How to add your Twitter feed to your website

There are lots of ways to incorporate your Twitter feed into your website or blog, but here are the basic steps using the Twitter widget tool inside your Twitter account.

Choosing a free, premium or custom theme for Wordpress

There are so many free or inexpensive design themes for Wordpress, some people might wonder why anyone would choose a paid or custom theme for Wordpress.

I think there are times when a free theme is appropriate, other times when a paid theme will do, and still other applications that call for a custom theme.

Help me choose blog topics

I really enjoy writing blog posts but what I struggle most with is the topic.

Is is that way for you, too?

I am staring at a list of ideas in green sharpie on white paper (hanging on my wall), but I wonder, does anybody care about any of these things?

Life Online: Forecast for 2010

[Photo Flickr Andy Hay]

Here are my latest random and unscientific thoughts about life and business online in 2010.

If 2009 was the year of 140 character tweets, I predict 2010 will be the year of who-cares-if-we-tweet. It will be a year of questioning and evaluating, planning and stratgy. I think many people jumped into the Twitter fray last year just because Oprah and everyone else was doing it. Now they are asking, “What am I doing here?” Case in point, Brand Republic reports Nielson Online research showing 60% of Twitter users stop using the service within one month after signup.

How to make a difference in the next decade

Yesterday I was reading a post by Matt Perman at What’s Best Next where he talks about making a difference in the next decade.

I love the main thought of the article and that is to make one recurring routine in an area of high impact.

What is your unexpected twist?

[Photo Flickr: Malkav]

My husband is the best cook ever and one of my favorite things about his style is his creativity. Like yesterday he made a stir-fry chicken dish, but instead of the usual soy savory flavor, he squeezed a fresh orange into the mix and served it with a fresh orange slice on the side. I loved the surprising flavor zing – yummo!

How do you follow up after a conference?

ICF 2009 (International Coach Federation) is over and I am grateful for all the connections with familiar and new friends alike. I have a stack of business cards that I don’t want to get buried by my to-do list. Here’s what I’m thinking…

Some contacts I already know and love like @CoachKimAvery, @SusanFleming, Martha Darwin and Gail Hartin. I will definitey refer prospects and stay in touch.

Conversations are in the works with new contacts @MilanaLeshinsky and @AnnFarrell,  so nice to meet you super coaches!

And for other great coaches I met, like @NgeeKey, I will definitely send a quick email to learn more about their coaching practice and what a great referral would be so I can connect people together. After all, isn’t that what networking is all about?

What do you do to follow up with people you met at a conference?

How to get great feedback about your work

A good testimonial is really important when you are offering professional services, but if you’re like many people, you might feel a little embarrassed to ask for one.

Here are some ideas to help you gather good feedback.

• Create an finish line survey. When you cross the finish line of your project, you want to know what went well and what can be improved, right? As part of this survey simply ask, “Do you have any feedback for me which I could share on my website with a link to yours?” This is a simple question that doesn’t ask for a glowing recommendation, but allows your client to put in his own words what he liked about working with you. Plus, it benefits the client with a link to their site (always good).
• Capture email comments. Throughout the project, your client may share kind words or thank you’s about your work together. Ask permission to use these statements on your website with a link to theirs.
• Get anonymous feedback. The Reach 360 Basic Personal Branding survey is one tool that allows you to gather feedback from your friends, clients, or co-workers anonymously. A tool like this can give you great insight into what is really working with your service.
• Hire an interviewer. One of the best ways to get candid feedback about your services is to have someone ask in an interview. You can create the list of questions, then hire someone to conduct the interview and compile the information. This technique may be more pricey, but the results are more likely to be honest.
• And, this goes without saying, but give it your BEST every time. Your testimonials might just start taking care of themselves

What have I overlooked? Please share your tips.

Is Wordpress a good fit for you?

We like to use Wordpress as a CMS (content management system) here at the WebServant, and from time to time people who are transitioning from a static html website wonder if Wordpress is a good fit.

Here are some questions and considerations to help you decide.

• Do you want to blog? Wordpress was originally developed as a blogging tool, so if you like to write and want to create dialogue and discussion with your posts, Wordpress will be a  great tool.
• Do you want to upload files? Wordpress makes it really easy to upload photos, PDF documents, etc. to your website. Being able to navigate and manage your photo and file documents on your local computer will be a big plus when it comes to using Wordpress.
• Do you want to keep a consistent design between your blog and your other website pages? Wordpress uses design themes to carry a consistent look and feel across your site. You can change out the sidebar or make small content design changes from page to page using templates.
• Are you a hands on person? If you want to be hands on in the management of your website, Wordpress is a great tool. You can easily manage changes to text, links, photos and vidoe, and you can add lots of bells and whistles with plugins.
• Do you want to future proof your website? Wordpress is open source software, which means it is constantly being improved and updated, therefore, there may be several new software releases per year. This means your site can be upgraded to the new version multiple times. You can easily hire someone to do this for you or create a partnership for ongoing support.
• Are you into learning new things? Wordpress.tv is a plethora of Wordpress video tutorials, plus there are many other great learning and tutorial websites (for example, we have some videos in our WebServant Community). If you have a question about Wordpress, chances are someone else has also wondered the same thing.

Hope these thoughts are helpful. What else are you wondering about Wordpress?

Do you tweet to Facebook and Linked In?

I think it’s nice that you can tweet to Facebook and to Linked In, but I have two questions  for those who are doing this:

• What made you decide to do it?…. and
• How is it working for you?

I’ve never been one to do something just because I can.

I guess for me, Facebook is a bit different audience than Twitter, which is a bit different than Linked In, and I want to add value, you know what I mean?  I know you can specify your Linked In tweets with #li, but still….I’m just saying, I’m not sure I’m sold.

One thing I dislike is wading through people’s tweets on Facebook. The tweets are out of context and (imho) cause alot of visual clutter. I fear the same to happen now with Linked In.

Is it just me?

What do you think?