Some of life’s biggest projects are best traveled in small steps.

I’ve heard that relocation is one of the three most stressful times of life (along with a wedding and a funeral). Moving has so many … moving parts to it, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. It would be easy to adopt an “I don’t know where to begin” attitude – a sticking point to getting stuck.

Begin somewhere and maintain movement, focusing on one task at a time. Don’t worry about seeing the destination at the starting line.

This practice has served well in my life, most recently with our move to Colorado. The timing was quick, the total task was large. We broke it up into small pieces and tackled one piece at a time. By doing so, it became easy.

The same is true in developing or building a web or social presence. Pick one track and focus … then build on that movement and momentum.

Movement Avoids Overwhelm is a post from: ConverStations

Isn’t this true with some of the Social Media choices we face? With so many choices – which do you go after? Certainly not all of them – that would turn into a slow process of none of them. Go after the one that thrills you first!  Hate Facebook but love Pinterest?  Go with Pinterest first.

When it comes to which Social Media track (or which “duck”) to go after first, what gives you the chills or thrills?

By the way, I’m lovin’ Zeitgeist Minds. Lots of great thinking going on.

What Gives You the Chills? is a post from: ConverStations

Let me invite you back to your own past, to your toddler years. You probably played with every button and dial you could find.

Maybe it was that old Fisher-Price toy that spoke back to you in a, “Moooo” or a “Baa-a-a-a” sound. Or your dad’s 10-key adding machine that spit out paper if you hit the right buttons.

Or the television dial. Buttons on the car radio. Keys on the typewriter. Magnets on the fridge. Imagination plus imitation.

I’ve had people younger than I say they don’t get this stuff like the kids do. And when we ask the kids how they know this stuff, they shrug their shoulders.  They’re comfy with technology, not savvy. Get likewise.

The savvy will come when you adapt with curiosity.

“You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.” – Barbara Sher

Happy (and Curious) Learning

photo credit: tasslehoff84 via photopin cc

Adapting with Curiosity: It’s Attitudinal, Not Generational is a post from: ConverStations

Keep in mind that Ginger is in Oregon, I am in Nebraska. We visited via Skype. I turned on Snagit to capture the conversation audio/video.

I asked a few questions (and then edited my voice out) and now we’re uploading snippets (edited in iMovie) to her site and YouTube.

“Face to Face” yet not “Belly to Belly”. The latter is better, but not always possible.

If you’re looking to shoot some video, have some video edited and uploaded, or just want another voice to coach along during your recording – it’s one of the new SmallBizTracks offerings we provide.

If you’re going to the GABF12, make sure to visit Ginger and her team (look for the T-Shirts).

Capturing Conversation Using Skype and Snagit is a post from: ConverStations

News that FeedBurner APIs are going away has some people running for solutions.

This post will glance at three things:

• Feedburner
• APIs
• An old garage door opener for a house you no longer live in

Feedburner is a tool that allows many, many sites, and blogs (including this one) to have their updates automatically syndicated and sent out so people who subscribe (free) via a news reader or email alert get notified – many times with the full post.  Hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people read updates from these “feeds” in various manners.

An API ( an acronym for Application Programming Interface) is …well, it’s a … an API is sorta like your garage door opener. Or perhaps the remote control to your TV.  If you were to lose your garage-door opener, it doesn’t mean you could never open your garage door again. Nor does it mean your garage door goes away. Just the add-on tool that helped you open your garage door.

Of course, if you don’t use your garage or have no need to use that big door – you probably wouldn’t miss the door opener. I know a few people who still have an opener to a house they don’t live in anymore. They still have the API, but not the program.

Feedburner APIs going away doesn’t mean that Feedburner is going away. The APIs that Feedburner used are mostly for metrics (now part of Google Analytics) or simple add-ons like the FeedFlare items. They’re getting rid of old garage door openers.

I am confident if Feedburner (a property of Google) is going away completely, Google would let us all know. There are some major sites, and a mass multitude of sites, using Feedburner.

That Google hasn’t said anything gives me confidence Feedburner will remain. Its name may change (Google RSS? Google Feeds?).

That Google hasn’t said anything at all (neither confirming or denying) leads me to cautious research for an alternative.

Among the voices of the blogosphere I trust who have made a move away from FeedBurner, I’m inclined to follow bits of their advice:

• For Jim Connolly, Things Just Got Better! with the way he is now syndicating his wonderful work.
• For Neville Hobson, he’s prepared for a possible Feedburner passing with a move to FeedBlitz.
• For You – FeedBlitz has a free and comprehensive guide on how to migrate your feeds from FeedBurner. It’s worth a read.

As for me? I might park my car outside for a bit longer and see what happens – though I have read the FeedBlitz guide mentioned above and am at the ready to move things. I’m cautiously optimistic we’re simply losing a garage door opener (that we no longer use) – not the whole garage.

Now where did I put that remote control?

Feedburner Issues – Let’s Not Panic is a post from: ConverStations

Information. Requests for our time. To-Do lists.

In this quick-attention economy, I’ve found that smaller, quicker steps towards success are a more sure way to bigger successes.

When talking with small business owners, I can sense when the weight of a project or proposal is getting too big. My desire is to stop well short of “heavy” for two reasons:

1. Quick Steps to Tangible Success – Smaller projects are often a quicker path to tangible successes. I might have a larger project in mind, but breaking it down into smaller steps (think “kaizen”) builds habits (and relationships) of success.
2. Model Digestible Tasks – By taking on projects and tasks in smaller steps, I am modeling how the business owner I’m working with will be able to take on their new tasks in using the web and mobile to improve their business.

Taking smaller steps may lead towards bigger successes. Sometimes quick is better than fast.

Photo on Flicker by Marquette LaForest via Compfight

Taking Smaller Steps to Success is a post from: ConverStations

I queried Google for the term ‘Laundromat’ and also typed in my city to get the most local place. One of the results was this Google+ Local page for Wash World Coin Laundry. Success!

• They have a Google Plus Page!  A definite “plus”
• Store Hours were easy to find
• Glowing reviews (to which I’ve added mine)
• Photos show a comfortable, large facility
• It’s in a shopping area I do my groceries and get my haircut. Convenient!

When we got there, the manager was heroically helpful (we don’t often do commercial-type laundry) and offered free Wi-Fi and free coffee while we waited. Great experience.

Moral of the Story: Every day I hear small business owners who’ve given up or sunk down. “We’re not big enough for Google” or “Our customers know we’re here” is often the crutch they lean on. An opposite and healthier stance is Wash World Coin Laundry. They have a clean and informative website, a findable presence on Google+ Local. And they service what they sell once you walk in the doors.

Searching – and Finding – Small Business Success is a post from: ConverStations

I’m Joe, and I’m a smartphone addict. The signs are all there. I check my phone constantly. I write about phones every day. And oh yeah, I own four of them.

Before this addiction got the best of me. But now I’ve channeled the lessons from that addiction into blogging. It has yielded many insights.

Picking the right tool

It seems sometimes that everyone has an iPhone, right? In the same way, it seems that every blogger uses WordPress. While these might be the most popular tools of the trade, they aren’t the only ones.

My personal phone is a T-mobile smartphone. They don’t even have the iPhone! Yet for my own personal use it makes sense. In the same way, a blogger might be better served using the Blogger platform, or even Drupal.

Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s right for you.

Compulsively checking in

If there is a smartphone in my pocket, chances are I’m going to pull it out and check for new notifications in the next five minutes. It’s the most distracting, pointless, counter productive practice. But an addict will do it — it’s our fix.

Bloggers have a similar addiction. They constantly check their stats. How many page views? How many uniques? How long are people staying on the site? They might check these numbers hourly. It’s their fix.

It took a lot of thinking and planning, but I finally quit. I don’t have any more notifications that go to my phone’s home screen. In the same way bloggers need to let go. Checking your stats a couple times a week? Perfect. Checking your stats hourly? Distracting, pointless, and counter productive.

Using it with a purpose

Before admitting my addiction, my smartphone would be out during any lull in action or conversation. Even if I had checked all my email, my Twitter mentions, my Facebook timeline, I still browsed around. I’d make all my plays in Words With Friends. I’d watch a view YouTube videos. On and on it went. I was using the phone without a purpose.

Bloggers can display similar behavior. Instead of checking every app on the phone, they try to write every post on the internet. Many bloggers, even on single-author blogs, try to match pace with Gawker and BuzzFeed. They’re aimlessly blogging about any topic that arises. And it’s killing them in the long term.

Every time I pull out my smartphone not, it is with a clear purpose. I’m going to send an email. I’m going to add an item to my to-do list. I’m going to confirm an appointment on my calendar. Bloggers too need a purpose when they write a post. Do they have something to say? Or are they just trying to pump out posts? One clearly has a purpose. The other not so much.

It’s been a long road to recovery. I still have four smartphones, but I no longer check them compulsively. I’m still an addict, of course, but the ticks are under control. Bloggers can learn a bit from this. We all can, really.

Joe Pawlikowski writes several mobile phone blogs, hence owning four of them. He keeps sanity logs at his personal blog, A New Level.

How A Smartphone Addiction Becomes Blogging Insight is a post from: ConverStations

But social media can be a double-edged sword, creating both positive and negative images of your company with far-reaching effects. Here are some easy-to-deploy tips to create positive impacts, while avoiding negative effects on your company’s reputation and brand.

How to Make Your Social Media Page Say ‘We Get It’

You’re doing social media right if your page:

• Creates conversations: Blatant promotional updates are boring. Social media is not about you; it’s about creating conversations and building relationships. Listen to your customers. Ask them questions and answer their queries promptly. Let your customers be your promotional team.
• Shows appreciation: Every Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube follower is valuable. Those who comment on and share posts are potential gold, with the power to influence others. Offer them perks. Ask for their opinions. And don’t forget to say, “Thanks.”
• Is a sounding board: Embrace comments and complaints. Fix the customer’s problem and you’ll create a fan out of him/her and everyone who sees (and shares) the conversation.
• Engages daily: Social media gives businesses an easy way to stay in front of customers. Take full advantage of this powerful opportunity – post every day.

Does Your Social Media Page Say ‘We Don’t Get It’?

It’s easy to see who “gets” social media – and it’s pretty obvious when a company doesn’t. You could be guilty of social media that leaves a bad taste if your page says:

• We’re robots: People want to connect with people, not corporations. When interacting on social media networks, be a person. Use “we” and “you” statements. Have a personality (keep it in line with the brand strategy).
• We don’t care about you: Ignoring questions and complaints has a negative impact on customers and prospects. Whether or not they’ve had a similar experience with your company, they can still get the impression that you don’t care.
• We’re inconsistent: Give customers what they’ve come to expect from your brand. If you’re a fun, casual company, be fun and casual. If you’re professional and buttoned up, don’t post photos of employees partying; take a more serious tone but do show your human side.
• We don’t have time for this: Building a community around social media takes time and effort. Don’t make the mistake of bailing on posts or slacking on quality content. Stick with your strategy, engage regularly and your community will grow.

Social media is a powerful, must-do business strategy. Show that your company “gets it” and you’ll likely reap the benefits.

Jessica Edmondson contributes on social media training and Internet marketing training for University Alliance, a division of Bisk Education, Inc.

What is Your Social Media Page Saying about You? is a post from: ConverStations

Why Social Media Drives Action

Seven years ago a man I’d only met online previously told me I should be blogging. I unflinchingly said yes, even though I didn’t know what it all involved. Seven years later, that simple conversation clearly change  my life. And for the better.

Let me explain.

The man who told me I should be blogging is the generous genius of this site, Converstations. We became and remain close friends on a business level as well as a personal level.

He had my best interests at heart, taking that leap of faith as he does with most, believing people are good. I believe that too so it was a perfect match.

Social media drives action. In the case of Mike and I meeting and the ensuing activity, we had indeed first ‘met’ via social media. Keep in mind:

• The original social media is in person conversation
• The telegraph and then the telephone became new social media format choices
• Today we have innumerable options to utilize social media in our lives and world

I know this because I was and still am a student. I still rely on Mike’s assistance, his seasoned experience and professional services to help me grow. That’s how a true partnership develops; Mutually satisfactory goals and activities.

• People want to be involved in the world around them
• People want to be connected to other people
• And, as a researcher of women, I can tell you factually that people want to be engaged (not simply ‘friends’)

The great and highly effective aspect of utilizing at least one Social media stream is the fact that people do indeed talk, and they like to share AND we are all curious about what others do indeed have to say about this or that. Like another colleague savvy in social media stated, people are already talking about you (as a business). Be part of the conversation and participate. That’s where social media can serve an enormous purpose.

Social media is an absolutely remarkable phenomena. Yet it’s been here all along. The social in the media is us – and reciprocating is what it’s all about.

Take a look at what you do, why you do it and who you can help. Drive some action by starting it first.

Thanks to Mike for getting it started for me.

Ginger Johnson, Women Enjoying Beer (WEB), has been happily online since 2007. Even happier to connect with other engaged community members from all over the world. WEB researches women and their relationship with beer and is the only business on the planet doing so. It’s enlightening to say the least and her goal is to shift culture for the better. 
WomenEnjoyingBeer.com, @WomenEnjoyBeer , Women Enjoying Beer

Why Social Media Drives Action [Guest] is a post from: ConverStations