Recently, Matt published a non-technical video of his presentation at the TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design), a biannual meeting featuring short talks by a number of interesting people.  His Topic, “Try Something New for 30 Days,” outlines a plan for taking action that should work well for many people.  Listen to the video below (3.5 minutes) to see if this applies to you. It seems like a valuable tool to use at the beginning of a new year.

This is a great local marketing event that is fun, and very effective when planned properly.

To see photos of this event, please click here…

Yaro Starak is an up-and-coming marketer who plays in both print and digital arenas.  His recent blog post, How to Get Coverage in Print Media, provides a detailed blueprint for generating frequent coverage by print media outlets.

By systematizing your efforts for dealing with print media, you can build a following among writers who cover your niche.  When writers wish to consult an “expert” for a quote, they may call on you based on the strength of your press releases.

If you write a blog regularly, consider re-purposing appropriate blog postings as press releases.  Using this tactic will keep your writing load manageable while feeding the press quality material.

Not a bad video for 15 minutes work with a new tool.  I’m sure anyone could produce quick videos in less than ten minutes with a little practice.

All I did was upload several images, use the text tool to generate text slides, and then allow the program to generate the video. I was impressed with its ease of use and the quality of the final product.

Recently, Google announced that it was continuing free telephone calls for U.S. callers to the U.S. and Canada through the end of 2011.  That’s good news for anyone who makes a significant number of telephone calls.

To receive Google’s free voice and video chat feature, or to find more information, visit http://gmail.com/call.

One of her more interesting observations is the continued growth of review web sites. Entrepreneurs can not only use reviews of their own products, but can also increase their visibility by reviewing other businesses, both local and online.

Starr’s article is definitely worth a quick read for new social marketing ideas to implement in 2011.

In particular, I found 5 SEO Tips… to be a great article, not only for SEO beginners, but also for veterans who might be thinking about refocusing their SEO efforts.

Twitter for Businesses… examines a number of external Twitter tools to make managing this platform simpler and less time-consuming.  In addition, readers might want to check Elance’s article entitled Twitter 101 for some key methods to integrate Twitter with their marketing in 2011.

Finally, How to Ditch Distractions and Stay Focused when Working Online speaks to a challenge that most online business people face on a daily basis.

The initial census data set, displayed graphically below, can point us in new directions. For more detailed information, check the following resources:

• U.S. Census Bureau web site
• 2010 U.S. Census Web Site
• The Blog of the Census Director

To view the data below in full-screen mode, click the icon in the upper-right corner of the window.

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”……~ Anonymous

To find the Annotation Tool, follow this procedure:

1. Pull down the menu underneath your user name in the upper right corner of the screen
2. Highlight “My Videos” which will provide a list of all the videos you have uploaded
3. Choose a video by clicking on its title
4. In the light gray menu bar just below the YouTube logo, select the “Annotations” button

For a better effect, a full-page front or end plate can be displayed with full artistic effect. Simply create the graphic in your favorite graphic program, then use Sony Movie Studio, or a similar tool, to insert the graphic into the video. Will devote a future blog post to describing this procedure.