Starting An Online Business From Scratch

I want to write a short post and get some feedback from my readers to see if I’m just on another planet or if Tumblr is completely missing the point.

As part of this year’s 30 Day Challenge, we watched a video on how to sign up for and use Tumblr to help drive traffic to our new niche sites. The video was very careful to tell us to pay attention to the Terms of Service and to abide by them. We were reminded that it would all be for nothing if we tried to set up a crappy site with no value and affiliate links because this is something Tumblr expressly prohibits.

I had never used Tumblr before but because I have a great deal of trust in and respect for Ed Dale and his associates I thought I’d give it a try. Here is my story.

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I don’t think a week passes when I don’t read some blogger’s story about how much Twitter has helped them get more blog subscribers, traffic to their site or sites or opened up tons of opportunities for them.

The thing that disturbs me about these posts is that it seems to me that these people already had a large following and getting on Twitter just gave them a new 140-character avenue to stay in touch with an established fan base.

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How many times do you see blog posts and social media updates that read like this: “I’ve been chugging along since early this morning but I got EVERYTHING done I wanted to”? What’s your reaction to this? Do you celebrate with them or do you wonder what’s going on behind the scenes?

I tend to fall into the latter category.

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I recently “stumbled” the following article that I thought you needed to read.  We hear a lot about what we should do to make StumbleUpon work best for us.  What I haven’t seen is a breakdown of the inner workings of the service that can drive tons of traffic to our sites if utilized correctly.

One thing I found interesting is that SU apparently counts it as kind of thumbs down when you land on a page and just stumble again without voting.  I thought that only happened when you clicked to do a review of a site and closed the window without doing the review.

It’s a quick and informative read.  Have a look at it here:

Don’t forget to check out Caroline Middlebrook’s new e-course, StumbleRush.

Best,

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Technorati Tags: stumbleupon, stumblerush, caroline middlebrook, stumbleupon traffic, social media

Are you like most people? You’ve been given snippets of information about StumbleUpon but lack a coherent plan? Maybe you only set up an SU profile because your favorite internet marketing maven says that you should. You read various blog posts and forum comments which tell you to do this and do that so you write down and try the stuff you’re told. Maybe you stumble a few sites, add some friends and submit some sites just to “cover the bases.”

But is any of this working for you? Can you honestly say you know what you’re doing?

If not, don’t feel bad because most of us are either in or have been in your same situation. But there IS help for you!

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This is a topic that’s near and dear to my heart because it seems like nearly everybody you ask this question to has a slightly different answer. I realize this is probably because sharp people (like my readers) will take a “system” and adapt it to their particular situation rather than trying to force an “out of the box” solution to work for them.

So, here’s your opportunity to be heard, help me understand what’s working for you and, if you’re part of Disqus, write some content that ends up on your FriendFeed for all your followers to see.

If you would leave a comment below and tell us what has been working for you and what hasn’t, we all stand to learn from it.

That is the ultimate goal of any community, isn’t it?

Best,

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Technorati Tags: day planning, disqus, friendfeed, productivity, time managemen

I’ve been following along with the ThirtyDayChallenge pre-season and I wanted to make a short post of something that has already paid me dividends-using Google Reader to read my daily blog feeds and so much more.

Oh, and did I mention you can put your FriendFeed on it too?

Since Ed Dale is a much better spokesman, I’ll let him explain how incredibly powerful this tool is.

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A tough loss and a lesson

If you’re a tennis fan and you watched the Wimbledon men’s final last Sunday, you probably already know that it is going to go down in history as one of the greatest matches ever played. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal squared off in a contest that was nothing short of best vs best. Federer was going for a record sixth straight Wimbledon title and Nadal was looking to complete his installation into the ranks of the tennis elite.

After losing two straight sets to Nadal, they were at 5-4 in the third set when the first of the rains set in. After an hour and twenty minutes they resumed.

What happened from that point has left most commentators speechless and fans needing a sedative.

Federer battled back and won the third and fourth sets both by tie-breakers but lost the final set 9-7. After the match, Nadal cried and Federer, who normally is very gracious in victory or defeat, was at a complete loss for words.

Did I just convert this blog to a tennis blog without telling you? No. Rather, I want to make sure that you walk away with some very important life and business lessons from this contest.

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Say It Isn’t So!

One of the things that I hear from readers all the time when asked about their experience on my site is they appreciate the no-nonsense internet marketing and business advice I share with them. They like that I sift through the information on the web and bring them fresh, relevant content that I think they need to have to be successful. They also like my unique insights on everything from multitasking to relaxation.

However, one of the things I hear them say is missing is fun. Fun? Isn’t life all about internet marketing? Really? Just kidding. My answer? Guilty as charged!

Since this blog started seven months ago, I have grown as a blogger, writer and internet marketer. I am always trying to improve myself and my endeavors. Unfortunately, this has given me tunnel vision and I believe it is holding this blog back from getting to the next level. Let me explain.

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I found this post by Toby Somerville on the SitePoint.com blog that adds more weight to the argument against multitasking.

Multitasking is a mythical construct that assumes everybody can and should do everything in their life or business themselves. All they have to do is make sure they do a little of everything all day, everyday.

I am a staunch opponent of this thinking and believe that we only do good work when we are focused on one thing at a time. I am always glad to read more evidence that I’m not out of my mind.

Read “Why Multitasking Is A Waste Of Time”

Best,

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Technorati Tags: time management, multitasking, focused concentration, productivity, sitepoint.com, toby somerville