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Adding Circles to Your Gmail Chat (Gtalk)?

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Update: It seems that Google did remove the functions we mentioned in this post.

Updated from Google:

We wanted to offer you more control over who you can chat with in Google Plus. So we’ve made a change that requires you to explicitly invite people in order for them to appear in your chat list. For Gmail, Orkut and iGoogle users, we’ll continue to include the people who you can already chat with in those properties.

Original Post

The other day using Google + I started using gmail chat which I got the option to include everyone in my circles into my GTalk contacts. A few hours later I got a message from Steven (a member of Kitchen Table Companies → Affiliate Link) asking me how did I on how I adding myself to his Gtalk contacts.

I quickly ran him through the steps and he gave me a few reasons why this could really help him use even more GPlus. (many of them where on the business side).

Adding Your Google+ Circles to Gtalk

If you go to the chat area on your left side of your Google+ screen you will see an arrow giving you the option to see your Circles, Setting, or to Log Out of Gtalk.

If you click on Circles you will get the options to choose the circles you want to chat with. This automatically enables the people in your circle to see that you are online.

Something you have to take into consideration when enabling your circles in Gtalk is the fact that people might be able to discover your email address. So make sure you only enable people you trust.

If you need to adjust setting of your Gtalk you can also do that by hitting the chat settings button.

 

This integration on Google+ will help me keep in touch with many of my contacts that I had lost touch for a while since I hardly use Gtalk.

What other benefits and/or disadvantages do you see in having Gtalk integrated with your circles?

3 Reasons How To Promise & Deliver When building…

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I see how many companies try to build their email marketing lists in a way that is not spam. But, once the list starts growing they get tempted to go towards the “dark side”.

Based on my experiences, I think these are 4 Reasons How To Promise & Deliver When Building Your Email List.

Set expectations

Be clear on how often you will publish your newsletters and communicate  that to the people who have trusted you with their email.

Stick to a schedule

When companies or marketing departments start seeing results of an email list, they decide to break the established schedule.

Don’t send too often.

If you are bombarding your customers with messages via a newsletter or social media sites, they might lose interest in what you have to say. Feel free to ask your audience every once in a while if they want more info or less of it.

My recommendation is a monthly newsletter with occasional supplements to promote events or specials.

How often do you engage with your audience and the awesome individuals who decided to sign up for your list?

Any other tips or ideas that I missed out on?

 

5 Small Business Benefits of Being at #SXSW

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Photo Credit by Jose Padilla ( @jpadilla_)

We where present at #SXSW and had the opportunity to experience it from a Small Business point of view. Different to other smaller conferences focused on many of the same subjects, I can clearly say that if you are a Small Business Owner the environment of #SXSW makes you feel right at home.

There were sessions focused the small business owners in mind. There were also great people attending the event, who wanted to get to know you as a person first.

Benefits of Being at #SXSW

Some of the clear Benefits we received as a small business were the following.

1. Access to a Large Network

Tapping into a Large Network of Quality People with common interests without measuring how big your organization is or who you are. Giving you the opportunity to meet people from various professional levels from different types of organizations.

2. Pool of Ideas

Many people together exchanging ideas from various perspectives. You had developers, marketers, bloggers, and people from various walks of life sharing their experience from their point of view.

3. Refresh

Refreshing your current efforts. It might be frustrating to get things done when you have individuals or a group of people that don’t get what you do. Based on conversations and interactions, new ideas will arise helping you take a new approach at something that you have probably been frustrated about.

4. Experience Latest Tech Tools

It can also help you find new tools and gadgets. I usually end up learning about the most practical and cost effective gadgets and applications when I am surrounded around peers who have been using them. I end up getting tools that are better and faster at getting things done than what I might be currently using. A good example of interesting apps I was recommended during #SXSW were Beluga  and Liveshare which I learned at a party sponsored by their creator Cooliris.

5. New Relationships

Extending your network with stronger relationships. It is not the same to meet someone online than meeting them in person and continuing the conversation online. Every time I have met someone in person and later on reached out to them online I  created great  relationships.

Did we miss any other benefits of going to a conference like SXSW?

If you want to read about our Raul Colon’s (Co-Founder & President) experience at SXSW feel free to visit his blog.
Photo Credit by Jose Padilla @jpadilla_

Starting a Business in Seven Steps by @raffel

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Content and post from jimraffel.com

There are many details involved in starting a business. Here, I’ve boiled it down to the seven that I have found to be most important to continuing business success.

1. Open a checking account. The moment you make the decision to go in business for yourself, open a new checking account. Decide how much you are willing to invest (lose) giving this business idea a shot. Fund the account with that amount. By the way, your accountant is going to love you because you will not be commingling personal and business funds. Also, until you setup an accounting system you have a basic way to keep track of expenses and income.

2. Decide upon legal structure. There is no right answer for this step. I’ve been a sole proprietor, a member of an LLC and probably will have S and C corps before my career is over. This is the time to call on the professionals in your circle. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each with your accountant and attorney. Then, you can make an informed choice; a choice, by the way, that is not etched in stone.

3. Decide on an accounting system. If I was doing it over again I’d probably use something like FreshBooks.com and OutRight.com. Again you’ll want to consult with your professional support to decide on issues like; calendar year versus fiscal year; cash basis versus accrual accounting methods and other details that matter but can be worked out quickly with professional assistance.

4. Sell something. I’d actually be totally okay with this being your step number 1. There is really nothing wrong with selling first. I’ve read enough business success stories to know that getting out there and selling is the key to success. In the early days, when the founder of Sam Adams brewery wasn’t quite sure what he should be doing, he took a six pack of beer and walked into six pubs and let the bartender try the beer. It always resulted in increased distribution.

5. Spend about 10 seconds putting together basic marketing materials. I am talking about the very basics like a web-site and some business cards. It might take more than 10 seconds but honestly if you spend more than a day on this at this point in your business’ life, I think you are making a mistake. Later, when business is booming, you can hire a designer to clean up and improve upon what you’ve started.

6. Sell something else. The life blood of any business is revenue. Unless you’ve had past business successes and lots of capital (venture or otherwise) behind you, selling will be your #1 job. Early on, you will very likely sell the wrong things at the wrong prices. It’s okay as long as you protect the downside and don’t let any one transaction put you in a position that could put you out of business.

7. Decide what you should be selling. Now that you have sold a few things, decide if what you are selling is actually what you should be selling. I realize this may sound silly on the surface, but I learned early on what I could sell profitably and what I could not. Whatever your business is, you need to analyze your products and services mix often. Products that are profitable and awesome for your business today could be putting you in the red a year from now.

Once you have an ongoing concern, make sure to look at your books a minimum of once a month. I’m not talking about a glance at the financials. I’m talking about a solid hour or two of uninterrupted time figuring out what is working and what is not. Once a year, I look at all our monthly expenses and commit to cutting them by 20% no matter what. It’s never been difficult to do so.

Obviously, every startup will be different but I suspect the steps that work for you will be approximately the same. Did I miss any important ones?

Photo Credit

Learn More About the Author

Jim Raffel is the CEO at ColorMetrix Technologies, LLC a company he co-founded in 1996. Jim earned a B.S. degree in Printing Management at Rochester Institute of Technology in 1986. After graduation Jim worked as a quality control manager assisting in the start-up of two 8/9 unit web presses. Jim then engaged in two years of independent consulting while developing an early version of the ColorMetrix software. The consulting assignments were diverse and took Jim to places as far away as New Zealand. Next, came a position as a special projects manager with a large web printer. Jim worked on and managed projects related to quality and productivity enhancement through the use of technology. One project alone added over two million dollars to the company bottom line. During this same period Jim earned an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management in 1994.  In addition to managing the day-t0-day operations of ColorMetrix Technologies, LLC, Jim writes daily at JimRaffel.com with his unique inspirational storying telling public speaker and small business CEO perspective.

Follow him on twitter @jimraffel

Broadcasting equals less Engagement

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Photo Credit: Flickr

Many business accounts are constantly Broadcasting their sales, accomplishments, product features, company news, and anything they can find about themselves that appears to be interesting to them. When people broadcast a message it is mainly to attract the masses not focusing on quality. Something I have found through social media is that the more you broadcast the less interaction you get.

I have outlined the reasons why some twitter business users end up broadcasting and end up with little or no interactions.

Self-Promoting products, services, and company

Many twitter business users that are new to twitter create accounts and immediately start sending messages about there products, services, and other information relevant to company and interests. I have even seen a few that go after users and beg or harass them to follow them.

Most of these users also lack interaction with other users. On the other side they feel that everyone should learn about there company but they don’t take the time to learn about the others. They fail greatly in not looking for the interests of their community and clients.

Sharing Accomplishments

It is human nature to feel you need to be recognized for your accomplishments. A good example of people that want to be recognized are the so called Social Media Experts which share a collection of names such as Guru, Evangelist, Kings, and Queen. One of the terms still up for grabs is “Swami” for those of you who want to make the recommendation to these experts feel free to recommend it to them. They are constantly bragging that they have a certain klout score or have to announce how many followers they just gained. What they don’t realize is that other people take there perspective they really don’t care about how many followers you have they are to worried about their own.

Let other people share your accomplishments you will get better results. If you feel like sharing something find a polite way to share it but don’t bombard your users with your constant accomplishments.

Hoarding Followers

When I started using twitter I confused it with other social networks. I remember when I used ICQ in the late 90’s where my objective was trying to get in contact with as much people possible just to be able to keep multiple conversations all the time.

Twitter is a micro-blogging portal very different from others in social media. It is key that you earn your following and focus on quality of contacts. The more interested your followers are to your tweets the more probable is that they can be advocates of your message or thoughts (and maybe later on your company and services).

Always look for contacts that have things in common. Many people start adding people randomly in hopes to get someone to follow them back. Even if they follow you most people might not even read your tweets. By interacting with the people you have and really taking care of your audience you will start building a community that will be well worth waiting for your follower count to rise organically.

More Attention

There are no many ways to call attention to yourself. But something you need to keep in mind is that you can do it in a negative or a positive way. People that try to hard end up sharing a negative image. When you are using twitter and/or other social media platforms it should be with the purpose of establishing relationships. To increase the opportunities to establish those relationships you should do a great job at projecting a clean and positive image.

If you need some help on getting attention to attract clients in a positive way @jimkukral’sAttention! This Book Will Make You Money: How to Use Attention-Getting Online Marketing to Increase Your Revenue.

In what ways do you interact with your online communities?

How are you going to increase interaction and eliminate Broadcasting?