Relationship marketing and social networking are the key words in today’s world. True for business and true for life. Just what are they? And why are they important? Relationship marketing is much more than “networking. It’s gathering support of your friends, peers, and business contacts. It’s meeting people and benefiting from those meetings. It’s developing strong, lasting, unique relationships with your most valuable asset, your customer. It’s what keeps people “coming back for more.” It’s an excellent way to shorten the traditional routes of building trust, create opportunities, increase valuable contacts, to achieve success and grow your business. Social networking can be reap the same benefits except that the way you develop these relationships is online; by participating in newsgroups, in forums, chat rooms, virtual meetings and associations and any number of other forms online opportunities.

Currently, I attend 3 to 5 events weekly, both offline and offline. In fact, many of the groups on am involved in are virtual associations which are an extension of most social networking sites in that they are membership based with varying degrees of benefits beyond simply networking. One of these is the Women’s ECommerce Association or WECAI.org. The focus or mission of WECAI.org is to “Help Women Do Business on the WEB.” As a woman who does business on the web, I am always seeking ways to help me gain the knowledge, experience and contacts to do just that. In fact, WECAI.org is an organization I started in order to do just that. And it began because of an event I attended nearly five years ago and thousands of miles away. You might think “this is far too many organizations for me or too far for me to travel just to increase my own circle.” And you are probably right.

However, let me tell you what happened during one of those many events I attended, in Egypt (which I learned about by way of an email invitation). During this particular event, I met many women (and a few good men) who have since been a great resource to me in developing WECAI.org. Among them was Linda Pereira, Executive Director of CPL Events in Portugal. Linda is a dynamic woman who knows how to network. When you watch her, it does not look like “work” at all. She does so effortlessly and with such joy, it makes everyone around her want to learn how to do the same. Her secret? It’s her genuine interest in, and passion for people. She doesn’t just hand out business cards, she finds out about the people she talks to, gets to know their likes, dislikes, aspirations and goals in life. She finds out how she can help them to achieve their goals and offers her own wisdom and experience. She extends her hand and in so doing, a hand is extended to her, both in friendship and in increased professional contacts. Meeting her was and still is one of the highlights of my travels and my life. She has become a great colleague and more importantly a treasured friend. Dale Carnegie said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get others interested in you.” The same could be said for increasing your professional networks.

Early on I learned that in order to get people to notice me, I had to be visible. You might have guessed that I will go just about anywhere to meet people. Since my ‘job’ was to “go out and get the business,” I learned to work on my business and leave the working “in my business” to those more capable of the day to day operations. When you grow your business, you can afford to hire others to take care of those day to day operations. Think about what you want and need to accomplish. Do you want to develop lifelong friendships, cultivate individual customers, land large accounts, or make an impact in your community? You will accomplish all three by getting involved in your local civic organizations, chambers of commerce, business and non-profit Associations, or some of the thousands of virtual associations there are on the WEB. According to Wikipedia.com “social networks operate on many levels, from families up to the level of nations, and play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals succeed in achieving their goals.”

When evaluating the various ways to increase your contacts, ask yourself the following questions. What is the mission or focus of the organization and how will it help me reach my goals? Whom do I need to meet in order to accomplish my goals? And where do I meet them? Linda Pereira says, “If you want to meet people, you have to go where the people are. Focus your efforts by being in the right place at the right time. It’s not just who you meet, but how and where you meet them. Meeting people in the ‘right places’ adds credibility to that meeting.” That’s not to say that striking up a conversation in the supermarket has no value. It does. It’s just that if you want to develop the right contacts, you must participate in the right organizations. Go where the people you wish to network with will be!

Building your Network is an ongoing process. Are you willing to invest the time it takes to achieve your goals? How much time is enough? Begin with the end in mind. The key to success is to know what you want to accomplish. To start networking, the first thing you have to do is set your foot in the door (or turn on your computer). Increasing your “Circle of Influence” is a continuous process. It is essential to develop a networking plan both for business and personal contacts. In business, the right networking can be ten times more effective than advertising. And it costs less!

In the next post I will talk about Your Networking Plan of Action

What I most enjoy about posting things like one-liners on Twitter is the interesting responses I receive. Sharon Klein (@Choicemktg on Twitter) wrote, “Your one lines made me chuckle.” Me too, Sharon! One-liners are a great way to start conversations on Twitter, and I have found that like #Quotes, One-liners get retweeted often and my followers grow almost at the same pace as the number of one-liners I post.

For example, today I posted 20 one-liners and got 13 new followers. And that was in less than an hour. I can’t say for certain they all followed because they read my posts from others who retweeted, but it is a nice coincidence.

One of the responses I received came from my good friend Debbie Barth (@DebbieBarth on Twitter). She wrote: “I love one-liners. I think they can be much more powerful than a paragraph.” So true, Debbie. One-liners can make us think, smile and even get angry. They can make us look at something in a new and interesting way, they can take us back to a time in history, they can be nostalgic and they can be just plain fun.  You can find one liners on Twitter using the hashtag #1Liner or #1Liners.

Companies have learned how to create slogans and taglines that have become one-liners for us in everyday conversation.  Nike’s “Just do it.” is a perfect example. So is Verizon’s “can you hear me now?” 

And comedians count on one-liners to get their audiences to laugh. 

There are one-liners in movies we can recall and often quote. A few of my favorite are “show me the money” and “you had me at hello” both from the movie Jerry McGuire; “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” from Gone with the Wind, “Make him an offer he can’t refuse” from The Godfather, “I’ll be back” from The Terminator, “Houston, we have a problem” from Apollo 13 and “I’ll have what she’s having” from When Harry Met Sally. In fact, here is a list of 101 famous movie one-liners you can check out: http://amog.com/entertainment/movie-one-liners/

So, in keeping with the Twitter Theme today,  I thought it would be fun to simply add some of my personal favorites to the mix that make me smile, think, and even look at myself a little differently.

Here’s my 13 Favorite One Liners for Today:

We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.

Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good evening’, and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t.

We live in a society where pizza gets to your house before the police.”

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist.

A TV can insult your intelligence, but nothing rubs it in like a computer.

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.

The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.

Some of us learn from the mistakes of others; the rest of us have to be the others.

People can be divided into three groups: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.

I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I’m doing.

Discretion is being able to raise your eyebrow instead of your voice.

(source: http://www.onelinerz.net)

Have a FUN-tastic Day… all!

Have you grabed your copy of  Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year yet?

Join me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/heidirichards

Did you know that In Romanian, Greek and Hispanic cultures, Tuesday the 13th is considered unlucky?

Hoteliers once believed the number 13 was so unlucky that they did not even have a 13th floor in their establishments.  Well technically they may have but they did not number the 13th floor #13. and in fact, many hotel guests still refuse to stay in Room 13, so rooms are frequently numbered 12, 12A, and 14.

Some believe that a fear of the number 13 is the reason we only recognize 12 constellations in the Zodiac. The 13th being Ophiuchus ( the Serpent Holder) because of its location, could be included.

And a Baker’s Dozen became so because years ago London bakers would be subject to heavy penalties if they were caught selling underweight bread. To insure their bread met the proper weight standards they would include an extra loaf and to avoid using the word thirteen, called it a “bakers dozen.”

But not everyone is afraid of the number 13. In fact, “in 1881, an influential group of New Yorkers led by U.S. Civil War veteran Captain William Fowler came together to put an end to this and other superstitions. They formed a dinner cabaret club, which they called the Thirteen Club. At the first meeting, on Friday 13 January 1881 at 8:13 p.m., 13 people sat down to dine in room 13 of the venue. The guests walked under a ladder to enter the room and were seated among piles of spilled salt. All of the guests survived. Thirteen Clubs sprang up all over North America for the next 40 years. Their activities were regularly reported in leading newspapers, and their numbers included five future U.S. presidents, from Chester A. Arthur to Theodore Roosevelt. Thirteen Clubs had various imitators, but they all gradually faded from interest as people became less superstitious.” (source: Wikipedia.com)

And I purchased Eden Florist on August 13th (in 1981). I have always loved the number 13 and consider it very lucky for me.  Can you guess which number I always play in the lottery???

In addition to all this trivia, I came across some great tips to share. Here is my list of 13 Tips to help you in business and in life With an excerpt from each:

13 Tips for Working Smarter, Not Harder
Tip #13  Beware of perfectionism. Most routine work doesn’t need to be done perfectly. Ask yourself — Is your effort disproportionate to the value of the task? Will other, more important projects be delayed as a result? Can you reduce the frequency or level of detail of this task? Read the rest at http://bit.ly/rXW65

13 tips for closing the deal from iMediaConnection.com 
Tip #13 Close. Get some concrete next steps agreed to. “Go ahead and think about it for a few days…” is not a wise course of action if you want to sell good ideas. It allows people to stew over things, and make the sort of “tiny” changes that are reaching right into the mouth of the campaign and perform an idea-ectomy. REad the rest at: www.imediaconnection.com/content/19887.asp

13 Twitter Tips and Tutorials for Beginners
 Tip #13 6 Ways to Maximize the Use of Your 140 Characters – basic ‘Tweet Writing Tips http://bit.ly/9rjTH. Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/ZOF5y
 
13 Tips For Getting Page One Search Rankings
Tip #13 Leverage your closest affiliate relationships. Each company reacts to this one differently, but it’s worth a shot if you’re facing negative content that you want to make disappear quickly. If you have great relationships with affiliates, consider partnering with them to get links to the favorable web pages from a page on the affiliate’s website. Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/t4Abe
 
13 Tips Your Burglar Doesn’t Want You To Know!
Tip #13 A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)  Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/ouv5n
 
13 Tips for Effective Email Marketing by MarketingVOX
Tip #13 Make it easy to unsubscribe to your messages. No matter how hard you try, there will always be someone who wants out. Don’t give them grief over it.Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/4GdthQ
 
13 tips (A baker’s dozen!) for successful e-commerce
Tip #13 Use analytics to gauge effectiveness. Measurement is a must. “Especially in challenging economic times, marketers are wise to leverage analytics to measure success,” said Eric Peterson, a Web analytics consultant. “The difference between knowing you’re spending marketing dollars online and knowing how that money contributes back to the business is profound.” Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/QvelQ
 
13 Tips for Mobilizing Online Action by Have Fun • Do Good
Tip #13 Facilitate peer-to-peer referrals. Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/Z8wSW
 
13 Tips for Marketing Your Business With Your Blog
Tip #13 Mix it Up. If you decide just to go with one blog instead of multiple blogs for multiple channels of your company it can be worthwhile to mix up the type of content that appears on your blog. There are so many types of posts that a company could run depending upon their objectives including:
highlighting key staff members, message from the CEO, state of the industry posts, linking to breaking news in the industry, polls … Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/3wJg50

13 Tips for a STRESS-FREE Halloween
Tip #13 Hide your black cat. Some pet experts recommend hiding your black cat a few days before October 31st – not just on Halloween night. When it comes to pet safety, it’s better to be extra safe than extra sorry. Read the rest at: bit.ly/yEjay

13 Tips for Tough Times (GREEN LIVING)
Tip #13 DON’T MAKE DRASTIC CHANGES. If you’re going through a transitional period, remember that transitions are just that, transitions, advises Holt–and we need a certain amount of time to get through them. “We are such a quick-fix society that we want the answer now or even yesterday,” she says. “Allow time for transitions to happen. Stay with the simple things that you know to be true.”
Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/J8s1f

13 Tips To Help You Become More By Doing Less
Tip #13 Dancing & Grace. Inside of each of us is a dancer. That part of us that responds freely to the music of life. But somewhere along the way we become guarded. Our fears restrict us, and eventually we dismiss whatever gifts we have to offer. Today, let yourself dance. Read the rest at: http://bit.ly/1vOO5m

And to round things out, here is a free ebook: 13 Tips to Enhance Your Intuition  Grab your copy here: http://bit.ly/dQOV2

 Feel free to share YOUR links to 13 tips (or less) in the comments below.

“Open-API-based Poken technology will become the standard for connecting people in the real world and enhancing their interactions online.” Art of Technology

Yesterday I attended the PRSA Miami event (public relations society) where Dayna Steele, Peter Shankman and Murray Izz spoke. It was exciting and filled with great information.  In fact, I could write at least 3 blog posts about all the great tips and resources these presenters shared. But today I want to talk about only one.  POKEN.  Okay you are thinking this is a new kind of card game, right? Something like Poker for Nerds or something… NO. NOT IT.  If you haven’t yet heard of POKEN, don’t feel bad. I had heard the name bantered about a couple of times, but didn’t really know what it was or meant. Until yesterday when Peter Shankman spoke, and held up the little device and talked about how KOOL it was and that if we had one he’d like to connect. And if we didn’t he had them available right then and there. I was excited! You see I was sitting next to my good friend Jessica Kizorek (Celebrated Author and Video Expert) and she showed me hers. I could not wait to get my hands on one.
  
So guess who was first in line to get one when he was finished speaking?  No I didn’t move fast enough (but I was third *SMILE). 

Let me tell you what a POKEN is.  It is a handy little networking creature (tool) that shares uploaded social media contact with anyone else that has one.  In fact, when two POKENS get close, they light up!  Makes you wonder… but I digress. The reason they light up is that they are getting a signal from another POKEN (these could be fun on a date!).  Time to make their move! And by make their move I mean, HI 4 them ~ touch one another (which may be why POKENS have a fact and a ‘hand’) so they can exchange information. And if the two POKENS are from the same tribe, look out.  Mine is a “Rock Star” POKEN. You can choose from several styles including Ninjas, Vampires, Geishas, Tigers and many others.  Mine suits my personality *SMILE.

But I digress… again.

The purpose of a POKEN is to do away with exchanging business cards and carrying paper back to the office to then transfer to some other database device.  In fact, it is really quite simple. You buy your poken (For under $20), take it apart (the hand has the  USB port) and plug it into your computer.  If all is working you get a prompt that takes you to the Do You POKEN website ~ www.doyoupoken.com (your computer should recognize what’s been plugged in and auto-launch the website ) and there you set up an account so you can start imputing your social networking information including all the sites you belong to.  You input your FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, TWITTER, MYSPACE, etc. ID’s, your physical contact information, upload your picture and viola’!  Instant POKEN!

It’s that simple! Once you’ve shared connections, you are ready to start chatting with your newest POKEN buddies online.  It’s that instant. No more having to search for her or him on Facebook or Twitter or XING or whatever. They are in your little POKEN hand! And in your list of friends, fans and followers.

The Good news: you are doing your part to save the planet … totally green (as long as they work and don’t end up in some landfill somewhere ~ but that’s another subject). BTW, POKEN’s  battery lasts around six months depending on how often it’s used.  It is a Lithium CR1632, so it’s rechargable and recycleable.

The Bad News: you can’t put these on bulletin boards and staple to flyers or even leave on windshields (or maybe that’s the good news).  But you can get creative with them.  Use them as incentives and giveaways (be sure your contact info is already on them) or for other types of marketing and advertising campaigns.  Let me know how you use or would use a POKEN!

You can get your POKEN at POKEN GIRL or do what I did and go to a live social media event where they are selling them.

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Even on Twitter You are Judged by the Company You Keep! Today as I was checking in on Twitter, I noticed something that had not struck me so blatantly before and that is that nearly every person who send tme a DM (direct message) included a link to get “thousands of followers on Twitter” (suggesting effortlessly).

Normally I don’t click on those links because I have become somewhat of a Twitter following puritan.  Not 100% but for the most part.  As you will soon see.

My goal in building a Twitter following is two-fold. To become a recognized social media expert and to meet great people around the globe.  If that translates into income, all the better.

Having said that, I have worked diligently to grow my Twitter following almost totally organically.  Of course, when I first got ACTIVE on Twitter that was not the case, as many Tweeple will tell you. 

In the beginning I followed every person my friends followed without really looking at who they are or if they would even be the right audience for my message. Doing this helped my followers grow from 300 to 2,500 followers in about 3 months time.  BTW, the original 300 took 6 month and no effort. I only went to Twitter about 1 or 2 times a week and posted 3-4 comments. That’s it.

In January I decided to either make it or leave it on Twitter and started making a focused effort to interact with folks and build a following.  Hey, all my friends were doing it and having lots of fun and even a few success. So why not?

During January and early February my only goal was to grow my following. I didn’t pay any attention to the “quality” or relevance of those that followed me.

Today that is not the case.  It took me a while to figure out that it was more important to have a following of people that meant something, that I could connect with and also learn from.  And these days with so many bots and spammers infiltrating Twitter, that is even MORE IMPORTANT.

And then there’s the CREDIBILITY FACTOR. If you’ve spent any time at all on Twitter you know that it takes time and effort to build a real following.

Of course, you could go to Tweep Me and pay $12.95 for 5,000 instant followers (or Brute Force Twitter or Twitter Smackdown) but will they add value to your network? Would you have to sift throught them to get rid of those unsavory followers you would not like your own circle to see you associating with?  If so, why would you allow them to take up space in your following and timeline in the first place?

Believe me, people who follow you and want to grow their own following are also looking at your following (and followers) for great people to follow. It’s called reputation by association.

So just how do you find the type of followers that would add value and meaning to your Twitter experience? I just shared one idea with you; look at those people in your followers network. Read their bios and posts and if they are people you’d like to get to know, follow them.

Here are my five “RULES” to grow a quality Twitter following:

1. Look at the people you intentionally followed (not necessarily those you auto-followed because they follow you).  Look at who THEY are following.  From their following, find those you’d like to connect with a follow them.  If and when they return the favor by following you back, send a personal message instead of one of those autoresponders. (Note: when you get to a point where you are getting more followers than you can keep up with personally welcoming, come up with a thought-provoking welcome message to auto send.  And then each time you visit your Twitter page, look at your new followers and pick a few to send a personal message to. Or check their timeline and find an interesting post to retweet. This will get his/her attention and your chances of a starting a conversation increase considerably.

2.Pay attention to RETWEETS.  There are golden nuggets in the retweets your followers are sharing.  you can find great people to connect with by reading these. And chances are they will feel the same way.  You could retweet the retweet which can lead to that person thanking you and following you back or you can simply follow her/him.

3. One of my favorite days of the week on Twitter is Follow Friday (on Follow Friday the people on twiter recommend people to their people to follow.  And if you want to expand your reach beyond your followers include the hashtag: #FollowFriday.  This is the day Twitterville set aside to recommend great people to follow.  And it is a goldmine of opportunity.  However, I think lately people have gotten lazy. Instead of telling us why we should follow someone, people are simply suggesting lots of people to follow with no reason behind the recommendation. Follow Friday is simply recommending people to follow to your followers. Here’s an example of how I participate: 

@BruceTurkel is a Branding expert, speaker, art director, author, harmonica zealot and all around great guy to follow #followfriday

@NancyMarmolejo is a High achieving, soul driven social media devotee to follow #followfriday AND she’s FUN!

@PennyHaynes has a cool new tool for info products – check it out at http://tinyurl.com/rsszine – and #followfriday Penny too!

When you use the hastag “followFriday, it ends up on the top ten trending topics timeline and everyone on Twitter can see it. Another great way to expand your reach beyond your own followers and their following. 

4. Speaking of Top Ten Trending Topics, use the search bar on the right hand side of your navigation – homepage for great people to connect with.  When you see a trending topic such as followfriday, click on it and see who’s saying what.  If they sound like someone you want to connect with, visit his/her page read a few more posts and Follow Away!

5. Post S.M.A.R.T. TWEETS.  What are S.M.A.R.T. TWEETS?  S – strategic (think about what the tweet means to your overall Twitter mission), M – meaningful (will what you have to say matter to anyone but you?), A – authentic, R – recommendable (retweetable) and T – timely (latest news, newsworthyness, up to date).  I do my best to include at least one of the S.M.A.R.T. elements in every post. Of course, the best post will have all 5!

My criteria boils down to this: If I don’t have something in common with my followers or would not want to connect with him/her in a social or networking setting, then why do I want him or her to follow me and vice-versa?  And would this person be someone I’d ever bring home to meet the family?

For more information on tweeting smart, Read my article: How and Why to TWEET S.M.A.R.T.

I did not post on May 25th as we were on the road heading back from visiting relatives in Daytona Beach.

What I discovered was the number of posts I average in a day.  Last week the average was 53.  I think it may be less in prior weeks. 

After reading this list and seeing just how much I post, I realized that I need to get a life.  Keep in mind many of these posts occur in the middle of the night (especially when I can’t sleep).

Here’s what a typical week on Twitter looks like to me (and my followers):

Every day I posted Interviews with Women in Business and Women on the Move from the WE Magazine for Women blog.

I also Posted a number of quotes, retweeted more than 20 people, thanked dozens of people for the retweets and listed several people to follow during #followfriday. 

In addition, each week I participate in Twitter Tuesday for the Boomer Diva Nation and help other Divas in the group promote their blog posts, articles, websites, events and more.

Each morning I read the dozen or so ezines that come through my email (skim them really) for interesting articles that might also interest my Twitter followers. I copy and paste the titles and URL’s into a post, save in a Twitter file in Outlook and when I have time, post to my Twitter timelines.  I also read at least 8 magazines a week and if I find an interesting article I cut it out, and search online for the article so I can mention it and link to it for my followers to read.  It’s a good thing I read more than 400 words a minute or no way could I even post half this stuff. So here are most of the resources I shared on Twitter from May 23rd to today (in reverse chronological order).
 

May 29th (Today)

Mobile marketing best practices guide by Mobile Marketing Association http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=15759&p=17 

Special Delivery Diapers.com’s innovative Web strategies turn customer acquisition and retention into an art form http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=15759&p=14 

The Myth of the Rational Buyer: How Too Much Thinking Can Hurt Your Brand  http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/mark-dziersk/design-finds-you/myth-rational-buyer-how-too-much-thinking-can-hurt-your-brand?partner=homepage_newsletter 

Twitter: The Real-Time Answer Engine http://www.twitip.com/twitter-the-real-time-answer-engine/ 

Answer A Reader Question: Twitter For Fundraising?  http://www.twitip.com/answer-a-reader-question-twitter-for-fundraising/

5 tips for objective media planning http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23245.asp

Case study: A Facebook campaign that connected http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23240.asp  

Backlash: Women Bullying Women at Work http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/business/10women.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&8dpc

42 Million U.S. Women Use Social Media: Blogs Most Influential http://smallbiztrends.com/2009/05/42-million-women-use-social-media-blogs.html
Pioneering Women Who Are Breaking Through the Digital Ceiling Part 3 http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/allyson-kapin/radical-tech/pioneering-women-who-are-breaking-through-digital-ceiling-part-3 

How to account for the entire consumer life cycle in your planning process http://www.imediaconnection

The Myth Of The Myths Of Social Media Marketing http://bit.ly/AEXwH

Improve Online Customer Acquisition via Lead Verification, Enhancement and Scoring June 9 2PM EST http://tinyurl.com/mufhze
 
How to maximize a brand’s social relevance http://www.imediaconnection.com/ads/ms-i-09.html?ref=/content/23062.asp
 
Twitter gets main stage at D conference http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23238.asp

May 28th

Know any women under 35 who are tops in their field? Interviews avail for WE Mag. http://bit.ly/A4FQ4

10 Golden Rules of Social Media  http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/05/26/10-golden-rules-of-social-media/

5 Factors to Consider When Selecting Enterprise Social Tools http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/05/28/5-factors-to-consider-when-selecting-enterprise-social-tools/

Babylon 8: On-the-Fly Translation of Words and Web Pages http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/05/27/babylon-8-on-the-fly-translation-of-words-and-web-pages/

Watch Your Website Users with Clixpy http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/05/27/watch-your-web-site-users-with-clixpy/

Topsy: a search-engine whose results come from highly trafficked Twitter links  http://www.boingboing.net/2009/05/27/topsy-a-search-engin.html

Why Are the Most Creative People in Business Skipping Out on Web 2.0? http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/dan-macsai/popwise/100-mcp-why-they-do-and-dont-share-themselves-internet?partner=homepage_newsletter

Reading: The Most Influential Women in Tech: http://www.fastcompany.com/women-in-tech/2009?partner=homepage_newsletter

Reading: There are refreshingly inexpensive ways to refresh a web site http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=30570

The Effectiveness of Live Chat Technology (study of Internet shoppers) http://www.boldchat.com/ir

McDonald’s Senior executive reflects on lessons learned over 33 years http://www.thefranchisemagazine.net/franchise/mcdonalds-restaurants/franchising-mcdonalds-way/4339

Improve Online Customer Acquisition via Lead Verification, Enhancement and Scoring June 9 2PM EST https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=137202&sessionid=1&key=385BA6CD81E6EC02775CCF9902416B29&partnerref=001&sourcepage=register

How to maximize a brand’s social relevance http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23062.asp 

The Franchise Magazine  http://www.thefranchisemagazine.net/?return=9535-eb9408-vltkv

Reading Corner Office: Women Ascending by Grit, Smarts ~ http://bit.ly/A24mc

Subscribe to HispanicBusinessDigital http://hispanicbusinessdigital.epubxpress.com/?site=1

Check out ‘The Long Tail and Social Media’ http://online-social-networking.com/the-long-tail-and-social-media

Why advertisers should think like comedians http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23053.asp 

How internet directory services failed http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23055.asp

10 Tips for entrepreneurs and your business to beat the recession http://bit.ly/qXC7E  #business

How to Write a White Paper (FREE PDF) http://www.klariti.com/white-papers/How%20to%20write%20a%20White%20Paper.pdf  

May 27th 

New York Times ~ Tweeting Your Way to a Job http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/fashion/21whiz.html?_r=1

Grab a free 10-part eCourse on “How to Leave the Office Earlier” when U take the LEAVE THE OFFICE EARLIER pledge http://www.TheProductivityPro.com/leave.html by June 2.

Even More Laughs! Humor In Retail Email, Once Again http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=106710

How To Succeed In Business If You’re Boring http://www.brazencareerist.com/2009/05/24/how-to-succeed-in-business-if-you-re-boring-and-not-quirky-weird-nor-cool

9 tips for dealing with social media enemies http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23205.asp

Twitter’s growth and longevity pinned on many unknowns http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23219.asp 

Twitter gets its shot on primetime http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23218.asp

Creativing ~ Social Media. Let the inquisition continue http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/BlogDetail.aspx?BlogID=636

Forget Electric Cars: The Hydrogen Road Rally Starts Today http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/forget-electric-cars-hydrogen-road-rally-coming?partner=homepage_newsletter

How Big Business Weathers the Economic Storm  http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/136/through-the-fire.html?partner=homepage_newsletter                                                                           

Why the Apple Tablet Rumors Still Won’t Go Away http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/why-those-apple-tablet-rumors-still-wont-go-away?partner=homepage_newsletter

May 26

Top 5 Ideas to Rev Up Your Sales for the Next Quarter http://bit.ly/ktODy

Share and Share Alike – 4 Fantastic Reasons to Leverage Social Bookmarking ~ http://tinyurl.com/ps3wtr
 
4 ways to Increase Your Twitter Popularity With People That Count http://bit.ly/xj0OI

Women’s Leadership Exchange Ft. Lauderdale Conference at the Sunrise IKEA Tuesday, June 16th $10 off at www.womensleadershipexchange.com

Converting Web Pages Into Subscriber Magnets http://tinyurl.com/qx5yu6

The New Way To Learn About Wine: Twitter http://bit.ly/dgUGT

Top 16 Social Plugins For Wordpress http://bit.ly/uh7js

AUTHORS & SPEAKERS MAKING MAJOR $$$$ listen 2 REAL STORY TELESEMINAR FREE Http://www.anniejenningspr.com/publicitypro.htm

The lights go back on at CircuitCity.com ~ new owner Systemax has relaunched site: http://bit.ly/F7lvp

Watch this video: Overcoming the buyer/seller divide http://www.imediaconnection.com/summits/23193.asp

Google wins search, so Yahoo goes social http://bit.ly/15tuaH   

Reading, Social media: Whose job is it anyway? http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23165.asp

Flower Mound: Pastor asks congregation to connect with Twitter ~ http://neighborsgo.com/stories/36756

“One has to abandon altogether the search for security and reach out to the risk of living with both arms. Morris West #Quotes

Reading Article Marketing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box ~ http://tinyurl.com/2ascf6

Save cash by going green One business’s story ~ http://tinyurl.com/r3v5yy

Interesting read: Why small businesses fail http://tinyurl.com/qa6oek

Credit card reform leaves small biz out ~ http://tinyurl.com/p8lysh

Reading: Financial literacy through video games ~ http://tinyurl.com/ogclk7   

Branding on YouTube ~ http://bit.ly/9nkyk

SAVE THE DATE Set 16 ~ Digital Marketing World Fall 2009 : Free Virtual Conference http://tinyurl.com/qyhm5t

Learn How to Leverage Social Media for Your Business with this Social Media Marketing Kit ~ http://tinyurl.com/qet2l8

My So-Called Marketing Life: How Do I Extend the Reach of My Brand? http://tinyurl.com/ot4n4g

HOLISTIC WEB MARKETING: Seeing the Forest through the Trees http://bit.ly/GYdRd

May 24th

The 12 Essential Social Media Stories This Week ~ http://bit.ly/VSxcw

“The secret of Happiness is Freedom, and the secret of Freedom, Courage.” ~ Thucydides #Quotes

We must be prepared to make heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war… Albert Einstein

4 things support the world: the learning of the wise the justice of the great the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave”

“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” Benjamin Disraeli

Be sure to stop and say a little prayer in honor of those who gave their lives so we might enjoy ours this Memorial Day  

If you are celebrating a Happy Memorial Day this weekend with family & friends thank a Veteran! www.tweettoremind.com #tweettoremind

Who is your Hero? Mine R the men & women who every day put their lives on the line 4 PEACE & FREEDOM #tweettoremind www.tweettoremind.com   

Interactive map tool creates online memorial 2 U.S. coalition troops ~ http://tinyurl.com/qtc2r4 thank U to all who have sacrificed 4 US

May 23rd

Read Finding the Right Wave to Ride (Secular Trends)
http://tinyurl.com/olqenc

Reading Linked Data is Blooming: Why You Should Care http://bit.ly/301r2

Web 3.0 or Not, There’s Something Different About 2009 http://bit.ly/UfG46

WECAI Domains ~ need a domain name, email or hosting ~ check out www.WECAIDomains.com

2 Faves Business Week – http://www.businessweek.com… & Inc. Magazine

Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs http://www.inc.com/

Ten Common Selling Mistakes in Business http://tinyurl.com/p5tzm

Do you know if you are charging the right price? http://tinyurl.com/qvuee

Everything I Needed to Know about Customer Service I learned in a Tokyo Convenience Store http://tinyurl.com/oojfjj

Number-one way people grow their business is with a follow up system. What’s your follow up system? I use www.SendOutCards.com/heidi  

Check out interviews at WE Magazine for Women ~ Business & Lifestyle Magazine for Women on the Go www.WEMagazineforWomen.com12:48 AM May 23rd from web    

Subscribe to Keith Ferrazi’ free Newsletter (Author, Never Eat Alone) at www.ferrazzigreenlight.com #SmallBizWeek

Learning, and Profiting, from Online Friendships (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) VIDEO http://tinyurl.com/rbwqss12:29 AM May 23rd from web    

Why You’ll Give Your Money to Strangers, and Date Someone You’ve Never Met http://tinyurl.com/q658cv

Newspapers Tweeting Like Crazy But What Are the Rules? http://bit.ly/1aeigN

Join Business and Professional Women’s Foundation as they honor women veterans this Memorial Day www.bpwfoundation.org

This is an excellent exercise to see just how much you post, how much content you post is relevant and how much you interact with your followers. I believe that the reason so many people follow me is the high content I submit.  BTW, if you are interested in finding new resources and like mega content, and you don’t mind getting lots of tweets from one person, follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/heidirichards. Of course, if you have a life, and don’t have time to follow me, I totally understand.  I am not sure I could follow me either!

Happy Tweetin’

SBTV ~ Small Business Television: Real People Real Business ~ www.SBTV.com

Nominate a Top Small Business for the 2009 Top 200 So. Florida Small Business Awards ~ http://www.businessleader.com/SouthFlorida-Top100

Manage Your Messages on Dozens of Social Networking Services at Once with Ping.fm  ~ http://tinyurl.com/ov95ml

Ask the Expert Rieva Lesonsky of Entrepreneur Magazine (listen to her podcasts) http://tinyurl.com/pmr53m

Why PR Is the Prescription ~ Business Week Article http://tinyurl.com/q2n2yz

Commercial Creation Center Multi-media Production Suite including Audio, Video & Image Creation * Editing * Uploading ~ http://tinyurl.com/osmx9l

Publici-tea TO-GO is a bundle of comfort, joy, and DIY publicity inspiration that engages all of your senses, captures your attention, and compels you into DIY action to realize ready results with confidence ~ http://tinyurl.com/ouxmn5

Small Business Trends Blog with Anita Campbell http://smallbiztrends.com/

Penny Pinching Publicity Program with Shannon Cherry ~ Here’s an easy way to get proven publicity and public relations strategies to create more traffic, more prospects, more sales and more profits in less time AT LITTLE OR NO COST!!!

Women’s Media Summit Resource List (hundreds of resources to connect with the media) http://tinyurl.com/qk6dlz

The Twitter Phenomenon, My Twitter Story ~ http://tinyurl.com/cc4m88

Tuesday Twitter Tutorials – Attend a weekly teleseminar on how to get your Tweet On! http://tinyurl.com/cauf3p

GET MEDIA SAVVY!– The Ultimate eGuide to Promote Your Products, Services and Ideas to the World ~ http://tinyurl.com/bezt4g
AUDIOS & VIDEOS

Recognition Awards can Benefit Your Small Business http://tinyurl.com/pt2s4g

Lilian Vernon Shares her Theory on Entrepreneurship http://tinyurl.com/okrgpo

Overcoming Business Obstacles http://tinyurl.com/qd9u6k
 
Savvy Selling: How to Identify, Cultivate and Retain Your Best Customers VIDEO http://tinyurl.com/dbu4t5

Marketing: Tell a Story to Your Customers VIDEO http://tinyurl.com/pchm7l

Small Biz America: Where Small Business Talks ~ http://www.smallbizamerica.com/

Women’s Media Summit Audio Program ~ http://tinyurl.com/pcplh4

Blogging for Business Program How to Create Multiple Income Streams, Celebrity Status & More With Your Blog www.bloggingforbusinessprogram.com

If you have any media resources you’d like to share, be sure and leave the information and link in the comments section!

Best wishes for a successfull small business week in your neighborhood or part of the world!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Small Business Tips Tuesday!

My topic this time was “How to Leverage Social Networking to Promote Business” which is not only a very timely topic, apparently was interesting to the 87 women in attendance!  You can read an excerpt of the talk at: http://speakingwithspirit.com/the-twitter-phenomenon/.

When I arrived, I was greated by two wonderful ladies at the registration desk, Linda Wolonick and Lydia Groves from Expert Business Solutions. Here they are with my good friend Amanda Stewart of 6th Sense Design:

Then I had the pleasure of running into my dear friend Rosana Santos from Big Chef Online ( far left below and also a finalist in their Women in Diversity Awards). Here she is with Sheryl Wilk Wides – The Promo Girl (the one in the hat), Michele Errair of Floral & Hearty,  Gerlinde Hopkins of Gerlinde Photography (and a friend for nearly 30 years) and of course Rosana!

I love meeting new people and had the chance to chat briefly with Sandy Yepes and Elizabeth Singer of Millenium Stone about what brought them to the meeting. They loved the topic and the energy of the AMAZING women of NAWBO and said they planned to return and join.  Other members included Carolyn Zaumeyer of Women’s Health Watch, Stephanie Tippie of Anti-Aging Clinic, Bobra Bush of Telecare Corp, Saulene Sutton of Chic Ideas, Serena Hoermann of eBoatCharters.com, Maryann Sisto of Design Wonders, Sheila Tobier of Control & Integration Associates, Cynthia Roby of Bluestocking Ink and Paula Holland DeLong of “What’s Next for My Life.”

Two friends from the Florida Speakers Association attended the event. Here is Dr. Helen Turnbull of Human Facets, Me and Dr. Rebecca Staten Reinstein of Advantage Leadership. 

It was such a delight to reconnect with Liz Mendell from Dolphin Travel, Laura Weiner and of Pink Merchant Services, and Dr. Donna Goldstein of Take Shape For Life and so many more women I cannot wait to see them all again.

The program chair for NAWBO is J.R. Steele of Moving Memories Video who made it so easy for me to just show up and deliver my presentation. She is certainly an asset to the organization. Here we are together:

I had a wonderful time during dinner and got to sit next to one of my favorite redheads Beth Tobin of Starpack a promotions and gift packaging company. She is the consumate professional and I am honored to be a part of her “circle of friends.”  During dinner she gave me a wonderful pen that talked (it says “thank you, thank you very much”) so I used it as my opening line for the presentation.

I also got to break bread with Trina London of Associated Realty Consultants, and Ronnie Halpern of Ronnie Interior Designs

At the end of my program, I offered the Social Networking Digital Formula For Success Program to the group and several took advantage of the highly discounted price of $47 (which included several ebooks, interviews with social media experts, my handouts and more). Visit this page for the complete description and how to get your copy (before the price goes up): http://speakingwithspirit.com/social-networking-digital-formula-for-success/

On the way out the door I got the chance to chat with Sharon Cofar of A Move Made Easy and she asked me about doing my program for 3 of her groups. Of course, I said yes! If you have a group who would be interested in Leveraging Social Networking to Promote Your Business, give me a call at  954-… or email me at heidi (at) successandthensome.com.

NAWBO is the National Association of Women Business Owners, a non-profit organization of more than 9,000 members that represent women business owners across all industries, founded in 1975. NAWBO offers support resources and opportunities to propel women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power worldwide. Learn more about the local chapter at http://www.nawbo-ftl.org/

The event took place at the exceptional Town & Country Resort and Convention Center in beautiful San Diego, California!

Margaret and Ralph Gonzalez were the perfect hostess and host.  Margaret, the founder of IAHMP was gracious, accessible and informed. Three important elements for any leader running such a large event.

People came from all over the world to attend IAHMP.  Linda Pereira and Idalia Freitas, Partners in CPL Events of Portugal brought a contingency from their part of the world including Lisbon, Estoril and Cascais.

Lisbeth Zamudio, President of Stratedgy & Events and Founder of IAHMP Mexico brought several people from many parts of Mexico including Mexico City,  Monterrey, Leon, Guadalajara and other parts thereof. People like  Ed Pulsifer of the Heritage Hotels & Resorts came from Albuguerque, New Mexico and more.

There was a wealth of Diversity in both geographic and ethnic representation as well as the range of topics covered. Speakers came from far and wide to present topics of interest to the group, including Linda Pereira of CPL Events and the Iberian Chapter of IAHMP in Portugal, Jorge Flores Escobar, founder of ACOB, Mary Jew, President of the National Association of Bilingual Education, Toni Martin, board member of Blacks in Government, Lawrence John of the Navajo Nation,  Adele Preza from the San Mateo CVB, Robyn Nichols of the Reno-Sparks CVA, Yvonne Guzman, of Visit Denver, Mike Aguilera of Aguilera & Associates, Patsy Cisneros of Corporate Icon, Daniel Gutierrez of Latino Empowerment Foundation, Sarita Maybin and of course yours truly, Heidi Richards Mooney from South Florida.

I learned how to say Hello in Navajo “ya’ateeh,” how to acknowledge people across the room, how to survive through adversity, how to land on my feet, how to choose a meeting destination (or several),  how to work with meeting professionals to create a win-win for all, the value of the European meeting industry, how to be a better communicator and more.

Every part of the program was worthwhile – people were eager to learn, to network and to share their beautiful destinations with the audience of meeting professionals and hospitality industry representatives. 

Sponsors included  Paul Somogyi, Director Sales, Goverment & Affinity Segments in Global Sales and Giovanna Brandi, Senior Account Executive with the Marriott. The Marriott was one of several sponsors who supported the event in a big way.  They were generous and had a wealth of information to share with this auspiscious group.  I am delighted to have met them.

I met many wonderful people and in addition to all mentioned above made other new friends including Elaine Cobos of the Ogden Utah CVB, Antoinette “Toni” Green of Birmingham CVB,  Sara Melendez-Davis of Kissimee Convention & Visitors Bureau and John Gonzales of the Houston Convention Center, 3 of the 11 recipients of the newest designation in the meetings industry ~ The CDMP (Certified Diversity Meeting Professional), Veronica Torres of the Dallas Convention & Vistors Bureau,  Chwen Lim of Chwen Design,   and Evonne Darby of the Sunny Side of San Diego (and 4 other companies). And I musn’t forget the man who made us all look good ~ Fernando Pena of Pena Photography.  He made us all look like “movie stars.” And of course, there was Adam Correa and his talented crew at NewLink Events. The way they handled registration was flawless. 

It was also a special treat to reconnect with those I had not seen in years and I generally left with a feeling of extreme satisfaction that my time was well spent. You will be reading more about them and other parts of the trip in later issues.

I am looking forward to next year’s event and seeing my friends, old and new.  Margaret has asked me to join them again and present Social Networking Part TWO.  I have 11 months to plan so it will be interesting to see how the world of Social Networking evolves in that time.

I hope you too, will join us and meet the fascinating, warm and fun-loving men and women I did. I promise it will be worth it.

Heidi

 Ps. If your group is interested in having me speak drop me a note and I will send you an outline of my program and what I cover.