I am thrilled to be speaking at this event, hosted by the National Speakers Association of Illinois. Wendy Piersall, @emom, and Johnny Campbell, the Transition Man and I will be talking about social media for speakers, coaches and consultants. If you’re in Chicago, I hope you can join us for this Fabulous Friday event that…
Almost two years ago, when I read Rohit Bhargava’s social media bio post, I said, “Hey! I’ve got to do that and I’ve got to write about how cool it is to do that.” Time flies . . . and this format came back to me as I was preparing my presentation for job seekers…
Today I’m testing out a new way to communicate for speakers: a question and answer page that conveys who you are while answering the basic FAQs to save the meeting planner time. Let me know what you think . . . . and feel free to adapt this format to fit your speaker profile page…
Groups give speakers get all kinds of gifts: flowers, chocolate, gift certificates. One of the best “gifts” you can give a speaker is a recommendation. Although I use critique sheets for reviews, it’s not often that a get a group review like this one from West Suburban Women Entrepreneurs. What I like about this format:…
I’m getting ready to redesign this blog and I’m asking for your help. After writing over 550 blog posts, it’s safe to say I like what I’m doing. But, do my readers? How can I make visiting this blog a better experience for them? Click Here to take a quick blog redesign survey Now that…
Here’s the latest in our reader Q&A series . . . from a college student in Toronto who asked questions in the comment box on a recent post about questioning twitter boundaries. Thanks to Cory for giving me permission to answer her questions as a blog post and to and to everyone who contributes to…
Problem: You have a fabulous presentation, but the only people who ever see it sit in your audience Solution: Upload your presentation with or without audio to Slideshare and reach the world – along with more than a few new prospects Almost a year ago today I wrote those words about SlideShare as a cool…
Social networking online is a lot like driving in Chicago in winter. This time of year it’s difficult to drive down the street without dropping into a pothole. You know, a dip that jars your car. After a few potholes, you start to dodge the drop off. This post covers five ways to fill the…
I love to speak and help others get out there with their message. Recently, someone asked about where to find more information on how to manage a professional speaking business. Start by checking out your local chapter of the National Speakers Association? Our Illinois Chapter is very friendly, encouraging and resourceful. This group will…
BurrellesLuce recently released a report on the top 2009 media outlets, including comparisons to past rankings. Grab your copy of the two-page BurrellesLuce’s 2009 “Top Daily Newspapers, Blogs, and Consumer Magazines & Social Networks.” Note that you will have to enter name and email address in exchange for the information. Each list is based on…
BlogWorld and New Media Expo is merging with New Media Expo to become one super huge colossal event next fall in Las Vegas. Will I be there? Yes and you should, too. So, mark your calendar now for October 15-17, 2009. Blogging and New Media Converge in One Event Congratulations goes out to BlogWorld New…
Thanks to Search Engine Strategies for including me in their press corps. Here’s a transcript from the Social Media Optimization session held in Chicago on December 10. Notes captured using CoverItLive are as typed with no editing. You’ll see I figured out how to make longer entries as I went along. Still testing this technology…
Is it right to take someone down? At this moment, an online press release someone distributed about their twitter accomplishments is on Digg. The title isn’t very complimentary. And while I agree with the assessment that bragging about something isn’t the right way to market – especially if what you’re touting isn’t all that great…
If you publish an email newsletter, you know that writing a compelling subject line is often the hardest part. So, what does it take to get people to open your email? Is there a formula you can use to up your open rates? What can you learn from your email marketing about how your community and…
When I first published this post on November 20, 2007, the world was a different place – for me and my business. Wired PR Works, at this URL, was only about eight weeks old, I wasn’t on twitter and social media was something I read about, not interacted with. Being thankful with year-round Thanksgiving PR…
Promoting a Chamber of Commerce is a multi-level, multi-purpose communications endeavor. A press kit is one way to present your organization to not only the media, but to business owners and local leaders. Today, I’m sharing my response on LinkedIn Answers to this question: I am putting together a press kit for a chamber of…
Thanks to Peer Lawther for asking this question on LinkedIn: Has anyone used Twitter as a live conference blogging tool, and what were the conclusions you reached as to its suitability? See how everyone answered the question about how to use Twitter as a live conference blogging tool. Here’s my answer – Peer selected it…
A reader writes . . . Hi Barbara – My name is Mark McGinnis and I’m not sure just how I got on your mailing list – but it was good timing for this… My wife (Kim) and I are new to offering Seminars. I saw that you got 77 people signed up for your…
What’s your single biggest question about how to become a subject matter expert? – my 1700th update on twitter.com Thanks to everyone who sent in a question, I came up with this post with strategies on how to become known as the go-to person in your niche. In doing some research I found this subject…
No matter what your age, mastering social networking can be challenging. While teens and young adults might appear to be less self-conscious about setting up online profiles, the one major missing component for many of them is strategy. How do you set up – and maintain – not only an effective online profile, but nurture…
Speaking to a group is a great way to get out in front of new audiences. Most organizations have a communications person who will publicize your appearance to their members and maybe the media. You can help them promote their event – along with your appearance – by sending out an additional news release of…
On October 25, I’ll be speaking on social networking for writers at the 2008 IWOC Writers Conference. I’m an IWOC [Independent Writers of Chicago] member. For me one of the benefits is being listed in their database as a professional writer and speaker who specializes in online PR and social media. If you’re a Chicago…
What do plan to do with your online marketing over the next six months? Lee Odden, of Online Marketing Blog, asked his readers to vote for the top three online marketing tactics they would use the most from now, mid-September, through mid-March 2009. What’s interesting to me is that corporate web site comes in way…
For most bloggers, conventional wisdom says that Stumbleupon traffic is good to spike your numbers, but not so good at holding attention. Usually, I agree. Typically, my Stumbleupon traffic has a bounce rate of 70% or higher, which means that most people glanced at my blog and clicked onto something else with ten seconds. In…
California and Illinois tied for top state with the most readers. That’s one of my more interesting findings from July’s end of month statistics. In June, I reported on the most read posts. This month, I decided to build in Google Analytics, a free service you can sign up for to track your web and…
English