Social Networking Update
Add Twitter to Your G-Mail
I tried this out and it was a fast and easy way of seeing what was up on Twitter without leaving my e-mail. If you're using G-Mail you should try it.
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Thank you for Saying Such Nice Things
A big shout-out to life coach Martha Staley, founder of YourPerfect World coaching, for whom I recently completed writing and editing a speaker "one-sheet" that she will use to promote her business and get speaking engagements. She wrote:
WOW! This looks wonderful...I'm loving it! No wonder you are so highly recommended. You have a beautiful talent for making ordinary
information and just words .... very extra-wonderful...
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About CarolineJaffe-Pickett
Caroline Jaffe-Pickett is an award winning writer and editor, with nearly 100 published articles on topics such as real estate, education, health and fitness, and food and lifestyles. Her work has appeared in magazines such as Redbook and American Health, and newspapers such as Bay Area Business Woman, as well as Our Town and the West Side Spirit (Manhattan Media Group.) She has a strong interest in the environment (green issues) and sustainability, as well as the arts.
She is the winner of the Heekin Foundation novel-in-progress award, a finalist for the Katherine Anne Porter award for short fiction, and 3rd Place winner for her short story "Art" in the West Side Spirit "The Word is New York" contest.
In addition to article writing, she currently enjoys helping clients with new media projects such as e-newsletters and blogs, web site content, writing and editing, social media, public relations coaching, and corporate profiles.
Recently named one of 39 writers to follow on Twitter
650-206-2682
carrie@carriefreelance.com
carriefreelance.com
carriewriterblog.com
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Editor's Note
Greetings!
Click on photo for Flickr link
I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful transition from spring to summer! We are enjoying our patio garden and planting everything imaginable. So far, we are thrilled to have "produced" tomatoes, parsley, chives, and even snowpeas. Each new blossom and bloom is the promise of new optimism and growth, and although we have all heard the cliches about gardens and new life, it's OK to enjoy a cliche once in a while, particularly if it is true. So if you tend to your business like a new garden, watering it, keeping an eye on it, trimming away anything dead or stale that is not working, and adding a little love and plant food once in a while, you are sure to see great results. So happy planting.
A note about the photo... We took a brief respite from the everyday and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was truly enjoyable and educational. Please click on the photo to view my Flickr photo album, which includes a very cool jellyfish video!
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Many Ways to Tell a Story
Click on Image Above for Video
Version of Aquarium Visit
Since I am a communications afficionado, I'm letting you in on a secret. I didn't only write about our trip to the aquarium in my editorial because it was a fun thing to do, (the trip, I mean), but also because I wanted to show you that with today's many communications tools, there is always more then one way to tell your story. YouTube, podcasts, audio downloads, slideshows, etc., are all options. So I included a link to my Flickr photo album as one example. Here, I am also including a video link that shows something else I did -- I created a cool video from still shots, using Animoto, which I discovered last year and use often. It's a great
shortcut if you don't want to make a full blown video or movie everytime you want to tell your story.
So the next time you have a story to show and tell, think about the best way to reach your audience, and in some cases, whether multiple ways are effective as well. And happy viewing.
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Feature
Part One:
6 Easy Tips for Successful Blogging
(For Those Just Starting Out...)
Many people have asked me over the last few months about why a blog is important, how they can use their blog effectively, and how to get started if they have never written one before. It has been proven that blogs lead to more business connections, a greater online community, and establishing a more authoritative voice and presence online. Blogging is a great low cost marketing tool that helps increase branding and adds dimension to your business. So here are some tips to help get you started:
1. Choose the Right Blogging Platform for You.
There are many great blogging platforms out there, and the three most popular are: Wordpress, Typepad, and Blogger. I have used all 3, and find them all to have different degrees of user-friendliness. They are all free or have free trials, so you should try them out and see which one you are most comfortable with. You should be comfortable posting blogs, uploading images and video, and adding links and tags. Note that Typepad and Wordpress allow you have a full blown site with nav pages, while Blogger is just that and cannot be used as a full web site.
2. Choose a Niche Area You are Enthusiastic About and Focus.
Many beginning bloggers make the mistake of writing about everything, which is great if you're a celebrity, but if you want to establish yourself in a niche area, you need to focus on one topic. Chances are if you are interested in it, your enthusiasm will come through.
3. Choose Great Titles for your Posts.
There are many interesting ways to invite your readers' attention, such as the following:
*ask a question
*be controversial (once in a while)
*solve a problem
*be surprising
*list helpful things, such as tools, resources, links and blogs you like, etc.
4. Build Community.
Your blog is not just about you. It is about your readers, and their readers, and who else you are reading as well. Take the time to read other blogs on your topic area and comment on them, and invite comments on yours as well.
5. Social Networks...Link Up
The great thing about blogging is that it connects you to all the great social media platforms out there, such as Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and many other niche sites, in a way that a regular static web site cannot. Save time by setting up automatic feeds between your blog and your social networks. Through Twitterfeed, for example, you can link your blog to post directly onto Twitter, and Facebook has an application to link your blog directly to it as well.
6. Write it Right and Get Help if You Need It
Your blog should not feel contrived. You should be yourself in your writing, and be clear and engaging. It's great if you can do your own writing, but there are also consultants out there (yes, that's me) who can help you write your posts, and also help you set up templates, widgets, and all the other goodies, if you are too busy to juggle all this yourself.
Good luck on getting your blog started, and happy posting.
Stay tuned...next month I will feature "6 Tips for the More Advanced Blogger," so hold onto your pens...
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