What happened in the meantime?  The short answer is – I needed a break.  2009 was an incredibly intense year, in which I found out what happens when you start a business on no money, and try to do everything yourself.  It magnifies both your strengths and your weaknesses.  And by the autumn of last year, I was running on empty.  So I escaped to the “security” of paid employment in a completely different field, and I did my best to take care of my family.  It took a bit longer to take care of myself as well, but that seems to be coming along, too.

As of right now, I am looking for more work in the communications field (where I have always been at my best). I’ve also signed up for Social Media Camp on October 3rd, and I’ve just finished the seminal book, “Here Comes Everybody” by Clay Shirky.  Those three things alone deserve separate posts.  So stay tuned.

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Has the Vancouver social media community considered starting a chapter of the Social Media Club? I know it’s “yet another thing” for many people, but its whole mission is to have these conversations, both in person and online. It has benefited the Victoria community enormously for these reasons:
1) The larger organization is a wonderful space to share local discussions and “lessons learned”, and the arrangement is reciprocal, with wider discussions seeding the local level too.
2) It encompasses the full spectrum of social media – not just blogging, not just the “flavour of the month” – and many of our discussions are applicable across platforms.
3) It is becoming a recognized brand in itself. As a communications professional engaged in social media, I’d like to visit chapters in other towns. Are there great people visiting Vancouver who are missing connections because they don’t know where to look?

Since Paul Holmes and I founded the Victoria chapter (the first in Canada!) six months ago, I have been continually amazed by the quality of discussion and the building of community that takes place when we meet.  We’ve gone from 15 people to nearly 40 at the last event, and the momentum keeps building. We’re preparing for a very big event Sept 22nd, when we welcome n2y4 award winner Joe Solomon to talk about “Movement Building in a Connected Age”.  That deserves its own post, so expect to see more here about that talk this week.

At the same time, meetups, tweetups, an Open Coffee group and DemoCamp all add to our knowledge base and our contact files.  (For people who spend a lot of time behind screens, we sure like to meet!) At each event I’ve been to, I’ve come home feeling like I’ve shared a lot and learned far more.

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I’m surprised it doesn’t mention the big social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) – but whether you produce your own media on your own channels, or hang out on the larger social networking sites, his analogy still holds.

What do you think?

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1. Stick to a publication schedule. You can blog weekly, twice a week, even every day.  But do your best to be consistent.  On average, I post once every week or two, and really, that’s not enough, in frequency or consistency, for someone in the communications field.  It’s difficult enough to build up a readership without making it extra challenging for your reader to find new material from you.  This is the rule that makes me feel like a “bad mommy” blogger.  So there you are – post something – anything that makes your heart beat a bit faster will do.  And post consistently.
2. Understand the difference between blogging and writing an article. This is going to help immensely with point #1, because ultimately, blogging is easier and more free-form than writing an article.  You can make your post whatever it wants to be, including some recent pictures, a comment on someone else’s blog, or a top 10 list.  If you are blogging for a business purpose, then I would suggest that you remember the keywords that work for your business, and try to stay on topic.  But don’t feel that you have to write a Pulitzer Prize-winning article.  You just have to share what you know, or have experienced. Content is definitely more important than style.
3. Try to keep your posts on the short side. When we read on the web, our attention spans are shorter than when we read in print – or so I’m told.  Frankly, some of my favourite bloggers create very lengthy, literate posts (Karen Rivers of iSpuddle is guilty of this, but so funny that it’s worth persevering through 400o words of her latest synopsis of The Bachelorette.  Speaking of which, Karen, where is Episode 10?  Were you camping or at the beach again when it was on?).  But for your average person who does not write for a day job, you are doing yourself and everyone else a favour when you stay within 500 words, and highlight your points with a bulleted or numbered list.  These are much easier to write, and easy to scan quickly for information as well.

There!  See?  Blogging isn’t all that scary – just get your information out there and let people know that you are someone they can do business with, or at least find interesting enough to make a return visit.  And once you are done, remember to blow your own horn by letting the social networking world know that you have launched another little nugget of wisdom into the universe.  Share it on Facebook.  Tweet it out there. You can even ask me how to set it up so your electronic online places talk to each other and do the publicity work for you.

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Some web strategists say not to do that, but to keep your blog and your website separate so that your blog acts as an external referral source to your website. I figure there are plenty of methods out there to generate incoming links to your site, without the bother of having your blog on a different domain.  Take all this social media stuff I’ve been harping on about, for instance.  Everywhere I have a profile, I can put a link to my site.  I can link to my site almost everywhere that I submit a comment, as well. There is no reason you can’t set up links to your site almost anywhere you have something to say online.

Now I’m in the process of redirecting some of those external links, creating new copy and generally polishing up the new home. As this is a WordPress blog, it’s really easy for me to change the content on the site. If I were a web designer, I’d say that it’s really easy for me to change the layout, too – but I delegate that job out to ideazone.ca. They know what they are doing.

So thanks, Paul and Katharine, for a great job!  Welcome, everyone, to the new space.  Housewarming party TBA.

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I fully expect the problem to be fixed by the end of today because the right people have been alerted – but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen blogs buried in the clutter of a website.  Another client currently hides the company blog deep in the sub-menus of their website, and updates it very rarely, even though this client is bubbling over daily with great ideas.  What a waste of a wonderful resource!

The way I see it, when you are blogging for a business, or to gain support for a cause, or just to share your ideas, why would you hide it where no one can see it?  Why not have a section on the home page that gives visitors one-click access to your latest helpful hint?  How about putting it right on the navigation bar throughout the site?

Because a blog is designed to be updated on a regular basis,  it can add ongoing freshness to your online presence.  It brings the aroma of fresh-baked goods right onto your site.  That’s attractive – people will go there to see what is new, and they will stay longer if they find news, thoughts, ideas or interactions when they get there.  Hiding your blog in the depths of your site is like having a storefront, and hiding in the back room with a “ring bell for service” sign out front.

Go stand in the middle of your shop, and interact with the people who come in.  Serve them your fresh goods with pride.

On that same note,  I am currently in domain-hosting purgatory, waiting for my blog to be united with the rest of my website.  Once everything transfers over, you – dear reader – will be the first to know.

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Well, when it comes to business, be relevant to the people you want to do business with.  Who are those people, and what do you want them to know about both you and your business?  It’s ok to take a big-picture view of this – the answer can be both personal and professional.  In fact, it’s best if it’s both.

Going back to our previous “received wisdom” that people do business with people they know, like and trust, social media like blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter give you a platform for others to get to know you, your family, your hobbies and interests, even some of your daily activities.  Add to that some of your specialized information from your field of expertise, and you have a powerful combination that gives your potential customers an insight into you and how you do your work.

Does it matter what you had for breakfast?  Perhaps not.  Then again, if you are a fitness trainer, your morning menu might provide both ideas and information.  Your musical tastes could be important information if you run a nightclub.  The websites and blogs that you follow may also provide excellent info for your clients – feel free to quote and even to provide links to the places where you get your information.  This won’t make you any less of an expert – on the contrary, it shows your customers that you are actively staying current in your area of expertise.  And they will still be looking to you for excellent advice.  After all, it’s you they are building the relationship with!

Each time you post, use this simple question as a guide: “What am I telling the world about myself and my business?” If you can answer it with some simple, positive statement, go ahead and post it.

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