When you’re cooking something for dinner, you can definitely tell when you’ve forgotten to season it; whatever it is you’ve prepared, if it’s not tasting good, you’re not going to eat it. So, why do you ask your blog audience to read posts which you haven’t spiced up at all?

I’ve been using the word “consumable” quite a bit lately as it relates to blog posts written by the clients I’m coaching. As they write, I impress upon them the importance of making what they’re writing “taste good” so it can be easily digested.

Here are some of the characteristics of an “under-seasoned” blog post:

• It consists of one block of text – not good for the reader with wandering eyes…
• It’s 1000 words long and the author still hasn’t gotten to the point
• There’s no image to help me remember what the author wrote about – I’m a visual person – help me out…
• There’s language used which I don’t fully understand and the author hasn’t linked out to a resource to help me learn more

How do you spice up your blog posts to make them “consumable”?

For most small business owners, myself included, time and money are in short supply, especially when it comes to marketing. The “Social Media for Small Business” workshop series will begin with a free workshop focusing on why it is important to engage in social media as a small business owner. We’ll also discuss which platforms you should engage in to get the most out of your time. Bring your laptops to subsequent workshops where we will create a WordPress website/blog, Twitter account, Facebook FanPage, LinkedIn Profile and a MailChimp e-newsletter. I’ve also designed a workshop which will introduce you to the tools necessary to manage all of these platforms and to create content to share with your consumers.

All workshops in the series will take place from 6-8pm in the Conference Room of the Worldwide Amplified Studio located on the Skywalk Level of the Partnership Building at 700 Locust Street in Downtown Des Moines.

*FREE* Social Media for Small Business Workshop Overview,7-Sep

In this FREE workshop, learn why it’s important to engage in social media as a small business owner and how best to engage in which platforms to get the most out of your time.

Create a WordPress Website/Blog Session I, 14-Sep – $25

Bring your laptop and we’ll create a basic website/blog for your business using WordPress. WordPress allows you to develop a website/blog for free. If your business does not currently have a website or blog, this is a great start. We’ll create a few critical pages for your site and focus on the techniques of blogging. Prerequisite: General computer skills.

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Create a WordPress Website/Blog Session II, 21-Sep – $25

This is a continuation of the first session which took place on 14-Sep. Bring your laptop and we’ll continue to create a basic website/blog for your business using WordPress. In addition to the pages we created in Session I, we’ll create a few side-bar widgets. We’ll take a look at the blog posts people wrote for homework and critique. Prerequisite: General computer skills.

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Create a Twitter Account for Your Business, 28-Sep – $25

Bring your laptop and as a group, we’ll go through the steps required to set up a Twitter account and profile for your business. You’ll learn Twitter etiquette and how to engage Followers on the platform. If you attended the fist two sessions in this series and developed a website, I’ll show you how to create a link on your website to your Twitter account. When you leave, you will have a firm grasp on how to find and follow people and how to create relationships that will help you in your business. Prerequisite: General computer skills.

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Create a Facebook FanPage for Your Business, 5-Oct – $25

Bring your laptop and as a group, we’ll go through the steps required to set up a Facebook FanPage for your business. We’ll talk about the tabs and Facebook Ads, edit the Bio section, upload your business’ logo and add some content to the Wall so you can begin inviting your friends to become FANS of your FanPage. If you attended the fist two sessions in this series and developed a website, I’ll show you how to create a link on your website to your Facebook FanPage. Prerequisite: General computer skills and a personal Facebook page.

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Create a LinkedIn Profile and Company Page, 12-Oct – $25

Bring your laptop and as a group, we’ll create personal LinkedIn Profiles and Company Pages for your business. We’ll spend most of our time on the profile, but we will also talk about how to search for people you can build relationships with to help you in your business as either a customer or connector. If you attended the fist two sessions in this series and developed a website, I’ll show you how to create a link on your website to your LinkedIn presence. Prerequisite: General computer skills.

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E-Newsletter Creation using MailChimp, 18-Oct – $25

Having an e-newsletter for your business is a great way to stay in touch with customers – especially when they’re not quite ready to buy. We’ll set up an e-newsletter template using MailChimp (free for up to 500 email addresses) and you’ll leave with a firm grasp on how to draft your first e-newsletter and send it to your email database. If you attended the fist two sessions in this series and developed a website, I’ll show you how to create a newsletter subscription link on your website. Prerequisite: General computer skills.

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Content Creation and Management Tools, 26-Oct – $25

I consistently hear from those not engaged with or new to social media: “I don’t have the time to do this” and “I don’t really have anything to say”. Bring your laptop and we’ll download TweetDeck to make it easier to manage your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles and we’ll set up your GoogleReader so you can subscribe to blogs and searches relevant to your industry as RSS feeds. Prerequisite: General computer skills.

Facebook just launched “Places”. It allows Facebook users who have a SmartPhone (for the most part) to share their  location with friends, find out where their friends are (if they’re using Places), and discover new places.

For those of you using Foursquare, Places is similar, but different. Places isn’t concerned about checking-in to a coffee shop the most in order to become mayor and earn the coveted free espresso; it’s concerned with providing an interface for users to share Places they discover.

Read Mashable’s full write-up on Places here.

But Beware: As a Places user, you can add places, check in to places that already exist, and tag people who are with you.

Let’s say you’re out at Hessen Haus for lunch with co-workers and someone decides to order a Boot. You run the risk of your boss knowing where you were, who you were with and what you may have done before going back to work for the afternoon. All it takes is for one person within your group to share their location with Facebook Places and “tag” you. Your location will show up on your Facebook Wall without you doing a thing.

Here’s how to change your Facebook privacy settings to ensure that this doesn’t happen:

• Log in to your Facebook Account
• Click on the arrow next to “Account” and choose “Privacy Settings”
• Click “Customize Settings”
• “Disable” Include me in “People Here Now” after I check in
• “Disable” Friends can check me in to places

Here’s something I do to stay on top of these types of issues: I’ve got a reminder on my Outlook calendar that pops up monthly that tells me to check the privacy settings on all of my social media accounts. These sites change what’s “private” and what’s “public” on a whim.

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Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to set your privacy settings (to a certain degree) to what you want to share with the public and what you want to keep private.

If you’re ever unsure if you’ve got your privacy settings set up correctly for Facebook (follow the same procedure for LinkedIn), follow the steps below:

1. Log out of your account
2. Google yourself, for example, “Suzanne Hull” Facebook
3. Click on the link

Now you see what the public sees when they Google your Facebook or LinkedIn profiles. If you don’t like what you see here, revisit your Facebook and LinkedIn privacy settings to make the appropriate changes.

HT to Tom Flynn III at Lessing-Flynn for sharing the Gobbledygook Grader in a recent blog post.

HubSpot’s Gobbledygook Grader, created together with David Meerman Scott, evaluates your written content (press release, brochure copy, etc.) and checks for use of gobbledygook, jargon, cliches and over-used, hype-filled words. You’ll receive a grade together with a full report.

I copy/pasted the content from the front page of my website and got this report. If you write your own copy for press releases, marketing materials or your website, make use of this tool to ensure that you’re not “fluffing up” your content.

I just finished reading Free Agent Nation by Daniel Pink. Had I read this book when it was first published in 2002, I wouldn’t have gotten as much out of it as I have reading it in my current Free Agent infancy. It’s almost as if I’m living his book right now…

When I was looking for a job in 2009, I was networking with amazing people, who, surprisingly enough, were and still are Free Agents. I’d heard the phrase mentioned quite often, but didn’t quite fully grasp the concept until I began reading Free Agent Nation. I’d had about four people recommend that I read the book.

If you have an open mind and are interested in getting out of cubicle-world and living your life now, this book is a must. Daniel Pink talks about both the pros and cons of free agency, but he definitely makes compelling arguments FOR becoming a Free Agent.

At the end of the book, Pink includes an exercise that aspiring Free Agents can go through to discover their direction. Interestingly enough, I’d gone through a similar process of discovery with the help of the mentors I’d discovered while networking before I ever picked up the book…

I still network with the Unemployed of Des Moines and am nudging them towards becoming Free Agents in lieu of, or in addition to, traditional W-2 jobs. But I truly believe that every person comes to discover free agency in different ways. There are some cons that go along with the pros, so this is really a lifestyle that you have to be comfortable with in order to make it work.

Are you a Free Agent? How did you discover free agency? Are you a Free Agent evangelist?

Working as a Free Agent since November 19, 2010 (a day I will never forget), I have projects that cross my path that I know are a perfect fit:

• My skills match the needs of the client
• We have a good rapport
• They “get it”

Then there are those projects that I’m approached with that make me hesitate:

• My skills don’t quite match their needs (this is when I reach out to my network of Free Agents for collaboration)
• The Client and I do not have a good rapport (this is going to be challenging – I usually weigh the cost vs. benefit)
• They don’t “get it” (I oftentimes turn down these projects)

Then there are those times where I’m asked to provide what I know is a short-term solution to a long-term need. This is where my ethics kick in and where I usually turn down a project. I’m speaking primarily about social media at this juncture. If I provide social media services for a client for a month (coaching or community management), or if they want 2 hours of Facebook coaching – where will this leave them in the long-run? If they’re not satisfied with their business growth after our interaction, this could potentially hurt my business in the long-run. Word of Mouth is pretty powerful.

What are your thoughts? Do you take on all projects you are presented with? Do you pitch to clients who you know won’t be a good fit because you’re in a slump? Have you ever turned down business?

Have you always wondered what that Google Reader thingie is that everyone is talking about?

Or are you getting started on your own website in WordPress and you’re hung up on a few things?

Have no fear, Office Hours are here.

Every other week (sign up for my e-newsletter to get the exact date/time/location) I’m at my “office”, aka Smokey Row, and am available to take any and all questions. Bring your laptops and we can work on what’s troubling you in your business.

Perhaps you have questions about how to use social media in your business; or how to start a business all-together. All questions are welcome. Hope to see you there!

By the way, I’ll be at Smokey Row tomorrow morning from 9-11am if anybody wants to come out!

If you’re wondering how you can get involved in social media – look no further than the Social Media Club of Des Monies. The Board of Directors were announced on March 4, 2010 and we’ve been organizing community events ever since.

Social Media Club Des Moines is a local chapter of Social Media Club, an organization whose mission is to promote media literacy, promote standard technologies, encourage ethical behavior, and share best practices in social media.

The Des Moines chapter of Social Media Club seeks to bring together area technologists, business owners, educators, professionals, enthusiasts, and users of all vocations to provide a forum for education and collaboration on social media technology, platforms, and strategies.

Some great events coming up include:

SMCDSM Sponsored Event~#RockinTheBeerFloat

Time: July 14, 2010 from 5:30pm to 9pm
Location: AJ’s on East Court
Street: 419 East Court Ave
City/Town: Des Moines, Iowa
Website or Map: http://www.facebook.com/#!/aj…
Phone: (515) 282-1888

Everyone LOVES ice cream.
Most everyone LOVES beer.
Why not splash em together and Rock The Beer Float?

Imagine sucking down Olde Main’s Sudbuster Stout drizzled over a big ol’ scoop of cream kicking it on AJ’s on East Court’s patio. Pure #awesomeness.

AJ’s is offering special pricing for Beer Floats at $4.50. But if you want to kick it olde school, regular Root Beer Floats will cost ya $3.50.

Hope to see all the social media freaks and wannabes there! Party starts as early as 5:30pm with karaoke at 9pm! I know some of you will come just to sing New Kids on the Block.

Facebook Hack Night

Time: July 14, 2010 from 7pm to 9pm
Location: Smokey Row
Street: 1910 Cottage Grove Avenue
City/Town: Des Moines
Website or Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f…
Phone: 515-314-8165

Bring your laptop and an inquiring mind and we’ll poke around the Facebook Fan Page platform to see what kind of mischief we can find.

Christian Renaud: Can B2B Prove ROI in Social Media?

Time: July 28, 2010 from 6pm to 9pm
Location: Jasper Winery
Street: 2400 George Flagg Parkway
City/Town: Des Moines, IA 50321
Website or Map: http://www.jasperwinery.com/
Phone: (515) 282-9463

Do you have people asking, “Great – so where’s the return on investment?”
Christian Renaud, CEO of Palisade Systems has a few answers. Join us to hear one of the more dynamic business leaders in Central Iowa give us his insights on how social media marketing really does pay off, even in a B2B world. His tips certainly apply to B2C as well. Note: Mr. Renaud will speak at 7:00, preceded by a social hour.

Think about it: his audience is in data security, but it still works. Some background in case you didn’t catch the 5/30 DM Register feature about Christian and his company. Check out his blog. Not one to miss.