Debra on March 24th, 2010
Hi, I am Debra Oakland. With all the competition out there, it can be hard to keep up.  The world of technology is changing daily. How do you keep up?  What are other people in the marketplace doing?  How does social media play into it all?  To answer some of these questions, I would like to share a blog post with you, written by my friend Nicole McKinney from BCAD Group. Best Buy is one company keeping up with the competition. Read On….

A Retailer That Gets it – The Power of Mobile Through The Eyes of Best Buy

When is the last time that you left your house or office without your cell phone? Or went throughout the entire day leaving your cell phone behind on purpose? For me, my cell is my personal and business lifeline all wrapped up into one. It houses my contact list—the days of remembering a phone number are long gone. My calendar, my email, texts and the internet are all at my finger tips should I need to search something. My social media feeds are there too so I can Tweet and update Facebook as I move throughout my day. My alarm for the morning resides on the phone as well, and yes—it stays by my bed at night when I am asleep!

As your business navigates through the decision to engage in social media, you should be thinking about the ways that your customers will best engage. What are the tools that they use? Where are they likely to best utilize your information to connect—not only with you—and to take the types of actions you want them to make? With so many people as connected to their cell phones as I am, it is vital for every business to be thinking about how they can best leverage mobile.

This post and video from Retails Big Blog by Ellen Davis, VP and NRF spokesperson, is brilliant. It focuses on one of social media’s most important tools—and substantiates the opening to this post— that for the majority of people, this tool is becoming a conduit to engage your customers in ways that have not yet been leveraged. Best Buy is leading the way by acknowledging through this video that they realize and see this as a tremendous business opportunity.

If mobile is not on your company’s radar, this video is sure to change your mind!
Best Nicole

Benson, senior director of interactive marketing at Best Buy, began her presentation at the Retail Innovation & Marketing Conference by asking people to swap cell phones with the person sitting next to them. There was a lot (and, I mean, a LOT) of hesitation, but most people followed directions. Then we were asked to trade phones with another person close by. More hesitation ensued, but most people obliged.

At my table, I ended up holding the BlackBerry of a guy I’d never met and he (gasp!) was cradling my iPhone. It made me cringe. This short exercise was a powerful reminder to me – and, likely, many other attendees – of the personal value we place on our mobile devices.

What does mobile mean to Best Buy? A tremendous business opportunity. Best Buy debuted a video during Benson’s presentation about the value of mobile – not only on Best Buy’s employees, but also on the company. Take four minutes to watch this and you’ll realize, this is a company that gets it.

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Phil on February 2nd, 2010

Discover what “Little Voice” Mastery (LVM) is and how any entrepreneur, independent professional or small business owner can master their Little Voice starting this February.

Click Here for “Little Voice” Mastery Training ($2,847.30 Value)

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Phil on January 18th, 2010

web-designToday, I (Phil) got an email from a friend who wants to create a business online. He asked me what class I recommended for him to learn how to design a website for his online business.

I recommend that you learn WordPress if you want to design your own site. It’s easy to use, but powerful enough to handle a business and making money online.  Here were the recommendations I made to him …

  1. CLASS - I recommend the Website Creation Workshop with Christina Hills to learn WordPress … http://budurl.com/WebCreation. Christina is a world-class teacher of WordPress. She helps many pro’s create their sites.
  2. HOSTING SERVICE – I recommend Blue Host for hosting your site … http://budURL.com/EasyWebHosting. Best rates and 24/7 customer support in the business. It supports WordPress, you can add new domain names for $10/year … plus I use it for my ticket system (needed for a business).
  3. THEME – For your WordPress theme, I recommend Thesis … http://budurl.com/ThesisWPTheme.
  4. SHOPPING CART – When you’re ready to sell something online, I recommend 1ShoppingCart … http://budURL.com/1ShoppingCart. You don’t need this initially, but eventually you will.
  5. MEMBERSHIP SITE – If you plan to protect the content on your site and create recurring revenue streams with WordPress, I recommend Wish List Member … http://budurl.com/WishListMember

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. There are a lot of scams out there that promise a lot … but don’t deliver … after you’ve put out a big chunk of change. Feel free to run stuff by me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or email.

Please note that all the links above are affiliate links. If you decide to purchase anything, I get a commission.

Phil

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Okay, so Ivy Bean is 104 years old!  Come on, and you don’t want to Facebook or Twitter?  Social Media is the way we connect now and will be the way we connect in the future.  Of course we will have wonderful personal relationships like always.  I can’t begin to tell you of all the amazing people I have met on Facebook and Twitter.  One of them even took his vacation from work in England to come out to California to meet us!  We will be lifelong friends, and not only that, we have a place to stay when we visit.  I meet many business women for lunch.  I connected with one from Montana that is here in sunny California and we have become great friends.  Her sister knows my next door neighbors!  It truly is a small world out there.

My friend Nicole McKinney in Canada posted an article about Ivy and I wanted to share it with you, because social media is for EVERYONE.  Ivy can’t even take more friends on Facebook, as she has reached her quota of 5,000.  Ivy is one of Twitters first users and her numbers are rising daily….maybe she will top Ashton Kutcher’s numbers!  Find Ivy (who lives in England) on Twitter @IvyBean104.  It is Ivy’s 104th birthday today. Ivy Bean twitters about the care home she lives in (which encourages social networking) about her favorite TV shows, recipes, and various topics.  Happy Birthday Ivy Bean, you are truly a woman of courage.  Watch her interview on CNN http://bit.ly/XxGP1.

PD*28821447
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 August 8th, 2009

If you do teleseminars now or want to in the future, you can promote your teleseminars and network with top teleseminar experts in the world at TeleSeminar Nation. In the video below, Ed Philipp (co-founder) gives a tour of the site and many benefits to becoming a member.

It’s FREE!



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Phil on August 5th, 2009

Do you currently offer teleseminars?  Do you plan to give teleseminars in the future?

If you answered “yes”, then you will need to know which teleseminar platforms are best to use.  I’ve used Blog Talk Radio, Instant Teleseminar, Go to Webinar, Free Conference Calling, and others.  The technology has definitely improved significantly since I started giving teleseminars in 2001.  I imagine that it will continue to improve, too.

Recently, I was invited to participate with Teleseminar trainers Warren Whitlock, Jeanette Fisher and Eleanore Duyndam in a special teleseminar that focused on this very issue. We focused on five top teleseminar bridgelines (one I didn’t even know about myself). You can listen to the replay below, even download the MP3 to your computer.

The teleseminar below was hosted by Edward Philipp with Dan Safkow, co-founders of TeleSeminar Nation. It was the first of many teleseminars to come to be held on Thursdays at 12 noon Pacific.  So, mark that on your calendar. Then, listen “live” to teleseminar experts and even ask your questions directly on the TeleSeminar Nation website.

New Talk Show
New Talk Show

One more thing …

I recommend you become a member of TeleSeminar Nation.

Why?

  1. It’s “free.”
  2. You can participate in discussion forums on teleseminars.
  3. You can promote your own teleseminars and webinars on the calendar of events for “free.”  It’s a great way to drive traffic to your teleseminars and webinars.

Thanks to Ed and Dan for providing such a valuable service. Thanks for including me in your first TeleSeminar Nation “Live” Talk Show.

Here’s your replay and downloadable MP3 on the topic of Teleseminar Bridgelines & Best Practices:

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I wanted to share with you – your future.  Innovation that has and will change the world we work, live and play in.

At the Wharton Business Technology Conference, Microsoft unveiled the latest vision video from their Microsoft Office Labs called 2019. The video shows an array examples of how current prototypes may evolve in the years ahead within the worlds of education, health care and beyond. It truly is amazing how the world has changed.  This is just a taste of all the technological changes we can expect in our future.

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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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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