Exploring Side Streets with Chris Brogan

News Flash: I follow Chris Brogan on Twitter. A few months ago I attended Blog World Expo in Las Vegas. I wrote about it. I promised that I would try to apply what I learned. One of the first things I did was to begin following Chris Brogan. Don't get excited. I am one of 124,385 followers. (To put this in perspective I have 41 followers.) You are probably shaking your head and asking "is Judy nuts?" But to that, I say: "Does me being one of 3,400,000 TIME Magazine weekly subscribers or one of 6,685,684 National Geographic monthly subscribers shock you or make you question why I would even think of "following" these honored publications?" I hope not. I subscribe to these publications, local newspapers, SEO/SMO on-line newsletters for the same reason that I follow Chris Brogan - each opens avenues to useful and timely information that can impact my business, Webconsuls' clients, and my personal life.

This past week Chris mentored: Don't Forget the Little Side Streets. Exploring side streets with Chris Brogan is quite a ride. I hope you will take the time to read his post, he offers really good insights and, unlike a few, Chris is optimistic and looks for ways to extend the expiration date for some of these "streets". For example, when was the last time you:

• examined your "YELP" reviews
• verified your Google Local Business Center Map
• updated your Bing Local Listing Center
• checked out Yahoo Answers
• refreshed your Facebook Fan page
• responded to a Trip Advisor review (negatively or positively)
• tweeted something of positive value, as opposed to a rant

Navigating and maintaining these "streets" takes time. But the beauty of the Internet in general and social media in particular is the fluidity and vitality that you can manage to. Every time you think you don't have time I want you to find a business person who can recall the angst of designing and ordering a brochure. Trust me. Before the ink was dry the area code had been split in two, your AAA rating had changed for the better or the beautiful maple tree that graced your front lawn had fallen. Yes, maintaining your "streets" and exploring side streets takes time, but you can do it on your time and make your journey as interesting as you want. There really is nothing like a road trip.

Here is my favorite photo of a real "side" street.

No Name Street 2000

This post is dedicated to Chris Brogan, thanking him for inspiration.

BWE09 Looking in the Rear View Mirror

This year I had the opportunity to attend BWE09, better known as Blog World and New Media Expo 2009. This event took place from October 15-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unlike many of the 2500 attendees this was my first year participating. And unlike many attendees I did not spend my days there blogging, tweeting, or otherwise updating my friends and followers. I just tried to take in the process, that is I tried to listen and learn. And hopefully, I will be able to care for and serve some, if not all, of Webconsuls clients. I actually thought about writing this post as soon as I returned home or even while I waited in the Las Vegas Airport, but then it occurred to me that it would be better to really write about BWE09 looking in the rear view mirror. So here are some of my "bytes" on BWE09.

1. While I have been participating in blogging for about two years and I am on Facebook and have a Twitter account, I would not rate myself as someone that knows everyone in the blogging and new media world; therefore, attending this event was not about hooking up with old friends, but meeting new people and learning from the "experts."
2. The exhibitors were varied and engaging. I enjoyed talking to people from all over the world, like the Zemanta team from Slovania (and, yes, I intend to learn more about their product). The ArmyStrongStories.com team was engaging and they had a great display. And then of course, I enjoyed speaking to Robby Berthyme who was representing wheretogetengaged.com (timely, insofar as Aaron and Alli became engaged on October 15, 2009!).
3. Brian Solis moderated a good keynote discussion about the "New Celebrity" with Anthony Edwards, Jermaine Dupri and Robin Antin. All of these participants made it very clear that if you are using Twitter, Facebook, etc...you need to be yourself, engage with people, and manage your own accounts (don't hire a staff to do this). Write about yourself or your cause, don't just keep re-tweeting!
4. One "outtake" from this keynote discussion is that I found it incredible how rude 70% of the audience appeared to be behaving. This was an hour long presentation and it was beyond me why people could not just sit and "listen", as opposed to working on their laptops, running their fingers over their iPhones or thumbing it on their Blackberry. This behavior was annoying and to top it off, even though they were really not paying attention, they would join in the intermittent applause like robots or dummies.
5. Dave Peck of LSF Interactive was interesting and provocative in his conference "How to Socialize Your Content". I just discovered that he posted many of his "rules" here for the small business owner. His advice I intend to try to incorporate into Webconsuls and to share with our clients.
6. I really enjoyed the conference "How Twits Lay Golden Eggs - The Art of Social Engagement for Business"...Chris Brogan and Laura Fitten had a lot to offer and they did not make the audience feel inept, but offered real guidance.
7. Dan Helfand attended this conference for Webconsuls also. It was interesting to watch Dan, who had not been to Las Vegas since he was 13! It was great to attend the conferences and then share what we had learned.
8. Las Vegas is an aging city and I don't think it is aging gracefully. As we rode the marvelous monorail I noticed that many of the buildings look dated and dirty on the outside, almost as if the original architectural plan did not allow for majestic aging. Many strange and vacant lots can be seen as you ride "behind" the strip.
9. I don't think I am the only BWE09 participant that questioned the parties that BWE09 sponsored. As one person said on Twitter: "bwe09 parties are a lot like Twitter - noisy, loud, dark, and ineffective at organizing communication". I couldn't agree more! Imagine being at the Mirages' Jet Night Club with many of the same people who could not put down their laptops and iPhones during the keynotes, only it was too dark to read their nametags and the music was too loud for introductions. Another person echoed these sentiments: "The parties at #bwe09 remind me of college. How old are we? Where are the real parties?"
10. Flying Southwest Airlines will be a subject for another post.
11. Finally, I would like to thank the three ladies that shared a Hilton Limo with Dan and me. We were attempting to get a taxi to go to the airport and we found ourselves sharing a limo with Kim Rowley and Joanne Dinslage of Key Internet Marketing and Maarika Neudorf of Enterprise Estonia. We had a fun ride and got to meet three more BWE09 attendees.
    
    Ok, that is it for today. I am going to get busy learning how to apply all that I learned - stay tuned. In the meantime enjoy the photo of Dan with the BWE09 "Change Girl" as he wins the iPod Shuffle.

My Favorite "Mommy Blogger"

On our recent excursion to Las Vegas for Blog World Expo I sat in on an interesting panel discussion on "Mommy Bloggers". There are blogs of all persuasions but the mommy blogger niche is really a category unto itself. The "Mommy Blogger" phenomenon has been grabbing the attention of marketers for quite some time as Moms are generally the holders of the purse strings in most households.

Listening to the discussion and reflecting on my blog reading habits I started to think about what I like to find in blogs, what keeps me coming back and what we can aspire to as we try to develop our blogs.

Here is one of my favorite "Mommy Bloggers" and why her blog(s) keep me coming back for more.

Lela Davidson

I originally was introduced to Lela's writing on Hub Pages. Her hubs, individually written articles, ranged from household hints, parenting tips, vacation spots for families, holiday celebrations and harder issues such as drug abuse and creationism in public school cirriculum.

• Lela's profile is engaging and natural. When I read "about Lela" I can imagine her in her world. This is how Lela introduces herself to her readers:

I am a Mother. I cook, clean, wipe noses, push Benadryl, check for nits, help with homework, and iron tiny polo shirts. I used to have a real job with a degree framed on my office wall, but I gave it up for this glamour. I also write, hang out with my husband, and drink wine with my friends on the driveway. I believe parenting is the hardest job in the world as well as the most natural thing we do. I screw up. Daily. And I banish guilt relentlessly. I believe it's your moral responsibility to find the thing that makes you lose track of time, the thing that empties all the racing thoughts from your head and leaves you deaf to the oven timer so you forget about the cookies until the smoke finds you. Writing is my thing. Here's to hoping you find yours and go do it.

• Many of her posts are simple "how to's and lists."

How to Know if Your Kids Are Huffing
Top Five Midwest Family Vacation Destinations

• She is always very timely. She has already begun posts in preparation for Halloween.

• Lela keeps you involved in the process. Recently Lela has been working on a novel. She keeps her readers abreast of her progress and her plan. Novel in Six Months Plan

• Lela writes regularly.
  

All these elements keep me coming back, but of course I subscribe to Lela's RSS Feed so I don't miss a post.

What Happens in Vegas Lives on Facebook FOREVER! Blogworld08 #bwe08

Home from BlogWorld08 in Las Vegas!!

We had and excellent time meeting up with old and new friends.

Blogworld07 vs BlogWorld08? Last year CNN was there to watch everyone arrive, this year no TV coverage from what I could tell. Last year a great pajama party with an open bar, roast beast, and a chocolate fountain, this year was a scene from Napoleon Dynamite with bad red wine and a quesadilla bar. Last year, the buzz was about Stumble, This year Twitter? We were wondering what the next big thing was going to be but this year seemed to be about rehashing old memes. I was very happy to be able to stoke out my photographer friends with a link to Photosynth.net they missed those blog posts I guess.

Webconsuls.com always on the lookout for that next big thing.

Got the next big thing? We want to know about it!

Blog World Expo - BrainDump

Just got home from Blog World Expo in Las Vegas and I want to tell you EVERYONE there was on Twitter. http://twitter.com/darinrmcclure Do You Follow Me?

Lisa and I sat in on the following list of Classes,

Corporate & CEO Blogging
Picking a Blogging Platform and How to Leverage Blogs, Podcasts, Video, Social Media and Other Channels for Traffic Conversions and Profits
Blogging to Affect Non-Partisan Grass Roots Change
Maximizing the Benefits of Small Business Blogs
The Cult of Blogging
Leveraging Social Media for Your Company
What Web 10.0 Might Look Like: The Far Future
Smart Ways to Monetize Your Blog
Secrets of Great Video Production and Vlogging
How Online Conversations Change Markets
Managing Information Flow with an RSS Reader
Just the Numbers: Understanding Analytics
Creating a Coherent Social Media Strategy
The Lazy Guide to Producing Great Podcasts

and the one thing that we both noted thru-out was the number of people in those classes with twitter open.

>>>>> TWITTER WAS EVERYWHERE <<<<<<

If you don't GET Twitter yet, don't worry, just start to use it.

Our full review will be posted on the Webconsuls Training Blog for our clients.

email your gmail address to darin@webconsuls.com if you would like access.

Webconsuls @ Blog World and New Media Expo