jasonyormark

social media & stuff

jacob
February 27, 2012

Do You Make The Most Of Your Opportunities?

It can be amazing where and when inspiration can strike.  Most times you never see it coming.  For me this past weekend, I was fortunate to experience it with my own son at his last basketball game.

Basketball is my son’s secondary sport if you will, so he’s more of a middle of the pack kid when it comes to his skill level and experience.  The season had its fair share of challenges between an agressive, loud coach, a team full of the smallest and most inexperienced kids, and frustrating losses.  All things considered, we kept our son interested and as upbeat as we could.  He played great defense all year, but didn’t have too many opportunities to score many points as the majority of the shots would be taken by the point guards which he was never given the opportunity to play.

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blog-money
February 15, 2012

My Blog Monetization Experiment

Yep.  That’s an ad over there on the right.  Have I succumbed to the temptation of ads on my blog?!?!  Well, at least for a bit the way I see it.  Consider it a test of sorts, an experiment of which the results I intend to share transparently.

Let’s be honest, monetizing blogs is no new secret.  In fact most blogs do this very thing through display ads, affiliate links, or sponsored posts.  If handled well, there’s nothing wrong with it don’t you think?  The hard work of those putting great free content out certainly deserves the opportunity to earn a few bucks in the process.  The key is making it relevant and subtle.

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awesome
February 13, 2012

League Of Awesomeness, Volume 1

For awhile I’ve been wanting to leverage the blog I’ve built up to recognize folks I come across that for whatever are reason, are awesome in who they are or what they do.  It’s hard enough to find great talent, service, or resources in a day and age where we are overwhelmed with information.  Good people are hard to come by, and I feel compelled to share the ones I come across here and there if for no other reason to promote them as they certainly deserve it.  Consider this volume 1 of an ongoing series I plan to use to highlight some of these amazing folks.

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pinterest
February 10, 2012

Pinterest For Dudes

Okay, okay, guilty as charged for jumping on the blogging about Pinterest bandwagon this week, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t chime in right?  But at least I’m taking a unique angle by trying to be a little more helpful for the gents out there as it pertains to the most recent social darling, Pinterest.

I’ve been kicking the tires a bit on Pinterest the past few weeks, and it’s definitely something I’m finding more and more pinteresting (that just happened).  I do find myself spending time just browsing through all kinds of stuff, looking for interesting things that catch my eye whether it’s cool gadgets, food, style, etc.  However one important Pinterest lesson that contradicts all other social networks…do not follow everyone.  I made that mistake and my page pulls up a smorgasbord of wedding, women’s fashion, jewelry, etc.  Don’t get me wrong, I find mild interest in many of those things, but I want to focus on the the things that I’m actually connected to, and the only real way to do that right now is to stick to following like minded folks.  I’m actually starting to collect some of these things and can see how this will be useful to me.

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fight or flight
February 8, 2012

Fight Or Flight: Which Path Do You Typically Take?

One of the things I love about having a blog is how everyday life experiences often motivate me to write certain blog articles.  This is yet another one of those examples.

This year I decided to step up and manage my older son’s little league team.  It’s a big commitment, but I’ve always intended on stepping up to do so as I love the game, my son, and cherish the opportunity to coach my son and manage a little league team.  It was a bit last minute, so I scrambled to prepare myself, handling a variety of tryouts and a draft last night.  I did the best I could, but it was definitely a challenge to truly know what kids you were getting based very little data and knowledge.

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20120131-082119.jpg
January 31, 2012

February Facebook Page Music Package Giveaway

For quite awhile I’ve been wanting to do another giveaway on my blog. With my recent addition to the Forbes Social Media Power Influencers list, I figured now was as good of a time as any to do so. That and I had a few cool things to giveaway that were simply sitting around my office.

At my agency Strategies 360, we’ve had quite a bit of success in running contests using social media channels. In most instances we’ve seen tremendous growth in reach and engagement, and in just about all those cases, very minimal loss in those gains post contest. I’ve always wondered if I could expect the same types of results with my personal brand running something similar.

So without further adieu, I formally announce my February Facebook Page Music Package Giveaway! I am giving away an 8GB Ipod Touch, 2 GB Ipod Shuffle, and a pair of Zagg Smartbud Headphones. For the full details and to enter, checkout my Facebook page. Simply put, if you haven’t done so already, like my Facebook page, then enter your details into my email newsletter signup form to officially enter. If you already like my page, simply enter your details in the email signup form. I will choose one lucky random winner at the end of the month. That’s it!

Good luck to all and as always, thank you for your continued readership and support!

top-50
January 26, 2012

Thoughts On Making The Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers

It can be easy to get caught up in being named to top lists on the web.  Quite frankly anyone can create a list of top anything and include those people or things that they find worthy of the list based on a variety of factors.  But I can’t help but feel honored to be included on the Who Are The Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers? list by Forbes.  I mean…it is Forbes right?

Regardless of the circumstances, algorithms, or opinions, I’m flattered and it’s just another feel good moment knowing that the time I spend on my blog means something to others.  So many great names on that list that I respect and enjoy and to be included with them is awesome.  I can’t speak to the exact methodology that was used to determine this list, but I would imagine that my blog factored in way more then anything else.  It just goes to show that creating great content can be a game changer for you personally or professionally.

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hardwork1
January 19, 2012

The Lost Art Of Hard Work

I admire those that work their asses off.  Surprisingly it’s a rare trait.  I’ve come across far more individuals that do not give it everything they’ve got then do.  For the past year and a half I’ve watched my wife transform her body through diet, working out, running all kinds of races and Tae Kwon Do.  She’s an absolute warrior when it comes to fitness, and it was a decision she made to work incredibly hard to achieve her fitness goals.  I’m constantly in awe at her tenacity and dedication, and it certainly inspires me to do so in my life.

The whole premise of this blog post was actually inspired by an email my wife copied me on from her trainer.  His name is Spencer Gates and not only is he a tremendously awesome trainer who we’ve both worked with, but he’s an incredibly smart and has an old school, no nonsense approach that I love.  My wife was having some frustrations with watching others utilizing fad diets successfully and wanting to hit her final goals quickly, she sent him an email about this wanting to get his take and be reminded how hard work is the way to go.  Here’s an excerpt from his response he allowed me to share:

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standard
January 17, 2012

Anatomy Of A Blog Redesign: Meet The Standard WordPress Theme

I have to admit, I’m a WordPress theme junkie.  I’m fascinated with the art of blog design, and I often find myself spending too much time browsing some of the industry leading WordPress theme sites.  My personal favorite site these days is certainly Themeforest as they have a tremendous variety of themes available.

I’m also guilty of growing bored with my theme design on about a yearly basis.  But rightfully so I believe.  Last year I paid a pretty penny for a custom site that initially I really liked, but just like anything, times change.  After a year of blogging, and watching the blogging landscape evolve, I felt the itch to update my look and feel again.  However I wasn’t interested in shelling thousands of dollars on blog that doesn’t really drive any income for me.  So I took to the web to find my next design.

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reaching
January 13, 2012

Social Reach: Size Does Matter

A popular topic amongst social media folks is the ongoing discussion around how many likes/followers a person or organization has and how much that matters. Most folks will usually side on how the numbers do not matter, and what’s more important is engagement, conversions, and whether those connections actually result in contributing to business results. All of this is is very true. Having a large social reach is certainly useless if none of those other things are happening. But I can tell you from experience that anyone that says the size of your reach does not matter is flat out wrong.

Almost 3 years ago a bomb dropped on me when Microsoft laid me off. I did not see it coming, nor should I have as they never had laid anyone in history of the company. I was ill prepared to enter the job market with thousands of other unfortunate souls. I had failed to focus substantial efforts on my own social credentials. I was fortunate however to have a decent enough severance package to buy me the time to focus on myself. And that’s exactly what I did concentrating on blogging, building my social following, and influence in social marketing.

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