The Neovia podcast is back from a brief hiatus with an interview with David Spinks, the founder of the Under 30 Professionals Twitter chat. Twitter chats are organized conversations that happen on a specific topic at a specific time and day of the week. Participants hashtag each tweet that they want to be part of the conversation, and participants follow that hashtag. This is a great way for people who just don’t “get” Twitter to find value in the social media platform, as well as to build their network and even promote their business. David talks to us about the right ways (and the wrong ways) to get involved in Twitter chats. And what’s making us happy this week? For our guest, the launch of his new website BlogDash.com and for Holly, the ever-growing usefulness of Tungle.me.

[STUFF WE MENTIONED]

David Spinks, our guest – @davidspinks
#u30pro
BlogWorld
Twitter
#journchat
#blogchat
WTHashtag.com
Radian6
TwitGrid.com
TweetChat.com
Double Rainbow (David’s potential Halloween costume)
BlogDash.com
Tungle.me

[LISTEN]

Listen here:

Pop-up window: Listen to this episode
Download: Download this episode (right click and save)
iTunes: Subscribe in iTunes

We all use it.  Chances are even your grandmother does.  So what are the latest trends in Facebook consumption?

Browse the links in this week’s Social Media Roundup to learn a little more about everyone’s favorite social  network.

Be on the lookout every week for news, tips from pros, reviews, emerging technology, and a whole bundle of thought-provoking articles on this ever-developing, exciting world of social media.

Facebook

Survey: Large Number of Parents Spy On Their Children On Facebook A recent survey finds that parents would like the right to actively monitor their child’s Facebook page and many already do without their child’s consent.

Is A Facebook Events RSVP Widget Imminent? Life could possibly get easier for all you Facebook party planners.  With the possible launch of a Facebook Events RSVP widget, you could write a post about an upcoming party and embed an “RSVP now” button in no time at all.

REPORT: Facebook Fans Are Big Brand Advocates If you “like” a brand on Facebook, chances are you’re more likely to use that brand’s products.  How’s that for smart advertising?

How To Hide Your Facebook Application Activity From Others Application discovery stories could air your dirty laundry without your knowledge.  Find out what they are and what you can do about them.

Photo Credit:

Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There’s always that one person who will invite you to all 10 of her events this month, even though you don’t live in her city, or the one who invites you to his super-useful webinars… that he holds every week. A few months ago, we talked about the Do’s and Don’t of Facebook Events, but not everyone got the message. So instead of not-so-subtly emailing them our blog post on it, we thought we’d just show you how to block those Facebook Events offenders from sending you event invites. No, you don’t have to unfriend them, and blocking them in your News Feed won’t do the trick either. Watch this quick video and get ‘er done in just a few seconds.

In one of my favorite business books, E-Myth, Michael Gerber hits on what might be one of the most fundamental (and critical) factors for success in business ownership: You need to make time to work on your business, not just in it.

This is true for all types of business, but it feels truest in the business-to-business world. We’re a marketing agency. We help our clients develop highly-targeted strategies for social media use, preach consistency, and push them to become thought leaders. So often, we come last on the list for our own services, though. Not good in a world whose unofficial motto is “Eat your own dog food.”

And we’re not alone. We hear our clients say time and time again, “I don’t have time to blog/Facebook/Twitter. I have my hands full running my business.” But a business needs it’s owner(s) to spend time working on it to make it better, more nimble, better attuned to its clients’ needs. That includes writing about it, reading about it, attending seminars and workshops, and networking. These are the things that not only make our businesses thrive, but keep us as business owners passionate about our work inside of it.

Not working on your business leads to stagnation. The tools, technologies, processes, and entire industries change quickly in today’s market. The time you put into knowing more about your industry in it’s present state, in it’s future state, puts not only your business in a better position, but it puts your clients in a better position. And ultimately, that’s what a customer buys.

How we do it

As I said before, social media is not an industry where you can ignore your own business. One of the first things I learned was that if I made myself available every hour of every day, well, clients would book me any hour of any day. Neovia Solutions was at the very bottom of the Neovia Solutions client roster, and at the very bottom of the to-do list of a first-time entrepreneur. How much face time do you think Neovia Solutions got with it’s lead strategist?

About three harried months into full-time ownership, I finally realized I needed to take control of my schedule and make time for the number one money-making, lead-generating, business-building tool I had – my time. I set a day aside (Wednesdays) and called it Neovia day. It’s blocked off on my calendar. No one can schedule appointments on Wednesdays. I am simply unavailable. I don’t even step foot in the office on Wednesdays if I can help it.

I can hear the excuses rolling in now. “I can’t do that.” “My business doesn’t operate that way.” “My clients need me.” You will have the time to work on your business only when you make yourself available for it.

Don’t worry though. If you don’t have time to work on your business right now, you will soon. Because a business owner who only works in his business will eventually fold under it.

The way I figure, I’ll make time for the important stuff, big meetings, client pitches, etc. At the end of a long day (and let’s face it, nearly every day is a long day), what gets cut from the list is my own business.

I don’t make excuses. I make a date with my business. And I keep it.

Photo credit: kittyz202 via Flickr.

The weekend is upon us and it’s time to a look at a couple of links that teach us all the right way to blog.

A right way to blog?  But isn’t a blog simply a platform to air out your grievances, talk about your day and complain about that guy who cut you off in traffic?  Not if you want to maintain an audience and promote your business.  Read the following articles and learn how to become one with the blogging world.

Be on the lookout every week for news, tips from pros, reviews, emerging technology, and a whole bundle of thought-provoking articles on this ever-developing, exciting world of social media.

Blogging

5 Clever Ways to Make A Sticky Blog Blogging is an experience that goes beyond a simple post especially if you wish to create a “sticky” blog.  Learn ways to integrate vlogging, pictures, conversation and interlinked posts to give your readers something to talk about.

4 Tips for Writing SEO-Friendly Blog Posts Tailor your posts so that the Google gods smile upon you!  Tagging, titles and linking are key if you want Google to rank your site highly.

10 Free WordPress Themes for Small Business One of the main keys to blogging is offering your readers an attractive and easily navigable set up.  Check out these free WordPress themes to promote your work.

How To Reignite Your Blogging Fire When You’re Feeling Burnt Out Even when you’re doing everything right, it’s bound to happen: the sudden feeling that blogging is draining your creativity dry.  Follow these steps to get your blog back on track.

Photo Credit:

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Holly attended the Homeless Network Conference on October 6th here in Corpus Christi, speaking on a panel to representatives of non-profit organizations about the benefits of social media usage.

The panel covered the following informative topics:

• Demographic information guides you when choosing a social media platform for your business/non-profit
• Build strong ties through Twitter – retweet, reply, join discussions!
• Social networking and fund raising go hand in hand
• Crowd sourcing support through social media: provides solutions to clients
• Create an editorial calendar when blogging – it will keep you organized and on track when posting
• Social media equity: spread the word about your friends’ projects and they may do the same for you

As you can see, non-profits can benefit from social media in much the same way that small businesses can.

Be sure to check out Holly speaking about different online tools non-profits can use to reach their target demographic:

As a social media agency based in a mid-sized town, we can tell when something has finally come into the mainstream. We are seeing record numbers of businesses jumping into social media platforms, from blogs to Facebook to video. We’re here for the businesses who want and need customized solutions for their social media, interactive and online marketing presence, but we understand the draw of free marketing for businesses and organizations who are out there doing it all on their own, with little-to-no budget to make the path smoother.

We designed our Quick & Dirty Guide to Social Media with the intent that business owners, organizations and individuals, using social media personally or professionally, could in one short read glean some of our hard-won experience and put it to work in their own social media efforts.

The social media world is more nuanced than the beginner may realize. We hope that this guide provides you with direction, resources and a little extra armor for heading into battle.

Download the free PDF here. (Right click and select Download.)

Our guide is also available as a presentation. If you’re interested in having us give this presentation to your group, contact us via email.

We’re proud to announce the launch of our newly redesigned website! Our friends and partners over at Rippke Design helped us to realize our vision for a website that displays not only what we can do for our own clients, but how powerful social media can be when it’s integrated into an overall online presence.

Our new homepage features a reverse of our existing logo (which we think is a revelation in and of itself!), handwritten script in our menu font which displays a bit of personality, and a re-imagining of the image rotator we had on our previous site.

Below the rotator, we feature quick looks at some of our interior pages, including our services, our upcoming events, and featured prominently, our blog, which is where the majority of the content magic happens on our site.

The bottom three blocks show off our interaction in the social media space. A live Twitter feed allows you to check out the latest tweets from @neoviasolutions, and one click will take you to our page so you can follow us. We showcase our latest YouTube and Flickr uploads, displaying what we’re doing in the multimedia sharing spaces. And, of course, you can check out our page on the mother-of-all social networks (Facebook).

One of the areas we’re most excited about is under the About page. The About page links to the Individuals that make Neovia Solutions go from day to day. We’ve gone beyond your average About page and integrated the personal social media profiles of our two cofounders so that everyone can see that we’re truly a company that not only believes what we sell – we live it.

Our site will continue to evolve and grow as Neovia continues to evolve and grow. We welcome your comments, suggestions and feedback.

Happy Monday readers!

We all know how important location is in the real estate biz but what about social media?

With the advent of Facebook places and the popularity of sites like Foursquare.com, checkins seem to be the norm and divulging your location online is often a no-brainer.  But what does this new form of online socializing really mean for the every day user and, for that matter, the every day business?

Be on the lookout every week for news, tips from pros, reviews, emerging technology, and a whole bundle of thought-provoking articles on this ever-developing, exciting world of social media.

Locations

5 Important New Trends in Location Location trends are influencing consumer adoption and inspiring developer creativity.  But what do they mean for the average social media user?

What Facebook Places Means for Marketers and Developers Locations are center stage with the creation of Facebook pages for newly “found” places and new apps that lists frequented businesses.  Plenty of opportunities for small businesses to get on the map.

5 New Ways Small Business Can Offer Location-Based Deals With the increase of checkins on sites like Foursquare.com, businesses are now able to reward local patrons for their loyalty.

Beyond Foursquare: 5 Location-Based Apps for Your Small Business Is your business new to location based campaigns?  Check out the apps that will make you a pro in no time.

Photo Credit:

Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net