eBiz Tomorrow by Chris Salazar

I recently wrote about how to become a successful intern since I was interned for about 2 years at a Bay Area tech company. But, since I’ve grown into the workforce, I’ve seen my blogging decline. I thought it was going to be the opposite, but I’m getting back into shape and motivating myself to continue blogging.

I will give this my best shot, but these are characteristics that I currently working towards since they seem to be prominent in most successful bloggers. This will serve as a checklist for me…I’ll revisit this to check on my progress.

How To Become A Successful Blogger

• Think PASSION, not numbers
  • Some bloggers start off or eventually participate in the popularity/number contest–AKA your technorati rank
  • Numbers and Ranks are a distraction, instead write about your passion
  • Blogs written with passion are much more powerful, resourceful, and interesting
• Join the CONVERSATION
  • Shel Israel, author of Naked Conversations, said we should join the conversation by listening FIRST–excellent advice!
  • Listen to what others have to say, start writing your own thoughts, comment on other blogs, and invite them to talk with you
  • Be a good listener and a good contributor
• Exhibit THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
  • Keep your posts unique and resourceful
  • Add value to what has already been said and introduce new ideas and questions
  • Make your posts thought provoking, not just a summary of what’s going on
• Create TRUST
  • Shel Israel said blogging should be like:
    • “Two neighbors leaning on a fence talking about their interests”
  • Create trust by creating an informal and open global conversation
  • Invite others to agree and disagree with you
• Enable comments
  • Comments are an important feature of blogs, enable them and help keep the conversation going
  • Positive and negative feedback are both good, don’t worry
  • The best thoughts, perhaps some you did not think of, come from comments
• Become the starting and ending point for all conversations
  • You want the conversation to start and end with you
  • First, keep up to date with global trends, news, and innovations and provide your honest opinions
  • Be enthusiastic and raise eyebrows
• Network with other bloggers
  • Build relationships, do not just sit back and hope things will happen
  • Venture out in the blogosphere, meet new people, and build friendships
  • Commend bloggers for a job well done and help them become thought leaders as well

Despite being a personal list, these rules apply to all (even corporate bloggers). This is an on-going list that I will continue to update with YOUR COMMENTS!

I read this article about the 6 ways to not get stumbled. A lot of these reasons are logical and really take aware from the essence of the content posted. We all know that you need to not only report/summarize other content, but add some sort of value, right? Yes, this is all true, but HOW DO YOU GET STUMBLED?

Readers will stumble your blog if its useful and entertaining to them. This means your blog has to be in tip-top shape! Let’s review my 4 C’s of Blogging: Content, Clarity, Conversation, Customer. All of these shape your blog into something that is real and filled with value.

1. Content - Your content has to be relevant and up to date. This is what keeps your users coming back for more. Don’t just provide the bare bones, but add extra interesting and thought-provoking incite. Content on your site is key…and gauge success by noting trends and periods when you have most traffic.
2. Clarity - Make sure your voice is clear. Take a clear stance and prove it! In fact, be clear from the beginning of your goals for each blog post. This will help you stay on track with the blog post and gauge your success at the end. Is the purpose and point of your blog post conveyed clearly?
3. Conversation - Create an atmosphere that is ready for conversations. This will not come right away and takes work, but gear up and be ready for when it does happen. Conversations is important, but its not most important. First connect with yourself, write down your thoughts, then work on getting others involved.
4. Customer - Plain and simple, think of your users as customers. What do they need? What mediums do the use? How can you best express your thoughts? And, why are you blogging? Treat your users like customers, work on not only finding new customers, but keeping them. Shouldn’t be too hard considering we are all each other’s customers, just put on those shoes and write to your specific audience.

These are pointers on how to have a good blog, but theres still a lot of effort needed from you. You’ve got to connect with other people around the blogosphere. Don’t wait for them, go out and get them yourself!

Many of us understand and realize that social media is powerful for individuals and businesses. However, there’s a vast majority out there who either disagree or are too old fashioned. Unless you work for a young company, those people are probably your boss.So, I want to start my own community marketing program at my company…how do I do it? Fortunately, I was privileged to follow under the footsteps of Jeremiah, who introduced social media to HDS; we have forums, a wiki, and a few bloggers. Yet, it was far from easy…but I learned from him.

Still its very hard work, so I look up to experts for advice and I came across an interesting article that really sums up how to start one. Only one catch, this article tells how to start one if others in your industry are catching on too…nonetheless, i cant argue with his findings.

I started off this blog with the intention to summarize someone’s thoughts, but instead I’m pushing myself…I’ll give you my advice from what Ive learned.

Here goes…

“In order to sell social media to your boss you must…”

CREATE A NEED

Bosses are busy people…in and out of meetings and/or working on bigger/better things; which is they have no time to waste on worthless projects. So…make social media a NEED, not a want. Make him/her say “We need to have blogs.” Social media is a utility that every company should and needs to somehow get their hands on.

Sounds easy right? But, how do you create this need? Here’s a few ways:

• Show ROI and Success with SEO- One word: proactive. The success of the social media program is in your hands; if you’re not proactive, you will not be able to see ROI. I read about how to show to your bosses that this ‘new media’ program is worth it’s weight, but its missing one important aspect…SEO
  • SEO - Search Engine Optimization is something that every company should be worried about, yet are they? Whether or not its in your scope, SEO can be accomplished by social media (forums, blogs, wikis, etc). Smart and active blogs have the ability to: come up early in search engines, produce incoming/outgoing links, and store a collection of thoughts and information. All of this helps SEO tremendously.
    • Example #1: Everyone knows about the whole DELL SUPPORT finding. When you search “Dell Support” in Google, scroll down, what do you see on the first page? …a link to Jeremy Zawodny’s post: What the F*** is with Dell Technical Support?
    • Enough said, this shows the power of blogging, especially with SEO. (I think before it came up a lot sooner, maybe 3rd or 4th in the search results). How much did it cost? NOTHING, FREE.
  • How much WORK does it take? - Aside from initially setting up the blog, which could take 5-8 hours total for branding, back-end work, etc…it depends on your strategy (which could range from 2-10 hours per week). I recommend blogging 3 times a week to keep your audience interested and subscribed.
    • Each blog takes 2 hours max, blog 3 times a week, that is 6 hours per week
    • 6 hours per week times 4 weeks = 24 hours per month
    • This is all the time you need…if done correctly, your company can use the 24 hours of time to benefit the overall SEO strategy.
    • Example #2: Type in “storage bloggers”…what is the first search result? The storage wiki (referenced above) that Jeremiah started. It might have cost something, but definitely not as much as paid search.

• Illustrate how your company can benefit from “human” contact - one of the most valuable rewards from a community marketing program is the human contact. 10 years ago, this sort of communication was unheard of, but now its part of our life in and out of work. Human contact sparks relationship marketing and relationships build trust. Trust in every business activity is very important and difficult to achieve. Social Media is the hub for open communication and a new way of “marketing”
  • Social Media allows for all types of communication - prospects to prospects, prospects to customers, customers to customers. More importantly, this is all happening in YOUR space…you can listen and participate openly and freely.
  • Can be used as a sales tool - bloggers should be subject experts and because of this, the sales force can use it to their advantage.
    

    “Our product has XXX and it can be integrated with XXX solution, which is why we are the leaders in our industry. For more info, you can see XXX blog post on this…”

This list will continue to grow as I learn more about these new mediums.

Also, I’ve left out some important parts…but now its your turn!

As an intern, I did not expect to ever go on a business trip, so when I first heard about the opportunity I was excited.

Yet, the excitement was soon overcome by nervousness. What was I going to do? How would I act? What would I say? I will no longer be in my comfort zone, instead I will be far away at another company working.

Now that I look back at the experience, I am very thankful not just for the opportunity but for everything that I learned. Every new intern and new hire will experience the same feelings I did, but my goal here is to help that person make the best out of the trip.

How To Make The Best out of a Business Trip:

• Do the most you can to prepare before hand
  • It is very important to know what is going on, even if your role is small
  • Prepare like you are the one presenting just in case you are needed…you never know
  • Ask questions before the trip so you are well prepared
• Listen and Observe
  • Pay attention to what is going on, do not wonder off b/c one day that will be you
  • Take good notes to reflect on after the meetings
• Participate
  • Even if you have a small role, the experience of presenting is important
  • Ask questions when needed so you can understand what is going on
  • Show others that you are part of the conversation
• Act as if you are the one presenting
  • When questions are asked, answer them to yourself, and compare your answers to what is actually said
  • Learn what the best way is to answer questions, even if you do not know the answer
• Reflection
  • Reflect by yourself or with your partner about the meeting and the outcome
  • Ask the following questions:
    • “What were the concerns from the meeting?”
    • “What are the key points from the meeting?”
    • “What needs more work?”
    • “What are the next steps?”
    • “Was the meeting a success? Why or why not?”
• Get to work!
  • Use the new knowledge from the meeting and add value to the project
  • Contribute and start preparing now for the next meeting
  • Keep in contact with the other company/partners, show the progress, and ask for their input

My business experience was a complete success as I learned important lessons that will help me contribute even more next time. This is important, especially as an intern, since I will soon graduate and work full time in the corporate world. I am thankful for this opportunity as an intern, and I look forward to future opportunities.

I would love to hear your experiences as well. I am sure that I will learn from you as well.

I recently wrote about how to become a successful intern, since I am an INROADS intern, but Robyn Tippins thought it would be a good idea to write about being a successful blogger.

I will give this my best shot, but these are characteristics that I currently working towards since they seem to be prominent in most successful bloggers.

How To Become A Successful Blogger

• Think PASSION, not numbers
  • Some bloggers start off or eventually participate in the popularity/number contest–AKA your technorati rank
  • Numbers and Ranks are a distraction, instead write about your passion
  • Blogs written with passion are much more powerful, resourceful, and interesting
• Join the CONVERSATION
  • Shel Israel, author of Naked Conversations, said we should join the conversation by listening FIRST–excellent advice!
  • Listen to what others have to say, start writing your own thoughts, comment on other blogs, and invite them to talk with you
  • Be a good listener and a good contributor
• Exhibit THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
  • Keep your posts unique and resourceful
  • Add value to what has already been said and introduce new ideas and questions
  • Make your posts thought provoking, not just a summary of what’s going on
• Create TRUST
  • Shel Israel said blogging should be like:
    • “Two neighbors leaning on a fence talking about their interests”
  • Create trust by creating an informal and open global conversation
  • Invite others to agree and disagree with you
• Enable comments
  • Comments are an important feature of blogs, enable them and help keep the conversation going
  • Positive and negative feedback are both good, don’t worry
  • The best thoughts, perhaps some you did not think of, come from comments
• Become the starting and ending point for all conversations
  • You want the conversation to start and end with you
  • First, keep up to date with global trends, news, and innovations and provide your honest opinions
  • Be enthusiastic and raise eyebrows
• Network with other bloggers
  • Build relationships, do not just sit back and hope things will happen
  • Venture out in the blogosphere, meet new people, and build friendships
  • Commend bloggers for a job well done and help them become thought leaders as well

This is an on-going list that I will continue to update with YOUR COMMENTS! I would really like your feedback for making this list the resource for all bloggers!

YOUR COMMENTS ARE NEEDED!

I have had the privilege of interning at a great company for almost a year now and I have learned several valuable pieces of information. Along with learning skills that pertain to my job tasks, I have learned professional skills that will most benefit me in the future.

My internship experience has been successful this far and I hope to continue learning and “soaking” in everything I can. In fact, I have listed many successful attributes of an intern that have helped me thus far.

How To Become A Successful Intern…

1. Always be willing to take on new projects, the “Yes I Can” attitude

• *This allows you the opportunity to show your skills and build TRUST with your co-workers
• *Every new project teaches you something new and this broadens your skill set
• *Even if the project is tedious, do it. After all you have to earn your position

2. Challenge Yourself to NO end

• *Step out of your comfort zone
• *Network with your co-workers, introduce yourself, find out what they are working on
• *Finish projects fast and accurately, then ask for more work

3. Ask questions, Be curious

• *If you are unsure of something, ask for clarification
• *Make sure you know what needs to get done and when
• *Ask questions about your department and the overall business

4. Communicate with your team

• Always follow up on emails and tasks
• *Keep your managers informed on your progress with current tasks
• *Let your team know of any hardships you are facing, perhaps they will have a suggestion

5. Do not be afraid to fail

• *As an intern you will make mistakes, but take responsibility and learn from it
• *Do not let failure hold you back from challenging yourself
• *Remember that as an intern you are not expected to know everything, so make an effort to learn

6. Prioritize Your Work

• *Be careful you do not miss deadlines, so prioritize your tasks so you do not fall behind
• *Ask your managers to help you with this…”What is most important?”
• *Set your own deadlines/timelines for completion of tasks (preferably 1 day before the actual due date)

7. Find a Mentor who is willing to help your career growth, perhaps the most benefical learning experience

• *LEARN everything you can from this person
• *Use this mentor as a resource for questions and learning new skills
• *Refer to your mentor for advice (especially during hardships)

8. Figure out how you can ADD VALUE to your team

• *What does your team need? Figure that out, and make it happen
• *Exceed expectations on your work, never just settle for the minimum
• *Be an over-achiever…pay attention to details and exceed expectations

9. SHINE!

• *Shine above everyone else
• *Make your presence known
• *Smile, dress professionally, and perform!

10. Be a human “sponge”

• *Soak in all of the new skills and knowledge you are gaining
• *LISTEN carefully to your coworkers, mentors, and managers…they ALL can teach you something
• *Observe your team and company. How do they work together? What can be improved?

Internships are important since you are provided with the opportunity to learn and gain experience. Use this as an opportunity to explore and learn so you are prepared for the corporate world when you graduate. Make an effort to shine and constantly challenge yourselves.

Any questions, please let me know here or email me: christopher.salazar@yahoo.com

Tags: internship|INROADS|business