Fortunately, there is a lot of awareness on climate change and increasing efforts to do something about it. Technology plays a big part in reversing the effects human kind has on the climate, and even the small things count, when they can be shared by many of us.

Greener web advocate Online Leaf tries to provide solutions for automating power saving features by covering the browser window in black. The idea is that by hiding resource-consuming animations on the website, a little energy is saved every time the visitor is idle. Of course, if everyone used power-saving features when their computer is idle, it would improve energy savings even more, but this is a good initiative to compensate for those who don’t.

If you use Wordpress, install the Online Leaf plugin for your own site to help the climate.

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

What not to do when marketing on Linkedin

Do not post blatant self-promotion in the Answers section. Here’s a real world example (details removed): 

Win A Book, A Beer or Business Guidance from [...]

The “question” states more benefits and details on what you can win, then includes a link to a blog post for participation. What’s wrong with that?

Well, for one thing, the Answers section of Linkedin is supposed to be for peers getting help from peers in the same field or industry. By “spamming” Linkedin Answers with your promotion, you are guaranteed to put off a number of users.

Secondly, not many people will read the details, since most people who browse the Answers section are those who are looking to help others and answer questions.

Successful Marketing on Linkedin

Of course, answering a lot of questions and linking to your own (well-written) content can be a strategy on Linkedin, but for most of us who are not full time pro bloggers, that is not a realistic strategy. So how can you market your services without spending several hours a day on Linkedin? Here is an example.

1. Identify your topic. It should be something that you are familiar with, but not the recognized expert on. The topic should be something that engages the experts in your industry, and lets you identify who is knowledgeable on the subject.
2. Write an engaging headline. Check out resources like Copyblogger on how to write a headline that engages the reader. The same rules are valid for Answers posts as for blog posts – engage the reader.
3. Keep the details short and relevant. This should be easy if you’re passionate about your subject. Try to inspire people to answer your question with as much detail as possible.
4. Sit back, relax. Or more likely, get back to your day job or start another SMM activity. Wait for the answers to roll in. If you’ve done a good job, you’re likely to get a lot of answers.
5. Reply with thanks. This is your opportunity. The person who answered your question is apparently interested in the topic you asked about. Write an e-mail (through Linkedin) to each person who answered and thank for the answer. Take the opportunity to introduce yourself, and list any Linkedin Groups you run that may be of interest. Most importantly, suggest that the person connect to you, and provide an e-mail address you have registered with Linkedin (you can register multiple addresses).
6. Follow up. If you don’t receive an answer to your e-mail, this is the end of the line for your relationship with that person. However, since you already have started the relationship on Linkedin Answers, your e-mail-to-connection rate should be high. Thank the person for connecting to you (or for joining your group, where you should suggest connecting again).
7. Use your elevator pitch. In a non-selling way, mention your expertise and suggest that if the person knows anyone who might need services like yours, mention your name. Avoid sending a sales letter, instead try to ask whether it’s relevant for your new connection. Provide links to your blog or other websites that provide credibility to yourself.
8. Repeat. Connect to as many people as you can, asking advice and suggesting that you may be able to help anyone they know that need expertise like yours.

Although you are not broadcasting to a large audience, you may be able to get a large number of relevant connections, that you will benefit from in the future.

Use your elevator pitch.

1. TripAdvisor – “Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 300,000+ hotels and attractions.” The largest travel social network out there. Add your own reviews and share with 6 million other members throughout the TripAdvisor network.
2. Yahoo Travel – partnering with FareChase, Yahoo Travel lets you plan your trip in detail and share it with others. Yahoo Travel features reviews, peer advice and plenty of other features for any type of traveler. Use it to list your own trips and offer advice to other travelers.
3. Flickr travel photos. Although Flickr isn’t travel specific, it’s an excellent place to market yourself, if you have pictures available. Post photos of your travels (or just your own city) on Flickr and comment on other people’s travel pictures.
   photo credit: Premshree Pillai
4. Travel Daily News. Not social networking per se, but a good resource on travel news that lets you comment on the articles. Use it where it’s relevant – add your own qualified take on the news published. Another source for travel news is EyeForTravel.
5. Dopplr – a social network for frequent travellers. Anytime you travel, update your Dopplr trips. Connect with as many people as possible and share your trips.
6. Momondo – the flight search aggregator is growing, now including trip advice, destination reviews and a social network for travelers. Watch this space, Momondo will probably be a global competitor soon.
7. Pairup.com connects business travelers and lets them share travel plans and search for business connections at their next destination. A good resource if you are targeting business travelers.
8. CityTherapy is a social planning tool for European city life and city travel.
9. CouchSurfing – this non-profit social network connects people and place internationally, to create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding. A place for managing your reputation and getting engaged in with travelers with a conscience.
10. iloho is a social network that lets its members share advice and experiences on places around the world.
11. MyTripBook is a social sharing site for reviews and diaries on places members have visited, finding travelmates or information about a destination.
    photo credit: doragonet
12. Matador focuses on travel writing, and lets you become a paid travel writer. You can get info from experts, meet people at you destination or get inspired by travel articles.
13. Rummble is a location based content discovery tool, integrating with a number of social networking applications like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Wordpress.
14. TravBuddy is an online community for meeting travelers and sharing travel reviews, photos and blogs.
15. TravellersPoint lets you build your own online trip diary and connect to travelling friends.
16. TravelTogether lets you share itineraries, prices, pictures, options, and other details about travel.
17. Tribe.net is not a travel site, but lets you connect to people to get things done in your community. It is used by travelers to find local information and connect to local people at a destination.
18. Triporama is a trip planner and travel guide for groups. If you are focused on group travel, get engaged in this community and share your travel tips.
19. VibeAgent.com lets travelers research and book hotel accommodations. It combines user-generated hotel reviews, meta-search, and social networking to provide its users with free personalized hotel recommendations and booking at the best available rates.
20. WAYN – A social networking website uniting world wide travelers.
21. WeExplore.net provides an online community for international volunteers and other alternative travelers.
22. Wikitravel is a project to create a free and reliable world-wide travel guide. Get your travel website(s) listed here and contribute to the community with dependable advice.
23. Tourism Internet Marketing is a blog for travel marketers to get engaged in, that includes a number of tips on travel marketing.
24. Woophy stands for WOrld Of PHotographY. It is focused on making Internet navigation more visual, logical and associative.
25. PassportStamp.com, a site for tracking your travels.

Of course, this is not an all-inclusive list. I will add new top 25 lists to this in the future.

What is missing from this list? Are there any travel specific social networks or applications you think should be on this list?

1. Sign up for Thumbshots.org.
2. Log in to your WP admin area.
3. In WP 2.5+, click Design>Theme Editor, then click on the Comments (comments.php) file.
4. Locate the line that says <?php comment_author_link() ?> or similar. Mine is located within a <strong> tag, like <strong><?php comment_author_link() ?></strong>.
5. Add the following image tag from thumbshots.org to the left of the author link: <img src=”http://open.thumbshots.org/image.aspx?url=<?php comment_author_url() ?>” border=”1″ style=”float:left;clear:left;” />
6. Save the file.
7. That’s it. You’re done. Happy blogging.

photo credit: 顔なし

To make it easier for visitors to evaluate content, add pictures to your blog posts or website’s articles. Flickr lets you save and share your pictures, as well as use others on your website, through the Creative Commons license.

There is a feature for bloggers and website owners to add thumbshots to the website they are linking to. The very appropriate name of the service is thumbshots.org.  

Thumbshots.org lets users spread the message of using thmubshots by having member websites link back to them – which helps the SEO rank for Thumbshots.org, and in return, all member websites that are linked to.

To add thumbshots to your website, all you have to do is follow the sign up process, and you’re ready to add your thumbshots to your site. Through a simple image tag, adding the url you link to, the thombshot is shown on your website. Below are some examples.

I have added thumbshots to anyone who comments on this blog. Add your comment and see a thumbshot of your own website here.

photo credit: Phoney Nickle
Carl-Johan.Hunefalk.com

Professional bloggers like Problogger and marketers like Seth Godin all let you get up close and personal with the author, showing the face of the authors in pictures and videos.

Not to be outblogged, here’s a picture of yours truly, in case you haven’t seen me elsewhere. I won’t add my picture to every post yet, but that day will come, along with some better illustrations in my posts.   

This picture is on a lot of social networks, and not to just show you what I look like, here’s my activity in social media online.

14 ways to connect to an Internet Marketing Addict

Here are the social media I am most active in.

• Internet Marketing Addict blog – this blog is where I post most of my findings in Internet Marketing. You can also subscribe to the feed for this blog.
• FriendFeed – aggregation of my social media activity, including this blog, shared bookmarks and microblogging posts.
• Linkedin – I am selective in who I connect to on Linkedin. It has to be someone I know, or a relevant business contact that we both benefit from (Internet Marketing professionals, business contacts in Europe, clients, and so on).
• Twitter – despite my previous statements, I have continued using Twitter a little, since I have connected with a few more people. Still, it is not very useful, and I use it for small announcements, like what social media I’m interacting on, promoting my blog, and some other information, like that I support the WWF.
• del.icio.us – my most active social bookmarking tool, where I add most links I find.
• StumbleUpon – in addition to del.icio.us, I use StumbleUpon to quickly ‘thumbs up’ a page I’m reading, without adding any comment or tags.
• Facebook – I’m rarely on Facebook. Perhaps once a week, when I get new invitations. I am sorely tired of the applications that get sent to me, and have blocked just about all but five or so, that don’t interrupt me too much.
• Technorati – I have used Technorati a bit lately, adding some favorites and subscribing to some blogs. However, del.icio.us and StumbleUpon along with BlogCatalog serve me a lot better in keeping track of blogs I’m following. FriendFeed helps a lot as well.
• BlogCatalog – a great collection of blogs, with a lot of activity from bloggers and useful features.
• MyBlogLog – I have just signed up for MyBlogLog, and I like what I have seen so far, but I don’t know if it can compete with BlogCatalog yet. Please join my community on MyBlogLog if you’re interested in Internet Marketing (especially if you have interest in a European perspective)
• Bebo – also just signed up. I’m not active on Bebo, but some day I might be.
• Google Reader – you can follow my shared items on my Google Reader page or through the feed.

I am on several other social media networks and activities, but these are the primary ones. If you are interested in Internet Marketing, like or dislike what I’m writing, please let me know. Add your comments to this post or connect to me through any of the above social media.

I’ve put it to the test, and I’m pleasantly surprised. I have talked about social media fatigue before and the benefits of creating your personal social media strategy, to manage your time spent on social media.

Head on over to my FriendFeed and post a comment, or add your thoughts here.

Why Twitter?

I did it because I don’t get it. When I don’t get it, I try to challenge my stereotypes and make an effort to get it. The popularity of Twitter is too big to be ignored, so I had to test.

Part of a Social Media Marketing Strategy?

I have written about the Pros and Cons of Twittering before, and have to confess that the pros were a challenge, but I tried balancing the sides before casting a final verdict.

Here it is.

I’m throwing in the Twitter towel. No more Tweets from my side. They simply don’t return the value of my invested time. Unless you’re a Social Media specialist, I would recommend staying away from Twitter for professional use (and actually even personal use, if you have a day job).

Right on the front page, Trackur makes big claims about making reputation management easy for you.  

“You tell us the names, products, and brands that are vital to you and we’ll scour millions of blogs, news sites, images, and videos for you. If your reputation is being discussed, Trackur will alert you.”

Of course, with that description, I had to sign up. Trackur lets you try their product for 14 days for free (prices start at $88/month). That includes one saved search (so be careful what you choose), reports via e-mail and RSS, and updates every 12 hours.

Once logged in, a search form is displayed, with a keyword field and optional filters for inclusion or exclusion of keywords. There is an advanced option as well, letting you specify text only, video/images only or both.

Performing a search lists a number of blog posts where your keyword is mentioned. I tested searching for “Momondo” (the travel search engine), and got 21 results from blogs around the web. As I could save one search, I did so and could have opted for saving the results as RSS to my feed reader, or subscribe to updates via e-mail.

Then what?

Well, not much really. I’m not sure what the $88 per month are paying for, but I can certainly do it cheaper on my own. In fact, I can get better results for free. Searching on Google News and Google Blogsearch, I get 1 + 464 results (65 the past week). Since Google lets me subscribe to a News or Blog search through RSS for free, there is no reason for me to pay $88 (or a steep $388 for the Enterprise version with 15 searches) per month.

Conclusion

1. Stick with the free, unlimited features from Google or another free service if you want to subscribe to blogs and news where your company, brand or product has been mentioned.
2. For Trackur, try building a subscriber base on a Freemium model instead of charging for a tool that provides no added value.
3. If I would select a reputation management tool, it would include trend reports on the number of mentions per [day/week/month/other] and drill down from there. Providing an easy overview of your reputation adds value to a tool – there is too much information clutter out there to use one that simply lists all mentions of a keyword and lets dig down to figure out whether it was positive or negative.

Bottom line, keep doing it yourself or find a different reputation management tool.

These are tips and ideas I use on a daily basis to get anywhere between a few hundred and a few thousand (or more) StumbleUpon visitors every day.

The article includes lots of tips for StumbleUpon Optimization, including what not to do. Check it out.