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 ...

Continue reading »

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’’)

Continue reading »

Being in business for yourself can sometimes be a lonely lifestyle. Sure, there are hundreds of forums, blogs, and conferences where you can connect with others, but even when you've been around for a while you can feel like you're all alone in your business. When you have little or no in-person connection with others who are in your position, you can start to feel like you are the only one on the Internet who's worried about how Google's latest decisions will affect your page rank, who's still trying to figure out the latest social media tactics, or who's having trouble updating to the latest version of WordPress. You can forget that there are thousands of others in a similar situation, asking themselves the same questions, struggling with the same issues. Not only that, but those in your day-to-day life, who ...

Continue reading »

First, let me say, there are two ways to get more Twitter followers - 1) a fast way and 2) a better way.

• The fast way is to buy them. Do I recommend that method? NO! Don't waste your money!
• The better (and to me the more enjoyable way) is to gain them over time through interactions, engagement, and meeting people.

Remember: it's not about the quantity but quality To help drill home the better method to get more twitter followers, I've snatched reused this infographic from Twiends who has offered some safe and ethical ways to get more twitter followers for free. They’ve broken these ideas up into methods you can use online, things you can do on Twitter itself, and offline, real-world methods too. Oh yeah, follow me (@xdwebsolutions) - I don't bite! Enjoy!  Click image for full size

Continue reading »

I was on Twitter one day chatting it up with The Cubicle Chick about quick breakfast options and I shared what I normally drink in the mornings - Myoplex protein shakes. Next thing I know, EAS Sports Nutrition, creator of Myoplex, tweeted me. Unexpectedly, I got offered a free sample of the shakes in my flavor, Chocolate Cream of course. : )   Lovely, right? Well, check out what I really received in the mail in this video! Thanks again EAS! I am set for months! Over to You... This is just one example of how a company uses Twitter for brand and reputation management. There are plenty more cases. I just want my entrepreneurs and small businesses to know not to be afraid ...

Continue reading »