The Bottom Line

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This past weekend, I met with a business partner to brainstorm about a writers’ conference we are putting together for this summer. A few weeks ago, he had asked me to partner with him. This past weekend we met, and he told me his objective for the upcoming conference. The bottom line, “Butts in seats.” He kept repeating it.

Every time I came up with an idea, he shot it down. We didn’t have time to set up our own social networking site. He wanted to know what people were saying, but he didn’t have the time to answer a plethora of questions. That’s what FAQ pages are for.

Finally, he told me that entrepreneurial type people like us tend to be creative, but he needed to focus on the bottom line. “Butts in seats.” After about an hour of brain storming, I came up with a great idea. It worked. Simply, offer a four week e-course on social networking at no cost.

At the end of the four week e-course, instead of telling people they could pay a certain amount for the other 12 weeks of the e-course, we would let them know they could learn more at our writers conference.

So, what’s my point? If you want a great idea, it’s good to focus on your bottom line. It’s better to surround yourself with people who will hold you accountable and shoot down those ideas that don’t focus on the bottom line.

Until next week,

Erick

Seo Bridges

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It's Game Time

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When I was in high school, the guys on our basketball team wore t-shirts that read:

“You can walk the walk. And you can talk the talk. But can you play the game?”

Peyton Manning can walk and talk as big as any of them. This last Sunday, Drew Brees showed that he and the New Orleans Saints may not have been able to boast about as many accolades as the Indianapolis Colts; though, when it came to game time, they could play the game better than the Colts.

In sports, it’s important to brush it off and get back up. For 16 weeks, and then some, if a play went wrong, or they lost a game, the Saints did just that. They brushed themselves off, got back up, planned ahead, and played the game. Brees and the Saints had one goal, and they kept their eyes on that goal.

In much the same way, the Internet is my playing field, I am Drew Brees, and I know exactly who my Peyton Mannings (competitors) are. My days are getting busier. Just last week, I gained some link partners. In preparation for my upcoming busyness, I am looking and planning ahead. If I don’t prepare for game time, I am going to get blind sided.

It’s important to know who the Peyton Mannings in your way are, but it’s also important to know who your Reggie Bushes, Jeremy Shockeys, Offensive line, and other teammates are. That means joining networks (meetup.com), getting out there, and shaking hands with people. Just as SEO content and social media marketing complement each other, social media marketing complements actual networking. Social media marketing does not end where the wires to your computer end, and neither do your efforts to play the game well.

Before the game, you can boast about how many unique visitors your site gets, or how many sites link to you. You can walk the walk. And you can talk the talk. But when it comes time to game time, can you play the game?

Well, can you?

Erick

SEO Bridges

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The Sky is not falling.

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If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might remember my blog several months ago about the Swine Flu. In that blog, I talked about a letter that was leaked from someone inside the WHO, which reported the controversial history of the swine flu. I also went a little further, conducted some more research, and found that the Swine flu really was no more of a threat than the seasonal flu. Over the months, people have died from the flu—both seasonal and swine—but no more than normal. This morning, when I checked Yahoo! News, I read this article: Did the WHO exaggerate the H1N1 Flu Pandemic’s Danger?

Where would this world be without our Chicken Littles running around, screaming, “The Sky is falling! The Sky is falling!”? I think it’d be a much different world. Right now, we sit and wait, in the middle of the Great Recession, hoping that tomorrow will bring a new economy. I have felt an overwhelming spirit of fear loom over this country in recent months. I am not going to say that it’s been because of any one person or event. But it is up to everyone to take responsibility for their own world.

If the sky is falling in someone else’s world, let it fall. Don’t let their world bring your world down. You’re no good to anyone else, if you’re no good to yourself. Here’s a great example: I have friends I don’t socialize with that much because every time we get together, and I ask them how they’re doing, they complain about whatever problems they have in their lives. Essentially, they feel their skies are falling in on their worlds. If I allow those people to influence my world, then I am going to start thinking that the sky is falling in on my world. It’s not. It’s not falling in on my world, and it’s not falling in on your world.

Though, understand, that whether those Chicken Littles come in the form of the WHO, politicians, friends, or even family, they will come. They will scream, “The sky is falling! The Sky is falling!” My job, and yours too, is too remember that if you allow their fears to creep into your mind you will think the sky is falling in on your world, even if it’s a bright sunny day outside.

Patience in Your Approach

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I like to get in a daily dose of exercise. Last week I pushed myself a little more than I should have and pulled my calf muscle.

On Monday, it wasn’t that bad, and within a couple of hours after my morning routine the pain went away. I forgot about it, and on Tuesday I got back on the treadmill. The dull pain came back. Again, it subsided a short time after my routine. I got back on there on Wednesday and Thursday.

About ¼ of a mile through my run my body screamed for me to stop; though, I pushed myself through the pain. Once I set my mind to something a semi truck can’t stop me. Of course, that attitude has its up and down sides; though, I'll save that for another blog. I made it to the end of my run; but I paid for it, and I’m still paying for it.

For the first few days, I soaked in some Epsom salt, and over the last couple of days, I have been icing. I suppose I could combine the two, but I haven’t gotten that brave yet. Slowly but surely my calf is getting stronger.

When you want to connect with other people, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Start off slow, feel the person(s) out, determine if you can be of value to one another, and approach that person(s) in the same way you would want to be approached.

And please remember that just as you always have to account for your daily physical activities, thanks to Web 2.0 you are also always accountable for how you conduct yourself with possible clients or business partners. If you injure your reputation, you could pay for it exponentially. Taking a few extra moments to assess the situation, determine the value of the relationship, and then move into it gradually will pay off dividends.

Patience in your approach will keep you from injuring your and your businesses reputation.

If you want to connect with me, you can follow me on Twitter or connect with me on Facebook

Erick

Practice Like You Play

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This morning, I watched Sports Center on ESPN. For those of you who haven’t heard the news, Mark McGwire admitted to steroid use during the ’98 season. In his admission, he talked about wishing he had not played baseball during the “steroid era.” I never played baseball beyond high school, but I missed that era. For those baseball fans who remember baseball in the 80’s, I think you’d agree that that era of baseball was more aptly called the era of strikes, lockouts, and scabs. Though, it was never known for widespread steroid use. And if guys like Puckett and Gwynn used performance enhancing drugs, I hope they got their money back for all that excess weight. And no one would dare say Cal “The Iron Man” Ripken was anything other than the greatest role model to young guys like me.

When I played baseball, my coach drove a principle into my and my teammates head: “Practice like you play.” That meant simply that every time we stepped onto the field, whether for a game or for practice, we dressed in full uniform. And you learned quickly that you had better remember your protection or you’d feel it in a very real way. All the baseball players reading this know what I mean. We were lucky in that not only did we have a coach who played in the minors, and was almost drafted by the Padres, but we had coaches from the Padres come in and run clinics with us. My coach was huge on teaching us to perfect the fundamentals; and over 3 seasons (I transferred my last season), we only lost one game.

Mark McGwire also practiced like he played, but he cheated. He disappointed all of those kids who wanted to grow up to be a powerhouse slugger like him. He lied to Roger Maris’ family, and he tried to erase the Maris’ boys father’s name from its proper place in history. And he tarnished the game of baseball for baseball fans who grew up in the “steroid era,” rather than the era of strikes, lockouts, and scabs.

Growing up in that era, I grew embittered toward the game of baseball. I became tired of watching these rich guys fight over money. Today, I don’t love baseball as much as I did when I was younger; and I wonder how those young people who were in high school during the first seasons of the steroid era look at the game of baseball today.

When all is said and done, McGwire made a very wrong choice; and now he has to make up for his mistake, as much as he can. When I make major choices in my life, I always think forward. I always think about how one decision or another could affect my life and the lives of others around me. McGwire did not think forward, he thought about himself. There are many ways you can live your life, but ultimately the truth is however you live you “Practice like you play.”

If you want to follow me elsewhere, you can follow be by clicking the links below:

Facebook, Twitter, and my other blog.

Keep connecting,

Erick

What Are Your Goals?

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So, this morning I woke up at 2 AM raring to go. The only problem was that it was 2 AM, and I usually don’t wake up until 5 AM. I couldn’t sleep so I e-mailed a friend, and then I went back to sleep. Between that time and 5 I drifted in and out of sleep. I imagine I got an accumulative of about 30 minutes of sleep. And it wasn’t a deep restful sleep. When I did get up at 5, I was not rested, so I fiddled around on the computer for an hour or so, trying to convince myself that I couldn’t neglect my morning workout. A little before 7 I got on the treadmill.

After my workout, and everything else, I sat down at my computer, reviewed my goals for 2010, printed them out, and signed and dated it at the bottom. Actually, they are my goals for 2010-2015. The first column lists my five year goals, the next column lists my 1 yr. goals, and the third column lists my immediate goals.

In each column, I list my financial, physical, personal, family, spiritual, social, and career goals. One of my five year physical goals is to earn my black belt. I am only 2 ranks away, so I am confident I can make it. I am not currently studying; though, one of my 1 yr. goals is to earn my brown belt by the end of 2010. One of my 5 yr. personal goals is to become proficient in ASL. I studied ASL in college, but I moved out to Boston before I had a chance to go through the interpreter’s course. So, I am sure I can pick it up again. One of my family goals for 2010 is to spend more time with my nephew Gabriel and visit my Great Aunt Blanche in Kentucky. And since meeting those goals is built upon setting and meeting immediate goals, I made those. Of course, one of my immediate goals is to exercise every day, as well as meditate every morning, read at least 30 pages (in actual books or e-books) everyday, and smile everyday.

So, what are your goals for 2010 and beyond? Do you have any? Do you realize that at the dawn of 2000, not only did we not have Twitter and Facebook, but we also didn’t have Google? Do you realize that at the dawn of 2000, terrorism was no more than an occasional threat to national security not a reason to go to war? Do you remember that feeling of relief on the dawn of 2000 that while those computer programmers may have not added an extra space for a zero they had apparently remembered to equip the world’s computers with fail safes? This world is the world we live in because people set goals. Goals for themselves, goals for their businesses, goals for their families, and goals for the world around them.

If you haven’t set goals for 2010 and beyond, or at least 2010, I encourage to set them today. I printed mine out a little late, and honestly I already broke some of my immediate goals, but I am going to begin today.

Keep connecting,

Erick

http://www.seobridges.com

'It's a nerd . . . it's a brain . . . No! It's Idea Guy!'

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Last night I spoke with a publisher about writing an e-book, and he could not say 'no' to the offer I made him. This particular publisher also holds annual writing conferences here in San Diego, and the focus is on self-publishing. He is holding the next conference in November. I did not know if he needed someone to speak about Social Marketing for authors; though, I hoped he would open a slot for me if I told him I would speak for free. Then, always trying to get something for nothing, and being a strong proponent of people connecting with people through ideas, I told him I wanted to have an e-book ready for the conference. I suggested that since I had already said I would speak for free, rather than paying extra self-publishing fees, he and I could split the profits. DEAL DONE! He was on the road, so he said he would call me back; though, like me this particular colleague of mine is an idea guy. If you're not an idea guy or gal, that's completely okay. Though, if you're working on a project, starting a business, or an employee, I would recommend you find idea people and other people who are not like you. It's easy to stay stagnant and just connect with other people just like us; though, it takes all sorts of people to make the world go round. Before you connect with others, in pursuits of long term goals, it is important to understand what type of person you are. I look at the big picture and notices patterns. After I see those patterns, I come up with and implement strategies to make the overall organization or plan stronger. One example I like to use is that of social marketing and SEO content. At the beginning of this year ('09) I read quite a few bloggers argue back and forth about whether SEO content or Social Marketing was the wave of the future. I thought about it, decided that they complemented one another, and launched my website http://www.seobridges.com. Now, many of those same bloggers who had argued over which would be more important are starting to realize that people like me were right. So now, I am forming partnerships with people who don't always think like me. The publisher I spoke with yesterday is an idea guy; though, whereas I am a strategist, he evaluates the bigger picture and implements a plan of action. Throughout this next year, don't surround yourselves with people who are just like you. Step outside of your comfort zone, think outside of the box, and see how much more you get done when you try to paint your future with an entire pallete instead of just one color. Keep Connecting, Erick http://www.seobridges.com