Monday, August 4th, 2008 |
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Happy 1st Anniversary StumbleUpon
July marked my first anniversary being a member of the StumbleUpon Community.
It has been an incredible year for me. I have met some wonderful, wonderful
people. And, I have stumbled across and discovered some truly amazing websites.
Sites that if it wasn’t for StumbleUpon I probably wouldn’t have come across
them in the first place.
I spent this past weekend going through my stumbles over the past year. It was
a lot of fun to see the sites and my reviews over the past year. There were tons
and tons of
Stumble-Reviews to go through…. After all, at the time of me writing
this post I had stumbled 7,357 pages, 27 videos and 876 photos. It truly has
been an amazing year.
I love StumbleUpon. I love it for so many reasons. Here you will find 113 things
I have learned from using StumbleUpon
113 Things I have Learned from using StumbleUpon
- Inspect
all food before you purchase.
- We could learn a lot if we listen to the wisdom
of children.
- That a Nintendo System can be completely
homemade.
- That Business
Strategy Can Be About Love
- Helped me Learn Sign Language
- Learned to Identify where I was Sacrificing
my Freedom
- Multiplication
Songs & Raps to help me teach my Children.
- Mother Nature is AMAZING
& Beautiful!!
- That I can use my Local
Newspapers to Promote my Blog Offline
- That even the Busiest of People will Lend
a Helping Hand to a Newbie
- 100
Painless Ways to Cut Calories
- I can be a Positive
Parent
- You and I can Erase
our Fears.
- I can find awesome recipes
using only what little ingredients I have at home.
- How to Relieve
a Bee Sting in under 30 Seconds.
- I found out what Tarot Card I am. What
Tarot Card are you??
- Found Tips to Immediately Increase
my Confidence.
- There are certain things I
need to remember when launching a new site.
- That it only takes 90
minutes a day to become a better blogger.
- There are special ways to draw
StumbleUpon Users into your blog.
- How to Run a StumbleUpon
Advertising Campaign for my Blog.
- How even Blogging can
make a Difference in the World.
- That a 5-year
old can Deliver a Baby.
- 10
Things You Can Blog About On The Weekends
- Creating
a Sneeze Page can Propel Readers Deep Within my Blog
- There is actually a time when Getting
Lots Of Visitors To Your Website Isn’t Good.
- There are at least 5
essential things you ought to know about StumbleUpon
- PageRank can be explained with a Cool
Graph.
- Why
Top 10 Lists are still the Best
- Found out that there are 7
Easy ways to get more Weekend Traffic to my Website.
- Tons of Fun
Activities that Moms and Dads can do with their kids.
- What it would look like if SEO’s
mated.
- Learned that I need a Seasonal
Search Engine Optimization Strategy.
- Found out that Social
Media has a Direct Influence on Search Engine Ranking.
- A Splash
of Color
can make me Smile
- I learned that even I can open
a Beer with a Lighter. Thanks for that Pat…. I love showing off to men
in the Bar.
- Saw what Google
Search would look like if it was designed in Comic Sans.
- Found Sphinn shortly after
it was born…. another turning point in my professional life.
- Avatar
Optimization - Why Top Sphinners have photo avatars while top Diggers
have graphic ones.
- How I can deal
with Criticism.
- That there are unusual
ways that I can use StumbleUpon.
- I found that I love to learn SEO from Patrick with the Hitchiker’s
Guide to Linkless SEO.
- It
sucks to be on top - the downside of Social Media.
- I learned there are 10
Steps to Building an Online Media Empire
- Muhammad showed me 4
reasons I should be blogging on weekend.
- Found out how to get traffic
& links from Popular Blogs…. thank you Maki.
- Apparently, random
funny pictures are good for my health.
- Brian Wallace taught me taught me the Ode
to StumbleUpon.
- That I can become a Success in Online
Networking.
- 5
StumbleUpon BuzzKills
- That I can get
help for Writer’s Block.
- I even learned How
to Read a Painting.
- I found out that my good friend Brian Wallace thinks my StumbleUpon
reviews are verbose. No worries, Brian…. I still love ya.
- What I already thought was reinforced when I read that a Blogger
can be successful by being nice.
- I learned there is such a thing as Time
Management when it comes to Social Media.
- Learned to Optimize
for Universal Search.
- Kind of Morbid, but I found a web page that tells me how
many people died the day I was born. Approximately 130,755 people died
worldwide on my birthday.
- The difference between SEO
& SMO.
- Pictures can help explain The
Difference Between Marketing, PR, Advertising, and Personal Branding
- I was reminded
what makes for a successful
Blog.
- Logos
can be freaken funny!!
- Which Hook Attracts the Right Fish?….. in regards to Link
Baiting.
- Dosh Dosh has taught me so much about the Importance
of Social Media Marketing.
- I learned that blogging
is a lot like Sex.
- I had no idea until I can across this page that there are 23
types of Social Media Users.
- I learned that People
in the SEO & Marketing
Industries are some of the Funniest People I know.
- Kim of Cre8pc showed me how to build
a better website by writing about her son’s challenges with his sport, football.
Such a loving post…. absolutely unforgettable.
- There are ways to build
traffic that have nothing to do with Google or SEO.
- A Web Page of Words
that Feel Good. Thanks Michael.
- Found that Others
Felt the Same Way about Sphinn that I did.
- Tips
to writing my Best Post Ever.
- Tons of Free SEO Tools
- Found out there was such a thing as "Social
Media Hangovers".
- Darren showed me how my StumbleUpon
Profile put
me on his Radar.
- Learned how to divide
my time for maximum exposure.
- Size
does matter when it comes to blog posts.
- Stumbled across the best explanation of
what it feels like to live with a chronic illness (PDF file).
- A
simple workout for Bloggers.
- Why some pages
don’t get stumbled.
- The Importance of StumbleUpon
categories.
- I learned Do’s
and Don’ts when it comes to babies.
- How to find out if I am a Social
Media Addict.
- I can now say, "I
Love You" in 100 different languages.
- 10
Commandments of Social Media
- Chris Brogan reminds me that I need to recognize when to scale
back…. I don’t need to say "yes" to everybody.
- I found out Why
Guys like Girls.
- I came across a Comprehensive
Guide to Keyword Research for Bloggers
- Finally I learned how to fold
a fitted sheet correctly. Normally I use my arms to wound it up.
- I learned how to Go
with the Flow.
- How
to write a report that a client will "get".
- I learned how to blog
and work-off 600 calories at the same time.
- That photos can say so much more than words. What do you think this
photo is saying??
- I learned that there is a difference between healthy
and toxic love.
- How to simplify
my life with kids.
- Even Digg can play some April
Fool’s Jokes.
- Found out ways
to reduce stress.
- Food can taste
as good as it looks.
- I located a bunch of great
moms on Twitter thanks to Wendy.
- I was shown a bunch of reasons why Twitter is a great
Social Media Tool.
- I was surprised to learn that it wasn’t only MY children
who don’t recognize
when the bathroom door is closed.
- How to make
a dollar stretch during a recession.
- How to bury
negative posts about you or your company.
- Tamar with the help of Weezer
shows me a thing or two about Viral Marketing.
- More ways I came across to say, "I
Love You".
- StumbleUpon gets my mind thinking with a question
that stumps me.
- Little did I know that there was something called, "Blogger
Imposter Syndrome". You can even take a test to see if you suffer
from it.
- How to Find
the Perfect Image for your Blog Post.
- I had no idea that cigarettes
could teach me something about branding.
- Kids
can teach us how to be happy.
- Learned that there are certain techniques that will make
your blog or website sticky.
- I stumbled across a thing or two about Link
Building Optimization.
- That I can actually SEO
my site in less than 60 minutes.
- And, apparently I will stumble
into the happiness of my life.
Posted in Blogging, Humor, Link Love, Parenting, SEM, SEO, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking, Sphinn, StumbleUpon, Time Management, Tips and Tutorials, Web 2.0 Basics | 21 Comments »
Monday, December 17th, 2007 |
Photo by Fabbio
I love you so much I hate you!! Or, I hate you so much I love you!! Oh boy,
is my head Sphinning!! I keep
Stumbling over things
and getting Mixxed up because
my head is totally in the Social Media clouds. Let me explain my battle a bit…
I love you, Social Media…. Let me Count the Ways:
- People – I have met
so many people from
all over World.
Many of these
people I would consider a dear
friend and/or Colleague.
- Traffic - With the correct Social Media Marketing Strategies
you can bring a lot of amazing traffic to your site.
- This is Work?? - I can call Social Media part of my job,
but yet it is so much fun.
- Voyeurism - I can be a Voyeur and it’s okay….
Watching where my friends have been and what they did while they were there.
(StumbleUpon,
MyBlogLog,
etc…)
- Conversations - Conversations via blog comments, Instant
Messaging, blog posts, facebook,
twitter, blah,
blah, blah.
- De-Stresser - Take my mind off of my Stressful Work / Life.
- Not all about Google - No longer have to rely on Major
Search Engines for all of my traffic.
- Keep Updated - Easy to keep up with new and updated information
on the topics that interest me. RSS Feeds
- Link Building - Building Links is fairly easy with Social
Media and a lot of fun. No more emailing for link exchanges.
- Creativity - I feel More Creative now than I ever was.
- Sweet Dreams - I love Social Media so much I even dream
about it at night while I’m sleeping.
- Opportunities - Joined in on projects
with fellow colleagues I have met online
- Standing Out - Social Media Activities can make you Stand
Out - A successful Article or Blog Post can do very well on Social Networking
Sites which can make you stand-out in your Niche.
- Social Media Fame - Having a Blog with a Readership can
make you feel like a Superstar.
I hate you, Social Media… Let me Count the Ways:
- Pressure of keeping up the Pace - Feeling if I slow down
I will get lost and no one will be able to find me.
- Inevitable that someone will be unhappy - This is very
difficult for a people pleaser such as myself. Unable to make everyone happy.
If you make someone unhappy you might hear about it in a follow-up post or
a blog comment.
- Voyeurism - Just like I can watch other people travel through
the Blogosphere, people can watch me too. Knowing this makes me feel a bit
weary about popping on to someone’s blog or StumbleUpon Profile too many times
in a row. Not sure why, but it does.
- This is Work!! - Social Media is very time consuming. And,
even though it is a lot of fun it is so much work!!
- People - Most people that I have met online have been wonderful!!
But, not everyone is as nice. Some people pretend to be your friend because
ultimately they want something from you. Don’t use me!! I hate that!!
- RSS Feed Reader is Too Full - As I mentioned in #8 above I use
a RSS Feed Reader to keep updated. However, my Feed Reader has become so full
that lately I have been missing important posts. Because my Reader is so full
I tend to read the Titles of the Posts to see what sounds interesting enough
to read and landed up missing some really wonderful posts.
- Poor Time Management - What little Time Management Skills
I have had in the past have totally went down the toilet since I added Social
Media Activity to my To-do list. UGH!! I think I’ve already complained
about this in the past, huh?!
- Productivity - Productivity on some of my other duties
has begun to slip.
- Sleepless Nights - Don’t get enough Sleep. Even my
dreams are overcome by Social Media Activities.
- Social Media Pressure - The pressure to achieve a certain
Social Media Status or keep this status is incredibly intense. Sometimes it
is hard to enjoy the fame due to the constant fear of losing it.
I will be following this post up with other posts detailing the specifics on
each of these Love/Hate dilemmas.
Technorati Tags:social media, social networking, social bookmarking, sphinn, stumbleupon, social media marketing, blogging
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Humor, Mixx, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking, Time Management, Twitter, Web 2.0 | 21 Comments »
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 |
Social Media is an important part of my daily routine. Since I started adding
Social Media to my Daily Schedule I’ve seen an increase in daily traffic,
incoming links, sales on my Preschool
Curriculum eCommerce site and I’ve met the most amazing, brilliant
people that enjoy the same interests as I do.
It sounds wonderful, right? Well, up until last Friday I would have said an
energetic, “YES!!” Now, I’m not so sure.
Last Friday I was comparing what my goals were for that week and what I actually
accomplished. I was horrified to see that I fell short on many of my goals for
that week. For me, that rarely happens. I am ridiculously structured. I need
to be… I run a business out of my home while taking care of three children.
Schedules and "To-Do" Lists are what helps keep my crazy busy life
a bit more sane. So, when I saw my list having tons of items not crossed off
I was determined to see where all of my time was going. This is what I came
up with:
The following times aren’t exact, but gives you a rough idea of the
time I spend doing particular daily duties.
7:30 am
- Get up and start getting my 5 year old ready for School and make sure my
11 year old is awake and getting himself ready for school.
8:30 am
- Feed 4 year old Breakfast.
- Check email
- Print off ABC Home Preschool orders for the last 24 hours
- Process all Credit Card transactions
- Email Customers with their ship dates.
9:30 am
- Use my Feed Reader to check out the new Posts on my Favorite Blogs
- Stumble
and Sphinn posts appropriately.
- Comment on any Posts that I feel I can contribute to.
- Bookmark posts to come back
to later.
10:30 am
- Check out what’s new on Sphinn. Sphinn items I find interesting
- Stumble and/or Bookmark items I find interesting from Sphinn.
- Comment on Sphinn items.
- Check what’s new on FaceBook.
Respond to FaceBook messages and Notifications.
11:30 am
- Quick Stop at MyBlogLog
to see who stopped by my Profile
- Reply to Messages
- Quick Thank-you emails for Stopping by.
- Check what pages StumbleUpon friends sent me to check out…. Respond to
each.
12:30 pm
- Lunch for 4 year old and myself.
- Work-out and Shower.
2:30 pm
- Finish Writing a Post for one of my Blogs
4:00 - 9:00 pm
- Dinner, Homework and Family Time (Trust me, this time is not a break….
I’m sure you Mommies and Daddies know what I’m talking about.)
9:00 pm
- Begin online research on the next days post.
- Make Notes on the direction I want to go with post and any outbound
links I want to use
10:30 pm
- Process orders for ABC Home Preschool
- Package Orders for tomorrow’s shipment
12:00 am
- Go through Feed Reader once again
- Make Posts and Comments on other Blogs
- Sphinn / Stumble Posts
- Go thru Sphinn once again
- Stumble a bit
- Twitter
- Try to finish catching up on emails
Bedtime is between 1 am and 3 am. Lately it is closer to 3 am.
Keep in mind a few things about the above generalized schedule:
- Nowhere did I mention any interaction or quality time with my children.
I have a 4 year old who spends his days with me. So, the work I mentioned
above is done around my time with him during the day.
- I mentioned nothing about extracurricular activities for my children which
happens at least 3 times a week in which I also attend.
- In addition to this blog I have many
other sites that I work on.
- On a daily basis I speak and / or chat with the people I network with online. This
must be squeezed into my daily schedule.
- Daily tweaks and article writing for my static websites
The above schedule was just to give you a very rough idea of how my basic work
day goes. And, how much time, at a minimum, I work on Social Media. My plate
was full before Social Media entered my life. Today my plate is over flowing.
I love Social Media I just need to learn how to manage my time with it better.
If I attempt to keep going at this pace with a schedule like this I’m
sure Social Media will take my life. I am determined to come up with a Time
Management Plan for Social Media that works for me. As it is something that
is not only working for my business, but that I love very much.
During my research in the past couple of days I came across three wonderful
posts that offer some time management skills when it comes to Social Media.
- My
Half Hour Social Networking Plan - In this three part series Kevin Palmer
gives us the details of his 30 minute Social Networking Plan. Kevine breaks
his plan down into three posts 1. The
First Ten Minutes 2.
The Second Ten Minutes 3. The
Final Ten Minutes
- The
10-Minute Daily Guide to Building Your Social Media Profile - Ben Yoskovitz
offers some of his amazing Time Management Tips for Social Networking.
- 7
Ways to Own Social Media Before it Owns You - Brian
Wallace explains that Instead of suffering from social media overload,
look at a few other disciplines and tips for help.
So, please…. please Help Me!! Social Media is trying to take my life….
Do you have any suggestions? I would love to hear them.
Technorati Tags:social media, time management, social networking
Posted in Blogging, Facebook, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking, Time Management, Twitter, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 Basics, Websites | 23 Comments »
