Archive for Entrepreneur
How to Backup Gmail to Thunderbird
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What would you do if you lost everything in your Gmail account? It’s happened to some people – some Gmail users recently suffered a data loss. Gmail was able to get everything back for them eventually. However, it woke many people up to the possibility of losing everything in their account.
If you use Gmail, chances are your life is stored in those archived messages. So how do you protect it?
A Variety of Choices
There are actually many services you can use to back up your Gmail. Backupify is a paid service that backs up Gmail, Facebook, Flickr, Google Docs, Twitter, and many additional web applications. It’s a “set it and forget it” type of backup security system. Another option is to use TrueSwitch and back up your Gmail into a Hotmail account. Gmail Backup is another free option for backups. If you prefer to have all of your backup data in your possession, rather than stored on an outside server, then consider Thunderbird.
Thunderbird is Mozilla’s free email application. If you use Firefox as your browser then you may be familiar with the application. The steps to backup with Thunderbird are easy.
Simply visit the Mozilla Thunderbird download page and click to download. Save the set-up exe file on your computer. Once it is saved, open the file and click “Run” to install.
Step #2 Change Your Gmail Settings
In the meantime, log into your Gmail and change the settings to enable POP for all mail, and set Gmail to keep its copy.
Step #3 Finish Installation
Follow the procedures to finish the installation and set-up for Thunderbird. You can import your Outlook or Outlook Express settings if you use that software.
Step #4 Back In Gmail
On that same settings page “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” in Gmail, you’ll see a link at the bottom of the page. It says, “Configure your email client (e.g. Outlook, Thunderbird, iPhone) Configuration instructions.” Go ahead and click the link. Follow the instructions for Thunderbird and you’ll be good to go. Your information will now be backed up on Thunderbird and you’ll have a second tier of protection.
If you like to have a third tier of protection, consider backing up everything to an online service. This way, if you’re ever hacked and they gain access to everything, you haven’t lost anything.
Facebook and Going Viral
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There are almost 800 million members on Facebook today. With this vast web of interconnectivity, Facebook is fast becoming the leading way for ideas and content to spread on the internet. If you want to go viral, Facebook is one of the main platforms to pay attention to.
Two powerful tools to master on Facebook are Facebook pages and Facebook apps. Both of these are integrated in Facebook’s ecosystem and have access a wide array of tools.
Here’s how to use Facebook’s pages and apps to go viral.
An Idea with a Call to Action
Your idea for a page or for an app needs to have a call to action built into it.
Many of the protests in the Arab Uprising, from Egypt to Libya, were organized on Facebook and/or Twitter. Newly created pages literally got tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of followers in as little as a week or two.
They grew so quickly because there was a call to action. Share the page and let the world know what was going on. Even people in non-Arabic countries got involved, because of this strong call to action.
For a more light-hearted example, take a look at FarmVille, one of the most successful Facebook games in history. One of the reasons it was so successful was because there was a constant call to action. People were always being asked to share the game with their friends.
Your idea needs to not only be great, but have a call to action for sharing built into it.
Reporting
Facebook has one very unique reporting feature: it tells you about the viral aspect of your posts and of your app, as a statistic.
The statistic measures how often people share your content. If you primarily have three different kinds of content, say polls, videos and text, you could measure each post individually and see which one(s) people tend to share.
If you find that people share videos released on your page four times more often than text released on your page, you’ll know exactly where to focus.
While it’s possible to derive this statistic on other media platforms, generally they don’t give it to you in this clear-cut form. Facebook makes tracking and optimizing for virality easy.
Making It Go Viral
Going viral on Facebook is all about having a great core idea, then testing and testing until you reach the maximum viral velocity you can reach.
It means testing different messages, different kinds of outreach and different call to actions. If you find it extremely hard to get traction, it’s likely that your idea just isn’t striking a cord. On the other hand, if your idea is spreading, then your job is to accelerate the pace and make the idea go truly viral.
Developing A Writing Style
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Some people are natural-born writers. They hold a pen up to paper and words start flowing. On the other hand, there are people who struggle to write a few paragraphs. Having a unique writing style will help set your writing apart from others, even if you fall into the group of people that finds writing difficult. Here are some ways to develop your writing style.
The best writers have a love of words, and they are avid readers. Believe it or not, reading is a great way to develop your writing style. The types of things you enjoy reading are probably things you would enjoy writing.
Reading other peoples’ writing will also give you insights on your own writing. As you read, some authors’ styles will seem to pop out at you as very good or very bad. You probably have a writing style similar to the authors you enjoy reading.
What are your writing strengths? Some people are great at writing news-oriented stories, while some people prefer to write reviews and opinion pieces. If you like to teach people things, your writing strength could be how-to articles. If you enjoy coming up with slogans and catchy headlines, you might be a natural when it comes to copywriting. There are many types of writing to explore.
In order to develop your writing style, you need to write. Try to write something everyday. The more you write, the easier it will get. Experiment with different styles and techniques. You will see that some types of writing come easier to you. Blogs and journals are a great way to get writing practice.
These “practice writings” don’t need to be masterpieces, and you can delete what you write if you want. The point is to keep your writing muscles flexed by exercising them a little each day. Your natural strengths will come out as you try different forms of writing.
Embrace your personality and voice as you write. Use words that you would use when you speak. If your writing sounds unnatural and awkward, your reader will be turned off. Let your personality come out in your writing. Have a conversation with your readers as you would with someone you were speaking to face to face. If you like talking about certain subjects, write about them.
Free writing can also help you develop your unique style. Sit down in a quiet place and set a timer for five to ten minutes. Clear your head and start writing what comes to your mind, and keep writing until time runs out. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Just write whatever you think of.
When the timer goes off, read over what you have written. It may not make sense, but it can give you ideas for other things to write about.
Credibility Is The Crux of Your Message
Posted by: | CommentsCredibility is the crux of any marketing message. Without credibility, the best content in the world will simply get passed over. On the other hand, an uninspiring speech by a highly credible person will be met with rapt attention and motivation.
For example, if an Olympic athlete was giving advice about how to lose weight, people would probably listen – even if the advice itself was hard to follow. On the other hand, if a homeless person gave great advice, chances are nobody would listen.
What’s the difference? Credibility. The athlete has credibility, while the homeless person doesn’t. Credibility gets people to listen to you. Credibility helps create emotions. Credibility helps create motivation.
Build Credibility In …
There are three things you need to build credibility.
First, you need to build credibility in yourself, the person speaking, presenting or writing. The more credibility can can build in yourself, the more you earn people’s attention.
Second, you need credibility in your company. Is your company a reputable firm? How long have you been in business? Do you have a recognizable logo? Do you have professional design?
Finally, you need to build credibility in your product. Even if you have a great brand and people trust you, that doesn’t necessarily mean they trust your product. When Coca Cola rolled out New Coke, it became quickly apparent that although they had a very strong brand, people simply didn’t want a product change. New Coke had zero credibility and quickly had to be phased out.
How to Build Credibility
There are many different ways you can build credibility in your product. Here are some of the most prevalent ones.
A demonstration – One of the most powerful ways to build credibility is to show people your product in action.
For example, the “Will It Blend” videos were essentially highly entertaining videos demonstrating the Blendtec blender. Blending the iPhone, marbles, lighters and other materials made the videos go viral quickly, which launched a multi-million dollar brand.
Photo proof – If you’re promoting a wealth product, take a picture with you and your Ferrari. If you’re promoting a health product, use before and after photos.
Use photos to show the results of your product. Photos are more real than similar claims with just words.
Testimonials – Don’t say it yourself. Instead, let other people say it for you. That’s much more effective, as others don’t have an incentive to promote your products. The more testimonials the better, especially if they are from authoritative sources.
Word of Mouth – If a friend hears about you or your product through a friend, that carries massive credibility. How do you generate word of mouth? By consistently putting out high quality products and content.
Before you run with any new marketing message, be sure to have a rock solid foundation of credibility in all three areas.
3 Ways to Beat the Home Office Blues
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There are many wonderful benefits to working from home including caring for your family and being there when they need you. You’re the boss, so working from a home office often means you can choose your hours. Sick days aren’t an issue and neither is buying a work wardrobe. The list of perks could go on and on.
However, there are a few downsides to working from home. One of the most common and surprising to many work at home folks is the isolation. It can be lonely working by yourself during the day. Even if you have children at home, the lack of adult communication can wear on you.
Here are a few ideas and tips to help you beat the work from home loneliness.
Join an Offline Networking Group
While online networking is fine, it really doesn’t help you feel connected to other individuals. It doesn’t help you stop feeling isolated and lonely. Offline networking, however, can. Join a local group of work at home individuals. There are groups dedicated to work at home people and there are groups dedicated to specific industries.
For example, if you’re a freelance writer, chances are there’s a writer’s group in your area. If you don’t have a local group to join, start one. There are undoubtedly other work at home professionals in your community who would like to connect.
Take a Class
Working from home doesn’t mean you have to stay home 24/7. Get out of the house in the evenings or on the weekends and take a class. It can be a class to help further your business or career. Or it can be a class just for fun. If you have always wanted to learn to knit or kick box, sign up for a class.
Exercise
Exercise helps boost your mental and physical wellbeing. It can help reduce feelings of depression and exercise improves sleep and increases your metabolism and energy levels too. The key to creating an exercise habit is to first find an activity that you enjoy. If you’re feeling isolated at home, consider finding a group class like Zumba or kick boxing. If you enjoy running, consider joining a local running club.
Taking steps to alleviate your feelings of loneliness is only the beginning. To keep those feelings at bay it’s important to create a habit of socializing. It’s easy to fall into a stay at home rut. Find activities that you enjoy, that fuel your mind and body, and schedule them into your life. You’ll be glad you did.
