Target: The “Unreachables”
Target: The “Unreachables”I work at an association, where currently about 90% of communications are directed at the entire member base. Our target audience is small but when it comes to communication,...
View ArticleThe Importance of Royalty
The Importance of RoyaltyI’m lucky enough to live in a very social community. Many in Burlington, Vermont love to check in, tweet ups are common and if you want to know what’s for lunch, you go to...
View Article10 Things I Learned from Social Media Day
10 Things I Learned from Social Media DayAs you may have heard, Saturday was Social Media Day. In Burlington, we celebrated Thursday evening and all day on Friday. Each year, marketer, web designer and...
View ArticleAre You Blogging Your Passion or Writing Just to Post Something?
Are You Blogging Your Passion or Writing Just to Post Something?When I started the Social Amateur blog, I thought it could be a resource to other social media newbies. After all, small business owners...
View Article7 Lessons Learned (or Reinforced) from the First 1,000 Fans
7 Lessons Learned (or Reinforced) from the First 1,000 FansWe all know how important it is in business to have a loyal fan base. Small businesses count on the fact that about 51% of Facebook users say...
View ArticleJust When You Think You’re Kinda Smart…
Just When You Think You’re Kinda Smart…As you may know if you follow me on Twitter, this week/weekend I’m attending the National Association of REALTORS Convention in Orlando, Florida. It’s a wonderful...
View ArticleWhat NOT To Do As a Blogger in 2013
What NOT To Do As a Blogger in 2013I suppose I’m a few days late for a post-year wrap-up, but it’s definitely something that I’ve been thinking a lot about. Perhaps you spent some of your time off...
View ArticleStill here… and there… and everywhere…
Still here… and there… and everywhere…Just thought I’d drop in to say hi and let you all know that I’m still here. Even though I haven’t been lately. Over the past few months, I’ve been crazy busy. VT...
View ArticleTech Joys & Mechanical Failures
Tech Joys & Mechanical FailuresI don’t vacation often, so when my brother and I decided to take a road trip to Tennessee to visit our parents, it seemed like the perfect kid-free escape. I prepped...
View ArticleA Few Things I Picked Up at Burlington Social Media Day
A Few Things I Picked Up at Burlington Social Media DayAlthough the official Mashable Social Media Day was held June 30th, we in Vermont kicked things off a little early with Burlington Social Media...
View ArticleLow-Tech Planning for a “Busy” Life
I think I have a dozen Google calendars. Each has its own purpose, with three or four attached to each of my Google accounts. A few are populating WordPress widgets and all are synced on my computer,...
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My Lame Excuses for Not Blogging Aren’t Cutting It
It feels like forever since I wrote for Social Amateur. And actually, it has been a while. For someone who preaches the value of frequent, regular content, I haven’t exactly been demonstrating it. Do...
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Don’t Forget Why You’re Here
“Everyone is on Twitter, so let’s tweet more.” “Businesses are all on Facebook.” “If Google+ will help us get higher in search engines, let’s do it!” I get it. Social media platforms are all around us,...
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Two Things I Hate Hearing at Marketing Conferences
If money wasn’t an object, I’d probably attend just about every marketing/social media/technology conference out there. I love the energy, the enthusiasm, the ideas and I always pick up great little...
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Do Less in 2014
Everyone seems to set New Year’s Resolutions to do more of this, more of that, in the coming year. More posts, more time commenting, more work on SEO, more adventure, more travel, more exercise… on and...
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Socially Awkward in a Social World
“You must have a lot of work to do,” he says as he smiles and hands me my coffee. I drink a lot of coffee, and the gentleman at the café on this train has been pouring cup after cup for me for about...
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Lessons from Superheroes at #ICNY
It’s been a week since I returned from Real Estate Connect (#ICNY), and after putting out all of the fires that arose while I was gone, I’ve had a little time to think about my experience. There are...
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Uh-Oh. She’s Got a Case of UOL (Unnatural Outbound Links).
Unnatural outbound links. It kind of sounds like some sort of communicable disease – “Oooh, did you hear? Melissa has unnatural outbound links. UOL. Ewww.” And the truth is that it is kind of an icky...
View ArticleJust Write
When I was young, I would write constantly. Poems, songs, short stories, essays. I would write for hours every day. Going into journalism felt natural, and getting great writing jobs after college was...
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