To give credit where credit is due, I’m long past due in thanking Christina Hills for giving me the impetus to come out of the closet and actually start creating my online presence.  I took her Website Creation Workshop (WSCW) last spring, and that empowered me take some baby steps.  If you want to take control of your web presence, check this out:

http://cli.gs/rEhMQG

Now, one of the remarkable benefits offered by this generous and patient teacher is that past students can retake the class. So, I’m going to be there when Web Site Creation Workshop starts up again next week. If you haven’t experienced Christina’s magical step-by-step and practical hands-on teaching style, you will be absolutely delighted.  She’s closing  registration on Friday afternoon (5pm Eastern time!).

Technophobes love Christina and WSCW. Anyone who is frustrated with trying to get something done through a webmaster will find a welcome and refreshing relief.  Many even “fire” their webmasters.  If you’re wondering if there’s an easier way to make yourself  visible online, I recommend you check it out and sign up if it speaks to you.  Cut to the chase with this  shortcut!   http://cli.gs/rEhMQG

While Christina has been in final preparation for
this workshop, she has been giving out some great
stuff on her blog.

Webinar Replay – How WordPress Can Be Used in Your Biz
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/freewebinar.htm

Answers to the Top 53 Questions on WordPress
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/top53.htm

Funny Video: What? Julia Child is Cooking Up Websites?
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/juliaintro.htm

Funny Video: Julia Child is Back Cooking Up a Blog Post!
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/juliablog.htm

How I Made My First WordPress Website in 15 Minutes
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=wcwinfo.com/b/nutcracker.htm

For what it would take you to hire a webmaster one time,
to build only one website for you, Christina will empower
you to build as many websites as you want for your business
or personal passion.

So go now and get registered for the 8 module training.

I’ll see you in the course!

http://WebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734

Christina Hills, Web Site Creation Workshop, Wordpress blog

Open Q&A Webinar "Radio" Show Tonight

There's a free webinar on WordPress happening tonight!

It's an "Open Q&A" webinar to answer any remaining
questions you may have about using WordPress as your
website.
The link here is for tonight's webinar:

http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=www.wcwinfo.com/b/webinartonight.htm

And on this call, Christina Hills,
my teacher and mentor for hands-on Wordpress training, will answer any
remaining questions you have about taking the Website
Creation Workshop.  

-----------Webinar Info------------------------
Date: Thursday, September 17th
Time: 8:00pm Eastern/ 5:00pm Pacific
Duration: 70-90 minutes

Get the Phone Number and webinar info here:
http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=www.wcwinfo.com/b/webinartonight.htm

(Note you can listen on your computer, or the phone)
-----------------------------------------------------

Christina got the idea to do this from the funny Linus and Lucy
cartoon of the "Peanuts" that she posted on her blog a couple
of days ago:

http://TheWebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734&u=www.websitecreationworkshop.com/blog/information/open-qa-radio-show-this-thursday/

Well, she promises that her "radio show" won't be quite as
goofy as that clip, but it should be a lot of fun.

I want you to feel confident in making your decision to
join her in the 8 module workshop that starts next Tuesday.
(As an alum of the course, I'll be there too!)

Today and tomorrow is the last day to get registered for
the workshop.
(here is the registration link for the FULL  8 module course

http://WebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734 )

Sincerely, 

Yours,
Bobbye Middendorf
The Write Synergies Guru
[Click below to register for the full workshop.]
http://www.WebsiteCreationWorkshop.com/cmd.php?af=976734

Christina Hills, Web Site Creation Workshop, Wordpress blog

Bibliophiles and bookstore lovers (and publishers and authors): Mark your calendars for Nov. 7 to celebrate all the bookstores you love! (Especially the independents!) Publishers Weekly, the publishing trade magazine, is sponsoring the national day to honor bookstores and all the benefits they provide. Check out the article from my old pal, Ron Shank, now PW’s publisher,  at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6696364.html?nid=2286&rid=##CustomerId##&source=link

Book Publishing, National Bookstore Day, Publishers Weekly, Ron Shank

Life as Kaleidoscope: Beauty in Motion

Remember those magical tubes filled with beads and bits of glass with mirrors that multiplied the images?  As a kid, you probably looked through a cardboard tube with plastic bits, but there are high-end kaleidoscopes with brass tubes and gems.  It doesn’t matter really what the outer materials are, because the magic is in the constantly shifting array of patterns and beauty.  It’s all ephemeral. No view through the eyepiece is ever quite the same. No patterns repeat.

Isn’t life a lot like the kaleidoscope?  Some days it feels like the patterns are changing so fast, it’s as if a giant is shaking the whole thing and no pattern  is allowed to coalesce.  Certainly some people repeat nightmare images and patterns.  But to  get really present and conscious, it is possible to see the beauty.  Sometimes it’s just one small beautiful thing: sunlight glinting on the water, the dappled pattern of leaves in sun and shadow, sand under the toes, the perfume of a perfect rose.  Even among all the confusion and constant change, can’t you find some beauty too?  Close your eyes; breathe in deeply and exhale. Repeat for several breaths, then open your eyes.  See with these new eyes, renewed by your breath.

For one day, for one hour of one day, for one minute of one hour, focus your lens and your vision on all the beauty that is in your world: The pooch or kitty, the plant, the song, the lasagna, the mountain.  Try focusing on the shifting beautiful gifts within your sights.  Part of the beauty is in the constantly shifting patterns, just like the kaleidoscope.  But when you pull back and see your whole life’s patterns, you’ll see the synergies that grow from considering all that is beautiful in the shifting bits of precious images that are your life.  Acknowledge the beauty of your kaleidoscopic life.

For extra credit, look inside yourself to see the beauty there too.

beauty, kaleidoscope, patterns, Synergies

Judith and Jim, selling as spiritual service

Berrett Koehler Publishers (affectionately known as BK) carries out its vision of “a community creating a world that works for all” by actively and transparently partnering with its authors, stakeholders, vendors, and shareholders.  As someone who has been in and around the book publishing industry for nearly 30 years, I can tell you with assurance: These guys are the real deal.

Given the situation as it stands, “a world that works for all”  recognizes that we need to change — personal change, business and institutional change, as well as societal change.  The publisher has resources to focus on leveraging change from each of these arenas. You pick the area with the greatest resonance for you.

BK Life titles address the personal transformations required; BK Business titles address institutional/corporate issues; and BK Currents titles focus on the largest, societal, and systemic issues.

BK Publishers are the folks who brought you John Perkins’ bestseller, Confessions of An Economic Hit Man, Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog, Repacking Your Bags, leadership classics like Leadership and the New Science by Margaret Wheatley (bringing quantum physics to business leadership!), Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute, A Complaint is a Gift, and Beverly Kaye’s half-million copy bestseller, Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em.

Newer  titles that I find particularly intriguing include: The Introverted Leader, Glow, Lift, and Framing the Future.

Click ForeWord Magazine to see my review of BK’s Breakdown, Breakthrough by Kathy Caprino. 

You, as a friend of mine,  can access over 800 resources from the BK publishing archives.  By ordering your BK titles through the link here, you will automatically get a 20 percent discount on any BK publication that you order.

PLUS, you can take advantage of a summer special for just a few more hours!  They are concluding their summer sale, so order through August 31 to receive an extra 20 percent discount  by entering “summersale09” during checkout on the BK website — for a total discount of 40 percent.

Act Now: Through Monday, August 31, 2009, all books, e-books, whitepapers, audio books, DVDs, and digital toolkits are an additional 20% off when you use the SUMMERSALE09 e-coupon during the check-out process. Click here: Berrett Koehler

Remember at checkout, use this e-Coupon code = SUMMERSALE09

To see the wealth of ways to “Create a world that works for all,” (and save money too) connect to Berrett-Koehler publishers or use the following  link:

http://clickserve.cc-dt.com/link/click?lid=41000000028480391

Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Beverly Kaye, Book Publishing, Brian Tracy, ForeWord Magazine, John Perkins, Kathy Caprino, Leadership, Margaret Wheatley, The Arbinger Institute

John Quincy Adams, Leadership, owning your greatness, Seth Godin, Tribes

As some of you know, I have been re-imagining my business and adding the tools and processes of internet marketing to strengthen my efforts at tribe-building and getting the word out.  Lots of new things are in process in this fledgling Write Synergies world I’m creating, so look for more announcements soon.

One place where I’m developing my expertise — a really a critical piece of the ongoing communication infrastructure — is this thing called internet marketing.  The thing is, there’s lots of hoopla out there, plenty of scams, and also some really good teachers and coaches who make a LOT of assumptions about what you already know.

Many of us who are interested in using these tools don’t even realize what we don’t know, and so jump into those learning situations and find we’re in over our head.  It’s all painted as “so easy.”

Well, it’s not rocket science, but it does take a certain attitude and most certainly it requires a step-by-step approach starting with the VERY basics.  We need guides who acknowledge the true  newbie nature of many of us who want to add internet marketing to our bag of tricks.

I have been in their circle and working with/learning from Judith Sherven and Jim Sniechowski for more than a year.  I am impressed anew every time they do their teaching magic.  For this course, Judith and Jim have teamed up with Tom Justin to create First Step Internet Marketing. It is a true step-by-step learning experience that I refer to often in my own process of business building.

The Best Deal
They have a special that’s wrapping up by the end of the day on Sunday.

Their course is only available through August 9th
at their Stimulus Incentive price of only $147.

That’s right – only $147!

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=961738

That’s 6 step-by-step sessions emailed to you weekly, so you don’t get overwhelmed.  Plus, they have some added and immediately useful bonuses.
(I could go on a rant about bonuses for courses that are overwhelming and unrelated, but I’ll save that to another time.)

So, if you are able to act now, you will get this hands-on course
for only $147 — before they raise it back to
very nearly their pre-Stimulus price in honor of
the growing signs of recovery.

Still a Good Deal
Starting August 10th their special course price
will be $100 more — $247.  (And this too is still a very good value for the detailed step-by-step info you get.)

If you are able to check it out and make a decision before the end of the day on Sunday, you will save $100.

Get their course now by going to

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=961738

AND there’s no risk to you! Judith, Jim, and Tom
are so certain that you will be totally delighted
with their course that they provide a
60-day satisfaction guarantee!

So get more information and get signed up for the
course right now -

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=961738

Full transparency: The link identifies me as the source of your interest, and I receive a referral fee if  you choose to order.

To your tribe-building success!

Bobbye
Bobbye Middendorf
The Write Synergies Guru
Bringing heart to your marketing…
And perfect clients in your door

First Step Internet Marketing, Judith and Jim

Key Word Basics

Who are your people?  When you are presenting your services via online marketing, what words might potential customers type into a search engine like Google for the problem you solve, the issue you address, or your book or web site that answers their questions?  Identifying key search terms specifically targeting your niche will help you attract the people who are looking for the answers, solutions, and issues for which your books and resources address the need.

In search engines, key words are the search terms that people type in to find the information they need or the problem them want to solve. If you have a book or other info product, ideally you will have one or more key words related to your book’s subject matter in the title, making the book findable to the people who will be searching online for this information or resource.

For example, Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual is a book title that is key word and search engine friendly.

What follows is a list of resources that report on how many searches are conducted for various words and phrases in key word searches. Some of these tools break out search counts by search engine.  The most general search terms will have millions of searches.  Ideally you want to focus with specificity within your niche.  There are experts and strategies for sharpening your key word strategy, but these tools will get you started.

Spacky is a free and basic key word search tool. It pulls in data about searches from several different search engines.
http://www.spacky.com/

KWmap is a site where you can see search results visually in a kind of mind-map string of terms that flow from your central (or seed) term.  Then the terms are listed alphabetically. Often by starting with the most general term, you will be able to identify the specific string of key words that most closely match your topic.
http://www.kwmap.com/

At Spyfoo, you can also get a reading on the popularity of search terms by seeing how much it costs to buy them on a pay-per-click basis.
http://www.spyfoo.com

Wordtracker has a free key word search tool, but they also sell by subscription. (Obviously you can more deeply analyze the data using their fee-based version.) WordTracker’s free key word search tool is: http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

In addition, Wordtracker offers free how-to articles from experts and info at http://www.wordtracker.com/academy.  They also offer books for sale by some of their expert contributors.

http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/keyword-research   is a round-up of several articles specifically about keyword research.

You’ll also find their free ebook guide to key word research at: http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/keyword-research-guide.

attract, Dan Poynter, key words, KWmap, Online Marketing, search, Spacky, Spyfoo, Wordtracker

If you’re intrigued by the possibilities of internet marketing for boosting your business, then you may have some questions.  My mentors, Judith & Jim, along with Tom Justin, are sharing their knowledge and experience of their journeys in getting started in internet marketing.  Tonight’s call is free and is designed to provide answers to the most important questions that you may have regarding this popular business model.  See their note below and sign up to get the call info.

(If you want to sign up right away, you can go to:  http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=961738  and yes, to be completely transparent, that is my affiliate #.  That means if you do decide to buy the course, I will get a commission. The course they’ve created, called First Step Internet Marketing, is one that I refer to constantly as I re-create and refine my business models.

So, here are a few words of introduction from Judith, Jim, and Tom:

When you’re thinking about starting
something new — like Internet Marketing –

It’s important to know which questions to ask –
And it’s important to know where to get
the answers.

If you’ve started something new — like
Internet Marketing — whether it’s for your
own programs or products — or as an affiliate
promoting other people’s programs –

You need guidance –
Not just generalized guidance, but the
type of guidance that’s exactly right
for where you are right now.

That’s why my colleagues Judith, Jim and Tom
have organized a No-Cost Tteleseminar that
you are invited to attend.

It’s this Monday August 3 at 6 pm PT

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=961738

more

(more…)

First Step Internet Marketing, internet marketing, Judith and Jim, Online Marketing, Tom Justin