Mindspring Design Small Business Blog » Blogging

What Would You Do With 250 Free Business Cards?

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:01:25 +0000

Calling small business owners, start-ups, and entrepreneurs… What would YOU do with 250 free business cards? UPrinting.com has been so kind as to provide 250 free business cards to one of our readers!

It’s easy to enter. Simply leave a comment about how you would use your business cards if you were to win.

For additional entries, and more of a chance to win:

Blog about my giveaway and link to my post and to UPrinting.com.
Tweet about this giveaway @uprinting. Be sure to include the #giveaway trending topic.
Let me know so I can add in your additional entries!

UPrinting.com has many business card designs to choose from, or you could create your own striking design. Just post a comment and let us know what you would do with 250 free business cards!

A winner will be chosen on October 21, 2009. And a winner will be notified on October 23, 2009. So get your entries in ASAP!

Show Some Blog Love with CommentLuv

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:00:39 +0000

Okay, so anyone who’s posted on my blog has probably seen the little “CommentLuv” button. It’s not a new concept, but I just want to highlight it.

When you comment on my blog, just make sure to type in your blog URL. Then YOUR latest blog post will show up under your comment on MY page. It’s how I can give back a little and show some love to my commenters.

Download CommentLuv and incorporate it into your Wordpress blog. Other blogging applications have similar add-on mods. Enjoy that nice fuzzy feeling, and show love to your blog commenters.

A Hijacked Blog and a Happy Ending

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:41:57 +0000

Check out this note I received from one of my readers. Someone hijacked this business owner’s blog — someone created his own administrative user identity and took control of the blog. (The IP address and some names have been withheld.)

I finally removed the bogus administrator from my blog database. I kept calling {Web Hosting Provider Name Withheld} because I finally realized the techies didn’t really understand what was going on. This has happened to me before. You have to keep calling to get someone who knows what the heck is going on.

First a tech told me that the Wordpress application wasn’t supported and to contact Wordpress. Next, one actually had me believe the Wordpress database was on the Wordpress server. His voice was calm, authoritative and so believable. Then I thought to myself a few minutes later “hey, that’s not true”.

Finally after vacation, I got a tech guy who told me the IP address, name and password to my Wordpress database. He warned me that I could totally damage my database with this information. I thank him and said it if did too much damage, I would delete the whole thing and start all over.

It’s a good thing I have command line skills:)

I did a:

ssh 000.000.00.00 -l wp_0058p_0

mysql>DELETE wp_user from wp_users WHERE display_name ='Blog_Hijacker';

A happy ending:)

This reader handled the situation very well. No thanks to his web host. And as an avid reader of his blog, I noticed he never skipped a post.

Aside from security issues, there are a few things to take away here… If you are a non-technical person, don’t despair. Some “technical” people have no clue either. So make sure you are with a host that is knowledgeable and helpful. Don’t settle for mediocre service, and be persistent.

Another thing is — it does pay to educate yourself a bit. Just a few lines of code solved this issue.

Also, I believe it’s better to install and set up your own blog, don’t go through software applications offered through your web host. Ask your web designer to download and install Wordpress on your server. Then you will have more control, style and functionality with your blog. And if anything goes wrong, your designer will know exactly where your database is located, and who or what to delete!

As a business owner, you are in control. With knowledge, persistence, and good help, your blog will never skip a beat.

Free Giveaway: 18″ x 24″ Poster Print from DigitalRoom.com

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:52:21 +0000

DigitalRoom.com has kindly sponsored this giveaway.

I and one of my very fortunate blog readers will receive an 18″x24″ rolled poster print. I plan to blow up a big beautiful picture taken on my Hilton Head vacation. I’m not actually a photographer, but hopefully I will be able to do justice to the lush green marshes, the mossy live oaks, and the soft dunes lining the pristine beaches…

What will you do with your free poster if you win? Check out Digital Room’s poster printing here: Poster Printing | Digital Printing

Enter to Win Your Free Poster Print:

Leave a comment on my blog explaining how you will use your Poster Print if you win.
Get an additional entry if you… Blog about this giveaway with a link to my blog as well as a link to DigitalRoom.com
Get an additional entry if you… Tweet about the giveaway @uprinting with trending topic ‘#giveaway’.
A winner will be selected on September 25, 2009.

This offer is open to US residents only. FREE UPS Ground Shipping for US residents.

Don’t Miss this Quick, Easy Way to Promote Your Blog

admin — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:43:29 +0000

Check out my new Headline Animator from Google FeedBurner below!

Now with a little snippet of code, I can show everyone I email my latest blog post titles in my email signature! Now you don’t just say: Visit my Blog. You say: Read my latest post– Use a Web Style Guide for a Consistent Website!

With more specific and varied content in your email signature, you give people a reason to read your blog. Peak their interest, give ‘em a tiny hint at what they are missing. They they’ll wonder how they ever lived without your blog.

The steps are simple:

Sign up your blog with FeedBurner
Click on Publicize.
Click on Headline Animator and follow the instructions to set it up.
Then copy and paste your code wherever you need it…. email siggies, Yahoo! Mail, MySpace page, Wordpress blog, wherever.

Have fun and reap the rewards of increased blog readership.

Join the Conversation About Your Brand

admin — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:46:18 +0000

Monitor conversations about your brand, and join them to your advantage.

A recent article in CNN Money’s Small Business section acknowledged the power of consumer-generated content. I always read blog posts and customer reviews before trying a new product or service.

Are people talking about your small business? Do you have any control over what’s being said?

Check out John Curran’s article: Track what your customers say about you.

And after that, set up a Google Alert for your brand to monitor the conversations…

24 Quick Fixes to Get Your Customers to Buy Online

How to Connect your Blog Feed to your Facebook Account

admin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:01:37 +0000

A client recently asked how to do this. I thought it might be helpful to other business owners.

Log in to your Facebook account.
Near the top right side of the page, go into “Settings > Application Settings.”

Click on “Notes.”

Click on the “Import a blog” link.

Enter the blog feed where it says ‘enter URL’ and click ’Start importing’. (Figure out what your blog RSS feed URL is here. Or, you may just enter your blog’s URL — like www.mindspringdesign.com/blog/)

Preview the content and then confirm.

Hope this helps!

15 Secrets of a Pro Blogger

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:48:48 +0000

Okay, there’s this one blog I stalk everyday. Actually two to three times a day. Sometimes more ; ) It’s less than a year old, and already the blogger has a large following, tons of commenters, an industry presence, popularity on YouTube, and is even turning a profit! Part of my obsession with this blog comes from a strong prior interest in the topic (beauty/haircare). But the other part comes from my desire to analyze and share this blogger’s secrets to success!

A pro blogger:

Posts a couple of times per day (I know not all will agree with this one, it really depends on the nature of the blog)

Posts lots of pictures (where applicable)

Writes about a popular, niche market, filling a need for information

Invites other voices/writers on the blog

Holds contests and giveaways

Stays up-to-date on the industry buzz, even attending/participating in professional events

Develops series of posts that can be repeated with new information (informational series, story-telling series, tutorial series, etc.)

Has personality

Invites comments

Invites photo submissions and stories

Shares personal emotions, experiences, thoughts and mistakes

Has many different, appealing categories listed in the sidebar

Is a cheerleader for her supporters and views information sharing as a labor of love

Coins her own terms, gaining an internet following and building a brand

Stays mainly positive in tone

This is what I’ve noticed about this successful blogger. I will remain a loyal reader until she stops posting — who knows what valuable beauty tips I’ll miss if I don’t! Hopefully you can use some of her blogging secrets to breathe life into your blog.

Let me know what works for you…

Does My Small Business Need a Blog?

Think Twitter is for the Birds? Think Again!

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:38:45 +0000

Many small businesses are using social media (like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs) to drive sales. One firm has their sales targeted to reach $1 million this year.

Here are a few excerpts:

Two-thirds of all online users visit social networks and blogs, according to data from Nielsen Online.

There’s no better reference than your friends telling you about something. It’s that exact interaction that happens on Facebook

Read the entire article here.

Mindspring Design can help you to establish and design your blog, and link your website to Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Recommended Reading: Hubspot’s Internet Marketing Blog

Mindspring Design Small Business Blog » Blogging

What Would You Do With 250 Free Business Cards?

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