ThePodcastSisters

7 Ways to Keep Yourself Inspired to Blog and Podcast...

We all struggle at times to with writer's block, so I thought I would share some tips that have worked for me over the last couple of years.

1) Noticeboard. I have one near my desk and when I read anything that inspires me I cut it out and pin it to the noticeboard. This may be a story, a quote, a blog posting,a picture - anything that stokes emotion in me and causes me to think.

2) Notebook. I am never without my trusty notebook. When I am inspired by something I see, ideas from (1), conversations I write them down….before planning shows I look through all the ideas that I have been having…if you don’t write them down then you can lose some of the best ideas that you ever had!

3) Blogs. I use Google Reader to subscribe to many blogs. These blogs are not just in my chosen area, they cover marketing, news, psychology, management, nature, hobbies etc…..and it keeps me thinking wider than my usual sphere.

4) Books. I know this sounds old fashioned but I still like to read, especially before I go to sleep. When I am reading I use either my notebook or the little highlighter tabs to earmark ideas I want to explore from my own perspective.

5) Podcasts. Again as in (3) my iTunes collection is filled with an array of different subjects, with one aim to inspire my thoughts.

6) Networks. Speaking to other people really inspires me, bouncing ideas, exploring concepts…..is a great way to stimulate the mind. If you normally podcast alone, try inviting someone on the show to talk with you about a subject and just feel the increased energy.

7) I look at objects and think about how they relate to my podcast. So for example I am now looking at my keyboard! So that immediately makes me think of putting key objectives for the week on a noticeboard for the team! (The Engaging Brand podcast coaches leaders to boost profits through engaging people)

What is all the fuss about Social Media?

Many people still ask me about social media and say "What is all the fuss about?" David Phillips who I admire has just published a presentation which answers some of the cynics to social media.
I was lucky enough to interview David last year on Show 017 of The Engaging Brand about the power of reputation management, this is still in the top 5 downloads of The Engaging Brand

Show # 007 Facts about Facebook

This week's audio show is all about the growing phenomenon of Facebook. After the show Heather felt inspired and created a Podcast Sisters Facebook group - way to go Heather (Personally, I think she is more of a geek then she says!) Remember get your questions into us at podcast.sisters@googlemail.com

Some facts we share about facebook

• Started as a tool at Harvard by Mark Zuckerberg to help students connect and collaborate.
• On Sept 11 2006 it opened it's doors to all internet users.
• In June 2007 there were 25 million users, 4 million new users in a month and 30m page views in a month.
• 1% of all the time on the internet is on Facebook
• Growing 3 x faster than MySpace

On the show we discuss what it is and how we use it and give some tips that will help you when you join up. The key points

• Post regularly
• Create a group around you, your interest, your company, your podcast. One that I recommend to look at is Guardian Mediatalk Podcast Survivors
• Join groups and see what works well
• Explore before you commit to ensure that it fits your personal needs
• Explore the applications which can bring in items from elsewhere and save you time

If you want to know more about us here are our profiles and the groups that we have for our companies
Anna Farmery
Heather Gorringe
Krishna De

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PodCamp Ireland - book the date

If you are interested in podcasting whether a newbie or a veteran and are looking fo an excuse to come to Ireland, then I am delighted to announce that we are working on planning the first ever PodCamp Ireland.

A podcamp is what they call a non-conference. Basically there is no cost to attend and the agenda and content are created by the attendees.

You can go to the Wiki for PodCamp Ireland and register your interest in attending and also list what you would be happy to present on and what you would like to find out about.

The date and venue have not yet been finalised - but it is likely to be in late September 2007.

And if you decide to come to Ireland for our first ever PodCamp Ireland, be sure to let me know as it would be great to have a get together of The Podcast Sisters community.

Viva Las Vegas, Viva Blogging

For any of you looking for an excuse to go to Las Vegas in November Blog World has just published their conference details. On the site they give some interesting facts about blogging in the US

• Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog.
• More than 147 million Americans use the Internet.
• Over 57 million read blogs.
• 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog
• 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years.

The program looks to be fantastic and if anyone can smuggle me into their suitcase then please do not hesitate to contact me!

Facebook and The Podcast Sisters

We recorded the latest show last night and Heather felt so inspired about Facebook that she created a group called The Podcast Sisters - so come over and join us. We already want to know about next weeks show - what would help you, what do you want us to talk about....

Here are why I think you should check out Facebook

F= Find people with similar interests who can help you develop your business
A= Applications in Facebook, allow you to bring many of your different tools together into one place - thus saving time.
C=Connect with future consumers - via groups, the marketplace, via message boards, by developing your own application
E=Explore areas of interest and use it as part of your development work.

Social Networking

We record The Podcast Sisters on a Sunday night after all the children have gone to bed! This week we will be discussing Facebook and I thought I would share this fact as inspiration to listen this week, as social networking is growing in significance.

"5 years ago, 3% of online activity was at social sites - now it is 31%"

Protect Your Software

Many of you are starting out on a new business venture and costs/budgets are tight. I thought I would share some free ideas of how to protect your work to ensure that you never face a loss of data through malicious attacks.

• Adware - Pop ups can be generated from software that has sneaked onto your PC. This happens when you download software not from its original source. For a free scanner try Lavasoft.
• Anti Spyware is a great tool as it identifys people who are trying to garner your personal information. A free software to stop this is Spyware.
• Antivirus helps to protect you from malicious attacks. If you want a free package look at AVG, Avast. Be sure that you keep checking for updates though with any anti virus program.
• Use a google account to hold your e-mail. Then if you lose your computer you don't lose your data.
• CC Cleaner is a free tool that clears your Windows computer of cookies, recycle bin items etc before you close your computer down.
• You should always back up your computer to an external hard drive on a regular basis. I back up twice a week - unless I have some really important documents that I have just created then I back up that night. Keep the external hard drive away from your computer.

Just some ideas - if you want to add to the list to help others feel free!

Find your story for blogging or podcasting

I often work with companies who love the idea of blogging etc However, they don't think they have a sexy product. For me, it is not the product or service it is the story. For instance I was working with a financial services company. The product was not interesting in itself but the stories from the customers were amazing.
Their service included health care provisions  - so we built the blog and podcast around health concerns, stories of recoveries, stories of how people have coped with grief, stories of how to cope with terminal illness.
The stories are emotional, the stories are personal. Does it sell the product - no, not directly. Does it show that the company understands what difficulties their consumers are faced with - yes. Does it provide help - yes.
Has it improved brand awareness - yes by 5%pts!

I like to think about what is the story, what are the difficulties faced by your consumers? Then show your understand them by sharing tips and solutions. So much better (and interesting!) than selling products.

Show # 006 - Promoting Your Podcast

We have all three sisters on the show today - Krishna De, Heather Gorringe and yours truly, Anna Farmery. Today we talk about

1. Learnings from events that we have spoken at this week.
2. Emails from listeners on typepad, mobile recording and promoting your business.
3. How you can use your blog to promote your podcast
4. How you can promote your podcast in your everyday life
5. Which directories we recommend
6. How to get noticed in podcasting directories
7. And we even give you some homework!

Remember if you want to ask questions or find out more about podcasting, blogging, web 2.0 we are holding FREE teleseminars over the next 3 weeks. All you need is a telephone to ring the conference line. If you have any questions that you would like addressing then e-mail us at podcast.sisters@googlemail.com.

How can I listen to this weeks show for free?

1) In iTunes or

2) In Blubrry where you can listen on your computer

3) On our very own mp3 player especially for you right here, right now and even the back shows

4) Or by using this RSS feed in your podcatcher - http://www.podcastfm.co.uk/podcast.rss?id=245

Here are some resources that we mention on the show that you will find useful in creating your first podcast.

Resources

M Audio 24/96 Microtrack

Blubrry

iTunes

Podcasting Directory Listing

Promoting your podcast by Jason Van Orden
 

Album art for Middle Age Shed - if you would like a contact then e-mail podcast.sisters@googlemail.com

Moo Cards - value for money business cards for your podcas