Showing posts with label podcasting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label podcasting. Show all posts

What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting: Real-Life Advice from 101 People Who Successfully Leverage the Power of the Blogosphere Review

What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting: Real-Life Advice from 101 People Who Successfully Leverage the Power of the Blogosphere
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Yesterday I read Blogging for Business (ISBN: 1419536451) also written by Mr. Demopoulos. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to read the instant book being reviewed that he just had published. Let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed to read two books in two days by the same author on the same subject. I highly recommend both to people who run their own small consulting practices and are comfortable using Internet tools to help market their practices. If you use article writing, book writing, seminar/workshop presentations, public speaking, and Web sites to promote yourself, then do yourself a favor and get these two books to help you incorporate blogs and blogging into your marketing repertoire.
Between the two books I actually liked the instant book being reviewed better. Both books seemed to cover the same material, but from a different perspective. I regularly tell my clients to read three books on any subject they want to become expert on. Usually that means they need to get three books on writing business plans, but if someone wants to become an expert on blogs and blogging for business these two books will fit two-thirds of the reading requirement.
The "blog entries" in this book are grouped into 8 topics:
1. The basics
2. Some business uses of blogs & podcasts
3. Planning your blog
4. Making money
5. Promoting your blog & tracking statistics
6. Podcast specific topics
7. Other blog & podcast considerations
8. The future
My favorite topics were 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8. I especially loved Topic 3 regarding how to plan your blog or blogs. It's very difficult to just throw together a blog and expect it to help your business get and retain paying clients. You have to write content for your blog that your clients and prospects will like and value. If you do, then those people are more likely to seek your services that you sell for a fee. If you don't, then chances are your blog won't benefit you financially. Of course, it takes planning to be able to hit your targets with your blog(s).
I was happy to not see a topic on building a blog in this book. I would have liked this book more if it had included more stories on how bloggers get their content AND THE INS AND OUTS OF WRITING THEIR BLOGS. Just think, if this author were to write a book just on that subject, then I could recommend THREE books on blogging for someone to read who wants to become an expert on blogging. Writing three great books on the same subject would be quite a feat. 5 stars!

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As all these people become publishers – and even more become blog readers – the nature of the material being produced has moved into the realms of politics, professions and consumerism. For example, "Engadget" is one of the more popular blogs, a daily review of newfangled and exciting gadgets. Blogs and Blogging in business are relatively new, so new that there simply are no rules. If there were rules, they would be changing and evolving too rapidly to codify. The best anyone can say is "here is some advice based on what is working today, combined with a good dollop of common sense." As a result, this topic fits the What No One Ever Tells You series format perfectly!Despite their "newness," blogs have rapidly proven themselves in business. They serve several functions valiantly, including: communicating with customers, potential customers, and other stakeholders, as a research tool to help uncover what is being said about you, your company, your competitors, and your industry, and even as a type of broadcast medium as some are making significant money by monetizing blog traffic through advertising and other means. Instead of offering our advice on blogs and blogging in business, in this book we offer advice from 101 people who are successfully harnessing the power of blogging.

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Promoting Your Podcast: The Ultimate Guide to Building an Audience of Raving Fans Review

Promoting Your Podcast: The Ultimate Guide to Building an Audience of Raving Fans
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...on his website, shownotes, and podcasts. He practices what he preaches, and his own podcasts are a model for quality audio, intelligent and unobtrusive use of music, clear structure, and being enticing, yet informative. His online material on getting started in podcasting puts a lot of useful material in one place, just what the doctor ordered to do the most important thing: diving in and turning out a quality product from the word go.
His forté is promotion, to make yourself known, for developing niche credibility, product recognition, etc. and doing so using internet technology and information based services/products. As such, the name of the game is proper presentation of that most critical information: who you are and what you have to offer. Jason Van Orden models how to do so professionally, compellingly without being annoying. No overuse of exclamation points and superlatives, here.
I've been using his information to get my own personal and professional fledgling podcasts off the ground. Cannot recommend his work enough.

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Podcasting allows anyone with a computer and an Internet connection the chance to become a DJ or talk show host with a potentially vast audience. But with corporate media giants like Disney, NPR, and CBS muscling into the market, how can Jane and Joe Podcast attract an audience? This essential guide, based on the author's extensive experience in Internet marketing and podcasting, outlines proven strategies for driving traffic to a podcast website and turning one-time visitors into long-term subscribers. The book covers pertinent topics such as how to get the best results from podcast directories; choosing an eye-catching title; writing an effective description; search engine tips that ensure top-of-the-list visibility; updates and automatic notifications; offline promotion including free advertising and press exposure; and a wealth of effective grassroots marketing techniques, all free or low cost, that keep listeners coming back again and again.

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Videoblogging For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) Review

Videoblogging For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))
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Videoblogging is one way for people to record their thoughts, advertise a service or product, and/or get their message across to Internet viewers without spending a lot of time and money with recording studios and the like. Stephanie Bryant who clearly has quite a bit of experience with videoblogging has done a great job in explaining how the average person can become a "videoblogger." Using a casual writing style (I love chapter titles like "I Vant to Vatch Your Vlog), she breaks down the steps involved in getting a successful videoblog off the ground and onto a web site.
She starts off with an overview of what videoblogs are, why you'd want to watch and/or make your own videoblog, and the various kinds of people who are videoblogging. Subsequent chapters detail items like the tools needed to do a successful videoblog (they're not as expensive as you might think), the physical "process" involved in shooting a videoblog and then converting it to a format your computer can understand. Part II of the book details the "behind the scenes activities," things like figuring out who your audience is, getting comfortable behind a video camera, and scripting the show you want to present. Having done some TV work in college many years ago, I discovered some of the same concepts apply here as well as doing a TV production.
Stephanie in Part 3 details the "physical production aspects" of videoblogging: actually shooting it, editing it, adding sound, and saving it to the 'Net. And finally, there's the task of hosting your files online, syndicating them, adding to them, and of course publicizing them. The book's Part of Tens include "Ten Core Vlogs to Watch," which give you ideas on how successful videoblogs are put together.
Stephanie has done a wonderful job in demystifying the world of videoblogging.

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Have you ever felt the urge to share the entertaining and insightful things that happen in your everyday world? Got a message you'd like to get across to others? A cause you want people to support? A videoblog allows you to share whatever you choose in a colorful, interesting way that gets attention—and furthermore, videoblogging is fun!
Grab Videoblogging For Dummies and put your videoblog on the fast track. You'll see how to
Gather and use videoblogging tools
Decide what you want your videoblog to do
Plan content and edit your footage
Set up a video hosting account and post your videoblog
Create a complete "show"
Videoblog safely, without compromising your security or others' privacy

Of course, a great way to get an idea of what you want to do with your videoblog (or vlog, as you'll be calling it when you're an insider) is to check out other people's vlogs. You'll find information about that in Videoblogging For Dummies too, including where to find videoblogs and how to set up RSS feeds. And you'll see how vlogs can affect public opinion, offer fresh viewpoints, and be terrifically entertaining.
Written by a true videoblogging pioneer —Stephanie Cottrell Bryant launched her first vlog in 2005, and now presents seminars on videoblogging topics—Videoblogging For Dummies gives you the scoop on
Choosing hardware and software you need to get started, plus an idea of what it's going to cost
Adding the extra bells and whistles and professional touches that will get your vlog noticed
Deciding whether to script your vlog or make it "reality TV", dealing with "vid fright", and making other people comfortable before your camera
Finding out who your audience is, getting feedback, and fine-tuning your vlog
Giving your vlog a clear identity
Becoming a citizen journalist, an advocate, or a small-screen movie producer
Editing, adding soundtracks, working with file formats, and publicizing your vlog

Videoblogging lets you showcase your art, keep in touch with friends and family, make new friends, or do your part to help solve the world's problems. Videoblogging For Dummies is the fun and easy way to get started!

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Secrets of Social Media Marketing: How to Use Online Conversations and Customer Communities to Turbo-Charge Your Business Review

Secrets of Social Media Marketing: How to Use Online Conversations and Customer Communities to Turbo-Charge Your Business
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I liked this book very much. I read the author's first book on this subject back in July, 2007. And now he has a second great book out on the subject. It includes the following 16 chapters:
1. Making the case
2. Making choices
3. Ear to the ground
4. Courting online influencers
5. Corporate soapboxes
6. Customer conversations
7. The social network gorillas
8. Niche innovations
9. Learning from conversations
10. Basics of social media content
11. Picking your spot
12. Telling stories with words and images
13. Engagement through interaction
14. Promote thyself
15. Measuring results
16. Celebrating change
The book was very easy to read. It is full of great content. And it is very well researched. I found each of the chapters to be packed full of cites to Web sites that are critical players in the social media marketing realm of things. And I've read quite a few books on this subject. I can tell you this book is not simple fluff or something merely written in order to capitalize on the current popularity of the subject matter.
There are real world examples cited throughout the text. And I found them to be very good additions to the points being made in the main body of the book's content. So the numerous cites to Web sites and the inclusion of real world examples makes this book a goldmine of information for anyone hungry to learn about social media marketing. I had one problem with the book - its organization. When I completed it and sat down to write this review I said to myself: "There are 16 chapters in this book. How can they be broken down into three or four "parts?" I had hoped it would be easy for me to eyeball the parts. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. Below is how I think the book probably should have been organized to be a little more easily digestible. 5 stars!
[I] WHY PRACTICE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING?
1. Making the case
14. Promote thyself
8. Niche innovations
[II] HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING WORK?
10. Basics of social media content
12. Telling stories with words and images
5. Corporate soapboxes
4. Courting online influencers
6. Customer conversations
13. Engagement through interaction
3. Ear to the ground
9. Learning from conversations
16. Celebrating change
15. Measuring results
[III] SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING OPTIONS
2. Making choices
11. Picking your spot
7. The social network gorillas

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Secrets of Social Media Marketing is a handbook for marketers and business owners to use in deciding how to employ the new social media for online marketing. Social media has quickly moved from the periphery of marketing into the forefront, but this is a new and quickly-evolving field and there are few established formulas for success. Building on the lessons set out in Gillin's acclaimed and oft-reviewed The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media, this book provides practical advice on strategy, tools, and tactics. It is a hands-on manual that will educate marketers on how to extend their brands, generate leads, and engage customer communities using online tools.

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Hey You... Don't Stand Out - Get Out: The PersonalSuccess Marketing 40/20/40 System To Rescue The Highly-Trained Professional Review

Hey You... Don't Stand Out - Get Out: The PersonalSuccess Marketing 40/20/40 System To Rescue The Highly-Trained Professional
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The inspiring business concepts, marketing skills, and unflappable energy Charlie and Dr. Marc have crammed into every page of this book proves that anyone, given the right resources, support and optimism, can achieve beyond their wildest dreams. Charlie and Dr. Marc have infused a tremendous spirit of authenticity into every word. Going way beyond mere platitudes about 'how to make money', Charlie and Marc have stepped foot, brain and soul into uncharted territory---teaching readers not only what to do, but the exact steps for how to do it. Personal Internet marketing is still in its infancy. Now we have social media marketing, and who knows what new technology is around the corner. We live in a world crowded with people, overrun by chatter, overflowing with undiscernable noise. It's wonderful to know there is an oasis in the center of the chaos...and that oasis is this fantastic book, written by two of today's most intelligent thought leaders. Ignore this advice at your own peril!
Hey You... Don't Stand Out - Get Out: The Personal Success Marketing 40/20/40 System To Rescue The Highly-Trained Professional

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Are you a mid-career, mid-life professional? If so, we have a few questions for you - questions you're probably already asking:What happened to the "happily ever after" part that comes at the end of the tale? Why are you feeling so trapped and, perhaps, a little lost? Why does your income stop when you take some time away from your business?Right now you ARE your business. You're trapped in the center, running around in circles, and digging a moat around yourself as you provide a service to your clients, customers, or patients. You're stuck on the TimeTrap Plateau when you trade Time for Money. You already went into the forest, slew your dragon, earned your degree, and gained lots of experience, but now you find that what you learned "back then" doesn't work now. And why didn't someone teach you how to run a business when you spent all those hours in school? Why can a 13-year old run circles around you when it comes to Social Media Marketing and network building?Discover the secrets that entrepreneurial-focused clinical psychologist Dr. Marc Kossmann and marketing-crazed MBA Charlie Seymour Jr reveal in their 40/20/40 System to help you Get Out from the Crowd, Break Free from the TimeTrap Plateau, Conquer the Online Jungle, and cut a path directly to the Summit of your Career. They help you Create Your Own Legend so you're not like everyone else, use the Universe Model of Social Media Marketing to put the energy of the Internet to work for you, and produce real value in your service business by creating Information Products which you put on the steroids of automation.This book is a fun-read, starting with a medieval tale of Maximillion, the blacksmith's son, who needs to slay his dragon to save his part of the world and morphing into Max in the present day who already slew his dragon by earning his professional degree and gaining years of experience. Start now: the map to your Summit and DreamDestination await inside this book.

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Producing Video Podcasts: A Guide for Media Professionals Review

Producing Video Podcasts: A Guide for Media Professionals
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I normally don't write reviews, but after meeting the author at a recent conference, I felt I had to spread the word. This is one of the best books on technology I have read in a while, and I read a lot of tech books for my job. If you know technology but need the video part it works, if you know video and need the technology part, it works, if you need both it works. The book just works. I have been following Richard's podcasts for a couple years, but have never read any of his books, my loss. If you are interested in video podcasting, this is the book for you. My only warning would be make sure you are interested in podcasting and not streaming. There is a huge difference and this book shows you the difference, then teaches you podcasting.

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Put the video podcast medium to work for you and your clients with a winning formula. Know how video podcasts work and every facet of what it takes to produce a professional-quality program that will meet every criterion for success. The authors are seasoned video production pros that have been on the crest of the video podcasting wave as it has risen. With over 2500 episodes produced, they can reveal what works and what doesn't with detailed, illustrated guidance. You get the nuts and bolts of the complete process, including: *Preproduction: budgeting guidelines, mapping your production, and working with talent*Production: the ENG shooting style, lighting values and portability, sound, essential camera features, acquisition formats, and gear lists*Postproduction: resources for adding music and images, motion graphics, and editing techniques *Delivery: cost-effective hosting options, creating RSS feeds, compression, and hosting processes*Promotion: choosing directories, promoting your program, and monetizing your podcastInstruction and case studies go in-depth on issues unique to the podcast medium. A full-color presentation delivers tangible, inspiring examples of creative video podcasts. The companion website-www.VidPodcaster.com-provides a blog, templates, planning documents, sample clips, and state-of-the-art updates.* Written by video experts for video experts* Artist profiles and case studies demonstrate creative implementations* Companion web site provides template planning documents, sample clips and state-of-the-art updates

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The Ultimate Web Marketing Guide Review

The Ultimate Web Marketing Guide
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I have developed several hundred websites over the last decade, optimized them for Google, and have made millions for my clients. So while this book didn't offer much to me in the way of new ideas, it's easily the best all-in-one guide ever written for beginning and intermediate web marketers.
In the introduction, Michael Miller points out that the book intentionally doesn't get too advanced on things like search engine optimization. Ideally you can purchase a few other books related to SEO, site structure, and writing copy. Otherwise, this book does a terrific job laying out the foundation.
The most interesting aspect of this guide is that it explains everything without being overly technical. More importantly, the book is incredibly thorough. Miller breaks down what web marketing entails, how to create a marketing plan, how to analyze your results, and even how to budget yourself.
The guide leaves no stone unturned. Someone new to marketing will learn everything from tips on having a site designed, paid web advertising campaigns, blogging, newsletters, and even promotion on social networking sites like Facebook. He not only offers suggestions, but provides plenty of links to sites with web tools to help you. The later chapters on mobile marketing for iPhones and similar gadgets are worth their weight in gold. Miller has seen the writing on the wall, and I have to admit that the five chapters on marketing for cell phones gave me plenty of new ideas.
As an expert at Search Engine Optimization and getting sites to rank well on Google, I was genuinely surprised at just how much the author knew about SEO. There were more than a few techniques that he could have included, but his suggestions were surprisingly on the money.
I've never heard of the author before, but I'll concede that he knows his stuff. If you're a seasoned web marketer, the book may not bring much to the table aside from the chapters on mobile marketing. But if you're a business owner, or not advanced at online marketing yet, this book is a must-have. To learn more about where this book starts you off, read "Ca$hvertising" by Drew Whitman for tips on writing copy, and "Letting Go of the Words" by Ginny Redish to make your website easy to read and navigate.

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEB, MOBILE, & SOCIAL MARKETING!Your expert, up-to-the-minute, A-Z reference & how-to guide

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