Category Archives: Boost Traffic using Social Media Assets

Publish Your Book on Amazon.com and Become a Self-Published Author; Lesson #8

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Now you are ready to become a self published author. You can publish your book on www.amazon.com. This is the culmination of all your research and hard work. Here are the guidelines:

1. Go to www.createspace.com and create an account. You will select the “author” option.  There are 2 steps: load your file as a PDF and make sure your margins are .75 on all sides of each page to allow for gutters. Then design a separate cover for your book.

EAN-13 bar code of ISBN-13 in compliance with ...

EAN-13 bar code of ISBN-13 in compliance with the “Machine-Readable Coding Guidelines for the U.S. Book Industry”, Revised 1/97. (The referred book being The Logic of Scientific Discovery by Karl Popper, 10th edition, German language, ISBN 3-16-148410-X resp. ISBN 978-3-16-148410-0) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. If your wish to purchase an ISBN number and bar code you should go to www.myidentifiers.com and fill in the information. You can get an ISBN number through Amazon for free, but they will own it.

3. Once you submit your book, it will be returned to you as a “Proof” in about 10 business days. After you fix all of the issues with the “Proof”, send it back to them and then you will become a “published author.”

Do a Google search of your name. Since you have engaged in many Social Media activities this semester including: blogging, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Mind Mapping and Pinterest, you will be amazed at your enhanced “Digital Reputation.” I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors!

Go to the link for Bowker https://www.myidentifiers.com/isbn/main. They also sell bar codes that can match your ISBN as well.

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Optimize SEO with YouTube Videos: Social Media Lesson #6

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SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Effective SEO strategies will help your site rank higher and more accurately in search engines, like Google. If I write about travel in Italy, I want my posts to rank high in the search results. When someone searches for Italy Travel Guides, I want my blog to rank on the first page of the search engine site.

The ultimate goal of SEO is to increase your website’s SERP (Search Engine Results Page) ranking.You can optimize SEO with YouTube videos. Creating and publishing videos will help enhance your social media reputation. You will enhance SEO efforts, reach more people with videos and drive traffic to your website when you create and upload videos into your posts.

Here’s a San Diego Video that I created using Google Picassa: http://youtu.be/beH01nziAIs. I can check my “Insights” to monitor the traffic

YouTube is a very popular search engine. I like to integrate videos or photo slide sharing into my blog posts. Go to www.youtube.com/create

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When you log into YouTube you will see many options for creating videos. Pick an option and click on the “Create Video” button. I like to use the Stupeflix option or the “One Media” option for my photo slide shows. If you have an iPad 2, it’s easy to video and send it to YouTube immediately.

youtube

youtube (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

After you load your photos, you will select some music from the music menu. Make sure that the song is long enough in duration to match the video.

Videos serve as effective linkbait; they will generate more links and more traffic for your site. They will bolster your ranking with search engines.  Check out YouTube’s most popular videos to see what makes them so popular. Oftentimes, the video is funny or teaches a meaningful lesson like our WordPress Tutorials. Watch this very helpful SEO video so you can effectively tag your videos.

http://www.searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo

Here’s an interesting video about page rank: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYWlEItizjI&feature=g-vrec

To optimize the video, follow these rules initially:

1. Create a sexy title

2. Keep it short

3. Tag the video to enhance SEO

4. Use the word “Video” in the Title.

5. Optimize the introduction, description and comments.

6. When you embed the video in your blog, make sure it has words (text) around it so the search engines can find the tags.

7. You can do an “audio swap” on YouTube if you don’t like the music.

8. Publish your video on YouTube. Then follow the WordPress instructions for embedding your video in your blog. Make sure that you create your own YouTube Channel. Monitor the “Insight” stats on YouTube to find out how your channel is doing.

9. You will need the URL of your video to embed it on your blog. Copy the complete YouTube URL from the address bar and follow the WordPress instructions. It is also helpful to use www.prlog.com to create a free press release about your new video feature.

You can subscribe to other YouTube Channels via RSS Feed and add it to your reader. http://www.youtube.com/user/username. For example

http://www.youtube.com/user/vinoconvista

You can embed the video in YouTube by following these steps:

1. Go to www.youtube.com and click on your video.

2. When your video starts to play click on the “Share” button under the video.

3. Click on the “Embed” button and Copy the “code”.

4. Click on the Facebook Share Logo or the Twitter Logo and add the video to your Facebook “Home” tab and to your Twitter Followers.

 

 

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The Wonderful World of Strategic Management

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Strategic Aligment Cycle

Strategic Alignment Cycle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Strategic Management involves  the “Art of Winning.” If you want to win, you must embrace change with entrepreneurial passion to create a sustained competitive advantage. What is your end game? Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Commerce is a game of skill which many people play but which few play well.”

English: Ralph_Waldo_Emerson_1940_Issue-3c.jpg...

English: Ralph_Waldo_Emerson_1940_Issue-3c.jpg Category:Famous Americans Issues Category:Ralph Waldo Emerson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In my class, you will build an arsenal of Strategic Management skills that will help you win in life! You will optimize your personal value chain! The over-riding intent of course is to help you become a more savvy participant in the game of commerce. This will prepare you for a successful management career. This is a big picture course; it cuts across the whole spectrum of business functions that you have studied in your previous coursework. You will synthesize what you have learned in prior classes to make fact-based decisions.

You must focus on the total enterprise: (1) the industry and the competitive environment (2) long run direction and strategy (3) resources and competitive capabilities and (4) prospects for success. You will seek strategic harmony; a blend of sound strategy formulation and effective strategy execution!

 

Marine Institute Ireland, Strategic_Planning_S...

Marine Institute Ireland, Strategic_Planning_Symbol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The skills that you build in class, will ultimately maximize the value of your personal and professional assets with a strategic plan that you will deploy. At the end of the semester, you will publish your findings and become an Amazon.com author!

Change Management

Change Management (Photo credit: larry_odebrecht)

First, you must analyze the Drivers of Change in the External Environment by conducting research using the following model:

Drivers of Change in the External Environment Mindmap: http://www.xmind.net/share/socialmediaevie/drivers-of-change-in-the-external-environment/ #xmind

SIP - Developing the Strategic Improvement Plan

SIP – Developing the Strategic Improvement Plan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are many topics that you will master throughout the semester. Your Strategic Management Toolkit will be brimming with assets. Here’s an overview of these Strategic Management Tools:

Strategy Toolkit Mindmap: http://www.xmind.net/share/socialmediaevie/strategy-tools-1/ #xmind

Using XMind for Mind Mapping

Using XMind for Mind Mapping (Photo credit: Wesley Fryer)

In order to win, you must maintain a positive digital reputation. You will build this with another toolkit. Here are the components of your Social Media toolkit:

Social MediaToolkit Mindmap: http://www.xmind.net/share/socialmediaevie/create-and-promote-a-wordpress-blog-1/ #xmind

Click on the “Follow me on Pinterest” You will find “Business Boards” that highlight some of the concepts that we cover in class: http://pinterest.com/socialmediaevie/

When you click on a pin, they generally take you to more in-depth information about the concept.

Here’s an outstanding Introduction to Strategy Video for you to watch:

http://youtu.be/rJ2tmqRkiCM

SIP - Organization’s Master Plan
SIP – Organization’s Master Plan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You are the master of your destiny! I truly appreciate your diligence and I wish you the best of luck in all future endeavors.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero teaches Strategic Management and International Business at Lewis University. She writes Travel Guides at www.vino-con-vista.com

It's a Wonderful World (1939 film)

It’s a Wonderful World (1939 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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LinkedIn Resume Builder: The Ultimate Social Media Lesson #9

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LinkedIn

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During this semester, you have learned that social media is dramatically transforming how we communicate. High value content allows you to build a relevant audience so that you can connect and share. Add as many sharing buttons as you can to your website including Pinterest. Now it’s time to build a LinkedIn Resume.

You now know that you must link your business-related social media activities into a mosaic by linking your blog posts to your LinkedIn Account, your YouTube Account and also to your Twitter Account. The social network that you create, will ultimately build your digital brand and drive traffic to your site. Your Dashboard statistics allows you to monitor where your referrals are coming from.

In LinkedIn, you should spruce up your profile for recruiters. Then check out the new “Resume Builder” feature with a step-by-step guide. It will save you time in updating your Resume! Click here for instructions: http://resume.linkedinlabs.com/

Here’s a sample resume http://read.bi/yNMU1Q

Watch this CBS News video “Trapped in Unemployment “- 60 Minutes http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7399352n&tag=re1.galleries

You are the creator of your destiny. Gook luck-I hope you find your dream career!!!

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Embed Google Docs into WordPress: Social Media Lesson #7

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We will use Google Docs to manage our group projects online. It is easy to embed your Google Docs: spreadsheets, documents, forms, and presentations into your WordPress.com blog by copying and pasting the “iframe” embed code.

To embed Google Docs into Wordrpress and publish any of your docs, follow these guidelines:

1. Open the document you want to like to publish.

2. Click the Share drop-down menu on the top right of the page and select Publish to the Web….

3. Click the Start publishing button. A link to the published doc appears in the publishing dialog.

4. Send this link to anyone you’d like to access your doc.

Create a post for your company’s mission and business description using the library databases in your Google Doc. Use these instructions to embed the information into your blog post.

 

Spreadsheets

To add a spreadsheet from Google Docs, open it and click on the share button at the top right corner of your screen. Click on the “Publish as a web page” link.

Click on the “Start publishing” button:

From the second dropdown menu select the “HTML to embed in a page” option:

The last step is to copy/paste the iframe code into a Post, Page or Text Widget in your WordPress.com blog.

To share a form click on “More Actions” and select “Embed”:

Copy/paste the iframe code into your blog:

Presentations

To share a presentation set the privacy settings then click “Share”:

Click on “Publish document”:

And then copy/paste the iframe code into your blog but change to toolbar to HTML instead of Visual:

Google Docs Documents

To share a document, click “Share” then select “Publish to the Web…”:

Click on “Start publishing”:

And then copy/paste the iframe code into your blog. Watch this video for instructions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvEWDbPK10M

There are many useful templates in Google Docs. You can find them at the “Create” drop down menu.

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