social media Archives - Best Seller Authors

Mar 26 2012

Inspirational Quotes: Social Media Findings to Inspire & Motivate

Guest Post by Shane Belceto
Author of “Inspirational Quotes: Social Media Findings to Inspire & Motivate”

Social Media today grows fast and seems to change often. Yet it can add so much to a persons’ life. For me, I find one thing that moves me well through each of my days are the quotes many of my online contacts share via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the rest. In fact, I started a habit some years ago to start copying and pasting those that caught my attention and tossing them onto a note pad to review at the end of the day as I shut down my PC. This habit provides me a great way to end my day on a positive note.

I recently decided to take some of these findings that others shared with me and share with the world in a new book, “Inspirational Quotes”, here I will share a piece with you …
Book Excerpt:

“In a high tech world, high touch is of high value."

– James Ray

Commentary:
We are living in the depths of a true microwave society, where everyone seeks instant gratification. We even want our BIG dreams now. Some components are missing, though, in today’s emails, texts, social media and online lives. Find ways to add that personal touch and personal attention we each seek in what you do, and you will be able to change lives, including your own. I believe this may be a reason why videos are doing so well online. Videos provide more personal aspects and bring the person back into the equation.

Action Steps:

Write down how you interact with others online and offline.
Find ways you can personalize these interactions.
Implement your “personal touch” ideas into your day.

Your Reflections:

From this I trust you see how quotes can impact our lives in a great way in just one example. Inspiration planted in the words of another that can stick with us each in different ways from simply hearing, or in this case reading them, and taking a moment to consider what is really being shared. Along with this, I trust as you run into quotes from others that effect you that you take the time, allow it to help grow your own ideas and dreams, and also in many cases choose to pass it on to others so they too may share in the value a quote can have.

You may even notice I wanted to do more then just generate a list of quotes. My goal is to spark something within the reader and allow it to initiate an idea they then can grow. Many quotes have done and continue to do this for me and I wish to help others do the same with the book.

So yes, social media grows fast and moves forward quickly, each day, and in many cases can get a bit overwhelming. I invite you to take a moment here and there, now that you have read this, and watch for those bits of knowledge that are passing in front of you each and every day. Find ones that mean something to you and think about how you might take what is being shared and use it positively for inspiration.

Inspired by quotes himself that others share each day with him via social media, Shane Belceto decided to create the book “Inspirational Quotes: Social Media Findings to Inspire & Motivate” now found on Amazon. Combined with journaling, Shane really wants each reader to take ownership of their copy of the book and use it to plant seeds of dreams they can each go after. He also encourages readers to interact with him and the book on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. along with the books’ website http://InspirationalQuoteBook.com

Mar 12 2012

This Book Made Me Think

My highest praise for a book is “it causes me to think in a new way about things.”

I read books to get a background on what is going on in the world rather than the sound bites on TV, which don’t tell the story with enough depth. But I refrain from writing reviews and getting into political discussion online. There’s just so much misunderstanding and emotion and the rhetoric rarely has anything to do with my illusion of reality.

Why I’m Writing Today

I love reading books because there’s a period of a few hours where I get to focus on a topic that someone spent real time on. It’s also the reason I write books and encourage others to write.

The events and interviews Trita Parsi shares in A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran are the best I’ve see on the subject of the US relationship with Iran. I’m sure I’ll be sharing the ideas with friends and quoting Parsi frequently.

Today, I’d like to share a different story about my new friend @TParsi.

My Story on How I Find Great Books

This story starts with me catching up on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I watch all the episodes online and find that Stewart and Stephen Colbert introduce 3-4 good authors each week.

If Stewart didn’t read the book, it’s the best job of faking it I’ve ever seen. I don’t agree with Jon often on many things, but respect the intelligence behind the comedy. (and it’s more fun than any other news source). It’s a great interview. Parsi is smart, and Stewart show it.

In the short clip below, I learned a few things I didn’t know. That’s the first tip for authors,

Don’t hold back. Share as much as you can in interviews

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

After finishing the show, I jumped on my laptop and watched the second half of the interview. While watching, I used my iPad to download the book from Amazon

I read the book and got several insights that made me reconsider how I think about the situation. The book was very readable, but went into depth on all the points in the Stewart interview. The whole process didn’t take a trip to the store, a delay to get the book or any sort of planning. Connections happen in real time today.

How We Read Book’s Today

I consider myself informed, but there were some players in the stories told who I’d forgotten. I looked up a couple online and made a few notes about things I might tweet.. especially the quotations. (I’m hoping Kindle opens up cut/paste in the future. The issues there will be the subject of another blog post)

Here’s where the reading experience diverges from just reading the book.

I posted a tweet when I finished the book:

You might note I have a viewpoint, but I didn’t express it strongly nor expected to get into a discussion about geo-politics on Twitter or here.

Not long ago, this would have been the end of the story. What was different was this response from Parsi

Trita Parsi is a busy guy. He’s leading a large organization, speaks and is on TV often. Still, he found time to answer my tweet.

At times I’ve gone out of my way to connect and follow a Twitter account of an author when I read their book. I’ve met some famous people and contributed to their blogs or online chats.

I didn’t have to this time. Parsi, or someone on his staff is monitoring conversations online.

Look at that response.. “Thanx!” wasn’t even a word and it made my day. I just had to write this review and share the experience. In that, Parsi gets another connection and who knows what will come from you reading this?

I’d like to think that I’m a big shot blogger and have so much clout that people treat me special. But the truth is, I was just one happy reader today. While I counsel clients to be on the lookout for radio show hosts, bloggers, and thought leaders. Everyone reading your book can be a contact that gets you to more readers and new connections.

More important that the press you get, the engaged readers you connect with are the kind of people who help spread a message. Despite my anti-political position, I’m now likely to talk to a dozen people about Iran in the next week. I may point a few back to this post (regular readers will know I will share this post )

All it took to stand out what an abbreviated thank you.

Are You Talking To Your Readers?

The first thing we do with all new clients today is review online and social media. You’d think that everyone is online, but we find that most authors haven’t been able to get to this level of engagement.

The best authors have systems that make this happen. If you want to become a recognized thought leader and expert, make sure you are doing the same.

NOTE: If you want the Social Media Checklist I use with companies and celebrity clients, follow this link to get free (for a limited time)

Aug 19 2011

“Get Started in Social Media” Class from Social Media Experts Announced

Bestselling author Warren Whitlock and social media management consultant Kate Buck will be teaching “Starting Social Media” social media basic for social media marketing ROI and profits at Digital World Expo, September 25-27 in Las Vegas.

Warren Whitlock, best-selling author of Twitter Revolution and Profitable Social Media will join Kate Buck, founder and CEO of social media management consultancy KBJonline to give attendees of Digital World Expo a rapid start in social media profitability

Social media offers companies the opportunity to get close to their consumers on a large scale. Warren and Kate will show how social media relates directly to the bottom-line results.

“Starting Social Media” will cover the foundation every business needs to success with social media:

Profitable Social Media blueprint
Understanding today’s users and what attracts them
12 Things every business must know about social media
Brand management and “controlled transparency”
Finding “truth” in your friends, fans and followers

Digital World Expo debuts an annual forum for professional education in all forms of interactive marketing, media, communications and advertising. Attendees will learn, train and build awareness of technology application in media and what’s to come. Four areas are presented to meet the needs of today’s media professionals in digital advertising, marketing, public relations, development and strategy:

Kate Buck (otherwise known as @katebuckjr on Twitter) is the founder and CEO of KBJOnline, a social media management and consulting agency in Austin, Texas. Kate has worked with some of the top names in Internet Marketing as well as consulted with dozens of entrepreneurs, businesses and nonprofits both across the United States and internationally

Warren Whitlock (@WarrenWhitlock on Twitter) is the founder BestSellerAuthors.com. He consults as a social media strategist and is the author of books on social media marketing. He is personally active in the latest social media startups and provides clients with the fast start strategies to find profits in social media. Warren is the chapter chair of Social Media Club in Las Vegas and speaks internationally on marketing and social media.

Aug 08 2011

Authors: Share Your Expert Knowledge To Be Seen as an Expert Author

I teach authors to create content for their readers beyond their book. Most of us spend much more time online, watching video, or listening to audio than we ever spend with a book.

Go where your audience lives

I almost always suggest an author have their own radio show. Easy to set up, and adaptable to talk about any subject with any guests. I also suggest every author of a blog and social media pages about their subject.

And since you are the expert, you can guest post on other blogs, and share links to relevant content from anywhere on the web. Read and share the top blogs and sites in your field and you’ll get ideas for your own content, and a reputation for being a great source on your expertise.

Where do you find the time?

Well, fist off, it’s much faster than writing a book And there tools cropping up that make it very ease to find and share with your readers on your blog, in social media and in your own media products.

Take a look at Scoop.it, one of the rapidly developing tools to filter out the noise and then easily share what you find: (video)

Some Curation Ideas for Authors

Subscribe to the top blogs in industry. Be sure to comment on relevant posts. You are the expert. Your opinion matters.
Subscribe to active readers who comment on those blogs. Make sure you reach out them on their favorite social media sites. They may have their own blog, Facebook page, Twitter account.. you’ll find out by clicking on the link they use on their blog comments and then searching for where they are most active
Join the Facebook groups and pages in your niche. Connect with the top contributors and offer comments of value (not just a pitch for your own blog)
Do a search on Amazon for the top book in your category. Many of those authors will have a blog or active social media profile
Join your industry group on LinkedIn. Contribute and connect
Search for videos on your topic. If you find someone who is doing a good job posting, connect with them. If now (still likely in some niches) make plans to produce some videos on the basics

Once you have feeds from the blogs in your RSS reader (I user Google Reader, it’s just like reading email). Scan on a regular basis for posts and articles to share.

When you find an author, writer, or contributor you respect. Ask them to be on your radio show, or write a guest post for your blog.

Each of these steps is easy. New tools like Scoop.it can really speed things up, but most of the time you spend on this activity will be the reading you do (which you would do as an expert in your field) and connect and having conversations with the other experts. Neither need any special skills, budget or cutting edge tools. The commitment from you is the key ingredient.

When I released Twitter Revolution, I didn’t do any of the book marketing and promotion campaigns we’d run before. Instead, I just used Twitter to reach out to other social media authors and speakers. It wasn’t long till I became known as and expert who added value to their goals and they were happy to review and share my book.

Who have you met by networking and sharing. Please add your success story to the comments below.

Guest Post by Shane Belceto Author of “Inspirational Quotes: Social Media Findings to Inspire & Motivate”