This is mel's Typepad Profile.
Join Typepad and start following mel's activity
mel
Author of BusinessCasualBlog.com.
Active in LinkedIn forums:
- ASTD-OC;
- ASTD National;
- Community 2.0
...... www.BusinessCasualBlog.com
Interests: Online communities, e-learning, web video marketing, cardio kick boxing, running, family, friends.
Recent Activity
Hi Mike,
I'm assuming you're talking about including the recipient's name in the Subject line of the email itself, as opposed to the Signature line in the body of the email?
If so, the answer is yes. But, that's a task that is more easily accomplished with an email autoresponder service like Aweber, Mailchimp, etc. Their platform will handle that easily.
How to create a custom email signature in Mac Mail
I'm writing this post to answer a question my friend, Jennifer, asked about how I formatted a custom signature on my Mac (via Mac's native email client called Mail). And to be able to do it in such a way that doesn't distort or otherwise get discombobulated on the receiving end. The snapshot be...
Seriously??
Check out...
"How BAD08 Made The Efforts Of a Local Non-profit Manager Shine. Way Cool." http://www.businesscasualblog.com/2008/10/how-bad08-made-the-efforts-of-a-local-non-profit-manager-shine-way-cool.html
"Blog Action Day October 15, 2008. You Can Get Involved." http://www.businesscasualblog.com/2008/10/acti.html
"Blog Action Day 2008 Recap" http://www.businesscasualblog.com/2008/10/draft.html
""The Working Poor." Resources for you to help." http://www.businesscasualblog.com/2008/10/the-working-poo.html
Got a Decision To Make? The Old Magic Eight Ball Just Got Social.
courtesy: greeblie's photostream, FlickR creative commons FlickR co-founder, Caterina Fake recently rolled out Hunch, an online decision-making tool. It's sort of like the old "Magic Eight Ball", but now with collective intelligence to optimize a sort of decision making wizard. But wait, ...
Ha ha. Bravo. :)
Got a Decision To Make? The Old Magic Eight Ball Just Got Social.
courtesy: greeblie's photostream, FlickR creative commons FlickR co-founder, Caterina Fake recently rolled out Hunch, an online decision-making tool. It's sort of like the old "Magic Eight Ball", but now with collective intelligence to optimize a sort of decision making wizard. But wait, ...
Hi Jennifer. I love that, "change has always been the norm." So true. Put another way, "change *is* the constant", isn't it?
I think you're right. So many folks out there are either unwilling OR are just coming on to the scene brand new and declare an epiphany. This was actually the topic of discussion at a meeting I attended last Saturday where it was discussed that everyday, it seems more and more new "social medians" declare a "new revolution" as they retire from the workforce and seek new business opportunities and discover the social web -- quite often in the guise of (yet another) "social media consultant" or "guru".
My hope is that more of those who've been in the space a while can move beyond the "revolution" and set the tone that, as you've alluded, much of this "phenomenon" is really closer to a time-old process of managing change.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. :)
The 4 overused terms for social media
Photo courtesy: DinosaurTypes.net What's Wrong With This Picture: Social Medians Extolling the Virtues of Social Media to Social MediansI attended a local social media conference a few weeks back. And, while I enjoyed the company I kept that evening, I'm afraid I have to say I was somewhat d...
Hi Lisa. I love the link you shared for the Start parameter in embed codes. That's a good one which I wasn't previously aware. Awesome tip. Thank you for taking time to share. :)
Mel
How to share a link to a specific timecode in YouTube video
If you found this article helpful, you'll also want to read the following: How to use video to set up viral list-building outposts How to add an opt-in form inside your video and boost signups to your newsletter I wanted to share this quick tip with you about sharing YouTube videos. It has...
Hi Gogo. Quick update: I've since been able to verify it... your opt-in form *will* show in embeds of your video on someone else's site. :)
How to add an opt-in form inside your video
Maybe you're one of the few, the proud, the people who've learned to add a video to your website. But, do you know how to add a website into your video? Well, okay. Maybe I'm stretching a bit to say that an opt-in form can technically be an entire website. But, to the extent that it's all h...
Hi Tim. You're right on point. YouTube is a good vehicle to get visibility to postings on your blog--especially given YouTube's standing as a powerful search engine in its own right.
But, while you're correct that the forms and buttons afforded by this software won't show inside your YouTube videos, I think you can still leverage the EasyVideoPlayer software (EVP) on your own blog as a lead-capture tool while combining the overall strategy with a YouTube series that serves to generate awareness and interest for the video(s) on your blog. In short: You might consider using videos on YouTube for lead-generation and awareness, while using videos on your site for lead-capture and calls for action.
Keep in mind: Even as powerful as YouTube and EVP are individually, i don't recommend using either as standalone solutions to replace a larger / coordinated marketing strategy that leverages multiple channels. (i.e., YouTube, Blog, EVP, email autoresponder, free content offerings...)
A couple of resources I might recommend are the following:
1. Check out the segment about the Marketing Funnel Workflow in Section 5 of the Social Media Marketing Essentials guide... (**link removed-obsolete**)
2. Also, for an interesting viral campaign leveraging YouTube, check out a post I wrote about "An 8-step case study..." on my post at my other blog on MelAclaro.com... (**link removed-obsolete**)
Thanks for reading and commenting. Please keep in touch, my friend.
Mel
How to add an opt-in form inside your video
Maybe you're one of the few, the proud, the people who've learned to add a video to your website. But, do you know how to add a website into your video? Well, okay. Maybe I'm stretching a bit to say that an opt-in form can technically be an entire website. But, to the extent that it's all h...
Hi Sandra. I can't speak to the mic he was using in the example, but there are lots. One that I've found to be a quite capable "cardioid" microphone that plugs into your computer via USB is the Samson CO1U. About $75-$85 via Amazon.
Neat little desktop audio setup for voiceover narration in eLearning development.
Here's what sounds like (pun intended) a pretty decent audio setup for voiceover narration in eLearning courses. Chris created his own little desktop studio sound booth using acoustic tiles glued to square pieces of foam. I'll have to think about getting a rig like Chris'; I bet he gets better s...
mel is now following Jeff Korhan
Aug 23, 2010
Thanks, Jeff. And, my pleasure. It was a great checklist. I appreciate you sharing it with us on your blog.
Best regards,
Mel
Reminder - Content Redistribution WITHOUT Attribution Is Bad Social Media Form
In this morning's Social Media Marketing Tips post about Content Philosophy, I made it a point to say that content attribution is important when you redistribute content. Don't misread me, re-distributing content is okay; after all, we content creators love having our online content passed arou...
I aegre, Lslelle. The mnid is a wunedrfol tnhig, eh? ;)
Can you read this? 7 Tips To Improve Your Blog Post's Readability.
See if you can read this. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit a...
Thanks, Phil. I appreciate you sharing that. Worth looking into.
Favorite 10 Tools For Creating Learning
I'm following up on my blog post from yesterday (?) on the Top 25 Tool Sets for Learning Professionals. I appreciate the effort Jane Hart has put in to compile her list over the last three years. And, while her "Top 100 Tools" list is interesting, my favored list is the one she derives from feed...
Hi OK_E,
Yes, since my original post on this I've allowed the JoomlaLMS component license to expire as I've since launched JaraUniversity and some additional client work. That said, I'm still a fan of both Joomla and JoomlaLMS. For the small biz professional and "light-lifting" requirements, it's surprisingly robust. Good luck! :)
Favorite 10 Tools For Creating Learning
I'm following up on my blog post from yesterday (?) on the Top 25 Tool Sets for Learning Professionals. I appreciate the effort Jane Hart has put in to compile her list over the last three years. And, while her "Top 100 Tools" list is interesting, my favored list is the one she derives from feed...
Hi Neha. Thanks for commenting and sharing an online resource with us. But, without more to go on by way of description, we had to remove the link. Can you give us more to go on? Thanks! :)
Social Media Marketing Tips - Day 2 - Part 2 - Listening Posts Overview
social media marketing video - "what are listening posts?" The "Day 2" Series (cont.) - What Are "Listening Posts?" This social media marketing video picks up where we left off yesterday on the big picture of "hub and spokes." In Part 2 of this series (this one), I basically jabber al...
Thank you, Art. Thanks for reading and for commenting. :)
Can you read this? 7 Tips To Improve Your Blog Post's Readability.
See if you can read this. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit a...
Hi Neha,
I agree. I'll also add YouTube to that mix, as well. Interestingly, LinkedIn has been pretty good, too. But, I admit, I spend more time on the other three platforms (four, if you count blogging) than I do with LI.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Social Media Marketing Tips - Relationships
Building Relationships (Day 1 / Part 3) I actually have a lot more to say about relationship-building than the 'lil bit of 2:12 I gave it in this social media marketing video. Feel free to join me and friends on Jara University to discuss it more. But, clearly relationships are the crux...
I still respectfully disagree; the burden of attribution must rest with the person who is taking action to copy the content. It's the least she/he can do if they're not inclined to put in the work to develop the original work.
And, quite simply, it's common courtesy.
But, on one point we can agree... you ARE a more compassionate man than I, it seems. :)
Reminder - Content Redistribution WITHOUT Attribution Is Bad Social Media Form
In this morning's Social Media Marketing Tips post about Content Philosophy, I made it a point to say that content attribution is important when you redistribute content. Don't misread me, re-distributing content is okay; after all, we content creators love having our online content passed arou...
Hi Sumeet. Thanks for sharing the link. Interesting...there's more than one. (And, not surprising, huh?)
I need to make one point of clarification: One did not swipe from the other. The case is that they BOTH swiped from the same source...namely, the Description section of the vid on YouTube. Word for word, as a matter of fact.
Interesting, too, your more forgiving view about attribution. But, while I can appreciate your point about plagiarism (only insofar as I'll concede their INTENT is technically uncertain without further questioning), I maintain respectful disagreement with you about attribution.
If you use somebody else's words, you have give proper respect.
But in any case, it's bad form to use somebody else's content and then slap your own copyright on top of it. Which is exactly what the guy in the snapshot above did with my work. That's bad form. Would you agree?
Thanks for taking time to comment, my friend. And, thanks for reading. :)
Mel
Reminder - Content Redistribution WITHOUT Attribution Is Bad Social Media Form
In this morning's Social Media Marketing Tips post about Content Philosophy, I made it a point to say that content attribution is important when you redistribute content. Don't misread me, re-distributing content is okay; after all, we content creators love having our online content passed arou...
Hi Kingsley,
I agree. Especially after having further tested their new system a couple of times after they initially rolled it out. Truth be told, there are a couple of refinements to work out yet, but overall it's been a hit with me.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that not only is there 1-on-1 support, but it's refreshing to see that they've also engaged "social monitoring" in order to be informed whenever anyone mentions them in online conversation. (Ref: "Monitoring the Conversation"... http://www.businesscasualblog.com/2009/10/monitoring-the-conversation.html)
Since having posted this blog article, and to their credit, I've since received several notes of thanks from various members of their team.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
Mel
Here's an Example of Effective Use of Social Media in a Customer Support Role
ixWebhosting, the company that currently hosts the website of a professional/non-profit association at which I'm a board member (American Society for Training and Development, Orange County), just rolled out a social media-enabled Customer Support program. Now, while I'm not yet prepared to giv...
Right on, Danny. So far so good. :) Nice to meetcha.
Here's an Example of Effective Use of Social Media in a Customer Support Role
ixWebhosting, the company that currently hosts the website of a professional/non-profit association at which I'm a board member (American Society for Training and Development, Orange County), just rolled out a social media-enabled Customer Support program. Now, while I'm not yet prepared to giv...
Thank you, Jenise. Your thoughts and remembrance are very much appreciated. :)
Just for the record: I take issue with the idea of "giving" my life for my country...
Photo courtesy: Remember.gov Don't get me wrong. I'm a proud veteran. Among other missions, I served proudly in the U.S. Navy (Naval Air) during the first Gulf War. My friends smile endearingly when I tell them that I do, in fact, still get a little choked up EVERY TIME I hear the Star Spangle...
My pleasure, Loren. I enjoyed presenting with you and Eric. Let's do it again soon. ;)
Social Media Cultural Awareness: 3 tips to keep you out of trouble every time
I had a great time participating in this Social Media Panel in February with my friends Eric Stegemann, Loren Nason and Jacob Swodeck (moderator). (With all the activity around launching MindBridj and JaraUniversity, it was only recently that I was able to start cutting all the tapes from that ...
Thank you. I was so encouraged to see a lot of folks respond --and take action--as a result of this post. It showed me the refreshing desire for people to seek resources for helping others. Awesome.
"The Working Poor." Resources for you to help.
It was really great to write this article. Writing it gave me a rare opportunity to collaborate on a little project with my wife, a manager in the non-profit sector working to fight human trafficking and hunger issues, to tell a story that is inherently challenged with popular misconceptions a...
My pleasure. :)
Games facilitators play.
Trainers and meeting facilitators are perpetually on the lookout for group activities, ice breakers and games to keep meetings and training participants engaged. I've latched on to a few books and wrote down favored techniques I've picked up over the years. But even with all the little gems ...
Good analogies.
Part 3 - "Do You Know What 'Long Tail' Means?"
In this last post of my little three-part series explaining the "long tail" concept, I'm looping a bit back to my hypothesis in the first of the series. That is, some of us hear someone obliquely reference "long tail" and get the gist that it's a way to reach a lot of people using the internet. ...
More...
Subscribe to mel’s Recent Activity