I just received about a dozen Google Wave invites to share with people who want to try it out.

Not sure what Google Wave is about? Check out this post from Mashable.

Today’s interesting tidbits are all about LinkedIn, the powerful business-oriented social networking site. I’ve been using LinkedIn for a couple of years and have found it to be quite useful, but I’ve also discovered that many professionals don’t know how to utilize the site.

I recently read these three articles about LinkedIn and thought they each had a few key points that should be shared.

The 20 Most Common LinkedIn Mistakes

“Capture attention above the fold and convince people to continue reading down through your entire profile. Include big numbers and brand names of your companies and customers.”

Key points:

1. Be personable. It is easy to fall into the trap of making your “professional” profile boring and cold. Give people a taste of who you are by including a headshot and a list some of your passions in the Interests section.

2. Join groups and be part of the conversation. LinkedIn is not simply an online posting of your resume. To really take advantage of all it has to offer, join groups and get involved in their conversations. I’ve received some great advice when I’ve asked questions about running a small business.

3. Solicit recommendations. I’ve found that the easiest way to get recommendations is to give recommendations. I’ve got a great group of contacts that return the favor when I give them a recommendation, and I’m sure you do too.

Read the full article at Executive Resume Branding.

7 Ways to Get More Out of LinkedIn

“But with the more mainstream platforms like Twitter and Facebook being used for business purposes, some professionals are neglecting their LinkedIn profiles. While LinkedIn is certainly not as dynamic as other social media sites, it still provides a lot of value — if you use it correctly.”

Key points:

1.  Take advantage of status updates to regularly keep up with your contacts about what networking events you are attending, professional education courses you complete, books you are reading and projects you’ve completed.

2.  Being active in groups can increase your visibility and expand your networking opportunities.

3.  Think about what the type of networking you hope to achieve through LinkedIn, then optimize your profile to help you reach those goals. I plan to make some changes to my profile because I am wanting to expand my connections to local nonprofits and associations.

Read the full article at Mashable.

Twitter and LinkedIn Status Updates Are Now Synced

“From the LinkedIn side, there is a Twitter Settings panel that allows you to link your accounts and choose whether your Twitter account appears on your profile. There is also now a special box that you can check to tell LinkedIn whether you want to tweet out specific status updates”

Key points:

1. In your settings, you can choose whether you want to share all of your tweets on LinkedIn OR just specific ones by using one of two hashtags: #li or #in.

2.  The relationship between Twitter and LinkedIn co-founders is strong, and there is potential and interest in deepening the connection between the two social networking sites.

Are you a nonprofit that could use some help getting your message heard? If you are in need of some quality marketing materials, but your budget is nonexistent, then check out VCU’s CreateAthon.

photo credit: Very Quiet

CreateAthon onCampus is program designed to give students a chance to learn and give back at the same time. Along with a class devoted to studying nonprofit communication needs, CreateAthon onCampus culminates in a 24-hour, work-around-the-clock creative blitz during Spring Break 2010.

VCU CreateAthon on Campus is a great opportunity for nonprofits to receive free marketing materials created by VCU student teams who are mentored by local professionals. For a third year, VCU’s CreateAthon onCampus is looking for Richmond area nonprofits who are in need of marketing and promotional materials including but not limited to: logo, letterhead, business cards, brochures, posters, press kits, newsletters and ads.

If you’re a nonprofit interested in applying, the deadline is this Friday 11/20, so act fast!

I come across several decent, informative articles each day thanks to Twitter. I’ve decided to add some of these helpful articles to my blog.

Today’s interesting tidbits are especially for freelance writers, like myself. Enjoy!

photo credit: Thou Talor
The Part of Social Media That Freaks Out Freelance Writers

Many freelance writers think that they don’t have time to write for free, and therefore they don’t blog for themselves. Mitch Joel from Twist Image addresses this issue and why writers need to realize that blogging isn’t writing for free, it’s “writing to free yourself.”

Three key points from this post:
1. Blogging can help make you a better writer.
2. Blogs can help you sell more stories and build up an audience.
3. Blogs give you a place to write what editors cut out.

Favorite line:
“Just don’t forget that a great blog is often better than any number of writing samples or portfolio.”

Read the full article at Six Pixels of Separation.

10 Things All Freelance Writers Should Do Before the End of 2009

Um, did you guys realize that October is almost over?! I didn’t. We’ve only got two more months left to reach our goals for the year, and prepare for 2010!!!

Three key points:
1. Follow up on all networking contacts. (I’m planning some e-mail marketing to help with this.)
2. Review client list. (A great time to review what type of client you like to service.)
3. Set up a calendar for 2010. (Hello, Franklin Covey!)

Favorite line:
“Doing these things now rather than the last week of December, or worse, the first week in January, will help you start 2010 with a positive new outlook.”

Read the full post from Freelance Writing Gigs.

Free Webcast: How to Create a Freelance Writing Career

So, this isn’t really an article, but a notice about a FREE webinar from Media Bistro. It will cover tips on how to launch, grow and manage a writing career.

Three key points:
1. When: Thursday, November 5, 1:30-2:30
2. Cost: FREE!
3. You have to pre-register.

Favorite line:
“Launching a career as a freelance writer is challenging – and completely doable.”

For more info, and to register visit Media Bistro.

Did your annual report from last year result in new partnerships, members or donors to your association or nonprofit?

Did any of your donors increase their giving because of something they read in your annual report?

If not, you’re missing the mark.

The goal of an annual report is to connect how your day-to-day activities help achieve the organization’s mission. If you can achieve this goal, you can use the document, like your other communication and marketing efforts to increase membership, donations and partnerships.

But, how do you wrap up all of the great things your association or nonprofit did in an entire year into one report. What must be included? What activities can be left out?

Here are five tips for making your next annual report stronger, more effective and nearly perfect.

1. Stick to the organization’s message.

To get started you might do a quick internet search for sample annual reports. That is fine to give you some ideas, but don’t let a template pull you away from your overall message. Follow these simple guidelines:

• Review all the year’s press releases, newsletters and blog posts
• List common phrases, statements and ideas found in your communication efforts
• Highlight activities that show how the organization is achieving its mission
• Check out a good annual report sample that I wrote earlier this year.

2. Remember, this is not a report for the Board.

Staff changes, computer upgrades and an increased marketing budget might be major accomplishments in the office, but they have very little to do with achieving the mission, at least from the donors and member’s perspective. Instead, inspire them with stories related to the mission in the annual report, and save the celebrations over the staff getting iPhones for administrative reports.

3. Focus on motivators and results, not just activities.

Members and donors want to know what you did, but more importantly, they want to know why you did it. When piecing together stories for the annual report, ask these questions:

• What were the results?
• Why did you spend your time and money the way you did?
• What difference did it make?
• How did that contribute to fulfilling the organization’s mission?

4. Include a testimonial or two.

People love reading real-life stories. Impress your supporters with stories that show how your accomplishments have helped a specific individual or group.

• For nonprofits this could include story about increased volunteer participation, with a testimonial from a volunteer about their experience.
• Associations could speak about increased conference attendance, and feature a new-attendee’s take on the event.

5. Optimize every word of copy in the report.

Every sentence in the annual report should be focused on telling the organization’s story. This is especially true for photo captions because we all know there will be many people who will just flip through the report looking at the pictures, but they should still get an idea of how the organization lived out it’s mission last year. Don’t forget the importance of:

• Photo Captions
• Titles and Headlines
• The President’s letter
• Quotes
• Introduction to the financial section

These are just a few simple rules I follow when writing annual reports for nonprofits and associations. They’ve guided me as I’ve helped organizations create annual reports that provide an impressive ROI.

Want to learn more about my annual report writing services? Contact me.

I’m happy to announce the launch of my new website!

A new design created by my friend Bridget Marshall, includes enhanced navigation, a larger portfolio, clean look and a logo! Special thanks to Daniel Farrell for putting his web development skills to work for me.

photo credit: Valerie Everett

I recently had a rush of jealous when I saw that an agency which I work with started adding graphics to each of their blog posts. The graphics add value to each post, and make the entire blog more interesting.

Being a “word girl” and not a graphic designer means I’m not equipped to make my own graphics for every blog post I write. But, thankfully I use WordPress which has a plugin for everything imaginable.

Introducing Photo Dropper. Handy-dandy plugin that allows me to quickly and easily add Flickr pictures to my blog. It even automatically gives credit to the photographer.

Recently Refresh Richmond held a panel discussion to discuss Online Reputation Management. The discussion gave me a few things to think about. For the past few years I’ve been wanting to have a fairly authentic presence online, and I still do – but, I need some distance between my professional online self and my personal online self for a number of reasons.

Mainly, I don’t want my friends to overloaded with information about my worklife, and on the flip side, I don’t want my clients and professional friends to be overwhelmed with pictures of my cats and crafts. It’s about getting the right information to the right people.

I already have separate blogs for my personal info and business (sadly, neither are updated very regularly). I have a personal Facebook account to manage my social networking and a LinkedIn profile to handle professional contacts. The next big obstacle to tackle is Twitter. I’ve decided to start a new Twitter account for my business.

I’m really hoping that segmenting the information I put on through social networking/media, will make it more enjoyable and valuable.

Hard to believe it, but we are near the halfway mark for 2009. Now is a great time to assess how we are doing with reaching the annual goals we set back in January.

What I’m proud of thus far:

• Setting up my business legally and properly
• Number of companies/clients I have the pleasure of working with
• Learning some techy stuff to help me expand my services
• Easily surpassing what my previous employer paid me!

What I want to improve over the next 6 months:

• Sharing more information through this blog and other avenues
• Become more tech-savvy
• Launch the redesign of my website
• Better manage my time

I also did a short review of my personal life on A Search for Authenticity.

I haven’t even been in my role as a business owner for a year, but I am certain I’ve learned one of the greatest lessons I’ll learn on this journey. And that is to seek wisdom and advice from someone who is smarter than you! It doesn’t seem like that great of a revelation, but I’ve only had a couple employers in the past who sought to continually develop themselves as business owners, or even to explore personal development.

I consider myself very fortunate to have the chance to receive business/life coaching from Anne Byrd. She has helped me examine the personal and professional parts of my life, set goals and map out a plan to reaching those goals. With her coaching and encouragement, I am proactive in preparing for challenges. It’s a great feeling to be in control and on offense, instead of on defense just reacting to what happens.