054 – Exit Stage Right

In this episode I announce the end of the podcast and my plans to attend college this fall to complete my nursing degree.

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As promised here is the post by Seth Godin discussed in tonight’s show.

Special thanks to my wife of almost 21 years. Julie, you are truly my very best friend and I feel like we can do anything as a team.

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In this episode I share 6 tips on how to build a busier blog.

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052 – How to join an online community

Online communities are everywhere and take all kinds of shapes and sizes. There is a right way and wrong way to join an online community.

In this episode I walk you through the different types of communities out there and some things you need to keep in mind when joining one. I list some of the pros that go along with an online community.

I mention a few of my favorite communities which you can find here.

Contractor Talk

Remodel Crazy

48 Days

Pursuing Your Calling Group at 48 Days

Pursuing Your Calling Podcast

I also mentioned the importance of having an avatar with your actual personal photo to help you be more recognizable.

For wordpress blogs you need to sign up for a free account at Gravatar.com.

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051 – Put on a dress, get some jewelry and he’ll call you back

In this episode we go over some of the things that are keeping your web site from standing out in the crowd. We talk about some great resources for getting a logo made and what you need to consider when getting one designed.

I mention the following three resources for getting a logo made.
http://1800mylogo.com
http://elance.com

I explain how social sharing is another form of blog commenting. That it is proof that your blog is being talked about on other mediums even though maybe there aren’t any comments.

We talk about the importance of using images in your blog posts and I point out a couple of useful resources for free images and how to use them.
http://Flickr.com
http://Morguefile.com

I explain the importance of finding ways to show that your site is busy by creating ways to remind people to come back and interact more.

And finally I discuss the upcoming free webinar on how to have a better branded commenting system without using Disqus or another third party service.

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050 – Leave your past in the past

In this episode I play some audio feedback from Glen Steinson and Jeffrey hatch.

Glen is an aspiring podcaster and Jeffrey is a long time friend of the show.

Jeffrey was brutally honest in his feedback and feels that I apologize too often during my show. Whether it’s because of a technical error or if I put myself down, even in jest.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks monitoring my words and I think there may be some truth to what Jeffrey had to say. Our words do have power and it’s important that we use that power for good and not evil.

Right before recording the show I got a very timely email from SAMBA (Six Month Alternative MBA with Seth Godin) that I read on the air. This post reminds us that if we make our decisions based on the best information that we have we shouldn’t torture ourselves if the decision doesn’t work out the way we hoped.

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Don’t forget to sign up for Blue Collar Webinars so you can get access to the upcoming webinar called “Better branding through your WordPress commenting system” (dumping Disqus).

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049 – Speaking success secrets with Kent Julian

In this episode we welcome a very special guest, Kent Julian.

In this episode Kent shares with us how he converted his youth ministry experience into a career and life coaching business and, over the period of a couple years, converted that business into a full time speaking profession.

Kent Julian is the personification of what Blue Collar is all about. He saw something he wanted to become and he let nothing stand in his way. Through persistence and constant momentum forward Kent has achieved a level of success few professionals find.

Towards the end of the show I ask Kent to give us some pointers on being memorable when speaking to small groups of other professionals.

Kent’s advice is simple and yet so challenging. Kent listed three things that proved to be key elements of his success.

1. Read the book “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath

2. Don’t let fear keep you from doing something different

3. Be a ‘one point’ speaker

To hear Kent elaborate be sure to listen to the show!

Be sure to follow Kent on Twitter: @kentjulian

Speak It Forward Website

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048 – Mobile Office: Instapaper, Evernote and Dropbox

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In this week’s show we cover three of my very favorite iPhone apps. Those being Instapaper, Evernote and Dropbox.

Instapaper is a very simple way to save web pages of any kind for later viewing.

Instapaper Android Help

Instapaper Blackberry Help

Evernote is a very robust document creation and storing application. You can create audio files and upload pictures among other documents.

Dropbox is an incredible data syncing and backup service. You can get 2 GB of storage completely free and up to 10 GB free by getting others to sign up.

I also reveal some of the results of the survey I am running. This survey has revealed to me that A LOT of my audience is interested in technology and social media.

Do you feel the same way? If you do, or do not will you fill out the survey and let me know?

http://bcrn.tv/survey

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047 – Where in the web do I start!

In this week’s show we dig even deeper into the concept of where to start with your online presence. With all the options including facebook, twitter and linkedin it’s hard to know where to begin. In this show I try to explain the difference between traditional job prospecting and online prospecting through blogging and social media streams.

I also call out to you the listener asking for you to fill out the current survey. It’s time to start taking action and do more than just listen. None of this advice is going to help you if you aren’t a person of action.

Will you help me by filling out the survey? http://bcrn.tv/survey

Don’t forget to be here on May 23rd as Kent Julian joins us live!

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046 – Whether you think they can or think they can’t, you’re right!

Our words are powerful and the way we choose to use them will have great influence on those around us.

On tonight’s show I share some of my experiences and feelings when it comes to fostering creativity in those whom we have influence over.

I give three basic tips on how to communicate with your employees in a way that respects their possible contributions to your organization.

I also announce that Kent Julian with Live It Forward will be here on May the 23rd to discuss ”3 Minute Presentations To Small Groups”. You do not want to miss this show as Kent is a professional speaker traveling the US speaking to groups as small as fifty and all the way up into the thousands.

You can check out this blog post I did a couple of weeks ago when I featured  him in my Follow Friday series I do on my blog.

Don’t forget to sign up for our webinar list at http://bluecollarwebinars.com for information on more free webinars coming your way!

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Business Tools For Maximum Profit!

045 – Blue Collar Talk Back: Web Sites, Social Media and Podcasting

Oh my did I answer A LOT of questions in this show. This was my longest show, ever. I apologize in advance for not making it shorter but what’s done is done. There is a pause button (or delete if you just can’t take it any longer) so feel free to use it if you need to.

Okay, it’s late so I’ll make these notes quick and to the point.

I mentioned Paul Anater’s blog at www.kitchenandresidentialdesign.com.

I answered Josh Bulloc’s question about making a WordPress site better.

I talked about my favorite wordpress them called “Weaver“. I used this theme to create Gregg Pechmann’s site for his book, Upside Down.

Towards the end I mentioned my original podcasting setup which you can read about HERE.

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