Dennis J. Smith

5 Must Have Social Media Plugins for WordPress Blogs

October 1, 2010

With the explosion of Social Media many bloggers are discovering the power of sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz and LinkedIn to name a few. With WordPress plugins you or your readers can share your blog postings with others just with a click of the mouse. Here are 5 plugins for Social Media that I think are the must haves if you are serious about promoting your business or cause. Update: Some of these plugins have been discontinued or have not been updated by their developers. WP FB Like With the exploding popularity of Facebook this is a must have plugin because it post to the king of social media. WP FB Like is easy to setup and will add the Facebook “Like” Button at the top and bottom of all your post or pages. When your reader clicks on the button a link to your blog post is added to their Facebook wall. If their friends click on the link they are sent to your blog and directly to the post. Update: This plugin hasn’t been updated in over 2 years. It may no longer be maintained or supported and may have compatibility issues when used with more recent versions of WordPress. Sexy Bookmarks Here is a WordPress plugin that does it all when it comes to sharing out your blog post. Sexy Bookmarks lets you pick and choice the social media networks you’d like your readers to share to. Plus you can drag and drop them into the position you’d like them to display on your page. You can display the social media networks at the top or bottom of your post. There over 80 social networks to choose from but I would suggest that you keep it under 20 so as not to overwhelm your readers. WP Google-Buzz With all the buzz about Google Buzz and Google’s jump into the social media arena you’ll want this plugin for sure. If you prefer to keep a minimalist look to your blog you might want to consider going with just a few buttons. Facebook, Twitter, Digg and maybe even MySpace depending on the demographics of your readers. WP Google-Buzz is easy to configure and has several customization choices to fit any bloggers needs. Update: This plugin has been discontinued Disqus Comment System This plugin replaces the default WordPress commenting system by adding elements that will drive more traffic to your blog. Both new and repeat traffic can be generated from the use of this popular plugin. Most major newspapers and news organizations use Disqus on their websites. Readers can check a like button just like the FB like button and can post their comments to Facebook and Twitter. Readers can also subscribe by email or RSS and get notified when someone replies to their comment. What’s not to like about this plugin? PostRank PostRank shows off the top post on your blog and is updated automatically as the rankings change. The look and feel of the widget can be set to match the color of your WordPress theme. Monitor your PostRank scores and social media analytic metrics right from the WordPress dashboard. The PostRank plugin is easy to install and setup is a breeze. Keep in mind that it might take a few hours for the top post to start displaying. Wibya The ultimate social media plugin for your WordPress blog is the Wibya Toolbar. Integrate both your Twitter and Facebook Fan Page feeds into your blog along with a host of other choices. Show off your YouTube videos or pick what videos you’d like displayed. Customize the look and feel of the toolbar to match your WordPress theme. Do you use any of the above plugins with your WordPress blog? Have something else that’s a favorite? Please feel free to leave a comment below and add to this list by letting others know your recommendations. Interested in other WordPress Plugins? Check out this post from the blog ““ How To Make My Blog Best WordPress plugins ““ 18 most downloaded WordPress plugins ever If you know someone who could benefit from the information above please feel free to share with others. I appreciate it and hope you’ll return again. Thanks!

Expose your WordPress blog postings with a little Facebook “Like”

September 29, 2010

Now you can get some “Like” on Facebook for your WordPress blog post with a simple plugin. You don’t have to know anything about programming code like HTML. While in your WordPress Dashboard go to Plugins on the left-hand menu. Click the “Add New” button and type in “Facebook Like Button Plugin for WordPress” (current version is 0.4a). There’s also WP FB Like which is easy to setup with a few clicks of the options. Pick whatever one you feel comfortable with but don’t delay on adding this must have plugin. The screenshot above shows you some of the options for one of the FB Like Button plugins. I recommend displaying the button before and after an article for maximum benefit. When a reader “Recommends” or “Likes” your posting a link is posted to their Facebook profile. This is an excellent way to drive traffic from your friends Facebook page to your blog. Do you have a favorite plugin you’d like to recommend to other readers? What do you “Like”? Feel free to comment below and click “Recommend” to recommend this article to your Facebook friends.

Being Social with Social Media On The Go or In The Air

September 24, 2010

The beauty of running your own business is that you are no longer tied down to the desk. With social media, a mobile hone and a laptop or even a new tablet PC you can promote your business while on the go. It doesn’t matter where you are at anymore to connect with the world and market your business. I’m at Brewforia Beer Market right now which is a business in Meridian, ID that sells over 500 different beers. Brewforia uses social media to connect with their customers by showcasing new product, what’s on tap and new food products. The relaxing environment and free Wi-Fi makes it possible for someone like myself to enjoy a beer, enjoy a craft bread (pizza) and write a blog post or market my business endeavors. Where do you enjoy hanging out when promoting your business? It’s pretty common to find Wi-Fi in every city around the US and Europe. Plus services such as Clear, Rover and Sprint offer 4G in 50 plus cities across the US. That means you could be sitting on a park bench and connected to the internet at super fast broadband speeds. Think about how relaxing that would be enjoying the warm fall sun while conducting business over the internet. I’ve even been connect to the internet while flying 36,000 ft. above the earth heading to Florida. GoGo Inflight Internet connects you to Wi-Fi while on board your cross country flight. Pricing starts around $4.95 per flight segment depending distance travelled. Visit their website for more information on pricing and how the service works. I’ve given you a few ways you you can promote your business while on the go or even in the air. Suggestions? Ideas? Feel free to comment below and start the discussion.

Latest Reviews of Promote Your Business or Cause using Social Media

August 24, 2010

Latest Reviews of Promote Your Business or Cause using Social Media By Social Media author Dennis J. Smith It’s been a few months since I first published my first book Promote Your Business or Cause using Social Media. I want to share with you some of the latest reviews and give you a chance to win your own copy. Johnna says “I’ve used Facebook as a marketing resource for years and "Promote Your Business or Cause using Social Media" taught me numerous NEW things I never used or maximized!" What would you like to learn about social media? All you have to do is register for my bi-monthly Social Media News Club. Which happens to be free! I’ll pick a winner at the end of this month and continue to do so each month through December 2010. Great Help!, July 22, 2010 Dennis J Smith helped guide me through the maze of options available. As a social media novice, the number of sites and formats for communicating my message was overwhelming, but the step by step guide let me identify which product was most effective. Dive into the social media pool with confidence!, July 9, 2010 Dennis J Smith has done a nice job of opening the door to the social media opportunities for people who have little or no experience with Facebook and other forms of this ever changing aspect of our electronic world. Dennis presents some practical ways to put various aspects of social media to work for your organization, business or cause. Read full review”¦ A must-read for small business owners!, July 6, 2010 With the social media craze, it’s difficult to know what’s out there, what it does and how to do it! Dennis does a great job of laying out some of the industry’s biggest players, the return you can see on your investment and most importantly, how to get started immediately! Read full review”¦

Promote Your Digital Product and Fatten Your Wallet With ClickBank

August 21, 2010

Looking for a way to promote your product or promote the product of others? Want to make money while you’re at it? With ClickBank you can promote your own products or promote the products of others and make money. ClickBank is based in Boise, Idaho and started back in 1998. There are thousands of digital product vendors on ClickBank and over 110,000 active affiliate marketers. You only need to create an account to get started and can either sell your own product or promote someone else’s product and get paid. Sell Digital Products Online “I earned about $250,000 during my senior year in college and within a year of graduation had crossed the million dollar mark.” Russell Brunson, Idaho, USA Do you have an e-Book you’ve written? How about computer software or a how-to guide? With ClickBank you can promote your product without a lot of overhead. The company will process orders for you via a secured and fraud proof system. You choose the price you want to sell your product for and pay them a one-time activation fee. All you have to do is create a landing page(web page) promoting your product and create some banner ads for affiliates. Affiliates are other people who are willing to promote your product for you by placing a hop link or banner ad on their website. Affiliates get a cut of your profits in the form of a commission when you make a sell. You can find lots of helpful information on selling basics here: ClickBank Selling Basics Promote Products in the ClickBank Marketplace “For anyone wanting to get started in affiliate marketing, ClickBank is the place to go. There are thousands of products to choose from and commission can be as high as 75%; you just won’t find that anywhere else.” Byron Walker, Colorado, USA If you don’t have product to sell but have a blog or a website you can still make money with ClickBank. Affiliate Marketing has been around for years and a great way to supplement your income. Once you have a ClickBank account you can promote any product in the ClickBank Marketplace. There’s thousands of products to choose from and something for everyone. Just find the product you like and generate a hop link to add to your blog or website. The hop link is coded so ClickBank knows who to pay commission if product is sold. Now you can share product with your Facebook friends using SocialPromote. Just click the “Like” button and ClickBank will create a hop and add it to your Facebook Stream. Make sure you are always signed in to your account when generating links or sharing out to Facebook. You can search the marketplace for products that will complement your blog or website. If you have a WordPress blog there are ClickBank plug-ins available that let you add ClickBank product to your blog with ease. Ready to get your feet wet with affiliate marketing or selling your own digital product? Head over to the ClickBank website and get your account ad get started today. Already using ClickBank? Feel free to comment below and share your thoughts with others. Sign Up for ClickBank CJM Marketing Specialties Content By Dennis J. Smith

Promote Your Business With Effective Web Design 101

August 18, 2010

Web Design 101 for Business Your Virtual Storefront I’ve been creating website for over 15 years now, back when Netscape was the top browser. I’d like to share some of my tips regarding effective website creation and design. I come across poor website design all the time when surfing the net and there’s no shortage. When you first create a website you should think about layout and how others will navigate around your site. Do your research and find out what others are doing before you just toss together a site. Think of a website like a storefront in your local shopping mall. Your home page is much like a storefront because it’s the first thing your visitor will see. If its eye catching and always up-to-date then visitors will stay and view your site. If you walk by a store with a bad window display or the same as your last visit, what are the chances you are going to check things out? So you can see the importance of designing a functional home page. Keep it Clean with Relevant Content Don’t overwhelm someone with a lot of information on your home page. I recommend a mix of 70/30 depending on the type of site. Give your users about 70 percent content mixed with 30 percent graphics/images/ads to compliment your content. Ever had a hard time finding your keys in a cluttered room? Keep your visitors engaged in your content to keep them coming back. Make sure your content is relevant and optimized for search engines. Relevant content will keep the visitor on your website and hopefully purchasing your product or service. If someone walked into an electronic store and found books they would turn around and leave. Easy Navigation One of my favorite sites is DynamicDrive.com which offers lots of free cool stuff for web designers. Stuff that helps make your website stand out from others in the crowd. I mainly use the navigation tools they provide on my websites. Both SpreadViralVideo.com and MyVolunteer.com used navigation menus that I found on DynamicDrive.com. I’ve also used code that disables the “Submit” button after its been clicked. That way the user cannot click it a 2nd time, preventing duplicate information when they submit a form. There are lots of other resources out there to make your site look like a pro did the work. Research Other Sites While you want your creativity to be your own it’s a great idea to see what others are doing. I often check out the design of other websites to see what others are doing. I did this years ago when I first started creating web pages to learn the art of HTML. When I started I didn’t have the luxury of books or even classes on how to code HTML, JavaScript and other coding languages of the web. Now there are tons of books, online classes, software and online resources to make the task easier. Web Design Tools of the Trade I want to finish up with briefly talking about some of the tools of the trade. I have hard coded(straight HTML) websites in the past however I mostly use WYSIWYG(What You See Is What You Get) software when developing my current websites. I don’t know about you but I don’t have a lot of free time, so I used FrontPage which became Expression 4 and is no longer available from Microsoft. I’m not part of a website team so I’m on my own when it comes to developing my websites. Therefore I use web design software that lets me crank out pages and a fast pace with a professional look. Besides Expression 4 other editors on the market were Adobe® Dreamweaver CS5 and Adobe® Creative Suite 5 to name a few. Most of these allow you to use a simple “Compose” mode to create your web pages. These editors make it easy for you to add images, navigation, links, create tables and other aspects of a web pages quickly. Those who know how to code can switch to the HTML mode to have more control of the design. Update 05/11/16 – Microsoft has ceased development on its Expression Web product. However they still offer free downloads Expression Web 4 but offer no support. It is possible some of the information in this post has become outdated and some products might not be available. I have since moved on to using WordPress as my choice for website creation. More web design software applications can be found on CNet’s site Download.com and are either free or try and buy trials. Most of the above software can usually be downloaded and tried out for 30 days or more before you buy. Give them a spin today and see what types of creations you can come up with. Do you have any tips to share with others? Have a favorite HTML editor? Feel free to comment below. By Dennis J. Smith

Create a Payvment storefront on Facebook in under 15 minutes

August 12, 2010

Please note: Since this article was written Payvment was sold and the links below might no longer be valid. I have left the article up for reference. Are you the crafty type and thought about selling product on Facebook? What if I told you all you need is a Facebook and PayPal account to get started? There are over 500 million customers waiting for you to set-up shop on Facebook. We’ve all heard of EBay, Amazon.com and some maybe have even heard of ETSY as places to sell and purchase product online. But with the explosive growth of social media the new player in town for e-commerce is Facebook. Payvment is a Facebook application that is free and easy for anyone to set-up. It connects to your PayPal personal or business account to process payments using PayPal and any major credit card. Right now the application is free while in beta and Payvment says that any Payvment Facebook store will remain free even after the public beta ends. Okay, so it might take a little more than 15 minutes to roll out a store but most will be up in running in less than an hour. I would say the most time consuming isn’t setting up the store, but taking photos of your product to display in the store. But setting up the customizations and adding product is a pretty simple process. Here’s what a typical Payvment storefront on Facebook looks like. Notice the shopping cart above the product as the customers adds product to the cart. Payvment lets you add product from any store on Facebook that use the Payvment application. Payments are processed via PayPal accordingly with all shipping and tax calculated at checkout. When a customer clicks on an item they get a more detailed description of the item. Notice the Fan Discount for those who are a fan of the page. You can give fans of your page an instant discount on your products. You don’t have to offer a discount but this is a pretty effective way to get others to “Like” your business and hopefully purchase product. Payvment reports that a Forbes study shows that Facebook Fans are 41% more likely to recommend a brand and 28% more likely to continue using them. They also state that a Facebook Fan is worth $136.38 on average and spends $71.84 more each year compared to non fans. Could you imagine what that might translate into if you had 1000 fans? Those who are fans of your page can also “Share” a product they like which will post that item to their wall. That gives store owners even more potential for new fans and sells. Here’s an item I posted to my wall by sharing it from the ELytes Facebook store. Here’s what the Payvment product page looks like showing the price, price after fan discount, quantity, size, color and product description depending on the product you sell. Real-world Use of Payvment for Facebook Motivational speaker and author Johnna Johnson is using Facebook and Payvment to promote and sell her books, e-Book and workbooks. With Payvment you can designate specific product as Featured Items. If you know HTML you can also control the look of your storefront homepage. Check out the list of Payvment stores below and see what others are doing for ideas. Small business owner and single mom Rachel Dobbs uses the application on her fan page Pioneer Soap Works to sell her homemade natural candles, soaps, bath bombs and more from the comforts of her home. I first met Rachel through Facebook when I was doing research for my book. She started out selling her product to friends and family and then a local gift shop and a Saturday Market. Now a majority of her business comes right from her Facebook Fan page after adding the Payvment storefront. I asked Rachel her thoughts on using Payvment as a shopping cart solution. She told me that it was extremely easy to install and having a little html knowledge helped. It was about $100 a month for a shopping cart on her website and she only had 2 sales for the entire year. With Payvment it easy for her to add new product to her store. Rachel also likes that there aren’t any fees, monthly charges or percentage of your sales with Payvment. It’s 100 percent free! Within the first week of using the application her sales increased 40 percent. See sample Payvment stores on Facebook This is only a sampling of the over 30,000 and growing small/medium size businesses, major brands, and retailers using Payvment to build user engagement and revenue on Facebook. Yes to Carrots (Selling in U.S. Dollars) Elytes (Selling in U.S. Dollars) Johnna Johnson & Co. (Selling in U.S. Dollars) Grayce by Molly Sims (Selling in U.S. Dollars) Orglamix Cosmetics (Selling in U.S. Dollars) Vanity Shoes (Selling in Euros) Game Intern (Selling in U.S. Dollars) Claire’s Bowtique (Selling in U.S. Dollars) Athehof (Taiwan) (Selling in Taiwan New Dollars) Payvment Administration Payvment has lots of features including the ability to put your store in suspend mode. This is useful for those who take a vacation and need to suspend business while away. Managing your store is done though backend administration which is shown below. New products are added here, product images, product descriptions, store categories, shipping information and modification of current store product. Tax rates can be set-up for both domestic and international customers. Video tutorials to help you get started quickly How to Quickly Launch a Storefront on Facebook How to Add Products to Your Facebook Storefront How to Set Up Facebook “Fan” Discount Pricing How to Set Up Inventory Controls How to Set Up Dynamic Rate Shipping and Sales Tax Are you selling on Facebook or online? What do you use for a shopping cart? Feel free to leave a comment below along with a link to you Payvment store. Build Your Store – Launch a Payvment Store…
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Windows Live Writer makes blogging a breeze

August 9, 2010

Are you thinking about starting your own blog but scared off by technology? It might not be as hard as you think when it comes to starting a blog. If you know Microsoft Office you’re already halfway there. If you don’t its still easy when you have tools that simplify the process. Windows Live Writer from Microsoft is one of those must have tools for bloggers. Windows Live Writer lets you manage your blog regardless of where its hosted or the format you are using. I use it to update all my WordPress blogs and an older blog I have on Blogger. But it can be used with LiveJournal, TypePad, Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint and others. Plug-ins are available that give Live Writer even more functionality. Visit the Live Gallery to find out what’s available and to install plug-ins you find beneficial. The toolbar across the top of Windows Live Writer lets you control aspects of the font, text alignment, adding images, tables and inserting other items into your post. You can also cut, paste and undo changes if you aren’t satisfied. The side bar to the right duplicates editing tools such as current drafts, recently posted articles and inserts into your article. It’s really easy to get around the application to create the perfect blog post. The edit mode tab allows you to create your article much like you would create a Word document(add images, hyperlinks, tables and more). Preview mode loads the theme of your blog and gives you a sneak preview of what your readers will see. It might not display a perfect rendition since it depends on the theme you use. The bottom area of the application lets you assign categories, tags, the author, future publish date and more. Those who have a little more knowledge of HTML can click on the Source tab and use HTML code to customize a post before going live. Here’s a great resource for those interested in learning more about HTML. If you have a blog have you used Windows Live Writer? Another blogging tool? Give it and try and see what you think and share some of the articles you’ve written with Windows Live Writer. Please feel free to leave your comments below. Download Windows Live Writer Windows Live Writer Plugin Gallery By Dennis J. Smith

Carry your WordPress blog in your pocket or purse

July 31, 2010

For those of us who are always on the go WordPress has come to the rescue. WordPress for Android is available for free in the Android Market. The most recent version 1.3.2 was released this morning to correct some minor bugs. Just add the URL of your blog along with your login username plus password and the application will load your WordPress blog data, comments, post, stats and anything related to your blog. You can add both WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress.org blogs to the mix. Review previous post, edit a past post or even add a new blog post right from your Android phone. I would recommend a good speech-to-text application to make posting a little easier. Approve comment, reply to comments or mark as spam right from your Android phone. Moderate several comments all at once with a click of the checkbox next to the comments you want to moderate. Then assign the status of those comments and you’re done. Download AppTo download WordPress for Android, choose your path: Search Android Market Visit the Android Market on your device and search for “wordpress”. Select and install the application that is published by Automattic, Inc. Scan the Code If you have a barcode scanner installed on your device, scan the code here to be taken directly to the download page for WordPress for Android. Find out about other features not mentioned here on the WordPress for Android blog or view the video provided at the beginning. Have a WordPress blog you use to promote your business or cause? Share it below in the comments along with any suggestions for other readers. WordPress is also available for iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and Blackberry phone. Find out more on Apps for WordPress including Desktop applications for WordPress blogs. By Dennis J. Smith

Author: Dennis J. Smith