TiffineysBlog.com

A couple of weeks ago I shared Daria Musk’s story and how she’s been Leveraging Google+ Hangouts to Reach a Global Audience. I was so inspired by her story that I encouraged each of you to think of ways to use the free tool in your business.

Since then I’ve been able to brainstorm with some of you and together we’ve come up with creative ways to use G+ Hangouts to reach an audience you might not connect with otherwise.

Eating for Energy using G+ Hangout On Air

One person I’ve been talking with is certified Holistic Health and Nutrition Coach, Laren Watson. If you’re not familiar with Laren you can check out her website: Eating Well, Living Well.

Or, you can read her comments on the Promote Yourself page.

Laren recieved her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she studied more than one hundred different dietary theories and a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods. She offers health and nutrition workshops, as well as one-on-one and group coaching, in her local area.

The Google+ Hangout tool helps expand Laren’s potential reach well beyond her physical location. It also gives her the flexibility of offering health and nutrtion coaching and workshops on a global scale – all without leaving her home office! She could even host a regular nutrition segment using the Google+ Hangouts On Air feature.

And viewers do not need to have a Google+ account in order to watch the On Air Hangout! 

So Laren has decided to give it a go. On Tuesday, May 15th she’s going to present her popular Eating for Energy Workshop using the G+ Hangouts On Air tool.

Reserve Your Spot in the Eating for Energy Workshop 

There are a lot of great aspects about the Google+ Hangouts On Air tool, but one of the most exciting is that an unlimited number of people can watch the hangout; however if you want to be part of the hangout and be able to ask questions you have to be invited by the person (Laren) running the hangout.

Email Laren now to reserve your free spot in the Eating for Energy Workshop: Laren Watson <laren@eatingwell-livingwell.com>

Date: Tuesday, May 29th

Time: 11am-Noon PST, 2pm-3pm EST, 7pm-8pm London

Perk: After the Eating for Energy Workshop you might decide to take advantage of Laren’s 3-month group coaching service – which usually costs $495. But, those who contact Laren to reserve their free spot in the workshop will recieve a $100 discount!

This is a great opportunity for those who want get some coaching on losing weight, beating the sugar habit, or help with some other health and nutrition related issue.

This offer is limited to the first 8 people who contact Laren@EatingWell-LivingWell.com

In the Eating for Energy Workshop Laren will draw from her education and experience to help you understand which foods drain your energy and which foods boost your energy. Laren will explain those highs and lows you experience throughout the day, offering tips and insights on how to avoid them. Laren will also give you a Top 10 Ways to Increase Your Energy handout that you can refere to long after the workshop has ended.

Three Month Group Holistic Health and Nutrition Coaching

If you decide to take advantage of Laren’s 3-month group holistic health and nutrition coaching and you reserved your spot in the workshop, you will recieve a $100 discount off the usual $495 cost. This means you pay just $395 or you can pay monthly at a slightly higher rate of $135.

This program includes:

• two 50-minute sessions per month
• email support between sessions
• recipes that are healthy and simple to prepare
• coaching and support to help you make the dietary and lifestyle changes you want
• simple but informative handouts that will increase your nutrition knowledge
• access to Laren’s monthly newsletter with the latest health tips and recipes
• Laren’s personal commitment to your health and success

In addition to the added support and fun of the group dynamic, as part of the group  health and coaching program you will:

• set and accomplish goals in a way that is empowering and exciting
• work to achieve and maintain your ideal weight
• understand and reduce your cravings
• increase your energy levels
• feel great in your body
• learn about new foods and how you can easily incorporate them
• improve your personal relationships
• discover the confidence to create the life you want

You can email Laren to reserve your spot in, or to ask her questions about, the Eating for Energy Workshop.  You can also email her to learn about her 3-Month Group Holistic Health and Nutrition Coaching sessions.

Laren@EatingWell-LivingWell.com

Tell us about how you’ve seen the G+ Hangout tool used in creative ways. And I’d also love to hear your ideas on how you could use the G+ Hangout tool to move your business forward.

A few weeks ago Google+ released a video in which Daria Musk explained how she leveraged the G+ Hangouts feature to reach a global audience in a matter of months. I found her story thrillingly daring and I loved how she used the Hangouts tool to achieve her dreams!

Daria Musk explains how Google+ Hangouts helped her create a worldwide fan base.

Chef Hangout is another example of the fun, creative ways people are using this new Google+ tool.

At Chef Hangout you can sign up to take a cooking class, buy and prep the ingredients ahead of time, and then make the dish all under the direction of a professional chef from just about anywhere in the world! All of this is done using the Google+ Hangouts feature!

And it got me thinking about who else out there could use the Google+ Hangout tool in a fresh, creative way to grow their business and expand their reach. Maybe you!

There are a few things you have to do first.

1. Sign up for a Google+ account
2. Install the Hangouts plugin
3. Know the limitations

The G+ Hangouts feature does have a few limitations:

• Only 10 people at a time can participate in a G+ Hangout. (One exception is the on-air feature which allows an infinite number of people to view the hangout and to participate by messaging questions and comments to the moderator. This isn’t yet publically available.)
• Once it’s over, it’s over. Hangouts disappear after they end; however you can use software to record the hangout. (I’ve used BB FlashBack Screen Recorder - not an affilaite link.) You can then post that recording on your website.

Now all you have to do is brainstorm some creative ideas on how you could use the G+ Hangout feature in your business-building efforts! Keep in mind, you’re not limited to the camera or microphone on your computer. You can invest in cameras that capture you or the work you’re doing from different angles – like those at Chef Hangout do. Or, depending on your business, you might want to utilize a higher quality microphone – like Daria Musk did.

Whatever your business is, I think G+ Hangouts opens up so many exciting possibilities to teach and share what you know; to develop a following; and to expand your reach on a global level. I’d love to hear some of your ideas for using this free tool in your business!

One of the main complaints about Google+ is that it’s “a virtual ghost town” but that’s really not accurate. I’ve been an active G+ member for over six months and I can tell you that there is so much activity on the site that it can be a bit overwhelming at times.

Now, it’s true that you’re unlikely to find many of your family or friends on G+, but if you add shared circles you’ll quickly experience an entirely different Google+ than the one you read about in the news. As you add shared circles you’ll get to know some of the folks in those circles and you’ll begin to look forward to their posts. You will also find that some people post so frequently that they drown out the posts shared by others.

So what do you do in that situation? How do you customize what you see in your Google+ stream?

Well, here are a couple of the things I do to control what I see in my Google+ stream.

Create Circle Names: I’ve created several circles and named them. Some of my circle names are:

• PLR Writers & Internet Marketers
• Shared SEO
• Shared Tech
• Photographers
• Must Read
• Following
• Mute

My Must Read and Following circles are the two I view when I have a limited amount of time because with just a few clicks I can get to the posts I’m most interested in. The people in these circles post on a variety of topics, so several of them are in my other circles too. It’s okay to have people in more than one circle.

For example, I have a large PLR Writers & Internet Marketers circle. I like what the people in that circle have to share; however there are a few who I especially enjoy and I want to connect with them often. So, I’ve put those folks in my Must Read circle too.

Use the Frequency Control: My Mute circle is for people who I’m either just getting to know or whose posts I know I like, but they post so frequently that they drown out the other people I want to hear from. I have the volume/frequency on my Mute circle turned all the way down. (I show you how to do this in the video below.)

As a result, the posts from this circle never enter my stream. I am still able to access their posts by clicking on my Mute circle – which I do regularly because do I like to see, and sometimes comment on, what they’ve shared.

On the other hand, I have the volume/frequency on my PLR Writers & Internet Marketers circle turned all the way up. I want to stay most connected with the people in this circle and by turning the volume to its max point I make sure that all of the posts they share with me enter my stream. Of course you can adjust the volume somewhere in the middle too.

I’ve made a short video showing you…

How to Use the Volume/Frequency Control to Customize what You See in Your Google+ Stream

If you’re on Google+ I’d love to hear how you manage what you see in your stream. Leave a comment below to share your Google+ Tips.

I haven’t yet read the book, but I’ve heard that Guy Kawasaki offers some great insights on how to get the most from your Google+ experience in What the Plus? (Not an affiliate link.)

Image: seaskylab / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I know there’s been a lot of debate and controversy about Google’s Personalized Search Results. Some people love it and others hate it, but it hasn’t really impacted me one way or the other…until this morning that is. It helped me find this article.

Watch the video to see how Google’s Personalized Search Results helped me. And, if you don’t like the personalized search results watch the video to see how to opt out.

How Google’s Search Plus Your World Helped Me

Here’s the Organic Beauty Secret  I referred to in the video.

Also, before you go…add a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on Google’s Search Plus Your World!

Today when we came home there was a finch sitting in the garden bed right next to the front door; a reminder that spring is really here and that sunny days will soon be the norm, rather than a delightful surprise. And of course, everyone will want to look their best which is why I’ve decided to share a little secret with you, an organic beauty secret: Olive oil. It’s my single-ingredient organic moisturizer.

Did you know that olive oil is more than just a food? I didn’t. Recently though I was reading to my younger two girls about what life was like in ancient Jerusalem.

In those days women used olive oil in their baked goods as well as in their everyday cooking, but they also used it to moisturize their face, hands, feet, and even their hair!

About two months ago I decided to give this wonder oil a try as a face moisturizer. I began by using the olive oil in the evenings. I was worried my face would look oily and I figured if I used it in the evening, I could always wash it off in the morning.

My face did look oily at first, but eventually I learned how little olive oil it took to moisturize my face and so I began using the olive oil in the mornings as well. It does take a little longer to absorb into my skin than a store-bought moisturizer, but I’m so happy with the results that adjusting my morning beauty routine to accommodate the extra absorption time isn’t a problem.

I know you might be hesitant to try organic olive oil as a moisturizer so I made a video to show you just how easy it is to use olive oil as your single-ingredient, organic moisturizer.

I’d love to read about your best organic (or not) beauty secrets in the comment section below!

Resources:

If you have a website in the health niche or beauty niche, you might be interested in my Organic Beauty PLR or any of my Health PLR packs.

And for those of you who want to post a video on your website be sure check out Lynn Terry’s Top 6 Tips for Making Great Videos.

Image: m_bartosch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Not long after I filled out my Google+ profile, added folks I knew, and added a few shared circles I began to really enjoy the interaction and shared information happening there; however, one area made me a bit uncomfortable. It was when men began circling me, men who were clearly seeking a relationship. I’m not on Google+ for that.

I would quietly ignore these unknown plussers with a Don Juan bent. Unfortunately I found that simply ignoring them only served to exacerbate the problem as an increasing number of Don Juan plussers would find and circle me too. Google+ has a built-in solution to this problem; I was just hesitant to use it.

Google’s solution to avoid being circled by people you don’t want circling you? The block button. You’ll find it on every profile and I’m encouraging you to use it.

After I began using the block button I found that fewer Don Juan plussers circled me and I’ve been much happier as a result. Now, your parameters for who you circle and who you don’t will likely be different than mine, but you’ll probably find a use for the block button from time to time.

Here’s a quick video to show you How to Use the Google+ Block Button

I’d love to hear about your experience. Have you used the Google+ block button? Did you have any hesitations?

Image: Mindy McGregor / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today marks the end of the first quarter of 2012 and if you regularly read my blog posts, or if you Circle Me on Google+, you know that I’m a huge fan of Ana Hoffman’s Traffic Generation Café.

It won’t be a big surprise then that today I’m borrowing a page from her playbook by giving you a place to promote yourself – to  Celebrate your accomplishments!

 So, here’s what you do:

1 – Promote Yourself

Introduction: In the comment section, tell us a little about yourself; what you’re passionate about; what makes you tick.

Service: Talk about your area (or areas) of expertise, how you help others and what you (or your business) have to offer.

Promote: Include links to your websites or blogs so we can learn more about you and the work you’re doing.

I know promoting yourself can feel a little uncomfortable but as Ana notes…

Letting people know who you are and what you have to offer is a powerful way to begin developing relationships, business partners, and backlinks.

2 – Share

And it’s that kind of networking which is so crucial to our online success. So, I’m going to ask you to help me network too by reading my posts on Internet Marketing, Google+ Tips, and PLR. Then spread the word by sharing my posts with others on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, and elsewhere.

3 – Visit Ana

I want to give back to Ana so, after you’ve shared what you have to offer the world by promoting yourself here, go to the Traffic Generation Café Promote Yourself page and tell the community over there what you’re about and how you can be a help to them too.

Cheers!

Image: Rosen Georgiev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As a mom of both a teen and a preteen I can relate to how hard it can be to talk with your kids about some of the natural changes their bodies are going through. They sill seem like children, yet they’re growing into young adults right before my eyes!

I know its awkward discussing things like menstruation, wet dreams, and body odor but I’m motivated to move past my discomfort though because it’s important to me that my kids aren’t surprised by the changes happening in their bodies. I’m also motivated by a desire to be the first one my kids hear from on these topics.

I don’t want their friends or the media to be their only source of information.

I think many parents feel similarly, which is why in my Preteen Parenting PLR part 1 pack I’ve dedicated one of the 5 articles to helping parents talk with their kids about these sensitive issues. My hope is that it will help families feel more comfortable about discussing these topics openly.

Go to http://cuttingedgeplr.com/preteen-parenting-plr-part-1 to learn more about the Preteen Parenting PLR pack.

Image: Rosen Georgiev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve noticed several discussions on Google+ recently about shared circles and whether or not to add them. In my experience, it’s difficult to be part of all the activity happening on g+ without circling a significant number of people. One of the easiest and quickest ways to get a bunch of people in your circles fast is to add shared circles.

What is a Shared Circle

Let me quickly explain shared circles. One of the first things you will do after creating your G+ profile is create circles. You might have a circle for family and friends, but you may also want to have circles dedicated to your interests and passions.

For example, let’s say you’re interested in photography, fashion, news, and seo strategies. You might have circles for each of these interests, placing photographers in your photography circle, seo strategists in your seo circle and so on.

Google+ let’s you share these circles so that other people with similar interests can easily add like-minded people to their circles. When a circle is shared, it usually comes with a description like, “This is my photographers circle” so that others can decide whether or not they want to add it to their circles.

Personally, I’ve added a handful of shared circles and it’s been one of the best things I’ve done on Google+!

Adding People (and shared circles) to Your G+ Circles

When I first joined G+ I had one family member and two friends who were there. If I had only circled those three people I would have thought G+ was a ghost town, but I know that G+ is a pretty happen place because I’ve added a lot more than those 3 people to my circles.

And not just tech-savvy people either! There are photographers, foodies, homeschoolers, as well as tech and seo people in my circles. I’ve added people I already knew online; people who made interesting or smart comments on posts; and people who were part of shared circles. And my G+ experience has completely exploded as a result!

It’s also gotten a bit chaotic, but I’m okay with that. I add people. I give it a few days. I read what’s posted and I keep people whose posts I connect with and weed out the people who aren’t a good match for me.

How do you weed folks out? Well, that’s a topic for another post. The first step is to create your G+ profile and begin adding people (and shared circles) to your circles.

If you circle me, mention this post and I’ll help you get started by sharing a few circles with you. And be sure to watch the video to learn how to add people to your circles.

Are you already on G+? Do you add shared circles? If so, how do you decide which to add and which to skip? If not, what’s your method for adding people to your G+ circles?

Resources:

• Unofficial Google+ Recommended Users
• Women of Google+
• Shared Circles Spreadsheet

Image: Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Recently Lynn Terry posted a video on Google+ asking, “What are you wearing?” The title kind of got my attention so I hit the play button. As it turns out Lynn was asking what people tend to wear while working from home.

She wanted to know:

Do you stay in your comfies or do you shower and suit up as if you were going into the office?

I responded and so did a handful of other folks. Lynn noted that none of us tagged her in a photo or video post showing her – and the rest of the world, our work-from-home attire. Well, I thought that was a good challenge so I casually said, “I’ll do a video.”

Who Knew it Would be so Intimidating

That was two weeks ago! I can’t tell you how difficult it has been from both a technical and emotional standpoint to get this first ever (for me) “talking head” video done! In fact, it was much easier getting over the technical challenges than it was to get past the emotional stuff because

When I saw myself on video for the first time I thought, “Is that really what I look like? Do I actually sound like that?”

Ugh! Finally though, I committed to just do it! So, here it is. My video response. It’s pretty short – and actually I barely answer the question before I go introducing my dog Keba. LOL! It’s done though, and I plan on doing more in the future.

My Challenge to You

How about you? Have you done a “talking head” video post before? If so, what was the experience like for you? If not, what’s holding you back?

One other thing, Lynn offers 6 Tips for Making a Great Video Post. Can you spot which tips I followed and which I totally overlooked?

If you liked this article you might also like How to Upload Images to Your Blog

Image: africa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net