Watershed Studio, LLC » Blogging

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 9

Brian Groce — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:00:38 +0000

In this round of social media reads we have another excellent batch of posts to get the wheels turning.

12 Important Steps some Bloggers Forget (Jeff Bullas)
13 Tools to Simplify Your Social Media Marketing (Social Media Examiner)
15 Blogging Lessons From Foodies (DKS Systems)
22 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don’t Have a Clue [Infographic] (Copyblogger)
Hoo-ah: How the US Army Has Become a Social Media Leader (Read Write Web)
Influence: The Best Argument for Embracing Social Media (Kruse Control)
Pinterest Takes A Small Step Toward Fighting Copyright With Opt-Out Meta Tag (Marketing Land)
The Periodic Table Of SEO Ranking Factors (Search Engine Land)
The Seductive Art of Blog Commenting (Unmemorable Title)
When Social Media Goes Bad: 7 Guidelines For What To Do In A Social Media Crisis (Heidi Cohen)

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 8

Brian Groce — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

In this round of social media reads we have another excellent batch of posts to get the wheels turning.

5 Essential Keys To Successful Blogging (Contently)
5 Rules To Turn Your Local Business Into A ‘Social’ Business (Search Engine Land)
8 Great Ways To Use QR Codes For Marketing (Marketing Land)
9 Ways to Make Your Marketing Analytics Actionable (Hubspot)
10 Ways Social Media is Transforming Our World (Jeff Bullas)
56 Ways to Market Your Business on Pinterest (Copyblogger)
Facebook Deprecating 50+ Page Insights Metrics – Are You Ready? (Search Engine Watch)
Facebook to Release Timeline for Brands This Month (Ad Age)
How Much Is Too Much Self-Promotion? (Round Peg)
How to Make Your Content Go Viral (Social Media Today)

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 7

Brian Groce — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:26:28 +0000

In this round of social media reads we have another excellent batch of posts to get the wheels turning.

7 Crucial Tactics for Writing a Wildly Successful Guest Post (Copyblogger)
7 Terrific Twitter Tips To Use Today (Small Business Trends)
26 Tips for Writing Great Blog Posts (Social Media Examiner)
105 Tips To Make Your Blog Rock (Jeff Bullas)
Build Your Links the Right Way (SEO Positive)
How to Build a Traffic-siphoning Marketing Funnel (Pro Blogger)
How to Create a Social Media Editorial Calendar (Search Engine Watch)
Pinterest Drives more Traffic than LinkedIn and Google Plus (Jeff Bullas)
The “New” SEO Secret Weapon (Copyblogger)
Facebook Timelines for Brands? Time to Start Thinking Inside the Box. (Marketing Pilgrim)

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 6

Brian Groce — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:00:42 +0000

Here are your hand picked top ten social media reads for the week. Enjoy.

5 Questions that Are Killing Your Blog (MENG)
6 Powerful Guest Post Tactics that No One’s Talking About (Pro Blogger)
7 Fundamentals of Successful Blogs (Smedio)
9 Tips for Integrating Social Media on Your Website (Social Media Examiner)
10 Things A Brand Should Never Do On Twitter (Social Penguin)
Content Chemistry: The Periodic Table of Content (Orbit Media Studios)
How to Recover From a Social Media Hangover (Copyblogger)
Why Build a Fan Page If You’re Going To Abandon It? ( Your Social Media Mogul)
Why Pinterest is 2012′s hottest website (CNN)
Why Would You Have 50 Twitter Accounts For Your Company? (Jeff Bullas)

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

OIOpublisher Coupon Code for February 2012

Brian Groce — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:56:05 +0000

Now through February 29th, 2012 you can purchase OIOpublisher* for just $37 (normally $47) by using coupon code “L2012-WSHED” (no quotes).

If you’re unfamiliar with OIOpublisher, it is a PHP based ad platform with a focus on performance, control and ease of use. It allows you to easily serve advertising on your blog or website and keep 100% of the revenue you bring in. For those of you using WordPress, it includes a plugin that allows for easy integration. And if you need consulting help setting it up, please contact us.

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

OIOpublisher Coupon Code for January 2012

Brian Groce — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:15:00 +0000

Now through January 31st, 2012 you can purchase OIOpublisher* for just $37 (normally $47) by using coupon code “CRINGLE-WSHED” (no quotes).

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

OIOpublisher Coupon Code for December 2011

Brian Groce — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:37:12 +0000

Now through December 31st, 2011 you can purchase OIOpublisher* for just $37 (normally $47) by using coupon code “CRINGLE-WSHED” (no quotes).

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

OIOpublisher Coupon Code for September 2011

Brian Groce — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:58:36 +0000

Now through September 30th, 2011 you can purchase OIOpublisher* for just $37 (normally $47) by using coupon code “MIST-WSHED” (no quotes).

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

OIOpublisher Coupon Code for July 2011

Brian Groce — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:32:28 +0000

Now through July 31st, 2011 you can purchase OIOpublisher* for just $37 (normally $47) by using coupon code “JUNO-WSHED” (no quotes).

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

OIOpublisher Coupon Code for June 2011

Brian Groce — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:48:52 +0000

Now through June 30th, 2011 you can purchase OIOpublisher* for just $37 (normally $47) by using coupon code “JUNO-WSHED” (no quotes).

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

ProBlogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging

Brian Groce — Thu, 12 May 2011 01:18:24 +0000

‘ProBlogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging‘ is a practical eBook jam packed full of activities for bloggers wanting to start a new blog, get back into blogging or to just get some ideas on how to revamp your current blog.

The eBook is broken down into 7 chapters/days and has 32 tasks/exercises for bloggers to do. Think of it as 31 Days to Build a Better Blog (see previous post) but for those just in their first week.

Blog topics covered include:

Learn foundational brainstorming techniques.
Create a content plan—and content, of course!
Build a social media presence.
Create practical quality assurance tools.
Set up a publishing process.
Master the components of a blog post.
Develop your blog’s ongoing strategy.

We’ve already picked up a copy of ‘ProBlogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging‘, so if you have any questions about it, or just want to discuss the eBook, contact us.

WordPress.com Security Breach

Brian Groce — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:14:47 +0000

Automattic has reported that there was a recent security incident which could have potentially made account passwords visible. If you have a WordPress.com account it is highly recommend that you update your password.

NOTE: This does not affect self hosted WordPress sites, but it is still a good idea to update passwords from time-to-time.

OIOpublisher Coupon Code for April 2011

Brian Groce — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:59:34 +0000

Now through April 30th, 2011 you can purchase OIOpublisher* for just $37 (normally $47) by using coupon code “SPRING11-WSHED” (no quotes).

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 5

Brian Groce — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Here at Watershed Studio we’re always scouring our RSS and Twitter feeds to see what’s going on in the world of technology and social media. Here’s Volume 5 in nice, easy to digest, posts. Enjoy.

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 4

Brian Groce — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:27:50 +0000

Here at Watershed Studio we’re always scouring our RSS and Twitter feeds to see what’s going on in the world of technology and social media. Here’s Volume 4 in nice, easy to digest, posts. Enjoy.

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 3

Brian Groce — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:30:27 +0000

Here at Watershed Studio we’re always scouring our RSS and Twitter feeds to see what’s going on in the world of technology and social media. Here’s Volume 3 in nice, easy to digest, posts. Enjoy.

Facebook to Change How You Process Friend Requests by Jennifer Van Grove
Foursquare Launching New Must-Have Button for Websites by Marshall Kirkpatrick
Get rid of Those Annoying Farmville Requests with new Social Network About “What Matters to You” by Lauren Dugan
How to gracefully promote yourself online by Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich, Special to CNN
Is Twitter for Business Even Worth the Trouble by Jay Baer
Six Reasons Why I’m Not On Facebook, By Wired UK’s Editor by David Rowan, Wired UK
SocialSmack Gives You Props for Talking Smack About Brands by Ben Parr
The Cross-Generation Workforce by Andy McLoughlin, Forbes
The New Twitter Is an Attack on All Desktop Apps by Jennifer Van Grove
To Schedule Tweets Or Not by Chris Brogan

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 2

Brian Groce — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:20:40 +0000

Here at Watershed Studio we’re always scouring our RSS and Twitter feeds to see what’s going on in the world of technology and social media. Here’s volume 2 in nice, easy to digest, posts. Enjoy.

AOL Launches SafeSocial…To Screen Your Kid’s Every Friend Posted (Katy Gathright – Social Times)
4 Ways to Make Content Go Viral in Social Media (Kyle Lacy)
How Freelancers Might Use Social Media in the Future (Stephanie Marcus – Mashable)
Make Shareability a Priority (Chris Brogan)
Marketing Your Business through the Use of Podcasts (Gini Dietrich)
100 Ways to Measure Social Media (Pam Dyer)
Social Media Parenting: Raising the Digital Generation (Matt Silverman – Mashable)
12 Ways to Market Your Event With Social Media (Rich Brooks – Social Media Examiner)
Twitter And The Nine-Month Bounce (Erick Schonfeld – Tech Crunch)
Winemakers shun social media grapevine (Leslie Gevirtz – Reuters)

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Blogging for Passion or for Dollars

Brian Groce — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:07:08 +0000

When I saw this story this morning, my jaw dropped.

Taking a step closer to an eerie Orwellian state where creativity is crushed in the name of “the greater good,” the city of Philadelphia is demanding that bloggers pay $300 for the privilege of writing on the Internet.

This $300 “business privilege license” is for all local bloggers – even the ones that make no money off their words.

The city doesn’t stop there. In addition to the $300 for the license to write on the World Wide Web, bloggers must pay city wage taxes, business privilege taxes and taxes on any net profits — on top of state and federal taxes — even if the blogger only made $11 over two years, reports the City Paper.

Full story at NBC Philadelphia

Even though I’ve never heard of anything like a blanket “business privilege license”, I understand paying taxes is something we all have to do. If that’s how it is in Philly for any business, then fine. But when you automatically label bloggers as businesses then I have a problem with that.

Taking a step back to the mid-1990′s, I used to publish a ‘zine (and yes, ‘zines are still alive and well in 2010). We printed 100 copies, got some free music to review, had a few small ad sales, and if we were lucky we broke even. But it was about our passion for the subject and it was nothing more than a hobby for a group of college kids.

Step forward to 2002 and I jumped head first into blogging and haven’t looked back. The idea of being a zinester & the idea of being a blogger were pretty much the same thing for me, but with blogging there was a lot less overhead and many more potential eyeballs.

Now jump to present day 2010 and I find myself making a living off of blogging. (Note that I didn’t say from blogging.)

When Watershed Studio was started back in 2004 our focus was on web design and building PHP based web applications since that’s what I was doing as a day job back then. Today that has morphed into a lot of WordPress development for clients as well as social media related consulting, coaching & training. Last year WordSprung was launched as an extension of our WordPress services and earlier this year we launched Indy Media School to focus on the social media training side of things.

On the flip side of the coin, in 2006 the decision was made to separate our content (blogs, podcasts, writings, etc) from the design & consulting side of things and Surge Bucket Media was formed. Four years later Surge Bucket Media (SBM) consists of dozens of web properties, many of which are networked together. The difference here being that SBM is currently nowhere near the money maker that everything under the Watershed Studio umbrella is. And a lot of that is on purpose as we are trying to keep advertising down to an absolute minimum and frankly we do that because we like to do it.

All of that to say, we have seen quite the spectrum of blogs & bloggers throughout the years. While many of our clients are businesses, both small and large, we also have numerous clients who blog out of their own pockets. In other words, their blogs are their passion and they are funding them themselves without a concern for monetary gain. And it’s this crowd that the vast majority of bloggers would fall into.

Going back to Philadelphia, I honestly don’t see how this will hold up. There are just too many issues at hand, not to mention the moment when freedom of speech and press are brought up (and Philly should be pretty familiar with those, right?). If I were a small potatoes blogger in Philly I wouldn’t be packing my bags just yet, but I certainly would raise a ruckus with your city government.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Please leave us a comment or leave a voicemail at 317-565-4250.

OIOpublisher Coupon Code for August 2010

Brian Groce — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:28:02 +0000

Now through August 31st, 2010 you can purchase OIOpublisher* for just $37 (normally $47) by using coupon code “SOLAR-WSHED” (no quotes).

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 1

Brian Groce — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:12:47 +0000

Here at Watershed Studio we’re always scouring our RSS and Twitter feeds to see what’s going on in the world of technology and social media. Starting today we’ll share some of the top reads we come across in nice, easy to digest, posts. Enjoy.

7 Surprising Statistics About Twitter in America (Jay Baer – Convince & Convert)
Delivering Wow! (Jeff Stanger – Blue Trolley Press)
Five ways to integrate social media into your overall marketing mix (Catherine Parker – Memeburn)
How to be the Life of the Social Media Party (Darren Rowse – ProBlogger)
How to Use Proactive Social Customer Service to Build Your Brand (American Express OPEN Forum)
IndyCar Drivers now tussle through Twitter posts (Curt Cavin – Indy Star)
More small businesses use Twitter, Facebook to promote (Jon Swartz – USA Today)
Social media: why there’s no point trying to escape (Shane Richmond – Telegraph Media Group)
The Power of Social Media: Educate Embrace and Empower (Kyle Lacy)
When Someone Blindsides You With a Negative Blog Post (Liz Strauss)

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.