Duck and Cover? No way! Tweet  and post a Facebook update? This is our first instinct!

Another earthquake hit San Diego this evening and it’s evident that Social Media has revolutionized the entire earthquake experience. Rather than making sure we’re safe with the good ol’ “duck and cover” routine, the first thing on our minds was to socialize with others experiencing the earthquake and to make sure and let people know that we “definitely felt that one”.

I’ll admit that my first instinct upon feeling the earthquake was “I have to Tweet this!” I immediately pull up Twitter on my computer to find our good friend, Fail Whale. Next I decided to take a video and capture the action but the earthquake ended as soon as I started filming.

After failed attempts at posting a real time update during the earthquake, I’ve decided to show the world in images what an earthquake in San Diego really looks like.

Here are my observations on how Social Media plays a positive roll in alleviating the anxiety of a scary natural disaster:

- People feel a sense of community on Social Media. We know we’re not alone and feel a level of comfort to see others going through a similar experience.

- Foursquare adds a gaming feature to the earthquake which gives people a laugh. Even if you’re laughing at how ridiculous it is to check in to an earthquake, laughing is such a great remedy in any fearful situation.

- Social Media provides real time, live updates from the people actually experiencing the earthquake. Waiting for the news has a lag time, but now we’re are updated instantly and knowledge always provides a sense of security.

Did you experience the most recent San Diego Earthquake? If so, what did you do? Were you on Social Media? Please leave a comment and share your experience!

I’m happy to report a safe return to sweet home San Diego from my first international trip to Hong Kong. Although I’ve been back for over a week now, I’m slowly but surely recovering from the unexpected Jet Lag. I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who generously offered me travel advice. As soon as I announced that Marketing Melodie brings Marketing Expertise to Hong Kong, everyone stepped up by giving me invaluable tips which significantly increased the quality of my overall travel experience.

Hong Kong is much different than I imagined. It trumps every “big” city I’ve visited in the United States: New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, etc. as far as the amount of people, tall skyscrapers and commotion in a condensed area. Everywhere I turn, at any time of day there are massive crowds in every direction. The streets are filled with endless vibrant and colorful buildings. My primary reason for visiting Hong Kong was for business to speak at the INET Asia Regional Conference on the topic of How to Engage Your Customers through SEO and Social Media and also attend the co-located event, Hong Kong Electronics Fair. I’m fortunate that I was able to optimize my time there to experience everything Hong Kong has to offer. My good friend from high school, Lauren who resides in Boston was able to take some time off to join me during my trip.

The rest of this post is my daily Hong Kong experience through a photo blog corresponding with my own insight. If you prefer not to read it all, skim through the photos and view the rest on Marketing Melodie’s Facebook.

Day 1: After over 20 hours of traveling (more than double my previous longest travel time), I arrived in Hong Kong. Navigating my way to the hotel in a new country was a challenge but I made my way to the Harbourview Hotel. Located right near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Harbourview is a very clean and quaint business hotel. I was delighted to discover they’ve recently joined Facebook and Twitter but highlight of my evening was definitely earning my first passport stamp!

Day 2: Monday was cloudy and humid, not the best weather conditions to tour the city, but nevertheless we made the best of it and took the tram up to Victoria’s Peak for an incredible view of Hong Kong. We also walked around and toured several bank buildings to experience city life during the work day. That evening I attended the INET welcome reception on the rooftop of Wooloomooloo restaurant with an amazing view of the city. I met the other speakers and locals who part of the organization. Everyone made me feel very welcome in Hong Kong. I was delighted to find a Loving Hut vegan restaurant right downstairs from Wooloomooloo so I picked up take out to eat at my hotel. The Loving Hut menu was completely different from the San Diego menu; it was customized with many delicious Hong Kong style options.

Day 3: I arrived at the Convention Centre early for the opening keynote of the INET Asia Regional Conference. The morning session was a great learning experience for me as experts educated us on IPv6 securing the future growth of the internet. I spent the rest of the afternoon checking out Gadgets at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. This event was enormous! It was 5 floors of every type of electronic device you can imagine from tea kettles, fans, lighting equipment to new technology products: netbooks, notebooks, cameras, smart phones and more. That evening there was a very fancy business dinner arranged for about 20 speakers and VIP guests. This was a 15 course meal with an abundance of delicious selections and also the largest meal I’ve consumed in a sitting. Each time we thought the dinner was over, the servers continued to bring out new dishes. They graciously prepared vegetarian options which I very much enjoyed. The dinner ended with a 3 course dessert including traditional “birthday buns” seen in the photo below.

Day 4: The second day of the INET conference kicked off with another morning keynote, then various speakers who educated on multilingualism and internet navigation. This is a very important topic to anyone who plans to grow their business beyond their native country. I learned about the importance of understanding local search patterns, usability and  options to optimize domains to meet different country standards. The afternoon session focused on SEO and my presentation came up quickly. I was honored to present in front of such an advanced crowd on a new topic, Social Media. My passion is really to educate and empower others with social media knowledge so they can use these powerful tools to grow their business. I received great feedback about my presentation and have made it available through Marketing Melodie’s SlideShare. That evening, I enjoyed dinner at  restaurant called Heaven on Earth in Lan Qwai Fong, the heart of Hong Kong’s nightlife and

Day 5: Thursday was another jam packed day. The Hong Kong Art Centre is right next to my hotel so I enjoyed many of their exhibits. I also walked around the 13 story mall, Times Square which easily may be bigger than the Mall of America. After window shopping, I headed back to the Convention Centre to check out some more gadgets at the Hong Kong Electronics Show. Then I took a cab to my new hotel located on the Kowloon side. The Mira is a high end boutique hotel with luxurious amenities. The rooms are fully equipped to ensure a relaxing stay. After getting settled at the Mira, we walked over to the Intercontinental Hotel, which I’ve been told has the best view for the Symphony of Lights show that happens every night at 8pm in Hong Kong along the harbour and with all the buildings in the city. It’s quit an amazing spectacle.
Mira Hotel, symphony of lights

Day 6: Foursquare Day arrives in in Hong Kong! Before celebrating, I started my day by enjoying activities hosted by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. They do an amazing job at offering tourists cultural, fun and cost effective entertainment. There are dozens of programs free to visitors. I took advantage of their morning Tai Chi Class and then a Feng Shui Class. That evening, I headed back to Lan Kwai Fong for Foursquare Day in Hong Kong! I set this event up from another country solely by connecting with the Hong Kong Tech scene through Social Media. I’m grateful for everyone who immediately stepped up and helped put the event together. Without everyone’s help, the event wouldn’t have been such a success. Foursquare Day in Hong Kong took place at a fine Italian restaurant/bar W52. W52 prepared delicious Italian style appetizers available all night and offered everyone a complimentary drink upon check in. Although the event was just shy of unlocking the Swarm badge, I had a marvelous time meeting everyone and learning more about the Hong Kong Tech/Social Media scene. The event started winding down at 9pm so the night was still early which gave me a chance to scope out a few other spots in Lan Qwai Fong. The nightlife in Hong Kong is very vibrant and active. I was told places stay open until 6am and beyond.

Day 7: I began my last full day in Hong Kong at the Nan Lian Gardens run by the Chi Lin Nunnery. The peaceful garden is the perfect get away from the bustling city. Located in the garden is a gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant with a beautiful waterfall view. I enjoyed a tasty 7 course vegetarian lunch. Then I toured the rest of the garden and nunnery. That night I finally went to a traditional street shopping district called Ladies’ Market. Ladies’ Market is filled with endless rows of vendor selling fashion accessories and clothing. After late
night shopping, I was ready to go back to my hotel to pack for an early morning departure.
Veggie photo Garden photo Ladies Market

Whether you had a chance to read this entire post or not, I’m glad I was able to write it all down  to personally document my adventures in Hong Kong. For the short time I was there I was productive from a business perspective (thank to my new HP Mini netbook) but also enjoyed a cultural experience in a new city. I’m not one to take “vacations”. I consider my life in San Diego an ongoing vacation which I’m grateful for but after this trip I’ll consider visiting more new places as opportunities arise.

Additional Trip Highlights:

• I love  how generous the Hong Kong Toursim board is. They really take the initiative to ensure visitors have a great cultural experience. In addition to offering the free classes I took on Tai Chi and Feng Shui they offer many other attractions such as guided tours, chinese teaappreciation class, etc.

• Delicious food- Although Hong Kong isn’t known for being a vegetarian city it’s easy to customize dishes and find vegetarian options. I met Adaline at the Foursquare Day event who is a veggie foodie and runs a great blog Doufu Mafia about being vegetarian in Hong Kong.  Their vegetarian dishes are deliciously made with many varieties of mushrooms and tofu not found in the US.

• Unlocking 3 new Foursquare badges during my trip! (Overshare, Super Mayor, Foursquare Day)

I recently made an exciting announcement about taking my professional speaking career to an International level at the INET Asia Regional Conference in Hong Kong. My trip is from April 10th-18th. Foursquare Day on April 16th happens to be during my trip. While I’m sad to miss the San Diego event, I won’t let distance prevent me from celebrating my Mayorships and earning more badges!

I’m officially organizing Foursquare Day in Hong Kong! Although I literally know nothing about the businesses in Hong Kong or their tech scene, I’m using the power of Social Media to connect. I’ve been in contact with a few people already. I’d like this to be a Swarm Badge event at a venue with food and drinks. Perhaps 6-9pm? This will be very similar to a tweetup but rather than tweeting the entire time, we’ll be celebrating Foursquare!

I’m at the very beginning stages of planning Foursquare Day in Hong Kong but would love to make this happen! If you’re in the tech/ social media scene in Hong Kong or know anyone please spread the word and contact me if you would like to be involved. All the details can be found on the Foursquare Day Wiki and the Foursquare Day Facebook Page. I look forward to reporting my progress on Foursquare Day in Hong Kong and am excited to take my enthusiasm for Social Media to a whole new continent!

I recently wrote about how to Grow Your Business Through Professional Speaking. Of course I included social media insight with another post on 10 Social Media Tips for Professional Speakers. I mentioned to stay tuned for more upcoming posts related to professional speaking. Now I’m proudly announcing that I’m going global with my speaking career!  I was invited to speak at the INET Asia Regional Conference in Hong Kong on SEO and Social Media! My first international appearance is coming up soon on April 14^th at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

My trip is being sponsored by the Internet Society ISOC and the DotAsia Organisation. ISOC is a nonprofit founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington D.C., USA, and Geneva, Switzerland. ISOC is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. DotAsia is a nonprofit overseeing the governance of the “.Asia” domain extension with a core mandate to promote Internet development and adoption across Asia. Every .Asia registration helps fund community work in Asia.  Since its launch in 2008, they’ve been proactively contributing to the Internet community in Asia.

With my invitation to speak at this invite I have an opportunity to be a part of the initiative to educate on the evolution and use of the Internet through SEO and Social Media. I’ll be giving a 30 minute talk on how to Engage your Customers through SEO and Social Media. Then I’ll be participating in a panel discussion to answer questions from the audience.

Presentation Description: In an evolving world of new technology, we’ve all heard buzz on the importance of SEO and Social Media for ensuring that your business is found, connecting your company to consumers and building a strong community of loyal customers. While having a great domain name and website are the necessary first steps, Melodie will teach you how to strategically use your domain and website to accelerate your marketing goals through SEO and Social Media. She will help you understand basic principles, then dive deeper by discussing how SEO and Social Media work hand in hand to improve your overall marketing campaign. Attendees will leave the session empowered with best practice guidelines for SEO and Social Media and knowledge on how to communicate effectively to engage customers online.

I’m very excited and grateful for such an amazing career opportunity and also my  first trip out of the continent. To answer the question I’ve been getting from everyone, Yes, I do have a passport! I’ll be flying out of Sunny San Diego on Saturday April 10th and returning on Sunday April 18th. I’m spending 7 nights total in Hong Kong with 4 nights at the HarbourView Hotel and 3 nights at boutique hotel, The Mira.

During my trip I’ll have some time to tour the city. If anyone has been to Hong Kong, I would sincerely appreciate any recommendations and tips about traveling there! I would also appreciate international travel tips in general!  In addition, Foursquare Day on 4/16 occurs during my stay in Hong Kong. I’m going to do my best to connect with the Hong Kong Social Media community (through Social Media) to organize Foursquare Day in Hong Kong! So if you know anyone I should connect with to make Foursquare Day happen in Hong Kong, please let me know.

*Photo Credit: Hong Kong night view Kabbacchi

In my last post, I discussed how to Grow Your Business Through Professional Speaking. In this post,  I’m here to share ways to enhance your speaking engagements through Social Media! If used strategically, Social Media is a powerful tool for Professional Speakers. It will drive attendance, create positive buzz, build trust and strengthen relationships with your audience even before you take the stage.

BEFORE THE EVENT

1. Offer a promotional code: Ask the event coordinator to provide you with a promotional discount code. This allows you to offer value to your network through a discount when inviting them to the event. This code may be shared by your friends to others outside of you network, therefore allowing your speaking engagement to gain publicity to new audiences.

2. Create buzz through a contest: Ask the event coordinator to provide you with a complimentary entry to give away. Whenever I ask, the event coordinator is more than happy to do this after I explain the benefits of hosting a contest. Follow my 6 Tips for Hosting Successful Contests on Social Media and you’ll be well on your way to not only gaining more visibility, but growing your network to those interested in your topic. You will supply a demand to those who want to attend,  increase the value of your business by creating a relevant promotion and showcase benefits of attending your speaking engagement. Here’s an example of a contest I created for DOMAINfest, a speaking engagement I participated in January: Marketing Melodie Socializes DOMAINfest 2010. Another example is a contest I created for Cool Twitter Conferences where I spoke last year: Cool Twitter Conferences World Tour in Full Swing.

3. Post Tips as teasers for your presentation: Take all of the main points of your presentation and turn these into  short “Tips of the Day”. Preferably 120 characters or less they can be tweeted and easily retweeted on Twitter.  Start posting these around 2 weeks out before your speaking engagement. These tips are designed to educate your following and also serve as teasers to hook them into wanting more information.

4. Write your own blog entry about your speaking engagement: This doesn’t need to be a long post, but it’s an opportunity to direct people to your own website when posting about your speaking engagement on your different networks. Give a brief background about the event and organization. Link back to the event website where people can register to attend. If you’re offering a promotional code include this in your post. Here’s an example of a blog post I wrote for my speaking engagement coming up for AIGA:  Melodie Speaks at AIGA: Social Media Design Techniques

DURING THE EVENT

5. Promote your Twitter handle in the beginning: During your introduction, let people know they can follow you on Twitter. Many people will tweet facts, quotes and valuable information they learn during presentations so their followers who aren’t at the event can gain insight. By providing the audience with your handle, you’re empowering them to cite you in their tweet.  This provides more credibility to those reading the tweets and will prompt others to follow you if they’re interested in your topic.

6. Create a Hashtag: Create a specific hashtag for your speaking engagement. Promote this in the beginning along with your Twitter handle. This allows you to track buzz, tone and sentiment during your talk.  If you’re speaking at a large conference with many other speakers, this also allows the updates from your specific session to stand out to people following the general conference hashtag.

7. Tweet Questions: Encourage user participation by asking your audience to tweet questions during your presentation with the hashtag you created. This allows your audience to ask questions on the fly as they come to mind. Q & A is often reserved for the end of presentations. Many times, people have questions but forget to ask by the time Q & A comes up. By allowing them to tweet questions you get more people inquiring which allows you understand patterns of interest and areas where your audiences would like more explanation. Some conferences broadcast the tweet stream to their audience through services such as TweetWall.

AFTER THE EVENT

8. Offer incentives to connect: Provide incentives for people to join your Facebook fan page, connect with you on LinkedIn or follow you on Twitter with a valuable offer. Examples of offerings include: “Send me a Tweet after the event and I’ll email you my presentation”. “Add me on LinkedIn after the event and you’ll find a link to my SlideShare account where the presentation is posted”.

9. Immediate follow up: Many people will come up to you after the event to ask additional questions and leave you their card because they are interested in your service or product. Collect everyone’s contact information and send an immediate follow up thanking them for attending. This personalizes your audience’s experience and allows you to be top of mind.

10. Collect testimonials: Review the tweets that occurred during your presentation (which can be easily tracked by your hashtag) and take screen shots of posts that can serve as positive testimonials. Testimonials are a great tool to help you get hired for future speaking engagements.

It may not be necessary for you to use every single tip I’ve listed, but I trust you can apply at least a few to enhance your speaking engagements.  Stay tuned for even more posts that related to professional speaking!

In a world where images trump text when capturing consumers’ attention; Designers, Artists and creative individuals are essential in creating a compelling and engaging Social Media experience. AIGA, the professional association for design is a national organization with a mission to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. AIGA is the place designers turn to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis, research and advance education and ethical practices. They set the national agenda for the role of design in its economic, social, political, cultural and creative contexts and they’re taking an initiative to ensure their members are educated on innovative design techniques such as those used in Social Media.

I’m honored that AIGA has invited me to speak and host their Interactive event on April 21^st, 2010 in San Diego. As Social Media continues to dominate as a preferred marketing medium, Designers are constantly being challenged with their skills to create unique content. User experience in Social Media is significantly different from traditional websites (did I just call websites traditional?) and print media. Consumers have different motives for visiting your social media pages compared to your website so it’s important to understand how to design pages aligned with your audiences’ goals.

I’ll be educating the audience on how to incorporate design techniques in Social Media that creatively encourage sharing, user generated content and participation while ensuring their social media is branded consistently with the overall marketing strategy. While some networks have limitations, I’ll discuss how to work around restrictions to ensure social media pages are optimized properly.  I’ll also provide insight on creating appealing profiles that improve search results, a topic that’s imperative to understand for a truly optimized Social Media presence.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Time: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Location: Liberty Station 2640 Historic Decatur Road San Diego, CA 92106 Meeting Room 4

Price: Members- $20, Non-members- $30, Students- $15, Day of event- Add $10

Register Today: AIGA San Diego

The event is open to everyone so I encourage you to attend and spread the word! It will be a great networking opportunity with creative entrepreneurs. I’m so grateful for all the speaking engagements I’ve been invited to this year. It’s truly my passion to educate and share my knowledge about Social Media and new technology. Speaking has become an important part of my own professional development. If you’d like to book me as a speaker for an upcoming event, please feel free to visit Marketing Melodie’s Speaking page.

*Photo Credit: Melodie’s Speaking photo taken by Steven Soule

Tonight I administer the final exam for my marketing class at Platt College.  I can’t say enough how grateful I am to have attracted this opportunity into my life. Teaching this course has provided me with such a strong foundation for being an educator and enhanced my professional knowledge and skills in many areas as described in my previous post about Social Media Education. This is the first final exam I’ve ever administered, but the word “final” definitely doesn’t describe my continued ventures in education.  Last April 2009, I had the privilege of attending  WeekendU’s Internet Power course.

Weekend University is an innovative educational institution focused on practical in-person and online digital skills education. Their courses deliver practical knowledge from experienced practitioners, providing students with real world skills they can use the next day in their professional and personal lives.

WeekendU is lead by Dmitry Shapiro, a pioneer in the tech industry and one of the most well respected leaders in the online space. I can honestly say that this course revolutionized the way I use the internet. I’m more efficient, organized and the information I want is coming to me.  During the course I had my laptop open and implemented many of Dmitry’s recommendations. I immediately noticed my productivity skyrocket. My enthusiasm for this course is conveyed in the WeekendU Internet Power Video.

In addition to improving my own skills, I was empowered with technology and information that allowed me to teach others the same innovations I learned. Many of the talks I give and classes I teach are founded on the principals from this course.  Since I’ve been an evangelist for WeekendU’s education for the past year, it is now an absolute honor to announce that I’ll be an Instructor at WeekendU, along with Dmitry and other experienced technology and online entrepreneurs.  Please stay tuned for upcoming webinars and in person classes I’ll be teaching. WeekendU has big plans in store for 2010 and beyond.

The first course I’ll be teaching is Internet Power this Saturday February 27^th at UCLA. Dmitry will lead the class on finding information faster, organizing and managing information flow, leveraging power tools and I’ll be teaching a section on Social Media.

I’m giving away one complimentary pass to attend the course and as always offering you 3 ways to win. If you participate all 3 ways, you’ll be entered 3 different times. The winner will be chosen Thursday evening so you have a couple days to plan for Saturday.

1. Join my Facebook page and leave a comment my Facebook “Discussion”  about WeekendU

2. Retweet this blog post with the Tweet button on the top left of this post and make sure to include my Twitter name @MyMelodie in the tweet.

3. Leave a comment on this blog post telling me your biggest challenge with managing your internet use (ie: overloaded email inbox, difficulty finding relevant information, etc)

Additionally I’m offering my entire network $100 off this Saturday’s course.  So please let me know if you’d like a promo code.

Whether you’re a novice internet user or an online industry leader, I guarantee you will learn something valuable from this class. In fact we’re so confident  we offer  “100% Satisfaction Guranteed – Or We Will Refund Your Registration Fee” I look forward to seeing you on Saturday at UCLA!

This post is inspired by a place filled with infinite knowledge, new technology and an abundance of content .  This place is called the Library. Although not all libraries are created equal we can all agree that all libraries provide a place that supports education and knowledge.

Libraries have always been a part of my life. As a child I was an avid reader. I stayed up late and went through a new book nearly every night. From Goosebumps, Sweet Valley High, Choose Your Own Adventure, Baby Sitter’s Club, I read it all. I loved the entertainment, exciting scenarios and challenges faced by the characters . Reading stimulated my imagination and gave me an opportunity to experience new adventures every day.

As an adult, I’ve continued my passion for reading as it satisfies my desire to constantly learn. I’m currently compelled to read every book I can get my hands on related to Social Media, New Technology, Marketing, Sales, Entrepreneurship, Inspiration and Personal Development. The library provides me with an unlimited selection of content on these topics.

I’ll share my top reasons and tips for taking advantage of such a wonderful resource. Please note the information I share is based on my experience with the San Diego Public Library system.

Online Reservations- San Diego has over 30 library locations. You can find almost anything you’re looking for in at least one or more branches. Rather than having to drive around town to pick up books, online technology is used to expedite the process. Sign up for an account through the San Diego Public Library and use their search system. Your results will show every branch your book is available at and whether or not it’s checked out. Reserve online or put on hold if it’s checked out and if it’s not from your nearest branch, it will be shipped to you. You’ll receive a friendly email once your book is ready for pick up. You can also return books to any library regardless of which location it came from.

Complimentary WIFI – We all know how frustrating it is to be at a café that offers complimentary WIFI if  the access is slow and often stops working. All San Diego libraries I’ve visited have computers that offer internet access, and free WIFI connection. From my experience the connection is high speed, never cuts out and is extremely reliable.  As a bonus there’s no noise from coffee grinders and loud guests. You have a quiet, peaceful environment conducive to improved concentration.

Book Sales- I highly recommend buying and donating books to the library for many reasons.  Books you donate are sold at their sales. Each dollar earned is matched by the city so the library receives more money to invest back into resources for you . Essentially by simply buying a book you’re giving back twice as much money to the library while leaving with a great piece for your own collection. The book store at my local branch always has new books in new condition. Some great titles I’ve picked up for $1  while earning $2 each for the library include Eckhart Tolle’s a New Earth, 2 books by Robert Kiyosaki, one of the most popular Social Media books, Groundswell and Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People at the best price in town!

Multimedia- In addition to books the library is filled with a plethora of multi-media. I often supplement my books but also listening to the audio version. I’ve found almost every audio book I’ve book I’ve wanted to listen to. Want to grow your music selection? The library is filled with CDs from every music genre. Blockbusters nationwide are shutting down but the DVD selection at the library keeps growing with the newest releases. At no charge to you, you can check out up to 5 DVDs at a time.

Events- I haven’t attended many library events but they do offer a variety of free community events that appeal to many different audiences. I’ve seen flyers for free movie nights, seminars about health, book clubs, yoga for kids and more.  This is a great way to participate in something active and learn something new at no cost while supporting the library.

I’m truly grateful for the library, the opportunities it’s provided me, the knowledge I’ve learned from their infinite content and sharing their mission to educate. If you haven’t been to the library in a while it may be time to renew your card.

In honor of reading and learning, please share in the comments a book you recommend to me! You can be sure I’ll be reserving it online to pick up at my local library very soon. We’ve all heard the phrase, Content is King. Well if Content really is King then Your Library truly is a royal palace.

*Photo Credit: Photos taken by me of the Mission Valley Library

We all know that having prime real estate is key to success in the brick and mortar world.  The location of your store in the mall plays a significant role in how much walk in traffic you get, the location of your home and its accessibility often determines if you’ll have many visitors and the location of your office building can even affect employee productivity. What many don’t know is that the same is true for internet real estate. Having an accessible domain name boosts site traffic through direct navigation (when the consumer types your domain name directly into the address bar), heightens branding advantages and significantly enhances your search engine results.

Your website is the storefront of your business and your domain name is the first impression you make for your company.  The significance of domain names is apparent so in 2006, DomainSponsor, an Oversee.net company launched DOMAINfest, a premiere conference built to serve the domain industry. The show truly understands domain professionals’ needs. The goal is to inspire and support the industry by providing valuable content, informative sessions and a opportunities to bring domain industry professionals and constituents together to learn, network and do business with each other.

I am honored to announce that I’ll be a featured speaker at DOMAINfest 2010 on Wednesday January 27^th 3:30pm – 4:45pm, Domain Names: How Prime Internet Real Estate Builds SEO and SEM Success.  My panel includes two renowned SEO professionals, Bruce Clay (Bruce Clay, Inc.) and Danny Sullivan (Editor, Search Engine Land) along with Richard Jalchandra (President and CEO, Technorati Media) and Dan Ho (Adknowledge).  I’m educating the audience on achieving success from a social media perspective. Social Media is a new topic at DOMAINfest so I’m grateful for an opportunity to socialize the event and share my knowledge with an amazing lineup of professionals.

Of course if you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know I won’t leave you hanging after writing an entire post promoting an event. I want you to attend! I’m giving away one pass to a lucky winner ($1295 Value) to attend the conference taking place at the luxury Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, CA on January 26-28, 2010.

I’m socializing DOMAINFest 2010 even more by providing you with many opportunities to win. You can enter 3 ways. If you participate in all 3 ways, you’ll be entered 3 different times. The winner will be chosen on Friday January 15th, 2010!

1. Join my Facebook page and leave a comment my Facebook “Discussion”  about DOMAINFest

2. Retweet this blog post with the Tweet button on the top left of this post and make sure to include my Twitter name @MyMelodie in the tweet.

3. Leave a comment on this blog post telling me how you will benefit from attending DOMAINFest.

DOMAINfest was created with the industry as a whole in mind, and is open to all members of the domain community in addition to anyone interested in learning about the industry. BONUS: A pass to this event includes a ticket to their Playboy Mansion party on January 28th, Generation Rescue that benefits Jenny McCarthy’s autism organization. I’m offering  $100 off registration to the first 10 people who contact me for a discount code. Best of luck in the contest and see you at DOMAINfest 2010!

Las Vegas is home to a multitude of conferences throughout the year. In September 2009 I attended the Electronic Retail Association’s D2C Convention and today kicks off the start of PubCon. Vegas is a prime location for many large events because the city itself attracts people with it’s sparkling reputation. With Las Vegas conferences often comes Las Vegas fatigue caused by many reasons including indoor smoking, non stop events and staying up all night.

I’ve come up with a few tips to help you avoid or combat the fatigue. They will allow you to get back on track to continue your great conference experience.

1. Stay Hydrated with plenty of water: (And just because you’re in Vegas doesn’t mean Vodka Soda is water) This is such a simple tip yet it’s one of the top reasons why people feel fatigued when working a conference in Vegas. A few tips on doing this:

• Instead of drinking the extra cup of coffee grab a cold water bottle. The temperature of the water will wake you up and the consumption of the water will provide fuel to refresh your body.
• Instead of ordering a cocktail on the plane ride to Vegas or in the middle of the conference (you will have plenty of time for that in the evening) opt for water.
• When checking in to your room, pick up a pack of bottled water at the hotel convenience store so water is readily available in your room at all times. This is more cost efficient than paying  $6 for the small bottle of water in your mini bar.
• When arriving back in your room after a late night of gambling/ clubbing (this is a work conference, but it’s Vegas so the chances of staying out late are high, although networking at bars is definitely where many great business connections are made) make sure you drink a bottle of water before falling asleep. This lessons Vegas hangovers that lead to Vegas fatigue.

2. Request a Wake Up Call: On top of your regular alarm clock, call the front desk to request a wake up call 10 minutes after your alarm is set to go off. The blackout curtains in Vegas hotels are great for blocking sunshine but they’re an extra obstacle in waking up. Being stressed out and rushing to a session because you’re late causes a lot of fatigue especially if you are sleep deprived from the night before.

3. Take a Break to Recharge: While it may seem everything  is fast paced and there is not even enough time to do everything you planned, it’s important to take a mental break to regroup for at least 20 minutes a day during the conference. This means no meeting interruptions, no cell phone calls, no laptops and putting the conference at the back of your mind just for a short time. I recommend doing this back in your hotel instead of in the conference hall. Perhaps do this right after a full day before dinner or during lunch. In 20 minutes there are plenty of things you can do to revitalize your body and mind.

• Go for a quick run on the treadmill at the gym. If you’re exhausted this will boost your energy.
• Go into a meditation. This clears your mind from all the stress of running around the conference hall and the flashing Vegas lights.
• Read an inspiration or motivational book rather than a tabloid magazine or watching the news so your mind is being fed positive thoughts.
• Stretch: There should be enough space in your room to do a few simple stretches. Whether they’re yoga stretches or stretches you normally do before you exercise, activating your body through stretching will definitely give you more energy.

If you have any other tips to avoid conference fatigue please share your thoughts in the comments below. I’m looking forward to a great PubCon 2010 and wish you all the success in your PubCon ventures.