The Tin Shingle Blog

NYC Marathon November 1st: Ann Mehl Explains What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Marathoners

Submitted by Ann Mehl on Wed, 2009-10-21 11:12 | 1 Comments

Over the span of 16 years, Tin Shingle member Ann Mehl has run over forty marathons – NYC, Boston, Marine Corps, The Washington D.C. Marathon, Berlin, Stockholm, Quebec City, St. Louis, Dublin, The New Jersey Shore, The Rock in Roll Marathon in San Diego and Chicago to name but a few. Ann is also a Martha Beck certified life and career coach who "helps people over their finish line." We asked her, what can entrepreneurs learn from marathoners? Here are her thoughts:

The 26.2 mile distance has taught me a lot about what it takes to set a goal, maintain focus, and follow through. As an entrepreneur and certified coach, I work with clients who, like me, often struggle with finding motivation, direction and confidence. You certainly don’t have to run a marathon to know what it’s like to feel resistance. And so here are some of the lessons I’ve gleaned from the marathon to help you get motivated, keep pace and remain focused, whatever your particular “finish line”.

Stretch. Not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. Had I not dared to stretch myself beyond the one mile distance, I may have never known my full potential. I ran my first marathon in Boston in 1993 to prove to myself that I am strong and capable. The marathon taught me that I could achieve anything when I put my heart and mind into something. Stretch yourself. Surprise yourself. Do one thing each day that scares you.

Make the time. Whether you want to run a marathon or write a book, it all begins with carving out the necessary time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. So why do some people seem to do accomplish so much more? They do it by giving themselves the time. Create a short, achievable list of priorities and then make the time.

Pay attention to the inner voice. It is your constant traveling companion, and it can be your greatest friend or worst enemy. Snag any limiting voice when it surfaces and identify that i t is your fear talking. Learn to identify negative self-talk patterns and replace them with more constructive inner dialogue. "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, either way you are usually right."

Just show up. According to Woody Allen, 80% of success is just showing up. That means you can't run a race if you don't make it to the start line. Don't be too easily swayed by your moods. Even when you don't initially "feel like" doing something, just taking the very first step will usually help you get in (and stay in) the mood.

Tune out the noise. Modern living is full of noise – literally and figuratively. Too much of it, and it can distract you from what you need to accomplish. Learn to quiet down your internal and external environment to the point where you can truly hear yourself. It will help you to stay focused and conserve precious energy.

Take in the view. When I am running, I often have to remind myself to take in the view. A new city, changing seasons – there's a lot to enjoy. Doing this helps me to stay "in the moment" and distracts me from whatever temporary discomfort I may feel. It also provides an energy booster when I look up and smile or talk to someone. Same as in life, as in running. As the saying goes "Life is a journey, not a destination."

Sometimes you'll stumble. False starts are central to the process of running, and awakening. So you miss a day's training, or you go nuts on dessert. Big deal! Start over again tomorrow. Perfectionism only causes stress and anxiety, and will eventually lead to burnout.

Buddy up. No man is an island, as John Donne once noted. Develop and nurture a healthy network of friends and partners who will support you in your endeavors. You will need them when the going gets tough. I believe that we carry one another in spirit. When someone falls down, go back and help them up. You may be able to do it all on your own, but you don't have to. Model after others if it will help you to move forward.

Laugh. Don't take life, running or yourself too seriously. And there's a lot to laugh at (especially in the marathon!). One good belly laugh a day is essential for optimal mental and physical health.

Run your own race. Ultimately, only you decide how you will run the race. Nobody else can run it for you. Learn to listen to, and trust your own intuition. You may take the counsel of those you trust, but don't be afraid to disregard it if you feel you know better. Dare to listen to the beat of your own drummer. Nobody knows you better than you.

=========================================

-Ann Mehl, http://www.annmehl.com
Certified Martha Beck life and career coach

Category:

Strategy

Ann Mehl's blog

FTC Tightens Guidelines on Bloggers, Tweeters to Encourage Transparency in Paid Endorsements

Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on Wed, 2009-10-21 10:09 | 1 Comments

You may have read already that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has amended its guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials, last changed in 1980, to require bloggers to disclose a financial relationship they have with an advertiser or agency when publishing a review about a product or service. This most likely has to do with bloggers such as those recruited now by Walmart, Lifetime, or other big brands trying to influence the bloggosphere, but nonetheless, the guidelines do not discriminate. In the words of the FTC:

The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other “word-of-mouth” marketers. The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.

The Wall Street Journal published a piece on this, implying that the FTC wanted to restrict gift giving to bloggers, and followed up with at least two clarifying articles which made it clear that the FTC was targeting advertisers, and not bloggers, to maintain the ethical responsibility to fully disclose when bloggers are paid to positively review a product. In the FTC article mentioned above, tweets from Twitter are not mentioned, but The Wall Street Journal does include them in its analysis, as any experienced online person would as well, since both blogs and personal Twitter feeds aka "micro-blogs" and are being used to endorse products and services, both in a paid-for-services way, and in a strictly editorial way.

Discussion on this topic can go in several directions, including the direction of federal government involvement in general and whether or not it's a good idea. Let's refrain from that conversation, and instead focus on why the FTC was compelled to amend these guidelines in the first place. Usually government springs into action based on a relevant current issue. The issue here is clear: the bloggosphere has been growing and growing. The Twittersphere has been growing even faster because creating content for a "micro-blog" is a lot easier than publishing a proper and effective blog post. That said, some bloggers and tweeters are taking liberties with their public voices which may not be in the best interest of maintaining truth and trust when endorsing a product or service, and can actually pollute so called "word-of-mouth" marketing. Let's explore:

BLOGGING: BACK TO BASICS
Bloggers started blogging, in my opinion at least, to have a voice. As a voice, they had to say something worthwhile to maintain an audience. Some were talented enough to just write about their lives. Others had to have themes and be top trendspotters. Like magazines, they searched the world for good product or service to recommend. Early PR firms or boutique firms actually had their finger on the pulse of this word-of-mouth movement that at the time, was extremely genuine because bloggers had devoted followings - small or large - each had some kind of influence over purchasing decisions. As a blogger myself, my first direct pitch was from then first time author Jennifer Solow. She reached out to me to review her then new book, The Booster. Her directive: if you like it, please blog about it. If you don't like it, please don't. Well I did review it, but *gasp* I didn't mention that she sent me the book to read. Ethics would indicate that maybe I should have disclosed that I got a free book, but you know what? If the book was bad, A. I'm not going to finish it, and B. I'm not going to recommend it to anyone because my reputation would not be trusted when others went out and bought it and were bored stiff. But I could have added a little sentance at the bottom of the post. It would not have hurt my blog post in any way.

True blogging, in my opinion, is just genuine. If you really need a sample in order to give a proper review, fine. For the nomie baby car seat cover, sending a sample to a mom blogger makes sense because it needs to be mom-tested-and-approved. But for a designer like SpoonFedArt, whose publicist first emailed me long ago, little tips about cool stuff can go a long way. When I opened the email from the publicist to tell me about something wonderful that just happened for the then new company SpoonFedArt, I read it, liked the product, and blogged about it, saying how fun my inbox was those days.

TWEETING: THE $1 TWEET
Or is that the McDonalds dollar menu?

Tin Shingle tweets for our members who pay for membership. Our tweets spread naturally b/c the links are just so good. Tweeting information about our members is clearly stated in our membership benefits (we refer to it as Promotyping, a term we made up), but it's also a no-brainer for us, and we couldn't not do it if we tried (that's why we made it a benefit). This is a most creative and effective use of a Twitter feed for potential profit (because yes, people do understand that part of their Tin Shingle membership includes endorsements from us via social networking). We didn't sell our Twitter souls for our 140 character real estate for $1 to tweet about a random product from some random guy hocking his wares. That would dilute our Twitter strength, and thus hurt our actual recommendations. If you are considering selling your Twitter stream for $1 a tweet regardless of what the product is and if you like it or not, think again if you want quality followers.

ETHICS: WHO'S JOB IS IT TO BE ETHICAL or JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY
Bloggers who are in this for the free stuff should re-think the impact of their voices, and consider going back to basics, where their voice is key, and trust is their golden egg. You don't need to review a piece of art or a limited edition product to know you you like the look of it. If you're so concerned about integrity, put on a disclaimer that you've never actually touched the fabric or the spoon, and to buy at your own risk. But come on people.

The Wall Street Journal points out that "...newspapers generally prohibit reporters from accepting gifts from a company they write about to protect their credibility with readers." Note that reason: to protect their credibility with readers. Bloggers do not have an editorial department or publisher to please. They just press "publish" and up it goes for the world to see. This is great, but requires self-monitoring to make sure you are fairly representing an industry of words.

RELATED ARTICLES
Thanks @kelcott for passing along this article from Gally Cat: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/web_tech/how_big_is_the_ftcs_new_fo...

Category:

Katie Hellmuth's blog

What's a Magazine Deskside and How Can I Land One?

Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on Wed, 2009-10-21 00:33 | 2 Comments

Deskside appointments. You may or may not have heard of them, but chances are if you are a product based company whether it's food or baby toys or fashion-based or a beauty product, you'll need to conduct them at some point during your quarterly pr outreach. This article provides you with an overview of the Desk side. Then, we've written another article on how to land a desk side appointment, and what your desk side appointment will be like.

At its most basic, a deskside is when you make an appointment and visit an editor or journalist at their office (and often times in the lobby of their publishing house) and have a short amount of time to share your products, give your pitch, and as I always recommend, begin creating a relationship with someone who could impact your brand for years to come.

So why would you want to take the time to conduct a deskside? For anyone, and especially those who don't have a showroom to take appointments in, it allows you to get to know the editor or writer covering your beat or product category, you go to them (rarely does a media person have time these days to come to your office or a coffee shop to meet), and if done well and for the right reasons (with the right people) it can create lasting relationships. Remember, at its most basic, public relations should consist of great stories and products and experts (all of you) going to people (the media) who will then share it with an appropriate audience (their readers/viewers/listeners). Because of the nature and fast pace of media, desksides tend to me more rare in television or blogs, but magazines still conduct these meetings regularly.

Though pr firms often conduct desksides for clients, and often take in a few brands at a time in some cases, there is no reason why you as a business owner can't schedule and execute them yourself. And don't just take our word for it - Tin Shingle member Stefany DiManno of DiManno Designs recently followed some tips and combined them with her own growing public relations DIY skills and booked appointments with editors from Lucky Magazine to Redbook that she found in our member-only Media Contact Lists. Again, though nothing is guaranteed at a deskside appointment, what is guaranteed is human interaction, and these days when we communicate so much via email, phone and text, a little face to face time can be just what your pr plan needs. With that in mind, let's first talk about how to know if you should go on a deskside, how to land one, and what you need in order to execute a successful meeting that is worth both your and your media contact's time.

DO I NEED A DESKSIDE:

Though the temptation of meeting with an editor can be strong and exciting, don't schedule these appointments unless you have samples and products available not only to bring in, but that will be available to sell and for readers to access in the time frame for which the editors are pulling. In other words, if you are going to a monthly magazine, remember that they are working 3-6 months ahead, so you should be bringing in products that will be available on that timeline. If you are going to a shorter lead (a weekly magazine, newspaper, television, or blog) keep in mind the product must be available immediately.

Is your collection organized and ready to be viewed? In other words, whether you are creating a line of brownies or a series of finance tutorials, is the product line totally thought out, the packaging and pricing done and organized, sales set up (or at least online)? Don't ever take editors "works in progress". Value their time. They are on a massive time crunch to execute issue after issue, and many are short staffed. This means every second of their time counts, and that deskside better mean something.

HOW DO I LAND A DESKSIDE:

In my experience and the experience of several publicists & Tin Shingle members , the fastest way to land a deskside is to reach out to the correct editor at the magazine you are reaching out to via email. Don't know who this may be? Use the Media Contact Lists at Tin Shingle to help do your research! Once you find an editor that would be a good fit for your story, follow this step-by-step guide to getting that Desk side appointment, and what to expect while you're there.

Category:

Publicity

Sabina Hitchen's blog

Shine A Light Finalists Announced - Cast Your Vote!

Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on Fri, 2009-10-09 10:32 | 0 Comments

Well done to all of you who participated in Shine A Light from American Express in partnership with NBC Universal; because of your support, a spotlight truly did shine on so many wonderful entrepreneurs, including many of you. There were thousands of nominations from across the country, and the field has been narrowed down to three inspiring finalists.

In the spirit of supporting entrepreneurship, you now have the opportunity to cast your vote to help determine a winner and support three incredible small businesses! These three entrepreneurs are truly worth celebrating -- they combine innovative business models with community spirit and customer service. Voting takes less than a minute and will help the winner get to the next level of success with $100,000 in grant and marketing support. Vote for the small business that most inspires you, and take a moment to learn about what makes each of them stand apart. You never know what you'll learn that will inspire you with your own business; we have certainly learned a lot!

Here is a quick overview of each finalist, or go directly to www.nbc.com/shinealight to learn more and cast your vote:

BEACON PAINT & HARDWARE
"A Neighborhood Beacon," New York, N.Y
This neighborhood hardware store has been on the same block for more than 100 years. They have become a household name to the entire school community, donating vast amounts of paint, lighting and materials. Beacon also sponsors a walkathon for the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Society and a community cleanup day to paint over any graffiti on mailboxes or lampposts.
LEARN MORE AND VOTE

HAPPYBABY
"Socially Responsible Organic Baby Foods," Brooklyn, N.Y.

With distribution across the country, they pioneered a new movement in baby food with a line of sustainable organic home-style meals as an alternative to the processed jarred foods. The business is the brainchild of a social entrepreneur who wanted to provide our children with the best start to instill eating habits for a healthy happy life, and simultaneously provide basic nutritional needs for less fortunate children simply trying to survive.
LEARN MORE AND VOTE

SACRED WIND COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (SWC)
"Navajo Tribe Connection to Outside World," Albuquerque, N.M.
This telecommunications company serves the Navajo people in New Mexico and is building a state of the art telecommunications network to reach over 6,000 homes without access to telephone service of any kind. SWC has opened the door for the Navajo community to connect to the rest of the world, and is providing jobs in an area of extremely high unemployment.
LEARN MORE AND VOTE

The winning small business will be announced on October 19th, so make sure you vote today! For more information and to vote, log on to www.nbc.com/shinealight.

Your vote matters!

*******

Note: Tin Shingle works exclusively with partners that support, celebrate and enhance the businesses and lives of entrepreneurs, we call them Friends of Entrepreneurs. We thank the Shine A Light Program for making a difference for Entrepreneurs!

Category:

Life of Biz Owners

Katie Hellmuth's blog

Nomie Baby Car Seat Covers Now Carried on Diapers.com; Patience is a Virtue!

Submitted by Katie Danziger on Mon, 2009-10-05 13:08 | 2 Comments

The Tin Shingle team has been thrilled to watch the evolution of nomie baby and founder Katie Danziger, her patience, dedication and positive attitude is an inspiration to us all. As part of our Tin Shingle Agency Experience, we couldn't be prouder of her success. Sometimes things just take longer than you expect, especially when you are doing business in the middle of a recession, so when we found out that Diapers.com and buybuyBaby, some of the best of the best in baby retail, were both going to start carrying the nomie baby car seat cover after over a year of sales effort, we thought this is such a great example of patience and commitment that we wanted to share with our readers. We hope you enjoy the story as much as we do and we hope that you never give up on your vision, just like Katie!
--The Tin Shingle team

Patience Patience Patience

There are many suitable cliches, "Patience is a virtue", "Good things come to those who wait", "Rome wasn't built in a day"... take your pick. They all apply to building a company and entrepreneurship. For some reason, with all the advice I received about launching a new product and business, everyone neglected to tell me just how long it would take to introduce a new product to consumers and the press, or how long it would take for stores and sales to take off. Therefore, I naively started off, thinking it would be an overnight success. After all, everyone was telling me that they thought the nomie baby car seat covers were a great idea, and every mom would want one. So when I first met buyers and they didn't place huge orders, I was not only disappointed but puzzled, and yes, frustrated. This wasn't part of the plan. I didn't lose faith in the product, but instead I knew I had to readjust my thinking, objectives, and strategy.

I began to focus my energy on getting the word out, stepping up my PR efforts, and realizing that as awareness grew, so would sales; there is a direct relationship between the two. While I worked hard to get many different wonderful smaller stores in lots of different cities and states, and ramped up my website, I never gave up on the larger accounts that I believed would be a perfect fit for nomie baby as well. Periodically I would touch base with the buyers at Diapers.com and buybuyBaby, and let them know about exciting news, press and awards that nomie baby was receiving. I always got friendly email responses, which encouraged me to keep in touch. I was determined to be persistent without being pestering.

After over a year since first being in touch, I got an email from the buyer at Diapers.com that I had to read twice, before allowing myself to believe what was written. "We would love to add the nomie baby car seat cover. Please send us the UPC codes and photos to upload!" 14 months after first meeting a buyer from Diapers.com, and getting switched to another buyer over the year, the first shipment of nomie baby car seat covers is on its way to Diapers.com's 3 warehouses! In the same week I reconnected with the buyer for buybuy Baby, and she said that she is "interested in the covers," and she would like to try them out on buybuyBaby.com. If they do well, then they'll be added to their stores! It is a huge jump, but it didn't happen overnight, although overnight the changes are dramatic. Here are other apt cliches - "When it rains, it pours" and "Be careful of what you wish for" - or at least be prepared!

Katie will be speaking on November 19th at our Mom Entrepreneurs Event along with Carly Roney, Founder Theknot.com and Marni Konner, Founder Little Maestros
Click here to learn more and sign up

Category:

Strategy

Katie Danziger's blog

What's an Entrepreneurial Gal to Drink? Guest Blogger Anu Karwa of Swirl Events Answers the Question!

Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on Sun, 2009-10-04 19:52 | 1 Comments

Today's guest blogger, Anu Karwa, member and founder / CEO of Swirl Events, answers the question many of us wonder, while debating what to drink after a long day at the office/home office and dealing with the regular entrepreneurial day-to-day grind. So sit back, pour a glass of wine, and check out what this wine expert has to say!

It's the end of the day, you've pitched your heart - and company- out non-stop, and all you can think about is putting your well-manicured heels on the coffee table and sitting back with a glass of wine. But what's an entrepreneurial gal like yourself to drink? Here are my favorite wine picking strategies that won't require a round of fundraising but taste as good as getting your product on Oprah. And if you thought this was helpful, send a little link love to my blog, SwirlSavvy.

1. Celebrate - you're worth it. But try a Prosecco, a lightly sparkling wine from the Northeast corner of Italy, or a Cava, a sparkling wine from Spain made the traditional Champagne method. Neither can be considered Champagne (since that only comes from the region of the same name in France) but it has all the festivity and bubbles as the more famous drink but at 1/5 of less of the price. My favorite is the Sorelle Bronca Prosecco made quarterly, to keep it fresh, by a duo of sisters in Veneto, Italy.

2. Venture into the unknown - As an entrepreneur, you're willing to take a bit of a risk. I recommend doing that with your wine choices as well. Try lesser known regions and reap huge rewards. A lesser known wine region that is taking the world by storm is Portugal. The accolades are well-deserved. Long known for Port, the dry red wines coming from the Douro, Dao and Alentejo taste they should cost 3X what you shelled out. If you're a fan of Cabernet Sauvignon, try wines that include the Touriga Nacional grape for a similar taste. Try the Esporao Reserve Red and be prepared for a wonderful evening.

3. In the same vein as Strategy #2, try lesser known grape varietals. SwirlSavvy's loves wines with the Mencia grape, commonly found in wines from Bierzo in Spain. It has all the complexity and spice Spanish reds are known for while revealing layer after layer of enticing aromas. Beyond it's gorgeous label, the Petalos from Bierzo, Spain will keep you coming back for more.

4. Don't pay the Chardonnay tax. We're all so comfortable ordering a Chardonnay at a restaurant. Owners know that and price accordingly. Skip the extra cost and try a more food-friendly white wine like a Gruner Veltliner from Austria. Gruner Veltiner, aka GruVee or Gruner, is hard to pronounce but big on taste. The crispness of granny smith apples is balanced by flinty minerality and a gorgeous nose. The racy acidity makes it a perfect accompaniment to summer salads and grilled veggies. Think of it as your picnic wine.

Category:

Life of Biz Owners

Sabina Hitchen's blog

Our Sabina at Fashion Week Representing

Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on Mon, 2009-09-14 22:34 | 1 Comments

We couldn't resist sharing this picture of Sabina with you, as she gets ready for a Fashion Week night out, in her rollers. Sabina is out on the town representing Tin Shingle and our members, we truly are your ally in NYC!

Keeping in touch with us via text and email, here is her schedule :

off to meet “fashion trendsetters and the boys who know fashion” at Pastis, then off to some parties and events in Meatpacking, then swinging by Marc Jacobs at afterparty for some photos and scoop, then meeting with the Daily News to share some scoop…
Kate Moss party at Jane Hotel, HELLO!
"I INTEND to be home by 11:30pm" (**she returned at 1:30 am but a girl can dream)
oh and squeezing in a meeting with some CNN producers during a break (** it was amazing! get ready CE members!!)
hair’s gotta hold up (thus the rollers)
TOMORROW is even more jam packed with the Collective Launch and Gen Art Fashion Week Party
shaZAMM...(sabina's fave word for making things happen)
Logging it all and on to some more!

PS - Sabina is wearing Three Custom Color's Violet Creme lip gloss from Tin Shingle member Trae Bodge. Her necklace is from Bestow Boutique...oh yes CE member and YUMMY (huge sample sale there this weekend!!!)

Category:

Life of Biz Owners

Katie Hellmuth's blog

Bloggers Take over Front Row at Fashion Week

Submitted by Sabina Hitchen on Sun, 2009-09-13 21:59 | 4 Comments

Fashion Week has descended upon New York City, and that means we've been following the Tweets, Facebook updates, and blogs of some of our favorite fashionistas and writers.

While reading the updates from Zandile Blay (fashion market editor of Paper Magazine, editor of the Blay Report, style editor for the Huffington Post, and one of Tin Shingle's fave fashion insiders) we caught an interesting update:

"Blaynistas [her blog followers] this is the year of the blogger! I swear! they are getting front row like mad!"

Come to think of it, we've been following Zandile, and her partner in crime Julee Wilson (fashion editor extraordinaire at Real Simple magazine and Real Simple Twitter gal ) throughout Fashion Week, and there they are at the hottest shows in and out of the tents, meeting with some of the hottest designers!

So what does this mean for us?

Firstly - Times truly are changing! The power of the blogger is getting stronger than ever, and thanks to the advent and exponential growth of Twitter & Facebook their messages and updates are transmitted instantly worldwide. If you are a blogger, there is no limit to what you can do.

Second: The fashion world, business world, and media in general are recognizing the power of these bloggers! The designers inviting these bloggers to shows know that endorsements from people like Zandile & Julee can impact their brand.

Third: YOU should be educating yourself as to who the most influential bloggers are in your industry. Neglecting pitching the blogs is a big no-no for your pr campaign. Sure magazines and television are important to focus on but you also have to be sure that you're sharing your expertise, products, and stories with bloggers who can instantly share it online in both their blogs and their social media links. This can start a viral buzz that can spread like wildfire.

** please note: really do your research when checking out blogs. Check their rankings, but also how long they've been around, other stories they cover, and verify their legitimacy before working with any blog.

It's also inspiring on another level, as it shows you that a strong message, a computer, and hard work can land you exactly where you need to be to make an impact - whether it's the front rows of Fashion Week or whatever is best for your brand!

I'm sure these bloggers never underestimated their power - learn a lesson from them!

Want to check out the very latest from Julee & Zandile ?

Follow Zandile's blog at www.theblayreport.com and check her out at Zandile on Twitter!

Follow all of Julee's tweets at Real_Simple on Twitter!

Category:

Sabina Hitchen's blog

SEO Strategy: Do Not include a "dofollow" in Your Comment

Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on Thu, 2009-09-10 19:44 | 0 Comments

Ick.

For those of you who only comment on blogs in the hopes of including a link back to your website: beware. Savvy blog owners will read your blog comment like a hawk, and read the between the lines to decide if A. you actually read the blog post and B. if you are being legitimate. If the blogger treats "dofollows" like this guy, you're out of luck. See here where Google started to implement "nofollow tactics" to prevent this sort of thing. A "nofollow" command tells search engines like Google to not follow a link, and therefore not count it in the grand link popularity count for a web page, as seen by search engines.

What would be the most blatant attempt of using a website or blog that does allow comments to count links, is to inject a rel="dofollow" command in the code of your comment. Which doesn't even do anything. It's an attempt to override a "nofollow" command set on a website. Therefore, it's just salt in the wound of your attempt to create a link to your site, and calls attention to you even more. Blogger blogs set the "nofollow" by default, and WordPress.com blogs might (see here for a WordPress.org "nofollow" setting adjustment for blogs hosted on individual hosting accounts). But what we do do is monitor every single comment that gets placed on our blog or regular articles. When we see one that is blatantly spamming or link-dropping, and ads no value to the article at hand, we delete with a swift click. But that's not all we do.

We have mollom.com reading each and every entry. Mollom is a fantastic resource for not only blocking a lot of spammy comments that never even see the light of day on a blog or website, but if one slips through, it gives the blog owner the option of reporting it to Mollom, so that they can be on the lookout for that infringer's IP address, or other super power methods Mollom has. Ok, it's not super powers, but it is data crunching.

Category:

SEO

Website Design

Katie Hellmuth's blog

Twitter Stickers for Brick and Mortars

Submitted by Katie Hellmuth on Wed, 2009-09-09 08:06 | 4 Comments

Today's headlines like to speculate that "retail is dead", while CNBC anchors may promote a product and then tell you what website to find it on, or suggest that you buy it "the old fashioned way at their store", but this boutique junkie is here to tell you that retail is not dead, and in fact, is throwing an anchor into the online-based social networking waters. Just what should they tweet about? That's for the next installment of this article. Today's installment focuses just on signage.

Brick and mortar stores are getting on the Twitter bus, knowing that all of you are online, but that you will be leaving soon to walk or drive home, or to shop with friends on the weekend. Mandee, the Midwestern chain store for young style mavens, has social networking stickers including Twitter, Facebook and Myspace running under their logo on their Broadway store front on the upper west side of Manhattan. Go to their website, and you'll notice the same set of digital stickers running across the top - good for consistency. Follow Mandee on Twitter, and you'll get tweets about store discounts and contests they are running. Stop into a store near you to pick up a pair of boots! Follow Mandee at @shopmandee.

Stop into your local burger joint, you may see a sign like this - appropriately written on cardboard with marker, in a lingo that is apropos to the attitude of the workers there. This Twitter sign is from...The Burger Joint in the Parker Meridian in NYC. Super yummy and extremely down home in the middle of busy Midtown where there is nothing down home about the surroundings. When making your Twitter sign for your store, go ahead and make it in the style that works for your brand. People who tweet will know what it means, and find you. Follow the Burger Joint at @burgerjointnyc.

Whole Foods Market just opened in my neighborhood. While I was shopping in the produce section of the lower floor, I wondered what vegies to prepare with a swordfish steak that was on mega sale. I wished that my foodie friend was on Twitter, because I instinctively wanted to tweet her just this question. By the time I loaded up with my version of soon-to-be cooked vegetables and was approaching the checkout lines, there it was, in big black chalkboard: @wholefoodsnyc. I could have tweeted them with my question.

Are you a brick and mortar store with a Twitter sticker or other social networking stickers? Please share them with us! Take a picture and upload it to our Facebook page in our Twitter Sticker photo album.

New to Twitter? We offer a very personalized, hands on workshop to answer all of your questions, big and little, no matter how silly you think them. You will come away with strategies on what to tweet about to boost your business. Check out our Tweetworking class.

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Social Media

Twitter