by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 12, 2010 | Marketing Monday
Dana Moos is one of the most useful people I follow on Twitter (@danamoos). I happened to finally meet her in real life at two tweet-ups (that’s a meetup for Twitter users for the non-nerds out there).
Anyone who watches Dana on Twitter or anywhere else sees that she makes great food (usually associated with the hashtag #foodporn), takes gorgeous Maine photos, and otherwise seems to be everywhere at once. I asked if I could pick her brain about how she uses her website, Twitter, Facebook, and other websites and manages to sell real estate.
First question: Do you ever sleep? If so, how do you manage to do your job, study, be a social media superstar, and have fun?
For the most part, I work from home. So if I’m not out showing property, I am on the computer from the first cup of coffee until it’s time to think about dinner! Then I might be back on the computer after dinner for a little bit.
It takes time, dedication, focus and organization! And it has become part of my routine. Just like exercise (which I don’t do as much as I should!) but the time that it takes hasn’t become a chore for me because I can be so creative with it. Any time I can be creative, I’m happy about what I’m doing. In high school and college I was involved in the Arts, then got away from it and into business, now I’m back. But now I can combine both and I love it.
How did you get into using social media? Did it start out with a blog like it did for me?
That’s exactly how I started. When I was an innkeeper, I learned a great deal about web marketing. So when I got into lodging brokerage, The Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty has a beautiful website, but I wanted my own, for my listings, my focus. So in December 2008, I designed a blog through Google Blogger (mainelodgingbroker.com) because I didn’t have the time to have a website designed by a professional. Besides, I wanted to take a stab at eventually designing my own! So after my blog was established, I joined Facebook and Twitter. And I follow my stats very closely. Seeing the impact of just these two social media sites, I expanded my blogging and photo blogging, primarily for business.
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 9, 2010 | This Week In Business
It’s finally spring in this corner of the world, I hope you’ve been enjoying nature equally where you are at!
Matt and I are finally giving our workshop Saturday and in regards to that, it’s been a week of learning software here at Breaking Even Communications. Here’s what’s been going on:
I am trying ManyMoon project management software.
I use Google Applications a lot for my business. (Full disclosure: I own one share of Google one thing I was looking for was integration of project management software with my Google Calendar. It was in looking around that I stumbled on the Google Apps marketplace. This is kind of misleading, as I assumed all these programs would cost money. Au contraire!
I looked for the highest rated project management apps and found Manymoon. There are both paid and non-paid versions of the software (I’m clearly trying out the free one) but it allows me to schedule tasks that I can associate with individual projects and that will be imported into my Google Calendar. Also, I can collaborate with multiple people on the same project, though I think we all need Google accounts to sign in.
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 7, 2010 | Too Cute Tuesday
Every Tuesday, it’s a craft, a cocktail, and friends. Because DIY is fun and you don’t have to be Martha Stewart to make something cool. For more fun, check it out on Facebook or see all the Too Cute Tuesday posts at www.toocutetuesday.com.
April is my favorite month. National Poetry Month, my birthday, and Earth Day all happen. Also my world gets less muddy outside and I can start wearing sandals.
This month we salute Mother Earth with environmentally related crafts. This week, we made our own shaving cream, inspired by a combination of eHow and Planet Green. Chef Dan showed us and made hot lemonade to spice things up. Yay Tuesday!
Materials:
1/4 bar of soap (2 inches x 1 inch x 1 inch)
1/2 c. water
double boiler situation
1 tbsp. glycerin (It naturally comes in liquid form… which I didn’t know before this evening)
a few drops essential oil (optional- we used lime)
mug
Cocktail of the Night
Hot Lemonade: Combine juice from one large lemon, 1-2 oz. maple syrup, 1 tbsp granulated or brown sugar, 1 oz dark rum. Fill with hot water.
1. Read article in Planet Green about melting glycerin and adding oil to create shaving cream. Think it’s easy.
2. Go to your local hippie-dippy store to pick up glycerin. Realize you can only find liquid glycerin. Hmmm.
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 5, 2010 | Marketing Monday
On Mondays, I explore individuals, companies, and websites that are using the internet in cool new ways. If you have an idea, contact me. I love feedback/inspiration!
They sure don’t make 12 year olds like they used to. How cool that this girl expresses herself on her own Vimeo channel!
I started looking through her other videos when I found an interview Tavi G did with Rich at Weardrobe.com.
Weardrobe.com is not just what you wear but how you wear it. Real people submit photos of their outfits for voting on the site. The winner every month (the photo with the most ‘hearts’) wins a gift card. On the site are also blogs about style.
Also, they are very interested in promoting the work of other bloggers even off of their own website. They have a huge blogroll (list of links) and interviews with fashion/style bloggers.
You can connect to Weardrobe with the usual social media methods. Enthusiastic supporters can even display badges. on their sites (Want to make people want to link back to you? Give them something pretty like a badge to put on their website!)
by Nicole Ouellette | Apr 3, 2010 | Marketing Monday
At the end of the week, I write about whatever I want. Because I can.
I’ve been long teased about how much I like Peeps. I figured there was no way they were manufacturing them just for my benefit though!
Peeps are little marshmallow animals with a sugar-y coating on the outside. Yellow chicks are the normal color shape but now you can get all kinds of other shapes and colors. It’s a great time of year for them but you can get them in seasonal varieties for most major holidays now (green trees for example in December). No more waiting for Easter baskets!
My favorite thing to do with my stash is slit open the package and let them age 2-3 weeks so they get a little crisp on the outside. Here are some people who are far more clever:
From my friend John, it was Peeps Sushi from Serious Eats:
All you need is Rice Krisipie squares, Fruit by the Foot, and Peeps to create. For the instructions and more photos, click here.
From my friend Kate, results from the fourth annual Washington Post Peep Diorama contest. (I think they called it that so I’d finally have to learn to spell ‘diorama’). Here’s the winner:
