Dear Reader,

Welcome to the first issue of "The Social Media Connection."
It has taken me a while to produce my first ezine, and now I can breathe deeply,
look back and celebrate this accomplishment.

This e-zine is written for you. You'll be introduced to some really cool stuff
inside the Social Media world: tools, tips, people, ideas, resources, products and
services that are all geared to assisting you in your business and life.

Tony Robbins (peak performance coach), has a quote that inspires me - "the
quality of my life is dependent on the quality of my relationships." Our lives
and our work are all connected. Social Media platforms and tools provide a way for
allowing the quantity and quality of our connections to increase significantly
over the Internet.

In the coming months I'll be serving as your guide to help you test the waters,
navigate through the tight and tricky spots, share my adventure with you, and give
you the opportunity to connect with me and each other as we explore the territory
together. I can also guarantee we'll have some good fun along the way.

So, Welcome. I'm so glad you're here and choosing to take time out of your busy
life to read this ezine. I promise you won't be disappointed!

(If you are disappointed, I really want to know about it, so please feel free to
connect with me by sending a mail to: feedback@socialmediabizresults.com and share your concerns).

Enjoy the e-zine and let the celebration begin!

As I was wondering what kind of closing line I might use to end this letter, I searched the Internet and found LetterClosings.com They have 693 closing lines to choose from.

Inserting closing line #411 (view here)

Warmly,

Steve

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Networked Blogs

Networked Blogs is a Facebook application designed to bring your blog into
Facebook, and get that blog noticed. You have the ability to promote your blog
on Facebook and have the benefit of discovering new blogs as well. There is a
Fan Page on Facebok that describes the features and functionality. On the Fan
Page there are many wall posts and discussions to participate in - to learn how
to maximize the features and connect with other users.

Here's how to get started:

1. Go to the Facebook Fan Page for Networked Blogs and become a Fan
2. Using the "Go to Applicaton" link on the Fan Page, install the Networked Blogs Application to your Facebook Profile, and you can install it on your own Fan Pages as well.
3. Confirm everything is working fine on the Facebook end.
4. Insure your blog posts are being published on Facebook
5. Register at the Networked Blogs Website to promote your blog outside of Facebook.

I'm just starting to use this service too, you'll be joining me in this new learning
experience. Let me know how it works out for you!

What If you don't have a blog?

If you don't have a blog yet, or if you have a blog that you are dissatisfied
with, there is a solution I can recommend to you. Learn more at the end of my
Feature Article - "5 Reasons to Combine Your Website and Blog Together."

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1. New on the Website

Two new features on my Website. The E-zine Archives, coincides with the distribution of this first e-zine. All newsletters can be found here. You will also find the Alphabetical Directory of Tools which will be a frequently-updated directory which you can return to whenever you like to find (mostly free) tools and resources to help your business and personal growth.

2. Coming in October

Live Teleclass - "Using Integrated Social Media Strategies To Create Exceptional Business Relationships"
I'll have more details about this one-session class in the next issue. I will help you leverage the power of Integrated Social Media to Grow Your Business. We'll be able to have a live and interactive conversation during this free teleclass.

3. On-Going through May 2010

David Neagle's Recession Rescue with Rapid Results Teleseminar Series
I am currently entrolled in David Neagle's newest program which runs through May 2010. The first 10 weeks involve business makeovers with with well-known co-coaches such as Lisa Sasevich, Bill Harris, Katrina Sawa, and Bernadette Doyle. We are currently in Week 7 at this writing. The next set of monthly calls will involve teaching and some coaching about shifting our mindset during the recession. The very reasonable price of $247 for the entire series, all recordings, transcripts, user community and all sorts of bonus items is an incredible value.

There is still plenty of time to get started and all of the recordings of past calls have already been made availalbe. You can check out the program by going to David Neagle's Website then clicking on the Recession Rescue with Rapid Results link at the top.

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5 Reasons to Combine Your Website and Blog Together

I have noticed the growing trend in combining Web Sites and Blogs into a combined
Web/Blog Site. Blogging platforms such as Wordpress and Typead provide incredible
flexibilty in allowing the people who maintain the site to have more control. The
results of using the blogging platforms to create the combined site are equal to,
or sometimes better than traditional Websites.

I am only familiar with Wordpress as a platform, though key influencers like "The Blog Squad" prefer Typead. Typad is a hosted solution that you pay a small monthly fee to use. Wordpress is free and integrates with your hosting environment seamlessly.

I am talking about your own hosted version of Wordpress. This is the software platform found at www.wordpress.org. You or your Webmaster download this software and installs it on your hosted site. There is also free blog hosting by Wordpress at www.wordpress.com. This version of Wordpress can also be used to create Web/Blog Sites. You have very limited flexibilty with this version, and is outside the scope of the article.

Here are my 5 reasons why building a combined Web/Blog site can prove very beneficial to you:

1. Inexpensive, Easy to Setup, Start Using Immediately
Wordpress is supported in most hosting environments. It is important for you to check with your Web Hosting company to make sure that Wordpress can be installed. Once that is established, Wordpress has an installation procedure that is well-documented and walks you through step-by-step.

There is a dashboard where you can control new and existing pages, blog posts, which theme to use, how you want columns layed out, how you want to configure your system. You can get help from your hosting company or by using the Wordpress help system or customer support. You can literally start using it immediately, but if you need help, there is plenty of help available.

2. You Don't Have to Know Web Programming Languages
Wordpress is very intuitive, if you know HTML, you can use it, if not, you can type your posts using the built in word processor, with no coding necessary.

The dashboard comes in handy for creating pages, and maintaining your site. There are a variety of "Plug-in's" available to enhance the experience like using drop down menues, preventing spam attacks, maximizing SEO functionality, etc. The help system explains what plug-in's are available and how to access them.

3. Themes and Templates are Plentiful
The look of your Web/Blog site is dependent upon the premade template that you use. Wordpress has a wide variety of Themes to choose from and you can have customized Themes createad for you by one of the many design firms. The Themes provided by Wordpress and some other vendors, that are free, will usually provide what you need. You can use customized themes which you would have to install yourself.

4. Your Customers can Navigate Easilty
You control the pages your visitors see, you control the layout and menu structure. It's easy to manipulate Wordpress for the look and feel you want. You have control of what you present to your visitors and you create the decision-making steps they need to follow to get what you are providing to them. You have the ability to set the site up for the easy navigation you want for your visitors. Based on what your visitors expect, you get to create the best experience for them.

5. Changes and Updates are Quick and Painless
The most important reason for choosing to create a Web/Blog site is that you don't have to rely on your Webmaster to change the code and make fixes on your behalf. You can update your own posts, create your own pages, go in and tweak something yourself, when you want to. You can stil use your Web team as you do today, just realizing that you can make updates to your content by yourself whenever you want. Wordpress has made the whole process "customer friendly" and puts the control back in your hands.

Closing
In closing, I hope you have a better understanding and appreciation for the Web/Blog site approach. More and more businesses are using this method to quickly build sites that can attract customers to you fast, give them a reason to stay and absorb your content and offer, and utlimately purchase what you are providing as value.

Newsflash: Social Media Business Results Provides an "Integrated Social Media" Approach to Web/Blog Site Creation!

As part of my commitment to provide valued services to Solopreneurs and Home Based Business Owners, "SMBR Hosting Services" has been created. I have partnered with Go Daddy and 1Automation Wiz (1 Shopping Cart) to provide a low-cost Domain, Hosting, Autoresponder, Shopping Cart, and Wordpress Web/Blog Site one-stop-shop experience.

I can help you develop a blog and create a site that includes your blog and multiple pages using Wordpress. It is a Web/Blog site. This is what I use today for my Social Media Business Results site. I offer the hosting, domain, and autoresponder/shopping cart services if they are needed. If you already have any of those needs met, I can assist with the Wordpress Web/Blog site creation effort.

I'm just getting this part of my business up and running. I will be providing more information very soon, and all ezine subscribers will receive a broader announcement letter.

In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more, or want to run some ideas by me, please send an email to hosting@socialmediabizresults.com and we can continue the conversation together.

You are welcome to use this article for your blog, website, or ezine..
Please send me an email at support@socialmediabizresults.com letting me know where it will be used, and your commitment to leave all of the links intact and live. Please use the following statement as well:

(c) 2009 by Steve Ulrich and Social Media Business Results, all rights reserved. Learn more about Steve Ulrich, the Social Media Results Guy at www.socialmediabizresults.com.

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1. Have You Heard about "Vyew?"

I recently discovered a way to hold a Webinar for a limited amount of people, for free. It's a service called "Vyew" and can be found at www.vyew.com

All you have to do is to create an account, by signing-up, and then when you want to have a conference (voice and/or Web), you create a viewing room, send an email out to those who you want to attend (right from the room), and they can join. You can share your desktop, record your session, show slides, applications, Websites and more.

You can seat a small amount of people (up to 10), then there are charges for increasing the capacity of viewers. Plenty of details about features and benefits on the site.

I was able to demonstrate the Web Hosting ordering site I'm using with my reseller agreement. Browsing the Web and demonstrating the site worked perfectly. Take it from me, you'll want to sign-up and begin to host the small events that you've been wanting to present.

2. Win a "Secret Gift" for Beating my "Headline Analyzer" Score

Coming up with a really great headline is often a challenge. Wouldn't it be great to have a tool that could tell you the emotional content of your headline and give it a ranking. Well such a tool exists - It's called the Headline Analyzer created by the Advanced Marketing Insitute.

All you do is plug in a headline you want to use in your copy, and it returns a ranking and evalutation. You can try all kinds of permutations. The tool is absolutely free and will help you create emotionally charged headlines that will appeal to your customers.

Now, to get you all excited as well as getting you to try out the Headline Analyzer, I've designed a quick contest challenge. I created a headline about headlines and it got me a score of 62.50 percent. If you create your own headline about headlines, and you test it and beat my score, you'll win the Secret Prize, which is so secret I haven't thought about what I'm giving away yet. Send your headline to me at this address: contest@socialmediabizresults.com by Sunday September 13, 2009 at Midnight EST in order to be eligible. Send the headline and your score. I will test the headline myself and if you have a score that beats mine, you'll win. There will be as many winners as people who beat my score. Here's my headline: "Believe You Can Do It Create Friendly Headlines," feel free to test it yourself.

I'll publish the list of winners in the next issue, let you know what the giveaway is, and send a note to the winners about how to claim the prize. Good luck to all!

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Social Media Results Guy... Revealed!

Growing up in NYC, I really believed New York was the only place on earth. That New Yorker Magazine Poster which shows New York City in the foreground and the rest of the world looking really small, is very true for folks who live there. In 1976 a breakthrough in my life occured when I moved to Columbus, Ohio for Graduate School at Ohio State University. I left New York, and haven't moved back!

Thirty-three years later, I have my own business, work out of my house, married for 30 years with my wonderful wife Lynda, raised two kids - now grown, daughter Lauren 18, a freshman at Ohio State University, and son Ross 21 continuing his graphic design education at Columbus State Community College. All four of us co-habit the house at this time along with 2 Shetland Sheepdogs who really run the place.

My purpose in life that I bring to my work is helping people make their business dreams come true. My purpose lives in the world by helping people get the knowledge they are looking for and helping them apply what they learn in their businesses.

I serve my awesome solopreneur and home-based "service professional" clients by helping them get started in using Social Media platforms as a primary marketing method to grow their business. I teach the fundamentals of blogging, web site creation, social networking, Internet marketing, product creation that help clients get noticed and attract more business. I specialize in connecting people and being a resource "gold-mine" for them.

I offer hosting services, autoresponder and shopping cart services, Wordpress implementation, Social Media implementation strategic planning and small business consulting. Twenty-five years of Information Technology and International work, coupled with coaching and student services training, serve as the foundation for the business and personal transformation my clients celebrate.

I believe in an "Integrated Social Media" approach that weaves the elements of Social Media and Internet Marketing, Podcasts, Teleseminars, Blogging, and ezine-newsletters into a mix of connected platforms that can get a client's message out, and get my clients found by their prospective clients. Web Analytics, Search Engine Optimization, Paid Advertising, Community Involvement and off-line marketing are part of the process as well.

You can learn more about me, my company, my background, and how I can assist you with your Social Media challenges by visiting my Website, Social Media Business Results - www.socialmediabizresults.com or by contacting me in person. I love to connect with folks and welcome the opportunity to get to know you better.

Connection Points

e-mail	steve@socialmediabizresults.com
Facebook	www.facebook.com/stevenulrich
Linkedin	www.linkedin.com/sulrich
Twitter	www.twitter.com/steve_ulrich
Friendfeed	www.friendfeed.com/sulrich4733
Delicious	www.delicious.com/sulrich4733
By Phone	1-614-236-2396
Mailing	4733 McBane Court, Columbus, OH 43220-3114

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