Increase Website Traffic With Twitter

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I have to admit the very first time I heard about Twitter I didn’t pay much attention to it at all. I just couldn’t get my head around, much less become inspired to use the micro blogging service.

However after attending one of Lynn Terry’s weekly Internet Marketing webinars she announcement that she would be experimenting with Twitter to evaluate whether it would be of benefit to her online business.

What Is Twitter

Twitter is a micro blogging service whereby users can announce to your regular followers and new visitors “What are you doing?” in one short sentence (up to 200 characters) for your Followers to read.

Login to Twitter.com and type in your text message or use AIM, Gtalk, Jabber or use your mobile phone to send SMS text messages direct to your Twitter account.

That’s it!

Key Benefits of Using Twitter

I have seen a steady increase in the number of visitors to my websites from Twitter and a daily influx of new “Followers”. Many more new blog and newsletter subscribers too as a result.

I have several Twitter accounts to fit into each separate niche I find it is quick and simple to use and is beneficial to my business.

Set up a meeting with someone or a group of people.

Ask others questions sand get a response in real time.

Similar Services

There many other similar micro blogging services like Tumblr, Jaiku and Mixin to name a few. I haven’t tried the others out yet, however I have word that Tumblr is a favorite with some of my online friends. However I am finding that if I get caught up with other task I tend to have a back load of “Things to do” to catch up with, sorting through friends requests and scanning comments on social networks.

I must manage my time more effectively.

I highly recommend twitter especially as I can be used as a quick way to send direct messages that they can respond to in real time. I’m sure you appreciate how versatile Twitter is for networking and sharing events with your friends.

Recommended Resources:

Check out the Twitter Fan Wiki for many more handy tools and news regarding Twitter.

For Twitter Top Tips go to the Download Squad to read their extensive on cool Twitter tools.

5 Ways To Build Your Following @Twitter.com

The Big Juicy Twitter Guide

40 Twitter Tips in 140 Characters or Less

Follow Me on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/npredford

How to Create A Free Video Using Animoto

I wrote about the free online video service Animoto that enables you to create high quality video slideshows. Animoto is great for the beginner who wants to try their hand at making videos without having any specialist knowledge. Well I have set up a new YouTube Channel and have a two part tutorial that you can follow below.

“How to Create An Animoto Video”.

Create film quality videos for free and grab your instant $5.00 coupon for full length videos at Animoto. No technical experience required to produce awesome video shorts, slideshows and full length videos.

Is WordPress 2.6.1 Worth It?

What’s all the fuss about WordPress 2.6.1?

After staying with WordPress 2.3.3 for as long as possible I finally made a pressing decision to update my family of blogs to the WordPress 2.6.1.

The official announcement for the latest stable release currently 2.6.1 does not have any priority security updates. It is one of the usual maintenance updates to fix known bugs so those of you are using version 2.6 there is no immediate need to upgrade.

As usual I dread the possibility of my blog template breaking and showing errors when I attempt to install the latest version of WordPress. Here are some of my tips for a safer upgrade experience.

1. If possible test on a server that is not in use

2. Revert back to one of the “default” themes such as Kubrick or Classic whilst uploading files.

3. Find a reliable and trustworthy script installer to perform the work on your behalf.

4. Use the WordPress Automatic Upgrade Plugin for easy upgrade without having to download files.

If all else fails and you discover errors in your template you can always revert back to one of the default themes until you an find a solution to the problem.

Thankfully all of my plugins appear to be compatible with WordPress 2.6.1 which is a welcome relief and one of the major reasons why I did not hurry to install previous versions as they became available.

I do really like the “one click” automatic plugin update. What a breath of fresh air!

Now I can just click and the update will run on it’s own deactivates the plugin and uploads the new files, then reactivates itself on autopilot. Sweet!

Now to look into the WordPress Automatic Upgrade Plugin. Though I’m not entirely convinced that this won’t have some teething problems. If anyone has experience with this plugin I would love to hear from you.

Related Articles:

Our Top WordPress Plugins

Warning WordPress Update Left Me Headless

Are You Ready For WordPress 2.5?

Holy Crap My Blog Is Screwed!

Why Are You Doing Everything Yourself?

“Why Are You Doing Everything Yourself?”
By Alexandria Brown

One problem I often see with solo entrepreneurs is that their businesses aren’t growing because they’re simply not making enough time to do it!

It’s not that they don’t understand the value of those efforts, or they don’t WANT to make the time. It’s that they’re simply trying to do too much by themselves. They’re so busy running their business that they’re not working ON their business.

Are You Spending All Your Time on the Little Stuff?

Owning your own business requires wearing a lot of hats. But it seems that when many people leave their jobs to “go solo,” they think they must work completely solo as well. They insist on doing everything themselves — even tasks they know darn well they’re not good at.

They try in vain to design their own Web sites and brochures, write their own sales copy, process their own orders, manage their own mailing list, personally respond to every customer call and e-mail, ship their own products, and more. Pretty soon they’re running around like that proverbial headless chicken.

What eventually happens is their love for their work — the reason they started their own business in the first place — drowns in a flood of administrative trivia. Suddenly one morning they wake up feeling burnt out and without that positive, creative energy they used to have.

When this happened to me a few years ago, I was lucky to learn about virtual assistants (VAs). VAs are freelancers who take care of all that “busy work” for entrepreneurs like us. Because VAs are independent themselves, they work on an as-needed basis from their own homes or offices, saving you the cost and hassle of hiring a regular office assistant.

I now have six VAs — Liz, who lives in Boston, Julie, who lives in Iowa, and a few others scattered all over the country. And I can’t live without them!

What Could YOU Delegate to a VA?

During next week, keep a log of all your activities. Then sit down and review it. Decide which activities are truly ones that only you can do and which you can delegate.

For example, here are some of the tasks I delegate to my VAs:

* Responding to customer e-mails and phone calls

* Scheduling business and personal appointments and interviews

* Bookkeeping: invoicing clients, receiving and paying bills, reconciling bank statements, tracking expenses and tax records, working with my accountant (This was my favorite to delegate!)

* Internet research and fact checking

* Planning my travel for speaking engagements and seminars

* Maintaining my e-zine and customer mailing lists

* Managing my e-zine ad sales

* Handling registrations for my teleclasses/workshops

* Maintaining my Web site (copy edits, additions)

* Creating sales reports

* Shipping customer orders and shipping products to anywhere I’m speaking

* Submitting my articles to other publishers and article sites

* Placing ads in publications and at Web sites

* Formatting e-books, creating PDF files, and sending out for printing

* Designing PowerPoint presentations

And I don’t stop there. My VAs have also been happy to help me with personal stuff like researching vacations, shopping around for car insurance, and reminding me of birthdays and other important dates. Thanks to these amazing gals, I save my time and energy only for my “genius work.”

Worried You Don’t Have the Budget?

The good news is you’re not hiring your VA full time. A VA only charges you for the hours she actually works. Although VA rates may be more than you’d pay an administrative employee (usually $30-50 per hour), you don’t have the added expenses of employee benefits, office space, and equipment. You’re also getting someone who has years of experience, who loves what she does, who already has her own desk, chair, computer, software, fax, phone, stapler, and pens, and who’s ready to leap in and start work as soon as you are.

Keep in mind that having a VA will IMMENSELY free up your time to focus on the stuff that matters: marketing and growing your business, developing bold new product ideas and income streams, and servicing your larger clients. You’ll think much bigger and will have much more creative energy. I guarantee it!

Look for a VA That Matches Your Needs

If you’re looking for a long-term partner who is committed to helping you succeed (and I was), look for someone who’s graduated from a VA training program such as AssistU. Another resource is the International Virtual Assistants Association.

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Most people put off hiring a VA until they “hit the wall.” Things like overdue bills, a messy office, late projects, and unreturned phone calls add up until their business almost collapses.

Take action NOW and at least learn more about getting some help. It will be a big relief, I promise!

If you’d like some guidance in getting started, I also highly recommend my friend Melanie Benson Strick’s Virtual Team Building Secrets program.

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 30,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at AlexandriaBrown.com

== - - < > - - = = - - < > - - = = == - - < > - - = = - - < > - - = = - - == - - < > - - = =

Related Articles:

Making The Most Out Of Your Time To Become More Productive

10 Ways to Be More Productive

Using Virtual Hosts To Boost Web Site Sales With SitePal

The Compass - The Next Secret.tv Maybe!

After checking through my comments to day I came across a message from John Spencer Ellis, leading expert on fitness and personal development trainer. John is to launching a film similar in concept to The Secret. It’s called The Compass.
All I know about John’s project I that it is due to launch during February 2009. You sign up for updates on the home page of The Compass website as I have.

This looks to be very interesting.

I like the way John has signed his emails with…

==============> P.S. - When did your compass move you?

Related Articles:

Watch ‘The Secret.tv’ Video For Free On MySpace Blog

Hollywood Stars Partner To Bring The Movies To Broadband Users

Master The True Secrets Of Net Infomercials To Boost Your Business

Is Your Blog Worth Five Million Dollars?

Can You Really Make Money From Blogging

I finished listening to a brilliant podcast interview from Yaro Starak with seven figure Australian blogger, Alborz Fallah. You can gather a lot of great tips from how a regular blogger turned a hobby into a hugely successful million dollar business. Alborz went from writing about his passion for luxury cars as a hobby to employing regular content writers and attracting high profile investors to make him a extremely generous seven figure annual income through his Car Advice blog ( I love the slick template design).

Yaro Starak is renowned for his own blogs, namely Entrepreneurs Journey and his Blog Mastermind course. Now Yaro doesn’t presume that everyone who takes the course will become wildly successful overnight, or be in the same earning league as himself or Alborz Fallah. However the valuable content and education you will gain makes this course a superb bargain.

Who Is This Blog Mastermind Course Suited For?

Serious bloggers who want to take their hobby to the next level so that they can develop and grow their own blog into a revenue earner. Maybe you have a blog already and are not seeing the results you had hoped for. Or you may need to establish your blog as an authority in your niche and want to help kick start your business to success.

Visit Yaro Starak’s blog to listen to a recording of the interview. You also have the option to download the MP3 file, which is what I did to listen to at my convenience. Oh yes, you should definitely take a sneak peak at how Yaro makes money down at the Entrepreneurs Journey blog in his revealing two part video presentation.

Recommended Resources:

14 Top FAQs About Blog Mastermind

Are You Blogging For Dollars Or A Dime?

How To Learn The Secrets Of Six Figure Bloggers

Marlon Sanders - 7 Steps To Promos That Work

7 Steps To Promos That Work

Subtitle: How To Find Your Target Folks, Get ‘em On Your Email
List, Then Send Out Emails That Get ‘em To ACT! …
And What You Can Do Starting Today!

By Marlon Sanders

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The formula for making sales online isn’t particularly
complex.

1. You find out where you people hang out
2. You find ways to reach ‘em with your message
3. You offer ‘em somethin’ free to get ‘em on your list
4. Capture their name and email on your Squeeze page
5. You send emails
6. From emails you send ‘em to multiple conversion processes
7. Follow the 3 laws

Let’s break this down.

1. Find out where people hang out.

This means you find the forums they hang out in, the blogs they read,
the sites they go to.

That way, you can do your surveys, run banner ads, and find the
folks who have the lists.

2. Find ways to reach ‘em with your message.

a. Find out where you can buy banner ads

How about the forums? The blogs? The web sites?

b. Look for text links too

If you can’t buy banner ads, look for Google AdSense on pages.

c. Who owns lists and sell products?

You’ll know these people because in their sign line on their
forum posts they’re offering something FREE. In the article
directories you’ll see their articles. And at the end in the
resource box, they offer somethin’ free — JUST like you
wanna do.

3. Offer ‘em something free to get ‘em on your list

Give people something so enticing they HAVE to join your
list.

That can be a free audio, ebook, PDF, video or newsletter.
Or anything else that’ll get ‘em on your list.

Run banner ads or AdWords ads offering something free. Come
up with a freebie the folks with lists can send out via an
affiliate link, so a cookie gets set.

Write articles with your freebie in the resource box and
submit those articles to the article directories.

4. Capture their name and email on your Squeeze page

My friend Jonathan Mizel coined the term Name Squeeze page.
To PROVE he invented the term, he trademarked it. In case
you’ve mistakenly read someone else invented it.

Anyway, you offer a freebie on a page where folks get the
freebie if they join your email list. Not so complicated
here.

5. Send emails

This means firing up your autoresponder and loading up
emails.

It means learning to write subject lines, format your emails
and write bullet points that arouse curiosity and get people
to click.

You gotta become a master bullet-point writer.

It also helps if you can spin a good story, just like you do
with your friends over the phone or at the coffee shop.

You mix in value with or between your pitches so your open
rate remains high. A lot of people make the mistake of watching
their unsubscribes alone.

You gotta monitor your OPEN rate. That is crucial. It tells you
if you’re getting or losing attention. This is an attention
economy.

6. From emails, send ‘em to multiple conversion processes.

In other words, you send an email offering a free video.
The free video gives a pitch for something.

Or you send ‘em to a podcast.

Or you send ‘em to a free report or a sales letter.

Or you send ‘em to live streaming video.

Now, WHAT do you sell?

Initially, sell affiliate products. Make Camtasia or CamStudio
videos that do your pitches.

Or write pre-sell pages that give a little pitch before you
send people to an affiliate link. You know, warm ‘em up
first!

WHICH part of this process is the HARDEST for you? Which
part do you need the most help with?

Hit me back on my blog: http://www.marlonsnews.com

Do you buy into this process? Or are you following some
other system? If so, what?

Is this so “old hat” you don’t wanna hear about it anymore?

Or are you STUCK somewhere?

7. Make an irresistible offer.

So now the person has gone to your audio, video, blog, or
sales letter.

Now you gotta sell ‘em something.

With first time prospects, give ‘em your best offer.
Probably something cheap or free. Although it depends
on your market.

One of my friends offers a free book then sells a $4,000
software package. When 3% of the people buy it from the
book, the numbers add up.

Others offer a $1 membership offer that goes into recurring
billing after 14 days. That is, after 14 days they’re charged
for the membership site unless they cancel.

And they get charged every month. When you have 2900 people
getting charged $37 a month, it adds up.

7. Follow the 3 cardinal laws

a. Protect your business number one

Follow the law. Pay your taxes.

b. Maintain the goodwill of your list

Don’t milk your cow so much he/she dries up. Offer value to
your list. Keep that relationship up.

c. Make sales

What you can do TODAY: You start with step one. Go find out where
you target market hangs out at. What blogs do they read? What ezines
do they subscribe to? What web sites do they go to? What forums do
they frequent?

Then, when you find that out, look for banner ads you can buy, blogs
you can run ads on, text links you can buy, pages with Google ads on
‘em.

And start looking for the folks who have the lists.

Marlon Sanders

P.S. Here’s what I want you to do: Go to my blog and tell me if
there’s a step here that hangs you up or you have problems with. Be
as specific as possible:

http://www.marlonsnews.com

Is this all old hat to you? Too common sense? Do you want something
newer or sexier? Or what’s STOPPING you from following this formula
today?

Here’s the thing: My new Promo Dashboard will walk you through most
of these steps and much more.

But I NEED to hear from YOU because I need to know WHAT to put in it
to help YOU the most. I need to hear your feedback on my blog.

———————————————————–
Marlon Sanders is the author of “The Info Product Dashboard.”
If you want to create your own info products, go to:
=> Product Dashboard

———————————————————–

Further Reading:

Marlon Sanders Creates A Viral Buzz With “The Red Factor” Video

How to Get Ideas For Your Own Products

Free Amazing Formula Birthday Party Teleconference On March 14th

Randy Pausch Tribute - Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

On Friday 25th July 2008 Randy Pausch passed away.

Randy Pausch became infamous for his Last Lecture” speech which was actually called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”, and went on to becoming a massive viral phenomenon. Randy was also invited as a guest on many TV shows, namely Oprah.

Make the time to do the things that matter the most. Love those around you and do not take them for granted. Get busy LIVING your life instead of just trying to survive life. Always strive to live your life with a sense of purpose and passion.

One of my favorite lines comes from the film The Shawshank Redemption

“Gotta get busy living or get busy dying.”

Do you live for the moment and cherish each breathing moment you have?

Take time out to enjoy your life, your existence and your loved ones. Don’t take your life for granted because we may not consciously think it but we are do have a fragile existence.

Live Life Abundantly!

Thank you Randy Pausch and family.

You can watch the Last Lecture, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” from Randy Pausch online at Youtube.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Further Reading:

Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture, dies

Goodbye to Randy Pausch, a great teacher

Business Lessons from Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

Website Traffic Edition Of The Newsletter

It’s been a while since he last edition of the Miriadz Cyber Times Newsletter was published. However today’s issue is ready to read online.

The main subject today is “Website Traffic”!

Click here to check out the newsletter.

Enjoy!

Don’t Call Me Dimdim!

Don’t Call Me Dimdim…

Following on from my post on some of the Internet’s popular web based conference rooms. I have another “Meeting Room” resource, Dimdim. Don’t ask me why or how they came up with that name but it does the job.
Currently you can host a 20 people meeting for free. For a larger number of attendees you can upgrade.
Share your Desktop, Power Point presentations, PDF files and more.

“Dimdim Features

Dimdim is easy, affordable and open web collaboration software with a robust set of powerful features that just keeps getting better. Dimdim scales to thousands of meeting attendees, provides up to world class availability and comes in multiple hosted and onsite configurations including downloadable open source and a free hosted version. Dimdim does not require attendees to install any software and is the easiest way to share documents and desktops, chat, talk and view others online.”

Dimdim Advantages

No software to download before logging in which is typical of HotConference.
Only the host has to download a small file
No learning curve. Easy to use
Choose webcam or audio only for your presentation
Shows your desktop but ONLY your file you select to open
No phone calls required. Save on long distance call charges and invite people worldwide
Open source version available to technical people
Added flexibility of free hosted and self hosted versions available upon request.
Pro and Enterprise versions offer 2-way video chat interface
Schedule Meetings that can be set as 1 time only or at regular intervals using the calendar

Dimdim Disadvantages

Pricing for larger attendees may be out of reach for some home based businesses.
No function to record the webinar. This will probably be a future development as user feedback highlight theses and other features as a major priority.

So don’t be fooled by the odd name I’ve used Dimdim and it rocks!

Beside it uses Flash which most people already have installed on their computers and takes up much less bandwidth and CPU speed like than other web based meeting rooms.

Overall Dimdim is a pleasure to work with. Unlike my favorite webinar software HotConference attendees do not have to install software to join scheduled meetings and to gather instant feedback from polls is two features that will greatly enhance Dimdim and make it a more viable choice for online webinar presentations.

Other meeting room software mentioned require downloading large software files which is something I would prefer to steer away from. Especially as many Windows Vista users experienced problems installing HotConference. I found out that they need to take certain steps to right click and select “Run as administrator” to complete installation.

I had reports from attendees that the software didn’t work and of course they missed out on my meeting. Yikes!