Coupla Jerks

Free stuff that’s a little bit evil

admin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:02:25 +0000

Remember the Legion of Doom? For you non-80’s kids, this was a league of mostly sub-par villains (for example the Riddler, super power: Puzzle creation, problem solving). They spent most of their time sitting around the Hall of Doom, thinking up ways to defeat the Justice League.

We imagine there was a similar scene at google, the day they thought up their unofficial slogan, “don’t be evil.”

Lex Luthor (evil genius): We need to create a PR campaign to hide the fact that we’re making a move to take over the world.

Toyman (super power – Creates destructive toys): I know! How about we make it our company motto to not be evil!?

Brainiac (evil genius android): Hmmm. Seems a little obvious, don’t you think?

Lex Luthor: You’re an idiot Toyman! You’re fired!

three hours and much discussion later…

Lex Luthor: How about we make our unofficial company motto, “Don’t be evil.”

Brainiac: brilliant, sir. The public will play right into our hands.

Solomon Grundy (super strong zombie): Grundy love evil!

Lex Luthor (aside to Brainiac): Don’t let Grundy talk to the press.

And thus, google began its play to take over the world. Since then, they’ve grown to massive size and been valued at $23 billion+.

The good news is they’ve released a whole bunch of free crap to help us freelancers.

Case in point? Google Alerts.

With Google Alerts, you can ask google to send you an e-mail every day of everything posted on the internet on said day that contains a certain key word. For example – let’s say I want to know everything possible about Lex Luthor. I go to google alerts, set up an alert for Lex Luthor, and bam – I get notified any time anyone on the interwebs talks about him.

Things to use Google Alerts for:

Track your clients
Track topics you want to learn about
Track your competition
Get ideas for your blog
See who’s talking about you on the internet

We’ll be discussing more free ways to feed into the google superpower in upcoming posts, so stay tuned.

networking makeover

admin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:41:22 +0000

Lots of people, all the cool kids anyway, are talking about ways to use social media to market their business. You can create a Facebook fan page, start a LinkedIn group, or tell the world about your services on Twitter. These are all great things to do. But for us, the real value in social media is how it enhances our efforts to create meaningful relationships with new people. That’s right – We’re real d*#kholes on the surface, but deep down, we just want what Freddie Mercury wanted…no, not aids silly…we want an old fashioned loverboy mustache and somebody (a client) to love (who pays well). Let’s take a look at one jerk’s before and after scenario.

How networking used to work:

I’d meet someone (let’s call him Dave) at a meeting or networking function. Dave and I would chat about this and that, maybe talk about how much we loved the new Patrick Lencioni book or what a giant disappointment the last Harry Potter turned out to be (movie, not the book…ok, both). Then, we’d exchange business cards and move on to meet more people. A day or two later, I’d e-mail Dave and tell him how nice it was to meet him. If Dave was really interesting, I’d invite him out for a cup of coffee. Then we’d go our separate ways. Even though I wanted to stay in touch with Dave, calling him or inviting him out for more coffee seemed a little pushy, if not downright creepy. Dave and I might see each other again, a few months later, at another event. We’d politely say hi and engage in more small talk. But such an amount of time had passed that it was like we were meeting all over again.

Hey, cheer up, Charles. It doesn’t have to be like that. Here’s how it works now:

I meet Dave at a meeting or networking function. Dave and I chat about this and that, then exchange business cards (no time to focus on Patrick Lencioni discussions in today’s fast-paced world). Sounds familiar so far, right? Here’s where it changes. A day or two later, I invite Dave to connect on LinkedIn. I see that he knows my friend Jen and that we both went to the University of Cincinnati. We exchange several e-mails about how fun it was to go to Murphy’s Pub back in the day and the time that Jen threw up on a candidate during an interview – man, that candidate nearly beat her to death – Dave always thought that was the funniest thing. I also find him on Twitter and Facebook, and connect there. As time passes, we interact from time to time on Facebook chat and Twitter. We also easily keep up on what the other is doing, who their meeting with, and yes, even what we’ve eaten for lunch on these venues (turns out, we’re both devastasted that Dream Girls did away with the free steak dinner). At the next event, I know to look for Dave because he’s seen on my Facebook page what I’m going and twittered that he wants to say hi. When we see each other this second time, we have so much to talk about. I ask about his son’s piano recital, and how his wife’s new job is going. He wants to know how my novel is coming along and when my husband’s band is playing out again. It feels like a real conversation with a friend, and not just a re-introduction. Things are much spicier this time around.

Now multiply the second scenario times many Daves and Darlas and Doreens and whoever elses (prefereably names that start with “D”), and you’re building up more than just a network of acquaintances. You’re creating a group of people who know and trust you. And people who know you are much more likely to refer you, buy from you, and introduce you to their connections. Not to mention that you now have many more people that you feel comfortable referring, buying from, and introducing.

Does it take time? Yes. Is it worth it? Of course. Unless you love failure, then it’s not worth it.

How could you make over your networking connections using social media?

Expand your reach with web conferencing

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:56:25 +0000

Meeting with people face to face is the best way to scam them into giving you some work. But what happens when you’ve bamboozled every client in your metro area and you’re looking to expand? You can’t just get in the car and drive all over the country (you planet hater) for meetings. No, no, no. Luckily, with our friend the Interwebs, you don’t have to.

Dimdim is a web conferencing service that you can use to talk to clients right from your very own living room. With a free Dimdim account, you can hold a live online meeting for up to 20 people. When you give them your money, you get even more stuff.

Here’s a great way for a writer to use Dimdim:

1. After your initial contact (via cold call, direct mail, online dating site, or whatever), ask for a live meeting via the web.
2. Set up a web conference on Dimdim. Upload the portfolio pieces you’d like to highlight, and maybe a couple bullet points about yourself. You can do this with a PowerPoint presentation, or just upload everything individually.
3. Invite your potential client to the meeting via the e-mail function on Dimdim. This will give them the information they need to log in.
4. When it’s meeting time, give your presentation. They’ll be able to hear your voice and watch you talk (if you have a web cam). They can even ask you questions via Dimdim’s chat function. Better yet, disable the voice/video funtion and just talk to them on the phone while you flip through your pieces.

Basically, you’re doing the exact same thing you’d do in a face to face meeting, but you’ve cut down your drive time, and you didn’t have to dress up.

If you think Dimdim is a stupid name, you could always take a look at TinyChat. Same basic functionality, but less dumb name.

For people that hate LinkedIn

admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:05:47 +0000

Sick of all this LinkedIn talk? Don’t worry, there are some (albeit lesser known) LinkedIn wannabes out there.

Don Reisinger over at Cnet brings us this nice list of alternatives, including Focus, NetParty, Plaxo, Ryze and Talkbiznow. Let us know how they work out for you.

Remember though, you can’t just sit and play on social media all day, fun as it might be. You’ve got to bill hours too. So choose wisely, and focus when you’re on there.

Using LinkedIn to get blog traffic

admin — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:24:37 +0000

Write a blog that no one reads? No worries. LinkedIn can help you fix that one. Here are a few ways to increase your blog traffic using LinkedIn.

1. Make sure your blog is listed as one of the links in your profile.

Go to “Edit my Profile,” click on “Websites,” and add it there. Make sure you use the “other” option so you can put in custom text.

2. Install the BlogLink application on your profile.

Go to “Edit my Profile,” scroll down to “Applications,” and click “Add Application.” You’ll get to a screen with a bunch of apps to choose from, but you want “Blog Link powered by TypePad.” This will add your most recent blog posts to your profile page.

3. Update your status each time you post.

Just fill in the “What are you working on now?” space. Put the post title and a link. This will show up on your profile page, and your connections will see it in their regular updates from LinkedIn.

4. Use Groups.

Richard McLoughlin gives us some good tips on using LinkedIn groups to drive blog traffic.

Got any other ways you use LinkedIn to drive traffic? Let us know.

Make real time networking easier, part 1: intro and linkedin

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:53:54 +0000

Getting out there and networking can be one of the most valuable ways to get new clients. People are more likely to buy from people they know and trust, right? If I offered to sell you a sack of kitten heads right now, even at a reasonable price, you probably wouldn’t bite, right? it’s just weird buying stuff from people you don’t know. Even if you meet someone at a networking event, it can be hard to stay in touch*. You can send a follow up e-mail. You can invite them out for lunch or to chat over a cup of joe, but how many times can you do that before you start to seem like a stalker? Or worse yet, like you’re trying to sell them something?

Actually, there’s a way to do it without seeming weird. Where people give you permission to interact with them on an ongoing basis. It’s social media. Tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter aren’t just a waste of time, like your face, they’re a mechanism to get to know potential clients and partners.

There are a hundred different ways you could use each of these tools to help stay connected in real time, but here are a few tips to get you started.

LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)
LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals. Here, you can use your profile as an advertisement for your own personal brand. It lets you tell contacts what you can offer, cross promote your personal website or blog, and show other people who you’re connected to. On the flip side, it gives you a great place to research potential clients and see who you might know in common. And since everyone maintains their own profile, it’s a perfect way to keep track of where people are working and their current contact information. Not to mention, if you actually do decide to take up stalking, LinkedIn makes it super easy to turn clients into victims.

To use LinkedIn for networking, I like to connect with people that I meet at when I’m out at events. When I meet people who live up to my standards, I spend some time chatting with them and exchange business cards. Then, later, when I’m on the computer, in my underwear (sometimes naked), I invite them to connect on LinkedIn and send a personal message. Now I have a record of their information, and I don’t have to keep a stack of business cards. Plus, most people have a picture on their profile, so it makes it easier to remember which name went with which face. The best part is that now I have access to their network of contacts, and they can see mine. It’s a little game of you show me yours, I’ll show you mine, except I don’t laugh and you don’t cry.

Bottom line value? Expanding my LinkedIn network has allowed me to get many referrals and warm introductions I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s also given me a lot of great opportunities to make introductions for other people.