"Dang, yet another social networking tool to get addicted too!" That was my first thought when I started hearing about Pinterest. If you haven't heard by now, Pinterest is a visually stunning, cool image repository where you can create boards and "pin" images to your wall. It's fun and, dare I say, addicting!  Well, nowadays, with a small business, we have to use all tools necessary and available to us to grow and Pinterest is one of them. At first, I held out on joining because I thought: who has time for another tool? Aren't Facebook and Twitter enough? Well, it depends on your business and who your audience is. However, I'll venture to say that even if you don't think it's best for you yet, go ahead and get invited (if you need an invite, let me know!) and at ...

Well, another designated global "holiday" is upon us and yet it's a very important one because though people know they need to backup data, most don't even think about it until it's too late! When was the last time you backed up your data? World Backup Day is today, 3/31, and although it is not an official holiday it is one that should be taken seriously. Who knew that we'd need a day to dedicate to backing up our most precious and important items! Scary Stats Some scary stats for those who don't backup their files (provided by Hostgator):

• All hard drives will crash during their lifetime
• More than 1 in 10 laptops will be stolen in their lifetime
• A laptop is stolen every 53 seconds
• Every year 46% of computer users lose their music, photos, and documents
• 50% of all hard drives will crash within 5 years
• 89.1% of PC

One day I was wondering where all of my blog traffic come from. Well, I didn't have to wonder long since I have Google Analytics installed (and you should too if you don't already! It's free and easy to install - https://www.google.com/analytics).  So I logged in and went to Traffic Sources >> Sources >> and clicked on Referrals. And voila! After Google and some of the social media sites I promote my posts on like Facebook, Twitter, and Stumbleupon, I found that there were several sites that sent me good traffic! See the images below regarding what I found in my Referrals section.   (Here is how you access Referrals in Google Analytics)    (CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW FOR FULL SIZE)     ...

One of the most memorable Christmas movies of all time is Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring the incomparable Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. It’s the ultimate feel-good movie, perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered if their life holds meaning. Here’s the lowdown: George Bailey, played by Stewart, is on the verge of collapse. His small building and load company is on the verge of bankruptcy, the mean rich man in town is poised to swoop in, and though he has a house full of adorable kids and a gorgeous wife (Reed), there’s never enough money to go around. George decides his family and business would be better off without him. On the brink of suicide, he’s saved by a fledgling angel, Clarence. Clarence goes on to show George what his life would be like if he’d never existed, and the sight ain’t ...

Well, the answer to the question depends on the content and who the "other people" are! So today's riddle was sparked by an interview my girl, The Cubicle Chick, sent me highlighting Michael Stelzner on Blogcast FM entitled "How Social Media Examiner Made $1.7 Million in Its First Year of Business." Note: If you haven't heard who Mike Stelzner is, he's the Founder & CEO of Social Media Examiner, the world’s largest online social media magazine, a site I frequent often and has some awesome resources so check it out! Back to the question at hand...throughout the interview, Mike kept mentioning a very important equation he's entitled the Elevation Principle Formula: Content + Other People - Marketing = Growth (Here’s the official elevation principle formula: GC+ OP - MM = G.  Spelled out, the formula reads: ‘‘Great Content’’ plus ‘‘Other People’’ minus ‘‘Marketing Messages’’ equals ‘‘Growth’’)