coComments related to DawudM

As someone with a beard - a fu

2008-05-10T08:32:31.796+02:00

As someone with a beard - a full beard and not this little goatee thing - yikes, don't look at the current photo on my blog - I must acknowledge that the cool kids have facial hair. But what about the women?

Let us all and forever have th

2008-05-10T08:25:54.161+02:00

Let us all and forever have the dreamer's disease. Dreams are the beginning of creativity, innovation and, truthfully, business. Dream, dream and dream some more. Then use David Bullock's S.T.A.R.T. Formula to help you make your dreams into reality.

Hey Terry, just wanted to say

2008-05-10T08:21:47.005+02:00

Hey Terry, just wanted to say thanks for the effort and time I know it takes to put on an event like SOBCon. You and Liz have really given a place for a community of like-minded people (forget bloggers) to come together to share. This rocks!

Hey Derek, you're too kind. An

2008-05-10T08:17:49.517+02:00

Hey Derek, you're too kind. And I know why you said what you said about the things I forgot - cause being a dad with three kids 4 and under, along with the sleep deprivation it's caused, has made me forget tons of things. Even my name from time-to-time. You were somebody on my radar coming to SOBCon. I'm just pleased we had some time to talk. Thanks for the conversation.

Michael, we brushed near each

2008-05-10T08:05:41.319+02:00

Michael, we brushed near each other a few times but didn't get a chance to shoot the... Damn, I was hoping to spend some time with you. Anyhow, great idea on the drawing. Fun, fresh and creative.

Oh Ben, he's beautiful. And it

2007-06-01T05:30:22.450+02:00

Oh Ben, he's beautiful. And it's lovely seeing a photo of you holding him. What delight. Thanks for sharing Quinn with us. I'm happy to hear that he and mom are healthy and home. Now the fun begins - again. Many blessings and a world of prayer to your whole family.

Robyn...great meeting you at S

2007-05-16T16:19:11.431+02:00

Robyn...great meeting you at SOBCon, however briefly. There just isn't enough time at these events to sit with everyone I wanted too. That's why we need a group camping trip...

You got it. It is my current c

2007-05-16T15:13:32.714+02:00

You got it. It is my current challenge. Though not one I feel is too daunting. What it means is that I have to get back to making myself a client. Then it's just a bit of work. I really loved hearing what David, Liz and everyone else had to say about my site. And I'm getting even more help from some of the other folks that were there - even after the fact. Your first point, by the way, of taking care of customers is dead on. I've built three businesses and helped two others grow all by giving stellar customer service. I think of every client as a business partner and I engage them that way - polite, kind and at their level.

This is one of the most import

2007-05-08T02:55:37.283+02:00

This is one of the most important questions every blogger needs to ask. Who is my blog for? To be successful, you gotta get real clear on this one. Otherwise, who are you writing for? I know I like to hear myself talk sometimes, but I don't often write just see my words on the screen. I want to help people and make a difference in people's lives. Only way that's going to happen is with being clear who my blog is for. Thanks, Chris.

Does she want to be a problogg

2007-05-07T22:44:48.076+02:00

Does she want to be a problogger or use her blog to drive interest in her business? If it's for her business, she needs to consider how she's going to convert her readers/visitors into clients/customers.

Headlines...you would have to

2007-05-04T18:53:35.574+02:00

Headlines...you would have to bring them up, wouldn't you. Headlines are a part of my blog that I feel I could use some work. Mine are usually okay, not great in most cases though. And I could definitely use images more. I think I don't out of laziness. And, there's a bit of a design flaw on my blog that makes using images a bit difficult. I'm fixing that flaw with the next iteration of dmiracle.com. Really good tips, David. Thanks. And thanks for linking to me.

I can't believe I've actually

2007-04-30T15:43:16.760+02:00

I can't believe I've actually heard of Saul Bass and Paul Rand. But I guess when I look at their work it's some of the most seen logos in the states today. Somewhere I had to read something about them - just can't place it. I've played with logo design a bit myself. I find it to be really difficult. But when it's done well, it can make a huge difference in branding a company.

Fun, certainly. I don't think

2007-04-30T15:27:48.729+02:00

Fun, certainly. I don't think I could work at all if I didn't enjoy what I was doing. But what do you handle the tasks that aren't fun?

Dear Gayla, you're too kind. M

2007-04-27T20:09:27.593+02:00

Dear Gayla, you're too kind. My 1 & 3 year old kids keep me...tired, actually. I just happen to love what I do - which is help small business owners and solopreneurs build their business through the internet. I love helping people. And I love to engage in conversation - which is why blogging fit me so well, I feel. What's interesting is that I don't drink coffee. I just get up, make my spiritual practices, and move about my day being the best person, best consultant and coach, best dad and husband I can. I love life and I want to squeeze the marrow from its bones. I'm rambling. Thank you, Gayla..for the link and the kinds words. When I've listened to you, I find you're the remarkable one.

Yes. For me, rhythm (and clari

2007-04-27T18:54:28.301+02:00

Yes. For me, rhythm (and clarity) lets me select the right tasks for the state I'm in. I work like I'm dancing - constantly moving, thinking, exploring. So I find rhythm is necessary for focus.

What do you think of Quamana?

2007-04-24T02:28:48.629+02:00

What do you think of Quamana? Have you used it with WordPress? Blog Desk looks great - but it's not for the Mac.

My Pro: Working at home so I c

2007-04-13T07:24:45.071+02:00

My Pro: Working at home so I can be with my family more, have lunch with my wife and kids everyday, and just generally here what my kids are doing all day long. Con: Being able to hear what's going on with my kids and wife all day long. Sometimes, quiet is so much better.

I'm game. I'm doing the same f

2007-04-09T22:42:35.379+02:00

I'm game. I'm doing the same for Garry Conn tomorrow. Could do yours at the same time. Email me if you'd like me too.

Armen, you're certainly welcom

2007-04-09T15:19:44.265+02:00

Armen, you're certainly welcome to contact me about reviewing your site.

Scoble is the exception - isn'

2007-04-05T14:13:07.542+02:00

Scoble is the exception - isn't he? But he's the exception because of his influence from the beginning. I certainly agree that other than the rare cased like Scoble, a blog - or any business website for that matter - needs to be attractive. Moreover, it needs to be clear and well organized. Otherwise you'll simply frustrate readers. Steve Krug's book, Don't Make Me Think should be required reading for all designers and website owners.

Great post. While I'm not a mo

2007-04-05T14:06:07.396+02:00

Great post. While I'm not a mom, I do run my business from my home office. I found creating income goals/budgets as being paramount to the success of my business when I first began. Many of my clients struggle with the growth of their businesses until they really look at what they need to make, how to plan for it and how to effectively budget. Very much a key piece to startup success.

That's been my experience, too

2007-03-26T14:03:06.778+02:00

That's been my experience, too, Chris. One thing I've noticed is that when I don't post, more often than not, my stats decrease. For instance, there are many weekends I don't post. So by Monday morning, I can somethings loose a significant number of 'subscribers.' I just assume they're bots from directories and search engines that grow as I post more and then drop off when I post less.

I think all things evolve. Blo

2007-02-26T20:54:29.828+01:00

I think all things evolve. Blogging is still quite young and is changing weekly. So while the calendar, for instance, had its place a while back, I think date has given way to content - like using tags. What's most important is a clear idea of why you're blogging - what's your purpose. The necessity of different blog elements should then answer to your purpose. If it supports it, great. If not then dump the feature.

Nice post. I wrote about sourcing content this morning.

I use my name and I try to kee

2007-02-23T14:58:25.786+01:00

I use my name and I try to keep it consistent everywhere I comment. Afterall, Dawud Miracle is a pretty interesting (and real) name. It would be a brand all to itself.

Linking should be easy. I've c

2007-02-21T18:40:11.216+01:00

Linking should be easy. I've certainly found that any time we make things difficult for people, they simply won't use it. Since we all want and depend on linking, you would think this would be one of those 'no-brainers.'

Nice post, Ben. I would add th

2007-02-21T18:04:40.660+01:00

Nice post, Ben. I would add that it's important that somone in charge act as a moderator for the meeting to keep it on task. I take on this role with every client meeting I have. And when we go off topic, I know that I'm the one responsible for bring it back. I've played this role in strategic planning and organizational development meetings for larger organizations where you might have 20 principles in the meeting - all wanting to be heard. At that point, it's vital to have someone as moderator. And it should be known who that person is and their responsibilities before the meeting begins.

Chris, all your points are rig

2007-02-20T16:14:31.409+01:00

Chris, all your points are right on. Good read. I think point 9 is often way overlooked by small businesses. Branding is a lot about building trust. Many of the other points you made illustrate that - consistency, focus, effort, and leadership for instance. One of the sure-fire ways to kill a brand is to build trust in all these ways and then drop the ball when it comes to delivering.

Yeah, I got one of these too.

2007-02-19T15:56:09.138+01:00

Yeah, I got one of these too. I deleted it figuring it was spam. Isn't great to know that whatever we all make popular will be shortly followed by these leeches.

Yeah, the formatting and links

2007-02-15T13:25:09.934+01:00

Yeah, the formatting and links are both fine in older posts as well. I can send you some screen shots if you want. Just give me a specific date you'd like to see and I'll take a screenshot and send it to you.

The starting point

2007-02-13T15:00:48.086+01:00

The starting point of every strategy is a mission statement and a vision about what you want to accomplish.

As I'm a business developing expert, I just want to clarify this point because I think it might help your readers... First, you begin with a clear vision of who you are, what you want to offer and to whom. Ideally, your vision has the highest level of clarity to you. Next, you use your clear vision to develop a mission statement. The mission statement, then, communicates to your audience what it is you do. Ideally, it tells your audience what they get from working with you. So your vision is what you use to actually craft your mission statement. The vision is the 'what' and the mission is the 'how.'

Yes, yes. These are the steps

2007-02-13T14:55:08.911+01:00

Yes, yes. These are the steps every good marketing should follow - buzz marketing or not. The only thing I might add is be patient. Any marketing, buzz included, will most often start slow and then build gradually over time. The idea is to reach a critical mass where your marketing 'explodes.'

I'm finding that I agree with

2007-02-13T13:18:49.782+01:00

I'm finding that I agree with Darren. I want the feeds I read to have as little between me and the content as possible. I only have so many minutes in the day to read feed posts, so I don't want anything extraneous to get in the way.

Just got your pdf, a read it.

2007-02-12T16:37:30.492+01:00

Just got your pdf, a read it. It's pretty good. Definitely some pieces I can take from it. Thanks. Also, I'm keeping your feed in my reader - I've found some really good stuff on your blog already. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the interesting pos

2007-02-08T18:42:44.475+01:00

Thanks for the interesting post and the link to BlogExplosion. I found it last week and plan to check it out. Your comments above make a compelling case for using it. RSS feed buttons annoy me in two ways on blogs...1, as you mention, too large. I don't need the icon shoved in my face to see it. But two, even worse - not being able to find the feed link. I think everyone should use the feed graphic - orange or otherwise. That way, it would be easier to find people's feed link. I was on a site other day, I really liked the content and the person had a feed counter - which wasn't a live link. But when I tried to get their feed, I had one heck of a time finding it. Only because I really wanted it did I look so hard. Otherwise, I may have just left. Why promote a feed counter and then make your feed link so hard to find?

Makes sense. Though I'm not su

2007-02-06T12:58:52.438+01:00

Makes sense. Though I'm not sure why I'd want to update posts I've already written unless I found errors.

I find that it's important to

2007-01-30T17:39:30.018+01:00

I find that it's important to be genuine. Not fishing for something with comments. But actually really have interest in the post topic and feel like I can add something to the conversation. After all, isn't that what comments grow into - conversation? Another great post, Ben. Thanks.