Harmful for the environment and costly to millions of small businesses that get conned into ads.
Let's do the phone companies, the landfills, hard working small business and our neighborhoods a favor..
OPT OUT NOW Find out how by entering your zip code at the link below:
http://yellowpagesoptout.com
What are you working on?
If someone asks you that, are you excited to tell them the answer?
I hope so. If not, you're wasting away.
No matter what your job is, no matter where you work, there's a way to create a project (on your own, on weekends if necessary), where the excitement is palpable, where something that might make a difference is right around the corner.
Hurry, go do that.
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We grew up in the world of old media. They told us to trust what someone pulled from a wire service and printed on paper.
They preached that they had a high calling to report the truth objectively.
Now everyone has access to the source reports, they remind us that we still need the insight of a professional to sort it for us.
I think that's a myth. There are some great minds working for old media, but they are employees of corporations with agendas.
Do we need our news edited?
The Associated Press and other newswire services provide news to small newspapers that do not have the staffing to cover the news themselves. But now questions are being asked as to whether or not companies such as the AP are needed any longer. With the Internet, just about anyone can syndicate the news. But some like Rupert Murdoch believe that all news belongs to those that cover it and should not be used by others for personal gain.
There is another question that we must ask. Who owns the news? Does it belong only to the people who report it? I believe it belongs to all of us.
About.me is in beta and I'm giving it a try
http://about.me/WarrenWhitlock
Let me know what you see
About.me is in beta and I'm giving it a try
Warren Whitlock
Speaker, Blogger and Marketing Strategist. Author of the first book on Twitter. "Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online"
I read the bit about JCP putting up banner ads with like buttons and started wonders.
Supposing I had access to million of dollars to get millions of people into my thousand of store locations, and/or my online shopping site, would I set up a DESTINATION on Facebook?
The ordering on Facebook bit make sense.. it's like putting up a new store in a new town. "Go where the people are"
But what about the ads. A banner is luck to get one click. Would you use that to go to Facebook, or send people to your own site?
JCPenney currently has 1.3 million fans on Facebook. The company moved closer to Facebook integration in October when it began running Facebook “like” buttons in its banner ads.
If you want to learn to promote better online, make a point to watch whatever Jay does.
This video is a bit cheesy, but it includes ME.. so I had to share it.
(see what he did there?)
I'm going to have to reconsider the international market for "Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online"
When we wrote the book, we knew there would Twitter would grow, but always surprised to see attention in other languages.
Twitter 'prevê' tendências de consumo
Para Warren Whitlock, autor de "Twitter Revolution" ("A Revolução do Twitter", ainda sem versão no Brasil), "se você esperar que o comprador o procure, já perdeu grande parte da conversa".
I was chatting with Steve Aitchison about what succeeds as we prepare for the biggest Self Improvement Online event of the year (http://su.pr/33PPGq)
I wound up on his blog and found this ladder.
If you want more success, start with the good energy in your thoughts
Great post to start off the 12 days of Blogging series.
I'm just typing this.. I'll WRITE something later (as the post would say)
1. Why Writers Should Blog and Bloggers Should Write by Ali Luke at Aliventures
Some bloggers don’t really write. They just type.
I’m sure there’s been times when I’ve been guilty of the latter. It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing posts as “content” – something to tap out fast in order to increase a bunch of statistics. More page hits. More comments. More readers.
But you know that bloggers who carry on like that won’t succeed. The blogs that you love aren’t the ones which churn out half-arsed content – they’re the ones where the words grab you and don’t let you go.
Tags, boost, places, boost
Lot's of new terms to keep track of... so Google tells us how they rank results
Relevance – results that categorically match what has been searched
Prominence – results that are “well known, trusted” and show solid data from other sources on the web
Distance – results that are near your search criteria or known location
Someone asked me today if I thought anyone still reads email.
DUH!
My friend Dr. Joe Rubino, makes a very nice income from his mailing list.. as does a few hundred of my friends.
Email works best in markets that are hungry for more online information.. one of the larger being SELF IMPROVEMENT.
Five years ago, a few dozen online entrepreneurs teamed up to cross promote there offers online. You see, people who buy self help want more, but not always in the same niche. The cross promotion allows people to see what others are doing and sample their work.
This year, Joe joined the group.. and now dozens of the big marketers I've worked with are involved.
The promotion sign up page has a video invitation from Joe, and the usual hyped up sales copy you see online.. but don't be fooled.. this is not some scam. I know these folks and will be sharing this with my own readers on my prosperity web site mailing list.
If you aren't an online marketer, go one to the next message, but if you sell stuff online, click on this and get some free promotion for your own mailing list.
And Giveaway Events are a PROVEN method of adding lots of subscribers very quickly!
This Self Improvement Gifts 5 Giveaway, with all the customizing work we’ve done behind the scenes, has some very UNIQUE bonuses and competitions that will draw HUGE interest and response. It will leave you wondering why everybody who runs similar Giveaways doesn’t hold their events this way.
Add to it, the drawing power of the BILLION DOLLAR Self-Improvement Niche and we will turbo-blast your list building FOR you!
And when you get your list into the 1,000’s, you will then have the ability to attract other JV Partners and engage in other list-building activities like launches, membership sites, Facebook marketing, adswaps, lead referral contests, and so many more income producing activities...
Reminder: The gifts for this event can be any ebook, audio/video, course, membership, training, reports, etc. that you own or have the giveaway rights to, related to the Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Self Help, Health & Wellness, Fitness, Diet and Nutrition, or Marketing Online** niche - including but not limited to topics on:
- Time Management
- Self Esteem
- Wealth & Abundance
- Law of Attraction
- Memory
- Hypnosis
- Meditation
- Quit Smoking
- Subliminal
- Affirmations
- Positive Thinking
- Self-Help
- Public Speaking
- And many more!
** Graphics, templates, traffic generation, list building, blogging and related "marketing" products will also be acceptable Providing your gift Title & Description in our site are geared toward the self improvement and/or personal growth niche.
Tweets's are headlines... tags are too..
In fact, most everything we write in today's short message, give me the bullets world is what copywriters would refer to as the headline
John Caples , father of direct marketing copy, wrote, "Now, I spend hours on headlines—days if necessary."
Why the emphasis on headlines? "The headline selects the reader," said direct marketing guru Axel Andersson .
"On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy," wrote David Ogilvy . "When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar."
The late Mel Martin was the world's slowest copywriter. He could spend two weeks on the teaser of an envelope. Yet his painstaking craftsmanship was responsible for turning Marty Edelston's Boardroom into a $150 million annual business.
Mel Martin's envelopes featured the USP of the book or newsletter Boardroom was selling. They were compelling. Three examples of irresistible Mel Martin teasers:
- What Never to Eat on an Airplane.
- What the IRS Doesn't Want You to Know.
- The Two Most Forgotten Deductions On Any Tax Return.
100000
http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/photo/denny-hatch-headshot
http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/416841/photo
Borders shareholders are trying to by much larger Barnes and Nobles.
A major shareholder of Borders Group Inc. proposed that the bookseller acquire much bigger rival Barnes & Noble Inc., in a gamble to unite the two giant but struggling retailers at a time of major tumult in the book industry.
The past year has been rocky for Barnes & Noble. In November 2009, the company adopted a "poison pill" antitakeover defense after activist investor Ronald Burkle and his Yucaipa Cos. purchased nearly 20% of its stock. In August, the retailer put itself up for sale. Mr. Burkle launched a nasty proxy fight for board representation, a bid that was defeated in late September.
So far, Borders hasn't been part of the sales process for Barnes & Noble. The company hasn't signed confidentiality and standstill agreements, which all interested parties have been required to enter if they want access to Barnes & Noble's financial information to conduct due diligence, people familiar with the matter said. Because of Barnes & Noble's poison pill, it would be difficult for Borders to mount a hostile campaign.
Just to make sure I understood, I read Seth Godin's blog post 3 times.
Right up there at the top ... Seth suggests that you'd be CRAZY to read Twitter comments.
Then he repeats the OLD MEDIA strategy. and repeats it again, and again and again. .. like "if they don't get it, we just haven't said it enough"
We know this is Seth's thinking.. He doesn't even allow you in the conversation on his blog.
We are now in the era of REAL TIME conversation. When I read about someone reading tweets after a talk, I wonder "Why didn't you get access to the feed DURING the talk?"
Listen to your audience. What they say IS the message that's important to them. If human beings filter what you say, change it around and spread it in their own way.. treat them like partners in the conversation and respect(love) them.
They didn't "get it wrong".. they got their own message. If you want to serve them, listen and build from there frame of reference. Engage your audience, let them OWN the message, and they will help you spread your meme to the world.
Listen and Love.. it's as simple as that.
After turning down thousands of Facebook friend invitations due to their cap on the number of connection one person can have, I finally put up my own page.
Now I get to write a message when someone send a friends request.. it’s got to be unique… if you cut and paste, Facebook will give you a spam warning. This would have been so much easier if I had not waited.
I just found a great post on http://BlogGoDown.com
I tweeted a reply to the #amplify post and went to the blog to leave a comment on the full article.
When I did, I got this page. Very cool.
I want to be in this community.
Thank You for Being a Contributing Member of our Community
this is part of a webinar
If you qualify, you’ll receive
ntroduction: I call you to learn about you, your book and your business. Success Assessment. I review your book, any existing marketing, proposals, online presence and information products you have now or are developing Best Seller Roadmap Session. Once we have all the data and know your book and business, we set up a session to build your roadmap. I will do these sessions myself and show you exactly what you need to do to be more successful with your book, online promotion and marketing. During this session, you can ask any question about publishing or marketing and I will share any resources you might need to get to the goals you have set. Expert Promotion Checklist. Based on your specific needs, I outline a fast track checklist you can use to get results quick from your online and offline marketing.
This is a bit off the topics I usually #Amplify, but when else would I get to use that headline.
Trillion of neutrinos are going through the Earth each day, and most of them miss us entirely
Every December since 2004, engineers have flown to the South Pole to drill 8,000-foot-deep holes in the ice. The team lowers cables, each strung with 60 disco-ball-size light sensors, into the holes and let them freeze over. So far they have completed 79 such holes, set in a grid half a mile on each side, and plan to drill the final seven this month. The result will be the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a cube of ice packed with 5,320 sensors looking for cosmic particles.
Detecting a neutrino, however, is a bit like trying to catch a flea with a fishing net—the particles are so small that trillions of them travel through Earth every second without even hitting an atom. So the researchers at IceCube employ a clever technique to spot indirect evidence of neutrinos.
Once IceCube’s final seven strands of sensors are in place, it will detect 100 neutrinos a day, 14 times as many as the two-year-old French neutrino detector Antares. IceCube will not only help scientists identify the source of cosmic rays, dark matter and other objects that influence the universe’s evolution, it will produce unexpected discoveries, says Francis Halzen, the principal investigator on Ice Cube. From Galileo’s refracting spyglass to the Hubble Space Telescope, he notes, every time scientists turn a higher-fidelity tool to the cosmos, they find something new. “If IceCube observes separated pairs of particles, they might be supersymmetric, a new and very different type of matter,” Klein says. “That would be extremely exciting.”
I was curious enough to read just how many pages of #Wikileaks were indexed by #Bing and #Google, but does it really matter?
As far as I can see, no one has accused @Wikileaks of breaking and entering or stealing the information. I don't think the coerced anyone to give them the info... so if it's a big deal to keep it secret, why aren't they trying to stop the leak?
Most likely they are... applying heat to Wikileaks to make the most noise... but it seems like they have a misunderstanding of digital data... it's like a tattoo.. once it's up on the net, it out.
If you don't want something repeated, don't say it. If you can't live with that policy and want to keep a secret, make sure you can trust the people you are telling your secret to.
Facebook's response, from Andrew Noyes, the company's D.C. based Manager of Public Policy Communications: "The Wikileaks Facebook Page does not violate our content standards nor have we encountered any material posted on the page that violates our policies."
That's notably different from what Twitter told us today. Twitter passed around a press statement this morning stating that it is not censoring Wikileaks from its "trending topics" section, but when we asked point blank about whether it will permit the Wikileaks account to remain online or whether it will be shut down, Twitter's Matt Graves told ReadWriteWeb, "We've got no additional comment beyond the statement."
Every company online is likely considering how to relate to Wikileaks. Google, for example, appears to have indexed almost 1500 pages of the site, while Bing appears to have indexed only 10 pages of Wikileaks.ch.
From my post "How to Write a Book" I share the 4 ways we use a speakers material to create a best seller fast.
I create most of my content with a computer and keyboard. Works great for many people, but there is a faster way to write (also the easiest): talk your book
Once you have an outline of chapters and key points, you can create the chapters in any order.. just by taking your book. As an expert on your topic, you likely get asked questions about your topic every day. In the course of a week, you will probably produce more than enough information to fill a book.
The trick is to record yourself as your focus on one of chapter. Using your outline, you can quickly cover the topic and key points for that chapter. When that’s recorded and transcribed you’ll have a rough draft in no time.
Speaking into a recorder can be intimidating. Try one of these instead:
- Hire an editor or writer to work as your co-author. Once they become familiar with you and your outline of chapters, set up a phone conference line with recording and have them ask the questions and keep you on focused as you provide answers, stories, explanations and comments. You’ll find that having a listener on the line makes it easier, and using your editor will allow them insight and input during the process.
- Use what you already have. If you’ve been a guest on a teleseminar or radio program, given a speech on your topic or written articles, you likely have more material than you think… ready to add to your book. We start most projects by taking an inventory of these assets and our authors are surprised when they see the list. A good editor can place your existing content into chapters in your outline much quicker than you thought possible.
- Blog your book content. If you don’t have content, start creating it in pieces. Many a book has started as a series of blog posts. I used some posts to start Twitter Revolution as the first step in that book. We added a polls and questions (on Twitter of course) and invited other experts on a radio program that we transcribed. We had hundreds of contributors and a rough draft in just a few weeks with hundreds of pages more than we needed. We edited it down to the best, and got the first book out about Twitter.
- Sell Your Information First. Information marketers know that the content of a book is more than enough material to create a seminar. The reverse it also true. Teach a course in person, in training classes, on the phone or on a webinar. Most of the material created for the course will be useful for your book. Make sure it’s recorded and transcribed.
When I saw the reports tying the Facebook profile pic change nonsennse to pedophillia, I thought "easier to believe than it stopping child abuse" 
However it started, it's harmless nonsense. You aren't covering for pedophiles, you aren't going to stop abuse, and you aren't going to loose you Facebook account.
I did like the comment "Can I leave my profile pic the same if I promise to stop hurting children?" That just might be more effective.
CHANGEYOUPRFILE PIC BACK TO NORMAL!! this cartoon thing has been set up by pedos using a registered charity thing to entice kids. Apparently on the 6th of december you will be kicked of fb if u hv cartoon pics. the more folk that put up the cartoon pics the harder it is for the police ...to catch the sickos!!!
Of course the above message is utterly untrue. The whole cartoon profile picture has got nothing to do with any registered charity and Facebook have not announced they will be kicking people off Facebook for having cartoon profile pictures. Fabricated nonsense.
Andrew Mason, Groupon’s founder and chief executive, says his strategy is “finding the holy grail of local.”
As investors fret that Google’s $6 billion bid for Groupon is too high a price to pay, new details about the company’s sales and growth suggest that it might be more like one of Groupon’s cut-rate deals.
An individual close to Groupon, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the company’s annual revenue is running in excess of $1 billion a year and its subscriber base tripled this summer, to 35 million users.
And an analyst at Barclays Capital, Douglas Anmuth, estimated in a research report released on Tuesday that sales could hit $1.5 billion in 2011.
At those levels, Google would be paying four times next year’s revenues. In contrast, the company paid $3.1 billion, or roughly 10 times sales, for DoubleClick in 2007. It bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in 2006, when the online video hub was making less than $11 million a year, according to a company filing.
I've done a lot of work with marketers who tune a web site or sales process to get huge increases in profits.
You may have heard of a single word in a headline creating a 45% boost in readership. Conversion to sales stays the same and the same investment 45% more sales and maybe double the profits.
Not a bad days work, eh?
So suppose you to a web site conversion rate for 2%of visitor to 8%.. that FOUR TIMES.. Awesome.. or at least I thought it was till I learn how real people think about these business.
Now I see that when 8% buy, there are 92% of the visitors leaving you.
Maybe 100% of visitors turning into customers it unrealistic.. let's say that half of the visitors won't opt in or buy now matter what you do.. that's 50%.
Then let's cut that in half because you won't get it all perfect on those people.. that leave 25% who have some interest in you.. They didn't land on your web site by accident.
The rest is simple math. 25% is over 3 times as many people as 8%.
OK, we can't get them to buy today.. we may not even get them to sign up in our sales and marketing funnel.. What to do with these people?
1. Stop calling them "traffic" or "eyeballs' .. when I take the time to visit your web site (or store) treat me like I have value.
2. Give them a good experience at what ever level of engagement you can. They will leave with a smile and that's gotta be good karma
3. Read the rest of this article on Flowtown.com
4. Brainstorm about putting these into play.. and then let's talk about what other ideas we can add to this list
They Might Share Your Content
Maybe Lack Of Interest Is Telling You Something About The Product
You Might Be Able To Capture a Lead
Just because a customer may not buy from you right now doesn’t mean you can’t sell something to them down the line. Chances are, if a visitor ends up on your website, they at least have some kind of an interest in your market, which means they are potentially a valuable contact for future mailing. Create a mailing list for readers to sign up to, and include a field or two for them to specify their interests and reasons for coming to your page. This information can be used to segment your audience and hit them with targeted emails in the future.
Twitter users worldwide got a sneak peak at a trove of Wikileaks’ classified information early Sunday after copies of a German magazine containing the information were mistakenly sold early at a newsstand.
@ikepigott wrote a #storify about unfollowing:
"Some people want their Twitter to be completely mutual. There are tools that enable this, by easily flagging which people you follow that aren't following you back."
My short answer is NO RULES. Follow or don't follow whoever you want.
That leads to a problem when someone like me connects with someone who seeks a perfect balance of counts and judges by ratios.
Some of them unfollow me.
And sometimes, Twitter, me, apps I'm using, new tools I test, and random bits in the Twitterverse set a follow status beyond anthing we know about.
Unfollow is NOT blocking. It's not saying "I hate you and never want to hear from you"
While I wouldn't think of clicking unfollow because a person said something (other than a very tiny few where the language and topics were really foul on an ongoing basis) I do have to prune and manage where I can. If I do unfollow, I rarely know WHO I'm unfollowing.. so please don't take offense. It's not you.. It's not even me
Since I can't read even 1% of the tweets coming through my account.. it really makes little difference if I follow you or you follow me. I'm GRATEFUL that so many people choose to follow me, but I really much more interested in ENGAGEMENT.
I'm not social to find people for a broadcast. We've covered that.. it DOES NOT WORK in social media. We're here for the conversation.. to make a connection and share experiences in order to make, grow and build on relationships.
If I don't follow you, you can still @WarrenWhitlock and talk to me. I read 100% of those tweets and respond to every question.
If you care about me following you.. GREAT.. I'm happy to click "follow" and will see a "@WarrenWhitlock will you follow me?" Tweet as an invitation to have a conversation.
I don't autofollowback, but I do try to follow every person who mentions me in a tweet (No, not you Mr. lurking spammer, I'm on to you and your tricks).
And now the reason for this clip.. PLEASE DON'T WORRY ABOUT THIS.
The attached story about "damaged reputation" is just plain silly. I'm following all the people involved and wish you all well in you pursuit of balance.
If my mentioning this offends you and you unfollow me.. so be it. If you care about that, please care enough to post a comment here or tweet me @WarrenWhitlock. I'd be happy to hear about the economic consequences of the so called #unfollowbug.. though my guess is that anyone @ChrisHerur lost due to this bug would not make a great client
(For the Record.. I'm a big fan of Chris and Social Media Club. And like all the other people involved.. great people as far as I know them.
![[barnes-p1]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_ulJfic-tOhYX89xgqgefDJ8FkJM_k6JaC7MuZLKe80Taa4YD3VbmfgXOqUeJpMB4tFLENV4oxxZHgCK0hbjqmhHzXhpZ8V4Da94_hwWXTa2Eg8SqSrSAbIlOOQTfbnoj2VVWfMcdY7U71tDr969b0NSnTapHqiPKVPEAusO0r-zQDNk8KCODp8nDhjkGcWrdZAheJRrrPfOyAJMuIAm6EyFxRrwgWptQ=s0-d)
Classified document publishing website 
