Guy Kawasaki wears many hats. He’s the founder of Alltop.com, a bestselling author on social media and marketing, and still somehow manages to fit in about 75 speaking engagements each year. Here is an excerpt from a recent interview he did and his thoughts on Social Media.

First, to what extent has social media changed the way companies and entrepreneurs fundamentally express themselves to customers?

It is marketing at this point. Luckily, social media enables you to do that in a fast, free, and ubiquitous way. You really can’t spend money on social media unless you really try. Social media is really more about effort than expense.

Let’s say an entrepreneur is new to the whole social media thing. There’s a tendency to hire a consultant and formulate a plan. Is that the right approach?

No. Just dive in. Dive in to Facebook or Google+ or Twitter. Create a personal account and test the water. See what those sensibilities are, and just have at it. This is very different than the typical expert telling you that you first have to set your strategy and your goals and have this massive document and a working plan. I think that’s a mistake. It’s very difficult to create goals and strategies for something like Google+ or Facebook or Twitter if you’re not familiar with Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.

What are some of your favorite examples?

I look at the small companies that have done it really well. There are examples of bakeries that tweet when cupcakes are out, or Kogi BBQ in Los Angeles that tweet out street food locations. And 100 people show up. To me, a street food vendor driving their business like that, that’s a cool story.

How do you promote your brand, and yourself, without becoming nauseating about it?

I think 90 percent of that battle is making sure that you truly have that great cause. What causes that “nauseation” is when you are promoting something that is crap. I don’t think Steve Jobs nauseated people when talking about how great Apple stuff was. The reason why he didn’t nauseate people is because it was true. The start of all great marketing is to have a great product.

So tell us, why do you love Google+ so much?

I love the quality and the interaction of the commenting. I think the comments come in faster and better than any other service. I love that you can have photos in line in a large way. I love that you can edit your posts and comments after you’ve posted them. On Twitter and Facebook, once it’s there, it’s there, and there’s no editing. I edit almost every one I do. I love the notification system on Google+. If someone mentions you, you get notified via Gmail. That’s very useful for someone like me.

Can Google+ become as big as Facebook one day?

Absolutely. No question in my mind. It’s hard to predict someone overtaking something that has a billion users. On the other hand, five years ago we said MySpace would control the world. Let me put it this way: I think it’s easier to be a search engine adding social networking than a social network adding a search engine. Google is adding this social component to search. It totally makes sense. I think it’s going to be a long time before people go to Facebook and type in “Hockey” to find the score for a game.

What’s your biggest SEO tip?

My recommendation for SEO is very simple. It’s Write Good Stuff. In my mind, Google is in the business of finding good stuff. It has thousands of the smartest people in the world, spending billions of dollars to find the good stuff. All you have to do is write the good stuff; you don’t need to trick it. Let Google do its job and you do your job.
This post originally appeared at Inc.

Visit www.growco.inc.com for more information.

This is the thought that out of 100 social media users, 1 of them will be a regular creator, 9 of them will be occasional creators and participants and 90 will be readers and watchers.

What this shows is that most social media users are just watching and listening and not posting their own content, so what does this mean for you?

Social media is about conversations. If the majority of people are just listening then they are seeing what’s going on and seeing what you say about yourself and what you say to others. While they might not be actively engaging with you they are over-seeing what you’re saying and forming opinions.

While it’s important to engage with the people who do talk part, it’s paramount to remember the ones who do not. What do they follow you for? What do they expect to see? What information do they want to know?

If you are sending tweets for a restaurant, then what do people want to know? What’s on the menu, what ingredients are new in today, pictures of the dishes. If someone says they have a great meal then reply and say thanks, if someone had a less-than-great meal then ask what was wrong and see if you can get them to return. The casual observer sees how you behave, senses tone in your voice, gets a feeling for the sort of place you are – you make or break what a customer (or potential customer) thinks about you by the way you act with others (just like in real life).

While you may not be directly talking to these users, they are still involved in the conversations and forming opinions about whether they trust what you are saying and whether they want to do business with you (whether it’s a restaurant, hotel, B2B or whatever).

Most users don’t talk to you in social media but they are watching and passively taking part in the conversations you are having. Remember them as well as the ones who speak up.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MARK DREDGE

Mark Dredge is an award-winning writer and blogger – he was the British Guild of Beer Writers New Media Writer of the Year for 2009 and 2010. Follow him on twitter: @MarkDredge; read his blog: http://www.pencilandspoon.com.

Skype communication, in the comfort of your own home or office, is fast becoming the most popular and effective way to talk to your family, friends, colleagues and clients across the globe. No longer do you have to break your telephone budget to pay for costly national and international calls. Instead via your broadband provider you can get mostly free (some Skype call charges apply) Skype calls to anywhere in the world.

But what this new style of face to face communication also does is put you on show in all your natural glory! Your face and the upper part of your torso can be viewed by whoever you are speaking with – unless you switch off the video. Think about it from a business perspective. The state of your appearance will be seen as a reflection of your brand. Consider what your standard is and make sure you meet brand you each and every time you go live on your webcam.

Imagine engaging on a Skype call with a business owner who has untidy hair, is still in their pyjamas and whose image flickers in and out from dark to light. What does their appearance say about who they are as a business person, more importantly who they are as an individual, and what about their reputation?

Here are three simple tips to help you look good on Skype each time you present yourself:

Tip 1. Position the webcam at your eye level. This allows you to look at each other, not up or down. Great to reduce double chins and nose hair for starters! When using Skype on your laptop, place it on a pile of books to bring it to your eye level. Alternatively if your webcam is attached to your PC then raise/lower your chair level.

Tip 2. Always face toward the light. If you have natural light in your office face yourself toward the window. This allows the light to fall on your face which gives a clearer, more professional view of you for your online conversation. Use a small table lamp if you have no access to natural light. Putting the light behind you will cause shadows and darkness.

Tip 3. Use an HD quality webcam. Even if you have a good inbuilt webcam, it is advisable to invest in an improved quality HD camera. With an HD webcam your picture will be sharper and the overall image quality will be much better. Remember with high-definition it’s vital for you to keep up your appearance i.e. hair, makeup, attire.

Take the time to deliver a quality image on Skype and represent your business brand in the most-professional way.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gail_Gibson

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6904001

With a huge thank you to Frank Kern, I am very pleased to present this to you all.  Please stick with it until the very end for some great information.  For those of you who are not familiar with Frank Kern, you should be!  His story is fantastic and this is a phenomenal video.

Enjoy!

The Magic Bullet

Is Aladdin one of the most popular family pantomimes ever? Oh yes it is!

Long before Disney commercialised it, the story of Aladdin has been a popular one in its own right. Enjoyed by children and parents alike from around the world, there is nowhere that this tale is expressed better than in the form of a Christmas family pantomime, where it is one of the most popular stories to perform. Pantomimes are fun, exaggerated kinds of plays, with the emphasis very much on family entertainment and audience participation. Sometimes the roles of men are played by women, and the women by men. And you’ll often have two or more actors playing the part of an animal such as a cow or a horse or a camel.

Around the world, you will find Aladdin themed hotel and casinos, which will often incorporate a very large shopping mall or series of venues themed on Aladdin or Ali Baba or the Genie of the Lamp. The Americanisation of Aladdin has served to bring the story to an even wider audience from around the world, and this is something that translates even better onto community stages like the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks.

Since the story of Aladdin and the Genie of the Lamp arrived in Europe in the early 1800′s, Aladdin family pantomimes have been performed across the United Kingdom, in parts of Europe and in Australia. It must be said that the tale of Aladdin and the Genie of the Lamp is sometimes merged with that of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Family pantomimes will invariably include the characters the children all love such as Wishie Washie, Ping, Pong and, of course, the Widow Twanky (no panto would be complete without him/her!). And the productions are usually jammed full of music and dance to keep the audience entertained. The Sevenoaks Entertainers production at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks, for example, will include as many as 14 dance numbers and even more songs.

Throughout the years, there have been numerous stage versions of Aladdin on Broadway and the West End, along with countless animated film versions of Aladdin, either pre-dating Disney’s version or shamelessly cashing in on it.

And the family pantomimes of Aladdin borrow a lot from Walt Disney themselves. Aladdin-related product are everywhere these days, from colouring books to soft toys. By strange coincidence, many of these items can suddenly appear on the stage in a local production. Do they look out of place…? Oh No They Don’t!

Kevin Maxwell does volunteer work as the backstage manager of the Sevenoaks Entertainers rendition of Aladdin

For more information on Aladdin and the Sevenoaks Entertainers, please check out the website [http://www.sevenoaksentertainers.co.uk]

Is Aladdin one of the most popular family pantomimes ever? Oh yes it is!

Long before Disney commercialised it, the story of Aladdin has been a popular one in its own right. Enjoyed by children and parents alike from around the world, there is nowhere that this tale is expressed better than in the form of a Christmas family pantomime, where it is one of the most popular stories to perform. Pantomimes are fun, exaggerated kinds of plays, with the emphasis very much on family entertainment and audience participation. Sometimes the roles of men are played by women, and the women by men. And you’ll often have two or more actors playing the part of an animal such as a cow or a horse or a camel.

Around the world, you will find Aladdin themed hotel and casinos, which will often incorporate a very large shopping mall or series of venues themed on Aladdin or Ali Baba or the Genie of the Lamp. The Americanisation of Aladdin has served to bring the story to an even wider audience from around the world, and this is something that translates even better onto community stages like the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks.

Since the story of Aladdin and the Genie of the Lamp arrived in Europe in the early 1800′s, Aladdin family pantomimes have been performed across the United Kingdom, in parts of Europe and in Australia. It must be said that the tale of Aladdin and the Genie of the Lamp is sometimes merged with that of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Family pantomimes will invariably include the characters the children all love such as Wishie Washie, Ping, Pong and, of course, the Widow Twanky (no panto would be complete without him/her!). And the productions are usually jammed full of music and dance to keep the audience entertained. The Sevenoaks Entertainers production at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks, for example, will include as many as 14 dance numbers and even more songs.

Throughout the years, there have been numerous stage versions of Aladdin on Broadway and the West End, along with countless animated film versions of Aladdin, either pre-dating Disney’s version or shamelessly cashing in on it.

And the family pantomimes of Aladdin borrow a lot from Walt Disney themselves. Aladdin-related product are everywhere these days, from colouring books to soft toys. By strange coincidence, many of these items can suddenly appear on the stage in a local production. Do they look out of place…? Oh No They Don’t!

Kevin Maxwell Marketing and Sales Consultant http://www.exodusmarketingservices.com

Kevin Maxwell does volunteer work as the backstage manager of the Sevenoaks Entertainers rendition of Aladdin [http://www.sevenoaksentertainers.co.uk/cabaret.html],

For more information on Aladdin and the Sevenoaks Entertainers, please check out [http://www.sevenoaksentertainers.co.uk]

Most people will judge you within the first second of meeting you and their opinion will most likely never change. Making a good first impression is incredibly important, because you only get one shot at it.

Princeton University psychologist Alex Todorov and co-author Janine Willis, a student researcher who graduated from Princeton in 2005 had people look at a microsecond of video of a political candidate. Amazingly, research subjects could predict with 70-percent accuracy who would win the election just from that microsecond of tape. This tells us that people can make incredibly accurate snap judgments in a tenth of a second.

How can you ensure people are judging you accurately and also seeing your best side? You never want to give people an inauthentic impression — many people can intuitively feel if someone is being fake immediately. However, any time you meet someone for the first time, you always want to start on the right foot. Here are a few ways you can make sure people’s first impression of you is a good one:

1. Set an intention. The most important thing to do for giving a good impression is to set your intention. This is especially important before any kind of big event where you would be meeting a lot of people — i.e. conferences, networking events or friend’s parties. As you get ready or when you are driving over think about what kind of people you want to meet and what kind of interactions you want to have. This can be an incredibly grounding experience and works very well to focus on what kind of energy you want to have for your event.
   
   
2. Think about your ornaments. Clothes, make-up, jewelry, watches and shoes are all types of ornamentation and people definitely take these into account when making initial judgments. I highly recommend getting some of your favorite outfits or ornaments together and asking friends you trust what they think of when they see them. For many men, they do not realize that their watch can say a lot about them. For women, purses and large earrings or jewelry can also indicate a lot to a new person they are meeting. Make sure that what you are wearing and how you do your hair or make-up says what you want it to say to the people you are meeting for the first time.
   
   
3. Be Conscious of Your Body Language. Body language is a crucial part of first impressions. Everything from your posture to how you carry yourself to the way you’re angling your body. Often, simply being aware of your body language can result in immediate improvements. Another way to examine your body language is to look at yourself on a video walking around a room. Subconscious cues to keep in mind include noticing where you point your feet, the position of your shoulders, and the way you shake hands.
   
   
4. Avoid bad days. People who go to cocktail events or mixers after having had a bad day typically continue to have a bad day. If you are in a depressed or anxious mood, others will pick up on this from your facial expressions, comments and body language. If you’re having a bad day, stay home! Otherwise, find a way to snap yourself out of your bad mood. I find working out or watching funny YouTube videos before events often gets me in a more social, feel good mood.
   
   
5. Be interested and interesting. If you are truly interested in meeting people and are open to learning about who they are, they will get this in a first impression. We have all had the experience of meeting someone and knowing instantly that they were dragged here by a friend and are just waiting to get out the door and head home. When you are meeting people for the first time approach others with a genuine interest in who they are. This is often contagious and you will have better conversations and lasting connections when you are interested because they become interested.

Courtesy of YEC

Vanessa Van Petten specializes in social and emotional intelligence research and development. She is the CEO of Science of People, focusing on research youth behavior and help adults keep up with young adults. Her company not only reaches out to families, but also works with brands and individuals to help them use social and emotional intelligence to improve website traffic, sales and branding.

Myth #1: Multitasking is critical in a world of infinite demand.

This myth is based on the assumption that human beings are capable of doing two cognitive tasks at the same time. We’re not. Instead, we learn to move rapidly between tasks. When we’re doing one, we’re actually not even aware of the other.

If you’re on a conference call, for example, and you turn your attention to an incoming email, you’re missing what’s happening on the call as long as you’re checking your email. Equally important, you’re incurring something called “switching time.” That’s the time it takes to shift from one cognitive activity to another.

On average, according to researcher David Meyer, switching time increases the amount of time it takes to finish the primary task you were working on by an average of 25 percent. In short, juggling activities is incredibly inefficient.

Difficult as it is to focus in the face of the endless distractions we all now face, it’s far and away the most effective way to get work done. The worst thing you can do as a boss is to insist that your people constantly check their email.

Myth #2: A little bit of anxiety helps us perform better.

Think for a moment about how you feel when you’re performing at your best. What adjectives come to mind? Almost invariably they’re positive ones. Anxiety may be a source of energy, and even motivation, but it comes with significant costs.

The more anxious we feel, the less clearly and imaginatively we think, and the more reactive and impulsive we become. That’s not good for you, and it also has huge implications if you’re in a supervisory role.

As a boss, your energy has a disproportionate impact on those you lead, by virtue of your authority. Put bluntly, any time your behavior increases someone’s anxiety — or prompts any negative emotions, for that matter — they’re less likely to perform effectively.

The more positive your energy is, the more positive their energy is likely to be, and the better the likely outcome.

Myth #3: Creativity is genetically inherited, and it’s impossible to teach.

In a global economy characterized by unprecedented competitiveness and constant change, nearly every CEO hungers for ways to drive more innovation. Unfortunately, most CEOs don’t think of themselves as creative, and they share with the rest of us a deeply ingrained belief that creativity is mostly inborn and magical.

Ironically, researchers have developed a surprising degree of consensus about the stages of creativity and how to approach them. Our educational system and most company cultures favor reward the rational, analytic, deductive left hemisphere thinking. We pay scant attention to intentionally cultivating the more visual, intuitive, big picture capacities of the right hemisphere.

As it turns out, the creative process moves back and forth between left and right hemisphere dominance. Creativity is actually about using the whole brain more flexibly. This process unfolds in a far more systematic — and teachable — way than we ordinarily imagine. People can quickly learn to access the hemisphere of the brain that serves them best at each stage of the creative process — and to generate truly original ideas.

Myth #4: The best way to get more work done is to work longer hours.

No single myth is more destructive to employers and employees than this one. The reason is that we’re not designed to operate like computers — at high speeds, continuously, for long periods of time.

Instead, human beings are designed to pulse intermittently between spending and renewing energy. Great performers — and enlightened leaders — recognize that it’s not the number of hours people work that determines the value they create, but rather the energy they bring to whatever hours they work.

Rather than systematically burning down our reservoir of energy as the day wears on, as most of us do, intermittent renewal makes it possible to keep our energy steady all day long. Strategically alternating periods of intense focus with intermittent renewal, at least every 90 minutes, makes it possible to get more done, in less time, more sustainably.

Want to test the assumption? Choose the most challenging task on your agenda before you go to sleep each night over the next week. Set aside 60 to 90 minutes at the start of the following day to focus on the activity you’ve chosen.

Choose a designated start and stop time, and do your best to allow no interruptions. (It helps to turn off your email.) Succeed and it will almost surely be your most productive period of the day. When you’re done, reward yourself by taking a true renewal break.

Note: This article was first porinted in the HBR Blog as a guest article by Tony Swartz.

Tony Schwartz is the president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of Be Excellent at Anything. Become a fan of The Energy Project on Facebook and connect with Tony at Twitter.com/TonySchwartz and Twitter.com/Energy_Project.

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