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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

My top 10 influential people on the Internet

In the world of expert search engine optimization, social media marketing, strategic internet marketing, everyday life reporting online, and personalities who have make a mark in history, I can think of 10 (actually 11) whose contribution, in my humble opinion, have made a mark and raised the Nations level of consciousness, and in some cases, have made life easier, set an example of exelence, or open new and exciting ways to succeed. As with every list, opinions are subjective, and you are welcome to disagree with me.


Number 10: Glenn Beck. Yes, I know, he seems nuts and is a Conservative. So am I, believe it or not. I like Glenn because he is real. He expresses his opinion, and keeps an open mind, he also has the ability to see the big picture, and foresee what might happen in the future. He is also a great family man, and, as a recovering alcoholic who seven years ago was broke, an inspiration to all of us who think of America as the promised land and still thinks that the American Dream is alive and well.

Number 9: Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger who produced the famous wikipedia. Even though anyone can edit the aricles and it is not considered an authorize source for research, when you are in a crunch for time and need information really fast, the good old wiki is priceless. Of course, before you submit any information gathered from wiki, you do need to verify it with a quick Google search.


Number 8: Seth Godin. An entrepreneur from an early age, Seth has written several books, has several blogs, and one of his most important contributions to mankind is Squidoo.



Number 7: Darren Rowse. Darren (of http://www.problogger.net/ fame) is a professional blogger who in 2002 read an article on blogging, and the rest is history. He is one of the authorities in blogging techniques, and online success. If you want to learn from one of the best, problogger.net is a must read.


Number 6: John Chow. A Vancouver, Canada entrepreneur, who launched a tech review site in 1999, and the rest is history. Later on, he started a blog, like many others, and decided to start teaching how to make millions online. His free e-book, “Make Money online”, is one that I read every so often for it’s timeless advice. Get his free ebook. (http://www.johnchow.com/)


Number 5: Matt Drudge. The prototypical problem child, aimless and a lousy student, became famous by being the first to break the Clinton scandal that eventually got to his impeachment. Starting as a “gossip by email newsletter” the “Drudge Report” is news aggregator so thorough, that the main talk show hosts in the United States routinely use it as their main source for up to the minute information. If you want to see and read the news that most likely will not make the 10:00 p. m. news, read Drudge. (http://www.drudgereport.com/)



Number 4: Skellie (of Skelliewag.org). Skellie is a political science major in Australia, she has being creating excellent content for her blogs for years. I became a fan of hers after reading some of her articles in Pro Blogger. Her insight into entrepreneurship is, in my humble opinion, outstanding. Her blog is a must read. (http://www.skelliewag.org/)

Number 3: The entrepreneur. There are millions of people trying to make money online. As long as we maintain a goal in front of us, and as long as we continue to have freedom, we can, and will, improve the world’s quality of life, and make the planet a better place to live.


Number 2: Bill Gates. He is prototypical example of the American Dream. Get an idea, develop it, and become a zillionaire. He has done more for the Internet, than most, while reaping the benefits.


Number 1: Brian Campbell. He became famous yet again this past summer when he re created himself, and promised to make $10,000 in 37 days. From that point on, Media Marketing became a household name for millions of people around the globe. Brian prides himself of providing free tips, that when followed correctly, will help you become an Internet expert, with the potential of making a lot of money.

Who are your favorite Internet personalities and why? Let me know…

Feel free to stumble, Digg, or post this article in any or all of your favorite Social Media Communities. Follow me on Twitter as joseacolon, and make sure to befriend me on Facebook as joeacolon, and Stumble me on StumbleUpon.Who are your favorite Internet personalities and why? Let me know…

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Herding cats, easier than getting organized


Herding Cats, organizing yourself…



Social Media Marketing 101 is the title of this blog, and obviously enough, the main topic. Someone once said: “If you want something done, give it to someone busy”. I want to find he who said that and choke him or her, since it seems that everybody wants to give me something to do.

Don’t take me wrong, while being depended upon is a royal pain in you know where, it just means that you are good at what you do, and that you are needed; but there is a limit.

If we continue accepting task, after task, we will never have a life, we will grow resentment, and soon, our lives will be so unmanageable, that we might want to scream. Social media has significantly contributed to the increase in our work load.

So, here is to mental sanity:


1. STOP. Make a list of everything that you do on a daily basis, I suggest you use a spreadsheet.



2. In column number 2, in one word write down why (i.e. “recreation“, “family”, “friendship“, “work“, “school“, “social media”, “no clue“) and yes, I know that no clue is two words. TIP: consider the fact that if you have no clue of why you are doing what you are doing, is time to knock it off and drop that from our schedule.

3. Sort the list by those words that you used to describe your tasks. Put all that fall within the heading of “work” together, same with “recreation”, “friendship”, etc.

4. Now that you have several lists, assign each task from every class a priority: A, B, or C. You either have to do it now or today, it can wait until tomorrow, or, who cares if it gets done.

5. Every day, you should establish a specific time frame for “Work”, time for your “family“, “study or school”, “part time job” could be growing a business, or expanding your network (social media), and some “recreation”. Balance your life. Make sure that you do those tasks on each category marked “A”. If there is time, do “B”, and if there is still time, then and only then, do “C”. Do not let one category interfere with the time of the other, specially, if the one bleeding and preventing you from achieving your goals is either “friends”, “social media”, etc.



Remember that you need to work for a living, and that your family needs you. But lets keep perspective. A needy relative, that can take care of himself or herself if push comes to shove, needs to learn just that, that you are not their personal slave, that will empower them to become self reliant. That is a good thing. “Give someone a fish, and you fed them dinner, teach a man to fish, and you fed them for the rest of their life”.

Social media can be an unruly master, or a 500 lbs gorilla how many of those plants are you going to send on FaceBook? How many groups are you going to belong to? The “underwater basket weaving club” can do without your presence, so feel free to press “IGNORE” on silly things like that. I do not need to know when you go to the bathroom through Twitter, or “when you got drunk or had sex last” on FaceBook, or MySpace.

Remember: Social Media is being used by 21st Century corporations to check you out when you apply for a job, so, the pictures of you drunk like a skunk, are not cute, or, the pictures of yourself or your girlfriend seating in the bathroom doing number two, are not only embarrassing, but disgusting. So, you are no longer in a fraternity or a sorority, you are an adult; and if you belong to one, remember that those days are only a phase, and you will be forced to deal with whatever dumb things you did.

By facing these simple tasks, you will tame that big monkey that prevents you from being productive.

What other ways of taming the 500 lbs gorilla can you think of? Share them in our comments section.

Feel free to add me to your list of friends on StumbleUpon, FaceBook, and/or follow me on Twitter.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Reason for my absence

I haven’t being as actively involved lately and for about a month now, I have only made regular posts to my political blog.

Those of you who follow me regularly, know that I have being a Soldier in the American Army and am proud of it, since I have served and served well. I have being able to make a difference in the world and have being there when history is in the making. I have saved countless lives and help improve the quality of many with education and technology.

I have always being an innovator and so, early this year, I decided that it was time to join the 21st century by submerging myself in the social media experience and, unknown to me yet, the Web 2.0 phenomenon.

So, I started by researching the field. I found John Chow, and after reading his book, I decided to create a blog. As many of you will know, when you first start, you do not really have a clear picture of what or why you are doing what you are doing.

I found Technorati, and of course, the giants My Space and Face Book. I was skittish about My Space because of all the hoopla, but, since I have being in regions of the world where there was no guarantee that I would survive, why not? I got my account.

Late Spring, while reading John Chow.com, I found out about Brian Campbell, the man who in my opinion revolutionized the Social Media Experience by attempting and achieving earnings of $10,000.00 in 37 days. John Chow, said, that when someone “tries a gimmick of this magnitude, he either succeeds or fails”. It was going to be a good way to learn from someone who was doing what he was suggesting, and a great way to learn step by step what to do. So, Brian exhorted (wisely, I might add) all to become his fan on Face Book, and to follow him on Twitter, and to copy his strategy, thus, teaching by example, and helping countless others succeed along the way.

Over the years, my experience have taught me that the best way to learn is by teaching; that the best way to succeed is by reaching to others and bring them with you, and that the measure of your success is proportional to the amount of people you help along the way. Brian epitomizes these principles, so I started my websites: “Social Media Marketing 101”, and “Today’s Realistic Solutions”; my social media blog: “SocialMediaMarketing 101.blogspot.com”, and, my political blog: “Thinkingamerican.blogtownhall.com”. I must warn you, my political blog might turn some of you off, since I am highly opinionated, and have no problem expressing my opinions. That is why I keep my political life separate from my business life.

Following Brian’s advise, I created two Face Book groups: “Social Media Marketing 101” and “Mercadeo Social 101 en Face Book”. Soon, I was burned out translating from English to Spanish, since I have a full time job, and a part time job, while working towards my college degree. It gets pretty hectic every once in a while.

One thing that brightens my day, is when writing for the Business Forum, and for Helium.com. Helium specially, allows me the flexibility to write about anything that comes to mind, and find a niche to publish it in. That fact has rewarded me with several stories featured on their front page. I have also developed a fairly good following on my political blog.

One thing that has helped my budget is that I try not to sign for anything where I have to pay ahead of time, or there is a monthly fee, Brian’s “Social Media Marketing System” being an exception, since he keeps a decent forum, and there are a number of fellow Brian students, who collaborate and help each other.

The issue here, and the purpose for this post, is to give my loyal readers a reason for my absence, and why I am doing what I am doing.

Every so often, I believe that you should stand back and watch your work, re evaluate your goals, and the path that you are following to achieve them if you must. Otherwise, you are taking the risk of getting lost in the forest that is life.

Remember, it is hard to put the arrow in the center of the bulls eye target, if you are blindfolded , and cannot see your target.

In the Army, we have a way to express this perspective, where we plan for the 50 meters target, the hundred meters target, and the 200 hundred meters target. The 50 meters target is what you can actually almost touch, from now until 90 days from now. That is almost happening as we chat; and is important to keep it in mind because otherwise, you will forget a detail or two that can mean the difference between success or failure.

The hundred meters target is your longer range planning. That usually includes 90 days to a year from now. Why is that important, we have time to react.

That is just it. When the only thing that you do is reacting to what life throws your way, you really do not control your life, life controls you. What would you like to achieve during the course of the year? By knowing that, you can start modifying your 50 meters target, in such a way where you are actually achieving successive small steps toward your 100 meters target. It is those small victories that transform into a chain of events that brings you closer to successes.

Now, it is time to look at where you want to be five years from now. What is the definition of insanity? Keep doing the same thing over and over, while expecting a different result? Look back to five years ago. If you can say today, that things have not really changed for you, and you have not really improved your quality of life, and have not achieve ever increasing levels of what you could call success, chances are, five years from now, you will be in the same spot you are now, doing the same thing and growing resentful, angrier, and frustrated.

So, lets recap, shall we?

Number one: establish your 50 meters target, write it down, and work toward achieving those goals every day.

Number two: establish your 100 meters target, or what you want to achieve (or need to achieve) in three months to a year from now. Modify your 50 meters target so you actually work towards your 100 meters target every day.

Number three: establish your 200 meters target. This time, review your 100 meters targets, and modify them accordingly, so they become steps on the road to your 200 meters target. Don’t forget to modify your 50 meters target accordingly.

And there you have it, that is how the American Army plans their missions and succeed at attaining their main goals.

There are many other ways to do Goal Setting. These techniques have work for me. Which do you like? Which do you prefer? Why? Let me know. Your comments are always appreciated.

Monday, October 20, 2008


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