Learning From Apple’s Style: Let’s Play Dress Up! (Delivering Packages That Excite)

A few weeks ago I got my iPad2 thanks to UPS and the awesome Unbounce.com #ConversionFest blogging contest. It made me think about packaging and how we play dress up in the business world.

When you look at the iPad2 box, a few things stand out. There’s no product specifications or feature listings. iPad2 appears a few times but not in an over-powering font size or style. The one thing that stands out is the trademark pure white packaging and Apple logo. When you get this box, you know what it is without a doubt.

Hi, I’m an iPad.

Apple is so confident in their brand power and the popularity of their products that they don’t bother with the extra stuff. The iPad2 box says, “Buy me and open me to see what’s inside!”.

So, what does that tell us about packaging and dressing up our products?

Quite a bit. Let’s explore and go beyond just the box…

Triberr Rocks, But Not For The Reasons Most Love It Or Hate It

So here I am doing my usual social media thing when I get mentioned on OsakaBentures.com via Disqus.

Before I go off on a tangent, I want to be clear.  I dig Saul and I appreciate that he sticks by his ideals and principles.  I just can’t agree with his views on Triberr, even if it’s the popular opinion (and I may get some tomatoes thrown at me), because it’s that sort of stuff that has made people hesitant or disdainful towards Triberr, IMHO.

Now allow me to rant about why I feel Triberr ROCKS but most people just “don’t get it”…

As I do my usual SEO schtick, I find tons of mis-representative content about Triberr.  Just Google “Triberr” – it’s rather overwhelming!  I’ll quote Nicole Crepeau’s Triberr article from Coherent Social Media:

In fact, there are things I love about Triberr:

I love the goal for which it was established: to give more exposure to smaller bloggers.

I love that being in Tribes can help keep your blog in front of your network and keep their’s in front of you.

I really like the new headline testing feature.

I like the way Triberr’s founders, Dino Dogan and Dan Cristo are ever present and responsive, and generally keep the discussion positive and professional–even when things have gotten a bit rough.

I like the fact that it’s working for people and increasing traffic to their blogs.

I like Dino’s thoughts about a union for bloggers, to enable bloggers to make a living at blogging.

There’s only one thing, actually, that I don’t like about Triberr:

I don’t like the auto-tweeting. 

I quote this not due to laziness but because I believe there’s no point in regurgitating what’s already out there on the blogosphere, especially when the aforementioned seems to be the consensus.  The automagical part is something folks either love or hate.  We get that.

"No Triberr.. BAD Triberr!" - Thanks Coherentia.com!

The problem with Triberr is not Triberr..  It’s YOU (shame on you!).  Okay, maybe not *you* specifically, but people that don’t use it in an ethical manner or at least manage expectations properly.

What we have here is an issue with semantics, framing, positioning, or whatever you want to call it.

I don’t get excited about the reach multiplier aspect.  I do SEO and I’ve seen how pure traffic is worthless unless you are engaging and have some decent concept about inbound marketing, authenticity, and conversions thereof.  You need to build trust, help others, and show you care before others do the same in return.

Now, what DOES excite me is what Dino Dogan has often told me in private and in public:

Triberr is the great equalizer.

Yes, I know, we have some a-listers in Triberr and they’re mostly good people.  Truth be told, I’d say 60-80% of the current users on Triberr would likely not be on there if there were not these sorts of social media and online marketing rockstars.   Some folks just want their link juice, so to speak.  In spite of those folks that draw in the fanboys, suits, and bean counters, I still believe in this vision: giving smaller bloggers and thought leaders a chance to find their own captive audience.

Support-A-Thon: What’s Your Digital Footprint Say About You?

This Support-A-Thon series was started as a way to help each other out with simple tips and initiatives we can start to implement TODAY. It’s also a great opportunity to share best practices and network further. Today, we’ll look search engine nuances, intellectual property theft, and how SERPs are replacing traditional resumes, amongst other things.

For our purposes, our digital footprint is essentially the collection of your online content. Thing is, content loosely defines a whole slew of things we do online and offline. In cyberspace, content includes, but is not limited to:

• tweets
• blog posts
• comments
• forums/discussion boards
• status updates

And that’s just focusing on the stuff that is in public domains. These are all things that can be quoted, archived, forwarded, and, stolen.

With the speed of information delivery today, we must be mindful that any content we put out there can and will be used in some way we may not have originally intended or planned for.

Within minutes, that typo you made will be exposed to hundreds, thousands, then potentially millions of people! EEK.

Support-A-Thon: The Power Of Collaboration & Engaging

On Tuesday August 16th, I embarked on a journey to develop more social proof and expand my influence, bringing change to the interwebz and fighting the good fight, thanks to Guy Kawasaki’s powerful message in his “Enchanment” book.  (BTW, the guy really shares some neat stuff on Google+)

My current Support-A-Thon mission consists of the following:

• Get more active on my social networks.
• Offer my help and free advice.
• Expand my networks and engage each and ever person.
• Support and share the content of others.
• Simply ask that others do the same.

This campaign has been successful thus far but the marathon continues. As I promote my article on adaptive SEO, inbound marketing, engaging your audience, and converting traffic, I am making a deliberate effort to provide a strong CTA (Call To Action) and be helpful.  The discussions we’ve had publicly and privately have been BRILLIANT!

What Can Squids Do For YOU? Squids Can Make You Money Online.

Are you just looking to join Squidoo – sign up here – it’s FREE!

Recently, I was asked by my fellows in Birds of a Feather to discuss why I am so excited about Squidoo, a flexible content curation and publishing platform with built-in income opportunities (AND an awesome community attached to it).  The usual questions ensued…

• What’s the ROI?
• How does it compare to XYZ?
• What are YOUR results?

I answered honestly and with great fervor (because there’s lots to be excited about if you ask this here geek).  Keri Jaehnig of Idea Girl Media (and Birds of a Feather, amongst other groups on Triberr) is very intrigued.  Others are asking about it as well, thanks to my #Squidoo hash tag on Twitter, chats via Triberr, and my constant efforts to keep dripping information about my latest lens efforts on other social platforms…

So here I am to share with you what squids can do for YOU!

Create a page on Squidoo TODAY!

Yes, you should create a Squidoo page today.  That’s it.  Don’t hesitate…  do it now!

Need convincing?  Okay, here we go…

Are You A Serious Blogger Or A Hobbyist?

QUICK UPDATE:  My stock, YOMAR, is rising up on Empire Avenue – it’s strangely exciting to see how my social influence ranks throughout various communities.  Come visit me!

If you’ve been around the blogosphere enough, chances are you’ve come across blogs preaching the importance of planning out content, doing SEO, and monetizing your efforts. Most of the advice is sound. It makes sense to make blogging more worthwhile, if not lucrative. The first real step we bloggers should take is asking ourselves…

Am I a serious blogger or a hobbyist?

I’m surprised more people do not tackle this aspect of blogging. Rewards and success come in different flavors. Really, I’d say the longevity of your blog comes down to two things:

• Sustainability. WordPress.com initiated postaday2011 and postaweek2011 as a way to create urgency for bloggers. Some “experts” will tell you should blog 3 times a week, if not daily, but can you keep this up? For how long?
• Passion. Blogging is more of a selfish act and it should be.. BUT blogging solely about what interests others will bore you. Are you passionate about your subject matter or just following trends? You need a balance.

Blogging, like any business endeavor or project, can become a chore if you’re not focused on your goals and motivations. Product longevity depends on a number of factors so you have to consider what the heart of your “thing” is and how long that focus will work. You have to be honest with yourself here. Let’s look at the things you should consider before stepping things up with your blogging efforts (or not)…

The Perils Of Reinventing The Wheel: How Tools And Reusable Code/Content Build Loyalty And Efficiency

In the computer programming world, the old adage “reinventing the wheel” is used often. Programming veterans and code monkeys alike learn early that reinventing the proverbial wheel is often a foolish endeavor. Google it and you’ll see. People tend to get frustrated when their favorite software gets changed or “tweaked”, especially if the real issues are not addressed. These unexpected updates to games, apps, and tools we’ve grown attached to tend to create great WTF moments. Essentially, the wheel is reinvented and no real value-added is achieved.

The frustration of seemingly pointless updates extends to content as a whole, blogs included. Let’s say your audience (business customers, sales leads, gaming clan/guild members, readers, fans, etc.) is used to forums or discussion boards as the primary means of communication. You launch a separate forums site, eZine, mailing list, blog, or what-have-you. Now you notice that you don’t have as much participation or, even worse, little or no people are visiting or consuming your new content. What gives?

Let’s explore some of the considerations in service and site launches and updates alike, as well as online trends and habits that impact web site and online service performance…