From the desk (and BlackBerry) of Keith Parnell

Here are a few quick blogging tips to keep in mind so you don’t bore your readers stiff:

1. Write for your audience. Not for you. Not for your boss. Write for your readers.
2. Don’t write a book. Booorrring. If your readers want to read multiple pages, they’ll download a new book onto their Kindle.
3. Have a purpose. Don’t just ramble on your blog. You can do that on Twitter, JASEzone or some other microblog platform. Write blog articles that have a point to make or a question to ask. Which leads to the next point …
4. Ask questions. Get your readers involved in the communication.
5. Share information. Don’t fall into the old school mindset that you need to hoard your “mojo”. Believe me, it’s not yours. Someone else has already thought of it.
6. Be Switzerland. This one is hard sometimes. I know. But try to be neutral.
7. Publish your articles on a schedule. Or atleast a semi schedule. Don’t sweat missing a beat or two but try to be considerate and thankful of your readers that are coming back to you for information.
8. Link. Link. Link. Out. Link to your competitors. Link to other ‘experts’. They will appreciate the recognition and do the same back to you. Trackbacks work. I promise.

What are some other tips you can think of?

Social Media Amazon, blog, JASEzone, Kindle, microblog, mojo, reader, Switzerland, Twitter

Community, Social Media, Speaking #NMC09, @NewMediaConv, Cavalier Yacht Club, convention, Facebook, FriendFeed, Google, inbound marketing, internet marketing, JASEzone, LinkedIn, new media, New Media Conventions, PR, public relations, search engine optimization, seminar, SEO, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter, VA, Virginia Beach, Wi-fi

Mickey Mouse tweeted me. Don’t believe me? Look.

Thanks, Disney World, for a wonderful family vacation last week in Orlando. Our family of 19 thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Brand, Family, Social Media, Vacation / Travel Disney World, JASE, JASE Group Marketing & Advertising, Keith Parnell, Mickey Mouse, parnellk63, tweet, Twitter

Nicole and I cannot begin to express the sincere thanks for the thoughts, sentiments and prayers we have received from our social media family over the past week. Your thoughts and comments have been almost overwhelming during this tough time of loss for our family.

To our blog, JASEzone, Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook families: We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your friendship and prayers.

May God bless you all for your dear friendship.

Family, God, Social Media blog, cancer, Facebook, Family, father, father-in-law, FriendFeed, friends, illness, JASEzone, leukemia, prayer, thank you, Twitter

Did you happen to see the amazing speaker lineup for September’s New Media Conventions event? Wow!

Get your tickets now. Don’t wait.

• Keynote: Keith Parnell from JASE Group Marketing & Advertising
• Session #1: The Role of Public Relations in Social Media, Michelle Rogerson from Reina Communications
• Session #2: Successfully Monetizing Your Blog, Julie Maloney from Momspective
• Session #3: How to Benefit from the Power of Google, Kurt Noer from Customer Magnetism
• Session #4: Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign, 14 Characters at a Time, Renee Alexander Hamilton, Operation Smile

Community, Social Media 140 smiles, blog, convention, Customer Magnetism, Facebook, Google, JASE Group Marketing & Advertising, JASEzone, Julie Maloney, Keith Parnell, Kurt Noer, LinkedIn, Michelle Rogerson, Momspective, New Media Conventions, Operation Smile, PR, public relations, Reina Communications, Renee Alexander Hamilton, RSS, seminar, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter

New Media Conventions

Agenda

Community, SEO / SEM, Social Media blog, Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club, Facebook, FriendFeed, Google, Hampton Roads, JASEzone, LinkedIn, marketing campaign, new media, PR, public relations, search engine optimization, SEO, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter, VA, Virginia Beach, Wi-fi

Do you social media? Even more important, do you let people know that you social media?

FRONT:

BACK:

Keith Parnell
Founder & CEO
JASE Group, LLC dba JASE Group Marketing & Advertising
http://www.jasegroup.com
(757) 715-4595
keith.parnell@jasegroup.com

Google: Keith Parnell

My Social Media Life:
* http://jasezone.keithparnell.com
* http://twitter.keithparnell.com
* http://linkedin.keithparnell.com
* http://facebook.keithparnell.com

Brand, Business, Social Media Advertising, brand development, broadcasting, business card, business strategies, collateral, Facebook, Google, interactive, JASE Group, JASE Group Marketing & Advertising, JASEzone, Keith Parnell, LinkedIn, Marketing, PR, public relations, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, SEM, SEO, Social Media, Twitter, web design, web marketing

Stay tuned for the excitement! New Media Conventions is coming to Virginia Beach this fall. Check the New Media Conventions website for more details. Make sure to sign up for the email list to get details as they are unveiled.

Community, Social Media Advertising, analytics, blog, branding, Chesapeake, conference, convention, Delicious, Digg, Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed, Hampton, inbound marketing, internet marketing, JASE Group, JASEzone, Justin Hitt, Keith Parnell lead generation, LinkedIn, Marketing, marketing plan, microblog, Naoma Doriguzzi, new media, New Media Conventions, new media marketing, Newport News, Norfolk, online advertising, online marketing, photograph, Portsmouth, public relations, ROI, RSS, search engine marketing, SEO, Social Media, social media marketing, social network, Success with Technology, Suffolk, summit, traditional advertising, traditional marketing, Twitter, VA, Viddler, Video, Vimeo, Virginia, Virginia Beach, vlog, Williamsburg, YouTube

I attended an event last night that included panelists and audience participants from many different verticals. Each member in the group was an entrepreneur at heart and by living the life. Each member has a passion for entrepreneurship so much that sharing those experiences is imperative to portraying their vision.

When we entered the panelist event room after a half hour or so of casual networking, I snapped a few pictures (see photo below) with my BlackBerry to send up to TwitPic >> JASEzone >> Twitter >> FriendFeed >> Facebook.

While I was doing so, a friendly woman sat down next to me. Here’s how our quick conversation went -
New Friend: Who are you here with while taking pictures?
Me: No one. I’m just taking them to send to TwitPic to get onto Twitter to share with my network of friends and colleagues.
New Friend: Really? [short pause] What is Twitter?

Since the event was getting ready to start, I spent all of 20 seconds explaining Twitter to her, its purpose, and its popularity. She seemed interested, but not really very interested.

Not thinking much more about our quick encounter, the Twitter conversation entered my thinking again when my new friend raised her hand during the panel discussion to ask a question. Her question was not what intrigued me; her introduction actually astounded me. She introduced herself as a “marketing” entrepreneur in Hampton Roads that has owned a marketing agency for over 20 years.

Huh?! Are you serious?! And you’ve never heard of Twitter? Do you do online marketing at all? Do you know what inbound marketing is? Have you heard of social media marketing? Immediately I had 30 questions for her running through my head.

Here’s the lesson for my readers: Question your marketing / advertising agency. Don’t take for granted they know your audience, much less know where your audience lives.

I’ve talked about this lesson a lot on this blog and on my vlog at Coffee with the CEO. Read through here. Watch a few videos. Don’t let my new friend be your marketing guru. Because they’re not, not matter what they say. Call our team at JASE and let’s get your organization on the right (successful!) track.

Advertising, Community, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Social Media Advertising, advertising agency, BlackBerry, blog, Coffee with the CEO, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurs Forum of Hampton Roads, Facebook, FriendFeed, inbound marketing, JASE Group, JASEzone, marketing agency, marketing team, online marketing, social media marketing, TwitPic, Twitter, Video, vlog

Feel free to extract from, copy or talk about any slides in the slidedeck. Enjoy!

Brand, Marketing, Social Media, Speaking blog, Brand, Facebook, Filtrbox, FriendFeed, Google Alerts, inbound marketing, internet marketing, JASEzone, LinkedIn, marketing plan, organic search, pay per click, Radian6, Social Media, social media marketing, Twitter, Viddler, Vimeo, YouTube

Our team has setup our new Facebook Page.

Join us: http://www.facebook.com/pages/JASE-Group/75656084112

Become a fan on our JASE Facebook Page and get inside (early) information on JASE’s free conference videos, slideshows, seminars, webinars, videocasts, podcasts, white papers, and more.

Marketing, Advertising & Technology Resources

Conferences / Seminars

Social media marketing presentations from various conferences and seminars.

Videocasts

Short video sessions hot issues such as social networking, blogging, search engine optimization and online advertising.

Podcasts

On-the-go podcasts discussing software, lead generation, Twitter, JASEzone, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Webinars

Marketing, advertising and technology webinars on a variety of topics including inbound marketing, blogging and network security.

Whitepapers

Internet marketing whitepapers on strategies and results-driven tactics.

Social Media Advertising, audio, blog, conference, Facebook, inbound marketing, JASE Group, JASEzone, LinkedIn, network security, online advertising, podcast, search engine optimization, seminar, slideshow, Social Media, social media marketing, social networking, Twitter, Video, videocast, webinar, white paper

Twitter 101 - Microblogging for Beginners

Download the free seminar on tips and tricks for beginners to drive inbound marketing using social media through the use of Twitter.

Topic: Twitter 101 - Microblogging for Beginners
Event: The Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group

What is Twitter and Why Do People Care What I am Doing? Twitter has many uses for both personal and business. It is a microblog that you can use to interact with customers, broadcast news and blogs and easily communicate with friends and family. Twitter is essential to any inbound marketing campaign.

- Why Twitter is Useful
- Networking with Twitter
- Twitter Tips

We will have @parnellk63, @sonnygill, @naomadoriguzzi who will assist you with ALL your twitter FAQ’s. With a combined 10,048 followers and 18,688 tweets(updates) as of 3/13/09 they have shown they have definitely learned how to use Twitter effectively.

Sonny Gill - twitter.com/sonnygill
Keith Parnell - twitter.com/parnellk63
Naoma Doriguzzi - twitter.com/naomadoriguzzi

Social Media inbound marketing, Keith Parnell, Marketing, microblog, Naoma Doriguzzi, naomadoriguzzi, parnellk63, Social Media, Sonny Gill, sonnygill, Twitter

Our marketing, advertising and technology team has published a new videocast for download at http://www.jasegroup.com/resources/videocasts/twitter_101_outliers_and_open_source/.

Stop in and let us know your thoughts. Have a great weekend!

Topic: Twitter 101, Outliers and Open Source
Discussion on a recent Twitter 101 conference with the Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group, social media, Outliers book by Malcolm Gladwell, success being a product of a person’s environment and self-drive, new software developments including Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Live Mail, and the cost and efficiency advantages associated with open source OpenOffice.org.

Marketing, Social Media, Technology, Video Firefox, IE8, inbound marketing, Internet Explorer, internet marketing, Keith Parnell, Malcolm Gladwell, Marketing, Microsoft, Naoma Doriguzzi, open-source, OpenOffice, opera, Outliers, Social Media, Sonny Gill, Technology, Twitter, Video, videocast

photo credit: flickr.com/photos/joshsommers

I’ve vlogged many times about getting out to see your clients and let them see your face. Say hi to them and see how things are going. If you’re an account service person by trade, this is nothing new to you. But today’s big electronic social media movement has stifled that thinking just a bit, I think.

Too often I see and hear that hanging out on social media platforms like JASEzone or Twitter or Facebook is enough. Well, it’s not.

If you break down what social networking actually means, you’ll understand that the platforms on the Internet are just that - platforms. So is your face - another platform.

So don’t forget to physically network. Get out and see people. Say hello and let them know that there’s a real face behind that screen name. Your brand will thank you.

Brand, Social Media Brand, client, Facebook, JASEzone, Social Media, social network, Twitter, vlog

Reprint as a reminder -

I have a great honor and privilege of being included in a presentation panel of Twitter users that live in (electronic) social media. Be sure to visit the group’s website to register for the event before it fills up. You won’t want to miss the fun.

Twitter For Beginners

April 2, 2009, Thu 6:30 PM
Location:
New American Mortgage
575 Lynnhaven Pkwy #101
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-971-2876

What is Twitter and Why Do People Care What I am Doing?

Twitter has many uses for both personal and business. It is a micro-blog that you can use to interact with customer, broadcast news and blogs and easily communicate with friends and family.

At this meetup we will learn
-Why Twitter is Useful
-Networking with Twitter
-Twitter Tips

We will have @parnellk63, @sonnygill, @naomadoriguzzi who will assist you with ALL your twitter FAQ’s. With a combined 10,048 followers and 18,688 tweets(updates) as of 3/13/09 they have shown they have definitely learned how to use twitter effectively.

Afterwards you will be able to ask them your questions on making it successful tool for your business in our open Q&A.

Social Media, Speaking Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group, Social Media, Speaking, Twitter

I have a great honor and privilege of being included in a presentation panel of Twitter users that live in (electronic) social media. Be sure to visit the group’s website to register for the event before it fills up. You won’t want to miss the fun.

Twitter For Beginners

April 2, 2009, Thu 6:30 PM
Location:
New American Mortgage
575 Lynnhaven Pkwy #101
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-971-2876

What is Twitter and Why Do People Care What I am Doing?

Twitter has many uses for both personal and business. It is a micro-blog that you can use to interact with customer, broadcast news and blogs and easily communicate with friends and family.

At this meetup we will learn
-Why Twitter is Useful
-Networking with Twitter
-Twitter Tips

We will have @parnellk63, @sonnygill, @naomadoriguzzi who will assist you with ALL your twitter FAQ’s. With a combined 10,048 followers and 18,688 tweets(updates) as of 3/13/09 they have shown they have definitely learned how to use twitter effectively.

Afterwards you will be able to ask them your questions on making it successful tool for your business in our open Q&A.

Social Media, Speaking Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group, Social Media, Speaking, Twitter

2009 Advertising Apple BlackBerry blog Brand CEO Christ Christmas CIO Coffee with the CEO commercial economy email Facebook God Google IT JASE JASE Group JASE Marketing JASEzone Javelin Jesus Keith Parnell Linux Lord Marketing Microsoft Norfolk Pearl RSS small business social community Social Media social network T-mobile Technology tv Twitter VA Video Windows Wireless YouTube

SEO / SEM 2009, Advertising, Apple, BlackBerry, blog, Brand, Business, CEO, Christ, Christmas, CIO, Coffee with the CEO, commercial, Community, economy, email, Facebook, God, Google, IT, JASE, JASE Group, JASEzone, Javelin, Jesus, Keith Parnell, Linux, Lord, Marketing, Microsoft, network, Norfolk, Pearl, RSS, small, social, Social Media, T-mobile, Technology, tv, Twitter, VA, Video, Windows, Wireless, YouTube

This weekend I did zero blogging. Zero. Wait, I did do a bit of twittering although most of it was from the BlackBerry.

We had three 75+ degree days here in Hampton Roads and we spent most of our time outdoors. It was absolutely gorgeous!

Here a few of the tweets I sent across the airways. Hope you have a great week.

parnellk63: Reading Ad Age while hanging out. Brought up a thought: do you know your competition? Do you know what makes them strong?

Sunday, March 08, 2009, 1:25:55 PM

parnellk63: My gosh, what a beautiful day. God is good!

Saturday, March 07, 2009, 7:06:28 PM

parnellk63: Our bike & skateboard ride around the neighborhood today. - Photo: http://bkite.com/05hsL

Saturday, March 07, 2009, 6:03:35 PM

parnellk63: @TraciKnoppe - Wonderful. Checking on things, getting ready to head out on a beautiful 73 degree day. And you?

Saturday, March 07, 2009, 12:49:49 PM

parnellk63: @TraciKnoppe @amcmoore @gadgets4geeks @3dizzle @janiebehr @daddyclaxton @KimDeanArt @wizzlewolf @smball804 @SharonALavy - Good morning!

Saturday, March 07, 2009, 12:43:35 PM

Community, Social Media blog, Family, sun, Twitter, weather

I’m a little late this morning so grab your second cup of coffee and let’s talk about social networking.

Driving point: “Twitter doesn’t make you. Your network makes you.”

Brand, Coffee with the CEO, Social Media, Video blog, Brand, CEO, Coffee with the CEO, Facebook, JASE Group, JASE Marketing, Keith Parnell, Social Media, social network, social platform, Twitter, ustream

Grab your coffee and let’s talk about building your personal and professional brand through social communities. Online and offline!

Social community references in this video:

• JASEzone
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Plurk
• FriendFeed
• blog
• Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group
• Entrepreneurs Forum of Hampton Roads
• Virginia Opera Guild
• Tabernacle Church of Norfolk

Brand, Coffee with the CEO, Social Media, Video blog, Brand, CEO, Chesapeake, Coffee with the CEO, Entrepreneurs Forum of Hampton Roads, Facebook, FriendFeed, Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads Internet Marketing & Technology Group, Harrison Opera House, JASE Group, JASE Marketing, JASEzone, Keith Parnell, LinkedIn, Marketing, opera, personal brand, Plurk, professional brand, social community, social network, Tabernacle Church, Technology, Twitter, Victory Nissan, Virginia, Virginia Opera, Virginia Opera Guild, Williams Mullen

This is the first in the video series, Coffee with the CEO. Hope you enjoy.

Brand, Coffee with the CEO, Video blog, Brand, CEO, Coffee with the CEO, dashboard, digital, Facebook, JASE Group, JASEzone, Keith Parnell, LinkedIn, Plurk, social community, Social Media, Twitter, Video

Adam Kinney put together this awesome list of official Microsoft Twitter accounts. See his original blog post here.

Do you know of others?

	@MSWindows – Announcing Windows 7
	@WindowsLive – Official Twitter account of Microsoft Windows Live
	@liveframework – liveframework
	@livemesh – Sync, share, and access the information you care about—wherever you happen to be.
	@SharePoint – The official tweetstream of the SharePoint product group - managed by @LLiu
	@bizspark – Microsoft BizSpark - Software, Support, Visibility
	@zunemarketplace – Zune Marketplace is a store for the way you love music, with brand-new releases every week and a huge selection of music in every style imaginable
	@wmdev – Windows Mobile
	@microsofttag – Microsoft Tag
	@ch9 – listen to the cockpit, help us fly the plane
	@ch10 – Channel 10 is Microsoft’s online community for the technology enthusiast
	@ch8 – Microsoft’s community for students
	@mixonline – Come check us out at www.visitmix.com
	@MIX09 – The Next Web Now, pre-empted by @MIX07, @MIX08 and @PDC08
	@SiteNamedDesire – Want a copy of A Website Named Desire? This li’l birdie will tell you how. Wait for the tweets.
	@MicrsftTech4All – News from Microsoft Accessibility team, which strives for technology to be usable by everyone & complements our physical & cognitive abilities.
	@MSDN – Updates from the MSDN site team.
	@adCenterBlog – News, Tips, Tricks & Best Practices From The Guys At Microsoft adCenter
	@SilverlightNews – Populated by the tireless Dave Campbell
	@ContinuumShow – Exploring the world of the Microsoft Client Continuum
	@projectrosetta – Chronicling the trail from Flash to Silverlight
	@XAMLEvents – Silverlight and WPF events

Social Media, Technology Adam Kinney, Microsoft, Twitter

photo courtesy of MashGet on Flickr

I posted this statement and asked for thoughts through my microblog network late last evening and received a few very quick replies.

The Facts

First, here are the facts. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) took it upon himself to write a personal letter to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Microsoft has a moral obligation to protect … American workers by putting them first during these difficult economic times,” the Senator wrote in the letter on January 22, 2009. The Senator’s letter was prompted by suspicions that Microsoft will be laying off thousands of workers over the next few months.

Computerworld magazine said, “Grassley, a vocal critic of the H-1B program, could have sent the letter to any of the vendors laying off employees — or to corporations with H-1B workers on their IT staffs. He likely singled out Microsoft because its chairman, Bill Gates , has called for an increase in the annual cap on visas during congressional hearings.”

Quick Microblog Responses

Now the quick responses from my network so far -

• dmooney9 on Twitter - i’ve noted on Twitter that it’s ludicrous. How many Americans work overseas and could lose their job in a tit for tat. Vote ploy
• jameshgale on Twitter - Laying off visa holders before citizens is a form of protectionism that, if copied by other states, will undercut any recovery.
• brandonsavage on Twitter - I think it depends on what they do. If the company isn’t laying off in their department they shouldn’t target them just 4 H1-B
• Art Bykonen on Facebook - Basically I think the senator should leave business decisions to business- I vote Libertarian. Not agree w the Party on all things but closest to my views

And you???

What do you think? Do you side with Senator Grassley? This is a tough situation, if you had to fall on one side of the fence or the other, where would you be?

Business, Social Media CEO, Charles Grassley, Computerworld, Facebook, H-1B, Iowa, JASEzone, layed off, microblog, Microsoft, Republican, Senator, Steve Ballmer, Twitter, US

Truly Nolen is a family-owned pest control company with over 100 stores nationwide. They are based out of Tuscon, AZ.

So what, right? Well, Truly Nolen has jumped in with both feet and proven that social media can be fun in any industry.

The company has a blog, a Facebook page, YouTube videos and this week has launched a Twitter presence.

The company’s social portals are “getting us some exposure,” says Truly Nolen director of marketing and public relations Barry Murray.

Social media can be good. Social media can be fun. And social media’s ROI can be immense when aligned with a nice marketing plan.

Social Media AZ, Barry Murray, blog, Facebook, ROI, Social Media, Truly Nolen, Tuscon, Twitter, YouTube

I threw out a comment to my microblogging network this weekend about my challenges with organizing the results of self-brainstorming sessions. And just as reliable as the sun coming up every morning, I received suggestions on resolving my challenges. FreeMind was the consensus recommendation.

I now have FreeMind version 0.8.1 running on an Ubuntu Linux machine and the results of my using the mind mapping software have been positive and productive. This tool gets a solid recommendation from me. The FreeMind software can be downloaded from their website here.

Here is how the conversation went this weekend on JZ / Twitter -

parnellk63 - My marketing self-brainstorming won’t stop. I keep running to the whiteboard to write down new action items for new client. 1/17/2009 1:29 AM

lamarjmorgan - @parnellk63 Ever use mind mapping when brain-storming? 1/17/2009 1:31 AM

parnellk63 - @lamarjmorgan - Absolutely. Mind mapping is a wonderful exercise. I don’t know how many lost ideas have come to light this way. You? 1/17/2009 1:36 AM

lamarjmorgan - @parnellk63 The Free Mind open source software for mind-mapping is awesome. I wish I understood it better than I do. 1/17/2009 1:40 AM

parnellk63 - @lamarjmorgan - Interesting. I’ll check it out. 1/17/2009 1:49 AM

thekid416 - @parnellk63 Free Mind is a great little “free” mind-mapping software. Helps un-tangle ideas! 1/17/2009 1:52 AM

parnellk63 - @thekid416 - I received the same recommendation from @lamarjmorgan. Thanks both of you for the unsolicited suggestion. Love my network! 1/17/2009 1:56 AM

parnellk63 - Enjoyed my first experience with FreeMind, the open source mind-mapping software, earlier today. 1/17/2009 10:52 PM

JeffreyJDavis - @parnellk63 You will find Mindmapping to be a very valuable tool for innovation, organization 1/17/2009 10:56 PM

sscarver - @parnellk63 I’ve been curious about mind-mapping for several months. Just can’t figure it out. Did you like the software? 1/17/2009 10:57 PM

Aboundlessworld - @parnellk63 Really? how was it? I’ve been interested in mind mapping for quite some time. 1/17/2009 10:57 PM

parnellk63 - @JeffreyJDavis @sscarver @Aboundlessworld - I’m looking forward to using it more. My wild self-brainstorming can finally be captured! 1/17/2009 10:59 PM

FreeMind - free mind mapping software
FreeMind is a premier free mind-mapping software written in Java. The recent development has hopefully turned it into high productivity tool. We are proud that the operation and navigation of FreeMind is faster than that of MindManager because of one-click “fold / unfold” and “follow link” operations.

Technology brainstorm, FreeMind, JASEzone, java, Linux, microblog, mind mapping, MindManager, open-source, Twitter, Ubuntu