Well, branding is not the only thing on my mind. I think a lot about optimization, how SEO is not only about techniques to improve traffic from search engines but also about the people who read the content – the study of usability and conversion. (But that’s for another discussion…)

I think a lot about the importance of listening and engaging people (online & offline). Conversation and how people are treated is a big deal, to me. I think about the ways Social Media and SEO fit hand-in-glove, if planned right. (Such is a subject for another discussion…)

What about right now?

“Branding” is on my mind!

Facebook recently changed their status prompt to:

“What’s on your mind?”

I wonder how my friends would perceive my thoughts if I put “branding” or “personal branding” or “rebranding” in my status update.

(Note to self: Update Facebook status once this post is published.)

So, I’m using Facebook’s status prompt question to share what’s been on my mind for a while…

I’m Re-Branding!

What about Pixel Position?

PixelPosition.com doesn’t represent who I am or what I’m currently doing. It doesn’t answer the question, “What’s on my mind?” The mission has changed, and I have not been marketing SEO & Social Media services. It doesn’t make sense to continue using Pixel Position as my primary brand.

Marketing tenet:

“If something is confusing, in any way, then you – the marketer – are at fault.”

All businesses and consultants have the responsibility to remove any and every aspect of confusion from their online presences. It’s time for me to remove confusion. Why?

When I started consulting again, I did so with a team of alliances, customized for each project. Pixel Position doesn’t operate as an agency as in the past. Goals have changed. Recently, I’ve been training clients to learn SEO, to equip them how to manage their online marketing. Some have graduated and now only need a little coaching and guidance. I’ve been working on some side projects and goals.

How will projects be handled?

• I will continue to serve a few select clients.
• Pixel Position, as an entity, is not taking on new projects.
• I refer new inquiries to highly-qualified SEO / PPC consultants and Web Developers.

What’s on my plate?

Studying

I’ve been studying, studying, studying! I feel like I’m in a Master’s program with three classes, a mastermind group and now business coaching. (My friends may have noticed that I’m not socializing as much on Twitter and Facebook.) I’m studying…

• Affiliate Marketing
• Publishing Models
• Conversion, Usability and Testing
• SEO & Social Marketing – Ongoing

(I’ll share more later about the awesome courses – in another discussion…)

Domains

Domains are also on my mind a lot. I have to stop buying domains and start buying shoes!! (I easily own more domains than I have shoes and clothes combined!)

I’m building out some of these domains, selling and giving up a few. I’ll keep PixelPosition.com, obviously, but it won’t be my primary branded domain.

New Project / Team

I’ll be dedicating a considerable amount of my time and creative energies to a new project as well. I’m thrilled to soon be working alongside some very talented online professionals as they launch some consumer-oriented sites. (I’ll tell you more about the venture in another discussion…)

As I think about what I’ve been thinking, the following comes to mind:

Sow a thought. Reap an action.

Our actions do often follow our thoughts. For now, my “sowing” and “reaping” are can be summarized as follows:

Thought: Branding

Action: Build out new websites where the discussions will be continued

Stay tuned for more. Thanks for listening to my thoughts!

I am not, however, updating Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with answers to the question, “What are you doing right now?“

A better title for this post could be…

Why I am on Social Media

My Social Media participation began in 2007 to the need to stay current with rapid changes in Internet Marketing vocabulary and how Social Media ties into SEO. People in this industry were many of the first to gravitate to Social Media. So I started the long learning curve.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn was a given. It’s a professional networking site. Connections made through LinkedIn have opened possibilities and resulted in work relationships numerous times already. LinkedIn is pretty incredible from a business approach.

Facebook

Facebook was a learning ground. To date, I’ve only uploaded a couple photos and realize I’m missing out on much this platform has to offer for networking socially. I started connecting with people in the search marketing industry, joining groups and conferences, etc. Now, people from high school, cycling and other aspects of life are on Facebook. (I’m also connected with people I don’t personally know and no longer accept such invites.)

Twitter

Twitter became a text messaging and networking steroid for connecting with industry peeps and staying staying current with latest news. It’s often my RSS and email replacement. Twitter gets credit for building relationships and serving as my “go to” resource for news, resources and help for technical questions.

My “friends” connections grow daily along with my quest and thirst for information about search and social media marketing. The majority of people I follow are business contacts or are people “in the industry.”

Twitter is also a customer service portal for posting questions to businesses. It’s the one social network I couldn’t do without. But I’m now using it in moderation.

Another possible title for this post could be…

My Opinion on Social Media Status Updates

Some people using Social Media only update their status with the answer to, “What are you doing?” The result is a high signal to noise ratio - IMHO.

Define “noise”

Noise is not adding value, talking solely about your basic activities, often all day long.  Me, myself, and I – over and over.

The personal aspect of each person’s life is key for building relationships. Experts suggest a 10% “personal sharing” on social networks is enough to build relationship.

@GuyKawasaki looks at his participation on Twitter as:

“a weapon for subject matter experts.”

He’s a combo of PBS (public service) and QVC (sales) with a little personal thrown in. (There is debate about his use of Twitter in that he doesn’t engage in conversation with others, but that’s another subject.)

Examples of “noisy” answers to the question, “What are you doing now?” include:

• “…is going to the grocery store.”
• “…is washing the dog.”
• “…is at work.”
• “…is bored.”

I found this post Facebook’s Signal to Noise Factor when looking to see if others felt the same way. The author wrote:

Personally, I still like Facebook and find it useful—but I’m considering turning off some features that clutter my inbox.  For me, 2008 is all about increasing signal and reducing noise.

AGREE! For me, 2009 is all about…

• Increasing and selecting my signals and reducing the noise.
• Focusing on developing new websites and SEO, which means building great content and getting incoming links.

How do you update your status?

Facebook asks, “What are you doing right now?’

I mentioned on Facebook that I don’t see myself updating my status with an answer to that question very often, and one friend replied:

“And its not like you have to use that box for a status update anyway.”

Exactly! Amen! So be it!

Twitter asks, “What are you doing?

Few of my connections on Twitter answer the question, “What are you doing?”  It’s an instant messaging service for many of us.

LinkedIn’s status update provides some suggested “fill in” options:

I’ve gained respect for many connections by learning of their accomplishments and goals from their status updates on LinkedIn!

I was amazed, however, to see someone update their LinkedIn status with their “evolution of inebriation” including steps 1, 2 and 3!! They told us how they got drunk over the weekend!

No joke!

Another possible title for this post could be…

Status Updates = Your Online Reputation

Think about how you answer the question, “What are you doing now?”

• Are you just talking about yourself?
• Are you just marketing your hype?
• Are you sharing resources and adding value?
• Are you engaging with your connections?
• Do you really care what shows up in the search results?

Every LinkedIn profile shows up in search results. My LinkedIn profile data shows:

In the last 3 days, you have appeared in search results 11 times.

Each person’s reason for participating in social networks is unique and different.

How you fill in your status update becomes your online reputation. It can be the difference of gaining or loosing a job and/or friends.

Eric Lander, a respected SEO, recently reduced his LinkedIn network. He notes ethical concerns and considers each connection a vote. A vote? Think about that!

Warren Buffet said

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

How you answer the question, “What are you doing” can make or break your reputation.

Now you know what I’m doing and about my unofficial boycott!

Happy Birthday, Facebook!

You turned 5 years old February 4, 2009, and your influence on the world grows exponentially as your age grows linearly. You have received a lot of “Happy Birthday, Facebook” greetings, yet I couldn’t let the week pass without sending my own birthday wish to you.

Facebook Happy Birthday Application

Facebook, you have had a tremendous impact on many people.  I didn’t really understand your magnetism at first. When you opened your doors to more than college students, masses flocked to network onto your social platform. Over 150 million people around the world share their lives on Facebook to date.

You offer a safe place for people to connect. New friendships are formed and strengthened and old friends and high school buddies are reconnected, thanks to you! You have many applications, even providing ways for people to wish each other “Happy” Birthday on Facebook.

Businesses, non-profit organizations, various causes and political campaigns are able to share their products, services and efforts with Facebook users. Millions of dollars in social media advertising are invested into your tightly-controlled ad system. Facebook “Causes” has made a difference to help people and campaigns that would have been impossible without this social utility.

My comprehension of the “power of Facebook” for search marketing has grown in the past year. You are an important factor for search engine optimization and social media marketing. I was surprised to see you with a booth at Affiliate Summit in Vegas in January, and that “Advertising on Facebook” was the topic of a HOT session. You may argue it was standing-room-only because Shoemoney was on the panel, but you were the royal guest of honor.

Thank you, Facebook, for providing a social network for us to engage in conversation in ways unavailable before your birthday 5 years ago.

You should be proud that you have fulfilled and continue to expand your mission:

“Facebook was founded in 2004 to give people the tools to engage and understand the world around them.”

I’m going to spend more time with you building relationships in the coming years and look forward to many more birthdays! It will be exciting to see how you mature.

Happy Birthday, Facebook!

A search marketer’s daily lexicon includes words about tactics and actions for sharing and virally spreading messages, building brands and helping rank websites on the front pages of search engines. Geek speak represents daily life online, our Internet marketing jargon and lingo used while participating in online communities.

Geek Speak for Tactics

Geek Speak relating to methods, or tactics,  for marketing and positioning a company’s products and services include some of the following:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Blogging, User Generated Content (UGC), Social Media Marketing (SMM), Social Media Optimization (SMO), Email Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Networking, Reputation Management

Does online marketing have more acronyms than government work?

Translate and learn some of this lingo at MarketingTerms.com, an Internet marketing terms reference.

Geek Speak for Actions

Internet marketers, as well as customers and non-marketing types who surf the Web and/or buy products online, are all part of the process. Our actions become part of the marketing message. You may not know the word or term for what you are doing when you’re online, but when you are speaking about a product or service, your language becomes part of that company’s brand.

Geek speak for daily actions through which we share include:

Tweet, Stumble, Thumb, Sphinn, Digg, Post, Tag

• Tweet - a message less than or equal to 140 characters posted on Twitter
• Thumb - the act of giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to cast your vote on a website post, article, photo on StumbleUpon. People who look through StumbleUpon then Stumble upon sites for which others have voted.
• Sphinn - voting approval or disapproval (desphinning) submissions made on Sphinn, the site where many in search marketing hang out to share stories
• Digg - another “vote” of approval to say you like an article
• Post - creating an article for a blog, a blog post
• Tag - adding a keyword to posts or inserting words into a tweet or bookmarking a site with tags (Delicious)

These terms relate to participation on social networks, also known as “socnets.”

Socnets

Socnets are networks where people socialize and hang out. They represent the interconnection of people through a network. There are hundreds of socnets. Primary social networks for online marketers are Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Sphinn, Digg, LinkedIn, and a few more.

Socnets connect you with other people and their interests. You can see your friends and who your friends know and what they are doing, bookmarking, sharing, thinking, purchasing.

Social networking has grown into one THE biggest and most essential aspects of Internet marketing.

Microsoft announced that 70% of it’s ad spend in 2009 is going to be on Facebook?

Why?

This is where people are hanging out!

Socnets are growing faster than the rate of change in Google’s search algorithms. And that’s pretty darn fast! People like to hang out with other people, which is one of the key reasons for their phenomenal growth. Some people just like to watch other people – another reason.

Watch the CommonCraft video that explains Social Networking in Plain English.

Social networking and the way people share and vote for articles and blog posts about products and services has molded our daily words and actions.

Learn the Lingo!

Even if it all sounds like geek speak, once you join networks, you learn the culture and how to communicate with those who live there.

Learn the lingo of Internet marketers!

What new words do you need to start speaking? You, too, can learn geek speak! Who knows. Maybe the next brand that gets talked about is yours!

Many people donated to his car accident fund. Michael was able to put a down payment on a 1998 Saab today, 12.12.08. That’s 4 days after his accident in which he flipped over and walked away! The generosity of his online friends’ donations brought him to tears!

How was this possible? Social Media gave him wheels again!

Paying it Back – Free Blogging Webinar

Michael Martine held a free blogging webinar on Ustream as his way of “paying friends back” for paying it forward to help him in a crunch.

He announced he was going to offer the webinar as a “thank you” to those who donated. He also opened the session up to anyone who wanted to join on Ustream. Requesting money for a car may be an unusual request, especially in hard times when so many people are in need. Asking, in itself, is difficult and humbling for most of us. Michael combined his understanding of technology and Social Media to provide a value and give something in return for his donation request.

He explained:

I’m doing this because… well, because I didn’t die today. Like I said, I’m in a bind and need to raise fast cash. I want to offer you something of intense value in exchange for your donation, and I hope you think that’s fair.

A 3-hour Webinar on a Friday night?

Yes! 45-50 attendees spent our Friday night in his 3-hour webinar. Remarkablogger didn’t work off a clock or schedule or tight agenda. Instead, he walked through tips for blogging, using WordPress, SEO, keyword research, competitive research and best practices. Michael shared five steps for starting a new blog:

1. Write a lot of content in advance & figure out categories (based on target & keyword research).
2. Use pretty Permalinks.
3. Get a Feedburner account (HTML for email & RSS).
4. Use an XML Sitemap to get found by Google and other search engines.
5. Promote: Start driving traffic using Social Media, commenting on other blogs and promotions.

[Self-talk] Oh, if only I’d known the forumula for starting a new blog 3 years ago!

Michael is a trainer by trade and does a great job delivering instructional material. He has been developing a training product, SEO-Nomicon, which will walk you through the magic of blogging and SEO and, you guessed it, Social Media. SEO-Nomicon is coming soon. I’ll surely be sharing more about it when it’s launched.

Social Media’s Power to Change Lives

In Remarkablogger’s post Social Media has the Power to Change Lives, and I Should Know, he shared his thoughts about the power of Social Media.

This is a clear demonstration of the power of the social web, and how to live with it in your life: bring value to others and help others with no expectation of getting anything in return. I had no idea the response to my request would be this great. I only hoped I could get enough help to get through this. So far, I am, but it’s still very close.

The saying comes to mind…

Power to the people!

Social Media connects people. People connected to other people online is powerful, no doubt!

Has Social Media brought power to your life? If not, consider how you are using it. If you’re not, you’re missing out on a very powerful connection.

Breast Cancer Awareness, a Brief History

Pink ribbons are often worn to commemorate a survivor or a love one who lost the battle. In recent years, corporations sponsored events, organizations put on races, grocery products were imprinted with pink ribbons. The goal has been increased awareness of and raising of money to fight breast cancer. Many of these campaigns continue. Some are still successful while others have not been. (More about that shortly.)

In 2007, viral marketing expanded reach of this campaign with the launch of television shows dedicated to breast cancer awareness – Deal or No Deal and Warriors in Pink were dedicated to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Social Media has gone pink for October in 2008.

Pink Social Media

Avatars on Twitter, a microblogging & socializing network, went pink on October 1, 2008. My initial reaction was, “I’m not going pink for the latest fad!” I quickly found that SEO Rockstars from 3 Dog Media, Greg & Barbara Boser, posted Turn Twitter Pink.  Here is what Mrs. G wrote about breast cancer awareness and the value of Social Media during October:

“…you can help spread the word by focusing on the topic for at least one month. It’s easy. All you have to do is stumble, delicious, digg, reddit, kirtsy whatever article you see related to increasing awareness.”

I immediately had my hair done at the local Social Media Salon with a hot pink hairdo! Why? I joined the cause to display pink to have an opportunity to share about breast cancer awareness.

Shown right are some of my “friends” on Twitter with their unique pink avatars.

Pink October is more than a bandwagon.

Multiple colors represent causes. Pink for breast cancer. Differences, however small, can be made.

Yellow LiveStrong bracelets were made popular by Lance Armstrong. Wearing them became a fashion statement and an association with America’s Tour de France hero. Some joined the LIveStrong “bandwagon” because others were doing it. However, I met quite a few people as a result of those bracelets and heard some heart-wrenching stories about how cancer affected their lives. I have a close friend who fought breast cancer while pregnant, before and after her baby was taken early by C section. I shared her story, and others prayed for her as a result. I did the same as my eyes opened to the devastation of this disease as stories were shared.

Conversations occurred because of those yellow bracelets. I hope you enter into conversation about breast cancer because of Pink October.

Pink October is more than conversation.

Social Media is based on conversations. The power of conversations, thus the power of Social Media, is sharing!

Sharing happens when others post messages. Sharing happens when we link to stories and articles on the Web. People share by posting links and by voting on articles in a number of different Social Media spaces. Reread what Mrs. G wrote above about “stumble, delicious, digg, reddit…” These sites are places where people share their interests. That shared linking builds value for those Web pages. Ahhh… LINKS!

The formula is simple:

More Links = Higher Search Engine Rankings

Pink October helps Search Engine Optimization.

Going pink in October and sharing on Social Media sites does more than raise breast cancer awareness, it raises the stories up in the search rankings. Pink October helps SEO!

Search Engine Optimization involves a number of factors. One of the most important strategies for SEO is link building. When you link to a site, you essentially give it a VOTE. Help increase rankings of your favorite breast cancer stories and campaigns by voting. It’s easy. Link!!

Where do you go to link?

The following Social Media sites are popular. Exposure on these sites increases incoming links.

• StumbleUpon
• Digg
• Reddit
• YouTube
• Propeller
• Delicious
• Twitter

Submit, or vote, for your favorite breast cancer awareness article or campaign.

I especially liked the following post by a new “friend on Twitter, Twitterbo. He shared his organization’s Cancer Research Survey in which they donate $1 for each story.

Viral Pink

Sharing and creating a presence on multiple Social Media sites is key to viral marketing.

One example of going “viral pink” is a campaign launched by General Mills on MySpace called Pink Together. Marketing Sherpa gave them a 2008 Viral Hall of Fame Award for this effort. Sponsors include Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Cheerios, Progresso, Nature Valley, Yoplait.

Pink Together has 6884 friends on MySpace! As of this writing on October 3, 2008, there were 799 comments by these friends. People are talking and sharing their stories. Their forums are not as successful; they ask these questions:

How have you been affected by breast cancer? 0 Posts (zero)

What hopes and experiences can you share with those currently in the fight? 0 Posts

How will General Mills measures the success of this Pink Together campaign? I don’t know. Successful blog participation? Failed forum discussion?

Did they choose the right avenue to go viral pink? This may be a case where MySpace is not the place where users participate in forums.

Exploitation of Pink?

Pink has also been exploited by corporations to sell products. This unfortunate situation is called “disease marketing.” The corporate world markets products that make us feel good for our consumption. “Pink Ribbons, Inc.” is a book that talks about this cash cow approach.

Do some companies jump on the pink bandwagon because it sells products?

In 2006, Yoplait’s fight breast cancer campaign raised $36.00. That’s “thirty six dollars” for saving those little foil lids. That same year, Campbell’s Soup only donated 3.5 cents per can of soup. Come on! How did they measure success?  Successful press coverage? Failed efforts to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer?

DISCLAIMER: I am not inferring that Pink Together on MySpace above is exploitation since the same companies are involved. I’m simply sharing what I’ve learned about these breast cancer awareness campaigns.

Positive Pink Outweighs Negative Pink

You can make a difference with a positive approach. What’s the takeaway for you?

• Go Pink in October.
• Donate to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
• Link to stories and campaigns on Social Media sharing & voting sites.

There is power in participation to raise awareness and money for breast cancer.

Remember the power of Social Media and Pink October:

Awareness + Conversations + Sharing + Linking = Higher SERPS (Search Engine Results)

Are we using our skills and talents to make a positive impact? Are we helping optimize society? How are we giving back and making a difference?

Is SEO “all about me?”

SEO, the process of getting websites to rank high in the search engines, is a critical component of online marketing efforts.

• We need to develop a lot of content.
• We optimize various forms of content (text, pdfs, podcasts, video) and our website(s) for universal search.
• We work to improve PageRank (authority) with Google while building up “social trust” by getting more links from other sites.
• We Blog, Sphinn, Digg, Thumb, Tweet, Snip, Share, Bookmark, Comment…

Focusing on SEO can result in tunnel vision, since a lot of this effort is “all about me!”… My website. My clients. My reputation. My content. My opinion. My pocketbook. Me. Me. Me. Remember, I’m talking to “myself” as well.

Enter Social Media…

Social Media properties are the hot topic and target of marketers. As marketers…

• We create and deliver information to influence consumers to purchase products or services.
• We deliver messages to the people who are spending time on Social Media sites.

Social Media Marketing is one way advertisers promote and gain insight on their products. (Read post on Social Media conversation and engagement.)

Social Media is important for SEO. Speakers at the SEOmoz Expert Training in Seattle this past week did a great job explaining the importance of SEO techniques and Social Media participation. One Take-away: SEOs must know how to use Social Media to go viral, to increase links and exposure to their websites.

Use. Did you pick up on that word? (I’m hearing Bill Wither’s song, “Use me” in the back of my mind as I type.) Are we using Social Media as a means to an end? Are we genuinely involved? Answer: Probably a combination of both. Unfortunately, it’s too easy to use online marketing skills to focus on self promotion.

How are you using your SEO skills?
How are you contributing to society?
Are you making a difference?

What need is met by Social Media?

Social Media communities provide places where people can be social online, where like-minded people can share, interact, mingle, explore, help and support each other. Dana Larson wrote a great article, Hierarchy of Social Media Needs, in which she lists Maslov’s list for human motivation:

• Physiological Needs
• Safety Needs
• Social Needs
• Esteem Needs
• Self-Actualization

Dana does a great job explaining how one should genuinely participate in social media. She states:

Social sites are not designed for the classic swoop-and-dump (think seagulls) tactic, so users need to be careful with how they are using social media for marketing and what kind of information to pass along to other users.

Social Media has a valuable place in SEO and in our personal lives. It fulfills many needs, and is a valuable avenue for companies to engage with customers. I know it meets many of my personal needs. I am empowered by collective thought, including thoughts of non-like minds. Both sides of the brain are stimulated, left and right. I meet people whom I would never meet otherwise, and I get to know others at a deeper level, understanding them better and appreciating their likes and dislikes. (Ooops, I’m talking about me.)

Being Social is “all about you!”

Those with good social skills are people who listen, who ask questions, who genuinely care and go out of their way for others, who put the other person first. It’s all about you! Do these traits carry over to your involvement in Social Media? Are you giving back?

Focus on Optimizing Society

There is untapped potential for using SEO and Social Media to make a difference in society. Does society gain from any of your daily SEO efforts, your participation in Social Media? Or is your sole focus on getting Diggs, Sphinns, Thumbs, Bookmarks?

Consider using some of that energy to dig deeper, to share your pocketbook and your calendar. Help optimize society with your skills and gifts.

How? It’s different for everyone. It’s easier for me to give money than to give time. Sunday’s my birthday, and I told my Mom I wanted time wrapped up with a bow. However, I decided to give away time and money instead this weekend – oh, nothing big. However, I’ve been motivated by people in my social network – those who are giving and doing more.

Start today…

Today, my husband and I participated in Impact Orangevale, an effort organized by our church to make a difference in the community. We spiffied up a local school – dug dirt, planted flowers, cut weeds, swept and cleaned up the place. We helped a local food bank and gave them almost 10 tons of food. (That’s approx. $65,000 work of food collected in one week.) We made a difference. I thought to myself, “we optimized the school and the food bank.”

Today, Chris Brogan posted an article, Solve Some Real World Problems, in which he outlines ways those of us in Social Media can make a difference. Yesterday, he tweeted about a cause to raise money to help send a young woman from Cambodia to college. Chris Brogan is making a difference. He’s optimizing society using his skills in Social Media.

Today, I met a gal, Christina McGee, who is studying microbiology. She wants to go into medicine to help people in other countries. Listening to her excitement about how she wants to work with others to make a difference inspired me. She will be optimizing society!

It’s time to get out of our (my) narcissistic fishbowls! Make a difference in the lives of others. If you know SEO and Social Media, you have valuable skills. Use your knowledge to make a difference!

Start today with Social SEO! I’d love to hear what you’ve done or want to do to make a difference, however small.

What type of photos do you need to create and edit?

• Avatars for a your Social Media profiles?
• Photos for Flickr, Picasa Web Albums, FaceBook, and other online sharing?
• Images for your website and ecommerce store?

How much do you want to spend? Most of us would say “nothing.” Creating quality photos doesn’t require a huge capital investment. It does take a little time and creativity.

Creating Social Media Avatars & Photos

You don’t have to be a graphic artist to participate in Social Media. However, you want to use an image that represents who you are. This graphic is called your avatar. Use a graphic or photo that represents your uniqueness, your personality. Maybe it’s simply your mugshot!

• Get your own speaking avatar at voki.com.
• Create your own graphical, cartoonish avatar using Create My Picture.
• Animate yourself as a 3D talking head with Gizmoz (be ready to laugh).

I prefer the conservative approach and use my photo – and appreciate it when others do the same. (It’s easier to meet people at conferences!) I use a variation of the same picture shown right.

Sizes for avatars range from 48×48 pixels to 100×100 pixels. Photo editing tools enable you to resize and crop your image. You may want to cut out the background, colorize it, or make it black and white. Here are two free tools for photo editing and avatar creating:

• Picnik – Easily edit photos, online, in your browser. Their site says, “Tweak to your heart’s content.”
• Picasa – Free software download from Google in which you can edit, organize and share photos.

Picnik and Picasa are also free photo editing tools ideal for Social Media photo sharing.

• Picnik and Flickr are now integrated. Users can edit online, in Flickr, using Picnik tools on the photo page. (It’s also a great tool for taking screenshots.)
• Picasa allows you to upload to Google’s Picasa Web Albums. (It does a great job of getting rid of red-eye.)
• FotoFlexer is another free online tool for editing photos and uploading to your social spaces.

(Personal opinion about avatars: Gals, please don’t use suggestive avatars. Your image represents who you are offline and online. Unless you plan to someday work for Hugh or Hooters, your avatar can determine how a prospective employer, and the world, judges you.)

Ecommerce & Website Images

You don’t have to be a graphic artist to create quality photographs for your website. However, you do need QUALITY photos. The quality of images on an ecommerce site can make or break the experience and possibly the sale. You might want to dish out some money for a photo editing tool. You’ll save money by preparing your own product photos without paying website maintenance fees.

Prepare, touch-up and optimize quality images for your online store using Photoshop Elements, a scaled-down version of Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop Elements is less expensive, worth the money, and a great tool for ecommerce store owners.

Photoshop Elements Tutorials

Refer to these tutorials for using Photoshop Elements to flatten out the learning curve:

• Photoshop Elements Techniques – highly recommended.
• Using the Magic Wand tool to select and area to change color or cut out backgrounds from a picture.
• A listing of Photoshop Elements Tutorials, including free videos and some paid resources.
• A listing of sites with Photoshop Tips & Tricks.

Books:

• Photoshop Elements, The Missing Manual
• Teach Yourself Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 in 24 Hours

Determine your photo editing goals. Realize you don’t have to spend a lot of money to create online photos.

• If you are simply interested in participating in Social Media, use the free photo editing tools.
• If you are an ecommerce store owner, consider Photoshop Elements.
• If you are planning to provide professional services in graphic design or photography, you’ll get the bells and whistles in Adobe Photoshop.

People do judge a book by its cover. Your avatars and your ecommerce product photos are your cover!

One more free photo editing tool – GIMP

GIMP works on all platforms (PC, Max, Linux). This free photo editing tool offers a customizable interface, photo enhancing and a lot more. Are you ready? GIMP enables you to load and save files to a Web server via FTP! That’s not all! It also allows you to compress them to save disk space (ZIP, GZ). I can’t wait to start using this. Check out the GIMP Tutorials.

Thank you, UnclePeppers.com, for sharing this tool!

Did you sense the adrenaline of the conversations on Twitter?

Did you tweet and follow hashmarks for “#tweb” or “#tweb2″ on Summize?

On June 26, 2008, people interested in Social Media participated in a global conference of taped video interviews, live audio commentary by Chris Brogan (shown right), while texting their comments and perceptions into Twitter. The free event was so popular that it was live rebroadcast three hours later.

“Social Media Game Changer” was the first of a summer series. Visit Twebinar to learn more and decided if you want to join upcoming conversations.

Social Media Lingo

Social Media lingo may sound like Morse code or a cult. Every industry has its terms, its inside lingo. Learning a foreign language is similar. You don’t have to become fluent to communicate. Social Media lingo is like the dictionary. Terms are defined by our usage.

Twitter, Plurk, BriteKite, FriendFeed, FaceBook might sound like foreign countries, but if you visit and get to know the people, you’ll learn the dialect. Join the conversation; you’ll pick up the jargon. You’ll learn enough to relate and engage. There’s no secret handshake.

Converse – Talk the Talk

Social Media is a conversation that takes place online, every second, on multiple platforms – blogs, forums, short instant messaging (SMS), website reviews, etc.

“Social Media Game Changer” (topic of the first Twebinar) means the rules and players have changed in the game of marketing. You and I as customers are marketers each time we write a review, share an opinion, recommend a product, link to a cool website or complain about a customer service rep. We’re talking online every second, which means we are “marketing” continually.

Blogging and getting involved in Social Media is more than cool, hip or cultist. It’s ESSENTIAL. Businesses must talk with customers and encourage two-way conversation. Marketing is about the conversation and not about pushing a message, aka “Conversational Marketing.”

The Twebinar emphasized how the world can come together and talk, in-sync yet with many simultaneous conversations. I was monitoring Twittervision (server was down as of this post) which shows a global map with tweets in real-time. Imagine a birds-eye view of Twitter discussions, tweets. Keep this visual while thinking about the global power of Social Media.

People are talking, sometimes about you! Get in there and join the conversation.

Engage – Walk the Talk

Talk can be cheap. We, the people, see through razzle dazzle marketing ploys. You need to be real, open, honest and…walk the talk. Put feet to your message and engage.

Participate in your community. This doesn’t mean writing a check to plant trees in a park. Engaging in the conversation means getting involved online, responding to concerns, thanking people for testimonials, sharing tips and best practices.

Engagement is true interactive marketing. It’s building relationships.

Listen – Hear What Is Being Said

The first step is to really hear what is being said. Listen! Listen!

Q. What is one of the most aggravating things about conversation?
A. When people don’t listen to you.

Chris Brogan, while moderating the Twebinar, said:

“Starting conversations means listening. We have two ears, one mouth.”
In the old days we used to yell at our TV. Now…customers are not going to bring that conversation to your doorstep.

You need to be able to listen to lots of channels.

If you are going to do business in social media, [listening] is very important.”

Listen to Understand

Stephen Covey, in “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” mentions that listening to understand what someone means is key to communication. We too often listen “out our of our own autobiography.” How many times do you tell a story and have someone respond with their own story or oneupmanship – my fish is bigger? Or while the other person is talking, you are thinking about what you’re going to say next? BUSTED!

“You” is the most important word in the English Language.

“I” is the least important.

Are you really listening? Think about this…

We go to school to learn to write, to express ourselves, to learn effective public speaking. But, how many of us took a class in “Listening 101” to graduate?

Listening is the Game – Changing Rule

Is listening really so revolutionary? No! However, Social Media is forcing companies to change their game and actually listen. Those who remain deaf will fail.

Shift your focus. Follow the rules of the game. Start listening today!

Social Media Case Study

MyStarbucks

Many successful case studies for the effectiveness of Social Media were discussed at the Twebinar. MyStarbucksIdea.com was mentioned. Starbucks made headlines when they launched this site to “outsource parts of their marketing” to we, the people. Imagine how many Starbucks groupies have shared their opinions on how to enhance their daily ritual!

You may think, “Starbucks is one of the big dogs. They can afford anything.” What if you are game publisher?

SmartKit – Brain Gym & Puzzle Playground

Lee Odden shared how TopRank Online Marketing helped a client who publishes games, SmartKit, engage a community around their blog. One goal was to get enough traffic for an advertising model. TopRank created communities for SmartKit on Twitter and Facebook as communication channels. Engagement on FaceBook included publishing a leader board. (We all know how much people want to keep score. ) The SmartKit blog went from approx. 1,000 visitors/month to 268,000/month. (Hope I got those numbers correct).

Take-away: Social Media is like SmartKit’s Twitter bio: “a fresh daily supply of captivating puzzles to exercise and cross train your brain.”

Power of People Marketing

Social Media is not about printing a brochure, designing a website, or airing a radio spot. It’s about two-way communication.

People Talk. Do you listen?

And the saying goes…

“God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

The rules of the game have changed. It’s your choice on how you play the game.

Loosers: Put in earplugs and ignore.

Winners: Listen, ask questions, build relationships and engage.

Let your customers reduce your marketing and R&D budgets and become part of your team.