I use other mapping software programs – and all have their own benefits. Busan’s imap system – has the most organic feel – and most closely relates to the manual way of doing a mind map – The ability to manipulate, draw, use colours quickly – is so much like using coloured markers – it makes the whole process alot of fun.
If you haven’t tried a mind mapping software before – and if you want to give imap a try – The Buzan folks have a free 7day trial and if you are reading this post before 31Aug08 – they also have a limited time offer you may want to have a look at.
About a year ago – I decided I would include Social Media as one of the strategies in my own marketing plan. What I have noticed in the past year is Social Media environments are changing like crazy. It’s hard to get a handle on it all if you are just getting exposed to it all. Here is what I have going on currently:
Here are some of the things I have joined and I have already found useful:
A Twitter.com Account to connect with other practitioners and people who you are meant to serve
A Twitpic.com account for sharing photographs in your Twitter Tweets
Here are some of the ones I have joined – and I haven’t yet found useful.
Backflip
Blinklist
Favs
Hubpages
Wink
One of the things I am currently spending my time learning – is how to be most effective while casting a large Social Media net.
One person who does an excellent job of teaching you how to minimize your effort and maximize your return with social media is Nancy Marmelejo. Have a look at her offerings to give you a leg up on getting a handle of all this Social Media Stuff.
Finding low cost graphics for blogs an websites can be easy if you have the right resources.
If you are doing things yourself:
My main source for royalty free graphics is Istockphoto. Depending on the size of the image you are charged a certain number of credits to purchase an image. Most small images for the web are just a dollar or two – and a large file for printing may cost you 10 to 15. All in all – great value when you need to create an impact in your marketing material.
123RF has a very large selection of free images they offer which are offered on a time-limited basis – definitely worth taking a look as the “just right” image may be right there waiting for you.
If you are looking to have someone help you with your graphic marketing materials there are a number of sources for which you can find economical help depending on what your needs are:
Elance is not just for graphic design – but also great to find writers here.
Guru.com – also has a very large freelancer data base
Outsourcing your design work can save you a lot of time and frustration if you are not an expert with graphic programs and up with best practices – and at the same time – it can also cost you some time and energy when working with outside suppliers.
A couple of quick tips:
Don’t just accept the 1st offer you get in response to your request – as some of the folks on these data bases – respond to everything – and sometime they don’t read what they are responding to. I often put a codeword in the post – and ask any reply to include the code word in the response – that way I know I am not getting just an auto-response.
So some smart best practices are often a great idea.
Things like:
not paying full balance until the work is completed to your satisfaction – Keep the funds in escrow ready for the work to be completed
not writing a positive recommendation until the work has been completed
find someone who you like and who is efficient – and then use them
be very specific about B timescales, quality required, layout etc – and renegotiate after anything changes
Any hesitancy I had about my decision to get involved with using twitter as a way to be connected to those who I serve – has all disappeared.
I watched today as twitter messages streamed in -telling of the earthquake that happened today California. The messages came in just moments after folks were feeling their offices and homes shake. It was amazing to me – that I was witnessing the feelings and emotions of those I am connected to. 9 or so minutes later – across one of the TV’s in our office – came the notices of the earthquake. What was missing in the newscast was the experiential reports. The newsy version seemed flat – whereas the content in the tweets were multi-dimensional. They were extremely human. And I felt as one with them.
Now that I am truly converted from hesitancy to eagerness. I will make a post of some of the tips and tools I have been related to using twitter to make connections.
WordPress a few days ago announed Wordpress 2.6 – and after watching the following video – my concerns about doing an upgrade right away – diminished. I can already see many productivity enhancements included in this version – making it easier and easier to minimize the time I spend working on blog posts.
Quite a few enhancements are included in this update
Enhancements for collaboration, previous post version options, restore earlier version.
A press this button – to capture quotes, text, images or embed video.
A place to add caption for images.
A theme preview – so you can see how things look – before you activate a theme
Also an option – to store images to your own computer. (Gears)
Plus a whole whack of smaller enhancements – plug ins, image galleries and avatar options.
Any hesitancy I had about my decision to get involved with using twitter as a way to be connected to those who I serve – has all disappeared.
