Showing posts with label Presentations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presentations. Show all posts

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Are you ready for Podcamp AZ 2010?

It's almost Podcamp AZ time once again. I'm looking forward to Podcamp AZ 2010 even more than the three that came before because I'm not helping to run it this year! A great group of volunteers has picked up the reigns and is busy putting together a kick-ass event that we'll all enjoy. It's happening soon: November 20-21 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. So get registered now!

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="Podcamp AZ 2010"]Podcamp AZ 2010[/caption]Podcamp AZ is a relevant media unconference. I rather like that title, particularly the word relevant. There is no more "the" media. Some of the biggest media from the perspective of impact is ran by the smallest number of people. The media giants of yesterday continue to speak to a disinterested audience. Print is dead or dying. My media is not your media, and that's a Good Thing.

I'll be a part of two events at this year's Podcamp AZ. The first is a "genius panel" (their word, not mine). It's a special Podcamp session that is 100% dedicated to questions from the audience. I'll join fellow podcasting thought-leaders Debbie Walker, Dani Cutler, Jack Mangan, Teel McClanahan, Marc Spagnuolo, & Nicole Spagnuolo on the stage. You'll come with plenty of questions. Sounds like fun!

I'm giving a solo-session as well, continuing my focus in the new world of publishing. Here's the description:

Podcasting for Authors
For almost six years now, some “underpublished” authors have found success behind the microphone. Some record their own serialized audiobook and release it as a podcast. Others hit the podcast interview circuit. Many have found themselves video darlings. But they all share one thing in common: a do-it-yourself mentality. I’m the co-founder of Podiobooks.com and the author of Podcasting for Dummies. I’ll walk you though those who have done it well, how to avoid pitfalls, and teach you how to rock this on your own. If you have the drive and desire, that is.

Get registered. Get here. And get podcasting!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Social Media for Authors a smash success!

Tonight I taught the Social Media for Aspiring Authors class at Changing Hands bookstore in Tempe. Not to toot my own horn (again), but I think it was smash success. The audience really seemed hungry for the content, and kept leading me right to my next point. And I only had to pull the "It's 2010" card once! Based on the feedback, I'm certain that Brandon and I will be working on a more formal workshop schedule. Excellent!

For those that made it: thank you. I truly enjoyed all of your comments and feedback. Thank you for being such an attentive audience.

And for those who didn't... well, it's hard to convey what we covered. I considered posting my outline, but I don't think in complete sentences. And I sure as heck don't outline that way. But here are the broad strokes:

  • We spent a good deal of time talking about the power of free. This is always a contentious topic, especially when talking to authors. And while I received a few questioning looks when I started, I think I won them over. Not that I attempted to convince them to give their stuff away for free. Not at all. But I did convince them that some authors are finding ways to use free to gain readers, book deals and real sales. They also walked away understanding this trend isn't a flash in the pan -- it will continue. And they have to try and work in that world.

  • I introduced my "Three Tees that Plague Underpublished Authors" concept. It went over well and I think made my further points hit home that much stronger. They are:

    1. Quality -- Can you hire the rest of the production team to make your book exceptional?
    2. Quantity -- You need more where that came from. Period.
    3. Obscurity -- By and large, people aren't waiting to steal your work. Because they don't know your work exists.

    Who said anything about them starting with "T"?

  • Done is better than perfect, great is better than OK, but success comes when you create something that is truly remarkable. Those terrible books that are terribly popular? They are so because they are remarkable. How do you create something remarkable? [Insert Your Answer Here]

  • Yes, we got specific on social media properties. But it wasn't the focus. Nor should a talk like this ever focus on tools. Tool-specific talks can, but not a survey class. We covered Gmail (there was and is a purpose, trust me), Google Alerts, Facebook, LinkedIN and blogging. Notice anyone missing?

    One common misconception I had to correct at least twice -- updating once a month. That's not nearly enough. How much is enough? Well... more is better than less. If you're trying to do weekly, someone is successfully doing it daily. YMMV.


[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Evo Terra signing Anne's book, courtesy of Nick Bastian"]Evo Terra signing Anne's book[/caption]And then suddenly, the two hours were over. Yes, like that. And someone brought a copy of one of my books and asked me to sign it! Thanks, Anne!

But not to worry. I'll be back. Based on the questions during the class and the feedback I heard afterward, there's a great need for more of this. Let's do it! Keep watching here and the Changing Hands website. I'm sure you'll see more -- and more formalized -- classes with me starting up quickly!

Quick question: do I stick with "for Aspiring Authors" or switch over to my personal favorite " for Underpublished Authors"? I'm obviously biased, and much of this depends on what CH wants to do. But your comments would be helpful to steer us in the right direction...

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Workshop: Social Media for the Aspiring Author

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Changing Hand Bookstore crowd"]Changing Hand Bookstore crowd[/caption]I think the writeup for this workshop I'm teaching says all there is to say:

Social media is often touted as the Holy Grail, a sure path to publishing success. But what about aspiring authors who don't have tens of thousands of fans waiting in the wings? Can social media help boost a budding novelist's career? Yes. And no. For nearly a decade, Evo Terra has been helping "underpublished" authors approach the world of new media. The co-author of Podcasting for Dummies, he's been a nationally syndicated radio show host, and is an influential social media practitioner. He's as jaded as he is excited about the opportunities offered by new media, and brings real-world examples germane to any author with dreams of publishing success. FREE.


The workshop is entitled Social Media for the Aspiring Author, and I'm teaching it at Changing Hands Bookstore on Tuesday, July 20 2010 from 6:30-8:30p. Changing Hands is an independent bookstore in Tempe, Arizona. They do an excellent job of introducing authors large and small to the general public and are probably the most frequented bookstores in town when authors are making their rounds across the country.

My friend and occasional co-conspirator Michael A. Stackpole teaches there regularly, often covering the topic of building a career as writer in a digital world. My approach (and hopefully my audience) will be a bit different, as I plan on addressing the foundational elements before the word "career" comes into play. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. You know. Just like everything.

So if you or someone you know might be interested, tell them about it. This first class is a free one!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Why free now probably means free later. Or not.

The Bill
Image by mrmatt via Flickr
During my presentation to the Arizona Association of REALTORS™ last week, one in the crowd of some 200+ asked me a question. I'd been waxing poetically about the crazy world we "digital citizens" inhabit. This was most certainly not speaking to the choir. My audience was mostly people who haven't progressed much beyond email in the digital space. That's why I was invited -- to show them ahem... a simpler way to get into the digital world of 2010. OK, maybe 2007. :)

The question asked is one I get fairly frequently. Apologies to Helen if I mangle the question, but the jist was this:

If we spend all this time signing up for these free services (Google, specifically), what will we do once the company decides to start charging, and these free services are no longer free?

It's a fair question. A completely unfounded one, but fair. Yes, there are plenty of examples of services that start out for free and then change to a paid model. I'm facing this right now with Get Satisfaction, a service I've grown rather attached to over at Podiobooks.com. So I'm forced to pay. Or unplug. But I don't want to unplug... so I'll pay. Not with too much grumbling, as it's a great service.

But please understand that what I'm going through with Get Satisfaction isn't a parallel. Google isn't about to start charging you to use Gmail or use their search engine. It's antithetical to their business model.

Also understand this: you aren't costing Google money when you search or send an email. You are allowing Google to make money. Every search you conduct is another ad impression they can serve, and another chance you might click on a paid ad they serve. Every email you access has ads on the side. Sure, you ignore them almost all the time. But sometimes they catch your eye -- or someone's eye -- and they get clicked on. Money for Google.

So no, Helen. I'm not worried that Google will suddenly start charging for Gmail or even Google Voice, the other service I mentioned in my talk. These tools entangle me with Google, increasing the chance that I'll keep using their services. And letting them keep serving me ads. That I'll mostly ignore. Mostly.

Three things:
  1. The reality is that it's much more complex than I've outlined. But that complexity is for pundits to argue about. When you get to that level... have a good time.
  2. Lots of services do start charging after a time. I said that before, but you probably forgot. Not every service is Google, and you should expect some of the services you grow attached to to start charging. You'll deal with that as it happens. Just like we do.
  3. I'm talking way too much about Google lately. I promise the next post will not be about Google, OK? Thanks for your patience.


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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Don't forget about the basics: My talk to the AZ Assn of REALTORS® today

Logo of the National Association of Realtors.
Image via Wikipedia
Today I'm driving up to Prescott to speak at the Arizona Association of REALTORS® 2010 Winter Conference. It's the same talk I gave to the National Association of REALTOR® late in 2009. And yes, you have to capitalize REALTORS and add the ® mark!

The talk is called Digitally Expose Yourself : Building Your Web Presence, and is aimed at those who are very brand new to the digital space. In fact, if you have any online acumen at all, you'll watch the presentation below wondering just who the heck needs this extremely low-level information.

Well, judging from the 350+ people in the room in San Diego a few months ago furiously taking notes, a lot more people than you think. And that's a good lesson to just about anyone in the digital space -- don't assume that your audience is at your level. Chances are, they aren't.

When I gave the talk the first time, I went to great pains to explain how basic the info was and gave my express permission for anyone to get up, walk out, and enjoy one of the other presentations going on at the same time as mine. Three people did. Three hundred and fifty stayed. And about a dozen had more questions after I was done. People are hungry for this information, and I'm happy to provide it to them.

How basic? See for yourself. Below is my dry run of the talk in SlideCast form. Not quite the same as seeing me live, but it's a close approximation.



And I hope someone turns the heater on before I get back to Phoenix. I hear they've just got a fresh batch of snow in Prescott. Yikes!

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Monday, February 22, 2010

What the Flip can teach you about the power of a simple presentation

J's Super, Super 8 Video Camera
Image by jhmostyn via Flickr
Is your marketing campaign too complex? Maybe you think it needs to be. Maybe you're right. But sometimes all it takes is one new player in the market to change the game, and all that complexity falls away.

Take the consumer electronics and personal camcorders, for instance. My uncle's super 8 video camera from the 70s was pretty simple, yet looked rather intimidating. All I know is that I wasn't allowed to touch it. The first camcorder I purchased around 1990 had more buttons and dials than I could possibly master. And it seems that every year that passes requires at least one more bell or whistle to be added.

Enter the Flip, playing the role of game-changer to the market. Small, inexpensive and a built-in compulsion field. Hold the thing in your hand and you can't not start taking video. Yeah, it's that cool.

But not as cool as how it came to be. Business Week ran a story called Lessons in Simplicity from the Flip a few days ago. It's pertinent to anyone in business, and covers quite a few of the key points I like to harp on. Like the power of a simple, elegant presentation. Simon Fleming-Wood was responsible for convincing retailers to stock this new camera. A new camera that eschewed the standards of what modern video cameras should look like and what they should do. He states that...

... he spent 50% of his pitch on one very simple slide. He asked [retailers] to "reimagine" the category. The slide contains photos of two camcorders—a traditional video camera and the Flip. Under the traditional camcorder are the words: "Use this for special occasions." Under the Flip are the words: "Use this for everything else."


It's no secret I'm a fan of simple things. Hence, the name of this blog. I've been a reluctant marketer for over a decade and been in more battles with complexity than I care to imagine. Sometimes, things need to be complex. But much of the time, they don't. I'm reminded of that each time I pull out my Flip.

And while this story is ostensibly about a game changing product, it's more about a game changing approach. It takes guts to hinge your success on a single slide. It takes foresight to resist the temptation of shoving in more and more data to your presentations. Above all, it takes confidence in yourself, your knowledge, and your ability to convey your message in a way that will resonate with your audience.

Oh, and practice. :)

Your turn: How do you fight complexity in your presentations?

Doing a talk in Ignite or PechaKucha style will help. But not everyone can do that. Pass along your tips in the comments.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Social Media 101: Stop Hacking and Phishing With Good Password Habits

This is a SlideCast version of a talk I gave last week prior to Social Media Club Phoenix. Each week I lead a session called Social Media 101. It's a safe place for newbies to learn one aspect of social media and to get their questions -- on any topic -- answered in a friendly environment.

"My account got hacked!" How many times have you heard someone say this, usually after they've sent you 5 "here's how you can make a gazillion dollars by blowing your nose!" tweets? Of course, they didn't send that to you. Some nefarious hacker gained access to their account, sending out spam messages to everyone -- including you.

But they have their facts wrong. They didn't get "hacked". They willingly gave up their password to some website. That's not hacking. That's phishing. Or maybe the site they gave their password to got hacked. Or maybe they left their computer unlocked, and all sorts of bad things happened.

Being smart about selecting and securing passwords is about as 101 as you can get. And we -- I'm lumping me in here, too -- do it wrong/bad/without enough forethought all the time. This Slidecast presentation will walk you though the basics of setting up and securing passwords in today's social world. While it was aimed at the social media beginners, more than one seasoned maven picked up an idea or two when I gave the talk last week.



You'll notice also I'm starting to rebrand some of my talks. This one uses the new naming: A Simpler Way to be Safe and Secure Online. Hope you enjoy it!

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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Measuring ROI for Social Media

Weeks ago I gave a presentation at SMAZ -- Social Media for Business in Arizona -- that was all about measuring ROI for social media. This is a topic that gets bandied about quite a bit. It's also something that gets made up, brushed under the table or completely ignored. And that's a shame. Because, yes, there are ways to measure ROI -- real ROI -- for social media efforts. It's not easy. It's not glamorous. But it's growing more necessary all the time.



Special thanks to Olivier Blanchard for helping shape much of my thinking about ROI and social media. Even more special thanks to all those in attendance at my talk for the outstanding questions. I love that so many of you realize the need to understand this piece of the puzzle. Thanks for the great ideas you gave me and the audience during the talk.

For those new to me, no... I usually don't dive this deep. But this is a growing trend, and even CFOs need a simpler way of thinking about things, right?

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Saturday, January 23, 2010

Speaking at SMAZ II

On Monday, I'll be presenting at the Social Media AZ conference in Tempe. I've attended a fair share of social media conferences -- this one is a bit different. It focuses on the business side of social media.

That's an important distinction. While many of us "get it" right away, lots of people -- not just business owners, but people -- still don't get the point of social media. I know a few of these people, and their hesitation always comes down to the cost/benefit equation. They're looking for the upside of spending all that time being... social. You can answer that question -- where's the upside? -- a few different ways. With SMAZ II, those answers will be focused in on the business case.

I'm leading a Social Media 101 talk simultaneous with registration. Hopefully the newbies will show up early, get registered fast and drop by to ask their questions in a safe environment. If the last SMAZ is any indication, there will be lots of people new to or confused by social media in attendance. I like helping them take their first steps. This is similar to what I do before each Social Media Club Phoenix meeting.

Then I finish off the day by talking about the ROI of social media. That's real ROI. Not some new made-up term that your CFO scoffs at while looking for your replacement. That should be fun.

While the advanced tickets are gone, they will be live streaming the event for those who can't attend. The access fee is a simple donation, and all proceeds go to charity. Sign up to watch live here.

And for those going, I'll see you there!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Disconnect: Reasons Companies fail at Social Media and how to Succeed

That's the fancy title of my talk tomorrow at the Social Media for Business event, put on by SocialMediaAZ. This is a pure business event. It costs money to go. (I wonder how much I get?) And the talks are specifically for people in business. Less touchy-feely. More action and tactics.

I fought with my presentation all of last weekend. And by "all", I mean all. I'd been taking notes of thoughts and ideas for several weeks. But when I sat down to put them all together, the damned thing fought me all the way. I wanted it to be very tactical and actionable. It refused.

So in the end, I let it win. The presentation is done and I'm happy with it. But it's not what I originally intended to say. That's the funny thing with words, thoughts and ideas. When you go to tell a story -- a coherent story -- you have to be willing to adapt. And maybe that's another lesson that business can take and apply to social media.

My talk is tomorrow. For those coming, I look forward to seeing you. For those not, enjoy this dry-run Slidecast version.