Small Biz Blog Wiz - Easy, Affordable and Productive Blogging for Small Businesses

My Link Blog Goes Live

Yipeeee! My brand spankin' new link blog is up and running, ready for you to enjoy. You can visit it daily, subscribe to the RSS feed or just check it out on the left-hand sidebar of this site. Either way, be sure not to miss the wealth of business blogging info available at your fingertips through my wonderful new link blog.

Google circa 1960

The linked image below is a great piece of commentary on the amazing evolution of access to information. Indeed, what would once take 4-6 weeks, now takes less than 1 second.

Use this goldmine to your advantage. Have a business problem you just can't solve? Google it. Stuck at a creative dead-end? Google yourself some inspiration. Need client or prospect information fast? Google them. If you're not using this tool to work smarter then you need to, now. You'll be happy that you did.

Google circa 1960 image | digg story

Google Phone Rumors are Good News for Small Business Owners

A Google-branded phone could be a boon for small business bloggers. Mobile blogging is growing more popular everyday. It's relatively easy, for bloggers. For small business owners, mobile blogging can be complicated, time-consuming and frustrating. All that and a lot more could change if the rumors of a Google phone turn out to be accurate.

Google phone could offer a suite of easy-to-use features that integrate their full line of services. Google has been rolling out a bevy of mobile services recently, a couple of which are simply brilliant: Mobile Gmail, and Mobile Reader. Matching these stellar products with mobile versions of Blogger, AdSense/AdWords and put it all on a cutting-edge cell phone - possibly a free cell phone, according to rumors - and you've got one heckuva powerful small business tool. Mobile blogging and data/content management on-the-fly will be much easier in the future. And as the cell phone/mobile hand-held quickly becomes the center of our online, connected, in-touch lives, it's hard to believe that Google wouldn't be in the forefront, chomping at the bit for a piece of the pie. That's a good thing for small business owners.

Google Office Coming Together

Documents, spreadsheets, project management, intranets and much more in one place - on the web. Welcome to Google Office.

The race towards web-based office suites took another big step forward today as Google acquired JotSpot. For small business owners, the important information is that Google has added a robust collection of web-based software to their existing offerings. All of Google's software is easy to use, completely portable and offers instant collaboration with whomever you choose.

The ability to take your office anywhere is upon us. Use it, grow and prosper.

Use the News to Get More Pageviews

Blogging about news in your industry is smart. It provides ready-made content, plenty of discussion, consistent traffic AND helps to establish you as a thought leader. But, roaming the internet for every tidbit of industry news can be frustrating, time-cosuming and unproductive. Here's how to do it right.

You're probably already following news in your industry to some degree. Take that investment of time and energy and increase its ROI by blogging about that news. Industry-specific sites and Google News are more than enough to get you started.

For this post I will use the example of news about the wastewater treatment industry - you know, the folks who take over after you flush the toilet. This business niche has plenty industry-specific sites and an constantly replenished supply of stories on Google News. You should be actively following these type of industry-specific sites and news stories via RSS feeds. Using these sources and accessing them via their RSS feeds is the crucial step to productive industry news blogging. To make it easy, you can grab an RSS feed for any search terms you choose on Google News. That is huge and it bears repeating and explanation.

You can grab an RSS feed for any search terms you choose on Google News. Just go to Google News, enter your specific industry and click "Search News." The results page will have choices for RSS or Atom feeds on the left-hand side (see images below). Save this link to your newsreader and voila, a never-ending stream of industry news perfectly tailored to your niche.

When news breaks, offer commentary and links right away. Comment on other blogs and provide trackbacks. Use your blog to demonstrate to the world (or more importantly, your costumers and prospects) that you are an expert in your field, on top of relevant news in the industry and plugged into the discussion. Your profile and credibility are instantly raised, along with your site's qualified traffic and pageviews.

Blogging about industry news and events can be relatively easy when set up properly and executed consistently. The here today/gone tomorrow nature of news is well-suited to a blog. Plus, when news breaks, industry insiders and observers rush in to analyze reaction and gauge the discussion. As someone in the same industry, you need to be engaged in that discussion, offering insightful analysis, quality links and interesting perspectives. Staying up-to-date by using the tools discussed here is the perfect way to engage people, offer commentary and analysis and continually attract more visitors interested in your industry.

Web Tool Review: Google Spreadsheets

Google Spreadsheets has been available for a couple weeks now. The company's spreadsheet offering is an online version of Excel-lite. It offers many of the same features as Microsoft's product with the exception of charting, macro capabilities and a few other advanced functions.

However, Google's offering differs from Excel in two enormous, important ways - 1. Google Spreadsheets is available online from any internet-connected computer in the world, and 2. Your spreadsheets can be easily and instantly shared with colleagues, and simultaneously worked on over-the-web! That's right, no more bridging the gaps between multiple computers or emailing files to different work and home addresses. Now, all your spreadsheets are in one place (far from from spy-ware and other personal computer peccadilloes), available online and instantly shareable with anyone you choose. Oh, and by the way, Google Spreadsheets is free.

Wow. That's HUGE. Especially for small businesses.

Sales forecasts and reports, cash flow statements, work schedules, office birthdays - the list goes on and on. Small businesses that are slaves to Excel have been freed. Granted, you can't do everything with Google Spreadsheets that you can do with Excel, but how many people honestly use 100% of Excel's long list of features? I surely haven't, and I've been using Excel for years.

Your current Microsoft Excel spreadsheets can be easily imported into Google Spreadsheets. Your new Google Spreadsheets can also be saved and downloaded to your computer as Excel files. This is a key feature that will make it easy for businesses to try Google's service without having to enter large amounts of duplicate data.

Spreadsheets were the original "killer app" or killer application for the personal computer. Google has done what Google does often and well - leveled the playing field and given a big (free) leg-up to small businesses. I heartily recommend trying Google Spreadsheets to see if it works for you and your business. You won't necessarily be creating more advanced spreadsheets, but your spreadsheets will be much easier to access and work on - by you or whomever you may choose.

Web Tool Review: Google Notebook

Google Notebook is now available to use for free. I will let Google define Notebook and then I will talk about how small businesses can benefit:

"With Google Notebook, you can browse, clip, and organize information from across the web in a single online location that's accessible from any computer. Planning a trip? Researching a product? Just add clippings to your notebook. You don't ever have to leave your browser window."

Picture an online filing cabinet that has unlimited storage and doesn't take up any space. Each row of cabinets is called a "notebook." Your notebooks contain what notebooks often contain - notes, ideas, things to remember, clippings, phone numbers, pictures, etc. - the stuff you jot down or need to keep close-by and have ready at moment's notice. If your small business had a filing cabinet (Notebook) called "Sales," then that Notebook may contain sales leads you've jotted down, an article from the online edition of your local newspaper's business section, directions to your post-lunch sales meeting, etc.

OK, now that you have some idea of what Google Notebook is, let's briefly explore how it works and then look at actual benefits (the whole reason this darn post exists!)

You'll need a free Google account to log-in and use Notebook. Once you're properly outfitted with your new account, you can log-in and let the fun begin. Adding things to your Notebook is simple, with fast, single-click, intuitive steps and a super-clean-and-crystal-clear interface. You can take notes from a call, grab that link you've been meaning to save or just write down that great idea you had earlier today! Notebooks can be organized into sections, for example, your Sales Notebook may have sections for Leads, Clients, Marketing, etc. Notes, sections or entire Notebooks can be deleted and added. You can also share any of your Notebooks, if you choose, by making them "public."

So, what can Google Notebook do for you? Well, the Sales Notebook example is a good one. I've used Notebook today to take notes during a conference call today. I also made a quick list of file attachments I needed to send to a colleague. Later, I saved a few links for a large project I am working on and published the links to my team by making the Notebook public. While browsing this evening, I had a brainstorm and typed some quick notes in my Ideas Notebook. I can now access those ideas (and all of my Notebooks!) from any computer, share them with the world and best of all...these online filing cabinets never need to be moved.

(The true genius of Notebook is the ability to automatically add things to your Notebooks directly from your web browser without having to go to the Notebook page and log-in to your account as usual. This is done via an "Extension" to your browser. More on Extensions coming soon.)

Tonight, I set up Notebooks for my business, my family and even my golf game. They all contain easy-to-organize and easy-to-find links, articles, notes, ideas and helpful information I may need anytime. Google Notebook is a very handy tool for small businesses that I would recommend trying to see whether its for you. It still has some room to grow (import/export functions, labels or "tags" for Notebook items, being able to add to your Notebooks via email), but as with most Google products, it will probably get better with age.

Are you using Notebook? Leave your comments and let me know you like it, how you're using it or any other thoughts regarding Google's newest product.