Hello Sweet Friends!

Very quick note sweet friends!

A few weeks back, we had a discussion on our Christian Blog and Podcast Yahoo Group that has had me digging around in my computer. They were looking for a good program to use when creating 3-D E-Covers. Well, I have been looking for the software details since then. I feel horrible it has taken so long! Well, you have to KNOW what my computer looks like right now. Hehe!

Last week, Sue asked a great question in our group coaching session. She wanted to know if I had a suggestion for a good software that could help her create those nice 3-D Ebook covers for her sales pages and web pages.

Well, it has now been TOO LONG since you guys were talking about it AND OVER a week since she asked.  I have turned my computer inside-out–well, something like that!

NOW! I have found the link. AND…you guys have got to check this out QUICK! The program is normally $99.95, BUT it is on sale until Christmas for only $39.95. You have GOT TO SEE IT! (It now has capabilities to even make a cute graphic that looks like a computer monitor–for your online events, podcasts, radio shows, classes and $1 Seminars!!!!)  (SEE TO THE LEFT!)

Can you tell I am buzzing? (I am excited about the new computer monitor capabilites–you WILL see this on my sites ASAP!)

Here is the link:
CLICK HERE

Grab this one! It is SWEET!

Back to my fiddling around here! hehe!

Love,
Cindy

PS–Did you peek? Isn’t it SWEET???
CLICK HERE

PPS–Wishing that you had joined us for the Group Coaching OR even the Personal Study through our Information Product Course? It is NOT too late! REALLY! Join the Personal Study Course today and you can access all of the sessions up to date, along with their bonus goodies. You can kick off the New Year with a blast. PLUS! Even if you sign up for our Personal Study this week, EVERYONE can join us for the last group coaching call next week. Don’t miss this study–it WILL change your business forever! Join us here: http://www.writers-nook.com/InformationProduct.html

How do you decide if coaching can benefit you? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

#1 – Could I use an impartial person to run my ideas by?

Your friends and family may be great to turn to for help, but remember they are slightly biased. You have heard it said that they will tell you what you want to hear–this is not the time for that! Even if they gave great ideas, it doesn’t help if they don’t specifically understand the inner dealings or your business or market.

Having an impartial person dissect your ideas and plans can be very beneficial, particularly if that person is in your field and has already achieved the success you hope to achieve.

#2 – Could I use help with the smaller picture and details of my business?

For many entrepreneurs the “big” picture is easy to see but it’s the smaller details that can tie them up in knots. What shopping cart to use? What pages to include on your website? How to start a PPC campaign? How to begin an online teaching ministry?

In this instance an online coach can offer help and guidance – from helping you choose the right software to actually helping you plan your first pay-per-click marketing campaign to helping you plan and present your first online class.

#3 – Could I use motivation and guidance?

For many of us, this is the part of business that’s the most difficult. It’s easy to write down a to-do list and business plan, but much harder to actually do it, much less make it a success. A good online business coach can help you overcome these hurdles. If you have someone that you’re accountable to, then you’re more likely to follow through and get things done.

This isn’t a situation that should make you feel bad or shameful; many, many people struggle with accountability and find that having a person they are accountable to or a deadline is the best way to achieve their tasks. Once I hired my first coach, I saw so many differences in such a short time that I made the commitment to always have a coach to work with me along the way. I have one helping me right now. Coaching will take you further than you can imagine. They will help you will take your business uplevel.

These three questions should help you decide whether coaching is right for you. If you do decide it’s something you’d like to try, it’s important to find the right coach – as not all are created equal.

Here’s what to look out for:

* Find someone that has already achieved what you aspire to. Make sure the person has a proven track record and can back up their talk with references, testimonials and REAL results. You should be able to easily “SEE” their success–look at their website… their products. Look them up on Google. See how much they have out there for themselves. Tune into their webinars. You should be able to see real results or keep on looking!

* Find someone you can relate to. A coach with a harsh style or “bootcamp” mentality may or may not be right for you. Only you can determine that. Perhaps you’d respond more to someone that approaches things from a gentler approach. Or maybe you really respond well to tight deadlines and someone who pushes you through the phases. Whatever the choice, it has to be right for YOU. Taking the time to find the right coach FOR YOU is really important.

* Ask any potential coach specific questions and read their answers carefully. This will help you choose the right person for your needs.

* Find someone who wants to see you succeed. It’s unfortunate, but there are some coaches who keep their students in a certain place. This ensures that the person doesn’t outgrow them and continues to use their services. This is not the right coach for you.  A good coach will push their students to succeed beyond their wildest dreams. A good coach accepts that at some point their student may outgrow them and need to move on. It’s important to look for this in a coach, as this way you can be sure that they will always advise you on what is ultimately best for you and your business.

Ready for a business coach? This is the year to take your business uplevel. If you need that boost, a business coach just might make the difference in getting where you need to go.

Announcing! We are on the countdown for our first online group coaching session! YEP! We will be sharing details early this week. This session just might be the perfect topic for you. If you are not on our mailing list, scroll back up to the top of the page and sign in. Our subscribers will be sent a very special offer early next week–it only last for one week, so don’t miss it! Sign up for our mailing list TODAY!

1. Get a vision. First things first. Who are you? What are YOU all about? What is YOUR message? When others come to you, what do they ask you? Take some time to really think this one out.  Your blog will only be a success when you find YOUR voice. Pull apart and get a vision. Keep your blog simple, clear, uncluttered, and focused. Stick to who you are. Don’t change up every day. Don’t add in content that does not go along with your message. Get a vision for what you are to be all about and be ONLY that.

2. Set it up right. Don’t take short-cuts. If you want to build a successful business, invest in your “home on the web.” This is not an area to skimp by or put off. Grab your own domain and host your site yourself. The reasons are more than I can cover in an entire article, but the biggest reason is that you are building a business. Build your business with a solid foundation. If you are a writer, invest in your own name TODAY as a domain. If you are setting up a site for a particular business venture, grab your domain for it. My favorite hosting service is Mom Webs: http://www.writers-nook.com/MomWebs.html You can grab your domain and set up your hosting account in just a few minutes. Also, ask them to install Wordpress for you. They will even install an adorable theme for you for around $10. If you have a blog that is hosted by a free service, they can even help you to pull your RSS Feed (all of your past posts) into your new site–PRICELESS! They are super! Wordpress is another big MUST that will help you get started on the right track. I love that you can set up your site and add a good theme in just a few steps. Again, set it up right. A good design will take you along the path to success. It will make a huge difference in YOU and your audience. Don’t skimp on this step. Set up your site for success. Invest in a good, solid home on the web.

3. Keep growing and learning. A great site takes time to build. Keep it growing. Commit to add fresh new content to your site every day–articles, audios, videos, tip sheets, downloadables, printables, etc. Keep it growing and expanding. Stay on the cutting edge! The best way to do that is to keep on learning. Right now, I am studying through a new set on blogging. I can’t believe all of the new ideas for plug-ins, social networking options, etc that are new THIS YEAR. I set aside time each day to learn new things either through reading or listening to shows/seminars. Talk about a great way to make my site all it can be. You won’t be there immediately, but you will get there. Commit today to grow and learn. Never stop. Stay creative. Stay on the cutting edge.

4. Make sure that your site reflects YOU. Make sure that your site helps others get to know you and your heartbeat. Include your pictures, your audios, your videos, your writing, and what you love. Let them get to know YOU–your heart, your interests, your knowledge, your life, your expertise. Let your site help to build your brand. Instill in peoploe who you are and what you have to offer. Be the Google-the place people go to search–for your market. Be the place they go when they need help.

5. Don’t be shy about what you have to offer. Now, first, be mindful that some things are annoying–banners/blocks all over the page, apps all over the page, flashing letters, crazy fonts, etc. BUT, some things really work to make your site profitable–

–>  Offer Q/A–have a spot/category just for answering questions. As you answer questions, don’t shy away from linking to resources that you recommend. Hyperlink words or resources to pages with more information. Watch the responses.

–>  Post articles–not only can you link to any recommended resources/products within the article, but you can also have a nice pitch for products in your resource box at the bottom of the article. ALWAYS pitch something–one of your products, your mailing list, your radio show, etc. Give them access to other things that will help them with that topic.

–>  Link to your store–make it easy for people to find what you have to offer. Keep it neat. Keep it simple. Keep it prominent.

6. Bring others in to help you. Feel overwhelmed? Let others help you. There are so many ways that you can get help as you build your site. You can bring in guest bloggers–those who love the same topics and can share their articles, audios, and videos on your site. I have many friends who are always ready to share fun freebies–they help my site to be a great spot on the web, but they also promote what they have going on. It is win-win-win! You can even get the visitors to the site to join in and share great content. I began offering what I call “Mommy Homework” years ago. “Mommy Homework” is a weekly topic of discussion on my blog. Those who participate earn credit toward our products. Of all of the things I read each week, “Mommy Homework” is my most favorite. Imagine how awesome it is for those who visit my site. Before I go on, you can also use affiliate tools/resources on your site. Many affiliate programs offer great articles, audios, and downloads to help you promote their products. If they are complimentary to your site, use them! A good example of resources that are ready-to-go is found in my affiliate program. Join me at: http://www.CindysAffiliates.com.  You don’t have to be a lone-ranger. There are lots of options for content to use on your site.

7. Build a great site. Remember that your site will grow for years to come. Keep building! Keep your content fresh and alive. The best way is to take time in solitude to brainstorm, develop your message, and pour your heart out into your writing, audios, and videos. Take that time! Pour your heart out! Make your site a place of ministry. You won’t be there immediately, but I promise that in 6 months you will look back and be so proud of your hard work.

Happy blogging!

Need more help?

Check out these great shows (and others!!) on blogging that have been featured on my Writer’s Radio Show:

Blogging and Podcasting

Mailbag: Websites, Blogs, and MORE!

Let’s Talk about Blogging

Twitter allows users to post messages via their website or from the user’s cell phone.  Demand for an easier way to post online was great and out of that demand, several applications were born.  Some were based on desktop applications, while others resided in the browser’s sidebar.  And some, like Twitterbar, were altogether different.

What Is Twitterbar?

Twitterbar is a very simple browser extension.  It installs quickly and easily.  At first glance, it looks like it hasn’t added anything to your browser window.  But if you look to the right of the address bar, you’ll see a tiny gray icon.

So why is there an icon next to the address bar?  Because that’s where you type in your post.  That’s right, you simply type your post in where you would normally type a Web address, click the icon or type -post and hit enter, and your post is sent to Twitter.  It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

There’s no need to worry about going over Twitter’s character limit when using Twitterbar.  All you need to do is hover your mouse over the Twitterbar icon, and the number of characters left will appear in the address bar.

Another neat feature of Twitterbar is the ability to automatically post the URL you’re currently visiting.  To do this, just leave the URL in the address bar and click the gray icon.  “Currently browsing” will be added before the URL, and it will be posted instantly.  The URL will be shortened if necessary, just like it would be if you posted on Twitter’s website or from your cell phone.

As simple as Twitterbar is, it includes several customization options.  You can hide the icon next to the address bar if you like.  You can change the “currently browsing” text that’s automatically added before URL tweets to anything you like.  And you can set it to automatically open the Twitter website in a new tab after you’ve posted.

Twitterbar is available for Firefox and Flock browsers.  Unfortunately, it’s no longer under development by the original developer, so versions for other browsers may or may not be created.  But for Firefox and Flock users, this extension can make posting to Twitter even quicker and easier than it already is.

We already know when blogs are optimized correctly they are great for bringing in traffic and generating sales. That is why you need to hook up with Twitter. While Twitter is not a full fledge blog, it is a micro-blogging tool that allows you to instantly let people know what it is that you are doing.

You can set up your blog with a simple feed that will help you optimize and create the results you want to get from both your blog and Twitter. Considering the many ways that you can feed your blog to Twitter, you can talk to people all over the world in a way that you never could before.

There is a simple little tool called Twitter Feed that you can set up on your blog. This tool will integrate Twitter and your blog allowing you to create an automation tool that will give your blog even more legs and bring in traffic. All without any extra steps needed by you once the initial installation is complete.

Setting up your Twitter Feed is not a long or hard process. You can literally do it in 5 minutes or less. Here are the simple steps to getting started.

• If you do not have a Twitter account, you need to set one up. This will allow you to broadcast your blog RSS feed.
• Once have set up your twitter account, go to the Twitter Feed site and login using an OpenID.
• Once your account is all set up you can then integrate your blog with your twitter profile by adding your blog’s RSS feed. You can do this for as many blogs as you like.
• Be sure to set up the time intervals in a way that doesn’t post too many at once and get you banned from Twitter for spamming.
• Once you are done whenever you post to the blogs you have in your Twitter Feed, the URL and post announcement will go out to all your Twitter buds.

Twitter Feed is a great tool, but try not to abuse it or your followers. Your readers and followers want to read your content and using Twitter Feed will help you get it out. Just be sure to feed it in the right way.

Here are just a few no-no’s that business owners all too commonly make when using Twitter. Are you committing any of them? Take the time to make sure by reading on.

One big mistake that people make when using Twitter for business reasons (or who think they are using it for business purposes) is getting caught up in the “commotion” there. It’s important to do some talking at Twitter because that is a form of networking in and of itself which is vital to business professionals. However, the talking you do should be succinct, to the point, friendly but professional.

As a marketer, your objective at Twitter is not to make new best friends or get dates; it should be to establish relationships that will lead to others desiring to do business with you. Now don’t misunderstand this. You don’t want to be manipulative. The objective is to keep the talk laid back and not beat people over the head with pleas or demands that they visit your websites.

Another big mistake that marketers make when using Twitter is posting tweets that are irrelevant or drive people away from them.  You can be funny, playful, personal, or serious, but what you type in for your message has got to have meaning and substance and be one that will attract others instead of turning them away.  It’s also ok to state your opinions on things, but be grown up about it and never type mean, obnoxious tweets or messages are prone to start too much controversy. For the most part, Twitter is a very friendly and open-minded community, but do realize that not everyone will agree with you on certain issues so if you find you are very opinionated on certain hot button subjects (Hummm….like politics? ), it might be best to avoid those particular matters.  As they say, you catch many more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Yet another error people make when using Twitter in business is that they include their website links in too many of their messages. Yes, in order to use social networking sites effectively for business you have to include links to your business, but don’t do it so much that it becomes annoying or seems manipulative. One or two link backs per day is plenty; any more than that will more than likely be considered overkill.

A related big mistake that people make with Twitter is posting way too many tweets per day. Not only does this take too much time away from their business, but once again they seem heavy handed or self-centered to the community. Five to ten new Twitters per day is plenty. Once again, make sure that you really have something to Twitter about, not just some words to throw up because you want to hear or in this case, see, yourself talk.

Finally, some marketers give up on Twitter too soon because they aren’t seeing the results they’d hoped for quick enough.  Remember, persistence is what pays off with networking, and networking on the Internet is no different. Twitter away for a while before you start expecting steady or big results.

Your cell phone can be a powerful Twitter tool. There are many ways you can use it to benefit not only you, but your followers as well. With your cell phone you can continue to contact your friends and followers and they can tweet you as well. Your cell phone is a communication highway and with Twitter added it becomes a networking wonder.

There are many tools you can use to twitter from your cell phone. Depending on the type of phone you have, you can go mobile in a number of ways. Tools like Jott, Hahlo, Mobile Twitter, Thin Cloud Twitter, Twitter to Go, Twitter SMS, Twitter IM, and Twoble are all available for various cell phones and plans to help you tweet tweet away.

Here are just two of the many cool ways to use any cell phone to harness the power or networking through Twitter:

If your phone has a mobile browser, you can go to www.m.twitter.com and you are good to go. While this is not the best option, it is an option and it works. This is a simple tool that allows you to view Twitter from your cell phone and allows you to tweet back and let people know what you are doing as well.

Flurry is a mobile mail client/service. You can download the Flurry client on your phone seconds after you sign-up. Flurry, which started out as a service that would let you check e-mail on your cell phone has recently added a feature that allows you to add RSS feeds and read them on your mobile phone. In case you did not know, you can set up RSS for all your favorite Twitter users. All you need to do is add RSS feeds generated by the Twitter accounts of your friends. The best part about it is that you don’t have to pay for anything – it’s free. If you want to send messages of your own from your cell phone letting people know what you’re doing, just use the SMS (texting) feature on your phone.

If you have an iPhone, try out Twitteriffic. It is a new app and is free. I use it on my iPhone even when I am online with my laptop. I love the way that it functions.

Your cell phone has so many capabilities and so does Twitter. By using the two together you have yet another way to utilize the power of social media. Of course you don’t want to drive and tweet at the same time but you can always pull over to the side of the road and tweet your ideas, thoughts, or updates away.

Well, maybe not wonderful but then again it all depends on how you look at it. With the proper plug-ins you can create an awesome social networking tool since both Twitter and WordPress are both strong contenders in the social media arena. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Twitter plug-ins that you can use on your WordPress blog to create a social power house match made in heaven.

TwitThis is a simple way for people to send Twitter messages about your blog post. When visitors to your website click on the TwitThis button or link, it takes the URL of the webpage and creates a shorter URL using the TinyURL tool. Then visitors can send the shortened URL and a description of the web page to all of their friends on Twitter. Talk about word-of-mouth! The TwitThis button is a cute little button that you can add to the end of your blog posts making it readily available to your readers once they’ve finished browsing your post.

TweetMyBlog is a plug-in that will automatically announce your blog posts to your Twitter followers and include a link directly to the post. This plug-in will also include a sidebar widget that will pull in your latest tweets and link them back to your Twitter profile page. Finally the creators of this plug-in have an affiliate program that is available to every “TweetMyBlog” user.

TwitterFeed is a plug-in that allows you to simply promote your blog to your twitter followers. Much like TweetMyBlog, but not as extensive. You can customize the message that will announce your blog post to all your twitter pals. Again, a direct URL is provided in the tweet.

TwitterTools is a plug-in that creates an integration between your WordPress blog and your Twitter account. With TwitterTools you can pull your tweets into your blog and create new tweets on blog posts and also from within WordPress.

TwitterBadge is not so much a plug-in as it is a way for you to let others know that you are a user, maybe even addict of Twitter – it’s ok we won’t tell. There are many badges from the cute little Twitter bird to the simple badge that basically says, “Hey, look at me. I Twitter too!” When people see your badge and click it, they’ll be taken to your twitter profile.

The bottom line – Twitter is the place to be online, but you may not always be able to be there as much as you would like. By using the above plug-ins you can automate your own WordPress blog and Twitter to create a beautiful traffic generator an a great way to connect with your tweeps.

The number one reason why Twitter can never replace a blog is because you can only post up to 140 characters at any one time. There is just no way to squeeze 1,000 words into such a small space. Not to mention, trying to send 7.14 tweets back to back, will not go over well with your followers. There is nothing like a person who tweets excessively. Doing so will cause you to lose followers and your goal with Twitter is to gain a friends not turn people away. You want Twitter to be tool that leads to your platform – your blog – the place where you share your story, product, or business.

Another reason why you can never replace your blog with simple tweets is because you just don’t have the same control to customize. Sure you can create a profile that says something about you but not the way you can with your blog. With a blog you can customize the whole kit and caboodle. You can add tools, plug-ins, and even more networking opportunities through your blog. You can’t do all that with Twitter.

Then we have the website name issue. You can’t attach a domain to twitter. On twitter you will always be www.twitter.com/whateveryournameis and that is it. Your username or extension is how people will recognize you on Twitter, but it’s not the same as a domain name for an entire website. In essence, Twitter owns your profile, not you. But your domain name – now that is all yours.

If you are an affiliate marketer, you want to talk about what you are promoting and, as was stated earlier, you only have 140 characters to say what you really want to say. That is not as effective as a blog post or blog series that can send the message more effectively. That’s juust one more reason Twitter can never replace a blog.

Don’t try to replace your own blog or website with twittering. Instead, learn to use Twitter as an effective tool that makes people want to learn more about you. Your blog is where you get down to the nitty-gritty and allow people to become more knowledgeable about your life, your product, service or whatever it is you are promoting.

We already know when blogs are optimized correctly they are great for bringing in traffic and generating sales. That is why you need to hook up with Twitter. While Twitter is not a full fledge blog, it is a micro-blogging tool that allows you to instantly let people know what it is that you are doing.

You can set up your blog with a simple feed that will help you optimize and create the results you want to get from both your blog and Twitter. Considering the many ways that you can feed your blog to Twitter, you can talk to people all over the world in a way that you never could before.

There is a simple little tool called Twitter Feed that you can set up on your blog. This tool will integrate Twitter and your blog allowing you to create an automation tool that will give your blog even more legs and bring in traffic. All without any extra steps needed by you once the initial installation is complete.

Setting up your Twitter Feed is not a long or hard process. You can literally do it in 5 minutes or less. Here are the simple steps to getting started.

•    If you do not have a Twitter account, you need to set one up. This will allow you to broadcast your blog RSS feed.

•    Once have set up your twitter account, go to the Twitter Feed site and login using an OpenID.

•    Once your account is all set up you can then integrate your blog with your twitter profile by adding your blog’s RSS feed. You can do this for as many blogs as you like.

•    Be sure to set up the time intervals in a way that doesn’t post too many at once and get you banned from Twitter for spamming.

•    Once you are done whenever you post to the blogs you have in your Twitter Feed, the URL and post announcement will go out to all your Twitter buds.

Twitter Feed is a great tool, but try not to abuse it or your followers. Your readers and followers want to read your content and using Twitter Feed will help you get it out. Just be sure to feed it in the right way.

The question posed by Twitter, “What are you doing?” has become almost as popular as AOL’s “You’ve got mail.” So much so that it has even caught the eye of offline news mediums such as USA Today, CNN, and ABC. This helps to make the application popular all on its own. Those who think Twitter is just a place for computer or Internet geeks can rest assured it’s nothing of the sort.

For many, Twitter is a way to interact with like-minded individuals. Whether one is a stay at home mom who craves adult conversation, an at home worker who misses the water cooler chit-chat from past jobs, or the business owner who wants to reach more of their target market, this form of social media fills a need. It makes it easier for people to connect with others in a way they might not have previously been able to.

The fact Twitter is easily accessible and even simpler to navigate makes it a favorite as well. Anyone can create a twitter account of their own with nothing more than a user name and a password. Once that’s done, it’s easy to customize your profile and begin following other tweeps, as those who use Twitter affectionately call one another. To follow what another person is doing, just visit their page and click the follow button. You’ve now been added as a follower and when you login to your account you will see their messages on your screen.

Want to use Twitter even when you’re not at home or don’t have access to your computer? No problem. Inside your account you can choose whether to have messages sent via cell phone or instant messenger programs as well. Just browse to your settings and choose the devices tab and in a few steps you’re good to go. This feature makes it possible to tweet on the go. This is perfect for those who travel frequently or while out and about come across something interesting or amusing that they’d like to share with their followers.

Twitter’s arrival has also lead to the creation of different platforms and applications to make it appealing to just about everyone. Popular applications include, Twitter Fox, Twhirl, TweetDeck, and TweetMyBlog. Twitter Fox and Twhirl give users who are prefer the instant messaging look and feel a way to use Twitter in somewhat the same manner. Twitter Fox is an extension for the Firefox browser and Twhirl is a desktop application.

TweetMyBlog is a way to automatically post updates from a user’s blog to Twitter. In order to use it all one needs is a Twitter account and an RSS feed from their blog. It will automatically posts a tweet using your account when your blog is updated.

Tweet Deck is another desktop application that allows for more organization of updates. Instead of posting all a users tweets one right after another, it allows the user to organize tweets into separate columns within the application. For those who have customers and friends on Twitter this is a great feature.