.

There are 3 different levels at Typepad, and I strongly recommend the mid-level Plus Plan. With that level, you can add a custom domain name (like I mentioned in step 1) and also make your blog look nicer. The Plus Plan has nice-looking predesigned templates, as well as flexibility to pick custom colors and fonts. You also get up to 3 blogs included, in case you're really geeky like me.
Resource: Typepad.com
Price: $8.95/month for the Pro Plan

3. Use a feed delivery service.
Blogs can be read online like a website, but they are really meant to be subscription publications. After you write a blog article, it goes out to subscribers in a "feed." A feed delivery service converts your blog articles to a format that people can read in "feed-reader" software. You need this service, but the best one is free. They have some other neat add-ons and features as well.
Resource: FeedBurner.com
Price: free

4. Use an email delivery service.
This is the magic step that allowed me to switch from Constant Contact to blogging. I use a blog-to-email service called FeedBlitz that receives my "feed" (as in step 3 above) and sends it out to my email subscribers. Most of my readers prefer email, so they can save & read my articles at their leisure. Once you set up the service, with a customized look and import your subscriber's emails, the rest is almost automatic.

Weekly, daily, or monthly (you choose) your email delivery service will check for new blog articles you wrote and send them out in a newsletter. I love this. All I do is write articles now, the rest "just happens." The only exception is we still have to manage the customer list, but I have my super-smart executive assistant Debbie doing that part for me. (Thanks, Deb!) I write--that's it!

Note: There is a free version, but it's not suitable for business. You want to get 2 upgrades. Turbo allows you to schedule your email frequency (I choose weekly.) Pro allows you to customize your email template with a logo and signature. To be professional, you want both of those features.

One caveat: I'm still unsure how FeedBlitz delivery rates compare to Constant Contact. My stats report that they all get delivered ok, but I suspect that a lot of them still get caught in spam filters. In any case, even if delivery rates are as low as Constant Contact, the process is so much better in other ways that I'm very happy that I switched.

Resource: FeedBlitz.com
Price: $8.95/month for Turbo + $4.95/month for Pro. Total cost: $13.95/month.

5. Spice it up with photos.
Not every blog post needs to be a long article! In fact, it's a lot more interesting if you break up blocks of text with pictures. There are a lot of free and inexpensive websites where you can buy clipart. But why settle for generic when you can take your own digital photos?

One of my favorite blog tools is Flickr, where I can store and host an unlimited amount of digital photos. I have photos of elephants, my home decorating projects, and all sorts of photo projects hosted there. Flickr has some easy tools to insert your photos into your blog with just a couple of clicks.
Resource: Flickr.com
Price: Free - $24.95/year for unlimited photos

That's really it! It's not very hard. If you've already been creating your own email newsletters in Constant Contact, then you know enough about inserting photos and formatting to start a nice-looking blog!

==> Quite a few people have been asking when I'll teach a teleclass on blogging basics. I'm open to the idea, if there were at least a dozen or so people that are interested. Send me an email, and I'll consider creating a class for you.

If you decide to take the leap and join me here in the blogosphere, please send me a link to your blog!

If you didn't already know that I write 3 blogs, here are the links:

Inspirational Business with Jaya Schillinger
This is my company blog where I offer strategic coaching advice to holistic business owners.

Sacred Elephants
This is my philanthropic blog for elephant lovers, conservationists, and spiritual friends of Ganesh.

Sonoma Bon Vivant
A lifestyle, food, and wine blog about West Sonoma County.

Simple Explanation of Blogs and "RSS Feeds"

Near as I can tell, the majority of my readers are doing so because you are subscribed to the Inspirational Business weekly delivery via email. That's wonderful, and I'm so glad you do.

[Side-note: Thank you for all the sweet comments some of you have been replying with lately. I treasure those replies.]

But now that some of my long-time newsletter readers are starting to join me in the "blogosphere," I'm finding myself trying to explain how it all works. Really, I'm just a writer that enjoys experimenting with technology. So while I'm a self-proclaimed geek, the truth is I know how to do things better than I understand how it all works. Sort of like driving a car. I know how to drive, but don't know what's under the hood!

I read this great blog article online a couple months ago, and it's still the BEST explaination of blogs and RSS feed readers that I've found. Blogger Stephanie Quilao wrote this piece called: How to explain RSS the Oprah way. That article is a must-read if you're at all interested in blog technology.

Now that the new Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 has a built-in feed reader, more people than ever before will start using RSS delivery for content they are interested in. By the way, if you're on the old version of Internet Explorer, the new one is worth switching to. Be warned that the feed reader is addictive though...in a good way.

Monitor Your Online Presence with Google Alerts

Wouldn't it be great if you knew when someone mentioned you or your company on a website? Google has a neat free service called Google Alerts that will let you know. It takes less than 5 minutes to set it up, so I recommend you do it as soon as you're done reading this.

How it works is that you tell Google what keyword phrase you want monitored. Then when there is a new article in the top 20 results of webpages or top 10 results for online news stories, Google will send you an email with a link to the page.
[Read the Google Alert FAQ here.]

You can create alerts for anything you want. For your business interests, you should do these 3 immediately:

1. Your full name.
2. Your company name.
3. The name of any unique products or services your company offers.

Choose the "news & web" option, because it is the most comprehensive. I recommend setting the notification frequency to daily for those important alerts, because if there is either praise or negative reviews online, you're going to want to know about it right away.

[Sign up for Google Alerts here.]

If you are actively using the internet as a marketing tool, this is a great way to track how often your website or articles you've written get picked up by other sites. If you're a speaker at conferences, you might find stories about your talk. If you have products, you might encounter online reviews about them. And if some other company pops up with your same name, you'll know about it. This is a fabulous tool to monitor your business in cyberspace.

Don't put this on your "someday I'll do that," list. Set up your Google Alerts now. Really, it just takes a couple minutes.