Be Helpful – Observe from a Distance

Sometimes my three chihuahuas get into a fight. But based on what I’ve learned about dog behavior, I have to let them work it out to determine who is the alpha dog. It’s hard to do because my first instinct is to step in and break it up. But I’ve learned to wait until it is neccessary for me to step in (Liberty Belle is especially protective of her Greenies).

As managers of people, we want to help our employees be more effective. But, sometimes, instead of rushing in to help, try letting your employees resolve the situation by themselves. Of course, be there for guidance and support as needed, but they might be able to resolve the problem without your time & involvement – and possibly even come up with a better solution. After all, it is what they are paid to do…think for themselves.

12 Step Program for Twitterholics

Twitterholics is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience and knowledge with each other that they may educate and learn from others. The only requirement for membership is a desire to continue Tweeting.

1. Admit you are powerless over Twitter – that your life has become unmanageable

Online Video Tips for Nonprofits

Kivi Leroux Miller, from NonprofitMarketingGuide.com made a request on Twitterfor guest blogger posts regarding nonprofit video, so I will attempt to accommodate her request.

Equipment
If you are a 501(c)(3) organization, you can apply for a Flip Video Spotlight kit to be used by untrained staff and constituents to help highlight your work with video.

Filming
» Each shot should be between 10 and 15 seconds
» Shoot close ups whenever possible
» Film people – create a personal story

Editing
» Keep your total video length under 2 minutes
» If you want to create a longer video, break it into episodes
» Adding words? Translations? Remember that online video typically is in a smaller viewing pane, so keep in legible
» End with a call-to-action and provide users with a URL shortcut to a page with additional information & a donation opportunity

Posting
» Create a YouTube channel for your nonprofit
» Insert the video into widgets that can be spread virally
» Add a video index on your site

View some great examples of nonprofit videos at: 
http://helpCUREnow.org/videos.

A Little Added Value Gets Repeat Customers

A few weeks ago, I went to Chicago for a birthday weekend with “the girls”. Typically when I travel, I do my best to bring my dogs, but sometimes I am unable to do so.

For this past trip, I chose to keep my dogs at The Boarding Bungalow.

I originally chose it because there were actually pictures of small dogs on the site. Most boarding sites typically have photos of all large dogs, and I liked the fact that owners of small dogs used this place as well.

So, they had me – at least for one time. But I’ll go back. Even if they raise their prices

Get Notifed If Your Site Goes Down

Ever had a site go down, only to be notified by a customer? How embarassing!

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Upgrade to their Premium Service for only $8 per month, and Are Your Sites Up will check up to 60 sites every 15 minutes. This option also includes keyword search, Twitter integration and RSS feeds.