Zelword » Business

Black Hat SEO Mindmap – Giovanni Galucci

Michael Johnstone — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:37:58 +0000

Great presentation from Giovanni Gallucci. Here’s my mindmap notes.

Taglyn Vehicle Tracking

Michael Johnstone — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:31:17 +0000

I’ve taken an opportunity to get involved in a second business. Taglyn provides tracking for fleet vehicles, auto tracking for individuals, portable tracking units, and tracking software for larger organizations. We get current GPS data on regular (5 min – 60 min) reporting intervals along with other vehicle data and custom notifications.

It’s a mature business and an area I already had intellectual property in so I think it’s a good fit. Right now, I’m taking care of the basics like infrastructure updates and moving the customer base. Soon, I’ll be launching some new features and integrations.

John P: Make More Money with WordPress, Social Media and Analytics

Michael Johnstone — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:54:27 +0000

I enjoyed John P.’s presentation at DFWWP this week. I alwaya appreciate information from someone who’s actually “doing” instead of just talking about it. John P. provided some interesting stats from across Woopra (like the percent of referrals coming from Facebook ~50%, Twitter ~40%, and MySpace -0%). He also mentioned some of the plugins he views as essential and discussed several of his own posts as case studies in how he’s attracting visits.

I decided to take notes with Xmind instead of hand writted (which is usually my favorite). Mindmaps can be a little disjointed as a note taking system but since John P.’s discussion of WordPress and Social Media wasn’t linear, it worked out well to have the ideas organized separately.

You can download the mindmap here: John P: Make More Money with WordPress, Social Media and Analytics

Thank you again to Tony Cecala for putting the event together and for running www.meetup.com/dfwwordpress

Update: Also, check out Jennifer Conley’s notes (with links) at http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddkq5gx8_1015sc7b9cs

Dear Workzone, You Forgot the URL

Michael Johnstone — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:42:07 +0000

Workzone just e-mailed me a newsletter with updates on the service. Two problems though: I can’t remember who Workzone is and they didn’t include a link to the site once in the entire e-mail. Workzone sounded familiar.. some kind of project management site..

I saw the 2 links they included were e-mail addresses so I took the url from that, opened a new window, and typed it in. Now I remember: it’s a nice little project management site. I can’t remember why I don’t use them but I wouldn’t hold it against them. I try 3-4 project management sites a month looking for ideas and best practices.

Most people will not go to the trouble of looking up your URL. Some people don’t even have the skills required to find the URL easily. Make it easy for them and you should see a significant increase in website traffic.

WordPress Technical Meetup in the Works

Michael Johnstone — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:01:24 +0000

Well, I’ve been silent for about a month now. Thanks for those of you who checked on me. Things have just been hectic and those of you who know me know that the A priority tasks in my life always take precident.

I’m organizing another WordPress technical event with a couple of great presentations. It’s tentatively planned for October 3rd and I hope you’ll be able to attend. I’ll send out evites via e-mail and twitter when we’re confirmed.

The Difference between Triiibes and Trying

Michael Johnstone — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:00:28 +0000

As a consultant, web developer, and someone who hasn’t been under a rock for the past few years, I’ve seen a lot of online groups come and go. The Triiibes community is different and leadership is key. Seth Godin provided a great intro, a common tie (yes the book but also a train of thought and a thirst), and prodded the conversation along.

I’ve built forums that languished without leadership. Where the leaders thought it would be great and were willing to pay to have a community built but not willing to invest their own time and participate. The Triiibes community has had it’s own leaders emerge but we wouldn’t be there if Seth had become a part of the community himself.

I’ve consulted for businesses who hoped their customers wouldn’t congregate because they didn’t want everyone talking. Becuase they feared empowering their customers. Seth embraced it. He even sought out the most die hard customers, ones who would buy a book before it was published, and invited them to join the Triiibe.

I’ve even been a member of a business group where everyone only cared about themselves but pretended like they cared about everyone else. Like most habits, that came straight from top leaders of the group and put me off pretty quickly. The Triiibes members seem willing to help each other and honest about themselves.

I regret that I haven’t had time to participate more but I enjoy getting a few words in when I can and love seeing the group develop. I’ve had a busy year with changes at the office and a new child at home (which makes 3 under 3). There are a lot of demands for my time. Triiibes is one community that keeps drawing me back.

Happy Anniversary Triiibes.

Thanks Seth