Attract More Visitors

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Video is great and live video is greater. This would seem to be the consensus given the recent emergence and popularity of Chatroulette (chat roulette), the website where you can have a video chat with other people randomly onscreen.

Chatroulette (chat roulette) - "Live" video...as live as it gets on the Internet

The best way to illustrate Chatroulette is with the example of Chat Roulette Funny Piano Improv #1 by Merton.

First Merton posted his Chatroulette video showing a split frame with him playing the piano and composing lyrics on-the-fly about the other person being shown randomly in Chatroulette:

Merton's video (above) was wildly popular, but a number of people thought that Merton looked like musician Ben Folds. So Ben Folds created his own Chatroulette video: Chatroulette Piano Ode to Merton.m4v which was performed live before an audience at the Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 20th, 2010:

Live versus Scripted/Edited Video

There's a huge difference between live and scripted or edited videos. "Live" evokes that visceral feeling which comes from knowing that something is being seen or recorded as it happens (really happens) as opposed to something which is being read from (like a script or a teleprompter) or rehearsed or edited and produced.

Scripted Video - Example

Someone told us that our "The Solution Movie" (above) feels "corporate" to them, even though it's primarily aimed at small to mid-sized businesses with websites, blogs, or podcasts.  See what you think and let us know with a comment below...

Scripted Video with "Live" Feel - Example

Ripmedia Group's video (above) produced with Animoto has a much more "live" in-your-face feeling about it.

Edited/Produced Video - Example

The video above was a 3-camera professional video shoot with a "live" audience for the demo video of my "How to Know Anything at Anytime" speech. Courtesy of Susan Levin's Speaker Services.

Reasons Why We're Attracted to Live Video

• Reality is well...real...and "live" by definition.
  In an age of rather passive online interactions (many via text), living via others' live videos becomes attractive to us.
• We value the ability to improvise.
  Anyone can read a script or teleprompter (doing this well  is another matter), but "going live" without a safety net is a whole different level (again, doing this well is another matter).
• Seeing other people face their fear...and overcoming it.
  People fear speaking in front of an audience more than they fear death.By the way, if you feel this way I can highly recommend Toastmasters.
• Video-recording speeches or any live action is another level of fear.
• Doing something live and having no record of it is less threatening than having it preserved forever with all of it's little mistakes which others can view...forever (yikes!).
• We admire the ability to "let go".
  The moment just before you jump into the pool, or step off the platform to zip-line, or begin a speech, or press the record button of live video...these are the moment's when we're the most "alive". By watching live video, we share and vicariously connect-with that aliveness being lived and shared by others.
• "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."
  According to Wikipedia, it's the thrill of breaking taboos. This is especially true with Chatroulette, as people may literally be showing you their various body parts. Also, part of the agreement to enter Chatroulette is that you *may* be recorded.  So there's that additional dimension of "fear" of having your live video viewing become something of a phenomenon viewed around the world (via YouTube) as shown above with Merton's and Ben Folds's Chatroulette videos  above.

Live Audio

And before there was live video there was live audio and live audio recordings.

One stellar example of this is Amanda McBroom and Lincoln Mayorga's "Growing Up In Hollywood Town" album. The original Sheffield Lab release was done Direct-to-Disc which meant that it was recorded straight to vinyl (just as the old 78 records were).

- Just listen to part of the first cut (literally) titled Amanda and you'll understand immediately why this is amazing...especially knowing that it was a "one-take" recording without additional editing/production.

Bottom Line

"Just do it!" as Nike says...but just be aware that the world might be watching...and it might be recorded for zillions to watch for millennia to come.

And if you're lucky your video, or live video, will become a "viral video" and catch on like Merton's and Ben Folds's videos did!

Comments?

Have a comment? - If so, let me know...

About Karl Kasca

As my Twitter bio says: "Husband, bunny-dad, EVP-IOP, blogger: AttractMoreVisitorsblog.com & nmmucla, UCLAx marketing instructor: Social Media (SMM) & New Media (NMM), speaker, #iopnews", or you can see the link above for more info.

~~~~~~

Note re: "Crystal clear video": If you want to know how/why the YouTube videos are so clear see: Crystal Clear Video on YouTube.

Photo: Karl Kasca zip lining in Costa Rica on Flickr.com. More photos like this...

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Fee: Finding Value

Recently C.C. Chapman recorded a Managing the Gray podcast called "Finding Value". In this podcast C.C. predicted that paying for information/services ("fee") would begin emerging as the new internet marketing model, rather than getting everything for free.

Spoiled to expect Free

C.C. argued that we've all been spoiled into thinking and expecting that everything we see and consume on the internet is...and should be...free.

His premise is that at the end of the day we all need to put food on the table (and it takes actual money to do that).

Vs. "FREE: The Future of a Radical Price"

In his book ‘FREE: The Future of a Radical Price’ Chris Anderson (the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine) made a case that we can give away some of our expertise (information, services, etc.) for free and because of that people may eventually buy something from us, like a freemium (pro/premium paid) version of our product.
- Note: For links to "free" versions of Chris Anderson's eBook see my blog post on: "Free vs. Value - To Abridge or Unabridge - That is the Question" (scroll to bottom for links).

But what C.C.'s saying is that this is fine, but at a certain point people just need to start getting paid for what they produce and their intellectual property.

He said that everyone falls into the routine of giving friends and others free advice and consulting...which at the end of the day perhaps could (and should) be charged for.

Can't we just barter...

I'd also make the same case about bartering: That bartering's great and a "win-win" for all involved, but it doesn't pay your electric bill (unless you're fortunate enough to be trading solar energy back to your electric company).

Bottom Line

As a content creator on our IncreaseOnlineProfits.com website I'd support C.C. in his wish to have creative content be compensated.  But the reality is we'll have to wait and see if his wish becomes a trend, and if that trend becomes a reality, and if that reality becomes the norm.

And the dirty little secret is that we all give away far more than we get.  C.C. mentioned that he freely gives away his podcast info, which he charges his clients for,  because he knows that his podcast listeners are really engaged and actually put his ideas into practice.

I think many of us feel (and act) this way: We're passionate about helping those who value our thoughts, advice, and information enough to put them into action.  But as C.C. said, at the end of the day there are bills to pay and mouths to feed.

It'll be interesting to see how this evolves (or not) in the coming year. What do you think?

Caveat

Please note that I've paraphrased C.C. Chapman's comments and tried to catch the spirit of his argument in portraying it above. My apologies to C.C. in advance if this portrayal isn't perfect/literal. For C.C.'s actual words/thoughts, please check out his Managing the Gray podcast called "Finding Value".

Comments

Agree or disagree with this - just let me know...

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/ / CC BY 2.0

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From "Once upon a time" to "it was a dark and stormy night" we are used to seeing, hearing and loving stories.

Snippets of personal stories in the lead paragraphs of news/magazine articles draw us in and get us to read further.

Stories in emails are so powerful that some people, like my Mom, even print them out. After she passed away I found a whole stack of emailed stories. Stories she valued so much she wanted to keep them in hardcopy form (not just virtually in her inbox).
- Note: That was a story (yikes!).

Since the earliest times...to now

This feeling or need to experience stories has been ingrained and embedded in us since the earliest times of human existence. From the first time a fish was caught there must have been a "fish story" which went with it relating the fisher's experience back to family, friends, and community. Not to mention "the fish that got away."

From oral to written...to digital

Beginning with oral traditions of passing stories along via storytellers to the written word in newspapers, magazines, poetry and novels and now via everything online from 140-character Twitter tweets to 1-2 minute YouTube-type videos to long meandering blog posts, ebooks (written & audio), Hulu-type videos/programs/movies, etc. (even run-on sentences like this one!).

A story of Olympic proportions - the Olympics!

As mentioned in Bob Knorpp's The Beancast: Episode 92: Telling Olympic Stories:

The Olympics were front and center on our topic list. The apparent success of the games for advertisers seemed in stark contrast to the vitriol being handed out to NBC for aggregating content into prime time. It made for a very interesting discussion.

When did the Olympics end? - I don't know. Why? Because we time-shifted the Olympics by recording them on our DVR. In any case, I watched the sports-part of the Olympics in super-fast-forward as my wife blazed through them to get to (you guessed it!) the personal stories of the athletes as told in short profile pieces and interviews interspersed throughout the programming.

Oh, and we watched the figure skating at normal speed as well. Why? Probably because of the romantically-told tales of the skaters backgrounds and stories in getting to their level of achievement and the games.

Why stories? - We remember them...and retell them

My Grandfather told me this story and I always remembered it (not verbatim, but the essence of it - that we need to get our message out):

The Codfish and the Hen

The codfish lays a million eggs,
While the helpful hen lays one;
But the codfish does not cackle
To inform us what she's done.
And so we scorn the codfish coy,
While the helpful hen we prize;
Which indicates to thoughtful minds
That it pays to advertise.

- Anonymous american rhyme.
CASS CITY CHRONICLE, Cass City, Michigan, January 5, 1923

Now that you've read the little story above, you'll probably remember it.  At some point in the future you'll probably end-up telling it to someone else to make a point or amuse them. And the story continues...

Retelling stories make them viral...

As mentioned recently in Eric Tsai's 5 Tips to Engage Social and Mobile Customers on TheCustomerCollective.com:

5. Tell a story, create passion – Reporters loves a great story because they know readers love them too.  Often times a great story can get viral because well, it’s a great story!  The increasingly social web has vastly increased the fragmentation of media. Leverage sequential advertising to tell a story and lead your prospects down a path of related messages with continuity of the call-to-action. Each engagement touch point should evoke a compelling response with fresh information and unique impression.

This is like what Napoleon Hill said in "Think and Grow Rich":

The  subconscious  mind  is  more  susceptible  to influence  by   impulses  of  thought  mixed  with  `feeling' or  emotion,  than  by  those  originating  solely  in   the  reasoning  portion  of   the  mind.  In  fact,  there  is  much evidence  to  support  the  theory,  that  ONLY emotionalized  thoughts  have  any ACTION  influence  upon the  subconscious  mind.

So the formula for (a story) going viral is:

thought + emotion = Action

Story + passion = Viral, where "going viral" is the action

You could also say that this is "The Secret" of viral stories (videos, etc.).

Details of Stories can change, but you still get the point

Note that the stories can change a little but you still get the point. The story of the Codfish and the Hen (above) is also related in Thoughts on the Business of Life (Forbes, 1999) but with the codfish laying ten thousand (10,000) eggs.

10,000 vs. 1,000,000 eggs is a big difference, but the point's the same: a lot of eggs...versus one.

It's actually part of the power of stories that they can be told differently, or mistold, and yet still effectively make the same point.

How to use Stories in Internet Marketing

• Building social movements
  - As Joe Green, the founder of Causes, a Facebook application that encourages people to give time and money to their favorite causes did: Spreading the spirit of giving, LA Times, February 28, 2010.

At Harvard, he studied with Marshall Ganz, who has helped spark a resurgence in grass-roots organizing in Democratic campaigns, including Obama's historic presidential run. From Ganz, Green learned the importance of sharing personal narratives in building social movements.

• Copywriting
  - Use stories in articles, emails, eZines, sales letters, web pages, etc. to make and drive home points. See Social Proof & Testimonials below.

• Email marketing
  - Using personal stories in broadcast emails helps personalize you and the information being given.

• Facebook
  - It's all personal stories, isn't it?

• LinkedIn
  - Status updates are (or can be) short stories.
  - What not to do: While you can tell your personal narrative within your LinkedIn profile, don't make it a fictional resume - stick with the truth and the facts.

• Social Proof
  - As Robert Cialdini said: People will do things that they see other people are doing.
  - Anecdotes and examples can help make points (see Copywriting above).

• Testimonials
  - Personal stories told by the individuals themselves, either in text or videos (even better!) which can be used on web pages, sales letters, etc. See Copywriting above.
  - Just remember to follow the recent FTC guidelines on Testimonials: FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials.
• Twitter
  - A tweet can be a very short story.
  - Or a series of tweets can tell a story.
  - Hint: If you use hashtags, then people can see the whole story when they search on the hashtag.

What's a story?

It's a narrative describing some event or sequence of events. Basically a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Depending on how you're using the story you may also want it to have a point. Toastmasters are usually master story tellers and you can get more information here: Leading by a Tale: How to put storytelling to work in your organization by Caren S. Neile.

So what's your story?

Have a story or a comment you'd like to share? - Just let me know below...

Image credit:

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Everyone wants to be found online, but what are the best ways to be found?

Businesses want to have their companies/ websites/ blogs/ products/ services found and job seekers want themselves to be found.

1) You need to have a great strategy to be found online.

Easier said than done. You need to think about where "your people" are and how they might go about finding you (or your business). Then just assure that you have a presence there. Again, easier said than done.

2) Profiles: Create profiles everywhere

Create profiles for yourself and your company at LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Plaxo, etc.

Also create business listings for your company in Yellow page sites for businesses, especially the "Local" search engine site: Google, Bing, Yahoo.

See "Increasing Your Online Visibility- Facebook Vanity URLs & Bing, Google, and Yahoo Local Business Listings" for how to do this.

Cool resource for many more yellow page sites (including international ones and social local neworking sites like Yelp): http://www.locallytype.com/pages/submit.htm.

3) Create Content and keep creating it

What do I mean by "content"? - Any text or item(s) that people want, e.g., things they want to know or learn "how to" do, blog posts, tweets, eZine (electronic magazine) articles, website articles, videos, podcasts, etc.

Here are some places you can post this content: Flickr (photos), Slideshare.net (presentations and documents), Twitter, YouTube (videos), your blog (using WordPress.org, WordPress.com, or Blogger/Blogspot), your website.

Tip/Trick: Keep the emphasis on "valuable" content. What do people want to find/know? Answer that question, given your company's or your own expertise and then write about it in interesting and engaging ways.

Hint: Use great tags so people can easily find your great content.

Note: Extra credit for supplying solutions for what people need...and are trying to find. One way to do this is using Google Suggest. Remember Google's "Parisian Love" Superbowl ad?

4) Announce what you created

Tweet about it on Twitter, do status updates in Facebook and LinkedIn...as the content applies to "your people" (and those people).

Note: If you send it to them and they're not interested, you risk them ignoring your posts, or worse yet unfollowing/unfriending you.

Example: Write a blog post (content), then post a Twitter tweet about it and a LinkedIn status update.

Tip/trick: LinkedIn works with Twitter, and vice versa with the "#in" hash tag at the end of  your Twitter tweet.

5) Comment: Leave valuable comments everywhere.

Comment on blog posts, podcasts, etc. Especially things which are hot topics which people are trying to find.

Tip/Trick: Great ways to find hot topics/trends?

Google: Google Trends

Twitter Trends: 15 Fascinating Ways to Track Twitter Trends

Technorati: Top Videos & Hottest blog posts

Forums: Boardreader's popular internet: videos, instructions, articles, etc.

6) Show what you know

It sounds simplistic, but if you "show what you know" and if you're showing what others are seeking then you'll be found...and thought of as an expert.

Experts are more becoming more trusted than "peer recommendations" according to today's Los Angeles Times opinion piece by Gregory Rodriguez: "Talk about your Buzzkill: Breaking through the noise of social media," which cites Edelman's 2010 Trust Barometer.

This means that being an expert is cool again.

How do you become an expert? Know your subject and post about it: valuably, frequently and consistently.

Note: It may help to have some credentials, but the LA Times opinion piece said that experts and academics were gaining influence, so there is a distinction between being an expert and being a person who studies/teaches the subject in a college or university.

Re: Social media: And yes, the rumors of the death of Social Media are a bit early with this barometer, as social media is really about disclosure, transparency, authenticity, and trust. For more on this see "For more information" below...

7) "Just do it"

Nike had it right. By just doing it, you're getting your "expert" voice out there where it can be found...and establishing your "expert" .

For more information on "How to be found Online":

Download: "The Power of Social Media: Gaining the competitive edge through LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook!" (click link & scroll down for download links)

Or see:

Of course there are many other ways to be found online.

If you have any favorite ways to be found online, please leave a comment below...

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Here's a list of eight ways to attract visitors to your website, blog, or podcast:

1) Have something people want or value on your site.

Perhaps easier said then done. But think of things that you'd want and find valuable and then post similar things on your site.  "Content is king" so have great content people are seeking. If people like your content they'll recommend it to others. See #8) Intention below.

2) Make it presentable/attractive.

Make it look nice. Use easy to read fonts like Arial and Verdana as mentioned in Ralph Wilson's Text Font Readability Study. Use nice graphics/images/videos which people are attracted to or intrigued by. If people like the look and feel of your site they'll forward it to others. Consider Web 2.0 design for your site, e.g., "focused, clean, and simple", easy navigation, bold logos, bold text introductions, larger text, etc.

3) Use key words/phrases.

Key words are the words searchers use in search engines to find what they're looking for. Use a few key words and phrases in the title and body of your posts/articles. Note: Don't overdo this!

4) Promote it

Once you've posted something of value to your site, let the world know about it!  Tell your Facebook friend/fans, email your list, tweet about it on Twitter, submit it to Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, or other social bookmarking sites.

5) Ask others to Promote it

People like helping other people. Sometimes all you have to do is ask them and they'll give your content (post/article/podcast/video) a boost. 

Be specific.  Ask them to tell their friends. Ask them to forward your email. Ask them to retweet your tweet: "Pls RT", etc. Use your social media/networking connections and leverage them for your success. Try to do this in a nice unobtrusive way by helping others with your solutions.

Ask other sites to link to your site, especially education, government, and organizations which are highly respected and have high authority ratings. These inbound links can give great "Google juice" to your site in the search engine results page (SERP) rankings.

6) Have a great Title

As mentioned above use a few carefully chosen keywords in your title. Make your title intriguing - something people will want to click on...and pass along to others. Try to limit the length of your title to 60 characters with spaces. Of course, match your content to your title and try to deliver what you promised. And note that you'll want to assure that your Title is also placed in the <head> section of the HTML source code of the web page. Do this for your home page and every page of your website.

7) Have a great Description

Having a great description is a three-fold process: First, describe your article using keyword/phrases in the first paragraph of your article/post/content/etc. Second, enter a description if your blog platform (or plugin like Headspace or widget) allows you to. Or if your site's content management system (CMS) allows you  to add a description/teaser, then add one. Third,  enter a meta description for your web page (note that the second step may have automatically done this). A meta description is a short description of your article (150 characters with spaces) which is placed in the <head> section of your page's HTML source code.

8) Have Intention

Intend to have a great site with valuable content, e.g. posts, articles, podcasts, videos, etc.  Intend to have/write/create/video/record something really interesting, creative, and unique.  Intend to write something worthy of being found, which people want to find, and they're pleased/satisfied/happy when they find it. And if you do it right, then this sense of intention will result in a better site/articles/posts which people will be attracted to.

Bottom Line

Just remember, Google wants to deliver the best results (answers/solutions) to its customers: Searchers who are asking questions with their search queries. So make sure that your post/article/podcast/site is something people want/desire/need, describe that using keywords/phrases and deliver on the promise of your title & description and people will be attracted to your site. There are many more ways to attract visitors to your site, but these should give you a good start.

Resources

For a free download of 77 ways to increase your online profits go to: IncreaseOnlineProfits.com and see: IOP Insider News.

To see how these 77 great tips of Internet marketing can help your site, just view The Solution Movie (90-seconds):

Note: The Solution Movie is a Marketing Over Coffee award finalist.

Comments

Have a better way of attracting visitors? - Please leave a comment below.

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Recently I heard a Marketing Edge podcast by Albert Maruggi called "It is a Gift to be a Relevant Marketer".

An excellent podcast as always, it made me think that "relevance" is only one great aspect marketers should strive for.

If we could get our relevant messages across with elegance then our communications would be clearer, stronger and more effective.

Relevance

"Relevance" is what pertains to what we need or want.

Elegance

"Elegance" is simplicity with some style.

Simplicity

Simple messages are:

• Shorter
• Clearer
• Less complex
• Straight to the point

Stylish

Style can be added to messages by using:

• Nice photos/graphics to emphasize your point
• Some formatting (bullets, italics, bolding, fonts, colors, etc.)
• Easy to scan/skim text

The Long and Winding Road...not!

In the past my blog posts tended to be long and obtuse...on purpose (yikes!).

• My strategy was to show something and then show how it was done.
• Sadly my posts often became long and involved.
• The main points were lost in a jumble of words.

Striving for Relegance

Now I'm going to strive for "Relegance", relevant elegance in my posts.

And why do I say strive? Because I realize that this is a process.

Relegance doesn't just happen, it has to be consciously thought of and put into action.

So I challenge myself...and you...to act now and be relegant!

I'd welcome your thoughts and advice on this.

Be well and happy and prosperous!

~~~

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/annia316/ / CC BY 2.0

Photo title: "Suddenly things seem crystal clear to me..."

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This is the follow-up post to my last post about "17-Minute Podcast Which Could Change Your Life Forever". In this post we'll look at: How/why podcasts are amazing, possibly life-changing, mediums.

In my next post we'll explore my frustrations with Twitter not having an archive which could preserve tweets about great podcasts (or other items which might be helpful to others).

And if you think these 2 points are mutually-exclusive, according to Princeton's WordNetWeb, the first meaning of "medium" is "a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information"...and we're talking about both storing (archiving) and communicating (podcasts & Twitter) here.

How/why podcasts are amazing possibly life-changing mediums

• Hearing illuminating life-changing information, most of which is...free!
• Listening to podcasts while exercising: Walking, cycling, working out at the gym, etc.
  • For me, this makes working out fun and interesting because I'm always learning and finding out about new things and trends in social media, internet marketing, searching the web, etc.
• Advancing in your business or career or profession or studies because you're learning new things all the time.
• Being respected by your peers because you're so knowledgeable about subjects, current events, etc.
• Becoming a subject matter expert because you're so knowledgeable about it.
• Becoming a great conversationalist because you're well-versed in a diverse variety of topics.
• Keeping your mind active by learning new things.

• Possibly preventing Alzheimers Disease, exercising your mind, keeping your mind and thinking processes agile, and improving your memory.  And if you have a hard time remembering what you hear while you're working out at the gym you can try using Evernote.

The Problem(s) with Podcasts

The information (your information if you're creating the podcast recording) is locked in an audio (mp3) file.  There's gold in podcasts and you need to find a way to release the treasure contained within so others can find and experience it.

• To unlock the file you need to either:
  • Add "show notes"(notes describing what's in the podcast which would be posted on the podcast's blog),
  • Transcribe the podcast (yourself, using a transcription service, using an automated transcription program like Windows Speech Recognition (#8) or Dragon Naturally Speaking, or an online program like EveryZing's search, now discontinued).

Why would you want to unlock your audio/video podcasts by summarizing them or converting them to text?

• Answer:
  
  1. For people who don't have time to listen to the whole podcast and just want to skim/scan what was talked about,
  2. So Google's bot (robot) can index the content and key phrases which were talked about in the podcast, and/or
  3. To improve the SEO (search engine optimization) for your podcast blog.

For more/related info on Podcasts see my blog post on: 11 Quick Questions for Evaluating Podcasts.

For examples of "show notes" see:

Marketing Over Coffee

Six Pixels of Separation

Next blog post: "The Trouble with Twitter" and why I archived the Twitter tweets in my last blog post: 17-Minute Podcast Which Could Change Your Life Forever about C.C. Chapman's Managing the Gray phenomenally helpful and inspiring podcast "You Are The Only One Standing in YOUR Way".

Microphone image above courtesy of :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deanhp/ / CC BY 2.0

Tell a friend!

Do you have just 17-short-minutes to listen to a podcast which could change your life forever? Then go to here, listen to the podcast, and immediately improve your life: You Are The Only One Standing in YOUR Way (Chasing Your Dreams).

Improve Your Life Immediately

You're probably thinking: How could my life improve immediately? 

• Answer: Sometimes the right attitude and mind-set are all you need to positively affect your life. 
  • But if you want to take more time and follow all of the solutions offered in the podcast then you can do that too... and reap even more benefits.  Just do it! (as Nike says).

The Wisdom of Life and Business Success - in just 17 minutes!

In this podcast social media guru, C.C. Chapman, succinctly gives his life wisdom and business success secrets.  As I mentioned in my comment to his podcast blog:

...summarizing much of Life’s wisdom into this...podcast which every human being should hear.

Not to mention being like the brief audiobook version of Guy Kawasaki’s bible of business/marketing success tips in: “Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition” as well.

I commented on C.C.'s Managing the Gray blog because in his podcast he lamented that people are more likely to tweet/post on social networks rather than on blogs these days. Of course that’s true, since I had just tweeted some quotes from his podcast on Twitter as well.

But since Twitter tweets aren't archived and can disappear from search results after a short period of time I'm showing a series of tweets highlighting the important potentially life-changing information in C.C. Chapman's podcast below (as well as some info I didn't tweet on).

Highlights of "You Are The Only One Standing in YOUR Way" podcast

  - Note: Twitter tweets have time & date at end:

Best short podcast for improving your life by @cc_chapman: You Are The Only One Standing in YOUR Way. http://su.pr/2YrsH9 #iopnews. 5:44 PM Sep 1st from Su.pr

 

Chasing your dreams & how to reach your total potential: Great podcast by @cc_chapman: http://su.pr/2YrsH9 #iopnews. 5:47 PM Sep 1st from Su.pr

 

No-one's holding you back...but you. (00:44 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO.

 

If something's in your way, it's probably you! (e.g., like "gate jumping" in the country). (02:00 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO.

 

How to Speak at a Conference (04:20 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 5:52 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

 

 How to write/publish a book...Write it! (07:39 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 5:55 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

 

*Make* it a great day...*not* "have a great day" (06:30 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 5:57 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

 

You can do anything - Barriers are gone - Rules are gone...Do it! --> Podcast by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:00 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

 

Focus on the goal & work tail off to get there - don't focus on the negatives (09:40/podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:04 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

 

Don't give up on your goals...talk to your friends. (09:50/podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO.

 

Chasing dreams is what Life's all about. (10:40/podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO.

 

Go back and review your goals. (10:50 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO

 

Focus on your goals, share them. Put them out there & be held accountable (10:50 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:06 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

 

When need help, don't be afraid to ask. Friends will help you. (13:15 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:08 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

 

Test your social media/networking contacts and ask them for help (13:15 of podcast) by @cc_chapman: http://bit.ly/BSAgO #iopnews. 6:09 PM Sep 1st from bit.ly

Why are the points above shown as tweets, instead of bullets?

Answer: See my next blog post on: "How Podcasts can Save (Every Person in) the World."

Bottom Line

"*Make* a great day!" - This is what CC would say...and it's what my business partner, Rick Henkin, and I try to do every day at IncreaseOnlineProfits.com. Also, if you're doing what's fun (and what you have a passion for), then it's not work!

Comments?

 Comments for Karl? - Please leave one below...

Comments for C.C. Chapman re: his podcast? - I know that CC would be very happy if you'd leave a comment on his Managing the Gray blog.

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Just a perhaps ironic observation re: Chris Anderson's new book FREE: The Future of a Radical Price.

Note: FREE "makes the compelling case that in many instances businesses can profit more from giving things away than they can by charging for them." - Source: Amazon.com.

Near the end of C.C. Chapman's interview of Chris Anderson in his great Managing the Gray podcast, Chris Anderson said that he was offering his latest book FREE for free in its digital forms (viewable online and unabridged audio).

And while the unabridged 6-hour audio would be no-cost, the abridged 3-hour audio would be sold for $7.49.  Don't believe me?  Well, it's stated on Chris Anderson's The Long Tail blog.

Reason: The shorter version is worth more because time is money and it saves people time.  Saving time has "value".

Unabridged/Full Audio Book at Audible.com

So you can download the single 101 MB file in Audible's Format 4 (which uses MP3 compression), or in other formats if you prefer.

Price: Free.

Cost: Your name, email address, and joining Audible.com for...free (you get the picture).

"Abridged" Audio Book at Hyperion's (the publisher's) site

And you can go to Hyperion's site and download the "Abridged" audio book in 16 MP3 files totaling 136 MB.

Price: Free.

Cost: Your email address and some time (which is money) to download all of the files.

DISCONNECT: But wasn't the "Abridged" audio supposed to be sold for $7.49?

Note: I'm no expert at audio compression, but my guess is that these files (totaling 136 MB) might actually be the "Unabridged" version (101 MB file at Audible.com which is supposed to be free).  A quick sampling of the Prologue of each of these sounded the same to me.

• Prologue at Hyperion's site: "01_Prologue-Abridged.mp3" - 6057 KB

Question: Did the Publisher Get the Memo?

So if  Audible.com and Hyperion's audio book versions are the same (unabridged), we have to wonder if Hyperion:

• Just made an error in labeling the audio book: "Abridged" vs. "Unabridged", even though "Abridged" is shown in the description as well as in the file name of all 16 files.
• Made an error in pricing the "Abridged" audio book for free instead of the intended $7.49. Or,
• ...drumroll, please...
• Just couldn't  bear the thought of giving the book away for free unless it was "Abridged".
• In other words: So much value is usually attached to the full work for the full price, that simply giving away the full audio book for free may have been unacceptable/undoable for the publisher.
• Perhaps they simply couldn't bring themselves to give away the full book and label it as such.
• Even though the author felt the "Abridged" audio book was worth more.
• Unless of course, the publisher didn't read the book, but that would be impossible (and we're sure that's not the case)!
  • Disclaimer: I haven't had time to read the book yet either, but from C.C. Chapman's interview with Chris Anderson, I'm pretty sure what his intention was/is, not to mention that it's stated on his The Long Tail blog.
  • And if I missed the point on all of this, then my apologies in advance to everyone involved: Hyperion, Amazon, Chris Anderson (who we love!), C.C. Chapman (who we love!), etc.  And if you're feeling this way, please see: The bullet point below as well as "The Bottom Line: Everyone Wins!" below...
  • And realistically, Hyperion probably deserves huge "Kudos!" for offering 16 chapters (abridged or unabridged) for free online, given an industry that's probably more disposed to giving away one free chapter online.  So, "Bravo Hyperion!"

Bottom Line: Everyone Wins!

And the funny thing is: It doesn't really matter because everyone wins.

Hyperion:  "Your email will only be used to send you information about our other great books."  So Hyperion gets some free marketing privileges.

Audible.com: Similarly, Audible gets some free marketing privileges, your free membership...and Audible Inc.  is a subsidiary of Amazon.com.  Hmmm...

Plus you need to download Audible's AudibleManager software to play Audible's files in their proprietary formats, so as users ("members") accumulate more audio book files over time, this will create switching costs a la Michael Porter's Five Forces so customers will be more likely to stick with Audible rather than switch to another audio book provider.

Amazon: See paragraph above and image of book above leading to Amazon's site.

Chris Anderson: Because his book is getting great publicity and we'll probably buy the dead-tree version anyway because it's easier to highlight and looks cooler when you carry it around (unless you have a Kindle 2...made my Amazon...of course). And we love Chris Anderson anyway!

The Biggest Loser...not! - Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman

And unfortunately "The Biggest Loser" could have been Abbie Hoffman, author of Steal this Book,  because he came before his time and he missed it by one word:  "Free"...or did he?

Premise: While a free book is "a steal", stealing the book reduces your book sales to the point that you don't make any money (at least back in the day when there were only dead-tree books).

Reality: "Abbie Hoffman couldn't get anyone to publish Steal This Book --thirty publishers turned it down. When the book was released, bookstores wouldn't carry it. Newspapers, TV and radio all refused to run advertisements. But despite these setbacks, Steal This Book found its way on to the Best Seller list in 1971.  ...The book sold more than quarter of a million copies between April and November 1971." - Source: Amazon.

"It's embarrassing you try to overthrow the government and you wind up on the Best Seller's List."
-- Abbie Hoffman     - Source: Amazon.

"A driving force behind the social revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, Hoffman inspired a generation to challenge the status quo. — Studs Terkel"
- Source: Amazon.

Bottom Bottom Line: Social (Media) Revolution

So from one "social revolution" in the 1960's and 1970's...to a "social media revolution" in the 2000's (and who can argue with that term given what's been happening recently in Iran and Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook?).

Perhaps FREE (The Future of a Radical Price) is the Steal This Book of the 2000's?  And with the current buzz re: FREE, it certainly seems to be.

And perhaps ironically, there's also a Kindle version of Steal This Book now, and interestingly the warning on Amazon's page states:

"Warning: The Publisher assumes no liability for damages arising from you trying ANYTHING mentioned in this book. The world of 2005 is far less tolerant than the world of 1971." - Source: Amazon.

And for publishing itself, it might end up that the concept of "Free" is a radical concept both before it's time, yet very effective, in giving some taste of a product (like the entire unabridged book or audio book!), and then upselling to something perceived to be of more value (abridged book that takes less time, or in a desirable format like Kindle, or the book in paper).

Free vs. One Cent

Marketing Over Coffee's podcast last week mentioned the concept of "Free vs. one cent" (e.g., Predictably Irrational) and having a "premium" version/strategy which people are willing to pay for like a physical book, DVD, consulting service, speaking engagement, etc.  And yes, this may be a "tired and worn" concept now...but apparently it works all the way to the bank:

For example, using free eBooks etc. to promote listbuilding, email/ eNewsletter marketing, etc. (especially since email marketing is one of the most tried-and-true methods of internet marketing and social media marketing is still proving-out and establishing its business case).

MOC also quoted David Meerman Scott at Podcamp Boston as saying: "Free is where you start, not where you end"...because you can't eat attention.

So we'll see if the current buzz/attention re: FREE's marketing model helps us all put food on our tables.  Great: now we can be "internet foodies" instead of "internet marketers".

Links to free versions of FREE: The Future of a Radical Price:

• Google Books - Online ebook with live Table of Contents for easy navigation (Time limit: one month).
• Scribd - Online ebook (Time limit: one month).
• Wired.com download of zipped MP3 files - Audio books "free forever".
• Unabridged audio files at Audible.com - 6 hours: free.
• Abridged audio files at Audible.com - 3 hours: $7.49.
• "Abridged" (or Unabridged?) Audio Book at Hyperion's (the publisher's) site - free.
  • See "Question: Did the Publisher Get the Memo?" above

- Check with Chris Anderson's The Long Tail blog for updates to free releases of "FREE", e.g., coming soon: "free FREE on Kindle and other ebook readers, including the iPhone".

Transparency note: No affiliate links were used in the blog post above nor was any compensation of any kind received by the blog post author.

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