"B" is for Blog

Thanks for Stopping By Here – Please See Our Main Blogs

hartsock — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:19:34 +0000

Hi,

We’re glad you’re here at this blog – but we’re both using our main blogs for communication primarily so we wanted to pass those links to you and hope you’ll enjoy the content there!

Nettie Hartsock – Main Contact Page -

Jennifer Robenalt – Main Contact Page

We encourage you to follow us on Twitter!

Twitter.com/nettiehartsock

Twitter.com/jenniferhr

This weekend we’ll be speaking on Social Media at the 2009 Agents Conference hosted by the Texas Writer’s League and helmed by the amazing Cyndi Hughes.

Tools to Grade Your Website, Press Release and Gobbledygook

hartsock — Mon, 04 May 2009 00:04:54 +0000

Recently I received a missive in my email box touting an expert website analysis for the same amount that my family’s grocery bill is for the month ($300 plus). Because I’m thrifty and frankly prone to becoming agitated when anyone is selling something that as an author you can do for free (and still get great results), I’m now compelled to share again three fantastic tools for you to use. (These tools can be used for any website, no matter what the product by the way.)

Here they are:

1. HubSpot’s superb and (did I say free) Websitegrader – it will take your site through the veritable ringer of analysis and give you actionable insight on how to improve your SEO in a nifty little report delivered right to your email box.

2. HubSpot’s PressreleaseGrader – cool FREE tool that grades your press releases for higher searchability and good usage of keywords. FREE!

3. The latest tool in their vast grading empire - co-developed with one of the finest brains on the Web today David Meerman Scott, this tool is the Gobbledygook Grader. Use it and be free of gobbledygook. (I have to give a Web-hat tip to David Henderson who talked about this tool last night at the IABCHouston Quill Awards during his keynote.)

And no, I’m not an affiliate of HubSpot – I just like Mike Volpe and think they are doing a great job of giving real tools that people can use…for FREE!

New York Magazine – “Do You Own Facebook Or Does Facebook Own You?”

hartsock — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:39:15 +0000

Wonderful article on all things Facebook by Vanessa Grigoriadis for New York magazine on Facebook, its founder, the corporate changes and its struggle to monetize. This is a fantastic source article for Facebook users and people who are using Facebook for branding and community around their services or products as well.

Pay Attention to New Linkedin Group Features

hartsock — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:12:47 +0000

Keeping up with social media is our job…and should be yours as well. Because this field is constantly expanding with social media folks for you to be wise, happy and e-wealthy we want you to be aware of the latest news on all things 2.0.

With that in mind check out this brief article on Linkedin.com and what the new changes are to the group functionality. Espescially key in light of how groups can be very beneficial for authentic connections on Linkedin.

Found Great Explanation: Differences Between Facebook Fan Page/Group Page

Capra Quinn — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:57:09 +0000

Finally… here is a great explanation on the differences between Facebook fan pages and group pages which appeared on Authoritydomains.com…

Talk of the Nation on Twitter

bisforblog — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:25:02 +0000

We are giant fans of Twitter and it’s always fun to be able to contribute to the larger discussion about it. Nettie called in from Austin today during the interview with the founders and go here to find out what she said about Twitter and how it’s being used!

Social Media Expert no thanks!

hartsock — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:19:38 +0000

Why don’t we want the moniker of social media experts? We don’t want it just as we don’t want to be called “gurus” because there is no such thing as being an expert on all things social media. The world of social media is constantly evolving and so is the knowledge base around it and how to best use it.

I would gladly say that we would be humbled to be called, “Social Media Practitioners” because that phrase suggests we are learning all the time, just as you should be.

As a recovering decade long technology journalist, I can tell you that although things are being adopted much faster than the old days of the Web, you should still constantly be mindful of really only using the social media tools you need.

Don’t buy into the idea that you need to use or implement all these tools at once or you’re not going to be successful.

That’s “balderdash!”

And don’t give up the traditional side of outreach and marketing including your enewsletters and other customer touchpoints.

As a lifelong learner, I’m glad that I’m not an expert at social media, but rather a grad student who knows it’s a never-ending road to a doctoral!

Linkedin Is Your Boardroom…Facebook is Your Playground

hartsock — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:09:40 +0000

When Jennifer and I do social media trainings one the key things folks ask us about is why they should use Linkedin.com if they’re already going gangbusters on Facebook?

The key thing to remember about Facebook vs. Linkedin.com is that Facebook is your playground and Linkedin.com is your boardroom.

Treat Linkedin.com as your virtual office to connect with like-minded peers, partners, customers and groups. Keep your Linkedin.com profile shiny, clear, specific and find the groups you need to join on Linkedin.com that will keep you in the company of the best and the brightest.

Three groups to join on Linkedin.com no matter who you are and where you’re doing business from:

1. Your college alumni groups

2. Your hometown and surrounding geographic Linkedin Group – like LinkedinAustin or LinkedinSeattle.

3. Your trade and association groups. This is important because it really helps you come into contact with folks who you might later be able to work with, present at a speaking event or provide peer support to.

Facebook is grand and fun and there are some fantastic marketing initiatives that are based on soft-sell that you can roll out on Facebook, but to truly serve yourself well, you also need to stay connected on Linkedin.com and use all its functionality.

Other things you need to do on Linkedin.com include:

1. Rewrite your short bio so that the keywords really match your best expertise and you can capitalize on organic search.

2. Have at least three recommendations on your Linkedin.com profile for your work. Transparent, authentic and wonderful!

3. At least once a month answer an Expert Question in your vertical, or post an Expert question to your connections. This is a fantastic edu-focus tool where you can shine and help people all at the same time.

4. Update your Linkedin status at least twice weekly.

5. Make sure your blog is mirrored under your Linkedin.com profile so if people come to your Linkedin.com profile they also see your blog posts.

Now go and connect!

New Ways to Connect Your Blog

hartsock — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:59:57 +0000

Very good post by Darren Rowse on how to connect your blog with new readers. Read it here.

Marketers Missing Social Media Opportunities

Capra Quinn — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:23:35 +0000

Sally Falkow at Bulldog Reporter’s Daily Dog wrote a great article titled BtoB Technology Marketers Missing Social Media Opportunities based on a Forrester Research study which discusses how business technology decision-makers use social media tools on the job and how that is quite different than how they use the same tools to market their own products. Read more…