Tim Bursch

In honor of the upcoming US holiday and #tweetsgiving (an awesome cause put on by Epic Change), I want to take some space to say a few things I’m thankful for:

Family. Friends. Opportunity. Connection. Community. Health. Resources. Food. Shelter. Clean Air. Beauty. Life. Generosity. Passion. Laughter. Struggle. Coffee (especially espresso). Books. Smiles. Play. Collaboration. Ideas. Conversation. Challenge. Freedom. Being Heard. Hope.

And for you. Thank you for reading.

What are you grateful for?

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Hope your week went well! Mine flew by and now it’s almost Thanksgiving in the US.

Yesterday Jason Markow and I gathered with others on Twitter to talk about moving our ideas forward. We like to call ourselves Twittrepreneurs. It was a good conversation about going from an idea to a project, collaboration, putting your ideas out there, and finding a brain trust or mastermind (more on that next week for sure).
If you could not join us, here are some highlights:

Jason started us out:

jmarkow: Let the chat begin! First Question to entrepreneurs: When does an “idea” turn into a “project”?

Had some great thoughts about committing resources (time, money, passion)

jprisant: Answer: When you actually do something with it and ideally commit resources / work to it.

sambrightstar: @jmarkow I think time is a resource that counts here, definitely.

The conversation turned to sharing ideas as a way to take action.

We agreed that sharing an idea, usually with some trusted people, helps clarify and refine.

Good points and resources shared:

sambrightstar: @jprisant exactly - passion + commitment, so no-one else is likely to commit so much energy 2 my ideas if they steal them

UpbeatNow: . @timbursch Tim, please take a look on this blog post I wrote long ago about stealing ideas http://bit.ly/3HCkCx

ryancarlson09: @UpbeatNow You’re right on…ultimately many can have the idea(s) and it comes down to who can execute.

We wrapped up the chat wondering about a Digital Mastermind or Brain-trust and how entrepreneurs can help each other more using Twitter or another medium. We will be talking more about this next time. Be sure to join us. Share your questions, ideas, feedback.

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Is everyone included in social media and digital community? That’s a question I have been wondering about lately.

Are we including people on the margins or seeking connections with those who are different than us? My gut feeling is that we have a ways to go bridging the digital divide.

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I like leadership. Leaders are magnetic and draw people to a mission or cause. Leaders just lead.

I wonder though, if we are all leaders or striving to be, who will follow us?

I think sometimes we need to learn more about being a good follower. You see lots of books, seminars, classes, blogs, tweets on being a leader. Have you ever seen one on following? Why not a followership seminar? A leader doesn’t always have fans, but they usually have followers.

So, if you find yourself following a decent leader, what makes you a good follower? [I am making the assumption that when you follow someone you are using your head and not trusting a complete wacko]

• Attention- Listen and engage your true self with the mission

• Action- If the leader goes into a battle then jump in with them

What would you add? Can you follow?

Image credit: See1,Do1,Teach1

Tags: followership.

Tags: social entrepreneur.

This is a guest post by my friend Tara Joyce. Tara is a web coach and the author of RiseoftheInnerpreneur.com. I invite you to tune in.

Old-school marketing, impersonal marketing, it’s taking it’s last laborious breathes of life. It’s been dying a painfully and noisily for while now and it’s death cry is intensifying each day as more people come online.

The web has made it possible to cut through their marketing noise, their canned messages and easily find businesses authentically expressing their value to the world.

Liars hate the web

For what matters now, what gets you noticed, is your voice. The public expression of your authentic identity. Your web presence. It’s your signal.

Think of Google as your client’s tuner. The words they search for are their dial.

The more authentic your signal content, the easier it is for the right people to tune in.

5 Tips for Finding Your Signal and Creating an Web Presence to Support it

1. Accept that there is no demand for your message.

You don’t get to package yourself up into a pretty box and show only the good and glowing. The whole you, not your message, is what people want to here and will, whether you like it or not. Marketing is not something you do to clients. Marketing is something you do with them. It’s about creating good conversations.

2. Express your point-of-view.

Who are you? Why are you here?

This is the basic foundation of your business. Take the time to discover your identity. Listen to the marketplace for answers.

The better you understand your value, the easier you can communicate it. Find your authentic voice.

Express what is inside you and your company. That’s the essence of your signal.

3. The more value found in the signal, the stronger it will be.

Your signal is your business strategy. Your words and your content have power. Openly share your passions, your values, your talents with your community. Be generous about adding value to their lives. Take the time to share wisely. It’s all part of your signal.

4. It’s a table for two.

It’s just you and me. My words have connected with you. You’re enjoying that I’m talking to you like I’d… really talk to you. You like how authentically I am communicating with you. You’re tuned in, and turned on.

It doesn’t matter what the size of the company. Humans connect one-on-one. Clients want to talk to employees, employees want to talk with clients.

These excited and passionate people will help broadcast your signal. Let them connect one-on-one. Let their individual voices be heard.

5. Share.

The web isn’t primarily a medium for information, marketing or sales.

It’s a place where people meet, talk, create, disagree, rant, love. Always remember that.

Marketing is about conversation and connection. Cultivate it by sharing what you care about and what you know. It is your authentic signal and there are many people searching for exactly it.

What would you add?

Related post: Will Listening Really Help Sell More?

Image credit: diongillard

Tags: signal.