Here is a question I get fairly often:

I notice in your Twitter posts/tweets that you have a “tiny url” for the website postings you want the reader to see. What is TinyURL? How is this different from a regular URL?

GOOD question, Bob. Here is the answer: Twitter allows only 140 characters and that include any URL you may insert into the text. The problem with URLs is many of them are very long and hairy, as you’ve probably noticed. So … thanks to TinyURL freeware, here’s what you do to solve that problem:

1. Go to http://www.tinyurl.com
2. Scroll down a bit and you’ll see a box titled: Enter a long URL to make tiny:
3. Do what it says and click on the Make TinyURL button.

OR, if you want to add TinyURL to your toolbar:
1. Click and drag the following link to your links toolbar: TinyURL!
2. Once this is on your toolbar, you’ll be able to make a TinyURL at the click of a button. By clicking on the toolbar button, a TinyURL will be created for the page you are currently on. 
3. Next time you’re composing a note in Twitter and want to include a page’s URL, open another window (or tab up) so you can see the content there. Grab the URL and click on the TinyURL thing on your Toolbar, and it will give you the short version you can copy and paste into your tweet.

Try it out. You can always delete your test twitter.

BONUS:
This question also comes up about Twitter: Why should a business bother with Twitter? Well, what you have to keep in mind is there are two parts to the Twitter opportunity, and you don’t see the second one unless you know about it. I’ve had all sorts of businesses contact me when I twitter about something because these businesses are constant running SEARCHES against all Twitters for keywords. When they find something, they send that person an email (or Twitter). It’s the ultimate one-on-one marketing.

Go to Google and type Twitter Search and you’ll see all kinds of search engines. In fact, Twitter actually purchased a specialized Twitter Search software company that has been integrated into Twitter - see http://search.twitter.com/. 

The business leverage here is getting more intimate with people who are exposing so much about their daily lives (business and personal) that you can hook into this and engage with them. Answer questions, help them out, solve a problem for them, sell them a product they are looking for, fix something broken they are complaining about.

I tell you, when someone pops up in your email box telling you they saw a Twitter you posted and they are offering some help, it just about blows you away. This is true for B-to-B and B-to-C.

Another feature is the list of hot topics that are shown at http://search.twitter.com/, so go exploring and see what’s possible for you and your business on Twitter.

Tom

It’s time to update you on my whereabouts the last couple of weeks.

◊ The big event was the launch of ’showbizzle,’ and that started with a bang.  Unique visitor traffic and views of the episodes shot up rapidly the first two weeks after launch. From what I can tell, about 50% of the traffic view the episodes on the showbizzle.com site and the other 50% of the views are coming from the 10 video distribution sites we’re using with TubeMogul.com. It’s heart-warming to see episode views shoot into the thousands in such a short period.

If you have not visited the showbizzle.com site yet, then make a point to check it out. Have fun, and while you’re there go ahead and become a member. The quality of the video and performances is stunning. Though I’m biased, I’ll have to admit that I check the new views each day (three new ones Monday through Friday) to see how the characters are doing in their very dramatic and at times funny lives.

◊  My copy editor, Jenny Meadows, at her so-appropriately-named business (MyCopyEditor.com), gave me some good advice during one of our conversations. Once a week (or so) she’ll post here a very short summary of all the media I produce for various clients. I create two audio interviews a week typically; one for EnterpriseLeadership.org and one for TalkBMC. I am in the process of making some of these video-based for BMC Software who sponsors both the sites. I am working closely with the BMCtv group to define a workflow that is fast yet maintains good quality for video podcasting. The issue, as you can imagine, is how to capture an interviewee on a video podcast in some kind of consistent way that has appropriate quality. BMC folks are spread out all over the world, though the majority are in Houston, Austin and the San Francisco area. So I’m testing a variety of approaches: Capturing video from webcams; sending out a camera for them to use; and, of course, scheduling them into a studio at BMCtv (Austin or Houston) when they come into town. It’s an interesting project and I’m enjoying the journey. You’ll see results from this in a couple of weeks.

◊  Gary Powell hosted a Friday afternoon social media training event at his place. It was a non-stop question-and-answer affair with some extremely talented independent individuals who have businesses on the web. Truth is, I learn a lot during these kinds of small-group trainings, and one of the points that kept coming up was expanding the use of Facebook for your business.

I’ve been hesitant to recommend Facebook for business use until recently. However, there seems to be a gradual shift in adoption of greater numbers of people across a widening demographic. A good reference to learn more about marketing on Facebook is an e-book by Justin Smith called The Facebook Marketing Bible. You can download this sizable PDF for a very resonable price considering the insights it holds. Smith claims to be keeping the book up to date, which is a plus considering how quickly Facebook use is evolving and changing.

◊  Have you heard about the game-changing product from Canon: Canon EOS 5D Mark II? It’s a still camera that shoots HD video at 1920×1080p with audio. Yeah … amazing. If this rings any bells of interest for you then you simply must check out this review of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. (It has me interested and I’ve been a Nikon guy for years).

Tom

Now that showbizzle has launched and traffic is rising along with interest, we’re seeing more and more questions like ‘What exactly IS showbizzle?’

Here’s an explanation from the hands of Lindsey Rosin, co-creator and producer of showbizzle.

Showbizzle’s FAQs

Who is Janey?
Scroll down below this FAQ and let Janey tell you who she is and what she is all about in her own words. But in the meantime…

Okay, but is Janey a real person?
Depends on the power of your imagination. Haha. Kidding. In all seriousness: NO. Janey is a fictional character. But if she were real, she could be you. Or your best friend. Or that girl with the laptop you always see camped out at your local coffee shop.

So Janey’s the girl that everyone is talking to?
Yes, and she has a lot of friends.

Are they real people? Or are they actors?
All of the people appearing in Janey’s guestbook are actors.

Are the stories that they’re telling real?
No. For the most part, the stories are completely made up. But some of them are very loosely based on true stories and real-life experiences– we’re all twentysomethings hanging out and working (or trying to work) in Hollywood. Good stories are not hard to come by.

Do all the characters know each other?
Yes and no. Lots of the characters know each other. Some are sleeping together. Some are working together. Some hate each other. Some spend a lot of time talking about each other. What’s the one thing they all have in common? Janey. They are all friends with Janey. And they’re all telling their stories to Janey. And then Janey is sharing their stories with you (and everyone else on the world wide web).

Alright… I think I’m starting to get it.
Good.

How many new videos do you put up every week?
At most six. At least three. And on the weekends we’ll be putting up a weekly recap – a condensed version of everything that’s happened throughout the course of the week.

Wow. That’s a lot of videos. What if I can’t keep up?
All of our videos were designed to work independently AND as part of a larger world of three-dimensional storytelling. All of the videos can stand alone, but they are also pieces of a larger picture. As you watch the videos and read the blog, you will get to know the characters. Their storylines intertwine not only through the videos but on the blog as well. It’ll all become clear and everything will be really awesome. Okay?

So there’s no pressure to watch them in a certain order?
Definitely not. We are releasing them on our website in the order in which they happen in Janey’s world. Once a story is released on www.showbizzle.com, it is given a number. You can start at #1 and work your way forward. That would mean that you’re watching in chronological order.

Is that what I’m supposed to do?
You’re not “supposed’ to do anything. They’re no right or wrong way to watch. But by watching in order and reading the blog you’ll get the full impact of what three-dimensional storytelling really is. But feel free to choose your own adventure… you can also watch the videos by character.

Watch them by character? What does that mean?
Each of Janey’s friends has a character profile. On that profile are all of the videos that pertain to that character. If you like a certain character, check out their profile and watch their story from beginning to end.

How will I know when a character has new a new story?
You can tag a character you like in the RSS feed, and when a new video is released you will be notified through your RSS reader. But the best way to stay up to date is to come back to the site and watch the latest and greatest. There will always be someone new talking about something new.

Is there anything else I should know?
We have lots of things in store for our members. The best way to stay current is to make a profile and tell us your story. Either as you – the real you – or as a new showbizzle character you’ve created.
===

Now go back and have some fun at the site: http://showbizzle.com

During five years of field-testing social media and social networking systems, I’ve found it important to leverage webmaster tools at Google and a plethora of social tagging and social bookmarking tools from a range of vendors to maximize visibility of a website. The idea is to make appropriate use of these social tools to establish your site (or blog) on the Internet so it’s fully visible to search engines and blog directories, and to create visibility of its content by creating more tags. In time, these activities will improve your search engine visibility and increase traffic to your website.

There are two parts of my typical rollout plan:
•Part 1 is establishing the validity of the website, using Google webmaster tools
•Part 2 is posting entries into social tagging and social bookmarking sites when significantly new content is added to your site.

Our goal here is to make certain that Google and other entities quickly know about your website and can verify that it is real (meaning, it’s not a SPAM site). Then to appropriately use social tagging and social bookmarking with new content to create links back to your website(s) for improved search engine visibility.

Another critical point: Register all RSS feeds at Feedburner for the purpose of having centralized metrics.

Also, a designated person in your company needs to create a large number of logins to various services and securely share this list periodically. This person needs to be certain he/she keeps a record of any login and password changes so that new people in the company have access to the services they need to contact. This is especially needed when there is turnover in the group; i.e., a designated person needs to make each email address generic, not specific to a person. For example, use info@mycompany.com instead of Tom@mycompany.com so the email address can be easily and quickly reassigned to a new person as needed. I’ve had clients experience major setbacks and loss of productivity when people used their own email address, instead of a generic one, for a login and no one had a record of their password … and then they left the company. Heed my advice here; you do not want the hassle that comes with not doing these things. So make certain this process is clearly defined and rigorously followed, even if you have only a small 1- or 2-person business.  Even a small company has a lot more than one or two logins and passwords.

Consider using one of these two online password managers that greatly simplify the river of logins that you’ll accumlate. Two examples of such services are http://www.PassPack.com and http://www.Clipperz.com.  I’m even seeing the beauty in this myself, for all the sites I manage for my business. When I’m working with a client it’s a lot easier to hand over an account to them at PassPack or ClipperZ and say, “Here you go! All the logins and passwords for all the sites you’ll want to manage yourself from this point forward are right here.”

Process for Establishing the Validity of a Site (New or Existing) on the Internet

1.    Claim the website at an account at Technorati after you create an account there. You can claim all websites and blogs you create there. It helps you to be recognized as real (not SPAM).

2.    Also, claim the website or blog at Google Webmaster Central. Next, run the webmaster website tests to make sure all is well from Google’s perspective. I’m often surprised what is found that needs attention.

3.    It’s important to go to http://www.google.com/submit often and resubmit your home page or blog and, in particular, the pages way down inside your site that are new. This works. Google will make a point of coming to visit your site. You’ll want to do the same at Yahoo: http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html.

4.     If you have a new RSS feed, like for a new blog, make sure it’s registered to your own Feedburner account. ALWAYS use the Feedburner RSS URL for the public, too, so people subscribe to that one, not the one specific to your site. This way if you move your blog to another site or platform you can keep all your subscribers.  This is another critical one to abide by.

5.    Use the PC software tool called RSS Submit to submit the Feedburner version of the new RSS feeds to 100+ RSS directories. This will help increase visibility and traffic of the feeds over time. It’s not critical that you do this, but it doesn’t hurt.

Now for the Ongoing Activities: Social Tagging and Social Bookmarking

The question of how often to post into the social tagging and bookmarking sites comes up regularly, and rightly so; you don’t want to trip a SPAM alert at one of the sites.

I think it makes sense to post into each social tagging and social bookmarking site when there are new audio podcasts and video podcasts that publish on a weekly basis.

On blog articles, I would apply this process only to those articles that are of educational value or possibly high-visibility importance (events, review-of-product releases, newsletters, how-tos) because you don’t want to overdo your use of the tools.

For each piece of content, copy and paste the title and description into the social bookmarking and social tagging-related system. And if you’re handing this off to someone else to do, add in a requirement for that person to double-check and correct any spelling errors and feed that back to the appropriate person. It’s important to do this so the client can correct the misspellings themselves on the originating blog or website.

Here Is What You Want to Do:

1.    Create accounts at the following sites. Remember to have a process in place before you start to securely save and share all these logins and passwords.

a.    Del.icio.us
b.    Digg.com
c.    Stumbleupon.com
d.    Twitter.com
e.    … you can add others. This is a good start.

2.    Since you might end up with 7-10 of these sites to update, consider creating an account at http://www.socialmarker.com. Social Marker makes it easy to update every one of them at once and reduce the amount of time spent on this task.

3.    It’s a good idea to look at the final postings that show up with the Social Marker tool, just to be certain the system is working properly. Some social tagging and social bookmarking sites will truncate titles and descriptions. You may need to adjust titles slightly if this occurs.

Getting Some HelpI imagine that after reading this your head could be spinning with ‘how’ you’re going to do all this work, especially if you’re a small company. There are two avenues you can pursue. One is to use an intern from a local school or university. Students like this kind of work. Another approach is to post your process on www.Elance.com and competitively bid (globally, I might add) to get the work done. You’ll find a bevy of people from other countries interested in doing this at extremely competitive prices. Look for someone you can build a relationship with and earmark some of your marketing budget for these tasks every month. Start small and simple at first with just a few social bookmarking and social tagging sites. Make sure the process is working for you in a way that frees you up to focus on creating content versus managing it. Then slowly expand the number of sites you use.

Hope you find this helpful.
Tom

About two months ago a dear friend who is a senior trainer for a group that does personal transformational work started her own blog. It’s called Life As It Is, written by Ann McMaster, and it’s at www.AnnMcMaster.com. 

After the first month, I sent her a note that in about four weeks’ time she had gotten more than 4,000 visits. I was curious what she thought of this because I was excited for her. This is quite an achievement, though not too surprising given that she’s known around the world for the depth of her work over the last 25 years.

Her response was priceless. She said, “It’s easier for me to think about when I hold it that I’m just speaking to my friends … otherwise, I’d be more embarrassed.”

My reply was, “And that is the best way to thinking about blogging - as having a conversation with your friends. You’ve hit upon the magic that makes blogging so unique and popular.”

Kudos to Ann. Do check out her blog when you have a moment. You’ll find your life enriched with the experience of sharing her insights.

Tom