When visitors arrive at your blog, what do they see without any scrolling of their mouse? Do they see something that will compel them to stay at your site and read more?

Go ahead, comment on my blog while you’re here. I know. The reason I’m mentioning this is that my blog designer and I are working on a new design and this is what he has me thinking about.

1. Do they see a lot of text that does not explain what the site is, who you are, how to subscribe by RSS or email? That’s a problem.
Move your subscription options to the top of the page. Write an about me page, consider a static blog page or a static FAQ post. Consider your design. Can your readers see content? Can they quickly make a comment?

2. Is there a lot of art at the top? Art just for the sake of art is great, but for a blog that encourages traffic, large art is static, it doesn’t propel a reader to stay or continue to scroll. What about a large headline that doesn’t do much? A headline needs to draw in a reader. How about adding a subtitle? How about making it linkable? How about adding some menu buttons right underneath that title?

3. When your readers finally scroll, does music start to play or does the large amount of art or ads make the site slow to load? If you can avoid music (if you’re not a composer or dj), don’t add music to your blog. Folks are usually listening to their own music or their own podcasts or they are at work and a quiet office is not amenable to loud trance music coming on automatically. The auto-play on some blogs drives me crazy.

4. Do all your links work? If you haven’t updated your blog roll in a while, why not do that this week? Nothing like coming to a person’s blog and then hitting a list of dead ends. Also, a helpful WordPress plugin allows your blog readers to connect the comments on the post to the commenter’s most recent blog post (I’m adding that function) and that is a great idea. Why would your readers want to click through your blog roll unless they kind of knew who those people were and how they respond to you?

5. Is your blog mostly pictures? That’s fine. No problems, but you might consider captioning. Decide if you want captions above the picture or below it. Do you want to name real names or just cite initials (if people are in the pictures)? Do you have permission to post their images on your blog?

Just a few things that I’m working on this week. Hope they are helpful.

Any comments? What would you like to see on this blog? I’m redesigning, so go right ahead!

All shiny and fun. Sparkling new, something to watch as an oddity: that’s been social media for many. The early adopters are scrambling to show how effective social media can be for folks recently put out of work or for businesses struggling to keep their staff even in the midst of lean times. (My sis works at an HR think tank and she said the word is to hang on for just a bit longer. In her words, “We are in the muddling middle.” They counsel companies who are determined to reduce hours, cut wages, but to keep people employed and to keep the health insurance going for as many as they can.)

In the midst of those type of situations, what’s social media got to do with anything?

Well, it is the future. When your company recovers (if you’re struggling), you’ll be making plans to dive into social media, trust me. Or if you’re doing well now (there are MANY companies booming right now), then by all means, get in there.

How, you might ask? What’s in it for us? What does it mean?

Well, in a nutshell, look around you. What is dying?

Print.

Newspapers. Magazines.

Where are they going?

Online.

If your company wants to survive this new world that has arrived, you’ll need to create your online presence and make it work.

This means Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

This means Stumble Upon, Digg, and YouTube.

Where do you start?

1. Set some goals.
Make sure your desire to play with social media doesn’t overwhelm the needs your company really has. What do you plan to accomplish online? Create a community, drive traffic? How is that accomplished? This requires some serious thinking.

2. How will you accomplish those goals?
If you’re looking to drive traffic, you’ll need to start putting up some content, either free or for your paying clients that invites them to visit your site/blog/Twitter profile. If you’re looking to establish a presence online to combat negative press, you’ll need to have someone monitoring the Internet presence on a continual basis. The key to negating bad press is to deal with it as soon as possible.

3. If something doesn’t work, do you fix it or drop it?
For blogging, there is a six month period of continual posting in which you are building past your launch phase. It is not unusual for there to be no comments, no people interacting with you. This is the phase of you partaking information to your niche. At about 9-12 months in (in some cases even longer), you should see more interaction with your audience. If you don’t see that, are you providing content that invites participation? In that case, I would try and fix it. Hire a blogger, get some feedback from your audience, something. The only time I tell folks to drop a social media project is if it no longer meets their primary goals.

4. The social media aspect must fit somehow into your marketing, networking, or sales funnel. If it doesn’t fit into any of those, you might need to rethink what you are doing with social media, and whether or not the activities you’ve chosen have actually gotten you closer to your goals.

5. Social media will change, so flexibility is key. Not to start and stop, start and stop, but to realize that your audience has shifted, your market’s needs have changed, the tenor of the discussion about your company or products has morphed, etc. Be aware that your job is to stay one step ahead of or abreast of these changes and to shape your social media accordingly.

More questions, refer to the social media books I referred you to in this post. Or contact me on Twitter, in the comments, or via email.

How will you begin to implement a social media plan? What will you do today?

Someone asked me this the other day and I looked at them like they were crazy. You never lower your rates. Well, okay, just let me explain.

Your rates are not some random number you pull out of the sky, folks. These rates are what you need to make a profit, pay your taxes, pay your bills, and live on. To cut rates just because someone asks, um, that’s not business. Sure, there are times to offer promos or coupons (say when I have a blog client that buys more blog posts from me each month, he gets a better deal, because it’s a bulk deal), but you don’t cut your rates, just because you feel guilty (or because someone makes you feel guilty when you bid your project). If they can’t afford it, you move on. All this is directly related to your business plan, figuring out your rates before you’re out there bidding on projects, and your marketing plans.

For example, a friend of mine does custom eco-friendly heating and cooling systems. He charges good money for them. Some would say his prices are way too high, but if you look closely at what he’s doing, you soon realize, his prices are quite appropriate. It’s a custom job, with custom parts, labor doing custom work (that they don’t replicate often) and you think he should lower his prices? What about his suppliers, his employees? They don’t get paid what they are worth? He doesn’t get any profit at all? He doesn’t get any money to pay his own mortgage? His pricing is something he figures out beforehand. If a customer can’t afford it, is that his problem?

I just don’t get this thinking. If you’re running a professional business (moonlighting or not), you shouldn’t be haggling over pricing. If you’re an amateur and this is a hobby of yours, sure, no one should pay you anything, because you’re having fun, right? It’s your mindset that’s messing you up. If you’re a professional, you price jobs like a professional, and people pay you like a professional. Professionals charge for their expertise and their time. They don’t give out cut rates unless it benefits them AND their customer.

This may sound like me reversing on my contrarian stance. No. If you want to GET customers, you must never think of your goals first. Once they are your customers, you must make money from the work you do for them. Otherwise, they aren’t actually customers, they are baracudas and they will suck you dry.

So:

1. If you’re asked to give them a cut, say sure, but you’ll need the entire amount paid in full upfront. Then take a small percentage off.

2. If you’re asked to give them a good deal, say sure, but they’ll need to buy more from you to get that good deal.

3. If you’re asked to do something for free, say no. Unless it’s for charity and you really do want to do it.

4. If you’re asked to do it for free, remind the person that you are a professional and run a business and you would love to do it for free if it were just your hobby. But it’s not. If they get rude and say you’re no better than just a hobbyist, you don’t want to work with them, do you?

5. If you’re asked to give a discount, say that after you and they have done business for awhile and you get to know each other, maybe, at your discretion. Volume of business is deserving of a discount; a first-time, one-time sale, is not.

And now, back to work everyone! You know it’s the entrepreneurs and businesses that will keep this country running, not bailouts. So let’s work!

As Twitter grows by leaps and bounds, you know what’s coming next, don’t you? Say you’re looking for your next job or your next project. The hiring manager decides to type you into Google and take a look at what you’re doing online. They find your Twitter feed and see that you like to ______________ (fill in the blank with the worst you do online). Surprise! The manager decides you may not be the right fit for their company or project after all.

Think it’s far-fetched? Think again.

More and more HR departments are utilizing the web for background checks and general information about a candidate they’re considering for a job or project. It’s not a new practice. Potential employers already do background checks, FICO score checks, past-due child support garnishes, so don’t you think they would take a look online too?

What’s a person to do?

Well, first of all, make sure your online activity matches the kind of jobs and projects you go for. If you have a Twitter feed that’s all about NASCAR, you might want to list this on your resume as a hobby, or if you love to post about politics, disclose the fact that you’re a member of your local political action committee.

But there are ways to repair damage or to build a Internet resume and reputation you’ll be proud to own:

1. Penelope Trunk advises everyone, employed or self-employed, to start a blog. What better way to transmit the real you and your skill sets than by writing weekly or monthly posts on the subjects you’re interested in?

2. Trunk also advises looking for your next job as soon as you land your current job. Always be creating a career arc and look forward to where your arc is heading. That will help cut down on inappropriate content coming up on a Google search of your name.

3. I think writing for a blog is a must, plus I advise clients to write articles for free directories. These articles don’t get you any pay, but they cement your name on Google as someone who writes or knows or is interested in a certain subject. Yes, write these even if you are employed. They can be part of your resume.

4. I advise clients to comment on blogs they read regularly. This can be blogs about sports, or fashion, politics can even be used (with care), and current news. Do remember though that if you respond to someone’s blog, your response may be up for much longer than you intend. It’s out of your control.

5. Review books on Amazon.com or on other review sites. This is a great way to get your name attached to worthy topics you’re interested in. Reading up on marketing skills in order to get that marketing job in a few years? Comment on the books you read with your opinion. Your insight then gets attached to that book and is searchable on Google.

With the right approach, commenting on blogs, reviewing relevant books on Amazon.com, and interacting wisely on Twitter and Facebook can help your Internet resume shine for those potential employers and project partners. Plus, the good content you specifically place out there replaces the content you’d rather get pushed farther back in the search rankings. It’s a continual process, too; not something you can just do once and it’s done forever.

Any other ideas on how to rework your Internet resume?

Most businesses I talk to want to know one thing. How do I communicate? They can talk off the cuff (better than I can), but when it comes time to make a presentation, to write a memo, or to keep their business blog going, they feel blocked. Frequently, I come alongside and help produce the blog post, and once they realize they were making it harder than it has to be, they tell me they are able to confidently produce a better memo or a better PowerPoint presentation. It’s all in the approach.

Don’t just sit down and write stuff cold.
The biggest mistake I see business owners making is that they put off the writing until the very last minute. Then when they sit down to write, they feel pressure and frequently don’t know what they need to in order to write
well. I take a three-pronged approach: thinking, researching, writing. And of course each prong has it’s own subsections, but for now, we’ll just focus on the three big divisions.

Think about what you are trying to accomplish
To write well, you must think first, write later. Outline the major points you know you must cover in your piece on a piece of scrap paper. Now just stop, ignore the phone, email, everything around you and just think through these points. Let your brain pick them up as pebbles and let your thoughts turn them over and over for a bit. It may sound stupid, but it works and it calms you down. You’re thinking through all the angles when you do this. It’s not dumb, it’s wise.

Research what you’re not sure about
I often Google dates, spellings, facts, anything I “think” I remember, but would love to confirm. This is what research is. Backing up your previous conclusions. So take time to do it, remembering that if you must source
something, now is the time.

Your first draft is just that: a start
You don’t have to write everything in one draft, remember. Your first attempt can be paper and pen or it can be on a computer, but don’t make this task difficult. Consider it as a progression from your main points. Just
slide those points in and fill in around ‘em. It’s more like a puzzle than a Picasso. Trust me.

Don’t overcomplicate the task of writing.
Writing is not hard, it’s approaching the writing that’s hard. It’s attempting to slow yourself down long enough to actually think about what you’re trying to say. Those things are hard. If you allow yourself to do them, writing
will actually be easier than you expected. You’re just writing a memo, a blog post, not a novel. Lower your expectations.

Persuasion does not mean coming on strong
Persuasion actually is being well-researched and well-thought out. If you must persuade, figure out your angle. Coming on directly might not be the best choice.

Informing about a topic can be done with a simple bulleted structure
A simple bulleted list or A,B,C outline can be the best way to inform people about a new policy or sales technique. Don’t overcomplicate it with other techniques.

Explaining can use a story, but don’t moralize
A lot of corporate communications people understand the power of story. The problem with a lot of story is that they tend to moralize. Folks would prefer to come up with their own morals, so resist the urge.

Don’t assume one bad memo ruined it forever.
Above all, the art of communicating takes time and one bad experience doesn’t get you off the hook. You can get better. Just remember that everyone had to learn it at some point. Better now than never for you.

A good memo can fix whatever a bad memo created
A well-thought out memo can repair anything that broke with the previous memo. Don’t worry. You’re not failing after one bad memo. First time you’ll get a pass. Second time, a look. Third time, someone may have to make a change.

A good idea makes writing a simple extension of your thought process
If you’ve got a good idea (after your thinking session), sometimes the writing just flows. Not sure? Try it.

Sometimes you might need a hand; hire a writer
Nothing wrong with it. It might be temporary or long-term; it depends on your needs as a business.

So, we let a Penguin Windows rep into our home yesterday. Big mistake. What was supposed to take 90 minutes took 4 hours. I like the product, no beef with it. The price: ridiculous. The sales process: full-on high-pressure sales.

We were asked to sign up for 50,000 dollars worth of windows on the spot. Oh, but we could get a discount if we bought right away, so the deal kept getting better. Still, 40,000 is not something I have just sitting in a easy access checking account. And, if I did, why would I plunk my hard-earned money down after a four-hour presentation? No. Talk about slick.

I have no beef with the product; just the tactics.

Plus, the sales guy had no idea that I had him pegged right from the start. When he sat down on my couch and asked “do you have an hour or so to spare?” I knew were in for it. I should have shown him the door then. But I’m nice (too nice) and I wanted to see how this would come down.

What happened:

1. He broke every rule I have about permission marketing in the first hour. You don’t interrupt your prospective client’s day with needless delay, you don’t make them conform to your stupid rules just to make your sales process easier (and your numbers look better), and you don’t use fear tactics. Yep, within five minutes, we had a sales guy using all of that on us. I got mad.

2. He continued to break those rules over and over and over and over again. By the middle of it, when I informed him that we pay cash for everything and we did not have the cash to do anything immediately, he said over my words, “well, I have to run these numbers by you so that my manager knows I did it.” NO, YOU DO NOT! We told you first thing: we were not buying, we were pricing. But our request was ignored.

3. He had a cold and snorted his way through the presentation. I’m sorry, but that’s disgusting. Get well, then do your sales. I am not in the mood to sit in your aura of germs, thanks.

4. He made me feel guilty for not buying. Um, no. You are selling to me and you need to make me feel good about my decisions. This is my house. You are my guest.

5. He joked that I would change my mind once I found out his “final numbers” or heard about his promos. Whatever. By that time, I just wanted him out of my house.

Moral of the story: It’s unfortunate that Penguin can’t see past their own sales process to hear their customer needs. I would love a showroom to look through. I would love to be able to get a price quote in 20 minutes without the full-on sale pressure. I would love them to ask me to contact them when I’m ready, rather than send out someone to talk crap at me for FOUR HOURS.

A person can dream. The product is fabulous, but we’ll be taking our window business elsewhere.

So, I am a diehard Kindle fan. If you read this blog much, you’ll know this already. Imagine my delight to see Oprah yesterday (from TiVo) and her handing out Kindles to her television audience and then hauling Jeff Bezos up on stage to rave some more. They have a great Oprah limited time offer (until Nov 1) for fifty dollars off the price at Amazon. I encourage any of you who have been waiting to purchase to go now and buy it. This is the lowest price you’ll ever see if for ($309 with the discount) and I strongly recommend you go buy it. If you are a student, a reader, a traveler, a busy corporate worker, anyone. This device will change your life. Trust me! Trust Oprah! And hurry, as news spreads, this device will sell out quick.

Go here. Or just go to Amazon.com, place the Kindle in your cart and use the code: OPRAHWINFREY to get $50 dollars off at checkout.

Have a great weekend! I’m Kindling, yes I am!Technorati Tags: Kindle, reading, Oprah, deal

If you haven’t been to myfriendAmysblog.com for a list of the finalists in the book blogger awards, check it out here.

College newspapers are having to cut back, which in my opinion actually prepares students for the real world of publishing, but in a bittersweet way: how will they really learn if opportunities to write are shrink while they are still students?

Brit Hume announces he’s done anchoring political conventions after 32 years.

And in writing news, things are hopping. This week starts up fall term for my writing class and our writing group. I scribble words on paper constantly, but it’s not happening as fast as I’d like it to. It’s okay.

I’m getting up earlier these days. Made it up by 6:20 today. Then hear that my teacher gets up at 4:30 every morning. Argh.

The weather is really trying to stay warm, which is great. On deck this week is day job work, finishing up of a myriad of little odds and ends for clients. Lots of writing and lots of laundry!

An interesting look at to-do lists each day: counting spoons from lit agent Jenny Rappaport. I like it. I don’t have chronic fatigue, but I need to learn my limits.

Have a great day everyone!

I’ve enjoyed some time off from this blog. I’ve read a lot, written a lot, watched mindless b&w movies (The Thin Man collection), and hung out with my hubby. Our expansive to-do lists were curtailed in August because of hubby’s back issue (yes, he still plays soccer and they are KILLERS! and yes, my personal trainer is helping him with stretching exercises to ease the tightness in his back), so we’ll be doing all of our annual house stuff into September. It’s okay. The big party we usually host each September for around 50 of my hubby’s coworkers isn’t going to be here this year, so we have time.

I’ve gone all Neil Gaiman on my writing projects. Neil Gaiman works on multiple projects to ensure he does not get bored. This fall should be a nice writing escape for me. The day job is going to be pretty intense into February 2009 and writing and reading keep me sane.

I’ve missed countless news reports and threads, gossip, and such, but I’ll be back this week with more stories as I find them.

Today though, HarperCollins and Doubleday have a nice gaffe with a book cover (HC had it first!), and My Friend Amy is calling for Best Book Blog nominations (no, I don’t want any noms, but I’m thinking of nominating Books On the Nightstand or Allison Winn Scotch). Got any great book blogs to nominate? Tell me! I wanna read ‘em too.

Off to get lunch and watch last night’s premiere of Gossip Girl. It promises to be Great Gatsby-esque and I cannot wait. I reread The Great Gatsby this summer and then followed it up with Mia Farrow and Robert Redford in the movie version. I think Blake Lively can channel Mia Farrow as Daisy, yes? Same whispery voice and amazing clothes. I think Blake’s hair is better though.

And have a great Tuesday!