What Makes Twitter SO Hot?

People really love Twitter! There’s evidence everywhere you look, from the Twitter badges on the sidebars of blogs to those who put their Twitter address the signature of forum posts, it’s plain to see, people adore Twitter. Heck, I never see my daughter on FaceBook anymore (what???), she said she rarely logs in because she likes Twitter better. So, what is it that makes this social networking site so lovable? Let’s find out.

The question posed by Twitter, “What are you doing?” has become almost as popular as AOL’s “You’ve got mail.” So much so that it has even caught the eye of offline news mediums such as USA Today, CNN, and ABC. And for those who think Twitter is just a place for computer or Internet geeks, rest assured it’s nothing of the sort.

In some ways, Twitter is like other social networking sites in that it’s a way to interact with like-minded individuals. Whether one is a stay at home mom who craves adult conversation, an at home worker who misses the water cooler chit-chat from past jobs, or a business owner who wants to reach more of their target market, this form of social media fills a need. It makes it easier for people to connect with others in a way they might not have previously been able to.

I follow it on my IPhone at work, of course, I can’t watch it all day, but I do take a look ever so often. My daughter plays college volleyball and Tweets about what’s going on with the team and herself throughout the week. I like to see what she has to say. In addition to watching what’s going on in the internet marketing world, I also follow my political representatives to see what they are currently working on in Austin (I’m in Texas) and Washington D.C..

The fact Twitter is easily accessible and even simpler to navigate makes it a favorite as well. Anyone can create a Twitter account of their own with nothing more than a user name and a password. Once that’s done, it’s easy to customize your profile and begin following other tweeps, as those who use Twitter affectionately call one another. To follow what another person is doing, just visit their page and click the follow button. You’ve now been added as a follower and when you log-in to your account you will see their messages on your screen or timeline as it’s called.

If you want to use Twitter when you’re not at home or if you don’t have access to your computer like I do with my IPhone, it’s no problem. Inside your account you can choose whether to have messages sent via cell phone or instant messenger programs. Just browse to your settings and choose the devices tab and in a few steps you’re good to go. This feature makes it possible to tweet on the go. This is perfect for those who travel frequently or while out and about come across something interesting or amusing that they’d like to share with their followers.

Twitter’s arrival has also led to the creation of different platforms and applications to make it even easier to use. Popular applications include, Twitter Fox, Twhirl, TweetDeck, and TweetMyBlog. Twitter Fox and Twhirl give users who prefer the instant messaging look and feel a way to use Twitter in somewhat the same manner. Twitter Fox is an extension for the Firefox browser and Twhirl is a desktop application.

TweetMyBlog is a way to automatically post updates from a user’s blog to Twitter. In order to use it you need a Twitter account and an RSS feed from your blog. It will automatically post a tweet using your account when your blog is updated.

Tweet Deck is another desktop application that allows for more organization of updates. Instead of posting all tweets one right after the other, it allows the user to organize tweets into separate columns within the application. For those who have customers and friends on Twitter this is a great feature as the different categories can separated into separate columns.

If you’re interested in marketing your business on the internet, you will serve yourself well to try Twitter. Most every business industry now has tweeps that Twitter, follow some, tweet some yourself, and before long you will have your own following and so will your business.

Feel free to follow me at @RebaCollins.

Until next time…

Reba

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Traffic Generation for Your Blog

I’ve been working on writing about traffic generation this week while writing my new e-course ‘10 Days To Limitless Traffic’ (you can get the e-course by signing up for my mailing list, see the right-hand side bar). Traffic has got to be the most important component of a profitable website or blog and there is so much to cover that a 10 day e-course just isn’t enough.

However, I thought it would be a good idea to add at least one post with a few tips in this Blogging for Money series because it’s that important. Please understand however, this is just skimming the surface of the subject of traffic generation.

There are a few easy ways to drive traffic to your blog. None by themselves will generate huge traffic but lots of little trickles soon lead to an unstoppable flood.

Each of these are easy and most can be done in a few minutes each day. Getting in the habit of doing at least one of these each day will soon create the traffic you need to be profitable.

Here is a quick list of some of the things that will help your blog traffic increase.

1.    Commenting on a related blog with a thoughtful comment and a link back to your blog
2.    Posting a video with your link to YouTube
3.    Bookmarking your content and others’ content at Stumble Upon, Digg, etc.
4.    Commenting on others’ pages at MyBlogLog, BlogCatalog, etc.
5.    Posting on Twitter about your latest post
6.    Using Facebook and including your RSS feed on your profile there
7.    Adding your RSS feed to a Squidoo lens, Hub page, Wet Paint, etc.
8.    Writing articles that link back to your blog and submitting them to various article directories

By no means is this everything. For more ideas, subscribe to my mailing list and get my new e-course ’10 Days To Limitless Traffic’.

Commenting on others’ blogs – Commenting on other people’s blogs has two benefits. If the blog is set up with ‘do follow’ (this blog is) you get a back link to your blog. Even if not, you can and will get traffic from people reading the comments if…you actually take part in the conversation and add value to the post. This also builds up your name recognition in whatever niche you are operating in and helps build your credibility. After all, your goal is to be recognized as an expert authority in your niche.

Posting video – Adding a video about your topic to YouTube or any of the many other video sites can also add back links and new visitors. Make sure you start your description with the full url of your blog – http://yourdomain.com

Adding a podcast – Audio is easy to use and you can create an mp3 file with the free tool offered by Audacity from SourceForge ( http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ ). If you hold teleseminars most services record them for you and you can use that in mp3 format as a podcast. Add these to your blog using appropriate plugins (Podpress is a good one) and then submit that feed to all of the various podcast services.

Bookmarking – Using social bookmarking services such as StumbleUpon, Digg, etc. will increase the amount of traffic you receive. Remember though that these are communities and you should not be bookmarking just your own sites but other sites that have value as well. Bookmarking posts that you have commented on is a great way to indirectly bring more traffic to your site and will increase the number of bookmarks of other sites you have on your account.

I have found it best if 20% or less of all your bookmarks are your own. Feel free to bookmark some of my posts ~ .  You’ll find a bookmarking plug-in to help you at the end of every post (it’s a good idea to have a bookmarking plug-in installed on your blog to make it easy for your readers to bookmark your posts).

Blog communities – I use two blog communities Blog Catalog and MyBlogLog. Of the two I find MyBlogLog to be the better choice if you only have time for one. You can join communities there, add in other social sites you are using like Digg, Stumble Upon, Twitter, and Facebook and your updates to any of those will show on your profile. You can install the widget on your site to allow others to see who has been visiting your site. I get a lot of traffic from other blogs I’ve visited because my face shows on the other blogs widget.

Twitter – Twitter is a micro-blogging platform and can really help you get visitors if you are posting regularly, have a decent amount of followers and add a tweet when you add a new post. Like commenting, you must take part in the conversation and add value not just tweet your posts.

Facebook – Another great social site as it is becoming a ‘must participate’ site for businesses.  You need to make sure to add your RSS feed to your profile so your visitors will see your latest blog updates. Recently I also joined another social networking site similar to Facebook called Eons, it’s a social networking site for those who are 50+.

If you join either of these sites, be sure to add me as a friend, my profile can be found under RebaCollins, just do a search. Also, at Eons, I have just taken over the Marketing/Internet Marketing Group, please stop by, join and add to the discussion. Honestly, I really need your help there, the place is like a ghost town, please help me out and join in!

Squidoo, Hub Pages, etc. – Squidoo and Hub Pages along with others are like blogs on steroids. Because there are lots of people constantly adding content to their pages at these sites, the search engines like them and rank them well.

Adding targeted anchor text leading to posts on your blog and having your RSS feed displayed on these sites can be a great traffic generator. I have a lens at Squidoo about blogging and another about setting up a virtual assistant business, both have links to the articles here and generate traffic for me.

Article submission – Writing quality articles and submitting them to the various article directories is another way to generate back links for your blog which in turn helps you to rank higher in the search engines. Ezine and website owners can use your content but have to link back to your site through the resource box and this creates the additional back links and visitors you are seeking.

Like I said earlier, these tips are just the beginning. Traffic generation has so many avenues you can take. Subscribing to my e-course will give you a little more detail, which is great because it’s all about taking baby steps and learning as you go. I suggest playing with some of the techniques in this post, while going through the e-course.

If you feel you want to take it to the next level, check out StomperNet’s new product Formula 5. I haven’t seen the product because it hasn’t launched yet but I have their Stomping the Search Engines 2 program and it was far and wide the best information I’ve EVER seen on search engine optimization and learning how to drive traffic to your site. I’m sure their Formula 5 program is just as good.

My next post will be about advertising your blog. So, until then…

Ciao!

Reba

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WordPress 2.7 Upgrade – It Was SCARY But It Worked

I finally decided to upgrade to WordPress 2.7. I knew I was going to have to do it someday, but I was so scared that something would go awry with my Revolution Theme.

Yeah, if you were following me on Twitter two weeks ago, that was all I was talking about. “Has anyone upgraded to WP 2.7 with a Revolution Theme?” I never got an answer.

So I was scared it would be a huge mess and I’d have to spend days and dollars fixing it.

Well, as usual, the mind imagines things much bigger than they really are and even though it was scary (especially the part in the instructions where it says to delete all your files-ahhhhh), the upgrade went smoothly and it appears everything is working properly.

The new dashboard is FABULOUS!!! So much more intuitive than the old one. I still need to spend a little time getting used to it but that’s no big deal.

So, if you still haven’t upgraded, don’t be scared. If I can do it, you can too. Just be extra careful to follow ALL the instructions step-by-step.

Here’s the link to the instructions, remember, step-by-step, each and EVERY step:

http://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_Extended#Step_3:_Verify_the_backups

I should talk, when I got to Step 13: Add security key definitions to the wp-config.php file, it said all versions from 2.6 up had a security key. Well, I had version 2.6 and I never added the security key! Shame on me! I added it this time, I’m now secure.

Good Luck with your upgrade! You’re going to LOVE it!

Cheers,

Reba

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Kenneth Yu Is At It Again-And Guru Mark Joyner Thinks He’s A Twitter Genius

Well..Kenneth Yu is at it again and he has a new video for you to watch. This time he’s going to tell you his interesting story about how he has to pay a dowry in order to marry the love of his life. It’s a lovely story about why he’s launching his product.

But that’s not the meat of the video. Kenneth is going to reveal some secrets for getting joint venture partners and connecting with the leaders in your industry by using Twitter. He talks about how associations with the “right” people can leap frog your business to the top because (in his words – that I love) you’re leaping off the shoulders of giants.

In this new video he talks about making connections with these industry giants and understanding their mindset. He calls it the C3 Mindset, basically because the three things in this mindset start with a C. But he goes further and shows you the steps and secrets for making these connections. That is when you will be allowed to enter the inner circle of your industry’s leaders and have doors start to open for you and your business.

Kenneth also made a change to the controls on his video. That was a complaint of mine when I reviewed the product he’s getting ready to launch. Hopefully he will make that correction on the videos in the product before it’s ready to sell.

Lastly, while you’re viewing Kenneth’s video, if you become skeptical of the steps he tells you work, keep in mind that Mark Joyner, who is one of the most successful internet marketers today and author of six books about marketing, sales and copywriting (not to mention all the books he’s co-authored), says this about Kenneth Yu and his concepts:

“Kenneth is a bonafide Twitter genius.  His ‘Sparks’ theory alone
will quadruple your results.”

How much you want to bet Kenneth made his connection with Mark Joyner on Twitter?

Anyway, here’s the link to Kenneth’s new video:

“Four Obscenely Simple Steps to ATTRACT Lucrative JV’s — Without A List, Name or Site”

If you want to read my review of the product he’s getting ready to launch go to:

Kenneth Yu: Twitter Salvation System

Hope you enjoy and can use the information in Kenneth’s video, I found it very informative.

Ciao!

Reba

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10 Ways To Increase Profits In Your Online Business In 2009

By just making a few changes in the ways you handle a few things each day, you can enhance your business and increase your profits substantially. Are you doing everything you possibly can to make the most of your business or are you leaving money behind?

Over the next ten days I will discuss ten important (possibly critical) ideas that can help you increase your business as well as your profits.

Day 1 -

PRIORITIZE

The first thing you must consider when trying to grow your business and/or increase your profits in 2009 or anytime, is that you must learn to  ‘prioritize’ while working and trying to complete projects.

For example, when planning your day (hopefully you do this task the night before), consider what’s more important, hanging out on Twitter or your favorite messageboard, or writing an article (or two or three) to promote your website? It’s obvious the latter should be a higher priority, even though Twitter and messageboards can be valuable in your marketing plan. However, which one do you often choose? I often find myself spending much more time on Twitter than I should (hours <<grin>>) when I could be doing much more for my business.

It takes anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to write an article. Couldn’t Twitter, your favorite messageboard, and maybe even your email, wait until you finish the article?

I have found that I have to make myself focus and prioritize the things I know I need to do or the day will be gone. Once my tasks are prioritized, I will work through the list and then reward myself with time on Twitter and reading blogs and posts on forums. Not to say that time on the social networking websites isn’t important, but those activities are fun and you may not realize how much time has past.

Staying away from social networks until higher priority work is done is just one example of what you can do to better prioritize your time. One problem faced by many business owners who operate online is checking their stats or email more often than needed (yes, that’s me).  This habit will take you away from important tasks that should be getting done.

Learn to strategically prioritize everything you need to get done in a day. Prioritize which projects or tasks you will work on first and in order of importance. One time management book I read recommends listing only the five most important things you need to do each day on your To Do list. List everything else on a second page. Only add to the top page when those five items are done and NEVER list more than five items. This helps you focus on what’s most important.

Tomorrow – Day 2

ADD A NEW MARKETING TECHNIQUE TO YOUR ROUTINE

Cheers!

Reba

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Kenneth Yu: Twitter Salvation System

A couple of weeks ago in my Cross Blog Conversation with Kelly McCausey, I mentioned that I was getting sick of how the “big guru marketers” treat the people who join their lists. I was ranting about getting 30 emails in a 10 day span with 10 emails coming in one day from the same person. Yeah, my fuse was getting short, but I think putting that down in a post allowed me to have a revelation.

Yeah, it made me realize that I don’t want to promote products by “those” people, you know, the “emailing guru shark squad”. I want my site to be one that reviews and promotes “boutique” products. And what do I mean by “boutique” products? Well, basically, I’m talking about products from new, lesser known, or specialized authors. Authors who supply REALLY GOOD stuff but don’t have the backing of the “big gurus” and thus won’t bombard you with 100 “launch” emails the big guys send week after week. These are authors who fly under the radar but supply information that can really help you grow your business.

You know all the abundance stuff that you read about? The Law of Attraction, The Secret, that kind of stuff? Well, I do believe it works. Not in a magical way, but I do believe that opportunities present themselves to a mind that is filled with thoughts of what it wants. My mind has been filled with making my site a haven for boutique marketers and offering great information from authors that are not as well known.

And in comes Kenneth Yu.

I was on Twitter the other day and I don’t know how we got together but before I knew it he offered to let me review the first module of his new product “The Twitter Salvation System.” I stayed up last night going through the first four videos of the system.

Now, I have to preface this with a little introduction of Kenneth. He’s not what you’d call a traditional marketer. He’s interesting. He’s different. He’s SMART. And his system can help you learn how to use Twitter to sell whatever it is that you sell. You’ll see what I mean about Kenneth when you click over to watch a video he calls “How To Kill Dragons Using A Fly Swatter“.

Actually, his “Fly Swatter” movie is very revealing about what you’ll see in his The Twitter Salvation System. He gives you a broad view of what you need to know to be successful on Twitter.

As for the actual product? Well, he let me see Module 1 only and the full system will have four Modules, so I’ll only be able to comment on 25% of the entire package. It covers the psychology of marketing to people and why Twitter is such a great place to form relationships for your business. In video three, Kenneth gives you very specific information about how to formulate your marketing message and then in video four he gives you nitty gritty details you can use immediately:

• Why the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) Doesn’t Work
• The 7 Deadly Sins of Twitter
• Pimping Your Profile
• How to Write Tweets – The Tweet Checklist
• Your Twitter Bank Account
• Secret Linking Methods
• And More

Kenneth reveals marketing information that I’ve never read in any marketing book before and I’ve spent my entire adult life reading business and marketing books (I don’t read fiction but I read at least one, if not two books a month). His information about why the USP no longer works and what to use instead is brilliant. The specific info he gave in only the first module was unbelievable.

I do have a few critiques however, the presentation isn’t perfect. I don’t know if Kenneth will make changes before he launches, but right now, the video controls (you know, the slider that shows you where you are in the movie) isn’t a good one. It won’t let you push it back a little to repeat something, nor will it let you skip ahead. I accidentally stopped the video and I had to start over. It was pretty irritating. Also it doesn’t tell you how long the video is nor does it show your progress. I like to know what I’m getting into, is it 10 minutes or an hour? I might not have an hour and if that’s the case, I’ll watch later, but I might have 10 minutes and want to watch it now. Without the timing info, you can’t make that kind of decision.

Also, Kenneth is a bit monotone and I would suggest you not watch the videos late at night if you’re the least bit sleepy. It’s hard to “get” everything (not having the ability to repeat makes it twice as hard). Watch at a time of day when you’re fresh and ready to learn, because learn is what you’ll do. I loved the info so much I actually took notes (the pause button works) and I even want to go back and watch a second and maybe a third time. Yeah, it’s a lot of information.

Kenneth’s going to launch his new system at 9:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, December 11th. The Twitter Salvation System will sell for $97. It will include four power-packed modules of four videos each for a total of 16 videos. It will include some bonuses but I’m not sure what they will be yet.

All in all, a fantastic product for anyone who loves Twitter and wants to learn how to use it to promote yourself or your brand, generate leads, find JV opportunities and more…for free using Twitter. I’m proud to recommend Kenneth Yu and his Twitter Salvation System as one of my first “boutique” products.

Here’s the link to his “Fly Swatter” video. Be sure to sign up for the updates for the Twitter Salvation System.

How To Kill Dragons Using A Fly Swatter

Enjoy!

Reba

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A Song About Twitter?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but people on the internet are lovin’  Twitter. Everywhere, including here, you have people talking about it and posting what they call a Twitter Badge in the sidebar of their blogs. Check out our sidebar, mine and Brent’s Twitter Badge is there showing you our last post on Twitter. I’m much more active than Brent, but I’m much more active on the internet than Brent as evidenced here on this blog. But even people who aren’t very internet savvy are getting on board at Twitter.

Why do you think that is? Well I suppose many feel it’s a way to socialize with like-minded people (Tweeple or Tweeps in Twitterville). It reminds me of a big party where you can hear other people’s conversations all going on at the same time. But you can’t always here both sides. So you pick up on information here and there, and then you wander around to learn more. You may even say hi to someone because they were having a conversation that interested you. There are people talking with each other, some talking to themselves, and others talking to everyone in the room.

The question that leads every 140 character post is “What are you doing?”. Heck, that phase is almost as iconic now as AOL’s “You’ve got mail” or Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?”. In fact Twitter has been discussed on offline news shows the likes of CNN, ABC and USA Today.

Yesterday I was on Twitter and someone I follow (I don’t remember who) posted a link to a song about Twitter.  Yes, can you believe it, someone wrote a song about Twitter. If you know and love Twitter like I do, and have been on the internet and in social networking for any length of time, you’ll understand and agree and have a good laugh about what the guy talks about in the song. I just think it’s hilarious, so much so, I posted here. Just click where it says PLAY in orange.

Very soon I’m going to change the report I give away when you sign up for my newsletter. And…you…guessed it! It’s going to be a report about Twitter. Everything you need to know to navigate Twitter and use it not only for fun and staying connected, but to market your products as well. I may get that done this weekend, so stay tuned!

Leave a comment ~ wadda you think?

Ciao!

Reba

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Twitter How-To Tip #80 – The Twitter Tease Strategy

A couple of weeks ago I saw a tweet on Twitter from Dan Hollings that caught my eye. On his website, Twittin’ Secrets – 100 of the World’s Greatest Twitter Tips & Twitter Secrets – The Ultimate “Twitter How To” Guide, he was in the process of posting 100 Twitter tips all over the internet and wasn’t quite finished. He was up to Twitter Tip # 70 or so and was running a contest for Underdog Blog Writers to win a tip to post on their blog.

Well, being the underdog blog writer I am, I entered the contest. Low and behold, I WON!! The contest said my blog needed to be less than 140 days old, have less than 140 posts, and less than 140 subscribers ~ yep, that’s me!

So, before I post the tip, I bet you’re wondering why this is a beneficial thing for me to post this tip. And you’re probably also wondering why Dan would do this. Both very good questions.

First, Dan is doing this so he can build back links to his website. Being my site is new, I haven’t written anything about Search Engine Optimization or SEO as it’s called in the internet marketing world.  But back links are very important to getting a high ranking on Google for a specific keyword. It’s Google’s job to list the very best websites when an internet searcher types a keyword in for a search. Google has determined that the more links a website has pointing to it, the more “authority” it has for that keyword. So, Dan will receive 100 back links to his site by doing this and all will have the the keyword “Twitter How-To Tip” as the anchor text. When someone goes to Google and types in “Twitter How-To Tip” or “Twitter How-To” or even “Twitter Tip”, there’s a high possibility that Dan’s website will rank high on the page because he has so many back links with that anchor text.

Now, why is it beneficial for me? Well, any back link is going to help my site at this point. Being a brand new site, I need to do whatever I can to build back links and traffic so I’ll take what I can get. Dan will be putting a link on his site to Tip # 80 – The Twitter Tease Strategy that takes his visitors to my site. If he gets a high ranking on Google, just maybe some of that traffic will follow his link to my site to read about Tip # 80. And then, maybe some of that traffic will like my site and subscribe. Additionally, since Google has determined that Dan’s site is an “authority” site, his link to me will hold a lot of credence and give me a little authority for the keyword phrase “Twitter How-To Tips”. It’s a win-win.

So here’s Twitter How-To Tip #80 – The Twitter Tease Strategy

NOTE: This Twitter How-to Tip is an authorized part of the “Twittin’ Secrets” Series: 100 World’s Greatest Twitter Tips and Twitter Secrets by Internet and Twitter Strategist, Dan Hollings.

TWITTER HOW-TO TIP #80
The Twitter Tease Strategy. That’s right, tease. If you are about to release something (a product, service, discount, event, eBook, tip sheet, whatever) – don’t just Tweet it with a link and think folks are reading.  Twitter is like trying to have a conversation with someone who is in their car, sorta tired, listening to the radio, and ordering onion rings at a drive thru restaurant, ALL at the same time. Oh, and let’s not forget the guy with the jackhammer repairing the curb six feet away. One tweet might not grab their attention.

However, duplicate tweets are not recommended either. It’s rude and spam-like. This is where the Twitter Tease comes in. You can use Twitter to drip out to your followers. Bit-by-bit in a plot-like fashion. Updates on how your release is coming along (snags, news, changes, feedback, whatever) can add to the whole tease effect. The Twitter Tease can be like a text version of a movie trailer where you merely build excitement or it can be a social engagement strategy.

I’ve seen authors engage followers, chapter-by-chapter as they write books; I’ve seen event planners pick venue locations, set pricing, pick speakers and offer discounts; I’ve seen tools designed with follower input, features added, and beta testing done… all via Twitter.  The Twitter Tease at its finest, is socially engaging others in your process whereby the end result is seen as a team effort.

WANT MORE TWITTER HELP?
100 Free Twitter Tips are at
http://twittinsecrets.com

Thanks Dan!

Reba

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