Golden Goals and Bad Bands: Social Media Chronicles the Olympics

February 28, 2010 – final day of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver…

Gold medal semifinal in men’s hockey between Team Canada and Team USA…

Seven minutes into overtime, Jarome Iginla is knocked down in the corner. On his knees, he passes the puck to Sidney Crosby, who deftly, with Gretzky-like instincts, shoots the puck from an angle, past Team USA’s goalie and into the net.

The Golden Goal…

And with that, Team Canada wins its 14th gold medal in these 2010 Olympic games and its first gold medal in hockey since the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

Throughout the streets of Vancouver, a loud roar went up as crowds cheered and celebrated. Car horns honked, ship horns blared and, according to one Vancouver resident, the noise continued for hours.

The cheering also continued on Social Networks like Twitter and Facebook. Within minutes of the Golden Goal, jubilant Tweets and Facebook status updates appeared. Within two hours, the newly created “Crosby’s Olympic Goal <3” Facebook Fan Page had 95,000 fans.

After the Closing Ceremonies, a Facebook Fan Page called “2010 Olympic Closing Ceremonies were REALLY BAD” was also created, but it wasn’t nearly as popular. As of this writing, only 23 fans have joined this page and embraced the description: “Bad bands, and awful floating beavers.”

Actually, throughout the Olympics, Social Media played a huge role in recording people’s reactions to events and athletes. The athletes themselves even participated.

According to the blog post “So long to 2010 Olympics, we’ll tweet ya later,” American short track speed skater @ApoloOhno “shared his ever infectious and magnetic positivity to stand tall and be proud of who you are and your accomplishments.”

Alternatively, @JuliaMancuso, alpine ski racer for Team USA, fueled the fire of an alleged rivalry with lifelong competitor @LindseyVonn by posting and quickly removing comments after her first run on the giant slalom.

The Sysomos blog reports that the Vancouver Olympics attracted four million tweets and 300,000 blog posts and had a 91% positive sentiment rating according to Sysomos MAP.

That’s great news for Olympic organizers, who may have been concerned about how this unprecedented Social Media activity would affect their personal branding and online reputation.

This is a new age, where Social Media activity will continue to grow, even as the roar of the crowd fades and the streets of Vancouver return to normal. Online Reputation Management for Virtual Assistants and their clients will be key in the years to come, and certified Social Marketing Specialists are the ones who will be armed and ready to face the challenges of this new Social Media landscape.

This is something Olympic organizers might also want to think about as they look towards the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Are You Ready to Tell Google Buzz to Buzz off?

There’s a new kid on the block in the world of Social Networks, and if you use Gmail, he’s already living on your street! Google recently unveiled Google Buzz, a Social Network that’s built right into Gmail. If you have a Gmail account, you might have noticed a colorful balloon that showed up on the left-hand side of the page – that’s Buzz!

Google had some great ideas when they unveiled Buzz. Check out this YouTube video posted on the Official Google Blog to introduce Buzz:

Unfortunately, despite these good intentions, Buzz has caused some frustration among loyal Gmail users. For example, the blog post “Buzz off, Google: Social networks should always be opt-in, not opt-out” highlights the fact that all Gmail users were enrolled in Buzz without being asked first. Furthermore, Google automatically made a social graph of your most-emailed people and made sharing of that graph opt-out instead of opt-in. As this article explains, “it’s super easy to miss the check box, and the default should always be the safest choice.”

In Google’s defense, they listened to users’ feedback and have introduced some improvements. The Official Gmail Blog reports that the following changes have been made to Buzz:

1. There is a more visible option to not show followers/people you follow on your public profile.

2. You have the ability to block anyone who starts following you.

3. There is more clarity on which of your followers/people you follow can appear on your public profile.

Given Google’s popularity and history of creating quality products, there is definitely the possibility that Google Buzz could someday rival Facebook and Twitter.

What do you think? Are you ready to tell Google Buzz to buzz off, or do you think Google can rise to the challenge of making Buzz the best Social Network around?

Social Media Goes Local in 2010!

If you enter AJ Bombers restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and slide into one of the booths, you’ll notice interesting graffiti written on the heavy varnished wood. As you look closer, you’ll find out that people have written Twitter user names all over the place.

Now why on earth would people be thinking about Twitter at a restaurant?

Well, believe it or not, Social Media is going local, and brick and mortar businesses are capitalizing on the power of Social Media to help generate more traffic to their business and to keep their current customers coming back.

Check out this fascinating Kitchen Table Talks video with Chris Brogan and Joe Sorge, owner of AJ Bombers and other restaurants in Milwaukee:

As Joe explains, “AJ Bombers was built by Twitter.”  Imagine business owners being able to monitor customers’ experiences from a distance, making adjustments and responding to complaints on the fly from their Twitter account.  Imagine loyal customers being offered daily specials through tweets from their favorite restaurant. That’s the power of Social Media.

However, according to a recent article in Social Media Examiner, “3 New Studies Show Value of Social Media and Businesses Slow Response,” only 47% of companies are experimenting with Social Media, and of those that do, many are failing to effectively build online community and provide a favorable platform for interaction and feedback.

This finding shows that there’s a definite need for Virtual Assistants with Social Media skills to fill that niche and educate businesses on best practices for using Social Media. For VAClassroom grads, the possibilities are endless, and brick and mortar businesses would surely benefit from your expertise in Social Media Marketing.

So survey the brick and mortar businesses around you and just imagine how a Twitter Account or a Facebook Fan Page could build their clientele and keep people coming in the door. The sky’s the limit with a little imagination and a passion for engaging people with the tools available in this exciting new Web 2.0 world!

15 Internet Marketing Predictions for 2010 of a Different Kind.

At this time of year, I find myself reading more blog posts than anytime of the year. I must confess, I am a bit of a "Predictions" junkie and love to read the experts posts as they weigh in on the forecasts and potential trends for the New Year. I recently put on a Internet Marketing predictions event for our members at VAClassroom, but with a bit of a different spin. I unpacked the top predictions for this year, but from a "Virtual Assistant's or Service Provider's view point. There is one thing to passively watch the trends and another thing to proactively anticipate how you can tap into new and profitable niches over the next year.

The below presentation reviews 15 predictions and 15 potential opportunities for your Virtual Assistance business. Enjoy!

NearbyTweets.com - Connecting with the Right Local Audience

Check out this scenario....

Sally owns a Wedding shop in Everett, Washington. In the current economy, she had been forced to reduce her marketing budget and needs to think more creatively about how to build her customer base...

Her brother is a Internet Geek and tells her that the best low cost/no cost marketing channel on the planet resides in Social Media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. After much research, she decides to set-up a Twitter account even though she thinks the tool is trivial and ridiculous. She struggles with making any sense of Twitter for her local business for about a month.

Then, her Internet Geek brother tells her about this Twitter tool called, NearbyTweets.com. This tools is supposed to link you up with local twitterers and you can actually follow particular keywords in their tweets.

So, for the next week, she tracks words related to Weddings such as "Bride", "Wedding Dress", "Engaged" etc...

Much to her surprise, she starts to connect with people in her area that are planning their upcoming wedding and some that are still trying to find the right dress. BINGO!

Sally starts to connect with these individuals on Twitter and to make a long story short, two of the "brides to be" visit her shop and purchase dresses and accessories totalling $2600 US.

So, what was her advertising cost for this $2600 US - NOTHING!!. Just some time connecting with a highly targeted, local audience thanks to her geeky brother and NearbyTweets.com.

So, this gives you a practical snapshot of the potential for your local clients to strategically use twitter to creatively connect with their target audience - cool stuff!

I would highly recommend incorporating NearbyTweets.com into your regular Twitter regime!

ANNOUNCING...THE GREAT FACEBOOK FAN PAGE MAKEOVER CONTEST!

As you may already know, the official launch of our “Fantastic Facebook Fan Pages” course is officially underway. There has been an overwhelming response to this program, and we’re excited about the next two weeks of learning that are about to begin. As an opportunity to apply some of the skills learned in the course, we will be running a contest – “The Great Facebook Fan Page Makeover Contest,” open to all “fans” of our VAClassroom Facebook Fan Page.

If you would like some practice applying the content learned in VAClassroom’s live Fan Page Course PLUS an opportunity to win a full makeover of your own Fan Page, here’s your chance! All you need to do is submit either a video or audio clip explaining “why a Fantastic Facebook Fan Page would impact your business.” The winner will receive a full makeover of his or her Fan Page, including custom landing page, page formatting, applications and some tips on how to better engage his or her audience. The winner will also receive either a free one-year VAClassroom membership or a one-year credit towards his or her current membership.

Deadline for submission is November 7^th, 2009.

Please post your entry on our VAClassroom Facebook Fan Page wall.
(You must first add yourself as a fan.)

http://www.facebook.com/VAClassroom

For more information, check out our Contest Kickoff video:

Best of luck in the contest!

View our current submissions Fan Page Video Submissions

5 Reasons Virtual Events Services are the Ideal Niche for Virtual Assistants in 2009!

My oldest daughter is a PLANNER through and through. When we go on family trips or out to run errands, she likes to know the exact plan of what are are going to do, how many stops we're going to make, who we are going see - she wants all the details! I often tell her that she will make a fabulous Event Planner when she gets older!

As I look at the massive growth in Virtual Events and declining participation in offline events and conferences (in part due to the current economic situation), I think I will be directing her to pursue a career as a "Virtual Event Planner or Specialist" instead!

The Virtual Events field is one of those industries that has grown in leaps and bounds despite the economic slowdown we are experiencing! Here are five reasons why Virtual Events are becoming so popular (and why now is the best time for Virtual Assistants to tap into this profitable niche):

1. Virtual Events are VERY Cost Effective.

A few years ago, there was a time where webinar solutions were super expensive and really only designed for big business. Well, times have changed. Take GoToWebinar for example... you can run an unlimited number of web events and have up to 1000 participants for just $99/month. For this reason alone, businesses are naturally shifting to virtual events over the more expensive route of offline events and conferences.

2. Virtual Events Reach a Global Audience.

It is evident that only so many people can fly in to attend an offline conference, but with virtual events, there is a much greater capacity to reach a larger, worldwide audience! This can lead to increased exposure and potentially a greater return on investment for the virtual events.

3. Virtual Events Increase Exposure.

The cool thing about Virtual Events is that they enable you to increase exposure for you and/or your client's business on a consistent basis. Virtual Events are recorded and can be re-listened to by a whole new audience who is accessing your event at a later date. I know I am still receiving feedback from webinars I did almost two years ago - gotta like the long-term exposure of virtual events!

4. Virtual Events Save Time and Maximize Productivity.

By avoiding the travel time required for offline conferences, virtual events can significantly reduce the time commitment involved and allow you to keep on top of your priority tasks. Think of Event Organizers... Can you imagine the time they would save by running events virtually? I am not suggesting there is not a good place for offline events as I certainly like attending some when I can, but the reality is that more businesses are gravitating towards using virtual events as a means to better connect with a larger target audience on a more consistent basis.

5. Virtual Events Can Be Highly Interactive.

Thanks to Social Media and interactive web technology, event participants can socialize and interact with one another in a cool web environment. You gotta love Twitter Hashtags as a great way to join the conversation during a virtual event (as well as an offline event). With the interactive nature of virtual event technology (such as UStream, BlogTalkRadio and GoToWebinar), participants still receive the offline benefit of connecting with others and sharing ideas.

It is evident that more businesses would like to set-up virtual events, but either lack the expertise or time to pull it off. This is where a great opportunity exists for those Virtual Assistants and Online Professionals who would like to position themselves as a "Virtual Event Specialist" - the timing couldn't be better!

Check out this free upcoming event we have going on at VAClassroom with myself and Virtual Event Specialist, Michelle Schoen titled,

"Building a Profitable Niche as a Virtual Event Specialist (Even in a Down Economy)."

Also, please share your comments on this new virtual event niche? What have you heard from your clients? Do you see this as a great opportunity for Virtual Professionals?Also, what types of virtual events do you most enjoy? I would love to get feedback on this!

Twestival - Go Offline for a Great Cause

I must admit that the proliferation of movements and crowd sourcing through Social Media never ceases to amaze me! A "Tribe" as Seth Godin calls it can be formed quickly with Social Network tools like Twitter! Take for example, Twestival. I am not sure if you have heard of this innovative new movement in which Twitter users are going "offline" to participate in local events to support great causes.

Let me give you a bit of history (well less than 12 months to be exact).....

Twestival originally got it's start in London, UK in September of 2008, when a group of London Twitter users hosted an event called Harvest Twestival. The purpose of the event was to connect local twitter users for a good cause and some fun and networking. They collected donations and canned food for a local non-profit organization that addresses the needs of the homeless in London. The event was put together (via Twitter) in less than 2 weeks. They initially expected about 30-40 people to attend, but ended up with over 250 and a waiting list!

After the great success of this event, the group planned the first Twestival Global, which was tweeted about in early January 2009. In just under a month, there were 202 cities around the world committed to hosting a local event to benefit an organization called "CharityWater". Check out the stats for this first global event:

• 1000 volunteers (recruited via Twitter)
• 10,000 participants globally in 202 cities
• $250,000 raised in one day with 100% of proceeds going to support the creation of 55 wells in Uganda, Ethiopia and India..

Isn't that cool?

So Twestival has become a hit and the next global event is taking place sometime between September 10-13th! Just go to the Twestival main site to see if a local event is happening in your city.

As an aside, not only is this a great opportunity to raise money for humantarian efforts, but also an opportunity to connect with others on Twitter and possibly some new clients in need of your services!

So, what do you think about this new phenomenon? Will you be attending? Please share your comments!

Should Virtual Assistants (Who are WAHMS) Market Themselves as WAHMS?

Last night I was watching a very thought provoking (and potentially controversial) video from the WAHM blog site, YummyMummy! Scott Stratten from un-marketing.com offered a interesting tip and challenge for Work at Home Moms.

He shared that WAHMS should NOT market themselves to their clients as a WAHM, but rather as a skilled and savvy business owner! He felt that promoting your WAHM status on your site would not serve any real purpose in building your business, unless of course your target audience is WAHMS! From a Virtual Assistant perspective, he felt it might not look favorable to a new client to think of kids hanging off of you while you complete his/her pertinent project!!

From my perspective, while I don't think you need to hide the fact that you are a WAHM with your clients, I don't believe it needs to be emphasized on your site or blog. Now your role as a WAHM might come more into play in your interactions with your peers and those moms who aspire to work from home in Twitter and other Social Networks.

Again, this is coming from a WAHD's perspective who understands the freedom and flexbiility of working from home. I can also talk more about it at VAClassroom since a good percentage of my target audience is in fact WAHMs!

The many Virtual Assistants and Online Professionals I know definitely market their skills and experience first and not necessarily their role as a WAHM (or WAHD for that matter).

So, take a watch of this video at the YummyMommy site - I would love to get your thoughts and feedback on this interesting topic!

The Fast Growing Business of Blogging!

Just the other day, I was reading some stats on the WordPress site and was blown away by the massive growth of  WordPress Blogs over the last 24 months!

Here are some 2008 stats shared by the WordPress founder, Matt Mullenweg:

• Page Views grew from 1.5 million to 6.5 million per month
• 2 million new blogs created for the year
• 35 million new blog posts in 2008

In January 2009 alone there were 372,519 WP blogs created!

It is clear that not only is blogging growing at a rapid rate, but it is also evolving in some new and exciting ways.  This excerpt from WordPress.com puts it best:

Blogging is growing both in the US and especially internationally. Tens of thousands of new WordPress blogs are created every day – by regular bloggers, companies, large media publishers, and many others. In addition, we seeing a trend that’s potentially even bigger than blogging: Publishers are starting to use WordPress as a platform to create all kinds of sites beyond blogs – large and small company sites, online magazines, social networks, travel sites, scrapbooking sites, contact managers, startups, multimedia archives, video sites, sports sites.

Isn't this cool? Ten of thousands of blogs being created DAILY! Businesses are using blogging technology to create company websites, social networks, video sites, membership sites and so much more.

The sad reality is that a good portion of these blog sites won't last more than a year as they are lacking some key success strategies and tools for optimizing and marketing their blogs.

This is ONE of the key reasons we have created our newest mini-course called, Blog Marketing Tips, Tools & Tactics.  We want to provide blogsite owners as well as Virtual Assistants (who operate and manage blog sites) with some advanced marketing and optimization strategies for increasing blog traffic and visibility.

There are excellent opportunities right now for Virtual Assistants and Online Professionals to offer "in-demand" blog marketing services to this fast growing base of blogsite owners.

Our newest blog marketing training program starts on August 10th. Check it out!

Outsourcing Social Media - Unethical or Business Savvy?

There has been a hot debate brewing in the blogosphere on the ethics of outsourcing Social Networking activities to a Virtual Professional. Many graduates from our Social Media Marketing Specialist Program have recently found some of their clients requesting that they "Tweet" on their behalf on Twitter, or regularly update their Status Updates on Facebook. In other words, these clients are looking for a "stunt-double" who will be "them" in the most popular Social Network sites.

Businesses are "Gung-Ho" about Social Media right now and some are hoping to yield serious business-building results by outsourcing all their Social Media Marketing activities (including the whole "relationship" piece) to a consultant or VA.  Unfortunately, some of these businesses have jumped into a hot new marketing channel without fully understanding the heart of Web 2.0 and the obvious "relational" nature that drives Social Media.

My friend and collegue, Leesa Barnes really got the ball rolling in this debate with her very thoughtful post,

Why You Should Never Outsource Your Social Media Tasks and What You Should Delegate Instead

In being a BIG proponent (myself) of  Outsourcing "certain" Social Media Tasks  to a specialist, I quickly wrote a lengthy comment on some of the Social Media tasks that could be potentially delegated  in order to expand the reach and business potential using Social Media.

Leesa and I connected after this post and agreed that there was so much interest on this topic, that we have joined forces to put on a 75 minute tele-event on Thursday, May 28th to offer a "fresh" perspective. I think Leesa  and I make a great team for this call as she is a Social Media Trainer and consultant for businesses wanting to tap into this powerful new channel and I represent the service providers (VAs and Specialists) who are seeking to offer "in-demand" Social Media Marketing services for their clients. So, I think we have both angles covered:)

I believe this going to be one of the most captivating events I have been apart of in quite sometime. Here are the event details:

Title: Five Social Media Tasks to Outsource (And Still Be Authentic)

Date: Thursday, May 28, 2009

Time: 5pm EST (2pm PST)

Sign-up here for this important event .

IVAA Live Summit - An Event Worth Attending

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the IVAA Live Summit in Montreal on a topic near and dear to my heart: Social Media Marketing. This was my first time attending a Live Summit with IVAA and I have to say that I was SUPER impressed with the quality of speakers (especially the guy - lol), the professionalism of the event and the great networking and learning environment.

It was wonderful to meet so many talented VAs with a rich diversity of skills and specializations from transcription work and Internet Marketing, to blog design and bookkeeping.

A few months ago, I did a webinar on defining your ROI (Return on Investment) for your education and training pursuits. I talked about the importance of measuring the training programs you take based on the positive return you see for your business. Well, based on my experience with the IVAA Summit last week, I would have to say that any aspiring or experienced Virtual Assistant would greatly benefit and be inspired and encouraged from attending this yearly event! Next year is in Phoenix - sweet location!

The other thing that really impressed me was the level of support, accountability and encouragement IVAA members showed one another. This is truly a top notch organization and one that you might consider joining if you have not already. They have great education opportunities, networking and support as well as a members forum that offers great resources as well as new client opportunities.

So, check out the IVAA website to learn more about the benefits of belonging to this great organization - might be the resource you are seeking for your Virtual Assistance career!

TwitWall: When 140 Characters isn't Enough

For businesses who are utilizing Twitter’s staggering marketing potential as part of a Social Media Marketing campaign, Twitter provides a lot of room for creativity and innovative solutions for reaching target audiences.

Now that celebrities (such as Ashton Kutcher and CNN) , presidential campaigns and millions of users worldwide are accustomed to micro-blogging, Twitter is providing an enhancement to the micro-space of Tweeting.

For everyone already on Twitter, how many don’t realize they have a TwitWall? This easy to use feature is a blog companion for Twitter, allowing a space for Tweeters as an alternative, or addition to their micro-blog of maximum 140 characters. This page within Twitter allows users to embed their favorite videos and widgets, upload photos, mp3 music, podcasts, and source-images originating from existing http:// locations.

The little set-up time and effort involved is very appealing for those wanting more of a presence on Twitter, outside the context of the micro-blog. Additionally, TwitWall utilizes your existing Twitter followers that you’ve already established, with everything posted on your TwitWall updating your status on your Twitter timeline. It also carries over the personal branding design preferences of your Twitter page, such as background image, colours etc.

So why use TwitWall as a blog page rather than just your traditional blog post?

This question was posed to TwitWall founder Michael E. Carluen, who stated, “For users who currently have existing blogs, TwitWall can be a repository of content they would like to share with their Twitter network, but does not fit the general content of their main blog.”¹

As an additional blogging platform that’s unique to your followers, TwitWall provides a dynamic new communication tool, ready to be discovered!

Charitable Organizations Using Social Media to Spread Christmas Cheer

Can you believe that December has already arrived - this Fall season has just blown by hasn`t it? I came across an interesting article that I thought might interest you. In these tough economic times, great charitable organizations like The Salvation Army are feeling the crunch and overall giving is down this year. The Salvation Army and other non-profits have gotten creative this Christmas season and are making use of the popular Social networks, Twitter and Facebook to connect with the younger generation and ultimately increase their donations! This article confirms an interesting trend taking shape with a growing number of non-profits and charitable organizations starting to use Social Media to spread awareness and bolster their donations. The emergence of non-profits using Social Media presents an ideal, niche opportunity for those considering working as Social Media Specialists and Consultants! Many of these organizations are just feeling their way through Social Networking and need a consultant to help them to chart the right course! As many of you know, we are currently running the Social Marketing Specialist Training Program to about 40 students. We just actually finished the training session involving Facebook and Twitter and talked about non-profits being an ideal client prospect! Check out this interesting article on The Salvation Army and the virtual `Red Kettle`. CNN Article on Salvation Army

Lessons from Barack Obama's Social Media Strategy

Well, the long US election campaign culminated last night with Barack Obama winning the Presidency of the United States.  This is now the time where streams of political analysts will weigh in on what the parties did right, the potential missteps the Republicans may have taken and so on and so forth. But politics aside, as a Social Media enthusiast myself, I have to stand back and applaud the Social Media Strategy that was brilliantly executed by the Obama campaign!

The social network gurus on his team implemented some innovative strategies, even going as far as creating their own Obama Social Network where people all over the US could connect, share Ideas and dialogue about the issues.

I read a great post today from an Aussie that summed up the social media brilliance displayed by Team Obama over the last few months. Take a read of this post titled: Lessons We Can Learn From Barack Obama's Online Marketing Strategy. As you read this, reflect on your own Social Media efforts and take stock of how effective your current activities are - is there something to be learned from this Social Media President? I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!

The timing of this post is great, especially as we get set to launch our new Social Marketing Specialist Training Program here at VAClassroom.com. Obama's ability to successfully leverage Social Media will no doubt alert to action many of those businesses who may be dabbling with Social Media, but not employing any real concrete strategy.

The opportunities for Social Marketing Specialists will be plentiful in 2009!

Becoming an Online Business Manager Book Release

I am happy to be involved with Tina Forsyth's Blog Tour for her timely book release, "Becoming an Online Business Manager". I have had an opportunity to get to know Tina over the last while and have been super impressed with her experience and knowledge in the Virtual Business field! Last week, we sat down for a 20 minute interview to discuss her new book launch, her motivation behind this project and the key distinctions between a Virtual Assistant and an Online Business Manager. I have had an opportunity to review the book and it is a very well thought out, relevant and timely read for any Virtual Assistant or Online Professional seeking to shift their skills and services into the Online Business Management space. After talking with Tina, I quickly realized that I need an "Online Business Manager" for my own business:). While I work with 3-4 different Virtual Assistants, I do not currently have someone that is functioning as the point person for my business activities. Take a listen to the MP3 recording of this 20 minute interview. Interview with Tina Forsyth, author of "Becoming an Online Business Manager" I woud highly recommend adding this one to your upcoming holiday break reading list. You can grab your copy here: Becoming an Online Business Manager

The Olympics and your Virtual Assistance Business

Okay, I have been glued to the Olympics over the last week and it is pouring over into my blog:) I have to say that the Olympics and watching the many amazing athletes have really fired me up about my business and maximizing the potential of what I am doing with VAClassroom. To close off the week, I want to leave you with a great post from a Small Biz Trends titled: Olympics for Small Business Owners In the post, Dr. Susan Reid outlines 15 Ways the Olympics exemplify success for small business owners like yourself. I am a BIG FAN of #7: "Stay the Course". When I started my first Internet Business, these three words were SO important in the early start-up days. My wife and I would constantly say to each "Just, Stay the Course", everytime we faced adversity or challenge in our business pursuits. The Olympic Athletes have really inspired me to achieve excellence in EVERYTHING I do including parenting, marriage and of course my Virtual Business. Enjoy the closing ceremonies tomorrow everyone!

What's Your Perspective?

I thought I would deviate a bit from my usual blog content and share a couple "random thoughts", so bear with me:) Tonight, I went to Subway for dinner with my three princesses (daughters age 6,4,2). The "sandwich artist" behind the till was one of the regular guys that serves us. So I asked him "How are things going"? He replied: "I'm hanging in there." Hanging in there? HANGING IN THERE? Couldn't he set the bar a little higher for his day? I mean you could be really having a crappy day and still be "hanging in there"? No, this post is not going to turn into a "Seinfeld episode"! His comment got me thinking about the whole topic of "Perspective". I am a firm believer that the lens by which you view your life directly affects your behavior and actions. Some people look at their life and work through dark glasses - they tend to see "the glass as half empty" and have a negative perspective in most circumstances. So, the big question is... Does this type of perspective impact their goals, dreams, business pursuits etc....? I believe it does. Do you think it is possible to grow a successful business with a perpetually "gloomy" perspective? While I am sure there are exceptions to every rule, I think that negative people will not have the "staying power" when the entrepreneurial storms hit. They will crumble and not see the positives or the potential in their current set of circumstances. One of my former Employers always used to sign his emails as CEO (Chief Executive Optimist) and let me tell you, this guy is one of the most positive people I know. His Internet business has been through many storms and his "sticktuitiveness" and positive outlook has always led to a successful outcome. So how much of his success is dependent on his positive attitude - I think a lot actually! So, stop for a second and do a "Perspective Check". How are you currently viewing your life and work? If you are going through a particularly difficult time in your VA business, what is your current perspective? As mentioned in a previous post, "Adversity is a natural part of the Entrepreneur's Journey." It is inevitable and you can't control it at times. But you can control your "perspective" and how you will respond to your current situation. Over the last year, my wife has endured a very difficult medical condition. We have certainly had our share of "dark days", but we both recognize the importance of keeping a positive and hopeful perspective in the midst of great adversity. I have been reading a fascinating autobiographical book called "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. This is story of an acclaimed Computer Science Professor who was diagnosed last year with Pancreatic Cancer and was given a few months to live. This book is ENTIRELY about "PERSPECTIVE"! Randy is an upbeat, positive, humorous fellow that is not letting his terminal illness shape his behavior or actions. The Last Lecture is about achieving your dreams, overcoming your obstacles and making the most of every single minute you have as you never know when it could be your last one! Well, Randy has already lived longer than doctors predicted and you wonder how much of this has to do with the ultra positive perspective he has on his situation and life in general. If you were to ask Randy how he was doing, I would highly doubt he would respond with "Hanging in There"! Randy says "You cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand". Now, if you have a spare hour, I would highly recommend watching his last lecture on YouTube - it will impact you and quite possibly change your perspective on your own work and life. Enjoy!

VideoUtilityPoster - A Cool Web 2.0 tool For Driving Traffic To Your Blog

I came across an ultra cool web application that is ideal for all you bloggers out there. Now, I don't know about you, but there are times in a blogger's life when the creative juices aren't flowing and you are stumped with fresh ideas for your blog. While this might only last for a moment, why not take the opportunity to add some other people's relevant content to your blog that will interest your readers and ignite your Search Listings. Well, the VideoUtilityPoster does just that! This downloadable software integrates with whatever blogging platform you are using (Ie. WordPress) and allows you to quickly search for relevant videos that you might want to incorporate into your blog or website. VideoUtilityPoster features an easy "Drag and Drop" system, where you drag the video script into your blog post. This tool also allows you to automatically add keyword-rich descriptions (if you like) to further boost the SEO potency for your post. As you may know Google and other SEs love fresh video content, combined with keyword rich content - this makes equates to a winning formula for your SEO efforts. So, consider adding some great relevant video content the next time you experience a "writer's block"! The cost for this tool is $67, but they do offer a 30 day money back guarantee, so it might be worth adding to your blogging arsenal! Also, this might be a value-added tool to use for your client's blogs in helping them come up with new and relevant content ideas. Again, you can also just simply search for content ideas in YouTube, and copy and paste the embed link into your post. However,  VideoUtilityPoster basically simplifies and saves you time in researching and integrating video content into your blog. Check it out!

Where Can I Buy A Personal Productivity Pill?

Does anyone by chance happen to know where I can buy a Personal Productivity Pill which completely eliminates all disorganization, scattered thinking, poor use of work time and overloaded schedules and replaces it with focussed planning, heightened efficiency and exponentially increasing daily productivity? I would flll that prescription in a heartbeat. Now, don't get me wrong, my personal productivity is probably better than the average person and yet I am still bogged with jumbled priorities, overloaded schedules and simply too much work to do! Can you relate? This week I reflected on why I left the regular 9-5 hustle and bustle for the Virtual World - Freedom, Flexibility and more time with my wife and kids! Yet, I looked at my schedule over the last month and realized that I have been chained to my laptop 24/7 with the growth of VAClassroom and many other things on the go. My work/life balance was totally out of sync. Fortunately, I have the distinct privilege of being married to a wonderful woman that can "set me on the right track" when I get off course:) But seriously, as I reviewed my projects and schedule, I quickly realized that I had forgot to implement any of the productivity and organization principles I teach in my courses. I have always prided myself on being a well-organized, productive entrepreneur, but with the fast growth of our business and many competiting priorities, I got "out of sync" with how to maximize my work productivity, while preserving my home life! Can you at all relate? Anyways, I dusted off my cover of Getting Things Done - The Art of Stress Free Productivity by Management Consultant, David Allen, which previously provided me with some invaluable tools for maximizing my productivity. Of course, all those tools remained in the toolbox last month and were not implemented whatsoever - I was too busy to implement them:)! If you can totally relate to what I have experienced, then I would highly recommend jumping on Amazon and ordering "Getting Things Done". I would also recommend the blog, ZenHabits as they provide some awesome tips for maximizing productivity and preserving work/life balance. Or if you hear of a Personal Productivity Pill hitting the market, please let me know - I will be first in line!