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Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 7/30/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:45:34 +0000

Too Smart For Your Business? – When we make every decision from our intellect, we tend to over-complicate. We see all the options, have a million big ideas, and either want to improve upon everything or convince ourselves of what won’t work.

The Myth of the Personal Brand – By all appearances, the discussion of personal branding – and the hoards of people who claim to help us do it – is fueled by the social web. Before everyone had a voice, branding was largely the domain of ad people. Aaron hits the nail on the head here defining who exactly does the branding.

Drawing the Line: 6 Things You Shouldn’t Tolerate in Projects – Being successful is all about creating things you can be proud of and building long-term relationships with clients. From Client-Centered Design to Bad Names these personal do not pledges share some fantastic insight how to run your business better.

Almost invisible mirrored tree house built in Sweden – This was just too cool not to share.

8 New Link Types That Exist On The Web – Some of the link types most commonly used in social media and on blogs.

What’s Your BrandWord? -A business is a long-term plan to wealth. Many people do not track their branding power online – or worse, they don’t push their branding efforts far enough. The accumulative time you spend on building your BrandWord pays off quite nicely.

Looking At Life Through The Eyes Of A Child – Oh, if we could all live like kids again. This personal story hits on the things we can learn from children. – from the constant sense of wonder to the spontaneity of a child’s wisdom.

Favorite video: Your business card is CRAP – People still use business cards???? I found this very hilarious. Like Aaron, I don’t agree with most of it, but it is fun to watch.

Of course there are more. Check them out on HeatherVilla StumbleUpon.

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 7/23/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:32:51 +0000

Four Inspirational Moments in Film – Movies are a great source of inspiration. You can learn valuable lessons from watching how others deal with failure and overcome obstacles, as well as taking note of the perspective they take toward life. Listed are some great inspirational moments in film.

The World’s Best Frozen Margarita Recipe – Movies are a great source of inspiration. You can learn valuable lessons from watching how others deal with failure and overcome obstacles, as well as taking note of the perspective they take toward life. Listed are some great inspirational moments in film.

Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em: How business is like poker – Poker and business are very similar: They’re studies in money-making through opponent evaluation and risk acceptance. Aaron has a great comparison here between poker and business. By becoming a better poker player you will intern become a better business owner.

I’m Granting Wishes Today – Who has seen an authentic voodoo doll? I sure haven’t nor would I know what to do with one, until I read this. With a little bit of humor this personal story explains what to do with a voodoo doll if you ever come across one.

This is Why You Don’t Bury Your Blog’s Gold- Don’t bury your blog’s best content; find ways to share it with your readers. That can only help grow your readership and bring more exposure to your blogging efforts. Mack talks about quality not quantity when writing you blogs also, linking out to 2-3 of your most popular posts every week on Twitter.

Getting Ahead By Not Being A Cliché – Differentiation is like a bridge which creates the proper context for your work to reach the right target. When instead of being a cliche, you are different; this allows you to stand out. And when you stand out, three essential things happen: You get noticed; You get remembered; People get curious about you. This is the key to getting ahead by not being a cliche.

If you’re looking for more, see the rest of my favorites on HeatherVilla StumbleUpon.

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 7/16/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:58:44 +0000

Think Before You Post – an Open Letter to All Consumers – We as consumers have never had it so good. Today many tools are available for us to express our likes or dislikes about a product or service. The best way to handle a grievance is to talk to the person or company involved privately using the channels they provide. If you do decide to post comments or critique someone online, wait until you are able to objectively view the situation. “I urge you to please think before you act online”.

Spit FAIL – I have had very distressing visits to the dentist, as I’m sure, I’m not alone. As usual, Kathy entertains us with her own personal story which shows that it’s not always to change things up.

Cocktail Lines and True Presence: the Power of Not Relying on Your Past – The past is never as relevant as we might think it is. Stand in your present power. An interesting look at how people introduce themselves and their businesses. What they do wrong and how to correct it.

10 Awesome Caves Of The World – A virtual tour of the most beautiful and astounding caves of the world. These pictures are exquisite beyond imagination.

Old Spice: The Man Your Content Could Smell Like – Why was the Old Spice campaign so remarkable? The genius of Wednesday’s campaign was that users could submit questions to the Old Spice man and, within minutes, watch a video response to their question. Old Spice did something social media experts recommend to brands all the time – they made personal connections with influencers. It’s a brilliant campaign. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

There’s No Idiot Check in MS Word- I’m sure a lot of people can sympathize here. With all the great apps being created some might think an Idiot Check function should be developed and replace the basic grammar check function. My suggestion - we should just develop a mind reader app.!

When to Let Go With My Cat Chibi – With so many people on Twitter following and being followed its hard to keep the good and drop the bad. As Chibi the cat will show you here if you’re following folks that are not benefiting you anymore its OK to drop them.

10 Steps to Creating a Successful Twitter Chat – Twitter chats hold a ton of potential for bringing together people and growing ideas. The steps listed here will have you well on your way to starting your own successful twitter chat.

Check out more of my favorites on HeatherVilla StumbleUpon.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 7/9/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:48:06 +0000

Want To Learn Faster? Stand Next To The Master – Learn the most, the best, and the fastest from others around you. Within this personal story are great insights on how to excel your knowledge by placing yourself next to those that are great leaders. “Think about it: what does mastery mean to you? Who are your masters? What’s stopping you from standing more closely to them?”

5 Favorite Link Building Tools – Having the right tools will save time, return better results in terms of both likelihood to acquire a link and its quality. This post offers some tools that will not only save you time but also improve your link building abilities.

Magalog – A sales tool with untapped potential – I had not heard of a magalog before reading Aaron’s post. He gives a clear picture of what it is and the beneficial uses. “One way to make sure your sales material gets into the hands of the people it’s supposed to get to, and to make sure it gets read, is to use a magalog”.

Understanding why Social Media works, in less than 3 minutes – Well put comparison with a video clip and social media that shows exactly why social media works for companies. “Just as Pixar makes inanimate objects more real, social media is making companies of all sizes more human.”

Google Caffeine – What It Means To YOU – This post discusses Old Google vs. New Google. It lists some of the advantages we will see in the upcoming future and how it will affect us. “In short, Google may have gotten faster and bigger – but did they really change THAT much?”

The Secret of Today Versus Todo – Most folks use a todo list on a daily basis. I know I do. This post goes over why keeping the todo list simple will benefit you more. Designate your top tasks that must get done that day and keep them on the top of your list but, always remember it should be as simple a possible.

No, You Can’t Automate Social Media! – There are disadvantages to automating too much of your social media. Even though one might have x followers on twitter, it’s not going to be beneficial if all the tweets are wholly automated. Don’t forget to be human too. It’s that easy!

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 7/2/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:58:41 +0000

The Changing Face of Facebook Marketing – 5 Things you MUST Know – Facebook seems to always be implementing a new policy. From Facebook Fan Page Admin Rule to Greater Facebook Integration you will find key lessons to help you along the way.

The Guy Who Lives on the Edge – A bit of humor for your day. One man and a rotten/spoiled tub of sour cream. Do you think it’s still good 4 days past the expiration date?

The Web Strategy Pyramid: A Well-balanced Web Strategy – Jason has come up with a fantastic guideline for boosting your web site. Broken down to each level, you will find advice on how to build a solid user-friendly web experience foundation. Starting at the lowest level (Content) and ending at the top (Pay-per-click ) Jason walks you through each phase.

Is Yours A Job, Career, or Calling? – As the old saying goes “if you find a job you love then you will never have to work again”. Broken down into three areas how would you pick your work level? For some the three categories listed here might all apply. Come Monday morning we should all be excited to start the work week not dread it.

How to Sleep Your Way to the Top – I do believe in the benefits of good sleep, but the Polyphasic Sleep method is not the way to do it. At least not for me. lol This article is just a taste of some ways lack of proper sleep habits can derail your freelance career.

Features and Benefits Are So 2009. Sell To Driving Emotion – Driving emotions sell products better than anything. This post uses three great examples of how driving emotions will be your best bet when targeting buyers. “So, if you really want to sell, don’t sell the feature, don’t even sell the benefit…sell the driving emotion”.

The Person Who Can’t Keep Appointments – How do you deal with people that are always late? This post talks about ways you can defend your time from those individuals whom are always late. From making them come see you to stop dealing with them entirely it’s all in here.

Is a Lack of Perspective Costing You Money? – Refocus your perspective. Discover how to prevent tunnel vision, in your own business, and when consulting with others. Take the blinders off and look at the bigger picture you are apt to market yourself better in the social media sense.

Business planning and a cross-country trip – Aaron takes an event from his everyday life here and forms it into a tool for learning. This post talks about businesses that fall into extremes for planning. He breaks down the benefits in taking a middle approach “plan-to-the-next-checkpoint” using a real life situation.

If you’re looking for more to read this holiday weekend, there’s a lot more on HeatherVilla StumbleUpon.

Have a fabulous 4th!

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 6/25/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:45:26 +0000

The Bitch Slap: You Run a Business, Not a Free Clinic – Kind of a stand out name but it does catch your eye. Some pretty serious points here about not working for free. The best way to ruin a business is working for less than you should.

Are We There Yet? – Yes, we are there yet. We are there now. You’re already home. Confused? What a fun twist on overcoming the constant need to resolve uncertainty. Like a small child we all become impatient at times. Wanting the answer now, not willing to wait. Many great examples are listed here to alter the need for constant clarity in life’s situation. Sometimes it just is what it is.

A Kid, A Tie and a Chocolate Smile – One smile can do a world of good. In today’s world we rarely slow down to take in the good moments from strangers. In this post you will find out how one little boy in a busy city could transform a man’s day.

8 Websites You Need to STOP Building – Very funny! This comic like post will keep you laughing. It goes into several unnecessary points behind certain web sites.

5 Reasons Email is Now Snail Mail – Email in the past seemed to be super fast right? Not anymore. With more ways to communicate nowadays IM and Twitter have left email in the dust. Some interesting point are listed here as to the cause of slowness with emails. However, I have to say I’m still a fan of email slow or not.

Create Your Own Awesomely Weird Chocolate Bars – What will they think of next? Odd but somewhat interesting you will find the makings for the most unique candy bar in this post. From potato chips to herbs you name and they can put it in your custom chocolate bar. I think I’ll just stick with a normal good old chocolate bar.

Number of Twitter followers is the most overrated metric in social media – Mark makes some great points here about the volume followers. Sometimes more is just more and not benefiting you in the long run. He gives good examples of the outcome when having more followers than you can keep up with. “Numbers of followers/friends/readers matters, but in my opinion how connected you are to them is even more important in determining influence and reach”.

The 9 Stages to Social Media Acceptance – Social Media made simple. For newcomers the tips listed in this post will be most beneficial. The step by step process of what to expect when entering the social media experience will turn you into a master tweeter in no time.

If you’re looking for more, see the rest of my favorites on HeatherVilla StumbleUpon.

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 6/18/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:47:02 +0000

Turning Fear Into Fuel – Johnathan spoke at TEDx conference at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) back in April to a group of people on the topic of Fearless! Now keep in mind Johnathan clearly states that he was a bit nervous about speaking in-front of the 500+ people in that room – but he adjusts quickly. Check out the 18 minute long video of his time on stage.

Confessions of a Twitter Virgin – I tweet, you tweet and we all tweet. Or do we? Ali has many great points on how twitter can expand your business potential. However, the best practice is humanness first, business second. As Ali found out, Twitter can not only help with business it can also help on the personal side.

Tips on Persuading Effectively – Persuasion vs. Manipulation do they both mean the same? Many may think they are closely related. The two differ in many ways. This is a great read with some pertinent tips on how to better your persuasive skills.

What I Learned From My Broadband Blackout – Christine has the right mindset here. In today’s high tech world more often than not we forget to unplug. Even if it’s only for a few minutes each day it’s a must for everyone. What a great story!

Is That Client Legit or Just a Tire Kicker? – Don’t waste your time with clients who are not serious. When anyone starts a new business they welcome all potential clients. Why not? You need the work right? Don’t fall into the shopper trap. You will find some really good points on how to keep the tire kickers at bay.

Remembering How to Relax – Leaving work behind can be tough at times. . How effective can you truly be if you’re tired, stressed and your family is not speaking to you? Just one of the many great points in this read. I recommend this to everyone, not just business owners.

010 Virtual Assistant Podcast – Tech Tools For Collaboration Part 4 – If you’ve read most of my blog posts then you know I’m all about outsourcing and using virtual assistants. If you’re looking to hire a VA or have ever just thought about it, I highly recommend these podcasts. Cliff continues to provide some great insight in the client side of this growing industry.

Catching Lightning Bugs – Laurie puts a fun twist on how to look at marketing. We all differ on our view that’s human nature. Her main point here is simplifying the way you interpret things. I have my jar ready, how about you?

There was a lot of good reads this week. Be sure the check out HeatherVilla StumbleUpon for a full list of my favorites.

Have a great weekend and don’t get sunburned at the beach!

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 6/11/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:45:28 +0000

Through The Eyes of an 8 Year Old – Johnathan is such a great guy – he always talks about his walks with his daughter and the fun they have together. I loved this post – he handed over his fancy camera to his daughter and let her capture all things she loved. He posted those pictures in this blog. That girl has some talent!

Competing On The Web & In Business – Lisa Barone describes growing up being the one that was picked on. 100lbs soaking wet, accident prone, and the bollocks to (after some serious schooling) stand up for herself and fight back – over and over until she made her mark and others would leave her alone. It is just like surviving on the web. She describes techniques and tactics in this blog in the form of 5 key items to keep in mind!

Your Stop The Bus Moment - Allison uses the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” as a metaphor. She describes how you can chose to stay on the bus or make that bus stop at an unfamiliar location in which you decide to start from scratch and follow your gut!

What is a Website Audit? – Have you ever thought about a website audit? How does your website rank in ease of use, readability, flow, etc. Here is a list of 20 things to check to make sure your site is the best it can be. Once I read through it I thought these questions could actually be pretty good if put to use in some sort of a survey to online customers. What do you think?

How To Be Happy – Poster – A while back Marelisa created a document in poster format that listed words that described how to be happy. She re-posted it and let us know that you can now purchase this as an actual poster! Congrats Marelisa!

How Young is Too Young? – Have you ever read a blog post and were amazed by how much thought and time was spent at putting it together? Would you still feel the same way if you found out that the blogger was 16? What about 12? Do they know more about social media than you? Who cares! I was shocked when I saw this blog from Tamar and then read the bios of each of the bloggers she spoke to. Every single one of these kids are under 17 and their drive, focus, and knowledge is astounding! Sow hat do you think – how young is too young to be online blogging?

Camping is For Other People – I like camping, when it has such luxuries as – oh – access to a toilet! Ha! Here is a flashback to Kathy’s experience with her Girl Scout troop and their first experience “camping”. OMG this is funny. To top off the very descriptive nature of the sleeping quarters, and the “facilities” Kathy notes that this is literally the first time her parents will come to know the true story of her illness way back in ‘77; when they had to pick her up from camp!

Check out HeatherVilla StumbleUpon to see more of my favorites.

Have a great weekend!

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 6/4/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:24:01 +0000

You Can Learn A Lot From Your Customers – Do you sell a product or services to your customers? Have you ever made the time to reach out to them individually by way of a phone-survey, or email survey, or heck even an old fashioned snail mailed survey? Michael Fleischner reminds us of the importance of doing so. He also provides some tips on how to (creatively) get your customers interested in taking a survey or learning about survey’s in which they can be rewarded for taking!

What the Lost Series Finale Taught Me About Personal Branding – Flash sideways is apparently a concept introduced through Lost. It is somewhat confusing but take a look at what David Trahan thinks of it. And don’t forget to look at the tips he includes!

How to Create Guest Post Guidelines for Your Blog- This is a really great and highly informative blog that discusses the hows and whys of writing a guest blog. Sometimes bloggers forget about the simpler ways of going about marketing themselves. Why not get your name out there – everywhere – and use other people’s influence and audience to your advantage.

Why BP Should Embrace the Fake BP Twitter Account – We all know about it; it’s the talk of every media outlet imaginable! This environmental disaster involving BP also made it onto twitter via a fake account @BPGlobalPR Outspoken Media came up with a compelling and well thought out list of reasons for BP to embrace the falsies out there!

Beware: Baby Lambs Cause Computer Viruses – The internet is an amazing thing and I can hardly remember life before www. This is a really great blog from one of my favorite bloggers. She wrote how she received an email from a friend of her who described how she got a virus from a website about baby lambs. Seriously – baby lambs! Take a look at this article and make sure you read the comments.

Rubber boots and sales copy – Poor Aaron. Working in his living room because his office is full of water. Poor guy! Take a look at what he had to face and then the awesome advice he gives about writing amazing sales copy at the end. Great advice from his temporary office on Hoos Island!

A Beginner’s Guide to Trail Running – Literally, this is a blog that gives you instruction, guidance, and tips an what is required to begin making a habit of Trail Running. I will admit, I am not an avid Trail Blazer but it is something that I have thought about doing. This is the most thorough articles I have found on the topic!

Check out HeatherVilla StumbleUpon to see more of my favorites.

Have a great weekend!

Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 5/28/10

Heather Villa, CMA, MBA, MSM — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:13:28 +0000

Today’s Marketing Topic: Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM) – Back in the ‘old day’s’ people used to verbally recommend products to one another It is something that many people in marketing tend to forget about in these times of social media, internet, digital billboards. Think about what works best for you when thinking about purchasing a product or services. Do you trust Marie Osmond to tell you that company ABC helped her to lose weight or do you trust your life long friend Rachel who describes exactly what she has done to drop her scale-weight down?

5 Signs You Could Be Getting More from Your Social Media Time – 5 must-know tips which indicate if you are wasting valuable time with social media. This is an article not to skip over!

Showing Bad Customers the Door – Sometimes you really need to point to the door when you have a draining, nasty, nagging customer taking up your time. Not every customer is right! Read about 4 of these “problem”clients/customers and learn how to trim the fat!

Find a Collaboration Partner That Fits Your Style – How much thought should go into putting together a team or a group of collaborators? Learn why this is such a big thing to think about before even beginning the task.

The Crowdsourcing Quagmire – Crowdsourcing? Not sure what it is? Well first, read the first 2 paragraphs of this blog and then you will know. Next read through the pros and cons of this technique and see 1 very big UH-OH by a big company when they tried their hand at crowdsourcing.

Who the Frak is Everybody? – I loved this! Do you ever find yourself saying “What if everybody thinks this is silly?”Or “Did everyone notice that my fly was down?” Who the heck is “everybody?” Sarah posted this cute rant about “everbody”.

The necessity of failure – We can learn a lot in life if we just step back and listen to what our kids are telling us. Read as this CPA talk about a lesson her daughter taught her while they were out horseback-riding!

Horrifying 12-day Cool Whip Experiment – This is easily one of the grossest things ever. So gross that I actually called up some friends to find out if they had Cool Whip in their homes – and immediately told them to chuck it! When they asked why I sent them straight to Johnathan’s blog.

Why You Should Never Charge Hourly – Is it a good idea, as a freelancer, to charge hourly? Sometimes when you present your prospective clients with hourly cost it can scare them away. Take a look at this article to help inspire a change of the hourly rate frame of mind.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and check out the rest of my favorites on HeatherVilla StumbleUpon.