What Well Over 10 Years Of Blogging & Consulting Have Taught Me

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The purpose of life is not to be happy.  It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you lived and lived well.”  That provides strong principles and values, a useful framework, to live by but is it a useful definition of purpose?  I offer a simpler take:

The purpose of life is to find your true purpose.

This article will explore my journey, not for the sake of mere self-indulgence but for the purpose of helping you on your own journey and perhaps getting to know each other better.  I hope that, by the end, you’ll realize just how valuable and accomplished you are.  If you’re at a crossroads in life, this may be the article for you.  If you have any thoughts to share, please don’t be shy.  This one will be quite the journey!

This epic collection of stories and scattered thoughts will cover a lot of things, including, but not limited to:

• How writing can be a tool of self-discovery and self-improvement
• What I’ve learned through running Y3B as a vehicle for consulting
• Going beyond establishing expertise and credibility
• Toxicity and the dangerous brand of knowledge (i.e. bad advice)
• Why culture/personality fit trumps technical knowledge and experience

Tomorrow, on April 6th 2017, Y3B turns 11 years old and it will mark an over 20-year journey.  While I’ve dabbled in just about everything and worn many hats, writing and technology have always been passions.  The challenge is translating those passions that into what Mark Schaefer calls sustainable interests, a concept that I have long taught and believed in before the book “Known” was published.  That said, you really should read “Known” and check out the discussion groups on it.

I believe blogging is still one of the most powerful tools for those wishing to be known.  On a greater scale, if you wish to establish credibility and visibility, the written word is still one of the most compelling ways to do so.  Writing forces you to really think through your ideas in a way you may not do on a podcast and certainly not video, where you may be more preoccupied with production quality instead of the relevant, uniqueness, and importance of your message/stories.  Writing is easily the most powerful form of communication and it is something everyone should strive to improve upon, if for no other reason than to structure your ideas and self-identity better.

 

I’m Not A Blogger, This Is Not A Blog

When folks have asked me over the last few years what it is that I do, I never answer with blogging.  It’s not my focus or core competency.  I believe that calling yourself a blogger diminishes the value of what you do; furthermore, your blog should be a catalyst for bigger things.  The term “blogger” has become synonymous with hobby or passion, not profession or purpose.  That’s fine if your blog is truly a labor of love but, if it can be so much more, why wouldn’t you develop it as such?

Meet The GANG: Gaming Death Podcast & EP 100 Party On June 12th 2014! #E32014 #E3Live #E3

Breaking News!

We have live coverage on the @GeekyAntics Twitter and GeekyAntics.net site.  Tonight, June 10th 2014, at around 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific) we’ll be doing a special E3 show with the Gaming Death Podcast.

Big things going on.  Come join the GANG for #E3Live fun.  So far, I’m most enjoying the small studio and indie releases.  I dig what Microsoft is doing with the ID@XBox program.  Any time us little guys have a chance to level the playing field, that is exciting news to me!

Project Spark is particularly intriguing.  This is a sandbox game that actually allows you to create your own games.  Will this be like RPG Maker Ace VX or will it be more akin to Sony’s Little Big Planet?  Competition is heating up and it’s GREAT!

More E3 Coverage Here

Special thanks to the Gaming Death Podcast and GamingDeath.com for keeping us updated on all the latest video game news.  Even if you’re not into gaming, this technology and the game mechanics of it all are worth checking out.  E3 is, after all, a marketer’s wet dream, no?

So, what have you enjoyed of the #E32014 reveals so far?

Meet The GANG: Gaming Death Podcast & EP 100 Party On June 12th 2014! #E32014.

The Social Media Break-Through We’ve Been Waiting For?

I owe you an explanation.

Those of you whom have been following my blogs and podcasts closely know that I am big on this authentic engagement stuff..  yet I have been rather MIA. I’ve been automating my social media more than I’ve been engaging, breaking my very own cardinal rule. And where are the blog updates and new #NJAB updates?? Egads!

Why have I been neglecting my social media homebase, my baby, Y3B?

Well, you know that elusive social media break-through all of us are aiming for (no, it’s not Pinterest or StumbleUpon)?  I found mine..  and the opportunity is there for you, too!

For well over a month now, I’ve been working with an exciting business called Social Prize.  Started off as a consultant and now I am part owner/partner (but that’s for another conversation). Now, before I go ranting and raving about how awesome sauce this project is, I want to share some value with you..  because that’s what I do here on Y3B!

Engage And Win With Social Prize!

Social Prize is an engagement and rewards platform that helps you rapidly grow your audience without breaking the bank.  We’re combining game mechanics, social media, and analytics to create a member-driven experience where relevant brands can connect with the consumers that are truly  excited about them.

We’re listening to our audience and giving them what they want, killing the noise and shifting from quantity to quality (good-bye mass/interrupt marketing). I’d like to share some of the things we are doing to help small businesses and lean start-ups grow (and how you can apply these principles in your own business)…

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: Evaluating Social Currency And Re-humanizing Online Experiences #supportathon

So, is anyone else tired of hearing all this junk about the “ROI of social media” and the “value of friendships”?

I know I am.  I think I may *SCREAM* if I hear “ROI” and “social media” in the same sentence again. #justsayin

It seems that too many folks are jumping on the social media bandwagon with only one thing on their mind: money.  Now, we all need to make a living and I know I certainly have mouths to feed (my own in particular – hey, I’m a growing boy) but are we focusing on money first when the relationships should be at the forefront of our thoughts?

Source: NewMediator.com

These thoughts have been inspired by recent conversations with Jen Olney, Dave R. Gallant, Robert Dempsey, Karla Campos, Eugene Farber, and many other wonderful people.  While we don’t agree on every last detail, we all agree that there are too many issues with how folks approach social media.

I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet as we touch upon the following concepts:

• Redefining social media currency, relationships, conversions, and what engagement really means.
• Moving away from the robotic ways that have taken the warmth out of online interaction.
• Focusing on helping others so that the stuff we want falls into place naturally.
• Engaging in reciprocation that is more meaningful, authentic/sincere, and worthwhile for all.

Support-A-Thon: Forging A StumbleUpon Alliance & Unlocking StumbleUpon’s Full Potential

#ConversionFest UPDATE:  I am now in 4th place and coming up on 3rd place for the Unbounce.com Conversion-Fest Contest, thanks to the team effort.  If the comments keep coming in, we’ll knock this one right out of the park no problem!  Skype me or text me for more details.  Now let’s move on…

So, ever since Mashable released an article stating that StumbleUpon accounts for at least 50% of social media traffic suddenly everyone is listening.

To me, this is not news.  I’ve seen the potential in StumbleUpon since I started around 2007.  Admittedly, with all the things vying for my attention, I haven’t fully unlocked the potential yet it remains one of my topic traffic sources and, quite honestly, has been more fruitful than Facebook.

 “]In spite of the avid fanfare from active Stumblers and an industry leader in Ben Parr endorsing StumbleUpon (though not with much fervor, I must say), folks are still on the fence.  StumbleUpon can plant seeds for productivity over a long period of time, growing your audience organically and persistently.  Other platforms eventually lose momentum unless you keep planting the proverbial seeds and watering them often.  Soooo…

What is the cause for resistance?  I’d like to demystify and debunk social media beliefs while providing some compelling reasons to jump onto StumbleUpon (or get more active) TODAY.

Support-A-Thon: Submit Your #FreeBacklinks and Support Other Geeks #supportathon

Hello fellow geeks let’s TEAM UP! 

The Support-A-Thon continues.. Teamwork, teamwork!

UPDATE:  I’ll be re-sending this page via Buffer, StumbleUpon, and Triberr.  Come join us and feature your best content (try to keep it to one #backlink at a time so we can stay focused).  Just leave a comment with a detailed review and a link, then we’ll help you promote your stuff.  Remember to use hash tag #supportathon when tweeting or blogging about this wonderful collaborative effort!

Today, I want to step up the Support-A-Thon effort by inviting you all to share your shameless plugs right here on Y3B!

That’s right – submit your links here for FREE using the comments!

What’s the catch?

All we ask in return is that you hand-pick some of the links in this post to share with your friends and via your social networks.  This part is important because broadcasting shares and messages usually doesn’t work.  That includes sharing on your Facebook wall, Google stream, Twitter timeline, etc.

The purpose of this here Support-A-Thon is to engage your closest friends and supporters – those are your real influencers!

Please read on for some tips to make this work and more details about my own guest article promotion in our Support-A-Thon…

Laurinda Won’t Share Her Scotch With Me (Pssst… Sharing *IS* Caring!)

So my work-OUT buddy, Laurinda Shaver, told me she won’t share her scotch with me..  nor will she buy me a bento box from Fork and Spoon.  I don’t blame her.  I promised to join her and Lynn but I did not count on my TARDIS failing on me.  Manipulating time and space is quite difficult!

Doctor Who's TARDIS In Action (Thank you StrangeButTrue Radio!)

Today I bring to you a simple message about sharing.

While Laurinda Shaver did not share her scotch or Japanese food with me (eh, something about being in different countries may do it), she is very good about sharing..  In many ways.  In the short time I’ve known her, I feel so close to her.  I want to see her succeed more than she already has (“Operation Unplugged”, a Canadian docu-adventure series, looks very promising ).  I feed off her joy and positive energy.  When Laurinda asks for my time, I feel the need to drop what I am doing.  THAT’S the impression she has made by sharing of her world and herself so openly!

This wonderful quote is worth repeating again and again:

People do not care until they know you care.

I’m sure you’ve heard some version of that quote.  You get the gist of it.  Laurinda is one of those people that cares and takes the time out to do the little things.  She keeps those that matter most to her engaged, even when she doesn’t have much left to offer (she’s quite high in demand these days – yes, I’m looking at you, Mr. @SmartBoyDesigns).

Laurinda is in great company too.  There’s an elite class of “people people” including Janet Callaway, Christian Hollingsworth, Amber-Lee Dibble, Jen Olney, Nate Martin…  The list goes on and on.  Quite frankly, I want to link to them every time I name drop because these are folks that are doing big things in their own little ways.

Allow me to share what folks like them can teach us all… 

OH NOES – I’m Breaking The Blogging Rules!

DISCLAIMER: If this is your first time visiting my blog, it may seem I am being dismissive or condescending. Not at all.. A lot of the stuff I’ve slacked on has great value but I know not to let it drive me batty. One step at a time.. This is meant to be a light-hearted, fun blog entry, poking fun at myself. Please take it with a grain of salt and thank you for visiting!

I am breaking some blogging rules, especially this week (you know me, I’m a bit of a rebel and a crazy *wink*):

• I am only updating once this week (but that’s typical these days).
• This particular blog entry won’t be “significant” by most standards.
• There will be no “powerful call to action” here.
• I am not fully leveraging my blog to “sell” or convert.. Though I probably should!
• I have not added many info products nor have I created many upsell opportunities on my main blog.
• I have not set up additional landing pages (just a couple) nor have I focused on opt-in rates and permissions marketing.
• Monetizing efforts are minimal, at best, but it serves my personal goals right now.
• Blogging schedule.. What’s that?

I’d like to call this…

Slowing down to speed up.  (a.k.a. quality over quantity)

…Others may call it cheating, being undisciplined, or a blogging felony. Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinions!

Will you be my accomplice in cheating a little?

It’s been a very productive week but, unfortunately, I have not had as much creative time due to other projects.  I did put together a rather epic guest blog for UNbounce and I am working on some other guest blogs, including one that I am doing for my pal and fellow Online Entrepreneur and Business Consultant, Dave Gallant.  Still working away on some stuff for Dino Dogan, too.  (I’ve been working on my name-dropping skills as well – HA!)

 

Why Dating And Traditional Marketing Are Full Of Suck

A while back here on Y3B I wrote about dressing to impress, which I much later followed up with an article about pretender brands, empty labels, and broken promises (and how they are full of suck). There are many ways we play dress up to make keen first impressions, for better or worse. Here, I’d like for us to explore traditional marketing, dating, and the dangers of misrepresentation. In doing so, I hope to build up a strong case for the authenticity movement and warm connections, where the focus is on people and authentic experiences as opposed to spin or hype (manipulation).

When I blog, there’s usually a trigger or prompt that inspires me to build upon an underlying theme. This is one such scenario. After speaking with my mastermind group superstars, Laurinda Shaver and Julie Nutter, we realized that there are some glaring problems with human interaction as we know it. I’d like to share their perspectives and strategies because they’re things I know we could all work on more.

Laurinda On Rapid Assessments
You have a few seconds to answer the only question that really matters:

What can you do for me (and will you keep your promises)?

Okay.. GO!

What do you lead in with? How do you make it sound interesting yet authentic? Do you sound like a real person or a robot?

(Hurry, the clock is ticking!!)

Providing consistent, concise answers in a hurried world is no easy feat. Laurinda, fortunately, is a master of authentic taglines and video profiles, things that make rapid connections with fickle audiences. She’s made tons of these me-in-a-nutshell content pieces for many people and they’ve gotten great results.

In doing this, Laurinda has become a good judge of character. She can condense a 30-minute chat into a 30-second introduction or elevator pitch. It’s almost scary how well she does it! She also practices what she preaches, which further builds up her credibility as a professional.

Laurinda’s About Page: “A social media creative head who can actually project manage with a dash of true business savvy.”

Last but not least, I recommend reading “You Look Good Baby.. Sorta.” as the article hones in on the disappointment that happens when we build up false hopes through non-authentic interactions.

THE LESSON:. Practice understanding and, more importantly, accepting others and you can understand yourself better. The bonus here is that you get to learn the language of people that share your interests or could use your services. Framing “what we do” and “what we’re about” in ways people can identify with is a challenge we must all take on.

Julie On Dressing Right
You look up a business online. Their pledge outlines values you hold in high regards. Their service guarantee gives you peace of mind. Customer testimonials assure you further that this is the right choice.

Enter the disconnect…

You enter the office and nothing aligns with what is promised. The attire does not match the level of professionalism that you expect. The customer service does not is not as promised. The products are not as advertised.

Did you even go to the right place?

As customers, that is a frustrating encounter that could kill a potential sale before a warm connection can even be attempted.

What we forget when we’re on the other side of the customer interaction is that WE are the product.

Marketing starts and ends with you. If they dislike the people, the other stuff doesn’t really matter. Perception wins time after time.

Julie is a sort of pundit when it comes to discussing customer service, leadership, and relationship management issues within the overall service industry. Time and again, she sees people talking the talk but not walking the walk. As much as the rules of engagement in business may have changed, dressing to impress still matters and it’s not merely about attire. It’s about consistency and valuing your audience’s time.

THE LESSON:. Our attitudes (or, better yet, behaviors), clothes, posture, energy, actions.. Everything projects a stronger image than what mere words may say. Julie matches everything she does to her audience, while staying true to herself. This is something I find few businesses execute upon properly because we’re too busy trying to win people over. Perhaps it’s desperation at work but the lies eventually are shattered regardless.

Now let’s see how this all comes into play…