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Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio March 10th Show

On Today’s show we were so excited to featured Kim McGrigg from Blogging for a Change Blog. Kim is our Financial Expert that came on to talk to us about what we can do to help overcome these tough financial times. We touched on allot of great topics from the stimulus bill package to teaching your children about finances to how you can truly get a free credit report. Kim had so much great information to show I highly advice you not only listen to our latest show but also visit Kim’s Blog more great information and be sure to send Kim and email to ask her any financial questions you might be having! And don’t forget to catch our show on Thursday where we will be talking about how to overcome procrastination when it comes to your life and your business, and we will also be sharing some great Blogging Ideas for when you can’t think of anything to write about on your blog!

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Blogging Tips for Wahms

Blogging is one of the best ways to start a Wahm business because it is so easy to get going. However, that does not mean that it is easy to make money from your blog. Don’t start a blog and expect to see money rolling in immediately. Blogging is an activity that will take time to build up to a profit level. It’s a good thing to start while you are working on other Wahm opportunities to let it build to a profitability level. With time and attention, your blog (or blogs) will grow into a business.

When you are blogging for profit, you’ll want to pay close attention to how you present yourself in your blog. There are literally hundreds of thousands of blogs out there, and there may be several hundred blogs that are related to your topic. If your readers can’t understand your blog and have trouble reading it, they’ll just move on to the next one. The following tips can make your blog more user-friendly and help you gain consistent readers.

First, pay close attention to the format of your blog. Readers want to understand how your blog works right from the start. Most blogging platforms have similar formats, with links and tags on the left or right margin, and the most recent post on top. Make sure to use the links wisely. Only put links up for blogs or content that is truly related to your blog’s topic. The point is to give your readers additional information on your topic. Keep the list short and sweet. There is no reason to overwhelm them with links to other sites.

Also, take careful consideration when choosing your blog’s background and font color. Although there are a lot of color choices that blogging programs offer, its best to stick with a light background and dark text. Studies have shown that the human brain can process this type of format better than light text on a dark background. Think about this before you commit to a black background and white text. It might look striking, but readers might not want to stay there for long. Also, use a solid background color instead of trying to use a pattern or design.

Proofread your entries before you post them to your blog. There is nothing that reduces your authority in the eyes of your readers’ more than bad spelling and grammar. The online world is a world of text, so take some time to learn commonly misspelled words and grammatical errors.

Keep your blog fresh and interesting by posting at least once per day. With so much information available on the Internet, your readers may go elsewhere if you aren’t supplying daily content. If you aren’t sure what to write about, try posting a poll, a link to another blog, comment on a news story or post of list of helpful tips. Not every post has to be long and complicated, but you do need to post something everyday.

These tips will help keep your blog readable and interesting to your visitors. The more visitors you get, the more your blog will grow in profitability and importance. Just make sure to present yourself in a professional way and keep your readers coming back for more new content each day. In no time, you’ll have a profitable blog and then you can move on to create two or three.

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Free Twitter Graphics

Heartland Graphics is now offering FREE Twitter Graphics we just added 10 new badges that you can add to your site or blog! All we ask is that you keep our URL on our bages to give credit back to our site! There are Easter and St Patty’s badges too to liven up your Blog or site! Tell your friends and enjoy!

Click here to visit!

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50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business

First Steps

1. Build an account and immediate start using Twitter Search to listen for your name, your competitor’s names, words that relate to your space. (Listening always comes first.)
2. Add a picture. ( Shel reminds us of this.) We want to see you.
3. Talk to people about THEIR interests, too. I know this doesn’t sell more widgets, but it shows us you’re human.
4. Point out interesting things in your space, not just about you.
5. Share links to neat things in your community. ( @wholefoods does this well).
6. Don’t get stuck in the apology loop. Be helpful instead. ( @jetblue gives travel tips.)
7. Be wary of always pimping your stuff. Your fans will love it. Others will tune out.
8. Promote your employees’ outside-of-work stories. ( @TheHomeDepot does it well.)
9. Throw in a few humans, like RichardAtDELL, LionelAtDELL, etc.
10. Talk about non-business, too, like @astrout and @jstorerj from Mzinga.

Ideas About WHAT to Tweet

1. Instead of answering the question, “What are you doing?”, answer the question, “What has your attention?”
2. Have more than one twitterer at the company. People can quit. People take vacations. It’s nice to have a variety.
3. When promoting a blog post, ask a question or explain what’s coming next, instead of just dumping a link.
4. Ask questions. Twitter is GREAT for getting opinions.
5. Follow interesting people. If you find someone who tweets interesting things, see who she follows, and follow her.
6. Tweet about other people’s stuff. Again, doesn’t directly impact your business, but makes us feel like you’re not “that guy.”
7. When you DO talk about your stuff, make it useful. Give advice, blog posts, pictures, etc.
8. Share the human side of your company. If you’re bothering to tweet, it means you believe social media has value for human connections. Point us to pictures and other human things.
9. Don’t toot your own horn too much. (Man, I can’t believe I’m saying this. I do it all the time. – Side note: I’ve gotta stop tooting my own horn).
10. Or, if you do, try to balance it out by promoting the heck out of others, too.

Some Sanity For You

1. You don’t have to read every tweet.
2. You don’t have to reply to every @ tweet directed to you (try to reply to some, but don’t feel guilty).
3. Use direct messages for 1-to-1 conversations if you feel there’s no value to Twitter at large to hear the conversation ( got this from @pistachio).
4. Use services like Twitter Search to make sure you see if someone’s talking about you. Try to participate where it makes sense.
5. 3rd party clients like Tweetdeck and Twhirl make it a lot easier to manage Twitter.
6. If you tweet all day while your coworkers are busy, you’re going to hear about it.
7. If you’re representing clients and billing hours, and tweeting all the time, you might hear about it.
8. Learn quickly to use the URL shortening tools like TinyURL and all the variants. It helps tidy up your tweets.
9. If someone says you’re using twitter wrong, forget it. It’s an opt out society. They can unfollow if they don’t like how you use it.
10. Commenting on others’ tweets, and retweeting what others have posted is a great way to build community.

The Negatives People Will Throw At You

1. Twitter takes up time.
2. Twitter takes you away from other productive work.
3. Without a strategy, it’s just typing.
4. There are other ways to do this.
5. As Frank hears often, Twitter doesn’t replace customer service (Frank is @comcastcares and is a superhero for what he’s started.)
6. Twitter is buggy and not enterprise-ready.
7. Twitter is just for technonerds.
8. Twitter’s only a few million people. (only)
9. Twitter doesn’t replace direct email marketing.
10. Twitter opens the company up to more criticism and griping.

Some Positives to Throw Back

1. Twitter helps one organize great, instant meetups (tweetups).
2. Twitter works swell as an opinion poll.
3. Twitter can help direct people’s attention to good things.
4. Twitter at events helps people build an instant “backchannel.”
5. Twitter breaks news faster than other sources, often (especially if the news impacts online denizens).
6. Twitter gives businesses a glimpse at what status messaging can do for an organization. Remember presence in the 1990s?
7. Twitter brings great minds together, and gives you daily opportunities to learn (if you look for it, and/or if you follow the right folks).
8. Twitter gives your critics a forum, but that means you can study them.
9. Twitter helps with business development, if your prospects are online (mine are).
10. Twitter can augment customer service. (but see above)

Article Courtesy of http://www.chrisbrogan.com/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-business/

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Social Networking Sites That are on Top of the Charts

Social networking websites are like ants in a picnic, their virtually everywhere. No matter where you go on the internet you’re bound to run in to one. When you think about it it’s really good because you can always be connected with friends wherever you go and whenever you want. But with so many choices to consider how do you know which one to go with. Here’s a short list of the top ten sites that you can choose from.

First would be the “Facebook.” Many people might be thinking it was going to be MySpace right? Well, in terms of what it offers Facebook wins over MySpace by an arm’s length because of the applications and functions that it offers.

Next to it would be “MySpace” because in terms of quantity, MySpace comes in first but because of the fewer functions that it offers it comes down to a close second. The main reason why MySpace is has a lot to offer is because there are a lot of users.

Third would be “Hi5.” The most impressive thing about Hi5 is the simplicity of the site itself. There are fully functional options that simplify the social networking experience. It makes social networking a lot more serious when you start using Hi5.

Next would be “43 Things.” People who have ever had a plan to do something that they can’t really finish because no one’s there to support them are the patrons of this site. That’s what 43 Things is all about. More than social networking 43 things is like an online support group that allows you to interact with people who have either made plans like you did or people that are going through the same thing as you are.

Fifth would be the “Windows Live Space by MSN.” The great thing about Live Space is the flexibility and the ease of use of the site. Talk about a social networking site with the power of the drag and drop. It is absurdly easy to edit your profile, your page and your whole section. Drag and drop your profile to anywhere in the page as you want it. Another great thing about Live Space is that the widgets that are available are actually functional.

Next would be the social networking site called “Gather.” Gather.com is for people who love to blog. It’s a social networking website with the twist of a bloggers website. Write all you want and all you can, all day long.

Seventh would be “Worlds.com.” As the name suggest is really a virtual world where you can go around and explore places and meet people just like in the real world. Just like in the real world, here you can dress up you avatar the way you like.

Next would be “Live Mocha” for people who want more out of their social networking experience. Here, you must definitely try Live Mocha. Live Mocha is not just a social networking website; it actually teaches people a language. Choose from the many languages you can learn and log in to learn it. Of course progression is dependent on the person.

Ninth would be “Stickam” that is really a surefire hit for Webcammers. If you have a webcam and you want to chat with other people who also have webcams then you are going to absolutely adore Stickam.

And last but not the least, the social networking site called “Profilactic” is on the list. The cool thing about profilactic is that when you sign up for an account here you can add all other social networking accounts. Profilactic has an alert that signals you when one of your other accounts has been updated or gets an update.

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Social Networking Can Help Your Business

The objective of social networking is to allow members who have the same interest to communicate with one another. With so many of them around, why not take advantage of it because this is a tool that can make promote your business.

Social networking sites are a gold mine because you get to promote your product without having to pay for advertising. Studies show that people who know you are more receptive to a familiar face rather than saying yes to someone they just met.

To get started, the first thing you have to do is become a member of a social network. There are hundreds of them around and once you sign up, you should create profile page which tells people out there who you are.

Since most social networking sites allow you to personalize your webpage, make use of it by putting your company logo, a picture of yourself and your company profile. To sell yourself, talk about your experiences of being in the business.

If the site has a section that allows you to post blogs and bulletins, maximize it by showing what products or services you currently have and maybe a preview of what is in store in the future.

For those who already have their own website, put a link through the social network so people who want to know more will be able to directly gain access to it.

Another thing you shouldn’t forget to do is visit other forums within the social network. This will enable you to find out what others are taking about. Who knows? It’s possible that another member has a problem and you are the answer to their prayers. It is also possible that the information from the forum will give you ideas so you can add new products.

Since you want your customers to become part your client base, it is important that maintain quality in your products and services. This will let others know about who you are and this will spread by word of mouth.

To add revenue to your business, you can allow other businesses to advertise in your webpage for a small fee.

The best way to get the most out of social networking sites is to advertise your products in more than just one. So you don’t waste your time, you should do research as to which ones are frequented by most people. If this is too general, try to look for a social network that specializes in whatever business or service you are offering.

From there, you build up your image and hope that in time, you will have a regular client base that will give you a steady flow of income every month.

Social networking can help your business and the best part is that it is free to join and there are no additional costs to maintain your membership.

Why is it free? Because companies who maintain these social networking sites know that it is counterproductive to charge fees from their members when they can get more money from companies who engage in online advertising in their sites.

As the entrepreneur, you should just have to put in the time and effort so you will get noticed. Just like other businesses, the use of social networking is not the backbone of your business but merely something that helps attract additional revenue.

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Social Networking Begins With You

People will make up a group and when it comes to social networking, this begins with you because you have to sign up first to become a member and then add people into your list.

This process is standard in most social networking sites. You usually have to give your first and last name, gender, age, religion, occupation and a few other things to create your profile. Once this is completed, you are now a member.

For you to have your own social network, you now have to invite your friends to join the site. In order to expand that, you can look at the featured members or see who else has similar interests.

Other members will also want to expand their network and if you want them to add you, one thing you should do is make your profile very interesting. Let people know what your hobbies are, what sports do you enjoy, what is your take on politics.

You can also feature your profile in the same manner that you might be able to add someone from that section.

Within a social networking site, you too can create your own small group. Aside from discussing in online forums, you can take it to the next level by organizing events where members get to meet and do all sorts of activities.

Another way to start social networking is to create your own by downloading open source programs. There are a lot of them around that have similar features to that of MySpace and Facebook so you don’t have to spend a thing.

The challenging part will be to let people know that you have a social network so you should start by telling your friends and hopefully, they will spread the word around. You don’t stop there of course. Another way will be to put links to your site or advertise a bit by putting a few ads in other sites.

For your social networking site to survive you have to do what MySpace and YouTube does which is to generate revenue through advertising. You can post an ad so that members who want to promote their product or service will be able to get business or offer this to outsiders.

Advertising in a social networking site could earn you millions of dollars. You won’t make that money overnight but the longer you are operational, this will happen in the months and years to come.

You can also earn revenue by charging members for using blogs, discussion boards, forums and RSS feeds. This can be available to members free of charge for an introductory period. If they like it, then they have to pay for it.

Social networking sites grow because those who use it are not restricted by distance. This means that someone from Europe or Asia may become a member. The only problem will be if they cannot understand English which is why you should also make this understandable in other languages.

In summary, social networking begins with you and creating your own account or your own site are your only options. The key to getting noticed is by the millions of surfers on the web is by promoting yourself. While some individuals are happy using a popular site, others have bigger dreams by using this as a stepping stone.

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Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio Jan 13th Show

We had a great show today! We talked about FREE and inexpensive ways to advertise your business! We also talked about the HUGE benefits of using twitter to network and meet new clients and networking buddies! We laughed because when we first got started it felt the like our first day at school! We didnt know anyone andwe didnt know what to say on Twitter! But once we stuck with it twitter has HUGELY enhanced our businesses and blogs!

Angie also shared her personal struggle with losing weight and how in 2009 it is all about putting herself FIRST and making herself a priority! Follow Angie in her struggle and become a weightloss buddy with her follow Angie’s new Blog!

Then Angie and Tina shared how they both would love to quite smoking because of their health and how hard it can be! And how addicting ciggerettees truly are! Even our President Elect is having a problem quiting! Remember make 2009 All about putting yourself FIRST for a change!

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Twitter Article Special!!!

Nope, I don’t write articles (just books) – but my pal Teresa Hall does! And Teresa does a great job! She’s a full-time freelancer who can crank out articles fast, with top-notch quality!

And for a limited time, Teresa is holding a very cool Twitter Article Special! If you are on Twitter, go check out @TeresaWrites4U. Click on the link in her profile and you will be taken to the article special.

There are a limited number of packages left of the super-duper deal she is offering and you don’t want to miss out!!

Not on Twitter? Well, why not? Sign up! Just do it!!

Don’t want to join Twitter, but still want in on the awesome-est Twitter Article Special ever? Okay, okay. I’m a sucker for people who like deals! Just leave a comment here saying you want in on Teresa’s insanely good deal and I will post the link.

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