A nice mix of stuff you need to read, from email marketing resources to figuring out where all your tax money went. Enjoy.
Announcing the Connection Agency, by Steve Woodruff: Right off the bat, I gotta give a tip o’ da hat to my pal Steve Woodruff. So, yeah, the fact that he’s starting a company based on his great faith in networks and connections is awesome. But the real thing here is that, probably more than anyone else, I always love reading Steve’s stuff on how the whole point of it all is connecting, and his clarity for what that means. He talks about it a lot on his blog, and his free white paper on Opportunity Networks is really a must-read to get your head straight before you start firing into all the tactical side of online networking. Good luck, Mr. Sticky Figure!
13 Top Email Marketing Resources, by Amy Garland at Blue Sky Factory: Looking for some case studies, stats, ideas on how to do email marketing right? First, be sure you’re reading Blue Sky Factory’s blog. Second, work your way through this list. The data meccas alone toward the end of the list of mind-altering. Email is still extremely important people; it ain’t dead. Start doing it right … this stuff will help.
Designing Your Ideal Week, by Michael Hyatt: One of these days, I’m gonna make it through one of these link-heavy posts without referencing Michael Hyatt. Today ain’t that day. He simply keeps pumping out too much extremely practical stuff that I gotta pass along. In this one, he shows how he schedules his weeks … for everything. It’ s admittedly over-the-top, and certainly not set in stone, but his point makes sense: If you don’t at least try to design a perfect week, then you’ll never have one. I’m gonna be trying this this week myself.
The Truth About Confidence, by Steve Sammartino: Steve is the master of packing maximum punch out of a simple paragraph. He never writes much in a post, but he does milk that puppy for all its worth. I daresay he’s even better at it than Seth Godin. So, I ain’t gonna explain this one. Just read it and see what I’m talking about.
Where Did My Tax Dollars Go?: Hopefully, you’ve recovered from the tax season. Ever wonder where it all goes? This site’ll show you, and I bet you don’t like it
It’s been a while since I batched up of the great stuff I’ve read lately that you may have missed. Check these lil’ morsels out, and spread the love.
Men Are Idiots …: I’m only vaguely familiar with this story about Cali Lewis from GeekBeat.tv, but I know enough to know this is funny on many levels. Nice grab, Gio.
Alienating the 2%: Hey, what’s a mash-up list without a post from Seth, huh? His premise is that 2% of your crowd is gonna be disappointed with what you’re doing. They just squawk so much that you can’t tell if they represent everyone else, or if they are, truly, just 2%. My experience in direct sales also tells me this 2% is often your top leaders (at least in leadership levels), and therefore you listen even more. Seth says stop.
Content Strategy and the Dying Art of Execution: Forget that this is focused on content marketing. These pitfalls apply to just about any project. Joe’s nailed the pits of quicksand we so easily get stuck in. My favorite (if you can call it that)? Lack of support from the execs. Being able to get executive buy-in truly is a gift and skill. Find people who can do it and put ‘em to work.
8 Simple Facebook Tips: My friend Jen Fong neatly packages some nice Facebook reminders that are so easy to forget. Read ‘em. Do ‘em.
My Favorite WordPress Plugins: One of the things I love most about Michael Hyatt is how he so readily pulls back the curtain and let’s you know what he’s doing behind the scenes. WordPress plugins are a lot like iPhone apps: there are a lot of cool ones out there, but who’s got the time to weed through them all. Michael’s list will help you cut through some of the clutter.



