This challenge excited me–particularly her idea for the educational system. Talk about leadership, leverage, and legacy!

Hi Cynthia,

I do have more insight on marketing the second idea since there is more specificity in your description there (and education is a dear-to-my-heart topic!). But I’ll share my quick insights on the t-shirt idea first: Contests are often a hit “Please help me choose a logo” or “Which slogan do you like best”–winner gets a t-shirt.

When creating an educational system for teenagers a really good idea would be to get permission from the school(s) to do a survey to gauge the dominant learning style (auditory, visual, or kinesthetic), what their biggest challenges are, etc. I did this in the 90s with a middle school before the web was on my radar, let alone tools like surveymonkey.com and the like! This way they know that’s something coming, and offering to speak at the schools for free can get your foot in the door.

Some teenagers may be willing to be interviewed with parent’s permission (I got an enthusiastic response from students at a local college!).

If you want all to be digital, and on the cheap, use the free program Audacity for audio (see video tutorials on how to get and use Audacity by looking at the productivity & tech resources on this blog, which also shares tutorials on how to create a squeeze page) and PrimoPDF http://www.primopdf.com/ to create PDF documents. A highly recommended one stop shop for hard copy CDs, DVDs, and printing is http://www.disk.com/ and they’ll even do the order fulfillment for you. They’ll work with the digital media you provide for them.

The free media to get the word out could include Facebook, Twitter, and blogging while keeping the schools in the loop about it all. Keep in mind that building relationships with your followers even on topics not related to business is key. Just pick one to start with at first so you don’t get (as) overwhelmed. Flyers in mom/pop coffee shops and bookstores seem to be well-received for t-shirts.

Having someone hold you accountable and supporting during this journey is pivotal though. Don’t let the crazy-makers and naysayers steal your joy because this educational system is a fabulous idea in my not so humble opinion!

Good luck!

What fun serendipity! If the technology is getting in your way of creating your product and getting it out to the marketplace, take advantage of the free tutorials (no opt-in required): http://budurl.com/FreeTechResources

Leverage your expertise into audio and create a legacy in the process!

The first time I realized I was taking knowledge for granted was in high school when I discovered that not everyone in band could play by ear (I played clarinet, flute, and sax, by the way–a woodwinds girl). I recall asking fellow band members to join me by accompanying what was playing on a random boom box at the time (probably some really overplayed Duran Duran song), and they looked at me like I had three heads because I didn’t have sheet music on the fly.

Even 20+ years later, I’ll sometimes forget what people know and don’t know even on things I’m not naturally gifted at but had immersed myself in the learning of the skill so much that it had migrated into the “unconscious competence” category. I am grateful to the clients and students who remind me when it happens.

Like today: And let me put forth a disclaimer first-I’m still in the continuous learning process myself about Twitter but at the same time consider myself quite a bit beyond the one-eyed woman leading the blind. I co-led a call today with Bea Fields on demystifying the use of Twitter for business. I intended to take one approach, but spontaneously decided to take into consideration the knowledge base of the participants starting from scratch.

We still discussed strategies, tactics, useful time-saving Twitter tools, and etiquette once the relevant people were set up and making their debut on Twitter… and a good time was ultimately had by all! If you’re still ambivalent about how Twitter can be worth your while in your business, then download the call we did today (below).

Also, read Bea’s Top 7 Strategies for Building Out Your Business Using Twitter and her cool list of Twitter tools to get you started. Enjoy!

• environment,
• framework,
• experiences, and
• level of expertise with the technology out there.

I’ve always been surrounded by some sort of technology guru since the early 90s, and while I’m not an early adopter when it comes to purchasing new technology (more like early majority), I will definitely check out a new tech toy that’s recommended to me from someone I respect if it’s free to see if it would be beneficial to me and/or my business.

I’m also not afraid of technology and I love to engage all my learning styles when figuring it out–mostly visual/kinesthetic–I hate reading the manuals on- or offline!

But it has to work for me psychologically as well, I’ve found–especially with all the choices out there (more on that in a forthcoming post!). Facebook, Twitter, and podcasting do that for me.

About a month ago, I wrote about all the choices within traditional internet marketing and new media marketing and the only “comments” I got were on Twitter and they had a similar theme: “Too many choices to comment!” or “My head hurts! Let me think about that one for a while” That’s telling in and of itself!

So on the hindrance side, “overwhelmed by the choices” could fit right in. Another hindrance could be the “way too dependent on the technology” syndrome.

For example, I recently came back from a trip to the Mountains in Taos, NM and admittedly had a little anxiety about the fact that there would definitely be no cell phone service, and not knowing if I was going to have internet access nearby. I was so afraid, even with my vacation auto-responder that I’d be so overwhelmed when I got back.

I was worried about what I would miss in the social networking world since it changes so quickly. And we won’t even talk about my potential Twitter withdrawals–I tend to learn the most about the latest and greatest updates there along with satisfying my need to connect with like-minded people!

So imagine my visible relief when we discovered that there was a computer lab in walking distance from the cabin that had wi-fi and actual desktop computers…and printers! I did have to cancel a webinar since I couldn’t be on the phone (land line was in the cabin) and on the computer in the same room, but other than that, I really have to say that my anxiety levels went back down to zero when I saw what was available.

I knew intellectually that unplugging for a week wouldn’t have killed me, but emotionally I wasn’t so sure! I really do see the benefits of the technology when you have a strategy in place (which I definitely have). You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Technology is great…when it works!” I really believe that.

So what do you think?

Do we depend too much on the technology?

Are we bombarded too much by all the choices? Or

Do you have a strategy in place so that the technology works for you rather than your being a slave to the technology? Would love to read your thoughts!

–Carol Dickson-Carr

And for some, their eyes start to glaze over and they say they feel safer with the “devil they know” when it comes to getting the word out about their brick & mortar business (yellow pages, inserts, postcards, etc.). I still take that response as a “Not yet!”

At the same time, I’m watching in various forums different debates about which marketing strategies are the best on the internet alone. What do you think? Is it…

Traditional methods like SEO, SEM, Article Marketing, AdSense, PPC, etc.

or New Media such as blogging, podcasting, video, internet radio, etc.

Or…

some combination of the strategies?

Please share your thoughts. My inquiring mind would LOVE to know!

This is important.

–Carol Dickson-Carr

In each instance, my thought immediately went to her being overwhelmed. Even though the payoff would be an allowance, she often wanted to forgo the money to get out of doing it! That is, until I reminded her of strategies to getting it done without the task feeling as daunting, with the biggest tip being: take baby steps and prioritize by working on one area of the room or category at a time (i.e., school papers, then shoes, then stuffed animals, etc.). But truth be told, she has no real passion for cleaning her room.

When we coach our adult clients, or sometimes when we are being coached or mentored ourselves, there is also often a similar trend of resistance in some cases. This can be true whether we’re dealing with grunt work that doesn’t light us up (One word to that: Outsource!) or if we have been presented with quite a few cool tools that can help our businesses in the long run.

Let’s stay with the Web 2.0 theme: Introducing blogging, podcasting, video creation, talk radio, and social networks to people who are totally new to it in a six week period have sometimes invoked these types of interjections:

“I feel like I’ve been sprayed with a fire hose of information!”

“How can I incorporate it all?”

“I don’t have enough time.”

“I am not a techie!”

“AAAAAAHHHH!”

The baby steps and prioritizing come in handy again. And so does breathing. If rotating between using all the tools while learning them doesn’t float your boat after getting introduced to them, try this: Figure out which tool interests you the most and carve out a specified time daily or every other day to become one with it until you master it, and then move on to the next favorite and repeat the process.

And remember, you don’t have to take this journey alone. Take advantage of all the resources out there. The ones I listed in the previous blog post are just a starting point.

So tell me, if you have a favorite Web 2.0 tool, what is it and why?

If you haven’t tried out any of the tools, I’d also like to know why?

My inquiring mind wants to know!

–Carol Dickson-Carr

Once you dive into the tools (My Colleague Bea Fields & I can help you with that too!), here are a few more resources worth checking out in the Web 2.0 community–these are people I’ve built relationships with in a social networking framework and they are also excellent at what they do:

Facebook Goddess: Mari Smith

For Business Blogging Experts: Denise Wakeman & Patsi Krakoff of The Blog Squad

Twitter Experts: Deb Micek and Warren Whitlock

Video (and integrating all the tools): Sherman Hu

WordPress Expert: Kim Beasley

Folks who know me know I am the hugest advocate of storytelling. Check out Carla Young’s program for more on that!

And for more on time mastery, check out Ann Rusnak (The Time Diva!).

And the list goes on!