James Cameron’s Avatar has touched a nerve in our collective psyche. Much in the same vein, Social Media has exploded into our digital world, changing the landscape on how we think, react and do business.

What does Avatar and Social Media have in common? They are both brave new worlds that have captured our imagination and have connected us to each other. In a world gone wild with war, natural disasters and the human condition, we all yearn for a place (real or digital) that will give us meaning and a way to express our individuality and our humanity.

Our Primal Need

One of the most striking comparisons of Avatar and Social Media was the interconnectivity of the Na’vi to their natural habitat and to each other. Their umbilicus was a synaptic nerve cord emanating from their head in the form of a long pony tail. When physically connected to another life form, they had pure communication of thoughts and emotions, and could have a symbiotic influence on each other. Social Media networking is fulfilling that primordial need to be connected, to make our presence felt and have the ability to influence and be influenced. In essence, make our voice or vote count. We are not living and breathing avatars, but our digital networking is connecting our avatar to yours.

A modern day analogy happened in the 1960s when the youth felt disenfranchised from our society and found meaning in the proverbial “love-ins.” As the beat poet of that generation, Jerry Rubin, so eloquently noted, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” Those words resonated around the globe. The youth were connected through rock n roll, the Beatles, the Vietnam War, and flower power. They influenced generations and these baby boomers are still a force today.

The Bonds that Influence Us

Trust is another comparison worth noting between the Movie and Social Media. It is the glue that holds both systems together. The hero in Avatar, Jake Sully, needed to understand the rules, the customs and learn how to move in an alien world. He needed to gain the trust of the Na’vi, not just live amongst them as a intelligence gathering project. But something happened once he truly felt engaged with his mentor and love-interest, he changed and the world changed with him. Social Media has its rules of engagement and if you are to be successful you need to understand that the process takes time. Watch, learn and build trust. Be a part of an online community and actively participate.

The effectiveness of Social Media is in building relationships, making your presence felt in positive non-exploitative ways. Establish your brand of influence, offer content, suggestions, advice, reliability. In Avatar, the Sky People (aka humans) saw “gold” and wanted to mine it, regardless of the environmental impact. Bulldozing your way through the jungle with purely self-interest objectives is counter productive. Short term gains, long term angst.

Standing Ten Feet Tall and Blue

Social Media enhances your brand image and makes you stand out from your competition and be that 10 foot tall blue Avatar. Take the time to understand it, cultivate it and fall in love with it. Enjoy the experience.

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I Saw Mommy NOT Kissing Santa Claus, But Her Money Away

By Kristin Tomlinson- Web Success Team

It’s funny how a single day that is only celebrated ONCE can bestow so much stress, anxiety, and financial burden on so many people. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, the holidays have officially arrived. With the economy in a rut, and money tight, online can help stretch your budget, rather than dent your holiday spirit.

Stores such as Target, Kohls and Best Buy heavy up on online advertising during the holiday season. That’s because people are more likely to look at a catalog online than in print. It’s more cost effective, has a higher rate of return and they can alter the promotions at a moment’s notice. In addition, retailers are using Social Media Marketing to promote products, drive traffic and increase their sales. Some of their business strategies consist of coupons, discounts and special deals that can ONLY be found online for “top-selling” products and this season’s “must-haves.”

This is one of the most important times to search for keywords such as “coupon codes,” “free shipping” and “gift deals.” They will not only save you time, but money as well because most of these products can only be purchased online through their websites. No wonder why these sites have such a high spike in their rate of return, and continued web success during the holiday season. Steal these deals, before overpriced products steal your money.

I’ll Be Online for Christmas

The holidays tend to bring bad weather, freeway congestion, and outrageous increases in airline tickets. Traveling during this time of year is feared by most and dreaded by all. Not only are stores crowded and hectic, but they’re pricey as well. During these economically strenuous times the general population just cannot spare this added expense. Search engines can help find travel alternatives to visiting family and sending costly holiday cards. The use of Skype and online greeting cards are BOTH great ways to social network with family and friend when you can’t be there in person. Saving cash and gas… joy to the world, we don’t have to travel.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Shopping online is a great way to reduce stress, pressure and anxiety this holiday season. There’s no need to create financial burdens when there are options to help you give generously or thoughtfully without breaking the bank. Bringing joy and goodwill doesn’t necessarily have a price tag!

We wish you a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season,

From the Web Success Team

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By Bob Speyer, President – Web Success Team

Today I got a disturbing call from Bank of America’s Fraud Department concerning a payment to “Web Success” that their customer “didn’t” make. During our discussion, I realized the payment was made to Web Success NOT to Web Success Team. Hence the problem.

Speak Honestly and React Quickly

Obviously there was identity theft of their customer’s credit card and some entity used part of our name for fraudulent purposes. When I asked the bank representative how they got our telephone number, she replied, “I Googled your company.” Well at least our SEO efforts are effective as we are ranked #1 on the search engines. The amount was small ($79) but significant, as crooks often use small amounts to keep under the radar.

I am glad the banks are checking fraudulent charges to try to contain or catch the perpetrators. But as a legitimate company who has a reputation to protect, it is paramount for us to be on top of any incident, no matter how seemingly small. Because these things can take on a life of their own, protecting your reputation, no matter how fraudulent the claims, is critical. We have spent years building a significant online presence and efforts as an honest, customer oriented company. We will not tolerate our hard earned reputation or name of being tarnished (or even a part of it, as web success is one of our keywords).

The Best Defense Is an Offense!

Be advised that people can post anything negative on the Internet, with impunity. So what can you do to manage your reputation? You should attack it head on and minimize the incident. I spent time talking to the bank representative until she was satisfied. We are then writing this blog to further document what happened. If ones online reputation has been besmirched then more aggressive tactics need to be implemented.

However, it can take 2-3 months to eliminate the unwarranted bad press. If you or your company needs reputation management, the Web Success Team has a program designed to help you monitor, combat and prevent negative posts on search engines. Identity theft or negative press can happen to anyone, and usually does. Contact the Team today to find out how we can help you repair the damage and protect your reputation and your bottom line.

Please Stay Tuned…

The Web Success Team will be blogging a series of other web related issues that can directly effect your business and your ability to do business online.

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SEOmoz Wynn WereWolf Party

Matt Cutts at the SEOmoz Wynn WereWolf Party. Wearing a T-shirt that says: “Life would be easier if we could mark people as spam”. Be careful! Don’t say a word! Google and Matt Cutts could mark you as spam. The way they are going, they could very well create an algorithm that could just do the job.

I was wondering why this T-shirt didn’t create the “buzz” that his recent hairdo created!

See more pictures on The Web Success Team Facebook Fan Page

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By Bob Speyer and Kristin Tomlinson – Web Success Team

The speed of the way we communicate has morphed into an Internet monster. Today we can virtually work in anywhere on the planet. Hotels, planes, cell phones — anywhere we can get our WiFi fix. Yesterday’s news is today’s fish warp. Our gratification is instantaneous, but like anything, be careful what you wish for. There is always a downside to hyper-productivity.

From Tortoise to Virtual Hare.

It’s hard to comprehend that it was only a couple of years ago when present day technology had yet to evolve, and business folks alike carried serious stress about meeting specific deadlines, worried about finishing work on time before departing on vacation, or were hesitant of traveling, not because of the fear of flying, but because of the anxiety that their future destination would not contain the necessary accommodations needed to get work done and lost productivity. Offices were tense, and businesses were limited.

Looking back, it would give any business savvy worker cold sweats to wonder how they could get their present job done efficiently. In America there’s a saying that we “live to work,” and with that accompanies the ideal that we have the divine right to work whenever and wherever we are.

Welcome to the land where those concerns have become extinct, and a new species has staked its claim on planet earth. It’s the virtual office.

Cars, Online Trade Shows and In-Flight WiFi. . . Oh My!

The Internet has indeed become elastic, stretching its reach into various places once deemed impossible, but now a reality. In this day and age, we have wireless Internet in our cars and on our phones; a tool that has acquired so much attention in the past couple of years that it has actually turned into a major problem. The Internet application on cell phones has only added to the controversy of cell phone use while driving, and Congress has created a law banning such use, officially putting that application in “time out” indefinitely.

Even traveling business people have the Internet in literally every country they travel to, allowing them to stay connected to the office from their “business away from home,” thousands of miles away. Everyone has jumped on the WiFi bandwith. Hotels that aren’t connected lose business. Today it is as essential as in room telephones and bathrooms.

The Web Success Team recently took a business trip to New York. Just before returning to Los Angeles, we had a rush project that “couldn’t wait.” We finished what we could in our room on the laptop, took a cab to Newark; connected to the airport WiFi to “kill 2 hours”; reconnected on the plane via gogoinflight, finished the job; emailed the completed files; then kicked back to relax for the duration of the 6 hour flight. A short time later, the client emailed from her Blackberry that they received the files, reviewed them and thanked us. Just another day at the “office!”

The Internet “Fix”. . . Good or Bad?

The Internet has come along way from the confinements of a cubicle to expanding its power to the farthest borders of the world. Not only has it offered its services to help strengthen and build your business online, but it has also allowed people to stay connected. It’s funny how you can’t imagine a world without it, but yet there was once a time when it didn’t exist at all. Looking back, it must have been an anxious time, not being connected 24/7 – or has this ultimate Internet fix made us more nervous and less laid back with even more stringent deadlines? Makes you wonder.

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By Bob Speyer and Kristin Tomlinson – Web Success Team

In the beginning, many skeptics believed that like Blackberrys and MySpace, Facebook was just another socializing tool that gave students another techno-way to communicate with friends and peers from schools near and far. But, Facebook has loosened its firm grasp on the younger generation by extending its hand towards various businesses and companies, creating a web of networking connections. What was once restricted solely for college students has become an Internet sensation, giving businesses increased exposure, sales and website traffic.

What’s amazing is how a single social outlet can lead to an instant improvement in online business  and to greater community interaction. Since much of the methodology may seem foreign, that’s where you can rely on the Web Success Team; we can make those connections happen for you. We’re the golden ticket that secures you a seat on the massive train of social media networking that has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.

Become A Fan… Today!

The Web Success Team has created a business friendly Facebook page that shares tips, tools, and articles necessary to assist users and companies interested in taking their business to the next level through online marketing. We offer advice dealing with a wide range of topics regarding direct response marketing, strategies for online and offline advertising, website development, corporate branding, and social media strategies. We incorporate all these aspects into our page in a fun and original ways, such as setting aside a certain day of the week to address each topic.

So stop wondering in the dark, and step into the light. Facebook is just the right tool to get yourself and your business noticed in order to prosper and grow. The Web Success Team can assist you through this process by helping you tap into this hot new media explosion. Check out our page on Facebook NOW and become a “fan”. . . and I promise you, if you come aboard you won’t regret it!

To Your Web Success!

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Back when blogs didn’t exist…or did they?

By Eric Pangburn Web Success Team Contributor

Looking back, it is hard to imagine that there was a time when things such as “blogs”, “blogging” and “bloggers” didn’t exist. Yes, some of us have been around long enough to remember when everyone didn’t have some sort of online presence. Things are a lot different today as blogs are routinely used by everyone in order to achieve web success, implement corporate branding and act as an effective tool in direct response marketing. In fact, direct response websites – of which blogs are only some of the more recognizable incarnations – can be some of the most effective tools to have at your disposal to grow your business online. The online world is a constantly changing environment and you neglect the blogging phenomenon at your own risk.

Communication in the pre-blog age

This is not to say that people didn’t have any means by which to share information, we have indeed advanced dramatically since the “two cups tied to a string” phase, thereby enabling peers to interact with each other before the advent of blogs and blogging. Back then, there were actually numerous thriving digital communities, among which the legendary USENET, GEnie, BiX and CompuServe reigned supreme. In addition, there were also e-mail lists. By the time the 1990s rolled around, certain enterprising individuals and companies banded together to create WebEx, which was the first online service to introduce the concept of “threaded” conversations. Tell that to the Facebook-happy online cowboys of today! This early online communications model – which can be paralleled to posting and replying to messages on a corkboard– served as the blueprint upon which virtually all online communications services that have come along since then have been built on.

While CD’s were busy outselling vinyl, blogs were busy putting outdated and old fashion norms of communication six-feet under… permanently. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 indeed marked the end of an era that was defined by ancient forms of communication, and introduced an uprising of technological advancements in blogging and the online world.

Online diary and so much more

The next significant phase in the development of blogging occurred between the years of 1994 and 2001, where the concept of “the blog” as an online diary first took root. This essentially meant thousands of people kept an online record of everything that went on in their lives. The term “blogger” wasn’t used then obviously – in fact, it probably hadn’t even been conceptualized yet – and most people who engaged in such online activities referred to themselves as “diarists” or “journalists”. Many of these practitioners were members of the academe and the scientific communities, and these people are recognized today as the earliest “bloggers” in the modern sense of the word.

It is surprising to note that these early blogs actually had more in common with modern blogs than you would think. An early blog called the Wearable Wireless WebCam utilized text, graphics, and video in pretty much the same manner that modern blogs do today. Of course, the results were far from the smooth and slick displays that confront you with some of today’s more impressive blogs, but you can definitely see the roots of today’s current blogging scene at work in these early examples.

Blogging trickles down to the masses

As significant as all these previous events have been, these wouldn’t have been much different if it weren’t for the introduction of easier to use blogging tools that essentially served to democratize the entire blogging process. Back then, blogging remained a “black art” for many of the less technologically inclined Web residents, many of whom didn’t have the slightest idea about how to go about putting together a blog. Apparently, Borders didn’t carry “Blogging for Dummies.” This eventually led to the rise of a new stream of online publishing and made it easy for anyone anywhere to post his or her thoughts online without having to know very much about the underlying technologies. These days, you can simply download some sort of browser-based blogging software, of which services such as WordPress, Movable Type, Blogger and LiveJournal are some of the most widely used.

The origins of the word

All this still hasn’t explained where the term “blog” came from. As it turns out, the term “weblog” was introduced by Jorn Barger, with Peter Merholz later coming up with a shortened term “blog”, and the rest is history. It was shortly afterwards that “blog” came in the popular usage as both a noun and as a verb.

Blogging is a potent political tool

Beginning roughly around 2001, blogging became particularly prevalent among certain individuals in the American political scene. Blogs such as Politics1.com, Political Wire, Instapundit, and Little Green Footballs all greatly contributed to the wider spread exchange of information among political analyzers and the public. One blog called The Daily Dish achieved considerable popularity in the days after the September 11 tragedy involving the WTC twin Towers.

More recently, blogging has been used to marvelous effect during some of the more newsworthy political campaigns, such as the drive to instill now-President Barack Obama into the White House. If that doesn’t drive home the influencing power of the blog, then we don’t know what does!

Blogging made easier

By the end of the year, blogging was sufficiently popular to inspire the release of several blogging how-to guides, all of which aimed to instruct the general public on the finer points of blogging. At the same time, blogging’s role in the community outside of the Internet increased exponentially as well. In fact, even many of the more established journalism schools all over the world were looking into the implications of blogging as it related to traditional journalism.

Blogging today and in the future

Today, blogging has undeniably penetrated the mainstream, with everyone from high-powered corporate executives (and those involved in scientific and academic pursuits), to housewives (and even younger children) blogging on a regular basis.

It remains uncertain as to what the different forms of blogging would take on in the coming years. Even now, many bloggers have moved on from the Web into various other media such as radio and television. The migration process has gone the other way as well, with many personalities associated with “traditional” media having gone on to become influential bloggers in their own rights. One thing is for sure, with the many benefits that blogging continues to offer, anyone who is looking to achieve web success, grow your business online, launch a direct response marketing campaign, or simply get their thoughts out for the world to read, blogging will remain an important facet of the online experience for many years to come.

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By Bob and Janette Speyer

Save Poor Children in Asia Organization (S.C.A.O.) is a learning center for orphaned, homeless and poor children in Cambodia. This year the Web Success Team traveled to Phnom Penh as tourists and left as volunteers committed to improving the lives and futures of the children of Cambodia.
Cambodia is a great nation that is still recovering from the atrocities of genocide, war, mass starvation and the Khamer Rouge regime that devastated the country from 1975-1979. Approximately 33 percent of the population is under the age of 15, most of which are impoverished and orphaned. Children roam the streets selling small items in hopes of making enough money to eat and to help support their families

S.C.A.O. is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) in Cambodia that provides homecare, nutritious meals, healthcare, education and clothing to orphans and children living in conditions of poverty and social isolation. In a loving, caring environment, 17 children and Mr. Samith, the director of S.C.A.O., and his wife also live at the Center.

Mr. Samith, himself a victim of Cambodia’s tragic history, has created a haven to help rebuild Cambodia and its future by dedicating himself to the children in his area. We visited the center and saw first hand its volunteers from around the globe, teaching them English and helping provide them a way out of a life of poverty. With all the criticism of our self-centered youth, these young people are an inspiration in their social consciousness to make a difference.

Upon our return from Cambodia, the Web Success Team created a website for the center with a means to raise awareness and make donations. All funds go to the care and feeding of the children for food, clothing, books and education. I personally sent money online via westernunion.com and it takes only a few minutes. Simply go to the donations page for more information: www.savechildreninasia.org/donate.html.
And if you would like to visit Cambodia for tourism, you are always welcome to visit the center. It’s a short tuk-tuk (motorcycle taxi) ride from the center of Phnom Phen, the capital city. We encourage you to go to the website for more information at www.savechildreninasia.org.

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By Bob Speyer and Eric Pangburn Web Success Team

You can have the flashiest and most visually impressive website on the Internet, but if no one ever visits it, then your site isn’t really doing you that much good. By the same token, an e-commerce site that pulls in a fair amount of traffic but very little actual sales isn’t living up to its potential either. In both cases, the one factor that can tip the scales in your favor is effective lead generation. And not just any leads, mind you; what you want are leads that are targeted specifically to build your business.

While there was a time when leads were typically gathered by way of telemarketing and e-mail databases, these methods have largely been supplanted by more currently accepted methods using online avenues. E-mail marketing is particularly deemed outdated, since this opens you up to accusations of spamming. In most cases, the customers that you’re targeting may simply be annoyed by your marketing efforts. Worse, they may even get you in trouble with your e-mail provider. For this reason, more and more people are turning towards online means of lead generation as opposed to cold calling, telemarketing and e-mail.

Below are some effective ways by which you could generate leads and achieve web success in the face of today’s changing online world.

1. Locate the Target: Find out where your customers are and how they can be reached. You can’t go after your target market if you don’t know where it is; it’s that simple. If you have written a book on gardening, the obvious places to look for leads are gardening websites and forums.
2. Join Relevant Communities: Once you have figured out where your potential customers hang out online, join in on the community that they are a part of. Resist the temptation to blatantly market your products or services to them, and instead strive to become an active contributor to the online community. This will allow you to build a rapport with your potential market base that can be used as a foundation for a solid marketing campaign effort.
3. Advertising and Link Exchange: Find out what other websites your customers visit regularly and check them out as well. They may prove to be fresh ground for your marketing and/or advertising campaign. Find out if the website in question accepts advertising and what their rates are. They may even accept article submissions in which case you will want to find out what the terms and conditions of use are. You may even be able to exchange links with the website owner. Don’t automatically disregard a site just because you deem it as a competitor. You may be surprised at the number of websites that are willing to work with the competition just as long as they can benefit from the arrangement as well.
4. Build Your Email List with Value: While unsolicited e-mail can definitely hurt your marketing efforts, a mailing list is almost essential for keeping your existing customers in the loop. Make sure that you do have something extra to offer your customers that are on your mailing list, so that they will feel privileged and being a part of it.
5. Paid Search: PPC or pay per click advertising has been around for a number of years now. While it has its fair share of detractors who feel that it is somewhat outdated and ineffective, it is still a pretty viable means of generating leads. Google’s AdWords is still used by many individuals and companies who want to achieve greater visibility on the Internet. The rates for such ads will vary depending on how crowded your particular field is and where on the page your ad will be placed, among other factors. The beauty of AdWords is that they offer you plenty of flexibility with regard to how much you spend on your ads. Furthermore, you only pay a fee when a visitor clicks on your ad.
6. Blogging: Developing and maintaining an active blog is critical to your lead generation efforts. Posting relevant articles, tips and tidbits peppered with keywords will help drive qualified traffic to your website. One of the weaknesses of a site owner is never having enough time to blog post. We cannot stress this strongly enough. If you don’t have the time, hire a freelance writer.
7. Article Marketing: Get published! A good way to generate new leads is by writing articles that your potential customers may be interested in and getting them published on relevant websites. Most of the websites that allow article submission will feature your author bio as well as a link to your website. There are article aggregators (paid and non-paid) that will circulate your articles on directories, newsletters, blogs, websites to save you time. You submit one article and they distribute it to hundreds of relevant sites.
8. Social Media Networking: Finally, don’t neglect the popular social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and even YouTube. Such sites regularly pull in thousands of people every day, so you can imagine just how vast an exploration area that is for your marketing efforts. The field is wide open for you to reap the leads that your online business needs, and you would do well to explore them as a part of a holistic online marketing campaign.

As you can see, lead generation is a multi-faceted discipline that involves several different methods. The key to success is pinpointing which of these methods actually deliver results and focusing your efforts on them. Not all methods will work the same way for your site as it does for another, so you should carefully consider all your options.

The Web Success Team

SPECIAL: Solopreneur Package – Jump Start Your Business
The Web Success Team’s Solopreneur Package includes a 5-page custom direct response website fully branded and optimized for Search Engines with 6-months of online marketing, social networking, blogging, article marketing and much more. Lock in your special pricing now before the rate goes up! Contact the Web Success Team at 818-222-5643 or email bob@websuccessteam.com. To your web success!

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