Facebook, Blogs & Ezines - Questions from Webinar

Nika Stewart and I enjoyed our time with you guys on the "Facebook, Blogs & Ezines" webinar. We had a tremendous turn out. We received a lot of great feedback and with the feedback we received a lot questions that which we did not have time to cover during the webinar. This blog addresses those questions as well as the resources we referenced on the webinar. This post contains a lot of information and I may have missed a question, if I missed your question or you have another question please make a comment below and we will respond.

Resources and other links mentioned on the webinar tonight:

Dandelion Interiors Blog
Minutes Matter Blog
Customized Blog setup by Minutes Matter
Ezines Done for You by Nika Stewart
Jeffrey Gitomer
Facebook
Constant Contact
Blogger
Twitter
Picaboo Photo Books
Flip Video Camera
Simplified Websites

Ezine Questions

How do I get signed up with Constant Contact?
It's easy to get started click here to sign up for a 60-trial subscription.

I have a client list how do I get my list into Constant Contact?
You can import your client list into Constant Contact. You can also export your list from Constant Contact.

What did you mean you can add more space to Constant Contact?
I find that photographs help get people to read blogs and ezines. If the photograph is interesting then your readers will read the article. Since you will be adding lots of photographs you may eventually need more space if you are uploading your photographs from your computer. After you have signed up for a Constant Contact account you can pay an additional $5.00 for image storage. Or, you can upload photographs online and add the url to your newsletter, however, this is more advanced. Constant Contact also includes a lot of Free stock photography, that you can use in your newsletters, with your paid subscription.

How can I sign up for Nika's ezine service?
Click here to go access the special pricing Nika offered during last night's webinar.

I would like to sign up for Nika's Ezines, how can I do that?
Email ezines@nikastewart.com and you will get signed up right away.

Can I purchase a mailing list to add more subscribers to my ezines?
No, that is not legal. Your list must be permission based and or past clients.

When an ezine is sent out does it automatically post to my blog & Facebook?
No, you have to manually copy and past the ezine article into your blog, then you can share the blog to Facebook.

Which of the avenues of marketing discussed on the webinar have produced the most paying clients?
I am not sure since I participate in all of them. I think they are all vital and all work hand in hand.


Facebook Questions

How do I sign up for a Facebook account?
Click here to sign up. It is fast, easy and free. First thing you should do is set up your profile and add a photograph of yourself.

Can I delete a post with a misspelled word that I posted?
Yes, I copy the post first, then hover to the right and when the word Delete appears click it to delete the post and then post again.

If a friend posts on my wall and I don't like it can I delete it?
Yes, on that post hover to the right and when the word Delete appears click it to delete the post and.

How do I separate business clients from family and friends?
I put everyone in category, I have created several categories in Facebook; Family, Minutes Matter, Dandelion Interiors, Church, Friends, Educational etc. To add categories > click on the Home tab > you will see News Feeds (that is your category list) at the bottom of that list click on More then click Create New List.

I would like to add a business page to Facebook, how do I do that?
Facebook allows you to create a free business page. It is under the Advertise section of Facebook. When you click on Advertise there are two segments, select Create Page and not advertise. See the above screenshot the circle highlights where to click.

Have you determined the demographic for Facebook?
It seems the ages that are joining Facebook are varied. I think the 40+ crowd is coming on strong. Since Facebook and Twitter are being used in commercials on TV and radio we will see a marked increase in people joining Facebook.

What is the difference between Friends & Fans in Facebook?
Friends are part of your personal page in Facebook; on my Facebook page for Debbie Green I have over 400 friends. Fans are part of your business page in Facebook; I have over 100 fans on Minutes Matter's business page. Be sure to become a fan of our Minutes Matter page. Sign up on the right side on our blog. Minutes Matter fans are the first to get notified of any upcoming news and events.

What is the difference between a business page and a group?
As you "Create a Page" in Facebook you have a couple of choices one is Local, the second is Organization, Brand or Product and the third is Artist or Public Figure. You guys would select Local. The reason you want to select a category that best describes your business is when people are searching on FB they can find your page if you are in the category they are searching for.

When you have fans on your business page will you see personal lines from your fans on your business page?
Yes, your fans can post to the wall of your business page. The business page is very much like your personal Facebook page.

Can I keep my Business Page Fans separate from my family and Friends on FB?
Yes, your personal page in FB is totally separate from your Business Page. Fans of your Business Page cannot see your personal profile page at all. Here is the difference, you can set preferences on your personal page not to allow anyone to see your profile until you have accepted them to be your Friend. On the Business Page anyone can just click "Become a Fan" and voila they are a Fan without your approval. I personally allow all my clients/customers to become my Friend in FB. Remember, Jeffrey Gitomer and now my motto "Clients/customers have to Know, Like & Trust you and THEN they MAY do business with you. FB lets your clients get to know you a little better.

Can you invite someone to be a fan . . . . the same way you invite someone to become a friend in Facebook?
Yes, once you set up your business page you can send an invitation"Suggest to Friends" to get people to become a fan. This option is on the left side under Edit Page, you can also click on filter and just send to your business friends. Before you rule out asking your friends and family to become fans you might want to reconsider, they could be great advertisement for you. In fact, I need send that out again. Good question!

Which would be better a blog or Facebook to get started in Social Networking.
If you are new to all of this, I think Facebook might be a little easier to get started. Then you can get a feel for being online. Remember, you have to start promoting yourself to your clients, telling them to join you on Facebook. Then don't forget to post on a regular basis.

Can you have two business pages on Facebook?
Yes, I have two, one for Dandelion and one for Minutes Matter, both were free.

Blogger Questions

Where can I sign up for a Blogger account?
Click here to get started with Blogger and click Create a Blog.

How many photographs can I post to my blog account?
When you sign up for a Blogger account it comes with Picasa Web Albums which includes 1GB of free space. That is a lot of space. It will take some time before you go over that limit. You can always purchase more space (10 GB) for $20 per year.

What is the difference between a blog and a website?
A website contains a little more formal information and is not as easy to update. Blogs should be more conversational. You can post blogs in a matter of minutes. You can easy add a photograph and one paragraph to a blog within a matter of minutes.

Can I use photographs from a magazine on my blogs and ezines?
No, those are copyrighted photographs, you must ask for permission to use other people's photographs.

How do I come up with different topics to post on my blog?
As I mentioned in the webinar, keep your eyes and ears open, there are so many topics that will be interesting to your clients. Remember, my post on my Dandelion blog about Yellow Finches?

Do I need a website to have a blog?
No, however, I recommend that every business should create a website. I think it adds another stamp of professionalism to your business.

Do you re-post your newsletter articles on your blog?
Yes, I think that is leveraging your time wisely as Nika so eloquently stated. Of course, the blog contains more posts than just our newsletter articles.

How often should you post a blog to keep readers interested?
We recommend once a week. You can write a several articles at one time and save them as a draft.

Is the blog done in Facebook?
No, they are two separate resources.

Does blogger have a "Preview" feature when you are creating a new blog?
Yes, as you are creating your blog you can click Preview at anytime.

I read you cannot sell or promote a product on a blog on Blogger or WordPress is that true?
I have not had any trouble, I add so many other topics of interest to my blog that it is not a problem. I think if your blog only contained posts about your products that could be a problem.


Quote from Jeffrey Gitomer's Ezine:

"Get Google-able. WAKE UP, Sparky! Your customer is Google-ing you, just like you are Google-ing them. Your one-page website, your e-zine, your article, your speech, and your community involvement will bring your name and your company’s name to the top of the Google pile. Post on YouTube, blog or ezine and your customers and prospects will find them, and find you more attractive than your (lazy) competitors." - Jeffrey

Get Certified with Window Fashions & Minutes Matter

Join Grace McNamara and Debbie Green from Minutes Matter as they host the launch of the NEW WFCP Certification projects online. We’ll give you a virtual tour of the WCFP Lounge, the projects, tutorials and show you how quick and easy it’ll be to complete your Designer or Fabrication Specialist and Master Projects. Plus, we’ll have some surprises especially for you. You’ll be a WFCP Specialist or Master before you know it! Sign up now for this FREE webinar and you’ll receive special Digital Certification Project release pricing.

Times are changing and changing fast! The Digital Age has arrived and we're ready for it. Who better to team up with than Minutes Matter, The WOW Winner for "The Most Innovative Firm of the Year." Grace McNamara, Inc. and Minutes Matter will provide WFCP members the opportunity to do their Design and Fabrication Specialist and Master Projects online. You asked for quicker and easier ways to move through certification and we're bringing it to you. Complete project files including fabric swatches, digital mood boards and project renderings will be housed in a private hosted WFCP Forum where members can work on their projects and submit them for grading. 24/7 support will be offered through tutorials, webinars and forums. Pictured below is a sample submission. Want to learn more? Sign up for our launch and FREE webinar/demo on August 12th.

Can't attend? Don't worry, we are recording this webinar and it will automatically be sent to anyone that has registered.

Life is too short!

Life is too short! I wanted to share this article from Jane Pollak's blog yesterday. It is a great reminder to us all about what is really important and remembering to be more tolerant of others. Today, we live in such a fast paced world and we all want everything now. Our tolerance for each other has hit an all time low. All we need to do is change our perspective on life! A smile, kind words or a compliment to someone can change their whole day.

How are you impacting the people you deal with everyday?

Click on the image above to read her article; it will change your day.

Its Here! ~ FREE Update for Studio 3.0

The past several months have been really exciting at Minutes Matter, but that was just the beginning. We are committed to look for new and better ways to improve our products, Studio is no exception. We have had our programmers make several enhancements that will make using Studio even easier!

If you already have Studio 3.0 installed, you will receive a pop-up window letting you know there is an update to Studio. All you need to do is click "OK" and the Studio installer will do the rest.

• The "Searchable Manual" has been updated
• The Index Search function has been optimized, making it much faster
• Users who have not purchased the furniture module will be able see the images, but not drag them over
• Users have the ability to save Studio to a custom location during initial Studio installation
• Multiple categories were added to the Custom tab
• The Quick Access Toolbar has been rearranged: click on the down arrow > More Commands > Reset
• Custom image graphic previews created on the Custom Tab have been enhanced
• Print Preview has been removed; use Zoom To Fit Page to produce the same results
• The Dimension Line is defaulted to a straight line; hold the shift key down to create a diagonal dimension line
• Updated Text in Image Index
• The Pushpin on the index has been removed to prevent closing Image Index accidentally
• The New Document workspace is defaulted to "Zoom To Fit Page" view

Studio 3.0 - Find out why it is a "Must Have" for your business!

Over 3,000 hours have been invested into designing, developing, and illustrating Studio 3.0. Here are a few of the exciting features and functions that are included in this new release.

(Note: Depending on the speed of your Internet, it may take a few moments to buffer
the video before playing. If the video does start, click here to install the video player.)

***Click here to download Studio 3.0 now!***

~ Studio 3.0 ~

• FREE!! All M'Fay & Pate Meadows Images Included: The latest illustrations from M'Fay Patterns & Pate Meadows collections are INCLUDED in Studio 3.0. Other software companies charge hundreds of dollars for a single M'Fay module; the result is a cost of nearly $5.00 per design!


• Exclusive Photo Scale Tool: This unique tool automatically adjusts the Drawing Scale just by knowing a dimension in a photograph.


• Exclusive "Step System:" A systematic process to quickly create renderings.


• Custom Index: Add your own custom design(s) or image(s) to the Main Index.


• Applied Trim: Trim has been applied to many of the Quick Designs to make illustrating even faster.


• One-Click Trim: Add trim to the drapery panel lead edges in only one click.
  
• Sleek New Look: Studio 3.0 has a new customized look. This sleek new design includes ribbon toolbars similar to the 2007 version of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.


• Quick Access Toolbar: Customize this toolbar to include your favorite features and functions.


• Icon Preview: Thumbnails images magnify when you hover over the image with your mouse without decreasing your workspace.


• Automatic Backup: Studio 3.0 includes an Automatic Backup feature to prevent accidentally losing your project.


• Ruler Bar Settings: Ruler bars can now be set in either feet, inches or centimeters.
  
• Professionally Illustrated Images: All Studio images have been completely re-illustrated to bring you fabulous, totally new, designer images.
  
• Pre-filled Images: All images are pre-filled with a neutral color palette to create a bigger impact when using the innovative "Design-in-5" technique.

• Drop Shadow Tool: Easily add a drop shadow to Studio images.

... we've saved the best for last... the release of a Jackie Von Tobel Window Treatment Module!

***Click here to download Studio 3.0 now!***

~ Jackie Von Tobel Window Treatments (Module 1) ~
In addition to launching a new version of Studio, we will also be releasing the first of four modules from the must have resource, The Design Directory of Window Treatments by Jackie Von Tobel. Studio will be the ONLY graphic software program to offer these illustrations! Now you will have the ability to customize Jackie's renderings to meet your client's needs! All four Jackie Von Tobel Window Treatment Modules will be released throughout 2009. Module 1 includes . . .

• An assortment of designs taken from The Design Directory of Window Treatments.


• Over 250 full designs are included in the first module and over 375 total images; making it less than .47 cents per image!


• Important: Studio 3.0 upgrade is required to install the Jackie Von Tobel Modules. Studio 2.0 and Studio Lite 2.0 users are not eligible to add the Jackie Modules to their existing program.

Studio 3.0 (Upgrade): $247
JVT (Module 1): $197

Upgrade: Click Here To Buy Now!

Don't own Studio yet? Now is a great time to get on board! Not only will you receive our latest version Studio 3.0, you'll also have the chance to pre-order the first Jackie Von Tobel Window Treatment Module at the introductory offer!

New Purchase: Click Here To Buy Now!

iPhone ~ It's amazing!

Jerry and I went to the Apple store last weekend and purchased an iPhone for both of us. Jerry got a black one and I got a white one. I love that we can distinguish between the two phones. Why did we both get the same phone? My thought was that with two people learning the same phone the learning curve would be much less. I had researched this phone for over a year, we were already AT&T customers, and we were eligible for the upgrade price of $299. Yes, you know I had to have the best one; the one with the largest hard drive (32GB.)

We purchased the iPhone with lots of space. Right now, I'm in the process of adding lots of photos. First, I created a folder called iPhone photos with sub-folders (see above screenshot). The Contact Images folder contains cropped headshots of my contacts. Now when a person calls me on my cell their photo appears. I even got some of my downloaded headshots from Facebook. Did I say already mention that I love this?!? Notice, I also have a Dandelion Portfolio folder so that Jerry and I have our entire portfolio with us everywhere we go. I created these folders and then gave Jerry a copy of them. Now, without any work on his part, he has the same folder. I LOVE THIS SHARING THING! In iTunes, all you do is click on the Photos tab and select the folder you want your phone to always sync with.

The iPhone also doubles as my iPod. That falls under Jerry's duties. He handles all mp3s and I handle all photos. We also added a mosquito repellent app; not sure if this works yet!

What I loved about the iPhone is all the apps that are available. I know other phones have apps but iPhone seems to have the most at this time. Of course, I added Bank of America since I had been seeing their app advertised for a while now as I have been doing my online banking.

Here is a few of our favorite apps:

http://www.chefslittlehelper.com/ is an app where you can enter your favorite family recipes. Your whole family can have access to them via this website. The website version is available and free to everyone. The iPhone app is .99 cents. What I love about this app is your recipes are always with you. Say you're at the grocery if you decide to make a dish and can't remember the ingredients, just open this app. Now that I have added several of my recipes, Jerry can purchase the app and add those same recipes to his cookbook without any work on his part. It even has a grocery list function. Special Note: all recipes are viewable to everyone; so you can add any one's recipe that is listed to your iPhone app. To find the recipes I have added click the search button then click on the Users tab and type Debbie Green. I have added my meatloaf recipe, my mom's famous spaghetti & meatballs recipe and Jerry's grandmother's sugar cookie recipe. Check them out. I will be adding my Fried Apple recipe soon! I know you guys from up North have never heard of them. They are "to-die-for."

http://www.grocerygadgets.com/ is another app Jerry and I love. This app is $4.99 and both of us had to purchase it. Jerry did the research on what we wanted in a "shopping list" type app. Our requirements were it needed to have the website version as well as the iPhone app, it had to be syncable to both of us. In other words, we wanted one list for both of us. I could add items to the list and his would automatically be updated. And sure enough this one did all that. We tried it out today and Jerry was off to the store with his iPhone in hand. As you check off an item it goes to the bottom of the list. If I add something from home, Jerry instantly gets it added to his list while he's shopping! We also created a weekly grocery list that contains all the items we purchase on a regular basis.

White Noise Lite (added this app from iTunes) Jerry and I have to have noise to sleep and especially when I travel. I can't sleep at all if it's dead quite. This app is so cool. Some of the sounds include crickets, extreme rain, grandfather clock, chimes, white noise, thunder storms, oscillating fan & more and of course you can set the time to repeat for up to 24 hours. How can anyone sleep that long?? We are using the lite version which is free!!

Around Me (added this app from iTunes) On the iPhone click on the app to view a list of banks, bars, coffee, gas stations, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, theaters ... there are just too many to list. Click on the desired category to view results. This app is free!

http://www.keeperapp.com/ I am always needing a password for something. I have a physical password journal on my desk, but there are many times that I need a password and I am away from my office. This is the perfect solution for me. It is totally secured with Military-Grade encryption (128-bit AES). I can even export these to share with Jerry. This app is free too!

Create an Unforgettable Photo Book for your Business!

I created this book for my Dandelion Interiors business. As you look through the book you will notice the custom background. You can create custom backgrounds like the one in my Dandelion book in Studio. This is the reason we selected Picaboo to create our portfolio book. This book did not require near the time the other books for Owen and Lee took.

Create an Unforgettable Photo Book for your Children!

I just finished created photo books for my sons and their wives Owen & Casey and Lee & Leah. I used Picaboo to create these books. The books actually took several months to compile. I have over 100 years of photos that I gathered from a lot of different family members. The books are fabulous!! The time consuming part is the actual gathering of the photographs. WOW, who knew gathering photos would consume most of the time. Here are some tips when creating a photo book with a large amount of pages.

• Create a file folder under Pictures or My Pictures "Picaboo Photo Album"
• Decide how you want to organize. Below are the folders I created for my two books.

• Owen (my oldest son by himself)
• Lee (my youngest son by himself)
• Owen & Lee (both boys together)
• Jerry's Mother side of the family
• My side of the family
• Casey's side of the family (Owen's wife)
• Leah's side of the family (Lee's Wife)

During my photo search, I wanted to add school photos to show what how they changed through the years. They had lots of different pets so I wanted to make sure I added photos of all their pets. I took a cake decorating class when the boys were young so I wanted to add photos of some of the special cakes I made. As you can see I did several groupings of their different interests on the pages inside the book. Both books have around 300 photographs. Most of the photos had to be scanned since it was before the digital age. NOTE: For the digital photos I copied and pasted them into the appropriate files. In other words, I left the original in it's folder.

I gave them a preview of what I was doing several months ago and they loved it. What is so great about this concept is the fact it is so compact and 300 photos are in just one photo book. The books highlight most of the events in their lives and gives them a sense of their heritage. Another thing, we all realized is that you can certainly see where certain family members get their looks. It has been a journey down memory lane. It was hard to tear myself away from the project. One thing I am sure of is I am glad I am FINISHED!!!

For you young mothers, the moral of this story is to take lots of pictures you'll be glad you did one day. It seems that the first child has lots of photographs and then the photos start to taper off for each child after that. If you have a tradition or something that is unique in your family be sure to snap those shots so they can be recorded in your family history.