Attitude - A Conversation with Jeri-Lyn McCrea, Author of Words in Action - A Journal to Inspire Change [9:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is one of my favourite podcasts so far – Jeri is really clear about issues related to Attitude, and how it’s a choice that we all make every morning when we get out of bed. In her clear-cut no-nonsense style, she gives us the opportunity to question our own attitude, and how we can improve it. Thanks, Jeri!

 

 Setting Goals - A Conversation with Jeri-Lyn McCrea, Author of Words in Action - A Journal to Inspire Change [9:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here’s a podcast I recorded last week with Jeri-Lyn McCrea, Author of Words in Action – A Journal to Inspire Change. Jeri’s major theme in the book is setting goals, and achieving them. In this podcast, we talk about some obstacles to goal setting (real or imagined) and how we can overcome those obstacles.

Stay tuned for a second podcast shortly!

I’ve gained new insights in the last year or so about TV, radio and print media, and how they don’t work the way I always thought they did. I’ve also been confused by something I’ve observed via my husband’s internet marketing company, which is a shift away from television advertising by companies that previously relied heavily on commercials and other image-based marketing. These companies are now moving to the web as their primary platform for advertising and product information. They are taking advantage of the interactive nature of the web to educate their consumer, rather than emotionally motivate them to purchase.

Fewer people are watching television, and for those that are, regionalization is a trend that has been accelerating rapidly. Rather than debate why this is happening (there are numerous theories), clever entrepreneurs can take advantage of one of the cascading effects of this: working what I call the “Mini-Media”.

In a recent article at WritersDigest.com, (read it – it’s cool) Mary Curran-Hackett comments about what makes a great interview from both the standpoint of the interviewee and the interviewer. One portion of a paragraph really nailed this question of migrating advertising to the web. Curran-Hackett quotes NPR radio journalist Terry Gross as saying…

“… if you’re a writer or an artist who is being interviewed a lot and you’re asked the same questions and are giving the same answers, you sort of feel like it’s inconceivable—you can’t imagine that everybody on the planet Earth hasn’t heard you answer these questions. But the truth is, most people haven’t. Everyone used to watch the same TV shows and movies and listen to the same Top-40 music. Mass media was the glue that held people together. But now popular culture is fragmented. Everybody isn’t reading the same thing. They’re reading their favorite websites.”

Knowing that your customer is increasingly reading online, rather than watching television, we can focus our publicity efforts to a degree not previously possible. Websites are highly verticalized, and so are the visitors that read them. By identifying specific websites, blogs, discussion forums, and social media sites that tightly relate to our book’s subject matter, we are cutting costs, saving time and energy, and giving our readers more of what they really want.

Registration is now live for the 6-Hour Blog Class, currently only scheduled for the 2nd of August, 2008, in Langley, BC, Canada. For details about the class, please select “Classes” in the top bar of this page.

Register NOW for the Saturday, August 2nd Class in Langley, BC, Canada, by clicking HERE

I’ve had requests for the same class on Vancouver Island, so we’re trying to plan one for August 23rd at the flashy new Vancouver Island Conference Centre. [I toured this facility this morning - talk about gorgeous!! World-class, and very business-like.]

If you have interest in hosting the 6-Hour Blog Class at your place of business, we require a minimum of 6 participants, and a maximum of 12. For details about corporate training related to blogging, Social Media Marketing, and related topics, please eMail us.

Wow – it hardly seems possible that I’ve already reached the 100 mark, when this revised blog has only been operating as you see it for a few months. Prior to that, I was posting on multiple blogs for similar subjects. This forum has been an exercise in setting personal boundaries.

Thank you to all of you who continue to send me email and comments, online and offline. I really find the interaction very stimulating, not only for my own writing, but for the development and marketing of my clients’ products. My commitment to helping to develop authors on the West Coast of Canada is renewed every time I hear from one of you.

As a blogger who loves what she does, and what I write about, I can offer one piece of key advice. If you glean nothing else from reading about blogging, please know this: only blog about topics for which you have a true passion. Blogging is work, and loving your subject makes it a pleasure rather than a chore. More coming soon!

Join me on Saturday, August 2nd in Langley, BC, Canada, for an all-new version of my 6-Hour Blog Workshop. The class is from 10 am to 4 pm, and participants will set up their own custom blog, live, right in the class. If you’ve been looking for a hands-on class that empowers you with the skills to manage a strategically-developed blog yourself, and you need someone to walk you through each step of the way, this is it.

The class fee of $425 USD includes a continental breakfast, lunch, coffee and tea throughout the day, and all the software and tools you’ll need to put your blog on rocket fuel.

The class is capped at 12 people, because otherwise I can’t be sure that I’m giving all users the attention that they need. Registration will be open on the “Classes” page (link at the top of this page) as of Monday June 23, 2008. Click there now for more detailed information, or call us at 1-866-907-4084 for info in the meantime.

Please note: users are required to bring their own laptop to use during the class, as files will be downloaded and applications set up on their computers for future use. (Don’t own a laptop? Please call us at 1-866-907-4084 for other solutions. We can always work out something.)

This same class will also be offered on Vancouver Island in late August in the Nanaimo area. The date is tentatively set for August 23rd, but this will be confirmed shortly.

See you there!

I was very impressed this evening by my latest follower on Twitter, Jarret M. Coon. Jarret is a Technologist, which is clear by the (slightly) overwhelming graphic design elements on his Twitter profile page. But his style has a nichey hip-ness about it that makes his passions clear at first glance. He clearly “gets” his audience – and they can’t get enough of this guy.

Jarret is also a self-professed financial guru. I might believe that, because anybody who can cultivate a following of 6,490 people must have a handle on social media marketing. Jarret does the major part of social media extremely well: he’s a prolific poster. He’s witty and charming, and he engages his audience 140 characters at a time. He’s gotta be making an income on the affiliate possibilities here.

However, the part that really “zinged” me is that – wait for it – Jarret is only 14 years old. Now, there’s definitely a book in that kid.

The stinky red shoe is an example of a favourite topic of mine – affiliate marketing. I’ll shortly be releasing a variety of new eBooks, one of which is devoted to the subject of affiliate marketing, and how self-publishing authors can use it.

To be alerted when this eBook and others are available, simply subscribe to my feed using the signup box at right.

Clicking on that banner will demonstrate to you what a positive affiliate marketing experience should be like for the consumer. In other words, you will get a high-quality product delivered promptly, and ordering it was made easy and clear for you. You can use PayPal or an alternate payment method to pay, and you receive all sorts of email confirmations after the sale which allow you to know the status of your order. That’s the way an online purchase experience should be, but often isn’t. Let’s raise the bar!

Thanks to my friend Wendy Ratel of DivaDiamondz for providing me with a way to illustrate my point. Her product is not at all book-related, unless you happen to kick off your shoes while reading and notice that the odour coming from your shoes interrupts your concentration.

Thanks to all who came to my presentation on Thursday evening at the eWomen Network on June 12th in Surrey. I’ve just made updates to the Private Resources Page as promised, and will be adding more cool stuff all week – what’s there is really just the beginning. There are two eBooks on the way for certain, plus other valuable items. Click here to see the current updates, and enter your password that was given to you on the white postcard at the dinner. The password is case-sensitive, so please enter it as you see it on the card. (Missing your card? eMail me and I’ll fill you in.)

Didn’t attend the dinner, but want to see the page? Call me at 1-866-907-4084, or email me for more information.

I had such a great time tonight at the Vancouver chapter meeting of the eWomen Network, in BC, Canada. What a great bunch of gals! Thanks so much for making me feel welcome, and I was really enthused by all of your contagious energy!

The presentation that I made this evening was a bit over the time allocated, (sorry about that, Gail!) and it sounded like Members had more questions after I was done. So, let’s start a conversation here, on this blog, that carries over from tonight’s presentation. You can post questions using the comment form (in the bits below this post, there’s a link in the word “Comments” – just click it and type in the boxes that appear) and I’ll respond to them on this same spot. You might want to bookmark this page so that you can come back to it over and over again.

I’m sorry that there’s a delay in making the Private Resources page available for all of the attendees to use, but I promise it will be up by Monday when I get back to my office. Thanks for your patience. The postcard you received at dinner had a password on it, and you’ll need that to get to the page. The button mentioned on that same postcard will be available on this site by Monday.

Remember all that talk we had about feeds, and other magic words? You might want to subscribe to my site’s feed right now, by putting your email address in the boxes at right. That way, when new posts happen, you’ll get them delivered to your email inbox, without having to remember to come back to this page. And remember to Google yourself! (Yes, Google is a verb! Type your name or company name into the search bar, and see what happens!)

In addition to the Private Resources I promised, I’ll also include a set of overhead slides on the password-protected page that corresponds to tonight’s presentation. Just in case you didn’t take notes, there’s probably something there that will jog your memory.

A special thanks to Gail who was kind enough to fit me into your group’s schedule. I’m really glad that everybody got something out of the presentation. Hope to see you all again soon!!

P.S. – One of the winners of the door prizes didn’t pick up their book. If you had a blue Kitty Sticker on the back of your postcard, and you didn’t get your prize, please email me using the links at right. Thanks!