Likewise, if the local Tea Party wanted the city to hear a message about local taxes and spending, they could engage their members to write letters to the editors targeting a specific date, like Tax Day (April 18th this year, by the way).

STEP 1: Choose a local publication to target. In Lynchburg, VA, it would be the News & Advance. Read other letters to the editor to gauge the kind of letters the editor likes to publish: http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/apr/11/letters-editor-monday-april-11-2011-ar-964980/

STEP 2: Narrow a Topic. Without clear direction for your letter it will get lost in a sea of other letters. Remember that only a small percentage of letters get published each week. Focus on only ONE talking point, or aspect of your topic. For example, here are some talking points for the Tax Day protest the tea party is putting on April 18th:

• High taxes
• Wasteful spending
• Inability to cut spending
• Inability to balance the budget even WITH high taxes
• The absurdity of spending $58 B while cutting $36 B and calling it progress
• The ridiculousness of reading the Constitution but not following it

STEP 3: Keep it short and sweet, 4-6 sentences at most. Newspapers only have so much space that they can use for copy (words), so if your letter is too long it will either A) not get published, or B) get cut down in size – and trust me, you won’t like what words or sentences they choose to cut out for you.

STEP 4: Make your point with facts, or real life scenarios. E.G.: “I have to pay 11.5% taxes at restaurants in the city, while I could just pay half that at restaurants outside the city limits.” OR “My child’s classroom doubled in size this year because of the city’s inability to balance the budget.” Remember that if you use antidotes or emotional appeals your letter will be more effective to newspaper readers.

STEP 5: Make it a “point sandwich.” State your position once in the beginning of your letter, follow it up with some facts and reasoning, and finish it off by reiterating your main point.

STEP 6: Follow the newspaper guidelines. http://www2.newsadvance.com/forms/letters-editor/

Check back throughout the week to see if your letter was published. If not, try and try again until your voice is heard.

Have you had a recently published letter? Tell us about it here:

Exporting your data regularly is a safe way to save your posts, pages and comments – and it is also how you would move your wordpress website over to a new hosting environment.

Are you using WordPress.com and want to move to a self-hosted environment? Export your data:

Step 1: Log into WordPress

Step 2: Go to Tools > Export

Step 3: …Export it!

To import your WordPress data into a new wordpress website, all you have to do is go to Tools > Import and follow the instructions!

Here is a video tutorial of how to Import and Export WordPress Data using WordPress 3.1 on a self hosted platform: http://screencast.com/t/ZVbvs8qqA

• Better search rankings: the more links you have the more Google will think you have relevant content
• Value: The more resources you give your consumers the more they will want to come back!

“But, I was told that outgoing links would make people leave my website”

True. But if they don’t find what they are looking for they are going to leave anyway. The trick is to make sure the outgoing link is to a “blank” page to open the link in a “new window” so they won’t leave your website.

Problem solved!

Try this on for size, an outgoing link to get instructions on creating links that open in new windows! Look, mom, I can tie my shoes!

The sound quality isnt that great but hey… that’s free videocasting software for ya!

1. Login at http://feedburner.google.com
2. Click on the name of your blog
3. Click on the "publicize" tab at the top
4. Under "Email Subscriptions" on the left, click "Subscription Management:
5. Scroll all the way to the bottom and click "View Subscriber Details"
6. You can search addresses or export them as a CSV file

Good luck!

Many of us Facebook and Twitter users have become acustom to reading about other people's professions, and talking about our own. There has been debate about what is appropriate when it comes to "selling" our products and services online.

One of the benefits of being active on sites like Facebook is seeing other people's needs expressed, and then being able to offer suggestions about where they can get help – or who to hire for their need.

But what do you do when you see someone asking another person for help online, when you have the same profession?

For example, Gina needs a plumber. Ed is a plumber. Gina publically asks Ed what his rates are on Facebook.

What would you do, if you were a plumber, and you see Gina's request on Ed's Facebook wall?

But “standing out” doesn’t always mean being revered or criticized for being different. And when it comes to being online, there is nothing so common as to do something different or innovative.

So what does it mean to stand out online?

When it comes to the internet we aren’t talking about a high school class of 200 + students. We are talking about 500 million people who are actively using Facebook or searching Google daily. So to understand this concept we first have to narrow down our target market and define our niche.

What people group are you trying to appeal to? Who is your niche? Where can you find them?
When it comes to the internet, stick with the concept of “quality over quantity.” For example, it isn’t HOW many twitter followers you have, it is WHO you have following you.

“I want to stand out online among Virginia small business owners who are trying to embrace technology to better their online marketing.”

Ok, it’s your turn: I want to stand out online among: ____________________________________

What does it mean to stand out online to your target niche?

Again, unlike high school, standing out doesn’t necessarily mean that you are constantly being revered or criticized for your actions or fashion sense. For small businesses we are just trying to grow. It means you are noticed, acknowledged and recognized for the work you do or product you sell. You aren’t in the limelight all day long, but instead people keep you top of mind in your field of expertise. You are the go-to expert in your niche!

So what is your online goal? What kind of attention do you want to receive? How many regular blog readers do you want gain?

“I want to stay top of mind to Virginia business owners who are looking for advice on their online marketing and websites.”

Your turn. I want to stay top of mind for: _______________________________________

So that’s it. Standing out online means being considered and recognized by your target market for your specific area of expertise. And remember that after you know what standing out online means for you, define some goals and strategies on how you can get there.

For help on defining your “stand out action plan” register for tomorrow’s workshop. Or email me for coaching.

“…eye movements move in the shape of an F. First users read in a horizontal movement across the header. Then they read in another horizontal movement across, but this time only about two thirds of the way across and a little further down. Finally users scan down the left rail.” From idwebdesign

Valid, I would say, if the studies were not based on old web design standards and offered a variety of website layouts in the eye map study.

As you can see, the first website used in this study automatically draw the eyes into an F shape, first with a main header, then with a secondary header down the page, and finally with a left hand navigation menu. The second Google results page is more of a blob, heavy on the top left. Which frankly doesn’t tell us anything, since the Google results page is content heavy, and doesn’t offer the eyes anything specific to draw to.

If the “F-Factor” is not all true, then why does the first website in the study look like an F?

Because the elements on the page draw the eyes where they need to go. This is the most important principle used in any good design. That’s why we use large headers, contrast, different colors and white space to create ads, brochures and … websites. It is up to the designer to create whatever alphabetically pleasing design he or she chooses, so long as it draws the eyes to the most important elements on the page.

Why do I see so many websites designed like an F?

You may see, or used to see, lots of websites with this format. The websites had a long navigation menu on the left hand side and the rest of the site was content heavy. Can I be the first to say… ew? These early 2000’s style websites are mostly used in free turn-key websites or web designers who aren’t also graphic designers.

Today, backwards F shaped websites are popular, as well as websites with colorful backgrounds that separate their content with floating boxes, like this website

When designing a website, I defer to the 4 basic principles of good design. It seems to keep me out of trouble:

1. Alignment
2. Proximity
3. Contrast
4. Repetition

In lieu of our weekly Friday 2.0 meeting which was canceled due to vacationing, I have compiled a list of news items I would have normally presented this AM.

Facebook can now recognize facial features. Google has offered this feature on Picassa already, but now Facebook has integrated facial recognition into tagging. Scary, right? Read more >

Happy… social media…day? Apparently June 30 is now noted as the official global “social media day” (recognized by British Columbia and… Vancouver). The funny thing is, the day connected thousands of people… face to face. Read more >

Study shows consumers view companies who microblog as more trustworthy. Hear that? You need to use twitter and Facebook. Read more >

Don’t miss these social media resources. A list of 35 social media resources “you may have missed.” Read more >

And a shameless plug for my new product: In the month of July you can get 5% off Website Workbox! Check it out and use coupon code “SUMMERSAVINGS” >