process

How To Get More Facebook Likes

by Paul Joseph July 15, 2011 Featured

Facebook Fan Page Generator Review (WordPress Plugin) A few months ago, I made the decision to start a Facebook Fan Page . Obviously, Facebook is a major player in the online space. It’s where over 700 Million people spend a bunch of time, and it’s the site that people spend the most amount of time on. Even more than the “Big G” ( Google ). It made sense for me to get my Biology Website in front of their eyes. So, like I do whenever I try to get into any new venture, I decided to do some research . In my research, I wanted to look at people who were successful in setting up pages, getting people to like their pages and having meaningful interactions with their fans. Since I like to take things in Bite-sized chunks, I decided to attack the part of getting people to like my page first. The Famous “Like-Reveal” One of the things I realized with many of the pages I was checking out was that they implemented what’s called a “ Like-Reveal “. That’s where you visit a Fan Page, and all it shows you is what you will get when you like the page. It presents you with some offer, but you cannot get the offer until you become a fan. What does that do? Well, it causes you to click on the “Like” button IF the offer is compelling enough. From the time I saw that, I decided that I HAD TO include that on my Fan Page. So, I started looking for a way to do it. In doing so, I found a bunch of resources that allowed you to do it. Now, I’m a guy that used to be into HTML very much. I used to do it for fun. Then I learned about WordPress and started to kick HTML to the curb, piece by piece. The first thing I found were instructions on how to set it all up. It involved installing Static FBML, Creating and Designing the tab, adding in some code, inserting the stuff you want shown first, then inserting the stuff you wanted to reveal and eventually having it all set up. Then, of course, whenever you want to make a change, you would have to go back into the code, edit it, and save. After doing a bunch of reading, I decided that there had to be a better way. So, back to Google I went. Then I found services that you could sign up for, pay a monthly subscription fee, and design it easily. This seemed like a very good option, and I was very close to signing up for it. But then I found something else, that made me much more excited . . . The Facebook Fan Page Generator For WordPress The Facebook Fan Page Generator is a wordpress plugin that you can install, that allows you to use the features of WordPress that bloggers are very much used to, to design your Facebook Fan Page, with the “Like-Reveal” feature included. Here’s How it Works: Step 1: Install the Facebook Fan Page Generator for WordPress. This process is exactly the same as installing any other WordPress Plugin. Step 2: Create a Facebook App in Facebook. This is similar to what you would do to include Facebook Comments or any other Facebook-related features to your WordPress installation. Step 3: Attach your wordpress site to Facebook. Step 4: Create your page in WordPress. On the page that you create, their will be a Fan Page Settings box where you include your Facebook App ID. Step 5: Specify what parts of the page you want to show to someone who doesn’t like your page and which parts you want to reveal to those who like your page by using short codes, or by simply clicking on the buttons that are made available in your editor, after installing the Plugin. That’s pretty much it (although, it doesn’t necessarily have to go in that specific order). There are two short instruction videos (total of less than seven minutes) to show you how to do each step of the process. What I Did For My Fan Page When I was thinking about what I should do with my new “Like-Reveal” powers, there were two thoughts that came to mind: I could put together a free eBook , and give it away to everyone who likes my page. I could entice people with a video that they get to watch only if they like my page. Of the two, the second option seemed much easier, especially since I had a cool intro video for my website that I got made on Fiverr . Being the Lazy person that I sometimes am, I decided to go with the easy option. A little Background: My site is about taking complicated (and sometimes boring) topics in biology and make them fun, by making short, interesting videos that explain topics. My ideal target audience are Biology students who are struggling to understand these difficult topics. With that info, let’s move forward. So here’s what I did: First, I created two images with the intention of showing people that once you become a fan, biology becomes amazing You can see those images below: Once that was done, I set up my page in WordPress, and used the shortcode buttons to specify that I wanted those images to show up for non-likers, and that I wanted my YouTube video to show up to those who actually like the page. I grabbed my YouTube embed code as you would normally do when inserting a video into a blog page. You can see how that is done in the following pic: If you would like to see the finished product check out my Interactive Biology Fanpage . You can click “Like” to see what happens after you like the page, and how it all comes together. Don’t worry, when you are finished, you can unlike my page and my feelings won’t be hurt. It’s all for demonstration purposes. Are There Any Downsides? There’s one slightly negative thing I’ve noticed with the plugin. It seems like, because Facebook is pulling from another site (your site) to get the content for the page, it takes SLIGHTLY longer for the info to be displayed. I conducted a test where I looked at a page that was similar to mine. That page took on average around 1.2 seconds to load. However, mine took around 2.2 seconds to load. Yeah, I know. I’m being picky. But I’ve gotten so used to instant, that I do notice those things, so I decided to share that with you. Not a deal breaker, but just something I noticed. In Summary The Facebook Fan Page Generator is a very handy tool for any blogger who has a Facebook Fan Page, or thinking about starting one. Since becoming familiar with WordPress, I pretty much use it for all of my sites. Being able to use it to make my Facebook Fan Page seemed like a no brainer for me personally. It’s the tool I will be using for all of my fan pages (unless I find something better in the future). Click here to Check Out the Facebook Fan Page Generator Plugin All the best with your Fan Page! Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: book, code, facebook, internet, process, research, social-networking

0 comments Read the full article →

5 Effective Reading Strategies For The Busy Entrepreneur

by Paul Joseph July 13, 2011 Featured

Entrepreneurs are often curious, passionate workaholics. Yes, that’s a generalization – but often true. We want to learn more about things – our business, our world, our customers, our industry, our marketplace, our technology and other stuff. And we each have our preferred ways of staying up to date. Watching TV. Listening to the radio. Reading books. Subscribing to magazines. Surfing the Web. Even getting an assistant or professional service to summarize the most relevant information for you. One thing you cannot afford to do is fall behind. Information is indeed power , especially in today’s “knowledge economy”. And that’s why the staggering fact that the average American reads ONE book per year is so shocking. (I don’t know how different this figure is for other countries, but it’s probably representative). I average between 2 and 5 books every week , and my bookshelf is loaded with reading material, both professional and entertainment. Indeed, my taste in books ranges widely, with spiritual guides and business reviews rubbing covers with medical texts, the latest pulp fiction or copywriting tutorials in my bookshelf. And this isn’t all that I read. Online, I browse forums, blogs, news sources, article collections and social networks to stay on top of things. Studying so much material has given me a serious competitive edge over others in my market. And many entrepreneurs would agree that “ applied information ” is one of the secrets of their success too. Why Does Reading Matter? There are many benefits to studying new material regularly: Course correction – Learning something new helps you measure your progress against benchmarks and allows you to make changes that will power you ahead more surely and steadily. Keeping up with trends – Shifts and changes have devastated some industries. The unwary and uninformed were those crushed in those turbulent times. Being aware of trends helps your business adapt and stay competitive. In-depth knowledge – Expertise takes time to acquire. Study any subject for 10,000 hours and you’ll become one of the world’s leading experts. And there are some areas where detailed knowledge sets you apart from competition. 1. Read Longer I recently polled my contacts on social networks to ask how much time they spend reading every week. Not surprisingly, the answers were all over the place. The most frequent response was 2 hours a day . Maybe you’re surprised at that. Maybe you think there’s no way you can find two hours every day to read. Well, if you are serious about keeping up with your business world and remaining competitive, it’s time you started trying. Despite a hectic schedule, I manage to squeeze in 3 to 4 hours of reading every day , often early in the morning or late at night. It may not always be ‘easy’ and you might have to make small sacrifices – but the pay-off is rich and well worth the struggle. Here are some ideas to find reading time: Give up (or cut down) watching TV Wake up a half hour earlier Go to bed a half hour later Carry around a book and make use of ‘down time’ (waiting for a meeting, flight or client) 2. Read Faster I’ve been an avid and voracious reader since childhood. And a key factor in reading so much has been my reading speed. As I wrote this, I tested my reading speed using an online test and it says my speed is “504 words per minute” . For material that I enjoy reading, my actual speed could be double. When you consider that the average full-length book is between 50,000 and 300,000 words, I can zoom through it in 1.6 to 10 hours of reading time. And by reading faster, I’ll save 10 hours in comparison to another reader who can only read half as fast! When it comes to speed reading, practice indeed makes perfect. Concentration impacts your reading speed, as does the absence of external distractions. If you’re serious about improving your reading speed, you can try: Attending a speed reading seminar or course Buying a speed reading book and studying the techniques Using speed reading software to train yourself to go faster No matter which learning method you follow, the improvement in your reading speed will benefit you massively – for the rest of your life. 3. Read Smart What type of books (or other material) you read impacts your overall benefit from reading in a very significant way. A powerful mental image that I use frequently to highlight similar concepts is one that I first read in a book by Stephen Covey called “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” . It was about a man who scrambled quickly up a very tall tree, reached the top, and looked around… only to discover that he was in the wrong jungle! Doing things fast is not always more effective. Doing them right matters more . And that applies to reading as well. When you focus on the right kind of things to read, you get greater advantage from every minute invested into the activity than if the greater part of your reading time is spent weeding through junk. That’s what makes ‘Top 10′ lists and ‘expert recommendations’ so powerful and valuable. Some tips that may help you read smart: Look at ‘best-seller’ or ‘recommended’ lists (if many others thought it was good, it probably is) Seek peer group suggestions about the best sources of reading material Keep a critical watch on what you read, and be quick to abandon wasteful drivel (How often have you plugged on with a book just because you started reading it? Stop doing that – it’s not worthwhile!) Skim the highlights and dig deeper only where you feel you need more detail Make it convenient to access quality material (buy or borrow books to keep by you for whenever you are free to read, bookmark favorite online resources, subscribe to great blogs in your RSS feed). If you click here you’ll see one of my 4 bookshelves – with titles I’ve bought so that I’ll be able to refer to them quickly whenever needed! 4. Read More Everything else being equal, the entrepreneur who reads more (and applies the information effectively) will steal a march over another who doesn’t. As the reading habit grows on you, keep exercising it like a muscle . You’ll be amazed at how much more information you’re able to consume, process and apply in a relatively short time. In biographies of business icons like Donald Trump , Bill Gates , Richard Branson and many others, one common theme is the prodigious volume of information they have access to, and stay updated about, on a regular basis. At his busiest, Gates is said to have personally overseen the progress of almost 900 different projects – on a weekly basis! (And you thought it was EASY being the world’s richest man, huh?!) That sounds impossible – until you start pushing yourself as you gain facility at consuming and applying new information in your business and life. When you find a helpful resource, you’ll often come across references in it to other related information and material that will enhance your understanding about the topic that it covers. Following these links to explore new content sources will broaden and deepen your level of expertise. Before you know it, you’ll be a widely regarded subject specialist – and it all comes from reading more. 5. Read With Purpose Simply reading more books without doing anything purposeful with the knowledge you have acquired is as wasteful as not reading at all! Knowing what you hope to get from reading is the best way to maximize your time. In very broad terms, you may be reading for: Information – This comes from studying how-to guides, news updates, technical manuals, polls, surveys, research reports and similar content. Inspiration – When you study success stories, case reports, biographies and histories of famous companies, you feel energized and excited about replicating their models and successes. Insight – Editorial commentary, opinion pieces, guest columns and special reports or whitepapers can sometimes spark a breakthrough idea, fuel innovation or provide a flash of illumination that creates revolutionary impact. No matter what you’re reading for, be sure that you get value from your time and effort – by having a plan . Record the big (or small) lessons you gained from what you read Jot down ideas you intend trying out in your business or life Highlight passages that you liked very much – and scrapbook them for later Share relevant books and magazines with others in your team or mastermind group for discussion and debate Set deadlines and targets for any actionable steps you plan to implement based on whatever you read All of this will enhance the value you get from reading – and act as a positive feedback loop to encourage you to read even more. Then apply that learning towards further growth. So get passionate about reading more. Start today. Find some time to read. Learn and practice reading faster. Read as much as you can. Do it the smart way. And have a purpose to your reading. Oh, and let me know if you read any great books that I should look at too! Dr. Mani Get your bonus copy of my book “How To Start An Internet Business & Make Your First $1,000 Online” Download Here

Tagged as: business, countries, life, people, process, radio, time, young

0 comments Read the full article →

Social Entrepreneur Martin Wesian: On Wadi, an inexpensive tool that makes the process of disinfecting water, simple!

by Paul Joseph April 24, 2011 Featured

Worldwide over two billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. Martin Wesian, the founder of Helioz GmbH, has developed a technical solution called Wadi, which provides an affordable and efficient tool to make the process of disinfecting water simple and safe. His product was developed in cooperation with ETH-Zurich(Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich), based on the… (Visit Yourstory.in for full news, other content, and much more!)

Tagged as: content, other-content, process, technology, yourstory-in

0 comments Read the full article →

The Startup Centre Goes Live with In50Hrs, its first idea-to-prototype event

by Paul Joseph March 26, 2011 Featured

Twenty-four ideas are in the process of becoming a possible product prototype By 6 pm on March 25th, the stage was set for In50Hrs, the first initiative of The Startup Centre (TSC), where you build a prototype out of your idea using buddy network and mentor guidance. The crowd swelled and the atmosphere at the new office of TSC was electric. Dorai Thodla, CEO of iMorph, cofounder, TSC and one of… (Visit Yourstory.in for full news, other content, and much more!)

Tagged as: content, frontpage, other-content, process, startup, yourstory-in

0 comments Read the full article →

Interview with Patrick J. Howie, Author of The Evolution of Revolutions

by Paul Joseph March 2, 2011 Featured

How would you like to be able to identify “the next big thing?”  Not the latest fad, but the next truly revolutionary innovation. Of course we would all love to do that, because the few who are the first to do so will experience tremendous growth and success.  Well, Patrick J. Howie’s new book, The Evolution of Revolutions: How we Create, Shape, and React to Change , doesn’t guarantee you’ll see the next big change coming, but it most certainly puts you on the right path and opens your eyes to what to look for. Not only did I learn a lot from reading this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s writing style and story telling ability.  I highly recommend the book, and I’m thrilled that Patrick J. Howie was willing to answer some interview questions for us.  Read the interview below to get a good idea of how valuable the information Patrick has to share is. How did the idea for THE EVOLUTION OF REVOLUTIONS evolve? I was working with a startup company that was struggling to effect change both within the organization and with their customers.  The need to change created stress and finger-pointing was the norm.  I was asked to give a presentation at the company offsite, and I explained to them that what they were experiencing was normal.  It wasn’t that people and groups were making mistakes; rather creating change is difficult and wrought with unforeseen problems. By showing them that the process they were going through was the same as some of the most famous “revolutions” – everyone was better able to internalize that creating change is difficult and the creating a revolution is a process, not an event. What are some recent revolutions in business? Every industry, organization, and field is always undergoing revolutions.  The key is to recognize them, decide what you can and should do, and then act.  The most popular and obvious examples today relate to technology.  One example that is particularly interesting is the book-publishing industry itself.  The advent of the eReader is rapidly changing the industry as the traditional paper-book is quickly losing ground to the digital-book.  Each player in this industry must understand how this process will continue to unfold and what they must do to prosper, not just survive, under this new reality.  The electric utility industry is also undergoing a dramatic change, although it may be much less apparent to us.  The traditional utility is effectively splintering into two industries, the company that owns the line to your house or business and the company that creates the electricity that goes through those lines.  Traditionally, both activities were controlled by a single company but the reality of the future is that these activities will be (and already are being) done by different companies. What do you see as the next big revolution in business? I see two major movements that are ongoing: First, the traditional PC, which was the driver of much of our economic growth over the last two decades, is becoming less relevant.  With the ability to access any document or data file from anywhere, people no longer need a powerful personal computer to perform many tasks.  The ability to access and interact with the Internet, which we can now do anytime and anywhere, with just about any digital device, means that we can get access to a very powerful computer, with tons of storage and great software, that is secure and has great tech support, without the need of a personal computer. Second, the traditional use of the internet to disseminate and find information. The next revolution will be to aggregate individuals behind a common cause.  President Obama is famous for using the internet to muster support for his cause, and we have seen similar uses of social media in the recent political uprisings in the Middle East.  But the aggregation of like-minded people does not have to be for a political cause.  We are seeing a proliferation of sites that aggregate people for much more mundane things.  The most popular set of sites are the group-purchasing sites, led by Groupon, that aggregate a bunch of people interested in purchasing a specific product in order to get deep price discounts.  Other sites are taking this concept and applying it to the support for new projects or even to the funding of new businesses. Why is identifying future thought leaders important, and how do we go about doing so? First of all, future thought leaders are the creators of the next revolution: If Mark Zuckerberg is the next Bill Gates, who is the next Mark Zuckerberg?  He or she is working away right now and wouldn’t it be great if we could at least narrow down the field of candidates and understand what they are doing so we can figure out what to do. Identifying future thought leaders requires us to reject a basic instinct of ours by NOT listening to the current thought leaders.  The current thought leaders are almost certainly not going to be the thought leaders of tomorrow, and they are almost certainly not even going to be able to identify the thought leaders of tomorrow. But the thought leaders of tomorrow are already starting their revolution, and they are already leaving their marks for us to see.  To find these thought leaders, you must look for those people who have new ideas, who continue to expand on those ideas, and who are getting traction with those ideas – these are the revolutionaries of tomorrow. What advice do you have for Young Entrepreneurs who are trying to predict “the next big thing?” Do not listen to the experts; they are almost certainly going to be wrong.  However, do not listen to the “crowd” either, as they are almost as likely to be as wrong as the experts.  You must find the subset of people in your field who understand what is wrong with the current approach/system/product and why it is wrong.  The experts created the current approach and cannot truly see its deficiencies.  The crowd can see the deficiencies, but does not understand why, so they do not know what it takes to improve.  There is a group right now that is working on fixing a problem from the inside – these are the creators of the next big thing.

Tagged as: entrepreneur, entrepreneur interview, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, house, interview, process, technology

0 comments Read the full article →