Mick Sharpe does it again highlighting fearless exploration not only in HOAs but in thinking.

Mick Sharpe does it again highlighting fearless exploration not only in HOAs but in thinking.
I don't have as much weekend catch up to do.  

Originally shared by Mick Sharpe

Fearless

One of the joys of Google+ is meeting new people, seeing their take on the world and how they embrace the opportunities of this platform. This week I was particularly impressed with the launch of Joey Giangola’s Fearlessly Questioning series. An ambitious marathon of five HOAs taking place on consecutive days. Joey promised to go deep and rattle some cages and I think he delivered on that promise. So let’s take a look at the individual HOAs.

Show No 1: Fearlessly Questioning the Power of Connection (http://goo.gl/HD06as) featuring Mia Voss (actually this was the second planned show but see the note later) Some interesting thoughts from an initially tiaraless Mia including taking some time during the day to explore something totally outside your comfort zone. A great way to discover new things and broaden your knowledge base. Quote of the show, The downturn in the economy has given people the ballsack to go and do what they should be doing You can always rely on Mia to come up with a great line. I see a Big Book of Mia Quotes on the horizon.

Show No 2: Fearlessly Questioning Action vs. Perfection (http://goo.gl/UwFfGG) has Ryan Hanley in the hot seat advocating that we should do the thing and get better at it as we go forward. Ryan makes an excellent point that people judge you on what you are doing today and not what you did years ago. We were treated to a little more of the Ryan backstory and a little glimpse of the tenacity of the man when keeping his options alive - a lesson for us all. Also a little honesty that content creators do want the connections that can result rather than just doing the thing for the sake of it. Another excellent quote You have to stink first, before you can be great Wise words.

Show No 3: Fearlessly Questioning Public Relations (http://goo.gl/9YeuA5) Gini Dietrich shares some thoughts on PR and what might work for your business. Refreshing honesty seems to be a common theme through these shows and in this Gini acknowledges just how much can be done by small businesses without requiring a PR professional. Understanding customers, vetting potential clients for a good fit - there was a lot of good stuff in this show.

I’ve enjoyed the format of these shows, Joey’s sense of humour and desire to explore the hidden depths of the subjects. If you’ve had your appetite whetted then book your seat for Show No 4 Fearlessly Questioning Generosity with Tom Morkes (http://goo.gl/Rviv8D) and the postponed first show Fearlessly Questioning Breaking the Rules with Marcus Sheridan (http://goo.gl/Nx4J1n). I’ll see you there.

A double dose of David Amerland this Tuesday for those needing their weekly knowledge top up. First off in Episode 27 of the #DMAShow Semantic Search Optimization - How to Make Your Pages Sing (http://goo.gl/OLS06p) with Eric Enge and Mark Traphagen David explains how we need to be data dense in this era of Semantic Search and how we need to be flexible and respond appropriately to the opportunities and nuances of differing platforms. Touching on core values (see the next show too), understanding your customer base, creating true value, the role of landing pages, Google raters’ guide, the balance between personal and business posting amongst many others - this was an information-dense show. Aside from the great answers I always enjoy the humour injected into the show - a real rapport between Eric, Mark and David that’s very entertaining.

Later David appeared alongside Mani Saint-Victor, Alexandra Riecke-Gonzales, Carlos Fernandes, Erik Stafford, Bill Slawski and Ammon Johns in Episode 33 of the #ISOOSIChat Aligning Core Values with Business Networking (http://goo.gl/WPfszo). A great discussion around personality types and how it relates to your business. How do businesses get to grips with who they are, and how they can meet their customers needs? I agree with Erik’s closing remarks that any business needs to know enough about the subject to avoid potential disasters. Watching this is a great start!

Adding testosterone one pin at a time

Good to see this relaunch of The Manly Pinterest Tips Show (http://goo.gl/aIp1cm). The inimitable Jeff Sieh invited blogging master Mike Allton to talk about how he goes about his blogging (some useful tips here about organisation and blocking out time) and obviously his use of Pinterest. The pearls of wisdom include matching your image to your post and adding your website link to the image (you do want to be found don’t you?), consistent branding and building your reputation, setting up your boards and many others. Also a great reminder from Laura B Williams in the audience to check all the links in the stuff you repin - actually wise words for all your sharing on any platform. What I found really interesting was the longevity of a pin and its ability to drive traffic over time. I think I’m going to have to work Pinterest into my daily activities from now on. Excellent job Jeff and Mike.

Nothing without the data

For me you can never have too many looks at NOD3x so I was very happy to see #TNTBootcamp - Another Look at NOD3x (http://goo.gl/I7F6JU) Actually stop looking and start using it ;-) Christine DeGraff and Ronnie Bincer invited Lee Smallwood to give an overview of the new features available. If you’re using social media to promote your business then NOD3x is an absolute must to explore your niche, make new connections and strengthen relationships with your advocates.

A grand finale

GPLUSSPOTLIGHT explored Repurposing Hangouts on Air (http://goo.gl/Cbp4eU) for the final show of the season. Stephan Hovnanian and Ben Fisher asked those master of repurposing Scott Scowcroft and Jeff Sieh to share their knowledge. Between these four you have virtually everything covered for getting more mileage out of your HOAs (or those of others). Great section about the rise of HOAs and how this frontier-land is up for grabs at the minute - go and stake your claim! Top job guys and I’m looking forward to the new season.

I always enjoy the observing the growth of others on Google Plus, particularly so when people share their own thoughts on their development. Two such posts caught my eye this week that as well as resonating with those of us that have been here for about the same length of time, also serve as confirmation to new Plussers that this platform is worthwhile. Marilyn Moore gave us The True Value of Google+ (http://goo.gl/0Whjc4) looking at the impact of a post from John Dietrich that made this place special. This caring, sharing community is what we have all come to appreciate over time and it is well worth taking these opportunities to reflect on just how different it is here. A little later in the week Carrie-Anne Foster gave us Why Google Plus? And Is It Worth It? (http://goo.gl/rPGDnz) charting her own journey in this social media platform for grown ups after some disappointment with the engagement on Facebook. I agree that it’s a sure sign that you get Google+ when you develop a blindness to ‘How to post on Google+’ type posts.

So if you have friends and connections that ask you why you spend your time here then you could do worse than point them to these two posts to show what it means to be a Plusser.

Thinkers corner

Grizwald Grim asks What are you practicing? (http://goo.gl/KD4Ky8) and gets us thinking about our activities here on the Plus. I really appreciated the last two paragraphs as they echo the change in my use of Google+ over time. Less casual stream skimming and more focused searching. Unless it’s #CloudWars of course ;-) How is your use changing since you started out here?

Martin W. Smith got me thinking about keeping our customers’ needs front of mind in The Towel & The Soap A Customer Service Fable (http://goo.gl/mDqcOu). A tale of how the wrong focus (cost-cutting in isolation) can have an impact on your customers’ perceptions. In addition to the valuable lesson take note of the message delivery. It’s a fine example of how long form content, weaving elements of a story, can be very successful on this platform.

And finally…

Loretta Lynn and Star Sprinkles! Just too late for last week’s post Amy Harrison unleashed AmyTV 26: Creating Memorable Tutorials That Attract Customers (http://goo.gl/GlEz1m). This one had me on the floor at times, a perfect example of using humour to get across your message. Can’t wait for No 27 Amy.


Have a great weekend wherever you are

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Created by Mick Sharpe of Bitingedge