Here’s an excerpt from my latest book, Using Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, which includes the introduction, table of contents, list of accompanying video and audio tutorials, as well as the complete version of Chapter 1, “Introducing PowerPoint 2010.” Click the Fullscreen link for the best viewing option. If you enjoy the excerpt, get your copy of Using Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 on Amazon.
Aug 272010
Aug 112010
If you aren’t getting results on LinkedIn, one of these three common problems could be the reason why. The good news: They’re all easy problems to fix.
1. Your profile is boring. Either your profile isn’t complete or it just doesn’t stand out from the competition. LinkedIn’s research indicates that members are 40 percent more likely to get results with a complete profile. So complete yours. LinkedIn even guides you through the process of reaching 100 percent complete status. But there’s more to a complete profile than just entering data in fields. When creating your profile, you need to really think about who you want to reach and what profile content will attract your audience. Be clear, concise, and use appropriate keywords that your targets might search for. Also, give your profile some pizzazz with applications that integrate blog posts, Twitter tweets, PowerPoint presentations, brochures, or a resume. Continue reading »
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Sure, PowerPoint comes with its own set of templates, but people have seen those so often that they begin to recognize them after a while. If you’re looking for something new and different, check out these PowerPoint template options:
- PresentationPro. Their PowerDESIGNS product offers access to more than 18,000 top-quality PowerPoint templates, 3D graphics, and icons. If you use PowerPoint 2010, be sure to check out their new PowerPoint 2010 animated templates.
- Crystal Graphics. Crystal Graphics has developed a vast collection of PowerPlugs, PowerPoint plug-ins that extend the use of PowerPoint. More than ten different collections are available, including video backgrounds, Flash animations, 3D titles, stock photos, music backgrounds, shapes, quotations, headings, remote control devices, portable speaker systems, and custom PowerPoint designs.
- Presentation Load. This site offers individual templates as well as PowerPoint template bundles designed for a specific purpose or industry, such as bundles for business consulting, green IT, org charts, workflow, business backgrounds, or 3D designs. If you want to try before you buy, download one of Presentation Load’s many free templates. In particular, I like Horizon Blue, Leaf Chart, and Fluid Blue.
My latest book, Using LinkedIn, is now available from Que Publishing/Pearson. Using LinkedIn is different from most of my other books in that it also includes access to more than 60 video tutorials and audio podcasts for an enhanced learning experience. You don’t just read about how to do something, you can actually see me demonstrate what to do or listen to me discuss real strategies that work on LinkedIn.
Read more about the book
View the Table of Contents
Buy on Amazon
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LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. YouTube. MySpace. StumbleUpon. Posterous. Ecademy.
And the list goes on. With so many options available today, it’s easy to experience social media overload.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a big fan of social media and how it can help you generate buzz and develop your business. But it can be overwhelming, even addictive for some. With new social sites popping up every day, how do you make the most of the opportunities social media provides and still have time to run your business?
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My latest book, Sams Teach Yourself Basecamp in 10 Minutes, has just been released. This easy-to-ready guide offers straightforward, practical answers when you need fast results.
By working through quick, 10-minute lessons, you’ll learn everything you need to know to manage projects easily, efficiently, and collaboratively with Basecamp, the world’s leading online project management system.
Stay tuned for the latest news, a book excerpt, media links, and tips you can use to make the most of Basecamp as a project management tool.
Video may be generating a lot of buzz on the social web right now, but audio is still a great way to connect with your audience and build community. Podcasting is one good option; a live talk radio show is another. Only a few years ago hosting your own radio show wasn’t exactly an easy thing to do, but services such as Blog Talk Radio have changed all that. Hosting a show is now a fairly simple process, but the quality and content of your show is still what’s most important.
In his entertaining and informative book, Your Show Will Go Live in 5 Seconds: Confessions of a Blog Talk Radio Host
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If you’re a Microsoft Office user, check out the new Microsoft Office 2010 beta that’s now available for download. I’ve been using Office 2010 since the initial Technical Preview this summer and, overall, like a lot of the new features. In particular, I’m liking the new collaboration, co-authoring, and video features and look forward to trying out the mobile and web apps when they’re available.
I was recently invited to be one of the evaluators for the Blog-Off II social media blogging contest, to take place on the Community Marketing blog between December 1st and 12th. Blog-Off II is now offering more than $45,000 worth of prizes, including extensive international media coverage for the winners.
If you’re interested in demonstrating your expertise in social media and blogging, and are interested in competing for some of these cool prizes, check out the details about Blog-Off II.
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Want your readers to retain copies of their favorite posts on your blog without wasteful printing? Place an Eco-Safe badge on your blog to give readers three eco-friendly alternative to printing: emailing HTML, emailing a PDF, or downloading a PDF. If you use WordPress, you can install a plug-in designed specifically for WordPress.
Best of all, the badge takes only a few minutes to install.
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Nov 212009
Safari Books Online is offering a free 10-day trial. Safari includes more than 8,500 books and videos on technology and business topics, including many of my recent titles!
LinkedIn and Twitter just announced a new partnership that will integrate the two social sites. Essentially, the new integration enables you to share your LinkedIn status updates on Twitter and to send your tweets to your LinkedIn connections. Fortunately, you do have some control over what you share and with whom you share it.
To get started, go to the Edit My Profile page on LinkedIn and click the Add Twitter Account link (you can also access this from the Account & Settings page). Indicate whether you want to display your Twitter account on your profile and whether you want to send all your tweets to LinkedIn or only those you specify with the #in hashtag (#li also works). Continue reading »
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Oct 202009
Les Éditions Transcontinental, a well-known publisher in Montréal, just released a French translation of The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking in October 2009. Tirer Profit du Réseautage Social is the book’s title in French.
Stay tuned for more news about media interviews in La Presse and Sympatico.ca.
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LinkedIn just introduced its new Profile Organizer feature, which enables you to save and organize LinkedIn member profiles into folders. This is a great tool for recruiters, entrepreneurs, and job seekers who want to bookmark and track profiles of interest. You can also add notes to profiles you manage in the Profile Organizer.
The only catch? You need to upgrade to one of LinkedIn’s premium plans to take advantage of Profile Organizer. With a Business Account at $24.95 a month, for example, you can create up to five folders for storing profiles. The Business Account also enables you to send InMail, participate in the OpenLink Network, and save multiple search results, among other things.
Few people may upgrade to a premium account just to take advantage of Profile Organizer, but it’s definitely a worthwhile tool if you’re already a premium account holder or have been thinking about upgrading.
Here’s a quick intro to LinkedIn’s Profile Organizer:
Recommended Reading: Sams Teach Yourself LinkedIn in 10 Minutes
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Aug 302009
Company Buzz is one of LinkedIn‘s lesser known applications, but it offers some powerful intelligence tools for those who take the time to install this app and explore its true power.
The primary goal of Company Buzz is to help you monitor the Twitter buzz about your company. When Twitter users post tweets about the companies (or schools) listed on your profile, you can view these tweets on the Company Buzz page or on your LinkedIn home page.
Company Buzz offers much more than just the latest chatter about your company, however. It’s also a great research tool that lets you follow tweets about multiple topics, identify buzz words, and track trends.
For example, let’s say that you want to track the Twitter buzz about your competitors, companies you’re interested in working for, or a topic related to your professional. You can quickly add this search term to your list of followed topics on Company Buzz and view the latest tweets right from LinkedIn. Company Buzz also displays a list of related buzz words to check out and a trending chart that shows you how many tweets your topic has generated over the past week.
To add the Company Buzz application to your LinkedIn account, click the Applications link on the left menu of the LinkedIn home page.
Recommended Reading: Sams Teach Yourself LinkedIn in 10 Minutes
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On August 25th, I was a special guest on the PI Window on Business radio show hosted by Jon Hansen, talking about Linking Opportunities With Results: Getting LinkedIn in 10 Minutes.
Although the live show is over, you can still listen to the on-demand version. The first part of this segment focuses more on writing and publishing strategies. In the second part, I cover today’s hot topics in the social networking world and offer advice on creating a LinkedIn strategy that generates results.
Here are some of the many topics we cover:
- How the publishing world is changing to meet the demands of today’s readers
- Why LinkedIn doesn’t have the dropout rate of Twitter (the infamous Twitter quitters) and why
- My take on all the buzz surrounding social networking sites that limit your number of connections or friends
- When it makes sense to automate social networking and when this strategy works against you
- My favorite strategies for generating results on LinkedIn when you’re short on time
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