It’s Friday, and I figured it was time for something a little intriguing, more of a question and comment and a wish that I could remember what got me thinking about this.
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Actually, that’s not quite accurate; I remember what got me thinking about it lately. I was reading a post by Larry Brauner of Online Social Networking, whom I mentioned as one of my early commenters, called Top 10 Ways To Get Facebook Page Fans. As I was reading each of the points, I smiled when I realized that half of them involved asking people to join in some fashion that was more direct than just writing about it on one’s blog, which I’ve also done, as well as adding a widget, which you see there to the right.
The thing that made me smile wasn’t so much that Larry had half of his points saying that as much as the reality that I’ve read often how we’re supposed to ask people to sign up for this or that, or help us out in some fashion. As a matter of fact, I did that very thing just over 2 years ago when I first stated that I wanted more RSS subscribers, and here and there I’ve asked that question again, adding a failed contest along the way.
It’s strange because days ago I wrote about how bad I’ve been in promoting my own products, and now I realize that I’m pretty bad at asking people to sign up for anything on this blog, or other blogs, or my website, or even to follow me on Twitter. What is this thing all about? What the heck is wrong with me?
Actually, I think it ties in with a conversation Sire and I were having in a comment area about talking ourselves up. He felt it was kind of unseemly, while I said if you can back it up and were actually telling the truth that it’s not such a bad thing. And I truly believe that; yet, here I sit, not really talking about myself all that much in the things I do for work, and the things I believe I could do for others.
True, this blog isn’t necessarily a blog to market myself, but it has been a component over the years. Early on, I used to talk about all these different methods I’ve tried in making money online, and I used to disclose my monthly income all the time; not so much now. The truth is that I believe I’m kind of a talented guy. Sure, you wouldn’t know it by that image above; yeah, I drew that for one of those online survey things.
I’m definitely not an artist by any means. But I have been a songwriter, have written two books now, helped a hospital make more than $700 million in revenue in one year, helped a guy get an $80,000 contract two weeks after just one business coaching session, had articles in many magazines over the course of the last 8 years and gave a keynote presentation at a health care conference in 2007. And I make a mean meatloaf, even if I might mess up tuna every once in awhile (only once; read the story).
Other than writing the books, who knew any of that other stuff? For that matter, what else don’t you know about me? And trust me, there’s plenty more. That’s my fault because, though I feel I disclose a lot, I really don’t promote myself all that much. It’s one reason why next week I’ll be having those evening posts about my products; gotta promote something, right?
Anyway, Larry’s right, and it does me little good to go out kicking and screaming against it because, well, overall it’s just not my style. But I did talk about wanting to be known as a big time blogger, so it behooves me to just come out and ask. In my way, of course.
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So, as humbly as I can, I’d like to ask that, if you participate, you assist me in this fashion, and of course I do it as well when I can, and we can all win:
1. Hook up with my Facebook business page (I hate that it’s still called “fan” page, but oh well), and of course hook up with me on Facebook as well.
2. If a post grabs you enough, whether you comment on it or not, and you’re on Twitter, click that “retweet” thing at the top right of the post and share it with others. I went with Topsy because it doesn’t make you add an application to your Twitter account to use.
3. If you like a post, whether you comment or not, think about clicking on that little “like” thing at the end of each post. If you want to know the truth, I really have no idea where that goes or if it shows anywhere else except on the post, but it’s there looking pretty lonely most of the time.
4. If you’re predisposed to do so, ask me to write a guest post for you. For this one, you’ll have to send me an email, which is under the “contact” tab at the top of the blog. I refuse to ask people if I can write a guest post for their blog, but I’ve asked people to write guest posts for this blog, and I have written a few here and there this year, but nowhere close to as many as I had thought I would. And I know the guest posting rules since I wrote some, and our friend Pat wrote a wonderful one last week on someone else’s blog and has responded to every person that’s commented; great job Pat!
That’s all I have. Now, other than next week, watch me go another year before remembering to ask for something; oh well… 😉 And be on the lookout closer to the end of the year, because next year I’m going webinar crazy; well, for me at least.
Oh dear, is this the first comment on your posts? Oh well, thanks for the mention and well done for your sketch of an oinky meatbot (see, you knew that expression would come in handy didn’t you – you just didn’t know I’d be calling your pig one!)
I read your meatloaf post/story… I’m astonished it cooked in 35 mins without giving either of you food poisoning, and I’m envious (slightly) of the tomato sauce as I’ve an intolerance to tomatoes but still love them! My mum used to make meatloaf to her own recipe that included breadcrumbs soaked in water and squeezed out – that added to an ice cold mix of minced beef and raw egg was absolutely no fun to put ones hands into…
🙁
I wish I could help out with some of your requests but I don’t and won’t use either Facebook or Twitter. I’ve had a FB account and after four tries at it, I deleted it. I just can’t bear the site. As for twitter… 140 characters just ain’t me…
The ‘like’ button you have here goes to Facebook, so presumable it adds a ‘like’ to your page there. In my blog, where I enable it, the ‘like’ button puts a little icon of the person who clicked it, beneath my post, but they have to be a wordpress member (and probably only WP.com though I’m not certain about that) which I find a bit of a pain. It’s very cliquey, like the blogspot ‘followers’ which I’m always in two minds about.
I think it’s good to ask people to do things, if that’s what you need but as you say – you’ve got to be yourself.
Hey Val, thanks for being the first comment. You misunderstood on that meatloaf thing. I cooked that thing for over 3 hours. The first 35 minutes was because I knew there was going to be tons of grease because it was so big, and I wanted to drain all that grease out before I added the tomato sauce and cooked it some more; whew!
You’re right on those other two things, and if you’re not on either of those then it doesn’t make sense for you to try to share them. And that’s okay; social media isn’t for everyone.
Oh, and by the way, I’m subscribed to your RSS feed and when I comment, I subscribe to the comments for that post, til it gets no more comments then I unsubscribe. But I’ve been subscribed to your blog since I first found it.
🙂
Great Val; you’re a peach (that’s considered a good thing here, but I’m not sure if it’s an expression used where you are)! And by the way, my wife said that pig was one of the best drawings she’s ever seen from me because she at least knew it was a pig. lol
Hi Mitch
I love your blog and always come over to comment. Usually press the RT button cos unlike Val I love Twitter and am on there every day. That’s where I often find great posts to read and where I join in conversations. The 140 characters is a bit of a challenge cos as you know I don’t even write short comments on other people’s blogs lol
As for Facebook. I’m just coming to terms with the fact I have to get active on there too. Have started friending people after they started emailing me to friend them. As they are all my blogging mates, how could I refuse 😉 I must admit I hadn’t noticed your like button cos I usually click that too if I see it on a site I frequent; so I’ll recitify that.
Must admit, I would find it hard to ask someone if I could guest post for them. I think that’s a confidence thing with me. I’ve been asked to GP for several people so I’m working on that at the moment. Thanks for your thoughts and good you could share with us.
Patricia Perth Australia
Thanks for your comments, Pat. There’s a lot of things most of us have to come to grips with when we start engaging each other through social media, but the thing is that, if we’re at least trying, we will develop our community, and then we can help each other grow. There’s enough for everyone.
Hi again Mitch! I feel your angst; asking for people to do things for you is just so unguylike. Therefore I have tried to remember to tweet and like your articles; simply because I do like them and feel they’re worth sharing.
I must admit that I’m not sure I’m doing these things properly 🙁 I’m getting better at communicating with Facebook, I’m just not seeing the value in it yet.
I do know that the ‘Like’ button puts a blurb on MY facebook page for all my friends (all six of them) to see that tells them about your stuff.
Twitter: well I’m pretty raw with that yet; but I’m trying.
Allan, it all takes work and time, but it can be fun as well. Facebook is actually fairly hard to do real business on, which is why you’d have to decide whether or not to create a business page for yourself. But you’re now following me on Twitter; don’t necessarily do as I do, but it’s not a bad pattern either. And thanks!
Thanks Mitch. I’ve tried twice to set up a business page in Facebook and both times I get to the point where its says I HAVE to enter my real name, I do so, and the whole shebang converts to a personal page. Or at least that’s what it appears to do. These are great for chit-chatting with friends and relatives, maybe a little bit for throwing some promo stuff out there (I know I have been seduced by intriguing titles a few times) but it’s not what a business page – like your page – should be. Barbara had a Facebook Blueprint that I may get to see what I’m doing wrong. OOoohh, I should have checked *your* product list again before saying that! Sorry!
Allan, I wish I’d thought to catalog how I created my page so I could help you through it, but at this point I can’t set up a second business page as a test. However, it can be done if you went through the Advertising link instead of the groups link. And I don’t have any products talking about how to set up one of those pages, so it’s all good.
Oh good; I’m glad I didn’t step on your toes.
I appreciate the thought; help is always appreciated. But I imagine I’ll get through it with my usual method: randomly mashing buttons until either the engine starts or the thing goes up in a mushroom cloud! 🙂
You have a Facebook page? 🙂 Yeah, I’m with you, it’s hard to ask but, if you don’t, who is?
That’s true. And it’s really the way of the world; we tend to just assume things, but it doesn’t quite work out that way.
hey Mitch, what about including all your accomplishments on your about page? If not that how about a new page, What I’ve Done & What I Can Do For You?
Honestly I have always admired you and I am flabbergasted that your not a ProBlogger yet. I know you’ll get there and I hope that when you do you won’t change your ways and become one of them.
Oh, what plugin are you using for the facebook thing?
Sure, the plugin is called “fbLikeButton”; it was the easiest one to use. And a part of me isn’t so sure I should have all that extraneous stuff on my About page either, at least not in its present form. Kind of like that bragging thing we talked about before. I do have a business bio page, but even that doesn’t talk about everything I do. There’s always this talk about confusing the marketplace if they can’t put you in one place as far as what one really does. I’ll have to think about that one a bit more.
You do that Mitch, but you know I’m always right 😀
If not the about page why not do a page listing all your accomplishments that you can link from your about page, then those that click on it can see what you’re really all about.
BTW, didn’t you just love that last chess game 😉
That wouldn’t be so bad, and as I once said, it’s not bragging if I actually did it.
No, I didn’t love that last chess game at all; not sure I much like the one we’re playing now either.
Mitch, there is bragging and then there is bragging. If you list you accomplishments, that’s not bragging. Rubbing people’s nose in it, that’s bragging.
Ah; well, it sounds intriguing; I still need to think about it in between writing my blog posts; almost finished with next week’s posts.
Hello Mitch,
I was impressed with that songwriting stuff because it’s something I wanted to do. I still harbor these dreams of writing songs someday…and you’ve written two books WOW!Good luck with your business.
Thanks Jena; always striving to be more, or bigger, or richer; I’ll take richer first. 😉
I agree with Jena, your song-writing post was still a big surprise to me (in a good way, of course). 🙂 It’s always amazing to learn more about our blogger friends and this post is a indeed, a great idea. You got a big ‘Like’ from me.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Thanks Ching Ya. Yeah, the songwriting was a major dream of mine, and who’d have thought it would turn into what it did later on.
I share the same frustration with you Jena. I really love music but music doesn’t love me. Mitch go ahead with the song writing pal. I wish you all the best.
Jhong, the songwriting days are gone; have to write other stuff now. 😉
Hi Mitch, the easiest way is to create a page and use a box widget for wordpress and publish it on a blog. I guess that all the friends that are commenting on your blog will click I like. Actually after first 100 people click it, probably it will become viral. It is good to choose a catchy name.
What’s a box widget, Carl? Can you explain that further?
When you create ads and pages there is an option to create a widget which is an iFrame code. You need know the fan page or business page id which appear in the URL of the group, I think it is number. Generally there are 2 ways, one is to use the facebook code and the other one is to use Ilike or similar plugin for wordpress and just put this number. Have a play with different plugins for wordpress, as most come with sizes that are not suitable.
True Dennis, I think you have as well. But you know, it’s kind of like dating. If you don’t ask, you’re limiting your opportunities. But out of the woman who I ended up dating later on, I never asked any of them out first. So maybe there’s something to that. 🙂
Hi, Mitch. Good luck with all your endeavors. I greatly admire you for everything that you have accomplished so far. Keep it up.
Thanks Wes. You know, we all do what we do and try to be good at it, and thus I applaud you for your efforts as well.
I subscribe because I enjoy reading what you have to say and although I don’t come over right away to comment I do read the rss in my email. I have a facebook fan page for my site but I never visit it. I should hooked it up and have my new post on it and that’s it. I don’t know what more to do with it. BTW I love that animated gif, “Yes!” Napolean Dynamite was hilarious.
Karen, I have to admit I didn’t fully get Napoleon Dynamite, but there were a couple of funny things here and there. And you’re not sure what to do with your FB page, eh? Maybe that needs to be a post of mine. 🙂
Consider me “hooked up”. I love the facebook fan pages, but I think FB itself makes it hard to get people to them. I send out invites not only for my blog, but for my office page, as well and I think people just get a little link in a sidebar or something on FB asking them to join. In all honestly, I rarely remember to check there and when I do, I have several requests that have been sitting there for who knows how long! This is the best way to do it, just ask!
You’re right, Jessica, they keep changing things around and it’s not even all that easy for me to get to my own page anymore. I mean, what the hey?