Kim Randall » Blogging

Optimize Your Second Life Blog For Social Sharing

Kim Randall — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 06:10:54 +0000

Here are six ways to increase and encourage the social sharing of your Second Life blog posts.

Click to enlarge.

If you have a Twitter account you should have a simple Twitter follow button.
Encourage retweets with Twitter retweet plugins.
Promote sharing on multiple platforms with multiple share options.
Add a Facebook like button to increase visibility on the largest Social Media platform on the Internet.
Facebook send allows you to send the post to specific connections, groups or email addresses.
Don’t forget to add the Google +1 button, this helps increase your search engine visibility.

Maybe Linden Labs will create a Second Life share button?? <- A girl can dream!

Social Media Resolutions For Any Business

Kim Randall — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 04:27:49 +0000

If you are a business owner and you live above a rock you probably have a Twitter and Facebook account. You may or may not actually use these. You may even have someone managing them for you (which is completely fine). There are many mistakes that business owners have made in the past year when it comes down to their Social Media presence which is why I believe that these few resolutions should be on every business owners resolution list for 2011.

1. Stop automating your Social Media!

Yes, I know you were told at conferences, in webinars and by close friends of your uncle Bobs aunt Ruth’s cousin Gina’s grandma Esther’s first husband Larry’s new wife Betty’s best friend Martha’s kid Luke’s baby sitter Helen (did you follow that? haha). My point is that you may have been told that you could take a short cut with your Social Media by taking out the SOCIAL aspect and that is something I believe you need to put back into your everyday marketing strategy.

2. Realize that numbers mean nothing in your overall strategy.

You see it in Tweets, blog posts and Social Media work forums “I can get you 100, 000 new fans in 10 days for only $99.00″ and you think, SWEET! This is exactly what I need because I was told that in order to get anywhere Online I needed a lot of followers. If you were told this I hope that you realize and resolve that it is only about the quality of the connections that truly matter. Sure, having 10k followers on Twitter looks great, but isn’t it more rewarding to have 4k followers that pay attention to what you have to say?

3. Realize that Creativity is King and Content must support it.

Yes I said it, I am going against all of the so called Social Media “guru’s”. Creativity is truly King in Social Media. You can have all the Tweets, Blog Posts, Videos ad updates in the world, but no one is going to care unless you creatively get that content in front of their eyeballs. Start thinking outside of the box in 2011 and stop mimicking what your competition is doing. Actually stop caring at all about your competition because they are only competition if you allow them to be.

These are 3 simple resolutions to get you started in 2011, do you have any you would add or will be adding?

Think Like The Customer, Not The Marketer

Kim Randall — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:56:38 +0000

I love my DVR because I am able to fast forward through commercials. I flip through the ads in magazines to get to the articles. I also skip (when given the option) pop up ads Online. I hate being “sold” to and I bet you do too. I hate when companies directly @reply me on Twitter thanking me for following them when clearly I am not and this is supposed to be some weird way to get me to follow. I hate when businesses post their advertisements on my Facebook wall and pages I manage. I hate seeing businesses not thinking creatively.

All of the above mentioned ‘hates’ are the reasons that I think like the consumer when I am strategizing any Social Media campaign. I know exactly what I will respond to so why would I do the complete opposite when marketing my own business or someone else’s?

You already know what you want so take your own advice!

I can guarantee that by NOT thinking like your competition and taking some of this advice, you will begin to be noticed more Online with your Social Media campaign as long as you stay focused and consistent!

Let’s Connect!

OMG Not Just Another Blog Turns 1 This Month!

Kim Randall — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:08:23 +0000

365 Days of Blogging Challenge | Day 55

“Every one of us gets through the tough times because somebody is there, standing in the gap to close it for us.”
— Oprah Winfrey

Not only am I so happy to be able to reach this milestone, I am overjoyed by how many people I have been able to help and how many people have helped make “Not Just Another Blog” the success it is today!

I have been blogging for WAY longer than a year, in fact it wasn’t until last year at IzeaFest that I really started treating my blogging platforms more seriously and for that I thank Chris Brogan. Did he personally tell me to make my site more appealing? No. Did he tell me that I needed to work on getting my blog onto my own domain? No. I did however take in every thing that he preached to everyone in Orlando and IMPLEMENTED IT! I have learned a lot from this man (whether he even knows who I am or not LOL), so thank you Chris Brogan.

My first blog is still up, but is never updated. It was called “Just Another Blog” and I was pretty content with the name until Danny Nappi (@dannyintampa) suggested adding “Not” to that. He was right, my blog isn’t like anyone else’s so why was it called “Just Another Blog”? Thank you Danny for that suggestion as it has become a huge part of my blogs success!

I have to thank a dear and absolutely wonderful friend for helping me get the domains to get started and the motivation to get away from a blogspot based site, so thank you Dawn (@VAInParadise). You are an awesome friend and you are a huge part of this blog turning 1. I do have to thank Danny again for taking my many phone calls, email and freak out sessions having to do with the technical issues with my site. Hey, I’m a blogger and Social Media Strategist and I have never once claimed to understand web development, but Danny does and for that I thank him!

Thank you Dr. Rus (@DrRus) for being one of the sites first follower and commenter. Thank you for sharing posts that you find valuable. You are awesome, my oldest (not in age) Twitter buddy

I also want to thank Cate (@CateTV) from Cate.tv for sharing all of my posts, commenting and always promoting the hell out of this site. #YouRock!

There are so many people that I want to individually thank, but I’m afraid I don’t have enough time to list everyone. I know this is silly to some, but my blog is my voice and all of you have helped me share my voice Online so I want to thank all of you that have retweeted, emailed, Facebooked and shared my posts. Thank you for commenting, visiting and believing in my knowledge, listening to my opinions and pretty much being the glue that holds this blog together.

As a thank you from me to you, I want to invite you to comment on this post with a mini promotion for your own blog or website. (I do reserve the right to delete any comment/link that could be malicious or sites that go against my morals)

Cheers to the coming year!

Be The Leader Online

Kim Randall — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 02:21:22 +0000

365 Days of Blogging Challenge | Day 44

We are so lucky to have the Internet. I say this because 5-10 years ago it was impossible to be heard by so many people without the use of radio or television. We could write for a local newspaper, but that job wasn’t available to just anyone that wanted to have their thoughts, opinions and knowledge heard. It was given to a select few that wrote daily or weekly. It was tough to be heard.

Today with the Internet we have so many platforms to be heard on. You can vlog, blog, microblog, network, photoblog or answer questions. There are SO many ways to connect with people. So many ways to influence people and to help others out. If you know something, I mean REALLY know about something like let’s say…. Cars. Let’s say you know all about cars. You know how to change the oil, flat tires take apart an engine and more. You know your car stuff. Other people aren’t quite as fortunate as you are with your vast knowledge when it comes to automobiles, but you can share some of this with others.

Strategy:

If I was an auto mechanic and I was pretty darn good at what I do, I would leverage Social Media to stand out in the crowd. First things first though.

1. Create a blog/website platform of your own.

2. Get a Twitter account and start connecting.

3. Set up a Facebook Fanpage. Invite friends and family to start because let’s face it, you’re just getting the hang of all this Social Media stuff.

4. Create a YouTube account. Trust me, you can use this and not just to comment on other videos.

5. Don’t forget the FlickR or other photo sharing site (DailyBooth?).

OK now that you have the first steps in place you need to start making a list of everything that you could help or teach others when it comes to automobiles.

Some ideas could be:

* How to change a tire

* Oil Changing tutorial

* Replacing a water pump

* Checking your oil

Remember that even though it probably sounds easy to you, other people have no idea at all when it comes to vehicles. Another thing to think about since we are talking about cars, let’s say that my tire went flat on the highway and I am too far for anyone I know to come and help out. I have an iphone or some other form of smartphone where I can access YouTube and where people like you, the auto mechanic, would be putting those tutorials on how to change my flat tire. I typed in “How to change a flat tire” and came across your tutorial video. I was able to change my tire with your help and when I am done I send a Tweet saying “Thanks Mr. Mechanic for your flat tire tutorial on YouTube, you totally saved me $$$ *****Link****”

That video could also be placed onto your website where you would need to type out step by step instructions on what you did in your video so that all of us that have a “semi-smart” phone that can access the mobile web can still get the content even though our phone wasn’t able to play the video.

This is just one scenario on how your knowledge can help others, but I’m guessing by now you are wondering why you would do this.

Am I right???

You would do this because people are going to remember that mechanic that helped them with his video or blog post. They are going to remember and hopefully talk about how you saved them a towing fee and you are going to see this on Twitter, Facebook, your sites comments, YouTube and wherever else you are. This helps you because people from all over are able to see just how knowledgeable you are and people in your own geographical location will also connect with you allowing for some of your Online connections could turn into Offline sales. All of this could happen if you chose to speak up, be the leader and share some knowledge.

Be that guy that we can see as the leader and the go to guy when it comes to auto repairs!

Connect With Me!

Signs That You Are Not A Social Media Expert

Kim Randall — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:07:33 +0000

You have a Facebook and possibly a Twitter account. You used to MySpace and you browse videos on YouTube everyday. Does this mean that you are now an expert in Social Media? Are you a guru? I am going to share with you some ways to spot a “fraudulent expert”.

1. You actually put in your profiles Online that you are a Social Media Expert/Guru.

2. When I Google your name, I do not find you at all within the first 3 result pages.

3. Your Facebook is filled with MLM links and your fanpage links to Mashable and Social Media Examiner posts because you actually do not have a blog.

4. If you have a blog, it’s not optimized. You have no links to any of your social sites and the only clear point on your blog is that you like to let everyone know that you are a guru.

5. You just joined Twitter a few months ago.

6. You seriously only have profiles on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

7. You are not social at all Online.

8. When people ask you how to use Social Media, your first suggestion is to automate everything.

9. You don’t even know what #newtwitter is.

10. You still don’t know what “Facebook Like” for websites is.

11. You have no testimonials for your Social Media Expertise on LinkedIn.

12. Come to think about it, you don’t even have a LinkedIn account because you don’t see the point.

13. You think it’s still OK to feed everything that you say/do Online thru ping.fm.

14. You think that Social Bookmarking is a waste of time or have no clue what that is.

I seriously could (and want to) go on and on, but I really want to get to the point of this post too.

My point is that there are so many people that are self proclaimed Social Media Experts and unfortunately NO ONE can be an expert in anything Social Media. See guys, the Internet changes everyday. New sites are launched, new features are released and that means that Social Media Strategists have to spend time researching the benefits of all of it.

So……. are you a Social Media Expert?

Connect With Me!

Use Social Media To Help Promote Your Real Life Event

Kim Randall — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 02:20:53 +0000

365 Days of Blogging Challenge | Day 38

Social Media is huge! Facebook is THE most popular network by far with YouTube and FlickR being close runners up. This is where your neighbors are. This is also where a large portion of your community hangs out. Are you taking advantage of these sites to let them know of your upcoming events? If you aren’t, WHY?!?

Here are some basic Social Media ideas that can work for ANY event

Create an event on Facebook – invite your friends and encourage them to invite theirs.
Use Twitter to promote that event you posted onto Facebook.
Create a YouTube video. Use your imagination on this, but don’t forget to link to your event listing.
Use your blog on your website to promote your event.
Don’t forget about geographical niche based Social Media sites. This is where many members of your community are.

These are just a few ideas and tips. Make sure when you are going through your planning phase that you include Social Media promotions and if you need help coming up with a strategy to contact people that are heavily involved with Social Media.

Connect With Me!

Virtual Littering Sucks!

Kim Randall — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:54:14 +0000

365 Days of Blogging Challenge | Day 23

Are you THAT person?

Are you that person that goes from Facebook wall to Facebook wall adding a link and a little blurb in hopes of reaching out and “advertising” to people you are not connected with on Facebook? What about on Twitter? Do you @reply someone in hopes that they are just too stupid to realize that they are retweeting your spammy message?

Do you post advertisements on blog comments hoping that the owner of the blog either allows the comments to automatically appear or that they aren’t thinking and approve it?

If you are that person, you suck!

Yes, I said it and I’ll say it again, YOU SUCK!

You suck because you are trying to take the easy route to getting the word out about whatever it is you are littering all over the Internet. You are not creative, you lack motivation and most of all you have no respect for anyone else.

Let me tell you something, Mr/Mrs. Virtual Litterer, we can spot you coming. We are smarter than you think. We have seen your game overplayed for the past few years and although you are annoying, it isn’t anything that we can’t delete, unapprove or simply block.

Instead of littering you could try:

Getting to know the people you are connected with.
Starting your own blog which will allow people that CARE about your brand to keep up with it.
Being social – have real conversations that do not turn into advertisements.

If you are a virtual litterer please do yourself a favor and stop littering all over the Social Web!

Connect With Me!

It Just Takes Action

Kim Randall — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:57:27 +0000

This blog post is a guest post written by Kip Ferguson. Kip Ferguson is a speaker and trainer with a background in both psychology and technology. His passion has driven him to take a closer look at human motivation. You can find his blog and a link to his podcast at http://motivologymatters.com.

When it comes to the internet, to social media, or really any endeavor the key is to just take action and keep moving forward, no matter how slow the progress seems. Most of us don’t wake up one morning and send out a tweet to find out a few hours later we have thousands of followers. Those stories are reserved for celebrities and marketers that have already spent years building a list that they can market to. Most of us take the little steps fighting and clawing for every friend, every follower and every site visitor we get.

Do not be daunted by these stories of overnight success where they are counting in thousands and you are counting individuals. Set your goals and measure yourself against those goals. If you hope to succeed you must clearly define what you hope to accomplish and focus on those tasks every day until you reach your destination. Your success in establishing a presence online is no different than you establishing a presence in your own life. Clearly define where you are at, where you are going, and how you plan to get there and before you know it you will look back and be amazed at how far you have come.

This is fine in theory, but you may be worried about the practical. This is a valid concern when you start down a path you have never traveled before. So, before you attempt to jump into the shallow end head first, take some time to establish your plan of action. Get a pad of paper and find a quiet place where you will not be distracted. Don’t do this in front of the computer or at the local coffee shop. You are going to want to gives this your undivided attention.

First, establish who you are and what you have. Are you a mother, a father, an employee, or an entrepreneur? Do you have a knack for cooking, cleaning, hiking? Whatever it is, write it down. This is not your want or dream list. This is your reality list. This helps you establish where you are at right now, we will worry about where you are headed next.

Second, you need to establish where you want to go. This is the big “WHY?”. You really need to take some time and figure out why you want to attain your goal. This should not be some stock answer like more money or because of family. You don’t want money, it is just green paper. There has to be something you want that money to buy. It also isn’t “family” because that isn’t concrete, just way to vague. Do you want to spend more time with them or do you want to provide something to them? Be as specific as possible in your goal. Also, don’t worry about this “why” being some great cause. Your “why” might just be that you enjoy doing something and you think it would be fun to share it with others who do, or would, like it to.

Finally, map the course. If you have taken the time to really do the steps above, you know where you are at and you know where you are headed and you should be able to clearly see what you need to do. If you need to create a blog but currently don’t know how, then part of your route is learning how to create a blog (hint: Google is your friend).

It really is that simple. Know where you are, know where you are going, and just take that first step along the path. There is one key I have left out above, you need to focus on this path every day. Set aside time, at least 10 minutes, to sit down and look at where you are at along the path and where you still need to go. By starting out your day with a focus on your goals you have a clearer sense of what needs to be done. At the end of each day review how it went and what you can still do to improve. By starting and ending your day with this focus you are well on your way to success in whatever you have chosen to focus on.

Don’t forget to visit Kip’s website http://motivologymatters.com

________________________________________________________________________

Are you interested in guest blogging on “NOT Just Another Blog” ?

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CommentLuv VS Disqus

Kim Randall — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:47:38 +0000

365 Days of Blogging Challenge | Day 21

I love both, but I can’t have both unfortunately. Both of these comment management and integration tools are amazing in their own way, however by the time you finish looking at this post you will see which one has won my heart (for now)

Disqus is a tool I have used on Blogger and Blogspot blogs in the past and have always had a lot of success with it and Commentluv is a newer tool (or at least newer to me) that has a huge potential to entice more people to comment. I’m going to stop rambling on about them and show you some images since they show the difference much better than I can explain.