GET SUCCESS

"Submitting your own content to these places is good because not all coverage is organic"

Exposing your fresh-faced content to 10,000 people is an "experience" that is likely to damage your confidence and you probably don't need that while you're trying to get going. It takes a while before you realise that people who don't like your idea are far more likely to give you a piece of their mind. If you're not ready for the occasional torrent of hate that things like Digg bring - then you're not ready for Digg. And that's without even touching the notion of whether your server can handle it.

Start small, aim bigger
Ultimately Digg is the king of these sites because I've witnessed it send over 10,000 people in a matter of hours and it prompts the other sites to show you attention too. It's not necessarily a good idea to aim at Digg straight away because you need to learn how to handle these users, write your content specifically for them etc. Aiming at sites like Furl, Fark and some of the lesser known niche ones is a good thing to do. Your success rates there should help you tailor your content towards the correct markets.

How Digg sends traffic
The traffic structure when you get "Dugg" is a funny one. You'll have massive numbers of visitors for the first couple of hours and it'll keep going for 6 hours or so before slowing somewhat. 24 hours later it's largely finished sending people in your direction but round two of the traffic-storm is about to start. You see, if people had an opinion about your submission then it's likely they wrote about it somewhere - occasionally someone who actually has readers will blog about your content... You see where this goes? You then get referals from them.

Digg starts you being Stumbled (StumbleUpon)
The funny thing is, if you're Dugg it's almost certain that within a week you'll be hit by StumbleUpon users - hard. StumbleUpon is a weird creature; it sends traffic in surges but it sends a LOT of it. Looking at my statistics StumbleUpon is the second highest referer for Seopher.com (at 18.35%) behind Google's 21.87% domination. It's odd because of how distributed the traffic becomes. Also (quite helpfully) content can be stumbled more than once (unlike places like Digg). Meaning if you wrote some good content that got Stumbled 2 months ago, it may actually rise again (as this has happened to me a couple of times). I wrote an article a while ago that details quite how much you can do with social bookmarking sites.

Del.icio.us
Here we have a social bookmarking site where users can save websites of Interest to their bookmarks - however, "hot" topics (ones that are being bookmarked a lot) are shown on the front page. The quality of user from del.icio.us is actually quite good because they have a vague information requirement which means they're likely to read your content. I was on the frontpage of it only yesterday for my 70 coolest applications post and 1 in 4 readers read more than JUST the article they landed on.

You should try and target your content for the site that's right for you

I originally planned to include the direct video in this post, but it seems I never could get it to display correctly here So if you’d like to see the video I recorded titled: Celebrating The Success of Others you can do so by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy it… And remember…

It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

What we allow ourselves to focus on is what tends to transpire in our life. Therefore the question we must continuously ask is, “do I want more of this in my life?” — if the answer which comes back to you is anything short of “YES!” then you need to shift your thinking to focus more on those things and experiences that you do want to see occur in your life.

Awareness and knowing when our thoughts are no longer serving us helps to move us in the direction of the goals we have set for ourselves and is an important part of getting back into alignment, back to the place and doing those ongoing actions which are required of us if we truly wish to see our dreams through to completion.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

*Josh Hinds is a motivational speaker who specializes in teaching on Overcoming Adversity and how life’s challenges be our greatest teachers. Watch a video presentation of Josh in action at http://www.getmotivation.com/speaker

Here’s a positive affirmation you use when you need a quick burst of motivation & inspiration…

“I have the power to create the life I want to live by the daily actions I take. Every day I am unleashing my greatness for the benefit of myself, my family, friends, loved ones and everyone involved.”

– It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

Accomplishing the goals you set for yourself is largely a matter of consistently keeping the junk thoughts which pop up throughout the day to a minimum. You know the ones I’m talking about — those little voices which attempt to tell you all the reasons why you can’t possibly pull off what you wish to accomplish.

If you can keep this rubbish thinking to a minimum you will literally amaze yourself with the number of successes you can rack up in life.

– It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

* Josh is the author of the motivational booklet: Why Perfect Timing is a Myth! available at: http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

Here’s a positive affirmation you can repeat to yourself when you need some inspiration…

“I make a point to reconnect with the goals I have for myself - why I want to attain them, as well as all the benefits for having done so. Upon doing so I have a renewed sense of my ability to achieve whatever I wish to accomplish. Through planning and a true commitment to work my plan I am moving confidently in the direction of my greater vision.”

– It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

* grab your copy of my motivational booklet, Why Perfect Timing is a Myth! available at http://www.getmotivation.com/booklet/

Instead of seeing someone who takes the time to complain about a product or service you’ve rendered as a problem, try and reframe it for what it really is - an opportunity to grow, learn, and ultimately become better for the experience.

It’s been said many times before that we grow through life’s challenges, as opposed to those times when it’s smooth sailing.
When another person takes the time to share what’s wrong in their mind be thankful, because so few people actually do. Instead they go silently into the marketplace sharing their negative experience with others.

For this reason alone isn’t it better to correct any disagreements early on? If the other person asks for a refund strive to the very best of your ability to give it without hesitation or making it difficult on them.

In virtually every case you will find that you’re always better off when the other person leaves the experience feeling good about it even if you weren’t able to deliver on what you both originally agreed upon (so long as things are made right when you part ways).

In the short-term you may feel that you’ve lost out, but in reality you have built trust and paved the path for the other person to potentially do business with you at another time. Not to mention you will be surprised by how many people will actually go about singing your praises to others as they share what a rare customer service experience they had, “with the person who really wanted to make sure I left the transaction happy”. Because unfortunately so few people take this approach, when you do so you will put yourself at a distinct advantage in the marketplace.

If you can develop the ability to render this level of service with a smile you will differentiate yourself in a positive light. The rewards for being viewed in this way among others is well worth the effort it takes to do so.

When you build trust through your actions you strengthen your character. Your character determines your influence. Your influence determines the level of success you will attain - be it personally or professionally.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

* Josh Hinds is available for keynotes, breakouts and personal development trainings.
Visit http://www.GetMotivation.com/speaker for speaker information.

Here’s a positive affirmation you can use when you need a quick burst of inspiration…

“I will keep my focus on building up, encouraging, and inspiring others. I strive to be viewed as a people builder. Life rewards those who help others to be the best they can be.

Plus, every moment that I spend encouraging others I am at the same time developing a necessary component of leadership. When we teach others — we end up teaching ourselves at the same time.”

– It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

Interested in having me speak to your group?
Details at http://www.getmotivation.com/speaker/

-What do you think of this affirmation? Feedback is always welcome and appreciated.

Here’s a positive affirmation you can use whenever you find yourself in need of a little motivation to move you forward…

“Each day I spend some time investing in myself. The time I put in to improving my skills pays dividends which can never be taken from me.

Outside circumstances can change — and though I may find myself with fewer resources through no control of my own, the skills I’ve developed will always remain. The important thing about this is that even in a worst case scenario should I have to begin a new — because of the skills I possess I can regain & surpass whatever I may have lost. Therefore, I am diligent in continuously upgrading my skill set.”

– It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

* Josh Hinds is available for keynotes, breakouts and personal development trainings. Visit http://www.JoshHinds.com for speaker information.

-What did you think of the shared affirmation?

If there’s one thing you must grasp if you wish to experience an increase in productivity and a strong sense of achievement day to day it’s the concept that not every task is created equal.

This is especially true when it comes to those things which when completed will lead to a greater sense of accomplishment & feeling of success and achievement.

Far too many people look at having completed the items on their To Do lists as a sure sign that they’re achieving at a great level. The problem with this line of thinking is that in many cases the items which make it onto our lists are little more than busy work — items which do require attention, but in the grand scheme of things having completed them doesn’t serve us in a greater capacity with respect to our larger, more important goals — the big things that when completed actually move us closer to our grand vision — the one we hold for our lives, whether personal or professional.

The challenge is that while you may feel like you’re making progress, because after all, you are checking items off during the day — if you’re not taking a careful inventory and ensuring that the things you are working on in the first place will yield your greatest R.O.I.O.T (return on investment of time) then it’s likely that you will end up feeling as though the larger life plans you hold for yourself aren’t making any headway.

Which by the way you would be correct, they aren’t, not because you aren’t working, but because you’re not working and putting forth the necessary effort into the specific task needed to yield the exact true result you are after.

That’s why I say, all tasks aren’t created equal. Commit this to memory — and always be asking the question “If I work on this task, when completed will it yield the greatest overall result and sense of accomplishment for me.

Will having achieved it move me closer to my larger plan?” If the answer you get back is anything but a resounding yes then you need to reschedule what it is you’re planning to work on and replace it with a task that will yield you the greatest return on investment of time (R.O.I.O.T). It’s that simple.

You and I have a choice as to what we give our time to. We don’t have a choice as to how much time we have. No matter how hard we try we’re not going to be able to squeeze anymore than 24 hours out of our day. The good news is you don’t even have to try IF you’ll grasp and put into practice the ongoing habit of asking the question mentioned above, and working on those items which when completed will yield the greatest results.

To clarify here’s a make believe To Do list item — I’ve made reference to an example which will serve you the best and one which might be more in line with “busy work”, which may make you feel good to get them done, but in the grand scheme of things won’t serve you had you instead chosen to spend your time on other things.

Example item that might appear on your To Do list…

* Vacuuming the house - while this can certainly be a worthwhile undertaking, is it really as important say if you’re larger goal was to “increase your sales for the month”?

No of course it isn’t.

A far more effective use of your time would be to schedule this as a lower priority item, or find a way to have someone else do it for you if that’s a possibility. While it may feel nice to complete this task, it’s not going to yield the same result if you were to replace this task with one such as “give a follow-up call to the people I met at the seminar I attended who showed an interest in my product or service”.

As you can see the latter is going to move you closer to what you’ve identified as your most important goals. Plus, once you’ve completed the tasks which will have the greatest return on your investment of time then you can go ahead and knock out the other things.

The key thing to remember is that you’ve got to be vigilant in working on and first completing those items which will give you the greatest return on your time spent.

(c) all rights reserved.

* Hire motivational speaker Josh Hinds to appear at your next event, seminar or conference.

-What are your thoughts? Do you have any ideas to help with improving productivity?

It could take you years and can cost you a small fortune to figure out just the right combinations that make some of the self-help advice that is out there to work - while others fall flat on their face.

But instead of knocking yourself out trying to come up with just the right solution for you, you can now have it inside a brand new eBook called:

At last! Every tool and piece of wisdom you need to actually create Good Fortune in your life is here.

Think Week Implications for the Rest of Us

Bill Gates takes the time, twice a year, to read and ponder the future of Microsoft. How often do you take any time at all to read new ideas, consider your current work and life, and make changes? Not often enough, I’ll bet.

But, if the CEO of one of the most powerful corporations in the world sets this example, I am willing to learn. This article idea came to me during a one-hour think time earlier this week. I jotted down four additional ideas – in just an hour of reading and thinking.

I know, take time to think; take time to read and learn may be simple messages. But do you do it? If not, take time to think; take time to read and learn. You can transform your world.

Ten Thinking and Dreaming Exercises for Creativity and Innovation

• Read with pen and notebook in hand; jot down any idea that comes into your consciousness.



• Keep a notebook in which you can keep track of ideas, by your bed and in your car.



• Write one idea down on a piece of paper and brainstorm any thought that comes from it: how to accomplish the idea, what to do about the idea, where to use the idea, who can help you implement the idea, and any other thought that enters your mind.



• Read a non-fiction book every week. Read magazines, journals, online articles, all-the-time.



• Clip articles and place them in a folder of related articles or ideas. Periodically, glance through the folder.



• Create “idea files” in most folders in your computer. Create an idea or to-do file in your email program. Add ideas as they come to you.



• Take time to stare out your window (if your setting deserves attention), play with a desk toy, take a quiet walk. Do any rote activity that allows thoughts to swirl through your mind.



• Encourage your staff and coworkers to do all of the above and share ideas with each other at “think” or brainstorm sessions. Schedule annual retreats or off-site meetings to plan and generate ideas.



• Develop an employee suggestion process.



• Schedule think weeks, think days, or think hours for yourself or your work group.

Thinking time and learning time are both critical to creativity and innovation. The old adage: “stop to smell the roses” is true for both your current work and your career. Take time to plant and harvest the ideas that fuel your progress and success.

Bill Gates doesn’t have to know everything. He recognizes that he has employees who do. But, he appreciates the importance of taking the time to learn what they know. He takes time to listen to their ideas. He takes time to think, to ponder the direction of Microsoft. The Wall Street Journal highlighted Gates’ bi-annual Think Weeks in a recent article In Secret Hideaway, Bill Gates Ponders Microsoft’s Future by Robert A. Guth. (You must be a subscriber.) The concept took hold of my imagination.

Essentially, for many years, Gates has gone into seclusion for two, one-week “Think Weeks” a year. Family, friends and Microsoft employees are banned from his retreat.

Alone, he reads manuscripts from Microsoft associates on topics that range from the future of technology to speculation about the next “hot” products. Some papers suggest new products or different versions of current products. Any employee can write up ideas and send them for Gates’ perusal. He says he may read 100 papers during a Think Week and his record is 112 papers.

Not just reading, Gates takes the time to respond to employee suggestions. One paper may result in an email sent to hundreds of Microsoft employees world-wide. Employees wait with baited breath to see if their paper or idea might receive the go ahead following one of these famous Think Weeks.

The process of reviewing employee ideas has evolved over the years. An assistant now culls the submitted papers prior to Think Week and a computerized response system lets Gates easily respond to papers. But the basic idea - to read and think during time alone – remains constant.

If you asked 100 business owners to rank their most important resource, "employees" would finish number one almost every time. But while organizations may profess to value their workers above all else, not all of them know how to instill and maintain the values of dedication, teamwork, and mutual respect.

That's where Dr. Devona E.G. Williams comes in. A former DuPont Company employee with a doctorate in urban affairs and public policy, Devona has spent the past 14 years providing management consulting and training services to corporations, government agencies and non-profit groups. She helps their leaders plan for the future, and she teaches their employees skills that help them do their jobs better through training on topics like attitude management, diversity, leadership, listening, personal style coping and stress.