LinkedIn says it will own business networking

LinkedIn will compete with FaceBook and MySpace for online business networking, or so says CEO Dan Nye in this article by the Fortune technology staff. In his world, people will build one profile for their personal life (MySpace, FaceBook) and another for their professional life (LinkedIn). With upwards of 11 million members already signed up, the site is now adding 180,000 new members each week.

Are you LinkedIn?

Read on and find out what the future looks like for LinkedIn.

What? Selling Tumbleweed Online?

I have to admit that this story really pissed me off.

When I told my sig-O about it, his response was, "We suck!"

This is one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" stories -- like the pet rock and one red paperclip. Doh!

If you've lost your faith in the Internet, this should restore it! Yes, Suzie, there really is a Santa Claus and you really can make money on the 'Net... and some people even do it by accident.

Hmmmm... do you think there's a market for clumps of dog hair? I've got plenty of that around the house I could sell.

Unusual Business Ideas That Work: How To Make Money Selling Tumbleweed Online

Seth Godin shamed me

Yes, Seth Godin has shamed me.

In a recent post on his blog, Seth Godin talks about how important it is for business people and business consultants to read business books and business blogs. He asks the following questions:

If you went to a doctor who told you that she hadn't read a scholarly article or taken any training since med school, would you stick around? What about a lawyer who doesn't read law journals or a dentist who never bothered to read up on the newest case studies?

With those questions, Seth shamed me into reading more. Don't get me wrong... I read, and I read a lot. And I love books. I own a lot of books. But I have to admit, I don't really read them. More often than not, I skim them, read bits and pieces, read chapters that really interest me at the time, but I don't really read them.

At the beginning of the year, I sat down and set a few goals for myself. One was to read at least one book a month -- 12 books during the year. I didn't specify that they be business books -- just books.

I recently participated in a survey for a grad student who's writing his thesis on the mind of the entrepreneur (scary subject). One question on the survey was "What goals do you have to help you become your Ideal Entrepreneur?" My answer: Read one book a month.

Like I said... I read a lot. Not just books. I read other blogs everyday. I have my favorites listed in my feedreader. I have e-newsletters I subscribe to. I get business publications and magazines. It's tough to keep up on all the information and opinions available, but I try. Sometimes I think I could have a full-time job just reading.

So I've renewed my commitment to really read at least one book a month. Every night before I fall asleep, I'll read for a few minutes. (Typically, I play solitaire on my pda to disengage my brain.)

So what am I reading now? All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World by Seth Godin, of course.

Brainstorm: Has your email been spoofed?

The May issue of Brainstorm! is out.

• Email spoofing: A spammer's best friend
• More Smart Tools: Our favorites for your business
• Recommended book & blog: Duct Tape Marketing
• Kayda the Newshound: Updates, news & announcements

Spring Forward

The April edition of Brainstorm!(TM) is available online.

Spring Forward!

• No Dumb Questions and No Dumb Answers: Encouraging community participation
• Smart Tools: Our favorites for your business
• Brain Candy: 13 Most Fun Buzzwords of 2006
• Updates, News & Announcements from Kayda the News Hound
  

Why Small Business Owners Blog

Anita Campbell posted Five Reasons For Small Business Owners To Blog.

• A faster and better way to create newsletter articles.
• A strategy for getting published.
• A low-cost way for a small business owner to market online.
• A method to communicate and connect — especially important for business owners.
• Satisfaction of some inner need to share.

I'd agree that these are some pretty good reasons. But I'd like to hear your thoughts. If you blog, or if you'd like to, what are your reasons for joining the blogosphere? And if you don't blog, or aren't at all interested in blogging, why not?

Guerrilla marketing goes national

Cartoon Network: the next logical step? Click here or on the image to read the article.

Thanks Nedra Weinreich and her Social Marketing Blog for this.

Brainstorm! - Love is in the Air and on the Web

Love is in the Air and on the Web

That's the theme for the February issue of Brainstorm! - Whole Brain Technologies' monthly e-newsletter. It has a new look, to go along with the new design of the web site, and lots of new information:

1. Making Virtual Connections: Friends, Dating, LOVE and Business Online - and article about the explosion of online social networks like MySpace, LinkedIn, and Match.com.
2. The Business of Love: 9 Best Practices for Improving the Bottom Line of Your Relationship - a great book by Dr. John Curtis about applying business concepts to your marriage.
3. 10 +1 Things to make me LOVE your business email - a blog post by Liz Strauss at SOB (Successful and Outstanding Blog(gers)).
4. Plus other news and announcements going on at the WBT Headquarters.

Don't miss out. Read it now.

The $avvy Giver

If you'd like to spend your money and do something good at the same time, The $avvy Giver is definately a blog you have to visit time and time again. Joe Waters gives information on a string of great charities that offer ways to spend money on things you'd probably buy anyway - like an iPod, cell phone, coffee, chocolate or Home Depot gift cards - while supporting a worthy cause.

And while you're at it, stop by Joe's campanion site - Selfish Giving - for information on cause-related marketing (CRM). Did you know that a recent IEG study finds that cause marketing spending totaled $1.34 billion in 2006 -- an increase of 7.5% -- and is expected to reach $1.44 billion this year? It's true. This is one of the hottest ways to partner for-profits with nonprofits in a win-win relationship. And be sure to check out the blogroll for more info on CRM.

Lessons from Bill Cosby

Last week we were up late watching The Tonight Show. Jay Leno's first guest of the evening was Bill Cosby, a man I'd grown up with - I Spy, Fat Albert, The Bill Cosby Show, Cosby, etc. I hadn't seen him in awhile, but knew I'd be entertained by his wit and charm as always.

I was amazed by his storytelling as he talked about his first time in a really hot car (Selene Mustang). You probably know that Leno is a car fanatic.

I knew that if I tried to tell the same story it would take me less than 60 seconds - and anyone who knows me knows I can talk. But Cosby talked for at least 4 or 5 minutes with all the great facial expressions and sound effects that are hallmarks of the Cosby style. Laughing so hard, we were nearly rolling on the floor along with Jay Leno.

So here's the lesson: We all need to be great storytellers. People relate to stories. People respond emotionally to stories. People are more interested in what you can do for them than how wonderful you are and stories are a great way to tell them.

You know the story of your business and the stories of your clients better than anyone. How can you tell those stories so people will listen? What opportunities do you have to tell your story?

If you're looking for a new 30-second commercial to use at networking events, why not think about a story you can tell? If you just tell the beginning of the story, they'll be intrigued to ask for more. For example, when someone asks what I do or what my business is, I might say something like, "I got a phone call the other day from a woman who had spent a lot of money on her web site but she was really frustrated because nobody is showing up? In my business I find solutions for problems like that. Do you know anyone like that?"

What stories can you come up with about your business that would encourage people to ask for more? What problems have you solved? What is interesting or unique about what you do?

Do you share your stories on your web site? In articles or on your blog? In brochures? In classes or presentations?

I don't really know if Bill Cosby's story is true or not, but I'd like to believe it is. Somehow now I feel like I've been included in his life - at least vicariously. And if I ever get in a Selene Mustang, or any other really loud, really fast car, I'll remember that story -- and smile.

FREE book

Everyone likes getting something for free. So how would you like to get Seth Godin's book "Small is the New Big" for free? All you have to do is visit his Squidoo Lens and download a new chapter each week. You'll also find some added bonuses.

Cool huh?

http://www.squidoo.com/smallis/

If you want to just buy it outright...
Small Is the New Big: and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas

Marketers: Practice what you preach

After you read this post from Duct Tape Marketing, consider where your internal and external realities meet. Do you walk the walk or just talk the talk? If you don't believe what you're saying, why should anyone else?

Marketing is what you do and what you say

The check is in the mail

Here's an innovative way to support nonprofits. You can promote your organization as well as other worthy causes at the same time. Instead of sending a box of candy or cheap shwag as a thank you to your clients, friends and associates this year, why not try this instead? Let them pick their favorite charity, then see where their interests lie when the checks clear the bank.

Seth's Blog: The check is in the mail

15 Moooooooos

Although there are stacks of books I'd love to read, I don't have time to indulge myself the way I would like. This is a great summary of a follow up to Seth Godin's Purple Cow. The book is still on my list, but for now, I'll settle for this.

Memoirs of a Bystander: 15 things I learned from "The Big Moo"

Free or Not... That is the Question

An interesting debate over giving away content for free appeared on Seth Godin's blog over a couple of days last year. I find both arguments compelling, and I think the final answer is... "it depends."

Yes, giving away some content for free works great if what you want is to pique interest and spread an idea. However, there is something called "perceived value." In the minds of some consumers, free means flat out worthless.

Who is your target market? What do they want or expect? What sort of information are you delivering? Is it something your market would expect to and be willing to pay for? Or will they see value in it even if it's free? These are all questions you need to ask before you decide which way to go. Or, if you're a research kinda person, you could randomly take visitors to a page that is free or a page that charges and check the results.

I hope you'll read both posts, then let me know which side of the argument you're on.

Seth's Blog: Forty to One

Seth's Blog: Is "free" all it's cracked up to be?

Blogging, e-newsletters, and all this marketing stuff takes time.

I'm often amazed at just how much time it takes to do all this promotional stuff. Thinking of more clever things to do to get the word out about my business. Planning for the upcoming year.

What worked in 2005? What didn't? What should we continue in 2006? What do we cut back? What do we eliminate? What do we do first? What will generate the most results, the greatest ROI, the most bang for the buck?

How do you know what worked and what didn't? When it comes to their Web site, most people don't have a clue. They don't know how to track the results of their marketing in general, much less their Web site. Maybe they'll talk about "hits" but don't really know what a "hit" is. In my classes, I ask them to define a hit, and I get all variety of answers. Many people think their web site is effective if it shows up on search engines. Or they think it's not effective if they aren't getting a lot of people emailing them to make appointments. But without a system in place for measuring results, with clear goals and expectations, how will they know if the site is really delivering?

Well, I have news for all those people. I'm going through the same thing now! Reviewing my tracking reports. Evaluating where to put my time and energy next year. Looking at incorporating more and more online techniques to achieve a greater reach.

It's tough when you want to do so many things -- but you can't do everything today. Keep watching (or should I say reading). You may notice some new things in the works for Whole Brain Technologies.