Thanks for being a return reader! If you haven't already, you may subscribe to our articles by email alerts or via RSS feed . Also you can follow us on Twitter !

photo credit: danksy
LinkedIn Guide:

If you have not figured it out by now, LinkedIn is a phenomenal tool. The possibilities really are endless, and if I can become successful from using it, then anyone can. But somehow, people just don’t understand why it’s useful, and how to use it to achieve their professional goals. I know I was unsure about how to use it, and in the first few months I still couldn’t figure out how to import my contacts. Sound familiar?

What does it mean to generate success on LinkedIn?

Success is determined on each individuals professional goals; finding a job, driving massive traffic to your website, generating quality targeted leads, increasing sales of any kind, finding a business partner, finding investors, promoting a company/product/event/service, finding the right service provider, becoming a globally recognized industry leader, and generating more income.

If the above paragraph describes something you are looking to achieve, then read on to learn about how to do this on LinkedIn.

How I Started Out

When I first got “LinkedIn” I didn’t have a job, had zero products or services to provide, and had very little work experience. I was a twenty four year old struggling professional athlete without a college degree and just got out of the hospital from a near life threatening surgery. I would say it was one of the lowest moments of my life, and I wasn’t sure what the future would hold.

One day, however, my most trusted mentor sent me an invitation to join LinkedIn. This was the first time I had heard about the business-networking site, but I figured if my mentor was on it, I knew it was something I should be using as well. I was right. I noticed the potential when I first “linked in”, and the opportunities continue to overflow in abundance today.

The more I figured out how to use LinkedIn, the more opportunities unfolded, and it came to the point where there were to many to manage.
(more…)

When I was asked to write a piece entitled: “How to Succeed on YouTube” I was forced to admit that the success I have enjoyed online has been due more to the actions of others than my own. I set a goal of achieving 1 Million video views in my first 100 days on the site and was lucky enough to hit that goal on the 83rd day (which was ironically Christmas morning — Thanks Santa!) and by the time the 100th day came around, I had over 1.5 Million combined video views! I credit the YouTube community for having supported me in achieving this goal, but there are some little things you can do to better the chances of your videos being seen by those who will help you achieve your own goals. Because I have spent more time than I am willing to admit on YouTube, I have a few thoughts on what makes for successful videos and channels. I have broken down this article into two parts. The first part touches on what I consider to be the most popular videos, and the second will cover little things I think you can do to help your videos get the views you are hoping for.

Part I: Popular Videos Elicit A Reaction.

All popular videos have something in common: they elicit a reaction from the viewers. These videos make you laugh, make you smile, make you sing and dance, teach you something, or just simply make you say “Wow, that is amazing!” Such videos come in all forms and lengths, and include the following: (more…)

With the seemingly endless number of social sites popping up all over the web, venturing into the world of Social Media and community voting sites can be an exercise in masochism, if you’re not careful. Every site has its own community, its own culture, its own etiquette and its own set of rules & regulations that users are expected to adhere to.

Unlike many social voting based sites, like Digg and Reddit – which tend to have an inherent hostility toward the search marketing industry – Sphinn, which was started by the team at Search Engine Land, caters specifically to the Internet marketing community. Much like other voting sites, the ultimate goal is to generate enough votes to make it to the “Hot Topics” page, which will expose the content to the biggest Sphinn audience.

Being that Sphinn was created by, is moderated by and its community is made up of Internet marketers, it’s no place for the faint of heart. As a rule, the community is somewhat suspicious of newcomers initially and there are some dues to pay before you’re welcomed into the fold. Spammers, the thin-skinned and whiners need not apply. Don’t believe me? Here’s a taste of what my first few weeks at Sphinn were like… (more…)