Join me for a glass of sweet tea and share the blog posts and Twitter links that caught my attention this week.

Lifehacker introduced Joliprint Bookmarklet this week—perfect for avid Google Reader folks!

If you tend to do most of your reading in RSS form, this bookmarklet will save you a step or two in the process of printing your favorite articles. Just drag the bookmarklet into your bookmarks bar and select the article you want to print in Google Reader. Hit the bookmarklet and your browser will begin downloading a printer-friendly, attractively formatted version of the article in PDF format. It will keep all the regular formatting, links and pictures, but with a readable two-column layout, page numbers, and nice headers to go along with it. Hit the link to check it out.

Joliprint makes it easy for me to share web articles with you.

Friending Strangers On Fakebook showcases the investigative skills of Ike Pigott as he explores the question:

Do you still think you need to be connecting to everyone in Social Media? After Farmville and Mafia Wars, the biggest games on Facebook involve your data.

You can use the hyperlink above and jump over to Ike’s post, or view the pdf version now.

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UPDATE: Dec. 12, 2011
These instructions were originally published in Feb 2009. Facebook has made multiple changes since then, so the information here is no longer applicable.

UPDATE: Dec. 1, 2010
Thanks to Hal’s comment for pointing out recent menu changes have shifted the location of Applications to the left navigation menu of your Home page. The “How To Sync Your Blog To Facebook Using Notes” below instructions are updated.

This post (originally published in Feb 2009) is the most frequently visited on my site. Facebook changes warrant an update.

In addition to using the  Notes application to sync your rss feed to Facebook (directions below), there are other 3rd party applications you can use:

• NetworkedBlogs manages publishing your posts to your Facebook profile, fan pages, and your Twitter accounts.
• Social RSS allows you to add your blog/favorite RSS feeds to your wall or a dedicated tab on your profile or Facebook Page. It updates automatically and lets your readers subscribe to the feeds if they wish!
• RSS Graffiti allows you to publish multiple RSS/ATOM feeds on your Facebook profile’s & pages’ walls and automatically pushes them to the news-feeds (Facebook homepage) of your friends & fans.

How To Sync Your Blog To Facebook Using Notes

1. Login and Open up your Facebook Profile Page.
2. Click on Account > Application Settings Applications are now located in the left navigation menu of your Home page. Scroll down to Notes, then click to edit. Browse Notes will appear under your image.
3. Choose My Notes, then click Edit import settings.
4. Enter the url for your blog’s rss feed (or your regular blog url – it will detect the rss feed!) in the “Web URL” Box, and check that you agree to their terms.
5. Click “Start Importing”
6. Verify it’s importing correctly, and click “Confirm Import” in the upper-right corner.
7. Voila! Every entry on your blog is now being imported into Facebook!

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Participation was animated. Sharing of tips and practical applications was open and generous—the hallmark of a good unconference.

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A recent study indicates small business owners who have adopted social media primarily use Facebook (82%) to maintain a company page to post status updates and link to items of interest.

Small business owners are frustrated with social media marketing.

The most common business objectives small businesses have achieved through social media marketing tell a similar story: Customers are connecting with companies through sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, but relatively few sales leads have been received through the sites.

A Facebook page is not a social media marketing strategy. It is a tactic chosen as the result of a well developed strategic approach to online marketing and communication.

It’s Not Your Fault

If you’re a typical business owner, you started your business because you’re good at something. You probably did not train to run a business and you’re not a marketing, communications or social media expert.

The 23-year old who set up your Facebook business page does not have your business experience, know who your customers are, or understand their buying cycle.

Don’t Give Up Your Expectations of Success

Before you throw in the towel, learn the answers to your question, “Are we doing this right?“

A social media audit reviews your current actions and highlights opportunities and possible pitfalls. Are there brand evangelists out there that you are not aware of?  Are your employees really engaging in conversations or are they using social media as a broadcast channel?

If you need help with your social media marketing strategy contact me.

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Many of my clients are self-described newbies at web marketing and social media.

It is now time for me to baby step into the new forms of social media & web marketing that are out there. I currently  do not text , Facebook, Tweet , use an i-Pod or know how to take pictures (on purpose) with my cell phone. I tried—unsuccessfully—to set up a business page.

Social media is easier to master when someone walks beside you.

1. Include the link to your Facebook page and profile when you send newsletters. Your email below forces me to go to Facebook and look for you. Most people will not take that extra step.
2. Get a custom username. This is the link to your Facebook page:
   http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Marietta-GA/Marietta-wxyz-abcfde/129897743722015?ref=ts
   Not exactly what you want to see in your newsletter, is it?

   When you reach the magic number of 25 people liking your page,  go to Facebook.com/username

   • Look beneath the peach colored box for ‘Set a username for your pages’ and click the blue link.
   • Search availability for Mariettawxyzabcfde as your username. You can’t use spaces and you can’t change the name, even if you spell something wrong.
   • When you go through this process you can easily tell people your Facebook page is Facebook.com/Mariettaawxyzabcfde instead of the original ugly link.
3. Look for people you know on Facebook and invite them to be your friend. People who know and love you and your business will gladly Like your page. So, go to your page. Look under your picture for ‘Suggest to Friends’ and click. All your friends will pop-up in a box. Click the ones you want to Like your page and submit. Facebook sends a note to all those people to let them know you have a page. Yay!
4. Write on your Facebook page. These updates will appear when people who Like the page login to their accounts. Be social, not sales oriented. Write tips, news, events, discounts that will be valuable to your readers.

What did I miss?

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It’s pretty easy.

Just click on the “Edit Page” link on the sidebar. On the right hand side under “Promote Your Page” you will see a link which says “Send an Update to Fans”.

Sheesh! Hide and seek at it’s best.

h/t Nick O’Neill

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1.  Pick a name that works.  Something simple, memorable and available.

2.  Design a simple website.  Make sure to use a decent content management system (CMS).  The structure and features of a CMS are going to be important someday.  Trust me.

3.  Setup a twitter account .  Use your name.  Even if you doubt the value of twitter, go ahead and create a twitter account anyway.

4.  Get a nice logo.  Make sure you get the vector file (Illustrator or EPS file) as part of the final deliverable.

5.  Setup a Facebook business page (known as a “fan” page).  Add a simple description of your business, link back to your main website. Facebook doesn’t allow simple/vanity URLs until you establish a required number of fans. So, setup a sub-domain and redirect it to your Facebook page.

6.  Kick off a blog.  You can use one of the free hosting tools (like WordPress.com), but do NOT make it yourcompany.wordpress.com.  You want to control all the SEO authority for your blog and channel it towards your main website.

7.  Write a blog article that describes how you got to this point.  What problem you’re hoping to solve.  Why you picked this problem.

8.  Setup Google Alerts for at least the following:  your company name, link:yourdomain.com, your name.

9.  Update (or create) your LinkedIn profile Mention your new business, and add a link to your website.

10.  Get business cards printed.  Don’t go overboard, but don’t use a free option.  You need them when people ask you for one at conferences and meetings and such.

11.  Use the Twitter Grader search feature to find high-impact twitter users in your industry.  Start following them.  Listen. Share. Connect.

12.  Create a StumbleUpon account.  Spend 10 minutes a day stumbling and voting things up/down. Don’t submit your own stuff — just start contributing.

13.  Subscribe to the LinkedIn Answers category that best fits your area of interest.  Answer one question a day.  Don’t self-promote.  You’re seeking to build credibility and trust.

14.  Find the bloggers that are writing about your topic area.  Subscribe to their feed, and read their stuff regularly.  Leave valuable comments and participate in the conversation.

15.  Start building contacts on Facebook.  Organize your contacts into groups.  This will come in handy later.

16.  Grade your website on Website Grader .  Fix the basic things.

17.  Get Some Analytics: Install web analytics software and start watching your traffic.

What have I missed? List other steps in the comments.

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You guys are small businesses owners. You know how important an online presence is to grow your business. Some of you have 2 or 3 websites — or, a website and a blog — or, a website, a blog, and a Facebook business profile (fan page).

“Yeah, I’ve got a site; had it about 10 years. It’s never done anything for me, though.”
“I used to get good traffic on my site. Now, I get very few leads.”

“What do you want to do?” is the first question I ask  clients when we talk about updating an existing website, or designing a new website. Invariably, the focus is being found by prospective customers/clients/readers; “if you build it they will come.”

Developing an online presence begins with pencil and paper. Researching keywords is important.  Identifying your ideal customer/client/reader adds another dimension to the marketing strategy.  Defining your point of difference is critical. So are branding elements — logos, colors, tag lines. Understanding the needs of your ideal customer/client/reader and translating your product/service into benefits is key.

To make sure your site is easy to use, “Don’t make me think ,” is the guiding principle.

A good website is self-evident to the reader. To your grandmother. To your 8 year old. To the guy next door. A self-evident usable site prompts the reader to respond, “Oh, it’s a …” with no questions or hesitation.

I know that principle to be true, and yet I still plow through developing this site with a jumbled mess in my head.

My style is jumping in with both feet and learning as I go. Pick up an idea here, an idea there. “Oh, that’s an approach I haven’t considered.”

This site is an open book into my learning experiences; jumbled though they may be. I touch on marketing, communications, technology, WordPress, Mississippi Delta Blues, motivation and social media. I even talk about getting my nails done.

But what the heck do “Bits of Orange” and “Personal Days” mean?

Personal Days used to be Inspiration. Equally lame. In this category are Monday Morning Coffee Breaks. I send coffee break emails to friends, family, clients and colleagues. Each week I receive an email response thanking me for a timely uplifting message. Here, on the site, nothing, nada, zip.

Also in Personal Days are the Sunday Morning Blues videos. My Twitter profile (and Facebook and LinkedIn) all reference my love to play the blues while cruising in my Jeep Wrangler.

Bits of Orange is an oh, so cute way to categorize random bits of information that don’t seem to fit nicely anywhere else. This is the category for most of the email updates from my Posterous blog, too — even when I really want the updates to go into a different category. I always forget to use double parentheses, or I write ‘tags’ instead of ‘tag’ as instructed ((tag: strategy, small-biz-owner)).

Okay, maybe organizing my thoughts isn’t a strength. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. I know lots and lots about marketing online, digital communications, building WordPress websites, group dynamics, and motivating others to succeed (remember, I was a therapist in my first life).

Besides, I have a new title on my business card that defines and clarifies the jumbled mess in my mind — “Strategic Innovator | Tech Marketeer”.

Photo Credit via Flickr Creative Commons: Alan E

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Discover Exactly How To Use Social Media, Build a Following,
Grow Your Business, and Generate Significant Profits…

…Master Digital Communications and Marketing

The key to thriving in the downturn: a fired-up digital strategy.
The key to charging that strategy: one-on-one training and networking.
The key to making those vital connections is at Social Media Business Atlanta.

When: Saturday, October 24th, 2009, 11am-2pm

Where: Residence Inn Atlanta Cumberland, 2771 Cumberland Boulevard, Smyrna, Georgia 30080,  Map

Who should attend? If you keep hearing about social networking, blogging, and Web 2.0 … and yet you’re feeling stuck, confused and overwhelmed, this workshop is for you.

Registration: $35. Seating Limited!

Social Media Business Atlanta is an interactive workshop that’s:

1. Relevant – building the foundation of social business marketing (website, social networking, search marketing & more)
2. Intimate – allowing you to mix with speakers and peers in a lively setting
3. Productive – helping you solve your digital marketing problems
4. Integrated – showing you how all this digital stuff fits into your overall game plan

Hot Seat Lab: Are you ready to have your website put to the test? Three brave attendees will have their site professionally reviewed in front of a live audience. Learn while sizzling in the Hot Seat – or from the audience, as these marketing success and missteps are exposed.

To volunteer for the Hot Seat, email us at smbizatl@runlevelmedia.com and specify the site you want evaluated. We’ll let you know 2-days before the event if you’re one of the three “lucky” winners!

One-on-One Counseling Sessions: Worth the price of admission alone! Where else can you get 20 minutes of one-to-one advice for FREE? Sign-up for an appointment with the speaker of your choice and get 20 minutes of his or her undivided attention! Bring specific questions, or ask for an overall critique of your marketing program.

Choose among these topics:

• Twitter
• Blogging
• Search Optimization
• Website Design
• Video and Podcasting

… and reserve your one-to-one time as soon as you arrive: These slots fill up fast!

Laptops are encouraged, but not required.

Posted via web from Bits of Orange

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FACEBOOK FAIL: How to Use Facebook Privacy Settings and Avoid Disaster

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