Debra on July 2nd, 2009

I greatly admire Gary Vaynerchuk. The video below is a talk he gave called Scaling Caring. Gary is always entertaining, but cuts through the crap and gets his message to the people with humor and great caring. He talks about quality interactions with people, business, Twitter, caring, and being authentic. These are Gary’s words “This is a quick talk I gave the other day at #140 Conference and I must say it was one of my favorite crowds, the people in those seats were AWESOME!” I hope you enjoy the the wisdom and humor of Gary Vaynerchuk on the video posted below. I quote from Amazon. “Gary Vaynerchuk has captured attention with his pioneering, multi-faceted approach to personal branding and business. After primarily utilizing traditional advertising techniques to build his family’s local wine business into a national industry leader, Gary rapidly leveraged social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to promote Wine Library TV, his video blog about wine. As his viewership swelled to over 80,000 a day, and the wine business grew to over $60 million a year, he began making national TV appearances including the “Today Show”, “Late Night With Conan O’Brien”, and “Ellen”, consulting for Fortune 100 companies, and giving keynote speeches around the world. Gary’s dual identity as both business guru and wine guy has made him the ‘Social Media Sommelier’.”

Gary’s new book is  - Crush It! Why NOW Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion.  Here are some people who recommend Gary’s new book:

“Gary is a force of nature. His authentic, raw passion and caring touches everyone. His insights into social media & his message of opportunity could not be more timely.” (Tony Robbins )

“Gary was the first person to push me on the importance of personal brand and transparency - this was months before anyone was talking about it, he’s always two steps ahead of anyone else.” (Kevin Rose, Founder of Digg.com )

“Gary Vaynerchuk is one of those entrepreneurs who has discovered the secret to combining passion with business. He is always an inspiration and always entertaining. You owe it to yourself to read this book!” (Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com )

Thank you for supporting our site!
In Courage,
Debra Oakland
Founder of www.livingincourageonline.com
Please visit to collect your Free Gift:
http://LivingInCourageOnline.com

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Phil on June 25th, 2009

big-seminar-VegasIt just launched…

The world’s most popular Internet Marketing Seminar is open for registration.

So why register now?

There are a number of reasons including the fact that over 50% of the tickets have already been pre-sold.

However, one of the main reasons I’d encourage you to register now rather than later is because of the bonuses and payment plan they have set up for early registrants.

money-vegas-200Plus, if you register today from this site, I’ll give you $200 cash at the event for spending money! This will come in handy in Vegas!

Take a look :-)

I don’t think they’ve ever done anything like this before and you might as well take advantage of it.

Here’s what I do know…

  1. The earlier you register, the more bonuses you get.
  2. They’ll be removing the bonuses one by one as they get closer to the event so it’s in your best interest to sign up now (if you want to get a bigger bang for your buck).immediately afterwards.

Enjoy!

Phil Johncock

P.S Click here is the Big Seminar link once again.

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Debra on May 16th, 2009

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I hear people in restaurants talking about Twitter, friends and family asking questions about it’s uses. Twitter is chatted up on television crime dramas, comedies, news, tabloids, the presidential campaign, sporting events and even hospitals teach using Twitter during surgery.  It’s everywhere and growing.

I have been using Twitter almost a year and have met some incredible people, connected with old friends, made new friends and business connections.  It has been fun helping quite a few people set their profile up on Twitter.  I just enjoy it.  In the process I have learned about a few applications that are very helpful.  I will not go into details about their use, but leave it to you to discover what works for you, for the purpose of a home based business or just communication for fun.  Twitter is a great venue for business, so here goes.  Oh, and by the way they are free.

Online Applications for Twitter

Tweetdeck - A personal browser for Twitter, Facebook and more. Enables you to group tweets into topics or columns.

TweetLater - Busy scedule?  You can schedule your tweets in advance. Step by step tutorials.

We Follow -  This is a Twitter Directory for any category such as celebrities, news, tv, social media, etc.  You can find people to follow. I highly recommend if you are on Twitter that you add yourself to one of three tags or categories allowed.  It is a great way to share your information and have people follow you.  I listed myself under Courage and am number one under Debra Oakland - Practitioner of Living a Courageous Life.

Twibes - Find a Twitter group.  Join or create your own group.

TwitThis - Easy way to send messages about your blog posts or website.

Tweeter Forum -  “Where Tweeps Come To Meet”  is the motto.  You will find Twitter training videos and articles.  Post your articles here as well.

Twitpic -  This allows you to share photos on Twitter.

Tiny URL - This site will provide a very important function for you on Twitter.  You can only use 140 characters on your Twitter message.  If you are sharing a URL it is wise to shorten it.  By copying and pasting the intended URl into the box and clicking “Tiny It” you will have a shorter URL and leave more space for your message. Simple, quick and easy.

Mobil Phone Twitter Applications

Tweetie (my personal favorite,) Twitterific, Twirl, Twinkle and Pocket Tweets, just to name a few, are all I Phone applications.  Just Google them and find your favorite.

TwitterBerry is for Blackberry users.

TwitterFone allows you to update your Twitter feed using your voice from your cell phone. Call, speak a tweet and hang up.

Managing Your Tweets & Followers

There are  so many ways to manage and the list is growing weekly.  Here a a few.

Twitter Search - This is where Hash Tags are used.  For example if you put #quote (a hash tag) into the search box, click search -  everyone who used that particular Hash Tag in their Twitter tweet will show up. There are Hash Tags for American Idol - #Idol.  Phil Johncock’s interview’s some of Twitters most interesting people on Twitter Tuesday - #TT6. Get the idea?  One of my favorites is #Follow Friday, where people on Twitter recommend awesome peeps to follow. A great way to filter real time information on Twitter. Find out what is happening around the world in any category or just join the conversation.

Twellow - Twitter Yellow Pages

My Tweeple - Manage your Twitter friends and followers, all listed in alphabetical order. Ding spammers, follow, unfollow or block.

TwitterLocal -  Find Twitter users in a certain area. Enter city, state, postal code for choose range of miles and voila, you have people to follow in your area.

Twitter information is endless, so on that note I will recommend my two favorite books on the subject.

Twitter Revolution - How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business and Market Online, by Debrorah Micek & Warren Whitlock.

Twitter Power - How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time, by Joel Comm.

Thank you for supporting our site!
In Courage,
Debra Oakland
Founder of www.livingincourageonline.com
Please visit to collect your Free Gift:
http://LivingInCourageOnline.com

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admin on May 14th, 2009

CB021015Those of us who work from home don’t have to worry so much about transportation or traffic. It’s more like “walk-to-work” day every day.

I do ride my bike – now that it is warm enough outside – to the office supply store, bank and grocery store. In fact, the back pack I use has been filled to the brim (and beyond) so many times that the seam on the top has ripped and will very soon need to be sown.

I have a motorcycle, too, that I do use when going across town to get things that fit in my saddle bags. In fact, I plan to run a few errands today. Love the fresh air and comradery (is that a word?) with fellow bikers. I also SO enjoy paying less than $4 when I fill up the tank.

I’ve been wondering lately about my car, though. Poor thing gets driven 1-3 times per month. Hardly worth paying insurance for. I wish there were a way I could share my car with others and offset the cost of registration and insurance. Well, actually if it came down to sharing, I don’t know if I really would. I did, however, find a way to save 40% on my car/house insurance recently – part of my belt-tightening approach around expenses, which I’ll gloat about for a while.

On this special Bike-to-Work day, I won’t ride my bike to work, because I don’t need to. However, I will appreciate all those who do. I can hear that old “ching ching” bell from bikes in the past and imagine that that is money in your pockets.

Bike on!

Phil Johncock

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admin on May 12th, 2009

A new report of public-facing blogs reveals key findings:

  • 57 percent of nation’s top 100 charities have public facing blogs
  • 42 percent of higher education sector have blogs
  • 16 percent of Fortune 500 companies have blogs

Some other key findings include:

  • 28 percent of Fortune 500’s blogs link to Twitter accounts (others have accounts but no links to blogs)
  • Over 90 percent of the Fortune 500’s blogs take comments, have RSS feeds and take email subscriptions.
  • 10 percent of Fortune 500’s blogs link to podcasts
  • 21 percent of Fortune 500’s include videos

Click here to download full study

Findings will be published in the upcoming issue of the Society for New Communication’s Research’s Journal of New Communications Research. They will present findings via a web-based briefing.

Why blog?

Click Here to Sign Up for FREE Sneak Preview & Training on Thursday, May 14

 

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admin on April 26th, 2009

Got stuff lying around the house that you could sell for cash?

One of my teachers, Ed Dale, buys and sells guitars and other stuff on eBay. He claims “It’s a great way to get some extra cash.”

In this video, Ed is videotaped while he drives to a “pack-and-send” business to send off a guitar he sold. He explains how he uses eBay and pitfalls to watch out for.

Enjoy!

Also, check out Ed’s baby … the 30 Day Challenge … a great “free Internet marketing” program. I learned about driving traffic to sites, social media like Twitter, and a lot about internet marketing.

What “home-based business” stuff do you have lying around the house that you could sell for cash?

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Debra on April 23rd, 2009

Sometimes we just have to have fun.  In honor of Facebook and all fun videos on social networking I give you a look at Facebook do’s and don’ts in a very nostalgic way. I thoroughly enjoyed “Facebook Manners” with Timmy and Alice. There are many rules of etiquette for social networking and some seem to be viewed differently from a male or female perspective. Imagine that!

Click on the link if you would like to read Tom Millers article  Dumped by Facebook? The 10 Etiquette Rules. Tom says It’s time for social media to start following the rules of common courtesy.

I don’t know about you, but I love Facebook and Twitter.  I have made some new friends, reconnected to old friends and opened myself up to a whole world of opportunity and possibility.  It is a whole new world out there where people are communicating differently.  I talk to people globally.  That did not happen a few short years ago.  This is just the beginning of new communication through technology.  I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Thank you for supporting our site!
In Courage,
Debra Oakland
Founder of www.livingincourageonline.com
Please visit to collect your Free Gift:
http://LivingInCourageOnline.com

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admin on April 9th, 2009

wordpressI postponed creating a blog until last summer, when a co-author Debra Oakland turned me on to WordPress. It was easy to learn and navigate.

What is a blog?

Blog stands for “web log.” It is a website that allows you to write on topics of personal interest and of interest to your clients and niche market(s). Wired claims that “nine blogs are created every minute and 2.3 content updates are posted every second.”

You’d be surprised by how many websites you go to are actually blogs. WordPress had made the look of blogs rival, even surpass web sites created with Dream Weaver, Front Page and other web design software programs..

Here are the 7 top reasons to create a blog for your business:

  1. TimeAdd Content in Minutes – If you’ve hired a webmaster in the past, you know how long it takes him or her to update your site. Creating your blog allows you to eliminate waiting around to get on someone else’s schedule. You can add posts, images, videos and pages in minutes, not days, weeks, or months.
  2. Easy to Set Up, Customize & Change Design – WordPress blogs enjoy thousands of templates, plugins and widgets to choose from. You can test them out to see immediately how they will be viewed by visitors. It’s like plug-and-play.
  3. Search Engine Optimization – WordPress does all the work internally so that Google, Yahoo and other search engines can find your blog quickly and easily. For example, by adding keywords (called tags) to your URL’s, pages and posts, more people can find you, faster.
  4. RSS Feeds & Email Subscriptions – Really simple syndication (RSS) and email subscriptions allow people and media to get updates when you have made a change in your website. Instead of having to create a Constant Contact newsletter and email list, this is done for you. Syndication is a great viral marketing methods that attracts visitors fast.
  5. Web 2.0 – You may have seen reference to Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. One of the main benefits of a Web 2.0 blog to your business is that you can have 2-way conversations with your customers and prospects. Invite clients to comment on your posts. Include polls and surveys to keep interest high. Use your blog as the hub of your online money-making wheel. Social media, commenting strategies, teleseminars and other marketing strategies are the spokes that can drive traffic to your blog.
  6. MoneyMake Money – There are many ways to make money with your blog. Here are four: Google Adsense ads, affiliate programs, membership sites, special events and selling your own products and services. There are plugins and widgets that make adding these to your site super easy.
  7. Instantaneous – When you have your finger on the pulse of your niche market, you can offer “how to” tips and solutions that will have immediate results. For example, a colleague created a “how to” video, posted it on his site, put a couple of tweets on Twitter, and got over 3,500 hits on his site in less than 3 hours.

Click here for Blog Creation Sneak Preview

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admin on April 8th, 2009

I postponed creating a blog for my business because I didn’t know what a blog was. Plus, I didn’t feel like I had the time to learn. When author Debra Oakland suggested a blog for our Guide to Home Based Business eBook 11 months ago, I could feel my shoulders scrunch and all the stories why this was not a good idea came flooding to the surface.

So, the greatest challenge for me was creating time to learn.

Recently, I asked participants in a “blog creation” sneak preview to tell me what their greatest challenges are for creating a blog. Here are two that I will paraphrase and answer.

TimeCHALLENGE #1 - TIME

I hear that once you start, you have to commit a certain amount of time every day. How do I find time to do it with a full time job and other commitments? (Jim, from Reno, NV)

Great question, Jim. Most of us commit to creative projects when we have deadlines and the material engage us. Here are two suggestions:

1) Create a deadline with specific goals, like every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I will spend one hour on blog-related play. Then, hold yourself accountable. One way is to tell another person. Then, report back to that person once a week with how you did.

2) Spend most of your time at the beginning “commenting” and writing “posts”. Doing this will engage you with others. Comment on other blogs in your niche market at least 1-2 times per week, like Monday and Wednesday. Post on your blog at least 1-2 times a week, like Tuesday and Thursday. Do these first, then reward yourself with Internet play.

LA Times

CHALLENGE #2 - HOW

How do you create a blog? (James, Spanish Fork, UT)

I teach 4 basic steps to creating a blog:

  1. Get Organized & Prepare For Success – This means putting into your schedule time for learning, organizing files on your computer and creating a folder in your email box for the information you will receive. Choose the perfect URL. Learn basics of the anatomy of a blog. For example, there is some WordPress-specific terminology that is helpful to know, like dashboard, sidebar and tags.
  2. Build Your Site – I recommend WordPress, the most popular blog creation system in the world. Building your site involves learning about and trying out widgets, themes and plugins that you like. Learn to crawl; then, you can walk and run.
  3. Strengthen Your Site – This is the “walking” stage. In addition to more plugins and widgets, that are really just plug-and-play gadgets (most free), learn the power of commenting and attracting people to your site.
  4. $1 dollarConvert Prospects into Paid Customers – This is the “running” stage. There are some simple proven ways you can start to make money with your blog. Popular methods include Google Adwords, affiliate programs, special events, and upselling products and services. Learning conversion secrets will help you make money faster by converting traffic you attract into paid customers. Once you make your first $1 dollar, you are a pro. So, put a $1 bill on your computer monitor or on the wall. That’s the goal: make your first $1 dollar!

What’s your single greatest challenge in creating your blog?

Blog Creation WorkshopClick Here for a Free Blog Creation SNEAK PREVIEW Teleseminar | Thursday, April 9 – 6 pm PST

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admin on April 1st, 2009

Napoleon HillIf Only Napoleon Hill Had This 83 Years Ago …

If you can have a conversation on a telephone, or interview someone with a simple microphone, then you’re 70 minutes away from becoming a Successful and Profitable Podcaster. Podcast marketing will get you there fast, easy and with minimal cash outlay.

It took Napoleon Hill 23+ years to write his time-honored masterpiece, Think & Grow Rich.

But by utilizing Podcasts, you can interview top business leaders and publish your own Business “How To” Podcast on Apple iTunes Yahoo, and dozens of others Podcast directories - in just a few hours.

Podcast SecretsFind out how during our “live” $20 teleseminar with Podcast Marketing Experts, Alex Mandossian and Paul Colligan. The event will take place on Thursday, April 9.

We’ve made a special arrangement to SAVE you $70 off the normal $99 tuition with your VIP Discount Code.

* * * Your VIP Discount Code is: PC916 * * *

To get the full story, click this link now:
http://cli.gs/PodcastSecrets

Jaime Davis is The Pod Medic. Even as an avid podcaster to begin with, see how Podcasts Secrets helped him more than triple his income while his neighbors are struggling to keep their homes. See his story …


REMEMBER: Thursday, April 9 $79 Off Click Here
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