Becoming an Agent of Change

Can I be a change agent?

I will be the first to admit that I can be a sentimentalist when it comes to certain things. I don’t think I will ever give up having a landline securely nestled in my home, or having actual hard copies of my favorite books, even though I have a cellphone and an e-reader. Why can’t I give up those old, out dated things? They give me a sense of comfort, permanence and security.

So, can I be a change agent? Yes I can, because even though I hang on to a few old, comfortable ideas, I still love new technologies, forward thinking and learning. Change can be intimidating, but it can also be exciting and energizing.

What is a Change Agent?

A change agent is more than a person on the look out for the latest innovations, technologies and trends. A change agent focuses on how to implement change, and they have specific desired outcomes in mind.

Elements to being a successful change agent

• Be goal orientated, and clearly define desired outcomes
• Believe that change is achievable, and desirable
• Be motivated, committed and enthusiastic
• Be an informed risk taker, and get expert advice and feedback
• Be tenacious, change takes time so keep focused, and have patience
• Be adaptable, plans go awry be able to adjust to shifting situations

Technologies that will impact my career as a graphic designer

• Cloud computing
• Big data
• HTML5

How to continue to be a change agent as the technology changes

• Attend lectures, seminars and workshops
• Join trade organizations
• Search out new technologies online
• Visit technology websites and sign up for newsletters
• Read industry publications and attend trade shows
• Talk to experts and professionals
• Take a class at a local community college

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

— Andy Warhol

Do you have a favorite, new technology or innovation?

Send me the link!

References

http://ezinearticles.com/?12-Key-Attributes-of-Effective-Change-Agents&id=811980

http://www.businessknowledgesource.com/technology/how_to_keep_up_with_changing_technology_026205.html

The Business of Blogging

The Blogosphere

The blogosphere is huge. An internet universe full of blogs of all kinds. Counting the exact number of blogs is like trying to count the number of stars in our universe, and like some stars some blogs are more visible and useful than others.

The North Star

The North Star has guided travelers since, well….forever. A business blog should be like the North Star guiding potential customers to your business. Today there are more devices connected to the Internet than there are people on Earth and every day some 2405,518,376 people use the internet and about $391,680,000.00 is spent by online consumers alone.

Check Out These Statistics from The Social Skinny

• 79% of online shoppers spend 50% of their online shopping time researching products
• The average budget spent on blogs and social media has almost tripled in 3 years
• 57% of marketers acquired customers via blogging
• 61% of global internet users research products online
• Companies that blog have 55% more website visitors
• 9 out of 10 mobile searches lead to action and over half lead to a purchase

Tips on Creating a Successful Business Blog

• Make specific content marketing, social media and blogging goals.
• Define the target audience for your blog content.
• Keep your content on topic. To increase blog effectiveness, focus on information that meets your target audience’s needs.
• Incorporate your blog into your business’s website and vice-versa make it simple to find your business website from your blog.
• Add images, video, audio and presentations to your blog.
• Share your blog content across social media platforms.

References and Helpful Links

http://headwaythemes.com/why-blog-beginner-blogger/

http://www.impactbnd.com/businesses-blog-get-more-visitors/

http://www.toprankblog.com/2012/03/increase-blog-traffic-readership-community/

http://thesocialskinny.com/216-social-media-and-internet-statistics-september-2012/#comment-wrap

http://heidicohen.com/the-year-of-the-blog-3-major-marketing-shifts/

http://mashable.com/2011/07/04/how-to-measure-roi-content-marketing-strategy/

http://www.austinseoguy.com/business-blogging.php

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/marketing-your-blog-10-essential-tips-you-should-know/

http://www.fromdreamstolifestyle.com/blogging-from-a-to-z/

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-reasons-your-business-should-be-blogging/

Choosing A Blog Site

The Best Blog Site

I chose WordPress.com for my own blog. I looked at three of the most popular free blog sites WordPress.com, Blogger.com, and Tumblr.com. I did some research and took each of the sites for a test run. I wanted flexibility, and I am not interested in monetizing my blog or placing ads. I wanted a site that was organized towards more professional specific topics, and networking.

WordPress.com

WordPress is a slightly more complicated to use in the beginning, especially if you are not an experienced blogger or tech savvy.  WordPress is exceptional for developing more specialized blogs, and for blogs with lots of textual content and for promoting business and professional networking.

The Good

• Large selection of themes
• Top posts get featured on the homepage
• Similar post or related blogs are grouped
• Images can be added
• Large selection of upgrade options
• Import posts from other blogging platform
• Open Source
• Intuitively designed User Interface
• Internal linking to WordPress.com blogs
• Built-in stats applications
• Large community

The Bad

• No ads allowed
• No javascript allowed
• Theme templates cannot be modified
• Custom Domain Name charge

Blogger.com

Blogger is easier to use, but lacks the flexibility of WordPress. Blogger has a strong following and is a great tool for new bloggers and bloggers who lean more towards personal topics.

The Good

• Integrates with Google Friend Connect
• Great for building community among users
• Allows basic template editing
• Blogger allows ads and has options for monetization
• Allows javascript

The Bad

• Gmail account is required to sign up
• Limited selection of templates and configurations
• Can only import content from other Blogspot blogs

Tumblr.com

Tumblr.com unlike WordPress.com and Blogger, is a micro-blogging site that makes it easy to upload videos, pictures or text.  Tumblr is more of a social blogging site with areas for specific “fandoms”  that make it easy to join a community. Tumblr is more visual than WordPress and Blogger.

The Good

• Extremely easy to use
• Multitude of themes
• Full-HTML customization
• Popular posts quickly get re-blogged throughout the Tumblr communities

The Bad

• You must have Tumblr contacts to succeed
• Commenting features are a little quirky

My Conclusions

WordPress.com is for you if you want flexibility, room to grow and plenty of theme options, and don’t care about monetizing or placing ads. Professional networking is easy and well organized.

Blogger.com is for you if you want to write personal blogs, run occasional ads and build a strong community among readers using Google Friend Connect. Blogger is great for professional and casual networking.

Tumblr.com is for you if you are want a lot of creative control and a more casual social atmosphere. Tumblr is great for visual content.

Choosing the best site is a process and there are many options available. In the end you must decide for yourself which blog site is best suited for your needs. Do your homework and try a few on for size.

Question

How do you think the blog site you use impacts the number of visits or views your blog receives?