Fanurio is a time tracking and billing software application, highly appreciated by freelancers for its intuitive interface, flexible timer and ability to produce detailed invoices.
Whether you need to round time, use multiple currencies or create invoices with your own layout, Fanurio has the right tools to help you get paid.
Fanurio provides multiple methods to help you track time with little effort. You can track time manually or using the timer. It also has a few reminders to help you start, resume or stop the timer automatically.
It has a few reminders (including idle time detection) to help you start, resume or stop the timer. Instead of relying on your memory and attention to control the timer, you can use these reminders. We are calling this feature smart timing.
Fanurio is built using Java technology which enables it to run on Windows, Mac OS X including Leopard, Linux and other flavors of Unix.
This contest will run from July 15, 2010 to July 23, 2010 and we will select the winners randomly by running MySQL query. Result can be announced any day before July 25, 2010 so keep visiting here or subscribe to our rss feed to get the latest updates. To participate in the contest and win free license of Fanurio, All you have to do is just :
1. Just leave a comment.
2. Use valid email ID in the email box.
3. Not necessary, but you can subscribe to our rss feed and follow us on twitter as well. (To track this contest and for future updates)
4. And thats it!
So what are you waiting for now? Let’s participate in the contest and good luck!
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Cliff Maynard is a 38 year old male artist from Pittsburgh, United States. He is a maestro in Chronic Art, or — to be more specific — Roach Paper Art. Unusual but true, he uses unrolled roaches for his designs. His work is very original because his concept is unique and he has experimented with portraits from Jesus Christ to Bob Marley. The result is truly remarkable. Maybe that’s the reason why his art work always seizes attention. You can find more information about the artist and his work on Cliff Maynard’s website.
Roach Paper Art
All images presented in this post were given permission to be published by the artist himself.
Wellblog provides an eye-catching lava-lamp menu above a two-column layout of blog post excerpts and thumbnail images. The theme also makes use of several cute icons for drawing attention to sidebar elements and the flickr, youtube and Twitter integrations in the footer.
The theme options page allows management of banner and Adsense ads in the sidebar and header and easy selection of the video post category, theme skin, header logo and site favicon.
Five attractive theme skins are provided: Black Ultimate, Sunburst Orange, Graphite Gray, Purple Crown and Dusky Brown. The first three skins are also available in right-sidebar variants.
In use, Wellblog is an easy-to-use and elegant blog theme which is ideal for food blogs and many other subject niches.
Coupon code
Claim 30% off Wellblog with this coupon code: 94F4D.
Features:
- 5 skins with right sidebar variations
- Google Analytics support
- Twitter, Flickr and YouTube Integration
- Theme Options Panel
- Automatic Thumbnails
- Ad Management 468×60 & 125×125
- Threaded comments with Gravatars
- Cross-browser compatible
Demo | Purchase | Single License: $50 / Developer: $200
Many of us today probably use the Web to book tickets and find information about movies. By selling tickets and entertaining visitors, websites help movies succeed at the box office and earn public approval. And yet, website developers don’t get any public recognition for the success of movies. Isn’t it a bit unfair in the Internet era not to bestow a single bit of appreciation for the presentation of movies online?
Most modern movie websites are built in Flash, even when it’s totally unjustified. The websites often lack usability standards and require users to click through splash pages and introductions in order to access content. They have the luxury of being able to neglect common principles and standards because they garner attention merely by their association with the movies they promote. Let’s suppose, though, that these developers got their own Palmes d’Ors, Oscars and Bears. Wouldn’t this be strong motivation to create outstanding and usable websites?
In this post, we imagine Oscars being given to both movies and their websites. This is, of course, not a new award from Smashing Magazine and far less an attempt to assume the right and honor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It’s just a fun way to observe the latest trends in movie website design and to showcase the best websites of the 2009 blockbusters, as well as recent and upcoming movies.
[Offtopic: By the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has a mobile version? Try it out if you have an iPhone, Blackberry or another capable device.]
Nomination: Graphics
This is perhaps the most prestigious category in our virtual ceremony. It refers to the way a design uses photos, illustrations and graphic elements to create a pleasing and memorable visual experience.
The Nominees Are…
Law Abiding Citizen
For its use of bold and expressive photos.
Transformers
For the Transformers models (of course).
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (UK official website)
For the icy illustrations.
Alice in Wonderland
For achieving wonders with illustration and photo manipulation.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
For the tasty illustrations and delicious little elements in the design.
How to Train Your Dragon
For some red-hot graphics.
A Town Called Panic
For the funky plasticine illustrations.
And the Winner Is…
The attention to detail on the Alice in Wonderland website is impressive. A seamless combination of digital illustrations and photographs and plenty of small Wonderland-style graphic elements makes this design eye candy.
Nomination: Interactivity
Many movie websites, especially ones for animated movies and action blockbusters, rely on interactive elements to engage visitors. The following websites of popular movies from 2009 deliver a solid interactive experience and are deserving nominees.
The Nominees Are…
Broken Embraces
For the beautifully executed stack of torn photos, which serves as the navigation menu.
Halloween 2
For the terrific (and terrifying) 3-D elements.
District 9
For the interactive panoramic views of District 9.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
For the customizable food rain and lively characters.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
For the magical image gallery.
And the Winner Is…
The website for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a joy to explore, mainly because of its interactive features.
Nomination: Dynamic Effects
Movie websites have invariably included at least one trailer on the home page or on a splash page. The trailer usually plays automatically. But a growing trend is to use clips from the movie as a pre-loader or background. In doing so, film websites typically employ Flash animation and motion graphics for maximum visual impact. The following websites feature some excellent dynamic effects of various types.
The Nominees Are…
Halloween 2
For the spooky and shimmering video clips.
Where the Wild Things Are
For the beautiful and organically integrated video.
Transformers
For the animated Transformers (showing actual transformations would have been better, though).
Watchmen
For the incredible dynamic effects.
Terminator Salvation
For the well-styled video stream.
Lovely Bones
For the seamless combination of video fragments and images.
Star Trek
For the fantastic transition effects.
And the Winner Is…
The navigation on Star Trek’s official website simulates the experience of walking around the spaceship. This effect is excellently implemented and takes the visitor deep into the movie’s atmosphere.
Nomination: Harmony With Movie
Movie websites are of course all about the movies they promote. But screenshots, trailers, photos and images alone may be not enough to convey the atmosphere of a film. A lot more can by done by weaving the story and concept in with the design elements. Each website showcased below does a great job of recreating its movie’s feel and drawing visitors in.
The Nominees Are…
Alice in Wonderland
For the gallymogger details throughout the design.
Star Trek
For the great use of space-themed material, which everyone loves.
Drag Me to Hell
For the shiver-inducing fly animation.
Surrogates
For the futuristic robot features.
Up in the Air
For the nifty airplane-style elements and icons.
District 9
For the great use of alien-themed material.
And the Winner Is…
Our virtual Oscar goes to District 9. The movie’s dismal atmosphere is communicated well on all of the website’s pages. In fact, District 9 offers six distinct “experiences” apart from the official website. Features include interactive panoramic images, stylized graphics and video clips, as well as separate pages for humans and aliens (being faithful to the movie’s spirit).
Nomination: Best Exclusive Content
Thousands of online resources and databases are available where users can find out information about past, current and upcoming movies, watch trailers and book tickets. So, exclusive content is a kind of trump card for official movie websites. Without it, the websites are almost useless. Still, many studios continue to offer a minimum of content, such as trailer, screenshots, synopsis and a couple of posters for downloading. By contrast, all of the nominees for our Best Exclusive Content award offer treats for even the most fastidious of movie fans.
The Nominees Are…
Alice in Wonderland
For the fun facts about the movie.
Nine
For the screenplay, which is available in PDF format.
An Education
For the extensive information about the film.
Up in the Air
For the precise “departure” and “landing” info.
Watchmen
For the incredible character profiles.
The Wolfman
For the fascinating insight into werewolf legends and mystery.
And the Winner Is…
Besides its comprehensive overview of the movie and a number of videos and photos, The Wolfman website offers a good amount of information in the Features section about the mysterious events depicted in the movie and the horror legacy of Universal Studios. Both the content and presentation are wonderful.
Nomination: Typography
Typography greatly affects the user experience. Everyone loves beautiful typography, and we just couldn’t leave this element out of our categories. In most cases, a movie website’s attention to typography amounts to choosing an appropriate font family. On some websites, though, you’ll find some really nice work with styling and arranging.
The Nominees Are…
And the Winner Is…
The Inglourious Basterds website is practically the only design here that expands the work of the film’s art through typography. Both the selection and arrangement of type here evoke the spirit of the film and make the website easy and enjoyable to read.
Nomination: Fun Games
Games, fan kits and other activities of the sort can be found on movie websites from various genres, from family comedy to horror. This entertainment engages visitors, in turn further promoting the film. Truly unique and engaging activities have made it into this category.
The Nominees Are…
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
For its five ways to play with food, one of which is in 3-D!
Fantastic Mr. Fox
For the lovely game interface design.
Transformers
For the fan kit and fan art sections.
Sherlock Holmes
For the clever test of deduction.
Surrogates
For the virtual surrogate creator.
District 9
For the “non-human” support.
How to Train Your Dragon
For its wide range of craft activities.
Avatar
For letting you create your own avatar (not as beautiful as the movie’s, though).
And the Winner Is…
The website for How To Train Your Dragon offers seven online games and fifteen activities to print out and play. Good enjoyment for the whole family.
Nomination: Cross-Media Interaction
The increasingly popular mobile Web and social networks just can’t be ignored by movie companies. Many movies are represented on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks and bookmarking services. Many movie websites have social media panels and widgets that let users get updates and share information about the movies on their own websites and social network pages.
iPhone and iPod apps have become common promotional tools as well. Some movies even have community websites that bring people together around certain topics discussed in a film. The deepest and most versatile social media integration is exemplified by the following websites.
The Nominees Are…
Alice in Wonderland
For the wonderful mobile applications.
Star Trek
For the complete collection of social network links.
Pandorum
For the deep media interaction (widget, social networks, iPhone game, etc.).
District 9
For the earthling and non-human communities.
Avatar
For providing numerous ways to spread word about the movie.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
For attending to all kinds of Twilight fans (take the TwilightMOMs community for instance!).
And the Winner Is…
With 5 official streams on major social networks, over 15 community websites and 4 items in the App Store, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is the clear winner in this category.
Nomination: Best HTML Website
Many movie websites use Flash when HTML, CSS and a couple of good JavaScript effects would do. The four websites below break from this convention and prove that good movie website design does not necessarily have to include Flash.
And the Winner Is…
The website for Music By Prudence fully deserves this award. The website was created by New-York based design duet Bartlett de Boer, which explains the idea for this design this way: “Together with our client, we decided on a Flash-like site, to be supported by WordPress’ content management system. We combined bold typography, huge background images and a smart jQuery application that creates a dynamic effect, presenting all the info in semi-transparent sections. This was one of the most exciting projects we’ve worked on so far.” No doubt, the Music By Prudence website is a credit to Matt Mulleneweg’s brainchild, WordPress, too.
Nomination: Best Flash Website
Movie websites usually contain a massive amount of media content, which is why Flash is the most popular platform on which to build them. While many websites either overuse animations and dynamic effects or don’t justify their use of Flash at all, some Flash movie websites deliver attractive, entertaining and informative experiences quite well. Below are six movie websites that are worthy of our imaginary Best Flash Website Oscar.
The Nominees Are…
And the Winner Is…
Inglourious Basterds! An attention to detail at all levels of the website, nifty yet unobtrusive effects and plenty of information make this Flash movie website stand out gloriously from the others.
Red Carpet Stars
Some movie websites that did not win our imaginary Oscars are still worth being showcased. Most of these, though not all, are done in a minimalist style, containing some basic information and a minimum of Flash effects. They are quite easy to navigate and their interfaces are visually appealing. Despite not being nominated here, they deserve some serious Hollywood buzz.
City Island
A lovely combination of photographs and sketches makes the website for City Island special.
Mid-August Lunch
This is more an interactive movie poster than a website. The page contains practically no information about the film itself, referring visitors instead to the studio website. Still, it features an original theme that we just couldn’t pass up.
Invictus
Like the films of maestro Clint Eastwood’s oeuvre, the website for Invictus tries to show the present through the prism of timeless values. How else to explain the use of Flash for this elegant and contemporary design, which could have been done with plain HTML and jQuery?
The Hurt Locker
Grungy typeface, sandy colors and good still images make this website a worthy online counterpart to the movie.
Green Zone
Some really great styling in the navigation menu.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Funny cartoons and a graph paper texture contribute to the theme for this movie website.
The Square
The content here is contained in a stylized grid, which doesn’t in the least impair readability and usability. Dark colors and bold grungy textures make for a true “website noir.”
Kick-Ass
Plenty of games are integrated smoothly in the content here, resulting in a kick-ass movie website!
Shutter Island
The website for this brilliant movie is another black pearl in our collection. The focus here is on the dark island landscape, complemented by little polished details.
Brooklyn’s Finest
This is one of the few websites that have a good splash page. Overall, the website for Brooklyn’s Finest has some great photos and unobtrusive Flash effects. The city line shown as a film negative is the cherry on top.
The Road
The website for this impressive film, based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, is lean as can be. The minimalist design builds mainly on still images from the movie. The quotes from the novel that appear while the page loads (an feature also seen on the Inglourious Basterds website) contributes to this information-rich website.
Hot Tub Time Machine
The headshots that appear when you mouse over the menu items would make anyone smile. The short introduction is a nice touch, too. The Hot Tub Time Machine website certainly won’t leave you cold.
Moon
This website is notable for its atmospheric, pseudo-3D background images. The graphics are enriched by transparent elements with frames that mimic a plating effect.
Lbs.
This website has what you could call a camouflage design: it looks like pure HTML but is fully Flash. But don’t let that annoy you. The website loads relatively quickly and is easy to use. Also, the panorama on the main page is adorable.
The Secret in Their Eyes
When the subject matter is secrets, a dark laconic design is the way to go.
Precious
The website for the Oscar-winning film (really!) Precious shows great use of video to get visitors involved in the story.
Valentine’s Day
The website for Valentine’s Day has a social network-ish look and feel, mainly because the background photos look like the profile pictures on a social network.
Please Give
Although this is only a “Coming soon” page, showing a trailer, press notes and a Facebook link, the typography merits its inclusion on this list.
(al)
© Julia May for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
Post tags: showcases
Every now and again we showcase fantastic favicons, those tiny pieces of art that you’ll find in your browser’s address bar or when rifling through your bookmarks. These little gems are important because they serve as visual indicators to help visitors easily identify content in their browser. That aside, favicons are just nice to look at, and way too many websites don’t make use of them. We want to change that, which is why we are presenting what is now the ninth episode in our favicons series: a small article with tiny images and fast loading time… for a change.
We’ve written numerous articles about favicons in the past. If you’d like to find out more, feel free to look at these posts:
- Favicon Episode 8
- Favicon Episode 7
- Favicon Episode 6: Black, Abstract and Hand-Drawing
- Episode 5: The Delicate Beauties
- Part 4: Creative Favicons: Tiny Artwork
- Part 3: Creative Favicons: When Small Is Beautiful
- Part 2: Inspire Yourself: More Creative Favicons
- Part 1: Inspire Yourself: 50 Remarkable Favicons
Any picture’s merit is debatable. But notice that these favicons were chosen not simply for their beauty and originality; it was important to us also that each fit the overall website design and logo. Pay attention to the details of the design.
All favicons are linked, of course, to the websites from where they were taken (if they still exist). Click on them to get more insight into how favicon design relates to overall layout design. The order here does not indicate any ranking.
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Tableau Public |
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Gnash Project |
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Top Roundups |
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Elastic Tabstops |
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i-on interactive |
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Arc Technology Group |
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Kodingen |
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Sound Light Vision |
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Highcharts |
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Faces |
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Photoscape |
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London Reviews |
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Open Faces |
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RocketTheme |
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Techbridge |
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Soft eXpansion |
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Screwturn Wiki |
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Nimbupani |
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Spoonjuice |
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Universität Freiburg |
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Paragon Software |
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iMasters |
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TechEBlog |
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FitBit |
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DropBox |
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Axialis |
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Swebapps |
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Acquia |
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Snipt |
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MIX Online |
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Second Market |
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Open X |
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Filemail |
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55Eleven |
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Onehub |
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Projectbubble |
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Projektwerk |
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Medienlab |
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Iconshock |
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Splitweed |
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Goby |
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M1 Design |
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PageStat |
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Commadot |
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Babbelblog |
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Tammy Hart |
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Toufee |
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Lion Framework |
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High Beam |
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Mixxt |
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CMSExpo |
And finally, all the favicons in one picture:
(al)
© Sven Lennartz for Smashing Magazine, 2010. | Permalink | 29 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Digg this | Stumble on StumbleUpon! | Tweet it! | Submit to Reddit | Forum Smashing Magazine
Post tags: favicons, showcases
Jeff has been working really hard to get everything ready and the basic functionality for the Custom Navigation (as it is now being called) has already been included in the WP 3.0 nightly builds (after last week’s WP dev chat). The most significant amount of work centered around moving away from Woo-specific branding, uses of prefixes and coding preferences, which means Jeff had to create a patch using all of the WP core standards & defaults. It is now that patch which is available in the nightly builds.
This is what the Custom Navigation is looking like at the moment:
The New Custom Navigation in WP 3.0
Jeff & a few other leading WP contributors will now spend some time with the community in getting their feedback before further tweaks are made (you can get involved on the Trac ticket here). There are still a few obvious UI and then a few more technical things that needs attention, but overall the project is bang-on track and we’re super excited about seeing it rolled out in WP 3.0! 
An often overlooked member of the Adobe Creative Suite is Adobe Fireworks. This application software can be used to create vectors, design application interfaces, digital artwork, and create rapid prototypes of websites. Adobe Fireworks can also generate PDF’s, export CSS based layouts, and a variety of other features. However, Adobe Fireworks resources are not easy to find. Resources are scattered among many different websites, blogs, and forums. Since the resources are far and few, some designers forget about all the features and abandon using the software all together.
In this article, renew your love for Adobe Fireworks! Check out the 200+ (mostly) free Adobe Fireworks resources that are gathered and categorized for easy reference. Please remember: since many designers have made these resources free for others, take the time to check out the license agreements before using any resources for personal and/or commercial projects.
1. Common Libraries, Patterns, and Rich Symbols
Common Libraries
Libraries are a great way to enhance the assets of Adobe Fireworks. Collections of symbols and objects save time when creating design elements.
Patterns
A wonderful way to add a final touch or create interest in a design is by using a pattern. Check out some great pattern resources for Adobe Fireworks.
Rich Symbols
Rich graphic symbols can be scaled and given attributes with scripts, which saves a lot of time when creating interfaces, websites, or design elements.
iPhone GUI as Rich Symbols for Fireworks
2. Styles
Styles are a great way to apply predefined attributes to an object or text (but not to bitmap objects).
150 Fireworks Styles (Gradient Effects)
15 FIREWORKS CS4 TEXT STYLES PACK 1
Stroke Styles for Fireworks MX, Series 1
Gradients, Blue Light, Charcoal, Chrome, etc. (No Preview Image)
3. Auto Shapes
According to help.Adobe.com, auto shapes are a great tool which “simplify the creation and editing process of common visual elements.” They’re also a great time saver.
Background Rectangle Auto Shape
Sunburst, Effect Light Source, Geometry Guides, and Grid
Enhanced Rectangle Auto Shapes
4. Commands, Scripts, and Panels
Commands
Essentially, commands are shortcuts for automating repetitive tasks. Find out how the following commands can reduce the time of your next design process.
Objects, Pattern and Texture, and Text Commands
Brush, Document, and Effects Commands
Add Web Guides, Group, Mask, Modify, 3D Rotate, Rename, and Paths Commands
Scripts
Panel
5. Automation and Effects
Automation
A simple way to save time is through the use of Adobe Fireworks automating tasks. Check out a few examples of some true saving auto tasks.
Effects
Effects (or Live Filters) are a great way to enhance vector objects, text, and bitmaps. Check out some fantastic ways to add effects to your designs.
6. Templates
Save valuable time with predesigned templates ranging from websites to iPhone prototypes.
Fireworks Toolkit for Creating iPhone Mockups
Free Template #4 – Travel Site
Adobe Fireworks Template for Android by UNITid
Prebuilt CSS Templates in Fireworks CS4
Free Template #3 – Restaurant Website
Blueprint – Sample Web Template
Fireworks 975PX Grid Systems (6col and 12col)
Free Template #6 – Business Website
Free Template #2 – Funky Website
7. Textures
Adding custom textures to fills and strokes gives artwork a “more organic look” and adds depth to your design.
20 Fireworks Seamless Texture Pack 1
InkySmoke (registration required)
Fabric Patterns 0003 (registration required)
Cracked Earth 0010 (registration required)
Splatter Round 0039 (registration required)
Various 0224 (registration required)
Rock Rough 008 (registration required)
Further Texture Resources
BittBox has “Free Texture Tuesdays”
Free Macromedia Textures (379)
Textures from FireworksGuru Forums Gallery (must register)
8. Objects and Vector Objects
A “shape defined by a path” is a vector object. One can edit vector objects and use them in a variety of design applications. Some resources are Adobe Fireworks .jpg files labeled “Objects.”
The Complete (Almost) Vectorized Webding Catalog
CMX Black Line Master Graphics 3
iPhone Hardware Translated into Vectors
Adobe Fireworks Tutorials
40+ Striking Adobe Fireworks Tutorials
23 Amazing Tutorials for Adobe Fireworks
20 Useful Fireworks Tutorials for Designers
Top 20 YouTube Adobe Fireworks Video Tutorials
Maa Graphics Fireworks Tutorials
200+ Must Know Adobe Fireworks Tutorials for Designers
20 Tutorials for Professional Effects in Fireworks
Community MX Fireworks Tutorials
Entheos Adobe Fireworks Tutorials
In Conclusion
Adobe Fireworks is a great tool for designers which deserves more attention and definitely more resources. If you’re new to Fireworks, give the software a try and discover the power of this forgotten resource. On the other hand, if you haven’t launched Fireworks in some time, what are you waiting for? There’s a nice big box of Fireworks (resources) just waiting to light up your desktop!
Excellent Overall Resources
Adobe Fireworks Exchange
A super resource of Fireworks source files, tutorials, and resources.
Senocular
Great resource for Fireworks Source Files, Extensions, and Tutorials.
John Dunning
A super collection of Fireworks commands, auto shapes, and resources.
FW Extensions
Adobe Fireworks Plugins Directory.
CommunityMX
Fireworks articles, tutorials, and extensions.
FWKit
Fireworks extensions, styles, and templates.
Aaron Beall
Fireworks commands, panels, auto shapes, and concepts.
Phireworx
Various Adobe Fireworks tools.
Heathrowe
Auto Shapes, Commands, Automate, and other resources.
Matt Stow
Fireworks tutorials and resources.
FireworksGuru Forum –> Gallery
Templates, PNG’s, icons, textures, patterns (must register first).
UltraWeaver
Over 277 Fireworks Resources.
Further Reading
40 High Quality Adobe Fireworks Tutorials, Resources, & PNG Files
70+ Adobe Fireworks Resources – Is there a future for Fireworks?
Adobe Fireworks Tutorials and Downloads – Best of –
The Ultimate Round-Up of Fireworks Tutorials and Resources
75 Powerful Adobe Fireworks Extensions
About the Author
Melissa Scroggins is a freelance graphic designer at PeachPoPs. She loves designing icons, creating vector illustrations, and playing survival horror video games. Follow her design adventures on Twitter.
We’re going to try to get to more WordCamps and want to meet you!
BTW – If you want personal attention and great WordPress training, check out our WordPress Theme Bootcamp Jan. 29-30 in Dallas!
One of the keys to becoming a bigger part of Twitter is realizing how it works, and I’ll be covering some of those basics here.
Five Basic Rules of Twitter
- Provide Value – There is a lesser chance that someone will follow you if you don’t provide useful information. You need to do this, or you’ll simply be promoting your site non-stop and other useless content.
- Connect with Others – Start conversations with others if they are having difficulties blogging (or whatever), and let them know that you are thankful for what they do, if they have re-tweeted or provided value to you.
- Market Appropriately – Not everyone will be able to generate income using Twitter, but some will. You have to know how to leverage the traffic and users of Twitter in order to gain some new visitors/readers.
- Expand Your Blog – Using Twitter is a great way to find new information and resources for including within your own blog.
- Utilize the New Lists Feature – I believe that there is a lot of potential in the new lists feature, after having used it for some time. You can use it to market your favorite sites as well as more closely follow your closest followers.
What You Need to Do
The key in setting yourself apart on Twitter is doing what no one else has done before. Sure, you’ll have to take risks, but you’ll certainly be rewarded for them if you see an increase in followers or traffic back to your site.
- Promote Your Followers – Even though you may be more inclined to promote yourself than others, it may be beneficial to focus on your own followers. They are following you and may be following each of your tweets, why not give hem a little promotion in return?
- Be the First – Like the news cycle, you want to always pay attention to your niche, breaking great articles before others do. You’ll receive more traffic and become an authority quickly.
- Share Insider Knowledge – Many Twitter users don’t provide too much “personal’ information, but it is good to see users who are, providing a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the account.
- Add Something More – By providing additional content through your Twitter stream, you are emphasizing the point that you are committed to helping your readers out.
- Be Knowledgeable – Share what you know and others will respect your ability and follow you, re-tweet your tweets, and add you to their list of recommended users.
- Separate the Good Content from the Bad – Because there is so much content on Twitter, you have to know what to spread yourself, and when.
- Grow Over Time – Your readers want to see growth over time, and there is no better what to show this than through a Twitter account.
- Leave an Impact – Leaving an impact doesn’t stop at helping others with their minor problems, but you can also go so far as distribute bonus content to those who ask for it.
- Be Consistent – Twitter users want some form of consistency, much like within a traditional blog. Don’t tweet five times one day and fifty times the next, returning to just two the next day. You have to spread tweets out and focus on building your brand.
Conclusion
Building a brand and separating yourself on Twitter really does take time. There are more tips that can be added to the list above, but I want to leave that up to you. How do you try to separate and create your own pack on Twitter?
On Monday, Oct. 26, I’d like to invite you to an introductory webinar called Blogging Your Way to Professional Success that gives you some basic steps for increasing your professional and career value through using a blog.
Title: Blogging for Professional Success
Date: Monday, October 26, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CDT
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/132369251