DISQUS

Well, it's been a while but I figure it's never to late to drop a link. ;-)

The Writer's Round-About (http://www.writersroundabout.com) started as a blog for writers, by writers, but as the internet has broadened interests the blog has branched into topics from writing, freelancing, fiction, editing, web design, social media, and web tech. WRA also features a blog or book review every Tuesday.

Rebecca Laffar-Smiths last blog post..Write Fast, Write Well

I think the important thing to remember is that balance breeds the greatest success. So often, the 'first-movers' are focused on the product! They're so tuned into the product and breakthrough that they forget other, vital elements of running a business.

Those who follow up take that initiative but because they're not 'all-product' they've got a broader view and an eye on the consumer market.

If someone with a unique idea kept a tap on every element of the business they'd have far more success.

*grins* I'm the same kind of kid. ;-) That's probably why I like programming (web design) so much. I love getting into the raw code to see how things work. Social Media is more challenging so it's great to know I can come here for tips and guidance. :-)

Rebecca Laffar-Smiths last blog post..Blog Review: David Bridger’s How To Get Your Novel Published

I love how you have your finger on the Social Media pulse, Teeg! You're spot on about the stickiness of SU content. I found StumbleUpon visitors are actually the most sticky of all my SM efforts. They're targeted readers who come because they're interested in the topic. They're referred by others interested in the topic.

Offer them guidance for each step they should take while they're on your blog. Use calls to action because strangely enough, readers feel more confident taking actions when they've been told/asked to do so.

Rebecca Laffar-Smiths last blog post..Blog Review: David Bridger’s How To Get Your Novel Published

Fantastic post, Chris! Great pointers.

I'd also love to add, Don't Forward Junk! I have a couple of people on my list I've considered blocking because despite a polite reminder from time to time they still keep sending me those viral soppy mails. Now days I've taken to foldering EVERYTHING by those people and get around to it, usually deleting without even reading a bunch of their stuff, when I'm ready.

@Erika: You mentioned deleting parts of a threaded conversation with Gmail? How do you do that? I'd love to clean up some of the ramble amongst my gmail messages but I haven't figured out how to break messages up so I can remove one of the thread and not the entire thing.

I think one very significant point to notice at this stage is the surpreme popularity of "candidates" rather than "employers". I think this shows a trend of having a higher base of job seekers. You might want to consider turning your focus here a little more since a majority of the marketing and useability is currently heavy on the employer side. I know you need a balance of both in your community and you need to do what you can to attract more employers but remember the importance of your existince visitors. :-)

*chuckles* Yes, if you go into business working your booty off prelaunch then there will be ZERO time post launch because everything is multiplied and new issues and duties keep coming up. Of course, prelaunch you don't have the funds to hire new staff to take on the extra jobs.

Then again, I'd recommend anyone thinking of starting a business do, sales, business, and accounting courses before they begin prelaunch.

Great presentation, Ben! I love the show of features. Perhaps next time tone down the hand gestures a little. I found them distracting. I hope you have some great success with Standout Jobs!

Congratulations on going live!

I signed up as a Candidate and am still looking around but it got me wondering if there is an easy search feature for job hunters. Search by job title or something. Would be handy on the dashboard of candidates.

These are FANTASTIC points. I'm a freelance writer and freelancing is a little like being a CEO of a one man business. The money, responsibility, time commitment, and all the business duties fall to boss and that's me.

I'm finding it VERY hard to follow the Spend It Slow rule and I've found it is a vital one to remember. I don't have a financial backer, I'm dependant on my other income trickles so every time a check clears I feel like I won the lotto and need to go shopping. There are legitimate business needs like ink, business cards, books, etc. but you MUST preserve cash because if you spend it all in one go you're back to being broke with nothing to float on in between paychecks.

Of course, at the end of the day, it truly is the greatest joy to be doing this. I think the luckiest people in the world are those of us who fight, tooth and nail, to have the career of our dreams. Working for a regular paypacket is draining and depressing. When your work is truly creating something there is enough energy to see you through a thousand sleepless nights and an immense joy of accomplishment and personal reward. It is hard at times but every obstacle conquered is a thrilling achievement.

If anything fan-fiction will increase the original sales. All the spin offs from Superman, Spiderman etc. have increased the fan base of these products and increased the market potential rather than saturate the economy. By releasing certain components of the copyright and maintaining others they could exponentially grow their potential profits.

Wow! That's a great deal of money for a book that is one of it's kind. I wonder what rights came with the book. Will Amazon have someone type the story out so it can be published? They could make back their millions of dollars by selling copies of the rare story.

I think it's wonderful to hear Rowling release the world and characters to fans. Fan-fiction will help fill the gap but I don't think any true fans will find the stories as captivating as the original series. It's a magnificent world to explore. It will be interesting to see what other authors and fans come up with.

Smart authors could plan to release Potter fan-fictions or novels in synch with the final two movies to boost sales. It could be a good opportunity for many wanna-be authors who are trying to break into the industry.

Great Tips, Ben!

I think another important thing to remember is that every relationship matters. You may have someone come to you that never buys anything but they are still potential money. Not because they might take their own wallet out of their pocket but their connections to others could bring you thousands of dollars.

In the same way, don't forget the little guy. We often see people bending over backwards to please the high rollers but these people rarely acknowledge or appreciate this attention. The dime store owner from Deli however not only truly appreciates even a kind word or a smile but will be eager to return the respect, and spread the word.