Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

I support causes by supporting individuals.

Speaking Does Pay Off!

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IMG_1019-1024x764 Speaking Does Pay Off!

I wrote a post on how Blogging Does Pay Off! in ways other than cash. After coming back from Hispanicize, a few things have happened that are great opportunities and which might lead to cash flow. Here are a few reasons why I look for opportunities to speak in public.

Recognition as Someone who People Trust

When you get invited to speak at a conference, someone must have trusted you to put you on stage. I really appreciate that @papiblogger decided to include me in two sessions as a moderator of Hispanicize and another two sessions where I spoke about Twitter and the process of creating content for your blog or website being similar to creating Tostones.

Getting Other Opportunities

When you have previously spoken in public, it opens the door to many other opportunities. Today I was informed that I was selected to be a Speaker at Latin American CACS, a conference held by ISACA this year in San Juan. This opportunity will allow me to share some insight on views regarding Social Media from a Corporate Governance Perspective. If you plan to attend please let me know.

Mentions on Other Blogs

One of the reasons why I believe most influence tools can’t measure influence is because they don’t cover such items as someone mentioning you positively on another blog. I had the privilege of being mentioned by @michaeldcc, a blogger from Puerto Rico that I admire, because of his discipline and sense of focus on some very interesting issues. It really made me smile when I saw that he was the only local resource that recognized my invitation to Hispanicize and I am very grateful for it.

Bloguero boricua nos representa en Los Angeles

 

Press Coverage

I was interviewed by Jorge Morales Almada for LA Opinion of @impremedia after one of the my sessions. Jorge mentioned some of my efforts especially veglatino.com which I have been working on to create awareness of my lifestyle as a vegetarian.

A comercializar el blog

Appreciation and Gratitude

Lisa Webb handed me a business card that had the words “Awesome Presentation Thank You”. Lisa Webb, Associate Program Officer, Public Affairs for The Episcopal Church send this message in a unique and fun way. These moments where you get someone to compliment you in a creative way, are the reasons why I love sharing my ideas. It made it even more unique when the person invested their time in listening to what I had to say. To all of you that decided to sit down in my sessions and listen to what I had to say I really appreciate your time.

The sessions that I was a part of gave me the opportunity to share ideas and meet many of you who where able to provide quality feedback.

Are their other ways you get value when you share your ideas or speak publicly?

 

Book Review – Social Media ROI

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Screen-shot-2011-03-29-at-9.21.15-PM Book Review – Social Media ROI

I have been reading The Brandbuilder’s blog for quite some time. I find great and complete reports on how to approach social media from a business perspective. When I read that Olivier was releasing a book in March, I was counting the days for the release.

When the book was pre-released, I bought the e-book on the Kindle app for my Ipad. As I started reading the book foreward, I was surprised that Olivier had added myself and others thanking us for the support while he was writing the book. This is the first time my name goes in a future best-seller as was stated by my fellow tweep @treypennington.

I usually create a book review with very detailed points of interest. However, with this book there where so much I wanted to say that I decided to upload a video version of my thoughts.

The Book for Every Social Media Strategist

I can say I will be using this book as a guide as I have been using Olivier’s Blog for quite some time as one of my main sources when I want to get a point across with clients.

Olivier answers one of the most important questions many people and clients ask, “What do we do if someone says something negative about us online”. He also addresses many questions I have gotten from clients with a practical solution and detailed guidelines on the options you have.

I will be sharing pieces of the book with Olivier’s permission from my perspective since I see a lot of value and information that can be useful to all of us.

This is an awesome book so I recommend you download the e-book or go to your closest bookstore and get your copy. Then come back and tell me and @thebrandbuilder how it went.

The first 2 people to comment and state why you want a copy of this book will get a signed copy by Olivier Blanchard. You can also win a copy if you Re-tweet this post and use hashtag #SMROI with my username @rj_c. We will choose 1person randomly out of all the RT’s made of this book on this post by April 3, 2011.

What is your biggest question handling Social Media for your own efforts or clients? Why would this book interest you? Leave your comments win a Copy!

Here is Olivier’s Video on his Book Much More refined and Better Dressed.

Going Offline with Online Local Influencers #CafePierre

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IMG_0481-1024x764 Going Offline with Online Local Influencers #CafePierre

I had the opportunity to invite a few local Online Influencers which have engaged but diverse communities to share the experience of Cafe Pierre’s Brunch at Double Tree Hilton in San Juan.

Cafe Pierre management agreed that it would be great if we could bring a few local online influencers to experience their Sunday Brunch by giving a complimentary  brunch to bloggers and online influencers.

I was so happy that this group of people I have a lot of respect for came along and created and awesome experience. I have to give to them all the credit for the succesful of the event . I invite you to follow these individuals because they offer great insight into their worlds and are great positive resources to have in your timeline.

@ricklipsett – I have been interacting with Rick online and had the privilege to meet him in person at Cafe Pierre. Rick writes in various blogs including undodigital.com.

IMG_0484-150x150 Going Offline with Online Local Influencers #CafePierre

@joeprog – Very passionate about music and I consider him an encyclopedia on that an many other subjects. His new project vorticeonline.com is a central repository for Movies, TV, Comics, Animation, Books, and Other Interesting Subjects in Spanish.

@dr_zu – Although she has an engaged community online I have to make full disclosure what she has become like family to me and @lucymfel. A natural connector with a great heart it was just right to keep her around she also brings great positive vibes.

@therealgabo – Gabriel has a unique ability to connect with all types of people and educating many. He has a very strong following on various channels and I learn a lot from him each and every day from relating with people to be the awesome dad I want to be.

@nelsonbermejo – Overthe last year I have been able to interact with Nelson on various occasions I can clearly state that the same energy he gives out through the radio waves and TV is the same one you get when you are sitting next to him. I consider Nelson to have the most engaged audience on Radio locally.

IMG_0488-150x150 Going Offline with Online Local Influencers #CafePierre

@wiltonv – My impression of Wilton use to be very different I have seen how an honest and great human being he is. Wilton is very objective and does in reality give you his opinion on everything. I value his feedback and as many of you already know feel free to visit him at tecnectico.com .

@papachote  & @luichita – This awesome couple has a good following on twitter. Mark is always posting his experiences on twitter that are of interest to many followers like me. He has a unique way of creating interest on even the simplest things in life.

IMG_0482-150x150 Going Offline with Online Local Influencers #CafePierre

@analovebug – I have very similar interests with her since she was vegetarian. She has proven to have a very diverse and engaged audience on twitter and her blog.

@jpadilla_ – Brilliant guy up to date on trending technologies as a developer. Still in college with a great future ahead of him. I can wait till next week we get to spend more quality time at #SXSWi. (by the way he also shoots awesome pictures).

@gabrielrodz – Very creative, creative, unique and one thing we both have in common is our level of energy.

@lyndation – I see how she interacts with her community and has shared her story on making life changes are an example to follow.

@gemini_pr – I have had the opportunity to read her blog in which she and @ricklipsett write about literature. It was a pleasure meeting her and I look forward to seeing her blog grow.

@itavotweet – Also from my hometown of Ponce and very proactive in writing about Apple products. I enjoy reading his blog and invite you to do the same.

@zelmarl – Recommended by Gabo Pagan I read her blog and thought it would be great to have her experience the brunch.

I can wait till I get back the feedback from the people that where part of such a great experience. I will be updating the post with links to the reviews by the bloggers.

External Related Links

by @ricklipsett

  • Manjar para los dioses y el resto de la Familia

by @analovebug

  • Brunch at Café Pierre (Doubletree by Hilton San Juan)

by @papachote

  • Yelp Review of Cafe Pierre

by @lucymfel

by @itavotweet

  • Twitter Meet Ups, a Way to Socialize and Discover Great Places

by @lyndation

  • Tweetup Landing @ DoubleTree for Brunch.

by @zelmarl

  • Weekend Brunching

by @dr_zu

  • Brunch en Café Pierre

Disclosure: We where invited by the Doubletree on a Complimentary Brunch. Even though our brunch was an invitation by the Cafe Pierre and the Doubletree we don’t feel that this influenced the writing of this post in any way.

Get to know a bit more about @margieclayman

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Screen-shot-2011-03-02-at-9.01.59-AM Get to know a bit more about @margieclayman

Yesterday I had the opportunity to write a guest post on @margieclayman’s blog one of the most creative and funny people I have met. I really enjoy her posts and how she has been able to find a community of people who share great content on her blog.

Margie creates a mix of humor, experiences, and a lot of creativity to teach everyone about adequate online presence.

If you missed my guest post feel free to visit  Create a Unique Customer Experience Using Foursquare.

I highly recommend you to read my  5 recent favorite Margie Clayman blog posts.

  1. I’m calling you out
  2. What a candy store can teach you about Social Media
  3. Are You Ready To Be Spiderman?
  4. The Roy Orbison Guide to Preventing Imitation
  5. Madonna, Lady Gaga, and You

I know I said 5 but my favorite post from Margie Clayman was published in @pushingsocial

5 Social Media Lessons From Tim Burton

Did you find any more interesting posts on Margie Clayman’s Blog?

How I Create a Blog Post!

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Screen-shot-2011-02-20-at-11.55.02-AM-1024x407 How I Create a Blog Post!
Not being able to focus on just one task at a time I have to find ways to organize myself. A few days ago while chatting with @therealgabo and @joeprog about how I create a blog post @therealgabo gave me the idea to create a post out of it.
Working for various IT consulting firms and running CIMA IT Solutions has made me a process guy. For many years and to this day I go into small to large companies and give them my opinion on how to enhance or improve their processes.

I am going to layout my process on creating a blog post.

How and where I get Ideas for my posts?

  • Frequently Asked Questions. How many times do you hear the same question over and over again from different people. If I get a client or someone that asked a question and I see there is an opportunity for me and my community to learn I do the research and post my opinion.
  • My daily frustrations with customer service and other issues I run into are perfect inspiration to create a post. What a better way to fix a problem than finding others with the same issue and uniting. (ex. My Horrible Story with Mercedes Benz and there local dealer Garage Isla Verde)
  • Opportunity for improvement. Every time I see anyone or a business can improve something I try to run various possible best outcome scenarios in my head. I write a post on how I think it can be improved.
  • Other Blog Posts I read and comment in. I get great ideas and learn from other blogs.
  • Daily Interactions either online or offline can spark an idea. Talking to the @therealgabo inspired me into creating this post.
  • Interesting Things I would like to share. Many of you know that I talk a lot. I like to joke around that instead of boring people to death by talking with them now I write on my blog and give them the option to continue if they are still interested.

 

Once I get an Idea i quickly write it down

Once I get an Idea i quickly write it down I also use the following tools to assist me in organizing my ideas so I can get back to them. Some of the tools I use are the following.

  • Things is task management software for the mac which also syncs and works with my Ipad and Iphone. It has great shortcuts that facilitate the creation of tasks. Once I have an idea I quickly open the application on whatever device is closer and add it to future topics for blog posts.
    • Take related Links and place them as a to do
    • Categorize them
  • Post It Note we always have them around and they are great for writing down an idea and keeping them somewhere visible.

blurred-post-its-1024x765 How I Create a Blog Post!

  • A Note Pad might be handy for those that have good hand writing. In my case I hardly ever use one since I never go back to my notes.
  • I send an Email to myself  if I find something that is interesting and I want to get back to it later. Many applications on smart phones allow you to email a link or content it might be a quick way to save something.

Create a Mind Map

  • I Start a Mind Map in Mind Node to organize my ideas.
  • I write down main ideas and related topics in which I later elaborate.
  • Use MindNode’s functions to move the ideas into text. It allows me to Copy & Past or Drag and Drop the text into a bulleted format.

Once I Organized my Ideas and Main Topics

Review, review, and review

  • Take a look at it a few times.
  • Give it to someone with better writing skills to Proofread (in my case anyone). If I am creating a guest post for someone else I ask @lucymfel to take a look at it. Here on my blog I am a bit more relaxed when creating content I can always come back and edit.

Do you have a process to create content or a blog post? It would be great if you could share in the comments area!

Need any help Creating a Blog Post! Feel Free to Contact ME!