Spence Smith

The more I dive into relationships online and offline, I notice the people I engage with are like a good wine. They get better with time.

I have a lot of friends… a few different circles of friends and honestly, it’s really tough for me to maintain all of the relationships I want to be tied into. But that’s ok… I do what I can and time with friends come and go. It’s the way life happens.

That’s why the time I do have with friends is precious to me. It’s about the quality time we have and the qualities we value in each other. The influence we have in each others lives is priceless, inspiring and makes me strive to be… well… a quality guy. I would rather have quality friends who believe in me and support me rather than quantities of people I know who I can’t engage with.

Back when twitter first started it was all about seeing how many followers you could get to influence the most people possible. But today, and back then… but much more importantly today… it’s about the quality of your followers.. not the quantity. Are they sneezers? Do they believe in you and support you? or are they taking up space in your follower column..

When it comes to your blog readers… a high number of readers is awesome… but if they are quality readers, then it’s even better. If they engage with you and spread what you have to say to their friends, then it’s even more amazing. As Randy Elrod says… It’s influencing influencers…

The quality of who you are and who you interact with will affect what you do or say… or have said online. So if your goal is to reach the masses.. The quality of your content HAS to come first.

However, if you aren’t putting out quality content… then what’s the point?

Your content is the foundation of quality online but if you want it to spread like wildfire and go viral, then you need quality tools to take you and your quality followers and readers to the next level.

Here’s a good place to start… check out what Michael Hyatt is saying about The Anatomy Of An Effective Blog Post and Four Actions You Can Take Now To Dramatically Increase Your Blog Traffic and what Randy Elrod asks about Twitter, Do You Make These Ten Common Twitter Mistakes?

How do you build quality into your online world and offline world? Are you engaged and are you equipped with the tools you need?

Have you ever heard people say “Everyone has a book in them.” Well, I think it’s probably true which means there are probably a lot of people out there who want to know how to secure a book publishing contract but don’t know the first place to start.

Over the past few years I’ve been learning a lot about the book-publishing world. I have a few great friends who work for publishers and when I hear how their industry works, it’s not to far off from how the music industry works.

In fact the early days of popular music were based around sheet music since radio didn’t exist.

Since I am around a lot of creative people (songwriters/authors) I often get asked about where to start.

Obviously, a great story or idea is number one and key to the success of any book. If you think you have a great idea or a great story then here’s where it all begins.

The Book Proposal

Now… you may be saying to yourself “I’m going to self publish, I don’t need to do a book proposal.” That might be true but have you considered that the key elements of a book proposal could help guide you through the key elements of what makes a great idea or story a great book? A proposal can help keep you focused and on track in the writing process and help you think through how your audience will read it.

Here’s the greatest nugget of information I could ever share with you.

Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, has written an easy to read document called How To Secure A Book Publishing Contract. There are actually two versions. One for non-fiction and one for fiction. Think about this for a second. This information is coming from the CEO of one of the largest book publishing companies in the world. He is giving you the answers to how publishers like to read a book proposal. You really can’t get much closer to the source than that right?

You can click on THIS LINK or on the banner to the right to take you to the page he has set up for more information on these versions. The cost is minimal and worth it. I have friends who are working on their proposals using these versions and I have to say… the way these documents are laid out takes out all the guesswork. All you have to do is provide the content. I know… easier said than done right?

Now… does this insure you to get a book publishing contract? NO… not at all.

Does it give you a better chance of getting a publisher to take you more seriously as a first time writer? Absolutely. It’s one of the very best ways to communicate your story without having any relationship to the publisher who is reading your book proposal.

And if you happen to get a literary agent along the way to help you get a publishing contract, then believe me… You just made your agent’s life a whole lot easier by being proactive and on the ball.

It’s time to start telling your story…

I’m going to start working on mine.

The more I blog the more excited I get about the power of the internet and the social network blogging creates. Not only are we building a community of people who have something to say, but we are building a community where we can learn so much more from each other. Discussions about business, life, love, art, music, culture, travel, humor, sports, frustrations, politics, religion…it’s all up for grabs in conversation. But there’s one thing I’m seeing that speaks very loud and clear…

Leaders who blog are in touch with the world around them.

OK…I’m sure you just thought, well there are some leaders who are just idiots. True. There are some real knuckle heads out there. But the good ones…ohhhh…the good ones are the ones I enjoy reading.

As Randy Elrod and I continue teaching LifeWork 2.0 Seminar, what we see is those in leadership who are open to being more transparent online, find themselves becoming more in touch with what is happening around them. When you blog, you have to take time to think about what is being said, who it is being said to and why it matters…. basically, is the content relevant?

If you are blogging so that your audience (clients,consumers,followers or employees) can see another side of you, then you are opening your world up to a new way of looking at things. That new way puts you as the leader in a position to engage with your readers. If you are real, authentic and transparent with your readers they will comment back to you in a way that will sometimes give you more input than the marketing team you hired to work for you.This builds a relationship online that you will draw on time and time again.

CEO’s like Michael Hyatt are a great example of this. He takes the time to write something that is informative and helpful. He is willing to show his readers what he is reading, learning and experiencing through his journey as a CEO. AND….. most importantly… he is listening to what others are saying on his blog as they comment on his posts.

Other types of leaders do this as well.

For those of you church folk out there…there are some great blogs by pastors. One such blogging pastor is Pete Wilson. Blogging gives him another outlet to communicate to those that go to the church he pastors and allows them to see a side of him they won’t see from the pulpit. It also is giving those who don’t go to the church he pastors, Crosspoint, a real chance to see who he is before they even step through the front door for the first time.

So if you are wanting to dive into a new world of engaging your audience and listening to what they have to say….

Start a blog.

Get out there and allow your audience (employees, clients, consumers or fans) the chance to see a side of you they would never see otherwise. Give it some time and you will be amazed with the outcome.

What other leaders, who are blogging, do you like to read and why?

For the past three years I’ve been a part of a mentoring group that meets every Tuesday morning. Our group varies in attendance only because everyone in the group is an artist or creative type of some kind and we all travel. But… if there’s one thing I know about all of us – we do everything we can to be there Tuesday morning to sit, talk about life and catch up.

This year as we were all sitting around a dinner table for our annual Christmas party, I was reminded of how much I love each guy in our group and the impact they have all made on my life. Our group is lead by Randy Elrod and we are fierce in our loyalty to the friendships we have created with each other.

I’ve been in several bible studies and small groups in my life and they have all been good. But this particular group is special. Why?

The approach is really simple. No bible study, no prayer time, no books to read unless it’s what we want to do for a season or if someone has a request for prayer then we pray. Our time together is spent talking about each others lives and what is going on at that moment. Sometimes we need business advice or relationship advice or help with a problem. Sometimes we talk about cool technologies we’ve found or great music and books we are into…. and sometimes we debate on the issues of the day.

But… we always learn from each other, help each other and are always just one phone call away if there is an immediate need.

Over the years the men in my life over the who I would consider to be mentors of mine have all brought me through specific seasons of my life. They have all meant so much to me, but there is one thing for sure – I would not be the man I am today without them.

So… if having someone in your life to help guide you and give you advice is something you lack. Seek out someone you respect… take them to lunch or coffee and pay for it…ask them if they would be willing to walk along side you.

If you think you need a life coach and are willing to pay for a coach, then by all means… go that route. Life Coaches are a huge value and worth their fee.

Take note… not everyone you seek out is going to say yes to being your mentor. Don’t take it personally if the person you seek out says no. It could be an issue of having to busy of a schedule to add anything else to the mix. It DOES happen.

Michael Hyatt is starting a mentoring group in the Franklin area and if you feel like you fit the requirements for his group then you should take advantage of the opportunity.

Believe me…. Having a mentor has changed me in every kind of way.

And as you grow… be willing to mentor someone else along the way.

It never hurts to pay it forward.

If you are brand new to the internet and have no idea what it means to have a presence online or maybe you already have a presence online but you haven’t figured out how to make it really work for yourself or you business, then come spend the day with Randy Elrod and I at LifeWork 2.0 Seminar on Saturday, January 9,2010.

We will show you how to start a blog, use social networking sites like Facebook, build a following on Twitter and make it all work together in a way that doesn’t take up every minute of every day of your life, but just becomes one part of life while driving traffic to your brand and increasing loyalty among your clients, customers and fans.

If you are a CEO and you want to learn how to bring employees into your world, put a better face on your company and lead the charge into the new business model of the digital world, then come let us show you how to build a better experience for everyone in your sphere of influence.

If you are a business looking to build a more loyal customer base, we will teach you how to create a conversation with them and get the kind of feedback that gives you the ability to go to the next level in your business.

If you are an artist or author looking to build a larger fan base that is truly interacting with you, we will show you the how to build a strong fan base through authenticity, transparency and conversation.

If you are a leader in the church and you want to learn who to grow your congregation though the internet, we will show you how use blogging and social networking to create an atmosphere that brings people into the life of the church.

If you are a mom who has something to share and wants to be more involved in the mom blog community, we will show you how to get started and build a fun network around you.

We will also give you the behind-the-scenes tools to use Search Engine Optimization to bring traffic to your site without having to pay a dime for a sponsored link or ad.

All of this in one day as we show you how to manage your online reputation. Did you know you have a reputation online? The question is Who is leading the conversation? You or someone else? We will show you how to lead the conversation and rule your online world.

Its a fun day and it’s packed full of useful information. We hope you will join us.

So if you want to sign up… just click HERE for registration and more info or click on the LifeWork banner in my side bar.

LifeWork 2.0 yesterday had to be one of the best days of teaching Randy and I have had so far. It was hosted by Michael Hyatt, Lindsey Nobles and the fine folks of Thomas Nelson. It was well attended and the interaction was over the top for us.

There’s nothing greater than learning from others. In an environment like LifeWork 2.0. we tend to have the kind of discussion where even Randy and I walk away learning something new. Why? The internet changes so fast everyday. There’s always something new technology popping up that people are finding.

The graphic in this post is just the beginning of the real time conversation that was happening during the seminar through our twitter hash tag (#lw2tn). If you would like to see the day as it unfolded through the eyes of the registrants and those following along on twitter. Just click here.

You gotta love technology that fosters feedback in real time.

Some people have no idea what we are saying when Randy Elrod and I start talking about Search Engine Optimization(SEO), and having a presence online…and simply the ability to be found online! . Sure… you might have an easy dot COM name that is simple to find if you Google it (spencesmith.com). But that’s just one part of it. And it’s one part of what we teach at LifeWork 2.0.

If you want people to find you because of the products you offer or because your content is of a particular subject matter, then learning how to optimize your site so that the search engines (google,yahoo,etc) recognize what you are about is crucial. This is a huge way to create traffic and key to creating a conversation online with your fans and clients.

There are a lot of SEO (search engine optimization) experts out there who are getting paid a lot of money to get a company to pop up on the first page of Google.  In fact some of these people are on monthly retainers. There’s nothing wrong with this as long as you are getting what you want.

At LifeWork 2.0, Randy and I teach you ways to do this on your own in such a simple way that YOU can do this yourself and save YOU and YOUR company a lot of money in the process.

We consulted one company who had misspellings in their keywords. They were paying a guy who was an “expert” thousands of dollars a month for good SEO and in a matter of minutes Randy and I showed them how they had been wasting their money. For them it was like paying a mechanic to fix their car but for some reason they had to always get their car fixed. HMMM I wonder why? Job security maybe?

Google makes it very easy for us everyday-non-programmer-types to do this well. But in order for a person to learn how, there are a few valuable components that you must know in the process.

So… During a LifeWork 2.0 seminar we teach Search Engine Optimization that anyone can do. But it’s just one part of the day.

If you so choose to come to one of our seminars, you will learn all about online reputation, blogs vs. traditional websites, social networking as well as twitter from beginning to advanced uses.

Come join us and let us teach you how to create a two-way conversation with your fans and clients. It will be fun… I assure you… and you will leave with your head-spinning full of refreshing new ideas for the future of you and your brand.

The next LifeWork 2.0 Seminar is July 30, 2009 in Nashville, TN and it’s hosted by our friends Michael Hyatt and Lindsey Nobles from Thomas Nelson. You can follow them on twitter too. @michaelhyatt, @lnobles, and  @thomasnelson.

Click here to register for LifeWork 2.0.

If you are not yet on Twitter and you want to build a following online of crazy people like me then now is the time to get started. You can read a post called The Beginner’s Guide To Twitter by Michael Hyatt and follow his steps to get you on your way.

I’ve been amazed in the year and a half I’ve been on twitter at the amount of information that comes across my phone in a day. When you look at my profile page on twitter, don’t freak out. I only have a small percentage of peoples twitter texts coming to my phone. (I scan through the rest through out the day to make sure I didn’t miss any direct texts or reply’s).

It has become a place where you learn just a little more about a person that you otherwise might not have known. I can get updates on what is happening with my friends through out the day, or I can get Breaking News as it happens from these guys. OR…an this is where it’s getting really fun, I can follow a guy like Lance Armstrong. Lance has jumped into twitter 110%. Right now he has been in Hawaii with his kids and training for the upcoming Tour de California. He sends twitpics and tells us about hard 100 mile training days and fun times with the kids. We get updates on LIVEstrong and success stories on cancer survivors.

You see… If you are a celebrity of any kind (yes, this includes you christian artists too), then this is prefect for you to build a following. I’m a fan of Lance Armstrong. I think he inspires to push harder and to never give up. I like that, so I follow him. Make sense? So now when he gets to Tour de France ’09. I will have kept up with his training schedule. Win or Lose… I’ll be a follower.

Last…read this blog post by Randy Elrod.

Web 2.0 Trends – Twitter – Social Networking – Millennial Generation

It’s a quick look at some things to think about with Twitter. Randy and I teach a session during our LifeWork 2.o seminars specific to twitter.