Interview Diane Rayfield Harp Social (Podcast)

Tonight I interviewed Diane Rayfield of Harp Social on Blogtalkradio. I invited Diane because I wanted to integrate more social media related guests into my podcast. Diane is the founder and CEO of Harp Social where she leads a team of social media, SEO and online marketing professionals to strategize, manage and evolve integrated online marketing for businesses. I met Diane at Amplify.com a social networking site that I have blogged about frequently. I always enjoy talking social media with people like Diane because I learn from them and the energy is upbeat and inspiring. Diane and I really covered a lot of ground during the interview, but her area of expertise is Strategy, Metrics and Inbound Marketing – “Getting Found”. Here are some highlight areas you can expect to learn more about if you listen to the entire episode:

1. Location Based Marketing (Yelp, Foursquare and Gowalla)
2. Monitoring/Metrics (Radian6, Google Alerts, Social Mention and Hootsuite)
3. Amplify.com
4. Facebook Pages
5. Video Marketing (Including Youtube)
6. Social Media Policies
7. LinkedIn (Including Answers, Groups)
8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
9. Turning Point Autism Foundation

You can follow Diane on Twitter @dianerayfield or visit harpsocial.com to learn more about her company.

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Tags: Amplify.com, Diane Rayfield, Facebook, Harp Social, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, LinkedIn, Turning Point Autism Foundation, Twitter
Posted in Amplify, Blogging, Facebook, Interviews, Podcasts, SEO, Social Media Strategy, Tools, Twitter, Wordpress | View Comments

Blogtalk Update Alameda County Superior Court Judge Stuart Hing

Many of you are aware but some of you may not be, that I have been doing a weekly internet talk show. I’ve had some great nonprofits, technology CEO’s and inspirational guests. What probably won’t surprise most of you is how much I’ve enjoyed it; I really enjoy the interesting conversations that have occurred.

My most recent guest was Stuart Hing. I met Stuart and his wife Rhoda at another talk show called “Ground Level Perspective” where Stuart and I had both been guests. Stuart is a judge at the Alameda Superior Court and prior to that he was a district attorney. He is a very thoughtful and interesting person and I think people like Stuart will provide solutions to a lot of problems that plague our society. You can listen to my interview of Stuart here: http://bit.ly/b88dzh

I’ve had many other wonderful guests in the 28 episodes since I started the program but here are some highlights if you’re interested in catching up:

Bob “4WheelBob” Coomber 12/9/2009 http://bit.ly/6qa2Sw

Peggy Kennedy Author of Approaching Neverland 1/12/2010 http://bit.ly/6lhHBb

Eric Goldstein Founder and CEO of Amplify.com 1/27/2010 http://bit.ly/9gtOjV

H. Abram Wilson – Mayor of San Ramon, Candidate for Assembly Dist 15 2/3/2010 http://bit.ly/9C2mZo

Bud MacKenzie – Founder of Trust in Education 2/24/2010 http://bit.ly/9ByP6s

Kathrina Rashid, PH. D. – Sexual Assault Awareness Month 4/21/2010 http://bit.ly/9pik9O

Richard Muller – Author of “Physics for Future Presidents – The Science behind the Headlines” 5/26/2010 http://bit.ly/9nFw8F

Frank Alloco – Inspirational Leader and Coach of De La Salle High School Basketball Team 6/9/2010 http://bit.ly/dB6EQT

All episodes are also available at http://blogtalkradio.com/joehackman or via iTunes at http://bit.ly/cIBr4G

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Tags: Amplify.com, Blogtalkradio, Joe Hackman, Podcast, Stuart Hing
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How to use Amplify.com a quick Primer (Video)

I created this video for the benefit of people who are new to Amplify.com.

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Tags: Amplify, Amplify.com, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Twitter
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Why Sources are more valuable than Followers

I originally intended to include this in another post. When I realized the list was going to get very long I decided to split it off. This is a part of my #appreciationfriday that I replaced #ff on Twitter with. Partially inspired by a recent Chris Brogan blog post but also part of my dedication to the Amplify community. I want to let you know, please do not feel bad if you are a friend of mine on Amplify and not on my list. I am starting on the last page of sources which were the first people I followed and picking people that are active and influence me as I work backwards on the list. If the title of my article was confusing I think this will help:

If your name is here, I am paying attention to what you are doing because you do something that helps me discover new ways to do things, inspires me or sometimes entertains me. I hope other people benefit from your information as well:

Dave Grossman – Incredibly personable and part of the Amplify.com team. One of those guys you just want to meet for a beer after reading a few of his posts. Very genuine and fun, I suspect also a good friend of Eric, am I right? One of the very first people I followed on the site.

Flamplog – my Italian friend who never ceases to amaze me with his posts about Social Media, Mobile Phones, Marketing and Web 2.0 apps. He also has some extremely funny posts with a very European tilt.

Eric Goldstein… Inside my head – Eric is the CEO of Amplify.com and definitely the heart of the site. His passion, intelligence and appreciation of conversation are inspiring. He is a must follow and big up and comer in the Social Media industry as the leader of the talented Amplify.com team.

Danielle Ricks Productions – Video Producer, Social Media consultant, aspiring novelist, and blogger living life for the joy and laughter. I really enjoy Danielle’s perspective on many subjects.

Shashi Bellamkonda – Thoughts, Learning & Serving. Shashi’s top tag is “business” and it fits. Shashi is a great guy for business people to follow and plenty of others.  Great posts on PR, Social Media, and much more!

Shonali Burke – Great insights on PR/Social Media. I appreciate her distinctive insight on issues that often have a great angle with regards to gender. Informative and enjoyable material.

Delilah Jones – I know Delilah is in marketing/PR but I know her more for her work with Peace4Missing with someone else who will soon be showing up on the list.

Dave Yankowiak – another genuine easy going guy. Extremely talented and capable, Dave was one of the first people I hired to do work from me through social media (unless you count IRC back in the 90′s). I always enjoy Dave’s posts and look forward to working with him on more projects.

There are so many great people on Amplify, I will be adding many more! I would be happy if others did this as well, I am really curious who people follow and why. This really helps me find more quality sources in a world where your sources matter a lot more than your followers.

Updates 8/6/2010

Paul Simbeck-Hampson – Paul is a personal and engaging fellow, he is also a very long standing Amplify.com user that was one of the first people I followed when I joined the site. Paul’s content can be a little eclectic and I enjoy that. Some times you just don’t know what you will find. Visit Paul’s website at simbeckhampson.com.

Daniel Durrant – Daniel is a very erudite individual. He is part of the Open Intelligence group on Amplify.com. I always appreciate Daniel’s perspective on issues and I can count on him to be honest and thought provoking. Visit Daniel’s website at danieldurrant.com.

Ben Jackson – Ben is a real life friend that I am happy joined Amplify.com. I think Ben is a real up and coming person in Social Media, Business, and Life. He’s a great guy to follow and converse with. I am fortunate to work with Ben on a regular basis. Visit Ben’s blog at captainjackson.wordpress.com.

Xan Pearson – Xan was one of my favorite tweeps and I was very happy when she joined Amplify.com. Xan is authentic, bright and produces great quality content. Xan is exceptional at showing appreciation for others and ranks among the most personable people I’ve met via Social Media. Visit Xan’s blog at xanpearson.wordpress.com.

Ramon B. Nuez Jr. I share a lot of interests with Ramon so I frequently recommend and comment on his posts. I get a lot of my #mobile info from his amplog. Also a fellow podcaster, family man and supporter of charitable efforts. You can also check out his companies website at newmediabrief.com.

Warren Whitlock Warren’s posts represent some popular content that I have been missing being less active on Twitter in recent history. Warren is also very passionate about Social Media and offers a lot more commentary per post than most people on Amplify. The extra commentary improves the value of his posts for me. I also know who to talk to if I ever decide to write a book! Check out Warren’s website bestsellerauthors.com.

I didn’t get to everyone I had hoped to this morning, but here are some quick links and expect detail later for: Diane Rayfield, Kathy Jacobs, Tim Southernwood, Svartling, Alcanzarlo, Alex Schleber and many others, hang in there friends I will definitely get you added soon.

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Tags: Amplify, Amplify.com, appreciationfriday, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Social Media
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2010 is a great year to start a business

I started to write a Facebook wall update earlier this week about starting a business:

“The economy may have faced challenges but it seems like a great time to start a business. I would encourage anyone who is out of work to consider pursuing your dreams, reach for the sky. There are so many great tools out there to use. If you need a nudge send me a note about your idea and I will try to….”

Then I realized that this was a great opportunity for a real article. So why is 2010 a great time to start a business? Let me share a few of my favorites:

1. People are receptive to new and creative ideas.
2. There are plenty of problems to solve.
3. The playing field can be levelled quickly via creativity and technology.
4. It’s easy and cheap to start a business.
5. If you’re already out of work, why not try?
6. Small businesses can respond more quickly to changes in an uncertain market.
7. You’re probably going to need to earn more money to live the same lifestyle.
8. It’s exciting and fun to be in business for yourself, your chance to shine.
9. You can get REALLY cheap labor, especially through September.
10. A business model that will work today should pay dividends for years to come.

The market for new Ideas

Lots of businesses and individuals have problems that are not being solved. They are feeling pain and that means there is opportunity. If you can find solutions to the things that are holding them back today you will have a long term customer. As these businesses improve they will feed your small business, it is possible to grow with a few choice customers for many years to come. It really doesn’t take a ton of clients. Find the pain points that you are passionate about solving. When all else fails find out what other people are saying can’t be done, and do that.

A level playing field with lots of tools

Technology is a great equalizer and it can be leveraged in almost any business. Any business can for example leverage the cheap and free web 2.0 and social media applications. With tools such as drop box you can share up to 2GB of files for free “on the cloud”. You can setup a voicemail and conference call number with drop.io for free also. With Skype you can talk to international prospects via video conference and shrink the world. With Amplify.com you can dive in, interact and share information with an astute audience. Using Facebook you can keep your family, business and friends informed about your new venture. There is really an app for just about everything these days, and most of them are free! Being creative and experimental you will find what works and does not work for you, don’t be afraid. These are days that favor the bold and creative. You don’t even need much to get started, any individual can “do business as” themselves and work out of their home, car, Starbuck’s, Peet’s and Panera Bread. Always remember the bigger your competition the slower they will be to respond and adjust, you on the other hand can be nimble and quick.

“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”  ~Walt Disney

Employment Challenged

Depending on where you live un-employment is at historically high rates right now. That’s a fact but not an excuse to sit idly and not do something about it. There are huge benefits to adversity, most people would never see their potential without it. I am actually one of those people, I have set and achieved much higher expectations for myself based on the innevitable bumps and bruises that life has brought me. So ask yourself this. Would you let your current adversity go to waste or would you prefer to improve your life right now? In the future you can look back at these days and think how valuable they were to your personal and professional development. Or you can just continue to feel how you feel right now and wait for something to change. It is wonderful that we have the choice, there is only one decision that makes sense to me.

Incentives to Hire

Do you know that if you started a business today you could hire eligible employees and get 80% of their salary and payroll taxes paid through the end of September 2010? Not to mention the people you hire would be extremely grateful to join the realm of the employed. This opportunity seems to be one of the greatest hidden secrets of 2010 but it is part of the ARRA and it is conceivable that the benefit could be extended beyond the current expiration date. Check out this article I wrote on this very subject.

It boils down to choice

There are plenty of what are now probably obvious reasons why 2010 is an exceptional year to start a business. What about some of the less obvious ones? It is inevitable that more challenges will face us all in the future. There is a mounting debt to pay off, risks of inflation, and higher taxes to name a few. For that reason there has never been a better time to elevate your earning potential where you are firmly in the driver seat. Whatever you could live comfortably on in the past is probably not going to be enough in the future. This reminds me of a quote by Warren Buffet (From Facebook) in August 2009:

“The people that behaved well are no doubt going to find themselves taking care of the people who didn’t behave well…” ~Warren Buffet

So we all have a choice, we can be a part of the problem or part of the solution. As an entrepreneur you have the opportunity for an exciting, challenging ride. Believe in yourself, work hard and you will live your dreams. Expect challenges and setbacks, use them to make yourself stronger. If you ever need an extra nudge find mentors in your family, friends and business associates that you can get a nudge in the right direction. Social media is a great place to find the smiling optimists, it soon becomes evident who among your friends and peers are those tireless cheerleaders. If you lack that structure you can always respond to “I need your help, tell me how I can help you“.

“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Tags: Amplify.com, Facebook, guerrilla marketing, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Panera Bread, Small business, Social Media, Social Media Marketing
Posted in Amplify, Facebook, Inspiration, Jobs, Leadership, SF Startup Business Examiner | View Comments

Monthly community chat Eric Goldstein CEO of Amplify

I’ll be moderating a monthly community chat with Amplify.com CEO Eric Goldstein. Our next session is scheduled for May 20th, 2010 at 5PM Pacific/8PM Eastern. Subsequent episodes will be scheduled for the third Thursday of every month at the same time/place. This will be a great opportunity for the Amplify.com community to actively participate in the development of the fast growing social network. Save this link and set your calendar:

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Tags: Amplify, Amplify.com, Blogtalkradio, Eric Goldstein, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial
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Absolutely unbelievable animation of Volcanic Ash Cloud

I spotted this tonight on Amplify.com the source referenced was DMI Denmark. This is an animation of the volcanic ash cloud that has disrupted flights and wreaked havoc.

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Tags: Amplify, Amplify.com, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial
Posted in Images, Lighter Side of Things, News | View Comments

Amplify to allow Blogging

I received a notice from Amplify.com today that I am extremely excited about. I’ve been advocating amplify as a simple way for anyone to engage and improve their social media experience since I joined earlier this year. These latest changes make it more practical and provide for a richer experience. Here is a copy of the Email notice I receive today:

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Tags: Amplify.com, Blog, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Online Communities, Social Media, Social network
Posted in Amplify, Blogging, News, Social Media Strategy | View Comments

Resources for Amplify.com Users

This is for my growing group of friends at Amplify.com or anyone curious to check out a fast growing and innovative social networking site. Many great ideas have come up and we’ve had some amazing discussions as a result. For the people who are just joining us, here are a few things that are available to make the experience better:

Twitter

Joe’s Amplify List on Listorious – if you’re not on the list @hackmanj on Twitter, comment on this post, or use the recommend someone on Listorious. Here is the original post that started the ball rolling on this, thanks to @socialsprouts if you see anyone that is not representing good netiquette that is on this list, please let me know so I can either warn or remove them.

LinkedIn

It would be great if more of our fellow Amplify.com users joined us via the LinkedIn group.

Podcasts

Amplify’s CEO Eric Goldstein was gracious enough to be interviewed on my podcast 3 times since I joined. We have also recently setup a monthly feature where the community meet monthly for a podcast with Eric. These episodes will be the third Thursday of every month at 2PM Pacific/5PM Eastern time.

1. A good introduction to Amplify – aired 1/27/2010
2. An introduction to the 3/3/2010 changes to Amplify.com – aired 3/3/2010
3. Eric Goldstein CEO of Amplify.com and the Amplify Community – aired 4/21/2010
4. Scheduled monthly chat 6/7/2010 on Blog Talk Radio
5. Eric Goldsten and Louis Gray on the Mobile App and Amplify.com – aired 6/16/2010
6. Eric Goldstein and the Amplify Community on Email Posting – aired 7/22/2010
7. Scheduled community chat w/ Eric Goldstein 8/16/2010

Youtube Videos

The night I started using Amplify it was an instant hit with me so I created a screencast and blog article about the site. Here is the playlist I have assembled of the amplify.com related videos on Youtube.

Articles

I need some help with this list, I know several people have done some nice write-ups and would like to add them all to this post.

1. Here is the Amplify category on this blog.
2. Diane Rayfield did a fantastic “Feature” article on Amplify
3. Check out this great description of Amplify.com by Maggie Greyson
4. Great post by Paul Simbeck-Hampson “Sparking Conversation Naturally“
5. A fantastic post in response to a question by Louis Gray about Amplify.com’
6. A nice article about How to Create an Effective Amplify Page by Eric Miltsch.
7. New 8/11/2010 – Power tip by Svartling on using the news feed.
8. New 8/11/2010 – How to use Amplify for your Social Network by Russ Jackson.
9. A an example of using Amplify.com for Crowd Sourcing by Paul Simbeck-Hampson.

Not on Amplify?

Join us, it is a thriving and exciting community that operates on a extremely useful and feature rich social networking platform. I’ve met some incredibly intelligent and passionate people on the site and you will too. If you do join, be sure to send me a note so I can make sure to add you to the Twitter list, etc. Here is the link to my Amplog.

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Tags: Amplify, Amplify.com, Facebook, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, LinkedIn, Social network service, Twitter
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Visual Lesson in Leadership

I saw this today on Amplify.com and love the message. The real courage resides in the hands of the first follower, not the leader of a movement. Without that first follower the movement never takes off. Brilliant.

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Tags: Amplify.com, guerrilla marketing, Joe Hackman, Joesgonesocial, Social Media
Posted in Amplify, Inspiration, Leadership, Lighter Side of Things, Social Media Strategy, Video, community | View Comments