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9 Part-Time Home Businesses

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Many have had a dream of starting their own business but are afraid to give up the security of their day job. Others would like some extra tax deductions or supplement their income. Here are 9 businesses perfect for starting on a part time basis.

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15 More Valuable Takeaways from the Facebook Success Summit

Tuesday October 26, 2010
I'm attending Social Media Success Summit 2010
The Facebook Success Summit (FBSS10) continued last Thursday with 3 more great sessions. Here are some takeaways that can help you with Facebook marketing:
  1. Custom Welcome tabs should be used for Facebook Fan pages as surveys have shown twice as many people who land on a custom Welcome tab will Like your page than those who land on your wall.
  2. The two most popular tabs will get 90% or more of total tab views. The wall is always one of those two tabs. The other should be your Welcome tab (once you've created one).
  3. Once people Like your Fan page, they are highly unlikely to return to your Fan page directly. Instead, they'll interact with your content from their Facebook news feed (home page).
  4. Google SEO for Fan pages isn't worth it as search typically accounts for a small percentage of external referrers.
  5. Some people prefer to hang out on Facebook while others prefer your blog. You want to engage both audiences to build a stronger community.
  6. Consider a solo email blast inviting your blog subscribers or your newsletter subscribers to join your Facebook community.
  7. Don't ask readers to Like your page but to contribute to the conversation or join your community.
  8. Consider putting an ad on your site to encourage others to join your Facebook community. This can be much more effective for click-throughs than just the small blue Facebook icon.
  9. Install a Facebook Like box (or Fan box) on our blog sidebar or post.
  10. Consider using the Wibiya toolbar and include a Facebook Like (thumbs up) button in your blog.
  11. Consider using the DISQUS or other commenting system on your blog that allows blog visitors to share their comment on your blog post on their Facebook wall.
  12. Comment whenever anyone posts on your wall. Reply to all comments left by others.
  13. Consider special events, such as a Facebook Expert Friday where you schedule a live Q & A session with your fans (promote in advance).
  14. Delete or ban spam and @links promptly. Get them off your wall so new people who come to Like you won't see spam when they go to your wall after Liking your page.
  15. Best ways to engage your fans are: ask questions; conduct polls; break news. Photos often get the most comments.
A complete wrapup of all 3 of Thursday's sessions is available here.

Related topics: Join the About Home Business Facebook Community

About Home Business Considered a "Must Read" to be a Better Entrepreneur

Monday October 25, 2010
Ann Smarty
Ann Smarty
I noticed a post the other day by blogger, SEO maven and work-at-home mom, Ann Smarty titled 10+ Must-Read Online Resources to Become a Better Entrepreneur. When I read the post, I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be awesome if some day About Home Business was considered such a valuable resource?"

So I decided to leave a comment on Ann's post:
"Great list of resources Ann. I can only hope that one day I'll find About Home Business on such a worthy list!"
It pays to ask

What happened next floored me. Ann agreed that the site should be included and apologized for overlooking it. Then she added me to her list of resources for Small Businesses, along with:
  1. Inc.
  2. Wall Street Journal Small Business
  3. Open Forum
I understand that my site wasn't top of mind for Ann when she put this together, and I'm grateful that she decided to include the site in her short list after further consideration. All I had to do was ask.

How social networking can pay off

I've interacted with Ann in the past through social networking channels as we've always seemed to be like-minded. Ann submitted and I was honored to approve her Viral Mom blog, which at the time was a new joint venture for her. Had I not had a prior social connection with her, it's entirely possible that my comment on Ann's post could have been viewed as spam or otherwise not worthy of serious consideration.

To me, this is a great example of how social networking and building relationships can pay off over time. Now I just have to work my tail off to continue to prove this site is worthy of such honorable mention. It won't be easy, but I'm grateful to have the opportunity.

How you can help

I'm willing to go to the mat for you, but clearly, this site is not going to achieve true greatness without help from my readership. Here are few things you can do: We have an opportunity to create a truly great community. I'll do my best to do my part. You can start right now by leaving a comment on this post.

Let's start right now and kick this bad boy up a few notches. What do you say - are you in?

Facebook Success Summit 2010 Update

Saturday October 16, 2010
I'm attending Social Media Success Summit 2010
As most of you know,I'm attending the online Facebook Success Summit 2010.

The sessions have been packed full of information about using Facebook for business, customizing your Facebook fan page and getting a following of fans (or "Likers" as they are now referred to in Facebook lingo).

I summarized the first session for you here, but since then, the Summit has continued with two additional days consisting of six more intense sessions that I haven't had a chance until now to bring you up to date on.

Because 6 additional sessions are coming next week, I wanted to give you a high level overview of what's been discussed in the Summit so far before I get too far behind. I'm thinking there may be one or two of you who are actually interested in using Facebook for business, so here goes...

Read more...

Do You Know Your Destination?

Thursday October 14, 2010
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This great post by Liz Strauss on MyEscapeVelocity talks about knowing what your destination is.

She talks about making a decision on where you're going. Too many of us don't have a crystal clear vision of exactly what it is we want to accomplish - where we want to go - who we want to be. We don't have a distinct destination in mind. As a result, it's easy to stray off course and never get back on.

For that matter, if you don't know where you're going how in the world will you know if you ever get there?

Strauss makes the analogy of an airline pilot - someone who clearly knows what the destination is, yet someone who may also need to vary the course a bit from time to time - for weather, air traffic, etc. Still, the pilot gets to where he or she is going because the destination decision had been made before the flight ever took off.

Do you know your destination?

Or do you need to give it some careful thought before making up your mind?

Over the course of our lives, our destinations may change, and that's all well and good as long as we know where we're going.

Do you agree? I'd love to hear your comments!
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