From Dimes to Dollars

“Don’t listen for the sound of triggers being pulled as much as the sound of mouses being clicked.”

-Jay Conrad Levinson, Author of the bestselling book series Guerilla Marketing, predicting in 1998 the massive technology takeover and its influence on business.

Hi Fellow Blogger,
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silversnowball

Hi Silversnowball,

I should probably begin by advising my readers not to take the same route you have by beginning a spam campaign. Spammers are blacklisted, and the conversion rate is easily under .01%. Such shameful methods for a modest return are not worth your time, nor the sacrifice of your reputation.

With that out of the way, this piece of spam brings about a topic worth talking about: automated tools or paid services to gain subscribers. While you’ll probably note some short-term success if you decide to use either of these, the problem is that you’re not going to retain the vast majority of those people. Worse yet, once your blog or website is labeled a spam trap…it sticks. And because you don’t want to have your (real) name attached to any campaign like that, you are building absolutely zero personal brand equity. The advantage of gaining readers organically is that you build relationships, and therefore loyalty, along the way. Commenting on blogs that you are genuinely interested in, adding helpful tips to related forums, taking the initiative on Q&A sites, these are all ways to organically meet people with similar interests and gain new readers, while at the same time solidifying your public reputation. The best part of this method? Because you’re doing things honestly and not paying someone to send out spam for you, you’ll actually enjoy doing it.

Thanks for your question!

Ben

Hi, i'm a 20 year old living in michigan and have always wanted to open a concert venue. I'm currently going to school to become a physicians assistant soooo as you can tell i have no clue how to go about opening a venue like that. I've been reasearching investment groups but i have NO clue where to start? any ideas?

itsnewman

Hi itsnewman,

Thanks for writing, it’s always a pleasure to hear from D2D readers! A concert venue is a good choice for Michigan with the Detroit and Grand Rapids areas, among others, being very dense hubs for visual and musical artists alike. Plenty of hot spots to choose from.

Well, I think right now the first decision you’ll want to make is not where to look for investors, but what career path you ultimately want to take. Do you still have interest in becoming a PA? Do you have another unrelated job in the meantime? Will there be lost grants, or looming student loans that will be piled on if you take a semester hiatus to get a feel for the music biz? Can you see yourself happily running a concert venue 10 or 20 years from now? These are questions that may be tough, but need to be answered, as this in itself may be a turning point in your life. Think long and hard about this decision before moving forward.

Now, assuming you’re a little further down the road and you’ve made that tough decision, you’ll need to learn the business inside and out before you begin seeking investors. Never underestimate the intuition of investors, remember that these guys hear pitches all the time and they’ll be able to sense immediately whether or not you’re fluent in your field. I’m assuming with your passion for music you attend concerts yourself. Make it a point to befriend the folks that make these concerts happen, get a feel for the process. Hit up local cafes with free open mic night, talk with the performers and listen to their stories, you never know what wisdom and encouragement you may glean from them. Heck, if you’re having trouble making connections with people, target smaller venues and offer to do a blog entry or interview with the owners. Take them out to lunch if you have to, a smart businessman is unlikely to turn down a free lunch and good press. If there’s one thing I’ve ultimately learned in the business world, it’s that you’d be amazed what you can accomplish by just asking. As Dale Carnegie would affirm, people love to talk about themselves, so sometimes just asking the right questions and being a good listener can be incredibly beneficial. Don’t expect immediate results, but persistence will eventually pay off big time. Also, as I mentioned earlier, one thing you’ll want to scout as early as possible is location. You’ll want to have a clear vision of what type of crowd you’d be attracting, (realistic) capacity, and if it makes logical sense for the musical niche you’ll be filling. Study the number of concerts and calibre of bands playing in a given area, and keep in mind that relocating may be in the cards.

In any case, get back in touch with me once once you’ve taken a few steps on this, and we’ll determine the possibilities from there. I wish you the best no matter what you decide to do.

Warmest regards,

Ben Lopez

An Open Letter To Tumblr Users: PLEASE ENABLE COMMENTS

by Ben Lopez

That’s it. Enable comments. There are a multitude of reasons to do so, and not a single reason why you’d want to intentionally disable them, short of looking to explicitly avoid criticism. I hope no one will take offense to this entry; none is intended, friends. I’m saying this today because it’s something that needs to be said, and I have yet to hear another Tumblr blogger address this persisting issue. Comments give bloggers an interactive incentive to their readers, and the readers are able to further contribute and share thanks when you provide useful, engaging content.

Before I joined Tumblr, I had never HEARD of a blog that didn’t have the option of commenting, at least not by default. To be fair, I realize some Tumblr users are not aware that their comments are disabled, it took me a while to notice it myself. When I started here on Tumblr, as much as I loved the community, I found it absolutely unbelievable that MANY themes intentionally exclude the ability to comment. For the Tumblr staff not to set minimum functionality requirements that designers must include in their themes seems grossly irresponsible to me, and it is hurting the reputation of both Tumblr and its users. Some blogs don’t even have a permalink button! Can you imagine? A non-Tumblr user visiting a Tumblr-powered blog and scratching their head, “Are you kidding me, I can’t leave a comment? What’s the point of blogging like that? It’s like you’re talking to yourself.” Or what if one of your friends on Facebook suddenly did not allow for status update comments or wall posts? Chances are you’re going to be visiting that friend’s page a heck of a lot less, if at all…why should it be any different for blogs?

I’m sure some of you are saying by now, “Oh, shut up, you! I’ll run my blog how I please!” And I get it. I’m not fond of criticism any more than the next guy, but please trust me when I say you have everything to gain by enabling comments. Why has social media become so successful? Because it’s social. Please do not interpret this entry as an act of spite or harsh criticism, this needs to be said for the greater good of the Tumblr community. It’s fairly often I find a really great blog that I can’t comment on at all, which is a shame. I’d love to be able to tell that person how much I enjoyed reading their work.

Take a look at some of the top blogs here on Tumblr. You’ll see that most of them not only have comments enabled, but include a multitude of commenting options (Yahoo, Disqus, Twitter/Facebook Connect, etc) in addition to a standard form so that anyone can comment very easily. They are some of the most-read blogs for good reason; that interactive element is a crucial incentive that gives birth to conversation beyond the original article and brings those hungry minds, those taking pleasure in quality conversation, coming back for more.

For bloggers without comments, did this article change your mind? If not, let’s hear your views on why you still would like to restrict comments. For those that agree with my rationale, I ask that you consider ReBlogging this entry to spread awareness.

Bring forth your comments, questions, and criticisms.

POLL RESULTS and Analysis (Part 1): Internet Business and Professionalism

by Ben Lopez

This ended-up being a lot more content than I had planned, so I’ve decided to break it up into 2 parts. Today I’ll be sharing the poll results and commentary from the respondents. Part 2 on Monday will be my personal response and analysis.

I’d like to sincerely thank all those who participated, we got a very solid response with 15 replies in total. As you can see from the pie chart above, the response was rather mixed. I appreciate that no one selected answer D!

QUESTION: What are your initial thoughts when someone tells you they run an internet business?

Answer A (20%, 3 votes): I’m impressed. This business owner is logically taking advantage of new technologies and applying them to emerging practices. The potential for his internet business is equal to, if not greater than that of a traditional business model due to these new innovations.
Answer B (20%, 3 votes): I do not take this person’s online business as seriously when compared to a traditional business model. They do not have the same day-to-day responsibilities to uphold, and have somewhat limited potential.
Answer C (60%,9 votes): I believe a business man or woman has equal potential in either business model, and I do not think of them as significantly different.
Answer D (0%, 0 votes): These answers are rubbish! Here’s one of my own!

Here are portions of several replies:

(A) Randy M.:

“Of course an online business is professional. Selling virtual goods is no different from selling physical goods. I would probably say that an online only business has somewhat more potential because it takes a smaller staff, less physical equipment, and there is more flexibility…I think internet is easier and can scale faster.”

(C) Tony “The Chef” Marciante, TV Personality and Entrepreneur:

“Like any business, it’s up to the “proprietor” to make it professional or not. I believe that in the future, affiliate programs, internet marketing and all the wonderful web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies/strategies will be THE way products are sold. What about MLM? Why isn’t that thought of as “professional” sometimes? It’s about the PEOPLE and the METHODS used to promote the products…Getting a commission for a sale is nothing new, why are internet/information marketers looked at any differently?”

(C) Alan Moss, Marketing Expert and Executive at Artemesia Distillery:

“Of course it’s a professional thing to do. Frankly, it’s more alarming to see how late some of the big companies are at getting online operations set up alongside their normal businesses.”

(B) Ron Curry:

“I’m part of the internet generation, and I saw the dotcom bubble expand and then burst. If you look at why it burst, some of your question is answered. Most online businesses are not businesses at all, and provide no function or value.

…it doesn’t necessarily mean those ventures are not profitable. I know a guy who just buys, sells and trades domains and makes hefty profit doing so. I suppose that’s some sort of hybrid between a traditional real estate business and brokerage. But in reality, he sits at home in his pajamas eating bowls of cereal.

So no, it’s not “professional” in the terms which I consider that word. Not by a long shot. Not even if you wear a suit sometimes. But it can be successful and even profitable.

I saw an article today that I thought was directly relevant: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/06/facebo… ” [Editor’s note: linked article details Facebook CEO’s juvenile antics]

(C) Jon Lopez, Founder of RFS Claymations and Affordable Aperture Photography:

“If you can get a business up and running on the internet, have a good clientele, and a user-friendly, popular business site, I would think that it’s equally successful.”

(C) Julie:

“My reaction would be based on the type of business rather than virtual vs. real shingle. I recently learned that a friend has set up an internet business with the eventual goal of a brick and mortar retail shop, perhaps not the usual progression. I do consider both businesses to be professional.”

(C) Barbara Sisko:

“People are learning more and more about how someone running a reputable internet business should conduct themselves; and as long as you adhere to that principal, I think you can safely call yourself “professional.”“

(C) Dave Veldkamp:

“It depends on how much you put into your business. Online selling, banking, trading etc are some really great businesses to have online. I would say yes it is professional.”

(B) Kevin Baker:

“When I think of an internet business, I think of someone in their boxer shorts processing orders as a middleman. I know there are some great internet only businesses, but generally speaking I can’t take it very serious, and don’t consider it professional. “

(C) Phil Ricci, Co-Founder & Director of Business Development for Symfny:

“…I have had success in both arenas. We have all been programed to believe certain things in our lives. Most people would never go into business for themselves, because they have been taught that having a good steady job is fundamental to being ‘successful’.

Professional by definition is a: participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs <a professional golfer> b : having a particular profession as a permanent career <a professional soldier> c :engaged in by persons receiving financial return <professional football>. In other words, you get paid for the work you do. I think that people get professional and acting professionally mixed up. There are many…who believe that if you do not have an office, wear a suit and tie, have meetings, mission statements and all that jazz, you are not to be taken seriously. There’s nothing wrong with that, but just not how I see the world. I think that most have lost the concept of ingenuity and have replaced it with this warped view of professionalism. I have personally watched more good ideas squashed in the corporate boardrooms of America than I care to discuss.”