1. Be remarkable - somebody worth making a remark about
2. Become a resource to others
3. Have your own unique personality
4. Be vocal and opinionated within the communtiy
5. Don’t continuously push the envelope by flooding them with requests
6. Invest time into social media
7. Produce and share content that your audience will love
8. Monitor what’s being shared about you
9. Become a real member of the community
10. Ask questions
11. Answer questions
12. Provide value to the community
13. Be controversial
14. Don’t be another “me-too”
15. Automate carefully - it’s about people not robots
16. Don’t be an asshole
17. Make it easy for people to share and bookmark your content
18. Listen to the community
19. Make at least one new connection every day
20. Engage yourself in conversations
21. Become the conversation
22. You’re there to make relationships, not hard selling
23. Take time to focus on building a loyal following
24. Give, Give, GIVE!
25. Treat social media like a cocktail party
26. Be supportive
27. Syndicate your content across all social media platforms
28. Encourage others to syndicate your content onto their sites
29. Fully research the community to understand your market
30. Be fun
31. Get to know the unwritten laws of the community
32. Create an attractive, unique and professional profile
33. Use a cool avatar/picture
34. Use the same avatar for each social media service
35. Don’t be a keyboard gangsta (i.e. trash talk all day)
36. Know what your followers/friends want and give it to them
37. Form reciprocal arrangements with others
38. Monitor your noise level
39. Never cheat the system
40. Help others unconditionally
41. Be yourself

For those of you don’t know yet, I’m giving away free copies to the digital version of my book eMillions over at my blog TheUniversityKid.com

All you have to do is visit TheUniversityKid.com and sign up to the exclusive newsletter on the right hand side. Enjoy

This is a guest post by Ben Johnson.

It is true, if a logo becomes instantly recognizable by the viewers, it gets promoted to the level of being called a brand. Creating a brand identity for any business plays a huge role in today’s competitive world, as the brand infiltrates almost every facet of the company we can see and this is the reason why businesses willingly pay whatever the design agencies charge them for their logos. There are many reasons why design agencies ask for a lot of money from companies and this is what we are going to cover in this article.

There are both small and large scale companies, who want to have a strong identity for themselves. However, not all of them have the budget to approach the top logo design agencies to create their logo. Many question why do these top agencies so costly?

There are a lot of things that contribute to creating a successful logo. A design agency charges you high because it has all the experts under one roof to work on your project. An agency thinks businesses shouldn’t be reluctant in paying more for their logo. They say their designers go through an entire process to come up with a logo which guarantees success. So, high price is justified. Moreover, they charge you more because they are:

• Experienced
• Professional
• Accountable
• Renowned reliable
• Capable of handling large number of accounts
• Loaded with professional logo designers and high quality logo concepts
• Equipped with broader skill set
• Secure to work with
• Frequently available for face to face meetings

Of course if a design agencies charge you more, there has to have the above mentioned reasons behind it. They must have a reputable name in the design industry, gained through ample experience and professionalism. They must have shown reliability to their clients and have produced high quality logo designs which later on got successful and converted into big brands with remarkable identity. Unlike freelance designers, they occupy a physical workplace to accommodate a bunch of creative designers or even more to come up with the best logo concepts for their clients. The software they use cost them thousands of dollars, the computers, the stationery etc.

Moreover, renowned design agencies have their own process of handling different projects. They don’t just start working on the logo right away. The design process of a professional logo designer in a design agency usually consists of:

1. Takes the Design Brief - The designer conducts a questionnaire or interview with the client to get the design brief.
2. Conducts Research - The designer conduct research focused on the industry itself, on its history, and on its competitors.
3. Searches Reference designs - They conduct research into logo designs that have been successful and current styles and trends that are related to the design brief.
4. Does Sketching & Conceptualizing - They develop the logo design concept(s) around the brief and research. They use creativity and know how to design a logo.
5. Gives Presentation - They then choose whether to present only a select few logos to the client or a whole collection.

They go through this entire process with thorough professionalism and years of experience. For this much, they can’t charge you less or something which a freelancer or a starter charges you for your logo design project. If you agree or disagree with my opinion on this issue, do write to me in the comments section. I would love to know what you think of the design agencies who charge companies fortunes for just a logo…but I would again say it isn’t just a logo.

This is guest post from Ben Johnson of Logoinn, custom logo design service provider based in UK.

Internet Marketing ‘SuperGuru’ John Reese has just released a great free video that will teach you how to maximize affiliate commissions on auto-pilot.

In this video you’ll learn how to quickly and easily set up an “Affiliate Commission Engine.”

You can set up as many of these little ‘engines’ as you want in any market you want and they’ll work for you 24/7 - - making affiliate income for you while you’re busy working on other things.

Go right now and watch this video and start making more affiliate marketing commissions right away:

http://www.stanleytang.com/go/opportunity

This is a guest post by Frank Angelone.

It’s funny when you think about, why did you start blogging?  Well, like most people it’s because you love writing.  Although, as you write more and read other blogs and see that other people make money doing it.  At some point you ask yourself, “can I do this too?”  Yes, you can!  Although, it’s really funny the kind of cycle blogging has become.  Most people forget that blogging started because you love to do it and it turned into a career.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that.  It’s really funny though if you take a step back and realize that there are a good amount of people making a career out of blogging.

This is something though that takes a long time to establish because you need to build your viewers that read your posts.  The important thing to remember is even if you don’t have a lot of viewers, you shouldn’t stop blogging.  If you are blogging just for the money, you are doing it for the wrong reason.  If you come into money from blogging, that’s a bonus.  I have always loved this quote from the movie Rush Hour, “Greed will imprison us all.” Could that be any more to the point?  I think it’s a perfect quote.  If you blog and all you see is dollar signs, then the content you publish on your blog isn’t going to be effective.

Why you may ask?  Well it’s pretty simple.  You are concentrating more on money than the content you are providing for your niche market.  To eventually start making money blogging, you need to focus on publishing solid content and finding ways to network with fellow bloggers.  Also, using the many tools to get your blog out there on the internet wouldn’t hurt either. These are perfect examples for internet marketing and the effective work of an entrepreneur.

Keep in mind, blogging was meant to be fun and a way to get your ideas out there.   It’s a way to relieve stress.  Don’t look at blogging as a money maker because you should be enjoying it.  If you make money blogging, well than that’s what we call an entrepreneur!  I don’t have a ton of followers on my blog at http://angelone.tumblr.com but that’s not the point.  I blog because it relaxes me and if I come into money doing it than I have the best of both worlds.  If not, I will still blog because it’s a passion of mine.  Keep this all in mind the next time you see dollar signs!

This is a guest post by Christy Taylor.

Everyone has something they know about and something they can help others understand. What many people don’t know is that what they know can always be made into an article that others can use.

An article doesn’t have to be about something big, but it should be something that you care about and that you can express how to do or how to feel. There are probably billions of articles on the Internet with different people’s perspectives, ideas and thoughts. All you have to do is write something that is entertaining and eye catching.

Most articles that work well on the Internet are between 400 and 600 words. They usually have headlines and bullet points to catch the eye as readers pass through. Good information will be passed along to others and before you know it, your website traffic picks up.

The good news is that you don’t have to write all of these articles. In fact, there are several different ways to do this and they are worth the investing of a few dollars. There are article directories and software programs that will do the work for you after you write the first article.

The way the system works is that people read your article and then link to your website for more information. This is called back linking when it is in an article directory and the traffic to your website grows.

The nice thing about article writing is the more you write, the more you have to send out to the directories and the more people can read about you. Finding a niche market that people will read can send you more customers in a very short time.

What People Read

This is where you go on a kind of scavenger hunt because you can find many items that interest you. Look at television, read the news feeds online and read any news that interests you. If it is fascinating to you, chances are people are talking about it. Look for information about the topics you enjoy and write about them. This will generate more creativity, and you will gain more ideas for your own articles.

Chat rooms and message boards also have a lot of information about what people are taking about, and they can be used for topics that are the most current. While you are there, look for questions that people are asking.

Creating articles for your website will take some time, but it is worth the investment to get because over time you won’t have to do as much work in this area. More and more people are coming to websites for their content that they can use.

Christy Taylor, author, is the owner of Virtual Business Connections, an Internet Marketing/SEO/Professional Copywriting firm. For more information on how to generate traffic to your website, visit http://www.VirtualBusinessConnections.com

It’s official.

I’ve acquired TheUniversityKid.com - a blog about young entrepreneurship and internet marketing. The amount was somewhere in the $x,xxx range (I’m sure you would be able to find the exact amount by doing a bit of research online) and felt it was one of the best ones I’ve made.

The previous owner, Jason Pereira (who I met up with back in January in Hong Kong), has done an awesome job with this blog and it’s just a shame he wasn’t able to continue with it due to his hectic schedule in University. When he offered it to me, the price was simply too good to turn it down. Being a young entrepreneur myself, it made perfect sense to take over a young entrepreneur blog.

But like I said before, I’m currently in the middle of revision for exams, courseworks and all that stuff, so I’ve asked my friend Josh (and a few others) to help me out and he’ll be doing a lot of the blogging in the intial weeks. Hopefully that will ease my burden.

I have big plans for TUK. Watch out

In the age of web 2.0 where barriers to communication have been lowered tremendously, the ability to brand yourself is becoming more and more vital. That’s exactly what Dan Schawbel’s new book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success is all about. Dan kindly sent me a free copy in advance and I had the chance to review the book:

The book is essentially about personal branding - how to make a name for yourself, market yourself to others and stand out from the crowd. Here’s an extract from the book explaining what personal branding is:

Personal branding describes the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then leverage it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish reputation and credibility, advance their careers and build self-confidence.

Dan talks about how you can leverage the power of social media such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and others (page 146-149 provides you with a table listing out all the different types of social networking sites) to help build yourself a brand. It goes over the four steps in personal branding for career success:

1. Discover Your Brand
2. Create Your Brand
3. Communicate Your Brand
4. Maintain Your Brand

The book is laid out in a very easy to read format with tons of bullet points and lists. The book is suitable for the Gen-Y (college students) who are starting their careers as well as  job-takers and entrepreneurs, who are looking forward into building a personal brand of themselves. I recommend you to go get a copy of his book Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success

This is a guest post by Frank Angelone.

Tell me if you haven’t heard someone say this, “I need money!”  I think we all have heard this before because to survive we do need money.  Let’s keep in mind though, even all the money in the world can’t buy happiness.  I know that sounds cliché, but it’s a good mindset to have especially if you run your own business.  You may be the type of person who has all the money in the world, but dissatisfied with your life.  That’s not something anyone wants to deal with.  Although, wouldn’t it be great if we could have both.

You definitely can have both happiness and money; this all goes into how well you sell yourself.  Even though you are making money on the internet and may not ever get to meet your viewers or buyers, you still want to sell yourself effectively.  Now, when I say sell yourself, I don’t mean say, “I’m the best and this is why you want to follow me.”  That’s the absolute wrong way to sell yourself to run an effective business.  When I say selling yourself effectively, look at it as if you are on a date.  When on a date you are trying to show someone the kind of person you are.  Relate this to your business!  By implementing this strategy and showing an interest in your customers or viewership you can develop strong relationships.  It will make them want to come back and see what else you have to offer.  I think you can see how this ties back into meeting someone because it’s the same principal.

By showing people you care and selling yourself effectively your business will translate in more money.  Not only that, but you will be happy as well because you know your business environment is a positive one.  I believe marketing is probably the most vital piece in becoming a successful internet entrepreneur.  Without marketing, there’s not many ways to make money online.  With how many ways to market ourselves on the internet, like Twitter, we have the tools available.  Now, it’s time to go out there, find them, and implement them into your business.

My blog http://angelone.tumblr.com is where I talk about social networks and technology and where I can talk about a topic I enjoy most.  This is also very key when trying to market yourself.  Pick a niche that you feel comfortable with and have knowledge in.  If you choose a topic that you have a vague understanding in, it will translate in the amount of money you earn.  Remember, choose what you like!

This is a guest post by Michael Gaudet.

The Power of Three (Copyright Michael Gaudet 2004)

You know how sometimes when you meet someone you have this strong ‘gut feeling’ that if you work it out, there is the potential for an amazing friendship?

The signals can include:

1) Powerful personal chemistry between you both when you immediately feel comfortable in each other’s presence.

2) A feeling of trust and respect that develops quickly and continues to grow.

3) A flash of understanding that passes between you that affirms you both have complimentary skill sets to bring to the relationship.

4) You soon discover that you both share common goals and interests.

5) You realize that there are certain unique strengths and experiences that you have that your new colleague may be looking for, and vice-versa.

6) You discover that you are both at ease encouraging each other’s ideas and fanning enthusiasm with positive body language.

7) You slip comfortably into the ‘brainstorming mode’ when discussing ideas.

Your ideas seem to mesh with a powerful ‘synchronicity’.

9)You realize that you have a lot to learn from each other and this understanding leads to deeper mutual respect.

10) Both of you find that you share information and tips that have the potential to lead to mutual enrichment, if followed up on.

11) You find that you don’t always have to agree on everything, and that you can easily bounce back from minor scuffles. Just talk it out.

12) Your discussions lead to concrete results within a certain time-frame. ( This is the most exciting thing of all and the most powerful relationship-builder!)

When you start to see the signals click, watch the relationship grow into a multi-dimensional, dynamic force. You have mutually created the potential for a new good friend!

No question about it, when you recognize that this is happening in your life, treat your new friend like solid gold. No kidding, this is not a common occurrence and once you find it is unfolding you are in a position to richly benefit as it is a mutual gain. What I mean by this is that you both have a lot to offer and this is the foundation for a life-long relationship. Do not squander this opportunity when it comes along.

Nurture it!

Michael Gaudet is an artist specializing in large historic murals. See Gallery Gaudet He has branched off into aeronautical design and invented a ‘Ring-Wing’ glider called Skyaak. To read more, visit www.skyaak.com Follow him on Twitter.

This article is a guest post from Frank Angelone. He writes at http://angelone.tumblr.com.

I haven’t been blogging for that long.  Honestly, I have been blogging for a few months now.  Although, I am really glad it is something I decided to get involved in.  I have found a new passion in writing about social networks and technology on my blog at http://angelone.tumblr.com.  During that time I have run across blogs that have given me insight on how to make money online.  From that point on, I had this vision where I wanted to become an internet entrepreneur.  I realized becoming an internet entrepreneur is extremely difficult, but I realized that if I put my mind to it, anything is possible. The title says it all, “A Life of Persistence.”  Persistence is what can get a person through anything and when you work at something your hard work will pay off.

The advice of persistence was given to me by an entrepreneur named Chris Pirillo who has become very successful in his own right.  I believe this advice is key for any aspiring entrepreneur.  Learning how to make money online basically comes down to finding different sources of income throughout the internet.  Sounds difficult right? Well, to be honest, it is.  To find credible locations on the internet to make money, you need to do searching and read a lot of advice from fellow entrepreneurs.  They can lead you to places where you can make money.

I’m guessing at this point you are wondering, where did my first source of income come from?  Alright, you probably don’t really care where my first source of income came from online, but everyone has to start somewhere.  If you remember me saying that the best way to start making money online is to find out from an entrepreneur, well that holds true here.  Once again, Chris Pirillo mentioned a site called Expo TV to do product reviews and I have been making money doing that.  That right there is how you get your online business going and as years go by, you continue to expand your business and find different sources of income.

I would be lying if I said it wasn’t hard.  Stanley would tell you the same thing.  Some people find a business model that works for them and it blossoms quickly and others it takes a little longer.  Although, if you remain persistent, I can guarantee you, good things will come of it.  Nobody who works hard for something walks away empty handed.  I have always loved this phrase, “in order to succeed, you have to fail.”  This is 100% true because failure shows you your mistakes and allows you to correct them when engaging in a new venture.