The book opens with a Foreword by Erin Weed, founder of Girls Fight Back, and then immediately launches into the stories, which are told in the first person.

The women in the book, who come from the U.S., Canada, and Europe, have shared stories that include everything from starting one’s own business and being the youngest person to run for public office in one’s town to getting off public assistance and participating in triathlons after a debilitating accident. Included in the book are two examples of the types of support groups women can form to help them be accountable as they work to make the changes needed to achieve their dreams.

This is a project born from the heart, and is one that I’m honored to have taken a part.  The stories you’ll read are truly inspirational – I’m in awe of the women who stepped up and shared their courageous stories in this e-book, including:

@CrkdFaceCheese, @EthicalSEOuk, @CMColeman_OBM, @M_Cullen, @loisgeller, @MerlotMarketing, @ShendersonIA, @suddenlyjamie, @diannahuff, @MayCookieCo, @BIMarcom, @gwen, @thomasdgi, @BWRocketGirlgwen, @SandiMcCann, @ErinWeed, @clarehovan, @cre8d

In Dianna’s words:

The one theme that resonates through each story is transformation. The steps we take to achieve what’s important to us – even in the face of insurmountable odds – changes us. We change because instead of accepting the status quo, we reach down inside of ourselves, to our core, and !nd the strength and fortitude to overcome obstacles in our path – be they fears, our past, well-meaning family or very real physical limitations. Once we reach the other side, we’re different. We’re stronger, wiser, and more self-assured. We know who we are – and what we’re capable of. We know that if we can do this one thing, then we can do anything.

You can purchase the e-book at Dianna’s website, The Profitable Female Consultant: http://profitablefemaleconsultant.com/dreams-ebook.

What does it mean to be a Certified Online Business Manager?

• Has demonstrated their commitment to being an Online Business Manager by making a significant investment of time, money and energy in the Online Business Manager Training Program.
• Has successfully completed the Certification process which involves them working on a series of real projects for real clients.
• Has taken the Online Business Manager Pledge in dedication to their clients – present and future – and in acknowledgement of their own dedication to the profession.

This certification represents a commitment I’ve made to myself to continually invest in myself and my business so that I can better serve my clients’ needs.   I’ve officially moved away from the traditional VA model and am now working with my clients in the capacity of Business/Operations Manager.

Thank-you to Tina Forsyth and her amazing team at International Association of Online Business Managers for an incredible training program!

And of course, my continued success is not possible without amazing clients like Ed Gandia, Pete Savage and Lara Gallloway!

I believe a key to the success of an online working relationship depends on effective communication between team members – which is really quite easy in this digital-mobile age – just pick your favorite ways to connect and then choose one of many tools! In normal daily interactions, I connect with team members in a number of ways via project management tools, email, or phone (or Skype).

Sometimes though, text or voice aren’t enough, so I also use screencasting and screen sharing tools for effective communication with my clients.

Which bring me to the fourth of Crystal’s Favorite Things:

Join.Me for free, easy screensharing!

This tool is so easy to love because it is so simple.

• I can set up a screen sharing session and invite a client via email in matter of 60 seconds, which means I can do it while we’re on the call.
• It’s FREE!
• I can pause the screen and then re-share with one click.
• Nothing to download to join a screen share – once my client clicks on the link I email them to the session, they are instantly connected.

There’s not a great deal more I can tell you about this Join.Me, except that it does the job well without hassle, which is really what it was designed to do.  If you want lots of features and functions, it may not be the tool for you but it might be worth checking out the Pro package, which has a few more premium features including more participants, presenter swap and personal branding options.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to collaborate in real time with your team, then I recommend checking out this tool and trying it on your next call or meeting.

What tools do you use for screen sharing in your online business?

In case you’re still unclear on whether you should be using online video in your content creation, then take a look at this article for some great insights on how much video use has grown: 101 Online Video Stats to Make Your Eyes Glaze Over

As an online business manager, I’m intensely interested in options for my clients to deliver their online video content.  There are a few great tools and systems out there that I’ve tried or researched, but for the purpose of this post, I’ve chosen the one I like most for Crystal’s Favorite Things:

Amazon S3 & EZS3 for Online Video Hosting & Delivery

Using EZS3 for organizing media files and for player creation (all media types) makes my life easy because I can do it all from one place, and I haven’t found any other combined service that is more cost effective or as flexible.

The EZS3 portion of this system is the most costly, but by using your own Amazon S3 and Cloudfront accounts, you remove the overhead fee that other all in one solutions add to the file hosting and streaming.  The reliability, security and cost of Amazon S3 and Cloudfront simply cannot be beat.

How it works:

After logging in to the EZS3 panel, I can upload my files to Amazon S3 (at account creation, you need to set up the connection between EZS3 and your S3 Buckets).  Then, I browse to the appropriate folder and select the file I want to share, set up a player and grab the embed code, or copy the download link I need to share the video/audio/PDF, etc. I never have to log into any system or service other than EZS3 on a regular basis.

The actual processes are a bit more involved, but here’s a quick list of my favorite features:

• Bulk Player Creation- This saves me an immense amount of time when setting up a standardized player to be reused for different files.For example: When setting up a new training program at International Freelancers Academy, the files are uploaded to specific folder I’ve created for the program in EZS3.  Once all files are up and we’re ready to embed the video or audio files onto the website, I can create a custom player, then choose which files to associate with the player.  The output bulk creates the player embed codes for each file, and all I (or my VA) need to do is paste that code into the appropriate section on our website.
• Multiple File Types – There are player templates for almost every file type that I could possibly need, including multiple video file types: f4v, flv, mov, mp4, Camtasia Studio and flash as well as embeds for PDFs, spreadsheets and text documents.
• Built in Google Analytics & Tracking Stats – I can encode each video player with a unique code for tracking in Google Analytics and in the Tracking Stats tab of the EZS3 admin panel.
• Accessibility – The EZS3 panel is more familiar to the average user than Amazon.  One complaint I;ve heard from people is that they find Amazon S3 too complicated to use.  This fixes that, and makes is easy to do everything you need to upload, organize, manage and deliver online media all from one place.

Gripes

One drawback to starting a new EZS3 account is that they have recently done away with the option to pay on a monthly basis – new and existing customers now need to pay annually or stop using the service.   This is a mistake, in my opinion.  Business owners want and need the option to try a service on a monthly basis before committing to paying for an entire year’s worth of service.  Further, forcing existing customers to switch from monthly to annual payments (without much warning) doesn’t do much for customer relations.

Another drawback is the price of the add-on modules that offer the functionality that most of my clients want and need from their video delivery service.  Charging extra for the “Premium Features” is a common practice, but the prices for these services demanded of existing paying customers are again, in my opinion, a bit harsh.

So there you have my favorite media hosting and sharing system. It’s not perfect, but no system is! What may be perfect for one business just won’t work for the next, so you need to make sure you have done your research for the system that matches your needs best and then continue to evaluate the options out there on a regular basis.

What do you use to host and share video content in your business?

I don’t want to spend more time than I need to for this daily task, so anything that allows me to share content easily and reliably usually gets my attention. And there are a lot of choices for social media sharing apps and tools out there. In fact, just when I think I have what I want, 5 more pop up!

In the past, I’ve just stuck with Hootsuite for sharing content since I can schedule, shorten links, and access analytics data all in one place. In fact, I continue to use Hootsuite for a great deal of the content I share in my own networks, as well as part of the process for my clients’ content sharing processes.

But there’s a new kid in town that I absolutely love, and I think it deserves to be on the list of Crystal’s Favorite Things: Buffer

Buffer works inside my browser, allowing me to choose to share content that I’m viewing any time without having to leave the article/website/video etc.  I can also share content directly from my Google Reader – a function I absolutely love.  And, I can use it on any computer at home or away, the kind of flexibility that’s important in my business.

The same can be accomplished by the various social media sharing buttons that are available on most websites and media players, but Buffer offers a couple extra (and important) features:

1) Share content immediately or schedule it for later.

Buffer allows you to set up a queue of content that is pushed out on the days/times that you specify.  You just add it to the buffer and forget it.  (See why it’s called Buffer yet?)

In the past, I’ve clicked the share button on the article, then copy/pasted the tweet into Hootsuite, then set the delivery day/time.  OR, I copy/pasted the article title into Hootsuite, then shrunk the URL.  Buffer saves me those steps.

2) Access analytics on shared content

Clicking on the share buttons on a website is the easiest way to share content with your followers, and website owners like it because they can track the share data generated from their visitors, but unless you use a 3rd party app like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or others to for tracking you don’t have an easy way to know if your audience is reading, clicking or re-sharing your tweets/updates.

I wouldn’t recommend abandoning your other social media tracking services/tools – but the built in analytics that Buffer offers is, in my opinion, good enough for daily use.  Sometimes, that’s all I need!

Of note: Buffer also syncs with your bit.ly account – so you gain the sharing stats from that service as well.

It is important that there is a free option for any tool that I choose to try or use in online business that isn’t too wimpy to even be considered an option.  Buffer has that covered with their free plan – I’ve migrated to one of the paid plans now, but it’s not necessary to pay to gain enough functionality to make the service useful.

What tools or apps are you using to share content within your online community? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

The only differences are that

a) I’m not giving anything away (sorry!)

b) these are my favorite things for doing business online

I hope you enjoy the series!

To start off “Crystal’s Favorite Things”, I’ve chosen to share why I love one of my favorite cloud sharing tools – Dropbox

Anyone who has worked with virtual team members knows first-hand the challenges for sharing documents.  Every time an edit is made to a spreadsheet, powerpoint, or word document (for example), it needs to be shared with the rest of the team.

This means sending emails with attachments back and forth (cc’ing all involved on the project), uploading to a cloud service like Box.net, a central “file drawer” provided by your project management solution (such as BaseCamp, Team Work Live, Central Desktop) or using a service like Google Docs or Evernote to create and serve the documents.

While all of the above can be valid solutions, they also have some drawbacks. Here’s why:

1) I don’t have to download/upload the files manually.

I save the file to the appropriate Dropbox folder on my computer and it automatically syncs (in real time) with the online version.

This means that I  don’t have to worry about forgetting to upload the latest version of a working document, or having to go and download it from somewhere else – I already have access to the files I am sharing in the Dropbox folder on my PC, my laptop, even my iPad – any time I, or anyone on the team, want it.

2) I’m not limited to using or sharing a specific file type

I do love Google Docs (I’ll be posting about it later), but one of my frustrations with using Google Docs is that there is enough difference between  Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet, or a Microsoft Word Document and the corresponding Google Doc to feel clunky/uncomfortable.  I lose some of the functionality of the Microsoft version on my PC when I upload a document, or when I edit one already sitting in my Google Docs folder.

Furthermore I can store any file type I want in my Dropbox folders.  I can choose to back-up my family photos in a folder, or share a folder  that contains MP3 files for our transcriptionist to access.  (Box.net and other services also allow multiple file types, but you have to remember to  manually upload/download files. )

To learn more about Dropbox, the pricing plans (you can try it out for free with a 2GB personal plan), and access the comprehensive training  and how to tutorials, go to: Dropbox.com.

If you’re willing to do a bit of research and comparison, then I suggest you look at Box.net as well.  Both of these services are similar enough that it’s actually a close call for me on which one is my “favorite”.  I actually find public sharing of content to be a bit easier with this platform.  (Things like MP3 files for coaching clients, etc.)

In the end, I find my clients adopt Dropbox more easily than Box.net, so that’s a big plus for me.  Anything that makes my clients lives easier, without a great deal of effort to adapt to a new system is top of my list!

I know a system is a winner when my clients rave about it:

I’m loving Dropbox and am sooo glad you turned me on to the service!

Pete Savage, The Pete Savage Group

Do you use Dropbox in your business? Let me know how you like it or what you use instead in the comments below!

The response is invariably – NO, don’t allow someone else to mimic your voice!  And I agree 100%.

But that does not mean that delegating some social media tasks to your VA is out of the question.  You just need to be clear on what types of updates you want to outsource.

By delegating some of the implementation of your social media and marketing plan, you can gain more time and focus for the time that you designate to your social media activities – for engagement, interaction and relationship building.  Those are the parts that only you can do for your own brand in order to be authentic and real.

So what can you delegate to your VA?

• Publish updates that link your blog (current and past) content. 
  ie: How To Be a Guest Blogger That Is Invited Back For More  http://bit.ly/rU68VV
• Publish marketing links to your programs and products
  ie: Learn 100+ Ways an OBM Can Increase Your Success  http://bit.ly/vQOPNR
• Publish quotes, tips or informational snippets from your book (or ebook)
• Publish updates for affiliates (especially those that provide you the stock copy to use)
• Product Launch promotional tweets/updates
  Pre-written by the copy team as part of the launch campaign.

The key here is to review your social media strategy (if you don’t have one, ask your Online Business Manager or VA to build it), and then decide which types of updates do not need to be written and posted by you.  Generally, you’ll want to keep engagement and relationship building for yourself.  The rest doesn’t necessarily need your direct hand in scheduling or posting (once the plan has been created and approved).

A strong social media marketing plan will include a well-defined process for content curation, delivery, scheduling, systems to use, measurement, and will identify the team member(s) responsible.  You and your OBM build it to work within your overall marketing strategy for your business so that it will be an accurate and effective reflection of your brand.

It is possible to outsource parts of your social media strategy while retaining your true brand voice, You don’t have to sacrifice authenticity! It’s about managing your time (and your team!) effectively so that you can be more successful in all of your activities.

Your turn: Do you outsource parts of your social media strategy?  How have you made it work for you? Let me know in comments below!

There’s some great advice out there for people who want to guest blog – just Google “how to guest blog”. Some of my favorite resources are:

• How to be a Good Guest Blogger via Problogger.com
• How to Guest Blog Your Way to a Stronger Personal Brand via Personal Branding Blog.com
• How to Find Guest Blogging Opportunities via Women Grow Business.com

But this post isn’t about getting guest blog gigs - it’s about being a blogger that is invited back again and again. To be a good guest blogger, you need more than just great content.  Seems simple enough a statement, but it’s easy to forget that once you get the gig that your work hasn’t quite ended.

I’ve experienced some hosting woes as project and content manager for my client’s blogs and content sites, and I’m sharing my own tips below on what makes a great guest blogger (from the host’s perspective).

Read the Guidelines

If the blog you’re gust posting for has published editorial or contribution guidelines, read them…from start to finish.  The blog host has put significant time and energy into creating the guidelines, with the intent to streamline the process, control the quality of contributions, and overall, ensure the experience is positive for everyone involved.

I know firsthand, that a great deal of editing could be avoided if everyone took the time to read the guidelines, and then check their article for adherence to them before submission.

Questions that should be answered:

• What format should the contribution be in? (a/v, article)  If audio or video – MP4/FLV/MOV?
• What length?  (# of words, minutes of audio/video)
• How and when do you deliver the contribution?
• Who are you writing for – what is the readership makeup?
• When are the deadlines?
• What is the editing process?

Stick to the Deadline

When you’re accepted as a guest blogger, you’ll likely be given a publication schedule or deadline for your article submissions.  Once confirmed, stick to the deadline.

Deadlines may seem like they’re set far in advance of publication dates, so it may be a fair assumption that you have wiggle room.  You don’t.

Busy blogs, or those with a large number of contributors and content tend to schedule weeks or months in advance, so any changes in that schedule are impactful beyond just the date of the change.  The review and editing process can take time, and a late article can cause un-needed frustration for your host.

Backing out or requesting an extension or re-schedule even weeks before your contribution is due to be published can throw a wrench into the entire publication schedule.  Things happen, and a smart content manager will have contingencies in place, but if you want to be invited back, avoid causing this trouble for the blog host.

Embrace the Editing Process

Once you’ve written the article in accordance to the editorial guidelines and submitted it (on time!), don’t be surprised if you hear back from the host with requested edits.  Some hosts will have their own team edit it in-house and then let you know about the changes.

Don’t take it personally.  Each blog host/owner has their own individual tastes.  They also have insight into what their audience wants, so they’re going to make edits with their readers in mind.

The editing process is a great time to learn the blog owner’s preferences – pay attention and you can improve your next article for that blog. Guest bloggers that learn from the editing process and come back with a “perfect” article the next time will be invited back over those that repeatedly need extensive editing or re-works.

Be Communicative

Again, this is just common sense, but it is important enough to mention. Being communicative with the blog owner or content manager by proactively asking questions or responding to emails without too much delay will go a long ways to your return to that blog.

Chasing down guests for information is a time management nightmare; every delay adds up.

• If you have questions, ask them now and not later.
• If you’re behind, contact the content manager and let him/her know (they will appreciate the heads up).
• Answer emails or phone calls from the content manager/blog owner promptly
• Once you’ve uploaded  or delivered your submission, follow-up with a quick note (unless otherwise directed in the editorial guidelines).

Engage and Share

Once your submission has been published, you should receive a link to it on the host’s site.  Show up to the blog, subscribe to comments and make interaction and engagement a priority.  It’s not just a great practice for networking and your own exposure – the blog host will appreciate your effort too.

While you’re at it, share your contribution within your social media circles – Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, etc.  Let people know you’ve published the article and where it’s at.

It has obvious benefits for you and let’s be honest, it’s one reason many blog hosts choose to have guests – they benefit from the exposure as well.

Do you regularly host guests on your blog or website?  What do you look for in a guest blogger?  Let me know in the comments below!

I’m not sure if it will be the best use of my limited time for social media activities, but like most who are there already, I’m trying it out to see if Google+ is a fit.  Partly due to my own curiosity, and partly to determine whether Google+ might be a relevant social media channel for my OBM clients.

I’m just learning about Google+ so I don’t have a great deal of insight yet, but I do want to share three ways I’ve found (that work) to add your Google+ profile to your blog or website:

Install the WordPress plugin:  GoogleCards

I’ve got it in my blog sidebar and so far, it looks okay.  One issue – I could only drag the widget into one of my sidebars, so for those of you who have multiple sidebar areas (depending on your theme) then this widget is, in my opinion, left wanting for more.
Update: July 14/11 The latest version (0.4.3) now supports multiple sidebars! Thanks plusdevs.com

To get your profile ID for the widget – click on your Profile name, then highlight the numbers only in the URL.  https://plus.google.com/u/1/107720934797780669628

 

Add a widget from SocialStastics.com

To get the widget, go to the site, add yourself by signing in to Google or sharing your Google+ ID.  Then scroll down – you’ll see the widget and active custom code in the right hand sidebar of the page.

The number in red below is your Google ID. For example (my profile): https://plus.google.com/u/1/107720934797780669628/. You can see it in action here on my site



 

Use the Google Profile Button.

Use the profile button generator and then copy/paste into your widgets or html of your site.  My opinion – this button is ugly and one I would not choose to use it.

Do you know of any other plugins, widgets or useful Google+ profile sharing tools?  Share below! While you’re here, add me to one of your Google+ circles.

As an aside: I like to be choosey over how many plugins I install on the blogs that I run or maintain – too many will slow down load times and increase the chances of incompatibilities.

However, I’m seeing a set-up issue with the AddThis tool:

Blog owners are failing to change or customize the shared message to use their own Twitter name instead of @Addthis.  Specifically, the issue exists for those who are using the AddThis Toolbox.

This is one of those things that bugs me.  It’s not a big issue, but it’s also something that can make the difference between good and great.  By not using your own Twitter @ name, you’re not optimized for best sharing of your content – you want your followers to credit you for your blog posts or website articles – not AddThis!

Here’s an example – when a visitor chooses to share via Twitter by clicking on the Twitter icon, they will see a popup message box with text similar to  below:

You want to change via @AddThis to your own Twitter account.

How to Change the — shared via @Addthis — text to your own Twitter Account info:

In the toolbox code, you need to add a couple extra snippets: tw:via=”YOURNAME” tw:related=”YOURNAME”
So your toolbox code will look like:

Custom via @ for AddThis Toolbox

With the snippets added to your twitter code, when visitors click to share via Twitter, they’ll share your Twitter username (tw:via=”YOURNAME) instead of via @Addthis, plus if they’re not already following you, the message text will suggest you as someone to follow (tw:related=”YOURNAME”) underneath the main tweet content box.

So for the above example, with the changes I’ve made to the code above, the tweet shared will be:

If you’re using the AddThis Toolbox for your blog or website and have had trouble with customization, I hope this “How To” has helped!  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below – I’d love to hear from you!