nic-oliver.com

Week 3 in the series – I had decided to try this for a month and see whether people found it useful. Next week is the last in the month – let me know if you enjoy the reviews and find them useful!

Social Media misconceptions: 1. I don’t have time. by Nick Tadd
English blogger Nick Tadd examines one of the main ‘excuses’ people raise for not getting involved in Social Media

Social Media Gurus – That Old Chestnut by Mitch Joel
Mitch Joel looks at the old cliche “who should own Social Media”; does it fall under the heading of digital marketing, does it ….? I’m not going to steal his thunder

How to tap into your blog visitors need for new information by Marko Saric
Marko’s premise is that you  should always be reminding people that you and your products exist, and you should allow them to spend time with the content and the value that you create.

4 Ways Bloggers Differ From Reporters by Jay Baer
His key premise is that bloggers’ influence is derived from their own ability and moxie, whereas journalists’ influence is in large measure derived via the outlet they represent.

Your Farmer List by Chris Brogan
No, Chris Brogan hasn’t gone agricultural! This post is about what he calls a “farmer list,” meaning the chores you’ve gotta do every day

How does the style of your writing need to differ between your blog, your brochure and your website? by Karen Skidmore
This article is all about considering the different platforms for your writing.  Knowing when to sell and when to give value.  And a blog is place where you will sell more by selling less!

Please stop saying social media marketing is free by Jason Cohen
A plea for a return to sanity and to not be seduced by the free nature of the tools; there is always an opportunity cost for the time involved, if nothing else!

The Key Factors to any Successful Product Launch by Alex of Blogussion
Blogussion e launched their first product recently and this article discusses some of the things they learned a lot from doing it. Some good tips for all of us who sell, or intend to sell, products online.

The Power of Uniqueness [19 Starting Points for Being a Unique Blogger] by Darren Rowse
The title of the article describes its theme – uniqueness, written in Sarren Rowse’s usual flowing style.

How to lose friends and tick off people on FaceBook by Scott Stratten
If I had an ‘Article of the Week’ award, this would be it. It will no doubt ruffle a few feathers and some may find its style edgy but it really does say what many people are thinking. And whilst the article is aimed at Facebook, the points made apply to all networking sites. Great article

Wow, I’ve read over a hundred really cool articles this week (thank goodness for Google Reader)!

Again, in no particular order, here’s my pick of the week.

Will The Business People Please Stand Up? by Amber Naslund
I have to confess up front, I like Amber’s blog and could easilyhalf  fill this post with her articles. But this post struck me as being important as it makes a point that is often neglected: The most successful people in business are People who can admit what they don’t know, and seek knowledge or help.  The article is full of wisdom and if you have the time, treat yourself to the follow up article, Tough Love.

How I Leaped from Pagerank 0 to 4 in 21 Days Without any Connections by Henri Junttila
This article is included as it offers a golden tip. It’s so easy to focus on our blog and on filling it with great content, but commenting on other people’s blogs is what drives visitors to our sites. It’s something I have been very lax at and is one of my goals for 2010.

Branding Battle: Favicon to the Rescue by Seth Godin
A comprehensive post about the importance of, and how to create, a favicon. It never ceases to amaze me how many cool looking sites don’t have a favicon. And for those who use WordPress, there’s the useful plugin Shockingly Simple Favicon

Convert shortcomings into advantages — without lying by Jason Cohen
Sometimes it’s easy for the sole trader to become a little gloomy when trying to compete with much larger organisations. Jason Cohen’s article does a great job of turning some of the perceived weaknesses of the small organisation into strengths.

Deepen Your Networks by Chris Brogan
Another blogger whose articles I always read and possibly my favourite article of the week, this should be printed out and placed by the screen of every blogger or blogging wannabe. The bullet pointed list providing tips on how to deepen your network are worth the price of a book. And Chris says, it only takes a couple of hours a week to deepen the quality of relationships with people in your network. This is definitely one of my key words for 2010 – ‘focus’.

Does Your Customer Want What You’ve Got to Offer? by Sonia Simone
An article that gives great advice about the content of our articles; it uses food as a very cool analogy.

Can We Live In Private and Demand Companies Be Open? by Louis Gray
The theme of the next article is exactly what is says in the title and comes on the back of the weird announcements recently from the head of Facebook.

Use it or lose it! 5 Tips on How to Keep Your Blogging Regular by Darren Rowse
A candid article by Darren Rowse that warns of the perils of taking your blog’s readers for granted or not keeping in regular contact with them.

Why a portfolio of web content is as valuable as a portfolio of property by Nick Tadd
A very thorough piece from Nick Tadd about SM and the need for clear objectives

How to set up your mobile blog design – Step-by-step guide by Marko Saric
An extremely comprehensive article that does exactly what it says on the tin – provides a step-by-step guide to setting up your blog design for mobile platforms.

Happy Reading!