QR Codes….What?

DavidM    Business, Gadgets and Stuff    

You’ve probably seen the funky squares with scribbles somewhere in your travels and may or may not know what they are. They’ve been around for awhile and are very popular in Japan but now they are making an appearance in North America. read more…

Google Magazine?

DavidM    Business, Design and Development     Google, magazine, quarterly, think

Well, sort of. read more…

Getting the Most Out of Your Social Media Efforts

DavidM    Business, Design and Development    

So you’ve got a website running and it’s getting some decent traffic but you keep hearing about how social media is the “next big thing”. Sure it’s been around for a while, but now everybody’s doing it. Let’s look at social media as it pertains to online social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, other people’s blogs and forums.

One of the things to consider is that, unlike your own website, social media is essentially out of your control. You can tell people about stuff, offer guidance and even have some success in promoting your product or service but it’s everyone else that is in control. What they say about you, how they share your information and whether they decide to connect with you are major factors in your social media efforts.

First things first. Why are you online? If you are hoping to generate revenue from advertising and affiliate links and you just want big traffic numbers then most of what I’m about to say isn’t likely of interest. If, however, you are promoting your own product or service then the quality of those visitors and the customer service that you provide will be an important consideration.
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Who’s Talking About You?

DavidM    Business, Cool Links     alerts, facebook, Google, marketing, social media, tracking, twitter

Want to know who is talking about you or your brand? Well, you can get a daily email from Google Alerts telling you. Although they’re marketing it as a tool for you to keep up with things you are interested in, like news story, competitors, celebrities or your favorite sports teams, you can turn it around and keep up with yourself. By monitoring your name, company or product you will be notified when Google finds them on social media, websites, blog postings, video links, news or groups.

As a photographer I have used it to find image credits using my name. As I community manager I have used it to track Twitter tweets and Facebook postings about websites I’m involved in. How are you going to use it?

What’s Happening With Twitter?

DavidM    Business, Cool Links     Business, marketing, social media, spam, tools, twitter, word of mouth

Mitch Joel over at Six Pixels of Separation posted an interesting article on What’s Happening With Twitter? that is well worth reading. In my opinion, like most social media I think a large part of it’s continued success will be determined by it’s ability to stay connected to it’s original purpose and users. As it moves to monetize and businesses use it more as the new spam, people will move on. For now, it’s a great tool and I’ll be interested to see where it goes.

Dusting Off Your Grammar

AWWA    Business, Cool Links     blogs, English, grammar, structure, tips, writing

Authoring Your Blog? Split infinitives and dangling participles are spread out all over the Net. Blogs are popping up like bunnies in the spring. That means you need to write! Stylistic writing is often the norm, but if you can’t hire a professional to author your blog, brush up on classic usage. Here’s a helpful link to help you brush up on your grammar.

Working from Home–a Blessing or a Curse?

DavidM    Business, Life     Business, home, productivity, work

It seems like the perfect world when you’re a freelancer or you get a job that lets you telecommute so you can work from home. But with that freedom comes distractions. Freelancers and flex time are no longer cottage industries. Technology has made it possible for many to work in non-traditional office settings. You’ve saved on the commuting time to an outside office, but how are you going to maximize your production? If you’re considering working out of your home, or are presently doing so, here are a few considerations to help boost your bottom line.
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Managing Your Invoicing (and Time) with Freshbooks

DavidM    Business, Design and Development    

I’ll admit that I’m always struggling with invoice/accounting/time tracking and I’ve been trying to get a handle on it with various tools, services and even paper.  In yet another attempt to get the business side of my business organized and manageable I’m working with Freshbooks.com (referral link).

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